Your 08-09 Spurs: Love the Scrubs

by sungo on Nov 7, 2008 10:24 PM CST in Game Previews & Recaps Comment 28 comments

I thoroughly enjoyed watching this game. I never knew watching a cast of misfits trying to play basketball could be so therapeutic and relaxing.

I love our scrubs. Love them. I have to give them each their proper due, in order of descending scrubitude and ascending love.

George Hill
Chances of leaving scrubdom: 35%
Tattoos: Oh hellz yes.

George just might have a worse jump shot that Jacque Vaughn. It's got a hell of an arc, though. Maybe he thinks the ball will be up there long enough for Pop to forget who shot it. He's got crazy long arms and would already be a better defender than Jacque Vaughn if he dove on the floor more. Diving on the floor is like the ace of spades in the card game spades. It trumps all other defensive attributes. Blocked shots? Pfft. Get on the ground!

Desmon Farmer
Chances of leaving scrubdom: 5%
Tattoos: Yes ma'am!

You know something I love about Desmon? He ended up with the ball at the first quarter buzzer, and instead of handing the ball to the ref he dribbled the ball behind his back and did a spin move. Against nobody. Just goofing off. Plus he wears a headband. Two anti-Spur qualities. I'd give this man a long term contract just for those two attributes.

I think him and George might have a contest to see who can shoot the ball highest. I'm pretty sure one of his fourth quarter jumpers got caught in the walkways of Tropicana Field. He seemed confused when it was ruled a ground rule double. There's no shame in that, Desmon. Confused the hell out of me, too.

I would give Farmer a better chance to make it if he hadn't have lost his right hand in a tragic childhood weed wacker accident. The man simply cannot dribble with his right hand. It's comical.

Anthony Tolliver
Chances of leaving scrubdom: -372%
Tattoos: Soon, promise.

I love Anthony Tolliver. I'm thinking about getting a uterus transplant just so I can have his baby.

On his first touch of the ball he faked a three and made a Ginobili-esque pass to Duncan down low for the and 1. It made me laugh, because I'm pretty sure he was just afraid to shoot the ball. And with good reason, for his first attempt from the same exact spot missed the rim and clanged violently off the background. Violently. I think Tim nearly chipped a nail on that shit. He was not happy.

Anthony's one of those guys who can play a whole game without giving the viewer any idea of how tall he is. He could be anywhere between 6'-2" and 6'-10". I don't have the foggiest. He just sort of blends in. Like a chameleon. A chameleon who barely made his high school basketball team.

That's the list. I know you're thinking I'm leaving some guys out. Not so, my friends. Jacque Vaughn, Michael Finley, Bruce Bowen and Kurt Thomas are not scrubs. They're washed up. There's a difference. Oh, and Bonner and Oberto just plain suck. Scrubness requires a certain charm that those two fellas lack.

As for the Spurs outlook? Well, Parker's out two weeks. Here's the schedule during that time:

NY
@ MIL
HOU
@SAC
@LAC
DEN
UTA
@MEM

That's about as easy a schedule you could hope for in the Western Conference. HOU, DEN and UTA are definite losses. The best the Spurs should hope for is 4 wins in that group. That leaves them at 5-8 when TP comes back.

By the way, right now the Spurs have the second worst record in the league.

Lastly, a quick note to Michael Beasley. Get a hair cut. That do needs a lot of help, but stay away from Marion's barber. Something ain't right about that man.

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Farmer wears a headband?

I’m surprised the Spurs don’t have a rule forbidding them, although now that you mention it I seem to recall Flight White wearing one in San Antonio.

Third Quarter Collapse: An Orlando Magic blog at SB Nation

by Ben Q Rock on Nov 7, 2008 11:09 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

At one time the Spurs encouraged their players to wear headbands. Van Exel wore like 10 pounds of extra gear when he played here.

by r21x on Nov 7, 2008 11:31 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I have looked up several times during a game when Farmer was in, seen the flash of a ‘3’ on the jersey, and sworn that we had gotten Stephen Jackson back in the offseason.

But then he banked his shot off the championship banner and my dream was crushed.

"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." – Aldous Huxley

by spurchief on Nov 8, 2008 7:59 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I thought i had a pretty good theory

But as I started to type it out, it wasnt as thorough as I had originally thought.

I am just completely dumbfounded at what theyve done the past few offseasons. We could have a rotation of Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, Bowen, Barbosa and Scola right now.

They trade Scola b/c they didnt think he could mesh with Duncan? please, now we’re stuck with Oberto and Thomas.

You draft George Hill b/c he has long arms?

I just never thought Id reach a point where I would question what the front office is doing to this roster.

and do you ever get the feeling they draft so many foreigners b/c they wont have to pay them up front, or in some cases,ever?

Just look at all the crap teams David Robinson had to play on, this franchise owes a great deal of it success to pure luck in winning that Duncan lottery….perhaps some of the shine is coming off the geniuses upstairs.

