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InsideHoops.com ‏@InsideHoops 21h
#NBA rumors page: Sean Marks will reportedly be a Spurs assistant coach. http://www.insidehoops.com/nba_rumors.shtml …

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San Antonio Spurs @spurs
Spurs to hold training camp at Air Force Academy: j.mp/16nuNre #GoSpursGo


SAN ANTONIO - The San Antonio Spurs will host training camp at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. from Oct. 1-4. The team’s annual Media Day will take place in San Antonio at the Spurs practice facility on Monday, Sept. 30 beginning at 11 a.m. before the team departs for Colorado.

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This time it’s among the 122 professional sports franchises in North America, as rated by ESPN the Magazine in its annual assessment. It’s an unofficial competition the Spurs have long dominated, earning “Franchise of the Decade” honors last year after becoming the only team to finish in the top 10, including twice in first, in each of its first 10 years.

This year, the rankings are:

1. Memphis Grizzlies (NBA)
2. San Antonio Spurs (NBA)
3. Indiana Pacers (NBA)
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA)
5. Green Bay Packers (NFL)
6. Arizona Diamondbacks (MLB)
7. Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)
8. Anaheim Ducks (NHL)
9. Ottawa Senators (NHL)
10. Baltimore Ravens (NFL)

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6. Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs (C, 37)
2012-13 stats: 30.1 MPG, 17.8 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 2.7 APG, 2.7 BPG, 50.2 FG%
2012-13 advanced stats: 24.4 PER, 8.3 Win Shares, +7.3 RAPM

Get up. No, seriously. Get up. Whether you’re in your cubicle, or on the bus, or in your living room, get up and give Duncan the standing ovation he deserves.

The initial reaction to seeing any big man ranked above Howard might lead to confusion and a desire to protest. That’s understandable: as recently as 2011 Howard was the No. 2 player in the league and Duncan seemed just about read to exit stage left. In 2015, two years from now, it seems more likely than not that Howard will once again be regarded as a top-five overall player; at that point, Duncan will have reached the end of his current contract and will almost certainly be headed for retirement.

But let’s not talk about 2011 or 2015. Let’s talk about 2013, a season in which Duncan was the league’s best big man, period. Duncan was the most important player on the NBA’s third-rated defense and the second-leading scorer on the No. 7 offense. He earned All-NBA First Team, All-Defensive Second Team, and All-Star honors, and he finished sixth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. His PER ranked No. 6 in the league, his RAPM ranked fourth in the league, his individual defensive rating led the league, he boasted a gaudy +10.5 net rating (among the very best in the league), and he registered more blocks (183) than fouls (117). The only player to post a PER as high as Duncan’s at this age was Karl Malone. Then, Duncan averaged 18.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks as he led San Antonio to a 15- 6 postseason record. In case you somehow forgot, he put up a whopping 30/17 Game 6 of the Finals, a stat line that only Shaquille O’Neal has matched in a Finals game since 1986. Duncan came within 5.2 seconds of his fifth NBA title and his fourth Finals MVP award. Let’s say that again for emphasis: he came within about six inches on one Ray Allen three-pointer of beating out a 28-year-old, top-of-the-world LeBron James for Finals MVP. That’s why you were asked to stand up and applaud at the opening of this section. (By the way, it’s cool to sit down now.)

Could this be the season Duncan finally declines (and stays declined)? That’s definitely a possibility, even though we’ve thought that before on numerous occasions. But if the choice here is to penalize Duncan for that possibility or to reward him for his historic season, that should be an easy one. Need more convincing? Compared to Howard, Duncan averaged more points, more assists and more blocks, less turnovers and less fouls, had a better PER, had a better Win Shares, had a better offensive rating, had a better defensive rating, and the Spurs totally outperformed the Lakers on defense while also ranking higher on offense. Duncan beat out Howard in All-NBA and All-Defensive and Defensive Player of the Year voting, and Duncan won more games against the Heat in the Finals (3) than Howard has won over the past three playoffs combined (2). You don’t need Shaquille O’Neal to tell you that Duncan has a better all-around offensive game and a more refined defensive game than Howard, or that, in addition to this year’s long playoff run, Duncan also went to the 2012 Western Conference finals.

