khandor’s sports blog

According to Kevin Arnovitz and David Thorpe, Tim Duncan’s inability to defend the Phoenix Suns’ “1-5 Pick and Roll/Pop” series the same way he used to … when he was both younger and healthier … is a major source of the difficulty San Antonio is having in the early stages of San Antonio’s 2nd Round series in the Western Conference Playoffs.

Tim Duncan’s Decaying Pick-and-Roll Defense

Hmmm …

Is this actually the case, however?

————————————————

Q1. What is causing San Antonio the most difficulty, thus far, in their series with Phoenix?

A2. If you take a closer look at the following factual information …

Game 1 - Box Score, GameFlow

Game 2 - Box Score, Game Flow

What you should be able to see is that:

1. In Game 1

Antonio McDyess [-8] played 18:57 … and got 0:00 in the 4th quarter.
Matt Bonner [-7] played 13:28 … and got 0:00 in the 4th quarter.
Tim Duncan [-6] played 37:10 … and got 8:37 in the 4th quarter.

2. In Game 2

Antonio McDyess [+1] played 21:52 … and got 7.5 s in the 4th quarter.
Matt Bonner [0] played 15:00 … and got 44.7 s in the 4th quarter.
Tim Duncan [-6] played 39:20 … and got 9:31 in the 4th quarter.

3. In Game 1 …

With Tim Duncan and Antonio McDyess on the floor together the Spurs played relatively even [i.e. -2] with the Suns.

With Tim Duncan, Antonio McDyess, Richard Jefferson, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker on the floor together the Spurs were significantly better [i.e. +12] than the Suns.

4. In Game 2 …

With Tim Duncan and Antonio McDyess on the floor together the Spurs played relatively even [i.e. +1] with the Suns.

With Tim Duncan, Antonio McDyess, Richard Jefferson, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker on the floor together the Spurs were, again, slightly better [i.e. +3] than the Suns.

5. The major problem San Antonio is having in this series, so far, is NOT rooted in Tim Duncan’s less-than Herculian defense vs the Suns’ “1-5 Pick and Roll/Pop” series but, instead, in Gregg Popovich’s pig-headed INSISTANCE on:

A. ”Going small,” in the 4th quarter …

rather than using a conventional “2 Bigs + 3 Littles” alignment:

Option 1
Duncan and McDyess, or Duncan and Bonner, or Duncan and Mahinmi

Option 2
Blair and McDyess, or Blair and Bonner, or Blair and Mahinmi

Option 3
Duncan and Blair

Option 4
Blair and Mahinmi

… no matter what type of line-up Phoenix decides to employ;

and,

B. Using the Spurs 5 best players …

i.e. Parker + Ginobili + Jefferson + McDyess + Duncan

together, as a unit, for as little as 8:23 and 10:12, respectively, in Game 1 and 2.

While this corner has a tremendous degree of R.E.S.P.E.C.T. for Gregg Popovich … as one of the very best NBA coaches over the last 30+ years … the simple fact is that whenever he becomes stubborn in the Playoffs, and insists on going with a “small” line-up for large stretches of individual games, despite the presence of other legitimate [i.e. equal or superior] alternatives - where the specific match-ups would NOT be in his opponent’s favour by such a wide margin - the Spurs become little more than “just another average team” and are regularly eliminated from post-season competition much sooner than they need to be.

For the Spurs’ sake, let’s hope that Coach Pop checks his ego at the door for tonight’s game 3, takes a closer look at the specific individual match-ups on the floor, and decides to use a different approach than what he’s used to this point in this series … which has put Antonio McDyess’s rear end on the bench for the 4th quarters of Game 1 and 2.

If he does … then, you should expect San Antonio to triumph this evening.

If he does not, however … then, you should expect to see the Phoenix Suns playing in the Western Conference Finals.

Toronto Raptors 124
SAN ANTONIO SPURS 131
Mon Nov 09 2009, Game Scoreboard

Yes, indeed … the Spurs played without Tim Duncan and Tony Parker.

