Free Tiago

[Bruno]

That's all.

[silverblk mystix]

Novak is getting more playing time now...

We know what Pop's priorities are now...


The playoffs will be live by the 3 or die by the 3...

[timtonymanu]

Forget about having some ounce of post defense.

Shooting 3's are more important especially when your best 3 pt shooters will brick those in the playoffs.

[jag]

Free that man! Free him damnit!

[GrandeDavid]

Agreed. Spurs so average and committed to lazily getting rolled by good teams, they might as well start Splitter. They can only play better with him.

[200 miles]

Unless Splitter is going get worked into the rotation from this point on, I don't see the Spurs getting past even the second round. With Pop's idiotic choices of Bonner, Blair and Novak for substantial minutes, they are royally fucked. After Duncan and Dice, Tiago is the next best defensive big.

Defense wins championships, Pop.

Do the right thing and free HIM, Pop.

If not, then damn you to hell, Pop!

[spursballer21]

Thank you Bruno. Free Tiago Splitter!

[MaNu4Tres]

Co fucking sign.

Blair/Bonner front-court has to end for fucking defensive sake.

[DieHardSpursFan1537]

Free him!

[DesignatedT]

Please no Bonner/Blair lineups in the playoffs. Especially against DAL and LA.

[alchemist]

they need to get him going otherwise teams will just study tape of the Lakers/Spurs game and shut them down. They need to post more people because the pick-and-roll play is getting shut down by decent-to-good teams.

[jag]

Free that man!!!!


http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/392141/tiago-splitter-2009-9-6-23-40-37_medium.jpg

[splitterthefuture]

Let my people go!

[Ice009]

Agreed. Spurs so average and committed to lazily getting rolled by good teams, they might as well start Splitter. They can only play better with him.

lol that actually has some merit.

Instead of starting Antonio, Pop should have had a look at starting Splitter earlier in the season. If he wanted to set a defensive tone then Splitter could have done that and started for 5 minutes like Blair and then you can bring McDyess in, that way you don't have that horrible Blair and Bonner defensive pairing off of the bench.

It would also cover up Tiago's offensive struggles if he started as he wouldn't be asked to score a lot and who knows with Manu and TP feeding him the ball he might of actually been a bigger offensive weapon starting the game. IMO the best pairing for Tiago was to start him with TD and the rest of the starters as Manu and TP are the two that could make the most use of Tiago's offensive skills.

Unbelievable choice from Pop to never play him with Tim.

[jag]

For the love of God and all that is sacred and holy in this world Free THAT Man!

[J Mack]

come by here my Lord come by here!!!! :depressed

[Chomag]

Why play defence, we want to play fun-ball - Steve Nash

[jag]

He must be set free!

http://prosportsblogging.com/psb/uploads/2010/07/TiagoSplitter1.jpg

[ploto]

Too late... not going to happen now. :(

[Holden_Caulfield]

i concur.

[Giuseppe]

Pop's vanity will never permit it.

Good.

[easy7]

Here we go.... :flag: :flag: :flag:

[Marco]

You mean Pop's turdiness.

[wildbill2u]

Out-rebounded by 14. Kept our shooters and drivers bottled up with great defense. The Heat kicked our butts.

[Borosai]

The Spurs needed to sacrifice some wins this year to develop their only other true big. Now they'll have to play small ball and hope for some inspired performances every series.

[Thompson]

I cannot fathom why he hasn't gotten more time, especially in blowout situations. I don't care if Pop is personally responsible for all four championships, it just doesn't make any sense. If the only way for him to improve is with playing time, and he can't change the outcome of the game in blowouts, why not give him some freaking time?!

Anderson should get a lot more time also, while we're at it.

[jjktkk]

Next year unfortunately.

[ElNono]

Pop already made his mid-season adjustment moving Dice to the starting lineup and moving Novak in front of Tiago on the bench... he'll consider your request next season...

[Death In June]

Pop had the majority of the season to develop the guy but he chose not to. That decision is not likely to change.

[VI_Massive]

I agree that Tiago needs more playing time, and immediately. As far as I can tell, he was ready to play with about 20 games left in the regular season and Pop isn't going to play him. I'm sure Pop sees it as too late to integrate someone so new, but I don't agree and I'm sure lots of you don't, especially in light of the Spurs late rebounding and front line defense woes. Inevitably we will hear from Pop that "unfortunately he was injured and we couldn't work him into the rotation," and I agree that Tiago's injuries kept him from having the ideal integration process, but the big three aren't getting any younger, and I don't think it's wise to give up on a player like Tiago, who might fill a hole you have on the roster, with approximately 25% of the season left.

And though he's unfamiliar with the NBA, it's not as if Tiago is a 19 year old novice. He's played in professional leagues, at their highest level of competition. If Gary Neal is prepared for a shot at the big time, so is Tiago. Ok rant over.

[Chomag]

Don't need defence if Spurs can just shoot 3's

[VI_Massive]

Don't need defence if Spurs can just shoot 3's

Yes and that's proven to work as a strategy to succeed in the NBA playoffs.

[rmt]

Don't see why Anderson and Novak are getting playing time over Splitter when our biggest problem is interior defense. If I were Splitter, I'd leave the Spurs when my contract was over. What a waste of one year of his professional career.

Too late now. I guess my hope will be for DAL to beat LA, then for DAL to choke and then for some injury to whichever team reaches the Finals from the East. That's the only way I see the Spurs winning. Contenders are getting healthy and locking down on defense.

[rmt]

Next year unfortunately.

That'll be too late. Duncan will be a year older and TP and Manu will be exhausted from NT play over the summer.

That 5 game lead over the rest of league should have been sacrificed to integrate Splitter. Having another option instead of Bonner (who'll choke in the playoffs) and Blair who's too short would be nice especially if, God forbid, TD gets in foul trouble in even 1 playoff game.

[Capt Bringdown]

Splitter should have starting from the get-go, Pop played the entire thing stupidly ass-backwards. Blair has no future as a starter period, as a starting center in the NBA even less.
Positioning Splitter as a serviceable big alongside Duncan gives you all kinds of options. Our current arrangement with Bonner/Blair/Dice and Novak(!) is a fragile house of cards that will collapse under the strong winds of playoff basketball.
So, we get the regular season medal. Big deal, I ain't impressed. Job one should have been getting Duncan some help. End of

[thOOdee]

yup.....duncan has been here for how many years and not one decent big to stick next to him....and when i mean big i mean 7 footer to go with our "power forward"....shit

[Sean Cagney]

No religion can save us now, period...... Spurs are done IMO as far as titles go, the cold hard truth.

[mathbzh]

No religion can save us now, period...... Spurs are done IMO as far as titles go, the cold hard truth.

I am afraid I agree. We can discuss the rotation and how much Tiago can help, if Duncan does not have one last great playoffs run... it's over.

[Sean Cagney]

I am afraid I agree. We can discuss the rotation and how much Tiago can help, if Duncan does not have one last great playoffs run... it's over.

Yep, since 08 I waited for another RUN, Manu got hurt and they lost to LA in 5, after that nothing else sides a late surge last year and a Dallas outing has happened! I swore #5 was coming, but now I am not sure at all and think that was their last run in 07, 08 came close but they fell short. I feel Tim is nearly done now, he is not nearly him, and without Tim being near him how the hell can they go far? THEY WILL NOT.

It was a great run, 4 titles and many winning years! Spurs even are gonna get 60 plus this year, but as far as titles go that left in 07, our last run IMO when Tim was at his fullest and Bowen here and another C next to him who could play some. Our D has left us, our game now is running and threes and we know that never won a thing.

[Ice009]

Splitter should have starting from the get-go, Pop played the entire thing stupidly ass-backwards. Blair has no future as a starter period, as a starting center in the NBA even less.
Positioning Splitter as a serviceable big alongside Duncan gives you all kinds of options. Our current arrangement with Bonner/Blair/Dice and Novak(!) is a fragile house of cards that will collapse under the strong winds of playoff basketball.
So, we get the regular season medal. Big deal, I ain't impressed. Job one should have been getting Duncan some help. End of

Like I said starting Splitter or having him play next to Tim along with Tony and Manu is the best place for him. I really thought he was going to start early in the season.

[Giuseppe]

Pop still has time to install Splitter. It's late, but, not too late if he goes very soon.

I just pray that he doesn't. That he stubbornly insists to brazen it out with Dice. That move alone was a shocker, forsaking Blair like that.

[urunobili]

Free him now!

