Pleasantly Suprised

[The Franchise]

At how good the Spurs are at 60%. When this team reaches full strength they will be scary. I would also like to add that I was wrong and George Hill was an incredible pick. He could be a starter for most teams in the league. :toast

[Allanon]

I'll admit I was totally wrong about George Hill, I thought he would be a total bust. Well not a total bust, I knew he'd be a decent defender but he's been a great defender. And the rebounds are quite a plus.

I thought he would suck on offense but he's been proving me wrong.

As for the Spurs in general, I'm not sold yet. If they're a few games above .500 after January, I'll jump on the Spurs Bandwagon. And if they're still there on March 1st, I'd say they're a lock for the WCF.

[Joe Schmoogins]

If they're a few games above .500 after January, I'll jump on the Spurs Bandwagon. And if they're still there on March 1st, I'd say they're a lock for the WCF.


Are you kidding me? They are a couple games above .500 right now, and are only going to get better with the return of Parker, Mahinmi joining the club, Thomas getting healthier, and the team jelling even more. As a Lakers fan I'm sure you are REALLY hoping the Spurs cease to exist and turn into a lotto team. You've been posting this nonsense for a long time hoping that it turns out to be true. It's time to face reality. The Spurs are for real... They aren't going anywhere... and they are going to knock off the Lakers and do what the lake show failed to do last year, bring the title back to the western conference.

Put that in your sig, and it'll be the truest thing you posted all year.

[tlongII]

Are you kidding me? They are a couple games above .500 right now, and are only going to get better with the return of Parker, Mahinmi joining the club, Thomas getting healthier, and the team jelling even more. As a Lakers fan I'm sure you are REALLY hoping the Spurs cease to exist and turn into a lotto team. You've been posting this nonsense for a long time hoping that it turns out to be true. It's time to face reality. The Spurs are for real... They aren't going anywhere... and they are going to knock off the Lakers and do what the lake show failed to do last year, bring the title back to the western conference.

Put that in your sig, and it'll be the truest thing you posted all year.

The Spurs have played an easy schedule so far. I will admit that they have played better than I would have guessed, but I'm definitely not sold on them either. They don't have enough size to compete in the playoffs. The only team the Lakers need to worry about is the Blazers. I think they know that too. If we keep improving like I think we will throughout the season we will be a load come playoff timel.

[waly.mg]

Great Pick by the Spurs ¡¡¡¡¡

But i want a Great Big Man Pick

With Manu and Tony playing 35 minutes a game in the Playoffs, we only have 28 minutes for Mason and Hill, and if we play small, we have 86 minutes for Bowen, Udoka, Finley, Hill and Mason

Mason and Hill are greats players, but i see that we need bigs for the POs

[Spur-Addict]

I'll admit I was totally wrong about George Hill, I thought he would be a total bust. Well not a total bust, I knew he'd be a decent defender but he's been a great defender. And the rebounds are quite a plus.

I thought he would suck on offense but he's been proving me wrong.

As for the Spurs in general, I'm not sold yet. If they're a few games above .500 after January, I'll jump on the Spurs Bandwagon. And if they're still there on March 1st, I'd say they're a lock for the WCF.

If all you can do is defend decently, and you are a first round pick, i'd say you are complete bust.

Good thing that isn't the case! G. Hill Baybahhhhhh :lol

[Texas_Ranger]

I'm also surprised... i've thought that we will be under 50% when I knew that we'll be without Manu. And then we also lost TP....An when I watched some games on the start of the season I was like: ''WTF are they doing?''.... But now I'm really happy that Manu is back and the performance of Hill and Mason are superb... I knew that Mason will be a solid player, but I would never thougt that he'll be scoring 20 points in some games... And for George I can just say WAWAWIWA, he really surprised me with his game, and if he'll play like he's playing right now, I can say that we've got a perfect backup for TP... Fin is also playing pretty good, and is shooting the ball much better than on the beginning of the last year. Also thanx to Matt Bonner, who's playing pretty good so far. I'm just a little disappointet with Bruce, but if he keeps playing good D everything'll be Ok..
So watch out NBA, cause Spurs will look very scary when TP is back!!

[Joe Schmoogins]

The only team the Lakers need to worry about is the Blazers. I think they know that too. If we keep improving like I think we will throughout the season we will be a load come playoff timel.