Yes, indeed … the Raptors shot 59.2% from the field.

But … if your team cannot DEFEND and REBOUND the ball effectively, or score efficiently, with the game on the line, in the 4th quarter …

Box Score

Crucial Play-By-Play Sequence [from 9:17 to 1:27]

Substitution Chart

Critical Factors

Critical Plays

… it really doesn’t matter very much, when it comes to winning and losing games against high calibre opponents in the NBA.

Instead of blaming the coaching staff, or individual players …

Matt Bonner drives in for the two-handed slam

Courtside - Without D, Raps are doomed

Raptors take one on the chin

as this season progresses, slowly but surely, important questions will need to be asked instead of the architect[s] responsible for [re-]constructing this year’s Raptors team hoping thinking that the current roster was going to be capable of Defending and Rebounding like a high end team in the NBA. 

Yet another reason to like the job which Otis Smith [GM] has done, thus far?

NBA Countdown: No. 8 Orlando Magic
Reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in 14 years and second in franchise history was a wonderful accomplishment for the Orlando Magic-but there was no guarantee a championship would follow.The Magic will go into the 2009-10 season determined to defend their Eastern Conference title but looking different than when they won it. Yes, they still have All-Star center Dwight Howard as their foundation and high-priced Rashard Lewis (who’s suspended the first 10 games of the season after testing positive for an elevated testosterone level) shooting 3-pointers, but the Magic changed their late-game, go-to guy by switching from Turkoglu to Carter.

It’s why general manager Otis Smith didn’t take any bows, or even take the time to catch his breath.

And it’s also why he made one of the boldest moves of the summer, changing his carefully crafted team chemistry by trading for All-Star Vince Carter and letting go of free agent Hedo Turkoglu, a key player in Orlando’s recent rise.

“You can’t stand still in this league,” Smith said. “If you do, you’ll be going backward.”

The Magic also added free agents in power forward Brandon Bass from Dallas and small forward Matt Barnes of Phoenix. They even added point guard Jason Williams, who last played during 2007-08 with the Heat. Surprisingly, they kept backup center Marcin Gortat by matching the offer sheet Dallas gave him.

With the Celtics adding Rasheed Wallace and the Cavaliers trading for Shaquille O’Neal, the Magic tried to keep pace with the other serious contenders in the East.

“There are less than seven teams every year that really are trying to win a championship in our league,” Smith said. “Those three (in the East) are trying to win now, as opposed to saying ‘We’re OK where we are. Let’s stay the status quo.’”

———————————–

Otis Smith was hired by the Magic on May 6, 2006.

This is what the team’s roster looked like on that day:

Augmon, Stacey F
Battie, Tony PF-C
Cato, Kelvin C
Diener, Travis PG
Dooling, Keyon G
Francis, Steve G
Garrity, Pat PF
Hill, Grant G-F
Howard, Dwight C
Kasun, Mario C
Morris, Terence PF
Nelson, Jameer PG
Outlaw, Bo PF
Stevenson, DeShawn G
Turkoglu, Hedo F

This is what it looks like today, 41 months later:

Almond, Morris G
Anderson, Ryan PF
Barnes, Matt F
Bass, Brandon PF
Carter, Vince G-F
Foyle, Adonal C
Gortat, Marcin C
Howard, Dwight C
Johnson, Anthony PG
Johnson, Linton F
Lewis, Rashard F
Nelson, Jameer PG
Pietrus, Mickael G-F
Redick, JJ G
Williams, Jason PG

This is Orlando’s record of performance, since that date:

2008-2009
59-23/.720, 1st Atlantic, 3rd Eastern Conference, NBA Finalist 
2007-2008
52-30/.634, 1st Atlantic, 3rd Eastern Conference, Lost 2nd Rd
2006-2007
40-42/.488, 3rd Atlantic, 8th Eastern Conference, Lost 1st Rd

This was their record of performance the season before Smith arrived:

2005-2006
36-46/.439, 3rd Atlantic, 10th Eastern Conference, No Playoffs

3 full seasons into his tenure with the Magic, Otis Smith should be considered as one of the best GM’s in the NBA.

