Official 2017 Offseason Thread

[apalisoc_9]

It's very possible that we see very little of Joffrey this year if the spurs decide to bench Pau as a Center..

It's not outside the relm of possibility for the spurs to play like this..

1. Murray/Mills
2. Green/Manu/Paul
3. Leonard/Green
4. Gay/Anderson
5. LMA/Gasol

[pad300]

It's very possible that we see very little of Joffrey this year if the spurs decide to bench Pau as a Center..

It's not outside the relm of possibility for the spurs to play like this..

1. Murray/Mills
2. Green/Manu/Paul
3. Leonard/Green
4. Gay/Anderson
5. LMA/Gasol

A minor edit:

1. Murray/Mills
2. Green/Manu/Paul
3. Leonard/Anderson
4. Gay/Bertans
5. LMA/Gasol


And there could be a lot of different mixing around between Anderson, Gay and Davis.

Historically, Gay has been a 3 and Anderson has been best as a 4. The Spurs might start Bertans as a stretch 4 - with Kawhi and LMA attracting the D, a willing shooter at the 4 makes sense. That would let Gay come back in his comfort zone as a 3, and Anderson play as a 4, which is, as you note, where he's been best.

[TD 21]

I've beens saying for years now, Kyle is a decent back up 4..He's got enough handles to break down the defense when he's attacking bigs and he's a surprisngly decent rebounder.

All stats both advanced and raw indicate Anderson is a 7th-8th man for a decent team if he plays as a 4.

He's a mess as Leonard's replacement though.

Even if he remains a reluctant shooter, just playing in more space (either Gay or Gasol and either Bertans or Lauvergne as opposed to Lee and Dedmon) should make him more effective offensively.

It's very possible that we see very little of Joffrey this year if the spurs decide to bench Pau as a Center..

It's not outside the relm of possibility for the spurs to play like this..

1. Murray/Mills
2. Green/Manu/Paul
3. Leonard/Green
4. Gay/Anderson
5. LMA/Gasol

They don't have to bring Gasol off the bench to not have Lauvergne in the rotation. They could bring Gay in for Gasol around mid quarter in the 1st and 3rd, then bring Gasol back for Aldridge late in the 1st and 3rd and finally bring Aldridge back for Gasol sometime between early-mid 2nd and 4th.

That would also open up spot minutes for Bertans.

Even ignoring Pop's traditional preference, as well as Aldridge's, Gasol makes too much and is still too good to just backup Aldridge. Whether he primarily starts or not, he's going to get similar minutes to last season.

[SAGirl]

Damn, Pelicans got their wing....

[SAGirl]

I agree...the chances of the Spurs being worse are probably bigger than them being better. Parker and Manu will probably be worse to some degree. I think we will still get about the same production from Pau...hopefully having a year in the system will offset any aging declines. Kawhi is hitting his prime and could be even better, which is absolutely unbelievable, but his MO is always to improve his game.

The rest is a bunch of unknowns. I think if Gay is healthy and can play at even 80% of his previous form, that's a huge pickup for the Spurs, maybe even the most underrated move of the offseason considering the price. That alone would offset the losses of Simmons and Dedmon.

The rest is up in the air. Will Bertans be ready to contribute more? Is Murray ready for major action, or does Forbes start stealing his minutes? Will any of the other rooks make a dent in the rotation? Will Anderson ever shoot the goddamn ball? True improvement probably hinges on any number of these factors.

Only time will tell. I still think that barring further injury, the Spurs will be right there in the top 4 when the dust settles...but that Warriors team is still the favorite by a mile.

This is a great summary.
Even as critical as I have been of the Spurs off-season, I am excited to see Spurs in action again and I am intrigued by all their guards. There will be some new faces and also, I am intrigued to see if Pop will tweak things to incorporate Rudy Gay etc. There is a lot to look forward in the season. Kawhi will be fantastic.

I should get off the pessimist wagon. A championship might be a very small chance, but it will still be an interesting session.

[TheDoctor]

Lets get pumped guys

[RD2191]

Lets get pumped guys

*whips out penis pump

Oh my bad. Nvm.

[Seventyniner]

Lets get pumped guys

Great watch. But only one playoff highlight against GS

[BillMc]

*whips out penis pump

Oh my bad. Nvm.

[BillMc]

Lets get pumped guys

Very cool. Thanks for posting.

[RD2191]

Oh behave!

[BillMc]

Oh behave!

[look_at_g_shred]

When is Media Day?

[TheDoctor]

*whips out penis pump

Oh my bad. Nvm.

[SPURt]

*whips out penis pump

Oh my bad. Nvm.

speaking of penis pumps...

[Dex]

This is a great summary.
Even as critical as I have been of the Spurs off-season, I am excited to see Spurs in action again and I am intrigued by all their guards. There will be some new faces and also, I am intrigued to see if Pop will tweak things to incorporate Rudy Gay etc. There is a lot to look forward in the season. Kawhi will be fantastic.

I should get off the pessimist wagon. A championship might be a very small chance, but it will still be an interesting session.

Agreed. The fact of the matter is, there are very few moves the Spurs could have made that would have put them at Golden State's level, at least on paper. I don't think even Chris Paul or Kyrie would have quite got them there, and the Spurs would have had to mortgage their future for them.

It sucks, but the Warriors did a of a job of playing their cards right, and the other 29 teams are stuck looking up at them for now. That's what happens when you find a way to team two MVP caliber players with 2 other All-Stars and a solid supporting cast.

I'm just going to enjoy the season for what it is and see how the team develops. It will likely be our last chance to see Manu in action, so I'll take that all in. And I still want to see how a series with a HEALTHY Spurs squad would go down against the Warriors, underdogs as we may be.

[TheDoctor]

speaking of penis pumps...

An old washed guard? You all know which FO is hitting that phone.

[TimDunkem]

An old washed guard? You all know which FO is hitting that phone.

Jokes aside, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the Spurs brought him in, tbh.

[Clipper Nation]

He'd be a lot better than Porker, tbh.

[Seventyniner]

And I still want to see how a series with a HEALTHY Spurs squad would go down against the Warriors, underdogs as we may be.

That's exactly what I've been waiting years for as well. A healthy Spurs squad this past season takes the Warriors to at least 6.

[BatManu20]

Trash.

[hooperflash]

I like these

[Maddog]

Agreed. The fact of the matter is, there are very few moves the Spurs could have made that would have put them at Golden State's level, at least on paper. I don't think even Chris Paul or Kyrie would have quite got them there, and the Spurs would have had to mortgage their future for them.

It sucks, but the Warriors did a of a job of playing their cards right, and the other 29 teams are stuck looking up at them for now. That's what happens when you find a way to team two MVP caliber players with 2 other All-Stars and a solid supporting cast.

I'm just going to enjoy the season for what it is and see how the team develops. It will likely be our last chance to see Manu in action, so I'll take that all in. And I still want to see how a series with a HEALTHY Spurs squad would go down against the Warriors, underdogs as we may be.

Things go in cycles and every great team has had some luck n their construction. The Spurs- Duncan.
The Warriors have had 11 Lottery picks from 2001 to 2012. They also parlayed a sudden e in salary cap and a desirable location to add KD to this. Add in an owner willing AND capable of going way over the luxury cap...
All things considered the Spurs did OK in the off season. I'm not a fan of Pau contract- however they'll enter next season with more cap space and several expiring or near expiring large contracts.

[RD2191]

I like these

[YGWHI]

Lets get pumped guys

Thanks!

It's funny because I would have chosen other play in those games as the "Kawhi's best play"...But NBA.com doesnt have exactly a Spurs fan's criteria/taste.