Game Thread: Spurs (16-15) at Timberwolves (16-14) Dec. 29, 2024, 7:00PM Central time / 3:00AM Riga time / 3:00PM Hawaii time

[spursistan]

It's actually crazy that Vic is as good as he is despite being objectively soft tbh :lol
His softness is more about play habits/instincts that have yet to be coached up/out of him (awful screening, spotty rebounding, occasional lazy defensive rotations, falling in love with the three etc..) otherwise he is extremely competitive and is wired for the big occasion (Olympics Final, multiple clutch performance in in late/OT games for us in his short career)...

[Spurminator]

Hard to be mad about this one. You played one of the best teams in the NBA (playing their best ball of the season) on their home court to the last second, weathered several runs and never fell out of it.

I hate to say moral victory but if any game applies this was one.

A++ game from Barnes, who at times appeared to be the only one out there not overwhelmed. He stopped at least three big Minny runs with a bucket and his levelheadedness seemed to run off on the team when it could have otherwise gotten out of hand.

Wemby was definitely gassed for much of the 4th. Settled for jumpers on several possessions when he had a pretty clear path to the basket, and got beat on the boards too many times. Probably affected that last FT miss. Not sure what you can do other than give him more rest, but then you're probably not playing for a game winning shot.

[tbdog]

Sochan wanted to make the pass but couldn't. Took him out of his form.

[spursistan]

Just can't close out games against decent teams on the road. Could have gone 4-0 on the trip but it's 1-3 because we have too many inconsistent, slumping dudes on this roster. PATFO should at at least cut some of the deadweight at the deadline and get us some serviceable pieces if the prize is reasonable..

[tbdog]

He couldn’t sell that fake because he has no shot. If that was Champ, either Devin or Champ would be taking an open, higher percentage shot.

I think champ had a dreadful game and didn't deserve to be on. I prefer Castle out there tbh.

[objective]

People shouldn't overlook Chris Paul with 0 field goals

He's better than Sochan at point guard, but he's still thoroughly washed.

Wright needs to take his posters of Zollins down in his office and get to his desk and do some good work for a change and get Fox on this team

[lefty]

How is Sochan in and not maybe Champ in there to hit the 3? Dumb coaching.
This

[onechance87]

People shouldn't overlook Chris Paul with 0 field goals

He's better than Sochan at point guard, but he's still thoroughly washed.

Wright needs to take his posters of Zollins down in his office and get to his desk and do some good work for a change and get Fox on this team

cp3 wasint brought here to score.Dude is sometimes our second or third best player on this team.If hes that washed,It just shows you
how shit our roster is.That hes that much of a difference maker on this team.

[timtonymanu]

Yeah Paul is playing about what we should have expected from him all season. He’s one of the last things to worry about. Not even 40 year old Tim or Manu could make up for the liabilities on this team.

[Arcadian]

Robert Horry would've made that shot.

[TimmyBuckets]

According to the idiots on here he is Wemby's running mate and deserves start alongside him forever

I like everything he does except his shooting. Just hit 34-37% I wouldn't be mad

[lefty]

Robert Horry would've made that shot.

He didn’t in 2003
(phew)

[Fireball]

good effort to come back from being down 16 ... three tough losses on that road trip is disappointing but I cannot be mad about this one (although I shouted at the TV for a few of Wemby's three point attempts)

[Pauleta14]

Everyone in this team leaves their man open for a 3pt shot so I am with you on the IQ. :lol Talent level is horrendous, needless to say

How many CLEAR instances of low IQ/really dumb decisions has Sochan showed just in the last couple of weeks?

What do people expect? That he does a 180 suddenly?

Wemby is literally playing with (unnecessary) handicaps smh

[Pauleta14]

When sochan is not getting easy baskets,He is pretty much useless on offense.

Leet's say it the way it is, he's being FED.

And he's not useless, I'd be almost fine with that, he's literally a liability that help opponents.

[RC_Drunkford]

my only question is: why did Sochan not pass the ball to Barnes who was wide open in the corner?

Also they should've ran the out of time out play with a pass to an open Sochan at the top of the key. Wolves left him open, make him handle the ball and drive so his man has to step up. If you're not doing that Champagnie has to be in for him.

