马刺1998-99赛季实录（780+篇）

[这也将成为过去]

1999-01-17, By Glenn Rogers

仍然愤怒？关于停摆的一些最后思考

球员们承担了大部分责任，因为是他们引发了这场让球馆大门紧闭、让球迷们对百万富翁们对亿万富翁的叫嚣和争吵摇头叹息的漫长停摆。

简而言之，旁观者们对那些穿着短裤的高个子们无法满足于仍然能达到数百万美元的支票感到愤怒。

即便如此，这仍然是一场纯粹的劳资谈判纠纷。

联盟封锁了球员，并提出了一个明显荒谬的第一个提案。第二个和第三个提案也同样苛刻，并且带着被拒绝的预期。

球员代表比利·亨特(Billy Hunter)应该仅仅签署第一个提案吗？第二个？第三个？显然不行。亨特的工作是至少获得一项与撕毁的协议大致相当的协议。

NBA总裁大卫·斯特恩(David Stern)有自己的目标，并且从一开始就计划把亨特和球员逼到墙角。他知道一些因素——失去薪水，失去比赛，以及老板是否会真正取消赛季以及球迷们日益增长的不安情绪——将迫使球员们强迫亨特达成协议。

斯特恩的策略奏效了，也许亨特现在会开始怀疑是否应该叫停总裁最后的虚张声势。

无论如何，一切都结束了。也许任何真正的愤怒都应该针对这个世界的方式，针对金钱的经济学，它总是流向让某个人的利润变得丰厚的企业。

• 乔丹的余波：前马刺球员罗德·希金斯(Rod Higgins)在芝加哥当新秀时，亲眼目睹了迈克尔·乔丹(Michael Jordan)的训练态度。

“他一来就向整个球队展示了训练将会如何进行，”希金斯说。“将会有一个强度水平，在 1 到 10 的范围内，将会是 10，因为他每天都会付出这种努力。‘如果你不提升你的水平，我会让你难堪，或者你跟不上，你会看起来很糟糕。’”

森林狼队的萨姆·米切尔(Sam Mitchell)认为，公牛队最好做好准备，迎接比以往更多的暴击，因为乔丹已经离开了。

“他们这些年一直在摧毁别人，现在是报复的时候了，”米切尔说。“而且人们不会在乎迈克尔和斯科蒂（皮蓬(Scottie Pippen)）是否还在。他们只会看到那件芝加哥公牛队的球衣，如果能赢 50 分，那就赢 60 分吧。他们会被打爆的。”

• 沉默的代价？活塞队的杰罗姆·威廉姆斯(Jerome Williams)说，他在纽约听到球员们说格兰特·希尔(Grant Hill)将会成为被针对的人。球员们对他拒绝在停摆期间积极支持工会感到愤怒，可能会对他进行一些额外的攻击。

希尔说：“我进入联盟的第一年，（查尔斯）巴克利(Charles Barkley)，他有时很疯狂，给了我一些很好的建议。他说，‘这个联盟里有很多嫉妒和自私。人们会攻击你，这是其中的一部分。如果你能处理好，你就能生存下来。’”

活塞队的队友乔·杜马斯(Joe Dumars)也因为沉默而受到批评，他说他对这些威胁并不在意。

“我也被盯上了？”杜马斯说。“你总是会听到这样的议论。格兰特可能整个赛季都不会被犯规一次。……言语和感受不同于行动。”

• 缺席的雄鹿：别再疑惑为什么密尔沃基表现糟糕以及新教练乔治·卡尔(George Karl)很快将面临考验了。

周一，雄鹿队第一次开放训练设施时，总共没有一名球员出现。多伦多是唯一一支在第一天没有球员参加训练的球队。

• 交易传闻：掘金队，工资帽下限低于 1200 万美元，对签下前掘金球员安东尼奥·麦克戴斯(Antonio McDyess)并同时交易猛龙队的昌西·比卢普斯(Chauncey Billups)感到兴奋。……公牛队，一旦他们放弃迈克尔·乔丹和其他所有自由球员（除了斯科蒂·皮蓬）来腾出薪资空间，他们准备向麦克戴斯、艾萨克·奥斯汀(Isaac Austin)和汤姆·古格里奥塔(Tom Gugliotta)等顶级球员提供报价。……热火队正在竞逐洛伊·沃特(Loy Vaught)，并可能会进行一项签下并交易的交易，用布伦特·巴里(Brent Barry)换取沃特或奥斯汀。太阳队和开拓者队也喜欢巴里，马刺队也是。

火箭队也加入了争夺麦克戴斯的行列。有人说卢克·朗利(Luc Longley)已经前往菲尼克斯。另一些人说皮蓬将加盟火箭队。……猛龙队的观察人士说，如果文斯·卡特(Vince Carter)证明了自己，后卫道格·克里斯蒂(Doug Christie)将被送到圣安东尼奥，换取威尔·珀杜(Will Perdue)。……超音速队，得益于前太阳队主教练保罗·韦斯特法尔(Paul Westphal)的到来，他们现在认为他们可以吸引巴克利，他也是尼克斯队和湖人队追求的目标。

点击查看原文：Still angry? Some last thoughts on lockout

Still angry? Some last thoughts on lockout

The players took the brunt of the blame for the grinding lockout that closed arena doors and left fans shaking their heads over the sight of millionaires barking and nipping at billionaires.

Boiled down, onlookers were infuriated that the tall guys in short pants couldn’t be satisfied with checks that would still total in the millions.

Even so, this was a labor negotiations spat, pure and simple.

The league locked out the players and offered them a patently absurd first proposal. The second and third offerings also were onerous and delivered with the expectations that they would be rejected.

Should players representative Billy Hunter have simply signed off on the first? The second? The third? Obviously not. Hunter’s job was to get a deal at least reasonably on a par with the torn- up agreement.

NBA commissioner David Stern had his objectives and planned from the start to push Hunter and the players to the wall. He knew several factors - the loss of pay, the loss of play, the uncertainty of whether or not the owners would actually cancel the season and the fans’ growing unrest - would compel the players to force Hunter into a deal.

Stern’s ploy worked, and perhaps Hunter will go about now wondering whether or not he should have called the commissioner’s last bluff.

At any rate, it’s over. Perhaps any true anger should be aimed at the way of the world, the economics of money always funneled to the enterprise that fattens somebody’s bottom line.

- Jordan leftovers: Former Spurs player Rod Higgins was a rookie in Chicago when he experienced Michael Jordan’s practice attitude.

“He came in and right away showed the entire team that practices will be run like this,” Higgins said. “There was going to be an intensity level that, on a scale of 1 to 10, would be a 10, because he was going to bring that effort every day. ‘If you don’t pick your level up, I’ll embarrass you, or you won’t be able to keep up and you’ll look bad.’”

The Timberwolves’ Sam Mitchell figures the Bulls best be prepared to take more than their share of pummelings now that Jordan is gone.

“For all the years that they freakin’ destroyed people, it’s payback time,” Mitchell said. “And people are not going to care that Michael and Scottie (Pippen) are not there. All they’re going to see is that Chicago Bulls jersey and if you can beat 'em by 50, by God, beat 'em by 60. They’re gonna get drilled.”

- Price of silence? The Pistons’ Jerome Williams said he heard players in New York say that Grant Hill will be a marked man this season. The fellas are angry that Hill declined to actively support the union during the lockout and may greet him with a few extra blows about the head and body.

Said Hill: “My first year in the league, (Charles) Barkley, crazy as he can be sometimes, gave me some good advice. He said, ‘There’s a lot of jealousy and a lot of selfishness in this league. People are going to take shots at you, and that’s part of it. And if you can deal with it, you can survive.’”

Detroit teammate Joe Dumars, also criticized for being silent, said he doesn’t make much of the threats.

“I’m marked, too?” Dumars said. “You’re always going to hear talk like that. Grant may go through an entire year and not get one hard foul. … Talk and feelings are different than actions.”

- No-show Bucks: Wonder no more about why Milwaukee has struggled and how new coach George Karl soon will be tested.

When the Bucks opened their training facility for the first time Monday, a grand total of zero players showed up. Toronto was the only other team to have an empty gym on Day 1.

- Trade chatter: Denver, $12 million under the cap, is excited about the chance to sign Antonio McDyess, a former Nugget, and still make a deal for the Raptors’ Chauncey Billups … The Bulls, once they clear cap room by renouncing Michael Jordan and all other free agents except Scottie Pippen, are prepared to make offers to top guns like McDyess, Isaac Austin and Tom Gugliotta. … The Heat are in the race for Loy Vaught and might do a sign- and-trade deal with Brent Barry for Vaught or Austin.The Suns and Blazers also like Barry, as do the Spurs.

Houston also is in the game for McDyess. Some say Luc Longley already is headed for Phoenix. Others say Pippen will land in Houston. … Raptors watchers say that if Vince Carter proves himself, shooting guard Doug Christie will be available to San Antonio for Will Perdue. … The Sonics, thanks to the presence of former Suns coach Paul Westphal, now figure they can entice Barkley, also pursued by the Knicks and Lakers.

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-01-18, By Johnny Ludden

马刺锁定外线射手——公牛队的科尔、盖兹达成协议

经过迈科尔·乔丹的退役和跨洋之旅，马刺似乎锁定了两名射手。

球队接近与芝加哥公牛自由球员史蒂夫·科尔和澳大利亚球星安德鲁·盖兹达成协议。在停摆结束后，他们才可以正式签约，预计最早将在周二完成。

科尔是一名效力 11 年的老将，他是 NBA 最精准的三分射手，在 1221 次生涯出手中命中 47.3%。乔丹周三宣布告别 NBA，促使公牛解体了王朝，并宣告了科尔在芝加哥五个赛季的结束。

科尔的经纪人马克·巴特尔斯坦周日表示，他接近与马刺达成协议，但仍在考虑其他球队的报价。在寻找射手方面，马刺已经与多名 NBA 自由球员的代表进行了交谈——西雅图的戴尔·艾利斯、休斯顿的马里奥·埃利、菲尼克斯的乔治·麦克劳德和夏洛特的戴尔·库里——但没有一个比巴特尔斯坦更认真。

科尔从未赚过超过他上赛季在公牛队获得的 75 万美元，但根据联盟的新集体谈判协议，他现在每年至少可以赚到 100 万美元。他可能不会获得超过三年期的合同。

马刺可以使用 100 万美元和 175 万美元的中产阶级条款来签约球员。球队很难与球员达成协议，部分原因是联盟没有明确中产阶级合同的有效期。

只要合同没有正式签署，一切都可能发生。由于盖兹不会要求达成一份大合同，马刺还可能在购物清单中添加另一位相对便宜的自由球员，比如埃利。

“我急于完成这件事，”马刺总经理兼教练格雷格·波波维奇说。“一直以来都是一种浓缩而奇怪的情况，我认为每个人都期待着看到他们会在训练营中拥有哪些人。”

科尔和盖兹都 33 岁。他们都不是出色的防守者，但那不是马刺所需要的。由于肖恩·艾略特和查克·佩森上赛季受伤，马刺缺乏外线帮助来为大卫·罗宾逊和蒂姆·邓肯拉开空间。

6 英尺 3 英寸的科尔与艾略特在亚利桑那大学一起打过球。在他的 NBA 生涯中，他场均得到 6.9 分，被视为替补席上危险的射手。

盖兹，一位 6 英尺 7 英寸的前塞顿霍尔大学明星，被认为是澳大利亚最伟大的球员和国际篮球界的顶级得分手之一，他周日以 45 分告别了墨尔本老虎队。在盖兹的带领下，老虎队赢得了两个冠军，并且在这个赛季再次领先联盟。

“我放弃了再次做到这一切的机会，（而且）这并不是一件容易的事，”盖兹在宣布离队决定时说。“但我希望在德克萨斯州穿戴我的牛仔靴和 10 加仑的帽子，听到老虎队又赢得了一个冠军。”

布雷特·布朗最近开始在马刺球探部门工作，他曾在澳大利亚执教，认识盖兹。唐恩·尼尔森，达拉斯小牛队的助理教练，他也是立陶宛国家队的教练，称盖兹是“国际赛场上的拉里·伯德二号（得分后卫）”。

然而，盖兹也可以打小前锋。与科尔和盖兹达成协议并不妨碍球队与自由球员后卫文尼·德尔内格罗续约。

代表德尔内格罗的杰克·马林同样希望尽快向波波维奇发送一份合同提案。在停摆之前，马林曾讨论过与马刺达成一份为期两年、价值 600 万至 700 万美元的合同，但周日表示，由于新的劳工协议，德尔内格罗的要价已经上​​涨。

“当我们之前交谈时，他们非常担心需要在几年后腾出空间来积攒战争基金，以签下蒂姆·邓肯，”马林说。“那不再是问题了。它不会花费 1.5 亿或更多。他们在签下蒂姆时可以更加合理。”

马林周四和周五在此与波波维奇交谈后返回北卡罗来纳州，他说他可能会寻求一份为期五年的合同。马林没有透露他将要求多少钱，但表示首发得分后卫的市场价约为每年 430 万美元。

这么一份长期合同可能会吓到马刺，因为德尔内格罗已经 32 岁了。

“文尼是一笔独特的资产，你不能让他走，”马林说。“我只希望他以一个公平的价格签约。他们不需要他进入季后赛或为观众席添座。但他们需要他赢得冠军。

“文尼显然希望留在圣安东尼奥。我的提议在美元上不会不合理。我们可能稍微施压的地方是年限。”

德尔内格罗现在效力于意大利博洛尼亚球队体系。马林说，如果德尔内格罗继续效力，他可以在为期四个月的赛季中赚取 270 万美元。他还说，意大利队本周将提出反报价。

点击查看原文：Spurs get inside track on outside shooters - Bulls' Kerr, Gaze close to deals

Spurs get inside track on outside shooters - Bulls’ Kerr, Gaze close to deals

It took Michael Jordan to retire and a trip to the other side of the world, but the Spurs appear to have honed in on a pair of shooters.

The team is nearing agreements with Chicago Bulls free agent Steve Kerr and Australian star Andrew Gaze. The two can’t formally sign contracts until the lockout is lifted, which is expected to happen no sooner than Tuesday.

An 11-year veteran, Kerr is the NBA’s most accurate three-point shooter, hitting 47.3 percent of his 1,221 career attempts. Jordan’s farewell announcement Wednesday prompted the Bulls to dismantle their dynasty and signaled an end to Kerr’s five seasons in Chicago.

Kerr’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, said Sunday he was close to a deal with the Spurs but still was fielding offers from other teams. In their quest for a shooter, the Spurs have talked to representatives of several NBA free agents - Seattle’s Dale Ellis, Houston’s Mario Elie, Phoenix’s George McCloud and Charlotte’s Dell Curry - but none as seriously as Bartelstein.

Kerr never has made more than the $750,000 he earned last season with the Bulls, but with the league’s new collective bargaining agreement he now stands to make a minimum of $1 million annually. He probably won’t receive a deal exceeding three years.

The Spurs can use both the $1 million and the middle-class $1.75 million exceptions to sign players. Teams have had trouble reaching agreements with players in part because the league had not specified how long middle-class contracts can run.

Until the contracts are officially signed, anything can happen. Because Gaze doesn’t figure to command a large deal, the Spurs also may be able to add another relatively inexpensive free agent such as Elie to their shopping list.

“I’m anxious to get this over with,” Spurs general manager/coach Gregg Popovich said. “It’s been such a condensed and odd situation that I think everyone is looking forward to seeing who they will have at camp.”

Kerr and Gaze are both 33 years old. Neither is a stellar defender, but that’s not what the Spurs need. With injuries to Sean Elliott and Chuck Person last season, the Spurs lacked the perimeter help to spread the floor for David Robinson and Tim Duncan.

Kerr, 6-foot-3, played with Elliott at the University of Arizona. He has averaged 6.9 points for his NBA career and is regarded as a dangerous shooter off the bench.

Gaze, a 6-foot-7 former Seton Hall standout who is considered Australia’s greatest player and one of international basketball’s top scorers, left his Melbourne Tigers on Sunday with a 45-point farewell. The Tigers won two titles with Gaze and were leading the league again this season.

“I’m compromising the opportunity to do that again, (and) it’s not an easy thing to do,” Gaze said in announcing his decision to leave. “But I’d love to be over there in Texas with my cowboy boots and 10-gallon hat on hearing that the Tigers have won another championship.”

Brett Brown, who recently started working with the Spurs’ scouting department, has coached in Australia and knows Gaze. Donn Nelson, an assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks who also has coached the Lithuanian national team, has called Gaze “the Larry Bird of international two (shooting) guards.”

Gaze, however, also could be used at small forward. Deals with Kerr and Gaze would not preclude the team from re-signing free- agent guard Vinny Del Negro.

Jack Marin, who represents Del Negro, also expects to send Popovich a contract proposal as soon as today. Before the lockout, Marin talked about a two-year, $6 million- $7 million deal with the Spurs but said Sunday that Del Negro’s asking price has gone up because of the new labor agreement.

“When we talked before, they were very concerned they needed to clear room in a couple of years to build a war chest to sign Tim Duncan,” Marin said. “That’s no longer case. It’s not going to take $150 million or more. They can be more reasonable about signing Tim.”

Marin, who talked with Popovich here Thursday and Friday before returning to North Carolina, said he probably will seek a five- year contract. Marin would not reveal how much money he would ask for but said the going rate for a starting shooting guard is about $4.3 million annually.

Such a long-term contract could scare off the Spurs because Del Negro is 32 years old.

“Vinny is a unique asset, and you just can’t let him go,” Marin said. "I just want him to sign for a fair value. They don’t need him to get to the playoffs or put fans in the seats. But they need him to win a championship.

“Vinny would obviously like to stay in San Antonio. What I would propose would not be unreasonable as far as dollars go. Where we might be pressing a little bit is about the years.”

Del Negro is playing in Italy with TeamSystem Bologna. Marin said Del Negro could make as much as $2.7 million for the four- month season if he stays. He also said the Italian team will make a counteroffer this week.

