Guys, #thestruggle is real.
This month we have seen the defending champions go 9-3 in their last 12 games and Spurs fans are starting to step back from the ledge a bit. Of course, the Spurs aren’t the Atlanta Hawks (wait, did I really just write that?), but they seem to have righted the ship a bit. This is to be expected, all things considered.
While the Bulls did beat the pants off the Spurs last week, the Alamo Boys certainly seem to have forgotten about the holiday season. Of course, having number 2 back in the line-up really helps. As we await the return of our beloved Sylvester Stallone Doppelganger, Marco Belinelli, and having this team back to full health (is there even such a thing?), we find solace in the familiarity that is the win column.
Much of this has to do with strength of schedule. Much of it has to do with coaching changes. Much of it has to do with players. Much of it has to do with health. But even still, more of it has to do with a methodical way of doing things. The message has always been, “stay the course.”
Everything that is the San Antonio Spurs represents this thinking. You don’t panic in the fourth quarter when shots haven’t fallen and you’re down 7 with under 4 to play. You don’t panic when you’re down 2-1 in a playoff series. You don’t panic when Billups hits that three. You don’t panic when Jason Kidd is throwing lobs to Kenyon Martin and Vince Carter like a swimming pool dunk contest. You don’t panic about CBA changes. You don’t panic when you trade a beloved backup point guard to move up in the draft to get a guy you hope pans out. You don’t panic when you finish the month of December with a losing record.
And in a brutal Western Conference, where a 9-3 record over 12 games still isn’t good enough to move up even one spot in the standings, you still don’t panic.
This methodical thought process echoes through the halls of the AT&T Center from center court to the front office. It’s why the Spurs have won 5 championships in 15 years. It’s why Pop has won Coach of the Year three times. It’s why R.C. Buford has won GM of the Year. It’s why Duncan and Parker and Manu have won multiple championships playing multiple different roles over multiple years.
Stay the Course.
All of this, and we find ourselves just a few games past the midway point. The first half of the year was ugly, to say the least. But since the Spurs stayed the course, let’s try to do the same as fans. While there is still a ton of basketball to be played, I figured now would be a good time to hand out some mid-season awards, and include a few thoughts on who doesn’t get an award.
Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
MVP: Tim Duncan
There are insufficient adjectives or adverbs to describe this guy. We are beyond fortunate to live in a time where we get to watch him play basketball. He is the Bill Russell of his generation. Our grandchildren will tell stories about Tim Duncan. As great as he was in his younger years, I have enjoyed watching Duncan play the last three years more than during any other part of his career. What he has done this year is nothing short of miraculous. At 38 years old, we see him not only playing well, but carrying this team, leading them through the storm and basically doing it on a knee that doesn’t even bend. Snubbing Duncan as an All Star this year would be the biggest All Star snubbing in the history of All Star snubbing. No one else on this team is even close, but without bias, Duncan should be a lock. Should be.
We live in a world where some of our biggest stars are just flat out breaking down, including perimeter guys who don’t take half the beating a big man does (hello hand-check rules). Duncan’s longevity and durability should be more than enough to push him above Kobe as the best player of this generation. Kobe just had his third season-ending surgery in as many years. Duncan has played one less year, but 34 more games. Bryant is also two years younger and hasn’t taken the beatings Duncan has (Oh, he attacked more, so he took more beatings? Right. Because playing against Shaq, Stoudemire, Dirk, the Wallace brothers, the Gasol Brothers, Webber, Malone, Ewing, Elton Brand, Garnett, and young bucks like D12, Aldridge and Anthony Davis, ALL IN THEIR PRIMES, doesn’t mean beatings.)
This isn’t a bash Kobe section, but the point is, Duncan is 38 and he is still playing legitimate basketball, efficient basketball, and he’s also PLAYING BASKETBALL. Take away Duncan and add up all these injuries and the Spurs miss the playoffs.
