Last week I had an opportunity to participate in a Q&A session with TNT/NBA analyst David Aldridge. With the Spurs lackluster play so far in the first half of their season and the future of Manu Ginobili on the minds of Spurs nation, I asked David his thoughts on these two topics. Enjoy!

Jeff: The Spurs had a great offseason, trading for Richard Jefferson, drafting DeJuan Blair, and signing Antonio McDyess. Yet here we are heading into the All-Star break and the Spurs seem to still be looking to turn the corner and get some consistency. What one thing can you point to as a reason for the lack consistency with the Spurs?

DA: I think it's their defense. Their defense is falling precipitously in the last couple of years. The way San Antonio won championships is it made it impossible for you to get to 90. You had to really struggle to score 90 points against them when they were good defensively. And so, they never had a great offensive team. This is the best offensive team they've ever had, but they don't win this way. This is not how they feel comfortable winning. This is not their system for winning. Their system for winning is with defense, and their defense has dropped. It's been a noticeable drop. And part of that is guys getting older, Tim Duncan's getting older. Obviously Bruce Bowen is not there anymore. He was a very important part of what they did defensively. And they really have struggled to find that right complementary piece, a big man for Duncan. Now they are using guys like Bonner and stretch more to shoot threes, but obviously I don't think I'm breaking any news here that Matt Bonner is not a great defensive player. He actually puts more pressure inside and puts more pressure on the rest of your team. You know, they just aren't as good defensively as they used to be.

Jeff: As we know, Manu Ginobili is in his last contract year with the Spurs and the Spurs still have not had contract extension discussions with Manu Ginobili. What seems to be the hold up and do you see the Spurs resigning Manu or perhaps trading him before the trade deadline?

DA:Well, the holdup is that they're not interested in giving him an extension. The Spurs have made it clear that they have a two-year window with this group that they have now because that's when Duncan's contract expires and they feel like this year and next year are the years they are willing to pay luxury tax to be competitive and try to win a championship. So they're not going to get Manu Ginobili a three-year or four-year extension. They're just not going to do it because they are looking at this year and next year, and then after next year they may as well have to break this team up and start moving people. I think Manu understands that. I'm sure he's not happy with it. He understands it and so he's going to go into free agency and see what's out there and if there are teams that are going to make him a good offer. I think he'll get some interest. I think there will be three or four teams that will have a lot of interest in Manu but it's a matter of whether he gives the Spurs the right opportunity to match whatever is out there or if he just walks. I think frankly the Spurs understand that they are in a position now where they have to prepare for the fact that he may not be there next year.

Do you agree with David's thoughts on these topics? Leave your comments.

Click HERE to read the complete Q&A with David Aldridge and his thoughts on other NBA teams.

In an article from SI.com, according to one Eastern conference executive, the Spurs are aggressively shopping Richard Jefferson but due to his $15.1 million contract and perhaps his less than stellar performance this year, seems no team is interested.

"They're trying, but there may not be a market for his contract," one Eastern Conference executive told SI.com.

Jefferson was touted as the missing piece for the Spurs to bring them back to the NBA Finals when he was acquired via trade from the Milwaukee Bucks this past summer. However, it has not worked out and has drawn the ire from fans and has even ran out the patience of the Spurs themselves. Not to mention he is having his lowest production since he was a rookie averaging 12.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

Stay with Project Spurs as we give you all the latest developments for the Spurs as the trade deadline nears this Thursday.

According to an article by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Spurs are looking to trade Antonio McDyess to make way for a possible trade with the Chicago Bulls to obtain Tyrus Thomas.

The Spurs have been searching for expiring deals to move McDyess, who will make $4.9 million next season and is guaranteed about $2.6 million in 2011-12. Trading McDyess would free minutes and give them greater flexibility to re-sign Thomas this summer if they want. Thomas would give the Spurs a younger, more athletic complement to Tim Duncan,and could be part of a future frontline with former first-round pick Tiago Splitter and rookie DeJuan Blair.

