New Manu interview with Ole

[mazerrackham]

I agree, Bogut is certainly a better defense big than Duncan. The rest are much more debatable...

[Horse]

I commend Manu for his confidence in the team, but it's not about wins or even peaking at a certain time. The fact is we haven't seen championship Spurs basketball consistently for several seasons now. Pop can talk about getting back to it all he wants...but he's done very little to prove that he still believes in it. The Spurs have done things like re-sign Bonner and throw desperation cash at RJ hoping these things will be parts of an "all in" effort to put one more trophy in the case. The reality of it is these moves reeked of desperation and were more "we're pray that this works" instead of "we're all in"...and none of these moves did anything to promote the type of basketball we've come to know during the Duncan era.

If you ask me to pick a side I say that the book is closed. If the Big 3 want to play out their contracts here while the Spurs go out in the first couple of rounds then so be it. They've earned the right. I've enjoyed the les and I'm prepared for the potentially long transition if that happens.

The big 3 won't be around forever, but I have great confidence in the F.O. moving foward we just got a top 10 player at 15. Hill was better than anyone really thought he would be and they will continue to draft well, and rebuilding shouldn't take forever.

[tmtcsc]

IMO,
1) Dwight
2) Bogut
3) Noah
4) Ibaka
5) Gasol (Pau)

Some good choices after that too: Bynum, Marc Gasol, Camby, Perkins, Okafor...

Other than # 5, I have no issues with that list. Marc is a better defender that Pau.

Tim Duncan can't play good D anymore. He's still a smart player and is able to compete with his smarts but physically he can't move like he once did. Too slow to react and too slow to move after he does.

He needs lots of help. He is now a Big man who can pass and rebound. Forget the offense and defense unless he has a favorable matchup against rookies or older guys.