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  1. #1
    Silence surpasses speech. duncan228's Avatar
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    Parker takes an element with him
    Buck Harvey

    CLEVELAND — Before he lost his point guard, as well as what he'd patched together, Gregg Popovich was open to humor.

    Asked about finally settling on a rotation that seemed to work, Popovich reacted with mock astonishment Saturday night. “We have a rotation?” he said.

    A few hours later in Memphis, his mood had changed.

    “Deflating,” is the word he chose.

    Popovich's ever-altering personality was understandable this night, unlike some of the other nights. His players, especially the new ones, have wondered about both his emotional balance and his regular-season strategy.

    His 20 different starting lineups didn't always make much sense, with the Spurs sometimes playing too small and sometimes not letting anything settle.

    Sometimes he's acted bored, too. Why not bench Tim Duncan for a first quarter?

    But he's only been more extreme this season. Over the years, Popovich has often created chaos in order to establish order and build a team his way.

    His way can be distinctive. If he lives by plus/minus equations, he doesn't reveal that. He instead talks in terms of what he sees and intangibles he believes in.

    This year's example is Keith Bogans, an extra picked up just before training camp. He surely wouldn't start for the Grizzlies, and he likely wouldn't be in their rotation. There's some question whether he would make their roster.

    But Bogans took on Rudy Gay on Saturday, just as he will LeBron James tonight if James is healthy enough to play. And Popovich goes this far in describing Bogans.

    “He's really the centerpiece of the whole thing,” Popovich said.

    Centerpiece?

    “It sounds strange,” Popovich said. “You've got Timmy out there, and Tony and Manu — to say he's the centerpiece. By that I mean ... I like to have a starter who doesn't need the ball, who gives us a defensive iden y ... somebody I can say, ‘Go play him. Go do your best to stop him.' For us, that's been our style for 12 years.”

    “The centerpiece” was effective in Memphis. Bogans muscled Gay, and he fit with those around him. He fit, for example, next to Parker.

    Bogans doesn't need the ball, and Parker does, so they match. It's the same reason Popovich now brings Richard Jefferson and DeJuan Blair off the bench to play with Manu Ginobili.

    Ginobili creates for both. Curiously, the coaches don't see Ginobili and Duncan as perfect complements. Blair rolls to the basket for Ginobili's passes better than Duncan.

    So Popovich has been shuffling lineups. And if it seemed to take too long, then understand; he had to do some tweaking, too.

    Even to Parker, who Popovich has coached longer than anyone on this team outside of Duncan. Earlier in the season, Popovich thought Parker was disengaged.

    So Saturday, Popovich once blistered Parker in a timeout, and once he laughed with him during a dead-ball moment. Late in the first half, after a Duncan score, Parker pumped a fist and looked, well, engaged.

    With 30 seconds left in the first half, Parker scored what might have been the final points of his season. The Spurs immediately pressured the Grizzlies point guard into a turnover, resulting in a Jefferson breakaway basket to end the half.

    At that moment, they were playing closer to how they played in the past. There was defense and some chemistry, and the Spurs were heading to a four-game winning streak. Then, Popovich's pregame sarcasm could have been repeated.

    They have a rotation?

    Maybe it was never going to be enough to move up in the standings or win a playoff series. Maybe, too, there are ways to get around not having Parker for more than a month.

    After all, injuries weren't going to let Parker be this season what he was here, in Cleveland, three years ago. Then, he was the Finals MVP.

    But, today, one thing is clear. Popovich thought he had found something he liked, something he could build upon, something that made sense to him.

    And now, along with Parker, that's gone.

  2. #2
    Ballin' is a habit... TIMMYD!'s Avatar
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    Parker takes an element with him
    Buck Harvey

    “He's really the centerpiece of the whole thing,” Popovich said.

    Centerpiece?

    “It sounds strange,” Popovich said. “You've got Timmy out there, and Tony and Manu — to say he's the centerpiece. By that I mean ... I like to have a starter who doesn't need the ball, who gives us a defensive iden y ... somebody I can say, ‘Go play him. Go do your best to stop him.' For us, that's been our style for 12 years.”
    This can't be too good, it only means a whole lot more Bogans while TP is out.

  3. #3
    🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 ElNono's Avatar
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    This year's example is Keith Bogans, an extra picked up just before training camp. He surely wouldn't start for the Grizzlies, and he likely wouldn't be in their rotation. There's some question whether he would make their roster.

    But Bogans took on Rudy Gay on Saturday, just as he will LeBron James tonight if James is healthy enough to play. And Popovich goes this far in describing Bogans.

    “He's really the centerpiece of the whole thing,” Popovich said.

    Centerpiece?

    “It sounds strange,” Popovich said. “You've got Timmy out there, and Tony and Manu — to say he's the centerpiece. By that I mean ... I like to have a starter who doesn't need the ball, who gives us a defensive iden y ... somebody I can say, ‘Go play him. Go do your best to stop him.' For us, that's been our style for 12 years.”

  4. #4
    hope and change
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    I sure hope Pop was just kidding around about the Bogans bit

  5. #5
    Veteran L.I.T's Avatar
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    I'm...disturbed.

