Grading the San Antonio Spurs

[HarlemHeat37]

I'll give my perspective..

Frontcourt offense: A..Duncan's the best post player in the NBA, and he has a versatile game..best passing big in the NBA(along with KG), his outside J is better than ever..Bonner is one of the best 3-point shooters in the NBA, not just for big men..he also has a nice ability to finish around the basket..not an explosive finisher or anything, but a reliable shooter from anywhere..Kurt Thomas makes the open mid-range J with regularity..

Backcourt offense: A..we have the best backcourt in the NBA..nothing else needs to be said..

Frontcourt defense: B-..Duncan is still one of the best defensive anchors in the NBA, but obviously our overall interior D is lacking, due to our undersized PF's..Kurt is still a solid man defender inside, but he doesn't block shots or intimidate inside..Bonner is an average defender that hustles, but can only do so much..I still give it a B- though, because the interior man D is still good..

Backcourt defense: B..Bowen is still one of the best, Manu is great at creating turnovers, Hill is a solid defender, and Mason is improving..our perimeter D only gets a B though, because of Tony and Finley..they're both liabilities on the defensive end, especially Finley..Mike gives effort on a semi-regular basis, but there's so much he can do..Tony has shown the ability to play good defense when he's focused, but he doesn't regularly IMO..he also lacks size, of course..

Team defense: B+..we're ranked 5th defensively, and improving..this ranking includes our bad start at the beginning of the season, and our injuries..the defense has been improving over the last month, and it should be back to the normal Spurs level with chemistry..

Penetration: C+..this is very dependent on Hill's confidence, and Manu's health..if Hill continues to feel confident and uses his skills more, combined with Manu's physical progression(as he's shown the past few games), this grade will go up..we should be better than a C+, but currently, we aren't..Manu looks better in the last few games though, but I'll give it more time to judge..Hill doesn't do it often enough..Mason doesn't have the ability to do it often, neither does Finley..TP is obviously one of the best though..

outside shooting: A+..there isn't a better outside shooting team than the Spurs..

coaching: A+..by far the best coach in the NBA..

chemistry: A-..we're still getting it together, it should be an A+ by the end of the year..

overall: B+..we should be an A- going into the playoffs, probably along with Boston and Orlando..but behind Cleveland and LA, who would be A's..

[Kent_in_Atlanta]

Wow, thats a of a grading system, you must be a liberal!!

Actually, no, since you mentioned it. Far from it.

As for the rest of your comments. Dude... what team are you looking at?? Did you have a few too many and mistake the Spurs for the OKC Thunder or something?

Tim Duncan looks like he's a year or two away from being done???? Tim has been sharp this year, and as for the year-or-two away thing... I'll take that action. You name the terms!

As Pat Riley said last year, Tim Duncan is a finesse big man, cut from the Kareem mold. Guys like Kareem, and even Karl Malone, averaged 20 points a game and nearly 10 boards a game all the way through their 30's... ultimately playing into their 40's. THAT in all likelihood, is the kind of career arch we'll see from Tim Duncan. His style of play just lends itself extraordinarily well to longevity.

Again, you name the terms, and we'll do the bet!

[Kent_in_Atlanta]

Penetration: C+..this is very dependent on Hill's confidence, and Manu's health..if Hill continues to feel confident and uses his skills more, combined with Manu's physical progression(as he's shown the past few games), this grade will go up..we should be better than a C+, but currently, we aren't..Manu looks better in the last few games though, but I'll give it more time to judge..Hill doesn't do it often enough..Mason doesn't have the ability to do it often, neither does Finley..TP is obviously one of the best though.

Hate to be contrary, but I think "C+" for penetration is WAY off. Many teams don't have more than one guy that can really get into the lane almost at will. Some teams don't have ONE such player.

The Spurs have 3, including the very best in the business with Tony Parker.

No, Mason and Finley don't drive to the basket. That's not their role. NO team has 5+ guys that can penetrate at will. Off the top of my head, I can't think of another team that has 3, as the Spurs do.

I think the Spurs are as strong as any team in the league in this category.

[Johnny RIngo]

Overall: A The Spurs have no weaknesses. Sure, they could get stronger at Center, but there are no holes here. If the Spurs are healthy come playoff-time, there won’t be a team with a better chance to win it all in 09.

Rebounding? Points in the paint? The Spurs are far from invincible. There were times, this season, where they looked like a soft, jumpshooting team.

[Tbiggums47]

NOTE: These grades are NOT intended to evaluate the Spurs' performance to date. Rather, these grades are an evaluation of the strength of their roster and overall ability in each given area. In short, this is more a reflection of where I think they'll be come playoff-time as opposed to what they've accomplished early on.

Front Court Offense: A- Tim Duncan in the post. Bonner knocking down the 3’s. And Kurt hits his mid-range shots.

Back Court Offense: A Tony, Manu, Finley, and now Mason and Hill. One of the best, if not THE best back court in the game.

Front Court Defense: B+ Tim is the only intimidating defensive presence, but he’s pretty damned good down there. Thomas is not a prolific shot blocker, but still a threat to some degree. Tim is the only exceptional rebounder, but the rest of the front court can hold their own.

Back Court Defense: A- Bowen is still as good a perimeter defender as there is in the game. Finley is solid defensively. Manu is more than solid. And the addition of George Hill gives the Spurs one more superior defender in the back court. The rest of the back court knows their role in a very sound team defense. They're not playing any near their defensive potential yet... but they'll get it together in the second half, as always.

Penetration: A+ The Spurs now have 3 players (Tony, Manu, and now Hill) who can slash through the lane and attack the basket. Tony may be the best in the business when it comes to this.

Outside Shooting: A+ #1 in the league in 3-point shooting, and plenty of guys who can knock down the mid-range shot with regularity (Tony, Tim, Manu, Finley, and even Kurt Thomas).

Post Offense: A- There is (still) no one more dangerous than Tim in the post. Not much post offense after Timmy, but his greatness is enough to earn the Spurs an “A-” in this category.

Coaching: A+ Who in the NBA is better at what he does than Greg Popovich? The assistant coaching staff is very accomplished as well.

Chemistry & Mental Toughness: A+ Is there a team with less drama or better chemistry in the locker room than the Spurs? I’m not in the locker room or on the team bus, so I can’t say this for certain, but… it certainly seems as though the Spurs are the very model of the word “team”, both on and off the court. As for mental toughness… the Spurs have been there too many times to be frightened or intimidated. What’s more, even the new guys seem to bring that same toughness to the court. George Hill has shown a great deal of for ude by walking right into the NBA and acting like he belongs here – no fear. And Mason’s already shown a knack for knocking down big shots.

Overall: A The Spurs have no weaknesses. Sure, they could get stronger at Center, but there are no holes here. If the Spurs are healthy come playoff-time, there won’t be a team with a better chance to win it all in 09.

.

Dude. B- at best. Have you ever seen the way teams weave through the middle of the Spurs defense for layups? We need backside rebounding and shot blocking Badddddddly!!!!!

[mrspurs]

Always a decent view of the team Kent. Great work. Always nice to see others personal views and not just the so called Reporters Views. You get an A for effort. And an A+ for your time.