Quick Grades: Spurs @ Nuggets - Dec. 18

[timvp]

Tim Duncan A+
Carried the team on his shoulders and almost brought the Spurs all the way back. Fantastic performance.

Manu Ginobili C
Moved well in his return from injury. Iffy decisions, inefficient but made some plays.

Tony Parker D+
Did next to nothing in the first half. Played better in the second half but still left a lot to be desired.

Danny Green D-
His jumper looked horrible. Lacked confidence. Defense wasn’t any good either.

Gary Neal D+
Made a few good passes but otherwise was bad. Liability on D. It looked like he was hobbled.

Tiago Splitter B+
He has to rebound better to stay in the starting lineup. The rest of his game was good.

Boris Diaw B
During the comeback in the fourth, he played hard for the first time in weeks.

Stephen Jackson D-
Obviously not in shape. Extremely slow out on the perimeter. Made things worse with bad decisions.

Patrick Mills A-
Good energy on D but the story was his threes. Outside of TD, that was what brought them back.

Nando De Colo C+
Poor transition defense. Didn’t take charge enough on the offensive end.

Matt Bonner Inc.
Hit a three and that got kneed in the ribs.

Pop C+
A few really, really strange combinations. Eventually he found a cohesive group; give him credit for that.

[Mugen]

Pop C+
A few really, really strange combinations. Eventually he found a cohesive group; give him credit for that.

He'd be better served to find that group before the Spurs get down by 10+ tbh. I think the surplus of depth in the perimeter and the lack of it in the frontcourt is really doing a number on Pop. He just can't decide on a rotation and these injuries aren't helping.

[Boomersgold]

Any updates on Bonner? Don't think it was that serious of an injury though...:lol

[DPG21920]

timvp - do you find it odd that since Stern fined the Spurs Pop has seemingly changed his philosophy and played some guys in games they normally don't + more minutes than they normally do while having a win % that is just above 500 (I think they are 6-4 since the Heat game)?

Or is that just coincidence?

[Brunodf]

Perimeter players should stay in front of their man instead of helping in the paint, we already have Duncan/Splitter there.

[AussieFanKurt]

Agree with grades, TD by far the best, Mills great too

Green, Jax, TP were dreadful. Actually big lips was by far the worst

[sananspursfan21]

didn't look like anybody outside of timmy was really trying

[therealtruth]

He'd be better served to find that group before the Spurs get down by 10+ tbh. I think the surplus of depth in the perimeter and the lack of it in the frontcourt is really doing a number on Pop. He just can't decide on a rotation and these injuries aren't helping.

I think he's got to start Manu and Kawhi and then try to figure out a bench unit that makes sense. I think Diaw, Jax should be fixed but everyone else should rotate depending on the situation. Ideally the Spurs would trade some of their spare parts for quality backup players.

[Stabula]

I think he's got to start Manu This is so true it's time to bring Ginobili back into the starting lineup. Having someone the caliber of Danny Green as a STARTING shooting guard tells you that you're in bad shape. Have Neal, Green, or even Mills as the back up SG and hand the back up PG keys over to Nando he's clearly the most competent playing point and can easily take over Ginobili's playmaking duties off the bench.

[Raven]

Tony has to dribble less and move the ball more, it all starts from there imho. The shooters however can't miss open shots and the weirdest thing about them is that you know whether they will miss or not from the moment the shot is taken just from looking at the body balance.

[Boomersgold]

This is so true it's time to bring Ginobili back into the starting lineup. Having someone the caliber of Danny Green as a STARTING shooting guard tells you that you're in bad shape. Have Neal, Green, or even Mills as the back up SG and hand the back up PG keys over to Nando he's clearly the most competent playing point and can easily take over Ginobili's playmaking duties off the bench.

Doesn't Ginobili come off the bench?

[Stabula]

Doesn't Ginobili come off the bench? Yeah. What I'm saying is that Ginobili should stop coming off the bench and be the starting SG because Nando is capable of assuming the rule of primary playmaker off the bench.

[HI-FI]

I love Patty's energy. He's always cheering guys on, waiving the towel, and when we play him, he immediately hits a few 3s. He's like a Tazmanian devil when let loose. I know he's not good enough yet for large chunks of the game, but I like what he brings.

[Boomersgold]

Yeah. What I'm saying is that Ginobili should stop coming off the bench and be the starting SG because Nando is capable of assuming the rule of primary playmaker off the bench.

For some reason, I completely missed that first sentence.

I completely agree with having Ginobili start, but Green's actually the starting SF. When Kawhi gets back, Green will probably be shifted back to his original position of SG, a position he probably feels more comfortable playing.

[DesignatedT]

Seeing Boris play like that in the 4th quarter was both disappointing and encouraging. At least we know what he's capable of when he's on his game. He played really well out there defensively, on the glass and passing the ball. Offensively he still didn't want to shoot but that can be overlooked if he does everything else like he did. Really wish he'd play that hard every night.

