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oh ye of little faith. why must you put forth negative criticism towards your favorite team. stupid bas
we are a soft, jump shooting team...that's one year older...
7th seed and out in the first round 4-1
oh ye of little faith. why must you put forth negative criticism towards your favorite team. stupid bas
In other words, he'd match up great against PFs like Dirk and Bosh, but get destroyed by Z-Bo and P. Gasol?
I just saw that he's listed as 6'9" and 210 lbs. That seems pretty undersized for a PF to me.
Playoffs...
I think that the Spurs have a shot at winning the championship, albeit a fairly long one. The shortened season, the emphasis on the newer players like Splitter and Leonard should instigate some positive change and bring renewed energy. Things would have to go their way from being relatively injury free, getting a favorable early round matchup, peaking at the right time and guys stepping up. Sounds rather generic, but that's what needs to happen. The Spurs certainly have the roster, and I'm also assuming that another decent piece will be added in free agency, but not counting on it. They have the roster, experience, presumably the hunger after last season's playoff embarrassment, and certainly the presence of mind to dig deep knowing that this is Tim Duncan's last championship run. Let's hope that a renewed defensive focus happens, among other things.
Anything can happen!
i think we will win the championship this season...
splitter gettin more minutes
with a solid rotation of the anderson and kawhi on the wing...
sign another backup center...
I'll feel a lot better about the Spurs chances, if they can swing a deal to obtain a more formidable frontline player.
^^^this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YOu got swept by the mavs stain. Now ask yourself would the mavs sweep the Spurs?
yeah! Best I've seen in a while. No way we lose to memphis with a healthy Manu.
Pretty much, yeah. But here's the thing: McDyess, for all his strength and savvy, got destroyed by Randolph and didn't fare much better against P. Gasol. Not many do. And how many bigs can effectively guard the Nowitzki/Bosh/Stoudemire types and the P.Gasol/Randolph/Aldridge types? Very few and the ones who can the Spurs more than likely can't attain.
In the event the Spurs played the Lakers in the playoffs, they could just start Splitter, have him guard Gasol and have Johnson come off the bench and guard Odom.
But the Lakers aren't head and shoulders above the compe ion anymore and the Spurs aren't in a position to be overly picky. Their goal is to be 5th-7th defensively. That's not happening with the current roster. Given their need, financial situation and limited trade assets, I don't see how they could do better.
thanks for all your comments guys
appreciate it a lot!
go 2012 Spurs go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
if we get a big and get Nocioni
i even watched Tinsley, and i think he still got game,
why not get Tinsley as back up playmaker?
i agree that we need to regain our defensive supremacy, the good ol days
Part of the reason Dice got destroyed was Pop wearing him out during the regular season. The Spurs should have stayed with Blair unless they were committing to Splitter. Blair's offense in the starting lineup worked for most of the season with Dice coming in for defense. Another reason Dice was destroyed was that Randolph saved all his energy for offense. He never had to play defense.
I would rather have it than not.
If anyone here has access to ESPN Insider and would be kind enough to read Hollingers report on the Spurs and post a summary that would be nice.
Player Profiles: San Antonio Spurs
PROJECTED STARTERS
TONY PARKER, PG
Projection: 20.3 pts, 3.6 reb, 7.9 ast per 40 min; 18.87 PER | Player card
• Fleet Frenchman who excels at penetrating for short-range floaters and layups.
• Subpar outside shooter. Excels in transition. Drives to score; not a great passer.
• Solid defensive player. Quick and bigger than he looks, but not always engaged.
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A point guard with the shot chart of a center, Parker led the NBA in shooting percentage from 3-9 feet thanks to his quick floater (see chart), and was one of only a dozen players to make at least 300 field goals at the rim ... an area from which he shot 65.4 percent. On the other hand, his jump shot has made little progress. He made only 25 3-pointers the entire season and shot only 36.9 percent on 2s beyond 10 feet.
