Patience

[timtonymanu]

Spurs won't be a favorite and probably use next year to retool. But I'm glad we don't currently have a lottery team. Kawhi is still one of my favorites.

Also, I wonder if Softdridge will be any better next year now that Timmy GOAT isn't holding his hand anymore.

[DeRozan m8]

Anyone who thinks the difference between contending or not is a 40 year old Duncan, is just a deadset brainless idiot....take your Duncan glasses off hahah

He was a liability at times last season, now is the time...

What a legend though, thanks Timmy

[GSH]

Anyone who thinks the difference between contending or not is a 40 year old Duncan, is just a deadset brainless idiot....take your Duncan glasses off hahah

He was a liability at times last season, now is the time...

What a legend though, thanks Timmy

[From Downtown]

Nono reverse-jinxing

[Floyd Pacquiao]

The rim protection is gonna be so with out him. Even in his twilight he still held the paint down.

[SAGirl]

The one flaw in all that - the one POTENTIAL flaw at least - is Tony. If he declines any more, it changes everything. Tony has never been a particularly accurate passer, and he's always struggled to break down a zone. Declining foot speed for hi is a big problem. If he holds up, at least to the level of last year, I agree that their starting 5 should be able to win 55 games. But if we see any fall-off from him? It could still leave a lot of people scratching their heads over how a team that won 67 games last season could fall this far.

And it's worth noting that the Tony factor would have been present Timmy or no Timmy.

[spursparker9]

Spurs are still contender. Only Cavs and Warriors are better than us now.

[DeRozan m8]

The rim protection is gonna be so with out him. Even in his twilight he still held the paint down.

What?

Pau was 5th in blocks last season, no Spurs even came close to that.
Pau also smashed all Spurs in rebounding.....

[-21-]

People underestimate attributes like toughness, leading by example, giving more when more of you is needed, the power-vacuum this creates when you lose leadership like that. There's a lot more than just putting numbers on the board. Lots of losers like Cousins, Rudy Gay, etc can fill up the stat sheet, but it takes a lot of other attributes to build a winning foundation.

Having players you think one day can be all that vs knowing you had that player is a huge difference. I don't care how broken down Tim was, you don't lose HoF talent like that, in all senses of the word, and come out unscathed.

It's true that the league is 90% , and that perhaps the 50-win streak will likely be alive, but it's also true that there's damn good teams out there still.

Make no mistake about it, this is a huge loss for the current Spurs, IMO.

Very true, I agree 100%. As you said though, the rest of the league sucks, our team is easily still top 5. We haven't seen the what the Warriors look like yet but if a few things go our way, a championship isn't out of reach. If this is our darkest times, I'll take it. We really are spoiled fans tbh and it's all because of #21.

[GSH]

And it's worth noting that the Tony factor would have been present Timmy or no Timmy.

Signing Gasol changed the calculus a little bit. I would be a lot less optimistic if Dedmon was Plan A. Of if Tim and come back in the same shape he was in after the December injury. I was counting on a fall-off at the C, PLUS the likelihood of Tony continuing to slide.

But, yeah, I see your point.

[Dex]

There is no replacing Tim Duncan's leadership. That is not even questionable.

Statistically speaking, the biggest loss going into next season will be his defense. He couldn't get much done offensively anymore, but he was a big part of the reason the Spurs were dominating on the defensive end for the majority of last season.

That being said, the Spurs are bringing in about as close to a Duncan clone as possible in Pau Gasol. Probably not as solid defensively, but hopefully he can make that up with his improved post play and ability to hit the mid-range: facets that eluded Tim in the past couple seasons. Otherwise, they are both savvy bigs who can pass, guard the rim, and play championship basketball.

The Spurs will definitely be different, but that is as inevitable as the sun rising tomorrow is. But I still have faith that our new Big 3 (Kawhi, Aldridge, Gasol) can be successful...especially since one of our biggest threats in OKC has been dismantled.

I refuse to believe that the new Warriors are unbeatable, just like the Lakers or the Celtics or the Heat weren't unbeatable. , many people were viewing last year's squad (Big 3 + Kawhi + LMA + Green + West) as a new superteam of sorts...and that only got us to the second round.

Still gotta play the games and see how the cards fall.

[z0sa]

49 win season.

I still see the Spurs as contenders, if more a dark horse candidate than anything now that the Big Fundamental . . . sniff, sniff . . . finally hit the ol' dusty trail. Parker, Manu (still one of the most impactful players off the bench in the L), LaMarcus, Pau, and of course the runner up MVP, Kawhi isnt a bad club. And technically, OKC just fell a notch or two as well. GS vs SA seems almost a shoe in at this point, even if they are heavy favorites. I still give us a puncher's chance.

[timtonymanu]

There is no replacing Tim Duncan's leadership. That is not even questionable.

Statistically speaking, the biggest loss going into next season will be his defense. He couldn't get much done offensively anymore, but he was a big part of the reason the Spurs were dominating on the defensive end for the majority of last season.

