点击查看原文：Knowing their role
Knowing their role
Knowing their role | Spurs Insider
Columnist Mike Finger and Spurs beat reporter Jeff McDonald discuss the Spurs tough road trip and how they will need more help from role players like David Jones Garcia if they are going to win games against the likes of Denver and Minnesota.
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Here is the transcript of the podcast:
Narrator: From a highly secured network of top secret locations across North America, this is the Spurs Insider.
Mike Finger: Thanksgiving week edition. Jeff McDonald, the Spurs beat writer for the Express News, is here, thankful for being able to find a turkey dinner somewhere between Portland and Denver, we presume. Nick Talbott, sports editor of the Express News, is here, thankful for all the clicks generated by superstar NBA guard David Jones Garcia. And I’m here. I’m Mike Finger, your host, thankful as always to be with you, the listeners out there giving us another year of positive feedback, lovely ideas and uh loyal listenership.
Mike Finger: The Spur, the Spurs, we’re going to start out on…
Jeff McDonald: You couldn’t get that one out without laughing, huh? [laughter]
Mike Finger: I tried. It’s the holidays. I’m trying.
Mike Finger: Uh, the Spurs are in the middle of a road trip. Jeff is uh, is uh, the thing trying to get to Portland as we speak. Um, this is going to be a, a tricky one, Jeff. It’s already started, it started with the loss in Phoenix and I think the Spurs might be underdogs in all four of these games after just a, a great start. All these good vibes we’ve been talking about, two more victories at home since the last time we met.
Mike Finger: But this is a challenge and stealing any one of these four was going to be kind of a, of a problem. And I’m just wondering where you think, Jeff, the the state of the Spurs are as they head to game two of this four-game road trip.
Jeff McDonald: It’s been a vibes rollercoaster, right? Like if we would have done this podcast on Saturday or Sunday morning, we’d be talking about how, you know, they’re three and 0 without Victor Wembanyama and um, you know, two of those also without Steph Castle and um, you know, then they go on the road and they lose at Phoenix again. So now, um, two of their five losses are to Phoenix and two of their five losses are to Golden State. I think that’s that that division is a problem for the Spurs, maybe they just get out of the Pacific division, they’d they’d be better off. But yeah, now they’re really kind of, you know, it’s a vibe shift now because you all the all the good vibes from that winning streak at home, you go on the road, you lose at Phoenix and now you’re looking at a four-game road trip over Thanksgiving week. And like you said, none of them are easy. Spurs probably underdogs in all of them. Um, I don’t know about Portland, kind of depends on who they have available or not available. Um, but if they don’t get that Portland game, then yeah, you’re looking at a going to Denver and going to Minnesota and maybe it’s an 0 and 4 road trip, which is uh not not optimal.
Mike Finger: And you know, there’s there’s asterisks with that. Victor Wembanyama probably not going to play in any of those four games. Stefan Castle, we don’t know yet. Not sure if you have any updates on Castle or Dylan Harper or any of the other off-court stuff that’s going on with the local cagers, but this was going to be a challenging road trip even at full strength to not have your two best guys in Wembanyama and Castle and to still be without Harper. Um, it’s it’s it’s a challenge. And this is a sort of a point in the season that we knew was coming. Um, the Spurs started out really well. They had the benefit, like we talked about even before the season started, of a really soft part of the schedule, those first three, four weeks. Now we’re getting to the point where it’s not soft anymore and we’re going to find out how this team responds to some difficulties. And uh, you know, they’ve they’ve done well in some close games. They’ve they’ve performed well under pressure, but this is a different kind of pressure and um, we’re we’re about to see.
Jeff McDonald: Yeah, it’s harder on the road. It’s harder without your stars. It’s harder uh against better opponents. Like everything is just getting harder for this week. And it was um, when we looked at the schedule before the start of the season, the number was 17 games. For the first 17 games, I think they only had like two playoff opponents from last year or four playoff opponents from last year, something like that. Um, only one that uh got through the first round of the playoffs last year, which was Golden State. Um, Portland is the 17th game. Like that’s when playtime is over. And so after that, uh it gets it gets even tougher.
