George Hill as PG..

[HarlemHeat37]

so what do you guys think will happen?..

Was Pop's reluctance to play Hill at PG a product of George being a young rookie that was still learning to play the position, or do you guys think Pop just doesn't believe in Hill's ability to play PG?..

It looks like Pop and RC are high on McClinton and believe he can make the roster, but apparently he doesn't have PG skills..signing a veteran PG would be a waste of $, and a waste of another roster spot..so Hill playing the PG seems like the most logical choice, and pretty much the only choice..what do you guys think Pop will do?..

Hill didn't look good running the point this year, but part of that was clearly his lack of aggressiveness and lack of experience..

[Muser]

Hill running the backup PG > Mason.

Idk what Pop will do, Hill is the obvious choice.

[HarlemHeat37]

Manu as the main playmaker could be another option of course..I wouldn't want that for too long though, Manu is known for his crazy and erratic decisions at times..that's the Manu we know and love..

[coyotes_geek]

I think Hill gets the backup PG spot back next year. The Mason experiment failed and with RC saying in his draft night interview that McClinton is clearly not a PG, nor will they try to make him one. So unless the Spurs are planning on bringing someone else in, Hill gets the job by default.

[Scola]

Hill will be much better than any other 3rd string point guard we can sign for the min. I hope Pop plays him especially early in the season. Yes hes gonna have a few times when he makes stupid mistakes on offense but that's what the early part of the season is for. Play him so hes ready for the playoffs when it counts. On Defense hes shown that he committed and wants to be out there. I don't see McClinton making the roster.

[4RINGS]

Hill is the PG of the future, but he does need to work on his handle in traffic, if he does he will be a total stud.

[HarlemHeat37]

I just hope he's a lot more aggressive this year..we saw flashes of it, especially when Tony was out, but it went away for the rest of the season..he's athletic, and he has a very long wingspan..he was getting blocked too much last year, and tried to finish with soft layups too much..I hope to see him finishing strong and dunking at the rim next year, because we all know he can do it..

[Mel_13]

I believe Hill will start the season as the backup PG and will keep the job.

In all the craziness that occurred last season, it has become gospel to believe that Hill lost the backup PG job because Pop lost confidence in him. I don't believe that is the case.

Hill was the backup PG until Game 51 on Feb 11 against Toronto. The Spurs were on a 20-6 roll and had established themselves as the #2 team in the West. That was also the last game Manu would play until his 6 game return in late March. The Roger Mason at PG experiment began in Game 52. That is more than a coincidence.

There is good reason to believe the Roger Mason experiment would never have happened if Manu had played the entire season.

I have every confidence that Hill will get the job back and that he will keep it.

[The Truth #6]

We need certain things to come together this season for us to make a run in the playoffs. Hill becoming a competent backup PG is one of them. It's a risk to some degree, but I would rather roll the dice on Hill learning the position, then shaking up what looks to be a promising roster to get some crusty backup and/or keep Vaughn around.

He was aggressive in college so it's not like he hasn't done it before. He just needs to learn how to drive and kick. That's basically what Tony does. No one is expecting Nash theatrics. He just needs to become a threat on offense for the system to be effective.


Basically, Hill has to step up and own the position. I don't see any way around that. Some have said Marcus Williams could be groomed into a PG, but that's a 3rd string experimentation.

[Tully365]

RC said in a post-draft interview that the Spurs understand that McClinton is not a PG and have no intentions of trying to turn him into one, and he also talked about how Hill can guard SGs, so I think it is their intention to occasionally pair those two together. For a rookie on a playoff team, Hill performed well last year... as a fan, of course, I wanted him to immediately assume the role of back up PG, but looking at things in perspective, I think his growth was pretty successful. If the Spurs had had a better back up already, we all would have thought of last year as simply a typical rookie year for Hill to absorb knowledge and gain familiarity with the NBA, so the fact that he had a few 20 point games and has begun to establish a rep as a defender is really a pretty good start, especially for a guy that many were saying after last year's summer league was a complete bust!

[Blackjack]

Here's a recap of R.C.'s interviews from yesterday where I mention that he made it clear that he expected Hill or McClinton to win the backup-role, and that going after a backup in free-agency wasn't really a significant concern.

