Yesterday, the Spurs signed guard Cedric Jackson to a 10-day contract. Yes, that's right, Cedric Jackson. So by now you're wondering who the heck this guy is, why the Spurs signed him and what he can bring to the Spurs, so allow me to give you a closer look at Cedric Jackson.

The 6-3 point guard out of Cleveland State has been playing with the Erie BayHawks of the NBA D-League, and he's made quite a splash in his rookie year with season averages of 15.8 points, 7.4 assists and 5 rebounds per game.

He was not expected to start at the point for the BayHawks, but he earned the nod and the respect of his coaches, teammates and fans.

As we all know by now, Jackson was signed to play some backup point guard while Tony Parker is out with a broken hand for the next six weeks.

But let's get down to brass tacks, what can Jackson actually do for this team and what should Spurs fans expect?

According to Matt Hubert of Blog Talk BayHawk, his game is very similar to Tony Parker's in that he uses his speed to drive to the basket and finish over bigger defenders.

"In my opinion, Jackson is a great pickup by San Antonio. Like Parker, Jackson is lightning quick off the dribble, and he has an uncanny knack for getting to—and finishing at—the rim," Hubert said on his blog. "Just how fiercely does Jackson attack the rim? Well, he has taken nearly a quarter of the BayHawks' free throws this season (219 of the team's 980 attempts) despite missing nine games during his time with the Cavs."

While Jackson may be able to finish in the paint and has the "lightning" speed like Parker, he also shares a similar trait and struggle Parker had early on in his career.

While Jackson shoots 41 percent from the field, his percentages decrease drastically when he steps behind the arc, connecting on 28 percent of his treys.

The Spurs however, aren't really in need of another deep threat, and instead need someone that can dish and possibly put the defense on their heels, which is exactly Jackson's calling card.

"This guy can get up in a hurry and makes great decisions on the break which really impresses me for a rookie being one year out of college," Hubert said.

This isn't Jackson's first call-up this year. He was signed to two ten-day contracts with Cleveland earlier this season, and without him, the BayHawks struggled, going 1-8 without him.

Since his return to Erie, Jackson went off on a few occasions. In a loss against the Toros, Jackson had 34 points, 13 assists and 5 rebounds. Earlier this month against Iowa, he showed he's capable of more than scoring and dishing as he ended the game with 30 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and six steals.

So how does that translate to the NBA. Unfortunately, his stint with the Cavs wasn't much of a barometer since Jackson only played in 5 games and didn't get more than 2:42 of playing time and even got as little as 15 seconds in one game.

That should change in his second NBA stint, as the Spurs will need a good decision-maker who will look to help his teammates.

So we know that Jackson is quick and can get to the basket, but what about Jackson made the Spurs pick him up instead of going into their own backyard and picking up someone like Curtis Jerrells of the Toros.

Jackson is a leader, and he has been ever since he was at Cleveland State, but he also has confidence, the must-have trait in a point guard, and the trait that has sent several former Spurs backup guards packing. Jackson also excels in transition, on the fast break and the thing that likely sold the Spurs more than anything else, his defensive prowess.

He was the Horizon League defensive player of the year playing for Cleveland State last year and he ranks as the top defensive point guard in the D-League, according to Ridiculous Upside.

"He's not very big (6'3", 190) but he is very athletic and plays the passing lanes quite well - he has great instincts," Ridiculous Upside's Scott Schroeder wrote.

In San Antonio, Jackson could benefit from a shooting coach like Chip Engelland, and having Parker and Hill mentoring him would also work to his benefit.

But the question is, can Jackson stick? Does he have a chance to turn his 10-day contract into a contract for the rest of the season.

Accord to BayHawks coach John Treloar, he's still got some time and work to put in.

"He's making progress," Treloar said. "He's got a long way to go to become an NBA point guard that plays a lot of minutes, but it's another great opportunity for him."

An opportunity that could possibly lead to Jackson realizing his NBA dreams, even if it isn't with the Spurs.

"Im hoping that Popovich and the coaching staff see the same things I've seen all season," Hubert said. "I really do think Jackson can contribute on a consistent level with an NBA team as a backup change-of-pace guard."

Hubert also went on to say that he expects Jackson to be on an NBA team's roster on opening day next season. But for now, Jackson has a locker and a 10-day contract...and he couldn't be happier.

Required Reading

Ridiculous Upside
Blog Talk BayHawk

Hubert interview on The Spurscast Live

The San Antonio Spurs took on the New York Knicks last night and pulled out the win. Final score 97-87.  Though the Spurs did get the win, there were some glaring issues in this game. Let's move to the third quarter.

