Quick Grades: Spurs @ Bulls Oct 21st 2017

[Cry Havoc]

Game Ball: Lamarcus Aldridge - A

Roughly three Spurs acted like they wanted to be on the court tonight for the Spurs, and none of them were on this team 2 years ago. LMA completely destroyed the Bulls, leading the Spurs in points, rebounds, and blocks (28/10/2), and was easily the most potent force on either side of the ball for either team. This looked like a game that could get away from the Spurs in the first half with how lethargic the team was, Aldridge showed up and led the team to make sure that didn't happen.

DeJounte Murray - A-

The only reason he doesn't get an A+ is because his shooting wasn't there. Murray looked good tonight. He led the team in rebounds with LMA, with 10, and assists on his own with 6, and there are a LOT of reasons to feel good about his eventual place in the system. This guy clearly belongs on an NBA court, and he could very well be our point guard of the future. He's already learning to use his 7 foot wingspan on D. When he realizes the potential it gives him on offense, lookout.

Rudy Gay - A-

Gay, Murray, and Aldridge all looked like they were playing for something tonight. Gay left his mark on the game with 12 points, albeit coming on 13 shots. But he was active, he was a rough defender on the admittedly terrible Bulls players. Still, a lot of bright spots in this performance. Hopefully by the end of this season this statline will be sub-par for him, because his forays to the hoop revealed that he still has a lot of go left in his legs. Gay's +18 was the highest for the Spurs.

Danny Green - B-

The quintessential 3 and D game from Green. He hit the only Spurs 3 of the entire game (1-12!) and played good defense on anyone he was assigned. However, that's the bare minimum I'd expect out of him against the Phoenix Suns of the East. He only fouled once though, and his ball-handling does look improved over last season.

Kyle Anderson - C
This is exactly what I'd expect out of Slo-mo in a 32 minute game, and that's not really a good thing. Yes, he brought some positives -- very stout defense, good rebounding -- but he's got to do more on offense if he wants to take the pressure off our scorers. Kyle was the only starter who finished in the negatives in +/-, although Pop threw some weird lineups out there.

Manu Ginobili - C-
This is the kind of game that old Manu would have hung 40 on the beleaguered Bulls. Tonight he brought the motor but not the clutch. Manu just never looked comfortable although his energy helped the game break apart. Kind of bizarre that our oldest player has to be a shot in the arm for a stagnating offense. It's clear that Parker and especially Kawhi are really needed on off nights for this team.

Pau Gasol - D+
Against a terrible Bulls squad Pau looked like he was just there to facilitate and repeatedly gave up the ball when he easily could have done more on offense. Very few positives to take away other than 7 boards and 4 assists in limited action.

Bryn Forbes - D+
I barely noticed him on the court except for his chucking. Absolutely nothing note-worthy in 16 minutes of action.

Joffrey Baratheon - D
His size is his only bright spot, and his mobility might be slightly above average for a big. I'm not convinced he belongs on an NBA court yet.

Patty Mills - F
What the hell, Patty. Our bench's sparkplug shoots twice in 22 minutes, and does literally nothing at all the rest of the time on the court? I'm genuinely concerned about him. He's playing like a guy who missed his window, knows it, and is content to ride out the rest of the season as the backup to DeJounte and Tony. This would have been a GREAT game to show how easily he can come out against a shitshow of a team and put up 20 points to keep the D honest, instead on a night when we can't hit from 3, he looks out of shape and disinterested and commits team-highs in both fouls (4) and TOs (3). At this point I'd give his minutes to Mr. Invisible (Forbes) if he doesn't pick it up soon.

Pop - C+
He gets ZERO points for beating a G-League team. But we did win by double digits, Lamarcus looks better than last year (and happier), and he does appear to be integrating Gay and Murray into the offense more quickly than I would have expected. Granted, it's forced with Kawhi and Tony hurt, but still. Hopefully Pop continues to work whatever Psychology he's using on LMA, because it is having a very real impact and the Spurs will be a terror when healthy if LMA looks like he did playing for Portland.

[Cry Havoc]

Forgot Pop. Added.