Top shooters, 3-9 feet, 2010-11
Player Team Pct.
Tony Parker SA 52.9
Joe Johnson Atl 52.9
Boris Diaw Cha 52.2
Steve Nash Phx 50.5
Dwyane Wade Mia 50.2
Source: Hoopdata.com. Min. 100 attempts
Overall, however, the percentages work out in Parker's favor. He was ninth among point guards in true shooting percentage and his 21.6 points per 40 minutes ranked fifth. More surprisingly, perhaps, is that his distribution numbers were solid too. Maligned at times for his score-first mindset, Parker ranked 17th in pure point rating; his assist ratio was a career high.
Defensively, Parker was just average and has had better seasons. His stats weren't terrible or anything, but at his best he's been a nearly All-Defense caliber performer; last season, he fell well short of that. Either he's lost a half-step at that end or he's not competing with quite the same zeal.
Parker is a Fluke Rule player (see Lamar Odom comment), but unlike the others we shouldn't expect much of a decline this season. For starters, he was 28 years old; 28-year-old Fluke Rulers have gentler declines than those 29 or older. Second, and more importantly, he had attained this PER level before, putting him into a second category of players that have gentler declines from their Fluke Rule seasons. In fact, if you look at his entire career, the real fluke is his 2009-10 season, when he struggled with foot problems. While it's always dangerous to bet on speed players when they get into their late 20s, I don't foresee much slippage in Parker's immediate future.
MANU GINOBILI, SG
Projection: 21.5 pts, 5.0 reb, 6.0 ast per 40 min; 20.55 PER | Player card
• Left-handed pick-and-roll maestro. Excels at slashing to basket for fouls.
• Daring passer with great court vision. Good finisher. Likes step-back set shot.
• Very good rebounder. Vastly underrated defender with quick hands.
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Though more renowned for his embellishments on drives to the rim, Ginobili played just as large a role as a passer last season. He effectively served as the Spurs' point guard when he checked in, leading all shooting guards in pure point rating and averaging 6.5 dimes per 40 minutes. When he wasn't dishing, he carved up defenses with his slashes to the basket. Ginobili was fifth among shooting guards in free throw attempts per field goal attempt and made 87.1 percent from the line, a 1-2 punch that helped him average 23.0 points per 40 minutes with one of the best true shooting percentages among wing players.
Ginobili isn't as strong with the jumper; his 3-pointer is juuuuust accurate enough to keep defenses honest, making 34.9 percent last season and 37.1 percent for his career. Similarly, he took a lot of long 2s last season but made 40.3 percent -- respectable, but hardly threatening. It's all the fouls he draws along the way that makes him so potent, including a bunch on fake jumpers; as with Dwyane Wade, he routinely gets defenders to bite on the fake even though that's the shot they want to him to take.
Ginobili is one of the league's most underrated defensive players. He once again had an excellent on-court vs. off-court differential, as the Spurs gave up 5.53 points per 100 possessions less with him on the court. Additionally he had very strong Synergy numbers, and he was fifth among shooting guards in steals per minute. While the Spurs rarely had him check top scorers to preserve his energy, he's long for a wing and competes.
If he had a weakness, it was simply how long he played. San Antonio bumped him up to 30.3 minutes a game last season, but it's still amazingly few for a player of this caliber. Ginobili has posted a PER above 20 for seven straight seasons but only averaged 30 minutes a game in two of them; as a result he's still never averaged 20 points per game in an NBA season.
There's a reason for that -- with all the pounding he takes they're trying to keep him in one piece until the playoffs. Ginobili had missed at least five games in every NBA season until last season, when he played 80. One presumes he'll only play about 2,200 minutes again this season. But for those minutes, only two shooting guards in the league will be better.
RICHARD JEFFERSON, SF
Projection: 13.9 pts, 5.2 reb, 1.9 ast per 40 min; 11.73 PER | Player card
• Athletic wing who has lost some explosiveness. Good scorer around rim.
