DeMar DeRozan thread

[mirrornick]

So excited to watch the Spurs this year. I will most likely watch at least 65+ games. First time getting league pass. Anyone here uses LP?

[G R E Y]

So excited to watch the Spurs this year. I will most likely watch at least 65+ games. First time getting league pass. Anyone here uses LP?

LP is sometimes spotty from what I've heard. I got to watch all the Spurs games last season, and I loved every (sometimes hair-pulling, sometimes nail-biting) minute. It means something when playing the right way is the standard. I'm excited to see how we come together this year. A friendly reminder about central time (every now and again I'd get a brain cramp about it). Welcome!

[mirrornick]

So excited to watch the Spurs this year. I will most likely watch at least 65+ games. First time getting league pass. Anyone here uses LP?

LP is sometimes spotty from what I've heard. I got to watch all the Spurs games last season, and I loved every (sometimes hair-pulling, sometimes nail-biting) minute. It means something when playing the right way is the standard. I'm excited to see how we come together this year. A friendly reminder about central time (every now and again I'd get a brain cramp about it). Welcome!

Yeah so much mixed reviews for LP. I'll give it a shot. I'm tired of streams being cut off or low quality.

[Donald Kaufman]

Used LP for about six or seven years. I like it for the fact that I can access any game, any time. I run it on my desktop Mac and Apple TV. My Mac runs it perfectly everytime. Apple TV is a bit more hit and miss. It greys out some games, meaning I can't access them for no apparent reason. I go to the Mac and it's fine. Weird.

The cost is a bit high to me, yet I pay it. My love for basketball overrides my desire to cut costs sometimes.

I watch pretty much every Spurs game during the regular season, but I use it to keep track of other teams/players that I want to follow. For this, it's very useful. For example, I'll be watching the Raptors much more than I did before because of the trades. LP is great for that.

[Rust In Peace]

FInally canceled league pass. The Derozan trade was a significant factor in this decision. The Manu retirement was the final nail in the coffin. I cannot in good conscience support a team with so much players I dislike. Derozan, Gay, Pau...all horrible, lazy basketball players. Nothing to do with their personalities. I'm sure they're all good locker room guys but their style of playing is not conducive to winning bball. I don't really like LMA and his awful, inefficient poor man's Dirk style either but he was the only exception I was willing to make. The front office has gone backwards from 2014 and collected a group of players that were designed to play bball in the mid 2000s. A bunch of rejects that don't belong in the current NBA. Manu's retirement(and Duncan's two years ago) signals the death of the Spurs. The current group has no heart or drive for winning bball. LMA, Derozan, Gay are all playoff choke artists. Pau stopped playing motivated bball after leaving the Bulls and is simply collecting a check. This is a horribly constructed team that only exists so Pop doesn't have to coach a lottery team in the final two years of his career.

[Donald Kaufman]

I agree in a sense. There are no alpha's on this team as currently constructed. No stone cold killers. That part concerns me. Dejounte could be one, that remains to be seen though.

Maybe you could sell your fandom if you're no longer interested in supporting the team. A Knicks fan sold his on eBay and cashed in a sweet $3,500 https://sports.yahoo.com/infuriated-knicks-fan-sells-fandom-3500-now-los-angeles-lakers-fan-011150413.html

[G R E Y]

It's strange to make prognostications about the future of a team that has not played a minute together. We've gotten younger with re-signings, trade, and draft, and are more balanced on O with FAs and trade, even if yes, vets and good defensive players have moved on. We were handcuffed into making a move, and got back a good scorer, a good C prospect - both needs, and a pick, even if protected. I don't blame Grizz for making an offer for Kyle, and hoped we'd match, but even Grizz management said they overpaid to get him. I hope for the best for Kyle, but our D wasn't the issue last year, and the D-focused program hasn't gone anywhere. Everyone who plays here understands where the focus and effort has to be. I don't expect a big drop off, even with DeMar's D concerns. After all, his previous team still had good overall D with him, and he'll be held accountable here. There will be some growing pains, no doubt, but better balance.

