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I don't think Splitter is a good defender. At least not yet, and certainly not tonight.
His last shot will erase anything before it, but if you look at his entire body of work tonight, he was pretty awful. In the first half it was so embarrassing defending against Love that Pop had to pull him and bring back Blair. In the second half, when matched against Tolliver, he did better.
In Matt's defense, I'll say he wasn't the only one sucking up a storm for a good chunk of the game. Blair was awful, Dice couldn't find his shot, both Splitter and Timmy couldn't stop Darko, Love abused whoever you put on him. Manu couldn't stay in front of their rook.
The second part was better, but in no small part from the Wolves inep ude. Fouling Neal on the three to tie the game, Beasley being a turnover machine even in OT, Darko fouling out with a re ed foul in the perimeter...
I'm certainly glad we pulled this stinker against the T-Pups. It was probably one of the few teams you can play that bad and still pull out a win. We're going to have to play much better against Dallas.
I don't think Splitter is a good defender. At least not yet, and certainly not tonight.
You've now said Splitter sucks a few times.
How about actually giving the guy some court time to find his game and show what he can do. Really pathetic for people to say he is useless after one game.
Splitter has been a good defender in most of the games that he's played this year..obviously he looked bad tonight..he'll need work to get better, needs NBA playing time, obviously..
The Bonner problem is just so difficult to figure out..I'm a supporter of his, but it's still puzzling..he's just such a unique player..
He's an average defender and a really poor rebounder..other players always get aggressive against him..he's useless when he's missing 3-point shots..he can't make any shots inside the arc..he's a proven playoff choker..
On the other hand..he's the best 3-point shooter in the NBA..he somehow always leads the Spurs in +/-..he clearly provides great spacing for the rest of the offense..his 3-pointers usually lead to runs from the Spurs, blowing games open or eventually taking a lead..
With the way this team is constructed, and with the way Pop coaches(meaning, he doesn't take Bonner out when he's missing early, he just keeps playing him), Bonner pretty much has to have at least a "pretty good" game for the Spurs to beat the top teams, at least IMO..I hope Pop finds a way to figure this all out by the end of the year, because clearly it hasn't worked out the last 2 years(although, obviously this team is better than those teams by a significant margin)..
What I find concerning about Splitter, besides his lack of overall playing time, is his poor rebounding. You gotta get boards out there, especially against tall frontlines.
I also think he has all the tools to grow into a great defender eventually, but right now he's just learning the ropes of both the league and the system.
I hate the way he tries to grab rebounds, it looks so soft and awkward..that's my main complaint about him so far..
This year Bonner will do good in the playoffs. He is developing some real confidence. Problem in the playoffs before was that he passed up his shots.
+1. Good to know I'm not the only one that's noticed. He goes up and tries to bat the ball around and his hands just look awkward as he tries to pull the board down...
To be fair, darko and love were making flukey turnaround jumpers and skyhooks all night. Tiago adjusted and was very good defensively in the 4th against darko.
rebounding is an issue though because he has trouble using his length against stocky guys in the Love/Blair mold.
If Splitter sucks on defense based on tonight's performance, what does that say about Duncan and Bonner?
I was nothing but encouraged with Splitter's D.
Sure, there were mistakes. But all in all, I was tipping my hat to Darko and Love more often than not.
Love is a flat-out stud and Darko ... I'm not sure if I'd love or hate to have him if I was a coach. That guy could be dominant. And even if he never becomes dominant, he's still got a of a lot of size, ability and talent to be one of a front line piece -- shame the guy seems to lose a good amount in translation between the ears.
Fortunately enough for him, he does translate a good amount. At least, he's certainly no Mike Beasley.
Bonner is bending over all the haters. I can just hear him saying Mike Tysons' famous quote "I'll you till you love me got!"
We already know about Bonner's lack of defense. He competes, but thats another story. I think more credit has to go Love and Milicic. Those two were making some tough shots. I do believe Splitter will improve as the season goes on. He seems like a smart guy.
No Bonner hater here. But you might want to save this post till June. Bonner needs to answer some critics about disappearing in the playoffs.
I agree. Splitter certainly did a better job of drawing fouls and making it difficult for those guys than Duncan and Bonner did. Pretty much once those guys got into a zone, they were going to be shooting the ball with confidence, and that's hard to combat. I'd love to have seen Duncan and Splitter try to do it together.