As usual the third quarter melt down. In the quarter, the Spurs committed eight turnovers (13 for the game) which allowed the Knicks to cut what was once a 15 point deficit to just seven points after three quarters.

Fortunately the Spurs were hitting their free-throws, hitting 9-10 from the charity stripe. This kept the Knicks at a distance as the teams headed into the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter did not start off well for the Spurs. Knicks cut the Spurs lead down to one point as the Spurs could not get it going on either end of the court. Telling moment was mid-way through the fourth, Tim Duncan had the ball in the low block and the other Spurs were not moving. Duncan angrily yelled at someone to move, when Keith Bogans slashed to the basket for an easy lay-up.

Eventually the Spurs did get things on the right track as they outscored the Knicks 14-5 in the final 3:58 of the game.

For more on the game, I did a post-game Q&A with my NBA Bloguin Brother, LIVES, from Knicks Fanatics. To read my answers to Knicks Fanatics post game Q&A click HERE. Enjoy!

Knicks died by the three-point shot tonight shooting 2-17.  Care to explain why Mike D'Antoni did not go away from this?

Mike came to New York with the philosophy that any open shot is a good shot, especially if it can get you three points.  He was so enamored by it that he taught it to Jared Jeffries the defensive specialist who was turning into a main offensive option.  You have no idea how offensive that concept was.  Any way, D'Antoni has toned it down a bit since he started but he favors allowing shooters to shoot themselves back into their rhythm.  It doesn't seem to matter whether it takes a quarter or a third of the season for them to regain it.

The Spurs struggled in the third quarter, committing eight turnovers and not shooting well from the field yet the Knicks did not capitalize. Care to explain?

No. Not really.  Actually the Knicks did take advantage of it by reducing the lead from 15 to 7 by the end of the quarter.   What more do you want from expiring contracts and a knee rehab project?

Your impressions on how the Knicks defended Tim Duncan and your impressions on the Spurs team overall.

The Knicks defended Duncan fairly well.  He holds the ball too long and forces it too much for my liking. He tied Blair with the most turnovers (3) on the team.  Lee did a decent job of keeping his wide body between him and the basket and Duncan did not abuse us with that spin move often.

 Manu Ginobli is da man.  The Spurs clearly have some nice young pieces and some other pieces they need to replace ASAP. Richard Jefferson is very likable but his game is not going to cut it for you guys unless he becomes a lot more aggressive in the paint on offense and defense.  He doesn't have enough alpha dog in him.  Roger Mason reminds me of the athletic guys I play against in the Y -- all movement, no results.  Hairston, Hill and Blair are very nice.  I also have a soft spot in my heart for McDyess who overcame so much after once being considered the hope for the Knicks.  However, the Spurs need some more size -- either a nice draft pick, good free agent or a sweetheart deal like the Celtics (Kevin Garnett), Lakers (Pau Gasol) or Cavs (Antwan Jamison).  Maybe your boy in OakCity will give you Kevin Durant for Mason. (ROFLMAO -- only it will never happen).

Time after time the Knicks settled for jumpers. Had to be frustrating.  

Asked and answered.  OK, it sucks, but we're used to it now.  Just waiting for July 2011.

Was there anything positive for Knicks fans to take away from this game?

One game closer to the end of the season.  On second thought, Danilo was still showing more aggression although folks are still over selling his game. But his play matters since I am fairly sure he will be with the Knicks next year.

Notes:

• Manu Ginobili led the way for the Spurs with 28 points, six rebounds and five assists.
• After a horrible game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Antonio McDyess scored 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
• Richard Jefferson and Roger Mason both had not-so-great nights. Jefferson finished with 0-2 shooting, seven rebounds, one steal and zero points in 17:55 minutes of play. Mason finished with 0-3 shooting, three rebounds, three assists, one turnover and zero points in 15:26 minutes of play.
• Jefferson went scoreless for the first time since January 2006.
• The Spurs bench scored 16 points for the game.
• Tim Duncan with another solid night with 18 points and nine rebounds and Keith Bogans chipped in with 13 points and George Hill with 12 points.
• Spurs didn't hit a field goal for the final 5:35 of the third quarter.
• Knicks have now lost seven straight games in San Antonio. Their last win was in 2003.  
• Spurs record is now 37-25, they are seventh in the Western Conference, and will next face the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday night.

