It doesn't matta, Pop punkass will never play them together!
The Playoffs start in 7 weeks and Pop has barely played TD and Splitter together.
Granted Splitter has been injured for a short period of time, but considering that Spurs don't even give their 5th bigs much playing time, we are always going to be stuck with the Bonner/Blair combo.
Is it too late for Pop to find a way to make it work? Will he still care to make it work? Seeing as to how much he still loves small ball, will Pop wake up and try to use size as an advantage or will RJ continue to be the go to go guy at the 4 spot in crunch time?
Time is running out.
It doesn't matta, Pop punkass will never play them together!
Great post.
I still see the Spurs picking up 2 big man by the trade deadline by trade(Anderson,Green or GH Trade Exception), and a big man being bought out. As one of them hopefully will be starting with Duncan in the playoffs, and sending Blair to the end of the bench hopefully.
I don't know if it's too late, we still have games against the lakers, would be interesting to test it against their front line. The better question would be when will it be too late to recruit/trade for a big, maybe it is already too late for Pop. Not getting K-Mart hurts tbh.
It's too late. Unless there's a trade in the works or the Spurs have their eye on someone whose gonna be bought out, the team is 1st round fodder. I'm actually beginning to think Pop realizes this and that there's no real way to get the Spurs in a position to get/do better and is looking to next season/retirement.
Only if Blair starts eating at Whataburger regularly again.
Nazr didn't begin starting until April 10th in 2005. During the 2007 playoffs, Oberto began the playoffs on the bench before eventually taking over for an ineffective Elson.
There's time. Unfortunately, Pop's not showing any signs of going that direction.
TP just said on his radio show that he doesn't know about any recruiting move but that the FO was always working on improving the team and that renforcing the front line wouldn't hurt, someone who could do the dirty work, block shots...
And that's the biggest problem.
Also, the April schedule is brutal as we have a lot of back to backs and even a b2b2b (two more of those before season is up) so you know Pop is going to tank some games to save on the wear and tear.
I have to say that I have given up on Tiago/Duncan starting together, but at least find a way for them to close games before it is too late. Without it, I can barely see the Spurs having any favorable matchups in the first round.
Duncan/splitter have been horrible together, and both are significantly better when paired with bonner over one another. Not sure what the fascination is with wanting them to play significant minutes together without the practice time needed to make the combo effective.
The defense when they are paired together is significantly better. The only way the team's offense will improve with Duncan and Splitter on the floor is continued playing time to build chemistry. Pop doesn't seem to have any interest in that though, he is ready to just roll the same rotation into the playoffs as last season...hence why the same results are expected.
It's too late for anything, really
Yeah, I also don't understand the huge fascination that everyone seems to have for them to play together. I understand our defensive presence in the paint is much better with the two of them out there, but the way people are begging for it makes it seem like it would be the return of The Twin Towers. We need to make a trade before the deadline and that's the bottom line.
No no no, anyone with a brain would understand that you can't win in the playoffs unless your players play well together. Why does starting matter so much to you? Would you rather have a bonner blair backcourt? Also tim's jumpshot isn't exceptional right now, if you have been watching the games. Splitter should probably get starter minutes, but he should not start on this team with the current lack of depth big men.
The defense is a given. With the way this team struggles to keep up with athletic teams TD/TS offers a safety net that allow them to challenge perimeter shots better and keep teams out of the paint. The teams gives up too many open shots due to bad help defense.
It's not just the chemistry on offense. They have to run the right plays to make effective use of them and to exploit matchups. Splitter will probably beast on alot of small ball power forwards.
It's not going to happen. He won't start them together and the only chance they close together is in certain match-ups (Lakers, Grizzlies, possibly Rockets). In one match-up, Jefferson will (Thunder, because they close with Durant playing the four). But the majority of the time, it's going to be Bonner.
Which is exactly why they need to make a trade. But they won't, not pertaining to this issue, at least. I guess they figure they've got another 6 or 8 good years left in Duncan and Ginobili, so they can afford to throw another one in the garbage.
wake up. we won't get any miracle last minute bigman. No, Pop won't play Duncan and Splitter together, until we are losing by double digits in a playoff elimination game.
Pop seemingly has no intentions of running that combo together for extended time. Thus, whether there's enough time or not, doesn't really matter, IMO
Whatever Splitter did when he first came here seems to me has earned him no love from Pop.Right or wrong,something isn't clicking btwn those two and hence his low minutes in general .I actually see Pop if he stays trading Splitter,it seems to be that bad for whatever reason
There is still time to fire Pop.
But it won't happen with all the SpursSheep continuing to fund him.
Look for a trade for Luke Walton to contunue Pops swishy SF/PF brigade.
Duncan and Splitter are both centers. Bonner and Blair are Pf's. There is no reason to play both our centers at the same time unless the matchup calls for it. And even at that it would only clog up the lane for our drive and kick offense and stagnate the flow of the game. The pros to the defense most likely wouldn't outweigh the cons to the offense.
Tiago and Tim need to play together.
By all the "SpursSheep", do you mean the 99% of NBA coaches, execs, and fans who think Pop is one of the best coaches?
Pop's playing with house money now from winning the 4 championships.
It's never too late, but Pop is Pop he's never wrong.
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