The Spurs Will Be Back

[timvp]

This Spurs lost to the better team. Props to the Mavericks for advancing. Good luck.

As far as the Spurs are concerned, they still have more gas in the tank. Tim Duncan will have the longest offseason of his career to get his knees right. Tony Parker proved he's taken his game to another level and will be able to carry a bigger portion of the load for the foreseeable future. Manu Ginobili will get healthy, he'll be rested and and he'll once again be once of the best players in the league next year.

Bruce Bowen has another year in him. George Hill should really blossom next season. The Spurs should be able to fill out the roster with younger and better pieces.

Even though any objective Spurs fan knew the Spurs were extreme longshots to do anything this postseason, losing still hurt. Especially to the Mavs. But in the long run, this early loss well help the team. More rest and the roster's deficiencies are now painfully obvious. Winning a few more games in the postseason would have been great but escaping without a major injury to Duncan or Parker is way more important. Duncan could have hurt himself playing on one leg, Parker could have hurt himself trying to carry the whole load.

After a decade on the grind, this rest will do the team good. Come back next year with the Big Three intact, get refueled with better role players and make a run at #5.

Thank you to the Spurs for the effort. Thank you to Spurs fans for supporting your team.

The Spurs will be back.

Believe.

[peacemaker885]

Aye!

[honestfool84]

+1

you are so right, timvp.

i look forward to watch the spurs for the next 4-5 seasons.

[Spurs Brazil]

Great post timvp

And thank you very much for all your work this season.

Your analysis are the best thing we can read about the Spurs much better than EN.

Thanks a lot

[Amuseddaysleeper]

:tu

As long as the big 3 stay healthy we will always be right in the mix. Hopefully the FO can rework some magic this offseason and we can add some new pieces.

[timvp]

Thanks a lot

No prob :tu

[ManuTP9]

:toast nice post, the spurs will be ready next season for sure

[braeden0613]

Very true. The painful part is knowing we have to wait until late October for more Spurs basketball. Hopefully some magic happens this offseason.

[igruex]

So many ifs =/

[Mugen]

get your mind right in the summer pop.

[dav4463]

I'm ready for next season. Duncan went out like a warrior. Parker was great. Too bad the rest of the team didn't step up. Ginobili will be back. For the first time in eleven years, the Spurs will have some rest time. Realize that the Spurs have played more playoff games than any other team in the league for the past decade. The long break can't hurt too much.

GO NUGGETS GO !!!

[mexicanjunior]

After a decade on the grind, this rest will do the team good. Come back next year with the Big Three intact, get refueled with better role players and make a run at #5.



It's a shame the long rest won't also include reinforcements through the draft...

[carib]

along with the rest of the NBA, but the diff is they will come back with the same team and get the same results

[Marcus Bryant]

Yes. Get Manu back. TD spends the next half year or so resting up. Hopefully Mahinmi will be ready to show what he can do. Out of the various young prospects stateside and in Europe I would think they can find at least one who is ready to contribute. Hill just made it clear that he should be a fixture in the rotation next year. I would hope that Bruce gets one more year in SA. Plus they should have their MLE and LLE to add someone of value to the rotation.

[Chomag]

get your mind right in the summer pop.
x1 This!

We Don't want Pop to go we just want the old Pop back.

[duncan228]

Always a fan, always believe. Thanks for the post.

[DDS4]

I still believe the Spurs have one more deep run left in the playoffs.

[Budkin]

You rule as usual timvp and as all the SpursTalk veterans know, this place is just as great in the offseason, if not better. GO SPURS GO!

[EricB]

Spend the mle wisely. Resign Bowen. Say adiós to everyone else. Beg splitter to come over.

[Frenzy]

in a way i'm almost happy it's over... my heart cant take no more.

[scanry]

I'm also sick of Pop's somberness this season. PJ probably calmed him down in his 3-5 years with pop.

BTW i've had enough of Pop's mancrush on Finley. He should retire already. I know he's a pro, but it's painfully obvious that he's done...

Mason needs to regroup and Pop fucked up his game late in the season. And George Hill should be our backup PG next season. BTW how did your Mason experiment (as our backup PG) turn out Pop?

[EricB]

Btw George hill IMO should get a legit shot at the starting two guard position next year.

[Buddy Holly]

The Spurs weren't going far without Manu so to get upset over a first round loss is silly.

Spurs exit earlier allows our returning players to rest.

Also, I'm pretty damn excited about the change the team will go through over the summer. We'll see a lot of new faces, mostly younger and athletic players.

[SA210]

This Spurs lost to the better team. Props to the Mavericks for advancing. Good luck.

As far as the Spurs are concerned, they still have more gas in the tank. Tim Duncan will have the longest offseason of his career to get his knees right. Tony Parker proved he's taken his game to another level and will be able to carry a bigger portion of the load for the foreseeable future. Manu Ginobili will get healthy, he'll be rested and and he'll once again be once of the best players in the league next year.

Bruce Bowen has another year in him. George Hill should really blossom next season. The Spurs should be able to fill out the roster with younger and better pieces.

Even though any objective Spurs fan knew the Spurs were extreme longshots to do anything this postseason, losing still hurt. Especially to the Mavs. But in the long run, this early loss well help the team. More rest and the roster's deficiencies are now painfully obvious. Winning a few more games in the postseason would have been great but escaping without a major injury to Duncan or Parker is way more important. Duncan could have hurt himself playing on one leg, Parker could have hurt himself trying to carry the whole load.

After a decade on the grind, this rest will do the team good. Come back next year with the Big Three intact, get refueled with better role players and make a run at #5.

Thank you to the Spurs for the effort. Thank you to Spurs fans for supporting your team.

The Spurs will be back.

Believe.

timvp I agree with everything you said, especially about us now knowing exactly what our weaknesses are and all, But do you feel that Pop will make the right changes or will he continue to be stubborn, get rid of Bruce or not play him, keep Finley, etc, etc???

I have to say, I don't have confidence in Pop right now to do the right thing anymore.

:depressed




:flag:

[pad300]

I desperately hope that Pop gets over his overreaction to the loss to the Lakers in the WCF in 2008. That overreaction cost us this whole season. He started prioritizing offence too much, thinking we needed O to beat the lakers. We need D to get to play them in the 1st place Pop...

This team had an identity, and we need to get back to it. Play D, let the offence build from getting the stop!

Please, Please, Please Pop! No more lineups with more than 1 shitty defender. You can afford 1 shit defender, and 1 average one. But that means 3 players who are good defenders on the court all the time. We can do that! We can win that way! Spend games in the regular season to establish good habits if we lose a couple more, we lose a couple more...Tolerate losses for growth!

PS. For god's sake trade Finley! (and Bonner too while you are at it!)

[SequSpur]

Yeah, it's not over yet. Bruce Bowen is done. Don't want to see him. Ginobili has been on the decline for the last 3 years. It's time to move on. Also Popovich. His decision making is/was terrible this season.

Duncan and Parker is all that's left of this team.

I can't support a team that starts Matt Bonner in place of a 100 year old lady that can't walk... Sorry...

But good take..

[greyforest]

I'm I the only one who thinks this is a good thing?

yes

[SA210]

Btw George hill IMO should get a legit shot at the starting two guard position next year.


Over Manu?

[peskypesky]

Keep dreaming. Tim's only going to be older next season. He's past his prime, so every day he loses a little. Same for Manu. He's broken down even more than Tim. He'll be 32 next season with a LOT of mileage...Doubt he'll be playing in the playoffs next year.

Bowen will be even older. Tony will be in his prime, no doubt, but PG's can't drive contenders. Just doesn't happen.

And Pop has proven himself to be a complete fucking idiot and stubborn douche, so if he's back, we're even more fucked.

It is over.

[Budkin]

It still would have been better to beat the Mavs but in all honesty, yes it's good for the players. I'm excited about the coming changes as well.

[Mugen]

losing early might not be a bad thing in the long run.

but losing to the mavs is always a bad thing.

[Das Texan]

I need a nice long offseason.


This will be good for all. Rest, refuel, come back strong.


I hope we find a role for Bruce for next year. His contributions even in mentoring someone like Hill defensively will be huge. And hopefully Hill's contributions in this playoffs will teach Pop something, though I probably shouldnt hold my breath and realize that there will be more Finley in my future.

[holcs50]

Agreed. The names you mentioned are really the only guys i want on the roster next year though i know we'll have to keep a few others. It would be nice to never see boner,finley,udoka,kt,and mason in a spurs jersey again. They all are too old, or are majorly lacking in a part of their game. I hope we make some smart decisions this off-season and the FO realizes that they really have one or two years left with TD as we know him.

VC would've been perfect imo because tho he is 30/31 he still is playing very well and will be for a few more years right up till TD's contract is up. Who cares after that. Oh well i guess. Now masons stock has dropped drastically. Sheed we might get, but he's garbage now, might help on D, but he's old, chucks 3's and out of shape.

I think Timvp is right tho, would've been nice to win a few more, oh well, we weren't going to win it all. Say we beat dallas some how beat Denver, then i know for a fact we would've got swept by the lakes. At least the spurs didn't lose to them -thank god- cuz living in socal i would've heard about it all day for the next year. So im not too upset, cuz i never thought we were good enough this year anyways, even with ginobili.

[Yogi]

Over Manu?

They can manage Manu's minutes better off the bench. I think Hill should get a shot at starting next to Tony. It would be a short backcourt, but Hill is long and they could actually get out and run.

[timvp]

Yes. Get Manu back. TD spends the next half year or so resting up. Hopefully Mahinmi will be ready to show what he can do. Out of the various young prospects stateside and in Europe I would think they can find at least one who is ready to contribute. Hill just made it clear that he should be a fixture in the rotation next year. I would hope that Bruce gets one more year in SA. Plus they should have their MLE and LLE to add someone of value to the rotation.
Yeah, add Manu to the mix. Hope Hill works on the momentum and confidence he got in these last couple of games. Get Bowen back another season. And then the Spurs just need a couple more capable role players.

The Spurs really aren't that far away. But making the right moves this offseason is essential.

[peskypesky]

I'm also sick of Pop's somberness this season. PJ probably calmed him down in his 3-5 years with pop.

BTW i've had enough of Pop's mancrush on Finley. He should retire already. I know he's a pro, but it's painfully obvious that he's done...

Mason needs to regroup and Pop fucked up his game late in the season. And George Hill should be our backup PG next season. BTW how did your Mason experiment (as our backup PG) turn out Pop?

I think Hill should be our starting 2 guard.

[Rogue]

Spurs would have broken to the 2nd round at least if their opponent were not our boys in blue. Our boys in blue are just too good this season to be beaten, Mavs will definitely win the title this season. No grief spurs fans.

[Chomag]

It wouldnt be so bad but at Tims's stage in his career. We wont have many more chances before he hangs up his sneakers.

[Buddy Holly]

I see I made an almost identical thread as LJ. Feel free to put this in that thread.

[TheProfessor]

Not to rain on anyone's parade, but is Parker playing for the French national team this summer?

[ca®lo]

still a spurs fan 100%

have a good season spurs fans.. its been good.

[td4mvp21]

They will probably be back :smokin

I can honestly say I am not mad with Duncan, Bowen, Parker, and Hill. At all. Hill came in last game and this game and put up numbers-not bad for ap layoff rookie (he outperformed Mason who was in the playoffs for the second time). Duncan and Parker...I love these guys. They busted their asses this series, especially Parker and he really really picked up all the slack he could. They deserve mad props. Bowen, after not gettin gany fucking playing time, still came in and did a great job on whoever he guarded, specifically Jason Terry. Kudos to those guys.

