Jump to content

San Antonio Spurs 2021 Offseason Thread -- Wandering the Desert

Patrick Bateman

By Patrick Bateman
in Basketball

 Share

Recommended Posts

Patrick Bateman

Patrick Bateman 3917

Posted
  • Author
Posted
13 hours ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

Considering the other guys on the roster, I'm not sure this is a bad trait. I hope he jacks 25 shots per game on an 18 win team. They are going to need someone to take shots. Might as well be our 18 year old instead of Bryn Fucking Forbes.

He's going to be taking shots for the Austin Toros most of the time, not the big squad...... he's a huge project.  Austin will have a bomb squad though.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mitch Cumsteen

Mitch Cumsteen 18550

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Kermit said:

Schedule dropped.

https://www.nba.com/spurs/schedule

Starts off super easy after Orlando:  Nuggets, Bucks 2x, Lakers, and Mavs 2x in the first 8 games. Lol. At least there won't be any early hope. Tank early, tank often. I'm predicting 18 wins and I hope I'm high. 

2021-22 Spurs - Race to the bottom

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mitch Cumsteen

Mitch Cumsteen 18550

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Kermit said:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2022-nba-mock-draft-paolo-banchero-to-thunder-chet-holmgren-to-magic-among-way-too-early-projections/amp/
 

Draft preparation.

Is the kid from France not eligible next year? That's 100% who we need to tank for. That guy is the next sure thing coming into the league. I haven't looked at any of next year's crop, other than that Holmgren kid but we need the frenchman. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Patrick Bateman

Patrick Bateman 3917

Posted
  • Author
Posted
6 hours ago, Kermit said:

There’s no rule stating that we can’t tank two years in a row.

Or won't have to..... lol.  

More schedule stuff.

When everyone's better than you, then yes, it looks like a tough schedule.

Roster stuff.  I imagine we're trying to get anyone to take Aminu.  Probably shopping Young hard too, packaging him with another player to try and upgrade.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...
Patrick Bateman

Patrick Bateman 3917

Posted
  • Author
Posted
12 hours ago, Horn of Gabriel said:

He’s talented but I’m not sure anyone can un-fuck his mental block.

I'm sort of convinced you can't un-fuck that shooting motion.  Make him into a more athletic Jason Kidd.  Basically try to fix his FT shooting and his standstill 3 point shooting.  Don't worry about his mid-range or pull up game.... he'll never have one and if you do that, you have a 10 time All-Star.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Horn of Gabriel

Horn of Gabriel 1624

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Patrick Bateman said:

I'm sort of convinced you can't un-fuck that shooting motion.  Make him into a more athletic Jason Kidd.  Basically try to fix his FT shooting and his standstill 3 point shooting.  Don't worry about his mid-range or pull up game.... he'll never have one and if you do that, you have a 10 time All-Star.

 

He for sure has issues w/ his motion that Chip or whoever we have in that spot now can work on.  But I think his issues are mostly mental now; he can hit the three...he just never, ever, ever shoots it.  He needs that sports therapist from Ted Lasso lol.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Patrick Bateman

Patrick Bateman 3917

Posted
  • Author
Posted
2 hours ago, Horn of Gabriel said:

He for sure has issues w/ his motion that Chip or whoever we have in that spot now can work on.  But I think his issues are mostly mental now; he can hit the three...he just never, ever, ever shoots it.  He needs that sports therapist from Ted Lasso lol.

Absolutely agree.  I think he's embarrassed and scared to shoot outside of the lane now.  If he could just become a 30 or low 30% 3 point shooter and get his FT% above 70%, which it's going in the right direction (still far away) then you have a pretty special player skill wise.  What kind of kid is he?  Is he a head case?  How hungry is he to get better?  These are a lot of the questions that surround him but considering the position we're in, it may make sense to take a chance on him with his type of upside if you can get suitable answers on those questions. 

I wonder if Philly regrets not trading to him us when we were shopping Kawhi?  Now his value is probably 65% of what it was back then.  Morey seems like a dick so he may just say, fuck him and our season, we'll just try and call his bluff though.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mitch Cumsteen

Mitch Cumsteen 18550

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, ztejas said:

Anyone that thinks this team is winning less than 30 is delusional. Including resident doomsayer @Mitch Cumsteen (sorry bro).

