More Boban, Less D-Worst

[UNT Eagles 2016]

I don't care if West took 2 million to come here or not, he's clearly inferior, particularly on defense and the glass. Boban is too fun and too much energy. Plus he blocks shots and bats down passes with jumping. Play this guy!

[100%duncan]

:lol jeez

[barbacoataco]

Spurs have enough minutes to go around especially with Duncan taking some nights off. I think they can give him some rope and see what he does on the nights that Duncan rests. He's doing a good job tonight.

[DeRozan m8]

Spurs have enough minutes to go around especially with Duncan taking some nights off. I think they can give him some rope and see what he does on the nights that Duncan rests. He's doing a good job tonight.

This sounds too sensible

[Russo21]

We all love Boban but the staff have to worry about how much playing time they give him due to his unbelievably massive size, humans just aren't meant to be that big lol and injuries can pop up, gotta try keep his body healthy at the same time as giving him more time in the rotation. I love watching him play

[Mel_13]

Really was not disappointed at all when I saw that Timmy had the night off. Boban puts on a show.

[Mr Bones]

Boban will slowly get more minutes... his offensive game is just ridiculous. His touch around the basket is incredible.

[thiste]

Big Boban even had a steal!

[testies]

If D.West was European people would be screaming for him to go to the Toros.. This guy is terrible, all he does is bound the ball angrily remembering that he threw 10mil away in the garbage

[bic50]

If D.West was European people would be screaming for him to go to the Toros.. This guy is terrible, all he does is bound the ball angrily remembering that he threw 10mil away in the garbage

Smh

[TheGreatYacht]

Love Boban, but I'd rather go with West. He started off slow here but he's been nothing but a (+) in recent weeks.

[illusioNtEk]

Dude let millions off the table just to play for the Spurs.... Let D West have his 1 year

[YGWHI]

Still don't get why Boban couldn't play at least 7 minutes against Capela-Jones frontcourt...

[bic50]

Still don't get why Boban couldn't play at least 7 minutes against Capela-Jones frontcourt...

Exactly. I really believe he could have contributed in that game.
All I know is he better play against them rockets next time.
He's shown enough already and deserves the playing time.

[Vito Corleone]

We all love Boban but the staff have to worry about how much playing time they give him due to his unbelievably massive ears, human ears just aren't meant to be that big lol and injuries can pop up, gotta try keep his ears healthy at the same time as giving him more time in the rotation. I love watching his ears flap

FIFY :)

[daslicer]

West is an enforcer those type of players always come in handy during the playoffs.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

West is an enforcer those type of players always come in handy during the playoffs.

An "enforcer" doesn't just let his man waltz in for easy uncontested layups without putting up a fight. I don't care how many 12 footers West makes, he's a huge liability

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Love Boban, but I'd rather go with West. He started off slow here but he's been nothing but a (+) in recent weeks.

-7


Dude has positive emotion but he's awfully short when trying to score inside in traffic, and he couldn't defend a pet rock.

[daslicer]

An "enforcer" doesn't just let his man waltz in for easy uncontested layups without putting up a fight. I don't care how many 12 footers West makes, he's a huge liability

Its the regular season who gives a fuck. When the playoffs come he will come through when it matters. West will be needed when teams decided to play dirty and rough up Kawhi or other key spur players. He would have been useful last year against big baby when he was pushing around the spurs off the bench or when Matt Barnes through Baynes to the ground. West is also solid in the minutes he plays. I don't know what the hell your stupid ass expectations are for him.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Its the regular season who gives a fuck. When the playoffs come he will come through when it matters. West will be needed when teams decided to play dirty and rough up Kawhi or other key spur players. He would have been useful last year against big baby when he was pushing around the spurs off the bench or when Matt Barnes through Baynes to the ground. West is also solid in the minutes he plays. I don't know what the hell your stupid ass expectations are for him.

He'd be useful against Big Baby, but little else on that Clippers squad. My expectations were a rich man's Malik Rose. He looks worse than 2005 Malik out there most of the time, particularly on the boards and hustle plays.

[Splits]

He'd be useful against Big Baby, but little else on that Clippers squad. My expectations were a rich man's Malik Rose. He looks worse than 2005 Malik out there most of the time, particularly on the boards and hustle plays.

