The Spurs Will Be Back

This Spurs lost to the better team. Props to the Mavericks for advancing. Good luck.

As far as the Spurs are concerned, they still have more gas in the tank. Tim Duncan will have the longest offseason of his career to get his knees right. Tony Parker proved he's taken his game to another level and will be able to carry a bigger portion of the load for the foreseeable future. Manu Ginobili will get healthy, he'll be rested and and he'll once again be once of the best players in the league next year.

Bruce Bowen has another year in him. George Hill should really blossom next season. The Spurs should be able to fill out the roster with younger and better pieces.

Even though any objective Spurs fan knew the Spurs were extreme longshots to do anything this postseason, losing still hurt. Especially to the Mavs. But in the long run, this early loss well help the team. More rest and the roster's deficiencies are now painfully obvious. Winning a few more games in the postseason would have been great but escaping without a major injury to Duncan or Parker is way more important. Duncan could have hurt himself playing on one leg, Parker could have hurt himself trying to carry the whole load.

After a decade on the grind, this rest will do the team good. Come back next year with the Big Three intact, get refueled with better role players and make a run at #5.

Thank you to the Spurs for the effort. Thank you to Spurs fans for supporting your team.

The Spurs will be back.

Believe.

Aye!

+1

you are so right, timvp.

i look forward to watch the spurs for the next 4-5 seasons.

Great post timvp

And thank you very much for all your work this season.

Your analysis are the best thing we can read about the Spurs much better than EN.

Thanks a lot

:tu

As long as the big 3 stay healthy we will always be right in the mix. Hopefully the FO can rework some magic this offseason and we can add some new pieces.

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Originally Posted by Spurs Brazil

Thanks a lot

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No prob :tu

:toast nice post, the spurs will be ready next season for sure

Very true. The painful part is knowing we have to wait until late October for more Spurs basketball. Hopefully some magic happens this offseason.

So many ifs =/

get your mind right in the summer pop.

I'm ready for next season. Duncan went out like a warrior. Parker was great. Too bad the rest of the team didn't step up. Ginobili will be back. For the first time in eleven years, the Spurs will have some rest time. Realize that the Spurs have played more playoff games than any other team in the league for the past decade. The long break can't hurt too much.

GO NUGGETS GO !!!

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Originally Posted by timvp

After a decade on the grind, this rest will do the team good. Come back next year with the Big Three intact, get refueled with better role players and make a run at #5.

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It's a shame the long rest won't also include reinforcements through the draft...

along with the rest of the NBA, but the diff is they will come back with the same team and get the same results

Yes. Get Manu back. TD spends the next half year or so resting up. Hopefully Mahinmi will be ready to show what he can do. Out of the various young prospects stateside and in Europe I would think they can find at least one who is ready to contribute. Hill just made it clear that he should be a fixture in the rotation next year. I would hope that Bruce gets one more year in SA. Plus they should have their MLE and LLE to add someone of value to the rotation.

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Originally Posted by Mugen

get your mind right in the summer pop.

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x1 This!

We Don't want Pop to go we just want the old Pop back.

Always a fan, always believe. Thanks for the post.

I still believe the Spurs have one more deep run left in the playoffs.

You rule as usual timvp and as all the SpursTalk veterans know, this place is just as great in the offseason, if not better. GO SPURS GO!

Spend the mle wisely. Resign Bowen. Say adiós to everyone else. Beg splitter to come over.

in a way i'm almost happy it's over... my heart cant take no more.

I'm also sick of Pop's somberness this season. PJ probably calmed him down in his 3-5 years with pop.

BTW i've had enough of Pop's mancrush on Finley. He should retire already. I know he's a pro, but it's painfully obvious that he's done...

Mason needs to regroup and Pop fucked up his game late in the season. And George Hill should be our backup PG next season. BTW how did your Mason experiment (as our backup PG) turn out Pop?

Btw George hill IMO should get a legit shot at the starting two guard position next year.

The Spurs weren't going far without Manu so to get upset over a first round loss is silly.

Spurs exit earlier allows our returning players to rest.

Also, I'm pretty damn excited about the change the team will go through over the summer. We'll see a lot of new faces, mostly younger and athletic players.

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Originally Posted by timvp

This Spurs lost to the better team. Props to the Mavericks for advancing. Good luck.

