Why isn’t San Antonio a popular FA destination? What can the city do to change that?

[HWoodNixon]

Discuss! What does this city really need to make it a cool place to live?

[benefactor]

Nothing can be done. You can't turn a 2 into a dime no matter how much makeup you put on her.

[FkLA]

Move the AT&T Center downtown or to a non-ghetto area. Kick out all the ghetto people. Become more diverse instead of being 90% Mexican.

It will never happen, tbh.

[Dex]

There is nothing that San Antonio, as a whole, can do. We are never gonna hold a candle to Los Angeles, New York, Miami, or Chicago. Even with the current effort to build up downtown and the Pearl district...S.A. is and always will be a sprawling family town. The best draw for younger generations is the fact that Austin is an hour up the road.

The best thing the Spurs have going for them from a free agent perspective is sustained success, cheap housing, no state income tax, and Spurs are the only game in town. But even when we had the Big 3 and were making deep playoff runs every year, that hardly seemed to matter.

Still, if fucking Oklahoma City can draw free agents, we should be able to as well.

[baseline bum]

They could tell the Spurs they're not building them a new arena in 2027 and the team could move to Austin?

[Dex]

Move the AT&T Center downtown or to a non-ghetto area. Kick out all the ghetto people. Become more diverse instead of being 90% Mexican.

It will never happen, tbh.

This would definitely help from a fan perspective. I have no idea why they thought they could build AT&T next to a golf course and a bunch of stock yards and hoped it would "revitalize the area". Actually, I do...because that line was bullshit and they just wanted the cheap real estate.

The Dome was a horrible game environment, but it was great to be able to walk out from games and go downtown or to Sunset....but it's not like the players were doing that.

[JeffDuncan]

The city is largely irrelevant to free agents. They're only home half the time during the season, and in the offseason they can go wherever.

Free agents mostly want to be well paid. And of course they like to win.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

Stop being family friendly, let strippers be all nude, legalize gambling, open up more bars and clubs downtown

[DAF86]

You need more people, that's it. More people, more fans, more rating, more popularity, more money. It's simple as that.

[Rusty]

A lot of NBA players don’t want to play for Gregg Popovich because of his attitude

[tenbeersbold]

Sadly it's easy to see.
San Antonio is only about 7 percent Black so there's no Black club scene/night life for single wealthy Black athletes to socialize in
I believe Parker had a club catering to that element for awhile but even that didn't last too long

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/local/article/Parker-s-upscale-nightclub-closes-4721515.php (http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/local/article/Parker-s-upscale-nightclub-closes-4721515.php)

[RD2191]

Stop being family friendly, let strippers be all nude, legalize gambling, open up more bars and clubs downtown

I second this.

[gambit1990]

legalizing gambling and weed would be the best steps. so much $$$ would come pouring in. that money in turn would be help build a better city.

san antonio is stale af tbh. there is just nothing going on. step into austin and you can feel the energy that sa doesn't have.

[Hoops Czar]

Hire a front office that actually recruits free agents, bring in players that elite players want to play with because 75% of the recruiting process comes from the players themselves and move to Vegas.

[ECOV]

Worst place to ask for advice imho

[DC23]

I would think no state income tax would be a pretty significant draw for a top tier free agent.

[gambit1990]

I would think no state income tax would be a pretty significant draw for a top tier free agent.
it isn't and it won't be. there's nothing to do in sa. a player wouldn't even be able to make as much money through endorsements.

[gambit1990]

when danny was in sa he was hawking some shitty watches... one season in TOR and he's getting that google money now.

[Nivek_ogre]

Is this thread a troll attempt to get as many stupid answers as possible?

[gambit1990]

Is this thread a troll attempt to get as many stupid answers as possible?
even if it's a troll attempt... the answers aren't stupid.

[gambit1990]

biggest FAs to sign in the last 20 years:
-LA
-michael finley past his prime
-brent barry past his prime

and that's during sa's golden age...

[K...]

A lot of NBA players don’t want to play for Gregg Popovich because of his attitude

LMAO, after pop we'll be lucky to get Quincy pondexter level free agents.

I mean I could see an argument to back up the money truck for Jerry West, but getting a high profile sexy gm is going to be even harder than getting free agent players.

[gambit1990]

and can't forget about pau, tj ford, glen robinson, and nick van exel :lol

[gambit1990]

sa is basically florida if you're in your 30s/40s instead of in your 60s/70s.

[RC_Drunkford]

and can't forget about pau, tj ford, glen robinson, and nick van exel :lol

Tracy McGrady, Antonio McDyess, David West, Robert Horry, Rudy Gay. The list of washed up vets we signed is long:rollin

[james evans]

A lot of NBA players don’t want to play for Gregg Popovich because of his attitude
BINGO!!!! WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!!

[Hoops Czar]

biggest FAs to sign in the last 20 years:
-LA
-michael finley past his prime
-brent barry past his prime

and that's during sa's golden age...

