Spurs erase 21-PT deficit to outlast Nets in OT, 137-132.

Durant had his moments, but was clearly rusty.

Brandon Ingram capitalized on some rusty play by the Slim Reaper, oft compared to Durant, but swiping the ball from him in the clutch to help the Spurs erase a twenty-one point hole after a scoring drought in the second quarter. The Slender Man had 38 points of his own, dwarfing Durant's 23 points (despite 6 rebounds, 10 assists, 9-21 FG%) and helping force six turnovers from the former mega-star of Golden State. Ingram also had 11 rebounds to go with 5 steals, hitting a clutch 3PTer in the final quarter as the Spurs finally overcame the last hump of the comeback, after nearly losing control of the rally reigns once Brooklyn went back up 87-95.

"We just never gave up," Dejounte Murray told Doris Burke on the sideline, showcasing 30 points of his own on opening night, having sliced his way into the paint and spearheading the comeback alongside his compatriot, Ingram. Murray went 12-22 with 5 assists & 2 steals. A poor game by Kyrie Irving (20 points, 7 assists, 6-15 FG%) certainly helped the comeback effort. The quarters were split 25-26 (Nets), 17-31 (Nets), 31-23 (Spurs), 43-36 (Spurs), with OverTime 21-16 (Spurs).

The new faces on the Spurs also had strong debuts: Fred VanVleet hit two threes, dishing 6 assists as the de-facto backup point guard as the Spurs continue to scour the free agent pool for more contribution, on his way to 22 points, benefiting in the fast break for easy layups. Kent Bazemore looked sharp with 16 points and a career-high 10 assists, hitting 4-of-6 from long range, with 1 block and a steal. The big man down low Andre Drummond had 19 rebounds with 2 blocks, but suffered 4 turnovers and struggled for 14 points, missing some easy ones at the rim.

Joe Harris was cold, a big part of the drought as Brooklyn went up big, but hit 3 tres to make up for it on 11 points. Jarrett Allen had 9 rebounds with 2 blocks.

R.C. Buford studied the roster's effectiveness in Brooklyn.

For the Nets, a late turnover gave them the chance to tie the game, but the Spurs recovered to pull away in OverTime. DeAndre Jordan boasted 29 rebounds, a career-high, eating up glass during that awful drought by the Spurs. Caris LeVert had 18 points and former Spur T.J. Warren dropped 18 points, 7 rebounds with 5 assists. Spencer Dinwiddie got hot, fortifying the deficit with 14 points, 8 assists. The Nets gave up too many free throws, as the Spurs buried 36 at the line overall which also stopped the clock.

This was a monumental comeback, no doubt, but the Spurs definitely have the first eye test of the season to reevaluate the team's strengths and weaknesses. It helps to see the two stars, Ingram & Murray, start the season off so strongly, a testament to each player's growth. Rookie point guard slasher Malcolmn Cazalon had 1 assist, but clearly Coach Popovich isn't ready to trust him yet in a close game which is understandable, exposing a crucial need for a seasoned veteran point guard to support Murray's rest, an oversight given the front office's focus to land a major star like Drummond and shore up the perimeter defense. As with last season, there also continues to be stagnation on the scoring end by P.J. Tucker and in the mid-range by the two-guards, which helped J.R. Smith stick around last season. Other teams got stronger, so San Antone must respond and orchestrate a powerhouse for the court.

Spurs preparing for season opener against Brooklyn Nets, a new foe and contender.

A torn achilles later--Kevin Durant is back.

Kevin Durant, the all-world superstar most responsible for some unforgettable showdowns between the Spurs and Warriors in years past, is back in full health. "I feel good. I'm ready," to take the court for his new team for the first time since leaving Golden State last summer, Durant said. He'll take the court with Kyrie Irving, who has one season on his résumé with the feisty Brooklyn Nets, fresh off surgery of his own for a nagging shoulder problem throughout last season.


The Spurs will also look different, as a half-new roster takes the court. Familiar faces add up to six, with six new additions also seeking to absorb the championship culture of the Spurs organization and more intimately gel as one force on the hardwood of the undoubtedly sold-out Barclays Center.

"It'll be a fun night. My plan is to get our guys going, especially the new guys. We had a good camp, but now it's for real and we gotta remind the league we're the champs," Dejounte Murray vowed at the press conference.

Who will guard the elite talents of Durant? Most likely Brandon Ingram, perhaps P.J. Tucker at times also. Coach Popovich has been known in his career for using several defenders to challenge star players to be effective. With Avery Bradley gone, most likely it'll be Dejounte Murray 1-on-1 with Kyrie Irving. Certainly, new-look perimeter defenders Kent Bazemore & Allen Crabbe will seek to make an immediate impact to showcase their worth to their new team. Another intriguing debut will come in the form of blockbuster summer acquisition, Andre Drummond, who'll look to enforce himself down low as one of the Spurs new "Big 3."

Prospects, transitions, mentorship.

The Spurs drafted French slasher Malcolm Cazalon.