As for the role players...they need to go. Finley needs to retire, Bonner, Udoka, and Mason need to be traded if possible. I love Finley, I've been really hard on him this year, he is a professional and worked over the offseason to get in shape, but he's past his time. He needs to go. And Pop needs to fall out of love with him. Bonner and Udoka try but they just aren't good. They are great hustlers but they can't do anything on the court! As for Mason....I really liked him during the regular season. He could have easily been one of my favorite Spurs but the way he performed in the playoffs...man I can't get over it. He was so clutch in the regular season and teased us big time. He was a disappearing act. The Front Office needs to spend some money this summer...they tried to get players, yes, but they need to put forth the money if they really want to win.

To Pop, he had an off year coaching wise. Hard to be too mad at him considering he's a great coach. I think he really didn't have the personnel to do much, and I think at times he tried to get too genius to the point where it was idiotic and not genius. I still do not understand nor will I ever his love affair with Finley. EVER. I will never understand why he played so many minutes despite so many off games and defensive screwups, and that Bowen sat on the bench for most of the season. I realize Bowen needed to be preserved but playing Bruce 15-20 minutes every game would not have hurt, espeically when Finley couldn't guard his man.

I'm glad the season is over in the sense that we had a lot of misfortune with injuries, chemistry, and coaching. I'm not glad the season is over, because, well I love watching the Spurs. They are still my team and as hard as it was to watch this series, I know that they gave it their best and that's all we can ask. They've brought me personally a lot of happiness over the past 6 years, watching them win and always compete. I think it was a key part of me growing up, it's something I will always remember.

To next season :toast

[duncan228]

...is Parker playing for the French national team this summer?

Yes.

[Das Texan]

Btw George hill IMO should get a legit shot at the starting two guard position next year.


This somewhat intrigues me....


You would have to get creative, cause you would still want Hill to be the primary backup for Tony at PG, but it could work I suppose.

[blaze89]

losing early might not be a bad thing in the long run.

but losing to the mavs is always a bad thing.

True but Mavs have no NBA championships to show for it.

[SA210]

Yeah, add Manu to the mix. Hope Hill works on the momentum and confidence he got in these last couple of games. Get Bowen back another season. And then the Spurs just need a couple more capable role players.

The Spurs really aren't that far away. But making the right moves this offseason is essential.

And we need a gangster on this team, seriously. We need a Robert Horry, Stephen Jackson, Mario Elie type player that is raw and tough. We didn't have that this year. We need that.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

The Spurs weren't going far without Manu so to get upset over a first round loss is silly.

Spurs exit earlier allows our returning players to rest.

Also, I'm pretty damn excited about the change the team will go through over the summer. We'll see a lot of new faces, mostly younger and athletic players.

Nope, I both thought it was inevitable after Manu went down, and with Tim's poor knees and no SPAM, and am glad they are out now and can rest. Also, losing to the Mavs like this will encourage them to come out and avenge the early exit next year.

Good thing all-'round - we weren't going anywhere this year.

[Manufan909]

Btw George hill IMO should get a legit shot at the starting two guard position next year.

I think Mason and Bowen should be the starting wings, but I do want Hill to avg 25 min next year. If Gist and Hairston are on the active roster next year the wings will be crowded, so I hope only one of Fin/Bowen is back, and I know that'd mean Fin retired which is a long shot, but that is my dream.

Also, I'd love for Bonner to go on a spiritual journey in India, so Gooden/Ian can back up TD/KT.

[bdubya]

First-round exits suck....but at least you didn't get swept, and you're not in full rebuilding mode. Count yer blessings.

[Bruno]

Losing early in the playoffs was the best realistic scenario for Spurs this year.

Duncan will have a 5 months offseason to rest his knees.
Parker will have a 2 and a half month before playing back.

The only disappointment is that most of the supporting cast has been bad in this series. Spurs FO had to do a damn good offseason to put Spurs back in the true contender category.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Spurs would have broken to the 2nd round at least if their opponent were not our boys in blue. Our boys in blue are just too good this season to be beaten, Mavs will definitely win the title this season. No grief spurs fans.

Hahahahahaahahahahahahahahah... ahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaa

That was great.

You won't make it past the Nuggets, let alone another 3 rounds.

:lmao

[SequSpur]

Ok, everyone take your spurs car flag down and look at what happened this year....

Don't need Bowen... don't need Vaughn...don't need Oberto...don't need Bonner...don't need Thomas....don't need Ginobili...

This team needs a major overhaul to beat the Lakers/Mavs/Nuggets/Cavs/Celtics/etc.

Dude, come on already...geezus...

[m33p0]

the injury season is over. see you guys in training camp.

here's to an injury-free campaign next season.:toast
:flag::flag::flag:

[ploto]

The Spurs really aren't that far away. But making the right moves this offseason is essential.

Who starts next to Tim?

[Marcus Bryant]

Yeah, add Manu to the mix. Hope Hill works on the momentum and confidence he got in these last couple of games. Get Bowen back another season. And then the Spurs just need a couple more capable role players.

The Spurs really aren't that far away. But making the right moves this offseason is essential.

Plus they have the Warriors' 2nd round pick at #37 which could yield someone of value, provided Pop would be willing to play him....

The MLE could be used on a vet like Wallace or McDyess, or perhaps Gooden, or maybe they use it to bring in a younger rising talent or two. Plus they have enough expiring contracts such that they might be able to pull off a solid trade. There's definitely a black and silver lining in ending this postseason before May, as shitty as it has been. Plus at least now Pop knows he can count on Hill.

[EricB]

This somewhat intrigues me....


You would have to get creative, cause you would still want Hill to be the primary backup for Tony at PG, but it could work I suppose.



I really think hill has the tools to be a starting twoguard in this league. He is really a hybrid of antonio daniels and Jason terry. Backup point? Let him run it. Just have a wing come in for tony then tony comes in for hill.

[Winters]

This Spurs lost to the better team. Props to the Mavericks for advancing. Good luck.

As far as the Spurs are concerned, they still have more gas in the tank. Tim Duncan will have the longest offseason of his career to get his knees right. Tony Parker proved he's taken his game to another level and will be able to carry a bigger portion of the load for the foreseeable future. Manu Ginobili will get healthy, he'll be rested and and he'll once again be once of the best players in the league next year.

Bruce Bowen has another year in him. George Hill should really blossom next season. The Spurs should be able to fill out the roster with younger and better pieces.

Even though any objective Spurs fan knew the Spurs were extreme longshots to do anything this postseason, losing still hurt. Especially to the Mavs. But in the long run, this early loss well help the team. More rest and the roster's deficiencies are now painfully obvious. Winning a few more games in the postseason would have been great but escaping without a major injury to Duncan or Parker is way more important. Duncan could have hurt himself playing on one leg, Parker could have hurt himself trying to carry the whole load.

After a decade on the grind, this rest will do the team good. Come back next year with the Big Three intact, get refueled with better role players and make a run at #5.

Thank you to the Spurs for the effort. Thank you to Spurs fans for supporting your team.

The Spurs will be back.

Believe.

Well said

We will be back

[Manufan909]

First-round exits suck....but at least you didn't get swept, and you're not in full rebuilding mode. Count yer blessings.

Who did Tayshaun think was off the chain?

And you forgot, the Spurs didn't trade Parker for AI. Pistons used to be my fave East team... when Billups and Big Ben were still there.:toast

[Chomag]

Yeah, add Manu to the mix. Hope Hill works on the momentum and confidence he got in these last couple of games. Get Bowen back another season. And then the Spurs just need a couple more capable role players.

The Spurs really aren't that far away. But making the right moves this offseason is essential.

I would love to see Bowen make Malic his understudy next year.

[Marcus Bryant]

The other thing is that it should be perfectly clear to the FO that a healthy Manu is not necessarily the complete answer. If the 2010 plan is not to wait but rather to use the cap flexibility now, we may see more turnover than we expect.

[Das Texan]

what I do hope is for Georgie to spend some time getting to know Chip this summer.

[EricB]

Plus they have the Warriors' 2nd round pick at #37 which could yield someone of value, provided Pop would be willing to play him....

The MLE could be used on a vet like Wallace or McDyess, or perhaps Gooden, or maybe they use it to bring in a younger rising talent or two. Plus they have enough expiring contracts such that they might be able to pull off a solid trade. There's definitely a black and silver lining in ending this postseason before May, as shitty as it has been. Plus at least now Pop knows he can count on Hill.


I'm interested to see if the spurs can man up and to after a Richard Jefferson.

[bdubya]

Who did Tayshaun think was off the chain?


Sheed and Rip (a reporter had just asked him about their T's)

[scanry]

Spurs would have broken to the 2nd round at least if their opponent were not our boys in blue. Our boys in blue are just too good this season to be beaten, Mavs will definitely win the title this season. No grief spurs fans.

We would've lost to any playoff team this season. We barely beat the Hornets (at home) and Denver just nuked them.

BTW enough with your sarcastic crap already. The Mavs ain't going nowhere. Denver will probably beat them in 5 or 6.

The Spurs were literally limping into the playoffs, they didn't have an flow going into the playoffs (which they usually did in the years past).

[Borosai]

Hill, Hairston, Williams, Gist, Mahinmi. Those are the young guys I'd like to see get a fair shot next year. Except for Gist, they all know the system now. They cover all positions. They need to deliver, of course, but Pop needs to trust them and not bail on them.

In addition, another big is needed to take the load off of Duncan. Duncan doesn't rely on athleticism, but he needs frontline help.

But yeah, next year will be better: CHAMPIONSHIP!

[Rapper]

Yes,you're right

We must be back!!!!!!!!!!!

[NRHector]

This Spurs lost to the better team. Props to the Mavericks for advancing. Good luck.

As far as the Spurs are concerned, they still have more gas in the tank. Tim Duncan will have the longest offseason of his career to get his knees right. Tony Parker proved he's taken his game to another level and will be able to carry a bigger portion of the load for the foreseeable future. Manu Ginobili will get healthy, he'll be rested and and he'll once again be once of the best players in the league next year.

Bruce Bowen has another year in him. George Hill should really blossom next season. The Spurs should be able to fill out the roster with younger and better pieces.

Even though any objective Spurs fan knew the Spurs were extreme longshots to do anything this postseason, losing still hurt. Especially to the Mavs. But in the long run, this early loss well help the team. More rest and the roster's deficiencies are now painfully obvious. Winning a few more games in the postseason would have been great but escaping without a major injury to Duncan or Parker is way more important. Duncan could have hurt himself playing on one leg, Parker could have hurt himself trying to carry the whole load.

After a decade on the grind, this rest will do the team good. Come back next year with the Big Three intact, get refueled with better role players and make a run at #5.

Thank you to the Spurs for the effort. Thank you to Spurs fans for supporting your team.

The Spurs will be back.

Believe.:tu

[polandprzem]

yea when I was watching that game I was pissed off most of the time but I said, oh well. At least I will get some sleep now, and the spurs will have longer vacations. This team would not go deep in the playoffs this year anyway.
But you always have a belive in you.

Umm, bring some good players to the san antonio cause right now spurs have only 3 starters and 2 bench players

[EricB]

I keep hearing bonner is under contract for next year, I thought he was a fa?!

[jdev82]

bring back horry! better defender than bonner, worse shooter, but can finish around the rim and will BE THERE IN THE CLUTCH. or sheed or dyce. a clutch center is what we need really

[ploto]

Under contract for $3.2M

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Very proud of the team for not giving up tonight. Udoka probably played the best defense of his career during that 2nd quarter. That's two memorable playoff performances from a player that gets alot of crap.

Thanks for the memories guys.

All I have to say, that with our very first pick, we need to draft someone, ANYONE, that is 6'9" SF that has long arms and can grab some fucking rebounds!!!! That alone will fix half our problems!
Let's draft us some new recruits i saidddd

[mytespurs]

Nice post timvp! I'm disappointed the way the season ended but this team wasn't going to make much noise in the playoffs.

I hope our big 3 come back rested and most importantly, in good health. The FO needs to find some younger, capable role players. I still believe that if the right choices are made, this team w/the big 3 have one more good run in them.