This has to do with a Front office failing to thrive in today's NBA. There's nothing to do in OKC either but they can still attract free agents.
You have a do nothing GM in Buford and a coach/GM who doesn't like players who shrug their shoulders, stare into the cameras, flex their muscles and in the mid 2000's actually put a ban on slamming the basketball. This is a rap/hip hop league and Pop doesn't want players to express themselves? He should coach in Europe instead of bringing Europe to America.

[gambit1990]

Tracy McGrady, Antonio McDyess, David West, Robert Horry, Rudy Gay. The list of washed up vets we signed is long:rollin
:lol

vince carter just said he’s playing another year...

[Degoat]

Why y’all such haters?? Of course players would like to play for the spurs but we never have the money to pay them

[JeffDuncan]

Why y’all such haters?? Of course players would like to play for the spurs but we never have the money to pay them

That's the bottom line.

[Dverde]

Regarding free agency...Spurs are the nice Walgreens Assistant Manager the players marry after they were treated like shit by flashier former boyfriends and their kids need a reliable father figure. Their best years are behind them as they get fatter knowing the Spurs will not call them out on their looks getting gradually worse.

[gambit1990]

“players want to play for spurs”... yeah, when they can barely play anymore :lol

[Brazil]

:lol that's a topic we never discussed before

[cjw]

Tracy McGrady, Antonio McDyess, David West, Robert Horry, Rudy Gay. The list of washed up vets we signed is long:rollin

You realize Horry was an integral piece to the 2005 title run (got a ton of burn in the playoffs)? Oh wait, you wouldn’t remember that.

[BD24]

Move the AT&T Center downtown or to a non-ghetto area. Kick out all the ghetto people. Become more diverse instead of being 90% Mexican.

It will never happen, tbh.
Putting the stadium downtown would be a great first step. Especially with the downtown revitalization/growth going on the last couple years.

San Antonio is a great city for regular folks. If your a fucking multi millionaire though there is better places to live

[Avitus1]

From a fan perspective build the arena somewhere else in the city. The location of the AT&T center sucks and will never get better without knocking down buildings/houses and overhauling the area. The Spurs should be playing in an arena where the fans can leave and go do something afterwards like grab a drink or some food. Either that or the arena should be in an area with actual space to have these types of places built and not just promised.

From a player position I’d imagine marketing the team needs to be better to bring in more fans and money which would hopefully be more enticing to potential players.

[Mirrornick]

When is the last time a large market like New York, chicago or Toronto ever signed a big name free agent?

And how about la. When did the Lakers. Who did they sign before LeBron? I don't believe in the notion that only large markets can get superstars.

[pad300]

To be a "top" tier FA draw, you need a beach and southern coastal weather, ie Cali and Florida teams... There is no way to get that here.

[DPG21920]

To be a "top" tier FA draw, you need a beach and southern coastal weather, ie Cali and Florida teams... There is no way to get that here.

Lakers have done a tremendous job the past 6 years :lol. Toronto too!

[Hoops Czar]

When is the last time a large market like New York, chicago or Toronto ever signed a big name free agent?

And how about la. When did the Lakers. Who did they sign before LeBron? I don't believe in the notion that only large markets can get superstars.

You need several key ingredients to attract elite free agents. First, you need building blocks for the future (I'm not talking about role players that can put up numbers once evey 5 or 6 games). Second, you need cap space. Third, you need assets to make trades in order to free up cap space and/or build around your elite free agent. Fourth, you need a front office that gives a shit. The Spurs don't meet any of these criteria to attract free agents.

Toronto has been in salary cap hell the past four years but dumping DeRozan and Valencunias' contract freed up a ton of cap space so expect them to be a major player in free agency in the offseason. Chicago is rebuilding and New York has lousy ownership but expect them to sign both Durant and Irving in the offseason.

[Frenchfred]

Harden and Durand left OKC. They only got George.

[gambit1990]

Harden and Durand left OKC. They only got George.
harden got traded and durant is a pussy.

[Frenchfred]

Harden was traded because they couldn’t agree on an extension. At the end of the day, OKC was not exciting enough to make him stay.

[ZeusWillJudge]

How about a thread about why ST attracts so many feebs who want to start a clever discussion so badly that they actully put the word "Discuss!" up front?

Do you really not understand the differences between big market cities and small market cities, OP? Do you really think there is "something we can do" to change SA into a big market city? Discuss!

[davidbowie]

keep san antonio lame

[baseline bum]

This would definitely help from a fan perspective. I have no idea why they thought they could build AT&T next to a golf course and a bunch of stock yards and hoped it would "revitalize the area". Actually, I do...because that line was bullshit and they just wanted the cheap real estate.

The Dome was a horrible game environment, but it was great to be able to walk out from games and go downtown or to Sunset....but it's not like the players were doing that.

The city was trying to piggyback a big expansion to the convention center onto the arena they had planned next to the Alamodome in the summer of 1999. The Spurs were scared a tax increase to expand the convention center would fail a public vote and kill their gravy train so they went to the county instead to subsidize them. Hence why the AT&T Center is on county property next to Freeman Colosseum.

[baseline bum]

Harden and Durand left OKC. They only got George.

They wanted to pay Harden like a bench player. He was fine taking a sixth man role but not sixth man money.

