Preview: Thunder @ Spurs

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Coming into the season, most assumed the Thunder would eventually become contenders, it was just a matter of when. The Spurs were put on a different clock, counting down the time they have left as a relevant basketball powerhouse. Tonight the Spurs hope to show that those times have not arrived sooner than expected.

For some Spurs fans, the Thunder are a second favorite team, due in part to the connections with general manager Sam Presti. But for all the former ties and talks of coaching/front office trees, Presti has created something the Spurs have never been: a young, up-and-coming team.

Since the day Tim Duncan arrived the Spurs have been championship contenders and a veteran team. For that matter, the Spurs have not been a young, up-and-coming team since the early 90’s, something no other team can claim with pride, which is something fans should think about when they speak of how frustrating this season has been.

So it’s almost refreshing to see part of the Spurs model applied in a situation unburdened by expectations. Without a need for immediate pieces, Presti has been able to think outside the box. It’s why the Thunder have been able to take a chance on a Shaun Livingston, Thabo Sefolosha or even Russell Westbrook. Do they always workout? No, but they are low cost and have offered some big rewards.

Players like Sefolosha are valuable rotation players on championship teams, and they can generally be acquired cheaply, but the Spurs have not had the luxury of cultivating these talents. Which is a shame. Outside of Duncan with the number one pick, the Spurs greatest hits have been those that were unconventional, or moments of innovation.

Tony Parker, Bruce Bowen as a starter, Stephen Jackson, Manu Ginobili, Fabricio Oberto and George Hill were all great examples of the Spurs making moves free of expectations. Moves that the Thunder and Presti are making now. That’s not to say that the Spurs other moves were failures, but stack up the first list of names with the more conventional moves the Spurs have made as quick fixes to a championship: Kurt Thomas, Michael Finley (okay, this one has worked out well), Drew Gooden, Steve Smith, Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess.

Of course, none of the Thunder’s brilliance would be relevant without franchise player Kevin Durant. He’s a big reason why no one would be shocked if the Thunder win again tonight But tonight is about perspective, and should the Spurs continue to struggle and show that both teams are ahead of their respective schedules would allowing Popovich and Buford to get back to what has made them successful be the worst thing in the world?

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  • doggydogworld

    @Colin, I’ve watched Ian play summer league, intrasquad scrimmages, etc. Plus a little court time with the Spurs this year and two years ago. He’s got the NBA body and hops, that’s why the Spurs drafted him and invested so much effort into him. He’s obviously coachable; his shooting stroke and 1-on-1 moves have improved noticeably.

    He’s not dumb, he’s learned the scripted plays and defensive sets. He just doesn’t seem to “get” the improvisational parts of the game. He’s always a bit out of position or moving the wrong direction or turned at the wrong angle. He’s the opposite of DeJuan Blair in this regard. Buck Harvey said it better than me in a column last fall:

    http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Spurs_see_what_a_lab_can_never_replicate.html

  • Colin

    @doggyworld

    I agree with a lot of that article and I don’t disagree with your observations, etc. If he can’t play, then why is he on the roster? There are minutes to be had with all of the shuffling going on with the roster (this is the most players I have seen Pop give minutes to). We need productive bigs, not guys to take up a seat on the bench.

  • Jim Henderson

    doggydogworld

    February 25th, 2010 at 8:19 am
    February 25th, 2010 at 12:37 pm

    My sentiments exactly.

    Colin

    February 25th, 2010 at 10:35 am

    Good questions. I would only extend the logic to if we (us fans) don’t know enough of him (Mahinmi) to NOT play him, how do we know enough of him to play him? (although doggydogworld shed some light on the matter, which unsurprisingly supports Pops decisions in this case) The fact is, Pop knows him and has determined, no matter how desperate some us feel, Mahinmi ain’t good enough right now to crack the rotation.

    There’s always 2-3 players that hardly ever play, collecting pine at the end of a teams bench. Mahinmi obviously has SOME potential or he wouldn’t even have made the end of the bench this season. That said, I’m afraid his time has about run out. Don’t expect him back next year. The flashes of talent that you or I see of Ian is why he’s been kept around as long as he has. Pop sees him in practice everyday (unlike us), and I’m quite sure the experiment is now over. I think he’ll be waived at seasons end.

  • Colin

    Jim Henderson

    Agreed. I don’t pretend to know more than the coaches, front office, or players in regards to who plays and who doesn’t. It’s been 4 years since he’s been in the program no (Austin Toros included)? My thinking is that if he hasn’t done anything to earn some minutes now, then he is taking a potential spot from someone who could be productive. It’s a shame because he has the athleticism to match up and compete with the likes of our nemeses Gasol, Odom, Boozer, Kirilenko, Bynum, Camby, Nene, and other Spurs killer this season and the past.

  • Colin

    ………but evidently lacks the b-ball IQ

  • Jim Henderson

    I share your frustration with knowing that we do need a fairly young talented big to compete. We just have to accept it ain’t Ian. With some chagrin, I suspect, Pop now has.

  • doggydogworld

    Ian’s still on the bench because he’s under contract. When everyone is healthy he and Malik are in street clothes or at the end of the bench — not taking a spot from someone who could be productive. No NBA team gets production from their 13th guy.

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