What Is the Measure of Succes This Year?

[DAF86]

Second round.

[DAF86]

But what I would have really liked was for PATFO to not make such obviously horrible decisions in the offseason, tbh.

[Ice009]

My NFL team (until the prick moved em) was the St. Louis Rams and they had about a 5 year incredible run where they were extremely dominant. And then they had a .500 season in '05. It was so deflating. They still made the playoffs and actually became the first 6th (last) seed in history to win. Regardless, I was beyond annoyed as a fan. And then things got worse. They never saw .500 again. And years of 4-12, 1-15, 6-10, I dreamed of an 8-8 season and a taste of the playoffs again. No Super Bowl aspirations necessary, just a compe ive season. What I would have given to see that.

It's hard to do as spoiled Spurs fans, but we've got to do our best to eat this up while we can. Who knows, in 5 years, we could be longing for just a 7th seed playoff appearance. A team that despite jokes and mellow-drama, is compe ive, respectable, and has potential to beat anybody. Because all foolishness aside, our guys can potentially beat anybody or at least make a series interesting.

We're still in a golden age if you ask me. I'm trying to soak this season in as much as I can. We're not guaranteed another winning season ever again, Pop or not.

I used to be a Rams fan too. Became a fan in 1999 just after they got Marshall Faulk and when Kurt Warner also broke out. I also was a fan of Issac Bruce just before Marshall and Kurt joined the team.

Do you still go for them now that they're in LA? I stopped being a fan when Kurt was let go and Marshall retired. I still tried to follow them up until Marshall retired, but I just could stand Mike Martz. He really ed up what could have been a great team. I hated how nonchalant his at ude was in regards to turnovers as he seemed to think that they could score whenever they wanted to to make up for them. His arrogance also pissed me off. I think he truly thought he was an offensive genius and that his system could work with any decent player/s. I would have loved it if Vermeil remained the coach and that Martz had never taken over. I preferred his balanced pass and run game over Martz' pass happy approach with defense not really being a priority.

[Keepin' it real]

This has been the worst Spurs season for me so I'm not sure how anyone could say it's been good or successful in any way.
As a spoiled fan, anything short of a chip feels like a failure.

I'm sure Tim Duncan would enjoy hearing that you consider almost 3/4 of his career to have been a "failure".

[spurs10]

Wanting to get a pulse for what the average fan feels the measure of success is this year for this team. If you would have known Kawhi would have been out the entire season, what would success look like to you?

1. Just making the playoffs regardless of record?

2. Winning at least 50 games again while making the playoffs as a top 3-4 seed?

3. Making the playoffs and winning the first round?

4. Going to the WCF or beyond?

I think, in looking at how other teams with a lot of healthy top-tier talent did, that SA keeping record pace with them in a tough conference is a pretty damn big deal. I am content with making the playoffs but ultimately think that winning the first round (unless you play HOU or GS) would be the cherry on top of a damn good season overall all things considered.

Where is every one else at mentally with this team?

I feel the same. Now down 14 in the third quarter, though not panicking, I was certainly thinking making the playoffs was a measure of success that I'd be proud of. Again if we draw the 1st or 2nd seed I think simply giving them a fight will be something to be proud of, but I too think moving past the first round will be really cool! Now I'm going to read with interest the rest of the post in this thread!

[DPG21920]

Thanks for the takes. I think most, outside of a few who preferred a full on tank (which I think was impossible with having an All-Star like LMA plus other good role players) think that making the playoffs was a big deal, but that winning the first round without Kawhi would be a major statement.

I’m proud of the team and as stressful as this season was overall (even outside of the Kawhi drama) I look back and think damn, people really dogged the Spurs and hated on the team and they still kept pace with teams that everyone LOVED talent wise like OKC, MINNY, POR, etc..

[ElNono]

championship or bust, tbh...

[sananspursfan21]

I used to be a Rams fan too. Became a fan in 1999 just after they got Marshall Faulk and when Kurt Warner also broke out. I also was a fan of Issac Bruce just before Marshall and Kurt joined the team.

Do you still go for them now that they're in LA? I stopped being a fan when Kurt was let go and Marshall retired. I still tried to follow them up until Marshall retired, but I just could stand Mike Martz. He really ed up what could have been a great team. I hated how nonchalant his at ude was in regards to turnovers as he seemed to think that they could score whenever they wanted to to make up for them. His arrogance also pissed me off. I think he truly thought he was an offensive genius and that his system could work with any decent player/s. I would have loved it if Vermeil remained the coach and that Martz had never taken over. I preferred his balanced pass and run game over Martz' pass happy approach with defense not really being a priority.