• Good first step to right but a weak ballhandler. Can make corner 3s off catch.
• Solid defensive player. Good size and moves well. Declining rebounder.
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Jefferson changed how he played last season, shooting far more often off the catch as a spot-up 3-point shooter. Nearly half his shots were 3s and he made 44 percent -- enough to rank fourth among small forwards in true shooting percentage. A high free throw rate also helped; despite all the 3s Jefferson was in the top third of small forwards in that category, a skill he's had his whole career thanks to his explosive drives to the basket. Those were more rare, but productive when they came.
Break down his season, however, and what stands out is his incredibly shrinking role. Jefferson's scoring average dropped every month from October to March, despite consistent minutes, and in the final four games against Memphis he scored a grand total of 10 points in 106 minutes. His percentages hardly budged; he just stopped getting shots.
Jefferson has lost some athleticism, with his declining rebound rate the latest in a series of signs, but he did a solid job defensively. Opposing small forwards had an 11.1 PER against him according to 82games.com, and Synergy graded him in the top quarter of small forwards. Combined with the 3s, that made him a solid fifth starter but nothing more; with $30 million due his way over the next three years, he's an expensive luxury and a likely amnesty candidate.
DeJUAN BLAIR, PF
Projection: 17.4 pts, 13.3 reb, 2.1 ast per 40 min; 18.43 PER | Player card
• Short, heavy frontcourt player with surprising athleticism. Great rebounder.
• Conditioning and knee injuries are concerns. Poor outside shooter.
• Lack of size a major impediment on defense. Decent mobility and strong.
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Blair was very effective around the basket and on the offensive boards, but he played his way out of the starting lineup anyway because he was such a defensive liability.
The numbers show why; Blair's defensive stats are scary, and not in a good way. According to 82games.com, opposing power forwards lit him up for a 21.3 PER; at center, where he played more than a third of his minutes, it was 24.3. The Spurs gave up 3.06 points per 100 possessions more with Blair on the court, according to basketballvalue.com, and Synergy Stats weren't too keen on his play either. Oddly, he led all power forwards in steals per minute, but that may have been part of the problem -- too much reaching and not enough fundamental defense.
Once he went to the bench, Blair clearly started pressing; at times it seemed he was trying to make a six-point play every time he caught the ball. Nonetheless, he finished the season with excellent numbers. Blair led all power forwards in offensive rebound rate, hit 50.1 percent from the floor and shot less abysmally from the line than the year before.
However he couldn't space the floor, making only 28.7 percent from beyond 10 feet, and he was too sloppy with the ball. Only seven power forwards had a worse turnover ratio than Blair, which is indefensible given that his job description mostly involved collecting the ball off the rim and putting it back up.
Blair reportedly ballooned to over 300 pounds during the course of last season and clearly needs to improve his conditioning; doing so would likely help remove the target on his back at the defensive end, too. He's a solid bench player even if he doesn't improve, but between his inability to space the floor and his struggles on D, he's not a starter on a contending team.
TIM DUNCAN, C
Projection: 18.5 pts, 12.4 reb, 3.4 ast per 40 min; 21.27 PER | Player card
• Low-post technician with midrange bank shot and variety of short hooks.
• Has defensive value due to smarts and very long arms, but has lost quickness.
• Good rebounder. Smart, team-oriented player. Improved foul shooter.
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Duncan had the worst offensive season of his career as he continues to evolve into more of a secondary offensive option, but it's amazing to see how much defensive value he retains. While he doesn't have the mobility of his younger days, Duncan's length and savvy still make him among the game's best defensive centers. The Spurs gave up 7.00 points per 100 possessions less with Duncan on the floor and he had the best Synergy rating of the team's rotation players. Plus, Duncan finished ninth among centers in blocks per minute, seventh in defensive rebound rate, and had the lowest foul rate of any center. With his knees feeling better, he also was stronger in pick-and-roll coverage than he'd been a year earlier.