[LeBowen]

Leet's say it the way it is, he's being FED.

And he's not useless, I'd be almost fine with that, he's literally a liability that help opponents.

Wrote about it after the game, the issue is that our roster is horrible and there's just no way to put playoff level lineups out there most of the time.
Almost everyone on our roster is fundamentally flawed for modern basketball requirements.

Jeremy - He's easily our best non-big rebounder on both ends of the floor and he's easily our best non-Wemby defender, even thoug he's far from elite. He did a great job on Edwards last night, can't take that away from him.
Is he a negative on offense? Yes. But it's not like we didn't generate enough open shots and it's not like he's the reason we can't attack the rim. Noone except Castle and Keldon attacked it even when Jeremy was out, so that's a non-argument.
We just can't afford not to play him against physical teams with size. Even with him we lose out on the boards, without him it's just a disaster.

CP3 - 14 assists with no turnovers is ridiculous, he's the reason why this team looks functional. But he's playing way too many minutes and is often gassed at the end of games. That's on Mitch. He's got no legs left and is a non-threat in the paint, can't even iso on slowest bigs anymore. Nothing against him, he's amazing for his age, but those are the facts.

Castle - Rookie wall, I'm not worried long term, but Mitch has a really short leash on him and it's something that needs to be dealt with. Castle's development is more important than a few extra wins, we need him to become a high-end starter and not just a role player. He can't shoot, he lost his confidence and he has a horrible whistle, but he has to play through it. We know what we have with older players and we know they won't get us anywhere. Castle might. But still, he's more or less unplayable together with Jeremy.

Tre - Why is he even in the rotation anymore? Great guy, developed into a solid backup, but if we have one point guard on the floor already, what's his purpose? He's just a negative as a secondary playmaker due to his size and lack of reliable shot.

Keldon - Tank commander. Nothing less, nothing more. Even when he scores a couple of important baskets by attacking the paint, you know he'll give them right back by awful defense or dumb decisions. He just has to go.

That's 5/8 perimeter rotation players who are fundamentally flawed and had to be put in specific roles in order to be useful.
Devin, Barnes and Champagnie are fundamentally solid, but have their issues.
First two tend to completely disappear from games and Devin is an injury risk. Also bad defensively when not engaged. But I can understand trying to play him back into form, he's got the highest scorer ceiling on the team.
What I don't understand and just can't accept is why is Champagnie getting shafted? He literally won us the game just the other night and he's still behind Keldon in the rotation? Why?
Champagnie is our only textbook shooter with great off-ball movement, he also has solid cuts and isn't a negative defensively, unlike Keldon. He simply must play because opponents are starting to respect his shot.
But no, he's earning $3M and Mitch doesn't have the balls to DNP Keldon. Just to be clear, Pop also wouldn't do it.

Comment of the season on this forum was when someone said they completely forgot about Keldon's existance during a win while he was injured. That's how impotant he is to the team. We simply must get rid of him and all of his horrible tendencies.
With all their flaws, it's one occasion where it's actually addition by subtraction and we have the personnel to replace him without adding anyone.

[sananspursfan21]

On a positive note, how ridiculous is it that Wemby’s 34 point game feels mundane?

[exstatic]

Yeah Paul is playing about what we should have expected from him all season. He’s one of the last things to worry about. Not even 40 year old Tim or Manu could make up for the liabilities on this team.

I finally saw him make a mistake,though. In the fourth, he turned the corner on a high pick and roll, and there was no one in the lane or at the rim. He stopped and passed the ball backwards to the top when he absolutely should have pressured the rim, and if someone rotates, there’s probably an easy pass to the corner.

[CorrectCrusader]

I finally saw him make a mistake,though. In the fourth, he turned the corner on a high pick and roll, and there was no one in the lane or at the rim. He stopped and passed the ball backwards to the top when he absolutely should have pressured the rim, and if someone rotates, there’s probably an easy pass to the corner.

I know exactly what play ur talking about. He was so free for the layup, idk why he passed back

[CorrectCrusader]

On a positive note, how ridiculous is it that Wemby’s 34 point game feels mundane?

I can't wait for our roster to stop being full of non-shooters because man Wemby in a 5 out offense will be just unreal.