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By way of comparison, for the benefit of Raptors fans, this is what Toronto has accomplished under the direction of Bryan Colangelo [2-time NBA EOTY award recipient] during this same time-frame:

2005-2006 Roster [Feb 28 2006]
Araujo, Rafael PF
Bonner, Matt PF
Bosh, Chris PF-C
Calderon, Jose PG
Davis, Antonio PF-C
Graham, Joey F
James, Mike PG
Martin, Darrick PG
Peterson, Morris G-F
Sow, Pape PF
Villanueva, Charlie F
Williams, Eric G-F
Woods, Loren C

2009-2010, Current Roster
Banks, Marcus G
Bargnani, Andrea C
Belinelli, Marco G-F
Bosh, Chris PF-C
Calderon, Jose PG
DeRozan, Demar G-F
Douby, Quincy G
Evans, Reggie PF
Jack, Jarrett G
Johnson, Amir PF
Nesterovic, Rasho PF-C
O’Bryant, Patrick C
Turkoglu, Hedo F
Weems, Sonny G-F
Wright, Antoine G-F

Year #1-3
2008-2009
33-49/.402, 4th Atlantic, 13th Eastern Conference, No Playoffs
2007-2008
41-41/.500, 2nd Atlantic, 6th Eastern Conference, Lost 1st Rd
2006-2007
47-35/.573, 1st Atlantic, 3rd Eastern Conference, Lost 1st Rd

Year Prior
2005-2006
27-55/.329, 4th Atlantic, 1st Eastern Conference, No Playoffs

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In the NBA, the cold harsh reality is that there are only 2 distinct tiers of teams:

Tier 1
Those few that are actually trying to win the League Championship.

Tier 2
Everybody else.

Much R.E.S.P.E.C.T. to Otis Smith for “cutting to the chase” and improving the Orlando Magic each season, thus far.

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re: How an astute NBA observer might expect the first part of the schedule to unfold for the Raptors this year

Game 7– @ San Antonio [Mon Nov 09]

The end of the first road trip won’t come soon enough for Toronto. Although there are likely going to be cross-match opportunities for the Raptors to exploit Bargnani’s perimeter skills vs The Big Fundamental this should be more than cancelled out on the other end of the floor when either TD or The Dyessman will get an opportunity to ply his trade vs Il Mago. Tony Parker, based on his combination of quickness and size, is one of only a handful of starting PG’s in the league [e.g. CP3 and Devin Harris] that present a truly difficult match-up situation for Jose Calderon. In general, the Spurs have too many weapons for the Raptors to contend with successfully. This is a very solid San Antonio team … with a slew of solid back-ups on their 15-man roster … that will be a legitimate threat to reach the WC Finals again this season. A major challenge for Jay Triano & Co., on the other hand, will involve how to avoid pointing an accusing finger towards their star player, Chris Bosh [in a contract year], while getting off to a slow start.

Raptors expected W-L Record: L, 2-5

At what point are the Toronto Raptors going to wake up, smell the coffee and return CHRIS BOSH, their best player [by far], to his “natural” position for their team?

What is Chris Bosh’s “natural” position? 

Chris Bosh is a stalwart Center … and, one of the very best in the NBA, today.

Two seasons ago, the Raptors won 47 games [.573], finished 3rd in the Eastern Conference, and captured their only Atlantic Division crown.

For that team, Chris Bosh [in his 4th season] played the Center position, almost exclusively … in terms of Offense, Defense and Rebounding responsibilities … alongside an under-sized but physically strong, and smart, and highly skilful veteran player like Jorge Garbajosa [PF], as his principal side-kick, in conjunction with a solid Point Guard tandem of TJ Ford [who SHOULD have properly been the Back-up] and Jose Calderon [who SHOULD have properly been the Starter].

