David West doesn't fit with the Spurs' second unit

[LkrFan]

https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/90L4_8ZV5FYorH3pZiyLLAHAdRs=/0x90:1770x1270/783x522/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47051314/usa-today-8521146.0.jpg

West is still a very good player but the skills he brings to the table are not the ones the Spurs need from a fourth big.

It's been a while since a veteran looking for a ring joined the Spurs (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/san-antonio-spurs). The last one was Antonio McDyess (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/21692/antonio-mcdyess), who might or might not have been San Antonio's second choice after Rasheed Wallace (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4307834). So obviously it's nice to see David West (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/21663/david-west) spurn other contenders, leaving $12 million dollars on the table and deciding to wear Silver and Black next season.
Because of how exciting it is to see someone want to be a Spur that badly and because West is a consummate pro, his addition was welcomed and regarded as a coup. The reality is that the way the roster is built makes West an awkward fit with this iteration of the team and could struggle to find a role.

The Spurs need a rebounder next to Diaw

Boris Diaw's inadequacies as a rebounder are well-documented. He boards like a wing, essentially, posting a career defensive rebound percentage of 13.4 percent. Only 35 percent of his rebounds were of the contested variety in 2014/15 and he averaged a very low 3.2 rebounding chances per minutes, which suggest he doesn't chase boards outside of his area often. The eye test confirms it.
If he shares the court with good rebounders the team doesn't suffer, but he needs a big man that can clean up the glass next to him. Duncan qualifies and Aldridge has improved greatly in that area over the past three years.
West isn't that type of player, unfortunately. He has averaged more than a 20 percent defensive rebound percentage only once since breaking out on his third season. For comparison, Tim Duncan (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/21776/tim-duncan) pulled down almost 27 percent of all available defensive rebounds while Baynes grabbed almost 21 percent. Those two were by far the big men that spent most time alongside Diaw.
Rebounds will be available, so it's possible to assume that next to a bad rebounder West will just up his percentage. Unfortunately, that climb would have to be significant and West doesn't seem capable of making it. Last season he did good work for the best defensive rebounding team in the league but did it by mostly feasting on uncontested rebounds. If he guards centers, he will have to keep them off the glass before actively going for the board, something he has not showed he can do.
West is a good rebounder for a power forward. If he's asked to play center, however, he might be subpar.

West can't protect the rim

West is a gritty defender. If he's asked to guard centers, he will. If he goes against back up bigs, he will succeed more often than not at the individual level. The problem with him next to Diaw or Aldridge in lineups is not how they will handle their own assignments but how they will provide help.
Positions don't mean much but teams often have centers stand close to the ring and funnel opponents to them. Doing that is key to the Spurs' scheme based on chasing players off the three-point line, even if it means getting beat off the dribble. If the perimeter players do that and Duncan is not on the court, the result will be a bucket more often than not, especially if West is the one tasked with being the last line of defense.

West was both one of the least prolific starting big men when it came to contesting shots last season (one contest every 7.7 minutes) and one of the least successful at stopping baskets when he did contest (52.9 percent allowed at the rim). He simply doesn't have the tools to be a rim protector. His wingspan is great but his standing reach is closer to average. He's not an explosive leaper or someone who can cover a lot of ground quickly. More damming, he has spent his entire career playing next to traditional centers (Tyson Chanlder, Emeka Okafor (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/21542/emeka-okafor) and Roy Hibbert (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/35076/roy-hibbert)), which means he has never had to play that role.
While there's at least some hope (http://www.poundingtherock.com/2015/8/22/9168187/lamarcus-aldridge-defense-breakdown-spurs)that Aldridge becomes a better rim protector simply because he has the physical tools to be one, expecting West to do so doesn't seem realistic at all.

