It appears Larry Owens' time in San Antonio will be extended at least another ten days, according to an official announcement from the Spurs.

The San Antonio Spurs today announced they have signed forward Larry Owens to a second 10-day contract. Owens signed his first 10-day contract with the Spurs on January 16 becoming the second call-up of the 2010-11 NBA Development League season.

Owens, a 6-7, 210-pound forward, has appeared in five games for the Spurs, averaging 1.8 points in 5.2 minutes per game. He is shooting .600 (3-5) from the field and .333 (1-3) from three-point territory.

With James Anderson getting back into playing shape with the Toros in Austin, the Spurs had the space to keep Owens around and he'll have another ten days to prove to the Spurs that he belongs in San Antonio.

Ranking	Team	Last poll	Change	Record	Avg Ranking
3		7	4	34.6	2.5
		"I hate to say it, but I still see this team wearing down as the season progresses."-Thunderballers

The San Antonio Spurs ranked third in the Bloguin NBA Power Rankings for the month of January. Coming in first was the Boston Celtics and second the Miami Heat.

I can see why the Celtics would come in first especially getting the win, without Kevin Garnett, over the Spurs but to come in behind the Heat is questionable. Spurs have a better record than the Heat in the month of January unlike the Heat. To see the complete Bloguin NBA Power Rankings, click HERE.

OK Spurs fans time to chime in on the power rankings. Do you agree or disagree where the Spurs ranked?

The Spurs announced today that they have assigned James Anderson to the Austin Toros.

Anderson, a 6-6, 215-pound guard, has been out since November 11 when he was diagnosed with a stress fracture in the fifth metatarsal of his right foot. Before the injury, he appeared in six games for the Spurs, averaging 7.0 points and 1.5 assists in 17.7 minutes per game. He is shooting .424 (14-33) from the field and .500 (10-20) from three-point land.

Anderson is the first player the Spurs have assigned to the Toros this season. The Toros host the Reno Bighorns today at 11:00 a.m. at the Cedar Park Center.

Anderson will have the opportunity to work himself back into playing shape in Austin while seeing more time on the floor for the Toros.

For more on the Toros and to keep tabs on Anderson's progress while in Austin, visit our sister site, Toros Nation. 

• San Antonio Spurs' forward Matt Bonner continues to rehab his injured knee and will not join the Spurs on the road trip to Utah to play against the Jazz:

“He hasn’t improved a lick,” Popovich said. “It still isn’t getting any better. We’re real concerned about it.”

Also, the Spurs have not made a decision on whether to keep Larry Owens:

“They haven’t given me feedback (about whether he’ll be re-signed),” Owens said. “I just can’t worry about any of that. If I get minutes, I have to go out there and bust my tail. After that, we’ll see what happens.” (source Express News)

• Now that San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has been announced as the 2011 Western Conference All-Star coach, he and the assistant coaches will have to fill out the bench and according to Popovich, Golden State Warriors' Monta Ellis might have a spot:

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich conceded Ellis is "having an All-Star kind of year." (source mercurynews.com)

• Bloguin's own Stepien Rules, listed their NBA divisional All-Star teams and for the Southwest Division, a few Spurs made the list:

SG – Manu Ginobli, San Antonio Spurs. Best player on the best team in the West (and quite possibly the entire league), he’s been playing at another level this season. A level I didn’t think he’d have in him at this age, but him being a starter has rejuvenated him to a degree where he’s a genuine contender as MVP right now. If he can avoid those niggly injuries he’s become accustomed to, the Spurs will be for real come May and June.

C – Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs. Duncan is having the worst year of his glittering career with measly averages of 14 points and 9 rebounds. Yep, those are career lows. He’s still had a couple of vintage Timmy games and he still hits that bank shot from the corner better than anyone else, but Duncan has accepted that his legs aren’t what they used to be and has accepted a smaller role in what the Spurs do. Scary, that he’s probably option 4 on this team when they need a bucket at times. Right now, would you bet against him and Pop winning it all again? Thought so.

Reserves

PG – Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs.

SF – Richard Jefferson, San Antonio Spurs

Head Coach: Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs

• Stepien Rules also listed who they want to see on the 2011 Rookie All-Star squad and Spurs' Gary Neal made the cut:

SG – Gary Neal, San Antonio Spurs. At the start of the season I had fellow Spur James Anderson pegged for this spot, but Andersons injury has resulted in Neal stepping up. He’s had some big games when the Spurs needed a spark, and for $525,000 a year may be the bargain deal of the season. Great to see him embracing his second chance at NBA Stardom, good for him.

• Express News' Tim Griffin talks about the Spurs bench.

• Two men in El Paso, Texas were arrested for fraud which included Spurs tickets:

El Paso promoter Ramiro Guzman, one of two El Pasoans who pleaded guilty to bribing elected officials in South Texas two years ago, was sentenced to four months probation on Monday by a federal judge in McAllen, according to court records.

