For the Spurs to win the 16-17 Championship...

[UZER]

The odds aren't in their favor this year. What has to happen for it to happen?


Quick thoughts:

Kawhi needs to take another step in his game averaging 24-26 ppg, and learn to take over games in crunch time consistently.

Someone needs to be 'that guy' off the bench that's a game changer every night.

I think people are underestimating the force the Pau / LMA front court will be this season.

[MultiTroll]

LMA needs to learn to play defense in crunch playoff time.

[Mr. Body]

Warriors shooting needs to fall back to earth.

Warriors need to have locker room issues, which I think may happen.

Warriors need to have a couple injuries.

[Chillen]

They have to play very, very, very good!

[Sean Cagney]

They have to play very, very, very good!

Yes, at least NEAR 2014 playoff level, which is not easy.

[barbacoataco]

Now that I'm old and have a little perspective, looking back at the Spurs since the late 80's, I see that winning a championship is really a very hard thing to do. The Spurs had good teams in 2004 and 2006, and 2000 before Duncan got hurt, but they didn't win championships. It takes a combination of playing great basketball, having a HEALTHY team, and a little luck with match-ups and the playoffs and injuries to opponents. When Golden State won last year the Cavaliers were injured. Pretty much every year injuries play a big role.

The Spurs should be a top 5 team next year so they definitely have potential to ring.
1. Leonard is still young enough to continue improving
2. Gasol should be an upgrade over Duncan
3. Aldridge in his 2nd season with team will be more comfortable
4. Green is a ? in my book, but he is in his prime
5. Patty Mills is in a contract year and might go off

That being said the bench is a huge mystery and the Spurs seem to be a few pieces away from putting it all together.

Pop will have to take a chance and play some of the 1st year players, since so many players left after last season. He will be forced to play some new guys.

Of course there's also Parker and maybe he'll go to Italy for 3-4 weeks, receive "treatments" from an old man wearing sunglasses, and return with increased speed, strength and agility like a 25 yr old. It happens all the time in sports these days.

[HarlemHeat37]

1. A Warriors injury to Dominos, Curry or Draymond, which would make the Spurs' favorites
2. A Warriors injury to Klay Thompson, which would give the Spurs even odds
3. Parker needs to undergo a "special" procedure like Peyton Manning and Kobe did
4. Kyle Anderson needs to become legit
5. Need 1 competent bench big
6. Green needs to be 2014-2015 Danny, not last season's

[cd98]

Kawhi is two years away from having the skill set to take the Spurs all the way and this bench is the worst it's been in a while. They'll be good, but I could see them finishing like last year.

[alpha_HaZE]

Spurs need SHOOTING,

They need Kyle Anderson, who is going to see his minutes go up, to shoot 3s south of 40%. He is already better defender than Diaw, and has higher free throw attempt rate when attacking the basket. If he improves his shooting, he will be an upgrade over Boris!

Tony and KL, already shoot 3s near or above 40%, if Danny Green is going to have a bounce back season, offensively, he is a solid defender year in and year out, and all three of them shoot north of 40% beyond the 3 point line (and it can happen for a playoff series, fellas) with LA, and Pau, who also shoots a respectable 35%, we would be hard to stop.

They will also need Patty to re-gain his shooting touch, and be able to produce on nights that Tony, who is going to be on minutes restriction, won't.

That's not a long shot, with the addition of Pau, who is good enough to carry the offense for short stretches, Patty and Danny will have more space to shoot next year. So I expect them to have better years all around. Also I expect Kyle to make the jump that is so typical of a 2 year to 3 year Spurs player.

The problem is that they only have the starters + Patty + KA + Manu, who is a liability on defense and has become a liability on the offensive end as well. His opponents know he is "looking to pass" on the pick and roll. We will need at least 2 of the new players, not named Pau Gasol, to be key contributors of the bench. Maybe it will be Jonathon Simmons and a big, or Dejounte sees minutes and Bertans shoots well.

Time will tell if that would happen or not. It's a long shot right now, to be honest.

[TheGreatYacht]

1. Pop needs to show up in the playoffs.

[ElNono]

Any of these lists need to start with "No more Bonner, plz"... even if he doesn't play...

[SilverSpur]

Bryn Forbes needs to shoot 75% from behind the arch.

[Seventyniner]

1. A Warriors injury to Dominos, Curry or Draymond, which would make the Spurs' favorites
2. A Warriors injury to Klay Thompson, which would give the Spurs even odds
3. Parker needs to undergo a "special" procedure like Peyton Manning and Kobe did
4. Kyle Anderson needs to become legit
5. Need 1 competent bench big
6. Green needs to be 2014-2015 Danny, not last season's

You think the Spurs would be favored over the Cavs? It's a good matchup for the Spurs but I don't think it's quite that good.

[JR3]

Warriors shooting needs to fall back to earth.

Warriors need to have locker room issues, which I think may happen.

Warriors need to have a couple injuries.
Most of this happened in the finals this year... Not out of the question...

[ceperez]

You think the Spurs would be favored over the Cavs? It's a good matchup for the Spurs but I don't think it's quite that good.

Spurs will win if two of the GSW four stars are injured and the Spurs are fully healthy. Still a possibility.

[ceperez]

Bryn Forbes needs to shoot 75% from behind the arch.

If he can match Curry's output in the WCF finals, then Spurs will win.

[alpha_HaZE]

Spurs will be in good position to compete for a Championship Ring in the next few years.

There are 15 elite players in this league (and by elite, I mean top15, duh). Warriors have 4, Cavs 3, that means there 8 players for 28 teams. We are lucky to have two, and we have the salary cup to go after another one next summer.

In the meantime, we are bringing all of our prospects over to see what we 've got, so to speak.

[barbacoataco]

Spurs will be in good position to compete for a Championship Ring in the next few years.

There are 15 elite players in this league (and by elite, I mean top15, duh). Warriors have 4, Cavs 3, that means there 8 players for 28 teams. We are lucky to have two, and we have the salary cup to go after another one next summer.

In the meantime, we are bringing all of our prospects over to see what we 've got, so to speak.
If Cavs have 3 that means you think Kevin Love is top 15 player in NBA?

[HarlemHeat37]

You think the Spurs would be favored over the Cavs? It's a good matchup for the Spurs but I don't think it's quite that good.

I meant favorites vs. the Warriors..

I don't really buy the Cavs, though..they essentially needed every single possible break to win the championship(Draymond Green suspension, Curry and Thompson going ice cold, questionable officiating in the game where Curry fouled out, getting "good Kyrie" for 3 straight games, Iguodala getting hurt, Bogut missing the end of the series)..they also relied heavily on 3 super-human Lebron performances, which will become less frequent each year moving forward as he continues to pile on the mileage..

If he even plays at just an A- level, they lose..

[Hoops Czar]

1. A Warriors injury to Dominos, Curry or Draymond, which would make the Spurs' favorites
2. A Warriors injury to Klay Thompson, which would give the Spurs even odds
3. Parker needs to undergo a "special" procedure like Peyton Manning and Kobe did
4. Kyle Anderson needs to become legit
5. Need 1 competent bench big
6. Green needs to be 2014-2015 Danny, not last season's


Yeah, but PED's are illegal and I don't think its worth the risk of getting caught. :lol

[skulls138]

I wouldnt doubt if the Cavs repeat. Winning the championship lifts that monkey off and everything gets easier. Wouldnt doubt if Love finds his footing either with the pressure off.

