Spurs first meeting with the warriors this season. What will Pop do?

[james evans]

Will he throw the game by either benching key players so they don't get to see us at full strength? Will he throw the game by having Parker guard Curry for 3 quarters allowing him to score 50pts. Or will he go all out and just beat the shit out of them like he did last season twice?

[TheDoctor]

Will he throw the game by either benching key players so they don't get to see us at full strength? Will he throw the game by having Parker guard Curry for 3 quarters allowing him to score 50pts. Or will he go all out and just beat the shit out of them like he did last season twice?

What do you think Pop's going to do?

[Yuixafun]

Fuck that, all hands on deck.

Steph Curry is more meat for the grinder to Kawhi Leonard.

It's gonna be an amazing display. Both are at the top of their game and confidence.

But Curry better not get too cute with the ball or the Claw gonna get a triple double with 10 steals.

And Lma is gonna take a massive dump on Draymond Green.

... We made all these offseason moves with them in mind, so now time to toss the dice.

[SpursforSix]

Surely he's going to play them straight up. No point in playing games here. Beat them and give them (the Warriors) something to think about. With the strength in the west, every win is important for playoff seeding.

[james evans]

What do you think Pop's going to do?
i don't know. I really think he's gonna experiment and not show everything. He's done it before. I know they can't beat us, but this is popovich we're talking about here.

[spursistan]

none of the 4 games are back to back, but the last three (2 at home) are compressed in like 3 weeks from March 19th on, which is good for us as by then we are basically who we are heading to the playoff barring injuries..

[BillMc]

Surely he's going to play them straight up. No point in playing games here. Beat them and give them (the Warriors) something to think about. With the strength in the west, every win is important for playoff seeding.

I agree. He's going to try and win them. Seeding is important. Now, will he try creative combinations game to game. to see what works against GSW, probably?

[Russ]

Will he throw the game by either benching key players so they don't get to see us at full strength? Will he throw the game by having Parker guard Curry for 3 quarters allowing him to score 50pts. Or will he go all out and just beat the shit out of them like he did last season twice?

Pop seems to be going all in all the time.

The last couple of years he's even cut down on strict rest for the big three. Not sure why his approach changed (especially after if yielded a championship).

[SpursforSix]

I agree. He's going to try and win them. Seeding is important. Now, will he try creative combinations game to game. to see what works against GSW, probably?

Yeah...that's a good point. Some will see that as CIA Pop but you're probably right. Just trying to find what works and what doesn't.

[SpursforSix]

Pop seems to be going all in all the time.

The last couple of years he's even cut down on strict rest for the big three. Not sure why his approach changed (especially after if yielded a championship).

he probably has been reading Spurstalk

[apalisoc_9]

when's the first game against the warriors?

[DenialTwist]

Pop will do what he did the last time they met. Parker will guard Curry the first two quarters, while Kawhi is on Barnes and Green is on Klay. Then when Curry starts to go off, Pop will have Kawhi guard him, maybe...idk. After watching Curry last night and after his 53pt explosion against the Pels, I won't be surprised if he torches the spurs. He is just such a good shooter. He is unstoppable at times.

[TXstbobcat]

when's the first game against the warriors?

jan 25th

[james evans]

Pop will do what he did the last time they met. Parker will guard Curry the first two quarters, while Kawhi is on Barnes and Green is on Klay. Then when Curry starts to go off, Pop will have Kawhi guard him, maybe...idk. After watching Curry last night and after his 53pt explosion against the Pels, I won't be surprised if he torches the spurs. He is just such a good shooter. He is unstoppable at times.
i think parker should come off the bench on this one. have ginobli guard thompson, green on curry, and leonard on barnes or iggy. We all know parker WILL NOT go over a screen so I can see curry having a 30 point 1st quarter

[Yuixafun]

Man I'd start hounding Curry from the jump.

Don't give him even one easy glimpse at the basket.

That whole squad feeds off their MVP, rightfully so.

KL doesn't need to have an offensive burst for this game, just sic him on Curry.

Use that new found muscle mass and body Curry up, wear him down. Take his legs.

Make him spit out that mouthpiece.

Take the Piss out of them and then rub their noses in it.

Man I dislike the warriors.

[TheDoctor]

Pop seems to be going all in all the time.

