Cloud786
11-08-2015, 01:36 AM
1. What four player lineup is most productive with Parker?
https://s3-ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/nbaphfiles/images/2015/tony-parker-story-2.jpg
-I think it's time for Pop to stop treating Parker like a starter-caliber player and more like a rotation player. He throws him out there with his mad scientist experimental lineups and expects everything to be fine, but he can't do that anymore. He should still start and play 30 minutes, but because he's so ball dominant and the offense revolves around his decision making, I hope that he plays more with Manu, Green, Boris/West, and Duncan. I don't have any stats to back up that that lineup is efficient or super productive, but too many possessions he over-dribbles and takes away an opportunity from Kawhi or LMA. Hopefully when we peak in March and April, Kawhi and LMA have Mills to kick the ball out to out of the post, and Parker can continue his style of play with some other guys.
2. Kyle or Butler? Kyle's Long-Term Value?
http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/article/media_slots/photos/001/608/565/hi-res-5228fa0fee9f9bc57ce5e8580574a764_crop_exact.jpg?w= 650&h=433&q=85
-Some people want to play whoever has the better matchup/lineup. Some people want to play whoever has the hotter hand. Before the season, I thought that Kyle was no doubt the backup 3, and that Butler was injury insurance, Bonner-like minutes eater, and emergency three point shooting if Kyle struggled too much from beyond the arc. But through six games, Pop has thrown out both. This is way too early, but if one of these guys is going to be part of the playoff rotation, they are going to need to decide which one it should be through the next two months. I've liked what I've seen from both of them, but at this point they are hurting each others chances to build chemistry with the core guys.
-Also, can someone convince me that Kyle is part of our long term plans? Kawhi is 24, entering his prime, and just received a max contract. He is the future/face of our franchise, and if I was Kyle, I'd want to leave as soon as possible for another opportunity to showcase my skills. I know we recently picked up his option, which is great, but other teams always like to overpay for Spurs products, and he's an interesting prospect at point forward. The only reason I see him staying is if he picks up Manu's minutes (after Manu retires) along with some at backup small forward, and gets paid his worth. Is this possible?
3. The Manu Conundrum
http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/visual/whatshot/manu_confused.jpg
-With the way Manu is playing right now, I really just want to put him in a cryogenic chamber until April. Can he keep this up? I know he's doing it in limited minutes, but like last year, he may regress down the stretch. Hopefully we sit him in every back to back from now on, and he stays fresh for the long run. I love that his three point shot is back, he doesn't seem to be turning it over as much, and overall he's playing extremely well. Even through rest, he should develop chemistry with West, and make help him feel less lost within the offense. If he demands to play in a back to back like last time, inactivate him and get Simmons or Bonner to cover.
4. Diaw vs West Predicament
http://nba.cdn.turner.com/nba/big/teams/spurs/2015/10/31/1446263957020-west-10-30.mp4-87741-8.576x324.jpg
-Who's the first big off the bench? Who plays more minutes? With Duncan and LMA getting theirs, at times it's going to leave an "odd man out" situation (especially in playoffs). West looked really great today, especially passing the ball, but Boris still has the edge in exploiting mismatches. To be clear, I'm not complaining, it's a good problem to have, especially consider Tim will sit some games, but playing them together is not a good idea defensively, and if you play them one at a time, one of Duncan or LMA is rested enough to re-enter the game. It'll be a fun situation to monitor and watch, and I'm excited to see how Pop solves this minor, minor issue.
5. Golden State is Coming (and Memphis is not)
http://friendlybounce.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2015/11/draymond-green-stephen-curry-nba-los-angeles-clippers-golden-state-warriors.jpg
-For those of you who don't fear the Warriors, you should. I thought that teams would play them hard as is the ritual on defending champions, but just like last year, these guys continue to toy with their competition on route to wire to wire blowout victories. What astounds me the most about them is how much they flow. They have ample talent, and even with it, they've maximized ball movement in their system. They don't miss shots, and Curry is playing like the best player in the world. Their bench keeps up the momentum and they win games in three quarters, sometimes in a half. At this point to beat them, we need perfection, and we are far from it. I feel sorry for those who think we can handle them, you're in for a living nightmare when we eventually clash.
6. Mills vs Parker Mini-Debate
http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/external?url=http://content4.video.news.com.au/foxsports/prod/archive/2015/11/04/DVU_PATTY_MILLS_ADS.jpg&width=650&api_key=kq7wnrk4eun47vz9c5xuj3mc
-Not to pour gasoline on the Throlden vs Chinook plus minus battle, but my brother mentioned how much meaning a swing or differential counts in a sample size of a game. Today, Mills was +39, and Parker was -15, and while I attributed that to Parker playing Kemba and Hornets starters, and Mills playing SaiyLin and Hornets bench, he said that a 54 point swing speaks volumes. What do y'all think? I'm still a believer in Parker, and although I love Mills, he will always be a product of Ginobili for me, so I guess that makes me bias in gauging his talent. Fwiw, I don't care much about this stat, big sample size or small sample size, but it's just food for thought.
