Why Jacque Vaughn?

[ElNono]

Really Pop?
Ten games to go in the season, and you pull this shit. There's not enough minutes for Bowen to play, but there's enough minutes for Vaughn?
I mean, I understand the fear that Hill could make rookie mistakes, and that Mason can barely dribble the ball up court, but Vaughn is no playmaker or shot maker either.
At least Hill gives you some D and young legs, and Mason gives you some shooting. Heck, now that Manu is back, he can play backup point when necessary.

I don't understand this at all. Here's a guy that it's well beyond being an useful NBA player, cannot buy a bucket, is too undersized to guard anybody, but he's the best option we got behind Tony?

Somebody explain this to me, because I don't get it at all.

[completely deck]

I was thinking like you were until Hill stupidly fouled that guy in the last seconds of the game tonight. I have no idea what he was thinking, and I feel Pop doesn't want to take a chance of it happening in a more critical moment.

[timvp]

Other than hustle and try hard, is there anything Vaughn does that is above average in the NBA? Perhaps ballhandling and taking care of the ball ... but those are two of Hill's strengths as well.

What will doom Vaughn is that everyone in the playoffs hustles and tries hard so that advantage disappears. Then he turns into an offensive liability and a defender who can't stay in front of his man and fouls too much.

I like Vaughn but there's a reason why he's a third string point guard.

[ElNono]

Other than hustle and try hard, is there anything Vaughn does that is above average in the NBA? Perhaps ballhandling and taking care of the ball ... but those are two of Hill's strengths as well.

What will doom Vaughn is that everyone in the playoffs hustles and tries hard so that advantage disappears. Then he turns into an offensive liability and a defender who can't stay in front of his man and fouls too much.

I like Vaughn but there's a reason why he's a third string point guard.

The ball handling and taking care of the ball is relative. He makes very, very untimely and silly fouls that end in turnovers.
I agree that eventually the bottom will fall off of him during the playoffs, but what I don't understand is why if *YOU* know, and *I* know that's bound to happen, Pop resorts to this guy this late in the season... makes no sense to me.

[ElNono]

I was thinking like you were until Hill stupidly fouled that guy in the last seconds of the game tonight. I have no idea what he was thinking, and I feel Pop doesn't want to take a chance of it happening in a more critical moment.

You know what, Tony and Manu did those well into their pro careers and in more critical moments. That stuff happens. But you can't tell me Hill has been doing that all year long. Or that a isolated play like that warrants playing Vaughn.

[timvp]

The ball handling and taking care of the ball is relative. He makes very, very untimely and silly fouls that end in turnovers.
I agree that eventually the bottom will fall off of him during the playoffs, but what I don't understand is why if *YOU* know, and *I* know that's bound to happen, Pop resorts to this guy this late in the season... makes no sense to me.The easy answer is to say "Pop loves veterans" ... but that wouldn't explain why Bowen isn't playing.

I guess Pop doesn't trust Hill to run the point anymore, he saw Mason couldn't handle backup point guard duties and now the final option is the gritty and gutty Jacque Vaughn.

What doesn't make sense to me is that Hill as the backup point guard wasn't broken and Pop still wanted to fix it. Hill may not have been producing or playing great but the offense was running smoothly with Hill backing up Parker. In fact, the team's plus/minus with Parker running the point was very similar to the team's plus/minus with Hill running the point. But since Pop fixed what wasn't broken, the team struggles to survive without Parker on the court.

[spursfan1000]

I was at the Thunder game the other day and Vaughn made us lose the game. He made so many mistakes in the 4th quarter, hes no veteran, he is trash. I would rather much have Hill who can atleast get better through games or Mason who can actually shoot the ball. All Vaughn can do is make a mid range shot from time to time. GET VAUGHN OUT THE GAME!

[ElNono]

The easy answer is to say "Pop loves veterans" ... but that wouldn't explain why Bowen isn't playing.

I guess Pop doesn't trust Hill to run the point anymore, he saw Mason couldn't handle backup point guard duties and now the final option is the gritty and gutty Jacque Vaughn.

What doesn't make sense to me is that Hill as the backup point guard wasn't broken and Pop still wanted to fix it. Hill may not have been producing or playing great but the offense was running smoothly with Hill backing up Parker. In fact, the team's plus/minus with Parker running the point was very similar to the team's plus/minus with Hill running the point. But since Pop fixed what wasn't broken, the team struggles to survive without Parker on the court.

I think the lack of confidence Pop has in Hill as a PG is obvious at this point.
What I'm starting to wonder is if Pop figured out he was destroying Mason's confidence by making him run the PG spot, and that's why he called up Vaughn. If that's the reason, he failed miserably, because Mason has not been playing any better so far, and now that Manu is back there's really no reason to have Vaughn out there. Shit, I would rather have Manu/Finley bring the ball up court, and give the extra spot to Bowen. :bang

[Booharv]

Timvp said it perfectly already but, I am amazed that Pop seems to have given up on Hill for this season. He even refused to put Hill in for more than like two seconds when New Orleans went small and Paul was torching us. Hill would definitely be the guy any other sane coach puts in to guard Paul in that scenario. I mean he's obviously the best defensive point guard on this roster and he doesn't get any significant run even in that scenario.