Currently, the Spurs have several players with expiring contracts which are attractive to other teams looking to clear cap space.

Keep coming back to Project Spurs for all the latest on the Spurs during the final days of the trade deadline.

UPDATE:

According to the San Antonio Express News, the Spurs have not offered McDyess to any team.

Despite an Internet report indicating the Spurs have been shopping big man Antonio McDyess in order to facilitate a trade for Chicago forward Tyrus Thomas, league sources today told The Express-News the Spurs haven't offered the veteran forward to any team, even as talks heat up in advance of Thursday's NBA trade deadline.

Stay with Project Spurs as we provide all the latest information on the Spurs as the trade deadline nears this Thursday.

This week's mailbag comes from Joe who is not happy with Coach Pop.

"I have been a Spurs fan since 1968, my God Pop, what are you thinking. The game with the Lakers, Richard Jefferson is standing around without the ball, not moving, no spirit, no points to talk about. Is this what you spent your 15 million on? And now you want to trade Ginobili? Please he will take 6 million and still do what needs to be done with spirit. He gave us three rings Pop. Why do you not play Ratliff, or Ian Mahinmi? You need height! That is why you got these guys. Now you don't want to play them anymore, its not fair to them, and especially to Spurs fans. If you don't make the right changes you will not see anymore rings in your lifetime."

Not a happy Spurs Fan,

Joe
______________________________________________________________________________________

Joe,

I am writing a future article about Pop but you made some significant points.

Let's talk about Richard Jefferson first. He is no doubt an over-paid player for what he is doing. On offense, he needs more isolation plays and the Spurs will probably need to run a little often to take advantage of his athletic ability. Enough of taking jump shots. We have plenty of them coming from Bonner, Mason and Finley.

On defense, he is doing a capable job but he should give more effort on getting some rebounds.

About Ginobili, he is no doubt one of the most popular Spurs and fans will hate to see him go. But if the Spurs would want something in return for him, he could be included in a possible trade since he is one of our most tradeable asset this season. But then again, there no serious talk about a Ginobili trade yet.

If the Spurs don't extend him this season, Manu will be a free agent in the summer where he can probably walk away with the Spurs not getting anything in return. But know this, not extending DOES NOT mean he is not going to be a Spur next season. The Spurs can still make him an offer to about six million a year for two years. However, when the time comes, it will be up to Ginobili.

On Ratliff and Mahinmi, the Spurs can use both of them for short stints to provide some energy and shot blocking presence. Ratliff has proven that he can still defend on short stretches and Mahinmi has shown potential but is not given enough minutes to be able to prove his worth on a consistent basis.  Another reason for the lack of playing time for Ratliff and Mahinmi could be due to DeJuan Blair playing very well.

Bottom line, Pop still needs to make a lot of adjustments on the current rotation especially on defense and needs to utilize and maximize the talent of the this Spurs team.

Thanks for this question and I hope you are satisfied with my answers. Look for more light on your complaints about Pop when you read my future post on him this week.

Whether you agree or disagree with my answer, voice your opinions in the comment section.

Got a mailbag question? Send it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or click the contact link above.

In a recent article from Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express News, Tim Duncan mentioned he would like to play as long as he can.

Q - Do you have an idea how much longer you want to do this?

A -- I have one year, this year, and two more years after this. I think they're going to tell me to go home after that. That's what I'm planning on right now.

Q -- If you feel as good then as you do now would you want to keep going?

A - I'd love to play as long as I can. I want to be as effective on the court. I don't' want to be on the court just to be on the court. I'm a player. I'm a competitor. If I can do it the way I want to do it, yeah, I'll keep doing it."

If by "they" Duncan is referring to the Spurs organization, then they might have to reconsider. At 33 years old, this season Duncan is averaging 19.4 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 32.1 minutes per game.  Not too bad for someone considered "over the hill" for NBA standards.

