马刺1997-98赛季实录（680+篇）

[这也将成为过去]

1997-09-28, By Glenn Rogers

NBA 赛季即将开启 - 十月或许是 NBA 恢复颜面的机会

让我们开始比赛吧 - 求求你了。

真正热爱 NBA 的人一定会在日历上仔细地圈出日期：星期五，训练营开始，10 月 31 日，1997-98 赛季正式开始。

对联盟的形象塑造者来说，这段休赛期过得并不轻松。

球员的名字频繁出现在警方的记录簿上。艾伦·艾弗森(Allen Iverson)因持有大麻被捕，加里·格兰特(Gary Grant)因殴打和行为不端被捕，杰梅因·奥尼尔(Jermaine O’Neal)因行为不端被传讯，塞达尔·特雷特(Sedale Threatt)因酒后驾车被捕，等等等等。

新加盟小牛队的丹尼斯·斯科特(Dennis Scott)行为失控，在一片喧嚣的粗俗说唱音乐中，恐吓了一群孩子。当他为自己的生日派对收取入场费并发生枪击事件时，他又一次登上新闻头条。

即使是几个多腿的弗拉明戈舞者，也难以扑灭这些小火苗。

与此同时，联盟中的一批顶级裁判因逃税被起诉。联盟将他们及其哨子赶走，撕裂了即将进行的比赛裁判质量的基底。

与此同时，再次地，贪婪的指控再次露出它的绿色头颅，当森林狼队的二年级球员凯文·加内特(Kevin Garnett)拒绝了一份六年价值约 1.03 亿美元的合同。

这在全国各地的咖啡馆和啤酒聚会场所引起了人们的热议：“你能相信这些家伙赚了多少钱，而且永远不够吗？如果他们真的需要工作，他们会做什么？”

联盟主席大卫·斯特恩(David Stern)在联盟会议上几乎举手投降，他指出球队似乎更关心篮板球，而不是场内外行为。关于丹尼斯·罗德曼的思考一定在他脑海中盘旋。

他一定是正确的，至少在这方面是。公牛队正试图重新签下罗德曼，即使他们公开要求合同保护，因为他们知道他会再次将注意力转移到他自己的反常行为上。

够了？还远没有。

NBC 孔雀台进行了剪辑，联盟的脸变得通红，当王牌解说员马夫·阿尔伯特(Marv Albert)因其令人震惊的性癖好被曝光而陷入彻底的羞辱时。穿着内裤和吊袜带的画面将永远萦绕在曾经的搭档比尔·沃尔顿(Bill Walton)脑海中。

联盟希望，救赎就在几天后。

全国各地的当地媒体将充满对他们当地球队的期待。

迈克尔·乔丹(Michael Jordan)会谈论等待着他和他的支持团队的艰巨任务 - 夺取第六座冠军。当他暗示公牛队可能不会再次夺冠时，他会不经意地眨眨眼。

肖恩·坎普(Shawn Kemp)会微笑着面对欢呼的克利夫兰球迷，他们现在终于可以将最后一铲土埋在迈克·弗拉泰洛(Mike Fratello)的慢节奏战术上了。密尔沃基球迷将困惑和悲伤地挠着头，想知道文·贝克(Vin Baker)去了哪里。

西雅图？超音速球迷和一些超音速球员可能松了一口气，因为永远不满的坎普被送走了，但到赛季中期，悲伤将会降临。

沙奎尔·奥尼尔(Shaquille O’Neal)和湖人队将会变得更加嚣张，就像明尼苏达的年轻才俊一样 - 也许在周三截止日期之前，加内特会接受大约 2000 万美元的报价。

圣安东尼奥的狂热球迷甚至可能更乐意支持新球馆的建设，因为他们正在思考着焕发活力的大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)及其接班人蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)在球场上的潜在奇迹。

斯特恩和他的宣传人员将引导故事猎手去关注在季前赛中工作的女裁判。联盟将沉浸在成为主要联盟运动中首个将女性裁判引入常规赛的荣耀中，她们将取代一些对税务申报不太严谨的裁判。

这应该又是一个美好的一年，即使很磨人，也会有通常的阵容的傻瓜带来的通常的颠簸。

然后，季后赛的辉煌。但又一次是休赛期，这一次，联盟行使了《集体谈判协议》中的一项条款，并威胁要进行修改，这带来了锁定或罢工的可怕预兆。

- 老旧但有趣：早在 6 月份，马刺队就收到了对威尔·珀杜(Will Perdue)的第一个交易咨询。电话来自新泽西，篮网队表示对一项交易有浓厚的兴趣，该交易将包括珀杜和杰森·威廉姆斯(Jayson Williams)。

马刺队一定停下来仔细查看了这份交易，但他们说：“不”。也许最主要的原因是，有时古怪的威廉姆斯将在下个赛季成为自由球员，对于巨额薪水的要求，管理层并不想在邓肯提出要求之前考虑。

点击查看原文：Around the NBA - October may mean relief for red-faced NBA

Around the NBA - October may mean relief for red-faced NBA

Let the games begin - please.

True lovers of the NBA must be squatting in front of the calendar, eyeing color-circled dates - Friday, the beginning of training camp, and Oct. 31, the actual launching of the 1997-98 season.

It’s been a tough off-time for the league’s image makers.

Players’ names filled police blotters. Allen Iverson charged with pot possession, Gary Grant arrested for battery and disorderly conduct, Jermaine O’Neal cited for disorderly conduct, Sedale Threatt arrested for driving under the influence, et al, et al.

New Maverick Dennis Scott went haywire and harangued a group of kids to the background racket of obscene rap. He again hit the news when he charged admission to his own birthday party and gunfire erupted.

Stomping out those brush fires would have been tough for several multi-legged flamenco dancers.

Meanwhile a batch of the league’s best refs were indicted for tax evasion. The league sent them and their whistles packing, ripping the fabric of quality of the officiating of games to come.

Meanwhile, again, the onerous charge of money-grubbing reared its green head when the Timberwolves’ second-year player Kevin Garnett turned down an offer of about $103 million to play ball for another six years.

That set tongues wagging in coffee shops and brew gathering spots around the country: “Can you believe how much money these guys make and it’s never enough? What would they do if they had to really get a job?”

Commissioner David Stern all but threw his hands up in surrender during the league meetings when he noted that teams seemed more interested in rebounds than off-and on-court conduct. Thoughts of Dennis Rodman surely were traipsing through his mind.

He must be right, at least about that. The Bulls are trying to resign Rodman even as they openly demand contractural protection because they know he will again detour attention to his own aberrant ways.

Enough? Not by a long shot.

The NBC Peacock took a plucking and the league’s face burned red when prime play-by- play man Marv Albert was hopelessly and forever humiliated by the revelations of his astounding sexual quirks. Visions of the man in panties and garter belt will forever haunt former cohort Bill Walton.

Salvation, the league hopes, is just days away.

Local media throughout the nation will be ablaze with the expectations of their local teams.

Michael Jordan will talk about the tough task awaiting him and his support crew - taking a fix on six. He’ll all but wink when he suggests the Bulls might not win again.

Shawn Kemp will smile out at the jubilant Cleveland fans, now ready to finally put the last shovelful of dirt on the buried Mike Fratello slow-play. Milwaukee fans will scratch their heads in bewilderment and sorrow and wonder where Vin Baker went.

Seattle? Sonic fans and some Sonics probably are breathing a sigh of relief that the perpetually upset Kemp has been sent forth but sadness will reign by midseason.

Shaquille O’Neal and the Lakers will be sassy as will the youthful talents in Minnesota - maybe Garnett will have settled for about $20 million before the Wednesday deadline.

San Antonio fanatics might even look more kindly on the push for a new arena as they ponder the potential on-court miracles of a rejuvenated David Robinson and his understudy Tim Duncan.

Stern and his promoters will guide story hunters to the female refs working preseason games. The league will bask in the glory of becoming the first of the major- league sports to bring women officials into the regular season, replacing some of those who played a little loose with their tax returns.

It should be another fine, if grinding, year, with the usual bumps provided by the usual lineup of knotheads.

Then, the glory of the playoffs. But, again the offseason, and this time with the ominous rumblings of a lockout or strike when the league exercises a clause in the Collective Bargaining Agreement and threatens alterations.

- Old but interesting: The Spurs received one of the first inquiries into the availability of Will Perdue way back in June. The call came from New Jersey, the Nets expressing strong interest in a deal that would have included Perdue and Jayson Williams.

The Spurs surely paused and took a look at that but they said, “No.” Perhaps the overriding reason was that the sometimes quirky Williams will be a free agent next season and the demands for huge money are not something management wants to ponder prior to those to be made by Duncan.

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-09-30, By Jerry Briggs

马刺球星回归球场，训练营即将开始

马刺队前锋查克·珀森(Chuck Person)周一发表了一番言论，一些球迷可能会将其解读为球队对即将到来的训练营发出的非正式战号。

“去年那62场失利，我们欠了很多人，”珀森说道，“球队来这里，在我们头上跑来跑去，嘲笑我们。那些日子结束了。”

马刺队训练营将于周五在科尔维尔开营，这支球队即将从上赛季伤病缠身的20胜62负的灾难中走出来。

珀森在去年10月29日接受背部手术后缺席了整个赛季。

如果马刺队希望重返西部联盟强队的行列，珀森的健康至关重要，他是球队的三分球头号威胁。

但珀森承认，他对自己的表现没有把握。

“乐观或悲观，这些词语我都不想用，”他说，“我只会去训练营，全力以赴，尽我所能，虽然我现在还不确定我能做到什么。”

周一，在圣徒大学与队友进行了几次模拟比赛后，珀森显然精神高昂。

随后，这位33岁的资深球员坐在场边，与两名记者进行了一段轻松愉快的采访。

当被问及是否已准备好进行两场训练时，他笑着说：“我已经九年没准备好进行两场训练了。”

当被告知马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)可能会给他一些灵活度，让他在训练营期间尽可能多地进行训练时，珀森也露出了笑容。

“如果真是这样，”他说，“那我想在第一场（季前赛）比赛中见到你们。”

珀森在8月初的康复过程中遭遇了挫折，导致他休息了大约三周的训练。尽管训练计划被打乱，但他报告称自己的体重在240-245磅之间。

“我想再减掉5磅，”他说。

在模拟比赛中，珀森在球场上上下跑动，步伐没有明显的迟缓。虽然还没有达到全速，但他确实投进了一些球，就像往常一样。

“有一点是肯定的，”他说，“我可以站在那里投三分球。”

他在非正式训练中的出现似乎提升了球队的士气，这支球队渴望弥补自1989年以来首次进入乐透区。这是马刺队中一些球员自1996年季后赛对阵犹他爵士以来，第一次看到珀森参加任何类型的比赛。

“看到大家都在这里训练，真是太好了，”马刺队前锋肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)说，“但看到查克回来更是太好了。去年，很多人都好像忘记了他。人们不记得他在（1995-96）赛季的后半段里，是怎么带领我们前进的。看起来他状态非常好。”

- 马刺队新闻：球队周一公布了18人的训练营名单，其中包括7名新球员，他们将争夺最后的阵容名额，这些新球员的合同没有保障。

在这7名球员中，有5名拥有NBA经验。后卫贾伦·杰克逊(Jaren Jackson)是这些受邀球员中上赛季上场时间最多的球员。杰克逊在华盛顿奇才队打了75场比赛。

其他球员包括后卫唐尼·博伊斯(Donnie Boyce，亚特兰大老鹰队)和雷吉·吉尔里(Reggie Geary，克利夫兰骑士队)，以及前锋马利克·罗斯(Malik Rose，夏洛特黄蜂队)和大卫·伍德(David Wood，密尔沃基雄鹿队)。

还有两名训练营球员还没有打过NBA比赛——后卫阿蒂·格里芬(Artie Griffin，阿拉巴马州李高中)和中锋肖恩·伊戈(Shawn Igo，莱斯大学)。

- 马刺队新秀蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)，今年的状元秀，在周一表现出色。邓肯在与大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)的对决中，投进了不少来自内线和外线的球。

- 资深前锋肖恩·埃利奥特周一没有参加上午的模拟比赛。球队管理层要求他放松右膝，直到训练营开始。

埃利奥特的赛季在去年2月因右膝股四头肌腱手术而提前结束。

点击查看原文：Spurs' Person back on court as camp nears

Spurs’ Person back on court as camp nears

Spurs forward Spurs forward Chuck Person on Monday sounded what some fans might interpret as the team’s unofficial battle cry for the upcoming training camp.

“We owe a lot of people for those 62 losses last year,” Person said. “Teams came in here running up and down on us, laughing at us. Those days are over.”

Spurs camp opens Friday in Kerrville for a squad coming off an injury-induced, 20-62 disaster.

Person sat out the entire year after undergoing back surgery last Oct. 29.

If the Spurs hope to return to their previous status as heavy hitters in the Western Confer ence, the health of Person - their top three- point-shooting threat - is vital.

But Person ad mits he doesn’t know what to expect from himself.

“Optimism or pessimism are phrases I’d rather not use,” he said. “I’m just going to go to camp and let it all hang out and do whatever I can do, although I’m not sure what that is right now.”

Person was clearly in high spirits after he ran through several scrimmages with his teammates Monday at the University of the Incarnate Word.

Later, the 33-year-old veteran sat on the sidelines and joked his way through a good portion of an interview with two reporters.

Asked if he was ready for two-a-days, he smiled and said, “I haven’t been ready to go (to) two-a-days in about nine years.”

Person also grinned when told that Spurs coach Gregg Popovich would probably give him some flexibility to do as much work as he could handle during camp.

“If that’s the case,” he said, “then I guess I’ll see you guys at the first (preseason) game.”

Person suffered a setback in his rehabilitation in early August, causing him to slack off training for about three weeks. Despite the unwelcome break in his schedule, he reported his weight in the 240-245 pound range.

“I’d like to be about five pounds lighter,” he said.

During the scrimmages, Person loped up and down the court without any noticeable hitch in his stride. It was far from full speed, but he did drain a few shots, just like old times.

“One thing is certain,” he said. “I can stand out there and shoot those threes.”

His appearance at the informal workout seemed to pick up the spirits of a team eager to make up for its first lottery finish since 1989. It was the first time that some of the Spurs had seen Person play in any sort of game since the '96 playoffs against Utah.

“It was good to see everyone out here working,” Spurs forward Sean Elliott said. “But it was especially good to see Chuck. Last year, it seemed like a lot of people forgot about him. People don’t remember that in the second half of the ('95-96) season, he carried us. It looks like he’s in real good shape.”

- Spurs notes: The team Monday announced its 18- man camp roster, which includes seven newcomers on non-guaranteed contracts who will vie for the final roster spot.

Out of those seven players, five have NBA experience. Guard Jaren Jackson earned the most playing time last season of any on the invitation list. Jackson played in 75 games with Washington.

The others are guards Donnie Boyce (Atlanta) and Reggie Geary (Cleveland) and forwards Malik Rose (Charlotte) and David Wood (Milwaukee).

There are also two camp players who have yet to play in an NBA game - guard Artie Griffin (Lee High School, Alabama) and center Shawn Igo (Rice).

- Spurs rookie Tim Duncan, the No. 1 pick in the draft, enjoyed a strong workout Monday. Duncan hit several shots from inside and outside in a battle against David Robinson.

