With the San Antonio Spurs taking on the Los Angeles Clippers in a preseason matchup in Mexico City today, Tim Duncan was asked about his thoughts on native Mexican and Charlotte Bobcats' Eduardo Najera:

Para Tim Duncan, una de las principales estrellas de Spurs de San Antonio de la National Basketball Association (NBA), el mexicano Eduardo Nájera, de Bobcats de Charlotte, “es un jugador de mucha fuerza, duro en su forma de actuar sobre la cancha”, por lo que le tiene respeto, comentó ayer (source jornada.unam.mx)

For those who do not speak Spanish basically Duncan gave the canned PR answers to the Mexican press saying Najera is a strong player and tough on the court.

Najera, who also attended Cornerstone Christian Academy High School in San Antonio, may be a solid player on the court and the kind of player you want to go to battle with but at times he has drawn the ire of Spurs fans.

Case in point his take down of Manu Ginobili and flagrant foul on Tony Parker:

The Clippers are coming off a 127-87 trashing from the Golden State Warriors, while the Spurs handed the Miami Heat their first preseason defeat winning 90-73 in San Antonio.

The Spurs have used their preseason games trying to get a closer look at their camp hopefuls. They recently released guard Kirk Penney bringing down the roster count to 17 and will need to cut at least three more players before the season starts.

With that being said, expect the Spurs to play their camp invitees a lot more. Curtis Jerrells, Marcus Cousin, James Gist, Bobby Simmons, Garrett Temple and Alonzo Gee are virtually playing for the three remaining roster spots.

On the other hand, the Clippers seem to use their preseason games to see what they've got with Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and Randy Foye. All have played a considerable amount of time during the preseason and after a season plagued will injuries, Griffin looked to be a good player for the Clippers. In three preseason games, Griffin is averaging 16.7 points, 9.7 rebounds while shooting 74% (20/27) from the field.

Chris Kaman will enter this game well rested since he did not play against the Warriors and Eric Gordon could log major minutes against the Spurs as he only played two preseason games so far.

The Spurs will face the Clippers with a thin front court. Antonio McDyess (given the night off) and Tiago Splitter (recovering from an injury) will not join the team in Mexico.

KEYS TO THE GAME

SPURS:

Offense -- DeJuan Blair has been leading the Spurs in scoring in the first two preseason games. However, given enough playing time, Neal, James Anderson, Jerrells and Gee can all be scoring threats. It will also be interesting to see how Blair matches up against one the league's young big man and possible Rookie of the Year candidate Blake Griffin.

Defense -- Keep Kaman and Griffin from dominating the paint. The Spurs should also be wary of the Clippers' outside shooters.

CLIPPERS:

Offense -- With the Spurs short on big man expect more inside scoring from Griffin and Kaman.

Defense -- The Spurs will probably rely more on their backcourt which means they can focus on guarding Neal and Anderson on the perimeter and stopping the Spurs' dribble penetrations.

INJURIES

SPURS:

Tiago Splitter - strained right plantaris muscle. (out)

Matt Bonner - sprained left thumb (probable)

CLIPPERS:

Baron Davis - knee (probable)

PREDICTION

With the Spurs having the tough task on evaluating their players, expect continued playing time for their camp hopefuls. While Clippers might continue on giving more minutes to Griffin and their other young players.

Arianné is back for the latest Spanish edition of the Spurscast. In this episode, Arianne recaps the latest news on the San Antonio Spurs for the Spanish speaking Spurs fans including a recap of the Spurs first preseason game against the Houston Rockets, injury updates and much more.

Remember, Project Spurs was the first Spurs blog to have a San Antonio Spurs podcast and the first to have a Spanish podcast for Spanish-speaking Spurs fans.

Arianne regresa con el Spurscast en Español mas reciente con todos de las noticias de los Spurs.

Y recuerden que Project Spurs fue la primera página de Internet en tener un podcast de Los San Antonio Spurs y la primera en tener un podcast en español para los fanáticos de habla hispana.

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San Antonio Spurs' forward Tim Duncan isn't getting any younger. He will enter the new season at age 34 and according to coach Gregg Popovich Duncan got slimmer though Duncan said he actually gained weight at the Spurs' 2010 media day.

Let's face it, Duncan is not the same five years ago. While he can still play at a high-level, age and nagging injuries are starting to catch up with him.

