Next season’s rotation

[smush]

Starters: Aldridge, Trey, Demar, Keldon, and Derrick.

Bench: Murray Mills Lonnie Rudy Jakob

Weatherspoon Luka Eubanks

[Chinook]

It's not a bad idea for the rotation (provided they may no trades), but I think they need a more mobile starting PF with some perimeter skills. Also, while I love Johnson's toughness, he hasn't really shown the footspeed to keep up with guards, and DeMar definitely should be counted on to do that. That makes it hard for me to see Johnson starting without some other guard in there, instead of DMDR or Lyles.

[Dhbsr555]

I would like to do is move up in the draft for wiseman or big 0

[Dingle Barry]

It's not a bad idea for the rotation (provided they may no trades), but I think they need a more mobile starting PF with some perimeter skills. Also, while I love Johnson's toughness, he hasn't really shown the footspeed to keep up with guards, and DeMar definitely should be counted on to do that. That makes it hard for me to see Johnson starting without some other guard in there, instead of DMDR or Lyles.

Why can't Metu be that PF?

[Dingle Barry]

Starters: Aldridge, Trey, Demar, Keldon, and Derrick.

Bench: Murray Mills Lonnie Rudy Jakob

Weatherspoon Luka Eubanks

Luka but no Metu? WTF.

[tbdog]

Cause Metu isn't very good.

[Chinook]

Why can't Metu be that PF?

Because he's awful. It's amazing to me that people still like him. It's like I'm the only one who's seen him actually play or something.

[Dhbsr555]

The spurs have to unload some of there vets

[DAF86]

It's not a bad idea for the rotation (provided they may no trades), but I think they need a more mobile starting PF with some perimeter skills. Also, while I love Johnson's toughness, he hasn't really shown the footspeed to keep up with guards, and DeMar definitely should be counted on to do that. That makes it hard for me to see Johnson starting without some other guard in there, instead of DMDR or Lyles.

West's SGs: Danny Green, Kawhi, Gary Harris, Mitchell, McCollum, Hardaway, Harden, Holiday.

West SFs: Lebron, George, Porter Jr., Ingles, Anthony, Finley-Smith, House, Ingram.

I really don't see this big difference in speed, tbh. I do see, however, a big difference on size.

[Chinook]

West's SGs: Danny Green, Kawhi, Gary Harris, Mitchell, McCollum, Hardaway, Harden, Holiday.

West SFs: Lebron, George, Porter Jr., Ingles, Anthony, Finley-Smith, House, Ingram.

I really don't see this big difference in speed, tbh. I do see, however, a big difference on size.

There is a big difference in agility though. Regardless, listing role-player shooters and guys who play with role-player shooting PFs doesn't really seem to make a case for there being a size difference. This isn't the old NBA anymore. Guys don't post up nearly as often, and Johnson is not like Mills on Durant anyway.

[DAF86]

There is a big difference in agility though. Regardless, listing role-player shooters and guys who play with role-player shooting PFs doesn't really seem to make a case for there being a size difference. This isn't the old NBA anymore. Guys don't post up nearly as often, and Johnson is not like Mills on Durant anyway.

The size differential isn't seen on postups son. It is seen on defense, on shooting looks, on rebounds, on blocks, on help defense, on lose balls, etc. Size will always make a difference on this game.

[Chinook]

The size differential isn't seen on postups son. It is seen on defense, on shooting looks, on rebounds, on blocks, on help defense, on lose balls, etc. Size will always make a difference on this game.

At this point it's getting boring. No, a guy being an inch or two shorter isn't going to stop him from being able to rotate out. It won't stop him from getting lose balls. It won't stop him from getting rebounds. Height is still preferable, but it's not that important when compared to IQ and tenacity in today's NBA. It's telling that you can't see the difference between a guy like Johnson and a guy like Mills or Forbes.

[DAF86]

At this point it's getting boring. No, a guy being an inch or two shorter isn't going to stop him from being able to rotate out. It won't stop him from getting lose balls. It won't stop him from getting rebounds. Height is still preferable, but it's not that important when compared to IQ and tenacity in today's NBA. It's telling that you can't see the difference between a guy like Johnson and a guy like Mills or Forbes.