I suppose it's time for my daily repe ion of "if Duncan's really a 4 then Splitter should be playing alongside him instead of relieving him".
Very respectful response, but I think that guy is a dumbass. In today's game, the entire team was shooting poorly, including Bonner. It was frustrating that the entire team was missing shots. In the 4th and OT, the entire team shot better, including Bonner. To isolate the notion that the people are trashing bonner and bonner only, for his missing his 3s, is just plain stupid. Many of the fans were commenting on how the team should STOP with the 3s and start being aggressive. To make things worse, they like to imply that it was Bonner alone that won that game - rather than our team as a whole. Absolutely idiotic.
My firm belief is that Bonnar will fail the Spurs in the playoffs. He's a great regular season guy, when teams aren't taking away the three pointer, but in the playoffs, when every shot is contested, he will put the ball on the floor instead of letting it fly, and once that happens all bets are off.
I hope he continues to have very little hesitation in his shot, considering he is 6'10 and is unlikely to get his shot blocked at the three point line.
It's crazy that he and dice are the only guys who can guard mobile 4s on this team. I think he is also necessary defensively, as crazy as that sounds. I was shocked that Pop subbed Duncan out for Dice at the end of regulation, but it worked
Again as I've said in many other threads.
With the way the game went, I think its crazy to take ANYTHING of worth out of this game and analysis of the roster....
im surprised bonners balls didnt shrivel up again and miss the clutch shot, so props to him
+1. Totally agree. I have never understood the hate Bonner receives on here. Maybe Spurs fan remember the glory days of the "twin towers" and hate Bonner for what he can't do on the defensive end, instead of what he brings on the offensive end, as well as his subpar playoff performances. I'm definitely pulling for Bonner, come this playoffs, to shed his choke label.
Well said.
I'll give Bonner props for a massively-critical 3-ball. However, the entire frontline was just god-awful. How difficult is it to box out the other guy? Anyway, a splendid win.
Personally, I celebrate that shot and the win. However, but before I jump on the Bonner bandwagaon, he's GOT to produce in the playoffs.
Bonner owns the haters once again. Must feel bad being wrong about Bonner over and over again, including the ever popular vague criticism.
agree completely, bonner was not the reason we won / nor would he have been the reason we lost. like most everyone he was bad at the start, good at the end: merely average. the team as a whole shot and defended poorly, and the team as a whole started getting some makes and defending better (and the wolves helped too with some really bad TO).
as for the +/- thing, we've gone over it many times- he plays the most off the big 3, and the team's style of play requires his skill (think of all the 3pt specialists this team has thrived with in the past 10 years). +/- doesnt mean jack when the playoffs start and matchups, tactical adjustments, and playoff pressure come into play. in that sense bonner is the poster boy for showing that +/- is not a conclusive measure of player value, unless anyone really thinks bonner is the best player on this team. anyone?
Bonner is like a 6'9 Steve Kerr minus the clutchness.
I didn't see the game, but from what I'm reading here from the ST regulars & also seeing the minutes distribution tonight as well as the stats I'm becoming more and more convinced Bonner should not be in the rotation. He makes far too many dumb decisions especially when teams run him off the 3pt line (which they are going to start doing more and more & especially come playoff time). His current 60%+ shooting from 3 pt range is bound to nosedive eventually, and when that happens, it's gonna get real ugly fast. Consider this: Bonner is shooting a measly 13% (3-22) from inside the arc.
All Bonner is doing essentially is taking minutes from Splitter & Blair, both of whom will be much more instrumental in winning another championship and will need more minutes to develop their games and chemistry with the team. This is not gonna happen with Matt Bonner garnering 25+ minutes a game.
Not to mention His lack of defense places a burden on Tim Duncan every time the two play together, and this is bound to have consquences later on.
There's just so many negatives here to having Bonner play big minutes I just can't comprehend how Pop rationalizes it all. Even using the popular theory that Pop is just riding Bonner's hot hand doesn't make sense to me, because it still means the big rotation is ing screwed because nobody is getting enough minutes or even consistent minutes from game to game.
I'd rather see Bonner dropped out of the rotation completely, and if the spurs need to spread the floor from the 4 spot, they have McDyess already, and also Ime Udoka now.
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