Quick Grades: Spurs vs. Hornets - Oct. 30

[timvp]

Tim Duncan D After great first game, Duncan was hesitant, slow and never in rhythm.

Manu Ginobili C+ Relied too much on the three-pointer but helped lead comeback.

Tony Parker C+ Finished better but sloppy and defense deteriorated as game progressed.

Richard Jefferson A- Aggressive with virtually every touch. Seemed very comfortable.

DeJuan Blair C- Better at the end but struggled mightily for much of the night.

George Hill C+ Outside shoot way off. Timid with the ball. Playmaking a plus.

Antonio McDyess B- Hustled, boarded and protected the rim. Missed open shots hurt.

Gary Neal B Provided a spark in the second half but decision-making iffy on both ends.

James Anderson B- Had a few good moments but also a handful of rookie mistakes.

[lefty]

Damn that was fast :lol

Good review :tu

[blkroadrunners]

Personally, I'd give Manu a B, and Parker a C+. Other than that, I agree w/ the grades.

[Ice009]

I like these quick grades. Gives a good short to the point review.

[AussieFanKurt]

Grades that are easy to agree with. Thanks timvp

[peskypesky]

crazy quick!

[ducks]

I think tp was thinking about his extension not the game

I think that is what the whole team was thinking

spurs should have been thinking about hornets

[peskypesky]

I think tp was thinking about his extension not the game

I think that is what the whole team was thinking

spurs should have been thinking about hornets

you might be right. pretty big news.

[Josepatches_]

I think we aren't as good.TD is old and our best years are over.

We'll be 6th or 7th of the west at best.I'll say it in October.

[itzsoweezee]

I think we aren't as good.TD is old and our best years are over.

We'll be 6th or 7th of the west at best.I'll say it in October.

If popovich is willing to play a two towers lineup, I think the Spurs can still be an elite team in the west.

[ducks]

you might be right. pretty big news.

tp sets the tone he is the engine his mind was not on the game tonighted
he also only played 27 minutes

look out next game:hat

[maddnezz]

I think we aren't as good.TD is old and our best years are over.

We'll be 6th or 7th of the west at best.I'll say it in October. Hm they said the same thing about Jabar and David back in da day. You gots 2 belive in somethin why not belive in the 3!:toast

[honestfool84]

i fly in from working a week in Cancun, to read that the Spurs lose the second game of the season..

are you kidding me?!


:bang

[dunkman]

Dice was awful, it would be a D.
Duncan played some defense, so C+.
Manu was very good at the end B-.
Hill was much better than Parker, B.

[Blackjack]

:cheer Let's. Go. Ti-ago! [*clap, clap ... clap-clap-clap*] :cheer

[ElNono]

Dejuan on West was dead on arrival. I don't know why we didn't switch TD to him in the second half, since TD wasn't in foul trouble.
Then when CP3 started his layup drills in the 3rd, it was hard to watch. No surprise Tony didn't see the floor much at all after that.
I loved RJ's hustle and Neal's fearlessness. I think he will be fighting with Anderson for minutes after this game.

[benefactor]

That was some baaaad offense in the 3rd quarter. It reminded me of the dreaded 3rd quarters of the good old days.

That said, there were flashes of encouraging things. RJ played up to his ability and Neal looked like a potential bench player. I agree that Anderson looked more like a rookie than he did opening night but he will have plenty of games like that. What matters is he can obviously shoot and he seem committed to play with effort on the defensive end. As long as he keeps doing those things the rest will work itself out in time.

[benefactor]

:cheer Let's. Go. Ti-ago! [*clap, clap ... clap-clap-clap*] :cheer
This...completely. The Spurs badly need to get Splitter on the floor to take up the slack on the front line. Hopefully he can contribute right away without too much of a learning curve.

[xellos88330]

You should start rating the fans. That arena was so fucking dead. If the place is hoppin, I think the Spurs would have found their energy from them and not Neal. Thank god Neal came in and started hustling. The Spurs needed someone to do that since the crowd wasn't helping.

[DespЏrado]

Neal showed the reason why they got him...His shot comes out clean whether the Spurs are winning or losing. This is why they got him, and this is why he needs time on the court.