That being said, the Spurs are bringing in about as close to a Duncan clone as possible in Pau Gasol. Probably not as solid defensively, but hopefully he can make that up with his improved post play and ability to hit the mid-range: facets that eluded Tim in the past couple seasons. Otherwise, they are both savvy bigs who can pass, guard the rim, and play championship basketball.

The Spurs will definitely be different, but that is as inevitable as the sun rising tomorrow is. But I still have faith that our new Big 3 (Kawhi, Aldridge, Gasol) can be successful...especially since one of our biggest threats in OKC has been dismantled.

I refuse to believe that the new Warriors are unbeatable, just like the Lakers or the Celtics or the Heat weren't unbeatable. , many people were viewing last year's squad (Big 3 + Kawhi + LMA + Green + West) as a new superteam of sorts...and that only got us to the second round.

Still gotta play the games and see how the cards fall.

Well said, Dex. Probably the most realistic way of putting it.

[FkLA]

Is OP srs? The Spurs are absolutely contenders next season.

[dabom]

Is OP srs? The Spurs are absolutely contenders next season.

OP with the ing bads. Don't say sarcasm or a reverse jinx when you fall flat OP.

[HI-FI]

[Jdspur20]

60-22

[ElNono]

OP with the ing bads. Don't say sarcasm or a reverse jinx when you fall flat OP.

I've been saying this since a season or two ago, tbh... I'm dead serious and don't be mad when you look back and realize "damn, this niglet knew what he was talking about"... just PM me, it's all good.

I'm the first guy that wants to be wrong about this, tbh, I just don't see it, however...

[Hoops Czar]

Very true, I agree 100%. As you said though, the rest of the league sucks, our team is easily still top 5. We haven't seen the what the Warriors look like yet but if a few things go our way, a championship isn't out of reach. If this is our darkest times, I'll take it. We really are spoiled fans tbh and it's all because of #21.

From a nostalgia point of view, I wish he had come back for one more season. From a basketball perspective, the wheels had fallen off and he had nothing left to give. It's better to leave a year too early than a year too late (Kevin Garnett). And when you get a whiff of the live corpse coming off the bench chasing dollars signs, you'll have even more respect for TD.

[ElNono]

Supremely disappointed in the last one. That was garbage.

Absolutely. I still have most of the OKC and Heat games on DVR. Thank god for Youtube too, tbh

[BillMc]

There is no replacing Tim Duncan's leadership. That is not even questionable.

Statistically speaking, the biggest loss going into next season will be his defense. He couldn't get much done offensively anymore, but he was a big part of the reason the Spurs were dominating on the defensive end for the majority of last season.

That being said, the Spurs are bringing in about as close to a Duncan clone as possible in Pau Gasol. Probably not as solid defensively, but hopefully he can make that up with his improved post play and ability to hit the mid-range: facets that eluded Tim in the past couple seasons. Otherwise, they are both savvy bigs who can pass, guard the rim, and play championship basketball.

The Spurs will definitely be different, but that is as inevitable as the sun rising tomorrow is. But I still have faith that our new Big 3 (Kawhi, Aldridge, Gasol) can be successful...especially since one of our biggest threats in OKC has been dismantled.

I refuse to believe that the new Warriors are unbeatable, just like the Lakers or the Celtics or the Heat weren't unbeatable. , many people were viewing last year's squad (Big 3 + Kawhi + LMA + Green + West) as a new superteam of sorts...and that only got us to the second round.

Still gotta play the games and see how the cards fall.

Great post!

[tholdren]

Hopefully you die after the jump from the cliff. I would hate for you to be able to post again in such cry havoc fashion

[AFBlue]

Well done. Terribly awesome.

[EVAY]

There is no replacing Tim Duncan's leadership. That is not even questionable.

Statistically speaking, the biggest loss going into next season will be his defense. He couldn't get much done offensively anymore, but he was a big part of the reason the Spurs were dominating on the defensive end for the majority of last season.

That being said, the Spurs are bringing in about as close to a Duncan clone as possible in Pau Gasol. Probably not as solid defensively, but hopefully he can make that up with his improved post play and ability to hit the mid-range: facets that eluded Tim in the past couple seasons. Otherwise, they are both savvy bigs who can pass, guard the rim, and play championship basketball.

The Spurs will definitely be different, but that is as inevitable as the sun rising tomorrow is. But I still have faith that our new Big 3 (Kawhi, Aldridge, Gasol) can be successful...especially since one of our biggest threats in OKC has been dismantled.

I refuse to believe that the new Warriors are unbeatable, just like the Lakers or the Celtics or the Heat weren't unbeatable. , many people were viewing last year's squad (Big 3 + Kawhi + LMA + Green + West) as a new superteam of sorts...and that only got us to the second round.

Still gotta play the games and see how the cards fall.

Pretty much sums it up...but your first sentence is soooooo telling.

No one that I see on the current team can be anywhere near the leader Tim was, because no single player on the team now has the respect of all others in the way that Tim had.

I will still watch and cheer and hope for the best.


But what I will be looking for, in order for the Spurs to get past round 2, is an effective leader.

[lefty20]

Nice reverse jinx thread OP