Windhorst: Wembanyama Not Thrilled With Where Spurs Are; Doesn't Think Spurs Can Get Away With Slow Build

[Raven]

And that's the exact problem with most NBA fans.
It's a 30 team league and it's more or less impossible to follow all the teams unless it's your job.
People also have a hard time accepting that players can change.
Good players decline, flawed players work on their game.

It's not about you or me believing something, it's about facts that are easy to see if you watch Hawks games or even look at the advanced stats.
(I'm not going to do the research for you, google is free to use.)

sure. But it is a hard argument to make, and no i am not going to look at advanced stats when i know he's a bum and the team result provides no reason to reassess the argument. If we ever actually trade for him, i'l reconsider it.

[MultiTroll]

To change the convo up a bit, let's say the Spurs hit the jackpot again and get the first overall pick. What do you do with it?

Lets see what develops with other NBA teams after the playoffs.
Is there a super disappointing 1st round out that might have a team looking to move a player / anther NBA prima donna pouting their way out. Not sure the Spurs want to the latter no matter what their name is. But lets say Cleveland bombs and Mitchel and Cleveland agree on friendly terms to part. Would entertain.

Do not take Dillingham from Kentucky. Of course they won't take him #1 i mean don't trade the pick for 2 players and have Dill Pickle from Kentucky be one of them.

[Proxy]

team is gonna have quite the at ude with wemby, sochan, and trae

[Mr. Body]

team is gonna have quite the at ude with wemby, sochan, and trae

Like, when they play Atlanta or LA?

[jeebus]

Five pages in a thread talking about a fat who's had maybe 2 decent scoops in 20 years of licking Lebron's balloon knot.

[Big Empty]

I still wouldn't panick in the offseason and do a Trae Young trade, tbh. I would make the two picks, try to sign a couple of veteran free agents and see how the team looks.

If they are as much ass as this season by the midway point... I would just tank for Cooper Flagg and THEN throw the kitchen sink out the window with a Trae Young type trade.

If they, on the other hand, improve to a, let's say, a borderline play-in team, then it's time to assess and look where the holes are and be agressive in the next offseason to improve in those areas (could involve the Trae trade).

tl; dr: I would still not panick this offseason with a Trae Young type trade.

100% play in is the goal next year with our two new top 10 draft picks. Then two years from now i expect the Spurs to atleast be a first round playoff team. A deep run 3 years from now and then Wemby gets his first le 4 years from now at 24 years old & the Spurs start a new dynasty. Thats a realistic timeline.

[Pauleta14]

Wemby would have to miss half of the season for the Spurs to finish bottom 10 next season guys...

[John B]

If you’re serious about your basketball career, it would be a dream come true to play with a generational talent like Wemby. Branham, Wesley, Sochan, Barlow, Sidy will all improve this off-season. I expect nothing less from Keldon and Vassell and Tre but them too will improve on whatever facet especially defense. Spurs have potentially 4 rookies coming plus possibly trading/signing for veteran help. You don’t want to be the one missing the opportunity.

[R. DeMurre]

Asking what PG we should target rather than Trae is the wrong question in my opinion. Trae is making max contract money-- that's the central issue, a flawed player making so much that it severely limits the acquisition of other impact players-- so the question should be what players the Spurs can get for an get for >$40mil/year.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Asking what PG we should target rather than Trae is the wrong question in my opinion. Trae is making max contract money-- that's the central issue, a flawed player making so much that it severely limits the acquisition of other impact players-- so the question should be what players the Spurs can get for an get for >$40mil/year.

Of the players making over 40 mil in 24/25 the ones who could possibly be realistic targets are Beal, Vanvleet and Lavine. Oh and Ben Simmons

Maybe Towns, who'll make 50 mil next year, but highly unlikely. Maybe Gobert but unlikely too.

Not great. I'm not a Trae fan but you could easily argue he'd be the best out of this group. Going down the list for players making 30+ million doesn't make it better either.

[onechance87]

Of the players making over 40 mil in 24/25 the ones who could possibly be realistic targets are Beal, Vanvleet and Lavine. Oh and Ben Simmons

Maybe Towns, who'll make 50 mil next year, but highly unlikely. Maybe Gobert but unlikely too.

Not great. I'm not a Trae fan but you could easily argue he'd be the best out of this group. Going down the list for players making 30+ million doesn't make it better either.

should we go back to targeting murray.I would like for us to always have a good pg to make things easier for wemby.

[T Park]

"he wants to be better than 13 wins next year"

no ?

[itzsoweezee]

Haven’t watched San Antonio play this year but from highlights looks they rely on their last five draft picks as the closing five:

2019 - Johnson
2020 - Vassell
2021 - Jones
2022 - Sohan
2023 - Webanyama

If that’s indeed the case then good track record for what they can do in June. Two of those years their top picks were prematurely released for non-bball related causes.

Two games does not make a good track record. We have more than a whole season of a sample size.

[TD 21]

NBA TODAY | "Victor Wembanyama is the new face of the NBA" - Perk on Spurs dominate Pacers 117-105 - YouTube

BSPN is going overboard on this narrative now. I get it, they want the future best player/face of the league on at minimum a relevant team now and preferably in a glamor market eventually, but they're all acting like how dare the Spurs think they could re-build and they'll be consequences if they don't significantly improve this off season.

They're also ignoring that they're well positioned to do so if they so choose.

Of the players making over 40 mil in 24/25 the ones who could possibly be realistic targets are Beal, Vanvleet and Lavine. Oh and Ben Simmons

Maybe Towns, who'll make 50 mil next year, but highly unlikely. Maybe Gobert but unlikely too.

Not great. I'm not a Trae fan but you could easily argue he'd be the best out of this group. Going down the list for players making 30+ million doesn't make it better either.

