SB Nation User Blog: AusTechSpur

PYPWYM-Is: The FinDog

AusTechSpur — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 03:55:48 -0000

In episode two of Put Your Pride Where Your Mouth Is, weigh in on the FinDog. What do you think we will get from him this year? What would you be happy with? What is the sign of the apocalypse?

As Powell -- do you guys remember Powell? -- so astutely put it when they resigned him, not many players get better from 35 to 36. That's a true statement.

Also, I don't think Finley had a very good year last year. He didn't shoot well at all, he seemed hesitant to shoot on too many occasions, and he struggled defensively against a lot of players.

I'd be ecstatic if the FinDog was below 20 minutes per game and shot 40% for the year. Not from 3pt, but from the field. I'll be giddy if he can get his 3 pt shooting up into the 42-43% range. If Mike is logging 25+ minutes a game and shooting 35-36% from 3 pt range my morale will be cratering as I watch our offense struggle.

Unfortunately and sadly, I think the FinDog will be going more toward Robert Horry land this year. I don't see me busting out the big FinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnDoggggggggggggg!!!!! this year very many times, and I see a more wincing at off-balance fadeaway jumpers.

DennardC, you are dead-on. We don't have accountability. We are fans. What we would do makes no difference. I'm only going for people stating a position and being honest enough to say they were wrong. Or, in Bones' case, that they were right.

So bring it fellas (what's the female equivalent for fellas?). What do you think the FinDog has in store for us this year?

PS - Donte Greene didn't play for the Rockets tonight? What gives?

PS2 - Ok, really, where are Stampizzle and Powell? It's just not the same around here without the evil overlord.

PS3 - I answered a bunch of questions for a Blazers blog called The Rip City Project. I'll let you know (if and) when they get posted.

PS4 - The first preseason game is this Thursday against the Rockets. I have low hopes that we will be able to watch it anywhere, but the NBA is providing the radio broadcasts. If anybody has more info on it, I'd like to have it.

Poll

When the season is over, what image will most likely capture your impression of Michael Finley for 2008-2009?

Hot Damn, Fire Up Your Engines. It's The Preseason.

AusTechSpur — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 01:51:47 -0000

The San Antonio Spurs opened up training camp today, and I have something to say. Actually, I have a lot to say. In fact, I have so much to say that my head is a big jumble of thoughts that keep banging around so ferociously that I have no coherent thoughts.

Lucky for you, I deal with this everyday. So, I will push on.

Tonight's word: accountability. Why accountability? Well, because I get tired of people not stating what they believe in, but bad-mouthing everything the way it is. I get tired of people being critical without having an idea for making things better.

What am I talking about? Well, I'm talking about a new series of FanPosts for this year. It's called, "Putting Your Pride Where Your Mouth Is" [update: I changed this to Put Your Pride Where Your Mouth-IS. I didn't like Put Your Words Where Your Mouth Is from the beginning but couldn't think of anything else at the time].

I want to solicit opinions on what you think the Spurs season will be like? What do you expect from the players? What do you expect from the coaches? Why? Because I want to hold you accountable.

For instance, DennardC says the Spurs "will be lucky to win 50 games this year". I say, "really". But, I'm not one to say DennardC is a nut. I'm not one to even argue with him. It's an opinion. He has the right to it. And, hey, he has some legitimate points. On the other hand, if the Spurs win 56 games, I want DennardC to say, "Damn. I was wrong. We were better than I thought." Or lucky, in this case. Whatever. But, DennardC doesn't get to say, "Man, I can't believe we didn't win it all this year." He also doesn't get to say, "Pop sucks. This team should be much better."

Why can't he say this last one you ask? Because he didn't expect this team to win and Pop sucking wasn't one of the reasons he stated for thinking the team would fall short of 50 wins. They were age, Manu's ankle, curious draft choices, and sub-par free agency. As well as a better West. Those first four were Bren's points. All valid points, by the way.

Ok, so, let's fire up the PYPWYM-IS machine . This first one is easy and doesn't require you get out on much of a limb.

Who do you think will make the Spurs roster coming out of training camp? And why? 13 guys have guaranteed contracts, and thus, are pretty much guaranteed to be on the roster barring trades. Tim, Tony, Manu, Fab, Bruce. KT, Ime, FinDog, The JV, Ian, Bon-Bon, George, The Mason

The Spurs can keep up to 2 more, but are not required to. In competition for the last spots are (profile links are to DraftExpress):

Devin Green - profile
Desmon Farmer - profile
Anthony Tolliver - profile
Salim Stoudamire - profile
Darryl Watkins - profile

PS - I didn't intend to pick on DennardC. He just happened to write something today where I thought, "Nope. I don't agree with that one."

