Article: Spurs amoungst Deepest Teams in NBA History

[Cry Havoc]

deeper means deeper better means better, stop it.

So what's your definition of "depth"? By depth do you mean "guys who are capable of performing autonomic functions without medical assistance"? Because aside from Ayres, we have the same number of those that we've had every year. Saying we're deep because we have a certain number of guys on the team seems a little pointless to me.

Now, if you're like me, you define depth as "legitimate player" depth. Meaning guys that can actually ball, and guys that deserve and will see playoff minutes. If your guys can't get off the bench in meaningful games, how are you a deep team?

[Sean Cagney]

Agreed, unfortunately.

If Spurs can find a way to choke up, and give the gift of a le to the Heat in 26 seconds, up 5, then there is nothing else talk about.

Don't invest your emotions until they are holding the trophy, or they will find some other way to break your heart.

Spurs maybe the deepest team in history, no one cares, least of all Spurs fans.

Show it in the playoffs and finals where it actually counts, or shut up.

Bingo...

[poop]

Bonner.

[Hoops Czar]

When you're speaking exclusively to bench play, deeper absolutely does mean better.

Mills >>>> the cobbled together backup pg we had last year. Remember how it was so bad that we actually tried running GARY NEAL at the 1? Yeah, that's desperation.

Beli >> Neal. Clearly. Better at ude, smarter player, less of a chucker, is bad on D but at least tries to guard his man. WAY better off the ball as well.

Manu = Manu

Diaw this year >>> Diaw last year. Dude has stepped it up big time and looks to be on great shape.

Nando got 12-14 minutes per game last year and he could not even get off the bench for us this year. That tells you all you need to know about our depth. This is the deepest team 1-9 that I think I've ever seen in the NBA. We literally have 9 guys who could score 15-20 points on any given night, and most of then are good to great to elite defenders at their position. They can ALL pass the ball well. And most of them can drill a 3 ball.

We're going to be a monster in the playoffs this year. Only OKC in the West really has a shot as long as we stay healthy.

This isn't depth.

Mills isn't a pg. He's a far less talented version of Rudy Gay. He has zero playoff experience unless you consider waving a towel experience. They still have no backup pg just like last year which means Ginobili will be running the point in the postseason. Looking at past history, that can be either a good thing or a bad thing . I like Mills. Call him gritty, call him enthusiastic, call him tenacious and relentless, but DON'T call him a defender.

Diaw has been sporadically and unequivocally inconsistent all season. It can't denied he's stepped it up at times, but he's made a ton of mistakes that go unnoticed and unrecognized because all the hate and focus is centered around Ayres.

Nando didn't see any meaningful postseason minutes last season. I'm not really sure why you brought him up. Regular season minutes eater who's numbers are skewed because of resting the regulars.

You left Parker off the docket. Still the heart and soul of the team and performing nowhere near expectations.

Danny Green is still hit or miss. His defense, other than a few notable exception has been a miss.... constantly out of position, lunging at players, always falls for the pump fake, etc.

Yes, Belinelli is better than an injured Gary Neal on offense (even though Patty replaced Neal). However, his defense is rancid and he gives up more there than he scores on offense. Unlike Neal, Belinelli can't even pretend to play back up pg. He's strictly a SG who at times, has the uncanny ability to shoot lights out. But statistics show that the majority of his scores comes from an assist. And, oh yes, he's a chucker.

Ayres replaced Bonner, Mills replaced Neal, addition of Belinelli, no back up PG, no back up SF, and Parker's fatigue . I fail to see how this team is better and more prepared to take down a deeper and more stacked western conference.

[Raven]

So what's your definition of "depth"? By depth do you mean "guys who are capable of performing autonomic functions without medical assistance"? Because aside from Ayres, we have the same number of those that we've had every year. Saying we're deep because we have a certain number of guys on the team seems a little pointless to me.

Now, if you're like me, you define depth as "legitimate player" depth. Meaning guys that can actually ball, and guys that deserve and will see playoff minutes. If your guys can't get off the bench in meaningful games, how are you a deep team?

if we put formalities aside, deepness is the amount of players that can be injured without the team suffering too much. Last year we could rest green, parker, timmy and manu and still be competing with the heat on the road, while this year we got our pushed whenever kawhi and green were unavailable.