Still Love the Spurs! :toast

[Borosai]

James Gist!

[Kill_Bill_Pana]

Spurs will be back? Really? Let us hope their managers are not as retarded as the fans here.

[Spurminator]

Bring back "Yall Ready For This"!!

[DieMrBond]

Why did it have to be the f'n Mavs...

[Borosai]

Bring back the good luck charm: Beno.

[Popo>Phil]

About Timmy, we'd better be a little more realistic, sure he'll get healthier, but older and less athletic more.

If he will still be the most athletic big in silver and black the next season, Spurs will get less chance than this playoff.

[barbacoataco]

First of all, Thank you Timmvp. I post on several boards and Spurstalk is without a doubt THE BEST. You allow freedom while keeping the trolls at hand. That is hard to do and this forum makes it work. Also, many of the posters on this board are very well informed and thoughtful.

2nd- doesn't it feel different losing after winning 4 championships, compared to before like during the DRob days circa 94-95 etc? After winning 4 rings, the Spurs are already more successful than just a few NBA franchises. You can't hope to win every year. But the Spurs are in contention every year, which is as good as it gets.

3rd- the Spurs really got away from playing tough defense this year, and it killed them in the playoffs. They were never going to go anywhere in the postseason without being able to get defensive stops. Next year I hope they go back to putting more emphasis on D.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Why did it have to be the f'n Mavs...

Eh. Big deal. A loss is a loss to us. The Mavs can relish in Cuban breaking protocool to set up American Airlines banners for Playoff Series Victories Against The Spurs 2006 and 2009 but that's all they really have to cheer about in their entire franchise existence. Let them have it. It's not like they're getting out of the West.

Now that this series is over...it's back to the real game: FTL

[Marcus Bryant]

In ten years nobody will remember the Mavs.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

Spurs will slam the door shut on team of the decade with a 2010 title.

[Warlord23]

More than anything, Pop needs to take a long, hard look at the way he spreads minutes. He's using the same strategies that worked with deep, veteran squads on a team with several new faces. That just will not work. You can't just bench Hill late in the season because he might have made a few mistakes. You stick with him and help him improve. IF Pop handles things right, we might see Hill blossoming into a terrific 2-way role player.

Same goes for Mahinmi or Gist or Hairston or whichever young player is expected to feature on the Spurs in the next 2 years. Live with their mistakes and shape them into smart, productive players. The way Phil Jackson has done with Shannon Brown and Trevor Ariza; the way Carlisle had done with Barea, Bass and Hollins. Pop needs to practice patience and start teaching rather than simply benching the younger players and leaning on his broken-down old veterans.

Which brings us to the broken-down old veterans. Finley absolutely needs to retire and make way for some youth. I love Bruce, and he can be called upon for specific assignments, but we need to give 90% of the minutes at SF to players under 28. They need to let Udoka and Vaughn go. Bonner has 1 year left but I'd do everything in my power to trade his expiring contract along with that of Thomas and Oberto to get some fresh blood. Not sold on Mason yet, but he can be a serviceable SG *if* Pop doesn't fuck with him by asking him to run the offense. If Gooden or Sheed can be had for cheap then bring them aboard.

Bottomline: Keep the Big 3 + Bowen + Hill + Mahinmi + Mason. Convince Fin to retire. Let go of all the players whose contracts end this year except maybe Gooden. Try and trade all last-year (expiring) contracts for youth. Draft wisely and play whoever you pick.

[marini martini]

Maybe when the band waggoners fall off the wagon, we'll have a stronger fan base next season!!!............See Ya!!!:toast

[polandprzem]

Ahh yea - fantastic job LJ :tu

You've been productive all season long.


Probably you will come up with the season ending post, but I'd rather say thanks now, so I prevent myself from forgetting about that later.

:worthy:

[Buddy Holly]

Could the Spurs pull off a sign and trade with another team using Finley and Bowen's contracts?

[Dex]

Silver and Black for life.

Thanks for all the memories so far, Spurs, and hopefully there are many more great ones in store.

[holcs50]

I'm interested to see if the spurs can man up and to after a Richard Jefferson.

I would take VC any day over jefferson.
and much rather have our loss be the Mavs than the Fakers!

[DPG21920]

This Spurs lost to the better team. Props to the Mavericks for advancing. Good luck.

As far as the Spurs are concerned, they still have more gas in the tank. Tim Duncan will have the longest offseason of his career to get his knees right. Tony Parker proved he's taken his game to another level and will be able to carry a bigger portion of the load for the foreseeable future. Manu Ginobili will get healthy, he'll be rested and and he'll once again be once of the best players in the league next year.

Bruce Bowen has another year in him. George Hill should really blossom next season. The Spurs should be able to fill out the roster with younger and better pieces.

Even though any objective Spurs fan knew the Spurs were extreme longshots to do anything this postseason, losing still hurt. Especially to the Mavs. But in the long run, this early loss well help the team. More rest and the roster's deficiencies are now painfully obvious. Winning a few more games in the postseason would have been great but escaping without a major injury to Duncan or Parker is way more important. Duncan could have hurt himself playing on one leg, Parker could have hurt himself trying to carry the whole load.

After a decade on the grind, this rest will do the team good. Come back next year with the Big Three intact, get refueled with better role players and make a run at #5.

Thank you to the Spurs for the effort. Thank you to Spurs fans for supporting your team.

The Spurs will be back.

Believe.

I am was extraordinarily happy with the effort in the regular season. I felt this team did a great job and slightly over-achieved wins wise.

However, I was very disappointed with this 1st round. You know I was one of the loudest voices with regards to the Mavs being the worst match up. I knew that as a fan of basketball. As a fan of the Spurs I still thought they had enough to compete. I do not mind losing; the Mavs were the better team. I do mind not competing. I felt the Spurs did not give a good effort and that is disappointing.

So, I know you say they will be back, and I agree. But how do you think they do it? I know it is hard to target specific players, but in general. Here is my thoughts, what do you think?


This is what I want to happen, but it depends on three things: Will the Spurs scrap the 2010 plan, open up their wallets and go into win now mode in order to maximize Tim's years here?

If they are willing to do all of those things here is what they need to do in my opinion:

1) Really Target Team Needs: What does this team need? A true center that can help Tim patrol the paint along with rebound at a high rate. More than ever it has become evident that Tim can no longer do it on his own. It will go along way to improving the Spurs defense along with giving Tim some rest on that end.

Go for athletic wings that can do this combonation: Defend with some size and speed, hit the 3 efficiently or score efficiently. I would say lean to the scoring. Not all the way, but do not think you can find the Bowen replacement today. If you can get someone who is a solid defender and a better scorer, than it will go a long way to improving the line up.

How do you do this?

1) Buy into the Buyers Market: If people are willing to part with elite talent in order to increase cap space and shed salary, then the Spurs need to buy now. Especially if it is a player that fits a situational and positional need.

This especially makes sense if the player is relatively young and would be just as good as who the Spurs could expect to get in 2010 with the anticipated cap space. The NBA has shown that this is a distinct possibility, and the Spurs need to be ready to pounce. Spurs have 3 guys in Oberto/Mason/Bowen whom they can trade (because they expire in 2010) that will allow for the Spurs to trade for someone who makes 15 million dollars. That can buy you a nice player.

This becomes double effective if you can do so without trading Ginobili. Obviously, out of the big 3, Manu is the most likely to be traded. If you can use some kind of combo of players like I mentioned to get talent, without giving up Gino it would be a major bonus.

3) Use all of the MLE if the Right Player Comes Along: The spurs need to look for forwards and centers. If the Spurs can fulfill one need by trading, they need to use the MLE to target the other needs.

Do not just waste money, but if you have an opportunity to sign someone for a bargain (meaning somewhat of a good player who cannot really command more than the full MLE a la Maggette) then they need to do it.

With the combination of trades and the MLE, the Spurs have some options if they are willing to open up the checkbook. Will they? Probably not to the degree that I outlined, but I hope they try and win now, and worry about the future down the road when we do not have Duncan to appreciate any more.

[Obstructed_View]

Bowen's gone. Of that we can be sure. But suggesting that the Spurs are going to need a major overhaul to be contenders is the same short-sightedness that caused people to lament the decline of Timmy before the last two championships. The Spurs are going to have a lot of young talent that's going to get major minutes next year, in positions the Spurs desperately needed this season. Barring a complete mental meltdown by the coaching staff, the Spurs will be poised for a deep playoff run next year.

[dav4463]

Pop needs to come back next year without the beard. We need a fresh new look!

[timvp]

According to the media (and even a lot of Spurs fans), the Spurs "era" has ended so many times over the years. After Duncan's knee injury and the aging support, it was supposedly over. It was supposedly over again after the 2001 debacle. Then again after Robinson retired. Then the Spurs were lucky to survive the Suns in 2005. Then the Mavs in 2006 was supposed to be the final dagger.

I'm actually not that worried. Even a slowed Duncan is damn good. Manu didn't show any signs of slowing down this season when he actually got to play. Injury will be a risk with him but the Spurs know how to manage his minutes and he'll have like eight months to get ready. Parker should continue to grow and be a much bigger and better piece to the puzzle.

When you have three players who could potentially be top 20 players in the NBA, there's not much to complain about. You don't even need great role around them. Get a fourth player who can step up and a like two or three other trustworthy role players and the Spurs would be ready to make a deep run.

I was much more worried in past offseasons than this one. Parker's growth could very well cancel any slippage in Duncan and Manu, while Pop's gambles won't all blow up in his face like they did this year. Plus the Spurs have very intriguing assets to make moves this summer, at the trade deadline and next summer.

Number five is very much possible with this nucleus.

[EricB]

Bowen's gone. Of that we can be sure. But suggesting that the Spurs are going to need a major overhaul to be contenders is the same short-sightedness that caused people to lament the decline of Timmy before the last two championships. The Spurs are going to have a lot of young talent that's going to get major minutes next year, in positions the Spurs desperately needed this season. Barring a complete mental meltdown by the coaching staff, the Spurs will be poised for a deep playoff run next year.

I'm just not 100% sure Bowen is gone.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

According to the media (and even a lot of Spurs fans), the Spurs "era" has ended so many times over the years. .

I don't know man, as far as the Duncan thing....he officially has a permanent degenerative disease and not once commanded a consistent double team in a playoff series for probably the first time evers. I know a hurt and aging Duncan is still pretty insanely good, especially as a QB type that helps his teams through the regular season....but he needs to be able to command those doubles in the playoffs. That's what makes us the Spurs. Teams that rely on insanely good penetration point guards are a dime a dozen in this nba.

[Kori Ellis]

I'm just not 100% sure Bowen is gone.

I'm pretty sure Bowen will have some agreement to be released and re-sign for the minimum. He'll be used next year for spot minutes and to mentor the young guys.

[Borosai]

I really hope Bowen will be back. He can still play, and he should retire a Spur.

[SpursFan0728]

Thanks for your game thoughts throughout the season! It has been wonderful!

[Obstructed_View]

I'm just not 100% sure Bowen is gone.

It may not be 100 percent, but the interaction and body language during this game, the lack of trust this season by Pop, and his record of absolute blockhead stubbornness makes it about as definite as can be. Bowen doesn't hold a grudge, which is probably the only reason there's a chance he stays, unless he's bought out and offered a coaching job.

[Russ]

Number five is very much possible with this nucleus.

I hope you're right but I fear it may be very difficult to retool this roster enough to compete for No. 5 next year. The Spurs just don't have that many assets (players or draft picks) after the big three. In the past the Spurs had players in the pipeline that the media was unaware of but now I don't see that.

In addition, it appears that the big three may be more vulnerable to chronic health problems now. In particular, Manu has an injury that may be reagravated just by playing the game.

Past mistakes may be to much to overcome. Until now, I expected this run to last another two or three years . . .

But the Spurs may be able to pull off some magic by remaking the roster when we least expect it. Tony Parker said it best in the postgame press conference -- "It's a thin line between winning and losing."