[BatManu20]

Move the AT&T Center downtown or to a non-ghetto area. Kick out all the ghetto people. Become more diverse instead of being 90% Mexican.

It will never happen, tbh.



/thread.

[R. DeMurre]

I think there's a lot of mythology around places that are or aren't popular FA destinations. Before LeBron signed with the Lakers last year, they hadn't signed a significant FA in a long time. The Knicks and Nets are in NYC and neither has made a big FA splash in many years. Miami hasn't done much since the Big 3 days. Most of Chicago's additions have been through the draft and trades. I do think that Pop is one of those coaches that opposing players praise, but also secretly would fear playing for. OKC gets lots of props for being "active," but they've had four MVP level players in less than a decade and still have zero rings, and next year they'll have the highest team payroll in the NBA and not much to show for it, aside from being in about the same place that the Spurs are.

[Trueblood]

A major earthquake causes the RGV to fall into the ocean making SA beach front property. Even then I have my doubts.

[Trueblood]

There is nothing that San Antonio, as a whole, can do. We are never gonna hold a candle to Los Angeles, New York, Miami, or Chicago. Even with the current effort to build up downtown and the Pearl district...S.A. is and always will be a sprawling family town. The best draw for younger generations is the fact that Austin is an hour up the road.

The best thing the Spurs have going for them from a free agent perspective is sustained success, cheap housing, no state income tax, and Spurs are the only game in town. But even when we had the Big 3 and were making deep playoff runs every year, that hardly seemed to matter.

Still, if fucking Oklahoma City can draw free agents, we should be able to as well.

What FA did OKC draw? They drafted Harden, Durant & Westbrook. PG was a trade who decided to stay after the fact

[sananspursfan21]

Something tells me the recruiting department is fairly weak tbh

[Trueblood]

Harden was traded because they couldn’t agree on an extension. At the end of the day, OKC was not exciting enough to make him stay.

One of the biggest bonehead moves in the history of the game if you ask me. They should have dumped Ibaka and paid the man. I believe Durant would have stayed with Harden and Westbrook and that core could have one a few chips.

[Kurgan]

When is the last time a large market like New York, chicago or Toronto ever signed a big name free agent?

And how about la. When did the Lakers. Who did they sign before LeBron? I don't believe in the notion that only large markets can get superstars.

You've been quiet since your boy Defrozen choked in game 7.

As for the topic, the Spurs would be better off moving the team to Austin. Even then, it won't guarantee any free agents. Stars attract other stars in this league, and the Spurs don't have any. Lamarsha and Dechoker don't count...they're fake stars that aren't taken seriously by other players in the league.

[R. DeMurre]

One of the biggest bonehead moves in the history of the game if you ask me. They should have dumped Ibaka and paid the man. I believe Durant would have stayed with Harden and Westbrook and that core could have one a few chips.


They should have traded Westbrook because he was the least efficient of their big 3. Durant, Harden, Ibaka, and two solid role players from a trade would've been an incredible team. I think it's interesting that Presti has such a rep as an analytics guy, but their team now features an extremely inefficient PG, an old fashioned C who can't switch defensively, and very few shooters. Doesn't seem like a team built by someone who especially loves analytics.

[spurs10]

Maybe more prostitutes and oyster bars?

[DPG21920]

Yall need to get out more; SA isn’t the coolest city in the world but there is plenty of good stuff going on. Some great restaurants, bars and music going on.

[daslicer]

In the last 29 years they have only been a few superstars that have left their teams through FA.

1. Shaq in '96 leaving the Magic to go to LA.
2. Lebron going to Miami
3. Durant going to Golden State

Over 90 percent of organizations still build their teams the old fashion way which is through the draft and trades.

[Trueblood]

They should have traded Westbrook because he was the least efficient of their big 3. Durant, Harden, Ibaka, and two solid role players from a trade would've been an incredible team. I think it's interesting that Presti has such a rep as an analytics guy, but their team now features an extremely inefficient PG, an old fashioned C who can't switch defensively, and very few shooters. Doesn't seem like a team built by someone who especially loves analytics.

Peach! That d guy gets too much credit. He drafted well and held on to a free agent. That's about it...

I like what you said and I don't disagree that your idea would have worked out great. But I would have kept Westchuck. They should have let him come off the bench though. Harden could be the primary ball handler with the starters and if they try to double Durant he would end up with an open 3. Either way it's pick your poison, Durant straight up or an open harden for 3. Westbrook coming off the bench would have allowed him to feast on backup PG's. You would have two of them on the court at all times and still get them plenty of rest.

Never would have happened though. Harden wouldn't share the spotlight. Westbrook wouldn't sacrifice his precious stats for the sake of winning (like manu). And Oklahoma City would never have put up with the jerk Durant had become in GS.

[CGD]

Yall need to get out more; SA isn’t the coolest city in the world but there is plenty of good stuff going on. Some great restaurants, bars and music going on.

Agree with this. I live out east, but always have a good time when I come into town to see friends and family. Actually prefer it to Austin in many aspects.

[DPG21920]

Agree with this. I live out east, but always have a good time when I come into town to see friends and family. Actually prefer it to Austin in many aspects.

