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San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has said that the recruitment of French-Congolese star Victor Wembanyama has validated his decades-long belief that the NBA needed to expand its basketball scouting beyond the US.

Popovich served in the United States Air Force in the 1970s, and toured Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union with the U.S. Armed Forces Basketball Team, which he captained. He said he realised then that the NBA's scouting was myopic, and needed to expand beyond US borders.

He views Wembanyama, a 7-foot-4 power forward/center who drew inspiration from France's Tony Parker, as proof of what the US was missing out on during his time in the Air Force.

"He's just the newest of so many fine players around the world who have made the league better and more exciting," Popovich told international media in a virtual press conference.

"It's been a long process - those four decades [since Popovich began working in the NBA] - but it's only going to grow. I think there are about 125 players [from] outside of America who are in the NBA right now."

Popovich has been at the forefront of the league's embrace of international stars, with Parker (France) and Manu Ginobili (Argentina) winning four of his five NBA titles as head coach alongside him.

"When I was in the military, I traveled with various teams in many places in the world and knew at that time, back in the '70s, that there were players all around the world, and people here in America just didn't realize it or respect it - or both," Popovich said.

"In the '80s, when I became an assistant coach and came over to find these players or to scout them... I was like a kid in a candy store. There were so many great players in that time. At that time, Yugoslavia was one of the strongest, for instance."

As for the modern era, Popovich made special mention of African basketball, which has grown tremendously since he served as Team Africa's head coach at the 2015 NBA Africa exhibition game. Wembanyama's father, Félix, is from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Although Wembanyama himself was not produced through Africa's youth basketball systems, several NBA stars were, including reigning MVP Joel Embiid, who rose through the 2011 Basketball Without Borders Africa camp in Johannesburg.

In 2017, the NBA Africa Academy opened in Senegal, and as the Spurs look to build a team for the next generation, Popovich suggested that Africa could possess some of the key building blocks not only for his team, but also for their competition.

"Africa is a very important part of the scouting world as far as identifying players as early as possible for all the teams in the NBA [goes]... It seems every year, there are more and more African players in the league," Popovich said.

"As far as scouting is concerned, that is best explained [through] Basketball Without Borders, where they have been to Africa and started the program there. Each year, more and more people are involved.

"The administration levels become larger; the number of people involved in it grows consistently, so Africa is a big part of the development of worldwide basketball for sure."

The NBA, and the affiliated Basketball Africa League, air on ESPN's channels in Africa.

SAN ANTONIO – Continuing with its promise — or warning — of pursuing more rate increases, CPS Energy is preparing to unveil its latest request a little less than two years since the last one passed.

The city-owned gas and electric utility will request an increase of its gas and electric base rates by 4.25% from both the CPS Energy Board of Trustees and San Antonio City Council on Nov. 8 — a move it says would raise many customers’ bills by less than $5.

The basics

The “preliminary” figure of 4.25% was included in a presentation to a community input group Wednesday evening, and a utility spokeswoman confirmed to KSAT that it would be the same number presented next week.

The requested increase is lower than the utility had originally been forecasting, but additional rate hikes are still expected in the near future.

The utility hopes to get board and the city council approval for the current rate hike before the end of the year, she said in an emailed statement, with the goal of putting the rates into effect on Feb. 1, 2024.

The proposed increase would raise residential customers’ monthly gas and electric bills by about $4.45. Small commercial customers would see their electric bills increase by about $18, and their gas bills go up by $7 every month.

Larger businesses could see their monthly electric bills increase by hundreds — or even thousands of dollars — at an average change of 3%, according to the same presentation.

The utility expects the increase would bring in another $85 million every year. Its plans for the money include replacing aging technology, more tree trimming, grid upgrades, and planning for a wave of pending retirements.

The utility also plans to increase its affordability discount program to offset about half of the increased base rate costs.

2022 rate increase

CPS trustees and the San Antonio City Council last approved a rate increase in January 2022, which took effect March 1, 2022.

That increase was a two-part proposition: a 3.85% increase to the gas and electric base rates and the establishment of a “regulatory asset” that showed up as an increase to customers’ fuel adjustment charge. At the time, the utility estimated a combined $5.10 impact on the average residential bill.

