I think both sides of the argument are being premature.
For any viewer of the Spurs there are a number of obvious important flaws in the team. These are mostly in regards to post play. Historically this has been a very important category as the Spurs know only to well from their past championships. With Tim Duncan deteriorating the Spurs no longer have a truly elite and lasting big man.
With that said, Duncan is and always will be an extremely talented player an we have seen that in the past seasons that he can still be among the best players in the league from time to time. A 60+ win season last year is certainly an impressive accomplishment and I feel completely invalidates anyone who thinks we have absolutely no chance to win the fits next year.
On the other hand, its clear we had a number of deficiencies that led to the Spurs demise in the playoffs. We had no way to defend Zach Randolph last year, one of the most talented offensive big men in the league. Further more, age of important players (Manu, Tim) has accounted for minor and major injuries limiting their ability to perform at their best.
It should be clear that the Spurs ability to win the championship after a grueling season has become precarious, but it's wrong to conclude that we have no chance to do so. We still have the talent to be able to win, we just have to hope for the health and the matchup (we do well against OKC for example, less well against the Lakers who have offensively strong big men).
As for specifically this season, I see no reason to believe are chances are much worse then last season. Many other teams in the west got weaker (Dallas, Lakers), and the Spurs got no worse, likely better with the acclimatization of Tiago Splitter. I certainly don't expect the spurs to win the championship but I wouldn't be Terribly surprised if they did either.
I won't think much about tonight either way, win or lose. The team is basically in training camp mode still, and their opponents are as well. What happens tonight could reverse in two months when teams become acclimated.
That said, it's hard to get all those new players in synch, when speaking of the Clippers of course. In SA, the core is intact and others follow their leads.
Don't worry z0sa...this is Bonner's year. Don't stop believing.
you mean you're not ready to make a judgement call on a team after 2 whole games in the season?
Sarcasm aside, I will be impressed with the Spurs if they are able defend Paul, Griffin and the Clippers in general. Yes, I understand that it doesn't mean much, but the Clippers are an athletic team and I think it's a good chance to gauge the Spurs ability to defend against athletic teams early on. It will only get tougher as the shortened season wears on some of the older legs.
Don't worry, I'm not like you.
Zosa, you are being beyond silly. There is nothing more lame than someone justifying their fandom and using generic lines like "I bleed black & silver" blah blah blah. No you don't. You bleed blood. Just like everyone.
I agree with Senor. What makes you believers better fans than the rest of us? As currently constructed, this team has flaws and they really did nothing to address them in the offseason.
Sure, they'll still be a good team and if they peak at the right time, they can make a big run to the WCF at best.
You can't keep saying every year that the Spurs will be there at the end or that so and so will play like this in the playoffs. The last 3 postseasons have shown that the Spurs just don't have it anymore. It doesn't make me support them less, but I'm just facing the truth.
lol I never said I bleed black and silver. Even though I do.
There are two schools of thought on this board, doom and gloom, and sunshine. Neither convinces the other of anything.
ElNono summed things up pretty well. Being a fan of your team doesn't have anything to do with your opinion about their potential. I don't think this team is a bad team...I just don't think they are contenders anymore. I'd like people to go ahead and start accepting that to avoid mass wrist cutting at the end of the year but it's whatever.
I think it's a bit homerish to think they are still contenders but that is my opinion(one that is backed by things that have already been said in this thread). I don't think z0sa is less of a fan for thinking that...or for even loving Bonner as much as he does. That better than fans like mexicanjunior who jerk off to the Spurs failing.
And for the record...I never called the OP less than a fan. I'm sure he's a very dedicated fan.
Tonight we looked BEAST ya'll. Go Spurs Go!
They played well.
Spurs won 61 games last season... and we know how that ended. Point being, I'm less interested in how we're playing now, and more interested in how we play going into the playoffs. I have no doubts that we can string together a bunch of solid wins, even 10 in a row if we get rolling, but I do have doubts about how well our players will play once the pressure is on, and the teams we're facing are not rusty. Doesn't mean this win is meaningless (don't get me wrong), I guess nowadays I'm looking less at the "W" or "L" and more so what from the games can be realistically used or applied to the playoffs. Saw some good stuff in that LAC-SAS game, certainly.
In a few weeks we should see the glaring weaknesses that aren't red headed. If we can look at those and think we can tidy them up, meaning we have the pieces, we should be ok.
nice team management by Coach Pop today:
9 players with at least 20 minutes of playing time or more....
way to go Pop, keep playing chess!!!!!
as long as we improve on defense, and keep on growing on that level,
WE SHALL HAVE A CHANCE.....
OPTIMISM, yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Just wait until we trade for Dwight
How were playing now will still have an effect on the playoffs barring injuries. Last year the team never really defended that well consistently. They won by outscoring opponents. We're at least seeing some good defense early on. The offense still looks to be good.
Agree. That makes sense.
Sounds like a plan!
Bro, thanks for that. I do appreciate the confidence.
Without calling anyone on here a bad fan, I must say that you are a true fan. Thanks for supporting the SpursDon't worry, I'm not like you.
Like it or not, it's still a big man's game. We have 3 big men. One aging, one soft, and one short. That's going to be a problem - especially when facing the better teams in the post-season. There was nothing premature about being critical of the offseason personnel decisions.
The lack of Antonio McDyess's minutes leaves a gaping hole, where the team was already weak. It didn't get addressed. Criticism earned.
The dynamics of the lockout - short camp, compressed schedule, and lots of player movement, are being felt. We are, for all purposes, still watching pre-season play. If the young guys can keep contributing, things look a lot better. But that doesn't make up for being short a big man in the rotation.
Who did the late 80s championship Bad Boys have in the way of BIGS? Rick Mahorn? Bill Lambeer? a 6-7 Dennis Rodman? While that frontline is imposing and tough, I don't see it as more talented than TD - the best PF ever even if getting long in the tooth, Euro Ace Splitter, plus Blair/Kawhi. If anything it's a wash or slightly in favor of the Spurs. What I'm saying is yes, big men are important, but ours are pretty good as is, and our guard play is going to be BEAST!
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