I live in Austin, but grew up in SA. Still go to SA all the time. Austin is amazing for many reasons (mostly due to the outdoors and walkabilty/how active the city is) but SA has a lot of really cool spots.

Stop going to Chili’s and try some of the cooler more hip spots. There really are a lot of great places to eat/drink which is pretty much how most cities are defined in terms of fun.

[Hoops Czar]

What FA did OKC draw? They drafted Harden, Durant & Westbrook. PG was a trade who decided to stay after the fact
PG was a FREE AGENT when he signed with the Thunder.

[Geo210SpursSanAnto.]

This... Most of you commenting are neither in s.a. nor have visited... Only read and hear what you see on spurstalk or the media.... Sure s.a. is what one would call "cool" city.... But everyone has their own opinions... San antonio is moving in the right directions with the lower broadway pearl area, when complete will make a large inpact into moving folks back into the urbancore.... S.a. is the 7th most populous city in America, and aproaching the 6th spot over philly.... To say we cant attract top f.a. is absurd... It comes down to money at the end.... Amd if ownership wants to open up their pocket books....

[Kurgan]

PG was a FREE AGENT when he signed with the Thunder.

Correction. He RE-signed with them.

[Geo210SpursSanAnto.]

Yall need to get out more; SA isn’t the coolest city in the world but there is plenty of good stuff going on. Some great restaurants, bars and music going on.
This... Most of you commenting are neither in s.a. nor have visited... Only read and hear what you see on spurstalk or the media.... Sure s.a. is not what one would call "cool" city.... But everyone has their own opinions... San antonio is moving in the right directions with the lower broadway pearl area, when complete will make a large inpact into moving folks back into the urbancore.... S.a. is the 7th most populous city in America, and aproaching the 6th spot over philly.... To say we cant attract top f.a. is absurd... It comes down to money at the end.... Amd if ownership wants to open up their pocket books....

[Hoops Czar]

I live in Austin, but grew up in SA. Still go to SA all the time. Austin is amazing for many reasons (mostly due to the outdoors and walkabilty/how active the city is) but SA has a lot of really cool spots.

Stop going to Chili’s and try some of the cooler more hip spots. There really are a lot of great places to eat/drink which is pretty much how most cities are defined in terms of fun.

You really do paint a picture when referencing one of the fattest cities in America, talking about how there's a lot of great places to eat and drink in San Antonio.

[DPG21920]

You really do paint a picture when referencing one of the fattest cities in America, talking about how there's a lot of great places to eat and drink in San Antonio.

Well pretty much every city is discussed in reference to their culinary scene and nightlife.

[Hoops Czar]

Correction. He RE-signed with them.
In order to RE-sign with someone, don't you have to be signed with them in the first place?

[Hoops Czar]

Well pretty much every city is discussed in reference to their culinary scene and nightlife.
Well, they do have a sea world and six flags. Not sure if that gets boring after awhile.

Kawhi had his lifetime Sea World pass revoked when he was traded to Toronto or was that his parking pass? I forgot.

[DPG21920]

Well, they do have a sea world and six flags. Not sure if that gets boring after awhile.

What I am saying is usually the measure of fun in a city is 3 things (in no specific order): Food scene, drink/music scene and outdoors.

SA doesn’t have great outdoors (it is in close proximity to a lot of that, but not in the city itself) but the food/drink/music scene has improved a lot and there are some great spots doing cool things right now.

[Geo210SpursSanAnto.]

Well, they do have a sea world and six flags.

S.a is one of the most historic cities in the world with alot of history, unlike any other cookie cutter city... Its not all about night life and eating... Winter time you can rock shorts and a t... Cost of living is way cheaper then most n.b.a. cities.... You trolls need to come up with a new gimmick... Get out of moms basement...

[gambit1990]

You really do paint a picture when referencing one of the fattest cities in America, talking about how there's a lot of great places to eat and drink in San Antonio.
:lol

[Hoops Czar]

S.a is one of the most historic cities in the world with alot of history, unlike any other cookie cutter city... Its not all about night life and eating... Winter time you can rock shorts and a t... Cost of living is way cheaper then most n.b.a. cities.... You trolls need to come up with a new gimmick... Get out of moms basement...
I've been to San Antonio on three separate occasions for games and each time, I commuted from Dallas. What does SA have that Houston and Dallas doesn't?

[gambit1990]

sa doesn't even have that many great food options TBH. and the "nightlife" is not special.

[gambit1990]

S.a is one of the most historic cities in the world with alot of history, unlike any other cookie cutter city...
the alamo is lame... you can see it all in around 15 minutes. the drive to the missions might be more fun than being at the missions :lol

Winter time you can rock shorts and a t...
not exactly a deciding factor :lol

Cost of living is way cheaper then most n.b.a. cities....
not important to nba players.

[Millennial_Messiah]

There is nothing that San Antonio, as a whole, can do. We are never gonna hold a candle to Los Angeles, New York, Miami, or Chicago. Even with the current effort to build up downtown and the Pearl district...S.A. is and always will be a sprawling family town. The best draw for younger generations is the fact that Austin is an hour up the road.