The last couple of years he's even cut down on strict rest for the big three. Not sure why his approach changed (especially after if yielded a championship).

As you must know, the Spurs were the only team to beat twice Golden State pansies last year. In the first game of the Series, Pop rested the Big Three and still beat them AT the Oracle. But last year Pop couldn't rest players as he wished due to injuries and probably a nasty Championship Hangover to start the season. The Spurs never really recovered from their first losing December (7-9) in Tim Duncan's era. By the end of the month the Spurs had fallen to the #7 seed.

[pookenstein]

Seems a little early to plan/speculate about a game that is almost three months away.

[random21]

Fuck that, all hands on deck.

Steph Curry is more meat for the grinder to Kawhi Leonard.

It's gonna be an amazing display. Both are at the top of their game and confidence.

But Curry better not get too cute with the ball or the Claw gonna get a triple double with 10 steals.

And Lma is gonna take a massive dump on Draymond Green.

... We made all these offseason moves with them in mind, so now time to toss the dice.


THIS ^

[SAGirl]

Pop seems to be going all in all the time.

The last couple of years he's even cut down on strict rest for the big three. Not sure why his approach changed (especially after if yielded a championship).
I don't think it changed at all last year, Tim and Manu were run ragged during December. The team just hit a very bad snag last season with so many key players injured (Tiago, Tony, Kawhi, Patty). Those were 4 significant rotation players. After that, inevitably they fell in the standings and were never able to recover because: (1) Tony apparently really never fully recovered/or age took him; (2) Tiago returned from illness but wasn't in good conditioning, in minutes restrictions, and really not playing well, except for a few games in March, then he got injured again; (3) Patty was never really Patty Thrills last season, besides the injury, he wasn't 100%; (4) Kawhi's development got stunted by the eye infection, affecting his shooting %, and he really wasn't dominating all around in a consistent basis when he returned from the hand injury. It was an uneven year for him, as expected with the role change/adaptation, combined with the injuries.

Pop tried to win, we were just ragged. When you have to start and play Bonner about 20 games in a season due to injuries, its not looking good. By the way, low year for Bonner shooting 36%, and then Boris % were also down. It was just too much to overcome.

[SpurPadre]

Why is no one here mentioning putting Green on Curry, like it worked in '13 in the playoffs? I know Curry wasn't 100% then but Green has proven since that series that he can guard him. Leonard has also shown he can shut down Thompson.

[TXstbobcat]

If we could answer this question correctly then he wouldn't be CIA Pop.

[Spurtacular]

Too far down the road to worry about. Spurs need to go to 13-1 for that meeting against NOP; we'll go from there.

[RD2191]

Fuck that, all hands on deck.

Steph Curry is more meat for the grinder to Kawhi Leonard.

It's gonna be an amazing display. Both are at the top of their game and confidence.

But Curry better not get too cute with the ball or the Claw gonna get a triple double with 10 steals.

And Lma is gonna take a massive dump on Draymond Green.

... We made all these offseason moves with them in mind, so now time to toss the dice.

[RD2191]

Man I'd start hounding Curry from the jump.

Don't give him even one easy glimpse at the basket.

That whole squad feeds off their MVP, rightfully so.

KL doesn't need to have an offensive burst for this game, just sic him on Curry.

Use that new found muscle mass and body Curry up, wear him down. Take his legs.

Make him spit out that mouthpiece.

Take the Piss out of them and then rub their noses in it.

Man I dislike the warriors.

Bold this man.

[SpursforSix]

Seems a little early to plan/speculate about a game that is almost three months away.

true. Parker could have dieded by then

[james evans]

Why is no one here mentioning putting Green on Curry, like it worked in '13 in the playoffs? I know Curry wasn't 100% then but Green has proven since that series that he can guard him. Leonard has also shown he can shut down Thompson.


i think parker should come off the bench on this one. have ginobli guard thompson, green on curry, and leonard on barnes or iggy. We all know parker WILL NOT go over a screen so I can see curry having a 30 point 1st quarter

[SpursFan86]

I think people are putting a little too much thought into a regular season game that is still months away :lol And I would bet money that Pop doesn't change the starting lineup out of the blue just so we can match up better. We're talking about a random game in January here, not the WCF.

