Spurs new players and team

[90sgoat]

Spurs are my favorite team as an unpartial observer (then Chicago, then OKC), but I am having some difficulty figuring out exactly how these new players are going to fit in the Spurs offense.

LMA and David West both are post players who prefer an iso over the fast paced offense. Duncan does too. We have 3 players who want to get post plays made for them.

Then we have Kawhi who is quick becoming alpha dog and needs the lane clear for drives, the same with Parker who still has to eat.

How will Pop adapt? I don't think they can just plug and play with these new players, the system has to change somewhat too unless we're going to get a Karl Malone on Lakers type situation.

[Akrazotile]

Honestly, when I was watching the game last night, I felt like the Spurs are going to have a dilemma this year - namely that Diaw is simply a better fit for them than Aldridge. Diaw should be getting more of the minutes and be playing in crunch time... But the sensitive Aldridge would probably not be happy about that.

West is a nice bench addition and I think he is willing to just contribute what he can when he can, and it looks like he def still has value as a rotation guy.

But I think Aldridge probably thinks hes better than he is and is going to be expecting to get "first option treatment." Which he prob will get more of once Duncan retires, but THIS year, Duncan-Diaw is their best froncourt tandem. Will be interesting.

[90sgoat]

But I think Aldridge probably thinks hes better than he is and is going to be expecting to get "first option treatment." Which he prob will get more of once Duncan retires, but THIS year, Duncan-Diaw is their best froncourt tandem. Will be interesting.

Yep, that's what I see too. Kawhi and LMA are going to be a nice 1-2 punch in the next 3-4 years, when Duncan/Manu retire (next season probably) and Parker will be ok with being less of a scorer.

This season though, LMA could basically be his most valuable for the Spurs scoring around 13-15ppg and grabbing boards. I honestly still think Duncan is better at everything that LMA does except mid range jumpers, but obviously Duncan can't do everything for a full game anymore.

The thing is, as long as Spurs have Duncan then they don't really 'need' LMA. It's more of a nice to have than need to have situation. This is particularly true with West. They could have played West as a starter this season and probably win just as much as with LMA.

[bukowski81]

Boris is definetely not better than Aldridge.

Aldridge can be very usefull and can give different options to the Spurs. For once he is an elite big man that can counter small ball on offense and defense. He is replacing freaking Thiaggo Splitter on the starting 5, how can the Spurs not be better with him??

It has just been one game, typically players need time to adapt to the Spurs. I guess we will have to wait to see how well he will fit.

[Akrazotile]

Boris is definetely not better than Aldridge.

Aldridge can be very usefull and can give different options to the Spurs. For once he is an elite big man that can counter small ball on offense and defense. He is replacing freaking Thiaggo Splitter on the starting 5, how can the Spurs not be better with him??

It has just been one game, typically players need time to adapt to the Spurs. I guess we will have to wait to see how well he will fit.


Boris is a better fit on the Spurs for this year.

They already have Duncan to play through in the post. Aldridge is redundant. Diaw's versatility is huge for this team and is a much better fit playing next to Tim.

[bukowski81]

Boris is a better fit on the Spurs for this year.

They already have Duncan to play through in the post. Aldridge is redundant. Diaw's versatility is huge for this team and is a much better fit playing next to Tim.

No its not, Boris wasnt even a starter when Thiaggo was there. Boris was used to counter small lineups, something Aldridge is much better at.

[LoneyROY7]

Boris is a better fit on the Spurs for this year.

They already have Duncan to play through in the post. Aldridge is redundant. Diaw's versatility is huge for this team and is a much better fit playing next to Tim.

LaMarcus is MUCH more of a jump shooter than Duncan. He operates more on the perimeter than he does in the post.

[Spurs m8]

lol spurs played well and lost in the last 20 seconds to a good team, away from home 1st game of season...bit early to cliff jump tbh .. pop and the fellas will be fine.

[poido123]

It was a close game and looks a 7 game series if they were to match up in the playoffs.


Spurs will be fine.

