Reply With Quote
I just want to hear more about how Derrick White and his +/- -28 is the savior.
The Spurs entered the contest on Thursday night in Los Angeles against the Clippers as underdogs playing in the second night of a back-to-back. San Antonio held on for dear life throughout the game and almost pulled it out in the fourth quarter. Alas, the Spurs ended their road trip 0-3 with the 116-111 defeat.
With the game tied at 107 with a minute to go in regulation, super sub Lou Williams sank a 29-foot three-pointer. The Spurs kept scratching and clawing by that shot proved impossible to overcome.
-------------
LaMarcus Aldridge
LaMarcus Aldridge responded to his poor game against the Suns with an equally poor game against the Clippers. For those scoring at home, the 33-year-old finished this back-to-back set shooting 22.2 percent (6-of-27) from the field. In Los Angeles, he actually hit three of his first five attempts before finishing the game by missing his final ten attempts. The leading culprit for Aldridge was simple: soft shots. He settled for fadeaway jumpers far too often and we didn't see aggressive post moves from him until late in the contest. Defensively, he was really bad at defending pick-and-rolls or any other sets that involved movement on the perimeter. Oh, and his transition defense was MIA, as well. The one area where he excelled was rebounding the basketball. It's safe to say the Spurs would have won this game with a B game out of Aldridge.
Grade: D-
Summary: Aldridge's egg laying ways continued.
-------------
DeMar DeRozan
DeMar DeRozan's efficiency was lacking but I was pleased with his effort. He was a consistent threat for the Spurs and his activity on offense helped keep San Antonio within striking distance. He was fearlessly driving the ball to the hoop and created a plethora of shots for his teammates. DeRozan was also very clean with his playmaking . . . until a costly turnover with 20 seconds remaining and the Spurs down by three-points. Defensively, DeRozan's effort was inconsistent. At times, he was doing as best as he can. At other times, he was fine with letting screens wipe him out of plays completely.
Grade: B+
Summary: DeRozan was the engine that made the offense go.
-------------
Derrick White
Yikes. The performance against the Rockets seems like a distant memory now. Derrick White was terrible in multiple areas. He couldn't get the Spurs into their sets with consistency. When he wasn't missing all of his field goal attempts, he was doing little to no playmaking. White's confidence level was low, as he played like an overwhelmed young player. Defensively, there was nothing to write home to Colorado about. The Spurs need White to find his footing because he hasn't looked like a starting-caliber player for a few games now.
Grade: F+
Summary: White isn't repaying Pop for his trust in him.
-------------
Bryn Forbes
I was mostly pleased with how Bryn Forbes played. His defense wasn't especially good but he mostly kept players in front of him, offered timely help defense and consistently competed. On offense, he was better. He attempted and made contested three-pointers, while coming off of picks sharply to create space. Overall, Forbes didn't make many mistakes while tying his season-high in points. Not much to complain about.
Grade: B+
Summary: Forbes' shooting from deep was one of San Antonio's finest weapons.
-------------
Dante Cunningham
Offensively, it seemed like DeRozan was making it a point to keep Dante Cunningham involved. It worked out well for Cunningham, as he was a bit more productive than usual. Defense, though, was his problem tonight. Cunningham is looked at as this team's defensive ace but he didn't look the part tonight. Danilo Gallinari repeatedly bested him in one-on-one matchups, including a pivotal possession late that ended with Gallinari going to the line. If Cunningham is going to struggle on defense, then there's really no point to play him since he's such a spacing-killer on offense.
Grade: C-
Summary: Cunningham's defense was poor, which sank his value.
-------------
Patty Mills
With White struggling, Patty Mills was a breath of fresh air tonight. While Mills shot poorly (including a lot of would-be momentum-changing misses), he played with more passion than anyone else in silver and black. He was passing better than usual, uncharacteristically made a few plays for his teammates and once again showed better than average effort on the glass. Defensively, he was relatively good. He battled through mismatches and allowed the Spurs to switch a lot without getting burned.
Grade: B+
Summary: Mills brought juice.
-------------
Rudy Gay
In his 25 minutes, Rudy Gay looked really good. He scored off the catch, off the dribble and in isolation situations. He rebounded with tenacity. He efforted on defense. Even Gay's passing was notable. Per minute, he was probably the team's best player. Unfortunately, he went to the locker room late in the fourth and then didn't return to the court (although he did return to the bench). The Spurs really, really need Gay to get healthy and get back to playing heavy minutes.
Grade: A-
Summary: Gay was a beast before his night was ended prematurely.
-------------
Marco Belinelli
Marco Belinelli just can't find his rhythm offensively. Over his last five games, he's shooting 31 percent from the floor. Versus the Clippers, Belinelli forced a couple horrible shots and struggled with his decision-making. His energy level was acceptable but his production wasn't. Defensively, I thought he was better than usual -- but that's not saying a whole lot. He provided some help defense but he still had trouble keeping anyone in front of him.
Grade: C-
Summary: Belinelli needs to get on track if this Spurs team is going to turn it around.
-------------
Jakob Poeltl
Jakob Poeltl finally played like an established NBA player. He was far from great but he moved with purpose and wasn't second-guessing everything. He could still stand to play more physically -- particularly in the paint, on both ends -- but this was likely his best outing as a Spur. I liked how fast he ran the court and he protected the rim well at times. Step forward.
Grade: B
Summary: Poeltl showed some life.
