Off Season Interviews: San Antonio Spurs
Aug 25, 2022 17:44:52 GMT -5
Golden State Warriors (Caleb) and LA Clippers GM (Remy) like this
Post by The Athletic on Aug 25, 2022 17:44:52 GMT -5
I thought last year was a really good first step in the rebuild. What are your thoughts on how last years season played out?
Chris: It went well, I liked what I saw from my core guys and thought some of my question marks, Nassir for instance, panned out well. Mobley obviously was incredible, and his future couldn't be brighter, just changes the whole nature of the game when he's on the court, on both ends, and there's only a handful of dudes who can do that; we couldn't be more thrilled and excited, get a little stiff every time we think about him. OG continued to impress, and we aren't particularly worried about him losing time to Barnes, think Nurse will gladly play them together, hopefully he can stay healthy more often but that's the only worry. DAR still struggles with consistency and minor injuries, for sure, but he put it together for a couple decent stretches, killed it for a little over a month at one point, and we maintain our faith in him to keep improving there and be a stud on a very interesting Twolves roster. Others like Goga/Hayes/Metu did quite well when they played, all they need is real life playing time so we'll just have to wait and see how that goes. Quietly pleased to have Konchar too, think he's an underrated glue guy who puts up perfect stats for this league and has a secure role. So yeah, happy with the guys we have, wish management had more time to pursue trade opportunities but it's hard to be crushed about that when we're so pleased with the guys we've already got.
This is the first time I’ve witnessed a full on Chris rebuild. What can we expect? Are you going to more patient long term approach or do you think there’s a chance you start to be a little more aggressive in moving picks/assets for production in the coming years?
Chris: I think I've always been more long term in my approach to fantasy, probably a bit too much so, and I don't think that'll change. You never know, the right opportunity presents itself and I'd be happy to make a big deal and gun for a ship sooner, but I don't think that's likely to happen for the next year at least. I've got two probably good picks in next year's draft, which I'm very excited about, and guys like McBride and Deni who I expect to become significant contributors, with Mobley/OG/DAR all quite young still as well... it just kinda makes sense to allow development to occur and see what we've got as opposed to actively trying to "blow it up".
Forgive me if you answered this in the previous question but what are your expectations for the squad this year? Another developmental year? Or could you see yourself pushing for the playoffs?
Chris: I think the playoffs are an outside possibility, but this is fantasy so I don't have to be fake about our intentions as we clearly don't have any fans, so it's easy to admit that we don't expect to be crazy competitive this year. We always put the best lineup possible on the floor, and we are of the opinion that we'll outperform the expectations that folks in here seem to hold, but it's not like we're gonna pretend we expect to be a dominant team this season.
You moved off pick 9 for Deni Avdija. I’m quite a big Deni fan myself but for you what makes you so confident in him as a piece of the puzzle for you guys moving forward?
Chris: We love Deni, have all along, and he really looked good when Kuzma was out. He's still only 21, with a good base of NBA experience already, and quite simply he's impressed this organization with his play. I don't think he'll ever be a superstar, but he has a very solid game that lends itself to consistent fantasy scoring, and I see him as a reliable producer for years to come. That said, I wasn't super high on this year's draft class, and while there were a couple guys I could'be gotten at #9 that I liked... I like Deni significantly more than any of them. So yeah, happy with that trade, maybe I should've tried to involve another team or somehow get more back for Boucher as I probably could have gotten a bit better value; just didn't have the time or desire to attempt that, and overall I reiterate that we're quite pleased with the trade as is.
DLO is set to expire at the end of this year. Do you guys plan to re up him on a 5 year deal at the conclusion of this year?
Chris: Currently the answer to that is yes. This is a critical year for DAR's future with this team, if he puts it together more consistently and stays healthy we'll gladly pay him, but if he once again underperforms as compared to his potential... it might be time to move on. Because of that uncertainty, he's available for trade, incidentally. What complicates simply giving a concrete yes to resigning him is that we also have Nassir, on whom we might very much want to use our resign on, since he has the opportunity to get and take advantage of an increased role on a pretty silly Blazers roster. Only time will tell, but having only the one resign always makes things interesting.
If you could eliminate one team in the playoffs this year.. who would it be and why?
Chris: Meh, I don't really do things this way. I guess Heat, that guy seems a little power drunk with his admin powers, at least when it comes to me, but I honestly don't really give a shit. Perhaps whichever team Perk is managing, just to prove that guys with small dicks can do it too.
Lastly I just have to ask. Why havent you joined the discord? There is a muting function and you don’t have to be chatty. It’s super helpful and makes talking trade a lot easier. Obviously no pressure but I know speak for everyone when I said we’d absolutely love to have you in there bro.
