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When new guy came, you always overrated him. Casue Pop and RC couldn`t be wrong in taking players
It is not Bonner fault that Spurs don`t get better big men for s5. If he plays less then 10 mpg, there wouldn`t be so many "Bonner sucks" threads.
When new guy came, you always overrated him. Casue Pop and RC couldn`t be wrong in taking players
It is not Bonner fault that Spurs don`t get better big men for s5. If he plays less then 10 mpg, there wouldn`t be so many "Bonner sucks" threads.
Bonner had a pretty damn good regular season. He led the team in +/-, was near the top of the league in three-point shooting and his defense was much better than he will ever get credit for. The problem when you get a player from a lotto team is you don't know how they will respond to pressure. Unfortunately, Bonner proved during the regular season that he was probably a choker. Now that we are in the playoffs, he is definitely a choker.
His stats this year and the fact that he started most of the games exceeded my Bonner expectations. The fact that he has a Hedo-esque choke quality about him is unfortunate and not something the Spurs or anyone else could have known before putting him in pressure situations.
I think my bottom line with Bonner is that he is a solid role player who performed admirably through much of the year, but in the end was probably relied upon a bit too much.
Can Bonner be a good role player for a good team? Yes, he has proven that this year.
Can Bonner be a good role player for a championship team? Probably, but he needs to learn how to play in the playoffs and under pressure before he reaches that level.
Can Bonner be the starting center of a championship team? Probably not. I love his energy, his shooting ability, and everything else he brings to the table, but championship teams almost always have defensive oriented centers who can protect the rim and grab rebounds at a clip higher than Bonner's perimeter-oriented game allows for.
He never should have been a starter. Energy role player off the bench- OK. Preferable choice when Scola could have been signed at the same time for the same money. Never.
Bonner sucks.
His defense sucks. He can't defend the paint against a half decent post player for .
Pop's scheme of a big man who can shoot the three, spread the floor is toast because less and less Duncan is commanding a double team in the post.
Also Duncan's mobility guarding the post is on a serious decline. Spurs need a second big that's a stronger defender.
Get rid of Bonner for whatever other one dimensional player he can bring for a similar contract that the Spurs could actually use.
Last edited by picnroll; 04-26-2009 at 05:08 PM.
wow, someone who's still a matt bonner fan after him putting up one of the most pathetic post-seasons in nba history. this is awesome.matt bonner guarded Dirk very well this series, and deserves credit for that if his stat line read 0's all the way down. you're just a ing hater like all the rest.
at all of you bonner hating es. He deserves so much better after what he's done to try and contain/limit Dirk this series. I will continue to laugh when he starts Game 1 of 82 next season
zosa, you are clearly a clueless moron. never post again.
no, he hasn't. he's contributed next to nothing after being give a TON of minutes. good role players can produce even in limited stretches.
I think my bottom line with Bonner is that he is a solid role player who performed admirably through much of the year, but in the end was probably relied upon a bit too much.
Can Bonner be a good role player for a good team? Yes, he has proven that this year.
Lol, like you can learn how to play under pressure. You're either the type of player that can handle pressure, or you're a spineless pussy that shrinks when the pressure's on, like Matt Boner. This isn't his first year in the league. This is the best he's ever going to be, a worthless big man that can hit a three in a meaningless game.
You hit the nail on the head.When new guy came, you always overrated him. Casue Pop and RC couldn`t be wrong in taking players
It is not Bonner fault that Spurs don`t get better big men for s5. If he plays less then 10 mpg, there wouldn`t be so many "Bonner sucks" threads.
this is what pop fails to recognize. he needs a big that can defend, rebound and score here and there. the 3 point shooting big is fools gold.
Pop fell in love with Robert Horry, and somewhere in the way he thought Matt could provide the same. Very big FAIL Pop.
Bonner was supposed to be a bench player when he arrived in San Antonio. A guy who comes in and gets 10-15 minutes of hustle play a night. Sometimes more minutes when he's raining 3's, sometimes less when the other team is too athletic.
By now, Mahinmi or Splitter should have been in a Spurs uniform alongside of Duncan on the front line. The Spurs were forced to give Bonner a bigger role and since he was shooting so well throughout this season (and they needed offense without Manu), it made sense.
The Spurs obviously gave up on being a defensive force early in the season. That's why Bonner remained a starter, Bowen went to the bench, and Hill didn't get off the pine. That was the mistake I think. They thought they didn't have the personnel to lock people down anymore. I think they still did.
I have done my share of Bonner hating, but I think it's silly to go off on the guy constantly. People were actually calling for his suicide after the last game. That's freakin' sick. It's a basketball game and he's a human being.
He's a guy who would have been a great energy player for 15 minutes a night, he was forced into a starting role and did what he could this year. I'm not apologizing for his wussy reluctance to shoot or his slumps at times, but people need to look at how this came about -- not just blame Bonner for not being able to be a different type of player.
Not only I agree, I don't think it's the guy's fault at all. I think this is a very bad gamble by our coach. And I think everyone saw a long time ago how this was going to play out, and that's why the constant ing now.
Bonner does the best he can. You can't blame him for the effort. But he's just obviously not good enough.
There's a difference between choking and sucking. In the regular season, his team-best plus/minus numbers prove he had to be doing something right.