[Dr. Gonzo]

lol

[4>0rings]

I don't understand why the Spurs FO wanted this guy so bad for years to only have him stuck on the bench. He's not really young so these years matter, he can't just waste a year cause Pop has this hatred of playing new guys.

[Bruno]

Pop excuses for not playing Splitter is BS. It was something in the line "it won't be fair for the team". He didn't want to hurt the team record by spending time developing Splitter.

First, Splitter won't be taking playing time of HOF in their prime. While Splitter won't be at first as good as a Bonner or a Blair, the drop off (if there is one) won't be that big. Splitter could also catch quickly their level. Giving consistent playing time to Tiago could have been a move that would have hurt Spurs only briefly and only a little.

Second, do you really think Duncan, Parker and Ginobili cares a lot about Spurs winning 65 games instead of 60 games? What is important for them is winning the title. Developing Splitter to have him ready for the playoffs should have been the priority even at the cost of HCA.

Third, Pop has already done this kind of "unfair" moves. For example, in 08-09, Bonner was significantly better than Horry during the regular season. Pop hurt Spurs regular season record by playing Horry and putting Bonner in the doghouse.


Pop is turning into D'Antoni: regular season and offense first. The only part of "old" Pop remaining is that he is still great at limiting minutes of the oldest players.

[lazerelmo]

http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/593/mosesl.jpg

LET MY TIAGO GO!

[Brazil]

Pop is turning into D'Antoni: regular season and offense first. The only part of "old" Pop remaining is that he is still great at limiting minutes of the oldest players.

Difficult to complain about Pop tbh, results are here. His coaching whatever we think gives two key stuff for the POs: spurs will have HCA and he preserved the big three in terms of minutes. It is great coaching IMO.

I think Pop had two priorities: HCA and big 3 health no matter what these are solid and consistent priorities. On top of that he helped to develop a good scoring option off the bench with Neal, he also contributed to the RJ improvement, he also preserved well Dice. In counterpart he failed with Tiago, this team is no more an elite D team (part of the responsability is on Pop), we struggle to rebound the damn ball (not sure Tiago would help), sometime we are soft (see Hill George) and I blame Pop for that. All in all its not a bad balance.

After last year disaster Spurs are in the 5th ring race not as favorites but at least with a chance this is already huge.

[thOOdee]

free splitter!

[200 miles]

I've said it once and I'll say it again: Pop will drive this team into the ground from contenders to the middle-of-the-pack or lower in the coming years.

Sorry, Timmy.

Sorry, Tiago.

[Knoxxx]

When Splitter came in and put a body on Gasol he could not do much. Duncan on the other hand is more of a finesse player now and struggles mightily against anyone his size that doesn't trip over their own feet as TD is now prone to do. Sad to see him struggle to match up with Gasol when he used to own that dude in his prime, but such is life.

Shame on Pop for not realizing that two over the hill bigs and Blair is not going to get us a ring. Splitter is really our only shot to shore up our interior. Hope I am wrong but I think I share the sentiment of many who have seen the recent blowout losses.

[jag]

Pop excuses for not playing Splitter is BS. It was something in the line "it won't be fair for the team". He didn't want to hurt the team record by spending time developing Splitter.

First, Splitter won't be taking playing time of HOF in their prime. While Splitter won't be at first as good as a Bonner or a Blair, the drop off (if there is one) won't be that big. Splitter could also catch quickly their level. Giving consistent playing time to Tiago could have been a move that would have hurt Spurs only briefly and only a little.

Second, do you really think Duncan, Parker and Ginobili cares a lot about Spurs winning 65 games instead of 60 games? What is important for them is winning the title. Developing Splitter to have him ready for the playoffs should have been the priority even at the cost of HCA.

Third, Pop has already done this kind of "unfair" moves. For example, in 08-09, Bonner was significantly better than Horry during the regular season. Pop hurt Spurs regular season record by playing Horry and putting Bonner in the doghouse.


Pop is turning into D'Antoni: regular season and offense first. The only part of "old" Pop remaining is that he is still great at limiting minutes of the oldest players.


You are a wise man, Bruno.


Free Tiago and he'll kiss every black baby in America! Free this man!

http://www.nba.com/spurs/photos/101207_christus_670.jpg

[Bruno]

Difficult to complain about Pop tbh, results are here. His coaching whatever we think gives two key stuff for the POs: spurs will have HCA and he preserved the big three in terms of minutes. It is great coaching IMO.

I guess it depends on how you value things.

Personally , I've never value HCA a lot given that NBA playoffs are 7 games series.

Spurs being that average defensively is something I find disastrous. It's not only about Splitter, there are also some troubles on the perimeter. I find it very telling that after trying 7 SFs this year, Pop finally decide to stick with Novak, one of worst defensive player in the league. Pop has also given up on putting back James Anderson in the rotation while he showed good things on both end of the court before his injury.

Integrating Splitter and to a lesser extend Anderson was crucial for Spurs and it is far from sure that Spurs would have a worst record if they had decided to do it.

[jag]

Release the chains that bind him!

http://48minutesofhell.com/48minutesofhell.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/splitter.jpg

[rascal]

People in here still hoping for this bust to be the answer.

[MaNu4Tres]

Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.

http://www.zonabasket.es/wp-content/uploads/tiago-splitter-levanto-el-dedo-como-n-1-tras-ganar-al-barca-acb.jpg

Free Splitter!!

[ernest787]

you guys are funny.

when Tiago does play everyone complains about him being soft, not knowing what is going on, and not being able to rebound the ball.

The Spurs then lose a couple games and suddenly he is the savior.

Personally, I think Tiago will eventually help the Spurs, but I think you have seen in his limited minutes this year that he was not NBA ready. Getting hurt didn't help his case much.

The Spurs are a different team this year and I think it's for the best. It is weird to see them running up and down the court and scoring like they have while sacrificing some defense. Pop realizes they are not big enough to match up with the Lakers in the half court, even if everything fell perfectly into place and Tiago met all expectations.

Instead of trying to do that, Pop has decided to try to exploit other match-ups and if have the Spurs try to out run the Lakers to limit their size. I really believe this to be the Spurs best chance to beat that team. Everyone over-reacts and likes to call us the Suns, but the truth is we are nothing like them besides our ability to score this year. If we need to we can still play the half court game. We just aren't going to pound the ball down your throat anymore. We have slacked on Defense too, but I've seen them lock up teams in crunch time when they need to.

I think Pop and the Spurs players both know they have locked up HCA in the West and weather good or bad, they are just riding into the playoffs.

I'm ready for April

[rascal]

Don't need defence if Spurs can just shoot 3's

In the regular season with loose defense players like Bonner, Neal can knock down the open 3s but in the playoffs when the defense tightens the open 3s are no longer there. Bonner becomes worthless with defensive pressure because he doesn't have the ability to create his own shot. Neal is better at shooting off the dribble but his numbers will also go down with added defense. manu and jefferson have not been shooting the ball well overall. I don't see where all the 3 point shots will come in the playoffs.

[Brazil]

I guess it depends on how you value things.

Personally , I've never value HCA a lot given that NBA playoffs are 7 games series.

Spurs being that average defensively is something I find disastrous. It's not only about Splitter, there are also some troubles on the perimeter. I find it very telling that after trying 7 SFs this year, Pop finally decide to stick with Novak, one of worst defensive player in the league. Pop has also given up on putting back James Anderson in the rotation while he showed good things on both end of the court before his injury.

Integrating Splitter and to a lesser extend Anderson was crucial for Spurs and it is far from sure that Spurs would have a worst record if they had decided to do it.

It's true it really depends on how we value things. In my case, I do think that having HCA will be important for this squad especially knowing how bad Hill is playing on the road.

Now what I appreciate and recognize is not this particular priority but the fact that Pop defined a strategy / a line before the beginning of the season and he is following it.

This strategy (fighting for a good spot and ensure HCA at least for the first rounds + limiting minutes of the old guys) is consistent and makes sense.
Then his obvious priority was to establish a game plan with sharp outside shooting especially from 3 so he renewed Bonner contract, worked with RJ to improve that, selected JA and went to an unknown (for NBA standard) Euro player to go that direction. Once again this is consistent.

Nevertheless I do think he underestimated our front court weaknesses in particular rebounds. His plan was surely to play Blair in the starting 5 to preserve Dice and then give the starting job to Dice for the POs. Unfortunately Blair rebounding effort is too up and down for the second unit and our guards effort on long rebound is pitiful so far.

