Overall, Finley has been playing well this season

[lefty]

He had a so-so start, but lately he's been better than expected, ans has showed some consistency.

I think it has a lot to do with Hill and Mason becoming more comfortable (especially Maze) and providing additional scoring (not to mention that stretch where Bonner was on steroids)

With more offensive options on the team, Findog doesn't feel like he has to be the 4th option on the team, which takes pressure off his shoulders.
He is comfortable right now.

[HarlemHeat37]

ya, I agree..

there was a few times about 3-4 weeks ago where I thought he was back to the "bad Finley" and about to go on a big slump, and he proved me wrong..it looks like the off-season helped him a lot, and he's going to be a key contributor for the rest of the season..

the difference IMO is that he's expanded his game much more than the last 2 seasons..he's actually making his shots off the dribble, which he was horrible at in the last 2 years..he doesn't drive often, but much more than in years past..he's still making his shots off screens consistently..

his defense will never be good at this point, but we can mask him..effort is the most important part..

[MarHill]

I believe the fact that Mason has played well has helped Fin's game. I believe he will be a key contributor in the playoffs this season.

[DPG21920]

Fin deserves these minutes. He has shown commitment on the defensive end and consistency on the offensive end. This team would be hurting without Finley.

[Quiet Strength]

Yeah Finley had an ugly start but he's been playing really good. I am very impressed with how good he has been on defense. Hopefully he keeps it up.

[bigdog]

It's about time people start liking Finley around here!

All we need from him is about 10 ppg, 3 or 4 rebounds, and as long as he shows that he's putting in some effort on defense, I'm fine with that, even if he isn't a great defender.

The dude can still shoot. He is still a good player.

[bdictjames]

Cant believe Im saying this, but we did a good job picking Fin over Brent.

[SpursIndonesia]

The thing that quite impresses me is his rebounding, not that he would become our small big anytime soon, but because of our pitiful frontcourt at the moment, help, in any form, is truly appreciated. And our ballhandlers, especially Tony, seems much more aware of his state of being, when he's in his favorite spots or in a good rhythm, he seems to get the rock more often than not.

[Austin_Toros]

i know how spurs fans hate it when Fin misses his Js. Lately he has been knocking his shot down, which is great. He's a good role player.
i wonder if he will retire at the end of the season.

[outmap]

His defense has improved also, blocking some shots and rebounding well.

[timvp]

Finley's season will come down to whether he's in one of his hot streaks or cold streaks when the playoffs arrive. Hopefully he's in a hot streak because his cold shooting affects the rest of his game in dramatic negative fashion.

But yeah, overall Finley is having a quality season. Getting in shape has made allowed him to no longer be a defensive liability every game and gives him enough quickness to get a few more easy buckets.

[boutons_]

Did Michael say how many pounds his busy summer removed?

[TDMVPDPOY]

if he continues to improve and his stock goes up,

trade him

[Chieflion]

if he continues to improve and his stock goes up,

trade him

Finley's salary does not match up with anything the Spurs need.

[mrspurs]

He had a so-so start, but lately he's been better than expected, ans has showed some consistency.

I think it has a lot to do with Hill and Mason becoming more comfortable (especially Maze) and providing additional scoring (not to mention that stretch where Bonner was on steroids)

With more offensive options on the team, Findog doesn't feel like he has to be the 4th option on the team, which takes pressure off his shoulders.
He is comfortable right now.

Agreed. Its alot easier to play when you have alot of guys on your roster that can do basically the same thing you can do. No more, well if I dont score then we're gonna lose for sure.

[T Park]

if he continues to improve and his stock goes up,

trade him

Yeah and for what?

Also, he has a no trade clause genius.

Thats such an ignorant comment. If a player is playing well ala Matt Bonner, filling their role PERFECTLY, why would you mess up the chemistry and trade him?


God, quit with the horrible takes lately, seriously.

[1Parker1]

Finley has a no trade claus in his contract?? Where did you hear this?

[bobbybob0]

Finley has a no trade claus in his contract?? Where did you hear this?

It's his early Bird's rights or something

[lefty]

It's his early Bird's rights or something

:lol

[SenorSpur]

Gotta give credit where credit is due. Fin's shooting has been damn near uncanny. His rebounding and defense have also been good. As was stated earlier, when he shoots well, it seems to lift other areas of his game.