Chris: Simply don't have the time or inclination. Despise our culture's addiction to constant screen time, updates, chatting, not enjoying the actual real world that's all around them. So yeah, there's just no way I'm gonna sit in a chat rooom, there's like hundreds of other things I'd rather do that I don't have enough time for. No offense, I love y'all, but that's just not me and I don't want it to be.
Chris: It went well, I liked what I saw from my core guys and thought some of my question marks, Nassir for instance, panned out well. Mobley obviously was incredible, and his future couldn't be brighter, just changes the whole nature of the game when he's on the court, on both ends, and there's only a handful of dudes who can do that; we couldn't be more thrilled and excited, get a little stiff every time we think about him. OG continued to impress, and we aren't particularly worried about him losing time to Barnes, think Nurse will gladly play them together, hopefully he can stay healthy more often but that's the only worry. DAR still struggles with consistency and minor injuries, for sure, but he put it together for a couple decent stretches, killed it for a little over a month at one point, and we maintain our faith in him to keep improving there and be a stud on a very interesting Twolves roster. Others like Goga/Hayes/Metu did quite well when they played, all they need is real life playing time so we'll just have to wait and see how that goes. Quietly pleased to have Konchar too, think he's an underrated glue guy who puts up perfect stats for this league and has a secure role. So yeah, happy with the guys we have, wish management had more time to pursue trade opportunities but it's hard to be crushed about that when we're so pleased with the guys we've already got.
This is the first time I’ve witnessed a full on Chris rebuild. What can we expect? Are you going to more patient long term approach or do you think there’s a chance you start to be a little more aggressive in moving picks/assets for production in the coming years?
Chris: I think I've always been more long term in my approach to fantasy, probably a bit too much so, and I don't think that'll change. You never know, the right opportunity presents itself and I'd be happy to make a big deal and gun for a ship sooner, but I don't think that's likely to happen for the next year at least. I've got two probably good picks in next year's draft, which I'm very excited about, and guys like McBride and Deni who I expect to become significant contributors, with Mobley/OG/DAR all quite young still as well... it just kinda makes sense to allow development to occur and see what we've got as opposed to actively trying to "blow it up".
Forgive me if you answered this in the previous question but what are your expectations for the squad this year? Another developmental year? Or could you see yourself pushing for the playoffs?
Chris: I think the playoffs are an outside possibility, but this is fantasy so I don't have to be fake about our intentions as we clearly don't have any fans, so it's easy to admit that we don't expect to be crazy competitive this year. We always put the best lineup possible on the floor, and we are of the opinion that we'll outperform the expectations that folks in here seem to hold, but it's not like we're gonna pretend we expect to be a dominant team this season.
You moved off pick 9 for Deni Avdija. I’m quite a big Deni fan myself but for you what makes you so confident in him as a piece of the puzzle for you guys moving forward?
Chris: We love Deni, have all along, and he really looked good when Kuzma was out. He's still only 21, with a good base of NBA experience already, and quite simply he's impressed this organization with his play. I don't think he'll ever be a superstar, but he has a very solid game that lends itself to consistent fantasy scoring, and I see him as a reliable producer for years to come. That said, I wasn't super high on this year's draft class, and while there were a couple guys I could'be gotten at #9 that I liked... I like Deni significantly more than any of them. So yeah, happy with that trade, maybe I should've tried to involve another team or somehow get more back for Boucher as I probably could have gotten a bit better value; just didn't have the time or desire to attempt that, and overall I reiterate that we're quite pleased with the trade as is.
DLO is set to expire at the end of this year. Do you guys plan to re up him on a 5 year deal at the conclusion of this year?
Chris: Currently the answer to that is yes. This is a critical year for DAR's future with this team, if he puts it together more consistently and stays healthy we'll gladly pay him, but if he once again underperforms as compared to his potential... it might be time to move on. Because of that uncertainty, he's available for trade, incidentally. What complicates simply giving a concrete yes to resigning him is that we also have Nassir, on whom we might very much want to use our resign on, since he has the opportunity to get and take advantage of an increased role on a pretty silly Blazers roster. Only time will tell, but having only the one resign always makes things interesting.
If you could eliminate one team in the playoffs this year.. who would it be and why?
Chris: Meh, I don't really do things this way. I guess Heat, that guy seems a little power drunk with his admin powers, at least when it comes to me, but I honestly don't really give a shit. Perhaps whichever team Perk is managing, just to prove that guys with small dicks can do it too.
Lastly I just have to ask. Why havent you joined the discord? There is a muting function and you don’t have to be chatty. It’s super helpful and makes talking trade a lot easier. Obviously no pressure but I know speak for everyone when I said we’d absolutely love to have you in there bro.
Chris: Simply don't have the time or inclination. Despise our culture's addiction to constant screen time, updates, chatting, not enjoying the actual real world that's all around them. So yeah, there's just no way I'm gonna sit in a chat rooom, there's like hundreds of other things I'd rather do that I don't have enough time for. No offense, I love y'all, but that's just not me and I don't want it to be.