[Duncanforthree]

Draymond Green needs to get into a nightclub brawl with KD and Curry and get them all kicked off the team like in Michigan.

[gilmor]

Let's be realistic.. Nobody gonna win the next championship except Warriors.

Spurs might as well develop their young players and be ready 3 years down the road.

[Snaq O'Meal]

When the Spurs play the Warriors, they need to take advantage of the latter's lack of rim protection or elite rebounding by attacking the basket relentlessly.

Andre Drummond was one of the earliest to notice that glaring weakness in his tweet.

And PATFO have been quietly making all the right moves to exploit that weakness.

By signing Gasol, one of the best rebounders and low post threats in the league.

By signing Dedmon, one of the most athletic big men whose sole purpose is to grab boards and dunk the hell out of anything in the paint.

And by drafting Murray, who has the potential of being one of the best slashers in the league if developed correctly.

[spursreport]

Let's be realistic.. Nobody gonna win the next championship except Warriors.

Spurs might as well develop their young players and be ready 3 years down the road.

I agree. The Warriors will dominate just like the 2013-2014 Denver Broncos did with that unstoppable offense. They have their 2 Peyton Mannings in Durant/Curry. NBA=Fucked. :lmao

[GSH]

https://media.giphy.com/media/B6chryYJDMaLC/giphy.gif

[SnakeBoy]

They need Kyle Anderson, who is going to see his minutes go up, to shoot 3s south of 40%.

Pretty sure Kyle can shoot south of 40%

[Hoops Czar]

I agree. The Warriors will dominate just like the 2013-2014 Denver Broncos did with that unstoppable offense. They have their 2 Peyton Mannings in Durant/Curry. NBA=Fucked. :lmao

That unstoppable Broncos offense got curbstomped in the Super Bowl by the Seahawks 43-8.:lol

[T Park]

Warriors shooting needs to fall back to earth.

Warriors need to have locker room issues, which I think may happen.

Warriors need to have a couple injuries.


I think their shooting near the end of the year and playoffs did. Maybe not.

I think they're due for injuries as well.

[spursreport]

That unstoppable Broncos offense got curbstomped in the Super Bowl by the Seahawks 43-8.:lol
BOOM! Which is exactly what will happen to the Warriors in some kind of form or fashion. Unless they get injuries to other teams and another championship handed to them, they won't ring with 2 Peyton Manning's leading the way. It just won't happen.

[Kikoluna]

1. Leonard averaging 26 pig
2. Aldridge averaging 24 pig
3. Manu and patty playing at 2014 level
4. KYLE NOT PLAYING AT ALL.

[skulls138]

Let's be realistic.. Nobody gonna win the next championship except Warriors.Deja vu all over again. I know...this time you mean it.

[alpha_HaZE]

Pretty sure Kyle can shoot south of 40%


Yes, 38 or 39% would be neat.

[alpha_HaZE]

If Cavs have 3 that means you think Kevin Love is top 15 player in NBA?

I think he is, and he played like one during the finals! It's just that his stats are down, which is normal since he plays with Lebron and Kyrie, two high usage players.

[HarlemHeat37]

I think he is, and he played like one during the finals! It's just that his stats are down, which is normal since he plays with Lebron and Kyrie, two high usage players.

https://media.giphy.com/media/RoqUltNfOhQ2Y/giphy.gif

[SuperCam]

the more i look at it the less i am impressed with the warriors. green had a great game7 but dissapeared in some earlier finals games including getting mentally rattled by LeKing and also vanished during half the WCF. Wardell shrinks during the post season because of his frail little waif morphology. and thompson despite killing the thunder if you look at this stats are rather pedestrian he's a coattail rider, tbh.

don't think green can put too many minutes as center in the playoffs when they cant afford to put that scrub dallas center they signed in. MVIggy is probably too old at this point to dominate like he did in 2015, tbh, especially if he's starting.

and durant is the biggest beta fuck ass nigga in the game right now. whose shots is he taking in which the margin of his efficiency is going to be so much greater than what he's replacing? don't tell me just barnes because you know he has to eat more than that. and he's supposed to do this while defending LMA or LeBron?


they got no answer for the LMA Gasol front court tandem. watch the finals without bogut once they stopped getting offensive rebounds their offense decombusted.

[look_at_g_shred]

Pop needs to shave

[Strategic]

Mills need to shoot like this is a contract year. (Believe it is) TP & MG need to play like its three years ago. Oh hell, it goes on and on. It's possibles

[playbonner15]

Pop needs to shave
Shaved Pop == Give-a-shit-Pop

[cutewizard]

Now that I'm old and have a little perspective, looking back at the Spurs since the late 80's, I see that winning a championship is really a very hard thing to do. The Spurs had good teams in 2004 and 2006, and 2000 before Duncan got hurt, but they didn't win championships. It takes a combination of playing great basketball, having a HEALTHY team, and a little luck with match-ups and the playoffs and injuries to opponents. When Golden State won last year the Cavaliers were injured. Pretty much every year injuries play a big role.

The Spurs should be a top 5 team next year so they definitely have potential to ring.
1. Leonard is still young enough to continue improving
2. Gasol should be an upgrade over Duncan
3. Aldridge in his 2nd season with team will be more comfortable
4. Green is a ? in my book, but he is in his prime
5. Patty Mills is in a contract year and might go off

That being said the bench is a huge mystery and the Spurs seem to be a few pieces away from putting it all together.

Pop will have to take a chance and play some of the 1st year players, since so many players left after last season. He will be forced to play some new guys.

Of course there's also Parker and maybe he'll go to Italy for 3-4 weeks, receive "treatments" from an old man wearing sunglasses, and return with increased speed, strength and agility like a 25 yr old. It happens all the time in sports these days.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

thanks bro, great post!

please do tell us more about this "old man and his treatments"

enlighten us more, thank you!

[cutewizard]

the more i look at it the less i am impressed with the warriors. green had a great game7 but dissapeared in some earlier finals games including getting mentally rattled by LeKing and also vanished during half the WCF. Wardell shrinks during the post season because of his frail little waif morphology. and thompson despite killing the thunder if you look at this stats are rather pedestrian he's a coattail rider, tbh.

don't think green can put too many minutes as center in the playoffs when they cant afford to put that scrub dallas center they signed in. MVIggy is probably too old at this point to dominate like he did in 2015, tbh, especially if he's starting.

and durant is the biggest beta fuck ass nigga in the game right now. whose shots is he taking in which the margin of his efficiency is going to be so much greater than what he's replacing? don't tell me just barnes because you know he has to eat more than that. and he's supposed to do this while defending LMA or LeBron?


they got no answer for the LMA Gasol front court tandem. watch the finals without bogut once they stopped getting offensive rebounds their offense decombusted.


-----------------------------------------------------

totally agree with you man

kudos and more power!

[EIC]

Warriors shooting needs to fall back to earth.

Warriors need to have locker room issues, which I think may happen.

