Adios, San Antonio Spurs
It’s not too early to write off the Spurs…or is it?
Didn’t have time to surf the ‘net all morning and compile Links, but did want to get some thoughts posted. I’m very interested to see who makes the All-Star team. They’re announcing it on TNT tonight, the first time it was live on TNT instead of being leaked by the NBA before the announcement. I just hope Joe Johnson makes it. We’ve been backing him for a while and he is definitely one of the best players in the NBA right now. Should be interesting.
Moving on…
I hate to write them off so early, but I think we can safely say that the San Antonio Spurs, at least as they are presently comprised, should not be considered contenders in the Western Conference.
“Wait a second,” I hear you saying. “Who said they were contenders to begin with? The West belongs to Phoenix and Dallas, doesn’t it?”
Well, technically, sure. Those two teams have the best records in the West, but the Spurs have won three Championships in the last eight years, and they still have the best post player in the NBA in the Tim Duncan Robot. (By the way, if you don’t think Duncan is the best post player in the NBA, you were fooled.) Additionally, Greg Popovich is in my top active coaches list (along with Jerry Sloan, Avery Johnson, Phil Jackson and Mike D’Antoni), and I think RC Buford is an amazing GM. I’m not a Spurs fan per se — before last night’s Spurs/Jazz game, I hadn’t watched the Spurs in about a month — but I do respect the Spurs and the way they’ve fashioned a perennial contender (and money-maker) out of a small-market team.
I’ve always been of the mindset that the best teams in the NBA are contenders by default, and you don’t count them out until they prove themselves unworthy. And as I watched last night’s Spurs/Jazz game, it was pretty obvious that the Spurs just don’t have it this season. Their two options at center, Francisco Elson and Fab Oberto, bring nothing offensively and very little defensively. That’s not to say that Nazr Mohammed or Rasho Nesterovic were All-Stars, but at least those two guys could stand in front of the rim and block shots when the other Spurs funneled their guys along the baselines and to the hoop. Their other big summer signing, Jackie Butler, was wearing a suit and wasn’t active, which is probably where he’s making his biggest contribution this season. (How funny is it that a player — Butler — could start last season on the Knicks but he can’t even crack the top 12 in San Antonio?)
This lack of San Antonio center help wouldn’t bother me so much if Robert Horry wasn’t breaking down before our eyes. I know some people thought he was finished last year, but he played well until everyone else went small and just outran the Spurs. Last night, Horry looked like he had a pegleg out there, hobbling around. There was an inbounds play late in the game where Horry had to shoot a running three-pointer, and he caught the pass, ran a few steps, threw up the shot and then nearly tumbled over backwards into the crowd. Nobody hit him, nobody bumped him, but he just couldn’t keep his balance. He’s not totally done — he did nail a huge three down the stretch — but he’s not going to be able to keep up with Dallas or Phoenix during the Playoffs.
And unless they make some kind of move, neither are the Spurs. I mean, I guess they put Duncan at center and then use Tony Parker, Manu, Barry and Finley, but once Duncan gets in foul trouble they’re done. He’s their only serviceable big man. If they can find another scoring big somewhere — I can’t believe I’m writing this, but Tim Thomas would be a perfect fit — I’m taking all this back.
Also noticed how much Hubie Brown was drooling over Tony Parker. Who do you think loves Tony more: Hubie Brown or Eva Longoria?
And did you guys see Manu’s face last night? Still think Kobe didn’t hit him hard?
42 Responses to “Adios, San Antonio Spurs”
Feb.1 at 5:45 pm
Brian says:
How many people has Manu elbowed in the mouth shooting layups? Don’t cry for he……
Feb.1 at 5:46 pm
FLUXLAND says:
Yeah the Spurs are deceiving right now. I think they have a losing record against teams above .500! And Manu only got back what he’s been dishing out over the years with his reckless play, IMHO.
Feb.1 at 5:51 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
Yeah, I don’t mean to sound like a Manu apologist. As much as he gets hit, he’s dished out his share, too.