[exstatic]

I can't wait for our roster to stop being full of non-shooters because man Wemby in a 5 out offense will be just unreal.

I’m kind of waiting for that, because the concept is just motion, no pick and rolls. It completely neuters any kind of help defense or trapping. If you dribble towards a player, that player and the other three just rotate in whatever direction is predetermined by the team. Memphis hired some small college coach last summer, and are implementing a version of it this season.

[CGD]

Sochan did a fantastic job on Edwards. 14pts on 6-20FG

Indeed, I thought Sochan played winning ball yesterday

[CGD]

I can't wait for our roster to stop being full of non-shooters because man Wemby in a 5 out offense will be just unreal.

We basically play 5 man out now. I agree on shooting but for that offense you also want/need players who can breakdown the defenses with penetration to start the blender. CP3 can’t really do that anymore, and outside of Steph our other guys are suspect in that regard.

[Pauleta14]

Wrote about it after the game, the issue is that our roster is horrible and there's just no way to put playoff level lineups out there most of the time.
Almost everyone on our roster is fundamentally flawed for modern basketball requirements.

Jeremy - He's easily our best non-big rebounder on both ends of the floor and he's easily our best non-Wemby defender, even thoug he's far from elite. He did a great job on Edwards last night, can't take that away from him.
Is he a negative on offense? Yes. But it's not like we didn't generate enough open shots and it's not like he's the reason we can't attack the rim. Noone except Castle and Keldon attacked it even when Jeremy was out, so that's a non-argument.
We just can't afford not to play him against physical teams with size. Even with him we lose out on the boards, without him it's just a disaster.

CP3 - 14 assists with no turnovers is ridiculous, he's the reason why this team looks functional. But he's playing way too many minutes and is often gassed at the end of games. That's on Mitch. He's got no legs left and is a non-threat in the paint, can't even iso on slowest bigs anymore. Nothing against him, he's amazing for his age, but those are the facts.

Castle - Rookie wall, I'm not worried long term, but Mitch has a really short leash on him and it's something that needs to be dealt with. Castle's development is more important than a few extra wins, we need him to become a high-end starter and not just a role player. He can't shoot, he lost his confidence and he has a horrible whistle, but he has to play through it. We know what we have with older players and we know they won't get us anywhere. Castle might. But still, he's more or less unplayable together with Jeremy.

Tre - Why is he even in the rotation anymore? Great guy, developed into a solid backup, but if we have one point guard on the floor already, what's his purpose? He's just a negative as a secondary playmaker due to his size and lack of reliable shot.

Keldon - Tank commander. Nothing less, nothing more. Even when he scores a couple of important baskets by attacking the paint, you know he'll give them right back by awful defense or dumb decisions. He just has to go.

That's 5/8 perimeter rotation players who are fundamentally flawed and had to be put in specific roles in order to be useful.
Devin, Barnes and Champagnie are fundamentally solid, but have their issues.
First two tend to completely disappear from games and Devin is an injury risk. Also bad defensively when not engaged. But I can understand trying to play him back into form, he's got the highest scorer ceiling on the team.
What I don't understand and just can't accept is why is Champagnie getting shafted? He literally won us the game just the other night and he's still behind Keldon in the rotation? Why?
Champagnie is our only textbook shooter with great off-ball movement, he also has solid cuts and isn't a negative defensively, unlike Keldon. He simply must play because opponents are starting to respect his shot.
But no, he's earning $3M and Mitch doesn't have the balls to DNP Keldon. Just to be clear, Pop also wouldn't do it.

Comment of the season on this forum was when someone said they completely forgot about Keldon's existance during a win while he was injured. That's how impotant he is to the team. We simply must get rid of him and all of his horrible tendencies.
With all their flaws, it's one occasion where it's actually addition by subtraction and we have the personnel to replace him without adding anyone.


Question asked and answered... :lol (I assume it was a rhetorical one)

You put the nail on it and highlight one of the many reasons I had doubts from the start about Mitch despite his (probable) high bb knowledge, being a coach is also being a man leading other men and having the balls to take unpopular decisions.

