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Enough to know it won't happen. We have nothing to trade, and unfortunately there are young SF talents springing up in the league everywhere, even a guy like Wilson Chandler.
Bowen and Kurt Thomas taking up 40 min of game play and scoring a grand total of 2 pts between them did not help you guys either.
Enough to know it won't happen. We have nothing to trade, and unfortunately there are young SF talents springing up in the league everywhere, even a guy like Wilson Chandler.
A point which makes Pop's negligence of this position even more inexcusable.
The thing that worries me about the Dallas game is that the Mavericks have gone back to run and gunning it. If the Spurs transition D doesn't improve we will quickly see an 0-3 hole.
However, this team has shown some promising signs and any game against Dallas is always a good game.
Maggette turned us down. Houston and Portland worked together to steal Batum from us. There has been some effort to address the situation. I can't blame the FO completely. As always people don't want to come here unless they have something to prove. And when we do target people, other teams zero in on it. Pritchard probably didn't need to workout Batum to roll the dice on him. He knew Pop enough to trust our judgement. Our success can work against us.
However, given the situation, I would have kept Gist this season instead of sending him off unprotected. He was long, athletic, and had a nose for the ball that would help on defense and rebounds. Unfortunately, we're stuck (still) in finding someone to fit into the Robert Horry plaster-caster we created, why I'll never know. If we keep chasing ghosts, we'll become ghosts.
The positive so far is that Mason looks very, very capable and we still haven't seen Ian or Hill, both of whom are young and athletic and show promise. Hill looked solid in preseason in my opinion. Hill, though a point guard, seems to be an excellent rebounder. It's not ideal or probably wise to hope for rebounds out of your backup point guard but at this point we're going to have to take whatever we can get.
Right now we're a finesse team that is going to have to rely on smarts and execution to win at times. With better ball movement, like what we saw in the 4th quarter, our bench should get more involved. Though in reality, it's our defense that's lacking.
The trick: Bowen and Thomas
The treat: Mason
I know it's early, but Bowen looks done. He looked like he had the lateral ap ude of Finley last night, and I suspect it's why Mason got so much run on Roy late.
This could be the year that father time finally takes down Bruce, and with our criminal lack of talent at the 3, that could be the Achilles heel for this team. Too bad no one saw the problems at the 3 spot coming for the last five years running
Maggette didn't turn us down. He took the money.
Our pathetic depth at three is on Pop and R.C. They've had five years to address the situation, but for some reason thought Bowen was going to be able to play forever.
There's just no excuse for the situation - damn near every other team in the league has a serviceable SF, while our front office continues to think the solution there is for us to trot out a 900 year old defensive specialist.
It's suicidal.
Oh, and one more thing while we're talking about the SF spot... we could still have Jackson on this squad if our front office wasn't so ing cheap. AND they let him walk without getting anything back in return.
Amen brother. Finally someone who's echo's my sentiments.
I don't see how anyone could give R.C. and Pop a pass on this. They've had more than enough time to address the deficiency at this position. Instead they chose to ignore it. It is indeed suicidal, especially when considering that the majority of the NBA's best athletes play either the SF/SG position.
The Bowen situation exposes a flaw in the FO's poor planning and decision-making. Same is true for the backup C/PF position. Tim is carrying an extremely heavy load on both ends of the court, with little to no help. They have done a very poor job of surrounding Tim with capable complimentary frontline talent that can help share his offensive and defensive load. Until Ian can prove himself and become part of the rotation, the jury is still out on him.
I'm sure the Spurs want to remain in contention as long as possible. In order to reload, you must have some bullets available at the ready. Other than the backup PG position, the Spurs do not. The FO is doing nothing more than aiding the compe ion by repeatedly igorning the deficiencies at some of the backup positions.
The only thing that worries me is playing Timmy so long. I am sure Pop won't play him 40 minutes a night every night.
Mason is quickly becoming one of my favorite Spurs. And Udoka has been my boy for a while. I really liked his play late yesterday. When hes calm and realizes he doesn't need to jack up bad shots to help the team he is a great player to have. And his versatility is paying dividends already.
Well I'm sure that when Tolliver comes back that will help somewhat, but we're still woefully thin up front. The lack of depth at the 3-4-5 is criminal for a front office that prides itself on shrewd planning.
Good game thoughts, I always enjoy reading them.
If Duncan and Parker are forced to keep up this minutes pace until Manu gets back, I think Duncan will be fried by the 3/4 mark of the season. Can't expect a 32 year old big man, pretty much manning the paint by himself, to keep up this kind of burn. Oberto and Tolliver will help when they return but I think they will still have to keep Duncan out there for his scoring, since neither of them can carry that kind of load to keep the Spurs in the game.
I also agree with alot of the sentiment regarding Bowen in this thread, he just doesn't look like he can stay in front of quick guys with good handles anymore. If he isn't contributing on the defensive side of the ball, and not hitting open corner 3's, there really isn't much reason to have him on the court. Tis a sad time to see him start looking his age...
Ya, having Tolliver and Oberto will help address this; so will Ian. But when you look at that, even though it adds depth with regards to numbers, it leaves a lot of ???. Hopefully Tim, KT, Oberto and Bonner/Ian/Tolliver can do better than Tim, KT, Oberto, Horry did last year. Which I think they can, especially since Tim is playing so well.
+1Roger Mason, Jr.
