McDonald: Expect Spurs' Hill To Be Playoff Spectator

[duncan228]

Expect Spurs' Hill to be playoff spectator (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Expect_Spurs_Hill_to_be_playoff_spectator.html)
Jeff McDonald

OAKLAND, Calif. — Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has spent the past few weeks fine-tuning his rotation as the playoffs approach.

As things stand today, rookie guard George Hill won't be in it. If that wasn't made obvious by Hill's flagging playing time lately, Popovich all but made it official before Monday's game at Golden State.

“This playoff probably isn't for him,” Popovich said.

As the 26th overall pick in last year's NBA draft, Hill had been a revelation, filling in for an injured Tony Parker at point guard to start the season and later sliding over to provide depth at the other guard spot. He remains one of the team's best on-the-ball defenders.

Still, Popovich doesn't believe Hill is comfortable enough at either spot to get serious minutes in the pressure cooker of the playoffs.

“He's working at the one guard, working at the two-three,” Popovich said. “Playoffs is a time for people who feel very confident about what they're doing, and George isn't in that category yet. He needs more time.”

Over the past 12 games, Hill has surrendered playing time to Ime Udoka and Bruce Bowen on the wing, logging more than nine minutes just three times. One of those came in Monday's win over the Warriors, as the Spurs opened up a 20-point lead in the first half.

Unwanted help: Popovich got some unwanted help in solidifying his rotation — from Manu Ginobili.

When Ginobili went down with a season-ending stress fracture a week ago Monday, it had the side effect of clarifying other people's roles.

“Manu's out, so you know that's the way it is,” Popovich said. “Bruce and Ime are going to be the wings that are going to play. Roger (Mason) is back at the point. Drew Gooden is obviously in the rotation. It's a lot more set now, mostly because we know Manu is out.”

The biggest benefactor of Ginobili's season-ending injury, in terms of minutes, has been Bowen.

Bowen had fallen out of the rotation until Ginobili went down, taking an occasional DNP-CD along the way.

“He's been a pro,” Popovich said. “We've talked about it. He understands what we're trying to do. Him being back in the lineup is basically a function of Manu being out. It changes not just for him, but for everybody.”

Homeward bound: The Spurs stayed over a night in the Bay Area after Monday's game, using today as a travel day to get home.

The New Orleans Hornets will be waiting for them. They played in Houston on Monday, giving them a 45-minute plane ride to San Antonio for Wednesday's game.

[timvp]

Hill in his first extended time in forever looked pretty damn good. He had a few hiccups early on but his outside stroke was more pure than I've seen this season. He had a quick release and good elevation.

I'll never understand why he fell totally out of this year's rotation but I'm really hope that Pop plans to stick with him and give him significant time next year. It'd be a shame to give up on him.

[SequNets]

Hill in his first extended time in forever looked pretty damn good. He had a few hiccups early on but his outside stroke was more pure than I've seen this season. He had a quick release and good elevation.

I'll never understand why he fell totally out of this year's rotation but I'm really hope that Pop plans to stick with him and give him significant time next year. It'd be a shame to give up on him.

Exactly, it's called untapped game.

It would be a fricking shame if he went with Jacque Vaughn instead.

[HarlemHeat37]

it really doesn't seem like Pop has given up on him..they seemed to bond, and George seemed to impress Pop earlier in the season..

I think it's strictly a product of Pop being scared to use a rookie PG in the playoffs..it would be different if Hill was a pure PG coming into the L as a PG..but he's a 2-guard coming into the NBA trying to learn the PG position..so it would be difficult imagining Pop having him play in the playoffs..

I'm interested to see if Pop plays him more on Wednesday after tonight's game..

[AussieFanKurt]

timvp you going to put up ratings today?

[HarlemHeat37]

I agree with Texas 2 Step..

realistically, we aren't going to win a title this year..but we definitely have a shot next year..

it would be nice for Hill to get some experience in this year's playoffs, since Manu is out and all..something like 6-8MPG would be good enough..

