Projectspurs.com: "Gary Neal: Offensive Spark"

[jiggy_55]

http://projectspurs.com/2010-articles/august/gary-neal-offensive-spark.html

Gary Neal: Offensive Spark
Written by Jason Rogers
Monday, 02 August 2010 00:00

With what might turn out to be their final offseason move, the San Antonio Spurs signed former Towson star, and Italian league player, Gary Neal, to a three-year deal last week. Neal proved to be a pleasant surprise on the Spurs' undefeated summer league team, averaging 16 points per game and shooting 50% from the three-point line.

During Neal's current stint in Italy, he lead the league in scoring on 65% shooting from the field. While his offensive game appears to be fairly complete, defensively he often struggles. Here is how Draft Express evaluates this portion of his game:

The main thing he must work on is his defense, though, as he lacks great size or length and doesn’t always appear to be putting in the best effort on this end of the floor, particularly fighting through screens and such, although he is capable of making plays from time to time thanks to his quick feet and solid anticipation skills.

While this is troubling for a team that is known for defensive intensity, Neal is a player that has succeeded on every level.

At Towson, he set the school's all-time single season scoring record, has impressed in Europe as the Italian league's scoring leader, and turned plenty of heads in the NBA summer league with his shooting performance. The Spurs' coaching staff has proven itself time and again to be proficient in developing defensive skills in a wide array of players; I doubt that anything will be different with Neal.

For the Spurs, I believe Neal will provide a much needed spark for the team's second unit. With the likes of Manu Ginobili and George Hill possibly playing the role of sixth man, the Spurs' second team lacks an effective scorer - a role that Roger Mason and Keith Bogans were unable to fill despite high expectations. Particularly for Mason.

The Spurs now seem to be full of candidates to fill such a role. James Anderson, Tiago Splitter, DeJuan Blair, and even Garrett Temple have potential to really amp up the Spurs' second team attack. Each of these players (probably with the exception of Temple) have the potential of putting in substantial minutes with the starting five, possibly even breaking into the role of starter in the next few seasons.

Neal has all the marks of a solid bench player, a scorer, and more importantly a spark of energy to keep the second team competitive. Many games down the stretch, the Spurs seemed to run out of gas late. Indeed, in the 2010 NBA playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, the Spurs took leads in the third quarter only to relinquish them later in the fourth. Perhaps some young, aggressive blood on the second team will help to mitigate such collapses.

Think in terms of a young Robert Horry. Not in style of play, but in competitive edge; statistically small, but an intangible contribution that can be felt by his court presence. Not to say Neal is as good of a player as Horry was in his prime, but that the contribution will be similar. It is about a level of energy that the entire unit can feed off and thrive in.

The hope, I believe, is for Neal to be what Mason was supposed to be. I don't expect to see a big stat line from Neal, but his aggressive offense could be a key asset in creating the bench balance the Spurs need to make another championship run.

[TimmehC]

Neal = Haislip

He'll be an offensive spark in the last 5 minutes of blowouts.

[DesignatedT]

Neal is a lot better than Haislip.

[Chieflion]

Am I the only person who thinks Neal will suck in this forum? Some of you even have the guy over James Anderson in your depth charts.

[ohmwrecker]

I have Neal pretty high on my depth chart . . . for the Toros.

[Chieflion]

I have Neal pretty high on my depth chart . . . for the Toros.

I don't see a reason why the Spurs will pay someone guaranteed money who is not their draft pick just to put him in the Toros.

[ohmwrecker]

It's a running joke I am doing . . . settle down.

[mazerrackham]

Neal will barely play if at all in this coming season

[Chieflion]

It's a running joke I am doing . . . settle down.

Seeing that it is a joke, but it is not funny, tbh.

[ohmwrecker]

Seeing that it is a joke, but it is not funny, tbh.

Well, it's not for everyone, I guess.

[ElNono]

Hopefully he doesn't pull a Tolliver on us...

[Leonard Curse]

Am I the only person who thinks Neal will suck in this forum? Some of you even have the guy over James Anderson in your depth charts.

like they said hes met expectations as of late, i dont know why he didnt make it into the nba early on in his career but for them to sign him to three years means that he meets things they are looking for and must have something suprising and special about him or else his deal would have been for 1yr.

i was going to tell you "because theyre NBA professionals and were not" but w/the bonner deal and letting exp contracts walk/lack of youth development they lost alot of credibility the past 2 seasons

[DesignatedT]

It's a running joke I am doing . . . settle down.

You should probably start using the blue front... You seem to be running into problems with people understanding your humor.:lol

[ohmwrecker]

You should probably start using the blue front... You seem to be running into problems with people understanding your humor.:lol

I refuse! My comedic stylings are not for everyone, and I like it that way. All the cool kids get it and that's what's important.

[8FOR!3]

I honestly think the Spurs could possibly start the season with this.

PG Tony Parker | 11 Gary Neal
SG George Hill | 6 Manu Ginobili | 9 James Anderson
SF Richard Jefferson | 12 Alonzo Gee
PF Tim Duncan | 7 Tiago Splitter | 8 DeJuan Blair
C Antonio McDyess | 10 Matt Bonner

But the way I would do it with the current roster would be...

