McDonald: Days later, Spurs still fixated on Suns

[duncan228]

Days later, Spurs still fixated on Suns (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/Days_later_Spurs_still_fixated_on_Suns.html)
Jeff McDonald

By some measures, the Spurs' first extended road trip of the season was a success.

They went 2-1 with double-digit victories over Golden State and the L.A. Clippers, in the process doubling their number of road wins this season.

Yet all the Spurs wanted to talk about after Wednesday's win in Oakland was the one that got away — a 116-104 loss to Phoenix, the best team they faced on the trip.

“Everyone here is happy to win two of three,” Richard Jefferson said. “But the Phoenix game was the one we looked at where we really wanted to do well, and we didn't do that.”

The Spurs' 13-10 season has been rife with inconsistency, a characteristic that has plagued them against the league's elite teams. For coach Gregg Popovich, the season has played out like a game of Whac-A-Mole. Just when the Spurs seem to get one problem corrected, another arises.

Against Phoenix, the Spurs were doomed by a series of blown defensive assignments in the first half.

“So we'll concentrate on that,” Popovich said, “and maybe the next game it will be that we don't rebound. Maybe the next game we don't shoot well. Maybe the next game, a couple new guys have a bad game, and a returning player has a bad game.

“We're not all in sync. We don't have all our players playing well every night.”

In the coming weeks, the Spurs will have a chance to improve both their record and their play. Only two of their next 10 foes boast a winning record. When they return to the court Saturday at home against Indiana, the Spurs will have a chance to go four games over .500 for the first time this season.

Decade of dominance: During the 2000s, the Spurs won three of their four NBA titles and more games than any team in the league. It should come as no surprise, then, that when Sports Illustrated put together a recent look back at the decade, the Spurs were well represented.

In the SI.com online special, Duncan was named the player of the decade, Popovich and R.C. Buford were jointly named the best general manager of the decade and Tony Parker was named the biggest draft-day steal.

Role revision: Popovich says he hasn't abandoned the idea of using rookie DeJuan Blair in the starting lineup. Blair, 6-foot-7, started two games at center in early November.

“It was too early, and he wasn't ready for that,” Popovich said. “We've been giving him more and more minutes as we go, so it's a possibility going forward.”

[duncan228]

The SI.com article referred to.

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142010

[greyforest]

more and more talk about blair is a good sign.

[HarlemHeat37]

Blair starting is a great idea IMO..

I also really hope they actually do work hard on the defensive rotations, but it's tough when you don't have the players..

[Blackjack]

I wouldn't have said this prior to the season, but, yeah, I'm down with Blair starting.

Fact of the matter is, he's proven to be one of their best and most productive players, and his starting should help take some of the burden in physicality off of Tim's hands; knees probably being more appropriate.

Factor in 'Dyess' age and comfort level being the first big off the bench, and I can't really see a better option.

If they're going to continue to keep making mistakes and miscues, I'd rather have the guys with the most upside in productivity being the culprits; Blair needs to be a real factor for this team..

[the crimson blur]

Against Phoenix, the Spurs were doomed by a series of blown defensive assignments in the first half.

“So we'll concentrate on that,” Popovich said, “and maybe the next game it will be that we don't rebound. Maybe the next game we don't shoot well. Maybe the next game, a couple new guys have a bad game, and a returning player has a bad game.

“We're not all in sync. We don't have all our players playing well every night."

I think this explains the early season Spurs the best. Early in the season we had rebounding woes. Then we looked stupid dominant on the battle of the boards, winning it by 20 or something every game. We started the season with incredibly low TOs and lately we have just been handing the ball to opponents. Some nights our offense hums more beautifully than I've ever seen in the Spurs era, shooting 70% or something ridiculous. Other nights we can't buy a bucket. Defensively, we have either been fantastically dominant, holding teams to under 40%, or woefully inept, like against Phoenix. Throw in the fact that we have even had a bad FT shooting night, and we have been inconsistent in all major statistical categories (rebounding, TOs, offensive efficiency--FG%, defensive effeciency--opp FG%, and FT shooting).