I'm not a doomsayer, I'm a realist. They are the least talented team in the league and the conference is brutal. 30 is probably a pretty good over/under. Gun to my head though, I'm taking the under. They aren't going to be historically horrible (although they would be better off if they were) and they will play hard and I'm kind of sick so I will probably still watch 90% of their games... but they just don't have the horses.

CSB - I had a Jakob Poeltl sighting after the Tech game in Austin on Saturday. He was riding a bird scooter down Red River toward 6th Street with a girl riding with him on the scooter. I'm pretty sure he was violating all sorts clauses in his contract but I didn't see him wipe out.

We need a thread title. I'd go with Spurs 2021-22: There's no vaccine for losing

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ztejas

ztejas 43482

Posted
Posted
11 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

I'm not a doomsayer, I'm a realist. They are the least talented team in the league and the conference is brutal.

This isn't a realistic take. This is very pessimistic and melodramatic. 

You're the type of fan that expects the worst and hopes for something better and I'm not knocking that. But if you want to claim something like the Spurs are the "least talented team in the league" then you need to at least back it up to some degree. I don't see you doing that. Now or over the course of the offseason at any point. Same with saying the "conference is brutal". Why? For starters, the best 2 teams in the NBA are likely in the East. This isn't 2010-2013.

I'm not pumping sunshine. I doubt we make the playoffs. But I'd bet this is more like a 33-35 win team than a 28 win team. 

So when we win more than 30 games maybe keep this comment in mind and be less hopeless going into next season. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mitch Cumsteen

Mitch Cumsteen 18550

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, ztejas said:

But if you want to claim something like the Spurs are the "least talented team in the league" then you need to at least back it up to some degree. I don't see you doing that. Now or over the course of the offseason at any point. Same with saying the "conference is brutal". Why? For starters, the best 2 teams in the NBA are likely in the East. This isn't 2010-2013.

Challenge accepted. 

I'll start at the bottom of the west from last year:

1. Rockets - they accrued more high level talent in this draft than the spurs have on their entire roster. Maybe Primo turns out to be better than Senguin, but I'm still pissed they passed on him. He's going to help them immediately. Jalen Green by himself is probably enough to tip the scale in their favor alone, but Christian Wood would be the best player on the Spurs. So would a healthy John Wall, and he's not even going to play for them. 

2. Thunder - SGA would be the best player on the Spurs, hands down. Overall, they are probably less talented but given the fact that they are outright tanking and have a million picks coming their way, I'd trade places with them in a heartbeat. So, I'll give you OKC. We have more talent than the most blatantly tanking team in the league, but probably not for long. 

3. KAT, Edwards, Russell... All would be the most talented player on the Spurs. 

4. Kings - Fox again would be the best player on the Spurs. Spurs should have taken Halliburton. He's probably going to be better than anybody they currently have on the roster, notwithstanding perhaps Keldon. Richaun fucking Holmes would play 35 minutes a night for this team. 

5. Nola - Zion. I'd trade our entire roster for him alone, not to mention Ingram. 

6. Warriors - slight edge to Curry, Thompson, Draymond, and their last three draft picks who are all higher picks than where the Spurs drafted. 

7. Grizzlies - yeah, I'm going to take Ja, JJJ, Brooks, and that deep ass bench. 

8. Lakers - it's probably a coin flip between AD and Poeltl, but I think LeBron tips the scale slightly in their favor. 

9. Blazers - Lillard, CJ. You really want me to keep going? 

10. Mavs - Luka and 4 scrubs off the playgrounds of Lithuania would be more talented than the spurs. 

11. Clips - even with Kawhi hurt.. More talented than Spurs. 

12. Nuggets - our best player would be their 4th or 5th best. 

13. Suns - Booker, Ayton, Cp3, Bridges. 

14. Jazz - Mitchell, Gobert, Conley, etc. 

I'll do the east later... But off the top of my head, outside of Orlando who again is completely tanking, they are almost assuredly going to be less talented than the rest. 

