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NBA Capsules: Revamped Spurs stumbling to meet expectations
Comments 0 | Recommend 0SAN ANTONIO — Manu Ginobili swatting down a wayward bat on Halloween is one thing. But who saw this coming?
The San Antonio Spurs emerged from the offseason with some big additions, refreshed and a favorite to seriously contend for a fifth NBA championship. Instead, they are 4-6 and off to their worst start through 10 games since 1996.
"It’s crazy," Spurs newcomer Antonio McDyess said.
Unprecedented is more like it.
Never in the Tim Duncan era had the Spurs carried a losing record at the 10-game mark until the Utah Jazz — which hadn’t won a regular-season game in San Antonio since 1999 — finally beat the Spurs on their home court 90-83 on Thursday night.
The Spurs will take a three-game skid into Saturday’s game against Washington, without Ginobili and possibly without Tony Parker. Ginobili is out at least a week with a strained left groin, and Parker is still trying to shake off an ankle sprain that has sidelined him in four of the last five games.
Injuries, however, don’t worry the Spurs this early in the season.
Nor does their record. Yet.
"It’s pretty hard to go in (the locker room) and say, ‘What’s up with this record? What are you guys doing around here?"’ Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "I don’t think that’s very appropriate."
Not when the locker room has only half the same faces from last season, according to Popovich, who is being patient with a new cast that he says is still learning the system and adjusting to playing together.
An hour before the Jazz game, an upbeat Popovich fretted more about the world’s dwindling populations of honey bees and plankton than the sputtering start. And 15 minutes after the loss, he even chuckled as he said, "and we do know what our record is. We won’t forget."
Levity aside, there are problems. San Antonio’s usually solid defense has been shaky, ranked around the middle of the league (98.8 points per game) instead of its customary perch near the top. Injuries have delayed finding out what combinations work.
More Duncan has yet to be the answer, since the Spurs are 0-4 when he scores 20 points or more. The Spurs are 3-0, on the other hand, when newcomer Richard Jefferson reaches that threshold.
Jefferson has so far provided what the Spurs paid $29.2 million over the next two years to get: an athletic swingman who can create offense, particularly when the Big Three aren’t around to do so. Already this season, Duncan (swollen ankle), Ginobili and Parker have missed a combined seven games.
Ginobili is of particular concern. The 32-year-old missed half of last season and the playoffs because of bad ankles, and Popovich said it would be disingenuous to say he wasn’t disappointed that Ginobili is already hurt after resting all summer.
The injury is a reminder why the Spurs sought out Jefferson, who hasn’t missed a game the past two seasons.
"It’s a part of the league, and I believe that’s why (the Spurs) brought in some more people to try and weather those storms when you do have injuries," Jefferson said. "Right now, it’s our job to bear down and get it right."
History shows the Spurs usually do. San Antonio started 5-5 a year ago but was tied atop the Southwest Division by Christmas. The Spurs lumbered to an even shakier 6-8 record in 1998, only to straighten up and win their first NBA title in the strike-shortened season.
All the same, the Spurs figured they would be better than this.
"It’s tough," McDyess said. "When you’ve got a good team expecting to win a lot of games and you’re not in the beginning, it’s kind of disappointing."
Reserves spark Mavericks to fifth straight win
DALLAS — Jason Terry is accustomed to carrying the load for the Dallas bench.
With the Mavericks missing three starters, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year got some much needed help from his fellow reserves Friday night.
Terry scored 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, Dallas got 52 points from the bench and the Mavericks beat the Sacramento Kings 104-102 for their fifth straight win.
Dallas' reserves scored 25 of the team's 36 points in the fourth quarter as the Mavericks beat the Kings for the 12th consecutive time at home.
"The emphasis has been on the bench guys from the start," said Mavericks backup Kris Humphries, who scored 15 points. "It starts with Jason Terry coming off the bench first. We've got to bring energy. It's an important part of the team."
