The San Antonio Spurs thread - A Fiesta of Youth

[DaveyBoy123]

So, just to get a form-line against eastern conference teams;

- we've lost to the Hawks & Cavs, while
- beating the Bucks & Celtics

Makes sense to me!

 

[Snarls Barkley]

One question I have is who has been our most consistent player this season? Most, if not all, have been all over the place.

Patty Mills for me. I think he’s been unbelievable this season. So often early in the season he’d come in with us down and he’d drag us back into the game.

Promising last ten games from the guys. DeRozan has been on fire, Aldridge is shooting and making threes



Number one offense in the league over that period which was a shock to me.

 

[DaveyBoy123]

Patty Mills for me. I think he’s been unbelievable this season. So often early in the season he’d come in with us down and he’d drag us back into the game.

Yeah, but this is exactly what I mean... Huge game against the Grizzlies today and Patty gets 23 minutes resulting in 8 points, 1 rebound & 2 assists. I know stats don't mean everything, but...

Speaking of stats not meaning everything... I tell you one thing that does kinda stand out in your above table over the past 10 games as well as today; Derrick White's +/-. He only had 3, 1 & 4 today, but was the only player over 2 minutes who had a positive +/- for us. There has to be something in that, most likely his defensive play.

 

[Footypie32]

Yeah, but this is exactly what I mean... Huge game against the Grizzlies today and Patty gets 23 minutes resulting in 8 points, 1 rebound & 2 assists. I know stats don't mean everything, but...

Speaking of stats not meaning everything... I tell you one thing that does kinda stand out in your above table over the past 10 games as well as today; Derrick White's +/-. He only had 3, 1 & 4 today, but was the only player over 2 minutes who had a positive +/- for us. There has to be something in that, most likely his defensive play.

White has unfortunately been the biggest disappointment for me so far this season. I was expecting big things from him after his performance against the Nuggets in the Playoffs and then the reports of his impressive play against Team USA in scrimmages over the offseason. But it hasn't translated into this season.

As far as positives. I have like what I have seen from Poeltl and Lyles. Poeltl looks like he is really benefiting from have Duncan there as a coach. And Lyles has shown he has something to offer. I don't think he is a starter, but definitely can be a valuable part of the rotation. Reminds me a little of Bob Horry.

 

[DaveyBoy123]

… And it continues... Lose to (last in the East) Atlanta (AGAIN!) at home, then back up with a win against (2nd in the East) Miami.

I cannot work out this team this season. I have no idea what to expect game to game. Rubbish consistency.

 

[Phat Toni]

With the Blazers win today that probably makes our chances of making the playoffs pretty tough but i'm always hopeful. Looking forward I think we've done a great job topping up the wing positions with Walker/Murray/White/Johnson all young and talented then with Jakob, Lyles and Eubanks we have solid enough young role playing big men and we have a bit of an unknown with Samanic.

We've got some decisions to make on the likes of;
Jakob, $12m per season x 4yrs?
Eubanks, $5M per year x 2 yrs?
Forbes, I'd feel uncomfortable giving him more than $8-$10M x 3yrs?
Marco Belinelli, $4M x 1 yr?

What do you guys think they're worth?

The other $28M question is DeRozan, he's on a player option next season so he may opt out(very likely as the FA pool is weak so he could cash up). Personally i really like him, particularly with the small ball team by having him play the 4, on top of that he is a fantastic closer for us with a young core, I'd be happy for us to re-new his contract past next season on say a 3yr $100m contract, that would take him to his 35th birthday and would give us great stability as the young wing core build some synergy and experience, what are others thoughts on him?

Drafting is an interesting question for us as well with the pick being somewhere between 10 - 14, i'd be keen on a bigger type maybe a Onyeka Okongwu might be available or a Patrick Williams potentially, what's the thought on the type of play we need here?

Keen to get everyone's thoughts, I'm actually pretty excited by the young players we have but think we have a tricky time in front of us with the way we manage our salary payments as I'd hate for us to be too locked up in two years time when more than half the league are available.

 

[Hawkie_McHawkHawk]

With the Blazers win today that probably makes our chances of making the playoffs pretty tough but i'm always hopeful. Looking forward I think we've done a great job topping up the wing positions with Walker/Murray/White/Johnson all young and talented then with Jakob, Lyles and Eubanks we have solid enough young role playing big men and we have a bit of an unknown with Samanic.

We've got some decisions to make on the likes of;
Jakob, $12m per season x 4yrs?
Eubanks, $5M per year x 2 yrs?
Forbes, I'd feel uncomfortable giving him more than $8-$10M x 3yrs?
Marco Belinelli, $4M x 1 yr?

