Dice???

[alchemist]

Not being used correctly, 1st half slump or is he just done?

[koriwhat]

his defense on dirk was sloppy... the fouls in the beginning were bs but his defense later on was definitely sickening.

[HarlemHeat37]

He's a bench player now..

He had 2 critical misses..the open J he missed when we needed momentum down the stretch + getting blocked by fucking Dirk Nowitzki at the rim a few plays later..

LOL @ people criticizing a bunch of us for saying our frontcourt isn't good enough to win shit..it's pretty clear that we need a legit big..McDyess can't start anymore and Blair isn't anywhere near starter-caliber at this point of his career..

[HarlemHeat37]

btw, I wouldn't have wanted 'Sheed instead before people say that, he's a bench player too..

[Andy25]

How I feel about McDyess so far.:ihit
http://bbsimg.ngfiles.com/1/20229000/ngbbs4ae2d79d92aab.jpg

[murpjf88]

Not being used correctly, 1st half slump or is he just done?

How should he be used?

[timtonymanu]

If Dice wants his ring, he needs to play for it. It seems like his heart is still in Detroit.

[The Red Hood]

LOL @ people criticizing a bunch of us for saying our frontcourt isn't good enough to win shit..it's pretty clear that we need a legit big..McDyess can't start anymore and Blair isn't anywhere near starter-caliber at this point of his career..
I was baffled at the excitement most expressed on this forum when we signed Dice, he's a bench player, like that of Matt Bonner. When RJ guards Dirk with more tenacity than Dice, something's wrong.

[Dice]

McDyess was benched after every foul. Never got into a rythem and I'm getting a little sick of these defensive pick and roll rotations that seem to leave at least one Spur out to dry.

My only defense for Dice right now is that he's not playing with a lot of intensity. I'd prefer he'd turned it on about 10 games ago but for whatever reason he's still just cruisin. I understand anyone's criticism and low expectations at this point but still believe he's got some good basketball left in him.

[alchemist]

How should he be used?
towel boy?

[Dice]

I was baffled at the excitement most expressed on this forum when we signed Dice, he's a bench player, like that of Matt Bonner. When RJ guards Dirk with more tenacity than Dice, something's wrong.

If you'd been watching what he did at the end of last season as a starter for Detroit you'd know why peole are high on him. He had a couple of 20+ rebound games and was scoring. That McDyess has yet to suit up for the Spurs and no one's more pissed about it than me.

[slick'81]

my initial fears about giving him a multi year ml deal this off season have come true. he just cant bring it a very high level anymore consistently :(

[murpjf88]

towel boy?

Sounds good.

[Flux451]

He still looks lost...or he lost his aggression.

[superjames1992]

He's old. That's all there is to it. He can't bring it like he used to.

[murpjf88]

Dice is not much of a defender at his age. It wasn't even worth signing him. The spurs would still be where they are now with or without him. Anybody who thought Dice was going to be the saviour in the paint is kidding themselves.

[z0sa]

refs... and Dyess has never been known as some great defender. he just had quite a few untimely fouls tonight.

[timvp]

He sucked tonight, point blank. That said, the Spurs didn't create even one open shot for him. I blame him for his bad defense. Offensively, I think the team shares a lot of the blame.

[murpjf88]

He sucked tonight, point blank. That said, the Spurs didn't create even one open shot for him. I blame him for his bad defense. Offensively, I think the team shares a lot of the blame.

at this point, what ever little offense he provides isn't worth the Spurs getting scorched on the defensive end.

[HarlemHeat37]

McDyess is automatic from mid-range..that's his specialty..players that have such specialties are much better suited for the bench..McDyess can be a high-end bench player, one of the better bench bigs in the NBA, but in no way can he be a starter at this point..

It's similar to Bonner..his flaws won't be exploited if he's going up against other bench players or just playing an amount of minutes that would be suitable for a bench big..

