lots of alley oops tonight
Wow. At the worst...the Spurs can wiggle out some FRPs from Josh Richardson and Poeltl for sure now.
Thanks Timvp. That was something. It was like watching beautiful game, but wait… no Manu, Bobo, Splitter? Instead are these 22yrs old passing the ball with gusto finding cutting men and dishing to open, better shots. I’m glad they’re finding W’s when playing this way. It makes Pop’s teachings more believable who most players maybe too young during Spurs golden era. Yes, listening to this gray-haired man really makes sense. They’re winning!
Vassell has found his rythm, and he knows he can score on anybody. He is getting more confident and assertive by the game. He was playing the best player out there, and the Win should just fortify that self-confidence. I want him to get even more stronger, attack the rim more and get to the finish line.
Tre looks like a a true starting PG out there. He knows his teammates and he would find them. Him and Vassell flirted with triple-doubles tonight.
Poeltl, another big game. I’m liking Poeltl’s aggressiveness. He knows the team needs him to score and he’s not shying away from taking those shots. Great job with a double-double.
At times I see Primo light-footed, moving well. Then he makes some dribble-behind dumb mistake. I thought Pop kept him too long when TWolves were making a run. I guess it’s a learning process for Primo not to get rattled on those situations.
Keldon had a quiet 18 pts, but I guess I’m starting to expect that much production from him, which is good.
Zollins, Roby played well. Sochan was brilliant out there defending, being opportunistic with the basket. His defense reminds me of Kawhi and Draymond, that festy, you know that LeBron looked on Kawhi when he entered. You don’t want this rookie guarding you. And yeah, he’s just a 19 year old rookie.
Great stuff
I don't want to start believing
Most fun game to watch in years…
i found myself excited at watching a spurs game- and that has been missing for a long time…
Perfect time to trade for Westbrook tbh. Might be our last best hope to tank and get some assets aling the way.
I think the Spurs were right not to trade away Jakob and Josh Richardson yet. I wonder what the Spurs can get for Jakob as IMO he outplayed Rudy Gobert tonight and Utah got a huge haul for him. How do you guys rate Jakob against Gobert as a player? I don't think he's better, but he's in the conversation with him IMO.
The play-in game last season showed me that Vassell has the mental toughness to excel, but wasn't sure about the skill set. Great to see him playing this well after a bad first game. Great bounce back and also shows mental toughness on his part to shake it off. Looks like he's worked his ass off in the off-season. Very happy for him. I hope he gets even better as the season goes on.
I really like the way Tre is playing too. Seems to be a great leader/PG for the team so far. Keldon's weight loss also looks great to start the season. He didn't have his best game, but still attacked.
I wonder if they had in mind the s acking at the end of the season when the Wolves spammed Anthony Edwards to get him that dubious 50.
I have been saying that Poeltl is among the best centers in the league for quite some time now. And the Spurs got him on a best bargain contract. As much as I would want to get first round picks and hopefully a lottery one as early as possible (2023 would be ideal. Let's say Charlotte taking its 2023 lottery protection out and a 2025 FRP)...the Spurs could possibly keep Poeltl next season too if they don't land Wemby.
No individual player is playing out of their mind.
I repeat: no individual player is playing out of their mind.
When people say, “oh, they’ll come back down to earth” or “teams are getting caught off guard”… that doesn’t make sense to me. Why? Because:
1. What do opposing teams add to their scouting report that they don’t already do? There’s no one player that the offense heavily relies on. Our top two scorers, KJ and DV, don’t have a lot of ball usage. If you double team one of them, there will be other options on offense.
2. Unless there is a total collapse in coaching or the team as a whole gets their collective BBall IQ zapped, it is almost impossible for them to drop their performance level to a bottom 5 team. This isn’t a team that looks like an unorganized, pickup basketball mess. They will win as a team, and they will lose as a team. There will be losses, and those losses will come as a result of inexperience or at the hands of a far superior high IQ team (such as the Warriors). This isn’t a team that’s winning with a hot hand like Scary Terry on Charlotte. It’s different.