The Mavericks were playing without Shawn Marion (left ankle), Erick Dampier (unknown illness) and Josh Howard (left ankle), the second straight game they've been without three starters.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 20 points, Drew Gooden pulled down a season-high 16 rebounds, and Jason Kidd had 15 points and 11 assists.
Nowitzki hit the 20-point mark for the eighth game in a row on 6 of 15 shooting.
The Mavericks were shooting less than 40 percent through three quarters before hitting 13 of 20 in the fourth to hold off the Kings.
"That was a scrappy team," Terry said. "They didn't let us put them away like we wanted to, but we'll take the win."
Sacramento rookie Tyreke Evans had 29 points, seven rebounds and a season-high 10 assists. Beno Udrih added 20 points and Jason Thompson scored 18.
The Kings hit 53 percent of their shots, but was offset by 21 turnovers, which equaled a season high.
"To come in here and have a chance to knock off Dallas and play them the way we did, I was very impressed with our young group," said Sacramento coach Paul Westphal, a former Mavericks assistant. "When we learn to take care of the ball a little bit better, I think we'll come our with our share of wins in these types of games."
Humphries scored 10 in the first half to help give Dallas a 47-42 edge at halftime.
Dallas built a 10-point lead in the third quarter before Sacramento closed the gap in the final 4 minutes. Behind six points from Thompson, the Kings went on a 10-3 spurt to get within 68-65 after three.
"We played hard enough to make a run in the last five minutes," Kings forward Andres Nocioni said. "For a young team like this one, these kinds of games will help us a lot."
Terry had six points in a 12-4 run that gave the Mavericks a cushion in the fourth.
Sacramento cut the deficit to 83-80 on Evans' step back jumper with 5 minutes left, before Terry answered with back-to-back jumpers and spun past Evans to nail a 15-footer and put Dallas ahead 91-82.
Nowitzki, off an assist from Terry, hit a jumper and two free throws to extend the advantage to 95-84 with 2:02 left. Evans hit a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left to bring Sacramento within three, but Terry hit two free throws with 1.6 seconds remaining to keep the Kings winless in Dallas since Feb. 27, 2003.
"The bench was great." Nowitzki said. "We needed a little pickup there. We were coasting along and couldn't get much going. (Terry) did a good job getting three, four pullups in a row and got the separation we needed."
NOTES: Dampier has been attending games and sitting on the bench in a suit. "We'll know something next week," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "There are still tests to be done. We're going to let this battery of things go on and be absolutely sure of the prognosis." ... Evans reached at least 20 points for a sixth straight game. ... The Kings scored 26 of their first 28 in the paint.
-- David Jimenez
Smith's last-second shot gives Hawks another win
ATLANTA — Josh Smith spent most of the fourth quarter cheering on his teammates from the bench.
He was on the court, though, for the biggest play of the game.
After sitting for all but 44 seconds of the final period because of foul trouble, Smith soared through the lane to drop in a missed shot with 0.7 seconds remaining and the Atlanta Hawks won their seventh in a row, beating the Houston Rockets 105-103 Friday night to maintain the NBA's best record.
Marvin Williams scored a season-high 29 points, but it was Smith who came through at the end for the Hawks (11-2).
Carl Landry hit a pair of free throws with 5 seconds left to cap Houston's 11-1 run that tied the game at 103. The Hawks got the ball to Mike Bibby, whose 17-foot jumper bounced off the front of the rim. But Smith flew right down the middle of the lane, grabbed the rebound with both hands and softly it back in while the Rockets screamed for basket interference.
Replays showed the ball had cleared the cylinder before Smith touched it.
"All I wanted to do was crash the boards," Smith said. "In case he missed, I wanted to be there. I wanted him to make the shot, but I was there for the miss."
Smith went to the bench after picking up his fourth foul with 4:03 left in the third quarter. He returned early in the fourth and lasted only 30 seconds before getting his fifth foul. Back to the bench, where he stayed until the final minute — long enough to win the game.
