Victor Wembanyama: I want to make the playoffs next year

[scott]

Posted for posterity before the Sniffers come back later and claim the plan was always to tank in 2024-25, much like they are currently pretending like Pop never said winning is important in 2023-24

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[Dejounte]

Great minds think alike, scott. I guess you had the quicker draw!

[Dejounte]

You even formatted it the same way as the Windhorst thread on purpose as well ;)

[scott]

It's not only a matter of time before we are accused of being each others alt :lol

[NASpurs]

Posted for posterity before the Sniffers come back later and claim the plan was always to tank in 2024-25, much like they are currently pretending like Pop never said winning is important in 2023-24

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Wemby isn't trusting the process :cry *sniff*

[spurraider21]

Was he going to say he wants to miss the playoffs next year?

“i want to get better but not good enough for the playoffs”

vassell said he didn’t want to hear about tanking for wemby because they gonna be hoopin this year

[Dejounte]

Was he going to say he wants to miss the playoffs next year?

“i want to get better but not good enough for the playoffs”

vassell said he didn’t want to hear about tanking for wemby because they gonna be hoopin this year

with skepticism for everything people say these days, who can say what’s real and what’s not real anymore? We live in an age where a reporter regurgitating (oftentimes incorrectly) what someone says is more trustworthy than the person actually saying it. Or maybe it’s just when it fits our narrative only then we believe that person?

[baseline bum]

I hope so. Pissing away another season for a 28% shot at best at Cooper Flagg or Ace Bailey is stupid when you already have Wemby. Had the Spurs not won the 2023 lottery I'd be 100% for losing every game in 2024-25 but it's time to put a team around Victor now.

[TD 21]

Not to shoot the messenger, but if Wembanyama had said expect instead of want, this would be far more noteworthy.

[scott]

Was he going to say he wants to miss the playoffs next year?

“i want to get better but not good enough for the playoffs”

vassell said he didn’t want to hear about tanking for wemby because they gonna be hoopin this year

I don't know what question prompted this response, since the reporter (who is amongst the shittiest of all Spurs shitty reporters) didn't post it - but unless the question was "do you expect to make the playoffs next season?" - then he could have said any number of things. He could have just said "I want to see us continue to develop and improve and build for the future. There are a lot of steps and we shouldn't skip any. We are building for the future" blah blah blah blah blah.

[exstatic]

Posted for posterity before the Sniffers come back later and claim the plan was always to tank in 2024-25, much like they are currently pretending like Pop never said winning is important in 2023-24

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IDGAF what Pop said. I based my conjecture on the fact that the Spurs drafted Wemby, rented their cap space, and did nothing else. Actions speak louder than words.

[skin27]

Just draft topic or dillingham another sf if we get the toronto pick and were good for next year to make ghe pla in and playoffs.

[scott]

IDGAF what Pop said. I based my conjecture on the fact that the Spurs drafted Wemby, rented their cap space, and did nothing else. Actions speak louder than words.

Yet, by your own admission you didn't actually think the Spurs were tanking after all of that happened - only after 10 or so games when you saw they were terrible.

This is what they call "rationalization"

[Dejounte]

IDGAF what Pop said. I based my conjecture on the fact that the Spurs drafted Wemby, rented their cap space, and did nothing else. Actions speak louder than words.

And the Spurs will likely “do nothing” on their way back to relevancy because their philosophy has always been about internal growth. Doing nothing isn’t a sign that they’re not trying to win. It is in many fans’ eyes. But the moment they do get back to the playoffs without doing anything major as far as free agency and trades go, you need to keep this same energy because I’m sure your narrative will be backwards then.

[baseline bum]

And the Spurs will likely “do nothing” on their way back to relevancy because their philosophy has always been about internal growth. Doing nothing isn’t a sign that they’re not trying to win. It is in many fans’ eyes. But the moment they do get back to the playoffs without doing anything major as far as free agency and trades go, you need to keep this same energy because I’m sure your narrative will be backwards then.

Internal growth is one thing when you have guys like Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Kawhi Leonard as your up and coming talent. Not so much when your young talent is Sochan, Vassell, and Branham.