The best thing the Spurs have going for them from a free agent perspective is sustained success, cheap housing, no state income tax, and Spurs are the only game in town. But even when we had the Big 3 and were making deep playoff runs every year, that hardly seemed to matter.

Still, if fucking Oklahoma City can draw free agents, we should be able to as well.

OKC has single, blonde babes who aren't fat latinas who have already had 3-5 kids by the time they first hit the club scene/dating market.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Pretty sure OKC has single, blonde, fit babes who aren't fat latinas who have already had 3-5 kids by the time they first hit the club scene/dating market...

[jbspurs]

No more Hall of Famers to even attract good players to join the team.

[Stabula]

Nothing can be done. You can't turn a 2 into a dime no matter how much makeup you put on her.

You haven't seen those viral videos of those Korean girls and their make up wizardry.

[Hoops Czar]

Yeah, therein lies the problem. If you're taking a family on a two week vacation to the San Antonio area for relaxation and fun, there's plenty of activities to fill the time. However, when you're trying to attract filthy rich NBA players, you're going to have to do a little better than lot's of good places to eat and drink.

[Roscoe P. Coltrane]

What big name free agents have the Lakers signed, Odom?

[TimDunkem]

Pretty sure OKC has single, blonde, fit babes who aren't fat latinas who have already had 3-5 kids by the time they first hit the club scene/dating market...

They don't. Trust me. Just as fat, but missing teeth too.

[TXstbobcat]

Pretty sure OKC has single, blonde, fit babes who aren't fat latinas who have already had 3-5 kids by the time they first hit the club scene/dating market...

oklahoma has the fat white trash gals that have popped out 3 to 5 pups :rollin

[Mirrornick]

San Antonio spurs are one of the, if not the most successful franchise in the past two decades. Spurs fans had the luxury of winning titles and be a winning team for such a long period of time. Trust me. Y'all are lucky.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Legalizing gambling and prostitution would be a positive first step.

[gambit1990]

forgot to mention legalizing prostitution. do that. let people do what they want. stop worrying about being a fake christian/catholic.

[BlackAndWhite]

Probably add a couple more million people to the city

[spurs10]

I live in Austin, but grew up in SA. Still go to SA all the time. Austin is amazing for many reasons (mostly due to the outdoors and walkabilty/how active the city is) but SA has a lot of really cool spots.

Stop going to Chili’s and try some of the cooler more hip spots. There really are a lot of great places to eat/drink which is pretty much how most cities are defined in terms of fun.
I agree wholeheartedly. In fact having been based out of Austin for decades, I also loved SA where my wife was raised and I lived for awhile as a kid. As you say, Austin is better for outdoors stuff probably with Barton Springs right in the middle of town. SA has a lot of culture to it though. I was always perplexed by friends from SA being a bit defensive about the cool factor between the two cities. Mainly due to the music scene I suppose, but SA has a lot of great music too, if you know where to look. I love both places a lot and if it’s too small of a market for some players, so be it. As someone said, the Spurs were the most winning team in all sports for two decades and have nothing to prove to anyone.

[DJR210]

San Antonio is not known for the glitz and glamour that most of these young guys want to experience when they cash in and join the league.. we attract the older free agent who wants structure and winning culture.

[Trueblood]

PG was a FREE AGENT when he signed with the Thunder.

Yes. That's the staying after the fact part. Perhaps you missed it. The point being he didn't choose OKC from Indiana, they had to role the dice and bring him in on a trade before he decided to stay. He resigned as a free agent, he did not come there as one. There's a difference.

[Maddog]

You need several key ingredients to attract elite free agents. First, you need building blocks for the future (I'm not talking about role players that can put up numbers once evey 5 or 6 games). Second, you need cap space. Third, you need assets to make trades in order to free up cap space and/or build around your elite free agent. Fourth, you need a front office that gives a shit. The Spurs don't meet any of these criteria to attract free agents.

Toronto has been in salary cap hell the past four years but dumping DeRozan and Valencunias' contract freed up a ton of cap space so expect them to be a major player in free agency in the offseason. Chicago is rebuilding and New York has lousy ownership but expect them to sign both Durant and Irving in the offseason.

Toronto is on the Books for 131 Mil next year sans Danny and the Nephew at only 21. They have a lot of Cap room in 20/21 but will potentially pay Nephew, Siakim etc.

I'm not sure anybody consistently signs top tier free agents. I'm too lazy, but it would be interesting to look back 5 years at the top free agents and see where they went

[Strategic]

Not too sure Pop wants many of these guys. Adversely, some of these free agents might not want to put in the work to fit into Pops scheme. I found SA to be a great place to live.

[Frenchfred]

S.a is one of the most historic cities in the world with alot of history, unlike any other cookie cutter city... Its not all about night life and eating... Winter time you can rock shorts and a t... Cost of living is way cheaper then most n.b.a. cities.... You trolls need to come up with a new gimmick... Get out of moms basement...

One of the Most historic cities in the world?? You are joking right?

