Quick Grades: Spurs vs. Pistons - March 3

[timvp]

Tim Duncan A
Looked great athletically - by far the best he's looked since return. Great on D in the paint. Great passing. Scoring still a work in progress.

Manu Ginobili A
Amazing in the first half: 17 points on 6-6 shooting in 12 minutes. Also found teammates and defended with energy. Definitely stepped up with TP down.

Kawhi Leonard A-
Performed with commendable tenacity. Attacked on offense. Disruptive on defense. Boarded healthfully. His zest was overflowing tonight.

Danny Green A-
Found ways to get open despite TP's absence. D was a bit inconsistent but challenged shots and grabbed contested boards. He, too, was lively.

Cory Joseph A-
The surprise starter at PG. The results were splendid. His D was outstanding; he was in the middle of countless scrums. Ran the show deftly. Looked legit.

Tiago Splitter B+
His finishing was lackluster and his interior D was missing at times but otherwise did well. Boarding a plus. Passing a plus plus.

DeJuan Blair C
I liked his rebounding, vision and activity on D. I didn't like his shot-selection and his D in the paint -- or against pick-and-rolls.

Stephen Jackson B
His first game without tape since he broke his finger was a success. Impacted the game in multiple areas. Has a ways to go to sharpen his skills.

Patrick Mills B+
Fit well with the second unit; meshed seamlessly with Ginobili. Passing was better than normal. Was too aggressive on D at times.

Matt Bonner C
Drew a rare foul on a drive to the bucket. That was about the extent of his notable plays.

Nando De Colo Inc.
Played fine in garbage time; didn't move the needle in either direction.

Gary Neal Inc.
In his return from a lingering calf injury, he was able to get hot late in the garbage session.

Aron Baynes Inc.
He has apparently been working on a Duncan-like banker. Looks good.

Pop A+
Had his team playing like a wounded animal without TP. Gutsy and ultimately great decision to start Joseph.

[jestersmash]

Great to see "superstar PER" Manu emerge tonight :tu

[phxspurfan]

ST: Does NDC need some D-league time a la Joseph? Or is he what he's going to be at this point.

[HI-FI]

ST: Does NDC need some D-league time a la Joseph? Or is he what he's going to be at this point.
my shitty opinion...I think D League could help him but i imagine he doesn't want to spend too long there, especially after coming overseas. I think he'll be better next year as I imagine he'll improve his shooting and release. but curious how others predict his tenure with us...

[jesterbobman]

Great to see "suPERstar" Manu emerge tonight :tu

FIFY. Yes, I am entering the bad wordplay joke olympics.

Whole team was pretty great.

[Strategic]

Definitely a superior team effort. Hopefully Joseph and Mill's point guard production will put an end to the "start Manu at point guard" cow calls.

[HarlemHeat37]

De Colo's game would be completely different if he could shoot, obviously..

His lack of scoring stalls the offense and puts everybody in a tough position, often with the clock winding down..it's a shame because he's a great passer, but unless you have Rondo/Wall-like athleticism or Andre Miller/Kidd size, it's a rarity to have a successful NBA career at the guard positions without consistent scoring ability..

I suppose he could opt for a Brevin Knight/Jacque Vaughn career, but I assume he would much rather go back to Europe..

[GB20]

ST: Does NDC need some D-league time a la Joseph? Or is he what he's going to be at this point.
nando can't be a point guard in this league, he is too slow to defend quick point guards.

[jestersmash]

FIFY. Yes, I am entering the bad wordplay joke olympics.

Whole team was pretty great.

:lol nice.

By the way, can anyone hear the back and forth between Kawhi and some random guy near the beginning of his postgame video?

Kawhi: "...I twisted it up [my ankle] little bit in one game, uh, [I] wore Jordans 2 (too?), but tonight I came out with my new shoes"
Random guy: "That's Michael, [something something] Michael Jordan right there?"
Kawhi: "That's just stupid..." (as he nods his head in slight disgust) :lol

What did that guy say exactly?