[The Red Hood]

If you'd been watching what he did at the end of last season as a starter for Detroit you'd know why peole are high on him. He had a couple of 20+ rebound games and was scoring. That McDyess has yet to suit up for the Spurs and no one's more pissed about it than me.
And for that, I gave him the benefit of the doubt. My main problem with his play...is not that he can't get that much talked about "automatic J" going but that he looks lost on rotations, and seems to lack effort.

[Spursmania]

Dice sucked ass tonight.

[EricB]

Bad game does not a season make.

The first two games against Dallas Dice was fantastic.

short term memories as always here.

[AFBlue]

This was just a bad game in a series of bad games...call it a slump. There's no way that I'm giving up on this guy after less than half a season.

[AFBlue]

The first two games against Dallas Dice was fantastic.



:tu

I seem to recall Dice being the best defender on Dirk in at least one of the last two games (even blocking him straight-up on one possession).

[ElNono]

His defense sucked tonight. It's hit and miss with him, since he guarded Dirk pretty well the previous games. But the guy is a complete wasted talent on offense. You can't tell me neither Manu or Tony could create a good shot for this guy with the ugly shots they were chucking tonight?

I just hope that, being he's a vet, he takes it upon himself to play better and especially with more intensity. We all know he can do it.

[J_Paco]

His poor effort on the glass is what bothered me most. There was one instance where Timmy went to defend a Dirk shot attempt, Dice was underneath the rim and he allows Dampier to swoop in for the putback. I'd like it if the effort and intensity was at least there on the boards.

[alchemist]

His poor effort on the glass is what bothered me most. There was one instance where Timmy went to defend a Dirk shot attempt, Dice was underneath the rim and he allows Dampier to swoop in for the putback. I'd like it if the effort and intensity was at least there on the boards.
:toast

[lurker23]

This was just a bad game in a series of bad games...call it a slump. There's no way that I'm giving up on this guy after less than half a season.

Agreed. I can understand if people are impatient (no doubt that I'm impatient on some level as well), but Dice's contributions will be better evaluated in March than in December or January. Who's to say if the fans can wait that long or if the coaching staff will allow him to get minutes at that point if he continues a downward spiral, but I think very solid contributions from Dice in 2010 are not only probable, they're inevitable.

[ElNono]

Agreed. I can understand if people are impatient (no doubt that I'm impatient on some level as well), but Dice's contributions will be better evaluated in March than in December or January. Who's to say if the fans can wait that long or if the coaching staff will allow him to get minutes at that point if he continues a downward spiral, but I think very solid contributions from Dice in 2010 are not only probable, they're inevitable.

Well, it better be before the trade deadline because we need to know if we can count on him come playoff time or if we need to go get a Plan B somewhere else.
There's no way we're getting anywhere inte playoffs with Dice playing anything like this.

[AFBlue]

Well, it better be before the trade deadline because we need to know if we can count on him come playoff time or if we need to go get a Plan B somewhere else.
There's no way we're getting anywhere inte playoffs with Dice playing anything like this.

Not to turn this into a "trade thread", but I just don't think the Spurs have the assets to bring a player whose benefit outweighs the cost of the losses.

I know everyone thinks Haywood or Camby are attainable "win-win" deals, but I just don't see either point.

[AFBlue]

Guess what I'm saying is...Spurs made a calculated risk to sign a 34yr old F/C to a three-year deal and they likely have to live with that for the next couple. As Spurs fans, we better pray it's just a slump and that he's "finding his way" or "saving up for the home-stretch".

We'll see.

[StoneBuddha]

I guess plan B is Splittler, but I'm still holding out hope that Dice turns it around.

Right now Tim's playing alone out there, and I'm actually counting the days until Bonner can play again.

[Johnny RIngo]

I guess plan B is Splittler, but I'm still holding out hope that Dice turns it around.

Right now Tim's playing alone out there, and I'm actually counting the days until Bonner can play again.

Dice looks finished. K.Thomas all over again.

Spurs FO probably pulls a Scola on Splitter and end up giving 36 yr old Camby a two year deal.

[slick'81]

I wouldnt hold my breath on splitter but i pray we dont get scola'd all over again

[spurspokesman]

He's a bench player now..