Hopefully the Spurs will get lucky this offseason and go off in quest of Five.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

I'm pretty sure Bowen will have some agreement to be released and re-sign for the minimum. He'll be used next year for spot minutes and to mentor the young guys.

That is one of the two main reasons I think he is a necessity on this team.

The other, is that he can still defend and he can still knock down threes in the playoffs at a higher clip than the other role players! F the haters.

[Obstructed_View]

So mentoring is okay when Bowen does it, but not when Vaughn does it? :lol

[Cant_Be_Faded]

So mentoring is okay when Bowen does it, but not when Vaughn does it? :lol

Why wouldn't it be?

[jjktkk]

It's a shame the long rest won't also include reinforcements through the draft...


thats the price you pay for being one of the NBA's most dominant teams for over 10 years. Low draft picks. You just have to hope the Spurs scouting department finds a couple more gems like Hill, and hopefully Gist.

[Manufan909]

According to the media (and even a lot of Spurs fans), the Spurs "era" has ended so many times over the years. After Duncan's knee injury and the aging support, it was supposedly over. It was supposedly over again after the 2001 debacle. Then again after Robinson retired. Then the Spurs were lucky to survive the Suns in 2005. Then the Mavs in 2006 was supposed to be the final dagger.

I'm actually not that worried. Even a slowed Duncan is damn good. Manu didn't show any signs of slowing down this season when he actually got to play. Injury will be a risk with him but the Spurs know how to manage his minutes and he'll have like eight months to get ready. Parker should continue to grow and be a much bigger and better piece to the puzzle.

When you have three players who could potentially be top 20 players in the NBA, there's not much to complain about. You don't even need great role around them. Get a fourth player who can step up and a like two or three other trustworthy role players and the Spurs would be ready to make a deep run.

I was much more worried in past offseasons than this one. Parker's growth could very well cancel any slippage in Duncan and Manu, while Pop's gambles won't all blow up in his face like they did this year. Plus the Spurs have very intriguing assets to make moves this summer, at the trade deadline and next summer.

Number five is very much possible with this nucleus.

Hope Ian, Hill, Hairston, Gist, KT, Tim, Tony, and Manu can hide Fin and Bonner getting a combined half hour of PT next season. God help us all if they combine for 40 min. And praise Jebus if neither of them play in a Spur uniform again!!!
:flag::flag::flag:

[024]

i really hope this first round exit wakes up the FO. the spurs should realize that duncan's years are dwindling down. the championship window can no longer be opened with a supporting cast of finley, bonner, oberto, udoka, and a finally aging bowen. even with a healthy ginobili, the spurs would have been no match for the lakers. spurs need good role players but it's hard to reconstruct the bench when kt, finley, bonner, oberto, and bowen are all under contract for next year. spurs resigned these players because they play for cheap. if the spurs don't aggressively pursue a key FA this year using the full MLE, 2009-10 will be the same.

the team needs a balance of youth and veteran experience. the team's core already provides the veteran leadership as duncan, ginobili, and parker age, it's time for an infusion of youth. give the rookies a shot and sign a young wing/center using the MLE.

[tp2021]

Another plus is that Pop may have learned a little bit more about coaching.

[jjktkk]

I am was extraordinarily happy with the effort in the regular season. I felt this team did a great job and slightly over-achieved wins wise.

However, I was very disappointed with this 1st round. You know I was one of the loudest voices with regards to the Mavs being the worst match up. I knew that as a fan of basketball. As a fan of the Spurs I still thought they had enough to compete. I do not mind losing; the Mavs were the better team. I do mind not competing. I felt the Spurs did not give a good effort and that is disappointing.

So, I know you say they will be back, and I agree. But how do you think they do it? I know it is hard to target specific players, but in general. Here is my thoughts, what do you think?

Totally disagree with you on the Spurs lack of effort. Cmon, The spurs gave great effort. The problem is they came to a fight with only a cap gun. Lets hope over the summer, Pop and RC can find the needed pieces to put around the big 3 and that all of the big 3 come back healthy.

[jjktkk]

Yeah, it's not over yet. Bruce Bowen is done. Don't want to see him. Ginobili has been on the decline for the last 3 years. It's time to move on. Also Popovich. His decision making is/was terrible this season.

Duncan and Parker is all that's left of this team.

I can't support a team that starts Matt Bonner in place of a 100 year old lady that can't walk... Sorry...

But good take..

So SequSpur are you going to leave Spurstalk and pick another team and fan website to rant and rave about? Very sad.:depressed

[DPG21920]

Totally disagree with you on the Spurs lack of effort. Cmon, The spurs gave great effort. The problem is they came to a fight with only a cap gun. Lets hope over the summer, Pop and RC can find the needed pieces to put around the big 3 and that all of the big 3 come back healthy.

Well you are entitled to your opinion. But showing up to a game 3 coming off multiple days rest and getting blown out while raising the white flag in the second quarter is not good effort. Do not get me wrong, I understand why Pop made the move; point is it should have never got to that point.

Then to come home in an elimination game and never have the lead along with coming out flat in the 1st quarter is unacceptable.

[gameFACE]

I got over this one pretty quickly. This 1st round exit could be the best thing that ever happened to this version of the Spurs.

And to me the real core of the team is the core of four: Tim, Tony, Manu and Bruce.

[jjktkk]

Well you are entitled to your opinion. But showing up to a game 3 coming off multiple days rest and getting blown out while raising the white flag in the second quarter is not good effort. Do not get me wrong, I understand why Pop made the move; point is it should have never got to that point.

Then to come home in an elimination game and never have the lead along with coming out flat in the 1st quarter is unacceptable.

the coming out flat problem is no viable 3 scoring option. This series looked a whole lot like 2 on 5. Besides Duncan and Parker, who on the Spurs roster scared the Mavs? IMO the coming out flat was really a serious lack of talent.

[Obstructed_View]

the coming out flat problem is no viable 3 scoring option. This series looked a whole lot like 2 on 5. Besides Duncan and Parker, who on the Spurs roster scared the Mavs? IMO the coming out flat was really a serious lack of talent.

Yeah, that's because all but two guys showed up for the series, therefore, "lack of effort".

[DPG21920]

the coming out flat problem is no viable 3 scoring option. This series looked a whole lot like 2 on 5. Besides Duncan and Parker, who on the Spurs roster scared the Mavs? IMO the coming out flat was really a serious lack of talent.

I disagree. I thought the Spurs had enough to win more games in this series or at least make the games tighter. The players (not all of them) came out flat. The third quarters were once again a major problem.

Getting out rebounded, having less energy and getting blown out is not a lack of talent.

[peskypesky]

The Spurs will be back and they will probably suck even more.

[EricB]

The Spurs will be back and they will probably suck even more.


God, kill yourself already.

[jjktkk]

Yeah, that's because all but two guys showed up for the series, therefore, "lack of effort".

I now see why you choose your user id name. Its really simple math. 3 stars(Nowitzki,Terry,Howard) and you can even add Kidd to the list vs.2 stars (Duncan and Parker). Mavs had too much talent. Lack of effort has nothing to do with it. Lack of talent, offense and defense had everything to do with it.

[peskypesky]

God, kill yourself already.

why? because i'm not going to delude myself?

[lurker23]

:flag:

Believe.

[jjktkk]

I disagree. I thought the Spurs had enough to win more games in this series or at least make the games tighter. The players (not all of them) came out flat. The third quarters were once again a major problem.

Getting out rebounded, having less energy and getting blown out is not a lack of talent.

Less energy or less athleticism? Other than Parker and Hill, this current group of spurs lack athleticism. Getting outrebounded has been a problem for awhile, due to lack of a big man starting alongside Duncan. Think about it name someone in the starting lineup besides Duncan that can board consistantly. The Spurs overall lack size and athleticism to rebound and run with the better teams. IMO, the effort is good, the talent needs to improve.

[DPG21920]

Less energy or less athleticism? Other than Parker and Hill, this current group of spurs lack athleticism. Getting outrebounded has been a problem for awhile, due to lack of a big man starting alongside Duncan. Think about it name someone in the starting lineup besides Duncan that can board consistantly. The Spurs overall lack size and athleticism to rebound and run with the better teams. IMO, the effort is good, the talent needs to improve.

Except for the fact the Spurs were one of the top defensive rebounding teams in the league this year with the same big men that played the Mavs.

[jjktkk]

Except for the fact the Spurs were one of the top defensive rebounding teams in the league this year with the same big men that played the Mavs.

Very good point. My bad. I guess I like to see a big along side Duncan that can board, block shots, you know, like the good ole days when the Admiral patrolled the lane with Tim. The Spurs definitely need to find a way to get more athletic. I don't see a lack of effort, overall, from this team. Maybe Hill can be part of the equation next year, maybe Gist, Hairston, etc... The Spurs need to overhaul their bigs. Alot of question marks for the Spurs this offseason, but if the big 3 can come back healthy, its a great start.

[DPG21920]

Very good point. My bad. I guess I like to see a big along side Duncan that can board, block shots, you know, like the good ole days when the Admiral patrolled the lane with Tim. The Spurs definitely need to find a way to get more athletic. I don't see a lack of effort, overall, from this team. Maybe Hill can be part of the equation next year, maybe Gist, Hairston, etc... The Spurs need to overhaul their bigs. Alot of question marks for the Spurs this offseason, but if the big 3 can come back healthy, its a great start.

I agree. This is an interesting time for the Spurs and their fans.

[crc21209]

As long as TD, TP, Manu, Pop, and Bruce are on this team...we'll be in the hunt EVERY YEAR.

[crc21209]

TD really does need some help down low. If we could get Sheed or Dice, and re-sign Gooden, I think our bigs would look pretty damn good next year.

Some sort of combo of TD, Sheed, Gooden, and Mahinmi looks pretty damn good to me. :tu

[angelbelow]

lets have a strong offseason.

[Obstructed_View]

I now see why you choose your user id name. Its really simple math. 3 stars(Nowitzki,Terry,Howard) and you can even add Kidd to the list vs.2 stars (Duncan and Parker). Mavs had too much talent. Lack of effort has nothing to do with it. Lack of talent, offense and defense had everything to do with it.

If the Mavs have so much talent, then why were they the 6 seed and the Spurs the 3 seed? The role players that absolutely failed to show up in 4 of the last 5 games must have done something right during the season. The Spurs had two of the top three point shooters in the league this season. How'd they do in the playoffs? The Spurs were one of the better rebounding teams in the league this year. How'd that work out once the playoffs started? The Mavs won with guys like Brandon Bass, JJ Barea and even Antoine Wright and Ryan Hollins showing up and contributing. How's the lack of talent excuse valid for San Antonio but not for anyone on the Mavs?

[TJastal]

Keep dreaming. Tim's only going to be older next season. He's past his prime, so every day he loses a little. Same for Manu. He's broken down even more than Tim. He'll be 32 next season with a LOT of mileage...Doubt he'll be playing in the playoffs next year.

Bowen will be even older. Tony will be in his prime, no doubt, but PG's can't drive contenders. Just doesn't happen.

And Pop has proven himself to be a complete fucking idiot and stubborn douche, so if he's back, we're even more fucked.

It is over.

+1

A good coach could easily phanagle 2-3 deep playoff runs out of this bunch but given Popovich's deteriorating coaching ability I'm not sure the spurs will even make the playoffs next year, too many good teams in the west with solid coaching.

I started noticing a couple years ago Pop making alot of coaching miscues, and its just gotten to the point of ridiculousness this year. I'm afraid I don't share a positive outlook on the future as long as Popovich is pulling the strings.

[TJastal]

IMO the spurs need to start rebuilding from the top - which means, Gregg Popovich. GONE.

[KenziE]

The Spurs weren't going far without Manu so to get upset over a first round loss is silly.

Spurs exit earlier allows our returning players to rest.