He is also incapable to fix our perimeter Defense, it is a mess and Hill has a lot of responsabilities here, Pop overestimated the Hill D qualities.

Finally the SF back-up spot is a huge mess, here IMO he failed badly for counting too much (?) on JA who was recovering from tough injury.


All in all we are in better shape than the last seasons I'm not sure it will be enough but at least he is giving a shot to the big 3 if healthy and if Tim can be closer to a prime Duncan rather than a retired Duncan.

[jag]

Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.

http://www.zonabasket.es/wp-content/uploads/tiago-splitter-levanto-el-dedo-como-n-1-tras-ganar-al-barca-acb.jpg

Free Splitter!!

Hear, Hear! I demand this man be freed!!!

[Knoxxx]

Like I said over and over, Splitter is incredibly overrated by this fan base.

The point here is not that "Splitter is the savior" it's that we are pathetic against teams with quality bigs. Splitter is a big body that can get up and down the court quickly and disrupt guys like Gasol. He can also bang on Bynum who owned TD. Just because Splitter is not the next D ROB does not mean he can't help our team. MyDyess, TD, and Blair all got exposed against the Lakers, and we know the road goes through them.

[SourCandy]

Wow season is almost over and no splitter. I was pretty sure Pop would work him in for the last part of the season to get him ready for playoffs at least as back up. Or to go against the lakers front line. Still nothing...splitter sits on the bench. I don't know what pop is waiting for tbh. But to put duncan and dyess both aging in the long hard playoff run is crazy. Only hope is the occasional nights duncan will feel like superman and that wont happen often. He will tire rather quick to the big men of LA. Bonner...lol jeeze. Blair has the fire and heart...god bless him. Sometimes I think God made him a few inches to short just so Blair wouldn't rape the NBA. That leaves Tiago...i can understand spurs fans frustration really. I hope for you spurs fans sake pop frees spliiter or this la sa battle will be short lived. The odds are just to stacked. I see the lakers taking this run and sa fighting every step of the way.
I hope in one of the blow outs pop lets splitter play and he gives bynum and gasol a run for their money and pop can finally see and say "hey I think I should have played spliiter"

[2Cleva]

LOL. Great stuff.

Splitter looked good this past summer. He was the main reason I was concerned about SA as a Laker fan. Another true big next to Duncan is the missing link.

I don't know if he truly sucks or Pop doesn't like him but this season obviously will be a bust for him. Works out great for the Lakers.

[Knoxxx]

I hope in one of the blow outs pop lets splitter play and he gives bynum and gasol a run for their money and pop can finally see and say "hey I think I should have played spliiter"

I think that already happened. Gasol was like "WTH" when we put Splitter on him he looked near tears.

[jsandiego]

I've said it once and I'll say it again: Pop will drive this team into the ground from contenders to the middle-of-the-pack or lower in the coming years. keep saying it and it will eventually come true.

[jsandiego]

Our weakness is rebounding. Splitter has been weak in the upper-body all year, and his best offensive move thus far is a hook shot that starts at his waist. He's still needs time to bulk up for the NBA game. Might as well put in Bonner, who also can't rebound, but at least stretches the floor.

[Dex]

Isn't going to happen. Not this season.

[SplitterHook]

The point here is not that "Splitter is the savior" it's that we are pathetic against teams with quality bigs. Splitter is a big body that can get up and down the court quickly and disrupt guys like Gasol. He can also bang on Bynum who owned TD. Just because Splitter is not the next D ROB does not mean he can't help our team. MyDyess, TD, and Blair all got exposed against the Lakers, and we know the road goes through them.

I find quite disturbing how people don't understand this. We're not saying Splitter is the white Shaq ffs.

He's a guy that helps us match up better against most contenders.

[Brazil]

Our weakness is rebounding. Splitter has been weak in the upper-body all year, and his best offensive move thus far is a hook shot that starts at his waist. He's still needs time to bulk up for the NBA game. Might as well put in Bonner, who also can't rebound, but at least stretches the floor.

the Tiago rebounds number per minutes are not so bad he is obviously an upgrade compared to Bonner. You cannot say put Bonner cauz he sucks equally at rebounding the ball but at least he can shoot a 3 !

[ChumpDumper]

Like I said over and over, Splitter is incredibly overrated by this fan base.And Greeks are incredibly overrated by you.

[tmtcsc]

Free him for what ? So he can take a charge ? That's about all he's done well all season. He doesn't rebound well, his shot looks awful, he bricks FT's and looks lost on the court.

I was holding out hope that he might be a player for us but Splitter's having a horrible year and can't stay healthy enough to get in a rhythm. And that's giving him the benefit of the doubt. He's weak, gets shoved around and can't seem to get a rebound unless it falls in to his hands when he has played.

Maybe we'll get a surprise like GHill gave us when Pop played him in the playoffs his rookie year. Chances are slim though.

[DPG21920]

With Tiago or not, at this point, the Spurs are in trouble. They are a very solid team, but for a team with serious title hopes, they have a lot of holes. Many may disagree, and they might be able to overcome the problems, but it is going to take an epic playoff run and they have no margin for error.

[SA210]

Pop being Pop
:pctoss

[++SaiNt TiAg0++]

oh how ive been waiting for this thread !!!!!!!!! FREEE MEEEEEEE!~!!!!!!!!!!

[++SaiNt TiAg0++]

In the regular season with loose defense players like Bonner, Neal can knock down the open 3s but in the playoffs when the defense tightens the open 3s are no longer there. Bonner becomes worthless with defensive pressure because he doesn't have the ability to create his own shot. Neal is better at shooting off the dribble but his numbers will also go down with added defense. manu and jefferson have not been shooting the ball well overall. I don't see where all the 3 point shots will come in the playoffs.

great post :toast i've always thought of bonner as just choking in the playoffs however it is a little of both one thing is for sure bonners shooting form allows him to shoot over anybody in the nba but he doesnt have the balls to take the shot with confidence.

seeing his great percentage this year, bonner is an intelligent individual who will take this into account (his season 3pt avrg. 51%)as hes bricking up balls in the playoffs digging his grave. all teams have to do is get the ball to bonners man and its over 99% of the time. this is not opinion its a fact

[DPG21920]

It's true it really depends on how we value things. In my case, I do think that having HCA will be important for this squad especially knowing how bad Hill is playing on the road.

Now what I appreciate and recognize is not this particular priority but the fact that Pop defined a strategy / a line before the beginning of the season and he is following it.

This strategy (fighting for a good spot and ensure HCA at least for the first rounds + limiting minutes of the old guys) is consistent and makes sense.
Then his obvious priority was to establish a game plan with sharp outside shooting especially from 3 so he renewed Bonner contract, worked with RJ to improve that, selected JA and went to an unknown (for NBA standard) Euro player to go that direction. Once again this is consistent.

Nevertheless I do think he underestimated our front court weaknesses in particular rebounds. His plan was surely to play Blair in the starting 5 to preserve Dice and then give the starting job to Dice for the POs. Unfortunately Blair rebounding effort is too up and down for the second unit and our guards effort on long rebound is pitiful so far.

He is also incapable to fix our perimeter Defense, it is a mess and Hill has a lot of responsabilities here, Pop overestimated the Hill D qualities.

Finally the SF back-up spot is a huge mess, here IMO he failed badly for counting too much (?) on JA who was recovering from tough injury.


All in all we are in better shape than the last seasons I'm not sure it will be enough but at least he is giving a shot to the big 3 if healthy and if Tim can be closer to a prime Duncan rather than a retired Duncan.

The perimeter defense is not the real issue though. It is the interior defense. The rebounding and points in the paint are alarming. Now, while having a good perimeter defense can help that, having a good interior defense can overcome bad perimeter defense (see LA).

Interior is the real problem and Tiago could have been the real solution, we just don't know. Point is, we should.

[Bruno]

http://estaticos02.marca.com/blogs/fuera-de-juego/imagenes_posts/2010/06/27/splitter570.jpg

Free Tiago

[Giuseppe]

With Tiago or not, at this point, the Spurs are in trouble. They are a very solid team, but for a team with serious title hopes, they have a lot of holes. Many may disagree, and they might be able to overcome the problems, but it is going to take an epic playoff run and they have no margin for error.

Yep, Deep, I for one wouldn't bet one red cent on their chances.

tee, hee.

[Cessation]

Splitter like to dress up.