Granted he will be 35 years old by the time his contract is up, but Duncan is proving he can still be a force in the paint and be an integral piece to the Spurs. 

We've seen other big men in the NBA be very effective in the twilight of their careers. Kareem Abdul Jabbar is the perfect example. Kareem at 33 years old averaged 26.2 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.8 blocks in 37.2 minutes.  His numbers did start to have a decline after 33, but he was still very effective for the Lakers. Kareem played 20 seasons in the NBA, and retired at 42 years old. In his final season, Jabbar averaged 10.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 22.9 minutes per game. It also helped that Jabbar played with guys like Magic Johnson and James Worthy to prolong his career.

Will Duncan play until he is 42 years old? I highly doubt it, but Duncan is proving that age isn't slowing him down. So don't be surprised if Duncan plays a season or two extra after his current contract is done. And like Jabbar, Duncan has players in Tony Parker and DeJuan Blair to help prolong his career as well.

He was selected to his 13th All-Star game, and still draws the double-team.  Not to mention, he has a pretty hefty mantle with four championships, three Finals MVPs and back to back MVPs among many other accomplishments.

In regards to his remaining years as a Spur, Duncan mentions he wants to "do it the way he wants to do it." The way he should do it is to go out on top, a champion, like another former big man in the NBA - David Robinson.

According to an article by Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News, Roger Mason's agent, Mark Bartelstein, clarified his comments about Mason's trade demand.

"It's not a trade demand," Bartelstein told the Express-News on Monday night. "It's simply, if there's an answer to the problem of not enough minutes, and everybody can come out good, they should look at that. That's all that's going on."

Bartelstein said Mason was "happy playing for (Gregg Popovich) and San Antonio has been good to him."

"It's just that players like to play," Bartelstein said.

Bartelstein insisted Mason would be comfortable finishing the season with the Spurs, should a suitable trading partner not be found.

With the trade deadline approaching this Thursday, Project Spurs will continue to monitor this and any other Spurs trade news. Please come back for all the latest in Spurs news.

UPDATE:

According to the San Antonio Express News, one league executive expect the Spurs to contact the Miami Heat since the Heat are looking to move Udonis Haslem and Dorell Wright.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, Roger Mason has asked to be traded and the Spurs are looking to accommodate him.

“Roger had a terrific season last year after the Spurs had a bunch of injuries, and now that everyone is back healthy and his minutes are limited, the Spurs are trying to do the right thing and find a good spot for him,” Mason’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, told Yahoo! Sports on Monday.

According to the report, there is strong interest in Mason from other teams. Especially because he has an expiring contract which make him an even more attractive piece to make a trade possible.

This comes just days after Mason told Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News he wanted to stay in San Antonio for the remainder of his career and try to win a championship.

His minutes and numbers are down from last season. Last season he averaged 30 minutes a game and 12 points.  This season, he is averaging 19 minutes a game and averaging 7.4 points. Mason is asking to be traded to a team where he can play a significant role.

With the trade deadline coming this Thursday, Project Spurs will keep an eye out on this and stay tuned to Project Spurs for all the latest Spurs' trade rumors.

Congratulations to Spurs guard George Hill as his college jersey will be retired by his alma mater, IUPUI, this Thursday.

The IUPUI Athletics Department will bestow one of its highest individual honors upon former basketball standout George Hill on Thursday when his No. 3 jersey is retired following the game with UMKC. Hill will be just the second former IUPUI men's basketball player in the program's history to have his jersey retired, joining Carlos Knox's No. 34.

Hill, in his second season with the San Antonio Spurs, is expected to be in attendance as the Spurs are scheduled to play the Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse on Wednesday night.

"This is truly an honor for George and all of his accomplishments," IUPUI Head Coach Ron Hunter said. "You're talking about a kid who's the first in his family to attend college and he's going to go down as one of the best players in our league's history. I'm just as proud of the fact that he's going to get his degree; that's something he's set out to do and I know he'll get it done.

