What does the team need to do to play better?..

[HarlemHeat37]

Let's have a civilized discussion here..

No extremes on both ends please..no "Spurs aren't going to make the playoffs", "it's only December", "chemistry", cliff jumping..

Let's take about the actual play on the court, and ignore the record..I don't care about the last 2 losses, because they were both against top 5 teams and came down to the wire..that shouldn't be used to judge the team in a good way or a bad way..

-Duncan is clearly still playing at an elite big man level..his offense is beautiful right now, and his D is still great, as he's shown over the past month..he's still very capable of being the best player on a top team(obviously health is an issue, but that's always the case)..

-We have around 20 million$ in expiring contracts..there's still plenty of time to make a move, unless ownership just doesn't believe this team can compete anymore..

-This current roster isn't going to win a le, even if chemistry is developed..IMO at least..

-The 2nd big next to Duncan is still a glaring need..McDyess and Blair are great complimentary big men off the bench, but we still need another guy to help Timmy out on a consistent basis..Bonner is shooting 35% from the field against the other West playoff teams + Boston so far, not good..

This is a lot easier said than done, but we have the $..finding a guy that fits the role well is going to be tough to acquire, but waiting for Splitter is not a good move IMO, it's not even guarantee that he joins the team..

-Athleticism is still heavily lacking on the perimeter..this is why it upset me to have Hairston sent down..he's a cheap option on a team that desperately needs some athletes..

-Parker is nowhere near the guy we saw last year..all the hype in the off-season, all the talk about how he's our new leader..his scoring looks better than earlier, but his D is horrible, he's turning it over too much, and he needs to pass better..he really needs to clean up..we need him to be our #1 scorer..

-Sad to say, but Manu's contract is now more valuable than he is as a player IMO..he's still better than most players when it comes to basketball IQ, but the body can't respond as well anymore..

-Playcalling has been very poor IMO..we only have 2 guys on the team that can create plays for their teammates, Duncan and Manu..Pop needs to play to this..Pop is a great Xs and Os guy, so it surprises me that he isn't using this ability of his..Jefferson still isn't getting looks that play to his style of play..this team is just too sloppy right now, and the style of play is a significant reason why IMO..

-Defense has been great for the last month, around top 5 in the NBA in that span IIRC..

-This team clearly has a lot of depth, which is obviously a good thing..

These are obviously just my opinions..what do you guys think the team needs to do to play better?..what kind of major/minor trades could this team make?..is the roster good enough to win a le or even make it to the WCF?..

[TD 21]

The 2nd big next to Duncan is still a glaring need..McDyess and Blair are great complimentary big men off the bench, but we still need another guy to help Timmy out on a consistent basis..Bonner is shooting 35% from the field against the other West playoff teams + Boston so far, not good..

These are obviously just my opinions..what do you guys think the team needs to do to play better?..what kind of major/minor trades could this team make?..is the roster good enough to win a le or even make it to the WCF?..

In all honesty, as hard as it is to admit, I have a hard time seeing this team beating the Lakers or the Nuggets. I still think they're good enough to beat the rest of the West (Mavs, Suns, Trail Blazers, Jazz, etc.).

You're right about the lack of a 2nd big man. Considering who they could get and the fact that they're more than likely not looking to take back salary for after this season (due to Splitter's likely 2010 arrival), Camby is probably the best option. He's long, blocks shots, rebounds, is an adequate mid-range shooter/passer and is on an expiring contract.

I wouldn't mind Bell, but he's older and I wouldn't give up too much for him. Clearly, the starting lineup lacks outside shooting and the team still isn't long or athletic enough. Overall talent and depth wise, they have enough to win a championship, just not quite the right pieces. It's potentially salvageable with a Camby acquisition and then with Splitter coming over next year. That covers the Spurs length wise for the remainder of the Duncan-era.

[exstatic]

Stop turning the ball over.

[HarlemHeat37]

The turnovers are a product of the bad play calling and overall style right now IMO..

[Xevious]

Stop turning the ball over.

This.

The Spurs were fine in the first half. Then Denver starting playing a little physical and the Spurs stopped executing and starting playing just like they did against Boston.

I'm not so much concerned about the big man situation because people aren't running layup drills on us like they were at the start of the season. Our D has been pretty good, we're rebounding well. We just need to play consistently for 48 minutes.

[ffadicted]

Stop turning the ball over.

we'd be 11 - 6 if not for this, which is a good record for a team with around 50% of the roster as new players.

This team IS good

[HarlemHeat37]

We would also be 17-0 if we scored more points than all the opponents we've played so far..that's a cop-out..

A lot of these turnovers are coming from lack of playmaking ability from some of our guys and the opposing team's pressure on our defense..

[Johnny RIngo]

This.

The Spurs were fine in the first half. Then Denver starting playing a little physical and the Spurs stopped executing and starting playing just like they did against Boston.

Boston and Utah frustrated us with their physical play too. This is probably one of the softest Spurs teams we've had in while.

[CP48107]

I still believe this is a good team. They are capable of beating any teams while struggling when playing playoff contender.

They can try to trade for McGrady or Okfor, but they need time to adjust to spurs philosophy just like Jefferson.

