Game Thread: Nets (27-15) @ Spurs (13-31) Tuesday Jan. 17, 2023 7:00PM CT 3:00AM RIGA

[lefty20]

KD & Simmons out for Nets


Vassell & McBuckets out for Spurs.

[JPB]

KD & Simmons out for Nets


Vassell & McBuckets out for Spurs.

That evens out.

[lefty20]

That evens out.

Seems espn info was out of date.

Simmons is in. Flath earth nazi is out.

McBuckets is back.

[lefty20]

We might accidentally snatch a W tonight. Need that historically bad D to show up big time.

[PhantomDashCam]

Sochan > Simmons.

[LeBowen]

Unfortunately this looks like a W.

[Thomas82]

Looks like Brooklyn is punting this game.

[heyheymymy]

Sochan getting confident offensively wow

Getting some crystal touch finesse with the ball showing some friendly bounce

[heyheymymy]

hope nazi Kyrie literally fucking dies not sorry

[Mr. Body]

Sochan getting confident offensively wow

Getting some crystal touch finesse with the ball showing some friendly bounce

He has a nice turnaround jump shot and is fleet enough to get into the lane.

[PhantomDashCam]

Nice take from Branham.

[heyheymymy]

man Mills never returned from that shoulder surgery the same player

Love game day BALA but damn

[heyheymymy]

It's small incremental improvements for Bran but I love how he looks like the court is starting to get pretty familiar to him now. Really grown into big shoes this season and I think he can build onto his game even more.

[PhantomDashCam]

I can’t believe the hubris of a guy like Simmons who predominantly shoots all of his shots within 5 ft with his right hand, yet never attempted to change his FT routine to perhaps incorporate that.

Then you see a player like Sochan, changing his shot in real time, through his rookie year mind you, to address a fatal flaw of too much guide hand/twisting motion for the benefit of his long term shooting upside…

[lefty20]

Tough start from behind the arc for both teams.

[heyheymymy]

Again seeing Sochan deliberately hunting/selecting looks around the elbow high post area taking screens to open little windows

This guys is expanding his toolkit and I love it

[heyheymymy]

wow Sochan with the muscle memory release on that 3

[PhantomDashCam]

Sochan for President.

[SPURt]

Sochan wanted that Morris smoke, Collins too

[heyheymymy]

lol at grandpa creaky Morris trying to level a shoulder into Sochan for a DIRTY hit and going down timber

[td4mvp2k]

Good for sochan!

[heyheymymy]

I would not get Zollins engaged that dude has a hot streak

[heyheymymy]

Hope Morris fails at everything he touches for the rest of his life

fuck you scrub trash

[Leetonidas]

Lol fuck morris. Sochan :tu :tu

[heyheymymy]

Morris dropped that shoulder HEAVY on Sochan

No place for that here

[lefty20]

Morris bros always be stirring shit, can't stand either one.

[heyheymymy]

lol Morris what a fool thought he could rattle Sochan and got brought down harder than his target

Not a basketball move, I will hunt you down Morris

[heyheymymy]

Morris. Straight Fucking Trash

[heyheymymy]

Hope Morris has to play in China and gets culled for his organs

[AusSpur]

Ridiculous - Morris speaks shit to Sochan down the court then tries to shoulder charge him. Sochan pulls him down in retaliation and Sochan gets the flagrant 1 and Morris a tech.

Refs need common sense about what is happening in a bang-bang play and penalise the instigator more, not the retaliator

[td4mvp2k]

:lol

[JPB]

Sochan getting superstar calls.

[Mr. Body]

Morris brothers are straight trash. Barely housetrained.

[PhantomDashCam]

Again seeing Sochan deliberately hunting/selecting looks around the elbow high post area taking screens to open little windows

This guys is expanding his toolkit and I love it

It’s the highlight of these games for me atm.

[heyheymymy]

lol Morris sweaty try hard jumping in front of Sochan on that like he's the regulator or something

fuck outta here im triggered on this scrub da,m

[Mr. Body]

Morris don't realize Sochan has that chav in him.

[ace3g]

https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1615528476223885312

https://twitter.com/BallySportsSA/status/1615528138846654467

[JPB]

Need Wemby in that paint tbh.

