Doesn't it hack you off

[SenorSpur]

Everyone who watched the WCSF series between the Spurs and Mavs knows what an epic battle that was. That series, along with the hard-fought 4 games during the regular season, displayed how evenly matched the two teams were.

Despite how closely those games were played, many Spurs fans on this board saw apparent weaknesses in our team and we had all offseason to ponder. In fact, many of us wondered and even pleaded for the front office to address the apparent "lack of athleticism" at certain positions on this team. Granted they did make some moves to address speed and outside shooting (Elson, Bonner, Williams), while shipping out players that they found either too costly, too expensive or too old (Rasho, Nazr, NVE). However they did nothing to bolster the weaknesses on the perimeter.

All the while, Pop is saying over the summer that he and R.C. agreed they "wouldn't panic" following their playoff exit and that Spurs fans tended to overreact because the team lost the series. In short, he basically scoffed at the notion that the Spurs were "too old" and "unathletic".

Now through the first couple of months of this season and after a humiliating, come-from-behind defeat at the hands of the hated Mavs, the same weaknesses on this team are still there, only more glaring. Yet it wasn't just the recent loss the Mavs that drove this point home. It was terrible and unexplainable losses to inferior teams such as the Cavs (twice), Rockets, Bucks, Bobtails and Wolves.

Now the Spurs brass has suddenly found the necessary motivation to do what many of us thought they should have done over the offseason - get younger and quicker on the perimeter and address the lack of rebounding. All in an effort to help counter the speed of teams with younger, quicker backcourt and wing players.

My question to the masses is does it hack you off that the FO waited this long before trying to make a move to address these deficiencies? Or do you feel it was the right thing to do to wait through the first few months of the season as we are approaching the trade deadline?

[slayermin]

I wish the FO could spend more money but it's San Antonio. It's been discussed ad nauseum that the Spurs need a long, athletic three. The players I see around the league that would fill the need were all high first round draft picks.

Personally, I would love to get Stephen Jackson back. He would fill that need nicely, imo.

[SenorSpur]

I wish the FO could spend more money but it's San Antonio. It's been discussed ad nauseum that the Spurs need a long, athletic three. The players I see around the league that would fill the need were all high first round draft picks.

Personally, I would love to get Stephen Jackson back. He would fill that need nicely, imo.

Kind of amazing that, like him or not, the Spurs have never been able to successfully replace the skills SJax brought to the table.

[Leetonidas]

We haven't lost to the Sixers.

[slayermin]

Kind of amazing that, like him or not, the Spurs have never been able to successfully replace the skills SJax brought to the table.

And he's chippy, a type of player that the Mavs hate to play against.

[Leetonidas]

And what the hell kinda expression is "hack you off?" I've never even heard of that term.

[boutons_]

"the skills SJax brought to the table."

He didn't have/doesn't have yet but mediocre skills.
He hit a few timely 3s that canonized him for some Spurs fans'.

Mavs finally got the coach and a group of players that Cuban's $100Ms have been seeking for 10 years.

We have the coach and a Big 3 but don't have the $Ms to match Cuban.

[remingtonbo2001]

You guys give up way to easily. I would imagine your the same folks that were calling for Pop's head in 99'.....Oh wait we won that year......Or maybe calling for Tony to be benched after being handled by Marbury in 03'. Oh wait, Pop did and we won.....Let the man work his magic. Three championships mean something. When the playoffs roll around wouldn't much rather have expierence and youth. Put S.Jackson in place of Horry during the 05 Finals, I would nearly gurantee that he doesn't have a fraction of the impact. Don't count these guys out, that's why they're getting paid the big bucks and we're not.

[SenorSpur]

"the skills SJax brought to the table."

He didn't have/doesn't have yet but mediocre skills.
He hit a few timely 3s that canonized him for some Spurs fans'.

Mavs finally got the coach and a group of players that Cuban's $100Ms have been seeking for 10 years.

We have the coach and a Big 3 but don't have the $Ms to match Cuban.