"It's only fitting that his number three is honored with this retirement."

Hill was the first player from IUPUI to be drafted in the NBA when the Spurs drafted him in 2008 in the first round.

Hill has come a long way for the Spurs. After an ominous start in his first Summer League in 2008, going scoreless for two games straight, he is now a proven NBA player and a more than adequate back-up to Tony Parker. He even has drawn praise from Coach Pop who he considers his favorite Spur.

Our very own staff writer, Lance Fell, had the opportunity to attend the 2010 NBA All-Star game in Dallas. Here is his recap of the sights and sounds of the game, his quest for a Tim Duncan jersey, exclusive photos from Dallas and fan interviews. Enjoy!

Being the die-hard Spurs fan that I am, Dallas has always been the last place I’ve ever wanted go. Countless times I’ve told myself I would never step into Dallas County, but with Tim Duncan’s hall of fame career winding down and talented forwards like Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony heading into the prime of their careers; this could be Duncan’s last start as an All-Star, and there was no way, Dallas or not, I was going to miss this.

My two friends and I arrived in Dallas late Friday night and stayed at my cousin’s place right smack downtown. The next day, with no tickets to the Jam Session or to All Star Saturday night, we jumped on the Dallas Dart Rail and headed to the home of our bitter rivals, the American Airline Center (AAC). Now, as a Spurs fan, I’ve done my fare share of hating on Dallas, but as I rode the Dart through downtown Dallas, I was blown away by how beautiful it really is. I actually felt bad for talking so much trash about a city that is actually incredibly stunning.

Riding through Dallas, it was like a riding through NBA heaven. Every corner was plastered with pictures of All Stars. Dwight Howard was on every street sign, and the entire side of one building was covered with a picture of LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki. But for all the pictures of Brandon Roy and every other All Star, I had not seen a single picture of Tim Duncan. How could this be? I thought I probably just missed them while I was looking at all the different things and brushed it off my shoulder. Surely, we would see portraits of Timmy at the AAC.

When we arrived at the AAC I wasn’t disappointed. As soon as I stepped off the Dart, there was a banner with Duncan, Dirk, Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash. Finally some Timmy D. in this town. Outside the AAC, huge portraits of Paul Pierce, Dwayne Wade and the other All Stars hung from the sides of pillars surrounding it. We took pictures with the LeBron, and Dwight Howard portraits, but the one portrait I wanted to take a picture with, we couldn’t find. We walked a complete circle around the AAC and saw not one portrait of Tim Duncan. Not one portrait of the 12 time All-Star and four time NBA Champion could be found.

So we walked into the gift shop of the AAC, and immediately I went looking for a Duncan jersey. If this is Timmy’s last start, I’m definitely getting this jersey. So I walked through the fan shop in my Tim Duncan shirt surrounded by Mavericks fans. I could feel their eyes glaring at me, and I loved every second of it. The walls were covered with Mavs gear, but not one shirt had the image of the Larry O’Bryant trophy on it. That image, sorry Mavs fans, is on Spurs gear. I walked up to the All Star jersey wall and began my search for the coveted Duncan Jersey. I sorted through what seemed like a million Dirk and Kobe jerseys, but no Duncan. Really? I thought to myself. In fact, the only item in the entire store with any picture of Timmy was an All-Star shirt with every All-Stars face drawn like a cartoon on the front.  Needless to say, I was beginning to get a little annoyed with this theme of anti-Duncan going on.

So we left the AAC and headed to the Dallas Convention Center (DCC) to see if maybe they had a Tim Duncan and Chris Paul jersey. My friend Tara is obsessed with Chris Paul, but I let it slide because he went to Wake Forest. While riding the Dart to the DCC, my other friend Nathan shouted, “Duncan!” and pointed out the window. And there it was, hanging from a street pole, a picture of Duncan posting up. It was only the second picture we had seen of him all day, but it was worth it. We arrived at the DCC, but unfortunately since we didn’t have tickets we couldn’t get in. Maybe it was the DCC that had our elusive Tim Duncan jersey. I guess we’ll never know.

