Preseason Game Thoughts: Spurs @ Magic - Oct. 21, 2012

[jjktkk]

Thanks for the writeup Bruno.

[Boomersgold]

While Neal is an offensive machine who plays zero defense.

What do the Spurs do from here?

I guess we could you both Neal and Patty as the backup point guard depending on the situation. If we need instant offense, put on Neal. If we need speed and above average defense, put on Mills. I don't think De Colo and Joseph are NBA ready yet.

[Ice009]

While Neal is an offensive machine who plays zero defense.

What do the Spurs do from here?

Exactly, it is very frustrating. The Spurs have got 4 players and I don't think any of them are good enough to separate themselves and be the outright backup PG. They all are better than each other in one area. I'd say Mills has a chance to go ahead of Gary if he improves his defense, but then again Mills' PG skills are not really better than Neal's, which is not a good thing at all when your backup PG isn't really a PG. Haven't seen much great passing from Mills or him running the show.

Personally, I'd pick Joseph because of his defense. I always want defense first, so not sure if that is the right way to go about it, but I'd go with Joseph purely based on defense. Problem is, he has a long way to go on offense.

[TDMVPDPOY]

what is gary neals pg duties? he does jack at that role...bringing the ball up anyone can do that, he doesnt set plays or lookout for open man besides looking out for his own shot

[Ice009]

what is gary neals pg duties? he does jack at that role...bringing the ball up anyone can do that, he doesnt set plays or lookout for open man besides looking out for his own shot

As bad as Neal is at PG, Mills isn't really much better, not from what I have seen anyway. That is Mills' fault, not Neal's. Mills would have the job if he was a halfway decent PG. He's more of a scorer like Neal. Mills, I think is a bit better defender though, not sure about who the better scorer is. I think Gary is still the better shooter. Mills hasn't really had the court time in the NBA to prove that he can keep up his scoring like he did the last few games of the regular season last season.

[DapDaGenius]

Man, Kawhi's shooting slump seems like he is trying to do too much. Almost as if he is trying to recreate what he was able to do in the summer. I wonder what's going on with him....hmm

[TDMVPDPOY]

As bad as Neal is at PG, Mills isn't really much better, not from what I have seen anyway. That is Mills' fault, not Neal's. Mills would have the job if he was a halfway decent PG. He's more of a scorer like Neal. Mills, I think is a bit better defender though, not sure about who the better scorer is. I think Gary is still the better shooter. Mills hasn't really had the court time in the NBA to prove that he can keep up his scoring like he did the last few games of the regular season last season.

not a fan of patty mills, dude is just to fkn small who gets pushed around, hence his more of a scorer then anything else....doesnt help when most of the backup PGS are 1 dimensional players only good at one skill set only.....

[DanAu]

Neal is the best shooter, De Colo the best passer, Joseph the best defender, Mills not as good of a strength as any of them, but not as weak of a weakness as any of them. Mill's game is also most similar to Tony's game, so might require less adjusting for the rest of the rotation.

I think they will use Neal in slow tempo games when he can come in and get some easy baskets, maintain a lead, Mills when they need to speed things up and push the tempo or when the tempo is being pushed and Joseph as a stopper for the right situation.

If Mills actually starts hitting his shots, he'll take Neals minutes. They both pull the same terrible shots, which seems a given, its just who hits more..

[Bruno]

Thanks for the all the thanks.

Regarding the backup PG spot, I think it has to go to Mills. Mills hasn't a lot of playmaking skills but the backup PG will be paired with Manu so he doesn't really need to be a good playmaker. Another reason Mills should get that spot is because he is the only legit option: Neal is an atrocious defender at the PG spot, De Colo aren't ready for the moment and Nando might be more a SG than a PG.

While Kawhi has tried, and failled, to expand his offensive repertoire in this preseason, he has too missed some easy shots he usually made last year. I would say he has too separate issues: one is his skills aren't developed enough for some moves he is trying and the other is a classic shooting slump. Now, there could have a psychological link between them. Kawhi inability to make elaborate plays could have alter his global confidence. For the regular season, he needs to go back to what he did last year and incorporate little by little what he worked on this summer.

[Bruno]

Do you have any sort of idea or perception heading into the start of the season?

Well, it hasn't been a good preseason for Spurs. Now it's hard to say if it will really have a negative impact into the regular season because the intensity won't be the same at all in these games.