Edit: Here's the link to the postgame: http://www.nba.com/spurs/video/2013/03/03/130303leonardmov-2402868

[swaggerjackson]

Yea I agree. I like the De Colo, but he almost seems like the Blair of the guards. Meaning that he is a good player but he just doesn't fit very well alongside our other guards. He is not taking a starting spot from Danny, Tp, or Kawhi obviously. But he also does not play very effectively alongside Ginobili either. This makes it challenging to fit him into the second unit. It seems as though he is only effective in specific situations. I think this will change as he continues to develop, but for now he looks like he might be squeezed out of the rotation. Improving his outside shot this offseason would do wonders to his game though

[DanAu]

Mills/Ginobili looked a good second unit tbh.
Cory looked really good, maybe a bit nervous, which is to be expected, especially on offence, but defence he looked in the zone.
I like Joseph as the backup point moving forward with Mills as the change of pace 5 mins per game type role.

Does anyone else prefer to see Manu NOT bring the ball up the court? I much prefer him to run, receive and then create than just go from half court all or nothing.

[jag]

We're getting close. It's only a matter of time now before Tiago puts the team on his back.



http://img.izismile.com/img/img5/20120224/640/soon_meme_collection_640_09.jpg

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I thought Duncan's knee stiffened up a bit and he was plodding in the third quarter. He had a noticeable limp although he got down well in his crouch on defense immediately after showing it. Maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me?

[Ellsworth]

my shitty opinion...I think D League could help him but i imagine he doesn't want to spend too long there, especially after coming overseas. I think he'll be better next year as I imagine he'll improve his shooting and release. but curious how others predict his tenure with us...

I like him, but he's still inconsistent out there. If there's little chance of him being part of the PO rotation, why not sent him down so he can play more minutes & work on his game (it helped Joseph & he's been here longer). I'd rather see Joseph at the PG until TP returns & Mills as his backup... as a SG, NDC is just not ready & I like him better as a PG... oh well, hope they know what best for him.

[DapDaGenius]

I really like how the stats look from this game(seeing as how I fell asleep before the game came on).

I knew Joseph would impress if he started. Would love to see Dejuan and Jackson rebound like this often. Also, Jackson was relying way too much on the 3 before...he shouldn't.

[DapDaGenius]

De Colo's game would be completely different if he could shoot, obviously..

His lack of scoring stalls the offense and puts everybody in a tough position, often with the clock winding down..it's a shame because he's a great passer, but unless you have Rondo/Wall-like athleticism or Andre Miller/Kidd size, it's a rarity to have a successful NBA career at the guard positions without consistent scoring ability..

I suppose he could opt for a Brevin Knight/Jacque Vaughn career, but I assume he would much rather go back to Europe..

I wouldn't be surprised if he went back to Europe. If he does, I really hope we bring over Adam Hanga.

[Ice009]

De Colo's game would be completely different if he could shoot, obviously..

His lack of scoring stalls the offense and puts everybody in a tough position, often with the clock winding down..it's a shame because he's a great passer, but unless you have Rondo/Wall-like athleticism or Andre Miller/Kidd size, it's a rarity to have a successful NBA career at the guard positions without consistent scoring ability..

I suppose he could opt for a Brevin Knight/Jacque Vaughn career, but I assume he would much rather go back to Europe..

I just kept thinking tonight that he is impotent on offense. He just can't score and that hurts the offense, stalls it like you said.

[AFBlue]

Spurs win a laugher going away with solid play across the board and most of the posts are "what's wrong with Nando?" GMAFB!

No team MVP, but Duncan blocking everything in sight, Manu beasting, Kawhi throwing it down, and a stellar defensive performance from "the rook." I love this team, because that's exactly what it is...a team. A key piece goes down and others pick up the slack.

