马刺1996-97赛季实录（560+篇）

[这也将成为过去]

1996-10-28, By Glenn Rogers Express-News Staff Writer

马刺缺人手，被步行者以 102-80 击败

印第安纳波利斯——随着中锋威尔·帕杜的缺阵，马刺的中路出现了巨大的漏洞。在结束了这两支球队季前赛日程的周日晚上的比赛中，步行者趁机将球送进了篮筐，最终他们以 102-80 获胜。

印第安纳（5-3）几乎可以随意突破马刺几乎毫无防守能力的内线。步行者在头两节中投中 14 个上篮和 3 次扣篮。在四节比赛的垃圾时间之前，他们又增加了 3 次扣篮和 2 个上篮。

马刺（2-6）在大卫·罗宾逊因背部酸痛而缺席了整个季前赛。在周六晚上对阵尼克斯的比赛中，帕杜左手拇指顶部骨折，导致球队失利。

如果罗宾逊和帕杜缺席常规赛，圣安东尼奥可能不得不在外围使用钴来阻止攻击者。

“我们现在必须尝试一些新的策略。”教练鲍勃·希尔说：“当我们拥有威尔时，我们仍然能够按照我们通常的方式进行比赛。”

“但这几个家伙是我周五晚上需要带去明尼苏达的 8 名球员，所以我想要看看一些不同的组合。我必须放慢一些速度，在四周拉开距离。今晚在我们更多地一起练习之后，我们在篮筐前错过了几次传球，我们应该把它完成好。”

“事实上，我认为我们上半场打得相当不错，下半场出现了另一次糟糕的投篮。”

第三节可能是魅力所在，但至少在过去两个夜晚，第三节对于圣安东尼奥来说是有害的。

马刺在周六的第三节得到 9 分，周日仅得到 8 分。

在对阵步行者的比赛中，直到多米尼克·威尔金斯在 7:02 时罚球，圣安东尼奥才得到第一分，并且在比赛还剩 5:15 时才投中一个进球。

步行者在这一节中以 19-8 击败马刺，并在最后一节以 73-57 占据了主导优势。马刺在半场的投篮命中率为 48%，第三节为 20%，最后一节为 25%。

“我们只是冷了下来；下半场我们无法买到一个篮子。”肖恩·埃利奥特说。这位前锋在半场中也遇到了麻烦，他投了 6 次球，命中 2 次。他最终 13 次出手，命中 4 次。

“我们将不得不尝试不同的组合，有时让多米尼克打大前锋，尝试一些帮助每个人的事情。”埃利奥特说：“其他球队将会有很多比我们高大强壮的人，所以有时我们在对抗时会有麻烦。”

对阵步行者时，马刺让威尔金斯打大前锋，格雷格·安德森打中锋，这是希尔认为如果帕杜、查尔斯·史密斯（右膝滑膜炎）和蒙蒂·威廉姆斯（尺神经挫伤）无法上场的话，在明尼苏达表现最出色的八名球员中的两个。

“这对于我们来说是一个不同的季前赛。”控球后卫艾弗里·约翰逊说：“它让我们知道了当事情出错时会发生什么。”

“希望查尔斯能在常规赛的某个时候上场，让我们恢复另一个大个子。

“我们今晚断断续续地表现不错，但是后来我们有点失力。”

随着文尼·德尔·内格罗的回归，马刺在后场恢复了部分实力，文尼·德尔·内格罗因右膝发炎，错过了最近的两场比赛。他周日打了 24 分钟，8 投 3 中。

“我的膝盖不是 100% 的。它仍然疼痛，但情况好一些了。”德尔·内格罗说：“我很高兴能参加一些跑步训练。但我的时机不对。明天我们休息一下，让膝盖再休息一下，做一些治疗，然后我们会有几天的练习时间来为比赛做准备。”

卡尔·埃雷拉在对阵步行者的比赛中替补出场——他盖掉了 6 次投篮——但可能仍然会对阵阵容更强大的球队首发。

“不，我不觉得自己面临很大的压力（成为最后两个大个子之一）。”埃雷拉说：“你真正感受到的压力只是你自己施加的压力。

“我认为当我们开始对新事物、新组合感到更加自在时，我们就会打得更好。”

马刺备忘录

- 人手不足：教练鲍勃·希尔认为他可能不得不只带八名球员前往明尼苏达参加赛季揭幕战。

“我们遭受了重大的伤病打击。”他在印第安纳比赛之前说：“威尔（帕杜）还需要一段时间才能复出，他可能会在比赛开始时缺席几场。”

帕杜的左手拇指顶部骨折，但没有影响关节或韧带。他偶尔会戴一个夹板来支撑拇指的顶部。

希尔表示，没有计划在赛季开始时引入更多球员。

“我真的不知道目前谁能帮助我们，”希尔说：“在这个赛季的这个阶段，我们不能与球员签订 10 天合同。我不知道仅仅开始签约球员然后让他们离开是否会有什么好处。”

“也许我们可以在（练习中）四对四。”他补充道。

- 航空公司争吵：马刺对美国航空公司感到有点不满意，他们包机前往印第安纳波利斯。

美国航空公司拒绝将飞机停在包机基地的球队常去的地方，而是停在机场约半英里外的地方，迫使球员和他们的行李登上大巴，前往球员的汽车。

工会协议被认为是导致这个问题的原因。

- 步行者受伤：印第安纳教练拉里·布朗曾执教马刺，并在教练鲍勃·希尔离开后接管了步行者。

他现在发现自己与马刺教练的情况非常相似——哀叹伤病让他的球队人手不足。

他说：“我们不知道里克（斯米茨，脚部手术）什么时候会做好准备。”里克是他首发的中锋。“他应该在赛季结束后进行手术，但不知道为什么，直到几周前他才进行手术。”

布朗说：“埃里克（后备中锋丹皮尔）不会打本赛季，他做了疝气手术，将缺席几周。”“我不知道埃迪（约翰逊）的情况，他刚刚接受了膝盖手术。接下来的比赛会有点困难。”

- 艰难的夜晚：步行者的戴尔·戴维斯在季前赛中表现出色，投篮命中率为 61%。

他在周五晚上对阵魔术的比赛中遇到进攻困难，13 次出手只命中一次。然而，他很快反弹起来对阵马刺，充分利用了虚弱的防守，12 次出手命中 9 次。- 格伦·罗杰斯

点击查看原文：Hobbling Spurs destroyed by Pacers, 102-80

Hobbling Spurs destroyed by Pacers, 102-80

INDIANAPOLIS - The hole in the Spurs’ middle has widened considerably with the absence of center Will Perdue. And the Pacers poured into it Sunday night during their 102-80 victory that ended the preseason schedule for both teams.

Indiana (5-3) drove at will into the all-but-defenseless Spurs interior. The Pacers had 14 layups and three jams in the first two quarters. They added another three dunks and two layups during the third before four-quarter garbage time.

The Spurs (2-6) lost David Robinson to a sore back for the entire preseason. And they lost Perdue on Saturday night when he suffered a fracture to the top of his left thumb during the loss against the Knicks at the Alamodome.

San Antonio might have to resort to pouring cobalt around the perimeter if they hope to stop attackers if Robinson and Perdue miss regular-season games.

“We’re going to have to try some new things now,” Coach Bob Hill said. "When we had Will, we were able to still play pretty much our usual game.

"But these guys are the eight players I’ll probably have to bring to Minnesota (Friday night’s opener), so I wanted to look at some different combinations. I’ll have to slow things down some, get more spacing around the perimeter. We missed a couple of passes right in front of the rim tonight that we should complete after we’ve practiced together more.

“Actually, I thought we played pretty well during the first half, then had another bad shooting second half.”

The third time may be the charm but the third quarter is the harm, at least the past two nights for San Antonio.

The Spurs scored nine points in the third Saturday and just eight Sunday.

Against the Pacers, San Antonio didn’t score its first point of the quarter until the 7:02 mark on a free throw by Dominique Wilkins, and didn’t make a field goal until there was 5:15 left.

The Pacers outscored the Spurs 19-8 in the quarter and took the commanding 73-57 advantage into the final period. The Spurs hit 48 percent of their shots in the first half, 20 percent in the third quarter, 25 percent in the final period.

“We just went cold; we couldn’t buy a basket in the second half,” Sean Elliott said. The forward also had his troubles in the first half when he hit 2 of 6 shots. He finished 4 of 13.

“We’re going to have to have try different combinations, go small at power forward sometimes with Dominique, try some things to help everybody out,” Elliott said. “Other teams are going to have a lot of bigger people to throw at us, so we’ll have some trouble matching up at times.”

The Spurs started Wilkins at power forward and Greg Anderson at center against the Pacers, two of the eight players Hill figured would be playing most in Minnesota if Perdue, Charles Smith (synovitis of the right knee) and Monty Williams (ulnar nerve contusion) are unable to play.

“This has been a different preseason for us,” point guard Avery Johnson said. "It shows us how things can be when things go wrong.

"Hopefully Charles can play sometime early in the regular season and get us another big man back.

“We looked good in spurts tonight but then we kind of wore down.”

The Spurs did get some manpower back in the backcourt with the return of Vinny Del Negro, who was suffering from inflammation of the right knee and had missed the last two games. He played 24 minutes Sunday and hit 3 of 8 from the floor.

“The knee is not 100 percent. It’s still sore, but it’s better,” Del Negro said. “I was glad to get some running in. But my timing is off. We’ve got tomorrow off to rest the knee some more, get some therapy, and then we’ll have a couple days of practice to get ready for the game.”

Carl Herrera came off the bench against the Pacers - he blocked six shots - but might still start against bigger teams.

“No, I don’t feel a lot of pressure (being one of the last two big men),” Herrera said. "You only really feel the pressure you put on yourself.

“I think we’ll play better once we start getting more comfortable with the new things, the new combinations.” - - -

Spurs Notes

- Thin squad: Coach Bob Hill thinks he may have to open the season in Minnesota with just eight players.

“We’ve been hit hard by the injuries,” he said prior to the Indiana game. “It’s going to be a while before Will (Perdue) gets back, he’ll probably miss a few of the games at the start.”

Perdue has a fracture across the top of his left thumb that does not affect the joint or ligaments. He occasionally will wear a splint to support the top of the thumb.

Hill said there are no plans to bring in more players for the season’s start.

“I really don’t know who is available out there who could help us,” Hill said. "We can’t sign players to 10-day contracts at this point of the season. I don’t know if it would do any good to just start signing guys and then letting them go.

“Maybe we can just go four-on-four (at practices),” he added.

- S.A. squad: San Antonio is well-represented at the USOC meetings in Indianapolis.

“There are about 12 or 13 of us here,” said City Councilman Robert Marbut. "The major happening this time was the election of a new president, Bill Hybl of Colorado Springs.

“We had three on the 100-member voting committee,” Marbut said. “I represented the National Governing Body of the Modern Pentathlon; Stacey Johnson represented the National Governing Body of Fencing; and Steve Richards that of Shooting.”

New president Hybl has a San Antonio connection - he serves on the USAA board of directors.

“Ten years ago we really had no presence in the USOC,” Marbut said.

- Airline squabble: The Spurs were a little upset with American Airlines, with whom they chartered the flight to Indianapolis.

American Airlines declined to pull over to the team’s usual spot at its charter base, stopping instead about a half-mile away at the airport, forcing the players and their baggage to board a bus for the ride to the players’ cars.

Union agreements were cited as the cause of the problem.

- Pacer hurts: Indiana coach Larry Brown once coached the Spurs and he took over the Pacers after Coach Bob Hill left.

He now finds himself in remarkably similar circumstances as the Spurs coach - lamenting the streak of injuries that has depleted his squad.

“We don’t know when Rik (Smits, foot surgery) will be ready,” he said of his starting center. "He was supposed to have that surgery right after the season but, I don’t know, he didn’t have it until several weeks ago.

“Erick (back-up center Dampier) won’t start the season, he’s had that hernia surgery and will be out a few weeks,” Brown said. “I don’t know about Eddie (Johnson), he’s coming off knee surgery. It’s going to be a little difficult for a while.”

- Tough night: The Pacers’ Dale Davis had scorched through the preseason, hitting 61 percent of his shots.

He hit the offensive wall Friday night against the Magic, putting down just one of 13. He bounced right back against the Spurs, however, taking full advantage of the weakened defense and hitting nine of his 12 shots. - Glenn Rogers

By Glenn Rogers Express-News Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1996-10-29, By Jerry Briggs Express-News Staff Writer

马刺队八人不够 - 阵容不整，可能在揭幕战中迎来史密斯和威廉姆斯复出

马刺队前锋查尔斯·史密斯(Charles Smith)预计将在今天首次恢复训练，距离上次训练已超过一周。前锋蒙蒂·威廉姆斯(Monty Williams)可能会在周三获准与球队其他球员一起恢复训练，这将缓解球队在周五对阵明尼苏达的赛季揭幕战前急需健康球员的压力。“几天前，我以为我们第一场比赛只有八名球员，”马刺队主教练鲍勃·希尔(Bob Hill)说。“但希望查尔斯和蒙蒂能给我们一些上场时间。”

在以 80-102 输给印第安纳之后，马刺队以 2-6 的季前赛战绩结束，希尔在周一给球队放了假。这对自本月初以来已有六名球员受伤的球队来说是一件令人欣慰的事。

去年球队前七名球员中的三名，包括全明星中锋大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)，都已受伤，将缺席部分常规赛。

“这个季前赛就像龙卷风一样，”希尔说。“我们一直经历着各种事情。我很高兴它结束了。不，我真的非常高兴它结束了。”

小前锋查克·珀森(Chuck Person)将在今天在加州英格伍德接受背部手术。罗宾逊和前锋/中锋威尔·珀迪(Will Perdue)的伤势没有那么严重。罗宾逊同样背部疼痛，可能还需要 7 到 21 天才能复出。珀迪在上周六晚上骨折，至少还需要 12 天才能恢复。

马刺队还没有说他们是否会签下其他球员。相反，球队正在寻找理由保持乐观，因为他们的赛程将会考验这个伤兵满营的阵容。

“如果我们能在第一个月取得 5 成或以上的胜率，我认为这将是非常棒的，”希尔说。

史密斯自 10 月 18 日以来一直因慢性右膝疼痛而没有参加比赛或训练。威廉姆斯在周六晚上对阵纽约尼克斯的比赛中跌倒，导致肘部挫伤。

“查尔斯应该能够在今天上场，”希尔说。“蒙蒂今天可以做一些事情，但他要到周三才能参加训练。他们的回归将有所帮助。”

希尔表示，自罗宾逊从南加州一家运动医学诊所接受五天治疗后，他将在今天首次见到他。他说他会告诉这位梦之队中锋不要着急恢复。

“我们不希望他恢复得太快，然后再次受伤，”希尔说。“就像我前几天在电话里告诉他的那样：‘做完你的康复。不要着急。’威尔的伤势，我认为他可能会比大卫更快地给我们提供帮助。”

珀迪，一个右手球员，在对阵尼克斯的比赛中左拇指尖骨折。

“好消息是，这是威尔的左手，”希尔说。“他可以投篮。我认为他们两个都不会缺席很长时间。”

马刺队似乎在如何处理这种情况方面没有太多选择。他们可以等待他们的两位中锋回归，然后试图赶超西部联盟的其他球队。或者他们可以签下另一名球员，并冒着在长期内破坏球队化学反应的风险。

“我们会考虑一些球员，”希尔说。“但这有点棘手。”

在这一点上，如果马刺队签下一名球员，这将必须是为今年剩余时间提供保障的合同。6 英尺 10 英寸的前锋/中锋约翰·萨利(John Salley)是一个可能的人选。

32 岁的萨利据报道正在从海外返回。其他在 NBA 训练营名单上的球员可能会在周四下午 5 点最终裁员时被释放。

马刺队总经理格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)虽然表示，没有多少球员能够满足球队的需求，但他为球队补充一名球员留下了余地。

“这必须是一个能够在上半场和下半场打几分钟的人，一个能够帮助我们的人，”波波维奇说。“那将是唯一的方式。”

波波维奇拒绝评论任何特定的球员，包括布莱恩·威廉姆斯(Brian Williams)，他是目前市场上最好的未签约自由球员。希尔说，球队无法在球队的薪资帽下为威廉姆斯提供一份合同。

“消息说他想得到 600 万美元，而我们没有那么多钱（在薪资帽下），”希尔说。“我们现在不能接触他。”

• 马刺队新闻：球队老板彼得·霍尔特(Peter Holt)和总裁杰克·迪勒(Jack Diller)正在纽约参加联盟理事会会议。迪勒表示，他将在未来几天内得知马刺队是否会获得联盟预计的 5000 万美元扩军费剩余部分。

“我们现在是两眼一抹黑，”迪勒说。“但我们将在今天收到一份关于这方面的报告。”

这些费用由将比赛广播范围扩展到 75 英里范围以外的球队支付到一个中央基金。联盟已经将这些钱搁置了四年。像圣安东尼奥这样的中小市场球队将有资格获得付款。

• 圣安东尼奥显然不在新的女子篮球联赛中选出的八支球队之列。球队名单将在周三公布。

• 马刺队官员表示，罗宾逊将在未来几天继续恢复，他的回归训练时间表尚未确定。

点击查看原文：Eight is not enough for Spurs - Depleted roster may get Smith, Williams for opener

Eight is not enough for Spurs - Depleted roster may get Smith, Williams for opener

Spurs forward Charles Smith was expected to return to workouts for the first time in more than a week today, and forward Monty Williams could be allowed to resume drills with the rest of the team Wednesday, easing the burden on a squad desperate for healthy bodies going into the season-opener Friday at Minnesota. “A couple of days ago I thought we were only going to have eight players for the first game,” Spurs coach Bob Hill said. “But hopefully Charles and Monty will be able to give us some minutes.”

One day after losing 102-80 to Indiana and finishing the preseason with a 2-6 record, Hill gave the team off Monday. It was a welcome relief for a squad that has been hit with injuries to six players since the first of the month.

Three of the team’s top seven players from a year ago, including All-Star center David Robinson, are out and will miss some of the regular season.

“This preseason has been like a tornado,” Hill said. “We’ve had one thing after another. I’m glad it’s over. No, I am really glad it’s over.”

Small forward Chuck Person will have back surgery today in Inglewood, Calif. Injuries to Robinson and forward/center Will Perdue aren’t as serious. Robinson, also with an ailing back, could be out seven to 21 more days. Perdue, who broke his thumb Saturday night, may miss another 12 days at the minimum.

The Spurs have not said whether they will sign another player or not. Instead, the team is searching for reasons to remain optimistic in the face of an early schedule that could crush a depleted roster.

“If we come out of the first month at .500 or over, I think that’s going to be pretty good,” Hill said.

Smith hasn’t played or practiced on a chronic, sore right knee since Oct. 18. Williams bruised his elbow in a fall on Saturday night in a game against the New York Knicks.

“Charles should be able to go today,” Hill said. “Monty will be able to do some things today, but he won’t practice until (Wednesday). Getting them back will help.”

Hill said he will see Robinson today for the first time since returning from five days of treatment in a Southern California sports medicine clinic. He said he will tell the Dream Team center not to rush his rehabilitation.

“We don’t want him to come too quick and then have him hurt it again,” Hill said. “It was like I told him (on the telephone) the other day: `Get it done. Do your rehab. Don’t rush it.’ With Will’s injury, I’d think he might be able to give us some help quicker than David.”

Perdue, a right-hander, suffered a fracture in the tip of his left thumb in the Knicks game.

“The good news is that it’s Will’s left hand,” Hill said. “He’ll be able to shoot it. I don’t think either one of them will be out for a long, extended period of time.”

The Spurs appear to have few choices on how to deal with the situation. They could wait for the return of their two centers, and then try and make up ground on the rest of the Western Conference. Or they could sign another player and risk upsetting team chemistry in the long run.

“We’ll consider some guys,” Hill said. “But it’s a touchy topic.”

At this point, if the Spurs sign another player, it would have to be for guaranteed money for the rest of the year. John Salley, a 6-foot-10 forward-center, is one possibility.

Salley, 32, reportedly is returning from playing overseas. Other players on NBA training-camp rosters could become available when final cuts are made by 5 p.m. Thursday.

Spurs general manager Gregg Popovich, while saying that there aren’t many players who could fit the team’s needs, left the door open that one could be added.

“It would have to be someone who could play a few minutes in the first half and a few in the second half, someone who could help us,” Popovich said. “That would be the only way.”

Popovich declined comment on any players specifically, including Brian Williams, the best available unsigned free agent on the market. Hill said the team can’t fit a contract for Williams under the team’s salary cap.

“The word is he wants $6 million and we don’t have that kind of money (under the cap),” Hill said. “We can’t touch him right now.”

-Spurs notes: Team owner Peter Holt and president Jack Diller are in New York at the board of governors’ meetings. Diller said he may learn in the next few days if the Spurs will receive any of the league’s estimated $50 million surplus of market extension fees.

“We’re flying blind right now,” Diller said. “But we will hear a report on that (today).”

The fees are paid into a central fund by teams that broadcast their games beyond a 75-mile radius. The league has been sitting on the money for four years. Teams in small markets, such as San Antonio, will be eligible for a payment.

-San Antonio apparently isn’t among the eight franchises chosen to have teams in the new Women’s National Basketball Association. The announcement of the franchises is set for Wednesday.

-Spurs officials said Robinson would continue his rehabilitation in the coming days, with no timetable set on his return to the practice floor.

