More new, important questions

[ShoogarBear]

1. How many more games will the Spurs be picked up for national TV?

2. How many MPG will Parker lose?

3. How many points per game will TD's average drop? (It will drop now, you know.)

4. Is Brent Barry now the 10th man (i.e., the new Steve Kerr)? How many MPG does he get?

5. Did we really solve the "long 3" problem?

6. Do the Spurs run even more next year, or go with about the same balance?

[ducks]

will barry be traded now

[ducks]

how long will nve take to learn 4 down :spin

[ShoogarBear]

how long will nve take to learn 4 down :spin
All season. He's going to go the Terry Porter route: breaking the plays whenever he pleases and getting away with it mostly.

[Spurminator]

1. How many more games will the Spurs be picked up for national TV?

None. They're still "boring."


2. How many MPG will Parker lose?

I would hope he gets between 30-32 minutes per game, but I think a lot of it depends on if he improves his jumper at all, which we probably should expect until a couple more years down the line.


3. How many points per game will TD's average drop? (It will drop now, you know.)

I think he'll average about 18 ppg next year.


5. Did we really solve the "long 3" problem?

I'm not sure there was a problem to begin with... I know it was a focus point in the offseason, and it would be a nice commodity, but really, who are we talking about guarding here?

As I see it, the best two "long" SFs in the West are Rashard Lewis and Shawn Marion... and we didn't have much of a problem with either of those guys. Maybe I'm forgetting someone.

[DieMrBond]

I dont see why everyone is so worried about Barrys position on the team... cant Finley be the backup SF, and occasional backup SG, while barry is the backup SG, and occasional backup SF? How is that not possible?

He is still our best 3pt threat, is he not?

Keep barry!

[Supergirl]

1. How many more games will the Spurs be picked up for national TV?

2. How many MPG will Parker lose?

3. How many points per game will TD's average drop? (It will drop now, you know.)

4. Is Brent Barry now the 10th man (i.e., the new Steve Kerr)? How many MPG does he get?

5. Did we really solve the "long 3" problem?

6. Do the Spurs run even more next year, or go with about the same balance?

1. It's already been decided, I think. Probably not so many. Small market. But more than last year, cause they're the champs.
2. Probably 30, and I think he'll be more consistant with his jumpers this year. But if he goes cold (and he will, occassionally) Spurs are all set.
3. Timmy will probably average a double-double still, but maybe slightly less points - 18-20.
4. Bench should go in this order: Horry, NVE, Finley, Barry. That makes him 9th. The big question still remains whether Mohammed or Rasho get the heavy C minutes. And I think it will depend on who plays well as we start the new season.
5. Not really. Horry is still our best cover for long 3s. But is Oberto fits in quickly, he may be able to help out.

[Banks91]

Duncan's stats are gonna get better, i predict 24,13, 3 , 2.5 from him, and that is about what he will average.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

5. Did we really solve the "long 3" problem?

If Finley can guard Amare, he can guard any long threes we see. But I can't wait for him to play Dirk :lol

Depending on what Pop does with the offense Tim could average 25,15, and 7.

[Boo]

Duncan's stats are gonna get better, i predict 24,13, 3 , 2.5 from him, and that is about what he will average.

So your saying Duncan will average MORE points than last year with NVE and MF???

[slayermin]

TD will be around 20-11-5-3. At least, that is what I am hoping for.

TP and Manu will be affected far more than TD will be unless Pop decides to play Tim like 28 minutes a game.

TP will be 14pts 7assts. Manu will be 15-6-6. If it all works out, Finley will be the sixth man of the year with a 15-4-2. Nickie Van is not gonna average much but he could be like 8-1-3.

[xcoriate]

I think Duncans minutes go back up a bit now thats hes had the summer off. Thus I think he'll average 21/12/4/3

[MaNuMaNiAc]

I dont see why everyone is so worried about Barrys position on the team... cant Finley be the backup SF, and occasional backup SG, while barry is the backup SG, and occasional backup SF? How is that not possible?

He is still our best 3pt threat, is he not?

Keep barry!
Isn't Finley the best 3pt threat now?

[thekingrobert]

reduced minutes for everyone is good especially if the winning is constant. This will be Duncans 1st summer of rest in awhile, Manu also, TP will need rest especially since he's playing this summer, MF has always been a big minute guy thats why his body always breaks down, so reduced mins are a plus for sure. If TD free throw % goes up so do his points 23pts 11rbs 3ast 2.7blks

[z0sa]

Tim Duncan, fully rested and confident, is going to average at least 21ppg/11rpg/3.5apg(maybe more... his assists will go up, thanks to finley barry van nick ginobili...)/2bpg

[NZHayden]

i thought nve didnt want major minutes during the season

[leemajors]

stats shats, let's just win another.

[td4mvp21]

Duncan's stats are gonna get better, i predict 24,13, 3 , 2.5 from him, and that is about what he will average.

Thats what I was thinking.

I don't think Duncan will play 30-33 minutes because in a lot of games we are going to need to him to play much more and he will be rested for it.

[Marcus Bryant]

1. How many more games will the Spurs be picked up for national TV?

Come on, you know the answer.