Okay, just so I understand it... in your wildest fantasy, you are in hell. And you are co-running a bed and breakfast with the devil.

by bren on Nov 7, 2008 11:14 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I had the same thoughts Friday night (in Australia) prior to Parker getting injured.

We almost had a line up like this -

Starting 5

Parker
Mason
Bowen
Duncan
Thomas

Bench

Hill
Ginobili
Udoku
Scola
Oberto
Splitter
Mahinmi
3 other guys not named Finley, Bonner and Vaugh (but we would probably be stuck with them)

by werdnawee on Nov 9, 2008 9:12 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Let’s just tank this season and get another #1 pick, so we can select Tyler Hansbourough.

www.sportzchat.com

by Linix129 on Nov 7, 2008 11:50 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

LOL… Tyler will be at the bottom end of the draft.

by Zocalo on Nov 8, 2008 3:34 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

uhh..

so that we can get another #1 pick?? Cherokee Parks 2.0?

by vy til i die on Nov 9, 2008 10:33 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

That was funny...

At least you guys can laugh at yourselves. I’m hoping Parker and Ginobili can come back sooner than later. I can’t believe how many 3-pointers were shot. Was that a record?

BINGO, BANGO, BONGO

by blzrfan on Nov 8, 2008 1:08 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

I read that the 35 3-point attempts tied a team record.

by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Nov 8, 2008 9:52 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Pop had this to say:

I enjoyed the hell out of the group we had most of the second half

Maybe he and Powell are the same guy.

by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Nov 8, 2008 9:53 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

I love Pop. Will miss him when he’s gone.

And the Powell comparisons might not be far off.

by LatinD on Nov 8, 2008 4:47 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I don’t like Pops mentality…. it is one thing for a fan to think that, it is another when the big badass mofo of our coach to say that…

by Zocalo on Nov 8, 2008 2:12 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I think...

…he was referring to the fact that this group hustled, moved the ball, and acted they wanted to make a game of it, which Pop has not been used to seeing with the vaunted Vaughn-Finley-Bonner-Elson that he has had the last few years. I think that, compared to past Spurs benches (not real NBA players, mind you) this group’s speed was so astounding, so fleet, so diametrically opposed to what he had been seeing that the poor old codger was simply dumbfounded.

"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." – Aldous Huxley

by spurchief on Nov 8, 2008 7:57 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

the scrub group did hustle and did move the ball. even after drinking a bunch of beer and staying tuned to that kind of a game, i was impressed with how hard they all played.

sadly, that wont translate into many wins over the next month. as far as the spurs chances for catching up in the west, we’ll have to see what shakes out in the overall picture between now and christmas, but it wont be good.

our only hope is that everybody knocks off each other so that nobody will be way out in front.

by bones on Nov 10, 2008 9:41 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

You could probably also add Roger Mason to this list, as in my mind, he was a scrub in Washington last season and is just now emerging from scrub status. I love his game so far, and I have been pleasantly thrilled that Pop is giving him so many minutes (and even a start over Finley last night) even though he is a first year Spur.

BTW, Mason’s starting over Fin last night may have been the beginning of the end for FinDog. I think he may be relegated to Kerr-in-05 status (sitting on the bench only until we need a 3 to tie a big game and then expected to come in and contribute) from this point on.

"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." – Aldous Huxley

by spurchief on Nov 8, 2008 8:26 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Roger Mason was not a “scrub” in Washington last year. It would be fair to have called him a scrub with the potential to escape entering last year, but he put up pretty decent numbers with Arenas out (something like 15 ppg and 5 apg).

Catch the Spurs Spirit! It's a Fast-breakin' Fiesta!

by tomasito on Nov 9, 2008 1:55 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Wasn’t implying he was bad. He averaged 9.1 / 1.6 / 1.7 for the season last year (which Arenas missed most of as I recall). Just so far under the radar that no one else seemed interested in signing him (except for us and only then after Jannero Pargo bolted for Europe). Speaking in terms of pure talent, he’s not scrubby, but the average NBA fan would have no idea in the world who he is.

"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." – Aldous Huxley

by spurchief on Nov 10, 2008 4:26 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Given how thin we are, Fin will still see court time. At this point I think Bonner has fallen out of favor with Pop and we’ll see Tolliver out there more. I can even see him starting next to Duncan when Pop starts fooling around with odd line ups.

by r21x on Nov 8, 2008 11:16 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

A trade needs to happen, but we aren’t gonna get shit for the shit we have.

www.sportzchat.com

by Linix129 on Nov 9, 2008 5:30 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

A trade needs to happen? Why? These Spurs ROCK. If you can’t enjoy watching Anthony Tolliver airballing desperation threes while Jacques Vaughn sits on the bench in a suit in envy of the guys on the floor, then you’re just not a Spur fan.