[Chinook]

Pop has an awesome top-eight. So I could see it going either way. You can have games like yesterday where one of the older players can get heavily reduced minutes without actually missing time. Like Duncan can play 15-18 minutes in a given game, because LMA and Diaw can play 32 minutes each (still leaving 14 minutes for West or small-ball). Leonard, Green and Mills can take minutes at the wings to limit Manu's minutes. A traffic cone can come in to spell Parker with little drop-off. Plenty of options to rest guys without sitting them.

Or the Spurs can rightfully feel that their new elite depth will grant them a better chance at beating middle-tier teams while being short-handed, which should lead to more DNP-OLDs. This way will give Simmons and Boban more burn.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

none of the 4 games are back to back, but the last three (2 at home) are compressed in like 3 weeks from March 19th on, which is good for us as by then we are basically who we are heading to the playoff barring injuries..
the NBA did that on purpose

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Spurs are best defensive team in the league in terms of oppPPG, Warriors best defensive team in terms of per 100 possessions. I know we're talking nominal vs. adjusted stats but in this case I might actually take the nominal because it entails the other team being taken out of their offensive rhythm and flow.

[SAGirl]

Pop has an awesome top-eight. So I could see it going either way. You can have games like yesterday where one of the older players can get heavily reduced minutes without actually missing time. Like Duncan can play 15-18 minutes in a given game, because LMA and Diaw can play 32 minutes each (still leaving 14 minutes for West or small-ball). Leonard, Green and Mills can take minutes at the wings to limit Manu's minutes. A traffic cone can come in to spell Parker with little drop-off. Plenty of options to rest guys without sitting them.

Or the Spurs can rightfully feel that their new elite depth will grant them a better chance at beating middle-tier teams while being short-handed, which should lead to more DNP-OLDs. This way will give Simmons and Boban more burn.

I tend to think Pop right now is focusing on getting his main guys to play the right way, to minimize their mistakes on defense, and to maximize their chemistry offensively. They started mostly off with the exception of Kawhi, and then on top of being off, without chemistry, they were making too many mistakes all around.

Once they get it going (hopefully soon) we are going to see other guys being worked in and the mad scientist Pop that we know. It just wasn't a good time to start that right off the bat, when we have new players and new roles all around. We are definitely going to need contributions from the others in the bench because it is a long season, and the old guys won't hold up at this pace.

As for GSW, still too far off, still too many things to work on in our own end to worry about them. Hopefully by the time we meet we have it going on. I hardly think Pop is going to concede games.

[nowitzkikopf]

the spurs are legitimately the only team that can eliminate the dubs in a playoff series. jan 25th should be awesome, assuming good health on both sides.

[TheDoctor]

Why is no one here mentioning putting Green on Curry, like it worked in '13 in the playoffs? I know Curry wasn't 100% then but Green has proven since that series that he can guard him. Leonard has also shown he can shut down Thompson.

Because it is assumed? That's how it will go as the game progresses. I'm not sure if that is how it will go in their first meeting but surely in Playoff matches.

[DarrinS]

Obviously, Pop will forfeit.

[ElNono]

If it's nationally televised, he'll probably rest all the starters and half the bench

[dabom]

Pop has an awesome top-eight. So I could see it going either way. You can have games like yesterday where one of the older players can get heavily reduced minutes without actually missing time. Like Duncan can play 15-18 minutes in a given game, because LMA and Diaw can play 32 minutes each (still leaving 14 minutes for West or small-ball). Leonard, Green and Mills can take minutes at the wings to limit Manu's minutes. A traffic cone can come in to spell Parker with little drop-off. Plenty of options to rest guys without sitting them.

Or the Spurs can rightfully feel that their new elite depth will grant them a better chance at beating middle-tier teams while being short-handed, which should lead to more DNP-OLDs. This way will give Simmons and Boban more burn.

Good for pointing that out. While we can depend on a deep bench to win regular games, we have the ability to squeeze the lineup and the talent is there beat other contenders.

[SpurPadre]

Because it is assumed? That's how it will go as the game progresses. I'm not sure if that is how it will go in their first meeting but surely in Playoff matches.

I was mainly referring to the posts asking for Kawhi to be on Curry.

[spursistan]

Man I'd start hounding Curry from the jump.

Don't give him even one easy glimpse at the basket.

That whole squad feeds off their MVP, rightfully so.

KL doesn't need to have an offensive burst for this game, just sic him on Curry.

