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No Ian or Haislip? And I thought his facials/dunks: times driven was up there? Too bad that isn't a stat.
A scout's take on the Spurs
One NBA advance scout gives Express-News NBA writer Mike Monroe his report on the Spurs, player by player.
Tony Parker
All-Star who mixes drives and jumpers. Must take away transition and drives, No. 1; then, honor the perimeter shot. Keep him off the foul line. Mainly, try to make him give up the ball.
Manu Ginobili
Containment is the name of the game defending him. No matter what you do, no matter how hard you play, don't forget he is always, always, always going to come back left. Very dangerous on dribble-handoff plays, especially with Duncan. Very dangerous, herky-jerky dribbler who keeps you off-balance. Jury's out on how explosive he is, post injury.
Tim Duncan
Has lost weight, which I presume is for durability reasons; anxious to see how that affects his game. An aging superstar who still must be respected. Won't see the shot volume he once did, but still effective when he does touch it. Big threat to pass out of double teams, but we'll try to play him straight up at first, then see if he makes us double and give up stuff on the perimeter.
Richard Jefferson
Can shoot it, but also loves to drive and get to foul line. Not a great finisher, but gets to the line because refs respect him. Solid mid-range shooter, who gives Spurs juice they haven't had for years.
Antonio McDyess
Used to be most athletic big in game; now uses IQ more than strength and athleticism. Settles for jumpers instead of post-up and banging down low. Will still do damage on boards. Still a good defensive banger.
Michael Finley
Still looks to be in excellent shape and still has that perfect stroke on the jumper. Might have lost some of his explosiveness, but he's mostly a jump shooter anyway.
Matt Bonner
Great pick-and-pop 3-point shooter. Can't close out on him too hard, because he likes pump-fake-and-drive. Simply, a very good shooter.
Roger Mason
Seems he could get lost in their shuffle on the perimeter with additions; still dangerous in clutch; a combo guard, but a sketchy ball handler. Will get into you defensively and likes to pressure ball.
George Hill
One of the most improved players I've seen in preseason. Grew leaps and bounds in confidence over summer. Doesn't look like same player. Looks like he knows he belongs, we expect him to get significant minutes.
DeJuan Blair
Could be an animal. Surprised at how easy he scored in preseason. Has nastiness and bravado and wants to compete. Only question is the (pre-draft) physical, but doctors have made plenty of mistakes in the past turning down players.
Theo Ratliff
A solid support role player. Can still block shots from weak side.
Keith Bogans
Another defender in Spurs' mold; can make mid-range jumper; knows what's expected of him.
No Ian or Haislip? And I thought his facials/dunks: times driven was up there? Too bad that isn't a stat.
manu can not drive right
it is amazing he is not forced to go right more
got to give him credit he can go left so much though
Parker doesnt have a 3-pt shot, if he could work on that he could have more space to drive and get more assists.
Got to give him credit for being able to score without being able to shoot.
Given this came from Monroe, the references to 'Dyess' freakish athleticism of yesteryear, and the mentioning of RMJ's defensive prowess as a positive..
This has to be Denver's guy, right?
Whenever I read one of these I always think its just the Spurs scout but they just choose to withold that info, I get that feeling again when he talks about Hill and choice of words he uses. But it could just be me, do we still have an advanced scout?
Did RJ end someone's season? Sounds awfully bitter.Not a great finisher, but gets to the line because refs respect him.
Man Spurs are deep!! Great read.
There's a difference in driving right and finishing right. Manu predominantly finishes left, even when he drives right.
And he has the same percentage everywhere on the court, he just prefers to go left.
if I was a coach against spurs
I would make manu drive right
This scouting report on Manu is simplistic. I have seen him go right and finish on the right side, when they absolutely take away the left. You can't just guard the left, he will go right and score. That's why defenders have to play him straight up, and why they get beat to the left.
I'm tired of hearing announcers say "He's always going to go left!" It's just not that simple.
I was just making a calculated guess, considering Monroe was with Denver prior to coming to SA a couple years ago.
The scout mentioning that 'Dyess was the most athletic big in the game -- not crazy hyperbole, but something a Denver guy would say if he'd been around 'Dyess back then -- and that RMJ is known to get into players defensively -- another thing a Denver guy would say, considering the type of defensive minds and players they've been drawn to -- just had me wondering if Monroe might have called up one of his Denver contacts.
That is what it takes to be an NBA advance scout? Any team out there looking for a scout, please PM me.
I'm from SA and McDyess was without question the most athletic big man when he was younger prior to knee injuries. He was incredibly explosive.
Most Spurs fans are excited about the additions of Jefferson and Blair the most. Of course I am too, but I am more excited about George Hill getting big minutes. I think as long as he stays healthy he may be up for the Most Improved Player Award this year.
There was a story going around back in the day that 'Dyess actually did take change off the top of a backboard in practice, so there's no doubt how great of an athlete he was. But most people or scouts wouldn't so easily throw out the most athletic big man in the league, had they not had some kind of involvement or personal connection to him from back in the day; the late '90's wasn't devoid of highly-athletic big men.
Roger Mason gets into people defensively ?
So George Hill is getting more and more compliments.
lol two things:
1. Mason likes to pressure the ball and make body contact.
2. You can not close out Bonner because of his threaten on driving to basket.
Like you said, it's not like it's a completely ridiculous statement. He jumped higher and threw the ball down harder than Shawn Kemp did, harder than anyone I've ever seen. He was an absolute monster. I have absolutely no issue with someone making that statement. Another reason they might do so is to illustrate the extent to which Dice has modified his game. He really seemed early on like a guy who was going to rely on his athletecism to stay in the league, and to his credit he managed to reinvent himself.
I think it will be fun if Blair and Hill get to square off against each other in the Rookies vs. Sop res game. Chances would seem to be high of that happening.
Why is this funny? It's true. How many times have you seen Bonner pump fake, take a step inside the three point line and shoot the ball? All the time. And hes definitely showing more desire to put the ball on the floor and take it into the trees. Sometimes succesful, sometimes not. But thats what the scout is mentioning.
Insecure, much?
Unsurprisingly, mostly spot-on takes by that scout.
I call total bull . Manu can and does regularly drive right. Go watch some Manu highlight reels on youtube and you'll see.
He does indeed, just as Tony often finishes with his right when going left. It's something I hate to see as a guy that can use both hands equally (it's not hard finishing off-handed if you practice it enough, depending on where your feet are, which is usually why people finish with the wrong hand), but they are both so good at it that I give them a pass...
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