Analysis Brian Windhorst: “Spurs are a playoff contender”

[scott]

It will be telling to see how seriously they take the start of the season. Will mitch do some bullshit and not play the top guys much in the pre-season so we are starting the year knocking off rust? Will he still be experimenting with rotations trying to find how VassKelChan fit because "we want to do right by them?"

The first 6 games going into the first Lakers game on Nov 5 are all extremely winnable. If we aren't 4-2 or better to start out, we blew a golden opportunity.

 

[spurraider21]

the spurs not making the playoffs after sinking a few firsts into Fox would be a huge disappointment. last year the expectation was (assuming health) that they would be a play-in team. they were mildly disappointing even up until wemby's injury, but they were right in the mix

 

[TBdog]

Spurs have competent rotation, but don't have depth for injuries. If the spurs have a healthy season, they are in the playoffs.

 

[KobesAchilles]

No chance? That's pretty hyperbolic

Well I’ve been living in a hyperbolic world the past 7 years then. Bc we haven’t made the playoffs since then. Also last year the team that was the 8th seed won 48 games. This isn’t the East. We need to have a winning record to make the playoffs and I don’t believe organizationally we are willing to be a serious winning team.

if we don’t offer a contract extension to Sochan then I will start to believe in this team again. Also if we bench Vassell. But I doubt we do either of those things we aren’t serious about winning yet. But I suppose I can wait until preseason to make my final assessment of the team. Maybe they will surprise me and be a competent organization again like they were in their glory days

 

[Neuromancer]

Well I’ve been living in a hyperbolic world the past 7 years then. Bc we haven’t made the playoffs since then. Also last year the team that was the 8th seed won 48 games. This isn’t the East. We need to have a winning record to make the playoffs and I don’t believe organizationally we are willing to be a serious winning team.

if we don’t offer a contract extension to Sochan then I will start to believe in this team again. Also if we bench Vassell. But I doubt we do either of those things we aren’t serious about winning yet. But I suppose I can wait until preseason to make my final assessment of the team. Maybe they will surprise me and be a competent organization again like they were in their glory days

This team is a lot better than any of the previous seven years. We also don't have a checked out coach that is more interested in teaching them about Africa or whatever rather than actually teaching them basketball. It's one thing to say you don't think they'll make it but to say they have zero chance of making the playoffs is silly at this point

 

[KobesAchilles]

This team is a lot better than any of the previous seven years. We also don't have a checked out coach that is more interested in teaching them about Africa or whatever rather than actually teaching them basketball. It's one thing to say you don't think they'll make it but to say they have zero chance of making the playoffs is silly at this point

Better how? We are a team of misfit pieces. Talent wise we may be better. But I don’t think these pieces fit at all. And Pop obviously taught basketball. It just shows how low IQ Devin, KJ, and Sochan are that they couldn’t learn how to play underneath him.

Silly is saying that Pop cared more about teaching them about Africa than basketball. We drafted/traded for 3 point guards. All of them want the ball in their hands. How’s that suppose to fit?

What I’m looking for this season is hierarchy. Wemby gets 18 shots a game. 8 of them are triples. Preferably Fox/ Castle/ Harper gets him 5 easy shots a game. That leaves about 5 shots in the post. That shouldn’t really tire him out too much

Fox then calls his number less. Like less than 3rd year Fox. Bc the past 5 seasons he has shot 19 times a game. That won’t work on this team. But will Fox be ok with shooting the ball 15 times and averaging 18 a game? I hope so.

Castle is next on the list. I’d like him at about 13 shots per game and Harper at like 10ish. That leaves about 32 shots left. Next Kornet (4) Barnes (8) so that leaves 20 shots for Sochan, Vassell, and KJ to share. Are they going to be happy with that role? I sure a heck hope so. It’s why I think we need to trade either KJ or Vassell at this point bc one of them will be benched

 

[KobesAchilles]

Btw these shots are based on us shooting the ball 88 times a game

 

[Shmurs]

trying to think which other team has a a situation close to …a top 5 guy, then a top 25 guy, then drops down to about top 100 for the third guy. And that’s being charitable to whoever you have as third guy between Devin, Barnes and Castle.

Vegas O/U will probably be about 43 wins or something. Might be good enough if golden state and Dallas fall off. But those are deeper teams than the spurs with much much better coaching.

They’ll probably hit high 40 s if Vic stays healthy and make the play in. But this is still a fairly cruddy roster. If only there were several wings ranging across all abilities and skillsets to be had this summer.

 

[Weeks]

Fox got his surgery done in the off-season, right? So we can expect a month or two of him trying to get back into the swing of things. I'm hoping we have a decent start at .500 ball and then start to improve.
The biggest question mark right now is going to be Wemby and his health..tall guys are more prone to clots, there's just no way around it.

 

[kjhip1]

Fox got his surgery done in the off-season, right? So we can expect a month or two of him trying to get back into the swing of things. I'm hoping we have a decent start at .500 ball and then start to improve.
The biggest question mark right now is going to be Wemby and his health..tall guys are more prone to clots, there's just no way around it.

yeah no Wemby, no playoffs. The first two months will be interesting. im wondering how the lineups will look. hopefully improved 3-ball shooting, but just dont know where that will come from.

