RealGM Basketball Wiretap

Deshaun Thomas Refused To Give Spurs His Cell Number At Draft Combine

Thu, 16 May 2013 22:26:54 EDT

Deshaun Thomas interviewed with the San Antonio Spurs at the NBA draft combine on Thursday.

Among the questions asked of Thomas was his cell phone number and email address.

Thomas declined to give the Spurs his phone number.

“I can’t go around giving it out to everyone,” Thomas said Thursday with a laugh. “Now if they want to draft me, I’d be happy to give it to them.”

Thomas is currently projected as a second-round pick.

Danny Green, Spurs Treating Curry Like 'Mini Kevin Durant'

Sat, 11 May 2013 11:30:07 EDT

Danny Green has held Stephen Curry to 1-of-15 shooting in Games 2 and 3 of the San Antonio Spurs’ second-round series against Golden State.

"It's a great (challenge) man," Green said. "We treat him like a mini Kevin Durant. Obviously he's not as tall or as lethal attacking the rim, but he can finish, has floaters, has all types of stuff, a quick trigger. He's a scorer – a true scorer.

"He's one of the best scorers we have in the league now. And for me to be able to guard him that tough – they have me guarding him and telling me to step up to this challenge – is big for me. I'm defending the way they tell me to defend him. You know, long story short, just stay connected to him. Stay in his airspace and try to make him uncomfortable."

Curry is a combined 12-of-37 over his last two games.

Duncan Was Worried About Jinxing Spurs' Comeback Returning From Locker Room

Wed, 08 May 2013 12:45:40 EDT

Tim Duncan was sick for Game 1, but still scored 19 points with 11 rebounds in 34 minutes.

But Gregg Popovich sent Duncan back into the Spurs' locker room with 4:31 remaining in the game with the Warriors holding a big lead.

“It became pretty apparent that he wasn’t going to tell me the truth anymore,” Popovich said, “so I had to pull the plug myself. He’s a competitor and he didn’t want to come off the floor.”

The Spurs then began an improbable comeback from 16 points down.

“It was unbelievable,” said Duncan. “I was in the locker room watching it, and I see us getting closer and closer. I debated even coming back out there. Whatever superstition it might be, I wanted to stay right where I was. It felt bad coming out there and they get a lead again.”

“It was great just to see the guys and everything going the way we wanted to go. A lot of credit to Golden State; they were unbelievable. Steph Curry put on a show out there. But we stuck with it and used every minute that we had. It was just an unbelievable game to be a part of.”

Teams Had Won 392 Straight Games Up By 16 With Less Than Four Minutes Left Before Warriors' Collapse

Tue, 07 May 2013 13:28:25 EDT

The Golden State Warriors had 16-point lead with less than four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of Game 1, but the San Antonio Spurs went on an 18-2 run to force the game into overtime. 

The Spurs eventually won the game in double-overtime on a Manu Ginobili three-pointer.

Teams up by 16 points at the four-minute mark had won 392 consecutive games.

Mike Budenholzer Emerges As Candidate For Pistons

Fri, 03 May 2013 16:18:31 EDT

Mike Budenholzer has emerged as a candidate to become the next head coach of the Detroit Pistons.

Budenholzer is currently an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs.

Joe Dumars spent several hours on Wednesday meeting with Budenholzer.

The Pistons have also met with Nate McMillan and also want to interview Kelvin Sampson.

Budenholzer's reputation as one of the next potential NBA coaches has increased in recent years and is considered a leading candidate to replace Gregg Popovich whenever he retires.

Tiago Splitter Out Indefinitely With Sprained Ankle

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 14:52:09 EDT

Tiago Splitter is out indefinitely due to a sprained left ankle that he suffered in the San Antonio Spurs' Game 3 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, the team announced Saturday.

Splitter is expected to miss seven to 10 days, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

Splitter averaged 10.3 points and 6.4 rebounds in the regular season, solidifying himself as the Spurs' starting center.

