2 SAN ANTONIO SPURS

IF HIS most promising visions come true and he helps the Spurs win a championship next June, Antonio McDyess may look back on his traumatic knee injuries with newfound gratitude. "At one point I was thinking, My career is over," says McDyess, who was sidelined for 194 of 246 games from 2001--02 to '03--04. "Then I started doing things with [coach] John Lucas: He was helping me to develop my shot, showing me how to get to open spots and putting me on more of a thinking pace rather than just running and jumping—because I couldn't do those things at that point."

McDyess's transformation from young explosive athlete to reliable 35-year-old winner was underscored by San Antonio's decision this past summer to sign him to a three-year, $15 million deal as a 6'9" frontcourt complement to Tim Duncan. "He figured out what he could do to be in the league and be effective with the injury he had," says Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. "You don't see him trying to do things he's not capable of doing. He guards in the post, he hits the medium-range jump shot, and he does it really well and consistently. There's a need for that on every team."

Though he isn't the jumping-jack intimidator he used to be, McDyess has never been more effective. Last season with the Pistons he averaged a remarkable 9.8 rebounds in 30.1 minutes. "Dunking and jumping—when I was able to do it—was definitely fun," he says. "But now the winning mentality is more fun. You don't expend energy outrunning the other team, because now you're trying to outthink them."

Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginóbili are counting on McDyess and trade acquisition Richard Jefferson to infuse their lineup with fresh energy. "The first thing Pop said to me was, 'Hey, we don't look back at our championships,'" says McDyess. "These guys are hungry for a championship as much as I am."

PROJECTED STARTING FIVE with 2008--09 statistics

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PG	TONY PARKER	PPG: 22.0	APG: 6.9	RPG: 3.1	SPG: 0.93	FG%: 50.6
SG	ROGER MASON JR.	PPG: 11.8	APG: 2.1	RPG: 3.1	FG%: 42.5	3FG%: 42.1
SF	RICHARD JEFFERSON	PPG: 19.6	RPG: 4.6	APG: 2.4	FG%: 43.9	3FG%: 39.7
PF	TIM DUNCAN	PPG: 19.3	RPG: 10.7	APG: 3.5	BPG: 1.68	FG%: 50.4
C	ANTONIO MCDYESS	PPG: 9.6	RPG: 9.8	APG: 1.3	BPG: 0.81	FG%: 51.0

KEY BENCH PLAYERS: G Manu Ginóbili, 15.5 PPG; F-C DeJuan Blair (R), 12.3 RPG; F-C Matt Bonner, 44.0 3FG%; G-F Michael Finley, 9.7 PPG • New acquisition • (R) Rookie, college stats

COACH: Gregg Popovich (14th season with Spurs) • 2008--09 RECORD: 54--28 (first in Southwest) POINTS SCORED: 97.0 (23rd in NBA) • POINTS ALLOWED: 93.3 (second in NBA)

FAST FACT

.724

The Spurs' winning percentage when Manu Ginóbili plays. Since his rookie season of 2002--03, they are 346--132 when he suits up; in the 96 games in which he has not appeared, they are 61--35 (.635).

ENEMY LINES | A RIVAL SCOUT ON THE SPURS

Richard Jefferson can make a big difference because he can score on the drive and he runs the floor so well, which gives them somebody to play in the open floor with Tony Parker.... If everyone is healthy, their lineup in the fourth quarter is going to be Parker, Jefferson, Manu Ginóbili, Tim Duncan and Antonio McDyess—which is why I'm picking them to win the title.... I have Steve Nash as the top point guard and Parker just behind him. At 27 he's not much older than Chris Paul and Deron Williams, he's just as fast, and he shoots a higher percentage. The biggest thing is, he does all that while running his team at a championship level.... Roger Mason was making those big shots last year until teams started to game-plan against him, and then he didn't have an answer for it.... If they can get anything out of DeJuan Blair, that would be a bonus. Everybody seems to be high on him, but he's really short and heavy.... Marcus Haislip comes over from Europe, and I think he'll end up being a guy who can fill in. He's a good athlete and more of a face-up shooter, like Matt Bonner. He has the skills to give them as much as they got from Kurt Thomas the last couple of years.

PHOTO

GREG NELSON (MCDYESS)

ANTONIO MCDYESS With his high hoops IQ, he's a perfect fit.

PHOTO

JOHN W. MCDONOUGH (PARKER)