Sean Elliott..." This team looks different over the last 2 weeks"

[ivanfromwestwood]

He might as well have just said Pop was an asshole for playing Marco Belinelli over Lonnie Walker. We're shooting a lot more three balls and LaMarcus Aldridge looks like Lamarcus Curry. Yeah we definitely look different

[sananspursfan21]

These guys do look different. LMA, Demar and company looked deflated and uninterested to start the season and maybe they’ve been thinking the same thing about Marco playing :lol

They all look pretty invested now. If our guys started the season like this, we’re looking at 3-4 in the West man...

[r0drig0lac]

no shit

[313]

Finally got the rotation right. Probably won’t pay off until next season at this point.

[Russ]

This happens every year around this time . . .

:repost:

[FkLA]

Might've held on to the lead or atleast went down to the wire at MIL if Murray was available. It truly is amazing what a cancerous cancer Cancernelli is, tbh.

[HarlemHeat37]

Even at their peak, they still aren't anything better than the Dallas/OKC/Utah level(at best), but they should be better than their current record.

Pop was just testing shit out, as usual. Everybody wanted him to retire 2 weeks ago:lol

[KimmyGib]

:pop: rest up Marco, we need you healthy for the playoffs

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Even at their peak, they still aren't anything better than the Dallas/OKC/Utah level(at best), but they should be better than their current record.

Pop was just testing shit out, as usual. Everybody wanted him to retire 2 weeks ago:lol

If they can get a rematch with the nuggets (may need 6th seed for that) that would be amazing. They’ll need at
Least a 7th seed or more to get an intriguing playoff match up.

I think the Spurs could beat Dallas in a playoff series if they play like this. But won’t overtake them in the seeding this season.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

Even at their peak, they still aren't anything better than the Dallas/OKC/Utah level(at best), but they should be better than their current record.

Pop was just testing shit out, as usual. Everybody wanted him to retire 2 weeks ago:lol

It would've took spurstalk 1 week into the season to see that Bryn Forbes and Belinelli were major liabilities :lol pop over did it playing his pets and it cost them a lot of games

[MoSpur02]

The defense has improved. The Spurs are shooting more threes and Walker is playing a little more. Murray is starting to come around too. During that horrible stretch of basketball where they couldn't win a game I would start watching a game and hoped they would have chance to win, but in the back of my mind I didn't think they would. Now when I start watching I actually think they have a good chance of winning any game. Crazy.

[DPG21920]

Makes the poor coaching to start even more upsetting

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Makes the poor coaching to start even more upsetting

Yes, perhaps we could’ve been a fifth seed instead of our ceiling being a 7th seed with over half the season gone and too many losses.

[Allan Rowe vs Wade]

Yes, perhaps we could’ve been a fifth seed instead of our ceiling being a 7th seed with over half the season gone and too many losses.

smdh

[Leetonidas]

I really don't thing pop was "testing" anything. He's had a lot of the same roster from last year . He played the same trash rotation all year until recently pretty consistently. Didn't really seem like he was testing anything other than spurs fans patience tbh. Every single person on this board has been calling for the obvious rotation moves since the 2nd week of the season. And hes still playing Forbes too many minutes and still refusing to play Murray and White together. But hey at least he benched Marcos garbage ass almost halfway through the year

[SpurPadre]

Yes, perhaps we could’ve been a fifth seed instead of our ceiling being a 7th seed with over half the season gone and too many losses.

We're still not at the halfway point in the season, tbh.

[FkLA]

smdh

:lol

[Seventyniner]

These guys do look different. LMA, Demar and company looked deflated and uninterested to start the season and maybe they’ve been thinking the same thing about Marco playing :lol

They all look pretty invested now. If our guys started the season like this, we’re looking at 3-4 in the West man...

I gotta pump the brakes some. 6-7, sure. 3-4 would take even more improvement than we have seen in the last two games.

[Russ]

I gotta pump the brakes some. 6-7, sure. 3-4 would take even more improvement than we have seen in the last two games.

The Spurs are probably locked in to the 8 seed (which is actually the sweet spot for a variety of reasons).

[talkspurs]

Everybody wanted him to retire 2 weeks ago:lol

Has this changed? I still think most people want Pop to retire. I know I still do.

[BillMc]

You gotta wonder how good they could have been if Morris wasn't a scumball?

[playblair]

i blame tim duncan & becky hammon for not telling pop to bench belineli..............coach bud & pj carliesmo wouldnt have put up with that ish

[DAF86]

Even at their peak, they still aren't anything better than the Dallas/OKC/Utah level(at best), but they should be better than their current record.

Pop was just testing shit out, as usual. Everybody wanted him to retire 2 weeks ago:lol

Why didn't he test shit that made sense?

[ZeusWillJudge]

:pop: rest up Marco, we need you healthy for the playoffs



Aw man... why'd you have to do that? Crazy old bastard might just drag him out.

[ZeusWillJudge]

Even at their peak, they still aren't anything better than the Dallas/OKC/Utah level(at best), but they should be better than their current record.

