Grades: Spurs @ Blazers - Feb. 6, 2020

[timvp]

https://www.spurstalk.com/grades-san-antonio-spurs-portland-trail-blazers-february-6-2020/

tl;dr: RIP playoff streak? Almost.

[Rubberducky]

Pop
Grade: C


https://media.giphy.com/media/HPvfnOuz1tOgg/giphy.gif

[venitian navigator]

We lost and I see no D and F...
Franckly, I undertand the half full glass philosophy but starting from now I think votes should rapresent at least the objective value of the players...so a change of criteria is in order.
You can't be outplayed by Whiteside and have a B.
You can't be a negative in the final and decisive quarter and be considered sufficient...
If you are a defensive liability for the entire game I don't care if that's because you are too short...you simply are a defensive liability period and you have to be voted accordingly...same if you can't buy a bucket when the opposing team is letting you free space to strike in the deciding moments of the game. These are two D, on an objective way of voting or two E in case you have an half empty glass philosophy...

[pookenstein]

I hope they loose against the Kings as well. Fuck the playoff streak. This team needs some major changes and they need to be made asap.
Best case scenario for the remainder of the season in my opinion:
1. Cut down DDR&LMA minutes to 25 per game
2. Cut down Forbes, Belli & Gay minutes as much as possible
3. Fucking play Murray, White & Walker together
4. Call up Samanic and give him and Keldon some run, so they get a real taste of a NBA game.

[DavidTheGoliath]

Fuck you bryck

[Prime BEEF]

I hope they loose against the Kings as well. Fuck the playoff streak. This team needs some major changes and they need to be made asap.
Best case scenario for the remainder of the season in my opinion:
1. Cut down DDR&LMA minutes to 25 per game
2. Cut down Forbes, Belli & Gay minutes as much as possible
3. Fucking play Murray, White & Walker together
4. Call up Samanic and give him and Keldon some run, so they get a real taste of a NBA game.
Best case scenario is that we play DDR, LMA, Gay and Murray as many minutes as possible in order to boost their stats and then try to trade them in the offseason and hopefully bring in young talent and draft picks. I have no concerns about winning more games if we play them more because they aren’t very good. Let touches shoot as much as he wants and depression driving and jump stop into the paint as much as he wants.

[poopbox]

Trey Lyles "breakout game"...

Is this what we have come to :cry

[ZeusWillJudge]

This was not a must-win game. If the Spurs want any hope of salvaging anything out of this season, they have to look for it in the draft.

Pop's decisions last night were the exact same decisions he has made in virtually every game this year. He shouldn't get a C just because they are all but eliminated from the playoffs. He should have been getting C's (and worse) earlier in the year. If killing the team's playoff hopes with his rotations lowers his grade, then last night should have been an F. He's not getting it done. He hasn't been getting it done. He needs to be done.

[ceperez]

Coaching is terrible.

Gay and Belinelli careers are pretty much over.

Murray was overpaid and is playing at the same level as expected for a #29 draft pick.

The front office is a complete disaster in that these 3 players are all overpaid.

[Darius Bieber]

Too bad this year's draft class is pure trash. Spurs have no future, even if they do tank.

[look_at_g_shred]

"Plus, even when Forbes did rotate in time, he was always too small and too unathletic to do anything. "

[vander]

I hope they loose against the Kings as well. Fuck the playoff streak. This team needs some major changes and they need to be made asap.
Best case scenario for the remainder of the season in my opinion:
1. Cut down DDR&LMA minutes to 25 per game
2. Cut down Forbes, Belli & Gay minutes as much as possible
3. Fucking play Murray, White & Walker together
4. Call up Samanic and give him and Keldon some run, so they get a real taste of a NBA game.

it'll be kinda funny if/when pop finally gives up on the season and starts playing the young guys and then the Spurs start winning

[Ibleedslvrnblk]

it'll be kinda funny if/when pop finally gives up on the season and starts playing the young guys and then the Spurs start winning

It will be really funny when pop plays them and you guys beg for the old players back.

[MultiTroll]

it'll be kinda funny if/when pop finally gives up on the season and starts playing the young guys and then the Spurs start winning
You know it would happen. :lol

Hey those sites that show player combo minutes.
1. What is the latest stat that at least two of the Young Uns have been on the floor without a pet midget?

2. All 3 Young Uns on the floor without a midget? Like 30 seconds the entire year?

[vavvi]

Is there somewhere the conference standings if the games were played only for 3 quarters?

so many awful Q4s...