Warriors need to have a couple injuries.

I think there is a strong possibility all three happen. The law of averages says Curry and Thompson cannot both continue shooting ~45% from beyond the arc. And, Curry's issues aside, they have been relatively lucky on the injury front. And there are a lot of big personalities in that locker room now, including Kerr's.

[lilbthebasedgod]

We need to tank to have a chance in 2017-2018 because we certainly don't now and its only gonna get worse.

We're not going to because we're too good. But for the next few years the reality is that unless our bench comes out of nowhere and is good, then we just have to get through being a decent playoff team and nothing more.

[EIC]

the more i look at it the less i am impressed with the warriors. green had a great game7 but dissapeared in some earlier finals games including getting mentally rattled by LeKing and also vanished during half the WCF. Wardell shrinks during the post season because of his frail little waif morphology. and thompson despite killing the thunder if you look at this stats are rather pedestrian he's a coattail rider, tbh.

don't think green can put too many minutes as center in the playoffs when they cant afford to put that scrub dallas center they signed in. MVIggy is probably too old at this point to dominate like he did in 2015, tbh, especially if he's starting.

and durant is the biggest beta fuck ass nigga in the game right now. whose shots is he taking in which the margin of his efficiency is going to be so much greater than what he's replacing? don't tell me just barnes because you know he has to eat more than that. and he's supposed to do this while defending LMA or LeBron?


they got no answer for the LMA Gasol front court tandem. watch the finals without bogut once they stopped getting offensive rebounds their offense decombusted.

:lol

Scurry is a little Peter Pan twink (NTTAWWT) that disappears in the playoffs. GSW is gonna trade him for an elite center a year from now. Book it.

[cjw]

I agree. The Warriors will dominate just like the 2013-2014 Denver Broncos did with that unstoppable offense. They have their 2 Peyton Mannings in Durant/Curry. NBA=Fucked. :lmao

Except the Broncos defense is what won them their only title this century, and Peyton was awful his last two years. I'd LOVE for Durant and Curry to be Peyton when it comes to sucking in the postseason.

But yeah Peyton was good in 13-14 but defense hadn't reached those heights yet.

[Kawhitstorm]

I meant favorites vs. the Warriors..

I don't really buy the Cavs, though..they essentially needed every single possible break to win the championship(Draymond Green suspension, Curry and Thompson going ice cold, questionable officiating in the game where Curry fouled out, getting "good Kyrie" for 3 straight games, Iguodala getting hurt, Bogut missing the end of the series)..they also relied heavily on 3 super-human Lebron performances, which will become less frequent each year moving forward as he continues to pile on the mileage..

Cripples are stock piling on ball handlers who are going to run circles around Porker/Patty/Manure so I would say the Cripples would give the Spurs more problems than the Cavs as long as CP3/Blake/ReDick are healthy. (Hopefully, GM Doc breakups the team::lol)

LeBron is the only guy on the Cavs that can check Kawhi so he can't play help defense nor help out much on the boards & Love would have to play b/c Dick Jefferson/Frye can't boxout Pau/LMA (Love can't guard 'em either::lol)

Probably need Dedmon to give the team 10-15 minutes & play the Hibbert role since LeBron has no regard for LMA/Pau in the paint.:lol

[Kawhitstorm]

the more i look at it the less i am impressed with the warriors. green had a great game7 but dissapeared in some earlier finals games including getting mentally rattled by LeKing and also vanished during half the WCF. Wardell shrinks during the post season because of his frail little waif morphology. and thompson despite killing the thunder if you look at this stats are rather pedestrian he's a coattail rider, tbh.

Too bad Softridge will bend over & get butt fucked by Gaymond. On the other hand, Klank Thompson should revert to his postseason choker mode against Danny/Kawhi.:lol

[Chinook]

1. A Warriors injury to Dominos, Curry or Draymond, which would make the Spurs' favorites
2. A Warriors injury to Klay Thompson, which would give the Spurs even odds
3. Parker needs to undergo a "special" procedure like Peyton Manning and Kobe did
4. Kyle Anderson needs to become legit
5. Need 1 competent bench big
6. Green needs to be 2014-2015 Danny, not last season's

Pretty much this, but I would say the biggest thing is that the Spurs need to be healthy and locked in defensively, especially Gasol. I think the starters are much more even than people think due to the fact that GS can't guard the Spurs down low. You get eight guys who are playing their hearts out, and I think they have a great shot no matter what. Would also want someone to come in a play defense off the bench.

[SAGirl]

Spurs need SHOOTING,

They need Kyle Anderson, who is going to see his minutes go up, to shoot 3s south of 40%. He is already better defender than Diaw, and has higher free throw attempt rate when attacking the basket. If he improves his shooting, he will be an upgrade over Boris!

Tony and KL, already shoot 3s near or above 40%, if Danny Green is going to have a bounce back season, offensively, he is a solid defender year in and year out, and all three of them shoot north of 40% beyond the 3 point line (and it can happen for a playoff series, fellas) with LA, and Pau, who also shoots a respectable 35%, we would be hard to stop.

They will also need Patty to re-gain his shooting touch, and be able to produce on nights that Tony, who is going to be on minutes restriction, won't.

That's not a long shot, with the addition of Pau, who is good enough to carry the offense for short stretches, Patty and Danny will have more space to shoot next year. So I expect them to have better years all around. Also I expect Kyle to make the jump that is so typical of a 2 year to 3 year Spurs player.

The problem is that they only have the starters + Patty + KA + Manu, who is a liability on defense and has become a liability on the offensive end as well. His opponents know he is "looking to pass" on the pick and roll. We will need at least 2 of the new players, not named Pau Gasol, to be key contributors of the bench. Maybe it will be Jonathon Simmons and a big, or Dejounte sees minutes and Bertans shoots well.

Time will tell if that would happen or not. It's a long shot right now, to be honest.
Good assessment. Harlem had a good one too, but I agree that considering the monolith we are facing, we need Jon to give us something or for Bertans to be reliable (and this is aside of Kyle expected to become a solid and reliable player now)

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Kawhi needs to pull a 2003 Duncan.
Kyle should be able to hang with the Warriors.
Perhaps a mid-season trade for a PnR guard.

[james evans]

Trade parker or move him to the bench and bring in another pg that can score, pass, and defend

[Drom John]

Shots go in 4 games each series.

[Budkin]

No superteam has ever won the title in their first season and it's not happening this year either. That leaves the door open for us.

[HarlemHeat37]

No superteam has ever won the title in their first season and it's not happening this year either. That leaves the door open for us.

http://celtics247.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/big-3.jpg

[AlexJones]

No superteam has ever won the title in their first season and it's not happening this year either. That leaves the door open for us.
Sample size of like 4 teams lmao

[TD 21]

1. A Warriors injury to Dominos, Curry or Draymond, which would make the Spurs' favorites
2. A Warriors injury to Klay Thompson, which would give the Spurs even odds
3. Parker needs to undergo a "special" procedure like Peyton Manning and Kobe did
4. Kyle Anderson needs to become legit
5. Need 1 competent bench big
6. Green needs to be 2014-2015 Danny, not last season's

Not only does Parker need to turn back the clock, but neither Gasol or Ginobili can drop off a cliff.