Obviously, he was fresher than everyone else on the court. It showed.
"He hustled," Houston's Luis Scola said. "Everyone knows how high he jumps. It was a great play."
Williams had been one of the few disappointments in Atlanta's brilliant start to the season. He had not scored more than 14 points in a game, but he had 13 in the opening quarter and passed his previous high before halftime. He finished 13 of 19 from the field.
"He was phenomenal," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "He was solid from beginning to end. We went to him. He continued to make them."
The Hawks needed Williams to come up big with Smith in foul trouble — he had only nine points in less than 24 minutes — and Joe Johnson held to 19 points on 6-of-18 shooting after two straight 30-point efforts.
Jamal Crawford added 21 points for the Hawks, while Landry led five Houston players in double figures with 18.
The Hawks improved to 7-0 at Philips Arena, their best start at home since 1997, and snapped the Rockets' two-game winning streak on the road.
Houston outworked the Hawks on the boards much of the night — getting 20 offensive rebounds — and had a commanding 29-14 edge in second-chance points. The Rockets led 88-82 with 7 minutes remaining after Aaron Brooks blew right by Johnson for a layup.
"They have a lot of guys who are not very athletic," Smith said. "But they get offensive rebounds. They killed us all night getting offensive rebounds."
Atlanta took over from there, turning up the defensive pressure and ripping off a 13-0 spurt. Brooks finally broke up the run, but Williams had a thunderous jam off a missed shot, a steal set up another dunk by Al Horford and Crawford's falling-down 3-pointer pushed the home team to a 102-92 lead with 2:07 remaining.
"The guys battled back, but we had a bad stretch in the fourth quarter and it cost us," Houston coach Rick Adelman said.
It seemed over, but the pesky Rockets battled back. Kyle Lowry exploded to the hoop, banked it in and was fouled by Williams. The free throw completed the three-point play and pulled Houston to 103-101.
Bibby missed a 3-pointer, Houston called time and got the ball in Brooks' hands. He passed off to Scola, who fumbled it away but watched it go straight to Landry, who drew Horford's sixth foul and calmly made both free throws sandwiched around a Hawks' 20-second timeout.
But Smith made sure Atlanta stayed perfect at home.
"They have the best record in the league," Houston's Trevor Ariza. "If we could have come back and gotten this one, it would have been really big."
NOTES: In the second quarter, Ariza and Johnson scrambled for a loose ball that wound up bouncing out of bounds along the sideline, not far from the Hawks bench. While the officials briefly conferred to make a call, Ariza pleaded, "I swear to God I didn't touch it." The Rockets got the ball. ... Houston shot just 42 percent but took 14 more shots than the Hawks, who made half their attempts. ... Williams also led the Hawks in rebounding with nine. ... Scola had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets.
-- Pal Newberry
McGrady wants to play, Rockets say no
ATLANTA — Tracy McGrady is eager to play. The Houston Rockets say he’ll have to wait.
The seven-time All-Star had microfracture surgery on his left knee in February, but insisted that he’s fully recovered before Friday night’s game against the streaking Atlanta Hawks.
"Right now, I could play," he said.
Not so fast. The Rockets believe McGrady needs more time and would risk hurting his knee again if he comes back too soon. The next step is an MRI on Monday.
"We have a difference of opinion," coach Rick Adelman said. "He wants to play. He’s not ready to play. It’s as simple as that."
Both sides denied a Yahoo! Sports report that the situation degenerated into a heated argument before the Rockets’ previous game at Minnesota. The report quoted a person close to McGrady who was not identified.
"I don’t know where that came from," McGrady said. "We talked but it was nothing that was reported like that. I mean, screaming and all."
Adelman shrugged off the report as "our world of the Internet."
"It seems like nowadays people want to dwell on one particular thing that may be newsworthy," he said. "Or maybe catch your eye when you look at it."