:lmao you stupid fuck

How's Glen shooting inside 16ft this year?

[UNT Eagles 2016]

:lmao yyou stupid fuck

How's Glen shooting inside 16ft this year?
Big Baby West can handle, but you're not going to convince me that Diaw + West is a good lineup when the other team has anyone in the game who's anywhere near 7 feet and a post or rebounding presence.

[TheGreatYacht]

-7


Dude has positive emotion but he's awfully short when trying to score inside in traffic, and he couldn't defend a pet rock.
I disagree

[100%duncan]

:lol Boban has yet to prove he can play against elite teams. Curry, Paul, Westbrook; they are gonna screen and go around him and make his life and the Spurs' a living hell. I'm all for Boban but let's not get carried away. Also, Pop won't play Dwest because he chose to go here for 2million, Pop won't play West out of respect, he'll play West as the 4th big against the big boys because he knows West can play against them. Boba, like Simmons, will really have a chance next year, when they already have a fruitful first year experience under their belts.

[objective]

Pop already has a track record of playing guys because of respect over results. Don't forget that in Splitter's rookie year, well into it, that when Pop was asked why he wouldn't play splitter it was because it "wouldn't be fair" to the other bigs who had been there even though anyone could see that the other non-Duncan bigs were trash and wouldn't be able to cut it.

Sure enough after brutal performances in the first half of the series against Memphis, Pop finally realized that game mattered more, and he went to splitter. But it was too late, Splitter hadn't played with Duncan at all and had no chemistry sharing the court with him. Or gas for hard playoff games.

Maybe Pop has learned, but West sure does look bad to the eye way more than a player safe in the rotation should.

[TheMulletMan3000]

:lol jeez

[cutewizard]

Boban rules

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Pop already has a track record of playing guys because of respect over results. Don't forget that in Splitter's rookie year, well into it, that when Pop was asked why he wouldn't play splitter it was because it "wouldn't be fair" to the other bigs who had been there even though anyone could see that the other non-Duncan bigs were trash and wouldn't be able to cut it.

Sure enough after brutal performances in the first half of the series against Memphis, Pop finally realized that game mattered more, and he went to splitter. But it was too late, Splitter hadn't played with Duncan at all and had no chemistry sharing the court with him. Or gas for hard playoff games.

Maybe Pop has learned, but West sure does look bad to the eye way more than a player safe in the rotation should.

Yep. Boban getting the 2011 Tiago treatment. Aldridge is Duncan, Duncan is McDyess. The Turd Towers are the Turd Towers, though Diaw over Bonner is an upgrade down low but worse from the perimeter. West isn't that much better than Blair on either end.

[ceperez]

We all love Boban but the staff have to worry about how much playing time they give him due to his unbelievably massive size, humans just aren't meant to be that big lol and injuries can pop up, gotta try keep his body healthy at the same time as giving him more time in the rotation. I love watching him play

Yes, that is the correct assessment of the situation. Why play Boban and risk injury. He's developing quite fine at his current pace.

[ceperez]

Yep. Boban getting the 2011 Tiago treatment. Aldridge is Duncan, Duncan is McDyess. The Turd Towers are the Turd Towers, though Diaw over Bonner is an upgrade down low but worse from the perimeter. West isn't that much better than Blair on either end.

West passing has developed well. I can't say so for "Richard Jefferson 2.0" (aka LMA).

[ceperez]

Yep. Boban getting the 2011 Tiago treatment. Aldridge is Duncan, Duncan is McDyess. The Turd Towers are the Turd Towers, though Diaw over Bonner is an upgrade down low but worse from the perimeter. West isn't that much better than Blair on either end.

West passing has developed well. I can't say so for "Richard Jefferson 2.0" (aka LMA).

Which incidentally is my biggest surprise of this season. That LMA is RJ 2.0.

[Mnky]

An "enforcer" doesn't just let his man waltz in for easy uncontested layups without putting up a fight. I don't care how many 12 footers West makes, he's a huge liability

I'll try to help you understand their defensive concept. Once a defender has reached a certain point, all the spurs bigs are expected to go hands up or pull off. They preach not to give fouls. That's why they lead the NBA on a regular basis in fouls given. More often than not, you get a foul down low as the NBA is geared towards offense. Once you're beat, you're beat. Don't make it worse with a needless foul. Getting in the penalty is a nightmare for good defenses. Tim Duncan, one of the best defenders the past couple decades, has been doing it for years.

