We all know what is wrong... and there is not much we can do about it :(

The big3 are not up there defensively! Period!

On top of that TP has lost a step and Manu is not...... Manu.

What I keep so far is the brilliant play of Blair and the emergence G Hill.

With the Big3 playing at a high level, this team as it is can beat pretty much anyone in the NBA. Pop is doing the smart thing trying to figure out what he can get from the rest of the players, while limiting the minutes of his key (proven) players. With TP at full speed and Manu attacking the basket there is no doubt in my mind the Spurs will be a force!

Would I trade TP for someone like CP3..hell yeah... but lets be realistic, is not happening... and any other trade is not going to help. We need our big3 healthy and productive and for that there is not much we can do --other than wait... which sucks big time....

Believe :flag:

For us to succeed defesnively one of three things has to happen. Dice drinks from the fountain of youth. Mahinmi imerges as a force. We trade for a shot blocking interior D man. It is my contention that lack of interior D causes the the perimter D to sag which allows to much room for the shooters. We need to be able to crowd the shooters and rely on an interior D to prevent the shooter from getting to the rim. If this was football it almost looks like we are playing a prevent D.

I just don't think we should put our hopes on unproven players (Ian) or hoping a trade would help.... the team already has many new players trying to learn the system....

TP and Manu's play is our only (realistic) hope.

Well, Tony is broken, and will only be "fixed" if he takes the summer completely off. You can forget about anything other than occasional flashes of good play by Tony this year. He's done. That's the REAL problem. It's not defensive. We've thrown a pair of 92 point defensive performances out there that should have been good enough for 2 wins. Instead, we scored only 76 and 86 points, due to lack of easy buckets.

I think it's crazy to say Tony won't be healthy this year. PF comes in varying degrees...he could be bothered a lot by it or barely at all. It can also go away in a month or not for a year.

-Kori

A trade is necessary either way though..

Let's say that Tony ends up playing at the level we expect him to in the playoffs, similar to what happened with Tim in 2006, and Manu ends up getting his shot back(which I expect to happen)..then where are the Spurs?..we're still missing a piece..

Manu looks fine physically, he just can't make anything..Tony is clearly struggling with his injury, but there's still a very good chance that he steps it up in the playoffs..Duncan looked horrible for his standards the entire season in 2006, but then looked like a monster in the playoffs..hopefully Tony will have the same outcome..

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Originally Posted by timvp

I think it's crazy to say Tony won't be healthy this year. PF comes in varying degrees...he could be bothered a lot by it or barely at all. It can also go away in a month or not for a year.

-Kori

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Just going by Tim's case, which hung on for months and months He also is less mobile than Tony, so it would seem Tony would be more bothered by trying to change direction at high speed, cut and spin. It looks like it's bothering him a lot. He's just got no jets right now, which makes him pretty ordinary. The Spurs schedule is, of course, heavily back loaded, so there won't be many chances for rest, other than the ASG break. Even if it lasts only 2 months, which I think is wildly optimistic, with the spread in the WC from 2 down to 11 (4.5 games), and the troubles we've had scoring, we could drop to 7 or 8 or out completely.

You can't really tell with PF -- He could take off 6 months and it could be the same when he comes back. Or it could go away 6 weeks from now with just treatment, even if he keeps playing. I have known people with PF that played (pro) basketball with it for a year, and only had problems a few days throughout. Then other people have it and can barely run.

Tony's problem right now is more than just his PF, I think. He's generally just tired too. They say his PF is better now than early in the season. We just have to wait it out and hope that it's a "light" case that doesn't bother him much as the season goes on.

--Kori

There's more than just one thing with this team right now. It's not just Tony, Manu, or Tim. It's a host of problems both offensively and defensively. My biggest concern with this team is how soft they can be. Aside from Blair, I never really see any other Spur come out and play with fire.

The Spurs remind me of the Hakeem Rockets teams after our 2 championships, trying band aids for one last run.

DD

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Originally Posted by DaDakota

The Spurs remind me of the Hakeem Rockets teams after our 2 championships, trying band aids for one last run.

DD

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Those teams failed more because of egos than anything else. If I remember correctly, there was too much drama going on with Barkley and Clyde or Pippen.

I need to re-evaluate...ONCE THIS TEAM IS RE-STOCKED WITH PLAYERS OFF THE INJURY LIST. As it stands, without 2 other main factors already steeped in "Corporate Knowledge", the team will easily struggle if the Big 3 isn't playing in top form. If Fin & Rocket are in the game, it helps tip the scales a little. Not saying that the Spurs win everything with them back, I'm just saying that the Spurs seemingly play more deliberately and with purpose. With the new guys, at times, it seems they play frenetically instead of steady, hence the inconsistency.

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Originally Posted by Man In Black

I need to re-evaluate...ONCE THIS TEAM IS RE-STOCKED WITH PLAYERS OFF THE INJURY LIST. As it stands, without 2 other main factors already steeped in "Corporate Knowledge", the team will easily struggle if the Big 3 isn't playing in top form. If Fin & Rocket are in the game, it helps tip the scales a little. Not saying that the Spurs win everything with them back, I'm just saying that the Spurs seemingly play more deliberately and with purpose. With the new guys, at times, it seems they play frenetically instead of steady, hence the inconsistency.