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-01-19, By Johnny Ludden

马刺队仍处在令人烦恼的等待游戏中

在 NBA 和工会律师继续工作时间长于预期以最终敲定新的劳工协议之际，联盟在周一叹气并重复其标准的“停止营业”口号：仍然无法签署合同。仍然无法最终敲定交易。仍然无法开始训练营。

原定于今天在 Castle Hills 浸信教堂开始的马刺队训练营已被推迟至至少周三。马刺队官员将讨论今天是否推迟球队原定于周四在阿拉莫祷告中心进行的公开训练。球队还计划于周六晚上前往休斯顿参加与火箭队的表演赛。

“这比取消整个赛季这个替代方案要好，”控卫埃弗里·约翰逊说道，“如果我们等到周五晚上才训练，然后再在周六去打火箭队，那没问题。”

在等待期间，马刺队的阵容开始成型。除了七名合同内的球员——约翰逊、蒂姆·邓肯、大卫·罗宾逊、西恩·艾利奥特、威尔·帕杜、安东尼·丹尼尔斯和查克·帕森——该球队预计在停摆正式结束后，将签约芝加哥公牛队后卫史蒂夫·科尔和澳大利亚侧翼球员安德鲁·盖兹。

周一加入 Incarnate Word 自愿训练的自由球员前锋马利克·罗斯表示，他已同意签署为期一年的合同，继续留在球队中。马刺队还希望留住后卫贾伦·杰克逊。

就目前而言，12 人活性大名单上还剩一个空位。NBA 可能还允许球队在不考虑本赛季伤病的情况下，再额外增加一到两名替补球员。

自由球员后卫文尼·德尔·内格罗正在与马刺队谈判，但他的要价对于他们的口味来说可能太高了。

德尔·内格罗的经纪人杰克·马林向马刺队总经理/教练格雷格·波波维奇传真了一份为期五年的合同提案。马林表示，他正在寻求一份符合其他最近签约的后卫的合同，据信年薪至少为 400 万美元。

在上个赛季之前，马刺队曾谈论过签下克利夫兰自由球员后卫鲍比·菲尔斯，但当他的成本不断攀升时，他们退缩了。菲尔斯反而与夏洛特队签下了一份为期七年、价值 3250 万美元（年薪 460 万美元）的合同。克利夫兰队也认为，当他们向鲍勃·苏拉提供一份为期六年、价值 2400 万美元的合同时，他们可能付出了过高的代价。

马刺队可能不想在一名 32 岁的球员身上投入太多的钱，有可能放弃他的权利。马林表示，波波维奇称该提案“很高”，但会与球队的老板们谈谈。

德尔·内格罗目前效力于意大利博洛尼亚队系统队，据报道将收到一份为期三年、价值 1200 万美元的报价，继续留在俱乐部效力。由于税率很高，他只能净赚大约一半的总收入。

该团队还让德尔·内格罗可以使用两辆豪华汽车、一幢每月 6000 美元的别墅和四张往返商务舱机票。

德尔·内格罗的合同中有一项选择退出条款，允许他于月底重返 NBA。马林表示，他希望这个问题能尽快得到解决。

“我是一个总是有弹性的人，”马林说，“我正在努力实现一个最终结果。如果我们可以用另一种方式解决，那就好。”

马刺队仍在与休斯顿自由球员侧翼球员马里奥·埃利的代表进行交谈，据称埃利希望获得该球队 175 万美元的中间级别的中产阶级特例。马刺队准备将其给予科尔，但他们可能会通过与芝加哥队的签换交易得到科尔，并为埃利或其他人提供资金。球队还有 100 万美元的特例可用。

在又经历了一天的猜测而不是解决问题之后，帕杜表示他不确定如何看待马刺队的潜在转会。

“拥有很多出色的球员是一个好问题，”帕杜说，“每个人如何融入球队，我不知道。在他们走进那扇门之前，我会一直等到，然后再相信他们真的在这里。”

• 注：前俄克拉荷马州立大学 6 英尺 11 英寸的中锋布雷特·罗比施 (Brett Robisch) 已收到马刺队训练营的邀请。

上赛季为牛仔队场均得到 15.4 分和 8.2 个篮板的罗比施在周一与马刺队在 UIW 进行了一次锻炼。他的父亲戴夫在 ABA 和 NBA 效力了 13 个赛季，并于 1984 年与马刺队签订了 10 天的合同。

点击查看原文：Spurs are still playing dreaded waiting game

Spurs are still playing dreaded waiting game

As NBA and union attorneys continued to work longer than expected to finalize the new labor agreement, the league sighed Monday and repeated its standard “Closed For Business” refrain: Contracts still can’t be signed. Trades still can’t be finalized. Training camp still can’t open.

The Spurs camp, scheduled to begin today at Castle Hills Baptist Church, has been pushed back to at least Wednesday. Spurs officials will discuss today whether to postpone the team’s open practice scheduled for Thursday at the Alamo Convocation Center. The team also is scheduled to travel to Houston on Saturday night for an exhibition game against the Rockets.

“It beats the alternative which is canceling the whole season,” point guard Avery Johnson said. “If we wait until Friday night to practice and then go play Houston Saturday, that’s OK.”

The Spurs’ roster is beginning to take shape during the delay. In addition to the seven players under contract - Johnson, Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Sean Elliott, Will Perdue, Antonio Daniels and Chuck Person - the team is expected to add Chicago Bulls guard Steve Kerr and Australian swingman Andrew Gaze when the lockout is officially over.

Free-agent forward Malik Rose, who joined the voluntary workouts at Incarnate Word on Monday, said he has agreed to a one-year deal to remain with the team. The Spurs also expect to retain guard Jaren Jackson.

For now, that leaves one open spot on the 12-man active roster. The NBA also may allow teams to carry another reserve player or two without regard to injury this season.

Free-agent guard Vinny Del Negro is negotiating with the Spurs, but may be priced too high for their tastes.

Del Negro’s agent, Jack Marin, faxed a proposal for a five-year contract to Spurs general manager/coach Gregg Popovich. Marin said he is seeking a deal in line with others recently signed by starting shooting guards, believed to be at least $4 million annually.

Prior to last season, the Spurs talked about signing Cleveland free-agent guard Bobby Phills, but balked when his cost escalated. Phills instead signed a seven-year, $32.5 million contract ($4.6 million annually) with Charlotte. Cleveland also believes it may have overpaid when it then handed Bob Sura a six- year, $24 million deal.

The Spurs may not want to invest so much money in a 32-year-old player and could renounce his rights. Marin said Popovich called the proposal “high,” but would speak to the team’s owners.

Del Negro currently is playing for TeamSystem Bologna in Italy and reportedly will receive a three- year, $12 million offer to stay with the club. Because of a high tax rate, he will only net about half that total.

The team also gives Del Negro use of two luxury cars, a $6,000-a-month villa and four round-trip business-class tickets.

Del Negro has an opt-out clause in his contract which would let him return to the NBA at the end of the month. Marin said he hopes to have the issue resolved soon.

“I’m a person who’s always flexible,” Marin said. “I’m trying to achieve an end result. If we can work it another way, fine.”

The Spurs are continuing to talk with the representative for Houston free-agent swingman Mario Elie, who is said to want the team’s middle-class $1.75 million exception. The Spurs were set to give that to Kerr, but instead may be able to get him in a sign- and-trade deal with Chicago and open up money for Elie or someone else. The team also has a $1 million exception available.

After another day of speculation instead of resolution, Perdue said he wasn’t sure what to make of the Spurs’ possible moves.

“Having a lot of good players is a good problem to have,” Perdue said. “How everyone fits into the mix I don’t know. I’ll wait until I see them walk through that door before I believe they’re actually here.”

- Note: Former 6-foot-11 Oklahoma State center Brett Robisch has received an invitation to the Spurs’ training camp.

Robisch, who averaged 15.4 points and 8.2 rebounds for the Cowboys last season, worked out with the Spurs at UIW on Monday. His father, Dave, played for 13 seasons in the ABA and NBA and had a 10-day contract with the Spurs in 1984.

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-01-19, By Buck Harvey

Ready, aim, fire: Trading lira for money

Twenty six seconds were left when Michael Jordan turned to Steve Kerr in the huddle. “You be ready,” Jordan said.

“I’ll be ready,” said Kerr. That was two years ago, in Game Six against the Jazz, with the score tied.

Now the participants change, but the speech doesn’t. Now Vinny Del Negro is the one who needs to be ready. He and his agent overestimated his worth and underestimated what the new labor agreement provided the Spurs. Namely, options.

Ready, aim, fire. The way it looks, one shooter replaces another.

It might not happen that way this week, when the Oklahoma Land Rush combines with liar’s poker to create the NBA’s craziest market place. But if the Spurs sign Kerr as expected, then maybe no one will feel the shock waves as much as Del Negro.

He likes living here, and he always felt he’d get a deal with the Spurs. His agent, Jack Marin, has been so confident he’s been faxing proposals to the Spurs that call for five-year contracts that average about $4 million annually.

If Del Negro wasn’t the swiftest before, wait until he’s 37. But Marin insists this is a fair offer because, ultimately, the Spurs need Del Negro. “If the Spurs say they don’t want to sign Vinny,” Marin said Monday, “they are saying they don’t want to win an NBA championship.”

Del Negro could run the pick- and-roll, all right, and his medium- range jumper rates with the league’s best. Had he been Jordan’s sidekick instead of Kerr, then maybe Del Negro would be showing off rings today to his Italian friends.

Then there was last spring, with Tim Duncan limping and the Spurs unable to do much of anything in the finale in Utah. Wasn’t Del Negro about the only offense the Spurs had?

Still, if the Spurs pass on Vinny’s inflated lira, they might just be saying this: For about half the price, Kerr is arguably a better whole.

Kerr’s a community guy, as is Del Negro, and a lot funnier. Kerr summed up his career with Jordan with a typically self-deprecating line. “I feel like Forrest Gump,” he said.

He plays defense a lot the way Del Negro did, and he’s also smaller. But here’s another moment from his past: In the second game of the Finals last season, again against the Jazz, again with the clock running down, Kerr missed, slipped around Karl Malone, grabbed the rebound and made the game’s biggest layup.

The Spurs also judge roster changes on how they would affect the Jazz, since the Spurs think they eventually will have to go through Utah. Since the Jazz play smallish guards, the Spurs can get away with Avery Johnson and Kerr at times in the same backcourt.

The Spurs plan to bring both Kerr and Antonio Daniels off the bench. Another Kerr advantage: Daniels lost all confidence in Vancouver but, in Kerr, he will have an 11-year veteran to lean on.

Yet the most critical factor - more than even Del Negro’s asking price - is the difference between 18 feet and 22 feet. Del Negro is a great two-point shooter, Kerr a great three-point shooter.

Kerr owns a two-piece, crank- and-release shot that has made him the NBA’s most accurate from long distance. So when Duncan takes a double team and acts as San Antonio’s Jordan, a Jazz defender can’t leave Kerr and recover as quickly as he could with Del Negro standing a few feet closer.

So go back to 1997, with John Stockton leaving Kerr just as Jordan said he would, with Jordan passing to Kerr just as Jordan said he would.

Swish. Just as Kerr said he would. The Spurs need who to win a championship?

By Buck Harvey, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-01-20, By Johnny Ludden

交易完成，马刺的帕森将加入芝加哥球队

在一周关于谁将加入球队的猜测之后，周二马刺将注意力转向了谁将离开。

帕森的经纪人在周二晚上表示，前锋查克·帕森已被交易至芝加哥，作为交易史蒂夫·科尔的签约交易的一部分。马刺还倾向于放走自由球员后卫文尼·德尔·内格罗，如果他坚持要求一份为期五年、价值 2250 万美元的合同。

至少在周四之前，一切都无法最终敲定。NBA 再次将训练营的开始时间推迟一天，因为它还没有完成集体谈判协议的制定。截至周二晚上，总经理和经纪人仍未根据明确的规则集工作。

由于延期，马刺已将周四的公开训练时间重新安排至 1 月 28 日。下午 7 点的训练——向公众免费开放——也已从阿拉莫会议中心移至阿拉莫圆形体育馆。

大门将在下午 6 点打开。无需门票即可参加。前 1,000 名球迷将在训练结束后获得一张签名券。

周六晚上马刺在康柏中心对阵休斯顿火箭队的表演赛也可能将转移到周二。球队在阿拉莫圆形体育馆的表演赛仍计划在 1 月 30 日举行。

虽然澳大利亚摇摆人安德鲁·盖兹在周二的圣道大学自愿训练中加入，但马刺的前台办公室继续与其他自由球员的代表进行谈判。

联盟消息人士称，火箭队摇摆人马里奥·艾利即将与马刺队达成一项为期多年的协议，球队将拿出 175 万美元的例外条款，该条款原本将用于科尔。然而，芝加哥在将其交易至圣安东尼奥之前，已与科尔签署了一份为期五年、据报道价值 1100 万美元的合同。

马刺队也正在积极争取西雅图前锋杰罗姆·科西。据称科西正在等待来自西雅图或密尔沃基的更大报价，他原本寻求中产阶级例外条款，但最终可能以 100 万美元签约，这是至少拥有 10 年服务经验的老将的联盟最低工资。NBA 允许球队在不考虑工资上限的情况下签约无限数量的最低工资球员。

科西的经纪人丹·费根说：“杰罗姆喜欢圣安东尼奥。” “我们只需等待并看看会发生什么。”

除非劳工协议在最后一刻出现任何问题，否则帕森在马刺效力的四年职业生涯已接近尾声。这位效力 12 年的老将在替补席上做出了重要贡献，但由于背部问题错过了整个 1996-97 赛季和去年的 19 场比赛。

帕森在休赛期减掉了大约 15 磅，并表示他适合比赛。然而，马刺教练仍然感到担忧，因为他的背部在上一赛季出了四次问题。

公牛队不会拒绝接受帕森的 290 万美元合同，因为他已进入一份为期五年的合同的最后一年。芝加哥正在努力腾出工资上限空间，以争取明年的一批自由球员。马刺在交易最终确定后也可能向公牛队送出选秀权。

帕森位于芝加哥的经纪人赫伯·鲁多伊说：“一切已经谈妥。” “他已经在来的路上了。”

马刺官员在周二也给德尔·内格罗的经纪人杰克·马林打了电话，但没有进行任何谈判，因为马林正在旅行。尽管德尔·内格罗正在意大利比赛，他仍然有机会与球队续约，但如果他不对自己当前的要求做出太大让步，这似乎不太可能。马刺的其他选择是放弃他的权利或与另一支球队进行签约交易。

与此同时，科尔期待加入马刺。

科尔说：“这对我来说是一个绝佳的机会。我们只需要确保集体谈判协议会发生什么。” “马刺是一支非常出色的球队。我想我能获得一些不错的（投篮）机会，因为蒂姆（邓肯）和大卫（罗宾逊）将吸引所有人的注意力。”

科尔在过去的三年中赢得过公牛队的最后三个 NBA 冠军，他说他还没有厌倦收集总冠军戒指。

科尔说：“我想加入一支出色的球队，一支我能找到自己定位的球队。” “我曾效力于冠军球队和未能进入季后赛的球队。与有机会赢得整个赛季的团队一起比赛总是更有趣。

“在芝加哥呆了五年之后，我希望能稍微放松一下，享受一下西南地区。”

盖兹在从澳大利亚飞行了 30 小时后也与他的新球队进行了训练。

盖兹说：“（NBA）规则与国际比赛有很大不同。需要适应一段时间。” “但投空位跳投就是投空位跳投。”

快报新闻撰稿人格伦·罗杰斯对此报告有贡献。

点击查看原文：Spurs' Person to join Chicago when deal clears

Spurs’ Person to join Chicago when deal clears

After a week of speculation about who would be joining the team, the Spurs turned their attention Tuesday to who was leaving.

Forward Chuck Person has been traded to Chicago as part of the sign-and-trade deal for Steve Kerr, Person’s agent said Tuesday night. The Spurs also appear leaning toward letting go of free-agent guard Vinny Del Negro if he sticks to his request for a five-year contract in the range of $22.5 million.

Nothing can be finalized until at least Thursday. The NBA again pushed back the start of training camp a day because it hasn’t finished ironing out the collective bargaining agreement. General managers and agents still were not working under a definitive set of rules by Tuesday night.

Because of the delays, the Spurs have rescheduled Thursday’s open practice for Jan. 28. The 7 p.m. practice - free to the public - also has been moved from the Alamo Convocation Center to the Alamodome.

Doors will open at 6 p.m. Tickets are not needed to attend. The first 1,000 fans will receive a coupon for an autograph after the practice.

The Spurs’ exhibition game Saturday night against the Houston Rockets at the Compaq Center also likely will be moved to Tuesday. The teams’ exhibition at the Alamodome is still scheduled for Jan. 30.

While Australian swingman Andrew Gaze joined Tuesday’s voluntary workout at the University of the Incarnate Word, the Spurs’ front office continued negotiations with representatives of other free agents.

League sources said Rockets swingman Mario Elie is nearing a multiyear agreement with the Spurs for the team’s $1.75 million exception, which originally was going to go to Kerr. Chicago, however, signed Kerr to a five-year contract for a reported $11 million before dealing him to San Antonio.

The Spurs also are hot in the running for Seattle forward Jerome Kersey. Kersey, who is said to be waiting for a larger offer from Seattle or Milwaukee, had sought the middle-class exception, but could wind up signing for $1 million, the league minimum for veterans with at least 10 years of service. The NBA allows teams to sign an unlimited number of minimum-wage players without regard to the salary cap.

“Jerome likes San Antonio,” said Dan Fegan, Kersey’s agent. “We just have to wait and see what happens.”

Barring any last-minute snags in the labor deal, Person’s four-year career with the Spurs has come to a close. The 12-year veteran was an important contributor off the bench but missed all of the 1996-97 season and 19 games last year because of back problems.

Person lost about 15 pounds in the off-season and said he was fit to play. Spurs coaches, however, still had concerns because his back gave out four times last season.

The Bulls won’t balk at taking on Person’s $2.9 million contract because he is in the last year of a five-year deal. Chicago is trying to clear room under the salary cap to make a run at next year’s crop of free agents. The Spurs also may end up sending a draft pick to the Bulls when the deal is finalized.