Pop was just testing shit out, as usual. Everybody wanted him to retire 2 weeks ago:lol


You don't "test shit out" to the tune of a 14-20 record. The BEST they could be halfway through the season is 1 game above .500. And the biggest thing Pop has "figured out" is that Belinelli is a fucking albatross. I don't think there are many coaches in the league that could have taken that long to see it.

I still want him to retire 2 weeks ago. But if he's going to stay, this is better than the other.

[weebo]

So someone finally took the keys from grandpa?

[FkLA]

So someone finally took the keys from grandpa?

No, he's just stopped being a huge faggot.

https://twitter.com/RealTomPetrini/status/1214198756746416128?s=19

[DAF86]

No, he's just stopped being a huge faggot.

https://twitter.com/RealTomPetrini/status/1214198756746416128?s=19

Playing your best guys. That's about 80% of a basketball coach's job, tbh.

[GAustex]

Even at their peak, they still aren't anything better than the Dallas/OKC/Utah level(at best), but they should be better than their current record.

Pop was just testing shit out, as usual. Everybody wanted him to retire 2 weeks ago:lol
Someone needs to ask poop why he signed Carroll

[poopbox]

#beckywiththegoodplays finally took over tbh

[Sugus]

Someone needs to ask poop why he signed Carroll

The way he's looked every time he steps on the court, I'd rather have reporters miss that question, lol... We'd be much better off recalling Keldon from Austin and playing him and Lonnie as our SF rotation, even though they're out of position some, than giving DeMarre extended minutes. Just tonight, he fumbled the ball twice on consecutive possessions on a clear lack of speed/agility and was bailed out by ref whistle. Just doesn't look like he has anything left in the tank, tbh.

[rudwick]

No, he's just stopped being a huge faggot.

https://twitter.com/RealTomPetrini/status/1214198756746416128?s=19

That’s some stupid analysis. Let’s just play our starters the whole game. Never mind that they’ll be worn out halfway through the season. Never mind that the young guys won’t develop, and you can’t incentivize players with minutes to play the way you want. I guess Tom Petrini has a lot of victories and rings though so he must know.

[NASpurs]

Yeah it just coincides with the IVth getting minutes and Beli slowly fading into the ether but what do we know.

[MannyIsGod]

Might've held on to the lead or atleast went down to the wire at MIL if Murray was available. It truly is amazing what a cancerous cancer Cancernelli is, tbh.

Nothing to suggest he's a cancer. Lonnie is just way better. Imagine if we didn't play Forbes.

The Spurs have a decent team. It's just that Pop is playing some of the wrong players. He's starting to trust Lonnie more so hopefully that is a good sign.

But to say that someone is a cancer is just bullshit, IMO.

[MannyIsGod]

ALso the idea that Pop was just trying shit is laughable. If you're going to experiment, wouldn't you do so with your YOUNG players and not Beli? He's still starting Forbe when it makes no sense for him to be anything but on the end of the bench. He's still not playing Lonnie and White enough minutes. Pop is just doing a shit job this year. Its not as bad now, but its still not good.

[MannyIsGod]

That’s some stupid analysis. Let’s just play our starters the whole game. Never mind that they’ll be worn out halfway through the season. Never mind that the young guys won’t develop, and you can’t incentivize players with minutes to play the way you want. I guess Tom Petrini has a lot of victories and rings though so he must know.

Its not stupid at all. Bryn Forbes is 3rd in minutes on the Spurs yet is the 2nd worst in PER which is a stat he should be over performing in as a mainly offensive player. The only player worse than him is Marco. Its one thing to have a player that is bad playing SOME minutes (still a shitty idea) but he's playing more than anyone not named LA or Derozan. On the other hand, Jakob is killing it this year but isn't even getting 20 mpg.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Its not stupid at all. Bryn Forbes is 3rd in minutes on the Spurs yet is the 2nd worst in PER which is a stat he should be over performing in as a mainly offensive player. The only player worse than him is Marco. Its one thing to have a player that is bad playing SOME minutes (still a shitty idea) but he's playing more than anyone not named LA or Derozan. On the other hand, Jakob is killing it this year but isn't even getting 20 mpg.

MIG with the goods :tu

[John B]

The Celtic announcer said it's like night and day from the last time they played. He couldn't stop praising how the Spurs kept moving, cutting, driving, constantly, with answer to everything Celtics were doing. Imo it was all Lonnie energizing the team, but LMA shooting the 3, allowing for Walker to have minutes. Now Spurs are matching the physicality, no longer have defensive liability, as long as Pop does not play Bryn/Mills/Beli together. Whatever they are doing, they should bottle it and run with it. Spurs look good and actually look like a contender.

[ZeusWillJudge]

I guess Tom Petrini has a lot of victories and rings though so he must know.


So you're saying that nobody can analyze stats unless he's coached a team to an NBA Championship? Now THAT is some stupid analysis.

