Prior to their Monday night game against the Toronto Raptors, the San Antonio Spurs learned that they would be without both Tim Duncan and Tony Parker — arguably the two best players on the team. The duo was sidelined due to ankle injuries.
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 …read more

The NBA season has just begun. And though many pundits think the Los Angeles Lakers are the odds-on favorite to when the NBA title once again, they do have some competition.
Who do you think will win it all? Do the Spurs have a shot with the addition of Richard Jefferson? Will KG and the Celtics win in Boston? Will this be LeBron’s year?

Manu Ginobili never backs down from a challenge. On Halloween, with a bat interrupting play between the San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings, Ginobili rose to the challenge. With one swipe, he knocked the bat out of the air. He then picked it up and handed it to arena worker.
The San Antonio home crowd gave Ginobili a rousing round of applause. Even a few members of the Kings couldn’t stop themselves from clapping for Ginobili.
The Spurs ended up beating the Kings 113-94. Ginobili finished the game with 13 points, three assists, one rebound, one steal and one batted bat.
However, it …read more

Although we are just a couple of days into the 2009-10 NBA season, there are a few teams who are off to a great start who should be recognized. Here are the top five teams in our first NBA power rankings of the season.
5. San Antonio Spurs
In their first game of the season, the Spurs looked dominant against the Hornets. They tripped up in their second game but San Antonio should be good this season.
4. Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets won both of their games in impressive fashion. First they beat the Jazz at home and then went on the road and …read more

When healthy, Dwyane Wade is one of the best players in the NBA. Last year, for example, he was healthy and was considered by many the NBA’s MVP. With that said, the Miami Heat couldn’t like the news that Wade has a strained muscle that forced him to miss Sunday’s preseason game against the San Antonio Spurs.
The strained muscle is located near his rib cage on the left side. However, the exact diagnosis isn’t known at the moment.
“I don’t think I got hit or anything,” Wade told the Miami Herald. “But you never know. You just want to make sure …read more

Although the Houston Rockets beat the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, the talk after the game was about Spurs rookie DeJuan Blair. In his first professional game of any kind, Blair played 22 minutes and had 16 points and 19 rebounds.
Even though Blair was a second round pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, he’s widely regarded as the steal of the draft. It took all of one game for Blair to prove that there might be something to that talk.
Said Blair: “I did what Coach Pop asked of me and that was to rebound. Everything else came after that.”
Blair played …read more

Earlier in the offseason, Bruce Bowen of the San Antonio Spurs retired. The defensive expert played a key part in three NBA championship titles. On Monday, the Spurs signed Keith Bogans — a defensive small forward who will help make up for the loss of Bowen.
Last year, Bogans played for both the Orlando Magic and the Milwaukee Bucks. With Orlando, Bogans started 15 of 36 games and averaged 5.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 21.9 minutes per game. With Milwaukee, Bogans averaged 6.0 points and 3.2 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per game.
While he’s not much of an offensively, as evident …read more

Richard Jefferson, the small forward acquired in the offseason by the San Antonio Spurs, dislocated his thumb on Tuesday. The injury occurred when he was working out in the team’s practice facility.
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 …read more

With NBA training camps only a few weeks away, the picture for the 2009-10 NBA season is getting clearer by the day. Here’s a look at the best of the best in the September edition of NBA power rankings:
1. Los Angeles Lakers
The reigning NBA champions are still the best in the league. As long as they stay healthy, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers will be extremely difficult to beat.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
Although they lost to the Magic last year in the playoffs, in LeBron James the Cavs have the best player in the world. Add Shaquille O’Neal and a few other …read more

Bruce Bowen, arguably the best perimeter defender of his generation, has decided to retire from the NBA. In his eight years with the San Antonio Spurs, Bowen was able to capture three NBA championships while cementing his legacy as a defensive monster.
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 …read more