With the big names having signed on the dotted line, the Spurs filled out the new roster satisfyingly. Malcolm Cazalon will slide in behind Dejounte Murray, a slashing rookie prospect out of France to wear #7, under Murray's tutelage. P.J. Tucker, one of his idols, will work closely with Kent Bazemore this season to cement a defensive identity on his new team and Andre Drummond will guide Jarrett Allen most likely toward a big contract extension of his own, soon.

Team identity and warm culture is big in Spurs territory, as Coach Popovich and Assistant Coach Tim Duncan exemplify the bond and symbiosis between two winners. Allen Crabbe will back up Bazemore on the wing, signing a minimum deal after running through a lucrative contract of his own (with some detractors having questioned the performance/salary ratio over the years).

Sliding in behind Andre Drummond & Jarrett Allen is Johnathan Williams out of Gonzaga on a two-way contract, somewhat of a journeyman thus far in his pro career (Lakers, Maccabi, Wizards) but still just 24 years of age. His college coach at Gonzaga, Mark Few, spoke highly of Williams: ''Johnathan is a very high character young man." Despite being only 6'9", Williams is very athletic and has thrown down hammer-jams early in his career and has averaged 6 rebounds per game.


Making the money work is one way to sum up the re-signing of Joe Harris, who came up big in the playoffs, especially when Brandon Ingram went down with an injury against the hungry Utah Jazz. The Spurs will certainly not lack shooting, as Bazemore plans to shore up Harris' already-solid perimeter defense. Leading the way are Dejounte Murray & Brandon Ingram, but it is most relieving to have a third star on the team now, especially a fierce post presence like Andre Drummond.

"I can't wait," Murray spoke at Media Day about the addition of the Big Penguin. Drummond has a knack for second-chance dunks and alley-oop smashes, so the home crowd will be thrilled. The first challenge of the season? Taking on a healthy Brooklyn Nets team led by a resurgent Kevin Durant (after a torn achilles) & Kyrie Irving (fresh off shoulder surgery this past summer). The Warriors, meanwhile, will also have rookie Memphis stud James Wiseman in the middle and especially a healthy Klay Thompson, starting at small forward as trade rumors still surrounds D'Angelo Russell.

In other big moves, LaMarcus Aldridge signed with the Atlanta Hawks, who drafted Anthony Edwards at #1 overall in this year's NBA Draft; Marc Gasol joined the Lakers and DeMarr DeRozan left the Raptors for the Orlando Magic, who'd been pursuing him last season.

The Lakers signed the player the Spurs chose against, in favor of Drummond, despite the desired contract financial difference, and also joining LeBron & Anthony Davis is JaVale McGee in the middle, but also former Cavaliers stand-out point guard Matthew Dellavedova and hybrid forward Jeff Green, not signed back by Utah, who LeBron's played with in the past along with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope & Troy Daniels. Carmelo Anthony, after a resurrection of a season, has re-upped with the Trail Blazers and LaMelo Ball is a Knickerbocker, having gone #3 overall in the NBA Draft.

Welding the wings...Spurs sign Kent Bazemore.

Long-armed, 7'0 wingspan-savv Kent Bazemore once said, "They've got some very special players that make big shots" about the Spurs, and now he joins them as a free agent on a two-year 16.5 million contract. A recipient of a hefty contract during the summer when the salary cap went bonkers, Bazemore came from a 'life' of poverty but had a strong family support system. It saw him break into college stardom and receive the Lefty Dreissell award, as best defensive player of 2010-11. Despite this accolade, Bazemore went undrafted before bouncing around the league for the Warriors, Lakers, Atlanta Hawks & Trail Blazers. ESPN even ranked him as the league's 499th best player, miffing Bazemore as old players (some deceased) were even above him; in response, Kent etched "499" into his sneakers, a testament of his perseverance--a value that's always been inside him.

“It’s the role less traveled,” Bazemore said. “I found if I wanted to stick around in this league, I had to be different. And I don’t really have the offensive skill-set to be elite on the offensive side of the ball. But defensively, I can really help, and I knew if that became what I was known for, I could stay around for a long time. You need those stoppers. The Tony Allens. The PJ Tuckers. The Bruce Bowens. You need those guys on your team to help you win. And that’s the role I want to play."

 

Spending most of his career at the 2 spot, Bazemore has shown strides on the wing more recently, due to his agile and athletic prowess. Coach Stotts of the Trail Blazers regarded Bazemore positively last season, saying: "He takes a lot of pride in his defense. He’s long and athletic, he anticipates. He has evolved into a good shooter and good scorer, but he made his bones by being a good defender.” Superstar Damian Lillard followed up with, “He’s just a pest. He likes to get his hands dirty. He’s all over you. He’s always reaching and poking at the ball. And he’s always there, always ready for an opportunity to make a play.”

Why the tenacity? Bazemore says, "The dream. The hunger is always there. I love the game of basketball. I'm so hard on myself; I can't help it. I want to be great. I went undrafted, then signed a very lucrative deal four years ago. But I'm still trying to remain true to who I am, stay humble and hungry. Bazemore's coaches, from the then D-League and most likely from Coach Popovich later this season, have sung his praises on Kent's appreciation and professionalism and his dedication to his craft. The only negative is Bazemore's age at 30, but it only means perfect timing by the front office. Now, the Spurs have gotten a tenacious wing player that will replace Bradley's heart and shore up the defensive front lines.

