Kori Ellis
01-05-2005, 07:12 AM
Spurs New Look Rotation
http://www.woai.com/spurs/story.aspx?content_id=DF6F7A83-0CAE-4869-87EA-6FD02FB6ACAF
By Kori Ellis
SpursZONE.com
Quietly, without much acclaim, the San Antonio Spurs and head coach Gregg Popovich have been utilizing a different player rotation recently. For a good chunk of the season, Popovich had gone with Devin Brown as the first swingman off the bench and Malik Rose as the team's first bigman substitution.
Over the last stretch of games, that rotation has been overhauled. Coming off the bench, Brent Barry is now the first swingman and Robert Horry the first bigman. Though the change doesn't seem like a huge deal, it will totally alter the strengths of the team as they approach the midpoint of the season.
Brown and Rose are both energy players who are always in attack mode and play aggressively on both ends of the court. Those same attributes also work against them. The pair have a tendency to run hot or cold, and they're aggressive play can get the team into compromising situations.
Barry and Horry are cerebral players who are more apt to make the smart play. They both are also accomplished three-point shooters, which is a good trait in players who are to surround Tim Duncan. However, Barry and Horry don't bring the same youthful energy to the court that Brown and Rose do.
That leads to the question of if the Spurs need smarts and shooting ability or aggressiveness and athleticism coming off the bench. A strong case can be made for either, but right now it looks as if Popovich has settled on the former.
Barry has responded to the increased playing time. He's played at least 26 minutes in three out of the last four games and is averaging 11.8 points on 48.3% from the field and 42.1% from beyond the arc in that time span. Horry has been playing well for a while now. In December, he averaged 4.5 points and 3.4 rebounds, while shooting 44.2% from the floor, 41.2% from three-point land and 85.7% from the line.
Against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night in the SBC Center, Barry and Horry were the first reserves called upon at their respective positions. In the coming games, it'll be interesting to see how Popovich employs the bench players and how those decisions change the culture of the team.
http://www.woai.com/spurs/story.aspx?content_id=DF6F7A83-0CAE-4869-87EA-6FD02FB6ACAF
By Kori Ellis
SpursZONE.com
Quietly, without much acclaim, the San Antonio Spurs and head coach Gregg Popovich have been utilizing a different player rotation recently. For a good chunk of the season, Popovich had gone with Devin Brown as the first swingman off the bench and Malik Rose as the team's first bigman substitution.
Over the last stretch of games, that rotation has been overhauled. Coming off the bench, Brent Barry is now the first swingman and Robert Horry the first bigman. Though the change doesn't seem like a huge deal, it will totally alter the strengths of the team as they approach the midpoint of the season.
Brown and Rose are both energy players who are always in attack mode and play aggressively on both ends of the court. Those same attributes also work against them. The pair have a tendency to run hot or cold, and they're aggressive play can get the team into compromising situations.
Barry and Horry are cerebral players who are more apt to make the smart play. They both are also accomplished three-point shooters, which is a good trait in players who are to surround Tim Duncan. However, Barry and Horry don't bring the same youthful energy to the court that Brown and Rose do.
That leads to the question of if the Spurs need smarts and shooting ability or aggressiveness and athleticism coming off the bench. A strong case can be made for either, but right now it looks as if Popovich has settled on the former.
Barry has responded to the increased playing time. He's played at least 26 minutes in three out of the last four games and is averaging 11.8 points on 48.3% from the field and 42.1% from beyond the arc in that time span. Horry has been playing well for a while now. In December, he averaged 4.5 points and 3.4 rebounds, while shooting 44.2% from the floor, 41.2% from three-point land and 85.7% from the line.
Against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night in the SBC Center, Barry and Horry were the first reserves called upon at their respective positions. In the coming games, it'll be interesting to see how Popovich employs the bench players and how those decisions change the culture of the team.