As far as the Spurs are concerned, they still have more gas in the tank. Tim Duncan will have the longest offseason of his career to get his knees right. Tony Parker proved he's taken his game to another level and will be able to carry a bigger portion of the load for the foreseeable future. Manu Ginobili will get healthy, he'll be rested and and he'll once again be once of the best players in the league next year.

Bruce Bowen has another year in him. George Hill should really blossom next season. The Spurs should be able to fill out the roster with younger and better pieces.

Even though any objective Spurs fan knew the Spurs were extreme longshots to do anything this postseason, losing still hurt. Especially to the Mavs. But in the long run, this early loss well help the team. More rest and the roster's deficiencies are now painfully obvious. Winning a few more games in the postseason would have been great but escaping without a major injury to Duncan or Parker is way more important. Duncan could have hurt himself playing on one leg, Parker could have hurt himself trying to carry the whole load.

After a decade on the grind, this rest will do the team good. Come back next year with the Big Three intact, get refueled with better role players and make a run at #5.

Thank you to the Spurs for the effort. Thank you to Spurs fans for supporting your team.

The Spurs will be back.

Believe.

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timvp I agree with everything you said, especially about us now knowing exactly what our weaknesses are and all, But do you feel that Pop will make the right changes or will he continue to be stubborn, get rid of Bruce or not play him, keep Finley, etc, etc???

I have to say, I don't have confidence in Pop right now to do the right thing anymore.

:depressed




:flag:

I desperately hope that Pop gets over his overreaction to the loss to the Lakers in the WCF in 2008. That overreaction cost us this whole season. He started prioritizing offence too much, thinking we needed O to beat the lakers. We need D to get to play them in the 1st place Pop...

This team had an identity, and we need to get back to it. Play D, let the offence build from getting the stop!

Please, Please, Please Pop! No more lineups with more than 1 shitty defender. You can afford 1 shit defender, and 1 average one. But that means 3 players who are good defenders on the court all the time. We can do that! We can win that way! Spend games in the regular season to establish good habits if we lose a couple more, we lose a couple more...Tolerate losses for growth!

PS. For god's sake trade Finley! (and Bonner too while you are at it!)

Yeah, it's not over yet. Bruce Bowen is done. Don't want to see him. Ginobili has been on the decline for the last 3 years. It's time to move on. Also Popovich. His decision making is/was terrible this season.

Duncan and Parker is all that's left of this team.

I can't support a team that starts Matt Bonner in place of a 100 year old lady that can't walk... Sorry...

But good take..

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I'm I the only one who thinks this is a good thing?

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yes

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Originally Posted by EricB

Btw George hill IMO should get a legit shot at the starting two guard position next year.

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Over Manu?

Keep dreaming. Tim's only going to be older next season. He's past his prime, so every day he loses a little. Same for Manu. He's broken down even more than Tim. He'll be 32 next season with a LOT of mileage...Doubt he'll be playing in the playoffs next year.

Bowen will be even older. Tony will be in his prime, no doubt, but PG's can't drive contenders. Just doesn't happen.

And Pop has proven himself to be a complete fucking idiot and stubborn douche, so if he's back, we're even more fucked.

It is over.

It still would have been better to beat the Mavs but in all honesty, yes it's good for the players. I'm excited about the coming changes as well.

losing early might not be a bad thing in the long run.

but losing to the mavs is always a bad thing.

I need a nice long offseason.


This will be good for all. Rest, refuel, come back strong.


I hope we find a role for Bruce for next year. His contributions even in mentoring someone like Hill defensively will be huge. And hopefully Hill's contributions in this playoffs will teach Pop something, though I probably shouldnt hold my breath and realize that there will be more Finley in my future.

Agreed. The names you mentioned are really the only guys i want on the roster next year though i know we'll have to keep a few others. It would be nice to never see boner,finley,udoka,kt,and mason in a spurs jersey again. They all are too old, or are majorly lacking in a part of their game. I hope we make some smart decisions this off-season and the FO realizes that they really have one or two years left with TD as we know him.

VC would've been perfect imo because tho he is 30/31 he still is playing very well and will be for a few more years right up till TD's contract is up. Who cares after that. Oh well i guess. Now masons stock has dropped drastically. Sheed we might get, but he's garbage now, might help on D, but he's old, chucks 3's and out of shape.