People see what they want to see I guess.

[ceperez]

I'll try to help you understand their defensive concept. Once a defender has reached a certain point, all the spurs bigs are expected to go hands up or pull off. They preach not to give fouls. That's why they lead the NBA on a regular basis in fouls given. More often than not, you get a foul down low as the NBA is geared towards offense. Once you're beat, you're beat. Don't make it worse with a needless foul. Getting in the penalty is a nightmare for good defenses. Tim Duncan, one of the best defenders the past couple decades, has been doing it for years.

People see what they want to see I guess.

Good post. That's how the Spurs play defense.

[rasuo214]

David West has been solid this season. Not sure what Boban's conditioning is like and big guys like him do tend to have injury issues so the staff may just be a little more cautious in with his minutes. Also as exciting as Boban has been he isn't perfect and still has things to improve on.

[Obstructed_View]

Dude let millions off the table just to play for the Spurs.... Let D West have his 1 year

If Bomar's better than West, you don't waste the end of Duncan's career because David fucking West took less money. That said, I think West has been playing well and Pop's found a good lineup to put him in.

[ceperez]

If Bomar's better than West, you don't waste the end of Duncan's career because David fucking West took less money. That said, I think West has been playing well and Pop's found a good lineup to put him in.

The guy who isn't playing well is LaMarcus f**cking Aldridge. At least West has learned how to pass, LMA is completely one dimensional.

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

Love Boban, but I'd rather go with West. He started off slow here but he's been nothing but a (+) in recent weeks.

West was horrible as first and that had everything to do with stamina. But he is like 4th on the Spurs in PER. West has done quite well the past two weeks.

I rather not the Spurs play Boban more because his price tag will just keep going north for the next season. Looks like the Spurs will have to use the full MLE to retain him. Good thing the Spurs wrapped up Simmons for the cheap for 3 years.

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

West passing has developed well. I can't say so for "Richard Jefferson 2.0" (aka LMA).

Which incidentally is my biggest surprise of this season. That LMA is RJ 2.0.

LMA problem is he just enjoying his family too much right now. You can tell he gained some weight since the Spurs signed him and he moved back to SA. As a fan and a family man myself, I'll give him that. But his New Year's resolution should be getting back into tip top playing shape and be ready for the playoff's.

The Rockets game was a game the Spurs could have use the OLD LMA. LMA has owned Houston in the past, but he wasn't as aggressive this past Friday. Probably too much turkey and liquor the day before.

[ceperez]

LMA problem is he just enjoying his family too much right now. You can tell he gained some weight since the Spurs signed him and he moved back to SA. As a fan and a family man myself, I'll give him that. But his New Year's resolution should be getting back into tip top playing shape and be ready for the playoff's.

The Rockets game was a game the Spurs could have use the OLD LMA. LMA has owned Houston in the past, but he wasn't as aggressive this past Friday. Probably too much turkey and liquor the day before.

The Christmas game was excusable, a lot of players (not just the Spurs) played terrible.

Yet, LMA is averaging 11.6 points a game in the last 5 games. He scored the most points (18) against Houston. So not only coasted in Christmas, he's been coasting for 5 straight games.

No wonder Pop went ballistic yesterday.

[Kawhitstorm]

He replaced Jeff Fuckin' Ayres:lol; the frontline has been upgraded from the 2014 team

[Agloco]

168

[sasaint]

The Christmas game was excusable, a lot of players (not just the Spurs) played terrible.

Yet, LMA is averaging 11.6 points a game in the last 5 games. He scored the most points (18) against Houston. So not only coasted in Christmas, he's been coasting for 5 straight games.

No wonder Pop went ballistic yesterday.

I missed the end of the 1st half. Why did Pop go ballistic? Was it because of f LMA?

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

I missed the end of the 1st half. Why did Pop go ballistic? Was it because of f LMA?