He seemed very confident in what they saw from Hill last year, and confirmed that Mason being given the role of backup-point had more to do with how they felt about depending on a rookie come playoff-time, and not Hill's performance.

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129847

[Libri]

As of now, I think that Hill is the backup PG but he will have some competition in the summer league. Here are are some players that we might see in the summer league:

Terrell McIntyre
http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=128832

Alex Garcia
http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=128389

Marcus Williams
http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3347948#post3347948

[Obstructed_View]

If Pop isn't FULLY committed to Georgie as the backup point guard, but passed on a legitimate point guard to take Jack McClinton anyway, he should lose his fucking job. The first sign of trouble will be if the Spurs re-sign JV.

[spursfan1000]

I think Hill will be the backup point guard and he isnt a rookie anymore, POP even said at the end of last year that he should have played Hill more.

[Obstructed_View]

I think Hill will be the backup point guard and he isnt a rookie anymore, POP even said at the end of last year that he should have played Hill more.

There was a headline that reported Pop saying that, but there was no actual quote of that if memory serves.

[DMX7]

If he's going to be a backup PG then he has to learn how to play backup PG.

[Obstructed_View]

If he's going to be a backup PG then he has to learn how to play backup PG.

He did awfully good through summer league, training camp and at the beginning of last season when given the chance. He wasn't rookie of the month for nothing.

[duncan228]

There was a headline that reported Pop saying that, but there was no actual quote of that if memory serves.

Found this, not sure if there's more.


After their first-round playoff loss to Dallas, coach Gregg Popovich said he wished he would have played Hill more. He promised to do so next season.


Popovich said Hill will be part of the primary rotation next season.

"He's somebody that's going to be important to the Spurs both at the point guard and the off guard," Popovich said. "Obviously the pick-and-roll is big in the league and he's learning that offensively and defensively, but he's a fantastic defender. That's his major skill. He's learning to shoot the 3, and he's going to get better as he gets more experience."

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=126994

[timvp]

In all the craziness that occurred last season, it has become gospel to believe that Hill lost the backup PG job because Pop lost confidence in him. I don't believe that is the case.

Hill was the backup PG until Game 51 on Feb 11 against Toronto. The Spurs were on a 20-6 roll and had established themselves as the #2 team in the West. That was also the last game Manu would play until his 6 game return in late March. The Roger Mason at PG experiment began in Game 52. That is more than a coincidence.

Sorry but that is incorrect. Hill's last game as the backup point guard was March 1st against the Blazers. It was the next night against the Clippers that Pop unveiled Mason at shooting guard.




But yeah, I'm very hopeful that Hill will be the backup point guard this season. His play against the Mavs in the playoffs likely helped his cause. The Richard Jefferson trade also helps because he'll have more talent on the floor at all times.

Going into season two, Hill is at a much better position than Beno. His confidence has to be high. The team's confidence in him has to be high. Pop's confidence in him should be pretty high. Pop's decision to go with Mason will always be a headscratcher but it saved Hill from any Beno-esque meltdown and instead allowed him to gain valuable experience with very limited pressure.

[ElNono]

he'll continue to play PG because that's his position.

He never played PG until he arrived to the Spurs.
He was a SG in College.

[wildbill2u]

Who can divine the workings of the master mind, Popovitch. Both Hill and Gooden seemed to be doing OK and then were benched with neither seeing much time in the playoffs.

Pop giveth and Pop taketh away.

[4RINGS]

Who can divine the workings of the master mind, Popovitch. Both Hill and Gooden seemed to be doing OK and then were benched with neither seeing much time in the playoffs.

Pop giveth and Pop taketh away.

Hill was a rookie, POP will trust him more this year. Pop likes to have a tight rope on the rookies.

[Mel_13]

Sorry but that is incorrect. Hill's last game as the backup point guard was March 1st against the Blazers. It was the next night against the Clippers that Pop unveiled Mason at shooting guard.


Incomplete research on my part. If you check the game logs for the games at NY and at Detroit, you will see that Mason replaced Parker in the first quarters of both games. Mason had started, been subbed out, then came back towards the end of the quarter to replace Parker.

