Splitter will play because the spurs don't have any more options.
Pop HAS to play Splitter with just 4 bigs on the roster, Splitter has proven time and time again that he should be getting legit playing time. Splitter is also in his second year, I think it its safe to say be getting a good amount of pt this year.
As for leonards offense I think pop wants him to take those shots, every one of those shots he took was a good one, he didn't force anything. And as pop said before, he loves ja and kls aggressiveness.
We'll see how it all bodes once they face the bigger tougher Clips tonight.
Clips frontcourt is not bigger or tougher ... they are more athletic but less skilled compared to Z-Bo and Gasol, so a completely different defensive job for our frontcourt ...
Bigger? Tougher?
Lol... no.
ok I fail.
TD and Splitter are bigger and tougher than Griffin and Jordan
Your getting athleticism and toughness mixed up and you also seem to be discarding Memphis's frontline.ok I fail.
TD and Splitter are bigger and tougher than Griffin and Jordan
Michael Finley and Matt Bonner say hi.
Michael Finley OVER Bruce Bowen
and
Matt Bonner OVER EVERYONE
say hi ....
found this good write-up on our rotation. BTW speaking of rotation, I'm not sure TJ Ford is good enough to play in the playoffs, yeah I don't mind him playing in the regular season to keep Manu & Parker fresh for the playoffs. but I see Neal playing alongside Manu's quarterbacking skills in the Playoffs, this provides better impact and scoring from the bench.
Another note, although the Spurs did'nt do much in the FA this offseason. You've got to say the changes in the Spurs rotation is significantly different from last year. In fact probably one of the bigger changes in the NBA.
The reasons for this are obvious when you consider, Tiago, Anderson and Leonard played practically zero PT last year. And now, between the 3 they will take up around 80 of the 240 minutes available (25 %) . That's a huge change
Jumping to conclusions on the rotation…already
by Andrew A. McNeill
17
Photo credit: MattBritt00
AT&T CENTER — After watching Tiago Splitter spend the vast majority of his rookie season on the bench and James Anderson fail to regain his rotation spot after an early season injury, concerns were aplenty that many of the Spurs’ young players would fail to see any meaningful minutes this season, especially with the nature of this season’s compressed schedule.
And then Kawhi Leonard checked in for Richard Jefferson with 6:57 left in the first quarter of the Spurs’ 95-82 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on opening night. If Gregg Popovich could justify not playing a rookie any season, it was this one. With no offseason contact allowed, a shortened training camp and preseason, and a returning starting small forward, the odds could have easily been stacked against playing Kawhi Leonard this year.
Instead, the Spurs rotated three players at the small forward position on Monday night, starting richard Jefferson and bringing on Leonard as a subs ute. In the second quarter, James Anderson entered the game for Jefferson. Coach Pop also played Jefferson alongside Leonard for stretches in the second half.
If anything, this gives the Spurs flexibility with their lineups. You have three players splitting time at the same position, who can all share the floor together if need be (Anderson at the 2, RJ at the 3 and Kawhi at the 4). Having all three players comfortable with a variety of situations safeguards the team in instances where foul trouble is an issue or, as should be the case this season, rest is needed for fatigue or injury. Playing Anderson at the 3 also allows for room when Gary Neal returns to the lineup.
The typical rotation last season saw Manu Ginobili as the first player to be subbed out of the game, primarily so he could re-enter the game in as the playmaker on the second unit. In the Spurs’ win over the Grizzlies Monday night, Tim Duncan and DeJuan Blair were the first players to sub out of the game, mostly because of early foul trouble for both bigs. Instead, RJ appeared to be the first scheduled subs ution for the Spurs. This put Jefferson in the Manu role of scorer with the second unit, where eventually, Jefferson found a comfort zone. He ran the pick-and-roll with Tiago Splitter and Matt Bonner several times with decent results. Basically, it wasn’t a bad lineup. Jefferson had 10 points on 4-7 shooting in the second quarter.
While the Spurs started the game with a lineup of Manu, Parker, RJ, Tim Duncan and DeJuan Blair, their crunch time group featured Tiago Splitter instead of Blair. There were suggestions during training camp that the Spurs would use this lineup because it’s a better defensive one than a group featuring Blair. Starting Blair is a design primarily to avoid having DeJuan in the game with Matt Bonner or Splitter. The more time Blair is paired with Tim Duncan, the better.
After a Manu steal and breakaway dunk boosted the Spurs’ lead to 16 in the fourth quarter, Pop inserted James Anderson for Manu, possibly to get Anderson some crunch time reps. The more experienced these young wings can get, and the quicker they get it, only increases the malleability of this Spurs team. If there’s was any way the post rotation could develop the same thing, this Spurs team could be something to behold.
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LOL! Nice take. The thing is, they are both defensive-minded and hustles a lot. Bruce can defend 1,2, and 3 positions. Kawhi can be effective only for 2,3, and 4. But Kawhi is bigger and in my opinion,can average 6 rebounds or more in his career. With regards to shooting 3s, it's too early to tell.
spurs beat clippers soundly on road
He seemed to have Chauncey Billups shut down. And I've always considered him a 1.
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