The Youth Movement is Here

[lurker23]

For at least a few years now, many Spurs fans have called for a youth movement. The Spurs role players, they claimed, were too old, too slow, too un-athletic for the direction the NBA was headed. Without an infusion of speed and energy, without a sip from the Fountain of Youth, the Spurs were destined to be put out to pasture sooner than should have been the case.

Because of this, many of these fans have taken to fawning over any player the Spurs have signed or even considered that showed the least bit of youth and athleticism. However, the problem is that for the most part, the Spurs haven’t had access to the kind of NBA-level talent that truly wins games. As athletic as James White and Pops Mensah-Bonsu may be, neither would have helped the Spurs win a championship. To adapt a Charles Barkley quote, they may run like a deer and jump like a deer, but most deer can’t play basketball.

However, through a combination of smart draft picks, D-League maneuvers, and international and summer league scouting, the Spurs have managed to assemble a solid group of young players over the past three off-seasons. Not only are these players young and athletic, they are also highly talented, come with strong experience and backgrounds, and are (mostly) NBA-ready.

In the draft, the Spurs have found a Summit League Player of the Year, a co-Big East Player of the Year, a Big 12 player of the year, and an ACB (Spanish League) MVP. George Hill (age 24), DeJuan Blair (21), James Anderson (21), and Tiago Splitter (25) all have established roles on the Spurs, or have roles just waiting for them to grab. All have expressed enthusiasm about being a part of the Spurs’ present and future.

Beyond the draft, the Spurs found Gary Neal (25 going on 26), and it is widely expected that at least 2 or 3 of the following will make the team: Garrett Temple (24), Alonzo Gee (23), Malik Hairston (23), and Curtis Jerrells (23).

Even established Spurs such as Richard Jefferson (30), Matt Bonner (30), and Tony Parker (28) are 30 years old or younger. In fact, the only Spurs older than 30 are Tim Duncan (34), Manu Ginobili (33 on July 28th), and Antonio McDyess (35 going on 36).

The bottom line of all this is that the Spurs, as they’re currently assembled, will HAVE to play the youngsters to stay fresh. Even if the Spurs were to sign two vets in the coming weeks (unlikely, given how close they are to the luxury tax and the efforts they took to re-work Richard Jefferson’s contract), a 9-man playoff rotation would require at least 4 players 30 or younger. In the regular season, the de facto rotation gets stretched to 10-12 men due to injuries, managing of minutes, and nights off; these young guys are going to get some time on the court, and some of them will get quite a bit of it.

Some may claim that this group is still not young enough, still not talented enough, or still not athletic enough to be the youth movement that has been clamored for. But, quite frankly, you’d be hard pressed to assemble a younger or more talented group while building around an established championship-level core that gives you 50 wins every season.

So, everyone, the Youth Movement is here. For the sake of Spurs fans around the world, I hope that you were right to call for it.

[dbestpro]

Don't hold your breath on Hairston and Gee.

[L.I.T]

Great post.

The changes that the Spurs have wrought in the supporting cast since 2008 have been remarkable.

And I think it was an inevitability. Though the Spurs have never indicated in their thinking that life ends at Duncan. Through combinations of luck and drafting acumen the Spurs have assembled a nice trio of players, and if James Anderson pans out is a solid foursome.

They additionally have Ryan Richards in the pipeline; though as with any 2nd round raw 19 year old the odds are that he may not pan out.

[Bruno]

I'm waiting the end of the offseason to see the extend of that youth movement. Anderson, Hairston and Gee roles will depend if Spurs sign or not a vet backup SF.

[TDMVPDPOY]

we should head for the youth movement, since we wont be winnin any trophys

when stern has the heat locked up for 5 rings in row

[quentin_compson]

I'm waiting the end of the offseason to see the extend of that youth movement. Anderson, Hairston and Gee roles will depend if Spurs sign or not a vet backup SF.

True, but I'm pretty confident we will at least see some quality playing time for Anderson (if he is able to play the 3 as well, that is).

[lurker23]

I'm waiting the end of the offseason to see the extend of that youth movement. Anderson, Hairston and Gee roles will depend if Spurs sign or not a vet backup SF.

True. Like I said, some extent of the youth movement, particularly at the end of the bench, will be felt even if the Spurs sign a vet wing and vet big. But obviously the effect will be amplified if the Spurs more-or-less stick with the current 15.

[tdunk21]

not signing a vet for backup SF is evident enough that pop likes hairston/gee

[Bruno]

True. Like I said, some extent of the youth movement, particularly at the end of the bench, will be felt even if the Spurs sign a vet wing and vet big. But obviously the effect will be amplified if the Spurs more-or-less stick with the current 15.

