Ten Upcoming Truths about the Spurs

[Rummpd]

Mark these down:

I. Spurs will win the le after being truly tested two times, once in the WCF by most likely Dallas (who slipped behind Houston in the Divison), and again in a classic finals by the Pacers.

II. Duncan "is going to have a year for the ages" returning to a 24-26 PPG scorer while still gathering 11-13 RBG mainly due to better FT shooting and health. He will deserve the MVP but James will get it as he is the media favorite and leads his team to a 4 seed in the East.

III. Parker also going to have a comeback year as he starts faster than last year and will raise both shooting and scoring averages. He will also marry a certain young and famous lady and the over under on that "stage of bliss" lasting in a legal sense as long as his current NBA contract should be a VBookie bet on this forum.

IV. Oberto will make the most difference on a nightly basis of the new additions but Van Exel and Finley will also alternate with timely contributions. Bowen will begin to lose minutes.

V. Rasho will start strong but then Nazr and Oberto will start getting most of the minutes, and sorry AngelLuv, adios, Rasho is out the door within the next 12 months (and he will thrive, although not win any more championships, with a change of place).

VI. Biggest difference this year in the Spurs improving to a regular season record of 64-18 (+/_ two wins) is that they will not lose as many "wierd" games, like the Utah or Houston games of last year. Spurs have multiple closeout options this year and not as many games will be that inanely close down the stretch.

VII. Horry will not play for stretches of several DNP (coaches decision) as he is saved for more post season heroics. He is on his way to being an assistant coach or even a head coach someday, as he knows a lot more about basketball ("and life") than most realize.

VIII. Beno U. will increasingly earn Pop's trust back and will often be on the court in a small but skilled "3" guard lineup with various combinations of Parker, Van Exel, Barry, and Ginobili.

IX. Speaking of Ginobili - don't look at his dismal pre-season play as any indication of his play come a few weeks and down the road. He will produce numbers at least as good as last year, although Pop will be monitoring his minutes.

X. Carlissemo will get a head coaching job at the end of the year, and it will be well deserved. Pop will dismiss talk of a dynasty despite the Spurs winning it 3-4 years, pointing to the struggles of the Patriots in the NFL and others; but the Spurs are on the way to winning it at least 3 times more (including this year) in this decade.

[xcoriate]

Mark these down:

I. Spurs will win the le after being truly tested two times, once in the WCF by most likely Dallas (who slipped behind Houston in the Divison), and again in a classic finals by the Pacers.
plausable

II. Duncan "is going to have a year for the ages" returning to a 24-26 PPG scorer while still gathering 11-13 RBG mainly due to better FT shooting and health. He will deserve the MVP but James will get it as he is the media favorite and leads his team to a 4 seed in the East.
TD - 22/12/4/2.8 and MVP

III. Parker also going to have a comeback year as he starts faster than last year and will raise both shooting and scoring averages. He will also marry a certain young and famous lady and the over under on that "stage of bliss" lasting in a legal sense as long as his current NBA contract should be a VBookie bet on this forum.
That Eva bit was stupid but Parker should start better than last season if only because last season he was horrible.

IV. Oberto will make the most difference on a nightly basis of the new additions but Van Exel and Finley will also alternate with timely contributions. Bowen will begin to lose minutes.
disagree

V. Rasho will start strong but then Nazr and Oberto will start getting most of the minutes, and sorry AngelLuv, adios, Rasho is out the door within the next 12 months (and he will thrive, although not win any more championships, with a change of place).
Dunno about this its way to up in the air

VI. Biggest difference this year in the Spurs improving to a regular season record of 64-18 (+/_ two wins) is that they will not lose as many "wierd" games, like the Utah or Houston games of last year. Spurs have multiple closeout options this year and not as many games will be that inanely close down the stretch.
weird losses happen every year, thats how it works. Not 13 points in 30 secs but inexplicable losses none the less

VII. Horry will not play for stretches of several DNP (coaches decision) as he is saved for more post season heroics. He is on his way to being an assistant coach or even a head coach someday, as he knows a lot more about basketball ("and life") than most realize.
agree

VIII. Beno U. will increasingly earn Pop's trust back and will often be on the court in a small but skilled "3" guard lineup with various combinations of Parker, Van Exel, Barry, and Ginobili.
agree

IX. Speaking of Ginobili - don't look at his dismal pre-season play as any indication of his play come a few weeks and down the road. He will produce numbers at least as good as last year, although Pop will be monitoring his minutes.
agree

X. Carlissemo will get a head coaching job at the end of the year, and it will be well deserved. Pop will dismiss talk of a dynasty despite the Spurs winning it 3-4 years, pointing to the struggles of the Patriots in the NFL and others; but the Spurs are on the way to winning it at least 3 times more (including this year) in this decade.
agree

[Rummpd]

III. Was "toungue in cheek" actually!

[HB22inSA]

I like the Roman numerals.