Feb.1 at 5:52 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
Once the playoffs start SanAn might be able to put a run together. They are not even close to being a legitimate regular season team now…
Feb.1 at 5:53 pm
El Carnal says:
Damnit, reading this makes me kinda sad… But, I still believe in them though
Feb.1 at 5:53 pm
Joe says:
Wait, Manu’s face was different?
I need before and after shots.
no homo, but he’s an ugly mf-er to begin with.
Not to say what KB8*3 did was correct, but it could’ve helped Manu in the long run.
Feb.1 at 6:02 pm
next says:
utah didn’t necessarily expose their weakness at center as it did their lack of a big forward. this is apparant to ppl who regularly watch the spurs. utah has a big team, and w/ ak47 as their sf, they can beast on the boards w/ 3 bigs. when other teams go small and san an tries to run small, they dont’ have the sf/pf who is big enough to rebound, a la caron butler, ak, josh howard, j. smith/childress, diaw, etc etc etc. tim thomas really would be perfect lang, and the spurs wanted him last year. hell, they got big dog a ring! tim thomas coulda gotten his last year as a missing piece, but i’m sure he likes the big paycheck a whole lot better.
Feb.1 at 6:03 pm
Simmy Sosa says:
For all this talk of the Spurs not quite having it, they still have the league’s top defense this year. We may not have the greatest centers, but besides Orlando, who does right now? I hope I’m not speaking too soon, but Phoenix has yet to prove that they can beat the Spurs on a consistent basis. For that matter, Dallas and San Antonio are very close. (I think the series over the last two seasons including playoffs is 7-5 Dallas) This year the Spurs have lost games they should have won to teams like Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston w/o Yao Ming, Utah w/o Boozer, and the Lakers. I see everyones point, but what I see is not a lack of talent, but a lack of focus. I think Pop has a trump card he’s keeping in case of emergency, so I do NOT count the Spurs out yet.
Feb.1 at 6:05 pm
next says:
if you compare the numbers of rasho/nazr to to the elson/oberto pair, the numbers are very similar, except the salaries are like 1/2 or 1/3. plus elson can run, and oberto is smart. rasho is slow, and nazr has hands of stone. they didn’t play much in the playoffs cuz they were too slow. why pay em to sit on the bench? i think elson will come through eventually, since he’s been injured for a good chunk of the season n just came back.
Feb.1 at 6:18 pm
Mike says:
The Spurs may be suffering from Shaq-itis. As a group, they’ve all played several seasons, and know that they are championship contenders. They understand that the regular season is a long march, and the playoffs are what counts. They’ve all made their marks in the playoffs and know how to get it done. They seem to be shuffling through the regular season, just waiting for the games that really matter, which is probably going to cause Popovich to explode.
Feb.1 at 6:23 pm
AP says:
what happened to nick van exel?
Feb.1 at 6:41 pm
Boyd says:
Been sayin this all year. The lets-ruin-basketball-for-everyone show is now not just slow and boring, but slow OLD and boring. Just assume amare gets anywhere close to what he was two years ago, Duncan had no answer for his mobility; amare got 37ppg by dragging the robot away from the basket then burning him off the dribble. When Duncan sagged, amare hit jumpers. What will the spurs throw at him now? Oberto? Can Ginobli even keep up with Barbosa? Parker can’t pass so they stand no channce of stretching the D and tiring the Suns. As for Dallas, well they beat San’an last year, and are moving forwards, whilst the Spurs are going backward, so that kind of says it all as far as that matchup.
Feb.1 at 7:11 pm
Consiglieri says:
They only thing that came to my head, clear as a lightning, is that I don´t want to watch SAS games anymore. I´m a SAS fan, as many of my argentinean countryman, but I´m done with them! They are playing like their where compeled to set up in the court, like anything bothers them more than basketball… Their lack of will to victory can be smelled from here, 9000 miles away. I´m not going to watch a SAS game again until playoffs (’cause of course they still gonna get a playoff seed). Let’s hope this veterans can regain their interest in basketball when playoff came. If not, a mayor rebuilding around de core will be needed next year (well, I think it shuld be done, even if they manage themselfs to get to the finals. Let’s start with bringing Scola). See you falks.