If Spurs youth movement is limited to put young players at the end of the bench, I won't really consider that as a youth movement.

What truly matter are players in the rotation because they are the ones who play. Last year, Spurs really had 2 young players: Blair and Hill. Gee, Hairston, Mahinmi, Temple and Jerrels being at the end of the bench wasn't a factor at all.

[lurker23]

If Spurs youth movement is limited to put young players at the end of the bench, I won't really consider that as a youth movement.

What truly matter are players in the rotation because they are the ones who play. Last year, Spurs really had 2 young players: Blair and Hill. Gee, Hairston, Mahinmi, Temple and Jerrels being at the end of the bench wasn't a factor at all.

I agree that having them sit at the end of the bench doesn't do much good. However, Hill, Blair, and Splitter will play. Unless a theoretical vet wing eats a lot of minutes, at least one more youngster will get minutes at the 1/2/3. That's 4 in a theoretical 10 man rotation. If they forgo signing anybody else, then the younger players could fill as many as 5 or 6 spots, but I guess we'll wait and see if they're done with signings. Based on finances, my money is on the idea that they're done.

[ElNono]

I like it. I would like it even more if, as Bruno says, they actually get some burn instead of being just filler. We'll revisit this at the end of the season, I guess.

[angelbelow]

IMO there is no perfect team. I think this is about as close to a "youth" movement as were going to get while still being considered attempting to contend for a championship.

There are many "ifs" that have been thoroughly discussed, but "if" they are met, we have a shot at contention.

At this point were going to have to consider Ryan Richards as our other developing big and continue to search for our 6'9 athlete.

[angelbelow]

IMO there is no perfect team. I think this is about as close to a "youth" movement as were going to get while still being considered attempting to contend for a championship.

There are many "ifs" that have been thoroughly discussed, but "if" they are met, we have a shot at contention.

At this point were going to have to consider Ryan Richards as our other developing big and continue to search for our 6'9 athlete.

[lurker23]

Just for some perspective, here are most of the players that have left in the last two years.
(Note: To be listed, players either played at least 40 games with the Spurs, or stayed on the roster 2 years or more.)

Players Who Have Left Since 2008 off-season (age when they left the Spurs is listed)

Keith Bogans (30)
Roger Mason Jr. (29 going on 30)
Ian Mahinmi (23)
Michael Finley (36 going on 37)
Ime Udoka (31 going on 32)
Bruce Bowen (38)
Fabricio Oberto (34)
Jacque Vaughn (34)
Kurt Thomas (36)
Brent Barry (36)
Robert Horry (36)

[Anonymous Cowherd]

I really like this post, and I like that you are basing things in a combination of realism & positivity.

As a relative newcomer I was expecting (I'm a seasoned football/'soccer' fan) to see fans have wildly delusional opinions/rumours, but have been surprised at the relative misery and pessimism around

We're a great side! :)

[analyzed]

great post.. Even if we lose TP and get nothing in return. While TD regresses in his last 2 years and Dice retires after the season. I think there is enough talent there to make the playoffs for the next 3 years.

As we currently are assembled the projections are similar: we will make the playoffs but are not a serious threat to the Lakers. Which begs the question, how can we get better to be a serious contender. As unpopular a move at it may seem, I'm not sure we have any other option but to trade for Parker to get better. I agree there is no guarnatee that by making such a move we will be contenders again. but at least we try something. As it is with or without Parker we are a playoff team but not good enough to win it all.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Nice post, until the last sentance:


So, everyone, the Youth Movement is here. For the sake of Spurs fans around the world, I hope that you were right to call for it.

What other choice is there? Continuing to sign ageing vets in an increasingly fast and athletic league? I think going young was inevitable.

IMHO, the only glaring mistake the FO made in assembling this roster was the RJ signing, and even that is understandable if you take a caution-first approach (ie. sign a known quantity, even if he is ageing and his ceiling is declining, rather than rolling the dice on a combination of a cheap vet and youth). Bonner's contract is probably a mil/yr over the odds, but that is not so bad. And some of the roster - particularly Splitter and Blair - are on bargain basement contracts.

I don't think the FO is going to sign a vet to back up RJ, so that means minutes for Hairston or Gee, and I like the idea of that because we'll get to see what they really have to offer. Also, I think Temple is a lock to make the team (tall, talented PGs who can shoot are a rare commodity).

The rest of the roster looks like a nice balance between trying to win and developing youngsters for the post-Duncan era.