You and Allanon are a great pair. The Blazers are too young and at least a year away from being as borderline contender. The Spurs Big rotation is not nearly as bad as some think. First we have the best big in the league, and some flexibility in Thomas (who is still rounding into form), Oberto (who will only get better now that Manu is back), Bonner (who is playing the best ball of his life), and if Mahinmi shows anything, we have more than enough to compete.

[Allanon]

Are you kidding me? They are a couple games above .500 right now, and are only going to get better with the return of Parker, Mahinmi joining the club, Thomas getting healthier, and the team jelling even more. As a Lakers fan I'm sure you are REALLY hoping the Spurs cease to exist and turn into a lotto team. You've been posting this nonsense for a long time hoping that it turns out to be true. It's time to face reality. The Spurs are for real... They aren't going anywhere... and they are going to knock off the Lakers and do what the lake show failed to do last year, bring the title back to the western conference.

Put that in your sig, and it'll be the truest thing you posted all year.

I'm a Laker fan and as such, I don't have the "belief" that Spur fans have in their team. But I can try to objectify it and not let my Laker bias get in the way of a fair assessment. I'm a bit of a homer when talking about the Lakers and their players but you'll have to give me a pass on that.

As Tlong pointed out, it's the strength of schedule. The Spurs schedule so far has been the 23rd hardest...ie 22 teams havef harder schedules than the Spurs. They've beaten 2 good teams (Houston/Utah) although the Utah one was without DWill and Boozer.

I said it in pre-season that the easy schedule would help them to survive the early season without Manu.

There will be a couple of hard games coming up in a few days then it gets easy again to end the year. The Spurs will have a good record but it would be mostly against easy teams. Therefore, I find it hard to guage their season success.

January is a "hard" schedule so if they can get through that, then I'm sold that they'll be good during the Playoffs.

February is killer, almost every team is a Playoff team and only 3 home games, if they can finish that with a nice record, I'd say they're a lock for the WCF.

[SpurSupremacist]

I've been surprised by Hill. Not that he can defend at an NBA level, because I assumed with his athleticism and length that he could potentially be an elite-type defender(he isn't yet, not by a long shot), but I'm really surprised that he's been able to finish plays at the rim. I had assumed he would be a big liability on offense, because he has no jump shot whatsoever, but at least so far... it hasn't been the case. I've also been pleasantly surprised by his nose for the ball. But man, does he ever need to work on that jump shot, that thing is UGLY.

[mrspurs]

I had my doubts until Timvp put up that schedule before the season started. After seeing that schedule I knew we would have a decent record. We have been playing some of the worst teams in the league. But a win is a win. And in the end, they dont look at who you beat, they look at how many you beat. And I to believe like Timvp. Its Ian or bust. Or we make a trade. When push comes to shove we dont have the bigs to compete with the teams that are gonna be there playing physical basketball. Fab and Kurt will get pushed around like puppies.

[Joe Schmoogins]

As for the Spurs in general, I'm not sold yet. If they're a few games above .500 after January, I'll jump on the Spurs Bandwagon.

Saying this implies that you do not think they will reach this mark. Is this correct? I don't know a single respected NBA analyst who would make such a claim.


I'm a Laker fan and as such, I don't have the "belief" that Spur fans have in their team. But I can try to objectify it and not let my Laker bias get in the way of a fair assessment...

I question your objectivity...

Any team that is missing two of it's big three is going to struggle out of the gate, especially when they are incorporating two new rookies, a newly acquired fa, and have 4 bigs who have spent time dealing with personal issues and recovering from injuries. Who cares about the schedule at this point. They've won every game that they should have (with the exception of milwaukee) and even a couple that they weren't expected to.

Going forward and barring continued injuries, you are underestimating a team that has a history of dominance, a championship pedigree, 3 future hof'ers, a legendary coach, a refreshed athletic bench, and arguably the best backcourt in the nba. you are underestimating a team that has won 6 of it's last seven by controlling the game on the defensive end (they've had the third best D over this stretch I believe). This is a team that is nowhere near it's peak due to key players being out and new players still finding their niche in the chemistry. Sure, the schedule might get tougher, but every team faces tough stretches every season, and the Spurs have never lost more than 29 games since Duncan's been around.