What do you guys think they're worth?

The other $28M question is DeRozan, he's on a player option next season so he may opt out(very likely as the FA pool is weak so he could cash up). Personally i really like him, particularly with the small ball team by having him play the 4, on top of that he is a fantastic closer for us with a young core, I'd be happy for us to re-new his contract past next season on say a 3yr $100m contract, that would take him to his 35th birthday and would give us great stability as the young wing core build some synergy and experience, what are others thoughts on him?

Drafting is an interesting question for us as well with the pick being somewhere between 10 - 14, i'd be keen on a bigger type maybe a Onyeka Okongwu might be available or a Patrick Williams potentially, what's the thought on the type of play we need here?

Keen to get everyone's thoughts, I'm actually pretty excited by the young players we have but think we have a tricky time in front of us with the way we manage our salary payments as I'd hate for us to be too locked up in two years time when more than half the league are available.

I’m more exited about the Spurs in the last couple of weeks than I have been since TD hung them up. Make no mistake- were not winning no championship with this roster but Keldon, Lonnie, Dejounte and white are certainly exiting.
As far as I see it we won’t win with LA and DeRozen as our first options. In saying that we won’t get much for them, I’d be happy to see LA traded out for a pick but hang onto DeRozen as he is a very good player in his own right, just not in your first two options if you want to win a title.
Id like to see the back of Forbes as well, per metrics he’s just about the worst man on man defender in the league (no hyperbole with that comment) and when I do catch games sick of seeing teams attack him every time he’s on the court.

Going foward the Spurs are going to have to offer White a very nice contract- 4 years $80 mil is realistic, he’s worth more than Murray and probably our most important piece going foward.

thing I’ve come to realize with the Spurs is they won’t be bringing in big or even moderately big FAs. It was hard enough when we were winning championships but next to impossible now, especially with Pop still at the helm. I’d like to see them concerntrate on the draft, and hopefully Luca can become a player although it’s looking as though that’s going to be a way off if it happens at all.

 

[Phat Toni]

I’m more exited about the Spurs in the last couple of weeks than I have been since TD hung them up. Make no mistake- were not winning no championship with this roster but Keldon, Lonnie, Dejounte and white are certainly exiting.
As far as I see it we won’t win with LA and DeRozen as our first options. In saying that we won’t get much for them, I’d be happy to see LA traded out for a pick but hang onto DeRozen as he is a very good player in his own right, just not in your first two options if you want to win a title.
Id like to see the back of Forbes as well, per metrics he’s just about the worst man on man defender in the league (no hyperbole with that comment) and when I do catch games sick of seeing teams attack him every time he’s on the court.

Going foward the Spurs are going to have to offer White a very nice contract- 4 years $80 mil is realistic, he’s worth more than Murray and probably our most important piece going foward.

thing I’ve come to realize with the Spurs is they won’t be bringing in big or even moderately big FAs. It was hard enough when we were winning championships but next to impossible now, especially with Pop still at the helm. I’d like to see them concerntrate on the draft, and hopefully Luca can become a player although it’s looking as though that’s going to be a way off if it happens at all.

yeah you're spot on LA and DeRozen aren't in the team for the next serious championship push but i'd like to see one if not both in the team for the next couple of years as the next group come through, just to provide experience and make sure the young ones are learning the right ways, maintain a competitive edge and being put into tougher situations(like maybe scrapping into the payoffs and getting some experience).

And you're also right we're not getting too many big FA's coming to town, the best we can hope for is some young guys in the middle belt($15m - $20M) that aren't getting used to their potential, and thats ok as I'd rather a good deep two way roaster rather than pinning all hopes on a Giannis or KD......

what's the best outcome for Luca(looking into the crystal ball)? Davis Bertains?

 

[Snarls Barkley]

With the Blazers win today that probably makes our chances of making the playoffs pretty tough but i'm always hopeful. Looking forward I think we've done a great job topping up the wing positions with Walker/Murray/White/Johnson all young and talented then with Jakob, Lyles and Eubanks we have solid enough young role playing big men and we have a bit of an unknown with Samanic.

We've got some decisions to make on the likes of;
Jakob, $12m per season x 4yrs?
Eubanks, $5M per year x 2 yrs?
Forbes, I'd feel uncomfortable giving him more than $8-$10M x 3yrs?
Marco Belinelli, $4M x 1 yr?

What do you guys think they're worth?