By Jerry Briggs Express-News Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1996-10-30, By Kevin O’Keeffe

永不忘记：德罗索斯成就了马刺

尽管马刺队在新赛季开始时将没有大卫·罗宾逊（David Robinson）、威尔·珀杜（Will Perdue）和查克·珀森（Chuck Person），但情况可能更糟。什么？你说什么更糟？

没有开始一个NBA赛季会怎么样？太牵强了吗？

一点也不。

新一代马刺队球迷，那些对他们是否真的在侏罗纪公园里打过美国篮球协会比赛感到怀疑的人，很难理解1976年夏天当时的艰难。

当时，马刺队以及他们的ABA兄弟球队，拼命想与NBA合并。

如果没有一个人的决心、坚持、推销能力，以及坦率地说，固执己见，马刺队就不会有20个NBA赛季。

根本就不会有马刺队。

但由于安吉洛·德罗索斯（Angelo Drossos）拒绝接受“不”的答案，这支球队在ABA消亡后，与丹佛、新泽西和印第安纳一起幸存了下来。

然而，即使对于德罗索斯来说，一个习惯了按自己的方式行事的人，在马萨诸塞州海安尼斯港的那个六月，这依然是一场斗争。

“安吉洛知道（合并）必须完成，”莫里·霍尔顿（Maury Holden）回忆道，他是马刺队的首位季票持有者，也是该组织的长期秘书，直到他在1990年退休。

德罗索斯非常清楚，没有人愿意投资于一个不断缩小的联盟，而且没有全国性的电视转播合同。他知道，即使是最狂热的马刺球迷也会对像上个赛季那样与印第安纳队打17场比赛失去兴趣。

当他把头枕在枕头上时，他还在想如何偿还他从弗罗斯特银行借来的钱。然后，在爬上床几个小时后，德罗索斯接到了一个电话。

是纽约尼克斯队总裁迈克尔·伯克（Michael Burke），他只说了一句：“嘿，伙计。”

接下来发生的事情是马刺队在常规赛中取得了难以置信的成功。在过去20个赛季中，他们赢得了9次分区冠军，在这段时间里，仅次于湖人和凯尔特人。

马刺队在常规赛中8次取得50胜以上，包括在他们进入NBA的第二个赛季就取得了52胜30负的成绩。

“特里·斯滕布里奇（Terry Stembridge，马刺队的第一个电台解说员）很害怕，我们所有人都是这样，我们会被NBA打得落花流水，”霍尔顿说道。

但马刺队在1976年10月22日对费城队的NBA首秀中，以121-118客场战胜了对手，结束了这种担忧。

不幸的是，马刺队在常规赛中取得的巨大成功被视为理所当然。NBA对季后赛的强调，导致球迷、媒体，并在一定程度上，球员们没有意识到这支球队在过去二十年中取得了怎样的成就。

周日晚上，当马刺队在主场揭幕战对阵丹佛队时，原本是一个向这位功臣——德罗索斯致敬的好时机，他将在周四庆祝他的68岁生日。

可悲的是，德罗索斯的健康状况在最近几个月里恶化了。他患有超核性麻痹。目前还没有已知的治疗方法。

在妻子莉莉（Lillie）的陪伴下，德罗索斯只能通过静脉注射进食，并使用手势交流。

现在，他的视力正在下降。

多么讽刺啊。

正是德罗索斯的远见卓识，才让马刺队成为了可能。

点击查看原文：Never forget: Drossos made Spurs possible

Never forget: Drossos made Spurs possible

Although the Spurs face the start of the new season without David Robinson, Will Perdue and Chuck Person, it could be worse. Pardon? What could be worse, you ask?

How about not beginning an NBA season at all? Far-fetched?

Hardly.

The new generation of Spurs fans, those who wonder if they really played American Basketball Association games in Jurassic Park, have little appreciation for just how hard it was in Summer 1976.

That’s when the Spurs, along with their ABA brethren, tried desperately to achieve a merger with the NBA.

Had it not been for one man’s drive, persistence, salesmanship, and, quite honestly, plain stubbornness, there would not have been 20 NBA seasons for the Spurs.

There would be no Spurs at all.

But because Angelo Drossos refused to take no for an answer, the franchise survived the ABA’s demise along with Denver, New Jersey and Indiana.

Yet even for Drossos, a man used to getting his own way, it was a struggle that June in Hyannisport, Mass.

“Angelo knew it (the merger) had to get done,” recalled Maury Holden, the first Spurs season-ticket holder and longtime secretary of the organization until his retirement in 1990.

Drossos was well aware that no one would be willing to invest in a shrinking league with no national TV contract. He knew even the most passionate Spurs patrons would lose interest in playing Indiana 17 times, as the team did the season before.

When his head hit the pillow, he was thinking about how he was going to handle paying back what he borrowed from Frost Bank. Then, only a few hours after climbing into bed, Drossos got a telephone call.

It was New York Knicks president Michael Burke, who said only, “Hey, partner.”

What followed has been incredible success during the regular season for the Spurs. They have won nine division titles in the last 20 seasons - more than every team except the Lakers and Celtics during that span.

Eight times the Spurs have recorded 50-plus victories in the regular season, including a 52-30 mark in only their second NBA season.

“Terry Stembridge (the first radio voice of the Spurs) was afraid, as all of us were, that we were going to get our socks beaten off in the NBA,” Holden said.

But the Spurs’ 121-118 road victory over Philadelphia on Oct. 22, 1976, in their NBA debut ended those fears.

Unfortunately, the Spurs’ grand regular-season successes have been taken for granted. The emphasis on the playoffs in the NBA has caused fans, media and, to a certain extent, players to not appreciate just what the franchise has accomplished in the past two decades.

Sunday night, when the Spurs open their home season against Denver, would have been a great time to salute the man responsible - Drossos, who celebrates his 68th birthday Thursday.

Sadly, Drossos’ health has worsened in recent months. He is suffering from super nuclear palsy. There is no known cure.

With his wife, Lillie, by his side, Drossos is able to eat only intravenously and uses hand signals to communicate.

Now his vision is failing.

What irony.

It was Drossos’ vision that made the Spurs possible.

By Kevin O’Keeffe, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1996-10-30, By Jerry Briggs Express-News Staff Writer

佩度伤情更新，马刺队惊讶不已

中锋威尔·佩度(Will Perdue)周二告诉马刺队主教练鲍勃·希尔(Bob Hill)，他可能需要比最初预期的多休息一两周才能复出。“他说他将缺席三到四周，”希尔说，“我们拭目以待。”

这个消息显然让希尔措手不及。

佩度在周六晚上对阵纽约尼克斯队的季前赛中左手拇指骨折，马刺队宣布他们的替补中锋将在两周内回归。

这样的时间安排意味着佩度可能只需要缺席前五场常规赛就可以复出。

然而，佩度在周一前往芝加哥看了一位医生。周二在圣母无玷始胎大学的训练中，这位7尺高的老将告诉希尔，他可能要缺席前9到12场比赛。

“也许他是在开玩笑，”希尔说。“也许没有。”

对于希尔来说，这只是一系列令人不安的消息中的最新一个。他将率领这支伤病满营的球队前往明尼苏达，参加周五晚上的赛季揭幕战。

马刺队将缺席上赛季59胜的西部联盟冠军球队中排名前七的球员中的三名，包括小前锋查克·珀森(Chuck Person)，他周二接受了背部手术，以及中锋大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)和佩度。

罗宾逊因下背部拉伤，预计将至少缺席前两场比赛，最多可能缺席10场。目前尚不清楚这位常年入选全明星阵容的球员何时能开始恢复训练。

“我以为他会今天早上来这里，”希尔谈到罗宾逊时说。“但我猜他现在正在进行康复训练。一旦他回到球场上，也许他会比我们想象的更快回归。”

鉴于罗宾逊和佩度的伤病情况，马刺队可能会加紧寻找另一位大个子球员。希尔在周日表示，球队可能不会在赛季开始前签下球员，但他承认球队正在寻找。

尽管希尔没有谈论具体的球员，但有迹象表明，前锋兼中锋约翰·萨利(John Salley)可能不再是选择。据报道，萨利已经退出了希腊的球队，并正在返回美国。

马刺队总经理格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)拒绝讨论任何可能的阵容调整。

“正如你所想，我们已经讨论过这个问题，”波波维奇说。“但我们不会公开谈论我们会采取什么行动。”

波波维奇前往加州英格伍德，在珀森手术后探望了他。

“一切都进展顺利，”波波维奇说。“我在手术后和医生谈过。他说没有让他感到意外的事情。我们仍然预计需要3到6个月的时间，这取决于他的恢复情况和康复情况。”

-马刺队新闻：在预期之中的举动中，球队在周二裁掉了中锋格雷格·凯特(Greg Kite)和后卫埃尔默·贝内特(Elmer Bennett)以及德克斯特·博尼(Dexter Boney)，将球队阵容缩减至13人。

老将前锋查尔斯·史密斯(Charles Smith)自10月18日以来首次回到训练。史密斯一直饱受右膝疼痛的困扰，这在他整个职业生涯中一直困扰着他。

“他看起来状态很好，”希尔说。“这令人鼓舞。关键是他如何训练。”

点击查看原文：Perdue surprises Spurs with injury update

Perdue surprises Spurs with injury update

Center Will Perdue told Spurs coach Bob Hill on Tuesday he might be out of action a week or two longer than originally expected. “He said he was going to be out three to four weeks,” Hill said. “We’ll see.”

The news clearly caught Hill off guard.

When Perdue fractured the tip of his left thumb Saturday night during a preseason game against the New York Knicks, the Spurs announced their reserve center could return in two weeks.

Such a time frame meant Perdue might be able to play after missing only the first five regular-season games.

Perdue, however, visited a doctor in Chicago on Monday. During Tuesday’s practice at the University of the Incarnate Word, the 7-foot veteran gave Hill a timetable suggesting he may now miss anywhere from the first nine to 12 games.

“Maybe he was (kidding),” Hill said. “Maybe not.”

It was another in a long list of disturbing developments for Hill, who will take his injury-depleted team to Minnesota for the season-opener Friday night.

The Spurs will be missing three of the top seven players off last year’s 59-win, Midwest Division champions, including small forward Chuck Person, who underwent back surgery Tuesday, and centers David Robinson and Perdue.

Robinson, nursing a lower-back strain, is expected to be out for at least the first two games and possibly as many as 10. There was no word on when the perennial All-Star could begin practicing again.

“I thought he’d show up here this morning,” Hill said of Robinson. “But I guess he’s at his rehab (session). Once we get him on the floor, maybe he’ll come back sooner than we think.”

In light of the Robinson-Perdue injury situation, the Spurs could be intensifying their search for another big man. Hill, who on Sunday said the team probably would not sign a player before the season started, acknowledged the team is looking.

Although Hill would not comment on individual players, there were indications that forward-center John Salley may no longer be a

possibility. Salley reportedly has quit his team in Greece and is returning to the United States.

Spurs general manager Gregg Popovich declined to discuss any potential roster additions.

“We’ve talked about it, as you might imagine,” Popovich said. “But we wouldn’t talk about what move we’d make publicly.”

Popovich traveled to Inglewood, Calif., and visited with Person after his operation.

“Everything went well,” Popovich said. “I talked to the doctor after the surgery. He said nothing surprised him. We’re still looking at three to six months, depending on how he heals and how he rehabs.”

-Spurs notes: In an expected move, the team Tuesday waived center Greg Kite and guards Elmer Bennett and Dexter Boney, reducing its roster to 13 players.

Veteran forward Charles Smith returned to practice for the first time since Oct. 18. Smith had been nursing a sore right knee, the same one that has bothered him throughout his career.

“He looked really good,” Hill said. “It was encouraging. The key is how he practices.”

By Jerry Briggs Express-News Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1996-10-30, By Glenn Rogers and Jerry Briggs Express-News Staff Writers

冰人，海军上将：你们是多么伟大

他们的名字已经成为马刺队的代名词，无论是过去还是现在。他们在联盟中如此知名，以至于在任何 NBA 球场，只要提到他们各自的绰号，就足以让他们被认出来。

乔治·格文 (George Gervin)，“冰人”。大卫·罗宾逊 (David Robinson)，“海军上将”。

他们二人都在周二被列入 NBA 历史上 50 位最伟大球员的名单。这一消息是在联盟庆祝 50 周年纪念之际在纽约发布的。

"在过去 50 年里，我们有幸见证了无数非凡运动员踏入 NBA 的大门，"联盟总裁大卫·斯特恩 (David Stern) 说。“如果其中一些球员在如今的全球观众面前打球，世界对他们的评价将会截然不同。”

幸运的是，对于联盟中的其他球队来说，格文和罗宾逊从未在同一支球队效力。如果格文担任后卫，罗宾逊担任中锋，马刺队或许将势不可挡。

当格文，这位身高 6 英尺 8 英寸的得分后卫，在防守球员之间穿梭，并夜复一夜地投出各种难以置信的投篮时，马刺队是联盟中最强大的球队之一。他在 14 个赛季（其中 4 个赛季是在 ABA 时期）中贡献的 26,595 分，排在篮球历史得分榜的第八位。

罗宾逊，这位正在联盟中度过他的第八个赛季（所有赛季都效力于马刺队），是一名统治力的 7 英尺 1 英寸中锋。他曾获得过得分王称号，被评为年度最佳防守球员，并获得过联盟最有价值球员奖。他是历史上第一位在职业生涯的前七个赛季都入选最佳防守阵容和最佳阵容的球员。

马刺队的球迷可能会在接下来的几周内发现罗宾逊的价值。据悉，他将因背部伤势缺席常规赛前 10 场比赛。

"其他球员一直都在向他学习，"马刺队主教练鲍勃·希尔 (Bob Hill) 说。“我们有很多球员依靠大卫·罗宾逊的挡拆、双人包夹和掩护，在每场比赛中都能得分。”

一位被评选小组忽视的马刺队球员是多米尼克·威尔金斯 (Dominique Wilkins)。这位 36 岁的威尔金斯，在希腊效力一年后重返联盟，在 13 个 NBA 赛季中获得了 25,389 分。威尔金斯在现役球员中得分超过了任何其他人。

"这并不重要，"威尔金斯说，他曾在亚特兰大老鹰队度过了全明星球员的时光。“这只是他们的看法而已。我甚至不在乎这件事。”

罗宾逊无法对此发表评论。格文，今年早些时候被选入篮球名人堂，在几天前得知自己可能入选这份名单。

"真是太棒了，"格文说。“这意义重大。几天前，我收到消息说我可能会被列入这个名单。能够在像 NBA 这样的赛场中成为最优秀的球员之一，那里涌现了无数球员，这真是莫大的荣誉。”

格文，马刺队的社区关系代表，表示他对球迷们的支持表示感谢。

"我想告诉所有在圣安东尼奥的球迷，我在那里取得的成就离不开他们在球馆里多年来的鼓励，"格文说。“我在圣安东尼奥赢得了这一切。”

这些球员是由一个由 50 位前球员和教练、现任和前任总经理、球队高管和媒体组成的评选小组选出的。评委被要求列出联盟历史上 50 位最伟大的球员，不限位置。

这份名单中包括 11 位现役球员，以及 16 位在 1980 年代或 1990 年代退役的球员。50 名球员中有 6 人曾在 ABA 效力，另外 2 人曾在国家篮球联盟 (National Basketball League) 效力，该联盟于 1949 年与成立 3 年的美国篮球协会 (Basketball Association of America) 合并，最终更名为 NBA。

作为一个整体，这 50 名球员共获得了 107 个 NBA 总冠军，49 个最有价值球员奖，17 个年度最佳新秀奖，447 次全明星入选和 36 个得分王称号。

投票总数没有公布。这 50 名球员按字母顺序公布，而不是排名。

比尔·拉塞尔 (Bill Russell)，一位前凯尔特人队巨星，被选入这个精英群体，并参加了在纽约举行的颁奖仪式。他说他无法选出历史上最伟大的球员。

"我认为没有最伟大的球员，"拉塞尔说。“没有人能够比奥斯卡 (奥斯卡·罗伯特森，Oscar Robertson) 打得更好，这一点毋庸置疑。有些人可以与奥斯卡并驾齐驱，但无法超越他。同样的事情也适用于 (拉里) 鸟 (Larry Bird)、魔术 (魔术师约翰逊，Magic Johnson)、(迈克尔) 乔丹 (Michael Jordan)、(乔治) 米坎 (George Mikan)、(鲍勃) 佩蒂特 (Bob Pettit)。要评选出谁是最伟大的球员，是不可能的。”

- 本报道由美联社提供。 - - -

华丽的 50

NBA 历史上 50 位最伟大球员，由联盟在周二公布：

中锋

卡里姆·阿卜杜勒-贾巴尔 (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar)、威尔特·张伯伦 (Wilt Chamberlain)、戴夫·考恩斯 (Dave Cowens)、帕特里克·尤因 (Patrick Ewing)、摩西·马龙 (Moses Malone)、乔治·米坎 (George Mikan)、哈基姆·奥拉朱旺 (Hakeem Olajuwon)、沙奎尔·奥尼尔 (Shaquille O’Neal)、罗伯特·帕里什 (Robert Parish)、威利斯·里德 (Willis Reed)、大卫·罗宾逊 (David Robinson)、比尔·拉塞尔 (Bill Russell)、比尔·沃顿 (Bill Walton)

中锋-前锋

内特·瑟蒙德 (Nate Thurmond)、韦斯·昂塞尔德 (Wes Unseld)

前锋

查尔斯·巴克利 (Charles Barkley)、里克·巴里 (Rick Barry)、埃尔金·贝勒 (Elgin Baylor)、拉里·伯德 (Larry Bird)、比利·坎宁安 (Billy Cunningham)、戴夫·德布斯切尔 (Dave DeBusschere)、朱利叶斯·欧文 (Julius Erving)、卡尔·马龙 (Karl Malone)、凯文·麦克海尔 (Kevin McHale)、斯科蒂·皮蓬 (Scottie Pippen)、詹姆斯·沃西 (James Worthy)

前锋-中锋

埃尔文·海耶斯 (Elvin Hayes)、杰里·卢卡斯 (Jerry Lucas)、鲍勃·佩蒂特 (Bob Pettit)、多尔夫·谢斯 (Dolph Schayes)

前锋-后卫

保罗·阿里辛 (Paul Arizin)、约翰·哈夫利切克 (John Havlicek)

后卫

内特·阿奇博尔德 (Nate Archibald)、戴夫·宾 (Dave Bing)、鲍勃·库西 (Bob Cousy)、克莱德·德雷克斯勒 (Clyde Drexler)、沃尔特·弗雷泽 (Walt Frazier)、乔治·格文 (George Gervin)、哈尔·格里尔 (Hal Greer)、魔术师约翰逊 (Magic Johnson)、萨姆·琼斯 (Sam Jones)、迈克尔·乔丹 (Michael Jordan)、皮特·马拉维奇 (Pete Maravich)、厄尔·门罗 (Earl Monroe)、奥斯卡·罗伯特森 (Oscar Robertson)、比尔·夏曼 (Bill Sharman)、约翰·斯托克顿 (John Stockton)、以赛亚·托马斯 (Isiah Thomas)、杰里·韦斯特 (Jerry West)、莱尼·威尔肯斯 (Lenny Wilkens)

点击查看原文：Ice, Admiral: How great thou art

Ice, Admiral: How great thou art

Their names have been synonymous with the Spurs, past and present. They have both been so well-known around the league that the mention of their respective nicknames would be all the introduction needed in any arena in the NBA.

George Gervin, “The Iceman.” David Robinson, “The Admiral.”

Both were recognized Tuesday on a list of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. The announcement was made in New York in conjunction with the league’s 50th anniversary.

“We’ve had an extraordinary array of extraordinary athletes come through the doors of the NBA over the past 50 years,” Commissioner David Stern said. “Had some of them played before the type of global audience that we have now, the world would have an extraordinarily different opinion of them.”

Fortunately for the rest of the league, Gervin and Robinson never played on the same team. With Gervin at guard and Robinson at center, the Spurs might have been unstoppable.

The Spurs were among the best teams in the league when Gervin, a 6-foot-8 shooting guard, glided through defenders and hoisted an assortment of improbable shots night after night. His 26,595 points in 14 seasons, four in the old American Basketball Association, rank eighth in basketball history.

Robinson, entering his eighth season in the league, all with the Spurs, is a dominating 7-1 center. He has won a scoring title, been named defensive player of the year and has won the league’s most valuable player award. He is the first player in history to be named to both the all-defensive and all-NBA teams in his first seven seasons.

Spurs fans may discover how valuable Robinson is during the coming weeks. He is scheduled to miss as many as the first 10 games of the regular season with a lower-back strain.

“Other guys feed off of him all the time,” Spurs coach Bob Hill said. “We have guys score points off of David Robinson night in and night out, with his pick-and-rolls and his double teams and him setting screens, and so on and so forth.”

One Spurs player overlooked by the selection panel was Dominique Wilkins. The 36-year-old Wilkins, returning to the league after a year in Greece, has scored 25,389 points in 13 NBA seasons. Wilkins has amassed more points than any active player in the league.

“It don’t make any difference,” said Wilkins, who enjoyed his all-star days with the Atlanta Hawks. “It’s their opinion, that’s all. I don’t even care about it.”

Robinson could not be reached for comment. Gervin, named to the Basketball Hall of Fame earlier this year, learned he might be named to the list a few days ago.

“Ain’t that something,” Gervin said. "It sure does mean a lot. I got a message a few days ago that I might be included in the group.

Anytime you can be the best in an arena like the NBA, where thousands and thousands have played, it’s just a great honor."

Gervin, a Spurs community relations representative, said he thanks the fans for their support.

“I want to tell all my fans in San Antonio that a lot of what I accomplished came from their encouragement all those years in the Arena,” Gervin said. “I earned it right here in San Antonio.”

The players were chosen by a panel of 50 former players and coaches, current and former general managers, team executives and media. Panelists were asked to name the 50 greatest players in league history without regard to position.

The list included 11 current players and 16 others who retired in the 1980s or '90s. Six of the 50 spent time in the ABA, and two others were in the National Basketball League, which merged with the 3-year-old Basketball Association of America in 1949 and eventually was renamed the NBA.

As a group, the 50 players accumulated 107 NBA championships, 49 most valuable player awards, 17 rookie of the year honors, 447 all-star selections and 36 scoring titles.

Vote totals were not released. The 50 players were announced alphabetically, rather than being ranked.

Bill Russell, a former Celtics great, was named to the select group and attended the announcement ceremonies in New York. He said he couldn’t pick the best player of all time.

“I don’t think there is one,” Russell said. “Nobody could ever play better than Oscar (Robertson), period. There are guys who could tie Oscar, but not beat him. Same thing with (Larry) Bird, Magic (Johnson), (Michael) Jordan, (George) Mikan, (Bob) Pettit. To say who was the best player is impossible.”

- The Associated Press contributed to this report. - - -

Nifty 50

The 50 greatest players in NBA history, announced by the league Tuesday:

CENTERS

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Dave Cowens, Patrick Ewing, Moses Malone, George Mikan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal, Robert Parish, Willis Reed, David Robinson , Bill Russell, Bill Walton.

CENTERS-FORWARDS

Nate Thurmond, Wes Unseld.

FORWARDS

Charles Barkley, Rick Barry, Elgin Baylor, Larry Bird, Billy Cunningham, Dave DeBusschere, Julius Erving, Karl Malone, Kevin McHale, Scottie Pippen, James Worthy.

FORWARDS-CENTERS

Elvin Hayes, Jerry Lucas, Bob Pettit, Dolph Schayes.

FORWARDS-GUARDS

Paul Arizin, John Havlicek.

GUARDS

Nate Archibald, Dave Bing, Bob Cousy, Clyde Drexler, Walt Frazier, George Gervin , Hal Greer, Magic Johnson, Sam Jones, Michael Jordan, Pete Maravich, Earl Monroe, Oscar Robertson, Bill Sharman, John Stockton, Isiah Thomas, Jerry West, Lenny Wilkens.

