Bowen's Decline Irreversibly Changes Spurs

[diego]

and I know a lot of people have given up on Oberto, he's obviously declined as well... but i think pop should have tried to squeeze more out of him, he gave up on him real early in the season and i think it was always clear the bonner/thomas rotation was never going to be enough (even though both had very good years, considering their career cir stances)... mahinmi and oberto were basically wasted roster spots this year, we only have 4 bigs right now and though gooden can play a role, I have a hard time warming up to him... we need 6 at the least, especially since the bigs in our price range are limited role players.

[Spurious]

Seems to me just about everyone on this thread has a point. We could argue as to which of these problems with the defense is the worst to have/easiest to fix, but I believe all of the following are true:

(1) Bruce and Tim aren't what they were on D, and won't ever again be at the level we so fondly remember;
(2) especially with Tim being worn down, the lack of another mobile, defensive-minded big makes running guys off the 3-point line risky business;
(3) On paper, at least, we don't have to worry about finding a total clone of Bowen. We could get a guy who's 75 percent of him on D but 8 ppg better on the other end and come out the same, or close enough (provided we don't slip elsewhere on O or D); and
(4) a rangy, athletic 3 would, in addition to his points, presumably open up our overall flow, by giving TP a target at or near the rim on some of the drives he's now having to abort.

Overall, we know the roster needs to change this summer. We might get lucky and catch a big fish in the summer of '10, but I don't want to hold my breath.

[weebo]

It's just really time to overhaul this roster. The team as its composed, as Pop likes to say, has run its course. As I mentioned in some other thread, adding veteran players looking for a ring was a good idea back when our star players (including Bruce) were young and healthy. However, those days seem like decades ago and our "big four" are no longer what they used to be.
I think Pop and the FO know this and that is the reason they have hung on to guys like Ian, Gist, and Williams. In retrospect, it seems like Pop and RC decided to give the '07 le team one more go before they blow it up.

[S4Spur21]

It's all Bonners fault.