Which regression is hurting the most?

[Malik Hairston]

- Parker going from a good player to a below average, fat PG
- Diaw's overall game
- Splitter's mysterious decline from an elite defender/solid pick&roll big to a below average defender with Kwame Brown's hands
- Patty Mills going from carrying the Spurs through key injury stretches last year, to being largely irrelevant
- Kawhi and Green each declining by roughly 5% from 3
- Other(specify)

[RD2191]

Can't even choose tbh. Entire team is scrubbing it up. Never seen every single player on a team turn into shit in just 1 season. It's crazy.

[Slippy]

Splitter. His defense the last couple of seasons covered Tim's regression on D.

[ElNono]

You could pick a bunch of those and you wouldn't be wrong...

[daslicer]

If the Spurs finish in 7th they will have the worst ranking of a defending champ since the 2011 Mavs but in the Mavs defense they gutted the majority of their roster. Never seen a defending champ struggling this much since the '03 Lakers who finished the season with 50 wins.

[Silver&Black]

Splitter IMO. And Parker a close 2nd....

[Malik Hairston]

I'd go with Splitter, too..

This team has a number of non-defenders(Parker, Beli, Manu, Mills, current Diaw), they can't afford for one of the defensive anchors to fall off a cliff like this..

[Darius Bieber]

Should be an All option tbh. Seems like only Duncan gives a damn.

[MI21]

It's a legitimate question and the fact that they are so many potential answers to this question sucks.

I'm going to with the combo of Splitter/Diaw turning into shit players.

[RD2191]

Tbh though the starters even last season were pretty shitty on offense and defense. The bench really worked wonders the past couple of seasons.

[Robz4000]

From last year? If so, Diaw. Otherwise Parker.

[apalisoc_9]

It's a domino's effect.

I'd have to go with Parker and Tiago a close 2nd.

the offense is way worse than it was last year. Parker's inability to penetrate the basket has really forced so many broken plays and ISOs not to mention it's harder to move the ball with the defenses committed to all the shooters..Looks like teams know Parker can't penetrate for shit now. Losing Tiago is basically losing your best defensive big. Tiago was the spurs best defensive big last year.Tim is having an OK year and he's one of the GOAT but reality is that he's always been poor on the PnR ( last three years) and it's a nightmare seeing him there close to the perimeter.

I'm not worried about Leonard or Green.

Boris is so disappointing this season, but I do believe Parker and Tiago are the biggest culprits.

Tiago playing with the 2nd unit has absolutely fuxked up the rotation...

Statistically the spurs are doing OK defensively but are below average offensively.

[Ditty]

Have to go with Diaw, I believe he made so much happen last year in our offense ball movement.

[Raven]

i'd say parker.. he really fell off the everest. He was kinda bad last year too, but this is just pathetic. It all starts with Cancernelli however, the team just can't guard for him too, also he's been disgusting on offense too, creatin tournovers out of nothing.

[Budkin]

TP becoming a D-league bench player.

[dabom]

TP tbh. He sucks on offense. He sucks on defense. Cory and patty don't really know if and when and how long they are going to play so they never get a rhythm. This is the simplified version of course.

[dabom]

I'm going to vote other for Pop tbh. Dude shouldn't even be playing parker this much. I blame everything on him.

[Leetonidas]

I think Diaw is just coasting. Splitter is much more concerning tbh. He is certainly necessary for the Spurs to make the Finals. He and Tim are 1a/1b in terms of big defense but Tiago is much more versatile, can switch pick and rolls much better, can guard players like LMA and Dirk and he covers up a lot of Duncan's oldness.

I think the shooting woes are just slumps that will end eventually, I'm not worried about Green or Mills or Leonard from 3, they'll get into a rhythm at some point imo. But Splitter's decline is very worrying. Spurs have proven they can play fine without MVParker.

[Texas_Ranger]

Everything, but Parker playing like shit is probably the most problematic... The Splitter thing is also not good.