According to court records and the indictment issued in 2008, both men admitted that the items they gave to officials included tickets to a San Antonio Spurs basketball game, tickets to Houston Astros baseball games and tickets to an Oscar de la Hoya boxing match in Las Vegas at a cost of $6,500. (source elpasotimes.com)

Former San Antonio Spurs play-by-play announcer, Greg Papa, sat down with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich prior to the Warriors game to interview him for Chronicle Live on Comcast Sports Net.

Papa and Popovich talked about the current Spurs record, his time coaching in Golden State, his relationship with Tim Duncan and how long he plans on coaching.

"He was a great follower when David was here and it turned him into a great leader," Popovich said of Duncan. "It's pretty hard to not follow his lead."

Popovich also said he plans to continue coaching although he says he does not plan to coach as long as Don Nelson and Larry Brown, who he coached under in Golden State and in San Antonio.

"I still love it and I can see myself coaching for a while."

YouTube link

Although none of the San Antonio Spurs "Big Three" were voted by the fans to start in the 2011 All-Star game, Spurs' coach Gregg Popovich has been named to coach the Western Conference All-Stars in Los Angeles.

Spurs fans know Popovich doesn't care for these personal accolades but according to Tim Duncan, Pop has been "excited" about coaching at the All-Star game all season.

(video woai.com)

With 4:49 left in the second quarter Tim Duncan writhed in pain clutching his left knee that had the entire Spurs bench stunned and shaken. I'm also sure Spurs fans were holding their breath as well.

But he returned to finish with 16 points and seven rebounds, helping the San Antonio Spurs (38-7) to beat the Golden State Warriors 113-102 and calm any nerves about what initially appeared to be a serious injury.

Here are some numbers on this Spurs' latest win.

95 - The Warriors shot very well from the free throw line making 19-20 (95%) foul shots. The Spurs on the other hand, made just 26-34 (76.5%) of their free throw attempts.

46 - San Antonio dominated the boards, outrebounding the Warriors 46-36. The Spurs' reserves outscored the Warriors' bench 46-14.

38 - The Warriors edged the Spurs on inside points 40-38. The Spurs 38th victory clinched the Western Conference's best record through February 6, which means Spurs' coach Gregg Popovich will coach the West squad in the All-Star game on February 20 at Los Angeles.

33.3 - Both teams shot a similar 5-15 (33.3%) from behind the arc.

31 - David Lee had a monster game, leading the Warriors with 31 points and 12 rebounds.

27 - The Spurs played well in transition outscoring the Warriors 27-19 on fast break points.

25 - Monta Ellis chipped in 25 points, three rebounds, three steals and two assists for the Warriors. 

20 - Manu Ginobili led the Spurs with 20 points, seven assist and one steal.

18 - Tony Parker added 18 points, 11 dimes and three boards for San Antonio while Dorell Wright had 18 points, nine assists and five rebounds for Golden State.

14 - Stephen Curry had 14 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Warriors. Antonio McDyess gave the Spurs' bench a huge lift with 14 points, 10 boards and one assists in 25 minutes and George Hill likewise scored 14 points off the Spurs' bench.

9 - Both teams had only nine turnovers each for the entire game. Richard Jefferson had only nine points for San Antonio, but he scored six of them in the final period when he went 3-3 from the field.

1 - The Spurs had only one block for the entire game courtesy of Tim Duncan, the Warriors had five block shots.

0 - Hill and Andris Biedrins did not commit a single turnover for their respective teams despite playing heavy minutes. 

Rookie Watch: Gary Neal scored 11 points and had three rebounds in 24 minutes. Tiago Splitter had seven points and six rebounds in 21 minutes of action. James Anderson has yet to return to action since recovering from a stress fracture injury.

Notes: Matt Bonner missed his fifth consecutive game with a sore right knee, there is no structural damage but the team is concerned because it hasn't improved. 

What's Next? The Spurs will visit the Utah Jazz at the EnergySolutions Arena on Wednesday.

Follow me on Twitter @RobbyLim21

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich will be coaching the Western Conference All-Stars at the 2011 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles.

With the Spurs win over the Golden State Warriors, they have clinched the top spot in the Western Conference through games played through February 6.

This season, Popovich has guided the Spurs to the league’s best record, earning consecutive Western Conference Coach of the Month honors for games played in October/November and December. The Spurs have enjoyed double-digit winning streaks of 12 and 10 games this season.

In his 15th season as head coach, Popovich has led the Spurs to four NBA titles (1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007) and is one of only five coaches in NBA history to have guided his teams to at least four championships. Popovich entered the season with a career mark of 736-362 and a winning percentage of .670, which ranked fourth in NBA history. His playoff career winning percentage of .618 (102-63) is the eighth best in NBA annals, while his 106 playoff wins are the third most in league history.

Popovich coached the West team during the 2005 All-Star Game in Denver, which the East won 125-115.

