Grades: Spurs vs. Pacers - Oct. 24, 2018

[timvp]

https://i.imgur.com/03WzqoV.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/rPIBZdl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/cHO1vbu.jpg

After the frenetic victory over the Lakers, the Spurs looked stuck in the mud against the Pacers on Wednesday. Poor defense compounded by Indiana draining 17 of their 32 three-point attempts (including 8 of their first 9) led to an ugly 116-96 blowout.

This game was never really in doubt after the first couple minutes of the second quarter. Defense continues to be the main problem. In this slow paced contest, the Spurs gave up 122.3 points per 100 possessions. That's worse than their defensive rating heading into this game (122.0). Not only is San Antonio the worst defensive team in the NBA, by the numbers they are the worst defensive team in league history.

LaMarcus Aldridge
https://i.imgur.com/1nluyNF.png
On defense, LaMarcus Aldridge wasn't that good. However, compared to his teammates, he was actually one of the better defenders on this night -- especially when you factor in his good work on the glass. Offense is were he really struggled. Aldridge missed a lot of easy shots . . . but that doesn't explain all of his issues. He wasn't physical enough and allowed smaller defenders to body him out of the paint. Indiana's swarming defense also seemed to flummox the 33-year-old, as he oftentimes hesitated when trying to decide where he should pass the ball. These Spurs aren't good enough to survive a dud like this from Aldridge.
Grade: D+
Summary: Aldridge has to play better for the Spurs to have a chance to win.

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DeMar DeRozan
https://i.imgur.com/ZKxGADZ.png
DeMar DeRozan finished the Lakers game by missing his final eight shots. His cold streak from the field continued into the Pacers affair, as he didn't score a point until 4:41 remaining in the first half. At that point DeRozan got going, scoring 16 of his 18 points over the next 12 minutes. Unfortunately, the damage was already done. The Spurs never could get in a rhythm offensively. DeRozan has to dominate the action like he did in the first three games this season. Against Indiana, he was too willing to blend into the background. Defensively, he was really bad. His effort was mediocre and his execution was poor. DeRozan has stiff hips and sub par agility, so if he's not fully engaged on defense, it's quite ugly to watch.
Grade: C-
Summary: DeRozan took a back seat and wasn't totally engaged. That can't happen.

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Rudy Gay
https://i.imgur.com/vqYr2we.png
I thought Rudy Gay played reasonably well. His perimeter defense was lacking but he was the most physical Spur in the lane and was willing to throw his body around to come up with rebounds. Offensively, he was again efficient. He was physical on that end as well; in fact, in retrospect the Spurs should have gone to him more in the low block. That said, there were also a few possessions where Gay reverted to his black hole ways from earlier in his career.
Grade: B+
Summary: Gay came to play, which is more than many of his teammates can honestly say.

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Bryn Forbes
https://i.imgur.com/yXVIEAs.png
Really, what more could the Spurs want from Bryn Forbes? He has been thrust into a difficult spot and he produced once again versus the Pacers. I thought he was the best perimeter defender on the team. True, that's not saying much given the competition . . . but, hey, it's something. He was in the right spot almost every time, pressured ball-handlers and even tried to help out on the glass. On offense, he did well. This was his best passing game of the season. Forbes shot straight and I didn't have any problem with any of his attempts. Well done.
Grade: A
Summary: Forbes' strong start continued with what might have been his best overall game of the season.

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Jakob Poeltl
https://i.imgur.com/FUIlW00.png
Jakob Poeltl started the first two games of the season before getting a DNP-CD in Los Angeles. Tonight, he was back in the starting lineup. Did Poeltl give Pop any reason to keep him in the starting lineup? Nope. He looked like an awkward fit next to the other starters, especially when his hands suddenly turned to stone. On offense, he got in the way. On defense, he didn't bring anything notable to the table. His poor defensive rebounding instincts really hurt his value on that end. As does the fact that he went from being one of the better shot blockers in the league last season to not recording a single block yet this season.
Grade: D+
Summary: Poeltl looked like a fish out of water.