[jbspurs]

:downspin:

[rudwick]

So you're saying that nobody can analyze stats unless he's coached a team to an NBA Championship? Now THAT is some stupid analysis.
No, I’m saying the people commenting don’t know how to coach basketball and are not aware of the reasons why good coaches do what they do. RPM is also a bad stat. Look at the list of best players by RPM. It is ridiculous. Donte DiVencenzo? Dennis Schroder? Give me a break.
It’s fine to analyze stats but the reasons for allocating playing time are many and complicated. People get tired, they need prodding to play the right way. Some are playing bad but have good potential. Some have particular skills that you need in certain circumstances. The big complaint I hear is that Bryn is playing over Lonnie. For the season, Bryn’s stats are better than Lonnie’s. I suspect that has changed in recent games due to Lonnie’s improved play, and what do you know, Lonnie’s playing more now.

[rudwick]

Its not stupid at all. Bryn Forbes is 3rd in minutes on the Spurs yet is the 2nd worst in PER which is a stat he should be over performing in as a mainly offensive player. The only player worse than him is Marco. Its one thing to have a player that is bad playing SOME minutes (still a shitty idea) but he's playing more than anyone not named LA or Derozan. On the other hand, Jakob is killing it this year but isn't even getting 20 mpg.

I agree that more minutes for Jakob would be good, but that probably means less for Aldridge which will be a net loss at least in the short run. I think fewer minutes for Aldridge would help later in the season.

[TMC]

Someone needs to ask poop why he signed Carroll

They thought he was Jae Crowder.

[FkLA]

Nothing to suggest he's a cancer. Lonnie is just way better. Imagine if we didn't play Forbes.

The Spurs have a decent team. It's just that Pop is playing some of the wrong players. He's starting to trust Lonnie more so hopefully that is a good sign.

But to say that someone is a cancer is just bullshit, IMO.

His play on the court is cancerous. It literally kills the team. He's probably a good teammate and a good guy off the court though.


No, I’m saying the people commenting don’t know how to coach basketball and are not aware of the reasons why good coaches do what they do. RPM is also a bad stat. Look at the list of best players by RPM. It is ridiculous. Donte DiVencenzo? Dennis Schroder? Give me a break.
It’s fine to analyze stats but the reasons for allocating playing time are many and complicated. People get tired, they need prodding to play the right way. Some are playing bad but have good potential. Some have particular skills that you need in certain circumstances. The big complaint I hear is that Bryn is playing over Lonnie. For the season, Bryn’s stats are better than Lonnie’s. I suspect that has changed in recent games due to Lonnie’s improved play, and what do you know, Lonnie’s playing more now.

If you think Brent Forms is anywhere close to being as good of a basketball player as Lonnie Walker because of PPG then you just don't know basketball, tbh.

[rudwick]

His play on the court is cancerous. It literally kills the team. He's probably a good teammate and a good guy off the court though.



If you think Brent Forms is anywhere close to being as good of a basketball player as Lonnie Walker because of PPG then you just don't know basketball, tbh.

Up to this point he is better statistically. You can see that Lonnie has a higher ceiling due to his size and athleticism. Up to now Bryn’s stats are better, and he has gotten those stats against starting lineups, which tends to depress them.

Here are our 4 shooting guards: (assuming DDR is a 3 and Derrick White is a 1)
Player. WinShares/48 (up to Jan 7)
Patty Mills .098
Bryn Forbes. .041
Lonnie Walker .015
Marco Belinelli .000

Pop has mostly played the top two, with Patty as the sparkplug off the bench. They get similar minutes. Recent stats will probably look better for Lonnie since he is new and learning fast, but there is nothing there to suggest that the coaches are senile. I would expect Lonnie to be starting in the near future if those trends continue.

Yeah, Marco sucks, but he has historically made big shots, so you don’t want to keep him totally shut down. You may need him to make a big shot.

[RC_Drunkford]

Yeah it just coincides with the IVth getting minutes and Beli slowly fading into the ether but what do we know.

this

[callo1]

LWIV is certainly making a difference, but that in and of itself isn't the only improvement.

With LA shooting lights out from the 3 point line, spacing is so much better. In particular, Derozan is benefiting greatly. Tonight against Boston, look at the 1:48 mark of the 2nd quarter as one example. LA was standing in 3 point land (as we're others), which allowed Derozan to take Hayward down on the left block and work him over.

The Spurs have really found something with that offensive set.

Undoubtedly having a guy like LWIV who can get his own shot is a significant upgrade as well.

It is going to be interesting to see things going forward. I think LA shooting 3's translates well in many match ups, but against teams like the Clippers with longer defenders like KL and PG, it won't fair as well.

Maybe the Spurs can make one move before the trade deadline to advance themselves, unfortunately the assets just are not there to make much happen I fear. Regardless, this team is looking vastly improved in this latest incarnation.

