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nicely done.
A thread could just as appropriately (actually moreso) be made en led
"Why do any assume 'Popped will play Bonner an appropriate number of minutes?"
mahinmi
A thread could just as appropriately (actually moreso) be made en led
"Why do any assume 'Popped will play Bonner an appropriate number of minutes?"
And we all do, because none of the dumb forum posters actually coach the team, yet are fans enough to stop over here and invest time talking about their team as much or more than you do.
So getting back to the actual thread:
Do you think Pop over-plays Bonner? If you think he does, why?
I'm all for Pop giving significant minutes to Bonner during the regular season to rest Duncan and Dice.
If Pop start to play Bonner instead of Blair or Splitter in the RS or if Bonner is part of the playoffs rotation, it will suck.
Pop had limited options for most of last season, and those of you who say he overplayed Bonner are wrong. Which big should have absorbed those minutes? Tim? There were calls on this forum for him to sit out 1/2 of all back to backs, and he was running on empty when the playoffs began. When Ian saw the light of day, he racked up fouls at a prohibitively fast rate. Blair was a rookie, and Pop was bringing him along. McDyess was getting acclimated and is no spring chicken either. The options just weren't there, and as a result, Bonner got more minutes, and up until the hand injury, he contributed fairly consistently. I was at the Indiana game, and his shooting helped build a double digit lead in the first half. After he broke his hand and left, the offense fell apart and the lead evaporated. If it hadn't have been for some hustle and luck, we would have lost that game.
It sucked that he disappeared during much of the playoffs, but he never really got his rhythm back after recovering from the injury. I am hoping that Bonner gets situational minutes next season, kind of like Horry did previously. I seriously doubt that he'll ever earn the moniker Big Shot Matt, and he sure doesn't have the defensive moxie, but those are the shoes that need to be filled on this team, and it seems like Pop and company, for better or worse, have decided he's the guy. It seems to me that Matt will have a limited but important role, and I'm pulling for the him to step up.
The thing that I look forward to seeing is what combinations of bigs work best now that Splitter is here. Do Splitter and Tim start together, or does Splitter come in with Manu (assuming Manu comes off the bench)? Where and when does Blair fit in? Dice? Bonner is just going to have a bit part next year, imho.
The problem isn't the amount of PT, it's that he's getting any. Damn. Can't remember how many times we trotted Bonner out off the bench, only to see a team go on an 8-10 point run while Bonner clanged threes and watched his man score uncontested buckets.
Bowen wouldn't have gotten the Spurs past LA, but he's still easily a far superior defender to Jefferson, Bogans, Hill, Parker, Ginobili, or Mason, and he would have been able to hit an open three unlike Jefferson, Bogans, or Mason.
you said "bigs"
rebounding - Mahinmi
shot blocking - Mahinmi
defense - Mahinmi
3 Pt shot - Bonner
Sky Hook - Bonner
= Mahinmi the better "Big"
i think he meant '08-'09 (in '07-'08, bruce was still a starter playing 30+ mpg).
in retrospect, bruce would have been a better option than finley, but he clearly was in the decline at that point. Pop may not have made the right choice, but he didn't have much of a hand to play at that juncture.
Mahinmi cant go 1 minute without picking up a foul. Explain how that is good defense. The poor guy averaged 8 fouls a game last summer league.... Yes, 8.....
Stats don't really back that up. My problem with Bonner is that he is a playoff mental midget. His +/- (a flawed stat I admit) regular season numbers should be much worse if leads routinely evaporated (and were never rebuilt) on his watch.
(In the regular season) Sure, he clangs 3s, but he shoots at a high percentage that it's worth it for him to take them.
I think people lock into his misses and dismiss his makes.
If his regular season numbers translated the playoffs, there would be a (limited) place for him in a playoff rotation. The problem is that he goes from mildly useful in certain situations during the regular season to completely terrible when the real season starts.
That said, he's also become a bit of a scapegoat for the team's 3 year le drought - and does provide (a little) more value than most on here will admit.
that's not accurate - based on his NBA stats last year he would average 4 fouls per 20 minutes. I'd doubt he would ever get more than 20 minutes of playing time.
