Barry Back in Silver and Black

The rich just got richer. It came down to Phoenix and San Antonio, and let's face it, Phoenix has sucked lately. His home, family, and comfortability is already in San Antonio, and that's hard to leave behind (not to mention the two rings sitting in his safe deposit box). Brent won't be able to return for a month (March 31st officially), but because of his injured calf he wouldn't have returned until mid-March anyways. All that aside, Brent Barry is once again a Spur. That Kurt Thomas trade become, in effect, a late first rounder and Francisco Elson for Thomas. Brilliant.

So cheers to Brent, who, like a young Luke Skywalker, defied his father and stayed away from the dark side. (Just read the link, and let me wallow in my nerdom.)

The Greatest 1 Minute of Video You'll Ever See

This won't be here for too much longer....enjoy it while it lasts.


I'm not sure what the best part is. Rat Terry having his shot thrown back in his face by the same guy he was jawing at earlier in the game? Maybe the irony of Jason Kidd not being on the floor in the clutch moments? Or the blissfully stupid image of Dirk Nowitzki and Eric Dampier going Looney Tunes on each other?

If You See This Man...

...buy him a drink. Tell him he looks stunningly handsome. Compliment him on his choice of facial hair. Ask if he'd like a footrub. Buy him chocolates (not the coconut ones). Do his taxes for him. Wash his car.

We want you back Barry. We're just not as boney without you.

The New Guy At Work

Kurt Thomas played in his first game as a Spur in their 89-74 win over the slumping Hawks. By all accounts, he filled the gap nicely and was a beast on the boards. Thomas had 9 boards and 2 blocks in only 13 minutes of action. "His defense and his rebounding were both outstanding," noted captain obvious...er....coach Popovich.

Keep an eye on Oberto's minutes. Oberto only logged 5 minutes in the Atlanta win, but it could have been because of matchups more than anything else. Whether Thomas becomes the starter depends on how he plays off of Manu and Duncan. He would be a beast on the pick and pop with Ginobili, but he also offers spacing for Duncan. Plus, he may just scare Oberto to the bench with his crazy eyes.

Parker Returns, Sonics Waive Brent Barry

Parker returned to action tonight, playing 18 minutes (8 points on 3-7 shooting) in the Spurs' 100-99 win in Minnesota.

In other news, Brent Barry was waived by Seattle in order to make roster space for the incoming Donyell Marshall, Ira Newble, and Adrian Griffin. Barry will be placed on waivers, and only a few losing teams (Charlotte and Memphis) could afford to sign him. Teams with a trade exception could also make a run at him (this includes Phoenix). In case you were wondering, he can be resigned by the Spurs after 30 days.

And yes, that would be awesome.

Update: ESPN's John Hollinger, one of their better stat gurus, has this to say about the Spurs trade:

They needed another tough hombre in the frontcourt, especially with Robert Horry on the wane, and definitely got one in Thomas. He defends and can space the floor for Tim Duncan by hitting 15-footers from the free-throw line area, so in those respects he's a better version of Fabricio Oberto -- he just doesn't move without the ball like Oberto does.

The risk for San Antonio is that Barry will be bought out, sign with another team and start raining 3s on them in the playoffs. But with Barry sidelined by a calf problem, that's less of a risk -- if he'd been healthy the Spurs probably wouldn't have done this deal.

Additionally, the trade takes San Antonio under the luxury tax line. In fact, here's the really crafty part: They're now just enough under that they can sign a veteran free agent for the prorated league minimum and still avoid the tax. Somebody like, I don't know ... Brent Barry?

Spurs Trade Barry, Elson for Kurt Thomas

From ESPN.com

The San Antonio Spurs have added some frontline help, trading for Seattle Sonics forward/center Kurt Thomas.

Seattle will receive guard Brent Barry, center Francisco Elson and a 2009 first-round draft pick.

"Kurt Thomas is a tough, physical player who can defend, score and rebound," Spurs general manager RC Buford said in a statement. "We feel he will be a great addition to our roster and will add depth to our frontcourt."

The deal was first reported by Yahoo.com.

Thomas, 35, was in his first season with the Sonics after being acquired in July 2007 from the Phoenix Suns. Seattle also received two first-round picks in that deal, as Phoenix tried to shed salary. He is now in the final year of a contract that pays him $8.1 million this season.

Thomas has averaged 9.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in a 13-year career. He is putting up 7.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game this season. Barry, 36, is averaging 7.3 points and making 1.6 3-pointers per game, while Elson, 31, is averaging 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds.

"For everything he's done in the NBA and what he brings to a team and what he brought to this team, I learned a lot being around him," Sonics guard Earl Watson said, according to the Seattle Times. "Especially on the court and off the court. Rarely do you get a big man who knows the game like a guard. I expect to see his numbers improve because of the type of guys around him."

This is your classic "getting better by taking a player away from another team" trade. Rumors were swirling that the Mavs wanted to trade for Thomas. While Barry was beloved in San Antonio, he's not the player he was two years ago and his leg injury doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon. While I wish they could have held onto their first round pick, the Spurs got better while putting themselves in good fiscal shape for the future. I'll write more about this deal when I can actually wrap my head around it.

Sign That Robinson Guy Up, He Looks Pretty Good

Just A Reminder: Manu Ginobili isn't an All-Star

It’s easy to leave a guy like Manu Ginobili off of the All-Star team. He’s not a big media presence, he’s notorious for flopping, and in the collective public opinion of the San Antonio Spurs he’s buried somewhere underneath Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Eva Longoria (not literally, shame on you).