West's range doesn't extend to the three-point line

David West shot a scorching 50 percent on shots between 16 and 24 feet. Only J.J. Redick (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/21613/j-j-redick)did better among players who took at least two shots a game from that distance. West's mid-range jumper is elite, a deadly weapon. Just look at all that green from the elbows and the top of the key.

https://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/woE7ok_od2CKoXXlsuIpSe0JQK0=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4010468/West_shot_chart.0.png

What he doesn't do is shoot three-pointers. West has launched only 192 shots from beyond the arc on a 12-year career and has connected on only 25 percent of those. For whatever reason, he has never tried expanding his range.
That's not a problem in and on itself. For the Spurs, however, three-point shooting from a rotation big is a skill that is missing. If West were able to fill that role, any deficiencies as a rebounder and rim protector would be mitigated, as his offensive value would increase dramatically. It's the reason Matt Bonner (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/21772/matt-bonner) always was a net plus despite his obvious limitations.
West is not going to pull his man outside enough to really open the floor for the Spurs and he rarely dives on pick and rolls, so he won't pull the defense in either. Both Tiago Splitter and Aron Baynes (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/89186/aron-baynes) were fantastic at that, which created open looks for outside shooters. When West was on the court, the Pacers (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/indiana-pacers) launched three fewer three-point attempts. He is strictly a pick and pop guy, which means he doesn't get to the line a lot, either.
What the Spurs need on offense from their fourth big is the ability to stretch the defense inside or out and efficient scoring. West offers neither, at least in theory.

West is a good player but a poor fit

West has his weaknesses but he also has his strengths. He will give the offense a safety valve with his pick and pop jumper when nothing else is working. He is a heady team defender who knows where to be. He rebounds very well for a power forward. His leadership and professionalism alone makes him a big bargain for the minimum. By no means is he even close to a waste of a roster spot.
The problem is how he fits with the rest of the big men. West is one of the few traditional power forwards left, which means he needs to play next to a center to be at his best. The Spurs don't really have one, other than Tim Duncan.
Had Aldridge signed elsewhere, West would have made a good consolation prize as a starter next to Big Fun. If instead of Splitter the front office had moved Diaw to make room for Aldridge, bench units would have had balance. That's not what happened, of course, so there are some issues left to sort out regarding the big man rotation.
In terms of talent, the Spurs got better this offseason. The question marks revolve around how it will all fits together. At this point in his career West can't be asked to change his game, so it will be up to his teammates to adjust and up to Pop to find the right combinations to make the addition of West as valuable in practice as it is on paper.

LINK: http://www.poundingtherock.com/2015/8/29/9216949/david-west-is-more-a-luxury-than-a-need

Discuss sons. :)

[kaji157]

The problem is Diaw and West together. As long as those two doesn´t share the court a lot there will be no problem.

[808]

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=252196

Discussed

[spurraider21]

Boban will take care of all that

[ChumpDumper]

lakerfan really cares about the Spurs.

[LkrFan]

Y'all need to keep a rim protector on the floor with him at all times. No Red Rocket/West or Diaw/West combinations. This will limit Pop in how he uses him.

[cd98]

This article sure gets posted a lot.

[ChumpDumper]

Y'all need to keep a rim protector on the floor with him at all times. No Red Rocket/West or Diaw/West combinations. This will limit Pop in how he uses him.lakerfan really cares about the Spurs.

[LkrFan]

This article sure gets posted a lot.
Truth, but what are your thoughts?

[ChumpDumper]

Truth, but what are your thoughts?He'll be fine. lakerfan worries for the Spurs' second unit are touching but misplaced.

[RD2191]

It's time like these that make me wish Trump does become President.

[hater]

It's time like these that make me wish Trump does become President.

The Donald is a lock for pres. He will obliterate shillary and co

[TheGreatYacht]

It's time like these that make me wish Trump does become President.
:lol There's internet in Mexico though

[TheGreatYacht]

#Bernie2016

[RD2191]

:pctoss
:lol There's internet in Mexico though

[Silver&Black]

It's time like these that make me wish Trump does become President.

It's posts like this that make me forgive all your anti-Parker and Kawhi Player Fan posts....

robdiaz....

My nigga.

[LkrFan]

It's time like these that make me wish Trump does become President.
:lol

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Well, it's all good. We still have Bonbon, after all.



#Bernie2016
Only because she's better than that deceitful snake Hillary.

