With Stephon Marbury almost guaranteed to never suit up for the Knicks again, the focus has now turned to where he might want to play next. Steph is still traveling with the team, so he still garners the brunt of the media attention on the road. With nothing else to ask him about, most of the media in these NBA cities just ask him if he would ever consider playing for their local team.
Last night the Knicks were in San Antonio, and of course, there were queries about Steph possibly playing for the Spurs. Here is what Steph told the NY Postabout the possibility of playing for the Spurs:
"Who wouldn't want to play for San Antonio?" Marbury told The Post last night. "To play with Tim Duncan, who would complain about that? That's a great organization, they win championships. They have a nice system and I like (Gregg) Popovich as coach. I can play 1 or the 2. If I was a free agent, yeah."
I pray to Jebuz that such a thing happens (I'm sure Goathair does too). Could you imagine Spurs Coach Greg Popovich and Steph knocking heads for an entire season? Plus, I would love to see Steph be the key to the Spurs turning their season around. Wouldn't it be ironic to have the guy that has been labeled the ultimate me first player to help the resurrect the ultimate team first franchise? And you can't say that Pop hasn't been able to handle guys that have been labeled hotheads. I mean, Stephen Jackson was big for them in the 2003 playoffs.
Of course, this is all moot at the current moment, as it doesn't seem like the Knicks are in any rush to release Marbury. With as bad as the Spurs season has gone so far, don't be surprised if Tim Duncan starts sporting "Free Starbury" t-shirts around town.
San Antonio Spurs coach Greg Popovich has quietly evolved from a Stonehenge-like figure of oblique non-entity to a remarkably engaging, opinionated, relatively fascinating and often times hilarious coach who's unafraid to let you know what's on his mind. Perhaps most peculiar about Pop's more outspoken days is his selection of which issues to discuss. Early in the playoffs last year it was the over-the-top player introductions. Now, Popovich has turned his attention to championship terminology.
The San Antonio Express News reports that Popovich said to reporters on Tuesday night that he doesn't "know why they call (the NBA title) the World Championship."
""Did any of us who won a championship play anybody in Spain or Russia or Italy, or any other country, other than the United States?"
It's a trivial quibble, to be sure, but I have to say, I kind of agree with Pop, here. I mean, we have the Olympics, we have the FIBA system, there are legitimate international competitions. So why refer to a title that involves only teams from North America a World Championship? Even with the influx of foreign players, the fact that they constitute such a small minority and even the fact that they are termed 'foreign' in the context of the game itself supports the idea that this isn't a global competition.
So what do you think? Is Pop right and we should just call it the NBA Championship? Or is the NBA big enough to warrant the "World Championship" phrasing?
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.
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.
And then there were four. In the latest of our continuing series, we look at the Western Conference Finals, Game 2 tonight between the Spurs and Lakers. Be sure to stop by later for our LiveBlog of Game 1.
1. One Would Think You Wouldn't Forget About Him: San Antonio, Kobe Bryant is not David West. He's not Chris Paul. And he's definitely not Carmelo Anthony. So maybe just maybe, covering him straight up is not the answer. The Spurs didn't bring the double team on Kobe until he'd already lit the fires, and once that happens, you can cover him with flame retardant blankets and you're still getting cinged. Greg Popovich won't fall for the same trick twice. Expect heavy double teams at the wing from Bruce Bowen and Ime Udoka, and for the under side of picks to aggressively trap him. It might work. It might not. In reality, with the way Kobe's playing right now, that's pretty much up to him. The Spurs have a much better chance against...
2. The Pau-Wow: Pau Gasol came to the startling realization in Game 1 that Tim Duncan is a mite bit better than Mehmet Okur. Gasol needs his mid-range working against the Spurs, and in order to get anything inside, he's got be pulled kicking and screaming by Kobe. When Kobe started going ballistic in the fourth, he kept hammering passes at Gasol. He never got angry, even when Gasol dropped them, he just kept tossing them at him and encouraging him. The Spurs need to keep him floating outside of the paint. Gasol's not comfortable getting down and dirty, and the Spurs need to encourage that.
And then there were four. In the latest of our continuing series, we look at the Western Conference Finals, Game 1 tonight between the Spurs and Lakers. Be sure to stop by later for our LiveBlog of Game 1.
1. Seventeen Thousandth Verse, Same As The First: Yes, a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stale world. Lakers versus Spurs! Who would have thunk it? Okay, that was my last complaint for this series, I swear. In all honesty, this is a pretty fantastic matchup between the two best teams in the league right now. The familiarity between the two will make for advanced strategy that will make pundits like myself polish their monacles in greedy expectation. Will the Spurs stay with the single man defense against Kobe Bryant, using Bruce Bowen like they have in years past, or has age made that too much of a mismatch, forcing the Spurs into man-help? Will the Lakers bring the curl around double team on Tim Duncan or bring Vlad Radmonovic off of Manu Ginobili? Will the Spurs be able to adjust to Pau Gasol? Will the Lakers be able to adjust to Gasol getting his milkshake drank by Tim Duncan? Questions abound! Who needs different teams?
