02'-03 All Over Again

[TwelveGs210]

One thing I've been noticing this season in the first six games, is how familiar the team is this year. This group of players reminds me of the depth we had when we won the title in 02'-03'. Position by position, you have the similiar skill sets, all across the board. Here's the notable players playing familiar roles.

Parker as himself. Averaging more assists at this point though. Also in his prime now, which means good things.


Tim Duncan as David Robinson. Quiet leader. Letting the younger guys dominate the offense, but answering when his number is called. Can put up solid numbers any day of the week still, but knows he can allow the other guys to play their game, and let the offense come to him.

DeJuan Blair as Malik. Hustling, rebounding, putting his body on guys, and giving us six fouls to use against the better centers/power forwards (Gasol) out there. His patience is no where near what Malik's was, but Pop is not gonna put up with him rushing his shots for long. He will improve.

George Hill playing the role Speedy played as the quick, shifty backup PG, except with more wingspan, and better defense. George is in a shooting slump, but I'm confident he will come around well before playoff time.

James Anderson as Stephen Jackson, shooting the 3, defending, with the ability to drive and create his own shot. Main difference I see between the two is Jackson's demeanor, and the ability to split the double team and set up other players like Jack would.

McDyess as Kevin Willis coming off the bench, rebounding, providing experience, and toughness. His elbow jumper is lethal which gives him the huge advantage over Willis. Not to mention Willis was known for his "T-Rex" arms.

Gary Neal as Steve Kerr. Comes in with one purpose. Shoot the ball.

Bonner as Danny Ferry. Now that we have the depth to slide Bonner down to the bottom half of the rotation, he now plays the role Ferry would. 6'10" forward who cant defend, but will occasionally heat up and have a good multiple 3 game. Pretty sure both would take a beating from Camby as well.

Splitter as Ginobili. Comes in as the well decorated, experienced rookie from overseas, who was the MVP of the Euroleague, and lead his team to the championship as well. Ginobili had one year on him, as he came in at 26 as a rookie.Splitter also will be given time to ease himself into the starting role as Ginobili did before him. Manu averaged in his rookie season, 7.6 PPG in 20 mins of action, and Splitter's production is about the same if you doubled his minutes currently at 3.7 PPG in about 12 minutes.

Chris Quinn as Meng Bateer. Nah just kidding. But both are equally crappy.

Biggest differences from the two squads would definitely be the added dimension we now have with the emergence of Jefferson, and the leadership of Manu.

I know it's premature, but if he continues with the hot corner shooting, we get the offensive perk of Bowen, with the ability to put the ball on the floor and finish. His defense is nowhere near the 02' Bowen, but he has decent lateral movement for 30. If he is gonna average 20 a game for us we can find a stopper elsewhere. He makes us a big four, and right now that would be ahead of the game, as the majority of contenders are now built around their version of "The Big Three".

Other big difference is Ginobili playing some of the best basketball as a Spur. He's averaging a career best in PPG this year at over 21. We won in 07' off sixteen a game from him and 18.6 from Tony. Tony will probably average closer to sixteen this year, so It's similiar production, in switched roles. Who knows, Parker could go on a tear and boost his PPG and have both averaging over 18. There's definitely alot of firepower on this team. All in all, extremely pleased with the depth, and offensive side of the ball. The defense will come, players WILL buy into Pop's system, and it will click as a unit.

And as the team before them in 02', watch these guy's become a well oiled machine come Rodeo road trip time. Here's to a great season, can't wait to see these players and this team develop.

[san antonio spurs]

Where is Duncan? We can't win without that Duncan

[Ross Parrot]

So James Anderson gets sent to FA and Duncan retires after this?:pctoss

[TwelveGs210]

We dont have a Duncan this year. Just those games where he's vintage Timmy, for the most part we pick up the slack with well rounded scoring.

[TheSpursFNRule]

lol wtf?

[TwelveGs210]

So James Anderson gets sent to FA and Duncan retires after this?:pctoss

yes exactly.

