Summer 2012: State of the Spurs

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Jesus, what a huge load of man-on-man fellatio. I'll make this quick so you all can get back on your knees in no time.

Well stated. I'd never stoop to such mindless, psuedo-gay, ass-kissing behavior myself.

With that in mind, I'd just like to say that this article by Timvp got me all hot and bothered. I was up all night pondering the various points made in this incredible essay. When I get ahold of an LJ piece, I can't put it down until I've fully extracted all of its contents. Let's just say his stuff satisfies my needs like no one else's in this place can.







To the article, I'd love to see us pursue the best offensive players around, but I'd like to put a caveat on that recruiting process. I'd like to go after those players that have proven they can hit a shot in the post season. As Matt Bonner and Richard Jefferson have proven, there are some regular season heroes out there that cannot deliver when the heat is on. And as Stephen Jackson has proven, there are those other guys that live for the post season. Players that might be considered slightly damaged goods, but have that killer instinct, seem to be able to come in here and do fine with the constants like Duncan and Pop around.

We obviously need to keep Jack in a Spurs uniform for the foreseeable future. Bonner is really the only guy who I'd say needs to go. If Danny Green could be upgraded for another player I'd be all for that move as well.

All that being said, I also think it would be great to get a young interior stopper, even if his offense is weak at this point. Adding another wing player with defensive tools and potential at the offensive end would be nice too.

While I love to watch this Spurs team play their offense, I do feel that we'll need the ability to at least challenge opponents at the rim, and defend a little bit on the perimeter if we hope to win another ring.

Stephen Jackson provided toughness on defense as much as he provided fearlessness on the offensive end of the court. I'd argue that his defense, at ude and tenacity, while far from perfect, was really the huge upgrade from Jefferson that allowed the Spurs to out-perform last post season.

The second difference maker was young Leonard. Kawhi Leonard proved that if you sign the right young player with the right basic skillset, his offensive skills can be molded. I expect his offensive game to take a big leap forward in year 2. After seeing him play a lot of college ball, I was shocked at his improvement on the offensive end from college to the pros. Watching his development in the Spurs system makes me think that we could do this again with someone else. He's very unique, to be sure, but if you watched this kid hitting his 29% from 19 feet in college it was hard to imagine him with the kind of game he's put together in such short order at the top professional level.

Defensive players can be had cheaper than offensive players. If Leonard was an offensive phenom in college he would have been a top-5 pick. As it was, those doubts about his offensive game let the Spurs grab him mid-round.

If Kawhi develops into a reliable offensive force, with his defensive talent you could have 3 pro-offense players on the floor with him, and one Bowen-style hound slowing down the other team's 1st or 2nd offensive threat with Kawhi on the other one. Ideally that would be a guy patrolling the paint, ala George Johnson style (Spurs history lesson for those who don't know about George), or bring in Kawhi-Light to co-team with Leonard on the perimeter depending on the matchups.

So, I guess my take is that offense probably should be the primary focus on this team based on personnel and direction, but we'll need that defense, too, in order to win a championship.

[rmt]

Don't agree with trading Splitter. Sure, he doesn't play much because he's backing up TD but what happens when TD retires in 1-2 years? 7ft centers with decent hands, bball-iq and great pick-n-roll ability don't grow on trees. Get rid of Bonner and Blair, hope Lorbek comes over and play the young fellas a lot next season.

I enjoyed this last season. I think they had a good chance - better than any year since 07. SJax and Diaw fit seamlessly but Spurs peaked a bit too soon. OKC is just a superior team - younger, faster, more athletic and with shooting stars like Durant and Westbrooke. Once they watched tape of Spurs in games 1 and 2 and started sharing/passing the ball, it was over.

Gotta continue on this offensive path and hope for growth of Leonard, Splitter, Green and hopefully Lorbek. It was still a great year - getting close with a small chance of winning. With injuries or a few bounces here or there, winning is not totally impossible.

[tesseractive]

if you don't think getting backdoor swept after winning 20+ is doom, you need to wake up

Yeah, I'm sure there are tons of fans in Charlotte and New Jersey saying to themselves. "Thank God. At least we didn't get backdoor swept out of the conference finals."