[Silver&Black]

One of my favorite exchanges involving my nigga robdiaz:

ElNono (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=8054) : "goddamn Marco, can you stop anybody?"
RD2191 (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=42690) : "only women in their tracks."

[ElNono]

One of my favorite exchanges involving my nigga robdiaz:

ElNono (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=8054) : "goddamn Marco, can you stop anybody?"
RD2191 (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=42690) : "only women in their tracks."

mi negre :lol

[RD2191]

It's posts like this that make me forgive all your anti-Parker and Kawhi Player Fan posts....

robdiaz....

My nigga.

:lol

[Sean Cagney]

They haven't played a game yet so I will wait and see. This is speculation. If by mid season or late he doesn't fit then I will say something.

[spurslegacy]

SHE? Bernie Sanders is a 74 year old man.


#Bernie2016


Well, it's all good. We still have Bonbon, after all.



Only because she's better than that deceitful snake Hillary.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

SHE? Bernie Sanders is a 74 year old man.
At least he's brutally honest, particularly for a politician.

Trump is very honest too, almost to a fault where he often sticks his foot in his mouth. He kicks ass, though. Cruz/Huckabee/Walker/Santorum and the rest of those types are way too goddamn religious to win. Carson is very intelligent, but do the racist Republicans (who make up a decent chunk of the party, unfortunately) want to see two straight black men in office? Rubio is smart too, and a minority, and either ticket combination of P/VP with Jeb Bush would guarantee Florida, but what about Ohio?

[dabom]

Lmao at anyone thinking Republicans have a chance. Lol

[spurslegacy]

Oh I completely support Bernie 100% - nobody is talking about the issues at such length as he is, and he's been doing it now for 30 years (and without any corporate sponsors). I just found it amusing you called Bernie a she ;) in truth, and I might be criticized, but I find a lot of similarities between the Spurs and socialism - from the egalitarianism in cash, court time, and playing style to their progressive policies for women in the workplace, and their undeniable yet unique approach in roster development based on family, communication and selflessness (as opposed to money and fame for players and treating those players like commodities and trading pieces) that has kept Tim, Manu, and Tony together for fifteen years - an incredible feat on its own if not for five chips and counting... So yeah #feelthebern ...


At least he's brutally honest, particularly for a politician.

Trump is very honest too, almost to a fault where he often sticks his foot in his mouth. He kicks ass, though. Cruz/Huckabee/Walker/Santorum and the rest of those types are way too goddamn religious to win. Carson is very intelligent, but do the racist Republicans (who make up a decent chunk of the party, unfortunately) want to see two straight black men in office? Rubio is smart too, and a minority, and either ticket combination of P/VP with Jeb Bush would guarantee Florida, but what about Ohio?

[spurslegacy]

hey, remember after Romney's failure to get elected, the RNC chair Preibus talking about how the Republican Party needs to start appealing to women and minorities if they want to have a chance in future elections. HAH good luck guys


Lmao at anyone thinking Republicans have a chance. Lol

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Oh I completely support Bernie 100% - nobody is talking about the issues at such length as he is, and he's been doing it now for 30 years (and without any corporate sponsors). I just found it amusing you called Bernie a she ;) in truth, and I might be criticized, but I find a lot of similarities between the Spurs and socialism - from the egalitarianism in cash, court time, and playing style to their progressive policies for women in the workplace, and their undeniable yet unique approach in roster development based on family, communication and selflessness (as opposed to money and fame for players and treating those players like commodities and trading pieces) that has kept Tim, Manu, and Tony together for fifteen years - an incredible feat on its own if not for five chips and counting... So yeah #feelthebern ...
The "she" was a typo. If a Democrat were to win, I'd much rather have Bernie over any of the other establishment Democrats. If Bernie = the Spurs, then Hillary = the Patriots... lying, cheating, shady, covert, secretive scumbags.

