Painful to Watch

As the final ticks went off the clock at the AT&T Center last night, I could not help getting a little teary eyed... no basketball for the Spurs in May?? I almost felt as if it was the end of something --- the dynasty era. But I question The Crew, is it the end of the dynasty or is it just the end of the season? It was a shaky season to say the least. Starting out with no Manu, then no Tony, then back to full strength, then no Manu, then Manu back again briefly, then Manu out for the season - it is not easy to win a championship when you go through a season like that. But still, all I wished for was to beat those *bleeping* Mavericks. Unfortunately though, they flat out embarrassed us.


I am not going to say I was wrong about George Hill, but I might say that Pop could have been wrong. My defense was that I was going to defend Pop's decision no matter what. He has done more for San Antonio over the last 12 years that I am not going to start calling him out when he loses (unlike those idiots on Spurstalk.com... dont even get me started about those fair weather Spurs fans, it disgusts me to read that forum!). George Hill is phenomenal, and we need to keep him around for a long time. I loved when Tony and George were in the line-up together last night and I think with a little more chemistry, those two together could be something special for years to come.



Matt Bonner... ohhh the Red Rocket, whitest basketball player on the planet. I loved him when he was making those threes early in the season, but other than that he just did not bring much else to the table, ESPECIALLY in the playoffs! Bonner has to go this off season, HAS TO. He is way to frustrating of a player to have on the Spurs, and his lack of D is part of the reason our defense was very sub par this season.

I am glad that we were able to bring Michael Finley to San Antonio and get him a much deserved ring. But you know what old man, it's time to go OR at least have your minutes drastically reduced. I would not mind keeping him around because he is a pure shooter and could possibly bring a Steve Kerr like performance to a future playoff game. But nothing more than that.

What happened to Fab? In the 2007 postseason, Oberto was kind of like Keystone Light at the lakehouse.. the sleeper! He is a great rebounder, good follow-up to Duncan's misses, and plays hard. I would like to see a lot more Fabricio next season, assuming his heart allows.

I will always love Kurt Thomas because he is a Horned Frog. But I am unsure if we are beginning to accumulate too many big men with similar types of rolls. Gooden, Oberto, Thomas, Ian Mahinmi, and possibly Tiago Splitter. I love Kurt Thomas, but he's the oldest of the bunch and is not getting any younger. If we have to move without him, then I will wish him well. However, if we do keep him around, I think we need to let go of one of the other 4 listed above.

I am getting tired of posting pictures, so I am going to stop right there. But another no-brianer that we need to drop is Jacque Vaughn, I should not have to explain why on this one. As far as Roger Mason, I love the guy but he still needs to prove more to me. He is still young, so I definitely think we need to keep him around another year but he is going to need to produce more than late game heroics on Christmas Day. Unless Ian Mahinmi is actually going to play next season, then we need to get rid of him. He is has been a waste since day 1. I am all for keeping Gooden, he played great for the 2 months he has been a Spurs and think he will improve next season as he gets used to the system. And Tiago Splitter? WTF? I am so tired of hearing that name and not knowing at all what the guy looks like. Is he going to come or not?

I have heard whispers of possibly Bruce not coming back. This would be a HUGE mistake in my opinion because he is still a lockdown defender and if we drop him, a contender will grab him and that would really suck. He needs to rework his corner 3 because we severely missed that this season and in the playoffs, but I think he was just a little off for some reason this past year and I think there is a good chance he gets his confidence back in that shot.

The Spurs are not getting any younger, but I am not willing to say this core group is done winning championships. With a couple of good off-season moves this summer, I think there is still a great chance we could see one or possibly two more pics such as the one below. And as hard as it is for me to say right now, as I listen to Garth Brooks - If Tomorrow Never Comes on my iphone,,,,.... GO SPURS GO!

Oh and the 2008 - 2009 Silver Dancers... this might have been one of the best years ever! No moves here please.