SATXBlog Sports (Sports)
San Antonio and South Texas sports news. Focusing on the San Antonio Spurs NBA Basketball, the San Antonio Missions AA MLB Baseball and other local and regional sports.
Spurs Off to a Slow Start
Spurs Off to a Slow Start, Injuries Taking Toll
One look at San Antonio's injury list should tell fans how the Spurs' young season has gone so far. Manu Ginobili has been out of action since having surgery on a bad ankle before the season started, but unfortunately he now has company for the next couple of weeks. Tony Parker, coming off a career performance on Nov. 5 against Minnesota where he scored 55 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists, followed up that game with a severely sprained ankle against Miami that looks to cost him at least a couple of weeks.
With two of their most dangerous players sidelined, San Antonio has mucked its way through the first eight games of the season to a 3-5 start. That's the bad news. The good news is that the Southwest Division is a competitive one, and the Spurs only remain 2 games out of first. One of their three wins was last Friday's 77-75 defensive battle against division leading Houston.
Another bright spot for San Antonio has been the play of their rookie point guard, George Hill. Certainly, by drafting Hill in with the 26th pick in the draft last year, the Spurs were looking for a quality back up point guard to spell Parker, while developing him along the way. Having Hill step into a starting position so early in his career was probably not in the cards, but it is now, nevertheless, the reality--at least on a temporary basis.
For his part, the rookie out of IUIPUI has filled in reasonably well, although there is no one that can replace Parker. Hill's best game of his short professional career came at an opportune time. In the game against Houston, Hill was outstanding, scoring 17 points on 8-13 shooting, and dishing out 5 assists to go along with 6 rebounds. For the season, Hill has scored 11, 2, 6, 12, 4, and 17, so his scoring has certainly not been steady, but he only has 4 turnovers on the year, which has to make Spurs' fans happy.
The bright side of Hill's heavy amount of playing time is that he is getting lots of valuable experience early on in the season, which should pay dividends in the playoffs.
While two of the San Antonio Big Three have had their injury issues this season, Tim Duncan has been his usual dominant self. The Big Fundamental is averaging just under 25 points per game and just under 10 rebounds.
As far as Ginobili's rehab is concerned, all signs indicate that his rehab is proceeding very well, and that it's possible he could return earlier than anticipated (mid-December). Hopefully that is the case, but Ginobili's return should not be rushed at all, and certainly Popovich realizes this, and will allow him to return to the court when he is 100%.
At this point in the season, and with the injuries that have accrued, the San Antonio Spurs just have to hope to hold serve for the next month and keep Houston and New Orleans in their sights until they have a complete team again.
Texas Deer Lease
Don't Shoot Holes in Your Deer Lease
COLLEGE
STATION (Real Estate Center) – Deer hunting season is underway, and
this means big business for Texas landowners, who control the major
supply of huntable land.
Deer leases generate substantial revenue for landowners, but they
come with certain responsibilities. Those responsibilities are
explained in The Texas Deer Lease, published by the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.
This handy guide to deer lease management has been updated and can be downloaded free at the Center’s website. Copies can also be purchased at the Center’s online store.
San Antonio Spurs Roster and Spurs Salaries
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San Antonio Spurs
Spurs Team Roster and Spurs Salaries
2008-09
Coach: Gregg Popovich
Average Age: 29.5
Average Height: 6-6
Average Weight: 218
NO.
