duncan228
05-03-2010, 03:32 PM
George Hill Will Start Against the Suns, But What About Next Season? (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-georgehillwillstarta)
SportingNews
The most intriguing development of San Antonio’s first-round victory over Dallas was the emergence of George Hill as a bona fide playoff scoring threat. Hill was a key part of the Spurs throughout the regular season, especially with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili missing time, but he had yet to establish himself on the postseason stage. His 14.3 ppg on 50 percent shooting did exactly that.
However, his success has also cast the future of the Spurs backcourt into doubt. Parker has primarily come off the bench since returning from injury, and his star status and track record suggest he will eventually return to the starting five.
For now the conference semifinals vs. the Suns, though, San Antonio isn’t planning on making any changes (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Parker_expects_to_come_off_bench_in_Round_2.html). From The Express-News:
“Some things remain the same,” [Gregg Popovich] said, “and some things change, because we’re playing a different team.”
What those changes may or may not be, Popovich wasn’t saying. Parker offered a broad hint: They aren’t likely to involve returning him to the starting lineup.
“I expect to come off the bench,” Parker said after Saturday’s practice session. “It’s been working well, and we did a good job against Dallas, so I don’t think we’re going to change our strategy.”
Well, I’m glad they worked things out so easily. It’s about what you’d expect from the Spurs, the most consistently professional, no-nonsense (in front of the cameras, at least) organization in the league.
But the Parker/Hill issue still remains, if only for next season. Part of what’s made San Antonio so successful over the years is that every player has understood his role extremely well. That task becomes a little more complicated when the team has three capable guards all accustomed to starting and playing major minutes.
Over the years, the Spurs have transitioned very well between eras, taking the Sean Elliott/Avery Johnson supporting cast and very smoothly turning it into the Parker/Ginobili version of the squad. By that rubric, Hill would take over many of the responsibilities for the aging Manu, yet Ginobili’s new three-year extension suggests the team will commit to him for the foreseeable future. That puts Hill in an awkward position somewhere between developing star and role player, with no immediate answer on the horizon.
Everything is fine for San Antonio now. But when Parker gets fully healthy, this could very well become an issue.
SportingNews
The most intriguing development of San Antonio’s first-round victory over Dallas was the emergence of George Hill as a bona fide playoff scoring threat. Hill was a key part of the Spurs throughout the regular season, especially with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili missing time, but he had yet to establish himself on the postseason stage. His 14.3 ppg on 50 percent shooting did exactly that.
However, his success has also cast the future of the Spurs backcourt into doubt. Parker has primarily come off the bench since returning from injury, and his star status and track record suggest he will eventually return to the starting five.
For now the conference semifinals vs. the Suns, though, San Antonio isn’t planning on making any changes (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Parker_expects_to_come_off_bench_in_Round_2.html). From The Express-News:
“Some things remain the same,” [Gregg Popovich] said, “and some things change, because we’re playing a different team.”
What those changes may or may not be, Popovich wasn’t saying. Parker offered a broad hint: They aren’t likely to involve returning him to the starting lineup.
“I expect to come off the bench,” Parker said after Saturday’s practice session. “It’s been working well, and we did a good job against Dallas, so I don’t think we’re going to change our strategy.”
Well, I’m glad they worked things out so easily. It’s about what you’d expect from the Spurs, the most consistently professional, no-nonsense (in front of the cameras, at least) organization in the league.
But the Parker/Hill issue still remains, if only for next season. Part of what’s made San Antonio so successful over the years is that every player has understood his role extremely well. That task becomes a little more complicated when the team has three capable guards all accustomed to starting and playing major minutes.
Over the years, the Spurs have transitioned very well between eras, taking the Sean Elliott/Avery Johnson supporting cast and very smoothly turning it into the Parker/Ginobili version of the squad. By that rubric, Hill would take over many of the responsibilities for the aging Manu, yet Ginobili’s new three-year extension suggests the team will commit to him for the foreseeable future. That puts Hill in an awkward position somewhere between developing star and role player, with no immediate answer on the horizon.
Everything is fine for San Antonio now. But when Parker gets fully healthy, this could very well become an issue.