Leonard and Splitter..

[HarlemHeat37]

They are easily the 4th and 5th best players on this team IMO, which is backed up by most statistics..

There's a very realistic possibility that both Splitter and Leonard finish outside of the top 5 in team playoff minutes, which is a rarity, for top 5 players on a title contender, tbh(it happens with 1 top 5 player, at times, but never with 2)..

On a scale of 1 to 10, how much impact will the playing time of Splitter and Leonard have on the Spurs title hopes?..

[T Park]

Ehhh I like Leonard, but I wouldn't put him ahead of Jackson yet.


Leonard was good but his jumper was Jefferson esque in terms of being respected by the defense and that's a killer.

[DMC]

I like Leonard. Tiago is good, but he's out matched by athletic fowards, and almost any center.

[cd98]

Leonard is better than Jackson right now. Jackson of 2012 is very diminished compared to Jackson of 2005.

[TheSkeptic]

Leonard - 4 to 7. We're deep at the wings and while I would rather see Leonard take up most of the minutes guys like Ginobili and Neal can probably be counted on to step up and make shots when needed.

The loss is more on the defensive side of the ball and that's where I think the Spurs would likely get hurt. Thing is, Pop usually plays him against specific players (Rudy Gay) so I don't expect that to change heading into the post-season.

Splitter - 7-10. Unlike the wings, the Spurs are just not as deep upfront. If Splitter's playing limited minutes that essentially means that Blair/Bonner are getting more time. That's the type of thing that can derail a season very quickly if we run into a team like Memphis and Tiago isn't used to the minutes.

That's why there's a difference in my number assessment.

[Mugen]

Tiago is good, but he's out matched by athletic fowards, and almost any center.

Well that's not true.

[T Park]

I like Leonard. Tiago is good, but he's out matched by athletic fowards, and almost any center.


Pfft. Lol. Yeah ok...

[skin]

I like Leonard. Tiago is good, but he's out matched by athletic fowards, and almost any center.

BS! How about Blair and Bonner then?

[2centsworth]

Leonard is easily the number 4 guy. Max contract potential

[TheSkeptic]

Leonard is easily the number 4 guy. Max contract potential

Great player? Yes. All star potential? I don't see why not. Max contract? I don't think so.

[2centsworth]

Great player? Yes. All star potential? I don't see why not. Max contract? I don't think so.

Potential yes. Above avg ball handler, sick rebounder, lock down defender potential, adequate jumper, just needs to work on finishing. Watch out!

[TheSkeptic]

Potential yes. Above avg ball handler, sick rebounder, lock down defender potential, adequate jumper, just needs to work on finishing. Watch out!

To me that's not really what I look for in a player when we start talking about the max.

The max should go to players like your Duncans, Dirks, and Lebrons.

For wing comparisons I'd look at people like Kobe, Wade, or Jordan. Kawhi is a fantastic player and he'll definitely grow into something special but I don't think he's going to be on that level.

He could completely exceed my expectations but based on what I'm seeing now I don't think the max is in the cards.

[Arc]

if splitter doesn't play big minutes in the playoffs, i just don't see us going far. duncan is going to tire out playing 35-38 minutes a game, and if bonner and blair are the ones watching his back, teams are going to light us up. not to mention, splitter's presence in the game is a big reason why we win. it's fair to say that if you lower his minutes, you lower the chance of victory with it.

[therealtruth]

if splitter doesn't play big minutes in the playoffs, i just don't see us going far. duncan is going to tire out playing 35-38 minutes a game, and if bonner and blair are the ones watching his back, teams are going to light us up. not to mention, splitter's presence in the game is a big reason why we win. it's fair to say that if you lower his minutes, you lower the chance of victory with it.

Pop's going to have to keep the minute distribution close. It's not like you can go from 28 mpg to 35 mpg with no effect. In the first round there's only one day off between games. If he can't play that kind of schedule now he's not doing it in the playoffs with more minutes.

