Reply With Quote
sit bonner.
The trio have ALWAYS been subject to being stripped. When you drive in the lane it happens.
What I'm talking about are the verbal and non-verbal miscues that lead to bad passes. What I'm talking about are the no-looks to no one because a certain person isn't where they're supposed to be on offense. It is FAR more rampant this year than in past years and it has everything to do with the lack of court time shared by these players.
sit bonner.
You mean the guy who led the team in rebounds while just playing 23 minutes? No, I don't think that's the answer.
This is pretty much what I've been alluding to.
Bottom line, the Spurs' Championship formula has consisted of:
A dominant Tim.
A cold-blooded Manu.
The explosive outbursts/performances of Tony at different stages.
One of the best perimeter defenders ever in Bowen.
And a cast of role-players that brought timely shooting and veteran savvy.
As a team overall, they were one of the top 3 defensive teams each year, (lead the league in defensive rebounding) they were among the league-leaders in point-differential, and they were arguably the best executing team in the league both offensively and defensively; the intelligence was really second to none.
The Spurs are getting a dominant Tim as of right now, but he was talked about as a top 3 candidate for MVP at the mid-point of the year last year.
Manu has yet to regain his form or show that his explosiveness is still there, and given his age and injuries, you've got to wonder if he can even sustain the type of level the Spurs need if he should eventually achieve it.
Tony, for whatever reason, has been a s of the player he was last year. He's never going to be the quintessential floor-general, but his play-making should be significantly better than it's been. Where's the guy who was looking Wade-esque at times last year?
Bruce Bowen and his defense is gone; replaced by a superior offensive talent that does not excel in the offense Bruce once occupied. Not only have you lost the defense, but you've lost the spacing and continuity of a proven, intricate offense. I've never liked the the fit of RJ on this team but if there's a way to make it work, Tony Parker holds the key.
As for the cast of role players, you've lost the Championship fabric of years past. Fin shouldn't be playing long enough to factor in his shot-making and of the newcomers, 'Dyess is the only one that somewhat fits the bill; could Bogans really play with the poise of a Bowen on both ends; could Blair, as a rookie, be the Malik of '03; Could Bonner somehow morph the clutchness of Horry, the marksmanship of Kerr, and the irritability of Ferry; Is George Hill capable of combining a formula of Claxton and Ginobili from '03; does Roger Mason have the game to excel in the playoffs the way Jaren and Stephen Jackson did offensively?
The defensive play has picked up considerably and has shown some signs for hope, but it hasn't foreshadowed an impending dominance that could mask the shortcomings I see..
The resumes do tell you this team has plenty of talent, but resumes are about what you've done, not necessarily what you'll do.
A guy like Camby would be a step in the right direction and the supposed interest in Bell seems warranted given the reliability of Bogans' shot; I've said from the beginning this team was going to have to make a move or two to shore up one or both of their needs defensively at the 5 and swing position, and I stand by it..
It's easy to get caught up in what your team is and isn't doing well on a night-in night-out basis and what they can and should improve on, but I look to if they honestly have what it takes to beat the likes of a Lakers if both teams are playing near their best..
I just can't see it as this team is currently constructed.
get real man. im not one to blame the whole team struggles on bonner, and i believe that we can and will still make a hard push into the playoffs, but if you really believe we can win a championship against LA BOS CLEV ORL with soft ass bonner playing 30+ minutes.... then i feel sorry for you...
we cant and wont win it all with him playing those minutes... his defense is almost as worse as masons and when he isnt hitting the 3 ball he is totally useless.
My question is if a decent/good offer for Manu came up by the deadline(which it may) would the spurs stay loyal to Manu or trade him?
You saw what happened last year when manu went down, they're not letting him go this year.
One word. Communicate.
This team is having a of a time trusting and playing with each other. It's as simple as that.
I don't know what fantasy land you're living in but Matt Bonner played almost 24 MPG last year and is averaging under 21 MPG this year. I don't think anyone is calling for him to get as many minutes as Tim, Tony, and Manu.
I don't see how you can say "when he isnt hitting the 3 ball he is totally useless". That was obviously not the case tonight since he was 1/6 from the field but led the team in rebounds.
I personally don't think this team can beat any of the teams you've mentioned unless Manu finds a time machine but it's definitely not because of Bonner.
1. Put Blair in the starting lineup. I want to see him play with Tim Duncan, plus unlike bigs in the past, Blair can actually catch TP's bad passes.
2. Insert Mason into the starting lineup and limit Bogans, I just don't think he is playing very well. He had a couple of good games, but he has been disappointing in my opinion.
3. DIce, Bonner, Manu, Hill and Finley (when he comes back) need to be the second unit and Hill also needs some playing time with Parker. I would like to see Hill get 30+ minutes a game.
4. We need to let Jefferson shoot more. I know he has been sucking, but his best games came when we ran offense through him. He is not Bowen in that we can expect him to not touch the ball and then hit a couple of key corner threes. This guys is a scorer who gets 5-9 shots a night. He needs more like 12-14 if you ask me. Lets see if he can produce and open the floor for everyone else. I would rather lose games now and get him more integrated in the offense.
Disagreed completely
But they are last in the league in opponent TO. Spurs have the 3rd worst TO differential at +2.06. (Memphis, Phoenix, San Antonio, Portland and Sacramento are the bottom 5. Milwaukee, Boston, Dallas, Golden State, and Atlanta are the top 5, with Lakers coming in at 6).
I think Phoenix minimizes the turnover issue because they shoot very high % (#1 in the league) and have a lot of assists (#4).