Whether the argument actually happened, it’s clear that McGrady considers himself much further along in his recovery than the team’s timetable.
"I don’t know," he said. "It’s all about what they want to do."
-- Paul Newberry
Knicks’ Answer: No to Allen Iverson
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — The New York Knicks won’t sign Allen Iverson, believing any short-term gain would hinder their plans to build for the future.
Team president Donnie Walsh said Friday the team won’t make any additions at this time despite its 2-9 record. He added the decision to pass on the former MVP had nothing to do with Iverson’s ability to play or his character in the locker room.
"I’ve always admired him," Walsh said. "I think he’d be a great addition for a team that’s in a different position than we’re in and I hope he gets picked up."
Coach Mike D’Antoni said Iverson would have come in and played 40 minutes a game, taking playing time away from others who need to be on the court to continue their growth.
"We just didn’t think right now we wanted to have that dominant force on the team right now," D’Antoni said.
"We’re going to stick with the plan and it just wasn’t the right situation. Allen is a great player, no doubt about it, but that’s not the route we’re going to take right now."
Iverson was waived by the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday and became a free agent Thursday night. Walsh said he didn’t feel the four-time scoring champion was the right fit at the beginning, but began to reconsider because it’s "enticing to think that you can get a guy that can score the ball that way."
But the Knicks remain committed to building with young players such as Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, and felt a player who shoots as much as Iverson could hinder that strategy.
"We feel like that could hurt our development in the future, so we want to go the way we’re going," Walsh said. "There will be other things we can do during the year that will be more in line with what our philosophy has been entering into this."
The Knicks passed on a chance to sign Iverson when he was a free agent over the summer. At the time, they felt the returning veterans from last season, plus the continued improvement of their younger players, would be enough to contend for a playoff spot.
Then they opened the season by dropping nine of their first 10 games, the worst start in franchise history. So when the Grizzlies and Iverson parted ways after just three games, the Knicks revisited their decision.
Walsh and D’Antoni talked it over for a few days, alerting ownership that a signing was being considered. Walsh also talked with Iverson’s agent, Leon Rose, but not the player himself.
"I happen to think that it’s not the right place for Allen, either," Walsh said. "I think Allen should go to a team that he can push into a contending situation or a playoff situation and I think he will, because he’s good enough to do that."
The Knicks may have pulled back their interest after an impressive comeback to beat Indiana on Wednesday night. Center Eddy Curry played for the first time this season, scoring 10 points in 11 minutes.
Despite his credentials, there hasn’t been much interest in Iverson after he complained about coming off the bench last season in Detroit. He had the same complaints during his short stint in Memphis, so teams may be wary of signing him.
Yet he remains a popular player, so there was some rare basketball buzz in New York this week. Even Knicks players sounded interested in signing Iverson, and Walsh was aware that fans may be disappointed his team will drop any plans to pursue him.
"I’m always concerned about that, but I don’t think you can build a basketball team based on polls," he said.
-- Brian Mahoney
Bogut out 2 to 4 weeks with leg injury
MILWAUKEE — Bucks center Andrew Bogut will be out two to four weeks after the former No. 1 pick was kicked in the left leg in a recent win.
Bogut said Friday night before Milwaukee played Charlotte that he had hoped he just had a charlie horse bruise after he left a 99-85 victory over New Jersey on Wednesday.
Bogut stayed in the game for several minutes after he was kicked, but the pain grew worse and an MRI taken Thursday revealed that he had strained a ligament on the outside of his left calf to go along with a bruise.
"It’s very disappointing. I don’t want to be hurt," said Bogut, who is averaging 16.1 points and 9.2 rebounds since missing more than half of last season with a stress fracture in his lower back. "It wasn’t like I stepped wrong, or I did it running. I got hit."
The injury came after one of Bogut’s best performances of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds against the Nets. He didn’t mention the injury after the game and stood throughout his interviews even though he said he knew something was wrong.
