The Spurs' bench...

[Hooks]

How many PPG do you think the Spurs' bench will be putting up this year?

If I'm correct we had the #1 bench in the NBA last year yes? I can't remember where I saw the stats but I think our bench scored somewhere around 40ppg last year. Does anyone have the stats?

The improvement of Blair, the additions of Temple, Splitter and Anderson to the bench and the subtractions of the black holes on offense in Mason and Bogans will make our bench even better than last year.

[spurs10]

Anytime one of your stars, Manu, is coming off the bench you're bound to have great stats.

[in2deep]

Hill 14
Manu 12
Blair 10
Rest 12

~ 48ppg

[Leonard Curse]

manu will not be coming off the bench guys thats over with. pop unless hes lost more of his mind ,will know we need a strong starting squad to hang with the league our bench is fine without him

[Leonard Curse]

see this is why i think we can win a championship if our new guys off the bench explode and contribute consistently like blair and hill then we can defeat anyone

starting is :
Tony
Manu
jefferson
Duncan
Splitter or Dice

Bench:
hill great defense/15ppg expect more due to his hard summer workouts
neal poor defender as of now/at least 10ppg but can give you 20 easy
anderson i think will be above average defender/40%from3/scored 37pts last year
Blair you guys know the bear is going to beast it up!! i expect more 20/20 games
dice or bonner well dice demands respect w/his J. and is a complete player
bonner sucks at defense yes he hustles but with midget arms im sorry theres not much he can do but shoot the 3 if he doesnt do that, and pop keeps playing him i see him getting boo'd this year. and he deserves it we need to slap sense into pop

[galvatron3000]

I don't see why Manu would need to come off the bench anymore. Pop just needs to manage his minute so he can end games and start which means he may need to go to the bench earlier in early quarters.

[JustinJDW]

What would be the point in starting Manu and thus, having all our scorers start and be on the floor at the same time? Especially since we know Tiago will start come Playoff time.

This is how I would have it...

PG: Tony Parker - Garrett Temple
SG: George Hill - Manu Ginobili - Gary Neal
SF: Richard Jefferson - James Anderson
PF: Antonio McDyess - Matt Bonner - Dejaun Blair
C: Tim Duncan - Tiago Splitter

Imagine Ginobili/Splitter pick-n-rolls coming off the Bench!

OR (This is probably how it will be come Playoff time)

PG: Tony Parker - Garrett Temple
SG: George Hill - Manu Ginobili - Gary Neal
SF: Richard Jefferson - James Anderson
PF: Tim Duncan - Dejuan Blair - Matt Bonner
C: Tiago Splitter - Antonio McDyess

Whatever the rotation will be, I'm sure Pop knows what hes doing.

[BronxCowboy]

hill great defense/15ppg expect more due to his hard summer workouts
neal poor defender as of now/at least 10ppg but can give you 20 easy


The only way Hill is going to score 15ppg is if he is getting more shots. Whose shots will he be taking?

If Neal plays enough minutes (and takes enough shots) to score 10ppg, that's a really bad sign. Better hope for a high lottery pick if that happens.

[Interrohater]

How do we constantly forget that it's not about who starts, but who finishes? In that case, it's obvious who will be on the floor in the backcourt, but will RJ elevate his game enough to not force Pop to play 3 guards in Manu, Tony and Hill?

In addition, how long will it take for Splitter to become a starter? As we all know, Dice doesn't start playing until the end of the year and Dejuan is too short to play Center. So that really leaves us with three options to start the game:
A) Timmy takes on the mantle of C, whether he likes it or not, and Dejuan plays starting PF.
B) Timmy remains at PF and we start ::shudder:: Bonner at C.
C) Timmy at PF and Splitter at C.

Of course, Pop will probably start Dice anyway and we'll all lament the move since Dice will be so lethargic and lifeless out there.

The other thing I'd like to point out is that I don't think Pop sees Splitter as a rookie, so he more than likely will treat him as an established veteran that's new to the system. Which means to me that Splitter will get significant minutes and may even get the chance to start early on. I mean, it happened with Bogans. Bogans, guys. Bogans.

[timtonymanu]

We had a strong bench last year?

Our bench in the playoffs was Parker or Hill, Blair, and sometimes Bonner. Everyone else sucked or were inexperienced.

On a serious note, the addition of Splitter gives us more depth with the frontcourt. Anderson and Neal are upgrades over Bogans and Mason. Temple> Marcus Williams.