Ha!! Cool! I stopped being a fan when Kroenke moved them. I couldn’t stand the arrogance of the LA fan base. Not only that, but St. Louis is my hometown away from hometown. I live 3 hours away. The owner really shoved it to a loyal city that despite what ESPN and NFL network said, was VERY SUPPORTIVE of a team they probably shouldn’t have. But it was a hard decision to stop following and loving them. Call me whatever but it kinda felt like breaking up with a girl. I’m a super fan man, I met so many awesome people, went to around half of their home games every season, had some of the best memories of my life being a fan of them and just gave it all up. The money hungry jackass Kroenke wanted STL fans to stay fans. I’m not a to any team!!!

I feel ya on Martz. I had a love/hate with him. His offensive schemes were groundbreaking at the time but he was no football version of Pop that could just throw in whoever he wanted and it worked! And he literally DID NOT care about defense. They regularly had a bottom 5 defense during his entire tenure. I would say he was OC material, not head coach material by any means. He did look kinda like a on the sidelines all those years haha. Once he left because of heart problems, it progressively got worse. So you didn’t miss much when you left the fan base

[Arcadian]

My NFL team (until the prick moved em) was the St. Louis Rams and they had about a 5 year incredible run where they were extremely dominant. And then they had a .500 season in '05. It was so deflating. They still made the playoffs and actually became the first 6th (last) seed in history to win. Regardless, I was beyond annoyed as a fan. And then things got worse. They never saw .500 again. And years of 4-12, 1-15, 6-10, I dreamed of an 8-8 season and a taste of the playoffs again. No Super Bowl aspirations necessary, just a compe ive season. What I would have given to see that.

It's hard to do as spoiled Spurs fans, but we've got to do our best to eat this up while we can. Who knows, in 5 years, we could be longing for just a 7th seed playoff appearance. A team that despite jokes and mellow-drama, is compe ive, respectable, and has potential to beat anybody. Because all foolishness aside, our guys can potentially beat anybody or at least make a series interesting.

We're still in a golden age if you ask me. I'm trying to soak this season in as much as I can. We're not guaranteed another winning season ever again, Pop or not.

Good perspective. I share the sentiment.

[tbdog]

As many rounds as we can for Murray's sake. This guy needs more playoff games under his belt for us to make a run with a healthy revamped team next season.

[Chinook]

Losing to Houston or Golden State in a highly compe ive series is the only way I'd really consider this season a success. A lot of folks said things like "if they could just upset one of them in the first round, that would be epic". But nah; if the Spurs are the eight-seed and beat Houston in the first round, they better win in the second round too. And it, if they make it to the WCF, they're probably playing well enough where I'd expect them to beat Houston (if they got GS in the first round; later in the post-season when they're healthy, there's no path to this team winning).

Obviously, in a smaller sense, this season is already a success, with the way they rallied from the ninth spot. In this small sense, beating NO tomorrow and getting HCA would be a huge boon. But they've also missed out on 50 wins and shown they are still on the road. That hurts more any other regular-season success can salve.

[weeks]

I'm sure Tim Duncan would enjoy hearing that you consider almost 3/4 of his career to have been a "failure".

I said it feels like a failure. A compe or like Timmy wants to win every year and thinks he has a good shot. Not getting a ring certainly feels like a let down. If you define failure as not reaching your goals and your goal is to win a championship, then it's natural to feel disappointment.

[mexicanjunior]

5. None of the above. Should had tanked and gotten a good lottery pick. Whether they would had drafted someone good or use that pick + other players to bring in some talent and now we're talking. Would had also meant some high turnover next year too. Instead next year it's going to be another year of horrible contracts, old dudes overstaying their welcomes and a good but not good enough middling team.

Anything else is just extra fluff in Pop's legacy.

This...

[Chinook]

Tanking is never a success. Damn it, people. You can always tear down. You can't always put it back together. Didn't you read what that Rams fan wrote? They got all the "tanking" they wanted for like a full decade, and all it resulted in was the team moving away.

[-21-]

Also got to give some real props to LMA for pulling this team into the playoffs, Manu for being so good at his age, and Rudy and Tony for coming back from horrific injuries. Also, Kyle proved he belongs in this league.

[Brazil]

Thanks for the takes. I think most, outside of a few who preferred a full on tank (which I think was impossible with having an All-Star like LMA plus other good role players) think that making the playoffs was a big deal, but that winning the first round without Kawhi would be a major statement.

I’m proud of the team and as stressful as this season was overall (even outside of the Kawhi drama) I look back and think damn, people really dogged the Spurs and hated on the team and they still kept pace with teams that everyone LOVED talent wise like OKC, MINNY, POR, etc..

[MarCowMar]

It'd be the craziest season ever if the Spurs somehow stumbled their way into a championship this year, Kawhi gets a ring he totally doesn't deserve, and then he moves on to join one of the LA teams.