Our Saturday was over and we headed back to my cousin Adair’s apartment to watch what was sure to be an eventful All-Star Saturday night. But as we all know, All-Star Saturday night was on the dull side, and the highly anticipated dunk contest lacked not only high profile players, but creativity and excitement.

We woke up the next morning, put on our Spurs gear, and made our way to Cowboys Stadium.  Arlington is not far from Dallas at all, but when you’ve been waiting for something for months and the excitement and anticipation is at an all time high, a 20 minute car ride can seem like two hours. We took the wrong exit but thankfully Cowboys Stadium is bigger than the spaceships from the Will Smith movie Independence Day, so we just drove towards it. The quest for parking had begun, and I had been told to except high prices for parking, but nothing could have prepared me for what was in-store. Parking at Cowboy Stadium was one hundred dollars. Yes, hundred dollars! Did we pay one hundred dollars? Of course not! I already gave Jerry Jones 60 bucks for this ticket. There’s no way I was going to give a billionaire any more of my money.

We found parking about a mile away for thirty dollars that offered a shuttle and it dropped us off at the stadium. And as soon as we stepped off the shuttle there it was, two stories tall, like it had been dropped down from the sky above, a giant Tim Duncan banner. It was magnificent. And to make it even better, there was one the exact same size of Tony Parker next to it. Yes, Tony Parker. It was amazing.

The doors to the stadium were scheduled to open at 5:30 pm. I wish we had known that because we arrived at 3:30 and had to wait outside in the freezing cold for two hours. Standing in line I tried to remember if we were in Texas or Alaska.

After two hours of waiting and stitching my ears back to my head after they had frozen off, the doors opened and the hunt for the Tim Duncan jersey went into full effect. Walking to the fan shop was an amazing experience. People were everywhere in all sorts of jerseys. And Spurs fans were definitely representing. Spurs fans were predominantly wearing Duncan and Ginobili jerseys, but every once in a while there would be an older gentleman in a David Robinson jersey.

We were able to fight our way through the world record crowd of 108,713 people and get to the fan shop. All I wanted was something with Duncan on it. I went through the jerseys and All-Star gear and found nothing. Not a single thing. This was getting ridiculous. Tara bought a shirt and when she was paying for it she asked the cashier, “Why aren’t there more players in your jersey section?” The cashier replied, “Well we have Dirk. What are you looking for?” I immediately interrupted, “Tim Duncan.” He just looked at me, held his hand out, and put his thumb down. I looked at him, held my hand up, and showed him four fingers. The hunt for the Duncan jersey had failed. There would be no Duncan memorabilia. I would have to fulfill my quest for Duncan with the one place I knew I could find him -- as starting forward for the West All-Stars.

With Spurs fans from every corner of the world converging in Dallas, I thought this would be a great time to learn about some fellow Spurs fans and see what they’ve thought about the season so far. I asked San Antonio native and die hard Spurs fan Chris Kafflin his thoughts on the Richard Jefferson deal:

“I think the jury’s still out.  Don’t think it’s just him. I mean, we overhauled our whole bench. We’ve gone through so many starting lineups; it’ll be interesting who they decide to go with. I think they should keep the line up as is.” When asked what other player he came to see besides Tim Duncan, he replied, “There’s no other Spur, so it’s all for Timmy.”

Spoken like a true Spurs fan.

I asked Gerald Strickland of Boston for his thoughts on the RJ trade and he said, “There was a lot of pressure put on Richard to be great right from the get go. He’s not our problem. We haven’t been playing Spurs defense.”

Mike Johnson of Winston-Salem, North Carolina has been a Tim Duncan fan forever. “I’m here to see the great Tim Duncan. That’s my man. I grew up right down the street from Wake Forest. That’s my guy.”

