Initial Reaction: Spurs vs. Timberwolves - Mar. 17

[timvp]

http://spurstalk.com/box1mar18.jpg
http://spurstalk.com/box2mar18.jpg

In the middle of the second quarter versus the Timberwolves, the Spurs seemed to be in the same boat that they were against the Thunder a night earlier. The offense was stagnate, the shooting was poor and the execution was inconsistent. Thankfully the offense awoke near the end of the first half and the Spurs were able to gut out a 93-86 victory.

A regular season win against the T'Wolves is hardly reason to hold a river parade, however this win was important. Not only were the Spurs without Manu Ginobili, Pop decided to also rest Tim Duncan. Playing on the second night of a back-to-back without arguably the two best players on the team? Any win is a big win.

Throughout the offensive ups and downs, the Spurs survived tonight due to their defensive effort. From the beginning of the game to the end, they competed defensively and did a very good job on the defensive glass. Additionally, taking care of the ball was another reason why the Spurs won despite shooting poorly from the perimeter.

-Tony Parker had the entire Minnesota defense determined to stop him. They tried to deny him the ball and then sent help whenever he began his penetration. Considering the circumstances, Parker had a fantastic outing. His 24 points and six assists were impressive but finishing the game without a turnover when the T'Wolves showed him constant attention was outstanding. Overall, Parker ran the show extremely well and demonstrated the patience and maturity of a player who truly understands how to lead his team to victory.

-Roger Mason, Jr. seemed headed for his third straight quiet performances before he got hot at the end of the third quarter. In a five minute stretch, he scored 13 of his 15 points to help the Spurs extend their lead from two points to 11 points. Defensively, I thought he played one of his better games of the last month. While he got caught up in a few screens, he played with a better level of attentiveness.

-Michael Finley had a decent outing. His defense, especially against more physical players on Minnesota, was commendable and he helped out on the boards. Finley's shot wasn't dropping at a high clip but he was mostly helpful on the night.

-The Spurs needed Kurt Thomas to step up with Duncan out and Thomas did just that. Not only did he register a double-double, he also added six assists and two steals to the mix. Defensively, he was physical and held the younger T'Wolves bigs in check. Thomas' play continues to fly under the radar but he's been a huge reason why the Spurs have survived this injury-plagued season.

-Matt Bonner once again struggled with his shooting. Since the Spurs signed Drew Gooden, Bonner has hit only 5-of-23 three-point attempts. The good news is that he had his second consecutive very good showing on the defensive end. Bonner's energy at the beginning of the game was important to help the Spurs get off to a decent start.

-Bruce Bowen dusted off the cobwebs for the game against the T'Wolves. In the last two outings, Bowen was an afterthought. Tonight, Bowen was the first player off the bench for the Spurs. I thought Bowen responded very well. His defense was active and his energy level was back to near his normal levels. He hadn't looked too spry in the last month so hopefully Tuesday night is a sign that he is gearing up for a playoff push.

-George Hill entered the game with three minutes remaining in the third quarter and ended up playing the rest of the way. Pop continues to show a lot of trust in Hill in fourth quarters and Hill has responded with quality play. Defensively, he was very good once again, especially when matched up with Randy Foye. All five of his points came in the final stanza, while his ability to play next to Parker continues to impress.

-Fabricio Oberto very well could have had his best game of the season. In his 20 minutes of action, Oberto was all over the place. Offensively, he was about as active as you will ever see him. When he wasn't creating shots for himself, he was almost single-handedly sparking Mason's run with physical screens and smart passing. I'm not sure if Oberto played well due to feeling the heat from Gooden but, whatever the reason, hopefully this is the Oberto we see from here on out. I had to do a few double-takes when I saw Oberto actually going hard after rebounds and going up to protect the rim.

-Ime Udoka's play in the second quarter might be forgotten but if it wasn't for his production, the offense might have literally came to a complete halt. In the first nine minutes of the quarter, Udoka scored seven of the team's 11 points. He also handed out an assist on one of the other two buckets. Udoka also deserves credit for rebounding well and playing a tough brand of basketball when asked to play power forward.