[jeebus]

They got their championship and key players got extensions = lol who gives a fuck about this season. That's pretty much the mindset of the Sperms right now. Tony got the RJ extension and has multiple rings; why bother playing hard anymore? Same with Boris and Shitter getting a ring and extensions. RC is gonna have to stay sober this offseason if he's gonna try and unload those dead weight contracts.

[UZER]

Teams have adjusted to the spurs offense. They know the spurs are a drive and kick pass first team and play defense with that in mind now.

Teams used to closed hard in the paint on penetration. Now they just show in the lane but play the pass out and know where the spurs players are gonna be. They may not steal all the passes, but they make them tougher and recover to contest the shot. The shots are just not as open they used to be.

This is partly why Manu turns the ball over so much. Teams play the pass on him and let him hang himself when he jumps to pass.

[Malik Hairston]

Teams have adjusted to the spurs offense. They know the spurs are a drive and kick pass first team and play defense with that in mind now.

Teams used to closed hard in the paint on penetration. Now they just show in the lane but play the pass out and know where the spurs players are gonna be. This is partly why Manu turns the ball over so much. They may not steal the passes, but they make them tougher and recover to contest the shot. The shots are just not as open they used to be.

I don't know about that..Pop himself has said that teams generally don't watch tape or game plan during the regular season, which seems like a given, as there isn't much time to strategize thoroughly for regular season games, anyways..

Also, in basketball, most things are predictable, anyways..

[baseline bum]

Gotta wonder if Mills was just playing way over his head last year, and has regressed to the mean again. It's amazing the rest of the Spurs team got old while Duncan is still putting up a really strong season at age 39.

[UZER]

I don't know about that..Pop himself has said that teams generally don't watch tape or game plan during the regular season, which seems like a given, as there isn't much time to strategize thoroughly for regular season games, anyways..

Also, in basketball, most things are predictable, anyways..

Of course they are predictable. everything in basketball is, which is why teams are playing the spurs differently now. Also, remember, these are you bodies flying around the court and the spurs are a year older and still relying heavily on those older guys.

Curry was doing this a lot last night.

[InRareForm]

tiago more worried about looking like GQ on instagram then working on BBALL.

https://instagram.com/p/zX36Hss_mp/

[jeebus]

Gotta wonder if Mills was just playing way over his head last year, and has regressed to the mean again. It's amazing the rest of the Spurs team got old while Duncan is still putting up a really strong season at age 39.
The Old Patty died on the operating table while his shoulder was being repaired. He's gone.

[DJR210]

The Old Patty died on the operating table while his shoulder was being repaired. He's gone.

:lmao

[ace3g]

I am going with Diaw, the emergence of 2.0 and part of the "operation post up" tandem with Kawhi last year was a huge part when our offense stalled. Added a new wrinkle to our system that we need back.

I believe Kawhi is just going through a shooting slump while still learning how/when to take over the offense when his number is called.

I guess we will find out opening game of the playoffs if the Spurs really are saving themselves or their energy meter is at 0 from redemption last year.

[Arcadian]

Splitter, Green, and Leonard. Those were our three most valuable players last year, arguably.

[Mr Bones]

I really enjoyed the time when you went away.

[Agloco]

To solve this riddle, basically look at which player, if they were playing to last years potential, would have had the biggest impact on the outcomes of the games we've lost thus far. IMO its Parker and its not even close.

Its clear that Parker and Splitter haven't recovered from their ailments. In both cases its unclear if they ever will. Early in the season we could chalk up losses to injuries. The irony here is that the Spurs have been worse since those two have come back.

As I said above, the biggest issue is Parker. He's gone from the best or second-best player on the roster to a below average PG. That has a domino effect on offense (look no further than the 3 point shooting numbers).

On the defensive end the issue is Splitter. That too, has a domino effect with respect to rotations and player minutes.

Diaw is a distant third, but I expected this from him. It's his MO after a contract year. He's playing like shit and I have no expectation that change.

