San Antonio Spurs '23-'24: Hoops, Hype, Hair Dye

[kingkoopa6 8708]

I miss seeing the SA talent. Wish I could contribute on hot or not again. But I gotta be good now 

[chainsaw 10292]

1 minute ago, kingkoopa6 said:

I miss seeing the SA talent. Wish I could contribute on hot or not again. But I gotta be good now 

[chainsaw 10292]

They really become the Washington Generals the literal second Wemby clocks out of the game.

[Kermit 3162]

Someone say something nice about Zach Collins because I can’t think of anything/ 

[chainsaw 10292]

2 minutes ago, Kermit said:

Someone say something nice about Zach Collins because I can’t think of anything/ 

Nothing good to say really

[Pam Cummings 9868]

JFC Wemby goin hard at Chet lmao. These dudes dont seem to like each other

[Aqua Buddha 14806]

 

[Kermit 3162]

Wemby’s like fuck you in particular. 

[Kermit 3162]

My god, this team is explosive diarrhea.

[Aqua Buddha 14806]

They took them both out?  Boo.

Chet actually outscored him in the 4th I think but that was glorious fun.  They don't seem to like each other....?

[kingkoopa6 8708]

[Aqua Buddha 14806]

 

[Mitch Cumsteen 18963]

I went tonight too. OKC shot lights out. Spurs perimeter defense is ass. Too many turnovers. Too many second chance points. Too much SGA. Giddey got booed every time he touched the ball. Wasn’t expecting that.

Wemby v Chet is going to be fun for years but anybody that thinks Chet is a better player or should be roty is a moron. The rest of the spurs roster has a loooooooong way to go to catch up to OKC.

[chainsaw 10292]

13 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

Giddey got booed every time he touched the ball.

 

[kingkoopa6 8708]

Boooooo

[chainsaw 10292]

6 hours ago, kingkoopa6 said:

Boooooo

The worst part was the hypocrisy

[Chad 1728]

What is Pop doing? I just don't understand it. He seems to be completely out of touch. The team is slightly better with Tre Jones starting at PG, but he doesn't seem to have fuck all of an idea to get on the right track. He should retire and quietly ride off into the sunset we'd all still appreciate what he did for several decades. The longer he sticks around the further he tarnishes his great legacy.

[chainsaw 10292]

21 minutes ago, Chad said:

What is Pop doing? I just don't understand it. He seems to be completely out of touch. The team is slightly better with Tre Jones starting at PG, but he doesn't seem to have fuck all of an idea to get on the right track. He should retire and quietly ride off into the sunset we'd all still appreciate what he did for several decades. The longer he sticks around the further he tarnishes his great legacy.

Believe it or not they are playing much better than they were in 2023. OKC is the top team in the west.

[Kermit 3162]

17 minutes ago, Chad said:

What is Pop doing? I just don't understand it. He seems to be completely out of touch. The team is slightly better with Tre Jones starting at PG, but he doesn't seem to have fuck all of an idea to get on the right track. He should retire and quietly ride off into the sunset we'd all still appreciate what he did for several decades. The longer he sticks around the further he tarnishes his great legacy.

Tre was injured last night. He starts now, after purposely not playing i.e. tanking to assure a horrible record. But you’re right, it’s probably time for Pop to go. I’ve voiced my own frustrations, and the sermon of the boos was enough for me to want him out. 
 

They really don’t want to win at this point, which is fine. I’m sure that will change next season. They’ve got a ton of draft capital, and can finally add competent veterans through free agency. Brighter days are ahead, and so I just watch for Wemby improvement and to bitch about my least favorite players. It’s really all you can do at this point. As Mitch postulates on numerous occasions, they’re getting better every game. 

[thepop 4418]

19 minutes ago, Chad said:

What is Pop doing? I just don't understand it. He seems to be completely out of touch. The team is slightly better with Tre Jones starting at PG, but he doesn't seem to have fuck all of an idea to get on the right track. He should retire and quietly ride off into the sunset we'd all still appreciate what he did for several decades. The longer he sticks around the further he tarnishes his great legacy.

I agreed when he was doing the Sochan experiment. That cost several wins, not that it matters this year. But now I just see a roster that is awful. It is especially clear when you see OKC lined up in front of you which is basically the Spurs but 5 years in the future.

