Good Signs in the Season Opener

[timvp]

The win in itself was good to see. Yeah, it’s just the first game of the regular season but losing to the Grizzlies at home would have been a sour way to begin things. Even if we want to be truthful about it and admit that Memphis played a leading role in their own demise last night, I’m sure the Spurs will gladly take the W.

But, personally, a few developments we saw were even better than the win:

-Kawhi Leonard was the first swingman off the bench – and if it wasn’t for foul trouble, he would have been the first player at any position off the bench. I wasn’t sure Leonard would play at all. For Pop to show enough confidence in him to call on him so early was great to see. And speaking of Leonard, for a 20-year-old to make a defensive impact in his debut is quite exciting.

-Pop didn’t hesitate to play Tiago Splitter next to Tim Duncan. Each time DeJuan Blair got in foul trouble, it was Splitter who came in for Blair. Last year that never would have happened … well, in the regular season, at least. Pop eventually figured out that Duncan and Splitter could coexist but it took a couple playoff loses for that realization to materialize. Let’s hope that Pop continues to play Duncan and Splitter together and this isn’t just a Memphis-only alignment.

-James Anderson continues to look like a baller no matter his role. He ran the offense a few possessions, played behind Manu Ginobili at shooting guard and behind Richard Jefferson at small forward. He even defended bigs a couple times in small ball alignments. No matter the situation, he just kept playing. A lot of players, especially young players, freeze up if they’re not playing a defined role. Anderson seems to be able to roll with whatever punches Pop throws at him. Now if he can start knocking down his jumper again, he could really be dangerous.

-It also appears that continuity may indeed help the Spurs early on this season. There was a lot of ugly basketball played on opening night. The Spurs weren’t exactly razor sharp but they appear to be in shape and seem to have a good amount of chemistry – and that can’t be said for many other teams right now. Hopefully that helps the Spurs get off to another fast start this season.

[RodNIc91]

Do u think theres enought potential there to become a better defensive team this season? Or do u see a trade coming? Frankly I can't stand it not having another big man.

I loved RJ's agressive play and competence on D but I guess we can't count on that all season long. Now if that would translate into a pump fake and drive ocasionally we would have the slasher we called when we traded for him. BTW do you buy into hollinger saying that RJ defended pretty well SF last season?

[Libri]

And speaking of Leonard, for a 20-year-old to make a defensive impact in his debut is quite exciting.

Definitely. That's kind of rare these days. A lot of younger players prefer to be chuckers. :D

[YoMamaIsCallin]

RJ seems to have taken a page from Bruce Bowen's book and become a spot up three point shooter on offense. This opens up the lane for Parker and Ginobili so I like it. Also his shooting stroke seems to have improved. And he even showed some enthusiasm by pumping his fist and yelling when he took a charge. So far so good!!!!

[The Truth #6]

RJ played better than expected - and didn't seem to be affected by the amnesty situation, or Leonard taking some of his minutes. Both good signs. If RJ can stay engaged and contribute this should be less pressure on Leonard. And they play such different styles, that does give the Spurs options - defense vs. shooting, based on what is needed.

[naico]

Good post :toast

It's good to see Pop giving the youngsters and Splitter a fair amount of playing time. Compared to last year it's up to them to give these "ol' spurs" a spark.

I can only applaud him to let these kids play and speed up their progress and confidence growth, cuz we'll sure need some kind of production from them come playoff time.

[YoMamaIsCallin]

RJ played better than expected - and didn't seem to be affected by the amnesty situation, or Leonard taking some of his minutes.

Not only that but after Kawhi made a good play (forget which one) and the Grizz called a time out, RJ pounded his shoulder and yelled encouragement at him when he came to the bench. It looked very sincere. I think RJ is pumped up for the team. Good to see.

[naico]

I also liked the fact that, when TD was on the court, they handed him the rock several times. I've missed that over the last 2 years. It gives the Spurs more options and keeps the other team thinking and guessing. Duncan makes plays, let's not forget that. Hoping to see more of that during the course of the season.

[timvp]

Do u think theres enought potential there to become a better defensive team this season?

There's a chance. It starts with Duncan maintaining his defensive level from last year -- I thought TD had his best defensive season since 2007. And then it will take Splitter living up to his potential, Leonard getting playing time and Anderson proving to close to Hill's level on D. Not to mention the rest of the players at least not losing a step.

But yeah, it's definitely possible.

