Thanks Timvp.
The Spurs have looked uninspired in their recent losses to Memphis and Charlotte. Hopefully this changes, because the Spurs aren't good enough to sleep through January like they have in other seasons. Pop will no doubt try to wake them up in March, but for this team that might be too late.
The Hornets exploited the defensive weaknesses of the Spurs, and, unfortunately, provided a blueprint for other teams to follow in doing so. Any team that takes advantage of the Forbes/Mills mismatches on switches will kill us. You can hide 1 defensive liability but when we have Forbes, Mills AND Pondexter, or Cunningham, or Gasol out there with those two it gets pretty rough. I'd also consider sitting Gasol completely at this point. His -4.6 net O rating when he's on vs. off the floor is pretty significant. He's bringing nothing that Poetl can't provide. Hand the keys to Poetl, let Gasol fill the Kevin Willis role, and let's move on from the Pau era. He's bringing down the youth movement and needs to be benched.
Spurs are 4-6 without Rudy, and are being outscored by 3.4 points per game in the games he's missed. He is this team's X-factor this season, and so I'm hopeful he's back soon. Seems like DDR plays better with his brochacho out there as well.
Thanks for the grades. This game was difficult to watch with everyone not named LMA, after a color, or from Latvia playing pretty damn bad. DDR had more to's than assists and that will probably give us a loss every time when he is on the floor for most of the game. At least he looked disgusted with the loss and his own play. Dallas and Wolves will be tougher teams and not cakewalks. Rudy and Beli being out were enough to turn a good team into a not so good team judging by this game.
Occam's razor still points to fatigue. Spurs haven't had more than one day rest between games since the Toronto game. Going back to Christmas, there have been no extra rest days other than before the Toronto game ... but it's not like that was a restful period for DeRozan.
Most minutes played by a Spur in 15 years. Playing defense for the first time in his career. Most emotional game of his career and no rest since. It sounds like the recipe for fatigue to me. Maybe he's hurt, sick or upset about something but it's not he most likely answer, IMO.
I'll start worrying if DeRozan doesn't look like his early season self by the game in New Orleans on the 26th. With only one game in the five days before that, he better look spry or something is wrong.
A+ basketball career, tbh. Most coachable player in NBA history, perhaps. Managed to thread the needle of being an alpha, unshakable lead guard while not stepping on the toes of two older, self-driven Hall of Famers and a fiercely demanding coach. That he was mature enough to handle that responsibility at 19 was the most improbable and important intangible aspect of the four ensuing championships.
With as quickly as TP can spot mismatches on the court, how high his basketball IQ is, how much of a leader he has turned into and how well the young players on the Hornets have responded to his leadership, I'm beginning to see him as the most logical heir apparent to Pop. I used to think he'd be best suited for a front office job but his vacation in North Carolina has me envisioning him taking the baton from Pop and being a top tier head coach for 30 years, tbh.
Dallas is never an easy out especially now with Luka but I'm hoping we can dial it in and win this one. Against the Wolves, last time we played them on the road was when we lost by 30. I'm hoping for a much different outcome.
Good stuff. Agree on all points.
It can't be overstated enough how important Gay is to this team. He's not a star player anymore but he's more vital to the Spurs than his raw talents would indicate. I think it's because:
1. Outside of White, he's arguably the team's best defender. His length and athleticism is disruptive. He's also really good at pulling down contested boards and allows the Spurs to go small without being physically manhandled in the paint.
2. Opponents not only need to defend him out to the three-point line, they have to keep a player with size on him or else Gay will feast in the low block the second he has a mismatch. Players like Forbes, Belinelli, Mills, etc. are all good shooters (better shooters, probably) but opponents don't have to worry about who is contesting their shots. It could be a point guard or a center and it has the same effect.
3. He's the pressure release valve of the offense. When things get bogged down and nothing else is working, letting Gay iso usually results in something positive. With Gay out, DeRozan turns into the pressure release valve and he's just not as suited for the job because there are matchups and defensive tactics that can bottle him up. Gay, on the other hand, has the length, high release point, ballhandling and quickness to get a good shot off in any matchup. Gay is limited by injuries and age these days but there's still not a player in the league that I'm aware of who really disrupts him when he goes one-on-one.
Aldridge is the best player and should be the All-Star representative, but Gay is the most important player because he unlocks the best lineups. If Aldridge went down, Poeltl/Gasol could suffice as a competent center rotation, but there's no one who can provide a facsimile of what Gay can.
They can either address it or waste one of the remaining (final?) prime Aldridge and Gay seasons (not that there's anything they can do to win the championship, but the league is about as open as it gets) hoping that his rapidly breaking down body does something it hasn't in 2 years: cooperate for an extended period of time.
The thought has crossed my mind too. In some capacity, it seems like he'll have a role here when he's finished.
That would be awesome, actually.
Pondexter is a total waste of a roster spot. He appears to lack even the most basic of basketball skills. Not sure why Pop always insists on keeping one or two charity cases on the team.
Would love to have all three guys be part of the organization I can see Manu being in charge of Scout/Talent Development - Tim or Tony GM or Coach.
Paul Gasol = F (---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------)
Derrick White = A (-)
Patty Mills = (B)
Davis Bertans = C to C (+)
Pop = (D)
Hopeful Rudy is back tomorrow. Marco too I hope. I still believe barring injuries to our top 4 players that this team is capable of competing. Enjoyed reading these comments, as Gay is indeed critical to our success.
When Gay is on the floor, he's such a capable offensive player that he usually draws one of the other teams longer, better defenders. When he's out, opponents can just focus on Demar, and cover him with their best defenders, which probably impacts DeRozan's game, too. DeRozan's "slump" will magically end when Gay is back.
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