End of the Week Links

The first couple weeks of August have to be the slowest news period for the NBA – free agents have been signed, trades made, and summer leagues come and gone. Right now the players are off enjoy a cocktail on a secluded beach somewhere. Coaches are relaxing without worrying about coddling some superstar, except for Pop who is probably off making wine, catching Russian spies, growing a ZZ Top-like beard and thinking of how to harass Craig Sager. With all that in mind, the Spurs-related links are a bit thin this week. In reality, I would rather have that than worry about my power forward getting suspended 10 games for PED. Rashard Lewis, really? Not the player I would have expected.

• Study of Sports: Prior to the Pop/Duncan era, the Spurs always made the playoffs but never made the Finals. They were a good team but rarely great. After Duncan leaves, will the Spurs return to this trend? Study of Sports asks this question.
• Basketball-Reference: “The real question, though, is how much he [Richard Jefferson] has left in the tank defensively, and whether he can reclaim his pre-injury form at that end. With Bowen gone and Finley on his last legs, the Spurs need a bounce back performance from Jefferson on D for this trade to truly pay big dividends.” Basketball-Reference comes through with a great look at the RJ signing.
• Sir Charles in Charge: No, the Big Mound of Rebound does not run this blog, but it is still highly entertaining. This time they look at the top 5 most reliable GM’s. The Spurs have ties to the first three spots.
• Hoop Angle: This new Spurs blog (to me at least) thanks Pop for all he has done and takes a quick look at his disciples throughout the league (AJ, Mike Brown, Danny Ferry).
• Pounding the Rock: I know the Theo Ratliff signing happened a couple weeks ago, but I recommend checking out this closer look at the shot blocking big man, complete with video’s of his shotblocking talent.
• Truehoop: The Spurs have the second fewest back-to-back games in the league. Methinks this is a very good thing.
• Spurs.com: Probably the biggest Spurs-related news this week is that Parker’s ankle sprain is not serious. Still, this injury has once again sparked debate about whether it is smart for teams to let their foreign players play with their national team.