Inside Enemy Territory with “Spur of the Moment”
Are the Spurs in the midst of their first back-to-back Championship season? Have injuries taken their toll on the Spurs? There are a lot of questions to answer, but you can never go wrong having a player like Tim Duncan on your side.
HoopsAddict.com was lucky enough to sit down with Dave from Spur of the Moment to ask him three questions concerning the defending champs. Look for our own answers to his questions on his site.
Q: Is it a bad sign that the Spurs were ultra hot at the beginning of the year, but have stumbled a bit the past month?
Well, it’s definitely not a good sign, that’s for sure. The Spurs are known for coasting until the Rodeo Road Trip and the All-Star break and then finding their form, but this year is different because of injuries. Over the first month of the season, the Spurs were right there with the Boston Celtics. Then the injuries hit. Tim Duncan went down. Tony Parker went down. Manu Ginobili went down. Brent Barry went down. Then, Parker and Barry went down again. The Spurs have never dealt with this many injuries to so many different players, and that’s what has caused this slump. They have won their last four games, so maybe the Rodeo Road Trip is helping, but the key is getting Parker healthy once again. If he is 100% come playoff time, the Spurs are just as good as any team out West.
Q: Are the Lakers now the greatest threat to the Spurs’ bid to become repeat champions?
If Andrew Bynum returns fully healthy, then the Lakers are the biggest threat. However, if he can’t come back or isn’t 100% healthy, then no. Pau Gasol is a very good power forward, but he alone shouldn’t scare the Spurs. He needs a physical big man next to him to defend Duncan and play around the rim. Bynum allows Gasol to worry about his mid-range game and create mismatches for every team. Duncan can defend either Bynum or Gasol, but I’m not comfortable with Fabricio Oberto or Francisco Elson on the other one.
Trading for Gasol was not a panic move to win this year. Of course that was part of it, but it also sets the Lakers up to contend for a title for the next few years. A starting lineup of Fisher, Kobe, Odom, Gasol and Bynum is the best in the league in my mind. All of them are young enough to continue for at least three more years or even longer. If they aren’t the biggest threat out West this year because of Bynum’s injury, then they are the favorites next year.
Q: Who is the Spurs’ greatest unsung hero of the year?
It has taken Ime Udoka a while to find his way into the Spurs rotation, but he hasn’t disappointed the fans. He plays good defense, can shoot the three, rebounds well and is a better offensive player than Bruce Bowen. Over the past month he has even played the fourth quarter instead of Bowen in close games. Last month against the Lakers, Udoka guarded Kobe in the fourth quarter while Bowen sat on the bench.
Early in the season he was hurt by the number of shooting guards/small forwards on the Spurs. He was stuck behind Bowen, Ginobili, Barry and Michael Finley, who all knew the Spurs system well and were more comfortable. All the injuries helped Udoka crack the rotation and start to find his spot on the team. He also played with more fire than anybody else during the slump. Udoka has come a long way to make it to the NBA and he doesn’t take plays or nights off like other players. Pop needs to find more minutes for Udoka because he can help the Spurs in many different ways.
HoopsAddict.com would like to once again thank Dave for his time. Please don’t forget to visit Spur of the Moment!
