Rank the starters

[RD2191]

By which is under the most pressure to perform in the playoffs.

1. LMA. Obvious reasons, has never been past the 2ND round. Was brought here to be Duncan's replacement, so let's see if he can give us what he was brought in to do.

2. Danny Green. Has been rather underwhelming since our champion run. Would really like to see him back in Championship form on both sides of the ball.

3. Kawhi Leonard. Had a good showing against OKC early but fell off a bit towards the end. He's a proven playoff performer imo but I'd still love to see him take the next step and completely take over a playoff game and will his team to a win even if everyone else is struggling.

4. Pau Gasol. I don't expect much from Pau these days but if he flops in the playoffs he should definitely lose his starting spot.

5. Tony Parker. Pretty much the same as Pau, neither have much to prove as they've both accomplished so much in their historic basketball careers, but as with Pau, Parker needs to prove he still deserves to be a starter on a championship contending team.

Feel free to rank all players if you'd like.

[ElNono]

- Raymond Green: Tries too hard, his dirty antics cost his team a championship. Would be doing handjobs in Puerto Rico for blow right now if his coach and mama wouldn't be fighting his twitter feuds for him, tbh.

- Kevin Durant: Extremely talented mental midget hoping somebody carry him to a championship. Has a penchant for slipping whenever the best of him is needed. Still mad somebody called him Mr Unreliable.

- Klay Thompson: He was abysmal in the Finals they actually won, and when he actually does a decent job, they blow a 3-1 lead. He's the third wheel now, but with mental midget Durant in the mix, he might need to excel again.

- Steph Curry: He has the media in his pocket already, tbh, gets a pass for anything. His baby face makes him an instant hit for the Instagram generation.

- Zaza Pachulia: Basically, a thug hitmen that they acquired in case their needed to injure somebody through their run. Unlikely they'll need him in that role.

[GSH]

The Spurs have 5 players averaging double figures. And three of those are in the low double figures. (Patty just barely over 10.) Kawhi and LMA absolutely have to have good games to be successful in the playoffs. Green sitting at 7.8 PPG is a problem, but he ought to be able to match that number, with an average performance.

So, pressure to perform in the playoffs?

1. Kawhi - has to be the best player on both ends of the floor.
2. LMA - has to be the second best player on both ends of the floor.
3. Tony - better lately, but absolutely vital to keeping the offense flowing.
4. Pau - don't suck on defense, Pau.
5. Danny - don't dribble the damn ball, and make some damn shots.

Bench players:
1. Patty - same reason as Tony.
2. Dedmon - at least the bench can have a defensive anchor, if he plays well.
3. Manu - maybe it's not right, but the Spurs need solid performances and veteran play from him.
4. Simmons - if he steps up, he could make a lot of noise. If he sucks, the bench has a problem.
5. Lee - if he's used in the right places, he looks like he'll be consistent. Need him, yes. Pressure? Not so much.
6. Kyle - He really needs to... wait... who was I just talking about? Oh, yeah, Kyle. Never mind.
7. Bertans - the only pressure he'll have is the hard bench on his ass.
8. Murray - if he feels pressure, it will be because Bertans sat on him.

[barbacoataco]

1. Leonard- he is the guy and the Spurs only have a chance if he plays like MVP.
2. Aldridge- has never put together a playoff run; has a lot to prove.
3. Gasol- if the Spurs disappoint, he will be the scapegoat as the new guy.
4. Green- can he return to 2014 form? Or was that a fluke?
5. Parker- already has rings and is old.

Questions
Will Dead man get minutes, and if he does how will he play?
Can Ginobili pull out a couple of vintage performances?
How about Patty and he's playing for a contract?
Can Bertans get on the court?

[ViceCity86]

Decent show on NBAtv. At least I'm not subjected to people who can't speak properly and a constant wave of forgettable Black music.

[spurraider21]

Kawhi - lead dog, will have the most pressure going forward with duncan out of the picture
LMA - jeckyll and hyde as a playoff performer. needs to show he's reliable
Parker - needs to not suck ass
Pau - he's getting big money and has to be a bigger factor. needs to show effort on D
Green - 3 and D... not asking the world of him. his D hasn't been there (to the levels we're used to) this season, but he has time to round into shape

[TheGreatYacht]

Green - probably the most likely to be traded out of all starters. Like someone else said earlier in the season... he's been drive-thru more than wing stop lately tbh

Kawhi - Can't have more bad outings against a Tom Rivers led team ffs

Aldridge - Going to need 20 & 10 from him with great rim P&R defense. He's averaging 20 & 8 on 61FG% over his last 10 games

Gasol - has a player option. Isn't up to the Spurs to unload his contract this offseason unless some fringe contender really wants his cap hit

Parker - won't be traded and he's old. No one expects MVParker, tbh. Although the Parker of the last 3 weeks would be great

[apalisoc_9]

- Superstars typically have the most pressure on them because loses generally get blamed on them regardless of their performance.

