timvp
03-03-2012, 12:22 AM
The Bobcats are bad. Really bad. The Spurs didn't play very well at all -- San Antonio probably would have lost against most teams in the league with the way they performed as a group -- but on this night it didn't matter. The Bobcats didn't show much of an interest in winning the game, allowing the Spurs to coast to a 102-72 victory.
There's really not much to take from this outing. It was basically a glorified summer league game. The good news is that it didn't appear as if anyone got injured. However, the Spurs are still looking to find the rhythm they had before the All-Star break. Despite what the final score may suggest, tonight wasn't really a step in the right direction.
http://oi43.tinypic.com/317je6h.jpg
http://oi42.tinypic.com/s0yih3.jpg
Tim Duncan C-
Offensively, Tim Duncan just didn't play a very smart game. When matched up against DeSagana Diop, Duncan allowed Diop to use his length to bother his shot. Duncan should have used his mobility advantage versus Diop. When Duncan had Eduardo Najera on him, he made the opposite mistake: staying out on the perimeter when his advantage was in the low post. The poor shot selection led to an off shooting night. Defensively, Duncan was decent but he wasn't too mentally engaged on that end either. It was a forgettable night. Then again, he was probably just bored -- and it's difficult to blame him.
Tony Parker C
For a few stretches, Tony Parker took over the game. When he put his foot on the gas, the Bobcats didn't really have much of a shot of keeping up. But on this night, Parker's offense was mostly discombobulated. His decision-making was iffy and his passes were often late. As a result, he finished with more turnovers than assists for the first time this season. Defensively, though, he was very solid. Parker manhandled D.J. Augustin and was aggressive in his help defense.
Richard Jefferson A
Early on, Corey Maggette was being overly physical with Richard Jefferson. Instead of folding, Jefferson took on the challenge and had one of his better games of the season. He competed on defense and pulled down multiple contested rebounds. He ran the court well, knocked down his open looks and made a couple smart passes. It'd be great if Jefferson showed this level of fight more often.
DeJuan Blair C-
Well, the good news is that DeJuan Blair rebounded again. In his last three outings, he's averaging 10.7 boards per game. Defensively, he was decent enough; he stayed within shouting distance of the mobile power forwards he matched up against. The rest of Blair's evening, though, was brutal. He missed most of his little floaters around the rim. Some of his attempts were so rushed and missed by so much it was difficult to tell if they were shots, passes or something in between. His five turnovers weren't helping matters.
Danny Green D+
Posting a plus/minus of -6 when your team wins by 30 points and no other player has a plus/minus worse than +7 is difficult to do … but Danny Green managed just that. He wasn't as bad as that spread suggests but he wasn't of much help on this night. A couple defensive breakdowns had him sitting on the bench receiving a tongue lashing from Pop. Offensively, he was a pest on the boards but that was about it. All in all, he just didn't seem to bring his normal level of tenacity to this game. Perhaps his bandaged shoulder played a part in his muted performance.
Gary Neal A-
Speaking of wacky plus/minus numbers, the Spurs outscored the Bobcats by 29 points in the half of the game that Gary Neal played. The rest of the time, they only outscored Charlotte by one point. Neal's best attribute on the night was his versatility. At times he ran the offense. At times he was on the receiving end of well-run plays. At times he made something out of nothing. Overall, his aggression really helped the Spurs on this night. Defensively, he stayed in front of his man as well as anyone on the team and boxed out well.
Tiago Splitter C+
Tiago Splitter still has a ways to go before he's 100% but he looked improved compared to the Bulls game. He was moving better and unleashed a few of his pre-injury moves, although his timing in the pick-and-roll and his decision-making needs work. Defensively, I liked how he stubbornly defended the rim and altered a handful of shots. Hopefully he doesn't have a setback and can be whole again in a few games.
Matt Bonner A-
Bad teams just don't respect Matt Bonner enough. Bonner took advantage and played just about about as well as he can play. He had four three-pointers and probably could have had two or three more if the team's ball-movement was better. Defensively, Bonner was solid and he did good work on the boards.
Kawhi Leonard C+
In Kawhi Leonard's first few stints, I thought he was pretty damn bad. Charlotte players were blowing by him left and right on the defensive end. He seemed tentative in his return from a calf strain. On offense, he settled for a couple of flat three-pointers. Thankfully, he vastly improved as the game progressed. By the fourth quarter, he was playing much, much better. He was in the middle of the action on defense and started attacking the rim on offense.
TJ Ford C+
Defensively, TJ Ford played well. He was really hustling and disrupted a number of plays. On offense, while his numbers look good, Ford looked really rusty. He wasn't making the right passes and oftentimes held onto the ball too long. It looks like his main issue right now is a lack of timing and chemistry with his teammates, which is understandable and should improve in time.
James Anderson D+
I know that James Anderson hasn't hit his outside shots consistently since the beginning of his rookie season, but now he's really hurting himself by becoming hesitant from the perimeter. In the last two games, it seems like he's passed up more shots than he had all season. For a swingman on the Spurs, that's the quickest way to get into the depths of Pop's doghouse.
Cory Joseph B+
With all the UT point guards on the floor, Cory Joseph was apparently very comfortable. He didn't do anything spectacular but he had numerous good decisions in a row, which for him is noteworthy.