[raspsa]

[URL="http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Expect_Spurs_Hill_to_be_playoff_spectator.html"]
The biggest [B]benefactor of Ginobili's season-ending injury, in terms of minutes, has been Bowen.

Bowen had fallen out of the rotation until Ginobili went down, taking an occasional DNP-CD along the way.

I guess he meant beneficiary not benefactor.
Re Hill, he showed what he's capable of vs. the Warriors. He may not be in the rotation but I'm sure he'll be on tap when a particular situation calls for his particular abilities.

[underdawg]

Hill in his first extended time in forever looked pretty damn good. He had a few hiccups early on but his outside stroke was more pure than I've seen this season. He had a quick release and good elevation.

I'll never understand why he fell totally out of this year's rotation but I'm really hope that Pop plans to stick with him and give him significant time next year. It'd be a shame to give up on him.

the truly frustrating thing is that there are going to be teams in the playoffs that have guards that only Hill (and maybe TP) can keep up with. I hope Pop changes his mind. If we play Portland, I'd feel better with Hill on Roy than most of our other options.

[HarlemHeat37]

I really don't think Pop is going to give him ZERO minutes..I'm sure he's going to throw him in there when he can be used..

[EricB]

He's not a point guard.

He's a shooting guard.

He's not yet ready for the NBA at the shooting guard position.

Move along.

[Spur|n|Austin]

“Manu's out, so you know that's the way it is,” Popovich said. “Bruce and Ime are going to be the wings that are going to play. Roger (Mason) is back at the point. Drew Gooden is obviously in the rotation. It's a lot more set now, mostly because we know Manu is out.”

At least the rotations are finally set, for the most part.

[The Truth #6]

Pop's strong denial of reality might actually be an asset for the team. He's marching into the playoffs as if winning and going deep is still feasible. It might help keep the team motivated. At the same time, I agree that that Hill should get some minutes. Even if his only job is to hand the ball off to Mason, he should get some experience of the playoffs, otherwise his maturation process will be even slower. I'm pretty sure time isn't on our side in this category.

[ElNono]

He's not a point guard.

He's a shooting guard.

He's not yet ready for the NBA at the shooting guard position.

Move along.

I thought you didn't bought that Pop didn't play him because he was not ready. I see you changed your mind rather quickly now that Pop has spoken...

[dougp]

He's not a point guard.

He's a shooting guard.

He's not yet ready for the NBA at the shooting guard position.

Move along.

Yah because when Parker was out, he was a really bad PG!

Not. He kept us in it as much as RMJr did. Pop has said that Hill is too small for a SG.

[The Truth #6]

He's not a point guard.

He's a shooting guard.

He's not yet ready for the NBA at the shooting guard position.

Move along.

There are no legit 6'2" shooting guards in the league. If that's your assessment of Hill, then you should probably advocate trading him because he'll never be ready to play the 2 in the NBA. He's not big enough.

[ElNono]

And BTW, I called this a while back. I do really think Pop loves George, but he wants him to take one step at a time. I actually think its the opposite of what he did with Beno. Hill will be a contributor next season, you can bet on that.

[EricB]

What is Jamal Crawford?

[EricB]

I thought you didn't bought that Pop didn't play him because he was not ready. I see you changed your mind rather quickly now that Pop has spoken...


Try that one more time.

[Mugen]

What is Jamal Crawford?

a 6 foot 4 chucker.

[NewJerSpur]

Reagrding the size argument, there are guards like Jason Terry and Allen Iverson who at this point have nowhere near Hill's athleticism. A more classic example could be Jeff Hornacek.

[EricB]

a 6 foot 4 chucker.


A 6'3 shooting guard with less of a frame than Hill whos gone on to have a successfull career.

Hill can as well, his length makes up for the height.

[Mugen]

A 6'3 shooting guard with less of a frame than Hill whos gone on to have a successfull career.

Hill can as well, his length makes up for the height.

If crawford is 6'3 then sequ is 4'4.

[HarlemHeat37]

Hill has huge length and athleticism..he can definitely play the undersized 2 if that's where Pop wants him..