[scott]

"Whatever the outcome, must have been the plan. In Pop I trust."

https://images.pond5.com/man-smelling-his-socks-044391763_prevstill.jpeg

[Dejounte]

Internal growth is easy when you have guys like Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Kawhi Leonard as your up and coming talent. Not so much when your young talent is Sochan, Vassell, and Branham.

I’m not denying that. My point is that this team will start winning again because of keepers they’ll eventually find in the draft and develop and without ever making much of a splash in any offseason because that’s what this franchise does. I’m not saying I agree with that, but I’ve been following this team for so long that I know that’s the likely outcome. Don’t confuse what I’m saying with the idea that they’ll continue to be in the lottery for years— I think it’s still possible they find cornerstones in the later parts of the draft when they do progressively get better as a team. I think there’s another rabbit to pull from the magic hat in that regard.

[TimmyBuckets]

Shit I wanted Young but if they roll with this squad and Vassell/Sochan level up plus Wemby's ballistic potential, it's a possibility for sure.

[Pauleta14]

I don't know what question prompted this response, since the reporter (who is amongst the shittiest of all Spurs shitty reporters) didn't post it - but unless the question was "do you expect to make the playoffs next season?" - then he could have said any number of things. He could have just said "I want to see us continue to develop and improve and build for the future. There are a lot of steps and we shouldn't skip any. We are building for the future" blah blah blah blah blah.

The question was just "what do you expect for next season"

Victor said something like "I don't want the season to end at the same point as this one, yes I want to play the PO..."

There's no possible interpretation

[CorrectCrusader]

https://imgs.search.brave.com/QJZHZQKeTGQA0QOdxVUABZCp8qedur31QFfvTCxY8A4/rs:fit:860:0:0/g:ce/aHR0cHM6Ly91cGxv/YWQud2lraW1lZGlh/Lm9yZy93aWtpcGVk/aWEvY29tbW9ucy80/LzQyL1RyYWVfWW91/bmdfKDIwMjJfQWxs/LVN0YXJfV2Vla2Vu/ZClfKGNyb3BwZWQp/LmpwZw
"I got you victor dw"

[ambchang]

I’m not even sure if flagg or Bailey will be any good. Remember Wagner? He was supposed to be a great prospect. Look at him now.

[CorrectCrusader]

I’m not even sure if flagg or Bailey will be any good. Remember Wagner? He was supposed to be a great prospect. Look at him now.

Flagg is more of a defensive prospect, which typically translates much better to higher levels.
Bailey could absolutely flame out considering his game.

[KingKev]

I see next year as another learning experience. Slow and steady. Add a few vets to compliment Victor’s game with the intent on being competitive next year and come trade deadline decide if they are buyers or sellers. No way you watched the stretch of this season and thought to yourself this wasn’t by design; VW is ready but in this NBA and wanting longevity you still need to be patient and add a mix of draft capital, value players and win now guys your sometimes overpay for.

[poopbox]

https://imgs.search.brave.com/QJZHZQKeTGQA0QOdxVUABZCp8qedur31QFfvTCxY8A4/rs:fit:860:0:0/g:ce/aHR0cHM6Ly91cGxv/YWQud2lraW1lZGlh/Lm9yZy93aWtpcGVk/aWEvY29tbW9ucy80/LzQyL1RyYWVfWW91/bmdfKDIwMjJfQWxs/LVN0YXJfV2Vla2Vu/ZClfKGNyb3BwZWQp/LmpwZw
"I got you victor dw"

Bring him home Brian :cry
Bring him home :cry

[ChumpDumper]

Posted for posterity before the Sniffers come back later and claim the plan was always to tank in 2024-25, much like they are currently pretending like Pop never said winning is important in 2023-24

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https://y.yarn.co/2fc88939-7b79-4b5d-b4aa-a314ebcc5352_text.gif

[cd98]

Lot of good teams to leapfrog to make the playoffs next season. It will not be easy. The west is stacked.

[MannyIsGod]

IDGAF what Pop said. I based my conjecture on the fact that the Spurs drafted Wemby, rented their cap space, and did nothing else. Actions speak louder than words.

