Spurs: Mohammed playing his way out of starting job

Spurs: Mohammed playing his way out of starting job
by Fanball Staff - Fanball.com
Monday, October 24, 2005

News
Spurs center Nazr Mohammed may be working his way out of the starting job this season. "Nazr's had kind of an up-and-down camp," coach Gregg Popovich told the San Antonio Express-News. "He's just had to make sure everything is OK at home. He's missed a decent portion of what he didn't get last year, even though he played pretty well for us in spurts in the playoffs last season. He's just behind a little bit." Mohammed flew home to be at the birth of his son and recently returned home to be with his sick wife.

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Mohammed doesn't rank among the top-25 fantasy centers even if he is comfortable in offensive sets so this news is clearly not positive. What is worse for both the Spurs and fantasy owners is the fact that Rasho Nesterovic will be your starter if Mohammed is not.

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Originally Posted by ducks

Spurs: Mohammed playing his way out of starting job
by Fanball Staff - Fanball.com
Monday, October 24, 2005


Mohammed doesn't rank among the top-25 fantasy centers even if he is comfortable in offensive sets so this news is clearly not positive. What is worse for both the Spurs and fantasy owners is the fact that Rasho Nesterovic will be your starter if Mohammed is not.

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Mohammed and Rasho aren't fantasy centers because they don't need to be -what they're need for is their defense. If they can't provide that on a consistant basis, they'll get benched. They may both lose the starting spot to Oberto, who I think may be better defensively.

I guess nobody remembers how well Rasho was playing last year after we got Nazr and up until he twisted his ankle. I, for one, wouldn't mind seeing Rasho being the starter at the beginning of the season but I still feel like Oberto will be starting sometime before the end of the year.

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Originally Posted by Supergirl

Mohammed and Rasho aren't fantasy centers because they don't need to be -what they're need for is their defense. If they can't provide that on a consistant basis, they'll get benched. They may both lose the starting spot to Oberto, who I think may be better defensively.

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You think Oberto is playing better defensively than Rasho??

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Originally Posted by grjr

I guess nobody remembers how well Rasho was playing last year after we got Nazr and up until he twisted his ankle.

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I do. :)

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Originally Posted by grjr

I guess nobody remembers how well Rasho was playing last year after we got Nazr and up until he twisted his ankle. I, for one, wouldn't mind seeing Rasho being the starter at the beginning of the season but I still feel like Oberto will be starting sometime before the end of the year.

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I would love to see Rasho start, because I am one of those sad people that has Rasho on My fantasy team. And yes sadly he is my starting center.

"Fantasy" teams focus only on the most blatenly obvious aspects of any game. It has been really pushed in the NFL, and has brought the actual game knowledge of fans of that league down several notches in my opinion. Expect the same for basketball.

What is Fanball.com (other than the obvious)?

no one has a answer to solid d's question

:lol Fanball... They had an article out today about "Bust Centers" for the 2005-2006 season, and had Tim Duncan and Shaq at the top of the list....

They look at things from a fantasy prospective, not from a real competive NBA standpoint. Rasho may start, and I actually hope he does. I'm eager for Oberto to learn better D and take the starting job for good.

Why does everyone keep hyping Oberto? Are you guys seeing something I'm not? The guy's not big enough (or good enough) to play center the entire year. Maybe some of the games when our opponent lacks a quality big man. Oberto's not the future of the team at center, although I think he'll make a good backup 4/5. Just imagine the guy covering Yao or Shaq.

I really don't see Oberto defending Shaq or Yao very well when those teams lift everyone else to the perimeter. He will do fine defending many of the other team's 5s.

Offensively he will provide some nice abilities and he has the smarts to execute in the read and react offense the Spurs like to run... where the first Big down the floor sets up on the block and the trailing Big sets up at the top or elbow. They flow from there. That's where Oberto can display his mobility, screen-setting, passing and scoring.

Kori? Im still waiting for the vBookie to see who starts opening night. All you Rasho haters out there will eat humble pie when he starts over Nazr.

Oberto is not proven yet. Pop will not start him. Not this year even if Rasho and Nazr go down. If they do, he'll probably get Marks in to start. Oberto is here to learn on the job.

Please... no Rasho.

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Originally Posted by kskonn

I would love to see Rasho start, because I am one of those sad people that has Rasho on My fantasy team. And yes sadly he is my starting center.

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He was my first pick on my fantasy team. =)

Damn. Poor Mohammed. Why'd he have to do that to his team? Why'd he have to get his wife pregnant and make her sick?

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He was my first pick on my fantasy team. =)

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Followed by Beno, then Primoz Brezec, Bostjan Nachbar and Sasha Vujacic. :)

Why'd Nazr have to knock up his wife?

http://img.slate.msn.com/media/79/020612_BillWalton.jpg

That's not what being a team player is about! Certainly he did not learn that during his time as a Kentucky Wildcat.

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

Why'd Nazr have to knock up his wife?

http://img.slate.msn.com/media/79/020612_BillWalton.jpg

That's not what being a team player is about! Certainly he did not learn that during his time as a Kentucky Wildcat.

