PreSeason Opener Loss

Tim Duncan, Bruce Bowen, and Michael Finley were there for the San Antonio Spurs but just as audiences. The three Spurs stars sat on the sideline to watch the game against fellow-Texan team, Houston Rockets, but wearing street clothes. Maybe Gregg Popovich, Spurs head coach, just didn't want to his three stars to get too tired before the regular season. But apart from keeping his stars healthy, Pop also wanted to watch how his young guns would execute their play, win or lose. "If we win, nobody cares, and if we lose nobody cares," said Spurs head coach.

The Rockets blasted the Spurs out of their way by winning 85-78. Ron Artest gave the boost for his team with 18 points and three blocks. Ex-Blazers, Von Wafer, added 14 pts while Luis Scola continued to do his thang! and finishing with 13 pts. Tracy McGrady was out with an injury. But he's really not what made the Rockets more special this season, it's the ex-Spurs, Brent Barry, who hasn't stretched out his muscles yet with three pts and eight assists.

On the Spurs' side, t'was Malik Hairston who's showed flair on the offensive end with 10 points and followed by Tony Parker adding eight pts with only 13 mins playing time. Ime Udoka also had his share of seven rebounds and Fabricio Oberto with seven pts. Kurt Thomas, Ian Mahinmi, and Salim Stoudamire, were out because of injuries.

The Spurs' preseason opener proves that there still a lot to improve, particularly on the defensive end. The Rockets, with a huge number of turnovers, has outrebounded the Spurs. Apart from that, the Brent-less Spurs were outscored beyond the arc by their rival. But Pop appears to be relax and confident with his team and I think that should be enough to keep the Spurs fan happy even with Manu Ginobili out.

My Thoughts of the Spurs

Wow, I missed logging on to NBA.com. I just wish it wasn't blocked by the technical department here in our office. Sigh!.. But anyways, I was pissed with how the San Antonio Spurs played against the New Orleans Hornets, Boston Celtics, & Philadelphia 76ers! [with a big exclamation mark] And then, there was the suspension of Bruce Bowen. Argh! Bear with me, okay. I was just annoyed by the fact that the regular season is coming to a close and yet the Spurs are struggling. This is the time where they usually put the pieces of the puzzle and gear up for the playoffs. Am I simply expecting too much from them? I guess I am and I think everybody [Spurs fan] is on the same page as well.

All I think of whenever the Spurs lose is that Pop's rotation didn't work and that's all. But there is no room for error now esp with the tight competition in the Western Conference. I wouldn't be this worried if the Spurs are on the East, you know. Sigh! Don't get too stressed like me, okay. I'm fine. I'll get over this for sure. [maybe I'm just so hooked to basketball] Sigh! Again.

But I'm bringing you some good news, the Spurs have won back-to-back games against the Chicago Bulls and the Sacramento Kings, respectively. Manu Ginobili was back as the 6th man of the Spurs during both games and the game against the Celtics. I am not against this, okay. But I think Ginobili brings a lot of confidence and drive for his team when he goes off the bench. Being on the starting lineup just tires him a lot and the Spur's bench becomes shallow without him. So, I understand this 'strategic' move from Pop.

“I loved it. It gives us our familiarity, our continuity, our personality, our comfort zone. Back the way we were," said Popovich. This is the final starting lineup: Tony Parker, Michael Finley, Tim Duncan, Bruce Bowen, and Fab Oberto. The bench: Manu Ginobili, Ime Udoka, Kurt Thomas, Jacque Vaughn, Robert Horry, Damon Stoudamire, Matt Bonner, Ian Mahinmi, and Brent Barry*. I know many Manu fans [including me] would disagree with this move, but hey Manu isn't complaining that is the sign of his sportsmanship. Let's just support him and root for him to win the 6th Man of the Year award this season.

To make things better for me and for my fellow Spurs fans, watching the Bulls-Spurs game last night made me notice the improvement of Kurt Thomas. He's starting to play the Spurs' way. Honestly, I didn't like him when he was with the Suns. He caused a lot of trouble for the Spurs. But a Spur simply honed his defensive and rebounding skills even more, which makes him an additional threat to opponents. The Spurs' Big Three and a deep bench could help the team survive come playoffs time. And with the upcoming return of Brent Barry, I think the Spurs can start gearing up for the tough battle in the Western Conference. The only concern now is that the Spurs have to win as many games as possible to get a comfortable spot on the playoffs, like having homecourt advantage.

P.S. That is a great idea John!.. =)

He Chose His Home

Omg!!.. I'm so happy and I hope my fellow Spurs fans are happy too!.. Brent Barry chose to go back to the San Antonio Spurs even with the offers from Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets*, & Dallas Mavericks.

It's all here in this article I've just read!.. >> Barry's ties to San Antonio were just too strong to sign with another team << Oh, I'm just so happy!.. I don't know what else to say. I'm just very very happy! =)

Where Will He Be?

Brent Barry is now a free agent and has 30 days to choose which team he wants to be in. Teams like the Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets*, Dallas Mavericks*, and Boston Celtics are trying to buy him out of free agency. The San Antonio Spurs, the team who traded him and Francisco Elson for Kurt Thomas, has showed interest in getting Barry back but they'd have to wait for 30 days for him to re-sign. 30 days is a long waiting period for the Spurs and Barry might decide to sign to a new team. I'm just crossing my fingers that Barry would return to the Spurs. He's a great 3-point shooter, understands the system of the Spurs, and is comfortable with his former teammates. Plus, his family lives in San Antonio. I really have no idea where Brent Barry will be, I just hope he chooses San Antonio.

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Shaq should go back to Earth and do what he's gotta do << the Suns' key to win

The Trade Craze

The trade deadline is getting to a close. Teams are trying to trade some of their good players for better ones to get into the playoffs. Some of the famous trades include the acquisition of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics. The most talked-about trade was Shaquille O'neal going to Phoenix Suns in exchange for the star-player Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. Everybody questioned how efficient Shaq will be with regards to his efficiency in playing the Suns' way. The most recent trade was of the Kidd-to-Dallas trade. Yes, Jason Kidd has returned to Dallas and he's played as a Mavericks against the New Orleans Hornets. And now, the hottest buzz is the three-team trade between the Cleveland Cavaliers, Seattle Supersonics, & Chicago Bulls. If this trade becomes successful, Ben Wallace will possibly go to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Another trade comes from the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs plan to trade Francisco Elson and Brent Barry [!!] for Kurt Thomas. I understand why Pop chose Elson but Barry? I just don't understand it. Barry has been playing great. If not for his injury, he would've proven to Pop that he's worthy to remain as a Spur. "I wish there had been a local bar that was open," said Barry. And FYI the teams that are showing their interest on Barry are the Phoenix Suns and the Houston Rockets!.. Argh! What can Kurt Thomas do to the Spurs now? Can someone tell me? Oh and by the way, Manu Ginobili rocked the Spurs game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Manu poured in 44pts and Tim Duncan adding 24 pts with 14 rebounds. Spurs won 100-99.