…from someone who didn’t actually watch it but read an awful lot about it:
Tim and Manu gave dominating performances and looked completely rust-free.
Tim seems to have improved his free-throw stroke. But one game means nothing, of course.
Brent and Beno played very well, showing great confidence and aggressiveness. They should prosper in their second season playing for the Spurs.
Rasho and Nazr struggled against Snaq and got in foul trouble very quickly. Hopefully, they’ll improve over the course of the season, but if we face the Heat in the Finals, we may need all the frontcourt depth we have.
The new signees (Finley, Van Exel, and Oh Boy! Oberto) are still learning, but they showed great potential. Oberto already looks very smooth on offense but needs to improve his D.
Sean Marks showed off a great outside shot and lots of hustle, but he needs to improve his overall productivity.
Of the guys fighting to make the team, two showed the most potential: Sharrod Ford and Melvin Sanders. Ford is a 6’9″ tweener with lots of athleticism. He has a good inside game on offense but is probably too skinny to play power forward in the NBA. The Spurs may try to convert him into a small forward. They’ve been looking for a long, tall, athletic small forward since Hedo’s departure, and his athleticism should allow him to make that transition, especially on the all-important defensive end.
Melvin Sanders is a 6’5″ shooting guard who doesn’t have a polished offensive game yet, but he’s athletic and can already play smothering defense.
Most importantly, the Spurs’ top players looked impressive against the Heat’s top players.
It’s going to be a hell of a season, folks.
Check out Melvin Sander’s hometown. I like this guy already!