Mike Finger: 16 and 17, in that 17 game stretch, were at Phoenix and at Portland, which were not good teams last year and they’re better this year. And Phoenix has proved it. Did I did I get screw that up? Anyway, it’s Phoenix and Portland. Phoenix was, Phoenix is better as the Suns have proven twice against the Spurs. Portland’s playing good basketball. They’re they’re better than they were last year and both of those games are on the road. And so it really turned out to be kind of a 15 game uh soft part of the schedule to start out with. Uh 16, 17 are more difficult than they looked. And like you said, Denver, Minnesota, it could be uh it’ll be it’ll be interesting to see how Mitch Johnson and the and and his his squad respond to this and deal with it.
Mike Finger: I think that they’re they might be able to pull one out here over the next three, but in watching that game in Phoenix on Sunday, when the Spurs got out to a much better start than they did in their first trip to Phoenix and when it looked like at least through the first half, like the Spurs might be able to steal one there in Phoenix. I was ready to say that was a a really big moment for them because you just get one of those four. You start this four game stretch and get one and that makes it a little easier. Assure that by the end of it you’re what 12 and seven. Like that’s the minimum that you’d come back with. After you lose it, that 11 and, what, 11 and eight is still a possibility when you come back from this trip. So, you know, that that game got away like some other games have gotten away from the Spurs this year. And that uh, I think the third quarter was was a problem. Turnovers were a problem. And um, you you just hope if you’re the Spurs that you don’t rue letting that one get away on on Sunday.
Jeff McDonald: Yeah, I think a lot of the the the flaws in the in the uh 11 and 4 start were sort of apparent in the second half against Phoenix. Uh as you mentioned the turnovers, uh the perimeter defense. The Spurs are giving up uh, I think they’re like 29th in or 30th in um three-point percentage defense this year. And at home against a team like, you know, uh, you know, Memphis or Sacramento or even Atlanta, you’re able to kind of overcome some of that. Against Atlanta, they they, Atlanta shot the lights out of the Frost Bank Center. Better than 50% from three and out rebounded the Spurs by 20. And the Spurs were still able to win that game. Um, probably lucky to win it a little bit, but also just that’s just home court. Um, you go on the road and the uh, you know, letting people get loose for threes and turn the ball over like hotcakes, um, that comes back to bite you a lot more. And so that’s you know, those are things they’re going to have to clean up on the road if they’re going to um come back with any sort of success from this trip.
Jeff McDonald: Man, we’re a bummer today.
Mike Finger: Well, I know how to turn that around because you mentioned that the Spurs were out rebounded, out shot from three-point range, pretty much outplayed in a lot of areas against the Atlanta Hawks in the last home game of that long home stand last week. What what what did they have the Atlanta Hawks did not have in that game though?
Jeff McDonald: Three words: David Jones Garcia.
Mike Finger: There you go. That’s how we turn around a podcast.
Mike Finger: Um, big game from him. And he’s, he’s, here’s the controversial take that uh that that’s going to be aggregated and and make this the podcast of the century. Like he could, he’s, he he’s gonna play more. Right? Like he’s, he’s not necessarily a uh top eight guy on the team. Like he’s not gonna play every night, but he can be a useful guy.
Jeff McDonald: Yeah, he played a little in Phoenix and it was kind of back down to Earth a little bit.
Mike Finger: We’re supposed to stop. Sorry, that’s my fault. But that that happens to a lot of players. Right. Like it it’s not just a of uh, here’s the thing. On, over summer league, which by the way is practice, we all know this. It’s how many summer league flukes have gone nowhere. Um, we pointed out that summer league is practice and that you can’t tell a whole lot from dominant summer league outings. And uh, I believe the the controversial take that we had over the summer that many people disagreed with was that, yeah, he probably deserves a two-way contract and we’ll see some time with the big team this year in the NBA. And, um, I think that some people thought that was overly negative. And maybe it was. But anybody could have signed him. And thirty teams could have signed him to a full NBA contract, did not do that. The Spurs signed to a two-way deal, which I think was appropriate. And now he’s getting his opportunity and he does some cool stuff. Like, I think he can score. He can, the the the the ball moves well with him. He’s had some nice assists. I think he’s always going to be at a bit of a disadvantage on the defensive end just cause he’s not a big guy. Defense is not his um calling card. I think…
Jeff McDonald: Three steals in the fourth quarter against Atlanta. Three steals. Well, there you go. So I’m, I’m already… that leads to three dunks. Like it was the turning point of the game.