And that comment about the west being brutal... I'm not talking about the top of the conference, I'm talking about the overall depth. There really aren't any off nights. That's why I think their record is going to be what it is. 

With regard to me being pessimistic, I just looked it up and the Vegas line I saw had them at 28.5 or 29.5. I said 30 was probably a good number. I don't think I'm sand bagging here. I think I'm being realistic. DeRozan finished almost every win they had last year and he's gone. Who is going to create their own shot and get a bucket in the last minute of a tight game? I'm hoping that some of the young guys take the next step but you win in this league with superstars and they don't have any. Prepare yourself. They are going to be eating a lot of L's this year. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
SilasCoade

SilasCoade 2622

Posted
Posted (edited)

The Spurs starting five is going to have an average age of like 23. They're not winning a ton of games. I don't think that means they're untalented. Dejounte Murray and Derrick White are only approaching their max development over the next 2 years and both are valid candidates for second banana on a championship team. Zach Collins is not without talent. His question is health and recovery from injury, but the talent is there. Keldon has talent on both ends. He certainly did not look outclassed on the Olympic team. Primo, Samanic, and Vassell are all still just projections more than substance but each can be called talented enough to be a contributor for a playoff team *if* they continue to develop. Lonnie is your store-brand Westbrook at this point but if he turns out to be a more athletic Avery Bradley that's still a guy that can be part of winning basketball. (FWIW, I'm surprised by how astute the Bradley comparison appears to be based on stats at the same age.)

The doom and gloom interpretation is that the Spurs have exactly zero star players. The silver linings interpretation is that this roster is crazy young, the org has a reputation for developing players to maximize their potential, and they have zero bad contracts on the books. When a star comes available they will have some assets and cap space. It's just, well, this isn't the year.

On the future cap front, 2022 the Spurs projected to have $48M in space, roughly tied for 4th with Detroit in terms of space available. Only Orlando is realistically going to have more space since New Orleans and Memphis are both going to have to spend at least a third of that projected space to keep Ja and Zion around on max extensions. Memphis will also have to pay JJJ.

 

The Spurs are probably in good shape for 2025 is what I'm saying.

Edited by Llogg
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mitch Cumsteen

Mitch Cumsteen 18550

Posted
Posted
55 minutes ago, Kermit said:

SHOW ME A GODDAMN LOSS! 

Oh... I wouldn't worry about that kermey. It isn't going to be a problem

Finishing up where I started... the Eastern Conference, from last year's worst to best records:

1. Detroit - I don't even think Cade Cunningham is going to be that good, but the Spurs would have to trade about half their roster and about 10 draft picks/swaps to get him. Jerami fucking Grant would be the best player on the Spurs. They also have some other interesting young pieces.

2. Orlando - Take what I just said about Cade Cunningham and apply it to Jalen Suggs. Other than the process era Sixers, I can't imagine a team being blown up more than the Magic were this past season. They tore it completely down to the studs. So, I'll give you Orlando. The Spurs are more talented than a team that traded away every asset on their roster save an injury riddled Johnathon Isaac.

3. Cleveland - Evan Mobley, Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro, Jarett Allen, Ricky Rubio, Lauri Markkanen, and Kevin Love. I would trade rosters with them in a heartbeat, which is fucking depressing as hell.

4. Toronto - Siakam, VanVleet, Anunoby, Precious, Scottie Barnes - yes, terrible last season but still more talented than the Spurs. We don't have anyone approaching Siakam.

5. Chicago - Lavine, Demar, Vucevic, Lonzo Ball, Patrick Williams - no contest, way more talented. 

6. Charlotte - Lamelo, Hayward, Scary Terry, Miles Bridges, PJ Washington - again, this is getting more and more depressing with these historically dogshit teams being markedly more talented than the Spurs

7. Pacers - Myles Turner, Sabonis, Brogdan, Caris Levert. I'm going to have to go with the Pacers here.

8. Washington - Bradley Beal, Spencer Dinwiddie and all the Laker castoffs -- more talented than the Spurs. 

9. Celtics - Tatum and Brown. Not even close.

10. Heat - Jimmy Buckets, Bam, Lowry. No need to even comment.

11.  Atlanta - Trae Young, Bogdanovic, Collins, Lou Will, Gallinari, Capela.... one of the deepest teams in the league. I would kill for that roster, even if I had to endure a decade of wanting to punch Trae Young in the face every night.