[benefactor]

-It also appears that continuity may indeed help the Spurs early on this season. There was a lot of ugly basketball played on opening night. The Spurs weren’t exactly razor sharp but they appear to be in shape and seem to have a good amount of chemistry – and that can’t be said for many other teams right now. Hopefully that helps the Spurs get off to another fast start this season.
Excellent point here. The Spurs look like they are ahead of the curve compared to other teams right now on both ends of the floor. As you said, there is a lot of room to improve...but there are some teams that look like they have really suffered from the lack of a full training camp. It seems like the Spurs are taking much less of hit from a cohesiveness standpoint. Even the young guys seem to have a pretty good grasp on what they are doing. Hopefully they can use it to build an early lead in the division.

[DPG21920]

Uncle, the part I want to see is if Matt is truly the 4th big. I have to believe right now that the only reason we saw a Tiago/Tim pairing was because of the match-up. There has just been to many other things previously that point to this being an irregularity line up wise for me to believe it. Hopefully the flash of defensive potential piqued Pop's interest enough to make that the rotation regardless.

[LaMarcus Bryant]

It was a very good opening game. The team looked to have flow on offense, despite the lock-down Memphis defense, that we know is a nightmare matchup for us.

The 2nd unit in the 2nd quarter was scoring, and getting open/easy looks, despite TJ not getting players a look until very late in the clock. Anderson is deceptively smooth with the ball, and Leonard shows hustle. Great signs.

[ChumpDumper]

Uncle, the part I want to see is if Matt is truly the 4th big. I have to believe right now that the only reason we saw a Tiago/Tim pairing was because of the match-up. There has just been to many other things previously that point to this being an irregularity line up wise for me to believe it. Hopefully the flash of defensive potential piqued Pop's interest enough to make that the rotation regardless.I think parking Duncan on the perimeter much of the time is going to facilitate being paired with both Splitter and Blair.

[z0sa]

Some solid points made by the man, timvp. I agree on all accounts.

I believe we all knew Anderson would be something special. He really shined in his time last season before the injury. His athleticism, shooting, and defensive potential all excite me greatly.

Kawhi Leonard played good minutes and made the most of them. He also shot just about every time he was open. That is not usually the way one describes a rookie on opening night of a Popovich coached team. I find this sudden change by Pop almost disconcerting. Will Pop learn to love rookies or is this an exercise in willpower due to lack of pieces that could end badly for Leonard and/or Pop's temperament?

Splitter getting good playing time bodes well for the Spurs. I won't be as hesitantly negative about small ball if, when we're playing tall-ball, we do it to the best of our abilities. :tu

I also agree that Ugly-Ball could be the norm in the NBA for weeks, maybe even months. Many teams take entire seasons to truly mesh.

Could the defining attribute of the Spurs - experience winning together - be enough to launch them on the winning path early enough for another top spot?

[ElNono]

Splitter just needed one week of training camp to get over himself :cry :cry :cry

[spurs10]

Yes, it's definitely a great sign to see Tiago coming out of the gate with such a strong defensive performance. It was exactly what I hoping for. I hope Tim's foul trouble was the reason for Matt's extended minutes and not Tiago's. That line up starting the 4th quarter was a pretty impressive group. Need to see more of that! Again, thanks for the write ups.

[cheguevara]

yup. spurs experience and discipline is gona carry them above most teams the first couple of weeks of the season.

But eventually the ther teams will get back in shape and I see a tough road for Spurs come February.

[024]

tiago's defense was sure encouraging. his offense may never be there with his weak hooks but as long as he can play defense and get some garbage points, he will be worth putting on the floor. he just needs to stay out of foul trouble and make his damn free throws when he gets to the line.

[Manu-of-steel]

Tim is still our defensive anchor. But with Leonard, Splitter, Anderson and Manu wreaking havoc on defense, we have a potential to be a really good defensive team. I'm definitely excited to see our progress as we play more games.

[therealtruth]

Tim is still our defensive anchor. But with Leonard, Splitter, Anderson and Manu wreaking havoc on defense, we have a potential to be a really good defensive team. I'm definitely excited to see our progress as we play more games.

I like the defensive potential of the team. The other thing is it seems infectious. Even Tony got into the act with 4 steals.

[Spur|n|Austin]

Kawhi Leonard played good minutes and made the most of them. He also shot just about every time he was open. That is not usually the way one describes a rookie on opening night of a Popovich coached team. I find this sudden change by Pop almost disconcerting. Will Pop learn to love rookies or is this an exercise in willpower due to lack of pieces that could end badly for Leonard and/or Pop's temperament?


