By the end of the game, the Raptors were reminded that the Spurs have a few other very good players — namely Manu Ginobili and Richard Jefferson. Ginobili had 36 points, eight assists, four rebounds and four blocks as the Spurs utilized a strong fourth quarter to post a 131-124 victory.

Jefferson, who was acquired via trade from the Milwaukee Bucks in the offseason, had 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. George Hill and Matt Bonner also chipped in with 22 points and 18 points, respectively.

For the Raptors, it was a case of the defense simply not doing enough. They allowed the Spurs to score more than 30 points in each quarters, including 38 in the decisive final stanza. On offense, Toronto was led by Chris Bosh’s 32 points. Hedo Turkoglu had 20 points for the Raptors, while Andrea Bargnani had 17.

With the win, the Spurs are now 3-3. The Raptors fell to 3-4 with the loss.

Gregg Popovich has to be happy with the Spurs victory (Image: Zuma Press)

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Spurs top Raptors without Duncan and Parker

The good news for Jefferson and the Spurs is the fact that the injury is believed to be minor. The team will take another look at his thumb next week to give a definite return date. With training camp two weeks away, he may have to miss the first week of training camp. However, there’s a chance he’ll be ready for the beginning of the camp.

When Bruce Bowen recently retired, Jefferson’s role on the Spurs grew even more. Without Bowen around to defend, Jefferson’s defense is going to be key to the Spurs this season. As long as he’s healthy, he’s destined to play a lot of minutes for San Antonio.

In the last two seasons, Jefferson played all 164 games. He averaged 19.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists last year with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Richard Jefferson - San Antonio Spurs (Image: Zuma Press)

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Richard Jefferson Dislocates his Thumb

From 2003 to 2008, Bowen was named to the All-Defensive first team all five seasons. The three previous seasons saw him named to the All-Defensive second team. Bowen also finished second in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award multiple times.

Though the now 38-year-old small forward wasn’t know for his offense, he was an accomplished three-point shooter who seemed to always knock down momentum-changing shots. For his career, he shot 39.3% from beyond the three-point line to go along with a scoring average of 6.1 points.

The Spurs will undoubtedly miss Bowen’s defensive play, the team moved on to a younger generation this offseason. Richard Jefferson was brought in from the Milwaukee Bucks to start at small forward. Add in a healthy Manu Ginobili and there weren’t many minutes available at the swingman spots.

Oh and that sigh of relief you heard are exhales from the countless scorers who Bowen bottled up over the years. They are glad to see him ride off into the sunset.

Bruce Bowen Retires - San Antonio Spurs (Image: Zuma Press)

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Bruce Bowen Retires from the NBA

The fact that Michael Jackson passed away yesterday was beyond surreal. Add in Farrah Faucet and you’ve got a double-whammy.  Then Shaq gets traded to Cleveland to team up with Lebron for what seems to be a destined championship run in 2010.

The 2009 NBA Draft class was not as strong as in previous years, but definitely offered some surprises.

What else happened on draft night?

Here’s a brief recap for your viewing pleasure:

• Richard Jefferson was traded to San Antonio.

• Blake Griffin was the number one pick in the ’09 draft.

• Tyler Hansbrough went to the Indiana Pacers.

• Golden State stole Stephen Curry from the New York Knicks.

• Brandon Jennings’ short stint in Europe paid off — he was able to gain more experience playing professionally overseas than he would have gotten playing in college. As a result, he was drafted 10th overall.

• Ricky Rubio sank in the draft and ended up going to Minnesota (along with Johnny Flynn for double the point guard fun).

Post from: EveryJoe

A Brief Recap Of The 2009 NBA Draft

In return for Jefferson, the Bucks got salary relief in the threesome of Bruce Bowen, Fabricio Oberto and Kurt Thomas. Both Bowen and Oberto have partially guaranteed contracts that will create space under the NBA’s luxury tax. Out of the three players, the only one who may suit up for the Bucks is Thomas.

Last season, Jefferson averaged 19.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He shot 43.9% from the field and 39.7% from beyond the three-point arc. In 2003 while with the New Jersey Nets, Jefferson played against the Spurs in the NBA Finals. The Spurs won the series in six games to capture their second NBA championship. Since then, San Antonio has won two more championships.

Jefferson and the Spurs hope that he’s can be a key contributor to championship number five.

Richard Jefferson joins Tim Duncan on the San Antonio Spurs (Image: Zuma Press)

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Richard Jefferson Traded to the Spurs

In 24 seasons at Arizona, Lute Olson, 74, made everyone believe that the Pac-10 wasn’t just UCLA’s conference. The Wildcats were a national power under Olson as he posted a 589-187 record. Arizona was a fixture in the NCAA tournament reaching four Final Fours including a national championship.

Players Olson coached that went on to great success in the NBA include Richard Jefferson, Mike Bibby and Sean Elliott. They were three of 13 first round draft picks to come out of Arizona.

“Lute Olson transformed the UA and Tucson into premier basketball country,” university president Robert N. Shelton said in a statement. “Arizona now stands in the company of great college basketball programs, and we have Lute to thank for that. We will sorely miss his brilliance as our head coach, but we will benefit from the legacy he leaves for decades to come.”

Olson said this in a statement released by the school.

“This was not a decision that was made lightly. I’ve had a wonderful run at the University of Arizona. I leave with a great sense of pride in what we have accomplished here.”

Now the hard part begins. The Wildcats have to find a suitable replacement for a coach who has had such a big impact on the school and on college basketball. However, Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood did tell the Associated Press that one would be named soon.

Olson was one of my favorites and I wish him the best. And who knows? Maybe we’ll see him coaching again sometime in the future. That’s usually the case when someone says they’re leaving to “spend more time with the family.”

ESPN’s Dick Vital originally broke this story earlier today. He sure does know a thing or two about college basketball.

Way to go Dicky V!

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It’s Official Lute Olson Retires