LMA had his best season as a Spur, at 23.1 PPG almost matching his best Blazer 23.4PPG on career best .520eFG%, and at 29.4% usage. You can not like LMA's game or that we used him so much last season, but we pretty much had to with no consistently reliable secondary scoring option. Now that we have a slashing scorer who gets to the line a lot and better outside shooters, it can only help. I get that the trend is to 3-shooting (I happen to think it's ugly, boring basketball - sometimes almost half the shots are 3s!, all the more so when a team enslaves itself to the latest trend rather than maximizing the strengths of its roster, and then starts skipping fundamentals like executing a fast break high with a high percentage layup for a pull up 3 - drives me crazy when it's not absolutely necessary), but there's no point in shoehorning a style or doing a scorched earth with the roster just because we don't play that style. Pop has transformed the O over the years so there's no reason to believe we can't make more out of more weapons available.

The lazy/no heart take is puzzling to attribute to one of the hardest working guys in the league (DeMar), a guy coming off a serious injury (Rudy) whose value grew on BOTH ends of the court as he got better, and for a team that despite season-long friction with a weird and tense situation still came together to make the playoffs. They fought and fought hard. With a drama-free locker room, players with a chip on their shoulders, and more weapons, there's every expectation for them to be driven. Just a weird perception, but people see what they filter through, I guess...

I mean, there are lots of good teams to watch on LP, but if someone got it for one team in particular whose decisions someone doesn't like, then sure, it's not worth the time or money to stay aggravated.

Yes, the question of alpha in terms of leadership needs to be answered with the vets gone, but Pop is at the helm, and the excellent coaching staff is in place, and there is an opportunity for guys to step up. It may be Dejounte, but I think it'll be more by committee, both in terms of scoring and leadership. That's a good thing for a team that has long been espousing the team concept.

I just don't see the turnover as some doom and gloom given the positives. There is no reason to believe Pop will use DeMar and Rudy like they have been when together in the past, and no reason to believe he can't do it better. And - this can't be stressed enough - the addition by subtraction alone will make watching this year all the more refreshing. I'm looking forward to see how the guys come together.

[mirrornick]

It's strange to make prognostications about the future of a team that has not played a minute together. We've gotten younger with re-signings, trade, and draft, and are more balanced on O with FAs and trade, even if yes, vets and good defensive players have moved on. We were handcuffed into making a move, and got back a good scorer, a good C prospect - both needs, and a pick, even if protected. I don't blame Grizz for making an offer for Kyle, and hoped we'd match, but even Grizz management said they overpaid to get him. I hope for the best for Kyle, but our D wasn't the issue last year, and the D-focused program hasn't gone anywhere. Everyone who plays here understands where the focus and effort has to be. I don't expect a big drop off, even with DeMar's D concerns. After all, his previous team still had good overall D with him, and he'll be held accountable here. There will be some growing pains, no doubt, but better balance.

LMA had his best season as a Spur, at 23.1 PPG almost matching his best Blazer 23.4PPG on career best .520eFG%, and at 29.4% usage. You can not like LMA's game or that we used him so much last season, but we pretty much had to with no consistently reliable secondary scoring option. Now that we have a slashing scorer who gets to the line a lot and better outside shooters, it can only help. I get that the trend is to 3-shooting (I happen to think it's ugly, boring basketball - sometimes almost half the shots are 3s!, all the more so when a team enslaves itself to the latest trend rather than maximizing the strengths of its roster, and then starts skipping fundamentals like executing a fast break high with a high percentage layup for a pull up 3 - drives me crazy when it's not absolutely necessary), but there's no point in shoehorning a style or doing a scorched earth with the roster just because we don't play that style. Pop has transformed the O over the years so there's no reason to believe we can't make more out of more weapons available.

The lazy/no heart take is puzzling to attribute to one of the hardest working guys in the league (DeMar), a guy coming off a serious injury (Rudy) whose value grew on BOTH ends of the court as he got better, and for a team that despite season-long friction with a weird and tense situation still came together to make the playoffs. They fought and fought hard. With a drama-free locker room, players with a chip on their shoulders, and more weapons, there's every expectation for them to be driven. Just a weird perception, but people see what they filter through, I guess...