It's not hard to imagine how difficult it must be for Mitch to suddenly have this role when he has been their dev coach and sort of confident helping them on a daily basis for years.

Anyway I agree (as often tbh) with your whole post, I'd like to insist that even if it looks like i'm a hater, I like Sochan, just not in the role PATFO has given and still gives him and the way most fans envision him as a potential top player (with insane Rodman or Draymond comp smh). His ceiling is a versatile defensive role players used depending on match ups and lineups. Not a starter.

We're stuck in a vicious circle where players are used by default or by status. It's insane and it gets worse, because our record is decent so you can forget about any type of accountability or change short term.

[Mal]

my only question is: why did Sochan not pass the ball to Barnes who was wide open in the corner?


DiVincenzo close the passing lane. He knew what he was doing.

[R. DeMurre]

To sum it up, front office has a decision to make.
If they actually want to compete, we need a backup big and another 6'8+ wing with a reliable shot.
If they're content with missing out, Castle's development has to be the priority.

Playing Tre and Keldon so much serves no purpose.

I was thinking along these lines too. Who are your candidates? I have two: Goga Bitaze and Jake LaRavia. Both guys are currently getting extra playing time due to team injuries, but play on teams with lots of depth at their positions. LaRavia will be a free agent this summer, and Goga is signed through '27 on a a sub-MLE contract. Both guys share the characteristic of steady improvement in a three year period, solid net positive impact this year, and the possibility of being truly impactful if their developmental arc continues for a 4th year. LaRavia's 6'8" and shooting 44% from three, and his assist & rebounds per 36 have taken big leaps this year, along with his BPM, WS/48, and TS%. Goga for me has the potential to be one of the best back up centers in the league.

[LeBowen]

I was thinking along these lines too. Who are your candidates? I have two: Goga Bitaze and Jake LaRavia. Both guys are currently getting extra playing time due to team injuries, but play on teams with lots of depth at their positions. LaRavia will be a free agent this summer, and Goga is signed through '27 on a a sub-MLE contract. Both guys share the characteristic of steady improvement in a three year period, solid net positive impact this year, and the possibility of being truly impactful if their developmental arc continues for a 4th year. LaRavia's 6'8" and shooting 44% from three, and his assist & rebounds per 36 have taken big leaps this year, along with his BPM, WS/48, and TS%. Goga for me has the potential to be one of the best back up centers in the league.

No way Spurs would even consider Bitadze, he punched at coach when he was with the Pacers. (would probably be useful in our case :lol)
Valanciunas is the obvious backup big answer.
Since you mentioned LaRavia, I'm interested in Aladama, he didn't sign an extension with the Grizzlies, will hit RFA this summer.
6'11, 13/7/3 on 50/39/77 this season, 4.5 3pta, 25mpg, solid enough defensively.
I'm not sure Grizzlies would be willing to go way over the cap for him, but they also probably don't want to trade him right now, he's their 6th man.
Could be our budget Markkanen.

Good wings are really difficult to find, I honestly have no idea who could we get other than those obvious names.

[R. DeMurre]

I really like Aladama too, but he's restricted while LaRavia is unrestricted in free agency, and probably one rung higher in the rotation. Memphis has done a really great job of scouting for picks outside of the lottery.

[Jordan Jackson]

I really like Aladama too, but he's restricted while LaRavia is unrestricted in free agency, and probably one rung higher in the rotation. Memphis has done a really great job of scouting for picks outside of the lottery.

They hired some of the Spurs scouts. Jokes on us, I guess.

[Ice009]

Just watched the game as I couldn't watch it live. Another crushing loss. Yet another game this season the Spurs could have won :(. Darn, these types of losses suck.

[scott]

Comment of the season on this forum was when someone said they completely forgot about Keldon's existance during a win while he was injured. That's how impotant he is to the team. We simply must get rid of him and all of his horrible tendencies.
With all their flaws, it's one occasion where it's actually addition by subtraction and we have the personnel to replace him without adding anyone.

That was me, and it's still the most damning thing one can say about Keldon (or anyone for that matter). He's been a good soldier and seems like a great dude, so I feel bad for him, but not that bad because he's a young millionaire with an Olympic gold medal. He'll be fine in SAC, they wear Cowboy hats there too.