Still @ .500 in Two Weeks?

[z0sa]

To keep the debate fair, Garnett for the first time last year in a Big Three environment and has readily admitted giving up some of his stats for Pierce and Allen...

We've got a Big 3 as well, though the stats for this season are pretty weird to calculate with 2 of them injured for most of it.

[sandman]

We've got a Big 3 as well, though the stats for this season are pretty weird to calculate with 2 of them injured for most of it.

I was stating that for the majority of his career, Garnett carried a greater statistical burden for his teams because he didn't have any sidekicks.

His statistical decline last year is more attributed to his not having to do as much for the team to win as opposed to his decreased ability to do as much.

[Allanon]

Already off on your predictions. Not a poke, just curious why you picked us to lose to Memphis first thing? Cmon.

Unfortunately, with Manu back all bets are off on the predictions.

As for why, the Grizzlies played the Spurs very well last year and after a beatdown of the Jazz, I felt this was a trap game.

[Allanon]

------------07-08-----------------

Garnett -------------- Duncan
18.8 PPG ------------- 19.3 PPG
9.2 RPG -------------- 11.3 RPG
1.3 BPG --------------- 1.9 BPG
4.7 FTA --------------- 5.9 FTA


-------------08-09--------------

Garnett---------------- Duncan
16.1 PPG -------------- 22.4 PPG
8.7 RPG --------------- 10 RPG
1.1 BPG --------------- 1.5 BPG
2.3 FTA --------------- 5.9 FTA

Garnett's minutes have stayed the same, Duncans have upped slightly. Per 40 numbers are also down alot for KG, Tims are nearly identical to his MVP seasons.

Id like to know what your basis is for saying Tim Duncan and Garnett are declining 'at the same rate'?

Tim Duncan has been playing without Manu and then Tony for most of this season, his numbers will certainly be up. And at the same time, it's not much of a sample.

I don't think either has shown a real decline yet, both are still in their primes. This is why I said we'll know better in 3 years but at this moment, both are still ballin'.

[Allanon]

Disagree. KD uses athleticism. Duncan uses skills. Skills lasts. Legs don't. The only thing KD would still have that is in better than Duncan's at the end of their respective careers will be his ability to run his mouth off.

KG does use athleticism more than Duncan but I think KG can also adjust his game to a less athletic one since he does have a very good 15 foot game.

Conincidentally, both Duncan and KG will be free agents at age 35 so it will be interesting to see if either decides to retire. That should pretty much put an end to the NBA mileage debate one way or another.

[exstatic]

I was stating that for the majority of his career, Garnett carried a greater statistical burden for his teams because he didn't have any sidekicks.

I'm so tired of that lie. KG had Starbury, Brandon, Gugliotta, and Sczerbiak as All Star sidekicks when they played in Minnesota.

[sandman]

I'm so tired of that lie. KG had Starbury, Brandon, Gugliotta, and Sczerbiak as All Star sidekicks when they played in Minnesota.

Dude, I am not defending KG in any way, shape or form. He was given a chance with some decent teams and failed to get them over the hump.

My intent was as a rebuttal to someone saying that his stats slipped this last year because of his high mileage, but I felt it was more related to playing with players of the caliber of Allen and Pierce for the first time in his career. Those guys you mentioned from Minny were simply not as good, or not as consistently good, as Allen and Pierce.

Think of DRob's numbers after Duncan's rookie year. He was 32 when Timmy came into the league and willingly gave up his leadership position on the team. KG was 31 when he went to the C's and essentially did the same thing.

Our Big Three are in their 7th year together and that variable has been 'baked' into Duncan's stats for more than half his career. I have no doubt that he could have shouldered much more than he has had to in his career, but he hasn't needed to. So his stats won't decline as rapidly as the typical NBA player. That is to his advantage.

In my opinion, it was not KG that led the C's to the championship. That was Pierce's team. KG is more Pippen than Jordan. Not saying the he was riding coattails, but he doesn't get that ring without Pierce.

[MI21]

@ the idea of Derrick Rose dominating the Spurs because it is in San Antonio and the Alamodome or whatever the Allanon was going on about.

If he had of played exceptional, it would of been because he is a fantastic player. But never the less, all that extra motivation being in San Antonio really added up to a stellar performance against a #26 draft pick today...

