When we win? lol
2 wins against a Suns team that is 3 stars and a bunch of scrubs, and they were missing 2 stars. also barely beat the Rockets in OT
this team lucky not to be 0-13
I'm not convinced another coach could do better with this squad. This is a talent issue, not a coaching issue. Outside of Wemby and Vassel, we just flat out suck. We need better players and until that happens, we're gonna be eating for a while. Literally the only difference between this year and last year is Wemby. Y'all have unreasonable expectations for what is possible, even if it is a generational talent.
It's hard to know if the Spurs' talent is that bad, because they aren't being put in positions to succeed right now. Again this "see what we have" season only works if the Spurs' coaches actually try to win games. You need a culture that rewards compe ion and improvement rather than just assuming improvement will come if you force-feed minutes.
... I can ream off another anti-Pop rant. I don't feel like doing that right now. In reality, the Spurs haven't turned Pop out as much as some folks are saying. They are passing the ball very well. Folks are constantly pissed that the new guy isn't getting the ball as much as they'd like, but 1) he gets the ball plenty and 2) the Spurs are sharing the ball as much as ever. That type of unselfish culture is a credit to the job the front office and staff have done. They need to figure out the PG rotation, and they could use a smart acquisition of a perimeter penetrator. Their offense is fixable.
Defense is obviously a huge concern, and I do think the Spurs will likely need a new coach and at least a couple of new players to fix that. However, Pop can improve the effort level and cut down on the mental errors if he has a quick hook for bad defense. He doesn't have to yell and scream at a guy. Just pull him aside and let a bench player go in there. That will send both the message that bad defense will get you benched and that good defense will get you playing time. If Pop is teaching good defense and is being ignored, having the hook will definitely change the behavior. If Pop is teaching bad defense, there's no hope for him. The biggest issue will be making sure he doesn't play favors. Pull anyone that makes the mistakes. Do line subs. Don't except your anointed players. You aren't killing them by benching them. They'll be able to come back in a few minutes. If they don't like it, they will have an incentive to not let it happen again. This is when having vets on the roster who can come in and play the right way -- even if they're not good enough to actually make a difference -- is important. It's why you can't just roll with a bunch of 19-year-olds. That was always ing stupid. There's a way to be bad while making progress, and I don't think the Spurs are at that point right now.
^ losing culture is not good. We tanked last year and pop didn't call out the historically bad defence. Now the Spurs don't know how to hold onto wins because imo, losing culture.
So Pop should get no blame for drafting the players we did?
Pop doesn’t do the drafting. That’s BW, and to some extent, RC.
You literally just said that having vets on the team would change the dynamics and improve our approach/defense. That by definition is a talent issue. A coach can't pull players who are making defensive mistakes if the guy he replaces them with makes the same damn mistakes. The team is too young from top to bottom. This roster was constructed to lose, and we should have recognized that from day one. We were set up for a tank job from day one. Why else have the youngest roster in the league and not even attempt to have vets??
Even this sniffers have to come to the realization that any other coach in the league would have been fired right now
First off, no is not by definition of a talent issue. Talent and experience are different things.
Pop is responsible for the lack of vets. Even if you're one of the folks who buys that Pop doesn't have a hand in bringing in the players, he does have control over which of the players brought in stay with the team. Pop cut a lot of the vets the team had. That's a coaching issue.That by definition is a talent issue. A coach can't pull players who are making defensive mistakes if the guy he replaces them with makes the same damn mistakes.
We agree there. It's destructively young. That so much of the roster is under 21 is ridiculous.The team is too young from top to bottom.
If you say the Spurs are okay losing games and want another high pick, that's one thing. But the fact that no one on the team knows how to play defense is extremely concerning. It's pretty obvious they aren't doing things a good coach should instill in guys. When you have guys who have been on rosters for three years and they can't make a rotation, that's a coaching issue. We can go over ever little thing that's a coaching issue, that's not actually hard to get even younger players to do but that have been problems with the team for five or six years. I don't have the energy of have these arguments fresh. But no, Pop doesn't get to hide behind his roster. He's not coaching well but is being failed by his talent. The guys are playing below where you'd expect people their age to be. Indeed, the team will need to bring in other players to become a contender. We know that. But the guys on the court could be executing basic basketball on both ends, and they don't, especially on defense. That's at Pop's feet, not anyone else's. Even if the plan is to lose this year, his bad coaching is scarring the team.We were set up for a tank job from day one. Why else have the youngest roster in the league and not even attempt to have vets??
Actually any professional sports coach for that matter
Right. Fire Pop!!!!!
They had the full complement for the second game, and we won by a bigger margin.
^Suns did not have Beal
It's not a talent issue, it's an experience issue. 1st year Lebron had great talent, but lacked composure and experience. 1st ring Lebron had composure and experience. The Spurs need the composure and experience, pace, spacing, spatial awareness and situational awareness someone like a late career JKidd would bring. They don't need a lot of talent as much as they need a lot of experience.
Which team had more talent, 1st year Lebron Cavs or 1st ring Lebron Heat?
The Pollyanna Poppers will be meeting after Monday nights game vs the Clippers at:
Crumpets Restaurant and Bakery - San Antonio, TX | OpenTable
..and Wade and Bosh. It’s a talent issue.
He also had Spoelstra
Rockets are playing largely the same roster that looked like it had worse talent than SA plus an above average point guard and a 2 guard playing above his head and they're looking like a playoff team.
They haven't even had their lottery pick most of the year.
But that's what coaching can do. If Ime was the Spurs coach the team would be better and more disciplined.
Their defense is hung on Sengun's back and it sure looks better than any Zach Collins based defense.
The comment was about Lebron himself, not the team around him, to show the difference between talent and experience. I guess you missed it.
You both are talking about the ring. I am talking about the player.
It is also an experience issue, I agree. The point being, it's a roster composition issue. And if we rolled in with this roster, the outcome was predictable. The front office knew that going in, which means they made the bet that Wemby alone isn't enough to win championships and we need more talent. Experience will get you to the play-in and possibly the playoffs. Talent will win you championships. There was a lot of hopium being puffed that the players were magically going to be better than what they are. I think the people who are angry with Pop are really just coming down from their hopium high. It's gonna get worse before it gets better. For both the team and for our hopium addicts.
To expand on your point, the additions the Rockettes made to the roster didn't look like they were going to be impactful. Ime seems to have everyone rowing in the same direction in relatively short order.
I'm always happy to call out Popovich, but there is a case to be made that without any assistants who know how to do what Ime did, it's not a surprise that the Spurs are a dumpster fire.
I think there’s a lot of truth in this statement. The team embraced the tank last year. Winning is hard when you’ve already accepted failure.
Imagine if Spurs won the coin toss and Rockets getting 1st pick... damn, they might be favorites in the West. Spurs on the other hand is last in standings
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