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Better his wife than someone else's

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Originally Posted by samikeyp

Followed by Beno, then Primoz Brezec, Bostjan Nachbar and Sasha Vujacic. :)

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Close :lol

I didn't get Sasha = (

Beno was number 2. Nachbar I think was 3. Brezec was last but I saved the spot for him. He was on my que.

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

Damn. Poor Mohammed. Why'd he have to do that to his team? Why'd he have to get his wife pregnant and make her sick?

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looks like he's losing his starting job as unfairly as rasho lost his

It's a bit different when you can't play because you are hurt and your team has set its rotation for the postseason. This is the preseason and his wife had a baby.

Oh no, basketball is so damn urgent at this point. Shit, Pop could say it was in the best interest of the team to shoot Mohammed dead and we'd probably have a majority in here in favor of it.

I was just perusing the stats at http://www.82games.com/0405SASP.HTM, and found it interesting to note that of the players they pair up there, the only one who performs better with Mohammed on the court is Marks. Bowen, Parker, Duncan, Horry, barry, and Manu all perform better with Rasho on the court than Mohammed. Also, Mohammed and Rasho appear to play poorly on the court together, but that's no surprised.

It'll be interesting to see if these stats change over the next year, when we have Nazr and Rasho for the whole season.

I must admit I'm curious to see who wins out at that position to start the season and who ends up at the 5-spot at the end of the season.

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Originally Posted by angel_luv

Close :lol

I didn't get Sasha = (

Beno was number 2. Nachbar I think was 3. Brezec was last but I saved the spot for him. He was on my que.

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Your 2nd pick was Nachbar and 3rd was Beno.

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Originally Posted by Horry For 3!

Your 2nd pick was Nachbar and 3rd was Beno.

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Ssshhhhhhhhhhh! Don't tell Benji! :lol

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

It's a bit different when you can't play because you are hurt and your team has set its rotation for the postseason. This is the preseason and his wife had a baby.

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I do understand what you're saying about the rotations being set for the postseason. But the wife and baby bit is getting old. Rasho didn't do anything purposefully to cause his hurt ankle either. If you look at it that way, Nazr had more of a hand in his own not playing than Rasho did. Okay, maybe not a hand, but another body part anyway :)

Hey, I say this is Nazr easy way out. One way or the other, my Rasho was going to get the start! =)

You have a choice.

The season starts in one week and the Spurs begin with three really good teams- Denver, Cleveland, and Dallas. Who do you start?

The guy who has been your regular season starter for the past two seasons, who came into camp in great shape and in a nice rhythm from a successful summer with his national team and who has played well in the pre-season showing an increase in aggressiveness.

or

A guy who has missed half of training camp (for whatever reason), who isn't really in game shape physically, and whose mind has not even been on basketball, who hasn't been able to be with the team- even watching and observing and learning like a guy who is injured.

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Originally Posted by grjr

I guess nobody remembers how well Rasho was playing last year after we got Nazr and up until he twisted his ankle. I, for one, wouldn't mind seeing Rasho being the starter at the beginning of the season but I still feel like Oberto will be starting sometime before the end of the year.

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i sure don't.

Fanball has been great to me in Fantasy Football.

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Originally Posted by Carie

I do understand what you're saying about the rotations being set for the postseason. But the wife and baby bit is getting old. Rasho didn't do anything purposefully to cause his hurt ankle either. If you look at it that way, Nazr had more of a hand in his own not playing than Rasho did. Okay, maybe not a hand, but another body part anyway :)

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Difference is, if he can't play on it and it's the postseason, step to the back.

Holding an absence due to a family illness over his head is pretty damn shitty. But that's assuming the Spurs are a class organization. Crap like this makes you wonder. Effective? Sure. But some of you San Antonihomers need to realize how the organization operates.

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

Difference is, if he can't play on it and it's the postseason, step to the back.

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Which he did, without complaining.

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

Holding an absence due to a family illness over his head is pretty damn shitty. But that's assuming the Spurs are a class organization. Crap like this makes you wonder. Effective? Sure. But some of you San Antonihomers need to realize how the organization operates.

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How is this holding it over his head? He's not stuck on the bench forever, now they just have to give him time during the regular season to learn what they hoped he could learn during training camp. I haven't heard one complaint about why he wasn't there. Have you ever heard a player complain about the organization when it comes to taking care of their players?

Everybody here has made good points. Why would you want him to start if someone else is playing better right now?

The point is that the decision is not being made solely on his play. Pop certainly singled out his absence as a reason. I mean, it's in the friggin' paper.

MB is right.

It sounds like his wife is very sick. It's great that we have some other guys who can step up while Nazr takes care of his family.

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

The point is that the decision is not being made solely on his play. Pop certainly singled out his absence as a reason. I mean, it's in the friggin' paper.

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Maybe I missed what you're talking about in the paper. What did Pop say?

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Originally Posted by spurschick

It sounds like his wife is very sick. It's great that we have some other guys who can step up while Nazr takes care of his family.

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I was wondering when we didn't see him again tonight. I hope everything is okay.

Holt Cat and Pop bashing in the midst of the team's heyday is like getting a birthday card from your grandma with $20 in it and telling grandma it doesn't have much of a "personal touch".

Did he have to fast during the camp? I have seen that fasting kill performance first hand.