Hell of a victory...Go Spurs Go!

[spurs10]

Wow, quite a night! Before the game it was cool watching Manu nail free-throw after free-throw. He doesn't take losing very well apparently. He and Tim were great. Tim was well on his way to a quadruple double going into the fourth, and Manu's 'quatro' at the buzzer was memorable to say the least. Cory did a great job. I wonder if Nando would benefit in the way Cory did by going up to Austin on occasion. I was wondering if he is very willing for these kind of workouts, or if he would take it badly. I think he has a bright future with the Spurs, and his passing will be needed when Manu goes. I hope he sees the big picture and does whatever it takes to step up his game.
Thanks for the grades!

[jestersmash]

my shitty opinion...I think D League could help him but i imagine he doesn't want to spend too long there, especially after coming overseas. I think he'll be better next year as I imagine he'll improve his shooting and release. but curious how others predict his tenure with us...

IIRC Nando thinks the D-league is "below" him, according to an interview a couple of months ago. I mean, that's not what he exactly said but it's pretty close. It was something like "I'm not really happy going to the D-league obviously, I didn't come here to play in the D-league" when he was sent down there for one game. I'm greatly paraphrasing here but that was the gist of it.

[spurs10]

IIRC Nando thinks the D-league is "below" him, according to an interview a couple of months ago. I mean, that's not what he exactly said but it's pretty close. It was something like "I'm not really happy going to the D-league obviously, I didn't come here to play in the D-league" when he was sent down there for one game. I'm greatly paraphrasing here but that was the gist of it.
Yeah, I remember that as well, and that's why I mentioned it. I'm hoping the translation was a bit off because it's not the right attitude. If it's going to improve his NBA play, he should be asking them. If Pop got wind of any bad attitude stuff, I'm sure he'd be asking him "to get over himself!' :lol I'm guessing he just would prefer to be with the team and who wouldn't....
All this being said, I agree with AFBlue that it was a monster victory!! Bring on the Bulls!!

[tesseractive]

CoJo needed a lot of minutes to develop a pro-level feel for all aspects of the game. NDC has an NBA-ready game with a giant hole in it -- a hole which, oddly enough, is something the Spurs are expert at fixing. D-League minutes aren't nearly as important as rebuilding his shooting mechanics. The next offseason will be crucial for him -- and anyway, since when do the Spurs give up on a player they've invested in after a single year with the team?

[TD 21]

De Colo's game would be completely different if he could shoot, obviously..

His lack of scoring stalls the offense and puts everybody in a tough position, often with the clock winding down..it's a shame because he's a great passer, but unless you have Rondo/Wall-like athleticism or Andre Miller/Kidd size, it's a rarity to have a successful NBA career at the guard positions without consistent scoring ability..

I suppose he could opt for a Brevin Knight/Jacque Vaughn career, but I assume he would much rather go back to Europe..

I wouldn't say he can't shoot. Granted, the percentages still don't have much volume to them, but they're not terrible. And he's already a better three-point shooter than Miller, Knight and Vaughn.

I always thought it was more likely than not that he'd be a depth guard, which is good value out of a late 2nd. Besides, every team needs depth, none more so than the Spurs, considering the extent to which they ration minutes.

[HarlemHeat37]

I wouldn't say he can't shoot. Granted, the percentages still don't have much volume to them, but they're not terrible. And he's already a better three-point shooter than Miller, Knight and Vaughn.

I always thought it was more likely than not that he'd be a depth guard, which is good value out of a late 2nd. Besides, every team needs depth, none more so than the Spurs, considering the extent to which they ration minutes.

Meh, he's shooting 36% from 10 feet and out IIRC, on a team with the best offensive system in the NBA..

I'm not suggesting that the Spurs give up on him, I'm merely pointing out that his lack of shooting and lack of confidence in his shot hurts his game and the team offense..