[DPG21920]

Didn't the Spurs compete last year in the playoffs with the same size up front?

[wijayas]

I'm also surprised... i've thought that we will be under 50% when I knew that we'll be without Manu. And then we also lost TP....An when I watched some games on the start of the season I was like: ''WTF are they doing?''.... But now I'm really happy that Manu is back and the performance of Hill and Mason are superb... I knew that Mason will be a solid player, but I would never thougt that he'll be scoring 20 points in some games... And for George I can just say WAWAWIWA, he really surprised me with his game, and if he'll play like he's playing right now, I can say that we've got a perfect backup for TP... Fin is also playing pretty good, and is shooting the ball much better than on the beginning of the last year. Also thanx to Matt Bonner, who's playing pretty good so far. I'm just a little disappointet with Bruce, but if he keeps playing good D everything'll be Ok..
So watch out NBA, cause Spurs will look very scary when TP is back!!

WTF happened in the first five games was that Pop and the coaching team were trying new defensive "gigs" to give some "wrinkles" to our D-set. Naturally the objective is to make our D less predictable. The experiments failed. We need to score 129 in double overtime against the lowly Twolves!

When TP is down, we return to our old Defensive sets. See what happened now! Same thing is true with Bowen. He was out as a starter because he can't master the new D-gigs but now that we return to the old, we see Bowen return to his old "anaconda"-self.

I am very happy with the return of teh old SPurs. :flag: :flag: :flag:

[wijayas]

Put that in your sig, and it'll be the truest thing you posted all year.

Joe, Allanon is one of the few knowledgable and impartial trolls at SpursTalk. What he said is true. Our schedule is a bit soft, although we are over-performing given the setbacks we are facing.

At present Manu is not 100% yet. TP is not back. Once we are 100%, we can compete with the Lakers, anytime.

[Allanon]

Saying this implies that you do not think they will reach this mark. Is this correct? I don't know a single respected NBA analyst who would make such a claim.

That is true, I don't think they will reach the mark. I think with a health\y Manu and TP, they still don't have the pieces to get through those games well.




I question your objectivity...

Any team that is missing two of it's big three is going to struggle out of the gate, especially when they are incorporating two new rookies, a newly acquired fa, and have 4 bigs who have spent time dealing with personal issues and recovering from injuries. Who cares about the schedule at this point. They've won every game that they should have (with the exception of milwaukee) and even a couple that they weren't expected to.

I think the surprising game was Houston but I think the rest they pretty much should have won. And now with Manu back they should continue winning. If they beat those upcoming 3 tough teams in a row (Houston, Detroit Denver), those are surprises, I don't expect them to win those.



Going forward and barring continued injuries, you are underestimating a team that has a history of dominance, a championship pedigree, 3 future hof'ers, a legendary coach, a refreshed athletic bench, and arguably the best backcourt in the nba. you are underestimating a team that has won 6 of it's last seven by controlling the game on the defensive end (they've had the third best D over this stretch I believe). This is a team that is nowhere near it's peak due to key players being out and new players still finding their niche in the chemistry. Sure, the schedule might get tougher, but every team faces tough stretches every season, and the Spurs have never lost more than 29 games since Duncan's been around.

I don't question Duncan or the guards. I seriously question the Center and to a lesser extent, the Small Forward position.

I think those 2 positions will make the Spurs a decent team but not good enough to beat the elites.

But who knows, maybe I'm wrong and they storm through Jan/Feb.

[Joe Schmoogins]

Joe, Allanon is one of the few knowledgable and impartial trolls at SpursTalk. What he said is true. Our schedule is a bit soft, although we are over-performing given the setbacks we are facing.

At present Manu is not 100% yet. TP is not back. Once we are 100%, we can compete with the Lakers, anytime.

Sure our schedule has been soft, but what's your point? I'm not disagreeing with that. I'm saying it's ridiculous to think the Spurs will still be hovering around .500 two months from now.

[Joe Schmoogins]

That is true, I don't think they will reach the mark. I think with a health\y Manu and TP, they still don't have the pieces to get through those games well.




ok that's fine, that's your opinion and it's cool. I guess we'll see. I just don't think the center/sf spot are much of a problem if even a problem at all. We've won three championships with Bowen at sf, and less than stellar centers. Between Bowen, Udoka, and Finley splitting time at the three, the Spurs are fine. As far as the center position is concerned, Thomas is showing signs of life and Fab still contributes even if his contributions don't show up on a stat sheet. Also, IF Mahinmi arrives he could transform the bigs into quite the solid group as he has the potential to fill many of the gaps in the current rotation.