In terms of height, Johnson is to Mills and Forbes, what Porter Jr will be to Keldon for years to come.

No matter how gritty and intelligent you are, there comes a moment where, if playing against taller guys, you will meet guys as gritty and as intelligent as you and they will overpower you because you are playing one position above your ideal one.

[KobesAchilles]

Starters: White, DDR, Gay, Lyles, LMA
Bench: Mills, Murray, Lonnie, KJ, Zeller

I can only pray that we don't re-sign any of Poetl, Belli, or Forbes

[gambit1990]

In terms of height, Johnson is to Mills and Forbes, what Porter Jr will be to Keldon for years to come.

No matter how gritty and intelligent you are, there comes a moment where, if playing against taller guys, you will meet guys as gritty and as intelligent as you and they will overpower you because you are playing one position above your ideal one.
:tu

[BackHome]

God I hate that team.

[Ocotillo]

Starters: White, DDR, Gay, Lyles, LMA
Bench: Mills, Murray, Lonnie, KJ, Zeller

I can only pray that we don't re-sign any of Poetl, Belli, or Forbes

Zeller?

[KobesAchilles]

Zeller?
Or Eubanks. I don’t care which. I just don’t want to re-sign Poetl

[Dejounte]

Odd men out hopefully:

Forbes, DeMar, Beli, Rudy Gay, and perhaps Mills

[Dejounte]

Poetl still being on the team on a team friendly deal is a non-issue. Spurs love continuity because they dont have to re-teach concepts and plays over and over. Now if he demands way too much money, I say bye ...

[Dingle Barry]

Because he's awful. It's amazing to me that people still like him. It's like I'm the only one who's seen him actually play or something.
I'm admittedly going off his numbers and highlights only.
Educate me. What makes him so bad? Is it low bbiq and bad defense?

[Chinook]

In terms of height, Johnson is to Mills and Forbes, what Porter Jr will be to Keldon for years to come.

No matter how gritty and intelligent you are, there comes a moment where, if playing against taller guys, you will meet guys as gritty and as intelligent as you and they will overpower you because you are playing one position above your ideal one.

That's not the way physics works. Being taller doesn't make you bigger, and two guys the same weight but different heights is an advantage to the shorter man. That was why Durant struggled posting up smaller players for years and why many of the best man defenders (especially in the front court) tend to be undersized.

I didn't watch the Denver game, so I don't know for sure, but it looks like Porter played PF during the game while the Nuggets started 6-7 Torey Craig at SF. That only proves my point about how height is distributed among positions. Johnson may have guarded him (again, didn't watch), but if he did it was because he was guarding a guy play a position above him (or two in your mind). Ideally the Spurs' 6-9 PF guards him while Johnson guards Craig or Murray or Harris or whomever. If the Nuggets play a guy like Grant at PF, then I don't mind Johnson guarding him. I can't think of a team that has multiple 6-9 forwards who can dominate a game offensively.

[Chinook]

I'm admittedly going off his numbers and highlights only.
Educate me. What makes him so bad? Is it low bbiq and bad defense?

Metu is crazy selfish on the court. It's miserable watching him on the court unless you're only rooting for him to get as many touches as possible. I don't think he has a bad offensive BBIQ. He probably knows the right move and just doesn't give a shit. Defensively, he's more energetic than effective. It's like he grew up watching Serge Ibaka and thought that was supposed to be how defense worked. I do think he's selfish there too in the sense that he's looking for his stats. But at least on O, I think he can make good plays every once in a while.

Issue is that he doesn't have the size to play the five or the skills to play PF (let alone SF like Pop wanted). He might be able to survive at the four if he played within himself. But he doesn't, and even if he did, it's not like that'd be a good player. Like maybe he'd get minutes with so many guys out, but he wouldn't be starting or anything.

[Dingle Barry]

Metu is crazy selfish on the court. It's miserable watching him on the court unless you're only rooting for him to get as many touches as possible. I don't think he has a bad offensive BBIQ. He probably knows the right move and just doesn't give a shit. Defensively, he's more energetic than effective. It's like he grew up watching Serge Ibaka and thought that was supposed to be how defense worked. I do think he's selfish there too in the sense that he's looking for his stats. But at least on O, I think he can make good plays every once in a while.