By Glenn Rogers and Jerry Briggs Express-News Staff Writers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1996-10-31, By Jerry Briggs Express-News Staff Writer

有奶喝吗？马刺队希望“威士忌”能带来强劲的攻击力 - 火爆的麦克斯韦尔的回归被视为值得冒险的赌注

马刺队后卫**弗农·麦克斯韦尔(Vernon Maxwell)在训练营的练习赛中，在内线绕过高大强壮的球员，试图防守一个战术。突然，大前锋查尔斯·史密斯(Charles Smith)**几乎是从无处不在冒出来，对麦克斯韦尔实施了一个强硬的挡拆。

“那是一个盲目挡拆，”马刺队主教练**鲍勃·希尔(Bob Hill)**回忆道。“一个非常硬的挡拆。它让弗恩的肩膀脱臼了。弗恩的防守人得分了，比赛继续进行。弗恩只是看着查尔斯。”

当时，希尔几乎预料到自己会在新赛季的训练场上看到第一场战斗。

“我后来和弗恩谈了这件事，告诉他我有点失望（什么都没发生），”希尔笑着说。“他只是说，‘我会让他付出代价，教练。’”

希尔喜欢比喻地说，他新的后卫就像一瓶“威士忌”，在一个满是“牛奶”的更衣室里。每次谈到麦克斯韦尔，他的眼睛都会发光。麦克斯韦尔说他理解这种反应。

“我认为他只是想知道我是一个什么样的人，”麦克斯韦尔说，“我有什么样的工作态度。以及我能给球场带来什么样的破坏力。我想这就是原因。”

在8月29日，马刺队签下了麦克斯韦尔作为自由球员，这一举动引起了部分球迷的嘲笑。毕竟，马刺队在1990年以5万美元的价格将这位关键射手和运动型防守球员卖给了休斯顿火箭队。当时，他们无法忍受听到关于他夜生活和场外行为的故事。

六年后，在与队友、教练、裁判、NBA总裁甚至哈里斯县法官发生冲突后，麦克斯韦尔回到了马刺队。而这支球队乐观的形象可能永远不会再像以前那样了。有些人甚至认为，麦克斯韦尔会给球队带来与**丹尼斯·罗德曼(Dennis Rodman)**一样的神秘感。

麦克斯韦尔说，他与1995年被交易到芝加哥公牛队的罗德曼不同。

“我无法改变我的本性，”麦克斯韦尔说。“但我认为我和丹尼斯在个人方面就像白天和黑夜。我甚至没有头发。我只有两个纹身。他有40个。而且我不会脱掉我的衬衫把它扔进看台。”

然而，麦克斯韦尔并不否认，他渴望胜利，就像任何其他人一样。

“我喜欢竞争，”他说。“这让我成为了现在的我。我是一个竞争者。我想和最优秀的球员竞争。在尽可能高的水平上。我为之而活。我想要这样。”

如果罗德曼以其张扬的个性而闻名，那么麦克斯韦尔也以其性格中阴暗的一面而闻名，这给他带来了麻烦，最近一次是因持有毒品被判处90天监禁，目前正在上诉。

马刺队正在密切关注他的行为。事实上，他的两年合同中包含了行为条款。他从1997-98赛季开始的215万美元薪水中只有一半是保证的。

今年，保证了50万美元。如果他在训练营结束后还在球队，他将再获得25万美元，如果他在赛季结束时还在球队，剩余的款项将到账。

“对我来说这微不足道，”麦克斯韦尔说。“我会在球队里。我计划在球队待很长时间。我想他们觉得我需要建立一些信任。”

麦克斯韦尔并没有试图掩盖他的过去，包括他在佛罗里达大学效力期间至少三次对毒品检测呈阳性的报道。在休斯顿，他曾多次被指控犯有袭击、拒捕和携带违禁武器的罪行。

“以前，”他承认，“我年轻又愚蠢。我不能责怪马刺队在合同中加入（行为条款）。他们做了很大的投资。我不生气，什么都没有。”

麦克斯韦尔承认，由于自己的行为，他可能在职业生涯中损失了数百万美元。

他的履历包括场均14分、4.1次助攻、2.9个篮板和1.29次抢断。此外，他在1991年创造了职业生涯最高的51分，去年在费城创造了赛季最高的41分，并且打进了一系列最后时刻的制胜球。

所有这些关键时刻中最激动人心的莫过于他在1994年NBA总决赛第七场对阵纽约尼克斯的比赛中，在最后几分钟投进的一记跳投，帮助火箭队赢得了第一个世界冠军。

“当球投进时，他们叫了暂停，我直接倒在了地板上，”麦克斯韦尔回忆道，休斯顿球迷的欢呼声仍在耳边回荡。“我们替补席上有五六个人跑过来帮助我站起来，拍我的背和头。我们知道我们赢了。”

他职业生涯的两个转折点出现在1995年。首先，他在俄勒冈州波特兰与一名球迷发生争执，导致他被禁赛10场。麦克斯韦尔反驳了报道，说他没有打那位球迷。

“我挥拳了，但没打中，”他说。“他在说我（死产）女儿的坏话。但我发誓，我绝对没有打他。”

接下来是压垮骆驼的最后一根稻草。火箭队因为麦克斯韦尔的态度而对他感到失望，他们在1995年夏天将他裁掉了。在春天早些时候，麦克斯韦尔在**克莱德·德雷克斯勒(Clyde Drexler)**被交易到球队后，对自己的角色感到失望。他在季后赛首轮只打了1场比赛，告诉教练他受伤了，然后又改口，最终被送回家，错过了季后赛的剩余比赛。

休斯顿队连续第二次夺冠，麦克斯韦尔只能在电视上观看比赛。麦克斯韦尔说，他对火箭队或主教练**鲁迪·汤姆贾诺维奇(Rudy Tomjanovich)**没有怨恨。

“困扰我的地方是，他们没有给我第二枚（冠军）戒指，”他说。“这是我觉得他们唯一表现得很恶劣的地方。”

希尔并不介意麦克斯韦尔在本赛季对对手有点不友善。事实上，在介绍这位新球员的新闻发布会上，希尔说他想让麦克斯韦尔“打人”。马刺队希望麦克斯韦尔，或者任何其他人，都能创造一些事情。

“我们需要一个威士忌爱好者，”希尔说，“有人来搅动一下局面。”

点击查看原文：Got milk? Spurs hope `whiskey' adds punch - Return of volatile Maxwell seen as gamble worth taking

Got milk? Spurs hope `whiskey’ adds punch - Return of volatile Maxwell seen as gamble worth taking

Spurs guard Vernon Maxwell charged through the lane and slithered around tall and muscled players in the paint, trying to defend a play in a training camp practice session. Suddenly, power forward Charles Smith appeared almost out of nowhere to set a bruising pick on Maxwell.

“It was a blind screen,” Spurs coach Bob Hill recalled. “A hard one. It dislodged Vern’s shoulder. Vern’s man scored, and the play went the other way. Vern just looked at Charles.”

At the time, Hill half expected that he would see his first fight on the practice court for the new season.

“I talked to Vern about it later, and told him I was a little disappointed (that nothing happened),” Hill said, smiling. "He just said, `I’ll get him back, coach.’ "

Hill likes to say, figuratively speaking, that his new guard is a “whiskey drinker” in the midst of a locker room full of milk drinkers. Every time the coach talks about Maxwell, his eyes light up. Maxwell said he understands the reaction.

“I think he just had to find out what kind of person I am,” Maxwell said, “what kind of work ethic I have. And what kind of havoc I can create on the floor. I think that’s the reason why.”

In a move met by some smirks from the fans, the Spurs signed Maxwell as a free agent on Aug. 29. The Spurs, after all, sold the clutch shooter and athletic defender in 1990 to the Houston Rockets for $50,000. At the time, they couldn’t bear to hear the stories of his nightlife and offcourt behavior.

Six years later, following run-ins with teammates, coaches, referees, the NBA commissioner and even a Harris County judge, Maxwell is back with the Spurs. And the team’s Pollyanna image may never be the same again. Some people have even suggested that Maxwell will bring the same type of mystique to the team that Dennis Rodman did.

Maxwell said he is different from Rodman, traded to the Chicago Bulls in 1995.

“I can’t change the way I am,” Maxwell said. "But I think me and Dennis, personally, are like night and day. I don’t even have hair.

I have two tattoos. He’s got 40. And I’m not going to take my shirt off and throw it into the stands."

Maxwell wouldn’t deny, however, that he wants to win as much as anyone.

“I love to compete,” he said. “That’s what made me the player that I’ve been. I’m a competitor. I want to play against the best. At the highest possible level. I live for that. I want that.”

If Rodman is known for his flamboyance, Maxwell is also known for a dark side of his personality that has led to trouble, most recently a 90-day sentence for drug possession that is being appealed.

The Spurs are watching his behavior closely. In fact, there are behavior clauses written into his two-year contract. Only half of his $2.15 million salary through 1997-98 is guaranteed.

This year, $500,000 is guaranteed. He gets another $250,000 if he is on the team out of training camp and the remainder is due if he is on the team at the end of the season.

“That’s minor to me,” Maxwell said. “I’m going to be on the team. I plan to be on the team for a long time. I guess they feel like I have to build some trust.”

Maxwell doesn’t try to hide from his past, which has included reports that he tested positive for drugs at least three times when he starred for the University of Florida. In Houston, he was charged at various times with assault, resisting arrest and carrying a concealed weapon.

“Before,” he admitted, “I was young and dumb. I can’t fault the Spurs wanting (behavior clauses) in there. They made a big investment. I’m not angry about it, or anything.”

Maxwell admitted that he probably has cost himself millions of dollars during his career because of his antics.

His track record includes averages of 14 points, 4.1 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.29 steals. Also, he scored a career-high 51 points in 1991, a season-high 41 last year in Philadelphia and has hit a string of last-second, game-winning shots.

None of the clutch efforts were bigger than a jumper he nailed in the closing minutes of Game 7 in the 1994 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks, which helped the Rockets to the first of two world championships.

“When it went in, they called timeout and I just fell down on the floor,” Maxwell recalled, the roar of the Houston fans still ringing in his ears. “Five or six guys came off our bench to help pick me up, slapping me on the back and the head. We knew we had it won.”

Two career turning points came in 1995. First, he became embroiled in an altercation with a fan in Portland, Ore., which cost him a 10-game suspension. Maxwell, disputing reports, said he didn’t punch the fan.

“I swung at him, but I missed,” he said. “He was saying bad things about my (stillborn) daughter. But I swear on her grave that I didn’t hit him.”

Next came the crusher. The Rockets, down on Maxwell because of his attitude, released him in the summer of 1995. Earlier in the spring, Maxwell bEbame disenchanted with his role after the arrival of Clyde Drexler in a trade. He played one game in the first round of the playoffs, told coaches he was injured, changed his story and then was sent home for the rest of the playoffs.

Houston won a second consecutive championship, with Maxwell watching on television. Maxwell said he holds no grudges against the Rockets or Coach Rudy Tomjanovich.

“What bothered me was, they wouldn’t give me the second (championship) ring,” he said. “That’s about the only thing I felt they were being nasty about.”

Hill doesn’t mind if Maxwell gets a little nasty with the opposition this season. In fact, at the press conference to introduce the new player, Hill said he wanted Maxwell “to punch someone.” The Spurs want Maxwell, or anyone for that matter, to make something happen.

“We needed a whiskey drinker,” Hill said, “somebody to stir things up.”

By Jerry Briggs Express-News Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News

[老刺]

既然为了冰人让马刺进入NBA，为啥还要黑哨吹掉他进入总决赛的机会？！？

[这也将成为过去]

1996-10-31, By Buck Harvey

爱上失败：为什么马刺队还有机会

我拥抱这个情节。大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)就是迈克尔·欧文(Michael Irvin)。没有失业的模特，但有一个月的等待时间。我拥抱我们重返凯迪拉克·安德森(Cadillac Anderson)时代，那时没有一个上篮是安全的。我拥抱“尼克”(Nique)，就像多米尼克(Dominique)一样，模仿

“布里克”(Brique)，就像布里科夫斯基(Brickowski)一样。我当然也拥抱一个世界，这个世界会计算着分钟，直到看到威尔·珀杜(Will Perdue)晃动两根健康的拇指。

最重要的是，我拥抱马刺队在没有50号球衣的情况下，进入NBA的第50个赛季。因为，这一次，11月真的意味着什么。

而且转折是：将会有一些疯狂的、无法解释的夜晚，马刺队也会拥抱它。

这些声明可能会让不止一个圣安东尼奥人的脊柱僵硬，因为除了用凯迪拉克和卡尔作为首发阵容，还有很多更吸引人的方式来开始一个赛季。马刺队自从，好吧，自从上次球队没有罗宾逊开始一个赛季以来，就没有闻到过这种臭味。那是1988年，当时一个名叫弗农·麦克斯韦尔(Vernon Maxwell)的狂野新秀距离成为狂野的老将还有几年。

当时，只有一个马刺球员参加了每一场比赛。凯迪拉克。“我们没有身份，”凯迪拉克谈到那些日子时说道。

身份的代号：机会。

在一名助理教练（格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)）的冷静指挥下，那些马刺队赢得了比那个赛季来到圣安东尼奥的球员（22人）更少的比赛（21场）。而球队历史上最糟糕的一年最好的地方在于，他们获得了选秀权，可以选到他们现在需要的人，肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)，来每晚得到50分。

但那支没有罗宾逊的球队，由斯梅雷克(Smrek)和罗斯(Roth)领衔 - 他们命途多舛，约翰尼·道金斯(Johnny Dawkins)因为腿部冰袋包得太紧而受伤而缺席比赛 - 在揭幕战中取得了胜利。对阵湖人队。魔术师、贾巴尔和沃西。

那些马刺队会继续在2月份取得1胜12负的战绩，而且他们也会在客场遭遇22连败。但那第一个月，他们以一种天真的能量比赛，取得了5胜8负的战绩。

所以，这是可以做到的，鲍勃·希尔(Bob Hill)知道这一点。11年前，在他第一次担任NBA教练时，他是在尼克斯队解雇了休比·布朗(Hubie Brown)后接手的。很明显，希尔还没有准备好升职。他让帕特里克·尤因(Patrick Ewing)受伤了。希尔也愚蠢到把受伤的球员输掉了超过250场比赛，并且在那场比赛中会有多达6名CBA毕业生进入大名单。

希尔在他缩短的赛季中取得了20胜46负的战绩，当然，他被解雇了，就像受伤球员的教练经常被解雇一样。但他记得什么？击败了伯德-帕里什-麦克海尔的凯尔特人队。希尔记得确切的日子（马丁·路德·金纪念日），确切的比分，甚至是他自己不确切的首发阵容。

这些名字没有出现在名人堂：路易斯·奥尔(Louis Orr)、埃迪·李·威尔金斯(Eddie Lee Wilkins)、杰拉德·威尔金斯(Gerald Wilkins)、杰拉德·亨德森(Gerald Henderson)和肯尼·沃克(Kenny Walker)。

难怪希尔无法忘记他打爆波士顿的那一天。“听起来不太对，”他说，“但这样执教可能会很有趣。”

尤其是如果你认为球队最终会回归。尤其是如果你有一些球员——A.J.、埃利奥特、麦克斯韦尔——他们已经足够长时间地参加比赛了。尤其是如果马刺队记住了NBA宽容的动态。

在一个充满快船队和像德韦恩·辛特济乌斯(Dwayne Schintzius)这样的领薪球员的联盟中，即使是糟糕的球队也会赢几场。因此，随着马刺队在没有一个比两个或三个欧文对牛仔队更重要的组织后卫的情况下继续前进，这难道不是一个奇怪的不规则的常规赛吗？难道这个通常很无聊的时期实际上意味着什么，因为马刺队需要在秋季生存下来，才能在春季有更大的机会？

所以，让我们为凯迪拉克和1988年，以及再次回到垫底位置而干杯。每个人都应该拥抱它。现在马刺队取得的任何胜利，不仅仅是一场胜利。它将令人难忘——也许比他们这个十年在11月所做的任何事情都更令人难忘。

点击查看原文：Loving losing: Why the Spurs have a chance

Loving losing: Why the Spurs have a chance

I embrace the plot. That David Robinson is Michael Irvin. Without unemployed models, but with a month to wait. I embrace that we have returned to the era of Cadillac Anderson, when no layup is safe. I embrace 'Nique, as in Dominique, imitating

'Brique, as in Brickowski. And I certainly embrace a world that actually counts the minutes until it sees Will Perdue wiggle two healthy thumbs.

Most of all, I embrace the Spurs entering the NBA’s 50th season without No. 50. Because, for once, November means something

And the twist: There will be a few, crazy, unexplainable nights when the Spurs embrace it, too.

These statements might cause more than one San Antonio spine to stiffen, since there are more attractive ways to begin a season than with the UH power tandem of Cadillac and Carl as starters. The Spurs haven’t smelled this stink since, well, the last time the franchise started a season without Robinson. That was in 1988, when a wild rookie named Vernon Maxwell was a few years away from becoming a wild veteran.

Only one Spur played in every game then. Cadillac. “We had no identity,” said Cadillac of those days.

Codeword for identity: Chance.

Led by the cool hand of an assistant coach (Gregg Popovich), those Spurs won fewer games (21) than they had players come through San Antonio that season (22). And the best thing about the worst year in franchise history is that they earned the right to draft the man they need to score 50 every night now, Sean Elliott,

But that pre-Robinson team of Smrek and Roth - so snakebit that Johnny Dawkins was lost when an ice pack was wrapped too tightly to his leg - won on opening night. Against the Lakers. Of Magic and Kareem and Worthy.

Those Spurs would go on to have a 1-12 February, all right, as well as lose 22 straight on the road. But that first month, playing with naive energy, they went 5-8.

So it can be done, and Bob Hill knows that. In his first NBA coaching job, 11 years ago, he took over in midseason after the Knicks fired Hubie Brown. Hill obviously wasn’t ready for the promotion. He let Patrick Ewing get hurt. Hill also was so dumb he lost injured players to more than 250 games that season, and would have as many as six CBA grads on the roster.

Hill finished his shortened season 20-46, and of course he got fired as coaches of injured players often do. But what does he remember? Beating the Bird-Parish-McHale Celtics. Hill remembers the exact day (Martin Luther King’s birthday), the exact score and even his own inexact starting lineup.

The names not found in the Hall of Fame: Louis Orr, Eddie Lee Wilkins, Gerald Wilkins, Gerald Henderson and Kenny Walker.

No wonder Hill can’t forget The Day He Stuffed Boston. “It isn’t going to sound right,” he said, “but it can be fun coaching this way.”

Especially if you think The Franchise will eventually come back. Especially if you have a few guys - AJ, Elliott, Maxwell -who’ve been around enough to compete. Especially if the Spurs remember the forgiving dynamic of the NBA.

In a league of Clippers and salaried performers such as Dwayne Schintzius, even bad teams win a few. So as the Spurs plunge ahead without a playmaker worth more to this franchise than two or three Irvins do to the Cowboys, won’t this be the curiously irregular regular season? Doesn’t this usually blah time actually mean something, since the Spurs need to survive in autumn to have a better chance in the spring?

So here’s to Cadillac and 1988 and another visit to last place. Everyone should embrace it. Any win the Spurs get now won’t be just a win. It will be memorable - maybe more memorable than anything they’ve done in November this decade.

By Buck Harvey, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1996-10-31, By Jerry Briggs Express-News Staff Writer

寻找解决方案——随着罗宾逊等人缺阵，希尔的马刺队将面临早期考验

教练鲍勃·希尔在早上会观看录像带。在冲好咖啡之后，马刺队教练鲍勃·希尔就会在录像机中播放比赛录像。当他晚上睡不着时，希尔就会找遥控器。播放。倒带。快进。

甚至在下午，在他离家前往比赛之前，他会在泡泡浴中放松身心。当然，他在泡澡和刮胡子的同时还会观看录像带。

“我是联盟中最干净的教练，”希尔笑着说。

而且很可能也是准备最充分的教练之一。

但随着伤病名单不断增加，希尔或许需要加强分析。

再者，无论花多少时间研究录像，都无法找到在受伤的全明星中锋大卫·罗宾逊缺阵的情况下如何赢球的答案。

“这是我们生存的现实，”希尔说。“我们只能克服它。”

过去一个月，罗宾逊和小前锋查克·珀森因背部受伤而无法参加比赛。

罗宾逊可能错过常规赛长达两周，珀森将缺席大约三个月。

此外，大前锋查尔斯·史密斯后卫维尼·德尔·内格罗在季前赛中因膝盖受伤而挣扎。这五名球员是去年球队中排名前七的球员，他们的备战时间受到了影响。

再加上蒙蒂·威廉姆斯的肘部擦伤，这让你不禁怀疑篮球之神是不是在考验马刺队和他们的球迷。

“你在谈论命运吗？”希尔问道。“不，我不这么认为。这只是一连串的厄运。如果发生了，现在发生总比赛季末发生要好。我们以前也因伤病失去了一些球员，我们克服了它。

“但是，”希尔补充说，“我们从未失去过大卫。”

在教练与圣安东尼奥合同的第三年也是最后一年即将到来的前夕，罗宾逊的受伤成为了训练营的故事。

“海军上将”是球队的基石，是一位超级球员，带领马刺队在过去两个赛季中平均取得了 60.5 场胜利。这个 7 英尺 1 英寸的明星之前曾克服过背痛问题，但这一次他无法在训练营中坚持下来。

“我们的团队因没有给大卫提供合适的支持而受到批评，”希尔说。“好吧，现在我们将有机会给一些人更多的上场时间，让批评者闭嘴。”

在第一次训练营训练前，球队管理层曾谈到拥有挑战 NBA 冠军所需的实力和阵容深度。九次全明星多米尼克·威尔金斯于 10 月 4 日签约，取代珀森担任前锋。

8 月 29 日签约的后卫弗农·麦克斯韦尔尽管过去经历坎坷，但他还是被寄予厚望，可以在禁区外提供防守强度和强大的投篮能力。

“通往（NBA）决赛的道路将很艰难，”马刺队总经理格雷格·波波维奇当时说。“但我很荣幸能带领这支球队踏上这条道路。”

随着常规赛临近，波波维奇的乐观基调已经明显减弱。

“对每个人来说，这都是一场艰难的磨砺，”他承认道。“如果你有球员因伤缺阵，尤其是大卫，通往决赛的道路就会变得更加艰难。很明显，马越多，机会就越大。”

波波维奇拒绝就球队目前伤病情况对季后赛的希望产生的影响展开讨论。在过去两年里，马刺队分别在西部联盟中位列头号种子和二号种子。

“我们还没有进行任何比赛，”他说。“我不知道我们在季后赛中会排名多少。首先，我们想在十一月底比较好的状态下度过。”

在 11 月，马刺队将在 30 天内进行 16 场比赛，其中包括与洛杉矶湖人队的两场比赛（主场和客场）、休斯顿、犹他、西雅图和芝加哥。

马刺队全明星前锋肖恩·艾利奥特表示，他希望不会有压力让罗宾逊仓促复出。

“第一个月是一个艰难的月份，”他说。“但你必须从长远考虑。我们可能会挣扎一段时间，错过戴夫。但是，在人手短缺时猛烈反击，还是等到他好起来再反击，哪个更重要？显然等待更有意义。

