Pop Explains Why Dejounte Murray and Derrick White Have Played Only 7 Minutes Together

[timvp]

Meanwhile, the two best defensive guards on the team, Murray and Derrick White, have played just seven minutes together so far this season, after Murray missed all of last season with a torn ACL.

When asked why that was the case before the game, Popovich said, "It just hasn't worked out."

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28142750/is-spurs-season-already-going-flames


Hmmm. Okay.

Interesting article, including a scout scoffing at the idea of the Spurs playing Trey Lyles.

Let's hope Pop realizes the defensive troubles start with Forbes before it's too late...

[NASpurs]

"They're playing Lyles? Come on," said one scout who saw San Antonio recently. "Not in the West. Maybe you can play him and hope to get to ninth in the East or something."

:lol I swear there was a sniffer that said that Lyles would start for like 20 other teams. Sorry for the hijack but that article has pretty good quotes.

"We've got to realize we are s--- defensively," DeRozan said. "Plain and simple. We're terrible. We have to take more pride in it. It's embarrassing. It's embarrassing to lose this many games. We've got to take pride in it, whatever that may be. Individually, team-wise, you've got to do it."

:lol I just can't stop laughing... yeah sure thing DeMar. We can tell you're trying hard on defense.

[UZER]

Pop has lost his marbles.

He has seen so much basketball in his life, at his age, he can no longer differentiate what’s good and bad. Everything is a jumbled mess in his head and it shows with his lineups.

Hes like a scientist who has gone mad being stuck in his basement lab for years.

[siraulo23]

Lyles not playing:tu

More Poetl, more Carrol, Murray no mins restriction and White hopefully coming back soon will help a little bit

[itzsoweezee]

Not exactly an "explanation". I can't believe this guy recognizes that the defense is shit, but refuses to make any lineup adjustment to improve the defense

[DPG21920]

:lol Lonnie has been bad with a 5 minute sample size and White/Murray hasn’t worked in a 7 minute sample size.

Okie dokie!

[DPG21920]

How Pop has cobbled together a top 5 offense with this team is enough to make you doubt statistics as a whole :lol. But seriously, it’s wild SA is even capable offensively with how they play but they are. However, Pop is paralyzed by offense. He fears a dip in offense so much and fears spacing issues so much he’s not willing to even budge or gamble on defense despite the unbelievably bad results.

[raybies]

maybe pop should stop making adjustments for offense and put defensive units out there...

Murray/White/Derozan/Carrol/Aldridge
Patty/Lonnie/Beli/Gay/Poetl

[raybies]

Now a days you don't have to be a knockdown shooter to space.. you just have to be a threat and be willing... Boston doesn't have great shooting wings, but they are willing and they let em fly. Just no hesitancy

[Budkin]

Pop has lost his marbles.

He has seen so much basketball in his life, at his age, he can no longer differentiate what’s good and bad. Everything is a jumbled mess in his head and it shows with his lineups.

Hes like a scientist who has gone mad being stuck in his basement lab for years.

Something is legit wrong with him.

[apalisoc_9]

"They're playing Lyles? Come on," said one scout who saw San Antonio recently. "Not in the West. Maybe you can play him and hope to get to ninth in the East or something."

:lol I swear there was a sniffer that said that Lyles would start for like 20 other teams. Sorry for the hijack but that article has pretty good quotes.

"We've got to realize we are s--- defensively," DeRozan said. "Plain and simple. We're terrible. We have to take more pride in it. It's embarrassing. It's embarrassing to lose this many games. We've got to take pride in it, whatever that may be. Individually, team-wise, you've got to do it."

:lol I just can't stop laughing... yeah sure thing DeMar. We can tell you're trying hard on defense.

nice. opposing team shitting on spurs :lmao

[DPG21920]

Pop is getting clowned on by most now unfortunately. He’s obviously respected but SA’s trade, free agency and lineup decisions can no longer just be explained away.

I still say GTFO to people that have just been waiting for this and predicting the demise for 7 years, but there is truth in the criticism now.

[timtonymanu]

Love that the old man is getting exposed. He can’t retire soon enough.

[MoSpur02]

The worst thing is Pop doesn't have to answer to anyone.

[timtonymanu]

"They're playing Lyles? Come on," said one scout who saw San Antonio recently. "Not in the West. Maybe you can play him and hope to get to ninth in the East or something."

:lol I swear there was a sniffer that said that Lyles would start for like 20 other teams. Sorry for the hijack but that article has pretty goeod quotes.



That was exstatic :lol.

“He would start on 20 other teams today.”
“The Raptors will look worse off than the Spurs.”
“Uh huh! Jeff Ayres.”
:lol

[spurraider21]

:lol Lonnie has been bad with a 5 minute sample size and White/Murray hasn’t worked in a 7 minute sample size.

Okie dokie!
:lol

[slick'81]

Trey fckn lyles

[ShutUp SayItAgain!]

