Game Thoughts: Spurs 101 - Pelicans 95

[ElNono]

Spurs 101 - Pelicans 95

Savvy. That’s the first word that comes to mind to describe tonight’s Spurs win. The Spurs headed to New Orleans after a solid win against a good Timberwolves team the night before, still missing Tiago Splitter, and now having to reshuffle the lineups one more time after Danny Green suffered a fracture in his hand (out 4 weeks), and Manu Ginobili was making his return after missing a couple of games.

When you’re shorthanded, and you’re getting halfway through the season, these back to back games get tougher and tougher. The Spurs only had energy for small stretches, so carefully managing when to push and when to hold back was key. Outside of Kawhi being glued to Gordon most of the game (great job, more on that later), defense was really a second thought this game. Hope for a miss and grab the board.

Ultimately, the Spurs would need all the energy they could munster. This turned out to be an electric game, and the Pelicans didn’t shrink to the physical play the Spurs proposed for stretches. Anthony Davis posted a double-double, Roberts had a very good game, and overall they had a good shooting night (44% from the field, 64% from downtown). On top of that, Tim Duncan would foul out with 6 mins remaining in the game and the Spurs only up two points.

Fortunately the Spurs were able to lean on their savvy players to escape New Orleans with a hard fought win and be the first team in the league this season to reach 30 wins while retaining the top spot in the Western Conference.


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The Starters


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Tony Parker: Tony fought all night against a player in Roberts that came to play. He did it all. The jumper was there, the finishing at the basket was there, the drive and kick too. He had a steal and basket early in the game, and when TD fouled out, he took it upon himself to be the guy to close this game and he delivered. I though he managed his energy pretty well, not being overly aggressive on defense at the start of the game so he could have some gas left in the tank for the finish. Well done, mon ami. A


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Manu Ginobili: Manu looked rusty to start the game. His attacks to the basket were sound, but his decision making was not. He got better as the game progressed, although his 3 point shot was MIA for the night. This was a game where his passing wasn’t working, but he was generally scoring well going to the basket, which is the opposite of what we’ve been accustomed to. Gino still has a lot more work to do to regain the form he had prior to missing the last two games, but he looked healthy, which is extremely important. C+


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Kawhi Leonard: This was a phenomenal game from Leonard. He basically shut down Gordon (4-14), and whenever he had the possibility of getting a touch or two on offense, he made the Pelicans pay. On a night where most every Spur didn’t have enough to play tough D all game, he was the exception. Offensively, the Spurs need to find a way to get him in the post more often, especially on match ups like tonight where he had the clear advantage. He rebounded well and also connected on the only 3 pointer he took. B


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Tim Duncan: Timmy battled all night against Davis who has been a very solid player this season. He tried to bring a brand of physical play inside, and it generally worked. When he couldn’t finish, he drew fouls. Until he fouled out, he was the anchor where the Spurs would go when they needed to get some scoring. I thought he ran out of gas towards the end, and that had some influence on being a bit late on the last couple of fouls. It was extra difficult for Tim tonight, without Tiago and with a shaky perimeter defense, but he stepped up and was an integral part of this win. B+


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Jeff Ayres: I know Jeff has taken a lot of flak, but this is one game where he was a net positive. He defended well, especially on the 3rd quarter, and he actually wasn’t getting in the way of teammates on offense. I still would like to see more boards from him, but overall, he was an asset in the 16 minutes he played. C


The Bench


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Boris Diaw: This looked like an old Boris outing. He attempted no shots and did not get himself to the line. He wasn’t bad, he was just invisible for most of the game. He did have to spend a lot of energy guarding (superbly if I might add) Kevin Love the night before, so it’s possible he was just a bit tired. The Spurs could’ve used a bit more from him offensively tonight. D+


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Marco Belinelli: I thought Marco was great. He moved constantly without the ball and kept the Pelicans defense busy. He picked his spots on offense, and then he dropped La Bomba…

http://d3j5vwomefv46c.cloudfront.net/photos/large/833418760.gif?1389668032

…much to the delight of Spursfans around the world. While the bench generally was underwhelming in this game, I thought Belli was the bright spot. B-


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Matt Bonner: It was difficult for Matt to find the open 3 like the night before, but he hustled against Ajinca and Whitey, grabbing 5 boards on a night where rebounding was extremely important (due to the general poor defense). While he looked overwhelmed physically in the first half, he did much better in the second half. C


