SB Nation User Blog: schwazz

Run 'em into the ground?

schwazz — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 13:56:58 -0000

Given the Spurs' one-night-only fastbreakin' success against the (admittedly disinterested) Jazz and Parker's recent stretch of good run, does anyone else think that the Spurs might be best served by trying to outrun the now ploddingly half-court Suns? I'd feel more certain of this if I had a better sense of what Barry's capable of these days, however.

When the Spurs dispatch The Suns yet again in about two weeks, (which will make what, 4 times in 6 years?) how can we best as a collective and unified front convince their fans to shut the eff up? An appeal to logic and reason doesn't seem feasible -- it would have worked already if it were. Keep in mind, I'm only interested in shutting them up, not in changing hearts and minds.

Splitter's Development

schwazz — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 23:28:11 -0000

From the Spurs paper of record:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA072107.04C.NZ.State.BKN_spurs-sp litter.en.2e959d9.html

>>>>>
Splitter averaged 11.2 points a game, on 61.3 percent shooting, in 28 games last season with Tau Cerámica in the Spanish League and 10.7 points and 6.0 rebounds in 20 games with Tau Cerámica in the Euroleague.

Buford said if Scola jumps to the NBA this season, his absence on Tau Cerámica might help Splitter's development.

"A lot of their post offense went through Luis," Buford said.
<<<<<

The Butler/Scola trade/fiasco suddenly makes a lot more sense to me. Essentially, the Spurs have made Tau Ceramica their own personal Euro-Toros.

I think that equally, if not more important than getting Butler's salary off the payroll for luxury tax relief was getting Splitter's development started. From all accounts, the guy's a great talent and in weaker years would have been a lottery pick.

To get Tiago in the NBDL, he'd first have to be signed to the 15-man roster. That would raise luxury tax/cap problems anew, so he's destined to stay in Europe, as has been foreseen from the start. I don't know much about the quality of competition in the Spanish and Euro leagues, but I got to think that it's on par (or at least close) to what the NBDL features.

So yeah, Scola goes to division "rival" Houston. But for the Splitter development-for-free scam to work, he had to go to a team in desperate need of a PF willing to take a chance on importing.

Come 2008-2009 when the Spurs roster will look quite different, this Splitter guy may very well be the starting 4. Given that Timmy will turn 33 that season, I imagine his slower feet might have him playing a lot more minutes at center. (Not to mention that we've got another PF project cooking up in Europe in Mahinmi.)

So with this new twist unearthed, I think I'm going to give Buford the benefit of the doubt on this one. So long as it's not Houston that's knocking us out of the conference semis next season.

Something I never thought I'd see this season

schwazz — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 19:11:33 -0000

With Manu healing his contusions, Duncan brooding over his rage issues, and Tony painting his nails, I wasn't terribly interested in following the game last night. I merely checked in on the ESPN scoreboard from time to time. Imagine my surprise when I saw the above tableaux.

I can think of at least three things wrong with this picture. Oh, and one thing that's so, so right.

Real-life brushes with greatness

schwazz — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 17:42:22 -0000

After reading last night's Gary Coleman/Shawn Kemp thread of one-up-manship, I was reminded of my own brush with Greatness (capitalization intentional) and I was curious if anyone else 'round here has similar experiences with Spurs out of uniform...

When I was in high school, working at the Subway on Thousand Oaks and 281, none other than Vinny Del Negro pulled up in his tripped-out SUV and ordered a sandwich for himself, and another for his wife. He wasn't sure what to get for his wife at first, and asked me for a recommendation. I suggested the steak and cheese (it was on sale.) He went with the turkey instead.

He paid with a check. If I had only one chance to go back in time and change the past, I would have put that check in my pocket and gladly replaced it in the register with some cash.

My roommate's got an even better brush: One quiet summer evening at a bar, Peter Holt walks in and orders shots of tequila for everyone. I'm guessing it was before his trip to rehab.

Anyone else?

Road Glories, and a Question for Our Venerated Sysop Matthew

schwazz — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 06:11:32 -0000

[Editor's note: I am bumping this diary to the main page because it's well written and a great topic to discuss. What are your favorite playoff road memories?]

Since the Spurs are shaping up into the basketball gods of the road this year, a few words about clutch road performances...

Mr. Matthew Powell... You say you live in Seattle -- did you also live in Seattle when the Spurs came through in the 2005 playoffs? If so, did you attend game 6?

One of my most indelible memories from that championship run was from that game, on the last Spurs possession. We all know it-- tie game with ten seconds left, Manu dribbling at the top of the three point line. He drives down the lane, and the whole Sonic team (along with the rest of the world) assume that he's going to try to finish at the rim. Instead, he feeds Tim for a layup right as his defender sagged off to help. Jesus Shuttlesworth clangs his desperation three at the buzzer and the Spurs were off to the conference finals.

But it wasn't just the beauty and absolute clutchness of the play that made a mark on my mind. It was the fact that some unremembered schedule conflict forced me to tape the game. Naturally, I rewound and played over and over that sequence. Right after Tim sank the layup, I noticed that there was a white dude sitting along the baseline going absolutely apeshit with delight. I felt such a connection with the guy. He alone courtside in his business apparel, me alone in my living room at 2am six inches away from my TV screen, VCR remote in-hand. Neither of us had anyone handy to high-five, but what the crap did it matter?

It reminded me of my 2003 experience in Dallas. My dad was able to score Steve Smith's comp tickets to game 4 of the WCF. 12th row behind the baseline, insane newbie Mavs bandwagonners EVERYWHERE. Manu was still Pop's 2nd or 4rd guy off the bench, but he picked the fourth quarter of that game to decide that he wanted the world to know who he was. Steals, dunks, screams of "holy shit!" from my section... and tons of schadenfreude from yours truly. Anyway, it was the most clutch road playoff performance I'd ever seen from a Spur up to that point. (Steve Kerr would easily take that distinction away two games later.)

Anyway... the whole point of this diary: Was that you, Matthew, along the baseline in 2005, going apeshit?

And for the rest of ya'lls: What's your favorite clutch road playoff performance? Personally, I can't decide. It's either Steve Kerr killing the Mavs in game 6 in 2003, or it's Robert Horry waking up in the fourth quarter of game 5 of the 2005 finals.