biba
11-04-2007, 04:19 AM
Spurs: Team's depth leaving minutes at a premium
Web Posted: 11/04/2007 12:03 AM CDT
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA110407.BKN.SpursBench.en.34d2c99.html
Jeff McDonald
San Antonio Express-News
Ime Udoka started 75 games in Portland last season, signed a lucrative two-year deal with the Spurs in the summer and drew rave reviews for his work during training camp in the fall.
What happened next tells all one needs to know about the current state of the Spurs' bench.
Udoka did not play in either of the Spurs' first two games of the regular season. Not a single second.
When Udoka finally did get on the floor — in Friday's 96-80 victory over Sacramento — he made the most of it, scoring 14 points.
That, too, speaks volumes.
"There aren't so many teams in the league that have a team as deep as ours," said Spurs super-sub Manu Ginobili. "We have a very deep team, and we're going to use that wisely."
Statistically speaking, the Spurs boasted the best bench in the NBA last season, getting an average of nearly 37 points a night from their reserves.
Frightening memo to the rest of the league: There are signs this year's bench might be even better.
Granted, it's still early. Three games of an NBA season is no kind of sample size from which to draw definitive conclusions.
Still, the Spurs' reserves have scored 149 points in those three games, overwhelming opponents with wave after wave of bench scorers. All this, and Robert Horry and Jacque Vaughn — two significant bench contributors during last year's title run — haven't even suited up yet.
Udoka came to a none-too-startling conclusion after his first three games in San Antonio.
"There are a lot of guys here who can play," he said.
As it did for most of last season, the Spurs' boost off the bench begins with Ginobili, who ought to be the season-long frontrunner for Sixth Man of the Year honors so long as he remains a reserve. He is averaging 18.7 points per game, tied with Tim Duncan for the early team lead.
But the Spurs' bench has been more than just Ginobili so far.
In each of their three victories, the Spurs have received at least one double-digit scoring effort out of a reserve not named Ginobili. Most recently, against the Kings, Matt Bonner added 13 points to Udoka's 14 and Ginobili's 10.
Brent Barry also has had his moments, as has center Francisco Elson.
There is no dearth of depth in San Antonio. It is a trend the Spurs won't mind continuing when they face Southwest Division rival Houston on Tuesday at the Toyota Center.
The gaudy production of his bench could prove quite a pleasant problem for coach Gregg Popovich, who must somehow devise a way to divvy minutes among his arsenal of reserves.
Typically, it takes Popovich well into February to settle on a rotation. With the way his bench is performing so far, he will have some difficult decisions to face in the months to come.
"I have no clue on how to sub them," Popovich said. "It usually takes me a while to figure out what the rotation is going to be. I don't really have a firm handle on that yet."
Which is how Udoka came to find himself glued to the bench for the first two games of his Spurs career.
For Udoka, spending two nights as a spectator was an odd feeling, but not a wholly unexpected one. He knew minutes would be at a premium when he signed with the Spurs.
"They told me during the (free-agent) process that I was going to have to come in and earn it," Udoka said. "It's not like I thought I was going to come in and start."
Barring something strange and unforeseen, Udoka probably will not start a game this season for the Spurs. Some nights, he might not even get to remove his warm-up pants.
"Obviously, everybody who is competitive wants to play," Udoka said. "But you've got to understand, this team has been together for a long time. It's going to be hard to come in and take people's minutes."
Web Posted: 11/04/2007 12:03 AM CDT
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA110407.BKN.SpursBench.en.34d2c99.html
Jeff McDonald
San Antonio Express-News
Ime Udoka started 75 games in Portland last season, signed a lucrative two-year deal with the Spurs in the summer and drew rave reviews for his work during training camp in the fall.
What happened next tells all one needs to know about the current state of the Spurs' bench.
Udoka did not play in either of the Spurs' first two games of the regular season. Not a single second.
When Udoka finally did get on the floor — in Friday's 96-80 victory over Sacramento — he made the most of it, scoring 14 points.
That, too, speaks volumes.
"There aren't so many teams in the league that have a team as deep as ours," said Spurs super-sub Manu Ginobili. "We have a very deep team, and we're going to use that wisely."
Statistically speaking, the Spurs boasted the best bench in the NBA last season, getting an average of nearly 37 points a night from their reserves.
Frightening memo to the rest of the league: There are signs this year's bench might be even better.
Granted, it's still early. Three games of an NBA season is no kind of sample size from which to draw definitive conclusions.
Still, the Spurs' reserves have scored 149 points in those three games, overwhelming opponents with wave after wave of bench scorers. All this, and Robert Horry and Jacque Vaughn — two significant bench contributors during last year's title run — haven't even suited up yet.
Udoka came to a none-too-startling conclusion after his first three games in San Antonio.
"There are a lot of guys here who can play," he said.
As it did for most of last season, the Spurs' boost off the bench begins with Ginobili, who ought to be the season-long frontrunner for Sixth Man of the Year honors so long as he remains a reserve. He is averaging 18.7 points per game, tied with Tim Duncan for the early team lead.
But the Spurs' bench has been more than just Ginobili so far.
In each of their three victories, the Spurs have received at least one double-digit scoring effort out of a reserve not named Ginobili. Most recently, against the Kings, Matt Bonner added 13 points to Udoka's 14 and Ginobili's 10.
Brent Barry also has had his moments, as has center Francisco Elson.
There is no dearth of depth in San Antonio. It is a trend the Spurs won't mind continuing when they face Southwest Division rival Houston on Tuesday at the Toyota Center.
The gaudy production of his bench could prove quite a pleasant problem for coach Gregg Popovich, who must somehow devise a way to divvy minutes among his arsenal of reserves.
Typically, it takes Popovich well into February to settle on a rotation. With the way his bench is performing so far, he will have some difficult decisions to face in the months to come.
"I have no clue on how to sub them," Popovich said. "It usually takes me a while to figure out what the rotation is going to be. I don't really have a firm handle on that yet."
Which is how Udoka came to find himself glued to the bench for the first two games of his Spurs career.
For Udoka, spending two nights as a spectator was an odd feeling, but not a wholly unexpected one. He knew minutes would be at a premium when he signed with the Spurs.
"They told me during the (free-agent) process that I was going to have to come in and earn it," Udoka said. "It's not like I thought I was going to come in and start."
Barring something strange and unforeseen, Udoka probably will not start a game this season for the Spurs. Some nights, he might not even get to remove his warm-up pants.
"Obviously, everybody who is competitive wants to play," Udoka said. "But you've got to understand, this team has been together for a long time. It's going to be hard to come in and take people's minutes."