NAME
POS
AGE
HT
WT
COLLEGE
2008 - 2009 SALARY
15
Matt Bonner
PF
28
6-10
240
Florida
$2,978,000
12
Bruce Bowen
SF
37
6-7
200
Cal State Fullerton
$4,000,000
21
Tim Duncan
PF
32
6-11
260
Wake Forest
$20,598,704
33
Desmon Farmer
SG
27
6-5
220
USC
$797,581
4
Michael Finley
SG
35
6-7
225
Wisconsin
$2,500,000
20
Manu Ginobili
SG
31
6-6
205
$9,905,248
3
George Hill
PG
22
6-2
180
$1,006,200
28
Ian Mahinmi
C
21
6-11
230
$841,000
8
Roger Mason
SG
28
6-5
212
Virginia
$3,500,000
7
Fabricio Oberto
C
33
6-10
245
$3,600,000
9
Tony Parker
PG
26
6-2
180
$11,550,000
40
Kurt Thomas
C
36
6-9
235
TCU
$4,200,000
35
Anthony Tolliver
C
23
6-8
240
Creighton
$711,517
5
Ime Udoka
SG
31
6-5
220
Portland State
$1,080,000
11
Jacque Vaughn
PG
33
6-1
190
Kansas
$1,262,275
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Spurs Drop Season Opener Against Phoenix
Spurs
Drop Season Opener Against Phoenix, Oberto Out
{mosimage}The Spurs kicked off their season Wednesday night, but someone may have forgotten to tell the team that the games count from here on out. Although, on the other hand, the team didn't have a particularly stellar pre-season either, so they might as well get started with the real games. The idea behind the pre-season is to practice working together and knock off the rust from the summer. The idea is to get better through practice. Unfortunately for the Spurs, the team's pre-season record was 3-4, so hopefully they weren't practicing bad habits. After dropping the first game of the season to Phoenix, 103-98, one has to ask.
The Suns have a new coach this year, as ex-Bucks coach, Terry Porter, was tapped as the head man after Mike D'Antoni left to go to the Knicks. As all Spurs fans know, Phoenix is a heated rival, and many times have the teams met in the playoffs, with the Spurs usually getting the best of the match ups. While Phoenix may have some new wrinkles this year, especially on the defensive side of the ball, San Antonio's tried and true game of tough-as-nails defense and a powerful inside scoring should be much the same as it has been the last few years. Of course, with Manu Ginobili out until mid-December, someone else will have to step up and fill in the missing defense and scoring in the meantime.
In the season opener, the Spurs defense was not up to its usual standards, as the team allowed five Suns' players to score in double digits, allowed the team to shoot almost 50% from the field, and 40% from behind the three point line. As expected, the Spurs Big 2 did most of the damage, with Tony Parker and Tim Duncan each scoring 32. Roger Mason did his best to come off the bench with a Ginobili impersonation, and logged 12 points and 4 rebounds, but it wasn't enough in the end. Kurt Thomas, Udoka, and Jaques Vaughn only managed 2 points each. Bruce Bowen didn't score. As a team, the Spurs shot fairly well from the field (50%) and adequately (33%) from behind the arc, but the Spurs also got a bit of unfortunate news when Fabricio Oberto felt a flutter in his heart and was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat. He missed the season opener and is being monitored daily. If things go as planned, Oberto is expected to return next week.
We all know that the NBA season is long (from October to June, seriously?) and getting off to a great start is not all that important. Finishing it is, and there are months and months to go before things get decided. The key for the Spurs is to keep afloat and in the division mix until Ginobili gets healthy.
Spurs Preparing for the Season
Spurs Preparing for the Season
The NBA’s preseason is underway, and that means that the 2008 season is just weeks away! The biggest question for the Spurs during the offseason has been, and continues to be the ankle of Manu Ginobili. Manu’s ankle has been an issue for much of the last year, culminating in the Olympics injury which required surgery last month. Ginobili is expected to miss the entire preseason, and perhaps as much as two months of the regular season.
The good news for the Spurs and their fans is that Ginobili was recently seen at the team’s training facility with no limp, no crutches, and with no protective boot. Although it’s still too early to tell exactly when he’ll be back, Ginobili is hoping to be ready for the first game of the regular season.
As far as the offseason is concerned, the team should look fairly similar to the one of the last few years, except for some minor changes in the supporting cast. One of the key players that will be missing from this year’s version is Brent Barry. A new addition to the team is George Hill at point guard. Hill is the team’s draft pick from this year’s draft, and the team hopes that he can become a reliable option at point guard. If Hill’s first summer league game is any indication of what is to come, the Spurs will have a back up for Tony Parker. In that first game, Hill scored 17 points, pulled down 8 rebounds, and outplayed OJ Mayo.
{mosimage}Another addition to the team is Roger Mason, Jr. Mason’s four-year career has been spent bouncing from team to team, before having a breakout season for the Wizards last year, filling in for the injured Gilbert Arenas and starting 9 games. Mason averaged 9 ppg, shot 44% from the field, 40% from behind the arc, and 87% from the free throw line.