[DJ Mbenga]

http://estaticos02.marca.com/blogs/fuera-de-juego/imagenes_posts/2010/06/27/splitter570.jpg

Free Tiago


:lmao

[20beastie45]

Someone should make a sign for the next home game

FREE TIAGO!!!!!

[TD 21]

LOL. Great stuff.

Splitter looked good this past summer. He was the main reason I was concerned about SA as a Laker fan. Another true big next to Duncan is the missing link.

I don't know if he truly sucks or Pop doesn't like him but this season obviously will be a bust for him. Works out great for the Lakers.

What doesn't? I continue to wait for their luck, unprecedented in the history of North American professional sports, to run out. Yet it never does.

It's the typical "first year, wait your turn" nonsense. People will say "what about Hill, Blair, etc.?" , but the difference was the Spurs didn't have rotation caliber players ahead of them.

I think the biggest thing Pop has struggled with has been, who to subtract from the big rotation? This nine man rotation has gotten the team to this point. Blair and Bonner have both played a part, they've both been part of this team beyond this season and I think Pop feels a sense of loyalty to them. But deep down, he's got to know they can't win a championship if those two are paired together. The problem is, if he drops Bonner, then they're playing two non shooting bigs together and if he drops Blair, then they're playing two sub par rebounding bigs together.

What Pop needed was an opening to justify dropping either from the rotation. The Lakers game provided that because it gave way to their first extended stretch of bad play this season. Now, he's got a reason to make a change that goes beyond the vast majority's preconceived notion of what this team needs to be successful in the long run.

Unfortunately, I have zero confidence that he'll make the necessary change.

[BackHome]

Pop is terrible when it comes to dealing with bigs he just doesn't know how to coach them other then Timmy and David. I mean how many centers have we ran out of town Rasho, Nazz, etc...

I love Pop but get a fucking clue and play the guy!

[wontstartdumbthreads]

Splitter like to dress up.

Yes. Currently he is pretending to be an NBA player.

[++SaiNt TiAg0++]

Someone should make a sign for the next home game

FREE TIAGO!!!!!

THIS!!!

tiago activist are being called out everywhere to make signs if your going to the upcoming games, or if the crowd started chanting tiago tiago i bet pop would get pissed off cause the crowd is telling him what to do. he should know the fans and players are what make the nba the nba
:flag:

[Dr. Gonzo]

This thread is so full of fail that it's amusing.

[Solid D]

Meanwhile, Bruno, Josh McRoberts continues to outpace Tiago in just about every category except for DNPs. :smokin

I know....it's all Pop's fault.

[Blackjack]

_Jag flat-out owned this thread.

[rr2418]

Apparently Pop sees something in Tiago, maybe in practice or during games that leads him to believe that he is not ready this season. A missed assignment here and there on defense spells doom for Tiago. We all think we know more than Pop but oh well, thinks just aren't going to change. I'm with everyone else here, I think Pop should play Tiago these lasts few games. Pop knows what he has in Blair, now give Tiago a real chance to show what he has!

[rmt]

you guys are funny.

when Tiago does play everyone complains about him being soft, not knowing what is going on, and not being able to rebound the ball.

The Spurs then lose a couple games and suddenly he is the savior.

Personally, I think Tiago will eventually help the Spurs, but I think you have seen in his limited minutes this year that he was not NBA ready. Getting hurt didn't help his case much.

The Spurs are a different team this year and I think it's for the best. It is weird to see them running up and down the court and scoring like they have while sacrificing some defense. Pop realizes they are not big enough to match up with the Lakers in the half court, even if everything fell perfectly into place and Tiago met all expectations.

Instead of trying to do that, Pop has decided to try to exploit other match-ups and if have the Spurs try to out run the Lakers to limit their size. I really believe this to be the Spurs best chance to beat that team. Everyone over-reacts and likes to call us the Suns, but the truth is we are nothing like them besides our ability to score this year. If we need to we can still play the half court game. We just aren't going to pound the ball down your throat anymore. We have slacked on Defense too, but I've seen them lock up teams in crunch time when they need to.

I think Pop and the Spurs players both know they have locked up HCA in the West and weather good or bad, they are just riding into the playoffs.

I'm ready for April

I think it's funny that you think the Spurs play nothing like the Suns. As Spurs fans we should know that all those easy fast-break points are going to be taken away in the playoffs.

At least in the half-court the Suns had a dominant paint scorer/finisher in Amare and Nash who is probably a better mid-range shooter than anyone on the Spurs (for when teams take away the 3 and pack the paint as LA did). TP and Manu (our primary pick and roll players) don't have anywhere near the jumper that Nash does. Wasn't that the Spurs' blueprint to beat the Suns - guard the 3pt line, make Nash a shooter and let Amare have his? Ironic, isn't it?

And no, I don't think they're riding into the playoffs. Pop usually pulls the starters early in the 4th if the game is out of reach and he didn't. I was behind the visitors' bench last night and they were trying but just couldn't score when the Heat locked down on defense.

[kaji157]

IF we keep our distance with Lakers and Mavs, we'll have a week to play before the playoffs where 5 gamesor so will be played, during this time i say our starters will play an avergae of 15-20 minutes, if Pop makes Tiago play with the starters during thos 5 games and not in a lineup of "Quinn-Neal-Anderson-Novak" i will consider that Pop gave him a chance to play and showcase himself.

Most likely, pop won't do that, he will play either Blair or McDyess to prevent Tiago from looking good so he doesn't have the extra work of finding minutes for him.

As of now, that's the best scenario i can find for Tiago. Spurs clinching the first seed early so Tiago can share some time with the starters.

[MinuteByMinuteSports]

THIS!!!

tiago activist are being called out everywhere to make signs if your going to the upcoming games, or if the crowd started chanting tiago tiago i bet pop would get pissed off cause the crowd is telling him what to do. he should know the fans and players are what make the nba the nba
:flag:

Co-sign. Get me a marker and let's start a chant. What's the worst that can happen if he plays with Timmy?

[spurs50_]

I'll be at the game against the Suns, I'll have my sign, but i hope he'll be playing by then. What are the chances?

[Josepatches_]

Not NBA ready? The best center of Europe last year? then what can you say about Neal who was a role player in Europe

Please be serious.

Splitter is ready. Varejao,Scola,Pau Gasol,Marc Gasol,Ibaka,Oberto....etc they didn't have more experience playing pro-basketball than Tiago

[thOOdee]

I'll be at the game against the Suns, I'll have my sign, but i hope he'll be playing by then. What are the chances?
:toast

[biskvito]

Not NBA ready? The best center of Europe last year...

This is now a Manu_Forever thread.

[rascal]

Not NBA ready? The best center of Europe last year? then what can you say about Neal who was a role player in Europe

Please be serious.

Splitter is ready. Varejao,Scola,Pau Gasol,Marc Gasol,Ibaka,Oberto....etc they didn't have more experience playing pro-basketball than Tiago

So he was the best center in Europe?

[rascal]

This is now a Manu_Forever thread.

Now for sure.

[moisaenz]

NO he was not. This Jose guy is clearly either Splitter himself, or a family member.

i dont think splitter himself would say that....

[Bruno]

Meanwhile, Bruno, Josh McRoberts continues to outpace Tiago in just about every category except for DNPs. :smokin

I know....it's all Pop's fault.

Meh....

[mingus]

the point of Splitter having been or not been one of the best centers is irrelevent. who cares. the bottom line is he can play when given the opportunity because he's showed that and he has a skillset that can be used. and by "opportunity" i don't mean inserting him in the lineup with the second unit or in trash time with the scrubs, or playing him in scattered minutes and seeing whether he sinks or swims. that is ludicrous. that is not how you measure all players' worth, particularly role players. by "opportunity" i mean playing with the best players. when he has been given these opportunities--which are few and far between-- he has actually done a good job considering how much limited time he has played with them. the games against Sacramento, Golden State, and Denver are the ones that stick out.

the media needs to bust his balls about this, but they're pussies.

[objective]

I've been posting about the Spurs being frauds for months now, and Splitter is the biggest part of that.

This is not a title contending team with worn out McDyess, undersized (and 2nd year slump imo) Blair, and playoff choking Matt Bonner all in the big rotation over Splitter. Hell, 10-Day Turnover Steve Novak is ahead of Splitter.

It's a joke, and the punchline is so great because of all the posters who continually pooh-poohed any concern over Splitter's lack of time all season. First it was "Bonner is the 5th big!" then came the "He missed camp, he's being worked in slowly", then the "Why mess up a good thing?" nonsense.

