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This year the Spurs are celebrating their 50th season in San Antonio. There have been many highs and a few lows. One trademark of the San Antonio Spurs has been their culture and consistency. The keys to those qualities lie in their players. Always noted for development as well as being ahead of the curve on scouting international players, the Spurs way has made them one of the most successful organizations of all time. As we look back on the Silver and Black, we recognize the top 50 players in franchise history. Each day, we will move up the countdown.

23 - Tiago Splitter

He only came over to the NBA at 26, took two more years to get a starting job in San Antonio, was sidelined by a variety of maladies throughout his tenure and, as any Spurs fan who screamed at a television between 2010 and 2015 might tell you, was routinely afflicted by an aversion to dunking the basketball. And yet Tiago Splitter earns his spot in the top 50 for his unheralded role complementing a Silver Age Tim Duncan in the frontcourt, as well as contributing to the unique fabric of the locker room on that last great Spurs team.

Originally taken in the first round of 2007, the Brazilian big man can likely be considered the Spurs’ final draft and stash success (for now, at least). In the box score he was a walking 8 and 6, but his high IQ, low-usage play on offense, combined with a great feel for guarding the pick and roll and protecting the rim, allowed him to not only slot beside his Hall of Fame teammates but elevate their play. He’s not the first name you think of when the Beautiful Game era is brought up, but go back and watch the greatest video on the Internet, wipe away the tears, and appreciate Splitter’s ubiquity in the highlights.

Still, much of what Splitter valuable was the stuff that didn’t fill the stat sheets. He rarely chased a block, opting instead for a textbook contest. He made the pass before the pass that set up an easy bucket. His knack for showing and recovering around a screen was a key element of the Spurs’ stingy defense. Whether it was a hard screen, timely rotation or boxout, he was almost always right where you needed him to be.

Splitter’s performance and health peaked just at the right time for San Antonio, across the Spurs’ two Finals runs against the Heat. In the summer in between, the free agent made the decision to run it back following 2013’s disappointment. The 2014 title was redemptive for the team at large, and Splitter’s Game 5 block on Dwyane Wade felt like its own piece of payback after he was famously foiled by LeBron James the previous year.

Next up: the Preacher.

Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.

Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.

This year the Spurs are celebrating their 50th season in San Antonio. There have been many highs and a few lows. One trademark of the San Antonio Spurs has been their culture and consistency. The keys to those qualities lie in their players. Always noted for development as well as being ahead of the curve on scouting international players, the Spurs way has made them one of the most successful organizations of all time. As we look back on the Silver and Black, we recognize the top 50 players in franchise history. Each day, we will move up the countdown.

22 - Terry Cummings

Terry Cummings came into the NBA as the second overall draft pick in the 1982 NBA Draft, nestled between James Worthy and Dominque Wilkins. He earned the Rookie of the Year honors in 1983 as a member of the San Diego Clippers. Although a top player in the league, discrepancies with the team’s ownership led to his being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks just after his second season.

He spent five seasons in Milwaukee before being traded to the San Antonio Spurs in 1989 along with a 1990 2nd round draft pick. In exchange, the Bucks picked up Cadillac Anderson, Alvin Robertson, and a 1989 2nd round draft pick.

In five seasons with the Silver & Black, Cummings averaged 19.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. Teamed up with David Robinson, the Spurs saw one of the greatest ever single-season improvements going from 21 wins in 1989 to 56 wins in 1990.

Staying consistent and becoming a force at the four position, Cummings helped the Spurs rack up back-to-back fifty win seasons and strong postseason appearances.

An injury rendered T.C. out and he never quite got his game back on track. That said, he was able to stay active in the NBA until the turn of the century.

After basketball, Cummings dabbled in music, releasing an R&B album in 2007. He wrote the songs, while singing and playing keyboard.

Terry Cummings has also an ordained Pentecostal minister since 1977 and notably performed the ceremony of Sean Elliott and his wife Claudia.

Next Up: One of the biggest trades in Spurs history brought this All-Star to San Antonio.

Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.

Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.

SAN ANTONIO — A chapter in San Antonio’s history is officially closed.

Several businesses in Alamo Plaza shut their doors for the final time on Monday to make way for something new.

It's a 20-year ride coming to a halt.

“It is sad. It's nostalgic, it's the end of an era,” President and CEO of Phillips Entertainment Davis Phillips said.

The Phillips Entertainment businesses are a staple in the Alamo Plaza.

“The three particular businesses we're talking about, have been in operation for a little over 20 years,” Phillips said.

Tomb Rider as well as the Ripley's Haunted Adventure and the Guinness World Records Museum will all make way for a new Alamo Visitor Center and Museum. On Monday many were taking the walk down memory lane one final time.

“Everyone wants to see the Alamo. So, you want them to come you want them to experience everything that's here, you know, so I don't know what we're going to do. I'm happy that we're going to have a good replacement,” Pearl Alston who is visiting Alamo Plaza said.

“It was a part of San Antonio right for so long so I think it might change. I remember when we would see that man pop out of the haunted the haunted house,” Bethany Segura who is visiting Alamo Plaza said.

As for the 150 workers who will no longer have their jobs Phillips is working to keep them with the company or help them find their next adventure.

“The last two and a half years have been some of the most challenging in our business life, probably for any business, really. Even since it was announced in February that we're going to be closing down, we didn't lose anybody off our team, our full-time team has stayed with us. And we really appreciate them. And they're part of our family as well,” Phillips said.

Phillips also said other businesses in the area like the Visit SA Visitor Center and Jimmy John’s will close at a later date in 2022.