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Patty Mills
https://i.imgur.com/gTa4B5z.png
Ugh. Patty Mills had another game where he didn't look like an NBA player. His defense is just so damn bad. If Doug Freakin' McDermott wasn't blowing by him off the dribble, he was losing his man around a screen or evaporating at the first sign of physical contact. This Spurs team is bad defensively without Mills making things ten times worse. And, I mean, I could live with Mills' terrible defense if he was making up for it on the other end. But he was really bad offensively, too. Mills was scared to dribble the ball when pressured. When he did dribble, he was extremely passive and never tried to make plays. Yet, despite his passiveness, he managed to lead the Spurs with three turnovers. I'm not saying he lost this game by himself but let the record show that the Spurs outscored the Pacers by 10 points in the 24 minutes Mills was on the bench and got outscored by the Pacers by 30 points in the 25 minutes he was on the court.
Grade: F
Summary: Bad. Really bad.

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Marco Belinelli
https://i.imgur.com/hP9vIFY.png
Offensively, Marco Belinelli made things happen. He was aggressive and mostly stayed within the system. I can't complain about Belinelli pouring in 16 points in 20 minutes. However, I can complain about his defense. It was unacceptably poor, even judging him on the 2018-19 San Antonio Spurs scale. Scoring is nice but it doesn't mean much if Belinelli gives it back on the other end.
Grade: B
Summary: Offense good. Defense bad.

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Davis Bertans
https://i.imgur.com/ucY2jSF.png
It's difficult to play Davis Bertans when he's playing as tissue soft as he was this evening. He was getting pushed around in the paint and he showed little force when going for rebounds. Yes, he's a slight dude but Bertans has to be willing to get his hands dirty. Daintily floating around on defense won't get the job done. He was okay on offense but he was too much of a disappointment on defense for that to matter.
Grade: C-
Summary: If Bertans is just going through the motions, he's not worth playing.

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Pau Gasol
https://i.imgur.com/oF0jVre.png
Pau Gasol is another Spur who had a very poor outing. On offense, he held the ball too long. He was too aggressive and took dumb shots while whining for whistles. His ball hog possessions aided in taking the air out of the building. Defensively, he was too slow to offer much help. Add in an anemic showing on the glass and this was a game for Gasol to forget.
Grade: D
Summary: Gasol was uncharacteristically ball-dominant on offense and worse than usual on defense.

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Dante Cunningham
https://i.imgur.com/W3QWUCI.png
After starting against the Lakers, Dante Cunningham didn't hit the floor until the second half against the Pacers. When he eventually entered the game, his hustle, transition defense and passion were whiffs of fresh air. Cunningham is probably an average NBA defensive player but on this roster filled with poor defenders, he might have to play if the Spurs want to stop the bleeding on that end of the court.
Grade: B+
Summary:

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Pop
https://i.imgur.com/x7B1It7.jpg
The Pacers are a smaller, quicker team, so going big with Poeltl in the starting lineup was the wrong call in hindsight. Pop has to be willing to bench Mills when he's playing terribly. Has to. After how well Cunningham did against the Lakers, it was odd to remove him from the rotation completely -- especially when effort and energy were obviously MIA early on. Those are the two things Cunningham brings to the table. In Pop's defense, the entire team seemed to be a step slow. There was no way to coach the team to a victory tonight.
Grade: C
Summary: Pop never found a way to get his team out of the mud.

Looking ahead: Burn that tape. The Spurs played poorly and the Pacers played really well. There's not much more to take away from this game than that.

The Spurs have a couple days off and then play the Lakers again on Saturday. This time in San Antonio. Let's hope the good guys can shake off this ugly performance in glorious fashion against their eternal rivals.

[BillMc]

Thanks as always for,them excellent grades. Spot on.

[Jay.From.NbTx]

Good write up.
Agree on all grades.
Defense was horrendous tbh and it didn’t help that the Pacers seemed to be making every single shot they took.. didn’t matter who it was if they were wearing a Pacer jersey they were getting buckets on us. Oladiplo killed us.

