Game Thread: Spurs at Pistons - Dec. 1, 2019 @ 4:00pm CST

[Jordan Jackson]

this is humiliating

Pop deserves this.

Whatever weird internal player pecking order bullshit he has going on is blowing up in his face. Why the hell is Belinelli still getting minutes? Why is Forbes still starting?

Play your best players and give yourself a chance.

[Ondrej]

I really hope the debacle from the East midtable team will finally force Pop and the FO to understand that the roster is completely uncompetitive and they have to blow this team up

[ZeusWillJudge]

Did ya'll hear Matt's company talk just now? "We all know what the Spurs are capable of, they just didn't show it tonight"


Doesn't that just make it worse? If they could be better, but aren't?

[slick'81]

"Demar isnt a tremendous 3 point shooter" no shit dan wiess

[UZER]

why does Pop keeps calling timeouts? smh

Lonnie was making him look bad. He was trying to throw off Walkers rhythm.

[slick'81]

Houston will drop 200 on us

[Kurgan]

Demar's a cancer. He ranks at the bottom of every On-Off chart. Every team he's ever been a part of was better when he was off the court.

[ace3g]

#TradeOrTank

[TimDunkem]

Houston will drop 200 on us

Harden alone might drop 80 on Forbes.

[UZER]

Harden alone might drop 80 on Forbes.

Pop might save Forbes and let Harden drop 45 on Lonnie so he can say, “see, Walker is not ready!”

[ginobilized]

Damn, this is getting ugly. When a coach loses it, it seems to happen very quickly. I remember when Chuck Daly got fired, Pop seems in a similar position as a coach that is out of his element.
Team dinners and military-style regimens aren't going to turn this around. Sad and ugly to see it.
The trade deadline could be an active one for the Spurs for a change. Probably not, though.

[slick'81]

Lets just pray spurs dont stand pat this season and actually do something to help spark the team via trade

[Prime BEEF]

Damn, this is getting ugly. When a coach loses it, it seems to happen very quickly. I remember when Chuck Daly got fired, Pop seems in a similar position as a coach that is out of his element.
Team dinners and military-style regimens aren't going to turn this around. Sad and ugly to see it.
The trade deadline could be an active one for the Spurs for a change. Probably not, though.

should be active but likely won’t. The FO has to know that if the trade deadline comes and goes with no moves then fan support likely all but disappears. It could get very ugly.

[slick'81]

Also, if the goal was to tank, why did PATFO trade Kawhi for win now type players instead of something like a rebuilding type deal(Clippers trade for instance). Selfish thinking on Pop's part which ended up blowing up in his face cause he's gonna be in the lottery anyway...just with worse assets.

Yea i think pop felt for whatever reason derozan would atleast stay in sa and be coachable unlike kawhi but it was definitely the wrong player to replace your franchise guy with. Doesnt seem poodle and kj are gonna move the needle much either

[ZeusWillJudge]

Pop might save Forbes and let Harden drop 45 on Lonnie so he can say, “see, Walker is not ready!”


Sadly, it could happen.

[dbestpro]

The one thing this shows us is how bad we are without LMA and how we will become the worst team in the league without DDR.

[RD2191]

The one thing this shows us is how bad we are without LMA and how we will become the worst team in the league without DDR.

They both fucking suck.

[JeffDuncan]

Ideally, you trade Demar for something(even if it's just a bag of potato chips) before he leaves for free in the off-season. ...

Nope, gimme that cap space.

[daslicer]

Ideally, you trade Demar for something(even if it's just a bag of potato chips) before he leaves for free in the off-season.

Also, if the goal was to tank, why did PATFO trade Kawhi for win now type players instead of something like a rebuilding type deal(Clippers trade for instance). Selfish thinking on Pop's part which ended up blowing up in his face cause he's gonna be in the lottery anyway...just with worse assets.

Said it for while that Pop should have traded #2 to the Hornets for Kemba. Even if Kemba walked it would have been a win.

[JeffDuncan]

The one thing this shows us is how bad we are without LMA and how we will become the worst team in the league without DDR.

Walker can score at the same rate as DDR, and defend better. So we already have that covered.

But without LMA we just don't have enough heft inside. We'd need another big who could go against Jokic and KAT and their kind. Even if Poeltl could do it he can't play 48 min, and neither Eubanks or Metu is the answer.

[CGD]

#TradeOrTank

How about #Trade&Tank

[TimDunkem]

How about #Trade&Tank

Perfect. :tu

[objective]

Walker can score at the same rate as DDR, and defend better. So we already have that covered.

But without LMA we just don't have enough heft inside. We'd need another big who could go against Jokic and KAT and their kind. Even if Poeltl could do it he can't play 48 min, and neither Eubanks or Metu is the answer.

They could have spent their MLE on Milutinov instead of starting the summer by allocating it Carroll before the Bertans shenanigans

Milutinov is everything that Spurs fans wish Poeltl would deliver. He's an incredible rebounder with tough box outs and strength. His rebound% would be like 2nd in the NBA. He's a GREAT roll man with great hands who finishes strong. He crushes on picks and rolls hard and with purpose and is so damn long he can go and get passes for the finish. He's an elite offensive rebounder, would again be one of he beat in the NBA. And he can take and make 2 point jumpers, he can give more space than Poeltl.

