Take it to the bank

Timmy put up a few bank shots last night - it felt like old times!



Take it to the bank video

Tim Duncan is like a great big housecat. You change something in the room, the location of the furniture. a different houseplant, new curtains....and the cat's sense of order is thrown off for days or even weeks.

Having the summer off probably helped Tim prepare for this season in many ways, mainly conditioning and trying to get his feet healthy. But I won't be a bit surprised if it takes him a while to find his groove with that new ball.

The new ball reportedly apparently has different qualities that alternate between increased grippiness and occasional slipperyness. For players that dribble the ball a lot, it should be great. Tony seems to like it. But for Duncan, a post player using the glass a lot, I think there may be a longer adjustment period.

The ESPN commentators mentioned that Horry talked about the new ball being softer and possibly decreasing the long rebounds. Interesting. The new ball and how it may affect different players ball handling, shooting and rebounding is just one of the changes that I will be monitoring this season.

I really think that Tim's foot was hurting last year and he couldn't get the elevation he was accustomed too. That affected his bank shot immensely; if his foot is back in shape expect the bank to be open once again spelling doom for his defenders.