Ex-Spur Anthony Tolliver scores 34pts last night

[MoSpur]

Dude has been pretty good playing for the Warriors. Now granted it was against the T-Wolves, but still 14 of 22 is pretty dang good. Glad to see him doing some good work. He's also averaging 6.5 rebounds per contest.

I liked his time here in San Antonio. I thought the Spurs should've kept him.

[EricB]

What made you think he was good the 20% shooting he had?

[HarlemHeat37]

Tolliver got plenty of chances during his time here..a lot of people thought he shouldn't even have been given so many..he just couldn't make ANY shots as a Spur, it didn't make any sense to keep him..

There are obvious advantages of playing in Golden State's system from an offensive standpoint, but good for Tolliver to find a place for himself..

[ChumpDumper]

It seemed like only a matter of time before he started hitting those shots. He was definitely dominating the D-League enough to get another look.

[PDXSpursFan]

Warriors = D-League
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[Spurs Brazil]

The only time I saw Tolliver this year was when he played against the Spurs and to tell the true he still look a bad player to me

A lot of people can score in Nelie teams

[MoSpur]

For being a rookie I thought he was doing what a lot of rookies do. They struggle. I saw some potential in him. I thought the Spurs should've given him another look.

[NFGIII]

As HarlemHeat37 stated - he was given many chances with the Spurs and didn't produce. For whatever reason Tollliver just wasn't ready for the Spurs system and therefore needed to be let go. Certain players don't fit into certain systems, espceially one so complex as the Spurs. Add in that he was a rookie almost certainly added to the possibility of failure/poor showing.

Having said that I'm glad that he got another chance in the NBA and is making a good impression. The fact that he is in Nellie's system not withstanding. Hopefully this gets him over the hump and helps him establish himself in this league for years to come. We'll see but congrats to him on his performace so far. Keep it up.

[dbestpro]

I saw him as a hard worker but cringed every time he shot the ball. I now compare every newb to his shot selection and percentage. I also agree that an end of season game between GST and Minn. is less competitive that a D League game. For the most part the good players are just going through the motions, while the wannabes are trying to prove they belong against other wannabes.

[ChumpDumper]

Looking at his game log, this isn't the only good game he has had all year.

[ohmwrecker]

He plays for Don Nelson. Nellie gives his shooters a lot of freedom. The Warriors have also had a LOT of injuries this year so, he got a nice opportunity to get a lot of minutes. Any decent shooter is capable of scoring a lot of points in Nelson's system. I don't think he would be very effective on 80% of NBA teams. I'm happy for him, but I don't miss him at all.

[NFGIII]

I liked Tolliver. He was a great kid and the coaching staff loved him. However, I wish Ian got half the chances that they gave Tolliver, he'd be a rotation player by now.

Probably so but in any case all here would have been able to see once and for all what Ian really could do. And this endless debate would be over by now. :D

[MoSpur]

Looking at his game log, this isn't the only good game he has had all year.

I looked up seom of his games too and he had another 30pt game and has a lot of games in double digits.

[mogrovejo]

When Tolliver isn't hitting his jumpers, he's 14th man, a James Singleton type of player.

When Tolliver is hitting his jumpers, he's a rotational player for pretty much every NBA team, including the Spurs. Solid 4th big/stretch-forward.

He's a late-bloomer as a face-up big (was a back-to-the-basket center till 2 seasons ago, would almost never took jumpers), so it was obvious it'd take him some time to perfect his jump-shot. It still needs some work, he tends to release the ball in his way down. Other than that, he's the kind of player who's generally underrated, does all the little things well. I particularly like his passing.

[DisciplinaryOffice]

I liked Tolliver. He was a great kid and the coaching staff loved him. However, I wish Ian got half the chances that they gave Tolliver, he'd be a rotation player by now.

My apologies if I've missed it previously, but since you brought it up, I'm curious about why you think Ian's not been given those chances...especially post-Ratliff (and post-playoff-Hill-epiphany) against lanky/athletic bigs.

[benefactor]

I liked him too...but as others have said it's the Warriors. Lot's of players that are marginal players could probably put up decent numbers there.

That said, it's good to seem him doing well. He seemed like a good kid and even though his shooting wasn't great he worked hard to get a spot on the team when he was here. I wish him the best.

