Why not? It's not that hard for a good coach like Popovich. It's just Xs and Os. It doesn't seem that intrusive. Why not try to optimize the talents of your starting wing? The system can't be so set in stone that it is impossible to make adjustments. If that's the case, then the problem is the system.
I agree that a system change to better utilize RJ's open floor talent would help the Spurs. It would make them less one-dimensional (everyone currently knows what the Spurs run). Adding an element of speed and power from the SF spot would give the Spurs offense an element it hasn't had since S.Jax left.
Spurs still like to push and run whenever they (can) get stops and retrieve long rebounds-- There were many scenarios last year where R.J reaped the benefits of such situations ( converting in slightly contested 2 on 1--3 on 2-- situations around the rim for an easy two points). Spurs have never had that at the 3 spot since Sean's early days. Now with Splitter to help stabilize the interior defense, there should be more of these opportunities. (Better the defense-- the more opportunities Spurs will have to run).
And Jax never had speed and power-- his fast break offense consisted of floating to the 3 point line, while Tony and Manu did the pushing ( which worked fine).
They really do need to draw up more plays for Jefferson where he finds himself finishing at the rim.
Expectations will be MUCH lower this year, so he should feel less pressured this year and with
a year under his belt, SHOULD play better.
about 40 dunk next year and I'll be happy.
How can the system designed around 3 stars that has won 4 les be the problem? The problem is the player. The bad fit. The guy throwing the balance off.
Sure, Pop could easily tweak it to make it more RJ friendly, but that is not the point. Tweaking a championship system and taking away opportunities from far better and more efficient players (TP, Manu, Tim, Hill, possibly Tiago) just to suit RJ is a losing proposition.
The other side is you shouldn't have to do that for a guy you pay 40M to.
You don't change the system, you find a balance in your rotation to give your best players the most opportunities during the course of the 48 minute war.
Which is why Manu has came off the bench for the majority of his career.
Actually it was designed around 3 stars, a star perimeter defender, a shotblocking big so the defense could funnel slashers to the baselines, and quality role players who could knock down shots and play *some* defense. But the league has evolved as well, so that system may not work against the best teams now. Now we have to have longer, stronger players who can go against guys like LeBron, Wade, Bosh, or Kobe, Bynum/Gasol and Odom. So using the old system may get some wins but really what the Spurs need is to add to the old system with the new foes in mind.
And of course the FO/coaches know this and have been trying to add plays and pieces to the system the whole time.
Spurs weren't trying to add a player like RJ is. They were trying to add a player they thought RJ could be. 3 PT shooting and top flight defense. They were wrong on that, not the system.
You can't force a square peg into a round hole. RJ is a square peg on this team unfortunately and making some minor tweaks is not going to make things much better overall imo.
There is only so much you can do for your 5th offensive option, which RJ is at best.
I said, if the system is so inflexible that it cannot incorporate a player with an obvious and distinct skill set without disrupting it's basic nature, then it is a flawed system. I don't believe that it is, I was just making a point.
Pop is no stranger to making adjustments from roster to roster, Avery to AD to Tony, Sean to Bruce, everyone to Manu. I'm not sure what to attribute his unwillingness to do so with RJ last season to. Maybe he thought RJ was going to be a player he could just plug in to Bowen's role or play the PF position without ever playing there before. That doesn't seem very smart, and I think Pop is a smart guy. I think the reason for the "bad fit" was born out of necessity because there were just so many holes and new pieces on the roster that Pop just didn't really have the options he has had before. RJ I think took most of the blame for that because the expectations were high, his struggles were highlighted and magnified and a lot of his detractors are not taking into consideration that it takes a whole team to lose just as much as it does to win.
Also, only 3 of the 4 les were won built around the big three and this "championship system" hasn't yielded a le in three years. Changes are expected and should have been made the summer of 2008.
I don't believe that. If that's true the Pop & FO are stupid. I could have told you that RJ wasn't Bruce.
This metaphor is meaningless in the real world. Corporations and businesses thrive on finding ways to make the seemingly impossible, possible. There are plenty of players in the NBA that could have been bad fits on their current teams, but were incorporated in such a way that their differences could be used as an advantage.
Well maybe the Spurs couldn't find a round peg to put in their round hole (oh my god that's terrible), so instead they brought the square peg back; only now, they are going to try and change the round hole into a square one (tweak the system).
Yeah, and RJ was actually pretty decent towards the 2nd half of last season. So maybe this season RJ can play well in the first AND second halves. So then the Spurs can fit three halves into the "hole."
To be accurate, R.J actually played well the first 2 months of the season (hit 40 % of his 3's during this span).
Then in the months of January and February, R.J got into a funk and the regressed confidence in his shot started to effect his all around game.
At this point in late February and early March is when R.J kind of put all the mind games aside and started playing more assertive and more aggressive on the boards and with taking the ball to the basket (which explains the increase in his overall shooting percentage the last 2 months of the season).
People really try to exploit the 2 months of the year where he was really bad for the whole year and that's not really a fair way to access his year.