Issue is that he doesn't have the size to play the five or the skills to play PF (let alone SF like Pop wanted). He might be able to survive at the four if he played within himself. But he doesn't, and even if he did, it's not like that'd be a good player. Like maybe he'd get minutes with so many guys out, but he wouldn't be starting or anything.

Thanks. What skills do you think he lacks? From the clips I've seen, he has a really nice jumper. He shot 38% from 3. He's fast and appears to have pretty good handle for a PF. Pretty athletic and can play above the rim. I'm sure his post game is raw, but it looks like there's at least raw potential.

[Chinook]

Thanks. What skills do you think he lacks? From the clips I've seen, he has a really nice jumper. He shot 38% from 3. He's fast and appears to have pretty good handle for a PF. Pretty athletic and can play above the rim. I'm sure his post game is raw, but it looks like there's at least raw potential.

I don't really think Metu is raw. Raw implies he has skills that need to be developed. I don't see that with him. I think he's a guy who thinks he's better than he is, rather than a guy like Walker who doesn't seem to know how good he is. Like for Walker, you see him blow past guys and then settle for a hook shot and you think "You have to learn to leverage that into better shots." For Metu, you see him trying to dribble past guys and you think, "You need to learn you don't have the handle to do that." It might seem like a similar situation, but it's really the opposite. Metu is ambitious and can look okay in lower levels where his talent lines up. But when you actually compare his skills to that of NBA guys, it's not there.

[DAF86]

That's not the way physics works. Being taller doesn't make you bigger, and two guys the same weight but different heights is an advantage to the shorter man. That was why Durant struggled posting up smaller players for years and why many of the best man defenders (especially in the front court) tend to be undersized.

I didn't watch the Denver game, so I don't know for sure, but it looks like Porter played PF during the game while the Nuggets started 6-7 Torey Craig at SF. That only proves my point about how height is distributed among positions. Johnson may have guarded him (again, didn't watch), but if he did it was because he was guarding a guy play a position above him (or two in your mind). Ideally the Spurs' 6-9 PF guards him while Johnson guards Craig or Murray or Harris or whomever. If the Nuggets play a guy like Grant at PF, then I don't mind Johnson guarding him. I can't think of a team that has multiple 6-9 forwards who can dominate a game offensively.

Yeah? I guess Millsap was the SG then. Stop making shit up son.

[RC_Drunkford]

:pop: Aldridge/Lyles/DeRozan/Forbes/Murray

[8sy21vd]

1-White
2-Walker
3-Murray
4-Johnson
5-Aldridge

OR

1-White
2-Walker
3-Demar
4-Johnson
5-Poetl

[spurspl]

1-White
2-Walker
3-Murray
4-Johnson
5-Aldridge

OR

1-White
2-Walker
3-Demar
4-Johnson
5-Poetl

is this a dwarf team?

[Dingle Barry]

I don't really think Metu is raw. Raw implies he has skills that need to be developed. I don't see that with him. I think he's a guy who thinks he's better than he is, rather than a guy like Walker who doesn't seem to know how good he is. Like for Walker, you see him blow past guys and then settle for a hook shot and you think "You have to learn to leverage that into better shots." For Metu, you see him trying to dribble past guys and you think, "You need to learn you don't have the handle to do that." It might seem like a similar situation, but it's really the opposite. Metu is ambitious and can look okay in lower levels where his talent lines up. But when you actually compare his skills to that of NBA guys, it's not there.

You keep talking about his mental game, but what are the physical skills you think are deficient? Again, from clips and stats I'm seeing a good shot with range, very good athleticism and size, solid rebounding and shot blocking. Then you tell me he's not raw and has a good bbiq, and I'm thinking there's a ton of potential here. Which of my views of his skills is/are off?

Your criticism seems like a valid one, but imo it isn't sufficient cause to write a guy off as horrible in his second year. Over confidence isn't a permanent condition.

It's also possible you're wrong about his lack of team play being motivated by selfishness and overconfidence. In any case, it's fixable.