2. How many MPG will Parker lose?


I can see him losing about 3 to 5 minutes over the course of the season from his average. 30 minutes a night with Udrih and NVE on the team sounds about right. What will be interesting is if Pop goes with him and NVE together in the backcourt at times. That would be an impressive offensive backcourt, if they can get away with it defensively.



3. How many points per game will TD's average drop? (It will drop now, you know.)


Perhaps a couple. He's still the hoss on this team and even with this week's acquisitions, there is still one basketball and one way the Spurs play basketball. I don't see him losing a lot of touches. Also, I think Finley and NVE's primary scoring opportunities will come when TD rests.



4. Is Brent Barry now the 10th man (i.e., the new Steve Kerr)? How many MPG does he get?

Yeah, Barry will probably be out of the 8 man playoff rotation. Still, not a bad option to have at the end of the bench.



5. Did we really solve the "long 3" problem?


I would say the problem wasn't so much the lack of size at the 3 as it was the lack of depth. Finley is big enough to back up Bruce at the 3. The 3 spot is set for the next couple of seasons and it's hard to find a problem with that.



6. Do the Spurs run even more next year, or go with about the same balance?

I would say the same balance. Yes, NVE and Finley do well in the open court, but they are also quite effective in the half court.

Where these moves help the Spurs is in having some scoring punch in the game when 2 of the Big 3 are riding the bench. That's been the major offensive problem that I recall from last season. Also, the Spurs just became more potent in crunch time situations.

All in all, very good problems to have.

[CaptainLate]

will barry be traded now

No. Why trade a smart white guy who can pass to others who need the ball?

[CaptainLate]

So your saying Duncan will average MORE points than last year with NVE and MF???

I think we'll run more to save TD from having to work so much.

[nkdlunch]

will we have 4 allstars this year?

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

With all the firepower the Spurs have assembled around the arc for this season I actually think Tim's scoring average will go UP.

This team is going to resemble the Rockets team that tore it up with Hakeem, and I can see Duncan getting into that kind of Hakeem-ish flow at the offensive end.

When teams double, he'll have Tony, Bruce, Manu, NVE, Barry, Finley, Horry, Beno, and possibly Devin and/or Big Dog to pass to.

:smokin

[ShoogarBear]

Answering my own questions:
1. How many more games will the Spurs be picked up for national TV?
Oh, I can see them having much more interest in Mavs-Spurs, Suns-Spurs, and Heat-Spurs.

2. How many MPG will Parker lose?
I would love to see TP in the 30-33 MPG range, because part of the reason he poops out is the pace he tries to maintain for the first three quarters. He may end up being much more effective. Also, he seems to do better whwen he thinks he's being threatened.

3. How many points per game will TD's average drop? (It will drop now, you know.)
Sorry, all you guys prediciting 22-25 PPG are wrong. Mostly because it's in TD's nature to NOT be the focus of scoring when he doesn't have to. Remember the long stretch last spring before the injury when he was only scoring about 18 PPG and some were bitching about him being not aggressive enough? I expect much more of that. With Manu probably scoring more, and NVE and Finley getting open shots, I wouldn't be surprised if he only went for about 18-20 a game.

4. Is Brent Barry now the 10th man (i.e., the new Steve Kerr)? How many MPG does he get?
It wouldn't shock me if this presented a small problem during the year, especially if Barry is playing better than last year. Brent's attitude has been great and all, but this isn't what he signed up for.

5. Did we really solve the "long 3" problem?
I agree that it wasn't really such a problem in the first place, but you guys were wasting soooooooo many electrons on it.

6. Do the Spurs run even more next year, or go with about the same balance?
Um, I'm sorry, did they get a new coach, too?

[CaptainLate]

6. Do the Spurs run even more next year, or go with about the same balance?
Um, I'm sorry, did they get a new coach, too?

Pop adjusted to the new "no contact on the perimeter" rules just fine last year. Now, with more firepower and the ability to rest people, I see more uptempo this year.

Any truth to the rumor that D'Antoni has quit the Suns and become the new offense coord for the Spurs? :lol

[Gummi]

What I like the most about these two new players is that we can afford to rest our main players a bit more. Last season duncan had a career-low season in almost every category. That was expected because Pop and his coaching staff limited his minutes throughout the regular season.

For Duncan I'm expecting a similar season as he had during the 2003/04 season. Around 36 minutes a game over the course of the season. With Manu I'm expecting pretty much the same season he had last season. Around 30 minutes. We all know that Manu can't play much more then that during the regular season like Pop has said. He would be injured and banged up when the playoffs start. Parker might actually suffer the most. His minutes will not go up IMO and his stats will suffer a bit to. I just he and Manu will continue to shot the at such high-percentage as they did last season.

I would expect Finley to play around 24-26 minutes a night at the most. His stats I cannot guess because I'm not sure what his role will be. Will he be the first off the bench and play alot with Timmy, Manu, and Parker or will he come in for Manu at the 6 minute mark? If Finley will play alot with Duncan and Parker, he has a better chance of getting better numbers.

And finally, our team will be pretty sick formidable when Pop puts out Parker, Manu, Finley, Horry, and Duncan. Every single player is a threat, unlike what we've had in the past with both Rasho and Bowen as offensive liabilities. I know that Bowen will get alot of crunch time minutes but when we need offense we at least have a pretty good sub for Bowen.