{"id":76236,"date":"2025-08-18T00:39:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T00:39:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/76236\/"},"modified":"2025-08-18T00:39:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T00:39:10","slug":"end-of-summer-disjointted-basketball-thoughts-pounding-the-rock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/76236\/","title":{"rendered":"End-of-summer disjointted basketball thoughts | Pounding The Rock"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have not written any posts for Pounding the Rock since my Finals recap<\/a> on my mother\u2019s birthday, June 23. Like players and coaches in the NBA, I also needed an off-season. To get ready for the new season, I planned to write something before the summer ended. Any of us who has been a parent or a child (I have been both!) knows that, whatever the calendar might say, summer officially ends when children go back to school.<\/p>\n

Here in Los Angeles, I learned that school started last week. Chat GPT tells me that school started even earlier in many San Antonio schools. What is happening to America?!? School is supposed to start up again the day after Labor Day, as God intended. When I run for president in 2028, starting school after Labor Day will be the central theme of my agenda.<\/p>\n

Another key part of my presidential platform will be even more popular: Every restaurant must have chips and salsa (or the equivalent) on the table when you sit down. This requirement can be satisfied by bread and olive oil in an Italian restaurant, olives in a Portuguese place, or crispy noodles and hot mustard in a Chinese restaurant. In Canada, poutine on the table will comply with the rule.<\/p>\n

Because the end of summer snuck up so suddenly, this will be even more disjointed that my normal stuff. We can call it \u201cDisjointed Basketball Thoughts (DBT) As Summer Prematurely Ends.\u201d (Starting after my election in 2029, this post will occur in September, and will not included the work \u201cprematurely\u201d.)<\/p>\n

DBT 1. The basketball universe unanimously approved the Spurs\u2019 selection on Dylan Harper as the clear second best player in the 2025 NBA draft. The only concern I have heard is that Harper\u2019s skills overlap with those of the anticipated starting backcourt of De\u2019Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle.<\/p>\n

Having coached a bit, I know that having three good guards for the two backcourt spots is a good thing, not a bad one. The reason is simple is players don\u2019t play all 48 minutes. Indeed, the Spurs\u2019 best player last year (you know his name) averaged just 33 minutes per game. In 17 games with the Spurs, Fox averaged 34 minutes while Castle averaged 27. If Fox and Castle play the same amount this season, they will play a total of 61 minutes out of the 96 minutes available. That leaves 35 minutes for Harper or others \u2014 for instance if Devin Vassell splits his time between the 2 and the 3. Harper will be not be 20 years old until March 2026 \u2014 and 20 is probably about the right number of minutes for such a young player in his rookie season. There probably won\u2019t be enough playing time for Harper to win the Spurs\u2019 third consecutive Rookie of the Year award, but with that other rookie in Dallas starting for the Mavs, Harper probably won\u2019t win the award anyway.<\/p>\n

One sub-DBT. Chris Paul averaged 28 minutes per game last season, and the ball was in his hands for most of those minutes. The Spurs have plenty of good and younger players to fill those minutes, including Harper, who is half of Paul\u2019s age. All in all, things will be fine with three talented guards filling most of the 96 minutes allotted to the Spurs backcourt.<\/p>\n

DBT 2. The three man rotation may not work as well for the Spurs frontcourt because the Spurs have five players competing for those minutes: Vassel, Harrison Barnes, Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan and Julian Champagnie. Some of this group may drop down to steal some backcourt minutes. Of course, I would rather have too may NBA quality players than not enough. Which is also why many in the know are excited about this Spurs team. I may not be \u201cin the know\u201d, but I too am optimistic.<\/p>\n

DBT 3. After Harper, the Spurs\u2019 second most important addition was Luke Kornet, signed away from the Celtics. Although I have not watched very much Celtic basketball, my Celtics\u2019 fan friends (easier to have those friends once I abandoned the Lakers) all really like him. Sticking with the minutes theme, Kornet averaged just over 18 minutes per game, which fits nicely into the minutes that Victor is not on the floor. If you double Kornet\u2019s counting stats, over 36 minutes Kornet averaged 12 points, 10 boards and 2 blocks \u2014 much more productive than anyone who filled the back-up 5 role for the Spurs last season. He also invented the Kornet Kontest, which is both effective and hilarious.<\/p>\n

DBT 4. Please don\u2019t take this as a criticism of Fox, but I don\u2019t quite understand the NBA\u2019s maximum salary rules. The Spurs just gave Fox a maximum contract. In related news, OKC gave 2025 regular season and NBA Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a maximum contract. Again with no disrespect to Fox, he is not as good as SGA. The Ringer ranked Fox as the 26th best player in the league. SGA is first (if we ignore that Denver guy). Yes, I know that SGA actually got a \u201csupermax\u201d, but that term just means that the NBA doesn\u2019t know the meaning of the word \u201cmaximum\u201d. It reminds me of this scene from Spinal Tap:<\/p>\n

DBT 5. In related news, the NBA also has a bit of trouble with geography. OKC is is the NBA\u2019s \u201cNorthwest Division\u201d. Anyone can go on Wikipedia or any map and confirm that Oklahoma City is simply not in the Northwest:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

DBT 6. The Portland Trailblazers were just sold to a guy who owns the Carolina Hurricanes in something called the \u201cNational Hockey League\u201d. Never heard of it. Anyway, the Blazers have a long history in Portland and a passionate fan base. I am sure that Blazer fans have nothing to worry about just because their new owner is based in another state. Hold that thought just one second \u2014 one of my ex-players from Seattle is on the line…<\/p>\n

DBT 7. Before we start the 2025-26 season, let\u2019s take a last look back at the 2024-25 Finals, and in particular, the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers might have won it all except for, well, you know, that Tyrese Haliburton injury at the start of Game Seven. For Spurs fans, this analysis from Michael Pina at the Ringer could have been a description of the 2014 Redemption Finals Spurs:<\/p>\n

The Pacers just keep playing like the Pacers, which is to say they deploy a scheme that puts their opponent in a singular kind of basketball hell: full-court pressure, constant ball movement, never-ending dribble handoffs, shooting at every position, an obsession with pace and ball protection, disciplined transition defense, and a wise, tactical contrarian for a head coach who instills confidence in a deep roster that epitomizes the age-old axiom of their whole being greater than the sum of its parts.<\/p>\n

While the 2014 Spurs did not full court press (except Patty Mills\u2019 one-man press), the description fits — especially the \u201cwise, tactical contrarian head coach\u201d. The two teams also have other similarities: Both started in the ABA and value continuity and organization. Both teams had a balanced attack: only one player on the Pacers averaged more that 20 points per game –Pascal Siakam at 20.2 — while the 2013-14 Spurs\u2019 leading scorer was Tony Parker at 16.7 ppg. The Great Duncan averaged 15.1, Kawhi Leonard 12.8 and My Man Manu 12.3.<\/p>\n

Haliburton\u2019s ill-timed injury means we will never know if the Pacers could have also matched the 2014 Redemption Spurs\u2019 crowning achievement, the best of the team\u2019s five championships. As the summer ends, I am looking forward to the sixth of those championships in the not-too-distant future.<\/p>\n

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