[mystargtr34]

That is true, I don't think they will reach the mark. I think with a health\y Manu and TP, they still don't have the pieces to get through those games well.




I think the surprising game was Houston but I think the rest they pretty much should have won. And now with Manu back they should continue winning. If they beat those upcoming 3 tough teams in a row (Houston, Detroit Denver), those are surprises, I don't expect them to win those.



I don't question Duncan or the guards. I seriously question the Center and to a lesser extent, the Small Forward position.

I think those 2 positions will make the Spurs a decent team but not good enough to beat the elites.

But who knows, maybe I'm wrong and they storm through Jan/Feb.

No team has All-Stars 1 through 5. If you apply thaty logic for the Spurs, what about the Lakers. You guys have Radmanovic starting, Bowen is equally as good a 3 point shooter and a far superior defender. You have pretty weak PG rotation also with an aging Fish who cant seem to hit 3's anymore and a sparplug in Farmar who still struggles to make the correct decisions on the floor on a consistent basis. And your starting Center has pretty sketchy injury history - now hes injured again. Add to that the Spurs bench might even be stronger than your own best bench in the league when everyone is healthy. What makes you think the Lakers will keep steam rolling everyone on their way to 75 wins when theyre schedule has been one of the easiest in the league.

[koriwhat]

I think those 2 positions will make the Spurs a decent team but not good enough to beat the elites.

who exactly are the elites if the spurs aren't on that list? i mean haven't the spurs been the team to beat the last decade? what the fuck!?

how can anyone say the spurs aren't elite and aren't good enough to beat the "elite" teams out there? that's a fuckin' moronic statement regardless of the fact that you root for a young team who got their asses fully handed to them in the finals, something the spurs never have had done to them, and here you are claiming the inevitable collapse of the spurs franchise. a franchise who features not just 1 face but 3 or possibly 4. to claim such bs is disrespectful because if i remember correctly kobe didn't win a god damn thing last yr except mvp or better yet finally-you-started-passing-the-ball-and-stopped-trying-to-be-a-1-man-show.

fuck your lakers!

[koriwhat]

The only team the Lakers need to worry about is the Blazers.

you're a fool. no further need to explain myself.

[tlongII]

you're a fool. no further need to explain myself.

I'm a fool? Nice tats. :lol

[ducks]

i am surpised how bad oden has looked
people saying he was david robinson

[mystargtr34]

Oden and Bynum will fight to see whether they can be better than Robert Parish.

[wijayas]

Sure our schedule has been soft, but what's your point? I'm not disagreeing with that. I'm saying it's ridiculous to think the Spurs will still be hovering around .500 two months from now.

My pointis your attack on Allanon is unnecessary if only to show how snobbish you can be.

[z0sa]

I'm a fool? Nice tats. :lol

Insulting physical appearances doesn't change the answer to your question.

[tlongII]

Insulting physical appearances doesn't change the answer to your question.

Agreed. The answer is no.

[tp2021]

They don't have enough size to compete in the playoffs. The only team the Lakers need to worry about is the Blazers. I think they know that too.

Oh come off it.

[igruex]

Oden and Bynum will fight to see whether they can be better than Robert Parish.

:lmao

[tlongII]

d2YyKQbSeR4

[Joe Schmoogins]

My pointis your attack on Allanon is unnecessary if only to show how snobbish you can be.

I'm not attacking Allanon, I'm sure he's a great person... I'm disagreeing with him. Last time I checked it's ok to have different opinions. But thanks for your concern.

[MI21]

The Blazers might be annoying if they can find a way to keep Oden off of the floor.

[z0sa]

Agreed. The answer is no.

Whatever helps you sleep at night.

[Allanon]

I agree that Duncan and the guards have elite status. I just don't think they can get away with the way the bigs are playing. Last year's Oberto or KT would have been enough. But the way they've been playing this year, I don't think the Spurs have shown anything yet to be elite.

Not to marginalize their +.500 status right now, but it's also partially due to the schedule. I'd like to see how they play against better competition.