With that being said. I am still proud of my Spurs and will stay as a loyal fan. I do feel sad for Duncan and Pop. In my mind, they deserve another championship or even a back-to-back championship. That seems like a long shot now.

[exstatic]

Hats off to GKarl for his halftime adjustment. The Spurs should have recognized it. We used it to finally slay the Stockton/Malone/Utah dragon.

On the PnR, you have both the little and the big do a soft double, forcing the ballhandler over to the side where he has less visability of the court. As an offense, you NEVER have the ballhandler pass out of it. Because it's a soft double, the big can effectively be a part of the double AND disrupt passing lanes back to the pick setter. That's what Denver did tonight. The only antidote is for the ballhandler to attack the double team, and either split it, or at least force the hard double that will allow the clean pass out.

[DPG21920]

Spurs are 5th in the league in TO's per game. That is not exactly terrible.

[The Truth #6]

The lack of playmaking from Parker and Hill is problematic. It would ok if it was just one of them, but both creates a problem. In addition, Manu is erratic right now. Mason is one of the few players who has improved his playmaking, which is great considering how bad it was last year, but we shouldn't be relying on a spot up shooter to make plays for us.

Dice - he seems lost to me and is going thru the motions. Yes, he's a veteran and is a great character guy, but I don't see a player burning to win a le.

Bonner - he's improved but still completely mechanical in the way he plays defense, sets picks and goes through the motions of much of the game. Good teams will cover his open shots better and hence they aren't going in. He's adopted the Oberto tap out which is better than nothing but he doesn't give me confidence for a big game.

Blair - he's showing inconsistency of a young player. This is to be expected but we need everything he can give us. Pop is warming up to him. Unfortunately, I take that more as desperation than turning a new leaf.

Manu - I don't think he's over the hill or anything like that. He can still be productive but I don't think even he knows what he's still capable of at this point. He's been sloppy on one play and then the next he makes a good pass that goes off a teammate's face because they weren't looking for it. He's out of control right now and needs to focus on making simple plays, but that might not be his game.

Jefferson - everyone wants to blame him for our problems but that's a cop out. No he isn't saving us, but the team's problems didn't start with him. He's actually improved on D and the team is slowly actually trying to get him involved. The people pissed at him probably never saw him play before. In the 2004 Olympics it was clear - he's a hustle guy, a great athlete, but not someone with fundamental basketball skills. He's like a running back playing basketball. Just hand him the ball when he's going full speed and see what happens. I think that approach is what the team should take. Instead we're coming up with complicated plays that intellectualize the game for him. I don't think he's an intellectual player like Manu or Tim.

Parker - Is he still injured? Hard to say. What concerns me is less the results and more the effort. It seems as if he's going through the motions right now. He seemed more motivated in years past. His jumpshot is not as good as it was last year. Not sure how that happened.

Pop - I think he's actually coaching fairly well right now. He knows he has to adapt but he's been so rigid for so long because he could, I think he, like the team, is struggling to make sense of the iden y of this team.

[androck]

Hats off to GKarl for his halftime adjustment. The Spurs should have recognized it. We used it to finally slay the Stockton/Malone/Utah dragon.

On the PnR, you have both the little and the big do a soft double, forcing the ballhandler over to the side where he has less visability of the court. As an offense, you NEVER have the ballhandler pass out of it. Because it's a soft double, the big can effectively be a part of the double AND disrupt passing lanes back to the pick setter. That's what Denver did tonight. The only antidote is for the ballhandler to attack the double team, and either split it, or at least force the hard double that will allow the clean pass out.

What an insightful, well-developed, coherent point. Are you sure you're on the right forum?

[exstatic]

Spurs are 5th in the league in TO's per game. That is not exactly terrible.

They cough it up like a repeating hairball against good teams, though.

[MaNu4Tres]

Let's have a civilized discussion here..

No extremes on both ends please..no "Spurs aren't going to make the playoffs", "it's only December", "chemistry", cliff jumping..

Let's take about the actual play on the court, and ignore the record..I don't care about the last 2 losses, because they were both against top 5 teams and came down to the wire..that shouldn't be used to judge the team in a good way or a bad way..

-Duncan is clearly still playing at an elite big man level..his offense is beautiful right now, and his D is still great, as he's shown over the past month..he's still very capable of being the best player on a top team(obviously health is an issue, but that's always the case)..

-We have around 20 million$ in expiring contracts..there's still plenty of time to make a move, unless ownership just doesn't believe this team can compete anymore..

-This current roster isn't going to win a le, even if chemistry is developed..IMO at least..

-The 2nd big next to Duncan is still a glaring need..McDyess and Blair are great complimentary big men off the bench, but we still need another guy to help Timmy out on a consistent basis..Bonner is shooting 35% from the field against the other West playoff teams + Boston so far, not good..

This is a lot easier said than done, but we have the $..finding a guy that fits the role well is going to be tough to acquire, but waiting for Splitter is not a good move IMO, it's not even guarantee that he joins the team..

-Athleticism is still heavily lacking on the perimeter..this is why it upset me to have Hairston sent down..he's a cheap option on a team that desperately needs some athletes..