He had 2 critical misses..the open J he missed when we needed momentum down the stretch + getting blocked by fucking Dirk Nowitzki at the rim a few plays later..

LOL @ people criticizing a bunch of us for saying our frontcourt isn't good enough to win shit..it's pretty clear that we need a legit big..McDyess can't start anymore and Blair isn't anywhere near starter-caliber at this point of his career..
He will pick up his play. Dice is still good. But we won't win a ship with him. We need a legit big. You are one of the posters up here that really agree with me on this. Camby kaman or even haywood would complete this team. More 2nd chance oppurtunities less easy points at the basket and when they double duncan somebody to throw it down off a td pass. It would really expand us on both ends. More so on d cause we have offense.

[TD 21]

A little from column a, a little from column b. I don't see how he'd be "done". Not after the way he played in the second half of last season and even more importantly, not with the type of game he plays. He's a mid-range jump shooter, rugged rebounder and tough defender, aka the prototypical role playing veteran big that ages well in the NBA. He hasn't relied on running and jumping since his salad days.

Part of the problem is that Pop is being beyond overly cautious with McDyess and not playing him enough. He's only averaging 20 mpg, but never plays more than 8-9 minutes at a time and when he plays that much at a time, then he sits for a long stretch, so he's never really allowed to get into any type of rhythm. Essentially, he's a bystander on offense, his rebounding is limited when he plays with glass cleaners like Duncan or Blair and his defense is inconsistent.

[EmptyMan]

I hate to say it but Dice is no power and soft right now.

Spurs don't need finesse, they need man rebounds.

[SpuronyourFace]

He's old. That's all there is to it. He can't bring it like he used to.

Im inclined to believe this.

[Johnny RIngo]

Im inclined to believe this.

The worst part is that he's going to be here another year.

[Solid D]

With the Spurs leading by 1 the Mavs delivered 3 straight 3 pointers to really set the Spurs back on their heels. J Kidd hit one from the corner and then 2 treys at the top by JT and Dirk on successive possessions. Those 2 were right in front of Dice's loose D and they were a killer.

[alchemist]

eh.... he needs to retire or be bought out. :wakeup

[timtonymanu]

Fuck Dice. I know he's a slow starter but jesus the spurs are trying to win now. We can't wait for him to show up later on in the season. Our two biggest offseason additions are bust. So sad. I guess we are the 04 Lakers but worse.

[Ice009]

Well he is on the block. I would put him on the block. He can either get bought out after the trade and come back or retire.

[dbestpro]

Dice is done. Worst player who gets minutes on the team.

[Chomag]

^^^ I'm starting to agree with this based on what I have seen. I still have a bit of hope though... getting hard to hang on that

[timtonymanu]

And this guy is suppose to be hungry for a ring. Sheesh bring back KT. That guy wanted a ring too and he played for it.

[tp2021]

Looks like this was a move that missed the mark.

[hsxvvd]

Bonner > Dice, starting or off the bench. That says something.

[murpjf88]

I hope Dice breaks a leg, literally.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Yeah, he's been a big disappointment. I expected him to bring to us what he brought to Detroit - tough boardwork and D, a nice 18fter - and we've seen the 18fter, but that's about it.

I doubt he will be traded thought, because teams don't like to sign FAs and turn around and trade them the same year because it sends a poor signal to the FA market in general about the team.

Ugh. What to do? Hope that he is the "2nd half (of the season)" player that he claims to be.

As for hoping he breaks his leg, come on now, that's uncalled for. :rolleyes

[TheChillFactor]

KT sucked for us but man McDyess has been horrible. I didn't think we had the bigs we needed and now it's obvious. for years the spurs have tried to manage for the long-term but the end appears to be here and none of their moves really helped.

ginobili injuries + scola fiasco + splitter fiasco + RJ trade =


awwwww fuckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!

[alchemist]

Getting 9 Mil to play for the opposing team :depressed

that hurts badly because we pay his salary :bang

[Ice009]

Who is getting 9 million????