12. NY - Randle, RJ Barrett, Quickley, Mitchell Robinson, Kemba, D Rose... I actually hate their roster, but they are still more talented than the Spurs, objectively. Sadly.

13.  I'm not even going to bother with the Bucks, Nets or Sixers.

So, there you have it. With the possible exception of Orlando and OKC, the Spurs have the least talented roster in the NBA. Prepare your anus.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Michael Knight

Michael Knight 12988

Posted
Posted
Spoiler

Lowe: Where Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs go from here

 

play

As the Spurs get ready for the 2021-22 season, relive some of last season's top plays from Lonnie Walker IV and Keldon Johnson. (1:58)

7:00 AM CT
  • lowe_zach.png&h=80&w=80&scale=crop
    Zach LoweESPN Senior Writer

AN INSIDE JOKE drifted through the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in March 2020 -- the last gathering of executives from all 30 NBA teams before the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic: If the NBA canceled the rest of the season, would the San Antonio Spurs' -- then 12th in the Western Conference -- 22-year playoff streak technically remain intact?

Even San Antonio executives chuckled. It was a macabre attempt to deflect fear of the virus, and an acknowledgement that the NBA's gold standard was entering the wilderness for the first time since an injury-aided tank job ended with the selection of Tim Duncan in 1997.

Between 1987 and 2011, the Spurs drafted five future Hall of Famers: David Robinson, Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Kawhi Leonard. They found them at the top of the first round, in the middle, at the bottom, even toward the end of the second round in Ginobili's case. It was a remarkable run for a franchise that built through the draft because it had limited free-agency appeal and seemed allergic to trades. The 2011 draft-day deal for Leonard seemed to position the Spurs for an unprecedented three-decade run near the top of what for 29 other teams is a boom-and-bust league.

After one title and six great seasons, it went haywire; Leonard wanted out. A perfect storm left the Spurs with perhaps less leverage than any team ever to trade an MVP-level superstar in his prime.

Three weeks after LeBron James bolted to the Los Angeles Lakers without pushing them to also acquire Leonard, San Antonio traded Leonard (plus Danny Green and $5 million in cash) to the Toronto Raptors for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and one first-round pick -- later used on Keldon Johnson, a rising power forward who attacks the rim as if it hurt his family.

The Spurs turned down several offers heavy on future first-round picks, sources said. Choosing to pair DeRozan with LaMarcus Aldridge -- who turned 33 the day after the Leonard trade -- seemed to prove the Spurs would never rebuild until Gregg Popovich retired.

No one is sure if Popovich will coach beyond this season, but several sources who know him cautioned in recent weeks that it would not surprise them if he returned for 2022-23. Popovich is 26 wins from Don Nelson's all-time record, but he is not running out the string just to claim it.

(The most common heir apparents mentioned in league and coaching circles today: Will Hardy, the longtime San Antonio assistant now working under Ime Udoka in Boston; Brett Brown; and Manu Ginobili, who rejoined San Antonio last week as an advisor. Becky Hammon will and should be in the mix along with mystery candidates and perhaps other members of the Spurs tree. Ginobili's appetite for coaching is unclear. Bill Self, head coach of Kansas, has faded out of the rumor mill.)

DeRozan and Aldridge are gone. So are Rudy Gay and Patty Mills -- the final link to teams that made back-to-back Finals in 2013 and 2014.

The Spurs have drafted well recently in the back of the lottery and the end of the first round. Fans are excited to see what those young players do without DeRozan and Aldridge soaking up possessions -- and, it should be noted, keeping the Spurs' midrange-heavy offense afloat.

But it's time to ask: What, exactly, are the Spurs doing here? Are they at risk of being trapped in mediocrity? Should they search for a star?

