The Spurs were doing fine until it appeared that they hit the wall in the third quarter as they were outscored 27-18. They were also outrebounded 52-44 in this game and that did not help matters at all. Tim Duncan was the only Spurs player who looked like he didn’t have jet lag as he finished with 28 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocked shots. Manu Ginobili was the only other player on the Spurs to finish in double figures. He finished up with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists but he only shot 3 of 11 from the floor. The Spurs are now 1-1 on the season.

The Spurs rushed out to a 57-39 halftime lead in this game and then they cruised to victory. The Spurs shot 52.3% from the floor and they outrebounded the Hornets 42-33 which were two big reasons for the ease of this win. Tony Parker led the way for the Spurs in this game with 17 points and 6 assists in only 26 minutes. Manu Ginobili was also effective in this game with 16 points and 4 assists in only 24 minutes off the bench. Rookie forward DeJuan Blair had a excellent debut for the Spurs as he had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists in only 23 minutes on the floor. The Spurs are now 1-0 on the season.

The Spurs have added players like Antonio McDyess and Richard Jefferson to the starting lineup and that will make the Spurs even more impossible to deal with this season. The Spurs are locked and loaded with their sites on winning another NBA Championship and that means they will be very focused during the regular season. I like the Spurs to go way over 54 wins this season as I’m projecting 60+ wins for them this season. Take the over with the Spurs this season with confidence.

Gregg Popovich was a lucky man when he stepped down from the front office to take over as the head coach of the Spurs. He has led them to three NBA Championships and the team is really loaded for this year. It’s NBA Finals or Bust for the Spurs but Popovich is always up to that challenge. The Spurs were 54-28 (65.9%) last season but they were only 1-4 in the post season and that was a huge disappointment. That just won’t cut it again this season with a bunch of new weapons (Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess and DaJuan Blair) at Popovich’s disposal. Popovich has been the head coach of the Spurs for 13 years in which he has compiled a regular season record of 686-330 (67.5%) and he has a post season record of 102-63 (61.8%). The Spurs will be adding quite a few wins to Popovich’s playoff record this season.

33-year old Tim Duncan still has a lot left in the gas tank but he will be in the Hall of Fame when he retires. He is the face of the San Antonio Spurs. He played in 75 games for the Spurs last season and he averaged 33.6 minutes, 19.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.7 blocked shots per game. There is no reason to expect Duncan to not put up double-double numbers again bringing along solid D in the middle. 36-year old Theo Ratliff will back up Duncan this season. He played in 46 games for the Sixers last season and he averaged 12.6 minutes, 1.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, 0.2 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game. Ratliff can still defend and rebound so he will likely be a asset for the Spurs this season. 22-year old Ian Mahinmi last played with the Spurs in 2007-08 when he appeared in 6 games and averaged 3.8 minutes, 3.5 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. Don’t expect much out of him this season. Antonio McDyess could also slide to center for some minutes so that Matt Bonner and DeJuan Blair could get some more minutes this season when Duncan needs a breather.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CENTERS IN 2009-2010: A+

35-year old Antonio McDyess will be the starting power forward for the Spurs and he will bring even more defense and rebounding to the court. He played in 62 games for the Spurs last season and he averaged 30.1 minutes, 9.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. The Spurs will likely cut his minutes down a bit in an attempt to keep him healthy and fresh. 29-year old Matt Bonner will back up McDyess at power forward this season. He played in 81 games for the Spurs last season and he averaged 23.8 minutes, 8.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and a 1.0 assist per game. Bonner was lethal from long range hitting 44% of his shots from three point range. 20-year old DeJuan Blair was the 7th pick of the 2nd round for the Spurs out of Pitt. The 6′7″, 265 pound Blair was an absolute steal in the 2nd round and he will be pushing someone for minutes as he is a rugged rebounder and scorer. 28-year old Marcus Haislip was the 13th pick of the 1st round for the Bucks in the 2002 NBA Draft. He is now ready to give the NBA a try after playing overseas for a while.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE POWER FORWARDS IN 2009-2010: B

The Spurs are loaded at small forward for this season. 29-year old Richard Jefferson will be the starter and he will give the Spurs another good weapon on offense. He played in all 82 games for the Bucks last season and he averaged 35.8 minutes, 19.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He might find it hard to top those numbers with the Spurs who have a lot of players capable of putting the ball in the basket. 36-year old Michael Finley is back and he will back up Jefferson. Finley played in 81 games for the Spurs last season and he averaged 28.8 minutes, 9.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He even shot 41.1% on three pointers last season for the Spurs. Despite his advancing age, Finley should be a asset off the bench for the Spurs. 22-year old Marcus Williams will try to break into the NBA this season as he only played in 2 games for the Spurs last season averaging 1.5 minutes and 2.0 points per game. Keith Bogans could also get some playing at small forward for the Spurs this season.

PREDICTION FOR THE SMALL FORWARDS IN 2009-2010: A

29-year old Roger Mason earned the starting job at shooting guard when Manu Ginobili was injured last year. He will keep the job as the Spurs like bringing Ginobili off the bench. Mason played in all 82 games for the Spurs last season and he averaged 30.4 minutes, 11.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Mason is also a deadeye from three point range hitting 42.1% of his attempts. Look for him to have another solid season this year for the Spurs. 32-year old Manu Ginobili is like the energizer bunny for the Spurs off the bench. He played in only 44 games last season due to ankle injuries and he averaged 26.8 minutes, 15.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He is reportedly 100% healthy right now and if that is the case he will have a good year. 29-year old Keith Bogans will be the #3 SG guard for the Spurs this season. He played in 65 games for the Magic and Bucks last season and he averaged 19.6 minutes, 5.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. 22-year old Malik Hairston is still around for the Spurs. He played in 15 games for the Spurs last season and he averaged 10.3 minutes, 3.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. Michael Finley is going to get most of his playing time this season at small forward but if the need arises he could return to shooting guard.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2009-2010: B+