 

Everyone on this roster will be gone in a few years except Wemby and probably Sochan and Vassell. Sochan I give the benefit of the doubt because he's only 20. Vassell i'm iffy on long term but short term he's fine. Blake Wesley has shown some promise too. The rest of the roster should be dumped as soon as possible. Watching guys like Collins and Branham play takes years off my life. It's definitely going to be a challenge and will take a few years to overturn the roster that much but thankfully we have plenty of assetts. Looking forward to another top 3 pick in the coming draft as well.

[chainsaw 10292]

2 minutes ago, thepop said:

I agreed when he was doing the Sochan experiment. That cost several wins, not that it matters this year. But now I just see a roster that is awful. It is especially clear when you see OKC lined up in front of you which is basically the Spurs but 5 years in the future.

 

Everyone on this roster will be gone in a few years except Wemby and probably Sochan and Vassell. Sochan I give the benefit of the doubt because he's only 20. Vassell i'm iffy on long term but short term he's fine. Blake Wesley has shown some promise too. The rest of the roster should be dumped as soon as possible. Watching guys like Collins and Branham play takes years off my life. It's definitely going to be a challenge and will take a few years to overturn the roster that much but thankfully we have plenty of assetts. Looking forward to another top 3 pick in the coming draft as well.

Keldon has his moments too.

[thepop 4418]

Keldon is a fine bench player. I feel like he's destined to be traded but if he's not he would be a good bench guy, I think that's his ceiling.

Edited January 25 by thepop

[Mitch Cumsteen 18963]

8 hours ago, kingkoopa6 said:

Boooooo

IMG_0985.mov

The non-Wemby highlight of the game was Giddey getting booed when the ball got stuck behind the backboard and he used a broom to punch it out. They booed him holding a broom. 

The OKC rebuild has been pretty amazing though. People knew that SGA was going to be really good after his rookie year with the Clippers, but nobody thought he would be this good. Jalen Williams was a steal at 12. I like Sochan, but the Spurs would take a do-over on that one. Holmgren should have been the first pick in his draft. And they have added so many solid role guys off the waiver wire or late in the draft - Dort, Isiah Joe, Wiggins. Kenrich Wiggins was a throw-in in a trade. But all those motherfuckers outside of Giddey can shoot from three. SGA and Jalen Williams can create their own shot pretty much whenever they want and you can't sag or attack them because of the other guys outside shooting. That's a team built for today's NBA. They are going to be a motherfucker for years.

Outside of Wemby, the Spurs have no one who can create their own shot one on one. They are obviously in desperate need of shooting, but they are also in desperate need of a creator. They are going to be alright, though. They really, really, really need to nail this upcoming draft. 

[Chad 1728]

I mean we're on the verge of 5 consecutive seasons with no post season berth and prior to that  another 2 years with a first round exit, so it's been nearly a decade since Pop coached the Spurs to a post season playoff series victory. The Kawhi incident this season where he came storming out with the mic and told the fans to stop booing was more embarrassing then Terry calling out UCF players. Kawhi fucked this franchise to oblivion. If fans paid for a ticket to boo let them fucking boo, it's not like they were throwing things onto the court and acting out of line or endangering the well being of any players. Pop hasn't done shit in a decade, if we're stuck on him waiting for one more big post season run before retirement that could be a very long time or something that doesn't transpire at all.

[chainsaw 10292]

2 hours ago, Chad said:

I mean we're on the verge of 5 consecutive seasons with no post season berth and prior to that  another 2 years with a first round exit, so it's been nearly a decade since Pop coached the Spurs to a post season playoff series victory. The Kawhi incident this season where he came storming out with the mic and told the fans to stop booing was more embarrassing then Terry calling out UCF players. Kawhi fucked this franchise to oblivion. If fans paid for a ticket to boo let them fucking boo, it's not like they were throwing things onto the court and acting out of line or endangering the well being of any players. Pop hasn't done shit in a decade, if we're stuck on him waiting for one more big post season run before retirement that could be a very long time or something that doesn't transpire at all.