Use that new found muscle mass and body Curry up, wear him down. Take his legs.

Make him spit out that mouthpiece.

Take the Piss out of them and then rub their noses in it.

Man I dislike the warriors.
fucking dis..an undermanned Cavs team were half way there not even remotely close to having a player of Kawhi's D prowess..

[Beaverfuzz]

Will he throw the game by either benching key players so they don't get to see us at full strength? Will he throw the game by having Parker guard Curry for 3 quarters allowing him to score 50pts. Or will he go all out and just beat the shit out of them like he did last season twice?

Should foul everyone on every attempt, then forfeit after the 2nd because no one is left.

[TD 21]

Pop has an awesome top-eight. So I could see it going either way. You can have games like yesterday where one of the older players can get heavily reduced minutes without actually missing time. Like Duncan can play 15-18 minutes in a given game, because LMA and Diaw can play 32 minutes each (still leaving 14 minutes for West or small-ball). Leonard, Green and Mills can take minutes at the wings to limit Manu's minutes. A traffic cone can come in to spell Parker with little drop-off. Plenty of options to rest guys without sitting them.

Or the Spurs can rightfully feel that their new elite depth will grant them a better chance at beating middle-tier teams while being short-handed, which should lead to more DNP-OLDs. This way will give Simmons and Boban more burn.

What depth? As of right now, it's an eight man team. That might be fine in the playoffs, but not the regular season, particularly given the age/mileage of four of those eight.

I told you all along that nine and ten were a poor fit and it took Pop all of a game to realize that.


Without looking at the schedule and seeing whether any of these are on back to backs or in three in fours and obviously without knowing how healthy the team will be at the time, in a vacuum, they need to go all out to win all of them.

The biggest thing this team has going for them over the Warriors, isn't having Leonard and Green to throw at Curry and Thompson, or a front line that can pound their micro lineup (when Green is at the five) on the block/glass; it's their mental edge.

It's well known that the Warriors breathed a sigh of relief both when they found out the Spurs wouldn't be in their bracket and when they were eliminated.

I'm not convinced the Warriors truly believe they can beat the Spurs in a series yet and the only way to maintain that is to continue beating them in the regular season.

[Brian Windhorst]

Problem with the Warriors is there's absolutely no one Tony can guard besides, presumably, Curry (and get torched). This is especially true if they start Iggy in a series, but Barnes is also good enough to exploit that mismatch now. With Kawhi/Danny on Curry, you just have to hope they can bottle him up and make the Warriors look to someone else. They've been more reliant on him this year than ever.

[SAGirl]

Problem with the Warriors is there's absolutely no one Tony can guard besides, presumably, Curry (and get torched). This is especially true if they start Iggy in a series, but Barnes is also good enough to exploit that mismatch now. With Kawhi/Danny on Curry, you just have to hope they can bottle him up and make the Warriors look to someone else. They've been more reliant on him this year than ever.
Maybe you will give them Curry and bottle up everyone else... double curry off draymond green. But Pop won't do that in the RS.

[Brian Windhorst]

Maybe you will give them Curry and bottle up everyone else... double curry off draymond green. But Pop won't do that in the RS.

Eh, if you aren't putting your best defender on Curry and making stopping him the focal point of your defensive scheme, he'll go for 40+ easy. Hell, everyone knows it's coming and he still has the highest USG% of his career going for 37 a night. He's cheat code good right now, but I think if you put size on him (Kawhi/Green) and make him more of a distributor, their role players won't be as ready this year as last.

Kawhi/Green + the ability to pair Boris and LMA against their microball lineups is really the only advantage the Spurs have. Great offense is going to beat great defense in today's league (see: Grizzlies, Bulls).

[DeRozan m8]

Steph would have this date circled - night to break records

[Chinook]

What depth? As of right now, it's an eight man team. That might be fine in the playoffs, but not the regular season, particularly given the age/mileage of four of those eight.

Yeah, having eight starting-caliber players is pretty great depth. Most teams don't have more than six. It allows the Spurs to rest their guys or heavily reduce their minutes for games, because there are other guys who can step up. Sit Manu? That's fine, Kawhi and Green can play the minutes they deserve, and Mills can play some two. Sit Tim? Cool, give LMA his Portland minutes for a game. Nine and 10 are awkward fits, but they're good players and guys who can help fill the cracks when others rest. Anderson would be more effective playing when Manu sits. West should be fine as a spot-starter. Are 9-13 as good as they were in 2012-2014? No. But they have room to grow.