Feb.1 at 7:37 pm
next says:
what’s funny boyd is that yeah, amare went berserk that game, but duncan still averaged 27 (30.5 in the wins), 14, 3, nearly 2 blocks, on bad ankles. amare was dominant, but those numbers are no joke, and the spurs won 4-1.
Feb.1 at 7:48 pm
Redrum says:
You cannot write off a team that has Duncan in its roster. You simply can’t. Anyone who has ever played some bball at some level, can easily see that TD, is simply one of the top 3 players in the league. His personal and team defense is impecable, his passing still there, his offensive game also still there, and don’t be deceived by his lower numbers, he now has manu and tony to defer scoring. The Spurs were one bad call away last year from making the finals and winning it possibly, there would not be a meltdown with them as Mavs did. And I am not a Spurs fan, I live in the UK, but the Spurs play true basketball as it should be played.
Feb.1 at 7:51 pm
jeff says:
Duncan is still one of the best players in the game, Manu is always an X factor and Tony is great at getting in the paint for layups. But without a big man sidekick for Duncan and a decent backup PG it might be a short season. However, San An has pulled off key trades before, so don’t count them out until the trade deadline passes.
Feb.1 at 7:54 pm
jeff says:
One thing is funny though, one poster calls them old and boring because they don’t rape anybody, don’t get caught with loaded guns and emphasize ball movement and defense to selfish play and lazy D.
Feb.1 at 8:06 pm
thesubwayconnection says:
Anybody got a picture of Manu’s face from last night? I still haven’t seen this. Couldn’t find it on YouTube.
Feb.1 at 8:34 pm
steph says:
parker has the 2nd highest field goal percentage in the paint behind nash, duncan’s been the most dominant big man since his rookie year, pop’s a great coach, and the spurs have major championship experience…
i’m a huge spurs fan and can point out many reasons why they should not be written off — but even with all the key components, they seem not to be living up to their potential this season…..
Feb.1 at 8:37 pm
Julian says:
wow….caron butler and rip?? over michael redd? what the hell…and NO CARMELO? are you fucking kidding me? o, but howard is on the team, of course, and tony parker! get the hell out of here…the NBA just took josh howard over carmelo anthony, ray allen, zach randolph, elton brand, even lamar odom! is this a joke? and baron davis is having a better season than tony parker. come on now…
Feb.1 at 8:47 pm
Julian says:
lol whoops, just revisited it..howard didnt make it. good. they really need to stick melo in one of those two spots…if the only agenda is rewarding great players, then he’s a no-brainer. and what about BD? or ray allen? and i dont like how michael redd got snubbed…he was getting like 28 a game!
Feb.1 at 9:21 pm
Simmy Sosa says:
Rip Hamilton over Joe Johnson? Chauncey over Redd? I hate when players r given a lifetime achievement pass to asg. R U listening Shaquille?
Feb.1 at 9:22 pm
albie1kenobi says:
what about…joe johnson? i don’t think their record is that bad at all. nevermind i take it back. but why are there two pistons and no bulls then?
all-star selections are puzzling.
Feb.1 at 9:25 pm
Tariq says:
I guess dividing the NBA into East and West makes sense logistically, but during seasons like this, when the 19th seed in the West would easily win the East, you gotta wonder… I don’t mean to argue that the NBA should change its playoff scheme or anything as drastic, but maybe pick the best 24 players for the ALL-STAR Game, regardless of conference? I’m not sure how you could divide the players, but it sucks that Carmelo, Josh Howard, Zach Randolph, Marcus Camby, Deron Williams, Elton Brand, Ray Allen, Mehmet Okur and Baron Davis all miss out, while Yinka Dare and Uncle Jesse from Full House make it as East reserves.
