Guitarsoup said:

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DTP02 said:

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Guitarsoup said:

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Spurs up 11-10.

Collins enters the game for Vic

Houston goes on 12-5 run.

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We may be underestimating Collins trade value here. How many teams would love to have a one-man tank job when they're playing for draft position?

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Collins last 6 games:

.551 FG%
.778 3FG%
.417 FT%
11.0 ppg
4.2 rpg
2.3 apg
16.8 mpg
-7.2

per 36:
23.6ppg
9 rpg
4.9apg


Just crazy that he's hitting 3s and putting up good numbers everywhere but the line, and is so awfully negative in so few minutes. Just being hunted on defense.

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Right, he's pefect for a tank. Gives you the illusion of productivity while ultimately contributing to a loss. He's empty calories.

DTP02 said:

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Guitarsoup said:

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DTP02 said:

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Guitarsoup said:

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Spurs up 11-10.

Collins enters the game for Vic

Houston goes on 12-5 run.

---

We may be underestimating Collins trade value here. How many teams would love to have a one-man tank job when they're playing for draft position?

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Collins last 6 games:

.551 FG%
.778 3FG%
.417 FT%
11.0 ppg
4.2 rpg
2.3 apg
16.8 mpg
-7.2

per 36:
23.6ppg
9 rpg
4.9apg


Just crazy that he's hitting 3s and putting up good numbers everywhere but the line, and is so awfully negative in so few minutes. Just being hunted on defense.

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Right, he's pefect for a tank. Gives you the illusion of productivity while ultimately contributing to a loss. He's empty calories.

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Well, he played pretty well in the two recent wins. Collins is a good backup big. You don't want him playing more than 12-15 minutes a game if your starter is really good.

I kind of like Andre Drummond as a backup in the offseason. Just come in and play 15 minutes, bully people around in the paint, grab a ****ton of rebounds and go sit down.

It's a bummer that Bassey got hurt because that's the role I had hoped he would establish himself into

Wemby officially out Thursday.

Sidy Cissoko caught a body!! 🤯🤯🤯

The 2nd half is underway now on ESPN+! @austin_spurs pic.twitter.com/NwHepeFzVQ

— NBA G League (@nbagleague) March 7, 2024

Karl Anthony Towns tore his meniscus and is out indefinitely. This is the injury that kept Duncan out of the 2000 playoffs.

Minnesota is currently tied for 1st in the West with OKC and is one of only 4 teams to reach 40 wins before 20 losses (which I keep hearing people say is the metric for teams to win a title because Phil Jackson said it.)

Also will be interesting is that a lot of people thought that Minnesota would trade him this summer. because of cap issues. KAT makes 50M, Gobert, 44M, Ant 35M, Jaden McD 22.6M, Naz 14M, Conley 10M, NAW, 4.3M plus some small contracts. They are up to the second apron with 10 players on the roster. They are at a 30M luxury tax bill before they fill out the last 5 pieces of their roster.

Sounds like Wemby will not be available Saturday at Golden State either.

Pop says Monday at home against Golden State is the target date for his return.

— Jeff McDonald (@JMcDonald_SAEN) March 8, 2024

Good. That gives him a week rest and ensures a couple losses for us.

Talk about pulling defeat from the jaws of victory…

Masterful tank job by the Spurs. That one will put them in good graces of the lottery Gods.

But man, our transition and pressure defense is so bad. Very lazy. Johnson is never going to be a positive defender. Another game where Sabonis gets away with murder. But we are on the heels of the hornets for 4th so I'll gladly take the L.

Malaki and Collins should not have the ball under 20 seconds with the game tied. Devin needs to bring the ball up court or given the ball at half court or Tre needs the ball. Can't remember if Tre was on court the last minute. Like you said the upside is it's helps the Spurs in draft.

When it's crunch time this season, I can't be the only one who thinks Spurs are not going to get it done. That's either their defense is not good, a turnover, or can't make a shot.

But man what a game they just gave away when they actually had it.

Sports-Ag said:

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Malaki and Collins should not have the ball under 20 seconds with the game tied. Devin needs to bring the ball up court or given the ball at half court or Tre needs the ball. Can't remember if Tre was on court the last minute. Like you said the upside is it's helps the Spurs in draft.

When it's crunch time this season, I can't be the only one who thinks Spurs are not going to get it done. That's either their defense is not good, a turnover, or can't make a shot.

But man what a game they just gave away when they actually had it.

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IMO this team has picked up very bad habits as a losing team. You can see it in crunch time especially. Not getting back on defense after a made bucket. Not pressuring the ball. Lazy passes. Lazy defense. No urgency. It's beyond poor decision making. We need some impactful, winning vets on this team badly.

Branham had an amazing game. I'm sure Pop just wanted to give him the chance to close. A colossal fail. But, Iin the grand scheme of things this is the time to experiment.