[thekingrobert]

I think Manu is more of the SJax role

[jeebus]

who is this season's anthony goldwire? you didn't factor that into your equation, didn't you?

[TwelveGs210]

I think Manu is more of the SJax role

How so? SJAX was never the focal point of the offense, nor was he the closer.

[kaji157]

So we have no duncan, and two ginobilies plus a jefferson... mmm...
not that similar i think.

[lefty]

http://www.longersexnow.com/images/ejaculation%20trainer.jpg

[TwelveGs210]

So we have no duncan, and two ginobilies plus a jefferson... mmm...
not that similar i think.

Read it again genius, its a comparison of roles on that team, not the team itself. Didn't notice the fact I had a center playing the Manu role?

[barbacoataco]

You have proven how inferior the 2011 team is if anything. In your comparison-
2003 Spurs without Duncan= 2011 Spurs
The 2003 Spurs without Duncan are a 1st rounf playoff team at best.

[TwelveGs210]

http://www.longersexnow.com/images/ejaculation%20trainer.jpg

not at all, I'm still very aware of the length of the season, and the Western Conference bracket of hell that awaits. Just exciting to watch the development of this team.

[lefty]

not at all, I'm still very aware of the length of the season, and the Western Conference bracket of hell that awaits. Just exciting to watch the development of this team.
I see your point

We have added a lot of, young promising players but Duncan was by far the MVP in 2003

He is not the same player anymore

[Shifty]

Frankly not a good comparison. Not only many of your pairings are almost the opposite but where is 03 Duncan in this team? You can't say 2 teams look alike if you leave out the equivalence of the best player/season of the decade.

[TwelveGs210]

I see your point

We have added a lot of, young promising players but Duncan was by far the MVP in 2003

He is not the same player anymore

Yeah I should have labeled Duncan as a dual role of himself and Robinson as people are reading it as there is "no duncan role on this team". Thats not how I meant it. Just comparing the way Duncan is allowing younger players to grow. Duncan is his old self when needed, but six games in we have shown to be a well rounded offense, with several options.

[Man In Black]

Tim ain't David Robinson. Even the 2003 version of DRob isn't close to the 2010-2011 version of TD. David was pretty much just a solid defender with killer knowledge of the rotations and enough mobility to cover any perimeter mistakes.
Steve Kerr barely played. Except for that series against Dallas, Steve was what you would call a situation player. KWill, same thing but he did use his fouls well and was good for a putback or two despite the T-Rex arms.


Where is your Bruce Bowen? The Spurs need a BONAFIDE stopper to make their championship dreams more reachable. It ain't impossible for them to win without one but having one would be so, so nice when it counts most.

[mystargtr34]

So... your saying this is the 2002-2003 Spurs minus League and Finals MVP Tim Duncan?

[TDMVPDPOY]

thread fails

[TwelveGs210]

Where is your Bruce Bowen? The Spurs need a BONAFIDE stopper to make their championship dreams more reachable. It ain't impossible for them to win without one but having one would be so, so nice when it counts most.

We don't have one at this point. I guess James could develop into one. He has the size.

[TwelveGs210]

thread fails

Ok. Thread fails. So on a different note, who's picking up Black Op's at midnight?

[99-03-05-07]

Ok. Thread fails. So on a different note, who's picking up Black Op's at midnight?

yup!!! just getting on here before i go, can't wait!!!

[Old School 44]

There might not be a good direct overall correlation between the players, but I will say so far, the youth and depth of this team appears to be the closest we've been to matching the 02-03 team. Of course, only time will tell.

[DJB]

I actually think your read was quite interesting. It's a better thread than 3/4 of the shit I sit here and sift through day to day.

You acknowledged it was still early in the season. Not a bad take imo.

Spurstalk's just filled with assholes. :tu

[21_Blessings]

One thing I've been noticing this season in the first six games, is how familiar the team is this year. This group of players reminds me of the depth we had when we won the title in 02'-03'. Position by position, you have the similiar skill sets, all across the board. Here's the notable players playing familiar roles.