[heyheymymy]

Morris don't realize Sochan has that chav in him.

lol Sochan was instanly like oh If im going down you are too

[heyheymymy]

lol Simmons is such soft baby shit

these nets are clowns

[heyheymymy]

Shit was that a 28-11 run for the nets damn

[ace3g]

Shit was that a 28-11 run for the nets damn

The #PorWemby run

[heyheymymy]

The #PorWemby run

Elite tank aka The Beautiful Shame

[ace3g]

https://twitter.com/BallySportsSA/status/1615533724669558787

[slick'81]

NospursNo:nope

[slick'81]

Wheres patty mills when ya need him?!

[timtonymanu]

The Morris bros biggest contribution to society would be to end up in a coffin. Seriously just do not deserve to live.

[Chinook]

Am I the only person who thinks Claxton looks like DJM on the court? Obviously, they don't look the same if when they zoom in, and Nic is a lot taller. But they have very similar hair cuts and builds. After years of seeing DJM run around in silver and black, seeing Claxton in black and white is triggering my deja vu.

[slick'81]

Didnt realize kyrie and kd were out.....were in trouble

[PhantomDashCam]

Am I the only person who thinks Claxton looks like DJM on the court? Obviously, they don't look the same if when they zoom in, and Nic is a lot taller. But they have very similar hair cuts and builds. After years of seeing DJM run around in silver and black, seeing Claxton in black and white is triggering my deja vu.

Not seeing it man.

DJ always reminds me of (non bball related), a wrestler called Isaiah Kassidy.
Uncanny.

https://media.tenor.com/IVpj6LUXhtYAAAAC/isiah-kassidy.gif

[PhantomDashCam]

Keldon gets blocked majorly by Claxton, then on the very next play he goes up again with no fear and crams it home.
Love that fearlessness.
:hungry:

[davi78239]

Team tank taking a hit. Damn u Durant and Kyrie!!

[slick'81]

Horrible W boys but cant blame yall

[Mr. Body]

Let's keep this under 100! Like old times!

[Thomas82]

Didnt realize kyrie and kd were out.....were in trouble

Yeah, we were gifted this win tonight.

[barakz21]

Wait.. wasn’t Dieng traded? Why’s his name on the box score?

[heyheymymy]

Keldon with 32 which ties career high points

[heyheymymy]

Wait.. wasn’t Dieng traded? Why’s his name on the box score?

Brought back on a ten day contract

[DPG21920]

Every win is painful man. CHA and HOU in particular seem completely unable to win any games. They may never win another game that isn’t vs each other. Spurs may have already won too much to be in bottom 3. Cade getting hurt in DET was the worst thing that could have happened to SA. Not being in the bottom 3 is brutal.

That 4th spot is awful in terms of losing odds at 1st and 2nd pick and how far back you can fall if things go bad. Bottom 3 is a must and I just don’t see how they get there. Even if they lose every game not sure HOU/CHA catch them tbh…

[davi78239]

Every win is painful man. CHA and HOU in particular seem completely unable to win any games. They may never win another game that isn’t vs each other. Spurs may have already won too much to be in bottom 3. Cade getting hurt in DET was the worst thing that could have happened to SA. Not being in the bottom 3 is brutal.

That 4th spot is awful in terms of losing odds at 1st and 2nd pick and how far back you can fall if things go bad. Bottom 3 is a must and I just don’t see how they get there. Even if they lose every game not sure HOU/CHA catch them tbh…

For real. We’re probably gonna be stuck at the 4th spot, or even lower (higher) if we go on a stupid win streak. It’s a pop coached team that will compete and play to win every night. Hou, Det, and Char are obviously legit tanking unlike us.

[Allan Rowe vs Wade]

This one's on Pop :pctoss

[Ariel]

Nets minus KD & Kyrie is a guaranteed win for a non shameless tanking team (not Houston, Charlotte & Detroit).

[DPG21920]

Getting good teams like BKY on the schedule only to have them missing Kyrie and KD is gut wrenchingly bad luck man. This was an awful game, nothing to take away other than good effort from the guys and got another win vs a good team record wise that keeps us out of bottom 3. This win sucks, along with the others vs good teams man.

