We
Are
Not
Signing
Or
Trading
For
Top
Level
Players
Players out, picks in. Players in, picks come with them. We’re collecting assets, not spending them. Wake up.
Agreed. This team will struggle but the effort and system alone will have you near play-in contention. Remove a Jak and JRich and we are def bottom 5. Problem with that is morale might plummet when we are losing regularly by 20.
We
Are
Not
Signing
Or
Trading
For
Top
Level
Players
Players out, picks in. Players in, picks come with them. We’re collecting assets, not spending them. Wake up.
Dude, you are quoting a week old post. I'm pretty sure the dude realized we are tanking after the Murray trade.
Why do you respond (like an asshole) to posts from a week ago when the facts have changed? He clearly posted that BEFORE Murray was moved.
Abe Simpson aka exstatic
Morale for who exactly? That’s kinda the bittersweet part to this team. None of them have really seen the playoffs or a true winning team. Especially if Poeltl and Richardson are traded.
Last year we were compe ive on most nights with a playoff spot in reach. This year that probably changes.
Pop has been checked out for years but some of the players might start checking out also.
unless their jobs are on the line. Getting slapped by 20 every night will wear on you.
I hope the players see this team for the opportunity that it is. A franchise without a franchise player. A chance to prove they can be that guy or even to be the part of the next big three. Sure the Spurs are mostly built on #1 picks but Parker and Ginobili proved anyone can be that #2 or #3 guy.
It will wear on the players but it will wear on the fans as well. Who wants to see a team down by 20 every night ? At least last season you could see the players give 110% on most nights. They were fun to watch and on some nights they actually beat a good team. Not sure you see that this season. After deliberately tanking it's hard to regain fan support.
As a fan of basketball, I understand why they are tanking, I'm just not happy with what will eventually be a lost season.
I questioned my fandom for the first time in 27 years when the Murray trade went down but in subsequent days I was given comfort there is once again a strategy and direction in place which is more than I can say throughout the DDR era.
If they make a marginal win now move like pursuing Sexton i’ll consider splitting my fandom with another organization who is more with the times but it appears PATFO finally realized they had their heads up their asses and are choosing a direction.
Jones, Primo, Wesley
Vassell, Richardson, Branham, Edwards (X-10)
McDermott, Bates-Diop, Langford, Wieskamp (RFA)
Johnson, Sochan, Roby,
Poeltl, Collins, Dieng
TW: Barlow
I count 18 of 20 training camp spots filled. Jordan Hall and Darius Days are reported to have signed summer league deals, but those don't count for 20-player limit. It would be interesting to see who gets waived if the Spurs need a spot, though they could do a three-for-one right now and keep everyone they signed. The Dieng, Edwards and Barlow signings might all still be pending, so they could do something initially and then sign them once the roster space opens up. All of those deals were able to be signed during the moratorium, though, so maybe they're inked. Still, it will be interesting to see how they use spots. That they were willing to use two right now means they might not be expecting any huge wheeling and dealing.
Who do you think is the most expendable in case the Spurs do participate in some mega-deal that has them absorbing multiple players? And 1+ picks, of course.
I'm guessing Edwards, Wieskamp, Langford, KBD, probably in that order?
Seriously I’d throw my TV if I see that starting line-up, especially with McD and Keldon still at 3 and 4. The only thing that’s keeping me sane is the possibility of not seeing Keldon at 4 ever again with the pickup of Sochan and signing of Roby. That McD and Keldon combo is just next to Mills/Forbes/Beli trio as the worst. Please no more.
Edwards for sure. They'll probably dump him pretty soon and have him sign with Austin. There's a chance he beats out Wieskamp for the two-way spot, though. I have the other three players on your list basically even. Langford and Wieskamp both have option value, with the former probably having more upside and the latter a clearer role. Then KBD is a more realized player, but you could argue he shouldn't play after the team acquired these forwards. I expect that he could be thrown in to add a bit of value for a trade, as he's still a decent 15th man on most teams.