The Spurs are done this year unless there is a gear these guys are hiding.

[benefactor]

1. Collective regression
2. Splitter
3. Diaw
4. Parker

Regardless of what Pop says, the Spurs don't need MVParker to get back to the finals. Diaw 2.0 and Splitter playing at a high level covers a multitude of ills. The base offense opens up even more when those two become a worry for other teams and the Splitter's defense is huge, obviously.

[mkurts]

Parker, Diaw, Mills, Ginobili and Splitter are the main culprits.

They absolutely stink right now.

Too much satisfaction, not enough talent

[TD 21]

Parker and Diaw are 1A and 1B. There's a fine line between being experienced and old and this group has crossed that threshold this season. Obviously, Duncan and Ginobili were already old at the start of this run three seasons ago, but Parker and Diaw were still in their prime. They no longer are now and Ginobili has taken another another step back, which makes 4 of the top 7 old (throw in whatever the hell has happened to Splitter and that's 5 of 7 that aren't the same). Only Duncan is relatively consistent game to game, but his ability to create his own shot has further diminished in that time too.

[Hoops Czar]

All of the above, tbh.

[spurraider21]

Splitter imo

[SpurPadre]

How about a regression of the coaching staff? I mean, what has Messina really brought to the table that we didn't have from the coaching staff last year?

[siraulo23]

TP/Splitter/Mills

[adonis827]

All of the above

[DJR210]

:lol what would Tony do if they sent him up to Austin?

[Sean Cagney]

I support him but Parker no doubt about it at all. He has BEEN HORRIBLE this year.

[Gagnrath]

I personally think the biggest regressions have been from Splitter and Parker. Not having Penetration and a lay-up-floater threat from Parker stalls the offense on many possessions and his lack of any defense is worse than his minimal defense in the past. Splitter this year has had the feet of Hephaestus and the hands of Malik Rose.

That said if we had Boris 2.0 from last year he would be doing a reasonable facsimile of covering for both of them. His creative ball handling and ability to get his own shot when needed forced defenders to collapse on him, and having a reasonable amount of size in position in the lane with the ability to switch on a pick and role or pick and pop makes a lot of difference.

I don't think the Diaw regression is the most extreme or the culprit for the spurs decline this year from last. I do think it is the one that hurts the most because it shows both a lack of drive and self respect and it alone could cover for a number of the other declines.

[DAF86]

All combined, throw in Manu's as well.

[Legacy]

Poop & Parker.

[PingPong]

Splitter. The offense is missing his screens and the whole deffense fell with him. Parker is too slow to go to the basket as he did last season. Patty, Boris, Green are in a slump, but they can step up when they want. Splitter and Parker issues look far more serious, tbh. And Kawhi is just finding his real dimension as a player. Which is good since his contract is about to expire.

[100%duncan]

Splitter's and Diaw's are the most concerning ones. Diaw has been the lazy fuckk that he was in Bobcats and Splitter plays like a highschooler

[100%duncan]

:lol what would Tony do if they sent him up to Austin?

Bang his teammates wives

[ChumpDumper]

Leonard's obviously the biggest problem right now.

He's not playing like the franchise player he is supposed to be.

[Johnny RIngo]

Bang his teammates wives

Then miss games and make up random injuries as an excuse.

[wildbill2u]

- Parker going from a good player to a below average, fat PG
- Diaw's overall game
- Splitter's mysterious decline from an elite defender/solid pick&roll big to a below average defender with Kwame Brown's hands
- Patty Mills going from carrying the Spurs through key injury stretches last year, to being largely irrelevant
- Kawhi and Green each declining by roughly 5% from 3
- Other(specify)

All of the above but you have to look at the offense. Last year we had 5 players shooting 40% on 3s. This year we have one. And out shooters are scared to take the 3, mostly they are avoiding the defender racing toward them to run them off the line and stepping into the 2 pt area. Our offense has gone to shit, including our ball movement.