29 minutes, 14 points, four assists, two rebounds
6-for-7 from the field, 2-for-2 on three-pointers
Watching the Spurs fall to 0-2 isn’t exactly loads of fun. What is exciting, though, is seeing how well Roger Mason, Jr. is fitting into the Spurs system. He’s showing an extremely well-rounded game that will certainly help the Spurs greatly as the season progresses. Not only is he shooting the ball very well, the pace at which he plays is perfect for how the Spurs run their offense. He’s smart with the ball and already has formed good chemistry with Duncan when they run a two-man game. He came to the Spurs with a reputation of having poor shot selection but, if anything, he’s not shooting enough. Defensively, I also really like what he’s doing. He not only can defend out on the perimeter, he’s also tough down on the blocks and when fighting through screens. He still has areas where he can improve but Mason has played just about as well as anyone could have expected after two games.
Within seconds of me ing about Mason not taking any shots, he swished a j that he created for himself(he might've come off a screen, I can't remember), but I definitely want him shooting more. And I know he's averaging 30 minutes a game, but I want him in even more. And I hope Farmer can start eating away at Finley's minutes, the sooner the better. When Finley, and Vaughn are beat out of the rotation is when the Spurs truly become a better team. Desmon and Hill will have to play like gods for that to happen, though.
EDIT: And if KT doesn't become 5 times the player he's been so far, Ian will ony have to be mediocre to take his spot.
Last edited by Manufan909; 11-01-2008 at 03:01 PM.
I think Hill's thumb must be hurting. I get the sense Pop loves Hill and will play him soon enough.
I also want to see Farmer get a chance, and as much as I've been against Finley, it would be lying if I didn't admit that he's been playing better than expected the last two games. He looks quicker than last year and has been hitting shots. I'm not saying he's good but he's been better. I think Farmer looked a bit lost last night out there. With time he hopefully will get a sense of the System, but not let it overwhelm him. He needs to continue to look for his shot, otherwise he isn't doing himself or the team any good.
True, he really needs to get comfortable. And I was suprised to see Mason driving and finishing, that doubled the active players that can do that. I bet Farmer can too, but he has to show he can when it counts. It was nice to see in preseason, but I want to see it now.
I'll admit Finley has been looking decent, I'd switch him out for being the 11th man with Bruce if there was someone besides Ime to take his place. I'd love to see a lineup of Tony, Mason, Tolliver, Fab, and Tim, just to see if Tolliver could be a big small forward(oxymoron, I know). It would be nice to find out Tolliver has the kind of versatility.
Pop needs to love Ian, Hill, and Mason, and hate Finley, Bruce and KT. How bad will the old timers have to play for Pop to realize they shouldn't be playing?
!!! I did it again. MY rage towards losing Barry hopped onto Fin, I keep mentioning him in concert with KT and Bruce, even though he's easily been the 4th best player on the team so far, behind Timmy, Tony, and Mase. KT and Bruce are fighting for the 10th best spot. , and the Spurs only have had 10 so far!!! I'm assuming they're up to a full roster now, with at least 2 of Fab, Tolliver, or Hill being back now. I'm curious who will be the odd man out, since Ian and Manu are out cuz of healing ankles. Hope it's Vaughn, I want to see me some Hill!!!
Last edited by Manufan909; 11-01-2008 at 03:54 PM.
I hear you. But Bruce and KT really haven't been playing that much. I think Pop realizes their lack of production in the last few games and has been rewarding Mason for his good work. In fact, one could almost hear the pep talk he must have given Mason at half time as he came out a wholly different player.
It would be unfair to kick Bowen to the curb immediately. He has been huge for us. He deserves the benefit of the doubt, and like I said Pop is pulling him the last two games once it's clear he isn't producing.
I think Pop might be hard on Ian but that's just a guess. We'll see.
Bowen should be coming off the bench as a shutdown defender while you need a better SF with some offensive skills. Had you gotten Artest instead of us, I would have said the Spurs would be the hands on favorite to win it all.
I am happy with the way the Spurs are playing overall. Good news is that Tim and Tony are combining for 50+ points. Bad news is that we are still losing. Given, we played tough teams, but it would be nice to have a win with that production. If the Spurs can play just like they did, get Oberto and Hill back, I think we will win much more than we will lose.
You had nearly zero production from the combined Thomas/Bowen duo. You've got to have some better scoring from that SF position.
how can the front office be called cheap?Oh, and one more thing while we're talking about the SF spot... we could still have Jackson on this squad if our front office wasn't so ing cheap. AND they let him walk without getting anything back in return.
They gave Matt Bonner the same money they offered to Stephen Jackson. When you offer an out-of-rotation end of bench never accomplished anything player like Matt Bonner the same money offered to a starter who nailed clutch shots in WCF and Finals clinching 4th quarters, that's some open-wallet policy.
It's not just Bowen maybe showing his age, but Kurt Thomas too. He's wasn't the player he was three years ago even last year, and now he sure looks worse. Maybe it's still the lingering camp injury, but he's 36 and hasn't been an iron man the 3 seasons prior to this.
The bad news is the Spurs have all these same guys who aren't helping Duncan and Parker too much all locked up through next season. KT. Bonner. Finley. Oberto. And if the wheels really ever do fall off, Bowen. And people who think Oberto is some missing link to success I believe are mistaken. He'll be 34 by the playoffs and he's not some great productive player when healthy anyway. Doesn't matter if he starts or KT starts you still will have one of the worst starting centers in the league.
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