PS2 - Did you notice I wrote an entire post without taking a potshot at SiMA? It was hard I tell you.

PS3 - Tomasito, I ate at Thai Village tonight. The atmosphere is terrible. It's such a dingy place. But the food is good. I had the fried chicken breast with fried plantains and my wife had the Noodles #2: noodles in a brown gravy with shrimp, asparagus, and spinach. I still need to go back and have a curry dish before I give my final rating. Did you know that spot used to be a terrible Italian buffet?

PS4 - What happened to Powell and Stampler? First, before I berate them, I hope they are healthy and busy and not dealing with traumatic shit. Second, WTF? There's no OFF in offseason you lazy m10rs.

PS5 - My wife tells me that using two spaces after a period is old school or something, and that one space is the way to go. Scrappy, is this true? When did this happen?

Poll

Which players with non-guaranteed contracts do you think will make the Spurs opening day roster? (Hm, it doesn't seem that this polling widget allows more than one choice. So, you only get to pick one). Also, please discuss why you think they will make.

Not Spurs Related, but Austin is Cool!

AusTechSpur — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 04:28:04 -0000

In no particular order, some Austin things I enjoy:

Madras Pavilion: vegetarian Indian food. Get the ~$15 special. It's a lot of food and a great variety. Bonus: the crazy decor. I particularly like the giant gold 'MP' like from a bank in a strip mall dive restaurant.

Foodheads: Tasty-ass sandwiches near campus. Bonus: The blue-eyed brunette coed who may be the most beautiful woman I have seen in person. Not smoking hot in a Hollywood way. Just beautiful.

Ruby's BBQ: The first all-natural BBQ in Texas. Bonus: their chopped beef sandwich is tasty and HOT!!

Continental Club: the place is the shit. Best place to see a band you have no business seeing in a club that small. I saw Raul Malo and the Mavericks, both, within a month there. Bonus: One of the bartenders is an Amazon blonde surfer looking girl. Absolutely gorgeous, about 6 ft tall, and one whole arm is a tattoo. It just throws you.

The Hike and Bike Trail: tons of people exercising. Bonus: tons of people exercising in exercise clothes.

ACL Festival: It's just awesome. Great bands for 3 days. Bonus: I wear skin tight Underarmor and a fanny pack. Look for me.

Asti & Fino: They are owned by the same couple. Asti is great Italian food and Fino is a great date place. Bonus: The Fino Dessert Cocktail. I can't recommend this enough. It is a chocolate liqueur martini with a shot of espresso and an orange rind. Off the charts.

Live Oak Beer: A local brewery who only sells in the keg. It is unpasteurized beer. The Big Bark and Pilsner are awesome fucking beers. Bonus: You can get it at Junior's. Yeah, Junior's baby.

Chuy's: It's an Austin restaurant that has gotten too big for its britches. Bonus(the only reason I put it on the list): Their Green Chile Stew. It is a top 5 meal. Make sure to let the waitperson know that you get a salad with it. They usually don't know.

Guero's: Consistent, decent Mexican food on South Congress. Bonus: Christy. A sassy transvestite waitperson. Love him/her and the training bra boobs.

Threadgill's: Not for the food, which is decent Southern cooking. I worked there, the REAL store on North Lamar, for about 6 years. But for the Live Music they had on Wednesday's. It's an institution. Janis Joplin started singing there. You can eat fried Chicken Livers or grilled Liver & Onions. Eddie Wilson, the owner, is an Austin icon and a strange dude. He and I had an interesting relationship. Not sure if we liked each other or not, but we benefited from each other. Bonus: I once had this exchange with Peter Frampton. Me: "You have a phone call". Peter: "How do you know it is for me"? Me: "Well, I assume you are the only Peter Frampton in the restaurant". Peter: "Good point". I also waited on Dennis Hopper. What a nut!

Dot's: Holy shit. The best soul food you can get in Austin. Or, at least, it used to be until her building burned down. The wife says the new place in Pflugerville (the 'p' is silent) isn't as good. But the place on Howard Ln served up some serious meat loaf, fried catfish, and red beans & rice. Bonus: (I hope you guys remember my post about "what is black culture"). I had always read and heard about soul food and soul food restaurants. I had just never been to one and didn't really know what soul food was. So I asked a black co-worker, a wonderful woman names Ursula, what soul food was. She said, "You see Wayne, soul food is a type of food traditionally eaten by black people in the South". I started laughing and said, "I know that, I just want to know what kinds of food it is". As it turns out, it is mostly what I grew up eating. Who knew?