在训练营开始时，马刺队谈到要通过让罗宾逊在进攻初期成为首选来给予他更多奔跑的动力。

随着罗宾逊和佩杜同时缺席，艾利奥特似乎将成为进攻的焦点——至少在罗宾逊回归之前。

“每个人都必须振作起来，”艾利奥特说。“我当然必须更积极。还有埃弗里（约翰逊）。还有维尼。我们都必须做得更多。”

作为补充球员引进的威尔金斯和麦克斯韦尔现在可能被迫承担更重要的角色。尽管 36 岁的威尔金斯状态恢复缓慢，但两人都能创造运球突破的机会。

“我可能会打一段时间的三号位（小前锋）或四号位（大前锋），”九次全明星威尔金斯说。“我会尽我所能帮助球队。”

麦克斯韦尔表示，他不想引发波动或要求自己进入首发阵容。

“维尼在这里呆了很长时间”，他说，“比我在这里呆的时间长多了。他在这里呆了足够长的时间来融合其他球员。我觉得我什么时候能够适应，我就会表现得很出色。”

麦克斯韦尔在 NBA 前两年是马刺的成员，他的大部分职业生涯都在休斯顿度过。在火箭队，他帮助球队获得了两个冠军。他说，认为马刺队没有赢得一切的球员是荒谬的。

“对我来说，那是一派胡言，”他说。“这支球队拥有世界上所有优秀球员。如果我们获得了竞争优势，我们会没事的。”

教练情况的演变可能与赛季的结局一样有趣。

希尔去年夏天要求延长合同，但遭到拒绝。同时，波波维奇告诉其他球队，没有人可以得到允许来追求希尔。

波波维奇表示，他强烈支持希尔。但随着希尔合同时间的流逝，人们对教练——以及球队的——未来的猜测将会增加。

“我不知道该说什么，”希尔说。“我热爱在圣安东尼奥的生活，我热爱我的球队。我想继续在这里执教。我希望他们认为适合在年底为我续约。”

虽然当前的焦点是罗宾逊、珀森等人的健康状况，但球员们可能会在以后将注意力转向他们自己的合同状况以及教练更替可能会如何影响他们。

“我想，对于有些球队来说，这是一个分散注意力的因素，比其他球队更甚，“希尔说。“任何时候，一名教练在他的交易的最后一年，球员们都会记在心里。我们在训练营里谈论过这件事。这是我必须处理的事情。”

再者，球迷们可能不应该担心。毕竟，如果希尔可以洗澡、分析挡拆战术并刮胡子——所有这些同时进行——那么如何权衡 12 个百万富翁的自尊心能有多难呢？对于 NBA 中最干净的教练来说，这一切都是一天的工作。——

哦，痛苦的

在赛季开始时，马刺球员遭受各种疾病及其预后的困扰：

• 维尼·德尔·内格罗 - 左膝炎症，预计可以参加比赛。

• 威尔·佩杜 - 左拇指骨折，缺席 1-1/2 至 3-1/2 周。

• 查克·珀森 - 接受了背部手术，缺席 3-6 个月。

• 大卫·罗宾逊 - 下背部拉伤，至少缺席 2 周。

• 查尔斯·史密斯 - 右膝炎症，预计可以参加比赛。

• 蒙蒂·威廉姆斯 - 左肘擦伤，预计可以参加比赛。

点击查看原文：Scrambling for solutions - Absence of Robinson and others will put Hill's Spurs to an early test

Scrambling for solutions - Absence of Robinson and others will put Hill’s Spurs to an early test

He views video tape in the morning. Just after putting the coffee on, Spurs coach Bob Hill pops a game film in the VCR. When he can’t sleep at night, Hill will find the remote control. Play. Rewind. Fast Forward.

Even in the afternoon, just before he leaves home before a game, he relaxes in a bubble bath. And, yes, he watches a tape as he bathes and shaves.

“I’m the cleanest coach in the league,” said Hill, smiling.

And, probably, one of the most well-prepared.

But as his injury list grows, Hill may have to step up his analysis.

Then again, no amount of film study time may yield an answer as to how the team will be able to win without injured All-Star center David Robinson.

“It’s the reality of our existence,” Hill said. “We just have to wade through it.”

In the past month, Robinson and small forward Chuck Person have been knocked out of action with back injuries.

Robinson could miss as much as two weeks of the regular season, and Person will be out about three months.

In addition, power forward Charles Smith and guard Vinny Del Negro have struggled in the preseason with knee injuries. That’s five of the team’s top seven players from a year ago who had their preparation time curtailed.

Toss in Monty Williams’ bruised elbow and it makes you wonder if the gods of basketball are testing the Spurs and their fans.

“Are you talking about fate?” Hill asked. "No, I don’t think so. It’s just been a run of bad luck. If it happens, it’s better off happening now than at the end of the season. We’ve lost some players to injuries before and we played through it.

“But,” added Hill, “we’ve never lost David.”

On the eve of the coach’s third and final year of his San Antonio contract, Robinson’s injury emerged as the story of training camp.

“The Admiral” is the cornerstone of the team, a franchise player who has carried the Spurs to an average of 60.5 victories over the past two seasons. The 7-foot-1 star has worked his way through back pain before, but this time he wasn’t able to make it through camp.

“Our team has been criticized for not surrounding David with the right pieces,” Hill said. “Well, now we’ll get a chance to give some guys some more playing time and shut up the critics.”

Before the first training camp practice, team management talked about having the chemistry and depth of talent to challenge for an NBA championship. Nine-time All-Star Dominique Wilkins was signed Oct. 4 to replace Person at forward.

Guard Vernon Maxwell, signed Aug. 29 despite his troubled past, is being counted on to provide defensive intensity on the perimeter and big shot-making capability.

“The road to the (NBA) Finals will be difficult,” Spurs general manager Gregg Popovich said at the time. “But I’m proud to take this team down that road.”

Popovich’s tone of optimism had been muted considerably as the regular season neared.

“It’s been a tough grind for everyone,” he admitted. “If you have players out with injuries, especially David, the road to the Finals gets tougher. The more horses you have, the better your chances, obviously.”

Popovich declined to be drawn into a discussion about what type of impact the immediate injury situation would have on the team’s playoff hopes. In the last two years, the Spurs have held the top seed and the second seed, respectively, in the Western Conference.

“We haven’t played any games yet,” he said. “I don’t know where we’ll be in the playoff seeding. First off, we want to get through November in decent shape.”

In November, the Spurs play 16 games in 30 days, including the Los Angeles Lakers twice (home and on the road), Houston, Utah, Seattle and Chicago.

Spurs All-Star forward Sean Elliott said he hopes there will be no pressure to rush Robinson back into the lineup.

“The first month is a tough month,” he said. "But you’ve got to look at it long-term. We (may) struggle and miss Dave for a little while. But is it more important to pound people early, or wait until he gets better? It makes more sense to wait.

At the start of camp, the Spurs talked about giving Robinson more incentive to run the court by making him the first option in the early offense.

With both Robinson and Perdue out, it appears Elliott will be the focal point of the attack -at least until Robinson returns.

“Everyone will have to pick it up,” Elliott said. “I’ll certainly have to be more aggressive. But Avery (Johnson) will, too. And so will Vinny. We all have to do more.”

Wilkins and Maxwell, brought in as complementary players, now may be forced to take on more prominent roles. Both can create off the dribble, although Wilkins, at age 36, has been slow to round into form.

“I might play a little three (small forward) or a little four (power forward),” said Wilkins, a nine-time All-Star. “I’ll do whatever I can to help the team.”

Maxwell said he isn’t looking to rock the boat or demand that he should be on the first unit.

“Vinny’s been here a long time,” he said, “a lot longer than I have. He’s been here long enough to jell with the other players. I feel when I can adjust, I’ll do great.”

Maxwell, a Spur during his first two years in the NBA, has spent most of his career in Houston. With the Rockets, he helped the team to two championships. He said it’s ridiculous to think the Spurs don’t have the players to win it all.

“To me, that’s a bunch of baloney,” he said. “We have all the talent in the world on this team. If we get that competitive edge, we’re going to be all right.”

How the coaching situation plays out may be just as

interesting as how the season turns out.

Hill asked for an extension on his contract last summer and was turned down. At the same time, Popovich told other teams nobody could have permission to woo Hill.

Popovich said he strongly supports Hill. But as the time on Hill’s contract runs out, speculation will increase about what the future of the coach - and the team - will be.

“I don’t know what else to say,” Hill said. “I love living in San Antonio and I love my team. I’d love to continue coaching here. I hope they see fit to extend me at the end of the year.”

While the immediate focus is on the health of Robinson, Person and others, the players may turn their attention later to their own contract situations and how a coaching change might affect them.

“It’s a distraction, I’d think, for some teams more than others,” Hill said. “Any time a coach is in the last year of his deal, it’s on the players’ minds. We talked about it in camp. It’s something I’ll just have to manage.”

Then again, fans probably shouldn’t worry. After all, if Hill can take a bath, analyze the pick-and-roll and shave - all at the same time - how hard can juggling the egos of 12 millionaires be? For the cleanest coach in the NBA, it’s all in a day’s work. - - -

Oh, the pain

Spurs players suffering from various ailments and their prognosis for the start of the season:

- Vinny Del Negro - left knee inflammation, expected to play.

- Will Perdue - fractured left thumb, out 1-1/2 to 3-1/2 weeks.

- Chuck Person - underwent back surgery, out 3-6 months.

- David Robinson - lower back strain, out at least 2 weeks.

- Charles Smith - right knee inflammation, expected to play.

- Monty Williams - left elbow bruise, expected to play.

By Jerry Briggs Express-News Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1996-10-31, By Jerry Briggs Express-News Staff Writer

黎明前的黑暗 - 1986-87赛季马刺队输掉了54场比赛，却因此确保了球队的未来

首先，他们拥有“鸭子”。然后，他们发现了“真相”。最后，他们交易来了“砖头”和一位身高7尺2寸的冰岛人，最终他们跌落到中西部赛区榜单的底部。

1986-87赛季的圣安东尼奥马刺队拥有几个角色球员，其中一人证明了自己是勇气十足的典范。但这一年大部分时间都糟糕透顶，丑陋不堪，而且极其令人难忘。

“我真的努力不去想太多，”马刺队社区关系代表，也是当年球队的球员之一的约翰尼·摩尔（Johnny Moore）承认道。

十年前，马刺队进入了一个赛季，他们输掉了54场比赛，最终以联盟第四差的战绩收场。

总而言之，这17名球员的集合没有什么值得吹嘘的。除了一个奇怪的异常现象。球队糟糕到甚至可能拯救了球队。

马刺队在赛季开始阶段挣扎，并考虑迁出这座城市，最终他们在选秀抽签中获得了状元签，并赢得了选中中锋大卫·罗宾逊（David Robinson）的权利。

回顾过去，摩尔表示，球队及其球员不得不经历如此低谷，才能让球队从低谷中反弹，让他感到有些难过。

事实上，摩尔遭受的痛苦比那个年代任何一个穿着银黑战袍的人都多。当时，这位脾气火爆的控球后卫正在从一场近乎致命的“沙漠热病”脑膜炎中恢复。

他每月都要服用药物，这会消耗他的体力，并给他带来令人眼花缭乱的头痛，但他仍然鼓起勇气为一支他曾经带领着冲到总决赛边缘的糟糕球队出战了68场比赛。“我经历了疼痛、恶心，所有这些，”摩尔说道。“这会让我躺下大约一周、一周半的时间。”

赛季结束后几周，马刺队赢得了选秀抽签。他们宣布将选中罗宾逊，这位来自美国海军学院的7尺1寸中锋。

罗宾逊在海军服役了两年，直到1989年才加入马刺队。到那时，1986-87赛季的大多数马刺队球员都已经各奔东西。安吉洛·德罗索斯（Angelo Drossos）将球队卖给了雷德·麦科姆斯（Red McCombs）。麦科姆斯解雇了主教练鲍勃·韦斯（Bob Weiss）。除了中锋弗兰克·“砖头”·布里科夫斯基（Frank “Brick” Brickowski）以外，所有球员都离开了。后来，摩尔、迈克·米切尔（Mike Mitchell）和大卫·格林伍德（David Greenwood）加入了罗宾逊时代的马刺队。但他们都没有在球队的复兴中扮演重要的角色。

韦斯，马刺队在1987年选秀抽签中赢得状元签时的主教练，仍然对自己的离职感到沮丧。在麦科姆斯收购德罗索斯后，他在1988赛季结束后被解雇。

“我不得不说是很不公平的，”现在担任西雅图超音速队助理教练的韦斯说道。“我理解，如果你买了一支球队，你会想要做一些改变，留下自己的印记。但我想当雷德跟大家谈论这件事的时候，他得到的评论是，‘为什么你想做出改变？你已经超额完成了任务。’”

然而，麦科姆斯却有着完全不同的看法。

麦科姆斯想要为一支努力吸引观众的球队增添一些活力，于是他追逐拉里·布朗（Larry Brown），后者刚刚在堪萨斯大学赢得了NCAA冠军。

“他说他能得到拉里·布朗，而我却被困在了那里，”韦斯说道。“有时候就是这样。我记得他们在1988年选中了威利·安德森（Willie Anderson）作为新秀，然后在（布朗执教的第一个赛季）赢得了21场胜利（并输掉了61场）。但我想这就是生活吧。那段日子并不愉快。我们没有赢得50场比赛。我能理解雷德的想法。”

韦斯在达拉斯担任迪克·莫塔（Dick Motta）的助理教练多年后，十年前来到圣安东尼奥，接替被解雇的科顿·菲茨西蒙斯（Cotton Fitzsimmons）成为球队主教练。马刺队在韦斯的第一个赛季取得了28胜54负的战绩，场均只有8010名观众，这是球队NBA历史上最低的平均观众人数。

“在很多方面来说，”韦斯说道，“那只是一场挣扎。”

球迷没有到场并不是对韦斯的指责。一系列因素加剧了这种萧条，包括1985年将常年全明星球员乔治·格文（George Gervin）交易到芝加哥公牛队的交易带来的反弹，以及一种普遍的感觉，即马刺队没有实力争夺分区冠军，甚至连季后赛席位都无法争夺。

“当你输球的时候，对每个人来说都很艰难，”前马刺队后卫，现任密苏里州哥伦比亚市的金融顾问乔恩·桑德沃尔德（Jon Sundvold）说道。“我真的认为那一年我们只是在与年龄作斗争。”事实确实如此，中锋阿蒂斯·吉尔摩（Artis Gilmore）和其他一些球员都已年过三十，正处于职业生涯的暮年。

但命运也插手干预，让马刺队在格文交易后重建计划彻底偏离了轨道。格文交易后不久，摩尔和阿尔文·罗伯逊（Alvin Robertson）联手带领球队取得了19胜12负的战绩，并领跑中西部赛区。

菲茨西蒙斯在春天期待着球队取得进步，但灾难降临了。摩尔感染了“沙漠热病”脑膜炎。他将缺席整个赛季，马刺队将崩溃，并在季后赛首轮被湖人队横扫，最终菲茨西蒙斯被解雇。

韦斯接手后，他也继承了这些问题。

“我一直想要一个成为主教练的机会，”韦斯说道。“那是一个相当不错的球员阵容。这是一支正在走向衰落的球队。我们希望约翰尼·摩尔能够回来。他确实是球队的核心。他只是不像以前那样出色了。”

此外，化学反应和内部问题随着时间的推移而成为问题。

12月，马刺队和波特兰开拓者队在一笔交易中交换了新秀。中锋凯文·达克沃斯（Kevin Duckworth），一位在更衣室里很受欢迎的球员，被称为“鸭子”，被交易到了波特兰。作为交换，马刺队得到了前锋沃尔特·贝里（Walter Berry）。贝里，他糟糕的工作习惯与他的绰号“真相”不符，因为他没有在训练中分享工作量，这让他新队友感到困惑。

“对于沃尔特来说，在得分25分后的第二天却无法训练，这让队员们很难接受，”桑德沃尔德说道。“这把阿尔文逼疯了。我们在训练中进行了一些大声的交谈。沃尔特会说他不舒服。阿尔文无法忍受。这确实变得很激烈。”

2月，马刺队在争夺最后一张季后赛门票的比赛中落后5场。管理层决定是时候做出另一个改变了，这次他们将迈克尔·汤普森（Mychal Thompson）交易到洛杉矶湖人队，换来了彼得·古德蒙德森（Peter Gudmundsson）、布里科夫斯基和一个未来的首轮选秀权。

由于伤病，古德蒙德森在交易后没有上场。布里科夫斯基只打了7场比赛就崩溃了。最后，在3月，米切尔自愿接受了药物治疗。罗伯逊，一位全明星球员，摩尔，新秀约翰尼·道金斯（Johnny Dawkins）以及其他任何球员的努力都无法阻止球队的下滑。

“这对我们所有人来说都是一次学习的经历，”现已退役并担任杜克大学体育部门工作人员的道金斯说道。“但我喜欢鲍勃·韦斯。我认为他是我的所有教练中最好的球员教练之一。他必须在很多艰难的情况下应付，但他从不抱怨。”

随着赛季的结束，马刺队在最终的排名中仅领先于洛杉矶快船队、纽约尼克斯队和新泽西网队。桑德沃尔德表示，如果摩尔在1986年新年之前没有生病，球队的滑坡就不会发生。

“当时，约翰尼和阿尔文是联盟中最好的后场组合之一，”桑德沃尔德说道。“那将是一支非常优秀的球队。如果他没有生病，很多事情可能会有所不同。你可能会做出不同的交易。你可能会走上一条不同的道路。”

摩尔表示，如果他没有生病，你可能不会在1987年看到马刺队出现在选秀抽签中，或者几年后看到罗宾逊身穿马刺队的球衣。这是一个令人烦恼的想法，他自己的不幸可能让球队焕发了生机。

“这是 bittersweet 的，”他说。“对我来说这很艰难，因为它可能让我的职业生涯延误了三四年。但这也是一种祝福，因为我们得到了大卫。”

点击查看原文：The Darkness Before the Dawn - The 1986-87 Spurs lost 54 games, but in so doing, ensured the team's future

The Darkness Before the Dawn - The 1986-87 Spurs lost 54 games, but in so doing, ensured the team’s future

First, they had “The Duck.” Then, they found “The Truth.” In the end, they traded for a “Brick” and a 7-foot-2 Icelander, and finally they plummeted all the way to the bottom of the Midwest Division standings.

The 1986-87 San Antonio Spurs had a few characters, including one who proved to be a memorable study in courage. But most of the year was awful, ugly and extremely forgettable.

“I really try not to think about it too much,” admitted Johnny Moore, a Spurs community relations representative, and one of the players on the roster that year.

A decade ago, the Spurs entered a season in which they lost 54 games and finished with the fourth-worst record in the NBA.

Altogether, the collection of 17 players was nothing to brag about. Except for one bizarre anomaly. The team was so bad, it may have saved the franchise.

The Spurs, struggling at the gate and considering a move out of the city, ended up finishing in the lottery and winning the rights to center David Robinson.

Looking back, Moore expressed some sadness that the team and its players had to experience such a low point in order for the franchise to rebound from its doldrums.

Moore, in fact, suffered more than anyone who wore silver and black in that era. At the time, the firebrand point guard was recovering from a near-fatal bout with “Desert Fever” meningitis.

He took monthly medication that sapped his strength and gave him blinding headaches, and yet he summoned the courage to play in 68 games for a woeful team that he once directed to the brink of the NBA Finals. “I had the pain, nausea, all that,” Moore said. “It would keep me down for about a week, a week and a half.”

A few weeks after the end of the season, the Spurs won the lottery. They announced they would take Robinson, the 7-foot-1 center from the U.S. Naval Academy.

Robinson, who had a two-year commitment to serve in the Navy, didn’t join the Spurs until 1989. By that time, most of the '86-87 Spurs had gone their separate ways. Angelo Drossos had sold the team to Red McCombs. McCombs fired head coach Bob Weiss. All the players were gone, except for center Frank “Brick” Brickowski. Later, Moore, Mike Mitchell and David Greenwood joined the Robinson-era Spurs. But none had a prominent role in the team’s revival.

Weiss, the Spurs’ coach when the team won the 1987 lottery, is still upset at the circumstances of his departure. He was fired following the 1988 season after McCombs bought out Drossos.

“I’d have to say it was a raw deal,” said Weiss, now an assistant coach with the Seattle SuperSonics. "I understand that if you buy a team, you want to make some changes to put your stamp on it. But I think when Red talked to people about it, the comments he got were, `Why do you want to make a change? You’ve overachieved.’ "

McCombs, however, had an entirely different view.

Wanting to add some sizzle to a franchise struggling to fill the seats, McCombs went after Larry Brown, who had just won the NCAA title at the University of Kansas.

“He said he could get Larry Brown and I got stuck out there in the cold,” Weiss said. “It’s just the way things work out sometimes. I remember they added Willie Anderson (as a rookie draft pick) in 1988 and then won 21 games (and lost 61, in Brown’s first season). But that’s the way it goes, I guess. It wasn’t a fun time. We weren’t winning 50. I can see Red’s thinking.”

Weiss, fresh off a long tenure as an assistant coach under Dick Motta in Dallas, arrived in San Antonio ten years ago as a replacement for the fired Cotton Fitzsimmons. The Spurs went 28-54 in Weiss’ first year and attracted only 8,010 fans a game, the lowest average attendance in the team’s NBA history.

“In a lot of ways,” Weiss said, “it was just a struggle.”

It wasn’t a knock on Weiss that the fans didn’t show up. A

combination of factors perpetuated the malaise, including backlash

from a trade made in 1985 that sent perennial All-Star George Gervin to the Chicago Bulls, and just a general feeling that the Spurs didn’t have the talent to contend for a division title - or even a playoff berth.

“It’s always tough on everyone when you lose,” said former Spurs guard Jon Sundvold, a financial consultant in Columbia, Mo. “I really think that year we were just fighting the age factor.” It was true that center Artis Gilmore and others were in their mid-30s and in the twilights of their careers.

But also, fate had intervened to knock the Spurs’ rebuilding plans in the post-Gervin era way off track. Immediately after the Gervin trade, Moore and Alvin Robertson combined to lead the team to a 19-12 record and the Midwest Division lead.

Fitzsimmons was looking for improvement in the spring when calamity struck. Moore contracted “Desert Fever” meningitis. He would be lost for the season, the Spurs would crumble and get swept

by the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs and, finally, Fitzsimmons would be fired as coach.

Weiss, for his part, inherited the problems when he took over.

“I had wanted a chance to be a head coach for a long time,” Weiss said. “It was a pretty good group of guys. It was an aging team on its way down. We were hoping that Johnny Moore could come back. He really was the heart and soul of that team. He just wasn’t the player that he had been before.”