I mean, there are lots of good teams to watch on LP, but if someone got it for one team in particular whose decisions someone doesn't like, then sure, it's not worth the time or money to stay aggravated.

Yes, the question of alpha in terms of leadership needs to be answered with the vets gone, but Pop is at the helm, and the excellent coaching staff is in place, and there is an opportunity for guys to step up. It may be Dejounte, but I think it'll be more by committee, both in terms of scoring and leadership. That's a good thing for a team that has long been espousing the team concept.

I just don't see the turnover as some doom and gloom given the positives. There is no reason to believe Pop will use DeMar and Rudy like they have been when together in the past, and no reason to believe he can't do it better. And - this can't be stressed enough - the addition by subtraction alone will make watching this year all the more refreshing. I'm looking forward to see how the guys come together.

good post and thanks for the effort. I'll make mine a tad shorter. The fact that the spurs now have TWO all stars who made 2ND ALL NBA teams. Only two teams in the league have had that last year. That's definitely something special to have whether advanced stats are right or wrong, as they usually don't tell the full story.

I really think DD and LA will be a deadly duo in the pick and pop. It already sounds like an unguardable two man game. DeRozan is a very good passer.

[mirrornick]

FInally canceled league pass. The Derozan trade was a significant factor in this decision. The Manu retirement was the final nail in the coffin. I cannot in good conscience support a team with so much players I dislike. Derozan, Gay, Pau...all horrible, lazy basketball players. Nothing to do with their personalities. I'm sure they're all good locker room guys but their style of playing is not conducive to winning bball. I don't really like LMA and his awful, inefficient poor man's Dirk style either but he was the only exception I was willing to make. The front office has gone backwards from 2014 and collected a group of players that were designed to play bball in the mid 2000s. A bunch of rejects that don't belong in the current NBA. Manu's retirement(and Duncan's two years ago) signals the death of the Spurs. The current group has no heart or drive for winning bball. LMA, Derozan, Gay are all playoff choke artists. Pau stopped playing motivated bball after leaving the Bulls and is simply collecting a check. This is a horribly constructed team that only exists so Pop doesn't have to coach a lottery team in the final two years of his career.

I wonder if you will take it back if somehow the Spurs over exceed your expectations. Will you admit that you were wrong?

[imagump1313]

It's strange to make prognostications about the future of a team that has not played a minute together. We've gotten younger with re-signings, trade, and draft, and are more balanced on O with FAs and trade, even if yes, vets and good defensive players have moved on. We were handcuffed into making a move, and got back a good scorer, a good C prospect - both needs, and a pick, even if protected. I don't blame Grizz for making an offer for Kyle, and hoped we'd match, but even Grizz management said they overpaid to get him. I hope for the best for Kyle, but our D wasn't the issue last year, and the D-focused program hasn't gone anywhere. Everyone who plays here understands where the focus and effort has to be. I don't expect a big drop off, even with DeMar's D concerns. After all, his previous team still had good overall D with him, and he'll be held accountable here. There will be some growing pains, no doubt, but better balance.

LMA had his best season as a Spur, at 23.1 PPG almost matching his best Blazer 23.4PPG on career best .520eFG%, and at 29.4% usage. You can not like LMA's game or that we used him so much last season, but we pretty much had to with no consistently reliable secondary scoring option. Now that we have a slashing scorer who gets to the line a lot and better outside shooters, it can only help. I get that the trend is to 3-shooting (I happen to think it's ugly, boring basketball - sometimes almost half the shots are 3s!, all the more so when a team enslaves itself to the latest trend rather than maximizing the strengths of its roster, and then starts skipping fundamentals like executing a fast break high with a high percentage layup for a pull up 3 - drives me crazy when it's not absolutely necessary), but there's no point in shoehorning a style or doing a scorched earth with the roster just because we don't play that style. Pop has transformed the O over the years so there's no reason to believe we can't make more out of more weapons available.

