character > basketball skill is the wrong approach

[RC_Drunkford]

we can sit here all day and talk about what's wrong with the team and what should change, but at the end of the day it comes down to talent and what you can do on the court. Not picking the right wine or coffee, or making good sandwiches and being a nice person. This is the National BASKETBALL Association not some character contest. PATFO could've signed plenty of good talented Basketball players on cheap contracts, but he doesn't even go after them cause they don't fit the culture or don't submit to his pathetic coaching. That's why he loves to sign unathletic white boys and washed up veterans who got humbled by injuries. And then gives them big contracts cause they nice people to keep his culture alive.

This worked with Duncan cause he was a special person, but let's not forget Duncan had a degree in psychology. And Duncan used to argue with Pop plenty of times. Not to mention he's a top 5 all time Player. All that bigger than basketball bull doesn't get you championships. I know team chemistry is important, but like you can see in this series it comes down to talent and that should be your top priority when it comes to roster construction.

2014 got to Pop's head. He thinks he has to Play 10 guys who are all friends with each other and just have to move the basketball instead of assembling a talented roster first. It doesn't work like that. And that at ude has trickled down in the organization cause RC thinks the same way. Just look at that interview where he thinks teaching people about life and forming their character is way more important than basketball. You don't win like that. Spurs need to adjust their culture

[Dex]

I do think it's less important now then it was under the Big 3...namely because of the type of people Tim and Manu were. The desire was to keep that core around and assemble the parts around them, and you needed high character guys around them who were willing to sacrifice their stats and egos for the team when you had guys like Duncan and Ginobili doing every night.

I like both Aldridge and DeRozan as guys and players...but I'm not sure they are necessarily the two guys the Spurs should be hitching the next 5 years on. If it means shaking up the "culture" a bit to make that adjustment, then so be it.

[ZeusWillJudge]

Chemisty goes a LONG way, if you have Tim Duncan to anchor the whole thing. Manufactured superteams can overcome some chemistry issues, because the talent is stacked so deep - but you can't replicate that at will. And talent can't overcome everything. Years back, Portland had a team that had 10 guys who would be legitimate starters on most teams in the league. They could boast two legit starting 5's. They didn't win - because of character/chemistry issues.

Tim used to put the whole team on his shoulders. If he was on the floor, I don't think he would have let DeRozan quit last night. As good as Kawhi was/is, he's no Tim Duncan. He's going to need a stacked team around him, just like LeBron did. Because neither on of them has the character that Timmy had.

Simple, right? Just go find another Tim Duncan.

[r0drig0lac]

OP is 100% correct, but it will be roasted in this thread

[spurs1990]

Only two seasons ago the team was in the WCF carrying a pretty heavy stick.

Then the franchise player went full headcase, and as a result they scrambled to put together a roster unfortunately spearheaded by one Demar DeRozan.

Your take is even more off base considering Derozan is the type of guy you wish the Spurs would start acquiring. Straight out of Compton. How's he working out for you?

Also great point on slow white guys. Drafting Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Lonnie Walker in three straight drafts definitely prove your point.

[RC_Drunkford]

not to mention that this team right now has 0 fight in them, so I wouldn't say it's a great character team either

[JeffDuncan]

Basketball talent wins basketball games.

[/thread]

[monty4329]

This season's rules and officiating policy do not help either. They favor offensive, flashy talent which is very appealing to unsophisticated semi-illiterate kids, those buying crappy sneakers for gazillion dollars...
Which is all good, if one likes it, but certainly do not require any particular ability to play organized basketball -for which you need team chemistry.

Not that SA is playing any decent organized basketball anyway. If that was the case, I wouldn't mind losing some games. I hate losing them on DDR iso or on too-easy-to-defend offensive schemes.

[Othyus Lalanne]

Chemisty goes a LONG way, if you have Tim Duncan to anchor the whole thing. Manufactured superteams can overcome some chemistry issues, because the talent is stacked so deep - but you can't replicate that at will. And talent can't overcome everything. Years back, Portland had a team that had 10 guys who would be legitimate starters on most teams in the league. They could boast two legit starting 5's. They didn't win - because of character/chemistry issues.

Tim used to put the whole team on his shoulders. If he was on the floor, I don't think he would have let DeRozan quit last night. As good as Kawhi was/is, he's no Tim Duncan. He's going to need a stacked team around him, just like LeBron did. Because neither on of them has the character that Timmy had.

Simple, right? Just go find another Tim Duncan.

Just like Lebron did...

leBron is ireelevant, never fougt trough the Western Conference to get a ring.

That bag diva gets you killed out West anyways unless you are as stacked as the Warriors.

Basketball talent wins basketball games.

[/thread]

Only one coach with a ring from the weaker East... Lue. It's complicated...

[ZeusWillJudge]

Only two seasons ago the team was in the WCF carrying a pretty heavy stick.

That was then, this is now.

Your take is even more off base considering Derozan is the type of guy you wish the Spurs would start acquiring. Straight out of Compton. How's he working out for you?

But you're dead right about that. It's the reason so many of those guys have to be on stacked teams. When they have overwhelming talent around them, they don't fold like origami. They don't have to dig deep.