[John B]

As long as Pop does not go back to Forbes/Mills/Beli combination which gives back the lead and kills the defensive momentum. I don’t know if tonight’s line-up and minimizing Beli was by design, because 3 games ago he was using Forbes/Mills/Beli combo and lost to Bucks, or was that night only because Murray was out. I hope so. Because somebody should bottle the game tonight. With the exception of Gay, everybody played well. Everybody moving, cutting, driving, switching on D, and the personnel did not have defensive liability. Spurs matched physicality. The Celtic announcer couldn’t stop praising the Spurs, and that Celtic has no match if Spurs play the same way. It would be very hard to guard. If Spurs play the same every night, Spurs would be very hard to beat. Beautiful Game 2.0 anyone? This time Aldridge spacing our multiple slashers. I hope Pop commit to that identity.

[duncan2k5]

This happens every year around this time . . .

:repost:

Someone gets it...this is all fools gold... We beat a Boston team without their best player, and got lucky vs the Bucks... We aren't good... All this does is make us stand Pat when we KNOW we need to make trades... This is how mediocre teams stay mediocre... What are we doing here? Building around an old LMA and DDR? Come on now

[duncan2k5]

The Celtic announcer said it's like night and day from the last time they played. He couldn't stop praising how the Spurs kept moving, cutting, driving, constantly, with answer to everything Celtics were doing. Imo it was all Lonnie energizing the team, but LMA shooting the 3, allowing for Walker to have minutes. Now Spurs are matching the physicality, no longer have defensive liability, as long as Pop does not play Bryn/Mills/Beli together. Whatever they are doing, they should bottle it and run with it. Spurs look good and actually look like a contender.

It's called "bad teams win games sometimes"...we are Utah last year...no one takes us seriously, but sleep on us and we can beat u

[RC_Drunkford]

Someone gets it...this is all fools gold... We beat a Boston team without their best player, and got lucky vs the Bucks... We aren't good... All this does is make us stand Pat when we KNOW we need to make trades... This is how mediocre teams stay mediocre... What are we doing here? Building around an old LMA and DDR? Come on now

get off Kawhi's dick you clown

[spurs50_]

As long as Lonnie is in the rotation there is hope...

[dbestpro]

It seems everything turns on a dime when Forbes plays bad. Walker over Beli has been helpful, but I hate to say it, but the guy who makes us win or lose is Forbes because of the number of minutes he plays.

[ismael-robert]

Yes, perhaps we could’ve been a fifth seed instead of our ceiling being a 7th seed with over half the season gone and too many losses.

36 games is less than 41 which would be the halfway point

[Kobe'sAchilles]

Only 4 more straight wins and we are a .500 team! :flag:

[Genovaswitness]

Fuck I need the spurs to get at least 48 wins this year

[duncan2k5]

Fuck I need the spurs to get at least 48 wins this year

Why?

[Genovaswitness]

Why?

Vegas bet. fucking stupid I shouldn’t have done it :lmao

[FkLA]

Up to this point he is better statistically. You can see that Lonnie has a higher ceiling due to his size and athleticism. Up to now Bryn’s stats are better, and he has gotten those stats against starting lineups, which tends to depress them.

Here are our 4 shooting guards: (assuming DDR is a 3 and Derrick White is a 1)
Player. WinShares/48 (up to Jan 7)
Patty Mills .098
Bryn Forbes. .041
Lonnie Walker .015
Marco Belinelli .000

Pop has mostly played the top two, with Patty as the sparkplug off the bench. They get similar minutes. Recent stats will probably look better for Lonnie since he is new and learning fast, but there is nothing there to suggest that the coaches are senile. I would expect Lonnie to be starting in the near future if those trends continue.

Meaningless. The sample size for Lonnie is way too small. His WS/48 (random stat to use as proof btw) that you posted jumped up to .035 overnight, for example.

Lonnie doesn't just have the much higher ceiling but he's also currently much better. One is a two-way player, with an NBA body and elite athleticism. The other guy is short, slow, can't jump, has a short wingspan. Those physical limitations make him the worst defender in the league and make him struggle to get his shot off. If you can't see that I don't know what to tell you.


Yeah, Marco sucks, but he has historically made big shots, so you don’t want to keep him totally shut down. You may need him to make a big shot.

You absolutely want Marco totally shut down. A "big shot" here or there doesn't even come close to making up for all his other deficiencies.

[Rummpd]

Even at their peak, they still aren't anything better than the Dallas/OKC/Utah level(at best), but they should be better than their current record.

Pop was just testing shit out, as usual. Everybody wanted him to retire 2 weeks ago:lol

I wanted him gone before season.

[TDomination]

Well with the spurs current record and upcoming road games, if the spurs do end up making the playoffs it’s because they are playing well on the road which would be a great thing heading to the playoffs since we’ll have to win on the road. But obviously if we fold over and lose then we won’t make playoffs which will be good I guess for our lottery pick.

[JPB]

It would've took spurstalk 1 week into the season to see that Bryn Forbes and Belinelli were major liabilities :lol pop over did it playing his pets and it cost them a lot of games

And yet, there you are posting on fan board while dude is a 5 time NBA champion still coaching in NBA team... Go figure.

Just send a best of your takes to spurs FO to show how so much smarter you are than Pop.They should be impressed and give you the job right away.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

And yet, there you are posting on fan board while dude is a 5 time NBA champion still coaching in NBA team... Go figure.