And I don't see 64-65 wins.

They'll struggle to win 60, with all of Pop's rotations and tinkering being the cause of some of the losses.

But wins in the regular season mean absolutely nothing.

As long as the Spurs grab a playoff spot, it could be the 8th seed for all I care, they'll be fine in the playoffs.

[lilmads]

I actually care what playoff spot they get.. because it determines home court advantage.... and it's better if the team has a lot of that

[ploto]

IV. Please enough with the Oberto hype he a nice pickup but why is everyone expecting so much from him. This reminds me of when everyone thought LJ3 was the next starting 3.

I agree. To say he will be more important than Finely and NVE is quite a stretch. He still has a long way to go to grasp the Spurs defensive schemes and fouls way too much.

Isn't the writer the same person who GUARANTEED Rasho was being traded to the Nets this summer.

[Brodels]

Mark these down:

I. Spurs will win the le after being truly tested two times, once in the WCF by most likely Dallas (who slipped behind Houston in the Divison), and again in a classic finals by the Pacers.

It could happen. Dallas will be tough, Houston will be tough, and someone will emerge from the Pacific division.

II. Duncan "is going to have a year for the ages" returning to a 24-26 PPG scorer while still gathering 11-13 RBG mainly due to better FT shooting and health. He will deserve the MVP but James will get it as he is the media favorite and leads his team to a 4 seed in the East.

I couldn't disagree more. Tim isn't going to play 40 minutes per night like he used to. In addition, the maturity of Tony and Manu give the Spurs many more options. And the offensive depth of this team is impressive. With so many scoring options and Tim playing 34-36 minutes each night, it's unlikely that he'll average 24-26 points.

III. Parker also going to have a comeback year as he starts faster than last year and will raise both shooting and scoring averages. He will also marry a certain young and famous lady and the over under on that "stage of bliss" lasting in a legal sense as long as his current NBA contract should be a VBookie bet on this forum.

I don't agree with this one, either. While I think it's possible that Tony could score a bit more, I think it's likely that he won't. Pop has some good backup options at point guard now, so he can choose to sit Tony during the fourth quarters of nights when he struggles. And with Finley, Nick, Manu, and Tim getting lots of shots, Tony won't necessarily have an easy time of increasing his scoring average. In addtion, I think he's going to be tasked with getting the offense to go by getting other people shots. He'll average 16 per game, but don't expect more.

IV. Oberto will make the most difference on a nightly basis of the new additions but Van Exel and Finley will also alternate with timely contributions. Bowen will begin to lose minutes.

Certainly a possibility. Bowen will lose minutes only if Pop is convinced that the defense won't suffer significantly. Pop is still going to be a defense-first guy, and Bowen's ability to shut down an opposing team and hit the corner three make him so valuable. It's possible, but it's certainly not a given.

V. Rasho will start strong but then Nazr and Oberto will start getting most of the minutes, and sorry AngelLuv, adios, Rasho is out the door within the next 12 months (and he will thrive, although not win any more championships, with a change of place).

I think it's entirely possible that the Spurs aren't able to trade Rasho. In that case, Nazr will probably be given his walking papers next summer. And since Rasho will likely start on opening night, he has an opportunity to show that he should get the job. If he plays well right away, he could end up being the starter for an extended period. If the Spurs are able to trade him, they probably will. But if it gets to be close to the deadline and nobody is offering anything other than long-term contracts in return, Nazr will be the one to leave.

VI. Biggest difference this year in the Spurs improving to a regular season record of 64-18 (+/_ two wins) is that they will not lose as many "wierd" games, like the Utah or Houston games of last year. Spurs have multiple closeout options this year and not as many games will be that inanely close down the stretch.

Again, it's possible, but everyone knows that this team sleepwalks for stretches and generally stuggles early. And with the likelihood of Duncan and Ginobili staying healthy remote, I think it will be tough. The Spurs will still lose to some crappy teams.

VII. Horry will not play for stretches of several DNP (coaches decision) as he is saved for more post season heroics. He is on his way to being an assistant coach or even a head coach someday, as he knows a lot more about basketball ("and life") than most realize.