“It’s done,” said Herb Rudoy, Person’s Chicago-based agent. “He is on his way up here.”

Spurs officials also called Del Negro’s agent, Jack Marin, Tuesday, but no negotiations took place because Marin was traveling. There is a chance Del Negro, who is playing in Italy, could still re- sign with the team, but it appears unlikely if he doesn’t move much off his current demands. The Spurs’ other options are to renounce his rights or make a sign- and-trade deal with another team.

Kerr, meanwhile, is looking forward to joining the Spurs.

“It’s a great situation for me. We just have to make sure what happens with the new collective bargaining agreement,” Kerr said. “The Spurs are a very good team. I figure I can get some good (shots) off because of all the attention Tim (Duncan) and David (Robinson) will be getting.”

Kerr, who has won the last three NBA titles with the Bulls, said he wasn’t tired of collecting championship rings.

“I wanted to get to a good team, one where I could find a role on,” Kerr said. "I’ve played for championship teams and teams that didn’t make the playoffs. It’s always more fun to play with a group that has a chance to win the whole thing.

“After five years in Chicago, I’m looking to thaw out a little and enjoy the Southwest.”

Gaze also worked out with his new team after a 30-hour flight from Australia.

“The (NBA) rules are a lot different than the international game. It will take some getting used to,” Gaze said. “But an open jump shot is an open jump shot.”

- Express-News Staff Writer Glenn Rogers contributed to this report.

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-01-21, By Johnny Ludden

马刺抛弃德尔·内格罗 - 球队决定不满足自由球员的合同要求

周三晚上，消息人士证实，马刺队将不会重新签约自由球员后卫文尼·德尔·内格罗。

NBA 停摆预计将于今日下午 1 点结束，这将允许球队正式签约和交易球员并开放训练营。

如果没有出现最后一刻的障碍，马刺队将完成与芝加哥公牛队后卫史蒂夫·科尔、休斯顿火箭队摇摆人马里奥·埃利、西雅图超音速队前锋杰罗姆·克西和澳大利亚摇摆人安德鲁·盖兹的交易，并将与他们签约。球队还将留住自由球员后卫杰伦·杰克逊和前锋马利克·罗斯。

德尔·内格罗要求一份年限为 5 年、超 2250 万美元的合同，他不再在马刺队的计划中。

“我们组建这支球队时考虑了文尼此时不会回归，”马刺队总经理兼教练格雷格·波波维奇说。

马刺队可以继续与德尔·内格罗谈判，后者有时间到 2 月 15 日决定是否留在意大利。但消息人士称，球队已表示其仅剩的决定是放弃德尔·内格罗的权利还是让他在先签后换交易中离开。

德尔·内格罗的经纪人杰克·马林不愿评论与马刺队的谈判。据报道，德尔·内格罗将收到目前效力的意大利球队博洛尼亚特姆系统开出的为期 3 年、1200 万美元合同的提案，其中他将获得一半的收入。

在停摆之前，波波维奇和马林曾讨论过一份为期两年、金额在 600 万美元至 700 万美元之间的续约合同。马林周日表示，德尔·内格罗的价格上涨，因为新的集体谈判协议将为马刺队在尝试重新签约蒂姆·邓肯时节省约 1 亿美元。

马刺队对马林的提议犹豫不决，转而寻求其他选择。

没有了德尔·内格罗，马刺队失去了一名受欢迎的得分后卫，他拥有不错的中距离跳投，并且擅长挡拆配合。在效力马刺队的六个赛季里，德尔·内格罗场均得到 11.2 分。

另一方面，马刺队也不必在一位 32 岁的球员身上投入大量资金。德尔·内格罗的薪水节约超过了科尔将收到的 5 年 1100 万美元合同。

马刺队不想被太多长期合同束缚，以便在两个赛季后腾出薪金空间，围绕邓肯重组球队。他们最近的收购给了他们一支经验丰富的阵容——平均年龄略低于 31 岁——在需要重建之前，他们还有两年的时间去争夺总冠军。

经过持续近七个月的停摆，波波维奇将在今晚在城堡山第一浸信会教堂开幕的训练营（不对公众开放）中真正看到自己组建的球队。

波波维奇以为训练营将连续第三天推迟，直到周三从午餐回来的路上接到电话。几小时后，与马刺队签约的球员开始接受体检。

“感觉有点奇怪，”波波维奇说。“我们已经离开了这么久，感觉你必须甩掉身上的锈迹。”

他们没有太多时间这么做。马刺队原定于周六在休斯敦康柏中心对阵火箭队的季前赛比赛已被推迟到 1 月 26 日，但常规赛仍将于 2 月 5 日开始。球队 50 场比赛的赛程将于今日下午 4 点在其官方网站 www.nba.com 上公布。

不过，当今天的签约和交易消息宣布后，马刺队的阵容应该没有什么惊喜。球队管理层只需要在近两周的谈判中做最后的润色。

波波维奇说：“我不认为城里有人会想和我们结清电话账单。”

埃利身高 6 英尺 5 英寸，拥有 8 年的资历，去年在火箭队场均得到 8.4 分和 3 次助攻，他已同意按照马刺队的奢侈税中产条款签署一份为期两年的合同，价值 370 万美元。他将担任肖恩·艾略特的替补小前锋。

克西身高 6 英尺 7 英寸，拥有 14 年的资历，上赛季为超音速队场均得到 6.3 分和 3.6 个篮板，预计将签署一份为期一或两年的合同，起薪为 100 万美元。他将担任邓肯的大前锋替补，并且还可以在面对更高大阵容时出任小前锋。

上赛季为马刺队首发出场 45 次的杰克逊将被安排在后场首发，搭档控球后卫艾弗里·约翰逊。科尔将作为替补球员出现在杰克逊的身后。以联盟最低工资签约的盖兹让马刺队多了一名出色的替补投手。

除了德尔·内格罗外，马刺队还向将被交易到芝加哥以换取科尔的前锋查克·珀森告别。马刺队还将在今年或明年的选秀中放弃一个首轮选秀权。

“你必须记住，除了蒂姆和戴夫（罗宾逊）之外，我们其他所有人都是角色球员，”约翰逊说。“你拿走其中一位，那么我们真的会陷入困境。”

尽管有交易，但珀森在周三于道成肉身大学最后一次为马刺队效力。预计公牛队会在交易完成后立即将他裁掉，而珀森的经纪人一直在与三到四支有兴趣签下他的球队进行谈判。无论如何，芝加哥必须支付其 290 万美元的保障合同（按缩减的比赛数额定比例分配）。

珀森说：“这是一个完结的篇章。我必须继续前进，写下一个新的篇章。”

马刺队概况

在训练营结束后，马刺队的 12 人阵容可能如下：

中锋：威尔·帕杜、大卫·罗宾逊

前锋：蒂姆·邓肯、肖恩·艾略特、杰罗姆·克西、马利克·罗斯

前锋/后卫：马里奥·埃利、安德鲁·盖兹

后卫：安东尼·丹尼尔斯、杰伦·杰克逊、艾弗里·约翰逊、史蒂夫·科尔

马刺队对阵火箭队，电视转播：福克斯体育西南频道将于 1 月 30 日在阿拉莫穹顶体育场转播第二场季前赛。比赛于晚上 7:30 开始。

马刺队的公开训练：1 月 28 日，阿拉莫穹顶体育场，晚上 7 点。免費入場。

点击查看原文：Spurs dumping Del Negro - Team decides not to meet free agent's contract demand

Spurs dumping Del Negro - Team decides not to meet free agent’s contract demand

The Spurs will not re-sign free- agent guard Vinny Del Negro, league sources confirmed Wednesday night.

The NBA lockout is scheduled to end at 1 p.m. today, allowing teams to officially sign and trade players and open training camps.

Barring any last-second hitches, the Spurs will complete the deal for Chicago Bulls guard Steve Kerr and sign Houston Rockets swingman Mario Elie, Seattle SuperSonics forward Jerome Kersey and Australian swingman Andrew Gaze. The team also will retain free-agent guard Jaren Jackson and forward Malik Rose.

Del Negro, who was seeking a five-year contract in excess of $22.5 million, is no longer in the Spurs’ plans.

“We have put the team together with the thought of Vinny not coming back at this point,” Spurs general manager/coach Gregg Popovich said.

The Spurs could continue negotiations with Del Negro, who has until Feb. 15 to decide whether to stay in Italy. But sources said the team has indicated it’s only remaining decision is whether to renounce Del Negro’s rights or let him go in a sign-and-trade deal.

Del Negro’s agent, Jack Marin, would not comment on talks with the Spurs. Del Negro reportedly will receive a proposal for a three- year, $12 million contract - half of which he will net - from TeamSystem Bologna, the Italian team he is currently playing for.

Before the lockout, Popovich and Marin had previously discussed a two-year extension for between $6 million and $7 million. Marin said Sunday that Del Negro’s price went up because the new collective bargaining agreement will save the Spurs an estimated $100 million when they attempt to re-sign Tim Duncan.

The Spurs’ balked at Marin’s proposal and instead pursued other options.

Without Del Negro, the Spurs lose a popular shooting guard who had a good mid-range jumper and was strong at playing the pick-and- roll. In six seasons with the Spurs, Del Negro averaged 11.2 points a game.

The flip side is the Spurs also don’t have to invest a lot of money in a 32-year-old player. The savings on Del Negro more than compensates for the five-year, $11-million contract Kerr will receive.

The Spurs don’t want to be tied to too many long-term contracts so they can clear room under the salary cap in two seasons to build around Duncan. Their recent acquisitions give them a veteran squad – the average age is a little under 31 - with a two-year window to challenge for a championship before they have to reload.

After a lockout that lasted almost seven months, Popovich will get to actually see the team he has assembled when training camp - closed to the public - opens tonight at Castle Hills First Baptist Church.

Popovich thought camp was going to be delayed a third consecutive day until he received a call on his way back from lunch Wednesday. The Spurs under contract began receiving their physicals a few hours later.

“It almost feels strange,” Popovich said. “We’ve been gone so dog-gone long, you feel like you have to shake the rust off.”

They won’t have long to do that. The Spurs’ Saturday exhibition game against the Rockets at the Compaq Center in Houston has been pushed back to Jan. 26, but the regular season will still start Feb. 5. The team’s 50-game schedule will be released at 4 p.m. today on its World Wide Web site, www.nba.com.

The Spurs’ roster, however, should hold little surprise when the signings and trades are announced today. The team’s front office only needs to put the finishing touches on almost two weeks of negotiations.

Said Popovich: “I don’t think anyone in town is going to want trade phone bills with us.”

Elie, a 6-foot-5 eight-year veteran who averaged 8.4 points and three assists last year for the Rockets, has agreed to a two-year deal for $3.7 million under the Spurs’ middle-class exception. He will back up Sean Elliott at small forward.

Kersey, a 6-7 14-year veteran who averaged 6.3 points and 3.6 rebounds for the Sonics last season, is expected to sign either a one- or two-year deal with a starting salary of $1 million. He will back up Duncan at power forward and can also play small forward against bigger lineups.

Jackson, who started 45 games last season for the Spurs, will be penciled in to start in the backcourt alongside point guard Avery Johnson. Kerr will come off the bench behind Jackson. Gaze, who agreed to the league minimum, gives the Spurs another good reserve shooter.

In addition to Del Negro, the Spurs wave farewell to forward Chuck Person, who will be traded to Chicago for Kerr. The Spurs also will give up a first-round pick in either this or next year’s draft.

“What you have to remember is, besides Tim and Dave (Robinson), all the rest of us are role players,” Johnson said. “You take one those pieces away and then we’re really in trouble.”

Despite the trade, Person worked out with the Spurs for one final time Wednesday at the University of the Incarnate Word. The Bulls are expected to immediately waive him after the trade is finalized and Person’s agent has been talking to three or four teams interested in signing him. Chicago has to pay his guaranteed $2.9 million contract - prorated for the reduced schedule - regardless.

“This is a finished chapter,” Person said. “I have to move on and write another one.”

Spurs At a glance

How Spurs’ 12-man roster might look at end of training camp:

Centers: Will Perdue, David Robinson

Forwards: Tim Duncan, Sean Elliott, Jerome Kersey, Malik Rose

Forward/guard: Mario Elie, Andrew Gaze

Guards: Antonio Daniels, Jaren Jackson, Avery Johnson, Steve Kerr

Spurs-Rockets on TV: Fox Sports Southwest will televise second preseason game Jan. 30 at the Alamodome. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m.

Spurs’ open practice: Jan. 28, Alamodome, 7 p.m. Free admission.

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-01-21, By Buck Harvey

告别、打发和理智

星期三，查克·珀森面对镜头露出微笑，说他“对任何人没有敌意”。而后，珀森微笑着与人握手，如同他距篮筐23英尺远时那样从容。

珀森以优雅、专业，甚至幽默的方式离开了。但他本可以另有所言，这就是珀森和维尼·德尔·内格罗被抛弃后的不为人知的故事。他们都与格雷格·波波维奇有过过节，现在他们都离开了。

那么，这些变化是否是一个教练变得个人化的表现？还是一个急于得到拉特雷尔·斯普雷威尔的教练的表现？

波波维奇并非第一个在更衣室中感到焦虑的人。凯西·斯坦加尔曾说过，“管理一支球队的秘诀是让讨厌你的五个人远离犹豫不决的五个人。”

另一个秘诀？清除这些讨厌你的人。想知道拉里·布朗为何要交易阿尔文·罗伯逊？约翰·卢卡斯为何要交易肖恩·艾利奥特？他们不喜欢对方。

波波维奇也是普通人。当他今天首次与球队会面时，他不会怀念德尔·内格罗或珀森。

当然，他仍然有埃利奥特，他备受折磨的儿子。艾利奥特在停摆期间没有进行康复训练，而是向任何愿意倾听的人哀叹波波维奇给他带来的折磨。相比之下，德尔·内格罗与波波维奇的分歧并不严重。德尔·内格罗可以耸耸肩继续前进，就像他在卢卡斯、杰里·塔卡尼安或鲍勃·希尔的领导下过得不顺心时所做的那样。

德尔·内格罗从未完全接受波波维奇提出的交易条款，波波维奇也没有将德尔·内格罗视为自己心目中的那种后卫。但如果金额合适，德尔·内格罗依然会回来。只有当德尔·内格罗的经纪人飘到年薪 500 万美元的幻想中时，波波维奇才考虑其他选择。

相比之下，波波维奇曾设想交易珀森。他只是从未想过这是可能。三年前的珀森值 290 万美元的年薪，但他的背伤让他变成了一个令人抓狂的、无法手术的不稳定角色。与此同时，他有时也需要拐杖来帮助他投篮。

疼痛蔓延到了他的教练身上，没错。珀森认为波波维奇是一个控制狂。当波波维奇宣布珀森和威尔·帕杜上个赛季掉出轮换阵容时，珀森知道这是一个游戏，不喜欢玩这个游戏。

然后去年在西雅图发生了赛季中期的时刻，珀森在比赛中提出了一个策略，波波维奇对他大发雷霆。也许波波维奇忘记了这件事，因为他和艾弗里·约翰逊经常互相发脾气，但仍在继续合作。珀森从未这样做。

波波维奇认为别无选择，只能接受这种局面，直到星期一。然后，公牛队无法以蒙蒂·威廉姆斯换取史蒂夫·科尔，他们表示出于限薪的原因，他们可以接收珀森。

一位东部联盟的总经理对公牛队同意交易感到震惊，即使已经包括了一个选秀权。波波维奇可能也不相信自己的好运。与德尔·内格罗想要的相比，科尔已经是一个便宜的交易，现在马刺可以从他的交易中扣除珀森的工资。事实上，芝加哥将支付科尔五年合同中的两年。

波波维奇并没有真正找到斯科蒂·皮蓬。而且，他建立了一支老化的阵容，其中只有三名 20 多岁的人。

尽管如此，通过交易德尔·内格罗、珀森和其他一些人，波波维奇增加了三名知道如何取胜的强硬球员（科尔、杰罗姆·克西和马里奥·埃利），以及一个可以培养的新秀（安东尼·丹尼尔斯）。

如果波波维奇真的走运的话？他将能够消除更衣室中的终极焦虑，就是斯普雷威尔。

他们可能只会微笑并握手。这只是生意，不是吗？

点击查看原文：Of good-byes, good riddance and good sense

Of good-byes, good riddance and good sense

Chuck Person smiled in front of the cameras Wednesday and said he didn’t “have any animosity toward anybody.” Person then walked away shaking hands, as serene as he ever was from 23 feet.

Person left with some grace, some professionalism and even some humor. But Person could have said other things, and that’s the untold story behind the dumping of Person and Vinny Del Negro. Both had their troubles with Gregg Popovich, and now both are gone.

So are these changes a telling sign about a coach who got personal? Or about a coach who also wanted to get Latrell Sprewell?

Popovich isn’t the first with some locker-room angst. Casey Stengal once said, “The secret of managing a club is to keep the five guys who hate you away from the five who are undecided.”

Another secret? Eliminate the guys. Wonder why Larry Brown once traded Alvin Robertson? Why John Lucas traded Sean Elliott? They didn’t like each other.

Popovich is as human. When he meets his team today for the first time, he won’t miss Del Negro or Person.

Of course, he’ll still have Elliott, his tortured son. When Elliott wasn’t rehabbing during the lockout, he was moaning to anyone who would listen about hell under Popovich. And by comparison, Del Negro’s rifts with Popovich weren’t severe. Del Negro could shrug and go on, just as he did when things weren’t going right under Lucas, Jerry Tarkanian or Bob Hill.

Del Negro never completely bought into what Popovich sold, nor did Popovich see Del Negro as his kind of guard. But had the money fit, Del Negro would have been back. Only when Del Negro’s agent drifted into the $5 million-a- year illusion did Popovich consider options.

In contrast, Popovich looked to trade Person. He just never thought it was possible. The Person of three years ago was worth his $2.9 million salary, but his back turned him into a maddeningly inconsistent, inoperable figure. Meanwhile, his shooting touch sometimes needed a cane, too.

