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There are talks about Kawhi and LD teaming up on the Clippers. There are
also talks about AD teaming up with LBJ on the Lakers. Given what happened with the Heatles, GSW, etc., it’s safe to say we are in a new era of superteams, where superstar players team up to win les. This is the new normal now, whether people like it or not.
With that said, how is a small market team like the spurs (who tend to strike out on free agents) able to compete? This is the main reason why I advocate for tanking with the group we have right now (with two all star players and some complimentary role players. Lottery picks are excellent tradeable assets of the players themselves do not fit your needs. It’s the best way to stockpile talent so you can be compe ive against these superteams.
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You usually lose to the superteams. Like every other era this league has ever had.
Spurs were a super team a while ago. Lakers Kobe shaq. 80s lakers and Celtics. 90s bulls.. history repeating itself. Only difference really is guys teaming up together.
We can't compete. Plain and simple. Before, with even 1 or 2 superstars (nephew and softridge), Spurs could've competed with tenacious D and great coaching, but with Pop most likely on his way out, a weak non-defensive roster, and the juggernaut team-ups that are/will be taking place, Spurs are overmatched.
Pull a Tonya Harding and knee cap a few of the stars on one team. Even then, I'm unsure if that's necessary with today's soft players. Maybe push them down and kick sand in their faces?
The problem is that players want to team up in big markets. Once great players have developed on the team that drafted them and gotten enough money to be comfortable, they want to leave and go play in a big market to make marking dollars and to live in the city with the amenities they want. It will be hard to come up with an incentive for them to stay because clearly the supermax backfired and players show they don't care about it.
Wait and see whow those egos handle it before saying it's over.
, Durant gained...
Pau Gasol.
Don't forget Patty Mills. He's the leader, ya' know!
I wouldn't really call the Raptors a super team, and they seem to be compe ive, even without you-know-who. You need a lot of talented and well-coached players, for sure, and probably one true star player at minimum to be realistic. I think it's conceivable that the Spurs could be in that category with a few more intelligent roster moves, some better luck with injuries and player development, etc. Over-committing to nearly washed up players is not conducive to creating a team like this, but on the other hand it might be the price a less attractive market has to pay to bring in quality talent.
You have a superior coach. The Spurs would have knocked off the Warriors had we been healthy. Then Kawhi went and ed everything up.
How to compete.....
1) Have a center who is primarily a good rebounder, to get as many as possible of those long, high arcing, three-point misses. Ditto good rebounding from other positions (like Dejounte Murray.) Good rebounders are more common than superstars, and not as expensive - and even from a superstar like Curry, the average 3pt attempt is going to miss. (The ONLY player in the NBA who is currently shooting better than 50% from the 3 is, ahem, Dante Cunningham.)
2) Have good perimeter defenders. Again, such players are more common than superstars, and less expensive.
3) Have 3pt shooting of our own. There are currently 36 players in the NBA who are shooting 40% or higher on 3s, and 100 players at 36%+. Obviously, they are not all superstars.
Rebounding, perimeter defense, and respectable 3pt shooting will give a good start for a team that can compete with anybody. Then, certainly develop as much as possible from there. Stars may be required, but superstars are not.
Denver, Toronto, Milwaukee, Indiana, and OKC are competing. Other than Durant joining the Warriors, it's not that much different from other eras.
get some injuries and then win the draft lottery when there's a can't-miss prospect
Luck, injuries to the other team best players, unlikely role-players peaking in the middle of a series, fluke 3 pt shooting (whether falling for you or not falling for the other team), a Horry hip check, get lucky in the draft, perhaps get lucky in some deal like the old Hill/Kiwi trade, get lucky yet another generational type talent falls to you....
Basically a good amount of luck in every scenario.
Tanking is NOT the answer. The ultimate tank team is Philadelphia, and they're already changing up their roster to try to be compe ive with the top teams in the East, much less win a le. The Spurs won the lottery, literally, when we got David, and won the mega-lottery with Tim. Hitting the trifecta from getting a franchise anchor from a draft pick might be a lot to ask for.
The only way for a small market team like San Antonio to do it is get lucky with a superstar player who embraces the city and get lucky again surrounding him with previously underrated superstar talent that is humble and unselfish and willing to sacrifice pay and glory for the good of the team. You surround that core with unselfish role players, veteran and rookies, who understand their roles and are, again, willing to do what is right for the team over their own individual agendas. Then you need a hard-nosed coach, who somehow, despite his gruff exterior, can exude the best from his players by establishing a trust with the superstar player first, and then carry that relationship down throughout the organization.
Tanking, gutting the roster and filling it up with draft picks hoping to stumble upon a championship formula is fools gold were we to pursue it.
The Spurs are the only small market team in the NBA to do what they've done in terms of success. I don't know that we'll get to see it repeated. I hope so.....
Last edited by Ed Helicopter Jones; 12-19-2018 at 06:24 PM.
This Spurs team is actually fun to watch when they try and compete. When they take a night off (or a second half) it's pretty horrible. Jekyll and Hyde kind of stuff. Scary.
Defense, good defensive rebounding, efficient offense, energy/tenacity, 1-2 guys that can carry the offensive load when the offense stalls, good coaching...
not saying to gut this roster. I’m saying tank THIS season and have a lotto pick with the semi decent talent we do have.
accroding to most larry bird could single handly dominate this league which is ing laughable. so there's your answer larry bird, an unathletic, slow (by today's standards), highly "skilled" player
He could rebound pretty well in an era that had a lot of bigs that played close to the basket, was an incredible shooter and passer. Offensively he was amazing back then and in this era that favors shooting and protects offensive players he would absolutely dominate. I am thinking like a 6'10 Curry.
Really it's about a single super-team. What other super-team is unbeatable outside the Warriors? Even historically?
Totally agree. Even the 04' star less Pistons put it to that super-team Lakers, Spurs beat the Heattles as did the Mavs. Lakers beat the trio of KG, Pierce and Allen. There is hardly ever an unbeatable team, much less several in one season. even the Cavs beat your standard super-team.
THis Warriorss team with KD are just bullet proof. Even when we were up in the WCF... there is still a good chance we lose the series right? Forget it that's an old wound.
Still, there are no super teams except the Dubs.
In last 20 years, Mavs '11 and Spurs '14 were the only teams that won a le vs a team with 3 or more All-Stars.
I guess superteams>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>r est NBA teams.
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