As a way to get through August, one of the slowest NBA months, The Real Shaq blog has enlisted several bloguin bloggers to compile a list of some of the worst NBA contracts, called the Jon Koncak Commemorative Awards.

Today is my day, and while many Spurs fans may hate me after this, I've chosen to highlight Malik Rose's 7-year, $42 million contract signed in the summer of 2002.

Rose came to the Spurs in the summer of 1997 and many didn't expect that he would make the team out of training camp. He surprised many and became a quick fan favorite for his blue-collar work ethic.

Hustle was what his game was all about. He wasn't the most athletic, tallest (listed at 6-7, but closer to 6-4) or talented player, but he worked hard, was all-heart, and somehow found a way to steal rebounds away from defenders that towered over him.

He earned a ring in 1999, and again in 2003, capped by his slam over Dikembe "who wants to sex" Mutombo.

But Rose became a victim of his own success and contract. My guess is that he figured that such a raise meant he needed to add more to his game and improve offensively.

He began working on his shot and in games, started calling for the ball and did more shooting than the dirty work he had become known for. His game had changed, and the Spurs wanted him to be the player who once ruled the offensive boards.

Never mind the fact that he was earning more than Bruce Bowen, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Stephen Jackson at the time.

Just before the trade deadline in 2005, Rose and two draft picks were shipped to the Knicks for Nazr Mohammed and Jamison Brewer, who was immediately waived.

With the cap relief they gained in the Rose trade, they were able to sign several players to long-term contracts, including the big three.

The Spurs went on to win their third title that season, with Mohammed playing a major role.

Rose got little-to-no time under Isaiah Thomas with the Knicks. He was recently traded to the Thunder before they renounced his rights and he now servers as the pre-game analyst for Knicks games on the MSG network and also served as the color analyst for the Austin Toros.

While his playing career may be over, he still has plenty of fans in San Antonio. I, even, still somehow have a Spurs #31 jersey hanging in my closet.

San Antonio Spurs fans may hate to face this reality, but Gregg Popovich will not be coach of the Spurs forever.

Finding a successor for one of the best coaches in league history won’t be an easy task, but we'll list some of our favorites today.

#1: Mike Budenholzer

“Coach Bud” has been by Pop’s side through all four championships and he is the longest-tenured assistant on the Spurs’ staff. Not to mention, he’s also getting head coaching job interviews and offers left and right.

The team also knows him well and respects him, which is very important, especially for a veteran-laden team. He's coached several summer leagues, takes over when Pop gets ejected and Pop has given him plenty of opportunities to coach during preseason.

The reason Budenholzer hasn't left for a higher pay-grade and head coaching job? He's likely being groomed and may have been promised the job here when Pop calls it quits.

Candidate #2: Scott Skiles

I've always respected Scott Skiles, as a player and a coach. He is a student of the game and knows it well, having played professionally for 10 years. He's coached overseas for PAOK in Greece, as well as in the NBA for the Suns, Bulls and currently the Milwaukee Bucks.

Last season, he took a very young, injury-plagued Bucks team to the playoffs, and he may be able to make some noise again if his offseason acquisitions work out.

Plain and simple, he's a no-nonsense, tough coach. Sound like somebody to you?

Candidate #3: Mario Elie

We all know Elie from his playing days with the Spurs, especially the '99 Championship run. He was tough and he gave the Spurs some swagger.

Aside from playing under Pop, he's also been on his coaching staff. Elie was hired when Mike Brown was hired away from the Spurs to join the Indiana Pacers. Later, Elie left the Spurs, a move he says he regretted, to join the Mavs as an assistant coach. He is now an assistant with the Sacramento Kings.

Just because he's an assistant now doesn't mean he's going to waste his talents and basketball knowledge on that level for the rest of his career. Elie only made it in the NBA as a player after seven years of playing overseas. So I expect at one point he'll get a shot to be a head coach, much like former Spur Monty Williams this offseason. But will Elie's shot come with the Spurs?

Candidate #4: Bob Hill

Just kidding! Let us know what you think of our replacements and list your own in the comments.

San Antonio Spurs' forward, Matt Bonner, will not be playing for the Canadian basketball team at the world championship later in Turkey this month.

Former Raptor Matt Bonner, now a member of the San Antonio Spurs, wanted desperately to play for his adopted country in Turkey, but that’s not likely going to happen because the federal government has yet to grant him citizenship — even though Bonner and Canada Basketball have done everything in their power toward that goal. (source torontosun.com)

So breathe easy Spurs fans. No need to worry about another Spurs player going down with an injury. A few days ago Spurs' center, Tiago Splitter, suffered a contusion playing for Brazil at the Super Four Tournament but after an MRI, the injury was not serious.

San Antonio Spurs' center, Tiago Splitter, suffered a muscle contusion during the Super Four Basketball Tournament in Brazil:

Recently signed by the NBA's San Antonio Spurs, Splitter left the game in the third quarter, complaining of pain in his left thigh. Team doctors believed the player has a minor muscle contusion.

