Is Diaw the New RJ?

[Calispursfan11]

Someone has to get the short end of the stick here and fill the highly talented yet underachieving role. It's not going to be Capn' Jack.

[Mel_13]

no

[TheSkeptic]

Can't the team look forward to having no talented underachievers on the roster?

[Calispursfan11]

RJ set perfect screens and played defense?

No, but someone is going to have to be a scapegoat when things go badly. The biggest targets are players whose numbers and minutes are way below their potential. I think Diaw is the best candidate for this kind of criticism of any Spur at the moment.

[Calispursfan11]

Can't the team look forward to having no talented underachievers on the roster?

Perhaps the term "underachiever" shouldn't be used to describe someone who is just doing his job within the system, whose numbers don't reflect his true value, but some fans won't see it that way.

[100%duncan]

yeah.

[maverick1948]

Diaw has a role to play on the court. He will have another 20 games to learn the full system. Jax knows the system, it has not changed that much. I dont think we have a new RJ, Diaw can play if he is motivated and being on a team with an excellent chance to go all the way, he will be motivated.

I dont expect to see huge numbers from Diaw, just solid play when he is out there. Jackson on the other hand should put up far better numbers than RJ ever did.

[MR.SILVER&BLack]

diaw doing what he was brought in to do. play defense & be a playmaker.

[NRHector]

Someone has to get the short end of the stick here and fill the highly talented yet underachieving role. It's not going to be Capn' Jack.

NO!!!!!!! Diaw is way better

[TheSkeptic]

Perhaps the term "underachiever" shouldn't be used to describe someone who is just doing his job within the system, whose numbers don't reflect his true value, but some fans won't see it that way.

To be fair, I never thought RJ was that bad. He wasn't good or anything but the Spurs system wasn't really suited to his strengths.

I was just using the terms I had assumed were being used in this thread.

[Paranoid Pop]

No, but someone is going to have to be a scapegoat when things go badly. The biggest targets are players whose numbers and minutes are way below their potential. I think Diaw is the best candidate for this kind of criticism of any Spur at the moment.

You're wrong and this is a terrible thread.

[Sense]

Diaw is not the scapegoat at all, I've been impressed with these 2 games, his defense and passing is making him stand out, RJ stood out for all the wrong reasons.

[Nathan89]

no.

I do kinda hate when he drives to the rim and then passes the ball. I mean sometime that's alright but put up a shot/get fouled. Don't just look to pass.

[TheSkeptic]

The only thing that matters in essence.

On offense though, whenever he passes up a layup someone else usually gets a decent look at a 3 and if we miss we usually get a decent shot at an offensive rebound. We'll make enough of those threes/get enough put backs to overwhelmingly qualify using Diaw instead of Blair.

Start Diaw, bench Blair. No, that, start Tiago, set the tone on defense, bring in Diaw for Tiago then Bonner for Tim. Plenty of defense. Blair's "confidence", he can go find confidence on another team next year when we trade him for a first-round draft pick.

Now if only Pop could see it the way the fans do. Every possession counts in the play-offs and as such you have to play your best players. If he can't handle being benched for the good of the team than he needs to go.

[MR.SILVER&BLack]

The only thing that matters in essence.

On offense though, whenever he passes up a layup someone else usually gets a decent look at a 3 and if we miss we usually get a decent shot at an offensive rebound. We'll make enough of those threes/get enough put backs to overwhelmingly qualify using Diaw instead of Blair.

Start Diaw, bench Blair. No, that, start Tiago, set the tone on defense, bring in Diaw for Tiago then Bonner for Tim. Plenty of defense. Blair's "confidence", he can go find confidence on another team next year when we trade him for a first-round draft pick.

Diaw prob wont start till the playoffs(same for Jackson) but Blair is a headcase & if pop wants to get the best team effort he wont bench blair. like last year he will lose all confidence & be even worse then he is now. let blair start & play for a good 6 mins then dont let him see any play time till end of 2nd & start of 3rd.

[SamoanTD]

Can the guy at least get a couple of spurs practices and games under his belt with the team before judgement is passed on this cat?

[timmike2]

Salary wise, I think not

[MR.SILVER&BLack]

So in essence, Blair is a cancer. Bench him, don't even play him except for in garbage time. If he es, put him on the IL. The got thinks his mistakes are ing funny. face needs to be given the truth straight up to his face and if he doesn't like it he can get the off my team for good.

im talking about the reg season. i trust pop to insert Diaw in the playoff rotation & send blair to the end of the bench like he did with McDyess last year.

[MR.SILVER&BLack]

...The ? McDyess played the second most minutes at the center position in the first round last year.

Mcdyess took the starting spot last year.

[MR.SILVER&BLack]

...The ? McDyess played the second most minutes at the center position in the first round last year.

think you took what i said the wrong way. i was saying that be will send blair to the end of the bench for diaw like he sent blair to the end of the bench for McDyess last year.

[TheSkeptic]

Idk. I think it's in the team's best interests to start off strong defensively. I won't believe that Pop is serious about winning the Championship until he starts Splitter and pulls Blair.

Putting Diaw in the line-up would be an upgrade but what we're looking for is defense to start the game.

[Calispursfan11]

And at center, standing tall at 6'6", from Pittsburgh University, number forty-five, ...

More like 6'4"...

[T Park]

Now if only Pop could see it the way the fans do. Every possession counts in the play-offs and as such you have to play your best players. If he can't handle being benched for the good of the team than he needs to go.

Yeah if only pop bowed to the whims of people on a message board....

[gospursgojas]

WTF? lol.

2nd game as a spur ever. Stupid thread.

[TheSkeptic]

Yeah if only pop bowed to the whims of people on a message board....

Hey, it's not like we're the only ones who agree that Pop needs to start giving his best players the majority of the minutes.

Sean Elliott, Smith, -heck- Marc Gasol have all agreed that the Spurs are getting high end production out of Splitter. Most of the fans agree. The stats agree. Sometime last year I think there was a poster, Acehol1 (or something?) who stated that even RC wanted Tiago getting more minutes but Pop was being stubborn.

For the most part our good wing players are getting about the amount of minutes they should be getting: Parker, Manu, Leonard, SJax, etc. Yet our frontline continues to be a problem because the coach is playing people like Bonner ahead of better players on a regular basis.

Put simply, we don't want to see the team burn out like last time yet it looks like that's exactly where things are headed. Especially when the pieces are all there to do some damage.

Fans have every right to be concerned/offering suggestions when the coach is making decisions that seemingly fly in the face of reason.