Way too many off balance jumpers in the 4th. Glad for the W, but that strategy isn't gonna get it done.

MookieBlaylock said:

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This team is garbage and Pop is the trashman

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oh there you are

The youngsters continue playing well. DJ had a good 4th quarter and lifted the team. I continue to be impressed with Vassell. 9 pts 7 reb and good defense. Poeltl bounced back with his best game of the year. 13 pts 11 reb 3 blks I hope that this continues. We need it because LA has been a no-show so far this year.

If the trend continues I really hope they can trade LA and Demar and get some young players and or picks. Even if the picks are toward the end of the first round, SA has shown that they can turn those into good players. We are in 7th place in the West which is about where I expect they will be most of the season. We should get Derrick back soon and I don't think losing the veterans will change things too much.

Agree losing Aldridge wouldn't affect us. As bad as Derozan is on defense, he can still get us a bucket like no one else can on our team. That's invaluable. But to me, is having that worth it at expense of being locked into a draft hell late lottery/middle of the draft pick? If our goal is to make the playoffs maybe it is?

As our record stands right now, we are less likely to get rid of Derozan because we have a shot at the playoffs. We are also probably not likely to get rid of Aldridge because of the size of his contract and his bad play.

Keldon is good

I also don't think DeRozan gets many big offers in the market. He seems to fit decently with the young guys.

max plus:

Spurs
Knicks
Hornets
Heat

Less than Max:
Pistons
Raptors
Mavs
Thunder
Cavs
Kings
Bulls

Heat is the only contender.

Enzo The Baker said:

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Agree losing Aldridge wouldn't affect us. As bad as Derozan is on defense, he can still get us a bucket like no one else can on our team. That's invaluable. But to me, is having that worth it at expense of being locked into a draft hell late lottery/middle of the draft pick? If our goal is to make the playoffs maybe it is?

As our record stands right now, we are less likely to get rid of Derozan because we have a shot at the playoffs. We are also probably not likely to get rid of Aldridge because of the size of his contract and his bad play.

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The problem is that going tankapalooza isn't a guaranty of anything. Philly went through 5 years of tanking hell and are basically a middling playoff team as a result. It's something, but if we can get there without losing 60+ games multiple years in a row,,,

Philly did a pretty ****ty job utilizing space and putting together a team that makes sense. I think the Spurs would do a better job. Just look at most of the picks they have used lately. Johnson, White, Lonnie, Murray, Kawhi

Guitarsoup said:

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Philly did a pretty ****ty job utilizing space and putting together a team that makes sense. I think the Spurs would do a better job. Just look at most of the picks they have used lately. Johnson, White, Lonnie, Murray, Kawhi

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Which raises another question - do we want to ask those guys to lose for a few years so we can improve our draft position? Why would they want to do that?

Alot depends on how good the Spurs think those guys can get, I suppose.

I think all of them can be good contributors. Keldon and White could be all-stars.

None are going to be #1 stars to lead a championship team. DD won't be, either.

The Spurs aren't going to tank. They are also more likely to resign the current guys vs trade them. The reality is LA isn't worthless. Hes a good player in the right role and with the right matchups. As long as he's willing to play his role for the right price the Spurs will keep him. Same for Derozen.

Guitarsoup said:

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I think all of them can be good contributors. Keldon and White could be all-stars.

None are going to be #1 stars to lead a championship team. DD won't be, either.

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I think the jury is still out on whether or not they can be #1 stars to lead a championship. I think Keldon has the potential and I still think Lonnie can as well. They aren't there yet but neither was Kawhi in his first year or two.

I think the Spurs strategy towards getting back to contention should be aimed more towards how Miami did it as opposed to Philly. Riley said that even though his teams had no real shot of winning the championship post Lebron, that their experience in the playoffs as a higher seed was invaluable to their young core and it paid off when they finally landed a high profile guy in Butler.

If the young core can show they can compete at even a low playoff level it will help make SA a more enticing destination for free agents.

Its rediculous to rule out Keldon, Vassell, White or Walker as potential stars. Not only that, but you can build a championship contender around a team of very good players who all play both ends of the court and play well together.

Ag Natural said:

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Its rediculous to rule out Keldon, Vassell, White or Walker as potential stars. Not only that, but you can build a championship contender around a team of very good players who all play both ends of the court and play well together.