[ohmwrecker]

I hate to say it, but they really could have used Bonner on Jason Smith tonight. They got into a hole by taking bad shots and not clogging the paint when Paul penetrated. Small ball almost brought them back, but Pop stuck with that lineup too long. By the time Duncan checked back in it was too little too late.
DeJuan Blair really wants to show how much he worked on that jumper, eh? He needs to stop it. Just stay down low and beast. The only good thing he did was elbow West fighting for a rebound. Blair is the biggest disappointment so far this season.

[8FOR!3]

Pat Green A+ He stole the show haha. Some guy started a Pat fuckin Green chant and another guy joined in, but it was an awkward family environment so that didn't work. I couldn't do it because I was with my mom and grandma lol. Great concert though, hate I couldn't stay for the whole thing, but I wasn't driving and they were ready to go. At least I got to hear 5-6 songs.

Gary Neal looked great. James Anderson wasn't quite as hot as in game one and made more rookie mistakes, but he still made plays, showed promise, and did well. RJ was definitely our most efficient player out there.

[jestersmash]

Fair grades.

If there's any positive to this - it's that Jefferson has had his second consistently great performance so far (even if we lost the game). If this is any indication of the type of Jefferson we'll be seeing from here on out, I like our chances against anyone on any given day.

I also liked the fearlessness we saw in Gary Neal and James Anderson shooting those 3 pointers. Absolutely fearless. Very impressive for rookies. They've certainly earned playing time in future games.

[mingus]

There's a couple things that have to be addressed on the offensive end:

Tony Parker has to show confidence in his 15 foot jumpshot. he's not helping the offense by passing up 15 foot jumpers, esp. when they lead to worse shots, which happens a lot.

Tim Duncan is not the low-post player he once was. his moves are slower, he's not as fast, and he doesn't jump as high. Duncan gave me hope against the Pacers. I thought we were going to see more mid-range oriented play from him. maybe we will, but tonight he looked hesitant, where as against the Pacers he was letting it fly with confidence.

Manu needs to not rely so heavily on his 3 ball. going back to the Suns last year where he had two games in which he shot 2/7. sure he has games where he's really hot from 3, but on the nights that he's not he's got to know when to stop shooting and create for himself or others. i don't know how many he shot tonight but it was probably a handful too many. that's an additional 10+ points that we possibly didn't get.

i also think Manu needs to be the guy through which the offense goes through more, esp. when Tony isn't doing anything productive out there.

i see these things as being very correctable and i'm not worried at all.

[Dunc n Dave]

You should start rating the fans. That arena was so fucking dead. If the place is hoppin, I think the Spurs would have found their energy from them and not Neal. Thank god Neal came in and started hustling. The Spurs needed someone to do that since the crowd wasn't helping.

The fans were dead because there was hardly anyone there. The arena was about 60-70% full. I was there in Section 225 and felt like I was the only screaming for the Spurs while everyone else sat on their ass. No one even stood up for the starting lineup. It was pathetic!

I tried to move down to the COUNTLESS empty seats in the lower bowl at halftime but the damn ushers have turned into the Gestapo this year, when it comes to checking tickets! I got sent "back to my seat" by 3 different ushers in 3 different sections before giving up and going back to my Row 12 upper deck tix that cost $41 a piece.

You'd think the Spurs would want us to move down to fill the empty seats after halftime to make it look better on TV, but instead they are making ushers check for tickets more and banishing people to the upper deck.

[Borosai]

No Bonner, no victory.

[arakkus]

two bad defensive games

On top of that, two bad games for Blair

two good games for RJ

I have to give props to Pop for keeping Tony out right after he just signed an extension to keep the run going. Don't know many coaches that would do that.

I'm torn on how to feel. I'm hoping Tiago will come in and help defensively but logically I know a rookie to the NBA is not going to get the benefit of any calls and have lots of transition issues. Its going to be a long season defensively.

[justinandimcool]

Defense looked old and slow, it felt like the Dragic game the way CP3 was getting those layups. Tiago and Blair's young legs NEED to hold down that fort, because Timmy and Dyess while having nice moments can't play amazing help D all season. If this isn't addressed might as well tank the season, because everyone's backcourt will be running 100 on us every game.


Some points in the second half the offense looked lost. Credit NOLA's defense, but at some points Hill, Anderson, and Tony were just making shit up. I'm confident they'll work it out as the season progresses, but damn I haven't seen the Spurs offense so poorly ran in a long time.