I think Timvp is right tho, would've been nice to win a few more, oh well, we weren't going to win it all. Say we beat dallas some how beat Denver, then i know for a fact we would've got swept by the lakes. At least the spurs didn't lose to them -thank god- cuz living in socal i would've heard about it all day for the next year. So im not too upset, cuz i never thought we were good enough this year anyways, even with ginobili.

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Originally Posted by SA210

Over Manu?

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They can manage Manu's minutes better off the bench. I think Hill should get a shot at starting next to Tony. It would be a short backcourt, but Hill is long and they could actually get out and run.

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

Yes. Get Manu back. TD spends the next half year or so resting up. Hopefully Mahinmi will be ready to show what he can do. Out of the various young prospects stateside and in Europe I would think they can find at least one who is ready to contribute. Hill just made it clear that he should be a fixture in the rotation next year. I would hope that Bruce gets one more year in SA. Plus they should have their MLE and LLE to add someone of value to the rotation.

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Yeah, add Manu to the mix. Hope Hill works on the momentum and confidence he got in these last couple of games. Get Bowen back another season. And then the Spurs just need a couple more capable role players.

The Spurs really aren't that far away. But making the right moves this offseason is essential.

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Originally Posted by scanry

I'm also sick of Pop's somberness this season. PJ probably calmed him down in his 3-5 years with pop.

BTW i've had enough of Pop's mancrush on Finley. He should retire already. I know he's a pro, but it's painfully obvious that he's done...

Mason needs to regroup and Pop fucked up his game late in the season. And George Hill should be our backup PG next season. BTW how did your Mason experiment (as our backup PG) turn out Pop?

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I think Hill should be our starting 2 guard.

Spurs would have broken to the 2nd round at least if their opponent were not our boys in blue. Our boys in blue are just too good this season to be beaten, Mavs will definitely win the title this season. No grief spurs fans.

It wouldnt be so bad but at Tims's stage in his career. We wont have many more chances before he hangs up his sneakers.

I see I made an almost identical thread as LJ. Feel free to put this in that thread.

Not to rain on anyone's parade, but is Parker playing for the French national team this summer?

still a spurs fan 100%

have a good season spurs fans.. its been good.

They will probably be back :smokin

I can honestly say I am not mad with Duncan, Bowen, Parker, and Hill. At all. Hill came in last game and this game and put up numbers-not bad for ap layoff rookie (he outperformed Mason who was in the playoffs for the second time). Duncan and Parker...I love these guys. They busted their asses this series, especially Parker and he really really picked up all the slack he could. They deserve mad props. Bowen, after not gettin gany fucking playing time, still came in and did a great job on whoever he guarded, specifically Jason Terry. Kudos to those guys.

As for the role players...they need to go. Finley needs to retire, Bonner, Udoka, and Mason need to be traded if possible. I love Finley, I've been really hard on him this year, he is a professional and worked over the offseason to get in shape, but he's past his time. He needs to go. And Pop needs to fall out of love with him. Bonner and Udoka try but they just aren't good. They are great hustlers but they can't do anything on the court! As for Mason....I really liked him during the regular season. He could have easily been one of my favorite Spurs but the way he performed in the playoffs...man I can't get over it. He was so clutch in the regular season and teased us big time. He was a disappearing act. The Front Office needs to spend some money this summer...they tried to get players, yes, but they need to put forth the money if they really want to win.

To Pop, he had an off year coaching wise. Hard to be too mad at him considering he's a great coach. I think he really didn't have the personnel to do much, and I think at times he tried to get too genius to the point where it was idiotic and not genius. I still do not understand nor will I ever his love affair with Finley. EVER. I will never understand why he played so many minutes despite so many off games and defensive screwups, and that Bowen sat on the bench for most of the season. I realize Bowen needed to be preserved but playing Bruce 15-20 minutes every game would not have hurt, espeically when Finley couldn't guard his man.

I'm glad the season is over in the sense that we had a lot of misfortune with injuries, chemistry, and coaching. I'm not glad the season is over, because, well I love watching the Spurs. They are still my team and as hard as it was to watch this series, I know that they gave it their best and that's all we can ask. They've brought me personally a lot of happiness over the past 6 years, watching them win and always compete. I think it was a key part of me growing up, it's something I will always remember.

To next season :toast

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Originally Posted by TheProfessor

...is Parker playing for the French national team this summer?

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Yes.