The difference, however, between socialism and the Spurs is that guys at the top like Tim give up salary voluntarily to improve the team as a whole. Nobody coerced him into taking less or even staying on the Spurs. The socialists want to mandate that the ultra-rich give up the majority of their wealth to the poor to make everyone "middle class" albeit at a possibly higher financial level than the average middle class person today. The distinction may seem subtle on the surface, while in fact it means all the difference in the world. People as a species are competitive and individualistically motivated and despise being coerced and told what to do, especially when they are forced to give up property that is rightfully theirs. However, when the act of giving is voluntary, it enriches the soul while appealing to their competitive and individualistic drive to be a top-tier altruist and humanitarian, by free will. (In basketball, this means being renowned as an elite teammate and all around paragon of the sport.) This is not true with government-mandated redistribution, however. If Adam Silver all of a sudden demands a redistribution of salary so that each member on the team's salary must be roughly equal (say, within 25% of the top earner) people will be less motivated to succeed due to the bleak lack of personal incentive and the loss of the ability to give back to the team and/or society because the "government" (in this case, the commissioner) has forcefully carried this operation out for them.

[T Park]

At least he's brutally honest, particularly for a politician.

Trump is very honest too, almost to a fault where he often sticks his foot in his mouth. He kicks ass, though. Cruz/Huckabee/Walker/Santorum and the rest of those types are way too goddamn religious to win. Carson is very intelligent, but do the racist Republicans (who make up a decent chunk of the party, unfortunately) want to see two straight black men in office? Rubio is smart too, and a minority, and either ticket combination of P/VP with Jeb Bush would guarantee Florida, but what about Ohio?


The party with many minorities running is the racist one as opposed to the democrats who are old and white.

Keep talking out your ass.

[dabom]

hey, remember after Romney's failure to get elected, the RNC chair Preibus talking about how the Republican Party needs to start appealing to women and minorities if they want to have a chance in future elections. HAH good luck guys

Vote for another bush in office or an extremist donald trump. :lmao

[UNT Eagles 2016]

The party with many minorities running is the racist one as opposed to the democrats who are old and white.

Keep talking out your ass.
It's not keep talking about of my ass. It's just unfortunate that a lot of the traditionally Republican-dominated states (the South, etc) have a lot of racist people that largely may be unwilling to vote for a minority, especially considering Obama. If it's Carson/Rubio vs Hillary/Sanders... these folks may just have a few beers after work and go straight to bed on Tuesday, November 1st, 2016.

I'm a right-leaning libertarian and would vote for virtually any of the major candidates for the Republican nomination. Kasich is a liberaltard and lies about it, so obviously not him. But he's not going to win anyway. I like Trump, Carson, and Rubio. Jeb Bush and Christie are alright. Carly is a failed businesswoman but at least she's not a shady liar like the female on the other side. The rest are too religious for my liking, though I think Cruz is a very good man and would do the country good in a lot of ways.

[SPURt]

Trump 2016 book it

[Nbadan]

Trump 2016 book it

How much?

[UNT Eagles 2016]

I have a simple solution to this thread. Why not start West alongside Aldridge, bring Diaw off the bench for West, and then Duncan for Aldridge? Duncan and Aldridge can play together at the end of close games when the matchups call for 2 bigs.

[maverick1948]

"Because West is the consummate pro, his addition was welcomed".

Your statement about West is true. He is the consummate pro. He will adjust his game to what needs to be done. No he won't be the greatest fit day 1, but by the time the season starts, he will be adjusting to what his role will be. West and Diaw will be 12 fouls in addition to the rest times for the LMA and TD.

[Seventyniner]

Discuss sons. :)

Richard Jefferson was supposed to be a perfect fit. What's your point?

[sasaint]

I believe this will happen more than most Spurs fans expect - but not against the likes of Howard, Cousins and Jordan. Timmy will start at the 5 against those bigs unless Boban is WAAAAY better than I think - LOL. Timmy was just quoted as saying that he wants to push LMA and ride his coattails, so I expect he will come off the bench some, in addition to getting more DNPs. This season I think starting lineups will be much more dependent on opponents than in the past - even after Pop gets beyond his early season experiment phase. I also expect big man combos will be influenced greatly by the chemistry that develops among the 4 main bigs.

[sasaint]

I have a simple solution to this thread. Why not start West alongside Aldridge, bring Diaw off the bench for West, and then Duncan for Aldridge? Duncan and Aldridge can play together at the end of close games when the matchups call for 2 bigs.