[ZeusWillJudge]

Too bad this year's draft class is pure trash. Spurs have no future, even if they do tank.


You realize that this time last year "they" were saying that there was talent at the top of the draft, but not much after that?

You also realize that you're saying that there are no good players in college ball? We don't even know who is declaring at this point.

There's no Zion Williamson. But after the #1 pick, there is no reason to think that this draft will be better or worse than any others.

[Darius Bieber]

You realize that this time last year "they" were saying that there was talent at the top of the draft, but not much after that?

You also realize that you're saying that there are no good players in college ball? We don't even know who is declaring at this point.

There's no Zion Williamson. But after the #1 pick, there is no reason to think that this draft will be better or worse than any others.

There's no clear talent in college basketball. The NCAA Division 1 talent is down this year as a whole.

Last year, we had several high level talents outside of Zion. Ja comes to mind. Darius Garland. RJ Barrett. Hachimura. Jaxson Hayes. This year, outside of Wiseman, there's really nothing. God damn Tyrese Halliburton is projected a top 5/lottery pick, and they're saying he'd be a second rounder last year.

[ZeusWillJudge]

There's no clear talent in college basketball. The NCAA Division 1 talent is down this year as a whole.

Last year, we had several high level talents outside of Zion. Ja comes to mind. Darius Garland. RJ Barrett. Hachimura. Jaxson Hayes. This year, outside of Wiseman, there's really nothing. God damn Tyrese Halliburton is projected a top 5/lottery pick, and they're saying he'd be a second rounder last year.


Look, I'm not going to argue with you. People will believe me or not. We'll see on draft night. But Seth Greenberg is a well known college basketball analyst. This time last year he did an interview and said stuff like this:
"Greenberg said of the 6-8 Williamson, “I don’t think he’s a no-doubt-about-it" [#1 pick].


“This is not a good draft. It really isn’t. In this draft, you probably do [take Zion No. 1]. He’s fun to watch, explosive and doing things we haven’t seen in a long time. But I grew up watching Dr. J. I don’t get excited about dunks.”


Greenberg listed his Zion concerns, saying, “When does a guy like that not have a pull-up game? And he isn’t an NBA 3-point shooter yet.

Maybe this year's draft really will be shit. But deciding that now is just silly. And the idea that there aren't more than a couple of NBA-worthy players in any colleges right now? That's just not worth commenting on.

[phxspurfan]

Sweet, for one game, Lyles equalled Bertans' output the whole season

[palangi]

I hope they loose against the Kings as well. Fuck the playoff streak. This team needs some major changes and they need to be made asap.
Best case scenario for the remainder of the season in my opinion:
1. Cut down DDR&LMA minutes to 25 per game
2. Cut down Forbes, Belli & Gay minutes as much as possible
3. Fucking play Murray, White & Walker together
4. Call up Samanic and give him and Keldon some run, so they get a real taste of a NBA game.

I agree. And don't forget Metu getting some minutes too.
Let samanic get up and work with timmy one on one every day.

[Coach X]

Is there somewhere the conference standings if the games were played only for 3 quarters?

so many awful Q4s...
And the worst part of this is Popovich not having found a closing unit yet. He just keeps trying and trying so it's impossible for anybody to build up some trust and chemistry in the clutch. Every night the team doesn't know what to do with the game on the line and 4 minutes to play and the closer the end is, the weaker the team feels.

DeJounte Murray isn't playing well at all but if he was the designated PG to take the keys of the team from Tony Parker, why the hell he isn't in the court in the final minutes? I mean, playing true PG, not giving the ball to DeMarr and spotting a corner. Young players progress by having opportunities and failing. If Murray had been playing PG basketball in the clutch all this season, at this point we would already know if he's able of doing it and help the team to win games or he isn't so he's just another #29 draft pick and the Spurs need an starting PG.

I'd even understand that White had been chosen for this rol so he had been playing as PG every clucth game. But no, that's not the case either.

I thought it was pretty clear by the end of past season that Aldridge and DeRozan wouldn't lead the team to wins regularly in close games so this team needed more for this season. Everything was pointing at DeJounte Murray, I don't understand why the franchise gave up without almost trying.

[emanueldavidginobili]

Pops rotations are fucked plain and simple. White scores 8 straight and Pop pulls him with only 20 minutes logged and finishes with 23 min, it’s crazy I honestly don’t get it.

