Pop on Walker “He was non competitive”

[TDomination]

I saw this being discussed in another thread but I think this deserves its own thread.

here is what Pop has to say about Lonnie after the Clippers game:

1190138172274954241


Is Pop just trying to give him tough love? Or is this a small hint that Pop thinks he is a bust?
Saying he is “non-competitive” is a strong statement to say about an individual player to the media. Pop is usually more reserved about individuals. He typically calls the entire team out, not just one guy.

im leaning more towards that this is tough love. Pop probably sees a lot of potential in Walker but doesn’t want him getting more minutes JUST BECAUSE. He wants him to EARN IT.

well see if he plays tonight.

[Play Boban]

Pop dropping truth bombs tbh.

[Drewlius]

Wonder how competitive Pop thinks Beli’s 9% 3pt Shooting on 17MPG has been.

[Dejounte]

Im pretty sure Pop has asked Lonnie if he wants to be a great player and if he wants to be treated like one who wants to be great. This is called coaching. Pop holds Lonnie to greater expectations, therefore, Lonnie has got to be accountable for his actions and effort.

[BatManu20]

Didn’t like the quote but whatever. Will be interesting to see how Lonnie responds.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

Non competitive is bullshit when he was the one who guarded kawhi the best

[Fireball]

was he not competitive or did he not compete?

[Shakril]

Lonnie was really bad. Some flashes of goodness, but overall bad.

[Chomag]

Has he asked Lonnie if he thinks he is a better player then Manu yet?

[Mugen]

This would hold more water if the old man hasn't been giving out free passes to losers like Patty, Beli, Bryn, Pau, Bonner, etc. for years :lol

If I were Lonnie, I'd ask for a trade and shake PATFO to their core again, this ain't 2003 anymore

[poopbox]

If he was so bad and non competitive then why did Pop assign him to guarding Kawhi in his first stint off the bench?

[MultiTroll]

You have to earn minutes with CIA Pop.
Like this:

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/04/denver-nuggets-san-antonio-spurs-game-7-no-foul

[Leetonidas]

Lol so what was LA last night? Non existent?

[J_Paco]

Has he asked Lonnie if he thinks he is a better player then Manu yet?

Yeah, because old, shitty Stephen Jackson was killing it in 2013..........


This would hold more water if the old man hasn't been giving out free passes to losers like Patty, Beli, Bryn, Pau, Bonner, etc. for years :lol

If I were Lonnie, I'd ask for a trade and shake PATFO to their core again, this ain't 2003 anymore

All those guys, including Bryn, were veterans that earned Pop's trust. For better or worse, that is how you gain minutes and earn a spot in the rotation.....


Sucks that Lonnie was called out publicly, but Pop is known to ride hardest the guys (Tony in particular) he sees the most in. The kid needs to not waver and comeback stronger proving the old guy wrong...

Of course, all the crybaby, bitches with an agenda will use anything Pop says "against him."

[Mugen]

Yeah, because old, shitty Stephen Jackson was killing it in 2013..........



All those guys, including Bryn, were veterans that earned Pop's trust. For better or worse, that is how you gain minutes and earn a spot in the rotation.....


Sucks that Lonnie was called out publicly, but Pop is known to ride hardest the guys (Tony in particular) he sees the most in. The kid needs to not waver and comeback stronger proving the old guy wrong...

Of course, all the crybaby, bitches with an agenda will use anything Pop says "against him."

Ah gotcha, so the only thing that matters to Pop is that Patty and Beli hit some big shots 5 years ago.

Bryn really is a Pop sucker success story, dude was penciled in for heavy minutes his 2nd year despite being horrible defensively ("Pop doesn't tolerate bad defense" lmao) and he's even getting more minutes than DWhite.....wouldn't be surprised if they end up choosing Bryn over Derrick too :lmao

[TDomination]

I am worried that Lonnie is going to get tired of Pops shtick and begin zoning him out.
The difference between Tony and Lonnie is the fact that Tony was not only starting but playing heavy minutes as well. Its easier to take all the yelling and criticism when you know that Pop has given you an opportunity to lead this team by playing you a lot of minutes. At that point it was up to Tony to respond and he did by playing well.

Lonnie on the other hand has played only a handful of minutes as a Spur and he's a 2nd year player. He is not in the rotation and when he does get an opportunity he ends up playing timid, too scared to make a mistake. So he ends up making more mistakes and of course Pop pulls him right away.

This is where it is very helpful to have Timmy there. I'm sure Duncan heard the comments. It would be reassuring for Lonnie to hear that Pop is just trying to get the best out of him because he sees HUGE potential in him.

We'll see how much Walker plays tonight.

[spurspl]

pop on pop:”he knows what he is doin, hes the best coach right now”

[Dennis the Menace]

Pop on Pop: “Patty & Marco will play 40 minutes a game. I can’t be fired.”

[DontStopBelieving]

If he didn't believe in him, he wouldn't call him out in front of the media. Definitely tough love.

[Fireball]

Yeah, because old, shitty Stephen Jackson was killing it in 2013..........



All those guys, including Bryn, were veterans that earned Pop's trust. For better or worse, that is how you gain minutes and earn a spot in the rotation.....


Sucks that Lonnie was called out publicly, but Pop is known to ride hardest the guys (Tony in particular) he sees the most in. The kid needs to not waver and comeback stronger proving the old guy wrong...

Of course, all the crybaby, bitches with an agenda will use anything Pop says "against him."

Murray got the keys in his second year ... Tony was a starter very early in his career ... Kawhi started within half of a season ... not comparable to what Lonnie is going through. And why? perhaps he is neither Murray, Tony or Kawhi like ... i.e. good

[SpurSpike]

From the little time that Walker was out there i thought he seemed competitive but maybe a little lost. To me he looked almost too aggressive on defense, like he wanted to fight the other team lol getting in faces and putting his body right against the people he was defending giving them the type of look that says "i'm going to fuck you up".

[exstatic]

Murray got the keys in his second year ... Tony was a starter very early in his career ... Kawhi started within half of a season ... not comparable to what Lonnie is going through. And why? perhaps he is neither Murray, Tony or Kawhi like ... i.e. good

When Tony started, we had no legit PG, only Daniels who is more of a combo. When Kawhi finally started late in his rookie year, he supplanted the roundly hated and totally passive RJ. They NEEDED to be rushed and force fed. We have other 6'4"-6'5" guards on the team, both killing it.

[Nivek_ogre]

Lonnie looked lost. Hit the side of the backboard. No awareness of the team concept. He looks great athletically and effort wise but also doesn't look like he is knows how to play on a team.

[8FOR!3]

I am worried that Lonnie is going to get tired of Pops shtick and begin zoning him out.
The difference between Tony and Lonnie is the fact that Tony was not only starting but playing heavy minutes as well. Its easier to take all the yelling and criticism when you know that Pop has given you an opportunity to lead this team by playing you a lot of minutes. At that point it was up to Tony to respond and he did by playing well.

Lonnie on the other hand has played only a handful of minutes as a Spur and he's a 2nd year player. He is not in the rotation and when he does get an opportunity he ends up playing timid, too scared to make a mistake. So he ends up making more mistakes and of course Pop pulls him right away.

This is where it is very helpful to have Timmy there. I'm sure Duncan heard the comments. It would be reassuring for Lonnie to hear that Pop is just trying to get the best out of him because he sees HUGE potential in him.

We'll see how much Walker plays tonight.

Why? Bc Kawhi wanted out? One guy wants to be traded and now Pop can't command any respect from young players even though everything else about his track record says otherwise. Pop is trying to light a fire under his ass bc he wants Lonnie to go out there and look like a ball player.

[weebo]

This would hold more water if the old man hasn't been giving out free passes to losers like Patty, Beli, Bryn, Pau, Bonner, etc. for years :lol

If I were Lonnie, I'd ask for a trade and shake PATFO to their core again, this ain't 2003 anymore

You're comparing veterans to a work in progress. Those guys are who they are--Walker is still in the "classroom" so to speak. Pop is expecting Walker to eventually make it easy for him to bench guys like Mills/Belinelli however Walker hasn't shown he is ready to make that leap--If he doesn't "get it" soon he may never and definitely not on this team.

[SpurPadre]

Walker was as competitive as Carroll was last night, tbh.

[TDomination]

https://www.reddit.com/r/NBASpurs/comments/dq3s7k/lonnie_being_noncompetitive_during_the_30_seconds/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x


I saw this video on Reddit. I don't like Reddit too much but thank you to whoever made this video. The ending is the best lol. It highlights the fact that Lonnie may have made some mistakes like the foul on Kawhi before the ball was even inbounded but i didn't see anything that made me think that his effort wasn't there or that he wasn't "competing."

if we pulled up a video for LMA i'm sure we could find plenty of uncompetitive plays.

Anyways just thought it was interesting. I hope he gets a lot of burn tonight.

[TDomination]

Why? Bc Kawhi wanted out? One guy wants to be traded and now Pop can't command any respect from young players even though everything else about his track record says otherwise. Pop is trying to light a fire under his ass bc he wants Lonnie to go out there and look like a ball player.

Mostly because its becoming a trend in the NBA. "Diva" superstars.
He's not a star yet but I believe he can become one. I guess after everything that happened with Kawhi, i really don't want us to lose another star player or in this case, potential star player.

Losing Kawhi truly sucked and still does. That was our guy. But oh well gotta move on.

[RC_Drunkford]

Lonnie should see at least 20 minutes tonight against the Warriors. They play a bunch of G-League scrubs so he should be able to score a lot. That will determine if we see him crack the rotation rather sooner than later

[drpill]

From the little time that Walker was out there i thought he seemed competitive but maybe a little lost. To me he looked almost too aggressive on defense, like he wanted to fight the other team lol getting in faces and putting his body right against the people he was defending giving them the type of look that says "i'm going to fuck you up".

I agree with this. He often plays a bit wild and out of control, like his body is almost too much for him to handle. And he probably feels he has a lot to prove on the court in very limited opportunities, which can lead to mistakes. But I don't think fire or willingness to compete are the issue, it's just inexperience (or worst case scenario, inherently poor basketball IQ).

Weird comment from Pop but I guess it's true that this is his current version of yelling at his young players during the game. Lonnie will have to face facts -- he did play badly, and it's on him to play better and figure things out (with help from coaches and teammates). Pop is too stubborn to coach differently at this stage, so this is what we get until he finally packs it in. If Lonnie survives this process and wants to remain a Spur we will have a terrific young player on our hands.

[KobesAchilles]

Optimistic scenario: this is a desperate ploy by Pop to get Lonnie to man up and play important minutes in the future. It means that Pop sees the writing on the wall, that Belli isn’t cutting it anymore (and God knows what’s going on with Carrol) and that the only way to compete in the wide open west is to have Lonnie take that next step...

Pessimistic (realistic) scenario: This is a shitty thing by Pop to do. I have no problem calling out Lonnie in a vacuum bc Pop does this to a lot of young players (TP, Manu, Danny, etc) but the difference between them and Lonnie is that they were getting consistent playing time. Lonnie saw 4 minutes of action last night and ZERO the game before.