[BillMc]

Thanks. :toast Nice write up

[dabom]

I wonder how forbes would look as backup pg in the playoffs. :lmao

[UZER]

Gasol is clearly just going through the motions. He's done being anything other than a just a body on the court with some bball iq, regular season or playoffs. He'll have the occasional good game, but nothing more.

[TimDunkem]

Gasol is clearly just going through the motions. He's done being anything other than a just a body on the court with some bball iq, regular season or playoffs. He'll have the occasional good game, but nothing more.

He's running on fumes at this point.

[TheDoctor]

Thanks for the grades and work :tu

[Chinook]

LMA was on the team two years ago. Sorry to be that guy.

[spursistan]

Great grades :tu..

Let the player fans seethe :lol..Everyone saw fatass Mills letting himself go after det contract..Go check his pre-camp photos, his face was chubby as fuck..

[RD2191]

Thanks for the grades OP.

[Robz4000]

Thanks for the write up :tu

[Cry Havoc]

I wonder how forbes would look as backup pg in the playoffs. :lmao

Probably terrible. And that's what's scary. Fortunately when Parker gets healthy we have two legit PGs even if Mills is off in a corner somewhere.

[SAGirl]

Thanks for doing these. Much appreciated since I missed the game. :tu

[raybies]

Thanks. Appreciate the time and effort

[BatManu20]

:flag:

[TD 21]

It's nice that Lauvergne played well in training camp and preseason, but it's obvious that they'd be better off by having Aldridge and Gasol as the only traditional bigs in the rotation and inserting more shooting into it, particularly with the lack of a go to ball handler or play maker right now.

A game like this, where the offense is scuffling and the opponent is short on bigs, Bertans should have played.


He's already learning to use his 7 foot wingspan on D.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Dejounte-Murray-7309/

[james evans]

"mills is better than murray. We play better with him on the floor"


(not my words)

[SAGirl]

It's nice that Lauvergne played well in training camp and preseason, but it's obvious that they'd be better off by having Aldridge and Gasol as the only traditional bigs in the rotation and inserting more shooting into it, particularly with the lack of a go to ball handler or play maker right now.

A game like this, where the offense is scuffling and the opponent is short on bigs, Bertans should have played.

I was inquiring about Bertans since I expected him to play. My guess is until Kawhi gets back the hi/lo game with Pau is important to get easy baskets for Lamarcus (as well as Pau finding cutters) and that is not a Bertans' strength. Joff outplayed him in preseason too... and Rudy Gay is getting all the non-LMA at the 4 minutes and he needs the chemistry, rhythm, plus he's a better player. Davis is going to have to claw his way back into playing time and my guess is that he will get opportunities when Kawhi is healthy.

[YGWHI]

Thanks for the grades!


Pau Gasol - D+
Against a terrible Bulls squad Pau looked like he was just there to facilitate and repeatedly gave up the ball when he easily could have done more on offense. Very few positives to take away other than 7 boards and 4 assists in limited action.

921903665878847488
Makkanen is a nice shooter but the most horrible player running the fast break I've never seen...Not sure if Pop praised this rookie because he truly believes in his potential or he was trying to save Pau' ass.


Pop C+
Hopefully Pop continues to work whatever Psychology he's using on LMA
21 FGAs against Wolves. 24 FGAs vs Bulls.

"Giving him all the touches he wants" doesn't deserve an article on The National Psychologist.

[tonight...you]

Thanks for the grades!



921903665878847488
Makkanen is a nice shooter but the most horrible player running the fast break I've never seen...Not sure if Pop praised this rookie because he truly believes in his potential or he was trying to save Pau' ass.


21 FGAs against Wolves. 24 FGAs vs Bulls.

"Giving him all the touches he wants" doesn't deserve an article on The National Psychologist.
It does deserve an article titled "What The Hell Do The Spurs Do When Kawhi Comes Back?"
Published by someone with some talent writing the article, I would hope, but don't expect.

[Cry Havoc]

21 FGAs against Wolves. 24 FGAs vs Bulls.

"Giving him all the touches he wants" doesn't deserve an article on The National Psychologist.