[Chinook]

I think Pop deserves an F. The defense is much worse than the sum of its parts, and that has a lot to do with the lack of effort and attention to detail. Pop's job is to motivate and teach. I can't give him a pass because the guys he handpicked don't seem to want to try and can't keep their rotations straight. Poeltl needs to come off the bench or be out of the rotation. He doesn't play good defense right now, and he's terrible offensively. Jakob was always going to get more than a few weeks to figure things out, so there's no shame is not putting him in when he doesn't have it.

I ranted about my issues with the team in the GT. I'll add that the bench right now doesn't have even a bad defender on it. Everyone is terrible. Mills is shitastic. Beli is a turnstile. Bertans has given up. Gasol only looks good when he cares -- and he doesn't care right now. Without Manu or any other play-maker, there isn't enough offense from that unit to compensate for the terrible D. They need to use Pon's spot on someone who can come in and play some D or make some plays. Yeah, White might be able to provide some of that once he returns. A healthy Walker could also do something. But can they afford to wait? I'm not sure. I guess they have to see where they are in December, when Cun and Pon become tradeable. But I'm looking at making a move sooner, and I'd be willing to throw in a pick if I can get some long-term benefit (like cutting a year off Pau's or Patty's deal). Obviously, I'm not talking about a pure salary dump. But a deal like Houston did for Lou Williams (getting rid of Corey Brewer) or the Wizards did for Bogdanovic (dumping Nicholson) where you get a good rotation player and salary relief.

Or just say fuck it to this season and trade Gasol and Mills for Bazemore and Plumlee.

[mystargtr34]

Poeltl is honestly a waste of space in the starting lineup.. he clogs the lane and evaporates any chance of drives to the basket for DeMar.

Pop needs to be bite the bullet and go with LaMarcus at the 5 with 3 wings and a guard.

LMA-Gay-Cunningham-DeMar-Bryn. It opens everything up. Second unit Poeltl-Bertans-Belli-White-Mills when White is back. Until then try and stagger it with DeMar.

[BackHome]

Eubanks played better then Poodle

But I am not for making a stupid moce for short term help vs waiting for high draft pick “ Yes were not good” and getting a decent player for Mills and Gasol contracts.

[Ice009]

Why did the Spurs pay Patty Mills so much money instead of going after someone like Tyreke Evans during that off-season like a lot of posters here wanted? Man, Tyreke is so much better value for money that is stinks seeing him play that well while the Spurs are stuck with Mills.

The Spurs need to get rid of Patty. Bryn is better than him for a fraction of the cost. I really do think the Mills and Gasol signings disgusted Kawhi. I said (in anger) after those two signings that if I was Kawhi I'd ask to be traded to the Lakers. He basically ended up doing just that a year later, and unfortunately for the Spurs, completely going about it the wrong way, but the point remains, he asked out. I think those two signings didn't make him happy at all. Loyalty contracts for players that aren't great on the court and aren't worth anywhere near that amount of money is just terrible, terrible stuff. People say the Spurs are run like the military, but does the military keep employees that are liabilities and pay them more money than anyone else would on top of that?

If the young guys don't come back (Derrick and Lonnie) and save the team, then I think the Spurs front office is going to learn a hard lesson this season about handing out those retarded contracts.

[TXstbobcat]

Both Gasol and Mills were complete trash tonight.

[DAF86]

This team is a lot worse than anticipated, and I don't see any solution with the players available. I expect another loss against the Lakers.

[TDMVPDPOY]

whatever happen to earning ur minutes,

yet pop continues to throw out mills/forbes heavy minutes, can understand between the both whoever has a good game deserves minutes, but the later has no business getting minutes b4 others on the bench

why isnt pop playing other perimeter players out of position even though team is low on ballhandlers who can perform pg duties, its not like the spurs really need a pg to setup plays in the halfcourt

[minuzzo21]

We need defense!!

