Are the Spurs planning a positional revolution?

[TrueSpursFan]

Interesting reasoning behind the Spurs latest draft picks.


The Spurs are loading up on multi-talented combo forwards with intriguing skill-sets. Is it just a coincidence or do those draft selections signal the next step in the evolution of Spurs basketball?



http://www.poundingtherock.com/2014/6/29/5853702/nba-draft-spurs-kyle-anderson-davis-bertans-livio-jean-charles

What do you guys think?

[justinandimcool]

The NBA did it first with superteams. If you have superstars in every position, you're forcing the hand of other teams to get savvy by having multipositional players all over the court.

Diaw and Leonard are the blueprint. The picks of Bertans, Hanga, and LJC (now Anderson) definitely reflect that.

[TrueSpursFan]

The NBA did it first with superteams. If you have superstars in every position, you're forcing the hand of other teams to get savvy by having multipositional players all over the court.

Diaw and Leonard are the blueprint. The picks of Bertans, Hanga, and LJC (now Anderson) definitely reflect that.

True, I would love for the spurs to have these guys all work out playing together as a multi-positional team that could switch pretty much any pick and roll. Though, to have a team functional and successful, these guys would have to complement each other and fill each other's weaknesses with others' strengths. Tough task to have a team gel like that.

[gilmor]

It is the future.. The era of a single player dominating the playoffs end-to-end is a thing of the past..

[tholdren]

I dont know if its revolutionist, as much as it is purist, really. From my perspective you want an athlete who is a jack-of-all-trades, not one dimensional. I have always been an opponent of just guys who can score, but traditionally, those were the guys you would see getting player of the year, media accolades, D1 scholarships and going pro. I would assume that most fans would say that:

20ppg is better than 10ppg/8apg/3stl/4rpg

Its good to see more well rounded players get some credit, but still, more fans want to see PPG than anything else.

[TrueSpursFan]

Well after these finals, many were saying, including the media, that team basketball was the future of the NBA. Like somehow watching the spurs dominate using team ball and passing was never seen before. This should have been the future decades ago. Basketball is a team sport and should be played like that. So if passing unselfish teams are the future, then what is a team constructed of unselfish small forwards that play team ball? A dream?

[Emperor]

So i guess that means no more undersized shooting guards like Neal. Which is a good thing.

[tholdren]

Well after these finals, many were saying, including the media, that team basketball was the future of the NBA. Like somehow watching the spurs dominate using team ball and passing was never seen before. This should have been the future decades ago. Basketball is a team sport and should be played like that. So if passing unselfish teams are the future, then what is a team constructed of unselfish small forwards that play team ball? A dream?

that wont happen. Its like soccer, the beauty of the game isnt the goals, its what leads up to the goals. The mass of typical fans think basketball is black guys dunking... that wont change.

[TrueSpursFan]

that wont happen. Its like soccer, the beauty of the game isnt the goals, its what leads up to the goals. The mass of typical fans think basketball is black guys dunking... that wont change.
I'm not totally convinced with that, as we saw in the finals, even the average fan was vastly entertained with the beauty of team ball. Millions tuned in to watch the spurs play their style of game the last 2 games in finals. People were finally exposed to what we spurs fans have been watching for a while now and on the grandest stage of basketball.

[exstatic]

that wont happen. Its like soccer, the beauty of the game isnt the goals, its what leads up to the goals. The mass of typical fans think basketball is black guys dunking... that wont change.

Horse hockey. Spurs are just taking basketball back to where it WAS before the aberration that was Michael Jordan. Both the Bird Celtics and the Showtime Lakers played a game that was very similar to the Spurs.

[DJR210]

Interesting read. The Spurs make being a Cowboy fan bearable.

:toast

[TheDarkSide.]

Interesting read. The Spurs make being a Cowboy fan bearable.

:toast
Romo rooting for the mavs was enough for me to finally kick the cowboys. Not rooting for any other texas team until we one day get a team and i know thats probly never

[Gino-Step]

Thank you. I have been saying this for over a year. Don't know why I was berated for it.

All length and mobility, positionless basketball. Switch everything. All players play all areas of the court.

