Should we be concerned about the Spurs' lackluster preseason performance?

[Uriel]

Granted, preseason is preseason is preseason.

But anybody who knows a thing about basketball is well aware that teams can't just "flip the switch" and immediately morph into midseason form; it's a process. And for those of us who have followed the Spurs during the preseason, there is plenty to be concerned about:

1. Poor health
Kawhi Leonard and Tiago Splitter are reportedly doubtful for the regular season opener against Dallas. And even when they do come back, they're going to have to regain their conditioning. Patty Mills is out until January, and it is glaring how much the bench misses his shooting.

2. Lack of motivation
To put it bluntly, the Spurs look completely disinterested right now. It's as if they're fat and happy after winning #5, and will be content to sleepwalk through the regular season. This could be especially dangerous in a loaded Western Conference, where a subpar regular season performance will be the difference between having homecourt in Game 7 of the WCF against OKC or not.

3. Turnovers galore
The Houston game actually represents the Spurs' best effort at taking care of the ball thus far in the preseason. In all prior games, the Spurs had coughed the ball up 20 times or more to their opponents. This is simply unacceptable, and I fear it may stem from the Spurs overdoing their "move the ball" philosophy to dangerous extremes.

I hesitate to draw too many conclusions from preseason games. It's obvious the Spurs aren't really trying yet, and when they do, they're easily the best team in the NBA. But right now, there are legitimate concerns surrounding the team, and it makes me wonder whether these concerns are grave enough to make us worry.

[bulakenyo]

This is like 2% of the projected games the team will compete in this season.

If they're still playing like this with 25% games already pplayed, I would be more concerned.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I would be because Popovich's teams are not for their fast starts and ahving troubling coming together in march.

[benefactor]

No.

[horsielove]

Yes. It's not yet late to #Tank4Okafor.

[AusSpur]

Spurs won 3 out of 7 preseason games last year and 2 out of 7 this year.

I'm very unconcerned.

[DarrinS]

I never watch preseason bb.

[Chomag]

No. I don't think pre-season has ever shown who is a good team. Its the time just to try things out and get the players in game shape.

[Chomag]

Also remember its going to be much tougher competition for the spurs this season I think as they are the champs and teams are going to come at them hard to try prove something and for the bragging rights. We have seen it all before.

when your the top dog even the lowest teams are going to come at you like its a playoff game.

[DarrinS]

Also remember its going to be much tougher competition for the spurs this season I think as they are the champs and teams are going to come at them hard to try prove something and for the bragging rights. We have seen it all before.

when your the top dog even the lowest teams are going to come at you like its a playoff game.


I think other teams have always used the Spurs as a kind of measuring stick. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing for the Spurs.

[Raven]

meh, not really, but it's not ideal.

[Diego20]

No

[B-Hath]

Hmm... Lemme think .... no

[Poolboy5623]

I watched the first few minutes of the first game, on nbatv. Haven't even considered watching a minute of them since. Save your worries for week 1 of the regular season ;)

[Old School 44]

nah...I wouldn't be surprised if they start like last year, beat all the teams they are supposed to beat and lose to most of the playoff teams.

[Mr. Body]

Mildly. They'll have a rough start, maybe even a very rough start, but should start getting it together by January.

[ElNono]

It's late October already, so, yes

[Blake]

Lol this thread

[LarryDavid]

Granted, preseason is preseason is preseason.

But anybody who knows a thing about basketball is well aware that teams can't just "flip the switch" and immediately morph into midseason form; it's a process. And for those of us who have followed the Spurs during the preseason, there is plenty to be concerned about:

1. Poor health
Kawhi Leonard and Tiago Splitter are reportedly doubtful for the regular season opener against Dallas. And even when they do come back, they're going to have to regain their conditioning. Patty Mills is out until January, and it is glaring how much the bench misses his shooting.

2. Lack of motivation
To put it bluntly, the Spurs look completely disinterested right now. It's as if they're fat and happy after winning #5, and will be content to sleepwalk through the regular season. This could be especially dangerous in a loaded Western Conference, where a subpar regular season performance will be the difference between having homecourt in Game 7 of the WCF against OKC or not.

3. Turnovers galore
The Houston game actually represents the Spurs' best effort at taking care of the ball thus far in the preseason. In all prior games, the Spurs had coughed the ball up 20 times or more to their opponents. This is simply unacceptable, and I fear it may stem from the Spurs overdoing their "move the ball" philosophy to dangerous extremes.

I hesitate to draw too many conclusions from preseason games. It's obvious the Spurs aren't really trying yet, and when they do, they're easily the best team in the NBA. But right now, there are legitimate concerns surrounding the team, and it makes me wonder whether these concerns are grave enough to make us worry.