[JeffDuncan]

People say the Spurs are run like the military, but does the military keep employees that are liabilities and pay them more money that anyone else would on top of that?

Yes. They're called generals.

The basketball points are all painfully valid.

[John B]

Glad I didn’t watch it. But I was really hoping they start Dante as energizer bunny after the Laker game. Forbes is another breath of fresh air and should help his confidence more. I hope they learn but from this ugly game very early in the season and try to fix. Derozan needs to be aggressive. It’s your team now. GSG

[objective]

Pop
https://i.imgur.com/x7B1It7.jpg
... Pop has to be willing to bench Mills when he's playing terribly. Has to.

I wouldn't give Pop higher than a D until he does (he won't). Mills plays terribly, what, 75% of the time? I swear Jeff Ledbetter would be better.


But I'm looking at making a move sooner, and I'd be willing to throw in a pick if I can get some long-term benefit (like cutting a year off Pau's or Patty's deal). Obviously, I'm not talking about a pure salary dump. But a deal like Houston did for Lou Williams (getting rid of Corey Brewer) or the Wizards did for Bogdanovic (dumping Nicholson) where you get a good rotation player and salary relief.

Or just say fuck it to this season and trade Gasol and Mills for Bazemore and Plumlee.

The Wizards dumping Nicholson got the Nets the pick that's Jarrett Allen. Not really a good thing for the Spurs to emulate.

I would say no to any salary dump trade. The short term is screwed, the long term is screwed. I would rather churn through g-league and two-way guys and see Mills and his ilk benched than waste a pick that has even as little as a 1% chance of being a good player.

[spurs10]

Thanks, these grades are dead-on. I left tonight's game thinking Pau was pretty bad and Patty was much worse. It was hard to watch. As you said, Forbes and Gay were anomalies out there. I too was puzzled after Cunningham's decent start in LA why he didn't start tonight. Let's hope for some redemption on Saturday!

[Chinook]

I wouldn't give Pop higher than a D until he does (he won't). Mills plays terribly, what, 75% of the time? I swear Jeff Ledbetter would be better.



The Wizards dumping Nicholson got the Nets the pick that's Jarrett Allen. Not really a good thing for the Spurs to emulate.

I would say no to any salary dump trade. The short term is screwed, the long term is screwed. I would rather churn through g-league and two-way guys and see Mills and his ilk benched than waste a pick that has even as little as a 1% chance of being a good player.

The Wizards just gave away a big in that trade. They weren't going to draft Allen. That's the kind of hindsight that isn't helpful. Yes, the Spurs could end up giving away a pick that's a really good player. They've done so in the past with guys like Dragic and Lee. That's not something to worry about. The Spurs made a win-now trade with DeRozan. They lost their chance at winning once Murray went down. But they still have one or two more years with their current core, and the goal is likely going to be to compete as much as possible with those guys signed. That means they'll need to clean up their roster and boost their rotation. The goal would be to get a guy into your team with a year to adjust so that when Murray comes back, the team is that much stronger.

I'm certainly am not talking about giving up an unprotected first for Avery Bradley or something. But the Toronto pick to turn Gasol into Carroll and Dinwiddie? Could make a really big difference next year when the team would be able to use their full MLE to attack their weaknesses rather than splitting it up again.

[objective]

I'm certainly am not talking about giving up an unprotected first for Avery Bradley or something. But the Toronto pick to turn Gasol into Carroll and Dinwiddie? Could make a really big difference next year when the team would be able to use their full MLE to attack their weaknesses rather than splitting it up again.

Carroll holds no more allure for me now that he's had ankle surgery and is out for another couple of months. He'd be 33 next season, and bringing back 33 year olds with bum ankles doesn't do it for me. I don't think the Toronto first could get Dinwiddie. I also don't think RC and his Orlando Interns that assist him would be interested in paying Dinwiddie to stay even though he would have a small caphold. I think Brooklyn could value him more than a late first.

And of course the Spurs really value Pau and his culture, moving him .... can't see it.

