What does this team remind me of?

[DespЏrado]

Quick post just recapping the off season for the Spurs.

With Anderson and Neal on board, I've been looking at the Spurs and like many of you I am seeing the glaring hole that has been there ever since the Bowen era ended. In fact I've been discounting this teams chances of doing much of anything but living and eventually dying by the three point shot on the backs of an aging set of superstars.

And it makes no sense, where the has Pop's defense first mentality gone? Where is the guy who fired his predecessor for not building on the principles that getting stops at the crucial moments is the heart of championship pedigree?

In short where are the Spurs in this team?

But then there is this Brazilian guy named Tiago Splitter. A defensive first big with an MVP pedigree from the Euro leagues, and hey there is this other guy named Antonio Mcdyess who can do two things, he can defend and he can hit twenty footers like Horry can shoot a game 7 three. And Duncan is Duncan.

And I think you have to look at those three post players and you might be able to see what Pop is cooking up for the league. This is just a fingers-crossed kind of guess, but I think Pop is gonna rock it like it's 1999, and this team has the potential to be the defensive Juggernaut the Spurs once were. The way the Spurs won in 99 was by not worrying about individual team perimeter defense, IE- we won't after to worry about lateral quickness from Jefferson, because behind him the Twin Towers are going to be reborn. The Spurs instead worry about creating a matador like defense where they charge three point shooters off the shot and into waiting defenders.

Look at the teams depth chart and you are gonna start getting excited:

1998-99 San Antonio Spurs: 2010-11 Spurs

PG
6 Avery Johnson < Tony Parker
33 Antonio Daniels < George Hill

SG
17 Mario Elie < Manu (if injury free)
2 Jaren Jackson =? Anderson
4 Steve Kerr = Neal (Kerr didn't play)

SF
32 Sean Elliott > Richard Jefferson
25 Jerome Kersey > Bonner (sigh sadly Kersey is exaclty what Pop is plugging Bonner in this lineup for. His re-signing officially makes more sense, but is still just as re ed.)

PF
21 Tim Duncan > Tim Duncan
31 Malik Rose < Blair

C
50 David Robinson > Tiago
41 Will Perdue < Antonio

You look at that lineup and tell me if yon aren't seeing the similarities in the way they are built. Sure the Spurs added a lot of 3 point perimeter players, but the Spurs have never won in spite of poor 3 point shooting, they usually won because of it.

And if they can recreate the twin tower defense with Duncan, Splitter and Antonio, the perimeter defense can just focus on closeouts and stopping the pick and roll. So my only question is whether Jay Howard still available to do a little "Gary Neal fires an off balance three........BANG!"

[analyzed]

I think you have a point there, you also have to remember that it's not like Pop din't try to get a Bowen type, but the reality of the situation is no one made the grade. or no one we could afford would be a worthy rotation guy. I'm no RJ fan but realistically given the tools he brings ( although limited defensively) and his 1 year exposure to the Spurs , he still is the best SF we could have gotten for the situation. Perimeter defense has to come collectively from all our smalls and no one player. If Pop can instil that culture we do have a shot of getting back to that 99 defense. ( although I would argue that Tiango is not the shot blocker the admiral was)

[BronxCowboy]

The Spurs should be a lot better on defense this year, but then again last year was their worst defensive showing of the Duncan era. The problem with comparing this team to the '99 team is that 1) Splitter isn't Robinson 2) Duncan isn't the same player he was 12 years ago 3) Any one of Johnson, Elie, or Elliott would be the best perimeter defender on the 2010 team or close to it. On the bright side, these Spurs don't need to be as good as the '99 Spurs on defense, because they are much better on offense. Really all they need is to be better than they have been the last 2-3 years on defense.