The 360 bridge: It's a bridge. Yeah, but it is kind of cool looking. Bonus: About 15 years ago me and some buddies got drunk, went up to the hill on the NW side of the bridge and I hurled rocks atoncoming traffic. Lame really, when you consider that my wife got drunk and jumped off it in high school. She said her feet hurt.

Antone's: An old school blues bar that has lost it's old school-ness. When I first moved to Austin it was great. It was an old dive on Guadalupe just north of campus. Bonus: An old co-worker of mine saw Stevie Ray Vaughn there back in the early 80's. He said that the show ended and he was hanging out at closing time drinking a beer when Stevie came out. There were about 10 people in the club. Stevie sat down on the edge of the stage, everybody pulled up a chair, and he just played. Double Bonus: My wife used to wait on Clifford Antone at Threadgill's. Clifford was the owner of Antone's and it just hasn't been the same since he died. He used to come in to Threadgill's and ask for "my waitress" meaning my wife. He'd order a double Meat Loaf. If you ever went to Threadgill's in the 90's you know that a "double" anything is an enormous meal.

The Lower Deck: Going through downtown Austin I-35 splits into an upper deck and a lower deck. Each is two lanes. The lower deck is the scariest shooting gallery you have ever driven through. The entrance ramps have about a 50' "get up to speed" length. Both sides are concrete with no shoulder. Bonus: The stretch of I-35 from Georgetown to San Antonio now forbids trucks to drive in the left lane. That means that all semis have to be in the right lane through the lower deck. Fantastic!

Deep Eddy: Barton Springs gets the publicity, but I like Deep Eddy for swimming. Bonus: It used to be called Eilers Park (I think) and have a big Ferris Wheel. Speaking of Ferris Wheel, the Ferris Wheel debuted during the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893. It was MUCH, MUCH more massive than what you and I think of as a Ferris Wheel. On the original, each car held something like 20 people and a bar. You should read "The Devil and The White City". It's pretty fucking creepy, but a good book.

Dead music venues: A lot of great music venues have come and gone in Austin. Two I managed to visit before they died or changed are Liberty Lunch and Palmer Auditorium. I saw the Neville Brothers at Liberty Lunch in about 90. I saw the Cult at Palmer in '87. Some unknown band named Guns N Roses opened for them and they sucked.

Crazy growth: The city has gotten big, fast. My wife grew up here and is stunned at the size sometimes. A friend of ours got married to a guy who went to UT in the early 80's and has lived in Hawaii for 20 years. He said he used to go up Lamar to 183. Take a left and go out of town and go swimming in these old quarries in the middle of nowhere. Those are the quarries at Braker and 183. Bonus: My old neighbor was a retired military guy. We lived on Jeff Davis which is just east of Burnet and just south of Koenig. He grew up farming the land between Lamar and Burent south of Koenig.

Maria's Taco Express: Great tacos, great price, sunday gospel. Bonus: A GREAT bean and cheese taco.

Ok, Tomasito. What do you have?

Your first Spurs game

AusTechSpur — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:22:39 -0000

DYK: We are less than a month away from preseason games.

I figured we needed a discussion starter.

When did you see your first Spurs game live? If you haven't seen a Spurs game live, what is your first Spurs memory of watching them?

I first saw a Spurs game when I was 5 or 6 back in Hemisfair somewhere in the 74-75 range. I was completely overwhelmed by the environment. I'd never been in a building that big. I had seen so many people in one place.

I really only remember two things. Being in shock at the size of everything and thinking the score was 1400-something to 1300-something. The best I can figure is that I was including timeouts in the score.

I also have this vague memory of these tiny little guys running around non-sensically below me.

Poll

What is your favorite Spurs arena?

Preseason Schedule

AusTechSpur — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:41:03 -0000

courtesy of our buddies at mysa.

Less than two months until we tip off the games that really don't count.

Oct. 9: at Houston Rockets, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 10: vs. New Orleans Hornets, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 14: at Detroit Pistons, 6 p.m.
Oct. 16: at Cleveland Cavaliers, 6 p.m.
Oct. 18: vs. Indiana Pacers, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 22: vs. Washington Wizards, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 24: vs. Miami Heat, 7:30 p.m

I say we go 3-4 in the preseason. Not that I care.

