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I have to agree at this point we have to do a trade because you can almost count on this issue to cost us another ring.
I know Spurs fans have been clamoring for a big man next to Duncan for years. Hence the current Al Jefferson rumors.
However, I've been more concerned about the back-up PG issue. Finally last year they got TJ Ford and he was playing well until Baron Davis basically ended his career.
Patty Mills is a 6 ft shooting guard, Gary Neal is the same but 2 to 3 inches taller, and Nando de Colo is still a rookie. That's why Manu becomes even more important (if he can stay healthy) to be the de-facto point guard.
Somebody has to spell TP and run the offense. If there's a real weakness (besides rebounding) on the Spurs....it is that spot.
Hopefully, Manu come back soon and somebody from Mills, Neal, and De Colo can play adequate enough during the regular season to give TP some rest and have him ready for the playoffs.
The Spurs sure do miss TJ Ford and I do as well.
I have to agree at this point we have to do a trade because you can almost count on this issue to cost us another ring.
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=a4wkacj
Salary dump for Orlando?
If Manu is healthy come playoff time this won't be a problem.
I've known this since the day we lost him thanks to Baron Davis (Karma caught up with him though). The necessary big that was needed just kept overshadowing that aspect though.
First, stop overrating TJ Ford.
Second, Spurs have been dominant this season when Manu was on the court without Parker. In that setup, they are outscoring opponents by 12.9 points per 48 minutes. A lot of the backup PG issues will be solved with Manu back.
Patty Mills and G Neal are their best when playing with a real PG. And when Tony's out, Spurs don't have one.
paying Nelson 8,6 a year for a backup role is a pretty bad idea. At least Jackson's contract expires this year.
Everybody knows losing Ford was a blow and an unfortunate break. There have also been countless threads on the matter since it happened. What does discussing it constantly accomplish? We have what we have.
Another stat to show how it's night and day for the backup PG with or without Manu.
Spurs without Parker but with Manu on the court (403 minutes): +108
Spurs without both Parker and Manu on the court (461 minutes): -33
LOL, healthy?
Problem is Manu is too fragile. The Spurs do need a better back up point guard. It's their biggest weakness.
Spurs aren't going to win the championship without Manu anyway...
a reliable bigman next to duncan has been an issue since robinson left. splitter has really helped filling in that hole, but duncans sun is setting. a all star caliber big is harder to come by then a competent point guard.
The overrating of TJ Ford is reaching Claxtonian proportions. He played all of 191 minutes for the Spurs. And, yes, while he seemed like a good change of pace from the other recent point guards who can't dribble and/or pass, he wasn't that special. He was turning the ball over at a league leading rate, his outside shot was broken and it's doubtful he would have made a productive long-term partner next to Manu Ginobili.
At the time of the TJ Ford signing, I thought it was a dumb move because he'd be a bad fit and because he was so injury prone. The bad fit part may have been a mistake on my part. I'll concede that even though the sample size was small and, IIRC, Ford never played with a completely healthy Big 3 so it's questionable how he would have fit as the season progressed. (And my concession ignores the fact that the Spurs did great without him up until the final four games of the WCF.) But Ford's proneness to injury still makes the signing look dumb. You have a team that is fragile to begin with and you go out and sign the most fragile player in the league? That never made any sense. The chances of Ford surviving the whole season were low from the very start.
In a perfect world where TJ Ford has a fully functional spinal cord, it would have be nice to have a backup point guard that is actually a point guard. But in reality, Ford was a long-shot to survive last season and it would have taken a miracle for him to make it into a second season.
its not an issue of overrating TJ ford. its an issue of getting competent play at the backup point guard spot. with the new Splitter Duncan pairing, backup PG has become the weakest link. and everyone keeps harping on about Ginobili as if hes a lock to be healthy and in rhythm in the playoffs. it seems as if hes missed half the games this season, and played at 100% in less than 25% of them. metrics are useless if the player isnt on the court, to be quite ing honest...
Cant wait until they give Cory Joseph more time whenever he rejoins the Spurs. I know they want him to get as much game experience as possible though.
I like Cory a lot better than the other back up PGs. I thought they would push for Mills being the most constant back up PG after the whole Olympics hype.
Do the Spurs need to trade for a backup point guard? They might. Neal is broken (injury?). De Colo still needs a lot of work. Mills is a shooting guard. It's probably too late for Joseph. Ginobili can't do it.
It's not looking good right now. They should probably wait until the trade deadline to decide but as of right now, backup point guard is definitely a weakness even though there are a ton of options.
Why hasn't Cory been given a decent chance?
There's no way he is worse than Neal at running an offense, plus he can defend better.
if manu is healthy, that's not a problem in the PO, if he's not, the reserve pg ain't gonna save us..
I think about all know that Manu can play back up point guard. Am I the only one that knows that he cannot do it with his sports jacket on? If the Spurs used Manu strickly as a back up point guard during the bulk of the game and then as a two guard with five minutes or less left on the clock then his fragility might not be a worry. The issue is that against the upper level compe ion he is often needed for his scoring punch off of the bench. I say send De Colo down, or packing, and live with Joseph's growing pains. Between Tony, Manu and CoJo why wouldn't it work?
Well if he isn't healthy, we can't win a le anyway so the argument is moot.
TJ was great last year but I also felt like it was a bit of an anomaly. The solid structure and foundation of our coaching staff definitely had a big part in him playing so well (as he stated himself) but he was by no means Mr. Reliable. Especially from a health standpoint. With that said, would obviously love to still have him aboard but injuries happen.
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