[Cow Eye]

My boy Cow Eye Leonard has definitely exceeded my expectations. Splitter has met my expectations. Lookin' good. :hat

They might not offer Leonard a max contract right away, but I think he'll be here for a while.

[TDMVPDPOY]

splitter>kl thats how important it is in the playoffs...

as for kl, ,i dont think his that much better then jax in terms of what they can bring to the court...

hence if splitter aint playin in the playoffs, mark my words that be a automatic loss

[mercos]

I'm not concerned with Leonard. I think Pop will play him plenty. Splitter on the other hand, I am very concerned about. On a scale of 1-10, I would say the importance of his playing time is a 10. There are two reasons for that. First, the less minutes he gets in the playoffs means the more minutes Tim Duncan is playing. Five years ago that would be just dandy. These days, Duncan does not need to play more than 30 minutes in a game, even in the playoffs. He has played less than 30 minutes a game all season long. That is what he is used to. He is also 36 years old. He can't flip a switch and improve his stamina and conditioning just because the playoffs have arrived anymore.

The second reason I am concerned is because just as the OP pointed out, Splitter is one of the Spurs 5 best players. We need him on the court more. Our ideal lineup right now is Parker, Ginobili, Leonard, Splitter, and Duncan. We can get by without starting Splitter and Ginobili, but those are the guys that should be closing halves. Pairing Duncan and Splitter will create our best defensive unit by far, as it gives you two reliable paint defenders. Leonard, Ginobili, and Parker are no slouches when it comes to perimeter defense either. The Spurs D has not been championship caliber all year, but that lineup moves it a lot closer in the right direction.

I do not believe we will win the championship if Pop overextends Duncan and under utilizes Splitter. That is my biggest fear right now, even more so than injuries. I can live with losing like we did last year because of an injury. It happens. Losing because the coach decides to not use one of your best players out of stubbornness is something that would be tough to swallow. I am no Pop hater, I believe he is far and away the best coach in the league, but this has been his Achilles heel for years. He makes some bonehead decisions on who to play. It hurt big time last year when a seasoned Tiago Splitter might have made a difference against Memphis. I fear that it may happen again.

[Horse]

Well that's not true.
Not at all he's crafty as hell and gets the job done. No he's not perfect but what could anyone seriously have to complain about the guy?

[G-Dawgg]

I'm a big fan of Kawhi's game, he's so efficient...if he only took all of Danny Green's shots, he'd put up amazing offensive numbers imo...

[Fireball]

Kawhi is not hitting the corner three the last few games ... he has to turn that around again ...

[jag]

I like Leonard. Tiago is good, but he's out matched by athletic fowards, and almost any center.

If Tiago were one dimensional then I could see how you would arrive at this conclusion. But he isn't, so this doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

[therealtruth]

I do not believe we will win the championship if Pop overextends Duncan and under utilizes Splitter. That is my biggest fear right now, even more so than injuries. I can live with losing like we did last year because of an injury. It happens. Losing because the coach decides to not use one of your best players out of stubbornness is something that would be tough to swallow. I am no Pop hater, I believe he is far and away the best coach in the league, but this has been his Achilles heel for years. He makes some bonehead decisions on who to play. It hurt big time last year when a seasoned Tiago Splitter might have made a difference against Memphis. I fear that it may happen again.

That's what bugged me in the playoffs so much. Pop leaned to heavily on an almost retired Dice and ignored Splitter till it was too late. Some of the ball they played with Splitter against the Grizzlies was sloppy just because they didn't have that chemistry.

I think it would have been better for Pop to go with what worked most of the regular season than try changing stuff on the fly. Splitter is definitely a player that needs continuity and chemistry. You can't just throw him out there.

[TimmehC]

Tiago is good, but he's out matched by athletic fowards, and almost any center.

:lmao

Even if that were true, you do realize who the alternatives are, right?