Another Bonner DNP

[bigfan]

Man, what did the guy do, call Pop an ass----? He is sure getting the Beno treatment and since he's got another year Id sure like to see him get back into the game. Otherwise, just cut the guy.

[BonnerDynasty]

CIA Bonner.

[loveforthegame]

Who would Bonner have guarded? Dirk? Dampier? Bass?

[nfg3]

With Barry coming back Bonner better get used to this. I really don't see him playing significant minutes dwon the stretch and he had better work his ass off this summer since next year will be a make or break situation for him IMO.

[td4mvp21]

Another win.

[Trainwreck2100]

I would have titled this "The Red Rocket Stays Grounded"

[itzsoweezee]

he's just not very good. do you seriously believe he deserves to take PT away from horry , oberto, or thomas?

[GSH]

Doesn't Malik have one more year left on his contract with the Knicks? I wonder if he and Bonner will be roommates? Not many escapees from Pop's doghouse.

[BonnerDynasty]

I doubt he is in Pop's doghouse. He is just the suckiest big man behind Duncan, Oberto, Horry, and Thomas.

Bonner's defense has improved since the start of the season but he better be working on it every single day or he isn't earning that 3mil a year.

We are getting near the stretch and Spurs can't depend on him for championship performance yet. Simple as that.

[some_user86]

^ What he said.

It's not that he isn't any good. It's that we've got 4 bigs that are ahead of him in the rotation. He's taking one for the team. What's with you guys and not paying attention when it is clearly stated several times (in numerous articles and Spurs' quotes) why he isn't being played.

[jag]

I would have titled this "The Red Rocket Stays Grounded"

"Red Rocket remains flaccid"??

[ss1986v2]

you expect the 12th man to see PT during a game like this one?

[rasho8]

I see Tim/Oberto/Parker/Bruce/Ginobili backed up by Thomas/Stoudamire/Barry/Finley/Udoka Vaughn/Bonner will clean up the scraps and replace people in foul trouble.

[GSH]

I doubt he is in Pop's doghouse. He is just the suckiest big man behind Duncan, Oberto, Horry, and Thomas.

Bonner's defense has improved since the start of the season but he better be working on it every single day or he isn't earning that 3mil a year.

We are getting near the stretch and Spurs can't depend on him for championship performance yet. Simple as that.

I'm not reading Pop's personal e-mail, and you could be right. But I think he's in the doghouse just like Malik and Benoh and Nazr were over the last few seasons.

The other night against Atlanta, when we were on our way to a 5-point quarter and no one could put the little ball through the ring? I think he would have put Bonner in to try and get something started... anything to mentally take the lid off the basket. Whatever shortcomings Bonner has, he can knock down shots.

But Pop left him on the bench, eating his Scooby Snacks. Looks like the doghouse to me.

[T Park]

Hes not in the doghouse.

If Horry wasn't on the team, he would be getting Horry's minutes.

How many times must people say this for people to get it!?!?!?

[vander]

Hes not in the doghouse.

If Horry wasn't on the team, he would be getting Horry's minutes.

How many times must people say this for people to get it!?!?!?

hmm, so if something were to happed to horry, some sort of "accident"...

[Viva Las Espuelas]

yeah. and i'm glad we got thomas. his minutes were excellent tonight.

[BonnerDynasty]

I'm not reading Pop's personal e-mail, and you could be right. But I think he's in the doghouse just like Malik and Benoh and Nazr were over the last few seasons.

The other night against Atlanta, when we were on our way to a 5-point quarter and no one could put the little ball through the ring? I think he would have put Bonner in to try and get something started... anything to mentally take the lid off the basket. Whatever shortcomings Bonner has, he can knock down shots.

But Pop left him on the bench, eating his Scooby Snacks. Looks like the doghouse to me.

That's a good point. Early in the season, against those scrub teams, it was Bonner who got us back in the games. Lately though he doesn't even get those games...

[ChumpDumper]

I'm just waiting for the rule change so we can field the 14-man rotation we were destined to run.

[spursfan09]

Maybe the Spurs do hate the white players, huh Ploto?

[inconvertible]

he runs funny, DNP.

[K-State Spur]

somebody has to be at the end of the bench. what big would you put him ahead of?

[jcrod]

And he sucks, they should of let the guy walk. One of the worst resigning.

[ancestron]

They are just saving the secret weapon for the playoffs.

[Tek_XX]

Well tonight i think he could've taken the place of Horry who stunk up the joint. But otherwise he flat out sucks. What does the man bring if he's not hitting a three point shot?