We had too many things to legitimately complain about besides Lonnie. We turned the ball over 18 times, we missed 9 free throws, we didn’t take or make very many 3s, and LMA (our supposed All-Star) shit the bed with 5 points. I mean really only 2 players played well for the entire team so it seemed weird to call out the 12th man on the team. Bc that’s what Lonnie is, he’s the 12th man on the team. Any coach would sound ridiculous if you tried to blame a guy averaging 2 minutes a game for the loss. Like what about almost literally everybody else?

Again I have no problem calling out Walker, however it’s a bitch move to do that AND not play him. One should come with the other.

[Chucho]

I think people see how gold was struck with DW and DJ so they figure since LW4 was drafted "highest" since Kawhi, that must mean he's going to be a center piece instead of what he probably is, fringe NBA player. That's very well in tune with an 18th pick. A lot of unfair expectations are being placed on an 18th pick in the NBA draft.

That's like expecting your 5th or 6th round picks in the NFL to become All Pros when you should be happy if they crack rotation and stick in the league more than a few seasons. Success would becoming a serviceable starter for either sport.

[DPG21920]

I think people see how gold was struck with DW and DJ so they figure since LW4 was drafted "highest" since Kawhi, that must mean he's going to be a center piece instead of what he probably is, fringe NBA player. That's very well in tune with an 18th pick. A lot of unfair expectations are being placed on an 18th pick in the NBA draft.

That's like expecting your 5th or 6th round picks in the NFL to become All Pros when you should be happy if they crack rotation and stick in the league more than a few seasons. Success would becoming a serviceable starter for either sport.

I think people see that Marco sucks really bad and that Lonnie at least deserves a shot because he can’t be worse than Marco. Marco is a fringe nba player at this point with zero upside now. Lonnie, may be a bust, but at least there’s potential and if the only minutes lost is Beli minutes then there is zero risk

[phxspurfan]

Trade him then

[exstatic]

Lonnie will be fine. He had a strict upbringing, and his parents were tough on him, and set high expectations, both athletically, and academically.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Pop used to bust Tony's chops when he was young because he saw how much potential he had, and was pushing him to be great. Maybe this is something similar...or maybe he's just pissed and hoping for an attitude adjustment.

So far Lonnie's not living up to his potential. He's got the best physical tools on the team.

[monty4329]

Murray got the keys in his second year ... Tony was a starter very early in his career ... Kawhi started within half of a season ... not comparable to what Lonnie is going through. And why? perhaps he is neither Murray, Tony or Kawhi like ... i.e. good

That's the point, Lonnie is not good. There is plenty of rookie and 2nd year players getting minutes all over the league, and doing pretty well. Lonnie is simply not good enough, at this stage. Maybe he will be. Pop was quite rightly pointing out that he needs to take advantage of the minutes he gets, but instead he not only plays like crap, he doesn't even know where to be on offense....

[Mugen]

Pop used to bust Tony's chops when he was young because he saw how much potential he had, and was pushing him to be great. Maybe this is something similar...or maybe he's just pissed and hoping for an attitude adjustment.

So far Lonnie's not living up to his potential. He's got the best physical tools on the team.

Based on 10 minutes so far this season? Either Lonnie is just openly shitting on Pop in the locker room or Marco Belinelli is the second coming of jesus during practice scrimmage. Otherwise, makes no sense that he's not getting any meaningful minutes.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

I think people see that Marco sucks really bad and that Lonnie at least deserves a shot because he can’t be worse than Marco. Marco is a fringe nba player at this point with zero upside now. Lonnie, may be a bust, but at least there’s potential and if the only minutes lost is Beli minutes then there is zero risk

Well said.

[timtonymanu]

The suckers have no limits on their excuses. I guess Tiago was crap his rookie season when Pop would yank him out game after game. Oh but I forgot, it wasn’t fair to the others who were healthy in camp. :pop:

[TD 21]

I don't buy the motivational/psychological nonsense because he generally doesn't negatively single out individuals. This felt like a shot across the bow, either from a player and/or representative, who's been complaining about role.

If it was, this organization is even more screwed than anyone with a brain realized they were a while ago.

Walker isn't some generational prospect. Maybe he's just the next LaVine or a lesser version thereof, but he's the one possibility of an offensive centerpiece out of all the building blocks and given their determination to avoid rebuilding, it'll be difficult to do better with where they're likely to pick in the next few years. They can't afford to throw him in the garbage before they find out what they even have, so that some senile egomaniac can pretend this is the old days.

After not getting a turn on Scumbag, I'm also becoming more convinced that something is up with Carroll.

[Mugen]

Running Lonnie out of town and him showing out with legit minutes on another team would be the funniest thing I could think of for Pop and the Suckers tbh.

[JuneJive]

Let the kid grow.

[timtonymanu]

Running Lonnie out of town and him showing out with legit minutes on another team would be the funniest thing I could think of for Pop and the Suckers tbh.

“Who needs Lonnie and his talent when you can have Bryn and his culture?”

[ElNono]

Running Lonnie out of town and him showing out with legit minutes on another team would be the funniest thing I could think of for Pop and the Suckers tbh.

Hate to side with Pop on this one but Lonnie looks more worried about the turd he’s wearing in his head than his game, tbh...

[Mugen]

“Who needs Lonnie and his talent when you can have Bryn and his culture?”

Sad thing is you aren't wrong.

They are going to end up choosing Bryn over DWhite too. Derrick will probably be vocal about not starting and that'll be the death knell for his time as a Spur unless the old man retires already.

[4lifecowboy]

I made this assessment earlier, he doesn't play with enough aggression, he has shown flashes of being a top notch NBA player yet he doesn't attack offensively like he knows that.

[Mugen]

Hate to side with Pop on this one but Lonnie looks more worried about the turd he’s wearing in his head than his game, tbh...

Never thought you'd drink that Sucker-Aid, Nono. Disappointing tbh.

[Mugen]

In all seriousness though, I hope he gets traded to a team that will give him 20-25 mins a game right off the bad.

It'd be funny AF to see the PATFO reaction as he balls out after the Nephew debacle.

[r0drig0lac]

The suckers have no limits on their excuses. I guess Tiago was crap his rookie season when Pop would yank him out game after game. Oh but I forgot, it wasn’t fair to the others who were healthy in camp. :pop:

[ElNono]

Never thought you'd drink that Sucker-Aid, Nono. Disappointing tbh.

You know I’m fed up with the old man, but let’s stop pretending anything is owed to Lonnie. I mean, I wish Fathead would’ve gotten this kind of tough love.

[Dverde]

Pop calling him out shows he sees the potential. Man did he love yelling at Danny Green.

[SAGirl]

The only thing that does feel harsh is that Pop called him out publicly and explicitly. A lot can be said to him privately and I hope it was said. But calling it out publicly when he's basically a rook is rough. In the past, he would be asked about youngings who had barely played and Pop would dismiss or deflect the question saying: "he's played a minute and half, give him more time and I can tell you what I think of him" or he'd say he's earning his time, or going through the process or something. Pop was really upset with Walker, which does say he expects more out of him, and also makes me wonder if Walker will be in the team for the long haul. His contract is very early, but I think there's perhaps a sign that he needs to turn things around in order to play or will find himself like Nando de Colo.

[SAGirl]

Pop calling him out shows he sees the potential. Man did he love yelling at Danny Green.
ja ja, that avatar is smoking for the trolling brigade.
;):eyebrows

[TDomination]

Pop calling him out shows he sees the potential. Man did he love yelling at Danny Green.

Queue the "SHUT THE F UP" from Pop to Danny in the brooklyn game.

[TDomination]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFFvShURQ5k

[J_Paco]

Murray got the keys in his second year ... Tony was a starter very early in his career ... Kawhi started within half of a season ... not comparable to what Lonnie is going through. And why? perhaps he is neither Murray, Tony or Kawhi like ... i.e. good

Um, yeah. He's still too raw and unaware of his reads/assignments to see court time. Those guys had holes in their game but provide more (on either end) than Lonnie can currently. His time will come and I'm hoping it clicks at some point this season.

The Spurs need an extra injection of youth and athleticism that Walker IV could proved.

[SpurPadre]

Well, hopefully not playing tonight will have given Walker time to reflect and get over himself, tbh.

[J_Paco]

I don't buy the motivational/psychological nonsense because he generally doesn't negatively single out individuals. This felt like a shot across the bow, either from a player and/or representative, who's been complaining about role.

If it was, this organization is even more screwed than anyone with a brain realized they were a while ago.

Walker isn't some generational prospect. Maybe he's just the next LaVine or a lesser version thereof, but he's the one possibility of an offensive centerpiece out of all the building blocks and given their determination to avoid rebuilding, it'll be difficult to do better with where they're likely to pick in the next few years. They can't afford to throw him in the garbage before they find out what they even have, so that some senile egomaniac can pretend this is the old days.

After not getting a turn on Scumbag, I'm also becoming more convinced that something is up with Carroll.

Do you need someone to buy you a tinfoil hat or do you have one at home already?

You claim to not want to see it as a motivational tactic then proceed to psychoanalyze the inner workings of the team.....

Maybe, like Doc Rivers and Jerome Robinson, he doesn't think Walker IV is ready and is trying to push so he can be? If Marco's shitty play continues the team will need him very, very soon....

And with Murray sitting Carrol is seeing meaningful minutes tonight, so there is that......

[SpurPadre]

Pop, when he decides to give Lonnie some time:

https://y.yarn.co/478c6096-ce20-4a8e-ac4d-36b35cfcc5df_text.gif

[GreekSpursfan]

"Better awareness" thats all you need to know. Pop is right, Lonnie doesn't know what team bball is, on both ends especially defense. Pop probably doesn't like him at all defensively.

[Mugen]

"Better awareness" thats all you need to know. Pop is right, Lonnie doesn't know what team bball is, on both ends especially defense. Pop probably doesn't like him at all defensively.

That's fine. Trade him then tbh.

[Ibleedslvrnblk]

That's fine. Trade him then tbh.

So instead of earning it, just give him away? For what? Hey you want out 12-14th guy who I just called out? Obviously they are a bigger plan for him and trying to light the fire. There is a reason he is not on the court contrary to all the NBA coaches in here's wishes

[Russ]

To say that Lonnie Walker lacks killer instinct would be an understatement.

That's what Pop is looking for and he's not seeing it.

And for the millionth time, Walker bounds around the court aimlessly like an exuberant puppy.

Pop is trying to figure out whether Walker just lacks basketball sense (somewhat fixable) or whether he lacks heart and/or guts (that would be terminal).

[Coach X]

Good attitude and body language from Lonnie on the bench during the Warriors game. He had two minutes on the hardwood and he did everything well.

I bet Walker will be given the chance of playing Lebron James on Sunday. Same situation: "Go out there and show what you got defending an MVP caliber player." That would complete the lesson so him and Popovich can move on.

[RC_Drunkford]

That's just classic Pop. Young guys can get minutes if they hang their hat on defense. Offensive potential doesn't play a role. I think that's to prevent players from just competing on offensive posessions and becoming a black hole on defense. You know like Spurs fans most hated Milinelli. Pop obviously sees that Walker has the potential to be an elite defender, so until he proves that on the court he won't get playing time. What we are all waiting on is Walker showing what he can do on offense.

[TD 21]

Do you need someone to buy you a tinfoil hat or do you have one at home already?

You claim to not want to see it as a motivational tactic then proceed to psychoanalyze the inner workings of the team.....

