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  1. #951
    Derrick White fanboy FkLA's Avatar
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    Bro, this is Kawhi-level right here. He's just not quick enough (yet) to chase after loose balls after he's poked them away. Not sure he'll get there, really rare for bigs to be that quick to chase after loose balls. But his length is a terror for opposing players in the same mold as Kawhi.
    Speaking of Nephew, I would love to see Luka guard him. Neph is so efficient because he's always able to get comfortable looks due to his long winspan/strength. I have a feeling Luka's length would bother him.

  2. #952
    Veteran J_Paco's Avatar
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    No doubt Ja looks good but it reminds me of a certain time when there were tons of PGs who came and went and a certain point guard drafted in 2001 as the 28th overall pick established himself as a winning point guard above the rest. Bring up Timmy D if you will but no one can argue the fact that in a re-draft, Tony Parker would be selected top 10. So to me, these fools obsessed with top 10 picks are blind and will never recognize when there's a new TP or Manu in town who is leading the way.
    Baron Davis
    Gilbert Arenas
    Derrick Rose
    Steve Francis
    Steve Nash
    Chris Paul
    Mike Bibby
    Stephon Marbury
    Deron Williams
    Gary Payton

    Were all "Ja Morants" at one point.
    I understand your point and believe me that I agree that Williamson is overrated, but a few of those guys on that list are legitimate HOF'er. Plus, Tony had the benefit of playing with the best player/coach of his era & Manu Ginobili.

    No doubt I think Tony could've been an all - star elsewhere, but Timmy had a lot more to do with the championship success than TP.

    And Morant is special and could be the best PG in the league very soon.

    Anyway, I'm happy with the flashes that Luka has shown and hopefully they're signs that he's ready for a bigger role. I'd love for him to take Rudy Gay's minutes after the all - star break, but that isn't very likely.

    Just hoping Pop finds some time for the kid cause we desperately need a long, rangy defensive - minded 4 for that also has guard skills (that's why they drafted him over Clarke, duh).

  3. #953
    Veteran Dejounte's Avatar
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    Speaking of Nephew, I would love to see Luka guard him. Neph is so efficient because he's always able to get comfortable looks due to his long winspan/strength. I have a feeling Luka's length would bother him.
    In the clip, you can see Luka jump to contest the shot. Usually, players his size land in the shooter's area resulting in a foul. So long as Luka can keep landing precisely outside the shooter's landing area, he will be fine against Kawhi. The fact that he's doing this is amazing. That's not normal for bigs his size. They're usually really clumsy and easily foul that way.

  4. #954
    Veteran Dejounte's Avatar
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    I understand your point and believe me that I agree that Williamson is overrated, but a few of those guys on that list are legitimate HOF'er. Plus, Tony had the benefit of playing with the best player/coach of his era & Manu Ginobili.

    No doubt I think Tony could've been an all - star elsewhere, but Timmy had a lot more to do with the championship success than TP.

    And Morant is special and could be the best PG in the league very soon.

    Anyway, I'm happy with the flashes that Luka has shown and hopefully they're signs that he's ready for a bigger role. I'd love for him to take Rudy Gay's minutes after the all - star break, but that isn't very likely.

    Just hoping Pop finds some time for the kid cause we desperately need a long, rangy defensive - minded 4 for that also has guard skills (that's why they drafted him over Clarke, duh).
    Yeah, that's more of a sub-point than to my main point. Just pointing out you don't need to dream for a top 10 pick to land a top 10 caliber (draft position-wise) HOF talent (Parker). If you do, you miss out on what's in front of you. Some here are obsessed with the idea of getting a top 10 pick.
    Last edited by Dejounte; 03-03-2021 at 12:28 PM.

  5. #955
    Veteran J_Paco's Avatar
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    No doubt Ja looks good but it reminds me of a certain time when there were tons of PGs who came and went and a certain point guard drafted in 2001 as the 28th overall pick established himself as a winning point guard above the rest. Bring up Timmy D if you will but no one can argue the fact that in a re-draft, Tony Parker would be selected top 10. So to me, these fools obsessed with top 10 picks are blind and will never recognize when there's a new TP or Manu in town who is leading the way.
    Yeah, that's more of a sub-point than to my main point. Just pointing out you don't need to dream for a top 10 pick to land a top 10 caliber (draft position-wise) HOF talent (Parker). If you do, you miss out on what's in front of you.
    Yeah, could've said that without (seemingly) denigrating those quality PG's. I'd say out of that entire group only Francis was a "flash in the pan" and never got better after the initial "hype" surrounding him.

    And we've seen Bryant, Antetokounmpo, Nephew, Jokic, etc. all reach elite status without being drafted top 10, , we've even seen guys like Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green become multiple time all - stars as second round picks.

