I haven't been following the team as long as you, but I am taking your word for it and I don't doubt it because everyone is questionable, save Mills who we know what he can do and is in a contract year. But we also know his limitations and know that he can't carry a bench on his own.
The most noticeable sign is that they need Anderson and Simmons to grow up. I also hope Bertans can help some (I know others will point out Pop distrusting rookies, but it's a possibility with him in a small role, like say Butler for example, had at times.)
I don't know Dedmon but I am hoping he plays well. Lee is not my cup of tea, but he can still do some things. Manu I am not taking for granted. I know he will play with all that he has like he always does, but I also hope others get the chance to shoulder the load and grow as players under his tutelage, more than seeing him "being the man." Like you, I could see possible moves in the horizon come February, but it would have to be some veteran picked off waivers bc all of the Spurs youngsters are in very cheap contracts and they won't net a veteran in return. The Spurs really also need to rebuild their depth and can't afford to turn these youngsters away without first discovering what they really have there, which takes time to let guys develop and grow as players. Aside from them, they really don't have assets that they can spare at this point bc the guys who have tradable contracts are not in the trade block.
I hope they don't need Manu and Lee to be turning back the clock a lot bc that is a recipe for disaster. Their hope is to have a melange of young and old, with the younger improving through the season to start shouldering more of the load. For example, I think they will rely a lot more on Manu and Lee to start than they will later in the season, whether bc of a nag, or injury or just younger guys breaking out, I prefer to remain optimistic that it won't all be on them.
Really hoping Dedmon starts alongside Parker-Green-Leonard and Aldridge. I think that could be an excellent two way unit.
Green, Leonard, and LMA spacing the floor while Parker runs P&R with an athletic roll man could very effective.
On the other end; based on what I've read, heard, and watched, Dedmon should be able to be effective against GSW on defense. Very good rim protector and rebounder, along with good mobility.
God, I keep forgetting that David Lee joined the Spurs
I think the only poor big man defensively is Lee. Gasol's length allows him to protect the rim pretty well and defend the post. LMA can defend the rim as a second rim protector and can defend the post and P&R and Dedmon has potential to do all three.
that's just asking for trouble... i do think gasol can defend better than a lot people on here think... i would not say he can protect the rim pretty well, especially for being 36. lma has never been known for being a rim protector either.
In Portland, his last season, he was in the top 10 in rim protection %, ahead of Duncan, and M. Gasol.
He isn't known as a good defender but he clearly is, he can't anchor a defense but is an above average secondary big. I fully expect Dedmon to start by the end of the season not Gasol.
can i get a link? i'm assuming he was that high because of who he was starting with...
i know it's not everything but lma was 34th in blocks last season... and he's not getting any younger/athletic.
Gasol not starting is an interesting idea ** I think there was a rumor going around at some point that Pau would be coming off the bench ** which is a ridiculous rumor by the way, I am pretty sure Pop doesn't know what he is going to do! Maybe when training camp start we can have that conversation again, but I doubt it.
However it makes a ton of sense. Last year our problems were two; One was rebounding against the OKC and two having a reliable third option in the post season!
Manu was 3rd in usage% last year behind only KL and LMA and was pretty darn good at it! However in the playoffs his O struggled to the point his usage% dropped below guys like D West! Pau had similar usage % with Manu, I think Pau's was a just a bit higher, but had higher assists and a lower turnover rates! Which I think Pau would be ideal to take Manu's role off the bench!
Pau balked in LA about being benched by D'Antoni. Of course he's older now and must respect Pop more than Pringles, but it still might be a hard sell. One wonders if we could simply start Pau for his ego's sake and then just manage the rotations so he spends most the time with some of the bench players? Could this work?
i suggested dedmon starting over gasol before that rumor tbh.
problem with dedmon being the starter is... (a concern i already brought up) if he gets hurt... who else on the roster will bring what he does?
I'll try and find it, it was on NBA.com stats (rim protection).