I'm sure Mav Fan is thinking "Sure, we may have let our second-best player walk and pissed away any chance at defending our le, but at least we didn't make it to the conference finals and win a couple of games before dropping 4 straight to the Thunder."

Brilliant analysis.

[rascal]

I hope the team blows it up but they won't. It is obvious that this team will not win with the current team. How many years do they have to get beat down by younger more athletic teams. Every year it is the same story, everyone wants them to come back with the same team. Maybe next year, maybe next year, if only Manu was not injured, if only the refs would not make bad calls, if only the Lakers did not make that trade for Gasol, if only this role player or that role player would of had a good series. There are always other teams with stars in their prime that are younger and better now.


The Spurs come back with the same core team with just a couple changes that end up not making any type of difference.



Their core main players are reaching the time where they fall off a cliff as players. manu did not look good in the playoffs and Duncan can no longer carry the frontline by himself. I am not impressed with Splitter and don't expect any big jump improvements from him as a player. Splitter is best as a backup. Jackson everyone is excited about but I don't see him as anything special, just a role player getting up in years.




The spurs had the number 1 seed, were healthy and had easy playoff matchups but still could not get to the finals with the current core team. I don't see how things will be any better with their top players another year older.

And don't expect the league to stand still and not make changes with teams improving and passing the spurs who will be standing still with minor role player changes.

[benefactor]

I hope the team blows it up but they won't.

Shocking take.

[therealtruth]

I don't know that the Spurs cannot become a top 5 defensive team with Gino and Tim in the fray. I agree they might be below average individually for spurts, but overall, I think they can be at least serviceable. If the focus is going to be there, the main area of concern is Gary Neal and Matty. I also think Green, Kawhi and Tiago would need to make some major steps forward in that department.

I am fine if Gino and Tim are the weakest defenders since they can probably at least be above average at team defense. The problem is when everyone else is a turnstile on defense.

[timvp]

tbh, the Knicks ranked #5 in defensive efficiency last season, and it was largely Chandler's doing. Not saying the Spurs will land a Chandler, but you don't necessarily need exceptional defensive talent on all 5 positions.

If you have a mobile center who can switch on picks and defend the rim, you can be pretty damn good without much discipline because that center can basically defend the whole court. But those players are in short supply ... and most aren't even traditional center. The list includes Chandler, KG, Noah, Horford and not many more.

Duncan may very well be a top five low block defender and a top five rim protector ... but teams can and will exploit the fact that he can't switch onto smaller players anymore. The Spurs could try to work around that but at the end of the day it's a fatal flaw in terms of being an elite defense in today's NBA.

Tbh, it's ironic that Duncan is the team's best defender but also the main reason why they can't be elite anymore.

[lurker23]

Like timvp, I think the Spurs still have a shot at a championship with this core, albeit a small one. I'd much rather watch them chase that outside chance (and be a good-to-great team in the process for the next 1-3 years) than blow it up.

To me, the risks/costs of blowing it up at this point are much too high. Realistically, there are very few paths you can take back up to the mountaintop once you lose your franchise or near-franchise players. Basically, you have to either become really bad, or get really lucky in the lottery, to get another franchise player to build around. Either way, it requires patience while those young guys develop.

Eventually, the Spurs will have to go that route, and I'll still be cheering for them when they do. But you don't use the nuclear option until you truly need to.

[Spurious]

I live in the Atlanta area and know the Hawks' ownership has some boneheaded personnel moves in their future. They generally do. So we can keep hoping they'll give away Horford or Smith, and maybe it will come true. Unlikely, but it's about the best we have to hope for at this point.

[ElNono]

If you have a mobile center who can switch on picks and defend the rim, you can be pretty damn good without much discipline because that center can basically defend the whole court. But those players are in short supply ... and most aren't even traditional center. The list includes Chandler, KG, Noah, Horford and not many more.

Duncan may very well be a top five low block defender and a top five rim protector ... but teams can and will exploit the fact that he can't switch onto smaller players anymore. The Spurs could try to work around that but at the end of the day it's a fatal flaw in terms of being an elite defense in today's NBA.

Tbh, it's ironic that Duncan is the team's best defender but also the main reason why they can't be elite anymore.