I'm in the minority on this, but I understand where Pop is coming from on that. Love him or hate him, Kawhi was a Spur for many important seasons and built a personal and professional relationship with Pop. I can understand why Pop would perceive that relationship as more important than placating a peanut gallery. Pop has the youngest team in the NBA. It's a roster full of (mostly) less-talented players but they are at the same stage of their lives that Kawhi was when he played for Pop, or even younger.

As a thought experiment, suppose back in 2015 when he was 23-24 years old (about Keldon's age today), a visiting team showed up to the AT&T center and a former Spur was getting booed. Doesn't matter why (unless he's a rapist or something like that). Kawhi had a contract extension negotiation coming up, too, if memory serves. If you were Kawhi back in 2015, what impression would it have made on you to see the fanbase turn on a former Spur from six seasons ago and his former coach and role model, who is supposed to be my role model, allow that to happen to another young man he previously coached? Is this man's interest in my well-being and development as a man limited to whether he's my current boss? Does all of that evaporate the moment I leave the organization?

Now imagine it goes the other way: Pop takes the bold step of disregarding what the crowd thinks and sticks up for this player, even though he's no longer on the team. As a fan, sure, it's annoying. But to the young men on that roster, they will never again question whether Pop's interest in their well-being is just a byproduct of his interest in on-court success. He went out on that limb, and took all that hate, for a guy who doesn't even play for him anymore.

Say what you will, but I think that kind of shit matters in the grand scheme, and if we want to keep the core of the team together in the future (the few worthwhile players we have), I believe it will have paid dividends for them to have seen him to stick his neck out for a former player.

[Kermit 3162]

58 minutes ago, chainsaw said:

I'm in the minority on this, but I understand where Pop is coming from on that. Love him or hate him, Kawhi was a Spur for many important seasons and built a personal and professional relationship with Pop. I can understand why Pop would perceive that relationship as more important than placating a peanut gallery. Pop has the youngest team in the NBA. It's a roster full of (mostly) less-talented players but they are at the same stage of their lives that Kawhi was when he played for Pop, or even younger.

As a thought experiment, suppose back in 2015 when he was 23-24 years old (about Keldon's age today), a visiting team showed up to the AT&T center and a former Spur was getting booed. Doesn't matter why (unless he's a rapist or something like that). Kawhi had a contract extension negotiation coming up, too, if memory serves. If you were Kawhi back in 2015, what impression would it have made on you to see the fanbase turn on a former Spur from six seasons ago and his former coach and role model, who is supposed to be my role model, allow that to happen to another young man he previously coached? Is this man's interest in my well-being and development as a man limited to whether he's my current boss? Does all of that evaporate the moment I leave the organization?

Now imagine it goes the other way: Pop takes the bold step of disregarding what the crowd thinks and sticks up for this player, even though he's no longer on the team. As a fan, sure, it's annoying. But to the young men on that roster, they will never again question whether Pop's interest in their well-being is just a byproduct of his interest in on-court success. He went out on that limb, and took all that hate, for a guy who doesn't even play for him anymore.

Say what you will, but I think that kind of shit matters in the grand scheme, and if we want to keep the core of the team together in the future (the few worthwhile players we have), I believe it will have paid dividends for them to have seen him to stick his neck out for a former player.

Maybe, maybe not, maybe fuck Kawhi Leonard.

[chainsaw 10292]

11 minutes ago, Kermit said:

Maybe, maybe not, maybe fuck Kawhi Leonard.

I hate him, too. But I'm just a fan. I'm not even saying I agree with Pop's decision, but I can't say I don't understand it. I've stood up for friends when it was the unpopular thing to do, and there are people no longer in my life who I'd still do that for, if I ever had to. Opportunities to take stands like that are rare.

[Braff Zacklin 13676]

Kawhi's been paid hundreds of millions of dollars to NOT play basketball; he doesn't need anyone standing up for him.

[Mitch Cumsteen 18963]

1 hour ago, chainsaw said:

I'm in the minority on this, but I understand where Pop is coming from on that. Love him or hate him, Kawhi was a Spur for many important seasons and built a personal and professional relationship with Pop. I can understand why Pop would perceive that relationship as more important than placating a peanut gallery. Pop has the youngest team in the NBA. It's a roster full of (mostly) less-talented players but they are at the same stage of their lives that Kawhi was when he played for Pop, or even younger.

