Player of the Week

[meta2007]

Manu!

[E20]

Western Confrence Player of the Month more likely.

[lefty]

http://thestartingfive.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/manu.jpg

[whottt]

Didn't Parker win it last week? Be cool to have different Spurs not named Duncan win it on consecutive weeks.(Hell it'll be cool even if they didn't do it consecutively).

[bigfundamental21]

Manu should win it. He is carrying our team and is playing out of his mind! GINOBILI!!!!

[fred33]

ginobili will be great but amare is a serious contender

[Kori Ellis]

I think Manu will get it this week.

[ShoogarBear]

Spurs have finished their week. Manu has it clinched, not just because of his stats, but because he did it with Duncan out against two very good teams.

I would be Jim's last dollar on it.

[whottt]

I dunno...Chris Paul had a 42 point game tonight and AI had a 50 point game the other night...

The back to back 30 point games against elite comp might swing it to him...but it's not a gimme.


Hopefully Manu will win it though...


In any case...Manu's just about got an AS bid locked up now.

[theroc5]

then duncan comes back and puts up 30 and 12 and 3blks and gets player of the week!

[ShoogarBear]

If Duncan wasn't out, the other guys would have a case.

But AI lost the game he scored 51.

I would bet Jim's house and IRA that Manu wins it.

[Kori Ellis]

In any case...Manu's just about got an AS bid locked up now.

I don't agree with this. The coaches won't be voting til the first week of February or so and the West Conference is really deep with guards. So, Manu and Tony are both going to have to keep up a very good pace for them to make the team. These couple games in December won't lock it for Manu.

[whottt]

Well hopefully you're right...the fact that Manu's games came against Dallas and Utah ought to carry a lot of weight...

Good point about AI doing it in a loss...


That still leaves Chris Paul though...

[whottt]

I don't agree with this. The coaches won't be voting til the first week of February or so and the West Conference is really deep with guards. So, Manu and Tony are both going to have to keep up a very good pace for them to make the team. These couple games in December won't lock it for Manu.


I think it will...because coaches love the way Manu plays. And they're the ones that will put him on the team. When Manu goes off...he's not just tearing the other team a new whole, he's tearing the coaches a new hole.

I'm not saying these two games did it...I'm saying they finished it...Sloan and Avery coached teams ought to impress every coach that watches, that isn't already impressed.

If I'm wrong on the AS Team...it'll be the first time I'm wrong about it in the history of SpursTalk.

[TampaDude]

Ginobili will get it.

[ShoogarBear]

I don't agree with this. The coaches won't be voting til the first week of February or so and the West Conference is really deep with guards. So, Manu and Tony are both going to have to keep up a very good pace for them to make the team. These couple games in December won't lock it for Manu.But if the Spurs are still playing .850 ball, it'll be an easier case that all three should be there.

Based on performance alone, though, the Spurs only clear-cut All-Stars are Manu and Tony.

[Kori Ellis]

I think it will...because coaches love the way Manu plays. When Manu goes off...he's not just tearing the other team a new whole, he's tearing the coaches a new hole.

I'm not saying these two games did it...I'm saying they finished it...Sloan and Avery.


I just think there's way way too much time til they vote. Plus, the guards in the West are awesome. So we'll see.

[whottt]

I just think there's way way too much time til they vote. Plus, the guards in the West are awesome. So we'll see.


I know...and I think Manu has been more of a coach impresser this season than Tony...Tony has the weakest chance right now IMO.

[E20]

The 1-2 slots are pretty deep in the WC.

Manu
Tony
DW
CP
Baron Davis
Kevin Martin
Kobe(Starter)
T-Mac(Starter)
Steve Nash (Starter)

All of them are potentially backup AS canidates, excep the ones with (Starter). Am I missing anybody?

And how many guards are allowed on the AS team?

[slayermin]

Manu was always great at tipping balls and get his hands on passes. But it seems like he's taking it to a new level this season.

That part of his game has improved. He anticipates the other teams plays.

