By Emily Allen, Staff Writer Project Spurs

The memory of a 92-86 loss in Memphis less than two weeks ago still fresh in their minds, the San Antonio Spurs (27-18) were ready to beat the Memphis Grizzlies (25-20) on home court at the AT&T Center on Friday evening. The Spurs lost Tony Parker to a sprained ankle during Wednesday’s game against Atlanta, so it was up to George Hill to fill the void left by scoring-machine Parker.

With Hill, Richard Jefferson, Keith Bogans, Antonio McDyess and Tim Duncan all starting, San Antonio started off the game down five to nothing as Memphis worked quickly in the first minute and a half of regulation. The Spurs recoiled quickly as Richard Jefferson put the first San Antonio points of the evening on the board with a 2 point jumper.

The first quarter quickly became the Jefferson and Hill Show, with McDyess and Duncan playing faithful sidekicks. Halfway through the quarter, Bogans made his only scoring contribution of the night: a perfect three-point shot from the corner, bringing the Spurs up 15-11 over Memphis. San Antonio was able to maintain its early lead by as much as nine points thanks to additional baskets by Ginobili and Mason late in the quarter.

The second quarter started off well for San Antonio as Matt Bonner made the first basket, a 3-point jumper (his only scoring contribution of the night as well) that put the Spurs up over the Grizzlies by ten points. Memphis came back to narrow San Antonio’s lead, but intense plays by DeJuan Blair and Hill (with a little help from Jefferson) during a literal down-the-court-and-back run in under 20 seconds stunned the Grizzlies and brought the Spurs back to an 8-point lead.

Memphis was far from content to let the Spurs maintain dominance and let them know in the last minutes of the first half as they answered San Antonio nearly point-for-point, limiting the Spurs to a two-point lead. Duncan worked vigorously, scoring six points in the final three and a half minutes of the second quarter, allowing the Spurs to enter the locker room with a 53-50 lead at the half.

With help from Jefferson, Duncan continued to keep the Spurs in the lead by dominating at the beginning of the third. Still determined to fight back hard, the Grizzlies came back to keep themselves in the game with small scoring bursts but could not find the power to overcome the Spurs on both sides of the ball. Ginobili stepped up to help give San Antonio big leads several times in the third quarter. San Antonio was able to score 24 total points in the quarter; 15 of those from Ginobili and Duncan.

The Grizzlies matched the Spurs entirely point for point in the fourth quarter, each team with 27 points apiece, but could not make up for minor struggles late in the game that gave San Antonio an advantage. Mason was a huge contributor in the final twelve minutes of the game, highlighted by back-to-back three-pointers, putting the Spurs back into an 11-point lead with under seven minutes to go. Just five minutes later, McDyess reached his third straight double-digit scoring game with a basket to bring the Spurs up to a 100-90 lead.

A little additional energy in their play all night thanks to a win over the Hawks, the Spurs go on to win against the Grizzlies, 104-97. Shooting 48.3 percent, the Spurs had a fairly decent night making 8-of-19 3-pt field goals. 44 points were scored in the paint and they had 38 rebounds, 13 of which were offensive.

Duncan led the team in scoring with 19 points and grabbed 9 rebounds.  Congratulations to Duncan as in this game he reached 11, 000 rebounds for his career! Duncan was followed closely by Hill’s 18 points and Mason’s 17-point contribution. Blair had 10 rebounds, Duncan had 9 and McDyess ended the game with 8. For the first time since Dec. 5, Michael Finley was listed as active but spent the game on the bench.

Two consecutive wins in hand, the Spurs have a chance to continue a winning streak with a noon tipoff at the AT&T Center on Sunday against the Denver Nuggets. Coming off their own 17-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a Friday night game, San Antonio can expect Denver to be seeking three R’s: a recovery, redemption, and revenge.

What happens when two bloggers from opposing teams, rivals even, get together to discuss a rumored trade?

Greatness happens.

But this isn't your typically overused NBA commercial. I got together with Greg Esposito, the Sr. Content Director at Fanster and huge Suns fan. We wanted to try to imagine what the exchange would be like between R.C. Buford and Steve Kerr in negotiating a trade for Amare Stoudemire.