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Originally Posted by EricB

Btw George hill IMO should get a legit shot at the starting two guard position next year.

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This somewhat intrigues me....


You would have to get creative, cause you would still want Hill to be the primary backup for Tony at PG, but it could work I suppose.

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Originally Posted by Mugen

losing early might not be a bad thing in the long run.

but losing to the mavs is always a bad thing.

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True but Mavs have no NBA championships to show for it.

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Originally Posted by timvp

Yeah, add Manu to the mix. Hope Hill works on the momentum and confidence he got in these last couple of games. Get Bowen back another season. And then the Spurs just need a couple more capable role players.

The Spurs really aren't that far away. But making the right moves this offseason is essential.

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And we need a gangster on this team, seriously. We need a Robert Horry, Stephen Jackson, Mario Elie type player that is raw and tough. We didn't have that this year. We need that.

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Originally Posted by Buddy Holly

The Spurs weren't going far without Manu so to get upset over a first round loss is silly.

Spurs exit earlier allows our returning players to rest.

Also, I'm pretty damn excited about the change the team will go through over the summer. We'll see a lot of new faces, mostly younger and athletic players.

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Nope, I both thought it was inevitable after Manu went down, and with Tim's poor knees and no SPAM, and am glad they are out now and can rest. Also, losing to the Mavs like this will encourage them to come out and avenge the early exit next year.

Good thing all-'round - we weren't going anywhere this year.

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Originally Posted by EricB

Btw George hill IMO should get a legit shot at the starting two guard position next year.

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I think Mason and Bowen should be the starting wings, but I do want Hill to avg 25 min next year. If Gist and Hairston are on the active roster next year the wings will be crowded, so I hope only one of Fin/Bowen is back, and I know that'd mean Fin retired which is a long shot, but that is my dream.

Also, I'd love for Bonner to go on a spiritual journey in India, so Gooden/Ian can back up TD/KT.

First-round exits suck....but at least you didn't get swept, and you're not in full rebuilding mode. Count yer blessings.

Losing early in the playoffs was the best realistic scenario for Spurs this year.

Duncan will have a 5 months offseason to rest his knees.
Parker will have a 2 and a half month before playing back.

The only disappointment is that most of the supporting cast has been bad in this series. Spurs FO had to do a damn good offseason to put Spurs back in the true contender category.

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Originally Posted by Rogue

Spurs would have broken to the 2nd round at least if their opponent were not our boys in blue. Our boys in blue are just too good this season to be beaten, Mavs will definitely win the title this season. No grief spurs fans.

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Hahahahahaahahahahahahahahah... ahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaa

That was great.

You won't make it past the Nuggets, let alone another 3 rounds.

:lmao

Ok, everyone take your spurs car flag down and look at what happened this year....

Don't need Bowen... don't need Vaughn...don't need Oberto...don't need Bonner...don't need Thomas....don't need Ginobili...

This team needs a major overhaul to beat the Lakers/Mavs/Nuggets/Cavs/Celtics/etc.

Dude, come on already...geezus...

the injury season is over. see you guys in training camp.

here's to an injury-free campaign next season.:toast
:flag::flag::flag:

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Originally Posted by timvp

The Spurs really aren't that far away. But making the right moves this offseason is essential.

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Who starts next to Tim?

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Originally Posted by timvp

Yeah, add Manu to the mix. Hope Hill works on the momentum and confidence he got in these last couple of games. Get Bowen back another season. And then the Spurs just need a couple more capable role players.

The Spurs really aren't that far away. But making the right moves this offseason is essential.

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Plus they have the Warriors' 2nd round pick at #37 which could yield someone of value, provided Pop would be willing to play him....

The MLE could be used on a vet like Wallace or McDyess, or perhaps Gooden, or maybe they use it to bring in a younger rising talent or two. Plus they have enough expiring contracts such that they might be able to pull off a solid trade. There's definitely a black and silver lining in ending this postseason before May, as shitty as it has been. Plus at least now Pop knows he can count on Hill.

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Originally Posted by Das Texan

This somewhat intrigues me....


You would have to get creative, cause you would still want Hill to be the primary backup for Tony at PG, but it could work I suppose.

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I really think hill has the tools to be a starting twoguard in this league. He is really a hybrid of antonio daniels and Jason terry. Backup point? Let him run it. Just have a wing come in for tony then tony comes in for hill.