[Leetonidas]

Every win is painful man. CHA and HOU in particular seem completely unable to win any games. They may never win another game that isn’t vs each other. Spurs may have already won too much to be in bottom 3. Cade getting hurt in DET was the worst thing that could have happened to SA. Not being in the bottom 3 is brutal.

That 4th spot is awful in terms of losing odds at 1st and 2nd pick and how far back you can fall if things go bad. Bottom 3 is a must and I just don’t see how they get there. Even if they lose every game not sure HOU/CHA catch them tbh…

Charlotte and Houston actually play each other tomorrow:lol

[heyheymymy]

No way Silver neutered the odds just to let open tankers still scheme the draft like that. It was clearly a move in response to tanking, why reward tankers anyway? No way the business side of the league doesn't step in here.

HOU has a #2 and a #3 plus a #16 and #17 and they still suck, will another top 3 pick even help? Meanwhile give Pop a top 3 pick and he will be cranking turnstiles immediately $$$.

[RC_Drunkford]

Terrible win tbh. I agree top 3 is a must and we‘re most likely staying at #4

[DPG21920]

Charlotte and Houston actually play each other tomorrow:lol

I know lol - thank god one of them has to win. Rooting for CHA since they are already ahead of HOU by a game and closer to us.

[heyheymymy]

I've been watching HOU and DET games and it's an abomination. I actually honestly think DET just sucks and are genuinely trying but can't hang. But HOU is totally hustling the league, their fans and the game. It's so disgusting. Rockets will go up with a lead and the bounce the ball off their leg or some shit, not even hiding it level of product manipulation. It's straight up tampering. collusion. It's a betrayal of the spirit of competition, a rejection of the very nature of sport itself. I hope Silver is monitoring the situation, it's out of control. lol

[Mr. Body]

Every win is painful man. CHA and HOU in particular seem completely unable to win any games. They may never win another game that isn’t vs each other. Spurs may have already won too much to be in bottom 3. Cade getting hurt in DET was the worst thing that could have happened to SA. Not being in the bottom 3 is brutal.

That 4th spot is awful in terms of losing odds at 1st and 2nd pick and how far back you can fall if things go bad. Bottom 3 is a must and I just don’t see how they get there. Even if they lose every game not sure HOU/CHA catch them tbh…

They're never going to catch the three worst, best get over it.

It's sorta Wembanyama or bust, so getting around 4-5 isn't the worst thing. Pretty much the same odds. The other players after Wemby are all supa balla types who will be on the phone with Uncle Dennis the moment they're drafted.

[Mr. Body]

I've been watching HOU and DET games and it's an abomination. I actually honestly think DET just sucks and are genuinely trying but can't hang. But HOU is totally hustling the league, their fans and the game. It's so disgusting. Rockets will go up with a lead and the bounce the ball off their leg or some shit, not even hiding it level of product manipulation. It's straight up tampering. collusion. It's a betrayal of the spirit of competition, a rejection of the very nature of sport itself. I hope Silver is monitoring the situation, it's out of control. lol

CHA - has no talent, like, none
DET - legit trying, but not good enough
HOU - embarrassingly awful with chuckers and a clueless coach and no system whatsoever

[Spurs Homer]

Jacque vaughan out-tanking pop


fuck!

[Chinook]

I was happy to see that game.

[The Truth #6]

Pop did put in KBD to jumpstart the other team but Brooklyn is terrible with Simmons as their alpha.

[XDT76]

I know lol - thank god one of them has to win. Rooting for CHA since they are already ahead of HOU by a game and closer to us.

Right now Houston is probably in a league on its own. They might never win another game this season.

[scott]

One of the obvious tankers landing Wemby will be a massive embarrassment for the NBA after Silver’s warning against tanking to start the season. I expect the NBA to have as many “practice” drawings as necessary for HOU or DET to not win it. CHA I think will be absolved of their sins this season, like us, because this is about how many games you can expect teams so devoid of talent to be.

Glad to see OKC break out of the hard core tanking this season. Rewarding the Pistons (5, 1, 7 in the last 3 drafts) or Rockets (3, 2) last two drafts would be pitiful. They are textbook examples of the kind of the thing the league needs to do something about.