I told you all along that nine and ten were a poor fit and it took Pop all of a game to realize that.

I'm pretty sure I've been concerned with West as the five as long as you have, so I don't see why you're trying to draw my praise for that. I feel really bad for him because he sacrificed so much to join the team, but unless he magically becomes able to guard the five and rebound well enough for the position, the Spurs have to hope Marjanovic can hold up in the rotation.

Anderson and Manu have to learn to play together. If James and Wade could do it, so can Anderson and Ginobili. Pop seemed to really want to have a second ball-handler off the bench, so I still think his plan is for Kyle to play over Butler. That a guy doesn't seamlessly fit into a lineup in the first handful of games doesn't spell prolonged disaster.

Besides that, I agree the Spurs have to try to win all their games. And I agree they have the mental edge over the Warriors. Part of that is that Green and Leonard have been great at neutralizing Curry and Thompson. So I do think it's match-up based. But GS has the talent to overcome SA. The Spurs just have to stay on them for another year or two.

[Chinook]

Eh, if you aren't putting your best defender on Curry and making stopping him the focal point of your defensive scheme, he'll go for 40+ easy. Hell, everyone knows it's coming and he still has the highest USG% of his career going for 37 a night. He's cheat code good right now, but I think if you put size on him (Kawhi/Green) and make him more of a distributor, their role players won't be as ready this year as last.

Kawhi/Green + the ability to pair Boris and LMA against their microball lineups is really the only advantage the Spurs have. Great offense is going to beat great defense in today's league (see: Grizzlies, Bulls).

The W's really don't have anyone who can guard Leonard, so that's another advantage. Diaw being a bench big going up against Speights may be another. Parker's going to be pretty important as well. If GS can take Tony out of the game with Curry, it's going to hurt the Spurs a lot. If Parker can draw Thompson, then Green can make Curry work like he did in the WCSF, because you know Kerr isn't going to let Danny get open shots.

[Mikeanaro]

Are you serious? ask for mercy of course.

[dabom]

The Wing-Stop Brothers got this shit in the bag since 2 and half years ago. The Spurs rape the Warriors. This is known. :lmao

[dabom]

Pop always benching his Big 3 at GS years ago because they always played like bitches vs us. Kawhi is seriously the best player on the floor when they play. :lmao

[Yuixafun]

I think what we're seeing is the Spurs answer for pace and space small ball.

Feels like the answer is in having a strangle hold in the middle. On bothe ends. Kinda like when you play connect for. You break up the lines before they gather momentum. And on your attacks you can pack a heavier punch with less moves. Spurs understand this more intimately than the rest of the league, because they birthed this hybrid ball.

Maybe it makes roatations more efficient, blurs timing with bumps etc like in football, and then of course we have guys that disrupt passing lanes and can smother on defense, and then the eternal Tim Duncan, the newly refocused and hungry La.. And even Boban working as part of the final line...

Imagine expending all that energy and then having TD who has been watching it all play out, use minimal effort to snuff you, after you sprinted around for 18 seconds.

I even think, having pesky energy defenders, like parker mills and mcullom simmons eventually... Is planned a wrinkle.

Motion defense lol

[Brian Windhorst]

The W's really don't have anyone who can guard Leonard, so that's another advantage.

I know Iggy is old, but if I'm Kerr, I'm 100% comfortable starting him on Kawhi and letting the Spurs figure out who Tony should guard tbh. If I'm the Warriors and a series is to be decided by Tony Parker's ability to guard Andre Iguodala in 2015, I'll take those odds without blinking.

[dabom]

I know Iggy is old, but if I'm Kerr, I'm 100% comfortable starting him on Kawhi and letting the Spurs figure out who Tony should guard tbh. If I'm the Warriors and a series is to be decided by Tony Parker's ability to guard Andre Iguodala in 2015, I'll take those odds without blinking.

We got TD KL DG LA behind him. An inefficient 4th option going at tony with those players behind him. :lmao

[popdagreat]

damn i might go to that game. please pop use your mind tricks

[Chinook]

I know Iggy is old, but if I'm Kerr, I'm 100% comfortable starting him on Kawhi and letting the Spurs figure out who Tony should guard tbh. If I'm the Warriors and a series is to be decided by Tony Parker's ability to guard Andre Iguodala in 2015, I'll take those odds without blinking.