The Spurs are frauds who win games based on good health and the individual efforts of the big three with some regular season help from Gary Neal. That won't be good enough to win a title. They still have choke artists and disappearing acts like Bonner and Jefferson getting ready for playoff mode, they still don't have enough size without an established Splitter, and have unproven playoff commodities like Neal who could pull a Roger Mason, though I feel Neal's game is more well-rounded and can avoid a complete disaster.

Pop messing things up with his stubborness and his grudges has been posted about forever, but it seems more people are waking up to it. It's not a 'fire Pop!' declaration, it's just a frank admitting of his weaknesses; remember, nobody's perfect.

Splitter was the damn MVP of the second greatest league in the world and is getting bench-stomped by Steve Novak.

It's a disgrace, on par with some 10-day scrub getting Bowen's number.

[jag]

He must be Splitter with how over the top his statements are.

http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/2194/tiagosplitteryoumad.jpg

[BadOne]

http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/2194/tiagosplitteryoumad.jpg

:lol

[rmt]

I've been posting about the Spurs being frauds for months now, and Splitter is the biggest part of that.

This is not a title contending team with worn out McDyess, undersized (and 2nd year slump imo) Blair, and playoff choking Matt Bonner all in the big rotation over Splitter. Hell, 10-Day Turnover Steve Novak is ahead of Splitter.

It's a joke, and the punchline is so great because of all the posters who continually pooh-poohed any concern over Splitter's lack of time all season. First it was "Bonner is the 5th big!" then came the "He missed camp, he's being worked in slowly", then the "Why mess up a good thing?" nonsense.

The Spurs are frauds who win games based on good health and the individual efforts of the big three with some regular season help from Gary Neal. That won't be good enough to win a title. They still have choke artists and disappearing acts like Bonner and Jefferson getting ready for playoff mode, they still don't have enough size without an established Splitter, and have unproven playoff commodities like Neal who could pull a Roger Mason, though I feel Neal's game is more well-rounded and can avoid a complete disaster.

Pop messing things up with his stubborness and his grudges has been posted about forever, but it seems more people are waking up to it. It's not a 'fire Pop!' declaration, it's just a frank admitting of his weaknesses; remember, nobody's perfect.

Splitter was the damn MVP of the second greatest league in the world and is getting bench-stomped by Steve Novak.

It's a disgrace, on par with some 10-day scrub getting Bowen's number.

Hope this isn't true. Bowen's number should have been retired already. It's a disgrace that they've retired Avery's number and not Bruce's.

I'd never even heard of Steve Novak before he joined the Spurs.

It's a sad day in Spurs history when Pop went away from 7 footers such as Rasho and Nazr (around Dal 06 series) in favor of Bonner. No amount of practice or rotation on defense is going to matter when opponents' 7 footers are just going to shoot/rebound right over the plethora of 6' 6" players that Pop/FO are in love with & who get PT over Splitter.

The saddest thing is that the young, mobile 7 footer who might be the missing piece has been sitting on the bench in what has been otherwise a dream season where everything (health, team chemistry, rested TP and Manu) has fallen into place. Seems like a missed opportunity as it's too late now to integrate him.

And what a disservice to Duncan (in what probably is his last realistic chance of #5) instead of giving him help, he's got to wear himself out covering for Bonner/Blair. It's pathetic how bad the defense is when an almost 35 year old sits.

[Capt Bringdown]

Hope this isn't true. Bowen's number should have been retired already. It's a disgrace that they've retired Avery's number and not Bruce's.

That is a disgrace. Bowen belongs in the Pantheon of Spurs greats. One of the best to ever wear the black & silver, a vital cog in our championship era.
Avery? Not so much.


It's a sad day in Spurs history when Pop went away from 7 footers such as Rasho and Nazr (around Dal 06 series) in favor of Bonner. No amount of practice or rotation on defense is going to matter when opponents' 7 footers are just going to shoot/rebound right over the plethora of 6' 6" players that Pop/FO are in love with & who get PT over Splitter.


Couldn't help but notice Nazr being a serviceable big for OKC in tonight's win against the Heat.

That is what we're talking about here: one serviceable big. I agree something changed in the Dallas 06 series, but perhaps it's too fine a point because folks can always point to the '07 championship as validation.

But favoring 3-point specialists over serviceable bigs seems like a bad deal right now for sure...

[++SaiNt TiAg0++]

Not NBA ready? The best center of Europe last year? then what can you say about Neal who was a role player in Europe

Please be serious.

Splitter is ready. Varejao,Scola,Pau Gasol,Marc Gasol,Ibaka,Oberto....etc they didn't have more experience playing pro-basketball than Tiago

exactly remember this is the same pop who had ginobii 3years before actaully letting him play with us while he was winning titles in europe and we had smitty as our immobile sg !! people pop is dead wrong admit it. dont bullshit yourself history tells us were screwed playing bonner, ive seen tiago play bad games but even on those occasions people shy away from the paint thats obvious.

:hungry:CHANT SPURS FANS TIAGO TIAGO TIAGO TIAGO!!!!! AT THE GAME, i believe pop thinks were (spurs fans) just everyday people who dont really pay attention to everything spurs ...we need our voice to be heard!!TAKE A SIGN OF ANYKIND IMPLYING TIAGO MUST BE PLAYED
:flag:

[++SaiNt TiAg0++]

the point of Splitter having been or not been one of the best centers is irrelevent. who cares. the bottom line is he can play when given the opportunity because he's showed that and he has a skillset that can be used. and by "opportunity" i don't mean inserting him in the lineup with the second unit or in trash time with the scrubs, or playing him in scattered minutes and seeing whether he sinks or swims. that is ludicrous. that is not how you measure all players' worth, particularly role players. by "opportunity" i mean playing with the best players. when he has been given these opportunities--which are few and far between-- he has actually done a good job considering how much limited time he has played with them. the games against Sacramento, Golden State, and Denver are the ones that stick out.

the media needs to bust his balls about this, but they're pussies.

as usual mingus with the goods, the media are worthless in san antonio, not ONE MEDIA source has a pair of balls to question pop. who the hell does pop think he is acting like a complete asshole when asked about a very strange choice MAYBE POP"S BEING PAYED TO LOSE WHO KNOWS ..

i mean theres no logical explanation for leaving a defensive 7fter who could help this team win immediately, only to be benched. while his puppy dog bonner can get away with game stats of 2 points 1 rebound 0 assists playing 28mintes and being a massive liability. fuck you pop sorry guys

[++SaiNt TiAg0++]

and for those of you about to give me our record i mean "win" in the playoffs when it matters where the real player are born!! bonner is exposed in these times he claims to be really intelligent, however the playoffs are made for cerebral players, players who outsmart and out hustle their opponent. its sad to say our playoffs are in jeopardy b/c M.B

[++SaiNt TiAg0++]

Wow season is almost over and no splitter. I was pretty sure Pop would work him in for the last part of the season to get him ready for playoffs at least as back up. Or to go against the lakers front line. Still nothing...splitter sits on the bench. I don't know what pop is waiting for tbh. But to put duncan and dyess both aging in the long hard playoff run is crazy. Only hope is the occasional nights duncan will feel like superman and that wont happen often. He will tire rather quick to the big men of LA. Bonner...lol jeeze. Blair has the fire and heart...god bless him. Sometimes I think God made him a few inches to short just so Blair wouldn't rape the NBA. That leaves Tiago...i can understand spurs fans frustration really. I hope for you spurs fans sake pop frees spliiter or this la sa battle will be short lived. The odds are just to stacked. I see the lakers taking this run and sa fighting every step of the way.
I hope in one of the blow outs pop lets splitter play and he gives bynum and gasol a run for their money and pop can finally see and say "hey I think I should have played spliiter"

yup right on, and thanks
i still believe its going to come to that pops bride is really big and he is super super super stubborn and while yes hes a really awesome coach some decisions are bazarr and to me he can be an arrogant son of a bitch to us fans.

this is how it plays out : bonner in duncan in losing boards against L.A bad and its about to cost us the game IN THIS VERY MOMENT SPURS FANS WILL know if pop rather sink the whole ship than to admit hes wrong and play splitter.
i personally question pop yes he has rings but i think any really good nba coach of TIM duncans would have rings!!! remember who puts the ball in the hoop

[thOOdee]

much props if i can hear a chant on tv to anyone who goes

[FeZZy]

Dudes are fools

guy sucks

[Leonard Curse]

^^^^ so tiago sucks in the 20 minutes hes played all season,?? lol i mean if tiago sucks what word do you use to describe matt bonner!!!?????? nevermind the matt bonner supporters will be pleased to know bonner will carry our team to the promise land.

i want matt bonner benched! in fact who the hell is he the spurs act like hes the next freaking tim duncan with his commercials/videos/spurs.com/blog i mean shit this guy is garbage . if you think otherwise please ..hang in there denial is a s.o.b

[Capt Bringdown]

Pop built a team around getting past Phoenix. We're stuck in the past.