I didn't check the games after that because those two games fit neatly with my theory and I assumed Mason at backup PG continued uninterrupted from that point forward. It didn't. As you noted, Hill was the backup PG for the last 4 games in February and then Mason took the job from March 1st until the end.

Like you, I'm hopeful that Hill becomes a permanent fixture this season. I know its not scientific or provable in any way, but I don't believe Pop lost confidence in Hill, and I don't believe that Hill became discouraged by the way his role changed. The body language between the two remained constant all year. Pop always looked to be teaching and encouraging and Hill always looked eager to go.

[toki9]

Sorry but that is incorrect. Hill's last game as the backup point guard was March 1st against the Blazers. It was the next night against the Clippers that Pop unveiled Mason at shooting guard.




But yeah, I'm very hopeful that Hill will be the backup point guard this season. His play against the Mavs in the playoffs likely helped his cause. The Richard Jefferson trade also helps because he'll have more talent on the floor at all times.

Going into season two, Hill is at a much better position than Beno. His confidence has to be high. The team's confidence in him has to be high. Pop's confidence in him should be pretty high. Pop's decision to go with Mason will always be a headscratcher but it saved Hill from any Beno-esque meltdown and instead allowed him to gain valuable experience with very limited pressure.

Why do you think Pop went away from Hill as backup PG? As you said, it's a headscratcher but curious about your theories (if you have any). Never could figure out what may have caused the shift.

[tomtom]

Well I do recall Pop or RC saying Hill would definitely see his minutes increase so one would assume it has to be at the point where the 2 filled now with Mason, Manu, and potentially Mcclinton. I will kill myself if I see JV back.

[DMX7]

He did awfully good through summer league...

WTF?????

I watched every summer league game (available) and there were times when he looked like the worst player of the court. In the first summer league he played 32 minutes per game and shot 8%... Yes, 8% from the field. Turnovers were a problem too.

I'll say he did improve during the season but its hard to tell if that's because he improved or the team he played with was just better.

[BackHome]

J.V won't be back but I have serious doubts that Hill will be able to make the transition from SG to PG. He is athletic but his court vision and his dribble skills were very lacking lasy year and do not lend itslef to being PG material.

I don't want to see what happend last year dribble to the free throw line and then pass the ball to a wing player.

I always like Alex Garcia he could be a big help if he can stay healthy.?

[Obstructed_View]

WTF?????

I watched every summer league game (available) and there were times when he looked like the worst player of the court. In the first summer league he played 32 minutes per game and shot 8%... Yes, 8% from the field. Turnovers were a problem too.

I'll say he did improve during the season but its hard to tell if that's because he improved or the team he played with was just better.

There were times when he looked like the worst shooter on the court. I never said he shot the ball well. Hill was one of the best scorers in the draft, so there's no doubting he can fill it up, and anyone with common sense knew SL was just a minor shooting slump. I said at the time, and I still maintain, that Georgie's shooting problems had a lot to do with the fact that he was concentrating on becoming a point guard. He did a very good job of setting up other guys and running the offense. Do I mean "good" compared to Jason Kidd? Of course not, I mean "good" compared to a rookie who never played point guard before.

And Hill played the best with no Manu and no Parker at the beginning of the season, so the "team he played with" theory goes out the window there.

[spursfaninla]

Really not sure if Hill is a pg. At the end of the year, he seemed most comfortable as a sg. As a sg, I don't really know how we have minutes for him, with manu and mason.

If Hill can't become a decent pg, does that mean we probably need to trade either he or mason?

[VivaPopovich]

its ok, he wasnt a spur back then

[spursfan1000]

He never played PG until he arrived to the Spurs.
He was a SG in College.


Wow I didnt even know that, but if hes going to be on the team he's going to have to play backup point guard. :wakeup

[Obstructed_View]

Really not sure if Hill is a pg. At the end of the year, he seemed most comfortable as a sg. As a sg, I don't really know how we have minutes for him, with manu and mason.

If Hill can't become a decent pg, does that mean we probably need to trade either he or mason?

If Pop doesn't believe that Hill is a backup point guard, then there was really no excuse to draft two shooting guards, one of whom is 6'0" tall when Vaughn's going to leave and their free agent money's likely to be tied up in a big.