Michael De Leon (as R.C. Buford): So obviously the Spurs are going more and more away from being a defensive-oriented team. With that in mind, the Suns seem to come up first as possible trade partners. DeJuan Blair is great but he isn't a center. So, how about a truly athletic big man like Amare. He's obviously gifted on the offensive end and he won't waste much effort on the defensive end. So which player or players on the Spurs' end would we have to give up to get a player like Amare?

Greg Esposito (as Steve Kerr): You, the San Antonio Spurs, want Amare Stoudemire? You can have him when you pry him from our cold dead hands. Or in exchange for cap relief, draft picks and a young talent (and we use that term loosely). I'd love to play hardball but I think our situation is pretty obvious. Amare can walk and we aren't willing/don't have the cash to give him the max.

Wow me with an offer that fits those perameters because, honestly, talking about a trade with you is like Obi Wan Kanobi talking with Darth Vader about trading Luke Skywalker to the dark side for a few new light sabers and a storm trooper to be named later.

MD: Yes, but a few years ago that Storm Trooper to be named later could have been the draft rights to DeJuan Blair. There is the matter of the $17 million Amare makes a year. Since Richard Jefferson seems to be a bust of a signing and the Suns apparently love overpaying for underperforming talent (Shaq) why not send him over to Phoenix. He already shows no effort on the defensive end of the floor so he'd fit in perfectly in Planet Orange. So how about Jefferson and the rights to Viktor Sanikidze. We can get it into the sim league office today. Let me know what you think and then I'll give you a ring back...wait, this is Phoenix, land of no rings. What do your phone's do?

GE: Funny thing happens, every time the phone looks like it's going to ring in Phoenix some guy in a black and silver shirt with a 5 on the back throws it into the table and busts it up. Damnedest thing. So let's just stick to email.

Right now we don't need any additional overpaid busts. Jason Richardson is holding down that spot on the roster. By the way, do you have any interest in an Amare Stoudamire-Jason Richardson package? We'd love to give you both of them. How about Jeferson, Ginobli and Blair for Amare and J-Rich?

We trade busts, a fresh start could do wonders for both. Our medical staff can rejuvenate DeJuan Blair's knees and make him a nice replacement for Stoudemire. You get new "twin towers" and keep the championship window open. We can put Ginobli out in front of the arena and use him like one of those cars high school students mash at homecoming. Sounds like a win-win for everybody and I checked the numbers and it works.

MD: No deal. DeJuan Blair is untouchable right now. We really have no need for Richardson either since we already have Manu, Mason and George Hill. Back to Stoudemire. I'm hearing in the press you may want a draft pick, an expiring contract and another player. So how about you reunite Michael Finley with Steve Nash, we'll throw in a future draft pick and you can take your pick from either Jefferson or Manu?

GE: Sure, the press has said that. The problem is, if I send you Stoudemire, any draft pick I get in return will be a late first rounder. If I'm going to hand you a title, I want to do it in a way that I don't look like the next Chris Wallace. Especially since I know Mitch Kupchak and you sir are no Mitch Kupchak. That man could charm the pants off a horse, or at least a subpar NBA GM.

Here's my offer, I'll agree to a deal including Manu, Finley, Boner, getting my #25 jersey retired, shared custody of the Alamo and the 2007 championship banner. No draft pick needed if you agree that I can have 24 hours with Stoudemire and you agree to wave his physical (I need to practice my Three Stooges moves).

I'm even willing to throw in an autographed copy of Paul Shirley's updated book "Can I Keep My Jersey in Exchanged for My Common Sense?", an autographed copy of Barkley hitting the game winning jumper over David Robinson in game six of the 1993 playoffs, we'll remove any record of Mario Elie or Robert Horry ever playing here (you can have them both) and, the best part of it all, a copy of our 2010 cheerleader calendar.

Let me know...

