Text | From one dozen to five
Edit | Aunt Wang, Xinyu
Popovich walked to the center line and shook hands with junior Hardy. The old man, like the Spurs, was expressionless, unable to see the relief of ending a 16-game losing streak or the joy of winning. It's a weird scene, and if you don't look at the score, you can't even tell if it's the Jazz or the Spurs who won.
After winning this unplanned game, the Spurs ended their longest losing streak of 16 in franchise history and did not allow the embarrassing record to continue. However, the Spurs' winning percentage is still in the bottom 3, and everything is not affected for the sake of Venbanyama's plans.
At one time, the Spurs were synonymous with "victorious generals", they were like a team that remained constant in time, always as constant as the movement of celestial bodies. In this precision clock, generations of players become one of the cogs that guarantees precision operation.
Until the 2022-23 season, the fairy tale is over.
When Spurs fans come to support the Spurs at home wearing clothes with the words "Swing Bad" and "Venbanyama", you should understand that the Spurs, including their fans, have accepted the reality that "a gentle rebuild is better than a straight swing".
It was as if the 1996-97 season was repeated, and a new cycle was about to begin.
Restore the rotten truth 26 years ago
A large number of historical sources describe the Spurs as "rotten achievers" because the Spurs finished 20-62 in the 1996-97 season, the third worst in the league, and they eventually drew the top pick, selecting Jim Duncan, the cornerstone of the team for many years to come.
In many articles, the Spurs have been described as "shrewd strategists" who won 59 games under "Admiral" Robinson the previous season, but could put together the Invincible Twin Towers for Duncan for a year the next.
But is that really the case? Not. At least, before February 1997, the Spurs had no intentions and actions that were deliberately rotten. The Spurs' 1996-97 season was driven purely by injuries, and "bad luck led to a lucky result" is the truth.
In 1995-96, the Spurs finished 59-23 in second place in the West, behind the Seattle SuperSonics, who were kicked out by the Jazz in the Western Conference semifinals. That season, Robinson averaged 25 points, 12.2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3.3 blocks per game, still at his peak.
In addition to Robinson, players such as Sean Elliott, Dale Negro, Avery Johnson, Chuck Payson and others have also performed well. That season, three of the Spurs' five core players were fully attended, and Elliott, who had the lowest attendance, also played 77 games.
The Spurs' core players stayed on the team during the offseason, so the Spurs had absolutely no incentive to put Duncan on the ground until the start of the 1996-97 season. The problem is that the Spurs were hit by injuries before the start of the season.
A week before the start of the regular season, Robinson was knocked out with a back injury and was unable to play in the opening game. The fall of the team's top star has caused the Spurs a headache, Payson has been reimbursed for the whole season with a back injury, Will Pudue has a finger injury, Charl Smith has a knee injury, and the Spurs are full of soldiers. Bob Hill, then Spurs coach, faced a situation where no one was available, and in the fourth quarter of some games, he could only push Elliott to the No. 4 position, and the 37-year-old Dominic Wilkins, who had come to retire and play his spare time, became a thigh and was moved to the No. 5 position.
The team's core lineup is injured by half, how can the Spurs have a good record, they are not rotten, they are really rotten, the Spurs have only won 3 of the first 20 games, and at this time their ending is already destined to be bad.
But the Spurs did not directly swing, after Robinson's return, he led the Spurs to 3 consecutive wins, during which he also beat the Rockets, who won 57 games that season, and in the duel with Olajuwon, Robinson bombarded Olajuwon who scored 9 points and 10 rebounds with a 20+9 explosion.
This is direct evidence that the Spurs did not intend to rot, and the US media ridiculed "if the Spurs are rotten, then this is the worst rotten strategy in history." Unfortunately, Robinson suffered a fracture in his left foot after returning to play 6 games and had to undergo surgery, and by the time Robinson recovered, the Spurs' season was completely hopeless.
That hopelessness is not only reflected in the record, but also in the lineup, with Elliott announcing reimbursement for a torn tendon in his right knee, and he was the Spurs' No. 2 scorer the previous season. At this time, the Spurs can be regarded as entering the swing stage. Although the Spurs never admitted it, it is a fact that they did not send Robinson to the field after his recovery, because it was already pointless, and it was better to let Robinson completely recover from his back and foot injuries.
The Spurs had just 20 wins in a season plagued by a massive injury wave, finishing third from the bottom. The Spurs weren't the team with the highest probability of getting the top pick, but they had better luck than the bottomless Celtics, and eventually drew the top pick and selected Duncan.
Accept reality
The Spurs bid farewell to the GDP era with reluctance and then walked into the post-Leonard era with reluctance, and they heard the advice of "the Spurs should rot" countless times, but they always insisted on a gentle rebuild. Even after DeRozan's departure, the Spurs did not slump, they are still fighting for the play-offs.
"Part of the reason we don't want to lie flat is that we're not that kind of team, I'm not that kind of coach, I don't want to do that, we have to compete, to make young people understand the real philosophy of basketball, which is to strive to win." Popovich said last season.
However, everyone understands that a gentle rebuild to return to the ranks of the strong team is too dreamy, and even Popovich admits that "maybe this is not wise". In the 2022 offseason, the Spurs finally said goodbye to illusions, and sending Deontay Murray away was seen as a signal that the Spurs were going to swing.
