Quick Grades: Spurs vs. Grizzlies - Jan. 16

[timvp]

Tim Duncan A
Great D -- not only in the paint but in midrange area. Offensive slump is over. Precise and effective on O.

Tony Parker A
Fantastic job running the show; kept the team in its sets. Helped shred an elite D. Consistent effort throughout.

Kawhi Leonard B+
Was more involved offensively. Efficiency again great. Individual D was iffy but very active team-wise.

Danny Green B
Wasn’t very involved on either end but still found ways to make a few positive plays.

Tiago Splitter A
Outstanding in numerous areas. Boarding against their physicality impressed. Ran the court. Went hard.

Boris Diaw A
Grizzlies left him open, Diaw made them pay. Sufficient aggression. Limited mistakes. Competed on defense.

Stephen Jackson A-
Best passing game of his season; made a handful of magnificent passes. Shot well and was active on D.

Gary Neal C+
Scored well but never found a groove on offense. Broke the sets too much. D was mostly solid but had breakdowns.

Patrick Mills C+
Didn’t hit a shot until garbage time. Finding his own shot while running PG is proving difficult. D was subpar.

Matt Bonner Inc.
Good post D and work on the boards in garbage time.

DeJuan Blair Inc.
Unselfish in garbage time but D and rebounding were lacking.

Nando De Colo Inc.
Had a cool spinner in garbage time. Had an uncool turnover in garbage time.

Cory Joseph Inc.
Dribbled a couple times in garbage time. Maybe even three or four times.

Pop A-
Rotation made sense. Kept the roles consistent. Adjusted well to being without Ginobili. Great gameplan.

[BoricuaCJA]

I thought the defense overall was wonderful from what I saw. A lot great help D.
Duncan is a beast!!!!!

[EVAY]

Thanks for the grades. I agree with the grades tonight. And I have to say that I thought that Tony made Conley look bad; not the reverse as some game posters thought. Tony once again shot over 50%, had 11 assists, and was very active on defense, holding Conley to something like 10 points on 40% shooting. Monroe commented today in the Express News that TP is one of the most under appreciated guards in the NBA, and I have to agree with him. Sometimes it reminds of Duncan in his younger years when he consistently put up dynamo stats and people thought he was boring, because he did what he did fairly quietly. People would say of Duncan "well, yeah, his stats look good but it doesn't look like he's doing much out there". And that is where TP is today. It is the way Pop develops players, imo. Parker does not have the natural athleticism of a Ginobili, but he has worked his tail off to develop his game to where he is today.

[benfti]

when its all said and done though timvp, i do like that Mills appears to be working on his PG game. We all know he can score. Its his running of the offense that needed work, and that does seem to be getting better by the game.

[LittleCriminal]

Would you say Splitter was Hard at work? Or was he hard at work?

[Libri]

:tu

[Boomersgold]

Really impressed with Diaw's aggressiveness lately. What's gotten into him?

[TDMVPDPOY]

when its all said and done though timvp, i do like that Mills appears to be working on his PG game. We all know he can score. Its his running of the offense that needed work, and that does seem to be getting better by the game.

all he needs to do is keep the ball in his hand and run the offense instead of looking for his own stats, if he can play that tjford role, then that pg backup role is his...not concern about his defense at all, his speed running back and hustling on defense makes up for his size disadvantage...


wasnt impress with duncans performance tonight, seems like he was just padding up meaningless empty stats offensively and defensively, making up loss stats of previous games to avg out his seasonal avgs...it is what it is....

first half they continue to hit shots, not just open shots, but fkn shots with hands in the face contested by our players...rudy gay continues to give us problems even with KL on him...they went down to earth when they loss that offensive touch in the 2nd half....

[TheSkeptic]

Thanks Timvp.

Only thing where I disagree slightly is on Patty's grade. He distributed the ball pretty well and I liked that he didn't try to shoot his way out of the slump at the expense of setting up his team mates. If he played like this consistently I would have no problems with him being the back-up pg.

I'm just glad that someone might be giving Neal a run for his money at the back-up spot.

[HI-FI]

totally missed this game so figures it would be Spurs best game in awhile. great to see the quality of grades, especially in the absence of Manu, that's a very encouraging sign.

any idea when
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kdaE9Ej-pi0/UNzOsB5unFI/AAAAAAAAJr4/oPD8XwQqVgo/s400/DKR-01797r.jpg
arrives?

