Dear Pop, Let Beno backup Tony!

[usckk]

I know Van X took a pay cut to play for the Spurs and was happy to backup Tony after starting his whole career. But he has just been aweful the entire year. He might have had 2 good games, but the rest were crap. Van X is getting old and his elbow won't get better. Every time Beno plays, he plays extremely well. He can shoot, pass, and play decent D. It sure looks like Coach Pop is intimidated by Van X and won't make him the 3rd stringer.

[T Park]

Did you watch the Orlando game when Beno came in?

[J.T.]

NVE = permiter shooter off the bench
Beno = turnover and bad pass machine off the bench

[Pero]

Beno - bad pass machine????? And he`s a better shooter than Van Exel.

[T Park]

Beno - bad pass machine?????

Uh, yes....

[Pero]

Then how come a lot of people here are saying he`s a great passer?

[usckk]

NVE = permiter shooter off the bench
Beno = turnover and bad pass machine off the bench

Are you kidding me? Beno is probably the best perimeter shooter on our team. Every time I see the box score its always 3-3, 2-4 3-4 for 3's. Whenever I see Van X's it has been 0-6 1-7.

[T Park]

Doesn't do any good, if you cant get the ball past half court.

[T Park]

Then how come a lot of people here are saying he`s a great passer?

gotta say something.....

Hes a better shooter, than a ball handler or passer.

[usckk]

Doesn't do any good, if you cant get the ball past half court.

I like how people keep refering to the detroit series. He was a freakin' rookie last year! You can't expect him to be error free. He could always improve and not do that again.

[Pero]

I don`t know, he had 4 TO tonight... But as far as I could see from the play by play none of them came from bad passes.

[picnroll]

Did you watch the Orlando game when Beno came in?
Yeah I saw it. One turnover on an intercepted cross court pass in six minutes of PT. Beno hasn't played great but he's screwed up less than Nick. But lets get all hot over Nick's two decent games out of 80 so far.

[Slinkyman]

I like how people keep refering to the detroit series. He was a freakin' rookie last year! You can't expect him to be error free. He could always improve and not do that again.

how about the orlando game, that was a couple days ago! nelson put a little pressure on him and beno threw the ball away.

Wow, beno shot well against a team that gave up 2 months ago :rolleyes he still had 4 tos vs 4 assists while everyones punching bag NVE had 3 assists and 0 TOs

[usckk]

Well, at least Beno is making all his shots. Van X is like 0-8 in all his games.

[picnroll]

Beno got stripped driving to the basket but how many steals did Banks, one of the toughest on the ball defenders in the league, have against Beno when Beno was bringing it upcourt. Let me give you a hint, zer_

[Brodels]

Once the ball gets across halfcourt and the Spurs get into the offense, Beno is more valuable. He's a more consistent shooter than Nick at this point, and he's probably a slightly better defender (although defense is not a strength).

I think you give Beno a chance to fail. If Beno can get the ball past halfcourt and limit turnovers, he can be much more valuable. Give him a chance in the first couple of games of the playoffs. If he fails, Nick is sitting on the bench.

The Spurs have some depth. Pop shouldn't be afraid to use it.

[usckk]

agreed Brodels

[Slinkyman]

Once the ball gets across halfcourt and the Spurs get into the offense, Beno is more valuable. He's a more consistent shooter than Nick at this point, and he's probably a slightly better defender (although defense is not a strength).

I think you give Beno a chance to fail. If Beno can get the ball past halfcourt and limit turnovers, he can be much more valuable. Give him a chance in the first couple of games of the playoffs. If he fails, Nick is sitting on the bench.

The Spurs have some depth. Pop shouldn't be afraid to use it.

Here's the thing, beno had his chance last season and failed and that's why we got NVE in the first place. If you want a feel good story go watch lifetime but NVE is proven and has yet attempt a shot in the post season for us. It's NVE job to lose because beno already lost it.

[Pero]

He was a rookie last season...

[sa_butta]

I think NVE would be a better distributor of the ball. We are talking about the PG position not SG position. Shooting would not be the priority here.

[sa_butta]

He was a rookie last season...:violin

[T Park]

I like how people keep refering to the detroit series

uhh, wanna highlight where I said Detroit??

he cant bring it across against Memphis, Orlando.

