I was watching NBA TV the other day and there was a roundtable discussion. The topic of the Spurs hot start was brought up and even though they all praised the Spurs, David Aldridge commented that the Spurs were still one player, albeit a role player type, short of being able to contend with the Lakers.
Before the season started, that would've been true. But now....I realize we haven't played the Lakers yet, but if Splitter continues to improve, I don't see any reason why the Spurs can't beat the Lakers in a seven game series.
Spurs will compete with the Lakers if they play the way they are playing, and James Anderson return to play like he was playing before his injury.
all those analysts.
They just have a preference to throw any other teams' chances at beating the Lakers... Don't listen to NBA TV, and stay away from ESPN.
If you want to be exacting, the Spurs remain two players short of really being locks to contend for the le: a lockdown perimeter defender and a solid two-way frontcourt guy who can take some pressure off of TD having to be the primary big man/help defender.
It remains to be seen if Splitter can fulfill the role of a help defender (by indications he can) but there are doubts about whether he has the strength right now to be effective as a post defender.
But, the Spurs system and current style seem to be covering any deficiencies in the backcourt and wings. Hill may be rounding into form on defense; but they still can get killed by some of the bigger offensive players if the team defense is out of sync.
if Tiago Splitter can be our Kendric Perkins (great interior defense, score opportunistically), the Spurs will have a chance. i still think someone on the bench other than Hill needs to produce. i mean a guy who can consistently bring it off the bench, not occassionally make big buckets, like Neal. whether that be a trade or JA, i think it needs to happen because if you thnk about it one of the reasons Manu is playing as much as he does is because there isn't that other wing player off the bench.
I actually think that the Spurs have everything they need. What's different is that THIS WAY ISN'T TRADITIONAL. Or to put it another way, the Spurs already know how to play the traditional way of slow 4-down deliberate offense with a strong defense(albeit without a true lockdown defender, although RJ has shown he's willing to sacrifice his O to play better D. His D against West was key in the comeback victory against NOH). That model is what EVERYONE expects. Throwing this wrinkle in is genius. It's a Jekyll Hyde concoction that can blow up in all our faces, OR it's just crazy enough to work.
Riding Tim has been so reliable for oh so many years. The LAL did the same with Kareem and then transitioned to their backcourt with Magic and Byron Scott, but knowing fully well that even in his latter stages, that Capt. Skyhook could still be a major player when needed, but that's the trick. It's a tenuous situation, but if you're a Spurs fan, you gotta like what Pop is mixing up so far. I mean think about it. Quality wins over playoffs teams, 2/5ths of the starters playing below expectations in Tim & DeJuan, Tiago Splitter off to a slow start, James Anderson starting well but then breaking his foot, and even with TP's situation and a mini-slump, this team is what? #1 in the the league. #2 in point differential, Top 10 in a number of Team Stats.
If Pop is a bartender, he serves more than wine.
MiB spittin dat troof.
This`I actually think that the Spurs have everything they need. What's different is that THIS WAY ISN'T TRADITIONAL. Or to put it another way, the Spurs already know how to play the traditional way of slow 4-down deliberate offense with a strong defense(albeit without a true lockdown defender, although RJ has shown he's willing to sacrifice his O to play better D. His D against West was key in the comeback victory against NOH). That model is what EVERYONE expects. Throwing this wrinkle in is genius. It's a Jekyll Hyde concoction that can blow up in all our faces, OR it's just crazy enough to work.
Riding Tim has been so reliable for oh so many years. The LAL did the same with Kareem and then transitioned to their backcourt with Magic and Byron Scott, but knowing fully well that even in his latter stages, that Capt. Skyhook could still be a major player when needed, but that's the trick. It's a tenuous situation, but if you're a Spurs fan, you gotta like what Pop is mixing up so far. I mean think about it. Quality wins over playoffs teams, 2/5ths of the starters playing below expectations in Tim & DeJuan, Tiago Splitter off to a slow start, James Anderson starting well but then breaking his foot, and even with TP's situation and a mini-slump, this team is what? #1 in the the league. #2 in point differential, Top 10 in a number of Team Stats.
If Pop is a bartender, he serves more than wine.
I actually think that the Spurs have everything they need. What's different is that THIS WAY ISN'T TRADITIONAL. Or to put it another way, the Spurs already know how to play the traditional way of slow 4-down deliberate offense with a strong defense(albeit without a true lockdown defender, although RJ has shown he's willing to sacrifice his O to play better D. His D against West was key in the comeback victory against NOH). That model is what EVERYONE expects. Throwing this wrinkle in is genius. It's a Jekyll Hyde concoction that can blow up in all our faces, OR it's just crazy enough to work.