They're definitely going to be playing Johnson at PF a lot. It's his best position offensively, and it might be his best position defensively too. With the Roby acquisition, I do think Johnson will spend more time on the perimeter, but that's because guarding outside the paint is supposedly not Isaiah's strength. As I've said before, I'd like Keldon to go where the favorable matchup is for him, and with Roby, he might not have the same flexibility to hide as he would with Sochan. McDermott is going to play if he's on the team, though, and he makes a ton of sense with the starters. Roby starting and McD/Sochan off the bench is about the best outcome I could see from your perspective. The Spurs aren't trying to be good right now, so that rotation could work, but I'd worry about that starting front court on both ends.
Spurs need to trade Poeltl, Richardson, Collins and McDermott and start something like this:
Primo
Vassell
Keldon
Sochan
A young C (Barlow, for the time being)
Then, off the bench:
Jones
Wesley
Malakai
Roby
Dieng
I'm not oppossed to trading Keldon either.
Extend Keldon on a reasonable or Spurs family / frugal discount deal, let him look like an all-star and get another 2 FRPs.
Also, as I mentioned before, Roby will play quite a bit of center for the Spurs. I took what Wright was saying to mean the Spurs want to play positionless basketball, especially in their front court. Roby and Sochan are likely going to be mainly forwards with the Dieng acquisition, but going forward, I expect the Spurs to want move-and-shoot centers, even if they're not that tall. I could completely see all three of Johnson, Sochan and Roby playing together in some lineups. If you add in Primo and Vassell, and you get a pretty switchable unit.
Agree, it seems the spurs have made a point of getting some versatility given Wrights comments about Sochan.
I see it this way
Primo-Jones-Wesley
Vassell-Richardson-Branham
Keldon-Doug-Langford
Sochan-Roby-KBD
Poeltl-Collins-Dieng
Richardson likely gets moved before the deadline imo for (hopefully) a FRP. Branham slides up and gets more minutes if he's ready.
Poeltl I can still see the Spurs going a few ways with. If they cant get him to sign an extension this off-season I think they move him asap. Not sure how great the FRP will be in that case as he may be considered a 1 year rental. If they get him to sign an extension then he starts the season with the Spurs and closer to the trade deadline the Spurs assess the direction of the team and therefore what they do with Poeltl.
Keldon may start the season at the 4 but ultimately I think once Sochan is ready the Spurs move him into the SL to maximise the defensive potential of Jak-Sochan-Vassell. Keldon slides down to his natural position at the 3.
Sochan and Roby will both see minutes as 5's in more versatile lineups and even together at the 4-5 spots.
Next moves. First :Sign and trade for Ayton on a relevant but non max deal giving back to Phoenix just Poeltl and another x player. Second :Trade for Ben Simmons. Third : use next season just for stealth tanking using all the mad scientists experiments Pop can imagine just to develop and maximize the tools of all players on the roster.
Then next season with a top draft choice and another first round pick around we'll be back to playing seriously... Watch out NBA
With that line-up Spurs may even get a better record than last year. Maybe an unpopular opinion, but the ball stops at DJ with his crossover elbow shots (ala DDR somewhat). I think without him the ball will move better specially with players in their natural positions. With the development of Primo, Devin and Keldon it’s not impossible that they could replace DJ’s scoring production (like they did last year with Demar’s). Still it would be fun to see them not getting overmatched at positions.
Primo-Vassell-Keldon-Sochan-Barlow
Jones-Wesley-Branham-Roby-Dieng
I would like to see that rotation for the entire season.
I was forgetting Days. I wouldn't mind having him on the mix.
I don't think you can stealth tank with that lineup.
Simmons, Tre
Primo, Richardson
KJ, Vassell
McDermott, Sochan
Ayton, Collins
That lineup might make the playoffs (if Simmons actually plays)
It's pointless to do a current one because a combination of common sense and timvp's reporting tells us that they won't go into the season with this roster. Even if Poeltl and/or Richardson aren't traded beforehand, a rotational PG will almost certainly be acquired, while Bates-Diop and Langford's roster spots are up in the air.
Once all that business is complete and the rookies have gotten some seasoning . . .
Starters: Sochan, Johnson, Collins, Vassell, TBD
Bench: McDermott, Jones, Dieng, Branham, Primo, Roby
Deep bench/G-League: Wesley, TBD x 3, Wieskamp (TW?), Barlow (TW)
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