- Veteran forward Sean Elliott didn’t participate in Monday’s morning scrimmage. Elliott is under orders from team management to take it easy on his right knee until training camp starts.

Elliott’s season was cut short when he had surgery on the quadriceps tendon above the knee last February.

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-10-01, By Jerry Briggs

罗伯逊依然抱有希望

身陷困境的得分后卫阿尔文·罗伯逊(Alvin Robertson)在贝克萨尔县监狱度过了四个不眠之夜，疲惫不堪，但他周二早上仍然回到了马刺队非正式训练中，希望赢得一份参加老将训练营的邀请。

他说，他不确定自己是否有机会在周五凯尔维尔开始的每日两次训练中加入其他队友。

“我只是想要一个竞争上岗的机会，”罗伯逊说道。

从目前情况来看，罗伯逊的机会正在逐渐消失。他的困境似乎陷入了法律纠纷中，这将威胁到他在来年春天之前是否能够不受牢狱之灾的困扰而自由参加比赛。

尽管重返球队的机会渺茫，马刺队在1984年选秀大会的第一轮选中了罗伯逊，但最近他还是获得了马刺队一位老将兼好友——前锋查克·珀森(Chuck Person)的强烈推荐。

“我真的很想看到他加入球队，”珀森说道，“我不能代表其他人说话，这只是我个人的意见。但他是一个战士，一个竞争者，正是我们需要的球员。”

珀森说，罗伯逊应该在圣安东尼奥获得第二次机会来洗清自己的罪名。

“任何人都应该获得这样的机会，”他说，“政客们都在获得第二次、第三次机会。只是因为阿尔文是一个运动员，运动员应该成为榜样，所以如果你犯了错误，就会显得不好。我仅仅代表我自己，但我真的很想看到阿尔文在马刺队效力。”

罗伯逊于八月份因一系列轻罪，包括两起袭击事件，在监狱服刑一年。上周，他出现在了马刺队教练组面前参加非正式训练，然后他再次被捕入狱，这次是因入室盗窃和刑事破坏罪被判处有期徒刑。

第187区法院的法官雷蒙德·安吉利尼(Raymond Angelini)周一签署了一份允许罗伯逊外出工作的命令。安吉利尼裁定，罗伯逊可以在白天外出工作，但在晚上必须返回监狱，直到服完180天的刑期。

显然，这样的安排无法让罗伯逊为马刺队效力，因为马刺队的大部分比赛都在晚上进行，而且经常要外出旅行。

但是罗伯逊的律师表示，如果马刺队邀请他参加训练营，罗伯逊可能会在之后的时间服刑，因为他周一已经为案件支付了超过27,000美元的赔偿金。

马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)上周表示，罗伯逊的问题应该“认真讨论”，自他再次入狱以来，波波维奇就淡化了这位35岁老将获得邀请的机会。

“我们很久以前就把所有的邀请都发出去，”波波维奇说道，“阿尔文不是我们邀请的人。”

波波维奇还表示，他想要澄清球队管理层在罗伯逊上周参加训练中的作用。

“他没有来参加教练的训练，”波波维奇说道，他表示马刺队教练也参加了非正式训练。“这是一个开放的训练场，任何大学生球员或职业球员都可以来参加训练。”

波波维奇周二没有参加模拟比赛。他的一位前台管理人员早些时候来到这里，但没有停留太久，他们没有看到罗伯逊加入球队。

罗伯逊承认自己状态不佳。他说，自上周再次入狱以来，他连续四个晚上没有睡觉。

“你怎么能睡得着呢？”他说，“我只是想休息一下。”

罗伯逊说，他可能有机会参加金州勇士队或克利夫兰骑士队的试训。但他的首选是马刺队。

“过去几年我一直梦想着再次为马刺队效力，并且赢得冠军，”他说，“然后我得到一份新合同，我会告诉所有人，‘和平’。”

他说，只是因为他在上周末的监狱里睡不着觉，并不意味着他不再做梦。

“你不需要闭上眼睛就能做梦，”罗伯逊说道。

马刺队新闻:

• 新秀蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)，选秀大会上的状元秀，在周二上午的一场模拟比赛中被肘击脸部，倒在了球场上。他在球场上躺了一分钟后，重新站起来并完成了比赛。

• 马刺队发言人下午晚些时候表示，邓肯没事。“他甚至没有和（训练师）约翰·安德森(John Andersen)谈论这件事，”发言人说道。

• 儒略斯·努沃苏(Julius Nwosu)，一位来自圣安东尼奥，身高6英尺10英寸的中锋，在1994-95赛季为马刺队出战了23场比赛，他表示已接受了参加多伦多猛龙队训练营的邀请。

• 中锋威尔·珀杜(Will Perdue)和前锋卡尔·埃雷拉(Carl Herrera)周二参加了模拟比赛。他们的到来使本周参加模拟比赛的拥有保障合同的老将人数增加到10人。

• 查尔斯·史密斯(Charles Smith)是唯一一位没有出现的老将。

• 马刺队四场季前赛主场比赛的单场球票将在今天开始发售。比赛对手分别是华盛顿奇才队、休斯敦火箭队、达拉斯独行侠队和纽约尼克斯队。

• 球票可以在早上8点至下午6点之间在阿拉莫穹顶售票处和所有TicketMaster售票点购买。球迷也可以通过拨打TicketMaster电话224-9600购买球票。

点击查看原文：Robertson remains hopeful

Robertson remains hopeful

Embattled guard Alvin Robertson, groggy from a lack of sleep after four nights at the Bexar County Jail, returned to informal Spurs workouts Tuesday morning hoping to earn an invitation to veterans camp.

He said he doesn’t know what his chances are to join the rest of the team for the start of two-a-day practices Friday in Kerrville.

“I’d just like the opportunity to compete for a spot,” Robertson said.

From all indications, Robertson’s chances are fading. They appear to be bogged down in legal issues that threaten whether he will be available to play uninterrupted by jail time through next spring.

Despite the failing prospects of rejoining a team that selected him in the first round of the 1984 draft, Robertson recently won a strong recommendation from a Spurs veteran and an old friend - forward Chuck Person.

“I would definitely like to see him on the team,” Person said. “I can’t speak for anyone else. This is just my opinion. But he’s a warrior. He’s a competitor. He’s the kind of player we need.”

Person said Robertson deserves a second chance to clear his name in San Antonio.

“Anyone deserves that,” he said. “Politicians are getting second and third chances. Just because Alvin’s an athlete and athletes are supposed to be role models, it makes it look bad if you make a mistake. I’m only speaking for myself. But I’d love to see Alvin on the Spurs.”

Robertson completed a year’s jail time in August on a string of misdemeanors, including two assaults. He showed up for informal Spurs workouts in front of the team’s coaching staff last week, and then he was jailed again Friday to serve time on felony charges of burglary and criminal mischief.

Raymond Angelini, the 187th district court judge, signed on Monday a work-release order on Robertson. Angelini ruled that Robertson could go to work in the day but would have to return to jail at night for the duration of a 180-day term.

Such an arrangement obviously wouldn’t allow Robertson to work for the Spurs, who play the majority of their games at night and frequently travel out of town.

But Robertson, who paid more than $27,000 in restitution on the case Monday, might be allowed to serve the jail time at a later date if the Spurs invite him to training camp, Robertson’s attorney said.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who said last week that the Robertson issue deserved “to be discussed very seriously,” has downplayed the 35-year-old’s chances of earning an invitation ever since he went back to jail.

“We sent all our invitations out long ago,” Popovich said. “Alvin wasn’t someone we invited.”

Popovich also said he wanted to clarify team management’s role in the workouts Robertson attended last week.

“He did not come in and work out for the coaches,” said Popovich, who said Spurs coaches attended the informal drills. “It’s an open-gym situation. Any college player or pro can come in and work out.”

Popovich did not attend Tuesday’s scrimmages. Two of his front-office members were there early but didn’t stay long enough to watch when Robertson joined the group.

Robertson admitted he was not in top form. He said he didn’t sleep for four nights since he went back to jail last week.

“How can you?” he said. “I just try to rest.”

Robertson said he may have a chance to try out with Golden State or Cleveland. But his first choice is the Spurs.

“I’ve dreamed over the last few years that I’m playing for the Spurs again and we’ve won the championship,” he said. “Then I get a new contract and I tell everybody, ‘Peace.’”

Just because he couldn’t fall asleep in jail last weekend, he said that didn’t mean he stopped dreaming.

“You don’t have to have your eyes closed for that,” Robertson said. Spurs notes: Rookie Tim Duncan, the No. 1 pick in the draft, took an elbow to the face and fell to the court during one of the Tuesday morning scrimmages. After a minute on the floor, he got back up and finished the game.

A Spurs spokesman said later in the afternoon that Duncan was fine. “He didn’t even talk to (trainer) John (Andersen) about it,” the spokesman said.

- Julius Nwosu, a 6-foot-10 center and San Antonio resident who played 23 games for the Spurs in 1994-95, said he has accepted an invitation to attend training camp with Toronto.

- Center Will Perdue and forward Carl Herrera showed up for scrimmages Tuesday. Their arrival increased to 10 the number of veterans with guaranteed contracts who have showed up at the scrimmages this week.

Charles Smith is the only veteran who hasn’t made an appearance.

- Individual game tickets for the Spurs’ four preseason home games will go on sale today. The games are against Washington, Houston, Dallas and New York.

Tickets can be purchased at the Alamodome ticket office between 8 a.m.-6 p.m. and at all TicketMaster locations. Fans also can purchase tickets by calling TicketMaster at 224-9600.

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-10-02, By Jerry Briggs

史密斯(Charles Smith)将不会参加马刺训练营 来源：这位前锋球员很有可能退役

关于前锋球员查尔斯·史密斯(Charles Smith)决定退役的猜测在周三加剧，当时球队宣布这位效力了九年的老将大前锋将不会参加训练营。

马刺主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)将史密斯右膝的骨关节炎问题作为原因。

“他整个夏天都在进行康复训练，而且也接受了重新评估，”波波维奇说。“结果并不理想。他的膝盖状况甚至还没有恢复到上赛季结束时的水平。”

史密斯在1996-97赛季因膝盖问题缺席了63场比赛。他在赛季初和赛季末短暂出场，但效果并不理想。

“这对查尔斯来说显然很不幸，对我们来说也是如此，因为我们希望他能够继续进步，”波波维奇说。“只是结果并不如人意。”

训练营将于周五在克尔维尔开幕。

知情人士表示，他们相信史密斯（32岁）已经决定结束自己的职业生涯。

“这就是大家都在传的话，”一位接近球队的人士说。

消息人士补充说，马刺队可能有资格使用史密斯一半的薪水签下一名新球员，但这需要联盟选定的医生对他的膝盖进行检查。

史密斯本赛季的薪水为390万美元。另一位消息人士质疑，在目前市场上可能没有类似水平的球员的情况下，球队是否愿意花费195万美元。

波波维奇不愿直接评论关于退役的报道。

“我们正在与联盟和查尔斯协商，以确定最佳解决方案，”他说。

如果史密斯正式退役，球队将有两个空缺名额。随着周五开始的双日练习，马刺队将在训练营中拥有17名球员。

其中10名球员已经确定在球队阵容中。另外7名球员将争夺最后的两个名额。

在另一个消息中，前马刺后卫阿尔文·罗伯逊(Alvin Robertson)被告知他不会被邀请参加训练营。

罗伯逊表示，他于周三被告知， “基于我的法律状况，在服刑结束之前他们无法给我提供合同。”

35岁的罗伯逊是NBA历史上的一位防守球员，上周他开始服刑180天的监禁，这是他因重罪入室盗窃罪而被判缓刑的一部分。

他于周一获得许可，在工作释放期间可以白天离开监狱，以争取训练营邀请函。他在周三非正式的训练营前训练中从波波维奇那里收到了这个坏消息。

罗伯逊承认他很失望，但他似乎仍然抱有希望，认为他可以在以后加入球队。

“我不会放弃，”他说。“我不会放弃。”

史密斯上周接受圣安东尼奥快报采访时，漫不经心地驳斥了关于他可能要退役的报道。

“你在钓鱼，”史密斯说。

史密斯还剩下三年合同，本赛季的薪水为390万美元，1998-99赛季为400万美元，1999-2000赛季为450万美元。

联盟任命的医生进行的评估似乎将成为马刺队是否能够获得特例签下一名新球员的关键。如果马刺队获得了特例，联盟也将决定他们何时可以使用它。

他们可能只有45天的时间从医生的诊断日期开始签下一名新球员，或者他们可能被允许等到明年夏天。

NBA球员协会执行董事比利·亨特(Billy Hunter)没有听说史密斯是否计划退役。如果他退役，亨特表示马刺队将继续在他们的工资帽中保留史密斯的薪水，直到98-99赛季中期。

亨特表示，史密斯将获得他合同中剩余的所有薪水。但他表示，史密斯、马刺队和纽约尼克斯队（正在支付部分合同）可以就更改后的支付时间表达成协议。

亨特表示，联盟将与马刺队一起制定残疾球员特例的指导方针。

马刺队注：科比·迪特里希(Coby Dietrick)本赛季将不再担任马刺队电视转播的解说员。

迪特里希周三晚上确认，他被告知将不再担任评论员，他将不再与解说员罗恩·舒林(Ron Thulin)搭档。迪特里希拒绝进一步置评。

消息人士称，前达拉斯和纽约球员罗兰多·布莱克曼(Rolando Blackman)和前马刺球员多克·里弗斯(Doc Rivers)将与舒林共同担任解说员。

点击查看原文：Smith won't be at Spurs camp Sources: Forward likely to retire

Smith won’t be at Spurs camp Sources: Forward likely to retire

Speculation that forward Charles Smith has decided to retire increased Wednesday when the team announced the nine-year veteran power forward will not attend training camp.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich cited Smith’s right knee, afflicted with osteoarthritis, as the reason.

“He’s been on a (rehabilitation) program all summer and he’s been re-evaluated,” Popovich said. “It didn’t go well. It’s not even in as good a shape as (it) was at the end of last season.”

Smith sat out 63 games during 1996-97 with the knee problem. He played briefly at the beginning and again at the end of the season, without great success.

“It’s unfortunate for Charles, obviously, and also for us (because) we were hoping he’d continue to improve,” Popovich said. “It just didn’t work out.”

Training camp opens Friday in Kerrville.

Sources familiar with the situation said they believe Smith, 32, has decided to call it a career.

“That’s what the word is,” a source close to team said.

The Spurs may be eligible to use half of Smith’s salary to sign another player, pending an examination of his knee by a doctor selected by the league, the sources added.

Smith is scheduled to make $3.9 million this season. Another source questioned whether the team would want to spend $1.95 million at this point, when no player of that quality may exist on the open market.

Popovich wouldn’t comment directly on the retirement reports.

“We’re in consultation with the league and with Charles to figure the best thing to do,” he said.

If Smith’s retirement becomes official, it would leave the team with two roster openings. As two-a-day practices start Friday, the Spurs will have 17 players in camp.

Ten players are guaranteed spots on the team. Seven others will be battling for the final two positions.

In another development, former Spurs guard Alvin Robertson has been told he won’t be invited to camp.