In my opinion, normally in the past yes Pop's temperament would get the best of him and he would end up sitting a rookie for firing away. What we know about Pop though, if you’re out there hustling on D and getting back in transition, he'll let you shoot the lights out, hitting them or not. I don't think Pop will ever "love" rookies, but he will always love defense, suffice to what some people on this forum think of him.

[The_Worlds_finest]

bro trade, duncan manu and parker for dwight howard

[I. Hustle]

We have remade Bruce Bowen. We gave him a taller body, bigger hands,more athleticism. We took the one off his jersey and from this day forward he will be known as Kawhi Leonard. It will take some time for him to adjust to his new body but he will get there. The only thing he asked for was hair and hair we gave him.

[Trill Clinton]

Thing that stood out most for me was the defense. I was pleased with what I saw from the entire team. Everybody looked like they were in shape, except Manu, but that's expected.

[silverblk mystix]

Did Tiago play because Pop actually intended him to?

Or was it due to the Memphis matchup?

Blair and TD's foul trouble?

I hope this wasn't a fluke...in other words...has POP gotten over himself?

[rascal]

Did Tiago play because Pop actually intended him to?

Or was it due to the Memphis matchup?

Blair and TD's foul trouble?

I hope this wasn't a fluke...in other words...has POP gotten over himself?

Splitter will play because the spurs don't have any more options.

[Hooks]

Pop HAS to play Splitter with just 4 bigs on the roster, Splitter has proven time and time again that he should be getting legit playing time. Splitter is also in his second year, I think it its safe to say hell be getting a good amount of pt this year.

As for leonards offense I think pop wants him to take those shots, every one of those shots he took was a good one, he didn't force anything. And as pop said before, he loves ja and kls aggressiveness.

[urunobili]

We'll see how it all bodes once they face the bigger tougher Clips tonight.

[Fireball]

We'll see how it all bodes once they face the bigger tougher Clips tonight.

Clips frontcourt is not bigger or tougher ... they are more athletic but less skilled compared to Z-Bo and Gasol, so a completely different defensive job for our frontcourt ...

[Buddy Holly]

We'll see how it all bodes once they face the bigger tougher Clips tonight.

Bigger? Tougher?

Lol... no.

[urunobili]

ok I fail.

TD and Splitter are bigger and tougher than Griffin and Jordan :rolleyes

[jjktkk]

ok I fail.

TD and Splitter are bigger and tougher than Griffin and Jordan :rolleyes

Your getting athleticism and toughness mixed up and you also seem to be discarding Memphis's frontline.

[Obstructed_View]

In my opinion, normally in the past yes Pop's temperament would get the best of him and he would end up sitting a rookie for firing away. What we know about Pop though, if you’re out there hustling on D and getting back in transition, he'll let you shoot the lights out, hitting them or not. I don't think Pop will ever "love" rookies, but he will always love defense, suffice to what some people on this forum think of him.

Michael Finley and Matt Bonner say hi.

[silverblk mystix]

Michael Finley and Matt Bonner say hi.

Michael Finley OVER Bruce Bowen


and

Matt Bonner OVER EVERYONE


say hi ....

[analyzed]

found this good write-up on our rotation. BTW speaking of rotation, I'm not sure TJ Ford is good enough to play in the playoffs, yeah I don't mind him playing in the regular season to keep Manu & Parker fresh for the playoffs. but I see Neal playing alongside Manu's quarterbacking skills in the Playoffs, this provides better impact and scoring from the bench.

Another note, although the Spurs did'nt do much in the FA this offseason. You've got to say the changes in the Spurs rotation is significantly different from last year. In fact probably one of the bigger changes in the NBA.

The reasons for this are obvious when you consider, Tiago, Anderson and Leonard played practically zero PT last year. And now, between the 3 they will take up around 80 of the 240 minutes available (25 %) . That's a huge change

Jumping to conclusions on the rotation…already

by Andrew A. McNeill (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/author/andrew-a-mcneill)
http://w.sharethis.com/images/check-big.png17 http://w.sharethis.com/images/check-big.png86Tumblrhttp://w.sharethis.com/images/check-big.png0Emailhttp://w.sharethis.com/images/check-big.png0Orkuthttp://w.sharethis.com/images/check-big.png0
http://www.48minutesofhell.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/richard-jefferson-spurs-coach-pop-225x300.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattbritt00/6196264417/)Photo credit: MattBritt00

