Spurs Learn From Jazz: Over the past 10 years the San Antonio Spurs have mbt footwear become the envy of the rest of the league. Their success and the manner in which they obtained it is something that many teams have tried to replicate. That's why former members of their front office are scattered throughout the league. Former Spur Sam Presti has the Oklahoma City Thunder looking like the team of the future in the Western Conference and its no coincidence that things are looking much better in New Orleans now that Dell Demps, another Spurs alumni, is at the general manager. San Antonio didn't create their blueprint from scratch though, it actually came in part from the Utah Jazz. "We've used Utah as our example to try to make sure we do things in a way that's consistent and can maintain a certain level of play and a certain level of character," San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich explained to Art Garcia of NBA.com. "They're the best at it." "The challenge in staying competitive is not making mistakes. It's finding guys that fit the system. It's a matter of really making sure you bring in guys that have both the character and the ability to accept a role that you plan for them. If you're just thinking that because someone is talented it's going to work, it usually doesn't." The Spurs have never denied that they struck gold in 1997 when they won the draft lottery. Being able to draft Tim Duncan changed their fortunes forever. Landing the best power forward of all-time though was not enough for them to win multiple championships. Most people don't realize that putting the right pieces around him like Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker was just as key as getting Duncan himself. "If you get guys and find out this guy doesn't work and that guy MBT Mens Tataga Shoes doesn't work, then all of the sudden you've wasted money and you've wasted corporate knowledge and the best player's time," Popovich said. "Great players only have so much time in the league, and it goes more quickly than any of us think." At 34 years old retirement is not far away for Duncan. His contract expires at the end of the 2011-2012 season and that could very well be the end for the Big Fundamental. Trying to maintain the same level of success once Duncan calls it a career is unrealistic, but the Spurs are hoping to minimize the rebuilding period much like the Jazz did when they lost Karl Malone and John Stockton. "We want to bridge that gap," Popovich noted. "A lot of teams have gone right into the toilet for five, eight, 10 years before they get back up. I don't think we're going to do that. Whether you're a championship-caliber team is another question, because as we look at championship-caliber teams, every one of them has got a player who's a franchise player. Not a max player. "There's a difference between a max player and a franchise player. There aren't too many franchise players and a whole lot of max players. That's the deal. You can count the franchise players on one hand. Until you get one of those, it's not going to happen for you." Locking Up Randolph: The Memphis Grizzlies caught a lot of heat when MBT Womens Tataga Shoes they used the cap space they gained in the Pau Gasol trade on Zach Randolph. Randolph was thought to be overpaid at the time and cancerous in the locker room, but he made the Grizzlies look like geniuses with an All-Star campaign. Randolph helped lead the rebuilding Grizzlies to a very respectable 40-42 season while averaging 20 points and 11 rebounds a night. His tremendous impact on the team has them wanting to keep him long-term. "Me and my agent (Raymond Brothers) we're working on a deal with Memphis. A lot of good things are going on in the league and it's going to be exciting this year," said Randolph to Jeremiah Johnson of IndySportsNation. "We're trying to work out an extension right now with Memphis, to stay there for a couple more years." The Grizzlies had no trouble opening their pocket books earlier this summer to Rudy Gay, who they signed to a 5-year $80 million contract. Keeping Randolph is just as important as retaining Gay if the Grizzlies hope to get back into the playoff mix. Randolph's price tag may not be as expensive either since he's coming off a monster contract that pays him $17.3 million next season. NBA Notes: ESPN has finally commented on the vanishing LeBron James story that we went over in the PM yesterday. They released the following statement: "ESPN.com will not be posting the story in any form. We looked into the situation thoroughly and found that Arash did not properly identify himself as a reporter or clearly state his intentions to write a story. As a result, we are not MBT Mens Chapa Shoes comfortable with the content, even in an edited version, because of the manner in which the story was reported. We've been discussing the situation with Arash and he completely understands. To be clear, the decisions to pull the prematurely published story and then not to run it were made completely by ESPN editorial staff without influence from any outside party." Markazi released a response as well: "I have been in conversations with ESPN.com's editors and, upon their complete review, understand their decision not to run the story. It is important to note that I stand by the accuracy of the story in its entirety, but should have been clearer in representing my intent to write about the events I observed." The New York Knicks are trying to sign two-time champion shooting guard Shannon Brown according to Ken Berger. The Los Angeles Lakers still have interest in bringing him back, but are stuck in the luxury tax and cannot find a taker for Sasha Vujacic's expiring contract. The Knicks are offering Brown more playing time in a system that would allow him to have much more freedom than the triangle. The Atlanta Hawks have re-signed center Jason Collins, decreasing the likelihood that they'll bring in free agent center Shaquille O'Neal. Collins is a nine-year veteran that played in 24 games last season for the Hawks. "We're excited to welcome Jason back to the team," said Hawks head coach Larry Drew. "He's a veteran presence in the locker room, and adds experienced depth to the frontcourt. Jason has worked hard in the offseason, and with his knowledge of MBT Womens Barabara Shoes the system we're implementing, he'll continue to be a valuable contributor to our club." The Boston Celtics have added a little bit more firepower to their bench by adding shooting guard Von Wafer. Wafer is an explosive offensive player with a toughness that will fit right in with that locker room. First round pick of the Chicago Bulls Kevin Seraphin, who was traded along with Kirk Hinrich to the Washington Wizards, has been signed by the team after reaching a buyout with his club in France. The Wizards could have let Seraphin develop overseas for another season or two, but felt like he was worth bringing over now.