PTR: Top 10 players from the dark era (2008-2013)

[Mikeanaro]

I dont usually post stuff from PtR but this is a nice list, specially because that era was depressive and this article makes me appreciate how lucky we are now, and how at the end of Duncan and Manu´s careers we have a nice future, Skynet wont come.

http://www.poundingtherock.com/2015/7/28/9054611/top-10-spurs-players-from-the-championship-drought-2008-2011

[spurraider21]

weird... duncan randomly shows up after #8 :lol

[Mikeanaro]

Yeah, I didnt get it either somewhere between Dice.

[spursparker9]

tbh the dark era is only 2009 to 2011.

[dweaver99027]

I'd argue the dark era was only 2009 and 2010. 2008 we were close to the Finals and 2011 we were the 1 seed and a Manu injury away from challenging for another WCF. Outside 09 and 10, we had 2 WCF and 1 Finals appearance from 08 to 13. Call this a 'dark era' to anyone other than a Spurs fan and you'll be a laughing stock.

[Chinook]

tbh the dark era is only 2009 to 2011.

Yeah. 2012-2013 was very much part of this era. I never put it past PtR to get have a horrible take, though. I hope they don't get paid enough to make a living from solely writing the half-assed articles we see on that site.


weird... duncan randomly shows up after #8 :lol

He was saying that Duncan is the only guy who has played at least 150 games for the Spurs over the last two regular seasons. Of course, that statement is misleading and directly wrong, as Green played six fewer games than Tim (149 and could have played more had Pop not randomly rested him a couple time) while Diaw played 160.

[Down Under]

Yep 2009-2011. Where's Kurt Thomas?

[exstatic]

Yep 2009-2011. Where's Kurt Thomas?

He only played one year, so I guess they figured he didn't make the cut.

[spursistan]

tbh the dark era is only 2009 to 2011.
Yep..Even in 2008 with Manu dealing with ankle issues, we managed to beat a very hot Hornets team without HC in Game 7; pissed way game 1 vs a younger Lakers team in WCF after sleeping the night before in tarmac of New Orleans Airport and should have gone back to LA at 2-2 but or Joe Crawford pathetic non-call on Barry 3 attempt...toward the tail end of that season a bunch of guys got way too old and looked effectively done Horry, Bowen , Oberto and Finley..

It quite amazing how it took PATFO only 3 years to reload again and put a title contender by 2012..

[diego]

2008 the team looked great behind Parker and manu, but it took a toll on them and the lack of depth outside the big 3 got exposed.
2009 manu being out again exposed the lack of depth, by 2010 Duncan was carrying the entire frontcourt, same for 2011. It wasn't till the emergence of splitter and the arrival of Leonard that the big 3 finally got some decent help

[diego]

Really, 2007 was an anomaly, in that we got lucky gs took out the mavs. imo 07-11 was the "dark period", in terms of the roster being extremely lopsided. Pop and the big 3 were still good enough to get great results, but the team was too dependent on their health due to the lack of balance

[Kidd K]

tbh the dark era is only 2009 to 2011.

Exactly. That's what I came here to post too.

[tesseractive]

Really, 2007 was an anomaly, in that we got lucky gs took out the mavs. imo 07-11 was the "dark period", in terms of the roster being extremely lopsided. Pop and the big 3 were still good enough to get great results, but the team was too dependent on their health due to the lack of balance
I think it's a bit much to call it an anomaly, especially given that we were a hair's breadth away from beating the Mavs and likely winning a title in 2006.

[Obstructed_View]

tbh the dark era is only 2009 to 2011.

I agree with this. I'd say the dark era started the day Oberto and Bowen were traded, and ended the day Leonard was drafted.

[tesseractive]

Yeah, as someone pointed out in the comments, the funny thing about this Dark Era is that with 2 trips to the conference finals and one to the NBA finals, it's equivalent to the highlights of the Suns whole franchise. :lol

[Mikeanaro]

Yeah, as someone pointed out in the comments, the funny thing about this Dark Era is that with 2 trips to the conference finals and one to the NBA finals, it's equivalent to the highlights of the Suns whole franchise. :lol
:lmaoSuns
Maybe from 2009 with that first round exit to Memphis in 2011 those were the lowest points. The dudes in that list were owfullll. Dice was trying his best but he was old.