[DJR210]

Romo rooting for the mavs was enough for me to finally kick the cowboys. Not rooting for any other texas team until we one day get a team and i know thats probly never

:lol I can care less who the players themselves root for. The Mavs are fucking nobody anyway

[Mr. Body]

Evolution from the decline of the pass-first point guard, as locally manifested by Parker's importance and role to the team. The Spurs excel at using the sides of the court to initiate offense and playing through the forwards helps here. Nimble, fast, relentless scoring guards, and now wings who can drive and kick as well as shoot. Diaw is proving his worth as a post creator.

Irony about Kyle Anderson, however, is he's played more like a traditional point. He'll need to change a bit, but I think he will.

[2centsworth]

Romo rooting for the mavs was enough for me to finally kick the cowboys. Not rooting for any other texas team until we one day get a team and i know thats probly never
We've got the UTSA roadrunners, like the spurs, don't get the respect they deserve. The only d-1 program in the 7th largest city is pointing up! Bowl game this year no doubt with an upset or two against Hou, Ariz or Okie St.

[hater]

http://www.watchcartoononline.com/thumbs/Voltron-Episode-1--Space-Explorers-Captured.jpg

[tholdren]

Horse hockey. Spurs are just taking basketball back to where it WAS before the aberration that was Michael Jordan. Both the Bird Celtics and the Showtime Lakers played a game that was very similar to the Spurs.

point proven

[look_at_g_shred]

All for it tbh... I love the idea of having length at every position, and players able to play multiple positions as well. I'm really digging the Kyle anderson pickup tbh...

[Dex]

http://www.watchcartoononline.com/thumbs/Voltron-Episode-1--Space-Explorers-Captured.jpg

I'm slightly disappointed that I will never have a chance to see Voltron battle the Megazord.

http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Dino-Megazord.jpg

[ginobilized]

Spurs have been at the forefront of NBA trends for many years now. This one is fascinating. A wealth of length, mobility and passing coupled with a couple of centers and a couple of point guards allows a team to match up with just about anyone and few, if any, teams can matchup with the multiple combos available. The Spurs are re-defining TEAM basketball in the NBA. 2015 might be a successful title defense because of it.

[Raven]

i doubt bertans fits in the mold, he is a true tweener instead of a versatile player.

[Baam]

Interesting reasoning behind the Spurs latest draft picks.





http://www.poundingtherock.com/2014/6/29/5853702/nba-draft-spurs-kyle-anderson-davis-bertans-livio-jean-charles

What do you guys think?

I think there's really nothing to talk about to come up with that kind of fantasy...

[tmtcsc]

You can phrase it anyway you want, but the Spurs are after smart basketball players who can pass, dribble, defend, rebound and shoot. Which, is the way it used to be. Over the past 25-30 years, the league became wattered down with the expansion teams and we saw an evolution of the "specialty" player. Whether it was a "rebounder" like Dennis Rodman or a "3 Pt specialist" like Craig Hodges or Steve Kerr, teams were investing in players that had limited roles.

The Spurs are getting away from that model and back to fundamentals. I love it and that's what makes this team so friggin awesome to watch. We still have some "specialty" players but I think the Spurs will look at helping them become more complete players that are interchangeable at different positions.

[Mr. Body]

As others have pointed out, it's closer to the old Dutch style of Total Football than what's been played in the NBA for a long time -- players have multiple roles and abilities on offense. We saw part of its fruition in the Finals. Keep at least two ace playmakers on the floor at all time, permit the other perimeter guys to drive and kick at will. It confounded the Miami defense completely.

[DocDoc]

Romo rooting for the mavs was enough for me to finally kick the cowboys. Not rooting for any other texas team until we one day get a team and i know that's probably never

Texas only has one professional football team and it isn't in Dallas......

[Southwest Texas Fan]

http://www.watchcartoononline.com/thumbs/Voltron-Episode-1--Space-Explorers-Captured.jpg

:tu

[wildbill2u]

Spurs have been at the forefront of NBA trends for many years now. This one is fascinating. A wealth of length, mobility and passing coupled with a couple of centers and a couple of point guards allows a team to match up with just about anyone and few, if any, teams can matchup with the multiple combos available. The Spurs are re-defining TEAM basketball in the NBA. 2015 might be a successful title defense because of it.