PG Tony Parker | 6 George Hill
SG Manu Ginobili | 8 James Anderson | 11 Gary Neal
SF Richard Jefferson | 10 Alonzo Gee
PF Tim Duncan | 7 DeJuan Blair | 9 Antonio McDyess
C Tiago Splitter | 12 Matt Bonner

Something like that...

OR...

PG George Hill | 7 Garrett Temple | Tony Parker 10
SG Gary Neal | 8 James Anderson
SF DeJuan Blair | 6 Manu Ginobili | 11 Richard Jefferson | 12 Matt Bonner
PF Tiago Splitter
C Tim Duncan | 9 Antonio McDyess

We've just got to work on Blair's lateral movement, Duncan's been a center now for years anyways, and Gary Neal will start, he's Mario Ellie 2.0 And no reason to play TP since we're trading him at the deadline :toast

[mountainballer]

"offensive spark" ?
Note: let a player play his first NBA game, before calling him whatsoever. because he might very well end up as an "offensive fart"

[Bruno]

Neal has been almost his whole career the first offensive option of his team. To succeed with Spurs, he will need to do the transition from being a volume shooter to being a high percentage shooter. If he can do this transition, he will be a successful Spur. Teams always need a quality shooter on their bench.

[benefactor]

It's pretty simple between Neal and Anderson...the player that drains their threes gets the minutes.

[Samr]

To succeed with Spurs, he will need to do the transition from being a volume shooter to being a high percentage shooter. If he can do this transition, he will be a successful Spur.

For a second I thought you were talking about RJ....

[L.I.T]

For a guy whose likely ceiling is a poor man's Steve Kerr, Neal is getting a lot of love.

[ElNono]

It's pretty simple between Neal and Anderson...the player that drains their threes gets the minutes.

Basically. Either that or Pop pulls both out once they miss a rotation and Hill gets all the minutes.

[mingus]

people act like Neal's offense is going to automatically transition. he shot 37% from 3 in Italy last year as the main scorer on his team and with the 3-point line being closer. he's got to transition into a low volume shooter and shooting it farther out. we'll see, but i seem to be more skeptical than most. that's not even talking about his defensive ?'s.

he could very well suck total ass.

[Bruno]

For a second I thought you were talking about RJ....

:lol and :depressed

[wildbill2u]

Neal has been almost his whole career the first offensive option of his team. To succeed with Spurs, he will need to do the transition from being a volume shooter to being a high percentage shooter. If he can do this transition, he will be a successful Spur. Teams always need a quality shooter on their bench.

He'll be a volume shooter--off the bench in limited minutes. Lots of teams have shooters who anchor a second team off the bench.

If all these guys can stick in the rotation, we're gonna have a lot of firepower off the bench with Neal, Anderson, Manu, Bonner, Dice and maybe Gee or Temple.

[galvatron3000]

I made the mistake of thinking the Spurs were looking for Eddie House when in fact they are looking for another Steve Kerr, hope Neal fits that role or better

[ulosturedge]

The Spurs just need someone to be able to knock down some 3 pointers. He has somewhat proven he can do it in a competitive environment. He knows how to get his shot off. Why are people bashing him before he even sets foot on the nba court? He can't be any worse then what Roger did for us last year. I dunno I like to be optimistic about things. He doesn't seem to have the same vices as a jack mclinton or some other wetnose rookie. I like his chances.

[Dex]

Considering McClinton was supposed to be a lights out shooter and Haislip was supposed to be a Dirk-stopper, I'd like to at least see this guy through a training camp before I start passing judgement.

That last game for Neal was exciting, but it will do us absolutely no good if it was just a lightning strike and the best game he ever plays is on the courts of the Vegas summer league.

[dbestpro]

Success for Neal will depend entirely upon timely scoring. He can average 4-5 ppg as long as those points stem an opposing team rally.

[Interrohater]

"offensive spark" ?
Note: let a player play his first NBA game, before calling him whatsoever. because he might very well end up as an "offensive fart"

http://www.threadbombing.com/data/media/4/wonder_woman.gif

[cantthinkofanything]

Sorry if a thread was already started for this but I couldn't find one so I'm posting it here. I tried the new Taco Bell Chicken Cantina Taco and it tasted much less like diarreah than most of their other food items.

[Seventyniner]

Sorry if a thread was already started for this but I couldn't find one so I'm posting it here. I tried the new Taco Bell Chicken Cantina Taco and it tasted much less like diarreah than most of their other food items.

And how would you know what diarrhea tastes like?! :wtf

[SpursTillTheEnd]

It's a running joke I am doing . . . settle down.
lame joke tbh... step ya game up

[cantthinkofanything]

And how would you know what diarrhea tastes like?! :wtf

Well, that's a good point. I guess I assume it tastes like it smells. Anyway, I guess I was really only trying to say from Taco Bell's standpoint, "Chicken Cantina Tacos...they're not as bad as most of our other food."

