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Getting bounced out in the first round and then having a late first round pick kind of sucks. Maybe a backup point in the draft?
Obviously, this is really, really, really early and I have kept myself from thinking about it until now ... but here is my five step rebuilding plan to turn this squad into a legit contender. Please post yours.
1. Start Tiago Splitter next to Tim Duncan and bring DeJuan Blair off the bench as the first big. Splitter needs to play big minutes in an attempt to revitalize the defense. Blair's explosiveness and energy will be great if he buys into the bench role. And his size won't be too much of an issue if he's playing mostly next to Splitter or Duncan.
2. Send Manu Ginobili and Richard Jefferson to the bench. Ginobili needs to conserve his body in the regular season. And I think he can be just as productive to the success of the team by giving the Spurs the best bench punch in the league. As for RJ, you'd obviously try to trade him but that won't happen. Playing him off the bench at least makes it so that anything he gives you is a bonus. He can't be relied upon, as was reinforced in this series.
3. Let George Hill, Gary Neal, James Anderson, Danny Green and Da'Sean Butler fight for starting spots. Bring in other young wings who are hungry to join the fight. To get back to a true championship level, the Spurs will need a couple swingmen to emerge.
4. Don't rely as much on three-pointers. I'll take 50 playoff-style wins over 60 fun-and-gun wins if it means the team is built for postseason success.
5. Don't panic too much. It's not time to start over. The Big 3 needs to be remained intact at all costs. Find a group of role players willing to compete. Revert to a playoff style strategy. Try again.
What would you do?
Thanks.
Getting bounced out in the first round and then having a late first round pick kind of sucks. Maybe a backup point in the draft?
Sorry man, but the Spurs simply don't have a franchise player anymore. They will probablly not start to rebuild until Tim and Manu's contracts are done but that doens't mean they shouldn't.
It was so brutal at times this series when it was obvious the Spurs didn't have a go to guy. They're not winning a ring in this NBA with Kobe, Durant, Rose, Lebron, etc without a similar player. Just the facts.
Zebo was a franchise player this series. Thats what the Spurs are missing.
this team is a perimeter defender away from being a legit contender. Who knows what JA/Green/Butler can bring next year...but that's a good crop of young talent who can defend.
If you're RC, you're calling Kahn in Minnesota every day til training camp and try and convince him that RJ still has left in the tank. He's dumb enough to believe him.
This team is absolutely done for 8-10 years when Timmy hangs them up. I'm not sure why so many people are anxious to see him retire now and trade TP so that number can be reduced to 7-9 years.
Til the wheels fall off. The Big 3 aren't going to quit. So don't ing quit on them.
1- Agree 100%. I think Pop will start Tiago but Bonner will be the 1st big off the bench.
2- Agree about Manu. Spurs must trade Jefferson
3 - Start Neal at SG. Find a reliable backup PG. We'll need Hill to make a RJ trade. Hope Anderson or Butler can be a rotation player
4 - Agree, bring back the old Spurs defense first and find guys who want to play D
5 - I'd also give the big 3 one more run.
I hope they try to trade Jefferson on draft day, after it, with the new CBA will be almost impossible
"Till the Wheels Fall Off"
They did.
The Turks just blew up the Theodosian Wall. The Genoese aren't coming.
Half the city lies in ruins already and the doors fell off Hagia Sophia decades ago.
The Empire, at long last, is finally lost.
1. Trade RJ for a decent big
2. Trade RJ for a bag of chips
3. Get bigger inside. No more Blair, Bonner or Mcdyess. Use the MLE here.
4. Need some perimeter defenders.
Tim, Tony, Manu, Neal, Hill, Tiago, Anderson only guys that should for sure stay IMO.
1.) Fire Pop...bring in Mike Brown, he at least understands what Spurs winning basketball used to be...
2.) Buyout Jefferson, Bonner and Mcdyess...I know the Spurs are too cheap to do this but, in a perfect world, they would be gone. Bonner and Jefferson because of their performance, Mcdyess because of his age.
3.) Start Duncan, Splitter, Anderson, Hill and Parker...bring Manu, Blair, Green (or Butler) and Neal off the bench. Sign or draft a defensive minded backup big and true backup PG.
4.) If the Spurs get off to a bad start and it is clear they are not going to compete for at least a division le...trade TP while he still has value and encourage Duncan/Manu to retire as Spurs or trade them to a contender for a chance to win 1 more ring.
Trade RJ as DT said.
Make Pop revert back to defense first strategy or tell him to GTFO and go coach the Warriors.
Blair is good enough now to be used for trade bait to get RJ the out of SA.
Get TD to retire, open up the cap room, go after D12.
Either find a new head coach, or purge the coaching staff and bring in assistants that aren't afraid to do anything other than tow the company line.
Splitter/Duncan/smallforwardtobenamedlater/Manu/Parker starting lineup
If Ryan Richards comes over, let him play
Defense over shooting
Get Antonio McDyess a gold watch before his body stops aching.