Parker as himself. Averaging more assists at this point though. Also in his prime now, which means good things.


Tim Duncan as David Robinson. Quiet leader. Letting the younger guys dominate the offense, but answering when his number is called. Can put up solid numbers any day of the week still, but knows he can allow the other guys to play their game, and let the offense come to him.

DeJuan Blair as Malik. Hustling, rebounding, putting his body on guys, and giving us six fouls to use against the better centers/power forwards (Gasol) out there. His patience is no where near what Malik's was, but Pop is not gonna put up with him rushing his shots for long. He will improve.

George Hill playing the role Speedy played as the quick, shifty backup PG, except with more wingspan, and better defense. George is in a shooting slump, but I'm confident he will come around well before playoff time.

James Anderson as Stephen Jackson, shooting the 3, defending, with the ability to drive and create his own shot. Main difference I see between the two is Jackson's demeanor, and the ability to split the double team and set up other players like Jack would.

McDyess as Kevin Willis coming off the bench, rebounding, providing experience, and toughness. His elbow jumper is lethal which gives him the huge advantage over Willis. Not to mention Willis was known for his "T-Rex" arms.

Gary Neal as Steve Kerr. Comes in with one purpose. Shoot the ball.

Bonner as Danny Ferry. Now that we have the depth to slide Bonner down to the bottom half of the rotation, he now plays the role Ferry would. 6'10" forward who cant defend, but will occasionally heat up and have a good multiple 3 game. Pretty sure both would take a beating from Camby as well.

Splitter as Ginobili. Comes in as the well decorated, experienced rookie from overseas, who was the MVP of the Euroleague, and lead his team to the championship as well. Ginobili had one year on him, as he came in at 26 as a rookie.Splitter also will be given time to ease himself into the starting role as Ginobili did before him. Manu averaged in his rookie season, 7.6 PPG in 20 mins of action, and Splitter's production is about the same if you doubled his minutes currently at 3.7 PPG in about 12 minutes.

Chris Quinn as Meng Bateer. Nah just kidding. But both are equally crappy.

Biggest differences from the two squads would definitely be the added dimension we now have with the emergence of Jefferson, and the leadership of Manu.

I know it's premature, but if he continues with the hot corner shooting, we get the offensive perk of Bowen, with the ability to put the ball on the floor and finish. His defense is nowhere near the 02' Bowen, but he has decent lateral movement for 30. If he is gonna average 20 a game for us we can find a stopper elsewhere. He makes us a big four, and right now that would be ahead of the game, as the majority of contenders are now built around their version of "The Big Three".

Other big difference is Ginobili playing some of the best basketball as a Spur. He's averaging a career best in PPG this year at over 21. We won in 07' off sixteen a game from him and 18.6 from Tony. Tony will probably average closer to sixteen this year, so It's similiar production, in switched roles. Who knows, Parker could go on a tear and boost his PPG and have both averaging over 18. There's definitely alot of firepower on this team. All in all, extremely pleased with the depth, and offensive side of the ball. The defense will come, players WILL buy into Pop's system, and it will click as a unit.

And as the team before them in 02', watch these guy's become a well oiled machine come Rodeo road trip time. Here's to a great season, can't wait to see these players and this team develop.

:flag:

[HarlemHeat37]

The OP's post isn't that bad, he made some good comparisons..

I thought this part was funny though:


Biggest differences from the two squads would definitely be the added dimension we now have with the emergence of Jefferson, and the leadership of Manu.

Those are the biggest differences, not the fact that they wouldn't have the best player in the NBA, like they did in 2003:lol..

[ElNono]

Splitter is no Ginobili.
Who is our Duncan now?
Gary Neal couldn't touch a seasoned Kerr with a 10 foot pole.
Jax drove a lot more than what Manu has been driving this season.
Who is our Bowen now?

Other than that, and the fact that defensively these teams are nothing alike, it's not an awfully bad comparison.