Pop B
It's difficult to judge Pop right now due to all the gimpy players. Against the Bobcats, the best thing Pop did was just let the bench play and build the lead in the second half. The starters were making the game more difficult than it was. Once Pop realized that, it became a blowout in short order.
There's really not much to take from this outing. It was basically a glorified summer league game. The good news is that it didn't appear as if anyone got injured. However, the Spurs are still looking to find the rhythm they had before the All-Star break. Despite what the final score may suggest, tonight wasn't really a step in the right direction.
http://oi43.tinypic.com/317je6h.jpg
http://oi42.tinypic.com/s0yih3.jpg
Tim Duncan C-
Offensively, Tim Duncan just didn't play a very smart game. When matched up against DeSagana Diop, Duncan allowed Diop to use his length to bother his shot. Duncan should have used his mobility advantage versus Diop. When Duncan had Eduardo Najera on him, he made the opposite mistake: staying out on the perimeter when his advantage was in the low post. The poor shot selection led to an off shooting night. Defensively, Duncan was decent but he wasn't too mentally engaged on that end either. It was a forgettable night. Then again, he was probably just bored -- and it's difficult to blame him.
Tony Parker C
For a few stretches, Tony Parker took over the game. When he put his foot on the gas, the Bobcats didn't really have much of a shot of keeping up. But on this night, Parker's offense was mostly discombobulated. His decision-making was iffy and his passes were often late. As a result, he finished with more turnovers than assists for the first time this season. Defensively, though, he was very solid. Parker manhandled D.J. Augustin and was aggressive in his help defense.
Richard Jefferson A
Early on, Corey Maggette was being overly physical with Richard Jefferson. Instead of folding, Jefferson took on the challenge and had one of his better games of the season. He competed on defense and pulled down multiple contested rebounds. He ran the court well, knocked down his open looks and made a couple smart passes. It'd be great if Jefferson showed this level of fight more often.
DeJuan Blair C-
Well, the good news is that DeJuan Blair rebounded again. In his last three outings, he's averaging 10.7 boards per game. Defensively, he was decent enough; he stayed within shouting distance of the mobile power forwards he matched up against. The rest of Blair's evening, though, was brutal. He missed most of his little floaters around the rim. Some of his attempts were so rushed and missed by so much it was difficult to tell if they were shots, passes or something in between. His five turnovers weren't helping matters.
Danny Green D+
Posting a plus/minus of -6 when your team wins by 30 points and no other player has a plus/minus worse than +7 is difficult to do … but Danny Green managed just that. He wasn't as bad as that spread suggests but he wasn't of much help on this night. A couple defensive breakdowns had him sitting on the bench receiving a tongue lashing from Pop. Offensively, he was a pest on the boards but that was about it. All in all, he just didn't seem to bring his normal level of tenacity to this game. Perhaps his bandaged shoulder played a part in his muted performance.
Gary Neal A-
Speaking of wacky plus/minus numbers, the Spurs outscored the Bobcats by 29 points in the half of the game that Gary Neal played. The rest of the time, they only outscored Charlotte by one point. Neal's best attribute on the night was his versatility. At times he ran the offense. At times he was on the receiving end of well-run plays. At times he made something out of nothing. Overall, his aggression really helped the Spurs on this night. Defensively, he stayed in front of his man as well as anyone on the team and boxed out well.
Tiago Splitter C+
Tiago Splitter still has a ways to go before he's 100% but he looked improved compared to the Bulls game. He was moving better and unleashed a few of his pre-injury moves, although his timing in the pick-and-roll and his decision-making needs work. Defensively, I liked how he stubbornly defended the rim and altered a handful of shots. Hopefully he doesn't have a setback and can be whole again in a few games.
Matt Bonner A-
Bad teams just don't respect Matt Bonner enough. Bonner took advantage and played just about about as well as he can play. He had four three-pointers and probably could have had two or three more if the team's ball-movement was better. Defensively, Bonner was solid and he did good work on the boards.
Kawhi Leonard C+
In Kawhi Leonard's first few stints, I thought he was pretty damn bad. Charlotte players were blowing by him left and right on the defensive end. He seemed tentative in his return from a calf strain. On offense, he settled for a couple of flat three-pointers. Thankfully, he vastly improved as the game progressed. By the fourth quarter, he was playing much, much better. He was in the middle of the action on defense and started attacking the rim on offense.
TJ Ford C+
Defensively, TJ Ford played well. He was really hustling and disrupted a number of plays. On offense, while his numbers look good, Ford looked really rusty. He wasn't making the right passes and oftentimes held onto the ball too long. It looks like his main issue right now is a lack of timing and chemistry with his teammates, which is understandable and should improve in time.
James Anderson D+
I know that James Anderson hasn't hit his outside shots consistently since the beginning of his rookie season, but now he's really hurting himself by becoming hesitant from the perimeter. In the last two games, it seems like he's passed up more shots than he had all season. For a swingman on the Spurs, that's the quickest way to get into the depths of Pop's doghouse.
Cory Joseph B+
With all the UT point guards on the floor, Cory Joseph was apparently very comfortable. He didn't do anything spectacular but he had numerous good decisions in a row, which for him is noteworthy.
Pop B
It's difficult to judge Pop right now due to all the gimpy players. Against the Bobcats, the best thing Pop did was just let the bench play and build the lead in the second half. The starters were making the game more difficult than it was. Once Pop realized that, it became a blowout in short order.