Maybe, like Doc Rivers and Jerome Robinson, he doesn't think Walker IV is ready and is trying to push so he can be? If Marco's shitty play continues the team will need him very, very soon....

And with Murray sitting Carrol is seeing meaningful minutes tonight, so there is that......

One didn't have to do with the other.

Who cares what he thinks? He might still lord over this cocoon he's cultivated, but in the grand scheme of things, he doesn't matter. The best players run this league and though Walker is far from one and could easily never become one, it's at least conceivable he could. Given what just happened and all the other factors working against them to retain/acquire them, they can't afford to exacerbate it by pretending this is the good old days.

I have no problem with him having a one-on-one conversation and telling him that, but to do it publicly is completely tone deaf to this generation.

[BillMc]

Has Walker done any interviews since Pop's comment?

[exstatic]

One didn't have to do with the other.

Who cares what he thinks? He might still lord over this cocoon he's cultivated, but in the grand scheme of things, he doesn't matter. The best players run this league and though Walker is far from one and could easily never become one, it's at least conceivable he could. Given what just happened and all the other factors working against them to retain/acquire them, they can't afford to exacerbate it by pretending this is the good old days.

I have no problem with him having a one-on-one conversation and telling him that, but to do it publicly is completely tone deaf to this generation.
The thing is, you don’t know that didn’t happen already. The whole thing with him not playing the first three games could be tied into this. He may be dogging it in practice.

I’m also tired of hearing about “this generation”, as if it were the one that invented self centered ness. That happened in 1985, with the drafting of MJ. The Spurs are well acquainted the selfish, immature players, and they don’t draft them, or acquire them. Every draftee and potential draftee takes a psychological battery before they’re even interviewed.

[picnroll]

One didn't have to do with the other.

Who cares what he thinks? He might still lord over this cocoon he's cultivated, but in the grand scheme of things, he doesn't matter. The best players run this league and though Walker is far from one and could easily never become one, it's at least conceivable he could. Given what just happened and all the other factors working against them to retain/acquire them, they can't afford to exacerbate it by pretending this is the good old days.

I have no problem with him having a one-on-one conversation and telling him that, but to do it publicly is completely tone deaf to this generation.

Screw this generation bullshit. If Walker is such a delicate flower if panties get in a wad when he gets called out publicly for playing shitty he’s not going to make it in the NBA. Maybe it’ll make him actually sack up and cover his man.

[TD 21]

The thing is, you don’t know that didn’t happen already. The whole thing with him not playing the first three games could be tied into this. He may be dogging it in practice.

The thing is, I clearly meant only in private.

Malone called out the Nuggets the other day (Jokic was clearly the prime target), then today said Jokic needs to take 15+ shots. The response? 8 minutes in vs the Magic, 1 foul is the only stat he's registered in the box score and they're down 9.

It sucks, but the reality is, the days of old school tactics flying are over and thinking they're going to luck into the next Duncan is a pipedream. If they have any interest in having superstars/stars here in the future, they need to get with the times.



Screw this generation bullshit. If Walker is such a delicate flower if panties get in a wad when he gets called out publicly for playing shitty he’s not going to make it in the NBA. Maybe it’ll make him actually sack up and cover his man.

That sounds nice, but talking tough doesn't change the reality of the situation.

[picnroll]

The thing is, I clearly meant only in private.

Malone called out the Nuggets the other day (Jokic was clearly the prime target), then today said Jokic needs to take 15+ shots. The response? 8 minutes in vs the Magic, 1 foul is the only stat he's registered in the box score and they're down 9.

It sucks, but the reality is, the days of old school tactics flying are over and thinking they're going to luck into the next Duncan is a pipedream. If they have any interest in having superstars/stars here in the future, they need to get with the times.




That sounds nice, but talking tough doesn't change the reality of the situation.
The reality is that if Pop doesn’t hold him accountable for playing shitty lackadaisical defense he’ll spend an entire career playing that way. Lord knows there’s enough of those players in the league. Pretty sure Pop has brought this up to Walker several times before. Now he’s trying a different tack trying to see if the guy can take it seriously.

[JuneJive]

TD 21 The King of the Wristcutters

[RC_Drunkford]

The reality is that if Pop doesn’t hold him accountable for playing shitty lackadaisical defense he’ll spend an entire career playing that way. Lord knows there’s enough of those players in the league. Pretty sure Pop has brought this up to Walker several times before. Now he’s trying a different tack trying to see if the guy can take it seriously.

exactly

[Slippy]

The reality is that if Pop doesn’t hold him accountable for playing shitty lackadaisical defense he’ll spend an entire career playing that way. Lord knows there’s enough of those players in the league. Pretty sure Pop has brought this up to Walker several times before. Now he’s trying a different tack trying to see if the guy can take it seriously.

Lonnie and I are left asking the same question however. What's Marco doing out there? Surely setting by example is the best way.

Would pop even remember there's a double standard going on.

[picnroll]

Lonnie and I are left asking the same question however. What's Marco doing out there? Surely setting by example is the best way.

Would pop even remember there's a double standard going on.

Marco is what he is, isn’t going to change and is at the very end of his career. Walker is at the beginning, is worth investing in and needs to be molded, part of that is holding him accountable when he plays dumb or doesn’t make an effort. Time must be earned.

[jjktkk]

Lonnie and I are left asking the same question however. What's Marco doing out there? Surely setting by example is the best way.

Would pop even remember there's a double standard going on.There isn't a double standard. Marco is a designated shooter/scorer where Lonnie has a much higher ceiling, with the ability to be a perimeter defender as well a scorer. .

[exstatic]

Lonnie and I are left asking the same question however. What's Marco doing out there? Surely setting by example is the best way.

Would pop even remember there's a double standard going on.

Marco is an obstacle placed in Lonnie’s way, a motivator to get him to improve. You really understand nothing about training or motivation, do you? Marco doesn’t have to be better, he just has to be playing ahead of Lonnie to get him motivated to get minutes.

Things just given are never appreciated like things earned. Free rides also don’t teach anything.

[Slippy]

Marco is what he is, isn’t going to change and is at the very end of his career. Walker is at the beginning, is worth investing in and needs to be molded, part of that is holding him accountable when he plays dumb or doesn’t make an effort. Time must be earned.

Get what you're saying and what pops aiming for. You didn't exactly address what Lonnie to think when he sees Marco out there except he needs to deal with it and toughen up from your earlier post.. If that's how Pop wants to get through to Lonnie, then its risky and could alienate the 2nd year rookie. I would rather POP use example as a tool and less media to connect with Lonnie. Instead its the doghouse . He already got this treatment first year and now its insults through the media.

btw If we looked at Lonnie as an investment, he would be a absolute fail right now. we getting no return at all on the second year mid first round draft pick. Who made this investment choice if the coach didn't want to use him??

[Slippy]

There isn't a double standard. Marco is a designated shooter/scorer where Lonnie has a much higher ceiling, with the ability to be a perimeter defender as well a scorer. .

Agree so give Marco the spot mins role and give Lonnie what he deserves on his second season, a consistent role off the bench. Control Lonnies mins and Marco as the sub in as the motivator. Instead we got 70yo POP playing mind games with a 20YO through media. don't like it at all. Do that shit in house and during a practice session.

[Slippy]

Marco is an obstacle placed in Lonnie’s way, a motivator to get him to improve. You really understand nothing about training or motivation, do you? Marco doesn’t have to be better, he just has to be playing ahead of Lonnie to get him motivated to get minutes.

Things just given are never appreciated like things earned. Free rides also don’t teach anything.

lol We talking about this day and age . Maybe you referring to practise sessions in the 1970's cos I don't think you know jack about training and its motivators.

the only guy getting a free ride right now is Marco

[monty4329]

Agree so give Marco the spot mins role and give Lonnie what he deserves on his second season, a consistent role off the bench.

LW sucks, look around the league, there are plenty of rookies or 2nd year players doing well. Drafting is a crap shot even at the highest picks. PATFO saw what we saw, a superb body made to play modern basketball. It didn't translate into a player. Will he? Maybe, but we have already enough young talent who can actually play.

Lonnie is receiving what he deserves.

[ChumpDumper]

A bunch of whiny bitches trying to speak for a player who by all accounts is not a whiny bitch.

Lonnie will be fine. Calm down.

[ZeusWillJudge]

A bunch of whiny bitches trying to speak for a player who by all accounts is not a whiny bitch.

Lonnie will be fine. Calm down.


:lol Somebody have a bad Saturday night? You calling other people "bitches" is more irony than I can take this early in the morning.

[ChumpDumper]

:lol Somebody have a bad Saturday night? You calling other people "bitches" is more irony than I can take this early in the morning.Had a great weekend tbh. I have no idea why people think proxy whining on Lonnie's behalf is a valid argument. Maybe you can explain it to me.

[Dverde]

This is Belinelli’s last year here. I can see it on Marco’s face. Just a matter of time before he loses his minutes to White, Murray, Walker IV. I wouldn’t be shocked if he goes overseas for the cash after this season.

[bluebellmaniac]

This is Belinelli’s last year here. I can see it on Marco’s face. Just a matter of time before he loses his minutes to White, Murray, Walker IV. I wouldn’t be shocked if he goes overseas for the cash after this season.

Ain't nothing wrong with that. Sounds about right. He did fine in the NBA.

[Dejounte]

Had a great weekend tbh. I have no idea why people think proxy whining on Lonnie's behalf is a valid argument. Maybe you can explain it to me.

Because a lot of Spurs fans are soft... All the way from those who bitch about Pop's ways to those trolls who bitch about how Kawhi was handled and can't move on... A farcry from the core beliefs of what makes the Spurs management so consistent and stable.

[ChumpDumper]

Because a lot of Spurs fans are soft... All the way from those who bitch about Pop's ways to those trolls who bitch about how Kawhi was handled and can't move on... A farcry from the core beliefs of what makes the Spurs management so consistent and stable.I get why individuals here would personally whine about that, but trying to speak for a young black man that is with Pop nearly every day is infantilizing that young black man. They aren't him and they never will be, so why pretend?

[Slippy]

LW sucks, look around the league, there are plenty of rookies or 2nd year players doing well. Drafting is a crap shot even at the highest picks. PATFO saw what we saw, a superb body made to play modern basketball. It didn't translate into a player. Will he? Maybe, but we have already enough young talent who can actually play.

Lonnie is receiving what he deserves.

we dont need to look arund tho. You see Marco out there sucking .

[3&D_TBH]

I can’t wait to se LW get minutes, but if we can trust anything about the Spurs, it is their ability to develop players. Lonnie will get chances, but there’s really no legitimate claim to be made that he is being underplayed, yet. The season just barely began. Talk to me again in thirty games and we will know a lot more. Nothing wrong with sitting young players when they are making mistakes. Part of the learning process tbh.

[Roscoe P. Coltrane]

Agree so give Marco the spot mins role and give Lonnie what he deserves on his second season, a consistent role off the bench. Control Lonnies mins and Marco as the sub in as the motivator. Instead we got 70yo POP playing mind games with a 20YO through media. don't like it at all. Do that shit in house and during a practice session.Walker don't deserve anything.

[Roscoe P. Coltrane]

Um, yeah. He's still too raw and unaware of his reads/assignments to see court time. Those guys had holes in their game but provide more (on either end) than Lonnie can currently. His time will come and I'm hoping it clicks at some point this season.