I saw a tweet the other day from some Rockets Draft account talking about how they *need* Wemby, like having the 3 and 2 pick in the last two draft isn’t enough.

[Seventyniner]

I guess the next step is to flatten the lottery even more, maybe give the bottom 6 or 7 teams the same chances at the top 4 picks the way the bottom 3 teams are the same now.

[Sugus]

I can’t believe the hubris of a guy like Simmons who predominantly shoots all of his shots within 5 ft with his right hand, yet never attempted to change his FT routine to perhaps incorporate that.

Then you see a player like Sochan, changing his shot in real time, through his rookie year mind you, to address a fatal flaw of too much guide hand/twisting motion for the benefit of his long term shooting upside…

Little details like these can be much better indicators of how a player will evolve and develop over time, than things like straight-up shooting %s and splits. Watching the game matters, players' attitudes and personality matter. Very few players develop truly out of nowhere; most times, their success or failure is simply a consequence to their work ethic and choices.

If you listed stats from Simmons' and Sochan's (yet to finish) rookie seasons, and tried to extrapolate that into guessing who would be the better shooter/offensive player in 5 years' time, you'd get the wrong answer every single time.

[Sugus]

I've been watching HOU and DET games and it's an abomination. I actually honestly think DET just sucks and are genuinely trying but can't hang. But HOU is totally hustling the league, their fans and the game. It's so disgusting. Rockets will go up with a lead and the bounce the ball off their leg or some shit, not even hiding it level of product manipulation. It's straight up tampering. collusion. It's a betrayal of the spirit of competition, a rejection of the very nature of sport itself. I hope Silver is monitoring the situation, it's out of control. lol

I'm of the belief that this embarrasing product Rockettes is putting on the court this season, will karmically impact their results on draft night, and the same goes for the Spurs' losing-but-trying model of tanking. We'll see.

[Sugus]

One of the obvious tankers landing Wemby will be a massive embarrassment for the NBA after Silver’s warning against tanking to start the season. I expect the NBA to have as many “practice” drawings as necessary for HOU or DET to not win it. CHA I think will be absolved of their sins this season, like us, because this is about how many games you can expect teams so devoid of talent to be.

Glad to see OKC break out of the hard core tanking this season. Rewarding the Pistons (5, 1, 7 in the last 3 drafts) or Rockets (3, 2) last two drafts would be pitiful. They are textbook examples of the kind of the thing the league needs to do something about.

I saw a tweet the other day from some Rockets Draft account talking about how they *need* Wemby, like having the 3 and 2 pick in the last two draft isn’t enough.

Completely agree, it's ridiculous. You can even make the argument that gifting Wemby to the Rockettes or Detroit is outright bad for the league, as neither team has shown any ability to develop talent and take players to their ceilings. Would you really, as Commissioner, want the possible next international face of the league to be in such hands? I know I wouldn't.

[Chomag]

Dumb Spurs working themselves to a mid pick

[KingKev]

Love how quick Zollins is ready to have his teammates back and mix it up…. I generally don’t like Sochan's antics but that was justified last night.

[Ariel]