Offensively, however, he averaged only 19.0 points per 40 minute and nearly set a career low in true shooting percentage. Duncan's line-drive, spinning-off-its-axis shot has become more accurate, as he made 39.6 percent of his deliveries beyond 10 feet and shot 71.6 percent from the line -- respectable numbers from a 7-footer. His length still makes him a great finisher at the rim (71.7 percent) but he can't get there as often, which is why his percentages sank overall. He's taking care of the ball at least, finishing seventh among centers in pure point rating.
Perhaps the biggest change, however, is in his playing time. Duncan played only 28.2 minutes per game even though he was hardly ever in foul trouble. This likely helped his numbers bounce back on a per-minute basis, but it also diminished his big-picture impact. Even last season he played at an All-Star caliber level when he was on the court; he's just doing it for increasingly brief stretches.
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RESERVES
TIAGO SPLITTER, C
Projection: 14.3 pts, 10.7 reb, 1.5 ast per 40 min; 14.94 PER | Player card
• Big low-post center who likes to play physical. Good finisher. Decent athlete.
• Solid rebounder. Limited perimeter game. Makes awkward-looking hook shot.
• Tough but needs to learn NBA defense. Has size to play center. Draws fouls.
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Splitter had trouble working his way into the Spurs' rotation as a rookie, mostly because he was an odd fit next to Tim Duncan in the frontcourt, but he was effective when he played and should be in line for a big jump in minutes this season.
Splitter can hit short-range hook shots, but he was almost strictly a dunks and layups guy last season. He shot 69.4 percent at the rim but only 30 percent from beyond three feet. He also struggled at the line, making 54.3 percent, which wasted his propensity for drawing fouls.
Defensively, he was active enough to rank fourth among centers in steals per minute, but he didn't block many shots or show great mobility. His statistical data conflict -- Synergy gave him sparkling marks but 82games.com says opposing centers had an 18.8 PER against him. Subjectively, he seemed a step slow in his help defense and that may have been a factor in his limited playing time.
The other factor, of course, is that he doesn't space the floor, which means it's difficult to pair him in the frontcourt with Duncan or DeJuan Blair. Somehow, I suspect this year they'll figure out a way, because he's too good to leave on the pine. If Antonio McDyess sticks to his retirement plans they may have no choice.
ANTONIO McDYESS, PF
Projection: 10.0 pts, 11.0 reb, 1.8 ast per 40 min; 11.91 PER | Player card
• Jump shooting big man who sets up around free throw line. Rarely attacks.
• Can still jump vertically but needs time to gather. Average rebounder.
• Rarely creates own offense. Challenged to guard mobile 4s.
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McDyess said he was retiring after the playoff loss to Memphis, but postponed a deadline for the Spurs to waive him until the start of free agency ... so there's a possibility he'll be back.
If so, one has to imagine it will be in a more minor role. McDyess rebounded well but had a limited offensive impact, with the midrange jumper being his hallmark. From his perch at the high post he made 43 percent of his shots beyond 10 feet. But in 73 games he only made 67 baskets inside 10 feet, and averaged only 11.4 points per 40 minutes.
That's pretty similar to McDyess' 2009-10 campaign, but last season he appeared a half-step slower defensively as well, especially against floor-spacing 4s. Opposing forwards had an 18.3 PER against him according to 82games.com, while Synergy didn't give him high marks either.
MATT BONNER, PF
Projection: 13.3 pts, 7.1 reb, 1.8 ast per 40 min; 13.61 PER | Player card
• Ruggedly built 3-point marksman with high-arcing launch off shoulder.
• Not a creator, but can shoot runners off dribble. No post game. Rarely rebounds.
• Good size but unathletic. Won't block shots. Struggles in pick-and-roll defense.