[Aztecfan03]

deeper means deeper better means better, stop it.

We still have joseph and bonner and they did not suddenly get worse. They can still play if Pop wants them to.

[Hoops Czar]

We still have joseph and bonner and they did not suddenly get worse. They can still play if Pop wants them to.

Bonner is worse. He can't even cut into Ayres playing time.

[Raven]

We still have joseph and bonner and they did not suddenly get worse. They can still play if Pop wants them to.

i'm fully aware of that, i said nothing of sort actually, but you could argue that for pretty much any team in the league it's not much of an argument.

[Aztecfan03]

i'm fully aware of that, i said nothing of sort actually, but you could argue that for pretty much any team in the league it's not much of an argument.

the point is we still have them as depth but there are more people ahead of them now so they don't play as much hence we have more depth.

[Raven]

the point is we still have them as depth but there are more people ahead of them now so they don't play as much hence we have more depth.

again, you could say that for any team.

[CitizenDwayne]

This isn't depth.

Mills isn't a pg. He's a far less talented version of Rudy Gay. He has zero playoff experience unless you consider waving a towel experience. They still have no backup pg just like last year which means Ginobili will be running the point in the postseason. Looking at past history, that can be either a good thing or a bad thing . I like Mills. Call him gritty, call him enthusiastic, call him tenacious and relentless, but DON'T call him a defender.

Diaw has been sporadically and unequivocally inconsistent all season. It can't denied he's stepped it up at times, but he's made a ton of mistakes that go unnoticed and unrecognized because all the hate and focus is centered around Ayres.

Nando didn't see any meaningful postseason minutes last season. I'm not really sure why you brought him up. Regular season minutes eater who's numbers are skewed because of resting the regulars.

You left Parker off the docket. Still the heart and soul of the team and performing nowhere near expectations.

Danny Green is still hit or miss. His defense, other than a few notable exception has been a miss.... constantly out of position, lunging at players, always falls for the pump fake, etc.

Yes, Belinelli is better than an injured Gary Neal on offense (even though Patty replaced Neal). However, his defense is rancid and he gives up more there than he scores on offense. Unlike Neal, Belinelli can't even pretend to play back up pg. He's strictly a SG who at times, has the uncanny ability to shoot lights out. But statistics show that the majority of his scores comes from an assist. And, oh yes, he's a chucker.

Ayres replaced Bonner, Mills replaced Neal, addition of Belinelli, no back up PG, no back up SF, and Parker's fatigue . I fail to see how this team is better and more prepared to take down a deeper and more stacked western conference.

Huh?

[Cry Havoc]

This isn't depth.

Ok chief.

Mills isn't a pg. He's a far less talented version of Rudy Gay.

Whom the Spurs have never employed, so I'm not sure why you're bringing him up in an argument about our depth compared to past seasons.

He has zero playoff experience unless you consider waving a towel experience. They still have no backup pg just like last year which means Ginobili will be running the point in the postseason.

We had Neal running the point. This is an upgrade no matter how you want to slice it. I trust Patty Mills not to completely defecate all over himself against the other team's bench defense.

Looking at past history, that can be either a good thing or a bad thing . I like Mills. Call him gritty, call him enthusiastic, call him tenacious and relentless, but DON'T call him a defender.

A) Please show me where I said he was a defender.
B) Please list, in order, the number of backup players the Spurs have had who are capable of ball handling AND playing defense in the entire Duncan era. I'll wait.

Diaw has been sporadically and unequivocally inconsistent all season. It can't denied he's stepped it up at times, but he's made a ton of mistakes that go unnoticed and unrecognized because all the hate and focus is centered around Ayres.

Diaw has been exactly what we need him to be this year. And he's becoming more aggressive. I'm not sure why you think a human being who makes mistakes qualifies him for being incapable of being a solid post-season threat.

Nando didn't see any meaningful postseason minutes last season. I'm not really sure why you brought him up. Regular season minutes eater who's numbers are skewed because of resting the regulars.

And Neal? Bonner? Blair? Those guys saw playoff minutes. You think we were better off when we had them?

You left Parker off the docket. Still the heart and soul of the team and performing nowhere near expectations.