(Photos D. Clarke Evans/NBAE/Getty Images)

Tonight, the Spurs will be celebrating Noche Latina when the Spurs take on the New York Knicks in the AT&T Center.  Noche Latina honors Hispanic fans and players with Latin-themed activities, including music, performances, and giveaways.

With the Spurs playing in San Antonio, the Hispanic influence, in particular the Mexican culture, is felt not only in the community, but even within the Spurs franchise itself.

So today Project Spurs celebrates with the NBA and the Spurs, Noche Latina, with an article in Spanish from Project Spurs' very own, Arianne Villanueva.  Here she spotlights Manu Ginobili and what he does off the court to represent Hispanics not only in San Antonio, but also in Argentina.

By Arianne Villanueva

La NBA estará celebrando su evento anual “Noche Latina” esta noche durante y después del juego de Los Spurs en contra de Los Knicks de Nueva York. Este es el cuarto año consecutivo en el cual el NBA se ha tomado el tiempo de reconocer a al comunidad Hispana y a sus fanáticos.  Esta Noche, Los Spurs estarán presentando actividades Latinas dentro de la arena que incluirán música, funciones, y regalando premios.

Con los Spurs como anfitriones en su noche de festividades, nosotros aquí en Project Spurs nos enfocamos en la cultura Hispana de nuestro equipo, y que mejor manera de hacerlo que reconociendo a nuestra Espuela Argentina, Manu Ginobili.

Aun que los logros de Manu Ginobili sobre la cancha son bastante conocidos, fuera de la cancha el orgullosamente también representa a la comunidad Latina. En la ciudad de San Antonio, el aparece en varios anuncios en Español y esta involucrado con la comunidad Latina al igual que con la comunidad Argentina en su tierra natal.

La mayoría de gente en San Antonio sabe que Manu Ginobili “Aun es un cliente de Time Warner” ya que a sido visto en anuncios para Time Warner en Español. El también aparece en anuncios para la tienda de comida H-E-B, una cadena de tiendas de mercado local en Texas. Manu también se mantiene activo en numerosos proyectos de caridad incluyendo la “Fundación Manu Ginobili”, que entre tantas actividades sostiene una clínica de deportes para niños mentalmente incapacitados en Buenos Aires.

El talento sobre la cancha, el carisma, y la humildad que posee Manu Ginobili le ha ayudado a ganarse el corazón de los fanáticos que hacen parte de la comunidad latina en la cuidad de San Antonio y por el mundo entero. Es por eso que yo como fanática Latina de Los Spurs al igual que muchos mas, siento la orgullosa necesidad de cantarle a Manu el coro Argentino….Olé, Olé, Olé…Manu, Manu.

Gracias Manu, por representar a la comunidad Latina de una manera en la cual nos enorgullece a todos.

On this episode of the Eighth Seed (or Sixth Seed, since we were missing John Karalis and Zach Harper), we discussed All-Star weekend becoming more lame and boring by the year and what the NBA can do to fix it.

We talked about the winners and losers of the NBA trade deadline, if the Jamison trade makes the Cavs the clear-cut favorites for the crown and which teams set themselves up to be players in free agency this offseason.

Each of the guys also gave an outlook on the second half of the season for their respective teams and apparently Rey Moralde thinks auto-tune should be for podcasters too.

The rest of the 8th Seed crew is:

Rey Moralde from The No Look Pass
Glenn Moore from The Dug Out Sports Show
Jared Wade from 8 Points, 9 Seconds & Both Teams Played Hard
Zach Harper from Cowbell Kingdom & Talk Hoops
John Karalis from Reds Army
Adam Best from Fansided

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Tonight the San Antonio Spurs will face the New York Knicks in San Antonio, so who better to turn to than an NBA Bloguin Brother, LIVES from Knicks Fanatics Blog for a gameday Q&A. Check out the Knicks Fanatics Blog for some of the best NY Knicks coverage on the net. Why? Well imagine a young Pam Grier, Sophia Loren and Jayne Kennedy in an old-school Knicks dance team. So worth the read.

In this Q&A, I ask him whether or not Lebron James will be a Knick, he wished Spurs fans warned Knicks fans about Mike D'Antoni, and breaks it down on what to expect from tonight's game from the Knicks. All this and much more!

Are Knick fans still holding out hope that LeBron James will be with the New York Knicks next season?

To a great extent Knick fandom is in absolute disarray which is what happens when your team is in absolute disarray and constantly losing.  Knicks fans are all over the place emotionally and intellectually. A few are still holding out hope against reality that New York is the ultimate destination for a basketball star regardless of money and the quality of the team.  I understand that even the team was still exploiting this hope by selling next year's season tickets as "LeBron Insurance." Yet, despite our longing optimism more and more New York fans are starting to see the reality over the marketing. LeBron James is most likely not coming to New York except to play a couple of games of horse against the Knicks and watch the Yankees.  