The lazy/no heart take is puzzling to attribute to one of the hardest working guys in the league (DeMar), a guy coming off a serious injury (Rudy) whose value grew on BOTH ends of the court as he got better, and for a team that despite season-long friction with a weird and tense situation still came together to make the playoffs. They fought and fought hard. With a drama-free locker room, players with a chip on their shoulders, and more weapons, there's every expectation for them to be driven. Just a weird perception, but people see what they filter through, I guess...

I mean, there are lots of good teams to watch on LP, but if someone got it for one team in particular whose decisions someone doesn't like, then sure, it's not worth the time or money to stay aggravated.

Yes, the question of alpha in terms of leadership needs to be answered with the vets gone, but Pop is at the helm, and the excellent coaching staff is in place, and there is an opportunity for guys to step up. It may be Dejounte, but I think it'll be more by committee, both in terms of scoring and leadership. That's a good thing for a team that has long been espousing the team concept.

I just don't see the turnover as some doom and gloom given the positives. There is no reason to believe Pop will use DeMar and Rudy like they have been when together in the past, and no reason to believe he can't do it better. And - this can't be stressed enough - the addition by subtraction alone will make watching this year all the more refreshing. I'm looking forward to see how the guys come together.

Yes, I agree that I dont understand the hate vented at the organization and the team. Its like people are blaming the Spurs because people got old. We all knew it was going to happen eventually. We actually got 4 or 5 years more than most of us thought.

I'm skeptical about this blend of guys but we haven't seen them play together at all. We have improved in a bunch of areas that we lacked the last few years. We are pretty damn deep even with losing Parker and Ginoibli. We are a ton more athletic than we have been in years. We finally have a couple of people who can get their own shot when we need a basket who aren't 40ish years old.

Maybe its the fanboi in me, but I for one think Derozen's playoff problems were more about scheme and coaching than it was about him. Reading the Toronto boards I got the feeling most people hated that coach and I don't understand why he let them fall back into their old habits again soo easily in the playoffs. I will be interested to see how DD plays with this coaching group.
People saying he needs to shoot a bunch of 3's I just dont get. We have plenty of 3 point shooters. What we didn't have was exactly what DeRozan is. A guy who can get his own shot and can score going to the basket.

People ragging on Rudy gay being selfish I understand but I have not seen one bit of that since he has been here. He was finally getting healthy in the playoffs last year and you could say he was our 2nd best player behind Aldridge in the playoffs even though he still wasn't 100%.

Yes, its not the Spurs we have been spoiled with but I think we have the potential to be pretty darn good if certain things go right. Maybe even better than we would have if we just kept Leonard IMO.

[Ballings7]

Rudy when he was healthy, was a top-3 player for this team and reliable every game. Rebounded, defended hard, and took shots within his means. Didn't complain about his role or shots.

Playing as small-ball four is when he's at his best, but can still defend the bigger SFs competently.

Two great examples of his play:

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

He helped win numerous games with his 4th qtr play.

[mirrornick]

Do you guys think it's possible for DD to put up 25-28 PPG on the spurs' system?

[Donald Kaufman]

It's strange to make prognostications about the future of a team that has not played a minute together. We've gotten younger with re-signings, trade, and draft, and are more balanced on O with FAs and trade, even if yes, vets and good defensive players have moved on. We were handcuffed into making a move, and got back a good scorer, a good C prospect - both needs, and a pick, even if protected. I don't blame Grizz for making an offer for Kyle, and hoped we'd match, but even Grizz management said they overpaid to get him. I hope for the best for Kyle, but our D wasn't the issue last year, and the D-focused program hasn't gone anywhere. Everyone who plays here understands where the focus and effort has to be. I don't expect a big drop off, even with DeMar's D concerns. After all, his previous team still had good overall D with him, and he'll be held accountable here. There will be some growing pains, no doubt, but better balance.

