R.J... Start or Bench?

[SpurNation]

From:
http://basketballvalue.com/player.php?year=2011-2012&id=221

From what I see...Most of R.J.'s best ratings stem from playing with a second unit more so than a starting unit.

[rmt]

From:
http://basketballvalue.com/player.php?year=2011-2012&id=221

From what I see...Most of R.J.'s best ratings stem from playing with a second unit more so than a starting unit.

How about - don't play him in the playoffs? Try to get by with Leonard/Green/Manu/Neal (SG only) at SF/SG positions.

[Spursfan092120]

I'd give it a game by game basis. RJ will play in the playoffs, we all know that. But if he's not bringing it one game, sit his ass down. He's been a negative to this team for a while now, but every now and then he's a spark. Judge it based on that, imo.

[TDMVPDPOY]

I like Him and Manu off the bench. I think he plays better with Manu creating for him. I would like to see TP, GREEN, KL, TD, SPLITTER start with NEAL, MANU, RJ, BONNER AND BLAIR as the second team.

You could switch Neal and Green and let neal start to give you more scoring and spacing but you lose some D

whats the point of creating for him, when he doesnt hit those shots...

whats even worst, him not taking the ball to the rim, when most of the time the player on him is usually a fkn scrub not on his level, yet he continues to be a pansy sitting on the 3pt line

[DesignatedT]

trade

[Beanzamillion21]

Please god, end of the bench.

[maverick1948]

I like Him and Manu off the bench. I think he plays better with Manu creating for him. I would like to see TP, GREEN, KL, TD, SPLITTER start with NEAL, MANU, RJ, BONNER AND BLAIR as the second team.

You could switch Neal and Green and let neal start to give you more scoring and spacing but you lose some D


Pop would disagree with you on that lineup of bigs. He is going to keep Duncan or Splitter on the court with Blair and Bonner to protect the paint. Now that the Spurs have had a couple of practices, we may see Duncan and Splitter playing together but I dont see them starting the games. Likely, we will see it in the 4th to close out games.

[ElNono]

I really would like him on another team...

[Kewni Leonard]

He is too weak mentally to put him on the bench.

Duncan/Splitter
Blair/Bonner
Jefferson/Manu
Leonard/Neal
Parker/Ford

[jestersmash]

I like Him and Manu off the bench. I think he plays better with Manu creating for him. I would like to see TP, GREEN, KL, TD, SPLITTER start with NEAL, MANU, RJ, BONNER AND BLAIR as the second team.

You could switch Neal and Green and let neal start to give you more scoring and spacing but you lose some D

Bonner and Blair on the court at the same time as the bench unit? You must not like winning...

[jgome21]

I really would like him on another team...

We all do!

[Blake]

As long as he doesn't finish games, imo

[bus driver]

am still on the fence with RJ still after, what 3 seasons. :bang

i think he needs to start

[cheguevara]

he is a disgrace to the game of basketball.

The tipping point was when he did not let Corey Joseph know about a screen coming and Cory got the shit knocked out of him. He's not even a teamate.

[TJastal]

I like Him and Manu off the bench. I think he plays better with Manu creating for him. I would like to see TP, GREEN, KL, TD, SPLITTER start with NEAL, MANU, RJ, BONNER AND BLAIR as the second team.

You could switch Neal and Green and let neal start to give you more scoring and spacing but you lose some D

+1

This is absolutely the way to go IMO. The Blair-Bonner pairing won't be on the court very long if Pop makes the proper adjustment to bolster Splitter's minutes up close to 36 a game. Plus they will be both playing against the other team's bench players and they'll both have Manu to offset their suckitude.

Right now, with the way Tony Parker is playing this also makes him the featured part of the starting lineup and compliments him with two of the most skilled big men in the nba that he can P&R with all day long with.

[Proxy]

Why do people still insist on bringing Manu off the bench?

[DesignatedT]

I don't ever want to see Bonner and Blair on the court at the same time. Tiago off the bench is perfectly fine as long as he closes the game. Who gives a shit who starts tbqh.

[Proxy]

I don't ever want to see Bonner and Blair on the court at the same time. Tiago off the bench is perfectly fine as long as he closes the game. Who gives a shit who starts tbqh.

Because you set the tone for the game and the half. If you can have Kawhi making it hard on a star player, you increase the chances of some streaky guard having an off night. Manu can get the home crowd into the game or he can take an opposing crowd out of the game... early.

Starters aren't as important as finishers, I agree... but to think it isn't important is neglecting the psychological factors of the game.