Unfortunately for the Raptors, and their loyal fanbase, beginning with the 2007-2008 season, the team then made the decision to shift Chris Bosh from the Center position to the Power Forward spot … primarily, to better accommodate Andrea Bargnani, 7-0, 250 [2006, No. 1, overall, Draft Pick].

What’s followed, since then, have been two seasons of precipitous descent:

2007-2008
41-41/.500, 6th place in the Eastern Conference

2008-2009
33-49/.402, Missed the Playoffs in the Eastern Conference

which have seen the Raptors give increased playing time to Andrea Bargnani, first, at the Power Forward position [i.e. 2007-2008] and then, principally, at the Center position [i.e. 2008-2009], while decreasing Chris Bosh’s actual playing time at that specific spot, in the process.

What do the Raptors need most to re-ignite the engine at the heart of their seemingly sinking ship?

Improve the Leadership on their team?
Improve their Defense & Rebounding?
Increase their Toughness Quotient?
Improve their Quality Depth?

Use Chris Bosh as THE Center for their team …

and, then, build the rest of their squad, accordingly, upon:

I. THAT foundation;

in conjunction with,

II. A solid PG tandem [i.e. Calderon + a solid, pass-first, defensive oriented, veteran Back-up];

and,

III. An under-sized, physically strong, and smart, and highly skilful veteran Power Forward [i.e. similar to Jorge Garbajosa];

at which point they will then be ready to add two dynamic Wing Players, who can:

IV. ONE - Knock down open shots & score the ball by creating his own individual offense off the dribble;

and,

V. TWO - Check the opponent’s best Wing Player, on a game-to-game basis.

———-

How can the Raptors use their available resources to accomplish this feat?

Step 1. Trade out of the #9 spot in the upcoming NBA Draft.

Acquiring a Lower 1st Round Draft Pick, plus either a 2nd Round Selection, or an additional highly serviceable player can add at least TWO solid pieces to the current roster … which is sorely lacking Quality Depth.  

Step 2. Trade Andrea Bargnani.

When a team already has a player like Chris Bosh [C] and it drafts a player like Andrea Bargnani [C], with the No. 1 [overall] Selection … it SHOULD NOT be with the intent of holding onto this 2nd center for an extended period of time BUT with the intent of TRADING that player in exchange for other assets which are a better fit to go with the Franchise Player already in the fold. The reason the Raptors have plummeted in the EC standings is NOT because of Chris Bosh; it’s because the team has refused to part with Andrea Bargnani, at least, up to this point.

Step 3. Trade Jason Kapono.

When a team signs a high-priced Unrestricted Free Agent and that player then fails to deliver the goods … the team needs to cut its losses, ASAP, not hold onto this player for an extended period of time. Albatrosses will not help you to win a championship in this league.

Step 4. Sign & Trade Shawn Marion.

When a middle-of-the-pack team acquires a high-priced veteran player in a trade-deadline deal and this player wants to sign a big-money contract extension, but is no longer perceived to be a cost-effective player, at this stage of his career, at his Expected Salary Level, then he needs to be flipped in exchange for younger more cost-effective assets and NOT re-signed. 

Executing a series of co-ordinated personnel moves like this can add a number of high calibre players to the Raptors’ roster and extricate the team from the “treadmill” situation it finds itself in today.

Yes, it’s far from being Rocket Science but … in order to succeed in this League, in a MAJOR Way … the people responsible for the operation of a club actually DO NEED TO KNOW WHAT THEY’RE DOING, when it comes to assembling a championship calibre squad with the resources at-hand.

If they fail to assess the specific Strengths & Weaknesses of their own players accurately, they will simply be spinning their wheels, as an organization, in terms of ever being able TO WIN the NBA Championship.  

Yesterday’s action finished with the following results:

W-L: 2-2/.500
Units: -1.08

which are slightly better than Day 1 but not where they need to be … just yet. 