I believe this will happen more than most Spurs fans expect - but not against the likes of Howard, Cousins and Jordan. Timmy will start at the 5 against those bigs unless Boban is WAAAAY better than I think - LOL. Timmy was just quoted as saying that he wants to push LMA and ride his coattails, so I expect he will come off the bench some, in addition to getting more DNPs. This season I think starting lineups will be much more dependent on opponents than in the past - even after Pop gets beyond his early season experiment phase. I also expect big man combos will be influenced greatly by the chemistry that develops among the 4 main bigs.

(Sorry I missed the Quote on my first reply.)

[UNT Eagles 2016]

I believe this will happen more than most Spurs fans expect - but not against the likes of Howard, Cousins and Jordan. Timmy will start at the 5 against those bigs unless Boban is WAAAAY better than I think - LOL. Timmy was just quoted as saying that he wants to push LMA and ride his coattails, so I expect he will come off the bench some, in addition to getting more DNPs. This season I think starting lineups will be much more dependent on opponents than in the past - even after Pop gets beyond his early season experiment phase. I also expect big man combos will be influenced greatly by the chemistry that develops among the 4 main bigs.
I don't want to see too much mad scientist mode, we can't afford to start 12–9 in the brutal West. We need a top 2 seed and HCA over Cleveland is imperative.

[AFMadison]

Richard Jefferson was supposed to be a perfect fit. What's your point?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVxRkooP2XQ

[sasaint]

I don't want to see too much mad scientist mode, we can't afford to start 12–9 in the brutal West. We need a top 2 seed and HCA over Cleveland is imperative.

Yes, we need a fast start. But with the combination of new young guys and the two new hungry vets, I expect our guys to play with much greater passion than last season. I think Pop will do his usual experimentation, but even after the All-Star break, I expect multiple, "regular" starting lineups, depending on the opponent.

[T Park]

I don't want to see too much mad scientist mode, we can't afford to start 12–9 in the brutal West. We need a top 2 seed and HCA over Cleveland is imperative.



Hi, earth, have we met?

[tbdog]

Yes, we need a fast start. But with the combination of new young guys and the two new hungry vets, I expect our guys to play with much greater passion than last season. I think Pop will do his usual experimentation, but even after the All-Star break, I expect multiple, "regular" starting lineups, depending on the opponent.

Spurs start the season with a great schedule and we could easily go 11-0 if we win the opening night. Before the Pelicans game. We have one back to back which is Boston then Knicks, followed by probably our hardest game of the stretch (for exception for opening night) which is the Wizards game on the 4th of Nov. After that we play the Hornets who may or may not be a playoff team in the east, then we just play lottery teams before when the fun begins on the 20th of Nov at Pelicans.

So if we do have a 12-9 start, it will be worst than what it really is

[spurslegacy]

The "she" was a typo. If a Democrat were to win, I'd much rather have Bernie over any of the other establishment Democrats. If Bernie = the Spurs, then Hillary = the Patriots... lying, cheating, shady, covert, secretive scumbags.