When the game is helter skelter, he causes havoc all over the court. The block he made on Boozer tonight was all basketball IQ.

[Kori Ellis]

I know...and I think Manu has been more of a coach impresser this season than Tony...Tony has the weakest chance right now IMO.

I don't think Tony's chances have diminished much. Before every game when they interview the opposing coach, the coach says the key to the game is "stopping the penetration of Tony Parker." All season, every game, this is all I hear. Tony is averaging 20/7 and shooting 51+% . So I think he has a good shot.

It's just there's really a lot of good guards. (I know I just said that.)

[cherylsteele]

http://thestartingfive.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/manu.jpg
Manu = Now I know why everyone goes for my head, it actually looks like a basketball.

[m33p0]

ginobili will be great but amare is a serious contender


there's a big difference. amare has someone shoving him the ball. manu is creating his own shots.

[Manudona]

I think that the photo really shows Manu's BB IQ

[E20]

Oh yeah I forgot AI on that list.

[timvp]

The All-Star game would be a joke without three Spurs if they continue playing anything like they are right now. Even if they cool off, the Spurs should still get all three.

After the Pistons won that championship, there was an outcry to get as many Pistons as possible on the All-Star team. I'd be nice for something similar to happen for the Spurs after their fourth championship.

[freemeat]

I think it will...because coaches love the way Manu plays. And they're the ones that will put him on the team. When Manu goes off...he's not just tearing the other team a new whole, he's tearing the coaches a new hole.

I'm not saying these two games did it...I'm saying they finished it...Sloan and Avery coached teams ought to impress every coach that watches, that isn't already impressed.

If I'm wrong on the AS Team...it'll be the first time I'm wrong about it in the history of SpursTalk.


Holy Shit!

[anakha]

Given the quality of these last two teams the Spurs played, and the fact that Duncan wasn't a part of either game, should be enough to tilt the scales in Ginobili's favor for PotW considerations.

Parker one week, Ginobili another? That would be awesome.

[whottt]

And how many guards are allowed on the AS team?


There's a little bit of versatility there...sometimes it's overloaded with guards, sometimes it's overloaded with forwards...sometimes it's split evenly.


Sometimes a guy is injured and in that case I believe the head coach has the option of picking who he wants.


The fact that the C position sucks actully helps quite a bit since they can play Dirk and Tim at C...so guard may be the position they bring the overload on.


5 starters...

2 G
2 F
1 C


If you pencil in the obvious starters:

Nash?
Kobe
Tmac
Duncan
Yao

That leaves 8-10 guys(I think they might use a full 15 man roster but I'm not 100% certain).

I could see them bringing 6 guards easily...because there are that many deserving guards.


Keep in mind....the international origins of Manu and Parker make them attractive selections in Stern's eyes...and I'm sure the coaches are asked to take that sort of thing into consideration...globalizing the game and all that.

[nfg3]

I think he should get it, too. With TD out and back to back 30+ games against quality teams should be the deciding factor.

As for making the AS team I would love to see the Big 3 make it but as Kori has stated there are a ton of quality guards in the West. And there is a lot of time before voting even starts.

[Freeze]

The 1-2 slots are pretty deep in the WC.

Manu
Tony
DW
CP
Baron Davis
Kevin Martin
Kobe(Starter)
T-Mac(Starter)
Steve Nash (Starter)

All of them are potentially backup AS canidates, excep the ones with (Starter). Am I missing anybody?

And how many guards are allowed on the AS team?

I believe you can't get 3 starting guards from the ballot...

Back to the topic, Manu's has been amazing this week, but can a player win POW with only 2 games played ?

[freemeat]

Keep in mind....the international origins of Manu and Parker make them attractive selections in Stern's eyes...and I'm sure the coaches are asked to take that sort of thing into consideration...globalizing the game and all that.

You're pretty good at pointing out random shit like that!

[MaNuMaNiAc]

I believe you can't get 3 starting guards from the ballot...