[dweaver99027]

Ever since 89 this franchise has had just 1 losing season and only 3 seasons with less than 50 wins(prorated for lockout years). A 40 year old fan of the NBA has never experienced a sucky Spurs team, lol. And the one crappy season was directly responsible for 5 subsequent rings. We be blessed.

[timtonymanu]

tbh the dark era is only 2009 to 2011.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Yeah. 2012-2013 was very much part of this era. I never put it past PtR to get have a horrible take, though. I hope they don't get paid enough to make a living from solely writing the half-assed articles we see on that site.

The only one who gets paid is the site manager. Everyone else does it for free.

[timtonymanu]

1. George Hill

2. DeJuan Blair
3. Antonio McDyess
4. Dick Jefferson
5. Matt Bonner
6. 09/10 Michael Finley
7. Roger Mason Jr.
8. Malik Hairston
9. Keith Bogans
10. Ian Mahinmi

I don't consider Neal to be part of the dark era since he remained with the Spurs after 2011. Bonner, Blair, and RJ were too but they were a big part of the ugly years as well.

Damn, those shitty players the Spurs had. :lol

[jeebus]

Ctrl+F: Ayres



ah, it's down at the bottom in a "f:lolrewell" article. I knew pounding the cock couldn't resist.

[daslicer]

I would say during the Duncan era '99-'03 was more darker considering the spurs had zero respect from the media and the '99 championship was discredited nationally due to the crap Phil Jackson spewed. '00 starts off with Elliott needing a kidney transplant and ends with Duncan tearing his meniscus. '01 Juwon Howard takes out Derek Anderson and the spurs get swept by the Lakers in the WCF. '02 Duncan doesn't have any help and the spurs still lose to the Lakers in 5 despite leading in the 4th quarter of every game. That period was more frustrating for me as a fan.

[skin27]

1. George Hill

2. DeJuan Blair
3. Antonio McDyess
4. Dick Jefferson
5. Matt Bonner
6. 09/10 Michael Finley
7. Roger Mason Jr.
8. Malik Hairston
9. Keith Bogans
10. Ian Mahinmi

I don't consider Neal to be part of the dark era since he remained with the Spurs after 2011. Bonner, Blair, and RJ were too but they were a big part of the ugly years as well.



Damn, those shitty players the Spurs had. :lol

You forgot drew gooden..:lmao i cant believed he played for the spurs..the PATFO really getting shitty players that time(2009-2011)..

[Sean Cagney]

Really, 2007 was an anomaly, in that we got lucky gs took out the mavs. imo 07-11 was the "dark period", in terms of the roster being extremely lopsided. Pop and the big 3 were still good enough to get great results, but the team was too dependent on their health due to the lack of balance

2007 was an easy path after round 2 but it was legit tbh. Mavs lost to an 8th seed so that is their own damn fault.

[spursistan]

Still though that 2010 Dallas series win was so great, tbh.. basically the same Mav team (without Chandler) that would go one to win the Chip a year later..G.Hill was memorable in few of those games...

[timtonymanu]

You forgot drew gooden..:lmao i cant believed he played for the spurs..the PATFO really getting shitty players that time(2009-2011)..

Sadly enough, Gooden was probably the 2nd best big after Timmy that season. :lol

[apalisoc_9]

What a terrible mainstream article...It's obvious the target audience is mainstream spurs fan..aka Porker fans, aka big 3 only player fans..

08 and 13 was both very competitive years and far from being a dark year.

[diego]

I think it's a bit much to call it an anomaly, especially given that we were a hair's breadth away from beating the Mavs and likely winning a title in 2006.

Eh, it's easy to play what if, Wade was on fire that year and Tim was playing with plantar fascists iirc. My point is more that the spurs roster wasn't that great, it was steadily becoming too top heavy with the big 3, and winning in 07 lulled the FO to complacency when they needed to upgrade. I remember most of the board was not happy about standing pat after that championship, and hindsight shows those people were right.

Obviously it's not a dark period, but I do think some of the big 3's best years were wasted; in the FO defence, the big 3 contracts got big and it was tough to get better help under those circumstances.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

What a terrible mainstream article...It's obvious the target audience is mainstream spurs fan..aka Porker fans, aka big 3 only player fans..

08 and 13 was both very competitive years and far from being a dark year.

Duh yet another shit take just to be able to throw your Porker schtick.

The articale doesn't mention any 'dark years', it's about 'championship drought years', which both 08 and 13 were. Are all player fans unable to read or something?

