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You added this after I posted, but this is exactly what I was referring with regards to a decision between Neal and De Colo. It will not be an easy or obvious one to make.
Depends on the situation. If we're rolling on offense already, there's no reason to bring Neal on the court unless he's already been hustling on D for a while and the matchup is not a horrible size disparity.
You added this after I posted, but this is exactly what I was referring with regards to a decision between Neal and De Colo. It will not be an easy or obvious one to make.
If the reality is to shorten the rotation and give everyone minutes, choices have to be made. I simply hadn't thought about that until you mentioned it. I really like the idea of inserting role players in for a few minutes and letting them go, but I'm a fan on a message board. Even Jaren Jackson got 20 minutes a game in the playoffs.
The idea of just being able to say "Gary, go in the game for Splitter, score 10 points on Enes Kanter in the next three minutes" is appealing. Again, no idea if it's realistic. Duncan being lively and having a return to defense makes it more possible than in recent years.
Jackson was the 6th man on the 99 team. We're talking about two guys fighting for spots 10 and 11 in the rotation.
While you're correct, I think that's a bit of an exaggeration both ways simply due to the different situations. The starters play way fewer minutes and have what's basically a sixth starter coming off the bench now. JJ played in almost a seven man rotation in the '99 playoffs, but he was more a role player than true sixth man, if that makes any sense.. Gary's minutes, numbers and impact are very like what I remember JJ providing in '99.
We are talking about two guys fighting for the backup point guard position, and this discussion is suggesting one at the exclusion of the other come playoff time. Even with this team's depth, I'm not sure players 10 and 11 get more than garbage minutes.
If Gary loses the backup PG gig, then there's no way he can play the JJ role, or any role really, in this year's playoffs. Also, I thought the discussion was about who would be the backup PG once Leonard and Jack return to the rotation. I assume that the guy that gets the job will keep it throughout the playoffs and that the guy that loses the battle will only see garbage time in the playoffs.While you're correct, I think that's a bit of an exaggeration both ways simply due to the different situations. The starters play way fewer minutes and have what's basically a sixth starter coming off the bench now. JJ played in almost a seven man rotation in the '99 playoffs, but he was more a role player than true sixth man, if that makes any sense.
We are talking about two guys fighting for the backup point guard position, and this discussion is suggesting one at the exclusion of the other come playoff time. Even with this team's depth, I'm not sure players 10 and 11 get more than garbage minutes.
Why is that? There are several WC teams he could play against in the playoffs for significant minutes.
Simple.
Assuming a healthy roster, Neal can't get significant minutes at SG unless the Spurs expand the rotation to 11 players or one of the players ahead of him in the SG rotation, likely Green, loses his minutes.
I completely disagree, though minutes may dictate otherwise. He's not a point guard, and shouldn't be one. I commend him for handling the job far better than Roger Mason did, but there are minutes to find for a player who's not only instant offense, but an instant mismatch right off the bench. A point guard's job is to know when to run, know when to slow it down, and to know how to get the best shot for his teammates.
Okay, but that's not "two guys fighting for spots 10 and 11 in the rotation", which is all I was suggesting. Rotations shorten in the playoffs. If it's one at the exclusion of the other as you said, then backup point will be one of nine guys in the rotation, right?
You're assuming that the Spurs run no small lineups or utilize Neal as a role player. We already know Pop likes to do one of those.
The minutes do dictate otherwise.
I won't argue semantics with you. It may have been more precise to simply say "two guys fighting for one spot in the rotation". And I certainly agree with highlighted part. I'm not sure what I could have said that led you to believe I thought otherwise.
No, I'm not.
You are if you automatically assume that a 2 guard loses a minute for each one Gary neal gains.
You were minimizing the role of the backup point guard in order to contrast further from Jaren Jackson's "sixth man" role, which I thought was unnecessary.
You're making all kinds of assumptions about what I mean. These two, for example, are not at all what I meant.
I've made my points. If they're not clear to you, I apologize for the confusion.
Besides having a passing point guard next to a passing SG may not give us the best balance. If you think about handing back up PG to De Colo then you may have to think about starting Manu (and about trading one of Green/Neal for a better PF than Blair).
There's indeed always the possibility to run a small ball lineup and take minutes away from Bonner or Blair, depending on matchups. But it's very situational and can'tbe called a rotation.
Wonderful basketball is when the big sprints down and trails on the break and is rewarded with a layup. Encourages more of the same
nandecolo sucks....so does bonner....wtf? did you start smoking weed?
Since you said more than once that Gary Neal's minutes will take away from Danny Green's minutes, and you said the backup point guard is the 10th man in the rotation, I apologize for not being able to figure out what you mean if it's something other than what you typed.
Pop runs smallball lineups, and Gary Neal can be inserted into those with no loss of minutes for Danny Green. Rotations are pre-determined, and role players come in when needed. I'd prefer Gary Neal be a role player, and De Colo be a rotation player. Best of both worlds. I stand by that.
I think Neal would need to play really bad (and I mean *really* bad) and De Colo extremely well for De Colo to get the backup PG spot in the playoffs. People forget Pop has his veteran pecking order when it comes to that (see Hill, Splitter).
Matty B trollin ST lately tbh
Then he can't play the Jaren Jackson role from 99, as Jackson was clearly a rotation player. Which was what I said, in various ways, from the outset.
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