Enzo The Baker said:

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Sports-Ag said:

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Malaki and Collins should not have the ball under 20 seconds with the game tied. Devin needs to bring the ball up court or given the ball at half court or Tre needs the ball. Can't remember if Tre was on court the last minute. Like you said the upside is it's helps the Spurs in draft.

When it's crunch time this season, I can't be the only one who thinks Spurs are not going to get it done. That's either their defense is not good, a turnover, or can't make a shot.

But man what a game they just gave away when they actually had it.

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IMO this team has picked up very bad habits as a losing team. You can see it in crunch time especially. Not getting back on defense after a made bucket. Not pressuring the ball. Lazy passes. Lazy defense. No urgency. It's beyond poor decision making. We need some impactful, winning vets on this team badly.

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There's only one way to become a vet.

Agree, they need a vet to get on them. So many lazy passes, getting back on transition defense and so much more in crunch time. Heck some times throughout the whole game. I don't see a player that gets on them when they make mistakes.

Ag Natural said:

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Enzo The Baker said:

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Sports-Ag said:

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Malaki and Collins should not have the ball under 20 seconds with the game tied. Devin needs to bring the ball up court or given the ball at half court or Tre needs the ball. Can't remember if Tre was on court the last minute. Like you said the upside is it's helps the Spurs in draft.

When it's crunch time this season, I can't be the only one who thinks Spurs are not going to get it done. That's either their defense is not good, a turnover, or can't make a shot.

But man what a game they just gave away when they actually had it.

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IMO this team has picked up very bad habits as a losing team. You can see it in crunch time especially. Not getting back on defense after a made bucket. Not pressuring the ball. Lazy passes. Lazy defense. No urgency. It's beyond poor decision making. We need some impactful, winning vets on this team badly.

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There's only one way to become a vet.

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By continuing to play losing basketball season after season?

With seven seconds left they already looked like they lost the game. Keldon especially. And this is his 5th year.

Yeah when Kings took the lead, the team looked deflated. Spurs play warriors next on Saturday. Curry rolled his ankle late in the fourth. Will see if he plays.

We are definitely committed to the tank.

Trying to win the game with Barnham and Collins going keystone cops 40' from the basket ain't how you beat a good team.

This squad just needs to look radically different come next year because there's only four guys on it right now who have any business coming back.

Enzo The Baker said:

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Ag Natural said:

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Enzo The Baker said:

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Sports-Ag said:

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Malaki and Collins should not have the ball under 20 seconds with the game tied. Devin needs to bring the ball up court or given the ball at half court or Tre needs the ball. Can't remember if Tre was on court the last minute. Like you said the upside is it's helps the Spurs in draft.

When it's crunch time this season, I can't be the only one who thinks Spurs are not going to get it done. That's either their defense is not good, a turnover, or can't make a shot.

But man what a game they just gave away when they actually had it.

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IMO this team has picked up very bad habits as a losing team. You can see it in crunch time especially. Not getting back on defense after a made bucket. Not pressuring the ball. Lazy passes. Lazy defense. No urgency. It's beyond poor decision making. We need some impactful, winning vets on this team badly.

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There's only one way to become a vet.

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By continuing to play losing basketball season after season?

With seven seconds left they already looked like they lost the game. Keldon especially. And this is his 5th year.

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Yes, that's how players learn. It's also how to find out who has stones and who doesn't. This whole season is about development and evaluation.

I agree with that up to a point, but not when it's continuously the blind leading the blind on the court.

Lowe talks with Marks about Victor and the Spurs in the last 30 mins of his podcast. The Spurs are plus 150+ with Dev Vic and Tre on the court since the end of December. He mentions that having a veteran guard under 27 is what they need. Also he said that Trae would be a good fit but is not worth 4 1st rounders.

Enzo The Baker said:

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Lowe talks with Marks about Victor and the Spurs in the last 30 mins of his podcast. The Spurs are plus 150+ with Dev Vic and Tre on the court since the end of December. He mentions that having a veteran guard under 27 is what they need. Also he said that Trae would be a good fit but is not worth 4 1st rounders.

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There are pretty clear areas of needed upgrades to the roster. But this isn't the complete tear down that so many on this board and twitter are calling for. You know the Spurs aren't going to look at that way. There's been significant investment in these young guys and many of them have shown promise. They just need that last ingredient to pull it all together.

Listening to a Spurs podcast earlier this week, one of the commentators noted that OKC currently only has 3 players on it's roster that were on the team 3 years ago, and one (Kenrich Williams) only plays 14 minutes a night. Much like when Branham is handling the ball in the final seconds, turnover is inevitable.

As far as building the Spurs team, I like to think of the playoff 8.