Also, chemistry and internal problems became a problem as the year progressed.

In December, the Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers swapped rookies in a trade. Center Kevin Duckworth, a popular player in the locker room known as “Duck,” went to Portland. In exchange, the Spurs received forward Walter Berry. Berry, whose poor work habits belied his nickname as “The Truth,” confounded his new teammates by failing to share the work load in practice.

“Guys had a hard time with Walter not being able to practice the morning after he scored 25,” Sundvold said. “It drove Alvin crazy. We went through some vocal things in practice. Walter would say he didn’t feel good. Alvin couldn’t stand that. It did get vocal.”

In February, the Spurs had fallen five games in the loss column off the pace for the final playoff spot. Management decided it was time for another change, this time sending Mychal Thompson to the Los Angeles Lakers for Peter Gudmundsson, Brickowski and a future first-round draft pick.

Because of injuries, Gudmundsson didn’t play after the trade. Brickowski broke down after only seven games. Finally, in March, Mitchell voluntarily checked himself in for drug treatment. No amount of hustle by Robertson, an All-Star, Moore, rookie Johnny Dawkins or any of the others could stem the downward spiral.

"It was a learning experience for all of us,’ said Dawkins, now retired from the game and working in the Duke University athletic department. “But I enjoyed Bob Weiss. I thought he was one of the best player coaches I ever had. He had to make do in a lot of tough situations, but he never complained.”

As the season came to a close, the Spurs finished ahead of only the Los Angeles Clippers, the New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets in the final standings. Sundvold said the franchise’s nose dive wouldn’t have happened if Moore hadn’t contracted the illness a few days before the 1986 New Year.

“At the time, Johnny and Alvin were as good as any backcourt in the league,” Sundvold said. “That was going to be a really good team. A lot of things might have been different if he didn’t get sick. You might make different trades. You might take a different route.”

Moore said if he hadn’t become ill, you likely wouldn’t have seen the Spurs in the lottery in 1987, or Robinson in a Spurs uniform a few years later. It is a vexing thought, that his own personal misfortune may have revitalized the franchise.

"It is bittersweet,’ he said. “It was tough for me because it probably took three or four years off my career. But it was also a blessing because of the acquisition of David.”

By Jerry Briggs Express-News Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News

[老刺]

从纽约交易来的查尔史密斯真是毛用都没有的大前，绝对是队史最差交易之一！

[这也将成为过去]

1996-10-31, By Glenn Rogers, Pro Basketball

马刺队要想在西部称霸，还有很多挑战要克服

常言道，这可不容易……他们说的是对的。

马刺队现在还不会唱起布鲁斯，但本赛季他们在西部赛区征战的路程绝不会是一支华尔兹。

西部在某些方面已经强势崛起，在其他方面则变得更加经验丰富和固执，而且充满了自信的球员，他们都相信自己能够争夺西部冠军。

目前，被认为最有可能阻止马刺队进入 NBA 总决赛的球队包括西雅图超音速队、休斯顿火箭队和洛杉矶湖人队。

超音速队拥有强大的阵容来支撑他们的主张。他们在上赛季赢得了 64 场比赛，并且成功地从首轮的泥潭中脱颖而出，进入总决赛与芝加哥公牛队会师。

超音速队引进了拥有修长臂展和盖帽能力的吉姆·麦克尔维恩 (Jim McIlvaine)，保留了肖恩·坎普 (Shawn Kemp) 的力量（尽管他情绪更加多变），以及加里·佩顿 (Gary Payton) 的凶悍防守和突破技能。

坎普由于自己的合同没有包含足够的百万美元而对超音速队发起了抱怨，这给球队带来了一些恐慌，但他最终还是出现在了训练营，并宣布他只是想表达自己的观点，并让自己的头脑清醒一下。

如果他的脑海中仍然充斥着自怜，超音速队可能会遭受损失。但坎普在球场上可能依然会是那个坎普。如果伤病让内特·麦克米兰 (Nate McMillan) 继续缺席，那么球队可能会出现重大的精神问题。他是超音速队的核心、灵魂和精神支柱。

本赛季，圣安东尼奥马刺队到西雅图超音速队可能会少了一些乐趣。弗兰克·布里科夫斯基 (Frank Brickowski)，那个总是会激怒大卫·罗宾逊 (David Robinson) 并引发球场混乱的人，已经转会凯尔特人队了。

火箭队，正如全世界所知，引进了查尔斯·巴克利 (Charles Barkley)，与球星哈基姆·奥拉朱旺 (Hakeem Olajuwon) 和克莱德·德雷克斯勒 (Clyde Drexler) 组成新的阵容。他们还引进了有时爱生闷气的凯文·威利斯 (Kevin Willis) 来帮助球队篮板球。

上赛季，超音速队将奥拉朱旺排除在进攻体系之外，从而将火箭队淘汰出局。主教练鲁迪·汤姆贾诺维奇 (Rudy Tomjanovich) 认为，巴克利和德雷克斯勒的加入将减轻这位伟大中锋的压力。

湖人队呢？洛杉矶湖人队在过去两个季后赛中都早早地被淘汰出局，通过从奥兰多魔术队招募巨星沙奎尔·奥尼尔 (Shaquille O’Neal) 加入西部，震惊了联盟。

他们正在谈论夺冠，而且奥尼尔身边有埃尔登·坎贝尔 (Elden Campbell)、塞德里克·塞巴洛斯 (Cedric Ceballos)、尼克·范·埃克塞尔 (Nick Van Exel) 和埃迪·琼斯 (Eddie Jones)，他们很有可能打出一场真正的夺冠之旅。

湖人队在裁掉安东尼·皮勒 (Anthony Peeler)、乔治·林奇 (George Lynch) 和塞代尔·特拉特 (Sedale Threatt) 后失去了阵容深度，但他们引进了鲁梅尔·罗宾逊 (Rumeal Robinson)、杰罗姆·克西 (Jerome Kersey) 和肖恩·鲁克斯 (Sean Rooks) 来担任替补。此外，洛杉矶湖人队与夏洛特黄蜂队达成交易，获得了年轻天才科比·布莱恩特 (Kobe Bryant)。

犹他爵士队再次被媒体冷落。爵士队依然在卡尔·马龙 (Karl Malone) 和约翰·斯托克顿 (John Stockton) 这两位似乎永不疲倦的发动机带领下不断前进，他们只是微笑着将自己推向争冠行列。

他们在上个季后赛中击败了实力强大的马刺队，并希望在三角洲中心球馆中击败更多实力强大的对手。爵士队送走了中锋费尔顿·斯宾塞 (Felton Spencer)，只能寄希望于二年级生格雷格·奥斯特塔格 (Greg Ostertag) 能够至少接近能够担任 NBA 中锋的水平。

杰夫·霍纳塞克 (Jeff Hornacek) 依然在三分线外精准投篮。对于犹他爵士队来说，希望克里斯·莫里斯 (Chris Morris) 能够重现他在新泽西网队的辉煌，以及取代大卫·贝努瓦 (David Benoit) 出任小前锋的布莱恩·拉塞尔 (Bryon Russell) 能够延续他在季后赛中的精彩表现。“大狗”安东尼·卡尔 (Antoine Carr) 和亚当·基夫 (Adam Keefe) 依然是关键替补球员。

菲尼克斯太阳队主场美国西部球馆已经不再是那么可怕的地方。巴克利走了，凯文·约翰逊 (Kevin Johnson) 又一次受伤了。但太阳队注入了大量年轻球员，并拥有了一些肌肉，一些得分能力，以及重拾防守艺术的承诺，希望能够减少上赛季每场失掉 104 分的局面。

萨姆·卡塞尔 (Sam Cassell) 和罗伯特·霍里 (Robert Horry) 是主要的加盟球员，他们加入了丹尼·曼宁 (Danny Manning)、韦斯利·珀森 (Wesley Person)、迈克尔·芬利 (Michael Finley)、A.C. 格林 (A.C. Green)、韦曼·提斯代尔 (Wayman Tisdale) 和“热杆”威廉姆斯 (Hot Rod Williams)。

在菲茨西蒙斯教练的最新版本“棉花球”战术中，将会出现很多奔跑和包夹。

在波特兰开拓者队和萨克拉门托国王队，两支都希望能够展现出足够的进步，从而突破季后赛首轮，马刺队也不会轻松。

开拓者队送走了心怀不满的控卫罗德·斯特里克兰 (Rod Strickland)，引进了肯尼·安德森 (Kenny Anderson)，他很有天赋，但并非 NBA 礼仪的典范。他们还引进了速度快但也有可能惹麻烦的以赛亚·莱德 (Isaiah Rider)，组成了速度极快、保证能够突破防守薄弱的对方后场的后场组合。新加盟的拉希德·华莱士 (Rasheed Wallace) 应该会为球队前场增添一些力量。

希望能够提高命中率超过 42% 的克里夫·罗宾逊 (Cliff Robinson) 依然在队，以及总是惹麻烦的克里斯·达德利 (Chris Dudley) 和技术娴熟的中锋阿尔维达斯·萨博尼斯 (Arvydas Sabonis)。

嘿，别忘了丹佛掘金队和达拉斯小牛队。

掘金队在迪肯贝·穆托姆博 (Dikembe Mutombo) 转会亚特兰大老鹰队后失去了防守支柱，但麦尼科尔斯竞技场可能会成为得分噩梦。

马克·杰克逊 (Mark Jackson)、里基·皮尔斯 (Ricky Pierce) 和沙鲁纳斯·马修里奥尼斯 (Sarunas Marciulionis) 将与安东尼奥·麦克迪斯 (Antonio McDyess)、拉丰索·埃利斯 (LaPhonso Ellis)、戴尔·埃利斯 (Dale Ellis)、布莱恩特·史蒂斯 (Bryant Stith) 和汤姆·汉蒙德 (Tom Hammonds) 组成阵容。

好吧，也许大多数球队都能忘记达拉斯小牛队。他们依然拥有“三J组合”，吉米·杰克逊 (Jimmy Jackson)、杰森·基德 (Jason Kidd) 和贾马尔·马什本 (Jamal Mashburn)。但

马什本的膝盖已经开始出现问题，而且杰克逊和基德之间的矛盾是否已经结束还不得而知。

当马刺队前往温哥华灰熊队、洛杉矶快船队、明尼苏达森林狼队和金州勇士队时，他们应该会发现一些更容易对付的对手，尽管这些球队也拥有各种各样的高得分威胁。

点击查看原文：Spurs face plenty of pitfalls to taming wild West

Spurs face plenty of pitfalls to taming wild West

They say it ain’t easy . . . They are right.

The Spurs certainly aren’t singing the blues yet, but a trip through the Western Conference this season will be no waltz.

The West has muscled up in some areas, grown ever more experienced and ornery in others, and is crowded with gangs of players convinced they will contend for the conference title.

Top favorites right now to keep the Spurs from attaining NBA Finals status include Seattle, Houston and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Seattle has a strong portfolio to back its claim. The Sonics won 64 games last season and managed to get out of the mire of the first round and make it to a Finals date with Chicago.

Seattle has added the long arms and shot-blocking ability of Jim McIlvaine, retains the power (if not more moodiness) of Shawn Kemp and pugnacious defense and penetrating skills of Gary Payton.

Kemp sent a few shivers of fear through the Sonics kingdom when he huffed about his contract not including enough millions, but he finally showed up at camp and announced he just wanted to make a point and get his mind clear.

If his mind remains clogged with self-pity, Seattle might suffer. But Kemp probably still will be Kemp on the floor. A major spiritual problem can occur if injuries keep Nate McMillan shelved. He’s the heart and soul and mental grit of the Sonics.

San Antonio visits to Seattle might be a bit less interesting this season. Frank Brickowski, sure to get under David Robinson’s skin and provoke on-floor mayhem, is gone to the Celtics.

The Rockets, as all the world knows, have added Charles Barkley to room with kindred superstars Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. They also brought aboard the sometimes-sulking Kevin Willis to aid and abet with the rebounding.

Seattle took Houston out of the playoffs last season by taking Olajuwon out of the offense. Coach Rudy Tomjanovich figured the insertion of Barkley and Drexler together would take additional pressure off the great center.

How about those Lakers? Los Angeles, eliminated early in the last two postseasons, shook the league by luring giant genie Shaquille O’Neal from Orlando to the West Coast.

They’re talking title and a legitimate run should be in store with O’Neal surrounded by Elden Campbell, Cedric Ceballos, Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones.

The Lakers lost depth when they cut away Anthony Peeler, George Lynch and Sedale Threatt, but Rumeal Robinson, Jerome Kersey and Sean Rooks have been brought in to man the bench. In addition, L.A. swung a deal with Charlotte for teen phenom Kobe Bryant.

Once again, Utah is getting short shrift in the media-attention department. The Jazz, still chugging along behind the seemingly perpetual motors of Karl Malone and John Stockton, just smile as they thrust themselves into serious contention.

They blasted the favored Spurs last postseason and hope to blast a few more favored foes at the Delta Center. The Jazz sent away center Felton Spencer and can only hope second-year man Greg Ostertag is at least close to being ready to man an NBA pivot.

Still firing from the perimeter is Jeff Hornacek. Hopefully for Utah, Chris Morris will have some of the strong games he once had in New Jersey and Bryon Russell, replacing David Benoit at small forward, will continue the sparkle he showed in the playoffs. “Big Dawg” Antoine Carr and Adam Keefe remain the key benchers.

The America West Arena in Phoenix isn’t quite the same frightening stop. Barkley is gone. Kevin Johnson already is injured again. But the Suns have received a healthy injection of youthful legs and boast some semi-muscle, some scoring and a promised attention to their lost art of defense, hoping to cut down on the 104 points a game allowed last season.

Sam Cassell and Robert Horry are the major newcomers, joining Danny Manning, Wesley Person, Michael Finley, A.C. Green, Wayman Tisdale and Hot Rod Williams.

There should be a lot of running on one end and trapping on the other in Coach Fitzsimmons’ latest version of Cotton Ball.

There won’t be much of a breather in Portland and Sacramento, both teams hoping to show enough improvement to get past the first round of the playoffs.

The Blazers traded away discontented guard Rod Strickland and brought in Kenny Anderson, talented but not exactly a model of NBA etiquette. They added speedy but also potentially troublesome Isaiah Rider for a swift backcourt guaranteed to penetrate the weaker perimeter defenders. Newcomer Rasheed Wallace should add some extra force to the front line.

Cliff Robinson, hoping to hit more than 42 percent of his shots, remains, as do trouble-on-the-line Chris Dudley and artful center Arvydas Sabonis.

Hey, don’t forget Denver and Dallas.

The Nuggets lost their defensive presence when Dikembe Mutombo bolted to Atlanta, but it could be a scoring nightmare at McNichols Arena.

Mark Jackson, Ricky Pierce and Sarunas Marciulionis will gather with Antonio McDyess, LaPhonso Ellis, Dale Ellis, Bryant Stith and Tom Hammonds.

Well, maybe most teams will be able to forget Dallas. They still have the three Js Jimmy Jackson, Jason Kidd and Jamal Mashburn. But

Mashburn’s knee already is acting up and there’s no telling whether or not the acting up between Jackson and Kidd is over.

The Spurs should find some easier pickings when they travel to Vancouver, Clipper Land, Minnesota and Golden State, although even those teams represent various and sundry hot-scoring threats.

By Glenn Rogers, Pro Basketball, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1996-10-31, By Kevin O’Keeffe

别闹了，福尔摩斯；马刺面临艰难时期

在马刺签下老将蒂姆·肯普顿(Tim Kempton)来帮助球队内线的一天，他们或许应该也和他母亲签个协议。莫琳·肯普顿(Maureen Kempton)最近从纽约警察局退休，她在那里工作了21年。她曾担任皇后区的侦探。

如果需要侦探工作，那就是周三下午马刺季前赛午餐会上，俱乐部副总裁格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)介绍教练鲍勃·希尔(Bob Hill)的时候。

在把这位即将成为自由球员的教练带到讲台上之前，波波维奇宣布，1996-97赛季“将是我们自来到这里（1994年5月担任总经理）以来最棒的一个赛季，我们将比以往任何时候都更快乐。”

鉴于上赛季前七名球员中有三位将在周五的明尼阿波利斯揭幕战中缺席，其中包括球队基石大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)，莫琳·肯普顿可能会调查波波维奇从何处获得如此乐观的态度。

当然，波波维奇可以发表这样的言论。毕竟，正如波波维奇在介绍中所言，是希尔“每天都站在最前线”。

目前，希尔正面临着巨大的压力。

格雷格·“凯迪拉克”·安德森(Greg “Cadillac” Anderson)和肯普顿，一个福特野马型球员，将被要求至少在本赛季前五场比赛中代替罗宾逊和威尔·珀杜(Will Perdue)出战内线。

罗宾逊的背部疼痛，让他无法在没有疼痛的情况下抱起自己的孩子，而珀杜的左拇指骨折，导致马刺签下了肯普顿，后者在周六被费城76人队裁掉。

可以理解的是，马刺签下一位无法进入76人队阵容的球员的想法，并不会为周日晚上与掘金队的揭幕战带来任何门票销售。

但肯普顿，一位来自圣母大学的球员，曾参加过比耐克代表更多的NBA训练营，他知道如何比赛。他能设置掩护，卡位，并在篮下通过传球找到空位的队友。

当然，他无法出色地完成这些动作。否则，以他6尺10寸的身高，他不会与马刺签订一份无保障的日薪合同。

“当我们裁掉蒂姆的时候，我告诉他，我预计第二天他就会和另一支球队签约，”76人队总经理布拉德·格林伯格(Brad Greenberg)说道。

具有讽刺意味的是，肯普顿，在上赛季为老鹰队打了三场比赛，确实收到了一支希腊球队的六位数保证合同。

这支球队？帕纳辛奈科斯。

现在，如果这个名字听起来很熟悉，那就不奇怪了。这就是马刺队多米尼克·威尔金斯(Dominique Wilkins)声称仍然拥有其所有权的球队。

你想要更多的讽刺吗？

这两名球员都由史蒂夫·考夫曼(Steve Kauffman)代理，他简单地说，“这就是商业。”

马刺队需要肯普顿和其他球员的最大贡献，以避免在本赛季开始时遭遇“商业上的失败”，尽管波波维奇声称今年将取得成功和快乐。

即使是诺曼·文森特·皮尔(Norman Vincent Peale)也无法反驳有人认为马刺队将在下周的克利夫兰和华盛顿的客场比赛中取得0-5的战绩，以及周五在明尼苏达的比赛。圣安东尼奥将在周日主场对阵掘金队的揭幕战后，于11月8日主场迎战西雅图。

接下来的比赛是客场对阵波特兰和犹他，以及主场对阵湖人和步行者。第一个喘息的机会是11月16日，届时金州勇士队将来到球馆。

如果罗宾逊和珀杜仍然缺席，这场比赛将不会轻松。

你不必依靠莫琳·肯普顿的侦探工作就能发现这一点。

点击查看原文：No kidding, Sherlock; Spurs face hard times

No kidding, Sherlock; Spurs face hard times

On a day when the Spurs signed journeyman Tim Kempton to help in the pivot, they might have been well-served to make a deal with his mother, too. Maureen Kempton recently retired after 21 years in the New York police department. She served as a detective in Queens.

And if ever some detective work was necessary, it was Wednesday afternoon at the Spurs Tipoff Luncheon when club vice president Gregg Popovich introduced Coach Bob Hill.

Before bringing the free-agent-to-be coach to the podium, Popovich announced that the 1996-97 season “would be the best we’ve had since coming here (as GM in May 1994), and that we’ll have more fun than we’ve ever had.”

Given that three of the top seven players from last season will not be in uniform for Friday’s opener in Minneapolis, including franchise foundation David Robinson, Maureen Kempton might investigate how Popovich finds reason for such optimism.

Of course, Popovich can make comments like that. After all, it is Hill, as Pop noted in his introduction, who “is the man on the firing line every day.”

At present, Hill is rather shy of bullets.

Greg “Cadillac” Anderson and Kempton, a Ford Bronco-type, will be asked to spell Robinson and Will Perdue in the middle through at least the first five games this season.

Robinson’s ailing back, which still prevents him from picking up his children without pain, and Perdue’s fractured left thumb necessitated the signing of Kempton, who was released by the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.

Understandably, the thought of the Spurs signing a man unable to make the Sixers won’t sell any tickets for Sunday night’s home opener with Denver.

But Kempton, a Notre Dame alum who has been to more NBA camps than the Nike representative, knows how to play. He can set a pick, box out and find the cutter with a pass from the post.

Of course, he can’t do any of those things brilliantly. Otherwise, at 6-foot-10, he wouldn’t be on a non-guaranteed, day-to-day contract with the Spurs.

“I told Tim when we cut him that I’d probably see that he signed with someone else the next day,” said Sixers general manager Brad Greenberg.

Ironically, Kempton, who played three games with Atlanta last season, did have a six-figure guaranteed offer from a team in Greece.

The team? Panathinaikos.

Now, if that name sounds familiar, it should. That’s the team that claims Spurs’ Dominique Wilkins is still its property.

You want more irony?

Both men are represented by Steve Kauffman, who says simply, “It’s business.”

The Spurs will need the maximum from Kempton and the rest of the team to keep from getting “the business” at the outset this season, despite Popovich’s claims of success and fun this year.

Not even Norman Vincent Peale could quarrel with someone who believed the Spurs would go 0-5 with road games in Cleveland and Washington next week, following Friday’s game in Minnesota. S.A. entertains Seattle on Nov. 8 after Sunday’s home-opener against Denver.

Road games at Portland and Utah follow, with home games against the Lakers and Indiana next. The first breather is Nov. 16 when Golden State is in the dome.

Should Robinson and Perdue still be among the missing, this one won’t be a breather.

And you don’t need Maureen Kempton’s detective work to find that out.