The pain extended to his coach, all right. Person thought Popovich was a control freak. When Popovich announced Person and Will Perdue were out of the rotation last season, Person knew it was a game and didn’t like playing it.

Then came a midseason moment last year in Seattle, when Person suggested a strategy during a game and Popovich snapped at him. Maybe Popovich forgot about it, because he and Avery Johnson snap at each other and keep going. Person never did.

Popovich figured he had no choice but to live with that until Monday. Then the Bulls, unable to get Monty Williams in exchange for Steve Kerr, said they would take Person instead for cap reasons.

One Eastern Conference GM was shocked the Bulls agreed to it, even with a draft choice included. And Popovich probably couldn’t believe his good luck. Kerr was already a bargain compared to what Del Negro wanted, and now the Spurs could subtract Person’s salary from that. In effect, Chicago will pay two years of Kerr’s five-year package.

Popovich didn’t exactly come up with Scottie Pippen. And he’s built an aging roster with only three twentysomethings on it.

Still, in exchange for Del Negro, Person and little else, Popovich added three tough men who know how to win (Kerr, Jerome Kersey and Mario Elie) as well as a project (Antonio Daniels).

And if Popovich had really gotten lucky? He’d have also added the ultimate locker-room angst, Sprewell.

They might as well smile and shake hands. It’s just business, isn’t it?

By Buck Harvey, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-01-22, By Johnny Ludden

Old faces in new places - Spurs welcome experience on opening day of practice

The Spurs finally assembled en masse and on time Thursday night at Castle Hills First Baptist Church. Which was fortunate. Contrary to reports, training camp had not been moved to the Incarnate Word Retirement Community.

To be fair, the 1999 Spurs will be older, not old. Older, they hope, also means wiser.

Battle-tested graybeards Steve Kerr, Mario Elie and Jerome Kersey should help. Remove twentysomethings Tim Duncan, Antonio Daniels and Malik Rose, and Australian swingman Andrew Gaze, and the Spurs average almost 10 years of tenure.

Gaze, limited to a pair of 10-day contracts with Washington in 1994, is the least experienced. And he’s a 33-year-old with four Olympics on his resume. Throw in backup center Will Perdue and the Spurs now boast eight championship rings.

One thing is for sure: Rookie hazing probably won’t be an issue.

“I feel like I should be getting hazed,” Kerr said. "I feel like the rookie here. It’s just strange. I’m in my 11th year and I’ve been in Chicago for the last five, so it’s just shocking to be in a whole different situation.

“It was like the first day of school. You see guys on TV and you know who they are, but you don’t really know them.”

Introductions were key for Thursday’s get-together. Jaren Jackson, meet Jerome Kersey. Steve Kerr, this is Malik Rose. The guy in the back with the funny accent is Andrew Gaze.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, however, declined to make everyone stand up and say what they did over the summer.

“When you haven’t been able to speak to the players for seven months it’s really strange when you finally get to meet,” Popovich said. “It’s really a unique situation. We all just sorta laughed.”

If Thursday was strange for everyone, it was also frantic for Popovich, player personnel director Sam Schuler and scouting director R.C. Buford. The trio spent the day finalizing contracts and sorting through other paperwork.

Fortunately for the Spurs, there appeared to be no last-minute surprises. Or arrivals. Jackson, who was still debating Wednesday evening whether to drive from New Orleans, bought a ticket and showed up on time.

“I had to go back to work sometime,” Jackson said.

The NBA office in New York was so backlogged trying to approve an unprecedented flurry of signings and trades that Kerr and Elie had not been officially declared black-and-silver Spurs by the time practice began. While everyone else sweat, they sat on the sidelines and watched.

Most of the Spurs were then treated to an enthusiastic media horde. Question of the Day: How does it feel to finally go through an official whistle-blowing practice?

Said Robinson: “It feels good.”

Said Duncan: “It feels good.”

Said Kerr: “It feels good.”

Said Avery Johnson: “I was the first person to get yelled at. Give me a break.”

The Spurs’ newcomers spent the early part of the day getting prodded and processed. After undergoing physicals, they tried to adjust to their new surroundings.

“I was just kind of sitting back in the room, going, ‘Hey, I’m in San Antonio,’” Kersey said. “It’s the first time I’ve been off the West Coast playing for anybody. But it’s a welcome change.”

Kersey said the Spurs’ acquisition of Elie helped sway him to sign with the team. Elie, too, had his reasons for choosing the Spurs over other suitors, including, "It’s close to Houston, and there’s no state income tax.

“We have a nice fiery coach - which I like - in Gregg Popovich,” Elie said. "What you see with Mario is what you’re going to get.

“You’re going to get a guy who’s going to bust his butt every night. A guy who’s not afraid to guard a good (small forward or guard). A guy who’s not afraid to hit the big shot.”

Said Johnson: “These guys even talk like champions.”

In addition to the dozen guys who figure to make the active roster, the Spurs also invited free agents Chris Garner (5-foot-10 guard), Gerard King (6-9 forward), Brett Robisch (6-11 center) and Brandon Williams (6-6 guard) to camp.

The Spurs might be wise to pick up a freshman or two for the reserve list. It would at least help settle the team’s most pressing issue: With no rookies, who’s going to carry the luggage?

Spurs notes: Popovich confirmed Wednesday’s report that the Spurs have ended negotiations with free-agent guard Vinny Del Negro. Del Negro’s agent, Jack Marin, did not return a message left at his North Carolina office.

-The Spurs announced a new ticket plan for the shortened 1999 season. Fans can pick any 15 games from the team’s 25-game home schedule for $240 to $525.

For each plan purchased, fans will receive free tickets for the opening two games: Feb. 5 (Sacramento) and Feb. 6 (Minnesota). Call 554-SPUR to purchase the package or visit the Spurs sales office at the Alamodome.

-The team will hold training camp at Castle Hills First Baptist Church until Tuesday’s exhibition against Houston at the Compaq Center. The Spurs will then practice at the University of the Incarnate Word.

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-01-22, By Kevin O’Keeffe

波波维奇从未打算签约德尔·内格罗

关于马刺队总经理格雷格·波波维奇和后卫文森特·德尔·内格罗的经纪人杰克·马林之间的谈判，让我们澄清一下。

没有谈判。

真的。

波波维奇从未打算让德尔·内格罗成为马刺队本赛季的成员。稍后将对此进行详细说明。

忘记波波维奇所有的敷衍了事的废话吧，他永远都无法成为年度 NBA 执行官，但经过上周的表现后，他可能会有资格获得奥斯卡奖。

1 月 14 日，马林和波波维奇在当地共进晚餐。当时，马林向波波维奇解释了他正在考察的 32 岁球员德尔·内格罗，他目前在意大利打球。

马林讨论了一份为期 4 年或 5 年的交易，德尔·内格罗的收入将达到 440 万美元左右，他在马刺队的六个赛季里平均每场比赛得 11.2 分。

马林从未要求每赛季 500 万美元。

马林从未要求任何东西。

事实上，马林对马刺队的预算困境很敏感。他向波波维奇建议，该协议的最后两年不会得到充分保障。

现在，如果波波维奇认为这些数字不合理，正如他星期三说的那样，这是解除德尔·内格罗职务的理由，为什么波波维奇不在和马林共进晚餐时表示抗议呢？

哦，波波维奇那天晚上很会演戏。他不仅没有反对马林的合同提议数字，而且还不止一次地告诉马林，他想确保德尔·内格罗得到他应得的。

然后，他要求马林通过提出更高的报价来帮助他。这将允许波波维奇拒绝它，但允许德尔·内格罗得到讨论过的东西，以及波波维奇所说的他想让德尔·内格罗得到的东西。

相反…

波波维奇抓住了这个提议，假装厌恶。他让他的爪牙宣称他很生气。

然后他对马林说的下一句话是：“我们（马刺队）将采取另一种方式。”

谈判？什么谈判？

哦，根据一名 NBA 消息人士透露的提议的实际数字是：300 万美元、360 万美元、372 万美元、408 万美元和 444 万美元。

消息人士还称，马刺队与芝加哥公牛队的自由球员后卫史蒂夫·科尔的交易据信是头重脚轻的。它要求科尔在五年、价值 1100 万美元的合同的前两年获得 350 万美元和 360 万美元。

因此，这将比德尔·内格罗在他的协议的前两年收到的钱更多。

我喜欢科尔。这位 33 岁的三分球威胁者是马刺队的绝佳补充。然而，这就是他应该成为的——一个补充。

就像对德尔·内格罗的补充一样，他凭借传球到内线的优秀技巧可以做比科尔更多的事情。

然而，你要明白，波波维奇从未打算让德尔·内格罗在本赛季加入球队。他在 1997-98 赛季之前就告诉德尔·内格罗这一点。

而且他是通过一句话都没说的方式做到的。

就在那时，波波维奇指示德尔·内格罗和马林提交一份合同提案。德尔·内格罗正在进入一份为期六年、价值 1200 万美元的合同的最后一年。

德尔·内格罗和马林按照指示去做，但从未从波波维奇那里收到任何消息。

德尔·内格罗对被忽视一事只字未提，因为他不想惹麻烦。尽管如此，他还是觉得波波维奇要求提供提案很奇怪… 但从未答复。

为什么波波维奇不想要德尔·内格罗回来？

真的很简单。德尔·内格罗不是波波维奇的人，文森特也明白这一点。德尔·内格罗受到队友的尊重，他不羞于表达与波波维奇相反的意见。

对波波维奇来说，这是一个不行的，因为他很容易因不安全感而受到威胁。

那么，为什么波波维奇上周大张旗鼓呢？他是不是想让人觉得德尔·内格罗只不过是另一个贪婪的球员？

当然，波波维奇知道马刺队的球迷对于这一点一定太聪明了。他们知道德尔·内格罗是一个在赛场内外都自谦的绅士，一个体现“团队至上”理念的人。

德尔·内格罗在这里会被人想念。而且我并不是唯一有这种感觉的人。马刺队联合队长大卫·罗宾逊和艾弗里·约翰逊对波波维奇卖掉德尔·内格罗感到不解。

正如罗宾逊雄辩地说：“冠军球队不会抛弃为之效力了六个赛季的球员。”

你知道的，大卫是对的。

不过，这只是另一个例子，说明只要波波维奇掌舵，马刺队就永远无法成为冠军组织。

点击查看原文：Pop never wanted to sign Del Negro

Pop never wanted to sign Del Negro

Let’s get something straight regarding the negotiations between Spurs general manager Gregg Popovich and Jack Marin, representative for guard Vinny Del Negro.

There were none.

Seriously.

Popovich never intended for Del Negro to be a member of the Spurs this season. More on that later.

Forget all of this hand-wringing malarkey from Popovich, who never will be NBA Executive of the Year but might be in line for an Oscar after his performance last week.

On Jan. 14, Marin and Popovich had dinner together here. At that time, Marin explained to Popovich what he was looking at for the 32-year-old Del Negro, who currently is playing in Italy.

Marin discussed a four-or five- year deal that would top out at around $4.4 million for Del Negro, who averaged 11.2 points per game in six seasons with the Spurs.

Never did Marin demand $5 million per season.

Never did Marin demand anything.

In fact, Marin was sensitive to the Spurs’ budget plight. He suggested to Popovich that the last two years of the deal would not be fully guaranteed.

Now, if Popovich believed these numbers were out of line, which he indicated Wednesday as justification for dumping Del Negro, why didn’t Popovich protest at the dinner with Marin?

Oh, Popovich was quite the thespian that night. Not only did he not object to Marin’s contract-proposal numbers, but he also told Marin more than once how he wanted to make sure Del Negro got what he deserved.

Then he asked Marin to help him with that by making a higher offer. That would allow Popovich to turn it down, yet allow Del Negro to get what was discussed and what Popovich said he wanted Del Negro to have.

Instead …

Popovich seized on that proposal, feigning disgust. He had his minions put out that he was angry.

Then his next words to Marin were, “We (the Spurs) are going another way.”

Negotiations? What negotiations?

Oh, the real numbers of the proposal, according to an NBA source: $3 million, $3.6 million, $3.72 million, $4.08 million, $4.44 million.

Also, according to the source, the Spurs’ deal with Chicago Bulls free-agent guard Steve Kerr is believed to be top heavy. It calls for Kerr to receive $3.5 million and $3.6 million in the first two years of the five-year, $11- million deal.

Thus, that would be more than Del Negro would have received in the first two years of his deal.

I like Kerr. The 33-year-old three-point threat is a wonderful addition to the Spurs. However, that is what he should be - an addition.

As in, an addition to Del Negro, who with his excellent skill at passing into the post can do more things than Kerr.

Understand, though, Popovich never intended for Del Negro to be with the team this year. He told Del Negro so before the 1997-98 season.

And he did it by not saying a word.

It was at that time Popovich instructed Del Negro and Marin to submit a contract proposal. Del Negro was entering the final year of a six-year, $12-million deal.

Del Negro and Marin did as instructed but never heard a word from Popovich.

Del Negro said little about being ignored because he didn’t want to cause any problems. Still, he thought it was odd Popovich would ask for the proposal … but never respond.

Why didn’t Popovich want Del Negro back?

Simple, really. Del Negro wasn’t one of Pop’s guys and Vinny knew it. Del Negro, who was respected by his teammates, wasn’t bashful about expressing an opinion contrary to Popovich’s.

That’s a no-no for Popovich, who is easily threatened because of his insecurity.

So, why all the theatrics the last week by Popovich? Might he have thought he could make Del Negro appear to be just another greedy player?

Surely, Popovich knew Spurs fans were much too smart for that. They knew Del Negro to be a self- effacing gentleman on and off the court, a man who personified a “team-first” mentality.

Del Negro will be missed here. And I’m not the only one who feels that way. Spurs co-captains David Robinson and Avery Johnson are puzzled about Popovich’s dumping Del Negro.

As Robinson stated so eloquently: “Championship teams don’t let go of players who have contributed for six seasons.”

David’s right, you know.

But then, this is just another example of why the Spurs never will be a championship organization as long as Popovich is in charge.

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

[这也将成为过去]

1999-01-22, By Johnny Ludden

赛程开启，马不停蹄

NBA 于周四下午公布了联盟赛程，圣安东尼奥马刺队(San Antonio Spurs)发现，他们将在开赛后立即体验到本赛季的紧凑。

从 2 月 5 日在阿拉莫穹顶球馆(Alamodome)迎战萨克拉门托国王队(Sacramento Kings)开始，马刺队将在五天内打四场比赛。

马刺队 50 场比赛中有 21 场将对阵中西部赛区的球队，其中包括分别对阵休斯顿火箭队(Houston Rockets)和犹他爵士队(Utah Jazz)的三场比赛。

马刺队将只与东部联盟的对手进行 6 场比赛，其中没有一场是对阵印第安纳步行者队(Indiana Pacers)、纽约尼克斯队(New York Knicks)、迈阿密热火队(Miami Heat)和新泽西篮网队(New Jersey Nets)等公认的竞争对手。

马刺队将要面对的六支东部球队中——底特律活塞队(Detroit Pistons)、芝加哥公牛队(Chicago Bulls)、克利夫兰骑士队(Cleveland Cavaliers)、费城76人队(Philadelphia 76ers)、多伦多猛龙队(Toronto Raptors)和奥兰多魔术队(Orlando Magic)——只有公牛队和骑士队进入了上赛季的季后赛。当然，公牛队自那以后已经物是人非。

马刺队只有两周的时间需要连续三晚比赛。

球队还将获得相当多的全国曝光度，将在美国全国广播公司(NBC)直播五场比赛：2 月 21 日（对阵活塞队）、2 月 28 日（对阵爵士队）、4 月 18 日（对阵火箭队）、4 月 24 日（对阵洛杉矶湖人队(Los Angeles Lakers)）和 5 月 2 日（对阵爵士队）。马刺队还有五场比赛将在特纳电视网(TNT)直播，一场将在TBS电视台(TBS)直播。

点击查看原文：Schedule opens on hectic note

Schedule opens on hectic note

After the NBA released the league’s schedules Thursday afternoon, the Spurs discovered they will get a good taste of the condensed season the minute they tip off.

Beginning with their Feb. 5 opener against Sacramento at the Alamodome, the Spurs will play four games in five nights.

Twenty-one of the Spurs’ 50 games will be against Midwest Division teams with three each against Houston and Utah.

The Spurs will play only six games against Eastern Conference opponents, none against presumed contenders Indiana, New York, Miami and New Jersey.

Of the six East teams the Spurs face - Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Toronto and Orlando - only the Bulls and Cavaliers made the playoffs last season. Chicago, of course, has since been razed.

The Spurs have only two weeks where they have to play three consecutive nights.

The team also will get a decent share of national exposure, playing five games on NBC: Feb. 21 (Detroit), Feb. 28 (Utah); April 18 (Houston), April 24 (Los Angeles Lakers) and May 2 (Utah). The Spurs also have five games on TNT and one on TBS.

