ESPN Insider says Spurs are at end of their run
ESPN Insider Chris Palmer wrote about Texas' three NBA teams. Palmer felt that the Dallas Mavericks would be the favorites coming into the new season and thinks the San Antonio Spurs are facing the end of their run this coming season.
If there is one.
Palmer states the age, lack of speed and athleticism were the demise to the Spurs. He says all of the pressure will be on general manager R.C. Buford to keep a competitive team around in order for coach Gregg Popovich to keep patrolling the sidelines.
He's proved he can build and maintain a dynasty. Now he's got to prove he can rebuild one. Buford won't likely have the good fortune of rebuilding around an all-time great at his position as the Spurs did in 1997, when Duncan became the cornerstone of their brilliant 15-year run. Those rebuilding efforts also might include finding a new coach, as it's hard to imagine Popovich, owner of four championship rings, slogging through the basement of the Southwest Division while Buford mines distant lands for the next Ginobili.
Again, Palmer says the Spurs need more youth and speed but he failed to mention the Spurs were able to acquire Kawhi Leonard and draft Cory Joseph back in June. Not to mention the Spurs have young players on the roster namely DeJuan Blair, Tiago Splitter, and Gary Neal.
Palmer also failed to mention that should Antonio McDyess retire, the average age of San Antonio will be 26-years old.
Thoughts Spurs fans? Agree with this take on the Spurs?
We need a major trade to stay on top. Some people around this blog always say that we just need a little "TWEAK" and that's not true. Think about it, when was the last championship we acquired? And how old was TD by that time? Conservative people who still living in their DREAM just don't understand how tough this league right now, especially in the West. I'll say a big upgrade we need to have and the only way doing that is via trade. Parker, RJ, Blair, 1st round picks for Paul, Okafor, 2nd round picks. Conservative naysayers don't say something like "No, we give up too much." Look what the Jazz gave to get Deron Williams.
@shawnthefreak well sorry to say, i live in reality, and i don't agree. as jojo707 mentioned, the 2004 Pistons didn't really have stars, except for probably Billups, and they took down a loaded Lakers team. i really don't care how long ago that was. you want recent? just take a look at the Mavs this year. Nowitzki is the only star on that team with a bunch of good players, and they took down the Heat. you don't need all the talent in the world to win. it's all about finding the right pieces (stars or not) that fits and reverting to playing defense like we had before. if we can do that, we can compete. we've already made a change by acquiring Leonard, who's been looking good so far during this lockout. now the focus shifts to getting a 6'9"(or higher) big man whenever the NBA resumes, and it does not need to be a star. a good player, but not a star. if we're living in a dream, then you must be too because there is no way that deal would be made. why would the Hornets help us when we are division rivals? i know how competitive this league is, but you don't always need to do a major trade to stay on top. like i said, find the right pieces to fit the system, get back to defense, and stay healthy (which is another major factor), and we can compete. i won't say win it all, but to compete, yes.
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@LFJeremy I would take Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Deron Williams, John Wall, Rondo & Steve Nash over TP right now & wouldn't even think twice about it. I'm with you on everything else.
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@LFJeremy I think if John Wall played on the Spurs he could absolutely average at least 14 & 8, which is what he did this season.
And your argument about all of those 3 guys being number one options is a valid one, but a team where Tony Parker is it's only All-Star would average maybe 35 wins a season. These guys don't have the luxury of a Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobili to deflect defensive attention away from them.
My larger point is that of the major guys in the Spurs system, Parker's production is the easiest to replicate or at least come close too.
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@LFJeremy I'd say Derek Fisher & Steve Nash are about the only two PGs in the league that Tony is better than defensively and I'll take Nash's shooting ability & incredible passing over TP's ability to score. Also, TP's quickness is going to disappear in a couple of years & then he'll just be a guy with a decent mid range jumper.
I think John Wall is going to have a better season than Tony Parker this season. I might be wrong, but that's how much I like Wall. His assist numbers this season were better than any of Parker's season.
I would say yes, your Spurs homerism is why you would take TP over D-Will. If you traded Parker & Deron this past playoffs, I don't think Conley abuses D-Will like he did TP.
I hope I'm wrong about all this because the Spurs have saddled themselves to Parker this season at least, which obviously means the better he does, the better the Spurs do. Loving this lively discussion, btw.
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I am one who doesn't think there are any real formula's.Remember the 2005 Pistons. Good players, no one very athletic, no stars. IF we build around good players, and the usual Spurs focus on team and defense, titles will always be possible. Having "franchise player is too much a crap shoot, and if it is the only way, 90% of the teams will never have shot. That seems silly to me. The Mav's won last year with Dirk only being a valuable piece, but eh shots that he made that were key, were only great because they were clutch. So clutch is also key, but no one knows who will be or when they will develop that gene. C Billups bounced around for 5 yrs before having his chance to shine. This has nothing to do with being a superstar. S Jackson was clutch for us, etc Think pieces and not all stars, we have more to look forard to, if hope is not the foundation.
Palmer, is nlike the usual gys each year who say the same thing, " too old, not athletic, etc" What joke. 26yrs old is pretty young, as a group, and with TD and Manu, being the old guys, a good mix of age, athleticism, but lacking a few pieces. None of the pieces need be stars. I my opinion. Any one else ?
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@jojo707 it was actually the 2004 Pistons that won, but hey, close enough since it was pretty much the same team in '05 when we faced them. other than that, i agree. Palmer said that R.C.'s got to prove he can rebuild. ummm does he not realize that he's already starting it while still trying to keep our team in the mix? as mentioned, we have Splitter, Neal, Blair, and Anderson, along with draftees Leonard and Joseph. not to mention, we have Ryan Richards developing overseas, along with Davis Bertans (some fans have called him "our own Nowitzki", lol, but i don't think so...yet).
Don't forget Nando de Colo! He was such an integral part of the French team and played some key minutes in important games for them, and from time to time he would play key minutes even over Parker! I think we should be looking more forward to de Colo eventually coming over than Joseph because Joseph still needs some more experience under his belt (I know that analysts are saying he's mature, but he only played one season in college and missed a lot of games). Also it's important not to forget Da'sean Butler who might not make the team next year, but I'm loving his work ethic in the off season.
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What we need is a star franchise player to anchor this team, i don't think any of the guys we currently have are somewhere near that standard. You can say TP or Manu is a star, but all along this team has been built around Tim Duncan as the cornerstone. Well this is the cycle that every team has to go through, but whether SA will be back at the top, that's another question.
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@DennyBotaxs SAS has to get lucky again in the draft. First Robinson then it was TD.
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Whatever happens in the rebuilding process, i hope the front offiIce won't change their principle. The Spurs FO seems to have the eyes that other teams don't. Signing players such as Gary Neal, Kawhi Leonard, guys with great personality and in Neal's case, is virtually unknown before he became a Spur. I also hope coach Pop would stay as long as he could with the organization, whether as a coach or at the FO.
