Green and Blair need to be buried on the bench for the rest of the playoffs

[Amuseddaysleeper]

:bang:bang:bang:bang

[spurs1990]

Problem with Danny is he lacks confidence on offense. He needs to attend the Hakeem Olajuwon basketball camp for guards in the offseason.

[HarlemHeat37]

Problem with Danny is he lacks confidence on offense. He needs to attend the Hakeem Olajuwon basketball camp for guards in the offseason.

He lacks confidence because he doesn't have any basketball skills outside of shooting..opposing teams are more focused and strategical in the playoffs..


Blair should never see the floor in a playoff game for any team, tbh..

[thispego]

Lol y'all are fucking dumb.

[playblair]

hh stop hating on blair bruh ..........................

[pgardn]

Green looks totally overwhelmed.

Can we get the man a Shrink...

[John B]

Baynes >>>>> Blair for 5-10 mins
But we need Green to hit the 3's and play solid D

[100%duncan]

Green is such a mental midget. And Ancient Nash beat him to the basket a couple of times. With Blair though, Pop has no choice since Diaw is out and TD and Tiago had foul troubles.

[Sean Cagney]

I SAID THIS ALL GAME LONG! Blair has been garbage but man Green is not good in the playoffs on O OR D at all, he sucks. I am sorry not a fan of his at all.
hh stop hating on blair bruh ..........................

Nobody is going to agree with your family member being decent (Or your boyfriend) so please stop it.

[Two10Whitey]

I understand at the end of the game you slow down and look for the ref to hand him the ball.. But wtf Green? The ref was even pointing for him to go across the halfcourt and Green just stared back at him.. Careless mistake and no focus. I think it's time to see what TMac has left tbh.

[Chinook]

Green's head's not in the game right now. Burying him on the bench won't change that. The Spurs need him to win.

Bonner playing well so far is definitely encouraging. He and Parker coming back should give Pop more reason to be patient with Green.

[DAF86]

I said it in the past we should have hired Delfino to play SG, just a better all around player. BTW, do you know when (if ever) Manu's limited minutes games will end in these playoffs?

[Sean Cagney]

I understand at the end of the game you slow down and look for the ref to hand him the ball.. But wtf Green? The ref was even pointing for him to go across the halfcourt and Green just stared back at him.. Careless mistake and no focus. I think it's time to see what TMac has left tbh.

I agree with you.

[ElNono]

I said it in the past we should have hired Delfino to play SG, just a better all around player. BTW, do you know when (if ever) Manu's limited minutes games will end in these playoffs?

Manu just said on the presser he's ready to play whatever minutes Pop needs him to play... I think Pop is taking it easy, and rightly so... Manu is producing great in limited minutes.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

I said it in the past we should have hired Delfino to play SG, just a better all around player. BTW, do you know when (if ever) Manu's limited minutes games will end in these playoffs?

I was watching the press conference and Manu said "I am ready now to play 25-30 minutes a game". Obviously it's up to Pop but even he can't deny Manu looks amazing out there. Since the games will be much tougher in LA hopefully Pop plays Manu the proper amount of minutes he deserves.

[tmtcsc]

Green in standard playoff form unfortunately. smh We're benefiting from Manu giving us more than expected. I agree that his scoring and effectiveness is bailing Green out right now. If he could give us something - like 8 to 10 pts - we'd be blowing the Lakers out by 20 +. Did he even score tonight ? Sheesh.

On an unrelated note, Steve Nash is leaving everything on the court. You have to wonder if they should shut him down until next year. It's admirable but sad to see a great player like that possibly risking further injury in what is most likely a series they won't win. Of course Danny Green is making it a tougher decision because he's allowing to Nash to produce more than he should be.

[loveforthegame]

We need Green to deliver something and he's failing miserably. On both ends.

Could McGrady really do worse??

[freetiago]

Blair Mills De colo get put on the inactive list and McGrady suits up tbh

[TheGoldStandard]

McGrady could easily net at least 4 points and offer the same length with either equal or better defense so why not..

[Spur|n|Austin]

Manu just said on the presser he's ready to play whatever minutes Pop needs him to play... I think Pop is taking it easy, and rightly so... Manu is producing great in limited minutes.

Good point, and I hope true. My cringe level with Green is up there with some of the most Team Spurs cringe-worthy players.

[HarlemHeat37]

Part of Bonner's problem was his lack of creativity and versatility on offense..once teams took away his wide open looks, his confidence was destroyed, knowing he doesn't have a counter move..

Green has the same problem IMO..he needs to learn how to dribble the ball at the NBA level, he needs to practice finishing, he needs to add a reliable move like Bonner's hook shot..