[TrainOfThought5]

Really impressed with Diaw's aggressiveness lately. What's gotten into him?

whatever it is, keep it inside of him.

[TrainOfThought5]

Thanks Timvp.

Only thing where I disagree slightly is on Patty's grade. He distributed the ball pretty well and I liked that he didn't try to shoot his way out of the slump at the expense of setting up his team mates. If he played like this consistently I would have no problems with him being the back-up pg.

I'm just glad that someone might be giving Neal a run for his money at the back-up spot.

I agree.. he came in, realized tonight wasnt his night to shoot blindly at the rim, and started to pass the rock. almost like a point guard :-P

But seriously, Mills could really develop for us if we let him. I think he could be an adequate backup Point guard THIS SEASON.

(I still want to give Cojo a shot tho.)

[cd021]

whatever it is, keep it inside of him.
...pause...no homo:blah
in all seriousness, he played great.

[therealtruth]

It's seems that Pop coaches better when he has less to work with.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Superb win, Diaw's best game in a month. If he could be that aggressive all the time our bench would function so much better.

[timvp]

Yeah, I thought Mills passed the ball better than usual. He wasn't great at it but it was definitely an improvement.

That said, long-term he's going to have to score to keep his value. His ballhandling and passing aren't good enough to morph into a distributing PG. Tonight specifically, I thought his defense was really shaky at times. Pop almost jumped out of his skin when yelling at Mills to go over the screen instead of going under.

Overall, Mills probably helped his case of becoming the full-time backup point guard even though this was slightly a below average performance.

[spurtech09]

see what 2 days of rest can do to this team....the whole team looked refreshed.....thats all this team needed.....rest

[Boomersgold]

Yeah, I thought Mills passed the ball better than usual. He wasn't great at it but it was definitely an improvement.

That said, long-term he's going to have to score to keep his value. His ballhandling and passing aren't good enough to morph into a distributing PG. Tonight specifically, I thought his defense was really shaky at times. Pop almost jumped out of his skin when yelling at Mills to go over the screen instead of going under.

Overall, Mills probably helped his case of becoming the full-time backup point guard even though this was slightly a below average performance.

Yeah, I saw that. Whenever Patty tries to go over a screen, he always ends up having to switch to guarding the screener due to not being able to get past him, which often leads to easy points for the other team. I prefer it when he goes behind the screener.

[Strategic]

Nice take timvp. It's a little odd that last year Pop use a five man rotation to cover the 4 and 5 position, where as tonight he used three. It seems as though he started Duncan tonight and then just inserted him back in the game as needed.

[Brunodf]

It's seems that Pop coaches better when he has less to work with.

[Mel_13]

Nice take timvp. It's a little odd that last year Pop use a five man rotation to cover the 4 and 5 position, where as tonight he used three. It seems as though he started Duncan tonight and then just inserted him back in the game as needed.

It was a 4 man rotation at the 4 and 5 last season. They only had 4 bigs on the roster until Diaw signed with them after the trade deadline. There was a short period of transition and then Diaw replaced Blair in the starting lineup and in the rotation.

[Spursfanfromafar]

Thanks, Timvp.

This was a great game to watch and appreciate. The offense was just silky smooth and Tony Parker played like the best PG in the league. And kudos to Boris Diaw for "getting over himself" finally. Hope this trend continues.

[Sean Cagney]

see what 2 days of rest can do to this team....the whole team looked refreshed.....thats all this team needed.....rest

That first half schedule was horrible.

[racm]

The key was Boris deciding to attack when open instead of forcing a pass. Tiago was aggressive; he's gotten his big boy pants on.

Timmy with another block party. At this rate he'll be battling with the young pogo sticks Sanders and Ibaka for the blocks title.

Neal should never EVER play point guard - he's a shooting guard.

[TheSkeptic]

Yeah, I thought Mills passed the ball better than usual. He wasn't great at it but it was definitely an improvement.

That said, long-term he's going to have to score to keep his value. His ballhandling and passing aren't good enough to morph into a distributing PG. Tonight specifically, I thought his defense was really shaky at times. Pop almost jumped out of his skin when yelling at Mills to go over the screen instead of going under.

Overall, Mills probably helped his case of becoming the full-time backup point guard even though this was slightly a below average performance.

Well I thought he should've gotten more of a B- because those baby steps are encouraging. At this point it's basically quibbling tbh though. :lol

I think it was RuffinReadyOZStyle or someone who mentioned in the gamethread how Patty's shooting has been subpar for the last little while. While he'll definitely have to bring up his scoring in order to stay valuable long-term, I'm hoping that he or NDC or CoJo can at least become competent at making plays for the bench. I don't like the idea of Manu or Neal running the second unit's offence alone against a team like the LAC or OKC.