Forgive me for tempering expectations around a player who's been hurt most of the year. He's looked healthier post-ASB, but of course his play is a concern. However, the le of this thread is *depth*, and that's what's being discussed. Don't change the topic to serve your argument.

Danny Green is still hit or miss. His defense, other than a few notable exception has been a miss.... constantly out of position, lunging at players, always falls for the pump fake, etc.

His defense is excellent. What is it with you? Guys who are aggressive on defense are going to occasionally fail once in a while to our embarrassment. We aren't going to have another Bowen on our team. Dude was a one of a kind defender.

Yes, Belinelli is better than an injured Gary Neal on offense

Beli this season has been better than Gary Neal has ever been at any stage of his career.

(even though Patty replaced Neal).

Even though they're both guards and both play a lot of the SG role.

However, his defense is rancid and he gives up more there than he scores on offense. Unlike Neal, Belinelli can't even pretend to play back up pg.

This is hilarious. You think Neal pretended to play backup PG? He tried to bring the ball up the court and promptly got massacred. Mills is better and more capable of handling than either of them. WTF is the point of saying Beli isn't a point guard when he'll never be asked to play that role, because we have Parker, Mills, and Manu (for specific situations)?

Neal playing the point. That's hilarious. I'd rather have Ayres on the court, and I'm not joking.

He's strictly a SG who at times, has the uncanny ability to shoot lights out. But statistics show that the majority of his scores comes from an assist. And, oh yes, he's a chucker.

Ah, the label of chucker. Mills is a chucker who's shooting 46.6% on the season on almost 500 FGA. Your label is inaccurate and doesn't hold up to statistical scrutiny.

Ayres replaced Bonner, Mills replaced Neal, addition of Belinelli, no back up PG, no back up SF, and Parker's fatigue . I fail to see how this team is better and more prepared to take down a deeper and more stacked western conference.

Ayres doesn't play anymore. Mills and Beli are both better than Neal, and Manu can play the backup 3 while we lean on Kawhi for 35-40 a game in the playoffs, which he's perfectly capable of playing.

This team is better, period, unless Parker doesn't get healthy again.

[Cry Havoc]

if we put formalities aside, deepness is the amount of players that can be injured without the team suffering too much. Last year we could rest green, parker, timmy and manu and still be competing with the heat on the road, while this year we got our pushed whenever kawhi and green were unavailable.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=400489255

Yep. I can use one game to support my argument as well. But it's pointless, because it's one game (i.e., not the least useful in the context of an argument about championship contention), and Miami was asleep for 3.5 quarters last year of that exhibition.

[Hoops Czar]

Ok chief.



Whom the Spurs have never employed, so I'm not sure why you're bringing him up in an argument about our depth compared to past seasons.

If had the time or energy, I would tear this post from limb to limb. I just feel like vegging out tonight. So, here's the short, SHORT version of my reply. I brought up Rudy Gay to show you the similarities in one's game to a player no Spurs fan would want on their team. A ball hog, who shoots, does very little to involve his teammates in the offense (lots of dribbling while others stand around) and doesn't play a lick of defense.

We had Neal running the point. This is an upgrade no matter how you want to slice it. I trust Patty Mills not to completely defecate all over himself against the other team's bench defense.

Manu was running the point in the postseason. Regular season games have very little meaning to the Spurs as you should know. You just can't stop harping on it.

A) Please show me where I said he was a defender.
B) Please list, in order, the number of backup players the Spurs have had who are capable of ball handling AND playing defense in the entire Duncan era. I'll wait.

This isn't a test so I won't put them in order and I'm not glossing over rosters dating back to 1997. Here's a few for you to chew on. BTW, "I'll wait" must be the new Spurstalk fad. I looked at the members viewing the thread and you weren't one of them. Apparently, you didn't wait.

George Hill
Manu Ginobili
Brent Barry
Kawhi Leonard

Diaw has been exactly what we need him to be this year. And he's becoming more aggressive. I'm not sure why you think a human being who makes mistakes qualifies him for being incapable of being a solid post-season threat.

Diaw is like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get. I would say since the start of the season, he's slightly regressed. Ayres makes him look like a 5-time all-star. Maybe that's what you see. Needless to say, you took my post completely out of context when referring to mistakes.

