Gary Neal 2011-2012 Thread

[ivanfromwestwood]

what Neal did last year was amazing. the guy has no fear and the balls and skill to hit the big shot. with that said. what do you think his role will be next year. starting 2? 6th man? backup pg? i hope the spurs lock him up on a good multi year deal. whats he worth? cant wait to see him rape the other teams
:P

[The Truth #6]

I think he'll get George Hill minutes and double as shooting guard and backup point guard.

[ElNono]

He gonna rapePERIOD

[crc21209]

The last time I got so hyped up for a role player like this was........................Roger Mason Jr. Let's hope Pop doesnt fuck with Neal's role and his head the same way he did with Mason....

[timtonymanu]

True but Mason was already on the decline even before his first season with the Spurs ended. It's safe to say Neal is much better than Mason.

[therealtruth]

Neal hit his shots in the playoffs when he was asked to. He shouldn't have sat down in the second half of game 6. George Hill airballed a wide open 3 at a crucial point I know Neal would have knocked down. Not everybody has the clutch factor. Neal's got it.

[Interrohater]

I don't really care who he's on the floor with, just give him the ball if you need points.

[crc21209]

True but Mason was already on the decline even before his first season with the Spurs ended. It's safe to say Neal is much better than Mason.

Good point...:tu

[Libri]

The last time I got so hyped up for a role player like this was........................Roger Mason Jr. Let's hope Pop doesnt fuck with Neal's role and his head the same way he did with Mason....

Neal doesn't seem like the type of player who shrivels up when given a challenge.

[SequSpur]

I am all for Neal playing minutes.. Pop isn't though... Next!

[Obstructed_View]

pleasedon'tbeaflashinthepanpleasedon'tbeaflashinth epan....

[spurs10]

Neal will get more pt this year for sure. Off subject, if the schedule is coming out tomorrow, when will tickets go on sale?

[dylankerouac]

I look forward to Neal surprising us all in a positive way!

[objective]

I'm not so sure he can improve that much on what he did most of last year. There's a ceiling to his NBA game and I think he's close it.

I hope I'm wrong, because the Spurs need a lot more from their players than they got last year if Spurs fans are going to be able to fool themselves into thinking they're contenders again.

[TDMVPDPOY]

if he can improve his midrange game? he could be scoring like rip hamilton off-screens..then again he will need plays run for him

[spurs10]

I'm not so sure he can improve that much on what he did most of last year. There's a ceiling to his NBA game and I think he's close it.

I hope I'm wrong, because the Spurs need a lot more from their players than they got last year if Spurs fans are going to be able to fool themselves into thinking they're contenders again.
If everyone played with the heart of Neal, last season might have been a couple weeks longer. Of course with Manu's injury the writing was on the wall.

[TDMVPDPOY]

If everyone played with the heart of Neal, last season might have been a couple weeks longer. Of course with Manu's injury the writing was on the wall.

even with manus injury, manu still forced a few of the grizz wing players into foul trouble

it was all tp gettin abuse by 2 scrubs

[spurs10]

even with manus injury, manu still forced a few of the grizz wing players into foul trouble

it was all tp gettin abuse by 2 scrubs
It wasn't pretty that's for sure. We were getting abused in the paint pretty well too. Manu was still our best player even with one arm.

[therealtruth]

I'm not so sure he can improve that much on what he did most of last year. There's a ceiling to his NBA game and I think he's close it.

I hope I'm wrong, because the Spurs need a lot more from their players than they got last year if Spurs fans are going to be able to fool themselves into thinking they're contenders again.

Neal's playmaking improved as the season went on. Earlier in the season he only looked for his shot. He adjusted as defenses started putting pressure on his shot by driving and pulling up or making a play. A good shooter has got to be able to make the defense pay for running out at them. Neal's playmaking is huge because it gives the Spurs another creative playmaker like Manu and makes the offense less predictable.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Even with whatever player they bring in to backup the point, its a given that Neal is at least going to be the third PG. He can run an offense but teams that can pressure the ball well like Memphis did to hamstring us worry the hell out of me with Neal in there.

One idea I do like is him getting to run the second unit. Neal exudes leadership characteristics and that would be a great place for him. He works to get others involved and is accountable and determined.

Hes played a lot of point in his career so considering how he far exceeded expectations, I see no reason to belittle the man again. He deserves the benefit of the doubt. If nothing else his defense will be better

[gospursgojas]

My fav spur right now

[Fireball]

Hopefully his defense improves a little bit, otherwise he should not get more minutes from Pop. Anderson should get George Hills minutes. Spurs need Gary Neals offense and clutch shooting, but Anderson is more talented ...

[Nathan89]

Purest shooter in the Duncan era. Absolute beast. Like some have said I hope we run him off some screen like Rip or Ray. The guy is just that good at shooting. I would love to have that component in the offense.

[BanditHiro]

where is that picture of him as the train conductor

[benefactor]

Neal's playmaking improved as the season went on. Earlier in the season he only looked for his shot. He adjusted as defenses started putting pressure on his shot by driving and pulling up or making a play. A good shooter has got to be able to make the defense pay for running out at them. Neal's playmaking is huge because it gives the Spurs another creative playmaker like Manu and makes the offense less predictable.
This is the biggest difference when one tries to compare Neal to RMJ. Neal can actually put the ball on the floor and going to the rim for the floater. He actually spent a lot of time as a playmaker/facilitator in Europe, so it wasn't that big of a surprise to see he was more than just a shooter. The other big difference is mental. The guy has "make love to pressure" focus. I just can't see him being to type of player that would ever lose confidence.