[Obstructed_View]

somebody has to be at the end of the bench. what big would you put him ahead of?
He couldn't really have been worse than Horry, but nobody would have predicted that beforehand. It might have been nice to have someone who can make a basket. What's it hurt? Finley goes in the game all the time for his offense and in spite of his defense.

[some_user86]

Well tonight i think he could've taken the place of Horry who stunk up the joint. But otherwise he flat out sucks. What does the man bring if he's not hitting a three point shot?

Horry still > Bonner. If Horry isn't working, what makes you think Bonner will? It was a mismatch, and Bonner wouldn't have fared better. We had to go small to compete. I guess Bonner has been the SpursTalk whipping boy since Udrih left. It shows why we are neither coaches nor GMs in the NBA.

[Indazone]

Yeah Bonner whoo hooo! Makes that Scola trade all worth it now doesn't it. Bonner's salary for Scola!

[ChumpDumper]

Jackie Butler is putting up big numbers too.

[Obstructed_View]

Yeah Bonner whoo hooo! Makes that Scola trade all worth it now doesn't it. Bonner's salary for Scola!
I still don't understand why a Rocket fan would be complaining about that trade, other than it is going to cost them ping pong balls.

[anakha]

I still don't understand why a Rocket fan would be complaining about that trade, other than it is going to cost them ping pong balls.

...unless he's a Scola homer passing himself off as a Rocket fan.

[Twisted_Dawg]

Why all the sudden hate for Bonner??? When the Spurs signed him to that three year contract last summer, I posted a crtical thread about it and got slammed by many of the salad tossing Bonner fans.

http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73130

[TDMVPDPOY]

BONNER costs us two games!!! i still remember it!!

[Bruno]

Dallas is a bad matchup for Bonner is quite logical the he doesn't play. Even when Spurs play against a good matchup for Bonner, he doesn't play because he is Spurs 5th bigman.

Before giving up on Bonner, I will wait to see what eh will do next year. with Horry gone, he should get consistent playing time and I think it would greatly help him.

[K-State Spur]

He couldn't really have been worse than Horry, but nobody would have predicted that beforehand. It might have been nice to have someone who can make a basket. What's it hurt? Finley goes in the game all the time for his offense and in spite of his defense.

yeah, but Horry is going to be the first bigman off the bench come playoff time. bonner - even at his best - is more a match-up player. there are some teams he works against, others that he doesn't.

[Ghost Writer]

Who?


Bonner will not be a part of the playoff rotation.


This is not news.

[mrose31]

When we get Barry back who is going to not be suited up to play

Starters

Parker
Finley/Manu
Bowen
Duncan
Oberto

Bench

Manu/Finley
K. Thomas
B. Barry
Horry
Udoka
Damon

I guess its between Vaughn and Bonner unless someone is injured one of them can not play. I know they both can make playoff roster because you can have 13 players. But who will not be suited up? Bonner seems to kind of be in doghouse so I assume Vaughn will get to play.

[Mr. Body]

What match-up IS good for Bonner?

The guy's a 14-15 player in rotation. We paid him $3M a season to do it, but don't expect him to get regular minutes.

[pad300]

Dallas is a bad matchup for Bonner is quite logical the he doesn't play. Even when Spurs play against a good matchup for Bonner, he doesn't play because he is Spurs 5th bigman.

Before giving up on Bonner, I will wait to see what eh will do next year. with Horry gone, he should get consistent playing time and I think it would greatly help him.


I wouldn't bet the house on Bonner getting minutes next year. There will be 4 bigs getting minutes in any given game (I suspect). Two of those slots are pretty locked down, Duncan and Oberto. I expect us to either re-sign K. Thomas, who has looked good so far, or bring in another veteran big. There will be 4 players (Bonner, K. Thomas/other vet, Splitter, Mahinmi) competing for the remaining playing time. That looks to be a strong pool of players to compete against...

[BonnerDynasty]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=271211009

NEVER FORGET.

[Walton Buys Off Me]

Bonner's the worst Spur since Mengke Bateer- no mystery as to why he's not playing.

The fact that we gave him money we could have given to Scola makes me ill.

Again, for the all the brilliant stuff from RC Buford; Josh Howard, Leandro Barbosa and Luis Scola are about as boneheaded as they come.

[Mr. Body]

Bonner's the worst Spur since Mengke Bateer- no mystery as to why he's not playing.

The fact that we gave him money we could have given to Scola makes me ill.