[Fireball]

Carroll ..33? ... what did I miss?

[Russo21]

-30 in just 24 minutes? Fuck you Paddy you little aborigine. Get a haircut also you goon.

[weeks]

i actually look forward to this season...it's gonna be real relaxing and stress-free for a change.

[tbdog]

For those who are totally against the Forbes and Mills lineup. Truth is, we don't have options. We have four guards. One of them is playing a lot at SF. The other one is Beli. Mills and Forbes are going to happen until White and Walker come back. And playing Cunningham and Bertans more doesn't really help as they both combo forwards, and mainly play the 4 at that. Playing Gay more minutes is really the only option going forward to reduce the Mills and Forbes backup.

[ceperez]

Spurs severe lack of athletic talent requires that their players be mentally engaged and superior to the opponent.

Well, the entire team checked out when they saw DeRozan not look for his shot for the entire first half.

This is a domino effect because we got guys who have been in the league for too long and likely are very disinterested in a regular season game. Unfortunately, the young guys aren't talented enough to beat most teams in the NBA.

This can end in a disaster very quickly!

Pau - Disinterested in most games and doesn't have the spring left to score on an opponent.
LaMarcus - Always seeked an easier game by chucking mid-range shots instead of battling in the paint.
DeRozan - Obviously checked out this game.
Gay - He tries, but he's got limited mobility.
Mills - Is now faking effort!

Bryn - A young guy who obviously makes the effort regardless of score.
Bertans - Just can't defend anyone.
Poetl - Limited offensively
Belli - Takes a ton of ill-advised shots.
Cunningham - Can't score on his own.

Pons - Only wants to prove he can still get an NBA contract
Metu - This kind of a game, he has to be played so he prove himself.
Eubanks - Not an NBA player.... but maybe he'll play better than Pau

The team basically sucks big time and it doesn't help if the so called veterans aren't engaged.

I'll spend my time watching the Raptors... the team the Spurs should have been!

[r0drig0lac]

"As does the fact that he went from being one of the better shot blockers in the league last season to not recording a single block yet this season."
when its perimeter does not have the ability to press the opponent, this happens

[MVPCues]

F sighting. No surprise who is wearing it...

[kaji157]

I agree on the grades, however when a team starts spring 9/13 on threes that makes it very difficult to find any kind of defensive rhythm.
Anyway it was indeed a very bad game.
Mills continues to suck and it's now near 2017 Tony Parker's level. Worrying.

[superbigtime]

This season could fall into complete disarray in a hurry. Mills is craptastic. Rather have travel scrub DJ Augustin, he's only 30. Or just about anyone. So glad I did not watch this game. Feel bad for the fans to have to choke down such garbage.

Thank you for game summary and grades. Expecting bad reports the entire season.

[Fireball]

worst defense in league history ... its the rules, but whatever ... we are just missing too many important players

[acoelho1]

Trading away draft picks makes no sense unless we are getting a young prospect in return. The reality is this team lost any hope of truly competing when Murray went down. It didn't help that Walker and White also got hurt. I actually prefer for this team to struggle so it forces a change in strategy in terms of roster construction. It will also help our draft position.

We are not contending with Aldridge and DeRozan as our best players. We had a chance if Murray & White made a leap this year and Walker forced his way into the rotation but now, I can't see it. On the bright side, I really like Metu and he should be given consistent minutes in order to speed up his development. It made sense to sit young players when we were contending but now we need to think about the future.

[JeffDuncan]

But do they all get participation trophies?

[james evans]

Better get used to Mills because after this contract is up, he's definitely getting the Parker/Ginobli treatment.

[SAGirl]

Thanks for the review Timvp. I thought you were honest. I hope the coaching staff rethinks minutes and rotations. As you said they need to bench Patty if he’s sucking, just like anyone else on the roster would get out of the game if they are being awful. I get the injuries but call a Gleague player at this point. Paddy was worse than a Gleague prospect.