It's much easier to be confident shooting the ball when you're confident in your entire skill-set..

[Solid D]

Blair was needed when Splitter got his 2nd foul of the 1st quarter. Danny is a key player right now. Besides Danny starting at the 2...Manu and Danny are basically taking Jack's vacated minutes to backup Kawhi at SF.

[therealtruth]

McGrady could easily net at least 4 points and offer the same length with either equal or better defense so why not..

We have won with worse. TMac's better than Finley in '07. As much as I want to DG to succeed I think the sooner we can integrate TMac the better.

[Sean Cagney]

We need Green to deliver something and he's failing miserably. On both ends.

Could McGrady really do worse??

No Mcgardy would not do worse, he is far better inside as well IMO, you have to look to him IMO if this continues.
Blair was needed when Splitter got his 2nd foul of the 1st quarter. Danny is a key player right now. Besides Danny starting at the 2...Manu and Danny are basically taking Jack's vacated minutes to backup Kawhi at SF.

GOOD LORD why could they have not cut Green instead of Jax lol. I am sorry I had to say that.

[Mugen]

I'm higher on Green than most people here but he made some dumb fouls tbh. Still think he's gonna have a good postseason run when it's all said and done.

[Sean Cagney]

I'm higher on Green than most people here but he made some dumb fouls tbh. Still think he's gonna have a good postseason run when it's all said and done.
That is waiting to be seen.

[Splits]

Green will snap out of it, he's a streaky player and has been in a lull for awhile. Not sure I trust him in big games though.

[DMC]

Pop is trolling the Lakers by putting Blair on the floor.

[KenziE]

Pop is trolling the Lakers by putting Blair on the floor.

i know right hehehe

[will_spurs]

I was watching the press conference and Manu said "I am ready now to play 25-30 minutes a game". Obviously it's up to Pop but even he can't deny Manu looks amazing out there. Since the games will be much tougher in LA hopefully Pop plays Manu the proper amount of minutes he deserves.

Remember that Manu always tends to be optimistic, actually over-optimistic when it comes to the assessment of his physical status. He's just an enthusiastic guy. He's producing great right now with the minutes he's getting, and the Spurs are winning: why play him more? If the Spurs are serious about a deep playoff run they need a healthy and rested Manu. No need to burn him with 30mpg in the first round.

[hater]

de-activate Green

activate TMac

do this Pop

[spurraider21]

I'm higher on Green than most people here but he made some dumb fouls tbh. Still think he's gonna have a good postseason run when it's all said and done.

This. Danny's sharpshooting isn't coming into play in this series, since the Lakers D isn't really swarming anybody. When Parker/Manu are getting penetration, the Lakers perimeter guys aren't really collapsing on the ball since they're trusting Dwight/Pau to stop the ball. They're staying home on shooters, for the most part. And they aren't really doubling in the post. They're letting Dwight man up on Timmy and aren't sending help.

Bonner has been getting looks because he's being guarded by Pau/Dwight who obviously want to be around the paint. Manu is getting looks off the dribble, usually just pulling up off a pick and roll. Green's good team defense/rotation isn't really coming into play when the Lakers are just playing simple inside-out ball. Green will be much more important in future series against Denver/GS/Clippers

[pgardn]

Blair was needed when Splitter got his 2nd foul of the 1st quarter. Danny is a key player right now. Besides Danny starting at the 2...Manu and Danny are basically taking Jack's vacated minutes to backup Kawhi at SF.

If we have key player totally overwhelmed its toast time. He was blown away by a man who can barely walk.

If Manu was not playing so effectively in limited minutes, Danny Green would not be a key player, he would be a shadow to take up minutes while not screwing up. He has yet to even reach shadow level. Ok, so you can't find you shot, you can't dribble or pass, could we have a little D? Apparently not...

He may be a key player. If this is true we are winning without a key. So I am at a loss as to what key means. Definitely not essential. I expect he will get much better as he has hit the bottom.

Green is filling minutes in an extremely poor fashion.

[pgardn]

This. Danny's sharpshooting isn't coming into play in this series, since the Lakers D isn't really swarming anybody. When Parker/Manu are getting penetration, the Lakers perimeter guys aren't really collapsing on the ball since they're trusting Dwight/Pau to stop the ball. They're staying home on shooters, for the most part. And they aren't really doubling in the post. They're letting Dwight man up on Timmy and aren't sending help.

