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San Antonio Spurs Season Preview
San Antonio Press-

Seems like it was just yesterday the Spurs were walking off the court after losing to the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference finals and now they’re getting to ready to open up the 2007/08 Regular season at Phoenix. They will have to sit and watch the Banner being raised and rings given out that may have been theirs if only they could have remained healthy but still several months later the Spurs still won’t make excuses which shows the class this organization has. But as the Spurs open up this season they will have one goal on their mind and one goal only this season and that is to win a championship. It’s no secret this is not the youngest team in the league and if they’re going to make a strong wrong at winning a championship or championships they need to start now.

The Spurs did bring back their core guys from last season and feel that this year after having a full season together under their belt they will be more ready during the playoffs push. And with the addictions of a few rookies Nick Fazekas and Pete Charles they get younger, faster, and more athletic. Fazekas will play a huge part of this team backing up both O’Neal and Duncan this season and will be the go to guy in the future. Charles will get playing time but may have to share a little time with Luke Jackson. Charles brings more then you think to this veteran team, he can shoot the outside shot and can matchup a little better with taller 2 guards in this league. His defense will dictate how much he plays and if he can hit open shots then that will help also. With Fazekas the Spurs 1st round pick this season he will add more quickness, more athleticism, and he can score as well. He was very impressive in the preseason averaging 16ppg and 9rpg including a 30 points 21 rebound game against Indiana. Primoz Brezec is another new face that will make an impact on this team when they need him even though I expect majority of the minutes will go to Fazekas. We can’t forget about Amir Johnson who averaged 8ppg and 5rpg in the preseason but he won’t make such an impact this season, I look for him to be a guy for the future that will sit and develop behind Artest and Duncan.

They loss out on Free Agent guards Jalen Rose, Eddie Jones, and Morris Peterson and did not manage to resign Charlie Bell who gave them 5ppg off the bench last season but San Antonio is still in a great position this season. They have a tough schedule especially at the beginning of the season so don’t be shocked if you see them struggle at first but remember this team goal is to win the championship and they understand that it’s a marathon and not a race. Parker and Artest were both great last season and I think their performances will determine how far this team do actually go. Parker has to score this season like last season, he averaged 16ppg and was a great floor general for them down the stretch and he will be a very important part of this team success like I said earlier. And Artest also has to score even with the responsibility of being the defensive leader on this team.

Even though they did not go out and get Eddie Jones who they wanted so badly, they’re still in great shape this season and I think they’re the favorite to win it all this season. They will have some competition though, with the defending Champion Phoenix Suns adding Andres Nocioni, Utah adding a lot of guys on that roster including Tracy McGrady, Chicago adding Vince Carter, and Orlando adding Chris Wilcox to their bench to help add to their depth. Something tells me this will be a very interesting season and I can’t wait until it starts. My prediction for the Spurs this season is 58 wins and a NBA Championship.

San Antonio Roster
93 Ron Artest SF 6-7 260 St. John’s 8
7 Primoz Brezec C 7-1 252 Slovenia 6
3 Pete Charles SG 6-5 196 Xavier R
34 Travis Diener PG 6-1 175 Marquette 1
21 Tim Duncan PF 7-0 260 Wake Forest 9
22 Nick Fazekas PF 6-11 235 Nevada R
1 Malik Hairston SG 6-6 200 Oregon R
33 Luke Jackson SF 6-7 215 Oregon 2
25 Amir Johnson PF 6’10 210 Welshester HS 2
38 Viktor Khryapa SF 6’9 210 Russia 2
10 Tyronn Lue PG 6-0 178 Nebraska 8
6 Ronald Murray SG 6-4 190 Shaw 4
32 Shaquille O’neal C 7-2 345 Louisiana St. 14
9 Tony Parker PG 6’2 180 France 5

HEAD COACH
Gregg Popovich (College - Air Force Academy)

ASSISTANT COACHES
P.J. Carlesimo (College - Fordham)
Mike Budenholzer (College - Pomona)
Don Newman (College - Idaho)
Brett Brown (College - Boston University)
Chip Engelland (College - Duke)

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HT San Antonio Spurs (0-0)

9 Parker
12 Wilkins
13 Palacios
21 Duncan
3 Wallace

Year 1- 47-35 Loss in WCF 1-4 to Phx
Year 2- 40-42 Loss in 1st Round 1-4 to Phx

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