Rude Awakening for us Spurs fans. We need to accept it.

[FromWayDowntown]

Not having Bruce was going to equal failure. See last year.

Talk about stubborn . . . .

[Blackjack]

I don't agree that this is the end. There's plenty, even in the last couple of games, to suggest that this team is as compe ive as it's ever been and, when fully healthy, will be a force to be reckoned with. I might be alone in that assessment, but it's what I see.

Nevertheless, if this IS the end, it's been a of a 20 year ride.

I don't believe you can say this is the end, but it'd be a little disingenuous to say it's not a possibility; as far as championship-aspirations are concerned.

I agree that this team, when full healthy, is no doubt a force to be reckoned with. I never viewed them as the odds-on favorite to win a le after the moves they made this offseason, but I certainly believed with the right move, or a fortuitous bounce or two, that a le was definitely within reach..

Fact of the matter is, this team's odds of being fully healthy aren't all that great..

Tim's playing on knees that aren't going to improve, and the type of performance you saw against the Mavericks is pretty much the type of player you'll see in April, May, and Jeebus willing, June; still plenty in the tank but the fuel isn't the high-octane substance that used to aid in blowing people's doors off.

Manu had one of the biggest layoffs of his career after an injury-riddled '09 and before he could even find his confidence and rhythm, a hamstring and groin sidelined him; two injuries known to linger and not something you want an aging player to be dealing with. It's much more likely that Manu could come back an re-aggravate the injury or, in his compensation for the previous injury, suffer a different but related injury.

I'm only going to mention Tim and Manu because, honestly, they're the two most important players in my eyes. Tony has become the number-one option but this team doesn't win a championship without Tim and Manu being Tim and Manu..

The Big 3, as far as I'm concerned, have earned the right to ride this thing until the wheels fall off. I can't say it won't most likely end a painful ending but there is, how ever slight it might be, a chance the stars align, a good move is made, and another le is won.

The question is: How does Pop's loyalty to the Big 3 affect the decision's moving forward?

Tim isn't going anywhere, but if the Spurs see the opportunity to pair him with a stud front-court player on the better side of thirty? You've got to wonder if they'd pull the trigger if it meant Tony or Manu..

You're banking on the Big 3 and their health, or you're not.

Either way, I'm fine with it.

I became a fan just before Dave got here and I'll be a fan after Duncan's gone; a grateful fan.

[spurspokesman]

lmao lmao

[SpurNation]

The question is: How does Pop's loyalty to the Big 3 affect the decision's moving forward?

Tim isn't going anywhere, but if the Spurs see the opportunity to pair him with a stud front-court player on the better side of thirty? You've got to wonder if they'd pull the trigger if it meant Tony or Manu..

You're banking on the Big 3 and their health, or you're not.

Either way, I'm fine with it.

I became a fan just before Dave got here and I'll be a fan after Duncan's gone; a grateful fan.

Like Brendon Haywood?

And like you...a greatful fan no matter what happens this year.

[spurspokesman]

We have yet to play any true contender so not really much to guage how we stand on defense or offense yet.

Yeah and were getting our asses handed to us so theres your gauge. At this point we look like pop tarts to the other contenders. Im still on board but this s*** is painful to watch at times.

[DxB]

the original poster is right, at this point after the games watched, wat other conclusion are you gonna come to?

That said theres more games... but looks weak right now

[ElNono]

You are NOT alone.

[spurtilldeath]

We have yet to play any true contender so not really much to guage how we stand on defense or offense yet.

That is the most stupid thing I have heard. If you can't play well, how does it matter if the opponent is a true contender or not?

[ElNono]

Tim isn't going anywhere, but if the Spurs see the opportunity to pair him with a stud front-court player on the better side of thirty? You've got to wonder if they'd pull the trigger if it meant Tony or Manu..

Like who? Unless that front-court player is an actual star, I don't think they would...

[phyzik]

In case you guys didnt notice, there's already an official meltdown thread on the message board.

[Whisky Dog]

I hope we get a chance to see what this team can do when healthy. If they ever get healthy.