[TwelveGs210]

I actually think your read was quite interesting. It's a better thread than 3/4 of the shit I sit here and sift through day to day.

You acknowledged it was still early in the season. Not a bad take imo.

Spurstalk's just filled with assholes. :tu

Yeah theres plenty of douchebags on message boards. It comes with the territory. Most people read between the lines in attempt to ruin the thread, for the thrill of ruining a thread. Nothing more.

[GSH]

For tonight's performance, the part of the big blonde with huge boobs will be played by a tiny Puerto Rican transvestite.

[TwelveGs210]

yup!!! just getting on here before i go, can't wait!!!

I'm not too thrilled with this release, but in need of a new shooter to tide me over to Bad Company 2 :Vietnam.

[TwelveGs210]

tiny Puerto Rican transvestite.

AKA Carlos Arroyo.

[TwelveGs210]

Splitter is no Ginobili.
Who is our Duncan now?
Gary Neal couldn't touch a seasoned Kerr with a 10 foot pole.
Jax drove a lot more than what Manu has been driving this season.
Who is our Bowen now?

Other than that, and the fact that defensively these teams are nothing alike, it's not an awfully bad comparison.

1. Never said Splitter was Ginobili.

2. Clearly said in a prior post I should have labeled Duncan as a dual role of himself and Dave, as the wording was misleading.

3. What is your basis on that statement at this point in the season, as all I said is the 2 players both had the SAME ROLE. Come in and shoot the ball.

4. Who compared Jax to Manu?

5. Didn't have a Bruce comparison as I stated we have not found the stopper at this point.

Try again guy. Maybe start reading, as opposed to looking at letters arranged in paragraphs.

[Nathan89]

:deadhorse This guy put some work into this post and ripped into pieces.

[TwelveGs210]

It's amusing me, as I'm trying to pass the time. It has served it's purpose.

[crc21209]

The OP has the right idea, just executed the post a tiny bit wrong. This team resembles the 03' title team because of the good mix of vets and young guns, anyone can see that so far. The 03' team had the leadership of Big Dave to go along with league MVP Tim Duncan, and a hustling big man in Malik on the inside. On the outside we had a young and unproven TP and Manu Ginobili and an unknown X-Factor in Stephen Jackson. A defensive stopper and 3-pt specialist in Bowen. Add Kerr and Willis and we had a very good mix of young and old. Now while this year we dont have the TD of 03' or any MVP type candidate, there are some similarities. This time around TD is the older veteran leader with an older, proven backcourt in TP and Manu, RJ playing the X-Factor role, Blair playing the role of Malik and Dice playing a much better version of Willis. Now just like the 03' team had question marks all around it with TP, Manu, and Jackson...that was the case with Neal, Anderson, and Splitter, but all 3 have SO FAR proven that they belong. I am liking what I am seeing so far for sure...hell I know I'll take Neal and Anderson over our "3-pt shooting specialists" in Bogans and Mason of last year.

[thekingrobert]

How so? SJAX was never the focal point of the offense, nor was he the closer.

he was one of the few who could create his own shot as well for others and hit huge buckets when needed

[Leonard Curse]

i give this thumbs up for effort and youre right this is as close as well probably get to the 02 03 season!!

[UnWantedTheory]

People should not be thinking so literal and make an attempt to understand what the OP is trying to convey. This is more geared toward a team comparison, despite the attempted player to player analysis'. Some flaws, but overall I get the point and it is something many have stated before...you just put your two cents in. Decent overall. Good job.

[poeticism707]

Unfortunately, it seems most posters in this thread are like unto mindless piranhas, who just swoop for the kill and bite till the prey is dead, full bellies or no, because it's the devouring that appeases you.

The OP made a very insightful comment, whether you disagree or no, that's up for discussion. But the immature, blind, backbiting for no reason, is very obvious, and also very immature. If you can't discuss discuss a simple thing like basketball civilly, then maybe you should give up watching and discussing basketball altogether.