Another question, can Kawhi ever be a team captain after what has gone down? What other superstars are so lacking on the social side of things?

[barbacoataco]

This team is better than this sometimes lame forum gives them credit for. They have, along with Utah, one of the 2 best defenses in the conference. They need either Mills or Green to get hot from the 3. There's always a good chance Ginobili will go into god mode at some point and win one game single handedly. If Aldridge plays well the Spurs should at least be in it most games. I think they could make some noise.

[YGWHI]

Many teams this season made the playoffs without one or even two of their best players missing a whole season or at least a good part of it.

I said the Spurs will make it without Kawhi. They did, they competed.

But when fans say it's fine if..."you consider we really only have two guys that consistently score/create their own shots in the half court (LMA, Rudy)

Then we should realize that talking about how bad this roster is built is legit.

About success, second round after beating GSW...That would be amazing, the best thing in the world.. Eliminating them in first round.

[superbigtime]

The regular season was a failure in terms of the appalling road record, but a success with regard to all the obstacles which have been dealt with. Making the playoffs is something that spurs fans have taken for granted for years and years. Maybe this season has gotten spoiled spurs fans to appreciate how damn good our Spurs have been for so long. I want to see Spurs play solid ball and execute. Hard to envision at times. Really hope to avoid Utah.

[barbacoataco]

Ok, so only Aldridge and Gay can create on offense. But this team is better than average because their defense is better than average. Since practically no one is playing defense in the NBA right now, it gives them a chance.

[vy65]

Had I known Kawhi was out for the season my idea of success would have been trading Aldridge for young talent and tanking the season to get a high draft pick. Even better if they could have dumped Fifty's contract on someone without losing assets. This is pretty much working out like a near worst case scenario with no Kawhi, no good draft pick, Mills still here, and a likely matchup with Golden State in the first round. The only thing that could make it worse is LMA blowing out his knee in the first round so that he'd have no trade value this summer.

This. Re-arranging deck chairs on the anic and calling it a success is beyond stupid. The team was given the opportunity to overhaul its roster and decided to go all in on mediocrity. No Kawhi for a year along with trades of LMA and/or Patty would have cleaned the deck, yielded a good-to-great pick in a deep draft, and shorn up the teams salaries. It also would have hit a reset on the age of key player's: LMA is what, 7 years older than Kawhi?

It's truly sad to see fans groveling over a first-round-and-out performance. Losing in 5 to HOU or GSW is a perfect punctuation mark on a wasted, lost season.

[spurraider21]

Losing to Houston or Golden State in a highly compe ive series is the only way I'd really consider this season a success. A lot of folks said things like "if they could just upset one of them in the first round, that would be epic". But nah; if the Spurs are the eight-seed and beat Houston in the first round, they better win in the second round too. And it, if they make it to the WCF, they're probably playing well enough where I'd expect them to beat Houston (if they got GS in the first round; later in the post-season when they're healthy, there's no path to this team winning).

Obviously, in a smaller sense, this season is already a success, with the way they rallied from the ninth spot. In this small sense, beating NO tomorrow and getting HCA would be a huge boon. But they've also missed out on 50 wins and shown they are still on the road. That hurts more any other regular-season success can salve.

had they scrapped to 50 wins and made the second round, i'd have been satisfied in a season without kawhi. but blowing the 50 win streak to me means they're gonna have to do better in the playoffs to make up for it, if this season is to be "successful"

[SAGirl]

The regular season was a failure in terms of the appalling road record, but a success with regard to all the obstacles which have been dealt with. Making the playoffs is something that spurs fans have taken for granted for years and years. Maybe this season has gotten spoiled spurs fans to appreciate how damn good our Spurs have been for so long. I want to see Spurs play solid ball and execute. Hard to envision at times. Really hope to avoid Utah.

No, many a spurfan doesn't appreciate... Many were of the arrogance to say the regular season didn't matter. They have been spoiled. Many of them are going through a season in which the team struggled through adversity but still made the playoffs and instead of appreciating, they want to trade Aldridge and tank.

[baseline bum]

This. Re-arranging deck chairs on the anic and calling it a success is beyond stupid. The team was given the opportunity to overhaul its roster and decided to go all in on mediocrity. No Kawhi for a year along with trades of LMA and/or Patty would have cleaned the deck, yielded a good-to-great pick in a deep draft, and shorn up the teams salaries. It also would have hit a reset on the age of key player's: LMA is what, 7 years older than Kawhi?

It's truly sad to see fans groveling over a first-round-and-out performance. Losing in 5 to HOU or GSW is a perfect punctuation mark on a wasted, lost season.

Completely ing lost season.