DMo's an injury insurance. It's hard to earn Pop's trust, and it's also hard to lose it. Which bodes poorly for DMo's chances to get any playing time during these playoffs.
Hilarious if Denver loses 1st Round after planning for the 2nd. I would rather the Spurs lose though, since they're the Spurs.
I've got the Spurs winning game 2 as well. And, if they win game 2, I think they pull of the sweep. The Nuggets don't have the depth or talent to compete. Derozan hasn't even gone off nor has LaMarcus. When one or both of those two have a major game, the Nuggets will lose each time. The Nuggets rely on Jokic who is a great passer, but not entirely a scary offensive threat. LaMarcus can overpower him and move him out of the lane. Dero is one of the best 2 guards in the west...sooner or later he's going to eat up Harris, Barton, etc. The Nuggets should try Isaiah Thomas out a bit for some instant offense ...I mean, he can still score in bunches.
In the playoffs I root for all Texas teams not playing the Rockets, and that includes the Mavs [unless they're playing the Spurs], who I f'kn loathe... only in the playoffs
A guy I know with ties to the Spurs is pretty sure that Pops is close to retirement, possibly at the end of the season. With his power forward getting older and the youth movement in SA, it's been said that Pops doesn't want to go through that. The flipside mention: If the Spurs strike gold in Free Agency/Trade that makes them contenders, Pops would stay on board. Nothing secret or new about DeRo. He has a player option in his final year, and from the bitterness of Toronto trading him in a horrible way, it has been suggested that he will sign a big deal elsewhere. Unless the Spurs bring in another star, I don't see the tandem with Aldridge being much of a threat for years to come. Aldridge signed a hefty extension that makes him hard to trade, but with respect to him, he's still one of the most dependable bigs we have in the league. I'd love LaMarcus on the Rockets...we'd have a new dimension to the 3s and layups. He'd be a perfect match for James or CP3 to penetrate and kick it to him at the elbows where he's money.