Overall, after Day 2:

W-L: 3-4/.429
Units: -3.37

Hopefully, the news will continue to get better today. :-) 

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Mon Apr 20 2009

Game 1 - 2/Celtics vs 7/Bulls

As was said here two days ago … the strength of Derrick Rose’s individual game is a giant neutralizer of one Rajon Rondo for the defending champs. How Doc Rivers copes with this reality will be a key in this evening’s Game 2 of this series. It’s one thing knowing that your emotional center-piece is not going to be you your line-up in the playoffs and another thing altogether, lacing them up and taking the court without him, at the front of the line, wearing #5. The Celtics should be much better prepared for this evening’s tilt, from this standpoint alone. There is no Superman coming in from the Wings to save them. If they’re going to get to Round 2, they will a far better performance from both Jesus Shuttlesworth and Da Truth. Keep your eyes peeled, as well, for Bill Walker, as he presents one of the few options on the Celtics’ bench that can increase their size and athleticism at the Wings when Pierce and/or Allen-R need to rest. Can the Baby Bulls [i.e. Rose, Noah & Thomas-Ty] possibly perform as they did on Saturday afternoon, for a second consecutive game in the playoffs? 41-41/.500 suggests that it’s a stretch to think it likely. Expect the C’s to start much better this evening; then, ride the emotion of their home crowd through the balance of the 2nd half. The Bulls are young at key positions, and it will be difficult for them to maintain their concentration for 96 consecutive minutes, in enemy territory, with the champs at the ready and staring at 0-2.

Chicago +8.5/-102
BOSTON -8.5/-106
Call: BOSTON [1 unit]

Game 2 - 3/SPURS vs 6/Mavericks

Everything about the San Antonio organization says that they will find a way to square this series, somehow, this evening. But, 6.5 points is a lot to give up … without Manu Ginobili, completely, and Tim Duncan being far from 100%. Can Coach Popovich pull another rabbit from his hat? You bet, he can … especially if he goes retro with the deployment of his troops in this series, i.e. MAIN PLAYERS: Parker + Finley + Bowen + Oberto + Duncan; KEY SUBS: Mason, Hill, Udoka, Gooden & Thomas. Matt Bonner has had a good season, and has provided the Spurs with solid points production from the #4/PF spot beside the Big Fundamental … but, that will do them no good in this series when what they NEED is to DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE THEIR REBOUNDING, at positions #2/OG, #3/SF, and most importantly #4/PF. The Mavericks are a veteran outfit that many have a tendency to forget were good enough to put up 67 wins just two seasons ago and lost in the NBA Finals, to D-Wade & Co., the year before that. Dallas matches up exceptionally well with their opponent in this series [especially, given the absence of Ginobili, and Pops' questionable decisions to start Mason and give only reduced minutes to the Karate Kid]. Even if they go down to defeat this evening, Dallas should have the know-how to keep it close until the final minute of the 4th period.

Dallas +6/-105
SAN ANTONIO -6/-105
Call: Dallas [2 unit]

FINAL SCORE: RAPTORS 98, Wizards 100
Complete Game Info

————————————————————

The Wizards’ [15th place, 19-61/.238] immediate future is so much brighter, in comparison with the Raptors’ [14th place, 30-49/.380], that it’s not even funny.

STARTERS
Arenas vs Calderon
Young vs Parker [past his prime]
Butler vs Marion [past his prime]
Jamison vs Bosh [playing out of position]
Haywood vs Bargnani [not a dominating Center]

KEY SUBS
Crittenton vs Ukic [not yet ready for the NBA]
Stevenson vs Kapono [an albatross]
McGuire vs Graham
Songaila vs Humphries
Blatche vs O’Bryant [not an NBA-level player]

EXTRAS
James vs Banks [not an NBA-level player; an albatross]
Dixon vs Douby [not an NBA-level player]
McGee vs Jawai [not an NBA-level player]
Pecherov vs Voskuhl [not an NBA-level player]
Thomas vs ?

