Defense!!!!

[rr2418]

The Spurs need to get back to the style of defense that brought them championships! I know they don't or didn't have the players this season but maybe it's time to go back to that mentality. This offensive first scheme didn't work that last two seasons. They already have one players in place....K. Leonard.

[Libri]

Sorry, but Spurs would need a Bowen type player to do it.

[tesseractive]

Sorry, but Spurs would need a Bowen type player to do it.

More problematically, they would need the Tim Duncan from 5 years ago to do it. There aren't a lot of those guys floating around the league.

[Budkin]

Sorry, but Spurs would need a Bowen type player to do it.

Leonard is well on his way to being that guy.

[DeadlyDynasty]

More problematically, they would need the Tim Duncan from 5 years ago to do it. There aren't a lot of those guys floating around the league.

^

[ALVAREZ6]

Well then you would have to get rid of 75% of the team.

[Spurs4#5]

Leonard is well on his way to being that guy.
Leonard is on his way to being a hell of a lot more than Bowen ever was

[dbreiden83080]

No problem, just re-draft Tim Duncan and put him with a capable big along with a great perimeter defender...

Easy...

[BackHome]

No one is ever going to replace Bowen, or David , or Timmy........not in our life time.

[boutons_deux]

A team doesn't need a Bowen to play tough defense. What a silly idea

[Juggity]

The league doesn't allow the intensity of early 2000s era spurs defense any more. Rule changes, etc. But that's just half the battle. In order to play that kind of defense in the first place, we'd have to have a full roster of players willing and able to do so. We certainly don't have that, and I don't see a clear path to obtain it.

[CitizenDwayne]

Why not just improve? Why do we have to recreate the magic of the past?

[Plumblbw]

As Juggity said, I think with the pace of the game, especially in the Western Conference being much faster today you don't win games 87 - 83 anymore. It needs a good mix of "solid" defence and scoring.

I think the problem with defence is two fold. Firstly, you need players to buy into playing it, but secondly you need players with the ability. I don't think they need to be Bowen's level, but if you have 5 guys on the court that play decent defence, as opposed to elite and you can score you're going to be ok.

The problem with the current spurs team is there are a couple of good defenders - Duncan and Kawhi (Kawhi has room to grow and likely will get better), obviously Tim's best defensive days are behind him. Outside of that you have a couple of average to competent defenders (Green, Diaw, Parker) (Parker's defence was a lot better this year than in the past).

Then it goes south with the worst 3 defenders on the team being Blair, Bonner and Neal. As bad as Blair and Bonner are I actually think Neal is even worse. When you can't stop Fisher blowing past you there is cause for concern.

The problem with having leaky guards is we only have Tim to bail them out. When he's on the bench we literally have no interior defence (ok sometimes Tiago a little). I think Tim still defends the post well (see his defence on Al Jefferson), but imagine the difference the OKC Thunder series would have made if we had an Ibaka type player playing next to Tim to provide the weak-side shot blocking.

Edit - I forgot Stephen Jackson. His defence has been solid unless he's matched up with a small, quick guard.

[therealtruth]

The Spurs played pretty good defense in the playoffs. It's Pop that went away from the rotations and schemes that worked. For one he started playing Bonner more and less Tiago and Tim. He went away from Green even though he was one of our better defenders.

[Prime Time]

This might be a crazy idea, but what about DeAndre Liggins? Imo he has the potential to guard players like Harden or Wade.

[SamoanTD]

The Spurs played pretty good defense in the playoffs. It's Pop that went away from the rotations and schemes that worked. For one he started playing Bonner more and less Tiago and Tim. He went away from Green even though he was one of our better defenders.

Green wasn't giving shit though in the OKC series he was getting blown past by everybody.

[OZWIN]

A team doesn't need a Bowen to play tough defense. What a silly ideaWithout Bowen...Spurs possibly don't win some of the rings they had...it isn't a "silly" idea at all to have a guy like Bowen on your team. His defense set the tone defensively game in and game out.