This is what I keep coming back to. Of course, if you had your druthers you wouldn't pick him; but that's not how this works.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Two games does not make a good track record. We have more than a whole season of a sample size.

finishing the season strong would be nice right?

[rjv]

NBA TODAY | "Victor Wembanyama is the new face of the NBA" - Perk on Spurs dominate Pacers 117-105 - YouTube

BSPN is going overboard on this narrative now. I get it, they want the future best player/face of the league on at minimum a relevant team now and preferably in a glamor market eventually, but they're all acting like how dare the Spurs think they could re-build and they'll be consequences if they don't significantly improve this off season.

They're also ignoring that they're well positioned to do so if they so choose.

the cynic is me is starting to get that vibe of ESPN tampering. only Windhordst has brought up the comparison to a team like the Rockets, who spent all this money last year and have nothing to show for it. and none of them even grade the roster outside of vassell, who Zach Lowe is big on.

to be fair, the TNT crew did the same, with the exception of charles. and none of them could even pronounce Vasell correctly.

[scott]

Have any of these national media guys ever uttered another team in regard to Wemby? I haven't heard it. Someone claimed Windhorst said "Wemby would be a perfect fit in LA" and then pointed to an article where no such thing was ever said (and, let's face it, Wemby would be a perfect fit on any team).

National media types questioning the Front Office is just the cost of the spotlight. Look at The Yankees or Cowboys in any given year (Teams that actually haven't done anything of late to deserve the attention). This is the kind of scrutiny that occurs in big markets every year. When they talk about "not such if so-and-so could handle the New York/wherever media" - this is what they are talking about. Non-stop scrutiny and analysis, not just every couple of weeks but after EVERY SINGLE GAME. The Local Spurs media doesn't do that, in part because the Spurs don't like it and you'll lose access (at least according to friend of mine who is a former local TV Sports director who works in another market now).

The talking heads discussing the way the Spurs have built around Wemby is the easiest, no-brainer topic for them to tackle... and they are seeing that Wemby is going to be the face, so they need reasons to talk about him. This is just the way to take it out of the highlight shows and into the talking-head shows.

[rjv]

what's most annoying is the lack of awareness. i get it with the TNT crew, they admit that they're likely more an entertainment show than a basketball one, but it's revealing when these talking heads don't have the sort of knowledge of team rosters that they should.

[slick'81]

We all know nobody wants wemby in San Antonio outside of us fans and hopefully Vic

[CGD]

NBA TODAY | "Victor Wembanyama is the new face of the NBA" - Perk on Spurs dominate Pacers 117-105 - YouTube

BSPN is going overboard on this narrative now. I get it, they want the future best player/face of the league on at minimum a relevant team now and preferably in a glamor market eventually, but they're all acting like how dare the Spurs think they could re-build and they'll be consequences if they don't significantly improve this off season.

They're also ignoring that they're well positioned to do so if they so choose.




This is what I keep coming back to. Of course, if you had your druthers you wouldn't pick him; but that's not how this works.

Danny Green and his sensible takes will get him no future invites from smokeshow Malika Andrews

[TD 21]

National media types questioning the Front Office is just the cost of the spotlight. Non-stop scrutiny and analysis, not just every couple of weeks but after EVERY SINGLE GAME. The Local Spurs media doesn't do that, in part because the Spurs don't like it and you'll lose access (at least according to friend of mine who is a former local TV Sports director who works in another market now).

The talking heads discussing the way the Spurs have built around Wemby is the easiest, no-brainer topic for them to tackle... and they are seeing that Wemby is going to be the face, so they need reasons to talk about him. This is just the way to take it out of the highlight shows and into the talking-head shows.

This isn't questioning though, it's clearly a planned, all out agenda driven (BSPN's specialty) assault and as usual their dislike for the Spurs (especially Pop) is shining through.

It's as if they're to publicly pressure the organization into making a "splash", acting like the Spurs owe it to them to have him be on a relevant team by next season.

Anything less and they'll be turning up the heat even more.

[slick'81]

no

This isn't questioning though, it's clearly a planned, all out agenda driven (BSPN's specialty) assault and as usual their dislike for the Spurs (especially Pop) is shining through.

It's as if they're to publicly pressure the organization into making a "splash", acting like the Spurs owe it to them to have him be on a relevant team by next season.

Anything less and they'll be turning up the heat even more.

theyd love another kawhi situation but it ain't happening here

[CGD]

We all know nobody wants wemby in San Antonio outside of us fans and hopefully Vic

The Spurs would be so wise to deepen the connection to France making Wemby truly an international phenomenon. Try to be like Manchester United: super meh city but somehow everyone in the world reps them because they have (had?) the best players

[Chinook]

I do think the media is trying to manufacture a feedback loop of self-sustaining discontent. It's disrespectful to other players to make it seem like Victor has some special level of compe iveness no other players can reach and that means he can't not be on a contender for a couple of years. Does Brandon Miller not want to win? Was Banchero happy to lose? Victor clearly enjoys winning and may well have some legacy complex where he's worried about being labeled a loser by randos. That doesn't mean he expects to be on a contender immediately or that such a belief is reasonable. If that were the case, he wouldn't be so giddy after these last two games. I think insofar as he might have a complex, it wouldn't be served by jumping ship. I think he wants to win with this team. Not with all 17 other players unconditionally. I think he'd welcome another star. But I don't think he has the appe e to pull a Durant or even Lebron.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if Victor lobbies for them to trade for a star ASAP, but I feel more confident that he's not a flight risk now that I did before this thread came out.

[itzsoweezee]

finishing the season strong would be nice right?

Sure, but the front office should not let the last few weeks cloud the reality of the situation regarding this roster