[racm]

That first half schedule was horrible.

The Spurs are at the halfway point of their season earlier than the other contenders, and it only gets easier. They only play 7 road games in March and April.

[Strategic]

The Spurs are at the halfway point of their season earlier than the other contenders, and it only gets easier. They only play 7 road games in March and April.
But can the Spurs win 60, and will that be enough for home court?

[Mel_13]

That first half schedule was horrible.


The Spurs are at the halfway point of their season earlier than the other contenders, and it only gets easier. They only play 7 road games in March and April.

And on a 60 win pace despite the schedule.

[Strategic]

It was a 4 man rotation at the 4 and 5 last season. They only had 4 bigs on the roster until Diaw signed with them after the trade deadline. There was a short period of transition and then Diaw replaced Blair in the starting lineup and in the rotation.

My mistake, though I do think that Blair continued to start throughout most of the reg season while still averaging 20 mpg over the last 10 games. In the playoffs he did near completely fall off the face of the earth.

[TDMVPDPOY]

And on a 60 win pace despite the schedule.

7 of the 10losses this season, were all winnable games blowing up leads or just waving the white flag against teams that was winnable...

i think pop is not pacing this team for best record in the league, but hovering around where OKC, LAC are to track what sort of seeding we should get heading into the playoffs, either avoiding them early in the rounds or just avoiding them in the playoffs

[DanAu]

I think general expectations of Patty are a little off at this point. Does it really look to you guys that he's being told "go out there, set up every play, look for your shots, your our main go-to guy?" to me no. Seems to me he is told to focus on bringing the ball up the court, spacing the floor and looking after the ball, NOT running sets, NOT being the go-to scorer.

I don't like that he's judged on things that I really don't think he's being coached to do right now. When Patty plays with Manu, its not Patty that's the playmaker, same as when he was with De Colo and same as tonight, when he was with Jack and Neal, half the time they bring up the ball, half the time he just goes to the corner for spacing and helps out when the play gets in trouble.

If that is his job, to be the primary facilitator and an active scorer, then sure, he's underperformed, but for someone who's been given VERY limited minutes, usually with Manu on the court or in garbage time I think tonights game was extremely pleasing and a very positive performance.

Am I a bias Patty fan or just completely wrong?

[timvp]

I think general expectations of Patty are a little off at this point. Does it really look to you guys that he's being told "go out there, set up every play, look for your shots, your our main go-to guy?" to me no. Seems to me he is told to focus on bringing the ball up the court, spacing the floor and looking after the ball, NOT running sets, NOT being the go-to scorer.

I don't like that he's judged on things that I really don't think he's being coached to do right now. When Patty plays with Manu, its not Patty that's the playmaker, same as when he was with De Colo and same as tonight, when he was with Jack and Neal, half the time they bring up the ball, half the time he just goes to the corner for spacing and helps out when the play gets in trouble.

If that is his job, to be the primary facilitator and an active scorer, then sure, he's underperformed, but for someone who's been given VERY limited minutes, usually with Manu on the court or in garbage time I think tonights game was extremely pleasing and a very positive performance.

Am I a bias Patty fan or just completely wrong?

IMO, his biggest negative tonight was defensively, which you didn't mention. I think Mills should be beyond the point where if he doesn't make mistakes, dishes off a few good passes, spaces the court and plays subpar to mediocre defense that it's considered "a very positive performance". To me, he would have been more in the average range if his defense was better tonight.

But again, we're slitting hairs here.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Yeah, I thought Mills passed the ball better than usual. He wasn't great at it but it was definitely an improvement.

That said, long-term he's going to have to score to keep his value. His ballhandling and passing aren't good enough to morph into a distributing PG. Tonight specifically, I thought his defense was really shaky at times. Pop almost jumped out of his skin when yelling at Mills to go over the screen instead of going under.

Overall, Mills probably helped his case of becoming the full-time backup point guard even though this was slightly a below average performance.

Given his performance at the Olympics, late last season for the Spurs, and as a backup in Portland, during the off-season I thought Mills would be a standout backup PG for the Spurs this year. Sadly, I don't see him getting there any time soon - too inconsistent in his shooting and defence for Pop to trust.

I say that very sadly as he's from Canberra where I live and he's a fantastic role model and teammate.

