After the Spurs announced today they have waived Michael Finely, Manu Ginobili said the following about his former teammate.

Class act Manu!

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According to Marc Stein of ESPN, the Spurs have released guard Michael Finley.

Just filed to ESPN.com: Spurs agree to release former All-Star and Stein Line fave Michael Finley so Fin can sign elsewhere before playoffs

With Finley's departure, this opens the door for Malik Hairston to perhaps get more minutes on the court. Plus, Finley has not had much time on the court since coming back from injury. Basically, he fell out of the rotation. Not to mention this move cut more salary off the Spurs book.

Stay with Project Spurs for all the latest on this move by the Spurs.

UPDATE:

The Spurs have officially announced they have waived Finley.

Today, to honor Michael Finley's request to be released from his contract, the San Antonio Spurs waived the veteran guard. This move will allow Finley to sign with another team and be eligible to participate in the 2010 NBA Playoffs.

"Michael Finley was an outstanding professional during his time with the Spurs," said Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich. "Both on and off the court he was great example for all to follow."

 

After losing to the Houston Rockets, the Spurs came back to San Antonio to take on the Phoenix Suns. And in typical Spurs vs. Suns games, it came down to the final minutes.

The Suns came into this game on a 5-game winning streak and brought their high-scoring offense to San Antonio.

Let's fast-forward to the fourth quarter.

It was a close game in the waning moments of the game and the Spurs were up by two points. Then, off a Spurs turnover, the Suns' Jason Richardson had a chance to tie the game.

He had an uncontested dunk when this happened.

Also, Steve Nash passed up a wide open three-point shot opportunity to tie the game but instead, he passed the ball to Suns' Channing Frye as the clock expired.

Suns lose to the Spurs. Final score 113-110, Spurs win.

Spurs fans can add this to the list of Suns failures against the Spurs along with Suns players coming off the bench in the Spurs vs. Suns playoff series when Robert Horry and Steve Nash got tangled up thus gaining suspensions for the next game, leaving Roger Mason wide open for a buzzer-beating three, never understanding defense wins championships, Nash passing up a three-point shot in today's game, and the constant playoff dismissals by the Spurs.

Now for some stats:

• Richard Jefferson came off the bench for 20 points.  Spurs are 6-0 when RJ scores 20 or more points. Hopefully Spurs fans will see more of this to end the season.
  
• Tim Duncan had 21 points and 10 rebounds.
• Antonio McDyess left the game with an injury scare, hyper-extending his left knee, but did come back into the game finishing with 12 points and nine rebounds.
• Tony Parker returned after dealing with stomach ailments, scoring 16 points.
• Spurs bench scored 55 points, led by Manu Ginobili's 21 points and DeJuan Blair with 14 points.
• Spurs shot 4-14 (28.6%) from the three-point line, 23-28 (82%) from the free-throw line, committed 11 turnovers, and grabbed 41 rebounds.
• The Spurs beat an above .500 team and move their record to 33-24. They remain seventh in the Western Conference.

Last night the Spurs did not play a full four quarters of basketball and lost to the Houston Rockets. From the tip-off until late in the fourth quarter, the Spurs were just getting out-worked in every facet of the game. Poor shooting, lack of defense, and turnovers doomed the Spurs.

Though they did make a comeback in the fourth, it was too late. Final score from Houston was Rockets 109, Spurs 104.

After the game, Manu Ginobili said this on Twitter. Let's just say he was straight to the point about the Spurs performance. He pretty much summed up most of the Spurs season.

After beating the Oklahoma City Thunder to snap a two-game losing streak, the San Antonio Spurs went back on the road to take on the Houston Rockets.

The first quarter was forgettable as was much of the entire game.  The Spurs came out flat, could not make a shot and had porous defense allowing the Rockets to score 31 points while the Spurs barely scored 14 after the first quarter. It only got worse for the Spurs if you can believe it.

However, through the power of Twitter, I shall give you the scores from the second and third quarters and give you the final from Houston.

I do give the Spurs credit for fighting back in the game late in the fourth quarter, thanks in large part to the bench, but overall this game was painful for Spurs fans. How painful was it? Check out these stats:

• At the end of the first half, the Spurs shot 35%.
• Tim Duncan had 17 points at halftime. The other Spurs starters had three points.
• Largest lead for the Rockets was 23 points.
• Rockets' Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, and Aaron Brooks all scored over 30 points.
• The Spurs did cut the lead to three points late in the fourth quarter on a 10-0 run but it was too little too late.
• Antonio McDyess, Keith Bogans, and Michael Finley went scoreless. All started the game for the Spurs.

Ian Mahinmi and Malik Hairston did see action tonight and both scored eight points off the bench.  The loss drops the Spurs to 32-24 and are still seventh in the Western Conference. The Spurs will next play the Phoenix Suns this Sunday in San Antonio.

Ankle injuries, plantar fasciitis, hip injury now add food poisoning to the list of Tony Parker's health issues this season.

Parker is dealing with food poisoning and may be out of tonight's game against the Houston Rockets.

Tony Parker, the Spurs' starting point guard, missed the team's morning shootaround at Toyota Center with a stomach ailment that coach Gregg Popovich said resulted from food poisoning.

Parker's availability for tonight's game against the Rockets won't be determined until shortly before tipoff.

You know what else causes stomach ailments? Parker's rap video.

 

According to James Munoz of KENS 5 in San Antonio, former Spurs great Alvin Robertson is wanted in a probe of a child sex trafficking ring.

A former San Antonio Spurs player is wanted on charges of sexual performance of a child, trafficking of persons under 18 for prostitution and sexual assault of a child.

Alvin Robertson is wanted and has not been arrested. He is one of seven people allegedly involved in a child sex trafficking ring.

This isn't the first time Robertson, who is one of only four NBA players to ever record a quadruple-double, has been in trouble with the law.

He's had multiple charges including assault bodily injury, evading and resisting arrest, criminal mischief, burglary, violating a protective order and the list goes on and on.

Robertson had a great NBA career with the Spurs, Bucks Pistons and Raptors, averaging 14 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. On top of that, he was a two-time Olympic gold medal-winner and held the NBA steals record until recently, but that seems all for naught as Robertson's criminal record casts a shadow over his illustrious basketball career.

Spurs fans are very knowledgeable about the Spurs. They know Tim Duncan likes to hug the ball before tip-off, Coach Pop's love of wine, or Tony Parker's "rapping career."

But did you know these tid-bits about Duncan and DeJuan Blair?

Friend of Project Spurs, Humberto Cervera, of News 4 WOAI TV in San Antonio, recently wrote about Duncan's other pre-game ritual. Did you know he hangs on the back of the rim?

Everyone knows about Tim Duncan's pregame ritual of hugging the ball, but that's not the most interesting one he has on the court. Before the teams are announced the Spurs will turnout the lights in the arena and show a video on the Jumbotron. During that time, Tim will jump up and hang on the back of the rim facing the other side of the court. He swings there for a few seconds, and then gets back to the line for his name to be announced.

What about Blair? Talk about a workhorse. This is his PRE-GAME workout.

Dejuan Blair might be the hardest worker during these pregame sessions. No one steps off the court more out of breath or sweatier then ‘The Beast.’ Keep in mind this is a few hours prior to tip-off. It seems counterintuitive for someone to waste this kind of energy before the game, but it seems to work. You can see the development of his offensive game through these small workouts.

Spurs nation just got more knowledgeable about their beloved team. Also, don't forget to hear Humberto's guest appearance on the Spurscast where he spoke about Ian Mahinmi's "work ethic" and other great inside information about the Spurs.

Check out Humbie's blog to read the complete article.