a somewhat scary obsevation

[TDfan2007]

At least from all the games I've seen, Splitter seems unable to either back his man down in the post or hold his defensive position in the post. If he's really going to make a difference against the Lakers he needs to seriously hit the weights and work on his core/lower body strength.

Against most other teams Tiago's mobility will be a great asset, but against LA, with their gigantic frontcourt, he needs to play big.

Am I alone in this observation, or have you guys noticed this too?

[ducks]

he is a rookie

[ChuckD]

He finishes soft on offense, and almost always tries to draw a charge on defense. You're 7'0" Tiago. Block a fucking shot once in a while. None of this is incurable, but I think it's the reason he isn't seeing time. He's playing like a wing.

[Sigz]

He sucks

[Mel_13]

At least from all the games I've seen, Splitter seems unable to either back his man down in the post or hold his defensive position in the post. If he's really going to make a difference against the Lakers he needs to seriously hit the weights and work on his core/lower body strength.

Against most other teams Tiago's mobility will be a great asset, but against LA, with their gigantic frontcourt, he needs to play big.

Am I alone in this observation, or have you guys noticed this too?

You're not alone. Tiago's shortcomings have been noticed and discussed at length.

[xmas1997]

It's not something that can't be fixed and I'm sure the coaching staff and Tiago are working on it. He gets better almost every game he plays.

[ChuckD]

I noticed that Pop is intentionally holding him out of games against more athletic front lines like ORL and last night against ATL.

[weebo]

He's a rookie and readjusting from a Euro-style of play. He missed pretty much all camp due to injury. Give the guy a chance. He looks legit

[biskvito]

I hope Tiago and his agent are figuring something better for him, just in case this tendency proves to be reality. This is a career killer situation for him. He should be playing, period. He's a "rookie" going into 26 years old. He said himself the team was ready when he got it, well gtfo then, for you good. This kind of altruism have no place in NBA. This is Phoenix Suns all over again, the lineup is packed, the coach doesn't really have a good place for you, just eject the plane before is too late. The clock is ticking fast for Tiago.

[ducks]

very few rookies get alot of minutes regular on good teams as a rookie

[Mel_13]

I hope Tiago and his agent are figuring something better for him, just in case this tendency proves to be reality. This is a career killer situation for him. He should be playing, period. He's a "rookie" going into 26 years old. He said himself the team was ready when he got it, well gtfo then, for you good. This kind of altruism have no place in NBA. This is Phoenix Suns all over again, the lineup is packed, the coach doesn't really have a good place for you, just eject the plane before is too late. The clock is ticking fast for Tiago.

:lmao:lmao:lmao

[ducks]

I hope Tiago and his agent are figuring something better for him, just in case this tendency proves to be reality. This is a career killer situation for him. He should be playing, period. He's a "rookie" going into 26 years old. He said himself the team was ready when he got it, well gtfo then, for you good. This kind of altruism have no place in NBA. This is Phoenix Suns all over again, the lineup is packed, the coach doesn't really have a good place for you, just eject the plane before is too late. The clock is ticking fast for Tiago.

yes because blair has great knees that I hope work out for a long time but you never know

[Cant_Be_Faded]

As far as him blocking shots...he has blocked one or two but it is apparent he is not a shot-blocker. Which sucks. He would have shown more swats by now. But he definitely is big enough to make a difference.

[Cessation]

Hes still adjusting, too early to make any concrete conclusions.

[TimDunkem]

He's playing exactly the way I thought he would. It's just a matter of time before he gets more minutes, and starts playing with a little more toughness.

Considering how he's always falling down and taking beatings, it shouldn't be a problem for him.

[biskvito]

yes because blair has great knees that I hope work out for a long time but you never know

see what I mean, he came in to fill up that spot, now he's sitting for Blair and others, waiting for someone to get injured to get a real chance... he got a bad deal out of this, I don't see this getting any better... the team is ready, he said himself, do the math then

[Vito Corleone]

I think at his best, his game will resemble the game of Pal Gasol, he is considered a soft player by NBA standards but he is also a very effective player.