- Outside of maybe the pressure in San Antonio, no one really cares about Lamarcus Aldridge. There's less pressure for him to perform

- old guys typically are in win or win situation. There's very little pressure for them to perform.

- This is Ginobili last year, no one really cares if his plays poorly or not except spursfans.

The massive pressure is on Leonard..Because he's the guy that's trying to achive new heights. ( from an overall standpoint)

If we're talking from the spurs coaching standpoint, Aldridge probably has the most pressure to perform because he's been somewhat on and off

[spurs10]

1. Kawhi- needs to be the leader
2. LMA- time to move past the second round.
3. Tony- needs to distribute and prove he can succeed in his new role.
4. Pau- simply has to play better defensive to stay on the floor.
5. Danny- 3 and D

[timtonymanu]

1. Kawhi - irreplaceable. Has to be the team's best player every night.
2. LMA - 2nd important player. Can fall back on Pau somewhat if LMA's shot is off.
3. Parker - still important for running the offense since he and Manu are the only playmakers. Inconsistent but when he's on, the Spurs are tough to beat.
4. Danny - Hit 3's and play defense. He's been inconsistent on defense this season and has less of a usage on offense, but he's also known for making big plays when it matters so he's still very much valuable.
5. Pau - Spurs need him playing at a high level too but he will be less reliable in certain matchups. Dedmon has been outplaying him at times as well. The team will be going to LMA more anyway.

[james evans]

By which is under the most pressure to perform in the playoffs.

1. LMA. Obvious reasons, has never been past the 2ND round. Was brought here to be Duncan's replacement, so let's see if he can give us what he was brought in to do.

2. Danny Green. Has been rather underwhelming since our champion run. Would really like to see him back in Championship form on both sides of the ball.

3. Kawhi Leonard. Had a good showing against OKC early but fell off a bit towards the end. He's a proven playoff performer imo but I'd still love to see him take the next step and completely take over a playoff game and will his team to a win even if everyone else is struggling.

4. Pau Gasol. I don't expect much from Pau these days but if he flops in the playoffs he should definitely lose his starting spot.

5. Tony Parker. Pretty much the same as Pau, neither have much to prove as they've both accomplished so much in their historic basketball careers, but as with Pau, Parker needs to prove he still deserves to be a starter on a championship contending team.

Feel free to rank all players if you'd like.
that only happens if Parker is injured. When Kawhi gets hot, Parker comes down and shoots the next 4 or 5 shots. Kawhi being pissed about it, but not showing it, shoots the ball wherever he's at on the floor the next time he gets the ball, even if it's a horrible shot cuz he hasn't touched the ball for 5 or 6 possessions. This is a regular occurrence and it's not gonna chance in the playoffs.

[TD 21]

- Superstars typically have the most pressure on them because loses generally get blamed on them regardless of their performance.

- Outside of maybe the pressure in San Antonio, no one really cares about Lamarcus Aldridge. There's less pressure for him to perform

- old guys typically are in win or win situation. There's very little pressure for them to perform.

- This is Ginobili last year, no one really cares if his plays poorly or not except spursfans.

The massive pressure is on Leonard..Because he's the guy that's trying to achive new heights. ( from an overall standpoint)

If we're talking from the spurs coaching standpoint, Aldridge probably has the most pressure to perform because he's been somewhat on and off

Agreed, but it depends on the perspective. On the one hand, RD2191 is right: In order to be considered truly great, Leonard needs to "take the next step and completely take over a playoff game and will his team to a win even if everyone else is struggling". On the other hand, as long as he avoids a catastrophic injury, he's well on his way to a Hall-of-Fame career.

Aldridge is probably the player in the league with the most to gain this season and over the next few. He's piled up counting stats for years and should age well enough to continue to do so (albeit at a lesser pace because of his role), but he's not going to rank near the top of anything, his advanced metrics are hit and miss and he's never been a top 10 player or had much team success in the playoffs. Yet, he's got a chance over the next few years to become a Hall-of-Famer, but he's going to need some form of team success in the playoffs.