Mike Finger: But you know what I’m saying, like the steals, yes, the the some some players are going to have matchup edges over him, like they do with every player, like every every non-Stefan Castle, Victor Wembanyama, uh defender is going to have some disadvantages against certain players. Um, but um, I I I think that if you get, here’s what I’ll say. If you get an Atlanta Hawks type game out of a two-way player that helps your team win a game during the course of the NBA season, that’s already a win for having a two-way guy on your roster, right? Like like whenever you sign three guys to two-way contracts at the start of the season, you’re thinking if you can get one performance from one of these guys that makes the difference in a victory, like you’re already ahead. You don’t expect that from two-way guys. If you if you find a guy who can give you uh passable, solid minutes whenever you’re down Stefan Castle, whenever you’re down Dylan Harper, whenever you’re down Victor Wembanyama, if you can throw a guy out there for 10, 12 minutes a game, um 15 minutes in some games and not get hurt, like that’s a success for a two-way guy. Not every two-way, not many two-way guys give you that. So, um, the the the big take here is, and it might be kind of an obvious one, but David Garcia is already a success, David Jones Garcia is already a success in in in terms of uh of of his two-way contract. He’s already probably exceeded expectations for that two-way contract. That’s already a good signing. He’s gotten you a win. He’s he’s shown that he can he can help hold down the fort while the guys are injured. Now, is he going to remain in the rotation once Dylan Harper and Stefan Castle are back? Like that leads to a bit of a crowd in the back court. But what you want from a guy like him, and even the guys, you know, 11 to 15 in the rotation, which technically what he’s 16th because he he doesn’t have a full contract. If if you can just expect solid production or or production that won’t kill you uh when you need that guy, he’s a good guy to have around. And so I I think all due respect to uh or all all all due respect to David Jones Garcia, like like that’s great. And uh and for those who who who said we were too negative on him and didn’t expect enough from him, you’re right too. Cause I didn’t expect him to make the difference in a in a Spurs victory this year and he did and that’s that’s awesome.
Jeff McDonald: I don’t know if we’re going far enough in our backtracking because I got, I got this during that game or um, a friend of the podcast, I’m going to read this for everybody. A friend of the podcast, who I won’t name, but we see him at every home game. Uh, he got this from a fan and forwarded it on to me. I don’t know the fan’s name. It’s not it’s not it’s not labeled, but it says uh, “Tell Jeff McDonald that his don’t expect this much offense from David Jones Garcia post summer league take is horse crap. And he owes us all apologies.”
Jeff McDonald: Apologize, Jeff. So, um, yeah, I’m, I’m, I’m, I’m sorry. I said, uh, a two-way guy was going to be a two-way guy. But um, you know, but but he had a great game. He had a great game that that game and he is a guy that um, you hope can help you during this injury plagued stretch as a lot of guys are. I mean, that’s really the difference um in those three games they won at home. You know, besides the obvious, the teams they were playing were worse and they were at home. I mean, that’s how you beat win those games is you have, you get little moments from guys you don’t always expect, like David Jones Garcia, like Kelly Olynyk had some good moments on that home stand. Um, those those guys need to show up on the road too, but it’s harder. Role players just tend to play better at home. It’s almost like a a given uh bromide of NBA basketball is you get more out of your role players at home. Um, but if you can get some of those moments during this road trip, just you know, they don’t have to be stars, but just those little three, four minute stretches where they’re making plays for you that you didn’t expect. I mean, Carter Bryant’s a guy that you might look at to do that. He kind of did that a little bit in Phoenix in the first half, had some had some moments. Like it’s those little role player guys making a play here or there, making a shot here or there, um, that can really lift you when you’re short-handed. So those that’s kind of been that was the difference to me from those three games in um at home where you have these sort of David Jones Garcia types making plays for you as opposed to that first game of the road trip at Phoenix where it was just further and fewer and further between, I think is the phrase I was grasping for there.
