I doubt that Chuck's comments had nearly as much to do with this as Avery Johnson's coaching and commitment to defense. While Johnson's skills put him as a CBA wannabe, the guy is as tough as nails -- even through the Admiral years, it was really Johnson who was the leader for the Spurs. In fact, Johnson confronted Rodman on several occassions -- and while Rodman didn't mind playing tough -- he rolled over for Avery Johnson (who could bench 400+ during his days in SA). Yeah, I know -- it's hard to believe he is tough listening to him talk!
The Spurs STILL need a better rebounding center and someone -- ANYONE with a post game offensively. Defensively, this team has some great defenders on the perimeter -- Dampier is an upgrade from their past center defenders but he still isn't worth bragging about! They won't go deep in the playoffs without the ability to rebound the basketball and execute in a slow offensive set.