In an interview with lsureveille.com, San Antonio Spurs' guard Garrett Temple spoke about how defense is key to his game but is hoping to expand on the offensive end of the court:

"Defense is what I did well in college and what got me here, and I'm going to continue to play defense," he said. "But I'm going to build my offensive game a little more so I can be a force on both ends."

"I was very fortunate to end up with a team like the Spurs that has so many great veteran players," Temple said. "It seemed like the right choice."|

Hearing Temple stress defense must put a smile on Spurs' coach Gregg Popovich.

On his injury to his ankle during the 2010 NBA Summer League:

"It was about a six-week rehab process," Temple said. "But I stayed in San Antonio most of the time, and we did what we needed to do to get it back right."

Temple is hoping to build upon his performance late in the 2010 Spurs' season where he opened eyes with his stellar play coming in for the injured George Hill.

This isn't the first time Temple spoke about improving his game. During the 2010 NBA Summer League I spoke to Temple about what he wants to work on in his second season with the Spurs:

"To be more comfortable at the point guard position. Learn to play the point guard more. Maybe learn the two a little more," said Temple, "Become a combo guy. Be a guy that can guard the point and the two slot and just go out there and be a guy they (Spurs) can really count on to do the little things."

San Antonio Spurs' forward Richard Jefferson injured his ankle today in practice but the injury is not serious:

Small forward Richard Jefferson tweaked an ankle during Monday's practice session, an injury coach Gregg Popovich says is not serious but might keep him out of Thursday's preseason opener at Houston. (source Express News)

Hopefully Jefferson fully recovers with the team lacking a back-up small forward. Jefferson joins Tiago Splitter who have been injured during training camp.

The San Antonio Spurs did their homework over the summer.

They brought in Brazilian big man Tiago Splitter, drafted Oklahoma State star James Anderson, signed sweet-shooting Gary Neal from Italy and then invited a few more quality players to training camp with four more possible positions to fill.

There is more work to be done but the Spurs' front office made a nice start in the offseason towards assembling a team that could compete for the NBA title at present, and at the same time build for the future. The Spurs now have their "Big 3" surrounded by a supporting cast with a nice mix of experience, youth and athleticism.

The team has gotten younger while staying competitive. Gone are the days when coach Popovich can say "we're older than dirt." Splitter, DeJuan Blair, George Hill, Anderson and Neal are already a nice young core to start with but the question is how will they mesh and catch-up with the Spurs complex system?

Hill is already playing like a seasoned veteran. His game has tremendously improved after two years in San Antonio. Blair has proved to be a rebounding machine and an energy guy off the bench.

Splitter, Anderson and Neal? They already made names for themselves overseas or in college but how will their game translate into the NBA remains to be the seen.

However, the Spurs are not the only team which is facing these kinds of questions while entering  training camp. All the other 29 NBA teams have their own issues and concerns. For now, the Spurs must be anxious and thrilled about what their new players could bring to the table.

For instance, is Splitter the real side kick that Tim Duncan has been waiting for? He was the best big man in Europe before he came over to San Antonio so it's safe to say he'd be fine. During the first day of training camp, Splitter already impressed and has shown that he can fit right in.

Anderson is already being hailed as another draft day steal and if he brings his prolific scoring in San Antonio how could we argue?

And what if Neal becomes an able replacement for Roger Mason Jr.? That would certainly make the Spurs a serious contender for the title this coming season.

But there's another thing, with the Spurs lineup getting younger will it be best for them to tweak their style of play particularly on offense? Should they try to run more? Here's a look on how they played in the previous seasons.

SEASON	WIN	LOSS	Offensive Efficiency	Defensive Efficiency	Season Pace Factor
2009-2010	50	32	107.2 (9th)	102.0 (9th)	94.0 (20th)
2008-2009	54	28	106.2 (12th)	102.0 (6th)	90.4 (27th)
2007-2008	56	26	92.0 (13th)	87.1 (4th)	103.6 (28th)
*2006-2007	58	24	92.7 (5th)	84.4 (2nd)	106.0 (27th)
2005-2006	63	19	91.4 (10th)	84.2 (1st)	104.4 (24th)
*2004-2005	59	23	91.2 (8th)	82.3 (1st)	105.8 (24th)
2003-2004	57	25	86.0 (14th)	78.5 (1st)	106.4 (19th)
*2002-2003	60	22	88.1 (11th)	83.3 (2nd)	107.8 (19th)

Based on these stats, it showed the Spurs have been always one of the slower paced teams in the NBA preferring half court sets and deliberate plays. It simply indicates the Spurs win when they dominate on defense while pace was hardly a factor.

But last season they already made some changes on their personnel and it dramatically altered their character.

They were ranked 20th on pace factor last year, which is their highest since their 2003 championship, used four more possessions per game and were seven spots higher than the 2008-2009 season. That meant change has already started last season and that trend might continue.

The change in offensive pace might be inevitable as most of the players are more adept at slashing to hoop and driving to the basket. Gone are the days when their role players were merely jump shooters. Hill, Richard Jefferson, Anderson, and Neal can all create their own shots.