McDyess is on MLE.

[alchemist]

Who is getting 9 million????

McDyess is on MLE.
2 years

2009-2010
4.5 mil
2010-2011
4.8 mil

[SouthTexasRancher]

Not being used correctly, 1st half slump or is he just done?


Either he is done, i.e., over the hill or he just ain't got any heart. Same can be said for that damn worthless pos RJ. Those two are like a bad nightmare!

[objective]

I wanted Dice over Sheed but he's been a huge disappointment. Sheed hasn't been that much better and has been driving Celtics fans crazy and demanded the full MLE (which would have cost the Spurs locking up Blair for up to 4 years).

The Spurs last just weren't good enough with KT and Oberto and Gooden, talent-wise. They needed upgrades. And Blair may be a step up from Gooden, but McDyess so far at best is just a lateral move from KT/Oberto.

And the Spurs can't win a title like that.

It doesn't help when Jefferson can't defend anyone and plays softer than Vinny Del Negro.

[HarlemHeat37]

I would argue that McDyess has been a downgrade from Kurt..

Also, I agree that 'Sheed wouldn't have made a difference either, especially considering the $..hopefully we can acquire a legit big with the rest of our expirings..

[SouthTexasRancher]

I would argue that McDyess has been a downgrade from Kurt..

Also, I agree that 'Sheed wouldn't have made a difference either, especially considering the $..hopefully we can acquire a legit big with the rest of our expirings..

Agreed...

[objective]

were there really any better alternatives in the offseason though?

We know Rasheed.

Gooden didn't cut it.

Joe Smith is having a minimal impact.

ZaZa is making similar money to Dice year by year, but he's having a down year and a reduced role. Worse shooting, double the turnovers, no shotblocking . . . Nah.

Gortat needed the full MLE and was matched outright.

Brandon Bass is reportedly on the trading block, and is in and out of Orlando's line-up with DNP-CDs. And he doesn't rebound when he does play.

Big Baby was cheaper than Dice, but does he have the size to play against the Lakers? And his off-court shenanigans and strange on-court behavior is a recipe for getting in Pop's doghouse and never getting out.

Varajao out of the price range.

Ben Wallace only wanted to play in Detroit.

Darko is Darko and a quitter.

Rasho? No.

Tim Thomas? Already have Bonner.

Chris Anderson wanted to stay in Denver, where he first got his personal life together living with his agent there while on suspension.

Channing Frye? Already have Bonner and Frye's been benched for Robin Lopez.

Except for maybe Big Baby, I don't know if any of the other gettable players makes the Spurs better. And hopefully McDyess improves.

Maybe the only real alternative was instead of dumping salary for RJ was to dump salary for Zach Randolph, but even that had it's pitfalls.

[Capt Bringdown]

Making Spurs fans pine for Kurt Thomas... That's a stunningly heartbreaking achievement on Dice's part, cheers.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Nice summary by objective. :tu

There wasn't anyone better on the market, we got the guy who SHOULD be helping us (and averaged 10/10 last year), but it hasn't worked out as it does on paper. These things happen I guess.

[HarlemHeat37]

I don't blame the FO for getting 'Dice, I wanted him too..he has just disappointed with his play and hasn't given us what we need or what he gave Detroit last year..

RJ OTOH, I blame on the FO..

[objective]

Nice summary by objective. :tu

There wasn't anyone better on the market, we got the guy who SHOULD be helping us (and averaged 10/10 last year), but it hasn't worked out as it does on paper. These things happen I guess.

yeah, he looked like he was the one. The one big risk was that the wheels would fall off. That fear may have come true.

I would add though that as bad as McDyess has played this year makes the imprisonment of Mahinmi more frustrating.

When I watched the Memphis game a second time and just focused on Mahinmi I realized that

A. He was actually decent in that game and

B. McDyess had numerous games before that where he was much worse than Mahinmi was in that game.

Maybe McDyess needs the minutes in the hope that his body needs that grind to loosen up for late in the season, but Mahinmi's worst game (of 2 real games) was much better than several of McDyess's invisible games.

