Don't Forget Who We Are

Ok, the rodeo is gone and we barely got out of it with a winning record. The season has not gone exactly how most would have liked. Everything seems so gloomy in Spursland. Still, these are our San Antonio Spurs, the best team of the last decade. We need to remember what got us to the top. The motto for this season is "Come Together" but we, as fans, seem to be drifting further apart. 

28 games left to go in the season and Spurs fans are on edge. The team sits in 7th place in the Western Conference and not showing signs of improvement. We have become use to a team with realistic championship aspirations every season and most of us are trying to stay optimistic during these hard times but there comes a point where optimism eventually turns into naivety. This is the state of Spurs fans. This season has been one of wishes. We wish the team was healthy. We wish we didn't lose Bruce. We wish RJ didn't have such a ridiculous contract. We wish Timmy was still 29. We wish we made a good trade at the deadline. We wish Pop didn't play so much small ball. It gets annoying after a while. Wishes only go but so far and at some point one has to face reality. 

The Spurs have not been good all season, there is no reason to believe they will get better any time soon. Everyone was saying, "Wait till everyone get's comfortable." Then, "Wait till the trade deadline." Then "Wait till the rodeo." It has all come and gone and still no results. The front office has done everything they can to please its fans and yet they are still bombarded with hatred. "Fire Pop!!" we say. This is typical of fans of losing teams who always point the finger at the coach when the players on the floor are consistently not giving the effort needed. We are better than that. We need to remember that we are San Antonio Spurs fans. If we would open our eyes, stop focusing on the lack of W's and stop passing blame on anyone and everyone affiliated with the franchise, we would see that the guys in charge have made all the right decisions all season long. 

-Why did we get rid of Bruce for RJ? In case we forgot, as good as he was in years past, Bruce Bowen was the model of suck his last year and father time tends to make NBA players worse. Getting RJ was the perfect move to make at the time. Then there is the question of why would we make a trade for RJ in the first place since he is limited in half court offense, which is our main offense? Keep in mind that before he was injured, this team was being handed over to Tony Parker. Transition buckets is a strength that Tony and RJ share.

-Why does Pop play so much small ball? Easy, he didn't have much of a choice. Even when healthy, the team is very small at almost every position. Consider the fact that the team boast only two players (not including Theo and Ian who never play) who are over 6'9''. RJ is the only player with the size to play SF. Let's be real here. Pop has no choice. It became worse when Bonner went down. Small ball may be the death but it is all we have.

The Spurs have spoiled us into thinking that we have a chance to win every year. We don't seem to want to accept losing. EVER. The Spurs are doing the right thing. Even if we were healthy, (which we are not) there is no way this team is going to beat both the Lakers or Cavs in a 7 game series. Even if we don;t want to admit it, we know this. The front office also knew this and made the necessary moves to ensure success in the future. Why trade for a center when Tiago Splitter (who has somehow been forgotten about since the summer) is on deck? Why trade for a defensive wing when George and even Malik are available? We are far too focussed on the now that we don;t see the work being done to secure our future. Rome was not built in a day people. This dynasty was not created with a couple 'quick fix' trades. The Spurs are the best at making something out of nothing so that 2016 second round pick might turn into the next MVP of the league. Who knows.

This season has been a pain for Spurs fans, but it would be so much easier on us if we accept the reality of our situation. Accept that this is not out year. Accept that we are looking towards the future. And please stop passing blame to everyone in the organization. If we need to blame someone so badly then blame the weather. Blame father time and mother nature. Hell, blame it on the alcohol for all I care. Just don't lose faith in the organization that got us this far. It is not our year but we have to stay together and remember that we are San Antonio Spurs fans. This is the best organization in all of professional sports and one day, soon, we will be back on top. 

"When nothing seems to help, I go look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before." 

We, Spurs fans, are now on a new rock.