Yeah, he is having a good season even if it's debatable that he has been better than Manu. Regardless, it doesn't change that Carter is playing nowhere near his prime level.
It wasn't pretty all game, but he had to dance with Harden in the 1st half and he wasn't halfway bad, IMO (and tbh, I thought he was going to get torched). Delfino was 4-10, Lin 2-8... sure, there probably was some specific play he didn't cover well, but for the night, I thought he played excellent defense overall, including that steal on Parsons at the end that ended up with Danny's blown layup.
+1. He's gotten completely passive on pick and rolls. It's really infuriating to watch, tbh.
He used to be so much more aggressive on the pick and rolls, constantly looking to penetrate and dribble towards the rim.
Nowadays he'll pick his man off going toward the sideline (as opposed to driving toward the rim), picks up his dribble (giving ample time for his defender to recover), and looks for the pass immediately. It's just really ineffective overall because it also gives ample time for the Tim or Tiago's defender to recover.
If this is the beginning of what to expect out of Manu from now on, then (after Tiago) the biggest focus of the offseason should be acquiring a starter-caliber guard. We'll need someone to pick up the slack until Danny learns how to dribble and make a layup.
Ginobili cant play well without Bonner spacing the floor tbh
thats the one consistent thing in him coming off the bench the past 2 years
opens up his drives and his skip passes actually work
teams usually defend Bonner with a big and those guys dont want to come out of the paint which leaves the skip pass open
they also rotate slower since theyre big
with pass happy Diaw or a small in Jackson out as the 4s they are guarding by guys who will come out of the paint and his skip passes get read
theyre also quick enough to cut off penetration and rotate back out on shooters
it would be best to have Ginobili basically play the Danny Green role except he could actually get into the paint and finish things occasionally
but even now that isnt really going for him
I'm more worried about Pop's reluctance to accept Manu's decline, tbh..
I understand that Manu has earned the benefit of the doubt, he's a HOFer, but at some point the team needs to accept that his role should be reduced..
Kawhi was having a good game up until the mid-3rd, where Pop subbed him out..Leonard didn't touch the ball again for what seemed like an eternity, and his only shots in the 4th were spot-up 3s with the clock windin down(he deserves blame for that hideous shot that hit the side of the backboard, obviously)..
We have reached the point where Leonard needs to be involved in the offense every few plays, tbh..the Spurs can't allow 6-7 minutes to elapse until they run a play for him..
No it's called he sits back now and jacks up some dumb ass three stepping back etc. His shot selection is just horrible and he can't drive anymore like that in which he did in 010. I hope he has some left in his tank, but this jump shooting Manu is not going to be make it . He relies way too much on a bad stepback three shot.
I agree Leonard needs his number called more often, but today Manu didn't even take shots during that time. We mostly posted TD every play down the floor then Tony took over at the end.
Credit the Rockets though, they felt Asik could cover Duncan, didn't send much help inside and stayed with the shooters. Today it worked for them. I thought Tiago needed to pick up the slack, but he didn't have a good game matching up with microball.
He was what he was and he is what he is and he's not what he was. If he needs the rest of the team to take it down to the last minute of the championship series so that he can step up and be the hero, hopefully he won't have the ball in his hands. Let the guys that are carrying the load now carry the load then. No shame in that!
If we are relying on choker Bonner to come in and save his game off the bench then forget it! GOOD LORD do not even mention that playoff choker who never started a big game nor had major mins on a le team of ours! Since he got here we only won with him in a limited role! I will leave it at that. If you want to rely on bozo getting more mins in the last month or so then I will disagree, he is what he is and a choker in the later year up unto the playoffs. Manu just can't drive anymore like he could, period.
He hasn't taken a step back 3 in ages, tbh. Poor shot selection isn't the issue. The issue is that he can't hit open shots when they are given to him. He can't finish through contact in the lane, and this is particularly troublesome given that he isn't getting much respect from the refs anymore either. He routinely gives up open or semi-contested shots and opts to pass the ball out more (often to well-guarded teammates) because he feels he needs to be more of a "facilitator," but the problem is he can't facilitate if he isn't perceived as a scoring threat.
