Alot of idiots on Spurstalk just loooove to hate on Bonner. Not saying you are one of them, just in general.
In a sense I'm glad Bonner's out for 10-14 days. ( 4 to 6 games). Hopefully this forces Pop to play Tiago. Probably not your ideal way to get into things. But I'd rather throw Tiago into the deep end and force him to learn fast. Yeah he will commit a lot of mistakes, but I would rather he flop now even at the expense of losing some possension with the hope that he will be better prepared come playoff time. Hopefully Bonner's loss turns out to be a blessing in disguise. I also think it will help Blair's development as well.
Alot of idiots on Spurstalk just loooove to hate on Bonner. Not saying you are one of them, just in general.
Thats not necessary hating on Bonner, he's just saying its good that we'll see Tiago play now since he's really needed. With Bonner there its taking away possible minutes for him to make an impression
I think the "sink or swim" approach to his acclamation is probably best because they can't really afford to bring him along slowly. He seems to have the mental capacity and confidence not to be rattled by it.
I will openly hate on Bonner...
Bonners' injury is a blessing undisguised.
To be fair, Bonner has a place on the team. That place being at the end of the bench.
This couldn't go in the "Bonner injures ankle" thread?
I would hope that it would not take an injury to Bonner to garner Tiago and Blair their playing time.
The Bonner hate is ridiculous, he goes out and has a set job and does an above average version of it on a consistent basis. It's a small role yes, but an important one.
This. I doubt Tiago is going to get thrown into the mix just because Bonner goes down. They don't even play the same role on the team.
Didn't Pop say that Tiago was most likely going to start playing Monday against the Clippers? And there is only the Hornets game between now and then? Tiago getting his minutes will be right on Pops schedule and has nothing to do with Bonner.
agree the Bonner hate is digusting.
Bonner is hated more for what he is not, than for what he actually is.
I've been saying for the last 3 years that the Bonner hate is not deserved and is way overboard.
That said, I don't think that was necessarily the OP's intent. I agree that if Bonner's injury allows Splitter to play a consistent 20 minutes per game and get into the flow of things, rather than an inconsistent 10-15 mpg in a 5-man rotation, then that will ultimately end up being a positive for both Splitter and the Spurs. Above all, Splitter needs time on the court, to get a handle of the Spurs playbook, his teammates, and the NBA game in general.
Still, get well soon, Mattie.
I think Splitter will be way ahead of Bonner soon enough. If Splitter was 100% healthy and Pop refused to play him I would agree with the OPs point. Now we need all the big men we have. Small ball and Simmons playing PF doesn't make me happy.
Bonner, like him or not, has a place on this team... and an injury does set back the team a little with how they were probably hoping to use him
When was the last time Pop used a 5 big man rotation throughout the year?
And Bonner's hate isn't deserved, he's good at what he does. Unfortunately what he does really well is negated by the presence he has physically on the defensive end. ( Mentally Bonner is pretty solid with his positioning, but sometimes positioning in one on one situations doesn't make up for his presence physically as the average post can usually have their way with him on the block. And his positioning also doesn't make up for how non-threatening he is defending the paint off the ball; It's literally a lay up drill for any penetration; I'd be interested to see the FG% in the paint for the opposing team when Bonner is in game vs. when he's not.)
If Spurs and Pop want to reclaim their defensive iden y, Bonner has to sit in favor of Splitter and McDyess. This isn't the 2008/09' season anymore where we need to play Bonner because the offense is terrible. This Spurs team has enough firepower offensively without Bonner, therefore Spurs need to play Splitter and McDyess more when it matters to give the team a chance to reclaim it's dominant defensive iden y--Which starts in the paint.
Last edited by MaNu4Tres; 10-29-2010 at 11:50 AM.
The Bonner hate has spread rapidly and I was one of the early one's who started to hate on him. But I am surprised that it's spread all the way to timvp.
The guy is a proven playoff choker and shouldn't play more than 15 mins on the floor. It is a shame that Splitter will benefit off his injury, but we expect him to have a larger role in the future and it would have cut into Bonner's minutes..
So don't kid yourself.
As for all the Bonner lovers out there don't worry, you'll see him in action... Someone's gotta play against the scrub teams like the wizards/rapters/warriors/twolves/nets/etc.
I agree with the OP. Tiago definitely needs to take advantage of Bonner being out and show Pop he can play right out of the box. Also agree that the excessive Bonner hate is disturbing, since when did we become New York?
More than anything else, this probably explains why the Bonner hate is so rampant. Dude has a playoff resume - of routinely spitting up on himself.
This ^ - again.
The Spurs did not build their dynasty off short-term, regular season success.
Until Bonner contributes something in the playoffs, a notion that I find highly unlikely, the hate will likely continue.
He did contribute in Games 3 and 4 of the Phoenix series as well as our sole win in 09.
You and everyone else will continue blinding yourself because he's nerdy, or runs like a t-rex, or can't offensive rebound from the 3 point line, or whatever.
On topic, I agree with ploto. Bonner was not going to stop Splitter (or Blair) from having a major role on this team, no matter the health situation. Bonner will be lucky to see the floor 15 MPG.
This. The guy has had good playoff games when we win the game but won't get any credit for it (not that he should) but whenever we lose than it come down hard on him (shouldn't be happening either).
Not saying I want him out on the floor all the time, because many times I definitely do not want him out there (especially in pressure situations) but he isn't Robert Horry (noone is) so rooting or cheering when a guy gets injured is just plain re ed and very 'New York".
This. Think about how ridiculous that sounds: the Spurs lost a playoff series because Matt Bonner choked.
Who is to blame? Bonner for choking, or Pop for putting a burden on a role player that he could not handle? Seems that people hate Bonner for Pops inability to use him appropriately, or his appropriately use in Small Ball which everyone hates.
Agreed. Let's win some games.
That's a wonderfully large sample size because the Spurs have only played in one playoff series since the post-Horry, Bonner era. If that's all you got, you should give up.
I'm not going to get into a lengthy Bonner debate. The guy was resigned and is on the team. Nothing can be done about that. He's got some value, but unfortunately his regular season contributions have not translated into a series of consistent playoff performances. That indicates something other than physical.
FWIW, I don't give a rat's ass what Bonner looks like. I only care about getting a consistent contribution from him, or any Spurs player, when he hits the floor.
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