[Mel_13]

see what I mean, he came in to fill up that spot, now he's sitting for Blair and others, waiting for someone to get injured to get a real chance... he got a bad deal out of this, I don't see this getting any better for him on this team... the team is ready, he said himself, do the math then

Dice is retiring after this season. Tim is 34. Do the math.

[maddnezz]

Hope there's a lot of tissue paper ready when Feb comes and he looks a whole lot better, don't want to slip on all the circle j*** stuff on the floor. The boy is legit. He's a rook. He aint DRob. He's better than Rasho and the other stiffs we had here. If you have so much dread don't watch, listen to 1200 woai.:rolleyes

[maddnezz]

As a matter of fact in his limited play the boy has caused more opponet turnovers and drawn more fouls than most per min. Cant even say that bout the big 3 so who needs to gtfo now? If you look for shit despite the flowers well then thats what you git!:whine

[SpursDynasty85]

Splitters out of shape because he's been injured and out of shape. More musclemass would help, but him getting more comfortable would do wonders.

[Parker2112]

you guys just miss the last year's model Dick-Jefferson-wippin-post.


But you didnt learn any lessons evidently.

[xmas1997]

I don't see what all the fuss and rush is about especially since we are winning.
Take his time and learn the NBA game the right way is all that is happening!
Any true competitor is going to get frustrated when they don't play even if winning.
Pop and staff are doing it right. And I'm quite positive Splitter knows this, but being the competitor he is, he deals with his temporary frustration, because he knows it is temporary.
Armchair coaches (fans) are always more critical.
Thank God for a so-far-winning season and an excellent coaching staff! :whine

[dbestpro]

All Splitter observations are pretty much irrelevant until he sees consistant minutes, which most likely will not happen till next season. Imagine, if we pigeon holed Oberto based off of his first year of play. There would have never been a second year.

[xmas1997]

Anyone who isn't aware that there is a learning curve to the Spurs system, just hasn't been paying much attention all these years.
Just look at the RJ scenario for a concrete example of that.
He will come around soon enough, and IMHO sooner rather than later.
Not a bit worried about how the Spurs are handling this situation. :flag:

[Roger Freemason Jr.]

Anyone who thinks we'll be okay in the long term without Splitter, is fucking high, and off of bad weed. Splitter will meet those unreasonable expectations, so stop crying about it already, if he played every single game since the beginning of the season, you'd see him comfortable in the system. Be patient.

[polandprzem]

:smirk

[Fpoonsie]

He finishes soft on offense, and almost always tries to draw a charge on defense. You're 7'0" Tiago. Block a fucking shot once in a while. None of this is incurable, but I think it's the reason he isn't seeing time. He's playing like a wing.

Yep. This. His defense reminds me of a quote an announcer gave concerning Big Baby (a guy several inches shorter than him): "He prides himself on taking charges."

[shudder]

A BIG MAN shouldn't do that, but Tiago...[sigh]

[SpursDynasty85]

He's not your typical NBA big. His ceiling,atleast for the spurs, is hopefully a starting "center" on a championship team.

[Russ]

Pop gave up on Robinson and got proved wrong (to his delight).

He gave up Mahinmi (but Ian was give-upable).

Pop won't give up on Splitter -- he knows the next ring depends upon it.

Splitter is smart enough and physical enough to adjust to the NBA by May.

[jjktkk]

Pop gave up on Robinson and got proved wrong (to his delight).

He gave up Mahinmi (but Ian was give-upable).

Pop won't give up on Splitter -- he knows the next ring depends upon it.

Splitter is smart enough and physical enough to adjust to the NBA by May.

How did pop give up on Robinson?

[mathbzh]

A few weeks ago on a French TV show, I heard Noah explaining how hard it is for a big man to make the transition from college to the NBA. He was suddenly asked to contain the "Shaq" of the NBA and he said the adjustment is huge and that it is not only about hitting the weight.
It is probably the same for Splitter.

[Russ]

How did pop give up on Robinson?

Summer. 2001.

[G-Dawgg]

He sucks

....badly..

[jjktkk]

Summer. 2001.

Disagree.