Find a long three, whatever it takes.
Find an actual backup point guard, whatever it takes
Hill, Bonner, Blair and RJ become expendable.
If you keep Blair and/or Bonner, they need to get minutes at small forward.
I mostly agree with 1), but you need a 4th tall, physical big. Tim will only be effective closer to 25 mpg soon, Bonner needs to be shipped (might cost us Hill, Neal or Anderson), Dice is gone. I'm also dubious Dejuan can get good minutes if you want to have a team with good D, unless he gets a lot of help.
I also agree with 2), but also think RJ needs to be shipped, and again you're going to have to sweeten the deal with somebody else. We haven't had a good wing for a long time, and it's obvious RJ is not that guy, so there's no point to keep trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Anderson might be that guy, if so, he needs to get burn and we need to find out soon, or go out there looking for trades.
We need a backup PG. We've been needing one for a few seasons now. Hill is a SG, and he can't run a team. Manu is getting older and so is Tony. It has to be a true PG.
I'd like Pop to make the biggest adjustment, and turn back the clock to the days were he was a freaking asshole when somebody ed up on defense. Sit them out, rip them a new asshole, etc etc etc... If the coach doesn't hold people accountable, we're just not going to change.
Prioritize trying to keep Danny Green and Neal... Danny showed he can play D, Neal has balls...
And one more thing. The best thing that can happen is a lockout and another 50 games season.
Manu and Tim are old and playing only 50 games will help a lot in the playoffs
Keep the Big 3, obviously. We have 1-2 more runs left in these guys. Keep Neal, Hill, and start Splitter next to TD. Find 1 or 2 more shooters, and get 1 or 2 perimeter defenders. I'd keep Dice over Bonner, but what are the chances of that happening? You can try and trade RJ, but it aint gonna happen folks. Bring him and Manu off the bench....
I know you live the Big 3 TimVP but there's just no way this team can contend for a le. I leave it up to Tim and Manu what they want to do. If they want to ride it out and keep trying with this organization let them do it, if they want to contend somewhere let em go. Had Splitter gotten PT all year I would have believed in a le, but since halfway through the season when it was evident this team was not built around the defense anymore (same story the last 3 years) I gave up hope for a le.
Look at it this way, even if we had 2 more athletic wings to throw at Memphis in this series these games still would have been insanely close and MAYBE the Spurs would have won. We had to fight hard for every basket this series it seemed, while Memphis was able to end droughts by throwing it down low and getting the easy bucket. The Spurs don't have that guy anymore, that can take a game or a series over
Splitter and Anderson will be additions to the rotation next season. This team isn't that far off where it needs to be. Defense needs to make a comeback though. Too early to blow things up.
Richard Jefferson doesn't need to be sent to the bench. He needs to be sent out on the first train available.
I'm not sure the Spurs can go after D12. I don't think he'd be interested living in San Antonio. He wants to be an "entertainer and an icon," as Cam Newton so famously said. I would be surprised if he doesn't land in L.A. or New York either via free agency or trade.
Agreed. And then the Spurs would win it all, and Laker fans would put another asterisk on it...
2 of the big 3 are at the stage in their years where they need to compliment a yonger player not the other way around.
I don't think staying pat with the same team again will get it done. It might keep you in the playoffs but it wont make them a contender. Spurs are going to need an younger immediate impact player.
Spurs to somehow need to add another game changer, roll players built around the big 3 just can't get it doen anymore.
1. Keep the big 3.
2. Keep developing Hill, Splitter, Neal and Anderson.
3. Find a perimeter Defender. Chris Singleton from Florida State would be awesome I'm a huge fan.
4. Package bad contract Richard Jefferson with great contract Dejuan Blair for a low post scorer or shot blocker. Only way to possibly get rid of Jefferson's contract and Blair is too short anyway.
5. Like timvp said ditch offensive style for defensive philosophy even if it results in less wins and lower seed.
6. Bonner has to go. If he is on the spurs Coach Pop will give him minutes and we all know how that will turn out come playoff time. He works hard. I have nothing against the guy, but he just is not a championship caliber team roll player.
7. Some luck and Health. Sucks, but it's clearly a factor.
Basically Spurs need a low post scorer and a wing defender. Probably two of the toughest players to find.
+1. I think that's exactly what the Pistons did, blew things up too early, and look what happened to them....
Well I think it's not a rebuilding mode. Trading for picks and building around them is a better idea imo.
1. Trade RJ.
Go from there.
What a 180 we have here
The Spurs need length, athleticism, toughness, and shot blocking at the 3 and 4 spots. We need guys that can contribute on both ends of the court, something RJ, Blair, Bonner were not able to do. Splitter showed signs during the year but may not be the answer either.
Ideas:
Trade Blair for Casspi and sign Kenyon Martin (as much as I hate K-Mart).
Trade Splitter for Casspi and Blair for Birdman.
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