Back to the topic, Manu's has been amazing this week, but can a player win POW with only 2 games played ?This is his third 30+ pt game of the week

[kolko]

This is his third 30+ pt game of the week
No. The week started last sunday, so it's 2.

[Cloud786]

Tmac, Kobe, and Nash all can't start.. all 3 are listed as guards. It's probably gonna be Kobe and Nash, Dirk and Timmy, and Yao.

[E20]

T-Mac is a Small Forward, Kobe is a Shooting Guard, and Nash is a Point Guard. I think this has happend before. Unless if Kobe and T-Mac are both listed under Guards.

[bdictjames]

T-Mac is a Small Forward, Kobe is a Shooting Guard, and Nash is a Point Guard. I think this has happend before.
But Tmac is listed as a guard in the ballot. I highly doubt he'd get one forward spot.

IMO, its gonna be either Duncan, Dirk, or Boozer fighting for the fans' votes.

Not anything to do with the thread, but I hope Tyson Chandler gets in this year. Doubt it though.

[E20]

Because I remember the year when the ASG was held in Housten, where KG didn't start and the starting lineup was:
Yao
Duncan
T-Mac
Kobe
Nash

[bdictjames]

Because I remember the year when the ASG was held in Housten, where KG didn't start and the starting lineup was:
Yao
Duncan
T-Mac
Kobe
Nash

No actually Garnett started, and Yao didn't play (injured), and Duncan was moved to the center position. Dirk was given the forward spot.

I knew this because I remember as great Nash was, he was never voted in starter in the ASG. :toast

[Vingianx]

But Tmac is listed as a guard in the ballot. I highly doubt he'd get one forward spot.

IMO, its gonna be either Duncan, Dirk, or Boozer fighting for the fans' votes.

Not anything to do with the thread, but I hope Tyson Chandler gets in this year. Doubt it though.


I keep voting for Tyson Chandler everytime even though he's up against Yao

[Avitus1]

Needs to be Manu. If its not it'll be a travesty.

[da_suns_fan__]

What about Nash?

He already has 4 wins this week while averaging 17.3 assists and only 2.5 turnovers.

And he has another game tonight.

[da_suns_fan__]

Then again...Stoudemire also has four wins scoring 30.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.3 blocks while shooting freaking 72% from the field and 86% percent from the line.

My vote goes to whoever plays the best tonight.

[da_suns_fan__]

Ginobili averaged 28.3 points this week on 43% shooting for three wins.

Has to be Stoudemire.

[ChumpDumper]

It's going to be Iverson.

[da_suns_fan__]

It's going to be Iverson.

Could be....but I doubt they'd give it to him since the Nuggs lost against the Lakers even though he had a big game for three quarters.

It should be Stat.

[ChumpDumper]

You score over 50, you usually get POW.

Not that any of it really matters.

[da_suns_fan__]

You score over 50, you usually get POW.

Not that any of it really matters.


Maybe Amare will score 50 tonight.

But youre right; it doesn't matter.

[Bruno]

Ginobili averaged 28.3 points this week on 43% shooting for three wins.

Has to be Stoudemire.

No.
POTW award is from Monday to Sunday. Manu has averaged 37ppg in 2 games.

[Tippecanoe]

AI will be POW hands down

sorry spurs fans

[Jimcs50]

If Duncan wasn't out, the other guys would have a case.

But AI lost the game he scored 51.

I would bet Jim's house and IRA that Manu wins it.


I lost those a long time ago.

:)

[meta2007]

For ASG, 12 players:

Three SG, and it should be and will be Manu, Kobe, and Tmac.

Two C, and it should be and will be Yao and Stoudemire.

Two PF, and it should be and will be Duncan and Dirk.

Two SF, and it should be and will be Melo and :wtf

Three PG, it should be and will be Nash , Iverson, and another one of (Davis, Paul, Williams, and Parker).

Of course, it could be only one SF, and move Tmac to play SF and Iverson to play SG sometimes. Then, there will be four PG. I think Parker is last season's final MVP and thus should have one spot.