LMA looks better than he has in the past when Kawhi hasn't played. It's not only about touches.

[Cry Havoc]

It's nice that Lauvergne played well in training camp and preseason, but it's obvious that they'd be better off by having Aldridge and Gasol as the only traditional bigs in the rotation and inserting more shooting into it, particularly with the lack of a go to ball handler or play maker right now.

A game like this, where the offense is scuffling and the opponent is short on bigs, Bertans should have played.



http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Dejounte-Murray-7309/

That's a 3 year old measurement when he was 17 or 18.

[tonight...you]

LMA looks better than he has in the past when Kawhi hasn't played. It's not only about touches.
It's really going to be up to Kawhi and how happy and engaged he will be with LMA getting those touches, early on the clock, more often and how engaged he remains.
I don't have a doubt about Kawhi's attitude towards winning, but this guy works like an overclocked PC to improve.

If LMA makes damn sure that Kawhi is going to get his looks as much as possible (I doubt it) when he doesn't see him being able to score easily... Good.
If not...

Mmmm...

Kawhi needs to eat like Zeke Elliott on that floor.

[Cry Havoc]

It's really going to be up to Kawhi and how happy and engaged he will be with LMA getting those touches, early on the clock, more often and how engaged he remains.
I don't have a doubt about Kawhi's attitude towards winning, but this guy works like an overclocked PC to improve.

If LMA makes damn sure that Kawhi is going to get his looks as much as possible (I doubt it) when he doesn't see him being able to score easily... Good.
If not...

Mmmm...

Kawhi needs to eat like Zeke Elliott on that floor.

No other teams in the NBA have difficulty sharing the ball between two all-stars. The Spurs have more than enough possessions to give to both of them and still let the ball movement take over when we aren't letting them do their own work.

[tonight...you]

No other teams in the NBA have difficulty sharing the ball between two all-stars. The Spurs have more than enough possessions to give to both of them and still let the ball movement take over when we aren't letting them do their own work.
True. I'm most likely worrying over nothing, but LMA is seemingly so damn sensitive.
I bet he thinks about this issue at least 20-30 times a day, both consciously and sub.

Hopefully I'm simply being paranoid about it, but he'll never be straight with you either way, so we'll just see how it goes and hopefully the body language and the attitude and the wins keep on coming with great results.

And good job on the grades bruddah. I enjoyed reading them.

[ElNono]

Thanks for the writeup, but Manu was low-key, pretty great, I thought... no turnovers, some assists, some key steals... he ain't going to score much, but I thought he did the little things...

[Cry Havoc]

Thanks for the writeup, but Manu was low-key, pretty great, I thought... no turnovers, some assists, some key steals... he ain't going to score much, but I thought he did the little things...

I thought he was "ok", too. But... this is probably the worst Bulls team in history. I'm considering trying out for them. They're that fucking awful. :lol

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Nice grades. :tu


Dijon has been the nicest surprise for me so far...and Mills the biggest disappointment. I'm thrilled that Rudy is still able to play at a high level.

Pau's play so far has me scratching my head even more as to why the Spurs gave him 3 and $48M. I'm all for the loyalty contracts, but in my mind that loyalty should go both ways. If you accept $18M from your employer per year you should show up ready to earn that money. Pau and Mills aren't worth $6M combined the way they've stumbled out of the gate.

[rjv]

forbes, star of the summer league, has looked like a scrub so far. murray, bust of the summer league, has picked up where he left off in the playoffs last year and continues to show great promise.

[Ocotillo]

forbes, star of the summer league, has looked like a scrub so far. murray, bust of the summer league, has picked up where he left off in the playoffs last year and continues to show great promise.

Excellent observation. I am not one to pile on to a player that is in the Spurstalk doghouse but I have to say Forbes is playing better than Patty and of course, that is not saying much. Patty needs to get it going and quick.

[Cry Havoc]

Nice grades. :tu


Dijon has been the nicest surprise for me so far...and Mills the biggest disappointment. I'm thrilled that Rudy is still able to play at a high level.