The Spurs need an extra injection of youth and athleticism that Walker IV could proved.so what does your comment mean? I'll tell you what it means, his ass belongs in the G league.

[Roscoe P. Coltrane]

"Better awareness" thats all you need to know. Pop is right, Lonnie doesn't know what team bball is, on both ends especially defense. Pop probably doesn't like him at all defensively.Yep, he wants to run down court with the ball and be a chucker just like in the summer league. No defense and 2 assist in the summer league. He sucks.

[Roscoe P. Coltrane]

That's fine. Trade him then tbh. exactly what needs to be done before the league knows he sucks if they don't already.

[Roscoe P. Coltrane]

To say that Lonnie Walker lacks killer instinct would be an understatement.

That's what Pop is looking for and he's not seeing it.

And for the millionth time, Walker bounds around the court aimlessly like an exuberant puppy.

Pop is trying to figure out whether Walker just lacks basketball sense (somewhat fixable) or whether he lacks heart and/or guts (that would be terminal).he lacks it all.

[Roscoe P. Coltrane]

That's just classic Pop. Young guys can get minutes if they hang their hat on defense. Offensive potential doesn't play a role. I think that's to prevent players from just competing on offensive posessions and becoming a black hole on defense. You know like Spurs fans most hated Milinelli. Pop obviously sees that Walker has the potential to be an elite defender, so until he proves that on the court he won't get playing time. What we are all waiting on is Walker showing what he can do on offense.Walker doesn't want to be a defender he wants to be a chucker.

[Spurtacular]

Kawhi didn’t want to stay in San Antonio. He’s from Cali and LA and its surroundings are way more fun than SA, sorry. SA is an uninteresting city and a small market.

Like Kawhi.

[spurraider21]

wonder if pop will call out LMA as non competitive tbh

[MultiTroll]

wonder if pop will call out LMA as non competitive tbh
Watched it on the SoCal Laker channel 1071 and Stu Lantz went off on him.
Soo obvious.

[Slippy]

wonder if pop will call out LMA as non competitive tbh

If are going to be honest shouldnt pop be questioned about being uncompetitive . Those rotations are uncompetitive like Demar on Davis during that second quarter. Pop only playing DWhite when DJ IS off. No Lonnie because he needs to earn it . The best players for whatever reasons arnt getting played so that's uncompetitive in my book.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Walker's the new Danny Green for Pop - gotta have a perimeter guy to beat up verbally in the press all the time, it distracts from trotting the backcourt midgets out there and watching them get destroyed.

[Mugen]

Walker's the new Danny Green for Pop - gotta have a perimeter guy to beat up verbally in the press all the time, it distracts from trotting the backcourt midgets out there and watching them get destroyed.

Danny got minutes though.

[RC_Drunkford]

Walker doesn't want to be a defender he wants to be a chucker.

He told you that? Or are you a mind reader now?:lol

[GreekSpursfan]

That's fine. Trade him then tbh.

If he can't take it and improve throughout this season they will.

[J_Paco]

so what does your comment mean? I'll tell you what it means, his ass belongs in the G league.

He won't get better playing against lesser talent. He needs to eventually earn time with the big boy squad if wants to reach his full potential. We know he's a hard worker, but now he needs to take that hard work and put it to practice.

[duncan2k5]

Pop used to bust Tony's chops when he was young because he saw how much potential he had, and was pushing him to be great. Maybe this is something similar...or maybe he's just pissed and hoping for an attitude adjustment.

So far Lonnie's not living up to his potential. He's got the best physical tools on the team.

He was starting Tony Parker... Not even close to being the same

[duncan2k5]

Good attitude and body language from Lonnie on the bench during the Warriors game. He had two minutes on the hardwood and he did everything well.

I bet Walker will be given the chance of playing Lebron James on Sunday. Same situation: "Go out there and show what you got defending an MVP caliber player." That would complete the lesson so him and Popovich can move on.

Lol... Yall really be giving Pop all this credit like he is deeply thinking about this stuff... He has gone basketball senile... The sooner we accept it, the sooner we stop wondering what's his endgame... What deeper meaning does he have behind his decisions... There isn't any

[duncan2k5]

That's just classic Pop. Young guys can get minutes if they hang their hat on defense. Offensive potential doesn't play a role. I think that's to prevent players from just competing on offensive posessions and becoming a black hole on defense. You know like Spurs fans most hated Milinelli. Pop obviously sees that Walker has the potential to be an elite defender, so until he proves that on the court he won't get playing time. What we are all waiting on is Walker showing what he can do on offense.

This makes no sense when u have belineli, Forbes and Mills taking up tons of minutes and they're trash on defense...

[duncan2k5]

Walker doesn't want to be a defender he wants to be a chucker.

Like patty mills? Like Bryn forbes? How would we know what Lonnie wants to be? He doesn't play

[Kurgan]

Why didn't Pop call out Softridge and Defrozen for their "non competitive" play against the Lakers? These two losers make a combined $54 million and were by far our worst players against the Lakers. Maybe because Pop is a hypocritical jackass that likes to give the vet cancers a free pass to play like dog shit.

[kobyz]

I'm taking credit for being the number one critic of Hairdo here, from day one calling him a bust!

[RC_Drunkford]

This makes no sense when u have belineli, Forbes and Mills taking up tons of minutes and they're trash on defense...

I never said Pop made sense. As a matter of fact I'm one of his biggest critics. I'm just saying that is the way he coaches

[Chomag]

I wonder if someone would ask Pop why his coaching has been non-competitive.

[duncan2k5]

I never said Pop made sense. As a matter of fact I'm one of his biggest critics. I'm just saying that is the way he coaches

Fair enough

[exstatic]

Why didn't Pop call out Softridge and Defrozen for their "non competitive" play against the Lakers? These two losers make a combined $54 million and were by far our worst players against the Lakers. Maybe because Pop is a hypocritical jackass that likes to give the vet cancers a free pass to play like dog shit.

Or, just maybe because they aren't in the Spurs plans going forward, and Lonnie is.

[Roscoe P. Coltrane]

He told you that? Or are you a mind reader now?:lolI'm a mind reader.

[Mugen]

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4d0Lj_hLff/

Get that trade homie.

[objective]

I think the approach Pop is taking is a little backwards.

Tteaching with the carrot and stick of minutes or the bench is unlikely to work when it's DNPs and one short shift every few games

It would make more sense to have Walker as the spoiler to Marco and Mills to keep them engaged. Lonnie should be the wild, raw, hustle player who gets put in when Marco and Mills make their trash plays to put some fire in them, to keep them honest. Because right now those guys know they can shit all over the court and suffer no consequences, they're locks in the rotation.

OR Lonnie should be in the regular rotation with the threat of the savvy vet Marco or Mills ready to plug and play right there as the pressure on Lonnie to stay sharp, under control and with the program. Then when he gets pulled for mistakes or a wrong mindset it can be a teaching moment for him to carry into his next shift.

But right now it's just open season for terrible defense or turnovers or wack shot attempts from Mills and Marco nearly every game ... Without correction from Pop in the terms of minutes. If Lonnie is learning by watching, then the lessons he's getting is what he's delivering back on the court.

[Mugen]

I think the approach Pop is taking is a little backwards.

Tteaching with the carrot and stick of minutes or the bench is unlikely to work when it's DNPs and one short shift every few games

It would make more sense to have Walker as the spoiler to Marco and Mills to keep them engaged. Lonnie should be the wild, raw, hustle player who gets put in when Marco and Mills make their trash plays to put some fire in them, to keep them honest. Because right now those guys know they can shit all over the court and suffer no consequences, they're locks in the rotation.

OR Lonnie should be in the regular rotation with the threat of the savvy vet Marco or Mills ready to plug and play right there as the pressure on Lonnie to stay sharp, under control and with the program. Then when he gets pulled for mistakes or a wrong mindset it can be a teaching moment for him to carry into his next shift.

But right now it's just open season for terrible defense or turnovers or wack shot attempts from Mills and Marco nearly every game ... Without correction from Pop in the terms of minutes. If Lonnie is learning by watching, then the lessons he's getting is what he's delivering back on the court.

Spot on.

The only recent 1st rounder that had to wait more than a year or two to get regular minutes was CoJo and that was because he was stuck behind Porky and a pre-50 Fatty.

Porky, Nephew, Tiago, Dejounte, DWhite, Georgie, Fathead....all got regular rotation minutes by year 2 or earlier.

I'm guessing Lonnie said something un-Spurs like during training camp and Pop is holding a personal grudge against him. Maybe Lonnie was tired of hearing about how TP or Manu did it years ago and it irked the old man.

Either way, he should get minutes soon or hopefully gets traded to a team he can actually showcase his talents on. Kid is going to be special.

[timtonymanu]

I think the approach Pop is taking is a little backwards.

Tteaching with the carrot and stick of minutes or the bench is unlikely to work when it's DNPs and one short shift every few games

It would make more sense to have Walker as the spoiler to Marco and Mills to keep them engaged. Lonnie should be the wild, raw, hustle player who gets put in when Marco and Mills make their trash plays to put some fire in them, to keep them honest. Because right now those guys know they can shit all over the court and suffer no consequences, they're locks in the rotation.

OR Lonnie should be in the regular rotation with the threat of the savvy vet Marco or Mills ready to plug and play right there as the pressure on Lonnie to stay sharp, under control and with the program. Then when he gets pulled for mistakes or a wrong mindset it can be a teaching moment for him to carry into his next shift.

But right now it's just open season for terrible defense or turnovers or wack shot attempts from Mills and Marco nearly every game ... Without correction from Pop in the terms of minutes. If Lonnie is learning by watching, then the lessons he's getting is what he's delivering back on the court.

* Orson Welles applauding gif

[Coach X]

Lol... Yall really be giving Pop all this credit like he is deeply thinking about this stuff... He has gone basketball senile... The sooner we accept it, the sooner we stop wondering what's his endgame... What deeper meaning does he have behind his decisions... There isn't any
Obviously, I was wrong on my prediction about Walker playing time. I don’t understand why Lonnie is not playing now. Eventually, Marco improved the quality of his shots and he’s starting to making some of them but scoring is not the problem at the moment. I don’t know how much affects the two bigs lineup to Walker’s chances of the playing but I’m sure the coaches have their reasons. One more time, we don’t have enough information and we don’t know what’s the plan with him.

I’m sure Popovich knows Walker can play, there must be a good reason for not to do it. He takes more time to rely on some new guys that apparently deserve to play but this guys end up being important as soon as they start playing regularly.

I keep trusting Popovich and his 22 successful seasons. I know I could be wrong though. Everything has an end and this could be the season PATFO fails. Time will tell.

[RC_Drunkford]

Pop is a fuckin idiot, it's that simple

[Mugen]

timvp You still excited about how the old man is treating Lonnie? :lol

[Duncan2177]

Pop is a fuckin idiot, it's that simple

[Jordan Jackson]

Pop is a fuckin idiot, it's that simple

You know it's bad when even a homer like Sean Elliott is questioning Pops handling of Walker.

The house is officially on fire.

[cjw]

The only excuse I can figure is that they LOVE someone in the draft in the 5-10 range and will do anything possible to grab him.

And then stuff him in Austin for two years

[FkLA]

He pretty much shut Wiggins down. I know Wiggins wasn't shooting well all game but when Lonnie was on him he wasnt even looking to shoot.