The other $28M question is DeRozan, he's on a player option next season so he may opt out(very likely as the FA pool is weak so he could cash up). Personally i really like him, particularly with the small ball team by having him play the 4, on top of that he is a fantastic closer for us with a young core, I'd be happy for us to re-new his contract past next season on say a 3yr $100m contract, that would take him to his 35th birthday and would give us great stability as the young wing core build some synergy and experience, what are others thoughts on him?

Drafting is an interesting question for us as well with the pick being somewhere between 10 - 14, i'd be keen on a bigger type maybe a Onyeka Okongwu might be available or a Patrick Williams potentially, what's the thought on the type of play we need here?

Keen to get everyone's thoughts, I'm actually pretty excited by the young players we have but think we have a tricky time in front of us with the way we manage our salary payments as I'd hate for us to be too locked up in two years time when more than half the league are available.

Can’t see DeRozan turning down that player option. I imagine the salary cap will go down from the COVID impact and not a lot of teams have cap space. I also hope we keep him, he gets a bit of a rough go from some fans because he is a poor defender and doesn’t shoot threes but mostly because he isn’t Kawhi. Does so many things well, probably our best scorer and playmaker and seems like a great locker room guy and leader.

Assuming he picks up the PO and Lyles contract gets guaranteed, next years roster will be Aldridge, Gay, DeRozan, Mills, White, Lyles, Murray, Walker, Johnson and Samanic. Aldridge has a big contract so can’t see a deal happening for him, may be bought out if things go bad early next season I suppose. Gay is one I could see playoff teams enquiring about, good option as a bench scorer and a manageable salary to trade with, could see him being dealt for a young player or a draft pick.

With the out of contract guys. Fan of Poeltl’s and hope a deal gets done. Your 48m/4yr seems to be about market rate on those types of guys the last few years. Maybe that’ll be lower after the financial hit but seems reasonable for both parties. Don’t really see it with Eubanks but not ready to give up on him, hopefully we can offer him a two way contract again but not sure on the rules on that.

Forbes is interesting. Our best shooter by far and should get re-signed on that alone but is probably the worst defender in the league. Would prefer we play the better two way guys in Murray, White, Walker and Johnson. Think we should keep him because there will be situations we need him but don’t think you’d spend much coin on him. Hoping his days as a starter are over. Bellinelli has the same issues and at nearly 35 and with his shooting numbers getting worse, I don’t think he gets another NBA contract.

With the draft, probably anything other than a guard. Love the potential of those four guys, think there is so much improvement in them and can’t wait to see what the future holds. Don’t know anything about the draft other than some write ups I’ve read. Seems to be guard heavy at the top. Like the sound of Devin Vassell and Patrick Williams but haven’t seen either play so I’ll just back whoever the Spurs select. They get it right more times than not.

 

[Phat Toni]

Can’t see DeRozan turning down that player option. I imagine the salary cap will go down from the COVID impact and not a lot of teams have cap space. I also hope we keep him, he gets a bit of a rough go from some fans because he is a poor defender and doesn’t shoot threes but mostly because he isn’t Kawhi. Does so many things well, probably our best scorer and playmaker and seems like a great locker room guy and leader.

Assuming he picks up the PO and Lyles contract gets guaranteed, next years roster will be Aldridge, Gay, DeRozan, Mills, White, Lyles, Murray, Walker, Johnson and Samanic. Aldridge has a big contract so can’t see a deal happening for him, may be bought out if things go bad early next season I suppose. Gay is one I could see playoff teams enquiring about, good option as a bench scorer and a manageable salary to trade with, could see him being dealt for a young player or a draft pick.

With the out of contract guys. Fan of Poeltl’s and hope a deal gets done. Your 48m/4yr seems to be about market rate on those types of guys the last few years. Maybe that’ll be lower after the financial hit but seems reasonable for both parties. Don’t really see it with Eubanks but not ready to give up on him, hopefully we can offer him a two way contract again but not sure on the rules on that.

Forbes is interesting. Our best shooter by far and should get re-signed on that alone but is probably the worst defender in the league. Would prefer we play the better two way guys in Murray, White, Walker and Johnson. Think we should keep him because there will be situations we need him but don’t think you’d spend much coin on him. Hoping his days as a starter are over. Bellinelli has the same issues and at nearly 35 and with his shooting numbers getting worse, I don’t think he gets another NBA contract.

