Reply With Quote
They have found someone but hes on the bench.
Backup plan — a tired issue
Buck Harvey
Tony Parker has been telling his friends he's been feeling tired lately, and Saturday night he told J.J. Barea.
“I could tell by looking at him,” the Mavericks' backup point guard said.
Head down, hands on hips. The same Parker who had been shredding the league — especially these Mavericks — looked precisely like someone who has been asked to do too much.
When?
He could have used his own Barea.
The Spurs have been looking for help for Parker since 2003, when Speedy Claxton left. They've gone through several candidates, using two first-round picks along the way, and George Hill was supposed to be that as recently as March.
But he was a DNP again Saturday as Roger Mason Jr. again played out of position. When the Spurs stalled, Parker would come back in, dribbling and sprinting for over 41 minutes.
That's just part of the equation that finds the Spurs starting another postseason with a loss. They've come back to win les from 0-1, but this isn't the same team.
The defense, for one, isn't the same. The Mavericks went for 60 points in the second half. So it didn't matter that the Spurs threw in 11 of their first 12 3-pointers, or that Tim Duncan's bank shot was going. There were flaws, bigger than anything they had in 2003, 2005 or 2007, and Matt Bonner chasing Dirk Nowitzki was one.
Another flaw has seemingly been around forever, and that's the backup point position. Especially now, without Manu Ginobili around, Parker has been asked to create most of what the Spurs do.
At times he has, which is why the Spurs think he deserves MVP votes. Barea has been impressed, too.
“I'm a big fan,” he said.
The kid said this Saturday night between two large teammates, looking like, well, a kid. The Mavericks list him at six feet, but he appears closer to 5-foot-10.
That's a reason he wasn't drafted. But Avery Johnson always saw something in Barea when no one else did. Johnson always saw himself.
Little, tough, with an edge — couldn't J.J. become another AJ with time?
The Spurs have been known for doing this at other positions, and perhaps Hill eventually develops. Barea, after all, is in his third season.
Still, it doesn't matter if the coaching staff is spot on when it comes to evaluating Hill's current status. This is true today: The Mavericks have the kind of player the Spurs have failed to develop.
What Barea did Saturday was no fluke. He's had four fourth quarters this season of at least 10 points, and he's responsible for at least four wins.
Or, he kept the Mavericks out of the eighth seed.
The Spurs getting only 14 points from their bench on Saturday was no fluke, either. In March, in Dallas, they got seven.
So there was Parker, feeling fresh, speeding into the lane to lead the Spurs to an early 13-point lead. And here came Barea off the bench, having scored only eight points in his playoff career before Saturday night, adding 13.
Parker's stats appeared far more impressive, with 24 points and eight assists. But he also had five turnovers, sometimes out of exhaustion, sometimes when running into Barea.
The number that defined Barea: When he was on the floor, the Mavericks had a 19-point advantage.
Brandon Bass would have the game's second highest plus-minus number, but the Dallas subs didn't do this alone. Josh Howard put in 25 points in less than 30 minutes.
Still, nothing changed the game more than when Barea bothered Parker. He made Parker play defense, and he made AJ look like a genius, and he made the Spurs wonder.
Shouldn't they have found someone like this by now?
They have found someone but hes on the bench.
BTW, so much for the "the media never critisizes the front office or Pop"
this article makes me sick knowing that hill is on the ing bench.
Barea? Never heard of him.
http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44852
I wonder WHEN will timvp sue Harvey...
Ploto? Those are great and new takes
http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=119145
If Hill doesn't get a chance in Game 2, I will cry my ass off.
There is NO REASON that Hill shouldn't be playing. Pop is an idiot.
I seriously think Pop could have John Stockton in his prime as the backup point guard and he'd eventually get doghoused for passing too much, not looking to shoot enough, not playing All-NBA level defense and trying too many daring one-handed passes.
We get this tonight:
And we got this yesterday:
I hope Parker catches a second wind.
He may have saw himself in him, but he apparently never saw the name on the back of the Jersey.That's a reason he wasn't drafted. But Avery Johnson always saw something in Barea when no one else did. Johnson always saw himself.
Barea, A.J.
Not, Barerra.
Only to get traded to some scrub team because his value is near zero, then proceed to scorch the Spurs the next time they play. Yeah, I know.
I am talking about his sentence structure and means of expression.Ploto? Those are great and new takes
The question remains: How do teams continue to take guys like Barea and make then good back-up PG's while the Spurs still can't seem to develop one?
This is true today: The Mavericks have the kind of player the Spurs have failed to develop.
R.I.P. popovich.
We've had JJ Barea?
The Hill debacle has been going on for months. Congrats to the SA writers for being so timely with their questioning. Next step is actually asking Pop WTF he's thinking. Maybe we can expect this in 2011.
Damn, wouldn't it be nice to have a young, athletic, defensive-minded backup PG to give Parker a chance to rest instead of chasing Barea all over the shire?
Someday...
haha it sure would be great if we had such a guy on our team...
Borosai's idea of a PG sounds pretty good to me..it would be even nicer if that same guy we're imagining could come in and effectively replace Parker for a few weeks due to injury..
impossible though..
Oh, and Hill's ass needs to be on the court, stat.
Dear Pop,
You've already acknowledged your team isn't going to win a le without a healthy Manu, so why don't you go ahead and play your most talented players, in hopes of helping the team for the future. (Gooden would fall into that category, by the way)
And don't tell me your worried about Hill's psyche, when your running Bonner out there repeatedly.
Bonner may be comfortable in his role and with the system, something you feel Hill is not, but how's that working out?
I like Bonner, and he's a nice player to have coming off the bench in stretches, but he's a small-forward in a power-forward-ish body, that if not giving you anything offensively, doesn't defend or rebound his position well enough against the better teams/players of the league to warrant much, if any, minutes.
Thanks.
Yours truly,
21
Well, Marcus' season just ended with a triple double. Bring his ass in here.
The idea that Pop may have given up on Hill is absolutely disturbing.
I believe they questioned him before or after the Cleveland game...
On a serious note, I'm wondering how legit of a point-forward prospect Marcus is.
I asked Chump in another thread, but has anyone seen enough of him to see if there's a possibility he could play alongside Hill at some point?
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