Robertson said he was informed Wednesday that “based on my legal situation, they can’t tender me a contract until my (jail) time’s been served.”

Robertson, 35, a one-time defensive player of the year in the NBA, started serving a 180-day jail sentence last week as part of his probation on a felony burglary charge.

He received permission Monday to leave jail during the day on work release in an effort to win a training camp invitation. He received the bad news from Popovich at Wednesday’s informal pre-camp scrimmages.

Robertson admitted his disappointment, but he seemed to hold out hope that he could join the team at a later date.

“I’m not going to quit,” he said. “I’m not going to give up.”

Smith, contacted by the San Antonio Express-News last week, casually dismissed reports that he might be stepping aside.

“You’re fishing,” Smith said.

Smith has three years remaining on a contract that is scheduled to pay $3.9 million this season, $4 million in 1988-99 and $4.5 million in 1999-2000.

The evaluation performed by the league-appointed physician apparently will hold the key as to whether the Spurs will be granted the exception to sign another player. If the Spurs get the exception, the league also will determine when they can use it.

They may have only 45 days from the date of the doctor’s determination to sign another athlete, or they may be allowed to wait until next summer.

Billy Hunter, executive director of the NBA Players Association, had not heard whether Smith planned to step aside. If he retires, Hunter said the Spurs would continue to carry Smith’s salary on their cap until midway through the '98-99 season.

Hunter said Smith will be paid all the salary remaining on his contract. But he said Smith, the Spurs and New York Knicks - who are paying a portion of the contract - could agree to an altered payment schedule.

Hunter said the league would work out the disabled player exception guidelines with the Spurs.

Spurs note: Coby Dietrick will not be a member of the Spurs’ television game broadcasts this season.

Dietrick confirmed Wednesday night that he was told he would no longer be the color commentator alongside play-by-play man Ron Thulin. Dietrick declined further comment.

Sources report that Rolando Blackman, formerly a player with both Dallas and New York, and ex-Spur Doc Rivers will share the analyst duties alongside Thulin.

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-10-03, By Jerry Briggs

马刺队报告纪要

马刺队动态：马刺队在训练营大名单中新增前锋丹亚·艾布拉姆斯。艾布拉姆斯身高 6 尺 7 英寸，体重 265 磅，是波士顿学院培养出的新秀。

球队还宣布聘请李·温伯利担任首席球探。温伯利过去 11 个赛季中一直担任斯沃斯莫尔学院的主教练。

这次调动意味着 R.C. 布福德将获得一个新的头衔——球探主管。

此外，马刺队的球探埃德·曼宁预计将接受费城 76 人队提供的类似职位。

罗伯森渴望复出：前马刺队后卫阿尔文·罗伯森表示，在得知自己因重罪入室盗窃案不必再服刑后，他“感到充满希望”，觉得自己本赛季有可能复出 NBA。

罗伯森说：“现在，我可能会找到工作，”他仍然渴望为马刺队效力。“而且我不必再担心会重返监狱。”

马刺队教练格雷格·波波维奇表示，第 187 区法院法官雷蒙德·安吉利尼的裁决并未改变他关于在没有罗伯森的情况下参加训练营的决定，罗伯森可能是公开市场上最具天赋的得分后卫。

波波维奇表示：“我和我们的队员都祝他一切顺利。”

他将退役还是不会退役：马刺队老板彼得·霍尔特表示，他已经听说前锋查尔斯·史密斯计划结束其职业生涯。

但霍尔特说，史密斯“据我所知，并没有明确表示‘我要退役’”。

9 年老将史密斯没有接听他位于圣安东尼奥的家的电话。

球队已宣布他将不会参加训练营，并且承认他的未来堪忧，因为他右膝骨关节炎的问题一直没有解决。

马刺队表示，球队医生大卫·施密特博士和一位独立医生检查后认定，该膝盖的状况已比上赛季末恶化。

马刺队不一定需要史密斯的退役声明才能从联盟获得 195 万美元的薪金例外。

集体谈判协议指出，一支超出工资帽的球队如果确定一名球员本赛季将缺席，可以使用他一半的薪水。- 杰瑞·布里格斯

训练营大名单

球员 位置 身高 大学 NBA 经验

科里·亚历山大 后卫 6 尺 1 英寸 弗吉尼亚州 2 年

贾伦·杰克逊 后卫 6 尺 6 英寸 乔治城大学 7 年

蒙蒂·威廉姆斯 前锋 6 尺 8 英寸 圣母大学 3 年

雷吉·吉尔 后卫 6 尺 2 英寸 亚利桑那大学 1 年

艾弗里·约翰逊 后卫 5 尺 11 英寸 南方大学 9 年

卡尔·埃雷拉 前锋 6 尺 9 英寸 休斯敦大学 6 年

大卫·伍德 前锋 6 尺 9 英寸 内华达大学雷诺分校 7 年

肖恩·艾戈 中锋 6 尺 10 英寸 莱斯大学 新秀

文尼·德尔·内格罗 后卫 6 尺 4 英寸 北卡罗来纳州立大学 7 年

蒂姆·邓肯 前锋/中锋 6 尺 11 英寸 维克森林大学 新秀

多尼·博伊斯 后卫 6 尺 5 英寸 科罗拉多大学 2 年

阿蒂·格里芬 后卫 6 尺 4 英寸 阿拉巴马大学 新秀

马利克·罗斯 前锋 6 尺 7 英寸 德雷塞尔大学 1 年

肖恩·艾略特 前锋 6 尺 8 英寸 亚利桑那大学 8 年

威尔·珀迪 中锋 7 尺 0 英寸 范德堡大学 9 年

查克·珀森 前锋 6 尺 8 英寸 奥本大学 11 年

大卫·罗宾逊 中锋 7 尺 1 英寸 海军学院 8 年

丹亚·艾布拉姆斯 前锋 6 尺 7 英寸 波士顿学院 新秀

x- 查尔斯·史密斯 前锋 6 尺 10 英寸 匹兹堡大学 9 年

x- 受伤，不会参加训练营。

点击查看原文：Spurs Report Notes

Spurs Report Notes

Spurs moves: The Spurs have added forward Danya Abrams to their training camp roster. Abrams is a 6-7, 265-pound rookie out of Boston College.

The team also announced that it has hired Lee Wimberly as head scout. Wimberly has served as head coach at Swarthmore College for the last 11 seasons.

The move means R.C. Buford will take a new title - director of scouting.

In addition, Spurs scout Ed Manning is expected to accept a similar job with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Robertson wants to play: Former Spurs guard Alvin Robertson said he experienced a “feeling of hope” that he could play in the NBA this season after learning Thursday that he wouldn’t have to serve any more jail time in his felony burglary case.

“Now there’s a possibility that I can find employment,” said Robertson, who still wants to play for the Spurs. “And I won’t have to worry about going back to jail.”

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said the ruling by 187th District Court Judge Raymond Angelini didn’t change his thinking about going to training camp without Robertson, perhaps the most talented shooting guard available on the open market .

“I wish him and our guys wish him the best,” Popovich said.

Will he or won’t he: Spurs owner Peter Holt said he has heard the talk that forward Charles Smith plans to call it a career.

But Holt said that Smith “as far as I know, hasn’t specifically gotten up and said, ‘I’m going to retire.’”

Smith, a nine-year veteran, is not returning calls to his San Antonio home.

The team has announced he will not attend training camp and has acknowledged that his future is in question because of lingering problems with osteoarthritis in his right knee.

Examinations by Dr. David Schmidt, the Spurs’ team doctor, and an independent doctor determined that the knee’s condition has worsened since the end of last season, the Spurs said.

The Spurs wouldn’t necessarily need a retirement announcement from Smith to get the $1.95 million salary exception from the league.

The collective bargaining agreement points out that a team over the cap can use half a player’s salary if that player is determined to be out for the season. - Jerry Briggs

Camp roster

Player Pos. Ht. College NBA exp.

Cory Alexander G 6-1 Virginia 2 years

Jaren Jackson G 6-6 Georgetown 7 years

Monty Williams F 6-8 Notre Dame 3 years

Reggie Geary G 6-2 Arizona 1 year

Avery Johnson G 5-11 Southern 9 years

Carl Herrera F 6-9 Houston 6 years

David Wood F 6-9 Nevada-Reno 7 years

Shawn Igo C 6-10 Rice Rookie

Vinny Del Negro G 6-4 North Car. St. 7 years

Tim Duncan F-C 6-11 Wake Forest Rookie

Donnie Boyce G 6-5 Colorado 2 years

Artie Griffin G 6-4 Alabama Rookie

Malik Rose F 6-7 Drexel 1 year

Sean Elliott F 6-8 Arizona 8 years

Will Perdue C 7-0 Vanderbilt 9 years

Chuck Person F 6-8 Auburn 11 years

David Robinson C 7-1 Navy 8 years

Danya Abrams F 6-7 Boston College Rookie

x-Charles Smith F 6-10 Pittsburgh 9 years

x-Injured, will not attend camp.

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-10-03, By Jerry Briggs

开幕日 马刺训练营为邓肯的潜力而兴奋

马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)希望他的球队在今天在科尔维尔开始的训练营中注重细节。

然而，在训练间隙的安静时刻，教练组和球员可能很难抑制住想要停下来以谈论蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)的巨大潜力以及这位选秀状元可能带来的影响的冲动。

这位新秀中锋/前锋在本周早些时候的训练营前热身赛中表现出色。球队在周四进行一体检。

“我能说什么？”波波维奇问道。“蒂姆是真的。他是选秀状元。我相信有些状元没有成功。但正如你所见，蒂姆是真的。他是货真价实的。”

邓肯是否能让马刺队成为真正的争冠热门还有待观察。

“我认为你可以期待一支准备争夺NBA总冠军的球队，”波波维奇说，“因为天赋和意志都在。当然，我们需要一些好运。

“我们会尊重那些我们需要追赶的球队，比如休斯顿和犹他。但我们之前也经历过。所以我们对今年能带给你们的表现感到非常兴奋和乐观。”

大卫·伍德(David Wood)，一位前马刺球员，正在努力作为替补前锋加入球队。这位在NBA征战七年的老将本周早些时候在一天的训练结束后对邓肯的表现赞叹不已。

“他太棒了，”伍德说。“他投出的18英尺跳投就像顶级得分后卫一样。如果他能做到这一点，就很难阻止他。”

不要被伍德的分析误导。邓肯不是那种花哨的、外线球员。

背对着篮筐或面对着篮筐，他展示了各种各样的动作。在禁区内，他会巧妙地假动作，然后从防守者身下钻过。其他时候，他会强势进攻，并在有人挂在他身上时得分。

而这个家伙应该在职业生涯早期就更擅长防守？

“他力量之大令人惊讶，”伍德说。“我犯规了好几次，他还是把球投进了。”

马刺队将带18名球员参加训练营。其中10人拥有保障合同。其中一个球员名单位置肯定会在8名受邀球员中争夺，另外可能还有两个，这取决于查尔斯·史密斯(Charles Smith)的情况。

史密斯患有右膝关节炎，不会参加训练营。据报道，他计划退役。

球队的后卫位置肯定空缺了一个。这将引发希望者贾伦·杰克逊(Jaren Jackson)、雷吉·格里尔(Reggie Geary)、多尼·博伊斯(Donnie Boyce)和阿蒂·格里芬(Artie Griffin)之间的竞争。

在锋线上，马刺队似乎正在寻找一位球员来填补12人的阵容。

这组希望者包括伍德（曾在1992-93赛季效力于马刺队）、马利克·罗斯(Malik Rose)以及新秀肖恩·伊戈(Shawn Igo)和达尼亚·阿布拉姆斯(Danya Abrams)。

“我喜欢查尔斯·史密斯，”伍德说。“我很为他感到难过，他的膝盖一直困扰着他。我希望他能健康，并能在这里。就我而言，我觉得我作为一名球员有所进步，我能够帮助这支球队。我不担心日常运营（前台的）。”

波波维奇在他上赛季接手主教练兼总经理双重角色后，正在进行他的第一次训练营。他说，他希望确保球员们重申他们的工作习惯，并做好所有的小事。

“必须要有日常工作作风，”他说。“我们必须意识到，由于（去年的）伤病，我们落后了。所以我们还有很多工作要做，这需要我们每天都注重细节。”

波波维奇说，他对大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)、肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)和查克·珀森(Chuck Person)的整体健康状况感到满意。这三位球员的伤病导致了上赛季20胜62负的糟糕战绩。

“查克看起来比我想象的要好得多，”波波维奇说。“戴夫看起来不错，肖恩也看起来不错。但我们需要慢慢地让这些家伙恢复。”

随着邓肯的加入，马刺队的资深球员已经开始谈论，他们必须压制一些进攻天赋，以便让这位新秀成长为一名球员。

“今年球队的一件大事是无私的比赛，”波波维奇说。“我这么说不是因为我们有自私的球员。但我们将拥有很多有能力的人…而我们只允许用一个篮球。

“我们需要花一些时间来建立角色和关系，并弄清楚如何进攻。”

马刺训练营

关键日期：今天 - 在科尔维尔施莱纳学院开始每天两次的训练（对公众关闭）；周一 - 马刺队慈善高尔夫球赛，桑特拉高尔夫俱乐部；周二 - 在博恩的梅多兰兹球场继续每天两次的训练（对公众关闭）；周五 - 马刺队在飞往华盛顿的包机航班前进行最后一次训练。

揭幕战：季前赛 - 10月11日对阵华盛顿@费尔法克斯，弗吉尼亚州，下午6:30；季前赛主场 - 10月16日对阵华盛顿，晚上7:30；常规赛 - 10月31日@丹佛，晚上8:00；常规赛主场 - 11月1日对阵克利夫兰，晚上7:30。

点击查看原文：Opening Day Spurs start camp abuzz about Duncan's potential

Opening Day Spurs start camp abuzz about Duncan’s potential

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich wants his team to pay attention to detail when training camp opens today in Kerrville.

In the quiet moments between practices, however, it may be difficult for the staff and players to resist the urge to pause, talk about the immense potential of Tim Duncan and speculate about what effect the No. 1 pick in the draft could have.

The rookie center/forward dominated pre-camp scrimmages earlier this week leading into Thursday’s physical exams.

“What can I say?” Popovich asked. “Tim is for real. He’s the No. 1 pick in the draft. I’m sure there have been some No. 1s that did not work out. But as you can see, Tim is for real. He’s the real deal.”

Whether Duncan makes the Spurs legitimate contenders for the title remains to be seen.

“I think you can get ready for a team that expects to compete for an NBA championship,” Popovich said, "because the talent is there and the will is there. Sure, we’re going to need some good fortune.

“We’re going to respect those teams that we have to catch, like the Houstons and the Utahs. But we’ve been there before. So we’re very excited and very optimistic about what we’re going to be able to bring you this year.”

David Wood, a former Spur, is trying to make the team as a reserve forward. The seven-year NBA veteran marveled at Duncan’s prowess after one of the day’s workouts earlier this week.

“He was awesome,” Wood said. “He was hitting that 18-foot jump shot like a premier two-guard. If he does that, it’s going to be tough to stop him.”

Don’t be mistaken by Wood’s analysis. Duncan is no tap-dancing, perimeter player.

With his back to the basket or facing it, he has displayed a variety of moves. In the paint, he will cleverly fake up, then slither under a defender. Other times, he will power up and score with people hanging on him.

