TD is really out of rythim

[Josepatches_]

I don't want to see his stats since he returned but he's not playing very good when he was great before the problem with the knee.
If I'm not wrong he was not able to get 20 points in the last 4-5 games.His FG% are below 50% and he is missing very easy shots.

I don't like that.Against the Mavs he looks desesperate and tonight I saw the same look in his eyes.And his D is losing all his intensity because he miss easy shots and he's out of the game.Okafor scored tonight very easy against him.

We have to increase his confidence because we are not going to win anything if our best player is playing like that.It was very significant how TP jumped very happy when TD made that 2+1 in the 4th quarter.even i think that he was looking to pass the ball to TD after the pick&roll more than usual.

TD is as good that he gets a double-double even if he plays awful.

This is not the playoffs but I would like to see TD scoring 30 or 40 one night to see he is really back.

I only hope his knee is well and the reason why he wasn't playing very well isn't that he has a problem with the knee

[Amuseddaysleeper]

:tu agreed

I think the knee sprain is definitely still lingering, and the Spurs may rest Duncan once again for a game to make sure.

[ducks]

you are selfish
tonight everyone was on fire

god teambalance
if td went for 40 he would work harder and all the other spur players would be off

[ducks]

duncan also is boarded against bad teams
he was rusty pled decent against shaq

lets see what he does against the lakers

[YoMamaIsCallin]

It's spelled "rhythm". And he looked OK to me tonight.

[GSH]

[Edit: I guess I was wrong, and he's hurting. Damn shame.]

I still loved it tonight when he got that late and-1, and did that little hop-step in the paint. He looked like a kid in school.

[Spursmania]

I think he played ok. He had a double double. Did look rusty, but everybody stepped it up. And, it was a great team win which is all that matters right now. As far as his health is concerned, with tendonosis he will not heal before the summer. It takes months to heal that ligament above his knee. So he is and will be playing with pain. The severity will differ night to night.

I can only imagine the restless nights Pop has knowing that Tm will not be 100% for the playoffs, but he'll play through like he did when he had Plantar Fascitis, I believe in the 2005 season when we won the Championships. He'll give it his all in the playoffs like he always has and that is all we fans can ask of him.

[completely deck]

I don't get it. I thought he did just fine.

[Austin_Toros]

Why would you want him to dominate against the Bobcats when everybody chipped in???
Is TD supposed to be the only spur to score each night?

[SouthTexasRancher]

It's called 'TEAM' and nobody in the NBA understands it better than Timmy...outside of Pop, of course!

As long as others are playing like they have lately, there is no need for Tim to put up monster numbers. It is actually nice to see guys like Hill & Mason play like tonight.

Tim has led us to 4 Championships and this year he will lead us to #5...!!!

[timvp]

He's definitely hurting.

[spursfan09]

At the end of the game he seemed to be limping a bit.

Spurstalk needs a spell checker.

I hope TD will be okay for the playoffs.

[crc21209]

Just because he isnt tearing up the stat sheet in the "points" category, doesnt mean he's playing bad. He's making about half of his shots still, rebounding is fine, assists. Although he does look a little bit rusty, he will be fine.

[GSH]

He's definitely hurting.

I assume you know that for certain? I hate to hear it.

I know that coming back from an injury, it can be hard to force yourself to commit. You're just not sure how much the equipment can take. I've seen guys come back from ACL injuries take a couple of months before they can really make themselves commit. I had hoped that was what was going on with Tim.

If he's still hurting that noticeably (and I believe you), then it's going to be a long, bitter road through the playoffs. I really hate to hear it, for his sake.

[duncan228]

He's definitely hurting.

He is. And I think he will be from here on out. I'm hoping he can play through it, he's played through pain before and been successful doing it.

I'm a little concerned because I'm not sure the right has been the one bothering him all season. If the chronic one is the left (I think it is), and now the right is nagging, we've got double trouble.

I believe in him, but I'd like to see him be able to carry a lighter load for a few games as we get closer to the Playoffs.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

He is. And I think he will be from here on out. I'm hoping he can play through it, he's played through pain before and been successful doing it.

I'm a little concerned because I'm not sure the right has been the one bothering him all season. If the chronic one is the left (I think it is), and now the right is nagging, we've got double trouble.