They don't even have to beat the Warriors necessarily, since that's beyond most people's expectations. Just push them, like the Thunder did last season, with him playing to his peak. Get to a few Conference Finals, have a few dominant individual runs, stay relatively healthy and age well and he'll have a good shot.

[apalisoc_9]

Agreed, but it depends on the perspective. On the one hand, RD2191 is right: In order to be considered truly great, Leonard needs to "take the next step and completely take over a playoff game and will his team to a win even if everyone else is struggling". On the other hand, as long as he avoids a catastrophic injury, he's well on his way to a Hall-of-Fame career.

Aldridge is probably the player in the league with the most to gain this season and over the next few. He's piled up counting stats for years and should age well enough to continue to do so (albeit at a lesser pace because of his role), but he's not going to rank near the top of anything, his advanced metrics are hit and miss and he's never been a top 10 player or had much team success in the playoffs. Yet, he's got a chance over the next few years to become a Hall-of-Famer, but he's going to need some form of team success in the playoffs.

They don't even have to beat the Warriors necessarily, since that's beyond most people's expectations. Just push them, like the Thunder did last season, with him playing to his peak. Get to a few Conference Finals, have a few dominant individual runs, stay relatively healthy and age well and he'll have a good shot.

Yeah of course. Aldridge doesn't strike me as a guy that is too concerned with a future recognition like a HOF though and my opinion is largley based on his form after the off-season..I'm sure he does care to an extent though and he knows his "legacy" is largely dependant on achieving something in San Antonio because this the best chance for him to achieve anything team related and it doesn't matter even if Leonard significantly outplays him.

It's pretty clear he's given up on that idea.

Parker has a lot of pressure to perform, but it's a pressure that directly comes within the organization. He knows another lacklister performance here can warrant change, even as miniscule as playing as a 6th man next year.

[TD 21]

Yeah of course. Aldridge doesn't strike me as a guy that is too concerned with a future recognition like a HOF though and my opinion is largley based on his form after the off-season..I'm sure he does care to an extent though and he knows his "legacy" is largely dependant on achieving something in San Antonio because this the best chance for him to achieve anything team related and it doesn't matter even if Leonard significantly outplays him.

It's pretty clear he's given up on that idea.

Parker has a lot of pressure to perform, but it's a pressure that directly comes within the organization. He knows another lacklister performance here can warrant change, even as miniscule as playing as a 6th man next year.

I think Aldridge is more concerned with recognition than he lets on, but he thinks that no matter what he does, he won't get the respect he deserves because he's not flashy or sexy. Deep down, he probably knows what's at stake for him over the next few years though.

No matter how Parker performs in the playoffs, his role is probably going to be the same next season. I think they'd only even consider significantly reducing his role or moving him for a future Hall-of-Famer and Paul is more than likely going to re-sign. Meanwhile, if Mills is re-signed, his shooting/scoring will be even more important off the bench, with Ginobili probably retired.

[SAGirl]

Interesting to read. The biggest guy under pressure is probably Kawhi, it's his team. Followed closely by Lamarcus... then Tony, Danny and Pau... I have Pau last bc he may be matchup dependent and the least significant in some series ... on the other hand if Pau can't play against the small ball teams etc one could say the opposite: that he's the most under pressure bc otherwise he's going to the bench and likely the team is a lesser version of itself without him...

[Chinook]

Would say Kawhi, LMA, Green, Parker and Pau

Leonard is the franchise but has to actually carry the team to a victory in a competitive series, as franchises do on the regular for teams as good as SA.

LMA is getting old and has to show up or potentially get traded.

Green scoring and playing D is essential. He should be the third player on the team in terms of MPG in competitive series, so he's going to have to perform in a way that justifies that. The team needs him on Curry in the playoffs, so he can't be one-way.

Parker is going to have to show he's still a starting-caliber guard for a contender. He's still trying to find that balance between facilitator and third-option. His ability to defend bigger players is a real key to the team playing at their best.

Pau is probably the one who could get subbed out the fastest. There's pressure to show up against small teams and when there's no LMA, but with small-ball and Dedmon as options, there's not guarantee that he'll make or break anything.

[Splits]

1. Parker: reads SpursTalk

















































2.0001 Kawhi
2.0002 Gasol
2.0003 Aldridge
2.0004 Green
































infinity: Fathead

[houston spurs fan]

Another hit thread on TP. Zero creativity. Surprised all these posters took this seriously.