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It wouldn't be fair to the team..
Just like when Pop wouldnt play Splitter over Bonner and Blair in 2011.
Same thing with Murray and Parker and Mills.
Oh he's done it before.
2006's all but ours repeat had Tall Balls going 63-19 for #1 seed.
1st round rolling of Sacramento 4-2.
Then Popped decides to get cutesy vs Dallas with Michael Finley at the PF spot *locking down* Dirks A sky. Benched Nazr and Rasho Nest. Got cornholed 4-3 on the infamous Manu f up. Should have never gotten anywhere close to that.
Worked by rookie coach Avery Johnson.
It wouldn't be fair to the team..
Just like when Pop wouldnt play Splitter over Bonner and Blair in 2011.
Same thing with Murray and Parker and Mills.
Last edited by MaNu4Tres; 01-30-2017 at 09:21 AM.
Playoff basketball is not the same as regular season basketball. People have a little too much faith in believing that Murray and Bertans can turn up their games a few notches in the playoffs. Rookies generally disappear in the playoffs unless they are Tim Duncans. Murray and Bertans are not Tim Duncans. So I don't see them getting much, if any, floor time, though I could see Bertans getting more floor time than Murray.
Such a dumb myth. " Rookies generally disappear in the playoffs". What a terrible and dumb take.
If a rookie disappears in the playoffs its because he's not in the top 10 in the rotation or if Pop just sits him for no other reason than .. " It's not fair to the others".
If a player is good enough, he's good enough -- rookie or veteran. Now if they perform well in the short sample size of "A" playoff run -- that's another story and a by product of randomness and variance. Because at the same time, there's a lot of veterans who the bed or disappear in the playoffs too from time to time ( you saw it last year with a lot of vets). Robert Horry even has the bed on multiple occasions in the playoffs for the Spurs and Lakers. However, his career was filled with 15 years of deep playoff runs year after year and everyone claims he's some messiah for coming through with a big shot in 3 or 4 playoff runs out of 15 -- totally overlooking the years where Lakers didn't want to re-sign him or the years he fell on his ass and didn't help the Spurs repeat.
If a rookie is good enough, he's good enough and Murray and Bertans are good enough to compete and contribute to the Spurs come playoff time. Now their role would be reduced because Pop optimizes minutes for starters but they'd be more than able to handle any bench minutes thrown their way.
What the team lacks is passion. Very mechanical. We need a Mario Ellie. We need some players to argue with Pop and maybe each other. They need to do something to get the blood flowing.
The team lacks a fluid play maker that can not only get his own shot, but in the process of getting his own shot, he can create easier and more efficient opportunities for others. Kawhi and Aldridge are not those types of play-makers or scorers. Sure they'll have their moments here or there, but they aren't close to being consistent enough in this phase. Both are Melo type of scorers where they can create and make tough shots for themselves. Unfortunately, this makes the job a little bit easier on the defense as a unit.
This is why Murray is very important for the future moving forward.
Well, it's not as dumb as you think. Sure the Spurs have a history of playing veterans over rookies, even talented rookies (see Tiago Splitter and George Hill), but not always (see Tony Parker except when he got benched for Terry Porter in one of the Laker games to bad effect). But teams in general take that stance in the NBA unless it is a wonder rookie like Tim Duncan, but there aren't many of those and most of them are on lottery teams and don't even make it to the playoffs. Teams go deeper during the regular season, which gives guys like Bertans and Murray minutes, but in the playoffs, teams shorten their rotations because they can't afford turnovers (like getting pocket picked as has happened several times to Murray and Bertans mental mistakes on passing the ball under pressure). That means that the rookies are good enough to play in the 10 to 11 man rotation for the regular season, but not that 8-9 man rotation for the playoffs. Supposedly the 10-11 man rotation has reduced the veterans minutes so they can play heavier minutes in the playoffs.
I don't know if Bertans and Murray are good enough to have consistent roles on the team even during the regular season. I guess we'll see if they earn more minutes after the all-star break or if there are more injuries. I hope they do play big playoff minutes if only to show that the grass isn't always greener. You may love Murray and Bertans today, but you have a relatively small sample size. The more minutes they get doesn't always equate into more productivity and may give greater diminishing returns than the veterans that you prefer to be on the bench. In fact, you don't even know if those rookies are outperforming veterans in practice. At this point, they are beloved because of the unknown. They could both get playoff minutes and turn into a disaster and blow a winnable series, which is more likely given their lack of playoff experience, then they are to win a playoff series. With the veterans, you know what you have, with rookies, you don't really know.
Unfortunately, Spurs rookies are on a 3-4 year plan. The Spurs hold them back somewhat in relation to their rookie contract. Not so much in development, but showcasing them during games. The exception in recent time is Kawhi, because he was that good, and they knew they were going to keep him at all cost.
As much as PATFO professed their love for George Hill, they didn't want to pay him the money they knew he'd get offered after his rookie deal was up, so they traded him away for a fresh rookie contract. They also held back Splitter and Mahinmi, and now Bertans and Murray.
Interesting take.
Good thread overall so I am bumping.
If we're not going to win the Championship, why not play the young guys/rookies? Does Pop really think we have a chance with Parker, Mills, Green against the elite guards in the west? You gotta be able to provide some sort of resistance defensively.
I forget what year, but there were a string of games where Mahinmi played well, similar to Murray. You just knew he'd be given a chance in the rotation. Just 8-12 minutes in the guts of the game. BUT instead, it was followed up with a string of "DNP Coaches Decision". No explanation, no questions from the local media, nothing. There was a thread about it, some said Ian was foul prone and made too many defensive mistakes. Also, others were saying the local media wouldn't ask Pop because he would curtail their access or worse, get them fired. I'm not saying Murray or Bertans are going to be franchise saviors or anything, who knows. I just think their play warrants more time.
Thats damn stupid. Let's keep these guys in hiding for three years while Kawhi and Aldridge waste 3 years of there prime.
The whole 'pecking order' thing is not totally untrue, IMO. But you could also argue that whatever rook that has really shown to be a special talent has been fast-tracked (Kawhi and Manu come to mind).
I agree. TD needed a shot-blocking/athletic big to play next to him, but they opted not to play/develop on the court a decent one in Mahinmi.
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