The difference, however, between socialism and the Spurs is that guys at the top like Tim give up salary voluntarily to improve the team as a whole. Nobody coerced him into taking less or even staying on the Spurs. The socialists want to mandate that the ultra-rich give up the majority of their wealth to the poor to make everyone "middle class" albeit at a possibly higher financial level than the average middle class person today. The distinction may seem subtle on the surface, while in fact it means all the difference in the world. People as a species are competitive and individualistically motivated and despise being coerced and told what to do, especially when they are forced to give up property that is rightfully theirs. However, when the act of giving is voluntary, it enriches the soul while appealing to their competitive and individualistic drive to be a top-tier altruist and humanitarian, by free will. (In basketball, this means being renowned as an elite teammate and all around paragon of the sport.) This is not true with government-mandated redistribution, however. If Adam Silver all of a sudden demands a redistribution of salary so that each member on the team's salary must be roughly equal (say, within 25% of the top earner) people will be less motivated to succeed due to the bleak lack of personal incentive and the loss of the ability to give back to the team and/or society because the "government" (in this case, the commissioner) has forcefully carried this operation out for them.
-----------------------------------------------------------
HAH. i've heard that socialism hurts people by limiting individuality bullshit more than enough times. how badly are the socialist nations of the world really doing? Are France and Germany no longer competitive? news to me. personally i think the US could do with a little bit more community and a little less individuality. Limiting capitalism's impact on the poor and its reach into our government must be a goal. The inequality gap is greater now than anytime since the Great Depression. Trickle down economics never worked - it's was a bullshit ploy by conservatives to rape the middle class of even moderate wage increases while fattening the pockets of their friends. Conservatives constantly complain about high taxes and debt, yet do nothing to repair infrastructure or ameliorate education - you can't have it both ways - if you want to reduce debt, you must raise revenue - and personally I'd rather raise that revenue from the asshole CEO's, Wall St brokers, and bankers who've been ripping us off for the last four decades. Do you know what the top tax rate bracket was in the golden era of the booming 1950's? NINETY-ONE PERCENT! Corporations have taken and taken, and grown, consolidated and cut costs (much like Marx predicted), while the average worker's wages have stagnated for the last forty plus years.

and by the way, our country is NOT the NBA and the Spurs are not exactly socialist, but I still feel like there is an analogy to be made - they are more egalitarian minded than any team i have ever witnessed. if any of the big three were as selfish as General Electric (which I hope you realize pays NO federal taxes at all) or Kobe (whose $25 million contract still has his team crippled), i doubt they ever would have won even a single ring. you're right, maybe we should just ask GE nicely to pay its fair share, and if they say no thanks, we'll just leave it at that, right?

when you say those concessions must be voluntary to be successful, did the middle class voluntarily give up its wages when companies downsized? or their houses when the banks foreclosed on them? that is such a ridiculous argument you make. what company voluntarily gives up anything??? they are in business to make money, to grow, to buy other companies, reduce overhead, and every year continue to increase profits no matter the human cost. until the people say NO enough is enough and elect people to governance who represent US and not simply THEM, America will continue to fall. Why did Obama support the TPP deal and open Alaska to offshore drilling? I can only imagine in the last stages of his Presidency he was pushed to fulfill his promises to his corporate overlords...

[Splits]

The "she" was a typo. If a Democrat were to win, I'd much rather have Bernie over any of the other establishment Democrats. If Bernie = the Spurs, then Hillary = the Patriots... lying, cheating, shady, covert, secretive scumbags.

The difference, however, between socialism and the Spurs is that guys at the top like Tim give up salary voluntarily to improve the team as a whole. Nobody coerced him into taking less or even staying on the Spurs. The socialists want to mandate that the ultra-rich give up the majority of their wealth to the poor to make everyone "middle class" albeit at a possibly higher financial level than the average middle class person today. The distinction may seem subtle on the surface, while in fact it means all the difference in the world. People as a species are competitive and individualistically motivated and despise being coerced and told what to do, especially when they are forced to give up property that is rightfully theirs. However, when the act of giving is voluntary, it enriches the soul while appealing to their competitive and individualistic drive to be a top-tier altruist and humanitarian, by free will. (In basketball, this means being renowned as an elite teammate and all around paragon of the sport.) This is not true with government-mandated redistribution, however. If Adam Silver all of a sudden demands a redistribution of salary so that each member on the team's salary must be roughly equal (say, within 25% of the top earner) people will be less motivated to succeed due to the bleak lack of personal incentive and the loss of the ability to give back to the team and/or society because the "government" (in this case, the commissioner) has forcefully carried this operation out for them.
-----------------------------------------------------------
HAH. i've heard that socialism hurts people by limiting individuality bullshit more than enough times. how badly are the socialist nations of the world really doing? Are France and Germany no longer competitive? news to me. personally i think the US could do with a little bit more community and a little less individuality. Limiting capitalism's impact on the poor and its reach into our government must be a goal. The inequality gap is greater now than anytime since the Great Depression. Trickle down economics never worked - it's was a bullshit ploy by conservatives to rape the middle class of even moderate wage increases while fattening the pockets of their friends. Conservatives constantly complain about high taxes and debt, yet do nothing to repair infrastructure or ameliorate education - you can't have it both ways - if you want to reduce debt, you must raise revenue - and personally I'd rather raise that revenue from the asshole CEO's, Wall St brokers, and bankers who've been ripping us off for the last four decades. Do you know what the top tax rate bracket was in the golden era of the booming 1950's? NINETY-ONE PERCENT! Corporations have taken and taken, and grown, consolidated and cut costs (much like Marx predicted), while the average worker's wages have stagnated for the last forty plus years.