[TimDunkem]

I remember a shit ton of you believing that the team in 2010 was stacked. :lol

Marcus Haislip!

[objective]

Yep..Even in 2008 with Manu dealing with ankle issues, we managed to beat a very hot Hornets team without HC in Game 7; pissed way game 1 vs a younger Lakers team in WCF after sleeping the night before in tarmac of New Orleans Airport and should have gone back to LA at 2-2 but or Joe Crawford pathetic non-call on Barry 3 attempt...toward the tail end of that season a bunch of guys got way too old and looked effectively done Horry, Bowen , Oberto and Finley..

It quite amazing how it took PATFO only 3 years to reload again and put a title contender by 2012..

Let's not forget pop benching Bowen in the 3rd with a third foul and letting Kobe go berserk and erase a huge lead and cost them the game.

[ceperez]

Duh yet another shit take just to be able to throw your Porker schtick.

The articale doesn't mention any 'dark years', it's about 'championship drought years', which both 08 and 13 were. Are all player fans unable to read or something?

Exactly. It's about the most memorable players during that drought, not the worst players. Hairston, Mahinmi, Gooden, etc either didn't play for more than one season or barely played for the Spurs.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Yep..Even in 2008 with Manu dealing with ankle issues, we managed to beat a very hot Hornets team without HC in Game 7; pissed way game 1 vs a younger Lakers team in WCF after sleeping the night before in tarmac of New Orleans Airport and should have gone back to LA at 2-2 but or Joe Crawford pathetic non-call on Barry 3 attempt...toward the tail end of that season a bunch of guys got way too old and looked effectively done Horry, Bowen , Oberto and Finley..

It quite amazing how it took PATFO only 3 years to reload again and put a title contender by 2012..


2008 the team looked great behind Parker and manu, but it took a toll on them and the lack of depth outside the big 3 got exposed.
2009 manu being out again exposed the lack of depth, by 2010 Duncan was carrying the entire frontcourt, same for 2011. It wasn't till the emergence of splitter and the arrival of Leonard that the big 3 finally got some decent help

:tu to both.


1. George Hill

2. DeJuan Blair
3. Antonio McDyess
4. Dick Jefferson
5. Matt Bonner
6. 09/10 Michael Finley
7. Roger Mason Jr.
8. Malik Hairston
9. Keith Bogans
10. Ian Mahinmi

I don't consider Neal to be part of the dark era since he remained with the Spurs after 2011. Bonner, Blair, and RJ were too but they were a big part of the ugly years as well.

Damn, those shitty players the Spurs had. :lol

I'm glad Dice was a Spur - he was one of those guys I always hoped would be a Spur one day (West is another!) - but he was over the hill by the time he got here unfortunately.

I really enjoyed Grizzly Blair as a rookie and soph, but his deficiencies became stark, and he turned out to be a bit of a headcase.

I had an irrational hope for Malik Hairston, but he never panned out. Maybe Jonathon Simmons can be what Hairston might have been.

[timtonymanu]

I remember a shit ton of you believing that the team in 2010 was stacked. :lol

Marcus Haislip!

:lol yeah Spurs fans got so excited over him because of his dunking abilities. Dude was a total scrub though.

[skin27]

i think 2008-2009, 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 were only the dark years..maybe only 2009-2010..in 08-09 we had good record and 3rd seed in the west, manu's injury was really the down fall of that team we had no chance of beating the in the playoffs without Manu that time and the mavs had our numbers that time also.. In 2011 we had a great regular season infact we won 61 games but unfortunately choked in the playoffs...2009-2010 season is really the dark season..50 win season streak stopped that year and the team is so inconsistent during regular season, the only highlights that year was beating the mavs in the first round.. But only to get swept by the suns in the 2nd round..

[timtonymanu]

I'm glad Dice was a Spur - he was one of those guys I always hoped would be a Spur one day (West is another!) - but he was over the hill by the time he got here unfortunately.

I really enjoyed Grizzly Blair as a rookie and soph, but his deficiencies became stark, and he turned out to be a bit of a headcase.

I had an irrational hope for Malik Hairston, but he never panned out. Maybe Jonathon Simmons can be what Hairston might have been.

Hill and Dice were the only Spurs that I consider commendable. Dice was definitely over the hill and looking back, he shouldn't have been the Spurs 2nd big. But he still had his moments and I give him props for being one of the few players in the Grizzlies series whos balls didn't shrink at the site of Memphis. First class teammate like always.