Spurs FO disappoints again

AusTechSpur — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:07:07 -0000

The final kick in the ribs after taking a beating all offseason.

The New Orleans Hornets have pulled the smoove move on us and re-signed Ryan Bowen to a contract taking yet another talented big man off the market.

Bowen gave coach Byron Scott a hustling defender, the kind of role required in an up-tempo style like the Hornets prefer.

Yep, hustling defender who can play up-tempo. We sure couldn't have used that RC. Thanks again.

Spurs Schedule

AusTechSpur — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:47:19 -0000

I'm sure Bones is all over this.

the Spurs regular season schedule is out. We open at home with the Suns. Yippee!! And we get them on xmas day to.

I haven't really delved into it too much, but we don't have a really brutal month like last March and we don't have a complete cupcake month like last December.

The Spurs do have the very rare back-to-back home games in December just before xmas.

Ron Artest == Black Culture?

AusTechSpur — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:26:45 -0000

That’s not going to change. I’m never going to change my culture. Yao has played with a lot of black players, but I don’t think he’s ever played with a black player that really represents his culture as much as I represent my culture.

The question, really, is what is Ron Artest's culture? Ron implies in his statement that he "represents black culture". Is that really true? I'm a white man and I ask that question because I really want to know. Does Ron Artest represent black culture? And really, what is black culture? A few anecdotes over the years that have made me really think about ethnic differences:

In the late 70's, when James Harris was the quarterback for the LA Rams, I asked my dad why there weren't more black quarterbacks? He said, "because they aren't smart enough". So, I didn't exactly come from the most forward thinking home.
I grew up in San Antonio, which even in the early 80's was at least 40% hispanic. My basketball team in high school had a 50/50 split. 7 white guys, 7 black guys, and 1 Hispanic.
In my third year of college at Texas A&M (not exactly a bastion of racial diversity) I was taking a class that was required to become a Resident Advisor -- one of those people who lived in the dorm that were in charge of making sure you stayed mostly out of trouble -- and part of the class was learning about ethnic diversity. A woman, an African-American woman (though in the 80's it was 'black') came to our class and discussed ethnic diversity. The metaphor she used was that culture was like a salad. And the salad was made up of a mix of various components that all retained their individual indentity. And that together they made an interesting thing. That they weren't a mix of ingredients that were then blended, like a soup, where the identity of the ingredients were lost. This made sense to me. The next day at lunch, a black guy I had known since elementary school, and who was taking the same class, asked me what I thought of the lecture. I said, "I thought it was pretty interesting. I hadn't thought of things that way". He said, "I thought it was complete bullshit."
The same year, as part of the same class, I went to see a speech/presentation/lecture about cultural diversity. The speaker was a black man who, if I recall correctly, was the highest ranking black executive at Ford Motor Company. The punchline of his lecture that has stuck with me after all these years was that he said, and I'm paraphrasing, "We worked our butts off for 100 years to be Negro with a capital 'N' and now we want to be black with a little 'b'."
In 1999, an African-American woman wrote an article for Sporting News (I think it was Sporting News) about the NFL Draft and how Ricky Williams slipped to the 5th spot because he was "too black". Ricky Williams got drafted after 3 other black players. Two of whom were quarterbacks. I never understood what "too black" meant.
From 1999-2005, I worked with an African-American woman from Dallas South Oak Cliff. I'm in the software industry. She was one of the quality assurance engineers on our team. She was tough. She was sweet. I thought she was black. I could give her grief for saying things like, "I just got my nails did". I would come back with, "you just got your nails done." She said, "No, you get your nails DID." One of the more interesting stories she told me was of the parents of the richy-rich parents of her volleyball team's players saying, "you know, you speak very well." She related the story and just laughed, as if to say, "Poor dumb rich white people".

I don't know Ron Artest. I can't really judge his values. I just want to know what black culture is. The Bling? Dr. J? Ray Lewis? David Robinson? Prison-style tats? Bill Russell? Shaq? Tim Duncan? My African-American neighbor? The white kid next door who wears his pants so his crack shows? The rednecks in Bastrop who fight dogs? My techno-weenie retired military African-American co-worker? My co-workers who smoke pot? My Baptist co-workers? Who of these people does Ron Artest claim to represent? What culture does he represent more than they do? Do the African-American players on the Spurs NOT represent their culture? Are they slackers for not representing their culture more?