By Kevin O’Keeffe, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1996-10-31, By Glenn Rogers Express-News Staff Writer

家门口的生意？霍尔特努力提升销售

新任马刺队董事会主席彼得·霍尔特(Peter Holt)将在新赛季开始时密切关注门票和包厢的销售情况。霍尔特，有时会在比赛之夜出现在阿拉莫圆顶体育场外迎接球迷，他正在审查各种方法来填满这座大型体育场内的包厢。

“上赛季结束时包厢租赁到期，我们只续签了11个（共34个），”他说。“这意味着我们将从这方面获得150万到200万美元的收入。”

“将这与钥匙球馆（西雅图）从包厢获得的1200万美元收入相比，你会发现收入差距。我们很多包厢离球场太远，以至于企业不愿意支付7.5万到10万美元的租赁费。”

霍尔特表示，他希望在比赛之夜出租一些包厢，或许可以用于派对用途。

“大多数企业更愿意购买场边座位，或者至少是更靠近球场的座位，他们无法承担一年内同时购买两种座位的费用，”他说。

霍尔特说，1996-1997赛季的门票销售相当火爆，但在两三周前放缓了。

“我想大卫（罗宾逊）的比赛状态存在不确定性是导致这种情况的原因之一，”他说。“我们希望像球迷狂欢节和极限团队这样的活动能够帮助提升销量，增加球迷参与度，并激发他们对比赛之夜的兴趣。”

霍尔特今年夏天购买了球队31%的股份，并深入参与了球队事务。他在季前赛期间开始站在阿拉莫圆顶体育场外迎接球迷。

“我们得到了很好的反响；这很有趣，”他说。“很多球迷要求我签名，想和我合影。很有趣，但我告诉他们我不是大卫，也不是任何球员。”

霍尔特亲力亲为的态度让人想起瑞德·麦克莫里斯(Red McCombs)在90年代初担任老板时期的后期。

“我们都是销售员，”霍尔特说。“我和瑞德坐下来聊了几次，向他请教了一些问题。”

霍尔特说，罗宾逊的回归取决于他是否完全康复。

“这将是我们的一项重大决定，我们不希望他过早复出。不过，他可能不能打高尔夫球了，”霍尔特笑着补充道。

这位老板说，他怀疑本赛季圆顶体育场的座位会进行任何重新配置。

点击查看原文：Home suite home? Holt works to boost sales

Home suite home? Holt works to boost sales

Newly annointed Spurs chairman of the board Peter Holt will keep his eye on ticket and suite sales when the season gets under way. Holt, who can be found in front of the Alamodome on some game nights welcoming fans, is reviewing methods to fill the suites at the huge stadium.

“The suite leases expired at the end of last season and we’ve only been able to renew 11 (of 34) for this season,” he said. "That means we’ll bring in anywhere from $1.5 million to $2 million in that revenue.

“Compare that to the $12 million that the Key Arena (Seattle) brings in from suites and you see the discrepancy in revenue. So many of our suites are just too far away from the court for corporations to pay out $75,000 to $100,000 in lease fees.”

Holt said he hopes to lease some of the suites on a game-night basis, perhaps to be used for party purposes.

“Most of the corporations would prefer to buy courtside seats, or at least closer seats, and they can’t afford to do both on a yearlong basis,” he said.

Holt said 1996-97 ticket sales had been fairly brisk, but slowed down two or three weeks ago.

“I would imagine the uncertainty surrounding the playing status of David (Robinson) had something to do with that,” he said. “We hope that our additions like Fan Fiesta and the Extreme Team will help bolster sales and increase the fan interaction and interest in game nights.”

Holt, who purchased a 31-percent chunk of the franchise this past summer, has plunged into the team’s affairs. He started standing outside the Alamodome doors greeting fans during the preseason.

“We got a good reaction from that; it was a lot of fun,” he said. “A lot of the fans asked for my autograph, wanted to take my picture. It was fun, but I told them I’m not David or any of the players.”

Holt’s hands-on approach is remindful of the latter days of Red McCombs’ stint as owner in the early '90s.

“We’re both salesmen,” Holt said. “I’ve sat down with Red a few times and picked his brain.”

Holt said Robinson’s return will be predicated on full recovery.

“That will be a big decision for us, we don’t want him coming back too quickly. He probably won’t be able to play any golf, though,” Holt added with a laugh.

The owner said he doubted there would be any reconfiguration of the seats in the dome this season.

By Glenn Rogers Express-News Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1996-10-31, By Glenn Rogers Express-News Staff Writer

停电后的重新布线 - 马刺有很多选择 - 但答案不多 - 大前锋位置

好的，我们曾经学过“谁先上场”这个谜语。现在我们又遇到了一个新的谜语 - 谁打大前锋？

这个位置上赛季一片混乱。

卡尔·赫雷拉(Carl Herrera) 作为首发签约，但他被伤病和个人问题困扰，只打了 44 场比赛，首发 6 场。

马刺交易得到查尔斯·史密斯(Charles Smith)，但他也被伤病困扰，更不用说犯规麻烦和低于水平的表现了。这让他一直坐在板凳上，而不是站在大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson) 身边。

替补球员查克·珀森(Chuck Person) 和威尔·珀杜(Will Perdue) 在这个位置上比指定的首发球员表现得更有效。

好吧，本赛季情况应该会有所改变。史密斯在夏季刻苦训练，宣布他准备接管。赫雷拉宣称他决心弥补他消失的表演。

那么，谁将提供所需的火力？谁知道呢？

季前赛后期，看起来赫雷拉将获得首发位置。

“我计划轮换这支球队，”主教练鲍勃·希尔(Bob Hill) 说。“首发阵容中，我们不需要一个真正的得分手，我们还有另外四个。卡尔可以上场抢篮板、盖帽、打一些二次进攻和篮板球。”

按照希尔的计划，史密斯将从板凳席上提供得分火力，尽管他上赛季场均得分只有 8 分，而且在他纽约三年效力的生涯中从未超过 12 分。希望他的侵略性和跳投能恢复到他在联盟的前两年和第三年时的状态，当时他在快船场均得分 20 分。

但这很大程度上取决于猜测。史密斯在季前赛中右膝疼痛，他的表现也因此起伏不定，还错过了训练。

罗宾逊，他自己也是一个问号，喜欢他所看到的，或者至少是他能够参加训练时看到赫雷拉的表现。

“他看起来很棒，”这位中锋说。“他知道他去年没有给我们想要的或需要的。有时候他看起来像个杀手。”

好吧，也许吧。

在季前赛的前五场比赛中，赫雷拉场均得到 2.4 个篮板，5.4 分和 19.4 分钟。

这不是人们对首发大前锋的期望的那种统治性数据。

赫雷拉渴望展示自己，并不太担心自己是否首发。

“重要的是要培养团队的化学反应，”他说。“首发当然不错，但我们要做的是赢得比赛。

“我身体和精神状况都很好。去年，我状态不好，无法融入球队的打法。首先，我受伤了。然后我遇到了个人问题。当我解决这些问题的时候，我又受伤了。这次我想向球队展示我的实力。”

史密斯准备在本赛季与罗宾逊并肩作战，并在整个夏天都在为这个目标努力。

“这个休赛期我不会度假，”他在训练营的初期说道。“我接受了手术，去除了骨刺。

然后我去圣地亚哥的 Egoscue 诊所锻炼身体。”

史密斯在早期的训练中看起来很好，跑得很好，跳得很高，似乎恢复了幾年前的身体状态。然后他的膝盖减慢了他的速度。

他在季前赛的五场比赛中场均得到 4.2 个篮板，3.2 分和 19.4 分钟，在绿湾对雄鹿的比赛中表现糟糕，而在前一天晚上对阵纽约的比赛中表现不错。

“我的腹部力量更强，我的身体结构更好，更强壮，”史密斯用那些对自己的身体结构很了解的人的话语解释道。“我现在比我职业生涯中的任何时候都快。我更快了。”

上赛季季后赛在犹他州惨败时，史密斯感到非常沮丧的一点是他无法摆脱防守球员。

“我认为就是那时我突然明白了，”他谈到意识到自己问题的现实时说道。“我记得接球后高举着球，

然后想着，‘我会像往常一样绕过（安东尼）卡尔’，但我被卡尔挡住了。我当时心里就想，我必须做点什么。

“现在我就说（哔）我的防守者，我要做我想做的事情。”

这位前尼克斯和快船球员还说，他在圣地亚哥学会了如何在脚尖上奔跑。

“我以前总是平足奔跑，”史密斯说。“那是不对的。你知道，最擅长奔跑的大前锋是 A.C. 格林和丹尼斯·罗德曼。他们看起来像是在慢跑，他们用脚尖奔跑，而不是平足奔跑。那才是你应该奔跑的方式。”

史密斯高兴地宣布他的体重大约在 255 磅，体脂率下降到 6%。

当然，他现在也接受了希尔提出的让他替补出场的阵容。

史密斯坦率地评价了这个想法。

“好吧，还没有定论，我们得看看会发生什么，”他说。“鲍勃说他还在调整。我没想到会这样，但这是有可能发生的事情。

“我和鲍勃谈过这件事。一个问题是，什么对我膝盖最好。我不知道我是否能在热身之后让它冷却下来（然后再次热身），然后再回到球场上。

“这可能是我必须处理的问题，我必须想办法应对，”他说。

这个大前锋位置不能不提珀杜。他也想在这个位置上打球。

“我们的策略是让查尔斯稳定这个位置，”珀杜说。“我的立场是，我想打这个位置。

“我知道我和大卫合作得很好。可能会有其他人首发，但我已经准备好了。”

珀杜在上赛季与罗宾逊搭档时确实表现出色，他和这位中锋一起帮助控制篮板，并阻止对方球员突破。

为了进一步混淆局面，希尔回忆起上赛季珀森取得的成功，并计划在球队打小阵容时偶尔让多米尼克·威尔金斯(Dominique Wilkins) 出任大前锋。

点击查看原文：Rewiring after power outage - Spurs have plenty of options - but not many answers - at power forward

Rewiring after power outage - Spurs have plenty of options - but not many answers - at power forward

OK, we once learned that Who was on first. Now we’ve got this riddle - who’s at power forward?

The position was a mess last season.

Carl Herrera signed on as a starter, but he was besieged by injuries and personal problems and played in only 44 games with six starts.

The Spurs traded for Charles Smith but he, too, was hobbled by injuries, not to mention foul trouble and subpar play. That kept him perched on the bench instead of standing strong alongside David Robinson.

Fill-ins Chuck Person and Will Perdue proved far more effective at the slot than the designated full-timers.

Well, that was supposed to change this season. Smith put in a hard summer of training and announced he was ready to assume control. Herrera declared he was determined to make up for his vanishing act.

So, who will provide the needed punch? Who knows?

Late in the preseason, it looked as if Herrera would get the nod for the starting slot.

“I plan to rotate this team,” Coach Bob Hill said. "On the starting line, we don’t need a real scorer, we have four others out

there. Carl can get in there and rebound, block some shots, score some off the putbacks and loose balls."

Smith, according to Hill’s plan, would provide scoring punch off the bench, even though he averaged eight points last season and no more than 12 during his three-year stint in New York. Hope remains that his aggression and jumper will return to the form of his second and third years in the league, when he averaged 20 points for the Clippers.

But it’s a big maybe. Smith’s right knee flared up during the preseason and his performance seesawed accordingly, along with missed practices.

Robinson, a question mark himself, likes what he sees, or at least what he saw of Herrera during the practices he was able to attend.

“He looks great,” the center said. “He knows he didn’t give us what we wanted or needed from him last year. At times he looked like a killer out there.”

Well, maybe.

Through the first five preseason games, Herrera averaged 2.4 rebounds, 5.4 points and 19.4 minutes.

Not quite the dominant numbers one would hope for from a starting power forward.

Herrera, eager to strut his stuff, isn’t overly concerned about whether or not he starts.

“The important thing is to develop a team chemistry,” he said. "It would be nice to start, but what we have to do is win games.

“I feel great physically and mentally. Last year, I was out of it, I couldn’t get into the way the team was playing. First, I had those injuries. Then I had some personal problems. When they kind of cleared up, I got hurt again. This time I want to show the team what I can do.”

Smith was primed to start the season next to Robinson and spent the summer working toward that objective.

“No vacations for me this off-season,” he said during the early days of training camp. "I had the surgery to remove the bone spurs.

Then I attended the Egoscue Clinic in San Diego to get into physical shape."

Smith looked fine during the early practices, running well, leaping, seemingly returning to his body of a few years back. Then his knee slowed him down.

He averaged 4.2 rebounds, 3.2 points and 19.4 minutes in his five preseason games, looking terrible against the Bucks in Green Bay after a decent game in New York the night before.

“My midsection area is a lot stronger, my body is better aligned, stronger,” Smith explained in the jargon of those attuned to their physical structures. “I’m faster now than any time in my career. I’m quicker.”

A strong source of frustration to Smith during the playoff debacle in Utah last season was his inability to get around his defenders.

“That’s when I think it clicked,” he said of the dawning of the reality of his problems. "I remember catching the ball out high and

thinking, `I’ll just go around (Antoine) Carr,’ like I always did. But Carr cut me off. I made a mental note then that I had to do something.

“Now I just say (bleep) my defenders, I’m going to do my thing.”

The former Knick and Clipper also said he learned how to run while in San Diego - on the balls of his feet.

“I used to run flat-footed,” Smith said. "That’s wrong. You know, the two best running power forwards are A.C. Green and Dennis

Rodman. They look like they are loping, they run on the front of their feet, not flatfooted. That’s the way you’re supposed to run."

Smith happily announced that his weight was at about 255 and his body fat was down to six percent.

And, of course, he now has been presented with the Hill-proposed lineup that has him coming off the bench.

Smith was frank in his appraisal of that notion.

“Well, nothing is written in stone yet, we have to see what happens,” he said. "Bob says he’s playing with it. I didn’t expect it, but it’s one of those things where anything can happen.

"I’ve talked to Bob about it. One question is what’s best for my knee. I don’t know if I can let it cool down (after warmups) and try to keep it warm before I go back in there.

“It might be something I’ll have to deal with, work with it,” he said.

The power slot can’t be discussed without mentioning Perdue. He wants a crack at it, too.

“The approach is to let Charles stabilize that spot,” Perdue said. "My position is that I’d like to play that spot.

“I know that David and I play well together. Another guy might get to start, but I’ll be ready to play.”

Perdue did distinguish himself last season playing alongside Robinson, combining with the center to help control the boards and divert would-be drivers.

To further muddy the waters, Hill recalls the success enjoyed by Person last season and plans to sometimes slip Dominique Wilkins into the power slot when the team goes small.

By Glenn Rogers Express-News Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1996-10-31, By Jerry Briggs Express-News Staff Writer

罗宾逊自信马刺队一切良好

马刺队受伤的中锋大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)至少缺席常规赛的五场比赛，他在周三表示，在季前赛中，六名球员受伤，另外一些球员因流感而缺席一段时间的球队命运只会好转。著名篮球运动员多米尼克·威尔金斯甚至因与他之前效力的希腊球队发生合同纠纷而被 NBA 命令离场。威尔金斯已经回归，但马刺队将在周五的明尼苏达队比赛中开始赛季，而上赛季 59 场胜场、中西部分区冠军球队的前七名球员中将有三位缺席。

人们曾寄希望于正在康复以治疗下背部拉伤的罗宾逊，他可能只缺席常规赛的几场比赛。但马刺队宣布，他和周二接受背部手术后缺席三至六个月的小前锋查克·帕森(Chuck Person)将在伤病名单中开始新的一年。

联盟规则要求伤病名单上的球员至少缺席五场比赛。

在另一项进展中，马刺队周三上午与周六被 76 人队解雇的中锋蒂姆·坎普顿签署了一份表现优异的合同。此举是在球队两位常规中锋罗宾逊和威尔·帕杜伤病之后做出的，他们两人都可能缺席第一个月的大部分时间。

就目前而言，马刺队将使用凯迪拉克·安德森、坎普顿甚至查尔斯·史密斯作为中锋搭档。这并不是一个令人敬畏的阵容。

但在球队一年一度的开球午餐会上发言的罗宾逊敦促球迷在主力球员回归之前保持信心。

“我比任何一年都对今年感到兴奋，”罗宾逊说。“诸如此类的事情发生在早期，（然后）肯定会发生一些真正好的事情。

“我们并没有因为所发生的事情而降低我们的标准。看到正在发生的事情，我很高兴看到所看到的一切。艾弗里(约翰逊)真的提升了领导力。弗农(麦克斯韦尔)表现出色。我很高兴进去并在第四节和他一起打一些防守。”

罗宾逊表示，他的背部仍然疼痛，而且他的活动范围还不足以抱起他的孩子，其中最大的已经 3 岁，更不用说与球队一起训练了。

但他表示，他在周二晚上骑了一辆固定自行车，并希望在不久的将来能够使用台阶训练机。

“加州的医生告诉我在两周内不要做任何事情，但是当你看到我们所有的人受伤时，很难坐下来什么都不做，”罗宾逊说，他上周末从加州英格尔伍德的科兰-乔布骨科诊所返回家园。

罗宾逊说，他最初是在 7 月在印第安纳波利斯举行的奥运会前梦之队比赛中伤到背部的。他在 7 月下旬和 8 月初参加了奥运会，并且在金牌比赛中表现得轻松自如，在该场比赛中他得到 27 分，带领美国队战胜南斯拉夫队获得冠军。

在奥运会之后，他接受了疝气手术，该手术自去年春天以来就已计划好。罗宾逊休养了一个月，从手术中恢复过来。当他开始为季前训练营锻炼时，背部疼痛再次出现。

10 月 11 日在新奥尔良的第一场友谊赛中，他在快攻中接球后，落地在一个篮筐下时突然加重了伤势。在输给休斯敦火箭队后，他一瘸一拐地走下球场，用教练员约翰·安德森(John Andersen)的肩膀保持平衡。

马刺队 10 月 22 日宣布他将缺席两到四周。现在看来可能接近四周，但罗宾逊希望球迷知道他正在好转。

“现在和新奥尔良相比，情况天差地别，”罗宾逊说。“那天晚上我无法弯腰或站起来。我非常痛苦。仍然有一些正常的疼痛，弯腰时有困难。我仍然无法抱起我的孩子。但我正在做一些事情，比如上下楼梯和站立。”

罗宾逊和帕杜有可能都缺席前九或十场比赛。但马刺队主教练鲍勃·希尔(Bob Hill)正在巧妙地试图说服因左拇指尖骨折而缺席的帕杜，说他可以比这更早回来。

“就像我今天告诉威尔的那样，‘（纽约洋基队的外野手）达里尔·斯特劳贝里(Darryl Strawberry)难道不是带伤在整个世界大赛中打球吗？’”希尔问道。“威尔说，‘是的，但达里尔是个真正的男人。’”

自 10 月 4 日训练营开幕以来，希尔为数不多的几次中似乎心情不错。

“我(周二)晚上和查克交谈过。他说他将在三周后回来，”希尔开玩笑并且面带笑容地想到。“马刺队有望在对阵明尼苏达队的比赛中让安德森担任中锋，卡尔·埃雷拉担任大前锋，肖恩·艾利奥特担任小前锋，约翰逊和维尼·德尔·内格罗担任后场。威尔金斯和麦克斯韦尔将带领一大群替补球员。

希尔对回答有关罗宾逊的问题表示假装气恼，罗宾逊在近三周的时间里没有训练或比赛。

“他在进行一些投篮训练，”希尔说。“但没有猛击、奔跑或跳跃。关键在于当他回到球场时，他会做出怎样的反应。”

点击查看原文：Robinson confident all is well with Spurs

Robinson confident all is well with Spurs

Injured Spurs center David Robinson, sidelined a minimum of five games to start the regular season, said Wednesday that the team’s fortunes can only improve after a preseason in which six players suffered injuries and a few others missed time with the flu. Even Dominique Wilkins was ordered off the floor by the NBA in the wake of a contract dispute with his former team in Greece. Wilkins is back, but the Spurs will begin the season at Minnesota on Friday without three of the top seven players from last season’s 59-win, Midwest Division champions.

There had been hope that Robinson, in rehabilitation to heal a lower-back strain, might only miss a few games of the regular season. But the Spurs announced that he and small forward Chuck Person, out three to six months after back surgery Tuesday, would begin the year on the injured list.

League rules require players on the injured list to sit out a minimum of five games.

In another development, the Spurs signed center Tim Kempton, who was released by the 76ers on Saturday, to a make-good contract Wednesday morning. The move came in the wake of injuries to both the team’s regular centers, Robinson and Will Perdue, who both may be out a good portion of the first month.

For the time being, the Spurs will go with a center tandem of Cadillac Anderson, Kempton and possibly Charles Smith. It’s not a rotation that will inspire awe.

But Robinson, speaking at the team’s annual tipoff luncheon, urged fans to keep the faith until the regulars return.

“I’m more excited about this year than any year,” Robinson said. "Stuff like this happens early on, (then) something really good is bound to happen later.

“We haven’t lowered our standards because of what’s been happening. Watching what’s going on, I’m pleased with what I see. Avery (Johnson) has really stepped up his leadership. Vernon (Maxwell) is playing well. I’ll be excited to get in there and play some defense with him in the fourth quarters.”

Robinson said his back is still sore and that he doesn’t yet have enough range of motion to pick up his children, the oldest of which is 3 years old, much less practice with the team.

But he said he rode a stationary bicycle on Tuesday night and hopes to be able to get on a stair-step machine in the near future.

“The doctors in California told me not to do anything for two weeks, but it’s hard to sit and do nothing, when you see all our guys getting hurt,” said Robinson, who returned home from the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic in Inglewood, Calif., last weekend.

Robinson said he hurt his back originally in July during a pre-Olympics Dream Team game in Indianapolis. He played in the Olympics in late July and early August and appeared loose and agile in the gold-medal game, when he scored 27 points to lead Team USA to the title over Yugoslavia.

After the Olympics, he underwent hernia surgery, a procedure that had been planned since last spring. Robinson was off his feet recovering from the surgery for about a month. The back pain started again when he began to work out for preseason training camp.

It flared dramatically in the first exhibition game in New Orleans on Oct. 11 when he landed under one basket after catching a lob pass on the fast break. After the loss to the Houston Rockets, he limped off the court, holding on to trainer John Andersen’s shoulder for balance.

The Spurs announced Oct. 22 that he would be out for two to four weeks. It looks now that it may be closer to four, but Robinson wanted fans to know that he is improving.

“There’s a world of difference now compared to New Orleans,” Robinson said. “That night I couldn’t bend over or stand up. I was in a lot of pain. There’s still some regular pain, and I’m having trouble bending. I still can’t pick up my kids. But I am doing things like walking up and down the stairs and standing up.”

There is a chance that Robinson and Perdue could both be out for the first nine or 10 games. But Spurs coach Bob Hill is subtly trying to convince Perdue, out with a fracture in the tip of his left thumb, that he could return sooner than that.

"Like I told Will today, Didn't (New York Yankees outfielder) Darryl Strawberry play the whole World Series on a broken toe?' " Hill asked. "Will said, Yeah, but Darryl is a real man.’ "

Hill seemed to be in good spirits for one of the few times since camp opened Oct. 4.

“I talked to Chuck (Tuesday) night. He said he’d be back in three weeks,” Hill said, joking and smiling at the thought.

The Spurs are expected to start Anderson at center, Carl Herrera at power forward, Sean Elliott at small forward and Johnson and Vinny Del Negro in the backcourt against Minnesota. Wilkins and Maxwell will lead a group off the bench.

Hill expressed mock exasperation at answering questions about Robinson, who has not practiced or played in nearly three weeks.

“He’s shooting some,” Hill said. “But there’s been no pounding, running or jumping. The key is how he responds when he gets back on the court.”

By Jerry Briggs Express-News Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1996-10-31

Meet the team

CORY ALEXANDER - Position: Guard.