The Spurs are revolutionary in more than playing team basketball with offensive game that features passing. What many folks miss is their revolutionary use of the bench for lots of minutes during the season and playoffs. Sure Pop was forced into utilizing bench minutes because of the age of the big 3--but as a tactic it is against all previous NBA theory that you play your starters 35 minutes or more. What we saw during the past two years is an evolving team strategy of playing starters less minutes and giving the bench a chance to explode with fresh energy. It often simply runs the other team out of the game because of fatigue. The Spurs go at them in waves of players with energy and relentless pace. As an added bonus, The bench players get an emotional charge from knowing they will play a significant part in the team's success.

"Experts" said the Spurs would return to a more standard minute rotation during the playoffs, but that really wasn't the case. Instead, Pop kept running fresh players in and out so that even younger teams like OKC and GS were visibly tired in the 4th quarter. And the Heat were obviously fatigued during our series with them.

[Sec24Row7]

Don't get ahead of yourself.

We won against a team that had no size.

The kryptonite to beautiful ball is an athletic defensive big.

[Sec24Row7]

Don't get ahead of yourself.

We won against a team that had no size.

The kryptonite to beautiful ball is an athletic defensive big.

[Taking it to the Hole]

I don't think Spurs look to categorize their players along a positional basis. They are about creating match-up problems through versatility and execution. It is a testament to the coaching staff because they see their players as they can be not what others want them to be. Every player that plays in the system currently has to have a desire to improve and become a complete player. It is kinda of like the heyday of "ironman" football when players were required to play both ways. If you are a Spur, you are required to play not just two ways but many ways. The Spurs can play any pace or style as a result. The media gives it labels like "small ball" or "run and gun" when really all it is is taking advantage of the individual attributes of your players to the maximum level and I am proud to say that as good as the Spurs were this past year, they still have room for improvement. I can potentially see a day when the Big 3 don't even have to play for chunks of games during the regular season for us to win if we continue to develop our current stable of players.

[ginobilized]

It's no secret that the Spurs are doing and have been doing a ton of things differently from the norm of the NBA. It's a thing of beauty to watch from a basketball perspective, but, also in terms of business, motivation, organizational approach and as an evolving, creative entity. It's a huge testament to the greatness of Duncan that his role has adapted and he has remained effective for so many years with radically different teams around him. The positional revolution is going on in the NBA and I see many teams going with length and mobility. The Spurs are aware of this and are probably trying to grow with that trend. Of course, having more length and mobility allows Timmy to be most effective, too.


The Spurs are revolutionary in more than playing team basketball with offensive game that features passing. What many folks miss is their revolutionary use of the bench for lots of minutes during the season and playoffs. Sure Pop was forced into utilizing bench minutes because of the age of the big 3--but as a tactic it is against all previous NBA theory that you play your starters 35 minutes or more. What we saw during the past two years is an evolving team strategy of playing starters less minutes and giving the bench a chance to explode with fresh energy. It often simply runs the other team out of the game because of fatigue. The Spurs go at them in waves of players with energy and relentless pace. As an added bonus, The bench players get an emotional charge from knowing they will play a significant part in the team's success.

"Experts" said the Spurs would return to a more standard minute rotation during the playoffs, but that really wasn't the case. Instead, Pop kept running fresh players in and out so that even younger teams like OKC and GS were visibly tired in the 4th quarter. And the Heat were obviously fatigued during our series with them.

[xmas1997]

They started doing this what many have termed Euro ball (passing a lot) by larger and larger increments each year since 2010 when they realized that their Suns type of offense-only, was not going to get the job done, IMHO. That was when they went back to the philosophy that defense wins championships. I honestly don't think they did this by design back then, but rather, after Bowen left, they had no way to focus on defense as they had in the past. Then as they already had the offensive game developed, they focused on getting those players to develop their defense, or getting the players necessary to play both ends of the court.
I actually think they want to develop this style even more and thus why they are hiring, or want to hire, Messina to be an assistant coach.
It makes sense.