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Would you really want to run with Jose Calderon, Mike Conley, Raymond Felton or Ty Lawson at point? Me either.

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Ty Lawson is a beast.

The Spurs do not have the cap space or trade assets to get what they need (legit 2-guard, dynamic post player to pair w/ Duncan, better back-up PG). I think they'll have enough to get to the playoffs next year, but they won't win a title. The days of Duncan/Ginobili/Parker leading the Spurs to a title are over. They are in decline, while other teams are on the rise.

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The days of Duncan/Ginobili/Parker leading the Spurs to a title are over. They are in decline, while other teams are on the rise.

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same old song and dance. okc was the only team beating the spurs this year. sorry that upsets so many people.

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same old song and dance. okc was the only team beating the spurs this year. sorry that upsets so many people.

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This is very true. Problem is it will remain true for the rest of the Duncan/Manu/Parker era. If the spurs want to remain a legit threat to win it all they definetly will need to improve the roster to keep up with the Thunder.

God it's rough being a Rockets fan, I'm stuck wondering what yalls roster needs to do to get better.

But.

http://blog.chron.com/ultimaterockets/2012/06/as-motiejunas-sets-sights-on-nba-his-goal-is-clear-i-want-to-be-one-of-the-best/

We found our superstar!

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I say the Spurs (barring major free agent aquisitions) will not finish any higher than a 4th seed for the playoffs. LA will re-tool, OKC, and one other team will all finish ahead of the Spurs next season. And, the Spurs won't make it out of the first round if they finish 4th or worse.

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You may be right, but it is worth noting that this was pretty much the consensus before THIS year as well, and probably the one before that too.

Because of their "depth" (used in quotations because it disappears in the playoffs), I can see the Spurs having a few more years of good regular season success, and maybe winning a playoff series or two. Their days of being legitimate contenders are probably over (then again, I thought this two years ago), but it doesn't mean that blowing up the roster is the right idea either.

If the Spurs can trade up to 20-25th in the draft, players like Andrew Nicholson, Fab Melo, and Festus Ezeli will be available. JaMychal Green, Henry Sims, Kyle O'Quinn, and Cameron Moore will likely still be on the board in the second.

I'm no talent scout, but I bet Pop and RC could get a pretty solid rim protector with enough offense to force the other team to guard him out of that group.

Other than Parker, we really don't have many tradable assets. Leonard will not be touched and everyone else basically has one year left on their deal. No one will trade a 20-25 for only one year of guaranteed service. Unless we throw in our rights to our players abroad.

my main point is (and i can't wait to see the responses) that i think this spurs team IS good enough to beat the thunder.

look at all the variables the spurs have going:

1) this was tony's first real year of being the floor general and lead scorer, and he handled it beautifully. he's in his physical prime and he'll be hungrier than ever next year.

2) leonard was a rookie this year. i constantly had to remind myself of this fact. the dude guarded the best players in the world almost nightly and did a magnificent job, all the while not getting a full off season to work with pop and his defensive ideas. the kids potential is outrageous. i have to think he's going to be able to shift into another gear next year.

3) danny green is a fantastic scorer who can defend at a high level and run like the wind, all of which will make him a beast on a popovich team. yes, he shrunk badly in the playoffs, and to an extent, it was inexcusable. but, in fairness, he played for the ****ing cavs. the most pressure packed situation he ever had to deal with was catching the plane before a game.

4) we finally got the lockdown perimeter defense we were looking for when we paired stephen jackson with leonard. he didn't get a full season to work himself back into the spurs scheme on offense or defense. i think he can only get better.

5) i'll admit i'm not sold on tiago, but i CONSTANTLY hear that the spurs are in love with him, so he must be showing them something that we either can't or haven't seen. this point is obviously more wishful thinking, but if it's true that the spurs really do love this guys skills (and pop wouldn't let anyone shove a player down his throat, so he must be in on it too), than i think we have to trust them. they have proven time and again that they know what they are doing and what they are looking for.


now, don't get me wrong. beating the thunder is most likely going to be the hardest thing tim, tony, and manu have faced, and they have faced quite a bit. the fact that their four best players, their nucleus, are 23, 23, 22, and 22 is nuts, the likes of which i doubt anyone has ever seen. if they can keep that core together, they are gonna rape some teams for years.

BUT, the spurs played some awful games (credit to OKC for a lot of it), and they didn't have the full depth of their bench. i think with a little seasoning and this embarrassing cock slap laid by the thunder, the spurs can very much bounce back and make a real run next year.

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I hate the Spurs, but I agree with everything you said. No need to blow the whole thing up. The Spurs are poised to make another run next year even if they keep this roster. Add one more dynamic player and y'all could make a serious run at it

I love the Spurs, but they are an old and getting older team. What happened in the '96 / '97 season won't happen again. If the Spurs want to get better - they need to go the free agent route and pick up a young, talented player that can learn from the vets on this team and get better. Michael Beasley maybe?

I agree with your post Obi Wan.

However, the thing that hurts the most this year is the fact that we were all healthy. That hasnt happened in a while. That is such a big factor and it was finally on our side. The big 3 were healthy. A big opportunity that didn't pan out.

I agree that next year the Spurs will be contenders with the same team. Obviously a tweak here and there will help. And Pop will do that.

Danny green shot under 20% in the WCF after shooting 35% for the year.

That, goal tending, Ibaka 11/11, and game 6 second half officiating ended the spurs.

If any one of those 3 are different, this is at least a game 7 series.

Spurs can beat the thunder as constructed.


If you did anything, I would agree that replacing Splitter with mobile length would be good, but 6'11 guys that can run and jump aren't exactly dime a dozen.

There are more athletic 6'10-6'11 players out there than people realize. The problem is knowing which ones are Tyrus Thomas (drafted 4th overall) and which are Serge Ibaka (drafted 24th overall).

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There are more athletic 6'10-6'11 players out there than people realize.

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Athletic and skilled at defense together isn't easy to come by. And when you do find it, it is expensive. That's why DJ can't hit a shot from anywhere on the court and can command 10mm/year.