Just send a best of your takes to spurs FO to show how so much smarter you are than Pop.They should be impressed and give you the job right away.

:lol 5 time NBA champion though there he is playing the worst defensive players in the NBA all at the same time, what a goddamn genius. I could send a best of takes of all of spurstalk the last few years and they'd be embarrassed of how wrong they were and right we were :lol

[exstatic]

:lol 5 time NBA champion though there he is playing the worst defensive players in the NBA all at the same time, what a goddamn genius. I could send a best of takes of all of spurstalk the last few years and they'd be embarrassed of how wrong they were and right we were :lol

Wow.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

Wow.

What? You wanna start with the signing's of Pau, Belinelli, Carroll, Mills? Playing Bryn Forbes 3rd most minutes on the team? Trading kawhi and Danny Green for a mentally weak flawed player?

[JeffDuncan]

Up to this point he is better statistically. ...


(Concerning Forbes vs Walker.)

Not true. That is, you can find stats like that, but you can also find the reverse. As a blanket statement it is not correct.

PER (Player Efficiency Rating) is an established stat, and it should be kinder to Forbes than Lonnie since it's largely based on offensive performance. However, Lonnie has a higher PER.

Spurs' PER from basketballreference.com at this time. (League average is 15.00 exactly because of how it's calculated.)

Aldridge, 21.3
(For fans of the most trivial trivia, that is identical to Tim Duncan's PER during the 2013-14 season. Stats can be curious.)

DeRozan, 20.6

Poeltl, 18.5

Dejounte Murray, 17.9

Rudy, 15.7

Wombat, 15.1

Derrick White, 14.7

Walker, 12.9

Lyles, 12.4

Forbes, 11.1

Belinelli, 7.9

By his PER, Beli is now worth 53% of the average NBA player. He should be provided with his own monogrammed chair in the bench area. Also get him some popcorn and a beer so he can be comfortable watching the games.



... but there is nothing there to suggest that the coaches are senile. ...


There are some things that suggest one coach might be.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

No, I’m saying the people commenting don’t know how to coach basketball and are not aware of the reasons why good coaches do what they do. RPM is also a bad stat. Look at the list of best players by RPM. It is ridiculous. Donte DiVencenzo? Dennis Schroder? Give me a break.
It’s fine to analyze stats but the reasons for allocating playing time are many and complicated. People get tired, they need prodding to play the right way. Some are playing bad but have good potential. Some have particular skills that you need in certain circumstances. The big complaint I hear is that Bryn is playing over Lonnie. For the season, Bryn’s stats are better than Lonnie’s. I suspect that has changed in recent games due to Lonnie’s improved play, and what do you know, Lonnie’s playing more now.

Alright Naismith, please educate us on why Pop spent the first half of the season giving us that Forbes/Mills/Ferrari lineup.

[RC_Drunkford]

If y'all want to compare Walker's and Forbes' stats, how about cutting out all the time Walker has played in garbage time? That has most likely to do with his inflated stats

[Kobe'sAchilles]

Vegas bet. fucking stupid I shouldn’t have done it :lmao
I took the under. Easiest bet I've ever made

[Dejounte]

Alright Naismith, please educate us on why Pop spent the first half of the season giving us that Forbes/Mills/Ferrari lineup.

I dont know, maybe because 48 minutes of basketball is less than 10% of what we actually see when these basketball players do their jobs??? Its not like they practice or anything... Its not like they have meetings or anything... Its not like they have discussions in the locker room or anything...

[JPB]

:lol 5 time NBA champion though there he is playing the worst defensive players in the NBA all at the same time, what a goddamn genius. I could send a best of takes of all of spurstalk the last few years and they'd be embarrassed of how wrong they were and right we were :lol

And yet, there you are... Don't forget us when you get that NBA GM gig.

[Dejounte]

And yet, there you are... Don't forget us when you get that NBA GM gig.

Lmao i doubt this dude can even coach a 5th grade basketball team. This applies to a lot of posters on here.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

And yet, there you are... Don't forget us when you get that NBA GM gig.

:lol So let me get this straight, on a fan message board I can't question pop or anything he does cause he's never been wrong before? He's always made the right moves as has this front office? Is that what you want on spurs talk? You want me to grovel and kiss his ass like you do?

[NASpurs]

:lol So let me get this straight, on a fan message board I can't question pop or anything he does cause he's never been wrong before? He's always made the right moves as has this front office? Is that what you want on spurs talk? You want me to grovel and kiss his ass like you do?

:lol the sniffers are back in full force like the cockroaches that they are. Just biding their time in the shadows.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

:lol the sniffers are back in full force like the cockroaches that they are. Just biding their time in the shadows.

Pathetic bunch, they're the same type of people pop hates to have on his coaching staff. Agreeable and complacent folk.

