Reply With Quote
less mike
This is from McDonald's game blog. I put the whole piece in our game blog but I thought this might part be of interest.
HOW DOES MANU CHANGE THE ROTATION?
Someone will lose playing time with Manu Ginobili back. Ginobili and Roger Mason Jr. primarily play at the same spot and Mason has been playing well. Michael Finley also plays some there. On the other hand, that makes it easier for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to avoid overworking any of those players over the course of the season.
More minutes will go to Tony Parker when he returns. With Parker and George Hill at point guard, Mason now getting action at that spot and Ginobili capable of playing point, you wonder if Jacque Vaughn sees his playing time evaporate. Vaughn didn't play Friday against Utah and didn't see action in the first half tonight.
Could the situation trickle up to the small forward spot? If the Spurs go with three-guard lineups, you wonder if Finley, Bruce Bowen or Ime Udoka find their game time shrink a little.
Tonight, young guard Blake Ahearn found himself inactive and watching from the sidelines wearing a sportcoat.
less mike
It gives up some serious depth!
Hes been on fire lately. I think well see him at SF quite a bit backing Bowen, ahead of Udoka.
mike is old he needs less minutes
He wont be playing more than 25, which is fine for him.
finley is kicking ass. udoka hasn't done ...
Completely agree. Finley is playing so much better than he did last year. Ime seems to be searching for his shot and looks like he's pressing when he gets out there. Finley will cool down as the season wears on, but you have to go with the hot hand for now.
Manu will cut into Fin and Hills mins. When Parker gets back Hill will likely only see 10mpg unless we go small alot.
No way Hill only sees ten minutes of action. This guy can flat out ball.
Vaughn will be in a sport coat beside Ahearn...that is...if Ahearn is still around.
Its really not rocket science. Parker and Mason will probably start. Hill and Manu will come off the bench as the second unit(or vice versa, Parker/Manu...Hill/Mason). Finley will rotate between SG and SF while Manu and Mason will split time at PG when Parker and Hill are both on the bench. As for Udoka, he is going to be the odd man out if he doesn't step it up. He will be replacing Bonner in the doghouse if he continues to play like he has.
No way, Hill if playing well will get time.
Hill's D is too good to keep him off the floor. I think he'll get 15 mpg at the point & 6 mpg at SG alongside Tony.
Weird thing is that it seems like Mason plays better as a PG than a SG. He seems to be a better shooter when hes creating his own shot than catching and shooting.
well see....
* we'll be seeing a lot of 3 guard lineups.
* hill be playing 20 minutes or more. he is too good to be given limited minutes.
* bowen and udoka will be the ones to suffer most especially if finley continues to show he is still capable.
* vaughn will be kept as an insurance policy.
* ime is disappointing so far. is he trying too much instead of just playing ball?
* now if only the Spurs could have this kind of problem at the front court...
Parker 32
Mason 26
Manu 26
Bowen 20
Fin 20
Hill 20
That gives you 144 minutes between the 1,2 and 3.
I dont think Hill will be getting 20 a game throughout the season
but but but he is a hall of fame dude now
I think it'll just depend on the team we're playing against..
Finley and Bowen can mix the minutes at the 3, depending on the situation and whether we need more offense or more defense..
I'd still like to see a trade for a SF to split minutes with Bruce, since Ime just doesn't do it..
Udoka has been disappointing thus far this season. I picked him to be a "breakout" player for the Spurs and thus far it hasn't materialized.
I think it's more than likely he gets pushed out of the rotation as long as Fin keeps delivering. Udoka might still get some burn when the matchup calls for "smallball defense" though.
And Vaughn is out of the rotation for sure. About the PG situation, I think one of Vaughn or Ahearn will eventually get the axe (money on Ahearn). I would hope this leads to the signing of Hairston, but I'm not sure the Spurs would be in a rush to fill that 15th spot.
I hope he does, and I'd really like him to play more than every guard/SF but Tony, Tim, and Mason. I wonder what % of his minutes Mason could spend at SF. I know he'd be more comfortable at SG, but I can't think of another way to free up time for Hill to get all the PG minutes TP doesn't.
I like your take the best, I see Finley starting in place of Bowen alot depending on how much we need defense at the SF spot. Pop loves them both but finally is realizing that we need more from the SF position than just defense. With bowens poor shooting so far and Fins good shooting so far, we may see Bowen riding the pine alot more. IMO, We will Have a lot better team on those back to back games that have been plaguing us the last couple of seasons. Our bench is much improved and could start on a lot of teams. Keep it up Spurs.
the rotation without Parker should be:
Mason/ Hill
Finley/ Manu
Bowen / Ime
Duncan / Bonner
Oberto/ Thomas
with Parker:
Parker/ Hill
Mason/ Manu
Finley/ Bowen
Duncan/ Bonner
Oberto/ Thomas
Starting lineup:
TP
Mason
Bowen OR Finley
Duncan
Whoever
Manu and Hill come off the bench to back up Mason and Tony. Finley or Bowen come off the bench to replace each other.
Udoka shouldn't be in the rotation at all when Tony returns. They should just put him on the trade block for a vet big.
I'd imagine that there will be about 150 minutes available for the points/wings (144 minutes for the three spots plus a few small ball minutes), once Manu and Tony are back in game shape.
At that point, for the rest of the regular season the minutes will probably run...
Parker - 30-32
Ginobili - 26-28
Bowen - 25
Mason - 25
Hill - 22
Finley - 18
If Finley cools off, then you just give more minutes to Mason and Hill.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