-Drew Gooden only played six minutes on the night -- all coming in the first half. Gooden missed each of his four of his shots and not surprisingly made a lot of mistakes on the defensive end. During his stint on the court, the Spurs were outscored by ten points. Thankfully, there is a month to go before the real season begins to get Gooden integrated into the system.

-I was very pleased with how Pop coached this game. Sitting Duncan was the right call because Duncan needs to be as healthy as possible heading into the playoffs for the Spurs to have a chance. He's been struggling with his knees as of late and any rest can only help. I also thought Pop altering his rotation to get the veterans more minutes was the right move. Bringing in Bowen and Oberto off the bench first gave the Spurs their best chance to win this game. Given the circumstances, Pop couldn't afford to do anything other than coach to win. A loss against Minnesota would have been disastrous.

The Spurs now have a break until they face the Celtics on Friday. Hopefully Duncan will feel healthier, Ginobili can continue on the road to recovery and the Spurs come ready to battle against Boston.

Believe.

[Big P]

Nice read. Thanks

[Mugen]

thanks timvp.

i think that the Boston game is going to bring out better play from our guys. I felt our focus was missing from most of the Thunder game and half of the Twolves game. I hope Timmy responds well from the days off and the guys come out ready to play.

plus, we can't shoot that badly from the 3 in three straight games, can we?

[Cant_Be_Faded]

I just don't see any possible way resting Duncan in spot games is going to have him healthy for the playoffs. We all know it's a long term injury (or is it technically a disease?)
Duncan has looked so horrible these past games its very difficult to watch the team play. Because it's a very sad thing to watch Duncan slowed by injury.


Gooden is looking more like Gooden with each passing game. And that is not a good thing IMO.

Kurt Thomas is the real savior this season.

[crc21209]

Thanks Timvp. Great thoughts as always. Me & my gf were at the game tonight, and it was my 3rd game of the Season. I was 2-0 on the yr and with this win now 3-0. So I'm pretty damn lucky lol. Anyway, the 1st qtr was so-so and then came the 2nd when I thought "Oh crap this looks like last night's game." The Offense became very very stagnant and went absolutely nowhere. But toward the end of the qtr they picked it right back up. My Top 3 players of the game were Tony Parker, Roger Mason, and Kurt Thomas. I just feel comfortable when KT is in there, he brings good D, good screens, a good little screen and roll jump shot. My player of the game who came outta nowhere tonight was Fab. He was pretty damn good tonight for not getting consistent mins the past couple of games. I was excited to see Gooden, only to see him miss all his shots and mess up on D pretty bad and get yanked for the game. He'll learn though, he's gonna be a big part of this team, as his 13 pts 5 rebs against Houston showed. I didnt find out TD wasnt playing until about 20 mins till tip-off, when my Dad called me and told me. My 1st reaction was crap I've never missed TD in any Spurs game I've been to, but was excited at the same time to see what our guys would bring to the table on a back-2-back without Manu and TD. Overall it was a pretty good game, A win is a win right now. :tu

[VI_Massive]

Amazing game by KT. He continues to be Mr. Solid for us.

Looking at the box score....we won because we forced turnovers. And because Minnesota missed some free throws. But that great defense we played tonight really helped us out by forcing turnovers which gave us extra possessions on a night we really needed them due to poor shooting, especially from 3. Can't help but think the presence and effort of Bowen helped set the defensive tone.

Also, it seemed by the end of the game we were hell-bent on getting to the rim and at least getting to the line. Hill, Oberto, Parker, all of them. It really kept our offense moving on a night when not a lot of shots were falling. We gotta keep attacking the rim!

[crc21209]

After last night's atrocious Offense game, I was impressed with the guys scoring 93 against ANY team without both Manu and TD, and also holding the T'Wolves to 86 without them as well...

[Mavs<Spurs]

http://spurstalk.com/box1mar18.jpg
http://spurstalk.com/box2mar18.jpg

In the middle of the second quarter versus the Timberwolves, the Spurs seemed to be in the same boat that they were against the Thunder a night earlier. The offense was stagnate, the shooting was poor and the execution was inconsistent. Thankfully the offense awoke near the end of the first half and the Spurs were able to gut out a 93-86 victory.