    I could be wrong, but I don't believe any of our young guys will reach the elite tier. Getting to the all - star tier (or borderline all - star) definitely seems like it could be in DeJounte's grasp if he can improve a bit more.

    And if Luka can be another good to great piece (either starting or off the bench) that's even better with his combination of size, quickness & speed.

  6. #956
    Veteran Dejounte's Avatar
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    Yeah, could've said that without (seemingly) denigrating those quality PG's. I'd say out of that entire group only Francis was a "flash in the pan" and never got better after the initial "hype" surrounding him.

    And we've seen Bryant, Antetokounmpo, Nephew, Jokic, etc. all reach elite status without being drafted top 10, , we've even seen guys like Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green become multiple time all - stars as second round picks.

    I could be wrong, but I don't believe any of our young guys will reach the elite tier. Getting to the all - star tier (or borderline all - star) definitely seems like it could be in DeJounte's grasp if he can improve a bit more.

    And if Luka can be another good to great piece (either starting or off the bench) that's even better with his combination of size, quickness & speed.
    The odds are against them. Few become elite. It's not a stretch or a wild guess. It's for sure easier to claim that they won't.

    After what's been shown lately, I think Luka has potential to meet that elite tier. He would be a top 5 pick in this year's draft if he entered it. Only Cade, Mobley, and Kuminga are better prospects. If you look at the others, they're not that impressive. Just because Luka doesn't have a "top 10 pick" shine to his name, doesn't mean he can't get there. He's flashing tools few have in this upcoming draft.

    Scottie Barnes is being branded a top 10 pick and mother er can't even shoot.

  7. #957
    Spurs Sage Russ's Avatar
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    Also I rather have Matt Bonner than Luka right now tbh
    I'd rather have Luka -- he's better on camera (his English).
    Last edited by Russ; 03-03-2021 at 12:48 PM.

  8. #958
    Remember Cherokee Parks The Truth #6's Avatar
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    One can argue that most, if not all, of those point guards I listed were placed in the perfect situation such as the Spurs, they would not have thrived. They each had a flaw that prevented them from going far. Let's look:

    Baron Davis - Injury prone
    Gilbert Arenas - Locker room cancer
    Derrick Rose - Injury prone
    Steve Francis - Me-ball/ the Westbrook before Westbrook
    Steve Nash - Traffic cone defense, style of offense doesn't equal wins in playoffs
    Chris Paul - Hype from draft position led to teams giving a huge chunk of their cap space to Paul, making it difficult to put a team around him
    Mike Bibby - Didn't have the clutch gene
    Stephon Marbury - Didn't follow Marbury
    Deron Williams - Same as Chris Paul above
    Gary Payton - Didn't follow Gary
    If you’re saying that none of those players could have succeeded next to prime Duncan, then I disagree. Ownership/FO/coach almost always need to be aligned. I mean if Steph Curry was still playing under Mark Jackson, would he be on this list too? He wouldn’t have won with Jackson’s archaic system. Player success isn’t simply about the player is my point. Isn’t this the main argument for the “Spurs System”?

  9. #959
    Veteran J_Paco's Avatar
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    The odds are against them. Few become elite. It's not a stretch or a wild guess. It's for sure easier to claim that they won't.

    After what's been shown lately, I think Luka has potential to meet that elite tier. He would be a top 5 pick in this year's draft if he entered it. Only Cade, Mobley, and Kuminga are better prospects. If you look at the others, they're not that impressive. Just because Luka doesn't have a "top 10 pick" shine to his name, doesn't mean he can't get there. He's flashing tools few have in this upcoming draft.

    Scottie Barnes is being branded a top 10 pick and mother er can't even shoot.
    He was too inefficient in the G - League/bubble and has too small of a sample size (with this high effort play) for me to go that far. He is definitely showing why the Spurs "gambled" taking him 19th - over the vaunted, otherworldly Brandon Clarke - yet it needs to continue to validate this "hype" sturring up, right now.

    I just want him to be more Dario Saric/Danilo Gallinari and less Dragan Bender to be happy with the selection. Note, all three of those guys were drafted higher than Luka and came in with more pressure surrounding them. Luka has a much better situation with less pressure (he isn't our "savior"), on a different timelime and not asking him to be the man too early.

    I also personally hope he becomes a strong finisher in the paint. We already have Lonnie & Jakob as poor or "soft" finishers and a third guy being that way will drive me insane.

  10. #960
    Veteran Dejounte's Avatar
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    He was too inefficient in the G - League/bubble and has too small of a sample size (with this high effort play) for me to go that far. He is definitely showing why the Spurs "gambled" taking him 19th - over the vaunted, otherworldly Brandon Clarke - yet it needs to continue to validate this "hype" sturring up, right now.