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Patty Mills: I’m a bit disappointed in Patty’s outing tonight, even though he only played a bit over 10 mins. Generally I would’ve liked to see him more aggressive going at his guy or looking for his shot. His defense was also not as active as it’s been for the season. He ended up not shooting or creating, and the Spurs need that from him, especially on games where Manu isn’t available with the bench unit. D-


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Corey Joseph: Corey played 15 mins. He hit a 3 pointer, and made a fairly contested reverse layup . There really wasn’t that much more noteworthy from him. He’s getting the minutes now, and this is his chance to show he belongs, but tonight he did not. D


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Aaron Baynes: Baynes played limited minutes (8) and mostly was matched up against Ajinca, a very tall (7'2) center. He protected the rim well, and grabbed 5 rebounds in that short stint. While that part is impressive, it was a very short sample. I'd like to watch more from Baynes, but at this time it looks like Ayres, Bonner and Diaw will be getting the most minutes behind Duncan while Splitter is out. INC

The Coach


http://www.allamericanspeakers.com/sportspeakers/photos/7991Gregg_Popovich.jpg

Pop: It was a night of mad scientist for Pop. He had to shuffle the lineups again, and figure out a way to conserve energies to have some energy left for the entire evening. I thought he did a good job. He stretched out the bench play as much as possible on both halves to rest legs, and pushed the right buttons at the right time to come up with the win. On the to-do list is to get Kawhi more involved on offense on nights like these, as noted above. B

---

Filling in for HarlemHeat37...

[indianspur]

Lemme be the first to thank El Nono :toast

[freetiago]

boring game to watch until the 4th quarter tbh..
cant imagine whats its like to be a Thunderef fan and watch games like this every night for the past 3+ years
or the new Rockets play even worse games then this

[Mikeanaro]

Good grades, gotta love the ferrari
http://www.movieactors.com/actors/freezes2/HomeAlone11.jpeg

[Spursfanfromafar]

Thanks for the writeup.

[Robz4000]

Good writeup! :tu

[Hoops Czar]

Nice write up. Very thorough and detailed for someone like me who didn't get a chance to watch the game. I glossed over the box score and saw Baynes got a little action. I woud be interested to know how he looked on the court.

My take on Leonard is that his role is to be a lockdown defender. I don't think he'll ever be a consistent scorer on offense. He'll have his ups and downs but as long as he does his best to shutdown the opponents best player on offense, he's doing his job.

[Reck]

Wow, when was the last time Timmy D fouled out of a game? Even reading that is kind of mind blowing.

Hard fought victory on a night where Spurs were shorthanded and had little incenstive to win but yet still did.

Good read El. :toast

[MultiTroll]

http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/nba/players/full/6450.png&w=200&h=154

Kawhi Leonard: This was a phenomenal game from Leonard. He basically shut down Gordon (4-14), and whenever he had the possibility of getting a touch or two on offense, he made the Pelicans pay. On a night where most every Spur didn’t have enough to play tough D all game, he was the exception. Offensively, the Spurs need to find a way to get him in the post more often, especially on match ups like tonight where he had the clear advantage. He rebounded well and also connected on the only 3 pointer he took. B
How does a "phenomenal game" only end up with a B?

I'm just asking, not criticizing your review. I have not even seen the game yet and probably will not watch it.
Keep your panties intact.

[ElNono]

Nice write up. Very thorough and detailed for someone like me who didn't get a chance to watch the game. I glossed over the box score and saw Baynes got a little action. I woud be interested to know how he looked on the court.

My take on Leonard is that his role is to be a lockdown defender. I don't think he'll ever be a consistent scorer on offense. He'll have his ups and downs but as long as he does his best to shutdown the opponents best player on offense, he's doing his job.

oops, I knew I was missing someone.... he actually rebounded well... I'm gonna update the writeup in a bit and add him in.

[ElNono]

How does a "phenomenal game" only end up with a B?

I'm just asking, not criticizing your review. I have not even seen the game yet and probably will not watch it.
Keep your panties intact.

No offense taken. I'm grading overall, not on "what's expected of him". Kawhi had a phenomenal defensive game (probably missed that) and when he received the touches upfront, he did well, he boarded well too. He just wasn't that much involved on offense generally, which mean he didn't contribute that much on that side. Not his fault, but it is what it is. I though him and TD were neck and neck as the best two players after Tony tonight.

[ElNono]

Thanks for the kind comments :toast

[silverblackfan]

Nice job on the write up. Have to agree with the grades too, except for Kawhi who I would rate higher. He brought the energy and hit most of his shots, IIRC.