There is no doubt in my mind that we live in a racist society. I have no doubt that minorities are denied jobs because of their race. I have no doubt that minorities have to work harder than a white man just to get as far. I think one of the great fallacies of every racist argument is to take one or two -- or even a handful of -- anecdotes and apply it to an entire ethnicity as a way to justify your racist opinion. Any justification that says, "I knew this one guy" or "One time this guy" is complete shit. No one person represents an ethnicity. No 12 people represent an ethnicity. I don't represent White Culture. No person who claims to represent White Culture represents me. Yes, I know I used a capital 'W' and a capital 'C' for White Culture and a little 'b' and a little 'c' for black culture. It seemed natural to do. What does that tell you? I won't go back an edit it out like I know I should.

No matter how much I would like to claim I'm ethnically neutral, I know I can't. I know that I have to fight it constantly. I know I have to constantly monitor myself, not because I think I'm a superior white male, but because I've been raised in a society that rewards me for my white maleness. I won't deny it. I can't. I have benefited from being both white and male. But damn it, nobody is going to say that they represent my white male culture and have me agree with them. So, I ask again, what is the Black Culture that Ron Artest represents more than any other black player who has played with Yao?

Let's talk Summer League and Roster

AusTechSpur — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 02:00:00 -0000

(This piece of crap format doesn't differentiate between items that are links and items that are bold. I need to do some editing to make this readable. There are a lot of links in this. Ok, it is somewhat acceptable. I don't know how everybody's browser is going to display things, but in mine everything in bold is a link until you get down to the section where I start saying what I think. Make sure to follow some of the links, especially the player profiles on Draft Express because they have some interesting information.)

I've compiled the reviews that I could find and that I thought were poignant. Be warned, there is a lot here. At the end, I discuss what I think.

The guys over at draftexpress.com were at every summer league game evaluating. Here's what they have on the Spurs game by game. (They haven't come out with the fourth game for the Rocky Mountain Revue, game three came out today, and I'm not going to wait any longer.)

The links for the players take you to their player profiles at Draft Express where you can read more about them.

The links for the games take you to the box score for that game.

Summer League Game 1
Ian Mahinmi: 18 Points, 5-10 FG, 8-10 FT, 8 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 2 Turnovers

Mahinmi gave a strong showing today, but showed that he still has a ways to go. He’s got very nice touch for a player with his skill level, making it seem like he could develop a very nice back to the basket game over time. He’s a solid finisher at the rim, but lacks the physical strength to take contact effectively. It seems like he’s added some size, and has the frame to become much strong. Mahinmi is a fluid athlete more than an explosive one, making to tough for him to get all the way to the rim, but easy for him to put his man in a compromising position and draw a foul. He didn’t get a chance to show it today, but he’s capable hitting jumpers from the midrange as well. He’s still very young, and his comfort level offensively is only going to improve over time. Defensively, he uses his length well to accumulate rebounds and change shots, but still has a lot to learn. He doesn’t commit nearly as many fouls as he used to as recent as a year ago, a testament to how far he’s come. The Spurs have the luxury of waiting for Mahinmi to develop, and he seems like he’s headed in the right direction in the long-term.

George Hill: 17 Points, 2-9 FG, 1-2 3FG, 12-16 FT, 8 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 2 Turnovers, 6 Fouls

Hill had a decent game at best today. He scored well, primarily because he had little trouble getting to the line, but didn’t show much from the perimeter. He’s not going to be able to get into the paint in the NBA as easily as he did today, and could stand to use his time in Vegas to work on his outside shot. He did knock down an NBA three, but showed little else from the outside. He’s a decent ball handler, but has a hard time retreating from pressure. That showed today on a few occasions. His passing ability is still a work in progress, just like the rest of his point guard skills. He committed a ton of fouls, and had a tough matchup against Memphis’s more physical guards. Hill’s got a lot to learn, but has nice tools to work with.

-Anthony Tolliver and Devin Green were aggressive from beyond the three point line today, but got a little overzealous at times. They didn’t offer much else though.

Summer League Game 2
James Gist, 14 points, 11 rebounds, 5 turnovers, 5/7 FG, 1/1 3PFG

Gist gained attention early in the game by showcasing his freakish athleticism, and threw down a number of thunderous dunks both in transition and the half court. He runs the court like a guard, and his physical attributes can be considered elite for any level. He also showed the ability to step out and spot up accurately with his jumper. The second rounder hit a 20 footer early in the game, and followed it up by later knocking down an NBA three pointer. Gist also put in a great deal of effort on the glass, though he still needs to work on more effectively utilizing his body rather than relying on athleticism. If he can continue to show this type of effort more consistently, he could have a chance at making the opening day roster.

