Cpt Poland
You all are so
IMO it's as simple as that -> Tiago is not just ready. And it's either him being bit injured or out of shape.
I'm not worried cause I am sure he will produce when his number will be called.
11 games into the season and everybody knows playoffs rotation already jeez
btw. Pop is never happy.
No one said we know playoff rotations. We DO know that once we get past the All-Star break, Pop starts dialing the team into playoff mode, including rotations and minutes for the playoffs.
The beginning of the year is when he traditionally experiments to see what he's got.
You're talking about the same guy who rode Finley and Bonner into the offseason the last three years.So him being satisfied with bonner as a starter to me it's untrue.
u right AH - RJ as a center was better option as well and Ian
At least Tiago is staying in game shape.
The biggest issue is that we just dont know forsure whether Tiago is hurt or not. Hopefully hes not.
I really enjoy reading comments like "freaking out" "panic mode." You guys are really over sensitive - This is a discussion board with people sharing their opinion on the matter. Why dont you just respond accordingly so we can all have a nice discussion.
I trust Pop. Even CIA Pop. He make be crazy sometimes but I trust his judgment and what he has planned for Splitter and the rotation. We are starting out 10-1 after all, and the guy has 4 rings. So I think we can trust him, lol.
Make no mistake, youre not doing anything but making yourself look like a fool.
If Tiago were really hurt, surely it would've come out. I mean, folks rag on McDonald around here, but I have to believe that even he could root out an injury situation to the Spurs prized rookie. Besides, what reason would Pop have for NOT disclosing such an situation?
At last, a voice of reason.
Too often folks get bent out of shape around here for any opinion that differs from their own. Besides, concern over something like Splitter's playing time warrants a legitimate discussion. By no means is this topic as ridiculous as the usual "let's trade Tony for a bag of beans" scenario or even the salacious jokes from this past week's TP & Eva "divorce drama".
Why? Especially if he's fine to suit up, but they don't want to play him unnecessarily or they just go by game time decisions.
I asked if anyone actually asked Pop or Tiago. No answer.
Geez, hope I'm able to sleep tonight.
Im sure after the spurs blow out the cavs by the 3rd quarter and were 11-1 while resting our starters, you'll be fine.
Won't we all? But I have to say, although the Cavs are 4-6 I believe, they are playing tough, competing. Hope the Spurs don't take them lightly.
I think if we play with the same energy level and intensity we should be fine... ofcourse that's easier said then done. I hope they don't take them lightly either.
I havent watched the cavs play at all this year (surprise surprise) so im not sure how theyre scoring. If its mainly because theyre hot from the outside I think we'll have a easy time shutting them down. I see it being similar to the 2nd clipper game where the clippers were seemingly hitting everything in the 1st half but ran out of gas in the 2nd.
You're taking an overly simplistic and narrow-minded view on the matter. Being 10-1 in and of itself means very little. Winning games here and now is an obvious short term goal - nobody is denying that. Yes - we want favorable playoff seeding.
That said, the spurs have longer term goals that may be jeopardized if we don't develop and establish Splitter as a robust interior presence on defense.
The fact of the matter is this - Bonner and Splitter bring very different things to the table. Bonner can knock down 3 point shots and helps spread the floor for easier penetration by Ginobili or Parker. However, his interior defense is clearly inferior to Splitter's. He gets blown by more often, his (take charge) : (commit blocking foul) ratio is higher than Splitter's, and he's not as good at rebounding or blocking.
Splitter (obviously) packs the floor in more during the offense, but in exchange he brings superior interior defense.
You have to assess - given the match up - whether Bonner's strengths outweigh his deficits or whether Splitter's strengths outweigh his defecits, and by how much. This is a qualitative assessment of course, but there were multiple plays during the Spurs-Jazz game last night that appeared to suggest that Splitter would have provided a greater net benefit to the spurs had he replaced Bonner.
And that's the point. The matchup warranted Splitter over Bonner, and even if you disagree with my qualitative assessment (feel free, there is no "right answer" when it comes to assessing Bonner's overall defensive effort last night because overall defensive effort cannot be completely quantified with mere statistics like rebounds, blocks, and steals) - even if you disagree with that, there still remains the point that we're going to have to develop Splitter at some point against competent teams if we want to ultimately increase our probability of winning another ring.
Winning games here and now is a short term goal. Developing depth in order to increase our chances for success during the playoffs is a long term goal. I don't think Pop is striking the right balance between these two (perhaps acutely conflicting) goals thus far this season.
Splitter looked really out of shape in his limited minutes, I imagine his conditioning is whats really holding him back. Plus he doesn't have as much corporate knowledge and on the totem pole of NBA experience he's dead last in the Spurs frontcourt.
I fully expect him to become a regular part of the rotation when he does get in shape however he looked like he was dying out there. Crazy that he was still productive despite having all these cards stacked against him though.
I just think Pop wants to win with essentially the same players he used last year to show that last year's poor showing was a fluke.
So how do you suppose this problem is fixed?? Oh right, more in-game experience and playing time NOW.
The only place you put me is out ahead of you in every discussion in which you choose to post.
It's looking like he's lumping Bonner and Splitter into the same category, which is a mistake because they aren't the same type of player, and therefore shouldn't be competing for minutes. Any time Pop chooses to go small instead of playing a big front line player who can defend, it reminds some of us of the 2006 conference semis, where Pop's decision to suddenly sit the centers he'd started the entire year cost the Spurs any chance at ring number five.
I don't think anyone is saying that Bonner should be getting NO minutes. I'm certainly not. To me it's more a question of why there's not room for both of them depending upon the situation. It does a disservice to the nights that Bonner smokes the nets to not be able to throw him a rope when he's struggling.
Nice, safe, vague answer from Pop, but then again I wouldn't expect anything else.
Hmm, it will be very annoying and disappointing if Tiago doesn't play tonight against the Cavs.
So no one asked if the injury is still a concern?
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