LMA had his best season as a Spur, at 23.1 PPG almost matching his best Blazer 23.4PPG on career best .520eFG%, and at 29.4% usage. You can not like LMA's game or that we used him so much last season, but we pretty much had to with no consistently reliable secondary scoring option. Now that we have a slashing scorer who gets to the line a lot and better outside shooters, it can only help. I get that the trend is to 3-shooting (I happen to think it's ugly, boring basketball - sometimes almost half the shots are 3s!, all the more so when a team enslaves itself to the latest trend rather than maximizing the strengths of its roster, and then starts skipping fundamentals like executing a fast break high with a high percentage layup for a pull up 3 - drives me crazy when it's not absolutely necessary), but there's no point in shoehorning a style or doing a scorched earth with the roster just because we don't play that style. Pop has transformed the O over the years so there's no reason to believe we can't make more out of more weapons available.

The lazy/no heart take is puzzling to attribute to one of the hardest working guys in the league (DeMar), a guy coming off a serious injury (Rudy) whose value grew on BOTH ends of the court as he got better, and for a team that despite season-long friction with a weird and tense situation still came together to make the playoffs. They fought and fought hard. With a drama-free locker room, players with a chip on their shoulders, and more weapons, there's every expectation for them to be driven. Just a weird perception, but people see what they filter through, I guess...

I mean, there are lots of good teams to watch on LP, but if someone got it for one team in particular whose decisions someone doesn't like, then sure, it's not worth the time or money to stay aggravated.

Yes, the question of alpha in terms of leadership needs to be answered with the vets gone, but Pop is at the helm, and the excellent coaching staff is in place, and there is an opportunity for guys to step up. It may be Dejounte, but I think it'll be more by committee, both in terms of scoring and leadership. That's a good thing for a team that has long been espousing the team concept.

I just don't see the turnover as some doom and gloom given the positives. There is no reason to believe Pop will use DeMar and Rudy like they have been when together in the past, and no reason to believe he can't do it better. And - this can't be stressed enough - the addition by subtraction alone will make watching this year all the more refreshing. I'm looking forward to see how the guys come together.

Assessing how your team might perform based on offseason movements it pretty normal to me. I don't see what's so strange about it. It's called being a fan.

We can either like the moves made and current construction of the roster or we can hate it. We can be indifferent if we want. It's up to the individual fan.

I'm keen to see how the roster will go, I'm not expecting to compete with the Warriors, but to be fair who can claim that anyway.

I do think it's an awkward mix of players, and I do feel like it's a bunch of players that play an antiquated style of basketball. Pop is renowned for zigging when the league is zagging, so maybe this style that conflicts with the norm will surprise some opponents. I'm more than happy to be proven wrong.

I agree with your point about 3's. I think that part of the game is less exciting than the casual fan makes it out to be. Curry getting hot and hitting from well outside the arc is exciting to me - the 27 straight misses from deep in the WCF by the Rockets was excruciating. Those that live by the 3 tend to die by it too, at some point.

[imagump1313]

Do you guys think it's possible for DD to put up 25-28 PPG on the spurs' system?

Its easily possible but until we see what the coaching philosophy is going to be its hard to tell.
The Spurs like to spread it around.
People are going to have to be able to hit threes consistently(Mills, Bertans , Forbes, Bellineli...etc) otherwise the middle is going to be too clogged up.
DeRozan is going to play with a chip on his shoulder probably but will there be enough mid range shots between Him, Aldridge and Gay to score a ton?
Without seeing the team play I would guess 21-26 ppg but that could change depending on what our identity is going to be.

[mirrornick]

Do you guys think it's possible for DD to put up 25-28 PPG on the spurs' system?

Its easily possible but until we see what the coaching philosophy is going to be its hard to tell.
The Spurs like to spread it around.
People are going to have to be able to hit threes consistently(Mills, Bertans , Forbes, Bellineli...etc) otherwise the middle is going to be too clogged up.
DeRozan is going to play with a chip on his shoulder probably but will there be enough mid range shots between Him, Aldridge and Gay to score a ton?
Without seeing the team play I would guess 21-26 ppg but that could change depending on what our identity is going to be.

Some raptors posters don't believe that anyone can score 25+ because that's not how the spurs play. So just wanted to ask the spurs fans input.