[cantthinkofanything]

Well, that's a good point. I guess I assume it tastes like it smells. Anyway, I guess I was really only trying to say from Taco Bell's standpoint, "Chicken Cantina Tacos...they're not as bad as most of our other food."

Or, "Chicken Cantina Tacos...they don't taste like you think diarrhea does." But they would never put that in a commercial.

[ohmwrecker]

lame joke tbh... step ya game up

I can only hope to one day have "game" like you.

[DJB]

I have Neal pretty high on my depth chart . . . for the Toros.

:tu

[analyzed]

If Neal provides any kind of spark of the bench (ala Vinie the mircowave Johnson). and proves to be a decent rotation guy. That will make justifying signing Tony Parker for anything close to max a near impossibility. Why use max money on a guard , if you have 3 highly effective guards in Manu, Hill, Neal and possibly even Anderson. The smart thinking would be to use your $ on a frontline player ( probably a defensive SF ) .

[analyzed]

Speaking of big FA forwards next year, here is a list of players who all can realistically fetch for less than $ 10 M / year : AK47, Taysun Prince , David West, Caron Butler and Tadeus Young

[024]

he will be as big of a spark as roger mason.

[analyzed]

Chip Engelland has been telling people that, of everyone who’s ever been in the Spurs’ practice facility, Neal’s shooting performance ranked in the top three. So it’s Brent Barry, Michael Finley — and Neal?

For Neal to do that, he must be a heck of a shooter, I'm optimistic that he can make open shots at a high rate, that's all were asking

[Obstructed_View]

Like we need more O??? If we dont shore up the paint wont matter. We are thin and small up front and it looks like we are doing little to add more size. We drafted a scorer, have Blair who can score and Hill or Manu off the bench that can score......didnt we avg 101ppg last year but couldnt keep teams out of the paint and couldnt defend the paint.

But all they need to do is make two or three extra three pointers per game and they're all set. Don't you understand anything??

[admiralsnackbar]

So what you are saying is become the SUNS......avg 107-110ppg??? How many titles do they have again?

Bottom line basketball games are won in the paint. If you cant stop anyone inside your done. I have high hopes for Tiago but let us not forget TD and Dice are old, Blair is short and slow and Bonner sucks.

LA got better and bigger, Okl got better and bigger, Portland will be huge, Clips and Sac getting bigger.

I love the Neal signing but if you are holding out hopes that this 6-4 swingman is gonna make us a contender without being better in the paint you are fooling yourself.

Your general solution to our problems in the paint involve Shaq, ignoring all the while that Shaq is essentially the reason we beat the Suns in '07. Tiago will be a great piece as far as shoring up defense in the paint. Book it.


people act like Neal's offense is going to automatically transition. he shot 37% from 3 in Italy last year as the main scorer on his team and with the 3-point line being closer. he's got to transition into a low volume shooter and shooting it farther out. we'll see, but i seem to be more skeptical than most. that's not even talking about his defensive ?'s.

he could very well suck total ass.

He could, but shooting from an NBA 3-pt. line didn't seem to affect his scoring. NBA defenses may affect him, but the line is clearly not an issue.

[Obstructed_View]

All the Spurs need to do is make more three pointers and they're a contender again. That's why they are signing so many shooters. Guys like Finley and Barry were the most critical pieces of those championship squads, even more than shot blockers or defenders.

[admiralsnackbar]

Im with you on Tiago, My issue is more size. Grab'n Shaq would allow TD to take nights off while still giving us a post threat. Also He would be very good agains LA, Portland Orlando as he eats space and gets teams in foul trouble. We are one of the worst teams at getting to the line so he would help with that as well.

I go will Josh Boone if we cant get Shaq and I dont think we will. We are not a run and gun team and my point is if we are having to score 100+ every night it puts a lot of stress on the big 3 and forces us to be very efficent.

Lets also think what happens if Td or Tiago go down........we are very small, and as we have seen we look like a lotto team when we go small.

When you're hoping for Josh Boones to fill out the roster, you may as well accept whatever the FO decides to go with since there is very little difference between said guy and the average scrub (Kris Humphries, for example --who I'd rather have)

We all want to be 3-deep with all-stars at every position, but it isn't going to happen. Fate plays a part in every championship... you just have to hope you're on the right side of it.

[admiralsnackbar]

I like boone for his size and he is a better defender than CH. All im saying if rumors Shaq wants to be a spur, spurs would be foolish not to look for a way to make it happen.

IMO he would make us a true title contender because we could play some many styles and give TD, Dice nights off so we would be fresh for the playoffs.

Despite the easy exploitation he gets as a terrible FT shooter?

[Mel_13]

Yeah, still like him, because getting other teams players in foul trouble can soften defensive schemes and we would see a spike in players like Manu, TP and Hill getting to the line more as we would be in the bonus, or double bonus a lot earlier in quarters.

Those easy pts and short periods of rest helps an older team.

:lmao

[Mel_13]

We will see how funny it is if we get bounced due to our lack of size while the Celts make another title run. You dont have a good grasp of the game if you dont want this guy on a team looking to contend.

:lol

You don't have a good grasp of the game if you think that the double bonus exists in the NBA. The Spurs don't play by NCAA rules.