And this is a guy who is supposed to be better defensively early in his career?

“It’s surprising how strong he is,” Wood said. “I fouled him hard a couple of times and he still got the ball up.”

The Spurs are bringing 18 players to camp. Ten of them have guaranteed contracts. One roster spot definitely is up for grabs among the eight invited players, and there probably will be two pending the outcome of Charles Smith’s situation.

Smith, with an arthritic right knee, will not attend camp. He reportedly plans to retire.

One backcourt position on the team definitely is open. It’s a vacancy that will generate competition among hopefuls Jaren Jackson, Reggie Geary, Donnie Boyce and Artie Griffin.

In the frontcourt, it seems likely that the Spurs will be looking for someone at that position to fill out the 12-man roster.

The hopefuls in that group include Wood - who played with the Spurs in 1992-93 - Malik Rose and rookies Shawn Igo and Danya Abrams.

“I like Charles Smith,” Wood said. “I feel bad for him that his knee is bothering him. I wish it was healthy and he was here. In my case, I feel I’ve improved as a player and I can help this team. I’m not worried about day-to-day operations (of the front office).”

Popovich is running his first training camp since accepting after last season the dual roles of head coach and general manager. He said he wants to make certain that players reaffirm their work habits and do all the little things.

“A day-to-day work ethic has to be employed,” he said. “We have to realize that, with the injuries (from last year), we’re behind. So we have work to do to improve, and that doesn’t happen without a day-to-day attention to detail.”

Popovich said he likes the overall health of David Robinson, Sean Elliott and Chuck Person, players whose injuries led to a 20-62 nightmare last season.

“Chuck looks much better than I thought he would,” Popovich said. “Dave looks good and Sean looks good. But we’ll have to bring these guys along slowly.”

With Duncan in the lineup, Spurs veterans are already talking about having to submerge some of their offensive talents in order to let the rookie grow as a player.

“One of the big things for the team this year is unselfish play,” Popovich said. "And I don’t say that because we have selfish players. But we’re going to have a lot of capable people … and we’re only allowed to play with one basketball.

“We’re going to have to take some time and establish roles and relationships and figure out how to attack this thing.”

Spurs camp

Key dates: Today - Two-a-day practices start in Kerrville at Schreiner College (closed to the public); Monday - Spurs Scramble charity golf tournament, The Club at Sonterra; Tuesday - Two-a-day practices resume in Boerne at The Meadowlands complex (closed to the public); Friday - Spurs’ final practice before the team boards charter flight for Washington

Openers: Preseason - Oct. 11 vs. Washington @Fairfax, Va., 6:30 p.m.; Preseason @home - Oct. 16 vs. Washington, 7:30 p.m.; Regular season - Oct. 31 @Denver, 8 p.m.; Regular season @home - Nov. 1 vs. Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-10-04, By Jerry Briggs

马刺队笔记

马刺队进步: 马刺队教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)对大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)、肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)和查克·珀森(Chuck Person)在周五前两次训练营练习后的进步表示满意。

但他告诫说，每一天对他们来说都是考验。这三个人都在去年遭遇了重伤。

“我认为他们都处理得很好，”波波维奇周五晚上说。“我在两次训练中都限制了他们的上场时间，但他们三个都想要打更长时间。他们都渴望上场。但我必须对他们有耐心。最糟糕的事情就是操之过急，让他们承担太多。”

改变主意: 令人记忆深刻的是，马刺队首次向媒体开放了训练营的一部分。一些电视、广播和印刷媒体人员被允许观看在施莱纳学院埃丁顿中心进行的约 30 分钟的比赛。

上赛季，马刺队开放了他们的比赛日投篮练习。但训练课只对最后 20 分钟开放，主要用于罚球训练。

如果马刺队继续新的政策，他们将成为联盟中为数不多的允许媒体观看训练的球队之一。

马刺队前锋肖恩·埃利奥特说，他不介意这种改变。

“这不会困扰我们，”他说。“你们（媒体人员）在有 15,000 或 20,000 名球迷的比赛中也会出现，所以这无关紧要。”

胜利在路上: 埃利奥特说，他不认为马刺队需要太多时间才能回到几年前的胜利之路。

“我认为我们会很快恢复到以前的状态，”埃利奥特说。“我们有了新的进攻方式，但相对简单。很多都是本能的东西。防守上有一些新的东西。但如果你已经打过很长时间，你应该能够很快学会。” - 杰里·布里格斯 (Jerry Briggs)

点击查看原文：Spurs Notes

Spurs Notes

Spurs progressing: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich expressed satisfaction at the progress of David Robinson, Sean Elliott and Chuck Person after the first two training-camp practices Friday.

But he cautioned that every day will be a test for them. All three suffered a major injury last year.

“I think they all handled it very well,” Popovich said Friday night. “I limited their minutes in both practices, but all three wanted to go longer. They’re all anxious to be in there. I’ve got to be patient with them, though. The worst thing you can do is go too quickly and have them take on too much.”

Change of heart:For the first time in memory, the Spurs opened a portion of camp workouts to the media. Several television, radio and print media members were allowed to watch about 30 minutes of a scrimmage at Schreiner College’s Edington Center.

Last season, the Spurs opened their game-day shoot-arounds. But practice sessions were open only for the final 20 minutes, time utilized mainly for free-throw shooting drills.

If the Spurs stay with the new policy, they would be one of the few teams in the league to allow the media to watch practice.

Spurs forward Sean Elliott said he didn’t mind the change.

“It doesn’t bother us,” he said. “You (media personnel) are here during games when there’s 15,000 or 20,000 fans anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”

Wins on the way: Elliott said he doesn’t think the Spurs will need a lot of time to get back to their winning ways of a few years ago.

“I think we’ll be good right away,” Elliott said. “We got a new offense, but it’s relatively simple. A lot is instinctive stuff. Defensively there are some new things. But if you’ve played long, you should be able to pick it up.” - Jerry Briggs

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-10-04, By Jerry Briggs

夺冠之前，马刺需先掌握基本功

凯尔维尔 - 马刺球迷渴望看到几年前那支夺冠级别的球队重现，比如在10月31日对阵掘金的常规赛揭幕战中。

但这不太可能。

上赛季因伤病而未能实现夺冠梦想的球员们需要重新了解自己康复后的身体能够做什么。这可能需要一段时间。

即使如此，他们还需要学习格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)教练的新战术体系。另外，今年的新秀 - 状元秀蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)，预计将成为球队体系的重要组成部分 - 也会摸索适应。

这或许就是为什么，在周五训练营开始时，马刺中锋大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)试图将球队的现状描绘得更加现实。

一些球迷已经在谈论西部冠军了。但罗宾逊坚持认为，马刺现在还不能考虑这种事情 - 至少现在还不行。

“我现在甚至没有把我们当作夺冠热门来考虑，”罗宾逊说。“我们现在还必须把基本功打扎实。我们有了一位优秀的球员（邓肯）加入我们的阵容。我们必须确保每个人都保持健康。我们需要让每个人重新回到同一个频道。”

马刺在周五进行了两次训练，并将继续在今天和周日于施莱纳学院进行常规训练。

“我们必须开始重建信心，并再次建立稳定性，”罗宾逊说。“在我们考虑冠军之前，我们还有很多事情需要担心。我现在甚至不认为我们应该拿自己跟（卫冕冠军芝加哥）公牛相比。”

公牛在上赛季的NBA总决赛中击败了犹他爵士队。犹他爵士队将在西部再次成为劲敌，西雅图超音速队、休斯敦火箭队和洛杉矶湖人队也将是强劲的对手。

“我只是认为我们需要整理好自己的状态，然后开始前进，”罗宾逊说。“也许到了一月或二月，我们就能看看我们在西部的位置了。但现在，在我看来，我们排在最后。上赛季我们战绩是20胜62负。所以我们还有很多工作要做。

“最终我们或许能达到那个位置，让我们有机会争冠。但现在还不行。”

罗宾逊是球队一切的关键。他上赛季因背部和脚部伤病缺席了76场比赛，球队也因此崩溃。在休赛期，罗宾逊比波波维奇见过的任何时候都要努力，以增强自己的体魄。

现在他已经完成了康复，进入到了微调阶段。他在上午的训练中跑得非常流畅，与邓肯和威尔·珀杜(Will Perdue)两位中锋轮流进行对抗训练。球队比以往进行更多五对五的训练。

“我认为这部分是用来提高体能，部分是为了重新找回篮球的感觉，”罗宾逊说。“很多球员上赛季缺席了很多比赛，关键显然是要找回节奏，找回手感。”

波波维奇说，训练营中的18名球员将在接下来的几天里获得更多比赛机会。

“我们还没有聪明到去想出很多训练方案，”波波维奇说。“就是把球滚出去，让他们打，别去干扰他们。这就是我们的理念。”

没有人受伤，邓肯表现出色 - 就像他在本周早些时候训练营前的模拟比赛中一样 - 这让波波维奇心情不错。

“我们会留住他，”波波维奇开玩笑地说。“我们不会放弃他。之前我们还有50%的可能性会放弃他。我们再让他留一天看看情况。”

邓肯承认第一天有些困惑，但他表示今年夏天在犹他州参加落基山评审会(Rocky Mountain Revue)的经历对他有所帮助。

“我有点迷糊，”他说。“我们在犹他州也进行了很多这样的训练，所以我知道一些战术。但我对其中一些战术还有所保留。有时候我站的位置不对，而且我还在适应与A.J.（艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)）和科里（亚历山大(Cory Alexander)）的挡拆配合。”

点击查看原文：Before title talk, Spurs must learn to speak basics

Before title talk, Spurs must learn to speak basics

KERRVILLE - Spurs fans would love to see the championship-caliber team they cheered a few years ago materialize by, say, the regular-season opener Oct. 31 at Denver.

It’s not likely to happen.

Players whose title dreams were stomped out by in- juries last season need to find out what their rehabilitated bodies can do. That may take awhile.

Even then, there is a new offense to learn under Coach Gregg Popovich. And there is a rookie - No. 1 draft pick Tim Duncan, expected to be a major part of the system - who will be feeling his way.

That may be why, as training camp opened here Friday, Spurs center David Robinson tried to put a realistic face on where he thinks the team is in its developmental stage.

Some fans already are talking Western Conference championship. But Robinson insisted the Spurs can’t think about that type of thing - not just yet, anyway.

“I don’t even think of us in that capacity just yet,” Robinson said. “We still have to get the basics down right now. We have a great new player (in Duncan) to add into our roster. We’ve got to make sure everyone is healthy. We need to get everyone back on the same page again.”

The Spurs went through two practices Friday and will continue the routine today and Sunday at Schreiner College.

“We’ve got to start to develop our confidence and establish our consistency again,” Robinson said. “We’ve got so many things to worry about right now before we even worry about championship stuff. I don’t even think we should be comparing ourselves to the (defending champion Chicago) Bulls right now.”

The Bulls stormed past the Utah Jazz in last season’s NBA Finals. Utah will be tough again in the West, as will the Seattle SuperSonics, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers.

“I just think we need to get our act together and get going,” Robinson said. "Maybe by January or February, we’ll be able to see where we stack up (in the West). But right now, we stack up at the bottom, as far as what I remember from last year. We were 20-62. So, we have a lot of work to do.

“Eventually we could get there, where we have a good shot at it. But right now, we’re not there.”

Robinson is the key to everything. He missed 76 games last year with back and foot injuries, and the team fell apart. Over the summer, Robinson worked harder than Popovich had ever seen, to strengthen his body.

Now he has moved past rehabilitation and into a fine-tuning stage. He ran smoothly in the morning practice session, working alternately in scrimmages against centers Duncan and Will Perdue. The team is playing more five-on-five sets than in the past.

“I think part of it is for conditioning, and part of it is just getting a feel for the basketball again,” Robinson said. "You have so many people miss a lot of games (last season), and the key obviously is to get your timing back and get your touch back. "

Popovich said the 18 players in camp will see a lot more game action in the coming days.

“We’re not smart enough to think up a lot of drills,” Popovich said. “It’s just, 'Roll the ball out and let 'em play and don’t screw ‘em up.’ That’s the philosophy.”

Nobody got hurt and Duncan played well - again, just as he did earlier in the week in pre-camp scrimmages - which put Popovich in a good mood.

“We’re going to keep him,” Popovich joked. “We’re not going to waive him. It was 50-50. We’re going to keep him for the second day and see how it goes.”

Duncan admitted to some confusion on the first day, but he said time he spent in Utah at the Rocky Mountain Revue earlier this summer helped.

“I was a bit confused,” he said. “We went through a lot of this in Utah, so I knew some of the offense. But some of it I was backed up on. Sometimes I wasn’t in the right position, and I’m just getting used to the pick and roll with AJ (Avery Johnson) and Cory (Alexander).”

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-10-05, By Jerry Briggs

马刺队票价太高？冰人想“解冻”

前马刺队后卫乔治·格文(George Gervin)凭借他的挑篮(finger roll)球技，在球队历史上获得了最高的得分。

如今，冰人想要“翻滚”别的东西。他希望看到马刺队在25周年纪念赛季到来之前，能够降低票价。他大胆的梦想是在阿拉莫穹顶球馆每晚吸引35,000名球迷。

当然，这永远不会发生。

但是格文说，他的幻想是希望球队将穹顶上层的座位价格降至25年前球迷所付的价格。

他认为，如果每晚都能坐满，在蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)与大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)联手征战的第一个赛季，球迷们会将现场气氛炒到震耳欲聋的程度。

更重要的是，格文说，低收入球迷可能会更有机会融入球队。

“让我们在阿拉莫穹顶的上层(座位)安排15,000名球迷，将这些票卖到4或5美元，然后把它填满，”他说。“我们的球迷一直都很棒。我认为在我们的25周年纪念日，他们应该得到这样的待遇。”

目前，球队计划在常规赛中只在10场比赛，也许再多几场，开放穹顶的上层。在这些比赛中，上层座位的价格将为9美元和11美元。

马刺队市场营销副总裁拉斯·布克宾德(Russ Bookbinder)表示，球队不可能在常规赛的每场比赛中都卖光穹顶的座位。

“一般来说，(开放上层座位)在所有比赛中都没有市场，”布克宾德说。“如果你在星期二晚上对阵明尼苏达或达拉斯，你就不可能得到…足够的观众。”

布克宾德指出，球迷可以组团在开放上层的比赛中入场，以6或7美元的价格进入球馆，这些价格可能在NBA中处于最低之列。

此外，布克宾德本可以指出，马刺队的票价在联盟标准中是相当合理的。但正如这座城市中每个蓝领阶层、工薪阶层的都知道的那样，NBA的平均票价已经不再是每个人都能负担得起的了。

格文表示，他认为，一些在1973-74赛季，也就是球队第一个赛季，在希米斯费尔体育馆(HemisFair Arena)观看马刺队比赛的球迷，已经被1990年代的票价拒之门外。

他说，许多在ABA时期观看马刺队比赛的年轻球迷已经长大成人，他们可能发现带孩子去看一场NBA比赛几乎是不可能的。

“那真是太可惜了，”格文说。

在格文看来，他的计划最终可能成为球队在赛季结束时计算收入时的一笔亏损。他还表示，他理解，如果降低上层座位的票价，那么下层更高价位的座位价值就会下降。

即使如此，他还是无法摆脱这个想法。

格文从小在底特律的贫民窟长大，他越是谈论这个想法，就越是充满热情。

“为什么不试着做一年，看看会发生什么？”他问道。“你可以下去向坐在地板上的球迷解释，我敢打赌他们不会介意。今年的主题应该是赢得比赛，让每个人都参与进来。

“我们可能会对反应感到惊讶。”

点击查看原文：Spurs Beat - Iceman wants to defrost high cost of Spurs tickets

Spurs Beat - Iceman wants to defrost high cost of Spurs tickets

Former Spurs guard George Gervin finger-rolled his way to the most points in franchise history.

