The Spurs are like a sports team you make up for a movie script. They hire this tough, no nonsense coach that has a kind heart and philosophical mind. They draft this shy kid with great talent that leads them to a championship then puts ego aside for the good of the team. They bring in a pair of foreigners, who at first seem to be incompatible, but end up bonding with the coach and the team goes on to win another championship...or another four. It comes full circle when the two put aside their egos to let the new kid carry the team.
Of course I'm talking about Pop, Duncan, Manu, and Parker. The movie should have ended with Kawhi Leonard winning the MVP and the Spurs hoisting their 5th Championship Banner, but in reality it was only the end of the first act.
In the three-act structure, the 2nd act is where the protagonist(s) attempt to resolve an issue caused by a turning point at the end of the first act, only to find things getting worse and seemingly unable to resolve the problem.
The old star has retired. The young gun who was crowned the savior has abandoned them. The two foreigners, who were thought inseparable, have now parted ways.
Parker wrote a thank you note that was posted here. Parker was/is my favorite Spur, yes even more so than Duncan. I realize that Duncan made the Spurs who they are and is one of the greatest, but I loved Parker's game and it was beautiful to watch him run the offense in his prime.
In order to solve the problem, the protagonist(s) must learn new skills and arrive at a higher sense of awareness of who they are and what they are capable of. They must do this in order to deal with their predicament, which in turn changes who they are.
Queue the 3rd Act.
Manu has nothing more to prove. The team will rebuild around new comer DeMar DeRozen, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Rudy Gay. Dejounte Murray will be running the offense. Las Vegas and ESPN are predicting the Spurs will miss the playoffs. It will be different, but I believe Pop helps this team figure out who they are and what they are capable of. The Spurs won 47 games last season with Leonard playing just 9 games. They will also be missing Danny Greene as part of the Leonard-DeRozen trade, but they won't have the distraction Leonard caused the entire season. Murray should get better. DeRozen should be motivated. This team is still plenty good enough to make the playoffs.
Can this team seriously challenge the Warriors for a spot in the Finals? That would take a movie like ending.
Showing posts with label Tony Parker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tony Parker. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Monday, March 4, 2013
Tony Parker, Mike Trout, and Joe Flacco
I'm going to continue with the "three things" theme from last week. This week it's three players from the big three sports...Parker from my favorite NBA team the Spurs, Trout from my favorite MLB team the Angels, and Flacco who just became the highest paid player in NFL history.
Is Joe Flacco worth the contract he got? I would say no, but it's hard to fault the Raven's organization for being willing to pay 120.6 million for 6 years to the QB that just led you to a Super Bowl win.
In an article titled, I'm Worth What I'm Worth, on the Los Angeles Times website, Flacco said "Listen, winning the Super Bowl and winning the Super Bowl MVP doesn't make me as valueable as I am." I'm disagreeing with Flacco on that point. If he doesn't win the Super Bowl and the MVP, Flacco doesn't get this contract...I'm positive on that.
Flacco does have a few accomplishments to back him up. He tied Joe Montana for the best TD/INT performance in a playoffs with 11 TDs and 0 INTs. No QB has won a playoff game in his first 5 seasons...except Flacco. No QB has won more road games in the playoffs (6). He is tied with Brady with 9 playoff wins in his first five seasons. He hasn't missed a start and 63 regular season wins is the highest total for any QB over the last 5 years.
On the other hand, Flacco has "only" a 60.2 career completion percentage, never passed for over 4000 yards, and never thrown for more than 25 TDs in a season. In the current passing era, that doesn't put you in the status of top QBs in the league. His TD-to-INT numbers are 102/56. The most surprising thing I saw was that Flacco has never been voted to the Pro Bowl.
Does those last two paragraphs add up to the highest paid NFL player ever? Not in my book. I like the guy, but he's now going to have to face the pressure of living up to that contract.
Is Joe Flacco worth the contract he got? I would say no, but it's hard to fault the Raven's organization for being willing to pay 120.6 million for 6 years to the QB that just led you to a Super Bowl win.
In an article titled, I'm Worth What I'm Worth, on the Los Angeles Times website, Flacco said "Listen, winning the Super Bowl and winning the Super Bowl MVP doesn't make me as valueable as I am." I'm disagreeing with Flacco on that point. If he doesn't win the Super Bowl and the MVP, Flacco doesn't get this contract...I'm positive on that.
Flacco does have a few accomplishments to back him up. He tied Joe Montana for the best TD/INT performance in a playoffs with 11 TDs and 0 INTs. No QB has won a playoff game in his first 5 seasons...except Flacco. No QB has won more road games in the playoffs (6). He is tied with Brady with 9 playoff wins in his first five seasons. He hasn't missed a start and 63 regular season wins is the highest total for any QB over the last 5 years.
On the other hand, Flacco has "only" a 60.2 career completion percentage, never passed for over 4000 yards, and never thrown for more than 25 TDs in a season. In the current passing era, that doesn't put you in the status of top QBs in the league. His TD-to-INT numbers are 102/56. The most surprising thing I saw was that Flacco has never been voted to the Pro Bowl.
Does those last two paragraphs add up to the highest paid NFL player ever? Not in my book. I like the guy, but he's now going to have to face the pressure of living up to that contract.
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