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Bonner's potency as a floor-spacing big man is incredibly valuable, but he's starting to veer into James Jones territory in terms of his one-dimensionality. Nearly two-third of his shots were 3s and he nailed 45.7 percent of them -- no problem there. He also finished second among power forwards in true shooting percentage, and because he was shooting off the catch so much he had the second-lowest turnover ratio. Bonner is a good passer, too, who ranked 15th at his position in assist ratio and fifth in pure point rating even though he rarely penetrated.
All that efficiency is great, but it would help if he made a few more plays. Bonner was only 64th out of 70 power forwards in usage rate and 66th in rebound rate. Despite his accuracy, he averaged only 13.4 points per minute, a big reason he had his lowest PER in three years. He's been nearly as efficient in other seasons, but in 2010-11 the lack of quan y offset some of the quality.
Defensively, Bonner has improved in his time in San Antonio. He won't rebound or block shots but he gets to the right spots and is strong enough to hold his position on the block. I would still place him below the median power forward, but he's not far off.
GARY NEAL, SG
Projection: 17.7 pts, 4.5 reb, 2.4 ast per 40 min; 12.40 PER | Player card
• Sweet-shooting guard who can score off catch or dribble. Rarely draws fouls.
• Has some ball skills and can run pick-and-roll. Good rebounder.
• Not a great athlete and can be exposed defensively. Undersized for the 2.
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Neal was a Cinderella story last season, coming from nowhere to earn a guaranteed contract after lighting up the summer league and then playing a key role in the Spurs' march to the league's best record. Neal was instant offense, making 41.9 percent of his 3s, and he launched enough of them to average a robust 18.6 points per 40 minutes. His key was that he was as good off the dribble as on the catch, allowing him to run some pick-and-roll and create offense for himself. While he's not a good passer and hardly ever draws fouls, his jumper was so deadly that it made him a strong offensive threat -- in addition to the 3s, Neal hit 47.3 percent of his 2s beyond 10 feet, and most off those were off the dribble.
Defensively, Neal has a good body and rebounds well for his size, but his lack of athleticism was a major negative. Out of 66 shooting guards, he was 63rd in both blocks and steals per minute and had the 10th-worst foul rate. The Spurs gave up 6.27 points per 100 possessions more when he was on the court, while Synergy Stats placed him near the very bottom of the shooting guard heap.
His defense will likely improve a bit with NBA experience, but Neal's defense still may prevent him from becoming a starter. As long as he keeps raining in jump shots, however, he'll be a very effective bench player ... and another great find by the Spurs' front office.
CHRIS QUINN, PG (FREE AGENT -- UNRESTRICTED)
No projection | Player card
• Slow, low-mistake point guard who is often mistaken for ballboy.
• Good outside shooter off catch or dribble. Struggles to create offense.
• Very poor defensive player. Can't stop penetration. Limited athleticism.
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Quinn wasn't very mighty in his brief run as the Spurs' backup point guard; in 292 minutes he shot 36.3 percent and was routinely abused by quick guards. He's a passable third point guard if he is making shots, which he didn't a year ago, because he can run an offense and space the floor. But he can't create shots and defensively is ripe for abuse. He'll catch on someplace next season, but from this point forward his career may be measured in 10-day increments.
STEVE NOVAK, SG (FREE AGENT -- UNRESTRICTED)
No projection | Player card
• Deadly accurate 3-point shooter off catch. Has few other recommendable skills.
• Subpar athlete who is routinely torched defensively. Must be hidden on defense.
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Novak played 30 games for Dallas and San Antonio and did his usual drill, making 25 of 46 3-pointers and all eight free throw attempts. He's among the best shooters in captivity, a 41.7 percent career 3-point shooter, yet is unplayable except in end-of-quarter offensive situations because his defense is so poor and he doesn't create shots for himself.
DANNY GREEN, G
No projection | Player card
• Unathletic wing with good outside shot. Fundamental defender.