On top of Anderson, probably one of Simmons, Bertans or yet to be signed veteran power forward, have to emerge.

Despite the Warriors' lack of depth (which will probably be bolstered during the buyout period), I don't even think one of Durant, Curry or Green, being injured, would make the Spurs favorites. All it would do is give them a punchers chance.

[alpha_HaZE]

Good assessment. Harlem had a good one too, but I agree that considering the monolith we are facing, we need Jon to give us something or for Bertans to be reliable (and this is aside of Kyle expected to become a solid and reliable player now)

Thank you, yes I would be happy with Kyle becoming a solid and reliable player this year.

[ElNono]

Not only does Parker need to turn back the clock, but neither Gasol or Ginobili can drop off a cliff.

On top of Anderson, probably one of Simmons, Bertans or yet to be signed veteran power forward, have to emerge.

Despite the Warriors' lack of depth (which will probably be bolstered during the buyout period), I don't even think one of Durant, Curry or Green, being injured, would make the Spurs favorites. All it would do is give them a punchers chance.

I'm on the boat it's gonna take a while. Let's hope Bertrans is all he can be, and same for Anderson. Simmons is more iffy, IMO.

Ultimately, I think things like Danny have a good shooting season will carry more weight than how the bench does.

[CosmicCowboy]

https://media.giphy.com/media/B6chryYJDMaLC/giphy.gif

:lol

This with the team bus on it.

[ceperez]

Let's assume first that GSW has no injuries.

Given that, Spurs will need:

(1) Leonard to up his game as much as he upped his game last season.
(2) Aldridge will start jacking up 3's at a high clip.
(3) Gasol will start jacking up 3's at a high clip.
(4) Green plays like 2014 Green.
(5) Parker plays like 2013 Parker.
(6) Manu plays like Manu
(7) Dedmon becomes a defensive menace
(8) Mills ups his game Lilliard like shooting.
(9) Anderson becomes Boris Diaw that wants to shoot 3's.
(10) Simmons becomes Tony Allen that can shoot 3's.
(11) Bertans becomes Kyle Korver
(12) LJC becomes Ibaka lite
(13) Bryn Forbes becomes Neal 2.0
(14) Pop becomes Pop 2014.

[Budkin]

http://celtics247.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/big-3.jpg

Oh shit I forgot about them. My bad. I still think there will be chemistry issues with the Dubs though.

[UZER]

Oh shit I forgot about them. My bad. I still think there will be chemistry issues with the Dubs though.

I agree. The Bogut loss is bigger than people think. Also everything stems from Draymonds pnr. He's gonna be the odd man out, and you know he'll let it be know as the season goes on.

The bigs are old....er. They lost Bogut, Speights, Ezeli, Barnes, Barbosa. That's a lot of quality minutes gone. If the 'big 4' play a lot of minutes this year, they will be worn down by the end of the season because they'll be coming off of a finals run two years ago, an all out blitz from start to finish for 73 wins, another's finals run, then playing in the olympics. Can Durant's foot hold up?

Don't think it's gonna be smooth sailing.

[YGWHI]

We need to tank to have a chance in 2017-2018 because we certainly don't now and its only gonna get worse.

We're not going to because we're too good. But for the next few years the reality is that unless our bench comes out of nowhere and is good, then we just have to get through being a decent playoff team and nothing more.

Tank for who? How many rings have Anthony Bennet/Bargnani/Olowokandi won?

The Bulls won the draft in 2008, Rose won the MVP in 2011, and they never played in the Finals after Jordan's retirement.

A team can win the draft, can have the best player in the season, but there are still so many intangibles go into a team winning a title.

The draft isn't guaranteed anything other than a very small chance to get better.

[YGWHI]

Kawhi needs to take another step in his game averaging 24-26 ppg
Impossible. Kawhi and LMA, both, will take less shots than last season because of Pau's addition to the offense.


Kawhi needs to pull a 2003 Duncan.

We won't see a player like Tim Duncan again.

But also, Tim played 39 mpg in 2013 regular season and 42 mpg in 2003 playoffs

Pop played Kawhi just 33 mpg in last regular season and 34 mpg in last playoffs

There is no way Kawhi can score more points or have that type of Duncan's season playing just 30 minutes a game

[SAGirl]

Let's assume first that GSW has no injuries.

Given that, Spurs will need:

(1) Leonard to up his game as much as he upped his game last season.
(2) Aldridge will start jacking up 3's at a high clip.
(3) Gasol will start jacking up 3's at a high clip.
(4) Green plays like 2014 Green.
(5) Parker plays like 2013 Parker.
(6) Manu plays like Manu
(7) Dedmon becomes a defensive menace
(8) Mills ups his game Lilliard like shooting.
(9) Anderson becomes Boris Diaw that wants to shoot 3's.
(10) Simmons becomes Tony Allen that can shoot 3's.
(11) Bertans becomes Kyle Korver
(12) LJC becomes Ibaka lite
(13) Bryn Forbes becomes Neal 2.0
(14) Pop becomes Pop 2014.
:lol:toast
This was a very funny post ceperez and I do get the gist of what you are saying. Everyone has to be jacking up 3s at a good clip and everyone has to be the absolute best version of themselves and even then it's a toss up.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

https://media.giphy.com/media/B6chryYJDMaLC/giphy.gif
Basically this. San Andreas.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

That unstoppable Broncos offense got curbstomped in the Super Bowl by the Seahawks 43-8.:lol
And then the unstoppable Panthers offense got curbstomped in the Super Bowl by the Broncos and their own defense. What comes around goes around. In a couple years the Panthers will take out some AFC juggernaut in the Super Bowl, look out.

[SpursBig3s]

Spurs will be in good position to compete for a Championship Ring in the next few years.

There are 15 elite players in this league (and by elite, I mean top15, duh). Warriors have 4, Cavs 3, that means there 8 players for 28 teams. We are lucky to have two, and we have the salary cup to go after another one next summer.

In the meantime, we are bringing all of our prospects over to see what we 've got, so to speak.

I wouldn't call Kevin love elite

[cutewizard]

Let's assume first that GSW has no injuries.

Given that, Spurs will need:

(1) Leonard to up his game as much as he upped his game last season.
(2) Aldridge will start jacking up 3's at a high clip.
(3) Gasol will start jacking up 3's at a high clip.
(4) Green plays like 2014 Green.
(5) Parker plays like 2013 Parker.
(6) Manu plays like Manu
(7) Dedmon becomes a defensive menace
(8) Mills ups his game Lilliard like shooting.
(9) Anderson becomes Boris Diaw that wants to shoot 3's.
(10) Simmons becomes Tony Allen that can shoot 3's.
(11) Bertans becomes Kyle Korver
(12) LJC becomes Ibaka lite
(13) Bryn Forbes becomes Neal 2.0
(14) Pop becomes Pop 2014.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Plus, Spurs fans become the most devoted practitioners of Creative Visualization and

VISUALIZE DAY AND NIGHT, FROM NOW, THAT THE SPURS WIN THE 2017 NBA TITLE!

[AFMadison]

Honestly the Spurs were so great in 2014 because of injuries to our own team. Bench players were forced to start and play heavy minutes, and it also cause several different rotation throughout the season. Pop needs to let the team play and gel.