Mike D'Antoni. Your thoughts on what he has done for the Knicks and is he the right coach to lead this team back into the playoffs?

Ah, Mike D'Antoni.  Ye Spurs knew him well and were not neighborly enough to warn us.

Judge a coach by how he responds to pressure and difficulties, especially if he is the source of much of it.

Mike D'Antoni has suffered much under Donnie Walsh's 2010 plan which was really a concept more than a plan -- the concept was to get under the cap and pretend to be competitive towards the playoffs.  Donnie had hoped (and so had I quite frankly) that while he dismantled the team and turned it into expiring contracts, D'Antoni would shape those contracts into an exciting up-tempo product for the fans.  The notion was that an exciting product would tide us over until we got to the summer of 2010 and seduced one of the big three -- LeBron, Wade, Bosh.  Unfortunately, Donnie Walsh didn't really think this through when he hired a coach who skipped out on Phoenix because they lost confidence in his 7 Seconds of Less program and who avoided the Chicago Bulls because they doubted the efficacy of his "a great offense=a good defense" strategy. 

In all fairness to Mike, Walsh has built this team on malcontents and bench retreads.  The majority of his non-draft personnel decisions, including hiring Mike D'Antoni, has brought in someone either at odds with their previous employer, a player rotting and brooding on an opponent's bench (Chris Duhon, Al Harrington, Larry Hughes, Tracey McGrady) or someone damn near retired  (Jonathon Bender, Cuttino Mobley, Tracey McGrady).   Mike also came into an environment where he did not have his type of players.  He was forced to work with Walsh in a ridiculously elongated effort to kick out Stephon Marbury.  He never really warmed up to Nate Robinson and he thought that David Lee was not fast enough to play his type of ball. So you can say he did not have the tools.

Regardless, D'Antoni's job was to coach these players and create a team.  He did not.  Under the stress D'Antoni has revealed himself as the wrong coach for this city.  Beneath that smile and usually friendly (but competitive) demeanor, he can be mean-spirited and short sighted. He plays favorites and does not treat his team as a team. He treats his select players as a team. In this case, his pets have been Chris Duhon, Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari. Stubbornly sticking with Chris Duhon as his starting point was just sheer arrogance and stupidity if winning was his goal.  His management of Nate Robinson, one of his most skilled players, was appalling.  His team's lack of defense is even more appalling and he very readily blames the players for his lack of preparation and his poor coaching. 

David Lee. I seriously love his game and was glad he was an NBA All-Star this year. Will he be out of a Knicks uniform next season?

I believe the main reason the Knicks worked so hard to clear so much cap space was not for a second max player.  Management was working on a math problem which indicated they did not have enough space to build a team AND get a high quality max free agent.  Without that flexibility, the Knicks would be unable to make a run at David Lee whose rights they are probably going to renounce in order to open their options.

I don't know David Lee, but lately he has been vocally frustrated at the criticism of his defense and it seems that he is tired of being blamed for D'Antoni's poor defense.  Lee knows he can get better, but he also understands that he is playing out of position every night at the five spot. For the Knick's David Lee at the five is suicidal, if not out right stupid.  Lee is right, he should not play the five night in and night out, but he does do an admirable job sometimes, especially when he has help,  the guards are rotating and staying in front of their man, and the team is communicating as a whole.  My bad, that usually doesn't happen.

Seriously, if I am David Lee, I leave the Knicks.  Mike D'Antoni has mis-used him and the Knicks did not treat him as he would have liked over the summer.  Although they gave him a larger contract than they were technically obligated to, it contained a bonus for the playoffs which the Knicks did not give him a real chance to achieve.  He should be pissed and they should give him the bonus anyway.  He has been a loyal soldier through horrid regimes and he has developed a new aspect of his game every year.  Many Knicks fans don't like him because of his lack of defensive skills and intensity, but I would not be surprised if he developed that part of his game over the summer.  I think any team that is really a team would love David Lee. He's a real baller.

What is the key match-up for Spurs and Knicks fans to watch out for tonight?

I'm not sure there is one key match-up since the Spurs, more than most teams, play as a unit not a collection of individuals.  I would focus on two different match-ups: David Lee against Tim Duncan and the opposing backcourts, Manu Ginobli and George Hill against Sergio Rodriguez and Toney Douglas.  If the Spurs run and pound the ball inside, I will go to sleep early tonight.  If Douglas and Rodriguez can run at all and keep the Spurs backcourt squeaking its heels on both ends of the court, I may go to sleep late and happy.  
 