The difference between the Finals last year and a potential SA/GS playoff series is that the Spurs aren't a one-man team. The Warriors can't slant their defense to help Iggy check Leonard, because they'll already be slanting their D to help Green or Barnes on LMA. Then of course, you have Duncan and Parker who are good enough to take advantage of favorable match-ups. And Danny has shown he can dominate a series if teams ignore him.

All that makes me think GS isn't going to play small against the Spurs. So if Iggy starts, it will be in place of Barnes or Thompson. I am no concerned at all if he goes off at the expense of Curry or Thompson exploding. Green and Bogut simpy aren't going to provide enough offense to compensate.

[YGWHI]

I can't see Kerr starting Iggy early in the series like I can't see Pop hiding Parker on him or Barnes.

[TheDoctor]

66193936914665062466194203364111564966194232788831 4368

[TD 21]

Yeah, having eight starting-caliber players is pretty great depth. Most teams don't have more than six. It allows the Spurs to rest their guys or heavily reduce their minutes for games, because there are other guys who can step up. Sit Manu? That's fine, Kawhi and Green can play the minutes they deserve, and Mills can play some two. Sit Tim? Cool, give LMA his Portland minutes for a game. Nine and 10 are awkward fits, but they're good players and guys who can help fill the cracks when others rest. Anderson would be more effective playing when Manu sits. West should be fine as a spot-starter. Are 9-13 as good as they were in 2012-2014? No. But they have room to grow.



I'm pretty sure I've been concerned with West as the five as long as you have, so I don't see why you're trying to draw my praise for that. I feel really bad for him because he sacrificed so much to join the team, but unless he magically becomes able to guard the five and rebound well enough for the position, the Spurs have to hope Marjanovic can hold up in the rotation.

Anderson and Manu have to learn to play together. If James and Wade could do it, so can Anderson and Ginobili. Pop seemed to really want to have a second ball-handler off the bench, so I still think his plan is for Kyle to play over Butler. That a guy doesn't seamlessly fit into a lineup in the first handful of games doesn't spell prolonged disaster.

Besides that, I agree the Spurs have to try to win all their games. And I agree they have the mental edge over the Warriors. Part of that is that Green and Leonard have been great at neutralizing Curry and Thompson. So I do think it's match-up based. But GS has the talent to overcome SA. The Spurs just have to stay on them for another year or two.

They have six.

Mills can only play next to Parker if the opposition has small/weak guards, that are non post up threats. Afflalo being injured obviously greased the wheels for this.

Nine was a good player and might still be a solid one, but ten has yet to prove he's an NBA player, let alone a good one.

:lol Yeah, that's what I'm trying to do; "draw your praise". I'm pretty sure you (I know you did in Anderson's case), along with a ton of others on this board, claimed they'd be fine with West and Anderson as fourth big/wing.

Forget the Marjanovic pipe dream. Three - three and a half big rotation is more likely than him usurping West.

James and Wade are all time great players and were the two best on their team, so of course they had to make it work. The Spurs don't need Anderson to work. Immediate results aren't overly concerning if it's something that should work, like Aldridge with the starters. Ginobili and Anderson isn't like that.

[Chinook]

They have six.

They have eight or nine, if you include West. They aren't all elite starters, but when we're talking about getting by in regular-season games (which is what I was talking about when you quoted me), then, yeah, they're fine. The Spurs can win games against mid-tier teams while playing six or seven of their top eight or nine and filling in the cracks with the other guys. That's the true regular-season advantage of having LMA over Splitter. Tiago was a great Spurs when he could play his role, but he wasn't able to carry an offense by himself like Aldridge can.


:lol Yeah, that's what I'm trying to do; "draw your praise". I'm pretty sure you (I know you did in Anderson's case), along with a ton of others on this board, claimed they'd be fine with West and Anderson as fourth big/wing.

I still think Anderson can be the fourth wing. And yes, I wanted the Spurs to invest more in the position this past summer. But Anderson is talented enough. For West, you can go back and read the posts. I never thought he made up for the loss of Splitter (hell, I don't even think LMA does that), and I was very quick to protest the whole, "We just got West for the minimum, so stop complaining" attitude a lot of folks around here had. I did think Anderson and Leonard playing with the bench would help the rebounding issues in the second unit, and I still feel that will bear out.


