biba
02-02-2008, 04:04 PM
Scouts Views: Banged up Spurs are champs until someone beats them
Ryan Fagan Posted: February 2, 2008
http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=346209
Sure, nobody's panicking deep in the heart of Texas, but it's a little disconcerting that the Spurs are only 12-13 since starting the season with a glittering 17-3 record. And with the team in the middle of its annual rodeo road trip, home cooking is out as a remedy. Of course, it can't hurt that the final six games of the road trip are against Eastern Conference teams. An NBA scout takes a look at what's happening with the boys from San Antonio.
What's the biggest problem for the Spurs right now?
Obviously missing Tony Parker has hurt them. He's their catalyst, so him being out has taken off the wheels a little bit, but I think signing Damon Stoudamire will help them (Stoudamire informed the team Wednesday he would sign, but hasn't yet). For one, he gives them another offensive presence out there. They're relying on Jacque Vaughn right now, so teams are just lying off of him because he's not much of an offensive threat. They're just packing in on Tim Duncan and key in on Manu Ginobili. Now, if they get a little bit of scoring punch from Stoudamire, that'll help. It'll be tough for him to jump right in, but I think ultimately he's going to help them. And when Parker comes back, Stoudamire will be a good addition to the bench, more scoring punch off the bench.
Does Stoudamire really have anything left?
He brings a veteran presence. He's not going to be asked to do a whole lot other than make shots and lead the team and not force the action. He's a good pickup for the stretch run, especially now with Parker out. They were struggling with a backup point guard to begin with, and I think now it's even more magnified with Parker being out for an indefinite amount of time.
What are the Spurs missing with Parker out of the lineup?
His quickness is first and foremost. He's one of the fastest players in the league. His ability to break down the defense creates so many other opportunities for his shooters out on the perimeter, not to mention opportunities for dunking down low. It's his ability to get into the paint -- statistically over the past couple of years, he's been one of the leaders in the paint as a point guard, and that's kind of an odd statistic. With his ability to get in and break down the defense, he's a tough matchup for teams to try to stop. And when you take that, and his explosiveness and ability to handle pick-and-roll situations out of the lineup, it makes it a little easier to guard everyone else. Not to mention his veteran poise and leadership with that team.
They Spurs have fallen into the fifth spot in the conference standings. Are they OK if they don't have the home-court advantage in the playoffs?
The way they're looking at it now is that they're going to sit Parker now and get him healthy because they're more concerned about being healthy and being ready to go in the playoffs rather than now. They're a veteran team, and I think the home-court advantage doesn't mean as much to them as it does to other teams. If you look at it, there's not going to be that much difference between the No. 1 and the No. 8 seed in the West. Every matchup in that first round is going to be tough. Whether you're the 2, 3 or 4 seed, you're still going to have a tough matchup in the first round. San Antonio has the luxury of just worrying about getting healthy going into the playoffs and going from there.
What else is going wrong with them?
I think part of their struggle has been that they're not getting much out of their bench. They really miss Brent Barry, his ability to stretch the defense. And Michael Finley, Robert Horry and Bruce Bowen, their veteran guys, are not making shots. Horry's shooting something like 18 percent from the field and Finley and Bowen are both shooting under 40 percent. I know Bowen's not much of a scoring threat, but he usually at least keeps teams honest out there. They've been struggling to find other scoring threats, and I think that's how Stoudamire might help the team, with is ability to make some shots and stretch the defense a bit.
OK, let's say they get healthy by the playoffs. Can this team make another run?
I definitely think so. Obviously they're a very well-coached team, and their defense is suffocating at times. When they have time to prepare for a full series in the playoffs, they're a tough team to beat. They're a veteran team that knows what it takes to advance. They can grind it out, and they can play different styles. They can play a little up-tempo, too. The Phoenixs and Golden States play a certain style, but San Antonio can play a couple of different styles. The Spurs are the champions until somebody beats them.