Because the refs were calling everything against the Spurs on one end and letting the Twolves get away with murder on the other. First it was the Phantom foul on Kawhi which Lavine drove by him and the replayed showed Kawhi didn't even touch him but the refs called a foul. Then it was the foul on Diaw when he got all ball on the block but they called a foul anyways just because the player threw his body into Diaw (even Diaw was arguing that call with the refs). Then after LMA bad pass, KG just grabbed LMA to move him off the block as LMA I guess wanted to redeem himself and had great position on him. The refs were calling everything the Wolves way in the 1st half and Pop just had enough of it.

They starting calling an even game in the 2nd half.

[houston spurs fan]

I missed the end of the 1st half. Why did Pop go ballistic? Was it because of f LMA?
Yes. The bitch Garnett was being, well Garnett and trying to rough up LMA on the block and talk his usual shit. They didn't call a foul (the female ref blew last night) and Pop went off. Probably just to show LMA that he has his back...

[SAGirl]

I'll try to help you understand their defensive concept. Once a defender has reached a certain point, all the spurs bigs are expected to go hands up or pull off. They preach not to give fouls. That's why they lead the NBA on a regular basis in fouls given. More often than not, you get a foul down low as the NBA is geared towards offense. Once you're beat, you're beat. Don't make it worse with a needless foul. Getting in the penalty is a nightmare for good defenses. Tim Duncan, one of the best defenders the past couple decades, has been doing it for years.

People see what they want to see I guess.

Can you tell me how you see the situation with Anderson? Of our two new wings, he impacts the defensive end the most. His length is very disruptive and he has good instincts and good hands. He's capable of making defensive plays without fouling and negotiates screens very well, he has good footwork.

I'll say this for Simmons, he's dedicated and has improved his awareness and help instincts. His athleticism helps him stay in front of guards, and he's strong enough that if he gets a switch, he will offer resistance and not get backed down. I like him, but he fouls way too much. He doesn't go over or under screens well bc he's too wild, with too much energy pushing or getting arm tangled with the ball handler or he's pushed through screens. For a guy playing so few minutes, he fouls too much. It may be something he can cut down with more experience, but some guys are just foul prone. I am unsure on Simmons yet.

[Dre_7]

I like what Boban has done but saying D West sucks is just silly.

[sasaint]

Yes. The bitch Garnett was being, well Garnett and trying to rough up LMA on the block and talk his usual shit. They didn't call a foul (the female ref blew last night) and Pop went off. Probably just to show LMA that he has his back...

Not sure about that. The way we played last night, I thought it was to light a fire under our lackadaisical butts. I saw the game, but I only saw a replay of Pop's getting tossed.

[sasaint]

I like what Boban has done but saying D West sucks is just silly.

I really like how booth guys are working out, individually. I am not wild about the DWest/Boris combo, but the stats indicate they are a better pairing than meets my eye test. Can't understand the vitriol directed toward West at all.

[TheMulletMan3000]

West is great. If anything, Bobo should try harder on practice so Pop doesn't have to play his fat ass too much (to lose weight)

[SAGirl]

I really like how booth guys are working out, individually. I am not wild about the DWest/Boris combo, but the stats indicate they are a better pairing than meets my eye test. Can't understand the vitriol directed toward West at all.

Me neither at this point. He was very poor on defense to start and I guess first impressions stick. I was really critical of him at the beginning, but he's improved A LOT, and with Boban now, you have someone else to present a problem for the opponent. There will be matchups that will dominate West bc he's played out of position, but it wasn't last game, that's for sure.

[Raven]

you do know Boban is a center and West is a PF right?

[littlecoyotecoin]

you do know Boban is a center and West is a PF right?

No. When West and Diaw are paired together, West is a Center. Or, not really. Nor is Diaw. That's the point. One of them is playing center. And shouldn't be. It's working ok, thus far, because they're both extremely skilled players, especially the passing. Diaw is a known savant passer, like a PF Manu, but even for someone like myself that liked West before, getting to see his passing ability on a nightly basis has brought an added appreciation. Of course, they both have other great skills, too.

This makes them competitive on a nightly basis, and only against OKC, and CHI, and maybe one or two others do they really get schooled due to being undersized.

Boban may help in those cases, but there are cases for bringing him along slowly as have been made.

High quality problems we have.