[spurraider21]

Yeah. What I'm saying is that Ginobili should stop coming off the bench and be the starting SG because Nando is capable of assuming the rule of primary playmaker off the bench.
solid point. i do think Tiago should be on the bench, so that our bench ball handler (whether it be Manu or Nando) will have a big to work the PnR with. imo tiago should only start against big teams like the Lakers, Clippers, Grizzlies. unless we acquire another solid big that can protect the rim off the bench, i like the Tiago-Timmy rotation, provided Tiago continues to get around 25 minutes or more a night. I feel that Tiago's scoring opportunities take a hit with the starting lineup since Tim is the main guy down low.

[Stabula]

solid point. i do think Tiago should be on the bench, so that our bench ball handler (whether it be Manu or Nando) will have a big to work the PnR with. imo tiago should only start against big teams like the Lakers, Clippers, Grizzlies. unless we acquire another solid big that can protect the rim off the bench, i like the Tiago-Timmy rotation, provided Tiago continues to get around 25 minutes or more a night. I feel that Tiago's scoring opportunities take a hit with the starting lineup since Tim is the main guy down low. I agree that Tiago should stay on the bench because without him our bench would be much less effective. The Spurs are blessed that Duncan is still so dominant they can deal with having a shitty starting C. Tiago is easily our 4th or 5th best player but we have no one else with the size and the talent capable of being that back up C so Tiago is our only option for being a dominant big off the bench. IMO though I think Parker, Duncan, Ginobili, Leonard, and Splitter should almost always finish close games.

[Obstructed_View]

Some of those grades seem pretty high, given the Iverson-ish shooting percentages. Did not see the game, however, and Duncan's stats are gaudy. Given the loss, he's almost as good as Dwight Howard.

[crc21209]

We really, really need Kawhi back. Not just for one thing, such as scoring, but because he can change a game in so many different ways. For example, if Kawhi would've played tonight, Green wouldn't have been forced to defend a bigger, more physical player than him (Iguodala). That assignment would've gone to Kawhi, who maybe could have prevented some of those fastbreak dunks that Iguodala had. And maybe Green would've had more energy on the offensive end to drain some of those 3's he missed tonight. Pop also has to stop with the dumb experimental line-ups. The Neal-Green combo at the guard position was absolutely horrible...

[Fireball]

We really, really need Kawhi back. Not just for one thing, such as scoring, but because he can change a game in so many different ways. For example, if Kawhi would've played tonight, Green wouldn't have been forced to defend a bigger, more physical player than him (Iguodala). That assignment would've gone to Kawhi, who maybe could have prevented some of those fastbreak dunks that Iguodala had. And maybe Green would've had more energy on the offensive end to drain some of those 3's he missed tonight. Pop also has to stop with the dumb experimental line-ups. The Neal-Green combo at the guard position was absolutely horrible...

and with Kawhi we will get some easy fastbreak points as well ... he is not that fast, but somehow able to finish a fast break with a defender right by his side

[freetiago]

greens play doesnt inspire much confidence but i still have a little left in him
hes playing out of position as stated but it couldnt come vs a harder set of opponents

Durant the 7ft small forward
Pierce one of the best scorers in the game and a big body
Gallo another 6'11 small forward
Batum the spur killer

only other elite small forwards missing on that list are gay and lebron

green seems to be a guy whos defense/offense effect his game
if his D is good then he starts hitting 3s
or if his 3s are dropping he plays with more energy on the defensive end

also splitter gives up a lot of rebounds to his teammates
he doesnt fight other teammates for them like neal does
only thing i didnt like tonight was that he doesnt keep his hands up
he always use to do it and now its nonexistent
he stepped up to stop lawsons penetration and just looked at him while lawson shot an uncontested midrange
his high low with duncan was also really good
looked better than the diaw-duncan high low we saw in the season opener

[Manu-20]

greens play doesnt inspire much confidence but i still have a little left in him
hes playing out of position as stated but it couldnt come vs a harder set of opponents

Durant the 7ft small forward
Pierce one of the best scorers in the game and a big body
Gallo another 6'11 small forward
Batum the spur killer

only other elite small forwards missing on that list are gay and lebron

green seems to be a guy whos defense/offense effect his game
if his D is good then he starts hitting 3s
or if his 3s are dropping he plays with more energy on the defensive end

also splitter gives up a lot of rebounds to his teammates
he doesnt fight other teammates for them like neal does
only thing i didnt like tonight was that he doesnt keep his hands up
he always use to do it and now its nonexistent
he stepped up to stop lawsons penetration and just looked at him while lawson shot an uncontested midrange
his high low with duncan was also really good
looked better than the diaw-duncan high low we saw in the season opener

Pretty much agree with this I don't get why some people are on succide watch here on spurs talk, having Kawhi makes a big difference he brings life and energy to the team and helps makes greens job a lot easier. This team can only get better with splitter improving and hopefully De Colo getting the backup this team can be better than last year.

