In the 2016 Western Conference semifinals, when the Spurs lost 4-2 to the Thunder, Duncan said goodbye to fans with one finger and announced his retirement in the offseason. While lamenting that a generation of legends has come to such a low-key end, people are also relieved that Spurs have taken care of the future in order.
They have two star strikers, Leonard and Ader, Parker and Manu, and 14 champions such as Danny Green, Mills and Dior.
So after a team-record 67 wins in '15-16, they're still 61-21 in 16-17 when they left Duncan.
Even 25 points ahead of Durant's "four-star warriors" in the Western Conference finals, without Pachuria's kick, God knows how long they will be able to maintain their glory.
Now it seems that the scumbag pad towards Leonard's left foot has completely changed the world line of the Spurs and even the entire NBA.
Leonard not only completely fell into the vortex of injury, but also staged the "Rashomon" of injury + contract extension with the Spurs, and finally switched to the Raptors before the 2018-19 season, winning the championship in the first year. And the Spurs lost the most perfect flag bearer of the "post-Duncan era" because of his departure.
DeRozan is great, but not a level striker with Leonard,
Ade is great, but he has never dominated the western restricted area,
With the retirement of Manu and the departure of Parker, the Spurs that seem to never age in memory have also come to an end of decomposition.
Popovich and management have tried and tried, and they are still trying to find the best fit for the team in the draft and in the free agent market. Among them, Deontay Murray was selected with the 27th pick in the first round in 2016 and Derek White with the 29th pick in 2017, which is the most exciting hand.
Under Popovich's tutelage, they have steadily honed their basketball skills, and at the same time, under the influence of the Spurs atmosphere, they have become a real professional player little by little.
As Ade and DeRozan age, the team's talent is losing little by little, and the record is also declining at a rate visible to the naked eye.
48 wins in the 18-19 season, first round of the playoffs,
32 wins in the 19-20 season, missing the playoffs for the first time in 23 years,
33 wins in the 20-21 season, eliminated in the play-offs,
34 wins in the 21-22 season, continued to be eliminated in the play-offs.
Under Popovich, they played the best basketball, but never had the top talent.
Over the years, when the Spurs have been repeatedly crushed by those "talent monsters" in the league, I don't know how many people will think back
"And if Leonard is still on this team?"
In the 2021-22 season, when the Spurs once again wandered the mid-middle and lower reaches of the West, and the talented insider Venbanama on the European side was confirmed to land in the NBA in 2023, the Spurs and Popovich's thinking finally changed.
Having been in the NBA for so long, they know that the league's most scarce talent is top talent, and what is needed to make a team brilliant again is the kind of talent that can really change the game.
The GDP of that year was famous for the team, but who did Duncan, Manu, Parker, and Leonard single out who didn't have the talent to envy their opponents?
And what the Spurs have to do next is to completely turn to "rotten reconstruction", and the young people that Popovich spent years of training in the team are gradually put on the shelves one by one.
It not only accumulates more draft picks for the team, frees up more salary space, but also gives them a better future and destination.
They may be the burden of a revitalization after the Spurs can't afford GDP, but they're the perfect piece of the puzzle for the championship powerhouses.
DeRozan went to the Bulls to form an All-Star "outside double fist" with LaVine, Patty Mills went to the Nets to assist Durant and Irving, and Rudy Gay went to the Jazz to find a pension contract.
After the passion of this group of veterans wears off, they must first think about earning contracts and falling into their pockets.
The key is still that group of young people. Not only do they need a better future and platform, Spurs also want a better offer from them.
The first to be sent out was Derek White.
This all-round guard, once considered the hope of the Spurs' outside line, not only has solid passing control, but also has excellent blocking and defense, and is the "universal glue" favored by many strong teams.
He was 23 years old when he joined the Spurs in 2017, a proper older rookie. At one point, he could only look for opportunities in the NCAA Division II, and when he graduated from his senior year to participate in the draft and was eventually selected by the Spurs, he was left in tears when he received a call from Popovich.
Over the years, he has taken the next step in his cultivation at the Spurs to become a solid NBA player, without star-like statistics, but definitely a reliable guard that many coaches aspire to.
"Don't mind where you're from, remember that you can definitely gain a foothold in this alliance."
Derek White later recalled that he would never forget what Bobo taught him when he first arrived.
On 2/10/22, White was sent to the Celtics with just a 2022 first-round pick, Longford, Richardson and a first-round swap for '28.
As it turned out, the deal made the Celtics big.
Before White arrived, the Celtics were 31-25 and fourth in the East.
After he joined, the Green Army went 20-6 and eventually rushed to second place in the East.
He provides the team with good possession, excellent defense and consistent projections in key moments.
Even though the team already had outside players such as Smart, Jaylen, and Tatum, White still became the team's core rotation and eventually reached the Finals.
Before today's legendary shootout, he played in 82 games for the Green Army this season, averaging 12.4 points, 3.6 boards and 3.9 assists per game, and made a total of 76 blocks, ranking 24th in the league and first on the outside. Even higher than Heat main center Adebayo (61) and the Suns' Ayton (53).
At the end of the season, he was named to the All-Defensive Player Second Team.
'White is our jack-of-all, he's always doing whatever the team needs him to do, both up and off.
Head coach Mazura said sincerely in an interview after the game.
And the final G6 of the East Finals proves that where White is a panacea, he is simply the savior of the Celtics, and even if his basket is 0.1 seconds late, now the Green Army can go home to fish.
The most interesting thing is that ten years ago, in the same arena, Ray Allen's three-point chase in the Finals G6 dragged the game into overtime, the Heat survived and finally crowned, and the Spurs lost.
Today, ten years later, Derrick White from the Spurs, with 0.3 seconds before the end, killed the Heat, which can be regarded as a shot to avenge his old club.
Since the beginning of this season, the Spurs have been running wild on the road of "swinging and rebuilding", and the young people he sent out have also played their style.
Deontay Murray became an All-Star in his final year with the Spurs, was taken away by the Hawks this season, and now forms an "All-Star backcourt" with Trae Young.
After Lonnie Walker's contract expired, he signed the Lakers for less than $6.5 million a year as a restricted free agent, and the Spurs did not follow up and respected his own choice.
With the performance of the Lakers' third scorer in the first half of the regular season and the 15-point finish of G4 in the Western Conference semifinals, he proved his worth, and a bigger contract awaits him this offseason.
More importantly, the Spurs successfully drew the top pick in the 2023 Draft Lotto draw two weeks ago and booked the Venbanyama in advance.
Following David Robinson and Tim Duncan, Popovich and Spurs have once again got a "purple gold beam" who can really support the future of the team.
Maybe it's luck, after all, the Rockets and Pistons have the same probability of getting the top pick.
Perhaps this is the background, in the year when the spurs draw the champion, not only will there be no parallel goods "burying mines", but there will be talented newcomers who stand out.
Perhaps this is a new appointment, compared to the internal mess of rockets and pistons, maybe the deep-knit, decent and nurturing Spurs and Bobo really reassure the league that the French genius thrives where he once had Admiral and Duncan.
And seeing Derek White's performance yesterday, Mr. Bobo must be very gratified.
Although separated, we both have a bright future for each other.