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Originally Posted by timvp

This Spurs lost to the better team. Props to the Mavericks for advancing. Good luck.

As far as the Spurs are concerned, they still have more gas in the tank. Tim Duncan will have the longest offseason of his career to get his knees right. Tony Parker proved he's taken his game to another level and will be able to carry a bigger portion of the load for the foreseeable future. Manu Ginobili will get healthy, he'll be rested and and he'll once again be once of the best players in the league next year.

Bruce Bowen has another year in him. George Hill should really blossom next season. The Spurs should be able to fill out the roster with younger and better pieces.

Even though any objective Spurs fan knew the Spurs were extreme longshots to do anything this postseason, losing still hurt. Especially to the Mavs. But in the long run, this early loss well help the team. More rest and the roster's deficiencies are now painfully obvious. Winning a few more games in the postseason would have been great but escaping without a major injury to Duncan or Parker is way more important. Duncan could have hurt himself playing on one leg, Parker could have hurt himself trying to carry the whole load.

After a decade on the grind, this rest will do the team good. Come back next year with the Big Three intact, get refueled with better role players and make a run at #5.

Thank you to the Spurs for the effort. Thank you to Spurs fans for supporting your team.

The Spurs will be back.

Believe.

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Well said

We will be back

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Originally Posted by bdubya

First-round exits suck....but at least you didn't get swept, and you're not in full rebuilding mode. Count yer blessings.

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Who did Tayshaun think was off the chain?

And you forgot, the Spurs didn't trade Parker for AI. Pistons used to be my fave East team... when Billups and Big Ben were still there.:toast

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Originally Posted by timvp

Yeah, add Manu to the mix. Hope Hill works on the momentum and confidence he got in these last couple of games. Get Bowen back another season. And then the Spurs just need a couple more capable role players.

The Spurs really aren't that far away. But making the right moves this offseason is essential.

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I would love to see Bowen make Malic his understudy next year.

The other thing is that it should be perfectly clear to the FO that a healthy Manu is not necessarily the complete answer. If the 2010 plan is not to wait but rather to use the cap flexibility now, we may see more turnover than we expect.

what I do hope is for Georgie to spend some time getting to know Chip this summer.

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

Plus they have the Warriors' 2nd round pick at #37 which could yield someone of value, provided Pop would be willing to play him....

The MLE could be used on a vet like Wallace or McDyess, or perhaps Gooden, or maybe they use it to bring in a younger rising talent or two. Plus they have enough expiring contracts such that they might be able to pull off a solid trade. There's definitely a black and silver lining in ending this postseason before May, as shitty as it has been. Plus at least now Pop knows he can count on Hill.

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I'm interested to see if the spurs can man up and to after a Richard Jefferson.

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Originally Posted by Manufan909

Who did Tayshaun think was off the chain?

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Sheed and Rip (a reporter had just asked him about their T's)

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Originally Posted by Rogue

Spurs would have broken to the 2nd round at least if their opponent were not our boys in blue. Our boys in blue are just too good this season to be beaten, Mavs will definitely win the title this season. No grief spurs fans.

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We would've lost to any playoff team this season. We barely beat the Hornets (at home) and Denver just nuked them.

BTW enough with your sarcastic crap already. The Mavs ain't going nowhere. Denver will probably beat them in 5 or 6.

The Spurs were literally limping into the playoffs, they didn't have an flow going into the playoffs (which they usually did in the years past).

Hill, Hairston, Williams, Gist, Mahinmi. Those are the young guys I'd like to see get a fair shot next year. Except for Gist, they all know the system now. They cover all positions. They need to deliver, of course, but Pop needs to trust them and not bail on them.

In addition, another big is needed to take the load off of Duncan. Duncan doesn't rely on athleticism, but he needs frontline help.

But yeah, next year will be better: CHAMPIONSHIP!

Yes,you're right

We must be back!!!!!!!!!!!

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Originally Posted by timvp

This Spurs lost to the better team. Props to the Mavericks for advancing. Good luck.

As far as the Spurs are concerned, they still have more gas in the tank. Tim Duncan will have the longest offseason of his career to get his knees right. Tony Parker proved he's taken his game to another level and will be able to carry a bigger portion of the load for the foreseeable future. Manu Ginobili will get healthy, he'll be rested and and he'll once again be once of the best players in the league next year.