IMO, that's why Bruno is spot on in that whoever plays next to TD is key from a defensive aspect, and why I said Tiago would need to make major strides on the defensive end.

But the Spurs also got exposed defending the perimeter pretty badly by OKC. Frankly, since we flipped Bowen with RJ, and adding Manu's decline to Neal's general ineptness, we just really have had a tough time handling even jumpshooters.

I think swapping Jack for RJ was an immediate improvement in that area, even though Jack is probably on the tail end of his career. Also Kawhi's ceiling on the defensive end is simply unknown at this time. The kid just blew away any rook expectations, and it's going to be exciting to see how he progresses. He obviously wasn't ready enough for a challenge like Durant, but he's just getting his feet wet. I also thought Danny showed some flashes of being capable to be a workhorse on the defensive end. He has size, is fairly athletic and knows how to block shots. He just haven't figured out the balance between aggressive and reckless yet. Hopefully an extra year can bring some insight there.

Manu will retire a Spur, and the reality is that the worst Manu is still quite better than the best Gary Neal on the defensive end. I love Gary, and I really like what he brings on the offensive end when he's on, but it has come to a point where Pop couldn't even play him for stretches due to his defense.

All in all, there's stuff to look forward to. If Danny, Kawhi, Tiago hit that next level defensively, I think the only missing link is a legit backup PG, and there's no reason for the Spurs not to realistically be top-10 (wishful thinking top-5) defensively. There's a lot of "ifs" there, but at least it's young kids we're talking about. Realistically it's easier to teach them new tricks.

Obviously, this would also necessitate Pop being more adamant about playing defense (which is code-word for giving less minutes to defensive liabilities like Bonner, Blair and, depending on the situation, Neal).

[MultiTroll]

Hey timvp great writeup.

Want to ask you, what do you think of this posters grades of Pop and how significant was Pops coaching in the Spurs going from up 2-0 to the Thunder winning 4 straight?

Game 3...

Pop C-
The players didn't seem ready for the amount of fire the Thunder would bring to the game. Pop, too, seemed unprepared. His playcalling oscillated between non-existent and confusingly bland. The Thunder threw the book at the Spurs and I didn't see many in-game adjustments by Pop. Rotations-wise, I was disappointed. Matt Bonner was overwhelmed yet Pop inexplicably continues to show belief in him. I thought Diaw and Leonard should have played more. When things started going south, going to Blair to try to change the tenor of the game would have been worth a shot, especially since the Spurs were lacking interior scoring and energy -- Blair's two strengths. Heading into Game 4, Pop has a lot of decisions to make when it comes to countering the Thunder's adjustments. Perhaps even more importantly, Pop needs to ensure that his troops bring the appropriate amount of enthusiasm and desperation.

The Spurs entered Game 4 with the goal of taking a commanding 3-1 lead....

Pop C-
First of all, playing Bonner was a mistake. Bonner is totally overwhelmed by the moment. With as well as Blair played, in hindsight Pop probably should have used him beginning in Game 3. I would also like to see better plays called when the bench unit is in the game. There has to be something in Pop's bag of tricks that is able to take advantage of a defense that is switching everything. Leonard also deserved more minutes and, perhaps most blatantly of all, Ginobili needs to play more than 25 minutes. That's an absurdly low number of minutes with so much on the line. Defensively, the Spurs have been horrible this series and Pop deserves a portion of that blame. On paper, Pop's defensive scheming was supposed to help the Spurs overcome the Thunder's brigade of talent. Thus far, that hasn't been the case. I don't think it's hyperbolic to suggest that Game 5 is the most important game of Pop's career, especially because he doesn't have a superstar version of Duncan to fall back on. Pop needs to make a number of difficult decisions regarding the rotation, continue to adjust the offensive sets to account for how OKC is defending, and figure out a defensive gameplan that gives the Spurs a fighting chance. Pop, the time is now to show why you are a future Hall of Famer.