[Whisky Dog]

In case you guys didnt notice, there's already an official meltdown thread on the message board.

We don't recognize "official".


Puppet.

[austN Spur]

its not about melting down.but if ignore these problem or these bad games, then when the good times come then they wont be as sweet when the spurs do win

oh time for talking cowboys

[Chomag]

That is the most stupid thing I have heard. If you can't play well, how does it matter if the opponent is a true contender or not?

My comment wasn't made because of how the Spurs are currently playing. People here are saying our defense is looking good and even that our offense is fine that we are just missing Manu and Tony. I"m not so sure yet and hold true judgment on how it looks until we see it against elite contender teams.

Scoring 100+ points against the raptors, or holding crappy teams to low percentages when they naturally shoot low percentages is not anything to be proud of

[ffadicted]

This is re ed. At the end, you were basically saying "x is a good defender, but can he stop kobe bryant/dwyane wade/michael jordan"

Think before you post bro

[SouthTexasRancher]

Popovich has changed D for offense. We r gonna have a rude awakening seeing our team not making the WCF. The whole Duncan era Spurs have never been considered an offensive weapon. Spurs D have won 4 precious Championships. Now, we dont have D, nor offensive to stop opponents D and opponent offense.

Lets break our team D carefully:
1- Tony: a mediocre defender
2- Manu: not even a shadow from 2 years ago
3- Mason: a joke at the defensive end
4- Finley: do i need to say a word?
5- Bonner: look Finley comment!
6- RJefferson: average defender but cant be too aggresive because foul trouble can put Spurs in offensive end problems
7- Duncan: ok......mmmmmmmmm let think my words carefully before the flame war........... My comment about his D right now is a question: is he a force on D right now? Answer yourself such question and conclude.
8- Ratliff: he only blocks one shot per game and nothing else. One block doesnt equal to good D
9- Mcdyess: decent defender but........our paint is nicely protected with him? Hummmmmmmmmmmm?
10- Blair: he is just grabbing some rebounds per game, not much......but his D? Dont lie yourself saying he is a beast. This beast is allowing points in the paint at will.
11- Hill: our best defender. But can he stop Nash, Cp3, DWill, Wade, Rose? You know those PGs will eat him alive. Sad but true my friend.
12-Bogans: good defender but can against guys like Kobe, Lebron, Melo, Granger, Joe Johnson, Kevin Martin, Carter??? Yeah right !!! lol lol.

Come on guys, our D is gone. Our prime defender Bowen is gone, Timmy force on D is not there anymore, Manu speed on hands for steals is over. Our paint is a paradise for our opponents.
Regarding offense, can we win the Ring with offense and this current D? Even more, with this kind of inconsistent offense?

If Spurs dont right the ship, a rude awakening is near the corner. Im not being pesimistic, but with pain im seeing the reality.

Thank you o "Mavette Fan" Trinidad...

It is painfully obvious you have neither watched the Spurs games this season, nor have you ever watched them in previous seasons....mainly under the reign of Coach Pop.

We have not even played 10 games and you are writing them off as 'has-beens'. We have a boatload of new players who are still trying to get locked into the Spurs system and yet you are poo pooing them as nobody's. You have obviously never played any kind of team sport so that you would understand team chemistry does not come over night. Sometimes a team can look good early on only to falter down the stretch. Pop prefers to build his house with a firm foundation. For now he is looking at the overall situation for the long run, i.e., the playoffs. To do this he is looking at various combinations to see how the players react with one another and which of those combos work the best.

In some ways it can be a good thing having Tony and Manu out. Personally I wish Pop would keep both out for at least a month and get them totally healed. He tends to fall to the pressure of a player's desire to get back into action and puts them in before they are physically ready (healed completely).

I personally don't expect our defense to really start jelling until after the All Star break. It is possible that by the trade deadline Pop might find a good trade that will bring us someone who can fit in easily and help us go the distance. Odds are that will not happen but, there is always that possibly. We definitely need a true center in the 7' range who is mobile and plays strong 'D'. That is very unlikely though, but we can wish.

