I hope that you are not serious regarding this comment:

“I’m surprised the Lakers don’t want an asterisk next to their championship, i.e. “the year all our competitors were injured”, seeing that all-stars Ginobili, Garnett, and Nelson were all hurt.”

I give spurs fans the highest of merits, and this argument seems a little below you guys (as a collective at least, i’m not really familar with your comments since i don’t spend much time on this blog).

To quickly answer that, there are injuries in every year. I could use the same exact argument for the 08 celtics –should they have an asterix around their championship because they played the lakers who were missing 2 starters? Andrew Bynum and Trevor Ariza did not play in the playoffs that year due to injury. Believe me, it would have been nice to see Ariza playing D on Pierce rather than Vlade Rodmanavich and Luck Walton (no wonder Pierce was finals MVP and not Garnett). Also, who can forget just this last year –Bynum came back with only 4 games to go in the regular season. As you saw in the playoffs and the NBA finals, he was only 50% of his true self, not to mention rusty.

Again, these arguments are childish. Everyone can make them again and again. The fact is that the Lakers won the championship last year. Instead of attempting to discredit that championship, you should give them the credit they deserve and try to dethrown them next year.

Jefferson’s +- is surprisingly awful, and it has nothing to do with how bad his team is. Here is the link: http://www.82games.com/0809/0809MIL.HTM

The Bucks last year scored .7 points MORE than their opponents when Jefferson was OFF the floor. The Bucks last year scored -1.7 points LESS than their opponents when Jefferson was ON the floor. So his +- is very bad. But this is just 1 stat.

Also, it has nothing to do with how good your team is, since it is comparing how your team does against its opponents with you on/off the court. If you put Lebron on the worst team in the league, he would have the best +- in the league –perhaps the number would even be higher on the worst team because their is such a relative difference.

Yes he’s an awkward person to defend because of his versatility, but that’s if he’s actually going to play well that night. And let’s face it, he doesn’t show up every night.

I do not agree that our frontcourt is not elite. The lack of a single dominant big next to Timmy does not mean that we wont be able to hold our own. Having the multiple bigs that we have allows us to match up with anyone. Ratcliff is an excellent defender and should be able to do some good work on Bynum or Gasol. Blair is a solid energy/rebounding guy. We have no idea what to expect from Mahinmini. Bonner can strectch the floor and keep other bigs from guarding the paint. I dont know anything about Haislip, to be honest, but even if our rotation is TD/McDyess/Blair/Bonner/Ratcliff, i think we can play the matchup game. We’ll pick our poison with the lakers and let Lamar go off and just shut everyone else down. In previous years its how we beat the suns, the cavs, and even the lakers. Lets look at it this way. Kobe will get 30 points a game against us- but we’ll make him work for it like we always do. We’ll throw a body on Lamar, but we wont let him be a passer or a playmaker. We make him a scorer. So he gets 30 a game. We can hold Artest to 20 no problem. But then where are the touches for the other Lakers bigs? The average NBA team takes what, 90 shots a game against us? To get his 30 points, Kobe will have to take at least 20 shots. Artest will probably need about 15 to get to his 20 points. To get his 30, we’ll say Lamar has a good day and only needs 15 shots. Bynum and Gasol have at most 20 shots a piece. With Duncan guarding Gasol, its unlikely more than 10 of those shots are going in, so we’ll say he gets 15 points. We’ll say Bynum gets 15 as well. That puts the lakers at 110 points. Dont be discouraged by these numbers, because they are hypothetical and for Lakers fans, that has to be the best case scenario, because realistically there is no way all those guys will go off like that on the same night- because those wont be the only guys shooting the ball. Fish will launch some 3’s, Farmar/Vujajic/Walton will shoot some. And all that takes away from your best players opportunities.