Regarding what didn't work in the preseason, some are worrying, some aren't.
An example of what doesn't really worry me are Parker and Kawhi poor preseasons. Parker isn't in good shape but he should be fine after, in the worst case, a couple of weeks into the regular season. Kawhi has shown too much in his rookie year to be really concerned by his recent poor games.
The lack of defense is more worrying. It could be put on a lack of defensive intensity but there is too a true concern regarding Spurs frontcourt defensive level. Aside of Duncan, who is still really good, and Diaw, who is a solid defender, Spurs are really weak in that area. Blair and Bonner are atrocious defenders, Splitter has been a softie lately and Curry, if kept, won't help a lot in this area.

[Raven]

Kawhi's shooting slump is him trying to do too much, perhaps.

i think it is more a consequence of bad lineups and lack of passing from the team.. he'll get going soon

[urunobili]

Love Bruno's recaps. He is very straight forward and hits without anesthesia...

[Brazil]

thanks Bruno. I missed the game so it is nice to get a recap.

To sum up ala Elnono style: TP and D suck that's it for the moment

[SenorSpur]

Matt Bonner
The Matt Bonner mystery continue. Bonner only played 5 minutes but was the first big from the bench. In these 5 minutes, Bonner was just bad. Poor defense and only an ugly missed put shot offensively. Bonner preseason games were either not playing or being bad in limited minutes. It's not very encouraging after another choke job he had in the playoffs.

The Spurs coaching staff should be pleased to see that Bonner is in playoff form.

Thanks for the writeup Bruno. Very nice job.

[temujin]

I sort of notice that the traditional Bonner's bashing is slowly but steadily percolating into Neal.
These two chaps shot some 450 3 pointers in the last season, scoring at a pace of 42% each.
Not bad.
I really don't think Popovich is so willing to put them both on the bech for good.
Not if those 450 shots will be given to Leonard (for the time being), DeColo or even Manu, for that matter.

Some people think Pop is some kind of lunatic that sees things that are not for real. I think he is not
As for Bonner, I can easily see a much decreased role, in which he migh not even suit up for many games.
Among other things, he is an unathletic big turning 33.
The same applies for Mr. Blair, a 6'6'' center no other NBA team wanted, despite the tiny contract and the fantastic rate of value for money.
If Spurs sign Curry, it's because they feel they need him now, and not in street clothes as a 13, 14 or 15th member of the team.

Neal is a totally different asset: he will be used, untill Green, De Colo, Mills, and even Manu for that matter, will guarantee the type of outside shooting he has provided in the two past seasons. Highly unlikely for all of them, excpet Mills. Plus, he's been clutch over and over again.
He certainly can't guard fast PG, but his defense against 2 guards is passable. Not much worse than Parker's in most RS games of the past seasons, anyway.

[lcroock]

Spurs need to trade Splitter and Blair and whomever else it takes to get Varejao or somebody similar who is mobile and can provide some sort of intimidation factor. Our frontcourt is pathetic. Otherwise we'll see smallball come playoff time and a 2nd round exit. Maybe De-Colo, Blair, Splitter for Varejao and Gibson?

[Spurs Brazil]

The problem this season will be, again, the bigs. Blair and Bonner aren't talented enough to be in the rotation of a team that want to win the championship. Tiago is getting worst. I hope RC can find a good trade to get a real big

[elemento]

I sort of notice that the traditional Bonner's bashing is slowly but steadily percolating into Neal.
These two chaps shot some 450 3 pointers in the last season, scoring at a pace of 42% each.
Not bad.
I really don't think Popovich is so willing to put them both on the bech for good.
Not if those 450 shots will be given to Leonard (for the time being), DeColo or even Manu, for that matter.

Some people think Pop is some kind of lunatic that sees things that are not for real. I think he is not
As for Bonner, I can easily see a much decreased role, in which he migh not even suit up for many games.
Among other things, he is an unathletic big turning 33.
The same applies for Mr. Blair, a 6'6'' center no other NBA team wanted, despite the tiny contract and the fantastic rate of value for money.
If Spurs sign Curry, it's because they feel they need him now, and not in street clothes as a 13, 14 or 15th member of the team.

Neal is a totally different asset: he will be used, untill Green, De Colo, Mills, and even Manu for that matter, will guarantee the type of outside shooting he has provided in the two past seasons. Highly unlikely for all of them, excpet Mills. Plus, he's been clutch over and over again.
He certainly can't guard fast PG, but his defense against 2 guards is passable. Not much worse than Parker's in most RS games of the past seasons, anyway.

I agree with you temujin about Neal and it's not fair at all how fans are trashing Neal. Neal was asked to play as a PG in a desperate situation for SA when he isn't one. Even considering that his defense is bad, he didn't colapse in the playoffs offensively like Bonner or Green. He shot 44% from deep in the playoffs, while Bonner and Green shot 34%.
Even in the OKC series where all the bench players (expect for S-Jax) struggled, Neal shot 37% from deep. Green shot 17% and Bonner 14%.