At the new season training camp, when Popovich walked into the video analysis room, he looked at the group of young people in front of him and shouted: "Who are you TMD, I don't know any of them." "At that time, the Spurs had 8 men in the 00s, and it was a lot of recruits who handed over to Popovich.
The Spurs obviously didn't learn to put on the right posture, and the 1996-97 season when the Celtics had no bottom line, but who replaced who was hot, who scored more and who discarded, but the Spurs maintained a good winning percentage at the beginning of the season, until Primo was cut farce and injuries hit, and the Spurs' record declined. Coupled with the fact that the Spurs began to mainly develop young players, and sent away Poeltl and other immediate combat power before the trade deadline, the Spurs officially entered the swing stage.
Unlike the Pistons, Rockets and other rotten teams, the Spurs' swing has received a lot of recognition, and many people even think that the Spurs should have been rotten a long time ago. The biggest change for the Spurs this season is in Popovich, the cold, stern old man who once loved to tell jokes, he was not bent by the weight in front of him, but more relaxed, his face often appeared benevolent and serene smiles, and his quiet state of mind was a solace for the Spurs in the rot.
The Spurs rarely mention the word "rotten" up and down, and they don't want to be the kind of team that doesn't even want the team culture for the sake of a high draft pick, Popovich said: "My job now is to get them off to the right start, it's like raising a newborn, you have to give them the nutrition they need to grow, let them grow in the best environment, that's our goal." ”
It's true that winning is no longer the main goal for the Spurs, but that doesn't mean they will give up as soon as they get on the pitch, Vassell said: "Popovich doesn't allow us to slack, and today and for years to come, it will help us build good habits." ”
For example, playing the Jazz today, the Spurs always played the right way, they didn't give up in the last minute, Keldon Johnson scored key goals, this kind of game is very beneficial for the development of young players.
All for the sake of Venbanyama
The Spurs have refused to rot in the past few years, in part because the draft lacks a talented new star with enough weight, let alone a once-in-a-century star. But the 2023 draft is different, and the emergence of Venbanyama has given many teams the momentum to swing, including the Spurs. Venbanyama is like Duncan back then, worthy of the team's rot.
Venbanyama was born in France to a former high jumper whose father was 1.96 meters tall. His mother played basketball and is 1.88 meters tall. The couple gave birth to Wen Banyama, a "monster" who wears shoes and is 2.26 meters tall and has an arm span of 2.44 meters.
Vembanyama once faced Holmgren in the U19 World Cup to slash 22 points, 8 rebounds, 8 blocks, and exploded the 2022 top show, but because he has been playing in the French league since entering the professional arena, he knows that Vembanyama has a high ceiling, but no one is sure whether he can adapt to the NBA.
In October 2022, G League president Sharif Abdul Rahim was successful, inviting Ventanyama's Paris Metropolitan to the United States to play two games against G League side Ignite, and Venbanyama and Scott Henderson for the 2023 quasi-title showdown.
After two games, Venbanyama dispelled all doubts and basically locked up the championship, averaging 36.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game, and shocked the world in his debut in the United States. Shaquille-O'Neill lamented that he could not find a template for Vembanyama. LeBron James said: "He's definitely an unborn genius. One executive said, "He's not just the kind of genius who can change the fortunes of a team, he can shake up the league." ”
Venbanyama is a great temptation for any small-market team, as it may not only be their savior, but also bring them great financial rewards.
In this season's French league, tickets for the match in Venbanyama are hard to find, and even former French Prime Minister Jospin has to ask for votes. Sales of shirts in the Paris metropolis have skyrocketed, 85% of which are in Vembanyama jerseys. The popularity of Venbanyama is coveted by NBA teams, who are eager to have such a new star of high commercial value.
One team president predicted: "If you can pick Venbanyama, the team's market value may increase by $500 million." ”
Take the Spurs, for example, whose current projected market capitalization of $2 billion is only 20th in the league. But if the Venbanyama effect is really this big, the Spurs' market capitalization can immediately break into the top 15.
Venbanyamar's talent is unquestionable, and his skill is extremely high, James said: "He has the ability to carry the ball forward, he can step back and jump shot, he can step back and shoot threes, he can catch the ball and shoot threes, and he can send blocks on the defensive end. ”
Under this description, isn't this the combination of Kevin Durant, Antetokounmpo, and Gobert? There are really American media who evaluate Wenbanyama like this.
The biggest unknown in Venbanyama is whether his thin body can withstand the high intensity of the NBA. Holmgren is about his size, and he was reimbursed for a year after being selected by the Thunder for a game. Historically, there have been 26 players who are at least 2.21 meters tall, only 7 have achieved certain achievements, and 5 of these 7 have a history of injury, such as Yao Ming, Porzingis, Irgoskas and others.
There is no guarantee that the Spurs will get the top pick, and the three teams with the worst records have only a 14% chance of getting the top pick. But at the very least, the Spurs are more than 10 percent more likely to get a top pick than a gentle rebuild, which may seem like a low probability but may be enough for the Spurs to gain a building block for the next 10 years.
After the darkness before dawn, comes light.