7. Defensive Woes
http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/41/77/31/8910456/7/premium_landscape.jpg
-I get it when someone cherry picks. I get it when we brick a long three which leads to a long rebound. What I don't get is how atrociously abysmal our transition defense has gotten on made baskets and simple rebounds. It can't be our poor athleticism, since that hasn't affected us all these years. I don't think it's the scheme, since crashing the offensive boards has never been a big part of the game plan. Why is this a concern, and how do we fix it?
-It's not the referees, it's us. Sometimes we foul way too much, and teams get into the penalty early in the quarter, which really slows the pace of the game down. And against teams with dribble drive penetrators like Houston and OKC, that can get really ugly really fast.
-Parker on Westbrook, Parker on Wall, and now Parker on Kemba. I've said before, even if Green isn't making his shots, I'd still have him out there for 30+ minutes guarding the other team's best perimeter threat. It's so frustrating watching other point guards beat Parker on the dribble and score when Green could be much more effective.
-Is it just me, or do the Spurs have trouble keeping leads? I don't think it has anything to do with taking the foot off the gas, we just give up big runs and have these inexplicable defensive hemorrhages at times that I haven't seen in years past.
8. The Motion-Iso
https://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4221561/sbnation-share.0.png
https://img.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://img.washingtonpost.com/news/fancy-stats/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2015/11/Screen-Shot-2015-11-05-at-11.37.55-AM.png&w=1484
-The title is an oxymoron, because at times we have no offensive identity. It looks like an ugly hybrid of over-passing and forced ball movement, combined with low post isolations here and there. I can't wait till the guys are fully synchronized on offense, and LMA and Kawhi get the ball with more clock and better spacing to work with.
-All offseason we were talking about how LMA could stop the bleeding when needed, and do you believe he has done so? I think he's done a pretty decent job so far.
-0-2 in clutch situations this year. Who do we go to? Kawhi or LMA? So far it looks like the plays are designed for LMA, but both times we fudged up, once leading in a Green prayer, and second ending up in two Kawhi shots. I'm waiting to see what happens when the plays are executed properly.
9. Free Throws
-How many cars does Pop have?
10. Do you miss Belli, Cojo, Baynes, Splitter?
-I miss Belli's shooting and Splitter's defense, but that's pretty much it. How have the Spurs fared in their absences?
https://s3-ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/nbaphfiles/images/2015/tony-parker-story-2.jpg
-I think it's time for Pop to stop treating Parker like a starter-caliber player and more like a rotation player. He throws him out there with his mad scientist experimental lineups and expects everything to be fine, but he can't do that anymore. He should still start and play 30 minutes, but because he's so ball dominant and the offense revolves around his decision making, I hope that he plays more with Manu, Green, Boris/West, and Duncan. I don't have any stats to back up that that lineup is efficient or super productive, but too many possessions he over-dribbles and takes away an opportunity from Kawhi or LMA. Hopefully when we peak in March and April, Kawhi and LMA have Mills to kick the ball out to out of the post, and Parker can continue his style of play with some other guys.
2. Kyle or Butler? Kyle's Long-Term Value?
http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/article/media_slots/photos/001/608/565/hi-res-5228fa0fee9f9bc57ce5e8580574a764_crop_exact.jpg?w= 650&h=433&q=85
-Some people want to play whoever has the better matchup/lineup. Some people want to play whoever has the hotter hand. Before the season, I thought that Kyle was no doubt the backup 3, and that Butler was injury insurance, Bonner-like minutes eater, and emergency three point shooting if Kyle struggled too much from beyond the arc. But through six games, Pop has thrown out both. This is way too early, but if one of these guys is going to be part of the playoff rotation, they are going to need to decide which one it should be through the next two months. I've liked what I've seen from both of them, but at this point they are hurting each others chances to build chemistry with the core guys.
-Also, can someone convince me that Kyle is part of our long term plans? Kawhi is 24, entering his prime, and just received a max contract. He is the future/face of our franchise, and if I was Kyle, I'd want to leave as soon as possible for another opportunity to showcase my skills. I know we recently picked up his option, which is great, but other teams always like to overpay for Spurs products, and he's an interesting prospect at point forward. The only reason I see him staying is if he picks up Manu's minutes (after Manu retires) along with some at backup small forward, and gets paid his worth. Is this possible?
3. The Manu Conundrum
http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/visual/whatshot/manu_confused.jpg
-With the way Manu is playing right now, I really just want to put him in a cryogenic chamber until April. Can he keep this up? I know he's doing it in limited minutes, but like last year, he may regress down the stretch. Hopefully we sit him in every back to back from now on, and he stays fresh for the long run. I love that his three point shot is back, he doesn't seem to be turning it over as much, and overall he's playing extremely well. Even through rest, he should develop chemistry with West, and make help him feel less lost within the offense. If he demands to play in a back to back like last time, inactivate him and get Simmons or Bonner to cover.