[024]

i wonder what the reaction would be if sheed was on this team chucking is 29% 3 pointers and racking up the technicals and fines. i don't know if it's fair to blame mcdyess individually. the entire team minus a player here or there are cruising. mcdyess, the new addition, is just mimicking the team's energy.

[Spurs Brazil]

Dice is playing terrible so far. His D is pathetic, one and one and especially help D.
Give Ian some minutes. He can't do any worst

[Brazil]

Dice is playing terrible so far. His D is pathetic, one and one and especially help D.
Give Ian some minutes. He can't do any worst

Even if Ian ate Dice minutes it wouldn't help us for the POs.

Never Ian will see any minutes in POs for good or bad reasons. Maybe Pop will give some minutes to Blair but Ian no way. Globally playing Ian except for trading reason is 0 interest.

Let's be prepared to see good minutes during the POs for Dice even if he doesn't step up and for Bonner and..... finley of course.

[TheChillFactor]

I don't blame the FO for getting 'Dice, I wanted him too..he has just disappointed with his play and hasn't given us what we need or what he gave Detroit last year..

RJ OTOH, I blame on the FO..

you know, one of my favorite spurs moments of all time was in game 6 against the nets in 2003 when manu poked the ball loose from RJ, went around his back and stole it against his unaware ass. so when we got him, i was worried that we were getting a lackadaisical player that didn't have the brains to protect the ball in the 4th quarter of an NBA finals game.

howeva! (stephen a smith voice) i trusted the FO especially with how they tried to get him at the deadline and then kept pursuing him into the offseason. it made me think there must have been something they saw that i didn't. now i realize he's just a lazy dumbass and i don't think we can win with him.

we gave up spare parts to get him but it seems like for the cake the Spurs are paying him we could have someone better....

[Chieflion]

Dice and Bonner's production look quite similar so I decided to look at their Offensive Rating and Defensive Rating to see their influence on offense and defense. I also took a look at Blair's. The higher the number for Offensive Rating, the better it is, the lower it is for Defensive Rating, the better it is.

Matt Bonner: Offensive Rating of 126, Defensive Rating of 106.
Antonio McDyess: Offensive Rating of 103, Defensive Rating of 102.
DeJuan Blair: Offensive Rating of 107, Defensive Rating of 100.

So there, Matt Bonner helps the Spurs outscore the Spurs by the largest margin and the co-relation between his +/- is indicative here. Bonner, whether the haters like it or not, has more positive impact than Dice or Blair this season. The haters can just look at the defensive rating of Bonner's to get themselves off too.

[SenorSpur]

McDyess has been a supreme disappointment thus far. It's hard to believe he's been this bad, but that's what happens sometimes when you get guys too late in their career.

[Dice]

And here I though he played with a lot of hustle last night.
Who knew?

[The Truth #6]

He still can't catch a pass from Manu, which is frustrating and makes people wonder about his focus. I'd say the overall results have been a letdown.

[wildbill2u]

Insanity if often described as doing the same thing that didn't work over and over again. Why do we keep bringing in veterans who are long past their prime?

Not Dice's fault if the Spurs expectations were the McDyess of the 90s. He has been on a career trajectory downward since 2001. Yes, 2001. Look at his stats. Why didn't the Spurs think tank do that?

Sure, a once great player can bring it once in a while and give you a glimpse of what he was--but that is a flashback and won't be sustained.

[SenorSpur]

If this is good as it gets, as far as Dice's performance is concerned, they are tied to this guy for 2 more years beyond this one. Unless there is a dramatic uptick in his performance, this will have been one big bust of a move.

Yet and still and with Dice's sucky performances, they're still not willing to give Ian and Theo some on-the-fly, court time.

[temujin]

McDyess is soft, old,
BUT expensive.

Just trade him.

[temujin]

He still can't catch a pass from Manu, which is frustrating and makes people wonder about his focus. I'd say the overall results have been a letdown.