Nope fuck this revisionist bullshit.

If THIS was what you based your opinion off of, you would have had that opinion prior to the start of the Spurs season. You did not. You based your opinion on coping with the Spurs shit record and went against your previous idea of what was going to happen and all of a sudden the previous evidence was used for justification despite you ignoring it. Now, instead you ignore the contacts the Spurs gave out during the summer which are not moves tanking teams do.

[Jordan Jackson]

Was he going to say he wants to miss the playoffs next year?

“i want to get better but not good enough for the playoffs”

vassell said he didn’t want to hear about tanking for wemby because they gonna be hoopin this year

Players don’t tank. Front offices do. Vassell had no say in the matter. He could hoop till the second coming of [insert your choice of deity] they weren’t winning anything with that roster. Keeping it together for another year - even with Wemby - yielded the same results.

For some inexplicable reason the front office thought this was going to be a competitive team.

You better believe Wemby when he says he wants to make the playoffs. Spurs have to at least challenge for a play-in spot. Cannot get away with another 20 win season.

[TimmyBuckets]

If KL didn't bounce, would y'all still be worried of not making a big splash this offseason?

[z0sa]

Don't spin this shit. If it was fantasy or pure hypothetical space-filler, Wemby would have said "i want to win the championship next year." That's not realistic. Therefore, his want clearly implies something he considers realistic - the playoffs (or perhaps, play-in since we don't have an exact quote). There's no twisting this. It's playoffs or bust now. Wemby is very smart phrasing it like this, as well. It also implies that the Spurs aren't required to change their gameplan - he's simply stating his wants. The Spurs org is who will need to bend if those wants aren't being fulfilled (assuming the obvious - that keeping Wemby around until the wheels fall off is the only thing that truly matters, whatever it may entail).

[ChumpDumper]

Nope fuck this revisionist bullshit.

If THIS was what you based your opinion off of, you would have had that opinion prior to the start of the Spurs season. You did not. You based your opinion on coping with the Spurs shit record and went against your previous idea of what was going to happen and all of a sudden the previous evidence was used for justification despite you ignoring it. Now, instead you ignore the contacts the Spurs gave out during the summer which are not moves tanking teams do.

I guess. It looked to me like they wanted to pay people they thought would fit long term but it's not like they actually spent much compared to what was available to spend and for what it could be spent. Vegas projected them to have what would end up being the 7th worst record and they end up with 5th worst. It certainly wasn't a win now year. Maybe it started out as a simply low expectation year looking for a crappy-yet-still lottery pick then the opportunity to halfway cockblock Toronto presented itself and happened to get the Spurs into the double-digit tier of odds for another #1 pick.

[exstatic]

If KL didn't bounce, would y'all still be worried of not making a big splash this offseason?if that never happened, we wouldn’t have Wemby, and I’d be more worried.

[buttsR4rebounding]

Players don’t tank. Front offices do. Vassell had no say in the matter. He could hoop till the second coming of [insert your choice of deity] they weren’t winning anything with that roster. Keeping it together for another year - even with Wemby - yielded the same results.

For some inexplicable reason the front office thought this was going to be a competitive team.

You better believe Wemby when he says he wants to make the playoffs. Spurs have to at least challenge for a play-in spot. Cannot get away with another 20 win season.

The fact that Pop did not play Tre at starting PG the 30+ games cost this team IMO at least 8 wins. The focus wasn't necessarily tanking but development. Having 3 2nd year guys play major roles reduced the teams win total this season, but should add to it next season. It's hard to argue that a PG rotation of Tre/Graham/Wesley brings you a much better result this year. With Wemby's development curve this team makes the play-in next season.

[scott]

Either Wemby is truly a Forest Gump-like character (spoiler alert: he's not), or he's sending some subtle messages today.

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[Chinook]

Of course he does. This isn't news. Dude's competitive. He didn't want to miss them this year. These comments might only feel like news once put into a greater narrative about this season where Wemby was frustrated with his teammates and coaches. His comments and actions literally read as the opposite -- that he's happy with the direction of the team -- but that direct reading has to be ignored for the "message".