I believe in him, but I'd like to see him be able to carry a lighter load for a few games as we get closer to the Playoffs.

Exactly.

Would benching Duncan for 3 sound like too much? I know the race for the #2 seed is still tight but I think these guys can stay afloat if they have to.

[GSH]

Exactly.

Would benching Duncan for 3 sound like too much? I know the race for the #2 seed is still tight but I think these guys can stay afloat if they have to.

I think Pop could sit him for the next 4, right until the Celtics game, and we wouldn't get hurt too badly. We're going to have a hard time with L.A. without Ginobili anyway. I think this team could still win the other 3 without him.

You may not believe it, but my biggest concern would be OKC. We have 3 games left against them, and it would be so easy to overlook them completely because of their record. But they are playing a lot better ball now, and if they had a hot shooting night they could steal one. We really need to get W's against the remaining cellar-dwellers.

[tim_duncan94]

I don't want to see his stats since he returned but he's not playing very good when he was great before the problem with the knee.
If I'm not wrong he was not able to get 20 points in the last 4-5 games.His FG% are below 50% and he is missing very easy shots.

I don't like that.Against the Mavs he looks desesperate and tonight I saw the same look in his eyes.And his D is losing all his intensity because he miss easy shots and he's out of the game.Okafor scored tonight very easy against him.

We have to increase his confidence because we are not going to win anything if our best player is playing like that.It was very significant how TP jumped very happy when TD made that 2+1 in the 4th quarter.even i think that he was looking to pass the ball to TD after the pick&roll more than usual.

TD is as good that he gets a double-double even if he plays awful.

This is not the playoffs but I would like to see TD scoring 30 or 40 one night to see he is really back.

I only hope his knee is well and the reason why he wasn't playing very well isn't that he has a problem with the knee


I agree with you 100% i just hope he can get back to his old self before the playoffs.:flag:

[Blackjack]

Exactly.

Would benching Duncan for 3 sound like too much? I know the race for the #2 seed is still tight but I think these guys can stay afloat if they have to.

I'd be all for sittting Tim for three games or so if I thought it would help, unfortunately, I'm not sure it would. Everything I've heard, tends to lend to the logic that this is something that he's going to have to fight through until he's able to have a prolonged rest to fully (or to the extent of what "fully" is) recover/heal.

The thing that really worries me about this is, it really seems a lot like what happened to him in '04. It was a similar wear-and-tear injury that wasn't allowing the muscle to "fire" from that quad/knee area, and Tim was never really the same upon returning after sitting a couple weeks. It was largely overlooked because of the teams impressive streak to end the season, and Tony's stellar play, but there was a pretty noticeable change in Tim, even if the numbers said otherwise.

Tim's a very conscientious player and not one to throw caution to the wind when it comes to his body. He's a warrior and one of the tougher players in the league, especially when you consider the amount of punishment he endures in the post throughout the season, but injuries or the threat of, seem to play with his psyche even more than most. To this day, I'm actually convinced that he's changed the way he attacks the basket and plays in crowds, finding ways to get the job done that are the least susceptible to injury.(That snake-bitten '05 season of ankle sprains, seemingly being the catalyst and start of the change in mindset imo)

The point I got from the OP, was that Tim needs to be capable of being "Tim" if the Spurs are going to when a championship. You can't really argue with that. Tim's good enough to help the Spurs beat most teams at 70-80%, but unforunately, most isn't all, and Tim needs to be pretty close to his best, if the Spurs are going to when it all.

The way I see it, Tim's challenge is just about as much mental, as it is physical. Here's hoping he can find a way to meet the challenge.:ihit

[crc21209]

I really doubt Tim sits any games from here on out, unless the final wk of the season we know what seed we will be. Just because I feel he knows he's going to have to play out the rest of the year with some pain.

[m33p0]

he said he's not 100% and doesn't think he will be for the rest of the season.

[Obstructed_View]

The tendonosis requires several months to heal. Duncan's not going to be 100 percent this season. Everyone else is going to have to step up and Timmy's going to have to pace himself and pick his spots. Somebody wanting him to score 40 points in a game just to prove something to the fans is completely missing the mission.

