When the San Antonio Spurs completed a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks in June to acquire swingman Richard Jefferson for Kurt Thomas, Fabricio Oberto and Bruce Bowen, three words came to mind.
Los Angeles Lakers.
With the move, the Spurs announced their intention to compete punch-for-punch with the mega-talented defending champions.
Tim Duncan wanted to carry that status at least once more, and the front office and ownership group needed to spend big to give him that chance.
The result of trade talks that began near the February trade deadline, Jefferson's arrival instantly infused the roster with the kind of athletic performer that had torched San Antonio's title hopes in 2006, 2008 and 2009.
The best leaper on the squad since David Robinson, the former Finalist also brought defensive chops—and most have forgotten how good a defender Jefferson was in his first years with New Jersey—and a thirst for a title.
Adding a fourth 20-point scorer to a proven winner, the team's brass thought, would give them a healthier shot at matching the Lakers high-powered offense.
However, coach Gregg Popovich an ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Robert Kleeman
Dallas Mavericks Will Give New Spur Richard Jefferson His First Test
November 11th, 2009 by Robert Kleeman Leave a reply »
Advertisement