I'd also toss Derrick Favors in there. With Brook Lopez drawing a lot of attention he should be able to put up big numbers for the Nets.
I'd also toss Derrick Favors in there. With Brook Lopez drawing a lot of attention he should be able to put up big numbers for the Nets.
technically Griffin can be ROY ? I think he will be considered sop re
Duncan will be our center practically speaking.
Who will be our PF is the question.
Didn't play any minutes last season, so he's still a rook. Same thing applied to Oden...only he was never in contention after his injury in the second year.
As I understand it, he can.
Who cares? The fact that we don't have to assume it's Matt Bonner is good enough for me. There is one obvious choice and that's McDyess, but if Blair has really improved his perimeter game then I think he can vie for it (as PF w/ Duncan at C). And the defensive appeal of having two 7-footers on the floor to start out the game is undeniable.
Either way, the Spurs are better off now than they were at this time last year and it feels good.
I'm hoping Splitter is just plain good enough to make this conversation pointless. If he can force Pop to shuffle Dice over to the bench this team will be much better off. I'd like to see Dice and Blair come off the bench for Splitter and Duncan, and see Bonner get very limited minutes at the 4 and 3 whenever necessary.
Who are we kidding of course its gonna be BONNER
Shaq...
If he has no trade value then he is not good enough to be starting. And Bonner should not be starting either so that leaves Splitter. It is sink or swim with Splitter.
If Splitter isn't starting quality the spurs aren't going anywhere anyways.
No matter how they work it, I'd like the Spurs to avoid putting Blair out there with anyone other than Duncan or Splitter. He's an undersized PF, and putting him out there with Dice, or God forbid, Bonner would only compound the issue.
Good enough to start and having trade value are two different things. Sometimes they line up, sometimes they don't. Take Bruce Bowen for example. He was good enough to start for us, but never really had much trade value. Erick Dampier is another good example. He was good enough to start for the mavs, but had no trade value until his contract became unguaranteed.
I fully expect Splitter to be starting by year's end.And Bonner should not be starting either so that leaves Splitter. It is sink or swim with Splitter.
No doubt.If Splitter isn't starting quality the spurs aren't going anywhere anyways.
I hope Pop starts Splitter from Day 1. Blair is definitely an off-the-bench energy guy and Dice did next to nothing until late in the season.
Dice isn't bringing back value in return because of the money remaining on his contract, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have value to the Spurs. He's a solid, potentially very good complimentary piece on a contending team. The Spurs FO likely doesn't want to get rid of him (at this point) because all it would bring back is salary cap relief.
And, you forgot about Blair as a potential starter.
Oh and "starting quality" does not equal "starter" in Spurs system (read: Manu). Just because Splitter doesn't start alongside Duncan, doesn't mean he isn't the second best option they have on the frontline.
Then who cares who starts. It doesn't matter. What matters is who will be getting the most minutes.
Said as much in my second post in this thread.
Dyess is finished as a player getting starter minutes on a contender. Bonner was never a good option to get the minutes he has gotten and blair is not a center so that leaves Splitter. I expect Splitter to get the majority of starts at center this year.
I didn't mean that I want to see Dice and Blair play extended minutes together, just that I'd like to see Dice and Blair come off the bench. To my mind, Blair should be getting a lot more minutes than Dice. I feel like both Dice and Duncan should have their minutes monitored this year, but especially Dice. I'm hoping for a lot of Duncan/Splitter, Splitter/Blair and Duncan/Blair this year, with only a smattering of Dice thrown in for good measure. It all depends on Splitter.
Splitter should be starting and getting the bulk of the minutes at center from day 1 . No need to baby this guy.
Other rookies will be starting. With the other weak starting options the spurs have, Splitter should be the logical choice to be the starter.. The spurs success hinges on this guy being good so throw him into the action from day 1.
Anybody but Blair, 6'7 centers don't work. Dice isn't a center either though...
ok thanks
Dice is not finished. He plays very physical post defense and has experience with the pick-n-roll, pick-n-pop game. He's not the jumping jack he used to be, but there is definitely some utility left in his game that the Spurs can use effectively.
You're right about Blair, he's a PF...but that won't stop the Spurs from playing him at "Center" alongside Duncan as the "PF". The important thing to note is how Blair develops his perimeter game. If he's a low-block guy only, then it hurts his chances of playing alongside Duncan for long stretches. But, if he can show a consistent elbow or baseline jumper, it makes him a nice compliment to Duncan.
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