Popovich wants Spurs to improve transition defense

[All Mighty Janitor]

Also, Kawhi has been jogging back on defense a lot. Once he behind a play he never sprints to get back in the play. I know he's gotta rest sometime, but that gets annoying real fast.

[Lostwingman]

yea, krew on krew gloryhole action. Just the nasty unwatchable we were all waiting for. Cmon guys, everything's primed for you to stick your epeen in the hole and get fellated with "truthbombs" and "".

[SPURt]

Pop must've been in a good mood to give such a complete answer

[Chinook]

His transition defense was great just like all his other defensive aspects. Kawhi was the 1a/1b/1c player in the 2013 Finals. I can't believe people are blaming Kawhi for that.

Blaming him for what? Do you even have an example of him playing good transition defense in 2013? Or are you just claiming he was good because you want to believe it? Seriously, this isn't playerfan . If I said Danny was the only great three-point shooter in the first unit, would you be falling all over yourself to laugh at me not thinking Kawhi elite in that regard? Stop taking things to mean what they don't. Kawhi can be a great player while having noticeable flaws. Transition D is one of them.

[dabom]

Blaming him for what? Do you even have an example of him playing good transition defense in 2013? Or are you just claiming he was good because you want to believe it? Seriously, this isn't playerfan . If I said Danny was the only great three-point shooter in the first unit, would you be falling all over yourself to laugh at me not thinking Kawhi elite in that regard? Stop taking things to mean what they don't. Kawhi can be a great player while having noticeable flaws. Transition D is one of them.

It's on you to prove he had bad transition defense. You are the one that stated that. Back it. Don't be lazy.

[kobyz]

Pop should wants also his team to work on zone defense to play mostly against small balls...

[Gladney to see you]

Transition D is something only youth and length can fix.

[SAGirl]

Not really. He was awful in the 2013 Finals and most of that OKC series. It was a good, clutch play. But he has a habit of being out of position on the break and not knowing who to pick up. A lot times, it's forgivable, as the player positions on the break are different than they are in the half-court. Kawhi's almost always below the FTLE (Free Throw Line Extended), so he's usually not the first or second option in transition defense. But he gets in trouble for not picking up the secondary and tertiary guys. In 2014, he allowed three Durant trailing threes in one game. In 2013, he kept letting Wade get the pass from Lebron, and if it weren't for Danny, Dwyane would have converted most if not all of them. It's not that Kawhi doesn't have the talent for it, but he needs to figure out the switches earlier.

However, with him in the paint more this year, it means that Green is essentially going to be left on an island with Parker. That's not a recipe for good transition defense, and it's an even worse recipe when Pop takes Danny out for every mistake and keeps his minutes in the mid-20s

I am not sure what happened last game since I missed most of it, but it seems Pop is trying to make up his mind already between Simmons/Williams, so maybe after he got upset at whatever it was (you will know probably), he just allotted the time to these two. There are maybe also some things behind doors that we can only speculate about, like setting an example. If Pop is that tough on Danny, can any of Simmons/Williams complaint when Pop chews them out?

[Chinook]

It's on you to prove he had bad transition defense. You are the one that stated that. Back it. Don't be lazy.

Not really. You said he was good. You have to demonstrate he was. I don't think he was good. I don't have the burden of proof there. And finding one mistake if not proof he's bad in transition, whereas I gave you a really small burden of proof on finding evidence that he was good in transition in 2013.

Even so, I have already made threads talking about Kawhi in transition, with the numbers to back it up. You're completely anti-stats unless your crew head brings them up. This we know.

[Chinook]

I am not sure what happened last game since I missed most of it, but it seems Pop is trying to make up his mind already between Simmons/Williams, so maybe after he got upset at whatever it was (you will know probably), he just allotted the time to these two. There are maybe also some things behind doors that we can only speculate about, like setting an example. If Pop is that tough on Danny, can any of Simmons/Williams complaint when Pop chews them out?

Green took a pull-up three in transition, and that seems to be what ticked Pop off. Danny was very good on that shot two years ago, but last year he didn't have as much success. Pop used to give Danny a green light. I dunno if that's changed, but if Pop still tells him he has one and then proceeds to take him out for taking an ill-advised shot, then that's a really poor mixed message. But obviously, there is some understanding between them, since Green wanted to come back and Pop wanted Green to come back.

But I doubt Pop plays Danny 11 minutes in any serious game outside of injury. The drop-off was crazy, and he can't play Manu more than 20 or so minutes.

[SAGirl]

Green took a pull-up three in transition, and that seems to be what ticked Pop off. Danny was very good on that shot two years ago, but last year he didn't have as much success. Pop used to give Danny a green light. I dunno if that's changed, but if Pop still tells him he has one and then proceeds to take him out for taking an ill-advised shot, then that's a really poor mixed message. But obviously, there is some understanding between them, since Green wanted to come back and Pop wanted Green to come back.

But I doubt Pop plays Danny 11 minutes in any serious game outside of injury. The drop-off was crazy, and he can't play Manu more than 20 or so minutes.

Yea, I see what you mean. I don't think this will be a pattern either. Maybe the pull to the bench was indeed from deviating from the plan (somethings they wanted to work on chemistry wise instead of freelancing on stuff for this game for example)... but its possible the allocation of minutes was always meant to given to the duo I mentioned above.

