Sure, the off shooting night could be attributed to the new system, meaningless game, etc etc etc, but his current conditioning is pretty startling. I've never seen LMA that out of shape going into the season. It doesn't indicate a guy who is hungry to win a championship.
Yeah, I agree...I am surprised to hear he's THAT out of shape. He never did that here, even when we didn't have a shot at contending. I guess a huge, guaranteed contract will do that to you.
Come to think of it, the way Popovich likes to rest guys all season in preparation for the playoffs, maybe he told LaTex to take it easy over the summer, and LaTex really took him at his word?
I'm thinking he really made a mistake signing in San Antinio. If the Spurs don't make the WCF he will be thought of as a huge failure. If they win a title it'll be primarily the Spurs culture and the other title winning teammates that allowed him to succeed. If he'd gone to Phoenix and got them into the second round he'd be a savior. Getting to the finals would put him in the hall of fame. That team has Chandler and improving Len at center. Spurs have a 39 year old along with a 35 year old West who is a PF not a center. Tyson seems old but he's an actual legit two way center better than LaMarcus has ever had while being a couple years younger than David West. They have Bledsoe and Knight at the guard spots. I don't believe Tony Parker will ever be healthy and effective as many remember him. Kawhi is definitely a stud but outside of him nobody on that Spurs team projects above average long term.
There's an interesting article about the Spurs on ESPN, but I thought this graph was pretty funny. Look at those comparisons
LaMarcus Aldridge Misses Game With Back Spasms OCT 15, 2015 11:47 AM LaMarcus Aldridge missed Wednesday's preseason game with back spasms. Aldridge said he awoke in the team hotel with a stiff back. “Probably just slept funny,” said Aldridge, who was walking gingerly in the locker room before the game. Aldridge hopes to return by Sunday, when he is scheduled to make his home preseason debut against Detroit.
LaMarcus was the biggest complainer in interviews about how hard he had to work and how tired he was. I'm sure he's enjoying a coach that sits him out of games because he slept wrong.
Holy crap, I checked the box score of the game and even without Aldridge, the Spurs played 18 players - 17 of them at least 9 minutes. But, that's what preseason is for. Give the vets a little burn to shake off the rust, try different combinations and most of all, evaluate the guys who are fighting it out for the last few roster spots. ATL also played 17 players, but some of them were just 3 or 4 minutes. BNM
That photo looks like LaMarcus has gone full Felton. And it's nice to see Pops already training LaMarcus to come up with good...well, excuses to get out of playing.