Bonner has been getting looks because he's being guarded by Pau/Dwight who obviously want to be around the paint. Manu is getting looks off the dribble, usually just pulling up off a pick and roll. Green's good team defense/rotation isn't really coming into play when the Lakers are just playing simple inside-out ball. Green will be much more important in future series against Denver/GS/Clippers


This seems reasonable. Can we get a little D on a crippled man?
Can we get the ball past half court, without the ref having to wave us on? A rhetorical , Nope!
Mental melting is underway. For this team, mental mistakes while playing in a haze is unacceptable. Green has made zero adjustments to fit into LA style.

[Ice009]

I really wonder why Danny didn't dribble the ball up court. Is he that scared of dribbling the ball? or was it just a mental mistake. Either way, that really pissed me off.

[tp2021]

I'm higher on Green than most people here but he made some dumb fouls tbh. Still think he's gonna have a good postseason run when it's all said and done.


That is waiting to be seen.

No shit it remains to be seen. They've only played 2 PO games. I don't even like Green, but that's a stupid thing to say. A lot of things remain to be seen by a lot of players.

[said7]

Green is always stuck in between helping and guarding his man. Problem is he does neither. Constantly giving his man open 3s. Just stay on your man!! We don't need your "help" defense.

[DrunkTXLabrat]

Green's head's not in the game right now. Burying him on the bench won't change that. The Spurs need him to win.

Bonner playing well so far is definitely encouraging. He and Parker coming back should give Pop more reason to be patient with Green.

i agree, green is in a slump and just needs to play through it. i'm confident he'll get it together at some point. burying him on the bench would just eff with his head even more.

baynes over blair 4 life. pop has a stack of "blair's a major defensive liability" memo's he's been ignoring since preseason. maybe he'll finally wake up. count it as a blessing of the diaw injury.

speaking of diaw injury blessings. the temperature gauge player. bonner is hot hot hot right now. this team has me very excited. i'm confident they'll take a game in la.

[Embedded]

I was yelling at Mr. Green to dribble the ball across the timeline, and I know 1% of what he does about basketball. He's my boy and all, but dayum.... I hope he sees minutes in L.A., I want him to have a monster game on the road to build confidence.

[Stabula]

I wouldn't be opposed to trying De Colo at the 2.

[cd021]

And you want Neal in the starting lineup....no to that shit. Blair can be effective as a post defender on occasion. Especially if they face up (he has quick hands and can force turnovers.

[Sean Cagney]

No shit it remains to be seen. They've only played 2 PO games. I don't even like Green, but that's a stupid thing to say. A lot of things remain to be seen by a lot of players.
I said in there playoffs, meaning last years run as well where Green dissapeared. Bringing up last year with a deep run is not stuipd, he didn't perform well and it's an indication being two games this year he sucked that he might not have it in the playoffs. Until he has a few games or a series where he is good he sucks to me in the playoffs. I agree on the other players though.

[Dro210]

Green isn't in a slump.... this is who he is. He's always been this way, just when his shots aren't falling, and the games actually matter, it sticks out like a sore thumb. Green is horrible.

[Chinook]

Green isn't in a slump.... this is who he is. He's always been this way, just when his shots aren't falling, and the games actually matter, it sticks out like a sore thumb. Green is horrible.

"When his shots aren't falling." Means he's in a slump. When his shots are falling, he's not horrible at all. He even made as many good plays as bad last night despite the poor shooting.

I don't know where you get the idea that Green hasn't shown up in important games before. You apparently didn't see him close out the Clippers last year as one of the most important players. I know it's en vogue here to pretend like the only games that matter are the ones that the Spurs end up losing, but the Spurs would not have swept Los Angeles with out Green's offense in game three and defense in game four. We can talk about Green in general not being as good this season as he was last, but by no means are bad playoff performances the norm for him.

[lowdown]

Green needs to fight his way out of his slump. It's clearly all mental as the last play of the game demonstrates. Pop can't just put TM in the rotation at this point of the season. Green is needed and for those who think otherwise, get real. Every team has a set rotation and to disrupt it effects the whole game plan. I'm not saying TMac won't play at all but Green isn't going to be benched. Maybe less minutes, but not benched. And the less minutes, the less confidence he will have.

[TheCerebral1]

With Blair I totally agree. Danny Green is still needed for secondary bench scoring for his three point streakiness. I still like Danny very much. He's a nice complimentary player.

[hater]

With Blair I totally agree. Danny Green is still needed for secondary bench scoring for his three point streakiness. I still like Danny very much. He's a nice complimentary player.

this is the same thing ppl were saying about bonner during all those playoff slumps. It could be a slump but it is alarming when he is getting shitted on the defensive end by Steve epidural Nash

[Dro210]

"When his shots aren't falling." Means he's in a slump. When his shots are falling, he's not horrible at all. He even made as many good plays as bad last night despite the poor shooting.