That is why I've said the Spurs are waiting on Mahinmi and if he doesn't pan out, they'll get a better big in there.

But that's just my opinion, I have no reason at all to diss or dislike the Spurs. I lived in Houston and was a Spurs fan prior to moving to LA in the early 2000's. I still keep up with what they're doing. I only root AGAINST the Spurs when they play the Lakers, any other time, I root for and watch their games.

They're a great team with a hole in the middle (in my opinion) and most of the Posters here know I really like Duncan although I call him boring all the time.

I think it's way too early to say anything about the Spurs. They are still missing Tony. Maybe I'm judging KT & Oberto too harshly.

I'll leave it at that and wait until January.

[m33p0]

one year removed from being champions and even reached the WCF and Spurs still ain't elite. :rolleyes

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

I lived in Houston and was a Spurs fan prior to moving to LA in the early 2000's.

bandwagoner

[mystargtr34]

I agree that Duncan and the guards have elite status. I just don't think they can get away with the way the bigs are playing. Last year's Oberto or KT would have been enough. But the way they've been playing this year, I don't think the Spurs have shown anything yet to be elite.

Not to marginalize their +.500 status right now, but it's also partially due to the schedule. I'd like to see how they play against better competition.

That is why I've said the Spurs are waiting on Mahinmi and if he doesn't pan out, they'll get a better big in there.

But that's just my opinion, I have no reason at all to diss or dislike the Spurs. I lived in Houston and was a Spurs fan prior to moving to LA in the early 2000's. I still keep up with what they're doing. I only root AGAINST the Spurs when they play the Lakers, any other time, I root for and watch their games.

They're a great team with a hole in the middle (in my opinion) and most of the Posters here know I really like Duncan although I call him boring all the time.

I think it's way too early to say anything about the Spurs. They are still missing Tony. Maybe I'm judging KT & Oberto too harshly.

I'll leave it at that and wait until January.

You act as if the Spurs were at full strength. A fully healthy Spurs team, especially now that they have found fully capable fourth AND fifth options, would expect to win 55 games at least, even in a tougher West. They are now 8-6 through an 'easier' schedule to begin the season. When you think about it the Spurs are in pretty good shape considering they have gotten games out of the way against 6 likely playoff teams in Phoenix, Portland, Dallas, Houston, Utah, Denver. There's 68 games left to play, if the Spurs go on a 55 win pace that would get them 46 wins, plus 8 they already have. That still leaves them with 54 wins.

I still dont get how you can say you will be surprised if the Spurs are at .500 in February or whatever it is you said.

[Spork KIller]

Stop fooling yourselves, Faker fans and other loser team fans as well, we all know the pathetic sporks are done for good

[m33p0]

my cunt is itching. i need to get laid.

[koriwhat]

I'm a fool? Nice tats. :lol

thanks for the compliment... by the way old man, yes you are a fool.

[bostonguy]

I lived in Houston and was a Spurs fan prior to moving to LA in the early 2000's.



Moving to a new city isnt a legit reason on rooting for a new team.

[buttsR4rebounding]

I agree that Duncan and the guards have elite status. I just don't think they can get away with the way the bigs are playing. Last year's Oberto or KT would have been enough. But the way they've been playing this year, I don't think the Spurs have shown anything yet to be elite.


I think it's way too early to say anything about the Spurs. They are still missing Tony. Maybe I'm judging KT & Oberto too harshly.

I'll leave it at that and wait until January.

Your argument shows a real lack of understanding the Popovich coaching style. Barring injuries to the big 3, the Spurs will peak at the end of the season. I think it is quite likely that if Pop had not "experimented" with the defense the Spurs would probably be 10-4 or 11-3 right now. However, that doesn't matter 1 bit since it is all about how you finish, not how you start. By the end of the season our defense will be top 3 with the best offense the Spurs have seen in a long time. Yes, the Lakers will be formidible foes, but hardly unbeatable. Let's see if Bynum can last a season, if Kobe's finger holds up, if Odom continues to be frustrated with his new role, etc. I'd rather see a team end the season with an 11-1 run than start it that way.