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As much as it may pain people to consider, I think you are right. Even though Finley is still my first choice for sacrificing to obtain a defensive 3/5 in a trade.

Anyhow, their presence allows for several lineups to gain a player well versed in the system, which makes for a much calmer demeanor on the floor. Hopefully that means one or two turnovers disappear as they get back into the roation.

Also, and I've said this in another thread today, I think Bonner coming back could help our interior defense. Not directly through his own defense (for those of you getting your lol-emoticon ready), but b/c the other bigs (dice and blair) won't have to worry as much about getting into foul trouble. Like the experience-TO correlation, hopefully having another big in the rotation leads to more blocks from our other pf/c's.

I was feeling pretty good about Manu physically before this last stretch of games. He looks like he has reverted back to "shaky". For a while there, he looked like he would be able to have most of his athleticism back. Now, that looks like it might have just been an unsustainable stretch of games.

I agree with those that say it's mainly the defense.

I thought the announcer nailed it the other night when he said the Spurs let the Grizzlies run their plays or at least get them started then attempted to play d.

Not too much playing the passing lanes or just the disruptive defense we are so accustomed to seeing by this squad.

"Tony has lost a step"


LOL

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Originally Posted by Kamala

I agree with those that say it's mainly the defense.

I thought the announcer nailed it the other night when he said the Spurs let the Grizzlies run their plays or at least get them started then attempted to play d.

Not too much playing the passing lanes or just the disruptive defense we are so accustomed to seeing by this squad.

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The Grizz AND the Bobcats both scored only 92 points. That should make for two Spurs wins. The defense is no more broken than any time in the last 4-5 years. It just seems that way when they go 7-8 trips down the floor and can't put the ball in the hole. The offense is WAY more borken right now than the defense.

Based on 2 games?..

For the season as a whole, the D has been the worst D we've had in the Duncan era from a statistical standpoint, while the offense was the best in the Duncan era up until this week..

I find it strange that when our Spurs are on a winning streak we say we will be Champs blah blah blah...but then wen we lose a couple its all negative? Even the LAKERS have lost 2 in a row. It's not the end of the world. We will be ok. Tp will be fine. And manu and Duncan are still playing great in my opinion.(other than manus recent shooting woes he still brings that energy). Have faith Spurs fans! we will be ok once the playoffs get here. In pop we trust!

TP just needs to find a way to adjust to his PF, well, he seems to do pretty well with that, except for back to back games, I think TP should be given a rest from time to time.

Anyway, hoping and thinking that his PF will go by isnt realistic, it can take very long for this to heal, maybe even more than a year. So long he get's some rest and so long he is adjusting to playing with his PF it will be alright.

He still does a pretty well job recently, except for the last back to back games, that was just 'too much' for him. Im already glad that he plays better than like the beginning of this season, he's being a bit of his old self again.

Im more worried about Jefferson. And manu, but with manu its a so so situation. Then he seems to do really great and then suddenly he sucks.

It's ironic that people point at parker or manu,
when Spurs are paying 14 millions to the ultimate ANTI-Spur.
Little defense, no aggression, zero passing, constant whining to refs.

That's a problem that won't be fixed with rest or anything.

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Originally Posted by temujin

It's ironic that people point at parker or manu,
when Spurs are paying 14 millions to the ultimate ANTI-Spur.
Little defense, no aggression, zero passing, constant whining to refs.

That's a problem that won't be fixed with rest or anything.

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There's a thread called "why does RJ suck?", he's probably been called out in game threads and on Kori's show more than any other player..

He absolutely deserves the hate..clearly he gets it more than anybody else though, but what does that have to do with Parker and Ginobili? Also, how the fuck is that ironic?..

What an idiot..

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I find it strange that when our Spurs are on a winning streak we say we will be Champs blah blah blah...but then wen we lose a couple its all negative? Even the LAKERS have lost 2 in a row. It's not the end of the world. We will be ok. Tp will be fine. And manu and Duncan are still playing great in my opinion.(other than manus recent shooting woes he still brings that energy). Have faith Spurs fans! we will be ok once the playoffs get here. In pop we trust!

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Head In The Sand forum, or maybe the It's Only January forum...

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Originally Posted by HarlemHeat37

Based on 2 games?..

For the season as a whole, the D has been the worst D we've had in the Duncan era from a statistical standpoint, while the offense was the best in the Duncan era up until this week..

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2009-2010 opp FG% .449
2006-2007 opp FG% .443 NBA champs

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Originally Posted by exstatic

2009-2010 opp FG% .449
2006-2007 opp FG% .443 NBA champs

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This year's defensive rating is a distant 8th, while the 2006-2007 was in the elite top 2..

You are right when you say "And there is not much to do about it" when talking about defense. People need to wake up and understand that David Robinson is not playing and that Timmy is not a young athletic defender that he once was.

I mean looking at the Spurs what player would scare you from going to the hoop? I mean Timmy still is pretty good but other then him we have no shot blocker out there. Until we get a legit center then our focus needs to be on offense as well as defense this year.