Game 5
Pop F
As both teams were preparing for Game 5, I went on record to say this contest would go down as the most important game of Pop's coaching career. He had many items to consider, many possible avenues to explore and no superstar-level Tim Duncan to rely on. Now that the game is over, I still feel like it was the most important game of Pop's career. Unfortunately, Pop was an unmitigated disaster. His first quarter rotations made absolutely no sense. I realize he was dealing with foul trouble but to play Blair at the center of a small ball lineup when the defense was already porous to begin with was astoundingly stupid. Pop shuffling players in and out added to the confusion. By the second quarter, it was obvious that Pop had committed the coaching cardinal sin: he took the game out of the hands of his players. As the game progressed, Pop was better ... but that's not saying much. The rotation was still a question mark and the playcalling was lacking. I've always been a big supporter of Pop but this was an embarrassingly bad coaching effort. Now he faces the even more difficult task of leading the Spurs to a Game 6 win over the Thunder. From what we saw on Monday night, there's little reason to believe that Pop is up to the challenge.

Thanks.

[temujin]

Spurs have zero chance to win another championship.
Zero.
It's a superstar-driven business and young superstars win championships, because they are good and because they are marketable (non in that order) and Spurs have none.
If they bring in Loberk, resign Diaw, get rid of Bonner, and find a good backup PG (McCalebb), they will be very very very good again and a treat to watch.
Tha's all I care about, actually.
Spurs have had their -large- share of winning.

Winning an NBA le requires other "assets" which are only marginally basketball-related.
The 2012 PO has clarified for those who are not totally blind that they don't have these "assets" anymore.

[Ghjkll]

A lot of people here said that Manu looked bad in the playoffs...I don´t think he was that horrible...In the first two rounds he barely played, took only a few shots and was not used...In the conference finals, he averaged 18.5, 4 and 3.5 in 50, 42 and 93...in 30 minutes per contest! Including 34 in the most important game. He may not be an all-star anymore due to consistency and health issues, but he can still be a productive player. I think he is fine as a 3rd option/game changer. Our team needs to adress other problems, imo.

[Fabbs]

A lot of people here said that Manu looked bad in the playoffs...I don´t think he was that horrible...In the first two rounds he barely played, took only a few shots and was not used...In the conference finals, he averaged 18.5, 4 and 3.5 in 50, 42 and 93...in 30 minutes per contest! Including 34 in the most important game. He may not be an all-star anymore due to consistency and health issues, but he can still be a productive player. I think he is fine as a 3rd option/game changer. Our team needs to adress other problems, imo.

Manu played awesome when it counted and should have been rewarded with some more Classic Clutch Manu moments.
The most glaring was his drive and shot-putt style bucket after getting fouled by Durant for the 2+1. Great momentum play and brought the Spurs to 87-88 after the offense had been vegging. Tweet! Obviously shuffling and leaning Kobe Durant is given the call as the basket is waived and Manu gets rung up for the bogus charge call.

[Slippy]

A lot of people here said that Manu looked bad in the playoffs...I don´t think he was that horrible...In the first two rounds he barely played, took only a few shots and was not used...In the conference finals, he averaged 18.5, 4 and 3.5 in 50, 42 and 93...in 30 minutes per contest! Including 34 in the most important game. He may not be an all-star anymore due to consistency and health issues, but he can still be a productive player. I think he is fine as a 3rd option/game changer. Our team needs to adress other problems, imo.

If you look hard enough for some stats - not the games that mattered (Wc finals) you will find some sort of letdown in Manu.. Even though our eyes and the boxscores showed bigger disappointments.

[Ghjkll]

I agree that he played below his level in the first round, but his number was not called at all... The team was winning without him. I'm not saying that he is the same player as five years ago, but considering his style of play and the fact that he is almost 35, i think he aged just fine. He is still an impactful player. He can give us 14-3-4 off the bench in reduced minutes. Heck, I think that if the Spurs are still winning, with that kind of production Manu would win another sixth mand of the year award. I`m just pointing out that the team has greater concerns than Ginobili's performance. That is, of course, asuming that next year he won't decline more than he had right now.

[Bartleby]

Spurs have come a long way. No matter what happens in game 7, I'm proud of my team.

[Bartleby]

Spurs have come a long way. No matter what happens in game 7, I'm proud of my team.

[Bartleby]

Spurs have come a long way. No matter what happens in game 7, I'm proud of my team.