Spoiled Spurs Fan Anonymous

[DrunkTXLabrat]

Hi, my name is Robby and i'm a spoiled spurs fan.

It all started when the spurs traded Rodman. "Why Perdue," oh the agony! Then came Rasho and Mahinmi. I didn't know who they were. But i thought they would be the next David Robinson. I was soo young. The nba live ratings were so low. "How could this be, is there a next David Robinson?" i feared the worst, not realizing the obvious truths.

As the years went by i slowly became cold to the greatness. I could hardly see championships and beautiful basketball, and focused on names i didn't understand. "Who are these players, how can some of them seem to disappear after the draft? Who are these other names? Why are some so short, and some so awful!" The unfamiliar names still cycle. Some remind me of old, others help me forget. I'm learning to let go. Draft, stash, summer league, d league, un-drafted. The spurs are winning now, in style, with what they have. "They know what they're doing! They win is not a cop out. They actually do know better."

This is a thread for us poor souls to come before the golden trophy and confess our spoiled grievance. Maybe i'm alone? Maybe i'm not as ignorant as it seems. Maybe your the same? What matters is i truly love the spurs! They are my favorite team. God help me if i were a lakers fan. Go Spurs go!

cheers,

[Prime Time]

In 2009 (I was 13), I thought by the end of his career GHill would be better than DRose, Rondo, and Westbrook combined. I was SO pissed when they traded him for Kawhi, lmao.

I figured Malik Hariston and DuJuan Blair would be 19/5 and 20/10 players in their primes, since that's what they averaged in the D-League/Pre-Season.. duh. Wasn't the brightest of kids.

I didn't know who Ian was when I first became a fan. He was just that big dude with a funny name who was always on the bench for some reason. The first game I ever saw him play was one against New Jersey back in 2010, I thought he was going to be a superstar for sure.

Ryan Richards was the last to break my Spur-heart. Next Clifford Robinson, my ass.

[DrunkTXLabrat]

I'm about to relapse... Antetokounmpo and Caboucolo are making me think of what LJC could be.

[DrunkTXLabrat]

In 2009 (I was 13), I thought by the end of his career GHill would be better than DRose, Rondo, and Westbrook combined. I was SO pissed when they traded him for Kawhi, lmao.

I figured Malik Hariston and DuJuan Blair would be 19/5 and 20/10 players in their primes, since that's what they averaged in the D-League/Pre-Season.. duh. Wasn't the brightest of kids.

I didn't know who Ian was when I first became a fan. He was just that big dude with a funny name who was always on the bench for some reason. The first game I ever saw him play was one against New Jersey back in 2010, I thought he was going to be a superstar for sure.

Ryan Richards was the last to break my Spur-heart. Next Clifford Robinson, my ass.

Thanks for sharing, my friend.

My old self would have said Hill woulda been better than Rose, Rondo, Westbrook... he woulda been Tony Parker. He just got stunted by that crappy pacer offense. And i would have said, i always did like the trade. Parker need the confidence, and a promising rookie sf was desperately needed over RJ.

I would have said Hairston and Richards might have turned out better, if Pop would have let them off the bench. And Blair never shoulda been drafted, how can you have faith in a bumble bee with bad wings when you can't even trust flies on special order from the garbage dump?

But this is the forum of in Pop we trust. And the spurs have the midas touch, literally. We resolve to understand!

[ChumpDumper]

This is quite a sustained meltdown.

Props.

[DrunkTXLabrat]

This is quite a sustained meltdown.

Props.

It's not a meltdown Chump, i'm finally seein the light.

Didn't you and i disagree about the Spurs and D Blair? The toothpaste thing? I thought just dump Blair for a 2nd and roster Jaymichael Green or any 10-day rotating door guy? You thought just play Blair for what he's worth? i actually thought Blair, Bonner, and a Spurs late 1st was worth Casspi and a Cavs late 1st that year? i think.

The spurs turned out fine, they won a chip and made the finals twice. Green turned out great, he's a monster in this SL. He never woulda turned out this good if he'd sat on the bottom of the bench like Blair did. Bonner turned out to be a championship level ace in the hole this year!! Casspi has fizzled out. I don't know what the 1st swap implications would even be, or if that was even possible. Blair turned out a difficult player to value, better left lost in free agency. He's done well for himself. And none of it matters cause it's all woulda coulda shoulda totally unpredictable. And the spurs are fine, Go Spurs go!

[spursfan1000]

I remember when I was young and got excited when Spurs signed Sean Marks and thought he was going to be so good...

[Hemotivo]

I remember when I was young and got excited when Spurs signed Sean Marks and thought he was going to be so good...