Again, I disagree. I think Horry's minutes will be monitored closely. He will play very few minutes some nights, but Pop is going to want to keep him sharp and in game shape.

VIII. Beno U. will increasingly earn Pop's trust back and will often be on the court in a small but skilled "3" guard lineup with various combinations of Parker, Van Exel, Barry, and Ginobili.

Beno will get minutes if someone gets hurt, but it's hard to imagine him playing much behind Parker, Ginobili, Finley, Barry, and Nick. Pop will need to be careful with small lineups if he goes that route because a combination of, say, Van Exel, Beno, and Barry is a defensive nightmare.

IX. Speaking of Ginobili - don't look at his dismal pre-season play as any indication of his play come a few weeks and down the road. He will produce numbers at least as good as last year, although Pop will be monitoring his minutes.

Agreed.

X. Carlissemo will get a head coaching job at the end of the year, and it will be well deserved. Pop will dismiss talk of a dynasty despite the Spurs winning it 3-4 years, pointing to the struggles of the Patriots in the NFL and others; but the Spurs are on the way to winning it at least 3 times more (including this year) in this decade.

I don't agree. There are simply too many young, talented coaches out there without the baggage (deserved or not) that P.J. carries.

[SWC Bonfire]

III. Parker ...will also marry a certain young and famous lady and the over under on that "stage of bliss" lasting in a legal sense as long as his current NBA contract should be a VBookie bet on this forum.

That Eva bit was stupid

I thought it was 100% accurate. What happens if TP signs somewhere else?

TP, you're French, you know better, DON'T DO IT.

[Extra Stout]

I. In order for Dallas to face the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, assuming that a 64-18 Spurs team gets the top seed, Dallas has to finish #6 or #7 in the West. Is that what the thread initiater had in mind?

II. Duncan probably would have to shoot 60%+ from the field and 80%+ from the line to reach 24-26 ppg on this team. It has too many other weapons for him to get as many shots as he did on the 2001-02 team.

III. Parker's taking the next step certainly is possible. My guess, however, is that he struggles with his shot early on as he gets the hang of his new, fundamentally correct form.

IV. I agree with most of this. Oberto does all the little things already. Van Exel and Finley are having to re-learn the game to some degree because Pop's philosophy differs so much from what they are accustomed to playing. Bowen should see fewer minutes because he is aging.

V. Mohammed probably will be out the door too by next November.

VI. I wonder whether the Spurs will have the motivation to rack up 64 wins, or whether they will be bored early in the season and start slow.

VII. Horry won't see a lot of minutes early in the year.

VIII. Probably.

IX. I agree.

X. Going beyond this year, the Spurs need a small forward. Their existing rotation will get very creaky very fast.

V.

[td4mvp21]

I think what he said about Duncan is very probable. Duncan is our foundation still, and with teams trying their hardest EVERY night, Duncan is going to have play 36-40 games a lot of games. He's healthy, he's young, why waste him when he's in his prime? I don't think 26 ppg is gonna happen, i think it will be around 23-24, 25 is a longshot. He says he's ready to defend, so I don't think hes gonna have a subpar season by any means. I refuse to believe that the Spurs win over 60 games. They have done twice in the last ten years. If they hadn't of won the le last year, 60+ wins would be very likely. Since they did, however, its not gonna be that easy. I think 60 wins flat is a possible, but above that is pushing it.

[SWC Bonfire]

I. Spurs fans will call for Rasho to be traded.
II. Someone will post a stupid thread about how TD/TP/Manu/Horry is not what he used to be.
III. Fabrico Oberto will be hailed as the best new player in the NBA.
IV. Spurs fans will call for Oberto to be traded for Malik Rose.
V. Someone will complain that HoltCat is a tightwad.
VI. Bruce will reportedly win the DPOY award, only to have it go to Artest instead.
VII. Spurs fans will call for Brent Barry to be traded... for Jon Barry.
VIII. Spurs will lose a playoff game and the hanging ropes will come out.
IX. Angel_luv will do her cheerleader act when everyone is suicidal.
X. Spurs win the championship in spite of the "informed" opinions of posters on Spurstalk.

Oh, yeah:

XI. Spurs fans will want to fire Pop.

[TheTruth]

II. Duncan "is going to have a year for the ages" returning to a 24-26 PPG scorer while still gathering 11-13 RBG mainly due to better FT shooting and health. He will deserve the MVP but James will get it as he is the media favorite and leads his team to a 4 seed in the East

Timmy won't get near the touches needed to score that much. Manu will be neck and neck with him for the team scoring le this season, IMO.

