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Does it seem like he has it back now without the injuries? I'm slightly concerned after the last few televised games, he seems tentative and doesn't look to penetrate when he can and then at other times he seems like he wants to force it which equals a turnover.
Can Manu ever be the same guy he was in 04-05?
to early to tell
Honestly, after watching him play in the WC, it seems unlikely. He is definetely not the same player he was back in '03. Maybe age is catching up, maybe he is not as motivated as he was. The bottom line is he doesn't seem to be that key player he was in '03. He is dangerously evolving into a Brent Barry type of player. He had the explosiveness and he lost it.
Hmmm. sorry didnt see the other thread on this topic
Manu has seemed like he's turning into Vince Carter, shooting too many jumpers now. He didn't look at all agressive in those Dallas and Cleveland games.
I think Pop wants him to be more of a shooter (at least for now). He looked really good in the 1st half of the Cavs game. The 1st half of the game against the Cavs I saw him play with aggressiveness and both shooting and driving down the lane well along with an awesome block on the other end. One thing I don't get is when he was hot, why did the Spurs stop going to him while the others could not do a thing the whole time and then Pop benched him for a long time. I had a feeling he would loose his rhthym by then.
Tony has the ball more now... If you average 92 pts a game... its gonna be hard to have 3 20+ point scorers and be a balanced team...
You can tell Manu is healthy, by the way he moves. He is looking to pass the ball more often now for the good of the team.
With Tony playing as well as he is, Manu is the 3rd option in the team and he knows it. simple as that
I'm calling it right now, Tony will be allstar again w/Duncan. no Manu
Honestly, I'd be satisfied with Manu scoring around 17 or 18 points a game, nothing out of this world. I doubt Manu will make another all-star, he doesn't seem to have it in him anymore.
I think he is simply trying to keep his body together this year. He has hit the floor a thousand times.....he is trying to stay healthy for later down the road.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigVee
Bingo.
What good is he on the bench, or hobbled with ankle injuries?
It's been mentioned a thousand times that his "style" inevitibly leads to injuries. Note the two late drives to seal the deal against toronto. Timing is everything.
Manu could make the allstar team if he really wanted to. But as ppl said above, he wants to conserve himself for playoffs and for the championship run.
True.Quote:
Originally Posted by nkdlunch
Manu told that Pop wants him to be a shooter. The allstar is great, but a championship... :hungry:
I don't think there's anything wrong with Manu. Like people have said he's gotta save himself for when the team really needs him. With Tony playing so great, we don't need Manu to score 20+ points. It just looks like he's trying not to get too banged up by going inside all the time. Having a midrange shooter would be great for this team, so maybe that's what he's working on.
But he's still contributing and as long as he does that, then I have no complaints...All-Star or not.
he did well during the mavs game. he was hot in the 1st half of the cavs game, but lost his rhythm when Pop pulled him out. I like the aggressiveness i've seen from him so far. last year, i cringed every time he hesitated because he was obviously thinking about his injuries. this time, i think he's just trying to play smarter.
i just wish pop would run more plays from him though. it's hard to expect points from the guy if he hardly gets any touches.
As long as Pop makes hime play 30+ minutes, he will be the same Manu that he was
I think the jury is still out on him. He's not been as aggressive in getting to the rim. He's split double teams and has gotten through for layups, but he's not attacked the rim like in years past.
Like everyone else, I love Manu's fierce competitiveness and I think his attitude is fine. No doubt he wants to win everytime. I simply wish he would curb his tendency toward doing "dumb" things (i.e. giving up unnecessary 3 point plays - like the Game #7 foul against Dirk....Ugh again) and making careless turnovers (i.e. throwing the ball away) and in doing so, giving the opposition extra possessions.
As his game evolves and he becomes hopefully a more balanced player, I'd like to see him become a better passer in terms of getting guys the ball in positions where they can score.
Manu is a great passer, he can see a play breakdown before most of the guys he passes to can, he just has a tendency to have the odd turnover a game while doing it.
Tony seems better suited for doing great scoring during regular season (however, consistently, Manu gets better efficiency, who despite how imperfect it is, it would be less imperfect than plain scoring)....however, during PLAYOFF, Manu can become head to head with Tim regarding importance for the Spurs, both Tim and Manu are WAAAAAY AHEAD Tony (whose one-dimensional style hurts him in playoff, where defense is more intense) regarding Basketball IQ and during playoff, Tim and Manu are claerly ahead Tony.Quote:
Originally Posted by nkdlunch
FWIW, I consider is during playoffs where you can evaluate the true value of a player, and I'd change zillion of All Star nomination for being MVP candidate in playoffs (like Manu was during the latest ring earned by Spurs).
Quote:
Originally Posted by nkdlunch
Quite right.
Spurs win 60 games anyway.
They can't win it all without an healthy Ginobili.
He is a relevant games guy.
I can't see much of Manu because of these god damn rotations.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MaNuMaNiA
People are saying he's saving himself for the stretch run and the playoffs and you expect him to average 17-18 pts a game? He has never been a 20 ppg type of scorer in the NBA. The most he's averaged was 16.0 ppg in 2005.
Oh, but you'll be "satisfied" with 17-18 now that he's saving himself for the stretch run. Huh?
With Duncan and Parker, he only has to be a 14-15 ppg scorer, if that much. Barry and Finley are supposed to help with scoring as well, so Manu doesn't have to play more than 30 minutes a game.
And, back to the original topic, what IS wrong with Manu? I don't think he's saving himself. I think he's lost something. Explosiveness, quickness, whatever. And, I hope it's not true. Because even though I'm a Pistons fan, he's one of my favorite players in the league.
I concur, and it is a shame, because he was so much fun to watch when it was all clicking for him.Quote:
Originally Posted by JamStone
That being said, around mid-season we'll know for sure where Manu is at, because in this game against the Suns (now i cant point to specific plays mind you) he showed me flashes of the old Manu..... hell maybe I'm just falling prey to wishful thinking, but.... I hope not
:drunk
What have you done for me lately forum
Manu as always will be down in the clutch. right now the games mean nothing.
Did you guys see that clutch rebound at the end? That's vintage Manu to me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JamStone
I think Manu is going through a transformation right now and when players make those types of adjustments they’re games seem off kilter. Manu is improving his mid range shot and by doing so other facets of his game might suffer. I don't think he will be the Manu of 03 or 05 but if he does improve other areas of his game he will surely be around a lot longer than some people predicted.
Its dissapointing, he does look a little slow out there. Hopefully he is just pulling a Timmy. But he did take it to the lane late in the fourth when we needed it.
Manu is fine. He's as sharp as ever, with crucial rebounds, drawing charges at the right moment, and getting in that extra dish. His defense is top notch.
The only problem is he's adjusting his game (his three point shot has been consistently improving with each season) and doesn't have to score anymore on this team. I do miss his dunking and crazy circus shots though...
Despite all this, I don't understand why Pop insists on Benching Manu when he's having a hot streak. Other opposing team fans even comment on it from time to time.
maybe cuz he doesn't want manu to get carried away and do a circus shot that ends him up with a sprained ankle
Yeah, but he's TOO concerned about it. Reins him in a little too much I think, like an overconcerned parent who bumper proofs all the walls for their toddlers.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cant_Be_Faded
Yeah i was thinking the same thing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cant_Be_Faded
We all are predicting that Manu will probably seat for couple of game during the seasson due to sprained ankle, so maybe in this way it doesnt happen.