[TJastal]

The fans were dead because there was hardly anyone there. The arena was about 60-70% full. I was there in Section 225 and felt like I was the only screaming for the Spurs while everyone else sat on their ass. No one even stood up for the starting lineup. It was pathetic!

I tried to move down to the COUNTLESS empty seats in the lower bowl at halftime but the damn ushers have turned into the Gestapo this year, when it comes to checking tickets! I got sent "back to my seat" by 3 different ushers in 3 different sections before giving up and going back to my Row 12 upper deck tix that cost $41 a piece.

You'd think the Spurs would want us to move down to fill the empty seats after halftime to make it look better on TV, but instead they are making ushers check for tickets more and banishing people to the upper deck.

You're probably lucky not to have been kicked out

[mingus]

I'm torn on how to feel. I'm hoping Tiago will come in and help defensively but logically I know a rookie to the NBA is not going to get the benefit of any calls and have lots of transition issues. Its going to be a long season defensively.

interiorally, the Spurs will be fine. McDyess, Splitter, and Duncan is a versatile enough group of bigs. Blair hopefully gets a lot better sooner rather that later, but those three guys are enough defensively for the interior.

it's the perimiter that's the problem. Manu, while still basically as effective as ever on offense, can't cover people or space like he used to. Parker has always just been solid in that area, Jefferson is average. he's a great athlete but is slow laterally.

we're going to get burnt all fucking year by other teams' guards. Thornton, Green, and Paul all shot over 50%. it's the same shit that happened last year against Pheonix: Nash fucking this team up the ass, Richardson looking like the second coming of MJ, and solid, solid, play by Dragic, Hill and Dudley.

[TJastal]

interiorally, the Spurs will be fine. McDyess, Splitter, and Duncan is a versatile enough group of bigs. Blair hopefully gets a lot better sooner rather that later, but those three guys are enough defensively for the interior.

it's the perimiter that's the problem. Manu, while still basically as effective as ever on offense, can't cover people or space like he used to. Parker has always just been solid in that area, Jefferson is average. he's a great athlete but is slow laterally.

we're going to get burnt all fucking year by other teams' guards. Thornton, Green, and Paul all shot over 50%. it's the same shit that happened last year against Pheonix: Nash fucking this team up the ass, Richardson looking like the second coming of MJ, and solid, solid, play by Dragic, Hill and Dudley.

Out of the core of bigs, spurs really lack shotblocking/intimidation. Duncan with his limited mobility and age needs to have a young agile leaper next to him, that's why I always thought Tyrus Thomas would have been the perfect compliment.

Remains to be seen how much Splitter will help in this regard, he seems pretty mobile, but not really the shotblocker/intimidator that would be most helpful.

[mingus]

Out of the core of bigs, spurs really lack shotblocking/intimidation. Duncan with his limited mobility and age needs to have a young agile leaper next to him, that's why I always thought Tyrus Thomas would have been the perfect compliment.

Remains to be seen how much Splitter will help in this regard, he seems pretty mobile, but not really the shotblocker/intimidator that would be most helpful.

Your probably right, though I think the Spurs can get away with what the have as far as the defensive presense down low assumming Splitter plays up to his expectations. However there's no way the Spurs are going to be able to get away with not having a defensive wing in the roatation. Which is why I think this team should make a trade for one.

[polandprzem]

All those ABCDEF means nothing unless you get W

haven't seen the game but after watching the game numero uno it seems like the spurs are off the rythm esp when it comes to rotations. It looks like Pop still setting a battle for the starting job. Well I think two positions are lock PG and PF. Other positions got to be settled.

[Russ]

Defense looked old and slow, it felt like the Dragic game the way CP3 was getting those layups.

If the Spurs' defense doesn't become a constant that can turn around a game, the Spurs can't go very far. Not looking too promising right now.

The Big Three are what they are. They won't get better defensively (or ever regain their old form). That leaves almost no margin for error.

The Spurs need to roll the dice with Anderson and force feed him into the lineup earlier than they would like. He has a strange shotblocking ability for a guy with his size and quickness. That may be a sign of tenacity that can be harnessed in the Spurs' scheme.

Then Splitter needs to be an anchor in the middle -- not an athletic force at the rim -- he can't do that. But rather a "glue" in the middle of the Spurs team D, a cohesive force that holds it together. He just may have the experience and basketball IQ to perfom that role.

