Shortened playoff rotation...

[ElNono]

Normally, bench production doesn't weight as much during the playoffs, because rotations tighten and bench players end up seeing little time.
What I'm concerned about is that I haven't seen Pop progressively upping the minutes on some of the starters and now the playoffs are around the corner.

Does anybody else think Tiago is gonna be super-gassed if he's asked to up his minutes from 25mpg to 35mpg or more?

Green will likely also be asked to fill in for more minutes if Manu and Tony need to come back slowly. Can he handle going from 27mpg to maybe 35mpg? (this is if Neal happens to be unplayable due to matchups, etc)

While it's true that these guys are young, do you guys think they'll be ready to play more productive minutes when needed?

It could easily also be that Pop is just going to stick with a longer rotation..

[sventhedog]

Normally, bench production doesn't weight as much during the playoffs, because rotations tighten and bench players end up seeing little time.
What I'm concerned about is that I haven't seen Pop progressively upping the minutes on some of the starters and now the playoffs are around the corner.

Does anybody else think Tiago is gonna be super-gassed if he's asked to up his minutes from 25mpg to 35mpg or more?

Green will likely also be asked to fill in for more minutes if Manu and Tony need to come back slowly. Can he handle going from 27mpg to maybe 35mpg? (this is if Neal happens to be unplayable due to matchups, etc)

While it's true that these guys are young, do you guys think they'll be ready to play more productive minutes when needed?

It could easily also be that Pop is just going to stick with a longer rotation..

i understand your concern but it's pretty difficult to shorten an injury-plagued roster.

[Brunodf]

Tony/Manu/Kawhi/TD/Splitter/Green/Diaw/Jack

[Hoops Czar]

Splitter's already gased.... missed layup, carless turnovers. If anybody needs day off, it's him.

[Kuestmaster]

Tony: 38 min. Neal/De Colo: 10
Manu: 30 min. Green: 24
Kawhi: 35 Jackson: 20
Splitter: 30 Diaw:18
Duncan: 35

And if Diaw/Manu can't play in some games of the first round, diaw minutes will go to bonner and manu's will go to neal/green/kawhi.

[freetiago]

dont you get a week off before playoffs start
and he had like a 3 day break til this game was played
something just isnt right mentally with Splitter
making a lot of bad decisions out there

Popovich wont shorten his rotations
what you see now is what you can expect
if the Spurs roleplayers pull a complete disappearing act like they did in the WCF then he will
hell pop even threw out James Anderson in the WCF
hell roll with the turd towers
roleplayers will disappear
Diaw will probably disappear
Green will for sure
Splitter im thinking about 50/50 but more passive play then disappearing

[Robz4000]

Green and Splitter can play longer if need be, but tbh I think Pop is banking on Manu and Tony being back and playing significant minutes.

[ElNono]

dont you get a week off before playoffs start

No. Last regular season games are next wednesday (Apr 17). Playoffs start on Apr 20 (Saturday).

Spurs' first game of the 1st round will be either the 20th or 21th of April.

[jjktkk]

If Splitter is indeed gassed, doesn't bode well with Diaw's back issue. More turd towers? :depressed

[TD 21]

I realize this won't be the rotation nor the minute allocation, but I'd go with . . .

Splitter (24 mpg), Diaw (24 mpg)
Leonard (38 mpg), Green (10 mpg)
Duncan (38 mpg), Splitter (10 mpg)
Green (18 mpg), Ginobili (30 mpg)
Parker (40 mpg), Neal (8 mpg)

Granted, Diaw is probably going to miss at least the first two games, in which case I'd split his minutes between Bonner (14) and Blair (10), since neither is good enough to log extensive minutes.

[hater]

Like I been saying, if any of these pathetic losers plays over 10 minutes a game, we are doomed:
Neal, Blair, Bonner, Mills, Cojo

Now don't forget Diaw and Manu will probably not be available for most of round 1

[cd98]

Remember when we were one of the deepest benches in the NBA. Last night I swore our bench is no better than anyone else's.

[TheGoldStandard]

The bench is in scary shape and our best players can't play 48 minutes. Scary times.

[Splits]

I realize this won't be the rotation nor the minute allocation, but I'd go with . . .

Splitter (24 mpg), Diaw (24 mpg)
Leonard (38 mpg), Green (10 mpg)
Duncan (38 mpg), Splitter (10 mpg)
Green (18 mpg), Ginobili (30 mpg)
Parker (40 mpg), Neal (8 mpg)

Granted, Diaw is probably going to miss at least the first two games, in which case I'd split his minutes between Bonner (14) and Blair (10), since neither is good enough to log extensive minutes.

