Posts tagged RobertHorry at FanHouse

The Spurs Are Big On Maturity, Re-sign Michael Finley

Though members of the fanbase may think drastic upgrades are needed, it would seem that the Spurs are prepared to primarily hold the course going into next season. The Spurs re-signed veteran guard Michael Finley on Friday, according to MySA.com. Terms of the deal were not available, but his agentreported tht the deal was for more than the league minimum. Considering that Finely is 35, I wouldn't imagine it's a very long deal, either.

Finley rejected offers from the Celtics and from overseas to take another year with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and the rest of Greg Popovich's crew. The signing is another indication that the Spurs are more willing to go with an aging version of their championship squads than to pursue what they see as more risky options (*cough* Jannero Pargo).

Finley played sparingly last season, getting his usual share of big shots in the playoffs, but it's clear that the dropoff is increasing. The Spurs lost Brent Barry, who was the most productive of the older crew, while re-signing Kurt Thomas and taking their sweet time with Robert Horry. They did add Roger Mason earlier in the offseason, but one man does not a youth upgrade make. The key to the 2008-2009 season for the Spurs will not only be the health of the big three (Duncan, Parker, and Manu Ginobili), but the ability of the bench's remarkably ancient contingent to provide meaningful minutes.

Robert Horry Thinks He's Done as a Spur

Robert Horry has said that he would like to be back for his 17th season, but it appears the Spurs don't share the same sentiment. Horry was asked about the possibility of returning to San Antonio next season, and let's just say he was less than optimistic when discussing the topic:
"I don't think so," Horry said when asked if he was coming back to the Spurs. "I think it will be a cold day before that happens. I think they are involved in their youth movement and I think it's a 99 percent chance that I won't be coming back."
Oh right, the Spurs' youth movement. Or not. Horry can tell himself whatever he needs to in order to sleep at night, but the reality is that his diminished skill set prevented him from contributing much at all to the Spurs' success last season. (And yes, getting to the Conference Finals is considered a successful season, even by a defending champion's standards.)

Horry played in just 45 regular season games for the Spurs, and while he was clearly there to provide veteran post-season help, he didn't do much of that either: he played in 15 of the team's 17 playoff games, but managed to score more than three points in just two of them. At this point I'd say it's a stretch that Horry will find any takers for his services next season, although a young team (like a New Orleans) looking for some veteran locker room leadership might want to consider giving him their final roster spot.

[via SLAM]

Brent Barry Opts Out, Proves The Grass Is Always Greener

It's entirely possible that your last enduring memory of Brent Barry as a Spur will be that last shot where he tried to actually hit the shot instead of flopping. Not the way you want to be remembered in a championship city like San Antonio, but that might just be the way it is. Because Barry very quietly opted out of his contract last week .

That means that Brent Barry, Michael Finley, Robert Horry, and Kurt Thomas could all be somewhere besides San Antonio next season. Barry is particularly interesting, though. He's got better legs than the others, and showed in the playoffs that not only can he still create his own shot, which the others cannot, but he also can still play some defense and work within an offensive system. With veterans such a big part of Boston's championship run, it would make sense that a player like Barry can still get top dollar.

Of course, this could be another Brent Barry swerve job by the Spurs. The Spurs traded Barry last year to Seattle to get Kurt Thomas, only to resign him when Barry opted out. Could this be a similar deal in order for San Antonio to put a more competitive offer for Corey Maggette?

Big Shot Bob Is Not Ready to Hang Up the Clutch Shooting (Nor Questionable Tactics)

Towards the end of an athlete's career, there's always a number of questions about whether it's noble that he or she continues to compete, or regrettable that they continue to cling to the remnants of their fading skills.

Such is the case with one Robert Horry, AKA, "Big Shot Bob." AKA "Cheap Shot Bob." AKA "Wily Pants McGee." Okay, I made the last one up.

Horry said in an interview yesterday that he plans to return to the NBA next season for his 17th season. He said that he would prefer to play for either the Spurs, whom he won championships with, or the Rockets ... whom he won championships with. So essentially there are two takes to have on this.