• Good rebounder for size. High scoring rate for a jump shooter. Weak handle.
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Green played only 92 minutes, but in his limited pro time has shown an ability to score at a solid clip and rebound very well for a 6-6 shooting guard. It's been a similar story in the minors. In 16 games in the D-League, Green shot 44.1 percent on 3s and had a strong Rebound Rate for his size. While he didn't wow with his ballhandling or defense, he showed he could score by averaging better than a point every two minutes.
Green is 24 and isn't any kind of rising star, but he's played well in his chances at every level. Don't be shocked if he emerges as a rotation player within the next two years.
JAMES ANDERSON, SG
No projection | Player card
• Long-armed wing with decent athleticism. Good spot-up shooter.
• Can slash to basket. Has scorer's mentality. Very poor rebounder as rookie.
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Anderson played only 26 games due to a stress fracture in his right foot. While we don't have a big enough sample size to conclude much of anything, his play was similar to how he was advertised: A good 3-point shooter, a decent athlete, and an average ballhandler. The lone surprise was his awful rebound rate; he did well on the boards in college.
KAWHI LEONARD, F
No projection | Player card
• Long-armed combo forward with huge hands. Excellent rebounder in college.
• Athletic finisher but jump shot a question mark. Decent ballhandler.
• Length should be advantage on defense. Will have to add strength to play 4.
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A tweener who has drawn Shawn Marion comparisons due to his leaping and length, Leonard slipped in the draft partly over concerns over his position. He's not much of an outside shooter, but needs to bulk up to play the 4.
The nice thing is that he should be a quality defender from Day 1, meaning that the Spurs can put him on the court with the second unit and let him develop. Leonard's upside as a 3 is significantly higher than the 4 so that's likely where he'll be tried out first, and if he can make a few jump shots he has a chance to be another draft-day steal for San Antonio.
DAVIS BERTANS, F
No projection | Player card
• Tall wing with great shooting stroke. Long, skinny frame. Needs muscle.
• Can handle ball but not a great athlete. Aggressive, compe ive player.
• Will struggle on defensive end. Needs to show he can guard NBA wings.
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A classic Euro-stash pick by the team that has turned this into an art form, Bertans is a sweet-shooting Latvian who needs to improve his shot selection and defense but offers a lot of upside offensively. He's 6-10 and has 3-point range, and has much better feel and ballhandling skills than a lot of Europeans. His lack of muscle probably consigns him to playing the wing, however, and in terms of lateral movement he'll be hard-pressed to keep up at the defensive end. His length should give him some wiggle room, however, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him make a big impact with his offensive skills a few years down the road.
ADAM HANGA, G
No projection | Player card
• Slender, athletic Hungarian wing. Uses quickness to get points near basket.
• Shaky shooter and ballhandler. Lacks great offensive instincts. Short arms.
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Something of a Sasha Pavlovic clone but with a worse jumper, Hanga joins the Spurs' massive European roster and will be playing in Spain this year. The hope is that he can evolve as a slasher and defender to the point that he'll be a useful NBA player, because he has the athleticism to play in the league.
San Antonio's Euro-stash strategy enters its second decade having already paid major dividends in the past (Manu Ginobili, Tiago Splitter, and the eventually traded Luis Scola), and the Spurs continue to milk it heavily. The Spurs now have eight players in Europe whose rights it owns, all of whom were drafted 40th or later. One of them, Nando de Colo, looks like a real player, and a couple others (most notably Davis Bertans) could still evolve into useful assets.
CORY JOSEPH, G
No projection | Player card
• Quick combo guard who can get to basket and score. Average shooter.
• More of a 2 than a 1; drives to score and not pass. Solid build but short for a 2.
• Offers good defensive potential. Not a great athlete but good lateral quickness.
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Joseph was a surprise first-round pick after a one-and-done campaign at Texas, where he was solid but hardly spectacular. Joseph shot very well on 3s (41.3 percent) but struggled at the line (67.5 percent), given the small sample size of both, the truth on his shooting ability is likely someplace in between.
