James Anderson: Why You Should Expect Him to Play Immediately

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Originally Posted by benefactor

Place in my post where I said he shouldn't shoot when he is open? Go back and re-read what I said. I think you missed the point.

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I didn't say you said that. My point is, rookies tend to do exactly what you said -- defer b/c they are afraid of making a mistake. They won't shoot EVEN WHEN THEY ARE OPEN. Pop will tell him to be aggressive and shoot -- AND KEEP SHOOTING. I'd much rather see him missing than Bonner.

Again...you completely missed the point of that whole paragraph. That post is the longest one I have in me today, so I don't feel like explaining further if you can't figure it out. Perhaps tomorrow.

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Originally Posted by lurker23

PG: Parker/Hill/Temple/Jerrells
SG: (Hill)/Manu/Neal/Anderson
SF: Jefferson/Gee
PF: Duncan/Blair/Bonner

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good thoughts and write up as usual Lurker!:toast

still one major question open: Spurs still can (and I'm pretty sure will) sign a veteran wing. and that will be the crucial factor for Anderson's playing time.
they tried to sign either Bell and Jones this summer, even if we didn't hear much till then, it doesn't mean they stopped to try. Pop just wants a veteran in the Udoka, Bogans mold on the roster. (we shouldn't be surprised to see Bogans coming back). Anderson will fight with this veteran for minutes, if he is better (and not a liability on defense) he might get his 15-20 minutes.

If the Spurs sign a vet wing, it does not bode well for Anderson. Bogans was far from great, was sub par on defense, even worse on offense, got out played by younger guys and still started 50+ games.

I hope they don't sign any vets at this point.

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Originally Posted by mountainballer

still one major question open: Spurs still can (and I'm pretty sure will) sign a veteran wing. and that will be the crucial factor for Anderson's playing time.
they tried to sign either Bell and Jones this summer, even if we didn't hear much till then, it doesn't mean they stopped to try.

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I also think that Spurs will go after a vet SF but the lack of rumor makes me doubt.

Spurs went after Bell then Jones and then they sign Neal. Since the Neal signing, not a single rumor. It's possible Spurs were only looking at a shooter and they get one with Neal.

Yeah, but that was also before Hairston left. I could have been wrong, but I presumed he was going to fill the role Bogans did towards the end of last season. Backup SF/spot minutes/defensive specialist.

I can see the logic both ways. They could look at it and go "we're way too thin at SF and don't have a single wing capable of playing the defensive specialist role", or they could go "the market is picked bare, why waste our money and pay the tax or more tax for a minimal player who may not even be in our rotation and isn't substantially, if any better, than what we've got to play the defensive specialist role?".

They should offer Gee and a 2nd round pick for Young. In the "top 30 free agent SF" thread I explain my reasoning as to why this makes sense for both teams. Short of that or a trade of that ilk, they should probably just stand pat.

I don't want Bogans or someone similar, because then Pop will probably play them more than he should due to the fact that they're a veteran.

Whether they go into the season without an SF acquisition or not, if they're serious about winning the championship next season, at some point throughout the season they're more than likely going to have to address that spot.

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Originally Posted by CaptainLate

I didn't say you said that. My point is, rookies tend to do exactly what you said -- defer b/c they are afraid of making a mistake. They won't shoot EVEN WHEN THEY ARE OPEN. Pop will tell him to be aggressive and shoot -- AND KEEP SHOOTING. I'd much rather see him missing than Bonner.

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Is one player's missed shot worth more points than another player's missed shot in your world?

If the Spurs, after getting swept, extend Bonner, RJ and Bogans I will just have to laugh.

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Originally Posted by DPG21920

If the Spurs sign a vet wing, it does not bode well for Anderson. Bogans was far from great, was sub par on defense, even worse on offense, got out played by younger guys and still started 50+ games.

I hope they don't sign any vets at this point.

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I don't know. It would surely effect his minutes somewhat, but I still see Anderson getting minutes over Gee and Neal. It seems like the Spurs are pretty high on him and expect him to contribute right away. While there isn't too much to chose from, I would still feel better with that SF rotation bolstered a little bit more. Even if they wind up signing a vet who winds up losing his minutes to one of the young guys at some point, I still see a hole there that is filled with unknown potential right now. It would be nice to have a little experience there. Someone not named Bogans.

with RJ who played 34 minutes last season, we only need a stop-gap. Now, if we have an injury, we are hurting, that is very true.