I don't have the adjusted +/- numbers in front of me and I could easily be wrong, but the eye test indicates that the offense is relatively limited when De Colo is on the floor..

[freetiago]

lol if this was a good game for jackson
cant make layups
cant make 3s
cant make free throws
foul prone
turnover prone
inefficient 6 pts on 7 shots

but this clown gets 26 minutes
should be getting Leonard 30+ minutes even in blowouts to let him develop his game
i liked what he did in the post tonight and he has a huge length advantage over most small fowards and if teams like to play small (Clippers and Kevin Martin or Westbrook at the 3 when they go small and Sefolosha is guarding TP) thats another matchup advantage they can use to their favor

[chapnis]

but this clown gets 26 minutes
should be getting Leonard 30+ minutes even in blowouts to let him develop his game
i liked what he did in the post tonight and he has a huge length advantage over most small fowards and if teams like to play small (Clippers and Kevin Martin or Westbrook at the 3 when they go small and Sefolosha is guarding TP) thats another matchup advantage they can use to their favor

Leonards knee is still not 100%, no point putting unnecessary pressure on it.

[John B]

Great win. The silver lining to TP's injury (if any) is the younger guys learning to play when the games depend on their plays, and not having to depend from the big 3. This will only prepare them better for the playoffs and get us to the next level. Great team win!

[Tim_duncan21]

Great game by TD.

Thanks for the quick grades

[cheguevara]

Neal had 7pts and 3ast in 9 minutes of play coming off injury. I'd say he deserves a grade.

[chapnis]

Neal had 7pts and 3ast in 9 minutes of play coming off injury. I'd say he deserves a grade.

Twas garbage time

[Brazil]

I'm pretty confident that the Spurs will be capable to sustain a good record >.50 during TP's injury healing. We have to bet on TP fast healing capacity so that the spurs have enough time to enter in the POs as good as possible.

Let's pray that Manu will stay out of trouble, he is stepping up right now, great game from him.

[Boomersgold]

Neal had 7pts and 3ast in 9 minutes of play coming off injury. I'd say he deserves a grade.

Players who play in garbage time never get timvp grades.

[Fireball]

Players who play in garbage time never get timvp grades.

And Neals grade would not be good ... he chucked up as many shots as he could in 9 minutes.

[Seventyniner]

Yea I agree. I like the De Colo, but he almost seems like the Blair of the guards. Meaning that he is a good player but he just doesn't fit very well alongside our other guards. He is not taking a starting spot from Danny, Tp, or Kawhi obviously. But he also does not play very effectively alongside Ginobili either. This makes it challenging to fit him into the second unit. It seems as though he is only effective in specific situations. I think this will change as he continues to develop, but for now he looks like he might be squeezed out of the rotation. Improving his outside shot this offseason would do wonders to his game though

I could see him getting some burn in the playoffs if Pop panics and starts Ginobili. De Colo is the best complement to Green (other than Tony and Manu of course).

[Bruno]

Great win. The unselfishness of the team was especially remarkable.

Manu and Tim get their rhythm back at the perfect movement which is great. Joseph just looked like a legit NBA player. If he confirms that in the next few games, Spurs might have found their backup PG.

[iminol]

DUNCAN yesterday:

at least: 16 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 blocks in .. 26 minutes.
How many dudes in 2012/13 did this stat line? Answer: 2.
How many times? Answer: 3 and 2 of them is #21.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pgl_finder.cgi?request=1&player_id=&match=game&year_min=2013&year_max=2013&age_min=0&age_max=99&team_id=&opp_id=&is_playoffs=N&round_is_ec1=Y&round_is_ecs=Y&round_is_ecf=Y&round_is_wc1=Y&round_is_wcs=Y&round_is_wcf=Y&round_is_fin=Y&game_num_type=&game_num_min=&game_num_max=&game_month=&game_location=&game_result=&is_starter=&is_active=&is_hof=&pos_is_g=Y&pos_is_gf=Y&pos_is_f=Y&pos_is_fg=Y&pos_is_fc=Y&pos_is_c=Y&pos_is_cf=Y&c1stat=pts&c1comp=gt&c1val=16&c2stat=trb&c2comp=gt&c2val=11&c3stat=ast&c3comp=gt&c3val=6&c4stat=blk&c4comp=gt&c4val=5&order_by=pts

[superjames1992]

Neal had 7pts and 3ast in 9 minutes of play coming off injury. I'd say he deserves a grade.
He also chucked up seven shots.......