I don't know where you get the idea that Green hasn't shown up in important games before. You apparently didn't see him close out the Clippers last year as one of the most important players. I know it's en vogue here to pretend like the only games that matter are the ones that the Spurs end up losing, but the Spurs would not have swept Los Angeles with out Green's offense in game three and defense in game four. We can talk about Green in general not being as good this season as he was last, but by no means are bad playoff performances the norm for him.

Nah, he's not slumping, that's the kind of player he is. I've been saying it last year and this year. That's why a lot of times during the year, our first play was always to find an open 3 for Green. If he comes out of the gate and hits, keep giving him shots. If he comes out of the gate and misses a couple, just take him out and sit his ass on the bench for the rest of the game, because he's gonna be worthless. He can't drive, dribble, finish, his midrange is cringe worthy. I watch every game, literally every game, this is what Danny Verde is.

and like always pointed out, he's constantly "trying" to close out on open shooters cause he's sagging off to "help" double... but he rarely accomplishes anything but being caught in the middle. He has good games, but to say he's slumping is to say he's somewhat of a consistent player to begin with, and that's just not the case. It's becoming obvious that he mentally struggles at this point in the season as well, so that really takes the slump factor out.

I'm not rooting against the guy, trust me, I hope he can throw a run of the good Danny in for us the rest of the way

[phxspurfan]

On top of his shooting slump, Green is having to assume more SF duties (as has been mentioned before), so it may take awhile for him to adjust. He's not a star or anything, so it may take a few games.

[benstanfield]

Green will be fine, this series just isn't a good matchup for him. The gameplan is to double bigs when they get the ball from different positions on the court, so it makes sense that he will be caught having to close out on shooters more than usual if they have him playing rover in the lane. If you want to make the case that we shouldn't be doubling so much, fine, but I think it's worked to keep Gasol and Howard out of their comfort zone, and you can't blame Green for being out of position if the gameplan is for him to be helping more than he usually would. He made a few lapses on D last night, but he's a solid individual defender and he will be a key if we play the Clippers or the Thunder going forward.

His shooting hasn't been great but it hasn't been terrible, he's just not getting many open looks in our halfcourt sets. This tends to happen when teams feel that their wings don't have to help down low on our bigs, which is the case with Gasol/Howard clogging up the lane. If he were getting open looks and missing it would be different, but right now his presence as a shooter is giving us spacing and is allowing Tim/Tiago to go 1on1 on offense.

Also I fail to see how Ginobili starting would be a better option. A player like Green is useless in the 2nd unit because his individual defense will be wasted on reserves and on offense he is incapable of creating looks for himself or others. Manu's role is perfectly defined right now and works incredibly if the shooters on the bench are clicking: he closes the first, starts the 2nd, closes the 2nd, closes the 3rd, and finishes the game. All the announcer's talk about the Spurs closing out quarters well would vanish were Neal/Green/McGrady/whoever to be our backup SG.

Players like Green thrive on chaotic, up-tempo, high-energy games. This is precisely why his mental mistakes on defense seldom come at the beginning of the shot clock, but by the 2nd or 3rd wrinkle of the opposing offense he is prone to make errors. It's also why most of his best scoring nights come against bad defensive teams, because his open looks come as a result of execution on offense and wing defenders helping on our bigs or getting lost trying to shade towards Tony. I predict that he will have a very good series against whoever we play in round 2.

[Dro210]

I agree moving Manu to the starting lineup is not the answer... and I'm not mad at Danny for doing what he's supposed to be doing with his help defense. All I'm saying with that help D, is when's the last time it resulted in him getting his hands on a ball, or causing a bad pass out of the double. All I ever see is him scrambling to run back out on the shooter. Maybe I've become so frustrated with it that, that's all I see.

I don't know what the answer for him is, I'm not gonna go all far out and say it's T-Mac or anything, even tho I'd love to see him get some run... We just need Danny to be better, and maybe less 2nd half minutes unless he's shooting the lights out.

Things like the 8 second call at the end of the game last night also piss me off... it's like he's just not in it half the time.

[TheyCallMePro]

Problem with Danny Green is he has to be wide open in order to make a shot. It's a problem this system creates. The players aren't taught how to shoot over anybody. I mean, it's great and all that we don't play like the Milwaukee Bucks and take contested shots all game, but still, it's something you need to be able to do sometimes in the playoffs.