[daslicer]

He'd be useful against Big Baby, but little else on that Clippers squad. My expectations were a rich man's Malik Rose. He looks worse than 2005 Malik out there most of the time, particularly on the boards and hustle plays.

What stupid expectations you had considering West's game has always been completely different than Malik. West's game on the offensive end has always been about hitting the midrange shot along with fadeaways and turn around jumpshots. Malik had no jumpshot it was one of the biggest reasons why he would get into Pop's dog house. Malik's offensive game consisted of getting garbage buckets points and relying solely off of his athleticism to score points. West is already a much better passer than Rose ever was considering Rose was a turnover machine.West struggled earlier in the year but now fits in perfectly. West is scoring nearly 6 points game on above 50 percent shooting along with getting close to 4 rebounds in only 16 minutes of playing time. Despite his age he is still capable of getting 10-15 points game and 6-8 rebounds when given starter minutes. West is a good asset to have because it allows the Spurs to rest Duncan against average to shitty teams. To say he is worse than 2005 Rose is ludicrous on your part and it shows that you really don't understand the game.

You are trashing West not on his effectiveness but because he took minutes away from a guy you want to see play badly which is stupid.

[Mnky]

Can you tell me how you see the situation with Anderson? Of our two new wings, he impacts the defensive end the most. His length is very disruptive and he has good instincts and good hands. He's capable of making defensive plays without fouling and negotiates screens very well, he has good footwork.

I'll say this for Simmons, he's dedicated and has improved his awareness and help instincts. His athleticism helps him stay in front of guards, and he's strong enough that if he gets a switch, he will offer resistance and not get backed down. I like him, but he fouls way too much. He doesn't go over or under screens well bc he's too wild, with too much energy pushing or getting arm tangled with the ball handler or he's pushed through screens. For a guy playing so few minutes, he fouls too much. It may be something he can cut down with more experience, but some guys are just foul prone. I am unsure on Simmons yet.

Like I said, I like him and think people are way too hard on him, but then again these are the same people who said Kawhi would never be more than a 3 and D type player.

Anderson is definitely a specific type of player, and its pretty close to the Diaw mold. He plays good defense down low where its all footwork, as he's a savy player. His ability to see over people and his reach makes him such a good playmaker, as he can get his shot on anyone and pass around anyone. On defense, this helps him too. As everyone knows, he has really slow feet but his footwork makes up for it. He knows how to position himself with leverage to be able to bother people with his length. Much of what you already analyzed is what I see too. I think he can further develop as well. He needs more game time experience at the highest level, as the d leaguers won't abuse his mistakes as much as any NBA player will.
They're being real hard on him and pulling him as soon as he makes any mistakes, but he's a coaches son so this is probably normal to him and doesn't seem to bother his confidence as he understands why. He has a ton of confidence, and the tools to be effective in the NBA, I think the only thing missing is experience. I really want to see him in extended minutes for more games consistently. I'd like to see some small ball with him at the pf position, and can't help but think Pop will try it on the warriors.

Simmons is the opposite when it comes to grooming, and I think he needs to be catered more so in his development. Pop is much more encouraging and opportunistic with him and I think it has every thing to buying into the system. Kyle likes to Manu it up and break from the system, and gamble. Simmons does exactly what he's told. So much so, that he hasn't been his usual aggressive self in finishing at the rim. I think that's the biggest thing tho, Simmons plays his spot more accurately of what pop wants than Kyle. Pop likes to break people until they get over themselves and sell out to the system. I believe he's doing that with Kyle.

[midnightpulp]

I don't get the West criticism? He's +2.0 RPM this season.

[DJR210]

Damn OP, you continue to let your emotions get the best of you.

[cutewizard]

Diaw against Draymond in the western finals shall be epic

[SAGirl]

Like I said, I like him and think people are way too hard on him, but then again these are the same people who said Kawhi would never be more than a 3 and D type player.