Leonard made some mistakes down the stretch - including the awful three that he could have pump-faked and taken to the hoop- but I'd like to see him get more plays called for him. He's athletic and when he makes a mistake, he's usually good at making up for it.
Don't know why you even bother responding to that guy.
Manu was playing perfectly fine when he was playing with Tiago, Diaw and even Blair last season. Even with Richard freaking Jefferson. He closed games playing perfectly fine with Tim.
Another issue about Manu being bad is that it significantly hurt the team.
+/- post all star game:
Splitter: +128
Duncan: +106
Leonard: +106
Green: +95
Parker: +76
Joseph: +25
Bonner: +23
Neal: +21
Jackson: +20
Baynes: -7
Blair: -9
Diaw: -12
Ginobili: -16
De Colo: -67
Diaw was a starter
and RJ was a 3 who spaced the floor well sitting near the top of the league in 3 point %
doesnt matter what roll man Manu had
he did well with either Blair or Splitter
its the change from a true stretch 4 to a 2/3 masquerading as a 4
its why Popovich preached floor spacing tbh
Ginobili needs it
or hes just that washed up now
gave all he had left for Argentina last summer
those +- numbers also confirm that as soon as the turds come in the other teams dominate
Splitter will have to be on the floor with Ginobili and some Leonard as well
Only -16 ulative through 15 games? That can't be right. I thought the damage was much worse.
Can't worry about these things on a game by game basis. Either Manu, Jack, and Diaw are coasting or not fully engaged, in which case they can turn it up when the games matter and we'll be fine, or they're just done as reliable NBA players, in which case we're ed. Can't control it, and we won't know until the PO's which is the case.
Well, Spurs are +111 without him on the court, so it's pretty damn bad.
Are those numbers adjusted?..
And Nono, I agree, that wasn't just Manu at fault..it's just evident that Pop still only trusts Parker/Ginobili/Duncan to run the offense though, unfortunately..
Over 15 games? Considering how bad he's been shooting/playing and how much of the offense runs through him, I expected a much bigger difference, tbh.
I think Pop is a guy that's not going to 'adjust' or 'change' now... it's kind of like the Neal at backup PG situation, which I think will only actually change now because Neal is hurt, so he'll be forced to do something about it.
I'm on board with Kawhi getting a bigger role, tbh... even if Manu would be playing relatively well, I think Kawhi can have at the very least his number called a couple times each quarter.
Excellent analysis.
The bench, in general, is becoming this team's Achilles heel. Between Ginobili struggling mightily and Neal not being active (and even when active, not being right physically), there's virtually no firepower. Short of Ginobili re-discovering his game, the only potential remedies are . . .1) Playing Leonard with the bench more, 2) Playing Bonner more, 3) Utilizing Mills as the backup PG.
Almost everyone's so caught up in having a pass first/defensive type (or at least, non liability) of a backup PG, but that only works if Ginobili can still carry the bench. If he can't, then they need a scorer next to him. This is why letting Neal go would be difficult.
Kawhi should be playing with Manu while Tim/TP sit, tbh..he can play more minutes than anybody else on the team..I understand limiting his minutes in the regular season due to his knees, but I hope we will see him with the bench unit during the playoffs..
Agreed with TD about Neal..he's very frustrating at times and his flaws are severe, but Joseph and DeColo are too conservative for this current version of the Spurs bench..hopefully Neal can fight through the pain down the stretch..
it would be pretty ironic if Bonner saved the bench unit..
Manu had an improved game tonight. Much has to do with the fact he wasn't allowed to commit so many turnovers anymore because he didn't handle the ball as much. But a step in the right direction is a step in the right direction.
True true. Some posters on here are just flat out stupid! Thanks man.Don't know why you even bother responding to that guy.
Manu was playing perfectly fine when he was playing with Tiago, Diaw and even Blair last season. Even with Richard freaking Jefferson. He closed games playing perfectly fine with Tim.
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