He was a moron some years before, he still is
Hi, buddy
At the end of the day you need size and defense in the paint against the Lakers... Scola is 6'9" and pretty much duplicates what Duncan does on offense in a poor mans way.
Probly time to move on. He is putting up big numbers in Houston because he has the Usage Rate of a go to guy... Obviously it was still a dumb ass re ed trade... but lets not act like he is a dominant/impact type of 20-10 guy... hes closer to a Zach Randolph 20-10 guy.
barring injuries, and that is a big qualifier, the spurs can win 55+ this year, which is more than enough to put them second or third place in the west. enough to avoid the lakers for two rounds.
If you read his Big Book of Basketball, Simmons puts Tim Duncan at #7 all-time behind only Wilt, Bird, Magic, Kareem, Russell, and Jordan. I think that's just about right, and higher than most "sportswriters" would put him. Simmons also declares Duncan the "best player of the past ten years".
He also rates the '07 Spurs just outside of his list of the best 10 seasons of all time in the NBA, as one of the 10 "Honorable Mentions". He also calls San Antonio the "best Post-Jordan franchise" and Duncan the "best post-Jordan superstar" and goes on to say "nobody knows why" (he's decrying the lack of basketball IQ among fans). He gives his formula for winning an NBA championship then quotes Gregg Popovich and the Spurs as his first example.
I really don't think Bill Simmons is a Spurs hater.
+1 Everyone on here needs to calm down. Our schedule so far has been very weak and we are playing mediocre to bad defense. The drive for 5 is going strong yet again, but lets not crown the Spurs just yet.
When Manu's in bad health, it shows. It isn't.
As to not maintaining this pace, well, duh. Nobody wins 92% of their games.
Simmons is not a Spurs hater. The problem with Simmons is he compares every current team or player to a current team or player of the past. Last season, he claimed the Spurs were the '00 Jazz. Usually, he goes back and forth on what he said. On this one, he hasn't...at least not yet.
What he fails to realize is that this Spurs team is unlike his fading Celtics of twenty years ago or those fading Jazz of ten years ago; they're different. This is a unique situation.
I fully expect some article later in the season (once he relents and realizes the Spurs aren't going away) where he praises them, talks about how they're the team of destiny, talks about how great the front office is for being able to transition on the fly after '08 and reload this team so fast, etc.
Simmons isn't really a Spur hater. He's had his bits where he's criticized the team, but on the same token, he's also given lots of props to Duncan over the years. He's even written whole articles about his appreciation for TD.
But the comment about Manu's health surprised me. Unless Simmons has some sources close to the Spurs medical staff(yeah right) then his comment reeks of utter bull .
Uh, Spurs are ranked 6th in def Eff right now. Far from a "bad" defensive team.
Last edited by Johnny RIngo; 11-23-2010 at 08:55 PM.
oh yeah, and if this is Manu in poor health, the league is in trouble when he's healthy. LOL
Who cares what Simmons says. Does anyone here think the Spurs are going to finish with the top record in the NBA? I doubt it. I'm sure everyone here who is honest has concerns if the team can continue its high level of play. A few years back we came roaring out to a 17-3record and then started to fall apart. No one here wants the team to fall apart, but anything can happen for good or bad in a season. As usual, nothing controversial here.
I'm thinking he probably meant TD. And likely was just throwing it out there since TD's numbers are down across the board this year.
Everybody should be skeptical about the Spurs start..
While the Spurs can get better if Splitter is acclimated to the lineup, since he would make the defense better and give the Spurs a better balance of offense/defense, they will still have to deal with the inevitable decline in shooting..
Bonner: 69% from 3 on almost 4 attempts per game(absolutely disgusting numbers, no chance of continuing)..
Anderson: 50% from 3 on 3 attempts per game..
Jefferson: 46% from 3 on 4 attempts per game..
Neal: 43% from 3 on 3 attempts per game..
Manu: 40% from 3 on 7 attempts per game..
They obviously won't sustain that, it's pretty much impossible..
So what it comes down to: Will Splitter's potential addition to the rotation + Manu and Duncan going harder(more aggressive, attacking the paint) in the 2nd half of the season/playoffs negate the inevitable and eventual drop-off in the Spurs shooting %s?..
Then you have to factor in the chance of injury, which is always a concern, however, you can say that about most teams..
We don't need to maintain this pace for this to be a win. Last year's team started 6-6, and through 12 games, we were 11-1, a 5 game increase. If we only match last year's team from here on out, we finish with 55 wins. Last year, that would have placed us tied for second in the WC.
harlem with an actual smart comment. who knew! thats exactly right. thats what he is saying. the same could be said for the lakers. derek fisher is shooting 60% from 3. its early. once numbers come back to earth we can understand how teams will fare.
Manu's shooting performance from 3 percentage wise is in line with career numbers. As with last year, I suspect as the season goes on he'll become more selective with his shots though.
Neal I wouldn't surprised if he settles in the 38%-40% range. Though, I think his averages in Europe were in the mid to high 30s.
Bonner's career average is 41% with a career high of 44% two years ago. It's possible he matches that, but more likely he settles in that area.
RJ/Anderson I have no read on since they are essentially in new situations (though this is RJs 2nd on the Spurs).
What becomes important is for the Spurs shooters to remain timely and making sure that if they are open they take the shot. Spurs teams in the past of been solid 3 point shooting team-wide, but better and making that timely three to make a defense pay for lapses.
If they can do that, even more than shooting lights out, then they remain a dangerous team. Especially since I suspect TD will become more involved as the season goes on and Manu will stop relying on the 3 and focus more on getting to the rim.
Which is why Simmons' comment is so funny.
there are few sports journalists that are more consistently wrong than simmons.
There's a medal there for a reason..
Last edited by HarlemHeat37; 11-23-2010 at 11:50 PM.
Spurs Big 3 are healthy and rested, a season's worth of experience for RJ and working out with Coach Pop over the summer, easy schedule, better roleplayers than last year that can actually knock down 3 point shots....imo its not much of a surprise that the Spurs have had a great start although no one would predict them having the best record in the NBA. Doubt the pace lasts but that should go unsaid for a team with a 12-1 record. The biggest surprise to me is that the Spurs have been able to go 12-1 with Duncan just playing 29 mins.
The spurs wont win 80 in a row. Shocking....
..............
I'm still not sold on Simmons being a serious columnist...
Good thing we didnt sell it.
Medal smack? Really? Don't be so y. Copy, Link and Paste Girl got Gold.
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