[freetiago]

spurs were scoring on a lot of cuts to the basket/fast break points off turnovers
the non stupid and long/athletic teams wont allow that
still would like to see if they can run the pick and roll offense well without TP
joseph was having some problems once they hedged and lost his dribble or didnt get any penetration
he was getting a lot of attention though, frank tried hard at the beginning to target him defensively and offensively

[Blake]

Any theories as to why Pop started Joseph?

Was it to keep the regular role players in their roles?

Personally, i would have liked to see what Mills could do with the starting unit.

[Mal]

Any theories as to why Pop started Joseph?

Was it to keep the regular role players in their roles?

Personally, i would have liked to see what Mills could do with the starting unit.

Mills isnt a PG. He has body of one.

CoJo started, probably, because with Neal not 100%, Parker out and weak as shit rivals it was only chance to see on what level, 3 years after being drafted, this one guy is playing.

[Fireball]

CoJo started, probably, because with Neal not 100%, Parker out and weak as shit rivals it was only chance to see on what level, 3 years after being drafted, this one guy is playing.

3 years? wow, time goes by ...

[Blake]

Mills isnt a PG. He has body of one.



I could say the same thing about Parker and Neal.

[Pop]

Any theories as to why Pop started Joseph?

Was it to keep the regular role players in their roles?

Personally, i would have liked to see what Mills could do with the starting unit.

It"s pretty obvious, the other two didn't cut it.

[Fireball]

It"s pretty obvious, the other two didn't cut it.

Or just because it was Sunday ...

[Bruno]

Something else to notice in this game was that Manu played some true PG minutes in the third quarter with Green and then Leonard playing SG.

[Mal]

I could say the same thing about Parker and Neal.

Parker matured and developed to be a complete, modern NBA PG.
To Neal I agreed. Maybe testing CoJo is plan to use Neal in other way ?

[benefactor]

Something else to notice in this game was that Manu played some true PG minutes in the third quarter with Green and then Leonard playing SG.
That's something we will likely see a lot of over the next few weeks. It's a good thing...as it will help Manu get back in full rhythm in preparation to be the lead decision maker for the bench in the playoffs. Hopefully his injuries are behind him.

[024]

one can only hope ginobili and joseph will play this well when parker comes back. this game was encouraging because it looks like ginobili's struggles may have been purely mental. i was beginning to think he was done physically. now that he's gotten his head out of his ass, the spurs might finally have a legitimate shooting guard starter. this reminds me of when ginobili went on a tear a few years ago when parker was also out. too bad he petered out/got injured in the playoffs like he always does. maybe this year will be different.

[Whisky Dog]

3 years? wow, time goes by ...

2 years. He was drafted in 11 and lost all summer/fall to the lockout before his rookie year last season.

[Fireball]

2 years. He was drafted in 11 and lost all summer/fall to the lockout before his rookie year last season.

I knew that, but the guy I quoted did not :lol

[Aztecfan03]

He was drafted same time as Kawhi. It hasn't even been 2 years yet. Both in second season.

edit: i see now someone else already said this.