Poeltl might be better on blocks, can't deny that. Probably moves a little better on the perimeter but Milutinov can compete. But the Spurs don't have a real rolling big. Seems like every damn team in the league has a guy who can be an automatic target for guards to get assists except the Spurs. Poeltl doesn't roll hard and has such suspect hands that even when does roll with purpose he struggles to go and get it.

Murray and White would look better and have easier times with a vertical spacing rolling big, but the front office doesn't seem to want one.

[Chomag]

I don't think I can stomach watching Forbes play and getting overmatched anymore while playing big minutes while real NBA talent sits on the bench watching a scrub play and I'm sure they can't either

[Kurgan]

They could have spent their MLE on Milutinov instead of starting the summer by allocating it Carroll before the Bertans shenanigans

Milutinov is everything that Spurs fans wish Poeltl would deliver. He's an incredible rebounder with tough box outs and strength. His rebound% would be like 2nd in the NBA. He's a GREAT roll man with great hands who finishes strong. He crushes on picks and rolls hard and with purpose and is so damn long he can go and get passes for the finish. He's an elite offensive rebounder, would again be one of he beat in the NBA. And he can take and make 2 point jumpers, he can give more space than Poeltl.

Poeltl might be better on blocks, can't deny that. Probably moves a little better on the perimeter but Milutinov can compete. But the Spurs don't have a real rolling big. Seems like every damn team in the league has a guy who can be an automatic target for guards to get assists except the Spurs. Poeltl doesn't roll hard and has such suspect hands that even when does roll with purpose he struggles to go and get it.

Murray and White would look better and have easier times with a vertical spacing rolling big, but the front office doesn't seem to want one.

Poeltl reminds me of mishmash of Tiago and Jeff Ayres. He's got certain traits that remind you of Splitter but he's also got some of that Ayres clumsiness too. Overall, a really really disappointing player.

And yeah, I also wanted the team to bring over Milutinov. The offseason moves and overall roster construction this front office made are astoundingly bad. They don't have a single credible big man besides LMA who's 35. They have no small forwards and a glut of undersized guards that are one-dimensional. It's just a nightmare of a roster that can't play defense or generate enough offense to keep up with the rest of the NBA. Going seven games against a rookie Nuggets team must have convinced Pop and his group of sycophants that the inclusion of Murray would be enough. Like who the fuck stands pat after overachieving to finish 7th seed? All the teams above them got better while the Spurs did nothing but waste the MLE on a guy they don't even bother to play.

[DMC]

Tank in full effect. Pop could tank so obviously as to force NBA rule changes.

[wildcardX]

Damn, this is getting ugly. When a coach loses it, it seems to happen very quickly. I remember when Chuck Daly got fired, Pop seems in a similar position as a coach that is out of his element.
Team dinners and military-style regimens aren't going to turn this around. Sad and ugly to see it.
The trade deadline could be an active one for the Spurs for a change. Probably not, though.


Pop is determined to make this work.

https://www.aaronkatsman.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/3546059144_1b33dfdc0e_o.jpg

[DPG21920]

How about #Trade&Tank

TNT - blow it up! Trade n Tank

[slick'81]

TRADE N TANK

[TimDunkem]

I'm onboard with #trade&tank

[JPB]

Spurs are only 2.5 games from 8th spot... We get this tbh.

[timtonymanu]

I'm onboard with #trade&tank

[slick'81]

Spurs are only 2.5 games from 8th spot... We get this tbh.


Ah yes 8th place by default lol kinda like the cowboys winning the nfc east

[sasaint]

Pop is determined to make this work.

https://www.aaronkatsman.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/3546059144_1b33dfdc0e_o.jpg

Perfect!

[timtonymanu]

Spurs are only 2.5 games from 8th spot... We get this tbh.

So we can be a treadmill team for another year? Miss the playoffs, please.

[sasaint]

I missed the game entirely. Did we just revert to our lifeless, doormat selves after the Clippers all-out push?

[timtonymanu]

I missed the game entirely. Did we just revert to our lifeless, doormat selves after the Clippers all-out push?

You got it

[timtonymanu]

Keep the losses coming. Why people wanna see this group of entitled, lazy players and senile coach make a playoff run is beyond me. They play like a group that doesn’t deserve a playoff spot. Hell, even their effort last year was laughable and was saved by Derrick White breaking out and Aldridge having an all star season. #1 on the blame list is still Pop and he’s been needing an ego check for a while now.

[Realdeal1]

Only thing keeping me watching the games is Lonnie Walker ... when is Pop gonna let him play real minutes ??

[weeks]

We suck bros.

[J_Paco]

One of the resident sniffers shows up to slurp Pop. Nothing revisionist about Bud's system being the reason why the team was able to be competitive again in 2011. And if their was talent erosion, the front office(aka Pop) is responsible for that...handing out 50 million to washed up vets - outbidding themselves pretty much. Throwing a quality 3&D player like Danny as filler in the Kawhi trade because Pop doesn't like him.