-George Hill struggled to run the team and looks to be a long way off from being NBA ready. He has a very weak left hand and is struggling against higher level of competition than he's used to.

-Ian Mahinmi made a number of nice moves but struggled to convert at times. He continues to show fantastic tools, but still needs a little more seasoning.

Summer League Game 3
James Gist: 10 Points, 5-11 FG, 0-2 3FG, 10 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 4 Fouls

Gist had a decent game today, but was productive. He knocked down a catch and shoot college three pointer early, and proceeded to fall in love with outside shot. Though he didn’t force many bad shots (and he’s made some this week), outside shooting just isn’t a consistent enough part of his game right now. His release point isn’t consistent yet because he doesn’t use his legs as much as he needs to when shooting from that range. Gist is capable of making plays at the rim due to his length and athleticism. He pulled down his share of offensive boards today, and displayed soft touch at the rim when in position to finish. Defensively, Gist did a good job contesting shots and staying in front of his man. He had good, but not great lateral quickness, but compensates with a huge wingspan. That length makes him a very good rebounder on both ends, as he made clear today. The rest of his offensive game has a way to go, and he still needs experience to get better defensively, but he’ll get every opportunity to develop overseas.

Roger Powell: 15 Points, 6-13 FG, 1-4 3FG, 2-5 FT, 4 Rebounds, 1 Steal, 1 Block

Powell had a very solid game today, staying aggressive and not making many mistakes. While he did force a few shots into the defense, he’s developed his offensive game significantly. He’s got very nice range, something that wasn’t true early in his career. His form is very consistent, and allows him to knock down shots off the dribble or in catch and shoot situations. While he’ll make some shots, he’s still not entirely comfortable as an outside, but he’s come a long way nonetheless. Defensively, Powell made a lot of plays, showing good intensity and using his strength to prevent his man from getting into the lane. While he’s not a strong candidate to make a NBA team (he’s still very much stuck in between the 3 and the 4), he’s going to be a nice player on a lower level.

-Ian Mahinmi had a good game today, showing nice touch once again from the outside. He struggled a bit with his release point, but that will only develop with experience and repetition.

-Anthony Tolliver has been consistently impressive, doing a lot of shooting and a little bit of everything else. He is a good rebounder, a sound defender, extremely intelligent, and just a highly versatile all-around player. Don’t be surprised to see him making a team this summer…

Summer League Game 4
James Gist: 13 Points, 5-6 FG, 1-1 3FG, 2-2 FT, 3 Rebounds, 1 Steal

The lanky forward had a good game in limited minutes. He once again showed a nice shooting stroke, but is going to need to work on his consistency wherever he lands this coming season. He’s the type of shooter who will show a great release on one attempt, and then shoot with a different one from the same spot a minute later. He showed a good turnaround jumper today, and that’s just another tool he needs to polish. Gist doesn’t offer much in the way of ball handling, but he did a good job using his body to shield the ball when he did manage to find his way to the rim. Gist does a good job rebounding the ball, but had a hard time pulling them down today. He’ll get overshadowed on the glass by stronger players, but can be effective on both ends when he can swoop in from the outside and use his leaping ability to his advantage. Gist is a nice prospect right now, and his willingness to play overseas could allow him to become a nice asset for the Spurs down the line. There is some talk now that he may end up in training camp, though.

Rocky Mountain Revue Game 1
George Hill: 21 Points, 6-14 FG, 1-4 3FG, 8-8 FT, 4 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 3 Steals, 3 Turnovers

The former IUPUI star looked better today than any of his games in Las Vegas. He was able to take advantage of Utah’s lack of experience in this setting by being aggressive and playing hard. Hill showed a nice first step, and had little trouble using his athleticism advantage to get to the rim. The young guard had no trouble getting to the line against Utah’ foul prone front line, and showed no hesitation to take contact. Hill’s jump shot wasn’t falling today, but that didn’t slow him down in the least. The one three he did make was off of a quick pull back move that he hit despite getting fouled. He did a decent job setting the table for his teammates, but got a little too happy with his dribble at times. Defensively, he took advantage of Kevin Kruger’s rusty ballhandling, stripping him on a couple occasions. Hill had a big game today, but he’ll need to prove he can do that same against players that have seen Summer League action.