At the time, the council voted 9-2 to approve the increase to the fuel charge and 8-3 on the base rate increase.

Councilwoman Teri Castillo (D5) and Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2) voted no on both, and Councilman Clayton Perry (D10) joined them in voting no for the base rate.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg, Councilman Mario Bravo (D1), Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran (D3), Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia (D4), Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda (D6), Councilwoman Ana Sandoval (D7), Councilman Manny Pelaez (D8), and Councilman John Courage (D9) all voted to approve both the fuel charge and rate increase.

Bravo, Sandoval, and Perry are no longer on the council.

Their successors have not yet voted on a CPS Energy rate: Councilwoman Sukh Kaur (D1), Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito (D7), and Councilman Marc Whyte (D10).

More reluctance?

The council has not started the official discussions about the rate proposal. But it has been long-expected and has lingered around the periphery of most discussions about other CPS Energy issues.

In a Wednesday council meeting, Pelaez warned that his support for the long-expected rate increase won’t be guaranteed this time around.

“The reality is, is that never before have I been put in a position where my constituents have been put under this much pressure. And there comes a point right, where I think it’s fair for council to say ‘no,’” Pelaez said.

More increases incoming

Before the March 2022 increase, the utility’s rates had stayed the same since February 2014 - just over eight years.

But the utility has said it plans to pursue more regular increases as it tries to improve its infrastructure, replace aging technology, and keep its systems growing along with the city.

Even during the 2022 rate increase discussions, the utility tentatively planned rate increases in its 2025 and 2027 fiscal years, which run from February through January.

The current proposal matches that first increase, and CEO Rudy Garza indicated at Wednesday’s council meeting that the second is still on the table, perhaps along with another in FY 2029.

“I can tell you we’ll need to come in two years from now and have a conversation. And then, likely the two years from then, we’ll at least need to put a placeholder in case there’s still some work to do,” Garza said.

The size of those future increases is not apparent yet. However, the new proposal is already lower than the 5.5% the utility had used as a “placeholder” during conversations about the last increase. That was partly helped by the extra $130 million it raked in this year selling excess power to the rest of the Texas grid.

More information

CPS Energy has its own website with frequently asked questions about the rate proposal and a list of meetings beginning Nov. 8.

You can also see their Nov. 1 presentation to a community input group below or watch the video of the meeting here.

Community Working Group Mtg 3 v2 by David Ibanez on Scribd

Speak up

CPS Energy is soliciting public comment for its Wednesday, Nov. 8 meeting at 11 a.m. at CPS Energy Headquarters on McCullough Avenue.

You can register to speak at the meeting between Friday, Nov. 3, at 5 p.m. and Tuesday, Nov. 7, at 1 p.m. by calling 210-353-4662 or emailing PublicCommentRegistration@cpsenergy.com.

CNN —

The San Antonio Spurs led the Phoenix Suns for a total of 1.2 seconds on Tuesday, but they were the most important 1.2 seconds of the game.

Keldon Johnson stole the ball from Kevin Durant with less than seven seconds left and scored a layup at the death to give the Spurs a dramatic 115-114 victory at the Footprint Center in Arizona, after San Antonio had earlier trailed by 20 points in the third quarter.

Durant, who had just become the 12th player in NBA history to hit 27,000 points, missed a buzzer-beater as the game came to a frenetic conclusion.

Johnson ended the night with 27 points, while No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama added 18 points, eight rebounds and four blocks as San Antonio recorded its first road win of the season.

From his parents objecting to him playing basketball to officiating in the NBA: the South Korean referee making history

“We needed to try anything at this point, down one with a couple of seconds left,” Wembanyama told reporters after his fourth game in the NBA. “It’s just: go and get the ball and do whatever you can.”

The Frenchman’s put-back dunk had cut the lead to one and put the Spurs within touching distance with 6.8 seconds left, setting up what proved to be a nightmare finish for Phoenix on Halloween.

However, Suns coach Frank Vogel said that he thought Durant had been fouled right before Johnson scored the game-winning points.

