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Thank you very much for taking the time to put that together, LJ.
Now, I'll read it and I'll ask questions later.
We finally have basketball again. For the first time since losing to the Memphis Grizzlies back at the end of April, the San Antonio Spurs were back on the court. While the preseason contest against the Houston Rockets was ragged and more of a practice than an actual game, it was possible to start figuring out the latest incarnation of the Spurs. Here's a look at the good and the bad.
Manu Ginobili
22 minutes, 16 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 turnovers
6-for-14 from the field, 0-for-2 on three-pointers, 4-for-4 at the line
Good: Manu Ginobili spent a lot of time playing basketball during the lockout and it was obvious. He seemed to be in a good rhythm right out of the gates. Ginobili was moving well and his legendary intensity was already in midseason form.
Bad: When the pace increased, Ginobili sometimes had trouble keeping up. He also got beat off the dribble a few times. But Ginobili not being in optimal shape is expected. In a few weeks, he should be in typical regular season form.
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Richard Jefferson
19 minutes, 2 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
1-for-4 from the field, 0-for-1 on three-pointers
Good: The calm and collected stroke Richard Jefferson used on standstill jumpers last year is apparently back for another season. He also pulled down a few contested boards.
Bad: Jefferson already had Pop pulling out his hair after he shot an ill-advised jumper and then failed to get back on defense. He also doesn't appear to be in very good shape. His corners are rounded and his movements were stiff. Jefferson didn't do much to redeem himself from how he collapsed at the end of last year.
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Tiago Splitter
27 minutes, 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers
6-for-9 from the field, 1-for-2 at the line
Good: After a rough start, Tiago Splitter got comfortable around the rim on the offensive end. When he wasn't scoring, he was making a good pass. Compared to last year, he looked a lot more assertive with the basketball.
Bad: Despite his large frame and his length, Splitter has a bad habit of playing small -- and he was doing just that against the Rockets. He didn't do much on the defensive end, especially when it came to help defense and protecting the rim. He also bailed out the Rockets with a handful of soft post moves. Splitter playing tougher and bigger is mandatory this season if the Spurs are to make any noise.
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DeJuan Blair
26 minutes, 16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist, 5 turnovers
5-for-9 from the field, 6-for-12 at the line
Good: In the second half, DeJuan Blair found his touch. He also rebounded better as the game progressed. Despite being a bit slimmer than last year, he still appears to be just as strong.
Bad: Luis Scola destroyed him. Overall, Blair's defense was pathetic. He wasn't defending out on the floor and was invisible in the paint. Blair is usually a below average defender but this was a new level of bad. He turned into a blackhole in the fourth quarter and made a number of mistakes. All in all, it was a preseason opener to forget for Blair.
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TJ Ford
26 minutes, 8 points, six assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers
1-for-5 from the field, 0-for-2 on three-pointers, 6-for-7 from the line
Good: TJ Ford's speed looked decent; not close to his prime but a bit faster than last season. His body language was better than it's been in recent years. I also liked the hustle he showed on defense when there was a loose ball.
Bad: He dribbled way too much on offense, especially when paired with Ginobili. He looked uncomfortable without the ball because he lacks confidence in his catch-and-shoot jumper. Defensively, he put up less resistance than a traffic cone when he was guarding the ball. It was a rough outing but at least it wasn't for a lack of effort.
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Kawhi Leonard
23 minutes, 2 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block
1-for-4 from the field, 0-for-1 on three-pointers, 0-for-2 at the line
Good: The work Kawhi Lenoard did during the lockout on his ballhandling did wonders. He was regarded as a poor ballhandler coming out of college. Against the Rockets, I thought he looked like an above average ballhandler for a small forward. It was obvious that Leonard also did his homework when it came to learning the team's defensive philosophy because he made a few really good rotations. His elite athleticism shone through a few times a few times when he was defending the ball one-on-one.
Bad: On both ends of the floor, Leonard was meek. Aside from a few moments here and there, he was simply blending into the background. His outside jumper, especially the three-pointer he took, looks flat. When it came to the eyeball test, Leonard is a legit size for a small forward but he didn't jump out of the screen as extraordinarily long or explosive.
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Matt Bonner
20 minutes, 12 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 turnover
3-for-7 from the field, 2-for-4 on three-pointers, 4-for-4 at the line
Good: Matt Bonner appears to be the Spur most ready for the regular season. He checked into the game and looked like the Matt Bonner we all* know and love. His work on the boards was actually better than usual and his ballhandling on offense continues to improve.
Bad: Nothing unusual -- just his typical weaknesses like not being able to do anything defensively once he's caught under the rim. The athletic players on the Rockets made him look immobile, though that isn't exactly a shocking revelation.
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Cory Joseph
19 minutes, 4 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal
2-for-7 from the field, 0-for-2 on three-pointers, 0-for-1 at the line
Good: Cory Joseph actually looked pretty good for a guy who missed all of training camp. I didn't see any obvious flaws that will stop him from potentially being a point guard on the NBA level. He handled the ball well, was aware of his surroundings, showed decent vision and looked comfortable looking to score off the dribble. Defensively, he pressured the ball a bit and did so without getting torched -- which is a good sign for such a green rookie.