[imnew09]

Lol season just started... when minutes piling up, the old squad is gonna wear down, LMA is a great option.

Man, y'all mofkas are some dumb a$$es

[Gus Fring]

Spurs will be fine. Aldridge just needs to learn how to make quicker decisions off screens. The spurs got him 4 or 5 times on wide open mid range pull ups and he hesitated. The spurs also missed Aldridge on a couple easy post up opportunities. It's a process but I wouldn't say he doesn't fit.

[RidonKs]

yeah give it some time. spurs have a complicated offense.

there are five guys on the front line worthy of pt...

west
duncan
aldridge
diaw
bonner

we know duncan works well with either west or bonner... but he is getting old. he is especially less effective on the offensive end against bigger players.

honestly i like diaw/aldridge in the starting lineup

diaw and duncan tend to bog down team spacing. not horribly but its noticeable. all three of the other bigs listed above are more consistent and versatile shooters. playing these two together will work amazing most of the time just on the individual brilliance of either dude. but against certain opponents it can lead to stagnant offense.

maybe its heresy but moving duncan to the bench and bringing him in halfway through the 1st, then halfway through the 2nd... he'd be so much more effective against second units.

whatever the case, duncan will still close games cuz he flat out does not fck up. and pop will go with what works for the situation, between diaw and aldridge. neither of those guys are the types to complain or pout. not that the spurs lineup would remotely allow it :lol

[SCdac]

Spurs used a PF/C combo of Duncan/Splitter and Diaw/Duncan when they won their recent championship (Diaw started against the Miami Heat) so I'm not worried about their big men meshing. They'll be fine, just takes time. The season isn't 82 games against Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook's Thunder, Spurs will beat up on some bad teams, build momentum, work things out. Aldridge is a capable player, scorer, rebounder, which will all benefit SA in the long run

[bluechox2]

spurs need to trade aldridge for cousins asap

[Akrazotile]

Spurs used a PF/C combo of Duncan/Splitter and Diaw/Duncan when they won their recent championship (Diaw started against the Miami Heat) so I'm not worried about their big men meshing. They'll be fine, just takes time. The season isn't 82 games against Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook's Thunder, Spurs will beat up on some bad teams, build momentum, work things out. Aldridge is a capable player, scorer, rebounder, which will all benefit SA in the long run


Splitter and Diaw arent guys that expect an offense to go thru them.

The whole reason Aldridge left Portland was because he felt they didnt appreciate him and they wanted to make Lillard their face instead of him. And even aside from that, hes a guy that wants to shoot jumpers from the block. Other than Timmy's patented banker, that's not really what the Spurs do.

I'm not saying it wont work. Just saying I'm not yet convinced. I personally like the way Diaw complements the starting lineup more than Aldridge, but I'm sure Aldridge is expecting to be a starter, play big minutes, get plenty of touches, and finish games. Im not sure that's what's best for this team, this year, but we will see.

[warriorfan]

LaMarcus is going to stretch the floor for Leonard's drives and give room for Duncan to operate in the low post. The fit is a good but they are going to need a little time to build chemistry with the new team.

[dhsilv]

Boris is definetely not better than Aldridge.

Aldridge can be very usefull and can give different options to the Spurs. For once he is an elite big man that can counter small ball on offense and defense. He is replacing freaking Thiaggo Splitter on the starting 5, how can the Spurs not be better with him??

It has just been one game, typically players need time to adapt to the Spurs. I guess we will have to wait to see how well he will fit.

What's with the "freaking" part? Splitter is a REALLY good NBA player who does everything most players don't want to do, and he does it really well. I honestly from a spurs fit stand point am not SOLD Aldridge is better. Now, I honestly think he is due to having the ability to create shots and I think he can be a solid defensive player. Still, I'm not sold it's a fact.

[T_L_P]

If I'm being honest, I think the Spurs would have been better off this year if they brought back the same team as last year - but the Spurs need to plan for when Duncan's gone, and obviously you don't say no to a marque player like Aldridge who can be the face of the franchise with Leonard when Timmy's done.