    I just want him to be more Dario Saric/Danilo Gallinari and less Dragan Bender to be happy with the selection. Note, all three of those guys were drafted higher than Luka and came in with more pressure surrounding them. Luka has a much better situation with less pressure (he isn't our "savior"), on a different timelime and not asking him to be the man too early.

    I also personally hope he becomes a strong finisher in the paint. We already have Lonnie & Jakob as poor or "soft" finishers and a third guy being that way will drive me insane.
    To go top 5 far? Name seven prospects more appealing than Luka right now. Jalen Green's and even Kuminga's numbers aren't even that efficient.

    Kuminga is at 39%.

    We had a similar argument with Franz lmao. I do my homework bro. Trust me on this one.
    Last edited by Dejounte; 03-03-2021 at 04:57 PM.

  11. #961
    Veteran RC_Drunkford's Avatar
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    I‘ve found an Croatian interview from Luka back from October. So in his first season he’s added 20 pounds of muscle mass, but he said he hasn’t lost any quickness. He said that the time in the G-League was very beneficial for him cause the Austin Spurs run the same plays as the big club, so it’s easy to transition from one team to the other. Apparently the time in the bubble was very helpful for him because the team stayed together the entire time and they were able to bond. He also said that working out with Tim Duncan was very important to him cause he played PF as well. „When you’re with him you’re trying to take it all in, cause he was great on and off the court“ is what he said. He also said that Luka Doncic is always there to help him, „his door is always open“

  12. #962
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    I remember people saying we screwed that draft class by picking Luka first and Keldon second I was that is crazy talk. That draft is a A when we did it and now it is looking like an A+ easily. That is why I was hoping we could swing another trade to get us two first round picks.

  13. #963
    OH YOU LIKE IT!!! slick'81's Avatar
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    Anyone could see luka's potential. He was soo young and raw but is finally starting to mature

  14. #964
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    In today's era, Matt Bonner would've been really damn good He effectively shuts down rim protectors by hitting 3s at like 45%

    Also Luka IS a superstar. Just not our Luka
    Matt Bonner was actually very unclutch. His 3-pt percentage was very good, but if ask any Spurs fan that actually watched the team during that time about Bonner & they'd tell you that Bonner was almost automatic when the team had a 15-20 pt lead, but if the game was tight he'd brick a wide ass open 3.. so no, Bonner would not have been "really damn good" nor even pretty good in today's era

  15. #965
    Veteran exstatic's Avatar
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    Anyone could see luka's potential. He was soo young and raw but is finally starting to mature
    There were a lot of NOT anyone’s here who didn’t see it.

  16. #966
    Veteran exstatic's Avatar
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    Matt Bonner was actually very unclutch. His 3-pt percentage was very good, but if ask any Spurs fan that actually watched the team during that time about Bonner & they'd tell you that Bonner was almost automatic when the team had a 15-20 pt lead, but if the game was tight he'd brick a wide ass open 3.. so no, Bonner would not have been "really damn good" nor even pretty good in today's era
    Two things I disagree with here. I don’t recall him choking in the regular season at any time in the game. I do recall him struggling in the post season, because teams tighten their defenses, and close out better. The second thing is that he wouldn’t feast now. Sean talks about this regularly on the telecast: no one closes out well anymore. They’re too afraid of the three FTs. In a league of no/ poor/late close outs, Bonner would feast.

  17. #967
    Formerly Spurs21 KingKev's Avatar
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    Speaking of Nephew, I would love to see Luka guard him. Neph is so efficient because he's always able to get comfortable looks due to his long winspan/strength. I have a feeling Luka's length would bother him.
    Homerism at it’s finest. Luka has had a few decent games. The bar was so low for his defensive prowess just getting a block or a steal would make most of you wet. Let’s not compare Julius Randle to Kawhi. Luka is 6’10 with a 6’10 wing span. Leonard has a 7’3 wingspan and rivals LBJs strength. Luka is not the second coming. He loons long and athletic compared to LMA, Lyles and Eubanks.

  18. #968
    Chopper Ed Helicopter Jones's Avatar
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    Bonner had a low release point on his three which kept him from getting that off when covered. I always figured that's why his numbers fell in the post season.



    As for Luka, watching him shut down an eastern conference all-star last night was pretty impressive.

  19. #969
    Veteran Dejounte's Avatar
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    Homerism at it’s finest. Luka has had a few decent games. The bar was so low for his defensive prowess just getting a block or a steal would make most of you wet. Let’s not compare Julius Randle to Kawhi. Luka is 6’10 with a 6’10 wing span. Leonard has a 7’3 wingspan and rivals LBJs strength. Luka is not the second coming. He loons long and athletic compared to LMA, Lyles and Eubanks.
    Homerism is saying he will for sure shut down Kawhi.