For a starting center, you can say he sucks. For a player in the NBA, he doesn't suck ... at least in the regular season.
Bonner's perimeter defense is actually damn good for a bigman. He can move his feet on the perimeter against smaller players and closes out well on shooters. To say his defense sucks is too large of a blanket statement.
In the paint against length, yeah he's sub par. He's non-existent in terms of being able to intimidate shots at the rim. Bonner also tends to allow his bad offense to flow over into his defensive play.
But right now against the Mavs, he's far and away the second best defensive bigman the Spurs have to combat what the Mavs want to do. And actually, the Mavs have adjusted their attack to avoid running a pick-and-roll when he's involved. As scary as it may be, the Mavs are showing more respect to Bonner's defense than any big on the team -- including Duncan.
Somewhat agree. When the day comes that team's stop doubling TD, then having a perimeter shooting big is far less important. And when the day comes that Duncan can't control the entire point, he'll need some help in terms of rebounding and shot blocking.
Hopefully the roster is adjusted over the summer to factor in those facts ... but hopefully Duncan's decline in those areas is due to injury and he can turn back the clock for at least one more season.
Bonner shouldn't be thrown away at this point. Salary dumping him would be a terrible idea. Even if the Spurs get blown out in Game 5 and Bonner sucks, moving him to a deeper bench role (where he should have been the whole time) is better than just throwing him away. He'd be useful going forward in certain matchups and his shooting would be useful against teams that sag.
But yeah, I agree the Spurs can't go into next year with all their eggs in the Bonner basket. They need a big that can take some of the interior pressure off of Duncan.
Thank you for being a voice of reason, Kori. Lots of great points. I agree with what you said about going off on Bonner (or any player) constantly, but more broadly, I wish more fans would stop seeing things in black and white. There are no players in the NBA who absolutely suck, and there are none who are going to perform every night. If you're going to heap criticisms or praises upon players on a basketball board, first buy a color TV set, develop a memory longer than a goldfish, and remember that "it's a basketball game and [the players are] human being[s]."
Even in the heat of the moment that one crossed a line.
I disagree.Bonner shouldn't be thrown away at this point. Salary dumping him would be a terrible idea. Even if the Spurs get blown out in Game 5 and Bonner sucks, moving him to a deeper bench role (where he should have been the whole time) is better than just throwing him away. He'd be useful going forward in certain matchups and his shooting would be useful against teams that sag.
Bonner will just be another Finley 2.0 where Pop will give him a big chunk of minutes regardless of how it affects the game. if he lays an egg in game 5 his role will probably become even bigger next season. That's the way it is.
He has to be jettisoned from the roster like Finley and KT and Vaughn and Oberto. It's too much temptation for Pop.
Of course there's what should be done, not what will be done. Like when they should have signed Scola. Like when they shouldn't have signed Elson/Butler. Like when they shouldn't have re-signed Finley and KT.
So I fully expect Bonner to return next season with a big role with the Spurs.
I agree with most of what Kori and timvp say. Just venting on Bonner to some extent from frustration. He is what he is. To bad that's the best the Spurs have.
I'm not as optimistic that Duncan's decline is not a little more than timvp is hoping and that he can still be an elite franchise player. A lot of people's premise is that since Duncan never relied on athleticism, loss of athleticism won't effect him as much as some. I think the opposite is true, that a little loss in athleticism will cost a lot in effectiveness, and I'm afraid we're beginning to see it.
Spurs better come up with something in the off season or Bonner's biggest contribution to the Spurs next year will be helping them to a great pick in the 2010 draft.
Bonner's numbers are uninspiring. Whether or not he was signed to play 10-15 minutes or to start, he is getting payed to perform just like the other players. Bonner has proven this year that he is just an ordinary player that shoots 3's extremely well in the regular season,except for the latter part of the season and playoff time.
Bonner has never played well against our Western Conference foes. And, continues to exemplify the type of player we don't want in a Spurs starting line-up. Unathletic and mentally weak. Not tough enough and only shoots 3's on a perfectly sunny day, weather just right, nobody near him, the Spurs in the lead so pressure is off, or at home near Boston. Lots of laughs. People want to applaud him for playing decent defense? Come-on. Wow-thanks Mattie, appreciate the earnest effort. A+ for effort. D+ for execution.
Bonner is a choker. Unfortunately that is more the norm than the exception. Not Mattie's fault. I guess we expected too much from Mattie? Only truly special players can withstand the mental pressure and toughness it takes to persevere through the playoffs. We have just been fortunate to have witnessed 4 Championships under players like Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, Elliott, Robinson, Horry, Johnson, Elie, Rasho, Bowen, etc...
eww Kori is a girl
There was a scene from the first half yesterday where Parker was doing his thing and dished to Bonner in a the corner Bowen spot. Bonner leaned over and tried to reach the ball without unsetting his feet, lost his balance, the ball was turned over. This was a parallel crossover twilight zone thing of Hedo Turkoglu in the Laker series. Hedo refused to unset his feet, at the cost of allowing a ball to zip right by him, turning it over, and not even getting a shot off.
It made me sad.
That's a damn good connection I hadn't thought about. Bonner literally went Hedo.
Literally.
I remember that one time this thread sucked
Bonner is the Amish Hedo.
Spurs need a major overhaul with the role players.
Bonner is annoyingly white...and has an ugly shot...
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