[TDMVPDPOY]

i see duncan winnin mvp/dpoy this season

[thispego]

IV. Please enough with the Oberto hype he a nice pickup but why is everyone expecting so much from him. This reminds me of when everyone thought LJ3 was the next starting 3.

who thought lj3 would be the starting 3? i dont even recall anyone saying that before he got injured in tc last year. Why shouldnt we be excited about oberto? The only hype i've heard about him comes from POP
the dude is 30 years old. He's been playing professionally for 10+ years, he's ready to contribute NOW. He already has one guy on the team that he KNOWS how to play with, and coincidentally, that person is the hardest to read and play with on the team (in the sense of familiarity).

I'll hype oberto all night long, and you should too. dude's gonna be a beast

[romsey31]

Mark these down:

I. Spurs will win the le after being truly tested two times, once in the WCF by most likely Dallas (who slipped behind Houston in the Divison), and again in a classic finals by the Pacers..

Classic finals....yea, Spurs beating Pacers....Not happening.

II. Duncan "is going to have a year for the ages" returning to a 24-26 PPG scorer while still gathering 11-13 RBG mainly due to better FT shooting and health. He will deserve the MVP but James will get it as he is the media favorite and leads his team to a 4 seed in the East..

In order for LBJ to be 4th seed this means that he will have to have a better record than either the Pacers or the Pistons.....Not happening.

III. Parker also going to have a comeback year as he starts faster than last year and will raise both shooting and scoring averages. He will also marry a certain young and famous lady and the over under on that "stage of bliss" lasting in a legal sense as long as his current NBA contract should be a VBookie bet on this forum.

IV. Oberto will make the most difference on a nightly basis of the new additions but Van Exel and Finley will also alternate with timely contributions. Bowen will begin to lose minutes.

V. Rasho will start strong but then Nazr and Oberto will start getting most of the minutes, and sorry AngelLuv, adios, Rasho is out the door within the next 12 months (and he will thrive, although not win any more championships, with a change of place).

VI. Biggest difference this year in the Spurs improving to a regular season record of 64-18 (+/_ two wins) is that they will not lose as many "wierd" games, like the Utah or Houston games of last year. Spurs have multiple closeout options this year and not as many games will be that inanely close down the stretch. .

Spurs wont win more than 60 games in my opinion. This year is gonna be really tough, everyone wants to say " we beat the champs"

VII. Horry will not play for stretches of several DNP (coaches decision) as he is saved for more post season heroics. He is on his way to being an assistant coach or even a head coach someday, as he knows a lot more about basketball ("and life") than most realize.

VIII. Beno U. will increasingly earn Pop's trust back and will often be on the court in a small but skilled "3" guard lineup with various combinations of Parker, Van Exel, Barry, and Ginobili.

IX. Speaking of Ginobili - don't look at his dismal pre-season play as any indication of his play come a few weeks and down the road. He will produce numbers at least as good as last year, although Pop will be monitoring his minutes.

X. Carlissemo will get a head coaching job at the end of the year, and it will be well deserved. Pop will dismiss talk of a dynasty despite the Spurs winning it 3-4 years, pointing to the struggles of the Patriots in the NFL and others; but the Spurs are on the way to winning it at least 3 times more (including this year) in this decade.

We'll see about that

[Reggie Miller]

I think people are hyping Oberto because the Spurs will have two of the best three players from the Argentine Gold Medal team, presumably playing together. (I assume that's the idea; at least it has a certain logic.) I think that there is some amazing potential there.

I think that the Spurs may have made too many changes to get the fast start that 60+ wins requires. Do I think that they win the championship? @#$%^ YES! However, it takes more than just talent to go wire-to-wire. You have to catch all of the breaks when you're not busy making your own.

[Leetonidas]

I think people are hyping Oberto because the Spurs will have two of the best three players from the Argentine Gold Medal team, presumably playing together. (I assume that's the idea; at least it has a certain logic.) I think that there is some amazing potential there.

I think that the Spurs may have made too many changes to get the fast start that 60+ wins requires. Do I think that they win the championship? @#$%^ YES! However, it takes more than just talent to go wire-to-wire. You have to catch all of the breaks when you're not busy making your own.

You're like one of the only Pacer fans I like because you can admit that.