Now, the Iceman wants to roll something else. He’d like to see ticket prices rolled back leading into the Spurs’ 25th anniversary season. His wild dream is 35,000 fans a night at the Alamodome.

It will never happen, of course.

But Gervin said his fantasy would be for the team to slash the prices on seating in the upper level of the dome, back to the levels that fans paid a quarter-century ago.

With a full house every night, he reasoned, fans would turn up the noise to ear-splitting levels during Tim Duncan’s first season playing alongside David Robinson.

More importantly, Gervin said, lower-income fans might feel more a part of the team.

“Let’s put 15,000 fans in the top tier (of the Alamodome), sell those tickets for $4 or $5 and just fill it up,” he said. “Our fans have been great. On our 25th anniversary, I think they deserve that.”

Currently, the team plans to open the upper deck of the dome only 10 times, and maybe a few more, during the regular season. On those nights, upper level seats will be priced at $9 and $11.

Russ Bookbinder, the Spurs vice president for marketing, said the team can’t possibly sell out the dome every night of the regular season.

“Generally, there’s not a market for (opening the upper deck) on all the games,” Bookbinder said. “If you’re playing Minnesota or Dallas on a Tuesday night, you’re just not going to get the … attendance.”

Bookbinder pointed out that fans can come in groups on upper-deck nights and get into the building for $6 or $7, prices that probably rank among the lowest in the NBA.

Also, Bookbinder could have pointed out that Spurs tickets are very reasonable by league standards. But as every blue-collar, working guy in town knows, the NBA’s average ticket price just isn’t in everyone’s range anymore.

Gervin said he thinks some of the fans who watched the Spurs at HemisFair Arena in 1973-74, the team’s first season, have been priced out of the market in the 1990s.

He said many young fans who attended Spurs games in the ABA have grown into adulthood and probably discovered that it’s next to impossible to take their children to an NBA game.

“That is sad, man,” Gervin said.

In Gervin’s eyes, his plan might ultimately be a money-loser for the franchise when it counts up receipts at the end of the season. He also said he understands that higher-priced seats in the lower level would be devalued if the reduced upper-level tickets were available for every game.

Even then, he couldn’t get the thought out of his head.

Gervin, who grew up in a ghetto in Detroit, became more passionate about the idea the longer he talked about it.

“Why not do it one year, and see what happens?” he asked. "You go down and explain that to the people sitting on the floor, and I bet they don’t care. The whole concept this year should be winning, and getting everyone involved.

“We might be surprised at the reaction.”

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-10-05, By Jerry Briggs and Glenn Rogers

马刺训练营笔记

海军上将休息： 马刺中锋大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)在周六，训练营的第二天，大部分时间都没有参加上午的对抗赛。在媒体见证的30分钟时间内，他全程没有上场。

教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)表示无需担心。

“我们限制了（训练）时间，包括大卫、肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)和查克·珀森(Chuck Person)。”他说。

罗宾逊表示，他计划在整个训练营期间都非常谨慎。

“我会非常小心。如果我感觉到任何问题，我就会退场。”他在晚上的训练后说。“但总的来说，我感觉非常好。我会非常谨慎。”

这位中锋表示，他在上午训练时感到了一点轻微的抽搐。

“这就是我退场的原因。但我的背部在整个夏天都恢复得很好。今天也恢复得很好。今晚我感觉很好，跳跃也很轻松。”

罗宾逊、珀森和埃利奥特在上赛季都遭遇了重大伤病。罗宾逊和珀森背部受伤，埃利奥特则患上了严重的股四头肌腱炎。

蒙蒂康复： 马刺前锋蒙蒂·威廉姆斯(Monty Williams)表示，他的左拇指骨折正在逐渐好转。威廉姆斯两周前在自家花园里发生意外，导致拇指骨折。他说，在球队从第一个季前赛客场之旅回来后，他应该就能恢复训练。

当球队在10月15日从奥兰多回来时，威廉姆斯认为他应该可以开始参加对抗赛，甚至有可能参加季前赛。

在训练营的头两天，威廉姆斯一直在场边进行无休止的冲刺训练。 - 杰里·布里格斯(Jerry Briggs)和格伦·罗杰斯(Glenn Rogers)

点击查看原文：Spurs Camp Notes

Spurs Camp Notes

Admiral idled: Spurs center David Robinson was held out of action for much of the morning scrimmage on Saturday, the second day of training camp. He sat out all of the 30 minutes of the session witnessed by the media.

Coach Gregg Popovich said there was no reason for alarm.

“We’re limiting the (practice) time for David, Sean (Elliott) and Chuck (Person),” he said.

Robinson said he plans to be very cautious through the training camp.

“I’ll be very careful. If I feel any kind of a tweak, I will back off,” he said after the evening workout. “But I feel real good for the most part. I’ll just be very cautious.”

The center said he felt just a little twinge during the morning practice.

“That’s why I backed off. But the back has always responded well throughout the summer. It responded very well today. I was fine tonight and was jumping around real well.”

Robinson, Person and Elliott each suffered a major injury last season. Robinson and Person had back injuries and Elliott a severe bout with quadriceps tendinitis.

Monty on the mend: Spurs forward Monty Williams said his broken left thumb is healing nicely. Williams, who fractured the thumb in a gardening accident in his yard two weeks ago, said he should be ready to practice when the team returns from its first preseason road trip.

When the team gets back from Orlando on Oct. 15, Williams thinks he should begin to take part in scrimmages and possibly play in preseason games.

Williams has been seen running endless wind sprints on the side during the first two days of camp. - Jerry Briggs and Glenn Rogers

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

[这也将成为过去]

1997-10-05, By Jerry Briggs

波波维奇打造自己的防守体系

这是他从赛季开始就组建的球队，而且主力球员正健康归来

克维尔——上赛季，当马刺队的总经理格雷格·波波维奇解雇教练鲍勃·希尔时，他并没有真正解释原因。

但是，大多数人推测，主要原因之一在于波波维奇对希尔认为缺乏防守意识感到不满。

波波维奇在 12 月份担任教练，秉持着身体对抗的原则。虽然马刺队由于伤病人手不足，但他希望让其他球队得分尽可能困难。

所以，波波维奇在上任后的第一个训练营花上了大量时间宣扬防守策略也就不足为奇了。

他说：“我们知道，你必须让自己成为联盟中最好的防守球员之一，才能获得成功。我们将继续专注于这一点。”

上个赛季，任何从对方球队杀入禁区的球员都会要求马刺球员上前对抗。在某些情况下，它几乎会引发一场争斗，尤其当涉及到其他球队的明星球员时。

波波维奇说：“我们会尝试打压迫性防守并限制切入。我们希望五名球员能够相互信任，这样他们就可以离开自己的防守人并提供帮助。”

波波维奇将继续坚持其基本理论，即使加入了一名盖帽新秀蒂姆·邓肯，他也是选秀中的状元。

让邓肯、大卫·罗宾逊和威尔·帕杜在内线位置轮换，将为马刺队提供三名 7 英尺高的球员，他们可以拒绝对方球队切入的后卫或前锋。

尽管如此，波波维奇不希望任何人认为球队会将球员漏进内线，以便邓肯为他们端上俗称的圆球三明治。

波波维奇说：“你永远不要让别人进入内线。对于防守人员来说，无论你有谁在内线都无关紧要。因为我们有戴夫、威尔和蒂姆，他们都是出色的盖帽手，他们将能够对付进入内线的人。但我们不想将其视为一种理念。”

在五个首发位置中的三个位置中——中锋、大前锋和小前锋，马刺队几乎都对大多数球队有有利的防守对位。

从理论上讲，罗宾逊、邓肯和肖恩·艾利奥特应该能够对付几乎任何人。除此之外，情况有点不妙。后卫阿弗里·约翰逊和文尼·德尔·内格罗并不以他们的防守能力著称。

面对加里·佩顿、米奇·里奇蒙德、克莱德·德雷克斯勒、拉特雷尔·斯普雷维尔或以赛亚·赖德等大个后卫时，马刺队可能会遇到麻烦。

艾利奥特说：“那些家伙都是出色的球员。许多球队都无法对付其中任何一个人。至少我们有能够让他们付出努力的球员。”

在近期内，马刺队总是有一名运动能力出色、身高为 6 英尺 4 英寸的替补球员来对抗对手运动能力最强的后场球员。

但在训练营的这个早期阶段，马刺队还没有确定谁会扮演这个角色。可能会是小前锋蒙蒂·威廉姆斯最终会转为后卫。

甚至可能是艾利奥特，他在夏天减轻体重以变得更轻、更敏捷，他将会承担一部分责任。

但是，由于威廉姆斯右手拇指骨折，艾利奥特因膝盖肌腱手术而慢慢恢复，新人贾伦·杰克逊在训练营的训练赛中一直与德尔·内格罗对战。

身高 6 英尺 7 英寸的杰克逊可能是值得关注的对象。上个赛季，他为华盛顿子弹队打了 75 场比赛——这是他的第七支 NBA 球队。

他说：“这是我第一次进入一支有潜力在季后赛中走得很远的球队。我是一名防守球员。我只是扮演自己的角色。”

艾利奥特表示，马刺队的内线防守应该是强势的。

他说：“这太棒了。戴夫、蒂姆和威尔在场上，大部分时间都有这三个人中的两个。从防守和篮板球角度来看，这是一大优势。我能想到唯一能对位的球队是湖人队，他们有沙奎尔·奥尼尔和埃尔登·坎贝尔，也许还有波特兰队（他们有阿尔维达斯·萨博尼斯和拉希德·华莱士）。”

艾利奥特说，他不确定球队在防守端能有多出色。

他说：“这是一个好问题。我们有潜力变得伟大。我们如何在场上合作还有待观察。这不仅仅是个体的对决，还要看我们如何互相帮助。”

点击查看原文：Popovich builds his own defense This is his team from start of season, and key players are coming back healthy

Popovich builds his own defense This is his team from start of season, and key players are coming back healthy

KERRVILLE - When Spurs general manager Gregg Popovich fired Coach Bob Hill last season, he never really explained why.

But most suspected that one of the major reasons was Popovich’s dismay over what he perceived as Hill’s lack of focus on defense.

Popovich took over as coach in December preaching a mantra of body-banging aggression. Even though the Spurs were shorthanded because of injuries, he wanted to make it as difficult as possible for other teams to score.

So it’s not surprising that Popovich spends a good bit of time preaching defense in his first training camp at the helm.

“We know you have to be one of the better defenses in the league in order to be successful,” he said. “We’re going to continue to concentrate on it.”

Last season, anyone from the opposing team who drove into the paint was asking to have a Spurs player step up and make contact. On a few occasions it almost seemed as if it would lead to a fight, especially when it involved another squad’s star player.

“We’ll try to play pressure defense and limit penetration,” Popovich said. “We want to have five guys out there who trust each other so they can leave their man and go give help.”

Popovich will continue to subscribe to his basic theories, even with the addition of a shot-blocking rookie, Tim Duncan, the No. 1 pick in the draft.

Having Duncan, David Robinson and Will Perdue rotating in the post positions will give the Spurs three 7-footers who can reject a slashing guard or forward.

Still, Popovich doesn’t want anyone thinking the team will seek to funnel players inside so Duncan can present them with the proverbial roundball sandwich.

“You never let people in the middle,” Popovich said. “It doesn’t matter who you have in there (defensively). Because we have Dave and Will and Tim, all of them great shot-blockers, they’re going to be able to take care of players who (happen to get inside). But we don’t want to make a philosophy of it.”

The Spurs seemingly will have favorable defensive matchups on most teams in three of five starting positions - center, power forward and small forward.

Robinson, Duncan and Sean Elliott, in theory, should be able to handle just about anyone. It gets a little dicey beyond that. Guards Avery Johnson and Vinny Del Negro aren’t known for their defensive prowess.

Against big guards such as Gary Payton, Mitch Richmond, Clyde Drexler, Latrell Sprewell or Isaiah Rider, the Spurs could have problems.

“Those guys are great players,” Elliott said. “A lot of teams can’t handle any of those guys. At least we have guys who can make them work.”

In the recent past, the Spurs have always had an athletic, 6-foot-4 stopper off the bench to counter the opposition’s most athletic backcourt player.

But at this early stage in training camp, the Spurs have yet to define who will play that role. It could be that Monty Williams, a natural small forward, will eventually see time at guard.

It may even be that Elliott, who dropped weight over the summer to become lighter and quicker, will take on some of the responsibility.

But with Williams nursing a broken thumb and Elliott coming back slowly from knee tendon surgery, newcomer Jaren Jackson has played much of the time against Del Negro in camp scrimmages.

Jackson, at 6-7, could be someone to watch. He played 75 games last season for the Washington Bullets - his seventh NBA team.

“This is the first time I’ve been on (a team) with the potential to go deep in the playoffs,” he said. “I’m a defensive player. I just play my role.”

Elliott said the Spurs’ interior defense should be solid.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “With Dave, Tim and Will, you have two of those three guys on the floor most of the time. Defense and rebounding-wise, it’s a big advantage. The only teams I can think of (that match up) are the Lakers, with Shaq (O’Neal) and Elden Campbell and maybe Portland (with (Arvydas) Sabonis and (Rasheed) Wallace.”

Elliott said he isn’t certain how good the team will be defensively.

“That’s a good question,” he said. “We have the potential to be great. It remains to be seen how we work together. It’s not going to be individual matchups as much as how much we help each other out.”