Anderson is definitely a specific type of player, and its pretty close to the Diaw mold. He plays good defense down low where its all footwork, as he's a savy player. His ability to see over people and his reach makes him such a good playmaker, as he can get his shot on anyone and pass around anyone. On defense, this helps him too. As everyone knows, he has really slow feet but his footwork makes up for it. He knows how to position himself with leverage to be able to bother people with his length. Much of what you already analyzed is what I see too. I think he can further develop as well. He needs more game time experience at the highest level, as the d leaguers won't abuse his mistakes as much as any NBA player will.
They're being real hard on him and pulling him as soon as he makes any mistakes, but he's a coaches son so this is probably normal to him and doesn't seem to bother his confidence as he understands why. He has a ton of confidence, and the tools to be effective in the NBA, I think the only thing missing is experience. I really want to see him in extended minutes for more games consistently. I'd like to see some small ball with him at the pf position, and can't help but think Pop will try it on the warriors.

Simmons is the opposite when it comes to grooming, and I think he needs to be catered more so in his development. Pop is much more encouraging and opportunistic with him and I think it has every thing to buying into the system. Kyle likes to Manu it up and break from the system, and gamble. Simmons does exactly what he's told. So much so, that he hasn't been his usual aggressive self in finishing at the rim. I think that's the biggest thing tho, Simmons plays his spot more accurately of what pop wants than Kyle. Pop likes to break people until they get over themselves and sell out to the system. I believe he's doing that with Kyle.

Thanks for sharing!
Good analysis on both.
Also .. you are right. Can't pay attention to some guys around here, Kawhi is the best example. You can never fully tell how far a young guy will go, based on his first few outings with the Spurs, specially the younger they are and how much they still have to develop and grow. It really depends how much untapped talent there is there to begin with and the guy's work ethic. Some guys are limited and won't improve much (the famous limited ceiling), but the youngest a guy is when he gets to the Spurs, the more likely he still has room to grow, and you have to look at the talent that young guy had when we got him to begin with.

I agree with your assessment on both wings. Kyle has an intangible in that he's a really smart bball player, and he is really competitive. It would not appear that he is competitive, bc his style of play is so laid back, but he's won a lot of games in his short career at every level, and those were games where he had a prominent role. He was not being carried by anyone to those wins.

Not much gets said about his leadership quality, but the most important impact he had in that summer league squad was his leadership. He got guys organized. They ran a whole bunch of sets for him, not even bc the Spurs were molding him to be a scorer (it would help him long run), but for SL purposes, he gave that team structure in sets and such. Several media people commented at the time, that when he sat, the team kind of fell apart. The Spurs were the only summer league team running sets consistently (even if they were the same or simple variations of the same couple of sets), and you could see it specially in how disorganized the Suns SL team looked (with a lot more talent and some NBA players in it) vs the Spurs. A whole lot of that was on Becky Hammon specially, but when a game is played, action is live and you need guys to get to their spots, the leader of that team was Kyle.

He just knew what they were doing and were supposed to be doing and he rallied them on defense. Becky said as much and there is a video feature about his leadership at the time in spurs.com. Then you look at his background. He had always been the leader of winning teams. The impact he had on both ends, never known as a defensive player of any sort, he would be sneaky and come up with a complete stat line in his teams. In a team with Lavine and Adams, he was the best player unquestionably. He was a PG, but not bc he was fast or was going to do things traditionally. He was as unorthodox as they come, but (1) he is an unselfish player and would get the ball to the right people and moreover, he enjoyed setting others up, (2) he has a tremendous court vision and was not afraid to pass (maybe the too risky Manu-like passes are a weakness, but what other time to develop that than when you are young), (3) he is a smart bball player, he would know what to do in the pressure situations, and (4) he would hold others accountable, and be really competitive and fiery, without getting animosity from guys toward him. Guys who played with him (Shabazz Muhammed, Adams, Bryce Alford, etc) have said they really enjoyed playing with him and for Shabazz I read somewhere that he said Kyle was his favorite player ever to play together with. Just looking at that, I think he has a tremendous upside beyond what we see right now. I see him as taking baby steps at this point.

Obviously, season starts and he's a kid among men now. First he's tentative and not doing much, staying within the system and more like hidden by it than anything (it is true his best assets are sort of redundant with Manu and Boris there, who are vets and know better). But also, if you want to use him right you have to give him some rope to make reads of his own. In reality, you can't really script Manu, or Boris for example. A lot of plays they make are scripted, but what makes them really special, unpredictable and hard to defend and account for, is maybe the 25-30% of plays they make when they see something developing on their own.