[ElNono]

Nice write up. Very thorough and detailed for someone like me who didn't get a chance to watch the game. I glossed over the box score and saw Baynes got a little action. I woud be interested to know how he looked on the court.

Difficult to gauge Baynes because we only see glimpses... Today, he was mostly in a lineup with Joseph, Mills, Ayres and Belli... not much going on there, that's why he was a net negative. I would be much more interested to see how he looks next to Duncan, for example, as we saw against the Lakers last playoffs.

[313]

Didn't catch the game, thanks for the grades :toast

[HI-FI]

:tu
this is some good shit. hard to believe you filled in for Harlem at the last minute, sort of like how Spurs keep winning when TP sits out tbh.:lol

[emanueldavidginobili]

How much time was on the shot clock when Marco shot that lol

[FuzzyLumpkins]

The Pelicans showed quick double teams on Leonard post ups early in the game. Seems other teams are noticing even if the Spurs aren't.

[ElNono]

How much time was on the shot clock when Marco shot that lol

3 seconds left

[Staplepuffs27]

I'm glad we've managed to keep grades alive. I remember in past years timvp would go out of his way to create average grades for players as the season went on. But it's nice the tradition has carried through.

[BillMc]

Nice detailed grades. Great job! :toast

[Old School 44]

Nice write-up! Thanks for taking the time to do it.
Great game by Tony. Fantastic D by Kawhi. What a shot by Marco! Has any other free agent pickup fit in so quickly?

The Pelicans look like they could be a force in a few years. Davis' TD-like reaction after a foul call was priceless. Really impressed by the brows game and development. Brian Roberts??? It's amazing how many times lesser known players go off on the Spurs with career performances.

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o518/tcatz/AnthonyDavisTat.jpg

[Boomersgold]

Wait, can anyone tell me why Cojo's "getting the minutes now"? Wasn't he just filling in for Manu?

[Hoops Czar]

Difficult to gauge Baynes because we only see glimpses... Today, he was mostly in a lineup with Joseph, Mills, Ayres and Belli... not much going on there, that's why he was a net negative. I would be much more interested to see how he looks next to Duncan, for example, as we saw against the Lakers last playoffs.

Thanks. That's too bad. Not that he's a world beater by any stretch but, I think Baynes has a higher ceiling than both Bonner and Ayres but Matty has seniority and Jeff has Boylens stamp of approval. With Splitter out, this would have been the perfect opportunity to see what Baynes has to offer. It doesn't look like he's gained Pop's trust yet.

[Hoops Czar]

Wait, can anyone tell me why Cojo's "getting the minutes now"? Wasn't he just filling in for Manu?

I think he's filling in for Green now.

[benefactor]

Thanks man. Very nice recap. :tu

[wildchild]

Nice read! Thanks ElNono!

422954634706055168



The Coach

http://www.allamericanspeakers.com/sportspeakers/photos/7991Gregg_Popovich.jpg

Pop: It was a night of mad scientist for Pop. He had to shuffle the lineups again, and figure out a way to conserve energies to have some energy left for the entire evening. I thought he did a good job. He stretched out the bench play as much as possible on both halves to rest legs, and pushed the right buttons at the right time to come up with the win. On the to-do list is to get Kawhi more involved on offense on nights like these, as noted above. B


My take on Leonard is that his role is to be a lockdown defender. I don't think he'll ever be a consistent scorer on offense. He'll have his ups and downs but as long as he does his best to shutdown the opponents best player on offense, he's doing his job.

Well, Leonard isn't Bruce.
Bowen was all defense, Leonard is an all-around player on both ends of the floor. You know, "He (Kawhi Leonard) is a lot better than Bruce Bowen. Bruce Bowen couldn’t dribble and couldn’t pass. He shot 3s in the corner and he played good D, he played great D. So we want Kawhi to match Bruce's great D first and foremost, but after that he's a much better offensive player." Pop said

He has improved a post fadeaway, post game, mid range shoot, passing, he deserves more opportunities but Pop isn't calling plays -often- for him and he won't because Spurs game is more about Tony running p&r with Timmy, the offensive role for wing is shoot 3s.
The system won't recreate and Pop doesn't show flexibility.

I've said repeatedly (sorry to insist) Leonard's a versatile scorer but underused.
Sad, because like ElNono said before, he could exploit post matchup vs Harden, Dudley, Thompson (in playoffs) where Leonard has the clear advantage.