Also, I'm pretty damn excited about the change the team will go through over the summer. We'll see a lot of new faces, mostly younger and athletic players.

don't keep your hopes high and if you're a betting man don't bet on it. !!!

this is for SURE , FINLEY will be back next season and that is the fucking truth that we have to deal with !!! it sucks but he will be back to eat up minutes again and give TD,TP & Manu a hard time carrying him coz fucking FINLEY should retire already man ....

i won't be excited until i SEE real change man ... also remember this OBERTO will be back again for sure ... now that's the REALITY of it it really sucks !

but im still a fan a die hard fan !!!

[crc21209]

People calling for Pop's head are fucking insane...this man brought us 4 championships and this is how you repay him? Please...without Manu..everyone in the city of San Antonio knew it was going to be hell to get so far without him. And come on...with players like Matt Bonner, Udoka, and Vaughn (arguably some of the worst players in the NBA)..it's not too hard to see why the Spurs lost. TD, TP, Bowen, and Hill in his limited mins played their asses off...there was only so much they could do though...

[sprrs]

If the Mavs have so much talent, then why were they the 6 seed and the Spurs the 3 seed? The role players that absolutely failed to show up in 4 of the last 5 games must have done something right during the season. The Spurs had two of the top three point shooters in the league this season. How'd they do in the playoffs? The Spurs were one of the better rebounding teams in the league this year. How'd that work out once the playoffs started? The Mavs won with guys like Brandon Bass, JJ Barea and even Antoine Wright and Ryan Hollins showing up and contributing. How's the lack of talent excuse valid for San Antonio but not for anyone on the Mavs?

Adding to that, didn't the Suns have more talent in '05 and '07 than the Spurs? How'd that work out for them.

[Obstructed_View]

People calling for Pop's head are fucking insane...this man brought us 4 championships and this is how you repay him? Please...without Manu..everyone in the city of San Antonio knew it was going to be hell to get so far without him. And come on...with players like Matt Bonner, Udoka, and Vaughn (arguably some of the worst players in the NBA)..it's not too hard to see why the Spurs lost. TD, TP, Bowen, and Hill in his limited mins played their asses off...there was only so much they could do though...

If Matt Bonner is one of the worst players in the NBA, then why is he starting? And who's decision is that? If Udoka is one of the worst players in the NBA, then how's he getting minutes over Bowen in the playoffs? If Vaughn is one of the worst players in the NBA, then why is he still on the team, and how did he end up above Hill in the rotation? If Hill and Bowen played so well, then why were their minutes limited? At some point all these decisions rest at one person's feet, and I don't understand how some of you fucking nimrods keep missing that.

[BWS-1994]

Here's to hoping that a better and more determined Spurs' will be back next season! :toast

This "long" off-season will give players more rest and the front office more time to clear their heads :hat

[Wainseven]

It sucks that we lose so early, all our rotation players take a hit in their trade values (may be except hill)

[BeeGee]

Spurs need more talent, period. Duncan is no longer great enough to throw a bunch of d-league caliber players around him and TP. Bruce Bowen is a liability more than not, now. When Matt Bonner is one of your better support players, your GM is not doing his fuckin' job, I don't care what anybody says. The team needs more talented NBA players. Most of that roster falls short of that. Of course, the Spurs will compete, with Manu healthy, but unless RC gets off his ass, they won't be good enough to get back to the Finals. Time to make moves.

[timvp]

Spurs need more talent, period. Duncan is no longer great enough to throw a bunch of d-league caliber players around him and TP. Bruce Bowen is a liability more than not, now. When Matt Bonner is one of your better support players, your GM is not doing his fuckin' job, I don't care what anybody says. The team needs more talented NBA players. Most of that roster falls short of that. Of course, the Spurs will compete, with Manu healthy, but unless RC gets off his ass, they won't be good enough to get back to the Finals. Time to make moves.

I don't think you could find a person alive who disagrees with that.

[wijayas]

My heart is heavy with the loss. But I love my Spurs regardless the wins and losses. We the fans are spoiled with the Spurs greatness on and off the court, for years. We will be there at the top of the league again.

Believe.

[objective]

I've advocated a plan that I'll reiterate on this thread.

This is the 2009-2010 Minimum Scrub Plan.

The plan is very realistic and perfectly within the means of the Spurs and their finances and doesn't depend on other teams making trades with them or doing them any favors. It is the objective approach to a Spurs re-build.

Every one of the following should be jettisoned, and bought out if necessary: Kurt Thomas, Michael Finley, Ime Udoka, Drew Gooden, Jacque Vaughn, Fabricio Oberto.

These three should be available in trades, but if they stick around to fulfill their one-year deals, so be it: Bruce Bowen, Matt Bonner and Roger Mason, Jr.

Who to replace them all on the roster? Well, besides whoever is signed with possible MLE money (Rasheed, McDyess, some other old has-been, maybe even Javtokas, even pipe dreams like Ariza or Odom) . . . the roster is to be filled with minimum salary players the Spurs already hold the rights to. This includes Mahinmi's modest 1 million dollar deal. That means signing Viktor Sanikidze and James Gist and re-signing Malik Hairston. That means signing at least 2 of the 3 second round picks from this coming draft.

Why?

The current supporting cast has proven they aren't good enough to win with. That was obvious to anyone with a clue before the season started, but should be plainly clear now. Even with a healthy Ginobili, this team wasn't good enough.

Why lose with broken down players that Pop will keep playing beyond their use at the expense of any young players? That coaching bit from Pop is unlikely to change. His favorite toys have to be taken away from him (ie Finley) before he accepts the possibilty of a new toy. Pop must be forced into playing the youth.

Remeber the 03 dvd where Pop early in the season talks about the team having "young type mistakes" and how hopefully they would overcome that? That needs to happen again, and Pop needs to have plenty of youth to have mistakes with.

AND this benefits the 2010 plan greatly.

Because all the cap flexibility of 2010 means is this: If the Spurs do land a premiere free agent, that one player takes up everything as far as capspace. So the Spurs will have to fill up the rest of the roster with minimum salary players anyway. Might as well get a one year headstart to figure out if any of them can play before having to enter 2010 free agency.

Furthermore, you never know, one of these guys might actually . . . develop into something good! I've long been a fan of meth-jesus, aka Viktor Sanikidze, ever since seeing him actually play in the summer league years back. Maybe Gist can play. Maybe they draft Pendergraph or De Colo and they can play.

Hell, with youth running up and down the court, maybe the Spurs actually get better!

Besides, what's the worse that can happen? The Spurs lose in the first round with everybody playing horrendous, disgusting basketball except for Parker, Duncan, Ginobili and Hill? Well guess what, that's guaranteed to happen anyway. Can minimum salary scrubs do worse than the role players did in game 4? Hell no. But they can do it cheaper and make for more interesting television.

Hell, if the Minimum Scrubs are bad enough maybe the Spurs get a lotto pick in what is purported to be a loaded draft class in 2010.

The 2009-2010 Minimum Scrub Plan is the way to go.

[TJastal]

If Matt Bonner is one of the worst players in the NBA, then why is he starting? And who's decision is that? If Udoka is one of the worst players in the NBA, then how's he getting minutes over Bowen in the playoffs? If Vaughn is one of the worst players in the NBA, then why is he still on the team, and how did he end up above Hill in the rotation? If Hill and Bowen played so well, then why were their minutes limited? At some point all these decisions rest at one person's feet, and I don't understand how some of you fucking nimrods keep missing that.

+1 :rollin

I have to admit I was a proponent of Bonner starting early on in the year, when he was shooting well and giving the spurs some energy/hustle plays but as the season progressed it became increasingly clear he's mostly just a liability out there. He's a defensive liability and his shot is screwy and maddeningly inconsistent. His mid-range game is also inconsistent. His dribble game is limited, at best. He cannot create much off the dribble or finish consistently around the basket, something Gooden is proficent at. At the time Gooden was acquired he should have been immediately placed in the starting lineup. By then, Bonner was in full-choke and burn mode. This was a no-brainer for any other coach in the league. That Gooden didn't get 30-35 mins a game was an absolute waste of talent.:depressed

Lets just be blunt, Popovich's coaching especially the last couple years has been terrible. As a GM you could convince me he's got some talent, as he's helped put some very decent talent (Parker/Ginobili) around two of the best big men to play ever play the game, and he's managed to win a few titles in that time frame. But as for coaching and recognizing in-game/out of game situations and trends (and making the proper adjustments) he sucks absolute fucking donkey balls. A good coach needs to figure out the best roles for the players he has early in the year, and stick to that day in day out to establish team chemistry heading into the post season. The last two years have been a discombobulated mess. Popovich has fallen in love with experimenting with lineups and roles all the way into the post-season. From game to game, you never know who he's going to bring in and when he's going to bring them in. And don't tell me the injuries are to blame. Coach still needs make the adjustment get the best players to step up for the injured people and get everyone on the same page. Popovich can't even get any cohesion and consistency of lineups even when he has everyone healthy.

[kobyz]

the only disappointment from this season is that the spurs didn't handle manu injury right, if the spurs were knowing that Manu couldn't realy contribute this year thay much have better tank the season: rest Duncan and Parker a lot of the season and make them fresh for next season and get a high draft pick that very much will halp to improve for next year.
very disappointment that we didn't tank this season!

[Capt Bringdown]

Hoping for the best but expecting the worst.

Too many roles to fill and I've lost a lot of faith in Pop this season. TD's starting to slide, but I'm not that worried about him so much as Manu. Spurs will likely bet the season on his declining health and come out losers again. At 32 years old and with brittle wheels, his warrior days are behind him. I hope the Spurs FO aren't as deluded and living in the past as his many fanboys on this forum and can come up with a move to ship Manu out - he's finished.

Things reach a point where "heart" and all that don't matter. Nobody can overcome age and injury.

[timvp]

Objective, that's not a bad idea.

If the Spurs go that route, they should only give a one-year MLE contract ... like how they originally landed Horry. Get a McDyess or Wallace and start him up front. Keep Bowen and Mason but go with a bunch of young guns off the bench. Hope they blossom like what happened with the Celtics last year.

Something like:

C Duncan
PF McDyess (or Wallace)
SF Bowen
SG Mason
PG Parker

C Mahinmi/Thomas
PF Gist/Bonner/Young Prospect
SF Hairston/Young Prospect
SG Ginobili/Williams
PG Hill

That's a good mix of veterans to give a championship hope and youngsters to build for the future while hoping to get lucky. Plus then you have a huge amount of financial flexibility the next year.

:smokin

[objective]

Objective, that's not a bad idea.

If the Spurs go that route, they should only give a one-year MLE contract ... like how they originally landed Horry. Get a McDyess or Wallace and start him up front. Keep Bowen and Mason but go with a bunch of young guns off the bench. Hope they blossom like what happened with the Celtics last year.

Something like:

C Duncan
PF McDyess (or Wallace)
SF Bowen
SG Mason
PG Parker

C Mahinmi/Thomas
PF Gist/Bonner/Young Prospect
SF Hairston/Young Prospect
SG Ginobili/Williams
PG Hill

That's a good mix of veterans to give a championship hope and youngsters to build for the future while hoping to get lucky. Plus then you have a huge amount of financial flexibility the next year.

:smokin

and it's perfectly within reason.

The Spurs will only have the ability to sign minimum players anyway outside the MLE/LLE.

AND

It doesn't need some flight of fancy or leap of faith re: trades. It's real easy for fans to get excited and say the Spurs should trade for Richard Jefferson or Vince Carter or whoever, maybe even reasonable in some cases . . . but the Spurs can't control other teams. Hell, they could have a dream deal 99% done until the other owner pulls a Donald Sterling . . . or the other GM doesn't fax the paperwork in on time because he's at a funeral.

The Spurs can only control what they can control: players they have rights to, and even then just the ones who are susceptible to playing for the minimum (like Sanikidze).

Same with free agency . . . what if McDyess wants to go home to Denver? What if Rasheed decides he'd rather be in Cleveland? Spurs can only control the players they have the rights to, and sometimes not even then (Splitter). But it's the most logical and objective approach I believe there is.

[timvp]

Yeah, it's realistic and probably what the Spurs will do.

Step 1 in the offseason is to figure a way to get Finley off the team. Step 2 is to get Bonner out of the starting lineup. And then between now and the summer of 2010, the Spurs need to find a way to get another good player on this team outside of the Big Three and hopefully Hill.

[benefactor]

As I and many others have said, it was a season of circumstance. Injuries, over used role players, new players, young players, etc. We had about as much success as could be expected with the hand we were dealt. That being said, there is much to be positive about. We will have a lot of rest and our Big 3(hopefully 4) should be healthy and ready to make another run next year. It's going to be an interesting offseason as there are several young players we have and other young players/vets on the market that we could acquire with little financial ramifications.

As bad as the league wants us to be done, I am afraid that we will have to disappoint them yet again. :)

[layupdrill]

IMO the spurs need to start rebuilding from the top - which means, Gregg Popovich. GONE.
Really?

[Bukefal]

Hell yeah! Of course we will!! GO SPURS GO! :flag:

[DBMethos]

Hear, hear!

[silverblackfan]

I love these Spurs! They just couldn't pull out the miracle this year with Manu out and a suspect bench. The extra rest and the exciting new prospects next year with Ian finally playing will make this a hungry, talented team next year. I am excited about next year and know they will make some noise.
On the plus side, all of the Spurs fans families get their significant others back in April instead of June.
Thanks timvp for all the reviews and posts you cranked out this year. Your one hell of a writer and a fine analyst. Thanks for all the excellent reading.
See you all in September for the training camp.

[JudynTX]

Thank you Spurs, enjoy your summer vacations.

Looking forward to next season! :cheer

[Bosell]

The Spurs will be back.

Apparently. I have not heard anything about them being excluded from the NBA.

[bigfan]

Excellent post TIMVP. I want to say thanks for the excellent game analysis over the season and look forward to next year. Yes, the Mavs were the better team this season, no bones about it. Good luck to them in the playoffs. As for our Spurs, I concur with your assessment and they will be back. If Bowen comes back next season I hope Pop promotes him to a player/coach. I think the team is better off with Mason starting as SG and Manu coming in off the bench and Hill backing up Tony. All this experimenting with Mason as a PG has to stop. Re Pop, it was a tough year but in my book he's still the best coach in the NBA by a mile and Im glad he's around. Look forward to the upcoming trade season!

[1Parker1]

As long as I don't see Matt Bonner starting next to Tim Duncan and Michael Finley playing more than 15 minutes per game, I will consider next season a step in the right direction for these Spurs. :tu

Seriously, this was a very dramatic and up an down season for the Spurs. Gotta appreciate the heart and effort TD, TP, BB, and GH showed. As for the rest of the team...Finley, Mason, Bonner, Thomas, Gooden, Udoka, I hope they learned a thing or two by watching those players lay it all out for the team. And I hope the FO saw exactly what the rest of the world saw...that those bench players are basically worthless.

I'm excited to see a healthy Big 3 play next season. In the meantime, Go Cavs! :)

[ZB 512]

If the Mavs have so much talent, then why were they the 6 seed and the Spurs the 3 seed?

Josh Howard missed 30 games. Jason Terry missed 3 weeks. Stackhouse missed the entire season

injuries are the main reason. If Howard doesnt miss so many games, the Mavs surely would have had a better record and a better seed...but injuries are a part of the NBA. A lot of teams have them.


The role players that absolutely failed to show up in 4 of the last 5 games must have done something right during the season. The Spurs had two of the top three point shooters in the league this season. How'd they do in the playoffs? The Spurs were one of the better rebounding teams in the league this year. How'd that work out once the playoffs started? The Mavs won with guys like Brandon Bass, JJ Barea and even Antoine Wright and Ryan Hollins showing up and contributing. How's the lack of talent excuse valid for San Antonio but not for anyone on the Mavs?

The one advantage of having injuries throughout the season, was that other players got a lot of time on the court to improve and step up.

The Mavs are the healthiest they have been all season (although Howard is playing on a bad ankle)...combine that with the improvement from the "role players" because of extra minutes during the season and you get a dangerous Dallas team.

[KenziE]

seriously though there a lot of comments and suggestions here that makes a ton of sense but really is anybody from the spurs FO or organization reading this? i mean man all those proposed line up for next season really is making sense but then again NOBODY in the spurs organization is listening for sure.. it sucks bigtime

[rascal]

You posted something similar at the end of last year. Its just a positive spin post.

The spurs need to make some moves this offseason to bring in a borderline star or a couple of very good difference makers on this team or else its another early playoff exit next year.

And I don't mean bring in some low end of career role players like what they usually do. They need to break the mold of over the hill acquisistions this summer.

Until that happens the spurs are not close to being contenders.

[Avitus1]

They will return, they will conquer.

[raspsa]

A lot will depend on the moves the FO makes in the offseason but I am confident that with a healthy Big 3, the Spurs will remain a top-tier team. But the Big 3 must be ready to do battle. Any changes to the lineup are simply complements to Timmy, manu and Tony.. still, this season was one of the most difficult the team had to go thru in terms of injuries and breaking in new players.. no wonder they never really gelled.. lots of reasons but no excuses - the Spurs simply couldn't get it done this time around and I look forward to next season with great anticipation.

[Mav-elous Man]

ARE YOU KIDDING ME???!!! Of course the Mavs had more talent than the Spurs. Playoff seeding has nothing to do with it. Especially since the conference was as closely contested as it was all year. But the proof that the Mavs had more talent IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE!!! In a HEAD-TO-HEAD BEST OF 7 SERIES(which only went 5 games), the MAVS ROLE PLAYERS CONSISTENTLY OUTPLAYED THE SPURS ROLE PLAYERS. 4 of the 5 games to be exact. The Mavs had more talented depth. Plus if the Spurs have so much "talent" then why are they eliminated? Why do all of your fans want to damn near get rid of everyone on your team except for TD, TP, and MG? That doesn't sound too talented to me. I'm not saying the Mavs are the most talented team in the league. They are simply deeper than the Spurs as the teams currently stand. The Spurs nucleus is still in tact so as long as their Big 3 are there, they are threats to win it all. They just need some fresh role players. But with that said, with the players that were able to suit up, the Mavs were the better and deeper team.

[Thomas82]

Very true. The painful part is knowing we have to wait until late October for more Spurs basketball. Hopefully some magic happens this offseason.

+1

Since we have 3 second round picks, hopefully we can hit it big on 1 or 2 of them.

[Silver&Black Warrior]

I've advocated a plan that I'll reiterate on this thread.

This is the 2009-2010 Minimum Scrub Plan.

The plan is very realistic and perfectly within the means of the Spurs and their finances and doesn't depend on other teams making trades with them or doing them any favors. It is the objective approach to a Spurs re-build.

Every one of the following should be jettisoned, and bought out if necessary: Kurt Thomas, Michael Finley, Ime Udoka, Drew Gooden, Jacque Vaughn, Fabricio Oberto.

These three should be available in trades, but if they stick around to fulfill their one-year deals, so be it: Bruce Bowen, Matt Bonner and Roger Mason, Jr.

Who to replace them all on the roster? Well, besides whoever is signed with possible MLE money (Rasheed, McDyess, some other old has-been, maybe even Javtokas, even pipe dreams like Ariza or Odom) . . . the roster is to be filled with minimum salary players the Spurs already hold the rights to. This includes Mahinmi's modest 1 million dollar deal. That means signing Viktor Sanikidze and James Gist and re-signing Malik Hairston. That means signing at least 2 of the 3 second round picks from this coming draft.

Why?

The current supporting cast has proven they aren't good enough to win with. That was obvious to anyone with a clue before the season started, but should be plainly clear now. Even with a healthy Ginobili, this team wasn't good enough.

Why lose with broken down players that Pop will keep playing beyond their use at the expense of any young players? That coaching bit from Pop is unlikely to change. His favorite toys have to be taken away from him (ie Finley) before he accepts the possibilty of a new toy. Pop must be forced into playing the youth.

Remeber the 03 dvd where Pop early in the season talks about the team having "young type mistakes" and how hopefully they would overcome that? That needs to happen again, and Pop needs to have plenty of youth to have mistakes with.

AND this benefits the 2010 plan greatly.

Because all the cap flexibility of 2010 means is this: If the Spurs do land a premiere free agent, that one player takes up everything as far as capspace. So the Spurs will have to fill up the rest of the roster with minimum salary players anyway. Might as well get a one year headstart to figure out if any of them can play before having to enter 2010 free agency.

Furthermore, you never know, one of these guys might actually . . . develop into something good! I've long been a fan of meth-jesus, aka Viktor Sanikidze, ever since seeing him actually play in the summer league years back. Maybe Gist can play. Maybe they draft Pendergraph or De Colo and they can play.

Hell, with youth running up and down the court, maybe the Spurs actually get better!

Besides, what's the worse that can happen? The Spurs lose in the first round with everybody playing horrendous, disgusting basketball except for Parker, Duncan, Ginobili and Hill? Well guess what, that's guaranteed to happen anyway. Can minimum salary scrubs do worse than the role players did in game 4? Hell no. But they can do it cheaper and make for more interesting television.

Hell, if the Minimum Scrubs are bad enough maybe the Spurs get a lotto pick in what is purported to be a loaded draft class in 2010.

The 2009-2010 Minimum Scrub Plan is the way to go.

Post of the year :clap

[Thomas82]

I still believe the Spurs have one more deep run left in the playoffs.

They have more than one left.

[dbreiden83080]

Yeah, it's not over yet. Bruce Bowen is done. Don't want to see him. Ginobili has been on the decline for the last 3 years. It's time to move on. Also Popovich. His decision making is/was terrible this season.

Duncan and Parker is all that's left of this team.

I can't support a team that starts Matt Bonner in place of a 100 year old lady that can't walk.

You've been ready to jump ship for like a decade, so just do it already will ya??

[NFGIII]

The other thing is that it should be perfectly clear to the FO that a healthy Manu is not necessarily the complete answer. If the 2010 plan is not to wait but rather to use the cap flexibility now, we may see more turnover than we expect.

I sure hope so. We don't have the lock down D that we've become accustomed to in the past and our role/siupport palyers were almost nonexistent for 4 out of 5 games this post season. Game 5 - Bonner with 2 pts and 3 boards - Mason with 1 pt - KT with 6 pts and 5 boards - Udoka with 7 pts (not bad) and 2 boards. We got outrebounded again and that was one of the key stats deciding this series.

But I have a question: How much wheeling and dealing will the FO be able to do if Holt continually puts monetary restraints on them? We don't have Scola due to his wanting to salary dump Butler's contract IMO. I'm not saying that being fiscally responsible shouldn't be a factor because it should have a role in the decision making process but if it substantially gets in the way of putting together a championship caliber team then it should take a back seat to the pursuit of the LB trophy. And I'm not advocating stupid trades/contracts just for the sake of getting new players that might do it - ie... the Jerome James contract with the Knicks - now that was a really dump contract. And the luxary tax notwithstanding. Ultimately sports is about winning titles. I understand that at times this isn't possible and you have to wait for better opportunities. Hopefully their wait will be over and the FO can get some complimentary players in the next 2 years before TD's window is closed.

Just saying


I'm pretty sure Bowen will have some agreement to be released and re-sign for the minimum. He'll be used next year for spot minutes and to mentor the young guys.

:tu I want him back since I believe he has more left. Not like in the past but he can still contribute but most likely in a limited role. In fact he was our best perimeter defender this year IMO. And he can have a positive effect on the younger players by teaching them his tricks. I'm sure the other teams in the league would look forward to him passing on his pearls of wisdom to a new generation of Spurs.