[Leetonidas]

Someone gets it...this is all fools gold... We beat a Boston team without their best player, and got lucky vs the Bucks... We aren't good... All this does is make us stand Pat when we KNOW we need to make trades... This is how mediocre teams stay mediocre... What are we doing here? Building around an old LMA and DDR? Come on now

Spurs were curbstomping the Celtics from the opening tip. Kemba didn't get ejected until the 3rd. Nice try tho

[Leetonidas]

Also what's up with all the sniffing in this thread :lol

[exstatic]

:lol So let me get this straight, on a fan message board I can't question pop or anything he does cause he's never been wrong before? He's always made the right moves as has this front office? Is that what you want on spurs talk? You want me to grovel and kiss his ass like you do?

Saying "I don't like what Pop is doing" is much different than thinking you could run an actual NBA team better than the current regime.

[K...]

Spurstalk GM is unique in that the cba doesn't apply to them, and they don't have to make trade calls, the ESPN trade machine is sufficient to get the trade. Also they don't have to sell tickets or worrry about locker room drama. Sadly the job doesn't pay.

[JPB]

:lol So let me get this straight, on a fan message board I can't question pop or anything he does cause he's never been wrong before? He's always made the right moves as has this front office? Is that what you want on spurs talk? You want me to grovel and kiss his ass like you do?

Not even sure why I'm going into this but I'm bored so...

It's not about PATFO being always right or wrong or insecure people playing "I'm smarter than you" on a fan board to get some virtual validation with strangers.

It's not about "sniffing" (you'd swear some of you have inhibated frustrations). It's about factually respecting and trusting professionals who have been succesfully running an NBA team for 2 decades and if not for Nephew nephewing would still be gunning for a ring and prolonging 15 years of big 3 dominance with the next MVP... They earned our respect, big time, even only from a professional point of view.

It's called distance, perspective, not reacting in the moment, big picture, all things why they run and NBA team and you here shitting on guys who don't even know you exist.

Don't get me wrong, I'm aware caricaturing, insulting and patronizing anybody who disagrees with your ultimate knowledge is the norm on the Internet, where everyone is a fucking genius.

But I'm also aware of how you tough Internet guys and "sniffer nazis" would react in front of them and handle a discussion with Pop or RC about the ins and outs of running and coaching an NBA team for a 82 game season... "Ah, yes yes, yes...!" Thank you coach!

tl;dr: dudes know a couple shit about ball, you know about barking and sniffing (might have been a dog on a precedent life).

[FkLA]

Not even sure why I'm going into this but I'm bored so...

It's not about PATFO being always right or wrong or insecure people playing "I'm smarter than you" on a fan board to get some virtual validation with strangers.

It's not about "sniffing" (you'd swear some of you have inhibated frustrations). It's about factually respecting and trusting professionals who have been succesfully running an NBA team for 2 decades and if not for Nephew nephewing would still be gunning for a ring and prolonging 15 years of big 3 dominance with the next MVP... They earned our respect, big time, even only from a professional point of view.

It's called distance, perspective, not reacting in the moment, big picture, all things why they run and NBA team and you here shitting on guys who don't even know you exist.

Don't get me wrong, I'm aware caricaturing, insulting and patronizing anybody who disagrees with your ultimate knowledge is the norm on the Internet, where everyone is a fucking genius.

But I'm also aware of how you tough Internet guys and "sniffer nazis" would react in front of them and handle a discussion with Pop or RC about the ins and outs of running and coaching an NBA team for a 82 game season... "Ah, yes yes, yes...!" Thank you coach!

tl;dr: dudes know a couple shit about ball, you know about barking and sniffing (might have been a dog on a precedent life).

Posters who call Pop lucky or who don't give the front office credit take it too far. Pop is the GOAT (or very close to it) and the Spurs have been the best run organization in the NBA for the past two decades. Pop's coaching tree and PATFO's executive tree are scattered all over the league for a reason.

With that said, even GOATs aren't perfect. There's no other coach in the NBA that would treat Brent Forms like a 30 mpg centerpiece. There's also no other coach that would intentionally prevent their 3rd and 4th best players (White-Murray) from sharing the court. No other coach would've stubbornly stuck with Belli over Lonnie for as long as he did. Those are all truly awful coaching decisions.

[GAustex]

Signing nobody rather than Carroll would have been a better move.
Why on earth did poop sign Carroll?

[spurs1990]

Two things on the Forbes question. One is that we've seen two games against great teams work very well, with Forbes not being a hindrance, and hitting some great shots. That earns him more time to keep that position, his minutes, and Gregg being justified to do so. The other thing is if you demote Forbes, who exactly fills those minutes.

I see a one-to-one starter and backup rotation in place: Murray/White splitting PG, Mills and Forbes at the SG, Walker being DeRozan's backup, and then Gay/Lyles, Aldridge/Poeltl combos.

So if we start Walker in place of Forbes, you need a backup three behind DeRozan. Forbes gets disqualified as he's too small, and would be sharing the court with Mills.
The alternative is Marco (not a chance; already out), Carroll (another seemingly unusable player), or a very inexperienced Metu, or actually any of the other GLeague callups.

That effectively means Forbes is the most 'useful' of the bunch - Marco, Carroll, Metu, Gleaguers, and since you can't have him and Mills playing together, he has to start at the SG.