[MI21]

What Final Four? Rose played possum when asked about his previous trip to San Antonio in April. His Memphis Tigers lost the NCAA championship game 75-68 in overtime to Kansas about five miles away from the AT & T Center at the Alamodome.

"I forgot all about that," Rose said. "I hadn't really thought about that. That was in the past, and we lost the game, so I hadn't really thought about it at all."

Looks like being back in SA really fired Rose up.

[Allanon]

@ the idea of Derrick Rose dominating the Spurs because it is in San Antonio and the Alamodome or whatever the Allanon was going on about.

If he had of played exceptional, it would of been because he is a fantastic player. But never the less, all that extra motivation being in San Antonio really added up to a stellar performance against a #26 draft pick today...

As I said in my 1st post, that assumed Manu would not be back. It's in the #2 post of this thread, read it for yourself

http://spurstalk.com/forums/showpost...07&postcount=2

And once I found out Manu was back:
http://spurstalk.com/forums/showpost...4&postcount=54

[Trainwreck2100]

As I said in my 1st post, that assumed Manu would not be back. It's in the #2 post of this thread, read it for yourself

http://spurstalk.com/forums/showpost...07&postcount=2

And once I found out Manu was back:
http://spurstalk.com/forums/showpost...4&postcount=54

and how did Manu in his 18 minutes make George hill outperform Derek Rose in this game. Maybe the reason hill is playing so good is cause he's mad his IUPI team didn't make the final four.

[Allanon]

and how did Manu in his 18 minutes make George hill outperform Derek Rose in this game. Maybe the reason hill is playing so good is cause he's mad his IUPI team didn't make the final four.

Manu is a force on the court, a game changer for the Spurs. Rose was doing well and the Bulls were winning until Manu happened.

I can't believe, a Laker fan (me) gives more respect to "Manu Muthaf******* Ginobili" than his own fans.

But don't just take my word for it, your own Spurs writer wrote about it:

Spurs' deficit gives Ginobili opportunity
Halfway through the third quarter of their game at AT&T Center on Wednesday night, the Spurs found themselves nine points down to the Chicago Bulls and in need of a lift.

With just one full game and two full practices under his belt this season, Manu Ginobili deemed this a perfect opportunity.

In just two minutes and 49 seconds, Ginobili made two twisting layups, set up teammates for 3-point baskets, turned the deficit into a Spurs lead and convinced himself, once and for all time, that the September surgery that repaired a left ankle impingement had been a complete success.

[m33p0]

KG does use athleticism more than Duncan but I think KG can also adjust his game to a less athletic one since he does have a very good 15 foot game.

Conincidentally, both Duncan and KG will be free agents at age 35 so it will be interesting to see if either decides to retire. That should pretty much put an end to the NBA mileage debate one way or another.

What are you talking about? That's all he has!

[sandman]

Reading about how close both Manu and Tony are getting in their projected returns, and looking at the schedule over the next two weeks, does the team have a realistic shot at doing anything other than maintaining an even record going into the game @ Dallas?

Not that staying @ .500 is not a remarkable achievement for Timmy and The Scrubs, but it doesn't look like the schedule will do much more than allow them to tread water.

@MEM (MEM playing .500 at home)
CHI (Horrible road record)
MEM (Horrible road record)
@HOU (Barely played any home games)
DET (Good road record)
@DEN (Great home record)
GWS (Bad road record)

I am seeing this as lock for 3 losses (@ HOU because of B2B, DET and @DEN) with the game @MEM going either way. So either 10-9 or 9-10 going into the game against DAL, who seem like they have finally figured out how to play.

The last time they started a season at 9-10 was 2003-04, the infamous '.4' year. Granted, that team ended up winning 57 games that year, but they followed the 10-10 start with an 17-1 streak and finished the regular season on an 11 game win streak.

The Western Conference playoff bar is being set ~48 wins. With a much older team than 03-04 and a little bit of magic lost in the RRT this last year, if Manu and Tony take too much longer coming back, this team won't be able to survive in treading water mode.

Quoting myself in self-flagellation over my doubts that this team could get hot just as quickly as the 03-04 team. Granted, 13-3 is not the same as 17-1, but they did take control of the situation a lot earlier than I expected.

That being said, outside of roadies at NOLA and ORL, most of the games leading up to the Lakers at home in a month are easily in the Should Win category, potentially putting this team at 26-10 when they face off against LA. That would put them at almost the exact same record as the 03-04 team that recovered nicely from a rough start.