and by the way, our country is NOT the NBA and the Spurs are not exactly socialist, but I still feel like there is an analogy to be made - they are more egalitarian minded than any team i have ever witnessed. if any of the big three were as selfish as General Electric (which I hope you realize pays NO federal taxes at all) or Kobe (whose $25 million contract still has his team crippled), i doubt they ever would have won even a single ring. you're right, maybe we should just ask GE nicely to pay its fair share, and if they say no thanks, we'll just leave it at that, right?

when you say those concessions must be voluntary to be successful, did the middle class voluntarily give up its wages when companies downsized? or their houses when the banks foreclosed on them? that is such a ridiculous argument you make. what company voluntarily gives up anything??? they are in business to make money, to grow, to buy other companies, reduce overhead, and every year continue to increase profits no matter the human cost. until the people say NO enough is enough and elect people to governance who represent US and not simply THEM, America will continue to fall. Why did Obama support the TPP deal and open Alaska to offshore drilling? I can only imagine in the last stages of his Presidency he was pushed to fulfill his promises to his corporate overlords...

lulz

[spurslegacy]

American poverty is funny to you?

[Splits]

American poverty is funny to you?

:lol

A wall of unreadable text trying to compare millionaires and the Spurs/NBA to government policy is funny to me

[spurslegacy]

you can't read? wow our education system really does suck.

Noam Chomsky on your average American's knowledge of sports as opposed to geopolitcal affairs:

"Well, let me give an example. When I'm driving, I sometimes turn on the radio and I find very often that what I'm listening to is a discussion of sports. These are telephone conversations. People call in and have long and intricate discussions, and it's plain that quite a high degree of thought and analysis is going into that. People know a tremendous amount. They know all sorts of complicated details and enter into far-reaching discussion about whether the coach made the right decision yesterday and so on. These are ordinary people, not professionals, who are applying their intelligence and analytic skills in these areas and accumulating quite a lot of knowledge and, for all I know, understanding. On the other hand, when I hear people talk about, say, international affairs or domestic problems, it's at a level of superficiality that's beyond belief."

I doubt anyone cares because again this IS 'merica, but you can read the full interview with Chomsky here (http://www.alternet.org/noam-chomsky-why-americans-know-so-much-about-sports-so-little-about-world-affairs)

[UNT Eagles 2016]

It's time to ship "spurslegacy" to Joseph McCarthy's grandson's incinerator, first class.

[Beaverfuzz]

West will play, what 10 minutes a game at most (assuming no foul trouble by others)?

[tholdren]

West will play, what 10 minutes a game at most (assuming no foul trouble by others)?
Really? 10 min per game? he played the least mpg last year in 10 years at 29mpg. How do you expect him to go from 29 mpg to 10 mpg?

#povertymatters

[DMC]

He can be made to fit. That doesn't mean David West, as his resume stands, is a good fit.

[Beaverfuzz]

Really? 10 min per game? he played the least mpg last year in 10 years at 29mpg. How do you expect him to go from 29 mpg to 10 mpg?

#povertymatters


10 min average, did you think he was coming in as a starter?

[Ice009]

10 min average, did you think he was coming in as a starter?

He's not coming in to play for 10 minutes either.

[Beaverfuzz]

He's not coming in to play for 10 minutes either.

You're right, 9.

[Ice009]

If I had to guess, I'd say about 15-20 minutes average, closer to 20. I seriously doubt he's giving up both money and playing time to come here.

[Kawhitstorm]

:bobo

[illusioNtEk]

Good job op

[tholdren]

American poverty is funny to you?
no - but giving people things for free for doing nothing is ironic.