It really depends on the starting lineup and on Pop's rotation. The guys guaranteed minutes are Manu/Hill, Dice, Bonner, Blair, and Anderson. Maybe Neal. Temple and Gee are scrub minutes or inactive.

Possible bench:
Manu or Hill - Manu - 15 ppg, Hill 11 ppg
Dice - 4 ppg
Blair - 7 ppg
Anderson - 7 ppg
Bonner - 5 ppg
Neal - 3 ppg
Temple - 3 ppg
Gee - 2 ppg

[TMTTRIO]

Manu should get to start this season. The Spurs finally have a bench that can score and produce energy off the bench. Besides do we really need Manu to produce a lot scoring now that we have several guys who can really score? I think it would be better for Manu to start with Tim and Tony and save all that energy for the fourth quarter when it really matters. Manu can't continue to carry the bench like he has in the past.

[mike20spurs]

Manu has always preferred not being a starter. Anyway.. on Game 1 this season everything will be the same.

Parker
Hill
Jefferson
Duncan
Dice

if thats good enough to get into the playoffs then they will stick with this until then. but if they lose a couple games in a row i think they might do this...

Parker
Ginobili
Jefferson
Duncan
Splitter

[Spur_Fanatic]

Manu doesn't prefer playing bench.
He is just no Vince Carter, and will do what the team needs.

And why people predicting Manu will only have 12 PPG?
The guy was scoring more than twice that on the 2nd half of the season.

[Hooks]

Splitter will be the starter on Day 1 IMO. Hes not a true rookie. Dice and Blair will come off the Bench with Bonner being sprinkled in at times.


Splitter probably won't be a starter until around mid season, or he might not be a starter at all. Expect Bonner to start cause he "stretches the floor" (lol).


Oh and I think Manu will still come off the bench, he creates plays with his great passing. Last year we saw how successful Blair was with Manu with the pick n roll, Splitter will benefit from having Manu on the floor as well.

[Chomag]

Splitter probably won't be a starter until around mid season, or he might not be a starter at all. Expect Bonner to start cause he "stretches the floor" (lol).


Oh and I think Manu will still come off the bench, he creates plays with his great passing. Last year we saw how successful Blair was with Manu with the pick n roll, Splitter will benefit from having Manu on the floor as well.

Sadly Bonner starting wont surpise me. Knowing that wont make it less painfull to see though. :lol

I just hope it wont be for too long.

[lotr1trekkie]

Bonner will come off the bench with Splitter and Blair. They complement each other.
Manu really can't start. The guy is a warrior and will not last all season. Tim is now David and needs help in April and May.
Tim is still the best PF to ever live. As soon as we know we are in the playoffs, we need to give Tim a rest. If rested Tim will be Tim in the playoffs. He's like a great racehorse who needs to to rested until the Belmont. He will reponde like Secretariat.

[BackHome]

Manu will play with the second unit where he can be the "Man" meaning he will have the ball in his hands.

We got to have someone get guys like Blair, Splitter and Gee easy shots and Manu can do that.

[Truth4sale$]

Manu starts because RJ admits to playing better with him. That would give the spurs a more cohesive starting 5. If Pop wants defense, he starts Hill as a 2 guard and settles with a small backcourt.
With the potential of Neal at 10 pts a game(at least 2 three pointers made),
Andersen playing SG/SF with about 8 or 9 pts a game (at least 1 three pointer made), Bonner(again 2 three pointers made) and Dice providing 6 pts each and
Either Manu or Hill as a non starter providing 15 pts a game, rounded out with Tiago giving you a solid 9 pts a game. I don't list Blair because I think he starts at Power Forward. Sorry Tim, time to move over just like Robinson did for you and play center officially.
This will leave an average of 54 pts from the bench. This is way above average for most teams. The Spurs would be extremenly difficult to beat with that type of bench production.

[Em-City]

^^^ yeah, a few people have said it already but i think the biggest factor of whether manu will start is the chemistry with RJ... if we get the best out of RJ when manu is on the court, chances are he'll start.

in terms of ppg, this could only be answered when we see the lineup.

I'm also curious at which stage of the season (if at all) Splitter will get a start.

[Nathan89]

:lol At the people who think neal can score 10 points per game. I hope we somehow find a backup sf, this will make neal a permanent bench warmer.

[ElNono]

Depends who is on the bench.

[Interrohater]

Yea, Neal was a nice signing (at least in theory) but to not only suggest, but accept that he'll score 10ppg is really a stretch. At best, Neal can be a regular part of the rotation that will contribute heavily in blowouts.