[baseline bum]

:pctoss

Vaughn over Hill makes me want to throw a brick through my TV every game.

[SenorSpur]

:pctoss

Vaughn over Hill makes me want to throw a brick through my TV every game.

Exactly!

Which begs the question, if Hill is such a question mark now, why was he having such success running the team back in November when Tony was out?

[NewJerSpur]

Tony + Manu out equals that much more freedom for Hill offensively IMO. He was the only guy who could really create off the dribble at that point and had some nice performances at the time.

[SenorSpur]

When Pop drafted Hill, he told everyone around that this kid WILL help us this year. Perhaps he should've offered the caveat, "if I trust him enough to play him".

[NewJerSpur]

Hill is definitely in the future plans (there's too much to like for him not to be), but Pop has decisions to make regarding his role this summer. That said, if we see a team with any type of athleticism in the playoffs or crafty guard play I'd like for Hill to be out there in key defensive stretches and possibly even to loosen up the opposing defense if our offense gets a bit stagnate.

[Jace]

I haven't been able to catch many of the Spurs games as I would prefer but when I did see the Spurs and George Hill in particular it seemed like Hill defended the opposing PGs quite well. I'd like to see him played for his defense against guys like CP

[crc21209]

I think Pop would be a complete idiot to not play George at least SOME mins in the Playoffs. I mean he played pretty damn good today, and like timvp said, his shot was looking the best it's looked all year. Give him some mins in the playoffs Pop, he would surely do better than Udoka against some younger guys.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

It took McDonald 3 weeks to cotton onto the

BENOPHOBIA (TM)

???

C'mon pal, give up your job to someone who can actually do it. :rolleyes

[Yuixafun]

You have to earn your playing time. You shouldn't be just given minutes. If he was ready I'm sure he'd be part of the rotation. No doubt he'll get some moments in anyway.

Look at it from the other end, you're a vet whose proven himself over the years and you may not have much time left. And if there's a chance to go all the way, better to play the people who give you the best chance to win.

Why should they let a rook play when he doesn't deserve it and is inferior right now. That young blood can develop in the summer. Let him watch for now how intense it gets in the post season.

Sacrifice whatever chance the Spurs have just to give George Hill some minutes. It's possible that he might surprise but I'd rather have that as a last ditch effort, instead of playing the game hamstrung.

More than likely he'd do something a rookie would do during a crucial point in the game costing the Spurs.

Oh boy then you guys would have something real to gripe about.

[TheDarkSide.]

Lame. I remember Hill saying earlier in the year when asked what he thinks of not being mentioned in the top rookie class this season and he said 'it's okay, the way i think of it i'll be playing in the playoffs while they're season will most likely be over.' poor georgie

[Manufan909]

You have to earn your playing time. You shouldn't be just given minutes. If he was ready I'm sure he'd be part of the rotation. No doubt he'll get some moments in anyway.

Look at it from the other end, you're a vet whose proven himself over the years and you may not have much time left. And if there's a chance to go all the way, better to play the people who give you the best chance to win.

Why should they let a rook play when he doesn't deserve it and is inferior right now. That young blood can develop in the summer. Let him watch for now how intense it gets in the post season.

Sacrifice whatever chance the Spurs have just to give George Hill some minutes. It's possible that he might surprise but I'd rather have that as a last ditch effort, instead of playing the game hamstrung.

More than likely he'd do something a rookie would do during a crucial point in the game costing the Spurs.

Oh boy then you guys would have something real to gripe about.

Yeah Ime has REALLY prven himself. And that Jacque guy, what hasn't he done in the league?:p:

[ManuTastic]

Dear Pop,
The future is NOW. How is Hill going to gain the confidence he needs if you don't play him? How will watching the playoffs from the bench help him mature as a player? Plus, don't know if you've noticed, but Manu is out and we need HELP out there, and Hill is a good player. Just play him, you idiot.

[1Parker1]

“He's working at the one guard, working at the two-three,” Popovich said. “Playoffs is a time for people who feel very confident about what they're doing, and George isn't in that category yet. He needs more time.”