As for the impact the closures will have on tax revenues it's estimated once the Alamo Visitor Center and Museum opens it'll generate $600,000,000 in tax revenues for Texas.

After a long wait, the NBA trade market has become active again. First, the Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz agreed to a trade featuring Patrick Beverley and Talen Horton-Tucker. Then, a surprise blockbuster deal transpired.

The New York Knicks had been linked as the most likely trade suitor for All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell amid the Utah Jazz entering a rebuild. The trade return for Rudy Gobert was heavily predicated on future draft capital, signaling Mitchell will be moved next.

Mitchell ended up instead being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, Collin Sexton, three unprotected first-round picks (2025, 2027 and 2029) and two pick swaps (2026 and 2028).

With Kevin Durant committed to the Brooklyn Nets once again as he enters the first of a four-year contract, the trade market has shifted focus to Russell Westbrook and the Lakers. Los Angeles still needs to continue to make changes but hasn't yet moved Westbrook.

The Lakers will undoubtedly have to attach future draft capital in a Westbrook trade to not only entice the suitor to take on his salary, but also for the value of the players headed to Los Angeles. The goal for many teams is to receive the Lakers' first-round picks in 2027 and 2029 with as little protections on them as possible.

In any trade outcome involving Westbrook's $47.1 million expiring salary, the trade suitor would be unlikely to actually play him. He would swiftly negotiate a buyout or be sent home like John Wall was by the Houston Rockets as the team prioritizes their young players.

Before Mitchell was traded to the Cavaliers, the Jazz already were linked as a possible trade suitor for Westbrook. Now, they are viewed as a likely trade partner for Westbrook in a deal involving Bojan Bogdanovic as the headliner of a deal.

Utah could include a combination of names like Mike Conley, Malik Beasley, or Jordan Clarkson in addition to Bogdanovic in a trade. Right now, the Lakers have options and the Jazz have signaled they want to send out veteran players in a trade.

The San Antonio Spurs do not have the most appealing of potential trade packages to offer the Lakers. Jakob Poeltl and Josh Richardson are helpful veteran talents for a contender, but each is on expiring contracts. Doug McDermott is signed through 2023-24 but isn't on the most value-friendly deal at $13.75 million per season.

It's no secret the Lakers have an interest in acquiring Myles Turner and Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers. However, the asking price seemingly would involve parting with a first-round pick in 2027 and 2029. Given the Lakers' lack of desire to compensate a team for taking on Westbrook's deal, there hasn't been any progress.

It remains to be seen if the Lakers will reach the type of trade agreement they desire in exchange for Westbrook anytime soon. They will need to compensate teams for the talent they are sending them and surely for taking on Westbrook's salary, too. As a result, multiple draft assets of some kind are needed.

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One hundred years ago, cheap honeys and sweet jams were being sold at 410 Austin Street near downtown. Fast forward to the present and a sweet escape is being sold in the form of La Ruina.

La Ruina, the new concept by Gerry Shirley and Olaf Harmel, former owners of The Modernist, is now open. The owners spent years transforming the storied space into an elevated cocktail experience.

The owners hosted an invite-only grand opening on Friday, September 2. Read below for a sip of what to expect.

What's on the menu at La Ruina

Before Luis Muñoz and Eric Hanken took over The Modernist, the bar was known for forgoing a set menu and crafting made-to-order drinks. Shirley and Harmel's new business does have a specialty drink menu, but it was not available for the opening. Staff were able to stir up a list of orders from patrons who crowded around the polished bar. Mojitos, daiquiris, Old Cubans, carajillos, Cuba Libres, and an unnamed pink drinks with delicate flowers were lined up.

The Old Cuban, a meeting of a mojito and French 75 (my two favorites) was an easy standout. But as the night winded down and ride shares were secured, my friends dared into a wilder territory: shots. Our bartender suggested chichaitos, the ferocious, Anisette liqueur and rum shots my family and I fell in love with during a 2017 trip to La Placita in Puerto Rico. We've been searching for a bar that made them like the Santurce bars for years, even buying the ingredients to make them at home, but still not matching the flavor. The chichaitos can be infused with a mix of flavors, La Ruina made its with coconut. I was won over and fired up a text to the family group chat.

"Be careful with that stuff," my mom immediately insisted.

"What's the bar called? Where is it," my brother asked.

The space

The building La Ruina calls home has a history (more on that later), but it's also incorporating some of the local bar industry history. One foot into the dimly lit space and your eyes are drawn to a massive brass chandelier emphasizing the bar area. Fellow patrons traded trivia about the bar between sips, pointing out that the light fixture was originally part of the decor at Cadillac Bar. The legendary watering hole closed in 2020 after more than 40 years in San Antonio.

While the exterior upholds a sort of speakeasy style, with only green shutters marking the spot for now, the interior is full of details. La Ruina, or the ruins, is the name but the bar aesthetic is a stark contrast. Vibrant bouquets that make summer feel like forever cover tables, couples tucked away in cozy corners, and everyone wanted a seat on the perfectly pink bar stools that were the center of countless compliments.

A patio serviced by an outdoor bar is also in development.

Find it: 410 Austin St., San Antonio, TX 78215.

Before La Ruina

The City of San Antonio lists the address, or the Robitzsch Brothers Building, as a historic landmark. Digging through San Antonio Express-News archives dating back to 1904 show brothers Richard and Otto C. Robitzch (sometimes spelled Robitsch) owned a grocery store in the space.

Ads from the early 1900s through the 1920s promote low prices on everything from Skinner noodles to cheap honey. By 1948, following the deaths of the owners, the grocery store and market was listed as a "must sell." In the 1970s, 410 Austin Street was the home of a stainless steel manufacturer.