Mental errors and poor judgment

[ElNono]

Who brings the biggest lack of focus on the defensive end with the most lapses. I understand everyone is making mistakes, but DeJuan is making the most and just shows no focus or awareness at all defensively most of the time. He has had some good games, but more often than not he makes too many mistakes defensively for him to start.

Is it worth giving Splitter a shot or is Splitter that bad that he can't get some minutes with Tim at the expense of Blair? Is Splitter worse defensively than one of the worst defensive starting centers in the NBA?

You don't have to harp to me about handing 10mpg to Tiago. I don't think we're going anywhere if he's not a rotation guy come playoff time.

[Ice009]

But if they're not the answer -- which means you've found out for sure via playing time -- then they've got two choices: make a trade; or play to your strengths and hope you can get it done in a way you never have before (offensively, essentially).

Great take Blackjack.

I'd be OK with taking either approach, either playing to their strengths and not trying to play like a typical Spurs team because we don't have the personnel to do it, but having said that when are we going to find out if Splitter can be that guy?

What you said is exactly what I thought Splitter could be. A very good glue guy like Oberto. I never expected him to be a star. I did expect him to be a smart glue guy like Oberto though. Is Pop going to give him a chance?

You don't have to harp to me about handing 10mpg to Tiago. I don't think we're going anywhere if he's not a rotation guy come playoff time.

That is all I am asking for. The best time to give him those minutes are with Tim. I want to see what they can do defensively together. If he plays well then keep increasing his minutes. Give Blair 10-15 minutes a game he is getting now and cut Bonner's minutes down slightly, unless he is playing well Bonner doesn't need 30 minutes a night.

[Mugen]

You don't have to harp to me about handing 10mpg to Tiago. I don't think we're going anywhere if he's not a rotation guy come playoff time.

Barring any injuries to the bigs, Splitter won't be getting any meaningful mins this season. These last 4 games have showed that.

If Pop isnt even willing to give him 5-10 mins in either Back 2 Back game then it pretty much means hes in the doghouse.

We'll get the same ol' Pop spiel about regretting how he could have better managed Splitter's development/minutes this season after we get bounced out in the WCFs or something and appease the Pop apologists.

[TD 21]

This team just ain't a typical Spurs team and trying to be, well, it ain't gonna cut it.

Jefferson, Hill, Blair and Neal aren't the cerebral or savvy players that know how to read-and-react to the cir stance in the confines of a complex scheme. They're prone to mistakes and missed assignments at inopportune times. It just is what it is.

It's why I've always stated how important Splitter and Anderson were to this team and their championship endgame. It's not that I know they're the answer, it's that I know they have the potential to be those small pieces of glue that complete the puzzle -- players capable of stepping up to fulfill need for a few minutes, a game, a series or the duration of the playoffs.

But if they're not the answer -- which means you've found out for sure via playing time -- then they've got two choices: make a trade; or play to your strengths and hope you can get it done in a way you never have before (offensively, essentially).

People need to, if not embrace, then at least accept that this is what this team is now. This notion that, if they're to do it, it has to be done how they used to do it, is foolish. This isn't that time and this isn't that team. It's a different team, with different strengths and weaknesses than the teams of yesteryear. Not that they can't out savvy and out guile a team anymore, but they're more likely to out talent a team now.

In saying that, they're still a top ten defensive team (with playing a lot of their best defensive personnel either limited minutes or hardly any minutes at all) and they've played well defensively in six of their last eight. And despite the faster pace, they're still one of the best in the league at taking care of the ball and one of the two best at not fouling. All stats that indicate that they're not exactly the Clippers, Wizards, etc., when it comes to basketball IQ.

[Ice009]

People need to, if not embrace, then at least accept that this is what this team is now. This notion that, if they're to do it, it has to be done how they used to do it, is foolish. This isn't that time and this isn't that team. It's a different team, with different strengths and weaknesses than the teams of yesteryear. Not that they can't out savvy and out guile a team anymore, but they're more likely to out talent a team now.

People would accept the team for what it is more if Splitter was given a chance. Lots of people feel Splitter needs that chance to see if he is good enough or not.

[easjer]

Every time I've personally seen Splitter, he's been . Perhaps others who have seen more games see something I don't. But based on what I've seen, I'm getting the impression that there is a reason he's not getting minutes beyond what Pop-haters want to cling to (Pop never plays/develops rookies correctly).

I think the reality is that the team is what it is. Barring a trade - which I don't see happening for multiple reasons, and I question what our pieces can bring that would result in miraculous improvement for the team - what we see is what we're getting.