A lot will depend on the moves the FO makes in the offseason but I am confident that with a healthy Big 3, the Spurs will remain a top-tier team. But the Big 3 must be ready to do battle. Any changes to the lineup are simply complements to Timmy, manu and Tony.. still, this season was one of the most difficult the team had to go thru in terms of injuries and breaking in new players.. no wonder they never really gelled.. lots of reasons but no excuses - the Spurs simply couldn't get it done this time around and I look forward to next season with great anticipation.

Obviously this season was one of ups and downs/trials and tribulations so to say. But the Big 3 wont get it done if they don't have the complimentary players around them that can contribute. Our role players, outside of game 2 and a few individual efforts hers and there, completley disappeared this post season. Not a good sign if you want to stick around under Pop. I also look forward to next season with great anticipation since I believe that we will have an infusion of younger players trying to make the team - Ian,Gist,Hairston, Williams, along with a much more developed Hill. So the future looks good but the FO will need to do more work. Who they bring in - Sheed/Dice/Dahtay Jones/Ariza/Odom...etc is open for debate.

:flag:

[smeagol]

You posted something similar at the end of last year. Its just a positive spin post.

The spurs need to make some moves this offseason to bring in a borderline star or a couple of very good difference makers on this team or else its another early playoff exit next year.

And I don't mean bring in some low end of career role players like what they usually do. They need to break the mold of over the hill acquisistions this summer.

Until that happens the spurs are not close to being contenders.

You forgot to say Manu has to go . . .

[SA210]

If Matt Bonner is one of the worst players in the NBA, then why is he starting? And who's decision is that? If Udoka is one of the worst players in the NBA, then how's he getting minutes over Bowen in the playoffs? If Vaughn is one of the worst players in the NBA, then why is he still on the team, and how did he end up above Hill in the rotation? If Hill and Bowen played so well, then why were their minutes limited? At some point all these decisions rest at one person's feet, and I don't understand how some of you fucking nimrods keep missing that.


:tu

[Thomas82]

I'm pretty sure Bowen will have some agreement to be released and re-sign for the minimum. He'll be used next year for spot minutes and to mentor the young guys.

That sounds good to me. I really didn't want to lose Bruce.

[spurtech09]

No doubt about it the spurs will be back......manu just needs to stay home and relax for the summer

[Brazil]

Thanks timvp for this excellent post !

We will be fine, I like the 2009-2010 Minimum Scrub Plan.

[Whisky Dog]

As hard is that was to watch, I'm just glad I don't have to watch another game of that horrible brand of basketball. I don't know if this is the end of the line or if the Spurs can pull some magic out in the offseason to significantly improve, but even if it is 1990 through 2009 is one HELL of a run for this franchise. 1990 is when I started watching the Spurs during Robinson's rookie year, and since then I just don't know what it's like to watch a losing Spurs team with no shot. Been truly priviledged to watch one of the greatest and longest winning runs in any franchise history in any sport.

[Thomas82]

lets have a strong offseason.

We definately need it.

[DPG21920]

Yeah, it's realistic and probably what the Spurs will do.

Step 1 in the offseason is to figure a way to get Finley off the team. Step 2 is to get Bonner out of the starting lineup. And then between now and the summer of 2010, the Spurs need to find a way to get another good player on this team outside of the Big Three and hopefully Hill.

So I take it you do not agree with my proposal? Mine was contingent on being able to do trade and there were a lot of stipulations, but I feel going for the homerun via trade this year is better than waiting for 2010.

As much as the Spurs cannot control any trades, they cannot control FA, which has never been a strong suit for the Spurs with regards to drawing big time players.

[kobyz]

maybe an idea for the next season:
sign Rasheed Wallace for one year with the MLE
sign Grant Hill for one year with the LLE
try to get rid of Thomas and Oberto contracts
Bring Gist from Italy, sign Hairston and use a second rounder to draft a third PG
give the young guys Hill and Mahinmi significant roles and also give Hairston and Gist some minutes.
than you can have very good team:
Parker/George Hill/draft pick
Manu/Finley/Mason
Grant Hill/Bowen/Hairston
Duncan/Bonner/Gist
Rasheed/Mahinmi

[Red Hawk #21]

You guys have great Management, you will definetely be back.

[Thomas82]

You guys have great Management, you will definetely be back.

Now they'll get as good a chance as ever to prove their greatness.

[spurtilldeath]

What may come...I love my spurs and can't wait for October...

[Duncan74]

Great post. Spur fan forever!!

[Amarelooms]

Spurs just have to avoid the Mavs at all cost come playoff time next year as well. If that means tanking they are gonna do it. Spurs want no part of the Mavs and this year just proved it :elephant

[Spursfan092120]

Spurs just have to avoid the Mavs at all cost come playoff time next year as well. If that means tanking they are gonna do it. Spurs want no part of the Mavs and this year just proved it :elephant
God..we've got to get that sand out of your vagina..it must really itch..

[DubMcDub]

God..we've got to get that sand out of your vagina..it must really itch..

I don't think you understand the proper usage of that expression.

[alamo50]

Health proves to be the key once again.
Now Tony will be playing for his country all summer long..........

[Bigzax]

If they can get Camby AND Sheed. Then i'll give our Spurs hope.


Full MLE, Trades of Bonner, Thomas, whoever, whatever it takes to get it done.

They need to make something like that happen.

TD needs limited minutes during the Regular season and unless the Spurs bring in two starting quality bigs, it's not gonna work out.

I point out those two specifically because of their skill sets.

Camby with rebounding and shotblocking.
Sheed for the same, but more for his 3pt and low post game.

These two would compliment TD like no others.

Unless Splitter decides he likes mexican food or Mahinimi is suddenly made of something other than glass. This is our only hope.

We all know the wing positions just need a healthy rested Manu and Bruce and for Udoka and Mason's playoff balls to drop.

I think we are all comfortable with TP and Hill and Pop is most likely gonna keep Findog around as he is in love with him.

Peace out, Go Spurs Go! :flag:

[phxspurfan]

This Spurs lost to the better team. Props to the Mavericks for advancing. Good luck.

As far as the Spurs are concerned, they still have more gas in the tank. Tim Duncan will have the longest offseason of his career to get his knees right. Tony Parker proved he's taken his game to another level and will be able to carry a bigger portion of the load for the foreseeable future. Manu Ginobili will get healthy, he'll be rested and and he'll once again be once of the best players in the league next year.

Bruce Bowen has another year in him. George Hill should really blossom next season. The Spurs should be able to fill out the roster with younger and better pieces.

Even though any objective Spurs fan knew the Spurs were extreme longshots to do anything this postseason, losing still hurt. Especially to the Mavs. But in the long run, this early loss well help the team. More rest and the roster's deficiencies are now painfully obvious. Winning a few more games in the postseason would have been great but escaping without a major injury to Duncan or Parker is way more important. Duncan could have hurt himself playing on one leg, Parker could have hurt himself trying to carry the whole load.

After a decade on the grind, this rest will do the team good. Come back next year with the Big Three intact, get refueled with better role players and make a run at #5.

Thank you to the Spurs for the effort. Thank you to Spurs fans for supporting your team.

The Spurs will be back.

Believe.



I'm not so confident the Spurs FO will sign quality FAs. We all know Parker kept syaing we need better role players (not so subtly some times) but historically this FO has done little besides show effort in the offseason (offer up a few token contracts, that were usually declined). I don't think we can assume to add more than a player or two this offseason. Wishing for a complete overhaul is just that...wishing.

[SpursDynasty]

This Spurs lost to the better team. Props to the Mavericks for advancing. Good luck.

As far as the Spurs are concerned, they still have more gas in the tank. Tim Duncan will have the longest offseason of his career to get his knees right. Tony Parker proved he's taken his game to another level and will be able to carry a bigger portion of the load for the foreseeable future. Manu Ginobili will get healthy, he'll be rested and and he'll once again be once of the best players in the league next year.

Bruce Bowen has another year in him. George Hill should really blossom next season. The Spurs should be able to fill out the roster with younger and better pieces.

Even though any objective Spurs fan knew the Spurs were extreme longshots to do anything this postseason, losing still hurt. Especially to the Mavs. But in the long run, this early loss well help the team. More rest and the roster's deficiencies are now painfully obvious. Winning a few more games in the postseason would have been great but escaping without a major injury to Duncan or Parker is way more important. Duncan could have hurt himself playing on one leg, Parker could have hurt himself trying to carry the whole load.

After a decade on the grind, this rest will do the team good. Come back next year with the Big Three intact, get refueled with better role players and make a run at #5.

Thank you to the Spurs for the effort. Thank you to Spurs fans for supporting your team.

The Spurs will be back.

Believe.



Good post. This playoff loss isn't as painful as 2004, 2006, and 2008. This year we truly had an excuse to lose. It doesn't matter what anyone says, there's just no making up for the absence of Manu Ginobili on the floor and the impact he has on games, not just offensively but defensively as well as the "things that don't show up in the box score". A lot of Manu's offense is getting to the rim, we can't replace his offense with streaky jumpshooters and hope that will make up for it. I hate to use the "no Manu" excuse but when you think about it, there's just no making up for his absence.

Another thing was Bowen's reduced minutes.

Mason, Hill, and Bonner were great during the regular season, but these guys have no big-game playoff experience, so these guys were nonexistent in the playoffs this year. Another reason we lost. Lack of playoff experience. Lack of offense.

Gooden arrived too late to have a real impact on this team.

So all in all, this series wasn't about Dallas being the better team. They're not the better team because a lot of their winning came off jump shooting. They're not good defensively. They just made their shots at the right time. I fully expect Denver to close it out in 5.

[timvp]

You posted something similar at the end of last year. Its just a positive spin post.

The spurs need to make some moves this offseason to bring in a borderline star or a couple of very good difference makers on this team or else its another early playoff exit next year.

And I don't mean bring in some low end of career role players like what they usually do. They need to break the mold of over the hill acquisistions this summer.

Until that happens the spurs are not close to being contenders.

You said the same exact thing going into the summers of 2002, 2004 and 2006. Your track record shows you have no clue what makes this team win or lose. I expected the Spurs to regroup those years while you were counting them out and their era over. I expected the Spurs to lose against the Mavs while you said they would win.

Drawing board, you need to go back to one.

[LEONARD]

Good post. This playoff loss isn't as painful as 2004, 2006, and 2008. This year we truly had an excuse to lose. It doesn't matter what anyone says, there's just no making up for the absence of Manu Ginobili on the floor and the impact he has on games, not just offensively but defensively as well as the "things that don't show up in the box score". A lot of Manu's offense is getting to the rim, we can't replace his offense with streaky jumpshooters and hope that will make up for it. I hate to use the "no Manu" excuse but when you think about it, there's just no making up for his absence.

Another thing was Bowen's reduced minutes.

Mason, Hill, and Bonner were great during the regular season, but these guys have no big-game playoff experience, so these guys were nonexistent in the playoffs this year. Another reason we lost. Lack of playoff experience. Lack of offense.

Gooden arrived too late to have a real impact on this team.

So all in all, this series wasn't about Dallas being the better team. They're not the better team because a lot of their winning came off jump shooting. They're not good defensively. They just made their shots at the right time. I fully expect Denver to close it out in 5.

So why'd you pick the "Spurs in 4, 5 if the Mavs get lucky" if it was so clear that they couldn't beat them without Manu?

[SpursDynasty]

So why'd you pick the "Spurs in 4, 5 if the Mavs get lucky" if it was so clear that they couldn't beat them without Manu?

Dallas just made jump shots at the right time. They're going home in 5 vs. Denver.

[Chomag]

Objective, that's not a bad idea.

If the Spurs go that route, they should only give a one-year MLE contract ... like how they originally landed Horry. Get a McDyess or Wallace and start him up front. Keep Bowen and Mason but go with a bunch of young guns off the bench. Hope they blossom like what happened with the Celtics last year.