[Manufan909]

The tendonosis requires several months to heal. Duncan's not going to be 100 percent this season. Everyone else is going to have to step up and Timmy's going to have to pace himself and pick his spots. Somebody wanting him to score 40 points in a game just to prove something to the fans is completely missing the mission.

+ FUCKING 1

Timmy isn't a huge scorer anyways, he's all about efficiency. And he'll get up for Gasol and Odom like he did for Shaq.

[Obstructed_View]

He just needs to start being a man, Im so tired of seeing him hang his head. If hes not healthy Pops needs to find him a way to take some more games off. I can see that happening after Gooden and Manu get going.

I think Pops will find a way to steal a couple games rest for TD and TP over the next couple weeks to keep them fresh.
:bang :bang :bang

Once more for the remedial class.

Pops:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_M7_yPVHRcao/Sabf1-IcubI/AAAAAAAAA3k/w45tCHqtEpM/s400/pops-mensah-bonsu.jpg

Pop:
http://espn.go.com/photo/2007/0605/nba_g_popovich_275.jpg

[Manufan909]

Look interchangeable to me.:lol

[m33p0]

:bang :bang :bang

Once more for the remedial class.

Pops:
http://www.basketball247.co.uk/test/pops.jpg

Pop:
http://espn.go.com/photo/2007/0605/nba_g_popovich_275.jpg
while you're at it, let our members know that 'Malik' refers to this man
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/31/67959512_05b73e340f.jpg?v=0

[Duncan2177]

It's called 'TEAM' and nobody in the NBA understands it better than Timmy...outside of Pop, of course!

As long as others are playing like they have lately, there is no need for Tim to put up monster numbers. It is actually nice to see guys like Hill & Mason play like tonight.

Tim has led us to 4 Championships and this year he will lead us to #5...!!!

:tu

[Thomas82]

I think he played ok. He had a double double. Did look rusty, but everybody stepped it up. And, it was a great team win which is all that matters right now. As far as his health is concerned, with tendonosis he will not heal before the summer. It takes months to heal that ligament above his knee. So he is and will be playing with pain. The severity will differ night to night.

I can only imagine the restless nights Pop has knowing that Tm will not be 100% for the playoffs, but he'll play through like he did when he had Plantar Fascitis, I believe in the 2005 season when we won the Championships. He'll give it his all in the playoffs like he always has and that is all we fans can ask of him.


Actually in 2005, Tim had 2 sprained ankles that he had to play through.

[i have bone spurs]

It's obvious to me that TD has been pretending to be slow for the past few games. He's going to explode with outrageous athleticism in the next game or so. It's a big ol' psyche out tactic.

[Thomas82]

It's obvious to me that TD has been pretending to be slow for the past few games. He's going to explode with outrageous athleticism in the next game or so. It's a big ol' psyche out tactic.

I really do hope it is a mind game, but I think he is really hurting.

[Josepatches_]

I'm not worried about TD's numbers.He doesn't need to score 20.
It's about how I see him.He seems to be very desesperate.He takes some very stupid shots.He is blocked a lot too.I'm afraid he can lose his confidence.

I want to believe he is out of rythim since the all star break but he was playing a lot better this year.

And I don't think he has to be slow last games.Then you wouldn't take 18 shots.

[HarlemHeat37]

He's hurting, but a lot of it is rust too..he's missed some chip shots in the last few games that he'll make regardless of injuries..he won't be a 100% this season, but he'll be much better than he has been the last few games..

We won't be getting the same Duncan that was straight dominant before the injury, but we all know he's a different player in the playoffs..he had PF in 2006 and he had a sub-par regular season, but he put up 33 and 11 on 50+% shooting vs. the Mavs in the 7-game series..I don't worry about Duncan..

He's getting older though, so we're going to need more of a team effort this year..Tony will have to continue to be the main scoring option, and we'll need the role players+Manu to step up..

[Obstructed_View]

while you're at it, let our members know that 'Malik' refers to this man
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/31/67959512_05b73e340f.jpg?v=0

Yeah, there's probably not a bigger Hairston supporter around here than me, and I'm not ready to refer to him by his first name yet.

[HarlemHeat37]

It takes longer for big men anyways..look at Boozer, he's been back for weeks, and he still lacks most of his rhythm right now..

