Three Spurs don't make Houston trip
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Three_Spurs_dont_make_Houston_trip.html
Web Posted: 10/09/2008 12:00 CDT
Mike Monroe - Express-News
It's just the first preseason game, so it is no great surprise that the three Spurs nursing injuries won't make the trip to Houston this morning for tonight's game against the Rockets at the Toyota Center.
The Spurs were to depart without center Kurt Thomas (left hamstring strain), guard Salim Stoudamire (right groin strain) and forward-center Ian Mahinmi (sprained right ankle). All three were to remain in San Antonio for more therapy and/or treatment.
Stoudamire's injury actually worsened a bit Wednesday morning when his groin tightened after he had gone through most of the practice session. The injury was to be re-examined by the team's medical staff after practice.
Tim on the trim: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich took scissors, or a trimmer, to the full beard he had cultivated throughout the offseason, showing up at practice with facial hair roughly half as long as it had been the previous day.
Though Popovich had promised to adhere to the wishes of team captain Tim Duncan about his facial hair, he made a unilateral decision to apply the scissors, and Duncan was not happy.
“I did not tell him to trim it,” Duncan said, “and I'm disappointed that he didn't just go with the whole thing. He did trim it up a little bit, and it looks good. I guess he's not going to go (with) the whole Santa Claus look.”
Stars observe: Silver Stars players Becky Hammon and Vicki Johnson visited the Spurs' practice.
Duncan had a long chat with Hammon, whom he and David Robinson teamed up with to win the “Shooting Stars” competition last season on All-Star Saturday in New Orleans.
“If we're in that thing again,” Duncan said, “I'm guaranteeing right now that we'll win it again.”