As a thought experiment, suppose back in 2015 when he was 23-24 years old (about Keldon's age today), a visiting team showed up to the AT&T center and a former Spur was getting booed. Doesn't matter why (unless he's a rapist or something like that). Kawhi had a contract extension negotiation coming up, too, if memory serves. If you were Kawhi back in 2015, what impression would it have made on you to see the fanbase turn on a former Spur from six seasons ago and his former coach and role model, who is supposed to be my role model, allow that to happen to another young man he previously coached? Is this man's interest in my well-being and development as a man limited to whether he's my current boss? Does all of that evaporate the moment I leave the organization?

Now imagine it goes the other way: Pop takes the bold step of disregarding what the crowd thinks and sticks up for this player, even though he's no longer on the team. As a fan, sure, it's annoying. But to the young men on that roster, they will never again question whether Pop's interest in their well-being is just a byproduct of his interest in on-court success. He went out on that limb, and took all that hate, for a guy who doesn't even play for him anymore.

Say what you will, but I think that kind of shit matters in the grand scheme, and if we want to keep the core of the team together in the future (the few worthwhile players we have), I believe it will have paid dividends for them to have seen him to stick his neck out for a former player.

I was going to type out a long response to this, but suffice it to say that yes, you are in the minority opinion on this. This reads like bad fan fiction.

I don't know what the fuck was going through Pop's head when he took the mic that night. I think he just lost his shit from the frustration of losing. I wish he would have done it last night though, "Excuse me for a second. Can we stop the booing and let this pedophile play? It's not who we are. Knock off the booing."

[chainsaw 10292]

52 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

I was going to type out a long response to this, but suffice it to say that yes, you are in the minority opinion on this. This reads like bad fan fiction.

I don't know what the fuck was going through Pop's head when he took the mic that night. I think he just lost his shit from the frustration of losing. I wish he would have done it last night though, "Excuse me for a second. Can we stop the booing and let this pedophile play? It's not who we are. Knock off the booing."

It's not fan fiction. It's just acknowledging that he probably cares more about how a former player feels than what an angry crowd thinks. We don't have to agree with it to understand it. There's plenty of more valid reasons why Pop should retire.

[Mitch Cumsteen 18963]

1 hour ago, chainsaw said:

It's not fan fiction. It's just acknowledging that he probably cares more about how a former player feels than what an angry crowd thinks. We don't have to agree with it to understand it. There's plenty of more valid reasons why Pop should retire.

I’m going to quote my friend, a long time spurs employee, who almost assuredly shares the same opinion about Kawhi Leonard that Pop has, “As impressive as he is on the basketball court, that’s how unimpressive he is as a human being.” Now, that was several years ago and time heals all wounds and Pop is always going to take the high road publicly… but you are off your rocker if you think they give fuck one about his feelings. 

[Lat22 4086]

You can file this away in IDMAS, but can we get back to the white unis at home and black unis on the road?

[chainsaw 10292]

10 hours ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

I’m going to quote my friend, a long time spurs employee, who almost assuredly shares the same opinion about Kawhi Leonard that Pop has, “As impressive as he is on the basketball court, that’s how unimpressive he is as a human being.” Now, that was several years ago and time heals all wounds and Pop is always going to take the high road publicly… but you are off your rocker if you think they give fuck one about his feelings. 

That wouldn't shock me. But as a small market team that kids don't grow up wanting to play for, Wemby excluded, I'm sure it makes Pop's and the front office's jobs harder to see the fanbase behave that way. Hopefully he explained that there's a right way to leave (Tony Parker) and a wrong way (Kawhi). I still think we have one of the classiest, best, and reasonably non-racist fanbases in pro sports.

[ztejas 44227]

Sochan is being criminally underrated by this fanbase as a whole. Dude is going to be a borderline all-star level player. If they trade him I may just quit watching. 

Pop can still coach. It's the roster management/building part that concerns me. They really, really need to overhaul this roster going into next season. Wemby/Sochan/Keldon/DV isn't a bad core - although DV and Keldon are somewhat expendable if we could package one of them for a better return. 