On the flipside, he is still young. Maybe he would thrive in a different system where he could be instant offence off the bench rather than having to run the team?

@timvp, a bunch of posters are calling for bringing in Joseph for an extended run at backup PG - what do you think?

[ElNono]

I thought Jack was phenomenal this game...

[99 Problems]

when its all said and done though timvp, i do like that Mills appears to be working on his PG game. We all know he can score. Its his running of the offense that needed work, and that does seem to be getting better by the game.


Thinking that as well. Got the scoring up his sleeve if needed but working on running that point. Most important he is looking after the rock better. That's what Pop gunna want more than anything else.

[DieMrBond]

And on a 60 win pace despite the schedule.

And according to Hollingers Strength of Schedule, the second toughest so far... which makes it pretty impressive!

[Manufan909]

And according to Hollingers Strength of Schedule, the second toughest so far... which makes it pretty impressive!

Who has the toughest schedule so far?

[DanAu]

IMO, his biggest negative tonight was defensively, which you didn't mention. I think Mills should be beyond the point where if he doesn't make mistakes, dishes off a few good passes, spaces the court and plays subpar to mediocre defense that it's considered "a very positive performance". To me, he would have been more in the average range if his defense was better tonight.

But again, we're slitting hairs here.
Fair enough. I'll admit to being a casual fan and understanding defensive structure, skills and plays is not my strong point, so I'll bow experience on that note, and given that was the basis of the grade, I am placated, cheers for the explanation.

[Ice009]

IMO, his biggest negative tonight was defensively, which you didn't mention. I think Mills should be beyond the point where if he doesn't make mistakes, dishes off a few good passes, spaces the court and plays subpar to mediocre defense that it's considered "a very positive performance". To me, he would have been more in the average range if his defense was better tonight.

But again, we're slitting hairs here.

Again, defense is mentioned in regards to the backup PG, and again, I will say Cory Joseph.

Why is Cory not getting a legit shot at backup PG?

[racm]

But can the Spurs win 60, and will that be enough for home court?

On pace for a 60 win season when you don't factor in the schedule getting much easier post RRT.

[timvp]

Given his performance at the Olympics, late last season for the Spurs, and as a backup in Portland, during the off-season I thought Mills would be a standout backup PG for the Spurs this year. Sadly, I don't see him getting there any time soon - too inconsistent in his shooting and defence for Pop to trust.

I say that very sadly as he's from Canberra where I live and he's a fantastic role model and teammate.

On the flipside, he is still young.

Good point; his youth is often overlooked. It seems like Mills has been around forever but he's just 24 years old. Point guards usually don't start figuring it all out until they are around 28, so he has plenty of time to improve. It's still difficult to pinpoint his ceiling -- there's a chance he could become a full-time starter one day ... there's also a chance that he flunks out as a PG and will have to switch to SG.

I've liked what I've seen out of Mills in these past two games. AFIAK, these were the first two games all season that Pop allowed Mills to be the backup point guard behind Parker in both halves. Mills hasn't been great in these last two but he also hasn't hurt the team. He's making strides with his passing, which is really important.

Can Mills become the backup point guard on this Spurs team? I'm not sure yet. In a perfect world, you'd have a lockdown defender who is also an ace ballhandler next to Ginobili coming off the bench. Mills isn't that but he has strengths (speed, shooting, energy, etc.) that could help the second unit.


Maybe he would thrive in a different system where he could be instant offence off the bench rather than having to run the team?
Truthfully, there aren't many better situations for him. In fact, this might be the best situation for Mills. He's not a playmaker, so being able to allow Ginobili to make the plays while he basically gets to play shooting guard in the halfcourt offense fits him perfectly. When Ginobili is healthy, Mills usually isn't asked to run plays ... his mission is to dribble the ball up the court successfully and then either attack or give it to Ginobili.


@timvp, a bunch of posters are calling for bringing in Joseph for an extended run at backup PG - what do you think?
CJ makes some sense because he best fits the most desired mold (ballhanlder who can defend). But he's also very green and it's probably too late for him to jump over NDC, Neal and Mills to land the gig. I'd like for Pop to give him a shot since Pop is in mad scientist mode anyways ... but I think it's a long-shot that CJ ends up being the answer.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Leonard was pressing offensively for the first time I remember today. He didn't do a lot of it but after a steady stream of long 2's from Gay he had a possession where he got the ball up top dribbled into the lane where of course the Grizz collapsed, didn't give the ball up dribbled it back out did a crossover and turned it over. He soon got yanked and didn't do it again but that was the only time I remember him pressing. Really ever.