Our advanced statistics average all of our stats out to relatively impressive numbers. But what they don't tell you is how inconsistent we are in those categories. We have a bad night in one category, win or lose, seemingly every night. Its frustrating because its hard to pinpoint exactly why we are losing so we can fix it. Its great because it means we don't exactly have weaknesses, but that we just don't play to our potential. Is a team who loses to CHI in rebounding a bad rebounding team when they later destroy Boston on the boards? No, just inconsistent.

And thats what the Spurs are.

[ezau]

I think this explains the early season Spurs the best. Early in the season we had rebounding woes. Then we looked stupid dominant on the battle of the boards, winning it by 20 or something every game. We started the season with incredibly low TOs and lately we have just been handing the ball to opponents. Some nights our offense hums more beautifully than I've ever seen in the Spurs era, shooting 70% or something ridiculous. Other nights we can't buy a bucket. Defensively, we have either been fantastically dominant, holding teams to under 40%, or woefully inept, like against Phoenix. Throw in the fact that we have even had a bad FT shooting night, and we have been inconsistent in all major statistical categories (rebounding, TOs, offensive efficiency--FG%, defensive effeciency--opp FG%, and FT shooting).

Our advanced statistics average all of our stats out to relatively impressive numbers. But what they don't tell you is how inconsistent we are in those categories. We have a bad night in one category, win or lose, seemingly every night. Its frustrating because its hard to pinpoint exactly why we are losing so we can fix it. Its great because it means we don't exactly have weaknesses, but that we just don't play to our potential. Is a team who loses to CHI in rebounding a bad rebounding team when they later destroy Boston on the boards? No, just inconsistent.

And thats what the Spurs are.

Good point. We can get it done and we have the tools to do it. We just can't get everything going on a consistent basis.

[ceperez]

I would be okay if it were only about being inconsistent.

Unfortunately,we've been consistently bad against the top teams in the league.

Furthermore, we have never shown that we could shut down and of the top teams in the league.

[TJastal]

We saw Blair in the starting lineup earlier this year (forget which team). Only lasted a game or so because it didn't work out. I could speculate about why it didn't work, but if it didn't work then its not going to work now.

I think McDyess should get another 10 games yet to see if he can become more productive before I'd bench him. And then I'd put Theo in there before I'd put Blair. Blair is perfect where he's at right now, which is coming off the bench with Bonner.

[mystargtr34]

Im happy to have Blair starting, if he does. Ive been pleasently surprised by his post defense so far, i think he can do a decent job on your Scola's and West's, methodical PF's. Its the quicker guys, like Amare and Dirk he will have trouble with. McDyess just isnt giving the team much at the moment, but i still have high hopes for him to be that solid 8-8 guy for 25 minutes a night with tough defense, later on in the season. Im giving him the benefit of the doubt for now, because he has started slowly, and come on strong later, in previous seasons.

[silverblackfan]

I would be okay if it were only about being inconsistent.

Unfortunately,we've been consistently bad against the top teams in the league.

Furthermore, we have never shown that we could shut down and of the top teams in the league.

The better teams expose inconsistencies. That is why this year's team is so frustrating. I am used to the Spurs exposing the other teams instead of the other way around.
Hopefully, by the end of next month we will see less of this and more of the other teams falling apart.
Its funny that every year we look for the new guys to hurry up and learn the system, but history shows that the better the player, the more lost he appears early in the season.

[SenorSpur]

The Spurs SHOULD be fixated on the Suns - and the Blazers, Jazz, Celtics, Nuggets and every other "good" team that they've not been able to beat this season.

[Phenomanul]

The only downside with starting Blair is that it will minimize his on-court time with Manu... as I've been saying all along, Manu has consistently given Blair easy looks... He actively searches for him down low. Parker even in his 'assist-mode' mostly passes out to open shooters, instead of creating easy interior buckets for bigs not named Duncan.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

They should be fixated on the Suns. That cost me my 3rd road loss of my fandom career. 2/3 of the team didn't show up that day.

[EricB]

The myth of the team "not showing up against good teams" is continuing I see..