Continuing to whine that they aren't what they were - when they are keeping up the best record in the league over nearly half the season - is getting tiresome. I recognize there are problems. There were with the championship teams as well. I'd like to see them make fewer mental errors; but as mentioned above, they are only human. It's a long slog and they've got little incentive to make that effort towards improvement.

They had a wake-up call in NY & Boston. It seems they've responded to some degree; defense is better than it was. I hope that things will go as they have in the past; the rodeo trip helps refine them, the starters get more minutes, and the rotation tightens up.

But I doubt very much that things will change drastically, outside of working Anderson in. I've yet to see a reason for Tiago to be on the floor, no matter how much people think he'll be a golden god out there. If that ultimately means we lose, well, 29 teams will. Won't be the end of the world. The end of an era, perhaps, but that was always going to come eventually.

[200 miles]

Every time I've personally seen Splitter, he's been . Perhaps others who have seen more games see something I don't. But based on what I've seen, I'm getting the impression that there is a reason he's not getting minutes beyond what Pop-haters want to cling to (Pop never plays/develops rookies correctly).

I think the reality is that the team is what it is. Barring a trade - which I don't see happening for multiple reasons, and I question what our pieces can bring that would result in miraculous improvement for the team - what we see is what we're getting.

Continuing to whine that they aren't what they were - when they are keeping up the best record in the league over nearly half the season - is getting tiresome. I recognize there are problems. There were with the championship teams as well. I'd like to see them make fewer mental errors; but as mentioned above, they are only human. It's a long slog and they've got little incentive to make that effort towards improvement.

They had a wake-up call in NY & Boston. It seems they've responded to some degree; defense is better than it was. I hope that things will go as they have in the past; the rodeo trip helps refine them, the starters get more minutes, and the rotation tightens up.

But I doubt very much that things will change drastically, outside of working Anderson in. I've yet to see a reason for Tiago to be on the floor, no matter how much people think he'll be a golden god out there. If that ultimately means we lose, well, 29 teams will. Won't be the end of the world. The end of an era, perhaps, but that was always going to come eventually.

Was the 1st half against the Thunder on Jan. 1 the only time this season you have seen Splitter play? If not, you should give him a bit more credit than just " ".

[Ice009]

I've watched every game and this is my take percentage wise on the time he's been on the floor. I'm not going to count garbage time. How many games have you seen Splitter play?

offensively - I'd say 30% he's been good 70% he's been bad
defensively - 65% he's been good and 35% he's been bad

compare that to Blair who I'd rate

Offensively - 30% good 70% bad
Defensively 15% good and 85% bad

I haven't been impressed with Blair much at all this season. He's had some very good games, but other than that he's been pretty average. That could be attributed to him playing against other teams starters though, but it's hard to know cause Pop won't bench him. He could absolutely start going off if he is matched up against other teams benches, but if he continues to play bad against other teams starters and only get 10 minutes a game he could continue to look bad.

What is the point of having 10 minutes of Blair struggle against other teams starters when you could have 20 minutes of beast Blair against other teams reserves? Blair could start playing a lot better if he wasn't matched up against the starters of the other teams all the time. The defensive chemistry just doesn't seem to be there between Tim and DeJuan either.

Do you guys think Pop is using Blair as a placeholder? I mean will he start Antonio later on?

[SenorSpur]

Yeah sure, but do you remember the Spurs continuously making this many mistakes on offense and defense. Even guys like Tim, Manu and Tony are now starting to make this dumb errors in judgment. Can't win road games with all those mental errors.

One example is the Denver Nuggets game that Manu won we had a ton of errors in the last 5 minutes and were lucky to win that one. That is really uncharacteristic of the Spurs.

These guys HAVE to start playing consistently smarter for us to go anywhere.

Yes, it is a definite concern. I do find it amazing that with the veteran core of this roster having played together for so long and the coaching excellence they have, that this team would continue making such careless mistakes.

You can understand why teams like the T-Pups have high turnover rates and collapse down the stretch of ball games - they have a host of young players that are inexperienced. The Spurs are not that type of team. Which makes this consistent rash of mistakes even more unforgiveable.

Sean mentioned on the telecast that the Spurs have slightly reduced the number of turnovers this year. However, the problem STILL persists. The traveling calls, stepping out of bounds, 3-second violations, ill-advised technical calls, etc. And the Big Three are leading the way in those categories.

[Spurs7794]

Every time I've personally seen Splitter, he's been . Perhaps others who have seen more games see something I don't. But based on what I've seen, I'm getting the impression that there is a reason he's not getting minutes beyond what Pop-haters want to cling to (Pop never plays/develops rookies correctly).