[Shakril]

Starters: White, DDR, Gay, Lyles, LMA
Bench: Mills, Murray, Lonnie, KJ, Zeller

I can only pray that we don't re-sign any of Poetl, Belli, or Forbes

Dont worry, i dont think Poeltl will stay. Other Teams will value his defense the way it should be. Spurs will miss him over the years.

[BackHome]

Yeah if the Spurs don’t see him in there long term plans they need to work a deal with Boston who desperately needs a big man. I think he would be a good fit and we get a player and either there 15th or 25th pick depending on what player they give us.

[KobesAchilles]

Dont worry, i dont think Poeltl will stay. Other Teams will value his defense the way it should be. Spurs will miss him over the years.
Defense? Is that what you call picking up two fouls every 120 seconds into a game? I guess :lol

[Dhbsr555]

If we don’t trade anyone next years starting lineup will be
Mills forbes beli Rudy gay and poodle with white walker Murray and keldon playing 10 minutes a game

[ragas]

Defense? Is that what you call picking up two fouls every 120 seconds into a game? I guess :lol

don‘t make yourself a fool like this.

[keithington1]

White
Johnson
Derozan
Aldridge
Okongwu

[duncan2150]

Murray
White
Derozan
Lyles
Aldridge

Subs

Mills
Walker
Johnson
Gay
Poetl

[Dex]

Because he's awful. It's amazing to me that people still like him. It's like I'm the only one who's seen him actually play or something.

You are not the only one.

The Metu experiment failed. Anyone who doesn't see that hasn't been paying attention.

[KobesAchilles]

don‘t make yourself a fool like this.
So I just imagined him picking up 2 fouls in the first 2 minutes of 3 straight games? I guess I imagined him fouling out too. The dude’s “great” defense doesn’t mean shit if he can’t stay on the court due to foul trouble

[DAF86]

Getting rid of the veterans:

White
Johnson
1st round pick
FA
Poeltl

Murray
Walker
2nd round pick
Samanic
Eubanks

With everybody back:

White
Johnson
DeRozan
FA (Crowder?) or 1st round pick
Aldridge

Murray
Mills
Walker
Gay
Poeltl

[Dhbsr555]

The question is will we trade DeRozan

[spurspl]

Getting rid of the veterans:

White
Johnson
1st round pick
FA
Poeltl

Murray
Walker
2nd round pick
Samanic
Eubanks

With everybody back:

White
Johnson
DeRozan
FA (Crowder?) or 1st round pick
Aldridge

Murray
Mills
Walker
Gay
Poeltl

first option waaaay better, but u forgot that gettin rid of LMA means gettin sth in return so these lineups should be even better.

[spurspl]

The question is will we trade DeRozan

IMO its all up to ddr.as long as i know spurs and pop they probably offer him a new contract and keep him.

[BackHome]

Yeah 2021 is looking to be another shitty year for Spurs fans but still holding out on Hope. The biggest question is that both LMA and DEROZZ know that the Spurs are in a rebuild mode so maybe they are OK with a trade that could help us out and send them to a team that has a chance ie. Portland, Boston, Philly, Nets.

[Rocalcio]

Because he's awful. It's amazing to me that people still like him. It's like I'm the only one who's seen him actually play or something.

He was great during the World Cup, and he showed many things in G-League.

[cd021]

I thought Walker would be the starting 2, replacing Forbes, but i'm starting to think they'll just go with White.

Murray-White-DDR- Lyles, Aldridge
Mills-Walker-KJ-Gay-Poeltl

That starting lineup isn't perfect, but it's certainly better defensively than the Forbes version of the SL. Murray would also likely play a lot more off ball, which is a good thing. If White's offensive assertiveness is here to stay, then he makes the SL better offensively too.

Assuming Murray continues to improve as a shooter and Aldridge continues to shoot 3's at the rate he did, that team might actually shoot closer to the league average in 3pt attempts rather than be at the bottom of the league. Might not be such a bad team tbh, especially if KJ and Walker show a lot of improvement.

[Dhbsr555]

I believe Aldridge and gay get traded .. we resign poodle and extend derozen and basically have the same lineup we have in the bubble

[Boomersgold]

Spurs need a legit center to pair with LMA. Poeltl is undersized and not a rim protector. Also need some depth at the Forward spot. Lyles doesn't cut it.