And no, it doesn't mean he wants the Spurs to do nothing. I imagine any move he thinks helps the team win would be welcome. I just wouldn't be surprised if he took the last 20 games or so as evidence to believe in his teammates and didn't see the need to dismiss their performances with or without him.

[TekXX]

I'm sure Pop loves when he hears stuff like this. Doesn't Wemby know that winning isn't part of the timeline. Getting good players is hard

[HemisfairArena]

Ive been saying this all year in every thread,,,,and some spurs fans want to hide their heads in the sand. If Wemby doesnt make the playoffs next year, he'll just float through the last two years of his rookie contract and leave,,,,,maybe now the Spurs organization will realize the gravity of the situation,,,,quit sitting on your fuckin' hands and build something around this kid.

[Chomag]

You can't tell me that if Spurs have another losing season that the relationship between Wemby and the FO won't start souring.

[Allan Rowe vs Wade]

pop executed another glorious stealth tank. let's see what the ping-pong ball gods (praise them!) give us

next year it's, y'all ready for this

[Pauleta14]

Ive been saying this all year in every thread,,,,and some spurs fans want to hide their heads in the sand. If Wemby doesnt make the playoffs next year, he'll just float through the last two years of his rookie contract and leave,,,,,maybe now the Spurs organization will realize the gravity of the situation,,,,quit sitting on your fuckin' hands and build something around this kid.

That will not happen, Victor admires Pop and that would the equivalent of quitting

[Pauleta14]

You can't tell me that if Spurs have another losing season that the relationship between Wemby and the FO won't start souring.

If that worst case scenario happens, the only realistic option would be learn from it and to fix it the following summer.

[tbdog]

Just draft topic or dillingham another sf if we get the toronto pick and were good for next year to make ghe pla in and playoffs.

Only a few rookies are net positives. If you expect two rookies to be in the rotation, we'll be kinda where we are now.

[ChumpDumper]

You can't tell me that if Spurs have another losing season that the relationship between Wemby and the FO won't start souring.

Expecting a 19 game improvement might be a little unrealistic.

[Vienna]

Expecting a 19 game improvement might be a little unrealistic.

it's what the Rockets did this year and what Hawks, Cavs, Knicks, Wolves did in the recent past. don't want to say it's a given thing, but I think it's a not entirely unlikely scenario.

[TheChillFactor]

I get that the west is stacked and we need to win a lot more games next year, but if we got some players that could wipe their own ass around Wemby i think he can vault them into the play in. The moves we make this summer will determine what our seed is next season.

[poopbox]

If KL didn't bounce, would y'all still be worried of not making a big splash this offseason?

Has nothing to do with Kawhi. You need at least two star players to be competitive for a title. Spurs have one, so they have to do something to get another one. Also, when you look at the good teams in the nba, they all have role players who do similar things, so these players are in short supply. I'ts not like the spurs can build some competitive team without filling their roster with the types of players that make up competitive teams. So they need to be looking to make a "big splash" on that front as well. It's only so many Bruce Browns, Aaron Gordon's, KCP's to go around.

[LeBowen]

Has nothing to do with Kawhi. You need at least two star players to be competitive for a title.

You kind of don't.
While Murray is a great playoff performer, he never even made an all-star team.
Middleton wasn't a superstar, either.
You could argue that Curry was the only star for the last Warriors ring. Noone else was averaging 20ppg in the playoffs.
Raptors also didn't have a legit second star.
I'd say that the league has taken another evolution where it's better to have one superstar and three borderline all-stars who can step up in the right system than to have the usual two star roster with average role players around them.

Wemby's potential is ridiculous, I think it's a given he'll be the best player in the league within three years.
We will just need perimeter players good enough to capitalize on ridiculous gravity he'll have.
Obviously it would be amazing if we could draft another star next to him, but it's not mandatory. Especially not if it means giving up all the assets just for that one player.