[Spursfan092120]

Yeah, there's probably not a bigger Hairston supporter around here than me, and I'm not ready to refer to him by his first name yet.
:tu :toast :clap

[GSH]

Just out of curiosity, I took a look at Duncan's last 5 games. The blowout wins don't say too much, but in general, he has come out pretty strong in the first quarters, and then faded. You would expect that from pain and tightening up, more than from being rusty.

Here's the way his scoring fell in those games. You can see he's had some very good quarters and halves. But it looks more like he can't keep it going for a full game.

Clippers - 12 PTS, 9 RBs, 4 AST at the half. 6 PTS, 3 RBS, 2 AST in third quarter. Not really needed in fourth.

Mavs - 11 PTS, 3 RBS, 2 AST in the first quarter. Only 2 RBS in second quarter. 8 PTS, 6 boards in second half.

Wizards - Blowout win. Duncan only played 18 minutes.

Suns - 13 PTS, 12 RBS, 4AST at the half. Only 4 PTS, 3 RBS in the second half. (The Spurs were up 58-45, and the whole team came out flat to start the second half. Maybe that was part of it.)

Bobcats - 7 PTS, 4 RBS in first quarter. Only 2 RBS in second quarter. 11 PTS, 5 RBS in second half.

[Obstructed_View]

Just out of curiosity, I took a look at Duncan's last 5 games. The blowout wins don't say too much, but in general, he has come out pretty strong in the first quarters, and then faded. You would expect that from pain and tightening up, more than from being rusty.

Here's the way his scoring fell in those games. You can see he's had some very good quarters and halves. But it looks more like he can't keep it going for a full game.

Clippers - 12 PTS, 9 RBs, 4 AST at the half. 6 PTS, 3 RBS, 2 AST in third quarter. Not really needed in fourth.

Mavs - 11 PTS, 3 RBS, 2 AST in the first quarter. Only 2 RBS in second quarter. 8 PTS, 6 boards in second half.

Wizards - Blowout win. Duncan only played 18 minutes.

Suns - 13 PTS, 12 RBS, 4AST at the half. Only 4 PTS, 3 RBS in the second half. (The Spurs were up 58-45, and the whole team came out flat to start the second half. Maybe that was part of it.)

Bobcats - 7 PTS, 4 RBS in first quarter. Only 2 RBS in second quarter. 11 PTS, 5 RBS in second half.


There was a joke in a tasteless joke book that I had when I was a kid about a black guy who came home with 500 dollars. His wife asked where he got the money, and he said that as he was on his way home, he passed by a biggest dick contest with 500 dollars as first prize. His wife said, "Please tell me you didn't actually pull out your dick in public", to which the husband replied, "Only enough to win".

Tim Duncan is ALL about "Only enough to win"

[Nrod1]

TD is most def off

[Josepatches_]

I still think he is far away to be at his level.
Did he play today with kneepads?

But maybe we could use him more.Tonight he shooted 13 times but he doesn't have enough low post plays.He scored after pick&roll.

IMO he needs to have more ball in the post.Pop has to work on that kind of plays and forget to use the fucking pick&roll and the TP's dribble & dribble plays all the time

[HarlemHeat37]

He looked great in the 2nd half..he missed a few chip shots, but that's expected with rust..

the encouraging part to me was that he was dominant defensively in the 2nd half..

[MaNu4Tres]

This team will go however far Tim will take them. Since his return from injury Tim is avg. 15 points on 43 percent shooting. If I'm pop I'm really questioning on playing Tim and would consider shutting him down for 2 or 3 weeks. We need Tim to get back to where he was playing a month and a half ago.

[m33p0]

he moved well and was aggressive in the second half. but it's tough to deal with constant double teams especially against a team with length and quickness.

[HarlemHeat37]

Based on his D and rebounding, I don't think it's a physical thing anymore..I think it's about his rust and confidence..it's also possible that he's scared for the knee..

[Agloco]

I don't want to see his stats since he returned but he's not playing very good when he was great before the problem with the knee.
If I'm not wrong he was not able to get 20 points in the last 4-5 games.His FG% are below 50% and he is missing very easy shots.

I don't like that.Against the Mavs he looks desesperate and tonight I saw the same look in his eyes.And his D is losing all his intensity because he miss easy shots and he's out of the game.Okafor scored tonight very easy against him.