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We've really only had two championships in the modern era of the NBA without a legit #1 star. 04 Pistons and 14 Spurs. That 05 Pistons had 4 all-stars and a 4x DPOY, though. That's the exception, not the rule. Lot of building blocks need to be added to be that team.

Guitarsoup said:

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Ag Natural said:

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Its rediculous to rule out Keldon, Vassell, White or Walker as potential stars. Not only that, but you can build a championship contender around a team of very good players who all play both ends of the court and play well together.

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We've really only had two championships in the modern era of the NBA without a legit #1 star. 04 Pistons and 14 Spurs. That 05 Pistons had 4 all-stars and a 4x DPOY, though. That's the exception, not the rule. Lot of building blocks need to be added to be that team.

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Those Pistons players only were made Allstars AFTER they won a chip. They had two borderline Allstars in a weak East prior to that.

11 Mavs. Dirk and Kidd well past their prime. Dirk 2nd team all pro that year.
13, 14 Spurs. Championship contenders with only one second team all pro. Tony Parker.
20 Heat. One 3rd team all pro in Butler.

My point? If the team wins you'll land someone on the all pro team but none of these guys were MVP caliber in those contending years. Right now Derozen is borderline all pro and several guys have that potential.

Regardless. It will all come down to what these guys want to do. I could see them resigning DD and letting LMA walk if he wants to still make 20 million+. I dont see a trade happening unless LMAs attitude turns bad.

That being said. I'd be intrigued by a LMA for Collins trade. Atlanta wants to make the playoffs and Collins has been expressing some frustration with playing with Trey.

Ag Natural said:

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Its rediculous to rule out Keldon, Vassell, White or Walker as potential stars. Not only that, but you can build a championship contender around a team of very good players who all play both ends of the court and play well together.

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Walker is in his third year. White is in his fourth year and he's 26. Never say never, but most championship-caliber number one options have done a lot more by now. Hard to say anything about Vassell yet; can't rule him out but there's also not a compelling to case to say that he will be a star.

Johnson seems like the only guy who could be a crunch time, "we need a bucket so I'm gonna go get a bucket", playoff scorer. DeRozan's scoring is regular season fool's gold, everyone else does their best work off the ball. I think we have all the pieces to be a really good defensive team, but I'm not sure we have anyone who can match the individual brilliance of the top 10 players in the league, or the collective experience and iq of the Mavs and Spurs teams that pulled it off without a true star.

We're starting to look like the middling pre-Harden Rockets teams. Lots of players you want on your team, but no one to build around.

Ag Natural said:

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Guitarsoup said:

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Ag Natural said:

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Its rediculous to rule out Keldon, Vassell, White or Walker as potential stars. Not only that, but you can build a championship contender around a team of very good players who all play both ends of the court and play well together.

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We've really only had two championships in the modern era of the NBA without a legit #1 star. 04 Pistons and 14 Spurs. That 05 Pistons had 4 all-stars and a 4x DPOY, though. That's the exception, not the rule. Lot of building blocks need to be added to be that team.

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Those Pistons players only were made Allstars AFTER they won a chip. They had two borderline Allstars in a weak East prior to that.

11 Mavs. Dirk and Kidd well past their prime. Dirk 2nd team all pro that year.
13, 14 Spurs. Championship contenders with only one second team all pro. Tony Parker.
20 Heat. One 3rd team all pro in Butler.

My point? If the team wins you'll land someone on the all pro team but none of these guys were MVP caliber in those contending years. Right now Derozen is borderline all pro and several guys have that potential.

Regardless. It will all come down to what these guys want to do. I could see them resigning DD and letting LMA walk if he wants to still make 20 million+. I dont see a trade happening unless LMAs attitude turns bad.

That being said. I'd be intrigued by a LMA for Collins trade. Atlanta wants to make the playoffs and Collins has been expressing some frustration with playing with Trey.

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Sheed had been an All-Star prior. Big Ben was a multi-year AS and had been multi-year All-NBA. Rip was later as his shooting got better. But yeah, weak East and feuding LA. So that's why I wouldn't really trust that blueprint.

I would trade LMA for Collins in a heartbeat. He's exactly the type of PF we need. Then just a Tyson Chandler-type at center and this team could go places.