[Spurs 4 The Win]

Honestly the Spurs were so great in 2014 because of injuries to our own team. Bench players were forced to start and play heavy minutes, and it also cause several different rotation throughout the season. Pop needs to let the team play and gel.

Spurs will win if they come out with the focus and intensity of the 2014 team. That was the best team in NBA history. Nobody was stopping us that year.

[Spurtacular]

I'm trying to feel optimistic today:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1ANov-Ogvg

[Sigz]

I'm trying to feel optimistic today:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1ANov-Ogvg

Man that Manu dunk and then fadeaway 3..... Guy was feeling it.

[Spurtacular]

Man that Manu dunk and then fadeaway 3..... Guy was feeling it.

He actually had a similar play vs. The Thunder in the previous series. I don't recall if he finished with a dunk or what; but I was surprised at the similarities when I saw it. I think he had it in his mind that he would do that on an outlet at some point in the series.

[SASdynasty!]

Not only does Parker need to turn back the clock, but neither Gasol or Ginobili can drop off a cliff.

On top of Anderson, probably one of Simmons, Bertans or yet to be signed veteran power forward, have to emerge.

Despite the Warriors' lack of depth (which will probably be bolstered during the buyout period), I don't even think one of Durant, Curry or Green, being injured, would make the Spurs favorites. All it would do is give them a punchers chance.
If you want Parker to turn back the clock, just call his number more. He still shoots 50% from the field and 40%+ from 3. We just tried this "Parker needs to shoot less and play less minutes" experiment the last 2 years. Not sure why we changed anything from him being the main guy in 2014.

[Kidd K]

Duncan gone and Durant to GSW = no.

We won't be some shit team but I would not be surprised if disappointment hits this year either.

[kaji157]

If you want Parker to turn back the clock, just call his number more. He still shoots 50% from the field and 40%+ from 3. We just tried this "Parker needs to shoot less and play less minutes" experiment the last 2 years. Not sure why we changed anything from him being the main guy in 2014.

I do agree that we need to get back to him starting the offence, either with a penetration or a pick n roll. Not necessarily for him to finish the play but to start the the sequence.
The question is, can he get advantage against defenders consistently at this age?
We just have to try.
Another good option would be, as we did with him, to start Manu and DeJounte, and let Tony and Danny come of the bench with Pau.
That would make very balanced units in DeJounte-Manu-Leonard-Aldridge-Denmon and Tony-Danny-Kyle-Pau-Livio.
I do expect for us to package two of either Mills and Anderson or Mills and Simmons for another big or at least reliable SF-PF guy. I think it will be mills as we´ll ave 4 PG as of now and he doesn´t seem to fit anymore with Manu unable to create open shots for him and Diaw gone.
I would love for the Spurs to sign Patricio Garino, not gonna happen, but he is a viable SG-SF player to fill holes.

[TD 21]

If you want Parker to turn back the clock, just call his number more. He still shoots 50% from the field and 40%+ from 3. We just tried this "Parker needs to shoot less and play less minutes" experiment the last 2 years. Not sure why we changed anything from him being the main guy in 2014.

I'll ask the following question rhetorically: You can't be serious? Parker has been past his prime for 3 seasons. He'll be coming off of playing in an Olympic qualifying tournament and the Olympics themselves and will be another season older next year. Let's just hope he can reprise the season he just had.

The same goes for Gasol, Ginobili and to a lesser extent, Aldridge.

[look_at_g_shred]

This team feels closer to 2014 than the past two seasons. I have a feeling the 2nd unit is going to move the ball beautifully and be an offensive machine!

[SpursforSix]

I agree. The Bogut loss is bigger than people think. Also everything stems from Draymonds pnr. He's gonna be the odd man out, and you know he'll let it be know as the season goes on.

The bigs are old....er. They lost Bogut, Speights, Ezeli, Barnes, Barbosa. That's a lot of quality minutes gone. If the 'big 4' play a lot of minutes this year, they will be worn down by the end of the season because they'll be coming off of a finals run two years ago, an all out blitz from start to finish for 73 wins, another's finals run, then playing in the olympics. Can Durant's foot hold up?

Don't think it's gonna be smooth sailing.

I think ZaZa is going to fit in better than people think.

[Sean Cagney]

I'm trying to feel optimistic today:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1ANov-Ogvg
Love it.....

[Spurs9]

Maybe Green will kick KD in the nads during practice.

[tonight...you]

I'm trying to feel optimistic today:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1ANov-Ogvg
My goodness, do I miss Splitter...

[Spurtacular]

My goodness, do I miss Splitter...

Possibly the most under-rated Spur of all-time.

[tonight...you]

Possibly the most under-rated Spur of all-time.
Agreed. True glue guy. Would have him back on the team in an instant. Pussy warts and all.

[tholdren]

There isn't really much that needs to happen that can't.

Spurs get decent perimeter play throughout the year.
KL and LMA learn to get to the line
Danny shoots at a high clip
Someone on the perimeter drives
Kyle and Manu are able to sustain the bench playmaking
Newbie steps up

- already got rid of West - Thats a plus
- got rid of Diaw - thats a plus

* biggest part will be who holds the team together without tim.

[buttsR4rebounding]

Spurs will win if two of the GSW four stars are injured and the Spurs are fully healthy. Still a possibility.

People are underestimating the loss of Bogut to the Warriors. I know they are hailing Pachulia and West as the solution, but that is a huge downgrade. West is a steal for the vet minimum no doubt, but his interior defense sucked last year. The Warriors are going to get pounded inside this year.

[spurs10]

Let's be realistic.. Nobody gonna win the next championship except Warriors.

Spurs might as well develop their young players and be ready 3 years down the road. That was pretty much the mantra last year and poetic justice came and bit them on the ass. Let's hope it's a repeat for them. Having four of the top players on the same team is a bitchmade move. I would love to see Kevring "If Ya Can't Beat'em Join'em" Durbeta lose.

[spurs10]

Spurs will win if they come out with the focus and intensity of the 2014 team. That was the best team in NBA history. Nobody was stopping us that year. It was something to behold. I do think that the team will react to Tim's exit in a positive way, by trying hard to live up to his legacy. Pau and LMA with Kawhi just might be the best front court playing. If we can get the perimeter D&O going we might look pretty good.

[ceperez]

It was something to behold. I do think that the team will react to Tim's exit in a positive way, by trying hard to live up to his legacy. Pau and LMA with Kawhi just might be the best front court playing. If we can get the perimeter D&O going we might look pretty good.

Pau, LMA and Kawhi are likely the best front court in the league. If they can learn to playoff one another, then it'll be devastating for a midget team like GSW.

Spurs don't have any real challengers except for GSW. Can they win? Well, Cavs got lucky and won. Spurs can get lucky and win.

[NameLess Scrub]

No superteam has ever won the title in their first season and it's not happening this year either. That leaves the door open for us.

Celtics, and they weren't even in their primes anymore.

Still, Warriors are a super team like never before. If they don't have "bad luck" I don't think anybody has a chance.

[NameLess Scrub]

Oh shit I forgot about them. My bad. I still think there will be chemistry issues with the Dubs though.