No it wasn't an intercepted pass, it was stripped from him by Nelson after being PRESSURED by Nelson.

Hes had his chances.


One turnover on an intercepted cross court pass in six minutes of PT. Beno hasn't played great but he's screwed up less than Nick. But lets get all hot over Nick's two decent games out of 80 so far.

Hes had more than two decent games.

But your hatred for Van Exel shows, and can't be changed.

Pity, might as well get over it now, Van Exel is going to be the main guy off the bench in the POs.

[picnroll]

Don't hate Van Exel. He had a great career. Just that he should have retired a year or two ago. I think he even realizes that but is hanging on in the hopes of a ring. On the other hand some people are blind and living on memories of what Van Exel use to be. Maybe Rod Stricklnad can help too. He's avialable and use to be really good.

But talk about hate, I think we have a charter member of the "I Hate Beno Club".

[T Park]

The play and his recent "ankle" injury have cemented it.

Pop's comment the next day after that didn't help.


I guess hes a hater too.

[picnroll]

Pop likely said it in public to send a message to Beno. He use to and does get on Parker too to send him a message. He may well have called out ABeno to see how he responds. He could well see something and wants to mold/correct him. If Pop didn't give a shit he likely would say nothing.

[SouthernFried]

Beno is better than NVE...no question.

But, neither can guard someone like Cassell...or Chauncy. Ever since Cassell made Beno look like a high school player, he hasn't seen much time. Thing is...NVE would do no better. Might as well play Beno or one of our bigger 2 guards.

[sa_butta]

maybe Barry would be a better back-up option but in a debate for Beno and Van Ex Ill take proven experience.

[ZStomp]

Who cares who backs up who...at least we have BOTH of them on the team..

[cs100]

A backup PG does not usually log many minutes. I would choose the one who commits the fewer turnovers. Nick is a wily veteran, has good BB IQ and court vision and plays with ice in his veins. He does not rattle. I think he understands his role pretty well.

I like Beno and his game, but the kid gets rattled very easily. Based on matchups in the playoffs, he will get his chance. But don't count on more than only one chance from Pop.

[wildbill2u]

I don`t know, he had 4 TO tonight... But as far as I could see from the play by play none of them came from bad passes.

If you check the stats, Duncan and Bowen had three apiece and no one gets their panties in a wad over that. It's pretty normal for a point guard to have a few more turnovers than the rest of the team because they handle the ball all the time. But his average TO rate is less than one per game.

Here are his stats which sort of surprised me. He's played in less than half the games he played in last year.

YEAR TEAM G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
04-05 SAS 80 2 14.4 .444 .408 .753 .2 .8 1.0 1.9 .51 .13 .96 1.20 5.9
05-06 SAS 51 2 10.3 .452 .328 .763 .3 .6 1.0 1.7 .24 .04 .90 1.00 4.7
Career 131 4 12.8 .447 .383 .756 .3 .8 1.0 1.8 .40 .00 .94 1.10 5.4
Playoff 21 0 11.5 .359 .270 .857 .2 .6 .8 1.0 .43 .05 .95 1.00 3.7


All that being said, the reason Beno is a backup is that he doesn't have the experience or skills of a veteran starter.

[GoSpurs21]

Did you watch the Orlando game when Beno came in?did you not get the inside information NVE can't guard anyone older than 21...but the rest of you people can still live in the fantasy that NVE can survive in the playoffs

I only hope that NVE doesnt cost us any playoff games

[phyzik]

T Park, you've defended Nick Van Sucksull all damn season. Now I would/will be the first to praise him if/when he saves us in a game but the fact of the matter is BENO IS MUCH YOUNGER AND FASTER WITH A DECENT SHOT!! WHY the fuck take minutes away from him for some walking specimen of arthritis?

Im not saying Beno has the "game" Nick has... but thats a double-edged sword.. The game ONLY comes if you play... Nick Van Ex-good is PAST his prime. The ONLY reason we took him up is what insurance should be called...... IN CASE SHIT!!!.... Now, If shit dont happen, shouldnt we get our money back?

[T Park]

Now I would/will be the first to praise him if/when he saves us in a game

where you after the memphis game??

