Some thoughts on the Spurs of late.

[urunobili]

And manu really exploded in 05 during the playoffs... when Pop moved him to the 6th man position.

IIRC Manu played as a 6th man ONLY against the Nuggets in the first round after game's 1 loss...

[gobo]

That's not true, when Manu comes off the bench he usually plays less minutes ('cause he misses the first 6 minutes of each half) besides is easier to get in rythm when you start playing from the get go.

I agree that Manu needs to start unless coming off bench is his choice. The coach needs to ask young players like Mason to give the spark needed off the bench.

[kace]

, who cares if manu is a starter or comes from the bench.

he will have his minutes and be there to end games.
he could come from the bench and still play 38 minutes if Pop wants him to. he plays the minutes Pop wants him to play, starter or not.

but the fact is that the spurs need to always have one of the big three on the court to keep the offense running. and it's easy to manage with manu coming from the bench.

[Spuritguy]

This is a response to Kace's post.
Best response is a simple question. Try to give an honest and well thought out answer, Kace, to this question: If you were a member of a football, baseball, basketball, or soccer team, and you were at the very least one of the five best players in that sport at your position, would you care if, in spite of your great skill and hard work, you are designated as a reserve player, playing behind people who are not nearly as skilled.
And because of that designation you are passed over for very valuable and prestigious awards in your sport. Are you kidding? Who cares? I would think that any player in that cir stance would care very much. Just because Manu is a character guy, and as such in not going to make a big stink, doesn't mean he does not care. No player who reaches the plateau Manu has reached got there without a very large ego and super expectations. And I as a fan who knows that when Manu is on the floor the Spurs play much smarter and with greater energy, and much more unselfishily. So who cares that Manu is not a starter? Answer: It should be you as fan who wants the best for the Spurs and also the dumb ass coach who is not being fair or smart with Manu!!!

[vander]

I would like to see:

Pop not change people's minutes based on fouls, so what if Bonner gets 3 fouls in the first quarter, he rarely gets minutes late in the game anyways, stick with the planned rotations

no more Mason at the point, more minutes for G Hill, as a Defensive Specialist more than as a PG; he can play with TP, or with Manu in which case either he or Manu could run point