I don't know for sure but, it seems like you are the type of person who gets in a fight and gets knocked down with your opponent's first punch and while laying flat on your back you cover your face with your hands while yelling and screaming, No más, No más...!!!

[Tp9gospursgo]

These couple games we actually have been solid on D just missed shots offensively.

[elec99]

We held good teams to the low 90s, which is actually great defense. But our firepower is injured, thus less than great offense.
But here's the thing: I predicted that 2 of our Big 3 would be injured at some time during the season (no brainer), I had no clue that ALL 3 would be hurt before the first 10 games were even finished. What happened to all the summer rest and short training camp? Doesn't paint a good picture of their health in the remaining 72 games.

When they come back, they will be fighting uphill which means they have to be playing great, not good, to get themselves out of, say, a 6-8 hole. They have to be doing better (not as good, but better) than the 1-5 seed teams if they want to place higher than a 6.

[SouthTexasRancher]

These couple games we actually have been solid on D just missed shots offensively.

Better but, not solid.....just yet We're still getting beat too many times on the pick & roll and getting killed on baseline slams because of losing a player (4 on 5) on defense on the baseline. This will clear itself up through film and practice time. The advantage we used to have on defense when we had two legitimat bigs (like a Tim & DRob) was Pop's system of funneling from the outside into the paint. Tim & Dice playing together at the same time should get pretty good at this but, it'll take a little time because all 5 on the floor have to understand and believe in it. It would still be nice if we had a legit 7'er with long arms to be able to compete with the likes of LA and Boston, among a few others.

[SA210]

Yeah, last year turned out really great, didn't it?

No it didn't, and because Bruce hardly ever played.

[SA210]

Talk about stubborn . . . .

You're damn right. It was a huge mistake to let him go. They paid Bogans a mill, but yet, couldn't keep Bruce and pay His salary. I find that terribly interesting.

[HarlemHeat37]

I agree to an extent, but the OP's post was pretty bad..

Our defense has actually looked pretty good the last few games..Duncan played a dominant defensive game vs. Dallas, and he was good again against Utah..he's definitely still a force IMO, although not nearly as good as he was in his prime(obviously)..he's no longer able to carry a D..

We've actually jumped up 6 spots in the last week..there's still a big problem though, hopefully it continues to improve..

Before we address the interior D, we need to fix the perimeter D..desperately..the big men on our team are helpless when the perimeter defenders are allowing constant penetration..the defense will NEVER be good enough to win games with Finley and Mason in the rotation, it just won't happen..the worst thing is that we actually have lineups with Parker/Finley/Mason together, and sometimes Bonner sprinkled in..that's 1 average defensive big man with 3 bad defenders..

Finley and Mason are 2 of the top 10 worst defensive players in the entire league, no question about it..

We could definitely use another big next to Duncan, but Bogans and Hairston need to be ahead of both Mason and Finley for the D to noticeably improve IMO, and Pop isn't going to let that happen IMO..

[portnoy1]

You're damn right. It was a huge mistake to let him go. They paid Bogans a mill, but yet, couldn't keep Bruce and pay His salary. I find that terribly interesting.

I liked Bruce too, I didnt agree with the fact that he wasnt playing. However paying bruce at 38yrs old and paying bogans at 29yrs old $1million is a big difference. Its like telling shaq, I'll pay you $million instead of Dwight Howard. Granted Shaq is older and more gifted in certain respects cause he has been in the league. DHoward is younger and has potential and does basically the same thing, Defend the paint. Bruce and Bogans do the same thing, Play perimeter D. However bogans is younger and has an opportunity to get better in the spurs system with experience.

[Strike]

The losses have been irritating but I'm not worried. Now, if this continues into the new year, then I'll be worried.

[weebo]

I think this team is starting to gel quite nicely. The record might not reflect that but if you look at the games closely this team is starting to figure things out. Once the new guys adjust better to the how things run, I'm sure they'll go on a short run and people will stop ing.