Just a flat out lie he told. Hes a liar

[spurs10]

DeRozan can't defend the 3 and Bryn can't defend anyone. The fact that nobody except Bryn can shoot the 3 is what has put him in the SL, but everyone is lighting our asses up. I just have to tell myself that there are few teams we can beat in the NBA with the worst defense in the league. I think they might win tomorrow, but they'll be murdered at home. Glad I won't be attending any of those games...maybe the Twolves?

[Slippy]

How Pop has cobbled together a top 5 offense with this team is enough to make you doubt statistics as a whole :lol. But seriously, it’s wild SA is even capable offensively with how they play but they are. However, Pop is paralyzed by offense. He fears a dip in offense so much and fears spacing issues so much he’s not willing to even budge or gamble on defense despite the unbelievably bad results.

Hes forgotten great defense can lead to better offense. It not all about spacing.

[Slippy]

Unbelievable part is Trey Lyles has had his role reduced to 2min. I mean he was the one bright spot on this team and was actually improving. His shot outside was looking smoothe and was finally converting. His d was good enough. It's a massive hit to the confidence when you see the likes of Bryn and Marco getting rewarded for mediocrity.

If that doesn't show how pops got it wrong. Well good luck to you all.

[spurspl]

pop should be taken on a drug test

[duncan2k5]

Unbelievable part is Trey Lyles has had his role reduced to 2min. I mean he was the one bright spot on this team and was actually improving. His shot outside was looking smoothe and was finally converting. His d was good enough. It's a massive hit to the confidence when you see the likes of Bryn and Marco getting rewarded for mediocrity.

If that doesn't show how pops got it wrong. Well good luck to you all.

Lyles was shit...im not sure what u guys were seeing

[acoelho1]

This is why I want the Spurs to keep losing. Eventually Pop will start playing them together and add Walker to the rotation. I wouldn’t mind seeing Metu and Johnson as well. Also, hearing DeRozan talk about taking pride on defense is laughable. Look in the mirror!

[Slippy]

Lyles was shit...im not sure what u guys were seeing

When Lyles was shit I called it. His recent play however wasn't. He finally looked comfortable and was hitting the three at a good clip.. not saying he needs to start but 2mins is a joke for improved play.His length and mobility offers a younger option to Rudy and Demarri so doesn't make sense to me.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

:lol Lonnie has been bad with a 5 minute sample size and White/Murray hasn’t worked in a 7 minute sample size.

Okie dokie!

:lol and Forbes Mills and Belinelli line ups have worked with a 8 game losing streak sample size

[therealtruth]

Pop stuck with the turd towers to lose to the Grizzlies as a #1. He never changes.

[DAF86]

Where hasn't it worked, in the 7 minutes he gave them together? Fucking arrogant senile old fuck.

[Dennis the Menace]

He should’ve retired with Tim several years ago. Oh well. Now he he gets to drive the organization into ruins and damage his own legacy. I don’t feel sorry for those too arrogant to see their demise

[Dennis the Menace]

The worst thing is Pop doesn't have to answer to anyone.

Is Pop the majority shareholder? Everyone has a boss.

[Prose]

Now a days you don't have to be a knockdown shooter to space.. you just have to be a threat and be willing... Boston doesn't have great shooting wings, but they are willing and they let em fly. Just no hesitancy

[wildbill2u]

I think it is against league rules for a coach to say, "I'm gonna lose a lot of games this year, play some odd combinations, and no one will suspect I am tanking for a lottery pick." Let's hope that is the plan--and no one has picked up on it.

[ZeusWillJudge]

I think most people don't understand spacing vs. positioning. Sean used the telestrator last night to show a play where all 5 of the Spurs were on one side of the court. Horrible. When the ball handler moves with the ball, the guys without the ball have to react to maintain spacing and passing lanes. The Spurs aren't doing that worth a damn this year. FastModel Sports did a damn good article that a lot of people should probably read: http://team.fastmodelsports.com/2018/09/17/spacing-vs-positioning/

On defense, I said all last year that DDR and Forbes couldn't be on the floor at the same time. I know that Pop thinks Forbes has to be there for 3P shooting, but that doesn't change the fact that DDR and Forbes can't be on the floor at the same time. Throw Mills in on top of DDR and Forbes and there is ZERO possibility of defending NBA players. And Beli's defense is so bad he isn't even an NBA-caliber player anymore - not to mention that his shooting is a disaster now.

I know a few people here keep warning that rebuilding is no fun. Yeah, duh. But if the roster, as currently constructed, doesn't give any hope of winning at a meaningful level, what else is there? I know I keep saying it, but this business of being stuck in between is the worst of all possible worlds. Commit to something. But since committing to "win now" doesn't seem to be possible, the list of options is pretty short. Develop whatever future players you have right now, and start working a plan for adding to that.

I would take Weatherspoon right now, as is, over Forbes. Brynn is arguably the worst defender in the league. I think 'Spoon would be better on that end, right out of the box - it would be hard to be worse. And if he could make 3's the way he has in the past, he would be an instant upgrade. But even if he wasn't an upgrade, it would be worth the investment on the future.

Keldon Johnson in place of Bellinelli? Ditto to all I said above about Weatherspoon. He's been on the bench in SA twice and has gotten zero minutes.