[maverick1948]

CJ was excellent last night. 1game. Mills was good in his time on the court. De Colo was on the court with Neal for a good amount of time. His stats dont reflect him playing PG for entire time. Neal ran some PG. All 4 did exceptional well. Manu was also, a major factor in the PG race. He was a beast last night. To give too much credit to anyone on the team woul be wrong. This win was a team effort. Even Bonner had 3 or 4 plays that were good. The rebound was not the only he factored in on. He twice tapped the board to another player who gets credit. He, also, cut off the baseline on a drive that resulted in a turnover. As a TEAM, the Spurs were totally dominate. Checking the stat sheet, you will find that CJ, Patty, and Nando had 48 Mins, 17 pts, 1 reb, 10 assts, 3stls, 1 block, commited 2 TO and 1 foul. If they continue to play this way TP will not be missed in most games. Neal can continue to rest his leg. He will NOT be missed. Kawhi Leonard brought the ball up several times. He was not intimidated by any defender. I think we found our help in bringing up the ball with young PG on the court.

Wednesday we have Chicago followed By Portland. After those two games, we can revisit the idea of who is the PG or PF for the Spurs.

[racm]

CJ was excellent last night. 1game. Mills was good in his time on the court. De Colo was on the court with Neal for a good amount of time. His stats dont reflect him playing PG for entire time. Neal ran some PG. All 4 did exceptional well. Manu was also, a major factor in the PG race. He was a beast last night. To give too much credit to anyone on the team woul be wrong. This win was a team effort. Even Bonner had 3 or 4 plays that were good. The rebound was not the only he factored in on. He twice tapped the board to another player who gets credit. He, also, cut off the baseline on a drive that resulted in a turnover. As a TEAM, the Spurs were totally dominate. Checking the stat sheet, you will find that CJ, Patty, and Nando had 48 Mins, 17 pts, 1 reb, 10 assts, 3stls, 1 block, commited 2 TO and 1 foul. If they continue to play this way TP will not be missed in most games. Neal can continue to rest his leg. He will NOT be missed. Kawhi Leonard brought the ball up several times. He was not intimidated by any defender. I think we found our help in bringing up the ball with young PG on the court.

Wednesday we have Chicago followed By Portland. After those two games, we can revisit the idea of who is the PG or PF for the Spurs.

Tiago?

[TD 21]

Meh, he's shooting 36% from 10 feet and out IIRC, on a team with the best offensive system in the NBA..

I'm not suggesting that the Spurs give up on him, I'm merely pointing out that his lack of shooting and lack of confidence in his shot hurts his game and the team offense..

I don't have the adjusted +/- numbers in front of me and I could easily be wrong, but the eye test indicates that the offense is relatively limited when De Colo is on the floor..

Fair enough . . . I just think saying "he can't shoot" is overstating it.

The biggest problem with him is turnovers. His turnover percentage is through the roof and the extent to which he's able to slash that will determine whether he develops into a legit rotation player or not. Contrary to what some think, he'll likely have to do so as a PG, considering how unlikely it is that he becomes much of a scoring threat (and he's obviously a limited defender).

[TJastal]

I see Mills as very similar to Parker when he first burst on the scene. A scoring point guard. Unlike Neal, he actually does possess the tools of the trade, he just needs to develop them. Look at how long it took TP to find an overall game. Furthur, Mills was an excellent fit in the 2nd unit with Manu. His limited skill set actually fits better because it alows Ginobili more touches.

I still very much believe Pop screwed the pooch by throwing another pg into the fray. What is the plan here? Are they all going to keel on playing point guard by commitee? Is the plan to have Joseph back up Tony? This feels like another claasic Poptastic disaster waiting to happen. I'm going to be laughing my ass off when Joseph starts fucking up royally and costing the spurs games and all the bandwagoners start bailing off his ship just as quick as they hopped on.

[wildbill2u]

DeColo has some glaring deficiencies as a PG. At his height and lack of foot speed, he should probably be a 2G instead of a PG. His defensive deficiencies make him a bad match up against most PGs in the league. It's his fancy passing that has everyone thinking of him as a PG. But his turnovers and the turnovers his fancy passes create are a liability for a non-shooting PG.