[Interrohater]

Interesting take on this year's team. I agree that they'll be better than we've been hoping for, but I'd just like to add one caveat. I don't think that we necessarily need a "centerpiece" to guard the opposing SF. If we have a defensive stopper in a PG, isn't that almost as good? I think Hill might make the appropriate steps to become that guy. The Spurs should end the "GH3 can guard anybody" campaign and just allow him to completely shut down the opposing PG. The offense will at least sputter without their PG to facilitate and, as stated above, the SG and SF slashing in from the perimeter will be met by Tiago and Tim. I think that this could work out rather well.

[rascal]

This team is no where near the 99 team defensively. If you think Splitter will come close to Robinson defensively you will be disappointed.

You also are not taking in account that other teams have also changed since 1999.

[sananspursfan21]

the nba had a serious depression post-jordan until about 2005 or so. most teams sucked but the spurs and after 99 the lakers. how else do you explain the new york knicks making the finals? nets? sixers? 2003 had some stiff compe ion.

the 99 spurs team would've been great in this day in age, but i really doubt they would've won a championship if we inserted them into 2009-10 or 2010-11. i'm not taking anything away from the spurs, they just won in the environment they're given, but compare rosters of random teams in those days vs. this year's rosters. teams like the 2010 bucks have the same talent as the 2001 nets. todays teams are so much more about star power than team chemistry unfortunately

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

The 11 backcourt is better, but the 99 frontcourt is ridiculously better.

[FromWayDowntown]

I think Pop has tried for the last few years to find a Bowen successor -- he's brought in Ime Udoka, who was known in Portland for being a tenacious defender and credible 3-point shooter, and Keith Bogans, who had a similar reputation. In both instances, the effort proved fruitless, but that's different than saying they didn't try.

I also think that with those failures comes a recognition that it's extremely difficult to find a Bruce Bowen type -- and certainly a player like that at anything resembling a reasonable value. To a different degree, it's like asking why the Cavaliers aren't trying to find a Lebron James-type. They aren't just plug-and-play guys; they are unique athletes and everyone wants one.

[itzsoweezee]

i wish it were true, i don't think popovich is into that defensive scheme anymore. he's just so in love with his rotation-focused "system" that he's given up the funneling-focused scheme.

, he could've implemented something like that last year, but chose not to. so i wouldn't hold my breath if i were you.

popovich still doesn't understand that it was bowen, not popovich's system that deserved most of the credit during the bowen era.

[Cane]

Lacking a real replacement for Bruce Bowen has hurt the Spurs chances of success but thats overrated compared to the health problems the Spurs had since 2007 due to their injuries, high mileage, and TP and Manu (guys that regularly sacrifice their bodies and do all they can to win) piling on miles internationally as well. Spurs have little shot getting past the West if they don't have a healthy and ready Big 3 for the playoffs.

But it will be interesting to see how Pop integrates Tiago and hopefully his game will quickly translate to the NBA. Time to break open some of those twin tower plays. Maybe more importantly though, the big 3 will finally be rested and hopefully healthy.

[itzsoweezee]

the nba had a serious depression post-jordan until about 2005 or so. most teams sucked but the spurs and after 99 the lakers. how else do you explain the new york knicks making the finals? nets? sixers? 2003 had some stiff compe ion.

the 99 spurs team would've been great in this day in age, but i really doubt they would've won a championship if we inserted them into 2009-10 or 2010-11. i'm not taking anything away from the spurs, they just won in the environment they're given, but compare rosters of random teams in those days vs. this year's rosters. teams like the 2010 bucks have the same talent as the 2001 nets. todays teams are so much more about star power than team chemistry unfortunately

are you serious? duncan and robinson would have absolutely dominated in this league. even more so than back then. when pau gasol is a dominant big man, you should know that the NBA is really weak in bigs right now.

[FromWayDowntown]

i wish it were true, i don't think popovich is into that defensive scheme anymore. he's just so in love with his rotation-focused "system" that he's given up the funneling-focused scheme.

, he could've implemented something like that last year, but chose not to. so i wouldn't hold my breath if i were you.

popovich still doesn't understand that it was bowen, not popovich's system that deserved most of the credit during the bowen era.