On the flip side, his passing is and has always been poor because he tends to make poor, ill-advised decisions with the ball. I cringe anytime he has the ball in his hands in transition, anytime he is looking to feed the post, or anytime he is pressured by the opposition.

[EricB]

Finley has a no trade claus in his contract?? Where did you hear this?

Yeah due to time spent in the league I believe. Pretty standard IIRC. I could be 100% wrong, wouldn't be the first time.

[mexicanjunior]

Finley has been a pleasant suprise so far and I am glad he has been able to more consistently hit shots. This will all be for not though if he doesn't hold up this type of play down the stretch...

[Yao明]

Finley can play
Don't ever underestimate the heart of of a champion

[xtremesteven33]

Finley can play
Don't ever underestimate the heart of of a champion



Yea finleys been playing inspired basketball as of late. I can tell in his emotions and face expressions during a game. He gets pumped up at times and shows faces of intensity when someone messes up or a good play just happened.

Love to see that in Fin.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

In some of his better games of late he's also been dishing out a few assists, something I thought I'd never see. Between getting into impressive shape and the new guys that can both take the pressure off and provide him with the competition to stay hungry for minutes, his play has outstripped probably anyone's expectations this year.

[Bruno]

Did Michael say how many pounds his busy summer removed?

15lbs.

[td4mvp21]

Props to Finley. He frustrates me sometimes but he has played very well this season and I can tell he is trying to help the team as much as possible. Let's just hope Pop remembers he can't play power forward :smokin

[Bruno]

Finley has a no trade close for this year.
It's because the contract he re-signed with Spurs is one year long without option years (he has a player option for the 2009-2010 year).

Finley has to give his consent before being traded. Keep that in mind when you play the GM and do some fantasy trades... :)

[outmap]

There are still two things he can't do though, inbound well and dribble penetrate; But that would be asking too much. Just shoot well, defend and rebound consistently is enough for me.

[m33p0]

how many blocks has he come up with so far?

[superbigtime]

Fin has been playing with such gritty determination. He is playing with emotion and fire that's undeniable. It's good to see. Fin ain't done by a sight.

[Yorae]

I think he ate kangaroo meat....

[lefty]

I think he ate kangaroo meat....

They say ostrich meat has less fat, but you eat more of it

[raspsa]

Finley is out on a mission to prove he can make a difference for the Spurs and win another ring. His regimen during the offseason showed that he intended to improve his overall play, not just his scoring. Being primarily a perimeter player, he is naturally more prone to shooting slumps so he has doubled his efforts on defense and rebounding w/c has not gone unnoticed, specially by Pop. My suggestion for Finley is to try and mix up his offense a bit now that he is leaner and more mobile. Shoot more mid-range jumpers and even drive to the basket on occasion and get to the line if possible.. a dunk now and then would be awesome... I think he'll have a big role to play by season's send.

[Yorae]

They say ostrich meat has less fat, but you eat more of it

Dela Hoya should've eaten that instead then..

[MarHill]

Finley is out on a mission to prove he can make a difference for the Spurs and win another ring. His regimen during the offseason showed that he intended to improve his overall play, not just his scoring. Being primarily a perimeter player, he is naturally more prone to shooting slumps so he has doubled his efforts on defense and rebounding w/c has not gone unnoticed, specially by Pop. My suggestion for Finley is to try and mix up his offense a bit now that he is leaner and more mobile. Shoot more mid-range jumpers and even drive to the basket on occasion and get to the line if possible.. a dunk now and then would be awesome... I think he'll have a big role to play by season's send.

I agree!! :toast

I would like for Fin to go to the basket and put more pressure on the defense.

I'm glad he's playing well and I believe his shooting will win the Spurs a game or two in the playoffs.

:flag:

[Ditty]

yah the ay finley has been hitting his shots he looks like hes back in dallas :)

[bigfan]

Finley can get streaky at times but he plays hard, isnt afraid to take a shot and is a hell of a man in the locker room. I think its pretty clear the rest of the guys respect him. There have been plenty of games where he's saved our ass too.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

He had a so-so start, but lately he's been better than expected, ans has showed some consistency.

I think it has a lot to do with Hill and Mason becoming more comfortable (especially Maze) and providing additional scoring (not to mention that stretch where Bonner was on steroids)

With more offensive options on the team, Findog doesn't feel like he has to be the 4th option on the team, which takes pressure off his shoulders.
He is comfortable right now.

Nice post.


Cant believe Im saying this, but we did a good job picking Fin over Brent.

