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They better put Kawhi in the offense more, or he's going to bolt SA.
Sorry, Kawhi: Starting forward Kawhi Leonard acknowledged after Sunday's game he was puzzled when he played only the first 2:10 and final 38 seconds of the fourth quarter of Friday's loss to the Trail Blazers.
He felt a little better when lead assistant Jim Boylen, who took over the team after Popovich was ejected in the third quarter, and the other assistants admitted they had gotten so caught up in the game they forgot to get him back on the floor.
“The coaches didn't know Pop was going to get thrown out of the game,” Leonard said. “They asked me how the game went the next day and told me they were sorry they didn't put me (back) in.”
http://www.expressnews.com/sports/sp...881083927fc3fb
Am I crazy for being borderline angry with that explanation...? How the do you get so caught up in the game that you "forget" to play your best perimeter defender (while they were playing the best 3-point shooting team in the league)? I'd rather them say they simply made a mistake and should've played him more, as opposed to saying they "forgot". Just makes it sound so absurd IMO.
I really don't think Belinelli should EVER play more minutes in a game than Kawhi, unless it's due to the game being a blowout for most of the way. Don't get me wrong...I love what Belinelli has done for us, and he's 100x better than Neal. But I'd much rather have Kawhi play 30+ mpg than Belinelli. I know it's the regular season and all, but I hope this doesn't become a habit that continues into the postseason.
Last edited by SpursFan86; 01-20-2014 at 12:46 PM.
They better put Kawhi in the offense more, or he's going to bolt SA.
That's a pretty horrible inexcusable explanation. That is some pretty horrid coaching tbh. How the do you forget to put Leonard in? No wonder we lost.
The assistant coaching staff is a complete joke this year.
WTF?? Awful. Looks like Pop is on his own this year.
Unbelievable. How can you just forget about Kawhi like that? What were they thinking?
Last edited by dallasmaverickslose; 01-20-2014 at 01:34 PM.
When asked why he didn't play Kawhi Leonard more in the 2nd half, Jim Boylen replied: "Who? Are you sure he's a Spurs player?"
How do you "forget" a guy when he is sitting like three seats down from you on the bench?
I really hope the Spurs see something in Ime Udoka and Sean Marks that we don't, because right now, they seem like pity positions given to former Spurs. It was easier to justify when they were at the end of the coaching bench, but are these guys really legitimate assistant coaches?
Public apologies are something most coaches wouldn't even bother doing.
They are obviously somewhat concerned with Kawhi's "feelings" and know his real value to the team..It's a good sign for wanting Leonard in the future.
It's not something these coaches would say to Belli, Splitter, Green or anyone expandalbe now or in the future ( not saying splitter and Green are expandable)
I mean seriously...it's mind-boggling. What was going through their head Portland was killing us with perimeter scoring? Did the idea of putting Kawhi back in there really never pop up in their heads? And it's not even like Kawhi is some specialist who only gets in during special situations. He's a ing starter for Christ's sake...how do you "forget" about someone like him?
That's unfathomable. It's one thing if Boylen forgot, though that's pretty hard to believe. It's something else if nobody on that bench said anything about Kawhi's absence.
And I'm surprised -- if the coaching staff forgot -- that the players didn't say something about it.
Not going to happen.
BTW, I absolutely would NOT have put him back in any time in the 3rd. We had a hot group on the floor that closed the gap. He should have played in the 4th, though.
That's pathetic. I can't even with that sorry ass apology and excuse.
Major fail by the coaching staff.
It's probably good that your job isn't performed in public, and people don't follow you around critiquing your performance.That's pathetic. I can't even with that sorry ass apology and excuse.
Major fail by the coaching staff.
Spurs really need to involve Kawhi more. One solution would be to have Kawhi and Danny switch positions on offense. Pop's system involves the shooting guard to be active on the perimeter while the small forward stands around waiting for a three, a part of me feels that's why the offense seems more off-tune when Green is in compared to someone like Marco or Manu.
Instead of having Kawhi miss open long-shots, just run some offense through him and let Danny stand around in the corner. Maybe Kawhi doesn't seem ready in practice or something, because that solution seems reasonable enough for Pop to at least try by now.
IIRC, it's the first game this guy is coaching here, and so there's going to be a learning curve. Hopefully this was a learning experience for everyone.
I'm fine with people making mistakes...but again, how do you FORGET to play your best perimeter defender against a team like Portland? I'm not saying "FIRE THEIR ASSES" or anything...but I think it's perfectly reasonable that people are upset with this whole "Sorry, we forgot to play you Kawhi" business.
Exactly. Mistakes will be made. But how does a coaching staff forget a player on the bench?
It was a mistake? You just said mistakes will be made, and then excoriate Boylan for making one!
There's mistakes and then there's forgetting a player on the bench.
You're fine with it. I'm not.
Not all mistakes are equal. Some are more inexcusable than others.
Like imagine if the Spurs FO traded Kawhi Leonard for JR Smith. Is that just a mistake, or should they get criticized for it?
Well, Pop, managing/saving minutes all season for the playoffs, didn't play TD and TP for all the 4th qtr of Game6 the 2013 Spurs 5th NBA championship game, so no surprises here.
He played majority of the third.
Are you referring to a different game.
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