With the draft, probably anything other than a guard. Love the potential of those four guys, think there is so much improvement in them and can’t wait to see what the future holds. Don’t know anything about the draft other than some write ups I’ve read. Seems to be guard heavy at the top. Like the sound of Devin Vassell and Patrick Williams but haven’t seen either play so I’ll just back whoever the Spurs select. They get it right more times than not.

Yeah agree with all of that, but i still think there will be some teams out there with plenty of space in the cap inquiring around DeRozan, he'd fit well in Atlanta($60M in cap space), Memphis(Less room $15M but they have contracts that could be moved) and even the Knicks could have up to $40M available with the Team options and non guaranteed contracts they have). My bet is the Griz as he'd fit very well there and he would feel they are a team on the rise AND as a team they dont have to extend any of their young core for a couple more years, they could pull off a 2-3Yr deal for 30-35M a season for DeRozen.

On the Spurs maybe Forbes gets Bellinelli's $6m contract, i would be ok with that for a long range sniper, i like Eubanks so a 2yr x 5M seems ok for me. On the Draft I like the idea of Onyeka Okongwu even though he has the Clint Capella feel about him but like you I'm happy with what the Spurs choose as they dont get it wrong too often....... But Clarke.....

 

[Snarls Barkley]

Still a chance to make the play in tournament, need a lot of things to go our way on Friday morning.

If we win and Portland, Phoenix and Memphis lose we’ll get the 8th seed. If we win and two of Portland, Phoenix and Memphis lose we’ll get the 9th seed. All other scenarios and we finish 10th or lower.

Spurs play Utah. Jazz are 6th and still a chance at 5th. 5th would mean a matchup against Houston, who have knocked them out the last two playoffs so can see them tanking this game.
The still undefeated bubble Suns play against Dallas, who are locked in the 7th seed after their loss to Portland.
Memphis play against Milwaukee, who are locked in as the best record in the league.
Portland play against Brooklyn, who are locked in as the 7th seed.

Don’t like that none of the teams we need to win have anything to play for. Can only focus on what we can control. It’s still been a successful bubble as far as I’m concerned, regardless of what happens.

The losses against Atlanta (x2), Chicago, Cleveland (x2), Detroit and Minnesota (x2) proved costly. To be fair, Minnesota was balling during the period where we played them and turned into a rabble shortly afterwards. The other teams were rabbles all season and not sure how we blew most of those.

 

[Phat Toni]

Any thoughts on the Spurs in season that is literally around the corner now?

losing Forbes hurts the floor spacing a little bit but the rookie pick up seems to make sense.

What are we hoping for? I would think 8-11 in the west seems ok with maybe a little bit of upside if we can keep everybody playing.

L.A // DeRozen playing out the season?

 

[Phat Toni]

Can’t see DeRozan turning down that player option. I imagine the salary cap will go down from the COVID impact and not a lot of teams have cap space. I also hope we keep him, he gets a bit of a rough go from some fans because he is a poor defender and doesn’t shoot threes but mostly because he isn’t Kawhi. Does so many things well, probably our best scorer and playmaker and seems like a great locker room guy and leader.

Assuming he picks up the PO and Lyles contract gets guaranteed, next years roster will be Aldridge, Gay, DeRozan, Mills, White, Lyles, Murray, Walker, Johnson and Samanic. Aldridge has a big contract so can’t see a deal happening for him, may be bought out if things go bad early next season I suppose. Gay is one I could see playoff teams enquiring about, good option as a bench scorer and a manageable salary to trade with, could see him being dealt for a young player or a draft pick.

With the out of contract guys. Fan of Poeltl’s and hope a deal gets done. Your 48m/4yr seems to be about market rate on those types of guys the last few years. Maybe that’ll be lower after the financial hit but seems reasonable for both parties. Don’t really see it with Eubanks but not ready to give up on him, hopefully we can offer him a two way contract again but not sure on the rules on that.

Forbes is interesting. Our best shooter by far and should get re-signed on that alone but is probably the worst defender in the league. Would prefer we play the better two way guys in Murray, White, Walker and Johnson. Think we should keep him because there will be situations we need him but don’t think you’d spend much coin on him. Hoping his days as a starter are over. Bellinelli has the same issues and at nearly 35 and with his shooting numbers getting worse, I don’t think he gets another NBA contract.

With the draft, probably anything other than a guard. Love the potential of those four guys, think there is so much improvement in them and can’t wait to see what the future holds. Don’t know anything about the draft other than some write ups I’ve read. Seems to be guard heavy at the top. Like the sound of Devin Vassell and Patrick Williams but haven’t seen either play so I’ll just back whoever the Spurs select. They get it right more times than not.