-Anthony Tolliver and Devin Green continue to supply a veteran scoring presence for the Spurs, and while neither is a major impact guy, they’ve been consistent all Summer League long.

-Ian Mahinmi didn’t do a good job on the glass today, showing his inexperience and letting himself get boxed out too often. He showed some flashes, but this wasn’t one of his better games. That came as something of a surprise considering the match ups he was faced with. He’s probably still too inconsistent from game to game to be relied on too heavily by the Spurs next season.

Rocky Mountain Revue Game 2
Devin Green: 19 Points, 5-9 FG, 2-5 3FG, 7-9 FT, 6 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 2 Steals, 2 Blocks, 5 Turnovers

This performance was eerily similar to the ones that Green has been putting up in the D-League for the last two years. He’s a capable shooter, and while he doesn’t get much elevation, he’s very consistent when he has space. Greens ball handling is solid, but he’s not quick enough to turn the corner. This often leads to turnovers since he can’t beat his defender and often winds up getting caught over-penetrating when defenders collapse around him. The former Hampton guard shows good rebounding ability and court vision in the open floor. His comfort level against D-League competition is very high, but he’s a borderline NBA guy. Defensively, Green does a good job making hustle plays, and had one very nice block today on a dunk attempt. His athleticism limits his potential, but he’s a skilled guard who doesn’t do many things great, but does most things well.

-George Hill had a little bit tougher time turning the corner today, and he’ll probably be able to get to the rim in the NBA against some defenders, but not all of them. He didn’t do much scoring, but showed quick hands defensively on his way to five steals.

-Ian Mahinmi found himself in foul trouble for most of this game, but looked very good operating with his back to the basket. He has some quick moves that help him get clean looks at the rim.

-Anthony Tolliver had a nice game today, but was more aggressive than usual with his shot selection. The results weren’t the best, and he’s clearly more of a spot up guy that shouldn’t put the ball on the floor unless he has to.

Rocky Mountain Revue Game 3
Ian Mahinmi: 17 Points, 3-11 FG, 11-11 FT, 10 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 1 Steal, 5 Turnovers, 4 Fouls

This was probably Mahinmi’s best performance of the Summer League offensively. Mahinmi didn’t do the best job finishing at the rim, but for the most part, he didn’t have a chance. His quickness allowed him to get good enough position that Dallas had no choice but to send him to the line. The young French power forward made all 11 of his free throw attempts, displaying a nice release. His jump shot has its strong points, but he still needs to be more consistent. In addition to getting to the line at will, the slender power forward did a very good job on the offensive glass, taking advantage of Dallas’s lack of a comparably athletic post player. Today’s game was not all good for Mahinmi though, as he showed his inexperience on a couple of occasions where he lost the ball by making a move into help defenders. His offensive game has come a long way, and the tools are there for him to add value to an NBA team down the road in addition to his athletic presence down low.

-George Hill had another good game, and looked more poised defensively than he did during other contests. His four steals were the result of great ball pressure and anticipation. He’s got very long arms for a defender and could be a very good defender after a year in the Spurs organization.

Rocky Mountain Revue Game 4

No review yet.

===========================================================

You can listen to a post-game interview with George Hill. This is after the last summer league game: http://www.nba.com/media/jazz/George_Hill072208

===========================================================
A couple of comment from nbadraft.net from the Las Vegas Summer League
http://nbadraft.net/node/1505
Spurs post Ian Mahinmi, a project that the Spurs stashed away in the D-League last season, is still raw and for the most part uncoordinated. He blew a breakaway dunk and looked sloppy with the ball, fumbling a number of passes. This may be one draft pick that Spurs GM RC Buford wishes he hadn’t made. The next Tim Duncan he is not. The next Michael Olowokandi? If he keeps working on his footwork, maybe.

--
http://nbadraft.net/node/1523
The Spurs, meanwhile, have found a real gem in Maryland forward James Gist. Though his numbers are modest: 10 points and 8 rebounds averaged over 24 minutes and 3 games, Gist’s athletic ability and overall efficiency (56% shooting from the field, 1.7 TO’s) make him a valuable prospect for Greg Popovich and company. He is also a committed defender, with a long, wiry frame that bothers opponents. Gist should be invited to training camp, and in time can crack the Spurs’ rotation as a backup energy defender.

===========================================================

There was this piece on George Hill from ESPN.