 

[dastexan]

Give Vassell a chance to settle into a full time role player mode this season before judging

if only his salary was in line with a random role player's salary

 

[Exstatic]

if only his salary was in line with a random role player's salary

Salary is as outdated of a concept as points per game. The raw number that lacks context. Look at % of the cap. Spoiler alert: it goes down every year.

 

[poopbox]

Give Vassell a chance to settle into a full time role player mode this season before judging

Seems like a hero baller who won't accept a role player role. He will be explaining himself a lot when he is taking shots he clearly shouldn't be.

 

[pope]

Seems like a hero baller who won't accept a role player role. He will be explaining himself a lot when he is taking shots he clearly shouldn't be.

That’s my fear too but in theory his skill set should translate

 

[rjv]

now that i've read a few of the usual spurs, mitch and vassell suck takes from the usual suspects, this place is finally starting to feel like home.

 

[Itzsoweezee]

Wemby will be better, superstar level this year. Fox will be better individually and fit in better with Wemby.

And biggest of all, the Spurs finally have legitimate backup big men. The defense should not crater every time Wemby goes to the bench.

No Chris Paul is going to hurt a lot. But if Castle and Vassell are even average defenders, this team can be top six.

 

[Itzsoweezee]

Fox got his surgery done in the off-season, right? So we can expect a month or two of him trying to get back into the swing of things. I'm hoping we have a decent start at .500 ball and then start to improve.
The biggest question mark right now is going to be Wemby and his health..tall guys are more prone to clots, there's just no way around it.

The Spurs need to start off strong. They’ve got a cakewalk schedule to open the season.

 

[samurai]

That’s my fear too but in theory his skill set should translate

DV mentioned in an interview last year right after Fox was acquired that all he needed to do now was hit open shots. I don't necessarily believe in him but at least he knows his role

 

[Shmurs]

DV mentioned in an interview last year right after Fox was acquired that all he needed to do now was hit open shots. I don't necessarily believe in him but at least he knows his role

…and learn to move off ball

…and not to take bad shots

…and to hand the ball off to one of the grown ups on the last possession of the quarter

But also, 27 million is a lot to pay buddy hield, so even if Devin learns to be a catch and shoot guy, it’s the only thing he’ll be bringing to the table. There really isn’t a place for him on this roster at his price.

 

[samurai]

…and learn to move off ball

…and not to take bad shots

…and to hand the ball off to one of the grown ups on the last possession of the quarter

But also, 27 million is a lot to pay buddy hield, so even if Devin learns to be a catch and shoot guy, it’s the only thing he’ll be bringing to the table. There really isn’t a place for him on this roster at his price.

I think I would like it just as much as if he learned to play defense as much as any of those. and I'm not a DV defender you're preaching to the choir. I guess I should say it kinda seems like he knows what his role should be on offense... Like I said, I don't believe in him. I don't even think he can stay healthy long enough to make the changes needed. He seems to prefer to pound the air out of the ball and shoot contested fadeaway 3's. But as long as he's here, hope springs eternal

 

[rjv]

rockets just took a hit.

 

[LeBowen]

rockets just took a hit.

Damn, that could actually be the end of him as a serious contributor.
Almost 32, undersized, he won't be anything more than a bench PG when he comes back.

I wonder who they get to replace him...Westbrook is available.

 

[Kick-Stand]

Wemby will be better, superstar level this year. Fox will be better individually and fit in better with Wemby.

And biggest of all, the Spurs finally have legitimate backup big men. The defense should not crater every time Wemby goes to the bench.

No Chris Paul is going to hurt a lot. But if Castle and Vassell are even average defenders, this team can be top six.

No Chris Paul would have hurt a lot if they didn't make the Fox trade, but now Fox can play his natural position and not have to defend SGs so it looks like a plus in my book.

 

[Kick-Stand]

rockets just took a hit.

Might end up being a blessing in disguise since it'll probably force them to hand the PG spot to Amen Thompson. Durant gives them enough shooting to maybe pull it off this time.

 

[Shmurs]

I think I would like it just as much as if he learned to play defense as much as any of those. and I'm not a DV defender you're preaching to the choir. I guess I should say it kinda seems like he knows what his role should be on offense... Like I said, I don't believe in him. I don't even think he can stay healthy long enough to make the changes needed. He seems to prefer to pound the air out of the ball and shoot contested fadeaway 3's. But as long as he's here, hope springs eternal

Above all else, his issues seem to be related to processing challenges. he’s mentioned to the friendly state run media that he has mental blocks when it’s show time. I don’t know if he’s low IQ or just high anxiety/overprocessing but neither can really be fixed in a year. He probably needs to experience the jolt of having to struggle to earn minutes, since everything has been handed to him on a platter since he joined the league, like with Jeremy. If you grow up a loser and get rewarded for it, you aren’t going to wake up tomorrow a winner.