[G R E Y]

Spoiler:

It's strange to make prognostications about the future of a team that has not played a minute together. We've gotten younger with re-signings, trade, and draft, and are more balanced on O with FAs and trade, even if yes, vets and good defensive players have moved on. We were handcuffed into making a move, and got back a good scorer, a good C prospect - both needs, and a pick, even if protected. I don't blame Grizz for making an offer for Kyle, and hoped we'd match, but even Grizz management said they overpaid to get him. I hope for the best for Kyle, but our D wasn't the issue last year, and the D-focused program hasn't gone anywhere. Everyone who plays here understands where the focus and effort has to be. I don't expect a big drop off, even with DeMar's D concerns. After all, his previous team still had good overall D with him, and he'll be held accountable here. There will be some growing pains, no doubt, but better balance.

LMA had his best season as a Spur, at 23.1 PPG almost matching his best Blazer 23.4PPG on career best .520eFG%, and at 29.4% usage. You can not like LMA's game or that we used him so much last season, but we pretty much had to with no consistently reliable secondary scoring option. Now that we have a slashing scorer who gets to the line a lot and better outside shooters, it can only help. I get that the trend is to 3-shooting (I happen to think it's ugly, boring basketball - sometimes almost half the shots are 3s!, all the more so when a team enslaves itself to the latest trend rather than maximizing the strengths of its roster, and then starts skipping fundamentals like executing a fast break high with a high percentage layup for a pull up 3 - drives me crazy when it's not absolutely necessary), but there's no point in shoehorning a style or doing a scorched earth with the roster just because we don't play that style. Pop has transformed the O over the years so there's no reason to believe we can't make more out of more weapons available.

The lazy/no heart take is puzzling to attribute to one of the hardest working guys in the league (DeMar), a guy coming off a serious injury (Rudy) whose value grew on BOTH ends of the court as he got better, and for a team that despite season-long friction with a weird and tense situation still came together to make the playoffs. They fought and fought hard. With a drama-free locker room, players with a chip on their shoulders, and more weapons, there's every expectation for them to be driven. Just a weird perception, but people see what they filter through, I guess...

I mean, there are lots of good teams to watch on LP, but if someone got it for one team in particular whose decisions someone doesn't like, then sure, it's not worth the time or money to stay aggravated.

Yes, the question of alpha in terms of leadership needs to be answered with the vets gone, but Pop is at the helm, and the excellent coaching staff is in place, and there is an opportunity for guys to step up. It may be Dejounte, but I think it'll be more by committee, both in terms of scoring and leadership. That's a good thing for a team that has long been espousing the team concept.

I just don't see the turnover as some doom and gloom given the positives. There is no reason to believe Pop will use DeMar and Rudy like they have been when together in the past, and no reason to believe he can't do it better. And - this can't be stressed enough - the addition by subtraction alone will make watching this year all the more refreshing. I'm looking forward to see how the guys come together.

Yes, I agree that I dont understand the hate vented at the organization and the team. Its like people are blaming the Spurs because people got old. We all knew it was going to happen eventually. We actually got 4 or 5 years more than most of us thought.

I'm skeptical about this blend of guys but we haven't seen them play together at all. We have improved in a bunch of areas that we lacked the last few years. We are pretty damn deep even with losing Parker and Ginoibli. We are a ton more athletic than we have been in years. We finally have a couple of people who can get their own shot when we need a basket who aren't 40ish years old.

Maybe its the fanboi in me, but I for one think Derozen's playoff problems were more about scheme and coaching than it was about him. Reading the Toronto boards I got the feeling most people hated that coach and I don't understand why he let them fall back into their old habits again soo easily in the playoffs. I will be interested to see how DD plays with this coaching group.
People saying he needs to shoot a bunch of 3's I just dont get. We have plenty of 3 point shooters. What we didn't have was exactly what DeRozan is. A guy who can get his own shot and can score going to the basket.

People ragging on Rudy gay being selfish I understand but I have not seen one bit of that since he has been here. He was finally getting healthy in the playoffs last year and you could say he was our 2nd best player behind Aldridge in the playoffs even though he still wasn't 100%.

Yes, its not the Spurs we have been spoiled with but I think we have the potential to be pretty darn good if certain things go right. Maybe even better than we would have if we just kept Leonard IMO.