Maybe he'd be confident if you didn't keep changing his role every other game and maybe he'd have more time if you had played him more consistently as he has deserved over the past season.

I don't understand this...these playoffs would have been the PERFECT way to let Hill gain some experience. Without Ginobili, there's extra minutes to go around and let's face it...Spurs mostly likely aren't getting very far without him. Why not give Hill a chance to experience the playoffs pressure and see what he has?

This has got to be one of the biggest head scratchers I've seen from Pop in a long time. I see no indication why Hill's minutes should have been lowered so drastically...especially considering Pop has gone on record plenty of times praising Hill's defense and poise. He even gave Hill important minutes in the closing minutes of some 4th quarter games...important games I may add. :pctoss

[spursfan1000]

I agree with POP not to put him in the rotation in the playoffs, he has no playoff expierence and will probably choke, maybe next year when he gets more confident at his position.

[Chomag]

Why should they let a rook play when he doesn't deserve it and is inferior right now. That young blood can develop in the summer. Let him watch for now how intense it gets in the post season.


Wow dude! Were you not watching the Spurs when Tony went down? Hill stepped it up and ran our team during Tony's absence. With him at the helm he was scoring about 20 ppg and he was running the offense smoothly. Most thought we were going to lose a ton of games early on with both Tony and Manu but Thanks to the contribution by the "rookie" he held the fort. To say that Hill in inferior and doesn't deserve playing time has not been watching very many Spurs games this year.

I"m still not understanding the decision by Pop to throw this guy to the 12th man spot for DNP's. Yes he does make a mistake here and there, but it's called development. if there is a rookie out there that has ever been perfect in their developing years let me know because I have never seen it. Honestly can anyone here give a legit reason as to what Hill did to earn DNPs?

Hill getting to play in the playoffs is crucial to his developing. He still will have alot to learn after but the playoffs will outright speed up is developing process. The playoff have always been known to Mature players very quickly. Not very many rookies ever have this chance why so waste it?

I'm like alot of everyone here now and have just given up on Pop letting him be a contributer this year. However I still get very frustrated when thinking that we have talent there on the bench that could be helping us this year. It's like going to war without all your ammo.

[Chomag]

I agree with POP not to put him in the rotation in the playoffs, he has no playoff expierence and will probably choke, maybe next year when he gets more confident at his position.

So IME and Mason don't make mistakes in games?

[Chomag]

Also for the confidence thing. Benching and DNPing a rookie is the worst thing you could ever do for his development in confidence when he has earned his spot all year. Did you guys see him in the summer league? Hill has worked his tail off to get to where he is this year and should not be deserving the cold shoulder for his hard work.

[Lebowski Brickowski]

Well, I'm glad to hear that Bruce is partially getting his job back, though I think it shouldn't have taken Manu's injury for that to happen.

George Hill looked really good at the 2 spot last night after his 1st couple of turnovers. He drove hard and drew fouls. He moved the ball well.

[Ocotillo]

He's been a pro, we've talked about it. He understands what we're trying to do.

Could someone have him explain it to me because I don't understand.

[ElNono]

Could someone have him explain it to me because I don't understand.

I think it means that the transition to a Bowen-less team has started. Bruce won't be around forever, and we need to start figuring out how to defend and win without Bruce's defense. I still think he's going to have an important role in these playoffs, but looking forward we need to figure things out without Bruce being out there.

[Capt Bringdown]

I don't recall feeling so pissed off about one of Pop's coaching moves - this one ranks right up there with the NVE obsession.

Hill doesn't have to play mistake-free basketball, or to have his role completely figured out to make a contribution in the playoffs. He's played as good if not better than Gooden this year in terms of fitting in and figuring things out. Should Gooden therefore be banned from the playoffs?

A extremely conservative, uninspiring and downright fearful decision from Pop. If he's so afraid of rookie mistakes, perhaps someone should remind him that the biggest mistake in Spurs post-season history was committed by a veteran.

