timvp
04-09-2005, 08:58 AM
Rasho Nesterovic B
Offense
Nesterovic was the only starter who played remotely well offensively. However, the Spurs needed more from their starting center. Last year, he was able to play a lot better offensively when Duncan was out. So far this season, his Offense hasn’t excelled regardless of the situation.
Defense
His defense was good. He played the pick-and-rolls well and was able to get out on shooters. Erick Dampier didn’t have much success against him, either. Defense continues to be a strong aspect of his game.
Overall
Nesterovic had an average game against the Mavericks. The Spurs needed an outstanding effort from their Slovenian center to have a chance. They didn’t get that.
Brent Barry B
Offense
Barry couldn’t hit a shot from the perimeter, but he did a very good job of attacking the basket. When the Spurs’ Offense stagnated, Barry was the only one who continued to fight. As a result, he went to the free-throw line eight times, connecting on all eight.
Defense
It was an above average effort from Barry on this end of the court. He got down and dirty on a couple of possessions. While he did have a couple of lapses, he put forth a lot of effort.
Overall
Barry needed his shot to be on to help the Spurs. With Duncan down and Ginobili hobbled, Barry’s outside shooting is a must.
Tony Massenburg B
Offense
Massenburg scored seven points in his 13 minutes of playing time. He was aggressively looking for his shot and proved some rugged play that the team desperately needed.
Defense
Blocking three shots and grabbing three rebounds made Thursday night a good defensive showing for Massenburg. He was tough and was fighting for every inch.
Overall
Massenburg probably earned more minutes in coming games after his performance against the Mavs. The only downside to his play was it didn’t do much to change the fact that Dallas was whipping up on the Spurs.
Sean Marks B-
Offense
Marks hit two of his three shots from the field and both of his free throws. One of his two made shots was a monster dunk that he got off of a rare fast break for the Spurs. If he can continue to go up for dunks and start hitting open jumpers, he could help the Spurs come playoff time.
Defense
Thursday night was not a good night defensively for the Spurs’ New Zealand born big man. He got lost on a couple rotations and seemed to give up prematurely on plays. To his credit, he did record two blocked shots.
Overall
Marks is playing pretty well overall, though its still going to be an uphill climb in regards to making the playoff roster. Although if he plays well down the stretch and when Duncan returns, the Spurs may have no choice.
Glenn Robinson C+
Offense
The Big Dog’s second game as a Spur wasn’t quite as easy as his first. He had a tough time finding his rhythm and was obviously out of shape. Despite that, he did manage to connect on 3-of-7 shots from the field.
Defense
His man-to-man defense right now is pretty horrible. He doesn’t have the agility to stay in front of anybody. Hopefully that will improve as he works to get into basketball condition.
Overall
Robinson is going to be a huge key in the next couple games. If he can give the Spurs double-figure point totals from off the bench in any of these upcoming games, it’ll go a long ways toward helping the team win.
Mike Wilks C+
Offense
Wilks hit a number of tough shots against the Mavericks. He also dished out three assists. The problem is he was doing a poor job of getting the team into their Offense, which caused some of the team’s inability to score.
Defense
Wilks has been an underrated defender all season. He is able to press fullcourt and also play pretty good individual defense in the halfcourt setting.
Overall
Wilks needs to run the team better when he’s called upon. Hitting shots and making good passes is great, but his main duty is to make sure the Offense is flowing.
Bruce Bowen D
Offense
Bowen was only 2-for-6 from the floor and seemed totally out of sync. It also appeared that he pressing too much and was trying to be more of a scorer than he actually is.
Defense
Bowen’s defense was pretty par for his standards. It wasn’t anybody he was guarding that hurt the Spurs. He did a good job of limiting Michael Finley and Jerry Stackhouse to sub par games.
Overall
Bowen has to play more within himself on the offensive end. Just because Duncan is out and Ginobili isn’t 100%, that doesn’t mean he should become a slasher all of sudden. If he concentrates on running the break and hitting three-pointers from the corner, he and the Spurs will be fine.
Nazr Mohammed D
Offense
Mohammed hit only 2-of-7 shots from the field. He also went to his Samaki Walker like reverse layup. For the betterment of his game, he needs to remove that from his repertoire.
