Have a question about Blair/Splitter?

[Pelicans78]

Why is Pop giving both guys equal minutes? I'm looking at all the stats and advanced metrics and Splitter is clearly the better player. In fact, whenever Splitter is on the floor, he's almost as productive as Duncan and Parker. Only Manu has been much better. Makes little sense. Blair's been solid, but could you imagine seeing Splitter/Duncan/Lenoard/Manu/Parker full time? What am I missing?

[Spur|n|Austin]

:lol

[TheSkeptic]

...So now fans of other teams are coming here to talk about this? :bang

Splitter is Duncan's back-up is what it's apparently coming down to.

[Pelicans78]

...So now fans of other teams are coming here to talk about this? :bang

Splitter is Duncan's back-up is what it's apparently coming down to.

But they can get away with bringing Blair/Bonner/Diaw off the bench. Seriously, if they keep giving Blair more minutes than Splitter, that's gonna be their Achilles heel in the playoffs. Splitter and Duncan gives them an elite frontcourt.

[TJastal]

Why is Pop giving both guys equal minutes? I'm looking at all the stats and advanced metrics and Splitter is clearly the better player. In fact, whenever Splitter is on the floor, he's almost as productive as Duncan and Parker. Only Manu has been much better. Makes little sense. Blair's been solid, but could you imagine seeing Splitter/Duncan/Lenoard/Manu/Parker full time? What am I missing?

As my fellow spurs brethren have been saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it". This regular season championship will be even sweeter than last years.

[Pelicans78]

As my fellow spurs brethren have been saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it". This regular season championship will be even sweeter than last years.

I can see that, but I've seen teams make adjustments in the playoffs. They can get away with starting Blair against OKC, but against the Lakers, they need to have Splitter and Duncan on the floor against the Bynum and Gasol. I was upset at Monty last year when he didn't start Aaron Gray and Okafor together against the Lakers. He instead went with a smaller Landry and the Lakers killed the Hornets on the boards.

[TheSkeptic]

Both they can get away with bringing Blair/Bonner/Diaw off the bench. Seriously, if they keep giving Blair more minutes than Splitter, that's gonna be their Achilles heel in the playoffs. Splitter and Duncan gives them an elite frontcourt.

Which is why it hurts so much!

Quite a few people have suggested it's because Pop doesn't think they can guard power forwards between the two of them and that they'll get in each other's way on offense. I kind of agree that they're not perfect fits but I think with time they could figure it out.

The hope is that eventually Blair will get benched in the playoffs and then it'll happen but by then it'll be too late for Splitter and Duncan to develop any meaningful chemistry...

So yeah, it probably is going to be the Achilles heel :depressed

[EricD]

It's a load of bull.. Blair needs to sit his dunce ass and Splitter needs to play 25 minutes a night at the very least. When is Pop's stubborn brain going to stop managing minutes like he's coaching for the CYO?

Tbh (cue timvp,tbh), I wonder if Blair's parents being in charge of the Hi-C's and snacks after the game has something to do with his set playing time,tbh? Are do you think it's in Pop's CYO rule handbook that Blair has to play 20 minutes every game, tbh?

[TD 21]

Both they can get away with bringing Blair/Bonner/Diaw off the bench. Seriously, if they keep giving Blair more minutes than Splitter, that's gonna be their Achilles heel in the playoffs. Splitter and Duncan gives them an elite frontcourt.

Not enough shooting/defensive mobility for Pop's liking. Even though Blair can't shoot from mid range either and doesn't move his feet any better than Splitter does, but he more closely resembles a PF.

I've said it many times before and I'll say it again: If at least one of the bigs can shoot from mid range, pass (particularly from the high post) and move their feet well enough to do a passable job defending PF's, then you can absolutely play two C's together.

They may not be a perfect fit together, but neither are Bynum and Gasol. When Gasol is posting up, Bynum can't really space the floor (though he's improved his mid range shot). And Gasol, particularly as he ages, struggles to defend mobile PF's. But the positives far outweigh the negatives.

As far as Gray and Okafor, neither of them can shoot a lick. The Hornets, who labored to score, needed some semblance of offense outside of Paul, on the floor. So that made sense.

[Nathan89]

I can see that, but I've seen teams make adjustments in the playoffs. They can get away with starting Blair against OKC, but against the Lakers, they need to have Splitter and Duncan on the floor against the Bynum and Gasol. I was upset at Monty last year when he didn't start Aaron Gray and Okafor together against the Lakers. He instead went with a smaller Landry and the Lakers killed the Hornets on the boards.

Landry was too talented in that series to not start him. He was holding his own. Gasol was playing like shit so the Hornets didn't need two beast to clog up the paint. They needed what Landry was doing. The reason Hornets lost was shitty outside shooting.

[TDMVPDPOY]

breaking hopes and dreams since 08, get used to it....his still figuring out wtf smallball is after 4yrs of failure trying to implement that shit, those 4 seasons the teams that won championships all had big frontlines, yet this clown continue to go away from what got him 4 rings

[Spurs da champs]

I don't know if it's ignorance or just pure stupidity but can yal'll please stop listing Duncan as a PF , he hasn't really been one since the 2nd championship, anyways he's too slow to guard these new PFs.

But as for your question I'd love to see Timmy-5, Splitter-4, Jackson-3-Leonard-2-Parker-1 as the starting lineup but Pop has his head too far up his own ass to realize what a championship starting lineup & who to play & who not to play anymore.

[pgardn]

Splitter and Duncan gives them an elite frontcourt.

WhOA down there Nelly!

*stiff reins the wild philly*

[pgardn]

I don't know if it's ignorance or just pure stupidity but can yal'll please stop listing Duncan as a PF , he hasn't really been one since the 2nd championship, anyways he's too slow to guard these new PFs.



The Spurs have listed him as such before. And its a very blurred line for a number of players, there is no standard definition. There are PG and SG that are even blurred. Way back players were listed as C,F,F,G,G. The 5,4,3,2,1... the nomenclature and role/positions are different from team to team and change through the years.