AT&T CENTER — After watching Tiago Splitter spend the vast majority of his rookie season on the bench and James Anderson fail to regain his rotation spot after an early season injury, concerns were aplenty that many of the Spurs’ young players would fail to see any meaningful minutes this season, especially with the nature of this season’s compressed schedule.
And then Kawhi Leonard checked in for Richard Jefferson with 6:57 left in the first quarter of the Spurs’ 95-82 win over the Memphis Grizzlies (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/san-antonio-spurs-95-memphis-grizzlies-82-like-a-good-neighbor-manu-is-there-with-a-spurs-victory) on opening night. If Gregg Popovich could justify not playing a rookie any season, it was this one. With no offseason contact allowed, a shortened training camp and preseason, and a returning starting small forward, the odds could have easily been stacked against playing Kawhi Leonard this year.
Instead, the Spurs rotated three players at the small forward position on Monday night, starting richard Jefferson and bringing on Leonard as a substitute. In the second quarter, James Anderson (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/for-james-anderson-timing-is-everything) entered the game for Jefferson. Coach Pop also played Jefferson alongside Leonard for stretches in the second half.
If anything, this gives the Spurs flexibility with their lineups. You have three players splitting time at the same position, who can all share the floor together if need be (Anderson at the 2, RJ at the 3 and Kawhi at the 4). Having all three players comfortable with a variety of situations safeguards the team in instances where foul trouble is an issue or, as should be the case this season, rest is needed for fatigue or injury. Playing Anderson at the 3 also allows for room when Gary Neal (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/gary-neal-appendectomy-james-anderson) returns to the lineup.
The typical rotation last season saw Manu Ginobili as the first player to be subbed out of the game, primarily so he could re-enter the game in as the playmaker on the second unit. In the Spurs’ win over the Grizzlies Monday night, Tim Duncan and DeJuan Blair were the first players to sub out of the game, mostly because of early foul trouble for both bigs. Instead, RJ appeared to be the first scheduled substitution for the Spurs. This put Jefferson in the Manu role of scorer with the second unit, where eventually, Jefferson found a comfort zone. He ran the pick-and-roll with Tiago Splitter and Matt Bonner several times with decent results. Basically, it wasn’t a bad lineup. Jefferson had 10 points on 4-7 shooting in the second quarter.
While the Spurs started the game with a lineup of Manu, Parker, RJ, Tim Duncan and DeJuan Blair, their crunch time group featured Tiago Splitter instead of Blair. There were suggestions during training camp that the Spurs would use this lineup because it’s a better defensive one than a group featuring Blair. Starting Blair (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/practice-shots-on-depth-conditioning-and-preparation) is a design primarily to avoid having DeJuan in the game with Matt Bonner or Splitter (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/houston-rockets-san-antonio-spurs-87). The more time Blair is paired with Tim Duncan, the better.
After a Manu steal and breakaway dunk boosted the Spurs’ lead to 16 in the fourth quarter, Pop inserted James Anderson for Manu, possibly to get Anderson some crunch time reps. The more experienced these young wings can get, and the quicker they get it, only increases the malleability of this Spurs team. If there’s was any way the post rotation could develop the same thing, this Spurs team could be something to behold.
Related posts:


Read more: http://www.48minutesofhell.com/spurs-rotation-richard-jefferson-kawhi-leonard-james-anderson#ixzz1hsP3xUgS

[Manu-of-steel]

We have remade Bruce Bowen. We gave him a taller body, bigger hands,more athleticism. We took the one off his jersey and from this day forward he will be known as Kawhi Leonard. It will take some time for him to adjust to his new body but he will get there. The only thing he asked for was hair and hair we gave him.

LOL! Nice take. The thing is, they are both defensive-minded and hustles a lot. Bruce can defend 1,2, and 3 positions. Kawhi can be effective only for 2,3, and 4. But Kawhi is bigger and in my opinion,can average 6 rebounds or more in his career. With regards to shooting 3s, it's too early to tell.

[ducks]

spurs beat clippers soundly on road

[8FOR!3]

LOL! Nice take. The thing is, they are both defensive-minded and hustles a lot. Bruce can defend 1,2, and 3 positions. Kawhi can be effective only for 2,3, and 4. But Kawhi is bigger and in my opinion,can average 6 rebounds or more in his career. With regards to shooting 3s, it's too early to tell.

He seemed to have Chauncey Billups shut down. And I've always considered him a 1.