Mike Finger: Well, another um data point on the on those lines is two days before the David Jones Garcia breakout game, um, it was the home game against Memphis which in which the the Spurs had kind of a rousing finish. That was back and forth. It was a rock fight for a lot of the first half. It was pretty ugly to be on national TV for a lot of the night and the Spurs really finished well. It was it a 11-0 run to finish? Um, but the reason I bring that up is after that game talking to Mitch Johnson, talking was it Harrison Barnes? There was another player who unprompted brought up the productive, what, five, six minutes from David Jones Garcia. That was not the David Jones Garcia breakout game where he was scoring and stealing and assisting and doing all that kind of stuff, but he they they all said that he gave some productive minutes um that helped them kind of weather the storm against the Grizzlies. So you do see stretches like that from players to support your point at home. You do get that was another that was a big Kelly Olynyk game that you referred to was he looked like the point guard for stretches out there. Um, and you don’t see as much of that on the road, but those are the more realistic expectations for those guys who are below number 10 on the depth chart, let’s say. I think when the Spurs are full strength, Kelly Olynyk is probably below 10. Um, Landy Waters is probably below 10. Carter Bryant is probably below 10. David Jones Garcia is probably below 10. But if you can just come in and and provide those spurts and kind of prevent things from getting away when the starters are are on the bench or sidelined with injury. Like that’s what you want from those guys. And I think it’s encouraging all all joking aside, it’s encouraging that the Spurs are finding some performances like that from David Jones Garcia, from Kelly Olynyk, from Carter Bryant like he said. Lindy Waters has has has done that in in small spurts this year. And uh you need some more of that in these games on the road at Portland, at Denver, at Minnesota and we’ll see if they find them.
Jeff McDonald: All that said, you can only last so long without your best players. Like they need to come back. Like there this happens all the time where you have, you know, guys go out and uh lesser guys step up and maybe you get a few games, but over over a long stretch, um, it just gets to be too much. So they need to start getting some of these guys back. Hopefully that happens soon for them.
Mike Finger: The uh on that note, Stefan Castle injury, which um that did he miss Sacramento?
Jeff McDonald: Uh no, he played against Sacramento. That’s the game he got hurt. He played the first half. He played the first half and and left at halftime.
Mike Finger: Correct. So that was once Portland gets here, that would be 10 days. And we are recording this on Tuesday morning. There might be some news. There there will be some news Tuesday afternoon that Jeff will track down and have on Expressnews.com and in the dead tree edition of the San Antonio Express News on Stefan Castle’s availability, on the availability of everybody. But when they made the announcement on him, it was re-evaluate after one to two weeks, correct?
Jeff McDonald: Yeah, that was the uh, that was the announcement, yeah.
Mike Finger: So we’re at the very uh beginning of the of the one week re-evaluation and we suppose it is not out of the realm of possibility that he could be listed as questionable or what have you for Portland. I would not count on it, but we’re getting to the point where you might start to see um him him trending as Mitch Johnson would say or ramping up. Uh there were two days off between Phoenix and Portland so that could provide an opportunity. Um, after that it might be difficult because it’s it’s game in game in Portland, day off on Thanksgiving, game in Denver, day off, travel day, uh and then uh a game at the uh Timber Wolves. So I don’t know what that how that bodes for Castle’s return, but you you you have to assume that he could come back relatively quickly before Victor Wembanyama does. And uh he they could really use him.
Jeff McDonald: Yeah, I would expect Steph before Victor for sure, just because of the nature of the injury and and and where it was and you know, they as we discussed before, they take calf injuries super seriously and they’re going to make sure Victor is 150% um before they let him back on the floor.
Mike Finger: As mathematically possible.
Jeff McDonald: Well, I’m I’m I…
Mike Finger: The uh, uh, the other player with the calf issue is Dylan Harper and he’s not wearing a boot anymore.
Jeff McDonald: So that’s good news. That’s good. The only person wearing boots on the Spurs is Keldon Johnson. But yeah, Dylan I I don’t know what what uh, Dylan’s obviously getting closer. I mean, once you’re out of the boot, uh you’re doing a little bit more um physical activity. I’ll probably, that’ll be a question to ask uh Mitch before the Portland game, how how Dylan’s Dylan’s coming along, but he’s on the…
Mike Finger: And he’ll say he’s trending.
