http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/fran_blinebury/12/11/waiting.spurs/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt1
There are so many different ways of waiting.
You can wait on tables. You can wait on a bus. You can wait for Godot.
In the NBA, there's waiting on the San Antonio Spurs, who through the years have been to the regular season what the proverbial tortoise was to marathon running. They'll get there eventually.
That's why, as the season opener has given way to the quarter-pole of the schedule and Christmas decorations, the inclination all around the league has been to shrug off a quite pedestrian 10-9 record as the Spurs' way of clearing their throats.
"Oh, I'm always reluctant to write them out of the picture so early," said an Eastern Conference executive. "Because history says San Antonio will be there in the end, just you wait."
The waiting, as Tom Petty sang, is the hardest part.
Especially when the team crashed through the luxury tax threshold with the summertime addition of forward Richard Jefferson, who added $14.2 million to a payroll that is at an all-time franchise high of $80.6 million. All that to sit in ninth place in the always-competitive Western Conference?
It's not that the Spurs have been dreadfully disappointing, a la the Chicago Bulls or New Orleans Hornets. They've been merely uneven, confused and, well, just ordinary. San Antonio has fattened up against the dregs of the league, getting eight of its 10 victories against losing teams. The Spurs are only 2-8 against teams above the .500 mark.
What the Spurs don't know yet is how to get the most out of a roster that many observers rated as the deepest in the NBA. Popovich has done more shuffling than a casino dealer and still hasn't turned up the right cards.
...and my personal favorite part of the article.
Of course, the Spurs' history is a cautionary tale to anyone who would push them over the edge of relevancy so early. They were bumping along only slightly better a year ago at 12-8 and finished the season at 54-28. They opened the 2003-04 season at just 10-10 and finished at 57-28. There was also a pair of so-so 12-8 records to start 2002-03 and 1998-99. Both of those seasons ended with the Spurs winning the championship. In fact, in the strike-shortened 1999 season, the Spurs labored to a 6-8 start, but then closed with a 31-5 kick heading into the playoffs.
"That almost cost somebody (Popovich) his job, didn't it?" Duncan said. "I think it turned out all right."
Chances are, this one will too, since Popovich and general manager R.C.Buford are known for their patience.
Now I know we're not the '99 Spurs and '03 Spurs, but it certainly gives some much needed optimism especially considering the former was most likely older than our team now and the latter was definitely not as talented as our team now..Hopefully the Spurs can look back at those championship seasons and use them to inspire standard San Antonio play RIGHT NOW..