A regular season win against the T'Wolves is hardly reason to hold a river parade, however this win was important. Not only were the Spurs without Manu Ginobili, Pop decided to also rest Tim Duncan. Playing on the second night of a back-to-back without arguably the two best players on the team? Any win is a big win.

Throughout the offensive ups and downs, the Spurs survived tonight due to their defensive effort. From the beginning of the game to the end, they competed defensively and did a very good job on the defensive glass. Additionally, taking care of the ball was another reason why the Spurs won despite shooting poorly from the perimeter.

-Tony Parker had the entire Minnesota defense determined to stop him. They tried to deny him the ball and then sent help whenever he began his penetration. Considering the circumstances, Parker had a fantastic outing. His 24 points and six assists were impressive but finishing the game without a turnover when the T'Wolves showed him constant attention was outstanding. Overall, Parker ran the show extremely well and demonstrated the patience and maturity of a player who truly understands how to lead his team to victory.

-Roger Mason, Jr. seemed headed for his third straight quiet performances before he got hot at the end of the third quarter. In a five minute stretch, he scored 13 of his 15 points to help the Spurs extend their lead from two points to 11 points. Defensively, I thought he played one of his better games of the last month. While he got caught up in a few screens, he played with a better level of attentiveness.

-Michael Finley had a decent outing. His defense, especially against more physical players on Minnesota, was commendable and he helped out on the boards. Finley's shot wasn't dropping at a high clip but he was mostly helpful on the night.

-The Spurs needed Kurt Thomas to step up with Duncan out and Thomas did just that. Not only did he register a double-double, he also added six assists and two steals to the mix. Defensively, he was physical and held the younger T'Wolves bigs in check. Thomas' play continues to fly under the radar but he's been a huge reason why the Spurs have survived this injury-plagued season.

-Matt Bonner once again struggled with his shooting. Since the Spurs signed Drew Gooden, Bonner has hit only 5-of-23 three-point attempts. The good news is that he had his second consecutive very good showing on the defensive end. Bonner's energy at the beginning of the game was important to help the Spurs get off to a decent start.

-Bruce Bowen dusted off the cobwebs for the game against the T'Wolves. In the last two outings, Bowen was an afterthought. Tonight, Bowen was the first player off the bench for the Spurs. I thought Bowen responded very well. His defense was active and his energy level was back to near his normal levels. He hadn't looked too spry in the last month so hopefully Tuesday night is a sign that he is gearing up for a playoff push.

-George Hill entered the game with three minutes remaining in the third quarter and ended up playing the rest of the way. Pop continues to show a lot of trust in Hill in fourth quarters and Hill has responded with quality play. Defensively, he was very good once again, especially when matched up with Randy Foye. All five of his points came in the final stanza, while his ability to play next to Parker continues to impress.

-Fabricio Oberto very well could have had his best game of the season. In his 20 minutes of action, Oberto was all over the place. Offensively, he was about as active as you will ever see him. When he wasn't creating shots for himself, he was almost single-handedly sparking Mason's run with physical screens and smart passing. I'm not sure if Oberto played well due to feeling the heat from Gooden but, whatever the reason, hopefully this is the Oberto we see from here on out. I had to do a few double-takes when I saw Oberto actually going hard after rebounds and going up to protect the rim.

-Ime Udoka's play in the second quarter might be forgotten but if it wasn't for his production, the offense might have literally came to a complete halt. In the first nine minutes of the quarter, Udoka scored seven of the team's 11 points. He also handed out an assist on one of the other two buckets. Udoka also deserves credit for rebounding well and playing a tough brand of basketball when asked to play power forward.

-Drew Gooden only played six minutes on the night -- all coming in the first half. Gooden missed each of his four of his shots and not surprisingly made a lot of mistakes on the defensive end. During his stint on the court, the Spurs were outscored by ten points. Thankfully, there is a month to go before the real season begins to get Gooden integrated into the system.