[TJastal]

The only downside with starting Blair is that it will minimize his on-court time with Manu... as I've been saying all along, Manu has consistently given Blair easy looks... He actively searches for him down low. Parker even in his 'assist-mode' mostly passes out to open shooters, instead of creating easy interior buckets for bigs not named Duncan.

Yes. And that's just 1 of the downsides to Blair starting. Others include the fact that he is a rookie and going to get rookie calls for the most part esp against other teams starters. Probably against any playoff caliber teams he is going to be on the bench with 2 quick fouls half the time. Playing along with Duncan's defender clogging in the paint is going to neuter his effectiveness. He is going to be much more effective in the 2nd unit w/ Bonner dragging his man out of the paint.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

The myth of the team "not showing up against good teams" is continuing I see..

T, I was at the game...trust me, some guys were not there to play. You could really see it on the defensive end. Rotations were slow, guys weren't fighting through screens, people weren't hustling. The Suns wanted it and we didn't. Pop was furious about the lack of effort from most of his starters.

If them occassionally not showing up in these early season games is a myth, then I just saw bigfoot.

[byrontx]

The myth of the team "not showing up against good teams" is continuing I see..

All-in-all they looked good against the Suns. Sometimes a team is just magic hot and shots fall that would not normally. The Suns were having one of those nights, well-contested shots were dropping in; it wasn't just blown assignments.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

All-in-all they looked good against the Suns. Sometimes a team is just magic hot and shots fall that would not normally. The Suns were having one of those nights, well-contested shots were dropping in; it wasn't just blown assignments.

We were obviously watching different games. The Spurs would lose against anyone playing like they did against the Suns.

[dbestpro]

We were obviously watching different games. The Spurs would lose against anyone playing like they did against the Suns.

I actually saw a lot of positives, as well. It was a road game and we came close to winning even with all of the mistakes. We are not that far away from elite level. RJ is almost where he needs to be. Dice seems to be totally lost along with TP. Those two get their game together consistently and it will be on.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

The Spurs are better than the Suns...I know that from watching the game, and there were positives. But there were a lot of negatives in terms of effort. It looks like this game may have been a wakeup call to the team, though, from everything I've read, so that is a positive. If losing to the Suns in the manner they did helps them turn things around, then it was a "good" loss, if there can be such a thing.

[Blackjack]

We saw Blair in the starting lineup earlier this year (forget which team). Only lasted a game or so because it didn't work out. I could speculate about why it didn't work, but if it didn't work then its not going to work now.


Popovich says he hasn't abandoned the idea of using rookie DeJuan Blair in the starting lineup. Blair, 6-foot-7, started two games at center in early November.

“It was too early, and he wasn't ready for that,” Popovich said. “We've been giving him more and more minutes as we go, so it's a possibility going forward.”


The only downside with starting Blair is that it will minimize his on-court time with Manu... as I've been saying all along, Manu has consistently given Blair easy looks... He actively searches for him down low. Parker even in his 'assist-mode' mostly passes out to open shooters, instead of creating easy interior buckets for bigs not named Duncan.

It would be a downside, as Manu finds him slipping and diving off screens better than anyone, but there's going to be a give and take with everything.

Ideally, Blair would be your energy big off the bench; he's a real game and tempo-changer in that role. But Tim would greatly benefit from having an energy-playing, physicality-bringing player alongside him to lessen his burden.

This isn't about 'Dyess being a scrub or incapable, it's about the season's long-term outlook.

Barring a front line bolstering trade, Blair has to be a real factor for the Spurs, and 'Dyess needs to be fresh and healthy come the playoffs.

Starting Blair now, allows them to work out the kinks and get him the much needed experience. It also brings the possibility of having some fresher legs for an older front court, and it just might prevent Tim from wearing his ass out like he did last season; Blair's proven to be one of their best and most productive players when given time. It just seems a pretty logical move given those factors.

Given the circumstances, failing to prepare and utilize Blair down the stretch would make Pop's handling of Hill last year look to be rational.

It's not the perfect, ideal solution.. it's making chicken salad.

[Phenomanul]

It would be a downside, as Manu finds him slipping and diving off screens better than anyone, but there's going to be a give and take with everything.