Again, for the all the brilliant stuff from RC Buford; Josh Howard, Leandro Barbosa and Luis Scola are about as boneheaded as they come.

Pretty much says it. Bonner's a great energy guy to throw in to mop up blow-outs and get crowds to stick around, and maybe once in a while when everything else stagnates. But giving him Luis Scola's money was idiotic.

[AFBlue]

The way I felt in the past....

I only expect Bonner to get significant minutes this year if Horry continued to struggle throughout the season. They have similar skill sets, but Horry does all of the intangible things that we've learned we can't count on from Bonner.

But when Horry leaves, Bonner will assume his role/minutes.


The way I feel now....

Bonner could join Butler as free agent mistakes that never fit into this system and were traded away. My only hope is that the Spurs don't include Splitter or Mahinmi as a sweetner to get rid of Bonner's contract.

[dbestpro]

Bonner provides one skill. In the past the Spurs would build a 20 point lead only to watch the lead erode away as the second and third stringers would suck. Bonner is an excellent third stringer in that he can score and help keep the lead in mop up time.

[Bruno]

I wouldn't bet the house on Bonner getting minutes next year.

With Horry gone, Bonner will likely be the only big able to stretch the floor next year. Unless he really sucks next year, he will get consistent playing time.

[urunobili]

Luis Scola thread!

[jcrod]

Dallas is a bad matchup for Bonner is quite logical the he doesn't play. Even when Spurs play against a good matchup for Bonner, he doesn't play because he is Spurs 5th bigman.

Before giving up on Bonner, I will wait to see what eh will do next year. with Horry gone, he should get consistent playing time and I think it would greatly help him.


We will lose more games than win if that happens. Here's hoping some sucker GM trades for him.

[barbacoataco]

No surprise to me that Bonner didn't play, since there are 4 bigs in front of him. If Barry returns and is healthy, Bonner or Vaughn will have to be inactive in the playoffs. Unless Stoudamire really impresses, I think it might be Bonner. Pop seems to like Vaughn, and knows that Vaughn played well enough as a backup last year to help the Spurs win a championship, while Bonner wasn't really in the playoff rotation last year.

The Spurs might be keeping Bonner around for next year for his 3-pt shooting. If they lose Barry, Finley and Horry next year that is a lot of their perimeter shooting. Perhaps he could se time next year as more of a SF, brought into the game to shoot the 3-ball.

[ChumpDumper]

If you can find another PF who can hit the 3, then you can get rid of Bonner.

[smeagol]

Bonner > Scola

We all know that . . .

[The Truth #6]

I think Bonner would have been a decent match against Bass last night, especially with Horry having a bad game.

But Bonner is absolutely in the doghouse. The last time I remember him going in at a meaningful part of the game was in Boston when Pop pulled him after 2 plays, most likely to his huge embarassment after having bought tickets for all his friends to see him play.

Bonner now reminds me of late era Beno when he's in the game. He jacks up shots as quickly as he can to prove he can play. I think for the moment his confidence is shot. He was never the clutch Horry replacement they wanted him to be. If he was making like 1.7 or so a year it wouldn't be as big a deal. Perhaps it will turn around for him next year but at this point I think he's in Malik/Nazr territory.

[ArgSpursFan.]

He's not in the doghouse,he just sucks,simple.

[timvp]

Bonner's biggest enemy right now is his own basketball IQ. His read and react skills both offensively and defensively are dismal. It's like there is a time delay between when he sees something and when his body reacts. As long as he has that flaw, Pop won't play him.

Hopefully his 2007-08 season is over because if it's not that means a bigman got hurt. 2008-09 could be his year. I'm just hoping that the Spurs don't do something stupid like use Mahinmi or Splitter to dump Bonner's contract.

[whottt]

I'm not sure they'll dump Bonner...he's proven to have solid value as an emergency starter for Duncan if nothing else. I think he's here as much for chemistry as on court contributions as well.

Keep in mind...if Horry retrires, Pop wants a big who can shoot the three...



It does make you wonder though...why do they sign these guys to thse deals and then turn around and doghouse or try and trade them...is my scouting talent that much better than the Spurs that I saw this guy was not going to be a replacement for Horry instantaneously?

If they realize they want to move him then why not play him and up his trade value...

[ChumpDumper]

There appears to be no reason to dump salaries these next two seasons. The trick will be finding people who are willing to play on one or two year deals.

[Bruno]

There appears to be no reason to dump salaries these next two seasons.

Agree. Spurs have no real reason to dump Bonner unlike with Malik, Rasho and Butler.