Pop needs to cut Forbes, Rudy, DeMar, LA, and Mills minutes and give them to DJ, Lonnie, Derrick, Poeltl...hell even Keldon and Metu. I don’t care how many mistakes they make or if they suck here and there because the teams sucks, Forbes sucks, Pop sucks, the FO sucks, so you might as well play the young guys and see what we actually have going forward with them playing legit minutes.

At the end of the day I rather lose games with the young kids playing all the minutes rather than losing how they’re losing now.

[Chomag]

Pops rotations are fucked plain and simple. White scores 8 straight and Pop pulls him with only 20 minutes logged and finishes with 23 min, it’s crazy I honestly don’t get it.

Pop needs to cut Forbes, Rudy, DeMar, LA, and Mills minutes and give them to DJ, Lonnie, Derrick, Poeltl...hell even Keldon and Metu. I don’t care how many mistakes they make or if they suck here and there because the teams sucks, Forbes sucks, Pop sucks, the FO sucks, so you might as well play the young guys and see what we actually have going forward with them playing legit minutes.

At the end of the day I rather lose games with the young kids playing all the minutes rather than losing how they’re losing now.

qft

[UZER]

There is nothing more classic Pop than pulling White in the 4th qtr of a close game after just having scored 8 straight points when the entire offense is struggling. :lol

Please retire already.

[Mugen]

Why was White pulled? :lol

[BlackAndWhite]

Maybe the spurs have too many redundant pieces and that severely affects chemistry and pop's ability to coach. The team played much more coherently last season when they had a much shorter rotation

[RC_Drunkford]

it'll be kinda funny if/when pop finally gives up on the season and starts playing the young guys and then the Spurs start winning

What's really funny is that some y'all think Pop will change his line ups. He will keep the same rotation til the end of the season no matter what the record is.

[Mugen]

Maybe the spurs have too many redundant pieces and that severely affects chemistry and pop's ability to coach. The team played much more coherently last season when they had a much shorter rotation

It's only redundant because of Bryn/Pop

If he didn't exist, the lineup would be perfectly fine tbh:

DJ/White
Lonnie/Patty
Derozan
Lyles/Gay
LMA/Poetl

Not an amazing rotation but the fact that you wouldn't have this garbage player playing half the game probably nets them at least 6-8 more wins :lol

[Chomag]

The Problem for White all year is the moment he starts getting into his rhythm and starts feeling it Pop yanks him. Pop has always liked doing that though to prove a point I guess.. Pop's way or no way, and he just can't allow a player to outshine the head coach. About any NBA head coach would have the Spurs in the 6th seed right now with the current roster if they played the right players and rotations.

[EasyMoney]

He does this all the time. Someone gets going, and benches them. I remember steve Kerr was about to bench Kevin Durant when he was out there going God mode and Durant told him to quit that shit and leave him in and he did.

[Truth4sale$]

Thanks for the write up Timvp

Gotta say though, these write ups are starting to sound like the movie ground hog day in a sad blog form. No offense to you of course...just a mediocre team in the tough West

[sasaint]

Best case scenario is that we play DDR, LMA, Gay and Murray as many minutes as possible in order to boost their stats and then try to trade them in the offseason and hopefully bring in young talent and draft picks. I have no concerns about winning more games if we play them more because they aren’t very good. Let touches shoot as much as he wants and depression driving and jump stop into the paint as much as he wants.

I appreciate your reasoning, but I wouldn't be able to watch it.

[sasaint]

It's only redundant because of Bryn/Pop

If he didn't exist, the lineup would be perfectly fine tbh:

DJ/White
Lonnie/Patty
Derozan
Lyles/Gay
LMA/Poetl

Not an amazing rotation but the fact that you wouldn't have this garbage player playing half the game probably nets them at least 6-8 more wins :lol

All true, except that you omitted Marco from either the Bryn/Pop group or the rotation group.

[sasaint]

What's really funny is that some y'all think Pop will change his line ups. He will keep the same rotation til the end of the season no matter what the record is.


Yep. The Old Asshole is the most stubborn coach I have ever seen.

[gambit1990]

OP, change my team to the thunder. thanks.

[Slippy]

I appreciate your reasoning, but I wouldn't be able to watch it.
Im thinking that's what pop the president of basketball operations is thinking too.. probably why he playes MARCO AND Bryn so much as well. Trade value if it came up or comes up in the future. These guys you look to trade in the off-season or S and t if somene overvalues them.

[C-Dub]

LMA = F, a big huge F.

[RodNIc91]

His love affair with Forbes has gotten to Finley/Bonner levels. Disgusting how Pop has gotten this stubborn