It's clear the Spurs see him as the new George Hill, which is one reason they traded the old one, but compared to Hill he's not as far along defensively and not as good a shooter. The hope is that he can make up for it by being a better creator and distributor, but he'll likely need seasoning first and could spend much of the year in the D-League honing his point guard instincts. If so, it will be familiar digs -- the Spurs' affiliate is in Austin, where Joseph played collegiately.
Thanks SenorSpur !!!
I don't get where it is written where fans of a team are not allowed to "constructively" criticize his/her team.
Just because someone proclaims that the team is no longer a viable contender, doesn't necessarily make them any less of a fan than someone who proclaims that they still are. It's just an opinion - an opinion, by the way, that was also shared publically stated by one Tony Parker.
For anyone who has watched this team get routed in consecutive playoff series the past 2 postseasons, those dismal performances would make any objective observer believe that the Spurs time as a contender has passed. A decline which has paralleled the decline of the greatest PF of all time - Tim Duncan.
This year may present one final opportunity to try and win a le. However, unless the FO can somehow make a move to acquire a bonafide frontline player to help offset the decline of Duncan, we'll be watching yet another failed postseason.
That doesn't mean the Spurs will not be a good team or a team that isn't capable of regular success or even making the playoffs. However, let's not kid ourselves. It's not about regular success or making the playoffs. In Spurs Nation, it's all about winning championships.
The FO has already started to address this decline by beginning a "rebuild on-the-fly" project that is going pretty well. However, without an all-world superstar player, the caliber of Duncan, it will be pretty hard.
Thanks for the post, SenorSpur.
Given that Neal is undersized for SG and doesn't defend SGs well (according to the stats), does anyone think we'll see more of a Manu/Neal backcourt when Tony sits, with Manu doing most of the ball-handling? That would leave a hole at starting SG, though, that James Anderson isn't good enough yet to fill.
That profile also says that Bonner is a slightly-below-average defender instead of the turnstile we call him around here. Is this just a stat-head looking at numbers and no tape, or frustrated low BBIQ fans (of which I am one) looking for someone to pile the hate onto?
Jefferson's defensive PER is more than a little puzzling. He didn't appear to be anything more than serviceable on that end.
I'm conflicted- can I say both?
I've always considered Hollinger exactly what you just described- a guy who loves stats so much that he'd rather defend them than admit that they sometimes tell a lie. He tries to mold reality to fit his stats, and not the other way around.
However, I do think that many people on this board underrate Bonner's defense, and I have been saying so for quite a while. I'm not saying he's going to be on any All-Defense teams any time soon; in fact, I think Hollinger's analysis is about right- he's near-average or slightly below average among PFs.
I think Bonner's defense often takes a beating for two primary reasons- he's not flashy, and he's put in a position to fail far too frequently. On the flashy side of it, he doesn't get many blocks or steals, nor does he out-muscle or out-man some of the bigger players in the league. However, his positioning is usually very good, and he makes guys shoot from 5+ feet out more often than you'd think. Problem is, with no real threat of the shot being blocked, opposing players make those shots at a higher clip than you'd otherwise expect.
The other major problem is that he's put in a position to fail, i.e.- Pop puts him against the opposing team's best or second best offensive big man, something that should almost never be done. Guys like Bonner should almost always defend the opposing team's bench, and in rare cir stances their 2nd best big. However, with Pop's current uses and rotations of Bonner, he has to defend talented players more often, and therefore gets lit up more frequently than other guys at his same skill level.
I appreciate the response, it's pretty well thought-out. I guess it's the curse of Bonner-too-high-up-the-depth-chart once again. He's a good 4th big man, but when he gets too many minutes we see this pattern.
That really is the problem. It hard to judge Bonners recent playoff performance on defense when he had to play against one of the best front courts in the NBA ...
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