I'm not so much skeptical but curious and excited to see how the new guys and young guys and existing guys pull together. There are way more options as you've said and we have more solid players at each position as opposed to last year when we had to fill in gaps by committee, players playing out of position, bench guys playing starter minutes, both due to the team being built around a guy expected to be there but obviously wasn't and so many injuries. It'll be nice to have some positive flow from consistency on and off the court.

About DeMar's PO woes, it's probably what you said plus some combination of doing the same things over and over, and also maybe some mental block about getting over the Cavs wall. The madness of not making adjustments in the POs coupled with nerves of doing the same thing again and again can wear. I agree about the 3 shooting; he won't have to be the guy who is expected to do it all -- which doesn't mean he should be working on it, as I'm sure he will. I'm curious, too, about what Chip can do to help. The main thing will be integrating into the system, and guys meshing and understanding each other's tendencies and preferences within the system in place.

[G R E Y]

Do you guys think it's possible for DD to put up 25-28 PPG on the spurs' system?

Though we got DeMar to fill a need on and of the court, and a dependable scorer who can drive and get to the line is welcome, he won't need to be that guy who shoulders so much of the burden on the O end. A lot of the talk before was that he did so much on O that he had to conserve energy on D. Can't have that here. It's just not how the Spurs system works. Everything flows from the D. So with DeMar being on a new team and in a new system, with the focus of balancing the D and O, even 21-23 is awesome. I don't see him handling the ball as much or holding on to it so long, but that's based on past systems.

The main thing will be integrating everyone into the system and guys getting comfortable in their roles and with each other. In terms of leadership, I hope to see a lot of communication, group huddles when the clock stops, lots of positive support - so by committee and by example.

[mirrornick]

Do you guys think it's possible for DD to put up 25-28 PPG on the spurs' system?

Though we got DeMar to fill a need on and of the court, and a dependable scorer who can drive and get to the line is welcome, he won't need to be that guy who shoulders so much of the burden on the O end. A lot of the talk before was that he did so much on O that he had to conserve energy on D. Can't have that here. It's just not how the Spurs system works. Everything flows from the D. So with DeMar being on a new team and in a new system, with the focus of balancing the D and O, even 21-23 is awesome. I don't see him handling the ball as much or holding on to it so long, but that's based on past systems.

The main thing will be integrating everyone into the system and guys getting comfortable in their roles and with each other. In terms of leadership, I hope to see a lot of communication, group huddles when the clock stops, lots of positive support - so by committee and by example.

I wouldn't really know too much about how the spurs play year in year out due to drastic roster change such as Duncan and Manu retiring, Tony Parker gone too and as well as Kawhi leaving etc

I do think that DD will be asked to create more in the pick and roll as he has done very well in the past. This will be the first time DD plays with an all star big man(Bosh doesn't count as DD was just a rookie). Playing with LMA will benefit him a lot. DeMar is hard to guard out the pick and roll so I can already imagine Aldridge will have a field day from the 14-17FT range. Will be interesting to see the team develop chemistry from the get go. I think the Spurs will finish top 3 in the west. The media and analytics stats nerds are writing them off for all the wrong reasons.

[G R E Y]

Spoiler:

It's strange to make prognostications about the future of a team that has not played a minute together. We've gotten younger with re-signings, trade, and draft, and are more balanced on O with FAs and trade, even if yes, vets and good defensive players have moved on. We were handcuffed into making a move, and got back a good scorer, a good C prospect - both needs, and a pick, even if protected. I don't blame Grizz for making an offer for Kyle, and hoped we'd match, but even Grizz management said they overpaid to get him. I hope for the best for Kyle, but our D wasn't the issue last year, and the D-focused program hasn't gone anywhere. Everyone who plays here understands where the focus and effort has to be. I don't expect a big drop off, even with DeMar's D concerns. After all, his previous team still had good overall D with him, and he'll be held accountable here. There will be some growing pains, no doubt, but better balance.