[DMC]

Some of you are cherry picking. When posters here make the same kind of negative appraisals of people who have gone on to do absolutely nothing notable, it's crickets, but let one slip through and everyone is like "ha ha ha... you don't know shit... "

Fanboys can love everyone. The rest of us will critique as we see fit.

[mingus]

the only scary observation is that Bonner is playing an inordinate amount of minutes in games wehre he's not a difference maker. he was for shit last night.

[jjktkk]

the only scary observation is that Bonner is playing an inordinate amount of minutes in games wehre he's not a difference maker. he was for shit last night.

Bonner played well last night. May not of filled up the boxscore. But he made some nice hustle plays.

[G-Dawgg]

the only scary observation is that Bonner is playing an inordinate amount of minutes in games wehre he's not a difference maker. he was for shit last night.

Not every player will make an impact in every game, every single minute they spend on the court... in fact most role-players don't.

You can't expect huge games from him everyday.
What you can expect is for him to play solid position defence every night and hit the occasional 3 to keep defenses honest.

[ChuckD]

Summer. 2001.

No.

If he had "given up" on David, he would have finished his career as a Knick. He did misjudge his reaction to being asked to take a one year cheapie to be followed by a contract pretty much like he signed so that they could go after a FA.

[mystargtr34]

He has a pretty thick lower body compared to his upper body... his body shape reminds me a little of Pau Gasol... so he hould be able to hold his own in post up situations a little better than he has shown. It could also be a little to do with him not wanting to bang too much and create contact because the game is called more tightly in the NBA than in Europe.

His size will obviously be important against the Lakers.. Pau is a finesse player so he will rarely overpower anyone in the post.. so Splitter should have the length and mobility to be in the vicinity of his shots and at least have a prescence defensively. Plus he is the Spurs best matchup for Odom.

[SpursDynasty85]

Summer. 2001.



I'm not sure where your going with this because the story I heard is that RC Buford wanted to let David Go and sign a younger player. Greg Popovich was the one that hold him that was stupid.

[TDfan2007]

the only scary observation is that Bonner is playing an inordinate amount of minutes in games wehre he's not a difference maker. he was for shit last night.

Bonner gets minutes because he is a THREAT from outside and opens up driving lanes for Manu and Tony/gives Tim more room to work in the post. He fills his role well. My one gripe with him is that he still defends post players by putting two forearms on their backs. It's clearly illegal and also really stupid because he doesn't contest shots quickly enough. That nitpick aside, he's fine.

Also I'm not expressing concern over Splitter not getting the system. That'll come. I'm just shocked at how relatively weak he is. Right now he's a very good/great pnr defender and solid at running the floor, but that's it. His post game on offense is not NBA-ready and he's not strong enough to be an effective enough rebounder and post defender YET. These are the reason's why he's not getting PT.

[DMC]

Bonner played well last night. May not of filled up the boxscore. But he made some nice hustle plays.
Wait wait wait wait... but but... the box score tells quality of the game, right? So if Bonner's box score was shit, his game was shit, right?

[DMC]

Most Euro bigs are weak. They are taught to take charges, not defend. Tell me a good big European player who is a good defender.

[angelbelow]

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=167696

[Leonard Curse]

i think spurs fan have no idea that pop has made him his personal sheep. first of all how many games has tiago played? he cant get into shape you fools!!!! YET bonner being here for 4 years or so not doing anything for this club until recently is excusable?? and your knocking tiagos first month of play??? if you can call that play!! im sorry but thats ridiculous

[Leonard Curse]

i know certain guys defense is a :rolleyes :lmao:lol face. so i wont be replying to guys who think theyre superior by replying with smiley faces. lol

[will_spurs]

Tiago needs time. At first I was afraid he was really in Pop's doghouse, but it looks like Pop has decided to play against weaker frontcourt to get him used to the NBA - that's what he was doing with Blair last year, and this year he put him against the best as a starter... tough situation for Blair but he's starting to manage it just fine.

Compare Blair year 1 vs year 2. Hill year 1 vs year 2. RJ year 1 vs year 2.

Splitter will be a nice bench player by the end of the season (think Hill at the end of year 1), then they will have the whole summer to really get him into shape and work on the specifics of his game. Next year he gets consistent PT and averages 10 & 10.