  6. #6
    bandwagoner fans suck ducks's Avatar
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    if bogans holds james to 10 points
    people will be sucking his balls tomorrow

  7. #7
    🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 ElNono's Avatar
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    if bogans holds james to 10 points
    people will be sucking his balls tomorrow
    I can't even be bothered to look up who was the last player to hold Lebron to 10 points... I don't even think that ever happened... not even when we had Bowen and we swept them...

  8. #8
    kick rocks
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    trust in Pop

  9. #9
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    “He's really the centerpiece of the whole thing,” Popovich said.
    holy carp!

  10. #10
    Believe. mingus's Avatar
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    the thing is you can have three centerpieces, just like you can have three backbones, right?



    LMAO

    Keith "Backbone" Bogans.

  11. #11
    Believe. mingus's Avatar
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    they need to let Manu walk and resign Bogans.

  12. #12
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    ME. Bogans the centerpiece of the whole thing.

    Pop is crazy.

    Wow. Did anyone wish Bogans had the broken finger a few games ago instead of Parker. I don't for either player, but if Pop is going to be this silly I don't know what to say.

    Pop is ing us over this season.

  13. #13
    Realistic Spurs Fan Amuseddaysleeper's Avatar
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    if bogans holds james to 10 points
    people will be sucking his balls tomorrow
    Tell you what, if Bogans holds Lebron to 10 points in a single quarter, I will suck his balls

  14. #14
    Believe. mingus's Avatar
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    Tell you what, if Bogans holds Lebron to 10 points in a single quarter, I will suck his balls
    youll be able to suck his balls once Pop's done sucking them, which may be never.

  15. #15
    Out with the old... Obstructed_View's Avatar
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    So maybe with Parker out there's no reason to play Bogans.

    Yeah, I know. I crack myself up sometimes.

  16. #16
    One of the most best jag's Avatar
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    It could be worse. At least Keith isnt Jacque Vaughn.

  17. #17
    hold mah dick! duhoh's Avatar
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    It could be worse. At least Keith isnt Jacque Vaughn.

  18. #18
    Out of the shadows lurker23's Avatar
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    Very interesting article. A few of the things I especially liked:

    Buck Harvey writing about Pop's personality, especially this bit:
    His players, especially the new ones, have wondered about both his emotional balance and his regular-season strategy.

    His 20 different starting lineups didn't always make much sense, with the Spurs sometimes playing too small and sometimes not letting anything settle.
    ...

    But he's only been more extreme this season. Over the years, Popovich has often created chaos in order to establish order and build a team his way.

    His way can be distinctive. If he lives by plus/minus equations, he doesn't reveal that. He instead talks in terms of what he sees and intangibles he believes in.
    Basically acknowledging what many fans have been screaming all year about Pop's odd and mostly ineffective tinkering.

    However, some of that may have been worth it if Pop has truly realized this part:
    Bogans doesn't need the ball, and Parker does, so they match. It's the same reason Popovich now brings Richard Jefferson and DeJuan Blair off the bench to play with Manu Ginobili.

    Ginobili creates for both. Curiously, the coaches don't see Ginobili and Duncan as perfect complements. Blair rolls to the basket for Ginobili's passes better than Duncan.
    I'm perfectly fine if you're giving maximum time to the Ginobili/Jefferson/Blair grouping, as that seems to be working out really well.


    Finally, the whole thing with Bogans being the "centerpiece" is intriguing. I know many fans didn't want to hear it, as it means more and more minutes for Bogans, but it basically shows that Pop is committed to the model that he created when he had Bruce Bowen. Even if he doesn't really have a true Bowen replacement, he's going to go with the next best thing he has. While this is distressing, as it means consistent Bogans minutes this year, there is a silver lining to this situation: when (if) Hairston gets minutes next season, he is going to get A LOT of minutes. It kind of goes back to something I thought of two months ago:
    As weird as this may sound only a few months into Keith Bogans tenure as a Spur, perhaps Bogans' current role is a prototype of how they might throw Hairston into the fire next year.
    As the contracts set up and with reality setting in that the Spurs need to continue to get younger, perhaps Hairston will be next year's "centerpiece."

  19. #19
    Believe.
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    if bogans holds james to 10 points
    people will be sucking his balls tomorrow
    Hold LeBron to 10 points in which quarter?

  20. #20
    Believe.
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    I understand what pop is saying about Bogans being important because he'sa guy who doesn't need the ball, and he can be the defensive iden y guy.

    However, we aren't a defensive team anymore, and Pop revelaed to the whole universe that he's an idiot, because he's still living in 2007 or earlier.

    If he hadn't railroaded Bowen last year, Bowen could still be playing and giving us twice what Bogans could ever expect to give us.

    Do you guys know that as a Spur, Finley never had a higher three-point FG% than Bowen?

  21. #21
    OG Spurs fan TheChillFactor's Avatar
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    Lol centerpiece...the worst "centerpiece" in the whole in NBA. What an asshole.

  22. #22
    Chunky Brazil's Avatar
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    Hairston is a Defensive presence and he doesn't need the ball. I have no issues with a player and a system ala Bowen but Bogans ?

  23. #23
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    Does anyone recall Tim Duncan giving George Hill props a week or two ago saying that George Hill's been asked to guard the best scorer on the other team.

    Has Pop got this wrong?

  24. #24
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    I sure hope Pop was just kidding around about the Bogans bit
    maybe hes trying to build bogans ego?

  25. #25
    I will not be mishandled MI21's Avatar
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    “He's really the centerpiece of the whole thing,”

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