Pau's play so far has me scratching my head even more as to why the Spurs gave him 3 and $48M. I'm all for the loyalty contracts, but in my mind that loyalty should go both ways. If you accept $18M from your employer per year you should show up ready to earn that money. Pau and Mills aren't worth $6M combined the way they've stumbled out of the gate.

Thanks EHJ! Always nice to see you post here.

The good news is that it's far too early to throw in the towel. Gasol is probably (hopefully) pacing himself knowing the season is long and championships aren't won now.

If anything, our current state shows us how much of a boon Parker is to this team. He'd be great to have now just to steady the offense and give the defenses another layer to think about.

Murray needs to earn some respect from defenses before he can really draw any kind of special coverage. When that happens though, he is going to be a huge asset. Hope we can keep him. He has developed more quickly than I expected and definitely looks like he'll be a starting pg soon and for a long time.

[dabom]

Nice grades. :tu


Dijon has been the nicest surprise for me so far...and Mills the biggest disappointment. I'm thrilled that Rudy is still able to play at a high level.

Pau's play so far has me scratching my head even more as to why the Spurs gave him 3 and $48M. I'm all for the loyalty contracts, but in my mind that loyalty should go both ways. If you accept $18M from your employer per year you should show up ready to earn that money. Pau and Mills aren't worth $6M combined the way they've stumbled out of the gate.

Good thing contracts are for seasons and not just 2 games, faggot. :lmao

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Thanks EHJ! Always nice to see you post here.

The good news is that it's far too early to throw in the towel. Gasol is probably (hopefully) pacing himself knowing the season is long and championships aren't won now.

If anything, our current state shows us how much of a boon Parker is to this team. He'd be great to have now just to steady the offense and give the defenses another layer to think about.

Murray needs to earn some respect from defenses before he can really draw any kind of special coverage. When that happens though, he is going to be a huge asset. Hope we can keep him. He has developed more quickly than I expected and definitely looks like he'll be a starting pg soon and for a long time.

I agree with that. Parker steadies the team and he facilitates the offense better than anyone on the roster.

I'm holding out hope for Mills and Gasol. They're two of my favorite players, and certainly more capable than what they've shown so far.

[duncan2k5]

forbes, star of the summer league, has looked like a scrub so far. murray, bust of the summer league, has picked up where he left off in the playoffs last year and continues to show great promise.

Can I get some props for telling ppl to judge them on their actual NBA games?

[YGWHI]

LMA looks better than he has in the past when Kawhi hasn't played. It's not only about touches.

An extension with a long-term contract can help. But he was very clear about his "touches and rhythm" in every interview this season.

Also, he didn't get 24 FGAs in any of the games without Kawhi last season, against a poor Nets team similar to this Bulls either.

He's getting his +20 FGAs in every game and suddenly he's "happy".

But it's fine. You know, whatever makes him happy..

[cutewizard]

THANKS FOR THE GRADES

cheers!

[cutewizard]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MDeBqOXnBM

[tonight...you]

Can I get some props for telling ppl to judge them on their actual NBA games?
No.

[tonight...you]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MDeBqOXnBM
Robin's such a good teammate and a damn decent player. I would be giddy if Pau and Robin could trade teams.

[cutewizard]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIMvaA4FlHY

[rjv]

Can I get some props for telling ppl to judge them on their actual NBA games? http://www.troll.me/images/the-chuck-norris/give-that-man-some-props.jpg

[Ocotillo]

Robin's such a good teammate and a damn decent player. I would be giddy if Pau and Robin could trade teams.

Former Aldridge teammate as well, would be a nice fit.

[YGWHI]

Published by someone with some talent writing the article, I would hope, but don't expect.
:D


No other teams in the NBA have difficulty sharing the ball between two all-stars.
Fast-tempo teams like Warrios, Cavs, Rockets, Thunder dont have issues with that but not teams like Spurs, Jazz, Memphis.


The Spurs have more than enough possessions to give to both of them[/i] and still let the ball movement take over when we aren't letting them do their own work.
No. The Spurs were #26 on pace last season, only 97.8 possessions per game. For a reason they never had two players scoring +20ppg in the same season in last 15 years.