Granted, their third best player is out with an injury, but this team has absolutely no (quality) depth whatsoever. They are off to an 0-3 start and now Tony Parker is out for two weeks. To make things even more difficult, Bruce Bowen is declining faster than anyone expected. *Desmon Farmer *George Hill *Roger Mason (actually, he's been a pleasant surprise) *Matt Bonner *Anthony Tolliiver *Jacque Vaughn Just a brutal bench!
They're minus Tony Parker with an ankle sprain now too. I wouldn't count them out too quickly though, they have that annoying habit of getting the job done no matter what. All we can hope for is that they fall into so deep of a hole they can't get out.
I think Mason is starting, actually. Finley is coming off the bench... which makes sense at his age (35). Udoka is their best bench player... just goes to show how shallow that team is. And it's not like their starting five is that great, either. Mason is 28 and only started 9 games on a mediocre Wizards team last year. Kurt Thomas is 36. Bowen (as you mention) has hit a wall at age 37. Just not an impressive team, even when you give them Manu back. Once their aura of invincibility is punctured (as it might be if they continue to struggle the next couple of weeks) they might be out of contention for HCA and, maybe, for a playoff spot altogether. Ed O.
You can tell they are desperate with the new rumor floating around about San Antonio making a push for Eddy Curry.
I don't count out the Spurs. They know how to turn it on down the stretch. My question is... where is Robert Horry?
They've taken "role player" to a whole new level. I know they've pulled out some surprises before, but I think I know less players on their roster than any other team in the league.
After watching league pass for the first 10 days my opinion is there is a lot of balance in the league. San Antonio will make a strong push when everyone is healthy and make the playoffs. But I don't see a lot of bad teams out there. I see a lot more teams winning between 35 and 45 games this year compared to the past. Only a handfull of elite teams and very very few bad teams.
I agree Pinwheel. It looks like lots of teams are playing well that people did not expect to play as well. Only the Wizards and Clippers are late to the party. Thunder sucks too.
Their core hasn't been healthy and together yet. Have they been bad so far? Yup. But it's still way too early to count them out.
Love the new self-portrait in your avatar, Todd'! My how you've changed in looks since retiring from The League!
I like the Spurs and think they're actually one of the few teams in the league that could win the championship this year. Like all teams, they need some luck on the health front to be all they can. But I do have a small wager on the Blazers vs the Spurs in their respective overall records this year. I'm feeling pretty good about my chances of collecting at this point. Losing Parker for a stretch (on top of Manu and their bad start) is going to dig them a hole. STOMP
I can't count out the Spurs. Once they get healthy, they'll be a lot better. In reality, any team that loses 2 of its top 3 players is admittedly going to struggle. As for their bench, I think it might be a little underrated. While they're not the greatest players, they fit their role on that team...when that team is healthy. Obviously it's going to be exposed right now with the injury issues, but when the team is healthy, the bench can be more effective. Especially when you consider Manu is the 6th man....he's the ultimate trump card off any teams bench.
Duncan is declining (not to say he's not still a tremendous player, but no longer a top-five player), Bowen has declined to Trenton Hassell-esque levels, Ginobili is hurt a lot, and they have no depth. They are light years from the dominant team that they were just a couple of seasons ago. I think they should still make the playoffs (Duncan, Parker and Ginobili are still far too good to drop below eight teams in the West), but I think they're very unlikely to have home court advantage. The Lakers, Rockets, Hornets and Jazz should be significantly better.
I wouldn't really say Duncan is declining. He's coming off a very good season and has put up ridiculous numbers to start this year. And personally, I'd still take him as a top five player. He's still the best defensive post presence in the NBA and the best post player in the NBa. And you're right, home court is pretty unlikely, but it's not because they're not an "elite" team anymore, it's because of a couple things. First, the injuries are kicking their ass. Any team that loses their best scorer is going to struggle...and then when you lose another one of your 3 best players, you're going to struggle even more. Secondly, the rest of the West is just getting too damn good. The Lakers have been outstanding this year, and I expect that to continue. The Hornets had a huge coming out party last year and should continue. The Jazz are for real and will only get better once Deron is healthy. And, if the Rockets trio can stay healthy, they should be a lock for home court. It's really not the Spurs have digressed or anything, cause they're still damn good, but injuries have hurt them and the rest of the West continues to get stronger.
Well, I disagree with you on basically every point, clearly. I think they've regressed a great deal. In addition, the West is strong (though, I disagree that the conference is getting stronger...for each team that has risen, like the Rockets or Hornets or Jazz, another team has dropped, like the Mavericks, Suns and Spurs) and the Spurs are facing injuries. Parker's injury is bad luck. Ginobili's injury is not as much bad luck, as he's a health risk.
What injuries? Manu and ... what? They barely beat the Wolves and they haven't beaten anyone else. If Parker AND Manu had been out for this stretch, I'd be much more likely to buy your line of thinking. Ed O.
We beat them and we had 2 of our 5 starters out. The Spurs are done, they make the playoffs, but that is it. Their bench is just not good enough anymore. Bowen is not a stopper anymore, he has become just a cheap shot artist since that is the only way he can hang with the players anymore. I used to be a Bowen fan, he has just fallen in talent level very quickly.
