Quick Grade: Spurs @ Blazers - Nov 10, 2012

[timvp]

Tim Duncan A-
The vintage tour continues. Duncan put together another great game.

Manu Ginobili B
Despite the choppy play, he definitely helped the Spurs win tonight.

Kawhi Leonard B
Hit key jumpers and ran the court very well. D a work in progress.

Danny Green B+
Fantastic hustle most of the night. Hit big shots. Had a few mental mistakes.

Patrick Mills C
Got destroyed by Damian Lillard in the first half. Competed better in second half.

Boris Diaw D+
Poor perimeter defense. Invisible on the glass. Mostly invisible on offense.

Gary Neal A+
Wow. His fourth quarter explosion was impressive and keyed the victory.

Stephen Jackson B+
Stout defense. Good passing. Strong drives. All around good effort.

Tiago Splitter D+
Extremely soft tonight. Inattentive defense. Weak finishes on offense. Bad hands.

Nando De Colo B+
Didn’t blink when playing in the fourth quarter. Competed hard. Exemplary vision.

Matt Bonner Inc.
Not a cameo to remember.

Pop B
Rhyme and reason seemed to be lacking but found right combo at the end.

[jestersmash]

Excellent grades as usual timvp :tu:

Boris Diaw took his propensity for deferring on the offensive end to an entirely new level :lol. 0-0 in 15 minutes of play, and I distinctly remember at least one possession where he passed up a wide open 3 point attempt at the top of the key.

[Stabula]

Spurs stole this game tbh. Portland was in control most of the night.

[superjames1992]

Lots of small-ball tonight.

[jestersmash]

Spurs stole this game tbh. Portland was in control most of the night.

These are the best kind of wins early in the season, tbh. Gritty, "pounding the rock" type wins where we're fighting from behind for most of the game.

Gary Neal received some valuable and much deserved experience at running the point in crunch time. Manu received some much needed crunch time minutes while he's trying to get back into a rhythm.

Edit: And the best part about this win is that there will be plenty of teachable moments. Our role players won't get complacent with our 6-1 record either.

[BackHome]

That is why we keeping wanting to trade someone for a PF/C who can bang and get rebounds and has decent offense. It hurts me to say this but Splitter just doesn't have what it takes for the NBA and trust me i hate saying it cause I bought his jersey. I know we went cheap with getting Diaw but heck even that we are not getting what we are paying him. Packing him Splitter, and Bonnor for anyone who can play defense.

[Stabula]

That is why we keeping wanting to trade someone for a PF/C who can bang and get rebounds and has decent offense. It hurts me to say this but Splitter just doesn't have what it takes for the NBA and trust me i hate saying it cause I bought his jersey. I know we went cheap with getting Diaw but heck even that we are not getting what we are paying him. Packing him Splitter, and Bonnor for anyone who can play defense.

I would definitely keep Diaw I think he adds a lot to the team but Splitter...he's another story. I share your same sentiments my disappointment in Splitter saddens me because I'm always cheering for the guy I really want to see him beast it out there but it never happens. Pack him in with Blair no one wants Bonner and never will.

[freetiago]

need to get kenyon martin asap
we had to resort to putting small forwards on centers

splitter hasnt played with a big man yet
its usually 1v3 with him trying to boxout and get a rebound
the next biggest guy he plays next to is 6'7 and 35 years old with no athleticism

[TDMVPDPOY]

diaw defers too much imo, we dont need a playmaker big who cant hit baskets when we need offense where needed....

[therealtruth]

Splitter is capable of being a 15/8 guy as he showed last year. The problem is Pop has done everything to screw up with his confidence. He starts Dejuan Blair to help him play better but he's never considered doing that for Splitter even though Splitter has the greater potential. If Pop has no clue how to maximize Splitter he should trade him because he can help another team win.

[Malik Hairston]

I've always defended Splitter and criticized Pop when necessary, but I don't see how Pop merits the blame for Splitter's struggles..

If Splitter finished aggressively and physically, he would easily be a 15/8 player, regardless of Pop's confidence in him..his positioning and basketball IQ is impressive, he's great at rolling to the basket, but he's completely afraid to play inside..

[mercos]

I think Splitter actually played a little better tonight than he has in the past few games. Dude may never be the savior we wanted, but he was a serviceable backup tonight.

[gee]

Couldn't believe that right in the midst of that great run into the fourth, up by 9 or 10, and Pop switches out the lineup and puts the guys who were struggling all night back in, Portland immediately gets right back into the game.

Obviously subs were going to happen at some point, but the run was still going at full momentum when Pop made the switch and it just killed it straight away. Do not understand the reasoning behind that.