And Neal? Bonner? Blair? Those guys saw playoff minutes. You think we were better off when we had them?

what does this have to do with the price of tea in China? Blair didn't play, Bonner was used sparingly and Neal was courageously trying to play through plantar faciitis. Nobody was cracking jokes at Neal's expense when he was shooting 42% from downtown and roughly 44% from the field his first two seasons. You brought up Nando, not me. Since you're including spare parts that don't Play and you enjoy splitting hairs, is Ayres, Bonner, Cojo, Baynes and Daye a better alternative to Nando, Blair, bonner, and Cojo? Too close to call.

Forgive me for tempering expectations around a player who's been hurt most of the year. He's looked healthier post-ASB, but of course his play is a concern. However, the le of this thread is *depth*, and that's what's being discussed. Don't change the topic to serve your argument.

Tempering not withstanding. The only problem is Parker wasn't injured, he was fatigued. You do know the difference, right? He's played in only 5 of the Spurs 10 games since the break. Let's not change the narrative to fit the argument. Only three more months to go. Let's see if he can keep it up.

His defense is excellent. What is it with you? Guys who are aggressive on defense are going to occasionally fail once in a while to our embarrassment. We aren't going to have another Bowen on our team. Dude was a one of a kind defender.

Your opinion is dually noted.

Beli this season has been better than Gary Neal has ever been at any stage of his career.

He's been better with a healthy Ginobili on the court, THE END!

I'll also add that Ginobili, Beli, Mills, and Diaw on the court at the same time would be catastrophic on the defensive end in the post season.

Even though they're both guards and both play a lot of the SG role.

You're contadicting yourself. You just got done explaining Mills as a PG.

This is hilarious. You think Neal pretended to play backup PG? He tried to bring the ball up the court and promptly got massacred. Mills is better and more capable of handling than either of them. WTF is the point of saying Beli isn't a point guard when he'll never be asked to play that role, because we have Parker, Mills, and Manu (for specific situations)?


Neal playing the point. That's hilarious. I'd rather have Ayres on the court, and I'm not joking.

Belinelli tried to take on Ginobili's role early in the season and failed miserably. Manu has literally made him more useful than he actually is. I don't quite understand this overwhelming hate you have for Neal, but he wasn't nearly as bad as you think he was. He wasn't a pg but the Spurs did nothing in the offseason to secure a back up so Neal shared the regular season PG duties in hopes of keeping Manu rested and healthy come playoff time. Don't act like Neal was the goto back up in the playoffs becasuse he wasn't. (the regular season is just a tune up for the postseason so it doesn't really hurt the team to throw out wierd and out of sorts lineups to rest the regulars. You should know this)

Ah, the label of chucker. Mills is a chucker who's shooting 46.6% on the season on almost 500 FGA. Your label is inaccurate and doesn't hold up to statistical scrutiny.

You can't even stay on point for christ sake. I was talking about Belinelli. Nobody was complaining about Neal's chucking when he was shooting 42% from three and 44-45% from the field his first two seasons. You were also quick to point out Parker's (non) injury (fatigue) for his slip in production, but ignore Neal's (Plantar Faciitis) as if it never happened. Talk about reshaping the narrative to fit your argument.

The argument is futile and pointless because the Spurs depth ends with Tony Parker. If he can't take over games like he did the last two years from now until June, it won't even matter. The Spurs depth is unique in a way that it will keep you afloat during the regular season, but it won't win you games in the postseason. It will be up to the "old" reliables to get the job done.

Depth can be fickle in nature and in many cases, used inappropriately. It suggest that you could take one player in the lineup and replace him with another to get the same or similar results. That's not true with the Spurs. If Parker goes down, season over. If Duncan goes down, season over. If Ginobili goes down, season over. If Leonard goes down, season over. I'm not a fan of Green's defense but you are so here goes.... If Green goes down,, season over. A chair can replace Splitter on offense but what about his defense? If Splitter goes down, season over. What about Mr. Intangibles, Diaw. If Diaw goes down, season over.

The only guys on the roster that could probably be replaced are Belinelli and Mills. You could replace Belinelli by just adding minutes to other players and Cojo can replace Mills. You might lose some offense but the defense wouldn't suffer a lick.

[timmy2003]

Depth matters little in the playoffs