Memphis (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/mem/memphis-grizzlies)
3
5
.375
3
3-1
0-4
0-2
0-3
98.1
97.5
+0.6
Lost 1
3-5


Oklahoma City (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/okc/oklahoma-city-thunder)
2
5
.286
3 ½
1-3
1-2
0-3
2-4
99.6
110.9
-11.3
Lost 4
2-5


San Antonio (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/sa/san-antonio-spurs)
2
5
.286
3 ½
1-2
1-3
0-1
1-2
98.1
104.0
-5.9
Lost 2
2-5


Denver (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/den/denver-nuggets)
2
6
.250
4
1-1
1-5
1-1
2-5
97.5
101.9
-4.4
Lost 2
2-6


LA Clippers (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/lac/los-angeles-clippers)
2
6
.250
4
2-3
0-3
1-2
2-6
99.4
107.9
-8.5
Lost 1
2-






It's preseason...who cares

[manufan10]

The Pelicans were 7-1 last year. Preseason isn't a barometer for the regular season. There is no correlation. These games are meaningless.

[TheGreatYacht]

Yes. It's not yet late to #Tank4Okafor.

[313]

Remember when we couldn't beat any of the elite teams last year? Lol

[Russ]

A bit concerned.

But not nearly as much as halfway through last season (when they had lost to every good team they played).

[024]

Probably a little concerned. Spur will probably start very slow and then try to "turn on the switch" later. But as we seen before (Lakers 2011) the switch just sometimes doesn't turn on at all. It'll be up to Pop to keep the Spurs motivated and not slip too much in the standings early in the season.

[SpursFan86]

Y'all can't be serious right now lol...it's fucking preseason. We went 3-4 last year in the preseason and look how things turned out.

[Budkin]

Only thing I'm concerned about is the health of Kawhi. I have a feeling he'll play Tuesday. At least I hope so since I'll be at the game.

[xmas1997]

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/rockets/article/Spurs-returning-most-of-championship-roster-5846491.php

Rookie guard/forward Kyle Anderson, whom the Spurs drafted this summer, has seen time on the floor in the preseason and has impressed Popovich. He has work to do but could be the only new addition to the team because the Spurs have a cut to make before the season starts.

[wildcardX]

The veterans were using preseason to get in gameshape. Not wanting to risk a knee/ankle injury, hamstring pull, or twisted ankle before season starts. So I doubt they were going at 100%. The only guys trying to impress would be the rookies, training camp, and end of bench players. The Spurs will be ok at the beginning of season but may not be back to form until midway point, my guess would be. Once they get back to rhythm and they get past these little injuries.

[cd98]

Give them a month to get in game shape.

[xmas1997]

Pop is just being honest, but I don't sense he is one bit worried, from what I have read so far.

[SupremeGuy]

Spurs won 3 out of 7 preseason games last year and 2 out of 7 this year.

I'm very unconcerned.Well, there you go. No worries.

[KaiRMD1]

nah...I wouldn't be surprised if they start like last year, beat all the teams they are supposed to beat and lose to most of the playoff teams.

I'm actually expecting this to happen unfortunately. These ol' sports aren't going to turn it on until later, much later. Hell the spurs didn't even really turn it on until game 7 against Dallas

[xmas1997]

I really do not expect them to win the first game against Dallas tbqh.


EDIT: But I really do not see it as something to be concerned about.

[mkurts]

Let the early cliff jumping begin. Please turn these concerns into wrist slitting please.

[Galileo]

Let the early cliff jumping begin. Please turn these concerns into wrist slitting please.

:lmao

[xellos88330]

I am not concerned about the Spurs' performance this preseason. From what I saw, there were definitely flashes of the insane ball movement that defined the title run. It wasn't as if they only did it for one play a quarter, it looked like it could be rather consistent. I noticed a couple more unusual movements (maybe Messina's doing?) but that is nothing that time won't fix. Overall, I am pleased with what I saw. If I had a concern, it would be defensive rebounding. Maybe this will be fixed when Splitter returns as the Spurs have another big body to box people out.

[exstatic]

No Splitter
No Patty
1 game of Kawhi

[BOHOLANO#21]

Nope. Since the arrival of Kawhi Leonard our Spurs has been progressing well. Going to the Western Conference Finals three years in a row and going to the NBA finals two years in a row. Looking at that trend leads to conclude back to back title is the next progression! Amen.

[z0sa]

Lol no

[Baam]

There's one thing that's worth being concerned about and it's the high usage of BelinoD tbh...

[-21-]

Is this the first official cliff jumping thread of the season? I kinda missed these tbh. :lol

[littlecoyotecoin]

Is this the first official cliff jumping thread of the season? I kinda missed these tbh. :lol

The Spurs can't beat any of the good teams in the West.

[Dingle Barry]

I'm only concerned that it portends that Manu is officially washed up.

[ace3g]

Mike Monroe @Monroe_SA
(https://twitter.com/Monroe_SA)Popovich still has #Spurs (https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Spurs) scrimmaging and practice is well past 2 hours #gettingserious (https://twitter.com/search?q=%23gettingserious)

[Dex]

Mike Monroe @Monroe_SA
(https://twitter.com/Monroe_SA)Popovich still has #Spurs (https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Spurs) scrimmaging and practice is well past 2 hours #gettingserious (https://twitter.com/search?q=%23gettingserious)



LOL sounds like Pop may be concerned.