Most of their big men are also quick enough to run on transition. Splitter runs the floor pretty hard, Duncan is not flat-footed either and ditto for Blair. This is not to say the Spurs should adapt the fast paced game like the run-and-gun Phoenix Suns. But a variation of half court sets, motion offense and transition offense might be in order for them to be more effective and efficient on the offensive side of the floor.

Doing so could make them harder to predict on offense as they can change the tempo of the game to their liking while trying to keep the opposing teams' defense off-balanced.

Nonetheless, in order for them to dictate the tempo of the game it has to start on defense. Every NBA title they've won since 2003, the Spurs where either 1st or 2nd in defensive efficiency.

They have to get back to being a dominant defensive squad to be able to impose their will on offense. A great defensive play could always lead to easy transition baskets if you have the proper personnel. Now the Spurs have the right players to do the job. It's up to them if they are willing to push up the tempo or not; but first they will have get better on defense.

What are your thoughts? Do the Spurs need to run more on offense?

(photos Express News)

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Kirk Penney had a fantastic performance at the 2010 World Championship playing for New Zealand. Now he is trying to prove to the San Antonio Spurs he can duplicate his performance and display more in training camp.

Here is what he had to say about his experience with the Spurs in training camp:

"It's really hard to know where you stand," said Penney who has been released by the NZ Breakers for one last tilt at his NBA dream. "I'm really looking forward to the games, and just want to be able to hang around long enough to play in them and show what I can do."

"There are a lot of variables involved, so all I'm trying to do is show what kind of player I am and just see where the cards fall after that," he said.

"That's all I can do." (source stuff.co.nz.com)

Penney averaged 24.7 points while shooting 45.8% from the field and 36.7% from the three-point line at the World Championship. He also finished second in scoring at the World Championship and averaged more points than Team USA's Kevin Durant. Not to mention he scored 37 points against Lithuania.

San Antonio Spurs' guard Tony Parker was interviewed by KTKR in San Antonio and spoke on his free agency, the Spurs chances this season, if he is staying in San Antonio, why the Spurs can win:

On how his free agency will play out:

“For me, it’s going to be very simple. I just want to focus on this season and we have a great opportunity with this team and I just want to stay focused on that. I can’t control you or anybody else in the media, can’t control what they’re going to say, and [if it's] going to go crazy inventing something that my wife said and she didn’t say. I can’t control all that. I’m just going to focus on my team.”

On whether he wants to stay:

“Of course, of course. I’ve said that plenty of times, but nobody’s listened to me. They don’t care, they just want to create stories. It sells better.” 

On whether he’d like to test the free agent market or would rather have a deal done now:

“We’ll see. We’ll see. We’ll see. We’ll see. For now, I just want to focus on the team and training camp starting tomorrow. I can’t control that. If the Spurs want to do something, I’ll be willing to listen, obviously. But we’ll see. It’s a long way. I’m going to use Manu [Ginobili] as an example. He went through it last year, and so we’ll see what happens.”

On why this is the last year the Spurs can win:

“I know people think I’m saying that because of my contract here, but I really feel like because of Timmy I’m saying that, not because of my contract. I’m saying that because of Timmy because then it’s going to be tough. It’s a long season and Timmy’s like 34, going to be 35. That’s why I felt like this is our last chance to win a championship. When Timmy’s gone, then it’s going to be really tough.”

Visit sportsradiointerviews.com for the complete interview.

Arianné is back for the latest Spanish edition of the Spurscast. In this episode, Arianne recaps the latest new on the San Antonio Spurs for the Spanish speaking Spurs fans.

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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The Spurs announced that Tiago Splitter suffered an injury in camp today.

The San Antonio Spurs announced that today in practice Tiago Splitter suffered a strained right plantaris muscle. Splitter will undergo a seven-to-ten day rehabilitation program after which a timeline for his return will be determined.

For Spurs fans who have been anxious about seeing Splitter in the silver & black after three years of waiting, the wait continues.

Marcus Cousin, a 6-11 center out of the University of Houston, and James Gist will likely see more preseason playing time due to the injury.

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In a move that isn't all too surprising, the Spurs waived guard Thomas Gardner today, three days into training camp.

Gardner, who was signed on September 27, becomes the first training camp invitee to get his walking papers.

The odds were stacked against the 6-5 guard coming into camp with several other guards. He was competing with Kirk Penney, Gary Neal and Garrett Temple for a roster spot.

If the Spurs and Austin Toros see enough potential in him, the Toros could pick him up as one of the three waived players they can assign to the D-League affiliate.

The San Antonio Spurs recently announced the hiring of Brad Jones as the new head coach for their D-League affiliate the Austin Toros. Jones spent the last three seasons as the head coach of the Utah Flash and prior to joining the Flash he worked with the Utah Jazz as a regional scout.

Myself and Michael De Leon had a chance to speak with Jones to discuss the state of the Toros, his thoughts on getting hired as head coach of the Toros, thoughts on Alonzo Gee, working with the Spurs and much more.

For the full interview, listen to the audio below and don't forget to check out Toros Nation for more on the Austin Toros.

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