Jeff McDonald: Yeah, I bet you you’re right. He’s on the trip at least. Um, Victor is not so far. Um, but Dylan’s on the trip. So, you know, again, you don’t want to get people’s hopes up. Uh and again, they take calf strains very seriously in the NBA these days. Like Portland has two guys out with calf strains now. Like everybody has two guys out with calf strains NBA wide. Um, so I don’t know that that Dylan’s going to be playing on this trip, but uh, you know, by process of elimination, he is getting closer. He’s not going backwards, he’s going forwards. So he’s going to play sooner um rather than later. Um, maybe…
Mike Finger: That’s a lot of words that’s not saying much, Jeff. You sound like a coach.
Jeff McDonald: Maybe before, well, cause I know about as much as you do.
Mike Finger: I I’m just saying. This this is like the the transcripts of the of the pre-game availabilities over and over and over again in in pre-game interviews across the NBA, there are reporters asking coaches for injury updates and they say that the injured player is trending and that by process of elimination, he’s getting better and not worse and that he could be back sooner rather than later. And at the end of this transcript, you realize that you’ve learned nothing.
Jeff McDonald: Well, Dylan Harper’s out of the boot. That’s good. He’s doing some sort of physical activity. That’s good. Um, when he graduates to like the the three on three and the five on five, um like post shoot around runs, um, then we’ll know he’s getting close. So, I don’t know what else to tell you on that front.
Mike Finger: No, I appreciate the insight. That’s good.
Mike Finger: Um, Denver, Portland, Denver, Minnesota. How are how are if…
Jeff McDonald: Ye-sh.
Mike Finger: If if there’s if Stefan Castle can’t come back, if Dylan Harper’s not back, Victor Wembanyama’s not back, how do you how do you make it through these next three?
Jeff McDonald: How do you make it through? I mean, you just got to summon some sort of, it’s kind of what we’ve been talking about the whole time. Like you’re going to need your your best players that you have left, like Devin Vassell, to um, be really good. And then you’re going to need little moments from you know, other people here and there. Um, when the Spurs are going well, you know, you’re getting um, you know, a three-pointer here from Julian Champagnie and a, um, you know, an offensive rebound from Luke Kornet and David Jones Garcia forces a steal that leads to a Jeremy Sochan run out dunk and Devin Vassell is uh knocking down a tough jumper as the shot clock expires. Like you’re just going to need a lot of little moments like that. And another way of saying that is you’re going to need a little a little luck. Um, I don’t I’m not so, I’m not so uh what’s the bad one? Bearish? Bearish is the bad one. I’m not so bearish about their chances in in Portland. I think what we said earlier was that Portland is a better team than they have been in year’s past. Um, but they’re super banged up. Like they’re missing like like six guys, like six six real guys. Like they’re starting Cedi Osman at point guard. Um, and they have not…
Mike Finger: That can’t be true.
Jeff McDonald: They yes. And they have struggled uh, they’ve really struggled with Jrue Holiday out. Jrue Holiday’s been out for a while now and he’s kind of been the catalyst for everything. Uh, he’s out with a calf strain by the way, uh, so not sure when he’s going to be back. Um, they the the Blazers did just beat Milwaukee, but Milwaukee was without uh Giannis who was hurt. So I don’t know what to make of that, but like if you’re looking at what these these these the last three games of this trip, if there’s one you think you can get, it it might be Portland because the other two the other two are that’s going to take a lot of. I was going to say they’re unwinnable, but it’s going to take a lot of work with um the shorthandedness of the Spurs. Like I don’t see the Spurs going into Denver and beating beating the Nuggets and um Nikola Jokic without Victor. You know? Especially not without Victor and Steph Castle. And Minnesota has been a team that maybe uh at at some people would say they’ve underachieved a little, but that’s a good team.
Mike Finger: I tell you what you want to do against Minnesota is be down by like eight points with a minute left.
Jeff McDonald: Well, I think the Spurs can probably pull that off.
Mike Finger: Minnesota’s having some problems closing out games, man.
Jeff McDonald: Um, the… while you were talking about all the the players that the Spurs could get contributions from and bringing up Devin Vassell who had his moments over the past week, um, and has is kind of the man, he’s he’s the head of the snake for the Spurs with with Victor Wembanyama out and and Stefan Castle out. One name that didn’t come up who had a really good week and a really, really good individual game against Memphis is the senator, um, Harrison Barnes. Like he’s still it it it blows my mind sometimes about how we talk about him. Jeff had a great story about him in the last couple of weeks about the teammates who called him the senator and Barack Obama and because he’s just been an old man since he was a rookie and has this quiet dignity about him. He’s still only 33? Is that right?