[T Park]

did you not get the inside information NVE can't guard anyone older than 21...but the rest of you people can still live in the fantasy that NVE can survive in the playoffs

I dont know what fantasy land you live in that you think Beno can guard anyone period.

[Kamnik]

I dont know what fantasy land you live in that you think Beno can guard anyone period.


jeeeez i usually dont post here more than once a month (mostly read things) but i have to say something here

@T-PARK: do you live in fantasy land?

claiming Vanx is a better option than Beno?

snap out of it; the playoffs are here andi dont think VanX is able to do anything

Beno at least has a chance to do something if he doesnt turn the ball over too much and Pop sits him

Van Exel WAS a great player but unfortunately he isnt any more

realise it

we all hope he could carry the spurs with his clutch shooting but that are only dreams

im Slovenian but this hasnt anything to do with my words here

i watch Spurs games and if you do too u simply cant claim the things you do

[picnroll]

Van Exel can guard people? When? Where?

Using the reasoning that Beno can't guard people so Van Exel should play instead is just plain stupid. Nick can get taken off the dribble by a statue.

[Jimcs50]

Beno> NVE

nuff said

[1Parker1]

Damn, T_Park's defending NVE with the same enthusiam Whottt defended Barry with circa 2005 :)

[cherylsteele]

NVE couldn't guard his own grandmother in a walker.

T-Park keeps saying Beno turns the ball over more than NVE....he does just barely.

Beno 10.5 min/gm .96 TO's 1.7 Ast/gm .457 fg% .348 3pt%

NVE 15.0 min/gm .83 TO's 1.8 Ast/gm .391 fg% .347 3pt%

In fewer minutes...although not much fewer..Beno ahs produced number similar down the board to NVE. And you are saying NVE is how much better than Beno?

Beno is a way better shooter...takes better shots which helos the defense because they don't have to scramble back on a fast break.....you take a good shot (Beno) and you can get back on defense and set up instead of scrambling after a wild shot (NVE).

You want to compare rookis seasons? Tony was hearing the similar stuff then...that we are saying about Beno now. If we were to have listened to some of those people saying TP turned the ball over too much in the 204 playoffs where would we be now? Where would Tony be?

T Park...that was then...this is now.

[boutons_]

Nick turns the ball over way more that Beno with his shot-clock-early, gawd-awful bricks, which, coupled with the Spurs bad rebounding, are effectively TOs.

Nick shoots 39%, Beno shoots 45%. Worst team in the NBA shoots 43%.

T_pork's canard of "Beno is a turnover machine" is pure bullshit.

Benos AST/T0 = 1.77, while Nick is = 2.1

[Manu'sMagicalLeftHand]

Right now, Beno is better in every aspect of the game than Van Exel. His ball handling has improved, his defence is better than Nick's (which ain't that hard to achieve), his passing and court vision were always better, he is shooting when open, and his shots are falling. I just hope that he has learned his lesson from the Finals last year.

However, Van Exel has a lot of playoff experience, and if he can somehow make a "click" and switch into playoff mode, stepping up his game, then he should be the back-up PG.

What is really worrying is that the best ball handlers and passers in this team after Parker are the shooting guards (Barry, Manu). If this postseason shows that Nick has nothing left in the tank, and Beno can't handle the pressure, the Spurs should look pronto for a back-up point guard with that profile (good ball handling, passing, defense, mental toughness, and the ability to hit an open 3...hehe, I'm asking too much).

[Vingianx]

i think they should let beno play side by side with tony with either running the point

[Slinkyman]

At the end of the day, i wonder if the spurs regret trading barbosa to the suns. I know that pick was for the suns and the spurs probably don't draft him if it wasn't for the trade but he's been awesome for the suns so far after 3 years. Barbosa>>beno+NVE but i guess you can't make all the right moves.

[LittleGeneral]

Two thumbs down to this idea.

[Slo spurs fan]

I think it will be great to have them both.

[T Park]

12 points 5 assists tonight, and defended Deron Williams pretty well.


WHere da hatas at????

[Slo spurs fan]

12 points 5 assists tonight, and defended Deron Williams pretty well.


WHere da hatas at????
And 3TO´s. :devil

[Slo spurs fan]

And Beno had 10 points in less min. :)

[cs100]

Pop has already decided that Nick will be Tony's backup for the postseason. Beno will play if matchups call for it or if injuries occur.