 

 

Keldon Johnson, 21, is a promising, rim-rocking forward who averaged 13 and 6 in his sophomore campaign. He is also part of a young-ish core in San Antonio that might be too good to truly bottom out. Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images

THE SPURS TALKED with the Philadelphia 76ers about Ben Simmons, but those talks have not gotten far, sources said. They sniffed around intriguing young free agents -- including Lauri Markkanen and John Collins, sources said -- but snared neither.

Three of San Antonio's young players aren't so young anymore: Dejounte Murray, probably San Antonio's best player, just turned 25. Derrick White is 27. They will earn about $31 million combined this season, a reminder that young teams get expensive fast -- and that Johnson and Lonnie Walker IV will soon get big raises. (Walker is extension eligible now.) Poeltl turns 26 in two weeks.

The Spurs used cap space on Doug McDermott, who is almost 30 -- not a move we'd associate with a rebuilding team.

It is hard to find anyone who thinks the Spurs have a foundational star among Murray, White, Johnson, Walker, Poeltl, Devin Vassell, Luka Samanic, Joshua Primo, and the rest. It's early, but that assessment seems correct. It's possible one or two cracks an All-Star Game; there have been lots of one- and two-time All-Stars, and there is a giant chasm between those players and perennial All-Stars who determine championships.

The best-odds pathway to those players is at the top of the draft. It's a common criticism of the post-Leonard Spurs that in dealing for a win-now floor-raiser (DeRozan) and keeping its veteran bench together, San Antonio missed its window for Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, and Cade Cunningham. (The Spurs have also -- justifiably -- turned down offers of single protected first-round picks for some of their core young guys, sources said.)

Critics dinged the Spurs for hanging on to Aldridge and DeRozan too long. They got nothing for Aldridge, but they were redeemed with DeRozan; snaring Thaddeus Young, one future first-round pick, and two seconds from the Chicago Bulls is a nice return.

Now, the thinking goes, San Antonio's young players have improved to the point that it's too late for these Spurs to bottom out.

Are we sure? There are reasons for pessimism about this single-season San Antonio team -- to wonder if the Spurs, almost by accident, have positioned themselves for a real chance at a top-five pick. Which teams in the West are you certain will win fewer games than the Spurs? That list ends at the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Spurs profile as a bad offensive team that will have to work really hard for clean looks -- many of which will be long 2s. (Their old-fashioned shot profile didn't shift much when DeRozan and Aldridge sat.)

They could make up for that with stout defense. Murray and Poeltl are bulwarks up the middle -- Murray an All-Defense-level ball hawk with long arms and an apparent ability to be in two places at once, Poeltl a rock-sold rim-protector with nimble feet.

White is heady, willing to take charges galore. Young is an irritant with lightning-quick hands. Johnson is physical and fearless.

This is precisely the team San Antonio was when DeRozan hit the bench: terrible on offense, ultra stingy on defense.

In theory, that should amount to a .500-ish team. Maybe it will.

 

The Spurs drafted five Hall of Famers from 1987 and 2011 -- leading to historic success. With a core of good-but-not-great players, they're at a crossroads: Do they try to land a star? Or, for the first time in more than two decades, do they bottom out? Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

DEFENSES WILL TEST San Antonio's shooting at every turn, with the exception of McDermott, who fits with any combination of young Spurs. (The howling over McDermott's signing is misplaced, and reminds of the reaction to another rebuilding team -- the Detroit Pistons -- splurging on Kelly Olynyk. The best way to help young attacking ball handlers is to give them space. McDermott and Olynyk do that without adding so many wins as to harm lottery odds. McDermott has also turned into a sneaky-good finisher.)

Opponents will go under screens for Murray, White, Walker, Johnson, and Vassell. They will form a shell above the foul line, and dare those guys to hoist 3s. The result will often be a lot of side-to-side passing that generates little north-south traction.

There have been glimpses of San Antonio busting such schemes; Walker and White almost doubled their 3-point attempt rates last season, albeit mostly on catch-and-shoot looks. (Bad news: Their uptick in 3s came at the expense of rim attempts, per Cleaning The Glass.) White hit 34.6% -- a hair below league average. Popovich has been reluctant at times to pair Murray and White for this reason.