I've been watching HOU and DET games and it's an abomination. I actually honestly think DET just sucks and are genuinely trying but can't hang. But HOU is totally hustling the league, their fans and the game. It's so disgusting. Rockets will go up with a lead and the bounce the ball off their leg or some shit, not even hiding it level of product manipulation. It's straight up tampering. collusion. It's a betrayal of the spirit of competition, a rejection of the very nature of sport itself. I hope Silver is monitoring the situation, it's out of control. lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz_0oqsWFa8
Ultimately, the Rockets had a clear incentive to maximize their odds at a top-four finish in 2021, which they did with a woeful finish to the season that included a historic 20-game losing streak. They ended up landing at No. 2 in the lottery and using that pick on Jalen Green.
It was a tough spot for a veteran like Wall, a five-time NBA All-Star who was coming off multiple years lost due to injury and simply wanted an opportunity to compete. In a new interview with Tidal Sports, Wall accuses the team of “tanking” for draft placement.
“My first year in Houston, we were tanking,” Wall tells the podcast host. “We lost 20 in a row. We were trying to lose on purpose, tanking. We were starting [guys] named Justin Patton.”
Wall also said he couldn’t come to an agreement with Stone or head coach Stephen Silas on playing time and a mutually satisfactory role for the ensuing 2021-22 season, which led to him sitting out that campaign and having his contract bought out in June 2022.
Here’s how Wall recalls the conversation with Silas:
Coach said, ‘How would you feel coming off the bench?’ I said, ‘For who? No offense, but for who? I was your best player last year.’
‘This is what the GM wants. He wants you to play 10-15 minutes a game, sometimes don’t play.’ I said, ‘I’m not doing that. Either you’re going to guarantee me some minutes, or I’m not. Let [a player] earn his spot.’
Coach said, ‘You don’t deserve that, you should be a starter. This is what they want to do.’
As Wall sees it, in the pursuit of higher draft capital and a relative absence of veterans, young players on the Rockets are developing bad habits that wouldn’t be tolerated elsewhere. Wall mentioned Green, Kevin Porter Jr., and KJ Martin as players he had spoken with.
“The [expletive] y’all getting away with over there, if you go to any other teams you’d be out of the league,” he said. “You wouldn’t play. I’m trying to explain it to them, because they think it’s sweet.”
“Don’t get used to this,” Wall said of his advice to Houston’s current younger players. “This is not how the NBA is. It’s a bad organization right now. They’ve got to fix some [expletive].”

It doesn't get any more explicit that that.

[Jordan Jackson]

I’m not mad at Houston or Charlotte, and Detroit for that matter. People clutching their pearls claiming some imaginary moral high ground are wasting their time. This is the way the system is designed. Do I love it? No. But it’s never changing.

League won’t have a problem with Wemby in Houston. Why would they? They’ve been down this road before with Yao Ming.

If you’re going to be mad - be mad at the coach with his own agenda and a front office with its own agenda. Neither seem to be on the same page.

[K...]

The league will never fix tanking until they institute a rule against consecutive lottery wins. Spread the top talent around

[TD 21]

I’m not mad at Houston or Charlotte, and Detroit for that matter. People clutching their pearls claiming some imaginary moral high ground are wasting their time. This is the way the system is designed. Do I love it? No. But it’s never changing.

League won’t have a problem with Wemby in Houston. Why would they? They’ve been down this road before with Yao Ming.

If you’re going to be mad - be mad at the coach with his own agenda and a front office with its own agenda. Neither seem to be on the same page.

Yeah, the joke will more than likely be on the Spurs in the end.

If the league cared about this nonsense, they would have long since come to the rescue post screw job or rewarded them for being the only team in play-in vicinity to strive for it 3 straight seasons instead of blatantly tanking like so many others.

The Rockets won't be "punished", on the contrary they'll likely be rewarded because they're a major market with historical ties to an even bigger one in China.

[KingKev]

Yeah, the joke will more than likely be on the Spurs in the end.

If the league cared about this nonsense, they would have long since come to the rescue post screw job or rewarded them for being the only team in play-in vicinity to strive for it 3 straight seasons instead of blatantly tanking like so many others.

The Rockets won't be "punished", on the contrary they'll likely be rewarded because they're a major market with historical ties to an even bigger one in China.

You are such a boring conspiracist. The Rockets are clearly
tanking and a shit organization but there is strategy to winning in life that you haven’t realized :lmao

Learn the rules of the game and manipulate them tge best you can. Or ROFL like the yellow M&M :lmao :lmao

[Mr. Body]

Eh, I'm not upset at the super-tankers. I've consistently said that tanking like that leads to a loser mentality that is really hard to get out of a team and its players. It's no mistake these teams are persistent losers year after year. The Rockets hadn't had a lottery pick in years and now without any veteran leadership (Gordon is checked out) and no plan, no coaching, just the Hinkle-level awfulness, they're not going to get better anytime soon.

And it's not like Wembanyama is some magic trick. If he goes to a shitty team, they're not suddenly going to get good. He may even be ruined. It happens all the time.

[ambchang]

You are such a boring conspiracist. The Rockets are clearly
tanking and a shit organization but there is strategy to winning in life that you haven’t realized :lmao

Learn the rules of the game and manipulate them tge best you can. Or ROFL like the yellow M&M :lmao :lmao

Rockets has the strategy in winning in life? Am I reading this right?

