Spurs first meeting with the warriors this season. What will Pop do?

[Brian Windhorst]

The W's really don't have anyone who can guard Leonard, so that's another advantage.

I know Iggy is old, but if I'm Kerr, I'm 100% comfortable starting him on Kawhi and letting the Spurs figure out who Tony should guard tbh. If I'm the Warriors and a series is to be decided by Tony Parker's ability to guard Andre Iguodala in 2015, I'll take those odds without blinking.

[dabom]

I know Iggy is old, but if I'm Kerr, I'm 100% comfortable starting him on Kawhi and letting the Spurs figure out who Tony should guard tbh. If I'm the Warriors and a series is to be decided by Tony Parker's ability to guard Andre Iguodala in 2015, I'll take those odds without blinking.

We got TD KL DG LA behind him. An inefficient 4th option going at tony with those players behind him.

[popdagreat]

damn i might go to that game. please pop use your mind tricks

[Chinook]

I know Iggy is old, but if I'm Kerr, I'm 100% comfortable starting him on Kawhi and letting the Spurs figure out who Tony should guard tbh. If I'm the Warriors and a series is to be decided by Tony Parker's ability to guard Andre Iguodala in 2015, I'll take those odds without blinking.

The difference between the Finals last year and a potential SA/GS playoff series is that the Spurs aren't a one-man team. The Warriors can't slant their defense to help Iggy check Leonard, because they'll already be slanting their D to help Green or Barnes on LMA. Then of course, you have Duncan and Parker who are good enough to take advantage of favorable match-ups. And Danny has shown he can dominate a series if teams ignore him.

All that makes me think GS isn't going to play small against the Spurs. So if Iggy starts, it will be in place of Barnes or Thompson. I am no concerned at all if he goes off at the expense of Curry or Thompson exploding. Green and Bogut simpy aren't going to provide enough offense to compensate.

[YGWHI]

I can't see Kerr starting Iggy early in the series like I can't see Pop hiding Parker on him or Barnes.

[TheDoctor]

[TD 21]

Yeah, having eight starting-caliber players is pretty great depth. Most teams don't have more than six. It allows the Spurs to rest their guys or heavily reduce their minutes for games, because there are other guys who can step up. Sit Manu? That's fine, Kawhi and Green can play the minutes they deserve, and Mills can play some two. Sit Tim? Cool, give LMA his Portland minutes for a game. Nine and 10 are awkward fits, but they're good players and guys who can help fill the cracks when others rest. Anderson would be more effective playing when Manu sits. West should be fine as a spot-starter. Are 9-13 as good as they were in 2012-2014? No. But they have room to grow.



I'm pretty sure I've been concerned with West as the five as long as you have, so I don't see why you're trying to draw my praise for that. I feel really bad for him because he sacrificed so much to join the team, but unless he magically becomes able to guard the five and rebound well enough for the position, the Spurs have to hope Marjanovic can hold up in the rotation.

Anderson and Manu have to learn to play together. If James and Wade could do it, so can Anderson and Ginobili. Pop seemed to really want to have a second ball-handler off the bench, so I still think his plan is for Kyle to play over Butler. That a guy doesn't seamlessly fit into a lineup in the first handful of games doesn't spell prolonged disaster.

Besides that, I agree the Spurs have to try to win all their games. And I agree they have the mental edge over the Warriors. Part of that is that Green and Leonard have been great at neutralizing Curry and Thompson. So I do think it's match-up based. But GS has the talent to overcome SA. The Spurs just have to stay on them for another year or two.

They have six.

Mills can only play next to Parker if the opposition has small/weak guards, that are non post up threats. Afflalo being injured obviously greased the wheels for this.

Nine was a good player and might still be a solid one, but ten has yet to prove he's an NBA player, let alone a good one.

Yeah, that's what I'm trying to do; "draw your praise". I'm pretty sure you (I know you did in Anderson's case), along with a ton of others on this board, claimed they'd be fine with West and Anderson as fourth big/wing.

Forget the Marjanovic pipe dream. Three - three and a half big rotation is more likely than him usurping West.

James and Wade are all time great players and were the two best on their team, so of course they had to make it work. The Spurs don't need Anderson to work. Immediate results aren't overly concerning if it's something that should work, like Aldridge with the starters. Ginobili and Anderson isn't like that.

[Chinook]

They have six.

They have eight or nine, if you include West. They aren't all elite starters, but when we're talking about getting by in regular-season games (which is what I was talking about when you quoted me), then, yeah, they're fine. The Spurs can win games against mid-tier teams while playing six or seven of their top eight or nine and filling in the cracks with the other guys. That's the true regular-season advantage of having LMA over Splitter. Tiago was a great Spurs when he could play his role, but he wasn't able to carry an offense by himself like Aldridge can.