[analyzed]

Question: What are chances Splitter, Hill, Anderson or Blair will be a future all star? Who has the best shot of being a future all star? My money is on Splitter

[SouthTexasRancher]

Xlnt post...! :toast

And I for one am happy to see us move towards a more youthful, athletic, energetic, and determined group of guys working hard to get us back to a championship level. I'm looking forward to seeing how our lineup looks when the season starts. I also think we'll see a different and more involved RJ like we all thought he'd be last season.

[Blackjack]

tiagosplitter

Fiquei dois dias em casa depois de 365!! Mesmo assim, que delicia!!


tiagosplitter

2 days in my hometown!! Is great spend the time with my family!!

Appears our youth movement is glad to not be moving at the moment. :hat

[Blackjack]

Good stuff, lurker23. :tu

[20beastie45]

GREAT POST..was thinking the same thing....

My question is....Has any other NBA franchise successfully transfer power from their "Old Core" to their new "future Core" while all playing together(not taking any losing season in between)???????

[tim_duncan_fan]

GREAT POST..was thinking the same thing....

My question is....Has any other NBA franchise successfully transfer power from their "Old Core" to their new "future Core" while all playing together(not taking any losing season in between)???????

We don't even know that we have a future core yet. We don't have any proven successors to the big 3.

[Blackjack]

GREAT POST..was thinking the same thing....

My question is....Has any other NBA franchise successfully transfer power from their "Old Core" to their new "future Core" while all playing together(not taking any losing season in between)???????

You ain't gonna find a better example than the '03 Spurs, IMO.

[20beastie45]

GREAT POST..was thinking the same thing....

My question is....Has any other NBA franchise successfully transfer power from their "Old Core" to their new "future Core" while all playing together(not taking any losing season in between)???????

[20beastie45]

You ain't gonna find a better example than the '03 Spurs, IMO.
but Duncan was part of the old core in 03 and there was no REAL core besides Twin Towers!

[SenorSpur]

Great post Lurker. Couldn't have framed it any better than you already have.

Frankly, I've been waiting for the Spurs FO to begin "dipping their toes" into the youth movement. It's been a long time coming. I've never been one to believe that having 1-2 young players, at the end of the bench, who were being groomed for larger roles later, would adversely affect a team's ability to contend for a championship. Consequently, I"ve been calling for the FO to at least begin implementing such a strategy after the 2007 championship. In my mind, such a strategy would help mitigate a full-on roster dismantling and total rebuilding effort, during Duncan's waning years. It just makes more practical sense.

Lo and behold, as we've seen, the talent infusion started two summers ago with the drafting of George Hill. While I was extremely disappointed that the Spurs weren't able to nab Nicolas Batum, that long, sought-after "young and athletic SF, (thanks Houston and Portland), yet no one can understate the impact that Hill, and his development, has had on this team.

Then to draft Dejuan Blair and James Anderson in consecutive drafts, along with the long-awaited signing of 2007 draft pick, Tiago Splitter this summer, and one has to like the direction and position the team is currently in. Couple those acquisitions in with having Malik Hairston, Garrett Temple and Alonzo Gee on deck, while simulataneously waving goodbye to some vets that were kept around too long, and the future looks promising. Job well done by the FO.

As someone stated earlier, the Spurs STILL need that young, long, athletic SF, as well as another athletic PF. While this is true, I'm hopeful that perhaps Gee, with his athleticism, slashing ability and willingness to defend, can be an emerging, stop-gap, backup SF for this team.

[Blackjack]

but Duncan was part of the old core in 03 and there was no REAL core besides Twin Towers!

They went from the Twin Towers to the start of the Big 3. That was also a year in which they only returned Tim, Dave, Manu, Tony and Bruce from their last year's rotation. It was a supposed transition year before they landed a max free-agent and would challenge for the championship.

03' was the definition of a transition. I can't say that I can recall any other team doing what they did when you consider they didn't add one marquee free-agent or acquire one marquee player via trade -- this wasn't max players deciding to play together or a couple of All-Stars being united through trade to form a new Big 3.

[VI_Massive]

GREAT POST..was thinking the same thing....

My question is....Has any other NBA franchise successfully transfer power from their "Old Core" to their new "future Core" while all playing together(not taking any losing season in between)???????

I think Boston has done a reasonably good job, right now. They have a championship caliber young point and a championship caliber young center (defense and rebound-wise). It remains to be seen how well they'll do in continuing to rebuild as their old guys finish out their last legs, but they definitely have young guys you can build a championship team with.