Basically, we still have the advantage of being able to control the pace. I think we’ve proven that with discipline, its much easier to slow down a game than it is to speed one up. If we hold our opponents to 90 possessions a game or less, we will win, its that simple. Our defense will be much, much better this year because of our added bigs. Ratcliff is a good defender, Blair is a good defender, Mahinmini might be a good defender. Bonner will get spot minutes and wont be abused by the lakers second string of Mbenga/whoever else. We just have to play Spurs basketball, slow it down, and play to our strengths. If i’m not mistaken, its how this blog got its name- playing against the Spurs is 48 minutes of slow, grind it out basketball. Its 48 minutes that feels like an eternity. Its 48 minutes of Hell.

Unabashed Laker fan that loves the Spurs? Now I’ve heard it all.

As far as I can tell, how the new look Spurs rest their players and manage their starting and bench this year will be determined entirely by the durability of Tim and Manu (duh). Personally I don’t think we have the frontcourt talent to rest Tim any more than we have in the recent past (especially when we play the elite teams).

I see MG coming off the bench like he did before 09 now that we have a slasher in RJ.

I also see Hill getting decent minutes…he’s definitely maturing nicely.

We do have the depth now to rest Timmy and Manu more during back to backs and while playing lesser competition, which will undoubtedly be welcomed come playoff time. Yet the regular season success of our front court may give us false confidence going into the post season.

If you couldn’t tell by my previous post, I’m still worried that our front court is still not elite. I know TD is no slouch, he’s my favorite player of all time (besides #23 of course), but TD for 33 min/g and Dice for 30 min/g just isn’t enough to contain Gasol (37 min/g) AND Bynum AND Odom and let’s not forget the oft unmentioned and underrated Josh Powell. Haislip/Bonner/Ratcliff/Blair must must must step up and contribute quality minutes for us to have any chance against LA in a 7 game series, simple as that.

As a Spurs fan, of course I hope they do, but the realist in me hopes our FO takes some action to consolidate that talent into a singular impact big man by the trade deadline. Who? Chandler, Gortat and Camby would have all made me so happy this summer…

Which leads us to whether Pau Gasol is as good a defensive player as Duncan now. Interesting how you worded this question. Not who’s a better player now, but whether he’s approaching TD’s defensive skill level. Surprisingly tactful for a Laker fan

I think that Gasol is an underrated defensive player and gets labeled soft because of his play at C. When he’s the PF, he can almost always hold his own (although Scola did do a number on him). Not sure if I would go so far as to credit Gasol with shutting down Dwight Howard….I’d say it was more of a team effort along with smart coaching. Howard’s offensive game, as your name sake – Abdul Jabbar pointed out, can be painfully predictable.

I also see Gasol’s defensive play as more like what I’d expect from an energy big man coming off the bench, he runs the floor and hustles and can make things happen on d. On the other hand, one-on-one in a half-court situation against a big man that has a proper, post and back to the basket game? Pau is no Tim Duncan. But then again, how many bigs play with their back to the basket anymore? Not Dwight Howard, that’s for sure…

Bottom line, TD is without question an all-time all-defensive PF, especially when it comes to half-court styled basketball. Pau gains ground on Timmy for being more spry and athletic than TD (at this point in time), in a league that is seemingly less half-court oriented which favors Gasol’s defensive style…

As far as I can tell at least…

Another question for Spurs fans (that watched the finals): After “witnessing” Gasol’s work on Howard, would you say that he’s approaching Duncan’s defensive skill level? I know they have slightly different skill sets; but I have to say I was very impressed (and surprised) by Pau’s performance (not that he didn’t bring it consistently throughout the year) in comparison to the ‘08 debacle.

Also I would tend to agree that odom might indeed be the best role player in the NBA, but that’s probably more because of his limited role behind gasol and bynum along with the fact that on most other teams he would be at least a second or third option. Underperforming and very versatile star=greatest role player.

On a different note, as good as the Spurs are this year, and as many players (and potential) we have in our front court right now, we still don’t have a legit 7 foot presence compared to the Lakers who have 2!