It's not that I think those guys are going to be top-tier NBA players now. Maybe not ever. The point is that they probably wouldn't be worse, and at least there would be some player development for the future. Hell, losing by 20 really isn't any worse than losing by 10, except to spoiled fans.

And, yeah, play White and Murray together and start letting them learn how to play together.

[tholdren]

Hmmm. Okay.

Interesting article, including a scout scoffing at the idea of the Spurs playing Trey Lyles.

Let's hope Pop realizes the defensive troubles start with Forbes before it's too late...

Bryn gets beat off the dribble. Gay gets beat on rebounds and backdoors. Get off the agenda. Both are better than lma.

[tholdren]

I think most people don't understand spacing vs. positioning. Sean used the telestrator last night to show a play where all 5 of the Spurs were on one side of the court. Horrible. When the ball handler moves with the ball, the guys without the ball have to react to maintain spacing and passing lanes. The Spurs aren't doing that worth a damn this year. FastModel Sports did a damn good article that a lot of people should probably read: http://team.fastmodelsports.com/2018/09/17/spacing-vs-positioning/

On defense, I said all last year that DDR and Forbes couldn't be on the floor at the same time. I know that Pop thinks Forbes has to be there for 3P shooting, but that doesn't change the fact that DDR and Forbes can't be on the floor at the same time. Throw Mills in on top of DDR and Forbes and there is ZERO possibility of defending NBA players. And Beli's defense is so bad he isn't even an NBA-caliber player anymore - not to mention that his shooting is a disaster now.

I know a few people here keep warning that rebuilding is no fun. Yeah, duh. But if the roster, as currently constructed, doesn't give any hope of winning at a meaningful level, what else is there? I know I keep saying it, but this business of being stuck in between is the worst of all possible worlds. Commit to something. But since committing to "win now" doesn't seem to be possible, the list of options is pretty short. Develop whatever future players you have right now, and start working a plan for adding to that.

I would take Weatherspoon right now, as is, over Forbes. Brynn is arguably the worst defender in the league. I think 'Spoon would be better on that end, right out of the box - it would be hard to be worse. And if he could make 3's the way he has in the past, he would be an instant upgrade. But even if he wasn't an upgrade, it would be worth the investment on the future.

Keldon Johnson in place of Bellinelli? Ditto to all I said above about Weatherspoon. He's been on the bench in SA twice and has gotten zero minutes.

It's not that I think those guys are going to be top-tier NBA players now. Maybe not ever. The point is that they probably wouldn't be worse, and at least there would be some player development for the future. Hell, losing by 20 really isn't any worse than losing by 10, except to spoiled fans.

And, yeah, play White and Murray together and start letting them learn how to play together.

Lol. Arguably. Arguably lma and gay are worse than Bryn. Watch a game. Jay Williams called out one specific player last night for terrible defense. Lma.

[MannyIsGod]

Pop is getting clowned on by most now unfortunately. He’s obviously respected but SA’s trade, free agency and lineup decisions can no longer just be explained away.

I still say GTFO to people that have just been waiting for this and predicting the demise for 7 years, but there is truth in the criticism now.

Thats the worst part about this. Pop is obviously a huge portion of the blame right now. But people who hate Pop are going to act like this has been the case for a while now when it hasn't.


Time is undefeated and it appears to have gotten to Pop as well. It sucks, but I can't act like I'm not terribly frustrated with seeing Forbes out there so much. Its crazy because last year I thought he was so much better.

[couchman]

I'm convinced that we are tanking now and that it is the best choice for the franchise.
We have some nice pieces in White and DJM, but we don't have a true star player which is absolutely necessary to be good in this league.
If the season ended today we'd get a top 10 pick. I suspect we may be bad enough to end up with a top 7 pick and maybe get lucky in the lottery.

[Chomag]

Pop is at the same Games that we are watching right?

[Chomag]

I'm convinced that we are tanking now and that it is the best choice for the franchise.
We have some nice pieces in White and DJM, but we don't have a true star player which is absolutely necessary to be good in this league.
If the season ended today we'd get a top 10 pick. I suspect we may be bad enough to end up with a top 7 pick and maybe get lucky in the lottery.If we were tanking I would think the Spurs would be playing their youth and trading LMA and DDR for picks.

[DPG21920]

Thats the worst part about this. Pop is obviously a huge portion of the blame right now. But people who hate Pop are going to act like this has been the case for a while now when it hasn't.


Time is undefeated and it appears to have gotten to Pop as well. It sucks, but I can't act like I'm not terribly frustrated with seeing Forbes out there so much. Its crazy because last year I thought he was so much better.

I agree mostly. I am frustrated because I expected Pop to be more agile and aware of his team. It’s one thing to be super slow to adjust when you have Tim/TP/Manu. But SA doesn’t and no one should be that safe.

[Mugen]

Pretty hilarious tbh. Also confirms my opinion that the FO will end up choosing Forbes over White/Lonnie.

The latter should be really, really good players in this league. Going to be happy for them when they leave that shit organization.