In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Hornets-Spurs Western Conference Semifinals Game 6 this evening.
1. Backs To The Wall: Well, here we are, San Antonio. The Spurs are not very used to having their backs against the wall, they usually are the ones doing the shoving. But tonight at home will either be the last stand of one of the most quietly dominant dynasties in NBA history or the night where the old gunslingers draw the line in the sand. With a raucous (and possibly, maybe sell-out) crowd behind them, the odds are in the favor of the boys in black and silver. However, against a Hornets team that's going to be feeling the momentum and smelling blood, they can't let up. They need to make some of the same adjustments they made in Games 3 and 4, and some new ones to prevent the Game 5 massacre. Like, oh, I don't know, keeping David West from single handedly annihilating you.
2. Feet On The Floor, Head In The Clouds: The health of Tyson Chandler and David West will be of great concern tomorrow night. Chandler's foot was so bad that afterwards he said he probably wouldn't walk on it that night but said he would be "fine." He then reiterated that sentiment on his blog, which was quite lengthy for a guy that just played a bunch of minutes in a playoff game against Tim Duncan, I might add. Meanwhile West was in obvious physical pain and still managed to destroy the Spurs in what can only be described as a symphony of catastrophic moves that had to make Spurs fans wonder if he was Satan himself. Still, injuries are injuries and teams that are beat up usually don't do so well on the road. We'll see if the devil gets paid his due tonight or if Manu Ginobili and Bruce Bowen can fire up the fiddle again.
It might be time to change his nickname to "Big History" Bob. After a plethora of memorable playoff moments, seven championship rings, one memorable hip check, and more three pointers than you can count, Robert Horry has etched his name into the annals of NBA lore for the ages. Tonight he has the opportunity to add another page in the gigantic tome that is his career.
It's an amazing feat for a player to just have that many appearances in the games that matter most, let alone to have as many games where said player actually makes an impact as Horry has. He's won championships with Houston, Los Angeles, and San Antonio. He's played alongside Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, and Tim Duncan. He's played for Rudy Tomjanovich, Phil Jackson, and Greg Popovich. And he's breaking a memorable record, most likely, tonight, at 37 years old. Horry has drawn his fair share of criticism over the years for his feisty attitude and on the court toughness, but it's no question that he'll go down as one of the most respected veteran performers the game has ever seen. Tonight is just another in a long line of feathers in his cap, in a pursuit of yet another ring for his fingers.
Apparently the sticking point between the two was, predictably, the matter of cold hard cash. The Bulls were rumored to be willing to extend the same amount of control to D'Antoni as the Knicks were, but were hesitant to dish out a huge sum of money to acquire his services. The Knicks, of course, have never really shown such restraint. At least with Donnie Walsh at the helm, the Knicks appear to be committed to throwing around money for the right reasons.
The Knicks deal will play D'Antoni $24 million over 4 years, making him the third highest coach in the league behind Los Angeles' Phil Jackson and San Antonio's Greg Popovich. While the Chicago roster is obviously in better shape than New York's, D'Antoni will be able sleep on a bed of money and still have more control than he would have had in Phoenix.
In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Hornets-Spurs Western Conference Semifinals Game 3 this evening.
1. Choose To Abuse:Bruce Bowen tried to guard Chris Paul. He did. But the problem is, the guy is, well, Chris Paul. The common thought today is that he'll be switching to Peja Stojakovic, who torched the Spurs in Game 2. After saying "As long as Chris Paul doesn't go off, we're good" and then "As long as David West doesn't go off, we're money," apparently the thought is "As long as Peja Stojakovic doesn't go off, we've got this thing." The Spurs seem kind of surprised that the Hornets have more weapons than they originally thought. We'll see if the switch of Bowen allows the Spurs to maintain the same quality double they brought on West last week, and if they can keep their fingers in all the holes. 2. Gotta Rain Sometime: The Spurs talked a lot after Game 2 about the fact that they're getting the shots they want, they're just not going in. Now, I wouldn't necessarily agree with that, unless the Spurs have planned to shoot 10 more threes per game than they did in the regular season. Yeah, you hear right. 10. What's worse is that they haven't fallen since the first half of Game 1. The Spurs are counting on those shots falling in the warm and comfy confines of the AT&T Center, and that's pretty likely. But the Spurs might be better off thinking about ...
With Stephon Marbury almost guaranteed to never suit up for the Knicks again, the focus has now turned to where he might want to play next. Steph is still traveling with the team, so he still garners the brunt of the media attention on the road. With nothing else to ask him about, most of the media in these NBA cities just ask him if he would ever consider playing for their local team.
San Antonio Spurs coach 
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 
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 
And then there were four. In the latest of our 
And then there were four. In the latest of our 
In another of 
Mike D'Antoni
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