It's criminal that Pop continues to play the Italian POS over him.

[Dennis the Menace]

One person on Twitter who claims to have sources is saying that Lonnie in a package deal is the only hope of a Demar Trade. That he’s gonna be displayed more for this reason. That would be criminal and disgusting

[RC_Drunkford]

Walker took over the game. Spurs were only in it because of him in the 4th. It's pretty clear that he can play great defense and give you about 10 points in 20 minutes on average off the bench. Only idiots like Flopovich wouldn't play this kid.
Whoever will get him in the trade will be lucky as fuck. This performance hasn't helped, since Pop wants to trade him so bad, teams will show interest

[JeffDuncan]

One person on Twitter who claims to have sources is saying that Lonnie in a package deal is the only hope of a Demar Trade. That he’s gonna be displayed more for this reason. That would be criminal and disgusting

Absolute lunacy. But a twitter guy with sources, oh, the sources are probably posts on Spurstalk. Lol

[timtonymanu]

:lol Monty
:lol boomer faggot
:lol arguably retarded person

[TheGreatYacht]

That Roscoe retard staying away from this thread like the plague

[cool cat]

Screw Pop.

Walker is the most competitive player on our roster currently.

[JuneJive]

They are not trading Lonnie.

Get real.

[timvp]

timvp You still excited about how the old man is treating Lonnie? :lol

Yes. It looks like Pop got through to Lonnie. He wasn't hiding from Wiggins and wasn't passive offensively. If Pop had to sit him to get this level of competitiveness from him, it was worth it.

[emmo]

Yes. It looks like Pop got through to Lonnie. He wasn't hiding from Wiggins and wasn't passive offensively. If Pop had to sit him to get this level of competitiveness from him, it was worth it.

This right here. I understand Lonnie was held to high standards growing up and can take being coached unlike some other young players. Good on Pop to understand that and good on Lonnie for not hanging his head. That’s the type of player I like to root for. With Kawhi back in town on Friday, LW4 has a chance to redeem himself and be competitive when his number is called. Side note: Lonnie is still following Spurs on IG, lol.

[FkLA]

I knew the "Lonnie played as well as he did because CIA Pop prepared him with his tough love!" company line was coming. :lol

[Spurs Homer]

Lol

that “tough love” thing will blow up in the coming games when pop buries him again for no apparent reason

[Mugen]

Yes. It looks like Pop got through to Lonnie. He wasn't hiding from Wiggins and wasn't passive offensively. If Pop had to sit him to get this level of competitiveness from him, it was worth it.

You don't think he could have done it maybe 5 games into the losing streak instead? :lol

[timvp]

You don't think he could have done it maybe 5 games into the losing streak instead? :lol

Maybe. Maybe not.

First we'll see if Pop plays him against neph ... and whether he hides from neph. Then we'll see where we all stand :lol

[acoelho1]

Yes. It looks like Pop got through to Lonnie. He wasn't hiding from Wiggins and wasn't passive offensively. If Pop had to sit him to get this level of competitiveness from him, it was worth it.

Stop drinking the Kool-Aid. Lonnie did nothing to warrant those comments. LMA is non-competitive every couple of games or so and not a peep from Pop. This has more to do with Pop’s initiation of a young player, nothing more.

[TheGreatYacht]

Yes. It looks like Pop got through to Lonnie. He wasn't hiding from Wiggins and wasn't passive offensively. If Pop had to sit him to get this level of competitiveness from him, it was worth it.
How does one know if there was anything to get thru, though?

Its his second game of the year where he gets 10+ minutes :lol Stop it

[apalisoc_9]

How does one know if there was anything to get thru, though?

Its his second game of the year where he gets 10+ minutes :lol Stop it

Ultimate sniffer :lol

Lonnie probably just had a better sleeping night the day before the Woloves game :lol

[TheGreatYacht]

Ultimate sniffer :lol

Lonnie probably just had a better sleeping night the day before the Woloves game :lol
Wonder when Pop will give Bryn a good benching for hiding from Wiggins and to force a higher level of competitiveness out of the guy :lol

[RD2191]

Yes. It looks like Pop got through to Lonnie. He wasn't hiding from Wiggins and wasn't passive offensively. If Pop had to sit him to get this level of competitiveness from him, it was worth it.

Lmao. What a trash ass take.

[Prime BEEF]

Lmao. What a trash ass take.

yes. I would say it’s the opposite. Whatever success the young guys have is in spite of pop not because of pop. Who knows how well they’d play if they didn’t have to handle all of the unnecessary obstacles that pop creates. pop is awful. If these losses keep coming he might just quit to save his legacy that he cares about.

[JeffDuncan]

Pop played Lonnie to avert a potential mutiny by both his players and coaching staff. Is more likely.

[r0drig0lac]

Pop played Lonnie to avert a potential mutiny by both his players and coaching staff. Is more likely.

I hope that's the reason, it's time

[duncan2k5]

Yes. It looks like Pop got through to Lonnie. He wasn't hiding from Wiggins and wasn't passive offensively. If Pop had to sit him to get this level of competitiveness from him, it was worth it.

This is nonsense... Pop didn't have to sit him for this... He would have played like this regardless

[duncan2k5]

yes. I would say it’s the opposite. Whatever success the young guys have is in spite of pop not because of pop. Who knows how well they’d play if they didn’t have to handle all of the unnecessary obstacles that pop creates. pop is awful. If these losses keep coming he might just quit to save his legacy that he cares about.

Exactly

[emmo]

Lmao. What a trash ass take.

Lmao. What a trash ass take.

[timvp]

These basic Spurs fans are funny.





BSF: Why Pop bench Loonie? :cry

timvp: Because Lonnie was hiding from Kawhi and playing passively on offense.

BSF: Pop's just going to ruin him. Just let him play :cry

timvp: Pop has the best history of any long-tenured coach in NBA history of developing talent, especially draft talent out of the lottery. I trust him to get through to Lonnie.

BSF: He's going to be ruined if Pop doesn't play him right now :cry

timvp: Pop probably knows what he's doing.

A couple weeks later: *Lonnie competing like a mad man on defense, being ultra aggressive on offense*

timvp: Looks like Pop got through to Lonnie. He's defending now and being aggressive on offense. :tu

BSF: What a trash ass take, timvp





Happy Thanksgiving :tu

[RD2191]

These basic Spurs fans are funny.





BSF: Why Pop bench Loonie? :cry

timvp: Because Lonnie was hiding from Kawhi and playing passively on offense.

BSF: Pop's just going to ruin him. Just let him play :cry

timvp: Pop has the best history of any long-tenured coach in NBA history of developing talent, especially draft talent out of the lottery. I trust him to get through to Lonnie.

BSF: He's going to be ruined if Pop doesn't play him right now :cry

timvp: Pop probably knows what he's doing.

A couple weeks later: *Lonnie competing like a mad man on defense, being ultra aggressive on offense*

timvp: Looks like Pop got through to Lonnie. He's defending now and being aggressive on offense. :tu

BSF: What a trash ass take, timvp





Happy Thanksgiving :tu

2/10 weak

[RD2191]

yes. I would say it’s the opposite. Whatever success the young guys have is in spite of pop not because of pop. Who knows how well they’d play if they didn’t have to handle all of the unnecessary obstacles that pop creates. pop is awful. If these losses keep coming he might just quit to save his legacy that he cares about.

Prime beef dropping truth nukes :wow

[Prime BEEF]

timvp: Pop has the best history of any long-tenured coach in NBA history of developing talent, especially draft talent out of the lottery. I trust him to get through to Lonnie.


I assume you put lottery in by mistake. DRob, W.Anderson, Elliott, and Duncan are the only lottery picks the spurs have had since 1987. Only Duncan was acquired during pops coaching tenure and he didn’t need pop to be great. Leonard was 15th pick by Indiana...but draft lottery stops at 14 anyway.

in general, the spurs were great because of drob/Elliott/Duncan/TP/Manu/KL. Drob and Elliott were rocking and rolling prior to pop, TD was already great when he showed up, Manu was already a great player and even pop said he just had to let Manu be Manu (so no development there), pop did develop TP by abusing the shit out of him, and pop did develop KL too by abusing him and then running him off. I’m not really impressed with pops track record on developing players

Pop inherited a foundation of DRob/Elliott/Duncan that’s going to bring you huge success. Bob Hill had 3 55+win seasons in 3yrs prior to pop being hired...always wondered how he would’ve done with Duncan/Drob/Elliott.

[lmbebo]

I assume you put lottery in by mistake. DRob, W.Anderson, Elliott, and Duncan are the only lottery picks the spurs have had since 1987. Only Duncan was acquired during pops coaching tenure and he didn’t need pop to be great. Leonard was 15th pick by Indiana...but draft lottery stops at 14 anyway.

in general, the spurs were great because of drob/Elliott/Duncan/TP/Manu/KL. Drob and Elliott were rocking and rolling prior to pop, TD was already great when he showed up, Manu was already a great player and even pop said he just had to let Manu be Manu (so no development there), pop did develop TP by abusing the shit out of him, and pop did develop KL too by abusing him and then running him off. I’m not really impressed with pops track record on developing players

Pop inherited a foundation of DRob/Elliott/Duncan that’s going to bring you huge success. Bob Hill had 3 55+win seasons in 3yrs prior to pop being hired...always wondered how he would’ve done with Duncan/Drob/Elliott.


Bob Hill reference! Where's he's working these days ..... don't think he's worked in a decade or two ...

Don't think Kwahi was driven off by Pop. I think Kwahi was driven away by Uncle and family.

[exstatic]

I assume you put lottery in by mistake. DRob, W.Anderson, Elliott, and Duncan are the only lottery picks the spurs have had since 1987. Only Duncan was acquired during pops coaching tenure and he didn’t need pop to be great. Leonard was 15th pick by Indiana...but draft lottery stops at 14 anyway.

in general, the spurs were great because of drob/Elliott/Duncan/TP/Manu/KL. Drob and Elliott were rocking and rolling prior to pop, TD was already great when he showed up, Manu was already a great player and even pop said he just had to let Manu be Manu (so no development there), pop did develop TP by abusing the shit out of him, and pop did develop KL too by abusing him and then running him off. I’m not really impressed with pops track record on developing players

Pop inherited a foundation of DRob/Elliott/Duncan that’s going to bring you huge success. Bob Hill had 3 55+win seasons in 3yrs prior to pop being hired...always wondered how he would’ve done with Duncan/Drob/Elliott.

DRob and Elliott were part of the player delegation that approached then GM Popovich to request Hill’s removal.

[emmo]

Oh man. Bob Hill, huh? The one that is no longer coaching. You know who is coaching and leading front offices around the league? 14 Popovich protégés who all credit him with their success. Yeah, he’s not much of a developer of talent though.

Gtfo.

[Prose]

Bob Hill reference! Where's he's working these days ..... don't think he's worked in a decade or two ...

Don't think Kwahi was driven off by Pop. I think Kwahi was driven away by Uncle and family.

was a suns assistant coach in 2016

[RD2191]

Oh man. Bob Hill, huh? The one that is no longer coaching. You know who is coaching and leading front offices around the league? 14 Popovich protégés who all credit him with their success. Yeah, he’s not much of a developer of talent though.

Gtfo.

Thanks to Timmy tbh.

[FkLA]

These basic Spurs fans are funny.





