San Antonio Spurs 1987 Preseason Presser
Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2026 2:24 pm
Good morning and welcome to the 1987 San Antonio Spurs preseason presser. We are glad to have you here.
Before we open the floor to questions, I want to frame exactly where this organization stands as we enter the 1987-88 campaign.
Last year was, by almost any metric, a historic success. We won 61 games. We played a brand of basketball that electrified this city. But we are not here to hang regular season banners. For the second straight year, we ran into the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals and fell to them but this time 4-1. The reality we had to face this summer was simple. As currently constructed, we couldn't get over that hump. We lacked the specific versatility required to dethrone the champions.
So we didn't just tweak the roster, we rebuilt the philosophy of this team. This has been the busiest and most transformative offseason in recent Spurs history.
We made the difficult decision to move Mark Aguirre and Kiki Vandeweghe in a blockbuster deal to bring Chris Mullin to San Antonio. In Chris, we have acquired perhaps the purest stroke in the NBA. By pairing him with Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan, we’ve created a backcourt with an unparalleled basketball IQ. To bolster our frontline, we executed a sign-and-trade for Rodney McCray, whose defensive flexibility is exactly what you need when you're chasing elite wings in the West.
Furthermore, we took an aggressive stand in the paint. We matched the restricted free agent offer to keep Mark West in a Spurs jersey, traded for the legendary power of Darryl Dawkins to provide that "Chocolate Thunder" intimidation, and kept Mike Gminski to ensure our frontline remains the deep.
Let's talk about TC. What I have seen at camp has exceeded our expectations. Michael Jordan is doing what only Michael can do. He’s come back with a refined post game and a defensive intensity that has set the tone for every practice. He isn't just 'getting better, he’s evolving into a leader who demands perfection. Chris has been a revelation. His conditioning is at a high and the way he spaces the floor for Michael and Isiah has fundamentally changed our offensive geometry.
Rodney McCray is showing major potential bumps. His ability to grab a rebound and initiate the break as a point-forward allows Isiah and Mike to run the lanes, making us potentially a dangerous transition team in the league.
With a core of Jordan, Thomas, Mullin, McCray, West, Gminski, and Dawkins, we have the scoring, we have the grit, and we have some depth to hopefully survive the war of attrition that is the NBA Playoffs. We didn't build this team to win 61 games again but we built this team to be hopefully the last ones standing in June.
The road to the title still runs through Los Angeles, but this time, we’re going to try and bring a different kind of fire.
I’ll open it up for your questions and as always I will answer to the best of my ability.
Before we open the floor to questions, I want to frame exactly where this organization stands as we enter the 1987-88 campaign.
Last year was, by almost any metric, a historic success. We won 61 games. We played a brand of basketball that electrified this city. But we are not here to hang regular season banners. For the second straight year, we ran into the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals and fell to them but this time 4-1. The reality we had to face this summer was simple. As currently constructed, we couldn't get over that hump. We lacked the specific versatility required to dethrone the champions.
So we didn't just tweak the roster, we rebuilt the philosophy of this team. This has been the busiest and most transformative offseason in recent Spurs history.
We made the difficult decision to move Mark Aguirre and Kiki Vandeweghe in a blockbuster deal to bring Chris Mullin to San Antonio. In Chris, we have acquired perhaps the purest stroke in the NBA. By pairing him with Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan, we’ve created a backcourt with an unparalleled basketball IQ. To bolster our frontline, we executed a sign-and-trade for Rodney McCray, whose defensive flexibility is exactly what you need when you're chasing elite wings in the West.
Furthermore, we took an aggressive stand in the paint. We matched the restricted free agent offer to keep Mark West in a Spurs jersey, traded for the legendary power of Darryl Dawkins to provide that "Chocolate Thunder" intimidation, and kept Mike Gminski to ensure our frontline remains the deep.
Let's talk about TC. What I have seen at camp has exceeded our expectations. Michael Jordan is doing what only Michael can do. He’s come back with a refined post game and a defensive intensity that has set the tone for every practice. He isn't just 'getting better, he’s evolving into a leader who demands perfection. Chris has been a revelation. His conditioning is at a high and the way he spaces the floor for Michael and Isiah has fundamentally changed our offensive geometry.
Rodney McCray is showing major potential bumps. His ability to grab a rebound and initiate the break as a point-forward allows Isiah and Mike to run the lanes, making us potentially a dangerous transition team in the league.
With a core of Jordan, Thomas, Mullin, McCray, West, Gminski, and Dawkins, we have the scoring, we have the grit, and we have some depth to hopefully survive the war of attrition that is the NBA Playoffs. We didn't build this team to win 61 games again but we built this team to be hopefully the last ones standing in June.
The road to the title still runs through Los Angeles, but this time, we’re going to try and bring a different kind of fire.
I’ll open it up for your questions and as always I will answer to the best of my ability.