Bruce Bowen has another year in him. George Hill should really blossom next season. The Spurs should be able to fill out the roster with younger and better pieces.

Even though any objective Spurs fan knew the Spurs were extreme longshots to do anything this postseason, losing still hurt. Especially to the Mavs. But in the long run, this early loss well help the team. More rest and the roster's deficiencies are now painfully obvious. Winning a few more games in the postseason would have been great but escaping without a major injury to Duncan or Parker is way more important. Duncan could have hurt himself playing on one leg, Parker could have hurt himself trying to carry the whole load.

After a decade on the grind, this rest will do the team good. Come back next year with the Big Three intact, get refueled with better role players and make a run at #5.

Thank you to the Spurs for the effort. Thank you to Spurs fans for supporting your team.

The Spurs will be back.

Believe.

---

:tu

yea when I was watching that game I was pissed off most of the time but I said, oh well. At least I will get some sleep now, and the spurs will have longer vacations. This team would not go deep in the playoffs this year anyway.
But you always have a belive in you.

Umm, bring some good players to the san antonio cause right now spurs have only 3 starters and 2 bench players

I keep hearing bonner is under contract for next year, I thought he was a fa?!

bring back horry! better defender than bonner, worse shooter, but can finish around the rim and will BE THERE IN THE CLUTCH. or sheed or dyce. a clutch center is what we need really

Under contract for $3.2M

Very proud of the team for not giving up tonight. Udoka probably played the best defense of his career during that 2nd quarter. That's two memorable playoff performances from a player that gets alot of crap.

Thanks for the memories guys.

All I have to say, that with our very first pick, we need to draft someone, ANYONE, that is 6'9" SF that has long arms and can grab some fucking rebounds!!!! That alone will fix half our problems!
Let's draft us some new recruits i saidddd

Nice post timvp! I'm disappointed the way the season ended but this team wasn't going to make much noise in the playoffs.

I hope our big 3 come back rested and most importantly, in good health. The FO needs to find some younger, capable role players. I still believe that if the right choices are made, this team w/the big 3 have one more good run in them.

Still Love the Spurs! :toast

James Gist!

Spurs will be back? Really? Let us hope their managers are not as retarded as the fans here.

Bring back "Yall Ready For This"!!

Why did it have to be the f'n Mavs...

Bring back the good luck charm: Beno.

About Timmy, we'd better be a little more realistic, sure he'll get healthier, but older and less athletic more.

If he will still be the most athletic big in silver and black the next season, Spurs will get less chance than this playoff.

First of all, Thank you Timmvp. I post on several boards and Spurstalk is without a doubt THE BEST. You allow freedom while keeping the trolls at hand. That is hard to do and this forum makes it work. Also, many of the posters on this board are very well informed and thoughtful.

2nd- doesn't it feel different losing after winning 4 championships, compared to before like during the DRob days circa 94-95 etc? After winning 4 rings, the Spurs are already more successful than just a few NBA franchises. You can't hope to win every year. But the Spurs are in contention every year, which is as good as it gets.

3rd- the Spurs really got away from playing tough defense this year, and it killed them in the playoffs. They were never going to go anywhere in the postseason without being able to get defensive stops. Next year I hope they go back to putting more emphasis on D.

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Originally Posted by DieMrBond

Why did it have to be the f'n Mavs...

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Eh. Big deal. A loss is a loss to us. The Mavs can relish in Cuban breaking protocool to set up American Airlines banners for Playoff Series Victories Against The Spurs 2006 and 2009 but that's all they really have to cheer about in their entire franchise existence. Let them have it. It's not like they're getting out of the West.

Now that this series is over...it's back to the real game: FTL

In ten years nobody will remember the Mavs.

Spurs will slam the door shut on team of the decade with a 2010 title.

More than anything, Pop needs to take a long, hard look at the way he spreads minutes. He's using the same strategies that worked with deep, veteran squads on a team with several new faces. That just will not work. You can't just bench Hill late in the season because he might have made a few mistakes. You stick with him and help him improve. IF Pop handles things right, we might see Hill blossoming into a terrific 2-way role player.

Same goes for Mahinmi or Gist or Hairston or whichever young player is expected to feature on the Spurs in the next 2 years. Live with their mistakes and shape them into smart, productive players. The way Phil Jackson has done with Shannon Brown and Trevor Ariza; the way Carlisle had done with Barea, Bass and Hollins. Pop needs to practice patience and start teaching rather than simply benching the younger players and leaning on his broken-down old veterans.