Jeff McDonald: Yeah.
Mike Finger: 30 30, like he’s not, compared to us, compared to podcasters, he’s a he’s a spring chicken. Um, and there are moments when he can still take over a game, an NBA game, against a a decent opponent. Like that Memphis, as much as Atlanta was about David Jones Garcia, Memphis was about Harrison Barnes just taking over down the stretch with Magic Johnson running hooks and uh and a dunk that came out of nowhere that Harrison told us after the game he didn’t realize he was going to dunk it until he dunked it and he was it surprised even him that he was able to pull off that move. Like just to have that guy who you can forget about almost on a podcast about the about the team, he’s not brought up until 30 minutes into it. Um, and and just have that steady hand and and a guy who can still get it done when when his team needs him to in the closing minutes of a game. That’s a that’s a pretty nice luxury for this team to have and maybe maybe he will uh emerge again during this road trip.
Jeff McDonald: The the steady hand thing is the thing that that um jumps out to me. It’s a thought I’ve had watching this team the last week and at times last year too. Um, but this year when they’re actually playing for something and these games feel more meaningful, um, just to have a guy like him and the Spurs have a couple of them now who just know what they’re doing and you can count on them to be in the right place at the right time and to execute what you want to execute and to make the right play and to understand the big moments in the game and what’s required of them, whether it’s a, you know, a defensive stop or a or a securing a rebound or or um, you know, a a shot that kind of stops another team’s run. Um, that first Victor Wembanyama team, his rookie year, did not have those guys. It was just kind of like and it was obvious. And just there’s an obvious quality of calmness and uh and and coolness when you’ve got guys down the stretch like a Harrison Barnes, like a Devin Vassell who have just been in countless moments like this before. And the Spurs had that last year too. They had Chris Paul. Um, it just didn’t feel as meaningful because that that team was going nowhere. We think this team might be going somewhere. So all these games just feel a little more heightened. And so I just noticed that a lot, just Harrison always being in the right, you can count on that guy. Like he’s, he’s, he’s a pop and coaches and pop especially used to use that word a lot. He’s a pro. Like it could be could be a cliche, it can be thrown around too much, but when they when when a coach says that, Harrison Barnes is what they mean. He’s a pro. He’s going to be there every, literally be there every night. I think it’s 320 straight games or something. He’s going to be there every night doing the same things, doing everything you ask of him, um being in the right place at the right time. And for a team that’s younger in a lot of other spots, having those types of guys around is um, it’s invaluable. Like you can’t win, you can’t win even with the great Victor Wembanyama, you’re not going to win a lot of games unless you have those vets that have been there and done that and can still do that, which is another point. And in it’s not Udonis Haslem at the end of his Heat career who’s not going to get off the bench. Like you have the guys that can do it on the floor for you. And so Harrison has just been huge in that regard for the Spurs this year and will continue to do so, I believe.
Mike Finger: If this is the apology podcast, you know, you you made yours as even if it wasn’t exactly heartfelt.
Jeff McDonald: I don’t think that counted.
Mike Finger: Well, you you attempted one. And I’ve made this apology before, but I will gladly make it again going back to last year, last preseason, meaning a year and a couple of months ago, and even further back than that, when the trade was made over the summer of 2024, uh when the Spurs were lined up for this deal where they basically got Harrison Barnes for free. Um, the other option to make that deal work, it was a Chicago-Sacramento deal, um, a guy who made a similar amount of money was Kevin Huerter. Do you remember that?
Jeff McDonald: Yes, I do.
Mike Finger: It was a there was a sort of a debate in Spurs circles as to which one the Spurs should take.
Jeff McDonald: It felt like a little bit of a toss up.
Mike Finger: And it felt like a toss up. And I remember at that time like Kevin Huerter I think is like he’s he does different, maybe he fits the team better. Uh…
Jeff McDonald: We thought he was a better shooter. Like Kevin Huerter…
Mike Finger: He thought he was a better shooter.
Jeff McDonald: But Harrison Barnes has shot it for three better than 40% like most of his career.