- Height, weight: 6-foot-1, 185 pounds.

- Born: June 22, 1973, Waynesboro, Va.

- College: Virginia.

- NBA experience: Second season.

- 1995-96 highlights: Shot 39.4 percent from three-point line, the highest mark for a rookie in Spurs history. Scored season-high 14 points at Philadelphia on Jan. 21. Produced 12 points against Utah on Jan. 3. Played in 27 straight games from Dec. 21 to Feb. 16. Appeared in nine of 10 playoff games, including 8-point, 2-assist, 18-minute performance in Game 3 of conference semifinals against Utah.

- Role: Point guard who can score, trying to break into regular playing rotation.

- What to expect: Limited minutes unless an injury sidelines Avery Johnson, Vinny Del Negro or Vernon Maxwell.

- The big hope: That he will become a student of the game to complement his talent.

Statistics

G Avg. min. FG pct. FT pct. 3-pt pct. Sti. Blk. TO Reb. Ast. Pts.

'95-96 60 9.3 .406 .640 .394 27 2 68 0.7 2.0 2.8

'96 playoffs 9 7.7 .417 .714 .200 9 0 6 1.0 1.0 2.9

GREG ANDERSON

- Position: Forward/center.

- Height, weight: 6-foot-10, 230 pounds.

- Born: June 22, 1964, Houston.

- College: Houston.

- NBA experience: Ninth season, fourth with Spurs (spent first two years of career in S.A., rejoined team as a free agent).

- 1995-96 highlights: Jovial guy in the clubhouse, loosened some tension with his blindingly gaudy suits and sweats. Scant floor time, playing in 46 games, averaging 7.5 minutes. A chore to score, even find basket from free-throw line. Big night in first start against Phoenix, grabbing 10 boards.

- Role: Backup power forward and center, making use of his rebounding and shot-blocking skills.

- What to expect: Barring catastrophic sweep of injuries, Cadillac will see limited action. Primary function will be to bang on other team’s big guy, use his six fouls.

- The big hope: Some resurgence to his early years when he could come in and score off rebounds, defend and, occasionaly, hit a free throw.

Statistics

G Avg. min. FG pct. FT pct. 3-pt pct. Sti. Blk. TO Reb. Ast. Pts.

'95-96 46 7.5 .511 .240 .000 9 24 22 2.2 0.2 1.2

'96 playoffs 6 5.7 .000 .500 — 2 1 4 1.5 0.0 0.2

Career 548 21.9 .492 .555 .118 398 513 836 6.7 0.6 8.3

VINNY DEL NEGRO

- Position: Guard.

- Height, weight: 6-foot-4, 200 pounds.

- Born: Aug. 9, 1966, Springfield, Mass.

- College: North Carolina State.

- NBA experience: Seventh season, fifth with Spurs.

- 1995-96 highlights: Posted career bests in 11 categories, including scoring average (14.5), rebound average (3.3), minutes (2,766) and starts (82). Scored 30 against Orlando in January and tied career-high with 31 against Houston in February. Averaged 17 points in first round of playoffs against Phoenix, but slumped to 12.5 average on 40.8-percent shooting in conference semifinals against Utah.

- Role: Starting shooting guard, assigned the task of hitting jumpers to stretch the opposing defense.

- What to expect: A solid year, but possibly reduced minutes in the wake of Vernon Maxwell’s addition.

- The big hope: That Del Negro can shoot like he did in the Phoenix series during the course of the 1997 playoffs.

Statistics

G Avg. min. FG pct. FT pct. 3-pt pct. Sti. Blk. TO Reb. Ast. Pts.

'95-96 82 33.7 .497 .832 .380 85 6 100 3.3 3.8 14.5

'96 playoffs 10 37.9 .460 .684 .593 13 3 6 2.6 2.9 14.3

Career 463 25.9 .486 .836 .371 383 46 538 2.5 3.5 10.3

SEAN ELLIOTT

- Position: Forward.

- Height, weight: 6-foot-8, 225 pounds.

- Born: Feb. 2, 1968, Tucson, Ariz.

- College: Arizona.

- NBA experience: Eighth season, seventh with Spurs.

- 1995-96 highlights: Reached 20-point scoring average for first time in career. It ranked 20th in the league and third among small forwards. After averaging 12.1 points in Detroit two years ago, El-liott re-established himself as a premier player, making second NBA All-Star team. In playoffs, he struggled in conference semifinals against Utah, shooting 33.3 percent from field and averaging 14.2 points. Against Phoenix in first round, Elliott shot 49 percent and averaged 17.5.

- Role: Starting small forward, team’s second-leading scorer and key defender.

- What to expect: Teams may look to double-team Elliott more. If so, he may have to hit open man more often and be patient with scoring opportunities.

- The big hope: That Elliott’s increased strength from off-season weight training translates into more aggressive play.

Statistics

G Avg. min. FG pct. FT pct. 3-pt pct. Sti. Blk. TO Reb. Ast. Pts.

'95-96 77 37.6 .466 .771 .411 69 33 198 5.1 2.7 20.0

'96 playoffs 10 38.9 .402 .797 .294 11 4 30 3.9 2.5 15.5

Career 546 34.7 .478 .812 .379 467 202 1041 4.5 2.7 15.6

CARL HERRERA

- Position: Forward.

- Height, weight: 6-foot-9, 225 pounds.

- Born: Dec. 14, 1966, Trinidad.

- College: Houston.

- NBA experience: Sixth season, second with Spurs.

- 1995-96 highlights: A lowlight season, brought about by lingering and nagging injuries and eventual inability to find any semblance of game rhythm or expertise. Touted as potential starter, he averaged a measly 8.9 minutes in 44 games.

- Role: Either share starting time or back up Charles Smith at power forward. Provide some consistent rebounding and defense with scoring off loose balls and putbacks. Run the floor.

- What to expect: Difficult to determine after disastrous 1995-96 season.

- The big hope: A campaign of rejuvenation, showing sparkle and grit that he demonstrated against Knicks in 1994 Finals. Probably will begin the season as starter, so it would be nice if he performed well enough to retain position.

Statistics

G Avg. min. FG pct. FT pct. 3-pt pct. Sti. Blk. TO Reb. Ast. Pts.

'95-96 44 8.9 .412 .294 .000 9 8 29 1.8 0.4 1.9

'96 playoffs 7 4.0 .000 1.000 — 2 1 3 0.6 0.1 0.3

Career 304 17.7 .505 .659 .000 144 132 298 3.9 0.6 5.4

AVERY JOHNSON

- Position: Guard.

- Height, weight: 5-foot-11, 175 pounds.

- Born: March 25, 1965, New Orleans.

- College: Southern.

- NBA experience: Ninth season, sixth with Spurs.

- 1995-96 highlights: Enjoyed best season of his eight-year career. Ranked third in NBA in assists (9.6), behind only John Stockton and Jason Kidd. Had best assist-turnover ratio of any starter in the league (4.05 to 1). Got the best of Kevin Johnson in Phoenix series (14.5 points, 13.5 assists, 48.2-percent shooting), but struggled against Utah’s Stockton in conference semifinals (11 points, 7 assists, 38.4 percent).

- Role: Starting point guard directs fast-break attack, scoring in the open court and setting up shooters.

- What to expect: More hard work in weight room and shooting drills during off-season should propel Johnson to another solid year.

- The big hope: That Johnson can hit the outside jumper consistently when games slow down and Spurs are forced into halfcourt sets.

Statistics

G Avg. min. FG pct. FT pct. 3-pt pct. Sti. Blk. TO Reb. Ast. Pts.

'95-96 82 37.6 .494 .721 .194 119 21 195 2.5 9.6 13.1

'96 playoffs 10 40.7 .430 .704 .200 20 1 24 3.6 9.4 12.3

Career 554 24.3 .490 .709 .145 586 75 969 1.7 5.7 8.4

VERNON.MAXWELL

- Position: Guard.

- Height, weight: 6-foot-4, 190 pounds.

- Born: Sept. 12, 1965, Gainesville, Fla.

- College: Florida.

- NBA experience: Ninth season, third with Spurs. (Spent first season and a half in San Antonio; rejoined Spurs as free agent Aug. 29.)

- 1995-96 highlights: Scored 41 points against New Jersey on April 8. Led Sixers in scoring 19 times. Produced 20 or more points 19 times and 30 or more five times. Missed five games in November with sprained ankle and one in April with sprained knee.

- Role: Backup to starters Avery Johnson and Vinny Del Negro. Can play both guard positions. Will be matched defensively against the opponent’s most athletic guard.

- What to expect: May come off bench, but could be on floor at end of games because of defensive prowess and ability to hit clutch shots.

- The big hope: Coaches keeping fingers crossed that he can stay out of trouble off the court after a career of personal problems.

Statistics Avg. FG

G Avg. min. FG pct. FT pct. 3-pt pct. Sti. Blk. TO Reb. Ast. Pts.

'95-96 75 32.7 .390 .756 .317 96 12 215 3.1 4.4 16.2

Career 605 31.3 .407 .731 .320 783 114 1347 2.9 4.1 14.0

WILL PERDUE

- Position: Center.

- Height, weight: 7-foot, 240 pounds.

- Born: Aug. 29, 1965, Melbourne, Fla.

- College: Vanderbilt.

- NBA experience: Ninth season, second with Spurs.

- 1995-96 highlights: Fine all-around year, playing in career-high 80 games. Immense help in solving power-forward woes when Herrera failed. Steady presence on the boards; had career-high 17 against Pistons on Jan. 24. Stifling inside defense when playing alongside Robinson. Played hard the whole way.

- Role: Backup center and power forward. Provide rebounding, defense and some scoring.

- What to expect: Exceeded expectations when grabbed from Chicago in exchange for Dennis Rodman. Perhaps average more than last year’s 17.5 minutes to give still more rest to Robinson.

- The big hope: Fractured thumb added more clouds to team’s November forecast. When he returns, continue steady contribution off the bench, sometimes coupled on the floor with Robinson. Another reliable performance come playoff time; Perdue and Chuck Person were only players to shine during Utah debacle.

Statistics

G Avg. min. FG pct. FT pct. 3-pt pct. Sti. Blk. TO Reb. Ast. Pts.

'95-96 80 17.5 .523 .536 .000 28 75 86 6.1 0.4 5.2

'96 playoffs 10 24.2 .690 .800 — 2 4 11 7.9 0.5 7.4

Career 531 14.0 .509 .600 .071 146 321 545 4.4 0.8 4.7

DAVID ROBINSON

- Position: Center.

- Height, weight: 7-foot-1, 250 pounds.

- Born: Aug. 6, 1965, Key West, Fla.

- College: U.S. Naval Academy.

- NBA experience: Eighth season, all with Spurs.

- 1995-96 highlights: Another sterling season capped by winning his fifth IBM Award for all-around contribution to team, seventh-straight All-Star appearance and selection to All-NBA first team. Subpar performance against Utah in play-offs tarnished his reputation; he was limited to 19.3 points and 9.0 rebounds.

- Role: Again anchor the team at both ends of the floor, provide the big scoring and defensive punches.

- What to expect: A sharp plunge through the standings for the Spurs if health problems strap him to the bench often through the season. If healthy, there should be more of the same overwhelming presence that pushes the team to giddy regular-season heights.

- The big hope: His usual dominating regular-season

performance will continue straight through the playoffs.

Statistics

G Avg. min. FG pct. FT pct. 3-pt pct. Sti. Blk. TO Reb. Ast. Pts.

'95-96 82 36.8 .516 .761 .333 111 271 190 12.2 3.0 25.0

'96 playoffs 10 35.3 .516 .667 —15 25 24 10.1 2.4 23.6

Career 557 38.1 .526 .747 .261 934 2006 1626 11.8 3.1 25.6

CHARLES.SMITH

- Position: Forward.

- Height, weight: 6-foot-10, 245 pounds.

- Born: July 16, 1965, Bridgeport, Conn.

- College: Pittsburgh.

- NBA experience: Ninth season, second with Spurs.

- 1995-96 highlights: After All-Star break trade from New York, Smith played in 32 games, starting 30. He averaged 9.6 points and 6.3 rebounds, but performances eventually limited by foul trouble, especially in playoffs. Against Utah, foul trouble and nagging injuries led to reduced playing time.

- Role: Start or come off the bench to inject scoring into second unit. Also provide muscle defense, consistent rebounding and demand some defensive attention on offense.

- What to expect: Trade rumors to fly if he fails to fill his above-mentioned goal and average more than 25 minutes a game.

- The big hope: That off-season surgery to remove bone spurs from ankles and feet provides him with the quickness to defend, get around defenders and avoid foul trouble and that he won’t suffer consistent physical relapses.

Statistics

G Avg. min. FG pct. FT pct. 3-pt pct. Sti. Blk. TO Reb. Ast. Pts.

'95-96 73 23.5 .422 .730 .133 50 80 106 5.0 0.9 8.3

'96 playoffs 10 16.5 .500 .375 — 7 10 8 3.7 1.0 5.1

Career 545 29.5 .476 .774 .196 449 767 1014 5.8 1.4 14.7

DOMINIQUE WILKINS

- Position: Forward.

- Height, weight: 6-foot-8, 215 pounds.

- Born: Jan. 12, 1960, Paris, France.

- College: Georgia.

- NBA experience: 14th season, first with Spurs (signed as free agent).

- 1995-96 highlights: Averaged 20.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists for Panathinaikos, Greece, leading team to the Greek league and European championships.

- Role: Will come off the bench behind Sean Elliott at small forward. Is being asked to score, rebound and master the team’s scheme of defensive rotations in the absence of the injured Chuck Person.

- What to expect: Has shown in preseason that he can still be effective scorer off the dribble and shooting the jumper. May not be the defender coaches want until he sheds a few pounds.

- The big hope: Coaches would like to see him trim down his physique, give the team the 10 points (or more) off the bench that Person provided last season and contribute clutch shooting in the playoffs.

Statistics

G Avg. min. FG pct. FT pct. 3-pt pct. Sti. Blk. TO Reb. Ast. Pts.

'94-95 77 35.6 .424 .782 .388 61 14 173 5.2 2.2 17.8

'95 playoffs 4 37.5 .426 .889 .471 2 3 9 10.8 2.0 19.0

Career 984 37.6 .464 .812 .322 1335 610 2511 6.8 2.6 25.8

Complete statistics for 1995-96 season in Greece were unavailable; 1994-95 statistics reflect last season in NBA at Boston.

MONTY WILLIAMS

- Position: Forward.

- Height, weight: 6-foot-8, 225 pounds.

- Born: Oct. 8, 1971, Fredericksburg, Va.

- College: Notre Dame.

- NBA experience: Third season, second with Spurs.

- 1995-96 highlights: Obtained along with Charles Smith in a trade with New York during All-Star break. Scored a season-high 14 points against Vancouver April 10. Played 17 games, sat out 19 others by coach’s decision.

- Role: Limited playing time at small forward.

- What to expect: Williams will bring energy and defensive intensity. to the floor. Has few refined offensive skills, but can score in transition. Will see playing time in the rotation when the team is forced to go to a smaller lineup.

- The big hope: That Williams will develop skills over time and work way into rotation to give the team another athletic presence on the court.

Statistics

G Avg. min. FG pct. FT pct. 3-pt pct. Sti. Blk. TO Reb. Ast. Pts.

'95-96 31 5.9 .397 .700 .000 6 2 18 1.3 0.3 2.2

'96 playoffs 7 4.1 .222 .500 .000 0 0 4 1.0 0.0 1.0

Career 72 9.5 .433 .534 .000 26 6 59 1.9 0.8 2.8

CHUCK PERSON

- Position: Forward.

- Height, weight: 6-foot-8, 225 pounds.

- Born: June 27, 1964, Brantley, Ala.

- College: Auburn.

- NBA experience: 11th season, third with Spurs.

- 1995-96 highlights: Person capped a solid season with a spirited playoff performance against the Utah Jazz, who eliminated the Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals. Person averaged 10.5 points and 6 rebounds in 28 minutes and shot 51 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from three-point territory against the Jazz. During regular season, established a personal best and Spurs record with 190 treys. Suffered herniated disc Nov. 3 in accident aboard charter aircraft.

- Role: Will start the season on the injured list after back surgery that he said could keep him out 2-3 months at a minimum, and possibly up to 6 months. If he returns at midseason, he would play small forward and possibly some big forward in a role as three-point shooting specialist.

- The big hope: That he returns to the team in time to sharpen up his skills for the playoffs.

Statistics

G Avg. min. FG pct. FT pct. 3-pt pct. Sti. Blk. TO Reb. Ast. Pts.

'95-96 80 26.5 .437 .644 .410 49 26 91 5.2 1.3 10.9

'96 playoffs 10 28.4 .532 .824 .532 2 3 11 4.0 1.6 12.1

Career 795 32.9 .465 .723 .368 629 177 1832 5.5 3.1 16.4

TIM KEMPTON

- Position: Center/forward.

- Height, weight: 6-foot-10, 255 pounds.

- Born: Jan. 25, 1964, Jamaica, N.Y.

- College: Notre Dame.

- NBA experience: Seventh season, first with Spurs (signed Wednesday as free agent).

- Pro highlights: The Spurs are Kempton’s seventh NBA team since he was drafted by the Clippers in 1986. Spent seven seasons in European leagues.

Statistics

G Avg. min. FG pct. FT pct. 3-pt pct. Sti. Blk. TO Reb. Ast. Pts.

NBA career 262 13.9 .485 .675 302 119 41 3.0 1.2 4.8

via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1996-11-01, By Jerry Briggs Express-News Staff Writer

马刺启航，无上将领航

• 伤兵满营的圣安东尼奥队将在明尼苏达开赛。明尼阿波利斯 - 马刺队主教练鲍勃·希尔(Bob Hill) 再次遭受了打击，这一次是来自他自己的球队。他得知前锋查尔斯·史密斯(Charles Smith) 可能会缺席今晚对阵明尼苏达森林狼队的常规赛揭幕战。

史密斯在周四圣安东尼奥的训练中无法参加训练，因为他的右膝长期疼痛，所以他被列为出战成疑。这场比赛将在晚上七点在目标中心球馆举行。

“他在之前两天训练后出现了肿胀，所以我们把他送去看戴维·施密特(David Schmidt) 医生，”希尔说。“我并不真正担心。他这周早些时候在训练中表现很好。这只是我们必须处理的事情。”

马刺队，上赛季的中西部赛区冠军，已经知道他们将要在全明星中锋大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson) 和替补中锋威尔·珀迪(Will Perdue)缺席的情况下面对森林狼队。

失去另一位大个子的可能性让马刺队赢得比赛的希望变得渺茫，即使对手是联盟中一支长期处于弱势的球队。

“明尼苏达是一支不错的球队，”希尔说。“（新秀）斯蒂芬·马布里(Stephon Marbury) 和凯文·加内特(Kevin Garnett) 表现出色。（中锋斯托扬）弗兰科维奇(Vrankovic) 能跑能投。还有（前锋汤姆）古格里奥塔(Tom Gugliotta) 本身也是一位优秀的球员。他们正在崛起。他们想在本赛季打进季后赛。”

马刺队上赛季取得了 59胜 23负的战绩，而森林狼队则是 26胜 56负。在这种情况下，球迷们对比赛的看法可能会非常具有误导性。

森林狼队在季前赛取得了 6胜 2负的战绩。19 岁的马布里，来自佐治亚理工学院的首轮新秀，在上周六对阵密尔沃基的最后一场热身赛中得到了 32 分。艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)，马刺队首发控卫，将面临严峻的考验。

“我告诉艾弗里，马布里是一位优秀的球员，”希尔说。“他非常快。艾弗里需要做的就是利用自己的经验。这是马布里的第一场（常规赛）比赛，他肯定想打出好表现。球馆将会座无虚席，球迷们将会像狼一样嚎叫。我们必须做好准备。”

约翰逊并不那么担心马布里，他更担心球队的整体健康状况。约翰逊说，他担心罗宾逊的伤势可能比球队预计的归期更长，球队预计他会在本月中旬回归，也就是 5 到 10 场比赛后。

“这让我们想更加专注于现在，”约翰逊说。“我们一直在告诉大卫，我们不在乎是整个 11 月还是一直到 12 月，我们不想让他在 1 月或 4 月再被送回加州（克尔兰-乔布诊所）。我们希望他健康回来。”

罗宾逊和查克·珀森(Chuck Person) 由于本周早些时候的背部手术，将缺席 3 到 6 个月，两人都进入了伤病名单。根据联盟规定，伤病名单上的球员至少要缺席 5 场比赛。珀迪左拇指尖骨折，这也让球队管理层感到头疼。

珀迪说他还没有确定归期，但他本周早些时候告诉希尔，需要 3 到 4 周。珀迪的代理人比尔·布莱克利(Bill Blakely) 位于达拉斯，他说芝加哥的一位医生告诉这位身高 7 英尺的球员，如果在拇指痊愈之前受到撞击，可能会造成进一步的损伤。

“对于威尔来说，带伤上阵不是问题，”布莱克利说。“但医生说如果他恢复得太快，拇指再次受到撞击，可能会导致拇指其他部位的额外损伤。”

希尔对这一评论感到恼火，他指出：“是的，如果他的太阳穴被肘击，他可能会被杀死。我不是在开玩笑。我只是说当你比赛的时候，你会冒风险。我理解他们的担忧。但当（艾弗里）受伤时，他只是说，‘我不在乎医生怎么说。’他就直接上场。”

马刺队将派卡迪拉克·安德森(Cadillac Anderson) 首发出场，并在替补席上安排蒂姆·肯普顿(Tim Kempton)，他周三与球队签署了一份补偿合同。这个方案可能会让许多马刺队球迷感到头疼。

安德森上赛季只为马刺队打了 46 场比赛，场均得到 1.2 分。肯普顿在上周六被费城 76 人队裁掉，在过去的三年里，他大部分时间都在欧洲打球。

“当大卫回来的时候，他可以弥补很多错误，”约翰逊说。“卡迪拉克可能盖不了多少帽，但他可能会把一些人撞倒在地。”

点击查看原文：Spurs set sail without Admiral

Spurs set sail without Admiral

- Injury-riddled S.A. opens at Timberwolves. MINNEAPOLIS - Spurs coach Bob Hill rolled with another punch thrown at his midsection, figuratively speaking, when he learned that forward Charles Smith might be unavailable to play in the regular-season opener tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Smith was listed as questionable for the game, scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Target Center, when he showed up at practice Thursday in San Antonio unable to participate in drills because of a chronically sore right knee.

“There was swelling after he had practiced (the previous) two days, so we sent him to see Dr. (David) Schmidt,” Hill said. “I’m not really concerned about it. He had played well in practice (earlier this week). This is just something we’re going to have to manage.”

The Spurs, defending champions in the Midwest Division, already knew they would have to face Minnesota without All-Star center David Robinson and reserve center Will Perdue.