Ideally, Blair would be your energy big off the bench; he's a real game and tempo-changer in that role. But Tim would greatly benefit from having an energy-playing, physicality-bringing player alongside him to lessen his burden.

This isn't about 'Dyess being a scrub or incapable, it's about the season's long-term outlook.

Barring a front line bolstering trade, Blair has to be a real factor for the Spurs, and 'Dyess needs to be fresh and healthy come the playoffs.

Starting Blair now, allows them to work out the kinks and get him the much needed experience. It also brings the possibility of having some fresher legs for an older front court, and it just might prevent Tim from wearing his ass out like he did last season; Blair's proven to be one of their best and most productive players when given time. It just seems a pretty logical move given those factors.

Given the circumstances, failing to prepare and utilize Blair down the stretch would make Pop's handling of Hill last year look to be rational.

It's not the perfect, ideal solution.. it's making chicken salad.

This is one of the primary reasons why Pop is considering starting Blair...

Blair looks like he is learning how to stay physical without fouling folks....

[TJastal]

It would be a downside, as Manu finds him slipping and diving off screens better than anyone, but there's going to be a give and take with everything.

Ideally, Blair would be your energy big off the bench; he's a real game and tempo-changer in that role. But Tim would greatly benefit from having an energy-playing, physicality-bringing player alongside him to lessen his burden.

This isn't about 'Dyess being a scrub or incapable, it's about the season's long-term outlook.

Barring a front line bolstering trade, Blair has to be a real factor for the Spurs, and 'Dyess needs to be fresh and healthy come the playoffs.

Starting Blair now, allows them to work out the kinks and get him the much needed experience. It also brings the possibility of having some fresher legs for an older front court, and it just might prevent Tim from wearing his ass out like he did last season; Blair's proven to be one of their best and most productive players when given time. It just seems a pretty logical move given those factors.

Given the circumstances, failing to prepare and utilize Blair down the stretch would make Pop's handling of Hill last year look to be rational.

It's not the perfect, ideal solution.. it's making chicken salad.

Blair was tried as the starter once already, and it didn't work. Pop claims its because he wasn't ready but I think its more that:

1) he's a rookie going against generally bigger and taller starters (he's going to get whistled alot because of this). He's also got a size disadvantage in many cases.

2) he's got an extra defender (TD's) clogging the paint.
3) he has no Manu to find him on all those nifty pick and rolls.

If it is determined that somebody needs to take Dice's place in the starting lineup (which i can almost gaurantee you isn't going to be necessary), Ratliff should get first crack.

[EmptyMan]

Blair should start.

Dice is a ghost out there.

[Baseline]

Copter, which guys weren't ready to play in Phoenix? I didn't see the game and would be interested to hear your opinion. Thanks.

[LongtimeSpursFan]

Manu and Blair work really well together off the bench. They have great chemistry on the screen/pick and roll. Manu is a great passer and Blair is learning that if he keeps his eyes open Manu will get him the ball.

Dont break up this duo.

[Brazil]

The biggest frustration so far is inconsistency. One day we destroy Boston at the rebounds, the other day we have been killed by the bulls then TOs then 3s then Defense then Offense the RJ then TP then Manu then the passing etc etc... but the day we put all together we will be a strong team. This is the positive thing about this team there is not a single recurrent weakness.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Copter, which guys weren't ready to play in Phoenix? I didn't see the game and would be interested to hear your opinion. Thanks.

Everyone not named Duncan in the starting 5 came out really flat. What folks watching on TV didn't see was Pop blowing up on these guys when he pulled them out. I have to hand it to Mason, Hill, Bonner and Blair because they came in and played with purpose. Parker's -28 and Jefferson's -22 were no coincidence in that game...they were horrible. Parker passed on a couple of opportunities to go after loose balls which really got under my (and Pop's) skin. McDyess didn't look like he belonged on the court at all.

Effort was lacking from the starters. And I saw nothing from Bogans that made me think he's a capable starter for a championship caliber team.

The sad part is that, man for man, the Spurs have much better players than the Suns, some of the guys just weren't putting forth the effort.