Ryan Fagan is a writer for Sporting News.
E-mail him at [email protected].
Ryan Fagan Posted: February 2, 2008
http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=346209
Sure, nobody's panicking deep in the heart of Texas, but it's a little disconcerting that the Spurs are only 12-13 since starting the season with a glittering 17-3 record. And with the team in the middle of its annual rodeo road trip, home cooking is out as a remedy. Of course, it can't hurt that the final six games of the road trip are against Eastern Conference teams. An NBA scout takes a look at what's happening with the boys from San Antonio.
What's the biggest problem for the Spurs right now?
Obviously missing Tony Parker has hurt them. He's their catalyst, so him being out has taken off the wheels a little bit, but I think signing Damon Stoudamire will help them (Stoudamire informed the team Wednesday he would sign, but hasn't yet). For one, he gives them another offensive presence out there. They're relying on Jacque Vaughn right now, so teams are just lying off of him because he's not much of an offensive threat. They're just packing in on Tim Duncan and key in on Manu Ginobili. Now, if they get a little bit of scoring punch from Stoudamire, that'll help. It'll be tough for him to jump right in, but I think ultimately he's going to help them. And when Parker comes back, Stoudamire will be a good addition to the bench, more scoring punch off the bench.
Does Stoudamire really have anything left?
He brings a veteran presence. He's not going to be asked to do a whole lot other than make shots and lead the team and not force the action. He's a good pickup for the stretch run, especially now with Parker out. They were struggling with a backup point guard to begin with, and I think now it's even more magnified with Parker being out for an indefinite amount of time.
What are the Spurs missing with Parker out of the lineup?
His quickness is first and foremost. He's one of the fastest players in the league. His ability to break down the defense creates so many other opportunities for his shooters out on the perimeter, not to mention opportunities for dunking down low. It's his ability to get into the paint -- statistically over the past couple of years, he's been one of the leaders in the paint as a point guard, and that's kind of an odd statistic. With his ability to get in and break down the defense, he's a tough matchup for teams to try to stop. And when you take that, and his explosiveness and ability to handle pick-and-roll situations out of the lineup, it makes it a little easier to guard everyone else. Not to mention his veteran poise and leadership with that team.
They Spurs have fallen into the fifth spot in the conference standings. Are they OK if they don't have the home-court advantage in the playoffs?
The way they're looking at it now is that they're going to sit Parker now and get him healthy because they're more concerned about being healthy and being ready to go in the playoffs rather than now. They're a veteran team, and I think the home-court advantage doesn't mean as much to them as it does to other teams. If you look at it, there's not going to be that much difference between the No. 1 and the No. 8 seed in the West. Every matchup in that first round is going to be tough. Whether you're the 2, 3 or 4 seed, you're still going to have a tough matchup in the first round. San Antonio has the luxury of just worrying about getting healthy going into the playoffs and going from there.
What else is going wrong with them?
I think part of their struggle has been that they're not getting much out of their bench. They really miss Brent Barry, his ability to stretch the defense. And Michael Finley, Robert Horry and Bruce Bowen, their veteran guys, are not making shots. Horry's shooting something like 18 percent from the field and Finley and Bowen are both shooting under 40 percent. I know Bowen's not much of a scoring threat, but he usually at least keeps teams honest out there. They've been struggling to find other scoring threats, and I think that's how Stoudamire might help the team, with is ability to make some shots and stretch the defense a bit.
OK, let's say they get healthy by the playoffs. Can this team make another run?
I definitely think so. Obviously they're a very well-coached team, and their defense is suffocating at times. When they have time to prepare for a full series in the playoffs, they're a tough team to beat. They're a veteran team that knows what it takes to advance. They can grind it out, and they can play different styles. They can play a little up-tempo, too. The Phoenixs and Golden States play a certain style, but San Antonio can play a couple of different styles. The Spurs are the champions until somebody beats them.
Ryan Fagan is a writer for Sporting News.
E-mail him at [email protected].