[urunobili]

Can we have a gif of Manu's crunch block at the end of the game? good grade's but that key play on it's own should make him earn a B- IMO

[jeebus]

Difficult to gauge Baynes because we only see glimpses... Today, he was mostly in a lineup with Joseph, Mills, Ayres and Belli... not much going on there, that's why he was a net negative. I would be much more interested to see how he looks next to Duncan, for example, as we saw against the Lakers last playoffs.
tbh he was kind of out of sync with the others. when all you get is garbage minutes or DNPs over the past few weeks, you won't look as good as the others getting regular minutes. The Turd Towers shouldn't be on the floor together because neither Boner or Errors can defend the inside nor have some sort of semblance of an inside game. monkeyballing off passes from one of the guards does not count.

[elbamba]

Nice take. I thought Cory played better than a D grade. He was agressive on defense, did not force offense and offered some energy on a night where it was lacking. I would have given him a B-. Other than that I agree with the rest of the takes. First team to 30 and well on the way to another 50+ win season.

[Splits]

Thanks EN, great writeup, lots of color for those of us that missed the game.

[Brazil]

Good read EN, spot on imho

[superbigtime]

Thanks for the grades and the nice Marco clip. Cory stinks but a D is a fail and he didn't fail IMO.

[Chinook]

Thanks, Nono.

This was a big game for Leonard. He needed to show he could defend small two-guards after letting Ellis torch him. He's one step closer to being a lockdown defender. I thought he did a much better job at contesting shots last night. He's usually more of a ball-denial guy. Perhaps he's been taking some pointers from Green

Cory's going to be essential against OKC and Portland coming up. He may even start at the two. Either he or De Colo should so the bench can go back to how it used to be.

Gotta loves Ayres. He's a jump shot away from being a starter. Whenever he and Chip figure that out, the Spurs rotation gets that much stronger.

[EVAY]

Thanks for the grades, EN. Well written and good observations.


Appreciate you doing it.

[wildbill2u]

Game was won in the last 2 minutes by old vets Parker and Ginobilli taking over and using their experience on defense and offense to salt the game away. Spurs forced a bunch of NO turnovers in the last few minutes.

Looking at the points and other stats I think Manu deserved a much better grade.

[Pauleta14]

Thanks ElNono, great wite up!

[Spursfanfromafar]

Thanks, Nono.

This was a big game for Leonard. He needed to show he could defend small two-guards after letting Ellis torch him. He's one step closer to being a lockdown defender. I thought he did a much better job at contesting shots last night. He's usually more of a ball-denial guy. Perhaps he's been taking some pointers from Green

Cory's going to be essential against OKC and Portland coming up. He may even start at the two. Either he or De Colo should so the bench can go back to how it used to be.

Gotta loves Ayres. He's a jump shot away from being a starter. Whenever he and Chip figure that out, the Spurs rotation gets that much stronger.

Good point about Ayres. He seems to be purposefully bottling up his weird jump-shot and is not using that as a weapon at all. Must be Chip is helping him figure that one out and has asked him to avoid shooting it till he perfects the remedy.

[ElNono]

About Corey, I'm sure there's going to be disagreement. The issue I have with him is that I think he needs to take the "next step".. find his niche. Green was in the same boat last season and eventually his 3 point shot broke out. He found his niche.

I look at Corey, and he does a lot of things, some good, some not so good, but he doesn't do anything exceptionally well, not even for stretches.

For a point guard, he doesn't have a solid shot, he doesn't have court vision, his defense is good but not lock-down... he just doesn't have that something he excels at that would get him more minutes.

Patty was very similar, but he worked hard on his game over the summer, and you can see the fruits of that work. Corey just looks the same, IMO.

[ElNono]

Oh, and thanks everyone for the kind words. :tu

[Baam]

About Corey, I'm sure there's going to be disagreement. The issue I have with him is that I think he needs to take the "next step".. find his niche. Green was in the same boat last season and eventually his 3 point shot broke out. He found his niche.

I look at Corey, and he does a lot of things, some good, some not so good, but he doesn't do anything exceptionally well, not even for stretches.

For a point guard, he doesn't have a solid shot, he doesn't have court vision, his defense is good but not lock-down... he just doesn't have that something he excels at that would get him more minutes.

Patty was very similar, but he worked hard on his game over the summer, and you can see the fruits of that work. Corey just looks the same, IMO.

