Category: Spurs History

Which San Antonio Spurs short-timer made HoopsHype’s greatest NBA players at No. 76?

Most people probably don’t think of this player as a Spur, given he never played a regular season game for them.

While most fans of the team do not tend to think of his (incredibly brief) tenure with the San Antonio Spurs, for a total of 12 postseason contests at the end of his career, Hall of Fame wing Tracy McGrady was a Spur. And that history lets San Antonio claim the player that our sister site HoopsHype has ranked at No. 76 overall on their 78 greatest NBA players of all time list.

His lack of postseason success before he linked up with the Spurs in 2013 hurt his overall standing in this ranking, however. “A more impressive playoff career (he never made it out of the first round in his prime) could have greatly changed where Tracy McGrady finished in this ranking, as could have more longevity,” writes HoopsHype.

“But at his peak, McGrady was one of the most explosive and productive do-everything wings in basketball, one who would have dominated in the modern NBA,” they add.

Maybe if he had joined San Antonio a little sooner, he might not be on the fringes of this list. We kid, but only a little.

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Do the San Antonio Spurs belong in the greatest teams in NBA history debate?

A very good case can be made that the San Antonio Spurs should be not only in this conversation, but at or near its top.

When fans of the NBA start to think of the best teams in the history of the league, the conversation often jumps to the storied old guard ball clubs like the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. Sometimes shorter but white-hot incandescence is favored over the likes of the Celtics and the Lakers, bringing up clubs like the Chicago Bulls and Golden State Warriors.

But a very good case can be made that the San Antonio Spurs should be not only in this conversation, but at or near its top, given their record over the last quarter-century or so.

And that is exactly the case being made in a recent video put together by the folks behind the “TSR Sports” YouTube channel. In it, they highlight why it is that the Spurs have a claim on the best team in the NBA in history conversation.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

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Who is the greatest player of all time for the San Antonio Spurs in the Olympics?

One name in particular stands out.

Who is the greatest player of all time for the San Antonio Spurs in the Olympics? An intriguing question on its face, Bleacher Report NBA analyst Andy Bailey recently took a stab at answering the question of which player for every ball club in the league is their respective Olympics G.O.A.T.

Using an admittedly subjective standard for his assessment given “how sparse statistical analysis of these games are,” Bailey has a fairly obvious player in mind for San Antonio’s Olympics G.O.A.T. — Manu Ginobli, who “appeared in four different Olympics” for his native Argentina over the course of his career as a player.

“Over those 29 games, he averaged 18.0 points, 3.7 assists and 2.1 3s, while shooting 59.0% on 2s and 39.2% from deep,” adds the B/R analyst.

“He won two medals, and of course, was one of the leaders of Argentina’s golden generation,” recounts Bailey.

“In 2004, Manu’s country was the last one standing, thanks largely to his 19.3 points and 40.5 3-point percentage.”

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Why Shaquille O’Neal thinks Spurs icon Tim Duncan is the greatest power forward of all time

‘Nothing could break him,’ said Shaq.

If Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal says Tim Duncan is the greatest power forward of all time, who are we to argue? The big Aristotle knows his frontcourt foes as well as anyone, and his personal experiences battling with Old Man Riverwalk are the foundation of that take.

Shaq shared that glowing praise in honor of Duncan’s exit from the game, and explained it wasn’t just height, girth, or counting stats that formed his take on Tim. “”Greatest power forward of all time,” said O’Neal of the San Antonio legend on the news of Duncan’s retirement from the game as a player breaking.

“Unbreakable power forward. No (elbow) could break him,” he added. “No loss of a championship could break him. Nothing could break him.”

“You know how I played: I tried to intimidate guys and ‘bow guys, but none of that ever fazed him,” added Shaq.

“As far as giving me problems, he’s right behind Hakeem Olajuwon. Not because of his moves. Because of his mind.”

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One week with the San Antonio Spurs 2024 rookies

If fans of the San Antonio Spurs think it has been a busy week for their favorite NBA ball club, they are not wrong.

If fans of the San Antonio Spurs think it has been a busy week for their favorite NBA ball club, they are not wrong. And for the incoming cohort of players picked up by San Antonio’s front office in the 2024 NBA draft, it has been especially busy, with the three prospects taken literally upending their entire lives to join the Spurs organization.

To give you all a better idea of what the last week has been like for University of Connecticut combo guard Stephon Castle, Ratiopharm Ulm guard Juan Nunez, and University of North Carolina forward Harrison Ingram, the team put together a short clip highlighting their experiences from draft night onward.

Take a look at the clip embedded below to get an inside look at a tumultuous if exciting seven days for these three Spurs rookies.

It might be a blur from their perspective, but it is also the start of a new chapter in San Antonio’s history.

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San Antonio Spurs considered best free agency landing spot for DeMar DeRozan

We think the fit a great one as well.