I guess you are better off playing small but talented over bigger but flawed players, which is what the spurs get if they take any of what is left.

But otherwise, we probably just play alittle small at sf. At least we have some size now with splitter in the front court.

Lets remember that DX had him as the #7 SF in the draft.
"JAMES ANDERSON was nothing short of spectacular last season, and it shows here. His 1.07 overall PPP ranks second amongst all players, as do his 20 possessions used per-game. He was above the PPP every in every situation except for guarded catch and shoot situations, and has more experience running the pick and roll (2.9 Pos/G) than any other player on our rankings. High usage/high-efficiency players are extremely difficult to come by, and NBA teams may want to ponder if they’re missing the boat on Anderson due to the fact that he has not been spectacular in workouts. The same thing happened last year with Marcus Thornton.



From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com/article/...#ixzz0vJKwvucO
http://www.draftexpress.com

I agree that JA will have to learn first before he can trully be effective, but this is where I see it being essential that he get PT (at least 15 min) to gain that expereince . We have to invest in developing him even at the expense of losing a few points due to mistakes while learning. This is where I'm not for bringing in a veteran like Bogans to compete for playing time vs Anderson. It is likely that a bogans could actually out perform Anderson due to their expereince but that does not bold well for us in the long term. The only value I see in us bringing a veteran is for insurance purposes in case of injury. I see it as counter productive however to give the Vet PT at the expense of JA.

The only other reason I would bring in a Vet, is if we get someone who is likely to be a rotation guy in the playoff. and the only way I see us getting someone of that talent level is thru trades.

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Originally Posted by benefactor

I'm not sure what to make make of
One thing is for sure...Anderson is not going to get 20 MPG right out of the gates. His shooting should translate, but there are two big adjustments he will need to make. First, he will need to adjust to being a role player. He is going from being the main offensive option to third or even fourth offensive option. He will need to adjust to a system where very few plays will be run for him and he will need to learn that deferring is a better idea most of the time...as the Spurs are better when moving the ball to get the defense off balance then getting it back into the hands of one of their play makers.

The second thing has already been touched on...and that is defense, primarily team defense. He might be able to get by with being a below level man defender, but there is absolutely no reason for him to be on the floor if he cannot learn the finer points of good team defense. Anything he gives the Spurs offensively will be completely negated if he cannot rotate, trap, etc. properly. This is going to take time..as he is not a defensive minded player and was not required to do it in college, so this is the main reason I think it will be closer to mid-season before he starts to see anything in the 20 MPG range.

All of that said, I hope he can be a surprise. It's becoming more and more apparent that the Spurs are not going to have much size or experience behind Parker/Manu/Hill/RJ on the perimeter. One of the young guys is going to have to beat the learning curve a bit and take the reins as a role player. Perhaps he can be the one.

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Although JA was the primary scorer in college, he's not a guy who needs the ball a lot to score. He certainly can play off the ball, catch and shoot move without the ball.

He has decent size and athleticim to be a decent defender. A lot of his repuration as not being a good defender has more to do with his role in college, where he had to be saved for scoring. A lot of being a good defender is mental. And JA certainly seems to have the IQ to learn to play good team D.

FO certainly had a back-up wing as priority this off-season to fill either via FA or draft. From all indication JA is the man they are counting on to fill that need.
You simply don't waste your top 20 pick and not sign a wing FA if he is not the one you're expecting to fill the gap.

Great writeup and great read, Lurker.

As some have pointed out earlier, I would also be concerned if Pop elects to give minutes to Anderson at the SF position. Not because of his offense, but primarily because I believe his slight build would be a major disadvantage to him on the defensive end. As most fans know, many of the NBA's better athlete's reside at the SF position. Knowing that, I would thnik Anderson would surely struggle against some of those elite-level players - even in short stints. I just think Pop has to consider this kid more of a SG than SF.

If that does indeed turn out to be the case, that leads us back to where were started - the gaping hole at the backup SF position. If Gee is ready for prime time, perhaps the problem is solved. If he's not - "Houston, we have a problem."

I see him getting 15 mins stints in the regular season, maybe more in b2b if we're doing good and resting guys like Manu. By the time the playoffs come around though, unless he can shoot 3's at an outstanding rate, he'll be glued to the bench.

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Originally Posted by benefactor

All of that said, I hope he can be a surprise. It's becoming more and more apparent that the Spurs are not going to have much size or experience behind Parker/Manu/Hill/RJ on the perimeter. One of the young guys is going to have to beat the learning curve a bit and take the reins as a role player. Perhaps he can be the one.