People can spin it all they want, but what I saw, and what I could tell that Pop saw from the chewing he gave several of the guys, was that they didn't want it very badly. He wasn't tearing into them because they were the worse team. The Spurs can play 10X better than they did that night.

[spurs10]

I, like most of you, appreciate the hustle and intensity of Blair. Is anyone concerned @ his height, as a 6-foot-7 center is unheard of. He obviously brings fire to the game all the time and does play especially well with Manu off the bench.

[Supergirl]

the main drawback of blair starting is that he's a rookie, and as we saw against PHX he gets no love from the refs and is apt to pick up fouls early. having him in the fourth quarter has been even more important in some ways.

[quentin_compson]

The biggest frustration so far is inconsistency. One day we destroy Boston at the rebounds, the other day we have been killed by the bulls then TOs then 3s then Defense then Offense the RJ then TP then Manu then the passing etc etc... but the day we put all together we will be a strong team. This is the positive thing about this team there is not a single recurrent weakness.

Guys have to start with what you can control best first. You can control your defensive rotations, you can try to control your effort on the glass, you can put emphasis on trying not to turn the ball over. Three-point shooting might come and go.

I agree that this team has a lot of potential, and we haven't been this deep for a long time. I just hope that by, say, mid-January, the Spurs will have been moving along on the path to being a possible WC-Finals candidate.

[TJastal]

the main drawback of blair starting is that he's a rookie, and as we saw against PHX he gets no love from the refs and is apt to pick up fouls early. having him in the fourth quarter has been even more important in some ways.

Bingo. We have a winnner.

+1

[Man In Black]

Screw the height differential argument. Consider that Houston was forced to downsize from 7'6" Yao Ming to 6'6" Chuck Hayes.

I watched Wes Unseld dominate the Spurs on the glass in the Eastern Conference Finals after being down 3-1.

There is a place in the NBA for Wide Bodied Glass Eaters. If the Spurs start him, it wouldn't be any worse than starting Bonner IMHO. The refs would learn him a little better and since he's starting, I think the possibility exists that they'd grant him some levity early.

If Pop can get the Blair who played heads up with KG & Perkins...heads will roll.

It's not like Manu wouldn't play with him at all. It's the finishing team that will close out games and having Blair out there doing o/d switches with McDyess could work.

[SenorSpur]

It would be a downside, as Manu finds him slipping and diving off screens better than anyone, but there's going to be a give and take with everything.

That is the point that is most interesting to me. Blair always seems to be open when rolling to the hoop off screens and such. Outside of Manu, no one else bothers to look his way. It's frustrating to watch this big man roll to hoop, sometimes standing there with both arms outstretched, and his teammates don't get him the ball.

[Chieflion]

That is the point that is most interesting to me. Blair always seems to be open when rolling to the hoop off screens and such. Outside of Manu, no one else bothers to look his way. It's frustrating to watch this big man roll to hoop, sometimes standing there with both arms outstretched, and his teammates don't get him the ball.
Roger Mason also finds Blair very well.

[Manu-of-steel]

Roger Mason also finds Blair very well.

I agree with this. Aside from manu (who almost always finds blair under the basket), mason also has a knack for finding blair rolling in the middle. In the suns game, i have seen blair waving his hands near the basket, but tp or hill could not give him the ball. I don't know why- is it lack of trust for the blair's ability?

[Chieflion]

I agree with this. Aside from manu (who almost always finds blair under the basket), mason also has a knack for finding blair rolling in the middle. In the suns game, i have seen blair waving his hands near the basket, but tp or hill could not give him the ball. I don't know why- is it lack of trust for the blair's ability?
I would say Parker and Hill cannot find Blair as easily as Manu and Mason not because of poor court vision but because the opponents do not respect their 3-point shot. Players guarding Parker and Hill can take a step further away from them to deny dribbling penetration, whereas you have to respect Mason and Manu's 3 point shooting ability. A step further away from Hill and Parker would mean they would be closer to Blair after the pick and roll because they will go under the screen to prevent the drive, thus able to deny Blair the ball until the big man recovers.