[loveforthegame]

Only thing I'm concerned about is how much longer this eye infection is going to keep Leonard out.

[ElNono]

:lol Pop didn't bother to call a timeout until the 2nd half of the last preseason game, tbh... dude been slacking with the players

[Malik Hairston]

:lol is this a record for earliest cliff-jumping thread, tbh?..

Can't wait for the "Warriors/Clippers look unbeatable" threads at the end of November, too..

[timtonymanu]

Really? We are talking about the preseason where 2 of our starters are sitting out as well as a key bench player. :lol

[ace3g]

http://i.cdn.turner.com/drp/nba/spurs/sites/default/files/styles/game_block_quarter_col_w/public/externals/b3a71835953ac283491afa139ba8c5f2.jpg?itok=Utw49E1x (http://www.nba.com/spurs/videos/141026_practice_duncan)
Practice: Tim Duncan (http://www.nba.com/spurs/videos/141026_practice_duncan)
Post-practice comments from Tim Duncan
October 26, 2014



http://i.cdn.turner.com/drp/nba/spurs/sites/default/files/styles/game_block_quarter_col_w/public/externals/65ff00c0d16cf4cee7e4d71d4e1a72a2.jpg?itok=c6YMlNO8 (http://www.nba.com/spurs/videos/141026_practice_green)
Practice: Danny Green (http://www.nba.com/spurs/videos/141026_practice_green)
Danny Green talks with the media following Sunday's practice.
October 26, 2014

[kobyz]

I'm concerned, i hope we make the playoff...

[Uriel]

Spurs won 3 out of 7 preseason games last year and 2 out of 7 this year.

I'm very unconcerned.
But last year, the Spurs were healthy and looked sharp despite the poor preseason record. The same can't be said about this year's preseason.

[Uriel]

No Splitter
No Patty
1 game of Kawhi

Really? We are talking about the preseason where 2 of our starters are sitting out as well as a key bench player. :lol

But that's exactly the point I'm making. The fact that we have a litany of health concerns even before the season has begun could portend bad things for the future. For instance, the lack of a preseason for these players could cause them to come into games with poor conditioning. As a result, they would subsequently perform poorly during regular season games and lose confidence, affecting their performance throughout the season as a whole.

Just look at what happened to Splitter in 2011 for an example. He was injured during training camp and ended up never playing well enough in the regular season to even earn a spot in the playoff rotation, despite being widely hailed as the "Spurs' saviour."

[Uriel]

By the way, this tweet is evidence that the SA Express-News actually reads SpursTalk.
526449449703206912

[Venti Quattro]

:lol Pre-season circlejerk

[hooperflash]

I think I'll let D-Wade answer this one... tbh

[Johnny RIngo]

From what I've seen, Spurs are struggling with rust more than anything. Manu's shot is off, TD's missing layups, etc. Nothing to really worry about I think. The only players that truly look like shit are the same names we've all come to hate last season(Ayres, Marco, Joseph). Those three really don't belong on our roster. Truly a wasted opportunity from the Spurs FO not upgrading any of them with the full MLE available this summer. At least Kyle Anderson looks promising. Good bball IQ.

[100%duncan]

Tiago was never meant to be in the rotation in 2011. His issues in the preseason didnt matter, Pop was being stubborn.

[ace3g]

http://i.cdn.turner.com/drp/nba/spurs/sites/default/files/styles/game_block_quarter_col_w/public/externals/e43cfe09acf52785558e883b89541ad3.jpg?itok=d5Xj0Wo4 (http://www.nba.com/spurs/videos/141027_practice_ginobili)
Monday Practice: Manu Ginobili (http://www.nba.com/spurs/videos/141027_practice_ginobili)
Manu Ginobili talks with the media following Monday's practice
October 27, 2014



http://i.cdn.turner.com/drp/nba/spurs/sites/default/files/styles/game_block_quarter_col_w/public/externals/146744399f224d541246e31a95687b6d.jpg?itok=rhybkKxU (http://www.nba.com/spurs/videos/141027_practice_parker)
Monday Practice: Tony Parker (http://www.nba.com/spurs/videos/141027_practice_parker)
Post-practice comments from Tony Parker
October 27, 2014

[rjv]

no-we always suck in the preseason.

[Uriel]

Preseason?, I'm here reading the messages and all I read is "preseason" I mean, listen, we are writing about preseason, not the regular season, not the regular season, we writing about preseason. Not regular season. Not not....regular season where the Spurs always finish on top. Not regular season, but we're writing about preseason, man. I mean, how silly is that?
Well played. :toast

[z0sa]

Lol no

[Uriel]

I hate to tell you all I told you so, but...

I told you so.

[hyhy]

We still the champs bro

[xmas1997]

No

[Uriel]

Injuries? Check.Lack of motivation? Check.Poor rhythm? Check.These were all signs we saw as early in the preseason. Most people dismissed them offhandedly, simply out of pure arrogance. But now here we are, 6 games into the regular season, and we can clearly see how thoroughly these concerns are manifesting themselves in our lackluster play.

[timtonymanu]

Not sure if the OP is just trolling at this point. :lol