"I had shooting pain all the way down my leg. I knew it was bad," the 24-year-old Bogut said. "I was hurting after the game, I could barely walk to my car and could barely walk after the game. I thought maybe I’d wake up and feel better, but I woke up and felt worse."
Milwaukee is already missing guard Michael Redd (strained left knee) and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (sprained left foot). Now, Bucks coach Scott Skiles is dealing with another injury.
Milwaukee didn’t have Redd and Bogut for a large portion of last season, and went 10-23 without the pair after Redd was injured on Jan. 24.
"You don’t ever want times like this, that’s for sure," Skiles said. "Last year when it happened we weren’t able to hold it together, so hopefully having a deeper team that we have we can weather it a little bit better."
Bogut won’t travel on Milwaukee’s upcoming four-game road trip that begins Saturday night in Memphis. Mbah a Moute said he’s day-to-day. Redd was out again Friday night, but running and working out before the game.
"He looked better today than he did yesterday. He seems to be getting noticeably better," Skiles said. "I would imagine (he’d return) sometime on this trip."
All-Star Harris expected to play Saturday for Nets
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Devin Harris is expected to play Saturday, a sorely needed boost for the winless New Jersey Nets.
A team spokesman says Harris will come off the bench Saturday when the Nets (0-12) host the New York Knicks.
The All-Star point guard has missed 10 straight games with an injured right groin. He was originally hurt in the preseason, then reinjured the groin on Oct. 30 in the Nets’ second game of the season.
Harris’ injury has been one of many that has devastated New Jersey, which often has suited up only the league-minimum eight players while missing as many as four starters.
Shaq misses 4th straight game as Cavs face Pacers
INDIANAPOLIS — Cleveland center Shaquille O’Neal has missed his fourth straight game with a strained right shoulder.
O’Neal did not travel with the Cavaliers for their game Friday night against the Pacers. He is averaging 11.3 points and 6.9 rebounds. Cleveland coach Mike Brown didn’t give a timetable for his return.
Cleveland, however, got forward Anderson Varejao back from a bruised hip after he was inactive Wednesday against Washington. J.J. Hickson was to start, but Brown said Varejao will play.
Indiana forward Troy Murphy will play after missing six games with a bruised lower back.
The Pacers announced Friday that guard Travis Diener had surgery on the big toe on his left foot and is expected to miss at least four weeks.
WNBA
Kings owner will no longer operate WNBA franchise
SAN FRANCISCO — The Sacramento Monarchs folded on Friday, a shocking and disappointing development for the WNBA and one of its original eight franchises.
The decision was largely based on the Maloof family’s desire to focus all its energy and efforts on the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. Maloof Sports & Entertainment had owned both teams.
Now, the WNBA is left scurrying to try to find a new owner for the organization and a suitable market: with the most logical place being the Bay Area, perhaps in Oakland or San Jose.
League president Donna Orender said in a statement Friday that the league is in discussions with potential investors to relocate the Monarchs to the San Francisco area in time for next season.
The Monarchs franchise was one of the league’s original eight teams and it won the WNBA championship in 2005 and the Western Conference title the following season.
The Monarchs’ Web site — http://www.wnba.com/monarchs/ — for most of the day carried a message reading, "PICTURE YOURSELF as a 2010 MONARCHS Season Ticket Holder." It was changed by the afternoon, when the site carried only Orender’s statement.
While it was difficult to reach anyone in the franchise’s offices Friday, the team said it would not comment on the situation further and directed inquiries to the WNBA. Some employees work for both the Kings and Monarchs, so it was unclear how many jobs might be affected.
"We enjoyed our time with the WNBA and the Monarchs," co-owner Joe Maloof said in a statement. "We are extremely proud of an amazing run that included six straight playoff appearances and the 2005 WNBA Championship. All of our resources are now dedicated to bringing the Sacramento Kings back to championship caliber form."