There's no question Jax had flaws. Don't forget he had a terrible handle and was extremely turnover prone. However he was a streaky shooter (even deadly when he was on), decent defender and could rebound the ball when motivated.

[slayermin]

Mavs finally got the coach and a group of players that Cuban's $100Ms have been seeking for 10 years.

We have the coach and a Big 3 but don't have the $Ms to match Cuban.

Great point. I hate Cuban but he's willing to spend. It's difficult to match a team's talent when they spend $20-30 million dollars more than you every year. That's two superstar type players or four very talented players.

[ChumpDumper]

I'm hacked that one loss to Dallas in January made this entire site melt down.

[mavs>spurs2]

I'm hacked that one loss to Dallas in January made this entire site meltdown.

Just imagine the losses during May or June!!!

[ChumpDumper]

Just imagine the losses during May or June!!!Nah, we won't even make the playoffs now.

[slayermin]

Just imagine the losses during May or June!!!

You haven't even won the reg. season series? WTF are you talking about?

[mavs>spurs2]

Nah, we won't even make the playoffs now.

That also works.

[ChumpDumper]

That also works.About as well as the ref excuses to come from mavfans.

[Solid D]

The jettisoning of Rasho's and Nazr's contracts was forseen by Marcus-damus in Aug. 2005. This summer's moves weren't done with this year's championship in mind.

If the Spurs can get an athletic rebounder like Maggette who can get his own shot for a 2-3 year commitment for a million or two more per, then 2006 will look a lot better additions-wise.

[Bob Lanier]

Hacking off is overrated.

[ChumpDumper]

Leads to chafing.

[spurtime]

some have said it will make you blind...By some miracle I still have 20/20 vision.

[midgetonadonkey]

I think the Spurs are good.

[THE SIXTH MAN]

I used to hack off a lot when I was younger....

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

"the skills SJax brought to the table."

He didn't have/doesn't have yet but mediocre skills.
He hit a few timely 3s that canonized him for some Spurs fans'.


http://www.scarysquirrel.org/special/balsac/balani1.gif

[my2sons]

I wouldn't guess the cap played any role in it.

[nkdlunch]

It's true we are no better off today as we were last year, the FO might have tried but has failed to put the team in a better position.

I don't know if I'm the only one who thinks this, but last season and this season, we have played mainly 3 on 5 vs. Mavs. Our big 3 are the ones who are fighting vs. the whole Mav team. Noone else shows up on a consistent basis. How the hell can we expect to beat a really good team with only 3 players????

It is actually unbeleivable that the Mavs haven't been blowing us off. And that we've kept it so competitive. That's how good our big 3 are. (then again, they're a great team but they're also chokers :D)

This has to be blamed on the role players, on the coach, and on the FO.

[VaSpursFan]

It's true we are no better off today as we were last year, the FO might have tried but has failed to put the team in a better position.

I don't know if I'm the only one who thinks this, but last season and this season, we have played mainly 3 on 5 vs. Mavs. Our big 3 are the ones who are fighting vs. the whole Mav team. Noone else shows up on a consistent basis. How the hell can we expect to beat a really good team with only 3 players????

It is actually unbeleivable that the Mavs haven't been blowing us off. And that we've kept it so competitive. That's how good our big 3 are. (then again, they're a great team but they're also chokers :D)

This has to be blamed on the role players, on the coach, and on the FO.

when will the spurs realize that what's needed on this team...at least 4 aggressive offensive options. given the rule changes on the perimeter, we need people who can slash to the basket. bowen tries but he's simply a spot up shooter.

i'd like to see pop change his philosophy from 4 down with everyone watching tim in the post and waiting by the 3 point line, to running more pick and rolls to get some buckets going to the basket and hopefully some fouls on the other team in the process. as the rules change, pop needs to adapt. spot up shooters are great but slashers and finishers are what's needed now. a healty dose of both would be ideal to keep teams on their toes...kinda like pick your poison.

[Pero]

...Bobtails...
Huh? :lol


Three championships mean something.
Hmmm, what about not repeating on any of these three championships?


We haven't lost to the Sixers.
:lol

[Big Shot Rob]

I am hacked off (that is a phrase from the 1970's; it means "pissed off" for the younger members od this website).

