Seriously...Bonner...WTF China

[YoMamaIsCallin]

Please tell me what reson Bonner is used for?

I already did. In detail. Do you have a short term memory problem?

Then tell me if it's been effective. If not, it's time to try something different. Not keep playing him hoping that it's going to suddenly work. It's been long enough.

How effective do you want it to be? He's not a starter, he's a bench player. He's not a Sixth Man of the Year candidate. He's paid on the low end of the scale for guys his size who are in the rotation. You need to set your expectation level. Bonner will win a couple of games for this team just has he has done in seasons past. He will not make many mistakes and will play within the system. He is a very positive member of the team off the court and has gotten over himself. What do you want here?

Yes, Bonner and Tiago are different and do different things. But Tiago's strengths help the team far more than Bonner's. While Bonner's weaknesses hurt the team far more than Tiago's.

Your opinion. I don't think it's a valid comparison. You wouldn't trade one for the other. Plus they are not really competing for minutes in their roles.

Now, if you want to talk Blair vs. Splitter, THAT is an interesting discussion. But let's save that for another time.

Seriously, are you trolling?

Seriously, are you an arrogant jackass who thinks he knows everything and anyone who disagrees with him is either an idiot or a troll?

[YoMamaIsCallin]

Matt Bonner puts up about as much resistance as a cardboard cutout of Matt Bonner. You are correct that he keeps his hands up, but that's it. He's rarely in the right position, he leaves his man to try to "help" all the time which usually leads to easy buckets for who he should be guarding because he doesn't have the footspeed to recover, and he's terrible at boxing out. Even when he tries, guys usually just leap over him for the board or knock it away from him.

Standing in the paint and putting your hands straight up in the air ≠ defense.

We must be watching different games I guess. I think you're letting your biases get in the way. Basketball effectiveness comes in many dimensions, and I think you are only seeing one.

Leaving his man to "help" is done within the defensive system. It's called team defense. It's not a mistake.

I completely disagree he's "terrible" at boxing out. He's actually pretty good at it. The guys that "Leap over him" often foul him. And those guys can leap over anyone.

And I don't know if you've noticed this while watching Spurs games this year, but a of a lot of teams are getting a of a lot of "easy buckets" on everyone on the Spurs. The defense is in its training camp phase.

[cantthinkofanything]

How effective do you want it to be? He's not a starter, he's a bench player. He's not a Sixth Man of the Year candidate. He's paid on the low end of the scale for guys his size who are in the rotation. You need to set your expectation level.

Bonner plays starter minutes. He's paid at the top end of the scale for guys with his skill level.

Bonner will win a couple of games for this team just has he has done in seasons past.

Bonner will lose more games for the Spurs than he will win. Directly by his bad defense and missing shots when it counts. Indirectly by taking up minutes that shoud be used to develop other players.

He will not make many mistakes and will play within the system.

He makes many many mistakes. The only reason he doesn't make more is because he's too slow to get in position to make them.

He is a very positive member of the team off the court and has gotten over himself

Gay much?

Your opinion. I don't think it's a valid comparison. You wouldn't trade one for the other. Plus they are not really competing for minutes in their roles.

I would trade Bonner for Splitter every single time. And they are competing for the same minutes. You obviously don't watch the games or understand basketball.

Now, if you want to talk Blair vs. Splitter, THAT is an interesting discussion. But let's save that for another time.

ooohhh. the anticipation

Seriously, are you an arrogant jackass who thinks he knows everything and anyone who disagrees with him is either an idiot or a troll?

Go learn more basketball, then come back and yourself.

[jermaine]

I don't think Bonner should get major mins, but he tries. That's all I'm saying. A miget can't help the fact that he's a miget. But he still tries to feel normal. That's how I feel about Bonner.

[cantthinkofanything]

I don't think Bonner should get major mins, but he tries. That's all I'm saying. A miget can't help the fact that he's a miget. But he still tries to feel normal. That's how I feel about Bonner.

Agreed. But if you pay that midget a ton of money for something he isn't capable of doing and continually favor that midget over better qualified personel, I'm going to eventually hate that midget.

[KuntryDude]

I don't think Bonner should get major mins, but he tries. That's all I'm saying. A miget can't help the fact that he's a miget. But he still tries to feel normal. That's how I feel about Bonner.

I hear ya bro. And you're en led to that. But that mf sucks bad!!!

[Interrohater]

A miget can't help the fact that he's a miget. But he still tries to feel normal. That's how I feel about Bonner.

For a better price, we should keep Novak. He can shoot just as well and plays defense just as well. The reason that Boner plays better team defense is because he has corporate knowledge. Bring Novak in for a couple of seasons and we'll have the exact same guy for way cheaper. Plus, we can pay him on a month-to-month basis. Like a cell phone.

[portnoy1]

All in All it has alot to do with Duncan's decline and Pop trying to simplify things on offense. Before, as in 5-6 seasons ago Duncan was good for 25/10 any given night. Add to that Parker and Ginobili were doing there thing+ plus Pop ran more half-court motion sets during times when the big 3 couldn't do it one on one.

