Two weeks ago, my fellow Toros blogger, Dave Mann, and I put forth a few humble suggestions for the team as a sort of antidote against what was quickly becoming a fruitless season. When we published the article, the Toros were a barely anemic 1-12 (their first victory actually coming while our story was being written). Well, I don’t mean to brag, I don’t mean to boast, but since those suggestions hit the Internet, the Austin Toros have gone 3-2. That’s right: 3-2. Coincidence, you say? Fluke, perhaps? The very height of arrogance and deluded megalomania? You may be right, but we here at the Chronicle aren’t ones to believe in coincidence or to trust in fluke. And we have no familiarity whatsoever with concepts like “arrogance” and “deluded megalomania.” All we know for sure is that all of a sudden our Austin Toros are taking it to the D-League and inching their weary way toward respectability.
Now, we’re too humble to take credit for all this … but we’re taking credit for all this.
Others who (might) deserve at least some of the praise as well include:
Loren Woods, the Toros newest acquisition, a 7-foot-2-inch, 260-pound center who played more than 200 games in the NBA – with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat, and Toronto Raptors – before landing on our doorstep last Thursday. Woods scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the Toros’ victory over the Anaheim Arsenal last night, which is just the kind of powerful inside presence the team was looking for.
Troy Bell, the freshly acquired guard I wrote about last week, is averaging 17.5 points during his tenure with the team, a tenure that started four games ago, during which time the Toros have gone 3-1.
James White, half-Toro/half-Spur (but all I-35) is averaging 17.6 points over eight games. He may ride the pine in San Antonio, but he’s becoming a vital part of the Toros’ offense here in Austin.
B.J. Elder is still among the top-five scorers in the D-League, averaging more than 21 a game and absolutely killing teams with his penetration game and pinpoint outside shooting. In the team’s four wins, Elder has been their top scorer twice. James White has had that honor once, as had Bell. Being a pass-first kind of player myself, I don’t expect to show up on that list any time soon. Though I could if I wanted to.
So, things are looking up for the Toros. I always knew they would. Always. Never a doubt.
I would like to say this, though: In my opinion, the Austin Toros are spilling over with NBA-ready talent, but what’s been lacking in their disposition up until this point is a killer instinct to win and an innate intolerance of – even repulsion toward – losing. How …
Hold on a second … This just in: God bless modern technology, and God bless Austin baketball. According to the “refresh” button on my Web browser, the Toros just this very second defeated the Los Angeles D-Fenders, in Los Angeles, by a score of 108–97. Ring the bells! Uncork the wine! Grab a girl! Let joy be unconfined! The Austin Toros are now 5-14! That’s right: 5 and everloving 14!
Granted, that’s not really a record to be writing home about, but godammit if it’s not a start. And great things are made on great starts. (Who said that? Bronco Nagurski, I think. Or maybe it was Son of Sam.) Plus, it means they’ve won four of their last five and, more importantly, that they’ve gone 4-2 since they began taking our advice. Well, we are modest men, Dave and I, and we demand no remuneration, require no thanks, don’t even expect acknowledgement for our troubles. No, the knowledge of yet another notch in the win column for our favorite D-League team is reward enough.
In fact, I’m so happy at this turn of events that I’m going to hold off on my little lecture about the team’s killer instinct and simply bask in their reflected glory for awhile.
So, Toros: You’re off the hook – at least for tonight. If the losing starts again, however, expect a good talking to in the near future.
Until then … goodnight, sweet princes.
This article appears in January 12 • 2007.