But the FO appeared to have stolen Jackie Butler and Elson. The jury is still out on that. Maybe Butler and Elson will be great by the time the play-offs come.

I myself am preparing for a meltdown. Look--after we won a ring in 1999, it took until 2003 before we won another one. We skipped a year and won a third one in 2005.

As much as I want to win a ring every year--and want to win every game--I know that won't happen. I hope to hell that we develop an answer for the Mavs by the time we meet in the playoffs (if we do meet them). Fact is--without anohter player by trading deadline--the prospects of getting back to the finals look grim.

So yes--I am hacked off--pissed off--however you want to phrase it.

[mabber]

And he's chippy, a type of player that the Mavs hate to play against.

Not the current Mavs. SJax wasn't even a factor in the Mav's recent game vs. Indiana.

I agree, the Mavs of old were soft and that type of player would bother them but this current team isn't really bothered by anyone (other than the superstars that score a lot against them...like Kobe).

[Ronaldo McDonald]

Everyone who watched the WCSF series between the Spurs and Mavs knows what an epic battle that was. That series, along with the hard-fought 4 games during the regular season, displayed how evenly matched the two teams were.

Despite how closely those games were played, many Spurs fans on this board saw apparent weaknesses in our team and we had all offseason to ponder. In fact, many of us wondered and even pleaded for the front office to address the apparent "lack of athleticism" at certain positions on this team. Granted they did make some moves to address speed and outside shooting (Elson, Bonner, Williams), while shipping out players that they found either too costly, too expensive or too old (Rasho, Nazr, NVE). However they did nothing to bolster the weaknesses on the perimeter.

All the while, Pop is saying over the summer that he and R.C. agreed they "wouldn't panic" following their playoff exit and that Spurs fans tended to overreact because the team lost the series. In short, he basically scoffed at the notion that the Spurs were "too old" and "unathletic".

Now through the first couple of months of this season and after a humiliating, come-from-behind defeat at the hands of the hated Mavs, the same weaknesses on this team are still there, only more glaring. Yet it wasn't just the recent loss the Mavs that drove this point home. It was terrible and unexplainable losses to inferior teams such as the Cavs (twice), Rockets, Bucks, Bobtails and Wolves.

Now the Spurs brass has suddenly found the necessary motivation to do what many of us thought they should have done over the offseason - get younger and quicker on the perimeter and address the lack of rebounding. All in an effort to help counter the speed of teams with younger, quicker backcourt and wing players.

My question to the masses is does it hack you off that the FO waited this long before trying to make a move to address these deficiencies? Or do you feel it was the right thing to do to wait through the first few months of the season as we are approaching the trade deadline?



The Spurs front office made an enormous mistake when they decided to let Steven Jackson run off; they made the same mistake, only to a lesser extent when they did the same thing to Devin Brown.

The root of the current problem starts in the front office, like you say, but it isn't what they didn't do this past off-season, it's what they let happen some off-seasons ago.

Popovich was a smart coach before he lost his senses. He is a defensive minded coach who is coaching not only offensive minded players, but OLD players. To want an offensive player to play defense is a challenge but to want an old player to play defense is a mission impossible; for Pop to think otherwise, especially with as much basketball experience as he has, is so far beyond stupidity...whatever...they say the the good teams are always managed best, and it shows.

I'll post soemthing more relative to the topic later (going to sleep-didn't get that much last night), right now I just had to get that off my chest.

[Kori Ellis]

The Spurs front office made an enormous mistake when they decided to let Steven Jackson run off; they made the same mistake, only to a lesser extent when they did the same thing to Devin Brown. ...

Regarding SJax ...

They put an offer on the table which was reasonable. His agent never even called them back about it and ran off looking for a mid-level+ deal. He ended up with nothing but the million dollar offer in Atlanta.

That's on Fegan for being an ass, not the Spurs.

About Devin ...

Concerns about his back, his work ethic and the availability of Finley made it understandable that they decided not to offer Devin anything. They could have had him recently again, so obviously they aren't interested.