timvp
04-11-2013, 03:48 AM
Tim Duncan B
Came out firing from the perimeter -- and was hot early. Although after the Nuggets began pressuring his jumper, he came up empty on his secondary moves. He didn't do much in terms of rebounds or blocks but I thought his D was solid. He was moving well, contested shots in the lane and got back swiftly in transition.
Kawhi Leonard C
His rebounding was huge -- without that the Spurs are dead in the water. He was also a magnet in loose ball situations. But elsewhere, he struggled. On O, he never did anything within the halfcourt sets -- even though the Spurs desperately needed it. On D, his impact individually was inconsistent at best.
Danny Green B-
He didn't play overly well -- but it could have been worse. He didn't get many open looks yet exhibited enough versatility to have a reasonably efficient evening. On D, he kept his energy elevated despite his ups and downs on the other end.
Nando De Colo B-
The French freshman didn't hurt the team -- but he didn't really help either. I liked his defense; it was much more physical than usual. On offense, he took care of the ball … but almost to a fault. He wasn't making many plays. Unfortunately, that's exactly what the Spurs needed on this night: playmaking.
Tiago Splitter C-
He flashed some competence on the low block -- but overall I thought it was another zombie-like performance. I didn't like his D, his physicality or his effort on the glass. He had some nice passes but he negated those with a few sloppy plays. All in all, the Brazilian continues to look drained.
Cory Joseph C-
Welp, any hopes of the sophomore stepping up for a playoff push are dwindling. He couldn't finish at the rim -- and that really hurt his value. His ballhandling and playmaking also seem to be regressing. His D was decent but he also made a handful of mistakes. Tonight, he played like a rookie again.
Gary Neal C+
The Spurs needed production and the hired gun came out firing. I can't blame him for that. I actually thought most of his attempts were relatively decent. Where he hurt the team was everywhere else: ball-handling, passing, defense, crispness, hustle, etc.
DeJuan Blair C
On offense, I can live with what he brought tonight. He was probably a smidgen too aggressive but that's survivable. What isn't survivable is his horrendous defense. He took his inability to defend the rim to a whole new level tonight.
Matt Bonner C
The Good: He rebounded really well. A few of his boards were even contested. The Bad: Didn't do anything positive on the offensive end. Got a few open looks and missed. On D, it seemed like he was either getting beat by something smaller and quicker or someone bigger and more athletic.
Patrick Mills C-
Ugh. He had about three or four potentially key three-pointers that hit iron. If he was hot tonight, the Spurs might have been able to pull a shocker. But, alas, he was colder than damp kangaroo hide in New South Wales. He efforted on D but his lack of size hindered him throughout the game.
Aron Baynes Inc.
On a night where the Spurs obviously lacked size, his girth was useful the second he stepped on the court. His ability to eat space with an added bonus of athleticism would, in theory, be valuable to this depleted bench unit.
Pop B+
Realistically, the Spurs weren't going to win this game. Denver hasn't lost at home in forever and S.A. is too banged up. No Parker. No Ginobili. No Jackson. No Diaw. No win in Denver. Pop coaxed a strong defensive effort out of his guys for a majority of the game but it was just a matter of time before it fell apart.
Came out firing from the perimeter -- and was hot early. Although after the Nuggets began pressuring his jumper, he came up empty on his secondary moves. He didn't do much in terms of rebounds or blocks but I thought his D was solid. He was moving well, contested shots in the lane and got back swiftly in transition.
Kawhi Leonard C
His rebounding was huge -- without that the Spurs are dead in the water. He was also a magnet in loose ball situations. But elsewhere, he struggled. On O, he never did anything within the halfcourt sets -- even though the Spurs desperately needed it. On D, his impact individually was inconsistent at best.
Danny Green B-
He didn't play overly well -- but it could have been worse. He didn't get many open looks yet exhibited enough versatility to have a reasonably efficient evening. On D, he kept his energy elevated despite his ups and downs on the other end.
Nando De Colo B-
The French freshman didn't hurt the team -- but he didn't really help either. I liked his defense; it was much more physical than usual. On offense, he took care of the ball … but almost to a fault. He wasn't making many plays. Unfortunately, that's exactly what the Spurs needed on this night: playmaking.
Tiago Splitter C-
He flashed some competence on the low block -- but overall I thought it was another zombie-like performance. I didn't like his D, his physicality or his effort on the glass. He had some nice passes but he negated those with a few sloppy plays. All in all, the Brazilian continues to look drained.
Cory Joseph C-
Welp, any hopes of the sophomore stepping up for a playoff push are dwindling. He couldn't finish at the rim -- and that really hurt his value. His ballhandling and playmaking also seem to be regressing. His D was decent but he also made a handful of mistakes. Tonight, he played like a rookie again.
Gary Neal C+
The Spurs needed production and the hired gun came out firing. I can't blame him for that. I actually thought most of his attempts were relatively decent. Where he hurt the team was everywhere else: ball-handling, passing, defense, crispness, hustle, etc.
DeJuan Blair C
On offense, I can live with what he brought tonight. He was probably a smidgen too aggressive but that's survivable. What isn't survivable is his horrendous defense. He took his inability to defend the rim to a whole new level tonight.
Matt Bonner C
The Good: He rebounded really well. A few of his boards were even contested. The Bad: Didn't do anything positive on the offensive end. Got a few open looks and missed. On D, it seemed like he was either getting beat by something smaller and quicker or someone bigger and more athletic.
Patrick Mills C-
Ugh. He had about three or four potentially key three-pointers that hit iron. If he was hot tonight, the Spurs might have been able to pull a shocker. But, alas, he was colder than damp kangaroo hide in New South Wales. He efforted on D but his lack of size hindered him throughout the game.
Aron Baynes Inc.
On a night where the Spurs obviously lacked size, his girth was useful the second he stepped on the court. His ability to eat space with an added bonus of athleticism would, in theory, be valuable to this depleted bench unit.
Pop B+
Realistically, the Spurs weren't going to win this game. Denver hasn't lost at home in forever and S.A. is too banged up. No Parker. No Ginobili. No Jackson. No Diaw. No win in Denver. Pop coaxed a strong defensive effort out of his guys for a majority of the game but it was just a matter of time before it fell apart.