SpurSwag
12-27-2013, 06:19 PM
Hey guys, have been having a lot of things on my mind regarding the spurs lately and coincidentally last night's game against Dallas was game number 30 so it seemed like an appropriate time to make a threat. Here are some thoughts regarding our current team and where we stand:
1) Thank god Tim is getting it all back together. Though I never really had any doubts, it's still nice to see him getting it done after all these years at a supreme level. I still don't think his offense has gotten to the point it was last season, but hopefully that's just right around the corner. His rebounding and defense are looking very solid lately, so let's all just hope the offense is next.
2) Honestly, I only have 2 concerns about this team at this point. One of them is Tony Parker. I, for one, think it is absolutely ridiculous to suggest this team is better without the way Tony plays. It's absolutely laughable. Posters on here maintain that he breaks the system, but that system can't exist without an actual threat to score off the dribble. Parker is just that when healthy. My fear is he isn't healthy right now as made clear by the last couple of games (even though he scored a good amount last time, he clearly wasn't himself). Whether his latest injury is still holding him back or if the time spent with the FNT is finally catching up to him isn't clear, but he definitely doesn't look as quick or agile. This can lead to a couple of problems, as he could either a) keep limping around like this all season without the speed and explosion that made him a legit MVP candidate the last couple years or b) run himself into the ground, leading to a serious injury that takes him out for an extended period of time. I really think he needs to be given a week or 2 off just to get himself right, and with Westbrook out as well we would still be able to make up some ground in Tony' absence. I hope Pop sees what I am seeing too and decides to do rest him.
3) Manu looks fantastic. Plain and simple. He has struggled percentage wise a couple of times in the last 2-3 weeks, but his few struggles have been mostly poor percentages and not bad turnovers or looking unhealthy, which is great. Focusing on his great play, which has been frequent and needed, he has looked like a stud both from the perimeter and attacking. It's nice to see the spurs are getting him easier looks, as seemingly every game he's getting an inbound play straight to him leading to an easy lay in. If this Manu sticks around all year, we should be fine.
4) My only other concern about the team is the Danny / Marco situation. I personally don't like Marco starting and think him and Manu should handle the bench duties together. I just think that unit was doing so well, and while I agree that the change needed to be made because of how poorly Danny was playing, I think it should be reverted back. I think Pop feels this way too fortunately and will eventually bring Marco off the bench again. However, I'm starting to think this team needs to make a trade, as Danny just doesn't look like a player of any value if he isn't wide open beyond 3. I think it's become clear that we really need a scorer starting at his position, someone who can just get the ball and do something from it either from beyond the arc or attacking the rim. I'm struggling to come up with any good fits who would be available at the moment, but I'm sure you guys will have some ideas.
5) Still loving the bench, as Patty is proving to be a legit back up who can fill it up. Boris is still doing his thing, Ayres is still blowing dunks, pretty much everything has been just as expected from the bench.
6) I haven't lost hope in the team whatsoever, but it has been really frustrating seeing us lose all of these games against contenders. Its as if we all of a sudden forget to play defense against the elite teams and end up getting buried into huge deficits, with any comeback efforts always falling short. Hopefully Pop gets into his team a little bit and we see them play with more fire and passion instead of coming out like zombies.
Believe guys, as long as we get to the playoffs 100% I have no doubt this team can get it done. Trade or not, we should be fine come playoff time. I know all the players want it this time, and just looking at the record itself I'm not sure you can really be upset with 22-8.
1) Thank god Tim is getting it all back together. Though I never really had any doubts, it's still nice to see him getting it done after all these years at a supreme level. I still don't think his offense has gotten to the point it was last season, but hopefully that's just right around the corner. His rebounding and defense are looking very solid lately, so let's all just hope the offense is next.
2) Honestly, I only have 2 concerns about this team at this point. One of them is Tony Parker. I, for one, think it is absolutely ridiculous to suggest this team is better without the way Tony plays. It's absolutely laughable. Posters on here maintain that he breaks the system, but that system can't exist without an actual threat to score off the dribble. Parker is just that when healthy. My fear is he isn't healthy right now as made clear by the last couple of games (even though he scored a good amount last time, he clearly wasn't himself). Whether his latest injury is still holding him back or if the time spent with the FNT is finally catching up to him isn't clear, but he definitely doesn't look as quick or agile. This can lead to a couple of problems, as he could either a) keep limping around like this all season without the speed and explosion that made him a legit MVP candidate the last couple years or b) run himself into the ground, leading to a serious injury that takes him out for an extended period of time. I really think he needs to be given a week or 2 off just to get himself right, and with Westbrook out as well we would still be able to make up some ground in Tony' absence. I hope Pop sees what I am seeing too and decides to do rest him.
3) Manu looks fantastic. Plain and simple. He has struggled percentage wise a couple of times in the last 2-3 weeks, but his few struggles have been mostly poor percentages and not bad turnovers or looking unhealthy, which is great. Focusing on his great play, which has been frequent and needed, he has looked like a stud both from the perimeter and attacking. It's nice to see the spurs are getting him easier looks, as seemingly every game he's getting an inbound play straight to him leading to an easy lay in. If this Manu sticks around all year, we should be fine.
4) My only other concern about the team is the Danny / Marco situation. I personally don't like Marco starting and think him and Manu should handle the bench duties together. I just think that unit was doing so well, and while I agree that the change needed to be made because of how poorly Danny was playing, I think it should be reverted back. I think Pop feels this way too fortunately and will eventually bring Marco off the bench again. However, I'm starting to think this team needs to make a trade, as Danny just doesn't look like a player of any value if he isn't wide open beyond 3. I think it's become clear that we really need a scorer starting at his position, someone who can just get the ball and do something from it either from beyond the arc or attacking the rim. I'm struggling to come up with any good fits who would be available at the moment, but I'm sure you guys will have some ideas.
5) Still loving the bench, as Patty is proving to be a legit back up who can fill it up. Boris is still doing his thing, Ayres is still blowing dunks, pretty much everything has been just as expected from the bench.
6) I haven't lost hope in the team whatsoever, but it has been really frustrating seeing us lose all of these games against contenders. Its as if we all of a sudden forget to play defense against the elite teams and end up getting buried into huge deficits, with any comeback efforts always falling short. Hopefully Pop gets into his team a little bit and we see them play with more fire and passion instead of coming out like zombies.
Believe guys, as long as we get to the playoffs 100% I have no doubt this team can get it done. Trade or not, we should be fine come playoff time. I know all the players want it this time, and just looking at the record itself I'm not sure you can really be upset with 22-8.