San Antonio Spurs Preseason Presser

[Eazy P]

Hello everyone, and welcome to the 1985 San Antonio Spurs preseason presser. We appreciate you all being here today.

Last season, we experienced a blend of extraordinary highs and a single, heartbreaking low. We saw this team developing the kind of grit and team-first basketball that the city of San Antonio demands. We fought through the Western Conference playoffs and found ourselves just one step away from the ultimate stage. We had our eyes on the prize, and while making it to the Western Conference Finals is an achievement, losing a tough series to the Portland Trail Blazers still stings. We were two games from the NBA Finals, and that's a hole we need to climb out of. Yes, that loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals still stings. It remains a painful reminder that we have unfinished business. Losing is a learning experience, and this team learned a painful lesson about finishing strong but failure only strengthens the resolve of the team.

This team didn't just compete, but proved they belong in the contending teams conversation.
On a personal level, we were also privileged to witness the birth of a legend right here in San Antonio. Our own guard, Michael Jordan, took the league by storm, captivating fans across the nation with his sheer athletic dominance and relentless competitive spirit. He was rightfully honored as the NBA Rookie of the Year. An incredible foundation for a dynasty is being laid before our eyes.
And speaking of excellence, I want to take a moment to salute the backbone of our defense. For the third consecutive season and 1st as a Spur, Mike Gminski was rightfully named the Defensive Player of the Year. Mike's presence in the paint is a wall, a deterrent, and the anchor to our defensive philosophy. He embodies the intensity and commitment we expect every night.

But we are not a team content to rest on past accomplishments. We're here today because we've made moves to ensure that this team is stronger, deeper, and more formidable than ever.
First, the prodigal son returns! We’re absolutely thrilled to have acquired one of the greatest players in the history of this franchise, George Gervin, via trade. The "Iceman" is back in San Antonio, and his smooth scoring ability and veteran leadership will be invaluable as we make our push for hopefully a title.
Also in the this year's draft, we invested in the future by selecting power forward Wayman Tisdale. Wayman brings a dynamic offensive package and a rebounding tenacity that will immediately make an impact. We expect him to contribute right away and grow into a star alongside our core.
These additions complement an already stellar roster. We're talking about a lineup of players who define winning basketball, the scoring punch of Kiki Vandeweghe, versatile playmaking and clutch shooting of Mark Aguirre, the speed and perimeter defense of Byron Scott and running the show, one of the best point guards in the game, even tho he took a TC hit, Isiah Thomas.
With this collection of talent Jordan's emergence, Gminski's defense, Gervin's return, and the star power across the board, we believe we have assembled a team with unparalleled potential.

The Goal for the 85 season is simple and singular...... to make a deep run and hopefully win the NBA Championship.
The players said they are done with moral victories. Done with almost. This season is about hopefully taking that final, decisive step. It means relentless commitment on defense, unselfish play on offense, and maintaining the hunger that drives champions. We are targeting the best record in the West, securing home-court advantage, and going into the playoffs with the clear understanding that our run will not end until the trophy is in the team hands.
The work continues now.

If there are any questions, feel free to ask and I will answer as best as I can.

[tbone963]

Henry Higgins, Halifax Headlines: While making the WCF is an accomplishment in itself, we all know it's championship or bust for this team. Who would you say will be your biggest competition in the West this year, perhaps meeting them in the WCF? The Trailblazers who knocked you out last year? The retooled Warriors? The Magic-having Lakers? Maybe someone I'm not even thinking about?

[Eazy P]

Henry Higgins, Halifax Headlines: While making the WCF is an accomplishment in itself, we all know it's championship or bust for this team. Who would you say will be your biggest competition in the West this year, perhaps meeting them in the WCF? The Trailblazers who knocked you out last year? The retooled Warriors? The Magic-having Lakers? Maybe someone I'm not even thinking about?

Any one of those teams can win it all. They are all well rounded. I also need to figure out a way to put the right DC together matchup-wise. Playoffs comes down to matchups. If i can't figure that out my team would be just a playoff team until the wheels fall off unfortunately.