Actually, the fact that Vaughn was not suited up was the highlight of the night for me. I nearly wept in joy.

Besides, who are you going to trade away? No other team in the league will take Vaughn, Bowen, Farmer, or Oberto – you couldn’t GIVE them away at this point. You might get some quick cash for Finley and/or Thomas, but not much, and it’s not going to help in the W/L column any. The only way any of these guys end up in a trade is for salary cap reasons.

Obviously, Parker, Ginobili, and Duncan are off the table. Trading Duncan or Ginobili would result in a small riot in downtown San Antonio, and you’d be unlikely to get anyone or two players better than Parker.

That leaves Tolliver, Mahinmi, Hill, and Udoka. Ime’s tradeable – you can always find a team who needs a tough-minded guy on the floor sometimes – but he doesn’t put up numbers, and you’re not going to get good value for him. Hill isn’t going to be as good a fit on any non-Popovich team, and only two or three defensively-minded teams in the league would be interested in taking a chance on him. Tolliver is an unknown, but he has size and some claim he can shoot, despite current evidence to the contrary. Mahinmi, because of his athleticism and youth, is the best trade bait because of his potential, but so was Beno a couple of years ago, and the front office blew that badly and waited for him to start sucking before they shipped him off for pennies.

We’re probably going to see a trade this year, but it’s not going to change anything significant. The last real trade the Spurs pulled off during the season was Malik Rose for Nazr, and they only managed that because Isiah was, and continues to be, a complete idiot.

So… basically, in any trade that actually constitutes a potential on-court difference, we give up Mahinmi and his potential upside for someone who is probably older, and can contribute something right away. Aside from that, nothing significant is going to happen.

chaos... panic... pandemonium... my work here is done.

by rick2g on Nov 10, 2008 10:46 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I know, I said we aren’t going to get anything.

www.sportzchat.com

by Linix129 on Nov 10, 2008 4:30 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I like to think I was merely driving the point home with just a dash of sarcastic devil’s advocacy. Pointless bloviation is the backbone of 99% of online content.

chaos... panic... pandemonium... my work here is done.

by rick2g on Nov 11, 2008 2:26 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

5 and 8?

i think a record of 5-8 is optimistic. maybe powell is so much of a pessimist after all

by staves27 on Nov 10, 2008 2:11 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I said 4-4 was the best they should hope for. I think they’ll go 2-6.

by sungo on Nov 10, 2008 7:25 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

As much as the front office is lauded for their picks of Manu and TP, they should also be riducled for all their other bone headed moves. For every Manu and TP, there are 2-3 other Josh Howard’s, Leandro Barbosa, Raja Bell, Luis Scola, Robertas Jakoffpopovich, Stephen Jackson, Beno Udrih, Nic Van Exel, Anthony Carter, Hedo Turkologu, man, I could go on and on. Number one on that list should be re-signing Michael Finley.

And don’t try to justify these transactions or lack thereof for salary cap, luxury tax purposes, I don’t want to hear it. Who does the onus fall on? Pop? R.C.? Holt? The Coyote?

This team was built to win a championship this year with the Big 3, but it seems to me that they assumed all 3 would be healthy and were not proplerly prepared if one (in this case 2) of them went down. Now we are stuck with a bunch of suck and 1 HOF’er, Roger Mason not included. JV, Finley, Bonner and Oberto should be traded for Raef LaFrentz, Stephon Marbury, Eddy Curry, Keith Van Horn, a sack of nails and 50 basketballs.

I, myself, will sit back, watch and enjoy this next month and see how it all plays out. It’s like Pop is somehow being punished and is now forced to play the young guys because he has no other choice.

We should be going for our 7th straight Championship right now!!!!!!

"Well if I am truly crazy, don't you know I like my life that way"

by SinCitySpur on Nov 10, 2008 3:05 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

5 and 8 ...

…looks like Timmy is going to need to score 101 pts in 5 of the next 8 games. Who else can score on this team? Besides Mason and Ime, I can’t think of anyone who can score 10pts without jacking up a vast amount of bricks. Findog, 0-8 against the Heat? That must be the veteran savvy Pop was relishing at the beginning the season finally kicking in.

by DanF20 on Nov 10, 2008 6:12 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Just wondering if there is a precedent for a group of loyal fans flying to Italy, kidnapping a certain Spur-in-waiting, flying back, rolling him out there on the court wearing Farmer’s number and headband while Farmer sits locked in a storage room in his skivvies.

In all seriousness, hindsight is 20-20, but I’d love to have the Gist out there now earning NBA experience. He would not be saving our season, but he would be making himself more valuable for the March playoff run (and he would know if he really was a significant NBA contributor, as many of us think he can be).

"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." – Aldous Huxley

by spurchief on Nov 11, 2008 11:10 AM CST reply actions 0 recs