UPCOMING DRAFT PICK
No. 1-3 [overall] Selection vs No. 8-9 Selection [if not traded again]

Thinking back to where the Raptors’ player roster was in Jan-Feb/06, before Bryan Colangelo [Pres/GM] was hired, and comparing it to the current one:

Raptors Roster 2005-2006

27 - 55 .329 (pythagorean: 31 - 51 .382)

Name G Min Pts PPG FGM FGA FGP FTM FTA FTP 3PM 3PA 3PP REB RPG AST APG STL BLK TO
Chris Bosh 70 2753 1572 22.5 549 1087 .505 474 581 .816 0 13 .000 647 9.2 181 2.6 50 79 157
Mike James 79 2922 1604 20.3 576 1228 .469 283 338 .837 169 382 .442 262 3.3 460 5.8 72 3 206
Morris Peterson 82 3139 1374 16.8 478 1096 .436 241 294 .820 177 448 .395 381 4.6 190 2.3 104 15 126
Charlie Villanueva 81 2364 1053 13.0 435 940 .463 113 160 .706 70 214 .327 521 6.4 88 1.1 60 63 99
Jalen Rose 46 1238 557 12.1 180 446 .404 166 217 .765 31 115 .270 129 2.8 113 2.5 20 10 65
Matt Bonner 78 1711 583 7.5 209 467 .448 63 76 .829 102 243 .420 284 3.6 56 0.7 49 31 32
Joey Graham 80 1579 533 6.7 198 414 .478 108 133 .812 29 87 .333 244 3.1 60 0.8 37 13 92
Jose Calderon 64 1485 349 5.5 132 312 .423 78 92 .848 7 43 .163 141 2.2 288 4.5 42 4 101
Andre Barrett 17 261 78 4.6 35 97 .361 6 9 .667 2 13 .154 22 1.3 50 2.9 10 0 14
Antonio Davis 8 191 35 4.4 14 31 .452 7 20 .350 0 0 .000 36 4.5 7 0.9 3 1 8
Pape Sow 42 591 147 3.5 53 123 .431 41 57 .719 0 0 .000 146 3.5 8 0.2 21 19 30
Eric Williams 28 356 91 3.3 29 75 .387 28 38 .737 5 18 .278 50 1.8 15 0.5 7 2 15
Darrick Martin 40 340 102 2.6 34 97 .351 18 24 .750 16 40 .400 20 0.5 57 1.4 17 0 15
Rafael Araujo 53 618 125 2.4 55 152 .362 15 28 .536 0 2 .000 145 2.7 21 0.4 25 6 42
Loren Woods 27 324 62 2.3 28 59 .475 6 14 .429 0 1 .000 110 4.1 4 0.1 9 23 16
Aaron Williams 14 99 25 1.8 10 19 .526 5 6 .833 0 0 .000 15 1.1 1 0.1 4 3 5
Alvin Williams 1 10 1 1.0 0 3 .000 1 2 .500 0 2 .000 3 3.0 0 0.0 0 0 0
2006 No. 1 [overall], 1st Round Draft Pick
2006 No. 5 [overall], 2nd Round Draft Pick

is enough to put tears in the eyes of someone who really knows how to go about building a championship calibre NBA franchise, given the assets at their disposal 3 seasons ago.

———-

Where exactly each of these teams go from here will be determined by their respective General Managers, one of whom is already a 2-time NBA Executive Of the Year Award winner … the other of whom has yet to be recognized by his peers in this way [i.e. Ernie Grunfeld].

If the actual wager was …

Which one’s team is going to finish with more WINS during the 2009-2010 season AND go further in the NBA Playoffs?

on whom would YOU be willing to bet a sizable portion of YOUR own hard-earned money?

There are those in Raptorville today who think that the MAJOR PROBLEM with this team this season AND going forward from here is rooted in the Franchise Player label, and associated Maximum Contract status, associated with a player like Chris Bosh.