[MannyIsGod]

Good for Anthony. I hope he continues to do well and makes an NBA career for himself.

[MannyIsGod]

Oh and I don't think being on the warriors has much to do with him playing well. He would have put up good numbers here had he simply hit his shots. I don't know if he was simply pressing or had some kind of jitters but I'm glad he's doing well.

[DisciplinaryOffice]

Beats the hell out of me to be honest. There are no character issues like there have been with other players. If I had one guess it would be Ian's lack of basketball IQ. Whether people want to believe it or not the NBA is a very very structured game. There are all kinds of sets and rotations even on the most standard of plays. Plus Ian is foul prone and has trouble setting screens. There will be times Ian plays 7 minutes and has 2 fouls.

But still I think Ian missed out on his chances last season when he was put for the year.

Of course, as smart as our front office seems to be, you'd think they'd 1) give him a little more leeway on the IQ front, given where they found him, 2) not hold the injury against him, given the time invested and promise shown in D-League, and 3) take the fouls in stride a bit, given that NBA officiating is notoriously ageist and classist (Blair has been in the same boat fairly frequently, IIRC).

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

I liked him too...but as others have said it's the Warriors. Lot's of players that are marginal players could probably put up decent numbers there.

That said, it's good to seem him doing well. He seemed like a good kid and even though his shooting wasn't great he worked hard to get a spot on the team when he was here. I wish him the best.


He could be doing the same thing here. Basically he'd be coming off the bench, and it'd be easy to tell in a couple of minutes if his shot is on or not.

The reality is though the whole big man to stretch the floor role is being filled (we can argue how well, but nonetheless...) by Bonner.

If Bonner wasn't locked into that deal, he'd (Tolliver) probably still be here.

[ohmwrecker]

There is no way Tolliver could put up 30 playing for the Spurs. I'm not buying it.

[whottt]

This guy has been kicking ass statistically and putting up good numbers since Biedrins and Turiaf both went down..

....but like most numbers for Nelly, D'Antoni and Adelman type teams...the ultimate value of those numbers or lack thereof, lies in the w-l column.

Guys on those teams always have inflated rebound and ppg totals due to the numbers of posessions and emphasis on offensive rebounding.....sometimes it can be translated to wins, and sometimes it cannot.


IF his block numbers were a little bit better than they were I would say the Spurs definitely missed the boat with him, however since they aren't that good we're probably better of with Bonner's 3 shot than Tollivers...then again I haven't watched Tolliver enough to figure out if he's clutch or not and if he is then we definitely screw up by not holding on to him.


For the record, this guys numbers are comparable to Scola's.

[Austin_Toros]

Yeah, don't get carried away by his stats. You have to consider the system Tolliver is playing in. But as long as Tolliver gets his shot consistent he can stay in the league

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

There is no way Tolliver could put up 30 playing for the Spurs. I'm not buying it.

Think back to games like the Nets game last week where Manu sits out.

Like I said, nights where he would come in, be hitting his shots, and we need offense... he'd get them.

They wouldn't be near as frequent as he puts up numbers like that in GS, though.

[L.I.T]

There is no way Tolliver could put up 30 playing for the Spurs. I'm not buying it.

As much as I usually hate saying this...it's the Warriors. Everyone looks good on the Warriors. I'm fairly certain Sequ could run point for Don Nelson; and put up a triple double in the process.

[mogrovejo]

What's is "it's the Warriors, he wouldn't do it in the Spurs" logic?

He scored 34 points while shooting 64% from the floor. You don't improve your ability to hit shots just because you play for the Warriors, otherwise they wouldn't be as bad as they are. Obviously in the Spurs he'd have less shots available due to pace and pecking order, but if he's shooting 64% then I want him to take every shot. And didn't Garrett Temple, who's half the scorer Tolliver is, score 15 points for the Spurs just a couple of days ago?

Anyway, I don't think anybody is saying that Tolliver can average 30ppg, be it in the Spurs or the Warriors. The guy is making the minimum salary, not the maximum. But as long as his outside shot doesn't desert him he's a better player than Bonner at a fraction of the cost. The "he wouldn't be a 30ppg scorer in the Spurs so who cares" argument is pretty weird.