[lefty]

Hill had a nice outing yesterday

[ploto]

“He's working at the one guard, working at the two-three,” Popovich said. “Playoffs is a time for people who feel very confident about what they're doing, and George isn't in that category yet. He needs more time.”

Well, gee, Pop who has made him work on all those spots at once? How about if you had just made him the back-up PG for about 12 minutes a game and left it at that for this season?

If the Spurs play Portland, Pop will regret not using a young guy like Hill to go up against them.

[EricB]

:pctoss

Vaughn over Hill makes me want to throw a brick through my TV every game.


:wtf

Vaughn isn't coming in over Hill anymore....

[mexicanjunior]

We should have drafted Chalmers...

[ducks]

I still think he can be a point guard
kidd and gary payton sucked their first year in the nba as point guards

[ducks]

oh and tp in 8 season is playing his best
point guard is a hard postion

[phxspurfan]

If Pop wanted a pure PG he could have gone with Chalmers. He wanted a defensive guy, but he doesn't play him to take advantage of his defensive abilities...

[mardigan]

I still think he can be a point guard
kidd and gary payton sucked their first year in the nba as point guards

Kidd won R.O.Y.
Your assessment is a little off.

[SenorSpur]

We should have drafted Chalmers...

It wouldn't matter. Pop would've DNPed him too.

The frustrating part to all this is that if there wasn't any type of evidence that the kid could play at this level or if he had shown signs of being overwhelmed, I could understand Pop's reluctance. However, that assessment couldn't be further from the truth about Hill. This kid aint afraid of nothing and ran the team like a veteran during the month that he started, while TP was out. All this fabricated prattle that Hill can't play or that he's not ready to contribute now is just BS.

Once again, this is Pop being a lil' old lady and allowing the Beno nightmare of 2005 to influence his decision about a kid that is the complete opposite, in terms of mental makeup and competitive tenacity.

[Kori Ellis]

Kidd won R.O.Y.
Your assessment is a little off.

Yeah he was a horrible shooter but he could always pass. I think he averaged 8 assists in his rookie year.

[ElNono]

It wouldn't matter. Pop would've DNPed him too.

The frustrating part to all this is that if there wasn't any type of evidence that the kid could play at this level or if he had shown signs of being overwhelmed, I could understand it. However that is so not the case. This kid aint afraid of nothing and ran the team like a veteran during the month that he started, while TP was out. All this fabricated prattle that Hill can't play or that he's not ready to contribute now is just BS.

That's your opinion, really. I would be upset if Vaughn was selected over Hill, but Pop is really picking Mason over Hill, and I'm not entirely against that, even though they bring different things to the table.

[SenorSpur]

If Pop wanted a pure PG he could have gone with Chalmers. He wanted a defensive guy, but he doesn't play him to take advantage of his defensive abilities...

Yeah, Pop has gone from short leash to no leash at all.

I suppose this is another of his military hazing tactics for rookies in order to break them down and make them humble. If the kid had come in with an attitude or sense of entitlement, I could understand. I sensed none of that with Hill.

[SenorSpur]

That's your opinion, really. I would be upset if Vaughn was selected over Hill, but Pop is really picking Mason over Hill, and I'm not entirely against that, even though they bring different things to the table.

DAmn right that's my opinion. The Spurs have enough scorers and Hill is not an offensive liability, by any means. The added bonus and case to support Hill getting time is that he's already a superior defender. This team needs more guys that can defend because it is probably one of the most defensively inferior teams in the Duncan/Robinson/Pop era.

[Kori Ellis]

It's easy for us to jump to conclusions that Hill is worthy of getting the backup minutes at the point, but Pop and the coaching staff see the guy day in and day out at practice. Maybe he just hasn't shown the development in terms of court vision and play making abilities. I think he's going to end up being a very good, defensive combo guard, but he might really just not be ready to get 12-15 minutes a game this year.

Mason has shown that he plays pretty well without Manu, and Parker will probably log near 40 minutes a game in the postseason. So I don't think games will be lost because of George Hill not being on the court. I actually like seeing him on the court WITH Tony, so I'd like to see more of that next year.