What I was thinking is taht it might be a good idea to design a couple of plays for him or call his number a couple of times a game. The puppy needs to start biting but he isn't going to do that with the way he is with Tim, Tony and Manu on the floor unless you structure it such that he does. Dudes got mad talent and he may have a plus midrange jumpshot which could end up making him amazing. Get that train rolling.

[racm]

Leonard was pressing offensively for the first time I remember today. He didn't do a lot of it but after a steady stream of long 2's from Gay he had a possession where he got the ball up top dribbled into the lane where of course the Grizz collapsed, didn't give the ball up dribbled it back out did a crossover and turned it over. He soon got yanked and didn't do it again but that was the only time I remember him pressing. Really ever.

What I was thinking is taht it might be a good idea to design a couple of plays for him or call his number a couple of times a game. The puppy needs to start biting but he isn't going to do that with the way he is with Tim, Tony and Manu on the floor unless you structure it such that he does. Dudes got mad talent and he may have a plus midrange jumpshot which could end up making him amazing. Get that train rolling.

I think KL's shooting above average from every area on the floor. :wow. Running some post ups for him could be nice, if the Spurs elect to use him as a small ball big or force a switch.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

And he did it tonight. He got the ball downlow but too far under took a dribble or two along the baseline with the Grizz bigs still there and got the hook shot off anyway. He later dribbled into a 15 foot jumpshot from the right elbow and hit a couple of threes. Dude has the offensive talent to be special and I don't think saying that is hyperbole prospect talk anymore.

With Manu being out and Green being much more limited offensively it makes sense if you are going to try and force the issue a little that you do it now.

:lol I definitely need to buy his jersey.

[freetiago]

I think KL's shooting above average from every area on the floor. :wow. Running some post ups for him could be nice, if the Spurs elect to use him as a small ball big or force a switch.

http://vorped.com/bball/index.php/player/shotchart/1290-Kawhi-Leonard/season/2012-2013-REG?metric=zone_fg

well that didnt work but heres the link to his shot chart
http://vorped.com/bball/index.php/player/shotchart/1290-Kawhi-Leonard/season/2012-2013-REG
and the eye test confirms what we know
hes shooting over 50% and more near 60% from every mid range area
hes shooting 83.3% from the left baseline but only 33.3% from the right basline

his corner 3 is still elite with 41% from the right corner and 50% from the left corner
hes only weak shooting the ball behind the 3 point arc from straight on and both elbows
but spurs almost never shoot 3s there with any player except ginobili in isos and green/neal off set plays

[DieMrBond]

Who has the toughest schedule so far?

The Strength of Schedule for each team so far is:

01. New Orleans Hornets: .543
02. San Antonio Spurs: .531
03. Memphis Grizzlies: .525
04. Houston Rockets: .524
05. Denver Nuggets: .524
06. Sacramento Kings: .520
07. Los Angeles Clippers: .518
08. Los Angeles Lakers: .514
09. Minnesota Timberwolves: .510
10. Utah Jazz: .507
11. Phoenix Suns: .506
12. Boston Celtics: .504
13. Golden State Warriors: .504
14. Miami Heat: .501
15. Brooklyn Nets: .499
16. Dallas Mavericks: .496
17. Portland Trailblazers: .496
18. Milwaukee Bucks: .492
19. OKC Thunder: .489
20. Philadelphia 76ers: .489
21. New York Knicks: .488
22. Charlotte Bobcats: .488
23. Chicago Bulls: .487
24. Toronto Raptors: .486
25. Cleveland Cavaliers: .484
26. Washing Wizards: .484
27. Detroit Pistons: .479
28. Orlando Magic: .470
29. Atlanta Hawks: .470
30. Indiana Pacers: .462

[freetiago]

looks like the entire southwest divison getting fucked over minus the mavs

[spurraider21]

keep in mind really bad teams look like that have hard schedules because everyone they play is better than them :lol

[racm]

looks like the entire southwest divison getting fucked over minus the mavs

Also, the Clippers have had a tougher schedule than the Lakers yet are running away with the division while the Lakers keep on knocking on the door of the over .500 club, only to be turned down every time. :rollin

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

The Strength of Schedule for each team so far is:

