Upon Return

[SpurNation]

The San Antonio Spurs are experiencing, this year, a rarity in player rotations. A condensed season packed with multiple back to back games and early season injuries to Manu Ginobili (hand) and T.J. Ford (hamstring) have lead to minutes not normally experienced by rookies and second year players of the past.

Surprising is how well these players have performed in a system that is supposedly one of the hardest to learn in the NBA. It's taken, in the past, even the most well seasoned vet at least a year to fully grasp and perform their best in the Spurs' system. Yet players like Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, Gary Neal and Tiago Splitter have met and even exceeded expectations. If this has been due to a "dumb" down of the playbook, I haven't noticed and has been masterfully disguised.

But this leads to an interesting situation just around the corner. Ginobili will return. Ford will return. And that will lead to less minutes for some of these influential young players. If the Spurs look to be making the playoffs, an all too important player rotation will need to be established before season's end. (Though I believe this year, because of it's abnormal cir stances), what used to be an 8 player rotation for playoffs just might be a 10 player exception to the rule.

Who do you see as the most likely to "make the cut" into player rotation? Would there be a shake up in the starting 5 that helps incorporate a better all around prime second unit? If a young player such as Kawhi be relegated to few to no minutes per game, will that impede his development? What if the combination of Duncan and Splitter prove to be a days gone by "twin towers" effect on the game? We all know what a Blair/Bonner combo produces.

Anyway. We've all been pummeled with the importance of minutes management this year of individual players. What I think is just as important is player rotation once the roster is back to healthy. Some of these young players have earned their due...who will rise to prominence in the rotation?

[DAF86]

What I think:

TP, Manu, RJ, Blair, TD - Ford, Neal, Leonard/Green, Bonner, Splitter

What I would like:

TP, Manu, Leonard, TD, Splitter - Ford, Neal, Green, Bonner.

[acoelho1]

I have no idea how Pop will manage the rotations but he seems to always play the veterans more even if they are hurting us. Nevertheless, my ideal lineups would be as follows.

I still think we need another defensive big and if we get one via trade, I would cut out Bonner and Blair altogether.

Starters
Parker
Ginobili
Green
Splitter
Duncan

Bench
Ford
Neal
Leonard
Bonner/Blair - Depending on matchups and how well each are playing at the time.

[ohmwrecker]

Swap Green and Leonard and you're gold, Pony Boy.