[SenorSpur]

I totally agree that Pop and staff are far better qualified for making an assessment on Hill than any of us generic posters. They see them everyday and it's extremely unlikely that we're seeing something that they're not. That said, I don't think Pop is above having some of his decisions criticized, especially regarding backup PGs. It's also very possible that he could be overthinking this decision a bit also. Especially, when there was evidence to suggest that the decision to give Hill minutes early on, was a productive one.

At times, Pop has a stubborn tendency to overvalue and favor the skills of declining veteran versus that of a young, unknown, commodity, like Hill. Let's not forget, this is the same coaching staff that actually believed Nick Van Exel and Damon Stoudarmire were suitable options at backup PG in 2006 and 2008, respectively. That tendency always has me worried. Again, Pop is not unique in that philosophy. It's the norm among veteran coaches.

The organization took the time and opportunity to scout and draft this rookie guard because there was an obvious need for a player of his skills - at both ends of the floor. With my limited perspective, it appears as though the need is still there.

[Manufan909]

It's easy for us to jump to conclusions that Hill is worthy of getting the backup minutes at the point, but Pop and the coaching staff see the guy day in and day out at practice. Maybe he just hasn't shown the development in terms of court vision and play making abilities. I think he's going to end up being a very good, defensive combo guard, but he might really just not be ready to get 12-15 minutes a game this year.

Mason has shown that he plays pretty well without Manu, and Parker will probably log near 40 minutes a game in the postseason. So I don't think games will be lost because of George Hill not being on the court. I actually like seeing him on the court WITH Tony, so I'd like to see more of that next year.

+1

Now I want to sneak into a practice and see what their reasoning truly is.

[arodz]

I totally agree that Pop and staff are far better qualified for making an assessment on Hill than any of us generic posters.

See Beno Udrich and Luis Scola.

[Trimble87]

With all the talk of Jacque Vaughn on this board its like you guys think hes going to be our 6th man. Pop has benched Hill and will use RMJ as the backup point in the playoffs. Vaughn will only be playing spot minutes.

I love Hill and I think he will be a huge help for the team in the long run, but I 100% agree with Pop about not throwing a rookie swing guard into the playoff lineup and telling him to be our backup point. In college Hill was a 2 guard, and so far this year has shown the most proimse playig alongside Tony at the 2 spot. Over the summer and during training camps we will get him comfortable running the point, but you cannot expect him to do it instantly.

Chalmers is more of a pure point right now, but he isnt exactly playing great basketball in miami. Imo, and apparently the SA FO's oppinion, Hill has more upside. Its a hell of alot easier to teach a young talent how to run the point then it is to get a young talent to buy into playing defense first. And its damn near impossible to teach the athleticisim and wing-span that hill brings on the defensive end.

Expect Hill to develop and grow in our system, and try not to get so hot and bothered because he isnt playing 25 minutes a game his rookie season.

[Baseline]

This is so infuriating. Hill and Bowen are two guys who need to be on the floor, yet Pop refuses to play them.

1. Mason at backup point is idiotic. It negates his biggest strength, which is spot-up shooting.

2. Hill has proven that he is capable of making game-changing plays. But I guess Pop would rather be 100% predictable rather than 99%.

3. Udoka in an NBA game is idiotic when Bowen is on your bench.

Question: He still thinks the Spurs are a defensive team, right? We're obviously not an offensive team - we struggle to score 90 points without Manu.

Yet he still keeps Hill and Bowen, our two best perimeter defenders, glued to the pine.

I'll be ecstatic when this moron is no longer our coach.

[poop]

i like how lots of the haters seem to pretend that Hill hasnt played at all or done anything during the season...

heres the truth:hes the 2nd best POINT GUARD on our team, someone who can provide much needed defense on our opponents' quick young point guards, he can run the point just fine, he can shoot, he can penetrate and create, THERE IS NO FUCKING REASON ON GOD GREEN EARTH WHY HE SHOULD NOT GET THE BACKUP PG ROLE.

all you tools saying 'oh hes just not ready, oh..he hasnt earned any minutes, ohh...pop' are fucking idiots.

if he gets benched for the playoffs whilst JV gets roasted by Roy/Paul/Kidd even while playing backup PG, then we deserve to lose.