Paul Pierce kind of resembles a black Adam Sandler there.

[spurs10]

Pau, LMA and Kawhi are likely the best front court in the league. If they can learn to playoff one another, then it'll be devastating for a midget team like GSW.

Spurs don't have any real challengers except for GSW. Can they win? Well, Cavs got lucky and won. Spurs can get lucky and win. :tu

[Ditty]

Pau, LMA and Kawhi are likely the best front court in the league. If they can learn to playoff one another, then it'll be devastating for a midget team like GSW.

Spurs don't have any real challengers except for GSW. Can they win? Well, Cavs got lucky and won. Spurs can get lucky and win.

Tremendous take ceperez! :wow

Great to read some good stuff from you :lol

[SAGirl]

Good Article on GSW and their potential diminishing returns and how they will probably underperfom in comparison to their projections.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/superteams-like-the-warriors-usually-underperform-will-the-kevin-durant-era-be-different/

Among the top 10 percent of teams in our sample according to projected talent, a few trends emerged that had some small predictive power over a roster’s ability to meet its expectations. Unsurprisingly, even after controlling for their overall projected talent levels, teams that collected more high-usage players4 (http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/superteams-like-the-warriors-usually-underperform-will-the-kevin-durant-era-be-different/#fn-4) tended to underperform, which speaks to the dangers of assembling a lineup of scorers and having them fight over one ball. Also, teams stocked with rebounders tended to fall short of expectations more often than the average squad.
At the other end of the spectrum, teams rife with shooters, passers and defenders tended to resist the pull of diminishing returns more effectively than their peers. This makes perfect basketball sense: Unlike on offense, adding defensive talent seems to only make a team stronger, all else being equal, and ball movement and floor-spacing have long been known (http://apbr.org/metrics/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=89) to help an offense become more than the sum of its parts.

[ceperez]

Good Article on GSW and their potential diminishing returns and how they will probably underperfom in comparison to their projections.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/superteams-like-the-warriors-usually-underperform-will-the-kevin-durant-era-be-different/
[/FONT]

This makes absolute sense. There's only one ball in offense. However, it takes an understanding of how to play efficiently. I watched Durant this post-season and you can see that he was learning to take efficient shots. He used to take more difficult shots. But now he's got this move that he just rises up from a set position without needing to dribble.

GSW definitely got weaker on defense though with Bogut and Ezeli shipping out. That's their weak point. Verajao and that Georgian (what's his name?) are falling apart and it could be that they won't have a center come playoff time! West can't defend the paint by his lonesome!

Still too early to tell if Spurs offense and defense improved. We can at least say that the team is more athletic and quicker now compared to last year. It definitely isn't smarter after losing Duncan, Bobo and West. So I expect a lot of stupid play in the regular season.

[SASdynasty!]

I'll ask the following question rhetorically: You can't be serious? Parker has been past his prime for 3 seasons. He'll be coming off of playing in an Olympic qualifying tournament and the Olympics themselves and will be another season older next year. Let's just hope he can reprise the season he just had.

The same goes for Gasol, Ginobili and to a lesser extent, Aldridge.
Of course I'm serious. We won a title 3 years ago with Parker as our best player throughout the regular season and playoffs. Since 2013, we're 6-0 in playoff series where Parker is our leading scorer. We're 2-3 when he's not. Not sure why we went away from that, but it's time to get back to it. Maybe we can get past the second round of the playoffs. He's only 34. Just stop with the "experiment" already...go with what works until it doesn't.

[ElNono]

I'll ask the following question rhetorically: You can't be serious? Parker has been past his prime for 3 seasons. He'll be coming off of playing in an Olympic qualifying tournament and the Olympics themselves and will be another season older next year. Let's just hope he can reprise the season he just had.

The same goes for Gasol, Ginobili and to a lesser extent, Aldridge.

:lol he probably is serious, tbh... after all this is the guy that thinks PPG is the sole measure of player production, regardless of anything else. He probably thinks Kobe had a great season last season too, tbh...

[cutewizard]

I'm trying to feel optimistic today:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1ANov-Ogvg


-------------------------------------------------------------------

magnifico!

[cutewizard]

This makes absolute sense. There's only one ball in offense. However, it takes an understanding of how to play efficiently. I watched Durant this post-season and you can see that he was learning to take efficient shots. He used to take more difficult shots. But now he's got this move that he just rises up from a set position without needing to dribble.

GSW definitely got weaker on defense though with Bogut and Ezeli shipping out. That's their weak point. Verajao and that Georgian (what's his name?) are falling apart and it could be that they won't have a center come playoff time! West can't defend the paint by his lonesome!

Still too early to tell if Spurs offense and defense improved. We can at least say that the team is more athletic and quicker now compared to last year. It definitely isn't smarter after losing Duncan, Bobo and West. So I expect a lot of stupid play in the regular season.

--------------------------------------------------

Gasol, and Manu are still there to provide high BB IQ

Kawhi and Lamarcus will be in their second season together too!

[cutewizard]

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865658768/Former-Runnin-Utes-player-coach-Phil-Cullen-accepts-position-with-San-Antonio-Spurs.html?pg=all

------------------------------------

that might be a critical addition for the Spurs!

[TD 21]

Of course I'm serious. We won a title 3 years ago with Parker as our best player throughout the regular season and playoffs. Since 2013, we're 6-0 in playoff series where Parker is our leading scorer. We're 2-3 when he's not. Not sure why we went away from that, but it's time to get back to it. Maybe we can get past the second round of the playoffs. He's only 34. Just stop with the "experiment" already...go with what works until it doesn't.

Again, I'll ask rhetorically: Are you serious? Parker wasn't anywhere near "our" best player in '14. Duncan, Leonard and Ginobili, were all better.

Parker has been past his prime since '14 and significantly so from '15 on. He might "only" be 34, but mileage wise, he's more like late 30's. The days of thinking the offense can run through him and be successful are long gone. "We" didn't go away from that intentionally, it happened organically once it became apparent that he could no longer shoulder the load.

[cutewizard]

For a 14 man line-up, WE HAVE ARGUABLY THE BEST TEAM IN THE NBA!!!

So, the Spurs just need to be themselves, play to their potential and DESIRE TO WIN, that's all!!!!!

[ViceCity86]

:lol

This with the team bus on it.

:lol

[ViceCity86]

https://media.giphy.com/media/B6chryYJDMaLC/giphy.gif

Did Parker cross the bridge?

[kaji157]

I do agree that we need to get back to him starting the offence, either with a penetration or a pick n roll. Not necessarily for him to finish the play but to start the the sequence.
The question is, can he get advantage against defenders consistently at this age?
We just have to try.
Another good option would be, as we did with him, to start Manu and DeJounte, and let Tony and Danny come of the bench with Pau.
That would make very balanced units in DeJounte-Manu-Leonard-Aldridge-Denmon and Tony-Danny-Kyle-Pau-Livio.
I do expect for us to package two of either Mills and Anderson or Mills and Simmons for another big or at least reliable SF-PF guy. I think it will be mills as we´ll ave 4 PG as of now and he doesn´t seem to fit anymore with Manu unable to create open shots for him and Diaw gone.
I would love for the Spurs to sign Patricio Garino, not gonna happen, but he is a viable SG-SF player to fill holes.