Nah, I'm just not stupid enough like yourself to claim Popovich has been riding Bud's coattails from 2010 - 2013.

Pop has done an absolutely terrible job this year, no doubt, but his past accolades were a combination of a lot of things (including better coaching from him and his assistants). Coach Bud likely was a great assistant, and likely had a lot of input, but I wouldn't credit him or Brett Brown for the winning that occurred when they were here or after they left.

Pop won a title in 2014 (after Bud was gone). Oh, that is right Pop was still using Bud's 5 - out system. Wait a second, I mean "Bud's" motion offense (that was inspired by Jerry Sloan) from San Antonio that Bud took with him to Atlanta. Then Pop went away from "Bud's system" and still made the conference finals in 2017. Guess Bud was giving Pop ideas during that run too.

Morons like you with an axe to grind, maybe he said something about our President you didn't like, will use his current failures to paint a false picture of the past.

Anyway, he needs to play the young guys and remove the stick in his ass about Forbes, Belinelli and to a lesser extent Mills. Duncan, Ginobili & Parker ain't around to make middling talent like them look go anymore. Needs to stop coaching the team like the past formula has any barring on his current roster and situation......

Cause another top 5 talent like Nephew was just gonna fall in their lap if they hadn't re-signed Pau/Patty (bad contracts but they were over the cap), kept Danny Green (who Spurs fans whined about when he was here) or whatever stupid reasoning y'all come up with.

The current predicament is because a variety of factors, but I'm not going through them for the 1,000th time. Pop needs to either put his players in better situations to succeed while living with the growing pains of White, Walker and Murray or keep going with these stupid line ups/rotations while watching the losses pile up.

A lottery pick that can infuse this team with more talent, athleticism and upside while being at a position of need wouldn't be bad anyway, TBH.

[J_Paco]

Pop deserves this.

Whatever weird internal player pecking order bullshit he has going on is blowing up in his face. Why the hell is Belinelli still getting minutes? Why is Forbes still starting?

Play your best players and give yourself a chance.

The pecking order stuff works when you aren't a talent deficient team. He doesn't seem to realize it or is too stubborn to realize that fringe or questionable talent like Forbes and Belilnelli aren't helping with their current roles.

[LakerHater]

I really dont think Coach Pop's head is in the game anymore.
his Stubborn ass keeps bryn out there, doesnt use Carroll & trash times LW3!!

[spurraider21]

this roster isn't any worse than last year's. sure, lost bertans, but gained dejounte/lonnie, and in theory, demarre.

this season falls squarely on pop. i've usually defended him, but he needs to step down tbh. there's no reason a team with a .333 win% to be playing mills/marco over murray/walker. if this team was somehow winning games with this rotation, i'd understand pop's reluctance to toss meaningful minutes to the kids... but that aint happening

[Dex]

So we can be a treadmill team for another year? Miss the playoffs, please.

It may be silly, but I still want that playoff streak record. That is something that this team (or any team really) may not ever accomplish again.

Once that is established, I'd be more accepting of missing the playoffs.

[TimDunkem]

The sniffer God Poop says records don't matter though.

[Arcadian]

Why do the Spurs have almost a full week off from December 6-12? I was just looking at the schedule and noticed that...

[JeffDuncan]

Why do the Spurs have almost a full week off from December 6-12? I was just looking at the schedule and noticed that...

God is merciful. As Christmas approaches, He has bestowed upon us a period of grace, six days with no losses.

[TimDunkem]

Why do the Spurs have almost a full week off from December 6-12? I was just looking at the schedule and noticed that...

Spurs' TV crew said the Spurs just need rest and practice. Imagine if they lose that Kings game...What will the excuse be then? Spurs were rusty?

[tim_duncan_fan]

Only thing keeping me watching the games is Lonnie Walker ... when is Pop gonna let him play real minutes ??

[timtonymanu]

It may be silly, but I still want that playoff streak record. That is something that this team (or any team really) may not ever accomplish again.

Once that is established, I'd be more accepting of missing the playoffs.

I totally get that. It would just be easier to root for if the guys actually played hard every night. But most nights, they don’t seem to care and are just collecting paychecks. It’s one thing to lose because of lack of talent, it’s another because the team just mails it in also. It doesn’t have to be like the Big 3 era success obviously but at least a team that’s motivated after their franchise player quit on them, won a championship on another team and also considering they were one game away from a second round appearance last year. It’s also on Pop and his rotations this year.

[timvp]

God is merciful. As Christmas approaches, He has bestowed upon us a period of grace, six days with no losses.

That will almost feel like a winning streak :lol

[Arcadian]

Does every team get a 6-day break this season, or is it just some scheduling anomaly?

[weeks]

Does every team get a 6-day break this season, or is it just some scheduling anomaly?

we have to make up for it later in march during a 6-games in 6-nights stretch

[Arcadian]

we have to make up for it later in march during a 6-games in 6-nights stretch

That's not happening, but the closest thing to that is 5 games in 8 nights.

[raybies]

That six game break would make for a mini camp if we made a trade... just saying