[ploto]

Then play Hill at the 2 guard with Mason- instead of Udoka.

[byrdman31]

i understand he may not play well in the playoffs but we can sure use him to stop some of the better guards. He is way better defender than parker, vaughn finley. ect

[baseline bum]

It's easy for us to jump to conclusions that Hill is worthy of getting the backup minutes at the point, but Pop and the coaching staff see the guy day in and day out at practice. Maybe he just hasn't shown the development in terms of court vision and play making abilities. I think he's going to end up being a very good, defensive combo guard, but he might really just not be ready to get 12-15 minutes a game this year.

Mason has shown that he plays pretty well without Manu, and Parker will probably log near 40 minutes a game in the postseason. So I don't think games will be lost because of George Hill not being on the court. I actually like seeing him on the court WITH Tony, so I'd like to see more of that next year.

Hill showed and proved when he got the minutes. It looks more like Pop just being conservative. I could kind of get that ordinarily, but right now the team has nothing to lose. Without Ginobili, they gotta take some chances. At the least, you're getting him some experience so he's not popping his cherry next playoffs when the team is playing for a title.

[Allanon]

I've thought about this for awhile because it didn't seem to make much sense but I think I have an idea. George Hill is a bad match for these Spurs, he's better off on a different team.

George Hill will never get much playing time on the current Spurs without getting ALOT better at shooting.

GHill's shooting 40% and 33% from 3pt land...and this is pretty much un-covered spot-up shooting.

When GHill's on the floor, teams leave him open to go guard another guy. And if you add Oberto/Ime/Bowen with him, you have very little offense on the floor except for the Tim/Tony and they get doubled/tripled with no punishment.

And there's one other problem that stops his being used just as a defensive stopper ala Bruce Bowen. Bowen's a physical specimen that fits in the SG/SF mold and his lateral quickness gives him the ability to defend PG's as well. GHill is just an average sized Point Guard.

Because GHill's only a skinny 6'2, he can't easily switch on screen/rolls. Roger Mason is a worse defender but he can switch onto PG's, SG's and even a SF once in awhile. The only kind of player GHill can lockdown defend is a PG whereas a real defensive stopper like Bowen can lockdown 3 positions and probably do a passable job on a Power Forward.

[BackHome]

Amen........I don't know why people get all excited over a late draft pick? People act like this guy was a top three draft and should be starting and making the all star team. Hell even in the beginning some fools were talking about trading Tony because "This kidd is so good"..

The kidd is a small SG who plays great defense and has great heart. I give him that but he is not a PG.....and don't look at when he plays against a crappy team trying to win the lottery."Kings".....Look at him when we are playing against decent teams that know how to play a little defense.

I have watched him all year long and what I see is him having alot of problems running our offense. He has not shown good court vision and does not have the ability to create shots for other players and his dribble ability is not great. Also the reason he hasn't played is that Pop has figured out that you need to have more points to beat a team and Hills offense has sucked so far.

We have tried making a tweener into a a PG and we all know what happened to Daniels.......What is the differnce between Daniels and him?...............

[tomtom]

that sucks... hopefully vaughn will be gone next year and Hill will figure out his role for sure

[ploto]

We have tried making a tweener into a a PG and we all know what happened to Daniels.......What is the differnce between Daniels and him?...............

Not the best example to support your point.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Hill showed and proved when he got the minutes. It looks more like Pop just being conservative. I could kind of get that ordinarily, but right now the team has nothing to lose. Without Ginobili, they gotta take some chances. At the least, you're getting him some experience so he's not popping his cherry next playoffs when the team is playing for a title.

My thoughts exactly. We're down to 1 2/3 of the Big 3, so what better time to blood the kid in the playoffs? He was dynamic when given the chance, and I have no idea why they took it away from him.