What can Spurs fans expect to see from this Knicks team tonight and if you were coaching, what would your game plan be versus the Spurs?

Their are three keys, beyond showing up, to beating my Knicks.  The Spurs must play at least 2 1/2 quarters of solid defense, they must concentrate on scoring in the paint and not get lulled into trading treys and perimeter jumpers and they can dismantle and discombobulate the Knicks with up-tempo, fast break offense because the Knicks have no transition defense.  If the Spurs walk the ball up the court on offense, they can easily be at the mercy of our three point shooters. 

Spurs fans may get to see some spurts of great individual effort.  You will love David Lee's mid-range accuracy.  It is gorgeous to behold.  You might get Al Harrington at his one-on-one best.  His array of face-up spin moves to the basket are very nice when he is not out of control. You will get to see the athleticism of Bill Walker, who we just picked up from the Celtics.  If the Spurs don't play good defense (see the man, see the ball), he will slip his opponent and add to his personal highlight reel.

Hopefully, you will see some solid play from our youngin's, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Toney Douglas. If Wilson Chandler stays off the arc, he is a solid player with a nice game -- not dominant, but nice.  He needs a better defensive coach to take advantage of that athleticism. Hopefully, Gallinari is going to use these last few games to develop a game. He has talent to be more than a three-point set shot artist but he has been timid and needs the ball in his hand closer to the basket.  He is not practicing an array of mid-range shots and post moves to take advantage of mismatches.  For now however, if an opponent plays him close and is quick to the angles, he can easily disrupt Gallo. Toney Douglas simply needs time to play.  It's about time that D'Antoni gave him a real shot.

Arianné Villanueva is back and this time I join her for the latest Spurscast in Spanish. In this episode she recaps the past games for the Spurs and we get her opinion on Tony Parker's recent comments on playing for the French National team this summer.

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

Arianné Villanueva y Jeff García vuelven y discuten los juegos de las últimas dos semanas de los Spurs. También comparten su opinión sobre los recientes rumores de que Tony Parker posiblemente no juegue para Francia este verano.

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

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The Spurs, playing their first game without the injured Tony Parker, lost tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers despite LeBron James and Shaq not playing and Antawn Jamison getting hurt during the game. Final score 97-95. Spurs record drops to 36-25 and remain in seventh place in the Western Conference playoff race.

The Spurs were basically a two-man team with Manu Ginobili and George Hill leading the way with 38 and 23 points respectively. Aside from no one else contributing on the offensive end, defensively costly turnovers in the crucial moments of the fourth quarter doomed the Spurs. Not to mention poor execution on the offensive end and failing to hit the shots when it counted added to this Spurs loss.

Despite the poor fourth quarter, the Spurs had a shot to tie the game and send it into OT but Roger Mason missed a three that would have tied the game.

To go over other aspects of the game, I asked fellow Bloguin NBA blogger, Brendan Bowers of Stepien Rules, a few questions about tonight's game. Please check out Stepien Rules for the best Cavs coverage.

The Cavaliers are deep, and if anything, they have a number of guys more than capable of hitting shots offensively.  Daniel Gibson is a guy that can hit big shots as well as anybody in the NBA and he hit one tonight, while if the team's at full strength, he probably doesn't play.  Other guys stepped up and did the same, and I thought JJ Hickson was particularly aggressive as well offensively in a needed capacity.  As a team too, I think there's something to be said about wanting to show people that you are capable of winning a game against a good team without LeBron, and after losing to Milwaukee last time out, I think they made it a point to do so tonight...and they did.

Thanks to Brendan for participating in this Q&A.  To read my Q&A on the Spurs loss with Brendan click HERE to visit Stepien Rules.

Notes:

• Spurs shot 41.7% from the field, 34.5 % from the three-point line, and 68.2% from the free-throw line.
• Spurs committed 14 turnovers and grabbed 44 rebounds.
• Spurs bench scored 17 points.
• The Cavs had six players scoring in double digits.
• Richard Jefferson, Roger Mason, and Antonio McDyess had a bad game. RJ went 1-3 from the field and 0-2 from the three-point line finishing with three points in 28:26. Mason went 0-8 from the three-point line and 1-10 from the field scoring two points in 25:23. McDyess went 2-8 from the field and scored four points in 14:59.
• The Spurs will next play the New York Knicks in San Antonio this Wednesday.