[Allanon]

Your argument shows a real lack of understanding the Popovich coaching style. Barring injuries to the big 3, the Spurs will peak at the end of the season. I think it is quite likely that if Pop had not "experimented" with the defense the Spurs would probably be 10-4 or 11-3 right now. However, that doesn't matter 1 bit since it is all about how you finish, not how you start. By the end of the season our defense will be top 3 with the best offense the Spurs have seen in a long time.

Because of the scheduling quirk this year, the first 2 months are relatively easy. Come January, February, March, April, the schedule is quite a bit rougher. We all know the Spurs peak after March but they may not be able to afford to do that this year.



Yes, the Lakers will be formidible foes, but hardly unbeatable. Let's see if Bynum can last a season, if Kobe's finger holds up, if Odom continues to be frustrated with his new role, etc. I'd rather see a team end the season with an 11-1 run than start it that way.

I haven't mentioned the Lakers but since you did, I'm sticking with my 70+ win prediction for the Lakers. Odom's adjusted to his "6th man" role much like Manu. Odom may be a 6th man but he's still getting the 3rd most minutes on the team. Odom and Ariza are 6th man of the year candidates in this early season.

[koriwhat]

Because of the scheduling quirk this year, the first 2 months are relatively easy. Come January, February, March, April, the schedule is quite a bit rougher. We all know the Spurs peak after March but they may not be able to afford to do that this year.



I haven't mentioned the Lakers but since you did, I'm sticking with my 70+ win prediction for the Lakers. Odom's adjusted to his "6th man" role much like Manu. Odom may be a 6th man but he's still getting the 3rd most minutes on the team. Odom and Ariza are 6th man of the year candidates in this early season.

70+ wins my ass! keep dreaming...

[mrspurs]

Yeah make no mistake. We winning games and thats what we're supposed to do. But dont forget we are beating teams that are lottery bound. You cant be called elite by beating lottery teams. Called winners yes, called elite noway. Not until we get that banner back.

[Interrohater]

Everything everyone is saying is based on conjecture. There's no guarantee that Ian will be the missing piece and there's no guarantee that Kobe won't choke on his own ego and be out for 6 months. Enjoy the games and watch what happens. Although I personally believe that it's pretty ridiculous to think the Spurs aren't considered "elite" and that they might not be over .500 in Feb.

[Rummpd]

Not me and I took the 12:1 odds recently for the Spurs to win the championship in Vegas and was always confident that the Spurs (if healthy) are still the team to beat out West with only the Lakers truly being formidable opposition. Regards, PDR

[Brazil]

one year removed from being champions and even reached the WCF and Spurs still ain't elite. :rolleyes

And that with Manu on one leg and a huge lack of scoring off the bench.

With Hill, Mase and the big three healthy even without a another big contribution, I strongly believe that the Spurs can win the thing. I disagree with the Allanon theory of without another big we have no chance at all.
Once again last year with a much worst cast the spurs have reached the WCF, there is nothing to be ashamed. Besides we have lost after a 7 games against the hornets, playing 48 hours after the game 7 without sleeping, Manu on one leg, no new big, weak help for the big 3.

With an healthy big three and Pop the spurs will always be elite and always be title contender whatever the supporting cast.

[koriwhat]

With an healthy big three and Pop the spurs will always be elite and always be title contender whatever the supporting cast.

EXACTLY!

[underdawg]

Stop fooling yourselves, Faker fans and other loser team fans as well, we all know the pathetic sporks are done for good

You're either legitimate Spurs hater or fan trying to be controversial, but you would suck at either. You're not going to be banned, so while you're here can you please come up with some original and entertaining smack. Right now you're just boring - I'm just trying to help since you're obviously oblivous to your own suckdom. Start with your sig - that's been overdone and not very original at all.

[silk]

I think out west, we'll be the best challenger for the lakers


On paper, talent wise and depth wise, they would be still a little better ( assuming ian is a little less than the savior...)

But our slightly superior chemistry, and execution could make the difference

And this TP , hill vs fisher, farmer match up kills lakers more than odom vs oberto/bonner, we create serious mismatches for them too

Lastly, I would really like to see Manu unleashed against "the machine" ... he coudn't wait to tear him up ( and the rest of the lakers players standing inadvertantly next to him..)

I'm somewhat impressed by kobe, but i really question if his body will be saved enough in this post-season despite the reduced minute this year...another irrational feeling...( not that i want kobe to be hurt even more than his pinkie..)