Today was the first day of training camp for the Spurs, and while several new players were trying to earn a roster spot, one veteran was beaming as if he had just been drafted.
“I’m definitely happy it’s over, it was a good day,” said Antonio McDyess, who is entering his second year with the Spurs. “I was very surprised at the talent we’ve picked up this summer, a lot of young guys that really can play and want to help this team.”
While much of the preseason talk has centered around the Lakers and Heat as favorites this season, the 14-year NBA veteran says this year’s Spurs squad may surprise some of the doubters.
“We’ve got something in store for a lot of teams, and we’re going to be a big surprise to some people,” McDyess said. “Coming off what we did last year was disappointing so we’ve got something to prove.”
One of the players that may help the Spurs in surprising said doubters will be rookie big man Tiago Splitter, and McDyess had nothing but positive things to say about Splitter.
“He’s really good, really strong, posts up strong, goes hard every play,” McDyess said. “Hes a heck of a guy because he sits there and listens and catches on real quick. I was very surprised about how quick he catches on. It’s a tough system to learn and he catches on really fast.”
McDyess started the majority of games aside Tim Duncan in the post last season, but with the addition of Splitter, McDyess’ role will be directly affected.
“I don’t know what my role will be, but whatever it is I’m going to take it and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be totally different than what it was last year,” McDyess said. “A guy like him, he’ll definitely have to be on the court so I’ll take a backseat to him any day because he’s a heck of a player.”
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