Last season he was able to put up 17.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, shot 51.8% from the floor while averaging a career low 31.3 minutes per ball game. Limiting Duncan's minutes during the regular season is nothing new. The Spurs have monitored his playing time during the 2003-2004 season and have been slowly decreasing his minutes year after year in an effort to keep him fresh and healthy by the time the playoffs come around.

This strategy seemed to have worked as the Spurs were able to squeeze in two more NBA titles while giving Duncan less work-load during the regular season. However, last year the trick appeared to back fire. The Spurs saw themselves battling for playoff position in late March and opened the post season on the road for the first time since the 1997-1998 season.

That is not to say limiting Duncan's minutes is a bad idea.

Last season was one of the toughest in San Antonio. They have to overcome some chemistry issues, inconsistency and a bad stretch just to make it to the playoffs. Unlike in previous years (when the team had secured a playoff spot early), the Spurs never had the luxury of sitting out their stars for the last couple of games to get some breather as the post season approaches.

In short, while averaging less playing time last season, Duncan really never got the 'rest' he normally had. Now, with a healthy 'Big Three', a couple players entering their second year as a Spur, an overdue help from Brazil and some additional rotation players, the Spurs look better than a year ago.

The front court rotation in particular looks deeper which will be good for both the Spurs and Duncan. The development of DeJuan Blair and Tiago Splitter's transition into the NBA will play a huge part in giving Duncan more rest.

Nevertheless, Duncan made it clear he wants to play and he's ready. He even mentioned recently he wants to play for the Spurs "until the wheels fall off". But in saying this, he is fully aware it's the teams best interest to keep him fresher when the playoffs comes around.

Giving Duncan more rest this coming season should be one of the teams' top priorities. He is still one of the games' best when the stakes are high and his leadership will be needed even more during the post season.

Granted Duncan did take the summer off but you have to question what can be done to give him the needed rest? Perhaps they can start by winning early and often during the regular season and give his aching knees the night off during the second game on back-to-backs.

(photo Getty Images)

According to nzherald.co.nz, the San Antonio Spurs have released guard Kirk Penney:

The Breakers have confirmed the Tall Blacks point guard has been cut from training camp at the San Antonio Spurs.

Penney played in one preseason game for the Spurs scoring nine points.

San Antonio Spurs' forward/center Antonio McDyess said this might be his last season in the NBA despite having a contract with the Spurs which runs through the 2011-2012 NBA season according to AOL Fanhouse:

Antonio McDyess reiterated the other day he plays to retire after this season.

McDyess will be entering his 16th NBA season and last season Spurs' coach Gregg Popovich had this to say about McDyess:

"He's a pro,'' Popovich said. "He's somebody that does his work and he goes home. He likes to work hard and he does it the right way. He's a classy guy. He's been a good teammate, and on the court he makes shots and he's a tough defender and rebounder. So he's been wonderful for us.''

His contract is 2.64 guaranteed, fully guaranteed if not waved before July 1 2011.

If an NBA lockout does occur then more than likely McDyess will retire.

The San Antonio Spurs dropped their preseason opener 90-87 to the Houston Rockets last Thursday and will try to bounce back as they host the visiting Miami Heat who are coming off a 103-96 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Heat remained unbeaten after two preseason games with three of their key players (Lebron James, Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem) logging 23 minutes of more per contest.

All three players played great against the Thunder. James scored 22 points, handed out 8 assist with 7 boards, Bosh had 23 points and 7 rebounds while Haslem added 17 points and 9 boards.

Meanwhile, the Spurs used their first preseason game to gauge their camp hopefuls. They played their starters sparingly with the exception of Richard Jefferson (who logged a game high 30 minutes against Houston) and since the Spurs are planning to cut their roster down to 14, the decision on who to retain will be tougher. This means more minutes could be given to their camp invitees.

One notable player who didn't play in the Spurs' first preseason game is Alonzo Gee. With the team looking for a backup small forward, it will be interesting to see who will get more playing time. James Gist, Bobby Simmons and Gee should get more time at the small forward spot.

Marcus Cousin and DeJuan Blair both played great in the preseason opener which could mean lesser playing time for Tim Duncan and more importantly more rest. However, they will have their hands full against Miami Heat's frontcourt tandem of Bosh and Haslem.