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-01-24, By Johnny Ludden

霍尔特认为马刺队有夺冠潜力——新主场也不错

彼得·霍尔特（Peter Holt）又恢复了握手和拍背。

在历经七个月的激烈劳资纠纷，迫使霍尔特与自己的球员对阵后，这支马刺队的主席在周四晚上在其训练营酒店会见了球队。他欢迎新马刺成员的加入，欢迎老马刺成员的回归。他说，这不是个人恩怨，生意就是生意。

霍尔特在周六表示，生意现在代表着对难以捉摸的 NBA 冠军的追求。

霍尔特说：“我们的所有者集团决定，我们的重点是要为圣安东尼奥赢得总冠军。”“这支球队已经在这里呆了 26 年，由于各种原因，它还没有达到过巅峰。

“现在，这是我们的目标。我们正在设定这样的期望。这不仅针对（马刺队教练格雷格·波波维奇）和他的团队，也针对我们自己，也就是球队老板。这就是我们现在的状态。我们认为，在未来几年内，我们有潜力做到这一点。

“如果你问我今年是否期待它，我当然希望告诉你会的，但我还没有看到这个团队一起打一些艰苦的比赛。但我确实非常喜欢我们组建的球员。而在未来两到三年内——从今年开始——是的，我们期待总冠军。”

作为马刺队的主要老板，霍尔特现在已经到了第三个年头，他比以往任何时候都投入了更多的时间来管理球队。

在过去的七个月里，他担任 NBA 劳资谈判委员会的老板代表，支持球队对新主场的需求，并与波波维奇、球员人事总监萨姆·舒勒以及球探总监 R.C. 巴福德一起参与马刺队的自由球员争夺。星期五和星期六，他从场边观看了训练，与球员、教练、训练师交谈——与任何愿意倾听的人交谈。

霍尔特说：“毫无疑问，波波、R.C. 和萨姆都是推动者。”“我不会给他们打电话，说我想要这个球员。那不是从我这里来的。那是他们的工作。

“但一旦他们把注意力放在某些人身上，我就要参与进来。我想了解原因。我想了解个人如何融入球队。”

霍尔特说，做出不再让老马刺后卫文尼·德尔·内格罗上场的决定很困难，但也是正确的，因为自由球员市场呈现一种疯狂的局面。

霍尔特说：“我想每个球队都会遇到让我心痛的人事变动。”“我们必须改变方向并做出我们必须做出的决定。

“我们知道，在这种疯狂的情况下，窗口期可能只有两到三天。我们很害怕，如果（新劳工协议）签署后你马上没有做点什么，你就会完蛋。

“你可以看到菲尼克斯发生了什么。这是一个典型的案例。我想他们认为他们拥有（安东尼奥·麦克戴斯），但结果不行。……我不想在训练营里坐上两三天，然后考虑要不要做。那太可怕了。”

霍尔特说，自从马刺队的 Longhorn Quarry 提议夭折以来，他一直保持着沉默，但他很高兴听到霍华德·皮克市长和贝克萨县体育馆咨询委员会都说他们要开启有关新主场的会谈。市长希望在阿拉莫圆顶南面的停车场建造一个新场馆。由县委任的董事会希望在弗里曼体育馆所在的 175 英亩的土地上建造它。

霍尔特说：“我很高兴看到市长走上前去，说出他所说的话。”他说，球队官员计划在未来几周内与这两个小组会面。“对我们来说，场馆位置不如有一个新场馆重要。显然，有些地区可能比其他地区更适合我们的市场。但总而言之，马刺队无论在哪里，都能吸引人。

“理想情况下，你希望有良好的通行条件，希望有充足的停车位让每个人都来。但是你会得到一些你想要的东西，也会有一些你得不到的东西。生活就是妥协。”

霍尔特说，新的劳工协议将使小市场球队受益，但这并不会让马刺队对新主场失去需求。

霍尔特说：“我们将竭尽全力留下来，但我们确实需要一座新场馆。”“在未来一两年内，将有三个新场馆开张——印第安纳、亚特兰大和迈阿密。所有这些收入增加都将进入（NBA）的总奖金池，并且它会决定工资帽。我们的收入不会改变。

“我们只会越来越落后。工资帽将继续增长。这个现实不会改变。”

霍尔特说，在与球员工会纠缠了 12 到 14 个小时后，他知道这份有 400 页的《集体谈判协议》的细微差别。

他对达成协议感到如此悲观，以至于在协议达成前不到 12 小时，霍尔特几乎可以肯定这个赛季会被取消。谈判有时会让他在谈判桌上与大卫·罗宾逊、艾弗里·约翰逊、贾伦·杰克逊和马利克·罗斯针锋相对。

约翰逊说：“7 月 1 日到来的时候，我们站在对立面。”“那是生意。现在，他又重新成为篮球界最好的老板。”

约翰逊有理由讨好他。当马刺队在 2 月 5 日对阵萨克拉门托时，球员们将收到他们半年来的第一笔薪水。

霍尔特说，他不介意给他们签字。

霍尔特说：“我从没想过我会这么说。”“这会很有趣。这意味着我们正在比赛。”

• 马刺队的简讯：前马刺队成员蒙蒂·威廉姆斯已经与丹佛签约。雷吉·吉里已经与西雅图签约。……前德克萨斯路德教会明星杰拉德·雷纳受邀参加马刺队的训练营。

点击查看原文：Holt sees title for Spurs - And a new arena would be nice, too

Holt sees title for Spurs - And a new arena would be nice, too

Peter Holt was back to shaking hands and slapping backs.

After a bitter seven-month labor battle that forced him to square off against his own players, the Spurs chairman met with the team Thursday night at its training- camp hotel. He welcomed aboard the new Spurs, welcomed back the old ones. No hard feelings, he said. Business is business.

And business, Holt said Saturday, now means tracking down an elusive NBA championship.

“This ownership group has made a decision that we’re focused on getting a championship for San Antonio,” Holt said. "The team has been here for 26 years and for lots of different reasons, it hasn’t ever gotten there.

"That’s now our goal. We’re setting that expectation. Not only for (Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) and his group, but for ourselves as owners. That’s where we’re at. We think we have the potential in the next few years to do that.

“If you ask me if I expect it this year, I’d sure like to tell you yes, but I just haven’t seen this group play some tough games together. But I sure like the players we’ve put together. And in the next two or three years - starting this year - yes, we expect a championship.”

Now in his third year as the Spurs’ principal owner, Holt has devoted more of his time to running the team than ever.

In the past seven months, he served on the NBA owners’ labor negotiating committee, championed the team’s need for a new arena and worked with Popovich, player personnel director Sam Schuler and scouting director R.C. Buford on the Spurs’ free-agent pursuit. Friday and Saturday he watched practice from the sideline, talking to players, coaches, trainers - anyone who would listen.

“Certainly Pop and R.C. and Sam are the ones that drive it,” Holt said. "I don’t call them up and say I want this player. That doesn’t come from me. That’s their job.

“But once they focus on certain people, I want to be involved. I want to understand why. I want to understand how the individual fits into the team.”

The decision to let go of veteran Spur guard Vinny Del Negro was tough, Holt said, but also the correct one given the feeding frenzy of the free-agent market.

“Those are the heart wrenchers that I guess go on with every team,” Holt said. "We had to go a different direction and make the decision we had to make.

"We knew the window in this crazy situation was going to be about maybe two or three days. We were scared to death that if you didn’t have something done the minute (the new labor agreement) was signed, you were cooked.

“You could see what happened to Phoenix. That’s a classic case. I think they thought they had (Antonio McDyess) and it didn’t work out. … I wouldn’ want to be sitting two or three days in training camp, going do we or don’t we. That’s just too scary.”

For the most part silent since the Spurs’ Longhorn Quarry proposal died, Holt said he was pleased to hear both Mayor Howard Peak and the Bexar County Coliseum Advisory Board say they wanted to open talks about a new arena. The mayor would like to see a new arena built downtown on the Alamodome’s south parking lot. The county-appointed board wants it built on the 175-plus acres where Freeman Coliseum rests.

“I was glad to see the mayor step up there and say what he said,” said Holt, who said team officials plan to meet with both groups in the next few weeks. "The location for us is less important than having a new arena. Obviously there are some areas that are probably better for our market than others. But all in all, the Spurs attract people wherever we’ll be.

“In the best of all worlds you want great access, you want parking for everybody to come. But you get some things you want, some things you don’t get. Life is about compromise.”

The new labor agreement, he said, will benefit small-market teams, but doesn’t end the Spurs’ need for a new home.

“We’re going to fight like hell to stay, but we do have to have an arena,” Holt said. "You’ve got three new arenas coming aboard in the next year or two - Indiana, Atlanta and Miami. All of those dollars - revenue increases - go into the (NBA’s) overall pot and the way the (salary cap) is determined. Our revenues don’t change.

“We’re going to fall farther and farther behind. The cap is going to continue to rise. That reality doesn’t change.”

After spending 12- and 14-hour days wrangling with the players’ union, Holt said he knows the nuances of the new 400-page collective bargaining agreement.

He became so pessimistic about reaching a settlement that less than 12 hours before the deal was struck, Holt was almost certain the season would be canceled. At times the negotiations pitted him across the table from David Robinson, Avery Johnson, Jaren Jackson and Malik Rose.

“When July 1 hit we were on opposite sides,” Johnson said. “That was business. Now he’s back to being the best owner in basketball.”

Johnson has reason to kiss up. The players will receive their first paycheck in more than half a year when the Spurs tip off against Sacramento Feb. 5.

Holt said he isn’t going to mind signing them.

“I’d never thought I’d say that,” Holt said. “It will be fun. That means we’re playing.”

- Spurs notes: Former Spur Monty Williams has signed with Denver. Reggie Geary has signed with Seattle . … Former Texas Lutheran star Jerald Reiner has been invited to the Spurs’ training camp.

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-01-24, By Buck Harvey

“肖恩行动”: 朋友的帮助

他们送给他一个可爱的女儿。他们停摆，给他时间恢复腿伤。

然后，马刺队真的为肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott) 做了超出寻常的努力。他们聘请了专门的人来激励他，另一个人来安慰他，另一个人来提醒他。

没有人说“肖恩行动”会很容易。

也许这是值得的，因为几乎所有人都认为埃利奥特是马刺队的关键。格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich) 组建了一支强大的阵容，但它在一个关键领域存在不足：只有埃利奥特拥有那种单打独斗、像乔丹(Jordan) 般的闪光点。

当秒表只剩下5秒，谁拥有可以撕裂防守的投篮和速度？老埃利奥特拥有。现在是新埃利奥特，几乎所有人都这么说。他看起来又充满了爆炸性。

所以，当马刺队梦想着赢得西部冠军时，他们梦想着三年前，当时埃利奥特是全明星，他的第一步几乎可以击败任何人。想象一下1996年的埃利奥特，在侧翼蓄势待发，盯着蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan) 和大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)。

波波维奇也在想象，这也是他倾尽全力让这一切成功的理由。但也许即使是更友善的波波维奇也无法完全帮助埃利奥特。所以这将球队带到了上周，当时“肖恩行动”围绕着埃利奥特，他身旁坐着替补席上的一群支持者。

首先，是严厉的人。马里奥·埃利(Mario Elie) 念自己的名字时把第一个音节念成“merry-o”，但它应该是“grumpy-o”。埃利是火箭队光辉的折射，在他没有投出令人胆寒的三分球时，他会承担起防守对方最佳得分手的工作。

落后时，他在暂停时会大声喊叫。领先时，他会咆哮着说领先优势应该更大。难怪丹尼·安吉(Danny Ainge) 曾经朝埃利的头上扔了一个快速球。

所以现在埃利以埃利奥特的替补身份到来，他说：“我将在训练中逼他。我会狠揍他。我会让他变得坚强。”

这已经尝试过很多次了，但这并没有让埃利气馁。“我真的希望肖恩能打得好，”他说。

接下来，是朋友。史蒂夫·科尔(Steve Kerr) 是埃利奥特在亚利桑那大学(Arizona) 的学长，他们从那时起就是好朋友。他们有时在图森(Tucson) 聚会，有时与妻子一起聚会，有时一起去日本旅行。“他喜欢享受生活，就像我喜欢享受生活一样，”埃利奥特说。

科尔淡化了自己能提供多少帮助。“如果肖恩保持健康，”科尔说，“他会重新找回自信。”

但总会有埃利奥特感到沮丧的时候，因为这总是存在的。埃利奥特就像他一样友好，也一样脆弱。当他试图成为第四选择时 - 当他只获得5次出手，并且感到不被重视时 - 他需要一个持证治疗师。

科尔不得不做。科尔应该很聪明，提醒埃利奥特他自己的话。“我不会再像以前那样得到单打的机会，”埃利奥特周六说。“我已经接受了这一点。当你拥有蒂姆·邓肯和大卫·罗宾逊的时候，这就是应该发生的事情。所以，我必须参加快攻，获得一些篮板球，防守，然后等待我的机会。”

最后，是提醒。杰罗姆·科西(Jerome Kersey)。在1990年的季后赛中，埃利奥特是一个经验不足的新秀，陷入了与老将科西的残酷对决中。埃利奥特当时无法相信科西是如何欺负他的。但埃利奥特在波特兰(Portland) 的双加时赛中得到21分，并且表现得足够好，让马刺队将开拓者队逼到第七场。

所以，当埃利奥特看到科西时，他会想起在与拉里·布朗(Larry Brown) 和后来的约翰·卢卡斯(John Lucas) 关系恶化之前，在被交易到活塞队之前，在肾脏状况恶化，自信心下降之前，在两场膝盖手术之前，在比赛变得太像工作之前，发生的事情。

在那之前，"肖恩行动"是必要的。

点击查看原文：Operation Sean: A little help from his friends

Operation Sean: A little help from his friends

They got him a baby daughter. They held a lockout to give his legs time to heal.

Then the Spurs really went out of their way for Sean Elliott. They hired someone to nudge him, another to comfort him, another to remind him.

Nobody said Operation Sean would be easy.

Maybe it’s worth it, since about everyone thinks Elliott is the Spurs’ key. Gregg Popovich built a sturdy roster, but it’s lacking in one, critical area: Only Elliott owns one-on-one, Jordan-like flash.

With the shot clock down to five seconds, who has the jumper and quickness to sear a defense? The old Elliott did. Now comes the new Elliott, and about everyone says this, too. He looks explosive again.

So when the Spurs daydream about winning the West, they daydream about three years ago, when Elliott was an All-Star and his first step beat almost anyone. Imagine the 1996 Elliott coiled on the wing eyeing both Tim Duncan and David Robinson.

Popovich imagines, which is why he puts everything behind him to make this work. But maybe even a kinder Popovich isn’t enough for Elliott. So that brought the franchise to last week, when Operation Sean surrounded Elliott with a bench-full of support.

First, the heavy. Mario Elie pronounces his first name merry- o, but it ought to be grumpy-o. Elie was the spit to the Rockets’ shine, taking on the other team’s best scorer when he wasn’t dropping sneering treys.

When trailing, he screams during the timeout. When ahead, he growls that the lead should be more. No wonder Danny Ainge once threw a fastball off Elie’s head.

So now Elie arrives as Elliott’s backup and says, “I’m gonna push him in practice. I’m gonna beat him up. I’m gonna make him tough.”

It’s been tried before, but that doesn’t discourage Elie. “I really want Sean to play well,” he says.

Next, the friend. Steve Kerr was the suave junior when Elliott was a freshman at Arizona, and they’ve been good buddies since. They’ve gotten together sometimes in Tucson, sometimes with their wives, sometimes on trips to Japan. “He likes to have a good time the way I like to have a good time,” says Elliott.

Kerr downplays how much help he will provide. “If Sean stays healthy,” says Kerr, “he’ll get his confidence back.”

But there will come a time when Elliott gets frustrated, because there always has been one. Elliott is as fragile as he is likable. And when he tries to exist as the fourth option - when he’s getting five shots and feeling unloved - he will need a licensed therapist.

Kerr will have to do. And Kerr would be smart to remind Elliott of his own words. “I’m not going to get the isolation plays I used to,” Elliott said Saturday. “And I’ve accepted that. When you have Tim Duncan and David Robinson, that’s the way it should be. So I’ve got to run on the fastbreak, get some put-backs, play defense and wait my turn.”

Finally, the reminder. Jerome Kersey. In the 1990 playoffs Elliott was a wide-eyed rookie stuck in a savage matchup with the veteran Kersey. Elliott couldn’t believe then how Kersey bullied him. But Elliott scored 21 in a double OT loss in Portland and held up well enough for the Spurs to take the Blazers to seven games.

So when Elliott sees Kersey, he will remember a time before things went sour with Larry Brown and later John Lucas, before a trade to Detroit, before his kidneys went as south as his confidence, before two knee operations, before a game had become too much like work.

Before Operation Sean was necessary.