Here's some Spurs Talk irony for deaf and blind: if timvp had posted this EXACT argument, verbatim, word for word, most posters here would be drooling about the nuances he presented, dissecting the the obvious yet hidden parallels between both teams, and no doubt lauding his imaginative thinking on the topic as a whole.

Inversely, some new poster comes in and posts that same insightful topic, and most people who commented are clamoring over one another, much like crabs in a barrel, to pull him down.

Pathetic. Some things never change.

[mountainballer]

damn. right. good comparison.
like in 2003 the Spurs play with 5 players on the court!
AND THEY WEAR BLACK JERSEYS ON THE ROAD!

[TE]

:toast

[silverblk mystix]

Unfortunately, it seems most posters in this thread are like unto mindless piranhas, who just swoop for the kill and bite till the prey is dead, full bellies or no, because it's the devouring that appeases you.

The OP made a very insightful comment, whether you disagree or no, that's up for discussion. But the immature, blind, backbiting for no reason, is very obvious, and also very immature. If you can't discuss discuss a simple thing like basketball civilly, then maybe you should give up watching and discussing basketball altogether.

Here's some Spurs Talk irony for deaf and blind: if timvp had posted this EXACT argument, verbatim, word for word, most posters here would be drooling about the nuances he presented, dissecting the the obvious yet hidden parallels between both teams, and no doubt lauding his imaginative thinking on the topic as a whole.

Inversely, some new poster comes in and posts that same insightful topic, and most people who commented are clamoring over one another, much like crabs in a barrel, to pull him down.

Pathetic. Some things never change.

I have noticed this same thing....over and over and over.

Everytime anyone posts something...I know that as soon as it goes up-it will get trashed and the insults will fly....every single time.

[SpursFanInAustin]

I would say that there are good comparisons. I would say Manu now is our Tim Duncan of 03. Obviously Manu isn't the best player in the NBA like Tim was then, but he is our go to guy in crunch time and the one guy you trust with the game on the line. I also saw the Manu of 03 comparisons to Splitter where we finally landed the guy whom we drafted during our last title year of 2007 (like Manu in 1999) and we waited 3 years for him to arrive after winning MVPs and championships in the Euroleagues. Also, we are 4 seasons removed from our last title like we were in 2003 after the Lakers winning the Western Conference the last 3 seasons, like they did in 2000, 2001, and 2002.

[TwelveGs210]

Unfortunately, it seems most posters in this thread are like unto mindless piranhas, who just swoop for the kill and bite till the prey is dead, full bellies or no, because it's the devouring that appeases you.

The OP made a very insightful comment, whether you disagree or no, that's up for discussion. But the immature, blind, backbiting for no reason, is very obvious, and also very immature. If you can't discuss discuss a simple thing like basketball civilly, then maybe you should give up watching and discussing basketball altogether.

Here's some Spurs Talk irony for deaf and blind: if timvp had posted this EXACT argument, verbatim, word for word, most posters here would be drooling about the nuances he presented, dissecting the the obvious yet hidden parallels between both teams, and no doubt lauding his imaginative thinking on the topic as a whole.

Inversely, some new poster comes in and posts that same insightful topic, and most people who commented are clamoring over one another, much like crabs in a barrel, to pull him down.

Pathetic. Some things never change.
I totally agree. You can definitely see how certain people around here ride other peoples nuts, especially timvp. The purpose is to spark up conversation about the Spurs, and the immature will look between the lines to try and dis-credit the post. Yet these same people sit here and feed in to EVERY single LMAO or LOL thread these douchebag kids start here, or feed into EVERY single meltdown thread Sequ starts. I would seriously like to look at a list of ages for some of the people here, let alone see a picture of some of them. Alot of peole here are real pieces of shit.

As far as some of the other valuable responses, I agree that Manu would have to be playing the role of 03' Duncan, as he is the focal point of the offense so far, and is the most reliable in crunchtime. Duncan of course at that time was the best player in the NBA also. Alot of the intelligent posters here got what i was trying to convey, and I appreciate the time for you to post back. Watch this team, I cant wait to see how they are playing in January-February. Here's to an injury free season.