Still, the Spurs should be closer to 20th in 3-point attempt rate than dead last -- where they were for much of the DeRozan-Aldridge era.

Vassell hit 34.7% on five 3s per 36 minutes -- encouraging for a rookie wing. Johnson isn't shy, but he'll have to hit better than 33% on middling volume to coax defenders into running him off the arc -- closeouts that ignite his ferocious, bull-rushing drives.

Murray has become reliable on long 2s -- though not 3s -- and is cagey bobbing back and forth around screens to get to his comfort zones. Bryn Forbes will help, but at the expense of San Antonio's defense.

There is also a playmaking deficit here. Murray is an average-ish passer for his position and role. White has become more of a wing with Murray's emergence. Walker and Johnson are rim-assault scorers; Walker is frenetic, and often passes only at the last minute when he decides it is not safe to shoot. Such kickouts can produce, but they are also often long-distance heaves that come a beat late; the defense is ready, rotating out.

Young and Poeltl are nifty passers, and the Spurs will run some offense via handoffs and elbow actions. But the collective can only compensate so much for the lack of one killer creator.

THE SPURS ARE pretty switchy on defense, but they are also easy to switch against. None of them have brutalizing one-on-one games for size mismatches. Their guards and wings can roast opposing bigs, but that speed advantage dissipates when defenders sit back and invite jumpers.

Popovich has said the Spurs will run, and the best antidote to blah half-court offense is to avoid playing in the half court. The Spurs hit the gas in the bubble, when Aldridge was out, and played at an average pace last season -- fast by their standards.

Given roster turnover and their overall youth, I'm a little skeptical the Spurs will have an elite defense -- as stingy overall as they were in the minutes DeRozan sat. A lot of those minutes came against backups, and San Antonio's bench -- long an efficiency machine -- has been overhauled. Young seems like an obvious trade candidate; contenders have already inquired about him, sources said. (He would be a great fit with the Phoenix Suns playing the Dario Saric role.)

If this really is a top-five defense, the Spurs will be in the play-in race. If it's closer to 10th or average, this could be a painful season -- though with the reward of a high draft pick. It would seem almost impossible for the Spurs to be worse than Houston, Oklahoma City, Detroit, or the Orlando Magic. Beyond that, nothing is guaranteed. The Cleveland Cavaliers should add some wins, and everyone else is chasing the play-in. Landing in the No. 5 or 6 lottery slot brings better odds of moving up under revised rules.

Even if they disappoint this season, these Spurs' young core could develop into a good team -- and soon. Murray and White are in their primes. Walker has hit 37% on 3s, and has flashed the ability to be a solid secondary ball handler -- when he catches on the move, with a head start, and takes his time:

His passing and defense will improve.

You can see Johnson learning to slow down, change pace, and keep defenders off balance:

He has a decent floater, and even ran 250 pick-and-rolls last season.

Vassell could become San Antonio's Mikal Bridges -- and maybe more. He is already an absolute mauler on defense, capable of switching across four positions -- and enveloping smaller guards. What he does to Trae Young here borders on cruelty:

He is long enough to provide some rim protection. (Johnson is too.)

Vassell was mostly a stand-still option on offense, and that was fine for his rookie season. He hit 38% on corner 3s. He showed a pump-and-go game that usually ended with midrange pull-ups. Vassell is good at those. He's smooth with the ball, stops on a dime, and rises up with ease over smaller guards -- who often defend him because opponents have deemed Vassell a safe hiding place:

(Teams aren't really afraid to hide undersized and weak defenders on any of San Antonio's main perimeter guys. That's a bad sign. One silver lining is that most of those Spurs are tall enough to get launch clean mid-rangers over such players.)

Vassell will get more decisive in Year 2. He'll attack right away off the catch instead of giving the defense a chance to reset. He'll venture the one extra dribble that unlocks a layup, or some profitable pass.

