Still no Ratliff or Mahinmi.

[Cane]

And how did Horry fair playing spotty minutes on and off his last year with the spurs?

Let's see.. career low 31% FG, and 25% 3pt.... ty playoff run, spurs trounced by lakers in 2nd round.

Wow, your really making a case here, Cane.

Thanks - although I can't say the same about you and I'm wondering what the you're trying to argue.

Ratliff is an old, injury-prone player signed on to deal with playoffs matchups like LA. He's got a very specific role to fill and won't get more minutes until the season closes.

He's not some kind of savior - he's just an old roleplayer.

[SenorSpur]

It's been well do ented that Ian doesn't practice well. The problem is, he's clearly played better in actual game time. Some guys are just wired that way, and Pop shouldn't hold that against him.

It's this kind of internal, team politics that frustrate me the most about Pop. This is why I've never trusted his evaluation of Ian. It sure seems like he's got it in for this kid because of some bull bias he's developed against him.

If the team were winning, it'd be hard to justify experimentating with a young big or even a employing philosophical shift (like ditching small ball). However the fact is, this team is losing games, plays defense like swiss cheese, and lacks energy and urgency, make a strong case for a strategy change. This team cannot maintain leads and they've shown a surprising inability to beat the top-tier teams in the league.

At this point, Pop has absolutely nothing to lose in trying something different. The fact that he's staunchly refuses to do so gives me the impression that this is more about him than anything else. Pop needs to "get over himself" and give this kid some run. If he fails, so what? The team is losing anyway.

[galvatron3000]

So you're saying Ratliff should play against the lakers this year, and sit out against the other 29 teams?

Ratliff is a playoffs player there for matchups against LA's frontcourt.

Mahinmi must not show up during practice since he's sitting about as low as the Spurs totem pole goes. He's also due to ship out after this season - the Spurs are overloaded with big men this year especially with the success of Blair. I wonder if Ian will eventually find himself overseas like Marcus.

The minutes Ian would be getting I'd rather throw Bonner in there so he can get his 3 point shot back.

It's this kind of internal, team politics that frustrate me the most about Pop. This is why I've never trusted his evaluation of Ian. It sure seems like he's got it in for this kid because of some bull bias he's developed against him.

If the team were winning, it'd be hard to justify experimentating with a young big or even a employing philosophical shift (like ditching small ball). However the fact is, this team is losing games, plays defense like swiss cheese, and lacks energy and urgency, make a strong case for a strategy change. This team cannot maintain leads and they've shown a surprising inability to beat the top-tier teams in the league.

At this point, Pop has absolutely nothing to lose in trying something different. The fact that he's staunchly refuses to do so gives me the impression that this is more about him than anything else. Pop needs to "get over himself" and give this kid some run. If he fails, so what? The team is losing anyway.

At this anything he tries is no better or worse than what we've been doing except not playing Duncan

[The Truth #6]

Our defense is lacking because most of our players are slow and RJ is sloppy. I'd love to see if hairston and Ian could help. I'm sure pop would look at that as giving up so it's unlikely.

[Shastafarian]

Our defense is lacking because most of our players are slow and RJ is sloppy. I'd love to see if hairston and Ian could help. I'm sure pop would look at that as giving up so it's unlikely.

I feel like Hairston is overlooked in all this small ball talk. Defense on the wings has been pretty bad too and Hairston has shown he can be a capable defender. The problem is whose minutes would he take?

[poop]

hairston has played well whenever hes been in there...so naturally he gets put on the bench

[The Truth #6]

Hairston hasn't been a great offensive player but he at least plays like he gives a crap. No reason not to sit Bogans out for 3 games and try an experiment with Hairston. What's the point of saving him for next year. Next year is basically Armaggedon, because if the team doesn't turn it around this year the chances of somehow being great next year are much lower.

[ulosturedge]

I'm an agreement that small ball seems like such an epic fail. It seems like it would be clear as day that we should just throw Ian in the fire and make him sink or swim, but I doubt you experiment like that lol. You will jeopardize the whole system doing that. Imagine if Ian is constantly missing assignments and being a black hole out there and you are giving this guy substantial minutes. You lose games you probably should have won, you disrupt the chemistry that has been molded up til now, and in turn you will probably cause resentment from the players that are losing minutes to him. Not to mention confidence will go down the ter. I have to believe Pop is going about it the right way. If Ian was showing enough in practice he would earn minutes. I'm pretty sure Ian is getting the same treatment as Blair out there. If you screw up and blow an assigment your headed back to the bench. If your out there blowing rotations being a broken piece of the system your getting benched. He needs to learn the hard way or not at all. That's the Pop way plain and simple.