[benefactor]

:lol insinuating OKC is any better than SA

[TDMVPDPOY]

what i always wonder with athletes that complain about no night life... why dont they invest in clubs/restaurants etc?? they the ones with capital, just need some brains behind it to manage it...

[said7]

Move to Austin.

[TimmyBuckets]

Nothing can be done. You can't turn a 2 into a dime no matter how much makeup you put on her.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

oklahoma has the fat white trash gals that have popped out 3 to 5 pups :rollin


They don't. Trust me. Just as fat, but missing teeth too.

At least they're not insulin shooting mexicans

[Budkin]

forgot to mention legalizing prostitution. do that. let people do what they want. stop worrying about being a fake christian/catholic.

Seriously.

[FkLA]

In the last 29 years they have only been a few superstars that have left their teams through FA.

1. Shaq in '96 leaving the Magic to go to LA.
2. Lebron going to Miami
3. Durant going to Golden State

Over 90 percent of organizations still build their teams the old fashion way which is through the draft and trades.

The thing is the NBA is shifting to be more player driven, and as a fan of a small-market team that doesn't benefit us at all. Players aren't as loyal to non-desirable cities like they used to. Cornerstone players that have bailed on the teams that drafted them, off the top of my head:

Vince
Bosh
Tmac (twice)
PG13 (Indiana)
CP3 (NO)
KD
Nephew
Anthony Davis
LeGOAT
Cousins
Irving
Hayward
Butler (Minny)

[monty4329]

Putting the stadium downtown would be a great first step. Especially with the downtown revitalization/growth going on the last couple years.

San Antonio is a great city for regular folks. If your a fucking multi millionaire though there is better places to live

T

Been to SA tens of times for games. Always ended up in Austin though. No nightlife, no nothing, even restaurants are sad, frankly. Great for tranquil life, grill in the backyard with neighbors and all that stuff. Hard to attract punkish early twenties black basketball players with a dozen girlfriends and a superlarge ''family''

[superbigtime]

It is a second tier city and will never be sexy. That doesn't necessarily mean we won't get a great free agent some day. It would just require someone who doesn't care about that kind of stuff.

[BD24]

T

Been to SA tens of times for games. Always ended up in Austin though. No nightlife, no nothing, even restaurants are sad, frankly. Great for tranquil life, grill in the backyard with neighbors and all that stuff. Hard to attract punkish early twenties black basketball players with a dozen girlfriends and a superlarge ''family''
There is definitely nightlife and great restaurants. Is that night life on par with Austin? No of course not, but then again not many cities have nightlife on par with Austin. The Pearl Southtown, and various other spots downtown have good bars. The north side has a couple nice spots as well. The issue is that we don’t have specific streets like 6th street or Rainey that are the dedicated bar streets

[HWoodNixon]

There is definitely nightlife and great restaurants. Is that night life on par with Austin? No of course not, but then again not many cities have nightlife on par with Austin. The Pearl Southtown, and various other spots downtown have good bars. The north side has a couple nice spots as well. The issue is that we don’t have specific streets like 6th street or Rainey that are the dedicated bar streets

what about st Mary’s street?

[BD24]

what about st Mary’s street?
Ehh. It’s pretty weak when compared to something like sixth or Rainey tbh

[jjktkk]

T

Been to SA tens of times for games. Always ended up in Austin though. No nightlife, no nothing, even restaurants are sad, frankly. Great for tranquil life, grill in the backyard with neighbors and all that stuff. Hard to attract punkish early twenties black basketball players with a dozen girlfriends and a superlarge ''family''
What kind of food do you eat? S.A. has great restaurants and lots of them. Tex-Mex, BBQ, burgers, seafood, etc...

[Dingle Barry]

I've been to San Antonio on three separate occasions for games and each time, I commuted from Dallas. What does SA have that Houston and Dallas doesn't?

Fiesta

[Dingle Barry]

This... Most of you commenting are neither in s.a. nor have visited... Only read and hear what you see on spurstalk or the media.... Sure s.a. is what one would call "cool" city.... But everyone has their own opinions... San antonio is moving in the right directions with the lower broadway pearl area, when complete will make a large inpact into moving folks back into the urbancore.... S.a. is the 7th most populous city in America, and aproaching the 6th spot over philly.... To say we cant attract top f.a. is absurd... It comes down to money at the end.... Amd if ownership wants to open up their pocket books....

SA is top 10 in population only because it's relatively geographically huge and gobbles up every suburb it can. Better to look at metro area populations, where SA/New Braunfels is about the 24th largest.

[Nivek_ogre]

So many stupid posts.

[look_at_g_shred]

It's simple. Its because you have to leave your ego at the door and fall in line. Pop has established a military like environment, which the entire league admires and respects but would never want to be apart of it.

[monty4329]

What kind of food do you eat? S.A. has great restaurants and lots of them. Tex-Mex, BBQ, burgers, seafood, etc...

Good food is not 'great restaurant'. Any place with a famed, starred chef, where you can eat last trendy dish and spot celebrities and all that stuff? Not really. And that's where pro athletes go with their people and girls before moving to a fashionable club. None of that in SA.

I am not looking down to SA, I wouldn't mind living there one day, when older. But very few rich young and famous would want, frankly.

