Why shouldn't Patty Mills be the backup point guard?

[xmas1997]

Pop looks like he is still experimenting. He probably feels the way most of us do.

[Baseline]

The fact that we have Beli now may change the way the second unit works.
He can handle the ball, and with Manu you have another guy that can handle the ball in that 2nd unit.
So MAYBE, Mills is a better fit, since he is more of a shooter.
So, Mills, Manu and Beli sound a little better to me. But what do I know!!

This is the best option - a three-headed PG. Let's face it - CoJo is terrible, and so is Nando. At least all three of those guys can handle the ball a bit, and all three can shoot. If either CoJo or Nando get stuck with the clock going down, we're going to have a missed jumper. Period.

[Baseline]

Pop looks like he is still experimenting. He probably feels the way most of us do.

I can assure you that Pop rarely feels the way I do. He certainly didn't feel the way I do when he took Duncan out - twice - at the end of Game 6. Since when have the Spurs operated well with Duncan off the court? At crunch time no less.

[TJastal]

Mills looks good, but he still has the same limitations and those aren't going to change. He's a shooting guard in a point guards body. He can probably run the point better than Neal did, but he is always going to look to score first, pass second.

That being said, right now it's not as much as Mills playing himself into the job, as it is Nando and CoJo playing themselves out of it. They have both looked pretty mediocre during the preseason, whereas Patty has had some good games and been a steady force with the bench.

Mills seems like the obvious choice to start the season, but...Pop's mind works in weird ways.

I seem to recall a French 19 year old kid that used to play the same way, he turned out pretty good in his later years...

[TJastal]

The fact that we have Beli now may change the way the second unit works.
He can handle the ball, and with Manu you have another guy that can handle the ball in that 2nd unit.
So MAYBE, Mills is a better fit, since he is more of a shooter.
So, Mills, Manu and Beli sound a little better to me. But what do I know!!

I think you're on to something, personally.

Regardless of whether Mills is a "true point guard", right now he is the best fit in the 2nd unit. If he can become a serious threat to score 15-20 points on any given night he will undoubtedly take huge loads of pressure of Ginobili to create most of the offense which as we saw in last year's finals he is no longer able to do consistently. Now you throw in Bellinelli and make it a 3 headed hydra and teams will not be able to focus their defense against Ginobili or any one or even two guys. This lineup has the makings of a nearly unstoppable offensive force which would vastly improve the 2nd unit by leaps and bounds from last season.

[TJastal]

Woohoo! Just made vote #40 for Patty. Winning this thing in landslide. LMAO @ that other lame thread.

[anakha]

nearly unstoppable offensive force

Easy there, Seabiscuit.

[TJastal]

Easy there, Seabiscuit.

Okay, call it 'formidable' then. I think its 100% clear from what we've seen last year and now this year that Patty and Manu have chemistry all day long with each other, and Bellinelli is an upgrade over Neal in just about everything... not only scoring but ball handling, execution and decision making. Neal was an unmitigated disaster in last year's playoffs trying to handle the rock.

[N0 LyF3 ScRuB]

We need scoring off the bench. With Mills out there, it's almost as if Neal never left... with the addition of Bel. I like Mills to take the spot.

[cd021]

with Belinelli, Ginobili, and Leonard (as of recently ) being able to run the offense and create off the dribble, I think we can afford to have Patty out there as a pseudo PG. CoJo hasn't been able to turn the corner at the top level.

I haven't watched the preseason. Has Leonard really looked like he can create of the dribble? Last season he looked uncomfortable dribbling in traffic.

[spurraider21]

I haven't watched the preseason. Has Leonard really looked like he can create of the dribble? Last season he looked uncomfortable dribbling in traffic.

They've allowed him to run the offense here and there. Not for long stretches necessarily, but he's been handling the ball and being a creator (mostly for himself). Playmaking is something that will only come with experience