Mike Finger: This is this is leading to my apology. I don’t think we ever advocated for Kevin Huerter over Harrison Barnes, but we like others considered it kind of a, eh, I’m not sure. I’m not sure who you Spurs should take. The Spurs wanted Harrison Barnes and then once they added Harrison Barnes in the preseason last year, I brought this up a couple of times over the over the past year and a half because I do think it’s important to acknowledge mistakes. Um there was a preseason edition in October of 2024 of this podcast where I went out on a limb and said that uh Harrison Barnes is going to start at the beginning of the season, but you know, midway through the season he’s going to be replaced. He’s he’s kind of a placeholder type. It’s good to have his veteran leadership in the locker room, but he’s not an integral part of what the Spurs are building. And um, I basically left it at that. Just dead wrong. Dead wrong. He’s still not an integral part of the the championship years that the Spurs hope are coming, but very integral to to this turnaround, very integral to this particular team, his second season with the Spurs. Like he is, like Jeff just said, having his steady hand out there is is is huge for this team. And in every way that he’s had an impact on this organization over the past year and a half from being that steady hand on the floor to all the off the court stuff he does. He’s he’s their arguably their most active off court community guy. Um, they have they have a lot of them, but but Harrison and his wife are are really big out there. He’s embraced everything it is about being a Spur. Just just great addition. And I think the Spurs saw a lot of that coming when they chose him as part of that deal. I think they’re even a little bit surprised at how perfect this fit has been. Um, but if if we want to end on, we sort of started or or hit some some bad vibes in the middle of this podcast, if you want to get back to the good ones, Harrison Barnes um is something that the Spurs, wait for this, it’s never been done before, are thankful for on Thanksgiving. How about that?
Jeff McDonald: You just come up with that in the moment, huh?
Mike Finger: Man, it I just I I couldn’t believe it. I can’t believe that no other podcast, no other like sports writer, um, in the history of like newspapers and and websites and and and YouTube blogs and all that kind of, no one has ever made a Thanksgiving pun about a team being thankful for something the week of Thanksgiving. Like I’m I’m the first ever to do it.
Jeff McDonald: Somebody give this man a Poddy award.
Mike Finger: Man, I don’t know how we can top that. Are you going to, here’s how we’re going to top it. What what are you and Michael C. Wright and and the crew going to do for Thanksgiving dinner in Denver?
Jeff McDonald: That’s going to be an interesting question. Part of it is getting there, right? We’re we have to fly that day. I’m just so, I’m just hoping I can make it to uh Denver and be in front of a TV to watch the Cowboys fart around all Thanksgiving and you know, ruin everybody’s uh meal.
Mike Finger: Did you watch ruin the meal? Cowboys are unstoppable. They spotted the Philadelphia Eagles a 21 point lead and still beat them.
Jeff McDonald: Ah, they don’t do that on Thanksgiving, though. They they are Thanksgiving party poopers.
Mike Finger: But when you try, the listeners might be entertained by this when you’re traveling uh beat writer and and you’re on the road on Thanksgiving, it it it can be kind of a challenge to find a place open, isn’t it? The team is having its big catered uh feast in a hotel somewhere that you’re not invited to for some reason. I don’t know why the team doesn’t invite you to the to to eat turkey with them, but you got to find something.
Jeff McDonald: I think they’re probably having Boston Market. Yeah. Um, yeah, yeah. I think I’ve been on the road for a couple Thanksgivings now in in my time that I can remember. I remember being in uh having spending Thanksgiving in Boston one year, like a like a freaking pilgrim. And uh, had a nice uh all we could find. I had a nice pile of Thanksgiving nachos at the hotel bar because that was about all that was open.
Mike Finger: Were they turkey nachos in Boston?
Jeff McDonald: They were not turkey. They were just, we could pretend. I think it was a different kind of poultry, but we could pretend it was turkey. And I think there was another one in uh, in Indianapolis, which was kind of the same deal. Like everybody, for some reason, everybody wants to shut down their businesses and establishments over Thanksgiving and like spend time with their families. So nothing’s ever…
Mike Finger: They’re not thinking of the sports writers.
Jeff McDonald: I’m not, I’m not thankful for that, to be honest.
Mike Finger: Okay. Well, that’s a better ending to this. There are some things to be thankful for, some things not to be thankful for. We hope you have more of the former than the latter out there. Thank you for being with us again. We will see you next time. Until then, take care of each other and keep it real.