I think they are really split at this point and can't make up their minds. They liked Simmons a whole lot, but if there are injuries and you have to play him, can he even give you Anderson rookie quality minutes? By that I mean, the drop off from Kawhi to Kyle last season was going to be noticeable no matter what, but Kyle was not messing up in there. He actually was very decent in December for a whole month when you really needed him. He wasn't doing too much, turning the ball over, and overall was very decent for a rook that you didn't expect to have to rely on during a tough stretch of the season. I am not sure at this point Simmons can give you that quality of play. It's a real conundrum.

[GSH]

Pop has always talked about how "good defense leads to good offense". What he's never talked about - and he should - is that sloppy-assed offense leads to good offense for the other team. A lot of the reason the Spurs wound up needing transition defense was because they were so ing careless with the ball. Nothing improves transition defense like not giving the other team opportunities to get out in transition.

The old Mike D'Antoni Suns forced transition offense, even after the other team made buckets. But the Clippers just took what the Spurs gave them, for the most part. They can tighten up their D, but when the other team has numbers in transition, they're going to score a lot.

[Chinook]

Pop has always talked about how "good defense leads to good offense". What he's never talked about - and he should - is that sloppy-assed offense leads to good offense for the other team. A lot of the reason the Spurs wound up needing transition defense was because they were so ing careless with the ball. Nothing improves transition defense like not giving the other team opportunities to get out in transition.

The old Mike D'Antoni Suns forced transition offense, even after the other team made buckets. But the Clippers just took what the Spurs gave them, for the most part. They can tighten up their D, but when the other team has numbers in transition, they're going to score a lot.

VERY good take. Adding to that is that if the Spurs are going to be shooting more mid-range shots, they're going to give up more transition opportunities. It's the "Long shots mean long rebounds" philosophy. That's one of the principle reasons why long-twos are so inefficient. Not to mention that having jump-shooting bigs probably forces smalls below the FTLE more often, which slows transition defense.

[GSH]

It's on you to prove he had bad transition defense.

So who's job is it to prove you're a taint-licking fanboy? That's a much easier job.

[Chinook]

Yea, I see what you mean. I don't think this will be a pattern either. Maybe the pull to the bench was indeed from deviating from the plan (somethings they wanted to work on chemistry wise instead of freelancing on stuff for this game for example)... but its possible the allocation of minutes was always meant to given to the duo I mentioned above.

I think they are really split at this point and can't make up their minds. They liked Simmons a whole lot, but if there are injuries and you have to play him, can he even give you Anderson rookie quality minutes? By that I mean, the drop off from Kawhi to Kyle last season was going to be noticeable no matter what, but Kyle was not messing up in there. He actually was very decent in December for a whole month when you really needed him. He wasn't doing too much, turning the ball over, and overall was very decent for a rook that you didn't expect to have to rely on during a tough stretch of the season. I am not sure at this point Simmons can give you that quality of play. It's a real conundrum.

It's concerning that it's Anderson or bust right now. I like Butler, but I don't know if I could consider him an everyday rotation player if Kawhi or Kyle missed time. They might have to scour the market to see if they can pick up a bench wing for cheap. I think there are still some out there who can improve upon Simmons' current level of play, and more may become available when cuts happen.

Would have preferred to see someone like Mbah a Moute in camp over Jimmer anyway.

[dabom]

The Spurs have one good transition defender in their rotation now that Parker's over the hill. Danny's elite, but he's only one guy. Kawhi isn't very good in transition (if someone posts a gif of that Westbrook strip...). Manu knows he's not good and just fouls, even when it's not in the team's best interest to do so. Patty is too small.

Anderson and Simmons both have potential on that end. Kyle has to be the PG on the break to have a chance, as he's not beating anyone down the floor. Simmons needs to get control of himself better to avoid fouling.

That was the 3rd post. Defend your argument. That's like saying God is real then having no ing proof.

[Chinook]

That was the 3rd post. Defend your argument. That's like saying God is real then having no ing proof.

It's like saying God isn't real and having no proof. Completely the opposite.

[dabom]

Prove it. Prove it.

[Chinook]

Prove it. Prove it.

I already have. But I know it's pointless talking stats with you. You only believe what your crew tells you to.

[ElNono]

I thought last night the biggest problem was the turnovers, tbh... Much harder to defend that than when you're just missing a shot and have to get back. I also thought we tried to play too fast... Lots of work still ahead of us

[dabom]

Look Chinook. You said a statement. Prove it. Even chump can call you out on this one. If you wanna start acting childish I can. I thought you were better than this. Just be ready to prove your statements next time.

[Chinook]

Look Chinook. You said a statement. Prove it. Even chump can call you out on this one. If you wanna start acting childish I can. I thought you were better than this. Just be ready to prove your statements next time.

I have threads with my evidence, that you participated in. So the idea that you don't know what I'm talking about is YOUR problem.



But I'll leave this with you. You should be able to find the evidence in there, though it would be easier if you could just watch the whole game. I'm getting bored going back and forth with you. You never offer anything new.

[dabom]

No actual evidence besides highlights? I thought you would have at least hit me with some stats and then compared those to the teams. Maybe next time.

[BD24]

Chinook taking a wet on Dafakeengineer

[Hoops Czar]

That was the 3rd post. Defend your argument. That's like saying God is real then having no ing proof.

Or it's like saying I'm an engineer and then having no ing proof .