Spurs F Oberto no longer sitting and watching

Jun 6, 2007 - 11:49 PM By Chris Bernucca PA SportsTicker Pro Basketball Editor

SAN ANTONIO (Ticker) - Last season, Fabricio Oberto wasn't much more than a spectator. Feeling his way in the NBA, the international star spent most of his rookie season with the San Antonio Spurs watching, learning and counting.

"Here, the rules with the circle, you have to be ready," Oberto said. "When you start playing year by year, you learn more about three seconds. I remember my first season I was getting a lot of three seconds."

Oberto's lack of development over the course of last season left San Antonio with a shortened bench, which was one of the reasons the Spurs could not get past the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference semifinals.

In the 2006 playoffs, Oberto played just 34 minutes over seven games, collecting as many fouls as points. This season has been a different story, however.

After averaging 4.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 79 games - including 33 starts - in the regular season, the Argentine native has become a factor in the postseason, splitting time at power forward and center and helping put the Spurs on the cusp of a fourth NBA title.

"I think the main thing for me was to keep working and be strong in my head," Oberto said. "No matter what happens, keep working. I did a lot of things to keep working on my game."

Oberto has averaged 5.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in the postseason, including norms of 10.2 and 7.8 in the Western Conference finals against Utah. More importantly, he started all five games and averaged 31 minutes.

In San Antonio's Game Four road win that swung the series, Oberto had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. He played 37 minutes, more than he did in the entire 2006 postseason.

Although his rough-and-tumble style led Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to call him "the ugliest good player I have ever seen," Oberto is not used to riding the bench.

In four seasons in the Spanish ACB - the best basketball league in the world outside the NBA - he was a star, earning All-Star berths and winning championships. It was no different in international competition, where Oberto has teamed with Spurs teammate Manu Ginobili to help Argentina ascend to a global powerhouse, capped by a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics.

Despite his success, Oberto had no expectations of starting or playing immediately when he signed with the Spurs in the summer of 2005. He knew he was joining the NBA champions, which was much more important.

"That really was not a concern, how much minutes I played," he said. "I just wanted to be part of the team."

This season, Oberto is a much bigger part of the Spurs. He spent his rookie season familiarizing himself with opposing players and their tendencies, which has made him a far more effective player.

"I just learned the game, how you play different types of players," he said. "When you watch the TV, you watch five, six guys every game. Now I started having to know everybody."

And before the Finals are over, everybody may start to know Oberto.