Yeah, that's what I'm trying to do; "draw your praise". I'm pretty sure you (I know you did in Anderson's case), along with a ton of others on this board, claimed they'd be fine with West and Anderson as fourth big/wing.

I still think Anderson can be the fourth wing. And yes, I wanted the Spurs to invest more in the position this past summer. But Anderson is talented enough. For West, you can go back and read the posts. I never thought he made up for the loss of Splitter ( , I don't even think LMA does that), and I was very quick to protest the whole, "We just got West for the minimum, so stop complaining" at ude a lot of folks around here had. I did think Anderson and Leonard playing with the bench would help the rebounding issues in the second unit, and I still feel that will bear out.

Forget the Marjanovic pipe dream. Three - three and a half big rotation is more likely than him usurping West.

In the playoffs, sure. In the regular season? Not a chance that the Spurs go three deep. The Spurs just went with Aron Baynes as the back-up center. I don't think there's as much drop-off between him and Boban as you seem to think.

James and Wade are all time great players and were the two best on their team, so of course they had to make it work. The Spurs don't need Anderson to work. Immediate results aren't overly concerning if it's something that should work, like Aldridge with the starters. Ginobili and Anderson isn't like that.

This is a poor argument. Something can work, or it can't. Wade and James worked because they put in the effort to make it work. It wasn't perfect, but it got better. Same thing with Tim and Tiago. Anderson and Ginobili are awkward because they both need the ball in their hands. But both Parker and Manu need the ball in their hands, and they've closed games next to each other for a dozen years. It's about developing the chemistry to give room to the other guy while also remaining a threat. That takes time to develop. And the Spurs have time..

And again, the benefit of Anderson isn't his ability to play next to Manu; it's his ability to spell Manu during the regular season. When we're talking about having to survive the first 82 games, fit isn't the most important thing in the world.

[SAGirl]

They have eight or nine, if you include West. They aren't all elite starters, but when we're talking about getting by in regular-season games (which is what I was talking about when you quoted me), then, yeah, they're fine. The Spurs can win games against mid-tier teams while playing six or seven of their top eight or nine and filling in the cracks with the other guys. That's the true regular-season advantage of having LMA over Splitter. Tiago was a great Spurs when he could play his role, but he wasn't able to carry an offense by himself like Aldridge can.



I still think Anderson can be the fourth wing. And yes, I wanted the Spurs to invest more in the position this past summer. But Anderson is talented enough. For West, you can go back and read the posts. I never thought he made up for the loss of Splitter ( , I don't even think LMA does that), and I was very quick to protest the whole, "We just got West for the minimum, so stop complaining" at ude a lot of folks around here had. I did think Anderson and Leonard playing with the bench would help the rebounding issues in the second unit, and I still feel that will bear out.



In the playoffs, sure. In the regular season? Not a chance that the Spurs go three deep. The Spurs just went with Aron Baynes as the back-up center. I don't think there's as much drop-off between him and Boban as you seem to think.



This is a poor argument. Something can work, or it can't. Wade and James worked because they put in the effort to make it work. It wasn't perfect, but it got better. Same thing with Tim and Tiago. Anderson and Ginobili are awkward because they both need the ball in their hands. But both Parker and Manu need the ball in their hands, and they've closed games next to each other for a dozen years. It's about developing the chemistry to give room to the other guy while also remaining a threat. That takes time to develop. And the Spurs have time..

And again, the benefit of Anderson isn't his ability to play next to Manu; it's his ability to spell Manu during the regular season. When we're talking about having to survive the first 82 games, fit isn't the most important thing in the world.

Nice eloquent post Chinook. Agree with you on all points. It is early in the season, yes we could see there were some issues that were not perfectly addressed but there were limitations in the roster that you could assemble depending on salaries and who was available. As it is, the issues do have work-arounds and we are talking about a team that should rely more on Aldridge and Leonard to carry them through this early period when Pop is still ironing out the wrinkles.

[TheDoctor]

Kl2 still ballin

[ElNono]

Manu-Anderson working just fine in this game, tbh

Maybe it was just a matter of time and having some patience...

[james evans]

if parker is holding curry that game, he's getting 60+. I've seen some bad defense, but damn man. It's like he's not even on the ing court. .

[TD 21]

They have eight or nine, if you include West. They aren't all elite starters, but when we're talking about getting by in regular-season games (which is what I was talking about when you quoted me), then, yeah, they're fine. The Spurs can win games against mid-tier teams while playing six or seven of their top eight or nine and filling in the cracks with the other guys. That's the true regular-season advantage of having LMA over Splitter. Tiago was a great Spurs when he could play his role, but he wasn't able to carry an offense by himself like Aldridge can.