Blair always rubbed me the wrong way, even when he was playing good. I just got frustrated with his very loose style of play and instead of improving his game like he should have, he got fat and sulked about losing his starter minutes. It's even more glaring knowing that he has done absolutely nothing in the league since he left the Spurs. I couldn't even tell you where he plays now. :lol

I actually liked Malik Hairston a lot but that had more to do with the shitty players the Spurs had in their rotation (Mason, Finley, Bogans - all unathletic and one dimensional). He had some good energy plays, but considering how the Spurs look now and how much they have improved their wing depth, he wasn't a loss at all.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Hill and Dice were the only Spurs that I consider commendable. Dice was definitely over the hill and looking back, he shouldn't have been the Spurs 2nd big. But he still had his moments and I give him props for being one of the few players in the Grizzlies series whos balls didn't shrink at the site of Memphis. First class teammate like always.

Blair always rubbed me the wrong way, even when he was playing good. I just got frustrated with his very loose style of play and instead of improving his game like he should have, he got fat and sulked about losing his starter minutes. It's even more glaring knowing that he has done absolutely nothing in the league since he left the Spurs. I couldn't even tell you where he plays now. :lol

I actually liked Malik Hairston a lot but that had more to do with the shitty players the Spurs had in their rotation (Mason, Finley, Bogans - all unathletic and one dimensional). He had some good energy plays, but considering how the Spurs look now and how much they have improved their wing depth, he wasn't a loss at all.

Indeed. You have to say Grizz was fun as a rookie though - he was a wrecking-ball of energy on the boards and hadn't gotten complacent yet. Fun to watch.

And yeah, I didn't mention Hill. Always appreciated him, but never quite trusted him to come through, although he had the odd big moment. He's improved in Indiana, to his credit.

[timtonymanu]

i think 2008-2009, 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 were only the dark years..maybe only 2009-2010..in 08-09 we had good record and 3rd seed in the west, manu's injury was really the down fall of that team we had no chance of beating the in the playoffs without Manu that time and the mavs had our numbers that time also.. In 2011 we had a great regular season infact we won 61 games but unfortunately choked in the playoffs...2009-2010 season is really the dark season..50 win season streak stopped that year and the team is so inconsistent during regular season, the only highlights that year was beating the mavs in the first round.. But only to get swept by the suns in the 2nd round..

I still thought 2009 and 2011 were pretty dark years.

The Spurs were starting Matt Bonner at C in 2009. Yeah, he was great in the regular season, but I always knew he would be exposed in the playoffs. His alternates were 40 year olds Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto and Drew Gooden, a black hole player. The wing depth wasn't any better. Bowen being the best wing player outside of Manu should have been a telling sign. Not to mention, Pop benching Hill late in the season in favor of Vaughn, which turned out to be a stupid move.

2011 was total fool's gold. Looking back, it's not surprising that team lost in the first round. A roster that has Jefferson/Bonner/Blair as rotation players isn't a championship team. I consider that a pretty dark season since they lost in the 1st round as the first seed and I really thought the Spurs were done after that. Thankfully, they stepped their game up that summer by getting Leonard and finally traded that cancer RJ the following year.

[timtonymanu]

Indeed. You have to say Grizz was fun as a rookie though - he was a wrecking-ball of energy on the boards and hadn't gotten complacent yet. Fun to watch.

And yeah, I didn't mention Hill. Always appreciated him, but never quite trusted him to come through, although he had the odd big moment. He's improved in Indiana, to his credit.

Yeah he had a fun rookie season but that was the problem with Blair though. His rookie season will likely be the highlight of his career. It was a downhill trend from there.

Hill frustrated me at times too because he got passive and was mentally weak on the road, but I was still a huge fan. He was the only player that looked legit and looked to have a solid career wherever he went. Wouldn't mind him on the current Spurs team, not considering salary.

[NikosChelsea7]

2009-2010 season is really the dark season..50 win season streak stopped that year https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009%E2%80%9310_San_Antonio_Spurs_season The streak is still alive.

[skin27]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009%E2%80%9310_San_Antonio_Spurs_season The streak is still alive.

Sorry i forget it..yeah we still won 50 games but we almost lost the streak that season..if i can remember we need to win the last game of the regular season to keep the streak alive..

[Chinook]

Hill's salary is fine. He'd be a very welcomed sixth man for the Spurs in 2017.