It'll take time to work this out. Aldridge has never been an efficient scorer and I don't expect that to change here. What I'm hoping for is sustained defensive effort from him, which he seemed to have last night against OKC.

Of course, the biggest question is Parker. I agree with others that we need him to play well to win because he holds the ball in his hands so much and Pop has shown he won't bench him. He looked solid last night but his defensive was atrocious (Thunder went to Dion in the clutch over two of the ten best players in the world because Tony was guarding him), which is why Aldridge's defense will be huge - we can't be playing 3 on 5.

[dhsilv]

yeah give it some time. spurs have a complicated offense.

there are five guys on the front line worthy of pt...

west
duncan
aldridge
diaw
bonner

we know duncan works well with either west or bonner... but he is getting old. he is especially less effective on the offensive end against bigger players.

honestly i like diaw/aldridge in the starting lineup

diaw and duncan tend to bog down team spacing. not horribly but its noticeable. all three of the other bigs listed above are more consistent and versatile shooters. playing these two together will work amazing most of the time just on the individual brilliance of either dude. but against certain opponents it can lead to stagnant offense.

maybe its heresy but moving duncan to the bench and bringing him in halfway through the 1st, then halfway through the 2nd... he'd be so much more effective against second units.

whatever the case, duncan will still close games cuz he flat out does not fck up. and pop will go with what works for the situation, between diaw and aldridge. neither of those guys are the types to complain or pout. not that the spurs lineup would remotely allow it :lol

Duncan's skill is defense and rim protection. that skill is needed against the other team's first unit. His offense being slightly better against a second unit doesn't offset the defensive value add. If we're just talking offense I'd agree.

[dhsilv]

I'm with others that the biggest issue for the spurs are their guards. Green is sold. After him they're counting on Manu to play well and praying Parker can be better than patty mills. It's an issue and I'm not sure what they can do without making a trade (but trade what?)

[SCdac]

Splitter and Diaw arent guys that expect an offense to go thru them.

The whole reason Aldridge left Portland was because he felt they didnt appreciate him and they wanted to make Lillard their face instead of him. And even aside from that, hes a guy that wants to shoot jumpers from the block. Other than Timmy's patented banker, that's not really what the Spurs do.

I'm not saying it wont work. Just saying I'm not yet convinced. I personally like the way Diaw complements the starting lineup more than Aldridge, but I'm sure Aldridge is expecting to be a starter, play big minutes, get plenty of touches, and finish games. Im not sure that's what's best for this team, this year, but we will see.

You're not convinced after 1 game? lol...

Well lets see how game 2 goes, then game 3, game 4, game 5, etc.

The season is a marathon. By the playoffs, nobody will even care about the first week of basketball.

There will be games where Aldridge shines more than others, then a game where Parker shines more than others and "takes over", then Kawhi, and so on and so on. The Spurs play much different than the Blazers and I'm sure Aldridge is fully aware.

As for midrange jumpers, it wasn't Tiago's forte (he's not a good shooter in general), but Spurs have had plenty of shooting from the mid range over the years. Even Rasho and Nazr of 10 years ago put up jumpers periodically, and they were centers. Antonio McDyess more recently shot alot of jumpers and Duncan shoots a fair amount throughout his career (not all bank shots either). Adding LMA is a solid move for the team in that respect.

Personally, I love that at any point the Spurs can post up Kawhi, Aldridge, or Duncan in the mid-high post. It will take some time to mesh but it's great to have that.

Think the Spurs will miss Belinelli's shooting though. He stretched the floor nicely when neither Patty, Green, or Manu were in the game

[Spurs m8]

Game needed Boban tbh
Even just for 5 mins to slap Kancer and Adams around

[thefatmiral]

Never considered alridge a winner. Anway I hope he blends well, he's overrated to me.