He's never come to terms with the Gasol trade, but of course, neither has the rest of the league.
He had a card to play this year with Splitter, but for whatever reason he chose not to even try.

That's what bugs me the most - he didn't even try. I don't see how anyone can make the case he gave Splitter an honest & thorough evaluation. Perhaps he was surprised as everyone else regarding our record and didn't want to change things.

[rmt]

That is a disgrace. Bowen belongs in the Pantheon of Spurs greats. One of the best to ever wear the black & silver, a vital cog in our championship era.
Avery? Not so much.
Avery and the rest of the team saved Pop's ass after the bad start to the 98-99 season(?) when his position wasn't too secure.

Now, of course, Pop's got tenure like no other coach so much so that no reporter dares to ask why Splitter wasn't integrated this season. Sometimes, accountability and a little insecurity is a good thing.

[Leonard Curse]

i agree rmt,
i wish there was somebody we can go to, who had a pair to ask real questions. i am disgusted with our reporters here. brain dead cowards

[rmt]

Pop built a team around getting past Phoenix. We're stuck in the past.

He's never come to terms with the Gasol trade, but of course, neither has the rest of the league.
He had a card to play this year with Splitter, but for whatever reason he chose not to even try.

That's what bugs me the most - he didn't even try. I don't see how anyone can make the case he gave Splitter an honest & thorough evaluation. Perhaps he was surprised as everyone else regarding our record and didn't want to change things.

After years of having big men to guard Shaq, why does he think that he can get by with a 35 year old Duncan guarding one of either Gasol and Bynum? Is he hoping that Bynum is going to get injured yet again? That's wishful thinking - Bynum's only going to get better as he gains more experience.

The only other decent big he can use is Dice who is only 6'9" and almost 37 years old. How many minutes can he play - especially if Spurs make it to the WCF when there's only 1 day in between games.

Popovich of all people should know that regular season record is fool's gold after the failure of Cavs, Sun, and Mavs. What did all those teams lack - interior defense.

Yep, that's what bugs me most is that he had some one (a young, mobile 7fter) and didn't even try. In recent years, at least I could console myself that they didn't have anyone or had no means in which to get a 7fter. No, I take that back because last year he traded away Ratliff, who went on to help the Bobcats. This year the Lakers picked up Ratliff even though they already have three starting quality 7fters (Gasol, Bynum and Odom).

[Budkin]

This thread is depressing me.

[Vic Petro]

The Spurs are still better than every team in the league except the Lakers. I'd expect them to win a 7 game series against any team but them. Are the Spurs really doomed against Dallas or OKC because Splitter isn't playing? Really?

If Andrew Bynum is playing like this, there isn't a team in the league that can approach the Lakers. Tiago Splitter would help marginally, but a healthy and motivated Bynum puts the Lakers a level above everybody else.

[Capt Bringdown]

If Andrew Bynum is playing like this, there isn't a team in the league that can approach the Lakers. Tiago Splitter would help marginally, but a healthy and motivated Bynum puts the Lakers a level above everybody else.

Well then, it's a good thing Pop didn't even try, because the playoffs are never decided at the margins.

[spurs50_]

How the hell did we get so small?

[dbestpro]

The Spurs have been very successful in past playoffs due to series adjustments made by Pop.
Will Pop still be willing to make those adjustments, which might mean Splitter minutes?

Or, will he be stubborn and go small regardless, and then chastise reporters for asking him to try something different?

Reporter: Why are you guys playing so poorly?
Pop: Because we are. if I knew why we wouldn't be playing poorly. If you know why then maybe you should be coach. Actually, why don't you tell me what to do.
Reporter (no balls) ..whimper...
Reporter (with balls) - I would play Tiago more and try to match size and tenacity a little better.

[200 miles]

Because we are not reporters or assistant coaches or other staff and personnel or anybody else that can bump elbows with Pop, I can only think of two things that could help get to Pop's head.

1. Use "Pop's Mailbag" and everyone asks him nothing but Splitter questions, in which probably that segment will shut down rather than getting through to Pop's senses.

2. Use Saturday night's game against the Bobcats by having as many people as possible chant "Tiago!" as long as they can with even some people carrying large 'Free Tiago' signs. It could wake up Pop or drive him mad or it could do nothing and chant towards a brick wall.

This may not be much, but to whoever says "There's nothing we can do about it", well there is something after all.

[rascal]

as usual mingus with the goods, the media are worthless in san antonio, not ONE MEDIA source has a pair of balls to question pop. who the hell does pop think he is acting like a complete asshole when asked about a very strange choice MAYBE POP"S BEING PAYED TO LOSE WHO KNOWS ..

i mean theres no logical explanation for leaving a defensive 7fter who could help this team win immediately, only to be benched. while his puppy dog bonner can get away with game stats of 2 points 1 rebound 0 assists playing 28mintes and being a massive liability. fuck you pop sorry guys

What makes you think Splitter is such a good defensive center? He can't jump or block shots. he would rather try to draw a charge instead of confronting shots. He will be in foul trouble in the first 5 minutes of the game if he had to play against the top frontlines.

[Budkin]

Dudes are fools

guy sucks

How the hell do you expect him to be in sync when he plays like 0-3 minutes a game? It's just nuts.

[Budkin]

The Spurs have been very successful in past playoffs due to series adjustments made by Pop.
Will Pop still be willing to make those adjustments, which might mean Splitter minutes?

Or, will he be stubborn and go small regardless, and then chastise reporters for asking him to try something different?

Reporter: Why are you guys playing so poorly?
Pop: Because we are. if I knew why we wouldn't be playing poorly. If you know why then maybe you should be coach. Actually, why don't you tell me what to do.
Reporter (no balls) ..whimper...
Reporter (with balls) - I would play Tiago more and try to match size and tenacity a little better.

It's gotten to the point where the reporters are straight up afraid to ask Pop questions because of the way he responds with pure contempt. Even though there are some dump questions, he treats them as if they all are.

[BadOne]

Whether the dude is great or decent don't matter at this point. I agree that if he never sees serious PT, then he'll never develop his NBA game. All he needs is consistant PT and one good game to get him going.

I won't say he's the savior, but you can't teach size, and boy has got that. I SAY LET THE AT&T CENTER RUMBLE WITH CHANTS OF SPLITTER'S NAME.

Let's hope this thread gains attention like the FREE GEORGE HILL campaign of 2009.

:flag:

[FailureNotAnOption]

It is obvious Pop does not play rookies big roles when other more experienced players can somewhat fulfill them. He would rather not take chances - in this case, a bad move IMHO.

[smrattler]

Even if he was free, I still wouldn't take him.

[Budkin]

It is obvious Pop does not play rookies big roles when other more experienced players can somewhat fulfill them. He would rather not take chances - in this case, a bad move IMHO.

At this point he needs to take a chance, because we don't stand one in the playoffs with what we've got now.

[ChumpDumper]

How many damn times does this have to be explained here? STOP spreading that MYTH here.

The Spanish League is NOT the second best league in the world. STOP spreading that BS here because people that don't know better keep falling for it.


NBA and Euroleague are the two best leagues in the world. Neither one of them has ever had any MVP by the name of Tiago Splitter. NBA and Euroleague are NOT the Spanish League genius. Splitter was NEVER the MVP of one of the top two leagues. NEVER.

If you want to call the Spanish League the 3rd best league then that is debatable. It is about the same level as the United League, maybe a little better.

Next year it would be the 4th best league after the Med League starts.

The only claim you could say is he was MVP of the THIRD best league in the world. NOT the second best.Splitter was the damn MVP of the third greatest league in the world!

Greater than the Greek league!

[BRs.Ganso]

Whether the dude is great or decent don't matter at this point. I agree that if he never sees serious PT, then he'll never develop his NBA game. All he needs is consistant PT and one good game to get him going.

I won't say he's the savior, but you can't teach size, and boy has got that. I SAY LET THE AT&T CENTER RUMBLE WITH CHANTS OF SPLITTER'S NAME.

Let's hope this thread gains attention like the FREE GEORGE HILL campaign of 2009.

