Reply With Quote
Free Throw shooting F---
sure Novak is the person to talk about...But tiago will actually get some playing time in the playoffs(maybe)
Give him a grade! Discuss!
IMO
Toughness-A
Defense-B
Rebounding-B+
Offense-B
Free Throw shooting F---
3/10 IMO... he's super green...
7/10
B..
The fouls prevented a B+ or A-, even though that's usually expected in the NBA, considering Splitter's current status with NBA refs..he played his role very well..he made very good rotations on D, he rebounded the ball well, and he finished well at the rim..
Hopefully it leads to more PT, but I wouldn't hold my breath..
His rebounding numbers should be higher, but there's no doubt that he's the best defensive big man behind Dice. An overall grade of B+, as he was too wound up and got into early foul trouble.
As for the playoffs, well, will added length and defense improve our chances?
I reckon Pop sees the tradeoffs like this:
Splitter's "not ready" vs his length and smart defensive rotations. Pop bets on "not ready."
Bonner's piss-poor defense vs 3-pt shooting. Pop bets on 3-pt shooting.
Blair's hustle and occasional freakish rebounding numbers vs size and defensive smarts. Pop bets on Blair's hustle.
No Splitter in the playoffs unfortunately.
So Duncan is no better than the third best defensive big on the team?
Added length and defense will definitely improve their chances. Being able to protect the rim is more critical than ever, considering the explosiveness/athleticism of many of the elite perimeter players combined with the no hand checking rules. Splitter may not be a shot blocker, but he's still 6-11, mobile and adept at making timely defensive rotations/taking charges.
Blair needs to be dropped from the rotation. He was always the guy who eventually should have been the odd man out anyway, but it's even more of a no brainer with him not quite rebounding to the level he was last season. I thought he'd get back to that level now that he's primarily having to contend for rebounds with Bonner, instead of Duncan, but it hasn't happened.
As for Splitter's performance, he was solid. Which isn't the least bit surprising. Nor will it be next game, when he resumes being stapled to the bench.
Impressive on defense. It'd be interesting to see him get extended minutes with Tim.
agreed that Blair should be dropped from the rotation. Tiago looked solid like he has in most games where he gets extended playing time with the starters and not the scrubs.
still, pop doesnt give a and will sit him in the playoffs anyways because Tiago needs to learn to "get over himself" i guess....
Bonner lookin like he's in playoff form already, passing up open shots and brickin the wide open ones he actually takes.
Pop probably just got a hard on from all those novak 3s instead of realizing the impact of Tiagos length.
For a coach who preaches defense, he sure doesnt like playing the guys with the best defensive potential (JA, Splitter)
solid and plays with his heart people have to think about the last time this guy even played yet were still grading him, im just happy he got to play its total bull that this wasn't possible during the season
for him to play tiago like this at the end of the season means he A) either feels and hears the pressure from people besides spurstalk fans or B) he really is thinking about using him off the bench, just in case
and believe me "just in case " will happen as soon as bonner and blair go out there together against lamar odom and tyson chandlers of the league very possible matchups
Neither.
"just in case" might happen when the spurs are down 3-1 to the Lakers and Pop realizes we need to match their length because Bonner/Blair are getting obliterated. ThenPop will go into his "i shoulda played Tiago more from the beginning..." schtick that he did with rookie Hill in the Mavs series.
You would think Pop would know better than to make the same mistake twice.
Of course not. Who is our best defensive big on the team? And who's behind him? Dice, of course.
I guess I could've made it clearer, but I thought it was obvious we're talking about Duncan/Dice/Splitter.
i going through denial here and im not in that (acceptance) phase yet, im just passing the anger part lol
Did better with this opportunity than the home game vs Oklahoma City when Pop clearly tried to give him a chance to earn minutes.
^ Tiago did not play against the Thunder on Feb 23. That was two weeks after the Raptors game when he was injured, I believe he was still on injured reserve.
Ericb, did you mean a different Thunder game?
Will Pop rest McDyess in two days against Golden State and let Splitter start in that spot, thus not interupting the rotation for that game?
DeJuan Blair = Malik Rose
He should get burn against smaller, run-and-gun teams in the playoffs.
Whoops--those kinds of teams no longer exist in the West. 100 isn't going to be a number sighted in the West playoffs very much this year like it has been the last 10 years with the likes of the 00-05 Kings, 01-05 Mavs, 04-10 Suns, 05 Sonics, 07 Warriors, 06-10 Jazz or 04-10 Nuggets being out of playoff existence now. Nearly all of the West's elite teams now play two legit big men in their respective starting lineup; the Spurs cannot afford to be an exception.
Blair is a lot better than Rose. Blair shows consistency, something Rose never had. And Blair can rebound with the best of them despite his size.
I'm pretty sure the only reason that Tiago started was so the bench rotation wouldn't get screwed up by putting Blair or Bonner in the starting lineup. Sometimes when a main guy (like TD tonight) is gonna be out, an end of the bench guy will get the start to keep everything else in working order. Honestly thats all I took from Tiago's playing time tonight. Unfortunately.
Or C, Pop decided to give Tiago some mercy minutes against a hobbled and unimpressive team the way we saw with Mahinmi against the Nets last season.
I'd love to see Splitter get more burn during games, but I don't think tonight's game really provides us with any hints as to what Pop's plans for him are in the post-season.
With the way things turned out. do you think TD deserves another day off. Say the next game?
Consistency is the last word I would use to describe Blair. I do think he can be a better player than Malik, and that he rebounds better than Malik ever will, but let's not get crazy. He legitimately cannot compete with 'the best of them' rebounding on a consistent basis.
FWIW, I'm a big fan of Blair.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