[Booharv]

what doesn't make sense to me is that hill as the backup point guard wasn't broken and pop still wanted to fix it. Hill may not have been producing or playing great but the offense was running smoothly with hill backing up parker. In fact, the team's plus/minus with parker running the point was very similar to the team's plus/minus with hill running the point. But since pop fixed what wasn't broken, the team struggles to survive without parker on the court.

qft.

[redskinfan]

I agree about Hill, what he lacks in experience I believe he makes up for that with youthful energy and will only get better. He needs to get better now not next season, as for Vaughn I would rather see him back up Tony than Roger.BTW great point about Roger's confidence screwed by playing PG. He used to take great shot's now he cant even find his spot anymore.

[VI_Massive]

Pop is acting like a character from a "tough guy" movie who won't love again because he has been burned in the past, if you replace "love" with "play young point guards in meaningful games".

Imagine this scene with a bearded Clint Eastwood playing Pop.

Pop: Look, Georgie, this isn't my first time around. I've been burned before and it ain't gonna happen again.

(Pause)

(Grimace)

Turnovers, ill-advised jumpers in transition, I just can't let ya do it.

Hill: But Pop, I haven't done any of those things to you! You can't just board yourself up from the world! You can play young point guards in meaningful games again!

Pop: No, Georgie. I can't.



If life were a movie, things would get better and by the beginning of Act 3, Pop Eastwood and George would be cuddling in a bathtub Madison County-style and talking about pick and roll defense.

But instead, if we can believe what we're seeing now, real life will inexplicably entail JV getting minutes at the back up point.

[polandprzem]

what is more funny is when Gino and jacque are on the court at the same time. Then Ginobili is playmaking and vaughn is ... well I don't know what he is doing more then stay on his position? {I would take a chance a fill that rolse as well)

I always was defending Pop and his decisions. I saw what he is trying to do. Rigfh now I don't know.
What;'s even worse is that I don't feel fun watching spurs righ tnow

[anonoftheinternets]

Pop is acting like a character from a "tough guy" movie who won't love again because he has been burned in the past, if you replace "love" with "play young point guards in meaningful games".

Imagine this scene with a bearded Clint Eastwood playing Pop.

Pop: Look, Georgie, this isn't my first time around. I've been burned before and it ain't gonna happen again.

(Pause)

(Grimace)

Turnovers, ill-advised jumpers in transition, I just can't let ya do it.

Hill: But Pop, I haven't done any of those things to you! You can't just board yourself up from the world! You can play young point guards in meaningful games again!

Pop: No, Georgie. I can't.



If life were a movie, things would get better and by the beginning of Act 3, Pop Eastwood and George would be cuddling in a bathtub Madison County-style and talking about pick and roll defense.

But instead, if we can believe what we're seeing now, real life will inexplicably entail JV getting minutes at the back up point.

+1 ......u have a bright future u know .....

[alchemist]

when Ginobili came back the first time it doomed Hill. Ginobili was basically handling the ball, after that all Hill would do is dribble around the 3pt line and not create anything. As much as I dislike Vaughn, Hill regressed as a PG maybe next year with a healthy team and Vaughn gone he'll really blossom at the PG position.

[HarlemHeat37]

Hill sucking it up is still better than Vaughn..when George is struggling at the offensive end, he still brings great D and energy defensively..

Vaughn does NOTHING positive..NOTHING..he seems like a good guy and a class act, but he has no talent whatsoever..he also commits too many stupid mistakes defensively, probably to make up for his lack of mobility at this point of his career..

those stupid fouls on Chucky Atkins were unreal..

[sananspursfan21]

what? i thought vaughan was all star calibur

[Taking it to the Hole]

What is evident is that Pop is harder on point guards than any other position on the floor, partly because the point guard in our system is the person who has to initiate the offense. I don't feel Hill has done a worse job at running the point than perhaps Vaughan has, but certainly trying to make Mason into a point guard was one of the worse ideas Pop has had this season.

That said...in the offseason, the Spurs will say goodbye to Vaughan and bring in another aging free-agent point guard to take over back-up duties at the point. The words "young" and "point guard" don't go together on this team unless your TP.

[poop]

maybe vaughn is blackmailing pop?

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Really Pop?
Ten games to go in the season, and you pull this shit. There's not enough minutes for Bowen to play, but there's enough minutes for Vaughn?
I mean, I understand the fear that Hill could make rookie mistakes, and that Mason can barely dribble the ball up court, but Vaughn is no playmaker or shot maker either.
At least Hill gives you some D and young legs, and Mason gives you some shooting. Heck, now that Manu is back, he can play backup point when necessary.

I don't understand this at all. Here's a guy that it's well beyond being an useful NBA player, cannot buy a bucket, is too undersized to guard anybody, but he's the best option we got behind Tony?

Somebody explain this to me, because I don't get it at all.

Benophobia.

[45 bank shot]

hill all the way

[Capt Bringdown]

I was thinking like you were until Hill stupidly fouled that guy in the last seconds of the game tonight. I have no idea what he was thinking, and I feel Pop doesn't want to take a chance of it happening in a more critical moment.

Players make dreadful mistakes at critical moments, as we well know. Hill's foul didn't even cost us the game.
Manu's foul in 2006 cost us a championship.

There seems to be no rhyme or reason with Pop's coaching these days. I wonder if the players are starting to get just as confused and pissed off as we are. Something's going on. I've never seen a TD era Spurs team look so flat and unenthusiastic.