Who doesn’t love a good reunion? That is not where the logic of a recent analysis by Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes on the best and worst landing spots for former Spurs and current Chicago Bulls veteran wing DeMar DeRozan stops, however.

We won’t spend time on the worst landing spot Hughes found for DeRozan (the Charlotte Hornets — is any time really needed?). But we do agree the fit for the USC alum makes plenty of sense with the San Antonio Spurs if a more traditional floor general does not become available. “DeRozan has averaged more than 5.0 assists in six of his last seven seasons, and he even posted a career-high 6.9 dimes per game back in 2020-21, the last of his three years with the Spurs,” writes the B/R league analyst.

“Though his facilitation wouldn’t come as a high-volume pick-and-roll orchestrator, DeRozan has shown an ability to distribute from the elbows and out of isolation sets when he draws a second defender,” adds Hughes.

“A little individual shot creation wouldn’t hurt either, considering San Antonio ranked 26th in offensive efficiency last season,” he suggests.

In our eyes, DeRozan is not a point guard substitute, but instead a veteran ball mover who can aid the growth of whatever younger talent the Spurs draft to play at the 1. Semantics aside, we think the fit a great one as well.

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What if Blake Griffin had been a San Antonio Spur?

What if he had elected to join San Antonio at some point over the course of his career?

What if Blake Griffin had been a San Antonio Spur at some point in his 13-season career in the league? The No. 1 overall pick of the 2009 NBA draft out of Oklahoma State, Griffin began his career with the Los Angeles Clippers, and also played for the Detroit Pistons and the Brooklyn Nets before finishing his career with the Boston Celtics.

And while he never did a stint with the Spurs before calling it a day, his game and his persona feel like a good fit for the organization. What if he had elected to join San Antonio at some point over the course of his career? These are the sort of counterfactual thought experiments that let you know that the offseason has truly arrived.

But it’s also a fun one the host of the “Locked On Spurs” podcast, Jeff Garcia, spent some time on in a recent clip. Take a look at the video embedded below to see it for yourself.

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Enter the San Antonio Spurs multiverse: Who goes No. 1 in NBA draft—Duncan, Robinson or Wembanyama?

Something tells us Wemby would get the nod, but maybe it is recency bias.

If there were a way to use a time machine (or some other science fiction – multiverse mechanism) to get San Antonio Spurs stars Victor Wembanyama, Tim Duncan, and David Robinson into the same NBA draft, which of the Spurs legends would end up being drafted No. 1 overall?

While this counterfactual thought experiment on the three San Antonio greats probably tells us more about ourselves than it does any of them, it’s a fun way to try to get a bead on just how good we think Wemby is going to be. The host of the “Locked On Spurs” podcast, Jeff Garcia, linked up with the Associated Press’s Raul Dominguez to ask who would be drafted first overall in this hypothetical scenario.

Make your own prediction based on what you know of the Spurs trio, and then take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what Dominguez and Garcia had to say.

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San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama wins unanimously NBA’s 2024 Rookie of the Year award

Wembanyama is the first to be a unanimous selection for Rookie of the Year since Karl-Anthony Towns in the 2015-16 season.

French forward phenom Victor Wembanyama has made his first major mark in his NBA career by winning the NBA’s 2024 Kia Rookie of the Year award with a unanimous vote. Wemby got all 99 first place votes for an overall total of 495, with second-year Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holmgren getting the next-highest vote total of 295 (0 first place votes, 98 second place votes, and 1 third place vote).

Other rookies making an appearance on the vote total list include Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (1 second place vote, 83 third place votes) for 86 overall, and Miami Heat wing Jaime Jaquez, Jr. (10 third place votes) for 10 overall.

Golden State Warriors wing Brandin Podziemski (4 third place votes) also register votes for 4 overall, and Dallas Mavericks big man Derek Lively II (1 third place vote) for 1 overall.

Per the league, Wembanyama is the first to be a unanimous selection for Rookie of the Year since Minnesota Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns in the 2015-16 season.

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Who had the better rookie season: San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan or Victor Wembanyama?

When it comes down to the actual numbers put up by each, and things quickly get interesting.

We often hear San Antonio Spurs rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama compared to all-time NBA greats, despite the fact that the French forward has played but a single season in the Association. But how does he compare to one of the best ever to play his position as a tweener big man?

If we look at the rookie seasons of Spurs legend Tim Duncan, Old Man Riverwalk clearly had a better result with the team he had around him. But that is not fault of Wemby’s, and when it comes down to the actual numbers put up by each, and things quickly get more interesting.

The scoring averages are almost identical at about 21 points per game each, and Duncan edging Wembanyama by more than a rebound per game at 11.9. But the Frenchman averaged more assists, steals, and blocks, and shot better from the floor overall, from deep, and from the free throw line.

To talk about it, the host of the “Locked On Spurs” podcast, Jeff Garcia, and his guest, Sweep The League’s Rudy Campos, discuss who had the better rookie season.

Check it out above!

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