Guru of Nothing
09-01-2005, 09:31 PM
Apologies if I overlooked another thread discussing this.
Before we all go off fantasizing about 73 win seasons, ponder this: The Spurs have a gross abundance of depth, and I think the best way for them to manage it is to string together a few games of heavy PT for players, and to give players a few days off (kindof/sortof like they do in baseball).
Like any Spurs fan, I am familiar with the abuse Manu's body takes. Maybe he gets a bad case of tummy-ache around the time the Spurs face the Mavs, and Finely has to step up and play 40 minutes a game for 3 or 4 games at a stretch.
That's one example, and it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out how Pop could manage to the entire roster in similar fashion.
My point being, it's not important to focus on minutes per game over an 82 game schedule, rather it's better to work a player into and out of a rhythm with meaningful minutes. In other words, I'd rather have Horry play 25-30 minutes a game for 40 games in the regular season (and sit on the bench or stay at home for the remainder), than play him 12-15 minutes everynight.
Excepting Beno, and perhaps Oberto, Pop does not have to devote a whole lot of attention to developing talent. I expect his focus will be on finding meaningful ways to keep the talent on the bench fresh, should they need to step up and fill a bigger role.
It's all about plug-and-play, until April rolls around.
Before we all go off fantasizing about 73 win seasons, ponder this: The Spurs have a gross abundance of depth, and I think the best way for them to manage it is to string together a few games of heavy PT for players, and to give players a few days off (kindof/sortof like they do in baseball).
Like any Spurs fan, I am familiar with the abuse Manu's body takes. Maybe he gets a bad case of tummy-ache around the time the Spurs face the Mavs, and Finely has to step up and play 40 minutes a game for 3 or 4 games at a stretch.
That's one example, and it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out how Pop could manage to the entire roster in similar fashion.
My point being, it's not important to focus on minutes per game over an 82 game schedule, rather it's better to work a player into and out of a rhythm with meaningful minutes. In other words, I'd rather have Horry play 25-30 minutes a game for 40 games in the regular season (and sit on the bench or stay at home for the remainder), than play him 12-15 minutes everynight.
Excepting Beno, and perhaps Oberto, Pop does not have to devote a whole lot of attention to developing talent. I expect his focus will be on finding meaningful ways to keep the talent on the bench fresh, should they need to step up and fill a bigger role.
It's all about plug-and-play, until April rolls around.