Nice call out!! Got any lottery numbers we can have?

 

[DaveyBoy123]

Well, I didn't think we'd have a winning record at any stage of the season... So my expectations have already been exceeded.

Also, did I miss some kind of haircut edict that Pop put out?

 

[DaveyBoy123]

2-0... A triple double for Dejounte... Keldon & Lonnie showing some good signs... Viva le youth:

 

[Snarls Barkley]

Drop back to 2-2.

Didn’t think we were too bad. Dejounte was awesome, DeRozan was really solid again, Lonnie had some good moments. Lakers are just too big though and we found it hard to make stops. When their outside shooters are on they are virtually impossible to beat, so Wes Matthews going 6-6 from deep really hurt.

Play Lakers again next. Then Jazz, Clippers and another matchup with the Lakers. Tough run

 

[DaveyBoy123]

Leading the way again!

San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon become first woman to control an NBA team in LA Lakers match

San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon has made history by becoming the first woman to take charge of an NBA team when she took over after head coach Gregg Popovich was ejected.

Popovich received two technical fouls with 3:56 left in the second quarter of the Spurs' eventual 121-107 defeat to the visiting Los Angeles Lakers.

"I did not walk into the arena thinking I would be coaching tonight, but that's the way things go and you roll with it, and I would have liked a different outcome," Hammon said. "Overall, I would have loved to get a win tonight more than anything."

Hammon did not know she would be put in charge if Popovich were to be ejected from a game. "He officially pointed at me," Hammon said. "That was it. He said, 'You got 'em.' That was it. Very Pop-like."

Becky Hammon of the San Antonio Spurs asks Patty Mills if he wants another shrimp on the barbie mate.

 

[DaveyBoy123]

When you're an already undersized team, it doesn't help when your 2 big oafs play a combined 47 minutes for 0 points & 10 rebounds.

 

[jerry springer]

do a search for this on Netflix, its worth your time as a spurs fan

Tony Parker: The Final Shot (2021) ⭐ 6.8 | Documentary, Biography, Sport

1h 38m | TV-14

www.imdb.com

 

[DaveyBoy123]

The boys continue to surprise me... 10-8 wow... A genuinely stirring win at home vs the Celtics.

- 6 players in double figures
- Dejounte with a double-double (11-11-4) & a match-winning steal
- DeRozan (21-5-7) with a great mid-range jumper at a crucial time
- Keldon with a double-double (18-10-1)

Is anybody getting some Kawhi-lite vibes out of Keldon? Some of his work off the ball is fantastic for a youngster and his scoring this season has really been a pleasant surprise. If he can improve his overall defense (which I'm confident he can), we may well have a genuine superstar on our hands here!

 

[DaveyBoy123]

... & then they come out and beat the Nuggets - who were on a 5 match winning streak! Dejounte very impressive today in his battle with Murray. Jokic hit a lot of 3's too, so a 10 point win is nothing to be sneezed at.

Did I severely under-rate this team, or are these guys playing out of their skin?

If Lonnie & LaMarcus up their game, anything might be possible when White returns!

 

[magpiemaniac44]

... & then they come out and beat the Nuggets - who were on a 5 match winning streak! Dejounte very impressive today in his battle with Murray. Jokic hit a lot of 3's too, so a 10 point win is nothing to be sneezed at.

Did I severely under-rate this team, or are these guys playing out of their skin?

If Lonnie & LaMarcus up their game, anything might be possible when White returns!

We’ve beat Denver, Boston, Portland, Lakers and Clippers so far this season

The team is so fun to watch

 

[DaveyBoy123]

The Rodeo Road Trip has begun well, blowing the Hawks away to limp home with an easy win.

Even if we end up 3-4 on this road trip, then a win/loss record of 17-15 should still have us within the top 8 of the West.

Don't think you would have got great odds of us having a better record than the Nets right now. Hell, we'd be 3rd in the East!

 

[magpiemaniac44]

The Rodeo Road Trip has begun well, blowing the Hawks away to limp home with an easy win.

Even if we end up 3-4 on this road trip, then a win/loss record of 17-15 should still have us within the top 8 of the West.

Don't think you would have got great odds of us having a better record than the Nets right now. Hell, we'd be 3rd in the East!

Clinical performance today (bar the last quarter). We always struggle on the rodeo road trip but we’ve got some easier games coming up against Charlotte. Detroit, Cleveland and NY that we could set ourselves up really nicely.

 

[UnitedWarrior93]

Aldridge is on his way, probably heading back to Portland or go to the Lakers or Nets lol.