Something like:

C Duncan
PF McDyess (or Wallace)
SF Bowen
SG Mason
PG Parker

C Mahinmi/Thomas
PF Gist/Bonner/Young Prospect
SF Hairston/Young Prospect
SG Ginobili/Williams
PG Hill

That's a good mix of veterans to give a championship hope and youngsters to build for the future while hoping to get lucky. Plus then you have a huge amount of financial flexibility the next year.

:smokin

I really do like the way this team set up looks. However based on Pop's recent track record , and I wish I was exaggerating when I say this but, can we trust Pop to actually play the youth and not overplay the starting 5 vets? If we can this line up would instantly put us back on the top again IMO.

[reddog 99]

Well said as always.

It still hurts this late the next day. :depressed

Retool and Return

This is not and will not be over until timvp says so! :hat

Friggin Mavs damn :bang

Friggin Cuabn even worse :bang

Oh and I am removing my ellie avatar

[santymrc]

Yeah, it's not over yet. Bruce Bowen is done. Don't want to see him. Ginobili has been on the decline for the last 3 years. It's time to move on. Also Popovich. His decision making is/was terrible this season.

Duncan and Parker is all that's left of this team.

I can't support a team that starts Matt Bonner in place of a 100 year old lady that can't walk... Sorry...

But good take..

You have never supported this team, so it wont be a big loss. BB Sequ, go cheer for the Lakers.

[mytespurs]

Well said timvp! I think if the big 3 are healthy and with the right type of role players, this team will be in contention. :toast

[SouthTexasRancher]

Yes, yes we will. I have faith that Pop & RC will right the ship with good additions that will make us younger, more athletic, longer, taller, basketball smarter, better shooters and better defenders. In other words a team that mirrors 1999, 2003, 2005 & 2007.

2010 NBA Champions!!!

[lefty]

This Spurs lost to the better team. Props to the Mavericks for advancing. Good luck.

As far as the Spurs are concerned, they still have more gas in the tank. Tim Duncan will have the longest offseason of his career to get his knees right. Tony Parker proved he's taken his game to another level and will be able to carry a bigger portion of the load for the foreseeable future. Manu Ginobili will get healthy, he'll be rested and and he'll once again be once of the best players in the league next year.

Bruce Bowen has another year in him. George Hill should really blossom next season. The Spurs should be able to fill out the roster with younger and better pieces.

Even though any objective Spurs fan knew the Spurs were extreme longshots to do anything this postseason, losing still hurt. Especially to the Mavs. But in the long run, this early loss well help the team. More rest and the roster's deficiencies are now painfully obvious. Winning a few more games in the postseason would have been great but escaping without a major injury to Duncan or Parker is way more important. Duncan could have hurt himself playing on one leg, Parker could have hurt himself trying to carry the whole load.

After a decade on the grind, this rest will do the team good. Come back next year with the Big Three intact, get refueled with better role players and make a run at #5.

Thank you to the Spurs for the effort. Thank you to Spurs fans for supporting your team.

The Spurs will be back.

Believe.

Well, I sure do hope they'll show up at training camp

[FilSpursFan]

We already have FOUR Trophies in our team, maybe its time to share it to the better team for this year, because next season Spurs will be back stronger and healthier.

Congratulations to the Mavs!

[SouthTexasRancher]

We already have FOUR Trophies in our team, maybe its time to share it to the better team for this year, because next season Spurs will be back stronger and healthier.

Congratulations to the Mavs!


Why is it that all the Mavs & Suns fans I've ever encountered just flat out have no class and are the biggest assholes on the face of the planet? Well there are the Fakers too. Is it because we have beaten both in the playoffs so many times? Oh well congrats to Denver & Cleveland.

[HempHead24]

x1 This!

We Don't want Pop to go we just want the old Pop back.


With this and a couple of other tweeks I believe we'll come back next year pissed off and fired up and WE WILL DOMINATE!
:lobt2::lobt2::lobt2::lobt2::lobt2:

Still F#@k the Mavs

[objective]

I really do like the way this team set up looks. However based on Pop's recent track record , and I wish I was exaggerating when I say this but, can we trust Pop to actually play the youth and not overplay the starting 5 vets? If we can this line up would instantly put us back on the top again IMO.

You can trust him to play the youth IF all the worst of the vets are gone. If he doesn't have Finley or Thomas or Vaughn or Oberto or Udoka to stick in a game, he'll go youth.

Especially in blowouts.

One of the most frustrating things these past two years is that during blowouts win or lose, the Spurs usually had lineups of guys past 30 like Thomas/Oberto/Udoka/Finley/Vaughn or some other garbage where garbage time was tedious to watch. Those few minutes when a rookie Mahinmi went up against garbage Bucks players were magic, because you could see a young player develop.

------------

Anyways

The first litmus test comes first with Oberto and his partial guarantee coming full July 1st.

If he isn't cut, retired or traded by then, I guarantee the front office will be a plethora of fail this offseason.

Because if they can convince themselves that Oberto, or Thomas, or Finley might be worth keeping around as steely vets that could contribute, they've also convinced themselves that they can win with them. And if they think they can win with them, they've already lost next season and wasted a year's worth of developing a younger player in that occupied roster spot.

[spurs1990]

Spurs have a HUGE mountain to climb to win another championship.

Lets add everything up:

May 2010 - Duncan will be another year older, and still have 80 games under his belt going into the postseason. What makes anyone think he'll be refreshed bc he had a longer break BEFORE the 09-10 season??

This team is built on chemistry, but the current state suggest a major overhaul of the roster. I highly doubt bringing in 6 or more players will make the Spurs the team to beat a year from today.

Are we again forgetting there are other teams in this league. Younger, hungrier, more talented ones. Hello Cleveland, Orlando, Portland. Those guys are or will be juggernauts in 2010, and the Spurs will have to go through one or more of them. Did I mention LA will still have Bryant, Gasol, and an ever better Bynum next year? Denver is hitting it stride with Billups, and thank god we didn't have to face them...I'm thinking a sweep would have been the result.

You can't judge the Spurs' future prospects simply by arguing how they pulled off 3 rings in this decade. Not to mention there was a lot of luck involved in those runs.

I'm good with this though. I hated having the feeling that anything short of a Finals win was unacceptable. After this atrocious 08-09 campaign, I can expect the management to bring in players with future prospects, not just dinosaurs at the end of their ropes.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Damn straight, LJ. You're a pimp. :toast :smokin

[Stringer_Bell]

Long-time reader, first time poster...

I’m really thankful to have a team like the Spurs represent our city. We did more with less at difficult times this season than most other teams could do at 100%. I truly believe that that Spurs organization will continue to be owned and operated at the highest standards because the powers that be understand the culture of this city…and it’s not just winning championships, it’s the way we win. We don’t brag or threaten, it’s just business. Pop and Co. understand that the game is getting fiercer while the team gets older, and I believe next season will truly show how far we came this year despite going down in the first round. Remember the Stonecutter’s Creed: “and at the 101st blow the rock will split in two, and I will know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before it.”

Mason, Hill, Ime, and Gooden are all good, hungry players and I hope we can keep those guys in the fold because I really enjoy cheering for them. For the veterans, I have so much respect for the poise they bring to the team, putting their bodies on the line night in and night out to lead by example. Tony Parker is the present and future, a real warrior that doesn’t make excuses and isn’t afraid to carry the weight on his shoulders. He wants to win, and it was exciting to see him run wild on opposing teams this season when they tried to shut him down or disrespect him. Deron William and Chris Paul are touted as the best PGs...but only Parker has the rings and Finals MVP, and he’s only getting better.

I won’t ever forget watching Tim Duncan rally the team after the officials failed to call a goal tend during a game earlier this season. Some Spurs players were distracted and complaining to the officials but Timmy just raised his hand to refocus them on the play and hustled down the court after he made the inbound pass. It was such a small move, not on any highlight reel, but it’s that kind of leadership that is so rare, that’s really deserving of notice. In the age of team’s looking for a superstar, we have a Duncan. Correction, THE Duncan...and at the last game he showed us he’s going to fight for his team, for this city, until the clock hits zero. I really hope he gets a chance to tutor another young player like David mentored him, and go to the big dance and win it one more time. That would be epic.

And someone PLEASE bring back the OLD Spurs theme song, “Get Ready For This.” I know it’s outdated, but man, it’s San Antonio and I can’t imagine Nickelback pumping up a crowd like 2 Unlimited. /end rant:downspin:

[LEONARD]

Dallas just made jump shots at the right time. They're going home in 5 vs. Denver.

Of course...the lucky jumpshot excuse...

I expect Denver to beat Dallas too, but I'm loving that you picked them too...maybe Dallas has a shot due to the SD jinx? :lol

[Obstructed_View]

Of course...the lucky jumpshot excuse...

I expect Denver to beat Dallas too, but I'm loving that you picked them too...maybe Dallas has a shot due to the SD jinx? :lol

Seriously, why do you even read his posts? Do yourself a favor and ignore him. How long does he have to post idiotic shit before you notice he's not worth your time?

[tlongII]

They'll be back to the 1st round, but that's about it.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

The Spurs need to make some personnel moves, for sure, but I agree that they'll be back. I always envisioned Tim with 5 rings and so I know that will happen. This may have been their weakest overall roster in years, yet with a healthy Manu this team would have probably made it to the third round.

Losing in the first round might be a good wakeup call that some real changes need to be made to the roster.

[Borosai]

The Spurs need to make some personnel moves, for sure, but I agree that they'll be back. I always envisioned Tim with 5 rings and so I know that will happen. This may have been their weakest overall roster in years, yet with a healthy Manu this team would have probably made it to the third round.

Losing in the first round might be a good wakeup call that some real changes need to be made to the roster.

Yep.

[rascal]

Long-time reader, first time poster...

I’m really thankful to have a team like the Spurs represent our city. We did more with less at difficult times this season than most other teams could do at 100%. I truly believe that that Spurs organization will continue to be owned and operated at the highest standards because the powers that be understand the culture of this city…and it’s not just winning championships, it’s the way we win. We don’t brag or threaten, it’s just business. Pop and Co. understand that the game is getting fiercer while the team gets older, and I believe next season will truly show how far we came this year despite going down in the first round. Remember the Stonecutter’s Creed: “and at the 101st blow the rock will split in two, and I will know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before it.”

Mason, Hill, Ime, and Gooden are all good, hungry players and I hope we can keep those guys in the fold because I really enjoy cheering for them. For the veterans, I have so much respect for the poise they bring to the team, putting their bodies on the line night in and night out to lead by example. Tony Parker is the present and future, a real warrior that doesn’t make excuses and isn’t afraid to carry the weight on his shoulders. He wants to win, and it was exciting to see him run wild on opposing teams this season when they tried to shut him down or disrespect him. Deron William and Chris Paul are touted as the best PGs...but only Parker has the rings and Finals MVP, and he’s only getting better.

I won’t ever forget watching Tim Duncan rally the team after the officials failed to call a goal tend during a game earlier this season. Some Spurs players were distracted and complaining to the officials but Timmy just raised his hand to refocus them on the play and hustled down the court after he made the inbound pass. It was such a small move, not on any highlight reel, but it’s that kind of leadership that is so rare, that’s really deserving of notice. In the age of team’s looking for a superstar, we have a Duncan. Correction, THE Duncan...and at the last game he showed us he’s going to fight for his team, for this city, until the clock hits zero. I really hope he gets a chance to tutor another young player like David mentored him, and go to the big dance and win it one more time. That would be epic.

And someone PLEASE bring back the OLD Spurs theme song, “Get Ready For This.” I know it’s outdated, but man, it’s San Antonio and I can’t imagine Nickelback pumping up a crowd like 2 Unlimited. /end rant:downspin:


Welcome with your first post. :toast

Don't just lurk, post more often.