I don't believe in Cojo but Mills is getting torched left and right, from Reggie Jackson to Austin Rivers... Once again we're going into the POs with a pretty bad backup PG... Whoever gets chosen won't make the shortened rotation anyway...

Beli is playing well but he makes the rotations an headache because of his shitty D, can really play with Manu defensively, didn't work when he started either...

Beli + Bonner for JR Smith tbh...

[spurs10]

Oh, and thanks everyone for the kind words. :tu Well, it's an excellent writeup. This is the kind of thing that makes ST a pleasure to have discovered. Thank all of you that have taken the time to do Game Thoughts and share your insights to the game. Tony, Tim, and Kawhi were ballin' the jack and Beli was high energy. The clip of La Bomba was so nice I had to show it to my wife. I asked her how much time was on the clock. She answered, same as you, "three seconds!" Glad someone in our house is paying attention! A good, scrappy, "savvy" game! Thanks!

[benefactor]

:lol Baam

[Chinook]

Good point about Ayres. He seems to be purposefully bottling up his weird jump-shot and is not using that as a weapon at all. Must be Chip is helping him figure that one out and has asked him to avoid shooting it till he perfects the remedy.

He was developing a corner three last season, so it's definitely weird that he's so unreliable right now. I have to think Chip has broken down hia shot and is trying to rebuild it. The thing is, it's going to have to be REALLY good for it to be a weapon thia season. He's almost always the fifth option on offense, and having him take a low-percentage mid-range shot would be horrible for the offense until he shows he can make it consistently. Especially since he's a talented passer and has no trouble making the correct read when he catches the ball, he doesn't have to shoot it.

He also doesn't have terrible hands like some folks think. He has average hands for a big. The Spurs have just been blessed to have elite catching bigs like Duncan, Splitter, Diaw and even Blair. The others need to learn to give Ayres typical big passes (high, so smalls can't get to them) instead of pocket passes and bounce passes.

[Chinook]

About Corey, I'm sure there's going to be disagreement. The issue I have with him is that I think he needs to take the "next step".. find his niche. Green was in the same boat last season and eventually his 3 point shot broke out. He found his niche.

I look at Corey, and he does a lot of things, some good, some not so good, but he doesn't do anything exceptionally well, not even for stretches.

For a point guard, he doesn't have a solid shot, he doesn't have court vision, his defense is good but not lock-down... he just doesn't have that something he excels at that would get him more minutes.

Patty was very similar, but he worked hard on his game over the summer, and you can see the fruits of that work. Corey just looks the same, IMO.

I think it's that the Spurs don't want to make him a niche player. He has potential as a shooter, driver, passer (yes) and a defender. He doesn't do anything really well, as you said, but he can do it all decently. That's more than Mills, Green and Beli can say right now. I don't think the D-league is helping him, because he really needs to learn NBA speed and the tendencies of the big club's actual players.

It also doesn't help him to play with two play-handlers, as he isn't suited to just be a shooter. Honestly, I think they need to run Parker's sets for him and let him grow an an actual point guard in the Spurs system, not as just a short, shooting role-player like they usually trot out with the second unit.

[TheGoldStandard]

Great writeup, the grades were pretty much how I felt about the game. Parker is starting to shine again, 27 points and 7 assists, great play down the stretch. Manu looked solid for being off for a week and not touching the court till Saturday.

Really looking forward to Friday's game with Portland. I have this sneaking suspicion some kind of trade will go down soon. Tomorrow is a potential day.

[spurs10]

Great writeup, the grades were pretty much how I felt about the game. Parker is starting to shine again, 27 points and 7 assists, great play down the stretch. Manu looked solid for being off for a week and not touching the court till Saturday.

Really looking forward to Friday's game with Portland. I have this sneaking suspicion some kind of trade will go down soon. Tomorrow is a potential day. I wonder if having two starters out will have an effect on the trade possibilities much. Wish we were playing Blazers full strength. A good game from Boris, Manu, and Beli will be needed! :flag::flag::flag:

[BacktoBasics]

Good grades, gotta love the ferrari
http://www.movieactors.com/actors/freezes2/HomeAlone11.jpegAll this insight and I bet you took more time trying to find the right pic to add.

[Mikeanaro]

All this insight and I bet you took more time trying to find the right pic to add.
Wait, I have more content here, this is deep and touching like reading Nietzsche while taking a dump...
http://dc406.4shared.com/img/pLCMzkXLce/s7/1439299bae8/Pm_online.jpg?async&rand=0.4060725905223004

Keep bugging me, I don´t give 2 shits about you

[look_at_g_shred]

^ :lol

[apalisoc_9]

Thanks, Nono.

