Spurs @ Hornets Nov. 9th - Random Thoughts

-Overall, it was a very nice showing for the Spurs. The Hornets played with great energy and the Spurs were able to match that energy and pull away. The defense was solid and the offense was clicking nicely.

-Duncan had his first truly dominant game of the season. He was using more of his offensive repertoire than usual. His defense was really good. Basically, he upped his energy level and the rest of his game followed.

-Parker had a really nice game. He took on the challenge of going against Chris Paul and outplayed him handily. Parker was finishing great at the basket while staying aggressive most of the game. He was also passing the ball rather well for the most part. His defense wasn't as good as in previous games but he competed well.

-Ginobili couldn't hit the Gulf of Mexico in the first half. In the second half, he was back to being Manu. He's been extremely active this year and every part of his game looks good. He had a couple nice possessions against Chris Paul defensively and offensively he was great once he got rolling.

-Bowen quietly might have been the star of the game. His defense against Peja Stojakovic was fantastic. He didn't give him a clean look all night. Later in the game, he was switched onto Bobby Jackson and shut him down. Last year, Bowen started slowly on the defensive end of the court. This year, he's brought his A game from the first game of the season.

-It was good to see Oberto back. He played very well in the first half. Nothing spectacular but solid all around.

-Finley is really struggling with his shot. I think he's forcing the issue a bit when he should be more patient. His defense was pretty nice in the second half, however.

-Elson, coming off his best game of the season, was mostly invisible. To his credit, he wasn't a very good matchup for anyone on the Hornets.

-Washington was impressive. He's a strong kid who is absolutely fearless. He drives to the rim like a fullback clearing a hole. He made some mistakes but I liked the way he played.

-Bonner was horrible. He played well in the preseason and to open the regular season, but has been pitiful in the last few games. I'm not sure what's wrong exactly. He's not making his shots and he's not rebounding. His defensive is non-existent. Hopefully he's just thinking too much and can settle down and turn it around.

-Udoka played nine minutes and didn't do much. He had a nice step-in jumper from the corner. His understanding of what the Spurs are trying to do offensively and defensively is still lacking ... which is expected.

-I like how Pop is working Parker back into shape. He's not only playing him a lot of minutes, he's asking Parker to pickup the ball near midcourt defensively a lot of the time. I don't want the big three playing as much as they're playing now for the whole season but I think Pop realizes that the team needed to get into rhythm early and this was the best way to do it.

Next up ... the yearly loss against the Bucks.

:hat

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Originally Posted by timvp

-Next up ... the yearly loss against the Bucks.

:hat

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Always with the negative waves, timvp. Always with the negative waves!! :spin

:tu

Nicely wrapped up timvp.

I like how I get to watch a game and then read you put it all together for me.

Duncan did step it up, it was nice to see.

I hadn't thought of the heavy minutes (for the big 3) and it being Pop's way to get the team in rhythm.
It makes sense, I agree with you.
I think it will serve us well if they're in rhythm early, because the 12 are back it should settle faster than the RRT.
I like the feel of that for a repeat.

Thanks for the thoughts. I really like them, I'm looking forward to them all season.

I predict a win against the Bucks! The Spurs dominance will prevail as they pull another game closer to having .500 win pct. or better against every team in the league since the start of the Tim Duncan Era.

I think we should note that some idiot started Finley against me this week in fantasy b-ball, which is a move that has singlehandedly kept me in the lead.

Thanx timvp.
I really like :reading ur random thoughts

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Originally Posted by timvp

-Bowen quietly might have been the star of the game. His defense against Peja Stojakovic was fantastic. He didn't give him a clean look all night. Later in the game, he was switched onto Bobby Jackson and shut him down. Last year, Bowen started slowly on the defensive end of the court. This year, he's brought his A game from the first game of the season.

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what is this 2001? since when are Peja and Bobby offensive forces? Brent Barry could probably guard peja, he isn't exactly fast, or an offensive creator.