[Bruno]

It's hard to say that Spurs have improved their bench when they have only added rookies this summer.

[BackHome]

It's hard to say that Spurs have improved their bench when they have only added rookies this summer.


I measure the bench has to be better with the subtraction of Bogans and Mason who both sucked so bad last year. I do agree that alot of how good we can be will be up in the air i.e..is Splitter as good as advertised and can Anderson play and be sucessful at the SF position?

When the playoffs start you will see these players get the bulk of the minutes:

Tony
Manu
Jefferson
Dice
Timmy
Hill -
Splitter

The bench or really plalyers who won't play as much as the first group will be the following players:

Bonner - People hate Bonner but the guy was always playing center and he was a starter which on both parts should not be the case. I still like the guy cause he can help you win regular season games and having homecourt is a plus. And he will allow us to keep Dice fresh for the end push.

Neal - Is a big question mark on how well he can pick up our system and defend. He maybe a smaller version of Bonner but the dude can stroke the ball and is instant offense when needed. Another question is do they play him at PG or SG?

Anderson - The biggest question is he a starter or not and at what position? To be honest the guy is a stud I think he was quoted as being the best pick and roll player in the draft and some others have mentioned he was the steal of the draft. Either way his signing has impacted the amount of playing time for Hill, Jefferson, and Temple.

Temple - With Temple alot of it depends on how good Anderson is and and do we play him as a SG or SF? I mean if he plays SG then the only way to get Hill minutes is for him to play PG.


Blair - My favorite player who will get solid minutes but due to his knees will be played alot like Timmy. The only thing about Blair is that against playoff teams he will have problems seeing the floor...Flakers to short.....and against OK and the Suns he is to slow.

[JustinJDW]

Splitter will be the starter on Day 1 IMO. Hes not a true rookie. Dice and Blair will come off the Bench with Bonner being sprinkled in at times.I would love this to be true, but with that contract Bonner got, it might just be a pipe dream.

Oh, and Manu should come off the Bench. He helps our team more when he comes off the Bench. Yes, he is still great as a Starter but he won't last all Season by playing 36 minutes a game.

Plus, its not really who starts, but who finishes. And the finishing team will likely be Timmy, Tiago, RJ, Manu and Tony.

[Agloco]

How many PPG do you think the Spurs' bench will be putting up this year?

If I'm correct we had the #1 bench in the NBA last year yes? I can't remember where I saw the stats but I think our bench scored somewhere around 40ppg last year. Does anyone have the stats?

The improvement of Blair, the additions of Temple, Splitter and Anderson to the bench and the subtractions of the black holes on offense in Mason and Bogans will make our bench even better than last year.

Not when it mattered. Also, a lot of it was due to the fact that Pop was giving a lot of players time that they didn't get in the playoffs.

[Manu-of-steel]

Manu will average 11 ppg? I respect your opinion, but i think it's far-fetched. I think it will be 15 ppg or may be even more.

[Man In Black]

It's hard to say that Spurs have improved their bench when they have only added rookies this summer.

One could almost say that it's addition by SUBTRACTION.

It's not like the players coming in don't have pedigree, it's just that they have to manifest themselves in the NBA. Let's say they stay the same, but there could be upside here. We saw what we got with the other bench when it counted, this year, an it's an unknown quantity but truth, I feel better about the unknown than last year's known.


I would love this to be true, but with that contract Bonner got, it might just be a pipe dream.
I don't know why people always talk about the contract dictating who starts. When Malik rose got his big contract(which was needed to keep him away from the LAL), he didn't start unless there was an injury or some matchup Pop wanted to exploit. Money isn't the key to starting here. It's always been about effectiveness and this season will be the 1st season the Big three have all been completely healthy to start the season thanks to rest and no International play from Tony or Manu. This is an ALL-IN season.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

see this is why i think we can win a championship if our new guys off the bench explode and contribute consistently like blair and hill then we can defeat anyone

starting is :
Tony
Manu
jefferson
Duncan
Splitter or Dice

Bench:
hill great defense/15ppg expect more due to his hard summer workouts


Seriously, when was the last time Hill played great defense? Two years ago in Detroit against a retiring Iverson and not much after that. His defense last season was well below average and he got embarassed by most of the better and quicker PGs, whereas his defense on SGs wasn't as bad if you don't count his height limitations.

He must have got this 'great defender' tag from somewhere cause I've seen it lots all over the press and on the forum, but it's most definitely not from the games he's actually played in the past year.