Monroe: Tinkering Popovich plays only eight

**duncan228** · 01-26-2010

Tinkering Popovich plays only eight
Mike Monroe

By his own estimation, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich never has tinkered with player rotations more than he has this season.

“No, never,” the Spurs coach said before tipoff of Monday's 43rd game of the season, against the Chicago Bulls at the AT&T Center.

The experimentation continued Monday, as Popovich used only eight players in a third straight home loss, the Bulls winning 98-93.

Roger Mason Jr., who had played only 13 minutes and 36 seconds in the previous two games, played 25:36, including the entire fourth quarter.

Keith Bogans, who started 36 of the first 42 games, did not play at all. Neither did Matt Bonner, who had logged only 19:22 in three games since coming off the injured list with a broken bone in his right hand.

Mason scored eight points, with six rebounds, three assists, two makes on three 3-point attempts and a solid perspective on dealing with recent uncertainty about his playing time.

“From a basketball standpoint, it's not easy,” he said. “I'm a compe or who wants to play and wants to help the team. At the end of the day, you stay ready, and you stay professional, and when your number is called, you go out there.”

Mason's only miss from beyond the 3-point arc was one that went around the rim and out with 3:11 left in an 87-all tie, a potential momentum turn that didn't happen.

“Every shot in the fourth quarter under five minutes is big,” he said. “We got good looks. It's part of basketball. The shots are not always going to go in.”

Crown menace: Trying to save a loose ball as it sailed out of bounds on the sideline, Spurs forward Antonio McDyess ended up leaping over fans seated courtside and into the fourth row.

“I couldn't stop,” he said. “I'm lucky I didn't get hurt, or hurt anybody.”

Brown to Bulls: The Bulls announced before Monday's tipoff that they had acquired former Spur Devin Brown, the one-time UTSA and West Campus star who recently cracked the starting lineup in New Orleans. The Hornets traded him to the Bulls for center Aaron Gray.

Brown played three seasons for the Spurs, including the 2004-05 championship season. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich called him a “utility infielder” who had been a good role player.

“He handles the ball well for a wing type,” Popovich said. “He shot it really well. He played pretty good defense for us. He was kind of an all-around player. He didn't do anything great, but he shot well enough, he hustled and was a good piece for us; a good role player.

“That's basically what he's been doing for Cleveland, New Orleans and, now, for (the Bulls).”