“They whack him on the arm, okay, before the ball gets ripped out of his hands, no call,” Vogel told reporters. “But in a situation like that, we try to get the ball in a quick inbounds to our 90% free throw shooter. And we did. But it didn’t work out.”

The Suns had held a commanding lead for virtually the whole contest and were 65-45 ahead at the start of the third quarter.

Durant tallied 26 points and seven assists as he passed the 12,000-point milestone, doing so in his 990th game. Only Wilt Chamberlain (780), Michael Jordan (852) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (965) have reached the mark in fewer games.

But the occasion was dampened by the Spurs’ dramatic, fourth-quarter comeback in which they outscored the Suns 33-19. It was a much-needed win following a crushing 40-point loss against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.

“We made a gazillion mistakes, but it’s a game of mistakes,” San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich told reporters. “So does every team. We just kept playing, that’s the best thing about the group. I was really proud of them.”

The Spurs and the Suns, who are both 2-2 on the season, meet again in Phoenix on Thursday.

City’s current practice is to set aside any CPS Energy revenue surpluses more than 10% above budget for the council to consider how to spend

San Antonio City Council split on what to do with extra CPS Energy money in windfall years

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KSAT News Brief: 11/02/23 Evening Edition

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio City Council members are split on the best way to spend unexpected windfalls of CPS Energy money in future years.

As the owner of CPS Energy, the City of San Antonio gets 14% of its gross revenues as a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) -- one of its single, largest funding sources. In FY 2024 alone, the city expects to collect $421 million from the gas and electric utility.

Those payments have brought the city much more money than it had initially expected in each of the past two years. At the same time, the city is bracing itself for another increase to gas and electric rates.

Shortly before the city council voted on the FY 2024 budget in September, Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda (D6) floated an idea to take only 11% or 12% of CPS revenues, meaning foregoing roughly $60 million or $90 million each year.

In a subsequent council consideration request, she suggested that the utility could improve its resiliency, and a rate increase could be avoided for at least five years.

City staff dismissed the idea, though. While it wouldn’t prevent a rate increase, they said, it would definitely blow a hole in the city’s budget.

Instead, they worked with Cabello Havrda on an alternative plan that was presented to the Governance Committee on Oct. 18.

In years when the PILOT payments are 10% or higher than the city originally budgeted -- as has happened the past two budget years -- the city would split the extra money above the 10% mark between CPS Energy and itself.

The majority of those windfall funds, 80%, would go toward CPS Energy resiliency and reliability projects, and the other 20% would be put into the city’s Resiliency, Energy Efficiency, & Sustainability (REES) fund.

The city’s current practice is to set aside any CPS Energy revenue surpluses more than 10% above budget for the council to consider how to spend.

When the city council considered the new, proposed policy on Wednesday, though, there was no clear consensus on how to proceed.

Some, like Mayor Ron Nirenberg, approved of the proposed policy as a way to prepare the city and the utility for future extreme weather.

Councilman Marc Whyte (D10) suggested the city council take the opportunity to consider where they could get $60 million from the city’s budget. Barring that, Whyte said he supported the proposal.

But other council members, like Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran (D3), suggested it would be better for the city to keep a larger portion of any surplus and spend it on the city’s needs. She questioned whether the South Side district she represents would benefit as much from the money if it went to CPS Energy projects rather than city projects.

And while Cabello Havrda and city staff have said the proposed policy might help reduce future rate increases, CPS Energy officials confirmed they would not guarantee a delay in planned increases.

City Manager Erik Walsh said the council would discuss what policy they want to put in place during a budget work session in April.

Copyright 2023 by KSAT - All rights reserved.

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ESPN's fantasy basketball and basketball betting tips cheat sheet is your pregame destination for basketball betting predictions and our best intel and data, featuring ESPN's proprietary Basketball Power Index (BPI) to help you make smart fantasy and wagering decisions. Fantasy advice is based on ESPN 10-team leagues.

New this season, ESPN Analytics will also generate daily NBA fantasy projections. By combining historical player and team data and specific game factors ESPN is able to accurately predict player box score stats. Accounting for injuries, trends in playing time, and other factors impacting future performance the statistical models can be used to help NBA fantasy players gain an edge in their league.

What you need to know for Thursday's games

After Wednesday's massive 13-game schedule, we turn our attention to Thursday's more concise four-game slate. With a lens on the fantasy implications of these matchups, let's delve into the variety of rosters and rotations the day offers.

The night includes a series of rematches, as the Toronto Raptors head south to face the Philadelphia 76ers after a matchup in Canada this past Saturday that included busy box scores from Joel Embiid and the ever-emergent Tyrese Maxey. On the heels of this week's James Harden trade, it will be riveting to see how the Philly rotation unfolds now that they've added a series of forwards in the transaction. For the Raptors, I'm still intrigued by the value Gary Trent Jr. provides as a shooting and steals specialist.

Another rematch for tonight finds the Phoenix Suns hosting the Spurs for the second time this week. A peak at the injury report reveals that Bradley Beal (back) remains out, but superstar Devin Booker (foot) has been upgraded to questionable.

Tonight's tilt between the Detroit Pistons and New Orleans Pelicans doesn't have any updates via the league's injury report, but we do have a streaming endorsement based on the potential Brandon Ingram misses another game due to knee soreness. For the Pistons, if Alec Burks is another scratch, Marcus Sasser could help in deeper formats.

Finally, the Orlando Magic are in Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz in a rare non-conference meeting for these franchises. Collin Sexton was on fire last night, but I remain more intrigued with the team's hyphenated playmaker, Talen Horton-Tucker (more on him below).

Thursday's Stream Team

This segment nominates three key streaming options ahead of that day's action. A streamer, by our standards, is a player available in at least half of ESPN men's fantasy basketball leagues.

Jeremy Sochan, PG/PF, Spurs (rostered in 18.6% of ESPN leagues): San Antonio's counter to the small-ball era is jumbo lineups featuring this unique playmaker from the point guard spot. The scoring is often lean, but fun passing and defensive rates often surface.

Eric Gordon, SG/SF, Suns (12.3%): The continued absence of Beal drives rich scoring rates from Gordon, who has tallied at least 20 in consecutive games, including 20 against the Spurs earlier this week.

Talen Horton-Tucker, SF/PF, Jazz (7.1%): Somewhat like Sochan, the Jazz are affording Horton-Tucker rare creation usage as a key distributor for the team. The Magic have some size at guard, but so does THT.

Projections and Injury Reports

Fantasy projections powered by ESPN Analytics.* Projections assume all players who are listed as GTD will play. Injury information powered by Rotowire.com. Players available in at least 50% of ESPN leagues are listed in italics.

Toronto Raptors at Philadelphia 76ers 7 p.m. Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia

Injury Report: Raptors: Christian Koloko, (GTD - Illness); Precious Achiuwa, (GTD - Groin) 76ers: Nicolas Batum, (OUT - Personal)

Raptors projections:

76ers projections:

Detroit Pistons at New Orleans Pelicans 8 p.m. Smoothie King Center, New Orleans

Injury Report: Pistons: Alec Burks, (GTD - Forearm); Jalen Duren, (GTD - Ankle); Monte Morris, (OUT - Quadriceps); Isaiah Livers, (OUT - Ankle); Bojan Bogdanovic, (OUT - Calf) Pelicans: Brandon Ingram, (GTD - Knee); Jose Alvarado, (OUT - Ankle); Naji Marshall, (OUT - Knee); Trey Murphy III, (OUT - Knee)

Pistons projections:

Pelicans projections:

Orlando Magic at Utah Jazz 9 p.m. Delta Center, Salt Lake City

Injury Report: Magic: None reported Jazz: None reported

Magic projections:

Jazz projections:

San Antonio Spurs at Phoenix Suns 10 p.m. Footprint Center, Phoenix

Injury Report: Spurs: None reported Suns: Devin Booker, (GTD - Toe); Bradley Beal, (OUT - Back); Damion Lee, (OUT - Knee)

Spurs projections:

Suns projections: