duncan228
05-09-2009, 01:27 PM
The view from a Blazers fan.
The State of the Spurs (http://www.blazersedge.com/2009/5/8/869971/the-state-of-the-spurs)
by HurraKane212
As BlazersEdge ambassador to San Antonio, Texas I wanted to give everyone a sneak peek into what the mood is like here in San Antonio.
Being a Blazers fan over the last 6 years has meant living on hope and promises. We listened to the whispers of potential and salivated about what might be. We hung our hope on every rookie and every trade. Maybe this guy could make it better, then Roy came and things started to get better. However, we are still (to quote KG) "a team in progress."
The Spurs, however, are the model franchise, the juggernaut, the monster of legend that came every other year and destroyed everything in the way. The Spurs were the "boring" team, the "dirty" team, the team that played overwhelming and frustrating defense. Those Spurs, are on life support.
Sure, Manu has a bum wheel and Timmy has a bad knee, maybe they get healthy and they bounce right back, they won 54 games, no need to overhaul this team right? Wrong.
This Spurs team doesn't play D like they used to. Part of this is because of the sacrifices they have made to get a little more offense. Matt Bonner is starting alongside Tim Duncan at the 4/5. Bonner is the white Channing Frye but with less toughness. Backing him up is Vidal Sassoon Oberto, who has fallen right off. Behind him, is athletic but unproven Ian Mahenmi, and not exactly your franchise guy, Drew Gooden. Oh, Kurt "Imma Cut You" Thomas is there too.
Tim Duncan is the only one of the bunch who could guard ME on a consistent basis. Suffice it to say, they could use about 3 decent near 7 footers.
At the 3, they have an ageing Bruce Bowen, and a bunch of people trying to plug the gigantic hole there. Looks like Ime Udoka will walk.
At the 1 and 2 they (when healthy) have probably the best 4 guard rotation in the league, consisting of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, George Hill and Rodger Mason Jr.
Spurs fans are not feeling the whole Tiago Splitter thing right now. The spurs could really, really use him and he may never come over. There is a potential loophole where after 3 years you can sign a guy to whatever amount you are under the cap and in 10 they should be under the cap quite a bit as in 2010/11 they only have Tim and Tony under guaranteed contract.
As luck would have it, this is where the light at the end of the tunnel may indeed shine through. The Spurs will be able to totally overhaul their roster in the summer of 2011. However, complications arise on two fronts. 1.) What will happen with the CBA that year and will it affect what players do and how available free agents are? and 2.) Timmy will be 2 years older, as will Manu if he stays in S.A.
I don't really know what will happen with the CBA, and I think the Spurs will be OK because Duncan's game is not really predicated on athleticism. With Pop and R.C. Buford at the helm, I am sure that the Spurs will be OK. They will rise again, but we are approaching their nadir. It's going to be a rough few years, and the fans know it. San Antonio has some excellent and well informed fans that have all the affection that only a small market can. However, the fans are used to winning. They have been a darn good franchise for the last 20 years with only a dip or two here and there (like when they got Duncan). This is the first bleak horizon the organization has seen in 2 decades. The fans have an interesting blend of thankfulness (for championships past), and resignation. Other than recovering from injuries and a distant Tiago Splitter, there is no hope, there is one prospect (George Hill), and there is only disappointment with mediocre role players unable to play defense.
One unorthodox mechanism to help reboot the system might be to trade Manu Ginobli for picks and projects. It could happen, but all of San Antonio may riot... it would be akin to when we traded Drexler. It would be a sad thing to see Ginobli in say, a Thunder uniform.
It is an interesting contrast to be a Blazers fan and become intoxicated on the cocktail of potential, youth, and surprising success, and then to live among Spurs fans with their Parker #9 jerseys and thousand yard stares. It’s a slow funeral. These fans will never stop coming to games, even if the team drops off a bit, but they know. They know that save for a miracle or roster altering trade of Kwame for Pau Gasol proportions, this run is over and it will be a few seasons before the Spurs return to glory. The only question is whether the Spurs will languish in mediocrity or plunge directly into the depths to (hopefully) arise quickly. Make no mistake, this thing is getting rebuilt. Outside of Tim, Tony, and maybe Manu, no one is safe and it would not surprise me to see those three and only those three from the current roster still on the team in 2011.
So, do the Spurs sign Sheed, maybe make a play for Trevor Ariza and hang around for a couple more one and done seasons, or do they blow this mother up and trade Manu in the summer of LeBron? I don’t think anyone, not even Pop and R.C. know yet.