[playblair]

serious question...... why cant green finish a fast break...... its either he misses a dunk or he gets blocked ........

[freetiago]

serious question...... why cant green finish a fast break...... its either he misses a dunk or he gets blocked ........

theres a few reasons why he was picked 46th..like blair



Green+Neal+Blair for Ilyasova
or green neal blair for ekpe udoh+filler

[Boomersgold]

serious question...... why cant green finish a fast break...... its either he misses a dunk or he gets blocked ........

I think Green hasn't fully healed from his hamstring problems.

[AussieFanKurt]

I think Green hasn't fully healed from his hamstring problems.

he's never had a good inbetween game tbh

[Slippy]

Again, the third quarter was a disaster. The sooner Gary neals goes back to the bench the better for the team.


Tiago's scoring opportunities take a hit with the starting lineup since Tim is the main guy down low.

Tiago getting frozen out of the offense has more to with the head of the snake taking it upon himself to be the offense, than it has to do with Tim. Offensively the Tim/Tiago combo played great in the first half. Doesn't help when Green keeps shooting blanks on wide open threes when there was the odd opportunity for a teammate. Resulting in a clogged keway.

[Hoops Czar]

And the carriage turns back into the pumkin.

The team hasn't been right all year. Tony's playing like ass, S-jax has been nonexistent, the defense can't stop the opposition, Spurs settling for three's instead of easy two's and those three's aren't falling, Green is good for nothing, TO's lead to fast break scores 99% of the time and the Spurs aren't running teams out of the building like they were last year.

Oh, but they're tired.

Ps- Where's Leonard's grade.... oh wait.

[Fireball]

he's never had a good inbetween game tbh

yeah, but right now he is missing every floater ... last season I think he at least made one occasionally ... and his missed fastbreak dunks annoy me as well

[ManuTastic]

Agreed. Manu starts over Neal, Leonard starts over Green. Instant huge upgrade.

[Jordanobili2320]

Fair grades. Right now besides TD this team is playing softer than a puppy walking on cotton.

[will_spurs]

Leonard starts over Green.

You mean we play only 4 players?

OBVIOUSLY Kawhi will take back the starting SF spot as soon as he is healthy.

[LongtimeSpursFan]

He seems to be a great teammate. Someone that doesnt get a lot of minutes but when he is called upon he is always up to the task. I really like him as a player and as a person.


I love Patty's energy. He's always cheering guys on, waiving the towel, and when we play him, he immediately hits a few 3s. He's like a Tazmanian devil when let loose. I know he's not good enough yet for large chunks of the game, but I like what he brings.

[letmk]

We really, really need Kawhi back. Not just for one thing, such as scoring, but because he can change a game in so many different ways. For example, if Kawhi would've played tonight, Green wouldn't have been forced to defend a bigger, more physical player than him (Iguodala). That assignment would've gone to Kawhi, who maybe could have prevented some of those fastbreak dunks that Iguodala had. And maybe Green would've had more energy on the offensive end to drain some of those 3's he missed tonight. Pop also has to stop with the dumb experimental line-ups. The Neal-Green combo at the guard position was absolutely horrible...

Agreed. If nothing else, the return of Kawhi can allow Green play at SG and Neal play as a bench scorer. It
s especially tough for Green to guard Durant, Iguodala, etc. day in and day out.

[letmk]

He seems to be a great teammate. Someone that doesnt get a lot of minutes but when he is called upon he is always up to the task. I really like him as a player and as a person.

The one thing I like about Mills is that he is always active and aggressive on defense. It's not always generating good results, but at least he is trying. But Neal is very inconsistent even on defense effort.

That being said, I would put Neal in instead of Green for the last few minutes when. Both of them are struggling, but Neal is one who can turn around in a minute while Green is more streaky.

[lefty]

but ....but .....



Parker is awesome



Hopefully his next matchup vs Boobie Gibson will boost his confidence

[wildbill2u]

"He has to rebound better to stay in the starting lineup. The rest of his game was good." Tim VP

Why should he (grade B+) lose his spot on starting five if his probable replacement (Diaw-Grade B) has been playing lazy for several games and played at a lower grade level in this game. I don't see any bigs on the team who are likely to play better overall if put in the starting five.

[maverick1948]

"He has to rebound better to stay in the starting lineup. The rest of his game was good." Tim VP

Why should he (grade B+) lose his spot on starting five if his probable replacement (Diaw-Grade B) has been playing lazy for several games and played at a lower grade level in this game. I don't see any bigs on the team who are likely to play better overall if put in the starting five.

We want BONNER to start!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[smeagol]

Thanks for the quick grades

[polandprzem]

smeagol?

wtf>?




Ahhh Hobbit - I understand why you are back

[Ice009]

No comment in regards to TP. NO COMMENT.

[cd021]

[QUOTE=timvp;6254223]

Matt Bonner Inc.
Hit a three and that got kneed in the ribs.


Thats are Bonner for you. :rollin