MD: It all sounded great until the shared custody of the Alamo and the 2007 banner. I'm fine with retiring your jersey. After all, they retired Avery Johnsons. I've had Shirley's book on my Amazon wishlist for some time now and that calendar would go to some good use, but I have some other options in mind. How about Matt Bonner and Michael Finley, the Silver Dancers and Belinda Snell for Jared Dudley, the Suns Dancers, Cappie Pondexter and that Shirley book. Oh and we'll let your entire team have a two practices a year in the AT&T Center so they'll know what those banners that hang up in arenas are for.

GE: An enticing offer, but I'd have a tough time parting with the dancers. I'll tell you what, I've got Pat Reily on the other line and he's offering a time share in South Beach, some hair gel, Jermaine O'Neal, a first and a certified letter that officially removes the Shaq deal from the record books. I just think that combination will do more to make me popular with the fans here in Phoenix than what we're discussing.

I'll give you a call back if it falls through. If we can't do a deal for Amare, maybe we can send you Jarron Collins in exchange for that retired number.

MD: Keep Collins. Send us one Suns Dancer that we'll keep the AT&T Center cameras on and use in all of our promo material and your number is as good as retired. We'll put together a ceremony and everything. Of course if Roger Mason hitting the Xmas day shot comes on or Tim Duncan hitting the 3 video comes on the jumbotron, that's out of my control. We'll make you feel like a champion again, because that's not likely to happen in Phoenix. All I need is your signature, and I'll see if we can get this up to the league office before closing time today.

GE: Done deal. The fax is on it's way.

Thanks to Greg for reaching out to me and agreeing to do this. Sure, he's a Suns fan, but don't be too hard on him. He was born that way. Make sure to read his latest on Fanster and you can follow him on twitter as well.

I got a chance to speak with Chip Crain of 3 Shades of Blue to preview tonight's Spurs vs. Grizzlies game. You can also see his game preview here.

1. The Grizzlies used to be a team you looked at on the upcoming schedule and count as a win. As the Spurs found out recently, overlooking them is a mistake. Do you see the Grizzlies surprising the Spurs again?

I hate to predict individual games but I think the Grizzlies have as good a chance as they ever have had to get out of San Antonio with a victory. First the Grizzlies are playing the best basketball the team has ever played before. Zach Randolph is an All-Star, Marc Gasol had to receive some consideration at the Center position and Rudy Gay at small forward make the Grizzlies front line as formidable as any in the league. O J Mayo is becoming a well rounded player in the league capable of scoring 30 or more points and also getting double figure assists on any given night. A rare accomplishment for a SG. The Grizzlies one weakness is Point Guard and even at that position the Grizzlies are improving as Mike Conley is becoming a much better floor general and scorer.

Perhaps the reason I am most hopeful in tonight's game is the general poor condition of the Spurs however. Tony Parker is out for this game. Richard Jefferson has struggled all season with back issues. TIm Duncan, while still one of my favorite players in the league, has been showing some effects of his long career in the league and the center position seems unsettled right now as is the SG role. Until Michael Finley returns, Parker is healthy and someone is decided on as the full time starting center San Antonio is not the team they are capable of being. That bodes well for the Grizzlies.

The problem is that despite these issues San Antonio has a deep and talented bench. Memphis' bench consists of a player who has been out of the league for a year and a half and who missed training camp plus 3 rookies. Each of the rookies is capable of having a good game but none can be counted on to produce in every game. It's just the nature of rookies in the NBA and the dreaded rookie wall is looming as well.

Can the Grizzlies win? Absolutely but I can't say I expect the Spurs to fall twice in a row to the Grizzlies.

2. With 48 games under their belts this season, what is your mini review of the Grizzlies at midseason? Have they met or past expectations and why?

I think anyone who doesn't admit the Grizzlies have surpassed expectations is fooling themselves. First, the team is in 7th place in the Western Conference and 3rd place in the division. Who could have suspected such an outcome from a team that won 24 games last season in total and only added three rookies from what was perceived to be a weak draft and a player who was cast out of the last three cities he played in? However I was optimistic about this team heading into the season.