[Boomersgold]

We only made the run because Terry Stotts (Blazer's coach) got cocky and decided to play his scrubs, Will Barton, Sasha Pavlovic, Jared Jeffries etc. Having a 14-0 run against a team like that isn't something to be THAT proud of.

Jared Jeffries: -14
Will Barton: -9

[gee]

Not proud, I'd just rather ride out the momentum with the guys who created the momentum and are pouring in the shots. It just seems like common sense.

[Stabula]

Yeah I find it quite troubling we struggled so hard against a team with no bench to speak of. Sure TP was missing but just his absence isn't an excuse for a game against a team of their caliber to be so tight if we want a shot at winning a WCF this year.

[Vic Petro]

The Spurs hadn't won in the Rose Garden since 2008. I'd say it was a pretty good win minus TP. Also how many defensive rotations does Tiago have to miss before it stops being Pop's fault?

[Splits]

Neal was incredible tonight. He and Patty are competing for those backup point minutes, and they've each put on a show the past two nights to win games. A nice problem to have early in the season.

[spurs10]

Thanks for the quick grades,as usual. This win was pretty damn special to me. Thought Diaw and TS could have played better, but they both had their moments..

[Malik Hairston]

We only made the run because Terry Stotts (Blazer's coach) got cocky and decided to play his scrubs, Will Barton, Sasha Pavlovic, Jared Jeffries etc. Having a 14-0 run against a team like that isn't something to be THAT proud of.

Jared Jeffries: -14
Will Barton: -9

Those scrubs are his bench rotation, he has to give his starters a rest, he didn't have a choice..as I said before the game, Portland has the worst bench in the NBA and the Spurs need to take full advantage..thankfully, they did, as the Blazers' starters completely dominated the Spurs..

[Boomersgold]

Those scrubs are his bench rotation, he has to give his starters a rest, he didn't have a choice..as I said before the game, Portland has the worst bench in the NBA and the Spurs need to take full advantage..thankfully, they did, as the Blazers' starters completely dominated the Spurs..

Wow. I thought they were third string players. In that case then, Portland may have THE worst bench in the NBA. I mean, Babbitt, Jeffries, Barton, Pavlovic? These guys wouldn't even make the roster on a playoff team.

[Boomersgold]

Why are we complaining about Bonner, Splitter, Blair etc when every single player on our bench is better than every player on the Blazers' bench?

[Russo21]

Diaw and Splitter were disappointing. Diaw is too passive and so is Tiago. Maybe cause Diaw is still new to the spurs he doesnt wanna try score too much in case he's labelled as a hog or something. Fucked if i know. I'd like to see those two fuckers be more aggresive. The only two bigs behind them are Blair/Bonner so they've gotta get their nasty on for us to succeed.

[The Reckoning]

funny. diaw had the same passive reputation while on the bobcats.

"it's because he wasn't on a winning team :cry"

[biskvito]

Since the Hack-a-Splitter last season Tiago has never been the same, even on Brazil's NT. I think his confidence reached bottom and he's actually afraid of having to go to the FT line. It's the only explanation I see for his lack of will to score.

[dunkman]

Splitter is a very good backup C. He's struggling early in the season, its not a big deal. The Spurs only have to sign an starter quality PF, otherwise the roster is quite impressive. Martin is still available, I'm not sure why the Spurs dont give him a shot.

[will_spurs]

funny. diaw had the same passive reputation while on the bobcats.

"it's because he wasn't on a winning team :cry"

It's not a reputation, it's the truth, and if anybody brought up the "winning team" argument they were wrong. This being said, there's a difference between passive (or more specifically: not looking to shoot) and uninterested (which Diaw was in Charlotte because the team sucked).

All in all I don't see the point of piling on on Diaw when so far he's been a clear positive for the Spurs, be it at the end of last season (when his integration into the system was very smooth) and this year (where his passing and IQ have already been very useful).

Splitter is another problem entirely. I'd say part of his struggles are due to Pop's doing his utmost to put him in unfavorable situations, limiting his minutes for god knows what reason and so on; but the other part is that he is just WAY too soft to be a difference maker in the NBA, and his ceiling is sadly a lot lower than we expected and hoped for. Unlike many other Spurs prospects who got the boot before getting the opportunity to prove themselves, Splitter has had many opportunities now, and at his age and experience he's extremely unlikely to morph into the kind of player the Spurs really need. Of course on a team that desperate with bigs that Bonner is a rotation player, he's still better than nothing. At this point I wouldn't mind seeing him traded, except we don't need a lateral move but an upgrade, and I can't see who the trade kicker could be in order for another team to send us a better version of Splitter.