Splitter was playing very well both on offense and defense until Bonner came back. Then Splitter started getting erratic minutes and his confidence plummeted. Now I don't want to take Bonner out of the rotation, I think he's important but I cannot fathom why Blair hasn't been benched yet. Blair constantly fakes a pass to one of our ball handlers and tries to shake n bake his way to the hoop which he usualyl completes like 20% of the time (I'm not counting when he turns it over, only the shot he throws up...if I was counting turn overs on those plays, it would be like 5% of the time). I HATE WATCHING HIM...if he is thinking he is gonna shoot in a possession, NO WAY the ball is getting out of his hands. That and his D is awful.

[Brazil]

Do you guys think Pop is using Blair as a placeholder? I mean will he start Antonio later on?

I do think so but with Pop you never know.

As of today Bonner deserves more minutes than Blair. If Blair doesn't rebound / hustle he is a pure liability in O and D. If Pop was serious about his D phylosophy he should bench Blair and give a chance to Splitter. Splitter is doing what we could expect, he is a D presence and O he is good on pick and roll situation.

[George Gervin's Afro]

We give away to many possessions in games now. This has been going on since 2008.

[LongtimeSpursFan]

Spurs are on a record pace at 31-6 and have beaten Lakers, Mavs, Thunder, Jazz, Blazers, Nuggets and Suns. How is it that we are making 'mental errors and poor judgement' but still capable of beating all Western Conference playoff contenders? All teams commit errors just be glad that most teams are 'stupid' to commit more than we do.

[sa_butta]

Spurs are on a record pace at 31-6 and have beaten Lakers, Mavs, Thunder, Jazz, Blazers, Nuggets and Suns. How is it that we are making 'mental errors and poor judgement' but still capable of beating all Western Conference playoff contenders? All teams commit errors just be glad that most teams are 'stupid' to commit more than we do.

I don't think the complaint is in the record, but in the games they are making mistakes and errors that could cost them games...Luckily there is still time to fix these things, but if they don't clean it up they will find themselves struggling in the playoffs. We should be mopping the floor with a team like the Timberwolves, but we let them get back into it with errant passes and mental mistakes...I notice alot of times the guards get caught in the air and try to make cross court passes or trying to thread the needle between defenders...

[Sofaking]

Blair with all his problems is still better than Splitter who had shown thus far but all of his fans are on his jock still. Dude reminds me of that French bum center we let sign with the mavs when it comes to his fans on here. Honestly I've seen splitter make a bunch of mistakes on both ends but I guess we should just keep giving minutes huh? Bonnar gets a lot of hate but this yr>>> Split.

[Sofaking]

I do think so but with Pop you never know.

As of today Bonner deserves more minutes than Blair. If Blair doesn't rebound / hustle he is a pure liability in O and D. If Pop was serious about his D phylosophy he should bench Blair and give a chance to Splitter. Splitter is doing what we could expect, he is a D presence and O he is good on pick and roll situation.

I commend you for sticking up for ur country man but splitter is not all as advertised on d and his offense is close to terrible. He's not a better pick n roll player than Blair by far(on offense) on D he's the far better pick n roll defender but he doesn't rebound nor block shots. Statistically on d, Blair is better.

[George Gervin's Afro]

I don't think the complaint is in the record, but in the games they are making mistakes and errors that could cost them games...Luckily there is still time to fix these things, but if they don't clean it up they will find themselves struggling in the playoffs. We should be mopping the floor with a team like the Timberwolves, but we let them get back into it with errant passes and mental mistakes...I notice alot of times the guards get caught in the air and try to make cross court passes or trying to thread the needle between defenders...

what butta said

[Brazil]

I commend you for sticking up for ur country man but splitter is not all as advertised on d and his offense is close to terrible. He's not a better pick n roll player than Blair by far(on offense) on D he's the far better pick n roll defender but he doesn't rebound nor block shots. Statistically on d, Blair is better.

Just to avoid misunderstanding, I'm not brazilian, I'm french and I'm living in Brazil so I have 0 reason to be a homer regarding Splitter.
For the rest, considering his size he has a much higher ceiling than Blair to defend againts the toughest front courts mainly LA and Boston and I do consider he is a better defender than Blair. Offensively I agree he is a mess but he has the tools to be the guy who can take D load off Duncan back.