Post
PF/Stretch
Big Wing
Lil Wing
Playmaker
----
Backup Post
Backup Wing
Backup Playmaker.

From those 8, we need:
Great or Elite perimeter defender
Great or Elite Post defender
Good Perimeter defender
Four (or more) players that hit 39% or higher from three
Primary Scorer
Secondary scorer
Tertiary scorer

What we have that could be rotational on a good playoff team:

Post: Wemby
PF/Stretch:
Big Wing:
Little Wing Vassell
Playmaker
-------
Backup big: Sochan
Backup wing:
Backup playmaker: Tre Jones

No one else is really there.

Sochan's finishing at the rim has been so bad and his 3pt shot is still just 32%. Look at his shot chart. 55% at the rim vs league avg of 60%. Sochan could probably be the good perimeter defender, but ideally, he would be more useful offensively. Just too many blown layups, bad shots, and turnovers. TS% of 50% is awful. Sochan can grow into that starting level on a playoff team PF/Stretch guy, but he isn't there now.


Great or Elite perimeter defender
Great or Elite Post defender: Wemby
Good Perimeter defender: Maybe Sochan
Four (or more) players that hit 39% or higher from three: Devin and no one else.
Primary Scorer: Wemby
Secondary scorer
Tertiary scorer: Devin.

I don't really care who we keep or don't keep. I think Keldon is a borderline playoff rotational guy at this point. He's a great guy, but he is beyond awful defensively, he's shooting 45/34, which are both way below league average of .475/.367.

I think Tre is fine as a backup playmaker. He makes a lot of smart plays. He will always be hunted of defense, but he puts in effort. Blake Wesley could also work his way up to that level, but Wesley is an even worse shooter than Tre. I think Devin could grow into being a good perimeter defender.

We need to add:
* Big Wing
* Primary Playmaker
* Backup Big or starting Stretch/Big - depending on if everything clicks for Jeremy in the next two seasons for him to be starting level on a good team. He isn't there yet.
* Backup wing.

One of those need to be a secondary scorer.
Three of those need to be 39%+ 3pt shooters.
One of those needs to be a good to elite perimeter defender.

---------

In Risacher, you can get a big wing that hits the 3pt % need. MAYBE a secondary scorer (I'm thinking maybe he's a Klay Thompson type scorer) but you likely don't get the defensive stopper there. In Cody Williams, you might get the defensive stopper and 3pt shooter, but probably not a shot at the secondary scoring option.

I don't know if Reed Shepherd will be a real primary playmaker or if he will be more of a off-ball shooter.

With Topic, you might get the primary playmaker, but he doesn't have a shot. He also doesn't appear to be a great defender.

The interest in Trae is that you fill probably the two biggest needs: Primary Playmaker and Secondary Scorer. But I don't think Trae is worth more than the two picks and swap back, plus maybe one other swap and filler. After that, you need to add 3 good shooters, figure out the other bigs and big wings. If you can add Trae and Cody Williams or Risacher, you essentially need to figure out backup wing and what you will have with Sochan and the backup big or if you can find a way to upgrade there and move Sochan to backup.

Essentially, everyone other than Devin and Wemby are replacable, but we probably have Sochan's development in our plans. Tre Jones is a solid piece, but he isn't essential by any means. Anyone else on the team is completely interchangeable.

Sochan has already shown flashes of elite perimeter defense. He's the best on the team now and his size makes him a great matchup with any guard. He doesn't have a fluid offensive game at all but it's not like he's a total non factor like the Tony Allen's of the world. I think his overall potential is through the roof.

Ag Natural said:

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Sochan has already shown flashes of elite perimeter defense. He's the best on the team now and his size makes him a great matchup with any guard. He doesn't have a fluid offensive game at all but it's not like he's a total non factor like the Tony Allen's of the world. I think his overall potential is through the roof.

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Yeah, I agree, his potential is super great. Great size for a perimeter defender. Offensively, his shot isn't there and unless he slams it home, he is not consistent.

I think Sochan could be a really great PnR player, especially if he can get a consistent shot from a couple spots outside. Set the pick, roll hard and if the defense collapses on him, he is good at making the extra pass. But he is not good at taking it up strong against a center. We may end up with a better defending cross between Aaron Gordon and Boris Diaw or something.

He just isn't there yet. I definitely think he is in the long term plans and that is what the PG nonsense was about. Right now, I think he is borderline rotational on a championship team. In two years, I have little doubt he will be much more polished all around.

Wemby retains the ball after blocking a shot 61.4% of the time, best in the NBA.

So what? One potential argument is that his blocks are more controlled which is a good predictor of future growth and that his current numbers aren’t a fluke.

The other is that he’s an alien 👽 pic.twitter.com/9c6SAB3yNw

— WembyMuse (@Wemby_Muse) March 8, 2024

Also, Kessler is a freak.