Yes! i am that happy that i bumped all my posts about him!

Hope he does well!

[cutewizard]

:claw

[Kikoluna]

People here seem to think Kyle as the main back up to Leonard is not a big deal lol. IT'S our demise. We need to address that issue, not pretend it's OK

[sasaint]

Pau, LMA and Kawhi are likely the best front court in the league. If they can learn to playoff one another, then it'll be devastating for a midget team like GSW.

Spurs don't have any real challengers except for GSW. Can they win? Well, Cavs got lucky and won. Spurs can get lucky and win.

I didn't realize you were such an optimist. I would say that the Cavs are definite challengers. Your call that Pau, LMA and Kawhi are likely the best front court in the league seems to me to depend on two factors: 1) whether the Spurs are playing with the lead and 2) whether they can stay on the floor against small ball line-ups. To me it has a good analogy to football match ups. Rushing teams have great success playing with the lead or with the score even. But when passing teams break out on top, the rushing team is at a big disadvantage and must change its lineup and play a different, less comfortable game.

[Pocho La Pantera]

Of course I'm serious. We won a title 3 years ago with Parker as our best player throughout the regular season and playoffs. Since 2013, we're 6-0 in playoff series where Parker is our leading scorer. We're 2-3 when he's not. Not sure why we went away from that, but it's time to get back to it. Maybe we can get past the second round of the playoffs. He's only 34. Just stop with the "experiment" already...go with what works until it doesn't.http://thedroidyourelookingfor.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/willis1.jpg

[SAGirl]

I didn't realize you were such an optimist. I would say that the Cavs are definite challengers. Your call that Pau, LMA and Kawhi are likely the best front court in the league seems to me to depend on two factors: 1) whether the Spurs are playing with the lead and 2) whether they can stay on the floor against small ball line-ups. To me it has a good analogy to football match ups. Rushing teams have great success playing with the lead or with the score even. But when passing teams break out on top, the rushing team is at a big disadvantage and must change its lineup and play a different, less comfortable game.

At least we will have more shooting than last season. I'd like to see Forbes or Garino make the team. At this point I don't care for T.Robinson. He should have taken the spot that Lee took and didn't. I'd rather have Forbes unless Garino really shows some grit defensively.

I place this upcoming season on Pop personally.

[sasaint]

As you are aware, I place LAST season on Pop! His job should be at stake this upcoming season. As for Robinson, the guy seems like he is a head case destined to squander considerable talent. The only way we could take him on is to cut some guys and go over the cap or trade somebody. Frankly, I like the potential of about 16-17 guys we have coming into camp. I don't want Robinson in here to muddy the picture and potentially pollute the locker room. If two of Dedmon, Dijon and Kyle make good then we will be in good shape this season - if Pop decides to actually coach with some common sense again.

[Solid D]

Even though I am very sad about Timmy's departure, there are plenty of reasons to be psyched about the upcoming season. Here is a reminder of the variety and array of intelligent moves offensively by this guy last season:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZrfT4W_6Sg

[SAGirl]

As you are aware, I place LAST season on Pop! His job should be at stake this upcoming season. As for Robinson, the guy seems like he is a head case destined to squander considerable talent. The only way we could take him on is to cut some guys and go over the cap or trade somebody. Frankly, I like the potential of about 16-17 guys we have coming into camp. I don't want Robinson in here to muddy the picture and potentially pollute the locker room. If two of Dedmon, Dijon and Kyle make good then we will be in good shape this season - if Pop decides to actually coach with some common sense again.

Although I had cut Pop slack last season because Tim's good knee gave way, I have come around to be convinced he blew a lot of things last season. He simply won a lot of games because he had a lot of talented young players but they underacheived at least partially on him. Tim had been my Xfactor last season and it went against us with his knee never recovering. I also had Manu as an XFactor. Pop and the team had still over-relied on Manu through the season and I felt like he wasn't going to produce the same in the playoffs. The reason? He was overmatched in all games against the elite teams and made matters worse against both Cavs and GSW. Surprisingly, Kyle played very well against both teams, because his composed calm style helped keep guys settled down.

I know you had a lot of issues with separating Tim and LMA and frankly I can't support Pop with his decisions not splitting them up more. It may have even spared Tim's knee to do that for the rest of the season. But I will be honest. I just didn't like DWest at all. He showed leadership sometimes but he was very bad many others, even during the RS. Anyways, I know fans will disagree on DWest, as he is very well liked by some fans but I didn't think he was such a great pickup in hindsight and I also felt like he didn't do the Spurs any favors. He came to Spurs ring chasing and Pop felt compelled to play him to do right by him. At times I felt Boban deserved playing time over him. We will never know. I know you were not a big Boban fan, but I think Boban was impactful where Dwest was not: in the paint and that is what the bench needed. Maybe we would have been better off never having gotten Dwest at all. He also pushed Diaw into coasting mode bc a lot of what Diaw did was redundant with Dwest and yet Diaw was the more versatile player than Dwest was.

Anyways, I have to concede your point. Tim was diminished but Pop never adapted and he had months to adapt and he had both Kyle and Boban who had developed and played a lot of games the latter part of the season when Tim, then Manu got injured, and improved, yet they both went underused. And yes, Kyle aws in the playoffs, but mostly went underused and his skillset not taken advantage of.

Other guys blame Pop for different reasons, ElNono, famous Manu fan, is blaming Pop for expecting unrealistic things out of Manu at 38 years old. Kiwi fans thought he should have played 46 minutes if that was needed.

Point is, there were many blunders with many guys.

I hope Pop realizes his mistake and places a bigger burden on others this season. I do hope he gives a chance to Dijon, who like you and raybies I am really high on. I know Dedmon is your Xfactor, but for me is ultimately Kyle. Spurs won't be better if they have to play Lee as a bench 4 for example, and his improved 3 pt shot combined with everything he already adds to the team can give different looks to the bench. Like many others have said, Spurs need him to step up and be aggressive and one of Dijon/Bertans or Simms needs to step up too, maybe two. IMO Lee doesn't change the Spurs fortune at this point except giving depth for injuries and other situations. Although I liked Forbes a lot and wanted to see him make the team, I really am not sold on JSimms TBH. He's just a very low BBIQ player doesn't have good defensive instincts and only is able to make plays due to his athleticism, but he doesn't have good instincts. I have not seen Garino at all, but I am ready to have a different option in case Danny or Kawhi are injured than JSimms.

[sasaint]

Although I had cut Pop slack last season because Tim's good knee gave way, I have come around to be convinced he blew a lot of things last season. He simply won a lot of games because he had a lot of talented young players but they underacheived at least partially on him. Tim had been my Xfactor last season and it went against us with his knee never recovering. I also had Manu as an XFactor. Pop and the team had still over-relied on Manu through the season and I felt like he wasn't going to produce the same in the playoffs. The reason? He was overmatched in all games against the elite teams and made matters worse against both Cavs and GSW. Surprisingly, Kyle played very well against both teams, because his composed calm style helped keep guys settled down.