[AngryBanana]

Chet Youbetcha, Dimmadome News: While it is clear that you are upset with the loss in the conference finals to the eventual champions, you did go from basically worst to almost first. That is a hell if an accomplishment in itself. Can you walk us through how a team can do that?


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[Eazy P]

Chet Youbetcha, Dimmadome News: While it is clear that you are upset with the loss in the conference finals to the eventual champions, you did go from basically worst to almost first. That is a hell if an accomplishment in itself. Can you walk us through how a team can do that?


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You need a little bit of luck and patience. Sometimes certain things happen that you thought was bad, but ends up being a blessing in disguise. That plus being able to bring in guys unexpectedly whether it's via free agency and/or trade. Also some tough decisions also have to be made. Sometimes moving on from a player helps. We are hoping with the way things happened on the personnel side, that it will translate to the team actually winning a championship.

[LazyTitanSmash]

Lakers GM, LazyTitanSmash, here: How do I stop you in the playoffs?

(That's right I flew out to San Antonio to ask this question!)

[Darth Vegito]

You are at 128% of the cap at this moment. You have MJ, Byron, and West all having to be paid maxes in the next 2-3 years. Are you taking the "I'll deal with that when I get there" approach, or do you have a plan for managing your cap in the upcoming years?

[digiskunk]

"Cracker" Chris Cumhard, ESPN96: Mark West is determined to become a star in the league. Do you foresee him being a trade option?

Why won't my wife answer my calls?

[Eazy P]

Lakers GM, LazyTitanSmash, here: How do I stop you in the playoffs?

(That's right I flew out to San Antonio to ask this question!)

The way to stop Spurs is having a good gameplan. My team looks good on paper but my DCs have been bad. I will probably waste another good roster like I did in the old league if I don't figure out how to put a great gameplan together.

[Eazy P]

You are at 128% of the cap at this moment. You have MJ, Byron, and West all having to be paid maxes in the next 2-3 years. Are you taking the "I'll deal with that when I get there" approach, or do you have a plan for managing your cap in the upcoming years?

We will worry about it when we get there next season with Byron and West. Who knows maybe Scott will go into next TC uninsured and have his "max" value lower lol. Just like any other season, if the plan is to mess over me if I put Scott or anyone on the block like I did with Jose in the past, I will probably make sure history repeats itself with a PeeWee Kirkland type of move.

[Eazy P]

"Cracker" Chris Cumhard, ESPN96: Mark West is determined to become a star in the league. Do you foresee him being a trade option?

Why won't my wife answer my calls?

I can see him being a trade option if the right fair deal comes along. He had a great camp, learning from one of the best in Gminski.

As for you wife no answering your calls. Your wife may not be answering for a few reasons.

Her phone battery might be dead, it could be on silent or "Do Not Disturb," or she might have left it in another room.

She might be more inclined to respond to a text message or another messaging app, especially if she's preoccupied.

She needs space or time to cool down. If you recently had an argument or unresolved conflict, she may be withdrawing for a while to process her feelings and calm down before talking.

She might feel overwhelmed or stressed. Personal or work related stress, anxiety, or feeling overwhelmed could be the reason.

She is trying to signal that there's an issue. Not answering can sometimes be a non-verbal way of communicating that she is unhappy, hurt, or that her needs are not being met in the relationship.

[Darth Vegito]

You are at 128% of the cap at this moment. You have MJ, Byron, and West all having to be paid maxes in the next 2-3 years. Are you taking the "I'll deal with that when I get there" approach, or do you have a plan for managing your cap in the upcoming years?

We will worry about it when we get there next season with Byron and West. Who knows maybe Scott will go into next TC uninsured and have his "max" value lower lol. Just like any other season, if the plan is to mess over me if I put Scott or anyone on the block like I did with Jose in the past, I will probably make sure history repeats itself with a PeeWee Kirkland type of move.

Do you mind elaborating about with the Jose and PeeWee "type of moves" for those of us who were no longer in the league in those days?

[Eazy P]

You are at 128% of the cap at this moment. You have MJ, Byron, and West all having to be paid maxes in the next 2-3 years. Are you taking the "I'll deal with that when I get there" approach, or do you have a plan for managing your cap in the upcoming years?

We will worry about it when we get there next season with Byron and West. Who knows maybe Scott will go into next TC uninsured and have his "max" value lower lol. Just like any other season, if the plan is to mess over me if I put Scott or anyone on the block like I did with Jose in the past, I will probably make sure history repeats itself with a PeeWee Kirkland type of move.

Do you mind elaborating about with the Jose and PeeWee "type of moves" for those of us who were no longer in the league in those days?

Sure.

I was in a situation where Uncle Sloe was coming for me and I needed to offload a contract. Jose' Alvarado who was maybe 29 or 30 at the time was on the block. 30 year olds were shunned at the time but Jose was still a good player. Peewee Kirkland, who was the best player in the league was going to become a UFA and I felt everyone knew it. A lot of the offers I got were basically not what I thought was close enough to equal value. I mean I know it's strategy cause I had no leverage but I warned that I would make the move I made. When it came time I sent the best player to an already stacked Pistons team before the trade deadline. I kept Jose' cause a trade that was close to being done didn't happen because of a pick and I did not have any other Jose' trades lined up 15 mins before the deadline.

My team which had a losing record ended up in the finals vs that same Pistons team either that same or following season but got swept lol.
Old Jose was the reason the team got there.

That trade kinda, in a sense got us here with the reset.

[Mike Lowry]

This team is young and loaded.
Do you think you can reach potential before you run into financial trouble?
If not, who do you envision as the core players you would surround Michael with??

[Xist2Inspire]

Random Reporter: There's been rumors of tension between Jordan and Thomas. Reports are that Thomas feels threatened by Jordan's star treatment, while Jordan is frustrated by Thomas' lack of off-season effort and has been honing his ball movement abilities as a result. Is there any truth to these rumors? Will we see PG minutes for Jordan as a way to counter the likes of Reggie Theus?

[WigNosy]

Steve Duin, the Oregonian:

What insights did your playoff loss in the Conference Finals last year expose about potential roster weaknesses? Do you think you've sufficiently addressed it the offseason?

[Eazy P]

This team is young and loaded.
Do you think you can reach potential before you run into financial trouble?
If not, who do you envision as the core players you would surround Michael with??

I hope we can reach the ultimate goal of winning a championship for the city of San Antonio sooner than later. My core as of now is Jordan. We will deal with the finances when that time comes. Who knows there may be a key guy on the trade block next season to help keep the finances manageable.

[Eazy P]

Random Reporter: There's been rumors of tension between Jordan and Thomas. Reports are that Thomas feels threatened by Jordan's star treatment, while Jordan is frustrated by Thomas' lack of off-season effort and has been honing his ball movement abilities as a result. Is there any truth to these rumors? Will we see PG minutes for Jordan as a way to counter the likes of Reggie Theus?

Isiah Is our PG. Thomas and Jordan are fine. Thomas is committed the the Spurs and loves all of his teammates. I feel if he didn't want to be here he would have not signed the extension whether it was the supermax or not. He just got some life changing money and kinda came in a little off his game. IT know what he needs to do to get back to the IT he was last season. As far as MJ playing the point, we might play around with it a little bit again like we did last season but he will primarily play at his natural SG position.

[Eazy P]

Steve Duin, the Oregonian:

What insights did your playoff loss in the Conference Finals last year expose about potential roster weaknesses? Do you think you've sufficiently addressed it the offseason?

Our weakness is on the defensive end. We could not stop anything. We have players that can give us 40 on any night but if we can't stop opponents from scoring, all of that stuff cancels itself out. The DOY can only do so much. We need other guys to step up and do their part defensively. We also needed a deeper bench. I feel like we have a somewhat deep bench right now with improvements from Scott, West and the addition of veteran George Gervin. We also like Tisdale and what he can potentially bring to the team.

At the end of the day it will still come down to DC/Gameplan.

[RPF]

Can you explain the pressure of having such a star studded team?

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[Eazy P]

Can you explain the pressure of having such a star studded team?

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It's not too much pressure for me tbh. Even tho this is a new league and none of the stuff for the prior carries over, but having won championships prior to the reset, I do not feel pressured to win. In the past I would feel the pressure and it would mostly be from myself. It will be disappointing if I do not win at least one ring but if not I will be ok if it doesn't happen.