The off-court comparison is even more lopsided: Duncan has consistently served as the pillar of the league’s best organization over the last 15 years, getting the most out of stars and non-stars alike while not caring who gets the credit (and being showered with praise/credit by his Hall of Fame coach, Gregg Popovich). Howard has made a mess of two straight seasons, watched as two of his coaches were fired (Stan Van Gundy and Mike Brown), had friction with a third coach (Mike D’Antoni), had a GM cut loose (Otis Smith), snapped at another GM while being ejected from the playoffs (Mitch Kupchak), burned locker room bridges in both L.A. and Orlando, and failed to get along with stars and non-stars alike.

On the flip side, Howard averaged more rebounds and shot a higher percentage. So he’s got that going for himself, which is nice.

Still not convinced Duncan should be above Howard? Ask yourself this: If both teams are fully healthy come playoff time, who would you pick in a Spurs/Rockets match-up? Which player, Duncan or Howard, do you trust to show up? – B.G.

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LJUBLJANA, Slovenia -- France has won its first major basketball title, beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday in the final of the European championship.

San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker had a quiet game for France, which broke open a close contest by closing the third quarter with a 14-0 run that kept Lithuania scoreless for 4 minutes. France's lead grew to 22 with 3 minutes remaining in the third and Lithuania never recovered.

Nicolas Batum of the Portland Trail Blazers scored 17 points, and Boris Diaw -- Parker's Spurs teammate -- added 15 for France. Parker finished with 12 points after scoring only four through the first three quarters.

Linas Kleiza, who played seven seasons in the NBA with Portland and Denver, led Lithuania with 20 points.

Spain beat Croatia 92-66 earlier in the bronze medal game.

Sergio Llull scored 21 points and Marc Gasol added 17 for Spain to cruise past Croatia 92-66.

Spain was the two-time defending champion but lost to France in the semifinals. Croatia was looking for its first medal since taking bronze in 1995.

Bojan Bogdanovic led Croatia with 22 points. Gasol added eight rebounds and Victor Claver had 16 points and six rebounds. Ricky Rubio had six assists to go with six points.

Spain routed Croatia 68-40 in its championship opener, meaning it beat the team by a combined 54 points over two games.

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Spurs 2nd best franchise:

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2013/09/18/espn-ranks-spurs-second-best-franchise-in-sports/

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This time it’s among the 122 professional sports franchises in North America, as rated by ESPN the Magazine in its annual assessment. It’s an unofficial competition the Spurs have long dominated, earning “Franchise of the Decade” honors last year after becoming the only team to finish in the top 10, including twice in first, in each of its first 10 years.

This year, the rankings are:

1. Memphis Grizzlies (NBA)
2. San Antonio Spurs (NBA)
3. Indiana Pacers (NBA)
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA)
5. Green Bay Packers (NFL)
6. Arizona Diamondbacks (MLB)
7. Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)
8. Anaheim Ducks (NHL)
9. Ottawa Senators (NHL)
10. Baltimore Ravens (NFL)

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Pleasantly surprised to see the Diamondbacks so high.

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Three months earlier, Parker had lunch with Pau Gasol in a Barcelona restaurant while in town to shoot a commercial. They shared personal tales, but also reminisced about how often their paths had crossed, in the NBA and on the international stage. In particular, he confessed his frustration to the Los Angeles Lakers forward over how he, and Spain, had been the chief barrier to French ambitions of a first-ever major championship during the past decade.

"I told Pau, he's the reason why I keep coming every year and keep pushing my team," Parker said. "It's like the Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls. You keep losing, you get closer.

"Man, 13 years and I'm still chasing. It's because of you."

That's how long Parker and Boris Diaw had been pursuing this goal, a gold to match the one they won together in the Under-18 European Championships. "Step by step, that's the normal way," Diaw said. "It's tough overnight to get the gold. That's what we've been doing for 10 years. We got better and better. First we got the bronze. Then the silver." And now this.

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Sources close to Corey Maggette have indicated that the Spurs have reached out to the former All-Star about potentially playing a limited role on the Spurs

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Shams Charania ‏@ShamsCharania 18m
Indiana Pacers free agent Sam Young has reached agreement on a contract with the San Antonio Spurs, league source tells RealGM.
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