LMA had his best season as a Spur, at 23.1 PPG almost matching his best Blazer 23.4PPG on career best .520eFG%, and at 29.4% usage. You can not like LMA's game or that we used him so much last season, but we pretty much had to with no consistently reliable secondary scoring option. Now that we have a slashing scorer who gets to the line a lot and better outside shooters, it can only help. I get that the trend is to 3-shooting (I happen to think it's ugly, boring basketball - sometimes almost half the shots are 3s!, all the more so when a team enslaves itself to the latest trend rather than maximizing the strengths of its roster, and then starts skipping fundamentals like executing a fast break high with a high percentage layup for a pull up 3 - drives me crazy when it's not absolutely necessary), but there's no point in shoehorning a style or doing a scorched earth with the roster just because we don't play that style. Pop has transformed the O over the years so there's no reason to believe we can't make more out of more weapons available.

The lazy/no heart take is puzzling to attribute to one of the hardest working guys in the league (DeMar), a guy coming off a serious injury (Rudy) whose value grew on BOTH ends of the court as he got better, and for a team that despite season-long friction with a weird and tense situation still came together to make the playoffs. They fought and fought hard. With a drama-free locker room, players with a chip on their shoulders, and more weapons, there's every expectation for them to be driven. Just a weird perception, but people see what they filter through, I guess...

I mean, there are lots of good teams to watch on LP, but if someone got it for one team in particular whose decisions someone doesn't like, then sure, it's not worth the time or money to stay aggravated.

Yes, the question of alpha in terms of leadership needs to be answered with the vets gone, but Pop is at the helm, and the excellent coaching staff is in place, and there is an opportunity for guys to step up. It may be Dejounte, but I think it'll be more by committee, both in terms of scoring and leadership. That's a good thing for a team that has long been espousing the team concept.

I just don't see the turnover as some doom and gloom given the positives. There is no reason to believe Pop will use DeMar and Rudy like they have been when together in the past, and no reason to believe he can't do it better. And - this can't be stressed enough - the addition by subtraction alone will make watching this year all the more refreshing. I'm looking forward to see how the guys come together.

Assessing how your team might perform based on offseason movements it pretty normal to me. I don't see what's so strange about it. It's called being a fan.

We can either like the moves made and current construction of the roster or we can hate it. We can be indifferent if we want. It's up to the individual fan.

I'm keen to see how the roster will go, I'm not expecting to compete with the Warriors, but to be fair who can claim that anyway.

I do think it's an awkward mix of players, and I do feel like it's a bunch of players that play an antiquated style of basketball. Pop is renowned for zigging when the league is zagging, so maybe this style that conflicts with the norm will surprise some opponents. I'm more than happy to be proven wrong.

I agree with your point about 3's. I think that part of the game is less exciting than the casual fan makes it out to be. Curry getting hot and hitting from well outside the arc is exciting to me - the 27 straight misses from deep in the WCF by the Rockets was excruciating. Those that live by the 3 tend to die by it too, at some point.

Sure fans can assess off-season changes and give opinions about it. It's more to do with being so sure of the outcome based on the moves that OP won't watch anymore. And this based in part on assessments of Rudy being lazy - not true, and LMA being inefficient - also not true.

I like the mix of players for versatility and roster options - we've gotten more athletic and have line-up combinations that can score. As to the style, well, it likely won't be the 3 barrage, although we look better prepared for shooting it with the players we have. But you maximize the strengths of the players; we happen to have some top midrange-game players, now surrounded by quality 3 shooters. I like the zigging/zagging description. You do what works best for your team, and if it throws other teams off all the better. I'm curious to see how we actually play, but am at least as interested in the D fundamentals.

Speaking of the Rockets, I'd have to go back and check but I think in almost if not all of their RS games against us they shot close to if not at 50% of all FGs from beyond the arc. Oh my God. Brutal. Moving screens that pushed our players who were going over them into the vicinity of Harden and got called for fouls only incensed players and fans all the more.

If we get back to more ball and off-ball movement and variety of scoring which we now have I'm all for it.

[mirrornick]

I don't understand how someone can enjoy watching teams chuck 3s in transition 30 times a game and call it good basketball just because analytics said so.

That's a whole other topic of discussion that I would rather not discuss in a DD thread.