[whottt]

For ASG, 12 players:

Three SG, and it should be and will be Manu, Kobe, and Tmac.

Two C, and it should be and will be Yao and Stoudemire.

Two PF, and it should be and will be Duncan and Dirk.

Two SF, and it should be and will be Melo and :wtf

Three PG, it should be and will be Nash , Iverson, and another one of (Davis, Paul, Williams, and Parker).

Of course, it could be only one SF, and move Tmac to play SF and Iverson to play SG sometimes. Then, there will be four PG. I think Parker is last season's final MVP and thus should have one spot.


There's no gurantee the roster will be split up the way you say...the coaches add the back ups after the voting is pretty much decided and there are no set position quotas for the backups.

[meta2007]

Suns 93 : 100 Timberwolves, and Amare 16pts and 5rbs.


Maybe Amare will score 50 tonight.

[meta2007]

Actually, when coaches vote, they always vote according to positions.


There's no gurantee the roster will be split up the way you say...the coaches add the back ups after the voting is pretty much decided and there are no set position quotas for the backups.

[meta2007]

Another possibility is 3 PF (Duncan, Dirk, and Boozer) and 1SF (Melo)!


For ASG, 12 players:

Three SG, and it should be and will be Manu, Kobe, and Tmac.

Two C, and it should be and will be Yao and Stoudemire.

Two PF, and it should be and will be Duncan and Dirk.

Two SF, and it should be and will be Melo and :wtf

Three PG, it should be and will be Nash , Iverson, and another one of (Davis, Paul, Williams, and Parker).

Of course, it could be only one SF, and move Tmac to play SF and Iverson to play SG sometimes. Then, there will be four PG. I think Parker is last season's final MVP and thus should have one spot.

[bigbendbruisebrother]

vbookie please

[meta2007]

Because of injury, there might be more than 12 players to be selected.

[kolko]

Brandon Roy was selected the Western Conference Player of the Week.

[timvp]

Brandon Roy was selected the Western Conference Player of the Week.Lame :td

Roy helped the Blazers beat Memphis, Miami and Milwaukee. :jack

[meta2007]

I guess it is because Spurs only played two games last week.

[E20]

I think Manu will be voted for Player of the Month. :lol

[meta2007]

+ 1


I think Manu will be voted for Player of the Month. :lol

[MoSpur]

Too bad.

[ArgSpursFan.]

player of the week: meaningless award
back to back championships:Priceless

I think Manu is more focus on the 2nd option tham a stupid individual weekly award.

[whottt]

Actually, when coaches vote, they always vote according to positions.


I've seen them do it differently...in situations where they hade extreme depth at certain positions in a given year. I've seen them take extra guards or extra forwards before.

[FromWayDowntown]

For the past few years, the coaches vote on 1 center, 2 forwards, and 2 guards as well as 2 wild cards. Here's a Hollinger piece (http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/allstar2007/insider/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&id=2751487) (take it for what it's worth) about the perceived injustices in the All-Star selection process last year:


Blame the system.

It's easy to think that the Western Conference coaches are fools for taking three guards on the All-Star team when the conference is dominated by forwards. It gets even easier when one realizes the league's leading scorer was among the omissions.

But the result of any vote is only as good as the system it uses, and in this case the All-Star voting process has a fairly obscure flaw that can lead to results like the ones we saw Thursday. The way it's set up, it's possible for multiple players at a position with weak competition to make the squad ahead of better players at a very strong position, even if that's a result that none of the coaches intended.

Let me construct a model of the vote and walk you through it so you can see what I mean. The system requires the coaches to choose two guards, two forwards, a center and two "wild cards" from any position. The league then tallies up everybody's votes and announces the winners.

We'll begin with the Western Conference guards. One of the choices was obvious: Steve Nash. Presumably he was on every ballot except Mike D'Antoni's (coaches can't vote for their own players). But at the other guard spot, suppose that the coaches were evenly split between Tony Parker and Allen Iverson as the second guard, and that no other candidate drew a vote. Additionally, suppose that D'Antoni would vote for both since he can't select Nash. In this example, it's possible that each would end up with eight votes from the 15 coaches.