01. New Orleans Hornets: .543
02. San Antonio Spurs: .531
03. Memphis Grizzlies: .525
04. Houston Rockets: .524
05. Denver Nuggets: .524
06. Sacramento Kings: .520
07. Los Angeles Clippers: .518
08. Los Angeles Lakers: .514
09. Minnesota Timberwolves: .510
10. Utah Jazz: .507
11. Phoenix Suns: .506
12. Boston Celtics: .504
13. Golden State Warriors: .504
14. Miami Heat: .501
15. Brooklyn Nets: .499
16. Dallas Mavericks: .496
17. Portland Trailblazers: .496
18. Milwaukee Bucks: .492
19. OKC Thunder: .489
20. Philadelphia 76ers: .489
21. New York Knicks: .488
22. Charlotte Bobcats: .488
23. Chicago Bulls: .487
24. Toronto Raptors: .486
25. Cleveland Cavaliers: .484
26. Washing Wizards: .484
27. Detroit Pistons: .479
28. Orlando Magic: .470
29. Atlanta Hawks: .470
30. Indiana Pacers: .462

A couple of observations.

It's no coincidence that the top 11 teams are all from the west and the bottom 11 are all from the East.
Denver has a great chance to be top 4.
Kings aren't that bad at all. A couple of decent trades and they might push for the playoffs.
OKC might struggle a bit in the second half of the season (hopefully). I think the Spurs can beat Clippers without HC, but beating OKC without HC would be extremely difficult.

[polandprzem]

The Strength of Schedule for each team so far is:

01. New Orleans Hornets: .543
02. San Antonio Spurs: .531
03. Memphis Grizzlies: .525
04. Houston Rockets: .524
05. Denver Nuggets: .524
06. Sacramento Kings: .520
07. Los Angeles Clippers: .518
08. Los Angeles Lakers: .514
09. Minnesota Timberwolves: .510
10. Utah Jazz: .507
11. Phoenix Suns: .506
12. Boston Celtics: .504
13. Golden State Warriors: .504
14. Miami Heat: .501
15. Brooklyn Nets: .499
16. Dallas Mavericks: .496
17. Portland Trailblazers: .496
18. Milwaukee Bucks: .492
19. OKC Thunder: .489
20. Philadelphia 76ers: .489
21. New York Knicks: .488
22. Charlotte Bobcats: .488
23. Chicago Bulls: .487
24. Toronto Raptors: .486
25. Cleveland Cavaliers: .484
26. Washing Wizards: .484
27. Detroit Pistons: .479
28. Orlando Magic: .470
29. Atlanta Hawks: .470
30. Indiana Pacers: .462

First eleven clubs are from the West. Damn Miami has so much handicap plahying in the East it's insane

[jiggy_55]

keep in mind really bad teams look like that have hard schedules because everyone they play is better than them :lol

Yet, the only really bad teams in the top are New Orleans and Sacramento, and new orleans are playing great basketball ever since Gordon came back.. Minnesota have just been decimated by injuries but their not bad at all, and the Lakers have struggled but their still the Lakers and have shown signs of improvement over the last 2-3 games..

[Russo21]

Duncan & Splitter: 29 points, 17 rebounds, 5 ast, 2 steals, 6 blocks
Randolph & Gasol: 23 points, 8 rebounds, 3ast, 0 steals, 0 blocks

That's a fantastic effort from those two going against the memphis 2 headed monster.

Another great stat line is Diaw who actually shot the fucken ball. 7-10 FG (7-8 inside the arc) Keep shooting you fucker.
And Leonard 5-6 FG (3-3 FROM 3) 2 steals and 2 blocks

Some good signs from our main frontcourt players against a good team.

Another good stat line is the turd towers. Combined 7 minutes and 0 points.

[99 Problems]

Good point; his youth is often overlooked. It seems like Mills has been around forever but he's just 24 years old. Point guards usually don't start figuring it all out until they are around 28, so he has plenty of time to improve. It's still difficult to pinpoint his ceiling -- there's a chance he could become a full-time starter one day ... there's also a chance that he flunks out as a PG and will have to switch to SG.

I've liked what I've seen out of Mills in these past two games. AFIAK, these were the first two games all season that Pop allowed Mills to be the backup point guard behind Parker in both halves. Mills hasn't been great in these last two but he also hasn't hurt the team. He's making strides with his passing, which is really important.

Can Mills become the backup point guard on this Spurs team? I'm not sure yet. In a perfect world, you'd have a lockdown defender who is also an ace ballhandler next to Ginobili coming off the bench. Mills isn't that but he has strengths (speed, shooting, energy, etc.) that could help the second unit.


