The 2016/17 Preseason/Training Camp Thread

[SPURt]

I have high hopes for both Danny and Patty but Danny's preseason has been inconsistent and Patty has really shined with Manu but not without him. Patty still feels like a shooting gaurd to me.

Out of the newbs, the Spurs need at least Bertans to be impactful. Anderson needs to be legit as well. Simmons has been a dissappontment too. Murray and Forbes don't look like they'll be able to make an impact till late in the season if they do at all this year.

I may be in the minority but I think David Lee will be the best new player of the offseason in relationship to price tag.

I wasn't a fan of the Lee signing at all but I kinda agree with you he's looked pretty good. He rebounds and gets easy buckets, his defense still concerns me but he'll be a solid contributor off the bench.

I hear you on his defense but for the price he is great value. It was horrible watching West/Bobo struggle on both ends in the playoffs when really the Spurs just needed a rebounder. If all Lee does is grab rebounds I'd be happy.

[SPURt]

Simmons has been really underwhelming which is really bad news. I'd almost rather the Spurs cut him to make room so both Lap and Forbes can remain on the team.

Arc, Garino, and LJC have been total non-factors. Anthony has been more solid than Dedmon overall. Kyle hasn't been a factor either. It's disappointing and a little concerning that few of the bench players look like they are going to contribute.

[Phreak50]

Simmons has been ok, if he was just a bit better three point shooter I'd take him over Green.

What's everyone's opinion on Dedmon? To me he doesn't seem like a rebounder, or at least not around the big boys of the league.

I agree on Anthony, he has been serviceable and might grab a spot on the bench honestly.

I still don't like Anderson and almost never have. It may be his lack of speed and awkward looking moves affecting that opinion but I don't see him improving. But Pop loves him so we're going to have to get used to him.

[Nolan]

Simmons has been ok, if he was just a bit better three point shooter I'd take him over Green.

What's everyone's opinion on Dedmon? To me he doesn't seem like a rebounder, or at least not around the big boys of the league.

I agree on Anthony, he has been serviceable and might grab a spot on the bench honestly.

I still don't like Anderson and almost never have. It may be his lack of speed and awkward looking moves affecting that opinion but I don't see him improving. But Pop loves him so we're going to have to get used to him.

I wouldn't say that i've been impressed but i'm feeling pretty optimistic about him. It really looks like it's going to take him a little while to learn the new system, he seems to be having troubles figuring out what to do off switches and he's seems extremely hesitant to leave the paint area on defense even though he seems to have pretty quick feet. He does a lot of things I like though; he's been great at meeting guys at rim, contesting shots from the weak side (and contesting shots in general) and I just like the general ruggedness that he has.

Once he gets comfortable I think we'll see some of the aggression start to come out and those rebounding number will improve.

[SAGirl]

Just thought I'd join in.
A lot of guys in the regular rotation (other than Kawhi, Pau, LMA and Tony), basically the rotation roleplayers haven't been shooting well, this references not just Anderson, but Simmons (who has statpadded with the games over and really transition scoring has been his bread and butter), and even Ginobili. I think Lee doesn't provide the best spacing for the bench and while he has individually played well, the bench roleplayers' efficiency has declined. He affects the quality of guys shots, specially bc 3 of those guys (Simmons, Ginobili and Anderson) like to get into the paint if their jumpshots are not falling, and they can't do that effectively with Lee there. It's just not workable in today's NBA and IMO a reason why Lee has been benched in prior teams. He hurts the unit's spacing and their efficiency. It's glaring when everyone playing with him in that second unit has been off and turning the ball over too much and they play better in units with end of the bench roleplayers, with Bertans, Lapro, Forbes and others.

I am not worried about Anderson's shooting, bc he shot much better last season, we have a larger sample size of his shooting, but he does like to get to the paint, he doesn't live on the jumpshot and he likes the midrange. Simmons and Manu like to slash when jumpshots are not falling, and in Simmons case the jumpshot is a last recourse. These guys can't play with Lee, period or at least they can't play well with Lee. It's a puzzle for Pop to solve, and it might not be worth it to sacrifice so many guys on Lee's account.

[Nolan]

Just thought I'd join in.
A lot of guys in the regular rotation (other than Kawhi, Pau, LMA and Tony), basically the rotation roleplayers haven't been shooting well, this references not just Anderson, but Simmons (who has statpadded with the games over and really transition scoring has been his bread and butter), and even Ginobili. I think Lee doesn't provide the best spacing for the bench and while he has individually played well, the bench roleplayers' efficiency has declined. He affects the quality of guys shots, specially bc 3 of those guys (Simmons, Ginobili and Anderson) like to get into the paint if their jumpshots are not falling, and they can't do that effectively with Lee there. It's just not workable in today's NBA and IMO a reason why Lee has been benched in prior teams. He hurts the unit's spacing and their efficiency. It's glaring when everyone playing with him in that second unit has been off and turning the ball over too much and they play better in units with end of the bench roleplayers, with Bertans, Lapro, Forbes and others.

I am not worried about Anderson's shooting, bc he shot much better last season, we have a larger sample size of his shooting, but he does like to get to the paint, he doesn't live on the jumpshot and he likes the midrange. Simmons and Manu like to slash when jumpshots are not falling, and in Simmons case the jumpshot is a last recourse. These guys can't play with Lee, period or at least they can't play well with Lee. It's a puzzle for Pop to solve, and it might not be worth it to sacrifice so many guys on Lee's account.

Welcome to the board!! And thanks for your input.