Me too.


Finley's season will come down to whether he's in one of his hot streaks or cold streaks when the playoffs arrive. Hopefully he's in a hot streak because his cold shooting affects the rest of his game in dramatic negative fashion.

But yeah, overall Finley is having a quality season. Getting in shape has made allowed him to no longer be a defensive liability every game and gives him enough quickness to get a few more easy buckets.

Exactly.


if he continues to improve and his stock goes up,

trade him

Oh Lord, what T Park said. :rolleyes

Yup, Finley has played his role pretty much as well as could be expected since about game 6 in the season.

I thought he was a poor choice for the 5th swingman to start the season but he has proven me wrong. Here's to you Mike. Keep it up! :toast

[loveforthegame]

It's not his offense that I'm happy about though it's nice to see some consistency in that area thus far. He's not just parking in the corners or standing around waiting for the pass. He's mixed in a few drives though I'd like to see some more of that.

It's his dedication to defense and rebounding that has impressed me. Even on nights he's not shooting well his focus is on the other things where it wasn't the last couple years. His weight loss has clearly helped his mobility on both ends and his his detemination appears to be on a new level.

The question is whether he can do this in the playoffs. But no question he deserves some props for his performance so far.

[Yuixafun]

Fin has been playing with such gritty determination. He is playing with emotion and fire that's undeniable. It's good to see. Fin ain't done by a sight.

Yea this team needs that old dog with fight in him. Fin fits.

I had my reservations too about bringing him back this year, but he's been getting it done. Especially with the timely shots.

side note -

Remember last year on the final play of the Spurs season..

Vujacic drained a meaningless three at the buzzer for the Lakers for the hell of it.. after the game someone posted a picture or a clip.. And Finley was straight glaring at Sasha for a good minute with a look muted anger. I commented on it I'm sure. Maybe that gave him some added motivation for this year.

[Yorae]

I hope manu and findawg beat the crap out of vujabitch on their upcoming game.

[SequSpur]

Finley is bad ass.

[lefty]

Nice post.

Thanks :toast

[Raoul Duke]

Fin deserves these minutes. He has shown commitment on the defensive end and consistency on the offensive end. This team would be hurting without Finley.

i completely agree. i too was a bit nervous thinking he would slump but he has been really consistent this year. he has had some really good bounce back games.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Thanks :toast

You're welcome! :toast

I decided not to mention the game where he took 4/5 shots in the 4th Q and we lost (who was that to?), but now I have. As long as he's the 3rd or 4th option on any play I'm happy. When he feels he has to create, things go wrong.

But yeah, big improvement in the D and boardwork.

BTW, Raoul, taking HST's moniker in vain is NOT cool. You'd better be one brilliant hombre to pull that handle off... try at least capitalising the start of your sentences - the man was a literary genius, y'know. :ihit

[urunobili]

Finley is bad ass.

:tu

[Timmy]

:flag:

[outmap]

Good game by Fin again.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Let's see what he does when it matters.

Last year Fin played reasonably well during the first part of the season, then hit the 'old man winter perimeter player' wall when it mattered most down the stretch of the regular season and was nothing more than a turnstyle on the defensive end during the playoffs.

[Sigz]

Finley for 3

[raspsa]

Good game vs. the Clippers. He's a rejuvenated player. He'll be a big help in the playoffs.

[Manufan909]

Losing 15lbs has really helped, but he is playing too many mins IMO. Should stay under 25pr game.

Indeed. If only Ime could take some away. I didn't get to watch the game, so could someone let me know if he stunk it up yesterday?

[papashango]

Fin gets 29 minutes a night. If he keeps shooting this well I wouldn't mind him getting more shots. Its a luxury to have guys come in and score as well as guys like Finley and Mason do with minimum shots. Ime shouldn't get minutes because he's Ime. He should get them because he earned them and I can't imagine him playing as well as Finley or Bowen at this point.


Let's see what he does when it matters.

Last year Fin played reasonably well during the first part of the season, then hit the 'old man winter perimeter player' wall when it mattered most down the stretch of the regular season and was nothing more than a turnstyle on the defensive end during the playoffs.

I could be wrong but I seem to remember Finley struggling at the beginning of the season. Shooting something like 30-40% from the field. This year is nothing like last year or any year for Finley IMO. He's been consistent on both sides of the ball. He just looks better. And he's playing aggressive. Almost looks like a completely different player.

[lefty]

Bump :D