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-10-05, By Buck Harvey

大D的最大条件：圣安东尼奥需要什么？

报纸照片显示罗斯·佩罗特(Ross Perot Jr.)对着镜头微笑，一只手搭在达拉斯市长的肩上。放大照片后发现，他的另一只手放在市长后裤兜附近。

达拉斯想要帮助佩罗特，小牛队的老板，建造一座体育馆，可能是因为洛克菲勒家族太忙了。如果有人问，老佩罗特会拿出他的饼状图，来解释为什么这是错误的。给一位已经继承了足够财富的体育老板送钱吗？

因此，马刺队摇摇头。他们拥有联盟历史上最引人注目的内线阵容之一，而小牛队在上周签下了迈克尔·芬利(Michael Finley)这位不赖的后卫，5 年的合同价值超过 800 万美元。究竟是哪支球队获得了市政厅的援助？

但圣安东尼奥的选民应该从中吸取教训，而不是马刺队。达拉斯协议中隐藏着一些东西，如果圣安东尼奥要组建类似的体育馆项目，这些内容应该是强制性的。

保证书。纸质的。有效期 30 年。

这有点超前了。休斯敦正在等待花费 7 亿美元用于建造体育场，现在达拉斯也有了一个提案。圣安东尼奥还没有完全结束对大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)的责备，因为他只是提到了这个话题。

对比鲜明。休斯顿和达拉斯都可以在谈判中采取更强硬的立场。毕竟，这两个都是有价值的市场，有能力抵制对体育球队的补贴。也许这就是为什么这件事一直没有意义。可以理解为什么圣安东尼奥或纳什维尔需要牺牲商业原则来吸引或留住一支球队。但如果达拉斯拒绝合作，最糟糕的情况会是什么？

小牛队搬到郊区——就像牛仔队在欧文，游骑兵队在阿灵顿一样。

此外，休斯顿和达拉斯拥有的体育馆都比马刺队曾经拥有的任何体育馆都要好。例如，达拉斯的联合体育馆可以容纳 16000 人观看牛仔竞技表演，19000 人观看音乐会。在圣安东尼奥拥有这样的东西难道不是一件好事吗？

因此，以豪华包厢的名义拆除峰会体育馆和联合体育馆应该是一个令人反感的决定。为一个没有体育馆的城市建造一座体育馆应该更容易让人接受。

难怪达拉斯的体育馆支持者面临着斗争。小牛队和星队需要获得达拉斯市议会和城市选民的批准，而且已经成立了一个“让罗斯支付”委员会。尽管计划中规定了不太痛苦的税收——通常的租车和酒店税——但民调显示，他们需要做一些宣传工作才能说服达拉斯选民。

尽管如此，马刺队仍然渴望得到同样的机会。“达拉斯正在为小牛队和星队做正确的事，我们希望圣安东尼奥也能为马刺队做正确的事，”球队副总裁莱奥·戈麦斯(Leo Gomez)上周表示。“我认为我们已经明确表示，马刺队愿意支付他们应尽的份额，无论是通过租约还是其他方式。”

小牛队和星队将支付的费用不可忽视。他们将共同投入 1.05 亿美元，约占总投资的一半。如果马刺队要支付他们应尽的份额——对于一个更便宜的体育馆——他们在这方面的预付款可能约为 3000 万美元。

但对圣安东尼奥来说，协议的细节才是关键。小牛队和星队将支付 440 万美元的年租金——保证支付 30 年。

也许这听起来很空洞。毕竟，联合体育馆在 15 年后就变得过时了。谁说豪华套房时代不会发生同样的情况？如果一支球队没有盈利，而出售是唯一的救赎之路，那么罚款只会是一种障碍，而不是保证。

然而，当圣安东尼奥考虑为一个波动市场中的特许经营权建造一个部分由其出资的设施时，最糟糕的情况是，当马刺队重新考虑账簿并离开时，体育馆的合作关系会瓦解。那么解决方案是什么？

老佩罗特也可以拿出图表来解释这一点。如果你有一个租户一直租到 2030 年，一切都会变得更有意义，不是吗？

点击查看原文：Biggest condition in Big D: What San Antonio needs?

Biggest condition in Big D: What San Antonio needs?

The newspaper photo showed Ross Perot Jr. beaming for the cameras with one hand on the shoulder of the Dallas mayor. Magnification of the picture revealed the other hand resting somewhere near the mayor’s back pocket.

Dallas wants to help Perot, owner of the Mavericks, build an arena, probably because the Rockefellers are busy. If asked, papa Perot would pull out his pie charts to show why it’s wrong. Give money to a sports owner who already inherited enough?

So the Spurs shake their heads. They offer one of the more intriguing frontlines in league history, while the Mavericks last week signed a not-bad guard named Michael Finley to a deal worth more than $8 million a year for five years. And which team gets aid from city hall?

But San Antonio’s voters should draw something from this, not the Spurs. Hidden within the Dallas agreement is something that should be mandatory in San Antonio if a similar arena package is ever put together.

Guarantees. On paper. For 30 years.

That’s getting ahead of the story. Houston waits to spend $700 million on stadiums, and now Dallas has a proposal. San Antonio hasn’t quite finished scolding David Robinson for even bringing up the subject.

The contrasts are striking. Both Houston and Dallas could take tougher negotiation stances. After all, both are valued markets that have the leverage to stand firm against the subsidization of sports teams. And maybe that’s what has never made sense. It’s understandable why San Antonio or Nashville would have to compromise business principles to attract or keep a team. But if Dallas refused to do business, what’s the worst that could happen?

The Mavericks head to a suburb - - just as the Cowboys are in Irving, the Rangers in Arlington.

Besides, both Houston and Dallas have arenas better than anything the Spurs have ever had. Dallas’ Reunion Arena, for example, holds 16,000 for the rodeo and 19,000 for concerts. Wouldn’t that be a nice thing to have in San Antonio?

So razing The Summit and Reunion in the name of luxury boxes ought to be a nauseous decision. Building an arena for a city without one ought to be far easier to reconcile.

No wonder the pro-arena forces in Dallas face a fight. The Mavericks and Stars need approval of the Dallas city council and the city’s voters, and there is already a “Let Ross Pay for It” committee in place. Even as the plans call for less painful taxes - the usual rental car and hotel taxes - polls indicate they will have to do some selling to talk Dallas voters into this.

Still, the Spurs would love the same chance. “Dallas is doing right for the Mavericks and Stars and we hope that San Antonio does right for the Spurs,” a team VP, Leo Gomez, said last week. “I think we have made it clear that the Spurs are willing to pay their share, whether it’s through leases or what have you.”

What the Mavericks and Stars will pay is not to be dismissed. Together, they will put in $105 million, or about half. If the Spurs were to pay their fair share - for a cheaper arena - their up-front cost on this scale might be about $30 million.

But it’s the details of the deal that apply to San Antonio. The Mavericks and Stars will pay $4.4 million in annual rent - for a guaranteed 30 years.

Maybe that sounds hollow. After all, Reunion became obsolete after about 15 years. Who says the same doesn’t happen to the era of luxury suites? If a team isn’t profitable and a sale is the only salvation, then a penalty is only a hindrance, not a guarantee.

Still, when San Antonio considers building something partly for a franchise in a volatile market, the nightmare scenario is an arena partnership that dissolves when the Spurs rethink their books and leave. So what’s a solution?

Papa Perot could pull out a chart on that, too. Everything makes better sense, doesn’t it, if you have a tenant paying rent to 2030?

By Buck Harvey, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-10-06, By Jerry Briggs

罗宾逊训练中表现出色

科尔维尔 - 每当大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)感到下背部疼痛时，马刺队的球迷就会开始搓手顿足。

周日早上，他们在早餐桌上可能也感到有些不安。当他们在报纸上读到罗宾逊在训练营中首次出现不适时，有些人甚至可能紧张地打翻了麦片碗。

给球迷们的一条消息：你们都可以冷静下来。

就在他们消化了罗宾逊在训练营第二天早上训练出现问题的消息时，罗宾逊在训练营第三天在施莱纳学院的埃丁顿中心进行了周末最佳的训练，彻底打消了人们对他长期复发的所有担忧。

下一个球权？他从低位转身，沿着底线大步迈进，又造成了犯规。当一些球员因长时间训练而筋疲力尽时，罗宾逊 - 他的训练时间一直有限 - 却火力全开。

“我的背感觉很好，”罗宾逊说。“我一直非常小心，确保每次稍微受伤的时候，我都会坐下来休息。但今天棒极了。我完成了整个训练，跑得很好，跳得很好，没有任何问题。”

罗宾逊上赛季因伤缺席了 76 场比赛，他承认，经过一个夏天的艰苦康复，他的“最大进步”体现在当僵硬袭来时，他能够迅速恢复。

“每次我背部受伤时，我的反应轻微很多，”他说。“很快就恢复了。我可以立即回到球场继续比赛。而且我不会那么僵硬。我认为我总体上要强壮很多。”

上周初，邓肯利用罗宾逊体能不足的优势，在训练营前的对抗赛中，两人直接对决。当时，邓肯在场上跑得比罗宾逊快，在半场进攻中也轻松突破了他。

作为回应，1995 年 NBA 最有价值球员罗宾逊似乎正在迎接由最新状元秀提出的挑战。

“我对今天很满意，”罗宾逊说。“我认为，到目前为止，这是我能打得最好的状态，我希望我能继续进步。蒂姆在训练营中的表现非常出色。所以现在轮到我提升自己，迎接挑战，确保他努力训练。这很有趣。”

早上大部分的对抗赛都比较混乱。球员们试图打快节奏，经常传球脱手或出界。还有人围着大个子球员，犯了一些愚蠢的犯规。

尽管出现了很多混乱局面，但还是出现了一些山区秀场。罗宾逊（7 英尺 1 英寸）和邓肯（6 英尺 11 英寸）都上演了一些令人瞠目结舌的精彩表现。

邓肯，21 岁，技术娴熟，展示了几次巧妙的单手勾射。他抢断了一个传球，带球跑到另一端上篮。

“看到他们两个像这样奔跑，”马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇说，“这真是令人激动。”

回顾他前一天的感受，波波维奇承认，当罗宾逊在周六早上训练中抱怨疼痛退出时，他感到有些担心。

“我会一直担心大卫、肖恩(艾略特)和查克(珀森)整个赛季，”波波维奇说。“但我相信，凭借大卫付出的巨大努力，他能克服一次伤病，然后恢复过来。”

艾略特在 2 月份接受了股四头肌肌腱手术。珀森在去年 10 月 29 日接受了背部手术。

珀森看起来状态不错，跑得流畅，投进了长距离跳投。艾略特恢复的程度尚不清楚。

这支球队的首发小前锋在媒体观看训练时，一直没有参加训练。据报道，艾略特在对抗赛的早期阶段表现不错。

但他无法像其他一些球员一样持续保持下去。

“我认为，在体能方面，我落后于所有人，”艾略特说。

点击查看原文：Robinson sharp in workout

Robinson sharp in workout

KERRVILLE - Any time David Robinson feels a twinge of pain in his lower back, Spurs fans start wringing their hands.

They probably did a little squirming at the breakfast table Sunday morning. Some may have even nervously tipped over the cereal bowl when they read in the newspaper that Robinson endured his first episode of discomfort at training camp.

A message to the fans: You can all calm down.

Just as they were digesting news of Robinson’s problematic morning practice on Day 2 of camp, Robinson stamped out all fears of a prolonged relapse by running through his best workout of the weekend on Day 3 at Schreiner College’s Edington Center.

Next possession? He spun out of the post, took a long stride down the baseline and drew another foul. As some players dragged from extended practice time, Robinson - whose time has been limited - turned it on.

“My back’s feeling great,” Robinson said. “I’ve been really taking it easy, making sure that every time I hurt it a little bit, I sit back. But today was fantastic. I went through the practice, ran well, jumped well and didn’t have any problems whatsoever.”

Robinson, who sat out 76 games last season with injuries, acknowledged that his “biggest improvement” after a summer of arduous rehabilitation can be seen in his ability to rebound quickly when stiffness strikes.

“I get much less affected by problems any time I hurt my back,” he said. “It comes right back. I can go right back on the floor and play. And I don’t get quite as stiff. I think I’m just a lot stronger overall.”

Early last week, Duncan took advantage of Robinson’s lack of conditioning when the two went head- to-head in pre-camp scrimmages. Duncan, at the time, beat Robinson down the floor and blew past him in half-court situations.

In response, Robinson, the 1995 NBA Most Valuable Player, seems to be rising to the challenge presented by the latest No. 1 pick in the draft .

“I was happy with today,” Robinson said. “I think, so far, it’s been the best I’ve been able to play and hopefully I’ll continue to get better. Tim has looked great in camp. So now it’s time for me to step it up and meet the challenge, make sure he works hard. It’s been fun.”

Much of the morning scrimmage was a bit ragged. Players tried to play up-tempo and often fired passes off hands and out of bounds. Others swarmed the big guys and committed silly fouls.

Despite all the messy situations, a bit of Hill Country Showtime emerged. Both Robinson (7-foot-1) and Duncan (6-11) made some eye- opening plays.

Duncan, skilled beyond his 21 years of age, threw in a couple of deft, off-hand hooks. He stole one pass at the top of the circle and dribbled to the other end for a layup.

“To see those two running the floor like that,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, “it is pretty thrilling.”

Reflecting on his feelings a day earlier, Popovich acknowledged some concern when Robinson ducked out of Saturday morning’s practice complaining of soreness.

“I’ll be concerned about David and Sean (Elliott) and Chuck (Person) the whole season,” Popovich said. “But I feel confident that with the huge amount of work that David’s done, that it’ll allow him to have an episode and bounce back.”

Elliott is coming off quadriceps tendon surgery in February. Person underwent back surgery last Oct. 29.

Person looked to be in fine form, running smoothly and hitting long jump shots. The extent of Elliott’s progress was a little less clear.

The team’s starting small forward didn’t work out at all in the time the media watched practices. Reportedly, Elliott enjoyed his moments early in the scrimmages.

But he hasn’t been able to sustain it as long as some of the other players.

“I would say, conditioning-wise, I’m behind everyone,” Elliott said.

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-10-07, By Glen Rogers

邓肯在马刺高尔夫球赛中娱乐

新秀蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)表示他会参加马刺队在索恩特拉俱乐部举行的年度争夺赛，但他不会在周一下午打高尔夫球。

他信守了诺言。

邓肯在练习果岭上练习长推杆，并从俯瞰18号球洞的土堆上开球，以此来娱乐自己和旁观者。

大多数推杆都失误了，但他用挥动球杆的方式向打进的球致敬，球杆在他这名身高6尺11寸的前锋手中看起来像一根小魔杖。

他挥杆的姿势像棒球强打者挖出一个低球一样，尽管他尽力向左转动身体，但球还是切了出去。

随后，邓肯与好友迈克·斯科特(Mike Scott)一起跳上了一辆高尔夫球车，加入了一支小型车队，其中包括查克·珀森(Chuck Person)，由马刺队董事会主席彼得·霍尔特(Peter Holt)带队。

这群人从一个球洞快速驶向另一个球洞，下车与其他名人和嘉宾打招呼或开玩笑。

乌云笼罩着索恩特拉，一场突如其来的暴雨清空了球场，并在比赛进行到一半时淋湿了几名球员。但雨很快停了，高尔夫球手们继续比赛直到结束。

车队驶到戴维·罗宾逊(David Robinson)的小组附近，当时罗宾逊的球落在果岭旁的沙坑里。

邓肯选择尝试把球打出沙坑，罗宾逊则不断地给出指导。

“这支球杆很有经验，”罗宾逊一边说着，一边把球杆递给邓肯，并演示了如何使用它。“不要把球杆插进沙子，直接挥过去。好，好，”当邓肯把球打起来，然后在果岭上滚了几英尺时，他大声喊着。

当珀森试图推一个大约20英尺的球时，他被训斥了一顿。“现在不要打得太快，不要打得太快，”罗宾逊建议道。珀森的推杆打得太长了。

早些时候，在小组的巡回过程中，霍尔特鼓励珀森放弃任何击球的机会。

“我不想有任何扭转，没有扭转，”他开玩笑地说，指的是这位三分射手背部的伤病。

他们在14号球洞附近停了一下，看到艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)在开球。

“嘿，老板在附近，我可不想让他以为我整个夏天都在打高尔夫球，”这位矮个后卫在自己的球打偏后说道。

他们还短暂地停下来观看乔治·格文(George Gervin)开球。这位前马刺队巨星和名人堂成员在向邓肯介绍后低声说道：“欢迎来到圣安东尼奥。”然后他调侃了这位新秀的李维牛仔裤和浅棕色毛衣，说这可能不是理想的打高尔夫球的着装。“你不喜欢我的衣服吗？”邓肯笑着问。“会好起来的，”格文笑着说。

在与肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)一起休息时，邓肯和珀森都打了一次补救球，他们每个人都尝试了30英尺的推杆。珀森尝试了两次，一次打长了，一次打短了。邓肯以一个强劲的击球结束了他一天的工作，球直接滚过了球洞。

马刺队今天早上将在博恩的梅多兰兹恢复训练营。

点击查看原文：Duncan entertains at Spurs' tee time

Duncan entertains at Spurs’ tee time

Rookie Tim Duncan said he would be playing but he wouldn’t be playing golf Monday afternoon during the Spurs’ annual scramble at The Club at Sonterra.