I guess it is one of the reason PATFO wants 'good' people. Usually they tend to be on the quieter side.

[dbestpro]

San Antonio has limited black entertainment. I struggled to promote Grover Washington Jr. years ago in San Antonio, when he was considered top 10 jazz musician of all time.

[DPG21920]

Luna is a great place to grab a drink and listen to Jazz in SA..

All the stuff popping up around N St Marys is great too. Tons of awesome little spots to drink and eat and hang out.

[apalisoc_9]

Its Pop.

I'm sure most player value pop as a coach but no 1st tier superstar would want to do everything and not get l the credit

[John B]

David, Timmy. I mean they’re not really recruting talent. Then we had the mute. Maybe if DJ pans out, he can start recruiting. Akron was not any better place to live, but they had LeBron who’s consorting with everybody. Sorry to say, but Timmy was this geek kid in the corner nobody really knew and play with. Maybe any of White, DJ and Lonnie gets really good, and Spurs get really good, and people would like to play with them. But they have to go out there in ASG, Olympics. I’m sure Pop can help also.

[gambit1990]

:lmao at people mention st mary's... yeah, millionaires are just dying to get drinks from dive bars :lol

[gambit1990]

done with this thread / trashing sa though.

[dbreiden83080]

A lot of NBA players don’t want to play for Gregg Popovich because of his attitude

Yeah players today don't want to be told to play defense..

[dbreiden83080]

biggest FAs to sign in the last 20 years:
-LA
-michael finley past his prime
-brent barry past his prime

and that's during sa's golden age...

SA did keep a top 50 player all time, and a top 10 player all time their entire careers. And Tony, Manu both could have bailed for more money, and a bigger market. I think players today want to win. Yeah LA is nice, and so is NY, but when the teams fucking suck.. Not so fun.. That said Spurs have always been great at building from the Draft and putting pieces around the top picks. We will keep doing that.. Got 2 first round picks this year..

[daslicer]

The thing is the NBA is shifting to be more player driven, and as a fan of a small-market team that doesn't benefit us at all. Players aren't as loyal to non-desirable cities like they used to. Cornerstone players that have bailed on the teams that drafted them, off the top of my head:

Vince
Bosh
Tmac (twice)
PG13 (Indiana)
CP3 (NO)
KD
Nephew
Anthony Davis
LeGOAT
Cousins
Irving
Hayward
Butler (Minny)

I brought up Shaq,Lebron,Durant because those guys were either the best player in the league when they left their teams or at least top 3. Majority of those guys you mentioned did not leave their teams through FA. That was my point that teams rarely get a legit superstar through FA. You are right though star players in small markets are more likely to leave. #2 wanting to leave despite having a shot at winning another title with the spurs was a humbling experience for me because I always believed if you built a contender that you could keep your superstar. The biggest pain for Spur fans is that they had to wait for a long period of time for #2 to become a superstar. In my eyes he didn't become a legit Superstar until '16-'17. We never got to enjoy the experience of having him as a Superstar for a full playoff run. Spurs should have had him for at least 2 more years and if he still left that would have been fine. To me it's a disgrace when you sign a guy you can't even get him to play through his whole entire contract. That's why guys like #2 and AD are disgraces. NO needs to force AD to play next year just to set a precedent.

[NameLess Scrub]

Regarding free agency...Spurs are the nice Walgreens Assistant Manager the players marry after they were treated like shit by flashier former boyfriends and their kids need a reliable father figure. Their best years are behind them as they get fatter knowing the Spurs will not call them out on their looks getting gradually worse.

Just wayy spot on

[HWoodNixon]

Just wayy spot on

I think Pop and the Spurs organization promote that kind of “culture,” and the city goes along for the ride unfortunately. I’ve heard so many people back home in SA take pride in how “boring” the city is. “We like it that way.”

[HWoodNixon]

IMHO, the city is too military...hence too conservative. When you arrive at SAT, the first thing you hear on the PA system is “Welcome to Military City, USA.” I don’t intend to disrespect our armed forces, but that title isn’t exactly all that fun or welcoming.

[Dverde]

IMHO, the city is too military...hence too conservative. When you arrive at SAT, the first thing you hear on the PA system is “Welcome to Military City, USA.” I don’t intend to disrespect our armed forces, but that title isn’t exactly all that fun or welcoming.

It has gone from Military City to Mexico City over the last five years. I still love SA and miss living there. I don’t think the city is a big negative. It is near Austin where there are more things and festivals to do. There is also no state income tax. The city used to be a negative back in the day. In today’s NBA the location isn’t a huge dealbreaker.

[R. DeMurre]

What city has consistently attracted free agents in the last few decades? I don't think one really stands out, and often the reason for players going somewhere lies in relationships, not cityscapes. LeBron went to Miami to play with his buddy Dwayne. He went back to Cleveland for sentimental reasons, not because Cleveland is a dynamic city. Gordon Hayward went to Boston to play for his old college coach, Durant wanted efficient teammates, Steve Nash liked D'Antoni's offense, and Paul George decided to stay with his pal Russell Westbrook, even though every sportswriter & analyst in the country considered it a foregone conclusion that he'd be signing with the Lakers... I don't really see much of a pattern. Madison Square Garden is considered basketball Mecca and NYC is one of the all time great global cities, but FAs have avoided the Knicks like the plague for a long time.