3. I dare say that we’ve yet seen the best from this team. People forget that these guys only begun playing with each other in these rotations and that they’re young and still learning basketball. Guess what? Every day you practice any one skill, you get better. Every day you put in the gym, you get stronger. There is still way more upside to be shown than what we’ve seen already. Sochan could further wow us by him learning where his spots are and adding even more offense to our starting line up.
as usual all great points DJ
you can't just shut down one guy here. Spurs system is like rows of sharks teeth, one goes out and the next one comes in right behind it.
Team looks better without Murray plus the haul of picks and clearing salary wow
I saw a Hawks box score and his line looked good that night, fwiw. Just a bad fit and if he was a knucklehead in the locker room it's even more wise of a move.
Let's not get wild. Next game will show what's the difference. Gobert's gonna be motivated. If Jakob can keep him in check again, then his value will definitely increase. But I don't think that the Spurs can get more than 2 firsts - but they have good arguments then for demanding 2 firsts. If I were the Spurs I would make him a solid offer to keep him on the roster.
I think the best part of this season will be not having to watch the losers the Spurs trotted out in past years. I couldn't stomach watching Brynn Forbest, the failed, inconsistent likes of Walker IV and D. White or the delusional, big-mouthed Instagram Baller. Just disappointment after disappointment. Bring on the losses, I don't mind. They'll be gaining experience while headed in the right direction. Wins over Demar Derozan's Bulls, nephew's Clippers & -ass's Hawks would be great.
Love to see them play. This is what people been talking about when it comes to developing players in a winning environment. They learn how to execute and pick up the right habits. With that being said we still need to tank. The next game will be very telling, but I don't think this is sustainable, especially once teams have some scouting tape and know they can go zone on the starters.
Meanwhile…
from a Rockets fan who was there live:
”Not sure if you guys saw it but there is a bit more to the altercation. Not sure this first part was in any of the videos. I saw it live and there were some additional clues in the previous bench shot.
Looks like Green walks over to JSJ and there are clearly talking about rotations or positions because you see the Green making movement hand gestures. He is leaning over close to JSJs face but thats probably just so they can hear one another. Looks like Green is instructing JSJ on how to move, but that is a guess. JSJ responds to Green with his own gestures and it doesn't look hostile. Then you see KMJ get visibly animated at JSJ, like he was frustrated with what he said.
Camera cuts away to Gordon for 10 or so seconds, then goes back to JSJ standing up in confrontation mode.”
Last edited by Dejounte; 10-25-2022 at 05:21 AM.
^ HOU roster is too young without a clear hierarchy. They also don't value character that much in player evaluation. The roster is built with analytics. MEM is good cause they value both.
Yeah, I mean, I would be pissed off too if a player like Jalen Green, who is notorious for taking ill advised shots and barely plays team ball, is trying to tell me how to do something.
But to lose your cool like this when you’ve only played 3-4 regular season games? Come on now.
The opening night loss perhaps really motivated the team. But like the announcers commented, other teams haven’t learned to pressure the Spurs. That will come soon I imagine and we’ll see how they respond. It might not change anything, but that’s something I’m going to look for.
But big picture it’s nice too see the team play so democratically I guess is the word. No star to dominate the offense is not sustainable but for last night a beautiful glimpse into how the game can still be played.
We could still fall apart, but without a trade, I don’t see us bottom 3.
Here’s another thought:
People are saying opposing teams will adjust their game plan against the Spurs’ offense and apply more pressure or do zone—
But how do you game plan against defense?
it’s the side of basketball you can hardly game plan against. If the Spurs are defending your best player well, do you stop passing to your best player as the adjustment? If the Spurs are defending your perimeter players really well, do you try to score inside only? Good luck with that— even if the Spurs cool down from 3, that means you have to count on both your offense and defense to be functioning at a high level.
My point is this: if the Spurs keep playing the level of defense they’ve been playing, it will always keep them in these games. And they have been playing elite defense. Not saying it will be like that in every game, but so far they’re showing they’re capable.
The standard here is no one person is bigger than the team….. it reminds me of the military in that way! Respect your peers and opponents. Pop created and upholds that standard organization wide!! There’s nothing wrong with structure in any era.
The Redeem Spurs
I think motivation and energy levels will naturally wax and wane. But as long as hero ball from preseason doesn’t return they should at least be compe ive and make things interesting. They will have some fourth quarter collapses that will cost them. But big picture they have figured out team dynamics early and as long as they keep sharing and moving, it will be fun.
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