SPURS A Member of the No Balls Association

[BIG IRISH]

By Bill Simmions

SAN ANTONIO: (INC)
If the Spurs honestly believe this particular roster of guys can beat Phoenix or Dallas this spring, they're crazy. On the other hand, I'm not sure what they could have done. They need another big man to help out Tim Duncan defensively (he's slipping noticeably on that end), as well as a big-time perimeter stopper (Manu Ginobili's slipping and Bruce Bowen already slipped) ... but they had no trading chips other than their No. 1 pick, Luis Scola's rights and a couple of smaller expiring contracts. (Note: I spent 25 solid minutes trying to figure out a way they could have landed Joel Przybilla or Gerald Wallace for a reasonable price and couldn't make it work.) So what can you do? They're getting old and there's no real way to stop it.


http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/070223
:toast

[TDMVPDPOY]

go eat shit big irish

pryz is a bust for signin a contract his not worth, look at him this season, below career avgs and having his worst season.

gerald wallace is untouchable atm, unless we trade ginoboli....

[dbestpro]

Another big man: Ely>Pryzbilla
Perimeter stopper: Rejuvenated Ginobilli: priceless

In the Denver game and for the first time this year, San Antonio was different. They played hard. They didn't quit. They were physical and they completely blew Denver off the court. The Spurs do not need another player they just need to play that way in playoff time and they will win another ring. In fact it was the best stretch of play I had seen of any team all year. It all stems from the effort.

[WalterBenitez]

We are getting old quickly that is a fact, the rest let us see ... Bill Simmions :ihit

[Obstructed_View]

Another big man: Ely>Pryzbilla
Perimeter stopper: Rejuvenated Ginobilli: priceless

In the Denver game and for the first time this year, San Antonio was different. They played hard. They didn't quit. They were physical and they completely blew Denver off the court. The Spurs do not need another player they just need to play that way in playoff time and they will win another ring. In fact it was the best stretch of play I had seen of any team all year. It all stems from the effort.
I agree completely. If they can develop the habit of playing that way the rest of the season they could very well roll through the playoffs. It's too bad that they played such a terrible Nuggets team, but that group would have whipped anyone that night IMHO.

[T Park]

Yeah that Duncan guy sucks...

:lol

Ignore this and walk away folks.

[cheguevara]

hahaha funny. That's probably the worst case most negative thing you can say about Spurs.

Is bill simmons this robot?
http://www.backstreetmerch.com/images/products/films/posters/hgttg/bsi_hgttg02.gif

[Pugglekicker_21]

THis guy gave basically the whole league a failing grade and gave Houston an A for a trade that happened last year. WTF? plus there was such crap as z infinity minus. At first I thought this was a hoax, but no, this guy is real, and in need of a kick to the groin.

[Kori Ellis]

go eat shit big irish

Ummm.. BIG IRISH didn't write the article, Bill Simmons did.


pryz is a bust for signin a contract his not worth, look at him this season, below career avgs and having his worst season.

You realize what happened to him physically, right? :lol

I'd think guys would be more sympathetic. :nutkick:

[T Park]

So bad he had to have surgery.


Players should be wearing a darn black ribbon on their jerseys for Pryz.

[Clutch20]

Need to sell news + feces for brain matter + espn = billy simmons (who is getting older and dumber)

[K-State Spur]

This roster absolutely CAN beat Phoenix or Dallas. They won't be the favorites and they'll have to play above themselves to do so. But anybody who claims that it is beyond their capabilities is full of crap.

[1Parker1]

:lmao Manu is sliding? That's news to me:

Currently averaging: 17.1 ppg, shooting .40% from 3 point land and 47% from the field, and 4.4 rebounds per game....all career best.


Maybe Simmons should have done some basic research instead of wasting his time looking up possible trade opportunities for the Spurs to get Pryzbilla or Wallace. :rolleyes

[Que Gee]

I don't know why you guys are whining so much...He didn't really didn't say anything except that basically the Spurs were in a tough spot to do anything during the trading deadline. He looked at their situation and really couldn't see anything that could be done to make them a better team....So, he basically pointed out that
1. They are getting older and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Which is hurting them.
2. Bowen and Duncan are slipping on the defensive end. Which if you go back and look at the strings after Spurs losses, has been mentioned NUMEROUS times by people in this forum. Is it true? Eh, I think there is a little bit of truth to both. I actually think more so Tim than Bruce, but I think it seems like his lack of aggressiveness more than anything.

If you read Simmons regularly or saw the read the whole article, you would probably understand that his Pryz/Wallace line was more of a "pie in the sky" idea of at the that he was trying to put together that he thought "might" help the Spurs or make them somehow better. It wasn't like he is saying they should have gone out and get Pryz/Wallace.

