Deep, Cleansing Breath

[Blackjack]

It's all going according to plan, people.

The Spurs are getting dealt with on national TV, subsequently getting written off by all the pundits, leaving the team to fly under the radar and forcing Pop to look internally for the answers.

He'll realize his misguided love for Finley and Bonner; the Spurs will shore up the defense that's taken significant steps back (both on the perimeter and interior) from it's championship-caliber days with a slick deal and a hole-filling buyout; and the Spurs will rise from the dead after their zombie selves have been left for dead and poked one too many times.

Now, does anyone want to buy some kitten mittons?:smokin

[duncan228]

Believe.

Too early for that?

[Spurm]

It's all going according to plan, people.

The Spurs are getting dealt with on national TV, subsequently getting written off by all the pundits, leaving the team to fly under the radar and forcing Pop to look internally for the answers.

He'll realize his misguided love for Finley and Bonner; the Spurs will shore up the defense that's taken significant steps back (both on the perimeter and interior) from it's championship-caliber days with a slick deal and a hole-filling buyout; and the Spurs will rise from the dead after their zombie selves have been left for dead and poked one too many times.

Now, does anyone want to buy some kitten mittons?:smokin
fucking idiot lol

[sabar]

How many blowouts until Pop calls the team soft?

[Blackjack]

fucking idiot lol

You're adorable.;)

And I mean that in the gayest way possible.


- Edit - Sorry if I lead you on sabar.:lol

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Have people really forgot how we've played and looked early in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007? Or is it just a case of early childhood memory loss.

[Spursfanfromafar]

Have people really forgot how we've played and looked early in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007? Or is it just a case of early childhood memory loss.

Thats not consolation for the way we have played thus far. It is one thing to believe and another thing to bury the hand in the sand and refuse to see the mess.

Hope tells me that things will be better soon - better interior defense and more consistency in shooting/ layups. But pigheadedness in retaining Bonner and Finley despite their immense shortcomings is not to be ignored either.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Thats not consolation for the way we have played thus far. It is one thing to believe and another thing to bury the hand in the sand and refuse to see the mess.

Hope tells me that things will be better soon - better interior defense and more consistency in shooting/ layups. But pigheadedness in retaining Bonner and Finley despite their immense shortcomings is not to be ignored either.

It's no consolidation, it's an explanation. If you have expected the Spurs, with 6 or 7 new players in the roatation, to gel straight away, then it's your faulty expectations and lack of knowledge of this team's history, that's bringing you down.

You only need to watch the first 5 minutes of the 4th quarter to realize Pop is in pre-season mode as well.

[Spursfanfromafar]

I have seen some Spurs games, initial season ones. Even if we lost, it wasn't because of such atrocious defense or opponent field goal percentage. Granted, there are newcomers and who are learning the system and that is the reason for a shortfall in performance; but the ploy to continue to start and regularly play two players who were possibly the main reasons for last year's downfall has got nothing to do with a "good strategy".

[jjktkk]

Pop is doing his typical tinkering with different lineups, just like he does every year, but even more so this year, due to the increased depth. The NBA regular season is 82 games, not 4.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

I have seen some Spurs games, initial season ones. Even if we lost, it wasn't because of such atrocious defense or opponent field goal percentage. Granted, there are newcomers and who are learning the system and that is the reason for a shortfall in performance; but the ploy to continue to start and regularly play two players who were possibly the main reasons for last year's downfall has got nothing to do with a "good strategy".

I'd understand your point, however, so far this season, Dyess has been worse than Bonner offensively and defensively and Mason has been worse than Fin offensively and defensively. Giving the minutes to the people who perform worse will not win us these early games.

Ditto if you give the minutes to D-league players.

[jag]

Now, does anyone want to buy some kitten mittons?:smokin

:lol

[Blackjack]

Although I was being pretty facetious in the OP, it's pretty clear that there needs to be some kind of rational discussion here.

Look, it's been pretty clear since this current roster was constructed that there were two potentially glaring holes: A stopper on the wing, and a defensive 5.

Tim's still an elite-level defensive player but he needs more help than he ever has before. Asking him to carry a front line as the only shot blocker while commanding the glass for one-hundred plus games just isn't reasonable; not at this stage of his career.

The guy needs help.

Bowen's departure was inevitably going to hurt the Spurs, so no one should really be too surprised as to what they're seeing.

Bruce was one of the greatest to ever lace them up on the defensive end and to think someone like RJ, someone who at his best couldn't hold a candle to Bruce, would be able to step into that role was probably puffing when it was time to pass.

RJ's not a scrub defensively but he's a different, more physical defender who doesn't possess the foot-speed to keep the better wings in front of him and out of the lane without giving them too much cushion.

If you can't set a defensive tone from the jump, nights like tonight are going to happen. Boozer had been struggling mightily and it was pretty obvious to see in his body language early. But the Spurs blew some assignments, the weakside help was late, he gets some easy buckets and, voila.. The body language changes and the guy's hitting fallaways that he wouldn't even have attempted to start the game; let a good player get comfortable and see the ball go into the basket and the defense is pretty much at its mercy. It's why someone like Bruce has much more success as a starter than a cooler.

That's why I don't understand the argument that who starts doesn't matter..

This team will improve in all aspects with time and repetition; The communication defensively tonight was absolutely some of the worst I've seen in a while from the Spurs and the cohesion is definitely a work in progress. That's the type of stuff that can be cleaned up, though.

What can't be cleaned up is what people can't physically do.

The Spurs aren't playing anyone on the perimeter that's; a.) got the chops to be a stopper; and b.) a good enough player to warrant the amount of minutes a stopper needs to do his job. (Hairston's a possibility but he can't do it in a sports coat.)

And when it comes to Duncan's help, they're relying on being able to piecemeal a championship-caliber front court rotation with minimal size and defensive ability; 'Dyess is definitely not 'Sheed and Bonner, Blair and Ratliff all have considerable warts.

As a Spurs fan, you've got to feel pretty confident that this team will come around and put up a solid record as the pieces fall into place.

But you're also going to have to hope that the expirings they have and/or a buyout comes about that nets them the player(s) needed to win another title; which is something that wouldn't, and shouldn't, happen until around the trade deadline.

Now's not the time to freak out; not yet anyway.

[CubanSucks]

:wakeup After 4 games, Finley's been shooting 50% from beyond the arc.

But he's old and uninteresting! :cry

FUCK OFF

[Brazil]

A
That's why I don't understand the argument that who starts doesn't matter..



+10000 I don't understand as well the "the important thing is who is going to finish the games not who starts" to have a chance to win in the 4th quarter you need to have 3 good first quarters first.

[Blackjack]

:wakeup After 4 games, Finley's been shooting 50% from beyond the arc.

But he's old and uninteresting! :cry

FUCK OFF

Huh, wrong thread maybe?

A case of message board tourette's?