Metta World Peace Expects To Miss Game 4

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 01:53:02 EDT

Metta World Peace returned from a torn meniscus in his left knee earlier than anyone expected, but he admitted after Game 3 that the knee "was bummish" and that he is expecting to miss Game 4 on Sunday.

"I'll probably sit out Sunday," World Peace said. "... I was the weak link tonight."

World Peace went scoreless in 17 minutes on Friday, when the Los Angeles Lakers suffered a blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3.

The Lakers are down 3-0 in the series and face elimination in Game 4.

Popovich Reiterates Plan To Follow Duncan Into Retirement

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:19:07 EDT

Gregg Popovich reiterated his oft-stated plan to follow Tim Duncan into retirement.

Duncan, 37, has given no indication that he plans to retire soon.

“He’s a mentally unique individual in that he’s able to sustain the year-round workout regimen, both physically and (diet) wise,” Popovich said of Duncan’s resurgence. “He has an unbelievable feeling of responsibility for his place in the program and wants to sustain that performance that he brings night after night.”

“When he doesn’t think he can, he’ll stop. It might be in the middle of a game. I can see him walking off the court saying, ‘Nah, I’m not pulling my weight anymore. I’m gone.’ And he’ll walk. And I’ll be right behind him, like this. No pride, no nothing.”

Popovich drafted Duncan out of Wake Forest in 1997 after the Spurs jumped ahead of the Boston Celtics in the lottery.

Duncan Believes McGrady Can Help Spurs

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:49:18 EDT

Tim Duncan believes Tracy McGrady can help the Spurs in the playoffs.

“I definitely think so,” Duncan said. “He looks good. He looks like he has a rhythm going. He’s been playing some.”

Duncan said the only thing that might hold McGrady back from making a quick impact is his limited knowledge of the Spurs’ playbook.

“It’s more about him understanding what we do, and we’re not exactly a simple system,” Duncan said.

Sources: Tracy McGrady To Sign With Spurs For Season

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:27:07 EDT

Tracy McGrady will sign with the San Antonio Spurs for the rest of the season, according to league sources.

After spending last season with the Atlanta Hawks, McGrady played in China this season.

McGrady averages 19.6 points for his career.

The Spurs released Stephen Jackson late last week.

Spurs Waive Stephen Jackson

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:22:49 EDT

The San Antonio Spurs have waived Stephen Jackson.

"It's been brewing for a few days," according to a source.

R.C. Buford Attended Steven Adams' Last Home Game At Pittsburgh

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 21:16:26 EDT

R.C. Buford was in attendance for Pittsburgh’s home finale against Villanova, presumably to scout Steven Adams.

Adams, a native of New Zealand and a possible first-round selection in the forthcoming NBA draft, did not play in the game because he sprained an ankle in practice the day before.

The Spurs employ another New Zealander, Sean Marks, in their front office.

Marks serves as Buford’s director of basketball operations and remains involved in basketball in his home country.

Popovich 'Very Concerned' About Parker's Leg Injury

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:16:37 EDT

Gregg Popovich seemed to be bracing for the worst after Tony Parker suffered an unspecified leg injury during the Spurs’ 100-88 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Parker limped to the locker room after logging just 2 minutes in the fourth quarter – and scored a season-low 2 points on 1-for-6 shooting.

“I’m really concerned about Tony right now after seeing his situation tonight where he just had to stop,” Popovich said. “My feeling is tendinitis, something in his shins or whatever, from the way it looked on the court. But I don’t know.

“I got to see what’s going on. I got to see what the deal is. We thought he had just kind of recovered from his ankle, so this was something new tonight with his leg. I just don’t know what it is right now.”

There is no target date for Parker’s return.

 “I’ll talk with the medical staff, talk with Pop and try to make the best decision to make sure I’m 100 percent and healthy for the playoffs,” Parker said. “That’s the most important thing.”

Ginobili Could Miss Start Of Playoffs

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 18:07:43 EDT

Manu Ginobili could miss up to a month with a strained hamstring, putting his status for the start of the playoffs in question.

Ginobili did not play for the San Antonio Spurs in an 88-86 loss to the Miami Heat on Sunday night.