[Dex]

One other takeaway from the game:

The Pacers just provided other teams the blueprint for throwing a wrench into the Spurs offense, and that is to cut off the head of the snake (Demar).

They were swarming Demar every time he got the ball, throwing double teams at him and cutting off his passing lanes. Without DeRozan scoring and being able to facilitate the others, the entire offense sputtered.

Yes, LaMarcus put up a dud himself, Gay needed to be more aggressive, and the rest of the team couldn't hit the broad side of a barn...but the Spurs aren't going to win many games by relying solely on LMA and Gay for offense.

Last night made it look like this offense ride & dies on DeRozan, and if other teams figure that out, it's going to make for a lot more games that look like last night.

[SAGirl]

"As does the fact that he went from being one of the better shot blockers in the league last season to not recording a single block yet this season."
when its perimeter does not have the ability to press the opponent, this happens
Absolutely, which is why Pau and Lamarcus also look worse than last season on that end too.

[rjv]

this is what we can expect from SA for the season. we will be around .500 for most of the season unless there is another injury to a key player and then we could sink below that mark. the loss of murray on the perimeter and the loss of white and murray in addition to white just killed our depth. it's going to be a hit and miss season which is fine given the circumstances as long as eventually there is some development here and there.

[Truth4sale$]

Can the Spurs, seriously not find a defensive wing player at all, even if he cant dribble or shoot.

[Dex]

Can the Spurs, seriously not find a defensive wing player at all, even if he cant dribble or shoot.

They did. One busted his ACL, another tore a ligament in his heel, and the last has a broken foot.

They also lost two of the best perimeter defenders in the league thanks to fucking Uncle Dennis.

[MaNu4Tres]

this is what we can expect from SA for the season. we will be around .500 for most of the season unless there is another injury to a key player and then we could sink below that mark. the loss of murray on the perimeter and the loss of white and murray in addition to white just killed our depth. it's going to be a hit and miss season which is fine given the circumstances as long as eventually there is some development here and there.

Theyll be closer to a .400 to .450 win team.

[TDomination]

One other takeaway from the game:

The Pacers just provided other teams the blueprint for throwing a wrench into the Spurs offense, and that is to cut off the head of the snake (Demar).

They were swarming Demar every time he got the ball, throwing double teams at him and cutting off his passing lanes. Without DeRozan scoring and being able to facilitate the others, the entire offense sputtered.

Yes, LaMarcus put up a dud himself, Gay needed to be more aggressive, and the rest of the team couldn't hit the broad side of a barn...but the Spurs aren't going to win many games by relying solely on LMA and Gay for offense.

Last night made it look like this offense ride & dies on DeRozan, and if other teams figure that out, it's going to make for a lot more games that look like last night.

This x 1,000,000,

There's your blue print. Make life difficult on Demar. He has controlled everything on the offense so far this year, he penetrates then dishes, he penetrates to score, he can score in iso and so forth.

But if you make life hard on him, who's going to pick up the slack? It has to be Aldridge. At least until the Spurs can figure out how to put Demar in a position to succeed when he is being doubled. But if Aldridge is struggling as well then we're screwed like last night. Aldridge has to be ready.

Right now, the only way to win games is to play extremely well on offense. We aint beating anyone on the defensive side. We gotta go full blown Pringles mode right now to win games. and then once walker and white come back, make your defensive adjustments.

And Cunningham needs to start at the 4. We scored 40 in the 1st with him in the starting lineup. Gotta see it again to see if it can work again.

[Keepin' it real]

This was clearly a trap game. Coming off the OT classic win -- one of the best Spurs games ever, besting King James -- the Spurs were due for a let-down. Especially with the rematch up next.

No worries here. Move on.

[SAGirl]

1055472979369431040
1055499769429327872

[emanueldavidginobili]

Welp after watching a couple games a completely HEALTHY Lonnie Walker should get major minutes no matter how many times he fucks up.

[SpursDynasty85]

Can the Spurs, seriously not find a defensive wing player at all, even if he cant dribble or shoot.