[TwelveGs210]

The OP has the right idea, just executed the post a tiny bit wrong. This team resembles the 03' title team because of the good mix of vets and young guns, anyone can see that so far. The 03' team had the leadership of Big Dave to go along with league MVP Tim Duncan, and a hustling big man in Malik on the inside. On the outside we had a young and unproven TP and Manu Ginobili and an unknown X-Factor in Stephen Jackson. A defensive stopper and 3-pt specialist in Bowen. Add Kerr and Willis and we had a very good mix of young and old. Now while this year we dont have the TD of 03' or any MVP type candidate, there are some similarities. This time around TD is the older veteran leader with an older, proven backcourt in TP and Manu, RJ playing the X-Factor role, Blair playing the role of Malik and Dice playing a much better version of Willis. Now just like the 03' team had question marks all around it with TP, Manu, and Jackson...that was the case with Neal, Anderson, and Splitter, but all 3 have SO FAR proven that they belong. I am liking what I am seeing so far for sure...hell I know I'll take Neal and Anderson over our "3-pt shooting specialists" in Bogans and Mason of last year.
Yup, good comparison between our rookies to Manu, TP, and Jax. Definitely a good mix of young and old, and again that was the point of the thread. Pop has his skill sets in place, and has new players playing the roles of the best Championship team we have had, IMO.

[wontstartdumbthreads]

Wow. Great OP. But I disagree. I think they share more similarities with the original Dream Team.

Tim Duncan is like Karl Malone but instead of Malone's physical play, Tim has more of a fundamental approach to the game and a much higher bball IQ.
Tony Parker is like John Stockton but doesn't pass as well. But he's much quicker and gets to the rim.
Manu is like Michael Jordan except not as athletic and doesn't shoot as well.
RJ is like Magic but not a good passer or team leader. However both put their ding dong in places they shouldn't go.
Blair is like Barkley but doesn't rebound, shoot, pass, or run the floor as well.
Hill is like Drexler except smaller, not as powerful, and plays a different position.
Gary Neal is like Ewing but instead of being a powerful 7 foot center, he's undersized but can nail the 3.
James Anderson is very similar to Larry Bird but is black.
Bonner is like Mullin expect he can't shoot.
Dice is like Pippen.
Ugh...I'm tired...anyway, I think this could be the greatest Spurs team ever.

[Moses Guthrie]

Raise the bar and I will jump over it for a Slamma Jamma!

[boutons_deux]

yeah, the high TOs and shitty FTs remind me strongly of 02/03. :)

[Homeland Security]

The two biggest differences between the 2002-03 Spurs and the 2010-11 Spurs are:

1) The 2002-03 Spurs had the best player in the NBA, while the 2010-11 Spurs have a couple of guys who have an outside shot at All-NBA 3rd team.

2) The 2002-03 Spurs had a starting frontcourt which was nearly impenetrable on defense, featuring the best player in the league, the best perimeter defender in the league, and an aging star who was still arguably the best defensive center of his generation. Meanwhile the 2010-11 Spurs' frontcourt is mediocre on defense, anchored by an aging star with bad knees and limited mobility.

Both teams inspire some excitement because of young talent whose development is fun to watch, but the 2002-03 team was vastly superior to this bunch. The signature of Spurs basketball during their title years was their defense. Those days are over.

[Moses Guthrie]

Wizards fan puffing his chest out. John Wall is still a rook. Shut it down, son.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

I like the comparison to '03 in that it had been 4 years since our first title and people were beginning to openly wonder if the Spurs could do it again. But there are certainly other reasons to be optomistic.