They need better players around them. Branham/Wesley/Cedi/Doug are just horrible fucking rotational NBA players. I mean awful. Collins and Tre are nice pieces that I'd like to hang on to. 

If we try and largely run this roster back going into next season we all might just wind up waiting for Pop to die or decide he's done. Which would be terrible because Wembanyama is the best 19-year old in the history of the game. We can't dick around tanking for multiple seasons with this kid. He would start for every playoff team in the league.

I hope when Pop does leave it's more of the graceful exit type variety and not the Joe Paterno YOU CAN HAVE THIS JOB WHEN I'M DEAD variety. 

Edited January 26 by ztejas

[Kermit 3162]

40 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Sochan is being criminally underrated by this fanbase as a whole. Dude is going to be a borderline all-star level player. If they trade him I may just quit watching. 

Pop can still coach. It's the roster management/building part that concerns me. They really, really need to overhaul this roster going into next season. Wemby/Sochan/Keldon/DV isn't a bad core - although DV and Keldon are somewhat expendable if we could package one of them for a better return. 

They need better players around them. Branham/Wesley/Cedi/Doug are just horrible fucking rotational NBA players. I mean awful. Collins and Tre are nice pieces that I'd like to hang on to. 

If we try and largely run this roster back going into next season we all might just wind up waiting for Pop to die or decide he's done. Which would be terrible because Wembanyama is the best 19-year old in the history of the game. We can't dick around tanking for multiple seasons with this kid. He would start for every playoff team in the league.

I hope when Pop does leave it's more of the graceful exit type variety and not the Joe Paterno YOU CAN HAVE THIS JOB WHEN I'M DEAD variety. 

I agree with everything except for Collins. He’s fucking awful. Abysmal. Paper thin on defense, has a serviceable post game, but can’t shoot from three and won’t stop shooting from three. I hate everything about his game. Even his stupid headband. Dude can pass, though. 

Edited January 26 by Kermit

[ztejas 44227]

20 minutes ago, Kermit said:

I agree with everything except for Collins. He’s fucking awful. Abysmal. Paper thin on defense, has a serviceable post game, but can’t shoot from three and won’t stop shooting from three. I hate everything about his game. Even his stupid headband. Dude can pass, though. 

That's fine. I'm not trying to sell you on Collins. He's a serviceable bench 5 and the other guys I listed really shouldn't be in any decent NBA teams rotation. 

There may still be an NBA player in Wesley - his plus/minus stuff is a lot better than Branham. But he isn't really a good player yet. 

I'm still hoping we leave Cedi Osman on the side of the highway somewhere on one of these road trips. 

[Mitch Cumsteen 18963]

11 minutes ago, ztejas said:

That's fine. I'm not trying to sell you on Collins. He's a serviceable bench 5 and the other guys I listed really shouldn't be in any decent NBA teams rotation. 

There may still be an NBA player in Wesley - his plus/minus stuff is a lot better than Branham. But he isn't really a good player yet. 

I'm still hoping we leave Cedi Osman on the side of the highway somewhere on one of these road trips. 

Collins has regressed. I was really high on him and thought he would be the perfect complement to Vic, but they are seemingly unplayable together. His defense is atrocious and he needs to stop jacking threes. He stopped being physical, too. He could make an impact as an enforcer but he's gotten so soft. Whatever, he's on an ok deal for two more years.

I like the growth Wesley has shown and would be pissed if they got rid of him. Everybody knew he was a long term project when they picked him, and he hasn't turned 21 yet. As terrible as Branham has looked, he isn't 21 yet either. Sochan is also still 20. These guys are getting baptized by fire every night. Dejounte Murray wasn't really a legitimate NBA player until he was 24. 