I think Simmons overall just allows the bench to push the tempo a whole lot. He will be able to get one or two easy transition baskets a game regularly, (very much Corey Brewer style), and even when he doesn't, the threat of his basket running the floor, opens opportunities for those running behind, and maybe causes a mismatch or two, (which is Boris' bread and butter), and he can really pass the ball well. Therefore, I see him already being a much better fit with this current bench, and having a better impact overall right away, but with a lower ceiling since I don't project him developing the leadership or BB savy to take a lead role eventually in the bench. He's the perfect roleplayer though.

Long term though, when Manu isn't there, you still want Kyle to develop bc of his leadership qualities more than anything else. Very different player, but in his own way, he is so unorthodox that he can and will get his shots when the team needs it, but mostly will find guys on their spots once he develops that go beyond the scripted, and will be able to find Simmons in transition opportunities to score that now Manu is probably the one making those passes. Let's not forget Boban's first NBA basket in preseason was a lob throw from Kyle and the two of them had a lot of chemistry before Boban was even breaking out for us. Kyle has a lot more potential than we have seen (maybe than we are likely to even see this season, due to the vets still being leaders and him needing experience and improvement to step into bigger roles in the future.)

Anyways, I am rambling. Really excited to watch the trio of Boban/Kyle/Simmons this season and follow their development with Pop and the team. It has been more interesting for me than Lamarcus' adaptation quite frankly.
:bobo

[sasaint]

I really liked your observations about Kyle. A great deal of his value is, indeed, in intangibles - especially his leadership skill. That alone would justify Pop's paying special attention to his development. We are on the verge of losing a whole generation of team leaders, and we very much need one for the future. I do not believe LMA is suited to leadership either by his on-court performance or his off-court presence. Kawhi is not really suited to vocal leadership or off court leadership. His leadership is by example, in the Timmy mold. Kyle has shown the ability, at least in SL, to be a more demonstrative and vocal leader.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Thanks for sharing!
Good analysis on both.
Also .. you are right. Can't pay attention to some guys around here, Kawhi is the best example. You can never fully tell how far a young guy will go, based on his first few outings with the Spurs, specially the younger they are and how much they still have to develop and grow. It really depends how much untapped talent there is there to begin with and the guy's work ethic. Some guys are limited and won't improve much (the famous limited ceiling), but the youngest a guy is when he gets to the Spurs, the more likely he still has room to grow, and you have to look at the talent that young guy had when we got him to begin with.

I agree with your assessment on both wings. Kyle has an intangible in that he's a really smart bball player, and he is really competitive. It would not appear that he is competitive, bc his style of play is so laid back, but he's won a lot of games in his short career at every level, and those were games where he had a prominent role. He was not being carried by anyone to those wins.

Not much gets said about his leadership quality, but the most important impact he had in that summer league squad was his leadership. He got guys organized. They ran a whole bunch of sets for him, not even bc the Spurs were molding him to be a scorer (it would help him long run), but for SL purposes, he gave that team structure in sets and such. Several media people commented at the time, that when he sat, the team kind of fell apart. The Spurs were the only summer league team running sets consistently (even if they were the same or simple variations of the same couple of sets), and you could see it specially in how disorganized the Suns SL team looked (with a lot more talent and some NBA players in it) vs the Spurs. A whole lot of that was on Becky Hammon specially, but when a game is played, action is live and you need guys to get to their spots, the leader of that team was Kyle.

He just knew what they were doing and were supposed to be doing and he rallied them on defense. Becky said as much and there is a video feature about his leadership at the time in spurs.com. Then you look at his background. He had always been the leader of winning teams. The impact he had on both ends, never known as a defensive player of any sort, he would be sneaky and come up with a complete stat line in his teams. In a team with Lavine and Adams, he was the best player unquestionably. He was a PG, but not bc he was fast or was going to do things traditionally. He was as unorthodox as they come, but (1) he is an unselfish player and would get the ball to the right people and moreover, he enjoyed setting others up, (2) he has a tremendous court vision and was not afraid to pass (maybe the too risky Manu-like passes are a weakness, but what other time to develop that than when you are young), (3) he is a smart bball player, he would know what to do in the pressure situations, and (4) he would hold others accountable, and be really competitive and fiery, without getting animosity from guys toward him. Guys who played with him (Shabazz Muhammed, Adams, Bryce Alford, etc) have said they really enjoyed playing with him and for Shabazz I read somewhere that he said Kyle was his favorite player ever to play together with. Just looking at that, I think he has a tremendous upside beyond what we see right now. I see him as taking baby steps at this point.