-I was very pleased with how Pop coached this game. Sitting Duncan was the right call because Duncan needs to be as healthy as possible heading into the playoffs for the Spurs to have a chance. He's been struggling with his knees as of late and any rest can only help. I also thought Pop altering his rotation to get the veterans more minutes was the right move. Bringing in Bowen and Oberto off the bench first gave the Spurs their best chance to win this game. Given the circumstances, Pop couldn't afford to do anything other than coach to win. A loss against Minnesota would have been disastrous.

The Spurs now have a break until they face the Celtics on Friday. Hopefully Duncan will feel healthier, Ginobili can continue on the road to recovery and the Spurs come ready to battle against Boston.

Believe.

Continue to love, read and appreciate your analysis of the game. Thank you so much for doing this. I get so much out of your post game analysis and I know that I am one of many, and know that for every person who posts that says how much they enjoy it, there are many more who are lurking and appreciate it.

Thanks.

[crc21209]

Another plus for me tonight at the Spurs game, I found myself a Roger Mason Jr. jersey! :tu :downspin:

[whottt]

I have a feeling Pop would like the Parker Hill tandem to be one he can close out games with. I think being on the court in that situation is Hill's job to lose if he continues to play the level of D he's been playing. I can see that PG pairing being a real pain in the butt for opposing defenses.

And Sean Elliott reinforced something I've been thinking all season long...George Hill is going to be a Spur for a long time.

[HarlemHeat37]

I don't understand the comment about Gooden "looking like" Gooden every passing game, and being a bad thing..this was his first bad outing as a Spur..pretty good for a guy not knowing the system yet, coming off an injury, and barely playing basketball for the last 2 months..

Gooden will be fine..he's barely even practiced with the team..

[Manufan909]

Hope Gooden can stand tall against Perkins, Powe, and Garnett on Friday. He seems to be decent 1-1, hopefully the Celtics' scouting report doesn't say anything about him not knowing the D plays at all yet, but that's too big of a dream to come true. Hope Tim, KT, and Bonner all do better than their season averages, if so I think the Spurs will take it.

[timtonymanu]

Another plus for me tonight at the Spurs game, I found myself a Roger Mason Jr. jersey! :tu :downspin:

im jealous.

[benefactor]

I don't understand the comment about Gooden "looking like" Gooden every passing game, and being a bad thing..this was his first bad outing as a Spur..pretty good for a guy not knowing the system yet, coming off an injury, and barely playing basketball for the last 2 months..

Gooden will be fine..he's barely even practiced with the team..
Agreed. It's pretty silly to say something like that when the guy has only had two games with any sort of real minutes. There should have been more in this one too, but I digress.

This was a good win overall after the egg-laying that transpired the previous night. We came out with urgency and purpose, knowing that we needed to keep as much cushion as possible between us and the teams behind us. Also whoever that was that took over Oberto's body for the evening can hang around for the playoffs if they so desire. :)

[Bukefal]

Parker ran the show, AGAIN!!!!! anyway, great win, we needed this.

[VI_Massive]

I see Gooden's short time in as a commentary from Pop emphasizing to Gooden that you don't stay on the floor in SA if you don't play good D.

Also, you have to give a guy like Oberto some serious minutes once in a while so he can be useful off the bench down the stretch and in the playoffs. I think he's most useful guarding Gasol and we want him to not be completely rusty and finding his way if he sees some minutes in the playoffs.

[romain.star]

I never thought TP could be great on such a consistent basis.
He is carrying this team game after game after game...

He should get some votes for MVP and should be part of the 2nd All NBA team

[urunobili]

timvp: do you think we may have won the game in OKC without TD and let it be the TP show? :stirpot:

[Solid D]

Excellent recap, timvp. A key run in the game came from mid 2nd quarter through the 8-minute mark of the 3rd quarter. The Spurs came from down 30-24 and went on a 24-8 run during that time.

Oberto was giving tremendous effort last night. Several times, Fabri sprinted down the floor, beating everyone there in hopes of receiving a pass. His screens and aggressiveness offensively were exemplary. He made the Rhino look plodding and a step slow.