Take 1: "How noble, to play at his age (he turns 38 in August). To compete at this level at his age is truly heroic. And with his tenacious defense and clutch shooting, you can be sure that any team that picks him up will gain a major assett."

Take 2: "Now this is just sad. The guy can't rn with any of the elite athletes, he suffers in transition, his shooting is down, some blogs call him "the corpse of Robert Horry." And the only way he's able to stay relevant is by distributing cheap shots at his opponents."

Pick a side, and let's crank up Season 17!

James Posey: The New Robert Horry

As the legend of Big Shot Bob dissipates -- Robert Horry might retire this summer, and likely wouldn't be back in a Spurs jersey regardless -- another grows in its place. These days, it's possibly soon-to-be two-time champion James Posey who gets noticed as the defensive ace/heady, roughhouse leader/three-ball specialist who just plain wins.

Marc J. Spears of the Boston Globe got an anonymous exec type to discuss Posey's impending worth and the connection.
Posey will be an unrestricted free agent and the most Boston can offer is a mid-level exception deal, which would be expected to start at about $5.8 million. If the Celtics offer him the full mid-level exception or something close to it over four years, they should have a strong shot at re-signing him. But they shouldn't be surprised if several teams go after him hard, too.

"Everyone in the league will go after him," an NBA executive said. "The Lakers probably will. But it will probably be the same money. He can pick and choose. He's like Robert Horry now. A team close to winning will sign him.
As solid as Posey has been, it is shocking to me that he'll get the full mid-level. Horry's last contract paid him $10 million over three years, roughly the same per-year as Posey's current deal. Bruce Bowen's per-year salary is similar.

Perhaps a big contract for Posey will serve as reparations for the years of financial bias against elite defenders. Shane Battier, one of the best swing defenders in the world, makes less than $6 million. (And if anyone's asking me, he's the real next Big Shot Bob.) These players deserve this money, but almost never get it. I mean, it's taken Posey two titles in three years as the best swing defender to get looked at for the frickin' midlevel, which guys like Mikki Moore and Jarvis Hayes Jared Jeffries have claimed. (Whoops, fixed.)

Horry to NBA: I'm Smarter Than 98% of You

Many terms describe Robert Horry: a winner, experienced, old. Big Shot Bob would add another: genius.
"I think that if I stick around I'm still better than a lot of players," Horry said. "I might not be as fast as a lot of them or as quick. But I'm smarter than probably about 98 percent of the league."
Is this closer to commendable or detestable? I mean, he does say '98%' when the more common reference to near certainty would be '99%' -- there's a serious chance Horry, or his Spurs assistant coaches, have actually tested the aptitude of every player in the league, and found that Bob actually ranks in the 98th percentile. These are just facts.

Of course, there's the dirty likelihood Horry actually means he is smarter than 99% of the league, but is such a brilliant linguist that he wants to avoid the '99%' cliche, and thus cites '98%' on the spot. Show-off.

Regardless, there were about 450 fellows who played some NBA minutes this year. Horry assets only nine players are smarter than he. Any guesses as to whom?

5 Things to Keep an Eye on: Western Conference Finals Game 5

Do or die. Win or go home. Other clichés. The Champs are up against the cliff, and the Lakers have the spear pointed at their backsides. Manu! The Machine! Kobe! Bonner! Okay, maybe not Bonner. Either way, this should be fun this evening. In the latest in our continuing series, we look at five things to keep an eye on tonight in the Western Conference Finals Game 5 between the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs.


1. Ginobility In Defeat: It's pretty clear Manu Ginobili is not 100%. And with him struggling as much as he has, it puts the Spurs in an even dicier proposition than just being down 3-1. The Spurs offense has eroded into the big three and the occasional shot from the supporting cast, and with a third of that on one leg, it effectively puts the pressure on the Spurs aging bench to produce. Granted, sometimes that results in Brent Barry scoring 23 points and nearly winning the game. But it also forces too many perimeter shots from players that are struggling with confidence in shooting and allows the Lakers to gamble more on pressuring Tony Parker on pick and rolls and attacking Tim Duncan with the double in the post. Ginobili is going to have to have three absolutely knock out games back to back to back if the Spurs are going to have a prayer of getting back in this thing, starting with Game 5.