BSF: Why Pop bench Loonie? :cry

timvp: Because Lonnie was hiding from Kawhi and playing passively on offense.

BSF: Pop's just going to ruin him. Just let him play :cry

timvp: Pop has the best history of any long-tenured coach in NBA history of developing talent, especially draft talent out of the lottery. I trust him to get through to Lonnie.

BSF: He's going to be ruined if Pop doesn't play him right now :cry

timvp: Pop probably knows what he's doing.

A couple weeks later: *Lonnie competing like a mad man on defense, being ultra aggressive on offense*

timvp: Looks like Pop got through to Lonnie. He's defending now and being aggressive on offense. :tu

BSF: What a trash ass take, timvp





Happy Thanksgiving :tu

As if the only way to get the point across was to bury him on the bench for 10-15 games and play a guy who has "missed jumpers and played defense in slow motion" all season. :lol

[timvp]

I assume you put lottery in by mistake.Out of the lottery, meaning not in the lottery. Probably meant to put "outside," IIRC, tbh.


As if the only way to get the point across was to bury him on the bench for 10-15 games and play a guy who has "missed jumpers and played defense in slow motion" all season. :lolIf it works, that was a small price to pay. Tiny price, in fact.

We'll see. I'm not ready to crown Walker (and, by extension, Pop) yet after one good quarter :lol

[emmo]

Thanks to Timmy tbh.

Timmy is responsible for all of those coaches/gms??

Gtfo.

[objective]

The good news is that Lonnie passed Pop's first test: Lonnie has gotten over himself.

The bad news is that by passing one test, he automatically fails the next test: Would playing Lonnie be fair to the team?

[tim_duncan_fan]

Timmy is responsible for all of those coaches/gms??

Gtfo.

More than indirectly, yes.

[Dr. John R. Brinkley]

The good news is that Lonnie passed Pop's first test: Lonnie has gotten over himself.

The bad news is that by passing one test, he automatically fails the next test: Would playing Lonnie be fair to the team?

A complicated algorithm, to be sure.

[acoelho1]

No no...he was non competitive from the bench. LJ will have an article shortly with video evidence.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

After his performance against the twolves Lonnie has to probably be thinking man what the fuck do I have to do to play over Luigi and G league. It sucks for him that they werent completely terrible tonight like they have been for the 12 game losing streak

[D-Robinson 50 fan]

Why in the fuck is Pop still playing Marco over Carroll and Lonnie?

Marco continuously takes crazy shots and is awful on defense. I figure Lonnie would at least get a few non garbage minutes after his last game but Pop still played Marco way more than he should have.

Does Lonnie and Carroll look that bad In practice or Pop is just blind?

[sasaint]

DRob and Elliott were part of the player delegation that approached then GM Popovich to request Hill’s removal.

Where is such a delegation NOW?

[FkLA]

Does Lonnie and Carroll look that bad In practice or Pop is just blind?

Favoritism.

[itzsoweezee]

Lonnie sealed his fate when he went off the last game. Wouldn't be surprised to see him demoted to the g league

[Degoat]

I really want Lonnie to play over Marco but y’all act like teams don’t have to respect Belly’s shooting and all the moving off ball he does

[FkLA]

I really want Lonnie to play over Marco but y’all act like teams don’t have to respect Belly’s shooting and all the moving off ball he does

Do they have "respect" for his defense too?

[Degoat]

Do they have "respect" for his defense too?

Definitely not lol but Other then a good game vs the timberwolves Lonnie doesn’t have a tract record like Marco does, I really want Lonnie to play I’m with y’all but teams don’t have to respect Lonnie’s game yet

[RC_Drunkford]

I think a Murray/Mills/Walker/Lyles/Poeltl unit can be really really good. Not only is Lonnie a better defender than Marco, but him running the break with Dejounte is very intriguing as well and Beli hasn't been shooting well lately anyway. Hope we can get to see that

[Allan Rowe vs Wade]

Timmy is responsible for all of those coaches/gms??

GOAT.

fify

[Floyd Pacquiao]

Definitely not lol but Other then a good game vs the timberwolves Lonnie doesn’t have a tract record like Marco does, I really want Lonnie to play I’m with y’all but teams don’t have to respect Lonnie’s game yet

teams guarding and respecting shitenelli game isnt gonna translate to wins. Its got them last place in the West. All this stupid mindgames shit pop is doing is just alienating walker at this point.

[Spurs Homer]

garbage time or not -

if pop cannot see the overwhelming physical gifts and talent of lonnie -

and personally make it his mission to take lonnie under his wing and speed up lonnies progress -

then POP really has lost it...

[spurraider21]

this is only getting more and more absurd. he's a second year player. give him SOME meaningful run. its not like ur team is winning games and he's going to cost you anything. all you're doing is wasting opportunities for legitimate experience and stunting growth unnecessarily

[Ice009]

I'll keep watching if Pop plays Lonnie, but this is getting beyond a joke now. I don't understand why he's not getting more court time, or at least already getting some regular rotation minutes.

[ElNono]

This team overall wasn't competitive today. Hopefully Poop has the same kind words with the mirror tonight.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

This team overall wasn't competitive today. Hopefully Poop has the same kind words with the mirror tonight.

He'd have to put the entire team in the doghouse the way they've shown very little effort on most nights. There's certainly a talent gap between this and former Spurs' teams, but the big thing I see lacking from this group is cohesiveness and heart. There's no real will to win, or hating to lose, however you want to put it. Maybe's today's spoiled millionaires don't care unless they're the star attraction. There's no blue collar effort from this group most nights. Rudy Gay is the closest I've seen to a guy who just comes out and plays hard every night. Rudy's problem is that age is catching up with him. But at this point he's my favorite Spur this season in terms of effort.

The old Spurs hated to lose...this group...meh. Not sure they care.

[weeks]

He'd have to put the entire team in the doghouse the way they've shown very little effort on most nights. There's certainly a talent gap between this and former Spurs' teams, but the big thing I see lacking from this group is cohesiveness and heart. There's no real will to win, or hating to lose, however you want to put it. Maybe's today's spoiled millionaires don't care unless they're the star attraction. There's no blue collar effort from this group most nights. Rudy Gay is the closest I've seen to a guy who just comes out and plays hard every night. Rudy's problem is that age is catching up with him. But at this point he's my favorite Spur this season in terms of effort.

The old Spurs hated to lose...this group...meh. Not sure they care.

LMA really did bring his loser culture from Portland

[SpurSpike]

Lonnie did play good defense on harden in the preseason. Hope Pop remembers this...

[ZeusWillJudge]

The old Spurs hated to lose...this group...meh. Not sure they care.


"Their shots went in... ours didn't." Remind me again which one of the players says that. :lol

I'm not sure the crater-faced old wino really cares anymore. That would explain the players' attitudes better than just about anything.

[timvp]

These basic Spurs fans are funny.





BSF: Why Pop bench Loonie? :cry

timvp: Because Lonnie was hiding from Kawhi and playing passively on offense.

BSF: Pop's just going to ruin him. Just let him play :cry

timvp: Pop has the best history of any long-tenured coach in NBA history of developing talent, especially draft talent out of the lottery. I trust him to get through to Lonnie.

BSF: He's going to be ruined if Pop doesn't play him right now :cry

timvp: Pop probably knows what he's doing.

A couple weeks later: *Lonnie competing like a mad man on defense, being ultra aggressive on offense*

timvp: Looks like Pop got through to Lonnie. He's defending now and being aggressive on offense. :tu

BSF: What a trash ass take, timvp





Happy Thanksgiving :tu

Masterful job by Pop, tbh.

After hiding from Kawhi, Pop didn't let him play. He let Walker build up his anger. Walker knew the next time, he needed to take advantage of the opportunity and not back down on either side of the court.

Then tonight happens, when Walker is the best player on both ends. If Pop let's Walker off the hook and hide on defense like he did against Kawhi, we don't get games like tonight.

Thanks, Pop. And, more importantly, great job Lonnie :tu

[ElNono]

^ What a trash ass take, timvp!

[DPG21920]

:reading

[timvp]

^ What a trash ass take, timvp!

Thanks :tu

[MultiTroll]

Nice sniff. :lol

[drpill]

Lonnie after the game was asked about Pop’s tough love, his answer seemed totally genuine: “there’s no such thing, I welcome criticism because it makes me better.” There’s no need to worry.

[timvp]

Lonnie after the game was asked about Pop’s tough love, his answer seemed totally genuine: “there’s no such thing, I welcome criticism because it makes me better.” There’s no need to worry.

:tu

Walker seems to have the type of personality where tough love only makes him better. He kinda has the Parker type of confidence to him where he can accept all criticism because at the end of the day his confidence won't get rattled.

[duncan2k5]

Masterful job by Pop, tbh.

After hiding from Kawhi, Pop didn't let him play. He let Walker build up his anger. Walker knew the next time, he needed to take advantage of the opportunity and not back down on either side of the court.

Then tonight happens, when Walker is the best player on both ends. If Pop let's Walker off the hook and hide on defense like he did against Kawhi, we don't get games like tonight.

Thanks, Pop. And, more importantly, great job Lonnie :tu

Ur smart... But this isn't a smart take....

Pop benched him indefinitely based on 5 minutes of game time... Do u know Tim Duncan in his prime had five minute stretches of him not playing well on either end? So does EVERY great player...


They don't get benched... But let's say we benched Duncan for games on end... Then finally plays him and he plays well... Ppl like u would attribute him playing well to the benching... While ppl like me say he could do that all the time! U were just overreacting to a bad 5 minutes

[JeffDuncan]

I suppose it's a mark of Coach Pop's stature that no matter what kind of crazy chickenshit stunt he pulls, some will call it genius.

[spurraider21]

timvp when Lonnie plays bad:

pop is right. He needs to earn time

timvp when Lonnie plays well:

pop is right. He got the best out of him


common denominator:

sniff sniff

[r0drig0lac]

Masterful job by Pop, tbh.

After hiding from Kawhi, Pop didn't let him play. He let Walker build up his anger. Walker knew the next time, he needed to take advantage of the opportunity and not back down on either side of the court.

Then tonight happens, when Walker is the best player on both ends. If Pop let's Walker off the hook and hide on defense like he did against Kawhi, we don't get games like tonight.

Thanks, Pop. And, more importantly, great job Lonnie :tu

https://media1.tenor.com/images/2475393eca8b7a271b763e42d6d5eff2/tenor.gif?itemid=4716597

[Russ]

:tu

Walker seems to have the type of personality where tough love only makes him better. He kinda has the Parker type of confidence to him where he can accept all criticism because at the end of the day his confidence won't get rattled.

Pop only goes after players publicly if (1) he knows they're naturally confident (can take it) and (2) he thinks they have a future (they're going to have many chances to defend themselves by their play).

The old saying that you only need to worry when the coach is not yelling at you applies.

[SpursDynasty85]

No matter how frustrating it has been or how wrong Pop was. Lonnie came in so focused on defense and played smart basketball on offense. This man is ready to compete at his highest potential as of right now. Maybe in the end, Pop knew what he was doing. Lonnie is our next Ginobili!

[RD2191]

Pop :lol senile old faggot. Walker shitting all over his overrated ass.

[Trill Clinton]

Pop's criticism woke Lonnie up. GOAT.