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Originally Posted by vand3537

what is this 2001? since when are Peja and Bobby offensive forces? Brent Barry could probably guard peja, he isn't exactly fast, or an offensive creator.

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http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=271106013

vs.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=271109003

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Originally Posted by timvp

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=271106013

vs.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=271109003

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looks like paul was doing all the work (21 assists :dizzy) peja just camped out on the 3 point line

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-Bonner was horrible. He played well in the preseason and to open the regular season, but has been pitiful in the last few games. I'm not sure what's wrong exactly. He's not making his shots and he's not rebounding. His defensive is non-existent. Hopefully he's just thinking too much and can settle down and turn it around.

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That's what's wrong.

I don't want to be a Debbie Downer, but how GOOD was Matt Bonner in Toronto? Because he looks pretty bad and it all starts with that horrendous looking thing he calls a shot. I hope Bonner can prove me wrong about my doubts.

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Originally Posted by vand3537

what is this 2001? since when are Peja and Bobby offensive forces? Brent Barry could probably guard peja, he isn't exactly fast, or an offensive creator.

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Peja Stojakovic was 10-13 from 3 point in his last game. I'd say that was an offensive force right there. Bowen took a guy that made 10 3's the game before and leveled him down to 2 points total. Not bad work.

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Originally Posted by E20

That's what's wrong.

I don't want to be a Debbie Downer, but how GOOD was Matt Bonner in Toronto? Because he looks pretty bad and it all starts with that horrendous looking thing he calls a shot. I hope Bonner can prove me wrong about my doubts.

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he's not even mediocre defensively and looks clumsy right now, but as for his shot...

it looks ugly and when he misses, it can be badly...but he's one of those players that when you look at his stats at the end of the year, his shooting will be pretty decent. you look at his 3 point percentage last year - even though it 'felt' like he wasn't very good out there, it was still better than all but a handful of horry's seasons.

I'm not too worried about Bonner just because he was playing well in preseason and in the first couple games of the regular season. He's just thinking too much right now. He's shooting shots he should pass, passing shots he should shoot and is out of position defensively. Once he settles down, I'm confident he can be a good role player.

That said, for the last three or so games, Bonner has been horrible.

Sorry, TinVP, your thread is great except for your "annual loss to the Bucks" thing. Your thoughts are reminiscent of having fatalistic thoughts. The Bucks are going down, just like the Lakers, Mavs, and Rockets next week.

You have to believe. I still say a strength the Spurs have this year that no one ever talks about is their familiarity with each other. Some of the easy lay-ups and great assists are because oif this fact.

I'm just not sure if Bonner is all that good. He lacks way too much soul.

I didn't watch the game, but heard Manu's shot was way off. However, it was nice to hear he chipped in with 10 boards.

8 assists from Tony is very nice. We already know he's unstoppable offensively, now throw in the assist and he's going to be scary good.

Bruce, will this be the year?

Good to see Timmy back at his best level.
TP is starting to pick up some speed and Fabricio getting in his zone.
As far as Manu,I believe he wasn't feelling good in the first half,but came back strong in the 2nd.
all around,a good game for the spurs.
5-1 baby. GO SPURS GO!

Washington looked good. He is a good finisher around the rim and plays with a lot of energy.
If he plays well in D-League, I guess he won't be cut before his contract became guaranteed in early January.

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Originally Posted by SpurYank

Sorry, TinVP, your thread is great except for your "annual loss to the Bucks" thing. Your thoughts are reminiscent of having fatalistic thoughts. The Bucks are going down, just like the Lakers, Mavs, and Rockets next week.

You have to believe. I still say a strength the Spurs have this year that no one ever talks about is their familiarity with each other. Some of the easy lay-ups and great assists are because oif this fact.

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So are you on the record that the Spurs are going to go 81-1?

Do you also believe on Santa Clause?

He was making a joke about the lack of success against the Bucks in the Duncan era....

Creer

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Originally Posted by Bruno

Washington looked good. He is a good finisher around the rim and plays with a lot of energy.
If he plays well in D-League, I guess he won't be cut before his contract became guaranteed in early January.