[Slomo]

Pop has already decided that Nick will be Tony's backup for the postseason. Beno will play if matchups call for it or if injuries occur.
You're probably right, and I don't have a problem with it. What I'm hoping is that Pop doesn't get stuck in his decisions but shows some of the flexibility from last year's playoffs. Allowing the Spurs to beat the Phoenix at their own game was a big reason for the overall win.

So play NVE, but if he doesn't pan out - please look for another solution (Beno/Brent).

[cs100]

I also think Beno matches up better with Phoenix than Nick. We shall see. :)

[yavozerb]

We have all seen what Beno + playoffs = from last year!!!!!!play NVE or Barry before beno..

[Slomo]

We have all seen what Beno + playoffs = from last year!!!!!!play NVE or Barry before beno..So you are saying Beno has not improved any facet of his game this year?
One year of experience in the NBA and on the best team in the league has been wasted on him?

I remember less than stellar performances from Tony in his first playoffs - good thing that Pop didn't give up on him the way that you seem to have given up on Beno.

[pache100]

So you are saying Beno has not improved any facet of his game this year?

I'd like to say, after reading all this thread...it's hard to see when you watch games on television, but I can see a marked improvement in both Tony's AND Beno's game when I see a game firsthand like last night. It's amazing how much Beno has improved since last year; Beno's confidence level has increased exponentially. And I can only attribute that to Nick Van Exel's mentoring of the two. I suspect that was the main reason for acquiring Nick, and I suspect Nick knows that. I'm not a big Nick Van Exel fan overall, never have been. But, if there is a niche for him on the Spurs, I think it's as a teacher. He's not as effective on the court as he used to be, but he still knows everything he always knew. I can see his trademark in both Tony's and Beno's game. Grudgingly, I have to admit that we may actually be getting our money's worth out of Nicky. I don't care if he's second or third string as long as we win (Beno is money in the bank for the future, and he'll keep)...and I trust Pop to make the right decision about that. If we owe Nick some time on the floor in return for his services where we needed them most, I'm all for it...as long as it doesn't cost us a win.

[nkdlunch]

So you are saying Beno has not improved any facet of his game this year?
One year of experience in the NBA and on the best team in the league has been wasted on him?

I remember less than stellar performances from Tony in his first playoffs - good thing that Pop didn't give up on him the way that you seem to have given up on Beno.

We cannot tell if Beno has improved since last playoffs since he hasn't faced playoff defenses yet.

So until then, I would bring in VanX everytime unless he is sucking bigtime. VanX >>>>>>>>>>>>>> more clutch than Beno

[boutons_]

"We have all seen what Beno + playoffs = from last year"

so? we also have seen what Tony + playoff = from 2003 and earlier years.

Beno's AST/TO are only slightly worse than Nick's, but Nicks "TOs" from poorly selected, well bricked shots is much worse.

But it looks like Pop is going with Nick for the playoff experience rather than for stats.

[usckk]

You're probably right, and I don't have a problem with it. What I'm hoping is that Pop doesn't get stuck in his decisions but shows some of the flexibility from last year's playoffs. Allowing the Spurs to beat the Phoenix at their own game was a big reason for the overall win.

So play NVE, but if he doesn't pan out - please look for another solution (Beno/Brent).

Finally, someone that understands what i'm getting at. I don't mind letting Van X being the first off the bench, but Pop needs to let Beno have a chance.

[ChumpDumper]

Yeah, I bumped this.

[FromWayDowntown]

Yeah, I bumped this.

I can't imagine why.

[thewatcher]

Beno can't handle the pressure.

[picnroll]

I be the first to admit Beno looked pretty sucky tonight. Maybe he was having his period.

[T Park]

Bump Bump

[Slo spurs fan]

Was there something wrong with Beno today?

[T Park]

Yeah, its called turnoveritis.

[Slo spurs fan]

Yeah, its called turnoveritis.
Oh yeah? How many of them?

And he made 4 ast comparing to Nick's 1.

[Spurologist]

Yeah, its called turnoveritis.

he had 0 turns but it was mostly against infantile defense

[Kamnik]

Yeah, its called turnoveritis.

u sure u watched the game?