Truthfully, there aren't many better situations for him. In fact, this might be the best situation for Mills. He's not a playmaker, so being able to allow Ginobili to make the plays while he basically gets to play shooting guard in the halfcourt offense fits him perfectly. When Ginobili is healthy, Mills usually isn't asked to run plays ... his mission is to dribble the ball up the court successfully and then either attack or give it to Ginobili.


CJ makes some sense because he best fits the most desired mold (ballhanlder who can defend). But he's also very green and it's probably too late for him to jump over NDC, Neal and Mills to land the gig. I'd like for Pop to give him a shot since Pop is in mad scientist mode anyways ... but I think it's a long-shot that CJ ends up being the answer.



Not only is the youth situation sometimes overlooked, but Mills has only played 125 NBA games. Perhaps compare that to KL who has racked up 87. Mills has been around essentially since China Olympics 2008, but the limited games suggests there could be considerable upside.

[Bruno]

A very good win.

The most impressive is how Spurs frontcourt has been able to match Grizz frontcourt. Tiago and Boris were very good and Tim was back at his all-star level. Tim was likely a little tired lately and the two days off have made wonders for him. Holding Memphis to only 6 offensive rebounds is also impressive.

The stat of the game is Spurs having 33 assists while Memphis only had 11 assists. Memphis are a physical great defensive team but their team offense is nowhere near Spurs' level. Spurs led the league in assists per game by a significant margin and it's not a surprise when you see them play and sharing the ball.

Memphis is sliding. After a 14-3 start, they are 10-10 in their last 20 games. This blowout loss against Spurs won't surely slow down owners willingness to go under the tax by trading gay. Right now, the west is a 3 teams league with Thunder, Clippers and Spurs. Spurs are the less impressive of these 3 teams but they aren't that far from Thunder and Clippers.

[Strategic]

A very good win.

The most impressive is how Spurs frontcourt has been able to match Grizz frontcourt. Tiago and Boris were very good and Tim was back at his all-star level. Tim was likely a little tired lately and the two days off have made wonders for him. Holding Memphis to only 6 offensive rebounds is also impressive.


Right now, the west is a 3 teams league with Thunder, Clippers and Spurs. Spurs are the less impressive of these 3 teams but they aren't that far from Thunder and Clippers.

Quite a reversal from two years ago when the Spurs looked like they would never have an answer to a front court like Gasol/Zebo. Maybe Pop knew what he was doing by drafting Splitter instead of Marc Gasol?

What a great year for the Spurs to make a late season run and put the Thunder and Clippers on the same side of the bracket.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Maybe Pop knew what he was doing by drafting Splitter instead of Marc Gasol?


Splitter yea but drafting M:lolrcus Willi:lolms over Gasol was dumb and I'm pretty sure it was pointed out at the time by people in the draft thread.

[Bruno]

What a great year for the Spurs to make a late season run and put the Thunder and Clippers on the same side of the bracket.

Yep, it would be nice. What would be also nice is getting a relatively easy first round. Lakers and Grizzlies would be the teams to avoid.

Spurs won't be the favorite to win the west but they have a legit shot at doing so and a good playoffs bracket would greatly help them. I'm somewhat convinced that the Harden trade will bite OKC in the ass at some point of the season.

[elemento]

I thought Jack was phenomenal this game...

me too and Jack is the typical player where stats don't show the whole story. SA will need him playing well in the playoffs badly and outside the BIG 3, he is by far the player I trust the most in the playoffs.

[Strategic]

I thought Jack was phenomenal this game...

Yup, and when Jax double pumps or hesitates and then nails a three pointer it's like a jagged edged dagger served with a bag of chips. :whine

[bigfan]

Hey Ruffn, Go by Robbo's and tell Col and Pete I said hi then have a VB for me at the Kingston. Re Mills, I like him, he will improve. On the Splitter v. Gasol comparison, as much as I like Splitter Id do an even swap and prefer Gasol, hes a big galoot that will get better.

[Darius Bieber]

Mills deserved a better grade in my opinion. I felt like it was him, along with a few other bench players, who ignited the Spurs run to put the game beyond reach. He did a good job at backup PG. A B grade at minimum.

[Manufan909]

And he did it tonight. He got the ball downlow but too far under took a dribble or two along the baseline with the Grizz bigs still there and got the hook shot off anyway. He later dribbled into a 15 foot jumpshot from the right elbow and hit a couple of threes. Dude has the offensive talent to be special and I don't think saying that is hyperbole prospect talk anymore.