Anyhow, as far as making the playoffs goes, even though the West is really strong now, most teams have an uncertain future and some are close to their expiry date.
Denver and OKC will be there for years to come. I'd add Memphis, especially if they draft well.
Minnesota is already in cap hell and Gobert will be up for an extension in 2025. Edwards is the player to build around, but everything else is up in the air.
Dallas will be relevant as long as Luka is there. But they already burned through all their assets and Kyrie just turned 32, believe it or not. Will be really hard to improve that roster.
NOLA should be good, but their roster is imbalanced and they're kind of a joke franchise that always fucks it up.
Sacramento reached their ceiling already with their no defense roster, but they'll stay a treadmill early playoff exit team.
Houston is improving, ahead of the Spurs right now, but they don't have their franchise player.

Then we have four teams that are up against father time and I can't see them staying relevant with the same core past the next season.
Clippers will surely have one last push in the new arena, but they're done after that.
Phoenix will also be done pretty soon, KD is turning 36.
Lakers duo is a 39 year old and a 31 year old that can't stay healthy. Them making it past 2024/25 season would be a miracle.
Warriors already look done. It wouldn't surprise me if they blow it up after they lose in the play-in.

At the bottom we have two teams that are just starting to tank. Utah will surely blow it up and Blazers have nothing.

Getting to the playoffs in the next season will be really difficult, but play-in is achievable.
If Wemby continues his growth, Spurs not being a playoff team from 2025/26 season onwards would mean that Brian Wright and his minions are even more incompetent than we thought.

[Spur|n|Austin]

Was he going to say he wants to miss the playoffs next year?

“i want to get better but not good enough for the playoffs”

vassell said he didn’t want to hear about tanking for wemby because they gonna be hoopin this year

[JPB]

There's no players in this draft who will make this team a play in / play-off team by themselves or improve it their rookie year. Specially if Memphis gets Morant back. HOUSTON should get better too.

[spurraider21]

There's no players in this draft who will make this team a better a play in / play-off team or improve it their rookie year. Specially if Memphis gets Morant back. HOUSTON should get better too.
i think Knecht would probably help now, though not sure by how much. sheppard potentially as well

[JPB]

And for the record, I believe Wemby knows what he's doing.. Sending a message here.

[rjv]

this thread would be a great example to use for someone teaching deconstructionism in a literature class.

[djohn2oo8]

Either Wemby is truly a Forest Gump-like character (spoiler alert: he's not), or he's sending some subtle messages today.

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Making demands after losing 60 games lmao that man is in Hell

[Knoxxx]

Posted for posterity before the Sniffers come back later and claim the plan was always to tank in 2024-25, much like they are currently pretending like Pop never said winning is important in 2023-24

1779581370739605724

So it was WEMBY who was behind the plot to tank this season! Excellent sleuthing!

[Knoxxx]

Either Wemby is truly a Forest Gump-like character (spoiler alert: he's not), or he's sending some subtle messages today.

1779580038758731828

Why is this dated April 14 I thought he said exactly the same weeks ago?

[cutewizard]

Thew Spurs better do something this offseason

SOMETHING............!!!!!

[cutewizard]

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/how-the-spurs-have-uniquely-positioned-themselves-to-build-a-champion-around-victor-wembanyama/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1KlqbkURrLKBAHZ4Vetv7A AM_-O65UNDVehPSpuya_7xcrgGwYqCYWr0M_aem_AXMFhCauMtQNQ1 mZNV751XMNl-I_UvfX5eEl-dPB7KW9lrZoCVnfrv69oCJx6XTYEXL8Xs5yFQiLuistQrMXy9O 0

[cutewizard]

qUOTING


The internal young talent is meaningful, if not especially starry. San Antonio's 10 most-used players this season are all 28 or younger. Eight are 24 or younger. Devin Vassell has already inked a five-year, $146 million extension. Tre Jones' individual numbers aren't gaudy enough to ink such a deal, but his impact on Wembanyama is pronounced. Spurs lineups featuring both outscore opponents by 5.2 points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass. Remove Jones from the equation and that net rating drops by over 22 points per 100 possessions. Keldon Johnson is a Team USA gold medalist. Jeremy Sochan can't play point guard on offense, but he can play just about anywhere on defense.