Which brings us to the broken-down old veterans. Finley absolutely needs to retire and make way for some youth. I love Bruce, and he can be called upon for specific assignments, but we need to give 90% of the minutes at SF to players under 28. They need to let Udoka and Vaughn go. Bonner has 1 year left but I'd do everything in my power to trade his expiring contract along with that of Thomas and Oberto to get some fresh blood. Not sold on Mason yet, but he can be a serviceable SG *if* Pop doesn't fuck with him by asking him to run the offense. If Gooden or Sheed can be had for cheap then bring them aboard.

Bottomline: Keep the Big 3 + Bowen + Hill + Mahinmi + Mason. Convince Fin to retire. Let go of all the players whose contracts end this year except maybe Gooden. Try and trade all last-year (expiring) contracts for youth. Draft wisely and play whoever you pick.

Maybe when the band waggoners fall off the wagon, we'll have a stronger fan base next season!!!............See Ya!!!:toast

Ahh yea - fantastic job LJ :tu

You've been productive all season long.


Probably you will come up with the season ending post, but I'd rather say thanks now, so I prevent myself from forgetting about that later.

:worthy:

Could the Spurs pull off a sign and trade with another team using Finley and Bowen's contracts?

Silver and Black for life.

Thanks for all the memories so far, Spurs, and hopefully there are many more great ones in store.

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Originally Posted by EricB

I'm interested to see if the spurs can man up and to after a Richard Jefferson.

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I would take VC any day over jefferson.
and much rather have our loss be the Mavs than the Fakers!

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Originally Posted by timvp

This Spurs lost to the better team. Props to the Mavericks for advancing. Good luck.

As far as the Spurs are concerned, they still have more gas in the tank. Tim Duncan will have the longest offseason of his career to get his knees right. Tony Parker proved he's taken his game to another level and will be able to carry a bigger portion of the load for the foreseeable future. Manu Ginobili will get healthy, he'll be rested and and he'll once again be once of the best players in the league next year.

Bruce Bowen has another year in him. George Hill should really blossom next season. The Spurs should be able to fill out the roster with younger and better pieces.

Even though any objective Spurs fan knew the Spurs were extreme longshots to do anything this postseason, losing still hurt. Especially to the Mavs. But in the long run, this early loss well help the team. More rest and the roster's deficiencies are now painfully obvious. Winning a few more games in the postseason would have been great but escaping without a major injury to Duncan or Parker is way more important. Duncan could have hurt himself playing on one leg, Parker could have hurt himself trying to carry the whole load.

After a decade on the grind, this rest will do the team good. Come back next year with the Big Three intact, get refueled with better role players and make a run at #5.

Thank you to the Spurs for the effort. Thank you to Spurs fans for supporting your team.

The Spurs will be back.

Believe.

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I am was extraordinarily happy with the effort in the regular season. I felt this team did a great job and slightly over-achieved wins wise.

However, I was very disappointed with this 1st round. You know I was one of the loudest voices with regards to the Mavs being the worst match up. I knew that as a fan of basketball. As a fan of the Spurs I still thought they had enough to compete. I do not mind losing; the Mavs were the better team. I do mind not competing. I felt the Spurs did not give a good effort and that is disappointing.

So, I know you say they will be back, and I agree. But how do you think they do it? I know it is hard to target specific players, but in general. Here is my thoughts, what do you think?

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Originally Posted by DPG21920

This is what I want to happen, but it depends on three things: Will the Spurs scrap the 2010 plan, open up their wallets and go into win now mode in order to maximize Tim's years here?

If they are willing to do all of those things here is what they need to do in my opinion:

1) Really Target Team Needs: What does this team need? A true center that can help Tim patrol the paint along with rebound at a high rate. More than ever it has become evident that Tim can no longer do it on his own. It will go along way to improving the Spurs defense along with giving Tim some rest on that end.

Go for athletic wings that can do this combonation: Defend with some size and speed, hit the 3 efficiently or score efficiently. I would say lean to the scoring. Not all the way, but do not think you can find the Bowen replacement today. If you can get someone who is a solid defender and a better scorer, than it will go a long way to improving the line up.