[Spurs Homer]

If pop paid attention while lonnie was tearing up summer league and saw the shape lonnie was in and noticed lonnie was a man amongst boys...

and then waited 21 games to actually give him a real chance


i guess we should be grateful pop is slowly getting over himself.

[RC_Drunkford]

Ur smart... But this isn't a smart take....

Pop benched him indefinitely based on 5 minutes of game time... Do u know Tim Duncan in his prime had five minute stretches of him not playing well on either end? So does EVERY great player...


They don't get benched... But let's say we benched Duncan for games on end... Then finally plays him and he plays well... Ppl like u would attribute him playing well to the benching... While ppl like me say he could do that all the time! U were just overreacting to a bad 5 minutes

timvp getting sonned by the dumbest poster on spurstalk. Damn, how the mighty have fallen

[Mugen]

This is my favorite Sniffer take of the season tbh.

"See - he was only pretending to be retarded!"

:lmao

[Dejounte]

Lmfao posters making up fantasies about how Lonnie is "shitting" on Pop when theres numerous quotes from Lonnie himself after the game last night and from his teammates saying how thankful Lonnie is that Pop was pushing him to be great. But naaaaah Lonnie is definitely resenting Pop and did this as revenge. It wasnt decent placed motivation at all. Arm chair coaches lmfao

[RD2191]

Lmfao posters making up fantasies about how Lonnie is "shitting" on Pop when theres numerous quotes from Lonnie himself after the game last night and from his teammates saying how thankful Lonnie is that Pop was pushing him to be great. But naaaaah Lonnie is definitely resenting Pop and did this as revenge. It wasnt decent placed motivation at all. Arm chair coaches lmfao

Lonnie made Pop and several posters like yourself eat shit last night, take the L and move on.

[ZeusWillJudge]

Pop only goes after players publicly if (1) he knows they're naturally confident (can take it) and (2) he thinks they have a future (they're going to have many chances to defend themselves by their play).

The old saying that you only need to worry when the coach is not yelling at you applies.



So let me get this straight. A shitty player like Jeff Errors he just keeps putting on the floor, because he has no potential. But a guy who could be really good he benches for a quarter of the season? Because it makes the team better? Like the way benching Bertans made the team better? Sniff. Sniff sniff. Do you smell something?

BTW - nice diversion with the whole bit about yelling at Lonnie, since we were talking about keeping him on the bench. Did Lonnie happen to mention if he welcomed being benched, or if that helped him on the court? Asking for a friend.

[Dejounte]

Lonnie made Pop and several posters like yourself eat shit last night, take the L and move on.

Sure, lets ignore facts and ignore what the players actually say. Keep living in your shit fantasyland

[RD2191]

Sure, lets ignore facts and ignore what the players actually say. Keep living in your shit fantasyland

What's he supposed to say, dumbass? "Oh Yeah, Pop is a fucking moron for playing scrubs like Forbes and Marco over me." He's a professional, he's not gonna shit on his dumbass couch publicly.

[Sugus]

Pop has had numerous questionable coaching decisions this season, but I cannot understand people shitting on him over his Lonnie treatment. Yes, we all wanted to see him play. And yet, on his first real minutes stint against the Clippers, he was unarguably timid on defense, shying away from his man-to-man duties, and Pop called him out on it, thus benching him. Yesterday, besides his offense, his defense was really what stood out from his performance -- he picked up Harden at half court each and every time they were both on the court, stayed with him, went over screens and switches and did as good of a job contesting his shots as is possible against Harden. He set the defensive tone and the rest of the Spurs fed off his energy.

How you can see such a night/day shift in a player and not give an ounce of credit to the coach... Beyond me. His offensive prowess was never in question, as early as his SL stint - but it seems Pop has greater plans for him than a pure O talent. I'm thinking he'll slowly transition from getting more minutes next to DJ on the bench, to starting after the ASB (hopefully sooner tho) after this team makes some much-needed trades.

[ZeusWillJudge]

Lmfao posters making up fantasies about how Lonnie is "shitting" on Pop when theres numerous quotes from Lonnie himself after the game last night and from his teammates saying how thankful Lonnie is that Pop was pushing him to be great. But naaaaah Lonnie is definitely resenting Pop and did this as revenge. It wasnt decent placed motivation at all. Arm chair coaches lmfao

https://media2.giphy.com/media/xTiIzMvevaoCXJk7HG/giphy.gif

[XDT76]

Pop has had numerous questionable coaching decisions this season, but I cannot understand people shitting on him over his Lonnie treatment. Yes, we all wanted to see him play. And yet, on his first real minutes stint against the Clippers, he was unarguably timid on defense, shying away from his man-to-man duties, and Pop called him out on it, thus benching him. Yesterday, besides his offense, his defense was really what stood out from his performance -- he picked up Harden at half court each and every time they were both on the court, stayed with him, went over screens and switches and did as good of a job contesting his shots as is possible against Harden. He set the defensive tone and the rest of the Spurs fed off his energy.

How you can see such a night/day shift in a player and not give an ounce of credit to the coach... Beyond me. His offensive prowess was never in question, as early as his SL stint - but it seems Pop has greater plans for him than a pure O talent. I'm thinking he'll slowly transition from getting more minutes next to DJ on the bench, to starting after the ASB (hopefully sooner tho) after this team makes some much-needed trades.

I am not sure is it due to Pop benching him, however before last night LW had never given me a feeling that he is a good defender for a sustained period. Not even Summer League or G League where he is supposedly to be man over boys. I just hope what he showed can be sustained and he began to get more minutes to eventually becomes a regular in rotation or even a starter.

[JeffDuncan]

I am not sure is it due to Pop benching him, however before last night LW had never given me a feeling that he is a good defender for a sustained period. ...

And Beli is, you think?

[absoloot66]

https://media1.tenor.com/images/2475393eca8b7a271b763e42d6d5eff2/tenor.gif?itemid=4716597
:lol:lol

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Pop's pushing Walker because he knows how good he can be. On the flipside, he encourages a player like Forbes because he knows what we see from Forbes is all he's got available. Walker has the tools to be great, and Pop is pushing him to be more than a role player.

I'm not always a fan of some of Pop's tactics, but if you can't see his tough love strategy with Walker is working you're ignorant. I have no complaints with Pop giving Walker the business earlier this season.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

3 game benching I would have been cute, but to drag it on to 14 losses where it looked like Pop was losing the locker room was inexcusable

[JeffDuncan]

... I have no complaints with Pop giving Walker the business earlier this season.

Not even if it might have caused the Spurs to lose games?

The Griz on Nov 11. Spurs lost by 4. Beli played 16:15, scored 7 pts. One of his better outings. Walker DNP.

The Magic on Nov 15. Spurs lost by 2. Beli played 16:27, scored 6. Walker DNP.

The Mavs on Nov 18. Spurs lost by 7. Beli played 19:00, scored 5. Walker DNP.

I don't have to detail Beli's poor defense.

We'll never know, but a person can't help but wonder. Was that 8 game losing streak really necessary?

People have been talking about this as if it's just a Pop vs Walker thing. It most certainly is not.

[RC_Drunkford]

Lmfao posters making up fantasies about how Lonnie is "shitting" on Pop when theres numerous quotes from Lonnie himself after the game last night and from his teammates saying how thankful Lonnie is that Pop was pushing him to be great. But naaaaah Lonnie is definitely resenting Pop and did this as revenge. It wasnt decent placed motivation at all. Arm chair coaches lmfao

says the guy who said Murray will be better than Kawhi...

[RC_Drunkford]

Not even if it might have caused the Spurs to lose games?

The Griz on Nov 11. Spurs lost by 4. Beli played 16:15, scored 7 pts. One of his better outings. Walker DNP.

The Magic on Nov 15. Spurs lost by 2. Beli played 16:27, scored 6. Walker DNP.

The Mavs on Nov 18. Spurs lost by 7. Beli played 19:00, scored 5. Walker DNP.

I don't have to detail Beli's poor defense.

We'll never know, but a person can't help but wonder. Was that 8 game losing streak really necessary?

People have been talking about this as if it's just a Pop vs Walker thing. It most certainly is not.

that's exactly my point. People act like a permanent benching has lit that fire under Walker. An occassional benching would've most likely done the same. If he's not playing hard on defense, pull him and sub in somebody else. But play the guy every game, so he can learn things out there and the team would've most likely won 3-4 more games

[Russ]

Not even if it might have caused the Spurs to lose games?

The Griz on Nov 11. Spurs lost by 4. Beli played 16:15, scored 7 pts. One of his better outings. Walker DNP.

The Magic on Nov 15. Spurs lost by 2. Beli played 16:27, scored 6. Walker DNP.

The Mavs on Nov 18. Spurs lost by 7. Beli played 19:00, scored 5. Walker DNP.

We fans get upset when the team loses and overreact when the team wins. I certainly do.

Pop is not a fan. He doesn't care as much as we do whether the team wins a game.

He would gladly trade a win for making a point to a player he judges to have potential.

He doesn't care as much about the things we care about -- he's playing the long game.

[Mugen]

We fans get upset when the team loses and overreact when the team wins. I certainly do.

Pop is not a fan. He doesn't care as much as we do whether the team wins a game.

He would gladly trade a win for making a point to a player he judges to have potential.

He doesn't care as much about the things we care about -- he's playing the long game.

Truer words have never been spoken this season :lmao

[JeffDuncan]

that's exactly my point. People act like a permanent benching has lit that fire under Walker. An occassional benching would've most likely done the same. If he's not playing hard on defense, pull him and sub in somebody else. But play the guy every game, so he can learn things out there and the team would've most likely won 3-4 more games

I agree with you. What Pop did hurt the team, and it was not the way to help Walker or anybody.

As for all this being some genius scheme by Pop to bring out the best in a young player, that is all nothing but puffery and bs. Obviously.

Pop was playing Beli instead of Walker because Pop really did think Beli was his best option. He really thought that. Seriously.

The team needs a new head coach. We'll have one next season, I suppose.

[JeffDuncan]

...

[Pop] would gladly trade a win for making a point to a player he judges to have potential.
...

Bullshit. If Pop truly did that, those who care about Pop should take legal action to have his affairs placed under court supervision, for his own good, because it would mean he is not of sound mind.

[Russ]

Bullshit. If Pop truly did that, those who care about Pop should take legal action to have his affairs placed under court supervision, for his own good, because it would mean he is not of sound mind.

Pop is of sound mind. Just think of it as a conservative investment strategy. Like riding out a loss today for a bigger gain tomorrow.

Like deferring a small return today for a bigger return on down the road.

[Dr. John R. Brinkley]

Pop’s process makes some sense, but he dragged it out too long in my opinion.

[jermaine]

Anyone who knows Pop or how he operates knows Lonnie Walker will not see the court next game. Marco will March out there bricking everything

[jjktkk]

Pop’s process makes some sense, but he dragged it out too long in my opinion.

Totally fair assessment. The youngsters will eventually get more minutes on the court, once they learn 'The Spur's Way". Fans hate Pop's system, but it is what is.

[JeffDuncan]

Pop is of sound mind. ...

Not if he did what you're talking about. He'd be as crazy as a loon.

[timvp]

Pop only goes after players publicly if (1) he knows they're naturally confident (can take it) and (2) he thinks they have a future (they're going to have many chances to defend themselves by their play).