He was true to his word.

Duncan amused himself and bystanders while trying long putts on the practice green and drives off a mound overlooking the tee at No. 18.

The putts were mostly misses, but he saluted the makes with a swishing wave of his club, which looked like a small wand when pawed by the 6-foot-11 forward.

His drives, whacked with the form of a baseball slugger digging out a low pitch, sliced wildly, despite efforts that included turning his body to the left.

Duncan then jumped into a cart with buddy Mike Scott and joined a small caravan including Chuck Person and led by Spurs chairman of the board Peter Holt.

The group sped from hole to hole, getting out to greet or harass other celebrities and guests.

Rain clouds menaced Sonterra, and a sudden squall cleared the course and drenched a few players midway through the event. But it cleared again and the golfers played through the end.

The caravan pulled up to David Robinson’s group when Robinson’s ball was lying in a sand trap abutting the green.

Duncan opted to attempt to get it up and down and Robinson offered a steady stream of instructional patter.

“This club has a lot of experience,” Robinson said as he handed his to Duncan then demonstrated exactly how to use it. “Don’t get the club down into the sand. Swing right through it. Good, good,” he shouted when Duncan plopped the ball up and dribbled it a few feet onto the green.

Person got an earful when he attempted a putt of about 20 feet. “Don’t hit it fast now, don’t hit it fast,” Robinson advised. Person’s try was long.

Earlier during the group’s tour, Holt encouraged Person to pass up any offers to hit drives.

“I don’t want any torque, no torque,” he joked, referring to the three-point shooter’s back problems.

A quick stop at No. 14 caught Avery Johnson teeing off.

“Hey, the boss is around, I don’t want him to think I’ve been playing golf all summer,” the diminutive guard said after his shot went awry.

They also stopped briefly to watch a George Gervin drive. The former Spurs great and Hall of Famer said quietly after his introduction to Duncan, “Welcome to San Antonio.” He then jibed at the rookie’s Levi shorts and light tan pullover as perhaps not ideal golfing wear. “You don’t like my outfit?” smiled Duncan. “It’ll get better,” laughed Gervin.

Both Duncan and Person took mulligans during a pause with Sean Elliott and each tried 30-foot puts. Person attempted two, one long, one short. Duncan ended his day’s work with a sharp smack that rolled right over the hole.

The Spurs resume training camp this morning at The Meadowlands in Boerne.

By Glen Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-10-08, By Jerry Briggs

期待马刺队动起来

博恩 - 马刺队教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich) 今年夏天没有在电闪雷鸣中放风筝，来寻找灵感，以开发出能展现球队天赋的进攻体系。

为大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson) 的回归和新秀蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan) 的到来做准备，波波维奇更像是一位疯狂的厨师。

比喻地说，他站在炉子前，把各种香草和香料扔进沸腾的锅里。如果他不喜欢混合物的香味，他会加一点牛至。如果那也不合他的口味，他会倒入更多的胡椒粉。

他最终调制出了什么？

基本上，这是一种运动型进攻。有些人说它有点像前马刺队教练拉里·布朗(Larry Brown) 在罗宾逊还是新秀时所使用的战术。其他人则认为它可能有点像约翰·卢卡斯(John Lucas) 系统，当时罗宾逊赢得了 NBA 得分王。

波波维奇说，他希望它像芝加哥公牛队教练菲尔·杰克逊(Phil Jackson) 所采用的进攻体系一样难以预测。但他周二拒绝将其归类为任何特定类型的进攻。

“这不是拉里·布朗所使用的战术，”波波维奇说道，“也不是卢克所使用的，也不是芝加哥使用的。这是一种运动型进攻，很多球队都使用，但程度不同。我们所使用的并不是什么发明，只是根据球员的能力进行调整和改变。

“所以，对圣安东尼奥的球迷来说，它看起来会不一样。但我们并不是在发明电灯泡。”

上赛季，马刺队的进攻熄火了。

随着罗宾逊、肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott) 和查克·珀森(Chuck Person) 的受伤，马刺队取得了 20 胜 62 负的战绩，进攻场均仅得到 90.5 分，这两项数据都创下了球队历史最差纪录。

波波维奇相信，去年的挫折已经过去了。

“今年我们阵容很不错，”他说，“我们在内线有威胁，在外线有射手。而且我们经验丰富。我们希望能够从球场上的任何角度发起进攻。”

马刺队将沿用波波维奇在 3 月和 4 月开始琢磨的战术体系——运动和切入篮筐。

“我们不是在进行纯粹的传球比赛，”他说，“很多方面与你过去在这里看到的相似。只是移动更多。这样做的原因是分散对方，以便我们可以使用我们所有的武器。我们不想让对方每次进攻都知道我们要做什么。”

近年来，联盟中的许多球队，包括马刺队，都运球过半场，然后立即转入挡拆或单打。

马刺队的进攻预计会融合多种元素，但波波维奇希望球队超过 50% 的得分来自运动概念。

“如果我们超过一半的进攻来自运动战术，我会非常高兴，”他说，“这样你就不必一直喊战术。你的球员可以自主决定——根据判断——怎么做，而不是教练一直站起来喊战术。”

罗宾逊对重回运动体系感到兴奋，因为它让他可以利用自己的速度。

“我喜欢那样，”他说，“我最舒服的方式就是运球或传球。现在我将处于一个可以更好地传球的位置。教练说他想让我担任这个角色。他说那是我最擅长的。”

周二在梅多兰——位于罗伊·马斯青年替代中心——举行的热身赛中，罗宾逊和邓肯继续着他们在季前赛中的进攻表演，两人都投进了跳投和勾手，并与后卫和前锋一起打快攻。

两人有时都面对篮筐接球，而且在有机会时都背身单打。他们还没有在同一支球队打过很多比赛，但当他们一起打的时候，进攻预计会突显他们的技能。

点击查看原文：Expect the Spurs to get in motion

Expect the Spurs to get in motion

BOERNE - Spurs coach Gregg Popovich didn’t fly a kite in an electrical storm this past summer, hoping for inspiration on how to develop an offense that will showcase his team’s talent.

Preparing for the return of David Robinson and the arrival of rookie Tim Duncan, Popovich was more like a mad chef.

Metaphorically speaking, he stood before the stove and tossed all sorts of herbs and spices into a boiling pot. If he didn’t like the aroma of the mixture, he’d add oregano. If that didn’t suit his taste, he’d pour in more pepper.

What sort of concoction did he come up with?

Basically, it’s a motion offense. Some say it looks a little like what former Spurs coach Larry Brown ran when Robinson was a rookie. Others suggest it may be a little like the John Lucas system when Robinson won an NBA scoring title.

Popovich has said he wants it to be as unpredictable as the offense employed by Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson. But he declined Tuesday to categorize it as any one particular type of offense.

“It’s not what Larry Brown ran,” Popovich said. "It’s not what Luke ran. It’s not what Chicago runs. It’s a motion offense that a lot of people run - in varying degrees. What we run is not an invention. It’s just been adjusted and formed to match the ability of our players.

“So, it will look different to San Antonio fans. But it’s not like we’re inventing the light bulb.”

Last season, the lights went out on the Spurs’ offense.

With injuries to Robinson, Sean Elliott and Chuck Person, the Spurs went 20-62 and the offense produced only 90.5 points a game, both franchise records for futility.

Popovich believes the frustration of last year is over.

“We’ve got a good mix this year,” he said. “We’ve got threats inside, shooters outside. And we’ve got good experience. We want to be able to attack from any of those angles on the floor.”

The Spurs will use much the same system Popovich began to tinker with in March and April - motion and cutting to the basket.

“We’re not running a pure passing game,” he said. “A lot is similar to what you’ve seen here in the past. There’s just more movement. The reason is to spread things out so we can use all our weapons. We don’t want the other team to know what we’re going to do every time down the floor.”

In recent years, many teams in the league - including the Spurs - have dribbled past half-court and evolved immediately into pick-and-roll or isolation situations.

The Spurs’ offense is expected to feature a little bit of everything, but Popovich wants more than 50 percent of his team’s scoring to come out of the motion concept.

“If more than half our offense comes from what we do in our motion, I’d be very pleased,” he said. “That way you don’t have to make calls all the time. Your players are enfranchised and decide among themselves - based on reads - what to do, rather than the coach standing up and calling every play.”

Robinson expressed excitement about a return to the motion system because it allows him to use his quickness.

“I like that,” he said. “That’s the way I feel the most comfortable, handling it or passing it. Now I’m going to be in a position facing up where I can pass it a lot better. Coach says he wants to put me in that role. He says that’s when I’m at my best.”

In Tuesday’s scrimmage at MeadowLand - on the Roy Maas Youth Alternatives complex - Robinson and Duncan continued their preseason offensive show, with both throwing in jumpers and hooks and running with guards and forwards on the break.

Both caught the ball facing the basket at times, and both backed into the post when they had the opportunity. They haven’t played much on the same team yet, but when they do, the offense is expected to highlight their skills.

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-10-08, By Jerry Briggs

马刺训练营笔记

**裁员时间：**主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)表示他可能会在今天宣布训练营的首批裁员。目前，有18名球员参加了为期四天的训练。

**过度训练：**主教练格雷格·波波维奇取消了周二和今晚的夜间训练。

“你不能永远进行一天两次训练，”他说。

球员们在凯尔维尔进行了为期三天的每天两次训练，直到周日，然后他们在周一休息一天，参加一个慈善高尔夫球赛。

**为博恩带来益处：**博恩的MeadowLand是一个长期住宅设施，为受虐待和被忽视的儿童提供帮助，该设施由罗伊·马斯青年替代项目(Roy Maas Youth Alternatives Inc.)提供资助。

波波维奇表示，他希望在MeadowLand举办部分训练营有两个原因：为球队提供一个僻静的环境，以及让该设施的孩子有机会近距离接触球队。

波波维奇和其他马刺球员为该项目贡献了许多时间。马刺前锋肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)为体育馆捐赠了举重设备。

“我喜欢这里，”马刺中锋大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)说。“这里感觉很好。” - 杰瑞·布里格斯(Jerry Briggs)

点击查看原文：Spurs Camp Notes

Spurs Camp Notes

Cutdown time: Coach Gregg Popovich said he probably will announce the first cuts of the camp today. Currently, there are 18 players who have participated in four days of practices.

Too much practice: Coach Gregg Popovich canceled evening practices scheduled for Tuesday and tonight.

“You can’t run two-a-days forever,” he said.

Players went through three days of two-a-days in Kerrville through Sunday before they took a day off Monday to play golf in a charity tournament.

Benefiting Boerne: MeadowLand in Boerne is a long-term residential facility for abused and neglected children aided by the Roy Maas Youth Alternatives Inc., program.

Popovich said he wanted to stage part of training camp at MeadowLand for two reasons: to provide an isolated setting for the team, and to give the kids at the complex a chance to see the team up close.

Popovich and other Spurs have volunteered a lot of time in benefit of the program. Spurs forward Sean Elliott donated weight-training equipment to the gymnasium.

“I like this place,” Spurs center David Robinson said. “It’s got a good feel to it.” - Jerry Briggs

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-10-09, By Jerry Briggs
BOERNE - Vinny Del Negro, Will Perdue, Monty Williams and Cory Alexander all share more than one thing in common as the Spurs prepare to close training camp and open their preseason schedule.

All hope to be part of a strong supporting cast for a team that eagerly awaits the dawn of Tim Duncan’s NBA career. All would love to make amends for last year’s lousy, 20-62 experience.

In addition, all will feel a little uneasy as the team celebrates its 25th anniversary season. Del Negro, Williams and Alexander are going into the last years of their contracts. Perdue has one more year of guaranteed money remaining.

Whether any or all of them remain for the team’s 26th season is a question that has no immediate answer.

“I’d be lying if I said I haven’t thought about it,” Alexander said. “I have no idea what plans they have for me.”

Quite possibly, Del Negro may have deeper feelings of anxiety than the others.

Signed as a free agent out of the Italian League in 1992, he has more tenure with the Spurs than any player except David Robinson or Sean Elliott. Del Negro has started at guard for most of his five Spurs seasons and has helped the team to a pair of Midwest Division championships.

On top of that, he and his wife, Lynn, have roots embedded deep in the community, with both of them active in many charitable causes.

In spite of his record as a productive player and citizen, Del Negro has always faced questions about his future. But this season, going into the last year of his six- year contract, it seems as if the questions have taken on a more urgent tone.

As usual, Del Negro shrugged them off after Wednesday’s training camp practice at MeadowLand, saying he approaches this season just as he would any of the ones before it.

“Same as always,” he said. “Just go out and win games. You win, everybody’s happy. The food tastes better. The plane flies smoother. Everybody’s happy at practice.”

Del Negro’s agent sent the Spurs a proposal for a contract extension nearly a month ago. Reportedly, the two sides are discussing a three-or four-year extension.

“All of those things will take care of themselves,” Del Negro said. “Pop (Spurs general manager/coach Gregg Popovich) is working on it with the owners and my agent. If I take care of business on the floor, all those things will fall into place.”

The Spurs will practice again today and Friday before flying to Washington, D.C., on Friday afternoon. They will play the preseason opener against the Washington Wizards in nearby Fairfax, Va., on Saturday night.

For Del Negro, Perdue, Williams and Alexander, being traded during the upcoming season is a distinct possibility. And it’s not necessarily because the team doesn’t need them or dislikes them as players.

It may boil down to business and judgment calls on the future direction of the team.

In the cold, off-court world of the NBA, the Spurs could be faced next summer with replacing a starter (Del Negro) and three key reserves (Perdue, Williams and Alexander) with other players who can only be tendered minimum contracts.

Minimum salaries would more than likely mean lesser talent. And that’s why, in the interim, the Spurs might look for trade options on any member of the foursome.