[kaji157]

The regression from Playoffs to Regular season is what is hurting us the most.
You won´t be able to measure if this team is good or not unti the playoffs, plain and simple.
After 3 straight years reaching wc finals and 2 years of final appearences, you cannot expect a team to go all out half a season in.
I bet the last 20 games of the regular season will dictate if this team has a chance or not against a top seed.

[Skull-1]

Leonard's obviously the biggest problem right now.

He's not playing like the franchise player he is supposed to be.


Obviously not or there would be overwhelming consensus.

[Brazil]

:lol not sure how this is even a discussion

It's Malik Hairston (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=18403)

[Brazil]

close second Parker

[Godbama]

can we all start using the fat Parker avatar because it's the best avatar and only avatar I think anyone should have

plus just imagine going into a thread and every user is like-

http://i.imgur.com/8NoDcPZ.jpg

[in2deep]

Kawhi

[ChumpDumper]

Obviously not or there would be overwhelming consensus.Why would there be consensus?

You have to allow that many posters are idiots.

[Hoops Czar]

All of the above, tbh.

Even though I chose all the above, I place more blame on Leonard than I do the rest. You can't fault guys for getting old but, you can place blame on youthful individuals who sit on their laurels all summer and laud at their past accomplishments instead of improving their craft. Leonard's taken a giant plunge backward since last year's finals.

[Chinook]

Kawhi's poor efficiency but high usage percentage is torpedoing the offense, but I have to go with Splitter. Dude's skill has fallen off a cliff since he was in Europe. He used to be able to shoot and pass and have nifty finishes. Now he can't even catch a ball. He hasn't been horrible defensively, but his mobility definitely seems gone. It's telling that Pop thinks Baynes is more mobile now.

Speaking of Pop, he's declined pretty far this season as well. I don't think I've seen him push the right buttons nearly as much as he used to. The team might be starting to tune him out, which might explain why he and Green don't seem to have as quick of bounce-backs from their conflicts this season and why Diaw is only locked in one percent of the time.

[james evans]

i'd say parker.. he really fell off the everest. He was kinda bad last year too, but this is just pathetic. It all starts with Cancernelli however, the team just can't guard for him too, also he's been disgusting on offense too, creatin tournovers out of nothing.
at no point in spurs history should bellineli, parker, and bonner ever be on the floor together. That is just a recipe for disaster.

[K...]

It's so hard to blame anyone because we don't know the full story about injuries. Because we don't know much it's frustrating and foolish to assume anyone is done. We need to wait and see.

Parker..old, tired, injured, personal issues? Jealous of kawhi?

Kawhi....overloaded with responsibility, can't see straight? Pissed off he wasn't maxed this last off season?

Splitter...calf, back, mentally weak?

Boris...bored, fat, contact whore?

Pop....mad scientist, senile, Becky?

Everyone's got there own dumb agenda but the truth is that no one knows much of anything about the spurs right now as a whole or individually. There are smart informed opinions, and then there is the agenda crew and the "can't control their emotions crew".lol this season is so fun.

[lefty]

Parker leading the votes tbh

[Hemotivo]

Splitter being a below average defender with Kwame Brown's hands

[unleashbaynes]

robdiaz regression into a homer, tbh.....dude needs to start doubting again.

[Malik Hairston]

robdiaz regression into a homer, tbh.....dude needs to start doubting again.

This is a good one, tbh, I told him the same thing earlier in the year:lol..

Last year's Spurs had Diaz and Darius Bieber going hard in that regard..Bieber has remained in his role, but Rob is way too positive now..

Not enough cliff jumpers this year, which is ironic, since this year has warranted the concerns, as opposed to the last 2 years where the cliff jumpers were clearly wrong to believe the Spurs weren't the favorites to win the West:lol..

I guess that all us fans are just happy to get #5, just like the players, seemingly..

[Pocho La Pantera]

I go with Kiwi.