News flash - young bigs get fouls and it's part of playing defense - the fact that Bonner only averaged 2 fouls per 20 minutes should tell you that his defense needed more aggression.
Ian is gone and we still have sharp shooter boner, but I still think we'd be better off with a young, inexpensive big that has some shot blocking ability that could help our defense in the paint.
Hopefully Splitter has some of that ability, but I don't know enough about him to know any better.
Definitely agree there but I don't think mahinmi would have been that guy at all. I do think Ratliff could have filled that role but we gave him away for nothing.
Splitter plays good defense and is a shot-blocker.
I agree - he rotates well, but that doesn't hide his inability to get of the ground to contest shots or the movement necessary to recover after an opponent has gone past him. When your best defensive move is to put you arms in the air and close your eyes while the opponent shoots - that's not good defense. You take your goggles off - boner lover
Why do some of you seem all bent on defending someone that gives nothing when it matters most at playoff time?
Bonner could make over a thousand 3's in the regular season but who cares. Seriously, him and his worth isn't even worth arguing over.
Not a Bonner lover at all but he isn't the reason we lost last season and he isnt the reason if we lose next season. People constantly putting blame on him just becomes annoying to me. I would have rather Bonner left.... along with Ian, Mason, and Bogans. They're all scrubs.
Many that defend him continue to state that he would be a good "5th" big man on the roster... which is obviously true. If he is the 5th big man he gets limited time and plays behind Duncan,Blair,Splitter,Dice which doesn't leave much time. They aren't many "5th" big guys in the NBA that give anything when it matters most at playoff time. Nobody is saying Bonner should play more minutes, start games, or even see the floor playoff time but if he's used like many of us continue to say than it could be a good thing. He knows the system well and is our best 3 pt shooter on the team. If he gets some minutes during the regular season to help limit Duncan and Dice than that's fine.
in fairness, ian's foul rate has been rough at every level that he has played. he makes some highlight worthy plays on both ends because of his athleticism, but his ability to ever regularly avoid foul trouble is very much in question.
there are many reasons why the Spurs have failed in the playoffs since 2007, but Bonner's only fault was his untimely poor shooting. His defense has always been below average (as far as defending the paint or individual defense.)
He was just used too much and the Spurs have continued to decline in defense - seeing him get big minutes while Blair and McDyess sat was pretty frustrating but not Bonner's fault. Say what you want about Bonner's rotations, but he brings little to the Spurs defense in terms of a big. If the Spurs fail to improve their defense in the paint, they will not succeed.
Only one scrub is looking at a $10+ million payday...
tbh, this whole thing has nothing to do with Matt at all. I actually met him in person and he seemed like one of the nicest players I've met. He's a good kid and I'm glad he realized his dream of playing in the NBA. I just wish it would be on another team, but I digress... Let's see how the minutes are distributed as the season goes along, then we can discuss pro and cons.
Ultimately this is somewhat what happened last season. People were clinging to the +/- and then he got injured, and we kept on playing just as well and winning without him. Then the playoffs came around and I believe somebody here was actually keeping track of his +/- and he was pretty terrible throughout until the last 1 or 2 games.
If I have to make a prediction, I'll say he'll get more minutes than he deserves, he'll choke in pressure situations again, and we'll be hearing how there just weren't that many good players in front of him, since Splitter was just a rookie, Blair a sop re, and Dice is done. Rinse and repeat for another 3 seasons.
Don't get me wrong, there's nothing that would make me happier as a Spurs fan to be completely off-track about this.
Dice started and played more minutes than bonner all playoffs. No way Bonner should get more minutes than Blair this year. That's for sure.
Spurs defense has gotten considerably worse all around. Not having the perimeter defense we used to have also hurts. Plus, Blairs defense is nothing to rave about and him getting minutes over Bonner won't improve are defense in the paint... Our rebounding sure. Fact is Duncan declining in defense and our lack of perimeter defense are the main reasons are defense has suffered.
Bonner will go to Toros and be D-League MVP.
The points you make are exactly why I rather he left. If he is used like a 5th big and only gets major minutes when Duncan or Dice takes the night off than I love the signing. Thing is I don't trust that happening... which is why I would have rather he just left. I don't want him getting major minutes but don't mind him getting some minutes.
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