The Spurs got off to a rocky start in the preseason, dropping their first two games to division rivals Houston and New Orleans. Recently, San Antonio has managed to even up their record by going on the road to beat Detroit and Cleveland.
One issue working against the Spurs is their age. San Antonio has managed to keep their core together, but age is certainly something that will be a factor at some point in the future. Tim Duncan is 32, Bruce Bowen is 37, Ginobili is 31, and Finley and Kurt Thomas are 35. Parker is still a spry 27, but the Spurs certainly need some of their young talent to step up and begin to take on active roles.
While age is an issue, the one thing that San Antonio can always count on to keep them in every game is their defense. Bowen, Duncan, and Kurt Thomas are tough, hard-nosed defenders that should be able to help the Spurs stay in the hunt until Manu Ginobili returns.
San Antonio has won at least 56 games for an amazing 8 straight years, and are hoping to keep that streak going. This year will be a test in that regard. Starting the season without Ginobili, or with a recovering version, will require other players to step up and fill in. Last year, injuries caused most of the Spurs’ top players to miss significant time, and the results showed. The team was never able to play with consistency and as a result, failed to meet their lofty expectations. Time will tell if this year will be different.
Team USA Takes Gold but Ginobili Injured
Team USA Takes B-Ball Gold; Argentina Bronze, but Ginobili Injured
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For Spurs' fans, the finals of the Olympic basketball tournament must have been a conflicting time. On one hand, Team USA rolled to the gold medal that eluded them four years ago in Athens, and put American basketball back on top of the world. On the other hand, the players representing the home town team were playing for the powder blue of Argentina. The San Antonio Spurs are like the UN of the NBA: there are so many nationalities and countries represented, that allegiances are sometimes tested.
Regardless of whether San Antonio Spurs fans were cheering for the home town boys' Argentine team or for the USA when the two squads met late in the tournament and Manu Ginobili went down with an injured ankle, gasps were heard all the way from Beijing to Buenos Aires, and from San Antonio to Bahia Blanco.
Spurs fans know that with Manu in the line up and at full strength in last years’ NBA Finals, the Spurs stood a very good chance of knocking out the Lakers, and advancing to play the Celtics. However, Ginobili’s bad ankle perhaps cost the team that chance. To see him go down again in the Olympics with the same problem was a nightmare scenario for San Antonio.
Ginobili and the San Antonio Spurs do have some time to heal before the season kicks off, but starting off the season on the wrong foot is not something that San Antonio fans had in mind. . .
As far as USA basketball was concerned, the 2008 Olympics were a rousing success. The Americans routed each team they played until the finals, where the Spanish team gave them all the wanted. Earlier in the tournament, the US team beat Spain by almost 40 points in one of the most lopsided games of the Olympics. In the gold medal game, the Spanish came prepared to play.
With as little as three minutes left to play, the outcome was very much in doubt. Pau Gasol hit a jumper to make it a five point game, but just a few seconds later, Kobe Bryant hit a three pointer and got fouled. Spain wasn’t done, as they countered with a 5-0 run to draw the lead back down to 4 points with just over two minutes left. A Wade 3, followed by a layup by Bryant almost sealed it and the Spanish were forced to foul.
For the US, it was a team effort, and the antithesis of 2004, where Larry Brown led Team Bad Karma to the bronze. In the end, the Americans were pressured, and their teamwork paid off this time with a 118-107 win, and the gold medal.
Texas Real Estate Agents, Randy Watson and Roman Alfaro of Mission Realty satxproperty.com proudly support the US Olympics and the San Antonio Spurs.
USA Leads in Total Olympic Medals
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Olympic Games Underway, USA Leads in Total Medals
With the Olympics in full swing, some dreams are being fulfilled, while others are being crushed. With just a few days before the closing ceremony, let’s take a look at some of the highlights from the games in Beijing.
San Antonio’s track star, Marshevet Hooker, (www.satxproperty.com/welcome) keeps running her best, although the Jamaican runners are blowing away all comers, and rewriting the record books in the process. In the 200m, Hooker ran a personal career best and finished in fifth place. Two Jamaican runners took the gold and bronze, while one of Hooker’s American teammates, Allyson Felix, took home the silver.