-Parker is nowhere near the guy we saw last year..all the hype in the off-season, all the talk about how he's our new leader..his scoring looks better than earlier, but his D is horrible, he's turning it over too much, and he needs to pass better..he really needs to clean up..we need him to be our #1 scorer..

-Sad to say, but Manu's contract is now more valuable than he is as a player IMO..he's still better than most players when it comes to basketball IQ, but the body can't respond as well anymore..

-Playcalling has been very poor IMO..we only have 2 guys on the team that can create plays for their teammates, Duncan and Manu..Pop needs to play to this..Pop is a great Xs and Os guy, so it surprises me that he isn't using this ability of his..Jefferson still isn't getting looks that play to his style of play..this team is just too sloppy right now, and the style of play is a significant reason why IMO..

-Defense has been great for the last month, around top 5 in the NBA in that span IIRC..

-This team clearly has a lot of depth, which is obviously a good thing..

These are obviously just my opinions..what do you guys think the team needs to do to play better?..what kind of major/minor trades could this team make?..is the roster good enough to win a le or even make it to the WCF?..

Agree with pretty much everyting. I bolded the parts I agree with most.

Manu won't ever be the Manu of 2005 again. That's the only way I see this team having a chance against the top teams in the league.

Manu has been hurt for pretty much the past 2 years and all signs are indicating nothing will really change. You can see the frustration in his eyes game to game on how dissapointed he is on his play. He is not the same. He can't create the seperation from the defenders like he used to, therefore the holes in the defense aren't as big to knife to the basket or make a pass to a teammate. My biased opinion will say its only December, but in all honesty we've been seeing this inconsistent play of his since he got hurt in the Phoenix series in 2008. It's sad to see him struggle and he will always be a Spur in my eyes, but sometimes its time to move on and if I'm the Spurs FO, I'd be looking at what kind of offers are out there for him. No I'm not jumping off the cliff or anything like that. It's just the smart business move to make. If the season ended today I guarantee you a team would offer Manu a contract the Spurs would not match. In that case you mine as well get talent back to show for him.

- I remember reading somewhere that Parker did absolutely nothing basketball related til he reported to the French National Team. When in previous seasons he spent his entire summer working on his game. This pretty much makes sense with his sloppy play. He's not finishing like he used to, he doesn't have explosion or mid-range, and his defense has been pitiful.

In order for the Spurs to have a chance with this current roster everyone of the big four has to be clicking on all cylinders. Right now only 1 is....

[lefty]

Hope that Bonner pulls an Oden

[androck]

They cough it up like a repeating hairball against good teams, though.

TOs during 5-game win streak:
Sixers - 17
Rockets - 14
Warriors - 14
Bucks - 16
Wizards - 8

In 2007 we averaged 13.9 TOs per game. We're turning the ball over too much period in the last 6 games.

[Chomag]

I agree with many things being said here so no need for Me to keep repeating whats already been said. However Spurs owe TD at least one more championship run and must do all that it takes to achieve that . If that means making some moves that might break hearts then it must be. Although sad, it's the business side of things. There is a time where we must move on.

[Otaku]

Time

[murpjf88]

The turnovers are a product of the bad play calling and overall style right now IMO..

play calling doesn't turn the ball over. players turn the ball over.

[HarlemHeat37]

play calling doesn't turn the ball over. players turn the ball over.

when players are put in the wrong positions and have to make plays they aren't accustomed to, you'll see missed FGs and turnovers..we're seeing a lot of this..

your post is obviously RJ related, as usual..I think you're his ex-fiancee TBH, you seem to have an unhealthy hatred for the guy for no reason..

[AFBlue]

Reducing turnovers is a function of players knowing eachother and knowing the system.

The solution (and answer to OPs question) is time on the court together...simple as that.

Spurs aren't going to solve their chemistry issues by making trades and continuing to add new pieces to their team. This is the team that will take them to the playoffs and this is the team with enough talent to contend for a le.

[murpjf88]

We would also be 17-0 if we scored more points than all the opponents we've played so far..that's a cop-out..

A lot of these turnovers are coming from lack of playmaking ability from some of our guys and the opposing team's pressure on our defense..

Did you use a calculator to figure that out,

[duhoh]

when players are put in the wrong positions and have to make plays they aren't accustomed to, you'll see missed FGs and turnovers..we're seeing a lot of this..

your post is obviously RJ related, as usual..I think you're his ex-fiancee TBH, you seem to have an unhealthy hatred for the guy for no reason..

won and done!

[murpjf88]

Reducing turnovers is a function of players knowing eachother and knowing the system.

The solution (and answer to OPs question) is time on the court together...simple as that.

Spurs aren't going to solve their chemistry issues by making trades and continuing to add new pieces to their team. This is the team that will take them to the playoffs and this is the team with enough talent to contend for a le.

Thats only half true, tony and manu are constantly having the ball slapped out of their hands when they drive to the hoop. Tim duncan has the ball slapped out of his hands as well. TD, TP and Manu have been on the court together for 6+ years. By now, they should of figured that out.

Quite making this all about new player acquisitions. Their just plain sloppy.