Splitter will undergo an MRI in order to check the degree of the injury. (source english.peopledaily.com)

This will not sit well with the Spurs organization nor Spurs fans.

Spurs fans have been through this before with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili playing for their respective national teams. In both instances, Parker and Ginobili suffered injuries.

I am sure this will spark a fresh debate among Spurs fans over foreign players playing during the summer instead of preparing and not risking injury prior to the new Spurs season.

UPDATE:

According to esporte.ig.com, Splitter did undergo an MRI for his thigh contusion and the results were not serious. He was cleared to play for Brazil but will sit out the rest of the Super Four Tournament.

Player underwent an MRI and will return in the next few games, but is out of the final against Angola.

The contraction in the thigh that took the pivot Tiago Splitter of Saturday's game (7th) in front of Venezuela is not serious.

Though Splitter may be out of the tournament, he will not be cut from the Brazilian national team.

Today's Project Spurs' fan email comes from Tony Villanueva. He asks:

1. Sign Shaq for ticket sales and to as a veteran to teach your younger center players.

2. Extend & restructure your veteran players contracts, for example, Manu, could become one of your player/coach in his last 1 or 2 yrs of his contract.  (Jerry Jones-Dallas Cowboys was great in doing this).

3.Richard Jefferson, sign and trade or Roger Mason could become a much better player if given additional time, but must learn to play defense.

Hi Tony,

Since you opted to start with one of my "favorite" NBA topics, let's just get down to it.

In case you did not hear, Shaquille O'Neal recently signed with the Boston Celtics. So there goes the idea of him signing with the San Antonio Spurs.

You should go see how Celtics fans feel about Shaq in Boston at RedsArmy.com.

Personally, I'm not a Shaq fan. I am probably not the only one in San Antonio who feels this way, but I've not really liked the guy since his turn in the 1996 movie "Kazaam." I just think the Spurs could do better and find another big man who is interested in actually working as a team, not just as a player. Say former Spur Fabricio Oberto who is a free-agent.

As for extending and restructuring contracts, I am all for that idea. As a huge Dallas Cowboys fan, I know what you're talking about and I like it. I think Manu Ginobili would be an excellent player-turned-coach because he has the right attitude, definitely has the skills and genuinely seems to want to help the whole team achieve the main goal. Tim Duncan would also make an excellent coach with one stipulation - that he not pass on his poor mentality in bringing himself down when his game is suffering. That is another place Ginobili could stand to start working with Timmy - fixing his mentality.

Anyone who listened to the Spurscast earlier this week knows how I feel about Richard Jefferson - I'm not his biggest fan, but I am all for giving him another shot as R.C. Buford and the front office crew see fit. I know he can play a good game, but I really felt like he didn't give it everything he had this past season. Roger Mason is on his way to New York to join the Knicks, which makes me a little sad.

I really liked him at the very beginning of his time with the Spurs and genuinely hoped he would become a big play-maker for them. He's had some good moments, but maybe it's time for a change. I could see trying for a single season to improve his defensive skills, but otherwise - good luck in New York, Money Mase.

Thanks for the fan email Tony!
Emily

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According to ESPN, the Phoenix Suns have hired former San Antonio Spurs' scout, Lance Blanks, as their new GM:

Lance Blanks was named the new general manager of the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.

Before joining Cleveland, Blanks worked in the scouting department of the San Antonio Spursfor five years. He will become the fifth former member of the Spurs organization to be hires as a general manager in recent years, joining Ferry, ex-Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard, Oklahoma City's Sam Presti and New Orleans GM Dell Demps.

With another former Spurs' front-office member joining the ranks of general managers, this demonstrates the value other NBA teams see in the Spurs system. It's the winning formula which has produced four NBA titles which other teams desire to tap into.

To say the Spurs really are a wealth of NBA front-office talent would be an understatement.

Who is the better power-forward? Tim Duncan or Kevin Garnett? This question has been debated ever since these two players squared off for the first time in the NBA. So who better to ask than someone who has played with both players.

In an interview with rtvslo.com, former San Antonio Spur, Rasho Nesterovic, was asked who left a better impression on him: Garnett or Duncan?

This is a very rough translation but here is what he had to say:

I must say that to me especially Duncan. It is a true team leader. Garnett is a phenomenal basketball player, with exceptional [...] and knowledge, but I think that is mentally strong enough to be a team leader. Where [he] to stay in Minnesota, in my view, it won the rings. Thus, when he went to Boston, he made the right move and he did it because the Celtics Paul Pierce, who is the team leader says that in the critical moments range bins.

Basically for Nesterovic, Duncan gets the edge since he won NBA titles with the same team and Garnett didn't. Also he states Duncan is a better leader.

Though you have to wonder if he didn't pick Garnett seeing how he used to get constantly taunted by him for not being intense on the court when the two were team mates with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

So who do you feel was the better power-forward or do I even have to ask that question on a Spurs blog?

The San Antonio Spurs are perhaps one of the best NBA franchises at finding overseas talent. From Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and even Luis Scola, the Spurs have proven they have a knack for discovering foreign talent.