In an effort to examine this MYTH, please take the time to look closely at the chart below:

 
If you do, what you should then be able to see clearly for yourself is that THIS perception is, in fact, inaccurate.

The main problem with the Raptors is NOT Chris Bosh [or Jose Calderon for that matter] … at the salary which he earns … it’s the remainder of the names on their present roster below that BLACK BAR at the salaries they earn while working for this team. 

Coming out of the annual All-Star Break and heading toward this week’s Trade Deadline  [Feb 19, 3:00 PM] … as different trade rumours swirl about the NBA [on-line & elsewhere] … it can be instructive to assess where certain marquee players rank amongst their brethren, at the specific position[s] they play the best.

When considering Big Men [i.e. Centers/C and Power Forwards/PF], it is also imperative to understand what their fundamental role is within the NBA game and what qualities are the most important for them to exhibit on a consistent basis, if their respective team’s are going to have a legitimate chance to win a League Championship, now or in the not-too-distant future.

Big Man Ranking Criteria

* Leadership
* Rebounding [which includes: i. Defensive; ii. Offense]
* Team Defense [which includes: i. Interior Rotations; ii. Perimeter Rotations; iii. Execution of Pick & Roll Techniques; iv. Transition Effectiveness; v. Shot blocking off the ball; Switching off the ball]
* Low-Mid Post Scoring
* Passing Effectiveness
* Individual Low-Mid Post Defense [which includes Shot blocking on the ball]
* Individual Perimeter Defense
* Screening Effectiveness
* Picking Effectiveness
* Perimeter Scoring
* Offensive Transition
* Physical Traits: i. Quickness; ii. Agility; iii. Explosive Power; iv. Size & Strength
* Psycho-Emotional Traits: i. Stability; ii. Intelligence; iii. Intensity; iv. Toughness 

These are the current rankings, according to this corner:

Use the “comments” section to provide your feedback.

Close your eyes … think quickly … and without looking at the current NBA standings … say out loud the name of the team which you believe is now the 2nd best in the Western Conference, trailing only the LA Lakers, and leading its division with an overall 31-14/.689 W-L record?

Last year’s Cinderella team, the New Orleans Hornets, led by their superstar PG, Chris Paul?

Guess again.

The Houston Rockets, with their three-headed monster of Yao Ming, T-Mac & Ron Artest?

Nope.

The re-surgent Denver Nuggets, with the return of Mr. Big Shot?

Not quite.

The New Kids On The Block, in the Pacific Northwest, who will be a force to be reckoned with in the years to come, led by Brandon Roy and Greg Oden?

0-4, so far.

————————————-

After starting the season with a dismal 2-5 mark …

* With their 2nd best player on the shelf, still recuperating from off-season ankle surgery, and

* With their 3rd best player on the sidelines, as well, with a severely twisted ankle injury of his own, and

* With the grey showing in the beards of their head coach, their best player overall, and his long-time [trusted] side-kick,

the San Antonio Spurs seemed to be wobbling noticably, on their last legs, as the class of the WC for the better part of the last decade.

Yet, lo and behold … three months later … there they are, again, positioned towards the very top of the NBA standings with the 5th best W-L record in the entire league.

Talent? Toughness? Guile? A combination of all three? Or, perhaps, some Vodoo?

It doesn’t really matter what the specific reason is.

The simple fact is … when all is said and done … there is no other team in the League today which this corner of the net R.E.S.P.E.C.T.S. more than the Men in Black from San Antone …

led by RC Buford [GM], Gregg Popovich, and stalwarts Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.

With a very interesting player roster that now looks like THIS … it says here & now that the Spurs will NOT be going away this season without a Fight to the Finish, and in fact stand as good a chance of returning to the Conference Finals, as do any of the other TOP NOTCH outfits across the league today.

Kudos to all concerned!

… for the first-class way in which they choose to operate their GOLD STAR franchise, in the NBA, year after year after year.