No Jax?


Remember when we were one of the deepest benches in the NBA. Last night I swore our bench is no better than anyone else's.

Yeah, that tends to happen when your top 3 bench guys are all out due to injury.

[cd98]

No Jax?



Yeah, that tends to happen when your top 3 bench guys are all out due to injury.

You're right, we are missing key bench players. But that just makes things worse. Diaw and Manu will be out so long that they will have no rhythm coming back. Not sure Jaxson is a top 3 bench player, but he has looked incredibly slow and his shot has looked incredibly off. Hopefully he can turn it around in 4 games, but there is no promise of that. Last year we had Splitter coming off the bench, which helped, but this year we don't. So what we saw last night was what are bench will look like in the first round if Manu and Diaw can't get healthy on time. And that didn't look good at all.

[Splits]

You're right, we are missing key bench players. But that just makes things worse. Diaw and Manu will be out so long that they will have no rhythm coming back. Not sure Jaxson is a top 3 bench player, but he has looked incredibly slow and his shot has looked incredibly off. Hopefully he can turn it around in 4 games, but there is no promise of that. Last year we had Splitter coming off the bench, which helped, but this year we don't. So what we saw last night was what are bench will look like in the first round if Manu and Diaw can't get healthy on time. And that didn't look good at all.

No. Parker was also out so you're not going to see Patty Mills destroying everything he touches out there for 20 god-awful minutes. And considering Duncan and Kawhi played 27 & 29 respectively, sitting the entire 4th, and it was a 5 point game late in the game against the best home team in the NBA... not too concerned. And yes Jack is a top 3 bench player (see: last year's playoffs).

Obviously everyone needs to be healthy for this team to get past the WCF, but looking at last night's game and deciding we have a shit bench when 4 of our regular rotation players are out with injuries is idiotic.

[cd98]

No. Parker was also out so you're not going to see Patty Mills destroying everything he touches out there for 20 god-awful minutes. And considering Duncan and Kawhi played 27 & 29 respectively, sitting the entire 4th, and it was a 5 point game late in the game against the best home team in the NBA... not too concerned. And yes Jack is a top 3 bench player (see: last year's playoffs).

Obviously everyone needs to be healthy for this team to get past the WCF, but looking at last night's game and deciding we have a shit bench when 4 of our regular rotation players are out with injuries is idiotic.


Kind of disagree with you on Jackson. I don't look at how anyone played last year. I look at how they are playing this year. I hope Jackson can turn it on for the playoffs. I'm certain he's mentally strong, but if his body doesn't cooperate, he won't have a repeat of how he played against the Thunder.

And I wouldn't call people idiotic bc of their distrust of the Spurs bench. True we probably won't see much of Blair and Mills. But we will see a lot of Neal and De Colo, especially if Manu can't go. And you will see either Bonner or Blair if Diaw can't go. And those guys have really struggled of late and have, at best, been inconsistent, and at worst, been unwatchable.

[TrainOfThought5]

i think that this is what the end of an era looks like. the tear down/rebuild is just around the corner. but take solace in the fact that the HOF and jersey retirements will be some of the best ever.

[TheGoldStandard]

Pop is going to do what he's always wanted to do .. Red Rocket playing the Point Forward.

[Russ]

Baseball has the "Mendoza Line" -- a .200 batting average (Mario Mendoza had a lifetime BA of exactly .200). It's not good for a ballplayer to be under the Mendoza Line.

The Spurs have a similar line when it comes to playoff rotations. It's called the Bonner Line. If the Spurs slip below the Bonner Line in their rotations at any time during the playoffs they won't get past the 2d round.

[spurs10]

Pop is going to do what he's always wanted to do .. Red Rocket playing the Point Forward.
That's the Red Mamba to you!!:lol

[diego]

i dont know why people expect pop to significantly raise minutes in the PO, he never does. at most a 3-4 minute bump on avg, but an extra 10mpg? not happening.

[Spur|n|Austin]

This was a big issue last year as we expected Pop to shorten but he really didn't. Now it sort of scares me as we simply ran out of gas last season and that was with Pop rotating 10.

[superjames1992]

So, um, what now? Diaw will be out at least for the first round and SJAX kind of got kicked off the team. :lol