I am happy I am not the only one that noticed that if you don't ring him up 5' before you make a pass, McDyess will be "surprised" the ball is even on his frikking hands.
Forget about playing with Ginobili.

Just ask Blair, who is making a career out of Manu's passes.

[Dice]

The passes are his fault. He sees how deep Manu gets and assumes he's going all the way. So instead of waiting on the pass he's trying to sneak inside for the offensive board. In his last 5 years as a Piston, he never saw that pass. Most guys don't give the ball up when they're already at the rim. But by now, Dice should know better.

I thought he showed a lot of hustle last night, played pretty good D, and was aggressive on the boards. He was a big part of the comeback in the second quarter.

His 2 putback attempts go in last night and this thread never gets reopened.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

If this is good as it gets, as far as Dice's performance is concerned, they are tied to this guy for 2 more years beyond this one. Unless there is a dramatic uptick in his performance, this will have been one big bust of a move.

Yet and still and with Dice's sucky performances, they're still not willing to give Ian and Theo some on-the-fly, court time.

Effectively only next year. The third year was only a partial guarantee so it is easy to buy out.

[alchemist]

The passes are his fault. He sees how deep Manu gets and assumes he's going all the way. So instead of waiting on the pass he's trying to sneak inside for the offensive board. In his last 5 years as a Piston, he never saw that pass. Most guys don't give the ball up when they're already at the rim. But by now, Dice should know better.

I thought he showed a lot of hustle last night, played pretty good D, and was aggressive on the boards. He was a big part of the comeback in the second quarter.

His 2 putback attempts go in last night and this thread never gets reopened.
When he consistently catches Manu's passes I will gladly ask timvp or kori to close this thread. I don't want him to fail because he will bring the rest of the team with him.

[Capt Bringdown]

Insanity if often described as doing the same thing that didn't work over and over again. Why do we keep bringing in veterans who are long past their prime?

Not Dice's fault if the Spurs expectations were the McDyess of the 90s. He has been on a career trajectory downward since 2001. Yes, 2001. Look at his stats. Why didn't the Spurs think tank do that?

Sure, a once great player can bring it once in a while and give you a glimpse of what he was--but that is a flashback and won't be sustained.

Exactly. I suppose one could say our choices were limited, but we're the ones who painted ourselves into a corner. Wouldn't Scola look pretty good in a Spurs uniform right now?

Oh, and the bolded part. Substitute "team" for "player" and see how it applies to our current situation.

[pjjrfan]

I don't think Dice is done, but I do think he isn't happy here and his body language especially whenever Manu throws him a picture perfect pass is like "dude why the hell are you throwing me the ball." He had that one good game when Blair took over his spot on the starting lineup but that's been it.

[objective]

Wouldn't Scola look pretty good in a Spurs uniform right now?

yeah, but . . . but . . . then the Spurs would have made him the highest paid 2nd rounder ever with that Bonner-level contract! Can't have that! :lmao

[dbestpro]

He's so done he needs a new nickname. We should call him "Ash".

[ducks]

the problem is manu throws the ball to him when he is either not expecting it or it is to fast

[Chieflion]

yeah, but . . . but . . . then the Spurs would have made him the highest paid 2nd rounder ever with that Bonner-level contract! Can't have that! :lmao
Matt Bonner is also a 2nd rounder, so they would be on par.

[alchemist]

:toast

hopefully these last couple of games is a great sign of things to come from Dice

[spurtech09]

dice had a pretty good game tonight against the hawks....keep it up dice

[DesignatedT]

Dice playing well the last 3 games!!!!

keep it up dice.

[HarlemHeat37]

This was BY FAR the best he has looked this season, even without looking at the box score..

He moved really well and gave the best effort I've seen from him all year..

I'm not going to get too excited since it's 1 game, let's see him do it on a consistent basis..

[EricB]

He's been doing it the last few games. Dice is a damn good player and a SECOND half guy. Dice is the best big on the team and needs to start and Blair come off the bench.

[rayray2k8]

Not sure if bumping this thread was worth it.. Needs to be consistent.