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I believe that guy will be Temple. He already has some NBA experience, he played D well, and he's just more familiar with the system.

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Originally Posted by ElNono

I believe that guy will be Temple. He already has some NBA experience, he played D well, and he's just more familiar with the system.

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Temple ? At what position PG: behind Parker and Hill, SG : Behind manu, (Hill), AJ ,and Neal ? Anyone will be hard pressed to get minutes at both guard positions. It's at SF where a young guy has the best chance of making an impact. I'm not sure Temple can play SF effectively.

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Originally Posted by SenorSpur

Great writeup and great read, Lurker.

As some have pointed out earlier, I would also be concerned if Pop elects to give minutes to Anderson at the SF position. Not because of his offense, but primarily because I believe his slight build would be a major disadvantage to him on the defensive end. As most fans know, many of the NBA's better athlete's reside at the SF position. Knowing that, I would thnik Anderson would surely struggle against some of those elite-level players - even in short stints. I just think Pop has to consider this kid more of a SG than SF.

If that does indeed turn out to be the case, that leads us back to where were started - the gaping hole at the backup SF position. If Gee is ready for prime time, perhaps the problem is solved. If he's not - "Houston, we have a problem."

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This. Also some people tend to ignore the fact that those bigger nba SF is much tougher on D than what Anderson is used to. I see him as a big upgrade over Mason Jr and I'm content with him playing that role. I don't expect him to immediately shine both on O and D and I do hope we find another backup SF NOT NAMED BOGANS. I can't beleive Pop has admitted we suck on D and we have no upgrade in that department except for Splitter. We are not Golden State yet but getting closer.

expecting him to get the same minutes as blair/hill in their first season, if his lucky he could be starting a few games if RJ pulls a dick

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Originally Posted by analyzed

I'm not sure Temple can play SF effectively.

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very unlikely. to small and to skinny. the 6'5'' at what he is listed are likely exaggerated. I think he is something like 6'3'' to 6'4'', combined with 180-190 lbs. good size for a PG, sufficient for a SG, insufficient for a SF by any stretch.

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Originally Posted by anonoftheinternets

a reverse troll is where the owner acts like an ass. :lol along with posting quality breakdowns like you said.

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u're right a full reverse troll would be KBP creating lurker23 :lol

I can imagine a scenario where he gets a chance early on but then because of his learning curve on defense he gets pulled back a little bit and Pop feels forced to play the vets more...experiment with small ball lineups.

I can also see Pop wanting to play Neal and Anderson with Splitter to work on the pick and roll game together because they all three seem to be very good at it. If Splitter adjusts well, then perhaps that could help the minutes of Anderson.

But for the most part I think Temple will get more minutes than many think, at a variety of positions.

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Originally Posted by analyzed

Temple ? At what position PG: behind Parker and Hill, SG : Behind manu, (Hill), AJ ,and Neal ? Anyone will be hard pressed to get minutes at both guard positions. It's at SF where a young guy has the best chance of making an impact. I'm not sure Temple can play SF effectively.

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We trotted out a lineup of Hill, Parker and Manu with Hill playing SF for stretches. As long as you can make corner-3s, it doesn't matter if you're long, or if you play defense, you'll get minutes.

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Originally Posted by analyzed

Although JA was the primary scorer in college, he's not a guy who needs the ball a lot to score. He certainly can play off the ball, catch and shoot move without the ball.

He has decent size and athleticim to be a decent defender. A lot of his repuration as not being a good defender has more to do with his role in college, where he had to be saved for scoring. A lot of being a good defender is mental. And JA certainly seems to have the IQ to learn to play good team D.

FO certainly had a back-up wing as priority this off-season to fill either via FA or draft. From all indication JA is the man they are counting on to fill that need.
You simply don't waste your top 20 pick and not sign a wing FA if he is not the one you're expecting to fill the gap.

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I am sure that watching video highlights of JA isn't the best source of information but from what limited clips that I saw, JA seems pretty good at running off-the-ball and off screens, to catch and shoot. With Manu's vision, it is likely that he will be able to put the ball into JA's hands at that right moment.

rofl, classic

timvp finally caught slippin and one of his long-running trolls is exposed.

ain't no way to cover up the ole' accidental switcheroo corso, bettah just roll with the punches on this one BOYS