Why should we put low ceilings on these players, or doubt the Spurs' development machine? No one saw Leonard's superstardom coming. There isn't a Leonard here, but if these guys stay together, the Spurs will grow into a good team. That's just what happens. The Lakers would probably be pretty good today had they kept their young, pre-LeBron James core together.

Of course, the Lakers shoved aside pretty much that entire young core to acquire two superstars. These young Spurs could be a 45- or even 50-win team in two or three seasons. But title contention requires superstars, and there doesn't appear to be one here. That's OK. There is no shame in being a good team. You can do that while hunting for stars.

San Antonio drafted three stars outside the lottery. Maybe they'll strike gold outside the top-5 again. (Look where other teams drafted Jimmy Butler, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Donovan Mitchell, Paul George, Rudy Gobert, Nikola Jokic, Devin Booker, Klay Thompson, and on and on.)

The Spurs have more future cap room than basically anyone. Re-signing their own guys will chip away at that; they could be pretty near the cap in the summer of 2023 if they re-sign Walker, Johnson, and Poeltl. Chasing restricted free agents -- the ones who best fit San Antonio's timetable -- is usually a losing game. (If the Grizzlies can't agree to an extension with Jaren Jackson Jr., the Spurs loom as an intriguing option.)

Aldridge aside, there is no indication superstar free agents want San Antonio's cap money. The Spurs have the means to trade for stars: all their future first-round picks, a bundle of extra draft assets, and good players on movable contracts. But dealing a bunch of stuff for some star with one or two years left on his deal is an enormous risk without ironclad assurances.

That's why Simmons -- with four years left on his contract -- is a logical target despite his finicky fit. It's unclear if the Spurs really want to re-engage Philadelphia, or if they have enough to trade without tossing in so many draft picks as to imperil the future.

And so: the wilderness. This is normalcy for so many franchises outside glamour markets. The Spurs were the constant exception, because they acquired exceptional players. Climbing back to the top without bottoming out is the NBA's greatest organizational challenge. Maybe the Spurs will bottom out this season -- or come close enough as to benefit from some lottery luck.

If not, the journey back up is uncertain.

 

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mitch Cumsteen

Mitch Cumsteen 18550

Posted
Posted (edited)

From the Zach Lowe article:

Quote

 It would seem almost impossible for the Spurs to be worse than Houston, Oklahoma City, Detroit, or the Orlando Magic. Beyond that, nothing is guaranteed. The Cleveland Cavaliers should add some wins, and everyone else is chasing the play-in. Landing in the No. 5 or 6 lottery slot brings better odds of moving up under revised rules.

@ztejas This isn't me being overly pessimistic and melodramatic. This is a seemingly objective outsider telling you that the Spurs are right behind the four teams that are outright tanking. Think about that -- those other teams are losing on purpose while the Spurs are not, and those are the ONLY teams in the league that they should be outright better than. There's still a very good chance, or perhaps even closer to a certainty, that some contender-ish loses an all-star to injury and joins this tankathon -- what does Portland look like with an injured Dame, for example -- so maybe they move up a few spots in the pecking order. But make no mistake, this is a bad team. And what happens if the Spurs suffer injuries? You lose Keldon, White or Dejounte for any extended period of time and you can sign yourself up for the extended dance remix directors cut version of the Bryn Forbes experience. Hell, we might be subject to that even if all those guys are healthy. No gracias.

Trust me, I know what a bad Spurs team looks like. I rooted like hell for Walter Berry and Cadillac Anderson and Frank fucking Brickowski, and cursed Johnny Dawkins injuring his knee by icing it down -- yes, that really happened. We've been spoiled by 25 years of great basketball and everybody knew this day was coming, eventually. Well, it's here, sadly. My advice to you: embrace the suck.

Edited by Mitch Cumsteen
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing


Football ... Basketball ... Baseball ... Other Sports ... Futbol ... 🤫995🤫 ... Gambling ... Movies & TV ... Music ... Hobbies ... Lulz ... Food & Travel ... Daily Texan ... Business and Markets ... Cloak Room ... Help ... For Sale ... Board Discussion ... Subscribe!... Donate!... Advertise... COOKIE MONSTER!

×
×
  • Create New...