[20beastie45]

They went from the Twin Towers to the start of the Big 3. That was also a year in which they only returned Tim, Dave, Manu, Tony and Bruce from their last year's rotation. It was a supposed transition year before they landed a max free-agent and would challenge for the championship.

03' was the definition of a transition. I can't say that I can recall any other team doing what they did when you consider they didn't add one marquee free-agent or acquire one marquee player via trade -- this wasn't max players deciding to play together or a couple of All-Stars being united through trade to form a new Big 3.

So the Spurs are the best franchise in the WORLD!

lol...Great stuff Blackjack

[lurker23]

Nice post, until the last sentance:


I didn't mean any offense by it, but I suppose I should explain. There are a few reasons I included that last sentence:

-I've never really been a part of the "get younger now" crowd. For better or for worse, that was a banner for others to carry.

-As I implied in the 2nd paragraph, I felt that chant was carried to absurdity at times. There's getting younger and better, and then there's getting younger just for the sake of getting younger. Sometimes I felt fans' focus leaned toward the latter.

-As a Spurs fan, I truly do hope that it works.



What other choice is there? Continuing to sign ageing vets in an increasingly fast and athletic league? I think going young was inevitable.


I must admit, I generally align my preferences toward veterans. Given the debate between known quantities and possible upside, I'll go with known quantities 9 times out of 10, simply because upside fails more often than that.

However, I do (finally) agree that this is the way to go, and that perhaps I've been stuck in the allure of proven veterans for too long. With Tim and Manu's natural abilities and durability slowly declining, the promise of upside, youth, and athleticism is a calculated risk that the Spurs have to take. Should they have taken the plunge sooner? I'm not sure, and that's a decision for history books to make. However, I am glad that when the Spurs finally did decide to go young, they decided to do it right and with (what I perceive to be) legitimate talent.

[spursfaninla]

With the exception of Splitter the Spurs still lack a young big man, and an athletic on that can guard combo forwards is a must. That's the only thing this youth movemnet is missing. They have the guards, the center and a good rebounder/forward. Still a 6'9" athletic and long big is in need.

Blair is the best bigman the Spurs have had in 10 years outside of TD or Drob.

And Horry does not count, because he was mostly a playoff warrior and did not bring it during the regular season. Further, Horry was a hybrid because he shot the 3 so regularly.

Anyway, Dblair per48 is the best we have had in a long time.

Recognize.

[8FOR!3]

Question: What are chances Splitter, Hill, Anderson or Blair will be a future all star? Who has the best shot of being a future all star? My money is on Splitter

Splitter's last with me. Not because I don't think he has a chance to be, but once he'd get a shot to take on that big of a role, his window will likely be closing because he's already 25 coming into a somewhat stacked team and being asked to be a role player. George Hill and DeJuan Blair showed all star potential last year, but then again I look at James Anderson and think the sky's the limit with that kid.

[analyzed]

The Spurs could easily stretch their streak of consecutive 50 wins seasons to another 5 years. If you include the lockout year in 98-99. This must be some kind of record.

[DrSteffo]

Question: What are chances Splitter, Hill, Anderson or Blair will be a future all star? Who has the best shot of being a future all star? My money is on Splitter

I'm with you on this one mainly because C is such a weak position compared to the other. Blair would be my second bet.

:flag:

[TD 21]

Good stuff, lurker23. :tu

This.

Considering where this team was in '08, it's fairly remarkable they've went from having zero young talent (unless you want to count Parker, but he was an established player) to having four quality young players (granted, they had the rights to one of those players in '08) and a few other somewhat intriguing prospects, all while never picking higher than 20th in that span.

[Truth4sale$]

Do the Spurs youngsters have true all-star potential? Still to early to say. The true youth movement won't begin until there is a "Franchise" type youngster on the roster ready to take the mantle from Duncan or Parker.

[lurker23]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

I do think the moves (or lack thereof) this offseason were made easier by the fact that they were very restricted financially after locking up Splitter for more than half the MLE. However, considering the fact that practically every FA got overpaid in some form or fashion this offseason, it's perhaps a blessing in disguise that the Spurs couldn't really dip their toes in and will be more reliant on young talent.

[ginobilized]

Great post and it's always nice to have a positive spin on the facts.

[analyzed]

A line-up of Tiago, Blair, Anderson and Hill can start for lottery teams , agree or disagree ? I do think they are at that level "can start for half of the teams in the NBA"

[5in10]

A line-up of Tiago, Blair, Anderson and Hill can start for lottery teams , agree or disagree ? I do think they are at that level "can start for half of the teams in the NBA"

Agree at least for sure with Hill,Tiago, and Blair.