Good points. He was on some pretty ty teams with coaches like Sam Mitc . He kind of fell off after going to Indiana so I was skeptical for that reason as well. But I'm glad were getting a disciplined TJ ford.
Talent wise, Ive always liked him, that was a big part of why I even bothered to follow his career given that Spurs are my favorite team and I'm from the west coast. (And he was on my fantasy team 3 years in a row lol). I hope he stays healthy and consistent, talent wise, hes definitely one of the best back up PGs we've had in recent years.
I've been pleasantly surprised by Ford thus far in terms of his style of play. He is really, really attempting to follow Pop's orders. I give him a lot of credit for that. I can't remember a role player who has bought in so quickly and thoroughly with the system. Any passion that TJ lost in the last few years has returned now that he's in an environment he enjoys. Props to him.
That said, Spur/Longhorn fan shouldn't be planning Ford's Hall of Fame banquet just yet. Coming into this game, Ford was 58th out of the 59 point guards in the in NBA in PER. The only point guard in the entire NBA with a lower PER than Ford (5.63) thus far this season was an injured Mike Bibby. So to frame the game against the Warriors like this is more validation that Ford has been a great find by the Spurs is laughable.
Coming into this game, Ford was the most turnover prone point guard in the NBA despite being one of the point guards with the lowest usage rates -- a pretty difficult feat to pull off. He also almost had as many turnovers (9) as points (10).
Against the Warriors, the biggest difference to me regarding Ford was his ability to jump. He got great elevation on his jumper ... which had been missing this year. He was also able to get in the air and stay in the air long enough to find the open man. That, too, wasn't happening in any other game.
I really, really, really hope that Ford got off to the slow start just because he was a bit out of shape and this is the player we'll see going forward. He was damn good tonight so if this is the real version of Ford, I'll be more than glad to eat burnt orange crow.
But, unfortunately, anyone who has watched Ford the last few years knows that he periodically has these types of breakout games about once every other week ... only to revert to worse play for the rest of the time. Again, hopefully that isn't the case this year and Ford will play closer to an average point guard rather than the worst point guard in the league outside the corpse of Mike Bibby.
P.S.
Ginobili's injury actually makes Ford a much better fit on this team. Next to Ginobili, Ford's strengths are muted because Ginobili can do everything Ford can do. But without Ginobili, Ford will be counted on to make plays and direct the offense ... which are his two strengths as a player.
If the FO signed Ford with the thought that he'll be extra useful when Ginobili misses his annual games due to injury, they are smarter than I and I tip my cap for such great foresight.
Timvp I dont believe you have watched or know as much about TJ Ford as you make it seem.I've been pleasantly surprised by Ford thus far in terms of his style of play. He is really, really attempting to follow Pop's orders. I give him a lot of credit for that. I can't remember a role player who has bought in so quickly and thoroughly with the system. Any passion that TJ lost in the last few years has returned now that he's in an environment he enjoys. Props to him.
That said, Spur/Longhorn fan shouldn't be planning Ford's Hall of Fame banquet just yet. Coming into this game, Ford was 58th out of the 59 point guards in the in NBA in PER. The only point guard in the entire NBA with a lower PER than Ford (5.63) thus far this season was an injured Mike Bibby. So to frame the game against the Warriors like this is more validation that Ford has been a great find by the Spurs is laughable.
Coming into this game, Ford was the most turnover prone point guard in the NBA despite being one of the point guards with the lowest usage rates -- a pretty difficult feat to pull off. He also almost had as many turnovers (9) as points (10).
Against the Warriors, the biggest difference to me regarding Ford was his ability to jump. He got great elevation on his jumper ... which had been missing this year. He was also able to get in the air and stay in the air long enough to find the open man. That, too, wasn't happening in any other game.
I really, really, really hope that Ford got off to the slow start just because he was a bit out of shape and this is the player we'll see going forward. He was damn good tonight so if this is the real version of Ford, I'll be more than glad to eat burnt orange crow.
But, unfortunately, anyone who has watched Ford the last few years knows that he periodically has these types of breakout games about once every other week ... only to revert to worse play for the rest of the time. Again, hopefully that isn't the case this year and Ford will play closer to an average point guard rather than the worst point guard in the league outside the corpse of Mike Bibby.
P.S.
Ginobili's injury actually makes Ford a much better fit on this team. Next to Ginobili, Ford's strengths are muted because Ginobili can do everything Ford can do. But without Ginobili, Ford will be counted on to make plays and direct the offense ... which are his two strengths as a player.
If the FO signed Ford with the thought that he'll be extra useful when Ginobili misses his annual games due to injury, they are smarter than I and I tip my cap for such great foresight.
T.J. Ford should start. Put Parker at SG. Dominate
Thats what I did not understand when Parker and Ford closed the game against the Warriors. Ford should have been the one being the floor general. But it was Tony playing PG and I think TJ Ford added nothing the last few minutes ... without Parker he was really good
Well, damn the stats.Unfortunately, you're right. I'm one who thought (and still thinks) that Ford isn't as terrible as some do. But even if you think the stats don't tell the whole story, you can't totally ignore them either.
That being said, I think that the biggest problem so far is the low usage rate, and that should improve as he gets settled in here. (Hopefully last night was a sign of that.) He's not taking many shots, and he's not getting to the line at all. That'll knock all those PER-related stats in the dirt.
His AST/TO is still 2-to-1, which is on the low side of adequate, but still adequate. He's always been a bit turnover-prone, and that's not likely to end now. As long as he can keep the offense from stagnating, it will be an improvement over the last couple of years.
Funny you should mention that. One of Ford's shortcomings is that he has always tended to shoot on the way up. Part of the rap on his shot selection, I think, has to do with his ability to make an okay shot look awkward. He's never had an impressive FG%, and he really depends on FT's to round out his scoring. I'm really hopeful that Chip Engellund can turn his shot around. If he does, I think his overall game will improve a lot.
TJ Ford is the best backup PG we've had since Claxton.
I haven't been to impressed with TJ Ford thus far in the season but it is too early..
He has made a lot of turnovers that i wouldn't have expected him to make.. He seems to slip aot on the court and loose the ball.. But last night he had a decent game even though he had multiple turnovers..
TJ was great. I hope he can keep that. We'll need with Manu out
lol KBP being proven a dumbass already
Fixed it
That was his best game as a Spur. I liked the double PG lineup Pop ran out there in the last 5 1/2 minutes with TJ and TP + Danny, RJ and Timmy. We may see that sb lineup some more against certain teams.
Duncan and Green made a huge defensive impact. Duncan's entry into the game is actually what inspired the strong finish. Green did his best Bruce Bowen (with a dash of Manu) defensive imitation, while Ford listened to Pop and pushed the pace when he got the ball.
I noticed that TJ still makes some errors like picking up his dribble under pressure. However, his jump shooting was a real plus and his confidence has been on the rise.
Yeah, TJ's response to defensive pressure bothers me the most, but his application of pressure in transition is what I like best.
Seems like alot of over analyzing on Ford imo. Sure Fords got holes in his game, but those holes would really be glaring if he was a starter, but, alas, hes a backup pg. Most backup players do have deficiencies, hence, the reason they are backups.
TJ had a great game last night. I thought he and Parker did well on the floor together, at least for that stretch of the game. I'm sure Pop will try it again at some point.
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