This may have been true the 1st time they signed him.
Then why did they sign him a 2nd time?! Jefferson walked away clean, yet the FO brought him back.
Alas, the deal is done. I'm sure the coaches & FO have an idea how to go forward.
My hope is that things work out.
We can’t win a championship without changing it up a little.
Yes we have the big 3 but really most of last season was the big 1.5. TD killed it early, Manu killed it late TP was off and on throughout the year but never really finding a rhythm.
The side needs a shakeup cos hoping that the big 3 can fire all season long and playoffs too is a pipe dream.
We need to bring in Splitter and Anderson/Neal, blair needs to step up, RJ needs to be utilised by Parker more + step up his jump shot.
The side will move differently but we have to if we want to run deep into the playoffs.
The old spurs defensive grind still needs to be there but in offense our basic pick and roll isn’t going to cut it anymore we need to develop new plays and strats to contend, most teams coaches can predict our offense better than half our players.
Pop needs to start doing what made him become such a great coach all those years ago.
How is it that people can call themselves Spurs fans have so little understanding about how they run their offense? Everyone looks at Parker's assists per stats and assume that he is not efficiently running the offense. The Spurs run pick and rolls and penetrate and dish plays. Parker penetrates, if the defense collapses on him he kicks it out. The ball is passed around the perimeter until they get an open look or an open lane to the hoop. If the defense stays put, Parker gets an easy layup or a floater. Parker may not get the direct assist, but it is his ability to penetrate the paint and either score or kick out that sets the whole offense in motion.
Please tell me what system manu ginobili would not fit. I think manu can fit any system.
Go back and look for the mul ude of quotes from Pop saying he didn't know what to do Ginobili at first and how his style was so different than any other player he had coached. It wasn't until Pop admittedly let Manu go and do his thing that the player/coach relationship blossomed and the Spurs started collecting trophies.
After you do that, you can come back and sit at the big boy table.
I assume that the spurs are going utilize rj's skill a lot better this year which will make the spurs better. The thing is if he can't hit the open three we are going to look like in the playoffs. A team can't win if they have two non-shooters playinging at pg,sg,sf positions(parker and rj). The lakers struggled sometimes with having artest on the court and they had kobe/fisher who can both shoot. The majority of the time we will be in a have court situation setting screens for parker to penetrate, once the defense collapses rj has to be able to knock the shot down.
Jefferson Must:
-shoot 37% from the three-point line(He shot 40% in Mil. and 36% a couple other times in his career)
-shoot 80% on free-throws(His free-throw percentage dropped drastically last year for some reason. Was that the system?)
-increase his intentensity on defense(His defense must improve.)
Spurs Must-
-Utilize Jefferson on offense much better than this past season
It is quite easy to fit a player who can shoot,penetrate, and play defense into any system in my opinion. I don't care what pop said.
It is very difficult to fit a sf who cant shoot,penetrate or play defense into a system in my opinion.
The point was that Pop has changed his "system" and even his coaching approach to accommodate players that did not seemingly fall into a specific mold. I hope Pop can revisit this at ude with RJ this season. Like I said before, I don't think it will take any earth shaking, whole sale changes. Just a few tweaks . . . and no more playing RJ at the 4.
If there should have been changes, why bring back the same squad plus some rookies?
Also, your points on Pop changing the system for Parker and Manu are invalid and full of semantics. The system has not been some crazy evolving thing like you portray. Also my entire point was that you can mold a system and it makes sense when it is for your big 3 that can win you les. Not for 5/6th options like RJ.
You must not have listened to anything Pop said about RJ and the trade with regards to RJ's role.
That is all well and good, but many companies fail and you are ignoring that. More fail than succeed. The good companies do evolve, but their core remains the same and that is the foundation.This metaphor is meaningless in the real world. Corporations and businesses thrive on finding ways to make the seemingly impossible, possible. There are plenty of players in the NBA that could have been bad fits on their current teams, but were incorporated in such a way that their differences could be used as an advantage.
You are arguing based on semantics. Sure, "some" players could be worse fits on their team, that does not mean you should tweak a winning system for a 5th option to make him marginally better. The Spurs system might evolve, but needing good 3 PT shooting, spacing and perimeter defense is still a must.
They re-signed him a second time to save money. Nothing else.This may have been true the 1st time they signed him.
Then why did they sign him a 2nd time?! Jefferson walked away clean, yet the FO brought him back.
Alas, the deal is done. I'm sure the coaches & FO have an idea how to go forward.
My hope is that things work out.
He played terrible defense all season long. You can twist it anyway you want, but I saw the same season you did, and there's two sides on the floor.
He's the 5th option, so what he does offensively is really gravy. Unfortunately he's not getting his lateral quickness back, so we'll see if he pulls a regular-season Bonner and his offense can make up for what he gives up on defense.
Ultimately, I was hoping the Spurs would tailor their offense to favor Richard more last season. Didn't happen. I'm not expecting it to happen this season either, but we'll see.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