We have to increase his confidence because we are not going to win anything if our best player is playing like that.It was very significant how TP jumped very happy when TD made that 2+1 in the 4th quarter.even i think that he was looking to pass the ball to TD after the pick&roll more than usual.

TD is as good that he gets a double-double even if he plays awful.

This is not the playoffs but I would like to see TD scoring 30 or 40 one night to see he is really back.

I only hope his knee is well and the reason why he wasn't playing very well isn't that he has a problem with the knee

I'll bet dollars to donuts that it is his knee, but at this point the Spurs can't afford to have both Manu and Timmy out.

It's very ominous though. Timmy is not playing very well at all. I don't think I've ever seen him labor quite this hard

[The Truth #6]

TD is not right. He's trying but has the least amount of athleticism I've seen from him. Even one-foot 2005 Timmy looked better than this.

As soon as Gooden feels better he needs to get thrown out there to give TD some relief. I realize that's not a great scenario either, but we have to be at full strength when it really begins, even if we're the 6th seed or whatever. As long as we're not the 8th seed it doesn't really matter, so to speak.

[Josepatches_]

The problem is serious.
Sice he returned these are his scoring numbers.

7-18 FG 15 pts
7-18 FG 18 pts
6-13 FG 16 pts
5-9 FG 17 pts
2-5 FG 5 pts
7-21 19 pts
7-11 18 pts
6-15 14 pts

42.7 FG% 15.25 ppg

While he was 52 FG% 20.9 ppg before.

NBA season it's over for us if the injury is the reason of these numbers. He is not going to be better.He didn't improve since his return.Even he begin to play with kneepads.His NBA career could be in high risk as well as our chance to win another NBA tittle someday.

If the problem isn't the injury and he is really out of rythim I would try to recover him right now and let him try 30 shots per game if it's necessary.Nobody can say there's not a problem.

[NewJerSpur]

If he doesn't come alive in the playoffs, then I'll be GRAVELY concerned; for now I'd just see how things go especially given he SHOULD get some additional rest within games as Gooden progresses. He's had to work his but off this season moreso than the past few years because of our major injury problems early on.

However, and it pains me to acknowledge this, I think it will be soon time to begin looking for our next longterm plan at the PF/C position. Tim is not going to be around forever, but while he is here we are going to have to start lightening his load more down low to keep him around.

[HarlemHeat37]

limited concern from me until the playoffs..he's been solid in the 2nd half of 2 games in a row, and he has no reason to go full out 100% right now, since they're meaningless games..I don't expect the usual playoff Duncan, but I'd be happy with a similar Timmy that we saw in the 1st half of the season..

he also said "the knee is getting better" in one of the articles that Duncan228 posted, so that's encouraging..he won't be a 100%, but if he can get to 85-90% for the playoffs, that's fine with me..

Duncan has extremely high basketball IQ..he'll adjust to the injury, and so will Pop..Tim is extremely versatile, so he can easily play inside or outside, and his passing benefits the team greatly..I'm not that concerned..

this year could be Tony's break out party as a superstar though, since we'll have to lean on him more..

[NewJerSpur]

Yeah. Tony's showed he can go into, "I can carry a team on my back" mode since that game in Minnesota early in the season when he dropped 55. If there's anything to take from Tim and Manu being hampered healthwise moving forward, it's that.

[Blackjack]

limited concern from me until the playoffs..he's been solid in the 2nd half of 2 games in a row, and he has no reason to go full out 100% right now, since they're meaningless games..I don't expect the usual playoff Duncan, but I'd be happy with a similar Timmy that we saw in the 1st half of the season..

he also said "the knee is getting better" in one of the articles that Duncan228 posted, so that's encouraging..he won't be a 100%, but if he can get to 85-90% for the playoffs, that's fine with me..

Duncan has extremely high basketball IQ..he'll adjust to the injury, and so will Pop..Tim is extremely versatile, so he can easily play inside or outside, and his passing benefits the team greatly..I'm not that concerned..

this year could be Tony's break out party as a superstar though, since we'll have to lean on him more..

I am worried about Duncan, not only how the knee affects him physically but mentally, but Tony is giving me hope that Tim can be "good enough."