This was a big game for Leonard. He needed to show he could defend small two-guards after letting Ellis torch him. He's one step closer to being a lockdown defender. I thought he did a much better job at contesting shots last night. He's usually more of a ball-denial guy. Perhaps he's been taking some pointers from Green

Cory's going to be essential against OKC and Portland coming up. He may even start at the two. Either he or De Colo should so the bench can go back to how it used to be.

Gotta loves Ayres. He's a jump shot away from being a starter. Whenever he and Chip figure that out, the Spurs rotation gets that much stronger.

Wouldn't that be a worry? If pop is convinced that Kawhi can guard any player on the floor, he's probably convinced on relegating Danny Green to a 15 minute replacement..Favouring, a Leonard-Beli-Manu wing lineup the whole playoffs.

[Captivus]

La Bomba!!

[heyheymymy]

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lnn4ww26dj1qel4wbo1_500.gif

[Manufan909]

3 seconds left

I was gonna ask that too, even though I remember from the highlights that there was less than a second on the shot clock when the shot went in. Considering it was from damn near half court, the ball was in the air for a good 2 seconds (you can count 1 Mississippi 2 Mississippi while the ball is in the air).

Concerning Baynes, it doesn't look good for him this season. Even with Splitter out, who is theoretically the best big man to miss time in order for Baynes to get minutes, Baynes is averaging less than 10 min a game (probably closer to 5). I wonder if Baynes would be moved into the 4th big spot if Duncan missed a few weeks, not like I want to find out "knocks on wood". It almost reminds me of when McDyess was hurt back in '09 or '10 and Pop decided to go with a big man rotation of Duncan/Blair/Bonner over giving Ian some burn. And iirc that happened after Ian blew up against some shitty Eastern team and Elliott was going nuts about how good he looked, and that he should be given regular minutes more often going forward.

Btw, sincere apologies for bringing up Mahinmi.

Does anyone else think it's weird that Baynes is constantly getting props from everywhere (ST, 48 moh, PTR) about how he protects the rim better than anyone but Timmy, but he has ZERO blocks this season? I won't go back and check, but I bet every single player on the Spurs (minus Nando, who hasn't cracked 100 min yet) had at least one block by the time they had played Baynes' total number of minutes. I remember him getting some blocks in the preseason (including an absolute man block on Ryan Hollins), but it hasn't transferred to the RS for whatever reason.

[Chinook]

Wouldn't that be a worry? If pop is convinced that Kawhi can guard any player on the floor, he's probably convinced on relegating Danny Green to a 15 minute replacement..Favouring, a Leonard-Beli-Manu wing lineup the whole playoffs.

It's not a worry if it works. There's no downside to Kawhi being a more-complete player. It would be awesome if they both could defend all perimeter players. Great switching anf platooning could occur.

[Bruno]

Thanks for the grades.

That quite remarkable to see Spurs at 30 wins in mid January while they haven't been that great. When you think that there will have more than a handful of teams that won't have 30 wins on the year, Spurs fan is a lucky dude.

[jeebus]

Does anyone else think it's weird that Baynes is constantly getting props from everywhere (ST, 48 moh, PTR) about how he protects the rim better than anyone but Timmy, but he has ZERO blocks this season? I won't go back and check, but I bet every single player on the Spurs (minus Nando, who hasn't cracked 100 min yet) had at least one block by the time they had played Baynes' total number of minutes. I remember him getting some blocks in the preseason (including an absolute man block on Ryan Hollins), but it hasn't transferred to the RS for whatever reason.
You should be a national writer. To them, blocks = great defense, defensive player of the year. that's usually preferred instead of playing actual team defense.

[ElNono]

Thanks for the grades.

That quite remarkable to see Spurs at 30 wins in mid January while they haven't been that great. When you think that there will have more than a handful of teams that won't have 30 wins on the year, Spurs fan is a lucky dude.

Agreed. Spurs are on pace to a 64-18 record, pretty amazing. They will probably slow down and rest a bit before the season is over like last season.

Overall, they've handled the injuries relatively well so far.

[Tim_5rings]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpHB8vkE1HI&feature=youtu.be

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Nice work!! :tu

[BacktoBasics]

Keep bugging me, I don´t give 2 shits about youYou asked for it. You're a keyboard hero who has failed so miserably at life that the only way to fill the empty void is to shit on the internet. We'll see exactly how durable you are.