[Thomas82]

I'm also spoiled to a degree. I have watched the entire careers of both David Robinson and Tim Duncan and got so used to having an elite big man on the team for the last 25 years. Ever since The Admiral retired, I have wanted in the worst way for the Spurs to find an apprentice for Tim Duncan in the post. I still hope they can find somebody for him to pass the torch to before he retires. It would be nice to have a Twin Towers II.

[DrunkTXLabrat]

I'm also spoiled to a degree. I have watched the entire careers of both David Robinson and Tim Duncan and got so used to having an elite big man on the team for the last 25 years. Ever since The Admiral retired, I have wanted in the worst way for the Spurs to find an apprentice for Tim Duncan in the post. I still hope they can find somebody for him to pass the torch to before he retires. It would be nice to have a Twin Towers II.

Amen brotha! I think they finally have him in Splitter. The only doubt is how old he is. But he needed the time abroad and the season of benching behind Blair, McD, and Bonner to finally earn the le. Ya know?

[TheGoldStandard]

Centers don't grow on trees anymore and the prospects that have a chance to becoming something special dont stay in college long enough to learn the game properly. NBA teams don't have the kind of time to take a project and baby step him into being competent so a lot of these bigs flame out or lose the desire to work hard because everyone gives up on them. It's rare that you see a big with a post game with more than 2 moves, that can use both hands and go over both shoulders or have good footwork. Hopefully Embiid is a sign of things to come and hopefully that guy can actually progress in the NBA and develop more skills. Jalil Okafor has some raw post skills and going to Duke was probably not a good way to learn them.

[DrunkTXLabrat]

Centers don't grow on trees anymore and the prospects that have a chance to becoming something special dont stay in college long enough to learn the game properly. NBA teams don't have the kind of time to take a project and baby step him into being competent so a lot of these bigs flame out or lose the desire to work hard because everyone gives up on them. It's rare that you see a big with a post game with more than 2 moves, that can use both hands and go over both shoulders or have good footwork. Hopefully Embiid is a sign of things to come and hopefully that guy can actually progress in the NBA and develop more skills. Jalil Okafor has some raw post skills and going to Duke was probably not a good way to learn them.

yup, there's too many players that just want to Luke it. They have to finish the training. They can't expect their feeble high-midichlorian count and makeshift training to be enough. In battle, hoping the flaws in your opposing Vaders will be amplified by the flaws of their Emperors... it's fairy tale. In the real world potential roster players must posses the wisdom, power, and excellence of Yoda before they even make a roster. Because all roster players do.

[SsKSpurs21]

I thought James Anderson was going to be a stud on the Spurs (kobe level hahaha). He was big 12 player of the year, 2nd team all american and our highest draft pick since Tim Duncan.

i also thought all of our overseas guys like sanikidze and robertas javtokas were going to turn out like manu and tony. I thought Iam Mahinmi would end up like David Robinson as well. The spurs front office could do no wrong. they found gold in Manu and Tony and i just assumed that anyone they drafted would end up being a great player.

[Dex]

I thought Nick Van Exel was a great signing at the time.

[DrunkTXLabrat]

I thought James Anderson was going to be a stud on the Spurs (kobe level hahaha). He was big 12 player of the year, 2nd team all american and our highest draft pick since Tim Duncan.

i also thought all of our overseas guys like sanikidze and robertas javtokas were going to turn out like manu and tony. I thought Iam Mahinmi would end up like David Robinson as well. The spurs front office could do no wrong. they found gold in Manu and Tony and i just assumed that anyone they drafted would end up being a great player.

I often wondered what was worse for him, the injury or Gary Neal. But once again, i have to face the truth. Pop knows best!!

I can't touch on sanikidze and javtokas. that was before my forum level fandom. But i'm guessing, the same was true as it was for Mihinmi? Kurt Thomas proven value simply won out?

[DrunkTXLabrat]

I thought Nick Van Exel was a great signing at the time.

Oh my Brotha, you've brought up a real gem here. My dad and i both shared a bond over our mutual buying into that one pretty hard. We drew off of conclusions made from playoff games where Van Exel was freakish from 3. What happened with him, was that in the very early Parker time? Did Daniels get hurt with Avery gone? Man if that's so, that's a clear cut case of Parker shoulda been stashin in France. The spurs coulda had Exel dropping 3's all day with all the focus on the twin towers? But idk, it always come down to the spurs did great anyways.

man that was a truly good one!

