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Chemistry helps, but it doesn't make up for lack of youth, athleticism, size, defensive energy/intensity and small ball..
Spurs still in mix but lack chemistry
Jeff McDonald
INDIANAPOLIS — On paper, it seemed like a summertime slam dunk.
The Spurs traded for scoring swingman Richard Jefferson in June, the next day drafted DeJuan Blair, an All-American from Pittsburgh, and signed veteran forward Antonio McDyess in July.
With that flurry of offseason embellishments, consensus around the league was that the Spurs had done the most of any team to improve their chances of challenging the Los Angeles Lakers for NBA pre-eminence.
Eight months later, the same Spurs team that won the offseason is 30-21 after the All-Star break, currently sitting seventh in the Western Conference, and spinning its wheels just to gain traction in one of the most tightly contested playoff races in memory.
“Bottom line is, we just haven't jelled as a group to date,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “We haven't developed a trust, a communication, a camaraderie on the court. That's rather strange for us.”
As the Spurs and other teams around the NBA have learned, when it comes to the math of offseason additions, there's no accounting for chemistry.
Call it clicking or coalescing or jelling or congealing. It is that simple magic of coming together that transforms a team into greater than the sum of its parts.
It is an elusive quality that can't be manufactured, forced or faked — the indefinable bond that allows a Houston team without Tracy McGrady or Yao Ming to take the Lakers to seven games last postseason, or a Portland team gutted by injuries to remain in the playoff picture this season.
As the Spurs resume their rodeo trip tonight at Indiana, “chemistry” has become the buzzword.
“It's been our biggest problem so far,” captain Tim Duncan said. “Just trying to get everybody on the same page, trying to get a positive vibe and positive energy in the locker room. All of that stuff lends to chemistry.”
The Spurs' lack of chemistry has been evident on the offensive end, where they are committing 13.7 turnovers per game. It is evident on defense, as they have slipped to 11th in field-goal percentage allowed (45.5 percent).
It is evident in fourth quarters, where the Spurs have often been unable to come together for the stop or the score required to close out tough games.
Fifty-one games into the season, Jefferson is still searching for his sea legs on his new team. McDyess just now seems to be finding his. Partially due to injuries and partly due to a try-anything approach to making his team click, Popovich has started 16 unique lineups, and the rotation remains in flux.
Last season, the Spurs overachieved to finish 54-28 and win the Southwest Division. That team, despite the holes created by an aging roster, had chemistry.
“Last year's team had less talent, but everybody's role was established,” said guard Roger Mason Jr., who through his agent has declared himself open to a trade. “This year, we've got new guys, a new system, you've got guys who aren't playing as much, guys you're incorporating. It doesn't surprise me we haven't jelled.”
The Spurs aren't the only team struggling with the concept of chemistry.
Orlando went to the Finals last season, replaced Hedo Turkoglu with All-Star Vince Carter, and is now laboring to keep pace with Cleveland in the Eastern Conference. Boston, a poster child for the power of team chemistry en route to the 2008 le, added Rasheed Wallace and has fallen to fourth.
Like the Spurs, Dallas has hit some rough patches despite an upgraded roster. After last weekend's seven-player trade with Washington, the Mavericks are due for another chemistry exam after the break.
“I don't think there's anything magical about it,” Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said. “I think it's just guys understanding how their team has to play and staying with that. For some guys, that means adjusting from the way they've played in other situations.”
With Thursday's trade deadline looming, the Spurs have been shopping Mason in search of some frontcourt help. In the meantime, Spurs players cling to the belief that chemistry is still to be found within the walls of their own locker room
A 111-92 victory at Denver heading into the All-Star break provides hope.
The Spurs, for one of the few times all season, looked like the team the rest of the league envisioned out of training camp. To the most optimistic among them, it was a sign the Spurs, perhaps, are beginning to find some answers to their season-long chemistry test.
The proof is still to come.
“It's coming,” Duncan said. “You can see it. People are fighting for each other. People are rooting for each other and pulling each other along.
“But it's going to take a couple of wins, doing things the right way for a couple games in a row for that to sink in.”
*********************
Spurs Show
Jeff McDonald and Mike Monroe take a look at the Spurs as they resume their rodeo road trip.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/videos/84546272.html
Last edited by duncan228; 02-17-2010 at 04:17 AM.
Chemistry helps, but it doesn't make up for lack of youth, athleticism, size, defensive energy/intensity and small ball..