:flag:

Great I idea... but I live in Brazil... so its not possible! :lol

Euroleague and NBA are the best leagues in the world - OK

but ACB is the best NATIONAL LEAGUE in the ENTIRE WORLD

so is better than GREECE LEAGUE, TURKISH, ITALIAN, BRAZIL, TUNISIA, QATAR and all others :lol

[thOOdee]

keep the momentum going!.......free the rat!

[Leonard Curse]

@thoodee
is that your nickname for him? or is it the master splitt ST one? anyway its funny
IM just happy to see the FREE TIAGO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! nice and alive.

we have to make it known we want and need tiago out there in the paint, i mean beyond duncan thats all we have at 7ft?!?!?! yada yada yada pop play him dont add to your stubbornness/stupidity take this ship down with you. put down the pride and FREE THE HELL OUT OF TIAGO!!!!!

[Capt Bringdown]

This story kinda reminds me of Splitter's plight:

Tyler Hansbrough: Jim O’Brien ‘didn’t believe in me’ (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Tyler-Hansbrough-Jim-O-8217-Brien-8216-didn-;_ylt=Ap4NFDPTVh0JzEHpgVFbJM28vLYF?urn=nba-wp306)

[Leonard Curse]

@capt bringdown
man i didnt think it was an identical situation as splitter. wow poor obie, its funny cause theres a few people in here that say tiago sucks completely ? hes not dirk nowitzki but he can definitely be a varejao defender & you better believe cuban would have started him next to dirk.

can you guys imagine if we lose splitter in the summer ?because of pops disrespect, we better cheer splitter on, this could be our last solid talent acquired through draft until we have a horrible season(s)=good picks? ultimately pops creating his exit w/his inebriated lineup. by the way pop buy some damn eye drops when u show up hung over lol

[mathbzh]

Which means all the people claiming Splitter was MVP of the second best league in the world are full of shit.

No... he was just the best center in the second best league in the entire universe and MVP in the third :hat

By the way there are 4 teams from the ACB in the Euroleague quarter-finals. Not too shabby for a lesser league.

[jag]

Which means all the people claiming Splitter was MVP of the second best league in the world are full of shit.

Stop ruining this beautiful thread, you wannabe Greek homosexual.

[blizz]

The guy sucks...period. He should play because "you can't teach size"?

[temujin]

ACB has 4 teams in the final 8 of the Euroleague.
Right NOW.

Same as last year.

Splitter was ACB MVP. Regular season AND playoffs.

End of discussion with the mononeuronic KBP.

As for Splitter, matters are very simple: It's late now.

The way the seedings go (and the way Spurs play defense lately),
the most likely WCF is against the Lakers.

I don't see the Spurs going to the finals against a healthy Gasolio and Bynum duo.

Many posters have been writing this from the beginning of the season.

[temujin]

No... he was just the best center in the second best league in the entire universe and MVP in the third :hat

By the way there are 4 teams from the ACB in the Euroleague quarter-finals. Not too shabby for a lesser league.

OK. I didn't see this post.

[tuncaboylu]

Honestly I don't understand why the people are complaining Spurs fron-court too much.

Let's think Dallas, other western conference contender. They've Haywood, Nowitzki and Chandler in front-court. Duncan-McDyess-Blair trio is not worse then that.

Let's think Boston, Eastern conference contender. They've 38 years old O'neal, another O'neal which will not play again this year, Glen Davis who is undersized like Blair and Kevin Garnett. This team's front-court is not better then Spurs.

Let's think Miami. They've Bosh and the garbages like Juwan Howard, Dampier, Ilgauskas, Joel Anthony etc. Our front-court is not worse then them.

There are only 2 other contenders who has better front-court then us, Chicago and Lakers. It's very doubtful that we will face against Bulls in play-offs and Lakers is ver vulnerable with injury prone Bynum.

We don't have too bad front-court as the people repeat without stopping.

[mingus]

hopefully Pop will play the 2-time Euroleague MVP and 3-time Euroleague champion tonight but i doubt it

[BRs.Ganso]

We dont want know about 30 years ago, moron....

We want know about recent-past, and this last 6 years, ACB always have at least 3 or 4 teams in the top 8 of Euroleague, its facts, ACB is the best national league in the world and the second in Europe later Euroleague... ACB matches are broadcast to America and the rest of world, every player want play there.. SPAIN is the best basketball team in the world later USA, many players of national team plays in ACB... Rubio, Garbajosa, Navarro, Reyes, San Emiterio, without count other great players like Lorbek, Huertas, Lakovic, Pete Mickeal, Terence Morris, Omar Cook, and others..

Greece have just 2 elite teams in Europe, ACB have 4 maybe 5 teams.

look Panatinaikos and Olympiacos roster

80% of team are GREEK players! the others are SERBIANS (brothers) :lol

and now look Barcelona, Madrid and other teams roster, have a lot of international players there.

ACB confirms its status as most attractive league

http://www.ballineurope.com/countries/italy/acb-confirms-its-status-as-most-attractive-league/

against facts don't have arguments

[temujin]

You should be banned. You continue to post pure bull shit and lies here.

No one in Europe considers the Spanish league anywhere near the level of the Euroleague. NO ONE. It is not even debatable.

There are many teams in the Spanish League that could not win more than 2 games in the Euroleague. So STFU. You have consistently been a POS and a jerk in this site and at this point it just is downright trolling and being a useless waste of space here.


Splitter was NEVER MVP of Euroleague. Deal with and STFU already. There is no damn reason for you to keep up with all this Splitter bull shit other than to troll the hell out of the site.

And the level of the Spanish league compared to the Euroleague is this.

4 Spanish Euroleague championships in the last 31 years.

4 championships have been won by Spain in Euroleague in the last 31 YEARS.

Euroleague 31 > ACB 4

And you come here and tell people that a league with 4 championships at the top level in Europe in the last 31 years is better than a league with 31 championships (27 of them outside of Spanish clubs) at the top level in the last 31 years and that anyone saying otherwise is a troll....................

You REALLY deserve a banishment for being such a colossal douche bag.

I WROTE you are mononeuronic, and I am probably been gallant.

:lmao:lmao:lmao

It's springtime, and manic-obsessive individuals of your sort usually take lithium.
It's about time, before your mood gets dangerously out of control.
Don't make me ring up your psychiatrist to wake him up.
He might be upset andBAD things happen.
You should probably know that by know.
Take those pills!

[Cessation]

Manu forever is lying, splitter was the europe mvp and championship finals mvp, therefore best center in europe, he's in denial.

[lefty]

Splitter starting tonight !

[4>0rings]

He's free, lets see what he can do.

[Budkin]

Woo Woo

[20beastie45]

He's already making an impact!

[4>0rings]

Jim Rome: Now I'm done.

[greyforest]

Tiago will slowly take over the role of Timmy during the next couple of years.

[BRs.Ganso]

Splitter starting after 5 DNP's

Pop is Craaaaaaaaaazy LOOOL

:lmao

:flag:

[4>0rings]

Pop needs to have Tiago practice some layup drills.

[G-Dawgg]

Forget freeing Tiago.... Free Novak!! Right now in this game, 10min to play in the 3rd qtr, Novak is leading all Spurs in scoring with 10points in only 7min/25seconds of playing time!!!!! Lmao

[HarlemHeat37]

In 48 games and 11 MPG in those games, Splitter has now drawn 14 offensive fouls..that's more than any Spurs big did in all of the last season, and only 12 less than Duncan/Bonner/McDyess/Blair/Haislip/Ratliff combined for, all of last season..

He has the highest charge per game rate of any Spurs big in a long time, other than Oberto(one of the best in the NBA, at the time)..

Also, even though Splitter is a terrible FT shooter, he gets to the line at a very impressive rate..Splitter has 9 less FTAs than Blair this season, despite playing 954 less minutes..he has more FTAs than Bonner and McDyess combined + 14..

[moisaenz]

Splitter was out of the cage tonight...

[jag]

He looked comfortable out there for the first time in a long time.

[Leonard Curse]

im very happy pop read this thread or maybe the guys showed him how much the fans are talking crap about his 3pt flame

[Cessation]

I agree, the Golden God looked solid, considering the DNP's.

[IronMexican]

Tiago will slowly take over the role of Timmy during the next couple of years.

:lmao

[silverblk mystix]

In 48 games and 11 MPG in those games, Splitter has now drawn 14 offensive fouls..that's more than any Spurs big did in all of the last season, and only 12 less than Duncan/Bonner/McDyess/Blair/Haislip/Ratliff combined for, all of last season..