Recently, the Men's 18-year old European Championship was held in Lithuania and guess which team had scouts in the stands looking for possible new talent? The Spurs.

From July 22 - Aug.1, the European championship for 18-year old players was held in the Siemens Arena and Lietuvos Ryto Arena in Vilnius.

The championship was observed by many NBA scouts who were looking for new stars. The new talent searchers for the San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Houston Rockets (the scout of the latter club is Arturas Karnisovas, former player of the Lithuanian national team) were carefully noting each move on the court of would-be NBA legends. (source baltictimes.com)

Hopefully the Spurs' scouts found a future player for the Spurs in Lithuania.

In the NBA, the point guard position is considered the most difficult position to play. It's not simply putting the ball in the basket. One has to be the floor leader, direct teammates, carry the burden of being the coach's voice on the court and much more.

It might be even tougher for a young point guard trying to make it in the NBA when the team is a championship caliber team like the San Antonio Spurs with head coach Gregg Popovich, who demands a lot from his point guard. Ask Tony Parker when he first arrived to the Spurs.

Curtis Jerrells knows a thing or two being a point guard with the Spurs. In 2009, the Spurs signed Jerrells to their summer training camp and though he did not make the Spurs squad, he was offered a chance to be play for the Austin Toros (the Spurs’ NBDL affiliate) to develop his game.

In March 2010, Jerrells was called up from Austin to join the team because of an injury to guard Garrett Temple. Although he did not receive time on the court during the Spurs' regular season or playoffs, one thing for sure is he has been observing and learning what it takes to be a point guard in the NBA.

“I didn't actually play but being there I got to observe Tony (Parker) and George (Hill) and other guys who play my position like Garrett (Temple). Those guys were just talking to me and being able to sit back and just watch, it's one of the best ways of learning other than actually being out there," said Jerrells to Project Spurs.

As Jerrells said, what better way to learn the point guard position than to be on the same team with the 2007 NBA Finals MVP, Parker, and an up and coming point guard like Hill.

But what exactly is he learning from two quality guards in the NBA?

“The pace they play at. You have to know when it's time to play at certain paces. You can't always play fast and you can't always play slow,” said Jerrells about what he learning from Parker and Hill. “Tony does a good job at playing with great pace. He is a great scorer but also a great passer.”

As Jerrells mentioned, controlling the pace of the game is an area he is learning but learning when to score and when to distribute the ball is another area he is targeting, “One of the biggest things for me is I am a good scorer and a good passer but I still got to know at what times of the game I should score and what times of the game I should pass and find other guys. That's been one of my biggest steps for me this season."

You have to hand it to Jerrells. He knows the Spurs are a wealth of basketball knowledge which goes beyond Parker and Hill. The Spurs boast a Hall of Fame coach like Popovich and a Hall of Fame player like Tim Duncan.
"He is very intense and he can be on both sides," said Jerrells when I asked him about Popovich's coaching style,  "He knows when he needs to get after you and he knows how to come at you in a different way. That's part of coaching. You know how to get the best out of them."

As for Duncan, he was not shy to talk about what Duncan has done for his development, "He is one of the most vocal guys on the team. He is like a quarterback down low. He sees a lot," said Jerrells to Project Spurs. "He often talks to Tony, Tony often talks to him and for them the game is about communication. Being on the same page and you got a good chance at winning. That's why those guys are just winning!"

"When you get on the court for the first time and you see Manu (Ginobili), you see Tony and you see Tim, you are like man, it's just a blessing to be here on the floor with those guys at the same time."

Speaking of winning, Jerrells mentioned to me how he had an opportunity to be with the Spurs during the 2010 playoffs which was an eye-opening experience for him, "It was the playoffs and every body was taking everything seriously and every body was at their fullest. When you are watching that level, at that angle you come away with a lot of good stuff."

With Jerrells as the primary point guard for the Spurs at the Summer League, the team finished with a 5-0 record. 

Though the game of basketball is a team game and it took a team effort for the Spurs to go undefeated in the Summer League, I leave you with this which pin-points the biggest lesson learned by Jerrells as a point guard. 

He already has shown he has learned to take individual responsibility for the team's performance on the court and is maturing as a point guard, "As a point guard you are leading the team and we win as a team. As a point guard a lot falls on my shoulders."

They arrive hours early to the AT&T Center, paint their faces black and sliver, wear everything and anything related to the Spurs and will gladly chant "Go Spurs Go" on command.

Of course I am talking about the San Antonio Spurs fans! Well Spurs fanatics, your efforts have not gone unnoticed.

According to Forbes.com, the Spurs' fan-base has been ranked in the top 10 of America's Best Sports Fans:

Right behind the Celtics at No. 8 are the San Antonio Spurs. Like their team leader, Tim Duncan, the Spurs are quiet champions. They’ve made the playoffs the last 13 seasons. Fan devotion is may be increased by the fact that they are the only big pro team in town.

Way to go Spurs fans. To rank eighth overall in all of the big four professional leagues (NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB) speaks volumes.

You know what else speaks volumes? The fact Spurs fans beat out Los Angeles Lakers fans where they ranked 12th overall on the list.