[poop]

I'm an agreement that small ball seems like such an epic fail. It seems like it would be clear as day that we should just throw Ian in the fire and make him sink or swim, but I doubt you experiment like that lol. You will jeopardize the whole system doing that. Imagine if Ian is constantly missing assignments and being a black hole out there and you are giving this guy substantial minutes. You lose games you probably should have won, you disrupt the chemistry that has been molded up til now, and in turn you will probably cause resentment from the players that are losing minutes to him. Not to mention confidence will go down the ter. I have to believe Pop is going about it the right way. If Ian was showing enough in practice he would earn minutes. I'm pretty sure Ian is getting the same treatment as Blair out there. If you screw up and blow an assigment your headed back to the bench. If your out there blowing rotations being a broken piece of the system your getting benched. He needs to learn the hard way or not at all. That's the Pop way plain and simple.

buuullll . throw him out there and let his ass develop...if hes mediocre game after game then yeah, sit him.

but guess what, there are guys getting consistent minutes who are mediocre game after game. and they keep getting minutes.

we wont contend until we have guys capable of defending the paint...and id like to at least give a real chance to the 22 yr old 6-11 260 guy doing that than another 6-7 proven fail dude.

[The Truth #6]

We did draft Ian, which makes the reluctance to play him all the more frustrating, especially because he had a decent game when he did play, and, by not playing him we're destroying any possible trade value to get something in return for him. And it's not like this team is above making a mid-season trade. The Ian situation is in some ways like a microcosm of the season, which is to say - chaos, disorder, confusion, debacle.

[poop]

We did draft Ian, which makes the reluctance to play him all the more frustrating, especially because he had a decent game when he did play, and, by not playing him we're destroying any possible trade value to get something in return for him. And it's not like this team is above making a mid-season trade. The Ian situation is in some ways like a microcosm of the season, which is to say - chaos, disorder, confusion, debacle.

no one to blame for this but Pop. hate to say it but its true.

[SouthTexasRancher]

Guys, I prefer George Hill at PF. He did say he welcomes any challenge to guard anyone.

No way!!! Hill is a Center. Tony Frenchpussey is a Power Forward. If Pop would only put Blair in as our Point Guard and play him for the full 48 minutes we'd be in better shape than we are now!

[tdunk21]

is pop savin mahinmi to use him as a trade bait??

[TD 21]

Don't forget, Ratliff is being saved for the epic Western Conference Finals showdown with the Lakers, when he'll be needed to play 40 mpg. I get not playing him every game, I get not playing him extended minutes, but what I don't get is why he was used sparingly for over a month with Bonner out? Pop would rather tax Duncan by often playing him as the lone big on the court, play three bigs total (all of who's minutes are monitored) and play small ball than play a guy who, in theory, could greatly help this team in short stretches as a rim protector.

This team keeps acting like it's a given they'll be in the playoffs, like the regular season is nothing more than the dress rehearsal. The reality is that's no longer the case. With the depth of the West, the Spurs sub-par record and their brutal second half schedule (not to mention the fact that all of their players minutes are monitored), they are not guaranteed to make the playoffs. I still suspect that they'll find a way to be either the third or fourth seed, but they need to cut this at ude as if they're already there. Pop can save Ratliff all he wants (even if the Spurs make it to a series with the Lakers, how much will he really play, 15 mpg?), but if the team either doesn't make the playoffs or burns themselves out just to get there and are first round fodder, then his signing was all for naught. Not that Ratliff would single-handedly cure what ails this team, but he could help.

[poop]

Don't forget, Ratliff is being saved for the epic Western Conference Finals showdown with the Lakers, when he'll be needed to play 40 mpg. I get not playing him every game, I get not playing him extended minutes, but what I don't get is why he was used sparingly for over a month with Bonner out? Pop would rather tax Duncan by often playing him as the lone big on the court, play three bigs total (all of who's minutes are monitored) and play small ball than play a guy who, in theory, could greatly help this team in short stretches as a rim protector.

This team keeps acting like it's a given they'll be in the playoffs, like the regular season is nothing more than the dress rehearsal. The reality is that's no longer the case. With the depth of the West, the Spurs sub-par record and their brutal second half schedule (not to mention the fact that all of their players minutes are monitored), they are not guaranteed to make the playoffs. I still suspect that they'll find a way to be either the third or fourth seed, but they need to cut this at ude as if they're already there. Pop can save Ratliff all he wants (even if the Spurs make it to a series with the Lakers, how much will he really play, 15 mpg?), but if the team either doesn't make the playoffs or burns themselves out just to get there and are first round fodder, then his signing was all for naught. Not that Ratliff would single-handedly cure what ails this team, but he could help.

epic post.

too bad Pop is the only one clueless to reality.

[Old School 44]

It's this kind of internal, team politics that frustrate me the most about Pop. This is why I've never trusted his evaluation of Ian. It sure seems like he's got it in for this kid because of some bull bias he's developed against him.

If the team were winning, it'd be hard to justify experimentating with a young big or even a employing philosophical shift (like ditching small ball). However the fact is, this team is losing games, plays defense like swiss cheese, and lacks energy and urgency, make a strong case for a strategy change. This team cannot maintain leads and they've shown a surprising inability to beat the top-tier teams in the league.

At this point, Pop has absolutely nothing to lose in trying something different. The fact that he's staunchly refuses to do so gives me the impression that this is more about him than anything else. Pop needs to "get over himself" and give this kid some run. If he fails, so what? The team is losing anyway.

+1000
It's funny how we always hear about player egos. Pop plays the "humble game" well in all his interviews, but sadly, I think he's the one with the biggest ego.