The Big Fundamental Spurs Podcast

The 2021-22 regular season is over for the Spurs, who overperformed expectations and earned the right to play postseason basketball while setting themselves up for a bright future well beyond that.

San Antonio finished 34-48 and made the play-in tournament as the 10 seed, and unless they beat the odds and make the playoffs, they'll have the ninth-best odds in the upcoming lottery for a stacked draft class. They're heading to New Orleans to test their mettle in a win-or-go-home contest.

For this episode of the Big Fundamental Podcast, we asked Spurs fans for their thoughts on the regular season and their wishes for the play-in, and talked about the most popular answers. More on the season in review here.

Host Tom Petrini welcomes Casey Viera for the first time, and vigorous debate about the remainder of San Antonio's season ensues. The best thing about this team is that they refuse to stop fighting. They punch up, play hard, and get better from the learning experiences. Competing is a core value and so is beating the Lakers, who sit just 2.5 games ahead of them thanks to all their dysfunction.

The San Antonio Spurs are heading into the All-Star break with Dejounte Murray representing the team in Cleveland, and a series of trade deadline moves that provide maximum flexibility for the future.

Host Tom Petrini brings in KENS 5 Sports Director Joe Reinagel and Spurs Reporter Jeff Garcia to talk about Murray's growth, leadership and future, and asks the All-Star himself what he wants to continue improving on, and what it means to share this moment with his family.

Dejounte Murray has missed five games, and the Spurs have clearly missed him, losing their last four. Host Tom Petrini is joined by Joe Reinagel and Jeff Garcia to talk about the impact of Murray's absence, Keldon Johnson's recent slump, Derrick White's improved play, and Becky Hammon's new job as the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces.

Jeff Garcia joins host Tom Petrini to break down a big win over the Utah Jazz, and head-scratching losses to shorthanded Hornets and Kings teams.

Coach Gregg Popovich and some of the players spoke about the team getting too satisfied after victories, but it goes deeper than that.

Plus, the latest on San Antonio's backup center situation as Jock Landale earns more minutes and Thad Young makes it clear he'd rather be playing for a contender than riding the bench during a rebuild.

The Spurs rattled off their first four-game winning streak in over two seasons, so host Tom Petrini talked to Joe Reinagel and Jeff Garcia about what's driving the turnaround. 

Jeff dove into the Pacers' trade machine madness, and Joe explained why tanking is antithetical to the Spurs' Way, even though they once lost a bunch of games and drafted Tim Duncan.

This young San Antonio Spurs team has made too many mistakes and not enough threes over the course of their 4-12 start to the season, but there are some parts of their play that inspire confidence. Tom Petrini and Jeff Garcia break down the highs and lows, and talk about what this team will need to do to right the ship.

The first slate of regular season action is in the books for the San Antonio Spurs, and although it's a small sample size, there's still plenty of positives, concerns, and overreaction. The Big Fun Pod dives into the highlights and questions from the young season, including Lonnie Walker's presence with the second unit, the excellent defense, and the horrific shooting from the first three games. 

Plus, a look ahead at the matchup versus the Los Angeles Lakers, and Jackson shares some news. 

It's like Christmas Eve -- the Spurs season is just one sleep away. The Big Fun Pod dives into the last roster moves to get the Silver and Black to 15 guaranteed spots, including the surprise cutting of Luka Samanic. Plus, what the lingering restricted free agency means for Lonnie Walker IV and his future with the Spurs. Also, the pod examines the biggest takeaways from preseason (including a wild take from Joe Reinagel) and the ahead-of-schedule development of Spurs rookie Joshua Primo.

KENS 5's Big Fundamental Podcast has discussed many of the Spurs' offseason acquisitions, but for our conversation on Zach Collins, we decided to call in an expert. 10 Tampa Bay Sports Director (and former KENS 5 Sports Anchor/BFP regular) Evan Closky joins the Big Fun Pod to dish on Collins, whom Closky covered during his Gonzaga years.

Also, the Ben Simmons rumor doesn't want to go away; with Simmons ready to hold out from 76ers camp, Las Vegas has updated its odds that the controversial young star is traded, with San Antonio ranked as the fifth most likely destination. The pod discusses whether trading for Simmons, given the right cost, would make the Spurs a playoff team.