I can see Spurs offering a 2 years contract to Kurt Thomas in the $3M/$4M per year range. They can ever do that before July with a contract extension.
Duncan, Oberto, Thomas, Bonner, Splitter and Mahinmi as bigmen looks good for the next two years.

[timvp]

Duncan, Oberto, Thomas, Bonner, Splitter and Mahinmi as bigmen looks good for the next two years.That looks almost too deep. In that scenario, Mahinmi wouldn't see the court until like 2011. Splitter would get Bonner minutes next year.

I think the Spurs will trim their bigman surplus one way or another. Now if Horry returns, things will really get interesting :lol

[Mr. Body]

Don't forget we'll probably draft someone like Serge Ibaka or Ante Tomic this year, too.

[jcrod]

If the only thing the big man (Booner) can do is shoot, Pop will not play him. He needs to be able to defend and rebound also (Horry). So Pop will continue to use Oberto and/or Thomas before Bonner. He's useless.

[Budkin]

Keep the stooge off the court please.

[barbacoataco]

IMHO the Spurs have too many young bigs going into 2009. How could they possibly find playing time for all of them, especially since Duncan, Oberto and maybe Thomas will be getting a lot of minutes. I think they will trade either Bonner, Mahinmi or Splitter's rights.

[Bruno]

That looks almost too deep. In that scenario, Mahinmi wouldn't see the court until like 2011. Splitter would get Bonner minutes next year.

Oberto 2010 years isn't fully guaranteed. Spurs could offer to Thomas a $8M/2 years contract with only $2M guaranteed on the second year. If Mahinmi and/or Splitter are good enough, Oberto and/or Thomas are gone in the 2009 summer.

I think Spurs will sign a solid vet bigman this summer. Having a PF/C bench with one player in the doghouse this year (Bonner) and 2 "rookies" is a quite big risk.

Maybe you are right and Spurs will trust their youngster enough and take the risk to sign only a "Kevin Willis like" bigman for the min.

[Budkin]

CIA Bonner.

Oh man that sig is just awesome! Dirk and Damp playing the parts of Moe and Curly!

[MajorMike]

Look, how much do you have to read into his money and minutes? The guy was given enough money to stay and the reason they wanted him to stay is because Horry is old and Timmy gets injured. Plain and simple. He is a comfortable and semi-expensive patch to keep the team going while one of the big fellas is down or tired. That's all; nothing more. Horry is a playoff player; we all know that. He needs to get into the rotation now just to get warmed up.

Barring injury, don't expect to see too much more of Bonner.

[Holt's Cat]

Bonner's biggest enemy right now is his own basketball IQ. His read and react skills both offensively and defensively are dismal. It's like there is a time delay between when he sees something and when his body reacts. As long as he has that flaw, Pop won't play him.

Hopefully his 2007-08 season is over because if it's not that means a bigman got hurt. 2008-09 could be his year. I'm just hoping that the Spurs don't do something stupid like use Mahinmi or Splitter to dump Bonner's contract.


Erase that shit. RC might see it.

[pad300]

That looks almost too deep. In that scenario, Mahinmi wouldn't see the court until like 2011. Splitter would get Bonner minutes next year.

I think the Spurs will trim their bigman surplus one way or another. Now if Horry returns, things will really get interesting :lol

I see it as 6 bigs - 4 core rotation, 1 emergency, 1 developing in Austin.

In Current terms that is
Duncan, Oberto, Horry, Thoma
Bonner
Mahinmi

I think the Spurs are assuming that only one of Mahinmi and Splitter will be ready enough for NBA play; the other one will get to season in the D-league...
You can't really expect two rookies to both start contributing at once. Heck, maybe neither of them is immediately NBA ready. At that point, I think then Bonner will start seeing minutes. However, if one of Splitter/Mahinmi is ready immediately, that would make next year look like this (assuming Thomas resigned using Bird Rights money)
Duncan Oberto, Thomas, Mahinmi/Splitter
Bonner
Mahinmi/Splitter.

96 minutes over 4 bigs. Duncan 32 MPG, 20MPG for Oberto, Thomas, and Mahinmi/Splitter. With 4 MPG for Bonner. That's not so bad. I expect that the team will explore options for moving a big man if both Mahinmi and Splitter work out rapidly. As for which one, I suspect it might be dependent on what they get back...

[SenorSpur]

Looks like someone will not be making the playoff roster

[Radiosparks]

Good minutes and points by the Red Rocket.

[Louie Vega]

The only Spurs big men Pop never fucked with are Tim and Dave. Every other big man since has got the dick!