Bad: His catch-and-shoot jumper looks suspect. He doesn't get much rotation on the ball and his release is slow. Joseph also needs to do a lot of work in the weight room. His upper body looks especially weak. Though he looked better than I expected, he'll undoubtedly be headed to the Toros sometime soon.
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James Anderson
17 minutes, 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal
1-for-9 from the field, 0-for-4 on three-pointers, 2-for-6 at the line
Good: His stats look ugly but I was actually impressed by James Anderson. Offensively, he's oozing with confidence. He checked into the game and looked to score right away. When isolated, he had a number of pro-quality moves. His outside jumper looks smooth and he even operated the pick-and-roll really well. Defensively, this leaner version of Anderson was moving a lot better and he was authoritative when it came to going after rebounds and loose balls.
Bad: As you may have guessed, converting was Anderson's main problem. He missed a number of easy attempts. Perhaps he was too eager to prove that he's ready for an everyday role. Anderson was also too aggressive at times and missed wide open teammates.
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Daniel Green
16 minutes, 5 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
2-for-8 from the field, 1-for-3 on three-pointers
Good: On defense, Daniel Green was a plus. He moves his feet really well for his size and makes smart rotations. Although he doesn't have much potential on the offensive end, he knows his role and doesn't try to do too much.
Bad: Daniel Green got most of his minutes in garbage time so it was difficult to gauge his performance but he didn't help his cause by missing a number of makeable shots. Right now, there's no reason to consider him a better prospect than Leonard or Anderson -- in the short-term or long-term.
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Steve Novak
12 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds
1-for-4 from the field, 0-for-2 on three-pointers
Good: Hmm … well, he didn't back away from shooting open jumpers.
Bad: I think I witnessed the worst defensive bigman combination in history when Blair and Novak manned the power forward and center positions. It was utterly horrible. Novak is known for being a really, really bad defender but he was even worse than usual because he was a few pounds heavier and a few steps slower than last year. He needs to quickly get into shape and start showing more heart on the defensive end if he's going to further his NBA career.
Thank you very much for taking the time to put that together, LJ.
Now, I'll read it and I'll ask questions later.
Lj, how do you see the big man rotation going into the season?
Great writeup and I mostly agree. I am not a huge fan of Bonner, but he played the right way. Despite his limited capacity, he didn't do anything dumb and loooked about as good as he could possibly look. I want to be an Anderson fan, but I thought his play was mostly terrible. That will change in time if he keeps that high confidence level as he has the athletic ability to compete in the NBA. I was a little disappointed in his apparent inability to slash and split defenders, however. Hopefully he's better than he looked in that regard. In his defense, I think we're just too used to seeing Manu slicing through the lane like butter.
This has been said alot.. Bonner isnt a terrible player even by NBA standards.. however he is terrible when playing against starters. In a limited 10-15 mpg role playing against the opposition bench he can really help the Spurs.. the problem is Pop continues to trot him out there against starters. At least he gives 100% when hes out there though.. unlike Blair.
IMO Blair is more frustrating than Matt. I would rather see him go if i had to choose one.
Only two players shot above 50 percent?
Duncan/Blair will start
Tiago comes in for Blair because Pop realizes Duncan and Tiago need to play together.
Bonner later comes in for Duncan. Bonner three point shooting helps offset Kawhi inability to shoot the three.
Minutes wise I don't know but Tiago better be close to 30mpg.
Blair has the height of a small shooting guard combined with the width of Kim Kardashian's ass. When Kyle Lowry is taller than your power forward, it's not a good thing. Opposing teams see Blair underneath, their eyes light up and they know it's time for layup drills. Might as well play Cory Joseph at PF at this rate.
Preseason game.....but nothing new
Bonner and Novak aren't nba caliber players.....
Splitter has to play this year
Manu is the better player of the team now
Blair wasn't a steal of the draft
.....nothing new
Tiago starting leaves the duo of Bonner and Blair to play to often. Not going to happen.
I thought Bonner was horrible on defense. Which isn't anything new, as LJ stated.
Bonner had a solid game, defensively and offensively. Looked like the only pro out there besides Manu
One piece of good news was that Splitter didn't pick up as many of those dumb fouls as he did last year. Houston came out very aggressive. They had 24 PF in the first half alone. (Jeff McDonalt tweeted this: "It's so funny. Manu's getting pissed. In the second quarter. Of a preseason game." F' Jeff McDonald.) Splitter kept his cool, and kept the foul count down. He wound up playing to a 5.33 PF/36 minutes, which is just about perfect.
Sometimes one player can light their whole team up. But they can also make their teammates feel like there is a lid on the basket. I kind of felt like Ginobili set the tone for the poor shooting in the first half. He really stunk it up.