The most important thing to remember when reviewing the Grizzlies first half and comparing it to the pre-season predictions are a few noticeable absences from expectations which have helped bolster the team. First is the absence of Allen Iverson. While a huge fan favorite, Allen Iverson was a terrible fit in Memphis. His actions almost from the start were a distraction to a young team needing leadership . Iverson come into camp out of shape. When he got healthy he immediately demanded to start despite doing nothing to earn the position. He then left the team after three games played and continued to cause distractions while away from the team. The slow start can be directly attributable to his actions. However his actions had a peculiar effect on the team. Instead of destroying the psyche of the team it actually emboldened it. The players gathered behind the coach and themselves and decided to bond together as a group against all outside distractions. In many ways Iverson's actions forced the team to grow up and trust one another.

This brought in the second surprise. Zach Randolph became a leader. Faced with a team desperate for veteran leadership Zach stood up and became the player so many people thought he would never become. Randolph was not the focal point of the team those first nine games but became the focus with hard work and discipline, two traits previously unseen in his actions. Perhaps he finally matured or perhaps he was forced into the role but whatever the reason Randolph stopped taking so many bad shots, became a team player instead of an individual and put the team on his back by showing them how to be a professional and give effort every moment on the court regardless of the situation. No one could have suspected that Randolph, who has fought with teammates in Portland, opponents in LA and the public everywhere he has played would suddenly mature into a team leader who has been nothing but a model citizen in Memphis.

The final absence from expectations has been the team's health. The Grizzlies starting five is their strength and so far they have been fortunate to avoid any long term injuries. That has not been the case in the past. Mike Conley missed time in both of his first two seasons with varied injuries. O J Mayo, Marc Gasol and Rudy Gay have been healthy in their careers but have logged a ton of minutes. Zach Randolph has been injury prone his entire career. Can the team's core players remain healthy all season? What will happen if Randolph, Gasol or Gay miss significant time? A fully healthy team was not expected and that has helped the team tremendously in their development as a unit.

So the team has outperformed expectations because of the absence of Allen Iverson's attitude, Zach Randolph's immaturity and any long term injuries. It is difficult to say which has been more important to the development of the team. It is not unreasonable to say that all of these absences have had a huge impact on the success of the team.

3. Zach Randolph was key in the last win against the Spurs. Halfway through his first season in Memphis, how would you rate his performance and do you think he's found a home in Memphis?

Rating Zach's performance is easy. He has been everything the front office hoped for and more. The only player in the Western Conference currently averaging 20 pts and 10 rebounds a game, Randolph has elevated himself into a premier player in the NBA rivaling Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol as the premier power forwards in the league. He has taken the young players under his wing by setting examples on the court and providing leadership and tutoring off it. It isn't difficult to say that he has been the most valuable player on his team in the league this year. The Grizzlies would never be contending in the West if not for Randolph's leadership. It is difficult to say that Randolph's new found maturity will last. After all it has only been 44 games. However I do believe Randolph is a different player now. I had the good fortune of meeting Randolph at the airport when he arrived in Memphis and right away I saw a player in excellent shape and with a different attitude than I expected. Randolph told me then that he wanted to be a different player. He wanted to put behind him his sordid past and reputation and start fresh. He obviously succeeded so far. Will this continue to be the case? We can only hope so. Memphis is a far different city than New York or LA but it's not that different from Portland where his career began. Obviously Memphis hopes that the new Randolph will continue to lead the team in the future. He is contractually bound to Memphis until the summer of 2011 so he will have time to really put down roots in Memphis.

The other problem is Memphis is a small town. Their owner is conscious of the bottom line and with younger players like Mayo, Gay and Gasol needing to be locked up long term over the next 18 months will there be enough money available to keep Randolph, who will be approaching 30 when his contract is do to expire, in Memphis? 4. Last game, Memphis' defenders found a way to limit Richard Jefferson to just 3 points/ With Tony Parker pout and Jefferson likely to get more touches, what will Memphis do to try to make him a non-factor again. Jefferson wasn't shut down as much as he didn't work to get the ball. He didn't seem able to or wanting to be involved. It may be his back or it could have been just a general off night. One thing is certain. It wasn't Rudy Gay's suffocating defense. Rudy will force Jefferson to play a lot on defense. How that effects his offense will have to be seen. I don't expect Jefferson to be held to three points again but he may struggle to stop Rudy and still make an impact on the offensive end.