[KingKev]

Rockets has the strategy in winning in life? Am I reading this right?

One season of us tanking and we could truly start our rebuild which will still take 3+ years easily. Inevitably picking 7th in no strategy.

[XDT76]

Eh, I'm not upset at the super-tankers. I've consistently said that tanking like that leads to a loser mentality that is really hard to get out of a team and its players. It's no mistake these teams are persistent losers year after year. The Rockets hadn't had a lottery pick in years and now without any veteran leadership (Gordon is checked out) and no plan, no coaching, just the Hinkle-level awfulness, they're not going to get better anytime soon.

And it's not like Wembanyama is some magic trick. If he goes to a shitty team, they're not suddenly going to get good. He may even be ruined. It happens all the time.

If Rockets got Wemby, get a decent coach and roll out a front line of Wemby, Smith and Sengun, it could change the landscape of the NBA.

[K...]

One season of us tanking and we could truly start our rebuild which will still take 3+ years easily. Inevitably picking 7th in no strategy.

if you consistently pick 7 you will win a top 4 pick every 3 or 4 picks. so it's actually a good idea to light tank over hard tank. the superstars of recent past are not number 1 picks, it's a mix of top 5 picks and later. Winning the lottery, and wiffing is much worse then getting 7 to 14 picks. that's how teams get stuck at bottom

[KingKev]

if you consistently pick 7 you will win a top 4 pick every 3 or 4 picks. so it's actually a good idea to light tank over hard tank. the superstars of recent past are not number 1 picks, it's a mix of top 5 picks and later. Winning the lottery, and wiffing is much worse then getting 7 to 14 picks. that's how teams get stuck at bottom

I disagree with your logic K dot.

[Mr. Body]

if you consistently pick 7 you will win a top 4 pick every 3 or 4 picks. so it's actually a good idea to light tank over hard tank. the superstars of recent past are not number 1 picks, it's a mix of top 5 picks and later. Winning the lottery, and wiffing is much worse then getting 7 to 14 picks. that's how teams get stuck at bottom

What people overlook is how expensive high lottery picks are. We get pissy pants excited over top 3 or 4, but those picks are locked into an exorbitant rookie scale. This winds up throttling bad teams because they have so much salary locked into either bad players or players that miiight pan out.

So, sure, James Wiseman might be worth a look but his salary levels are ridiculous. I kind of like Jabari Smith, but is he ever going to be worth a #2 pick salary?

Probably not.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

The new lottery format sucks ass. Spurs are kind of settling into the 4th position which is fine, I think. 14% chance at one vs. 12.5? Not a big difference. At least people here won't be jumping off buildings this way if we don't win the draft lottery. Finish in the bottom 3 and folks will blame Pop when we're picking 5th.

[Mr. Body]

The new lottery format sucks ass. Spurs are kind of settling into the 4th position which is fine, I think. 14% chance at one vs. 12.5? Not a big difference. At least people here won't be jumping off buildings this way if we don't win the draft lottery. Finish in the bottom 3 and folks will blame Pop when we're picking 5th.

There's always teams leaping into the top 3 because the chances of staying there are less than 50%. So if the Spurs are 4 or 5, they're likely to end up lower. But like I've said elsewhere, it's a bunch of supa-balla types up there anyway, so it's Uncle Dennis City if they take one of them.

[ambchang]

One season of us tanking and we could truly start our rebuild which will still take 3+ years easily. Inevitably picking 7th in no strategy.

Didn’t realize the spurs were actually aiming for the 7th pick. I wouldve actually thought the spurs wanted the number 1 pick over the 7th pick. But thanks for the education on how percentages lead to inevitability.

[KingKev]

Didn’t realize the spurs were actually aiming for the 7th pick. I wouldve actually thought the spurs wanted the number 1 pick over the 7th pick. But thanks for the education on how percentages lead to inevitability.

There is still halg a season of basketball left. When the tank war heats up that 4-5 game buffer we have with team near the play-in could get tight. Additionally, we are already seeing teams rest players against us resulting in more needless wins.

I’m not confident Pop will gift us a high lottery pick on his way out.