-------------
Davis Bertans
Davis Bertans played two minutes and then never hit the court again. And, really, you can't blame the coaching staff. In those two minutes, Bertans was manhandled in the paint. The Clippers are a physical team and the Latvian didn't appear ready to accept the challenge.
Grade: Inc.
Summary: Bertans got steamrolled and then benched.
-------------
Pop
I still don't like Cunningham in the starting lineup. As I've been saying, it hampers the offense. On nights like tonight when Cunningham is a liability on defense, starting him really doesn't make sense. To Pop's credit, it appeared as if he attempted to stagger DeRozan and White -- but White was playing so poorly he had to scrap those plans. I think Pop deserves some credit for finding a group that almost stole a win in Los Angeles.
Grade: C+
Summary: Pop can't be happy about the 0-3 road trip.
Looking ahead: The Spurs, who have now lost five of their last six games, now face the Warriors at home on Sunday before traveling to New Orleans for a match against the Pelicans on Monday.
At this point, the Spurs just need a win to stop the bleeding. Let's that happens this weekend.
I just want to hear more about how Derrick White and his +/- -28 is the savior.
If your gonna give White an f+ then I think Aldridge deserves an incomplete.
Starting PG with 0 points and 1 assist! Definitely not tanking!
If were basing it off expectations, Aldridge should get a "Z".
I will say though, that Mills, Bellinelli and Forbes combination to end the game destroyed any chance the Spurs had of salvaging the game.
White fed Aldridge for two open shots out of the pick and roll that I recall, he just bricked them
White had a very bad game, but the Houston game was the real White. He might need to come off the bench to settle in, but he can play
When was the last time timvp didn't give Patty a B? If yesterday's 5-14fg performance didn't do it, I don't know what will. DDR and Forbes played like a B+ last night, the Tasmanian Fortnite pro pretty much buried any chance of a comeback.
Also I'm glad I'm not the only one that doesn't like what they see when Bertans checks in. He's just a boy in a man's league. Probably has the worst build in the league. He has the shoulders of a teenage kid.
Actually I thought we played pretty well considering our roster construction with no wings. Definitely the best game in a while on both ends.
LA's struggles on offense are genuinely concerning now. If he played even his below average game offensively from last season, we would have won this.
Actually liked how DeMar behaved on offense considering cir stances. Forbes's confidence in his 3pt shot while his feet are set is also inspiring. Other than that... This roster is what it is and will never be a top-5 seed in the west.
with 2 kawhis we would have beaten any league team in the last 3 years, today if demar had as teammates 2 rudy gay would probably be the second best team in the league, that's how important he is today (and how good he is as basketball player)
so far, the game against Houston has been the exception, so even though this proves true, there is no real basis for this claim (at least at the nba level)
Last edited by r0drig0lac; 11-16-2018 at 06:14 AM.
Also I thought this time Pop's in-game coaching was pretty good -- aside from the starting line-up which is technically before-the-game coaching. Pop actually tried to stagger DeMar & White and mostly made reasonable decisions. I would give him a B for this one
He literally ended the game with Belinelli, Forbes and Mills on the court together. Mills followed Gallinari into the the low post, Belinelli went to double leaving the shooter open in the corner, Aldridge went to cover the shooter and nobody was left to rebound the basketball. Clippers get the offensive rebound, kick it out to Lou Williams, ballgame! Pathetic but predictable. Pop gets a U.
That Williams 3 at the end was so unfortunate. It was really good D and a really bad shot. Then Harris clotheslining Forbes off the ball with no call (freedom of movement I thought), was just the nail.
yeah. and what choice did he have? Gay wasn't available, otherwise Pop would go with Gay. This was the only available line-up that was clicking. And also Lou Williams just made a tough shot.
It wasn't the Lou Williams shot. It was what precipitated the shot that was a total fail. What is the point of Cunningham on the roster if he can't even be used for late game defense?
Does Rudy Gay inavailability really surprise anyone at this point? And people make fun of Kawhi's inability to stay on the court.
Is Aldridge even into this anymore? He seems disinterested. Maybe he wants a trade again?
Tough time to be a spurs fan tbh...
just not enough talent on this team at this point
Yup and one of the few talented players we have is looked to have given up after such a great year just 1 year ago.
LMA ? I’d rather him struggle now than later on closer to playoffs tbh. He’ll get it going eventually.
But if we keep taking L’s like this we could easily miss the playoffs.
I wouldn't say LA didn't try on d but these past 2 games he looked Dwight Howard kind of bad on offense
The team gave great effort. I was much more pleased with what I saw from them than in the Suns game.
That being said, Belli and LMA sank the team with their bad shooting. LMA grows some offensive testicles and we win this one by double digits. Hopefully he can find his stuff because it wasn’t like he was ignored in the offensive sets, he just took poor shots. He’s usually one of the strongest guys on the court but he won’t pound it inside for whatever reason. He has the size and strength advantage again on Sunday so I hope he uses it or else that game will be ugly.
I never thought I’d say it but the Spurs have missed Pau in these losses, especially in games where LMA can’t do much.
Bertans can’t see the floor for more than 2 mins but PATFO thought it was a good idea to give him 7mil a year. Our contracts are such garbage.
LMA looks completly disinterested in playing basketball right now.
I couldn't agree more. At this point, even with his inability to rebound or play defense, I would play him out of spite. The Spurs love handing out money to players for them not to actually play.
When was last pop tech
He seems not to care only basketball
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
