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Manu to start vs. Cavs
By Jeff McDonald on Mar 8, 10 11:58 AM | Permalink Save & Share Yahoo! BuzzYahoo! Newsvine del.icio.us Facebook Google Reddit Fark Twitter
Morning shootaround didn't do much to clear up the greatest mystery surrounding the Cavaliers: LeBron James' status for tonight's game will be decided at tipoff.
Shootaround did provide one pressing answer for the Spurs: With Tony Parker out for the foreseeable future, Manu Ginobili will return to the starting lineup.
Ginobili will start at shooting guard in Cleveland, with George Hill shifting to the point. It will mark just the second start of the season for Ginobili, a former NBA Sixth Man of the Year. The other start, Ginobili notes, "was not a happy one" -- he left that Nov. 18 game at Dallas after 7:28 with a groin strain.
Ginobili admits returning to the starting lineup will be an adjustment.
"I'm afraid I'm going to shoot at the wrong rim," he joked. "I'm used to seeing the guys do it first, and then I come in off the bench."
The choice of Ginobili as a new starter -- over say, Roger Mason Jr. or Richard Jefferson -- says a couple things. Gregg Popovich obviously believes, with Parker shelved, he needs a creator in the starting lineup. This also seems to signal a plan to increase Ginobili's minutes from the 27:30 per game he'd been averaging.
It will be interesting to see how Ginobili's elevation to the starting lineup affects a bench that was leading the league in most relevant categories, in part because of his developing rapport with DeJuan Blair and Richard Jefferson.
"The minutes are going to be different, for sure," Ginobiili said. "But it's not a game between benches -- it's between starters, too. You just have to find a way where the team is most balanced."
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More on LeBron: Cavs coach Mike Brown said after shootaround that if he had his druthers, James would sit tonight against the Spurs, just as he did Saturday at Milwaukee.
Brown would not close the door completely on the prospects of James playing, however. "If he fights me hard enough," Brown said, "maybe I'll let him play."
James is dealing with some nagging ailments -- a twisted ankle and a bruised quad -- but Brown is most concerned about limiting his MVP's minutes with the playoffs on the horizon. The way Cleveland's schedule works out, if James sits tonight, he could enjoy a full week off.
"The thing that really spurs this is the schedule," Brown said. "This is the opportune time for him to get some rest."
James did not participate in the Cavs' shootaround this morning, and left without speaking to reporters, except to offer a polite, "I'm good," when asked how he felt.
"We'll talk again this evening and see how he feels," Brown said. "It's a decision he and I will talk about. The doctors aren't even involved in this."
Interesting. If I read between the lines, I'd say that Pop wants to keep RJs role as stable as possible for fear that his recent momentum will slow or reverse if he shifts again.
Personally, I'd prefer RJ back in the starting lineup because the bench duo of Ginobili/Blair is a killer combo. But, we'll see if this new lineup sticks.
Nothing's ideal at this point...gotta go with shoring up the passing/playmaking in the starting lineup now to set a tone for the important games coming up. This isn't a time to tinker with too much and Manu can probably handle a shift to starter/playmaker a lot easier than anyone else on the team.
Understandable. Without a playmaker (besides Tim), the first unit could find it very hard to score. I still don't like it because I'm more concerned about overusing Manu than I am about scoring droughts with the starting 5.
Agree that overuse of Manu has to be the biggest concern.
I think Hill could step up as a playmaker as he has done in the past when Tony has been sidelined. If he does, then it allows Manu to shift to the second unit and keep him from being overburdened.
Again, IMO RJ back in the starting lineup makes the most sense.
I like this move. The other option of Mason, Hill, Bogans as the backcourt was what that set the Spurs back since the All Star Game (when Parker had all those injuries), before Parker started coming on to his own and then got that devastating fracture.
Ginobili being brought to start is a good way to start the first quarters and takes pressure off Hill, who can defend and take those corner threes now instead of playing Point Guard by traversing straight lines and being generally a bit confused.
One thing is for sure, Pop isn't supers ious. Last year when Manu finally went down for the season was when he started a game in Cleveland.
I just hope Pop won't play him too much. Spurs have a lot of games to come: 30mpg should be the maximum for Manu.
RJ better show up.
If LeBron doesn't play then Spurs should be able to take this fairly easily. Hopefully that is the case.
Fat chance. RJ's the biggest vagina on the team.
So, am I to assume that Mason will go back to getting a lot of back-up PG duty?
The upside if that is the case (Mason plays almost exclusively at the back-up PG position) is that Hairston will probably get playing time backing up Manu.
This is all we needed, they need to keep Manu on the bench. He works with RJ and Blair best without Tim/Tony on the court.
I would have prefered that Hill starts at PG and Mason fills in at SG first and see what happens. If that doesn't work then shift to the lineup that's going to be used against the Cavs. My thoughts are that I really didn't want to break up the core of the 2nd unit since they are playing so well together. But I understand Pop's need to get the 1st unit going with our best playmaker, which is Manu.
As for RJ I still think his role on the 2nd team is best for the team at this time. He can excel against 2nd units league round and is starting to get his groove. But then agian with Manu at PG he will definitely get more touches than with TP. On the 1st unit I would still feed TD first and use his passing ability to get others involved if/when the double teams are coming at him.
No jinxs allowed!That's the last thing we need now.
Too late to tank effectively.
I really hope he gets the chance to play more. I understand that Pop and the team want to win as many games as posisible and get the highest seed in the POs. But I think his development is also needed, too. Pop probably feels that at this point in the season he really isn't going to contribute meaningful minutes so as for now it's only garbage time he will see. So in that case lets hope for some really big blowouts!
I was wondering about that...well. fear never wins that's for sure!
So, am I to assume that Mason will go back to getting a lot of back-up PG duty?
That's probably my most famous photoshop.
As for Manu starting, all I can say is halleh- ing-lujah.
Manu has already been initiating nearly all of the offense, even when GH is on the court. I kept noting how often G passed to Manu to get it going.
Manu is a proven creator for himself and for others. The guy just makes things happen, the vast majority of them are good.
I'd rather have mason start. Bad move.
It's certainly not very Pop-like to start good players. How can they give up an early double digit lead without starting two or three guys who can't score?
I agree with this. I'd of tried Mason as well. Moving Ginobili to the starting lineup means you've altered the chemistry of both your first and second units. Mason for Parker would have been a step down, but at least the 2nd unit could continue building momentum.
I second the 'bad move' motion.
If Hairston comes into the game before Mason I'll be shocked and very happy.
I hope your usually reliable sources have this one right.
Mason will be in as the 1 on the second unit...probably
Okay, so if the team does extremely well with Manu and Hill starting, when Parker comes back do you bring him off the bench?
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