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He's right tbh. The Spurs lost Tim. That automatically makes them the biggest losers of the offseason.
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/16...-agency-period
Lowe: San Antonio countering the Durant event by signing a loping, ground-bound Pau Gasol might end up the perfect final symbol for the transition of power in the Western Conference. Remember: Golden State never feared the Spurs. Even after losing in San Antonio in March, Golden State's players chatted in the locker room about how the Spurs posed no threat to them in a seven-game series, according to several team sources.
San Antonio has never been able to score against these Warriors, and Gasol's silky but slow post game just doesn't feel like a potent enough answer. Tony Parker is 34, and the Spurs couldn't find another off-the-bounce threat to ease his burden.
The Spurs set the template for defending Golden State, but they might not be able to hold off the deluge without the thinking man's excellence of Timothy Theodore Duncan.
The Spurs probably know they can't beat the Warriors without some injury luck. They tried to get Durant, after all. A nucleus of Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge and Danny Green is a ridiculous starting point, but it feels like San Antonio needs a placeholder season to figure out what to do next. At least the Thunder are gone.
He also said on NBA Lockdown Podcast that Spurs struggled defensively without Duncan last year and expects the same with Gasol. IMO he's totally missing the point that Duncan was replaced by West/Diaw who aren't long or good rebounding. Spurs have Dedmon and Pau both are 7ft and good rebounders. No way in IMO did the Spurs "lose" when they replaced a starting center with an all star center tbh....they just didn't get KD
He's right tbh. The Spurs lost Tim. That automatically makes them the biggest losers of the offseason.
Until this team has more "off-the-bounce" threats they have zero chance. That's why we need a star pg next free-agency.
Durant was THE free agent this season. Everyone who didn't get him "lost".
Maybe they should just cancel the season.
Spurs are still the 2nd/3rd best team in the league. Anything can happen in the playoffs.
We didn't get better, which makes us losers. But we are not the biggest losers. That goes to Thunder. Clippers did next to nothing. Grizzlies will be better with a healthy team but their ceiling is just not high enough. Parsons isn't going to put them over the top. Rockets, who knows. They have no defense, literally none. Jazz, Nuggets and Twolves will improve, but not enough to best us. Pelicans signed Solomon Hill ffs. Mavs got the left overs. Lakers, Suns, Kings are still trash. Portland could make a jump.
It really comes down that the best in the west got better, second best got worse, and third and fourth best went sideways.
People writing obituaries before the season started.. Great individuals can shape the game but great teams can transcend individual greatness. Spurs kept the majority of their pieces together while getting younger and bringing in Gasol who will fit well in his role. They will ultimately need to work together and figure out how it will play out depending on how Pop will play them. That said, GSW needs to do the same thing, they lost a lot of pieces and they will need to learn how to play together.. Just having great shooters on the floor doesn't make them all that special. GSW will regress some as they learn to share the ball etc..
Spurs will have a great opportunity to beat them if they're able to play the way they want to and are not coaxed into playing another teams game. It usually takes Pop a few seasons to get that whenever there is a changing of the style of effective play in the NBA, hopefully this season or next is the case for the Spurs.
The Warriors players didn't fear the Spurs... Who gives a ?
Im sure they didn't fear Cleveland when they blew them out by 40 in the regular season. Still got smacked the up when it mattered.
I just don't see how getting Gasol is a loss? Lol
They're still the 2nd best team in the West..I respect Lowe I just think he's too caught up with matching up with with Warriors mindset.
Like how are the Spurs a "loser" but the Heat aren't? How they replace Wade?
Spurs do the best job in the league in player development. If Kawhi takes another step forward and gets better, LMA second year in the system feels more comfortable, guys like Anderson and Simmons get better, who knows. GSW created a super team, all the pressure is on them anyways....Curry and KD could get hurt, you never know
Lowe sounding like Amin now. They don't think the Spurs have a shot in at beating the warriors. Well, guess what the rest of the NBA has no chance either.
The Spurs are an offseason loser because they lost a top three all-time player, but getting a guy who went for 16 points, 11 boards, 4 assists and 2 blocks last year to take his spot, the second biggest free agent, and the guy they wanted all along is a pretty decent consolation prize.
Also, that story about the Warriors not fearing the Spurs needs to die. That game taught the entire league how to beat the Dubs, and they never bothered to even look at the tape.
I would say we're winners considering we got the best replacement possible for Timmy.
As for adding a dribble-drive threat, there wasn't any worthwhile FAs at the right price.
By the way, guys, this is how articles are going to read for the next year or so. Writers know they can get a lot of clicks from new Warriors fans while the bandwagon is growing. They probably don't actually believe any of the they're writing.
That's exactly right. Teams took the defensive template from that game, used it, and solved the Warriors. Oklahoma damn near beat em with it, a rebuilding Portland used it to win two damn games.cleveland finally fixed their rotations and used it to beat them three damn games in a row
This team won't go anywhere untill get get another all-star level perimeter player. We just don't have enough firepower.
What's funny is how many teams have absolutely hamstrung themselves by throwing good money after bad free agents. The Spurs went after the one guy who was worth a max deal, and then got Pau Gasol at about ten million dollars less than his market value. So they have two, maybe three all-stars in their starting lineup and they still have money to have a shot at a Russel Westbrook next summer.
Sounds like a winning plan to me.
I don't get the either, the Spurs have Leonard, Aldridge when he wants to be, Murray if he's allowed to make mistakes ALA 2001 Parker. Simmon's best skill is dribble drive.
Bertans can do it to an extent but wtf?
Westbrook, Chrid Paul.... Plus young guys can develop like Murray, Bertans, Anderson.
They probably quit fearing the thunder only after Durant whispered sweet nothings in their ears after game 5 of WCF's.
The Spurs won the off-season simply by avoiding giving out any of those Bazemore/Crabbe/Mozgov contracts. Gasol's contract would have been fine under the old cap. I think when 2017 and especially 2018 rolls around, there are going to be a lot of teams that are locked into long-term horrible contracts while the Spurs will have a ton of cap space and a couple of decent players (along with their best player) 27 and under.
This.
The Warriors have to play somebody in the WCF and I'd think the Spurs would be the favorites for 2nd in West.
Hence why Durant going to Golden State is the biggest move ever. A generational talent like him joining a historic team. No NBA team can make any moves to counter him going there.
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