Sounds like Huestis. But we def ijnitely need him sooner. We probably need another one too.

[SAGirl]

1055278021869998084

[SAGirl]

1055441965930737666

[TDomination]

1055441965930737666

That is frightening

[Dex]

1055441965930737666

Zion sweepstakes, he we come!

[Dverde]

Is there something lower than F we can give Patty.

[phxspurfan]

One other takeaway from the game:

The Pacers just provided other teams the blueprint for throwing a wrench into the Spurs offense, and that is to cut off the head of the snake (Demar).

They were swarming Demar every time he got the ball, throwing double teams at him and cutting off his passing lanes. Without DeRozan scoring and being able to facilitate the others, the entire offense sputtered.

Yes, LaMarcus put up a dud himself, Gay needed to be more aggressive, and the rest of the team couldn't hit the broad side of a barn...but the Spurs aren't going to win many games by relying solely on LMA and Gay for offense.

Last night made it look like this offense ride & dies on DeRozan, and if other teams figure that out, it's going to make for a lot more games that look like last night.

sadly this team is like the Lost Years teams we had with Bonner and Blair. Opposing teams know who to attack pretty easily. It's Mills/Forbes, and DeRozan since he's the only ball handler. Doesn't take a genius to scheme that up. This team is rice paper thin.

[phxspurfan]

Welp after watching a couple games a completely HEALTHY Lonnie Walker should get major minutes no matter how many times he fucks up.

:pop: Mills is the far better player due to his Corporate Knowledge and character.

[JeffDuncan]

Can the Spurs, seriously not find a defensive wing player at all, even if he cant dribble or shoot.

Blossomgame just got called back to Austin. He has defensive ability.

[rjv]

Theyll be closer to a .400 to .450 win team.

that's quite possible. they are a couple of missed free throws away from 1-3 and they could have easily lost to the wolves too.

[Larry O]

Thanks Timvp for your grades! SAS didn't have "appropriate fear" for the Pacers. The Pacers had their backs to the wall after back-to-back losses, so they came ready to play with ball movement, playing small ball & agressive defense & a gameplan to single out Double D 10 to limit his scoring ability. Spurs in the meantime, just returned from the west coast feeling "high" off that OT win against LBJ23 & the Lakers. There was no energy; no ball movemet, & the defense was "UnSpursy." Now if SAS would have played better & had DC33 in the lineup, just maybe this game would have been more competative, but it's only speculation. Watch film; stress strengths, weaknesses & what needs improvement; move on & prepare for the Lakers who will want revenge, so bring your "A-Game" Spurs on Saturday night & execute. GSG!!!

[sasaint]

Theyll be closer to a .400 to .450 win team.

To attain that level both White and Walker would have to blossom into near-stars on their respective returns - especially White since he returns much sooner.

[cd021]

The Wizards just gave away a big in that trade. They weren't going to draft Allen. That's the kind of hindsight that isn't helpful. Yes, the Spurs could end up giving away a pick that's a really good player. They've done so in the past with guys like Dragic and Lee. That's not something to worry about. The Spurs made a win-now trade with DeRozan. They lost their chance at winning once Murray went down. But they still have one or two more years with their current core, and the goal is likely going to be to compete as much as possible with those guys signed. That means they'll need to clean up their roster and boost their rotation. The goal would be to get a guy into your team with a year to adjust so that when Murray comes back, the team is that much stronger.

I'm certainly am not talking about giving up an unprotected first for Avery Bradley or something. But the Toronto pick to turn Gasol into Carroll and Dinwiddie? Could make a really big difference next year when the team would be able to use their full MLE to attack their weaknesses rather than splitting it up again.

:tu

Carrol and Dinwiddie could be retained using bird rights and allowing PATFO full use of the $9 million MLE.

Forbes, DDR, Gay, Carrol and Aldridge is a much better SL than current, with size and versatility. Carrol, Forbes, and Gay should provide enough spacing for LMA and DDR to work while also being better defensively.