The icing on the cake is that Bazemore has tallied not only over 500 steals, but also splashed in over 500 three-pointers.

King of the Glass...Andre Drummond joins the Spurs.

The Spurs organization can thank its championship pedigree and winning culture for landing the biggest name of this summer's free agency bonanza: Andre Drummond is now a Spur, once seen embracing now-Assistant Coach Tim Duncan, talented big man to talented big man. Now, he must take up the mantle when no player since Duncan has quite lived up to the Spur-fect golden age of the Spurs (Duncan/Parker/Ginobili). Sure, Kevin Garnett & Pau Gasol did admirably, and there were whispers of Marc Gasol joining the titanic team of the western conference.

However, after being grossly out-rebounded by the Los Angeles Lakers last season in a grueling seven-game war, Coach Popovich & R.C. Buford knew they needed to shore up the paint and make sure every rebound has a chance of falling to the Spurs. With Andre Drummond on board, the Spurs now have the league's leading rebounder of last season, who's already tallied 8,000 rebounds for his career in just eight NBA seasons. Drummond is known as Big Penguin, and now it's only more fitting as he'll don the silver-and-black, wearing #1 for the Spurs, as reigning king of the glass and more than ready to challenge Lakers superstar (fresh off signing a new 5-year max contract) Anthony Davis for each possession: A.D. vs A.D.

Acquiring Drummond meant renouncing free agency rights to Taurean Prince, a move that most Spurs fans anticipated given his up-and-down play since joining the Spurs last season. Once-upon-a-time prospect, Dragan Bender, also was let go due to his 6m team option, but the Spurs were able to absorb the team option on Jarrett Allen, the shot-blockingly athletic, albeit raw center. San Antone will have another season to develop Allen's talents, but with Drummond aboard, they can focus more on Allen's growth with their search for a star center now over.

"He's going to do great for us. I can't speak enough about his hustle for the ball. His passing skill reminds me a lot of Timmy, and I'm sure the two of them will have fun in training camp," Coach Popovich said at the introductory press conference. Also returning is Joe Harris, whose clutch performance in the playoffs offset streaky shooting in the regular season. He will provide nice contrast to VanVleet, with more playing time now open at the SF spot, with J.R. Smith & Nik Stauskas also moving on from the Spurs. Financial flexibility came in the form of the league granting the Spurs an exception for the remaining 10m salary of Timofey Mozgov, who despite strong play last season, underwent knee surgery, bowing out of the league on his own terms. "We were glad to have Moz. He was outstanding for us down the stretch," Popovich said.

It's so hard to say goodbye... Spurs trade Bradley, White to Raptors for VanVleet

Avery Bradley's three-year stint in San Antonio has ended.

Confronted by a summer of tempting possibilities and tough choices, the San Antonio Spurs made bold waves after the NBA Draft in free agency, trading pesky defender Avery Bradley to one-time NBA Finals opponent Toronto Raptors, in exchange for newly re-signed combo-guard prospect, Fred VanVleet. Bradley spent three seasons with the Spurs, winning three championships and certainly had his moments of awe-inspiring tenacity and will to win.

To acquire a talented young player like VanVleet, the Spurs had to sweeten the pot in exchange as Toronto gets a nice parting token for VanVleet in prospect point guard, Derrick White. White showed flashes of promise for San Antonio, but his inclusion got the deal done as the Raptors receive an expiring contract in Bradley and a promising young player in White, as star point guard Kyle Lowry enters the legacy phase of his career for Toronto. The addition of Bradley & White will help lessen the blow of losing star mid-range beast, DeMarr DeRozan, to the Orlando Magic. The Magic had been filling up trade rumor reports last deadline, but did not budge before time ran out, rather signing DeRozan's talents outright this summer on a three-year pact, pairing the volume scorer with rough-edged potential star Aaron Gordon and resurgent point guard, Markelle Fultz.

VanVleet has tremendous passion for the game.

In acquiring VanVleet's services, which include guarding Steph Curry to a tee (as lured ex-Spur Iman Shumpert to San Antonio in years past) and unlike Bradley, a deadly 3-PT stroke (reminiscent of Lakers legend, Derek Fisher), the Spurs are poised for the always-frenetic dog-eat-dog future of the NBA. Fred is two inches shorter than Bradley, similarly undersized, but plays much bigger than his height, as Bradley did for the Spurs.

VanVleet is also four years Bradley's junior, and will be age 29 when his new four-year contract is set to expire. Fred went undrafted out of Wichita State, but impressed the Raptors in Summer League that year before securing a two-year guaranteed deal. "I'm a very ambitious guy and work my butt off to continue to grow and better each day," VanVleet described his approach to the game. "There's new levels for me to keep reaching. I think the future is bright." Deep inside VanVleet is a desire to be a starter; joining the Spurs made it a reality (due to Lowry's dominant presence in Toronto). "I'm ready for it."