The Spurs are a good team, not a great team...could they win?...yes. Are they the favorites? No. Stop being a bunch of bitches everytime someone doesn't worship Tim, Manu, Bruce, Pop...etc.

[Que Gee]

:lmao Manu is sliding? That's news to me:

Currently averaging: 17.1 ppg, shooting .40% from 3 point land and 47% from the field, and 4.4 rebounds per game....all career best.


Maybe Simmons should have done some basic research instead of wasting his time looking up possible trade opportunities for the Spurs to get Pryzbilla or Wallace. :rolleyes

Here's my point exactly...he didn't say anything about Manu's offense. He was talking about perimeter defense. Go back and read it again.

I'm not saying Simmons is right about everything, but READ THE ARTICLE before you start crying that he isn't worshiping at the temple of Manu.

[1Parker1]

Here's my point exactly...he didn't say anything about Manu's offense. He was talking about perimeter defense. Go back and read it again.

I'm not saying Simmons is right about everything, but READ THE ARTICLE before you start crying that he isn't worshiping at the temple of Manu.


You're right, I did mis-read that, my bad. But calm the heck down. My stance still stands...Manu was never a "perimeter stopper" and his defense is the same it's always been, I don't see any slippage.

[Que Gee]

You're right, I did mis-read that, my bad. But calm the heck down. My stance still stands...Manu was never a "perimeter stopper" and his defense is the same it's always been, I don't see any slippage.

Your right, I was really directing my points to "everyone" in the string not necessarily you...my apologies. And I do agree with you on the point that Manu has never been seen as a "perimiter" stopper. I just find that so many people in here can be so "thin skinned" when it comes to anything doesn't praise the big three or the Spurs in general.

[dbestpro]

Your right, I was really directing my points to "everyone" in the string not necessarily you...my apologies. And I do agree with you on the point that Manu has never been seen as a "perimiter" stopper. I just find that so many people in here can be so "thin skinned" when it comes to anything doesn't praise the big three or the Spurs in general.

Look the Spurs at one time were champions. Then we all knew that they played poorly even when they won most of the year. But guess what? That is history too! Recently, if you have been watching, they have started to play different. They have started to play with a purpose on the defensive end. They haven't done that before. They are starting to look like the Spurs we know. If they keep it up, "old", "slow", "perimeter stopper", "2nd big man", will be words most of you will swear you never said.

[RC's Boss]

Ummm.. BIG IRISH didn't write the article, Bill Simmons did.



You realize what happened to him physically, right? :lol

I'd think guys would be more sympathetic. :nutkick:
:p:

[ManuTastic]

If you can look past his comments on the Spurs (a tall order on this board, of course), he makes some good points about Eastern teams who suck and didn't even try to get better.
And he's a sports HUMOR columnist, not a 'serious' one, so of course he exaggerates for effect. That's his schtick. Sometimes he's pretty funny, because some of what happens in pro sports is priceless, but you can't take him seriously. There's always Stephen A. if you like that kind of stuff.

[Don Quixote]

Yall, get off Bill Simmons' case. He's a comedian. He writes stuff to be funny, which he is.

I don't personally care WHO he likes. I read him because he's hilarious.

[mountainballer]

And he's a sports HUMOR columnist, not a 'serious' one, so of course he exaggerates for effect.

I also think he is funny (most of the time), but he is also more "serious" than most of the "serious" columnists ever will be.
most of the time he is absolutly right and if he isn't, he will make a joke about himself and admit that he was wrong. (see his Raptors comment).

in the past his comments usually gave a lot of credit to the Spurs. and some might forget, but he is NOT a Spurs columnist, who spends 99% of his time doing research on any Spurs related item.

in this column nothing he said about the Spurs was wrong.
you can of course laugh about his thought how to get Przybilla (who could easily have ended up as a long time Spur if he had signed in the summer), because Prz doesn't play a great season. he is absolutly right, that Wallace would have been exactly the right player right now, if the Spurs wanted to close the gap to the Mavs.

so, I prefer to read a funny column of Simmons, even if he calls the Spurs chanceless in a PO series against the Mavs or Suns, than a lethally boring column of Hollinger, the probably most incompetent basketball columnist and for sure most incompetent statistician in the whole world, even if his magic formular somehow ranks the Spurs at no. 1 in the nba.

[bdictjames]

Must be a Phoenix or Mav fan. I mean, not just a Suns or Mavs fan, but a bandwagonner.

[Extra Stout]

Nothing Bill Simmons said was incorrect. However, he did jump the shark about two years ago.

[AFBlue]

Nothing Bill Simmons said was incorrect. However, he did jump the shark about two years ago.

I think he still writes some funny stuff. What did he do to "jump the shark"?

[LilMissSPURfect]

are the spurs the only TEAM that is aging? has time stopped for everyone else? hmmmm


"We are what we repeatedly do, Excellence is therefore not an act but a habit."