DespЏrado
10-22-2010, 02:31 AM
From top to bottom I think the Spurs had about as good of an off season upgrade as could have been had. With the exception of Splitter being absent the Spurs had a typical preseason with a few more cuts than normal.
Duncan- you have to like his game shape, in that he is in it. He is ready to go. We're all waiting for the season to start Duncan is already ready for the playoffs. He looks lean mean and determined. In fact why isn't there an onion article out already asking the NBA to consider just scrapping everything and playing the playoffs now. He averaged 9.8 points and 7.8 rebounds this preseason. A+
Manu- Still lacks his dead eye 3 point shot but is otherwise rolling with the team doing everything the Spurs ask of him including coaching. I got the impression he was just passing the time on the floor. His elevation and the fast first step all seem to be right back to where he needs them to be. He can dunk again without hesitation. His game will be balls to the walls when it's needed but the only question mark is will he be able find his shot enough to prevent the opposing team from backing off too much. He hit 8 of 22 3 point shots at a 36% clip. shots. A-
Parker- is a little harder to judge, he seems to be back to going back and forth between being doing too much and not being aggressive enough. However as with Hill's early faults, getting new players used to the spurs system seems to take the longest for the point guards to acclimate to. Tony thrives on ordered chaos and that fails when people don't know where to be. But he looks healthy and most importantly his burst speed is completely back. He scored at times at will for 13.7 ppg and dished out 3.7 assists this preseason. B
Hill- I think Hill has exactly the same problem as Tony. And the learning curve that they are put in charge of teaching takes them away from their comfort zone for at least awhile. This is why he has always had horrible summer leagues. For as bad as he was he still put up reasonable backup numbers of 6.7 ppg and 2.7 assists per game and still manages to be a very good rebounder for a point guard @ 2.5 rb/g...But his 3 point shooting was 6%. He hit just 1 shot from beyond the arc in 6 games. Yikes. (he gets an incomplete which probably translates to a C-)
Blair- My god man how high is this kids ceiling? I'm starting to think this might really be Blair's team right now. And Duncan will just play defense next to him. He's still not as smooth or as automatic as Duncan but he's got so much strength it just doesn't matter. Ok his defense could continue to improve but he seems to have gotten more comfortable with that side of the court too. He averaged 12.6 pts and8.7 rebounds per game this preseason A+
RJ- Hey he might just have gotten a bit better. He's moving better, he's shooting more in rhythm and without hesitation. I don't think we've seen the end of how much his off season work is going to improve his game. The comfort level alone should make those shots a bit easier. More importantly is that he seems a bit hungrier for the game. He was 5 for 10 on threes and grabbed 3 or more rebounds every game B+
Dyess- Really didn't see much of him. But old creaky knees is going to be there when we need him. He seems to have no problem with whatever role the Spurs give him and that attitude is just going to be all kinds of beneficial over the long season. Anyone ever notice Mcdyess almost always scores at the exact same rate he rebounds. For the preseason that was no different 6ppg and 5.8 rpg. He gets a solid B for not needing crutches. Remember when no one thought he would ever recover from his knee surgeries?
Bonner- Is still getting minutes? Ok I have to give him his props for his late game play against Houston, he hit a big preseason shot to help win the game. I still hope his minutes take the most dramatic dip with the arrival of Splitter. He's Bonner so he still gets a C, just because.
James Anderson- Is progressing. He isn't bad, and he's done nothing to look like he doesn't deserve every chance to earn his way into the rotation this season. I've said it before but I'll say it again. He looks like he could be good, but he's definitely a little raw still. I'm seeing him as a guy who people are begging to play in the playoffs this year but will probably just end up observing the same way Blair and Hill were forced to do at times as a rookie. He did hit 36.4% of his threes but if he's going to play SF he has to be a better rebounder than a paltry 1.9 per game. B.
Neal- I'm still high on the guy, he lets it fly with impunity, and that isn't a bad thing. He is going to be streaky at times but I'm not seeing the downside to him getting minutes as long as he buys into the system and gives 110% effort on defense. His shooting is desperately needed and if he can deliver he's going to be very useful. He's already hit 1 against the 4 game winning shots that RMJ did while he was here so I think he has it in him. (see Chazley's horrible bring back RMJ thread) He hit 36.4% of his threes and managed to average 7.3 points which isn't half bad for a new guy. Granted he grabbed only six rebounds the entire presseason but he did manage 2 assists in almost every game. B.
Temple- He just had a disappointing preseason, but I gave Parker and Hill a pass so I will give Temple one as well. I hope he doesn't make the Spurs regret trading Jarell's but given that he has had a steady hand for the spurs in the past, he deserves a little leeway. (incomplete)
Simmons- I want this guy to work out for the Spurs more than he is seemingly able to produce. Let's hope it is just rust and we didn't just start the season somebody who makes Steve Smith look like the roadrunner as our only true backup at SF on our roster. Otherwise the Spurs have Matt Bonner and James Anderson. He had more turnovers than assists he did pull down nearly 3 rebounds a game and he hit a very respectable 40% of his threes (2 for 5). F.
Popovich Everything that is great about Pop is still there. He is still the best at getting the team in a position to win every game. He rotated the minutes in the preseason to perfection starting with players least likely to make the team and ending it with the stars. He still doesn't seem to get a few basic things. He still can't get his team to defend the high pick and roll something the Lakers kill us with and Houston has started to use with impunity. He still has blind spots for certain players when defense used to be all that mattered to him. He still loves small ball when he hasn't yet assembled a team that could actually play it at an elite level. That said he's one of the best around, let's hope he remembers to stop out thinking himself and go with defense first last and always. B.