During the 08-09 season with Manu being out, Pop needed to get 20-25pts from somewhere. How do you do that with a point guard that has piss poor court vision? You simplify the offense to suit him. Instead of Bowen/Oberto and their defense, Pop went with Bonner/Mason Jr. for their offense. My point? Parker likes to drive and the one effective pass he can make is the kick out. So Pop surrounded him with 3pt shooters and the Spurs were able to alot of scoring.

08-09 also was where Tim Duncan really fell off health-wise and mobility-wise (not stat-wise, but if you watched those games you'll see what I mean). And often Injured Manu and a slow-old Duncan leaves Parker with his health as your best offensive option available night in night out.

By getting a more capable point guard that can shoot or putting in place a better offense Bonner would not need to get those minutes.

[therealtruth]

For a better price, we should keep Novak. He can shoot just as well and plays defense just as well. The reason that Boner plays better team defense is because he has corporate knowledge. Bring Novak in for a couple of seasons and we'll have the exact same guy for way cheaper. Plus, we can pay him on a month-to-month basis. Like a cell phone.

Novak also has a quick release which is useful in the playoffs. Horry doesn't hit those 3's in '05 and '03 if he has a slow release. Bonner has a slow release and isn't able to make teams consistently pay when they run him off the line. He can drive the lane if it's open or get to a spot to shoot from.

[ElNono]

doesn't make many mistakes in rotations

[ElNono]

I don't think Bonner should get major mins, but he tries. That's all I'm saying. A miget can't help the fact that he's a miget. But he still tries to feel normal. That's how I feel about Bonner.

jermaine, son, I agree... that said, Brian Scalabrine plays at +110% too... he just isn't very good...

[YoMamaIsCallin]

You just completely revealed yourself as a bigoted asshole with the gay slur.

[Horse]

This is all you need to know we have enough offense. so why the is bonner playing? His great D?

[therealtruth]

jermaine, son, I agree... that said, Brian Scalabrine plays at +110% too... he just isn't very good...

No way. I don't see Bonner trying as hard as guys like Scalabrine or Cardinal. When's the last time you saw Bonner diving to the floor, getting a deflection, taking a charge, taking a hard foul, or forcing a turnover? It sure doesn't happen often enough for a guy with limited skill.

[underdawg]

No way. I don't see Bonner trying as hard as guys like Scalabrine or Cardinal. When's the last time you saw Bonner diving to the floor, getting a deflection, taking a charge, taking a hard foul, or forcing a turnover? It sure doesn't happen often enough for a guy with limited skill.

bonner hustles as much as either one of those players during the regular season, but for some reason he shrivels up in the playoffs.

look - plain and simple bonner is not the worst player with equivalent skills and salary - look at james jones & radmanovic as their stats from last year were about the same as bonner's and they make as much or more than bonner.

I'm just hoping one day the FO could move bonner to a team that could use him for the skills that he has and get a player that was more rounded and not so specialized. The spurs could hide bonner's weaknesses when the big 3 were more consistent, but now the spurs need better role players than they've needed before.

[Plumblbw]

UnderDawg,

Your signature freaks me out :o) A bit like GSH's profle pic (I think that's his username (I like his posts nonetheless)).

As you say, I think there are teams out there lacking 3pt shooting that could see *some* value to Bonner. However, I think GT is always going to have the same problem (I'm talking purely offensively here, we all know about the D) come playoff time. During the regular season he gets wide open 3 point shots, but during the playoffs when the defence tightens up and they close out on the shooters hard and fast, he has to either take a contested 3 or he bails out and puts the ball on the floor. I still cringe every time I see him pump fake and drive. He seems to (post (That's as in after, nothing to do with him posting up :-) drive)) get caught in limbo where he doesn't know whether to pullup for a midrange jumper, pass to another shooter or take it all the way to the rim (there is ironically a clip on youtube of him pump faking, driving and then finishing a two-handed slam on the raptors).

[therealtruth]

Meh Scola lit Tiago up as soon as he subbed into the game. But he did make Luis make some really ridiculous shots that he always seems to hit against us.

Blair, as usual, gambled way too much in defending him and got burned for doing so.

I thought Timmy did the best job on Scola but the dude just hits ridiculous junk whenever he plays against us. He'd be a hall of fame if he only had to play the Spurs every night.

Tiago's got to be able to help establish the defensive tone from the start of a game. Once a guy's hot it's much harder to defend them.

[therealtruth]

bonner hustles as much as either one of those players during the regular season, but for some reason he shrivels up in the playoffs.

look - plain and simple bonner is not the worst player with equivalent skills and salary - look at james jones & radmanovic as their stats from last year were about the same as bonner's and they make as much or more than bonner.

I'm just hoping one day the FO could move bonner to a team that could use him for the skills that he has and get a player that was more rounded and not so specialized. The spurs could hide bonner's weaknesses when the big 3 were more consistent, but now the spurs need better role players than they've needed before.

I wasn't talking about stats. I was talking about hustle plays that get the team energized and the crowd into the game. They don't show up in the stat sheet but help you to win. Just not making too many mistakes and hitting 3's isn't good enough.