Jefferson has been a major enigma to me this season. I thought his acquisition would put the Spurs in contention with the Lakers for the conference crown. I thought his game would fit in perfectly with the Spurs. However he has struggled to find his role on the team and the continued petty injuries has slowed that development down. The Spurs need Jefferson to be a viable offensive force to return to the top of the conference especially considering Manu's age and Parkers foot problems. Can he do this? I don't know. He hasn't been the same player since Jason Kidd stopped passing him the ball. Perhaps he is one of those players that looked better than he was because his point guard was so great. I didn't think so but his production seems to imply that.

5. What is your key matchup of the game? Who wins that and what is your prediction for the game?

Well naturally Duncan-Randolph is the premier matchup of the game, Jefferson-Gay should create highlight film dunks, Mayo and Manu some beautiful plays but to me the KEY matchup will be George Hill and Mike Conley. Hardly front page news but Conley needs to dominate Hill for the Grizzlies to have a chance. If Hill comes in and outplays Conley then the Spurs veterans plus the hometown crowd will make it extremely difficult for the Grizzlies to steal a win.

Hill is another late round gem plucked by the Spurs. He has good size for a PG as I stated in my pre-game report. He's not too tall to struggle with smaller, faster PG's and not too small to be a defensive liability against bigger PG's looking to post him up. He has a nice shot and looks very composed with the ball. I think he will be a handful for Conley to contain. However, the Grizzlies front line will require Hill to double down often and that should give Conley some nice looks on the perimeter and some lanes to penetrate. Conley is the best 3 pt shooter in the league for January and is among the best shooters in the league overall. His shooting has made it difficult for teams to ignore him and that helps the front line operate. If Conley can use his speed to harass Hill into mistakes and is hitting his outside shot then Memphis will have a distinct advantage at this very important position.

That's asking a lot but that is why they play the game.

In our live pre-game show before last night's Spurs vs. Hawks game, Michael and Jeff brought in special guest Lang Whitaker, executive editor of SLAM Magazine, to help preview the game.

The Hawks were coming into the game on a 3-game winning stream while the Spurs had dropped the last three games.

We looked over matchups from Tim Duncan vs. Al Horford to Tony Parker vs. Mike Bibby and Lang even commented on what might be the biggest surprise to Spurs fans.

We also took your calls and made our predictions for the game.

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Look for the recorded audio of our postgame show to be posted tonight.

The Amare Stoudemire to Spurs discussions set a firestorm not only here at Project Spurs but across the NBA nation. Though highly unlikely the Suns would ship a high-caliber player like Amare to the Spurs, our friends at AccuScore.com wrote Project Spurs an article on the impact Amare would have on the Spurs. Seems it wouldn't be much.  Please leave us your comments on this analysis.

AccuScore simulates every game 10,000 times one play at a time to generate a forecasted winning percentage and a full range of projected player statistics.  We also can use our simulation technology to evaluate the impact of different trade scenarios.  The analysis below shows how a trade of Amare Stoudemire for the Spurs’ Manu Ginobili and Richard Jefferson would impact both teams this season.

The San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns are currently #6 and #8 in the Western Conference playoff standings.  Both teams are disappointed in their current position.  The Spurs were hoping the acquisition of Richard Jefferson combined with a healthy Manu Ginobili would put them in position to win the Southwest and compete with the Lakers as Western Conference champs.  They are currently 4 games behind Dallas and 8 games behind the Lakers.  The Suns started the season surprisingly well but they have won just 3 of their last 10 and it is very unlikely that this current roster will be able to rise above the #6 spot in the West.  More importantly, they are not willing to re-sign Amare Stoudemire in the off-season for a max deal.