The Spurs also did some things to free Parker and Mason up. When the straight-up middle screen/roll didn't work, the Spurs went to running TP off two screens and curling for jumpers. Tony hit them and then Mason also began to do so. They also ran screen/rolls for Tony and Mason off the secondary pass instead of the initial entry. The hand-offs and ball screens with TP or Mason coming back across from the corner and baseline kept the Wolves from hedging as much, nor did it allow the Wolves to pack the lane as much with help. Nice adjustment by the Spurs' coaching staff. It helped win the game.

[sonic21]

what's the chance of tony being on 2nd or 3rd All NBA team?

[urunobili]

what's the chance of tony being on 2nd or 3rd All NBA team?

I'd say pretty high... I think he'll crack the 2nd ALL NBA... not locked but he'll definitively be there...

[sonic21]

I'd say pretty high... I think he'll crack the 2nd ALL NBA... not locked but he'll definitively be there...

well there's kobe, wade, cp3 ahead of him, and then there's billups, roy, joe johnson, so i don't know

[Brazil]

Once again I have no problem to see Finley on the floor but 32 min when shooting 3-9 ? As I already said IMO he is a decent on D side but not a good one, in this context always difficult to understand the 32 min.

[Brazil]

timvp: do you think we may have won the game in OKC without TD and let it be the TP show? :stirpot:

This idea crossed my mind too not because of TP but because of the team, when TD is not here the others have more responsability and maybe more focus, it works of course once in a while.

[Hemotivo]

And Sean Elliott reinforced something I've been thinking all season long...George Hill is going to be a Spur for a long time.

must be, he's amazing

[SenorSpur]

Great recap. Thanks for putting these together. Love the addition of the box score at the beginning of the recap. Saves me a trip to Spurs.com. :lol

Of all the efforts displayed, I was most surprised at Oberto. He was active, aggressive and was looking for his shot. He even attempted a revese layup, by going underneath to the other side of the rim. I thought, "who is this guy and where has he been?"

Good move by Pop of sitting Duncan. I almost think TP's minutes should be reduced, at some point too. He's carried a lot responsibility and the dude just looks tired at times.

[MoSpur]

Once Manu comes back, I believe Bonner needs to come off the bench with him. Thomas needs to start with Duncan.

[SenorSpur]

I have a feeling Pop would like the Parker Hill tandem to be one he can close out games with. I think being on the court in that situation is Hill's job to lose if he continues to play the level of D he's been playing. I can see that PG pairing being a real pain in the butt for opposing defenses.

And Sean Elliott reinforced something I've been thinking all season long...George Hill is going to be a Spur for a long time.

I heard that too. I'd like to think that is true. However, I immediately harked back to the news of the Spurs offering Hill up to the Clippers, as part of a package for Marcus Camby, at the trade deadline.

[Brazil]

Good move by Pop of sitting Duncan. I almost think TP's minutes should be reduced, at some point too. He's carried a lot responsibility and the dude just looks tired at times.

I fully agree with you on that point, TP is the only one to have a chance to be 100% healthy and in good shape for the POs, we need him rested. More georgie less TP even if in this game his minutes are not too high.

[silverblackfan]

I fully agree with you on that point, TP is the only one to have a chance to be 100% healthy and in good shape for the POs, we need him rested. More georgie less TP even if in this game his minutes are not too high.

I don't think TP is wearing down from the minutes he is getting. In fact, I think he is honing his game every time he hits the floor. I am hoping for Tony the Beast in the PO.

[timvp]

Oberto was giving tremendous effort last night. Several times, Fabri sprinted down the floor, beating everyone there in hopes of receiving a pass. His screens and aggressiveness offensively were exemplary. He made the Rhino look plodding and a step slow.Yeah, I'm not sure where that version of Oberto has been hiding. Beating players up the court? Attempting to block multiple shots in the same game? Crashing the boards like he was wearing a powder blue jersey?

Hopefully that Oberto makes more than a cameo appearance. If he can revert back to how he played against Utah in 2007, he may make the bigman rotation even more difficult for Pop to figure out.