Obviously, season starts and he's a kid among men now. First he's tentative and not doing much, staying within the system and more like hidden by it than anything (it is true his best assets are sort of redundant with Manu and Boris there, who are vets and know better). But also, if you want to use him right you have to give him some rope to make reads of his own. In reality, you can't really script Manu, or Boris for example. A lot of plays they make are scripted, but what makes them really special, unpredictable and hard to defend and account for, is maybe the 25-30% of plays they make when they see something developing on their own.

I think Simmons overall just allows the bench to push the tempo a whole lot. He will be able to get one or two easy transition baskets a game regularly, (very much Corey Brewer style), and even when he doesn't, the threat of his basket running the floor, opens opportunities for those running behind, and maybe causes a mismatch or two, (which is Boris' bread and butter), and he can really pass the ball well. Therefore, I see him already being a much better fit with this current bench, and having a better impact overall right away, but with a lower ceiling since I don't project him developing the leadership or BB savy to take a lead role eventually in the bench. He's the perfect roleplayer though.

Long term though, when Manu isn't there, you still want Kyle to develop bc of his leadership qualities more than anything else. Very different player, but in his own way, he is so unorthodox that he can and will get his shots when the team needs it, but mostly will find guys on their spots once he develops that go beyond the scripted, and will be able to find Simmons in transition opportunities to score that now Manu is probably the one making those passes. Let's not forget Boban's first NBA basket in preseason was a lob throw from Kyle and the two of them had a lot of chemistry before Boban was even breaking out for us. Kyle has a lot more potential than we have seen (maybe than we are likely to even see this season, due to the vets still being leaders and him needing experience and improvement to step into bigger roles in the future.)

Anyways, I am rambling. Really excited to watch the trio of Boban/Kyle/Simmons this season and follow their development with Pop and the team. It has been more interesting for me than Lamarcus' adaptation quite frankly.
:bobo

Ctrl + F "kyle"


7 matches

[SAGirl]

Ctrl + F "kyle"


7 matches
:wakeup
I don't know why it bothers you so much who I like. You should be so indifferent.

[Darkwaters]

Good thing the Spurs wrapped up Simmons for the cheap for 3 years.

I thought Simmons signed a 2 year deal? A third year would be amazingly fortunate.

The good old Gary Neal three year bargain deal.

[NASpurs]

I don't get the West criticism? He's +2.0 RPM this season.

Because OP is a retarded Chicken Little. You should check him out in a game thread one day. Every basket made or missed is life or death. He also hates David West for some reason.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Because OP is a retarded Chicken Little. You should check him out in a game thread one day. Every basket made or missed is life or death. He also hates David West for some reason.

I hate David West because he consistently gets owned by anyone 6'9" or taller in the paint.

[Mnky]

:wakeup
I don't know why it bothers you so much who I like. You should be so indifferent.

He's salty.

Good post, one thing that young players need, is playing time. No one of them play to their potential without it, I hope Kyle gets more time now, rather than later. Especially against better competition. We know he looks good against lesser.

[ceperez]

I hate David West because he consistently gets owned by anyone 6'9" or taller in the paint.

You probably should hate LMA more because his numbers are much worse that David West:

Let's look at Defensive Plus Minus:

http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/rpm/_/sort/DRPM

Duncan leads the league at 6.13
Leonard at #4 at 4.76
West at #17 at 3.04
Anderson at #39 at 2.27
...
Aldridge #74 at 1.58
oh.... BTW offensive plus minus .... Aldridge rank is #208.

[cjw]

Aldridge is hurt in DRPM because he's benchmarked mostly against Timmy, who's #1 in the rankings.

Not an opinion one way or the other on LMA, but just a statement of fact on how the stat works.

[Cklbmk]

We should get a nice helping of Boban against Phoenix theyre in complete disarray.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

^ All that tells me is that we're fucked when/if we lose Duncan for good.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

:lol Millennial Messiah strikes again