Sacramento had several familiar faces when it comes to women’s basketball in the area: former Stanford star Nicole Powell, Olympic gold medalist Kara Lawson, and Courtney Paris, the former Oklahoma star from nearby Piedmont, Calif.
The franchise is scheduled to have the second pick in the 2010 WNBA draft.
"The Bay Area has been a desirable market for the WNBA and the availability of the Monarchs provides an opportunity to move a well-known franchise and broaden its fan base within Northern California," Orender said in the statement. "Maloof Sports & Entertainment, owner of the Monarchs, has deemed it essential to focus all of its resources on the Sacramento Kings at this time. We understand this decision was a difficult one for them and appreciate the vision, leadership, and support of the Maloof family over the past 10 years."
Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment, which runs the NHL’s San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion — a potential WNBA venue — could be an option explored by the WNBA. The organization had not yet been contacted by the WNBA.
"Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment is always interested in listening to proposals to bring high-quality events into HP Pavilion at San Jose that are mutually beneficial to both the City of San Jose as well as our organization," SVSE president and CEO Greg Jamison said in a statement, responding to an inquiry by The Associated Press. "We have not had any discussion with the WNBA to bring a team to San Jose."
The Oakland-based Golden State Warriors are in support of the idea of a WNBA team playing in Oakland, but would not affiliate themselves with a franchise. That would have to be worked out with the City of Oakland and Alameda County. The Warriors play at Oracle Arena.
-- Janie McCauley
Elsewhere
Jayson Williams plea hearing delayed indefinitely
NEWARK, N.J. — Retired NBA star Jayson Williams will not be in a New Jersey courtroom Friday to enter a plea in the 2002 shooting death of a hired driver.
State Superior Court Judge Edward M. Coleman indefinitely delayed a hearing in Somerville in which Williams was expected to plead guilty. A person with direct knowledge of the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of a gag order imposed by Coleman, told The Associated Press that the delay was partly because of travel problems Williams experienced getting to New Jersey from his home in South Carolina.
Another person with knowledge of the case told the AP on Thursday that Williams would plead guilty to aggravated assault. The person wasn’t authorized to talk about the case and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
A guilty plea to the assault charge would carry a minimum 18-month sentence because a gun was involved.
Williams was acquitted of aggravated manslaughter in 2004 but convicted of covering up the shooting at his central New Jersey mansion. The jury deadlocked on a reckless manslaughter count. He has been awaiting a second trial for reckless manslaughter, which carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence.
Williams has been free on bail since the Feb. 14, 2002, shooting of Costas "Gus" Christofi. He paid more than $2 million in 2003 to settle a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Christofi’s family.
At the 2004 trial, witnesses testified that Williams, who had been drinking, was showing off a shotgun in his bedroom when he snapped it shut and it fired, hitting Christofi in the chest and killing him. They also said Williams put the gun in the dead man’s hands and told them to lie about what happened.
Years of legal sparring followed the trial, and came to a head this fall when current and former prosecutors were forced to testify about a former investigator’s use of a racial slur to describe Williams.
The slur was made in a law enforcement meeting before the trial but was not divulged to defense attorneys for more than three years after, leading to defense claims that racism had tainted the investigation. But Coleman denied Williams’ lawyers request to throw the case out because of prosecutorial misconduct and racial bias.
The 41-year-old Williams played nine seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets before a leg injury forced him to retire in 2000. He attempted a short-lived comeback in the minor league Continental Basketball Association in 2005.
Williams has suffered several recent personal setbacks.
His wife filed for divorce earlier this year, and police used a stun gun on him in a New York hotel after a female friend said he was acting suicidal. He was charged with assault in May after allegedly punching a man in the face outside a North Carolina bar, but charges were dropped. Last week, Williams’ father, E.J., with whom he owned a construction business, died in South Carolina.
-- David Porter
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