I just don't see Anderson being a better defender than Bogans. I especially don't want them to try and make him into something he is not, when he more than anyone, has offensive upside.
I want him to try on defense obviously, but I don't want him getting the Beno treatment if he is not some stud defender when he does not seem to have the tools to do so.
To his credit, he will need to be as good defensively as Hill (unlikely) or RJ (not that difficult, based on last season) to earn substantial minutes when it matters.
The thing is, I don't think Pop will cut RJ's minutes unless the other player is Bowen-like. Which is really unreasonable to expect from a rook.
That is what I am saying. It just seems silly to place those expectations on a rookie, who is a big time scorer and never really had to defend or play a role like a Bowen or Bogans.
He is already at a disadvantage with his athletic tools and he is going to have to struggle to figure out the thing he is good at (scoring) at the NBA level because of it.
Gee at least seems to have the tools to do the defending, but I can't get a read on him because of the lack of playing time. Who knows.
I'll throw this one out there too:
Hill worked extremely hard changing his game over the summer between when he was drafted until the season started.
Anderson, on the other hand, has been nursing an injury all summer long.
He must truly be a one of a kind to be able to learn to turn his game around during the course of a 82 game season while guarding guys like Lebron, Odom or Durant. All the while convincing Pop that he can scrape minutes from a guy who the Spurs just invested $40m for the next four seasons.
This, I gotta see.
you can't run if you can't rebound, where once again Bonner becomes an issue.
I really hope the people who think Bonner won't be playing are right, but there are no signs to validate that. They didn't just sign him to another long term deal to sit in street clothes and talk Chip's ear off about how awesome Okkervil River's last tour was.
He played over Blair. And he still 'stretches the floor'. How is he going to lose minutes?
How will Anderson get on the floor? Pop kept George Hill on lockdown his rookie year until the Dallas series was over. Pop kept Blair on the bench behind Bonner. Pop kept Stephen Jackson in streetclothes so guys like Terry Porter could trip up and down the court. Pop kept Bogans as his declared centerpiece even though Hairston by preseason viewers performed better.
And now Simmons is here to potentially keep Anderson on the bench too.
If only Hairston was still around.
Hairston thread!
I'm not saying Anderson has Bowen-like potential.
Spurs expect defense out of everyone, not just the 5th wing. That's who Pop is.
I just believe (defensively) Anderson is a better piece to have to fill the void left by the Mason/Bogans role ( the 12-20 minutes in the 5th wing spot).
Laugh away if you think that is so unreasonable.
The thing is, the Spurs eventually didn't fill in that spot with Mason or Bogans. Mason played a grand total of 16 minutes for the entire Suns series. Bogans 14 mins.
We went with a 3 guard setup of Tony/Manu/Hill and I think barring any major developments we'll see the same thing this season.
(I should add, during the playoffs)
Spurs won't last if that's the case. That is why Pop and R.C emphasized doing what it took to have a stronger bench than last year. Manu, Tim, Tony can't play 40 minutes a night in the playoffs and be productively efficient in the 4th quarters (where execution is most vital). Spurs need their top guns to be "full of the juice" ( if you will) once the last 8 minutes of the 4th quarter rolls around so they can execute at the highest efficient rate possible.
Spurs only went with the 3 guard lineup because of how bad Mason and Bogans continued to be. That wasn't planned, it was the hand the Spurs were forced to play unfortunately.
I just don't see Anderson being so much better than Bogans that the roster is upgraded defensively. I definitely buy the Tiago argument, but it is the perimeter defense that worries me.
Here's my opinion on the Bonner situation; may be right; may be wrong-- Time will tell..
Also..
ok its really easy to point out the negative stuff, and if i remember correctly werent you guys the ones saying dejuan didnt have a chance starting or becoming a significant player in the nba due to the harsh REALIty of him being 6'7'' @ C .
there was just no way, and now just one year later it seems he could be starting along side tim duncan, im just saying anythings possible these "regular nba players " such as simmons are anything but regular and 90 percent of them are capable of doing much more. look at manu ginobili if he didnt have the drive he does he would suck and you and i would be saying well its because hes not a top notch athlete shoot even larry bird is a of an example.
so please stop acting like its impossible for a guy to step up his game at anypoint in the nba, esp. when the person were comparing him to (bowen) did that very same thing for the spurs. any nba player is capable of stepping up their game well outside of matt bonner that is hahah jk
Wrong guy, guy.