~HK212, BE Ambassador to San Antonio
The State of the Spurs (http://www.blazersedge.com/2009/5/8/869971/the-state-of-the-spurs)
by HurraKane212
As BlazersEdge ambassador to San Antonio, Texas I wanted to give everyone a sneak peek into what the mood is like here in San Antonio.
Being a Blazers fan over the last 6 years has meant living on hope and promises. We listened to the whispers of potential and salivated about what might be. We hung our hope on every rookie and every trade. Maybe this guy could make it better, then Roy came and things started to get better. However, we are still (to quote KG) "a team in progress."
The Spurs, however, are the model franchise, the juggernaut, the monster of legend that came every other year and destroyed everything in the way. The Spurs were the "boring" team, the "dirty" team, the team that played overwhelming and frustrating defense. Those Spurs, are on life support.
Sure, Manu has a bum wheel and Timmy has a bad knee, maybe they get healthy and they bounce right back, they won 54 games, no need to overhaul this team right? Wrong.
This Spurs team doesn't play D like they used to. Part of this is because of the sacrifices they have made to get a little more offense. Matt Bonner is starting alongside Tim Duncan at the 4/5. Bonner is the white Channing Frye but with less toughness. Backing him up is Vidal Sassoon Oberto, who has fallen right off. Behind him, is athletic but unproven Ian Mahenmi, and not exactly your franchise guy, Drew Gooden. Oh, Kurt "Imma Cut You" Thomas is there too.
Tim Duncan is the only one of the bunch who could guard ME on a consistent basis. Suffice it to say, they could use about 3 decent near 7 footers.
At the 3, they have an ageing Bruce Bowen, and a bunch of people trying to plug the gigantic hole there. Looks like Ime Udoka will walk.
At the 1 and 2 they (when healthy) have probably the best 4 guard rotation in the league, consisting of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, George Hill and Rodger Mason Jr.
Spurs fans are not feeling the whole Tiago Splitter thing right now. The spurs could really, really use him and he may never come over. There is a potential loophole where after 3 years you can sign a guy to whatever amount you are under the cap and in 10 they should be under the cap quite a bit as in 2010/11 they only have Tim and Tony under guaranteed contract.
As luck would have it, this is where the light at the end of the tunnel may indeed shine through. The Spurs will be able to totally overhaul their roster in the summer of 2011. However, complications arise on two fronts. 1.) What will happen with the CBA that year and will it affect what players do and how available free agents are? and 2.) Timmy will be 2 years older, as will Manu if he stays in S.A.
I don't really know what will happen with the CBA, and I think the Spurs will be OK because Duncan's game is not really predicated on athleticism. With Pop and R.C. Buford at the helm, I am sure that the Spurs will be OK. They will rise again, but we are approaching their nadir. It's going to be a rough few years, and the fans know it. San Antonio has some excellent and well informed fans that have all the affection that only a small market can. However, the fans are used to winning. They have been a darn good franchise for the last 20 years with only a dip or two here and there (like when they got Duncan). This is the first bleak horizon the organization has seen in 2 decades. The fans have an interesting blend of thankfulness (for championships past), and resignation. Other than recovering from injuries and a distant Tiago Splitter, there is no hope, there is one prospect (George Hill), and there is only disappointment with mediocre role players unable to play defense.
One unorthodox mechanism to help reboot the system might be to trade Manu Ginobli for picks and projects. It could happen, but all of San Antonio may riot... it would be akin to when we traded Drexler. It would be a sad thing to see Ginobli in say, a Thunder uniform.
It is an interesting contrast to be a Blazers fan and become intoxicated on the cocktail of potential, youth, and surprising success, and then to live among Spurs fans with their Parker #9 jerseys and thousand yard stares. It’s a slow funeral. These fans will never stop coming to games, even if the team drops off a bit, but they know. They know that save for a miracle or roster altering trade of Kwame for Pau Gasol proportions, this run is over and it will be a few seasons before the Spurs return to glory. The only question is whether the Spurs will languish in mediocrity or plunge directly into the depths to (hopefully) arise quickly. Make no mistake, this thing is getting rebuilt. Outside of Tim, Tony, and maybe Manu, no one is safe and it would not surprise me to see those three and only those three from the current roster still on the team in 2011.
So, do the Spurs sign Sheed, maybe make a play for Trevor Ariza and hang around for a couple more one and done seasons, or do they blow this mother up and trade Manu in the summer of LeBron? I don’t think anyone, not even Pop and R.C. know yet.
~HK212, BE Ambassador to San Antonio