By Buck Harvey, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-01-24, By Glenn Rogers

签约期中并非所有人都取得了胜利

自由球员签约的短暂时节中充满了喧闹和混乱，现在接近尾声。

各支球队和经纪人毫不浪费时间，就按照惯例摆出姿态、攻击对方和装作冤枉，然后集中精力签订合同。

结果呢？以下是有关获胜方、失败方和其他内容的一个版本：

获胜方

丹佛：掘金队表现出色，至少在季前赛中是这样，浪子小安东尼·麦克戴斯重返球队。丹佛还通过引进钱西·比卢普斯（已经拥有尼克·范·埃克塞尔）加强了控球后卫位置，并且可以憧憬培养新秀拉夫·拉弗伦茨。

目前，掘金队准备在季后赛中吓唬人，但时间可能要在下一个千年。

休斯顿：火箭队通过赢得自由球员斯科蒂·皮蓬的大奖来制止他们的失败。迈克尔·乔丹场上最佳搭档的存在吸引了查尔斯·巴克利，或许还有另一场分区决赛。

圣安东尼奥：马刺队在史蒂夫·科尔、马里奥·埃利和杰罗姆·科西身上找到了外线投射能力和一些强硬之处。他们还可能会发现安德鲁·加兹在澳大利亚待了如此多年的原因，以及为何文尼·德尔·内格罗帮助赢得了多场比赛的原因。

如果肖恩·埃利奥特的膝盖开始肿胀，所有这一切都可能成为徒劳。

底特律：洛伊·沃特应该带一两夸脱油来保持活塞队的动力，并为格兰特·希尔成为超级巨星铺平道路。如果克里斯蒂安·莱特纳能够及时回到季后赛，他将提供更多帮助。

洛杉矶湖人队：这支西海岸名人队错过了皮蓬、汤姆·古格利奥塔和安东尼·麦克戴斯，但他们留住了里克·福克斯，并带回了德尔·哈里斯最喜欢的球员特拉维斯·奈特。

现在，他们只需要驯服科比·布莱恩特，并说服沙奎尔·奥尼尔，论坛灯和好莱坞的灯光一样亮。

奥兰多：教练查克·戴利在抢到中锋艾萨克·奥斯丁之后梦想着“坏小子”的日子。至少在戴利再次伤害他的感情之前，安芬尼·哈达威可能会停止闷闷不乐，并停止寻找不参赛的理由。

弗拉德·迪瓦茨：这位思乡的人通过接受萨克拉门托开出的 6250 万美元报价，开始了他不可避免地回到他心爱的洛杉矶的行动。

吉姆·麦克伊尔韦恩：他已经脱离了西雅图的煎熬，并将以新泽西替补的身份很好地蒸煮，只有当网队希望通过一系列强硬拒绝来阻止司机时才会被派去作战。

菲尼克斯：太阳队失去了对麦克戴斯的竞标，但设法带来了汤姆·古格利奥塔和卢克·朗利，这将使他们继续保持在分区决赛状态之下的位置。

失败方

明尼苏达：他们去年的季后赛希望寄托在古格利奥塔身上，但现在他已经离开了，把希望留在了乔·史密斯手中。祝你好运。

更糟的是，斯蒂芬·马布里可能会同意古格利奥塔的看法，为了乘坐雪橇离开寒冷的明尼阿波利斯，少赚几百万美元是值得的。

乔·史密斯：去年夏天，当他拒绝了金州勇士队开出的 8000 万美元报价时，他觉得自己真是一位全能的乔。史密斯变成了一个有限的乔，并以 175 万美元的价格签约了明尼苏达。

塞德里克·塞巴洛斯：他曾经离开湖人队去滑水，因为他认为自己没有得到像他已知的那样的明星待遇。达拉斯为他开出了约 600 万美元的价码。塞巴洛斯拒绝了，现在一直在寻找交易。

尚待确定

纽约：尼克斯队将了解到拉特雷尔·斯普雷威尔的天赋是否会战胜他场外的不良行为，以及教练杰夫·范·甘迪是否不会让这位前勇士队的明星想起他曾经勒死过的某位教练。

随着约翰·斯塔克斯的离开，斯普雷威尔至少应该与帕特里克·尤因公平地分享球。

西雅图：萨姆·帕金斯和内特·麦克米兰已经离开，唐·麦克莱恩和迈克尔·凯奇已经到来。乔治·卡尔可能已经及时离开了。

夏洛特：球队副总裁鲍勃·巴斯收紧了钱袋，并拒绝了迪瓦茨提出的 1100 万美元的要求。马特·盖格尔告诉教练戴夫·考恩斯，塞住他那坚强的家伙心态，然后去了费城。盖格尔显然觉得考恩斯希望他在拉伤的腿筋痊愈之前就上场。

黄蜂队最终以大脑打结的大前锋德里克·科尔曼作为中锋，并且在受伤的格伦·莱斯缺阵的头几个星期里将遭受痛苦。

你自己弄清楚

达拉斯：教练唐·尼尔森说，加里·特伦特从天而降，落入他的怀中，接受了100万美元的例外。现在，唐只需要阻止特伦特殴打某人并被送回监狱。

内莉还签下了老将霍特·罗德·威廉姆斯，他感叹说这位好脾气的中锋经常早早地坐出租车到球场为即将到来的比赛做准备。他没有解释为什么霍特·罗德太冷，无法在其他地方引起认真的关注。

脚注

费城：你知道拉里·布朗更喜欢他的焦虑，因为你注意到他重新签下了贝努瓦·本杰明。

波士顿：你知道里克·皮蒂诺从布朗那里学到了痛苦，因为你注意到他签下了德韦恩·辛茨尤斯。

球迷：他们一定热爱这场比赛。小牛队在他们的免费比赛中吸引了 9,200 人来到 Reunion 体育场。这个数字超过了 1998 年 1 月 6 日达拉斯和丹佛在 Reunion 进行的常规赛比赛中到场的 8,833 人。

点击查看原文：Not everyone wins during signing period

Not everyone wins during signing period

The hurly-burly of the short free-agent signing season is about over.

Teams and agents wasted little time in the time-honored ritual of posturing, name calling and feigned cries of injustice and simply concentrated on getting contracts signed.

The result? Here’s one version of winners, losers and what nots:

Winners

Denver: The Nuggets are shining, at least in the preseason, with the return of prodigal son Antonio McDyess. Denver also strengthened itself at point guard with Chauncey Billups (it already has Nick Van Exel) and can look forward to grooming rookie Raef LaFrentz.

The Nuggets now contemplate scaring people in the playoffs, sometime in the next millennium.

Houston: The Rockets stopped their fizzling by hitting the free-agent jackpot with Scottie Pippen. The presence of Michael Jordan’s best on-court buddy wooed back Charles Barkley and maybe another run to the conference finals.

San Antonio: The Spurs found outside shooting and some toughness in Steve Kerr, Mario Elie and Jerome Kersey. They may also discover why Andrew Gaze spent so many years in Australia and why Vinny Del Negro helped win more than a few games.

All could be for naught if Sean Elliott’s knees begin to swell.

Detroit: Loy Vaught should bring a quart or two of oil to keep the Pistons pumping and grease the way for Grant Hill to reach for superstar status. Christian Laettner will add still more if he can get back in time for the playoffs.

L.A. Lakers: The West Coast celebrities missed out on Pippen, Tom Gugliotta and Antonio McDyess, but they held on to Rick Fox and brought back Travis Knight, a favorite of Del Harris.

Now they just have to tame Kobe Bryant and persuade Shaquille O’Neal that the Forum lights are just as bright as those in Hollywood.

Orlando: Coach Chuck Daly dreams of “Bad Boy” days after nabbing center Isaac Austin. Anfernee Hardaway may stop sulking and stop finding reasons not to play, at least until Daly hurts his feelings again.

Vlade Divac: The homesick fellow began his inevitable crawl back to his beloved Los Angeles by accepting a $62.5 million offer from Sacramento.

Jim McIlvaine: He’s out of the Seattle frying pan and will simmer nicely as a New Jersey reserve, sent to do battle only when the Nets want to discourage drivers with a series of hard rejections.

Phoenix: The Suns lost their bid for McDyess but managed to bring in Tom Gugliotta and Luc Longley, pieces that should keep them burning just below conference-finals status.

Losers

Minnesota: Their playoff hopes depended on Gugliotta last year and now he’s gone, leaving those hopes in the hands of Joe Smith. Good luck.

Worse to come. Stephon Marbury may agree with Gugliotta that it’s worth many million dollars less to take a sleigh ride out of frigid Minneapolis.

Joe Smith: He figured he was truly an all-around Joe last summer when he rejected an $80-million offer from Golden State. Smith turned into a limited Joe and signed for $1.75 million with Minnesota.

Cedric Ceballos: He once left the Lakers to go water skiing when he thought he wasn’t being treated like the star he knew he was. Dallas offered him about $6 million. Ceballos rejected it, and now wanders the landscape looking for a deal.

Ballot still out

New York: The Knicks will find out if Latrell Sprewell’s talent will win out over his off-court, bad-boy behavior and whether Coach Jeff Van Gundy doesn’t remind the former Warriors star of a certain coach he once strangled.

With John Starks gone, Sprewell should at least get his fair share of the ball with Patrick Ewing.

Seattle: Sam Perkins and Nate McMillan are gone, and Don MacLean and Michael Cage have arrived. George Karl may have left just in time.

Charlotte: Team vice president Bob Bass tightened the purse strings and rejected Divac’s request for $11 million. Matt Geiger told Coach Dave Cowens to stuff his tough-guy mentality and went to Philadelphia. Geiger apparently felt Cowens wanted him to play before a pulled hamstring healed.

The Hornets wound up with power forward, knot-headed Derrick Coleman at center and will suffer the first few weeks without injured Glen Rice.

You figure it out

Dallas: Coach Don Nelson said Gary Trent just fell from heaven into his arms and into the $1-million exception. Now Don just has to keep Trent from slugging somebody and being returned to jail.

Nellie also signed veteran Hot Rod Williams, exclaiming that the nice-guy center often took an early cab to the arena to prepare for the upcoming game. He didn’t explain why Hot Rod was too cold to attract serious attention elsewhere.

Footnotes

Philadelphia: You know Larry Brown prefers his angst when you note that he re- signed Benoit Benjamin.

Boston: You know Rick Pitino learned suffering from Brown when you note he signed Dwayne Schintzius.

Fans: They must love this game. The Mavericks drew 9,200 at Reunion Arena for their free scrimmage. That figure surpasses the 8,833 that attended the Jan. 6, 1998, regular-season game at Reunion between Dallas and Denver.

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-01-25, By Arthur Garcia

马刺队将在新赛季获得大量电视曝光率

马刺队将在新赛季初期获得大量全国电视曝光率。圣安东尼奥将在2月的9场比赛中，有5场将在全国电视台上播出。

NBC将转播4场马刺队的比赛，包括赛季后期连续9场比赛中的3场，而特纳体育网络的TNT和TBS将联合转播5场。

沙奎尔·奥尼尔(Shaquille O’Neal)、科比·布莱恩特(Kobe Bryant)以及洛杉矶湖人队的其他球员将在2月8日，在圣安东尼奥队的首场全国性展示赛中，为马刺队带来挑战。这场由TBS转播的比赛将在下午7点开始，并作为马刺队新赛季开赛的3场主场比赛的结束。

2月还将在TNT上转播与费城76人队的比赛（2月12日）以及与湖人队的比赛（2月19日）。NBC将在2月21日转播与底特律活塞队的比赛，以及2月28日与犹他爵士队的比赛。

随后，在3月份将几乎没有全国性的电视转播，NBC和特纳都没有安排任何比赛。

马刺队在本赛季与湖人队的全部三场比赛都将在全国范围内播出。第三场比赛将在4月24日进行。

马刺队最后一场全国性转播的比赛将在5月2日对阵爵士队。

湖人队显然是NBC和特纳本赛季的宠儿，他们将转播湖人队近一半的50场比赛。特纳将转播12场湖人队的比赛，而NBC将转播11场。

NBC总共转播的28场比赛，仅仅比原定的电视转播计划少了4场。该网络将分别转播爵士队、纽约尼克斯队和印第安纳步行者队的9场比赛。

在“为什么不是我们”的讨论中，有6支球队 - 达拉斯小牛队、金州勇士队、萨克拉门托国王队、多伦多猛龙队、温哥华灰熊队和洛杉矶快船队 - 没有获得全国性电视转播。

在当地，KSAT和KRRT计划在未来几天内公布他们的马刺队赛程。这两家电视台预计至少会转播15场比赛。

福克斯体育西南也将转播比赛，从周六马刺队对阵休斯顿火箭队的季前赛开始。当地和全国转播的结合意味着马刺队50场比赛中超过40场将在电视上播出。

马刺队官员尚未宣布是否计划进行任何付费观看转播。在停摆之后，取消本赛季的付费观看转播可能是明智之举。

- 超级碗接入：本周是超级碗狂热者的狂欢周，在接下来的七天里，电视上将有大量内容满足他们的超级碗胃口。

值得注意的是，来自迈阿密的球员和教练每天都会举行新闻发布会。CNN/SI、ESPN2和ESPNEWS计划每天早上转播这些新闻发布会，可能从早上7点左右开始。

- 联盟冠军赛收视率：1月17日亚特兰大猎鹰队对阵明尼苏达维京人的NFC冠军赛在福克斯电视台取得了25.7的尼尔森收视率和54的份额。

卫冕超级碗冠军丹佛野马队对阵纽约喷气机的比赛在CBS电视台取得了26.6/48的收视率。

- 德州大学篮球赛在ESPN转播：作为该网络大学篮球“对抗周”的一部分，势头正劲的德州长角牛队将在今晚对阵俄克拉荷马州立大学的比赛中登上全国舞台。这场传统的足球对手之间的比赛将在晚上8:30开始。

点击查看原文：Spurs get plenty of early exposure

Spurs get plenty of early exposure

The Spurs will get quite a bit of national television exposure early in the revised NBA season. San Antonio will make five of its nine national TV appearances in February.

NBC will televise four Spurs games, including three during a nine-game stretch late in the season, and Turner Sports networks TNT and TBS will combine for five broadcasts.

Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers provide the opposition in San Antonio’s first national showcase on Feb. 8. The TBS game has a 7 p.m. start and concludes the Spurs’ three-game homestand to open the season.

Also on tap in February are TNT games against Philadelphia on the 12th and the Lakers again on the 19th. NBC has the Detroit game on the 21st and a showdown with Utah on the 28th.

Then comes a virtual national TV blackout in March, with no games scheduled by either NBC or Turner.

All three Spurs’ games against the Lakers this season get a national audience. The third game is April 24.

San Antonio’s final national game is May 2 against the Jazz.

The Lakers are clearly the darlings of NBC and Turner this season, with nearly half of the team’s 50 games on the tube. Turner has 12 Lakers games and NBC has 11.

NBC’s 28 total games are only four less than the original TV schedule that was ripped up by the lockout. The network will do nine games each on the Jazz, New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers.

In the what-about-us department, six teams - Dallas, Golden State, Sacramento, Toronto, Vancouver and the Los Angeles Clippers - don’t have a national TV game.

Locally, KSAT and KRRT plan to release their Spurs schedules in the next few days. Both stations expect to have at least 15 games.

Fox Sports Southwest will also carry games, starting with the Spurs’ exhibition Saturday against Houston. The combination of local and national coverage means more than 40 of the Spurs’ 50 games will be on the air.

Spurs officials have yet to announce whether any pay-per-view telecasts are scheduled. In the wake of the lockout, it may be wise to scrap pay-per-view for the season.

- Super Bowl access: This is the week for the Super Bowl junkie, with plenty on the tube over the next seven days to feed his or her Super appetite.

Of note are the daily press conferences from Miami featuring players and coaches. CNN/SI, ESPN2 and ESPNEWS plan to carry the conferences each morning, probably beginning around 7 a.m.

- Conference championship ratings: The Atlanta-Minnesota NFC Championship Game on Jan. 17 scored a 25.7 Nielsen rating and 54 share for Fox.

The defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos’ game against the New York Jets pulled a 26.6/48 for CBS.

- UT hoops on ESPN: As part of the network’s college basketball “Rivalry Week,” the streaking Texas Longhorns get a national stage tonight against Oklahoma. The traditional football rivals tip-off at 8:30.

By Arthur Garcia, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-01-26, By Johnny Ludden

埃利渴望在今晚的比赛中展现实力

从马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)到控球后卫艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)再到中锋大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)，普遍的观点是，今晚对阵休斯顿火箭队的比赛只是一场表演赛：一场针对因联盟停摆而苦苦等待的NBA球迷的免费演示，或者充其量只是球员们的又一次体能训练。

马里奥·埃利(Mario Elie)似乎并不认可这种主流观点。

“我知道我把它当作一场真正的比赛，”埃利说，他将短暂地回到康柏中心，这里是他曾经征战过的主场。“我投出的每一球都会向那些家伙眨眨眼，说‘嘿，这就是你们曾经拥有的，也是你们将要失去的。’”

当然，马刺队希望火箭队的损失能够成为他们的收益。圣安东尼奥签下了35岁的埃利，让他作为小前锋肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)和后卫贾伦·杰克逊(Jaren Jackson)的替补，同时增添一些锋芒。

“有些球员走进更衣室，就会立即提升球队的信誉，”波波维奇说。“即使球员一句话也不说，团队的认真程度和自信心也会随之提高。这就是马里奥给人的感觉。”

然而，埃利并不喜欢保持沉默。他以歌剧歌唱家马里奥·兰扎(Mario Lanza)命名，他在休斯顿获得了“斗牛犬”的称号。队友、对手、教练和裁判都忍受过他的怒吼。

像约翰逊和杰克逊一样，埃利一生都在磨练自己的怒吼。从美国国际学院到爱尔兰、阿根廷、葡萄牙，再到USBL、WBL、CBA，他辗转于各个联赛，最终在27岁时才进入NBA。

在与费城76人队签下了一份为期10天的合同后，埃利与金州勇士队签约，并在1990-91赛季的最后半段为勇士队效力。他在勇士队又效力了一个赛季，之后转会到波特兰，然后在1993年加入了火箭队。他参加的8个NBA赛季都进入了季后赛。

“他真正体现了坚韧、认真、不惜一切代价赢球的态度，”波波维奇说。“这就是他。

“除此之外，他拥有全面的技术。他的投篮能够拉开球场空间。他可以运球突破。他可以在多个位置防守。他也能抢篮板球。

“我不知道还能要求他什么了。”

马刺队很高兴埃利能够给他们带来他在休斯顿所展现的东西。他是火箭队在1994年和1995年连续两年夺冠的重要组成部分。当查尔斯·巴克利(Charles Barkley)在下一赛季加入休斯顿时，他称埃利是球队的MVP。

从表面上看，埃利的生涯数据并不显眼：场均9.1分，2.7次助攻，2.7个篮板，三分球命中率36%。但他在NBA总决赛历史上排名第二，在火箭队的两次总决赛之旅中，19投10中，三分球命中率高达52.6%。

罗宾逊说：“这就是我们一直在缺失的。”

休斯顿也经常让身高6英尺5英寸，体重210磅的埃利去防守迈克尔·乔丹(Michael Jordan)和其他联盟中危险的得分后卫和小前锋。马刺队将会让他和埃利奥特去防守温哥华的沙里夫·阿卜杜勒-拉希姆(Shareef Abdur-Rahim)，犹他的布莱恩·拉塞尔(Bryon Russell)和洛杉矶湖人的里克·福克斯(Rick Fox)。

“我不怕脏活累活，”埃利说。

约翰逊在夏天就开始招募埃利，当时两人在休斯顿的西区网球俱乐部一起训练。犹他爵士和迈阿密热火也向他抛出了橄榄枝，但埃利最终与马刺队签下了一份为期两年，价值370万美元的合同。

“他正是我们所需要的，”约翰逊说。“我认为，在系列赛的第7场或第6场，如果他空位三分，他将命中8到10个中的。

“我告诉他，他将投很多空位三分。”

埃利说：“艾弗里答应我会有三个7尺高的球员。”

埃利说，他对休斯顿没有敌意。火箭队想要年轻化，而他并不年轻。

“那些家伙成就了我的职业生涯，”埃利说。

但这并不意味着他不期待今晚的比赛。自从他与马刺队签约以来，埃利的寻呼机就不断收到球迷要求门票的短信。

“我告诉波波让我带领球探队训练，”埃利说。“很简单。我认为斯科蒂(皮蓬)将会顶替克莱德(德雷克斯勒)的位置，(哈基姆·奥拉朱旺)一直想要低位要球。

“我想查尔斯还在加州打高尔夫球。我不知道他是否已经报道了训练营。

“走进球馆，坐在另一边的板凳上将会很有趣，但回忆是美好的。我第一件事就是看看两面冠军旗。只是现在我身披银黑战袍了。”

马刺队对此心怀感激。

“我不需要看另一边的板凳席就能找到他，”波波维奇说。“我能够自己看到他。”

• 马刺队新闻：马刺队在周一晚上的训练结束后正式结束了训练营。训练营在城堡山第一浸信会教堂举行。

球队将在今晚的表演赛结束后返回到他们的正常训练场所——圣因卡内特大学。周一是马刺队进行两堂训练课的最后一天。

“唯一奇怪的是，要找到平衡点，既不能让他们准备得过快，防止受伤，也不能放松得太厉害，让他们没有状态，”波波维奇说。“这确实是最尴尬的部分。”

• 今晚的表演赛是马刺队经过四天的训练之后进行的。另一方面，火箭队因为交易皮蓬而拥有更少的备战时间。

“两支球队都将继续努力保持状态，提高执行力，”波波维奇说。“看起来像是比赛，但可能会有很多失误。”

马刺队对阵火箭队

时间，地点：今晚7:30，康柏中心，休斯顿

电视转播：无 广播：WOAI-AM 1200.