KEYS TO THE GAME

SPURS:

Offense -- During the Rockets game, the Spurs got a boost from Blair and Cousin. Against the Heat expect more production from the Spurs' backcourt especially if both George Hill and James Anderson bounce back from a bad game and Gary Neal and Kirk Penney continue to shoot the ball well.

Defense -- Keep the Heat off the boards, and limiting James and Bosh on offense. Something easier said than done. The Spurs should also be wary of the Heat's dribble penetrations as it leads to many assist leading to easy baskets. In two preseason games, the Heat are averaging 24.5 assist.

HEAT:

Offense -- James and Bosh will provide the points as usual and Haslem has been the teams' third leading scorer after two games. Mike Miller has been hitting his shots too.

Defense -- If they can take away the Spurs' inside game, they can focus on guarding the Spurs' backcourt and outside shooters. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili played effective in limited minutes while Penney and Neal shot the ball fairly well during the teams first outing.

INJURIES

SPURS:

Tiago Splitter - strained right plantaris muscle.

HEAT:

Dwayne Wade - sprained ankle.

PREDICTION

Another preseason game which means you can expect to see the camp hopefuls playing throughout the game.

Add another award to Manu Ginobili's resume.

The San Antonio Spurs' guard was named the Argentinian athlete of the decade by the Konex Foundation:

Emanuel Ginobili was honored with the 2010 Konex of Brilliant, as the most distinguished Argentine sportsman of the last decade.

Specifically, Ginobili received the Bright Award which is the highest award a person can receive.

Congratulations Manu. Well deserved!

If you are a frontcourt player in the N.B.A., to be compared to San Antonio Spurs' forward Tim Duncan has to be one of the highest compliments to receive.

New Jersey Nets' center Brook Lopez is an up and coming player in the N.B.A. and Boston Celtics' center Shaquille O'Neal recently said Lopez reminds him of Duncan:

"Reminds me of ... I'm going to go with Tim Duncan," O'Neal said. "Classy guy. You'll never hear about him getting in trouble. Great moves, great composure, and you're really not going to faze him. A couple guys will probably try to rough him up, but that's not going to faze him. Good player. Good player." (source espn.com)

In two seasons with the Nets, Lopez has averaged 15.9 points, 1.8 blocks and shot 51% from the field. In Duncan's first two seasons, he averaged 21.7 points, 2.5 blocks and shot 51% from the field. Seems Lopez has a bit more work to do.

Box Score | Video Highlights

In a game where Tony Parker, Richard Jefferson, Tim Duncan and George Hill played more than than expected, it was one player that kept the San Antonio Spurs in their preseason opener against the Rockets.

Marcus Cousin.

And no that is not a typo. The player several expected could be cut next, got a lifeline when Tiago Splitter suffered an injury. After his performance last night, he may not be going anywhere anytime soon.

In 24 minutes, the former Houston Cougar had 10 points, eight rebounds, two blocked shots and one steal.

Unfortunately it wasn't enough as the Rockets beat the Spurs 90-87.

The Spurs came out of the gates hot, putting up 32 points in the first quarter. Tony Parker and DeJuan Blair got off to a quick start and ended the quarter with eight points apiece.

In the second quarter, the Rockets stepped up their defensive efforts, Jordan Hill came alive and the Rockets' second unit fought back to tie the game up 50-50 at halftime.

The third quarter was a mirror image of the second, but two of Houston's starters, Aaron Brooks and Kevin Martin, got hot. Martin connected on several of his outside shots while Brooks shredded the interior defense to get to the basket.

Kirk Penney started the second half, and Garrett Temple and James Gist also saw playing time in the third quarter alongside Cousin.

While the second and third quarters belonged to the Rockets, the Spurs showed more life in the fourth quarter. The Spurs went on a 9-2 run before Courtney Lee ended it with a reverse layup with just over two minutes remaining.

Spurs rookie James Anderson entered the game midway through the fourth, but he forced shots, and was called for an offensive foul and traveling. However his layup with less than a minute remaining brought the Spurs within one point. After a foul put Lee on the line, Jerrells missed a half-court desperation three to try to send the game into overtime.

Aside from Cousin, two other spurs scored in double figures. Blair ended the game with 12 points, eight rebounds (5 offensive), and two steals in 19 minutes. Parker finished with 10 points and five assists in just under 17 minutes.

The loss leaves the Spurs at 0-1 for preseason, but they'll look to even it up this Saturday when the Miami Heat come to San Antonio.