Now move on to the forwards. Again, there were two fairly obvious choices: Dirk Nowitzki and Carlos Boozer. Dirk was probably unanimous except for his own coach, and Boozer may have been, as well (the votes were cast before the extent of Boozer's knee injury was known).

At center, Amare Stoudemire was also probably a near-unanimous choice (though it doesn't affect the discussion any if Marcus Camby got a few votes.)

Here's where it gets tricky. The coaches can also select two wild cards at any position to fill out their roster. Presumably they all went for forwards, given the strength of the position in the West. But if they all went for different forwards, there's a real problem. Suppose that among the four primary candidates at forward -- Shawn Marion, Josh Howard and Elton Brand -- Marion pulled down 11 votes while the other three got seven apiece.

In that case, when the league tallied up the votes, the final result would be:


Nowitzki -- 14
Nash -- 14
Boozer -- 14
Stoudemire -- 14
Marion -- 11
Parker -- 8
Iverson -- 8
Anthony -- 7
Brand -- 7
Howard -- 7


So Parker and Iverson would make it ahead of the three forwards, even though no coach (except D'Antoni, who had to) put both players on their ballot. Which is a striking outcome, because it produces three guards on the team even if every coach wanted only two.

And the more muddled the forward picture gets, the more likely this scenario is to happen. For instance, if Zach Randolph had pinched a few votes from the other three at the bottom, the margin between the two guards and the forward would be even greater. In fact, in extreme cases it's possible to end up with four guards and two forwards on the team even if the coaches wanted four forwards and two guards.

We can't know whether this is what happened because the league doesn't announce the voting results, but it's the most logical explanation. And if it is the cause, this probably isn't the first time. For instance, the Eastern Conference had a few weird years at the start of the decade when two centers made it as reserves even though the league was dominated by guards -- this model shows why.

Is there an easy way to fix it? Sure.

Have the coaches vote for the five subs at each position first. Then have them vote for the two "wild cards" at any position from the players that are left. It would take a little longer and wouldn't produce a tidy little announcement of all seven players at once. But if that system were in place, the Western Conference would have four forwards and two guards on the squad like everybody intended, rather than an All-Star team nobody would have selected on his own.

[meta2007]

I remeber last season there were 16 players were selected in WC team because of injury, and actually only a few guards were selected. Hopefully this season more guards will be selected.


I've seen them do it differently...in situations where they hade extreme depth at certain positions in a given year. I've seen them take extra guards or extra forwards before.

[Freeze]

Manu's has been amazing this week, but can a player win POW with only 2 games played ?

NBA honors Roy, Smith

December 10, 2007
NEW YORK (TICKER) -- The Portland Trail Blazers have won their last three games, thanks in large part to guard Brandon Roy.

As a result, Roy was named Western Conference Player of the Week on Monday.

Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith earned the honor in the Eastern Conference.

In Portland's three wins last week, Roy averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists.

The reigning Rookie of the Year posted career highs of nine assists an eight defensive rebounds in the Trail Blazers' 117-113 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.

Roy also tied a career high with 11 field goals made in victories over the Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies.

Smith led the Magic to a 3-1 week, averaging 22.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.3 blocks.

On Thursday, Smith tied an NBA season high with seven seven blocks to go along with 28 points and seven rebounds in a 90-89 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Other nominees for the awards were Denver's Allen Iverson, Detroit's Chauncey Billups, New Orleans' Chris Paul and Washington's Caron Butler.

Manu is not even in the nominees, 2 games played is definitively not enough to be picked as candidate.

[bigfundamental21]

Damn shame. I can't believe he wasn't even a nominee. Manu is way more deserving than Roy.

[whottt]

I remeber last season there were 16 players were selected in WC team because of injury, and actually only a few guards were selected. Hopefully this season more guards will be selected.


