State of the Spurs
The other night, the Spurs just won their Western Conference Finals Series against the Phoenix Suns. Congrats! They don't play again til June 9th. damn.... 5 more days of waiting, 5 more days of just reading NBA news and articles.
Well, all these free time got me thinking about the current state of the spurs. This is their 3rd NBA finals appearance in the last 7 years. I, as a fan, am truly blessed to see my Spurs become perennial title contenders from years of just being a perennial playoff fodder.
I remember during the 90's when the Spurs were always hot (like the current Mavs) during the regular season but would lose steam in the playoffs. The lowpoint was during the 1996-1997 season where the Spurs just managed to win 21 games. I was kinda disappointed but little did I know that year would also mark a change (for the better) for the Spurs. A change that would eventually give the spurs that boost.
That was the year, when Gregg Popovich became head coach and also gained more control of the Spurs operation. The Spurs drafted Tim Duncan the next year. Furthermore, Popovich and his staff has established a wide network of scouting system overseas that enables them to scout and draft hidden gems. Since 1997, the Spurs have never drafted higher than 26, yet they continuously were able to draft good players. ie. Tony Parker was the 28th pick in the 2001 draft. Manu Ginobili was drafted even lower. He was the 56th pick in the 1999 draft. The Spurs also hold the rights to some of the players (Luis Scola, Robertas Javtokas to name a few) doing really well in Europe now.
With that said, I thank Gregg Popovich and his staff for drafting and acquiring the right type of players for the Spurs.
Well, all these free time got me thinking about the current state of the spurs. This is their 3rd NBA finals appearance in the last 7 years. I, as a fan, am truly blessed to see my Spurs become perennial title contenders from years of just being a perennial playoff fodder.
I remember during the 90's when the Spurs were always hot (like the current Mavs) during the regular season but would lose steam in the playoffs. The lowpoint was during the 1996-1997 season where the Spurs just managed to win 21 games. I was kinda disappointed but little did I know that year would also mark a change (for the better) for the Spurs. A change that would eventually give the spurs that boost.
That was the year, when Gregg Popovich became head coach and also gained more control of the Spurs operation. The Spurs drafted Tim Duncan the next year. Furthermore, Popovich and his staff has established a wide network of scouting system overseas that enables them to scout and draft hidden gems. Since 1997, the Spurs have never drafted higher than 26, yet they continuously were able to draft good players. ie. Tony Parker was the 28th pick in the 2001 draft. Manu Ginobili was drafted even lower. He was the 56th pick in the 1999 draft. The Spurs also hold the rights to some of the players (Luis Scola, Robertas Javtokas to name a few) doing really well in Europe now.
With that said, I thank Gregg Popovich and his staff for drafting and acquiring the right type of players for the Spurs.