Not as familiar with Dinwiddies game but turning Gasol and a late first into two serviceable wing players is pretty good.

If Forbes keeps up his shooting, and stays a starter, he'll have a realistic shot at most improved. Him plus our first could allow for the Spurs to move up in the draft and take a good wing prospect.

[Hoops Czar]

I agree on the grades, however when a team starts spring 9/13 on threes that makes it very difficult to find any kind of defensive rhythm.
Anyway it was indeed a very bad game.
Mills continues to suck and it's now near 2017 Tony Parker's level. Worrying.
Unfortunately, Manu can't play until he's 45 just so Paddy can look like a competent NBA player. Pop should be humiliated with the Paddy and Pau contracts. I feel humiliated just watching them.

[Hoops Czar]

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Marco hasn't played a lick of defense his entire career. It's almost theatrical that he would be the one explain what when wrong defensively.

[r0drig0lac]

Marco hasn't played a lick of defense his entire career. It's almost theatrical that he would be the one explain what when wrong defensively.

I really feel like Pop is just trolling spurstalk right now.

[TDMVPDPOY]

Thanks for the review Timvp. I thought you were honest. I hope the coaching staff rethinks minutes and rotations. As you said they need to bench Patty if he’s sucking, just like anyone else on the roster would get out of the game if they are being awful. I get the injuries but call a Gleague player at this point. Paddy was worse than a Gleague prospect.

play defense get minutes is not spurs mantra anymore

its all about being favorite son or vet, u will get minutes even if you suck monkeydick for the night.... as for patty, he be on bench waving that cumstain towel every spurs possession just to show pop his still active, put him back in the game...

[Spurs da champs]

They did. One busted his ACL, another tore a ligament in his heel, and the last has a broken foot.

They also lost two of the best perimeter defenders in the league thanks to fucking Uncle Dennis.
Murray & White aren't wings. Huestis was just a dumb signing, it's telling that he couldn't get real minutes when Roberson went down for OKC.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Patty Mills is awful. At one point I watched about 5 sequences in a row by the Pacers where they were making switches on offense with their ball movement until (*insert name here) was fronted by Patty with 5 or so seconds on the shot clock in a position to take him off the dribble or pull up for a jumper. And yeah, the Pacers scored on every one of those plays. It was like their offense revolved around moving the ball until Mills was isolated from help and then it was an automatic bucket.


Get him off the court!! The WhiteWalker can't get healthy soon enough. Our defense stinks.

[wildbill2u]

How would anyone suggest they get rid of Patty. Big contract and poor performance isn't something that other teams are looking for.

[SouthTexasRancher]

Both Gasol and Mills were complete trash tonight.

That pretty much sums up every night...! lol

[r0drig0lac]

That pretty much sums up every night...! lol

[RC_Drunkford]

Patty Mills is awful. At one point I watched about 5 sequences in a row by the Pacers where they were making switches on offense with their ball movement until (*insert name here) was fronted by Patty with 5 or so seconds on the shot clock in a position to take him off the dribble or pull up for a jumper. And yeah, the Pacers scored on every one of those plays. It was like their offense revolved around moving the ball until Mills was isolated from help and then it was an automatic bucket.


Get him off the court!! The WhiteWalker can't get healthy soon enough. Our defense stinks.

I mean if you was the opposing team's coach, that's what you would want to do wouldn't you? Just cause Pop doesn't see it, doesn't mean everybody else don't. We obviously see it, so you can be sure opponents do too

[r0drig0lac]

I mean if you was the opposing team's coach, that's what you would want to do wouldn't you? Just cause Pop doesn't see it, doesn't mean everybody else don't. We obviously see it, so you can be sure opponents do too

sure that Pop also sees, but for him basketball is no longer so important, he will live and die with his convictions regardless of anything

[RC_Drunkford]

sure that Pop also sees, but for him basketball is no longer so important, he will live and die with his convictions regardless of anything

I guess you are right. I just wonder how it makes sense to play a -30 point net negative when you are not trying to tank