I actually agree. I don't think it's reasonable that we need to move Hill to the wing. It's painfully obvious too that Hill didn't quite fill the bill as a wing either.
I sincerely just don't see what the Spurs have done to address this (although there's still time, since the roster has not been set yet).
Ultimately though, how much better Anderson/Gee/Simmons are compared to Bogans/Mason is kind of irrelevant. The bar is really Hill playing as a wing. If they can't do better than him in that role, then they're not going to get the minutes.
The only way the "5th" wing doesn't get minutes is if Manu, Tony and Hill all play well over 35-38 minutes.
I just don't believe that is a formula to win games every other night from late April through June ( it was proved last year when Manu and Tony were grabbing their knees instead of executing on the offensive end late in the 4th quarters vs. the Suns; they had no depth and prepared the wrong players all year; Bogans/Mason ) . They will need a 5th wing to separate themselves ( I believe it will be Anderson;IMO) and that player should get the minutes, even if Hill plays 35 minutes (13-18 at PG/17-22 at SG) a night when it mattters-- there will be minutes available at the 2/3 spot.
There's the distinct possibility that we're not going to find that coveted 5th wing, and one of Neal/Anderson will rotate at the 2 (while Hill mans the wing and Manu rests), which is more of their natural position and their lack of height/athleticism wouldn't be as much of a liability (kind of what we did with Mason for stretches).
I still think that puts us at a disadvantage in the wing.
I think stepping up their game and basically changing their entire game over the course of a season are two very different things. Especially for a rookie.
FWIW, I'm a huge Blair fan. I admit, even irrationally so at times.
I really wanted him to get Bonner's minutes last playoff, especially after the brick-fest we witnessed in the first round.
I know there's a possibility for the Spurs to not find the coveted 5th wing. But I believe Anderson is the most promising candidate from what I've seen from him in college and from the other known alternatives.
Anderson is taller than Neal and has the bulk and length to match-up better vs. 3's than Bogans/Mason ever did. IMO
And I think Neal is irrelevant.
I don't see Neal as a legit NBA shooting guard. He looks a lot smaller than he's listed in the program ( that 6'4 is a generous 6'2" imo). I also don't think he has the skills to be a rotational player for a team vying for a championship. At best I see him as a mop-up duty/ end of a bench player.
i think pop has become a bit* complacent/undecisive on his coaching & rotations and he even knows he has this problem. the " were going to cut the roster to 13" statement tells me he acknowledged his flaws last season. he needs to let people play their natural positions (although i do believe some can adapt) its really a pain in the ass for the players/coach/and us the fans.
i mean if you look at anyone whos been a successful spur they have all played their natural positions and if its a player you cant pass up in the draft such as anderson/hill/blair re-evaluate & TRADE accordingly. these are all things pop hopefully will do this season.
I was somewhat disappointed from what I've seen against Houston, but then again I know it's early, they've been training hard, and the guy didn't do much over the summer. So I wanna see a larger sample size.
He could be bought out and released tomorrow, for all we know. I just know we're going to need somebody behind Manu/Hill/Tony. I don't know if that's Neal, CJ or who. Neil obviously has the advantage that he's got a guaranteed contract already.
BTW, something else that I touched upon about the wing defense is that if we're to improve, RJ will probably have to lose some minutes there. You can't leak like a sieve for 35 mins then pretend to have a guy come in and fix it up in 13 mins. There's a reason Bowen averaged 30 mpg during his peak years (obviously, I don't expect to find a Bowen, but it will have to be something more balanced, like RJ getting 28 mins and the good defensive backup 20 mins).
Question is, do you see Pop doing it? Right now I don't see it, unless the other guy is Bowen-like (unrealistic, imo)
sorry elNono and DPG i thought it might have been one of you guys but im sure you remeber the feeling in ST about blair.
there were alot of believers & alot of people saying he doesnt have much upside, and will never be able to guard the bigs of NBA.
im just so happy with our young spurs players we can already see the manner in which they carry themselves. from D.rob to george hill these new chickens have classic spurs character
thats why he has to commit a player to a position and that be the end of it in a sense hes experimenting way to much. lets hope he does but if rj steps up his D for sure keep him out there. Heres my view if anyone and i mean anyone becomes a lock down defender they need to be starting.
that means hill/simmons/temple, if simmons does do work like he said he was and becomes a pest i would love to have a guy whos 6'8'' of a pest out there we need our starters to have a defensive presence. and iv'e alwasy thought rj would do great off the bench anyway
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