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-10-09, By Jerry Briggs

马刺训练营笔记

裁员时间： 周三下午，马刺队从训练营中裁掉了两名球员，包括后卫阿蒂·格里芬(Artie Griffin)，他曾是李高中(Lee High School)的明星球员。球队还裁掉了前亚特兰大老鹰队的后卫唐尼·博伊斯(Donnie Boyce)。

随着这两名球员的离开，马刺队将现役球员名单缩减至 16 人。

迹象表明，马刺队将在周五首次客场之旅中只带 14 或 15 名球员。球队将在周五下午出发，并在周六晚上前往弗吉尼亚州费尔法克斯，与华盛顿奇才队进行季前赛揭幕战。

马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)在周三上午带领球队进行了训练营中最长的训练，让球员们在博恩的梅多兰(MeadowLand)进行了 3 个半小时的训练。

罗宾逊的伤势： 中锋大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)在周二右膝过度伸展后，在周三媒体观看的模拟比赛中似乎略微偏爱着那条腿。

然而，他还是完成了整个训练。

“它并没有给我造成太多麻烦，”罗宾逊说道。

罗宾逊继续赞扬新秀蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)，并指出：“他看起来真的很好。现在，他可能是这里最好的球员。”

邓肯是今夏选秀大会上来自维克森林大学的联盟第一顺位新秀。罗宾逊在十年前从美国海军学院被选中，也是当年选秀大会的第一顺位。 - 杰里·布里格斯(Jerry Briggs)

点击查看原文：Spurs Camp Notes

Spurs Camp Notes

Cutdown time: The Spurs released two players from training camp Wednesday afternoon, including guard Artie Griffin, a former schoolboy standout at Lee High School. The team also cut former Atlanta Hawks guard Donnie Boyce.

With the moves, the Spurs reduced their active roster to 16 players.

Indications are the Spurs will take only 14 or 15 players on their first road trip Friday. The team will leave Friday afternoon and will play the preseason opener at Fairfax, Va., on Saturday night against the Washington Wizards.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich sent the team through its longest practice of training camp Wednesday morning, running the players through a 31/2-hour session at MeadowLand in Boerne.

Ailing Robinson: Center David Robinson, after suffering a hyperextended right knee Tuesday, seemed to be favoring the knee slightly in scrimmages viewed by the media Wednesday.

However, he ran through the entire workout.

“It didn’t give me too much trouble,” Robinson said.

Robinson continued to laud rookie Tim Duncan, noting, “He looks really good. Right now, he’s probably the best player out here.”

Duncan is the league’s incoming No. 1 pick from the summer draft out of Wake Forest University. Robinson was drafted No. 1 a decade ago out of the U.S. Naval Academy. - Jerry Briggs

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-10-09, By Buck Harvey

波波维奇的不足：等着春天？

格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)已经证明了他可以处理失败。现在事情变得棘手了。

他能将7尺高的球员融合在一起，而其他教练有时却做不到吗？他的脾气会随着期望值而上升吗？

然后，当他准备迎接星期六的第一场季前赛，这也是他作为主教练第一次参加季前赛时，他看到了这样的景象：马刺的弱点之一正是从未执教过季后赛的主教练。

但那些对波波维奇持反对意见的人也必须接受其他事实。波波维奇在交易得到查尔斯·史密斯(Charles Smith)并解雇鲍勃·希尔(Bob Hill)后，被塑造成小丑或恶棍。

现在看看。这两个决定有多糟糕？

很少有人理解史密斯交易，主要是因为史密斯本人。他一直是一个潜力不足的球员，马刺很快也看到了这一点。所以想象一下，尼克斯在甩掉一份丰厚的合同和一个糟糕的膝盖时是多么的欣喜。

但在工资帽混乱的时代，交易绝不像一个篮板手换另一个篮板手那么简单。波波维奇进行交易的部分原因是希望史密斯能够成功，主要是因为他没有其他选择。即使马刺在那个夏天让J.R.雷德的合同到期，他们也没有足够的薪金空间来替换他。这样一来，波波维奇就增加了一个球员，而且对这支球队来说至关重要，尼克斯同意帮助支付他的薪水。

至于交易的其他细节：马刺很喜欢蒙蒂·威廉姆斯(Monty Williams)，尤其是在他放弃了总是充满风险的园艺爱好之后。与此同时，尼克斯将在另一笔交易获得联盟批准后交易约翰·华莱士(John Wallace)。

但现在出现了好处。在史密斯即将退役的情况下，马刺将获得200万美元的薪金空间。如果这在12月1日之前发生，马刺只有45天的时间来使用这笔钱，而且目前还没有多少可用的球员。但在这之后？马刺可以一直到明年夏天。如果彼得·霍尔特(Peter Holt)愿意，几百万美元就能买到一个首发球员。

如果波波维奇从未计划过以这种方式运作，但这仍然是创造可能性的一种结果。如果没有这笔交易，马刺将永远不会有这个机会。所以试着反过来想一下——波波维奇的承诺将会带来不可否认的意外之财。

对于任何关注的人来说，希尔的解雇也变得可以理解。希尔做得很好，但联盟中很少有人对他感到敬畏。上个夏天，联盟中通常有六个主教练职位空缺，希尔只收到了一些小道消息。拉里·伯德(Larry Bird)代表凯尔特人打来了电话，魔术也把希尔列入了名单，以防北美其他球队都拒绝了他们。

与此同时，掘金聘请了经验不足的比尔·汉兹利克(Bill Hanzlik)，同时还面试了约翰·卢卡斯(John Lucas)和保罗·韦斯特法尔(Paul Westphal)。如果希尔将掘金视为温哥华和金州勇士一样——都是输球的好地方，那么很明显，这些球队也没有对他敲门。

希尔似乎对报价持开放态度。上周末，他在大西洋城帮助他的朋友约翰·卡利帕里(John Calipari)。然后卡利帕里否认自己一直在与亚利桑那州立大学谈论他们的空缺职位。卡利帕里承认自己给学校打过电话，目的是推荐希尔。

希尔最终会得到另一个机会。但如果他是圣安东尼奥很多人认为的那样有天赋，他难道不应该被抢走吗？联盟总经理显然对希尔的看法与波波维奇一样。

这与波波维奇现在是否成功无关。如果他输了，他会受到严厉的评判。有些人会方便地忘记希尔也有自己的季后赛包袱。

但这就是体育的本质。教练会因为发生的事情而受到责怪。然而，他们通常会因为没有发生的事情而得到一个机会。

点击查看原文：Inadequacies of Popovich: Wait 'til spring?

Inadequacies of Popovich: Wait 'til spring?

Gregg Popovich has proven he can handle losing. Now it gets tricky.

Can he blend 7-footers when other coaches sometimes haven’t? Does his temper rise with the expectations?

Then there is this as he gets ready for Saturday when he sees his first preseason game ever as a head coach: Among the Spurs’ liabilities come spring will be a guy who’s also never seen a playoff game as a head coach.

But the anti-Pop forces who nod also have to accept other truths. Popovich was cast as either buffoon or villain after trading for Charles Smith and then firing Bob Hill.

Look now. How awful was either decision?

Few ever understood the Smith deal, mostly because of Smith himself. He had always been an underachiever, and it didn’t take long before the Spurs saw the same. So imagine the Knicks’ glee when they unloaded a rich contract and a poor knee.

But in the confusing era of the salary cap, trades are never as simple as one rebounder for another. Popovich swapped partly because he hoped Smith would work out, mostly because he had few other options. Even if the Spurs had let J.R. Reid’s contract run out that summer, there would have been no room under the cap to replace him. This way Popovich added a body and, crucial for this franchise, the Knicks agreed to help pay for it.

As for other particulars of the trade: The Spurs love Monty Williams, especially once he forgoes the always-risky hobby of gardening. Meanwhile, the Knicks will trade John Wallace as soon as another deal gets league approval.

But now comes the boon. Upon Smith’s pending retirement, the Spurs receive a $2 million slot to fill. If it happens before Dec. 1, the Spurs get only 45 days to use the money, and there isn’t much out there. But after that date? The Spurs can shop through next summer. If Peter Holt is willing, a few million will buy a starter.

If Popovich never planned on it working this way, it was still the result of creating possibilities. Without the trade, the Spurs would never have had the chance. So try this reverse dunk - what hung on Popovich promises to be an undeniable windfall.

For anyone paying attention, Hill’s firing also softens. Hill did a respectable job, all right, but few in the league were in awe. The usual half-dozen NBA jobs were open last summer, and Hill got only nibbles. Larry Bird called, representing Boston, and Orlando kept Hill on its list just in case everyone else in North America turned the Magic down.

Meanwhile, Denver hired an untested Bill Hanzlik while also interviewing John Lucas and Paul Westphal. And if Hill viewed Denver as he did Vancouver and Golden State - as good places to lose - then it’s also clear those franchises weren’t knocking down his door, either.

Hill appears open to offers. He was in Atlantic City this past weekend helping his buddy, John Calipari. Then Calipari denied he had been talking to Arizona State about its vacancy. Calipari admitted he had called the school - to recommend Hill.

Hill will get another chance eventually. But if he was the talent so many in San Antonio thought, wouldn’t he have been snapped up? League GMs evidently view Hill as Popovich did.

That doesn’t have anything to do with whether Popovich succeeds now. And if he loses, he will be judged harshly. Some will conveniently forget that Hill had his own playoff liabilities.

But that’s the nature of sports. Coaches get blamed for what goes wrong. They usually, however, get a break for what doesn’t.

By Buck Harvey, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-10-10, By Jerry Briggs

埃雷拉的快乐：大数字，更多胜利

博尔尼 - 自从1995年加入马刺队以来，前锋卡尔·埃雷拉(Carl Herrera) 首次有机会将个人成功和团队成功相结合，共同成就一个神奇的赛季。

“今年，”埃雷拉说道，“我认为我们会很棒。”

虽然马刺队在两年前狂揽了59场胜利，但埃雷拉却因伤病和个人困境而被埋在了替补席上。然后，就在他从低迷中走出来时，球队却接连遭遇伤病，最终跌入了乐透区。

在个人胜利方面，埃雷拉在出场时间和场均得分方面都创造了职业生涯新高，并在五场比赛中得分超过20分。反之，由于核心中锋大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson) 等球员受伤休战，球队战绩下滑至20胜62负。

那是埃雷拉标志性的狡黠笑容。这是你从“Amigo”那里得到的笑容，当他感觉良好时。毫无疑问：埃雷拉，这位来自休斯敦大学的6尺9寸老将，今年秋天感觉非常好。

“我们会很棒，”埃雷拉说道。“这是我们必须知道的，我们必须理解的……这是我们必须铭记于心：我们拥有天赋，我们将会出去踢爆所有人的屁股。”

很明显，埃雷拉不想从个人角度让任何人同情他。即使他的首发大前锋位置被选秀状元蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan) 这名新秀取代，也不意味着他会垂头丧气，抱怨上场时间减少的可能性。

事实上，埃雷拉正在谈论如何打出自己的位置，争取每场21-25分钟的出场时间，并指出，“这是我的目标。”

这样的目标可能很难实现，考虑到主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich) 可能会倾向于使用更多身高，安排7尺1寸的罗宾逊、6尺11寸的邓肯和7尺0寸的珀杜(Perdue) 在两个内线位置上横行霸道。

“这取决于你为球队贡献什么，”上赛季在24.5分钟的出场时间里场均8.0分4.5篮板的埃雷拉说道。“这取决于你（进入比赛时）给球队的助力。这就是我的处境。我必须（进入比赛并）扭转局势……做好防守……得分……尽我所能帮助球队。”

由于训练营中的大多数头条新闻都在吹嘘邓肯的到来和罗宾逊的回归，波波维奇表示，埃雷拉已经默默地度过了一个扎实的训练周。

“我相信他延续了上赛季的表现，当时他为我们打了许多分钟，”波波维奇说道。“他并没有退步。他来了，处于加入我们以来最好的状态。而且看起来他没有任何伤病。他继续保持着之前的状态。”

波波维奇表示，他不相信埃雷拉是一个完全快乐的人，尤其是在他的首发位置被一个21岁的新秀接手之后。

“这绝对很难，无论卡尔是否公开承认，”波波维奇说道。“他是一个聪明人，他像我们所有人一样有感情。然后有人走进来，天赋异禀，直接站在你前面，这会影响你的。”

如果埃雷拉需要做任何心理上的调整，这不是他认为需要讨论的事情。他希望保持积极的态度，帮助马刺队获胜。

“让我这样说：我知道我在球队中的处境，”埃雷拉说道。“当然，如果我不能得到更多上场时间，我会感到难过。但我们所追求的是对（马刺队）最有利的事情。球队需要我（从替补席上）站起来，去防守，我将会去做。如果我做到了，我认为我会得到更多上场时间。”

点击查看原文：Herrera's happiness: Big numbers, more W's

Herrera’s happiness: Big numbers, more W’s

BOERNE - For the first time since he joined the Spurs in 1995, forward Carl Herrera may have a chance to mix both personal and team success and combine it all for a magical season.

“This year,” Herrera said, “I think we’re going to be great.”

While the Spurs rampaged to 59 victories two years ago, Herrera was buried on the bench in the midst of injuries and personal dilemmas. Then, just as he broke out of his funk last season, the team suffered injury after injury and stumbled into the lottery.

In a personal victory, Herrera posted career bests in minutes played and scoring average, and reached the 20-point mark in five games. On the flip side, the team slumped to a 20-62 record as ailing center David Robinson and others sat and watched.

It was a sly smile, vintage Herrera. It’s the smile you get from “Amigo” when he’s feeling good. And make no mistake: Herrera, a 6-foot-9 veteran from the University of Houston, feels extremely good this fall.

“We are going to be great,” Herrera said. “That’s something that we gotta know, (that) we gotta understand … That’s what we have to have in our mind: that we have the talent, and that we’re going to go out and kick everybody’s butt.”

Quite obviously, Herrera doesn’t want anyone feeling sorry for him from a personal standpoint. Just because he is losing his starting power forward job to rookie Tim Duncan, the No. 1 pick in the draft, doesn’t mean that he is moping around and grumbling about the prospects of reduced playing time.

As a matter of fact, Herrera is talking about playing his way into 21-25 minutes a game, noting, “That is my goal.”

Such a goal may be difficult, considering that Coach Gregg Popovich may be inclined to use more size with the 7-1 Robinson, 6-11 Duncan and 7-0 Perdue, in order to terrorize teams in the two post positions.

“It depends on what you give to the team,” said Herrera, who averaged 8.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in 24.5 minutes last season. “It depends on the boost you give to the team (when you enter the game). That’s my situation. I got to (go in and) turn the game around … give good defense … score … do whatever I can to help.”

As most of the headlines at training camp have trumpeted the arrival of Duncan and the return of Robinson, Popovich said Herrera has quietly enjoyed a solid week of work.

“I feel confident that he’s carried over his play from last season, where he played a lot of minutes for us,” Popovich said. “He hasn’t taken a step back at all. He’s come in here, in the best condition he’s been in since he joined us. And he’s injury-free, it seems. He’s continued where he left off.”

Popovich said he isn’t buying the concept that Herrera is a totally happy camper, especially after having his starter’s role handed to a 21-year-old rookie.

“It’s definitely tough, whether Carl admits that publicly or not,” Popovich said. “He’s an intelligent person and he’s got feelings just like all of us do. And then someone walks in and is that talented, and just steps in front of you, that’s going to affect you.”

If there is any mental adjustment for Herrera to make, it’s not one that he believes he needs to discuss. He wants to stay positive in order to help the Spurs win.

“Let me say this: I know my situation with the team,” Herrera said. “Of course I will feel bad if I wouldn’t play more. But whatever is beneficial for (the Spurs) is what we’re looking for. The team needs me to get up (off the bench) and go play defense, and I’m going to do it. If I do that, then I think I will play more.”

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News