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It's free to play with a Yahoo account and scoring is simple -- points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. Once we have 12 teams, this league will be closed, so join today. More info is available here.

Happy Birthday to Us

As of yesterday, SpursDynasty is a year old. Whoopty-fuckin'-doo. (Or is that "whoopty-fuckin'-DO"? Based on the results of this Google search and this Google search, the Internet consensus seems to be "doo." I'll go with the wisdom of crowds on this one.)

“RursRynasty, a rear rold? Roopty-Ruckin’-ROOOOOOO!”

We here at SpursDynasty started with a humble dream: to express our passion for the Spurs creatively, justify our obsession by having something concrete to show for all the time we spend watching games and reading Spurs-related miscellanea, enhance our enjoyment of the Golden Age of the Spurs franchise, connect with some fellow Spurs fans, and entertain a few folks along the way. That's basically what I had in mind at least. Maybe the other guys are bent on world domination or something, but if they are, they'd better find another route to it.

In the past year, we've achieved those modest goals and even had some fun doing it, but we plan to be a bit more ambitious this next season. The frustration of the way last season ended, or should I say, scrotum-crushing existential despair, has only made us hungrier for Spurs glory. We plan to play our karmic role in helping the Spurs get back on top, where they belong.

I will never, ever let Mark Cuban convince me to “try out this Tibetan scrotal massager” again.

First, you can expect more people to post more shit more consistently. Michael, our Senior Ottoman Psycho Analyst, debuted a couple of weeks ago, and we're looking forward to all of the froth-flinging - intelligent, informed, and insightful froth-flinging, that is - that he'll be doing for us this season. He's a prolific one. And he has a lot more time on his hands for writing, one suspects, than the rest of us old married fogeys here at the Dynasty. (By the way, you can also check out his work on Pounding the Rock, one of our officially approved Dynastic sites, under the pseudonym “Aaron Stampler.”)

Second, we’ll be improving the site with a format change and adding some permanent content to complement our blogging. We might post some audio rants and even do a bit of drunken podcasting. Suffice it to say that the SpursDynasty experience will be a bit more dynamic this next season. Anyone who reads this site probably knows better than to expect these changes to happen overnight, but we’ll get around to all of these things sooner or later, so keep checking in.

Third, we’re taking concrete measures to help the Spurs be as successful as possible this season. No more relying on this pansy-ass “hoping” and “cheering” and "voodoo" bullshit to get the job done. Our stable of Dynastic Whores will ensure that the boys are relaxed and focused for each game. (E-mail me at the address in my profile if you’re interested in applying for membership in the stable. Experience with childbirth or similar capacity-expanding activities a must.) We have bellboys and cooks at the best hotels in San Antonio on our payroll to ensure that the Spurs have a proper home-court advantage throughout the season. We’ve paid off the NBA’s ref scheduler to make sure that Mr. Richard Bavetta won’t be Dicking Timmy over this year. And finally, we’ve hired Mr. T to keep an eye on Jackie Butler’s development and make sure he doesn’t start acting like a damn fool. After all, it’s easy to get dazzled by the bright lights and crazy nights of San Antonio, and before you know it, you’re homeless, wandering up and down Market Street giving hand jobs for crack. Has anyone seen Žarko Paspalj recently?

I chose to pick on this poor former Yugoslav because he’s less likely to sue us than Willie Anderson...and because I couldn’t find a photo of Uwe Blab. (By the way, for all you Žarko fans out there, check out this recent article on what he's been up to since his days with the Spurs.)

Needless to say, we can’t wait to taste the fruits of these efforts, both in glory and domination for the Spurs and in pain and humiliation for the rest of the League – just as long as that fruit isn’t from room service at La Mansión.

YEEEEE-HAW!

Buck on Manu

I grew up reading San Antonio sports columnist Buck Harvey. Buck was the main reason why, as a kid, I always read the Sports section first. For more than 20 years, he has shared his gift for putting things into perspective, and focusing on overlooked details which are often of great importance.

