Amuseddaysleeper
12-18-2012, 12:01 PM
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8757066/tim-duncan-tiago-splitter-greg-monroe-andre-drummond-more-nba-frontcourt-odd-couples
The NBA's Odd Couples
Taking a look at some unusual big-man pairings around the league. Plus, the best announcers in the game, a Jordanesque move, and a nifty knee brace.
By Zach Lowe on December 18, 2012
Everyone knows comparing individual players is fun. But it's roster fit that's crucial in determining how effective one player is within a particular team context — and whether that player helps drive success for that team. With those kinds of fit issues in mind, here's a look at six front-line combinations whose success or failure will have a huge impact on the futures of their respective franchise:
Tiago Splitter–Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
The importance of this duo, once seldom-used, is simple: The Spurs may need them for a crucial stretch here and there if they want to win the title, particularly if their playoff path includes one of the Western Conference's bigger front lines — Memphis, Utah, and both Los Angeles teams. It has taken three years of very gradual development, but the Spurs are finally scoring when their two center types share the floor together; San Antonio this season has scored a mammoth 111.9 points per 100 possessions in 127 Splitter-Duncan minutes, a mark that would lead the league by a long shot. A year ago, San Antonio's league-best offense scored at a bottom-five rate in just 129 Splitter-Duncan minutes, per NBA.com
The Spurs with Splitter-Duncan were actually playing stingier defense and holding steady on the boards before the Thunder slaughtered these groups in 13 minutes Monday night. Those 13 minutes brought both the Splitter-Duncan points allowed and defensive rebounding numbers below San Antonio's overall averages, which shows how small these early sample sizes really are. Still: That these lineups have scored so well is encouraging.
The Splitter-Duncan Spurs don't shoot nearly as many 3s as San Antonio normally does, and that can cramp the team's spacing a bit. But the team as a whole is adjusting with more varied play calling, whip-smart passing from both bigs, and the developing chemistry between them. They move on opposite north-south planes, so that if Duncan sets a high screen on the left side and rolls to the hoop, Splitter will move up from the right block toward the foul line — flashing for a possible catch and high-low chance with Duncan. The two will sometimes screen for each other, including some Splitter pin-down picks designed to free Duncan for a mid-range jumper, and the coaching staff is smart about having one of them doing something to occupy the defense on the weak side when the other sets a pick for Tony Parker on the ball.
Read More... (http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8757066/tim-duncan-tiago-splitter-greg-monroe-andre-drummond-more-nba-frontcourt-odd-couples)
The NBA's Odd Couples
Taking a look at some unusual big-man pairings around the league. Plus, the best announcers in the game, a Jordanesque move, and a nifty knee brace.
By Zach Lowe on December 18, 2012
Everyone knows comparing individual players is fun. But it's roster fit that's crucial in determining how effective one player is within a particular team context — and whether that player helps drive success for that team. With those kinds of fit issues in mind, here's a look at six front-line combinations whose success or failure will have a huge impact on the futures of their respective franchise:
Tiago Splitter–Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
The importance of this duo, once seldom-used, is simple: The Spurs may need them for a crucial stretch here and there if they want to win the title, particularly if their playoff path includes one of the Western Conference's bigger front lines — Memphis, Utah, and both Los Angeles teams. It has taken three years of very gradual development, but the Spurs are finally scoring when their two center types share the floor together; San Antonio this season has scored a mammoth 111.9 points per 100 possessions in 127 Splitter-Duncan minutes, a mark that would lead the league by a long shot. A year ago, San Antonio's league-best offense scored at a bottom-five rate in just 129 Splitter-Duncan minutes, per NBA.com
The Spurs with Splitter-Duncan were actually playing stingier defense and holding steady on the boards before the Thunder slaughtered these groups in 13 minutes Monday night. Those 13 minutes brought both the Splitter-Duncan points allowed and defensive rebounding numbers below San Antonio's overall averages, which shows how small these early sample sizes really are. Still: That these lineups have scored so well is encouraging.
The Splitter-Duncan Spurs don't shoot nearly as many 3s as San Antonio normally does, and that can cramp the team's spacing a bit. But the team as a whole is adjusting with more varied play calling, whip-smart passing from both bigs, and the developing chemistry between them. They move on opposite north-south planes, so that if Duncan sets a high screen on the left side and rolls to the hoop, Splitter will move up from the right block toward the foul line — flashing for a possible catch and high-low chance with Duncan. The two will sometimes screen for each other, including some Splitter pin-down picks designed to free Duncan for a mid-range jumper, and the coaching staff is smart about having one of them doing something to occupy the defense on the weak side when the other sets a pick for Tony Parker on the ball.
Read More... (http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8757066/tim-duncan-tiago-splitter-greg-monroe-andre-drummond-more-nba-frontcourt-odd-couples)