[xtremesteven33]

Yeah, I'm not sure where that version of Oberto has been hiding. Beating players up the court? Attempting to block multiple shots in the same game? Crashing the boards like he was wearing a powder blue jersey?

Hopefully that Oberto makes more than a cameo appearance. If he can revert back to how he played against Utah in 2007, he may make the bigman rotation even more difficult for Pop to figure out.


Ive been wanting Oberto to start for a while now.

He makes the most sense standing next to Duncan. Solid defensively, decent rebounder, good passer, and knows where to be offensively.

heres hoping that Fab gets his starting job back next to Duncan. :toast

[timvp]

Ive been wanting Oberto to start for a while now.

He makes the most sense standing next to Duncan. Solid defensively, decent rebounder, good passer, and knows where to be offensively.

heres hoping that Fab gets his starting job back next to Duncan. :toastThe thing that not only lost Fab his job but had the Spurs searching high and low for bigman help has been his inability to rebound. He's had a horrible rebounding year this season, especially on the defensive glass. When you are a supposed NBA level bigman, you shouldn't be grabbing as many defensive boards per minute as Michael Finley.

Either Oberto got old or he hasn't been giving his maximum effort. Last night gave me hope it was the latter.

[Manufan909]

well there's kobe, wade, cp3 ahead of him, and then there's billups, roy, joe johnson, so i don't know

shooting guard
you have to be kidding

You know TP is a PG, and the only PGs that are arguably better are Deron and CP3? Hell, I personally think it's only CP3 now. And I'm not part of CoT either, so that should mean something.:toast

[xtremesteven33]

The thing that not only lost Fab his job but had the Spurs searching high and low for bigman help has been his inability to rebound. He's had a horrible rebounding year this season, especially on the defensive glass. When you are a supposed NBA level bigman, you shouldn't be grabbing as many defensive boards per minute as Michael Finley.

Either Oberto got old or he hasn't been giving his maximum effort. Last night gave me hope it was the latter.



Yea but do they count "tip backs" as rebounds??

Oberto has a knack for not "grabbing" a rebound but slapping it back to his teammates. Not sure if that counts as a offensive rebound but it seems to be effective. (just not when the ball goes to the opposing team) haha

But i think Fab brings you a better option as a starter than Bonner,Thomas or Gooden. Bonners defensive is aggressive but not effective. Thomas seems to be too slow to help Duncan offensively and Gooden (IMO) wont have good chemistry with Tim starting with him.

[timvp]

Yea but do they count "tip backs" as rebounds??
Yes.

[xtremesteven33]

Yes.


Not tip back as in scoring the ball back in the basket but LITERALLY throwing the ball back out to your teammates.

[timvp]

Not tip back as in scoring the ball back in the basket but LITERALLY throwing the ball back out to your teammates.Yes.

[Mark in Austin]

The thing that not only lost Fab his job but had the Spurs searching high and low for bigman help has been his inability to rebound. He's had a horrible rebounding year this season, especially on the defensive glass. When you are a supposed NBA level bigman, you shouldn't be grabbing as many defensive boards per minute as Michael Finley.

Either Oberto got old or he hasn't been giving his maximum effort. Last night gave me hope it was the latter.


Maybe Oberto decided this year to get in touch with his inner Horry.

or Maybe that Billy Mays beard he was sporting for a while was weighing him down.

either way, I'm gald to see he still has something left in the tank. Hopefully, we'll see this more as we get closer to the playoffs. :tu

[SenorSpur]

If those tapbacks DO count as rebounds, then Oberto should be leading the league in reb per minute. :lol

[Fabbs]

Is Flabs heart murmur really okay?

I mean i know he's been cleared to play but could it be holding him back?

[xtremesteven33]

If those tapbacks DO count as rebounds, then Oberto should be leading the league in reb per minute. :lol



So do they or dont they count as rebounds?

[timvp]

So do they or dont they count as rebounds?Tap backs count as rebounds. Yes. They count.

But offensive rebounding hasn't been a problem. He leads the team in offensive rebounds per minute by a wide margin.

The problem is Pop cares about offensive rebounds as much as he cares about the suits he wears. It's the defensive boards where Oberto has sucked this year.

