I was determined to be bad, but I went straight to the Basketball Hall of Fame

Chapter 235 The seeds of reform were pinched before they germinated (second update)
Since winning the No. 1997 lottery in [-] by relying on poor performance, after winning Duncan, the Spurs turned around and became the overlord of the Western Conference.

They were the second most successful team after the Lakers in the first decade of the 21st century. They entered the finals three times and won three championships. They never missed the playoffs and won at least 3 games in the regular season.

The main theme of the West is the Lakes and Horses for hegemony, and the Mavericks and the Suns occasionally have a little voice.

Compared with the Lakers, whose halo is shining in big cities and whose revenue is not bad in the top three all year round, the Spurs whose boss sells tractors are much more stingy.

Because of Duncan's presence, plus the low-post Taobao got Tony Parker and Ginobili, the Spurs have always been relatively picky.

Almost none of the three core players have received a real maximum salary. Only Duncan's extension after the end of his rookie contract is a seven-year maximum salary of 7 million.

Although it is a maximum salary, the 7-year super-long term also means that with the increase of the salary cap, Duncan's salary will not be particularly high in the future.

凯文-加内特在1997年的时候，就已经签下6年1.26亿的超级长约了，04年他的薪水就达到了2800万。

And last season, the last year of Duncan's contract, his salary was only 2200 million.

07年他已经和马刺提前续约，10-12年，签了一分2年4000万的合同。

It can be said that the cost performance cannot be described as high, because when the word "cost performance" appears on a player like Duncan, it is already an insult to his ability.

As for Parker and Ginobili, based on their performance in 05 and 07, they are worthy of a maximum salary on other teams.

But in the Spurs, don't think about it, you won't give it, you can't afford it, for the sake of the team, for more championships, you have to cut your salary to stay on the team.

This is not only a manifestation of the Spurs' good unity and team spirit, but also the confidence of the Spurs to be stingy, so they don't have to pay the luxury tax.

At the same time, it further shows the difference between European, South American players and American players. They prefer to stay in one place and play all the time.

And they don't have too many commercial interests behind them, so they don't need to rush to big cities for exposure, advertising and other commercial value.

Because of this, the Spurs not only value ability, but also character and background when selecting and selecting players.

They enjoy the European Taobao bonus, and they like to use European players. They are cheap and easy to find treasures. Only they have the instruction manual, and they are not very worried about other teams' competition when renewing their contracts.

Moreover, European players are generally more teamwork and more obedient because of their childhood education. Popovich, who was born in the military, is easy to handle.

American players, especially black players, are more individualistic and heroic, and they are prone to disobedience and become thorns. Once they can't handle it, Popovich will not be patiently appeased like Zen Master Jackson, but will be kicked out directly.

Rodman, Stephen Jackson are examples.

In the 10 season, although the Spurs relied on experience to successfully defeat the Mavericks, they were short of hard power and were immediately swept out by their old rival Suns 4:0 in the semifinals.

As a famous coach, Popovich has already smelled signs that the league is about to change.

10 years is a boundary, and an era is coming to an end.

After winning the championship in 1999, the Spurs resolutely built an offensive and defensive lineup around Duncan's only thigh.

The ultimate precision rotation defense, with Duncan as the absolute core of the offense, with a strong outside breakthrough player and a group of veterans to build a lineup.

Except for Kobe and Dirk, the Spurs have basically encountered no insurmountable obstacles on the road to winning the championship.

In the past few seasons, with Duncan's rapid decline, the core pillar of the offensive end has disappeared.

Continuing to let Duncan play hard in the low post will hurt the team's offensive efficiency and Duncan's knees.

In the previous few times against the Suns, the Spurs played relatively easily, and they handled Nash and D'Antoni tightly.

You play fast break, play seven-second offense, it doesn't matter, I attack with you, my offensive efficiency is higher than yours.

Therefore, at that time, the Suns were not killed by the Spurs, but were killed by the Spurs who couldn't prevent them.

In 10, the Suns made changes. They became more balanced offensively and defensively, and the bench was activated.

Gentry is not D'Antoni's rigid eight-man rotation to the end coach, and the 10-man rotation is as full of firepower as a substitute.

So the Spurs began to be unable to defend and attack, and were swept 0:4, and there was no suspense in losing every game.

Duncan's dominance in the series is no longer there. In fact, his dominance has declined significantly since 07.

The half-court offensive routine with him as the core is becoming more and more inefficient. In the face of more and more three-pointers and quick counterattacks in the league, this routine is gradually being eliminated.

Of course, it is impossible for the Spurs to give up Duncan. Whether from the perspective of honor and strength, or from the perspective of economy and business, Duncan is still the foundation of the Spurs.

Even if he is gradually degrading, the idea of ​​Popovich and the Spurs management is to gradually transform and make good use of Duncan, re-change the team's system and configuration, use the old core, new style of play, and create a new era in the new era. situation.

The summer of 10 was critical for the Spurs, a transitional juncture.

The first player Popovich contacted was Matt Bonner.

Players like Bonner were not among Popovich's first-choice signings in the early years.

How effective is an insider who is not tall enough, moves slowly, and runs out to shoot three-pointers?

What Popovich wants is a traditional insider who can be by Duncan's side, escort Duncan, and provide help.

For example, Nesterovic, Muhammad, McDyess, etc., are all role players that Popovich loves.

However, as the team's overall tactics accelerate, there are more and more three-pointers, and the requirements for court space are getting higher and higher.

This kind of system with two traditional insiders poking in the formation, the offensive efficiency is getting lower and lower. Popovich has already started to try a lineup of one big and four small, and let Duncan come to the 5th position.

In the 08-09 season, Bonner began to serve as the team's starter, but the effect of the playoffs was not good. That year, the Spurs were out of the first round early.

After losing to the Suns in this year's playoffs, Popovich heard that an article was circulated in the coaching circle called "Victory of Space and Ball Power", which was a post-match commentary by an unknown author posted by NBA-Batman.

Popovich, who has always been uninterested in these media things, learned that Rick Carlisle had read it and said yes, so he secretly read this after the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers online.

After reading this article, Popovich watched the clips of the fourth and fifth games between the Clippers and the Lakers repeatedly, and got a lot of inspiration from it.

Popovich, who had been refusing to use online social media before, couldn't help but secretly created a Twitter account and sent a private message to NBA-Batman: "I'm Gregg Popovich, general manager and coach of the Spurs, Are you interested in working for the Spurs?"

Naturally, this private message fell into disarray and did not receive a response, but the seeds of tactical reform have been planted deeply in Popovich's heart and are ready to germinate.

Bonner has become an important pawn in Popovich's heart, and his role has increased in the past few seasons.

However, after contacting Bonner, Popovich got a reply from Bonner's agent a few days later: "Sorry Greg, Bonner has decided to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers."

Popovich couldn't believe it, the seeds of my reform were pinched before they germinated?
(End of this chapter)