With Manu being out and Green being much more limited offensively it makes sense if you are going to try and force the issue a little that you do it now.

:lol I definitely need to buy his jersey.

Which shot did he miss?

And looking at the box score afterwards, it was so weird to see the Spurs had blown the Grizzlies out after making 17 less FTs. But hitting 8 more 3s and 15 more shots overall cleared up the confusion. So glad to see Leonard and Splitter go 5-6, but Diaw taking less than 3 games to hoist up 10 shots was by far the highlight of the night.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Which shot did he miss?

And looking at the box score afterwards, it was so weird to see the Spurs had blown the Grizzlies out after making 17 less FTs. But hitting 8 more 3s and 15 more shots overall cleared up the confusion. So glad to see Leonard and Splitter go 5-6, but Diaw taking less than 3 games to hoist up 10 shots was by far the highlight of the night.

He tried to dunk a put-back and wasn't in a good position for and came up slightly short. He got it over the rim but because he dunked it so hard it bounced off the back of the rim. Everything else other than the over dribble and turn over was straight money. Gay hit a lot of long 2s but for most they were contested. He also lost gay on a double screen and back door cut that got Gay a layup.

The guy likes to dunk though. Every time he charges down court like Larry Kenon, I think to myself "I'm going to dunk it. I'm going to dunk it. I'm going to dunk it. I'm going to dunk it. I'm going to dunk it. I'm going to dunk it." He draws most of his charges cause he is so intent to go top shelf.

[Strategic]

On pace for a 60 win season when you don't factor in the schedule getting much easier post RRT.

Yep, it's very tempting for a Spurs fan to handicap the second half of this season................

[Brunodf]

Hey Ruffn, Go by Robbo's and tell Col and Pete I said hi then have a VB for me at the Kingston. Re Mills, I like him, he will improve. On the Splitter v. Gasol comparison, as much as I like Splitter Id do an even swap and prefer Gasol, hes a big galoot that will get better.

Spurs took the best player at time, who knows how Gasol would look under Pop system (without getting any playing time)...

[Slippy]

Great team effort on D . Boris and Jax's contributions on offense were huge.

[Sean Cagney]

And on a 60 win pace despite the schedule.

That is incredible isn't it? If you told me we would be on that pace so far after that schedule I would say no! I would have predicted 25 wins or maybe 26 at MOST! I would say probably 30 the second half of the year.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Good point; his youth is often overlooked. It seems like Mills has been around forever but he's just 24 years old. Point guards usually don't start figuring it all out until they are around 28, so he has plenty of time to improve. It's still difficult to pinpoint his ceiling -- there's a chance he could become a full-time starter one day ... there's also a chance that he flunks out as a PG and will have to switch to SG.

I've liked what I've seen out of Mills in these past two games. AFIAK, these were the first two games all season that Pop allowed Mills to be the backup point guard behind Parker in both halves. Mills hasn't been great in these last two but he also hasn't hurt the team. He's making strides with his passing, which is really important.

Can Mills become the backup point guard on this Spurs team? I'm not sure yet. In a perfect world, you'd have a lockdown defender who is also an ace ballhandler next to Ginobili coming off the bench. Mills isn't that but he has strengths (speed, shooting, energy, etc.) that could help the second unit.


Truthfully, there aren't many better situations for him. In fact, this might be the best situation for Mills. He's not a playmaker, so being able to allow Ginobili to make the plays while he basically gets to play shooting guard in the halfcourt offense fits him perfectly. When Ginobili is healthy, Mills usually isn't asked to run plays ... his mission is to dribble the ball up the court successfully and then either attack or give it to Ginobili.


CJ makes some sense because he best fits the most desired mold (ballhanlder who can defend). But he's also very green and it's probably too late for him to jump over NDC, Neal and Mills to land the gig. I'd like for Pop to give him a shot since Pop is in mad scientist mode anyways ... but I think it's a long-shot that CJ ends up being the answer.

Excellent reply, thanks a lot. Hope you, Kori and the kids are well. :)

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Hey Ruffn, Go by Robbo's and tell Col and Pete I said hi then have a VB for me at the Kingston. Re Mills, I like him, he will improve. On the Splitter v. Gasol comparison, as much as I like Splitter Id do an even swap and prefer Gasol, hes a big galoot that will get better.

Robbo's Motorcycles? Biker, eh?

And I think you mean The Kingo... ;)