Defense
His defense was okay but he’s still not picking up the Spurs’ system. His rotations are often slow and he seems confused a lot of the time.
Overall
If Mohammed wants to make the playoff roster, he’s going to have to stop pressing and play like was earlier in the season with the Knicks.
Tony Parker F
Offense
Parker put on a horrendous offensive performance. He hit only 5-of-13 shots from the field and managed to go without an assist in 23 minutes of play. It was perhaps his worst offensive performance of the year.
Defense
His defense wasn’t much better. Jason Terry got off to a quick start to get the Mavs off and running.
Overall
Parker’s play was unacceptable. If he wants to be considered an All-Star and an elite player in this league, he needs to come up with better performances when facing adversity.
Manu Ginobili F
Offense
He tried, but he just didn’t have it. He made only one of his nine field goal attempts and missed all four of his free throws.
Defense
Ginobili’s defense was decent but nothing to write home about.
Overall
The Spurs and Ginobili need to figure out what is wrong. Is he hurting? Is he tired? What is the problem? If he needs to rest up, he needs to accept that fact and get as rejuvenated as he can for the playoffs.
Robert Horry F
Offense
Horry missed all four of his shots. Popovich also wasn’t too amused with an early in the shot clock three-pointer that his power forward attempted.
Defense
He played Dirk Nowitzki pretty well, but he’s had better days against him in the past.
Overall
With everyone else struggling, apparently Horry decided to join in on the act. He played poorly and had a lot of boneheaded plays.
Beno Udrih F
Offense
Has the Spurs’ rookie point guard hit a wall? It seems that way at times. He’s not being as aggressive as he was earlier in the season. He’s forcing things that aren’t there. Overall, he’s just doing a poor job of running the point.
Defense
His defense has been substandard for a while now. When he’s in the game, he has to do a better job of playing the pick-and-roll defensively.
Overall
Popovich has been forced to use Wilks at times because Udrih has been inconsistent. The Spurs want him to be in an attack mode, but he wavers between aggressive and passive during his stay on the court.
Offense
Nesterovic was the only starter who played remotely well offensively. However, the Spurs needed more from their starting center. Last year, he was able to play a lot better offensively when Duncan was out. So far this season, his Offense hasn’t excelled regardless of the situation.
Defense
His defense was good. He played the pick-and-rolls well and was able to get out on shooters. Erick Dampier didn’t have much success against him, either. Defense continues to be a strong aspect of his game.
Overall
Nesterovic had an average game against the Mavericks. The Spurs needed an outstanding effort from their Slovenian center to have a chance. They didn’t get that.
Brent Barry B
Offense
Barry couldn’t hit a shot from the perimeter, but he did a very good job of attacking the basket. When the Spurs’ Offense stagnated, Barry was the only one who continued to fight. As a result, he went to the free-throw line eight times, connecting on all eight.
Defense
It was an above average effort from Barry on this end of the court. He got down and dirty on a couple of possessions. While he did have a couple of lapses, he put forth a lot of effort.
Overall
Barry needed his shot to be on to help the Spurs. With Duncan down and Ginobili hobbled, Barry’s outside shooting is a must.
Tony Massenburg B
Offense
Massenburg scored seven points in his 13 minutes of playing time. He was aggressively looking for his shot and proved some rugged play that the team desperately needed.
Defense
Blocking three shots and grabbing three rebounds made Thursday night a good defensive showing for Massenburg. He was tough and was fighting for every inch.
Overall
Massenburg probably earned more minutes in coming games after his performance against the Mavs. The only downside to his play was it didn’t do much to change the fact that Dallas was whipping up on the Spurs.
Sean Marks B-
Offense
Marks hit two of his three shots from the field and both of his free throws. One of his two made shots was a monster dunk that he got off of a rare fast break for the Spurs. If he can continue to go up for dunks and start hitting open jumpers, he could help the Spurs come playoff time.
Defense
Thursday night was not a good night defensively for the Spurs’ New Zealand born big man. He got lost on a couple rotations and seemed to give up prematurely on plays. To his credit, he did record two blocked shots.
