San Antonio Spurs Music

NBA At 2: Marc Gasol Available?

The Memphis Grizzlies did the improbable over the last month, entering the playoffs as the West's eighth seed and toppling the San Antonio Spurs, then giving the Oklahoma City Thunder all they could handle in the second round before finally facing defeat in Game 7 of the Western Conference semi-finals. What's even more impressive is that the Grizzlies did it without their best player, as Rudy Gay was sidelined for most of the second half of the season with a shoulder injury. Anticipating the Grizzlies' penny-pinching owner, many have wondered if Gay might now be on the trading block as management tries to keep the core from this playoff run together.

Earlier this week Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley went on the record saying he won't trade Gay , even saying the mere speculation of such a move is ticking him off. In one conversation he proclaimed his allegiance to Gay, said he would probably keep Marc Gasol, and even assured Grizzlies fans that prized reserve Shane Battier would be back, as well.

That all sounds great, and fans in Memphis have to be elated to hear their owner give his team such a vote of confidence. At the same time, they have to be wondering about the math.

As of today the Grizzlies have roughly $37.5 million committed in salary for next season. Considering the NBA is talking about imposing a $45 million salary cap next season, that's a pretty good place to be. Of course, that number doesn't include restricted free agent Marc Gasol or the aforementioned Battier, both of whom will garner significant interest in the free agency market this summer. Gasol is likely to command somewhere in the $15 million range beginning next season, as he is expected to be the most sought-after big man in the class. Battier is more of a glue guy, but will also command a decent amount, perhaps as high as the $7 million he made this year.

So let's take a conservative stand and say Gasol gets $12 million and Battier $5 million. That would put Memphis over $57 million for next season, some $12 million over the NBA's targeted cap, and with only 11 players under contract. The obvious fact here is that Memphis can't afford to keep this group together as structured. It simply can't be done, and that's ironic, given that for the first time ever their owner is actually willing to spend the money it takes to compete for a championship.

The next question we have to ask, then, is just how realistic it is that the league will get a $45 million cap from the new CBA? The vast majority of NBA teams are well over that mark, with no easy way to get under. There is a lot of talk about an amnesty clause, which would allow a team to buy out their biggest contract and then waive the player, as the Dallas Mavericks did with Michael Finley a few years back, but for most NBA teams - especially playoff teams - that's a drop in the bucket.

At&t Center Tickets – Don't Mess With Texas Sports And ...

At&t Center Tickets – Don’t Mess With Texas Sports And Entertainment

The state of Texas is known for its grand scheme of supersizing, and that will ring true this April as the top sports and entertainment acts make for a blowout month in Austin and San Antonio. The Texas cities come alive with energetic concerts and heated basketball rivalries as the spring months ensue, and there’s no better place to be during the month of April than San Antonio or Austin, as a wide range of events take the Lone Star State by storm.

Basketball fans don’t have to settle for March Madness this April, when the NBA puts on a show at San Antonio’s AT&T Center. The San Antonio Spurs are hot, hot, hot this year, and big names like Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili are selling out AT&T Center tickets for games in the regular season. The Spurs are a confident fixture among the top of the standings in the Southwest division of the Western Conference, and they’ll be put to the test on April 9 when division rivals the Memphis Grizzlies come to town.

The Grizzlies are looking to chase down the Spurs this April when the two teams meet on the hardwood, and with solid players in Zach Randolph, Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo and Marc Gasol, Memphis has a solid core of tremendous athletes looking to put a little pressure on San Antonio. Last time these two teams butted heads on Jan. 29, the Spurs took the big win 104-97 at home, avenging a Jan. 16 loss to the Grizzlies on the road.

While NBA fans flock to the AT&T Center this spring to get a piece of basketball action in San Antonio, those aching for some live music will congregate in Austin for the city’s stellar music acts set to take the big stage in April. New York-bred eclectic rockers Yeasayer will invade the Parish in Austin on April 10 and 11 for back-to-back performances, and fans will be grooving along to the electronica-tinged indie rock tunes that Yeasayer brings to the arena as the talented band breezes through hits like “Madder Red,” “I Remember” and “Love Me Girl.”

Yeasayer has been a mainstay on the music scene since the mid-2000s, and the crew’s sophomore set Odd Blood has accrued nothing but rave reviews since its release in February 2010. The release set sail at No. 8 on the Modern Rock/Alternative Albums chart earlier this winter, and Yeasayer will be in Austin to play some songs off the release this spring, placating the indie crowd in Texas at the Parish.

Billboard

Insiders' Guide: San Antonio in Your Pocket, Your Guide to an Hour, a Day, Or a Weekend in the City

Texas Monthly

Texas Monthly

Insiders' Guide to San Antonio