How do you do this?

1) Buy into the Buyers Market: If people are willing to part with elite talent in order to increase cap space and shed salary, then the Spurs need to buy now. Especially if it is a player that fits a situational and positional need.

This especially makes sense if the player is relatively young and would be just as good as who the Spurs could expect to get in 2010 with the anticipated cap space. The NBA has shown that this is a distinct possibility, and the Spurs need to be ready to pounce. Spurs have 3 guys in Oberto/Mason/Bowen whom they can trade (because they expire in 2010) that will allow for the Spurs to trade for someone who makes 15 million dollars. That can buy you a nice player.

This becomes double effective if you can do so without trading Ginobili. Obviously, out of the big 3, Manu is the most likely to be traded. If you can use some kind of combo of players like I mentioned to get talent, without giving up Gino it would be a major bonus.

3) Use all of the MLE if the Right Player Comes Along: The spurs need to look for forwards and centers. If the Spurs can fulfill one need by trading, they need to use the MLE to target the other needs.

Do not just waste money, but if you have an opportunity to sign someone for a bargain (meaning somewhat of a good player who cannot really command more than the full MLE a la Maggette) then they need to do it.

With the combination of trades and the MLE, the Spurs have some options if they are willing to open up the checkbook. Will they? Probably not to the degree that I outlined, but I hope they try and win now, and worry about the future down the road when we do not have Duncan to appreciate any more.

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Bowen's gone. Of that we can be sure. But suggesting that the Spurs are going to need a major overhaul to be contenders is the same short-sightedness that caused people to lament the decline of Timmy before the last two championships. The Spurs are going to have a lot of young talent that's going to get major minutes next year, in positions the Spurs desperately needed this season. Barring a complete mental meltdown by the coaching staff, the Spurs will be poised for a deep playoff run next year.

Pop needs to come back next year without the beard. We need a fresh new look!

According to the media (and even a lot of Spurs fans), the Spurs "era" has ended so many times over the years. After Duncan's knee injury and the aging support, it was supposedly over. It was supposedly over again after the 2001 debacle. Then again after Robinson retired. Then the Spurs were lucky to survive the Suns in 2005. Then the Mavs in 2006 was supposed to be the final dagger.

I'm actually not that worried. Even a slowed Duncan is damn good. Manu didn't show any signs of slowing down this season when he actually got to play. Injury will be a risk with him but the Spurs know how to manage his minutes and he'll have like eight months to get ready. Parker should continue to grow and be a much bigger and better piece to the puzzle.

When you have three players who could potentially be top 20 players in the NBA, there's not much to complain about. You don't even need great role around them. Get a fourth player who can step up and a like two or three other trustworthy role players and the Spurs would be ready to make a deep run.

I was much more worried in past offseasons than this one. Parker's growth could very well cancel any slippage in Duncan and Manu, while Pop's gambles won't all blow up in his face like they did this year. Plus the Spurs have very intriguing assets to make moves this summer, at the trade deadline and next summer.

Number five is very much possible with this nucleus.

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Originally Posted by Obstructed_View

Bowen's gone. Of that we can be sure. But suggesting that the Spurs are going to need a major overhaul to be contenders is the same short-sightedness that caused people to lament the decline of Timmy before the last two championships. The Spurs are going to have a lot of young talent that's going to get major minutes next year, in positions the Spurs desperately needed this season. Barring a complete mental meltdown by the coaching staff, the Spurs will be poised for a deep playoff run next year.

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I'm just not 100% sure Bowen is gone.

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Originally Posted by timvp

According to the media (and even a lot of Spurs fans), the Spurs "era" has ended so many times over the years. .

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I don't know man, as far as the Duncan thing....he officially has a permanent degenerative disease and not once commanded a consistent double team in a playoff series for probably the first time evers. I know a hurt and aging Duncan is still pretty insanely good, especially as a QB type that helps his teams through the regular season....but he needs to be able to command those doubles in the playoffs. That's what makes us the Spurs. Teams that rely on insanely good penetration point guards are a dime a dozen in this nba.

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Originally Posted by EricB

I'm just not 100% sure Bowen is gone.

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I'm pretty sure Bowen will have some agreement to be released and re-sign for the minimum. He'll be used next year for spot minutes and to mentor the young guys.

I really hope Bowen will be back. He can still play, and he should retire a Spur.