The prospect of losing another big man cast doubt on the Spurs’ ability to win even against one of the league’s perennial doormats.

“Minnesota is good,” Hill said. “(Rookie) Stephon Marbury and Kevin Garnett are playing great. (Center Stojan) Vrankovic can run the floor and shoot the hook. And (forward Tom) Gugliotta is a good player in his own right. They’re on the rise. They want to make the playoffs this year.”

The Spurs finished 59-23 last season, compared to 26-56 for the Timberwolves. In this case, fans’ perceptions of the matchup might be highly misleading.

Minnesota went 6-2 in the preseason. Marbury, the 19-year-old, first-round draft pick out of Georgia Tech, scored 32 points in the final exhibition game last Saturday against Milwaukee. Avery Johnson, who will start at point for the Spurs, could have his hands full.

“I told Avery that Marbury is a good player,” Hill said. “He is awfully quick. The thing Avery has to do is use his experience. It’s Marbury’s first (regular season) game and he’s going to want to play well. The building will be sold out. They’ll be howling like wolves. We’ll have to be ready.”

Johnson isn’t so much concerned about Marbury as he is about the general health of the team. Johnson said he fears that Robinson may be out longer than the team’s stated timeline for his return, which has been projected as the middle of the month - or between five and 10 games.

“It makes us want to focus in on right now,” Johnson said. “We keep telling Dave that we don’t care if it’s all of November or even into December. We don’t want them to send him back out to California (to the Kerlan-Jobe clinic) in January, or in April. We want him to come back healthy.”

Robinson and Chuck Person, out three to six months after back surgery earlier this week, are both on the injured list. By league rules, players on the injured list are out at least five games. Perdue has a fractured tip of his left thumb, which represents another source of consternation for team management.

Perdue said he had no timetable for his return, but he told Hill earlier this week it would be three to four weeks. Bill Blakely, Perdue’s Dallas-based agent, said a doctor in Chicago has told the 7-footer that if the thumb takes a blow before it is healed, it could lead to further damage.

“With Will, playing in pain is not a problem,” Blakely said. “But the doctor says if he tries to come back too quick, and the thumb gets hit again, it could cause additional damage in another area of the thumb.”

Hill bristled at the comment, noting, "Yeah, and if he gets hit in the temple by an elbow he could get killed. I’m not trying to be

facetious. I’m just saying that when you play, you’re taking a risk. I understand their concerns. But when (Avery) is hurt, he just says, `I don’t care what the doctor says.’ He just plays."

The Spurs will start Cadillac Anderson at center and will fill in with reserve Tim Kempton, signed Wednesday to a make-good contract. It’s a concept that may have many of the team’s fans reaching for the aspirin bottle.

Anderson played only 46 games for the Spurs last season and averaged 1.2 points. Kempton, waived by the Philadelphia 76ers last Saturday, has spent much of the last three seasons playing in Europe.

“When David is back there, he can make up for a lot of mistakes,” Johnson said. “Cadillac may not block a lot of shots. But he may knock some people on their backsides.”

By Jerry Briggs Express-News Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1996-11-02, By Jerry Briggs Express-News Staff Writer

马刺折戟首战 - 明尼苏达森林狼队在末节奋起直追，力克圣安东尼奥马刺队

明尼阿波利斯——如果马刺球迷在周五晚上第四节比赛还在电视机前观看，他们可能会气得把手中的玉米片朝家里的狗扔去，或者惊恐地捂住眼睛。

过去两个赛季，一直统治着中西部赛区的马刺队在第三节仅得11分。他们仍然能够与对手抗衡，主要是因为明尼苏达森林狼队的无能。

最终，一场丑陋的揭幕战以场上的森林狼队球员投进几次关键球，以 82-78 击败伤兵满营的马刺队而宣告结束。

“我们有机会获胜，”马刺队前锋肖恩·埃利奥特说。“我们有机会，但我们让它溜走了。这场比赛很伤人，因为这个月很艰难。从现在开始会变得更加艰难。”

全明星中锋大卫·罗宾逊因背部疼痛正在家中休息，至少还要再缺席两周。罗宾逊的替补威尔·帕杜也因拇指骨折缺席至少一周，或许时间更长。

在缺少这两名球员的情况下，11 月份的最后 15 场比赛看起来都很艰难，包括周日下午 6 点在阿拉莫穹顶球场主场迎战丹佛掘金队的揭幕战。

“我们所能做的就是尽力而为，”马刺队教练鲍勃·希尔说。“我们必须创造出尽可能好的团队合作和默契。而现在还做不到。”

明尼苏达森林狼队的菜鸟控球后卫斯特芬·马伯里在第一节扭伤了脚踝，仅在他期待已久的森林狼队首秀中打了八分钟，没有任何得分。

对于马刺队来说，这最初看起来像是篮球之神的馈赠。没有马伯里，森林狼队看起来很像他们一贯的样子——努力寻找身份认同，以及在选秀彩票中获得一席之地。

尽管如此，马刺队还是没能利用这个机会。中场休息时领先一分，他们在第三节跌跌撞撞地离开了禁区，16 次投篮只命中 4 次。

森林狼队也找不到篮筐，而且比赛在最后一节的大部分时间里都保持着胶着。最后六分钟，山姆·米切尔罚球两分，森林狼队领先八分。

作为报复，马刺队奋起直追，在查尔斯·史密斯在边路命中 16 英尺后，将比分追至 73-72。

从那时起，森林狼队做出了他们必须做的所有进攻。詹姆斯·罗宾逊代替马伯里出场，投进一个三分球。凯文·加内特命中了一个六英尺远的转身跳投。

多米尼克·威尔金斯在三秒区线外投进一个三分球，给马刺队带来了希望，在比赛还剩一分钟时，他们将分差缩小到三分。但前锋汤姆·古格里奥塔在边路命中 14 英尺的投篮进行了回应。在威尔金斯在另一端投篮不中后，这击溃了马刺队的斗志。

“他们投进了一些艰难的球，”埃利奥特说，“非常艰难的球。”

在看完了球队在没有罗宾逊的情况下表现后，希尔表示他可能准备改变阵容中的棋子，或许会让史密斯进入首发阵容，担任大前锋。

对阵森林狼队时，中锋卡迪拉克·安德森和大前锋卡尔·埃雷拉在场上 5 次投篮只命中 1 次。当安德森走出去开始挡拆时，防守实际上无视了他，并转移动到一个可以填补后卫文尼·德尔·内格罗的位置。

在其他情况下，埃利奥特会冲向篮筐，有时会有三名防守球员聚集在他身边，完全不担心球会落入安德森或埃雷拉手中。

对希尔来说，最可怕的事情可能是史密斯甚至也不健康。尽管他得了 12 分，但他的右膝仍然给他带来了麻烦。在过去两周只参加了两次训练后，他在参加比赛时受到了质疑。

“我必须继续寻找答案，努力找到答案，”希尔说。“也许有一个答案。也许没有。也许史密斯是首发阵容的人选。我们将继续观察，看看能否有所作为。”

古格里奥塔得到 24 分，拿下 10 个篮板，带领森林狼队取胜。20 岁的年轻天才加内特得到了 17 分，9 个篮板和 4 次盖帽。罗宾逊为明尼苏达森林狼队得到 15 分，其中包括下半场的 12 分。

对于马刺队来说，威尔金斯得了 18 分。但“精彩集锦”在 21 投 7 中的情况下，错失了一个大空位的快攻扣篮。埃利奥特和艾弗里·约翰逊各得 14 分。

尽管第一节的投篮表现很糟糕，但马刺队还是在中场休息时以 40-39 领先离开了球场。

圣安东尼奥马刺队的首发阵容在进攻端毫无作为，前 11 次投篮有 9 次不中，前 22 次投篮有 17 次不中，而森林狼队在第一节以 24-15 领先。

明尼苏达森林狼队在前几分钟有三记盖帽堵住了中路，包括加内特对埃利奥特的一次精彩盖帽，这导致加内特跳投得分，也引发了主场观众的一阵喧闹和欢呼。

在第二节，希尔派出阵容较小的球员，并立即收到了成效。随着科里·亚历山大、蒙蒂·威廉姆斯和弗农·麦克斯韦尔加强了外线防守，马刺队迫使森林狼队的替补球员不断失误。

结果是马刺队以 16-2 领先，麦克斯韦尔的跳投将比分扩大到 31-26。在明尼苏达森林狼队在加内特的带领下奋起反击后，威尔金斯在最后 30 秒在边路命中 21 英尺的投篮，帮助马刺队占据优势。

笔记

- 下一场比赛：马刺队将在周日下午 6 点在阿拉莫穹顶球场主场迎战丹佛掘金队，进行他们的主场揭幕战。在那之后，球队将于周二在克利夫兰，周三在华盛顿进行客场比赛。下周五将迎来一场重要的考验，届时他们将在主场迎战西雅图超音速队。

- 揭幕战困境：在与森林狼比赛前，马刺队在过去四个赛季的揭幕战中 1 胜 3 负。在这段时间内的唯一一场胜利发生在 1993 年，当时球队以 91-85 战胜金州勇士队，为阿拉莫穹顶球场揭幕。

- 再度重逢：马刺队前锋多米尼克·威尔金斯和森林狼队中锋斯托伊科·弗兰科维奇上赛季在希腊帕纳辛奈科斯队效力。两人帮助帕纳辛奈科斯队获得欧洲冠军。22 岁的弗兰科维奇来自南斯拉夫的德尔尼什。

7 英尺 2 英寸，260 磅重的弗兰科维奇在夏季奥运会上首发出场，担任克罗地亚队的中锋。他的球队被澳大利亚队淘汰出夺牌争夺，后者由控球后卫谢恩·希尔带领。

希尔因在对阵梦之队的比赛中与查尔斯·巴克利对峙而闻名，他是一位身高 6 英尺 0 英寸的菜鸟后卫。

- 没问题：马刺队教练鲍勃·希尔无视了一个小故障，迫使球队在周五上午在目标中心的一个健身俱乐部举行演练，而不是在主球场进行。

在周四晚上“胡迪和军刀鱼”的演出结束后，市中心体育场的工作人员仍在从音乐厅过渡到篮球场馆。

森林狼队发言人表示，周四早上，从密歇根州运送材料的司机将卡车开出公路，冲进了沟渠，导致新篮球场的交付被延迟。

“他应该在凌晨 3 点到，但他直到大约早上 4 点 15 分才到，”森林狼队公共关系助理经理吉姆·拉班巴德说。“他们后来仍在安装，所以两支球队都使用了楼下的设施。”——杰瑞·布里格斯

点击查看原文：Timber! Spurs fall in opener - Minnesota good enough down stretch to edge S.A.

Timber! Spurs fall in opener - Minnesota good enough down stretch to edge S.A.

MINNEAPOLIS - If Spurs fans were still watching on television in the fourth quarter Friday night, they may have tossed their nachos at the dog in frustration. Either that, or they covered their eyes in fright.

The Spurs, who have ruled the Midwest Division as champions the past two seasons, plodded along with 11 third-quarter points. They remained in contention mainly because of the ineptitude of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Finally, an ugly season-opener came to a merciful end when the Timberwolves hit a few clutch shots late to register an 82-78 victory over the injury-ravaged Spurs.

“We had a chance to win,” Spurs forward Sean Elliott said. “We had a chance and we let it slip away. This one hurts, because this is a tough month. It gets a lot tougher from here.”

All-Star center David Robinson, at home resting a sore back, may be out two more weeks at least. Robinson’s reserve, Will Perdue, is also out at least another week and maybe longer with a fracutured thumb.

Without those two players, the final 15 games of November all look tough, including the home opener against Denver at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Alamodome.

“All we can do is the best we can do,” Spurs coach Bob Hill said. “We have to create as great a teamwork and chemistry as we can. And that’s not good right now.”

Minnesota rookie point guard Stephon Marbury twisted his ankle in the first quarter and played only eight scoreless minutes in his long-awaited debut for the Timberwolves.

For the Spurs, it appeared initially to be a gift from the basketball gods. Without Marbury, the Timberwolves looked much like the team they have always been -one struggling for an identity and a place to settle into the lottery.

Still, the Spurs couldn’t take advantage of the situation. Leading by one at halftime, they stumbled out of the blocks in the third quarter and shot 4 of 16 from the field.

Minnesota couldn’t find the basket either, and the game remained close for most of the final period. The Timberwolves led by eight on a pair of free throws by Sam Mitchell with six minutes left.

In retaliation, the Spurs rallied to pull within 73-72 when Charles Smith knocked down a 16-footer off the side.

From there, the Timberwolves made all the plays that they had to make. James Robinson, playing in place of Marbury, hit a three-pointer. Kevin Garnett made a double-clutch, six-foot, turnaround jumper.

Dominique Wilkins gave the Spurs hope with a three-pointer from the top of the key to pull them to within three with a minute remaining. But forward Tom Gugliotta answered with a 14-footer off the side. After Wilkins missed on the other end, it broke the Spurs’ spirit.

“They hit some tough shots,” Elliott said, “real tough shots.”

After one look at his team without Robinson, Hill indicated he may be ready to change the pieces in the puzzle, possibly inserting Smith into the starting unit at power forward.

Against the Timberwolves, center Cadillac Anderson and power forward Carl Herrera combined for 1 of 5 shooting from the field. When Anderson stepped out to start the pick-and-roll, the defense virtually ignored him and shifted to a position where it stuffed guard Vinny Del Negro.

In other situations, Elliott would drive to the hoop, and sometimes three defenders would converge on him, without any fear of the ball going into the hands of Anderson or Herrera.

What may be most frightening to Hill is that even Smith is not healthy. Despite his 12 points, his right knee is still giving him trouble. He was questionable coming into the game after missing all but two practices in the past two weeks.

“I have to keep searching for an answer to try and find it,” Hill said. “Maybe there is one. Maybe there isn’t. Maybe it’s Charles with the first unit. We’ll just keep looking and see if we can’t make something work.”

Gugliotta scored 24 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead the Timberwolves. Garnett, a 20-year-old wonder child, added 17 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots. Robinson scored 15 for Minnesota, including 12 in the second half.

For the Spurs, Wilkins scored 18. But the “Human Highlight Film” missed a wide-open, breakaway dunk in the midst of a 7-of-21 shooting night. Elliott and Avery Johnson added 14 points.

Despite a horrid first-quarter shooting performance, the Spurs left the floor at intermission with a 40-39 lead.

San Antonio’s starting unit couldn’t get anything going offensively, missing nine of its first 11 shots and 17 of 22, as the Timberwolves took a 24-15 lead after one period.

Minnesota clogged up the middle for three blocks in the early minutes, including a highlight rejection by Garnett on Elliott that

led to a Garnett jumper and a burst of noise and energy from the home crowd.

In the second quarter, Hill went with a smaller lineup and received immediate results. With Cory Alexander, Monty Williams and Vernon Maxwell turning up the perimeter defensive heat, the Spurs forced the Timberwolves’ reserves into repeated mistakes.

The result was a 16-2 Spurs run, capped by a Maxwell jumper for a 31-26 lead. After Minnesota battled back behind Garnett, Wilkins’ 21-footer off the wing in the last 30 seconds gave the Spurs the edge. - - -

Notes

- Upcoming: The Spurs play their home season-opener at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Alamodome against the Denver Nuggets. After that, it’s back on the road for games Tuesday at Cleveland and Wednesday at Washington. A major test looms next Friday at home against the Seattle SuperSonics.

- Opening-night blues: The Spurs entered the Minnesota game 1-3 in openers in the past four seasons. The lone victory in that stretch came in 1993 when the team christened the Alamodome with a 91-85 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

- Reunited: Spurs forward Dominique Wilkins and Timberwolves center Stoyko Vrankovic played together last season for Panathinaikos in Greece. The two helped Panathinaikos to the European Championship. Vrankovic, 22, is from Drnis, Yugoslavia.

Vrankovic, at 7-foot-2, 260 pounds, started at center for Croatia in the Summer Olympics. His team was eliminated from medal contention by Australia, led by guard Shane Heal.

Heal, best known for his confronation with Charles Barkley in a game against the Dream team, is a 6-0 rookie guard.

- No problem: Spurs coach Bob Hill shrugged off a glitch that forced the team to hold its walk-through Friday morning at a health club in the Target Center, instead of on the main arena floor.

Workers at the downtown arena were still in transition from concert hall to basketball facility after a show by “Hootie and the Blowfish” on Thursday night.

Delivery of a new basketball floor was delayed early Thursday morning when a driver transporting the material from Michigan ran his truck off the road into a ditch, a Timberwolves spokesman said.

“He was supposed to be here at 3 in the morning, but he didn’t arrive until about 4:15,” said Jim LaBumbard, Timberwolves assistant manager of public relations. “They were still working on installing it later in the morning, so both teams used the facilities downstairs.” - Jerry Briggs

By Jerry Briggs Express-News Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1996-11-03, By Jerry Briggs, Spurs Beat

海军上将明智之举是停泊一段时间

大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)的背部怎么了？也许他背负着马刺队征战太久，终于撑不住了。这位7尺1寸的全明星球员将缺席多久？如果马刺队负担得起，就应该让他休息，直到疼痛消失，然后再休息几个星期。

正如后卫埃弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)上周指出的那样，马刺队不需要一个行动迟缓的罗宾逊在11月底一瘸一拐地走着，然后在毫无意义的比赛中倒地。

马刺队的球迷可能对球队在周五晚上揭幕战中对阵明尼苏达州的比赛中表现如此糟糕感到震惊。

马刺队想念罗宾逊的进攻，这在首节15分或第三节11分中将会派上用场。他们也想念他的防守，因为实力不济的森林狼队在第四节得到28分，最终赢得了比赛。

但球迷们更应该担心的是，在南加州的医生建议他休息两周后，罗宾逊上周骑了几天固定自行车。

他说，在球队其他球员受伤的情况下，无所事事很困难，尤其是威尔·珀杜(Will Perdue)的拇指骨折。

出于对这位热爱竞争的球员的尊重，现在不是违背医生意愿的时候。

诚然，如果罗宾逊缺席整个月，马刺队可能会度过艰难的一个月。但在这种情况下，球队的领袖不应该为此担心。他应该让其他球员来支持他——换个角度来看。

• 放轻松，'Nique: 马刺队主教练鲍勃·希尔(Bob Hill)说，多米尼克·威尔金斯(Dominique Wilkins)对阵明尼苏达州打得很努力，但教练也指出他可能出手次数太多了。

你还记得21投7中吗？这突出了威尔金斯和他在球队中取代的人查克·珀森(Chuck Person)之间的基本区别。

珀森在接受背部手术后将缺席3-6个月，他不需要那么多投篮次数就能得分。

威尔金斯有尝试接管比赛的冲动，就像他辉煌的职业生涯中一直做的那样。这可能是希尔面临的最大挑战之一，在平衡球队进攻的需求和压制这位36岁的前锋的个人技术之间取得平衡。

• 马刺队等待着他们的钱：一项计划已经获批，将为低收入球队提供财政援助，但马刺队直到明年夏天才会知道他们是否会收到任何款项。

NBA副总裁拉斯·格兰尼克(Russ Granik)说：“我们直到赛季结束才会知道哪些球队符合条件以及它们能获得多少资金。”

马刺队最近报道称，他们上赛季赚了306072美元，考虑到球队的巨额预算，这基本上是收支平衡的一年。

在NBA董事会会议上，各支球队批准了一项计划，每年最多向低收入球队提供300万美元。预计有5到8支球队符合条件。

格兰尼克说：“你必须是相对较小的市场，而且你的收入不能超过一定水平，你必须满足某些标准，以证明你的球队管理得当。”

该基金在过去四年里增长到大约5000万美元，来自市场扩张费用——那些将比赛转播范围扩展到75英里半径之外的球队支付到中央基金的钱。

马刺队总裁杰克·迪勒(Jack Diller)开玩笑地抱怨说，他们必须等到明年夏天才能收到关于补偿的消息。迪勒说，如果上周他得到了一张支票，他会把它花在“创可贴”上，因为他伤病满营的球队。

点击查看原文：The Admiral would be wise to drop anchor for awhile

The Admiral would be wise to drop anchor for awhile

What’s wrong with David Robinson’s back? Perhaps he has been carrying the Spurs for so long, it just gave out. And how long will the 7-foot-1 All-Star be missing from the lineup? If the Spurs can afford it, he should be told to sit out until he is pain free, and then a couple of weeks.

As guard Avery Johnson pointed out last week, the Spurs don’t need a half-speed Robinson gimping along in late November and then crumpling to the floor in a meaningless game.

Spurs fans may have been stunned to see the team struggle so badly against Minnesota in the season opener Friday night.

The Spurs missed Robinson’s offense, which would have come in handy during a 15-point first quarter, or an 11-point third quarter. They also missed his defense, as the lowly Timberwolves scored 28 in the fourth quarter to pull it out.

But fans should have been more alarmed to read that Robinson rode a stationary bicycle last week a few days after doctors in Southern California told him to rest for two weeks.

He said it was hard to do nothing in the wake of the team’s other injuries, namely Will Perdue’s broken thumb.

In all due respect to a guy who loves to compete, this is no time to go against the doctors’ wishes.

Given, the Spurs may have a tough month if Robinson sits out all of it. But in this instance, the team’s franchise player shouldn’t worry about it. He should let the rest of the team carry him - for a change.

-Take it easy, 'Nique: Spurs coach Bob Hill said Dominique Wilkins played hard against Minnesota, but the coach noted that he may have shot too much.

Do you remember 7 of 21 from the field? This underscores a basic difference between Wilkins, and the man he was signed to replace, Chuck Person.

Person, out 3-6 months following back surgery, doesn’t need as many shot attempts to get his points.

Wilkins feels the need to try and take over a game, as he has always done in his brilliant career. It may be one of Hill’s greatest challenges, balancing the needs of his team’s offense against the prospect of muffling the 36-year-old forward’s individual skills.

-Spurs awaiting their dough: A plan has been approved to provide financial assistance to low-revenue teams, but the Spurs won’t know if they will receive any payments until next summer.

“We won’t know until the end of the season which teams qualify and how much money they will be able to receive,” NBA deputy commissioner Russ Granik said.

The Spurs reported recently they made $306,072 last season, more or less a break-even year based on the team’s huge budget.

At last week’s NBA board meeting, teams approved a plan to provide up to $3 million per year to low-revenue teams. Between five and eight teams are expected to qualify.

“You have to be a relatively small market and have revenues that don’t go beyond a certain level, and you have to meet certain criteria to establish that your team is being run properly,” Granik said.

The fund, which has grown to about $50 million over the past four years, came from market extension fees - money paid into a central fund by teams that broadcast their games beyond a 75-mile radius.

Spurs president Jack Diller jokingly lamented the prospect of having to wait until next summer before receiving word on the compensation. If Diller would have been handed a check last week, he said he’d have spent it “on band-aids” for his injury-depleted team.

By Jerry Briggs, Spurs Beat, via San Antonio Express-News