[Chinook]

Poeltl is undersized?

[spurrunner]

Poeltl is undersized?

:lol

I guess he plays smaller than he is?

:downspin:

[Seventyniner]

If the Spurs really want to shake things up, the best time would be next summer when a bunch of big deals roll off the books. Especially because Giannis will be a free agent. That's a chance you have to take. If he signs an extension before then the Spurs can switch gears.

With deals being shorter, salary-dump trades are generally less enticing for teams, so I don't see the big expiring deals being desirable trade chips in and of themselves. Aldridge, DeRozan, and Gay are still pretty useful players though.

[MultiTroll]

Travesty if ownership does not step in and free up the current bublble team to continue to play ball while getting rid of Pop n Pets

[J_Paco]

I thought Walker would be the starting 2, replacing Forbes, but i'm starting to think they'll just go with White.

Murray-White-DDR- Lyles, Aldridge
Mills-Walker-KJ-Gay-Poeltl

That starting lineup isn't perfect, but it's certainly better defensively than the Forbes version of the SL. Murray would also likely play a lot more off ball, which is a good thing. If White's offensive assertiveness is here to stay, then he makes the SL better offensively too.

Assuming Murray continues to improve as a shooter and Aldridge continues to shoot 3's at the rate he did, that team might actually shoot closer to the league average in 3pt attempts rather than be at the bottom of the league. Might not be such a bad team tbh, especially if KJ and Walker show a lot of improvement.

Out of all the suggested rotations, I like this one best.

Although, the Spurs 1st - round pick could alter things slightly. Especially, if they can earn Pop's trust early, are at a position of need & are very quick learner (ala Nephew).

[J_Paco]

Spurs need a legit center to pair with LMA. Poeltl is undersized and not a rim protector. Also need some depth at the Forward spot. Lyles doesn't cut it.

He plays below the rim, like Splitter used to, but definitely ain't "undersized."

He's listed at 7'1" without shoes & 245 lbs. Yeah, there is nothing "small" about Jakob. His problems are he lacks range on offense, tends to be a soft finisher inside & doesn't have a lot of lower body strength (can be uprooted easily).

And plenty of "undersized" SF/PF like Keldon have thrived in the NBA. Benard King, Adrian Dantley, P.J. Tucker & Bonzi Wells all had good to great NBA careers. So, no reason a strong bodied, tenacious guy like Keldon can't thrive even in this "bigger, more athletic" league.

[cd021]

Great game by KJ today tbh.

For those worried about his jumper, he hit went 3-3 from 3 this game and is 12-19 on the season.

I always thought that his G-League shooting was flukely and he was closer to being an average to an slightly above average shooter. He shot the ball well at Kentucky on a pretty good amount of attempts but shot 23.7 % in the G-League.

He should be big part of the rotation next season.

[Boomersgold]

Poeltl is undersized?

I'm not going to lie, the fact that he's 7-1 really surprised me. I've always thought he was 6-8 to 6-10 with the way he plays. Doesn't really get up very often and very limited offensively in the paint (mainly soft layups). You would think someone at his height would have a reliable hook shot.

[Kurgan]

I'm not going to lie, the fact that he's 7-1 really surprised me. I've always thought he was 6-8 to 6-10 with the way he plays. Doesn't really get up very often and very limited offensively in the paint (mainly soft layups). You would think someone at his height would have a reliable hook shot.

Offensively,he plays like a wnba player. It's embarrassing at times and even cost the Spurs two of the bubble games(although Murray's shit play deserves most of the blame)

[DAF86]

Maybe not for next season, but for the one after that, if I was the coach, I would have White as the PG of the future, Keldon as the SG and Poeltl as the center:

PG-White - 6'4" - 6'8" wingspan
SG- Keldon - 6'6" - 6'9" wingspan
SF-
PF-
C- Poeltl - 7'1" - 7'1" wingspan

Should we get ourselves a couple of two-way 6'8 ish forwards with a wignspan of 7+ feet and we would be set for years to come. The lineup would be so solid, that we might not even need a Superstar to be highly competitive.

A tall, lanky, lineup of solid two-way players that can switch 1 through 4 (or 1 through 5 when needed) and that all can spot up or attack the basket from open offensive sets is my dream scenario.