We need to keep some perspective just how young this team is, especially when they are playing against grown ass men every night. Everybody talks about how young OKC is, but look how their roster stacks up to the Spurs by age: 

Player    Birth Date
Sidy Cissoko    4/2/2004
Victor Wembanyama    1/4/2004
Cason Wallace    11/7/2003
Dominick Barlow  (TW)    5/26/2003
Ousmane Dieng    5/21/2003
Jeremy Sochan    5/20/2003
Malaki Branham    5/12/2003
Blake Wesley    3/16/2003
Josh Giddey    10/10/2002
Jaylin Williams    6/29/2002
Chet Holmgren    5/1/2002
Aleksej Pokusevski    12/26/2001
Julian Champagnie    6/29/2001
Jalen Williams    4/14/2001
Tre Mann    2/3/2001
Charles Bassey    10/28/2000
Devin Vassell    8/23/2000
Keyontae Johnson  (TW)    5/24/2000
Tre Jones    1/8/2000
David Duke Jr.  (TW)    10/13/1999
Keldon Johnson    10/11/1999
Isaiah Joe    7/2/1999
Sandro Mamukelashvili    5/23/1999
Luguentz Dort    4/19/1999
Olivier Sarr  (TW)    2/20/1999
Aaron Wiggins    1/2/1999
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander    7/12/1998
Zach Collins    11/19/1997
Lindy Waters III  (TW)    7/28/1997
Mamadi Diakite  (TW)    1/21/1997
Cedi Osman    4/8/1995
Devonte' Graham    2/22/1995
Kenrich Williams    12/2/1994
Vasilije Micić    1/13/1994
Dāvis Bertāns    11/12/1992
Doug McDermott    1/3/1992

That said, it's going to be really frustrating if they go into next season with the same-ish roster plus maybe two more FRPs.  The franchise is in a tough spot: they have got to find some vets to make the game the easier for the young guys, but it's also too soon to give up on the young ones. 

[thepop 4418]

1 hour ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

That said, it's going to be really frustrating if they go into next season with the same-ish roster plus maybe two more FRPs.  The franchise is in a tough spot: they have got to find some vets to make the game the easier for the young guys, but it's also too soon to give up on the young ones. 

I don't think the roster is going to be drastically different next year. Partly just because overhauling a roster takes a few years and also they have emphasized they are going to take their time to build this.  I don't want to sign some mediocre free agents like the Rockets did just to become a play-in team anyway.

 

That said if there's a good fit all-star out there that is available I'd look into that for sure.

[chainsaw 10292]

Who would be a good draft pick? I feel like there aren't many cant-miss prospects. I don't hate Sochan but I hate how he was being forced to play PG. Collins should be a victory cigar or a white flag.

[Chad 1728]

1 hour ago, chainsaw said:

Who would be a good draft pick? I feel like there aren't many cant-miss prospects. I don't hate Sochan but I hate how he was being forced to play PG. Collins should be a victory cigar or a white flag.

Perhaps someone we're familiar with. Ron Holland.

[chainsaw 10292]

Are my eyes deceiving me? How are the spurs favored?

[ztejas 44227]

33 minutes ago, chainsaw said:

Are my eyes deceiving me? How are the spurs favored?

No offense but I don't think you watch us play very much. 

Portland isn't good and we're at home. 

[chainsaw 10292]

1 minute ago, ztejas said:

No offense but I don't think you watch us play very much. 

Portland isn't good and we're at home. 

I watch what I can watch, and I know the Spurs are better on the road.

[ztejas 44227]

1 hour ago, chainsaw said:

and I know the Spurs are better on the road.

Bruh what.

[ztejas 44227]

We're hanging in there, then I look up and we're down 6 and I see Cedi Osman on my screen and Blake Wesley get hung by the rim on a wide open dunk attempt. 

 

Does anyone in Austin have a fifth of some nice scotch and a hand gun? I'd be fine with blowing my brains out tonight. 

$2000 is the best I can do. 

Edited January 27 by ztejas

[Kermit 3162]

I got some sherry and a pellet gun. 

[ztejas 44227]

1 hour ago, chainsaw said:

I watch what I can watch, and I know the Spurs are better on the road.

I just looked it up, beacause you obviously didn't, and you don't actually watch this team play basketball. 

We're a -7.3 net rating at home. We're a -10.7 net rating on the road. 

I'm not trying to be the thread gestapo or anything because lord knows we need all the fans we can get, but can some of y’all at least watch a few games before you come in here with a bunch of dumb bullshit?

[Kermit 3162]

[Kermit 3162]

I fucking love this kid. 

[ztejas 44227]

Just now, Kermit said:

I fucking love this kid. 

I know you aren't talking about Cedi Osman because I personally want to drive the 95 minutes to to AT&T (it's called something else now) right now and kick him in the gooch.