[KNOW1EDGE]

Honestly, when I was watching the game last night, I felt like the Spurs are going to have a dilemma this year - namely that Diaw is simply a better fit for them than Aldridge. Diaw should be getting more of the minutes and be playing in crunch time... But the sensitive Aldridge would probably not be happy about that.

West is a nice bench addition and I think he is willing to just contribute what he can when he can, and it looks like he def still has value as a rotation guy.

But I think Aldridge probably thinks hes better than he is and is going to be expecting to get "first option treatment." Which he prob will get more of once Duncan retires, but THIS year, Duncan-Diaw is their best froncourt tandem. Will be interesting.

Aldridge is the best player on the Spurs.

You don't bench your best player for Boris Diaw, ever.

Why would you sign LMA to bench him for Boris Diaw? -You wouldnt, ever.

[KNOW1EDGE]

Splitter and Diaw arent guys that expect an offense to go thru them.

The whole reason Aldridge left Portland was because he felt they didnt appreciate him and they wanted to make Lillard their face instead of him. And even aside from that, hes a guy that wants to shoot jumpers from the block. Other than Timmy's patented banker, that's not really what the Spurs do.

I'm not saying it wont work. Just saying I'm not yet convinced. I personally like the way Diaw complements the starting lineup more than Aldridge, but I'm sure Aldridge is expecting to be a starter, play big minutes, get plenty of touches, and finish games. Im not sure that's what's best for this team, this year, but we will see.

How do you come up with this stuff? :oldlol:

[Foster5k]

Aldridge is the best player on the Spurs.
:biggums:

[KNOW1EDGE]

:biggums:

:biggums:

[NZStreetBaller]

Dont worry about how players fit man. Pop is literally a genius when it comes to basketball mechanics and getting a team to gel.

[T_L_P]

:biggums:

:biggums:

[Mike Armstrong]

spurs need to trade aldridge for cousins asap
Pop wouldn't stand for Cousins' immaturity.

[Mike Armstrong]

Aldridge is the best player on the Spurs.

You don't bench your best player for Boris Diaw, ever.

Why would you sign LMA to bench him for Boris Diaw? -You wouldnt, ever.

Leonard is.

[rmt]

Diaw has played with Duncan for what 4 years? This is just the first real game with Aldridge - patience is needed. I'm not worried about the big men at all. Aldridge and West are a HUGE upgrade over Splitter.

The worry should be about the SF, SG and PG depth. Manu is old and cannot be relied on for the RS. There's no true backup for Leonard and as he hasn't played more than what 66 games in any season - that's a concern. Parker is the big question mark. He's gonna get burned by the PGs of the West - Westbrooke, Paul, Lillard, etc. on the defensive end and Pop made a big mistake playing him so much vs LAC. 10 mins more of Patty and they probably would have gotten by them.

[Proctor]

Diaw has played with Duncan for what 4 years? This is just the first real game with Aldridge - patience is needed. I'm not worried about the big men at all. Aldridge and West are a HUGE upgrade over Splitter.

The worry should be about the SF, SG and PG depth. Manu is old and cannot be relied on for the RS. There's no true backup for Leonard and as he hasn't played more than what 66 games in any season - that's a concern. Parker is the big question mark. He's gonna get burned by the PGs of the West - Westbrooke, Paul, Lillard, etc. on the defensive end and Pop made a big mistake playing him so much vs LAC. 10 mins more of Patty and they probably would have gotten by them.
Hopefully McCallum can crack the rotation somehow and give 5-7 PPG, that would be nice. Parker won't be what he was, but as long as he isn't a negative to have on the court, the Spurs should be fine.

[rmt]

Hopefully McCallum can crack the rotation somehow and give 5-7 PPG, that would be nice. Parker won't be what he was, but as long as he isn't a negative to have on the court, the Spurs should be fine.

It's a long regular season. Joseph and Belli gave TP and Manu rest in RS. Now there's Anderson who's unproven and scrubs. There's no room for the inevitable injuries. They need a veteran (a la Bellinelli) backcourt player (instead of Bonner who is superfluous) - what they have is not enough even if Anderson works out (to Joseph's level).