Now the question is, will Popovich be coaching any of the Spurs' big three as part of the Western Conference reserves.

• According to probasketballtalk.com, the San Antonio Spurs are not playing fast, but teams are trying to play like that against them:

I have a theory as to why teams shoot so fast against the Lakers and Spurs — those are two good defensive teams once they get set. Both teams are disciplined about positioning and forcing penetration to help. So it benefits teams to push the pace on them and try to get early offense before they get set. You don’t want Manu Ginobili up in you guiding you to a waiting Tim Duncan, or Ron Artest in your face pushing you to the long arms of Andrew Bynum. But that is what those teams do well if you let them get set.

• Los Angeles Lakers' Andrew Bynum talks about how he grew up idolizing Spurs' great Tim Duncan:

• Former San Antonio Spurs' player Garrett Temple will soon make the Milwaukee Bucks his new team according to Fanhouse:

FanHouse has confirmed that the Bucks are expected to call up Erie BayHawks guard Garrett Temple from the NBA Development League. Temple, a versatile 6-foot-6 guard, earned three call-ups last year from the D-League as he played in 27 NBA games split between the Houston Rockets,Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs.

• Yahoo! Sports listed the all-time NBA players with the most scoring titles and Spurs' legend George Gervin came in third:

3. George Gervin - 4 times

George Gervin led the NBA in scoring three years in a row from 1977-78 to 1979-1980. He also led the league in 1981-82 all while playing for the San Antonio Spurs. Gervin is currently the 8th best scorer in NBA history with a 26.18 average.

• What if sports compared the 2011 Spurs team to the title teams of 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and for Spurs fans, the conclusion will be music to their ears:

The '11 Spurs still have an arduous road ahead to claim the championship crown. But as our simulation illustrated, they have more than enough ammunition in their arsenal to compete with their historical contemporaries.

• Express News' Tim Griffin talks about the Spurs holding onto their number one ranking on most polls despite the loss to the New Orleans Hornets.

• Who were the worst pro teams to make the playoffs? Well according to jsonline.com, the 1987-1988 Spurs' team made the list:

8.1987-'88 San Antonio Spurs: Other NBA teams of this era, like the 1985-'86 Chicago Bulls, made the playoffs with a slightly worse record than the 31-51 Spurs. They went 18-39 after a 13-12 start. 

With the Spurs heading West to take on the Golden State Warriors tonight, Jeff Garcia and I had a chance to talk to Joshua Russell of Bloguin's Warriors Court. Here are his answers to Jeff's pregame questions. Look for my answers to Joshua's questions about the Spurs on Warriors Court.

1. How would you asses the Warriors at the midway point of the season?

Given that for a good part of the year, the Warriors have had some big injuries, the sample size is smaller than a full half year. David Lee, Andris Biedrins, Stephen Curry, #6 overall pick Ekpe Udoh, and Lou Amundson have all missed multiple games due to injury. Given that, for only a couple of weeks, the Warriors have had their full complement of players and we are starting to see what this team can be - which is good, not great. The Warriors are clearly a couple of players away from real contention. Their guard play has been very good and their front court play has been sub par.

2. Over the offseason, the Warriors traded for David Lee. How has the trade worked out so far?

It's easy to say that the trade has worked out better for the Warriors than for the Knicks from a talent standpoint. David Lee is one of those players that has been injured so we haven't seen him in his element for that long. What I've seen, I can't say I've been blown away but I think he's a nice player. I am most disappointed in the way he seems to get outrebounded. I am anticipating guys like DeJuan Blair to push Lee around a bit. I thought he was a more tenacious rebounder than he has shown so far. But, his offensive game is expanding and he's a much better passer than I thought. On most nights, he's the third or fourth best player on the team and I was expecting him to be #1 or #2.

3. Looking at tonight's game, we have a fantastic guard matchups: Curry, Ellis versus Parker and Ginobili. Is this the key matchup or is it at another position?

It is going to be the most fun matchup to watch for sure. Monta Ellis and Tony Parker are probably the two quickest players in the NBA, especially with the ball so that will be fun. Another key matchup will be at the #3 with the Warriors Dorell Wright and Richard Jefferson. Being a University of Arizona alumnus, I am a big fan of Jefferson. But Wright is having a great year and is shooting lights-out on threes. The player who wins this match-up might give their team the real competitive edge.

4. The last win Golden State had against the Spurs was back in 2008. Heading into tonight's contest, how would you attack the Spurs?

That's a tough one. I was at the game in Oracle a few years ago when the Spurs beat the Warriors by 40 and it still hurts. For the Warriors to win, Curry and Ellis both have to have their jumpers working and Andris Biedrins and David Lee have to limit the damage from Tim Duncan, DeJuan Blair and the Spur's bigs. And, the Warriors have to commit to playing tough defense the entire game. It's going to be a REAL challenge, no question.