The old saying that you only need to worry when the coach is not yelling at you applies.

Agreed.

Some claim to think Pop should treat all players the same. That's a terrible idea, in reality. You have to coach everyone differently based on their personality.

For example, someone like DeRozan you can criticize behind closed doors but you wouldn't want to criticize him in public. With Aldridge, Pop has learned it's a bad idea to criticize him behind closed doors or in public. Walker appears to be someone Pop can criticize both behind closed doors and in public and he won't crumble.

Going back in history, the most effective way to get on Duncan was to get on him in front of everyone else during games. Parker responded well to all criticism. Ginobili was self motivated and self critical so it was best to just stay out of the way because he knew what he was doing and getting mad at him had no real impact, anyways :lol

[K...]

Sniffer obvious conspiracy: we know Marco was on trade block, play Marco to inflate value, don't play Walker because admitting a raw talent is better than Marco destroys Marcos value. Marco suck, teams don't offer trade, Marco benched

[SpurPadre]

Agreed.

Some claim to think Pop should treat all players the same. That's a terrible idea, in reality. You have to coach everyone differently based on their personality.

For example, someone like DeRozan you can criticize behind closed doors but you wouldn't want to criticize him in public. With Aldridge, Pop has learned it's a bad idea to criticize him behind closed doors or in public. Walker appears to be someone Pop can criticize both behind closed doors and in public and he won't crumble.

Going back in history, the most effective way to get on Duncan was to get on him in front of everyone else during games. Parker responded well to all criticism. Ginobili was self motivated and self critical so it was best to just stay out of the way because he knew what he was doing and getting mad at him had no real impact, anyways :lol

In other words, The Big 3 all had HUGE Balls that no one in this roster has a smidgen of except for perhaps Walker.

[timvp]

Not even if it might have caused the Spurs to lose games?

The Griz on Nov 11. Spurs lost by 4. Beli played 16:15, scored 7 pts. One of his better outings. Walker DNP.

The Magic on Nov 15. Spurs lost by 2. Beli played 16:27, scored 6. Walker DNP.

The Mavs on Nov 18. Spurs lost by 7. Beli played 19:00, scored 5. Walker DNP.

I don't have to detail Beli's poor defense.

We'll never know, but a person can't help but wonder. Was that 8 game losing streak really necessary?


that's exactly my point. People act like a permanent benching has lit that fire under Walker. An occassional benching would've most likely done the same. If he's not playing hard on defense, pull him and sub in somebody else. But play the guy every game, so he can learn things out there and the team would've most likely won 3-4 more games

If Walker goes on and continues to play hard on both ends of the court, do you really think two years from now any of us will even remember the losing streak or the few games Walker didn't play?

The big picture we're talking about here dwarfs the here and now to a laughable degree.

[NASpurs]

If Walker goes on and continues to play hard on both ends of the court, do you really think two years from now any of us will even remember the losing streak or the few games Walker didn't play?

The big picture we're talking about here dwarfs the here and now to a laughable degree.

Your honorary edgelord badge has been revoked now that you're back to sniffer status. It was a good run. :lol

[GAustex]

Agreed.

Some claim to think Pop should treat all players the same. That's a terrible idea, in reality. You have to coach everyone differently based on their personality.

For example, someone like DeRozan you can criticize behind closed doors but you wouldn't want to criticize him in public. With Aldridge, Pop has learned it's a bad idea to criticize him behind closed doors or in public. Walker appears to be someone Pop can criticize both behind closed doors and in public and he won't crumble.

Going back in history, the most effective way to get on Duncan was to get on him in front of everyone else during games. Parker responded well to all criticism. Ginobili was self motivated and self critical so it was best to just stay out of the way because he knew what he was doing and getting mad at him had no real impact, anyways :lol

This is excellent writing. I was there and saw all that you spoke of and I agree. The manner in which you made the statements is excellent. Have ever thought of writing professionally?
This kind of entry makes this a great website.

[JeffDuncan]

If Walker goes on and continues to play hard on both ends of the court, do you really think two years from now any of us will even remember the losing streak or the few games Walker didn't play?

The big picture we're talking about here dwarfs the here and now to a laughable degree.

You have lost perspective. You seem to think Pop is Lonnie's personal trainer. That is not the case.

Pop is the head coach of a major professional sports franchise. The losses the team suffers go in the permanent records of all Spurs personnel. They also go in the permanent history of the franchise.

Pop knows that. Do you? Do you understand what that means?

You think Pop said, "sorry Tim, sorry Becky, and sorry to all you guys on the team, but I'm going to have to put 3 or 4 more losses on your permanent records, and on your professional resumes, to teach this kid - who isn't even a starter - a good lesson. You guys won't mind, I'm sure."

Are you nuts? Or do you truly think Pop has gone insane?

The reason why Pop was playing Beli instead of Lonnie is simply that Pop thought Beli was the better player. That is the truth of it. The sane truth. There was never any grand motivational scheme going on. It was merely questionable judgment by a coach who may be getting a little old for the job.

[timvp]

You have lost perspective.

I've lost perspective? I'm saying Walker's improvement is more important in the big picture than the here and now. A win or loss here or there is not important compared to the improvement of Lonnie Walker IV. You apparently disagree and you think I've lost perspective?


You seem to think Pop is Lonnie's personal trainer. That is not the case.

Huh? Part of Pop's job description is to make Walker better.


Pop is the head coach of a major professional sports franchise. The losses the team suffers go in the permanent records of all Spurs personnel. They also go in the permanent history of the franchise.

Pop knows that. Do you? Do you understand what that means?

You think Pop said, "sorry Tim, sorry Becky, and sorry to all you guys on the team, but I'm going to have to put 3 or 4 more losses on your permanent records, and on your professional resumes, to teach this kid - who isn't even a starter - a good lesson. You guys won't mind, I'm sure."

Pop: "We have to get through to Lonnie that he has to be a two-way player in order to earn minutes. He has that ability but we're not getting it out of him yet. He seems like a strong kid who can take criticism. Let's coach him hard and push him to be the best he can be."

Duncan: "But what about my permanent record?"

Becky: "Yeah, my professional resume hangs in the balance, Pop."

:lol

[RC_Drunkford]

If Walker goes on and continues to play hard on both ends of the court, do you really think two years from now any of us will even remember the losing streak or the few games Walker didn't play?

The big picture we're talking about here dwarfs the here and now to a laughable degree.

did you even read what I said? I never said getting him to play hard was wrong, I said you didn't have throw 14 games to get that performance out of him. And if he had gotten consistent minutes right away, he'd probably be even better right now, cause he would've had gained some experience already. Your point is ridiculous

[timvp]

I never said getting him to play hard was wrong, I said you didn't have throw 14 games to get that performance out of him. And if he had gotten consistent minutes right away, he'd probably be even better right now, cause he would've had gained some experience already.

Those are assumptions, my friend. You could be right, you could be wrong.

My point is the end justifies the means and that the means don't matter in the big picture in this scenario.

[RC_Drunkford]

Those are assumptions, my friend. You could be right, you could be wrong.

My point is the end justifies the means and that the means don't matter in the big picture in this scenario.

So you're take is not an assumption? You are clearly assuming that it took Pop benching him for Belinelli to get that type of performance out of him while me and many others have said that it was obvious that he can do this before the season even started. You're sniffing really hard right now

[exstatic]

So you're take is not an assumption? You are clearly assuming that it took Pop benching him for Belinelli to get that type of performance out of him while me and many others have said that it was obvious that he can do this before the season even started. You're sniffing really hard right now

The thing is, he was a fucking lazy ass on defense in that first Clippers game, consistently failing to pick up Load Management in transition, forcing players like Forbes to end up on him in the half court, multiple times. That kind of dogging it isn't dealt with by talking. If you want something from someone, make them want something from you...in this case playing time. It's just basic psychology and motivation. His offense has never been in question, but then again, offense isn't the problem with this team. Having the #27 rated defense is.

[Mugen]

:lol Just wait until Lonnie misses a defensive assignment in the next game and promptly gets benched again for the next 10 games. Then you'll really see the true genius of CIAPop.

[jjktkk]

did you even read what I said? I never said getting him to play hard was wrong, I said you didn't have throw 14 games to get that performance out of him. And if he had gotten consistent minutes right away, he'd probably be even better right now, cause he would've had gained some experience already. Your point is ridiculous

I'm curious, how did you know when Walker was ready for consistent minutes? Hasn't it always been the "The Spur's Way" under Pop for young players to earn their minutes, and not just for him to throw them out on the court. You can bitch and moan about it, but the system works, more often than not

[Mugen]

The thing is, he was a fucking lazy ass on defense in that first Clippers game, consistently failing to pick up Load Management in transition, forcing players like Forbes to end up on him in the half court, multiple times. That kind of dogging it isn't dealt with by talking. If you want something from someone, make them want something from you...in this case playing time. It's just basic psychology and motivation. His offense has never been in question, but then again, offense isn't the problem with this team. Having the #27 rated defense is.

Humor me, ex. How much of that do you put on Pop?

[DPG21920]

Agreed.

Some claim to think Pop should treat all players the same. That's a terrible idea, in reality. You have to coach everyone differently based on their personality.

For example, someone like DeRozan you can criticize behind closed doors but you wouldn't want to criticize him in public. With Aldridge, Pop has learned it's a bad idea to criticize him behind closed doors or in public. Walker appears to be someone Pop can criticize both behind closed doors and in public and he won't crumble.

Going back in history, the most effective way to get on Duncan was to get on him in front of everyone else during games. Parker responded well to all criticism. Ginobili was self motivated and self critical so it was best to just stay out of the way because he knew what he was doing and getting mad at him had no real impact, anyways :lol

But how come with all other players Pop believed in they received constant opportunities? And that was on sure fire playoff teams too.

TP, Manu, Kawhi etc all got hounded but didn’t they all get consistent opportunities?

[DPG21920]

If Walker goes on and continues to play hard on both ends of the court, do you really think two years from now any of us will even remember the losing streak or the few games Walker didn't play?

The big picture we're talking about here dwarfs the here and now to a laughable degree.

So then do you think if this season doesn’t matter, even making the playoffs, that the time is now to dump Derozan and LMA since none of this matters and the future trumps all?

[DPG21920]

Those are assumptions, my friend. You could be right, you could be wrong.

My point is the end justifies the means and that the means don't matter in the big picture in this scenario.

Do results matter in this business? That Sa opted for a “win now team that isn’t winning?

[DPG21920]

I'm curious, how did you know when Walker was ready for consistent minutes? Hasn't it always been the "The Spur's Way" under Pop for young players to earn their minutes, and not just for him to throw them out on the court. You can bitch and moan about it, but the system works, more often than not

You think Lonnies talent and abilities went from “can’t handle NBA minutes” to “best player on the floor” in 14 games? That’s some damn good development!

[exstatic]

:lol Just wait until Lonnie misses a defensive assignment in the next game and promptly gets benched again for the next 10 games. Then you'll really see the true genius of CIAPop.

Late in the 4th quarter, he was a bit slow in transition, and Harden got a shoulder by him and it was 'game over'. Pretty clearly a missed assignment. He wasn't benched.

He WAS benched by Pop for consistent crappy non-effort against Load Management in the first Clipper game. If it happens that obviously again, he'll get benched again.

[XDT76]

And Beli is, you think?

Which part of my message says that?