I know you had a lot of issues with separating Tim and LMA and frankly I can't support Pop with his decisions not splitting them up more. It may have even spared Tim's knee to do that for the rest of the season. But I will be honest. I just didn't like DWest at all. He showed leadership sometimes but he was very bad many others, even during the RS. Anyways, I know fans will disagree on DWest, as he is very well liked by some fans but I didn't think he was such a great pickup in hindsight and I also felt like he didn't do the Spurs any favors. He came to Spurs ring chasing and Pop felt compelled to play him to do right by him. At times I felt Boban deserved playing time over him. We will never know. I know you were not a big Boban fan, but I think Boban was impactful where Dwest was not: in the paint and that is what the bench needed. Maybe we would have been better off never having gotten Dwest at all. He also pushed Diaw into coasting mode bc a lot of what Diaw did was redundant with Dwest and yet Diaw was the more versatile player than Dwest was.

Anyways, I have to concede your point. Tim was diminished but Pop never adapted and he had months to adapt and he had both Kyle and Boban who had developed and played a lot of games the latter part of the season when Tim, then Manu got injured, and improved, yet they both went underused. And yes, Kyle aws in the playoffs, but mostly went underused and his skillset not taken advantage of.

Other guys blame Pop for different reasons, ElNono, famous Manu fan, is blaming Pop for expecting unrealistic things out of Manu at 38 years old. Kiwi fans thought he should have played 46 minutes if that was needed.

Point is, there were many blunders with many guys.

I hope Pop realizes his mistake and places a bigger burden on others this season. I do hope he gives a chance to Dijon, who like you and raybies I am really high on. I know Dedmon is your Xfactor, but for me is ultimately Kyle. Spurs won't be better if they have to play Lee as a bench 4 for example, and his improved 3 pt shot combined with everything he already adds to the team can give different looks to the bench. Like many others have said, Spurs need him to step up and be aggressive and one of Dijon/Bertans or Simms needs to step up too, maybe two. IMO Lee doesn't change the Spurs fortune at this point except giving depth for injuries and other situations. Although I liked Forbes a lot and wanted to see him make the team, I really am not sold on JSimms TBH. He's just a very low BBIQ player doesn't have good defensive instincts and only is able to make plays due to his athleticism, but he doesn't have good instincts. I have not seen Garino at all, but I am ready to have a different option in case Danny or Kawhi are injured than JSimms.

As for West, perhaps you and I have a little common ground. I believe he was totally mis-used (abused?) by Pop, and I would not blame him for hating the Spurs. If you sign a PF who offers to give you a 90% discount, at least have the decency to play him at PF. If that isn't your intent then don't sign him. I do not blame West for Diaw's coasting. Diaw has a history of that. A few of us on ST were wanting to pair Tim with Diaw/West and LMA with the other from the get-go last season. If not for LMA, the non-center prima dona, that might well have gotten us by OKC. But NOOOOO... SMH!

As for Boban, I am still on the fence about his NBA future. However, he had murdered Adams and Kanter earlier in the regular season, and I was in utter shock and disbelief that Pop didn't try him earlier in the OKC series, paired with either West or Diaw. I am still smh over that one, too.

Dedmon is my X-factor simply because we cannot afford for him to be this year's Boban. If he fails to make a strong contribution, then we are potentially stuck in the same rut as last season - pairing Kyle and Lee (rather than West and Diaw) as undersized bigs for our second unit. If Dedmon falls flat, then I hope that Pop has gotten over himself enough to pair LMA and Kyle and Pau and Lee. Otherwise, we are headed for the same result as last season.

There is a common theme here: LMA, the non-center. Some of us were not sold on his signing in the first place. Now we have a guy who isn't willing to play center for the good of the team just as Kawhi is hitting the heart of his career. Frankly, I think we signed the wrong Portland big last season. I would have preferred RoLo, using the difference between salaries to sign a second good FA. I am not sold on LMA's skill set or attitude fitting what we need.

JSimms is a guy that, as you know, I had penciled in as Spurs TNG. Unfortunately, I just don't see it now. When some posters were calling for us to dump Tony for Dijon in his second SL game, I noted that it was Simmons who was rendered redundant by Dijon. I am afraid that is true. I probably fell victim to Simmons' "human-interest story" and PATFO's praising his court vision. Frankly, at this juncture I just hope we don't cut him and get nothing for him. I hope we can package him with another asset and move him for a pick or something.

I'd like to see us find a way to keep Forbes - and possibly Garino, based on the highlights I have seen here on ST.

[SAGirl]

Diaw is a distributor at heart and Dwest was the same, at times flat out overpassing himself. Anyways, Dwest didn't really fit what Spurs needed. It just proves that fit is more important than the quality of the player when we are talking about roleplayers. With all his faults for being a rookie, Boban fit better. Imagine what he could have done had he played the entire season and gotten seasoned.

With JSimms what worries me is that he's poor defensively and that is the niche he needed to fill to stick IMO. Some guys just don't have a good sense for defense. He doesn't know when to back off, when to put pressure, he's not aware what is going on at times. He has at least learned rotations at this point, and he is capable of a block in transition and the occasional steal, but for a guy with his athletic tools he could be so much better and isn't. Watch Dijon come up with double the loose balls than JSimms comes up with, double to triple the rebounds, and put pressure on the ball. He's raw yes, but I thought he improved in a few games, it was uncanny. He also surprised me making passes JSimms is not capable of and running the PnR passing to the big for open dunks that I haven't seen out of JSimms. Regardless, Dijon is still raw and I can see Pop sending him to the dleague bcto work on shooting and if they really want to train him as PG, he needs the ball, which Pop won't get out of Tony and Manu's hands until he is ready and has earned it.

I agree with you on Dedmon. I also expect Pop to experiement with Pau in the bench at times. It would be a good idea. Pop doesn't need to be strictly tied to a twin towers style.

I hear you on LMA, he did play Center in small ball situations and I don't know if there were issues from Pop himself not wanting to bench Tim bc his biggest value was defensively and that was best used with the starters. But there is no clear cut answer here. See how defensive oriented centers are relatively easier to find in Dedmon, whereas the offensive bigs are scarce and in high demand. It's also on Pop to make that one work out. He's supposed to have a vision of the kind of guys he wants to surround Kawhi with and waht system he wants to run.

[sasaint]

With an LMA willing to play center, West was a great fit with the Spurs. Moreover, Pop is tied to the twin towers concept as long as he has LMA ensconced at the PF position. That is precisely the issue.

[SAGirl]

And considering how Pop is the one who went out and got him as well as Pau, can't blame LMA for being who he is. Pop has won many championships with his twin towers but he most recently has had the stretch 4 (Horry?) and in 2014 he had to separate Tim and Tiago against the Heat and Diaw was essential to that championship, and he had to shoot the 3, but he was much more versatile than just a floor stretcher.

Like I said, Kyle is my Xfactor. He hopefully grows up this season and I don't put it past Bertans to play a small role too.

:flag:

[sasaint]

Because Kyle has been with the Spurs for 2 seasons, I think of him as less of an X-factor, although his personal development is also very important to the team's success. No question that this is the season he needs to realize the potential that some of us have perceived in order for the Spurs to be a better team. I hope that Bertans, too, is a contributor.

:lobt2: