Jimcs50
04-29-2005, 11:05 AM
Better off bench?
The Spurs got a spark in Game 2 when Barry replaced Ginobili in the starting lineup. The Nuggets found out about it an hour before the game, when the Spurs' lineup was posted. Karl believes he might have had something to do with San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich making the change.
"I laughed about it because I sat with Pop last year when I was on ESPN and he was starting Ginobili," Karl said. "I said, 'Pop, you don't have the spirit off the bench that you had (during the 2002-03 season).' I know Ginobili's different as your starter. He had (Hedo) Turkoglu coming off the bench, and he was lost and confused and frustrated. I remember having that conversation and then three weeks later he started Turkoglu and Ginobili went to the bench."
Karl hinted Popovich might have another reason to bring his all-star guard off the bench.
"I don't know that Ginobili's healthy enough to play 35 minutes, and maybe that's why (Popovich's) doing it," Karl said. "But I know the spirit of Ginobili off the bench is pretty dangerous because he just seems to bring a juice and a life to his team that as a starter he hasn't done consistently."
When Ginobili doesn't start, it alters the Nuggets' strategy somewhat.
"It just kind of sets your rotation differently," Karl said. "I'm going to try to coach my team to play better. There is a chess match involved here. But right now I got to get my team playing my A-B game rather than the C game and then worry about the chess match."
Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin, on Barry starting: "It was a trick Pop was trying to pull. That's playoff basketball."
So Karl gets all the credit for this brilliant move the last year, eh?
:)
The Spurs got a spark in Game 2 when Barry replaced Ginobili in the starting lineup. The Nuggets found out about it an hour before the game, when the Spurs' lineup was posted. Karl believes he might have had something to do with San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich making the change.
"I laughed about it because I sat with Pop last year when I was on ESPN and he was starting Ginobili," Karl said. "I said, 'Pop, you don't have the spirit off the bench that you had (during the 2002-03 season).' I know Ginobili's different as your starter. He had (Hedo) Turkoglu coming off the bench, and he was lost and confused and frustrated. I remember having that conversation and then three weeks later he started Turkoglu and Ginobili went to the bench."
Karl hinted Popovich might have another reason to bring his all-star guard off the bench.
"I don't know that Ginobili's healthy enough to play 35 minutes, and maybe that's why (Popovich's) doing it," Karl said. "But I know the spirit of Ginobili off the bench is pretty dangerous because he just seems to bring a juice and a life to his team that as a starter he hasn't done consistently."
When Ginobili doesn't start, it alters the Nuggets' strategy somewhat.
"It just kind of sets your rotation differently," Karl said. "I'm going to try to coach my team to play better. There is a chess match involved here. But right now I got to get my team playing my A-B game rather than the C game and then worry about the chess match."
Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin, on Barry starting: "It was a trick Pop was trying to pull. That's playoff basketball."
So Karl gets all the credit for this brilliant move the last year, eh?
:)