Boy, have I missed you.
The months of August and September can be very long ones for NBA fans. The hoopla of the ‘offseason’ is over, and most of the big moves have been made. All that’s left is a bunch of sound and fury signifying nothing. And bored, rich young men getting in lots of trouble.
I can’t bear to watch baseball until the playoffs, and barely then. And I love football, but I don’t follow it with the passion and scrutiny of basketball, so that only holds my interest one, maybe two, days a week. And that really only gets going in mid-September. (I am, perhaps surprisingly, a passionate tennis fan, so I do get a two-week sports fix with the US Open.)
But now training camp has officially begun, and we can get back to discussing the things that will and do actually happen on the court. And as Spurs fans, we have all of our favorite characters back in our lives. And a whole host of new ones. This is shaping up as probably the most interesting Spurs pre-season since Tim Duncan arrived in San Antonio. We have equal parts expectation and mystery. With all the offseason moves made, we have as strong a claim as any team to the phrase ‘title contender’. But plenty of questions abound around the health of our core players, how all the new pieces will fit in, and if any of the younger (read: athletic) players can become impact players.
Spurs training camp is full of players who fully expect to be on an NBA roster come opening night. This is going to be a very competitive and entertaining preseason. I can’t wait to see how it all shapes up, and I can’t wait to see our team on opening night.
Most of all, I can’t wait to watch a healthy Manu back performing his basketball voodoo.
you said it bro! i cant wait for a healthy manu!! and just to see the players get together. i just watched the media day interviews on youtube and instantly got pumped!! i cant waaaaiiiiiiiitttttt! hahha! GO SPURS GO!!
-ro
Regarding the new roster, "athletic" is the operative word here. Although The Spurs are still considered an old team (old habits die hard), the average NBA age of this team is only 5 years! The Spurs have a good mix of experience, youth and athleticism. I can't wait either!
This is going to be an exciting season. I am anxious to see how the big man rotation is worked out. You have the usual suspects in Duncan and Bonner. After that you have McDyess, Ratliff, Ian Mahinmi, Dejuan Blair, and Marucs Haislip. It will be interesting to see who the 3rd and 4th bigs are on a majority of nights. If all things go well, Pop will have some seriously tough decisions to make.
The battle for the last roster spot is also interesting. I truly feel it is a two-man race between Hairston and Marcus Williams. Hairston looks impressive overall and I really hope he sticks.