[LongtimeSpursFan]

I don't think the complaint is in the record, but in the games they are making mistakes and errors that could cost them games...Luckily there is still time to fix these things, but if they don't clean it up they will find themselves struggling in the playoffs. We should be mopping the floor with a team like the Timberwolves, but we let them get back into it with errant passes and mental mistakes...I notice alot of times the guards get caught in the air and try to make cross court passes or trying to thread the needle between defenders...

All teams make mistakes. I find it humorous that Spurs fans somehow think that only their team is the one to make mistakes or that other teams can somehow magically correct their issues moreso than the Spurs. Common locus of control theory...base others woes on cir stantial while ours are self-inflicted.

[DubMcDub]

Every team makes mistakes and has lapses in judgment, even the great ones. It's not a big deal (and this is coming from someone who has no bias for the Spurs). Winning is all that really matters, and besides, these type of mistakes are more random than anything. You can't assume it's some trend that will continue into the playoffs.

[Ice009]

I don't think the complaint is in the record, but in the games they are making mistakes and errors that could cost them games...Luckily there is still time to fix these things, but if they don't clean it up they will find themselves struggling in the playoffs. We should be mopping the floor with a team like the Timberwolves, but we let them get back into it with errant passes and mental mistakes...I notice alot of times the guards get caught in the air and try to make cross court passes or trying to thread the needle between defenders...

Exactly. You shouldn't have to explain this though.

Blair with all his problems is still better than Splitter who had shown thus far but all of his fans are on his jock still. Dude reminds me of that French bum center we let sign with the mavs when it comes to his fans on here. Honestly I've seen splitter make a bunch of mistakes on both ends but I guess we should just keep giving minutes huh? Bonnar gets a lot of hate but this yr>>> Split.

Blair got a chance when he was a rookie. He got a chance to start games. Why can't Splitter get that same chance? I know you're a Blair fan, but IMO Splitter deserves a real chance like Blair got last season and then if he doesn't perform at all then you can bench him.

[Blackjack]

Great take Blackjack.

I'd be OK with taking either approach, either playing to their strengths and not trying to play like a typical Spurs team because we don't have the personnel to do it, but having said that when are we going to find out if Splitter can be that guy?

What you said is exactly what I thought Splitter could be. A very good glue guy like Oberto. I never expected him to be a star. I did expect him to be a smart glue guy like Oberto though. Is Pop going to give him a chance?

Unfortunately, looks like next year.

With every game that passes and each opportunity for Splitter to play being opted out of by Pop, it gets harder and harder to honestly make the case that the Coach will come to rely upon him come the playoffs.

Unless Tiago just plays some undeniably good and helpful ball in a stretch of sporadic outings -- against good compe ion (i.e., extremely tough to do and unlikely) -- he's heading towards being the Spurs' 2011 victory cigar.

Unfortunate . . .

[DMC]

Every team has problems. Like Pop once said (or he may have said many many times), it's a game of errors. You just try to minimize them. I guess in between the errors is where your game lives. Pop didn't say all that, or maybe he did and I didn't hear it.

[DMC]

Exactly. You shouldn't have to explain this though.



Blair got a chance when he was a rookie. He got a chance to start games. Why can't Splitter get that same chance? I know you're a Blair fan, but IMO Splitter deserves a real chance like Blair got last season and then if he doesn't perform at all then you can bench him.

Blair showed up for training camp. Blair practiced all Summer and played in the Summer games. Tiago was busy modeling underwear, or playing for that team he played for.

Speaking of teams, how gish is "Kinder Bologna"? A more friendly sausage... great.

[TheChillFactor]

you guys act like the teams we had in the past were perfect. we have four banners won by teams that ed up constantly:

1999- People thought we would choke in the playoffs like always. I remember game 2 vs. Minnesota and game 2 vs. Portland and thinking, "aww here we go again."

2003- This team gave up 20 point leads ing constantly. Esp that bull shot by Marbury in game 1 of the first round...the Dallas game where they were 49 of 50 from the line or some ing bull . Game 6 vs. Dallas when they had us down 20 points in the 2nd half. We'll never win with this Euro dumb Ginobili turning the ball over constantly...

2005- This team didn't have the toughness to beat the mighty Detroit Pistons. Esp the way they took our lunch money in games 3 and 4. Pop on the bench patting Tim's knee....AWW IT'S OVER DOOOOMMMZZ.

2007- There was no ing way we were going to beat Dallas in the playoffs with our old and ty roster. Dirk ing owned us that year...yikes, Devin Harris! what will we do???

Currently we have the best record in the league and a of a shot at 1) getting HCA throughout 2) beating LA in the playoffs 3) facing an old Boston team or a not-quite-there-yet Miami team.

Please chill the out until further notice...