Overall
Marks is playing pretty well overall, though its still going to be an uphill climb in regards to making the playoff roster. Although if he plays well down the stretch and when Duncan returns, the Spurs may have no choice.
Glenn Robinson C+
Offense
The Big Dog’s second game as a Spur wasn’t quite as easy as his first. He had a tough time finding his rhythm and was obviously out of shape. Despite that, he did manage to connect on 3-of-7 shots from the field.
Defense
His man-to-man defense right now is pretty horrible. He doesn’t have the agility to stay in front of anybody. Hopefully that will improve as he works to get into basketball condition.
Overall
Robinson is going to be a huge key in the next couple games. If he can give the Spurs double-figure point totals from off the bench in any of these upcoming games, it’ll go a long ways toward helping the team win.
Mike Wilks C+
Offense
Wilks hit a number of tough shots against the Mavericks. He also dished out three assists. The problem is he was doing a poor job of getting the team into their Offense, which caused some of the team’s inability to score.
Defense
Wilks has been an underrated defender all season. He is able to press fullcourt and also play pretty good individual defense in the halfcourt setting.
Overall
Wilks needs to run the team better when he’s called upon. Hitting shots and making good passes is great, but his main duty is to make sure the Offense is flowing.
Bruce Bowen D
Offense
Bowen was only 2-for-6 from the floor and seemed totally out of sync. It also appeared that he pressing too much and was trying to be more of a scorer than he actually is.
Defense
Bowen’s defense was pretty par for his standards. It wasn’t anybody he was guarding that hurt the Spurs. He did a good job of limiting Michael Finley and Jerry Stackhouse to sub par games.
Overall
Bowen has to play more within himself on the offensive end. Just because Duncan is out and Ginobili isn’t 100%, that doesn’t mean he should become a slasher all of sudden. If he concentrates on running the break and hitting three-pointers from the corner, he and the Spurs will be fine.
Nazr Mohammed D
Offense
Mohammed hit only 2-of-7 shots from the field. He also went to his Samaki Walker like reverse layup. For the betterment of his game, he needs to remove that from his repertoire.
Defense
His defense was okay but he’s still not picking up the Spurs’ system. His rotations are often slow and he seems confused a lot of the time.
Overall
If Mohammed wants to make the playoff roster, he’s going to have to stop pressing and play like was earlier in the season with the Knicks.
Tony Parker F
Offense
Parker put on a horrendous offensive performance. He hit only 5-of-13 shots from the field and managed to go without an assist in 23 minutes of play. It was perhaps his worst offensive performance of the year.
Defense
His defense wasn’t much better. Jason Terry got off to a quick start to get the Mavs off and running.
Overall
Parker’s play was unacceptable. If he wants to be considered an All-Star and an elite player in this league, he needs to come up with better performances when facing adversity.
Manu Ginobili F
Offense
He tried, but he just didn’t have it. He made only one of his nine field goal attempts and missed all four of his free throws.
Defense
Ginobili’s defense was decent but nothing to write home about.
Overall
The Spurs and Ginobili need to figure out what is wrong. Is he hurting? Is he tired? What is the problem? If he needs to rest up, he needs to accept that fact and get as rejuvenated as he can for the playoffs.
Robert Horry F
Offense
Horry missed all four of his shots. Popovich also wasn’t too amused with an early in the shot clock three-pointer that his power forward attempted.
Defense
He played Dirk Nowitzki pretty well, but he’s had better days against him in the past.
Overall
With everyone else struggling, apparently Horry decided to join in on the act. He played poorly and had a lot of boneheaded plays.
Beno Udrih F
Offense
Has the Spurs’ rookie point guard hit a wall? It seems that way at times. He’s not being as aggressive as he was earlier in the season. He’s forcing things that aren’t there. Overall, he’s just doing a poor job of running the point.
Defense
His defense has been substandard for a while now. When he’s in the game, he has to do a better job of playing the pick-and-roll defensively.
Overall
Popovich has been forced to use Wilks at times because Udrih has been inconsistent. The Spurs want him to be in an attack mode, but he wavers between aggressive and passive during his stay on the court.