Let's see if the FO can work a eensy bit of magic by Feb 21 and get that 10th player who's taller than 6'3 and capable enough to replace the underdog Forbes.

[Russ]

Spurstalk GM is unique in that the cba doesn't apply to them, and they don't have to make trade calls, the ESPN trade machine is sufficient to get the trade. Also they don't have to sell tickets or worrry about locker room drama. Sadly the job doesn't pay.

:lol

[SpurPadre]

This team has looked different since 2017, Sean.

[FkLA]

Two things on the Forbes question. One is that we've seen two games against great teams work very well, with Forbes not being a hindrance, and hitting some great shots. That earns him more time to keep that position, his minutes, and Gregg being justified to do so. The other thing is if you demote Forbes, who exactly fills those minutes.

I see a one-to-one starter and backup rotation in place: Murray/White splitting PG, Mills and Forbes at the SG, Walker being DeRozan's backup, and then Gay/Lyles, Aldridge/Poeltl combos.

So if we start Walker in place of Forbes, you need a backup three behind DeRozan. Forbes gets disqualified as he's too small, and would be sharing the court with Mills.
The alternative is Marco (not a chance; already out), Carroll (another seemingly unusable player), or a very inexperienced Metu, or actually any of the other GLeague callups.

That effectively means Forbes is the most 'useful' of the bunch - Marco, Carroll, Metu, Gleaguers, and since you can't have him and Mills playing together, he has to start at the SG.

Let's see if the FO can work a eensy bit of magic by Feb 21 and get that 10th player who's taller than 6'3 and capable enough to replace the underdog Forbes.

That's a dumb excuse to play a g-leaguer 30 mpg.

There's no rule that states a player can't play multiple positions. Start Lonnie at SG, bring Wombat in for him at the 5-6 minute mark, let DD play most of the quarter then when it's time for him to get a break bring Lonnie in at SF. That's just one easy solution. You can easily do the same with White, let him eat up minutes at both PG and SG.

Get White, Murray, Walker all closer to 30 mpg. Brent can have whatever scraps are left over.

[Joseph Kony]

Posters who call Pop lucky or who don't give the front office credit take it too far. Pop is the GOAT (or very close to it) and the Spurs have been the best run organization in the NBA for the past two decades. Pop's coaching tree and PATFO's executive tree are scattered all over the league for a reason.

With that said, even GOATs aren't perfect. There's no other coach in the NBA that would treat Brent Forms like a 30 mpg centerpiece. There's also no other coach that would intentionally prevent their 3rd and 4th best players (White-Murray) from sharing the court. No other coach would've stubbornly stuck with Belli over Lonnie for as long as he did. Those are all truly awful coaching decisions.

this. a lot of us have shit on Pop this year, but let's be real, any real Spurs fan is a Pop fan. but that doesnt mean he doesnt deserve criticism, and that doesnt mean that coaches cant decline just like players either

[rudwick]

Posters who call Pop lucky or who don't give the front office credit take it too far. Pop is the GOAT (or very close to it) and the Spurs have been the best run organization in the NBA for the past two decades. Pop's coaching tree and PATFO's executive tree are scattered all over the league for a reason.

With that said, even GOATs aren't perfect. There's no other coach in the NBA that would treat Brent Forms like a 30 mpg centerpiece. There's also no other coach that would intentionally prevent their 3rd and 4th best players (White-Murray) from sharing the court. No other coach would've stubbornly stuck with Belli over Lonnie for as long as he did. Those are all truly awful coaching decisions.

White and Murray are both point guards. If you start them you have no shooter in the backcourt. They both can shoot, but the ability to come off a screen and get a shot off quickly is something that Bryn and Patty and even Marco have that White and Murray don’t. They are more slashers and spot up shooters in their offense.

[ZeusWillJudge]

Spurstalk GM is unique in that the cba doesn't apply to them, and they don't have to make trade calls, the ESPN trade machine is sufficient to get the trade. Also they don't have to sell tickets or worrry about locker room drama. Sadly the job doesn't pay.

Explain Demarre Carroll to us. Hell, explain it to yourself. I said this earlier, but he was supposed to be THE big addition for this past offseason. They had planned to give him most of the MLE, and he would have filled the last roster spot. So that was it. Did they not know what they were getting? Did Carroll get worse once he got here?

Any way you slice it, Carroll was a fuckup. You can't blame people for seeing it and commenting. Just like you can't blame them for noticing that Forbes is one of the worst defenders in the league. Just like you can't blame people for seeing that Belinelli was killing the team. And those observations weren't limited to "Spurstalk GM's", were they?

You've gone from sniffing Pop's ass to sniffing your own and thinking it doesn't smell.

[SpurPadre]

White and Murray are both point guards. If you start them you have no shooter in the backcourt. They both can shoot, but the ability to come off a screen and get a shot off quickly is something that Bryn and Patty and even Marco have that White and Murray don’t. They are more slashers and spot up shooters in their offense.