Bottom line, Neal can't be compared with Bonner. Not at all.

[Obstructed_View]

Nice job, Bruno.

[Das Texan]

I just find it odd that the copper headed choker hasnt really played much at all this preseason.

[timtonymanu]

I agree with you temujin about Neal and it's not fair at all how fans are trashing Neal. Neal was asked to play as a PG in a desperate situation for SA when he isn't one. Even considering that his defense is bad, he didn't colapse in the playoffs offensively like Bonner or Green. He shot 44% from deep in the playoffs, while Bonner and Green shot 34%.
Even in the OKC series where all the bench players (expect for S-Jax) struggled, Neal shot 37% from deep. Green shot 17% and Bonner 14%.

Bottom line, Neal can't be compared with Bonner. Not at all.

There are a fickle bunch of posters on this site. In Neal's rookie season, he was pretty popular on SpursTalk. Same with Splitter. Now a lot of people are calling for both to be gone. It is what it is though. Neal is a terrible defender and he's really hurting the team on that end. I definitely value his offense and I still like Neal, but his defense is just too bad for him to be getting the backup point guard spot.

As for Bonner, he's a lost cause. Those numbers will look good when it doesn't matter, but it soon changes when the playoffs come around. Pop and company should know better and know that by now.

[therealtruth]

I sort of notice that the traditional Bonner's bashing is slowly but steadily percolating into Neal.
These two chaps shot some 450 3 pointers in the last season, scoring at a pace of 42% each.
Not bad.
I really don't think Popovich is so willing to put them both on the bech for good.
Not if those 450 shots will be given to Leonard (for the time being), DeColo or even Manu, for that matter.

Some people think Pop is some kind of lunatic that sees things that are not for real. I think he is not
As for Bonner, I can easily see a much decreased role, in which he migh not even suit up for many games.
Among other things, he is an unathletic big turning 33.
The same applies for Mr. Blair, a 6'6'' center no other NBA team wanted, despite the tiny contract and the fantastic rate of value for money.
If Spurs sign Curry, it's because they feel they need him now, and not in street clothes as a 13, 14 or 15th member of the team.

Neal is a totally different asset: he will be used, untill Green, De Colo, Mills, and even Manu for that matter, will guarantee the type of outside shooting he has provided in the two past seasons. Highly unlikely for all of them, excpet Mills. Plus, he's been clutch over and over again.
He certainly can't guard fast PG, but his defense against 2 guards is passable. Not much worse than Parker's in most RS games of the past seasons, anyway.

Good. As soon as we stop play the worst defenders our defense will get better. Addition by subtraction. There's no reason guys like Neal and Bonner can't be situational like they would be on most teams.

[RodNIc91]

The lack of defense is more worrying. It could be put on a lack of defensive intensity but there is too a true concern regarding Spurs frontcourt defensive level. Aside of Duncan, who is still really good, and Diaw, who is a solid defender, Spurs are really weak in that area. Blair and Bonner are atrocious defenders, Splitter has been a softie lately and Curry, if kept, won't help a lot in this area.

Have you seen any changes to the defensive schemes? I mean, remember a couple of weeks ago when we saw Jerry Sloan? Maybe the coaching staff added a few wrinkles to the system and the team hasn't learned them quite well yet. I remember a couple of years ago when they tried new things defensively and they didn't work out so they returned to their old philosopy.

Regarding Tiago, I think that the will be able to deal him for the right price. I won't speculate much right now because the season hasn't even started, but given the contract demands he may set next summer and his play not satisfying Pop, I would assume he can eventually become expendable. Tiago plus a couple of other assets could get you a quality big.

[crc21209]

Thanks for the write up Bruno! Nice job. I've only been able to watch like 2 pre-season games so far so these write-ups really help. I'm not worried about any of the Big 3 + Jax because I know they will bring it when the games start to matter. I'm also not worried about Kawhi because the guy is a baller. Like others have said here, it's all about the bigs this year. I don't trust Blair and Bonner. I don't trust Tiago to stay healthy. The only big we can trust is TD....

[Bruno]

Have you seen any changes to the defensive schemes? I mean, remember a couple of weeks ago when we saw Jerry Sloan? Maybe the coaching staff added a few wrinkles to the system and the team hasn't learned them quite well yet. I remember a couple of years ago when they tried new things defensively and they didn't work out so they returned to their old philosopy.

I've got the feeling that Spurs have collapsed more to the paint than in the past and they have done poorly which led to wide open shooters. Now, that's just a felling and I could be wrong on that.