He has the highest charge per game rate of any Spurs big in a long time, other than Oberto(one of the best in the NBA, at the time)..

Also, even though Splitter is a terrible FT shooter, he gets to the line at a very impressive rate..Splitter has 9 less FTAs than Blair this season, despite playing 954 less minutes..he has more FTAs than Bonner and McDyess combined + 14..

...but-but...

he DOESN'T spread the floor!

[jag]

im very happy pop read this thread or maybe the guys showed him how much the fans are talking crap about his 3pt flame

lol at thinking pop has read this thread or cares what the fans think.

All that matters is that The Tiago has been freed. Popovich now knows the power that is The Tiago. That being said, I expect him to go right back to the cage from whence he came.

[Muser]

He looked comfortable out there for the first time in a long time.

True, shame he's gonna be benched for a while now.

[jjktkk]

lol at thinking pop has read this thread or cares what the fans think.

All that matters is that The Tiago has been freed. Popovich now knows the power that is The Tiago. That being said, I expect him to go right back to the cage from whence he came.

:lol, Lets hope Splitter will at least be an option come playoff time.

[thOOdee]

didnt get to view the game but looks like a solid game for splitter. just him being in the game w/ his height alone isnt as much as a liability as bonner on defense. something stats really cant show, like altering a shot.

heres to hopefully playing a role in the playoffs, even if its minor.

[Leonard Curse]

it was a joke, well i wonder why tiago actually got some great playing time. i mean pop has done the rest timmy thing alot and still benched tiago.....hopefully its a good sign. as far as tiago wanting to split back to spain. thats why ive been upset can u imagine if he did who we had left for the future? 32 year old matt and blair thats it period. i actually think manu is really helping tiago feel better.

[Bruno]

Tiago had a good game against Bobcats and he could be significantly better if he gets consistent playing time. He can help Spurs in the playoffs.

Let him free, don't put him back in the doghouse.

[yavozerb]

Bye Tiago, it was fun my brazilian friend....

[Obstructed_View]

Thanks for the tease, Pop. Now back to DNP-CD hell for Tiago.

[biskvito]

In 48 games and 11 MPG in those games, Splitter has now drawn 14 offensive fouls..that's more than any Spurs big did in all of the last season, and only 12 less than Duncan/Bonner/McDyess/Blair/Haislip/Ratliff combined for, all of last season..

He has the highest charge per game rate of any Spurs big in a long time, other than Oberto(one of the best in the NBA, at the time)..

Also, even though Splitter is a terrible FT shooter, he gets to the line at a very impressive rate..Splitter has 9 less FTAs than Blair this season, despite playing 954 less minutes..he has more FTAs than Bonner and McDyess combined + 14..

When he's comfortable and involved in the offensive scheme he will go to the FT line a lot. May be useful to put opponents in foul trouble.

[Whisky Dog]

This would have been nicer in December.

I think Pop sees him as a china doll and unreliable. Didn't he miss a week earlier in the season when he got hit in the nuts?

[Obstructed_View]

He's missed a week for no reason whatsoever when completely healthy, so I'm not sure how you can determine why he missed any particular week. Did he suit up after getting hit in the nuts?

[admiralsnackbar]

This would have been nicer in December.

I think Pop sees him as a china doll and unreliable. Didn't he miss a week earlier in the season when he got hit in the nuts?

You may be right, but Pop's go-to praise to describe him is always "blue-collar." For my money, that's about 1 complimentary phrase too many for Pop to offer a guy he thinks is fragile.

Don't recall Hairston, Mahinmi, Anderson or even long-ago Linton Johnson III getting a word of recognition when they were out. Don't recall any of them sacrificing their body as much as Splitter when they got burn, either.

[Obstructed_View]

You may be right, but Pop's go-to praise to describe him is always "blue-collar." For my money, that's about 1 complimentary phrase too many for Pop to offer a guy he thinks is fragile.

Don't recall Hairston, Mahinmi, Anderson or even long-ago Linton Johnson III getting a word of recognition when they were out. Don't recall any of them sacrificing their body as much as Splitter when they got burn, either.

Pop likely didn't have people asking about any of those guys on a daily basis, some of whom probably cover international basketball. Again, the closest comparison is probably Oberto.

[Obstructed_View]

Oberto was a lot more skilled offensively.

:lol

[Josepatches_]

Oberto was a lot more skilled offensively.
:nope

[BRs.Ganso]

Oberto was a lot more skilled offensively.

MYTHS AND LIES

They are sux, Schortsanitis and Batista are waaaaaay better!

:lol

[moisaenz]

This would have been nicer in December.

I think Pop sees him as a china doll and unreliable. Didn't he miss a week earlier in the season when he got hit in the nuts?

I like Tiago's game... but I do not thnk we would have kept #1 seed if he played that much...

[MannyIsGod]

Well, Tiago is free now. Lets hope he does well with his playing time.

[duncan228]

Just the quote, hit the link for the whole piece.


Splitter a splendid substitute (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/03/21/splitter-plays-big-minutes-again/)
Mike Monroe

...“It wasn’t good when Tim got injured in the game, and I just came out to try to do my best and help the team with the dirty job,” Splitter said. “Grab the rebound, (play) defense and score when my teammates pass me the ball. Easy layups. Tony (Parker) did a great job, and Manu (Ginobili) also.”

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/03/21/splitter-plays-big-minutes-again/

[rayray2k8]

It blows to lose duncan for a few weeks, but that just give Splitter some more minutes.. Hopefully he can do a respectable job, but he's no Tim Duncan....
He can however be Tiago Splitter.
Hope he does well.

[Knoxxx]

I can't wait to see Splitter get some meaningful minutes. I think he is our only hope to match up against the Lakers bigs without getting "powned" like last game.

This is a tough 3-game stretch, but I don't think we lose a lot with Splitter replacing Duncan. Our biggest strengths are TP, Manu, and the long ball anyway.

Looking at the remaining schedule, it is tough and we don't have anything close to clinched. Lakers have a very easy schedule, they might not lose any and probably not more than a couple. The two teams with 19 losses out in the East are also too close for comfort if we were to go into a slump closing out.

Not predicting that, but I'll feel much better when we are safely in the house with home court clinched throughout the playoffs. I don't see Splitter hurting that effort at all.

[Mel_13]

lol Sofo

2.5 ppg in 2010 summer league:

http://www.nba.com/summerleague2010/...tis/index.html

[Mel_13]

lol KBP

lol ignore list

lol Greeks in the NBA

http://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/birthplaces.cgi?country=GR&state=

[BRs.Ganso]

You live in Brazil. You have never in your entire life even seen a Euroleague game. STFU because you are so full of shit.

hahahaha

I live in Brazil (one of best economy of world) I have a very good life condition, I have cable television with 500 channels, 10MB internet connection, so I watch what i want. Greece is just one more country with economy broken.
:lol

[Mel_13]

KBP meltdown...

[BRs.Ganso]

KBP meltdown...

:lol

that guy is the biggest joke of this forum, and he insist to post here. :lmao

get a life Forever!

[Mel_13]

KBP: "The concept of the ignore list is all Greek to me."

[jag]

Free him

[Budkin]

I'm guessing that Pop will give Bonner more minutes because of Splitter's performance tonight.

[smrattler]

He was the best big man on the floor tonight, by far.

[smrattler]

I'm guessing that Pop will give Bonner more minutes because of Splitter's performance tonight.


If one of my subordinates made me look stupid, I'd punish him too.

[Obstructed_View]

Oberto was a lot more skilled offensively.

lol

[BOHOLANO#21]

where's KBP aka manu_forever?

[FvckMavs]

where's kbp aka manu_forever?

aka dumbass_forever

[silverblk mystix]

Novak is getting more playing time now...

We know what Pop's priorities are now...


The playoffs will be live by the 3 or die by the 3...

...not the kind of guy that would say...I told you so...

[Chomag]

Splitter has been playing to well and needs reduced minutes so that he can get over himself.

[TJastal]

If one of my subordinates made me look stupid, I'd punish him too.

:lmao

Pop better be careful here, Splitter is getting a little rebellious. Telling Tony Parker to give him the ball. Next thing you know he'll be heading to the scorer's table to check himself into the game. Would love to see Pop's face, that would be priceless. :rollin

[jag]

http://giant.gfycat.com/PlushTiredDeermouse.gif

[Brunodf]

:wowThat cant be him