Blocks and rim protection aren't necessarily connected, LMA may contest in shots in a single game but only end up with two blocks on the five or six misses that he contested.
Well last year, Pau was first in estimated points saved per-36 (which is theoretically a much better rim-protection stat than just blocks or FG% at the rim). Tim was fifth. Dedmon was 15th. West was 28th. LMA was 40th. Lee and Diaw were way down there.
http://nyloncalculus.com/stats/rim-protection/
There are a lot of different ways to sort those numbers, but it seems like Pau comes out ahead of Tim pretty much any way you slice it. I don't think rim protection will be the Spurs' defensive issue.
Weeks ago I stated that Dedmon was my choice for the key to the Spurs' season. As Dedmon goes, so go the Spurs. The only problem with starting Dedmon is that essentially renders an entire starting unit of non-playmakers. Tony, Danny, Kawhi, LMA and Dedmon is a unit very short in playmaking (unless Kawhi also adds that skill to his arsenal, as many suggest). On the other hand, a second unit of Patty, Manu, Kyle, Pau and Bertans/Simmons could be a lot of fun to watch.
I actually think that that SL is much more balanced offensively. Pau was never going to be the lead playmaker anyway. Having Dedmon gives Parker a PnP partner who can threaten the rim, which will help make him a more effective penentrator. And that will help Green get more of the touches he's used to. Kawhi and LMA is a very solid foundation to build off, so I'm not concerned about points at all.
Them realgm sauces.
Some ing role player ain't gonna start at center. Same guy who said west was a good fit to start at center for the Spurs.
I believe the stat I saw came from an article from two years ago where it compared Marc Gasol and LMA as fits in the Spurs system.
I am not concerned about rim protection either I mention LMA's rim protection along with Dedmon's defensive abilities as a reason why they should start together. DD can apparently even switch or hedge on perimeter players if necessary as well as protect the rim and crash the defensive glass.
I like the idea of DD and Parker P&R with Green, Kawhi, and LMA be able to serve as floor spacers with DD being the hard roll man. Dedmon is also effective on put backs and runs the floor very well for a 7'0 big man
Gasol makes more sense off the bench with Lee, though I would expect to see an Mills, Manu, Anderson, Gasol bench unit at some point in the playoffs with Lee falling out of the rotation. Gasol is an excellent mid range shooter, while Lee is much more effective finishing around the rim than he is from outside the paint.
Last edited by cd021; 09-21-2016 at 10:57 AM.
Yes that's my main concern as well, but am choosing to believe that RC and Pop have talked about it during negotiation, if think the Spurs are notorious for "telling as it is" so to speak and I don't think Pau is an exception. Or at least that's what I hope, that the Spurs told him hey look this is what's going to be, you might have to come off the bench as the 6th man. In LA I think Pau was frustrated with the situation he was in, and the poor coaching overall, and he wasn't the only player complaining and he was right to be honest.
Seeing what Dedmon can do as a starter is very intriguing. He plays solid D, and is a very capable roll man. He is foul prone, and that would make it easier for Pop to find minutes for Pau, lol. But if can stays out of foul trouble and develops chemistry with KL and LMA he could be something special. A fan can only dream, huh
dedmon starter ? wut ?
Like a quarter of these boards actually think a ing nobody is gonna start and actually excel.dedmon starter ? wut ?
By virtually any metric, Gasol and Dedmon are very good rim protectors and Aldridge is a solid one.
Despite losing probably the greatest team defender in league history, there's no reason to think the Spurs won't remain stout at the rim and overall on defense.
I posted in the house of Pau Gasol a tweet that linked to an interview he gave where he,stated Pop promised him a role similar to Tim's and that he would be leading the Spurs' frontcourt rotation with LMA.
I suppose we fans can speculate but that's what he said.
It's like Bertans stating he'd be a stretch 4, despite us fans speculating sometimes that he's a 3. Those two things come straight from the players. I suppose Pop will start very traditional with guys in similar spots and roles as he's had other players in the past and go from there.
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