The 2011 Duncan, if healthy, should be a stronger overall player than Robinson was in '03. David's back really limited him that year. He only managed 7.8 pts and 6.6 RPG in about 23 min per game in the post season. Even though his defense was still strong, he couldn't, and didn't play as much that season as people seem to remember. Duncan, on the other hand, will likely be somewhere around his playoff numbers from the last couple of years of 19 pts and 10 boards. My hope is that Splitter rounds into form and can perhaps be a 10 and 7 guy by the post season and provide some size and youth on the defensive end. Blair, IMO, has more upside than Malik did...we'll see how the season progresses, and Dice is definitely playing a bigger and better role than KWill did in that '03 season. Willis was more of an enforcer in the playoffs, only getting about 5 MPG. McDyess serves a much larger role for the Spurs. Bottom line, Duncan is still Duncan. Even if he's 80% of the player he was in 2003 from an athletic ability standpoint, when the post season rolls around there's no one better, or smarter, that you could have anchoring the paint. I'll go out on a limb and say the rest of the supporting bigmen have the potential to be more productive, as a whole, than what we got out of the aging Robinson, Kevin Willis and Malik Rose. Time will tell.

And I'd take the 2011 version of Parker and Ginobili, again if healthy, than the 2003 versions. Manu was still figuring out the NBA that year, he hadn't emerged. Parker was blossoming, but his game, too, hadn't developed to the point it's at today.

Stephen Jackson and Bruce Bowen were really the other two impact players on that 2003 championship team, with some long range shooting (but nothing else) from Steve Kerr thrown in for good measure. Now the Spurs have Richard Jefferson, George Hill, Gary Neal and James Anderson. Offensively, I don't think there's a dropoff at all. In fact, this group probably can, and hopefully will, produce at a higher level. It will just take people getting hot at the right time in the post season. What this team doesn't have, as others have stated, is that defensive stopper. Bruce was a key ingredient to those '03, '05 and '07 championship teams that the Spurs have been missing these last three years. If you can't make stops in the 4th quarter of playoff games you're not going to win very many of them. I don't know how the Spurs will compensate for that, as it seems they've been trying for a couple of years now to figure out how to replace that key component to the championship recipe.

I think the other major obstacle to the Spurs 2011 championship hope will be overcoming the Lakers, Heat, Celtics and Magic of the league. I think all of those teams are potentially better than what the '03 team had to face. The league has become far less balanced, with just a few elite teams now sitting at the top and a whole bunch of wannabes wallowing at the bottom.

That being said, I think this Spurs team has great potential, more than any team since that last championship group in '07. If they can gel, and play well together, I think they have a shot a winning it all. Winning an NBA title seems to be half personnel and half matchups and good fortune. So we'll see...should be a fun season.

[TwelveGs210]

RJ is like Magic but not a good passer or team leader. However both put their ding dong in places they shouldn't go.

Also could have made the comparison that both are presumably gay.

[ElNono]

1. Never said Splitter was Ginobili.


Splitter as Ginobili.


2. Clearly said in a prior post I should have labeled Duncan as a dual role of himself and Dave, as the wording was misleading.

And as previously noted, Duncan was the best player in the league in 2003.
Not so today.


3. What is your basis on that statement at this point in the season, as all I said is the 2 players both had the SAME ROLE. Come in and shoot the ball.

The 2002-2003 Stever Kerr had 4 NBA rings, was a seasoned veteran in this league, and you knew he could deliver no matter the circumstances. Gary Neal is a relatively young fellow, getting his feet wet in his first season in the NBA. Neal looks like a good player 6 games into his first NBA season, but he has a lot of threes to make to be on the same paragraph as Steve Kerr.


4. Who compared Jax to Manu?

I must have misread. I read again the OP and I see you compared Jax with Anderson. Never mind.


Try again guy. Maybe start reading, as opposed to looking at letters arranged in paragraphs.

You need to learn to take critique before telling other people to go read.
I read your OP, and while I only pointed out the portions I didn't necessarily agree with, it doesn't mean I don't agree with other parts. That's exactly why I said it wasn't necessarily an awfully bad comparison.

[wontstartdumbthreads]

Also could have made the comparison that both are presumably gay.

I tend to keep my posts highbrow.

[Russ]

I would move Neal to the Jack position and (on a lark) Anderson to Bowen's spot.