The American track teams have been less than spectacular in this year’s games. Team USA was expected to be one of the better teams in many of the events, but disaster struck both the men’s and women’s teams in the 400m relay. In both instances, a dropped baton doomed the teams, as the women were disqualified for illegal passing, and the men did not finish.
Certainly the biggest story in Track and Field this year, was the emergence of Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter, who, in his own words, “blew the world’s mind.” Bolt rewrote the record books in the 100m, and left spectators breathless, by even pulling up short at the end of the race and still setting the world record. In the 200m, Bolt left no doubt. He set a world record in that event also, taking the gold, and becoming the first person in history to set world records in both events.
While USA track has not had its best days, Team USA in basketball has been all that has been expected, and looks well on their way to redemption, after losing to Argentina in Athens. The US has found itself pressed for a quarter, or even a half, but has ended up blowing out all their competition. The combination of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Dwayne Wade, and the other superstars has been too much for the likes of China, Germany, Angola, and Spain, even though many of those teams have NBA stars playing for them. Spain was expected to be the toughest competition for the Americans--sporting several NBA players--yet the USA crushed them by almost 40 points.
As far as Spurs fans are concerned, Team Argentina--the off-season hideout for San Antonio Spurs’ Manu Ginobili and Fabricio Oberto--got off to a slow start, dropping their first game to Lithuania, yet quickly found their stride, rolling off four straight wins. As of this moment, the Argentine Spurs are tied for first in the first pool, but are yet to play the USA.
It seems all but certain that the USA will run off with the Men’s Basketball gold, the only question being, will anyone even challenge them?
In another show of American dominance, Michael Phelps provided as much drama as perhaps there has ever been seen in the games. Phelps was on a quest to be the first person to win 8 gold medals in a single Olympics. Phelps and his swimming mates, had several close calls, including one race in which Phelps reached out to beat his Serbian competitor by literally a fingernail. The race was so close, that it was unknown for some time who had actually won. Eventually, the video provided the answer: Phelps had won by 1/100 of a second.
Overall, at the time of this writing, the USA is ahead in the overall medal count by a count of 99 to 83 over China. The Chinese, however, are ahead in the gold medal count, by a margin of 46-30 over the Americans. Russia is far behind in third place, with 53 medals overall, and 16 golds.
Spurs 2008 Draft
Spurs 2008 Draft
The NBA Draft has once again come and gone, and if there's one thing that can be counted on-aside from New York fans booing every pick their team makes, and an assortment of questionable fashion decisions-is the San Antonio Spurs making some interesting picks, and choosing some players that most casual basketball fans have never heard of. The Spurs had a fairly good season last year, and were perhaps a Brent Barry foul call away from having a chance at extending their series against the Lakers, and meeting the Celtics in the Finals, and management stated soon after their season ended that they would not be blowing up the team this season and starting over.
San Antonio had three picks, the 26th in the first round, and two late picks in the second round. In past drafts, like last year's for example, management went out on a limb and picked a player in Tiago Splitter, who then went on to sign a all-but-permanent contract to stay in Spain for the next several years. With their second pick in 2007, they took Marcus Williams, who lasted with the team long enough to have a cup of coffee before catching his flight to the Clippers.
Of course, this time last year, the Spurs were coming off of a championship run, and no one could blame management for taking a flyer on a player in Splitter with lots of upside, but also with a risk that he might never wear the silver and black. This year's team was plagued by injury issues, and needs to get younger. It also couldn't really afford to take many chances-although they did with the first pick.
George Hill is a point guard from IUPUI, and whom most fans have likely never heard of. When he was in high school, though, all of the big school knew him, and he had scholarships from all of the big time basketball schools. In the end, Indiana University, Temple, Florida, and the others couldn't lure him away from home and from his sick great-grandfather. IUPUI stands for Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis, but only the name is what the school has in common with its namesakes, as far as basketball is concerned.
Hill is a dead-eye shooter, making around 45% of his shots from behind the arc in his senior campaign, while making almost 55% of all field goals. He averaged 21 points per game last season. In Hill’s redshirt Junior season he scored in double digits in every game, and scored more than 20 in half of them. The Spurs' plan is for him to be Tony Parker’s backup, and to provide minutes off the bench.
