We shall see how it goes the rest of the season. Boris will need to show up in the postseason. Anderson and Boban are too new/rookie and Pop is super selective the matchups and games he plays Boban. He's an offensive beast, but defensively he's still a work in progress.
Boris vs Anderson is clearly the mystery. Lately I tend to think Anderson just figures more into Pop's switching defenses than Diaw does and Pop has sacrificed some Diaw minutes to get him as much experience for what is to come as possible. I wonder whether Kyle at this point is just simply flat out executing Pop's defensive schemes better and Pop just already knows Boris is not going to cut it against some matchups, or he's not going to be able to execute what Pop wants so there might be some CIA Pop at work.
I don't think Pop thought initially that Kyle was ready to guard 4s but it all started with the loss at GSW, Pop went back to the drawing board and since then we have seen Kyle vs Love, vs Ryan Anderson, vs Morris, A.Gordon, Nowitzki, Mirotic, Ariza, Montiejunas, etc. For over 2 straight months it's been the schooling of Anderson guarding all sort of mobile 4.
Although he's shown he can play 3 positions, at the 4 is where well have the need. Just a Nostradamus opinion.
Blatant guess and speculation I know.
Diaw would be foolish to take Pop for granted..he doesn't have Big 3 cachet/equity in this team and if his slide continues in the playoffs-- in some why costing us by having to insert a rookie like Kyle-- PATFO will look to move (away from) him in the off-season..In fact, they knew what they were doing by not fully guaranteeing his final year...His slovenly worth ethic is not the way to go when you combine it with natural decline kicking in..
I think Boris suffers from the arrogance that any number of extremely talented athletes do, that he will be able to 'turn it on' whenever he needs to do so. Last night he actually looked like he cared (which is unusual for his recent behavior), and tried a couple of moves that have worked in the past. But they didn't work, and Pop pulled him quite quickly (and rightly). Boris is at the age where he is actually going to have to work hard to be able to do what he used to do effortlessly. He doesn't yet appear to have accepted that reality.
Agree with the majority of posters here who indicate that Pop will not put up with that behavior if he doesn't come through in the playoffs, and he will be gone. I don't honestly think that Anderson and others have the native talent that Boris has, but all that talent will do him no good with Pop if he doesn't want to work.
We have all seen Pop get some experience for a ton of folks this year, much more than in past seasons, and I believe all that tinkering will pay off in the post season. If someone is not pulling his weight, he will get taken out of the game in exchange for a rookie or sop re. We just have to hope that all the practice the youngsters have gotten during the season will pay off. The fact that we have added two ancient vets with specific skills in the last few weeks tells me that Pop isn't all that thrilled when his youngsters' experiences to date.
The games over the next couple of weeks will be really telling for more than just the season record - the playoff personnel picture will get a lot clearer I think.
Horry 05 mode TBH
Well, his minutes are going down down down. A sure sign that Pop is true to his credo: If another player begins to play better, they will get the minutes. No favorites.
I haven't seen KA score on a bigger player. He's going to be left open at the perimeter against a bigger player. The problem is that he's afraid to shoot it from deep.
Last game he had a ton of deflections. Like I said before, he's just has 1/2 an inch difference in wingspan from Kawhi. It indeed is odd that I seem to like him in the court for defensive purposes.
Diaw has always been passive for the Spurs in the regular season (2014 being the only exception, wish he could get back to that level).
He's always been frustrating to watch when he plays like this. Hopefully it's just coasting and not a decline in his game. I trust in Diaw though. He seemed legitimately bummed last year that the Spurs couldn't repeat.
Not all those 4s listed are "mobile 4s"; in fact most are stretch 4s that are in love with the long ball (including Love, 38 yr old dirk). If the other team's PF isn't going to punish the Spurs in the paint then why not guard them with Andersons length? And then on offense Anderson looks less slow, and might even be able to exploit a mismatch here and there.
bored IMO... he'll flip the switch when it matters
I haven't lost hope, when engaged he's one of our best players posing all sorts of match up problems.
Regardless of his play these playoffs, I do wonder if he gets moved this summer. After this year he is effectively on an expiring deal (2017-18 is a team option IIRC). A Boris + Danny + small asset (Andrrson, Simmons, 1st) would be an interesting package that could bring back a ~18m contract.
I think he'll be out of shape and conditioning that is what's strange Pop starts getting guys ready at this point. Boris is not ready and at this stage isn't going go be.
The next matches should be telling.
He would be a good trade bait b/c of his partially guaranteed contract if PATFO want to re-acquire Tiago (assuming he isn't done). If the Hawks lose Horford in the off-season then Boris would be a temporary replacement.
He better turn it on in the playoffs and I mean starting round one, or I'm washing my hands of him...diaw one of my boys but I WILL change this avatar if he doesn't bring it when we need him..
For whatever reason we don't talk about him much or make threads but man am I EVER grateful to captain west .
Look, I love Diaw the person and I love his game when he's engaged and really wants it. I think he has incredible talent, but in all honesty, he has pissed it away most of his career because he just doesn't seem to care enough about staying in really good shape to utilize what he's been given. That really bothers me. There's people that aren't as gifted as Boris, or gotten the genetics that he was blessed with (Boris was very, very athletic) and they would kill to have what he has, yet it just seems to me that he's taken it for granted and I am finding that hard to accept.
You know, in 2006 when Boris was with the Suns, people (french posters/fans) would say that he was the best player from France and back then I didn't quite agree, I always thought it was Parker. However, with Boris being on the team and after the 2014 season, I said to myself, you know what, those guys were right, Boris is the best french player. Now I know what they were/are talking about. I thought Boris had turned the corner late in the 2014 season and was 100% committed to not wasting any more of his talent (he even said that he got it), but unfortunately it seems in 2015 he went back to being lazy. I just don't understand what he's doing.
Maybe he's enjoying other aspects of life than just basketball. Some times basketball just maybe a stepping stone to reach higher places. Maybe his heart just isn't in it anymore. He loves his children books, taking pictures, an drinking expresso evidently.
Dump Diaw and then if Duncan retires perfect scenario to sign Pau Gasol?
True, but he was supposed to have turned the corner after 2014 when he said something along the lines of - I now get it. It seems like he may have gotten it for a minute, but now forgotten it again.
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