Reply With Quote
Bottom line is Spurs need to make a trade for a forward and ship some of the dead weight (Forbes, Beli, Carroll) out
Bench Forbes and Beli. Run Carroll and DDR at SF. Use Walker and DDR at SG. Run Murray and White @ PG. Add Mills as needed.
Bottom line is Spurs need to make a trade for a forward and ship some of the dead weight (Forbes, Beli, Carroll) out
To be honest he is coming back from a serious season injury so one year back from knee surgery I’ll give him a pass. But I will say that Murray to me is not a PG he is a SG I am hoping that his outside shooting will continue to improve next season.
Totally agree. The Cavs are experiencing the same issue right now with Collin Sexton - originally meant to be a PG but showing more scoring prowess than passing vision and play-setting. That's what makes the White-Murray lineup so enticing: White can be the PG relieving Dejounte from that load and allowing him to roam free/cut to the rim. Them 2 together with Lonnie as SF could be a scary sight, but alas, Pop hasn't played all three a single minute so far in the season.
Murray should definitely focus on his 3-point shot. If that falls he's a 3-and-D player with some driving and playmaking skills. That would allow him to play the 2 instantly. If the playmaking and handles improve he can be a PG, other than that he would still be a starting caliber 3-and-D SG. Makes sense
I've said it about Murray from the beginning. I had hoped they would make him a slashing 2 guard, who would be able to add decent 3P shooting to be a really valuable piece. Making him a PG, IMO, distracts from all the things he's best at and forces him to try and do something he's not natural at.
White was a serviceable PG last season, and he's the closest the team has to a point now. Patty's not, Bryn sure as isn't, and DJ really isn't either. It's a big problem for this roster.
IF the Spurs roster is used right, the biggest difference between the Spurs and a team like Milwaukee is Giannis. Overuse Forbes and Beli, and this team isn't even in the same zip code as the Bucks.
The Spurs don't have to be as bad as they are. They still wouldn't be a top-tier team, but if Pop wasn't suffering dementia, they wouldn't have to dream about just making the playoffs. Ditch Forbes and Beli, bring up Keldon and sign the best G-League PG available as a backup, and they would at least get that playoff appearance record that so many people seem to be worried about.
Dejounte is a very interesting prospect because I could see him going either way. The most important aspect to develop is his shot, which will fundamentally aid him whether we play him as a 1 or 2 - but whether he continues to try and develop PG-like skills or furthers his offensive scoring arsenal will decide his future role. I really wish he wasn't being coached by Pop, who puts players in the box-like roles he sees fit, and would be coached by someone who told him to go out there and do whatever comes to him. Anyhow, as long as we don't have Pop for much longer, he should still be able to accommodate his game under a different coach and being taught guard skills has proven useful to a lot of players (Anthony Davis off the top of my head) at expanding their game beyond purely their given roles.
In an ideal situation, the Spurs develop Weatherspoon, who's been playing quite nicely in Austin, as the future backup PG, and commit to a White-Murray-Walker trio as 1, 2, 3 respectively. Keldon as a backup 3 and ( ing hopefully) Forbes as a backup 2 rounds up the guard rotation, as they trade away DeRozan and Patty for assets while they can and banish Marco to oblivion. It's a lot of hoping to get there but these pieces can form a great team in the not distant future. Let's hope PATFO open their eyes as the Spurs slip further away from playoff contention...
I don't disagree with any of that. I hope you're right about Murray. I think he would have been a better fit, quicker, had they taken the other route with him. But I guess there's no reason not to be optimistic that he could still be repurposed.
You can see all of my offseason posts about Spoon. I said even back then that I think he could be a Forbes replacement sooner rather than later, but with better PG skills than Forbes ever had. Frankly, I think he could be the best (maybe only) PG the team has had for several years. But a good enough shooter to replace Forbes as a 2, with much better defense.
I would love to see this team get a pick no worse than 6 next year. But if they are still serious about making the playoffs, I think there's a roadmap that would get them there. All the stuff you said is pretty much there. Pop just doesn't seem to believe in roadmaps. Or stats. Or defense.
Yeah, Spoon is a good floor general, from the times I've caught Austin playing he's always looked in control of the flow. With White inexplicably taking a step backwards this season, and DJ not being able to set plays for the team consistently, we're relying too much on DeMar's playmaking, which pisses me off since it's exactly the kind of thing Pop would look like and think "yeah, this guy DeRozan is the core of the team, we need to sign him long-term". There's a lot of games left, but if neither young player steps it up, I could see the Spurs falling into the worst case scenario of talking themselves into a DD extension, surely for max or near-max "discount" money.
I'm on the hype train for Spoon. Also on it for Luka, in a few years anyway, and obviously Keldon. It's incredible that, as much as Pop doesn't believe in roadmaps, he will still stick to his old ways of not playing rookies even when the main squad is ting the bed daily... Infuriating. And you just know that it's the kind of old man shtick that he doesn't even question anymore, he just does it. Like not playing DeMarre - I'm still hoping an interviewer asks him about it so he has to make up an actual reason on the fly and then plays him 15m the very next game.
Overall, the Spurs' most pressing need is a new coach. A youth development coach, one that isn't afraid of making mistakes and getting rookies on the field.
I am not even on a ditch Forbes train. He's basically Patty Mills 2.0 without the accent. He's a 2 guard with just enough ball handling to play backup pg and an occasional spot game if your starter is gimpy. He's not a starting level pg. He is fine as a backup combo guard for some extra shooting / rest minutes.
There's actually a lot of good in a guy who can backup both guard spots is a good teammate and is hard working to improve though limited physically.
The guy that I don't quite get is White.... Last year he looked good and to have a budding offensive game while playing elite D for a combo guard. This year he is playing very tentative most games almost afraid to grew up and some games looks as though he isn't sure of his Mobility or athleticism he seemed fine in the playoffs last year bye started with this during the Team USA stuff. I'm not sure if it's physical or mental or some combination of both buy something with white is less than 100% And has been all season. The very weird part to me is that the only thing we really heard is plantar fasciitis, which is definitely treatable and while a lingering pain doesn't for really hamper you athletically it just makes movements painful
White has already had multiple flare-ups of fasciitis, and also sustained a gluteous injury earlier in the season, which had him warming up on a stationary chair while he was off the floor. He's evidently not playing with his usual confidence and speed, and I think these lingering injuries are a big part of that, along with a new offensive role and having to adapt to DJ in the lineups. If we weren't so close to losing out on the PO I'd love for Pop to sit him 5-6 games so he can rest and heal up. We'll see how he plays after the All-Star break. As for Forbes, agree with you there; he's a backup/third string SG being asked to punch way above his weight.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