I'm only half joking about Blair getting some ADD medication. I swear I think his attention wanders a lot during the game. Look how often he finds himself right under the basket. He's gotten pretty good about leaning out and scoring from under the rim. But on defense, there's just nothing to be done except foul. I know he's strong enough to contest real estate better than that. And I don't believe he's timid. I swear, sometimes I think he just drifts.
I saw flashes of above average play from Leonard. I also agree he blended in. In fact, I had a hard time telling who was whom on the court for a while, until Blair came in and his falling all over the place, jumping into Manu and everyone else made him stand out.
the young guys looked good.
For Leonard's first game I thought he did great. No, his shots didn't fall, yes, he looked a little lost, but he did a lot more to help the team than that trash Richard Jefferson.
James Anderson looked good as well. Shots didn't fall, but he looked good and active.
Joseph looked better than I thought he would based on the big 12 games I saw. Seemed to be capable enough. I don't think he looked worse than TJ Ford.
The rest of the guys?
Splitter still missing junk shots and not playing big enough, but still the best Spurs big man without Duncan around.
Blair was pretty bad.
TJ Ford didn't impress me half as much as he apparently did everyone else on this forum. No shot, passing up other shots, dribbling around . . . can't say he was clearly better than Joseph.
Bonner was typical Bonner awful. With him in the rotation, the Spurs get what they deserve. Remember when people kept saying that with Splitter around Bonner's minutes went down, but they actually went up?
Jefferson was GARBAGE as usual. Pathetic. Jefferson and Bonner make up the Spurs Culture of Failure. Mr. Fourth Option still played like trash even without Duncan and Parker taking his shots away. Give me Bogans over RJ any day.
The Bonner hate in this forum has reached ridiculous and ignorant levels. He LED THE LEAGUE IN 3 PT FG % !
RJ is by far the worst, underachieving Spur on the team. Bonner was brought in to spread the floor and hit 3 pointers. Guess what, he did that better than anyone else in the league last year, percentage wise.
When you ask that same guy to be a great defender and rebounder, well then you are asking a lot.
Tonight, the guy showed up and played hard in a meaningless preseason game. Now you know why the coaches appreciate him. Just imagine if we had all the other pieces this team needs. -- A defensive force in the middle to help Tim and an aggressive SF who can take the ball to the rim. No one would be ing about Bonner's shortcomings.
You wanna toss blame around for the Spurs troubles ? Look at the F.O., look at a PG who doesn't show up in big games and look at a legend whose best days are way behind him. Manu was a turnover machine in the playoffs but he always seemed to give his all.
Without any major moves to shore up the middle, everyone knows the inevitable outcome this season. Either we won't make the playoffs or we'll get bounced and humiliated again once we do.
Just checking, but this was sarcasm, right?
20 min - 12 pt, 5 Rebounds, 50 % on 3's, 4-4 FT, 1 ST
I'll take that awful all year.
It's just one preseason game, but it's very discouraging about Blair's play. He seems to get worse each year when he should be getting better. He has to pick up his play or else he won't be here any longer.
I'd like to see Tiago become more consistent on the boards and work on a faceup. Also, his little baby hook is unreliable. He does show a great awareness and ability to pass from the post. I really liked his heads up play when he made that bounce pass right after grabbing the board to assist in a lay-up. He's far from top tier, but his IQ makes up for his lack of physical ability and consistency in the shooting dept.
RJ wasn't in bad shape at all. He went up with hops on a runner down a middle lane and for a couple of boards too. He was trying to facilitate early, which could be mistaken for complacency, because everytime Joseph brought the ball up he would defer to a teammate at the top of the key. Also, TJ was forcing the drive and painting himself into a corner early too. RJ was playing intelligently, albeit reserved.
What you're missing is what he gives up on the other end.
I'll take that awful all year.
But I'll give you that's an above average line for Matt. If he could only produce that year round (especially in the playoffs), we probably wouldn't be having this conversation.
Yeah, but stats are meaningless. Need I remind you that Bonner choked away yet another playoff appearance. Surprise! We've all seen this movie before. Bonner choking in the playoffs is as common as the change of seasons. It's no big secret why and how it happens. When playoff basketball starts, teams focus in on taking away the strength of the opposing players. Unfortunately for Bonner, he only has one strength - 3-pt shooting. He's a one-dimensional player, who is being abused by the opposition and overused by the delusional coach that's in love with him. So please do not try to defend Bonner. We all know that he's a player with diminishing returns whenever his minutes exceed a certain threshold. Pop is the one that either doesn't seem to know or doesn't accept that notion. So in reality, Pop is to blame here.
Yes he is.
Outside of the unnecessary defense of Bonner, I couldn't agree more with your post.
Enjoy your regular season Bonner on offense (and ignore how Scola glided right through him).
I'll take that awful all year.
Bonner Brigade do what Bonner Brigade do.
For me, right now the 5 and the PG position are concerns. We need a reliable backup. Hopefully TJ moves into that role, but he obviously has his work cutout for him. Dragic, on a side note, looked great tonight. He's playing like a vet.
Thanks for the wonderful write-up for this first preseason game. I recorded it, but I"m too tired to watch it tonight.
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