Yesterday, the family and I attended the Spurs' open practice/scrimmage with about 7600 other people. The team looked really, really great. Admittedly, most teams will when you're only seven rows away from them - we were actually closer to the action than Coach Pop and Coach Newman. I think Spurs fans have a lot to look forward to in the coming season.
Knowing that it was a practice, and that it was public, and that the dynamics of a team scrimmage are far different than the dynamics of an actual NBA game, I'm aware that little can be assessed from what I saw. I will say that all of the new additions look promising. The returning youngsters are showing growth. The vets seem ready. October 28th can't come soon enough.
From my view behind one of the baskets, a few players made an impression on me.
First, DeJuan Blair came to play. He is going to make a lot of GMs regret their draft-night decision to let him slip to the second round. He's aggressive on offense and defense, and I imagine that will intensify as he plays against teams that had the chance to pick him up, but passed.
Second, McDyess and Ratliff both looked like solid contributors. McDyess played scrappy below the basket and I know he'll bring some tough to the team. I only worry about the tolerance the refs have for the combined incredulous expressions that McDyess and Tim Duncan will be flashing over foul calls.
Third, George Hill was a personal favorite of mine last season, and his play on Sunday indicated that he'll remain near the top of my list. He's fast. He can score. I thought he had some brilliant moments last season, and he's getting even better. George is likely to extend the career of Tony Parker by carrying a good portion of the PG weight.
Last but not least, Ginobili and Jefferson. I put them together because they will probably be sharing a position over the bulk of their minutes. Jefferson is going to bolster the Spurs' point total every game, taking a lot of pressure off of the big three. He went on a run late in the scrimmage that definitely spoke to the value of his signing. Ginobili - it's just great to see Manu on the court again. The guy is deadly. Timothy Varner at
48 Minutes of Hell posted about the scrimmage yesterday, and
his post included this bullet on Ginobili:
"Adjusted Plus/Minus expert Steve Ilardi surprised me a few weeks back.
According to Ilardi’s 6 year defensive APM averages, Manu Ginobili is the third best perimeter defender in the league. He trails only Ron Artest and Shane Battier in that department. Striking, right? Well Manu Ginobili looked every bit the offensive and defensive stud during today’s scrimmage. When he’s healthy, only Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade are better options at shooting guard. Look out, league!"
Spurs fans have known the genius of Ginobili for years.
Kobe recognizes.
Barkley and Walton recognize. He's only the second pro basketball player ever to win the NBA title, the Euroleague title, and a gold medal. I would love to see NBA fandom sing the praises of Ginobili this year, and I would love for him to make it impossible for them not to.
The team is formidable, and I'm excited to see how rotations and line-ups evolve over the first part of the season. The Spurs have young talent that needs time on the court to develop into tomorrow's team, and they have experienced contributors ready to win now. I don't know how Popovich is going to distribute the mix. I do know that the roster cuts that have to take place before the end of the month will probably be very difficult for the head-honchos. Everyone has something to offer.
