Who would you rather be our Starting Center? Pau or Dedmon

[Kawhitstorm]

Nah. The easiest solution is to have Kawhi guard the ball. But that's besides the point.

Teams have defeated that strategy by setting screens to force switches. Against the Duds Pop countered (last season) by putting Kawhi on Gaymond but can't do that against the Cripples b/c Blake will just take him straight to the block.

During the season opener, Pop put Kawhi on Klay to take him out of the game since Dominos was going to get his anyways & Kerr usually milks the Curry/Draymond 2-man game in the 4th quarter but the game was already over. Re is a different animal b/c he uses a gazzillion screens & is constant motion that teams have to switch to deny him open looks. IMO, it would probably be better to put Kawhi on Moute & have him play free safety while Patty chases Re .

[Chinook]

Teams have defeated that strategy by setting screens to force switches. Against the Duds Pop countered (last season) by putting Kawhi on Gaymond but can't do that against the Cripples b/c Blake will just take him straight to the block.

The Spurs are switching on purpose. They aren't being forced to. And that's certainly not why Kawhi doesn't usually guard the ball. Pop like saving that for special occasions.

During the season opener, Pop put Kawhi on Klay to take him out of the game since Dominos was going to get his anyways & Kerr usually milks the Curry/Draymond 2-man game in the 4th quarter but the game was already over. Re is a different animal b/c he uses a gazzillion screens & is constant motion that teams have to switch to deny him open looks. IMO, it would probably be better to put Kawhi on Moute & have him play free safety while Patty chases Re .

I don't disagree with this, but then the narrative that Kawhi's being taken out of the play by teams parking lesser players in the corner falls apart. The author of that article straight-up listed MaM as an example, which is silly for more than just the reason you gave.

[Kawhitstorm]

The Spurs are switching on purpose. They aren't being forced to. And that's certainly not why Kawhi doesn't usually guard the ball. Pop like saving that for special occasions.

Really no choice but to switch the Blake/CP3 PnR at the elbow when CP3 is essentially the best mid-range shooter in the game. When Blake is knocking down his mid-range jumper then it also defeats the trapping strategy against CP3. I would agree that it didn't make sense to switch the PnR in the 2015 postseason when it was being run outside the 3 point line.

Clips don't milk the PnR against the Duds b/c they don't want Draymond to switch onto CP3, they rather try to bully him on the blocks w/ Blake to no avail. When they do run the PnR & get the switch then the Duds essentially ignore Moute/DeAndre to crowed Blake when he's trying to do his crab dribble.

If I'm Pop, I would experiment w/ LMA/Moute, Dedmon/DeAndre, Kawhi/Blake, Danny/CP3, Patty/Re then have LMA play off Moute w/ one foot in the paint so he can either blockout DeAndre if Dedmon has to challenge Blake at the rim or use his length to crowd Blake if he's doing his crab dribble move. You can also switch LMA w/ Simmons if Crawford is in the game.

[SAGirl]

Deserves a bump!

[gambit1990]

i wanted dedmon starting since early july:

don't see gasol coming off the bench...

but i like this rotation:
lma/robinson
dedmon/gasol

so we'd have have an offensive big & and a young, athletic, rebounder on the court.

now i want dedmon and gasol starting.

[All Mighty Janitor]

Bumpity bump

[Seventyniner]

I actually think it doesn't matter that much. What's more important is the minute split. If Dedmon keeps playing like this he should get at least as many minutes as Pau.

[barbacoataco]

I trust Gasol more than Aldridge in the playoffs when crunch time comes. Aldridge has always been a choker until he proves me wrong. (And I use to live in Portland and watch the Blazers a lot) Gasol is a gutsy player who doesn't shy away from pressure and has the kind of offense to score when needed. His defense will improve when needed too.

[sasaint]

I actually think it doesn't matter that much. What's more important is the minute split. If Dedmon keeps playing like this he should get at least as many minutes as Pau.

I think there is a difference. I like the idea of starting out with a defense-oriented lineup to make baskets hard for the opponent to get at the beginning of the game. It sets the tone of a game and may affect the other team's shooting thereafter. If baskets come more easily at the start of a game then the opponent may gain confidence that enables them to shoot better against the better defensive rotation when it takes the floor.

[alpha_HaZE]

Once Dedmon started to learn how to play Defense without fouling, I was excited about the possibilities, thus am happy to see Pop is starting him and that Pau is embracing his new role with the team. As others have already mentioned, Pau fits best better with the second unit and Dedmon with the first.

My favorite reason is that of defense, Pau and Tony can't be on the floor together for long stretches of time against offensive juggernauts like the Warriors or the Rockets. And let me say that both of them have elevated their play on defense since the all star break.

[San Antonio Slayer]

if we r talking about players development and peaking in terms of Pop seeing it (or how I think Pop could be seeing it) the best way is to leave Dedmon a starting center. I am sure LMA is the biggest threat when he has to do smaller amounts of defensive and rebounding job. And I love Dedmon's activity on pick-and-rolls. Hopefully once he becomes a nice finisher like Splitter, he would still be a spur.

[Ice009]

Once Dedmon started to learn how to play Defense without fouling, I was excited about the possibilities, thus am happy to see Pop is starting him and that Pau is embracing his new role with the team. As others have already mentioned, Pau fits best better with the second unit and Dedmon with the first.

My favorite reason is that of defense, Pau and Tony can't be on the floor together for long stretches of time against offensive juggernauts like the Warriors or the Rockets. And let me say that both of them have elevated their play on defense since the all star break.

Who's elevated their defense? Tony and Pau?

I am also all for Dedmon starting. I want to set the tone defensively to start games. I also think Pau would be more lethal off the bench, and he can be the offensive focal point on the second unit.

[cutewizard]

I trust Gasol more than Aldridge in the playoffs when crunch time comes. Aldridge has always been a choker until he proves me wrong. (And I use to live in Portland and watch the Blazers a lot) Gasol is a gutsy player who doesn't shy away from pressure and has the kind of offense to score when needed. His defense will improve when needed too.

-------------------------------------------------------

totally agree with you man,!

love Gasol............

[kuato]

Pau, i see Dedmon in the second unit with Manu, they have similar energy at defense and offense.

[Play Boban]

Deadman is a garbage player. Completely replaceable.

[Ice009]

Deadman is a garbage player. Completely replaceable.

I ought to punch you square in the jaw.

[Play Boban]

I ought to punch you square in the jaw.

Does the truth hurt that much? The Spurs system has a way of turning trash heap players like Keith Bogans and Dedmon into serviceable players.

[spurraider21]

but racist pop