I've said it before, but Tony has been almost Wade-like in the way he's taking ownership in end-game situations. He's even stepping into 3's under pressure, when it's something that has never been his strength.(ala Wade)

If Tony can replicate that type of play throughout a playoff, and play with the confidence to be "The Man", the whole equation changes.

[raspsa]

Spurs trainers and medical staff will be earning their pay that's for sure. On the bright side, this could motivate the players to rally around Timmy and exert their best effort. Timmy has proved he can play through the pain but its doing to take a real team effort.

[TampaDude]

Spurs trainers and medical staff will be earning their pay that's for sure. On the bright side, this could motivate the players to rally around Timmy and exert their best effort. Timmy has proved he can play through the pain but its going to take a real team effort.

Yup...if the Spurs work as a TEAM, they can overcome injuries and will win :lobt: #5 this year. :toast

[Brazil]

Yup...if the Spurs work as a TEAM, they can overcome injuries and will win :lobt: #5 this year. :toast
:toast to that

[new_N_town]

i cannot believe duncan hasnt scored 20 in idk how many games now

[ducks]

duncan does not need to score 20 for spurs to win
with this team
is it not great to have that luxcury

td can if the other players need him to IF they are off

[Spursmania]

i cannot believe duncan hasnt scored 20 in idk how many games now

Dude-chill. Duncan will play through his pain. He will not be 100% we all know that. The team will be fine. They are warriors. We have better rebounding help with Gooden. Manu will be back. Parker is playing great. The guys off the bench are holding steady. Pop will begin to hone down the rotations. This is a better team than last year. We are the dark horse that nobody belives in. Believe.

[new_N_town]

duncan does not need to score 20 for spurs to win
with this team
is it not great to have that luxcury

td can if the other players need him to IF they are off man i hope im reading too much in too this duncan thing i hope ur right :whine

[new_N_town]

Dude-chill. Duncan will play through his pain. He will not be 100% we all know that. The team will be fine. They are warriors. We have better rebounding help with Gooden. Manu will be back. Parker is playing great. The guys off the bench are holding steady. Pop will begin to hone down the rotations. This is a better team than last year. We are the dark horse that nobody belives in. Believe.
i dont know how everyone is so calm but ill take your word for it

:flag:

[Thomas82]

i dont know how everyone is so calm but ill take your word for it

:flag:

Tim Duncan will be the Tim Duncan we all know and love when the playoffs roll around.

[mabrignani]

your spelling is also out of rhythim haha

[GSH]

You may not believe it, but my biggest concern would be OKC. We have 3 games left against them, and it would be so easy to overlook them completely because of their record. But they are playing a lot better ball now, and if they had a hot shooting night they could steal one. We really need to get W's against the remaining cellar-dwellers.




Told ya. OKC didn't even need a hot shooting night. This was their most piss-poor effort of the season.

[Thomas82]

i cannot believe duncan hasnt scored 20 in idk how many games now

I thought he was on his way to doing it tonight, but I don't understand the drop-off from the 1st half to the 2nd half.

[Spursmania]

Told ya. OKC didn't even need a hot shooting night. This was their most piss-poor effort of the season.

Well, you were right. Damn shitty loss.

[Brazil]

told ya. Okc didn't even need a hot shooting night. This was their most piss-poor effort of the season.

35% !!!

[Thomas82]

35% !!!

That's usually a key to a win when you hold somebody to 35%.

[Brazil]

That's usually a key to a win when you hold somebody to 35%.

I don't remember a spurs loss holding the opponent at 35 % FG

[Josepatches_]

One more bad game.

6-13 FG 14 pts
7-18 FG 15 pts
7-18 FG 18 pts
6-13 FG 16 pts
5-9 FG 17 pts
2-5 FG 5 pts
7-21 19 pts
7-11 18 pts
6-15 14 pts


I can't understand why TD is playing.Obviuosly it can't be good for his knee and we are far away to be one of the best teams of the league right now.
If we aren't ready to win then it's not a priority to put TD on the court.Of course he wants to plays.He 's a warrior.But he's not young and it could be a big damage for the future.

Right now it seems that I'm the only one that thinks that we are far away to win the NBA if TD isn't healthy.We are running against the wall.A wall that we can't climb.

[Thomas82]

I don't remember a spurs loss holding the opponent at 35 % FG

Neither do I.