[DesignatedT]

Because you set the tone for the game and the half. If you can have Kawhi making it hard on a star player, you increase the chances of some streaky guard having an off night. Manu can get the home crowd into the game or he can take an opposing crowd out of the game... early.

Starters aren't as important as finishers, I agree... but to think it isn't important is neglecting the psychological factors of the game.

The current starters are doing just fine. This would make sense if they were struggling or something out of the gate.. IMO, with the current set of big men this is by far the best scenario to go with. Tiago just needs a lot more minutes off the bench.

[Proxy]

The current starters are doing just fine. This would make sense if they were struggling or something out of the gate.. IMO, with the current set of big men this is by far the best scenario to go with. Tiago just needs a lot more minutes off the bench.


I have to disagree there. The bench has swung the momentum that the starters lost so many times.

Besides Parker recently, I think the starters come out bland half the time. Dick is so passive, and Timmy's and Kawhi's nature isn't an aggressive or inspiring one, and Green and Blair are inconsistent.

I would like Manu and Kawhi to start with TP,TD, and Blair. I love Kawhi out there as a defensive force on the perimeter along with the offensive rebounding ability. Then from there, the rotations Pop has would play out....

that being said, Leonard starting would be a stretch. Manu needs to be starting when he's ready. With Green starting now, I imagine both he and Manu's minutes will switch spots in due time.

I agree with the big men rotation. Keeping Blair and Bonner separate is something I'm all for. Splitter getting more minutes is something we all want.

[TJastal]

The current starters are doing just fine. This would make sense if they were struggling or something out of the gate.. IMO, with the current set of big men this is by far the best scenario to go with. Tiago just needs a lot more minutes off the bench.

Dude, think for a second.

The starting lineup is well documented as having problems this year. They aren't doing "fine". The problems will become increasingly magnified come playoff time. This really is like deja-vu to last year. Pop's lineups/rotations are good enough to win regular season games at a great clip, but they won't be once the playoffs start.

Blair has to be cut out of the starting lineup, period. Soft dick too. I would just cut Blair out of the rotation completely tbh. Maybe a few spot minutes here and there. So what that boils down to is you would hardly see Blair and Bonner together (maybe 5 minutes a game max). Splitter really needs to be in the starting lineup. Did you catch Timvp's thread about Parker earlier today? He has been hugely effective running with Splitter on the court. Why not maximize that pairing?

On that same note, putting Ginobili into the starting lineup would be a waste with how masterful Tony Parker is playing atm. It is to the spurs advantage right now to spread their two best playmakers across the entire game. It used to be we really couldn't call Tony Parker a "playmaker". But that has changed. The lineups/rotations should reflect that to the spurs best advantage.

[therealtruth]

Because you set the tone for the game and the half. If you can have Kawhi making it hard on a star player, you increase the chances of some streaky guard having an off night. Manu can get the home crowd into the game or he can take an opposing crowd out of the game... early.

Starters aren't as important as finishers, I agree... but to think it isn't important is neglecting the psychological factors of the game.

Very good point. There's been even games this season where Manu helped to blow the game open early. The guy is capable of going on 10-0 runs himself. It's much better to be up 10-0 than to be down 10-0 and need Manu to work his magic.

[DesignatedT]

I have to disagree there. The bench has swung the momentum that the starters lost so many times.


You can attribute this fully to the absence of our best player. Insert him in the starting lineup, which will happen fairly soon and you continue to have the great bench and the starting lineup will be just fine.

[DesignatedT]

The starting lineup is well documented as having problems this year. They aren't doing "fine".

This is because we have missed our best player/starter for the last 22 games....


Blair has to be cut out of the starting lineup, period. Soft dick too. I would just cut Blair out of the rotation completely tbh. Maybe a few spot minutes here and there. So what that boils down to is you would hardly see Blair and Bonner together (maybe 5 minutes a game max). Splitter really needs to be in the starting lineup. Did you catch Timvp's thread about Parker earlier today? He has been hugely effective running with Splitter on the court. Why not maximize that pairing?

You are proposing that the Spurs go to a 3 man rotation on the front line. Not going to happen, it doesn't make sense especially this season when Duncan should be sitting out games in this condensed scheduled season.


On that same note, putting Ginobili into the starting lineup would be a waste with how masterful Tony Parker is playing atm. It used to be we really couldn't call Tony Parker a "playmaker". But that has changed. The lineups/rotations should reflect that to the spurs best advantage.

This makes some sort of sense but Tony and Manu can co-exist. They have been doing it their whole careers.



It is to the spurs advantage right now to spread their two best playmakers across the entire game.


But it's not to the Spurs advantage to spread their two best bigs? e.g. Duncan starting and Tiago coming off the bench. Just like Tony/Manu.