Like FWDT just said...there are two Wild Card Spots...

Plus, if some guy is injured late, I think the coach of the Team can select whoever he wants.

[FromWayDowntown]

Like FWDT just said...there are two Wild Card Spots...

Plus, if some guy is injured late, I think the coach of the Team can select whoever he wants.

It's actually the Commissioner who selects the injury replacements. I think, in general, Stern tries to select positional replacements, but he has, in some years, used that power to add deserving players regardless of position. Last year, for instance, the Commish had two rounds of replacements to appoint for the West. The first round, he had to replace Iverson and Nash, both guards. He chose Ray Allen, a guard, and Mehmet Okur, a center. The second round, he had to replace Yao, a center, and Carlos Boozer, a forward. He chose Josh Howard and Carmelo Anthony, both forwards (arguably). In the end he replaced 2 guards, 1 forward, and 1 center with 1 guard, 2 forwards, and 1 center.

[m33p0]

Roy? who the hell is Roy?! trailblazers didn't do enough to even make a ripple last week. ah well.

[TMTTRIO]

By the way Charles Barkley just said that you can go ahead and give Manu the 6MOY award now (even though Manu said he hates that award).

[LilMissSPURfect]

By the way Charles Barkley just said that you can go ahead and give Manu the 6MOY award now (even though Manu said he hates that award).

How bout the MVP award manu....? u like that one? lo que tu quieres !!!! :p:

[greens]

NBA honors Roy, Smith

December 10, 2007
NEW YORK (TICKER) -- The Portland Trail Blazers have won their last three games, thanks in large part to guard Brandon Roy.

As a result, Roy was named Western Conference Player of the Week on Monday.

Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith earned the honor in the Eastern Conference.

In Portland's three wins last week, Roy averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists.

The reigning Rookie of the Year posted career highs of nine assists an eight defensive rebounds in the Trail Blazers' 117-113 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.

Roy also tied a career high with 11 field goals made in victories over the Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies.

Smith led the Magic to a 3-1 week, averaging 22.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.3 blocks.

On Thursday, Smith tied an NBA season high with seven seven blocks to go along with 28 points and seven rebounds in a 90-89 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Other nominees for the awards were Denver's Allen Iverson, Detroit's Chauncey Billups, New Orleans' Chris Paul and Washington's Caron Butler.

Manu is not even in the nominees, 2 games played is definitively not enough to be picked as candidate.



Just found more articles...and Manu was actually a nominee:

http://www.nba.com/blazers/news/Brandon_Roy_Name_NBArsquos_W-247859-1218.html

Other nominees for the honor were Allen Iverson, Chris Paul, Manu Ginobili, Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash.


http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/1197345313250200.xml&coll=7

Roy, who is averaging 17.9 points, 5.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds this season, beat out a host of All-Stars for the honor. Phoenix's Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire, New Orleans' Chris Paul, Denver's Allen Iverson and San Antonio's Manu Ginobili also were nominated.

"There were a lot of good players around the league that had really good weeks," Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. "One right off the top of my head is Ginobili. Ginobili is playing well and when you look at what that team has done with Tim (Duncan) being out, for the league to recognize Brandon, I think, is a good thing. Especially after having a tough week or two."


It sounds like Nate thought Manu would get it...

[meta2007]

I hope Nate McMillan will vote for Manu!

[SpurOutofTownFan]

Damn shame. I can't believe he wasn't even a nominee. Manu is way more deserving than Roy.

I'm surprised they didn't even consider the circumstances and how gimped we were without Duncan. This is why I say Manu is underrated outside of SA. I live outside, I know it.

[greens]

I hope Nate McMillan will vote for Manu!


I think he might. Coach Jerry Sloan also praised Manu highly after the Utah game...said that "he took us to school..."

[jmard5]

Manu = Now I know why everyone goes for my head, it actually looks like a basketball.

Ah. Reminds of the football/soccer commercial where they replaced people's heads with soccer balls.