Pop Culture, Vol. 1

by 48MoH Staff

While the new direction 48MoH is taking does not include your traditional game recaps, we’re confident that some of us here will have something to say after a Spurs game that will fill more than a tweet or two. Expect to find those quick thoughts from several of us here after most, if not all, games. But it’s not a recap.

 

Trevor Zickgraf

So much was made in the off- and preseason about Tony Parker and whether he can recapture his MVP-candidate form. The answer is probably not, but everything’s still going to be ok. Kawhi Leonard showed he’s more than willing and able to be a number one option on offense; we know LaMarcus Aldridge can be a go-to scorer and won’t have Serge Ibaka hounding him most nights. Parker showed bursts of speed and didn’t seem to have problems getting to the basket. TP is going to be good—great on some nights—and as long as he stays healthy the Spurs will be in decent shape.

 

Andrew McNeill

The bill of goods we were sold when the Spurs traded fan-(and Pop) favorite George Hill for Kawhi Leonard stated that San Antonio was acquiring a player who had the potential to be a defender on the level of Bruce Bowen, with better abilities as a rebounder and finisher. As Leonard earned playing time and his game progressed, we quickly saw he was undersold. The defense was developing nicely, but his shooting touch was far better than expected and he showed flashes of offensive ability. And then it just kept getting better.

I remember being at the Spurs practice facility one day and watching Leonard after practice working on shots in a variety of spots and in multiple situations. Drill after drill, repetition after repetition. He was busting his ass. This was a couple of seasons ago and by then Leonard had become a solid offensive player. Better than original expectations were for his offensive game coming into the league, but far off the level of the best players in the game today. Leonard was working himself into a nice little offensive player, but I assumed that his ceiling on the attacking end of the floor was as a #2 option on a championship team.

Kicking off his fifth season in the league, Gregg Popovich’s monster attacked the Thunder relentlessly and put up a career-high 32 points on 13-for-22 from the floor. Boy, I was wrong. Leonard showed he is a stud offensive player and can carry the San Antonio attack against the best teams in the league. How he and LaMarcus Aldridge coexist on offense will be fun to watch. The strangest part of it is Leonard has reached this point without being a particularly creative offensive player. He’s not a savant; Leonard has drilled himself to a level in which he can attack and score in nearly every situation. The best two-way player in the league is working to become nearly as dangerous on the offensive end of the floor as he is on the defensive side, and I’m going to go rethink what I know about player development.

 

Matthew Tynan

There was a lot of handwringing over the offseason about the various problems the Spurs would encounter with their new look, and most all of it was justifiable. The defense; the incorporation of LaMarcus Aldridge; the bench losing so many players—there were plenty of questions, but none of us felt like any of this was insurmountable.

So what’s changed?

Going into Oklahoma City is difficult by any standard of measurement, let alone on the first night of the regular season with an overhauled roster.

This is all directed at both ‘panicky guy’ and ‘I told you so’ guy. They both exist in their own weird worlds. The Spurs lost, as was expected by most with a rational head, and they had moments of inconsistency on both sides of the ball. And this is going to be the norm for a little while. San Antonio has some specifics to flesh out as it transitions, so now is the time for patience.

You don’t like the way the second unit defended with West and Diaw in the game together as the primary big? You’d probably better get used to watching that tandem feel itself out, because it’s going to spend a bunch of time on the court. You didn’t like some of the shots Aldridge took? Ohhh boy, you’re in for a long season. You don’t think Kyle Anderson is the answer as backup small forward? You’ll probably need to find a new tree that needs some barkin’.

Whatever your issue, the point here is it’s going to take a little time. And hell, the Spurs were right there against one of the best teams in the NBA in that building. This is going to be damn fun.

 

Caleb Saenz

Cohesion takes time, and the Spurs are a franchise built on a deep understanding of that often brutal reality. When they jettisoned half their squad to retool this offseason, most people saw the moves as another example of RC Buford’s wizardry. The team’s roster looks like it does because of the front office’s unique combination of cunning, conniving, and (possibly, but, come on, definitely) telepathy. There’s a small, practically silent whisper of desperation behind the Spurs’ offseason, but few would argue that the moves set the team back this season or beyond.

Still, it’s hard not to look at the new roster and experience a moment of sadness for what was lost. No, I’m not talking about the players. Sure, Cory Joseph and Marco Belinelli will be missed in the backcourt. And yeah, the Spurs could definitely use Tiago Splitter’s post defense as LaMarcus Aldridge acclimates to his new team. These are all significant losses the Spurs will feel the first few months of this season. But I’m saddest for a greater loss. Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve lost some significant memes.

Remember the “Foreign Legion?” Well, the team got rid of an Italian, an Australian, a Brazilian, and a Canadian (which totally counts), and they’ve been replaced them with a bunch of Americans and a whatever Boban Marjanovic is. There will be some fun things to point out, but what are we going to do without Manu’s little brother in Marco, slinging his bizarre, gutter Tinder DMs? Where are we going to find a post move as wonderfully, gracefully hilarious as Tiago Splitter’s shyhook? Who is going to post selfies of barbecue engorging with Aron Baynes now in a Pistons jersey?

It’s not just the Spurs’ offense that looks to be more conventional. Take a look at this squad. Ray McCallum, Rasual Butler, David West, Jonathon Simmons, Boban Marjanovic—the “Foreign Legion” has been replaced with “Your Friendly Gold’s Gym Personal Training Team.” A year from now you’re going to look back fondly on freaking frogging. Yuck. The Spurs are going to compete this year, and we’re going to have a lot of fun watching them. But as somebody who also enjoys watching basketball sardonically, my job just got a lot harder. Next time you see West hit nothing but net on a free throw jumper or Butler hit a couple 3s or Marjanovic dunk without jumping, you should definitely cheer. But be sure to pour one out for the dead memes, too.