I just wanted to make a quick post, regarding the infamous San Antonio Spurs. Each and ever year, since 2007, it seems that we overlook them and use the "age" thing as an excuse for them to fall. While none of us can predict the future or how a star will age, it seems we've always been somewhat skeptical and negative to the Spurs. Especially to Tim Duncan.
Timmy has had an amazing season, playing just around 30 minutes a night and filling it up as if he's gotten better somehow. To think he would somehow fall off the basketball planet at the age of 32 (back when we all felt they were done) shows how much of the NBA fan base is from bigger markets. Tim Duncan is a first ballot Hall of Famer. He came into the NBA as an All-Star caliber player, able to put up 20 points, 10 rebounds, and block tons of shots. He's done so for well over a decade, and this season at 16 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks a game he is still as efficient and effective as ever. He is the Big Fundamentalist, and while many find his game boring. The fact that he rarely plays outside of himself and his game has never relied on athleticism should of been proof enough he would have a great career till the age of near 40. Throw in his lack of injury history and why did we all write him off 5 years ago...
Because the media said so. Yet every year he's proven us wrong. He helped the Spurs to a 7 game NBA finals last season, and again we assume they will fall off the top tier in the NBA as a team. Not only do we massively underrate Tim Duncan, along with aging Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, but we simply don't grasp that the Spurs have the best coach in the NBA in Greg Poppovich along with a great management team and scouts. Year in and year out they find players to add to their roster via the draft, always with late first rounders or second rounders. The scouts get these picks right so often, and they are also great at finding NBA players sitting on benches the year before that fit their system great and keep them going strong.
The Spurs are a shining example of a true franchise. It's not just the aging stars they have who keep up their level of play every year, but it's the role players they put around them each and every year. Take Danny Green, for example, a borderline NBA player before they added him to their team to be that defender and 3pt specialist. One year he's a 12th man on a bad team, the next year he's the Spurs starting Shooting-Guard. Finding these pieces is so hard in reality, as play ego's and skills can truly make or break a situation. But every single year the Spurs add at least one player that isn't a star (or starter) and that player ends up having a career season. This year that player is Marco Bellinelli.
Aside from that, Poppovich and the Spurs coaches are great at developing players. Look what they have done with Patty Mills, who is having a career year and is one of the best backup Point-Guard's in the NBA. They did the same with George Hill, who they snagged late in the draft years back. What seemed like a risky move in trading him for a draft pick to the Pacers turned into gold as they took Kawhi Leonard in the mid-late first round. They saw true talent in him while other teams didn't and passed on him in the draft lottery; if the draft was redone he would be a top 5 pick. Not only was he talented, but they've slowly developed him into a future All-Star, a great two way player, and a great young piece to use as their core aging 3 retire, leave, or finally stop balling at such a great rate.
The Spurs are a great team and franchise, and once again they have the best record in the NBA. I couldn't help but laugh how nobody seemed to care or pay attention during their 16 (or 18) game winning streak, while a 10 game win streak from the Clippers or Heat garnered so much attention. Just because it's a smaller market team doesn't change anything; we should of learned this by now.
Until Poppovich retires the Spurs will be a top team in the NBA for years to come, even post-Duncan era. How a team is always the top regular season team and constantly getting to the NBA Finals over the past 15-20 years is mind-boggling, especially when people continue to doubt them.
The Spurs look like the best team in the NBA again, with great depth and chemistry all around. I wouldn't be surprised to see them in the Finals again this year, let alone winning it again.
Timmy has had an amazing season, playing just around 30 minutes a night and filling it up as if he's gotten better somehow. To think he would somehow fall off the basketball planet at the age of 32 (back when we all felt they were done) shows how much of the NBA fan base is from bigger markets. Tim Duncan is a first ballot Hall of Famer. He came into the NBA as an All-Star caliber player, able to put up 20 points, 10 rebounds, and block tons of shots. He's done so for well over a decade, and this season at 16 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks a game he is still as efficient and effective as ever. He is the Big Fundamentalist, and while many find his game boring. The fact that he rarely plays outside of himself and his game has never relied on athleticism should of been proof enough he would have a great career till the age of near 40. Throw in his lack of injury history and why did we all write him off 5 years ago...
Because the media said so. Yet every year he's proven us wrong. He helped the Spurs to a 7 game NBA finals last season, and again we assume they will fall off the top tier in the NBA as a team. Not only do we massively underrate Tim Duncan, along with aging Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, but we simply don't grasp that the Spurs have the best coach in the NBA in Greg Poppovich along with a great management team and scouts. Year in and year out they find players to add to their roster via the draft, always with late first rounders or second rounders. The scouts get these picks right so often, and they are also great at finding NBA players sitting on benches the year before that fit their system great and keep them going strong.
The Spurs are a shining example of a true franchise. It's not just the aging stars they have who keep up their level of play every year, but it's the role players they put around them each and every year. Take Danny Green, for example, a borderline NBA player before they added him to their team to be that defender and 3pt specialist. One year he's a 12th man on a bad team, the next year he's the Spurs starting Shooting-Guard. Finding these pieces is so hard in reality, as play ego's and skills can truly make or break a situation. But every single year the Spurs add at least one player that isn't a star (or starter) and that player ends up having a career season. This year that player is Marco Bellinelli.
Aside from that, Poppovich and the Spurs coaches are great at developing players. Look what they have done with Patty Mills, who is having a career year and is one of the best backup Point-Guard's in the NBA. They did the same with George Hill, who they snagged late in the draft years back. What seemed like a risky move in trading him for a draft pick to the Pacers turned into gold as they took Kawhi Leonard in the mid-late first round. They saw true talent in him while other teams didn't and passed on him in the draft lottery; if the draft was redone he would be a top 5 pick. Not only was he talented, but they've slowly developed him into a future All-Star, a great two way player, and a great young piece to use as their core aging 3 retire, leave, or finally stop balling at such a great rate.
The Spurs are a great team and franchise, and once again they have the best record in the NBA. I couldn't help but laugh how nobody seemed to care or pay attention during their 16 (or 18) game winning streak, while a 10 game win streak from the Clippers or Heat garnered so much attention. Just because it's a smaller market team doesn't change anything; we should of learned this by now.
Until Poppovich retires the Spurs will be a top team in the NBA for years to come, even post-Duncan era. How a team is always the top regular season team and constantly getting to the NBA Finals over the past 15-20 years is mind-boggling, especially when people continue to doubt them.
The Spurs look like the best team in the NBA again, with great depth and chemistry all around. I wouldn't be surprised to see them in the Finals again this year, let alone winning it again.
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