We are 3/5th there. We are only missing the forwards, that's why I'm so vocal about targeting those kind of players both in the draft and free agency.

[DAF86]

He plays below the rim, like Splitter used to, but definitely ain't "undersized."

He's listed at 7'1" without shoes & 245 lbs. Yeah, there is nothing "small" about Jakob. His problems are he lacks range on offense, tends to be a soft finisher inside & doesn't have a lot of lower body strength (can be uprooted easily).

And plenty of "undersized" SF/PF like Keldon have thrived in the NBA. Benard King, Adrian Dantley, P.J. Tucker & Bonzi Wells all had good to great NBA careers. So, no reason a strong bodied, tenacious guy like Keldon can't thrive even in this "bigger, more athletic" league.


I'm not going to lie, the fact that he's 7-1 really surprised me. I've always thought he was 6-8 to 6-10 with the way he plays. Doesn't really get up very often and very limited offensively in the paint (mainly soft layups). You would think someone at his height would have a reliable hook shot.

Problem with Poeltl is his wingspan, it's only 7'1", that's pretty meh for a basketball player of his size. Length > height. He makes up some of that with his mobility.

[RC_Drunkford]

Get Jerami Grant and even if Aldridge and DeRozan stay for another year, which is not ideal but highly possible, you'd have

Aldridge/Grant/DeRozan/Murray/White
Poeltl/Gay/Keldon/Walker/Mills

Although I'm not sure if I would start Murray at SG or play Johnson or Walker instead

[TD 21]

Since this can only be done at the moment under the presumption the "mid 3" are retained . . .

Starters: Lyles, DeRozan, Aldridge, White, Murray

Bench: Gay, Mills, Poeltl, Forbes, Johnson, Walker

Their love of Forbes and lack of volume 3-point shooting likely means either he's retained or someone else is brought in to fill his role. Just can't see Mills as the lone bona fide shooter receiving rotational minutes.

[DAF86]

Since this can only be done at the moment under the presumption the "mid 3" are retained . . .

Starters: Lyles, DeRozan, Aldridge, White, Murray

Bench: Gay, Mills, Poeltl, Forbes, Johnson, Walker

Their love of Forbes and lack of volume 3-point shooting likely means either he's retained or someone else is brought in to fill his role. Just can't see Mills as the lone bona fide shooter receiving rotational minutes.

I don't see an 11 men rotation, tbh.

[DAF86]

Get Jerami Grant and even if Aldridge and DeRozan stay for another year, which is not ideal but highly possible, you'd have

Aldridge/Grant/DeRozan/Murray/White
Poeltl/Gay/Keldon/Walker/Mills

Although I'm not sure if I would start Murray at SG or play Johnson or Walker instead

White, Keldon, DeRozan, Grant, Aldridge

Murray, Mills, Walker, Gay, Poeltl

I didn't know Grant was a free agent. I'm getting hyped about the chance of getting him. I doubt PATFO would even look his way though. They rarely do what they need to do lately.

[FutureMan]

One thing people aren’t considering is our 11th pick. Typically someone chosen that high is immediately part of the rotation.

[DAF86]

One thing people aren’t considering is our 11th pick. Typically someone chosen that high is immediately part of the rotation.

I hope that's the case, but with Pop you never know.

[ZeusWillJudge]

This is a shit free agent class, for the most part. That makes it a perfect opportunity for the Spurs to bring in some busted up old vet. So I'm thinking that the SL for Game 1 next season is going to be

Murray
Forbes
DDR
Aldridge
Z-Bo (or Marc Gasol on a 2/$36M deal)

Or

Conley
Forbes
Murray
DDR
Aldridge


And don't pretend like you didn't just throw up in your mouth a little, because it could happen.

[TD 21]

I don't see an 11 men rotation, tbh.

Forbes, Johnson and Walker, would compete for the backup wing minutes and when one of the top 8 can't go, all three would play.

[DAF86]

Forbes, Johnson and Walker, would compete for the backup wing minutes and when one of the top 8 can't go, all three would play.

If that happens, I'm quitting my fandom 'till Popovich gets the fuck out.