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I can't imagine he'll be cut, can you? They didn't even cut White last year at the same time, and even then he looked quite a ways to actual production.

Washington has shown flashes of promise and a tremendous attitude, at least by what I've seen so far.

The only way Washington could be cut is if the Spurs sign someone better. It is difficult to see anyone else having the mix of youth, current skill and updside that Darius is showing at this time. If we waive him, we'll probably have to replace him with some way over the hill vet like Gary Payton, and that ain't cool.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Body

I can't imagine he'll be cut, can you? They didn't even cut White last year at the same time, and even then he looked quite a ways to actual production.

Washington has shown flashes of promise and a tremendous attitude, at least by what I've seen so far.

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Washington has too been benched after 3 regular seasons games. He has been quite good considering that he is a rookie but he isn't tearing the league. He is far from being a legit nba PG: he does a lot of mistakes on both end of the court and plays more like a SG in the half court offense.

He will need to play well in D-League if he doesn't want to be cut.
Right now, I say he won't be cut but we will see. If he doesn't run well the Toros offense and if he doesn't outplay players like CJ Watson in D-League, I wouldn't be surprised to see him cut.

Right, Watson will probably be a benchmark for Washington since the Spurs know his game and probably would have drafted him for the Toros had he fallen to #12. That said, I don't see Washington having much of a problem playing at the D-League level. The Spurs will be working to reign him in more than building him up, that's a nice problem to have.

One D-League point guard I'm pretty intrigued by is Aleksandar Ugrinoski. He's only 19, has good size and reportedly has a lot of talent. He's skinny as hell and there is some skepticism about his upside, but Utah looks like a first-rate franchise and a good place for him to develop. It's interesting seeing a young European player coming over to work on his game.

Awesome recap timvp. I agree Duncan had his best game of the season and even though Manu had the "tight quad" in the first have he was still Manu in the second. Tony outplayed Paul and our defense was clicking. We just need to get our other role players rolling. Oberto had a good first half, but then Pop took him out when he was making everything he put up. Elson didn't have a good game, but like you said he didn't match up well with anyone. Washington is coming along nicely. He just needs to learn the system and be patient. As for Udoka, I had high hopes after his first action in the third game of the season, but he has not really shown much since then. I hope he can get it together.

Keep the random thoughts coming. I like reading them after each game!

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Originally Posted by 2centsworth

I'm just not sure if Bonner is all that good. He lacks way too much soul.

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:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

A guy hanging a near triple double in preseason against the Warriors should have little total trouble doing well in the development league.

Washington plays with a lot of heart, but he still seems pretty raw, and overly eager. Not complaining though.

Hopefully this game will SHUT UP all the fans who rank Chris Paul higher than Parker as a PG. Nothing against Chris Paul because he is agreat young talent, but I have watched him play a lot of games ans he is not even close to Parker on offense or defense.

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Originally Posted by Bruno

Washington looked good. He is a good finisher around the rim and plays with a lot of energy.
If he plays well in D-League, I guess he won't be cut before his contract became guaranteed in early January.

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Washington isn't in danger of being cut. When the Spurs traded away Beno, that pretty much cemented Washington on the roster for the year. He'd have to really, really suck to get cut at this point.

Even if he really, really sucks, he's still only 21-years-old. I'm trying to imagine a scenario that Washington gets cut and I can't imagine one. As long as the Spurs are under the luxury threshold as I believe they are, I'll say Washington's chances of getting cut are less than 1%.

I think perhaps you're just mad at him for stealing the roster spot of your boy Marcus Williams.

:hat

I don't see the link between Marcus Williams and Darius Washington. Spurs could have kept both and stay under the luxury tax.

If you have a hard time imagining a scenario where Washington will be cut, I'll give you one :
Washington is send in D-League. He has some good games but he shows too that he really lacks of playmaking skills and he is quite inconsistent.
Spurs FO decide that he isn't able to be an emergency PG if someone is injured for the playoffs and that he has few chances to become a legit nba PG in the future. Spurs FO decide to cut him to sign a Mike Wilks like vet PG who can at least be an emergency PG for the playoffs or another young D-League PG who has outplayed Washington.