But hey, since when has height mattered in the NBA? Oh…

My opinion is that next year’s Lakers squad is much different (and improved) from last year’s team. With a healthy Andrew Bynum (are those church bells tolling for a wedding or funeral?) and the addition of Ron Artest, dynamics for the Lakers second unit will probably transform/change the most. What we’re likely to see are second-unit lineups of Bynum/Gasol-Odom-Artest+parts. This year the people who (wishfully) dog Kobe’s “mileage” will be silent. Similarly, Derek Fisher and Pau Gasol might work a lot less during the regular season–ensuring they’ll be fresh for what’s important.

Ron Artest is probably one of the most entertaining characters in the NBA. Beyond the Palace incident, he’s a good enough guy. Loopy, but entertaining. He’s going to fit in perfectly as a 3-pt specialist on the starting squad and as a first, second or third scoring option on the second unit. He’ll probably get 10-12 shots a game and those posessions are coming from players like Sasha, Farmar, and Fish. I’ll take Artests 35-40% 3-pt shooting to any of the aforementioned players.

One of the pitfalls of Ariza was his inability to initiate offense. He don’t have a low-post game, he don’t have a handle, and he don’t do much else than spot-up and slash. Which is great–no–perfect for the first unit: but not so great for the second. Kobe likely logged significant minutes with the second team because Ariza could not “handle” any offensive responsibilities beyond his limited role. The advent of Artest likely means significant reductions in playing time for many of the starters. Over a season, that time accumulates and amounts to something. I know that Spurs fans are cognizant of playing-time dynamics and recognize their importance for a deep playoff run.

Really, Artest’s integration comes down to a conflict of force (Artest’s playing personality) and form (the Lakers’ system). I believe that the Triangle offense is perfect for a player like Artest; and that the team already has many strong personalities and a winning culture that will dictate Artest’s participation. Maybe this is optimism, maybe not. But I have a feeling deep in the pitiest of my stomach that the Artest crash-n’-burn camp are g(r)asping for hope.

For the Spurs: I know that Pop sits starters to keep them rested, but how have recent additions impacted this approach? Do the Spurs have enough depth now to play everyone for 82 (god willing)? How do y’all foresee the first and second teams shaking out? Which will be the most affected units, how does playing time change, etc.?

This really is a great time for Basketball. Are we there yet?
Sorry for the LA-invasion, but what can I say, I love this blog.

It’s a link that shows a video of Ron artest talking about the Brawl in the Pacers-Pistons game.

It’s proof that the man is just unremorseful, and just plain crazy

Actually, I think my post is a pretty good assessment of what is likely to happen.

- I didn’t say that *fans* don’t like Kobe. Who cares who the fans like? I said he’s an unlikeable guy as a teammate – he’s not a locker room leader, never has been, and pretty much every story I’ve read about his petty spats with guys he’s supposed to be inspiring bear that out. Which was the entire point. I’m sure he’s no less likeable now than he was during previous Lakers championship series – but he doesn’t have Shaq now, and he may not be able to count on other teams’ injuries giving him a soft road to a ring.

- Lamar Odom is the best role player in the entire NBA? You’re certainly entitled to your opinion, I just don’t think anybody else on the planet shares it, including Lamar Odom. And I wasn’t calling him a pothead who punked out to put him down – I was calling him a pothead who punked out because he’s a pothead, and because he punked out. Which, in the context of whether or not we’re gonna see a serious level of effort from him next season after he signs a multi-year contract with a team that dissed him, seems pretty relevant.

- “…in almost all aspects of the game, Artest is a better player (than Ariza).” Well, except for the aspects of not jacking up terrible shots, not disappearing for minutes at a stretch, not breaking plays, not having lost a step since his vaunted defensive heyday, not being on a steep career downslope, and not being a total lunatic.

Sure, Bonner may have some nice skills but let’s face it: he’s a defensive liability. Even at 38, Bowen can still defend and knock down occasional 3s.

If the Spurs could get BW for Bonner then they’d do it in a heartbeat.