If, after Bowen, he's given up the funneling-focused scheme, then why would you think he would do anything other than credit Bowen for giving that scheme it's success. I'd think that by moving away from the scheme in light of his current personnel -- the Spurs' inability to replace Bruce Bowen -- Pop is implicitly crediting Bowen. If Pop truly believed it was his scheme and not the players, he'd be insisting upon playing the same scheme and maintaining that it doesn't matter who plays in it.

[Chomag]

If, after Bowen, he's given up the funneling-focused scheme, then why would you think he would do anything other than credit Bowen for giving that scheme it's success. I'd think that by moving away from the scheme in light of his current personnel -- the Spurs' inability to replace Bruce Bowen -- Pop is implicitly crediting Bowen. If Pop truly believed it was his scheme and not the players, he'd be insisting upon playing the same scheme and maintaining that it doesn't matter who plays in it.

But then there is this guy named Bonner who Pop thinks is Robert Horry.

[elemento]

But then there is this guy named Bonner who Pop thinks is Robert Horry.

hahahahahahahahhaah

[FromWayDowntown]

But then there is this guy named Bonner who Pop thinks is Robert Horry.

I can see the complaint about the rotation system; but I don't think that maintaining the rotation concept is rejecting the idea that Bowen made the funneling scheme work and that the funneling scheme played a gigantic role in the Spurs' successes. That Pop has moved away from that scheme, post-Bowen is testament to the fact that Pop knows that Bowen made the scheme work. Left without the scheme, Pop's sticking to his guns on the idea of slotting players into roles, for good or for ill, but that's not denying the significance of Bowen's impact on the Spurs franchise.

If Bowen replacements grew on trees, and the Spurs had plucked one and stuck to not just the player-for-a-role idea but to the funneling scheme as well, there might be some merit to the idea that Pop is crediting himself and not his players.

[Taking it to the Hole]

I feel considering the unsuccessful experiments in finding a replacement for Bruce, we would have been better off squeezing as much as we could from Bruce who was still a very capable defender before Pop decided that he was "too old" while letting Finley to have the opportunity to jack up as many shots as he wanted. Bowen was supposed to be the mentor to younger wings to school them in the art of "man to man" defense, but that didn't happen.

[gospursgojas]

I can agree with the similarities. And I would love to see the '99 80ppg smash mouth defensive spurs again.

But what you dont take into account is how much more compe ive the league is now. You got 2 (wade and bron) of the top 5 players in the league on the same team. Along with a legit all star big. You got the best player in the league (kobe) paired up with a all world big. Coming off back to back championships. etc etc

[Dex]

The '99 team didn't have Matt Bonner there to spark 15-point runs...for the other team.

[benefactor]

Dumb thread is dumb.

[DespЏrado]

Dumb thread is dumb.

Comparing this team to 1999 in terms of raw talent may not work, but then you missed the entire point of the thread if that's what you think it is about. It's about the defensive scheme we used in 1999 and one we haven't been able to use since Robinson retired.

[ElNono]

I would love to have a 50 game regular season now. Would work great for our vets.

[Leonard Curse]

I think you have a point there, you also have to remember that it's not like Pop din't try to get a Bowen type, but the reality of the situation is no one made the grade. or no one we could afford would be a worthy rotation guy. I'm no RJ fan but realistically given the tools he brings ( although limited defensively) and his 1 year exposure to the Spurs , he still is the best SF we could have gotten for the situation. Perimeter defense has to come collectively from all our smalls and no one player. If Pop can instil that culture we do have a shot of getting back to that 99 defense. ( although I would argue that Tiango is not the shot blocker the admiral was)

yes alot of ppl are forgetting pop went for bell, and that one dimensional player from miami was it jones? anyhow if you look back at the great Drob he was avg 8pts and 7.8rpg w/26minutes of play in 2003 his last year so tiago should be alot quicker than drobs last leg and produce more, but we aslo have to consider now duncans decline but i think duncan is more cerebral than Drob so he will last alot longer. we have the potential to have a great year