[crc21209]

I like the comparison to '03 in that it had been 4 years since our first title and people were beginning to openly wonder if the Spurs could do it again. But there are certainly other reasons to be optomistic.

The 2011 Duncan, if healthy, should be a stronger overall player than Robinson was in '03. David's back really limited him that year. He only managed 7.8 pts and 6.6 RPG in about 23 min per game in the post season. Even though his defense was still strong, he couldn't, and didn't play as much that season as people seem to remember. Duncan, on the other hand, will likely be somewhere around his playoff numbers from the last couple of years of 19 pts and 10 boards. My hope is that Splitter rounds into form and can perhaps be a 10 and 7 guy by the post season and provide some size and youth on the defensive end. Blair, IMO, has more upside than Malik did...we'll see how the season progresses, and Dice is definitely playing a bigger and better role than KWill did in that '03 season. Willis was more of an enforcer in the playoffs, only getting about 5 MPG. McDyess serves a much larger role for the Spurs. Bottom line, Duncan is still Duncan. Even if he's 80% of the player he was in 2003 from an athletic ability standpoint, when the post season rolls around there's no one better, or smarter, that you could have anchoring the paint. I'll go out on a limb and say the rest of the supporting bigmen have the potential to be more productive, as a whole, than what we got out of the aging Robinson, Kevin Willis and Malik Rose. Time will tell.

And I'd take the 2011 version of Parker and Ginobili, again if healthy, than the 2003 versions. Manu was still figuring out the NBA that year, he hadn't emerged. Parker was blossoming, but his game, too, hadn't developed to the point it's at today.

Stephen Jackson and Bruce Bowen were really the other two impact players on that 2003 championship team, with some long range shooting (but nothing else) from Steve Kerr thrown in for good measure. Now the Spurs have Richard Jefferson, George Hill, Gary Neal and James Anderson. Offensively, I don't think there's a dropoff at all. In fact, this group probably can, and hopefully will, produce at a higher level. It will just take people getting hot at the right time in the post season. What this team doesn't have, as others have stated, is that defensive stopper. Bruce was a key ingredient to those '03, '05 and '07 championship teams that the Spurs have been missing these last three years. If you can't make stops in the 4th quarter of playoff games you're not going to win very many of them. I don't know how the Spurs will compensate for that, as it seems they've been trying for a couple of years now to figure out how to replace that key component to the championship recipe.

I think the other major obstacle to the Spurs 2011 championship hope will be overcoming the Lakers, Heat, Celtics and Magic of the league. I think all of those teams are potentially better than what the '03 team had to face. The league has become far less balanced, with just a few elite teams now sitting at the top and a whole bunch of wannabes wallowing at the bottom.

That being said, I think this Spurs team has great potential, more than any team since that last championship group in '07. If they can gel, and play well together, I think they have a shot a winning it all. Winning an NBA title seems to be half personnel and half matchups and good fortune. So we'll see...should be a fun season.

Always great to see Helicopter Jones around and giving his 2 cents on the Spurs. :toast

[Juanobili]

It's not EXACTLY like '03 but I get what you're saying. This season has me excited.

[mountainballer]

Pathetic. Some things never change.

well. Everyone has to carry his own cross and ST is yours.

[smrattler]

Now if they could just play defense like that old team...

[Dex]

Let's not get ahead of ourselves here.

[in2deep]

Where is Duncan? We can't win without that Duncan

Bingo. To be a contender Duncan will have to produce close to 2003 Duncan numbers. And Splitter/Dice must match DRob production.

I can see the resemblance to those teams cause we have players that don't suck on any position. But way too early to tell.

[rascal]

Every year someone compares the current spur team with a former spur championship year team.

[TwelveGs210]

Every year someone compares the current spur team with a former spur championship year team.

Only comparisons I mentioned were made to reflect the depth of this team, and the roles of the two. 02' was the most depth of any of our Spurs teams, and at this point, even without Bonner, we look as deep as the 02' squad.