Photo: Edward A. Ornelas /San Antonio Express-News
Defensive Player of the Half-Year: Danny Green
I got in an argument with a guy on Twitter last year who was saying something to the effect that Danny Green was the best defensive guard in the league. I thought that was a stretch and I still do. But he certainly is up there and that statement isn’t as far off as I once thought. He gets overshadowed by Leonard a lot, but his ability to guard multiple positions is what will keep him in this league for a long time, especially since he doesn’t quit on a play. More importantly, he carried the bulk of the defensive assignments in the absence of Kawhi and performed well above expectations. He’s proven he can hang with quick point guards like Chris Paul and Russell Westbroke (not a typo), and he can swing with longer bodies like LeBron and Durant. He’s been our defensive rock star while Kawhi has been out.
Sixth Man: Manu Ginobili
I mean, I can’t speak for you guys, but I think he is quietly having one of his best seasons in years. He’s about as healthy as a player of his style can ever be and I am sure he leads the league in “Assisted to Heart Attack Ratio,” but to this day, there still isn’t a player on the planet that can stop Manu Ginobili. He is literally unguardable. By anyone. The only person who can stop him is him, which unfortunately, goes with the territory with Manu. The days of Manu winning Sixth Man honors league wide and sneaking in as an All-Star reserve are over. But being the guy most opposing second-unit players think is too old to do what he once did? Ya. Manu can be that guy.
Most Improved: Cory Joseph
I hate that our star point guard has had such a rough season so far. But I’m thrilled that it has paved the way for some legit clock for our boy CoJo. Joseph has obviously gained the trust of Coach Pop and become a guy that can be thrown into virtually any situation and offer production. The turnaround for me was that dunk on Ibaka in garbage time last year. I think that really did something for him and he hasn’t skipped a beat since. This year, he has played like a starting point guard in Parker’s absence. I say this because, often times, a backup comes in and plays like a backup trying to be a starter. It’s a very different role adjustment in the NBA, vice the local pickup game at the YMCA. Cory took it in stride.
1st Team All Spurs:
Tim Duncan
Kawhi Leonard
Danny Green
Patty Mills
Cory Joseph
I have nothing to base this on. It’s just my favorite lineup based off how everyone has played so far this season. Since I am writing the column, and I am picking the five players, I can put this in and you have to read it (sticks tongue out).
Eric Gay / Associated Press
Honorable Mention: Tony Parker
Here’s the truth.
As well as CoJo has played…
As quickly as Mills has returned…
As solid as Green has been…
As consistent as Duncan has been…
As surprisingly good as Leonard has been…
This team needs its point guard. Parker is the gate keeper. When he is Tony Parker, everything else flows. His penetration creates lanes and open shots. He keeps the defense honest and controls the tempo. One of two scenarios takes place when he is missing.
Scenario A: He isn’t even on the court, either from injury, or rotation, or whatever. When he isn’t on the court, the Spurs generally get good production from Mills and Cory, at least this year.
Scenario B: He is on the court and just mucking it all up. This is a bad Parker. We need Tony to be at full strength, in body and in mind, if this team wants to make a second half push. I think he needs the All Star break to refocus and rest. I expect big things from this guy in the second part of the year, especially the final 30 games. We have seen it in spurts. Now it’s time to make it continuous.
Farewell: Austin Daye and JaMychal Green
Really glad about Daye. Indifferent about Green. Daye wasn’t a Spur and I was very vocal about my dislike for him. Maybe I’m spoiled, but I just have a certain expectation as a fan for who I want to represent my team. That guy wasn’t it. Am I wrong? Then why isn’t he still a Spur? Exactly. Because Pop agrees with me. He told me personally before he made the decision.
As for JaMychal, nothing personal, but it just wasn’t going to happen. He wasn’t the first person on this team to get one 10-day contract and then be sent on his merry way and he won’t be the last. Truth is, he was expendable and as the Spurs get closer and closer to Mid-February and early March, an empty roster spot is more appealing to the Spurs.
So that’s that. Hope this found you in a cheery mood and I hope you agree with everything I said. But even if you don’t, like, I will stay the course.
Go Spurs Go!
