I also have kind of a problem with calling what the Spurs do "Nellie Ball". Don Nelson always made sure that he had undersized guys who could play defense.
Great writeup, LJ. Much appreciated!
I'm getting more convinced after every game that Tiago is the best big defender we have. I agree Nellieball goes nowhere quick.
I also have kind of a problem with calling what the Spurs do "Nellie Ball". Don Nelson always made sure that he had undersized guys who could play defense.
Yeah so do i. Duncan's newfound focus on the highpost and his great passing abilities make this all the more bewildering.
Forgot to add, I will always take a team that make stops when they need them vs a team that relies on the 3 ball to win games. And I think this season with Leonard, Splitter, Green and whatever Tim has left, we can be a team that wins with defense.
I just hope that at some point Pop gives them a chance to prove it.
Yeah, it's Splitter stepping into Duncan's role, and Duncan stepping into Dice's role, which seems perfect. Throw in Leonard, Parker and Manu and that's a pretty decent mix of talent, size, defense and experience.
I haven't been able to watch many games this year. Is Splitter's post play really improving that much where he could be successful in Duncan's former role in the low post?
I keep reading about how his low post moves are improving but nobody has gone into much detail about it.
He's been great IMO. He has started to use his physicality and size well lately (unlike at the start of the season when he was chucking those horrible hooks from the hip), and even if he doesn't quite finish every play, he's been drawing fouls...
Are we just ignoring the players that Tiago is playing with, like Cory Joseph, Bonner, Neal and Danny Green? And even still, the best argument is that Splitter is a detriment because the Spurs are being outscored by 0.2 points per 48 minutes??
Not as fun as posting without thinking at all, though . . .
I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't think Pop has adopted "Nellie Ball" because he enjoys that style of play, or thinks it will win Championships. So I'm more inclined to ask why he is doing it. I'm guessing it's something along the lines of He Thinks He Has To. My experience is that few people are just utterly random. You may not understand their reasoning, or even see it. But when you do, you usually wind up saying, "Well... at least there was a plan there."
So how about this:
1. The Spurs organization depends heavily on the post-season to turn a profit. (True)
2. Not many people actually believe that this group could really win it all against the new powers in the league. (True)
3. The thinking may be that, with this current group of players, playing "Nellie Ball" may be the only way to even get into the playoffs, and get at least a share of the post-season money. (Makes more sense than a lot of theories I've heard.)
You may not like it, and you may not want to believe it. But there's a very real possibility that Pop and the FO are simply trying to make lemonade. Failing to at least get one playoff series is a financial disaster. They may have just looked at the squad and asked, "What do we have here?" And the answer is, "We have a bunch of guys who can shoot, and aren't very strong on the defensive end." What do you do with that? You go small, put those shooters on the floor, and hopefully they outscore enough other teams to put you into post-season play.
True, that also describes your bull post that was completely factually inaccurate. I considered just accusing of you of not watching the playoffs, but your defense of what you posted pretty much confirms it to everyone.
How did it benefit the Spurs financially to lose to Dallas in the conference semifinals instead of going ahead and winning the championship in 2006?
I don't think Holt is paying luxury tax money for quick 1st round exists... plus the reason this roster is what it is, in part, is because management decided that's what's going to be. Let's not pretend here that they're not the ones handing the contracts and making the picks...
Whatever. You're not that dense. That was situational, not a whole season. Not what we're seeing here. You don't like small ball - got it.
If I were Splitter, I'd leave. It's ridiculous to be playing so few minutes and to be playing behind Matt Bonner.
I wonder if Pop has just accepted that they aren't challenging for a le so he just wants to make sure that they make the playoffs. He must know that this run and gun offense with emphasis on three point shooting is great for the regular season but won't cut it in the playoffs. I just don't understand, why after the MEM series, he won't develop Splitter when it was so painfully obvious that they needed size and defense.
He's paying lux tax because he's in cap , and the only pieces he could have possibly gotten rid of would have meant totally blowing it up. As others have said (possibly even you) we need the Big 3 to fill seats. Right?
Did he do anything in the offseason to address the things you believe are gaping holes? So why is he paying lux tax to leave big gaping holes in a roster?
You know the answer, you just don't like it.
Interesting theory.
Adjusted plus/minus accounts for teammates and opposition ... and Splitter has the lowest mark on the team. If interested, I'll post the numbers.
I don't see anyone arguing Splitter is a detriment. I wrote the Splitter has thus far been a detriment to the offense in his career, which can be backed up by just about every statistical measure.
But again, I don't really care that the stats say Splitter hurts the offense. Pop still needs to play him more. And if Pop isn't playing him because Splitter has hurt the offense thus far in his career, I think Pop is being extremely shortsighted.
I think its very clear what his plan has been. Fin & Bonner in a hot tub.
How was it situational when it started in game 2 against Sacramento and carried over to Dallas?
Seriously, if you think Popovich is just putting the Spurs into the postseason because he cares about how much money the team needs then he's about a thousand times worse than even I think he is. The scary part is, you likely are actually that dense.
Baloney. They took a gamble on a huge contract from RJ (which I don't have a problem with), but then decided to extend him after he was a failure (and continues to be). They might have saved some money short term, but it's yet to be seen if it won't be more costly long term (with quick playoff exits).
They're in love with Matty and basically outbidded themselves to extend him.
They had the chance to use Dice's contract and they instead stood pat and pocketed the difference.
I thought they did address the backup PG situation in the offseason with TJ Ford. But this team is sorely lacking another relatively solid big.
When somebody says "they're making lemonade", I take it to mean they're dealing with a situation that's outside of their control. Manu and TJ injured: they're making lemonade with Neal at the G and PG position.
But there's nothing outside of their control as far as how this roster was put together or how Pop decides to use it.
I think so. Having Duncan and Splitter on the floor doesn't mean that Duncan NEVER goes into the low post, it just means that he doesn't have to take so much physical punishment on offense. Splitter is a good post player, and has seemed to get better at picking his spots as he goes forward.
You're right in that he's hurt the offense to an extent. It's fairly obvious at times. But I don't know how Pop or anyone else can expect much else from a guy who's trying to learn the system (and his teammates) when averaging 12mpg last year.
He's a skilled player who spent the past few years of his career being the go-to guy. Right now he's trying to figure out his role. He'd benefit greatly from playing more minutes with the starters. It's not a charity thing because we think he's a nice guy; he's a 7-footer that can d-up some of the best 4's and 5's in the League. And he's on a team that needs exactly that. You'd think incorporating him into the offense would be a top priority.
Woooow ! Really ? Nooooo . . .
Check this game:
http://www.nba.com/games/20110425/SASMEM/gameinfo.html
Keep in mind that that game put the Grizzlies 3:1, and only few teams ever recovered from that.
In that game Splitter played more than Bonner. He put solid stats actually, but after he entered the game, the difference became insurmountable.
That's good to know he's improving. I'm thinking if he can at least match Blair's post play I think its time for Pop to move him into the starting lineup. Which shouldn't be that terribly difficult, sounds like he's already well past Blair's level and only getting better as his confidence improves.
It may have less to do with small ball or Nellie Ball than Pop's "glass half empty" view of almost all non-superstar bigs.
They seem to frustrate him and he becomes impatient quickly. He seems more comfortable with tweener types and three point guys.
At one time, I could understand why the Spurs wanted to spread the floor. But that mentality has carried on much longer than the Spurs' ability to take advantage of any potential floor-spreading. It now resembles rote habitual thinking approaching the level of supers ion.
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