Riding Tim has been so reliable for oh so many years. The LAL did the same with Kareem and then transitioned to their backcourt with Magic and Byron Scott, but knowing fully well that even in his latter stages, that Capt. Skyhook could still be a major player when needed, but that's the trick. It's a tenuous situation, but if you're a Spurs fan, you gotta like what Pop is mixing up so far. I mean think about it. Quality wins over playoffs teams, 2/5ths of the starters playing below expectations in Tim & DeJuan, Tiago Splitter off to a slow start, James Anderson starting well but then breaking his foot, and even with TP's situation and a mini-slump, this team is what? #1 in the the league. #2 in point differential, Top 10 in a number of Team Stats.
If Pop is a bartender, he serves more than wine.
The Spurs will probably not pick up another "role player" of any significance this year. So they will go with what they already have in their locker room. Which is fine by me, because with the continued development of Splitter, Neal, and hopefully Anderson, these 3 rookies will supply any additional needs the Spurs have. So these so called experts IMO failed to take that in account when analyzing the Spurs.
Why should we look for another scorer when we're already #2 in ppg???
I'm with you on the perimeter defender though. At the same time we might not need a trade, simply a strong emphasis on team defense the rest of the regular season. We all know that's possible because every year the Spurs' defense starts to click in March and April.
Hill, Anderson obviously, and Splitter aren't even close to reaching their full potential with this team yet. We'll be astronomically better in March than we are now, assuming Bonner, Neal, Dyess, and of course RJ are solid as well. A lot of if's, but I have a lot of confidence with this team that wasn't there last year.
I agree on the analysis that we are (likely) one player short and I really can't see why some have a problem with looking for improvement of this team, even if this team is currently doing well.
before getting into details, just a look at the Spurs history.
at deadline 2005 they traded Malik Rose for Nazr Mohammed. a move that ALL analysts around the NBA called crucial to win the 2005 le.
but look at the facts.
when they did the trade, the Spurs were 42-12 (78%) and on pace to a 64 wins record. they had the best record in the league (tied with Suns as far as I remember) and Tim, Manu, Tony and Bruce were all in great shape and the bench was deep. so, no urgent need for a trade.
but they were lacking this athletic front court player with legit big man size.
they got him and it payed off.
I don't want to claim that this team didn't have a chance to win it all. as some point out, they are pretty talented and pretty deep.
but I would claim that our chance improves significantly, if Spurs could get either the often mentioned additional perimeter defender and/or a mobile defensive combo forward, who can defend perimeter bigs.
and I would hate to find out in May or June next year that we fell short just by missing out on the 2011 version of the Nazr trade.
Anderson was drafted to be exactly one missing part of what the Spurs need (a mid size forward who can shoot and defend) and really began show some promise before his foot injury.
Lakers are also one player short. Without Bynum, they aren't that great with a weak defense and a weak bench.
Tayshaun Prince is the guy we want.
Is he still upset with things in Detroit? If he were to somehow be bought out I'd send half the team to his house to recruit him.
true. but Bynum will be back in about two weeks.
spurs should watch the tape of pacers vs lakers, which the lakers lost...i think hibbert did a very good job on pau gasol....if u wanna beat the lakers, stop gasol not kobe....if splitter can develop into that guy who can contain gasol fromm scoring then spurs can contend......
can't wait to have my boy Anderson back!
That wouldn't happen until the February deadline, methinks. Thats when the waiver thing happens and I can imagine Joe Dumars letting Prince go. There is not too much of a market for expiring contracts these days and the league is full of it. There is a good possibility that Prince might demand a release later then and get it. Unless Dumars insists on a trade to snag someone good + picks..but I am not sure anyone except a contender would trade for Prince and they wouldnt' want to give up assets.
I agree..These same analyst said that The Spurs were washed up before....So what do they really Know???
The Spurs are James Anderson short. We need that kind of back up that can generate energy and scoring off the bench.
He's the young version of Michael Finley.
We don't know what the Lakers (or Spurs) will look like health-wise at playoff time...but if the Lakers add Bynum to the top-10 rebounders they have with Gasol and Odom, the Spurs are probably a player short in the middle.
I believe the Celtics had the Lakers on the ropes when Kendrick Perkins went down. That changed the dynamic of Game 7.
The Spurs can still attack the Lakers with small ball, especially if they can get the Lakers in foul trouble. For times when small ball isn't working and the jump shots aren't falling...to beat LA, the Spurs would need a much more confident and aggressive Tiago Splitter than what they have now.
If we had Varejao and Prince, i think we would be the favorites to win it all....
This Spurs team is one of the most dangerous and balanced offensive teams in the Duncan era. However, they're also probably one of the worse defensive teams of that era, as well.
As wonderful of a start as this has been for the Spurs, they're not going to get very deep in the playoffs, unless they can figure out how to get stops, when they need to. Believe me, Pop knows this better than anyone.
That said, I agree with the assessment of DA, that this roster is probably one player short.
This is what I'm talking about. I personally like to watch Bynum play and think he's one of the true "centers" left in the game. But he's only played one full season in his career. If anything if I'm a Laker fan I'm not sure I want him back so early in the season. Just gives him a bigger opportunity to get hurt before the playoffs.
Without Bynum the Spurs have a great chance of beating the Lakers in a series.
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