[xtremesteven33]

Tap backs count as rebounds. Yes. They count.

But offensive rebounding hasn't been a problem. He leads the team in offensive rebounds per minute by a wide margin.

The problem is Pop cares about offensive rebounds as much as he cares about the suits he wears. It's the defensive boards where Oberto has sucked this year.


Yea but if it came down to Bonner,Thomas,Oberto or Gooden as a starting Center next to Tim....id chose Oberto.

[it's me]

Yea but if it came down to Bonner,Thomas,Oberto or Gooden as a starting Center next to Tim....id chose Oberto.

Thomas.

[EricB]

Thomas is too slow to start ned to Duncan. I love the gooden and Thomas front court off the bench, while I think oberto and Duncan is out the window however.

[Spurs Brazil]

Great read timvp

Oberto and Thomas were very good yesterday.
I hope Bonner can start making his shots soon.
TP is playing fantastic

[Spurlady]

I heard that too. I'd like to think that is true. However, I immediately harked back to the news of the Spurs offering Hill up to the Clippers, as part of a package for Marcus Camby, at the trade deadline.

Away from the game topic but I think the reason the Spurs put Hill in that package is the who the team would have gotten. Camby would have made an immediate impact greatly increasing our odds to go deep in the playoffs (assuming a healthy Tim). It would have hurt to lose Hill for the future but for the right now Camby would have been a great pick up. I don't think the Spurs wanted to trade Hill, they just didn't have very many options.

[wildbill2u]

If Pop can continue to juggle the minutes to give everyone some playing time to hone their game before the playoffs, this can be a team with so much depth that Pop can virtually two-platoon the opposition as a strategy.

[exstatic]

well there's kobe, wade, cp3 ahead of him, and then there's billups, roy, joe johnson, so i don't know

The first three are solid, but I don't see Billups as any better than Tony, and he's definitely on the downhill side. Tony and Roy were both picked for the ASG, and JJ has never made one of the 3 All NBA teams. There's definitely room for Tony on one of the teams. Billups dropped off the team last year, and I can totally see Nash and TMac following this year. There will be openings.

[crc21209]

Yeah, I'm not sure where that version of Oberto has been hiding. Beating players up the court? Attempting to block multiple shots in the same game? Crashing the boards like he was wearing a powder blue jersey?

Hopefully that Oberto makes more than a cameo appearance. If he can revert back to how he played against Utah in 2007, he may make the bigman rotation even more difficult for Pop to figure out.

If Oberto can continue playing like that, and like he did back in 07', I want a big man rotation of TD, Thomas, Fab, Gooden, and Bonner is the odd man out. Bonner hasnt been doing so great since Gooden got here...not a good sign. Fab just has a damn good knack for the game.

[timvp]

If Oberto can continue playing like that, and like he did back in 07', I want a big man rotation of TD, Thomas, Fab, Gooden, and Bonner is the odd man out. Bonner hasnt been doing so great since Gooden got here...not a good sign. Fab just has a damn good knack for the game.

Best case scenario for the bigmen position is that all five players are playing well and it's a difficult conundrum for Pop come playoff time. If all four of the role players are at the top of their game, the Spurs will have their best stable of bigmen since DRob retired.

[kace]

Best case scenario for the bigmen position is that all five players are playing well and it's a difficult conundrum for Pop come playoff time. If all four of the role players are at the top of their game, the Spurs will have their best stable of bigmen since DRob retired.

Tim, KT, Gooden, Bonner, Fab

We have one of the best main big man of the league with Tim, no problem about that.

we have probably the best 4th and 5th big men of the league, whoever they are (let's say Bonner and Fab if Gooden is at his best).

but a lot of teams have a way better second big man than us. and most of the minutes go to the two best big men. Having 5 good big men is great for adapting to the opponent and in case of injury.
but it doesn't equal to a combo of two great big men who will take most of the minutes (Amare/Shaq ; West/Chandler ; Gasol/Bynum .......)

let's say we're not so bad inside but nothing compared to the Tim/Drob era IMO.