点击查看原文：Elie eager to exhibit right stuff tonight

Elie eager to exhibit right stuff tonight

From Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to point guard Avery Johnson to center David Robinson, the prevailing opinion is that tonight’s exhibition against the Houston Rockets is exactly that: A free demo gift for the NBA’s lockout-savaged fans. Another conditioning drill, at best, for the players.

Mario Elie, it seems, doesn’t put much stock in prevailing opinions.

“I know I’m looking at this as a real game,” said Elie, who will be making a brief homecoming to the Compaq Center. “Every shot I hit I’m going to wink at those guys and say, ‘Hey this is what you had, and this is what you’re going to miss.’”

The Spurs, of course, hope the Rockets’ loss is their gain. San Antonio signed the 35-year-old Elie to back up small forward Sean Elliott and guard Jaren Jackson. And add some edge.

“Some guys walk into the locker room and it’s instant credibility,” Popovich said. “The seriousness of the group and the confidence of the group automatically rises without the guy even saying a word. That’s the way it is with Mario.”

Elie, however, is not prone to keep quiet. Named after opera singer Mario Lanza, he earned the title “Junkyard Dog” in Houston. Teammates, opposing players, coaches and officials all endured his barking.

And like Johnson and Jaren Jackson, Elie has had a lifetime to perfect his growl. He ping-ponged from tiny American International College to Ireland to Argentina to Portugal to the USBL to the WBL to the CBA before finally reaching the NBA at age 27.

After a 10-day contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, Elie signed with the Golden State Warriors for the last half of the 1990-91 season. He spent another season with the Warriors followed by a year in Portland before he hooked up with the Rockets in 1993. Each of his eight NBA seasons have ended in the playoffs.

“He really embodies a stone- minded, serious-minded, win-at-all costs guy,” Popovich said. "That’s what he is.

"Along with that, he has a complete game. He stretches the floor with his shot. He can put the ball down and drive. He plays defense at a couple different positions. He rebounds.

“I don’t know how much more you can ask.”

The Spurs will be happy if Elie can give them what he gave Houston. He was an important piece of the Rockets’ back-to-back championship teams in 1994 and '95. When Charles Barkley joined Houston the next season, he called Elie the team’s MVP.

On the surface, Elie’s career numbers look unspectacular: 9.1 points, 2.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds, 36-percent three-point shooting. But he ranks second in NBA Finals history making 10 of 19 (52.6 percent) three-pointers during the Rockets’ two appearances.

Said Robinson: “That’s what we’ve been missing.”

Houston also routinely assigned Elie, 6-foot-5, 210 pounds, to guard Michael Jordan and the league’s other dangerous shooting guards and small forwards. The Spurs will use him and Elliott against Vancouver’s Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Utah’s Bryon Russell and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Rick Fox.

“I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty,” Elie said.

Johnson began courting Elie during the summer when the two worked out at Houston’s Westside Tennis Club. Utah and Miami also made bids, but Elie ended up signing a two-year, $3.7 million contract with the Spurs.

“He’s exactly what we need,” Johnson said. "He’s a guy who I believe, in the seventh game or the sixth game of a series, if he’s wide open for a three-pointer, he’s gonna make eight out of 10 of them.

“I told him he’s gonna shoot a lot of wide-open threes.”

Said Elie: “Avery promised me three 7-footers.”

Elie said he holds no animosity toward Houston. The Rockets wanted to get young. He wasn’t.

“Those guys made my career,” Elie said.

But that doesn’t mean he isn’t looking forward to tonight’s game. Since he signed with the Spurs, Elie’s pager has buzzed with requests for tickets.

“I told Pop to let me run the scout team,” Elie said. "It’s pretty simple. I think Scottie (Pippen) is going to take Clyde (Drexler’s) spot and (Hakeem Olajuwon) wants the ball down low all the time.

"I guess Charles is still in California playing golf. I don’t know if he’s reported to camp yet.

“It will be funny stepping into the arena and sitting on the other bench, but the memories are great. The first thing I’m going to do is look at the two banners. It’s just that now I’m with the silver and black.”

The Spurs are thankful.

“I don’t have to look at the other bench to find him,” Popovich said. “I can see him on my own.”

- Spurs notes: The Spurs officially ended training camp after Monday night’s practice at Castle Hills First Baptist Church.

The team will return to its normal practice site, the University of the Incarnate Word, after tonight’s exhibition. Monday was the last of two-a-days for the Spurs.

“The only peculiar thing is walking that line between, hopefully, not getting them ready too quickly and getting an injury, but backing off too much and not getting them in shape,” Popovich said. “That’s really the awkward part of the whole thing.”

- Tonight’s exhibition comes after four days of practice for the Spurs. The Rockets, meanwhile, have had even less time to prepare because of the trade for Pippen.

“Both teams are just going to continue their quest to get in shape and get some execution down,” Popovich said. “It will look like a game, but it will probably be a little bit sloppy.” D

Spurs at Rockets

When, where: 7:30 tonight, Compaq Center, Houston

TV: None Radio: WOAI-AM 1200.

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-01-26, By Glenn Rogers

皮蓬担任控球后卫 - 火箭新援欲主宰球场

哈基姆·奥拉朱旺(Hakeem Olajuwon) 真的应该感觉自己像个国王。

这位火箭队的中锋，拥有两枚 NBA 总冠军戒指，坐在休斯敦的王座上，等待着那些前来朝拜并献上服务的王子们。

克莱德·德雷克斯勒(Clyde Drexler)，一位常年入选全明星阵容的球员，也是 NBA 史上最伟大的球员之一，于 1995 年加入球队。德雷克斯勒带来了他那飘逸的篮下突破，帮助奥拉朱旺赢得了一枚总冠军戒指。

查尔斯·巴克利(Charles Barkley)，一位常年入选全明星阵容的球员，也是 NBA 史上最伟大的球员之一，于 1996 年加入球队。他带来了力量、自信以及一次西部决赛之旅。

而现在，斯科蒂·皮蓬(Scottie Pippen) 也加入了球队，另一位常年入选全明星阵容的球员，NBA 史上最伟大的球员之一，拥有六枚总冠军戒指。

皮蓬站在奥拉朱旺和巴克利身边，重新点燃了火箭队熄灭已久的引擎，将他们从竞争者边缘提升为 1999 年总冠军的有力争夺者。

“毫无疑问，斯科蒂是一位全面的球员，无论进攻还是防守，”奥拉朱旺用他那柔和而迟缓的声音说道，“现在我们只需要找到合适的配合。”

马刺队，另一支潜在的竞争者，将在今晚 7:30 在康柏中心进行的季前赛揭幕战中首次目睹这支三巨头组合。

这或许只是短暂的一瞥。主教练鲁迪·汤姆贾诺维奇(Rudy Tomjanovich) 说，他可能不会让这三名超级巨星同时上场很长时间。巴克利直到周一才抵达休斯敦，他的第一次训练时间也很短。他没有与其他球星一起在场上打球。

“这就像是一次训练，”汤姆贾诺维奇在周一上午的训练结束后说，“我更愿意让球队进行一场对抗赛。这样可以让更多球员上场，而我们需要这样做，因为在赛季开始前我们没有太多时间准备。”

尽管如此，皮蓬将首次身穿火箭队的球衣出战。他认为，从迈克尔·乔丹(Michael Jordan) 和三角进攻体系转换到火箭队更基础的传球到低位看情况进攻方式，会有一些失误。

“我给他们带来了一些灵活性和变化，就像克莱德当初来到这里时一样，”皮蓬说道，“我不想自私。如果我每场能得 20 分，那就很好。如果不能，也没关系，因为我在这里是为了赢球。

“实际上，进攻并没有什么特别困难的，只是我需要学习它。需要练习和重复，而我是一个学东西很快的人。但当比赛开始时，在 20,000 名观众面前，情况就有点不一样了。”

无论皮蓬在休斯敦的任期如何，他都注定要进入名人堂。然而，他将身处一个全新的环境中，有些人想知道当他离开乔丹的阴影后会发生什么。

“这对我是个全新的挑战，”皮蓬承认道，“但我仍然在不断地定义自己并不奇怪。我们这里还有两位名人堂成员，所以我不会担心自己在历史上的地位。”

多才多艺的皮蓬在芝加哥的大多数进攻中都是控球后卫，他也将在休斯敦担任球队的进攻指挥官。

点击查看原文：Pippen supplying the point - Rockets' addition wants to run show

Pippen supplying the point - Rockets’ addition wants to run show

Hakeem Olajuwon must truly feel like royalty.

The Rockets’ center, owner of two NBA championship rings, sits upon his Houston throne and awaits the visits of princes bearing homage and their services.

Clyde Drexler, a perennial All- Star and member of the NBA’s All- Time team, arrived in 1995. Drexler brought his gliding sweeps to the basket and helped Olajuwon earn a title ring.

Charles Barkley, a perennial All- Star and member of the NBA’s All- Time team, arrived in 1996. He brought muscle, swagger and a trip to the Western Conference Finals.

And now comes Scottie Pippen, another perennial All-Star, member of the NBA’s All-Time team and owner of six championship rings.

Pippen’s appearance next to Olajuwon and Barkley re-ignites the fizzling Rockets’ turbo jets and boosts them from also-rans to instant contenders for the 1999 crown.

“No question, Scottie is a complete player, offensively and defensively,” said Olajuwon in his soft, halting voice. “Now we just have to make the combinations work.”

The Spurs, another potential contender, will get their first glimpse of the combo at 7:30 tonight at the Compaq center in both teams’ exhibition opener.

The glimpse may be short-lived. Coach Rudy Tomjanovich says he may not play the three superstars together for many minutes. Barkley didn’t arrive in Houston until Monday, and his first practice was abbreviated. He saw no time on the floor with his fellow stars.

“This will be just like a practice,” Tomjanovich said after Monday morning’s practice. “I’d rather have a team scrimmage. We get more of our players on the floor, and we need that because we have little time to get ready before the season starts.”

Nevertheless, Pippen will be in his first action in a Rockets uniform. He figures there will be more than a few miscues arising from his transfer from Michael Jordan and the triangle offense to the Rockets’ more fundamental pitch-it-into-the-low-post-and-see- what-happens attack.

“I give them some flexibility, what Clyde gave them when he first came here,” Pippen said. "I don’t want to be selfish. If I score 20 points a game, fine. If not, fine, because I’m here to win some games.

“Actually, there’s nothing really difficult about the offense, it’s just a matter of my learning it. It takes practice and repetition, and I’m a pretty quick learner. But when the (play) call comes, it’s a little different in front of 20,000 people during a game.”

Pippen is headed for the Hall of Fame regardless of what happens during his tenure in Houston. Still, he’ll be working in a new environment, and some wonder what will happen now that he’s out of Jordan’s shadow.

“This is a new situation for me,” Pippen admits. “But it’s not odd that I’m still defining myself. We’ve got two other Hall of Famers here, so I won’t be worrying about my place in history.”

The multitalented Pippen was the point man in most of Chicago’s attacks, and he’ll be guiding the offense in Houston.

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-01-27, By Glenn Rogers

马刺队按自己的计划输掉了比赛——圣安东尼奥队使用替补阵容对阵实力强大的火箭队

周六的晚上，马刺队坚持赛前计划，在最后四分之一场比赛中让替补阵容上场，差点在康柏中心赢下他们的季前赛揭幕战。

火箭队主教练鲁迪·汤姆贾诺维奇选择了让主力球员——斯科蒂·皮蓬、查尔斯·巴克利和哈基姆·奥拉朱旺——在最后 10 分钟内留在场上。马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇没有接受这个挑战，而是让替补球员——马利克·罗斯、安东尼奥·丹尼尔斯、马里奥·埃利和杰拉德·金——和先发球员贾伦·杰克逊一起上场。

当马利克·罗斯在还有 1.8 秒时罚丢第一个罚球时，圣安东尼奥队以 106-104 输掉了比赛。然后在罗斯故意罚丢第二个罚球时，马刺队未能转换得分。

出场时间打了 20 分钟，获得 11 分的马刺队的戴维·罗宾逊说：“他们给了那三个家伙很多时间。”“那可能就是他们需要的，也是他们的目标。我们发现了我们的弱点，以及我们必须努力的方面。我们的防守出现了一些失误。我们必须盯防球员并互相帮助。这是我们表现最好的时候。”

在上半场比赛面对 16285 名观众落后多达 17 分时，马刺队看起来很快就要输球了。但是他们在第二节比赛的最后 9 分 30 秒内抹平了分差，在中场休息时以 57-57 战平。

然后，圣安东尼奥队在下半场开场几分钟内以 12-2 的强势开局，将休斯顿队打懵了，以 69-59 领先。但是火箭队稳住了阵脚。汤姆贾诺维奇将巴克利（22 分、11 个篮板、5 次助攻）与奥拉朱旺（14 分）和皮蓬一起安排上场，他们用自己 16-5 的爆发抹平了马刺队的优势。

皮蓬在他的火箭队首场比赛中获得了 15 分，抓到了 11 个篮板。

当比赛还剩 1 分 12 秒时，巴克利罚球命中，将比分扩大到 105-99，开始锁定胜局。

但是，贾伦·杰克逊罚球命中 2 分，使得马刺队将比分缩小到 105-104，而巴克利在还有 18 秒时罚丢第二球，为罗斯创造了机会。

“我们做了我们在赛前计划好的事情。我们给了很多球员很多时间。”马刺队的蒂姆·邓肯说，他得到了 16 分，整场比赛都在攻防两端与巴克利对抗。

“当然，我想多呆在球场上，但我总是想在那里。波波维奇想完成一些事情，他做到了。”

巴克利和邓肯已经准备好迎接对方的挑战。

巴克利背打年轻球员，转身得分或被犯规。邓肯用同样的方式对待这位老将，背对巴克利，转身，然后用勾手越过他个头较小的对手。

“查尔斯这场比赛打得很好。”邓肯说。“他非常有侵略性。他早早用侵略性让我有点惊讶。他很好地利用了自己的身体。(在防守方面)他蹲下来，(获得)一个低的重心，试图迫使你做出一些糟糕的投篮。然后你还要担心哈基姆在附近。”

邓肯投篮命中率更高，压得巴克利做出了一些糟糕的投篮。但巴克利通过造犯规，走上罚球线，罚球 21 次命中 14 次。

“查尔斯这场比赛打得很好。”汤姆贾诺维奇说。“他爆发出极大的能量。很明显他重新焕发了活力。我认为我们所有的球员今晚都表现得非常好，而且仅仅经过了三次训练。”

肖恩·艾利奥特看上去已经准备好为马刺队提供他们上个赛季缺乏的一些元素——一位犀利的进攻者、底线突破手和远距离威胁。

艾利奥特表现得轻松而渴望，随时准备打消人们对受伤膝盖的疑虑，该膝盖使他在过去两个赛季的大部分时间里都被排除在外。

“我必须冷静下来。”艾利奥特说。“我刚开始感到很兴奋。然后波波维奇在早些时候叫了我的号码几次，这让我的状态立即进入比赛。”

艾利奥特打了 26 分钟，以 18 分领先马刺队。

“我终于听到了人群的欢呼声，进入了比赛气氛中。”艾利奥特说。“我需要真刀真枪的比赛，而不仅仅是夏季体育馆。”

• 马刺队的注意事项：前马刺队球员文尼·德尔·内格罗预计将与密尔沃基雄鹿队签约。据报道，效力于意大利且结束了在马刺队六年效力的德尔·内格罗将接受 175 万美元的例外条款。

---

马刺队观察

周二：@火箭队 106，马刺队 104

得分最高：火箭队-查尔斯·巴克利 22；马刺队-肖恩·艾利奥特 18

战绩（季前赛）：马刺队 0-1；休斯顿队 1-0

下一场比赛：周六对阵休斯顿队，晚上 7:30，阿拉莫圆顶体育馆（电视频道：FOXSW）

点击查看原文：Spurs lose on their terms - S.A. keeps it close with reserves vs. top Rockets

Spurs lose on their terms - S.A. keeps it close with reserves vs. top Rockets

The Spurs stuck to their pregame plan to go with their reserves in the final quarter and still almost pulled out their preseason opener against the Houston Rockets on Saturday night at the Compaq Center.

Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich elected to keep his main men - Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon - on the floor through the final 10 minutes. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich didn’t bite on that challenge and left in backups - Malik Rose, Antonio Daniels, Mario Elie and Gerard King - with starter Jaren Jackson.

San Antonio lost 106-104 when Malik Rose missed the first of two free throws with 1.8 seconds left. The Spurs then failed to convert when he intentionally missed the second.