So, basically you're saying that ONE aspect of the game supersedes multiple aspects of the game. Is Forbes' 3 point shooting THAT much more important than the multiple skills White and Murray have? Is Forbes' shooting so good that it makes his spectacularly awful defense tolerable enough to start despite having a better defensive option on the bench in White that has started before? Basically, the argument of Bryn starting is that the offense will fall off a cliff just because he was sent to the bench in favor of Derrick White and that it would negate the defensive upgrade White would bring to the starting lineup. If that's true, then we're fucked either way because Forbes is far below a starting caliber player. Every advanced stat backs that up along with the eye test. So, you can make the argument that he should start given what else we have on the bench and given how overboard the game is relying on the 3 ball now. Still, I highly disagree with that argument because LMA, Murray and Walker are taking and making threes and confidently. Still, if you still want to insist Forbes' shooting is indispensable to the starting lineup, fine. But that further shows how flawed the team is and how much this team would benefit from making a trade for a two guard who isn't a complete liability on defense that Pop would feel comfortable enough to start. Given that PATFO abhor making in-season trades, that last point is moot. Hence, the clamor for White or Walker to start over Forbes won't go away...and rightfully so.

[tbdog]

Explain Demarre Carroll to us. Hell, explain it to yourself. I said this earlier, but he was supposed to be THE big addition for this past offseason. They had planned to give him most of the MLE, and he would have filled the last roster spot. So that was it. Did they not know what they were getting? Did Carroll get worse once he got here?

Any way you slice it, Carroll was a fuckup. You can't blame people for seeing it and commenting. Just like you can't blame them for noticing that Forbes is one of the worst defenders in the league. Just like you can't blame people for seeing that Belinelli was killing the team. And those observations weren't limited to "Spurstalk GM's", were they?

You've gone from sniffing Pop's ass to sniffing your own and thinking it doesn't smell.

He played a lot of pf last season and they probably thought he could split minutes at the 3. I think he lost some speed and now probably strictly a 4. The few minutes he got here and there, he seems lost on offense. Plus Lyles has played well and Gay has been healthy, which means there is no minutes for him.

I wanted 2 of Carroll, Morris, or Crowder last offseason at the expense of Bertans. We needed defense, toughness, and not a liability from 3. I thought it was a good decision. But the above combination is concerning.

[Keepin' it real]

36 games is less than 41 which would be the halfway point

But don't forget it's leap year, so ...

[GAustex]

Carroll is not a g league player.
That’s in poop.

[duncan2k5]

Spurs were curbstomping the Celtics from the opening tip. Kemba didn't get ejected until the 3rd. Nice try tho

Yea...and kemba was in during the run that brought them that close...u aren't stupid...u know how basketball works...when we had Duncan we fell behind many times and had to go on a run...now if we lost Duncan during the run it doesn't affect the game? Dummy

[Fireball]

every run stops at one point and it costs a lot of energy ... this was a well deserved win, stop decrying anything and everything

[Leetonidas]

Yea...and kemba was in during the run that brought them that close...u aren't stupid...u know how basketball works...when we had Duncan we fell behind many times and had to go on a run...now if we lost Duncan during the run it doesn't affect the game? Dummy

Only a dumnny would ever put Duncan and Kemba Walker in the same sentence :lmao

[duncan2k5]

Only a dumnny would ever put Duncan and Kemba Walker in the same sentence :lmao

Only a Dummy ignores the context

[ZeusWillJudge]

He played a lot of pf last season and they probably thought he could split minutes at the 3. I think he lost some speed and now probably strictly a 4. The few minutes he got here and there, he seems lost on offense. Plus Lyles has played well and Gay has been healthy, which means there is no minutes for him.

I wanted 2 of Carroll, Morris, or Crowder last offseason at the expense of Bertans. We needed defense, toughness, and not a liability from 3. I thought it was a good decision. But the above combination is concerning.


At least you're honest enough to say that you wanted 2 of those other guys at the expense of Bertans. You're not a revisionist. But you're also not the GOAT. The fact is, Pop never saw the value in Bertans. Carroll coming in was going to overlap Bertans - by design. And Bertans already wasn't getting enough minutes. So even though Pop didn't plan on losing Bertans in the whole Morris fiasco, he sure as hell didn't plan on playing him the way the Wizards have. That decision alone entitles people to question the GOAT this year.

Last night (vs Memphis) Pop brought Lonnie in at the end of quarters for 4 seconds, and then for 11 seconds - when Memphis took possession. Everybody who knows anything about basketball knows it was for his defense. So that says he knows Lonnie plays better D, and we all know that Forbes is shit on D. For the game, the Spurs gave up 134 points. For most of us, that says there is a defensive problem. And, for most of us, that defensive problem is bad enough that it requires some rotation adjustments. But the sniffers believe that no one should ever question the GOAT, no matter what.

The Spurs are 16-21. The very best they can be at the halfway point of the season is one game below .500. During and after last night's game, there were people crowing that Forbes is great, DeRozan sucks, and Pop is still a great coach. Those people have a right to be morons. But I'm not in the mood to be told that no one should question Pop because of things that happened in seasons past.

Not blaming you - you're just having a basketball discussion.