Melo: Woj is wrong and Pop has a plan for Wemby, you gotta let the plan play out. No need to rush it like Woj said.

@31:55: who is the perfect teammates for Wemby?

He's so young, you just don't know yet. He could come back for his second season and have all new skills.

Obviously, you need shooters around him.

You gotta have an explosive point guard. Someone that creates but also scores on their own.

Melo doesn't want Wemby to be the first option right now.

Is Trae Young a good fit?

Yeah! You need another alpha. You need another energy over there. Trae Young brings that energy.

@35:00 Who's the perfect team to put around Wemby? (like you can do anything)

Melo: They got good pieces. Vassell. Sochan. Keldon. Tre Jones is a really good PG. Now just plugging and playing. If you can get Trae, bring him in. Bring DeJounte back. He fits the system.

Pop knows how to develop.

Pretty reasonable observations by Melo. The average fan and pundit have no idea what it takes to develop a group of you players. Trying to microwave a rebuild can do more harm than good. This team will be much better next year even if they don't make a splashy move.

The Lowe Post





Calls Woj's reports about Wemby being upset and impatient as BS.

Spurs are 13-50 and are -8 per game.

In 650 minutes of Wemby + Devin + Tre Jones, Spurs are +154. "That is bananas"
Add Sochan and Keldon and they are +50 in 110 minutes.

Since December, Spurs are +11 with Wemby on the floor.

Spurs look like they will have two lottery picks.

Spurs don't have overpriced players on the team. They are in a very good spot to help Wemby and build a championship team.

Trae Young isn't worth 4 picks. More like they can get their picks back.

Trae Young makes some sense, but San Antonio has to call every team about every good guard who is 27 and under and figure out the cost.

Ag Natural said:

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Pretty reasonable observations by Melo. The average fan and pundit have no idea what it takes to develop a group of you players. Trying to microwave a rebuild can do more harm than good. This team will be much better next year even if they don't make a splashy move.

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All depends on the cost of the move and the fit of the players acquired.

Guitarsoup said:

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Ag Natural said:

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Pretty reasonable observations by Melo. The average fan and pundit have no idea what it takes to develop a group of you players. Trying to microwave a rebuild can do more harm than good. This team will be much better next year even if they don't make a splashy move.

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All depends on the cost of the move and the fit of the players acquired.

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For sure. You should always be looking for upgrades especially when you have all these draft picks coming. You can't possibly keep them all. My only beef is all these posters who are so focused on "getting rid of" of guys with no idea who's available to acquire.

I do wonder if Wembys unexpected immediate greatness will change the Spurs draft plans. They've been taking nothing but teenagers for a few years now. I wonder if they target the Jaime Juaques / Brando Pods / Desmond Bane types this year. I.e. 4 year college players who can play immediately

Ag Natural said:

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Guitarsoup said:

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Ag Natural said:

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Pretty reasonable observations by Melo. The average fan and pundit have no idea what it takes to develop a group of you players. Trying to microwave a rebuild can do more harm than good. This team will be much better next year even if they don't make a splashy move.

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All depends on the cost of the move and the fit of the players acquired.

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For sure. You should always be looking for upgrades especially when you have all these draft picks coming. You can't possibly keep them all. My only beef is all these posters who are so focused on "getting rid of" of guys with no idea who's available to acquire.

I do wonder if Wembys unexpected immediate greatness will change the Spurs draft plans. They've been taking nothing but teenagers for a few years now. I wonder if they target the Jaime Juaques / Brando Pods / Desmond Bane types this year. I.e. 4 year college players who can play immediately

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Dalton Knect and Kevin McCullar are the only guys that really fit that, but most mocks have them both outside the lottery.

Most mocks I see have only Kyle Flipowski as being picked in the lottery at 20yo+. And he isn't a guy we need.

In the 2025 draft, none of the big prospects are PGs. This year, the top four are:

Nikola Topic (Serbia)
Reed Shepherd (Kentucky)
Rob Dillingham (Kentucky)
Stephon Castle (UCONN)

Topic has been out 2.5 months now with a knee injury. He finishes great in the paint, and passes really well, but his defense sucks and he has no shot.

Reed Shepherd is a hustle guy and runs Kentucky's offense in closing minutes. Elite shooter off dribble or off-ball and plays great, active defense. I think he is probably more of a secondary playmaker and off-ball guy, but because he works hard on defense and is an elite shooter, he will always get minutes.

Rob Dillingham is an awful defender, but creates his own shot really well. I think his ceiling is a shorter Colin Sexton. Pure scorer, decent passer, but I don't think the type of player we really want.

Stephon Castle is big (6'7) but doesn't have a great shot and probably isn't a great PG. But probably projects to be the best defensive player of the group. If he can develop a shot, he could be a really great player, but might be more of a wing with some secondary playmaking ability.