The 35-year-old injured his right hamstring in a victory over the Los Angeles Clippers last week.

Heat Rest Stars In Rematch With Spurs, Deny Retaliation

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 09:08:12 EDT

The Miami Heat sat LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers for Sunday's game against the San Antonio Spurs.

Miami denied that the decision to sit the trio had anything to do with San Antonio famously sitting a number of stars on Nov. 29.

James sat with a hamstring strain, while Wade and Chalmers are dealing with ankle issues.

When asked if this was a response to the Spurs players resting in the previous matchup, Erik Spoelstra said, "I could see where you guys would draw those conclusions, but no."

Gregg Popovich couldn't help sarcastically feed controversy.

"What kind of (expletive) is that?" he told reporters before tipoff. "Are you kidding? What a bunch of rummies. Who would think of something like that. That's below the belt. There's no place for that stuff."

Karl Endorses Popovich As Next Coach Of Team USA

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 11:45:10 EDT

George Karl offered an endorsement of Gregg Popovich as the next coach of Team USA.

"I hope he gets the USA job," Karl said. "I think he wants it. He's a military guy who, I think, brings a dignity to representing the United States, and he's also earned the respect of the basketball world."

Popovich has led the Spurs to fourteen straight 50-win seasons and has a .605 winning percentage in the playoffs.

"I think the one thing I respect about him is he puts as many quality possessions on the court, in the course of 82 games, as any coach in the NBA," said Karl, who is sixth all time with 1,123 wins. "He builds a team system that magnifies team but also magnifies stars, which is sometimes a lot more difficult to do than fans think it is. Incorporating the talent of your star into the team. I'm not sure in San Antonio if everybody is happy, but everybody seems to be."

Spurs Assign Aron Baynes To D-League

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 14:04:40 EDT

The San Antonio Spurs have announced that they have assigned center Aron Baynes to the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League.

Baynes, who is making his fourth stint with the Toros this season, has appeared in five games for Austin, averaging 15.0 points and 8.2 rebounds in 24.6 minutes.

In 11 games for the Spurs this season, Baynes has averaged 2.2 points and 1.4 rebounds in 6.6 minutes.

Spurs Improved Defensive Efficiency By Focusing Less On Defensive Rebounding

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:12:12 EDT

The San Antonio Spurs improved their defense by using statistics as a basis for evidence-based decision making.

“This summer, we looked at our defensive efficiency, which for years had been very high. And last year, we went in the 10-15 range,” Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said. “And I think we were valuing some things that weren’t nearly as important as the data showed us. We learned from the Celtics.

“While they were really high in defensive efficiency, they weren’t very high in defensive rebounding. And that was a big part of where our emphasis was, and it made us question is that really where we should be paying attention. And those were discussions that were then brought to Pop from our coaches and from our analytics team. And some great discussions came from that, that ended up having us reevaluate what was important to us.”

The Spurs have fallen from 1st to sixth in defensive rebounding percentage, in part, because they’ve put in a revised defense designed to better contest shots and force more turnovers.

As a result, the Spurs improved from 11th in defensive efficiency last season to third this year.

Tony Parker To Return Friday From Severe Ankle Sprain

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 11:58:15 EDT

Tony Parker is active and available for the San Antonio Spurs' game against the Utah Jazz on Friday.

Parker will return from a severe ankle sprain that he suffered on March 1. The injury sidelined him for three weeks and he made major progress in returning earlier than expected.

Despite Parker's absence, the Spurs remain the first seed in the Western Conference at 52-16.

Aron Baynes Recalled By Spurs From D-League

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 19:21:15 EDT

The San Antonio Spurs have recalled center Aron Baynes from the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League.

Baynes, who recently made his third stint with the Toros this season, has appeared in five games with Austin, averaging 15.0 points and 8.2 rebounds in 24.6 minutes. In his most recent game Baynes tallied 15 points and 11 rebounds versus Maine on March 16.

The Australian native has played in 11 games this season with the Spurs since being signed on Jan. 23, averaging 2.2 points and 1.4 rebounds in 6.6 minutes.

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