Spurs notebook:All hands on deck, few on links
Web Posted: 10/10/2007 10:40 PM CDT
Jeff McDonald
Express-News Staff Writer
The Spurs responded to Tuesday’s 88-67 preseason-opening loss at Dallas in the most relaxing fashion imaginable. They took the day off and hit the golf course.
Of course, it was all for a good cause.
The Spurs spent their Wednesday at the Hyatt Hill Country Golf Club, participating in a charity scramble to benefit the Spurs foundation.
All Spurs players were present. Only a handful actually dared to pick up a club.
Among the most adamant about staying off the course was Manu Ginobili.
“I’m not good at golf at all,” the Argentine guard said. “I tried it only once, and never again.”
Ginobili’s aversion to the sport is at least mildly ironic. Next to him, the most popular sportsman in Argentina these days is Angel Cabrera, the surprise winner of this year’s U.S. Open at Oakmont.
His countryman’s thrilling victory at a major, however, was apparently not enough to get Ginobili out on the course.
“I bet he’s as bad at basketball as I am at golf,” Ginobili joked.
Much to Ginobili’s relief, the Spurs will be off the golf course and back on the basketball court today.
They have two more days of practice before their second preseason game, Saturday against the Greek professional team Panathinaikos at the AT&T Center.
Don’t bet the house: There are four free agents in Spurs camp, each hoping to make the team’s final 15-man roster. Basic arithmetic says the odds of the Spurs finding room for any of them are not good.
The Spurs brought back 12 members from last year’s NBA championship team, plus added free agent Ime Udoka and signed draft picks Ian Mahinmi and Marcus Williams.
That greatly reduces the chances of a Darius Washington, Anthony Lever-Pedroza, Kris Lang or Keith Langford making the team — to somewhere between slim and none.
“Everybody that’s trying out for the team can count, one to 15,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “We have 15 guys under contract. What are the chances? The chances aren’t great.”