It’s also easy to say that Ginobili’s best years are behind him, or that the Spurs are struggling this year and don’t deserve a second All-Star. But then you take a look at the numbers and a paradigm shift the size of Manu’s nose smacks you in the face.

Ginobili is averaging 20.1 points a game, nothing to sneer at but modest for an All-Star shooting guard. But he also plays fewer minutes (31.1 per a game) than anyone selected for New Orleans, mostly because Popovich and the Spurs’ brass want to keep him fresh for the playoffs. Take into account his budgeted minutes, now spread out his scoring over a full game. Over the course of 48 minutes, Ginobili averages 31.2 points a game. That’s 5^th in the league. Ahead of Dwyane Wade. Ahead of Western Conference starter Allen Iverson. Ahead of Nowitzki, Yao, Boozer and Roy.

Ok, so he’s a better scorer than everyone thought, especially considering that he already has two other All-Star caliber talents on his team. But the thing about Ginobili is that he does everything. Need a rebound? Manu snags an impressive 5 a game from the guard position, including a 15 board night against Toronto (per 48 his average tops Kobe and Roy). Steals? Ninth in the NBA at 2.66 over 48 minutes. Playmaking? He’s 28^th in the league in assists per 48 at 7.1, a career high. And get this: only 3 non-point guards are ahead of him (Roy, Wade, and Lebron). Think about that. Outside of the NBA’s point guards, he’s the 4^th best assist guy in the NBA. While we’re at it that once again puts him ahead of Kobe, who has gotten buckets of media love for passing the ball more this season.

Need shooting? Ginobili is 22^nd in the league in 3-point shooting. But few players mesh outside shooting with Ginobili’s ability to get to the stripe. Per 48, only 11 players get to the line more than Manu, and he doesn’t even have the long hair to draw fouls for him anymore.

Of course, Manu’s never been a numbers guy. He’s all about intangibles, up there with Kobe as one of the most competitive players in the modern era. He shoots an amazing 53% in “the clutch”, not to mention 91.9% from the free throw line when the game is tight. Need more? He’s created 22 assists in the last 5 minutes of tight games, but he’s only committed 1 passing turnover. A 22:1 assist to turnover ratio when the defense is set and the game is tight. This from one of the most balls-to-the-wall players in the league.

Finally, one last stat that trumps them all. When Manu Ginobili is on the bench, the Spurs have been outscored by two points this season. When he’s in the game, the Spurs have scored 250 points more than their opponents. He doesn’t fly like Lebron or have the finesse of Kobe, nor does he have the power of Pierce or the speed of Iverson. But Ginobili is in the same league as all of them, and deserved to be in New Orleans. Then again, maybe Spurs fans want him to be a little pissed off. After all, he’s only averaged 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists a game over their last 2 wins.

Scouting Ian Mahinmi

In about one or two years, Ian Mahinmi will be a rotation player for the San Antonio Spurs. As for now, he's a lanky, 21 year old Frenchman trying to learn the nuances of NBA basketball. He was a surprise selection (the 28th pick in the 2005 draft), but has shown enough potential for the Austin Toros to be named a D-League All-Star this past week. He has averaged of 18 points (on 62.5% from the field), 8 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks a game in 26 games. I'm going to blog about Mahinmi's development whenever I can, partially because he's going to be a major part of their future, but also because it's better than writing about Tony Parker's foot for the millionth time.

Ian, Mahinmi
Position: PF, C
6'11", 230 lbs

Strengths: To this point, the most promising part of Ian's game is his shot blocking prowess. With long limbs to go with his 6'11" frame and above average hops, Mahinmi is a fantastic help defender. Even more impressive is that he goes after everything. He hustles on fast breaks to contest layups and rotates over when a teammate needs help. He has great instinct for swatting shots and alters more attempts than his stats will give him credit for.

Offensively, Mahinmi gets most of his buckets by utilizing his athleticism. He outruns his defender down the floor most of the time and uses his length for offensive rebounds, putbacks, and easy dunk opportunities. I've yet to see him take a shot outside of 5 feet. When opposing teams send him to the line instead of giving up easy buckets, Mahinmi makes them pay by shooting at a 76.8% clip (his form is decent considering he's not a jumpshooter). He has decent hands for his size and doesn't drop many passes. Not a fantastic rebounder because of his slender build, but he hits the boards hard on each possession.

At 21, his intangibles are just as valuable. He listens to his coach and hustles each game.

Weaknesses: Most of Ian's weaknesses are a result of his youth and inexperience. While he plays his ass of, he does make the occasional spastic rookie play, making a terrible outlet pass or creating an inexplicable turnover. Defensively, his rotations are solid but could use improvement. Because of his intuitive shot blocking skills, he picks up some cheap fouls by leaping after shots instead of contesting shots without leaving his feet.

Offensively, Mahinmi has a very unrefined offensive repertoire. He has a right-handed baby hook that seems to be his only consistent tool. Ian possesses no real 1-on-1 scoring maneuvers...when he gets the ball in the post his bad footwork leads to some awkward attempts reminiscent of Reggie Evans. He has a good first step but doesn't possess the handle or the jumper to play face-up on the offensive end.

He is built a bit like David Robinson, with a long, slender torso and thin hips. Because of this, he gets pushed out of positions easily (Ian compensates by using his speed to get where he wants to go). His lack of a strong "foundation" forces him to miss a lot of rebounding opportunities.

Needs to Improve: As I mentioned, most of his weaknesses will be corrected just by getting some experience and overcoming the natural foreign rookie learning curve. As his game progresses, he needs to become more vocal on the court and hit the weight room while developing some sort of offensive weapon, be it a spin move, a hook, a midrage J or a respectable up-and-under.