I know Manu Ginobili had a history of winning, but as always, Buck puts things into perspective better than anyone:

From a Euroleague title in 2001, to a silver in the World Championships in 2002, to an NBA title with the Spurs in 2003, to the Olympic gold medal in 2004, to another NBA title in 2005. No one in the history of the game has this assortment of championships.

Had Ginobili continued the streak with a gold medal in Japan, he would have taken that résumé to a dramatic extreme. And he was close, and not just because of his final drive. A decision by his coaches provided the very deficit he had to overcome.

RIP: Robert McDermott

Gen. Robert McDermott passed away Monday. He was a combat pilot, college dean, insurance executive and professional sports-franchise investor. We have McDermott to thank for keeping the Spurs in San Antonio and for bringing Gregg Popovich to town, and for letting Pop do his job. McDermott will not be forgotten by Spurs fans like us. Buck Harvey writes:

They'd never really talked until the interview. Robert McDermott didn't really know basketball, either.

But the retired general knew the people his Air Force Academy produced, and he knew his instincts. He'd had to make these chain-of-command decisions his entire life, from the war to USAA.

This candidate made sense to him. He would promote a mere assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors, turning him into the vision of his franchise. He would also leave this novice alone with few instructions, and some wondered what McDermott was thinking both then and a few losses later.

But the hire has been in place now for more than a dozen years, making the Spurs one of the league's most stable teams. So when counting up everything this remarkable man did in his life, doesn't believing in Gregg Popovich rate somewhere in the mix?

McDermott's legacy runs laughably deeper than this, and Popovich knows better than anyone. He was a cadet when McDermott was the dean at the Air Force Academy, and, though the two never met then, Popovich saw firsthand how McDermott impacted people's lives.

Such as Popovich's. McDermott changed the academy's curriculum, and Annapolis and West Point later followed his lead. Both added a more liberal-arts slant to what had always been heavy on engineering.

This is just one reason Popovich remained in awe of his former dean and boss. "He lived every minute," Popovich said, "and he lived in service of his community."

McDermott's venue of service changed in the '90s, when he feared the Spurs were close to leaving town. McDermott put together a 22-piece ownership group to buy the team from Red McCombs, and Popovich repeats what others have said. "He kept the Spurs here," Popovich said.

McDermott perhaps did, though McCombs has said he would have never sold the Spurs to a group with intentions of relocation. Also, among those in McDermott's partnership was the Gaylord family of Oklahoma City, who have since bought the Seattle SuperSonics. Had things not worked out for the Spurs in San Antonio, Gaylord had an arena and a need in Nashville.

McDermott's efforts, at worst, bought time for San Antonio, and what followed secured the franchise as never before. With McDermott attempting to broker a deal with the Maloof brothers, who later bought the Sacramento Kings, Peter Holt stepped in.

Holt bought out Gaylord, then showed the patience that local ownership brings. That built a community consensus, resulting in the AT&T Center.

Still, McDermott's impact on the Spurs is undeniable, because he's the one who saw something in Popovich. McDermott was guessing then, but with some inside knowledge. Popovich's wife, Erin, had long known McDermott's daughter Betsy.

But when these men sat down for their first interview, in Nashville with other Spurs owners, it was the first time they had spent much time together. Then Popovich laid out his plan.

Popovich talked with nothing to lose. "I didn't think it would happen for me then," Popovich said. "I figured it would be a good experience just to interview. So I held nothing back."

The speech was about operational thoroughness, and how the Spurs should scout and treat players, and what the franchise needed to become. The Spurs weren't known before then for being, well, first class.

McDermott loved the approach, which is why he looked past Popovich's résumé. McDermott told Popovich he would leave him alone, but he gave him, in the words of the military, one direct, verbal order. Get Sean Elliott back in town.

Popovich did, but not everything went as smoothly. McDermott responded in those early years with the clip of a general.

Fine show. Press on. Make me proud.

Popovich would make himself the coach, and he would get Tim Duncan. He and his staff would find players from France to Argentina, and they would win titles, and they would become known as one of the best-run organizations in sports.

Credit McDermott, ever serving his community.