“They gave those three guys a lot of minutes,” said the Spurs’ David Robinson, who played 20 minutes and scored 11 points. “That’s probably what they needed, and that was their objective. We found out what our weaknesses are and what we have to work on. We had some breakdowns on defense. We have to guard people and help each other out. That’s when we are at our best.”

The Spurs looked ready to fold early when they fell behind by as many as 17 points in the first half in front of an announced crowd of 16,285. But they wiped out the deficit in the final 9:30 of the second quarter to forge a 57-57 tie at intermission.

San Antonio then knocked Houston back on its heels with a 12-2 burst in the opening minutes of the second half to take a 69-59 lead. But the Rockets steadied. Tomjanovich put Barkley (22 points, 11 rebounds, five assists) alongside Olajuwon (14 points) and Pippen, and they erased the Spurs’ advantage with their own 16-5 romp.

In his first game with the Rockets, Pippen scored 15 points and grabbed 11 boards.

Barkley began to close the door when he sank two free throws for a 105-99 lead with 1:12 left to play.

But Jaren Jackson hit two free throws to bring the Spurs to within 105-104, and Barkley missed the second of two with 18 seconds left to set the stage for Rose.

“We did what we planned on before the game. We gave a lot of minutes to a lot of guys,” said the Spurs’ Tim Duncan, who had 16 points and spent the night taking on Barkley on both ends of the floor.

“Sure, I wanted to be out on the court more, but I always want to be out there. Pop wanted to get some things done, and he did.”

Barkley and Duncan were ready for one another’s challenge.

Barkley backed the younger player down, turned and scored or was fouled. Duncan treated the veteran to some of the same, showing Barkley his back, turning and then sweeping the hook over his smaller opponent.

“Charles had a great game,” Duncan said. “He is very aggressive. He surprised me a little with his aggressiveness early. He uses his body well. (On defense), he gets down, (gets) a low center of gravity and he tries to force you into some bad shots. And then you have to worry about Hakeem being around there.”

Duncan hit the higher percentage of his shots and smothered Barkley into forcing some bad ons. But Barkley drew the fouls, went to the line and hit 14 of 21 tries.

“Charles had a great game,” Tomjanovich said. “He was very explosive. It’s obvious that he has renewed vigor. I thought all our guys came together real well tonight, and after just three practices.”

Sean Elliott looked like he is ready to provide the Spurs some of the elements they were missing last season - a slashing attacker, baseline driver and long-distance threat.

Elliott appeared loose and eager, ready to dispense doubts about the wounded knees that kept him sidelined most of the past two seasons.

“I had to settle down a little,” elliott said. “I was just excited to get started. Then Popovich called my number a couple of times early and that got me right into the game.”

Elliott played 26 minutes and led the Spurs with 18 points.

“I had to finally hear the crowds and get into the game atmosphere,” Elliott said. “I needed the real thing, not just the summer gym.”

- Spurs note: Former Spur Vinny Del Negro is expected to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks. Del Negro, who is playing in Italy and ended a six-year stay with the Spurs, reportedly will accept the $1.75 exception.

* * *

Spurs watch

Tuesday: @Rockets 106, Spurs 104

Top scorers: Rockets - Charles Barkley 22; Spurs - Sean Elliott 18

Records (preseason): Spurs 0-1; Houston 1-0

Next game: Saturday vs. Houston, 7:30 p.m., Alamodome (TV: FOXSW)

Online: expressnews.com /spurs.

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-01-27, By Jim Hutton

1999 年马刺队的赠票活动，让人想起 1974 年的赠礼

1974 年 1 月和今年 1 月，其实有着共同点。

我知道这难以置信。

但最近，我突然想起 1974 年的圣安东尼奥马刺队（San Antonio Spurs），当时他们是美国篮球协会（American Basketball Association）的成员，在 HemisFair 体育馆比赛；而 1999 年的马刺队则是 NBA 成员，在 Alamodome 体育馆比赛。

你可能想知道，在过去几十年里，生活方式、科技和运动员薪资都发生了翻天覆地的变化，这两支球队之间怎么可能存在共同点呢？

我记得 1974 年 1 月，马刺队会赠送美食，就像 1999 年的马刺队在上周赠送了 25,000 张门票一样，这是为了在漫长的 NBA 停摆后举办一场季前赛。

但对于超级巨星和角色球员来说，在极少练习的情况下观看一场表演赛，可能没有在芝加哥观看迈克尔·乔丹(Michael Jordan)退役仪式那么激动人心。

赠送门票是为了吸引职业篮球球迷，其中许多人对停摆感到失望，让他们观看马刺队打一场缩短的赛季。

赠送门票是件不用费脑筋的事情。

马刺队必须以某种方式启动这个缩短的赛季，所以他们将门票作为激励措施，进行一场社区关系方面的“幕后操作”，这当然会为当地媒体带来拍照和采访的机会，以及社区的善意和爱戴。

“我们关心你们球迷！”一定是马刺队的口号。

但实际上，马刺队的意思是，“让他们高兴，这样他们下次就会花钱”。

这当然也是一件不用费脑筋的事情。

我记得 1974 年 1 月，我在 HemisFair 体育馆观看了第一场马刺队的比赛。当我从老体育馆后部的媒体入口走进体育馆时，我立刻看到了一顿美食大餐摆在我面前，包括烤肋排、龙虾、虾，各种各样的开胃菜，种类繁多的水果等等。这顿大餐是为球队投资者、球队官员和媒体人员准备的。毕竟，媒体人员需要为 1973-1974 赛季的下半段造势。

当然，那是今天的报纸开始实行道德规范之前，禁止接受免费赠品，减少对义务的印象。

哇！我心想，我还没为一个扣篮飞上天，就来到了篮球天堂。多棒的赠品啊！他们每场比赛都这样做吗？

答案当然是否定的。

这只是一次性的活动。在下一场主场比赛中，马刺队的宣传主管带来了他惯常的食物：薯片和自制三明治。

我永远不会忘记那些三明治，因为我差点咬碎了牙齿，因为一个鸡蛋沙拉三明治里不知怎么混入了一个坚果壳。

1999 年马刺队的赠票活动也是一次性的。

对于当前的新闻事件，大多数人都有短期记忆，很快，NBA 停摆就会成为许多人的遥远记忆。

马刺队当然也希望如此。

这将成为遥远的记忆，就像 HemisFair 体育馆的拆除一样，这座体育馆曾经被扩建以容纳越来越多的马刺球迷。

然而，一个新的体育馆项目，先是放弃了东北区，又在东区重新出现，现在又回到了市中心，这一切都得益于霍华德·皮克(Howard Peak)市长，却不会成为记忆。马刺队的“旋转大师”会让这个新的体育馆项目看起来像烤肋排，而不是鸡蛋沙拉。

如果像皮克建议的那样，将新的体育馆建在 Alamodome 体育馆的南面停车场，那么圆顶体育馆或体育馆活动的大型人群将没有足够的停车位。

但不用担心。

开发商可以购买即将出售的市中心维多利亚法院(Victoria Courts)房产，该房产靠近圆顶体育馆。可以在这块 44 英亩的土地上建造一座 15 层高的停车场，耀眼的泛光灯会照亮整个区域。

当然，这将毁掉附近拉瓦卡(Lavaca)和国王威廉(King William)社区居民的生活方式。

但不会有任何停车问题。马刺队可以唱他们自己的“烤肋排”版本的“家园，家园在草原上”。

一起唱，圣安东尼奥。

“哦，给我一个远离圆顶体育馆的家，

“在那里，马刺队和 NBA 可以比赛，

“在那里，很少听到让人沮丧的话语，

“天空一整天都像金钱一样绿”。

• 吉姆·哈顿(Jim Hutton)是南区太阳报的编辑。

点击查看原文：Spurs of 1999 reflecting giveaway from 1974

Spurs of 1999 reflecting giveaway from 1974

January of 1974 and this January actually have something in common.

I know that’s hard to believe.

But a comparison came to me recently about the 1974 San Antonio Spurs, members of the American Basketball Association and tenants in the HemisFair Arena, and the 1999 Spurs, NBA members and tenants in the Alamodome.

You may wonder how any commonality could exist after the past decades of amazing advances in lifestyles, technology and sports salaries.

I recall the Spurs were giving away gourmet goodies in January of 1974 just like the 1999 Spurs were giving away 25,000 tickets last week for a preseason game following the lengthy NBA lockout.

But watching an exhibition game after minimal practice time for superstars and role players alike might not be as exciting as the Michael Jordan retirement ceremony in Chicago.

The ticket giveaway was an effort to lure pro basketball fans - many of them disenchanted by the lockout - to see the Spurs play in an abbreviated season.

The ticket giveaway was a no- brainer.

The Spurs had to jump-start this miniseason some way so a community relations, backdoor play with tickets dangled as an incentive surely would produce photo opportunities and sound bites for the local media, and community goodwill and adoration, too.

“We care about you fans!” must have been the Spurs rally cry.

But in reality, what the Spurs meant was, “Make 'em happy so hopefully they’ll spend money the next time.”

Another no-brainer to be sure.

In January 1974, I remember covering my first Spurs game in the HemisFair Arena. As I walked through the media entrance at the rear of the old arena, I instantly saw a gourmet dinner featuring prime rib, lobster, shrimp, all sorts of appetizers, a vast sampling of fruit and more spread before me. It was intended for team investors, team officials and media members. After all, media folks had to build some momentum leading into the second half of the 1973-1974 season.

Of course, that was before today’s newspapers instituted ethics codes to prohibit accepting freebies and reduce the impression of obligation.

Wow! I thought I had landed in basketball heaven without even skying for a slam dunk. What a giveway! Do they do this every game?

The answer, of course, was no.

It was a one-shot deal. At the next home game, the Spurs publicist brought his usual fare of potato chips and homemade sandwiches.

I’ll never forget those sandwiches because I nearly chipped a tooth biting into an egg salad sandwich that somehow had a nut shell in it.

The Spurs 1999 ticket giveaway is a one-shot deal, too.

Most people have short-term memories when it comes to current news events and soon the NBA lockout will become a distant memory for many.

The Spurs certainly hope so.

It will be a distant memory like the demolition of HemisFair Arena, which once was expanded to accommodate growing Spurs crowds.

A new arena project abandoned on the Northeast Side, reappearing on the East Side and now resurfacing downtown - courtesy of Mayor Howard Peak - however, won’t become a memory. The Spurs spinmeisters will keep the new arena issue looking like prime rib instead of egg salad.

With a new arena situated in the south Alamodome parking lot as Peak suggests, there won’t be enough parking spaces remaining for large crowds at dome or arena events.

But don’t worry.

Developers can purchase the soon-to-become available downtown Victoria Courts property, which is near the dome. A 15-story parking garage can be built on the 44-acre property with glaring floodlights illuminating the area.

Of course, this will ruin the lifestyles of the residents in the nearby Lavaca and King William neighborhoods.

But there won’t be any parking problems. And the Spurs can sing their own prime-rib version of “Home, Home on the Range.”

Sing along, San Antonio.

"Oh, give me a home away from the dome,

"Where the Spurs and the NBA can play,

"Where seldom is heard, a discouraging word,

“And the skies are green as money all day.”

- Jim Hutton is the Southside Sun editor. To reach him, call 250-3332 or send e-mail to jhutton@express- news.net.

By Jim Hutton, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-01-27, By Glenn Rogers

14,000 人观赛

愤怒的球迷？哪里有愤怒的球迷？

周二晚上，估计有 14,000 名观众涌入康柏中心，免费观看休斯敦火箭队与马刺队的一场热身赛。

从比赛开始到结束，球迷们欢呼、吹口哨、跺脚，火箭队以 106-104 的比分战胜了 10 号州际公路上的对手圣安东尼奥队。

马利克·罗斯(Malik Rose) 罚球第一罚不中，马刺队在最后 1.8 秒时故意让罗斯第二罚不中，但也没能得分。

罗斯罚球不中的时候，观众们已经开始往出口移动，但他们似乎都玩得很尽兴。

当国歌演唱者高声唱出 “rockets red glare” 时，他们欢呼雀跃。

当休斯敦队的吉祥物骑着摩托车冲上球场时，他们欢呼雀跃。

当公共广播员高喊 “现在，请介绍您的休斯敦火箭队” 时，他们欢呼雀跃。当斯科蒂·皮蓬(Scottie Pippen) 被介绍时，他们欢呼声震耳欲聋。当哈基姆·奥拉朱旺(Hakeem Olajuwon) 的名字结束介绍时，他们也发出了同样的欢呼声。

没有嘘声。

停摆？什么停摆？

关于球迷对贪婪的运动员感到不满的预测都被打破了。球迷们似乎对比赛的回归感到欣喜若狂，迫切地想看到两支被誉为冠军争夺者的球队。

观众的情绪像赛季中期一样热烈，他们为扣篮、快攻上篮、转身后的背身运球和三分球欢呼雀跃。

两支球队还没有完全进入常规赛状态，在比赛中出现了很多失误，比如上篮不中、战术失误、传球失误和跳投严重偏出。

查尔斯·巴克利(Charles Barkley) 以 22 分领跑所有球员。肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott) 以 18 分领跑马刺队。

马刺队的新成员史蒂夫·科尔(Steve Kerr) 和马里奥·埃利(Mario Elie) 各得 7 分。

点击查看原文：14,000 turn out for game

14,000 turn out for game

Angry fans? What angry fans?

An estimated crowd of about 14,000 swept into the Compaq Center free of charge Tuesday night to watch the Houston Rockets play an exhibition game against the Spurs.

The fans cheered, whistled and stomped from the beginning of the game to the end as the Rockets held off Interstate 10 rival San Antonio 106-104.

Malik Rose missed the first of two free throws and the Spurs failed to convert when he intentionally missed the second with 1.8 seconds left in the game.

The spectators already were moving toward the exits before Rose’s misses, but they seemed to have more than enjoyed the proceedings.

They cheered when the singer of the National Anthem belted out the words “rockets red glare.”

They cheered when the Houston mascot zoomed on the court on a motorcycle.

They cheered when the public address announcer roared, “And now, your Houston Rockets.” They raised the roof when Scottie Pippen was announced. They matched that roar when Hakeem Olajuwon’s name ended the introductions.

There was nary a boo.

Lockout? What lockout?

Predictions of fans upset at greedy athletes went by the boards. The gathering seemed ecstatic that the game was back, hungry to see two teams touted as title contenders.

The crowd was in midseason form, whooping it up over dunks, breakaway layups, spinning post moves and three-point shots.

The teams weren’t quite in regular-season form, staggering through stretches of bungled layups, botched plays, fumbled passes and badly missed jump shots.

Charles Barkley led all scorers with 22 points. Sean Elliott led the Spurs with 18.

The newest Spurs - Steve Kerr and Mario Elie - scored seven points each.

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-01-27, By Associated Press

奥尼尔怒火指向马刺

周二，在加州大学圣芭芭拉分校结束了为期六天的季前训练营的最后一场训练后，洛杉矶湖人队的沙奎尔·奥尼尔(Shaquille O’Neal)显得闷闷不乐。

但让他不满的并不是训练本身。

一些媒体预测湖人队在本赛季 NBA 西部联盟的排名将低至第四——排在圣安东尼奥马刺队、休斯顿火箭队和犹他爵士队之后。奥尼尔看到了其中一篇报道，他对此很不满。

“我要让他们知道谁才是西部真正的王者，”奥尼尔说，“我要再次摧毁他们。”

上个赛季，湖人队以四比零横扫了马刺队。

奥尼尔向马刺队的两位七尺长人，大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)和蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)发起了挑战。

“我本来就不喜欢大卫·罗宾逊，”奥尼尔低声说道，“蒂姆·邓肯太轻了。……我现在就像迈克·泰森一样，我要王者归来。他们在我面前不堪一击。如果他们不服气，尽管在场上或场下来找我。”

德里克·哈珀(Derek Harper)是湖人队上周为了增加球队经验和领导力而签下的球员，他认为奥尼尔的这番话是一个好兆头。

“那篇文章应该会激怒他，”哈珀说，“他会把它转化为自己的优势。他渴望得到尊重。而获得尊重的唯一途径就是击败犹他，突破西部决赛。”

“沙克想要一枚总冠军戒指，我也想要。但罗宾逊也想要，(卡尔)马龙和(约翰)斯托克顿也想要。我知道那些球队在做什么，他们正在备战。”

哈珀表示，湖人队能否夺冠完全取决于奥尼尔。

“他能走多远，我们就能走多远，”哈珀说道。

点击查看原文：Spurs incur wrath of Shaq

Spurs incur wrath of Shaq

Shaquille O’Neal was unhappy Tuesday as the Los Angeles Lakers finished their final session of a six- day preseason training camp at UC Santa Barbara.

But the source of his discontent had nothing to do with practice.

Some publications have said the Lakers would finish as low as fourth in the NBA’s Western Conference - behind San Antonio, Houston and Utah. O’Neal saw one, and didn’t like it.

“I’ve got to show them who the big men in the West really are,” O’Neal said. “I’m going to kill them again.”

The Lakers swept four games from San Antonio last season.

O’Neal issued a challenge to 7- footers David Robinson and Tim Duncan of the Spurs.

“I don’t like David Robinson anyway,” O’Neal said in a quiet voice. "Tim Duncan is too light. … I’m starting to get like Mike Tyson. I’m coming back. “None of them do nothing with me. If they don’t like it, they can come to me on the court or off the court.”

Derek Harper, whom the Lakers signed last week to add some experience and leadership to the team, took O’Neal’s outburst as a good sign.

“It (the article) should be insulting to him,” Harper said. "He’ll use it to his advantage. He wants respect. The only way to get respect is to beat Utah and advance past the conference final.

“Shaq wants a ring. I want a ring. But Robinson wants a ring, too. (Karl) Malone and (John) Stockton want a ring. I know what those teams are doing. They’re preparing for war.”

Harper said the Lakers’ hopes for a championship revolve around O’Neal.

“We’re going to go as far as he takes us,” Harper said. - Associated Press

By Associated Press, via San Antonio Express-News