4. Diaw vs West Predicament
http://nba.cdn.turner.com/nba/big/teams/spurs/2015/10/31/1446263957020-west-10-30.mp4-87741-8.576x324.jpg
-Who's the first big off the bench? Who plays more minutes? With Duncan and LMA getting theirs, at times it's going to leave an "odd man out" situation (especially in playoffs). West looked really great today, especially passing the ball, but Boris still has the edge in exploiting mismatches. To be clear, I'm not complaining, it's a good problem to have, especially consider Tim will sit some games, but playing them together is not a good idea defensively, and if you play them one at a time, one of Duncan or LMA is rested enough to re-enter the game. It'll be a fun situation to monitor and watch, and I'm excited to see how Pop solves this minor, minor issue.
5. Golden State is Coming (and Memphis is not)
http://friendlybounce.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2015/11/draymond-green-stephen-curry-nba-los-angeles-clippers-golden-state-warriors.jpg
-For those of you who don't fear the Warriors, you should. I thought that teams would play them hard as is the ritual on defending champions, but just like last year, these guys continue to toy with their competition on route to wire to wire blowout victories. What astounds me the most about them is how much they flow. They have ample talent, and even with it, they've maximized ball movement in their system. They don't miss shots, and Curry is playing like the best player in the world. Their bench keeps up the momentum and they win games in three quarters, sometimes in a half. At this point to beat them, we need perfection, and we are far from it. I feel sorry for those who think we can handle them, you're in for a living nightmare when we eventually clash.
6. Mills vs Parker Mini-Debate
http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/external?url=http://content4.video.news.com.au/foxsports/prod/archive/2015/11/04/DVU_PATTY_MILLS_ADS.jpg&width=650&api_key=kq7wnrk4eun47vz9c5xuj3mc
-Not to pour gasoline on the Throlden vs Chinook plus minus battle, but my brother mentioned how much meaning a swing or differential counts in a sample size of a game. Today, Mills was +39, and Parker was -15, and while I attributed that to Parker playing Kemba and Hornets starters, and Mills playing SaiyLin and Hornets bench, he said that a 54 point swing speaks volumes. What do y'all think? I'm still a believer in Parker, and although I love Mills, he will always be a product of Ginobili for me, so I guess that makes me bias in gauging his talent. Fwiw, I don't care much about this stat, big sample size or small sample size, but it's just food for thought.
7. Defensive Woes
http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/41/77/31/8910456/7/premium_landscape.jpg
-I get it when someone cherry picks. I get it when we brick a long three which leads to a long rebound. What I don't get is how atrociously abysmal our transition defense has gotten on made baskets and simple rebounds. It can't be our poor athleticism, since that hasn't affected us all these years. I don't think it's the scheme, since crashing the offensive boards has never been a big part of the game plan. Why is this a concern, and how do we fix it?
-It's not the referees, it's us. Sometimes we foul way too much, and teams get into the penalty early in the quarter, which really slows the pace of the game down. And against teams with dribble drive penetrators like Houston and OKC, that can get really ugly really fast.
-Parker on Westbrook, Parker on Wall, and now Parker on Kemba. I've said before, even if Green isn't making his shots, I'd still have him out there for 30+ minutes guarding the other team's best perimeter threat. It's so frustrating watching other point guards beat Parker on the dribble and score when Green could be much more effective.
-Is it just me, or do the Spurs have trouble keeping leads? I don't think it has anything to do with taking the foot off the gas, we just give up big runs and have these inexplicable defensive hemorrhages at times that I haven't seen in years past.
8. The Motion-Iso
https://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4221561/sbnation-share.0.png
https://img.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://img.washingtonpost.com/news/fancy-stats/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2015/11/Screen-Shot-2015-11-05-at-11.37.55-AM.png&w=1484
-The title is an oxymoron, because at times we have no offensive identity. It looks like an ugly hybrid of over-passing and forced ball movement, combined with low post isolations here and there. I can't wait till the guys are fully synchronized on offense, and LMA and Kawhi get the ball with more clock and better spacing to work with.
-All offseason we were talking about how LMA could stop the bleeding when needed, and do you believe he has done so? I think he's done a pretty decent job so far.
-0-2 in clutch situations this year. Who do we go to? Kawhi or LMA? So far it looks like the plays are designed for LMA, but both times we fudged up, once leading in a Green prayer, and second ending up in two Kawhi shots. I'm waiting to see what happens when the plays are executed properly.
9. Free Throws
-How many cars does Pop have?
10. Do you miss Belli, Cojo, Baynes, Splitter?
-I miss Belli's shooting and Splitter's defense, but that's pretty much it. How have the Spurs fared in their absences?