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Originally Posted by Bruno

I don't see the link between Marcus Williams and Darius Washington. Spurs could have kept both and stay under the luxury tax.

If you have a hard time imagining a scenario where Washington will be cut, I'll give you one :
Washington is send in D-League. He has some good games but he shows too that he really lacks of playmaking skills and he is quite inconsistent.
Spurs FO decide that he isn't able to be an emergency PG if someone is injured for the playoffs and that he has few chances to become a legit nba PG in the future. Spurs FO decide to cut him to sign a Mike Wilks like vet PG who can at least be an emergency PG for the playoffs or another young D-League PG who has outplayed Washington.

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You're describing a different player. He is certainly inconsistent - what rookie is not? - but he's already shown playmaking skills. The benchmark is Tony Parker, after all - how much as he shown?

Getting a vet makes little sense at this point. We already have Jacque Vaughn. They cannot afford to throw away a decent prospect and go to the well in the draft and waste another pick on another guy to get the ball rolling. Washington with one year under his belt is far preferable to a late-round draft pick next summer fresh out of college. The alternative would be to overpay for a backup point. None of that appeals.

If James White made it to the end of the season last year, Washington sure as hell will. And he has benefits far above what White had at any point.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Body

You're describing a different player. He is certainly inconsistent - what rookie is not? - but he's already shown playmaking skills. The benchmark is Tony Parker, after all - how much as he shown?

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I was talking about being inconsistent in the D-League, not in the nba.
And watch again some games like the one against Hornets : Washington show nothing about playmaking skills.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Body

Getting a vet makes little sense at this point. We already have Jacque Vaughn.

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If Vaughn or Parker is injured or suspended during the playoffs, a vet will be able to play some minutes. If Spurs don't see Washington as a good prospect in two months, cutting him to sign a vet makes some sense.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Body

They cannot afford to throw away a decent prospect

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If he doesn't play well in D-League, he won't be a decent prospect anymore.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Body

If James White made it to the end of the season last year, Washington sure as hell will. And he has benefits far above what White had at any point.

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James White! has been wasted time and money.

You're not making a convincing case, and I'll maintain Washington is at least the playmaker Parker is. We may see him cut not too far from now, but it won't be for inconsistency in the DL and it won't be because they like some vet better, and it won't be anytime this year.

Come on Bruno stop hatin on Washington...

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Originally Posted by T Park

Come on Bruno stop hatin on Washington...

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I'm not hating.

What I say is quite simple :

- Washington has done some good things be he isn't as a stage where you can say he will be a good nba PG for sure. Washington is a player who has been undrafted, has spend one average year in Europe, has had a good preseason with some very good games and average 2.3ppg and 1.3apg in 9mpg.

- If Washington didn't play well in D-League, he could be cut in January. Saying that, he likely will be good in D-League. Remember James White! was quite good at the end of the regular season last year and sucked in summer league before being cut. Washington could have the same fate : he looked quite good with Spurs but he could too suck with Toros and be cut in January.


Being exited about young players comes very fast but you have to be careful and don't forget that they still have a long way before becoming good nba players.

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Originally Posted by Bruno

Being exited about young players comes very fast but you have to be careful and don't forget that they still have a long way before becoming good nba players.

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That's what I was telling you about Marcus Williams but you just kept telling me how great he was going to be.

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Originally Posted by timvp

That's what I was telling you about Marcus Williams but you just kept telling me how great he was going to be.

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Marcus Williams will be an all star in less than five years. :)


The question about all these prospects is when should you give up on them when they aren't developing well ?
Give up too late and it cost you some money and time.
Give up too soon and you lost a player who could pan out elsewhere.

Williams was really bad and Spurs gave up on him very fast. Was it too soon ? I think so but we will see.
If Washington is average in D-league, will it be too soon to give up on him in January ?