===========================================================

I think there are only 6 players from the summer league squad worth talking about. Ian Mahnimi, who is already under contract. Our three draft picks from this year: George Hill, Malik Hairston, and James Gist. And two free agents: Anthony Tolliver, who the Spurs have already signed, and Devin Green. I'm leaving out Roger Powell. He looks too much like The JV to me.

Ian and George will be on the team. They have guaranteed contracts so barring trades, we get them this year. The second round draft picks, Gist and Hairston, will most assuredly be in camp because the Spurs own their rights. The Spurs signed Tolliver to a non-guaranteed contract (my guess is that they are kicking him some cash to come to training camp to earn a spot, thus not allowing him to just pick any camp). Devin Green I think will get an invitation to camp, but he could choose to go somewhere else if he thinks that gives him a better chance to make a club.

A few technical details to get out of the way. One, the Spurs relationship with the Austin Toros. The Spurs can assign first and second year players under contract to the Austin Toros. These have to be players under contract and count toward the 15 player roster limit. Last year, the Spurs cut Marcus Williams, thus forfeiting their draft rights to him, but he ended up on the Austin Toros as an NBDL player. He didn't belong to the Spurs and any team could sign him to their roster. As a matter of fact, the Clippers signed him at the end of the year.

Two, the Spurs have a 15 player roster limit and a 13 player roster minimum.

Three, here are the Spurs currently under contract for this season: Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, Bowen, Oberto, Udoka, Vaughn, Thomas, Bonner, Mason, and Mahinmi. Hill hasn't signed his rookie contract yet, but he will. It's guaranteed money and their really isn't any negotiating. That's 12 spots filled. They still need to fill 1 and up to 3.

Candidates for the 1-3 roster spots

Tolliver, obviously, is a major candidate. The Spurs are investing some money in giving him a shot. He's a 6'9" 240+ pound big man who can stroke the three ball. I think he might be weak defensively which means he is more or less a Bonner clone who would come much cheaper than Bonner.

Gist was impressive in summer league. His athleticism jumped off the monitor at you. He's wicked fast getting up court, super explosive around the paint, and showed off a pretty good stroke. If he gets a little stronger and can develop consistency with his shot and extend it out to the 3-point line, then the Spurs will have drafted a stud. If he does none of those things he may still be a good man off the bench to provide energy. There is a lot of upside here.

Hairston did not stand out. So much so that nothing was written about him. I don't think we can write him off though. Everything I have read about him, especially the Draft Express pre-draft camp notes, say he's an intangibles guy. He does everything well, nothing great, and has a high basketball IQ. Hmmmmm....what team is interested in players like that?

Green DID stand out. He was good at attacking the rim and showed a decent shot. I would say he is a dark horse given his free agent status, but he has a shot.

What does the ATS think?

I think Tolliver and Gist make the squad. I think the Spurs will either sign Michael Finley to fill the 15th spot or go into the season with a roster spot open. I think Gist has shown too much for the Spurs to throw him back into the talent pool.

I also wouldn't be surprised to see the Spurs try to trade Matt Bonner to open up a roster spot. I think that if they think Tolliver can provide AT LEAST what Bonner provided in the playoffs last year, which wasn't much of anything, they may go in that direction.

I think Ian will be useful to us during the regular season. It think his productivity will come down to two things: One, will he be able to contribute offensively with Tim on the floor? Two, can he play anything close to effective defense?

I think George will see a boatload of playing time at point guard early in the year. He will be given EVERY opportunity to learn and beat out The JV. I think he has a about a 60-40 chance of succeeding.

What do you think?

NOTE: I don't want to hear about your man-crush for Donte Green. :)

Fundraising blog-a-dork-a-thon recap

AusTechSpur — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:20:37 -0000

We finished with a fizzle. The Rocky Mountain Revue screwed us by not streaming the last two games.

All told we had 12 donations for $87.

Powell kicks in $87 in matching.

I kick in $24 in matching.

Let's see ::crunching numbers, thinking hard:: $198.

That doesn't seem right, I'll have to check with Powell. I believe I'm missing one.

Anyway, it was fun. 8 games in 9 days is aggressive and a schedule like that doesn't go over particularly well with a wife. Thanks to everybody that stopped by in the game threads and participated, even if you didn't donate. They were fun and lively.

Also, feel free to head over to the donation page and kick in some cash if you didn't get to during the games because you were in Seattle hanging out with hippies or something.

And without a doubt, I intend to do this next year. Summer League is fun.