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Tuesday, October 31, 2000
Spurs: Primed for another title run
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Team page/schedule | Stats: Preseason / 1999 | Roster
Last year: 53-29, second in Midwest, fourth in conference
Coach/GM: Gregg Popovich
Arena, first game: Alamodome (20,557/34,215); Nov. 5, 1993
All-time franchise record/NBA titles: 1,080-856/1
Notable: Spurs were oldest team in league at 31.28 years
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THE TOP EIGHT
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Pos
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Player
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Key Stat
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Skinny
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PG
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Avery Johnson
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6.0 apg
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Say what you will, but he gets job done
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SG
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Derek Anderson
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16.9 ppg
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Injury-prone but big upgrade on Elie
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SF
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Sean Elliott
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19 games
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Apparently in his best shape in years
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PF
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Tim Duncan
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23.2 ppg
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Welcome back, Tim. Now let's win another
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C
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David Robinson
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9.6 rpg
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Numbers are lower, but he's still critical
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6th
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Terry Porter
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9.4 ppg
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Great third guard really hasn't slowed
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7th
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Antonio Daniels
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.474 FG
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He's not just Duncan's pal, he's good
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8th
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Jaren Jackson
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.381 FG
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Career .390 shooter still helps out
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The Spurs have just about everything they need to make another run at an NBA championship. Just about. Defensively they're good, rebounding they're good and they're outstanding in the post. They just don't shoot the ball well from the perimeter anymore. Sean Elliott and Mario Elie were good shooters who put the outside in an inside-outside game that the Spurs had over the last few years. San Antonio did add Danny Ferry to the team. He's played well in the preseason and if he can shoot the ball as well during the regular season as he's done so far, it will help the Spurs' chances. They could also use a one-on-one player who could break down a defense and score. A player like that would force someone to help, leaving Tim Duncan or David Robinson open for the offensive rebound. The addition of a one-on-one player would make the Spurs devastating.
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By Marc Stein
Special to ESPN.com
The Good
Twin Towers. Texas Towers. Twin Terrors. Any way you describe the Spurs' 7-foot pair, just make sure it reflects how good they are together. Tim Duncan and David Robinson are indeed reunited for another run, both healthy (for now) and hungry for a return to title-contender status. Just when it appeared he was ready to join the Magic, and form an Eastern Conference beast with Grant Hill, Duncan decided to stay at Robinson's side in the Alamo City for at least three more seasons. If they can now stay healthy, the Spurs should join Portland as the biggest threat to an L.A. Lakers championship repeat, since we all remember what happened the last time Shaquille O'Neal was asked to go through Duncan and Robinson in the same series. The Lakers, of course, didn't win a game, and O'Neal -- for all the stature he has seized since -- still has to prove he can slice through the Twin Whatevers when both are in his way. That's not all, either. San Antonio's Gregg Popovich followed up the Duncan reclamation efforts by landing free-agent guard Derek Anderson, who should supply a much-needed boost of athleticism.
The Bad
There are several players on the Spurs' bench who have a history of perimeter excellence, the sort of marksmanship this team so badly needs to balance out all the down-low attention Duncan and Robinson get. Problem is, all that dead-eye shooting is in the past. San Antonio knows that Terry Porter, Steve Kerr, Jaren Jackson and the recently acquired Danny Ferry can all make shots. Whether any of them do it this season is a major concern, because Porter is 37, Kerr has been virtually invisible as a Spur and Jackson's aim vanished last season. Ferry was a nice pickup if he's hitting, but he's another player who offers little else if he's not. There will also be the usual health concerns with the Spurs, since Duncan and key reserve Malik Rose are coming back from knee injuries -- and with Robinson, Avery Johnson (35) and Sean Elliott (32) all nearing the end. San Antonio isn't nearly deep enough to withstand any physical setbacks to Duncan or Robinson, and those two will still need lots of help in the tougher-than-ever West.
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THE BIG QUESTION |
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Duncan was forced to skip the Olympics because of the damage sustained to his left knee late in the regular season. After free-agent courting delayed his rehabilitation schedule, one has to wonder how long before he's 100 percent?
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Whose team is this?
San Antonio is undeniably Duncan's team and town. Had he left for Florida, the Spurs would have been forced to usher Robinson toward retirement and sink to new depths to start over, just like they did in Robinson's injury season (1996-97) to land Duncan in the draft. Of course, since there aren't any Duncans in the draft these days, no one in South Texas was looking forward to such a project. Instead, Duncan stayed. Better yet, much as this is his team, he unselfishly shares the juice with franchise legend Robinson. It's their tight relationship, insiders say, that had a huge sway in convincing Duncan to stay. All he passed up was the easy life in the East, where Duncan and Hill would have faced marginal resistance outside of Miami and Indiana.
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How they'll play
Anderson isn't the pure shooter the Spurs sought, but his one-on-one abilities should provide a dimension they've lacked. No longer will all the offense have to go through Duncan and Robinson; Anderson is able to improvise and get his own shot if necessary. Duncan, of course, remains the No. 1 option with his ever-expanding array of bank shots and spin moves, and Robinson showed through last season's steady resurgence that he still has something to offer. Word is that Robinson looks more mobile than he has been for years after taking up yoga in the offseason. Popovich can only hope that's true, because the defensive dominance San Antonio gets from Duncan and Robinson will have to continue to make up for the Spurs' lack of perimeter quickness. Elliott is their best one-on-one defender, but the Spurs know he can't be expected to play heavy minutes for 82 games. That's why Antonio Daniels is so important. Not only is Daniels in line to supplant Avery Johnson; he's also frequently asked to check bigger guards.
Projection
The Spurs will win the Midwest Division and should score at least 55 victories. That would mean homecourt advantage until at least the conference finals, which they'll need to have a legitimate shot at the Lakers or Trail Blazers. Even with Duncan back, though, San Antonio won't be regarded as more than the third-best team in the West until the old and new parts click in a season that lasts longer than 50 games.
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