[Chinook]

Nah, he's not slumping, that's the kind of player he is. I've been saying it last year and this year. That's why a lot of times during the year, our first play was always to find an open 3 for Green. If he comes out of the gate and hits, keep giving him shots. If he comes out of the gate and misses a couple, just take him out and sit his ass on the bench for the rest of the game, because he's gonna be worthless. He can't drive, dribble, finish, his midrange is cringe worthy. I watch every game, literally every game, this is what Danny Verde is.

and like always pointed out, he's constantly "trying" to close out on open shooters cause he's sagging off to "help" double... but he rarely accomplishes anything but being caught in the middle. He has good games, but to say he's slumping is to say he's somewhat of a consistent player to begin with, and that's just not the case. It's becoming obvious that he mentally struggles at this point in the season as well, so that really takes the slump factor out.

I'm not rooting against the guy, trust me, I hope he can throw a run of the good Danny in for us the rest of the way

No one thinks Green's dribbling issues are the result of him slumping (he did get a couple of nice assets last night, though, and he could have gotten more players not missed chippies). He's in a shooting slump right now, which is hurting his over all production. A Green who shoots 50 percent or better from three is an asset even though he has those faults. His main problem is that he's incredibly streaky. He's had good games from midrange and driving (he had a good finish last night, for example). He just isn't consistent enough to be a bona fide starter.

He actually played a pretty good game on defense last night. His help defense was pretty effective, and it only looked bad because Blake hit a couple of shots. Leonard's man hit some, too. Green's man defense was pretty good, but he got too excited and bit on too many fakes. I think he's still the better match-up for Blake going forward.

Green's in a slump offensively, because he's a shooter in a shooting slump. You don't just pull him quickly because of that, though. The Spurs could really use Green's shooting against OKC and Denver/Golden State, and he should get more open looks. Even though Neal can do as pretty good job in this series, in future ones he doesn't match up as favorably. Defensively, Green is making bone-headed plays. But he hasn't been as bad as people think he's been. His mistakes are just amplified because he's guarding the on-ball player more than he usually does. Outside of starting Joseph, Green is the best option for them to check Blake, Thompson/Curry.

[Dro210]

I mean, you're basically saying what I'm saying. I wasn't saying his ball handling, etc is a result of a slump, I don't even agree he's in a slump, he just is who he is. I was saying those things to point out how worthless he is if his shot isn't going down at a 40%+ clip. He's streaky, and all he is, is an outside shooter. You don't slump when you're streaky, you're just streaky, and he's not hitting right now. Whether it be not open enough looks, playoff pressure, or just a couple bad games... Hopefully he can get it together. :flag:



Still think he's average at VERY best defensively. Laterally slow, not intelligent, not engaged enough. Lucky he has our system and a prototypical body to cover 2's.

[therealtruth]

And you want Neal in the starting lineup....no to that shit. Blair can be effective as a post defender on occasion. Especially if they face up (he has quick hands and can force turnovers.

Blair's problem is he has chicken legs. A guy like Chuck Hayes is a better low post defender because he has a stronger base. A guy like Pau Gasol would struggle posting up Hayes because he can't move him. Because Blair can't keep his position well he's forced to try reaching.

[cd021]

Blair's problem is he has chicken legs. A guy like Chuck Hayes is a better low post defender because he has a stronger base. A guy like Pau Gasol would struggle posting up Hayes because he can't move him. Because Blair can't keep his position well he's forced to try reaching.

I didn't say Blair is a good defender, his has quick hands that can be disruptive to players who face up alot (Garnett, & Amare)

[cd021]

de-activate Green

activate TMac

do this Pop

You are clearly joking....Right?

[TheGoldStandard]

If we're relying on Danny Green to be a game changer then we're in trouble because that'll never happen. He'll find his shot when he's 120% open and he'll have a little streak, his biggest problem is that he sucks on defense and has for the past few months. He's always in the paint trying to double and is almost always late to get back when the ball goes to his man. I'm not sure if this is something that Pop and the rest of the staff have been working on during practice but Pop can't be happy with the results, it happens all the time.. Camping out in the paint and then slowly jogging back with your arm half extended and biting on pump fakes should get you on the bench.

I have to agree that we should at least see what T-Mac has to offer, can't be worse on defense and can't be worse on offense.

[mingus]

The thing with Danny Green is he has made some really dumb plays. He needs to relax out there. I think he gets too nervous.

[honestfool84]

I don't know about this one...

Green was 5-7, and Blair was 6-6 tonight.

I think - with Green - that he just needs to keep shooting.

Also, Blair might play some heavy minutes with Splitter's ankle sprain.

[007nites]

Green is money with the corner pocket three. Blair is money with the pick'n roll. Just stick to the strengths.