As far as his adaptability as a 2G à la Manu, he can't shoot worth a damn as yet. Manu has the fancy passes, but can pull most of them off and can shoot. If DeColo can develop an offensive game to play 2G then he'll do OK off the bench, but I can't see him as a starter at either 2G or PG in the near future.

[wildbill2u]

Fair enough . . . I just think saying "he can't shoot" is overstating it.

The biggest problem with him is turnovers. His turnover percentage is through the roof and the extent to which he's able to slash that will determine whether he develops into a legit rotation player or not. Contrary to what some think, he'll likely have to do so as a PG, considering how unlikely it is that he becomes much of a scoring threat (and he's obviously a limited defender).

You and I are on the same track. I hadn't seen your post when I wrote mine and posted it a couple of posts down.

[Bruno]

Nando has clearly hit the rookie wall. In his last 15 games, he shots 29.4% from the field. Unlike some kind of rebirth, his rookie season is basically done. He will still play some garbage time minutes but not a lot more.

To me, the true question about De Colo is what to do with him next year. Can he be a rotation layer for a contender/pretender? Should he play PG and/or SG?
The answers at these questions should determine what moves Spurs will do this summer.

[jjktkk]

I see Mills as very similar to Parker when he first burst on the scene. A scoring point guard. Unlike Neal, he actually does possess the tools of the trade, he just needs to develop them. Look at how long it took TP to find an overall game. Furthur, Mills was an excellent fit in the 2nd unit with Manu. His limited skill set actually fits better because it alows Ginobili more touches.

I still very much believe Pop screwed the pooch by throwing another pg into the fray. What is the plan here? Are they all going to keel on playing point guard by commitee? Is the plan to have Joseph back up Tony? This feels like another claasic Poptastic disaster waiting to happen. I'm going to be laughing my ass off when Joseph starts fucking up royally and costing the spurs games and all the bandwagoners start bailing off his ship just as quick as they hopped on.


Unless your a troll, why would this be funny? None of the candidates for the pg positioon has stepped up and grabbed the backup pg position. And injuries have dictated CoJo getting called up. Cojo looked good out there last game, and hopefully he can can be at least an option for the backup pg job.

[Boomersgold]

Unless your a troll, why would this be funny? None of the candidates for the pg positioon has stepped up and grabbed the backup pg position. And injuries have dictated CoJo getting called up. Cojo looked good out there last game, and hopefully he can can be at least an option for the backup pg job.

Mills looked just as good, if not better, with the second unit. In fact, it was Mills that sparked our run when he came in at about the 5 minutes mark of the first quarter.

[jjktkk]

Mills looked just as good, if not better, with the second unit. In fact, it was Mills that sparked our run when he came in at about the 5 minutes mark of the first quarter.

The problem with Mills, is consistancy. I look at Mills more of a sparplug of the bench. Still a possible option, along with De Colo, and Neal, but all 3 have yet to nail down the backup pg job.

[200 miles]

I for one am glad that CoJo is being given a shot to start rather than Mills. Not to sound anti-Parker, but it's good to see that the Spurs have a PG, let alone a temporarily starting PG, play at least solid defense AND being more pass-first, as opposed to Mills and Neal. De Colo can facilitate but plays average at best defense.

[Hoops Czar]

The problem with Mills, is consistancy. I look at Mills more of a sparplug of the bench. Still a possible option, along with De Colo, and Neal, but all 3 have yet to nail down the backup pg job.

Tough to be consistent when you don't get consistent paying time. I think he proved last year that when given playing time, he can produce. Mills doesn't get much burn because Pop prefers a pass-centric pg and that's just not Patty. As far as De Colo's concerned, Pop is stunting his growth because of his absolute refusal to send him to the D-league. He's nowhere near ready for this level of competition and like I said before, he is the de facto posterboy for everything that the D-league stands for.