BASELINE WESTERN CONFERENCE SEASON FOREAST

As of January 27, AccuScore projects the Spurs to finish 4^th in the West with their current roster and Phoenix 6^th.  This is based on 10,000 season simulations and the Spurs averaged 47.7 wins and made the playoffs 81.2% of the time.  The Suns averaged 46.2 wins and made the playoffs 74.2% of the time.  While this forecast is fairly positive given their current standings, the difference between the #4 Spurs and the #9 Thunder is just 3.3 projected wins while the difference between the Spurs #4 and the Nuggets #3 is a full 4.4 wins.  In other words, San Antonio is closer to slipping out of the playoffs than they are of catching the Nuggets.

STOUDEMIRE FOR GINOBILI AND JEFFERSON

When the Spurs acquired Richard Jefferson AccuScore reported that the acquisition would only help San Antonio if Jefferson was capable of rebounding as well as he did early in his career with the Nets. He is averaging a paltry 3.6 rebounds in nearly 31 minutes which is a career low.  With Jefferson not being a valuable rebounder or defensive force he really does not help the Spurs.  He is an OK three point shooter, a poor free throw shooter (just 70% this year) and just not that valuable a player.  When Ginobili is playing well he looks like a Top 15 player, but his overall statistics are not those of a superstar player.  He is currently shooting under 40% from the field and just 36% from the three point line.

While Amare Stoudemire is not a great defender or a great rebounder capable of anchoring a defense, he would be a great complimentary defender and rebounder playing alongside Tim Duncan. Stoudemire is a dominant offensive player who should still put up big stats, even if Steve Nash is not his PG.

Stoudemire’s average impact is +1.2 more wins over the remaining 39 games which translates to a +3.1% difference per game.  Come playoff time, improving your chances by +3.1% in a close game can make a significant impact. A +3.1% impact translates to roughly +1 points in the Spurs’ average margin of victory.

Even if acquiring Stoudemire does not immediately vault the Spurs into the upper echelon of the league, his presence definitely improves the Spurs in 2010. Stoudemire is younger than Ginobili and Jefferson, and he is a star player whom the Spurs can continue to build around as Tim Duncan gets older. The Suns’ forecast is down just 0.7 wins.  Even though the team would have no low post scorer it appears that Ginobili and Jefferson could fit in with the up-tempo perimeter-oriented Suns offense, and help keep them competitive.

In a phone interview earlier today, Glenn Moore, friend of Project Spurs and host of the Dugout Sport Show and Moore Sports in the Morning, got a chance to fire off some questions at ESPN NBA writer Chris Broussard.

In asking about current trade rumors, including the one we reported on early this morning that would bring Amare Stoudemire to San Antonio, Broussard said the Spurs don't have anything to give up for Amare aside from expiring contracts.

"I don't think anything happens there and with them it's a situation of hey, we gotta look into this because he's a player who obviously can help a team," Broussard said.

He also said Phoenix is looking for a talented player, some draft picks and an expiring contract. Cleveland and Miami are also said to be in the hunt for Stoudemire's services.

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Arianne Villanueva regresa con episodio tres de Spurscast en espanol. En este episodio, Arianne comentarios todo las noticias y juegos contra los Jazz, Rockets, y Bulls.

Arianné Villanueva is back with her third episode of Spurscast en Español. On this episode, she recaps the latest Spurs games including the Jazz, Rockets and Bulls.

She also goes over the Spurs current standing in the division and upcoming games.

Follow Arianné on Facebook.

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Tim Duncan won't be the only Spurs player representing San Antonio in Dallas for next month's All-Star festivities.

Today, the NBA announced that Spurs forward DeJuan Blair has been selected to play on the rookie squad of the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, Friday, February 12.

Blair has been averaging 7.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game through the first half of his rookie year, which has included 20 starts.

Blair will be joined by Omri Casspi, Stephen Curry, Tyreke Evans, Jonny Flynn, Taj Gibson, James Harden, Brandon Jennings and Jonas Jerebko.

The sophomore squad will be made up of Michael Beasley, Marc Gasol, Danilo Gallinari, Eric Gordon, Brook Lopez, Kevin Love, O.J. Mayo, Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook.

Rosters were selected by the leagues assistant coaches. For the full announcement, head over to NBA.com.