Forget the Marjanovic pipe dream. Three - three and a half big rotation is more likely than him usurping West.

In the playoffs, sure. In the regular season? Not a chance that the Spurs go three deep. The Spurs just went with Aron Baynes as the back-up center. I don't think there's as much drop-off between him and Boban as you seem to think.


James and Wade are all time great players and were the two best on their team, so of course they had to make it work. The Spurs don't need Anderson to work. Immediate results aren't overly concerning if it's something that should work, like Aldridge with the starters. Ginobili and Anderson isn't like that.

This is a poor argument. Something can work, or it can't. Wade and James worked because they put in the effort to make it work. It wasn't perfect, but it got better. Same thing with Tim and Tiago. Anderson and Ginobili are awkward because they both need the ball in their hands. But both Parker and Manu need the ball in their hands, and they've closed games next to each other for a dozen years. It's about developing the chemistry to give room to the other guy while also remaining a threat. That takes time to develop. And the Spurs have time..

And again, the benefit of Anderson isn't his ability to play next to Manu; it's his ability to spell Manu during the regular season. When we're talking about having to survive the first 82 games, fit isn't the most important thing in the world.

[SAGirl]

They have eight or nine, if you include West. They aren't all elite starters, but when we're talking about getting by in regular-season games (which is what I was talking about when you quoted me), then, yeah, they're fine. The Spurs can win games against mid-tier teams while playing six or seven of their top eight or nine and filling in the cracks with the other guys. That's the true regular-season advantage of having LMA over Splitter. Tiago was a great Spurs when he could play his role, but he wasn't able to carry an offense by himself like Aldridge can.



I still think Anderson can be the fourth wing. And yes, I wanted the Spurs to invest more in the position this past summer. But Anderson is talented enough. For West, you can go back and read the posts. I never thought he made up for the loss of Splitter (hell, I don't even think LMA does that), and I was very quick to protest the whole, "We just got West for the minimum, so stop complaining" attitude a lot of folks around here had. I did think Anderson and Leonard playing with the bench would help the rebounding issues in the second unit, and I still feel that will bear out.



In the playoffs, sure. In the regular season? Not a chance that the Spurs go three deep. The Spurs just went with Aron Baynes as the back-up center. I don't think there's as much drop-off between him and Boban as you seem to think.



This is a poor argument. Something can work, or it can't. Wade and James worked because they put in the effort to make it work. It wasn't perfect, but it got better. Same thing with Tim and Tiago. Anderson and Ginobili are awkward because they both need the ball in their hands. But both Parker and Manu need the ball in their hands, and they've closed games next to each other for a dozen years. It's about developing the chemistry to give room to the other guy while also remaining a threat. That takes time to develop. And the Spurs have time..

And again, the benefit of Anderson isn't his ability to play next to Manu; it's his ability to spell Manu during the regular season. When we're talking about having to survive the first 82 games, fit isn't the most important thing in the world.
Nice eloquent post Chinook. Agree with you on all points. It is early in the season, yes we could see there were some issues that were not perfectly addressed but there were limitations in the roster that you could assemble depending on salaries and who was available. As it is, the issues do have work-arounds and we are talking about a team that should rely more on Aldridge and Leonard to carry them through this early period when Pop is still ironing out the wrinkles.
:bobo

[TheDoctor]

Kl2 still ballin

[ElNono]

Manu-Anderson working just fine in this game, tbh

Maybe it was just a matter of time and having some patience...

[james evans]

if parker is holding curry that game, he's getting 60+. I've seen some bad defense, but damn man. It's like he's not even on the fucking court. shit.

[TD 21]

They have eight or nine, if you include West. They aren't all elite starters, but when we're talking about getting by in regular-season games (which is what I was talking about when you quoted me), then, yeah, they're fine. The Spurs can win games against mid-tier teams while playing six or seven of their top eight or nine and filling in the cracks with the other guys. That's the true regular-season advantage of having LMA over Splitter. Tiago was a great Spurs when he could play his role, but he wasn't able to carry an offense by himself like Aldridge can.