[Poolboy5623]

All this top free agent talk in here...I've been watching the Spurs almost 30 years. I can count the number of free agents on one finger(prime free agents) and that one is Aldridge. Am I missing anyone??

[BSfromTX]

Worst place to ask for advice imho

LMAO.. so true

[SpursBig3s]

There is definitely nightlife and great restaurants. Is that night life on par with Austin? No of course not, but then again not many cities have nightlife on par with Austin. The Pearl Southtown, and various other spots downtown have good bars. The north side has a couple nice spots as well. The issue is that we don’t have specific streets like 6th street or Rainey that are the dedicated bar streets


St. Mary's has about 2-3 blocks worth of bars but yea, you wouldn't see any Spurs players on that strip

[John B]

We have a All-Star who is not a mute, and PATFO support him in recruiting, people will play here. As long as they’re winning and we have this charismatic All-Star recruiting, maybe any of DJ, White or Lonnie?

[R. DeMurre]

All this top free agent talk in here...I've been watching the Spurs almost 30 years. I can count the number of free agents on one finger(prime free agents) and that one is Aldridge. Am I missing anyone??

Robert Horry, Brent Barry, Michael Finley, Bruce Bowen... One strength the Spurs have exhibited is re-signing their own free agents. Ask Cleveland, Miami, Toronto, and OKC how important that is...

[Poolboy5623]

Robert Horry, Brent Barry, Michael Finley, Bruce Bowen... One strength the Spurs have exhibited is re-signing their own free agents. Ask Cleveland, Miami, Toronto, and OKC how important that is...

Not quite...

[Hoops Czar]

Robert Horry, Brent Barry, Michael Finley, Bruce Bowen... One strength the Spurs have exhibited is re-signing their own free agents. Ask Cleveland, Miami, Toronto, and OKC how important that is...
RJ, Mills, Gasol, Forbes, Matt Bonner.…. Det core strength to re-sign their own free agents.

[R. DeMurre]

RJ, Mills, Gasol, Forbes, Matt Bonner.…. Det core strength to re-sign their own free agents.

uh..... Duncan, Ginobili, Parker.

[SpursDynasty85]

Become more like Austin or wait until San Antonio and Austin are one in the same metropolitan.

[Hoops Czar]

uh..... Duncan, Ginobili, Parker.
Got lucky in the draft with Duncan but I can almost say beyond a shadow of a doubt that Parker and Ginobili would not be future hall of famers if it wasn't for Duncan. They'd just be a couple of good players playing for an average team in a small market.

[UZER]

All this top free agent talk in here...I've been watching the Spurs almost 30 years. I can count the number of free agents on one finger(prime free agents) and that one is Aldridge. Am I missing anyone??

And he wanted out as soon as he got here. :lol

[R. DeMurre]

Got lucky in the draft with Duncan but I can almost say beyond a shadow of a doubt that Parker and Ginobili would not be future hall of famers if it wasn't for Duncan. They'd just be a couple of good players playing for an average team in a small market.

Impossible to say. How could you know either would not have played for the Knicks, Bulls, Lakers, Celtics?

[Maddog]

San Antonio spurs are one of the, if not the most successful franchise in the past two decades. Spurs fans had the luxury of winning titles and be a winning team for such a long period of time. Trust me. Y'all are lucky.




How about a thread about why ST attracts so many feebs who want to start a clever discussion so badly that they actully put the word "Discuss!" up front?

Do you really not understand the differences between big market cities and small market cities, OP? Do you really think there is "something we can do" to change SA into a big market city? Discuss!

San Antonio has two distinct disadvantages that can't really be fixed
1. It's small as pointed out Metro area is 24th and TV market even lower (this translates into how much extra players can make in local endorsements)
2. In part related to no. 1- the ownership/revenue doesn't allow them to go way over the tax. Typically when teams sign a big FA they are still looking at going way over the tax down the road as the lower rookie contracts expire. GSW took advantage of a one time rapid increase in the luxury tax threshold to sign KD. However they are now way over the Tax. Many large market teams local TV contract easily helps absorb some of these issues.

That said the Spurs have done well, including over the past 5 years signed a prime FA.
Also go back and look at past big FA signings and see how often they've worked out.
https://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/free_agents.cgi?year=2018
Take a look at FA signings over the last few years- you have to focus on those that changed teams- Other than KD not many had impact.


A related topic to discuss is that the Spurs and others get little reward for finding and developing talent. In the playoffs there are several players the Spurs drafted or found and helped develop that they subsequently loss with either no compensation (Baynes, Joseph) or significantly unequal compensation (the nephew and Green).

[Gagnrath]

In order to RE-sign with someone, don't you have to be signed with them in the first place?

No your contract can be traded to that team.....

[Xx_SpursNation_xX]

Austin peaked 15 years ago. It's too big now and the traffic is too horrible