    Saying he would like to see how Luka would do against Kawhi isn't homerism.

    Plus, you can't look at last night's defensive performance by Luka and shrug it off like it wasn't special.

    Then again, a lot of Spurs fans on here sometimes don't watch the games and then comment on things they didn't see.

    Not saying that that's you. But it's a common trend.

    Luka's standing reach is what's helping him on defense (contesting shots), not his wingspan. His SR is causing his matchup to shoot low percentages. Stats back it up.

  20. #970
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    Two things I disagree with here. I don’t recall him choking in the regular season at any time in the game. I do recall him struggling in the post season, because teams tighten their defenses, and close out better. The second thing is that he wouldn’t feast now. Sean talks about this regularly on the telecast: no one closes out well anymore. They’re too afraid of the three FTs. In a league of no/ poor/late close outs, Bonner would feast.
    With Bonner, it wasn't about closing out well or not. It was more that if the team had built a big ass lead & then Pop called off the dogs, Bonner would look like an all-star with his 3s that would hit, wether he was open or not. However, if the game was tight, he'd miss so many 3s, even if they were wide-open. That was a frustration among STers throughout the Bonner years

  21. #971
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    His past few performances have definitely been encouraging, but let's not get ahead of ourselves, anoint him a future starter - star and proclaim victory over non homers who you conflate as "haters".

    The lateral quickness/switchability doesn't surprise me, but the fact that he mostly held his ground, with minimal help, against Randle, did. If he could become a suitable option on the Antetokounmpo's/Williamson's of the world, that'd be huge.

    Even if he is ready to become a rotation player and presuming they're whole post All-Star break, 1) That won't last through 40 games in 68 days and 2) It's not a big deal if he has to wait another half season while a credible rotation player, on a possible playoff team, plays ahead of him.

  22. #972
    Veteran Dejounte's Avatar
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    His past few performances have definitely been encouraging, but let's not get ahead of ourselves, anoint him a future starter - star and proclaim victory over non homers who you conflate as "haters".

    The lateral quickness/switchability doesn't surprise me, but the fact that he mostly held his ground, with minimal help, against Randle, did. If he could become a suitable option on the Antetokounmpo's/Williamson's of the world, that'd be huge.

    Even if he is ready to become a rotation player and presuming they're whole post All-Star break, 1) That won't last through 40 games in 68 days and 2) It's not a big deal if he has to wait another half season while a credible rotation player, on a possible playoff team, plays ahead of him.
    I'm not trying to be abrasive about the way I'm defending Luka, and if that's how I've come across I apologize.

    Comments such as, "he's not the second coming" or "he'll never become elite" just sounds too outrageous to me. I'm like, give it time, man... Anything is possible. Many didn't think he'd be ready now, but look at him now.

  23. #973
    Formerly Spurs21 KingKev's Avatar
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    Homerism is saying he will for sure shut down Kawhi.

    Saying he would like to see how Luka would do against Kawhi isn't homerism.

    Plus, you can't look at last night's defensive performance by Luka and shrug it off like it wasn't special.

    Then again, a lot of Spurs fans on here sometimes don't watch the games and then comment on things they didn't see.

    Not saying that that's you. But it's a common trend.

    Luka's standing reach is what's helping him on defense (contesting shots), not his wingspan. His SR is causing his matchup to shoot low percentages. Stats back it up.
    Fair enough. I’m still indifferent on Luka. His defensIve effort these last few games was impressive. He is a wild card for me. I hope we continue to give him minutes with the main team to show his worth. Defense is about effort as much as it is physical ability. He has the physical attributes so let’s hope he keep this trajectory moving. I’m just not getting too excited about any short term string of performances. Whether it’s Lyles the last few games, Walker going back to back 20+ scoring nights in DDR’s absence, or LMA with one good outing off the bench.

  24. #974
    Lab Animal Capt Bringdown's Avatar
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    Walker needs to get his walking papers. Head full of mush, that kid.

  25. #975
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    His past few performances have definitely been encouraging, but let's not get ahead of ourselves, anoint him a future starter - star and proclaim victory over non homers who you conflate as "haters".

    The lateral quickness/switchability doesn't surprise me, but the fact that he mostly held his ground, with minimal help, against Randle, did. If he could become a suitable option on the Antetokounmpo's/Williamson's of the world, that'd be huge.

    Even if he is ready to become a rotation player and presuming they're whole post All-Star break, 1) That won't last through 40 games in 68 days and 2) It's not a big deal if he has to wait another half season while a credible rotation player, on a possible playoff team, plays ahead of him.

    Totally agree with this. I like the effort, focus by samanic and hope that continues.

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