The Spurs' second pick also had a prolific college career, and has a good chance to stick with the team. Malik Hairston from Oregon is a solid prospect who can do a little of everything and was good value at the 48th spot. At 6'5" and 205 he's a big two guard who averaged 16 ppg and just under 5 rebounds per game during his senior year. Hairston shot 43% from behind the arc and made 52% of his field goals during his senior year. Hairston played his senior year at over 220 pounds, but slimmed down before the pre-draft workouts. Also in many of those workouts, he was pressed into duty as a point guard, where he showed off deft ball handling skills, and a nice handle.
It would seem that the Damon Stoudamire experiment is over, and Jaques Vaughn is perhaps on his way out as well with the drafting of two.
Finally, with their last pick, the Spurs took James Gist, a power forward out of Maryland who averaged 15 points and 7 rebounds during his senior year. Gist is 6'8" and 225 lbs, and is athletic and can provide solid defense, if he can manage to stick with the team.
Spurs Season Comes to a Close
Spurs Season Comes to a Close, Questions Coming in the Offseason
The Spurs' season ended against the Lakers, in a fairly close, but ultimately losing effort in Game 5. The final score was 100-92, and the Spurs were within striking distance late in the game, but no one could stop Kobe Bryant, who ended the game with 39 points, 17 of which came in the final quarter.
For San Antonio, the script was the same as it had been for the series. Tim Duncan did his usual thing, putting up a triple double with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists, and Tony Parker led the team with 23 points. As a team, the Spurs certainly scored enough to win, as five players scored in double digits. Offense was not the problem, as the team shot 48% from the field, and from behind the arc. Unfortunately, the team’s defense was not up to the task, as the Spurs’ strength turned into a liability against the Lakers.
Manu Ginobili once again had a terrible game, only managing 9 points, and missing several shot late in the game. For Ginobili, perhaps the season being over is a blessing in disguise. The Argentine had been playing with a bad ankle, and the Lakers capitalized as they forced him to go to his off-hand time after time. He had a forgettable playoffs all the way around this season.
Spurs Down in Series
Spurs Down 3-1, Series Hangs in Balance
The Spurs now have their backs totally against the wall, after losing at home to the Lakers to fall behind 3-1 in the series. The 93-91 loss was a heartbreaker for San Antonio, who now must win three straight to have a chance to defend their championship. Tim Duncan can’t be blamed for the loss, as he gave a superhuman effort in the loss, scoring 29 points, and grabbing 17 rebounds.
The big man also added several blocks and assists to try to help his team move forward. With Manu Ginobili having yet another off night, Brent Barry stepped up, scoring 23 points, and missing a three as time expired, which would have won the game, and tied the series. There was obvious contact on his shot, but no foul was called, much to the dismay of the Spurs, and the home crowd.
Ginobili was quite simply terrible throughout the game, scoring his first points with just over a minute left in the third quarter, and finishing with 7 points. He did hit a three late in the game to bring his team to within 4 points, but it was not enough. Tony Parker held up his end of the bargain, scoring 23 points, but no one else was even a factor for San Antonio. Michael Finley, Fabricio Oberto, and Kurt Thomas all failed to score. Robert Horry scored two points, and Bruce Bowen managed seven. Surprisingly, as a team, the Spurs still managed to shoot 40% from the field, although only 29% from behind the arc.
Again, the Spurs had no answer for the MVP, Kobe Bryant, who scored 28 points and had 10 rebounds. The Lakers were more balanced in the game, having 4 players scoring in double digits and another with 9 points.
Although the Spurs only had 8 turnovers in the game, the difference was in the rebounding. LA outrebounded San Antonio 46-37, many of those being offensive rebounds which led to second chance points for the Lakers.
San Antonio must win the next game in Los Angeles to allow the series to come back to San Antonio for Game 6, but the Spurs are in as desperate a situation as they have been in their playoff lives. It is now a one game series, with no room for mistakes. One loss and the Spurs will once again repeat their history of winning a championship and not being able to defend it the next year. Let’s hope they can get on a roll and surprise the people who are already counting them out.
Go Spurs!
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