[SouthTexasRancher]

Sorry to see Pop do this. I guess Pop just doesn't think we'll get very far in the playoffs because we could use Hill's athleticism against some teams over Vaughn's do nothing style of old geezer play! Oh well, it is hard to argue against a coach who has led us to 4 NBA Championships and 10 straight years of 50 wins or better.

[Mugen]

if pop can't find mins for our 2nd best peremiter defender and arguably most athletic guard then thats his fault.

[senorglory]

I've thought about this for awhile because it didn't seem to make much sense but I think I have an idea. George Hill is a bad match for these Spurs, he's better off on a different team.

George Hill will never get much playing time on the current Spurs without getting ALOT better at shooting.

GHill's shooting 40% and 33% from 3pt land...and this is pretty much un-covered spot-up shooting.

When GHill's on the floor, teams leave him open to go guard another guy. And if you add Oberto/Ime/Bowen with him, you have very little offense on the floor except for the Tim/Tony and they get doubled/tripled with no punishment.

And there's one other problem that stops his being used just as a defensive stopper ala Bruce Bowen. Bowen's a physical specimen that fits in the SG/SF mold and his lateral quickness gives him the ability to defend PG's as well. GHill is just an average sized Point Guard.

Because GHill's only a skinny 6'2, he can't easily switch on screen/rolls. Roger Mason is a worse defender but he can switch onto PG's, SG's and even a SF once in awhile. The only kind of player GHill can lockdown defend is a PG whereas a real defensive stopper like Bowen can lockdown 3 positions and probably do a passable job on a Power Forward.

This is the most plausible explanation, aside from Benophobia.

[Yuixafun]

G. Hill lighting it up in the beginning of the season for 4 games, when every team is messing around with their new players and lineups, should merit him minutes now, in the playoffs?

Just a month ago he couldn't finish at the rim, hung out at the corners, and was getting owned by JJ Barea....

I'm not saying fuck him let him rot, but this kid is still too raw, too limited in the knowledge of the offense.

Come playoff time teams raise their defensive intensity. Why ruin this kids confidence throwing him in such a pressure cooker situation when he's not ready.

There's a slim chance he might contribute a few meaningful minutes, but the odds are he'll be in the game, he'll be lost, he won't know what to do and he will get eaten alive.

And suddenly all the progress he's made during the season is obliterated. Some people you can throw into the fire and they come out steel but most get burned.

You gonna let your kid drive a race car when he just learned to drive stick this year, and then put him in the Daytona 500?

[nz_spur]

A 6'3 shooting guard with less of a frame than Hill whos gone on to have a successfull career.

... and yet can't get into the Warriors rotation.

[nz_spur]

I've thought about this for awhile because it didn't seem to make much sense but I think I have an idea. George Hill is a bad match for these Spurs, he's better off on a different team.

George Hill will never get much playing time on the current Spurs without getting ALOT better at shooting.

GHill's shooting 40% and 33% from 3pt land...and this is pretty much un-covered spot-up shooting.

When GHill's on the floor, teams leave him open to go guard another guy. And if you add Oberto/Ime/Bowen with him, you have very little offense on the floor except for the Tim/Tony and they get doubled/tripled with no punishment.

And there's one other problem that stops his being used just as a defensive stopper ala Bruce Bowen. Bowen's a physical specimen that fits in the SG/SF mold and his lateral quickness gives him the ability to defend PG's as well. GHill is just an average sized Point Guard.

Because GHill's only a skinny 6'2, he can't easily switch on screen/rolls. Roger Mason is a worse defender but he can switch onto PG's, SG's and even a SF once in awhile. The only kind of player GHill can lockdown defend is a PG whereas a real defensive stopper like Bowen can lockdown 3 positions and probably do a passable job on a Power Forward.

Very good points. :wakeup

Still a shame though. Am looking forward to seeing what happens next year.

[mattyc]

I'm in the school of thought that Hill playing in the playoffs is integral to his game and development and I think Pop knows this. We'll see Hill when the situation permits.