Feb.1 at 9:40 pm
mavs-cavs fan says:
i think josh hoawrd will replace boozer. and either camby or dampier will replace yao!!! its bull that joe johnson didnt make it tho. only if his team didnt have all those injurys!!
Feb.1 at 10:48 pm
next says:
no right having TWO players on a below .500 team. that’s you VC, you undeserving bum. it’s one thing to get voted in cuz the fans love you, but c’mon…
Feb.2 at 12:01 am
Julian says:
lol at dampier making the all star game…and howard over all the over way way more deserving guys? i’m getting redundant with the howard-resistance, but im sorry…i really hate this philosophy that you have to be from a good team to make the all star game. its an INDIVIDUAL event!! the playoffs are for all the great teams..this is to reward great players. just because youre on a bad team doesnt mean that you shouldnt make the all star game…its bad enough that your team sucks; that shouldnt hold you back. and im really done with talking about the carmelo fiasco. if the only agenda was rewarding great all-star basketball players, then he would be on there. so melo and maybe ray allen should get the last two spots. maybe camby. j-howard isnt ready yet. a shame that redd, pierce, and okafor got snubbed for caron/rip/chauncey…all three of those guys are great but they arent having as good seasons as the former three.
Feb.2 at 1:07 am
sammy says:
is tim duncan better in the post than the great wall of china: Yao Ming? you tell me. and I think Houston needs to be included in your “top” teams in the division. I have no clue why ppl always seem to rule them out. they dont even have Yao in the lineup and their still wrecking. somebody better call a towtruck once the great wall of Yao comes back!
Feb.2 at 3:57 am
Bigi says:
Carmelo should be in the West-crew already.Period.Puppetmaster Sternbot cut HIM loose…
Feb.2 at 4:16 am
Boyd says:
Thursday 1st feb 2007, SUNS 103, SPURS 87, Amare gets 24 and 23, JUST CALL ME THE PROPHET.
Feb.2 at 11:00 am
ron harper says:
Tariq….i also checked and the entire cast of Full House made the starting five in the east…I am appalled that that let Vince “I haven’t got better since my rookie year” Carter back on the team. The east coaches are the real problem.
Feb.2 at 3:39 pm
sixthman6 says:
whos the spurs strength coach? they have got to be the league’s thinnest team..all their players are lanky with almost no muscle mass.. i wonder if its a coincidence or a team thing?
Feb.2 at 4:26 pm
Redrum says:
@Boyd: The Suns still have to show they can win in playoff time, let me remind you that anytime they played the Spurs in the Playoffs they have been demolished. I am not saying that is will not happen this year, but I gimme a team with solid D, solid fundamentals, good ball movement, and one of the top 10 best players ever (yes, that is TD) and I will bet on in winning it all every time.
Feb.2 at 4:55 pm
Darksaber says:
Again, if Dirk does not start at Yao’s spot, well let’s just say “verdammte kacke”.
Feb.5 at 8:09 am
Boyd says:
Redrum, get back to watching hoosiers wit’cha ‘fundamentals’ bla bla bla, and let the rest of us get back to watching the Suns play heaven-sent basketball. I still can’t believe that anyone who has ever played or truly loves basketball can summon up any defense for the san antonio spurs. It makes me sick.