I like DD and think he fits well with the other guys. Not sure I see a real replacement for him out there.

Ulrich said:

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Ag Natural said:

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Its rediculous to rule out Keldon, Vassell, White or Walker as potential stars. Not only that, but you can build a championship contender around a team of very good players who all play both ends of the court and play well together.

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Walker is in his third year. White is in his fourth year and he's 26. Never say never, but most championship-caliber number one options have done a lot more by now. Hard to say anything about Vassell yet; can't rule him out but there's also not a compelling to case to say that he will be a star.

Johnson seems like the only guy who could be a crunch time, "we need a bucket so I'm gonna go get a bucket", playoff scorer. DeRozan's scoring is regular season fool's gold, everyone else does their best work off the ball. I think we have all the pieces to be a really good defensive team, but I'm not sure we have anyone who can match the individual brilliance of the top 10 players in the league, or the collective experience and iq of the Mavs and Spurs teams that pulled it off without a true star.

We're starting to look like the middling pre-Harden Rockets teams. Lots of players you want on your team, but no one to build around.

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I disagree. Theres a unit to build around. Its great to have a superstar but its not necessary. I think its more critical to be great in some areas and solid everywhere else. If the team has no zeroes and can learn to execute under pressure they can win. Yeah you'll probably lose to the Labron/Davis Lakers but so will everyone.

Fairview20 said:

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I think the Spurs strategy towards getting back to contention should be aimed more towards how Miami did it as opposed to Philly. Riley said that even though his teams had no real shot of winning the championship post Lebron, that their experience in the playoffs as a higher seed was invaluable to their young core and it paid off when they finally landed a high profile guy in Butler.

If the young core can show they can compete at even a low playoff level it will help make SA a more enticing destination for free agents.

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This strategy sounds all well and good, but I'm not sure Butler signs with the heat if the team is not located in Miami. Miami is top 5 geographic/lifestyle location in the NBA. Many NBA players have summer homes there. It's something San Antonio just doesn't have in its favor, and it limits the pool of players we can attract here without already having a star.

This is very true, making it even more important for a team like the Spurs to try and be as attractive as possible for a free agent on the court because of the built in disadvantages off of it.

It's going to have to most likely be a B level superstar that wants to be a #1 option over being #2 on one of the current contenders, but like others have said you can be a contender with 1-2 all star level guys and a great supporting cast.

The path is just a LOT harder, but SA has the advantage of doing it in the past. Here's to hoping for the best.

Early game at 2pm today against Portland on the road.

Sports-Ag said:

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Early game at 2pm today against Portland on the road.

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Yep, I used it as an excuse to take a half-day off. Of course I am working from home so I would have watched it anyway but this way I don't get interrupted with emails and phone calls!

9 ppg Rookie year
15 ppg 2nd year

We can only hope that Walker progresses like this all time spur

Spurs up by 20 with 2:13 left. 123-103

The vets stepped up this game. LMA, Derozan, Mills, and Gay each with 20 points or more.

Spurs win 125-104.

No McCollum this game but good for the guys to find their shooting. Spurs are two complete teams when they play on the road than home. Next up, the Warriors on Wednesday.

14 games in and Spurs are 5th in the west at 8-6. Portland is at 6 with the same record and everyone else below that are either at .500 or below that.

Vassell with nice minutes today (26). He is really a quality player.

Lamarcus trying to get Portland to trade for him, puts up 22.

Some records today.

Ag Natural said:

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Vassell with nice minutes today (26). He is really a quality player.

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I really hope they carve out time for him when White comes back. Don't want to see him buried on the bench. Honestly, if we can get something positive for Gay I would move him before the deadline. Vassell shows he belongs.

In 24 mins no less.

I didn't see the game but it looks like Aldridge only put up one three. Maybe it's better for him to get pick and pops from his spots.

Spurs tied for 5th in the West

Enzo The Baker said:

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Ag Natural said:

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Vassell with nice minutes today (26). He is really a quality player.

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I really hope they carve out time for him when White comes back. Don't want to see him buried on the bench. Honestly, if we can get something positive for Gay I would move him before the deadline. Vassell shows he belongs.

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Move Gay and Aldridge ASAP.

Patty is playing the best in his career, so I would move him for something, too.