I still think Anderson can be the fourth wing. And yes, I wanted the Spurs to invest more in the position this past summer. But Anderson is talented enough. For West, you can go back and read the posts. I never thought he made up for the loss of Splitter ( , I don't even think LMA does that), and I was very quick to protest the whole, "We just got West for the minimum, so stop complaining" at ude a lot of folks around here had. I did think Anderson and Leonard playing with the bench would help the rebounding issues in the second unit, and I still feel that will bear out.



In the playoffs, sure. In the regular season? Not a chance that the Spurs go three deep. The Spurs just went with Aron Baynes as the back-up center. I don't think there's as much drop-off between him and Boban as you seem to think.



This is a poor argument. Something can work, or it can't. Wade and James worked because they put in the effort to make it work. It wasn't perfect, but it got better. Same thing with Tim and Tiago. Anderson and Ginobili are awkward because they both need the ball in their hands. But both Parker and Manu need the ball in their hands, and they've closed games next to each other for a dozen years. It's about developing the chemistry to give room to the other guy while also remaining a threat. That takes time to develop. And the Spurs have time..

And again, the benefit of Anderson isn't his ability to play next to Manu; it's his ability to spell Manu during the regular season. When we're talking about having to survive the first 82 games, fit isn't the most important thing in the world.

That's different than having "eight starting caliber players".

I'm more concerned with the lack of rim protection first and the lack of a roll man second, than rebounding off the bench, given the rebounding prowess of the two SF's.

I'm not criticizing Marjanovic; I'm just saying, he's not usurping West, so the way I see it, this is the best possible big rotation: Sit Duncan from roughly the 5 minute mark, in the 1st and 3rd, until the 9 minute mark, in the 2nd and 4th and Aldridge for the first six of the 2nd and 4th. This leaves only a 3 minute stretch where West and Diaw play together and maximizes the time Duncan and Aldridge play together.

What I'm saying is, I'm not sure making Ginobili and Anderson work is worth the effort. The team desperately needs three-point shooting and they don't have time. They need a top three seed to have a realistic chance at winning the championship (which is why fit is vital) and as such, need to take advantage of the weak early schedule.

Also, Ginobili doesn't necessarily need the ball in his hands, as he's solid catching and shooting from 3 and excellent at moving without the ball. This is why him and Parker have worked, along with the fact that they're Hall-of-Fame players.

[SAGirl]

What I'm saying is, I'm not sure making Ginobili and Anderson work is worth the effort. The team desperately needs three-point shooting and they don't have time. They need a top three seed to have a realistic chance at winning the championship (which is why fit is vital) and as such, need to take advantage of the weak early schedule.

Also, Ginobili doesn't necessarily need the ball in his hands, as he's solid catching and shooting from 3 and excellent at moving without the ball. This is why him and Parker have worked, along with the fact that they're Hall-of-Fame players.

We may just have to be realistic and realize that the overhaul to the offense, as well as younger guys having a more important role, doesn't just affect the younger guys. The older guys have to swallow pride and give way to the younger guys. It hasn't gone smoothly. They are disjointed right now. It is a process. I believe they will hit it off eventually, but maybe a terrific starting record is not realistic. I believe they will still have a winning record, but until they start clicking, every game will be a struggle.

[RayTdropout]

if they were playing tonight the Spurs would be leading the whole game goIng into the 4th with a double digit lead and choke other than our championship of a couple years ago that's all they've been doing for the past while

[-21-]

Didn't realize the Spurs beat the Warriors twice last year... Both wins were by double digits.

[james evans]

Didn't realize the Spurs beat the Warriors twice last year... Both wins were by double digits.

We were up so big in the last meeting, that popovich sat the starters in the 3rd. He had Matt Bonner guarding Curry during the 3rd quarter because we were up by about 30 and that's when curry got a little hot and people like to rewrite history and look at the statline and say, "curry shot 50% and scored over 20" totally forgetting about the real facts. We live in an internet era. There is no excuse for people trying to lie about that didn't happen. Do you know how many people I encounter daily that say, and i quote, "Curry always kills the spurs. no one can hold him".

[milkyway21]

With an early 6-0 win/loss GS record and Curry enjoying an everage of 35.5 pts, 5.3 rbds, 6.5 assts, ,2.5 steals .. (92% FT %, 51% from beyond the arc)..PER GAME he might REPEAT as season MVP.

We can beat these guys but, wow ..
That's a hard to beat stats