Definitely agree with you on Lee, he's David West without the toughness and defense. I really hope as the season goes on his minutes are reduced and Bertans and Anderson end up playing all of the backup 4 minutes.

Also feel free it post an intro in the intro thread!

[UDRIH14]

KA should be improving but the clown is so passive on offense, we dont need another passive clown on the floor who hesitates to shoot the ball fearing he bricks it and straight to the bench...his got the potential to be something better then danny green who looks like he has peaked for his skillset, KA is a bigger lanky player who could shoot over alot of ppl, but the clown for some odd reason rather pass the ball, when its clear the team needs more scoring options on the floor...slow release or not, he should be pulling the trigger...look at matt bonner who had a slow release, had no trouble given the green light to chuck,

[Nolan]

So sounds like the finals cuts aren't going to happen until Saturday according to Pops. Still seems like the race for the last roster spot is between Forbes and Laprvo with Anthony having an outside shot. If I was a betting man my money would be on Forbes. We could use another shooter and for all his flaws the kid can really really shoot it.

[-Sammy-]

Nice analysis from all you guys, and it's appreciated for those of us who haven't been able to catch much preseason action directly.

Anderson worries me; I've never been terribly impressed with him- though he's definitely a high-IQ player, it's still all about what a guy can do on the court. What worries me the most, though, is that Pop seems so high on him. Pop tends to be very loyal in his rotations to guys that click with him a certain way, and sometimes that hurts us. I expect to see SloMo get a lot of burn this season and I'm not thrilled about that.

Also, I agree with Nolan about Lee. I had high hopes for West and that didn't pan out, and Lee is largely West-lite, and SAGirl's analysis of his preseason confirms my fears.

Just thought I'd join in.

Welcome aboard, and nice analysis!

[Nolan]

Nice analysis from all you guys, and it's appreciated for those of us who haven't been able to catch much preseason action directly.

Anderson worries me; I've never been terribly impressed with him- though he's definitely a high-IQ player, it's still all about what a guy can do on the court. What worries me the most, though, is that Pop seems so high on him. Pop tends to be very loyal in his rotations to guys that click with him a certain way, and sometimes that hurts us. I expect to see SloMo get a lot of burn this season and I'm not thrilled about that.

Also, I agree with Nolan about Lee. I had high hopes for West and that didn't pan out, and Lee is largely West-lite, and SAGirl's analysis of his preseason confirms my fears.

Just thought I'd join in.

Welcome aboard, and nice analysis!

To me Slo-Mo's game is very dependent on who he plays with. He's the type of talent that can really perform when playing with quality teammates but isn't so effective when he's put in situations where he's supposed to be the best or one of the better players on the floor. He's a lot like Diaw in a way (although Boris was capable of taking over at times). He can be a great complimentary piece but he needs to play with guys that he can compliment.

[Phreak50]

Bertans is the real deal, this guy is going to play minutes and really contribute. His big weakness is being very slow laterally but hopefully all other areas outweigh that.

And I said it when he first signed the camp deal, that all I remembered from Joel Anthony is him being a good shotblocker and he has lived up to that. He is probably our best believe it or not and should stick around in all honesty.

I can see us rotating a bunch of guys in and out of D League because there's not enough spots on the team.

[-Sammy-]

Jean-Charles is out.

[Phreak50]

Yep and Anthony, Garino, Arcidiacono.

[UDRIH14]

lol sagirl probably had enough of st trolling her haha

but anyway, wtf decided to put the spurs/warriors first game opener must be an idiot...would prefer to have the games after 20 odds games when both teams should be at their peaks gelling already with new pieces to measure where both teams stand, instead of playing the what if game with injuries, schedule...

[Nolan]

Still don't understand why we signed JLC now rather than next year. He really didn't have a shot at making the team.

[franktony]

Still don't understand why we signed JLC now rather than next year. He really didn't have a shot at making the team.

SA probably made him and his agent a promise when they drafted him, similar to what happened to Josh Huestis and OKC.

LJC looked good back in 2013 as a prospect, especially during the Nike Hoop Summit, but he really didn't develop during his time playing for Parker's team in France. Plus, he was never the same after his blew out his knee. It's not much money (2.4m/2y that could be stretched), but I agree it's frustrating to see a young prospect failing to make the team so quickly.

[Nolan]

Still don't understand why we signed JLC now rather than next year. He really didn't have a shot at making the team.

SA probably made him and his agent a promise when they drafted him, similar to what happened to Josh Huestis and OKC.

LJC looked good back in 2013 as a prospect, especially during the Nike Hoop Summit, but he really didn't develop during his time playing for Parker's team in France. Plus, he was never the same after his blew out his knee. It's not much money (2.4m/2y that could be stretched), but I agree it's frustrating to see a young prospect failing to make the team so quickly.

And now we've lost his rights as well.

And your probably right about the agent part, his reps probably pressed for this so he wouldn't be under our control for any longer.

[UDRIH14]

remember when the spurs lacked getting to the ft line for freebie points, then it was rumored they were in the market to sign/trade for corey maggette who made a living getting to line?

now we got that player in simmons, who has no problem attacking the ring every opportunity he gets...at leasts his not afraid to put the ball on the floor or hesitant to shoot the ball, something green and anderson fails to do....hence if they arent willing to shoot or continue to throw bricks up i throw bertan a bone see what he can do on t he floor...those 2 clowns have peaked and wont improved...

kawhi all summer was in the gym working on his game, wtf was the rest of the roster doing? just happy to collect a paycheck?