It seemed all Spurs fans had one thing in common this weekend. I asked everyone which player they came to see besides Tim Duncan, and instead of hearing LeBron or Dwayne Wade, they all replied with something that shocked me, yet amazed me. When I asked this question to George and Sam Gonzalez of San Antonio, they replied, “DeJuan Blair.”

Finally it was game time. Now I can see Tim Duncan and a plethora of future hall of famers take the same court. But as much as I wanted to see Tim Duncan play, I didn’t. Part of me wanted to see him rest. Just knowing he’s an All-Star is good enough for me. Knowing that he’s there representing my home is fine by me. Spurs fans can’t expect him to play 33 minutes like in 2000 when he and Shaq both won the All Star MVP. In that game Duncan had 24 points and 14 rebounds on 12-14 shooting from the floor.

I knew this game would be completely different. It’s a new era in the NBA. The “Platinum” age as some call it lead by stars like LeBron James and Dwight Howard. Duncan only played 13 minutes and finished with 3 points and four rebounds, and yet, it was still the best game I’ve ever been to. LeBron played 32 minutes and finished with 25 points and the MVP, Dwayne Wade, finished with 28 points in 31 minutes.

Even though Tim Duncan only played 13 minutes, this was still one of the most amazing things I’ve ever been a part of. Soon, we’ll no longer see Duncan out there, in a red west jersey, pigeon-toed at the free throw line. The Duncan Era is winding down and to be able to see him play as an All Star starter is something I’ll never forget. I finally found my Duncan shirt. While we were walking back to our car, a man was selling All Star shirts out of the back of his truck, and in the corner of the shirt was a picture, not a drawing, of Timmy, clutching a basketball. So I bought the shirt for fifteen dollars. Take that Jerry Jones. I want to end this story with something my friend Nathan said. We made it into a sign, and I think it perfectly sums up Tim Duncan. Tim Duncan will be an All-Star until all stars fade.

After being introduced to some cheers and some boos in Dallas, 12 time All-Star Tim Duncan looked ready to represent the Spurs in the 2010 NBA All-Star Game.

With big men for the West starting such as Amar'e and Dirk, it would be tough for Duncan to get touches. Plus during pre-game interviews with some of the West guards, they all said they would like for Dirk to receive MVP honors. 

So how did it go for Duncan? This is how it went down in Dallas for him.

In the first quarter, Tim Duncan lined up for the West team for the tip-off and won the tip over Dwight Howard. He grabbed a couple of rebounds and on one play, he got the step on Kevin Garnett but had his reverse lay-up blocked by Garnett.  Duncan then took it outside of the paint and hit a jump shot for the West.

It was reported Duncan did not want to play heavy minutes in the game but did tell West coach George Karl he wanted to be out on the court when he went to a four point-guard look. Karl was reported to say he would play Duncan with four point-guards. Though it never happened in the game.

Duncan did not play much in the first quarter but at the end of the first quarter, Duncan had two points, two rebounds, shooting 1-3 from the floor.

Duncan started in the third quarter.  He grabbed a rebound at the 10:37 point of the quarter and missed a jump shot.  He then received a pass from Carmelo Anthony and Duncan got fouled on the reverse lay-up attempt.  He made one of two foul shots.

In the end, the East defeated the West. The final score from Dallas was 141-139.  Duncan ended the game with three points on 1-4 shooting, 1-2 from the free-throw line and four rebounds.

Though Duncan did not play much in the All-Star game, I am sure Spurs fans were OK with that seeing how they would prefer him to rest and not risk injury. I am sure Coach Pop felt the same way.

Overall, Duncan and DeJuan Blair represented the Spurs proudly in the 2010 NBA All-Star Weekend.  Blair with his monster performance in the Rookie/Sophomore game and Duncan's performance tonight.

Now let's hope for a Spurs resurgence in the second half of their season and a strong finish heading towards the 2010 NBA playoffs.

Photo by Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE/Getty Images