Edit- Please forgive the many edits, was trying to get the wording right/ added some stats etc.
Duncan- you have to like his game shape, in that he is in it. He is ready to go. We're all waiting for the season to start Duncan is already ready for the playoffs. He looks lean mean and determined. In fact why isn't there an onion article out already asking the NBA to consider just scrapping everything and playing the playoffs now. He averaged 9.8 points and 7.8 rebounds this preseason. A+
Manu- Still lacks his dead eye 3 point shot but is otherwise rolling with the team doing everything the Spurs ask of him including coaching. I got the impression he was just passing the time on the floor. His elevation and the fast first step all seem to be right back to where he needs them to be. He can dunk again without hesitation. His game will be balls to the walls when it's needed but the only question mark is will he be able find his shot enough to prevent the opposing team from backing off too much. He hit 8 of 22 3 point shots at a 36% clip. shots. A-
Parker- is a little harder to judge, he seems to be back to going back and forth between being doing too much and not being aggressive enough. However as with Hill's early faults, getting new players used to the spurs system seems to take the longest for the point guards to acclimate to. Tony thrives on ordered chaos and that fails when people don't know where to be. But he looks healthy and most importantly his burst speed is completely back. He scored at times at will for 13.7 ppg and dished out 3.7 assists this preseason. B
Hill- I think Hill has exactly the same problem as Tony. And the learning curve that they are put in charge of teaching takes them away from their comfort zone for at least awhile. This is why he has always had horrible summer leagues. For as bad as he was he still put up reasonable backup numbers of 6.7 ppg and 2.7 assists per game and still manages to be a very good rebounder for a point guard @ 2.5 rb/g...But his 3 point shooting was 6%. He hit just 1 shot from beyond the arc in 6 games. Yikes. (he gets an incomplete which probably translates to a C-)
Blair- My god man how high is this kids ceiling? I'm starting to think this might really be Blair's team right now. And Duncan will just play defense next to him. He's still not as smooth or as automatic as Duncan but he's got so much strength it just doesn't matter. Ok his defense could continue to improve but he seems to have gotten more comfortable with that side of the court too. He averaged 12.6 pts and8.7 rebounds per game this preseason A+
RJ- Hey he might just have gotten a bit better. He's moving better, he's shooting more in rhythm and without hesitation. I don't think we've seen the end of how much his off season work is going to improve his game. The comfort level alone should make those shots a bit easier. More importantly is that he seems a bit hungrier for the game. He was 5 for 10 on threes and grabbed 3 or more rebounds every game B+
Dyess- Really didn't see much of him. But old creaky knees is going to be there when we need him. He seems to have no problem with whatever role the Spurs give him and that attitude is just going to be all kinds of beneficial over the long season. Anyone ever notice Mcdyess almost always scores at the exact same rate he rebounds. For the preseason that was no different 6ppg and 5.8 rpg. He gets a solid B for not needing crutches. Remember when no one thought he would ever recover from his knee surgeries?
Bonner- Is still getting minutes? Ok I have to give him his props for his late game play against Houston, he hit a big preseason shot to help win the game. I still hope his minutes take the most dramatic dip with the arrival of Splitter. He's Bonner so he still gets a C, just because.
James Anderson- Is progressing. He isn't bad, and he's done nothing to look like he doesn't deserve every chance to earn his way into the rotation this season. I've said it before but I'll say it again. He looks like he could be good, but he's definitely a little raw still. I'm seeing him as a guy who people are begging to play in the playoffs this year but will probably just end up observing the same way Blair and Hill were forced to do at times as a rookie. He did hit 36.4% of his threes but if he's going to play SF he has to be a better rebounder than a paltry 1.9 per game. B.
Neal- I'm still high on the guy, he lets it fly with impunity, and that isn't a bad thing. He is going to be streaky at times but I'm not seeing the downside to him getting minutes as long as he buys into the system and gives 110% effort on defense. His shooting is desperately needed and if he can deliver he's going to be very useful. He's already hit 1 against the 4 game winning shots that RMJ did while he was here so I think he has it in him. (see Chazley's horrible bring back RMJ thread) He hit 36.4% of his threes and managed to average 7.3 points which isn't half bad for a new guy. Granted he grabbed only six rebounds the entire presseason but he did manage 2 assists in almost every game. B.
Temple- He just had a disappointing preseason, but I gave Parker and Hill a pass so I will give Temple one as well. I hope he doesn't make the Spurs regret trading Jarell's but given that he has had a steady hand for the spurs in the past, he deserves a little leeway. (incomplete)
Simmons- I want this guy to work out for the Spurs more than he is seemingly able to produce. Let's hope it is just rust and we didn't just start the season somebody who makes Steve Smith look like the roadrunner as our only true backup at SF on our roster. Otherwise the Spurs have Matt Bonner and James Anderson. He had more turnovers than assists he did pull down nearly 3 rebounds a game and he hit a very respectable 40% of his threes (2 for 5). F.
Popovich Everything that is great about Pop is still there. He is still the best at getting the team in a position to win every game. He rotated the minutes in the preseason to perfection starting with players least likely to make the team and ending it with the stars. He still doesn't seem to get a few basic things. He still can't get his team to defend the high pick and roll something the Lakers kill us with and Houston has started to use with impunity. He still has blind spots for certain players when defense used to be all that mattered to him. He still loves small ball when he hasn't yet assembled a team that could actually play it at an elite level. That said he's one of the best around, let's hope he remembers to stop out thinking himself and go with defense first last and always. B.
Edit- Please forgive the many edits, was trying to get the wording right/ added some stats etc.