[Pistons < Spurs]

Glad to see his play's been up the last couple of games. Hopefully he keeps it up for you all. I still worry about Pop's erratic usage of him though. Starts for a few, bench for a few. I don't want to say he's weak mentally, but he absolutely is a guy that needs his comfort zone. Needs to feel comfortable in knowing exactly what his role is. Pulling him in and out of the starting lineup doesn't help in that regard. And while I'm not suggesting he become a first or second option for you, guys need to go to him more often. Learn his spots and how to get him the ball for him to be successful. In the last 27 games, he's had 3 or fewer shots 12 times. That's unacceptable for a guy with an automatic 15 footer.

Hopefully the Spurs pull this season around, and hopefully Dice is a big part of that!:toast

[EricB]

Agreed pistons. Dice has been wayyyyyyyyyyy under utilized.

[Truckules]

He's been doing it the last few games. Dice is a damn good player and a SECOND half guy. Dice is the best big on the team and needs to start and Blair come off the bench.

Completely agree. Tonight's starting lineup is our playoff lineup, barring trade or injury.

[Pistons < Spurs]

Another point ...

I don't get to watch many of the games, I'm relegated to boxscores and the occasional comment I read here .... usually they're more of negative of him than not. But seeing his numbers, I'm going on the assumption that he simply not getting the ball in the flow of the offense. But for all I know he's getting the ball, and simply passing out and not taking the shot himself. Is this the case? If so, it'd emphasize my earlier point, and tell me that he's not comfortable in his role and doesn't feel that he has the trust of the other players to take the shot. You all can answer that better than I.

[ulosturedge]

Pop was playing the match-ups. Atlanta has alot of long athletic players, it would make sense that Pop would rather defer to Dice then Blair. Having Blair being pulled out to the perimeter does not play into Blair's strengths.

Anyways, yeah good game by Dice. Just after we call out these guys (Dice & RJ); they show up. Hopefully Dice can keep it going and hopefully the Spurs can keep him involved. Oh and its nice to see him actually catching Ginobili's passes now lol. He must not have been use to being fed the ball in the paint. I hope he is expecting it from now on because we are going to need those easy buckets when its there.

[Pistons < Spurs]

Oh and its nice to see him actually catching Ginobili's passes now lol. He must not have been use to being fed the ball in the paint. I hope he is expecting it from now on because we are going to need those easy buckets when its there.

He doesn't have the best hands out there. I wouldn't call him butter fingers, but I also wouldn't get too creative when getting the ball to him. He used to frustrate me all the time by letting rebounds get away from him and fall out of bounds that he clearly should have had.

[TJastal]

Glad to see his play's been up the last couple of games. Hopefully he keeps it up for you all. I still worry about Pop's erratic usage of him though. Starts for a few, bench for a few. I don't want to say he's weak mentally, but he absolutely is a guy that needs his comfort zone. Needs to feel comfortable in knowing exactly what his role is. Pulling him in and out of the starting lineup doesn't help in that regard. And while I'm not suggesting he become a first or second option for you, guys need to go to him more often. Learn his spots and how to get him the ball for him to be successful. In the last 27 games, he's had 3 or fewer shots 12 times. That's unacceptable for a guy with an automatic 15 footer.

Hopefully the Spurs pull this season around, and hopefully Dice is a big part of that!:toast

I think for the most part Dice just wasn't comfortable in the starting lineup earlier in the year because he was unfamiliar with the defensive/offensive schemes. It looks (at least to me) like he is more comfortable now, and I've even seen him directing the younger players to the correct spots on the floor. :lol

[xellos88330]

Dice was deferring quite a bit to other players. He just seemed to timid to take the shot himself. After tonight, I hope that he will bring his game to that level that I am used to seeing him play at.

[alchemist]

Dice was

fhMlSITt7hU

today :wow :lobt2:

[scottspurs]

I was starting to think about next season when McDyess went down. I thought he had torn his ACL. I'm glad he is alright we can't lose him.

[iminol]

Do we have any update injury status? Is Dice 100% OK, or he needs some treatments/rest?