I still think Anderson can be the fourth wing. And yes, I wanted the Spurs to invest more in the position this past summer. But Anderson is talented enough. For West, you can go back and read the posts. I never thought he made up for the loss of Splitter (hell, I don't even think LMA does that), and I was very quick to protest the whole, "We just got West for the minimum, so stop complaining" attitude a lot of folks around here had. I did think Anderson and Leonard playing with the bench would help the rebounding issues in the second unit, and I still feel that will bear out.



In the playoffs, sure. In the regular season? Not a chance that the Spurs go three deep. The Spurs just went with Aron Baynes as the back-up center. I don't think there's as much drop-off between him and Boban as you seem to think.



This is a poor argument. Something can work, or it can't. Wade and James worked because they put in the effort to make it work. It wasn't perfect, but it got better. Same thing with Tim and Tiago. Anderson and Ginobili are awkward because they both need the ball in their hands. But both Parker and Manu need the ball in their hands, and they've closed games next to each other for a dozen years. It's about developing the chemistry to give room to the other guy while also remaining a threat. That takes time to develop. And the Spurs have time..

And again, the benefit of Anderson isn't his ability to play next to Manu; it's his ability to spell Manu during the regular season. When we're talking about having to survive the first 82 games, fit isn't the most important thing in the world.

That's different than having "eight starting caliber players".

I'm more concerned with the lack of rim protection first and the lack of a roll man second, than rebounding off the bench, given the rebounding prowess of the two SF's.

I'm not criticizing Marjanovic; I'm just saying, he's not usurping West, so the way I see it, this is the best possible big rotation: Sit Duncan from roughly the 5 minute mark, in the 1st and 3rd, until the 9 minute mark, in the 2nd and 4th and Aldridge for the first six of the 2nd and 4th. This leaves only a 3 minute stretch where West and Diaw play together and maximizes the time Duncan and Aldridge play together.

What I'm saying is, I'm not sure making Ginobili and Anderson work is worth the effort. The team desperately needs three-point shooting and they don't have time. They need a top three seed to have a realistic chance at winning the championship (which is why fit is vital) and as such, need to take advantage of the weak early schedule.

Also, Ginobili doesn't necessarily need the ball in his hands, as he's solid catching and shooting from 3 and excellent at moving without the ball. This is why him and Parker have worked, along with the fact that they're Hall-of-Fame players.

[SAGirl]

What I'm saying is, I'm not sure making Ginobili and Anderson work is worth the effort. The team desperately needs three-point shooting and they don't have time. They need a top three seed to have a realistic chance at winning the championship (which is why fit is vital) and as such, need to take advantage of the weak early schedule.

Also, Ginobili doesn't necessarily need the ball in his hands, as he's solid catching and shooting from 3 and excellent at moving without the ball. This is why him and Parker have worked, along with the fact that they're Hall-of-Fame players.
We may just have to be realistic and realize that the overhaul to the offense, as well as younger guys having a more important role, doesn't just affect the younger guys. The older guys have to swallow pride and give way to the younger guys. It hasn't gone smoothly. They are disjointed right now. It is a process. I believe they will hit it off eventually, but maybe a terrific starting record is not realistic. I believe they will still have a winning record, but until they start clicking, every game will be a struggle.

[RayTdropout]

if they were playing tonight the Spurs would be leading the whole game goIng into the 4th with a double digit lead and choke other than our championship of a couple years ago that's all they've been doing for the past while

[-21-]

Didn't realize the Spurs beat the Warriors twice last year... Both wins were by double digits. :depressed

[james evans]

Didn't realize the Spurs beat the Warriors twice last year... Both wins were by double digits. :depressed
We were up so big in the last meeting, that popovich sat the starters in the 3rd. He had Matt Bonner guarding Curry during the 3rd quarter because we were up by about 30 and that's when curry got a little hot and people like to rewrite history and look at the statline and say, "curry shot 50% and scored over 20" totally forgetting about the real facts. We live in an internet era. There is no excuse for people trying to lie about shit that didn't happen. Do you know how many people I encounter daily that say, and i quote, "Curry always kills the spurs. no one can hold him".

[milkyway21]

With an early 6-0 win/loss GS record and Curry enjoying an everage of 35.5 pts, 5.3 rbds, 6.5 assts, ,2.5 steals .. (92% FT %, 51% from beyond the arc)..PER GAME he might REPEAT as season MVP.

We can beat these guys but, wow ..
That's a hard to beat stats