Feb.6 at 8:59 am
Redrum says:
Boyd, bball is like flavours… I am European, Greek, and the basketball style I like is different that you like. I like to see big hussle in defense, full/half court traps I like to see well executed pick and rolls,articulate ball movement, a team working in tune in defense and offense. that is what I MYSELF like in bball. Prefer this style than 5-6 second offenses, isolation plays, I don’t like the run and gun game, never did, never will. I am 30 now, been playing bball since 6, played semi-pro in greece, coached a bit. I have been in a training camp where D’Antoni was teaching us defense and basics of motion offense…
Feb.6 at 11:11 am
A_B says:
boyd… you suck big time haha heaven-sent basketball? HEAVEN - SENT basketball phoenix? sorry son no way. and if manu didn’t make that stupid foul last western confrence finals would anyone call them old? Plus that loss it was a back to back. the spurs never play good bball on they’re back to backs. that’s why they love playoff time. oh and the fact that they can win a finals. Dallas outplayed SA and Phoenix buy I don’t like them either. Dirk is not an mvp candidate. thiw year no team is clear cut better then everybody else and no player is better then everyone. basketball especialy the nba is degressing
Feb.6 at 11:42 am
Boyd says:
Redrum: fairplay to you, you’ll never get me to like the Spurs, but that’s the kinda response I do like. The furthest I ever got was trials for the English squad, so you got me. Out of interest, what did D’antoni say to you when he was teaching you defense? A_B:calm down and learn to spell . Basketball is degressing (read DIGRESSING from what? From when? It’s heyday was probly the early 90’s, a low was the early 00’s and now its on its way up. It seems like it’s getting worse cos there was a dominant force in MJ for so many years, but that was an exception. Other than in Russell’s time the NBA generally looks like it does now, a couple of good teams and 4, maybe 5 guys better than the rest (out of interest that’s Nash, Kobe, Duncan, Shaq around April with no injuries, and probably Dirk.)
Feb.8 at 7:40 pm
Redrum says:
Hey Boyd, I am pretty sure if you made the Trials for England you were much better than me. So YOU got me there;)Anyway, D’Antony was teaching help defense in m2m, how to double team the post with the wingers, how to move when on weakside D. very useful stuff, some are implemented in the Suns. they do not lock down teams, but they play amazingly good help defense. I remember what he said: A good m2m looks like a zone and a good zone looks like a m2m. Always kept that in mind. @A_B: buddy, I agree with you that NBA is degressing, but only in terms of play quality. Unfortunatelly, very few players today in the NBA know the fundamentals, pass, dribble, shoot… Isolation plays have been a fashion of the last 10 years, where all the highschool kids came into the nba, without basically ever playing real basketball, just run-jump-dunk basketball against smaller kids…
Feb.9 at 10:50 am
mark says:
I am going to keep this ramble Lang and I will bring it back up in June. The Spurs have one glaring problem in my mind- an inability to get shots at crunch time. The Mavs have Dirk, Josh, Terry all willing and able to both create their own shot and the heart to take it. The Suns have Nash - to set-up all those shooters and Amare. The Heat have D-wade and well the rest of the league sucks ( and I hate the Pistons almost as much as the Lakers) so it doesn’t matter. The Spurs do not have that guy. TD gets triple teamed and rendered useless, except to pass out of it and none of the Spurs have proven they can deliver. TP is like a regular season wonder but when it comes to 4th quarter time or the playoffs - he is terrible. There is a reason RC brought in Nick Fat Exel you know…Is there another point guard that dribbles as much as Parker in the NBA ? I have never seen someone try to penetrate get stopped, back pedal out or circle around and try it again as much as he does. He should be penetrating , drawing and dishing out for open shots but he just isn’t that kind of player. Manu can create but he is iffy and from there you have nothing but spot-up shooters and fade-a-way wonder Finley. The Spurs need a trade- for a Ray Allen or a Joe Johnson - somebody who can get a shot when they need it in crunch time. That is their problem - Defense, rotations, rebounding — everything else will work itself out in the playoffs when TP shrinks and allows Tim to dominate again.
Mar.30 at 3:47 pm
derrich says:
Is this a real post? Spurs not contenders? Ah. I love the disrespect. It breathes fuel into Manu’s veins, and pumps Tony’s body with more testosterone than Eva’s bodacious bod. Timmy? Well, I’m not sure what it does to Duncan, but all I’ve got to say is “Bring it on!”
Jun.20 at 4:12 am
Jesse says:
Who is the champions baby!!!! You suck rotten eggs Lang!!! Get a job as a waiter rather than a columnist.