RMJ is sounding more and more emo. Time to ship him out.“Last year's team had less talent, but everybody's role was established,” said guard Roger Mason Jr., who through his agent has declared himself open to a trade. “This year, we've got new guys, a new system, you've got guys who aren't playing as much, guys you're incorporating. It doesn't surprise me we haven't jelled.”
In fact, shipping out a couple swingmen and a big would in itself help out. This team is actually too deep. Time to cull the herd.
Trade or no trade, this team has a good chance of making a second half surge. The W/L record isn't all that bad and, based upon point differential, they still have underperfomed. RJ has hit rock bottom, so his fears should subside and he may be able to rebuild his confidence.
The second half should be fun, or at least interesting.
Yeah Mason is in a serious black eyeliner mode right now.
Hmm...did the Spurs FO throw too much money at their problems? Do we have too many chiefs and not enough Bonners?
Sounds like too much to overcome this year right now, you made me depressed again man
The move (or lack of move) we make before the trade deadline will speak volumes on how the FO feels about this season (and the next).Sounds like too much to overcome this year right now, you made me depressed again man
I really don't think youth and athleticism are a problem on the team this year. Between Hill/Blair/Jefferson they can play athletes at nearly every position except for center.
An argument could be made that defensive chemistry and lack of defensive energy/intensity are essentially one and the same. It's hard to be a lock down defensive team when players don't know where they're supposed to be or aren't putting forth sufficient effort. And if the players can't trust other players to be where they are supposed to be or do what they are supposed too (trust = chemistry?) then it's hard to be an intense defensive team.
Blair is an average athlete and Jefferson is only a leaper, he has no lateral quickness or athleticism on defense at all due to previous injuries..Hill is the only athletic player that the Spurs play..it's an obvious problem that is glaring in most Spurs games..
I see what you're saying with the chemistry, but I don't think it's the same thing..a lot of players on this team look dead and lifeless a lot of the time..
Chemistry would obviously help, particularly when it comes to missing defensive rotations, but it doesn't make up for the other flaws with the Spurs' current rotation IMO..
RMJ is out for himself when he should be out for the team. I've lost a load of respect for him this past week.
i like mason and all but i was a bit of disappointed in him when he hosted that video contest where he was going to send 2 people to ny right after xmas and ended up bailing on the contest. that was a bad call on his part but it wasn't the end of the world. i still like ma$e and wish things were different but this definitely seems like the end of ma$e in the black and silver.
Mason is not the high character guy he plays off to be. It clearly shows by his comments that he is only looking out for himself. Maybe if he wasn't such a crappy player he could get more playing time.
Emo? How? This is a good observation in my book what words, phrases or terms has he used to justify calling him emo?
He's looking out for his next contract. It's a business...
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine
Smith/Allen for RMJ/Dyess
It is easy to blame the new guys or Mason, but even Tim, Tony, and Manu don't have good chemistry on the court.
How many people on here have said the exact same thing?
Jefferson is definitely quicker and more athletic than previous solutions at SF that played major minutes (excluding Bowen). I think the Spurs have gotten away with less athletic players in the past; the difference was those players had an overall better understanding of the Spurs system (I would argue).
But, I do agree with you completely regarding a missing element; a subject that I believe has been well discussed in some other threads. In the case of this team, I actually would say that two things are missing: will and then basketball IQ. Overall, this team seems to struggle with what they are supposed to do and where they are supposed to be.
...that and height and athleticism in the front court.
I had to look up what EMO meant. That's just sad. I'm 39 and out of touch. But yes, EMO is accurate slang for RMJ.
This.
I'm sure there's some chemistry problems, but you can't put all of our woes just on that... I would hate this to be the scapegoat...
RMJ isn't surprised, why can't Pop see that? RMJ knows Pop won't figure it out either, hence the trade request. Smart man.
So? It's a business right? He's in a contract year, let him earn his next one on the court not on the pine.
LMAO at the Mason haters
he plays hard on the court with 30 or 5 minutes. So what if he's in his contract year and wants more minutes.
Spurs office is a bunch of pussies if they get ticked off at Mason.
mason is a team player. stop rewriting history. Even he himselft tried to improve team chemistry by organizing BBQs, etc for the whole team.
BTW, note that Mason is one of the NBPA chairman. He knows very well that this is his last chance to try to get as much salary as possible. He knows most low minute NBA players will make peanuts next year.
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