[jjktkk]

Tough to be consistent when you don't get consistent paying time. I think he proved last year that when given playing time, he can produce. Mills doesn't get much burn because Pop prefers a pass-centric pg and that's just not Patty. As far as De Colo's concerned, Pop is stunting his growth because of his absolute refusal to send him to the D-league. He's nowhere near ready for this level of competition and like I said before, he is the de facto posterboy for everything that the D-league stands for.

Which is what most coaches want out of their pgs. Not saying Mills doesn't have a role, but I don't see Mills being nothing but a sparkplug off the bench.

[TJastal]

Which is what most coaches want out of their pgs. Not saying Mills doesn't have a role, but I don't see Mills being nothing but a sparkplug off the bench.

Score first mentaity point guards have been doing quite well actually in the league. See: Rose, Westbrook, etc stc. Surely you must recall thart brash 19 year old from France who came into the league a decade ago and didn't have a passing bone in his body. Guess in that feverish popsucking delerium you live in daily you become oblivious to everything else.

[jjktkk]

Score first mentaity point guards have been doing quite well actually in the league. See: Rose, Westbrook, etc stc. Surely you must recall thart brash 19 year old from France who came into the league a decade ago and didn't have a passing bone in his body. Guess in that feverish popsucking delerium you live in daily you become oblivious to everything else.

As Ron White once said "You can't fix stupid".

[Boomersgold]

As Ron White once said "You can't fix stupid".

It's quite true, tbh. When that French youngster came into the league, he was never seen as a great passer by anyone, and yet Pop decided to stick with him and develop him.

[jjktkk]

It's quite true, tbh. When that French youngster came into the league, he was never seen as a great passer by anyone, and yet Pop decided to stick with him and develop him.

You missing the point. Comparing Parker, Rose, Paul's , etc... skillset to Cojo, is laughable. As a backup pg, Cojo's job is to run the offense, limit turnovers, etc., not attempt to emulate TP's ability to score.

[Obstructed_View]

You missing the point. Comparing Parker, Rose, Paul's , etc... skillset to Cojo, is laughable. As a backup pg, Cojo's job is to run the offense, limit turnovers, etc., not attempt to emulate TP's ability to score.

Actually, someone compared Mills to those guys, which is equally stupid. As much as I like Mills, he's a shitty defender. That's not going to change. If Joseph can bring the ball past half court without turning it over, play good defense, and score when dared to by the opposition, he wins the job. Mills can come off the bench and score, but that's a role, not a rotation spot.

[Prime Time]

(WARNING; THIS POST IS UNREALISTIC, BIAS, AND PERHAPS JUST PLAIN STUPID)

I'm really hoping Joseph can develop into a great defensive player in terms of guarding combo guards. Spurs get abused by the likes of

Stephen Curry
Eric Gordon
Derrick Rose
Dwyane Wade
Jarrett Jack
Jason Terry

Green and Leonard aren't quick enough to guard these players, Joseph is the only one with potential to at least contain them. If he can get anything near this, Spurs will be that much harder to beat.

[Boomersgold]

(WARNING; THIS POST IS UNREALISTIC, BIAS, AND PERHAPS JUST PLAIN STUPID)


Sarcasm? If not, then this wasn't really necessary. Everyone's opinions are welcome on Spurstalk. :lol

[Prime Time]

Sarcasm? If not, then this wasn't really necessary. Everyone's opinions are welcome on Spurstalk. :lol
Haha, I just don't want to be "that guy" who claims our prospect could contain some of the best scorers in the league. Even I realize that's a stretch :p:

[maverick1948]

Tiago?

POINT FORWARD Kawhi Leonard... Jeezzzzz Do you think about the threat or is it you lack the thought process to understand.

[SPIDER2311]

Lets get a few things straight. COJO played against a really bad team in the Pistons , lets not get all hyped up by his performance. Tonight will give us a better indication. Good luck to the kid