[DrunkTXLabrat]

I remember when I was young and got excited when Spurs signed Sean Marks and thought he was going to be so good...

this is a hard one, friend. I think i was still stung from the Andrew Gaze project? I never expect much from Marks, i think the only thing i can remember about him was he might have had the lowest nba live rating i'd ever seen. i wondered how a guy with such a ridiculous rating could even be in the league. surely somebody in the spurs organization played video games? I think he was a tall white guy who could drop 3's, and eventually be molded for the spurs staff? maybe he was the prototype that would later become Matt Bonner?

[hitmantb]

20 years Spurs fan, started from Robinson in 1994 and all the way to today.

After game 6 2013's most painful moment in sports history, I thought we were going to get blown out in game 7, but we fought to the final minute until Duncan pounded the floor and every Spurs fan felt it. I thought that was our last chance with our aging GDP core. I was still proud of everything they did for us but I thought that was their last hurrah. Being a huge Duncan fan, I even thought he would be better off going to another team and get a ring Ray Allen style.

During the regular season, I dreaded the horrifying record Spurs had against other top teams in the league. I thought their top record was fool's gold from fishing lesser teams. I thought the lack of superstar ISO power will doom them in the post season when things get tough in the final minutes and they can not play their passing game against superstars.

Throughout the first six games against Dallas, I thought this was either another Memphis 2011 or Duncan/Parker passing the torch to Aldridge/Lillard or Howard/Harden in the very next round.

Before Ibaka went down, I thought we had no chance against the Thunder.

After Ibaka came back and the Thunder tied it up 2-2, I thought it was a repeat of 2012.

Before the NBA finals, I thought our fate was Utah Jazz, the perfect opponent to crown King's three-peat.

When the Heat tied it up 1-1, I thought had there been AC in game 1, we would be down 0-2. I thought the Heat would take it in 6.

Thank you Spurs for proving me wrong, over and over and over again! Thank you Pop for perfecting the system after three years, reducing our dependency on GDP with each iteration, polishing our passing/finesse/precision game to perfection and making our offense 100% balanced along the way. Parker left the game at half time and we went from down 7 to closing out the Thunder on a floor we have gone 0-9 on in OT. Parker scored 0 points and we went from down 16 to up 16 in a closing game against the Heat, that is the difference of this year's team and last!

Here is one last thought and I hope it ends up becoming a confession this time next year.

I was hoping Duncan would retire with a story book ending like David Robinson did in 2003. Without vengeance in their hearts, it is just not possible for everyone to maintain the 120% effort next year and the GDP core, while carrying less weight than any of the previous years, is another year older. You only need to look at the Heat to see how difficult it is to repeat past success.

Duncan loves the game as much as MJ did, and deep inside every bit as compe ive. He may forfeit the same storybook ending MJ had and play until the wheels fall off. Either way, I was lucky to watch him from rookie season to today. He will push for six to gain clear edge over Magic/Bird for a chance to take top 3 all time next to MJ/Kareem.

And no matter what happens, he is my favorite athlete of any sport of all time.

[DrunkTXLabrat]

that's some beautiful , hitmantb

i'm right there with you on that Dallas series. Between the coach and Dirk being of the championship variety, D Blair playing with something to prove, and the series dragging on... i was thinking "at least the grizz was during the RJ/Blair era, that spurs team was kinda fake. but this dallas business, they were about to take out a very legit spurs team!" Good thing Blair revealed his true fatal flaw (it aint the height or the knees)

speaking of the very legit spurs team. Kawhi is gonna finish that epic dunk he didn't get to throw down. And the spurs roster moves are solid. I think the 120% is still in tact. I'm betting Timmy goes out on a back to back. One better than 50 did, and not quite as perfect as the true MJ exit.

[BillMc]

I once, for about a mad 30 seconds, thought RJ might have been useful as a Spur. Then it passed. But, the shame, the shame....

[Mel_13]

I once, for about a mad 30 seconds, thought RJ might have been useful as a Spur. Then it passed. But, the shame, the shame....

Guilty. October/November of his second season.

[BillMc]

Guilty. October/November of his second season.

Exactly. Right after all those "he spent the whole summer working with Pop" reports.

[DrunkTXLabrat]

Exactly. Right after all those "he spent the whole summer working with Pop" reports.

This.

oh man i hated the RJ extention. but he had some playoff teases and the extra work with Pop, he got me too.

[jag]

I once, for about a mad 30 seconds, thought RJ might have been useful as a Spur. Then it passed. But, the shame, the shame....

Those were dark times. I was in a bad place.

[baseline bum]

I was mad as when the Spurs traded Alvin Robertson for Terry mings in 1989, not knowing how much of a cancer and just how bad a person he was. I had been dreaming of seeing Alvin and David playing together since Robinson's senior season at Navy. And then when the Spurs won the 87 lottery it was going to happen!!