duncan228
11-16-2009, 01:05 AM
Spurs try Hill-Parker backcourt (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Spurs_try_Hill-Parker_backcourt.html)
Jeff McDonald
For the record, George Hill spent the entirety of Saturday's loss to Oklahoma City wearing the silver and black of the Spurs. He wouldn't have been surprised, however, had he looked down halfway through the game and seen the crimson and gold of the IUPUI Jaguars on his chest.
Hill spent much of the game at shooting guard, a position he hadn't played extensively since his college days in Indianapolis.
“I was very comfortable there,” said Hill, a second-year player who moonlights as the primary backup to All-Star point guard Tony Parker. “I played it my whole life. That's all I used to know how to do, was play the ‘two.'”
There could be more college flashbacks to come for Hill.
Eight games into a season his team has started .500, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is still pushing buttons, playing mad scientist with different combinations of old hands and newcomers. One experiment that has seemed to work is deploying Parker and Hill, side-by-side.
The Spurs enjoyed their best stretch of the 101-98 loss to Oklahoma City — a 16-2 run in the first half — with the two point guards on the floor together. When Popovich opted to sit Manu Ginobili for the fourth quarter due to a hamstring problem, the Parker-Hill pairing made a lengthy reappearance.
It marked the first time this season Parker and Hill had seen extensive minutes together. It probably won't be the last.
Popovich believes Hill — whom the coach calls “one of the most improved players in the league” — deserves more minutes than the 15 or so a night he'd be limited to as purely Parker's backup.
“We become a whole lot more athletic with another guy who can fill the lane and maybe get an easy bucket,” Popovich said. “Depending on who is on the court, George can take the tougher of the two defensively and have Tony take the other guy. It gives us a lot of flexibility.”
The Spurs aren't the first team to toy with a two point-guard lineup. In the past 10 days, the Spurs have seen Portland try it with Steve Blake and Andre Miller and Dallas dabble with a Jason Kidd-J.J. Barea backcourt duo.
Popovich was impressed by the effect dual point guards have on those teams.
“At times, it makes a team a little smarter,” Popovich said. “There's a possibility your team might make better decisions, might be a better passing team on the fast break, things like that.”
Popovich used Hill and Parker together on rare occasions last season. His vow to do it more frequently this season was predicated on Hill's substantial improvement over the offseason.
Hill spilled sweat this summer to become a better decision-maker at point guard. Under the tutelage of shooting coach Chip Engelland, he also polished his jump shot.
Hill is averaging 12 points this season while shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 53.3 percent from 3-point range. As a rookie, Hill shot 40.3 percent overall and 32.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Meanwhile, Hill's ability to guard bigger perimeter players allows Popovich to stick with a two point-guard lineup longer than most teams. Saturday, the 6-foot-2 Hill spent significant minutes defending star forward Kevin Durant, who has seven inches on him. Durant finished with 25 points but was 6 of 18 from the field.
Given all of the above, Parker was not surprised to see Hill on the floor with him to close the game.
“Manu was hurting a little bit, and George was playing well,” Parker said. “I thought Pop made the right decision.”
Hill, for his part, says he will play any position he's asked. Now at home in his Spurs jersey, he just wants to get on the floor as often as possible.
“I just want to make my mark while I'm out there,” Hill said.
Jeff McDonald
For the record, George Hill spent the entirety of Saturday's loss to Oklahoma City wearing the silver and black of the Spurs. He wouldn't have been surprised, however, had he looked down halfway through the game and seen the crimson and gold of the IUPUI Jaguars on his chest.
Hill spent much of the game at shooting guard, a position he hadn't played extensively since his college days in Indianapolis.
“I was very comfortable there,” said Hill, a second-year player who moonlights as the primary backup to All-Star point guard Tony Parker. “I played it my whole life. That's all I used to know how to do, was play the ‘two.'”
There could be more college flashbacks to come for Hill.
Eight games into a season his team has started .500, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is still pushing buttons, playing mad scientist with different combinations of old hands and newcomers. One experiment that has seemed to work is deploying Parker and Hill, side-by-side.
The Spurs enjoyed their best stretch of the 101-98 loss to Oklahoma City — a 16-2 run in the first half — with the two point guards on the floor together. When Popovich opted to sit Manu Ginobili for the fourth quarter due to a hamstring problem, the Parker-Hill pairing made a lengthy reappearance.
It marked the first time this season Parker and Hill had seen extensive minutes together. It probably won't be the last.
Popovich believes Hill — whom the coach calls “one of the most improved players in the league” — deserves more minutes than the 15 or so a night he'd be limited to as purely Parker's backup.
“We become a whole lot more athletic with another guy who can fill the lane and maybe get an easy bucket,” Popovich said. “Depending on who is on the court, George can take the tougher of the two defensively and have Tony take the other guy. It gives us a lot of flexibility.”
The Spurs aren't the first team to toy with a two point-guard lineup. In the past 10 days, the Spurs have seen Portland try it with Steve Blake and Andre Miller and Dallas dabble with a Jason Kidd-J.J. Barea backcourt duo.
Popovich was impressed by the effect dual point guards have on those teams.
“At times, it makes a team a little smarter,” Popovich said. “There's a possibility your team might make better decisions, might be a better passing team on the fast break, things like that.”
Popovich used Hill and Parker together on rare occasions last season. His vow to do it more frequently this season was predicated on Hill's substantial improvement over the offseason.
Hill spilled sweat this summer to become a better decision-maker at point guard. Under the tutelage of shooting coach Chip Engelland, he also polished his jump shot.
Hill is averaging 12 points this season while shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 53.3 percent from 3-point range. As a rookie, Hill shot 40.3 percent overall and 32.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Meanwhile, Hill's ability to guard bigger perimeter players allows Popovich to stick with a two point-guard lineup longer than most teams. Saturday, the 6-foot-2 Hill spent significant minutes defending star forward Kevin Durant, who has seven inches on him. Durant finished with 25 points but was 6 of 18 from the field.
Given all of the above, Parker was not surprised to see Hill on the floor with him to close the game.
“Manu was hurting a little bit, and George was playing well,” Parker said. “I thought Pop made the right decision.”
Hill, for his part, says he will play any position he's asked. Now at home in his Spurs jersey, he just wants to get on the floor as often as possible.
“I just want to make my mark while I'm out there,” Hill said.