[ambchang]

There is still halg a season of basketball left. When the tank war heats up that 4-5 game buffer we have with team near the play-in could get tight. Additionally, we are already seeing teams rest players against us resulting in more needless wins.

I’m not confident Pop will gift us a high lottery pick on his way out.

Not sure what will happen with the ping pong balls. This thing is called the lottery for a reason. The spurs lucked into bottoming out at the right time. This year is a (or at least is shaping up to be) a deep draft so even if the spurs didn’t pick in the top two they will still have a chance to draft an impact player.

Obviously getting pick #1 is better than getting 2, then 3, etc. but if the spurs land somewhere in the 3 to 7 range they can still draft a top prospect. The spurs have a proven history of maximizing players potential. There are some misses (Luka who was lazy, and primo who was crazy) but guys like white, Murray, Johnson and to an extent Vassell has produced more than their draft positions. Even players like poetl grew with the spurs. People focus heavily on draft positions as if drafting high will guarantee a good player when post draft training is arguably as important. Houston is a dumpster fire because there isn’t enough training and development for these very talented kids. Spurs have continuously turned out decent players because of that ideal. Having a 7th pick isn’t ideal but it’s not the end of the world.

[Seventyniner]

Not sure what will happen with the ping pong balls. This thing is called the lottery for a reason. The spurs lucked into bottoming out at the right time. This year is a (or at least is shaping up to be) a deep draft so even if the spurs didn’t pick in the top two they will still have a chance to draft an impact player.

Obviously getting pick #1 is better than getting 2, then 3, etc. but if the spurs land somewhere in the 3 to 7 range they can still draft a top prospect. The spurs have a proven history of maximizing players potential. There are some misses (Luka who was lazy, and primo who was crazy) but guys like white, Murray, Johnson and to an extent Vassell has produced more than their draft positions. Even players like poetl grew with the spurs. People focus heavily on draft positions as if drafting high will guarantee a good player when post draft training is arguably as important. Houston is a dumpster fire because there isn’t enough training and development for these very talented kids. Spurs have continuously turned out decent players because of that ideal. Having a 7th pick isn’t ideal but it’s not the end of the world.

The higher your draft slot is, the harder it is to outperform that draft slot.

Don't get me wrong, I'm quite impressed at the FO's acumen in picking Murray/White/Keldon at the bottom of the first and developing them into good players. It seems odd that their recent misses have come in the 12-19 range.

[Ariel]

Don't get me wrong, I'm quite impressed at the FO's acumen in picking Murray/White/Keldon at the bottom of the first and developing them into good players. It seems odd that their recent misses have come in the 12-19 range.
"a diamond in the rough is easier to spot among turds", so to speak. Doesn't mean you can't screw up, but it's easier to spot others'.

[heyheymymy]

"Luka who was lazy, and primo who was crazy"

"a diamond in the rough is easier to spot among turds"

Some sage SpursTalk pearls of wisdoms abundant in this thread, nice.

[TD 21]

You are such a boring conspiracist. The Rockets are clearly
tanking and a shit organization but there is strategy to winning in life that you haven’t realized :lmao

Learn the rules of the game and manipulate them tge best you can. Or ROFL like the yellow M&M :lmao :lmao

:lmao Lack of basic reading comprehension.

My contention isn't with the player (Rockets), but the game (league) and not in terms of "rewarding losing", but clearly playing favorites.

Before you bring up Robinson and Duncan, different times. The former was 2 years post Ewing draft, only the most controversial in history and the latter was to get a new arena and secure the future of a longstanding good market in the league, both of which predated the Spurs becoming the Spurs and the league's dislike (unwilling "partners" + "load management").

[ambchang]

The higher your draft slot is, the harder it is to outperform that draft slot.

Don't get me wrong, I'm quite impressed at the FO's acumen in picking Murray/White/Keldon at the bottom of the first and developing them into good players. It seems odd that their recent misses have come in the 12-19 range.

I’m happy with Vassell and sochan so far, too early for Branham and Wesley. I’d say I’m actually happy with walker IV. In the 10s to 20s range, teams should really swing for the fences, you hit some out of the park and you strike out in others. I’m ok with it.