2. Barry Barry Good To Me: Speaking of Barry, he's emerged as the Spurs' veteran shooter du jour for this round of the playoffs. Greg Popovich has a tremendous amount of respect and confidence in Robert Horry, but Big Shot Bob has lost most of his value, outside of trying to injure the other team's squad or drawing suspensions. Popovich needs energy, speed, and shooting, and Barry is supplying all of the above right now. We'll see if the Lakers dedicate more pressure on Barry with their rotations or continue to roll the dice on whoever is in the second pass shooter spot, Barry or otherwise.

NBA Essentials: Horry's Deal With the Devil

NBA Essentials ranks our six favorite stories of the day.

1. Bob Young, azcentral.com: Robert Horry's not the devil, but he might have made a deal with him.

2. With Malice: Time for Jerry Sloan and the Jazz to part ways?

3. Hardwood Paroxysm: Using Hot Spots to break down Spurs-Hornets.

4. Red's Army: Marginally creative headline, but sweet Paul Pierce video.

5. Cake Rocks the Party: "The Guide to Hating Your Spurs."

6. Deuce of Davenport: Winner of Best Headline for the "Dwyane Wade buys his mom a church" story.

The Rotation: Spurs' Experience Can Overcome Hornets' Home Court in Game 7


The Rotation is a weekly study on the NBA by one of our All-Star voices. In rotation this week is Brett Edwards.

The playoff series between the Hornets and the Spurs has been consistently one-sided so far -- the home side. The local team has won each of the six games by at least 11 points, the first time such a statistical anomaly has occurred in NBA history. I think that's likely to change tonight though, because for all of the Hornets talent, the Spurs' collective experience is likely to be the deciding factor.

It's been argued that experience is overrated in the NBA playoffs, and Chris Paul was used as the poster boy and case study to prove the argument to be true. But playing well individually and winning home games is one thing.

The Hornets have really been the better team this entire series. They've largely stuck to what has worked for them all season, while the Spurs have had to make some substantial adjustments from game to game. But now the Hornets will have to prove they can evolve: For an upstart team to eliminate a team with a ring in a Game 7 -- even in your own building -- is something else entirely.

7 Things to Keep an Eye on in Game 7: San Antonio Spurs at New Orleans Hornets

Game Seven. No way out except onward. The defending champs responded at home and sent a message about their physical approach. Now the Hornets are at home, hoping to knock off the Spurs and keep them from their "one for the thumb." In an expanded edition of our playoff game previews, here are seven things to keep an eye on in tonight's Spurs-Hornets Game 7.





1. Let's Get The Ugliness Out Of The Way: David West will play. So will Robert Horry. And it'll probably be fine and nothing else will happen. But the tension will be there. And don't be completely shocked if there's another incident of "good playoff basketball" somewhere that ends up with West clutching his back again. These things "just happen." Meanwhile, Horry will be booed like he probably never has been before. Suns fans didn't get another shot at him that season and are notoriously civil. I would not expect the same treatment from the New Orleans folks. There's going to be a lot of physical play and don't be surprised if we see more technical fouls as both teams are really getting to dislike one another.

2. Duncan Versus West: Mano A Mano: The Spurs are 1-1 in putting Tim Duncan on David West one on one. Duncan was able to shut down the All-Star before the "good hard playoff basketball" by using his size and length in conjunction with a cohesive Spurs effort that jacked up the spacing for the Hornets on the offensive end. Conversely, in Game 5, with a healthy David West and the confidence of homecourt, West was nearly unstoppable. If he gets separation from Duncan and freezes him with the drive fake, he can get his jumper going, and that's when he gets scary. Conversely, Tyson Chandler has the job of guarding Duncan on the defensive end, but West has held his own. You never know which Tim Duncan is going to show up anymore. The bamboozled veteran that seems to slow and too clumsy to ever get anything going, or the best power forward in the history of the game. The Spurs can win without Duncan going off, and they can lose with Duncan scoring 30+, but both scenarios are very difficult to achieve.
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