[dunkman]

Tbh, if Duncan can put 20/10 stats in the post season, the Spurs will be good with Diaw or eventually K-Mart. Even when those players dont have much offense, they are good defensively. Splitter will eventually recover his form and be serviceable as Duncan's backup.

The problem is when the Spurs play with Blair or Bonner at PF. The defense gets horrible, also the perimeter players drive more easily for high % shots. I don't think the Spurs can make the finals if those players get meaningful minutes at PF. Even playing Kawhi or Jack at 4 makes more sense.

[CGD]

Tim "Instagram" Duncan going old school on cats. Can't believe he's looking so spry. He even has his legs on those midrange jumpers.

[CGD]

We only made the run because Terry Stotts (Blazer's coach) got cocky and decided to play his scrubs, Will Barton, Sasha Pavlovic, Jared Jeffries etc. Having a 14-0 run against a team like that isn't something to be THAT proud of.

Jared Jeffries: -14
Will Barton: -9

Well he DOES have to rest his starters at some point. Not our fault their bench only had 4 points!

[Boomersgold]

Well he DOES have to rest his starters at some point. Not our fault their bench only had 4 points!

Here's what I said after:
Wow. I thought they were third string players. In that case then, Portland may have THE worst bench in the NBA. I mean, Babbitt, Jeffries, Barton, Pavlovic? These guys wouldn't even make the roster on a playoff team.

[boutons_deux]

impossible to predict when he came into the League, but Batum has progessed extremely well in key categories.

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/nicolas_batum/career_stats.html

[Brazil]

A win in Portland without TP, really ? :lol poor tlong

[Bruno]

b2b, on the road, Spurs suffering from sickness.... That's a great win even if it's only the Blazers.

The DeJuan Blair injury worries me. There were rumors about his knees being in really poor shape this summer and he is now missing a game because of it.

[DMC]

Problem with Diaw isn't that he doesn't shoot, but that he's a really good shooter who doesn't shoot. Some people we don't want shooting, but Boris needs to look for his offense. The feeling out period should be over, Tony needs to tell him to shoot the ball, but then the Spurs are cursed/blessed with so many scoring options that Boris probably doesn't feel pressured to shoot the ball. He passed up some wide open looks after some crafty ball movement. That equals risk without reward. If he's going to do that, there's no need to have him be atop the key waiting for a pass. He's simply too talented and good to be so removed from the offense.

Bonner needs to never be on the floor again during any meaningful stretch of play. It's like they pulled some guy from the crowd and put him out there. He's not even NBA material.

We have some really good talent at the PG spot but we are PG heavy like crazy.

Tim is simply amazing. He's so polished and fluid out there. It's like a pro playing with amateurs some of the time (even though the Blazers looked fantastic imo).

The rookie PG in Portland looks pretty impressive.

[DMC]

Yeah I find it quite troubling we struggled so hard against a team with no bench to speak of. Sure TP was missing but just his absence isn't an excuse for a game against a team of their caliber to be so tight if we want a shot at winning a WCF this year.

It's early season. Every shit win now will add up in the standings regardless, and though we don't have a reason to jump up and down about it, we too are finding ourselves. We seem to treat every opponent as not being worthy, but then they are all NBA teams. We win even with 21 turnovers. I'll take that. When we start becoming fluid again and protect the ball, that will translate to even better success against teams like that who play so well at home.

[therealtruth]

It's early season. Every shit win now will add up in the standings regardless, and though we don't have a reason to jump up and down about it, we too are finding ourselves. We seem to treat every opponent as not being worthy, but then they are all NBA teams. We win even with 21 turnovers. I'll take that. When we start becoming fluid again and protect the ball, that will translate to even better success against teams like that who play so well at home.

I have no problem with racking up wins early as long as we continue to improve the defense and make the offense more consistent. Of course the downside to racking wins early is we lose some of our edge later in the season.

[DMC]

I don't think we lose our edge just because we build a cushion. Pop sits players and we play the bench more. That appears as losing an edge when it's really not. I think Pop prefers the option to sit guys. Any coach who doesn't is a moron.

[Gagnrath]

Diaw has always been passive on offense since he came into the NBA. This was true with the hawks, with Phoenix, and with the Bobkittens as well. It has been a feature of him as long as he has been in the NBA, other teams have at times essentially dared him to shoot. No one can really figure out why this is as most NBA players are more than willing to be a feature of the offense if they are given their choice of offensive shots, Diaw has in certain games on some nights essentially been willing to score, which makes everyone wonder why he doesn't more but for a guy who has had fairly consistent 20+ minutes of playing time for the last 8 years is unlikely to suddenly become a guy who is going to shoot more.