Team Expert/Cool Guy: "Scoop" Stampler from the unabashed, uncensored, but "unbad" Pounding The Rock. That all means it's good reading! Especially for those of you that aren't shy about a lot of things.
Questions and Answers:
1. Last season was somewhat of a "down" year for Tim Duncan. At times he was the third option behind Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Can he come back strong and be the TD of old and absolutely dominate the game the way he used to?
First off, I don't think he was ever the third option. Manu is never the 2nd guy in this offense, ever. He's always # 1 or # 3. That's just how it works. It becomes Manu's show if it's a tight game in the 4th quarter or they're losing. Otherwise he's happy to take like 9 shots a night, defer to the other guys, and be happy with his 13 points in an easy win.
As far as Tim goes, he had plantar fasciatis [sic?] the whole year, so it was remarkable he played as well as he did. He did struggle mightily in the second night of back to backs, but overall the team won 63 games, so it's hard to complain. It was really smart for Pop to let Tony control most of the games since A) 80% of the teams are too dumb to know how to guard him and B) You needed Tim for the playoffs. Tim showed in the Mavs series he can still dominate games.
Now he's had a full summer off, had no international commitments, and the reports are he's skinnier than ever and in great shape and fully healthy. I expect him to be the same old Duncan, but it won't necessarily show up on the box score. The team just cares about wins and nobody cares about their numbers except maybe Tony. Just mark down Tim for his usual 20-11-3 a night.
2. Can Tony Parker continue to improve and shoot as well as he did
from the floor? Will he expand his range and start shooting from the
beyond the arc or his ability to penetrate too good to waste on
increasing Parker's range?
Generally, among smart Spurs fans, the feeling is the less Tony shoots from outside the key the better off we are. I'd like to see him pass more and be more of a point guard this year, especially if Tim and Manu are healthy. Quite frankly, I'm terrified of the idea of him jacking three pointers this year. Unless he's hitting 30% of them, Pop will put a stop to that nonsense quickly. I do not want to see a Baron Davis impersonator out there.
3. In the playoffs, Gregg Popovich showed that he was willing to play "small ball" with his centers sitting. Is there a chance Popovich continues that in the regular season?
I don't see how he can't. Elson can't guard anyone and isn't a great rebounder either, and Butler is too raw. Oberto on the other hand is a good rebounder and a smart player, and he's had a year in this system. Bonner is a smart veteran too and should be a rotation guy. I think Duncan has finally given in to being the de facto 5 for this team, when he's resisted the notion for years. There are no centers anymore in the West besides Yao anyway.
4. Is there anything else you want to say about the Spurs?
I wish Beno Udrih wasn't such a sissy. I wish they would try to actually get Ginobili involved in games earlier instead of asking him to bail them out of jams in the 4th quarter and be a hero. I think they'll only be 10th or so in points allowed this year so they'll actually have to outscore people to win. I think Bruce Bowen won't be nearly as effective defensively without a shotblocker behind him and will lose some playing time to Michael Finley. I think they'll be right there in the end, barring injuries, but let's face it, this is a real old team.
5. Besides the Spurs, who will win the NBA Finals this coming season?
Same old candidates... us, Mavs, or Suns in West, Heat or Bulls in East.
Mr. Stampler, thank you for the great answers and keep pounding that rock! Again, if you're not shy, check out Pounding the Rock for an entertaining AND very informative read.
MY TAKE - Things Go Right If These Three Things Happen:
1. The Tim Duncan of old when he was winning MVP awards resurfaces after TD's season last year where he played with a nagging injury.
2. Tony Parker continues his scoring upward trend and continues to penetrate the lane at will. If he can add a consistent three-point touch, that would be gravy on the meat!
3. With the departure of Nazr Mohammed to the Detroit Pistons, Francisco Elson fills in more than capably to take some heat off of Duncan down low.
MY TAKE - Things Go Wrong If These Three Things Happen:
1. Duncan gets hurt and misses significant time. The same can go for Parker and Manu Ginobili to a lesser degree.
2. Role players such as Brent Barry, Fabricio Oberto, and Michael Finley can't step up their games when the big three of TD, TP, and Manu aren't on the floor.
3. Bruce Bowen can no longer guard anyone.