I'm afraid the Spurs' chances to become a strong defensive team may hinge on the sooner-than-planned contributions of those two new players.

[rascal]

The team is an F. We struggled with one lotto team in the opener, and now against a team projected to be in the lotto this year, they come in a beat us in our own house. Anyone can score on us inside. Guys off the street even!

Guys 6 foot to 6-4 getting in the lane and finishing. Blair has been awfffuullll! WTF did he work on this summer? How can you not come up with one post move all summer???

I dont understand what the FO is thinking when year after year we have gotten worse at defending the lane, yet we do nothing to improve it. TD cant defend very well anymore and is no longer feared, and Blair is worse than Bonner on D.

The fact we cant defend the paint makes use have to sag off shooters making our perimeter guys struggle to defend.

We need to make a move for a big unless splitter turns out to be a big time post defender.

good post. Don't count on Splitter being a big time defender.

[Cane]

I blame this loss mostly on Tony Parker and Tim Duncan, they both looked even worse than they did in their low points last year (and they're supposed to be healthy and rested!) and for both of them that wasn't a good season. They looked like they were sleepwalking out there, absolutely pathetic effort especially since they had a few days of rest since the last game and the Spurs need every win at "our house".

Blake Griffin is going to humiliate the Spurs lazy defense and the lack of vertical leap from our frontcourt....I'm seeing a lot of dunks and blocks from that guy. Tiago's going to see firsthand the difference between elite Euro athletes and American ones next game....wonder if Tiago will get minutes defending either Kaman or Griffin - both should be good tests but then again Tiago's probably going to be rusty as hell.

[The Truth #6]

Does it seem like the dedication to running the break more lasted all of one half in the first game? Obviously it got out of hand because the defense suffered. But in that first quarter of the first game the offensive sets had more fluidity and it seemed like the team was trying to rely less on Tim by pounding the ball in every time like they always do. As a result, RJ looked pretty good in the first part of the first game.

This game seemed like a return to what we're more used to seeing on offense. Dump it in to Tim. Jack up 3s. I don't think it was a coincidence that RJ hardly got the ball during the first half. Yes, the game was tied at the break but we'd already given up the majority of our lead. I think they should still consider ways to diversify the offense. They don't have to run like the Suns but variety in the halfcourt would be beneficial.

[Spurs Brazil]

The defense was terrible in the 3rd. CP3 killed Tony and TD and Blair did a terrible job helping. Rotations were always late.

I really hope Tiago can help our D

[Pauleta14]

I'm trying to stay positive, and I liked a few things during that game...

- Neal and Anderson can be productive THIS year , no doubt about it

- Hill is showing some improvement in the playmaking

- Splitter and Bonner were out, Duncan wasn't Duncan, and we still managed to almost win that game without any relevant big man (sorry McDyess, I know you'll be there for the PO...)

- RJ is not perfect yet, but it's "night and day" compared to last year so we can (resonably) be optimistic..

[dbestpro]

There are positives. Neal and Anderson look like the are going to be contributors. Splitter will allow Blair to go back to what he does best. I think in very short time we have seen that Blair and Duncan do not play well together. That is okay as long as Pop does not continue to try and force their play together. While Splitter may not have huge numbers, his play may give us the chemistry we need to maximize our team play.

[Dex]

If there is a silver lining to this dark cloud, its that Jefferson got the highest grade on the team.

[8FOR!3]

The fans were dead because there was hardly anyone there. The arena was about 60-70% full. I was there in Section 225 and felt like I was the only screaming for the Spurs while everyone else sat on their ass. No one even stood up for the starting lineup. It was pathetic!

I tried to move down to the COUNTLESS empty seats in the lower bowl at halftime but the damn ushers have turned into the Gestapo this year, when it comes to checking tickets! I got sent "back to my seat" by 3 different ushers in 3 different sections before giving up and going back to my Row 12 upper deck tix that cost $41 a piece.

You'd think the Spurs would want us to move down to fill the empty seats after halftime to make it look better on TV, but instead they are making ushers check for tickets more and banishing people to the upper deck.

I agree. It was so awkward. There were times at the Alamo Dome when people would stand up half the game.

[Agloco]

Sorry, but Timmy gets an F. No way should he be playing like this at any point in the season, much less in the second one. It's games like this that make me very nervous about his ability to get through an entire season.

Hopefully the wheels haven't fallen off.....