How about playing your 5 best players together, in other words START MANU. He's the only guy who gets others involve, this may help RJ and Antonio.
Our bench is good enough without Manu.
It also seems like that the team lacks energy and emotion. In a way it looks like as if the players are over-thinking out there and are hesitant to act. Many of the passes don't look crisp, and the players don't seem to come and meet the passes. In short, the team looks very slightly confused out there and are thinking through the action--which may give off the appearance of lacking energy/emotion, etc.
Another issue is that I think Pop uses the first half of the season to gather data more than anything else. I think as long as we're not losing too much, Pop uses the game situations to observe how different matchups work, combinations work, etc.--even to the detriment of winning individual games. I think he's been this way for years now, but he's gotten worse about it. It's as if he treats the pre-season as camp (to evaluate fringe/practice players), then the pre-all-star portion of the season as preseason, and then post-all-star portion as the regular season. It's probably fine given the roster's age and composition, but for the fans it's pretty maddening...
OP nails it on the head, it is a combination of many problems.
The first thing we need to do is get this sloppy play recently under control. You CANNOT win a championship, let alone a playoff series playing out-of-control ball.
Trades are not the proper way to go unless the deal is obviously in our favor. Adding more new pieces will sacrifice this season to compete in the next. This just isn't the kind of team where you can add a piece and be contenders. There's too much new blood.
Another factor that is related to the turnovers is the huge imbalance in scoring potential and play-making potential. This team is way too stacking is scoring talent and too many people need shots. Both of our PGs are shoot-first and this compounds the issue. Only Duncan and Manu can really sacrifice their shooting to make plays, and one of those guys is looking like a s of his former self.
Remember how Pop said he was going to give the offensive reins to Parker? Should he take them back (and draw up some plays for RJ)?
Well it's not working, so something needs to change..
I don't know if it's the new practice regimen where the times changed, I don't know if it's because Parker and Hill have taken control of the plays..something needs to change, the offense is sloppy and ugly right now..
I find it hard to believe that the FO acquired Jefferson without looking into it with a thorough evaluation..they surely couldn't have acquired him with the intention of having him become Finley 2.0..
Is Tony having a Tiger issue of his own or something? He just doesn't seem very focused this year...
There are all the obvious reasons like stop turning over the ball. But a big reason is because RJ is not playing well and I don't think it's really his fault. It has to do with the Spurs system and I say that because there are a number of players who get traded to teams and start playing well from the start. Look at Vince Carter.. I don't know if it's a lack of structure or too much details that need to be learned as I recall Dice's comments about the Spurs being the most detailed team he's ever been on. I know it's the same system that has won les but Pop tearing out pages of the play book doesn't seem to be helping so far. I don't know it's frustrating...
This could be part of it, TP is a scoring PG, maybe orchestrating an offense isn't his strongest quality.
Idk where to start when evaluating the team, but they are not going to win a championship this year, next year I hope will present a much better chance. Even with a trade this year I don't see it happening. At this point in the season its still to early but there are too many questions and problems with the team.
I see a few ways of going with the team, One stand pat and work things out basically. There are problems with every single position and court chemistry is pretty poor so I think it will still be a long ways until we see consistent improvements. Next year the team should look a lot better assuming we do keep a healthy(I hope) Manu and obtain Splitter.
You could make a trade later into the season but then we would have a new player along with whether or not we have fixed some of the issues. Though I don't think we could trade for anyone with enough skill or talent to push us to the top this year.
Or the least likely option trade some players for the future...maybe Manu but won't happen. Try and get young talent or a higher first round pick. Basically get a Duncanesque prospect(in talent) to our Duncan who will be able to maybe in a few years send off Timmy with a last championship much like Robinson, assuming TD does not retire.
We will stand pat for the foreseeable future though, and I hope to god Pop has already realized that the offense needs to be reworked. The personnel we have now just doesn't fit with our past ways of doing things as Blackjack said, and it must be tough considering how long it has worked. The worst thing right now for the spurs is that Duncan is playing so well and we continue night in and night out relying on him.
Reworking the offense is the first step, lessen the load on Duncan, see what can be done to restore Parker, and move more of the load onto RJ with design plays or whatever.
i hate to say it, but i really do think parker is the problem. the spurs are have more talent and offense than ever but it's just not fitting together. spurs need to bring in a point guard with the court vision and passing skills to control the offense. i would say parker's passing ability is worse than ginobili and duncan's. his assists mainly comes from his drive and kicks. he lacks the creative playmaking other elite point guards possess.
like how andre miller screwed with the blazers, parker is screwing with the spurs. parker needs the ball in his hands to be effective. he has no 3 pt shot and his spot up shooting is shaky. once parker gives up the basketball, the threat is removed and the spurs lose one player on offense. in the past parker could get away with this because the spurs didn't have any other offensive options outside the big 3 but it's different now. now when parker has the ball, jefferson is useless unless he is lucky enough to get a drive and kick. when jefferson or ginobili has the ball, parker is no threat.
too bad the spurs will never consider trading parker so the spurs need to find some other way to work through this. a less dramatic solution would be to trade george hill for a good passing back up point guard. someone like kyle lowry or jarret jack. with so many offensive options spurs can't afford to have two shoot first point guards on the team. they lack glue and ginobili's passing isn't good enough, they need another passing point guard.
Heat its a worthless issue. Read my let's be real thread. I suggested we have no true center to guard the paint like the ship years and these geniuses up here said they sucked. News flash "we won with them and they did well enough". I also wanted camby for ages.
Only an honest person would agree
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions