Ken Berger

I read a very interesting article in yahoo sports..

"Take a suburban, place it on the border of mexico, and leave it there for 3 days. Come back in 3 days. That car will be the Spurs when Tim Duncan leaves, you might have a window stitch left"

-Yahoo Sports

thanks blood,  I took the wife on a cruise, but had to get back in time for the NBA second season.  While I was gone my score increased, not sure what system CBS sport is using, or what that says about my posts.

I see your boys got AB back in action, guess things are looking better in Lakers land.

Nova, brother... Good to see ya with that Superstar status back. You're one of the good guys.

And did I see Hogg backing me up? Ohhhhhhhhhhhh myyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!

Fellas, there's a reason little-d hasn't been back to attempt to rebutt the intelligent responses to his drivel. He knows what he writes simply ain't true.

Don't worry though... The Trail Blazers are about to find out what NBA playoffs are all about... Something the Lakers and the Spurs have known for better than a decade.

When one of those teams gets ahold of the Blazers in a "meaningful" game, then we're gonna really see what their made of... Which is less than they appear to be. 

You know even the Mavericks have a better shot of beating the Lakers then I would ever had thought the Nuggets did against the Sonics a few years back.  It's not looking good for the Spurs for sure.

This analysis was both accurate and pointless; without Manu Ginobili, the Spurs are going nowhere in the playoffs., Manu said it himself about a week ago when I caught up with him after his first game back after missing more than a month with the right ankle injury that sidelined him Monday for the rest of the season and the playoffs.

Spurs need Manu Ginobili for a championship, but Coach Daly said it before - never underestimate the heart of the champion - really this is close to the end of the line for this verison of the Spurs, is there just a little more left in the tank?  Guess we will find out in the next few weeks.

I've been black and silver since 1973 and will continue regardless of one year's result.

Ouch...that was a nasty one.  You forgot Sam Bowie! lol.

I think the only playoff competition for the Spurs in the west is the Lakers.  Coach Pop will have this team back to it's defensive basics, and will split Ginobili's role with Roger Mason, George Hill, and Drew Gooden.  Drew Gooden is really starting to come into his own, much like he did in the 2007 finals against us. 

A playoff Spurs team just plays differently, as evidenced in past years.Hopefully, the Spurs won't live and die by the three, especially when its not going in the bucket.  

Big d... Before you call Lakers fans a joke, your team needs to win something. As of today, since 1977 (that's 32 years, can that possibly be right?), they've won nothing. Not such an impressive record. So before you start spouting off about here they come, Blazers' management should keep that team together for a while. They've shown a propensity in the past to let star players get away for next to nothing, because they didn't want to pay them. Can you say Sheeeeeeeeeeeed? All he did was catapult Detroit to a title, and a string of Eastern Conference Finals. Let's see if that current team can stick to it, when the playoffs get going. I'm saying they'll win some, but they ain't gonna take the Lakers in a series.

New Orleans? Are you kidding me? They can't stay healthy, and they need a center, (who the heck plays when Chandler, who is a questionable center himself, is hurt alllllll the time?), Peja can't stay on the court, and is past his prime (never won nuttin' regardless), Rasual Butler (you must be joking) wouldn't start on 80% of the NBA teams. And a weak a** bench. They have far too much to figure out in order to be serious challengers... 'Nuff said.

And the Nuggets? After Anthony, what do they have?  Nene at center... pleeeeeeeeeeeze; Chauncey Billups 33 going into next season; and a weaker a** bench than the Hornets. Plus they have George Karl, an underachieving coach, who quit on his team last year in the playoffs. Again... 'Nuff said.

These teams are pretenders, not contenders. While they may do some damage in the playoffs, it won't be against the Lakers.

Next time you walk into a post trying to diss another team(s), bring something substantive to the table, other than your reflections, inflections, hopes and dreams. 

Yeah, cause Parker at 26 is so old. Ginobili has to commit to the Spurs and take the summers off, playing the way he does requires rest in the offseason, not year round action.

The Blazers may be on the way up, but Denver and Nawlins have a similarly aged pair of cores:

Billups and K-mart are in their 30s, and nene is late 20s,

D-west is 28, posey, daniels, peja, and mo-pete are all in thier 30s, too.

All 3 teams have a young star and rol-player, then most else are 30+s

I hate to say it, but I think it is time for Ginobili and the Spurs to part ways. His injuries during the past two years are proof that his body can no longer meet the demands of his current role. With Ginobili's style of play this was expected to happen. When you play as aggressive and throw your body around as much as he does you're bound for an earlier than usual departure. He's also not getting any younger. But you never know. After rehabbing his injuries this summer and getting some much needed rest his body may recover enough to allow him 1-2 more years of productivity. However, the Spurs don't just need average productivity, they need him to return to his All-Star ways - which he would if his body would allow him. 

It's too bad that he'll miss the playoffs, but I am excited to see how Mason and Hill step up to the challenge. TP already proved that he can take this team on his back. Can the Spurs accomplish anything without Ginobili? Only if Finley, Mason, and Hill bring it every night and are somehow able to make up the scoring demands they will lack with Ginobili's absence. You can see now what a bleak situation that is. Mason and Finley have the ability to get hot on certain nights, but they are just not consistent enough. They also lack the playmaking ability of Ginobili. They can hit the outside shot, but can not attack the hoop like Ginobili.

Yes, the task at hand is daunting for San Antonio, but I'm still excited to see how they step up to the challenge.

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved." - Helen Keller