Stealth mode to drop into the lottery. CIA Pop!
Anyone know how many ex-Spurs call SA home?
Stealth mode to drop into the lottery. CIA Pop!
I don't buy this for a second. You can only go so long playing an undersized, under-talented lineup such as this and expect to be successful. The next time this team plays a credible opponent and get's embarrassed (we won't have to wait too long for this inevitability) and goes on one of their recently patented three game slides or loses four of six, he'll inevitably reinsert Jefferson and probably McDyess into the starting lineup.
Who has their second and third best bigs and at minimum two or their three best wings not in their starting lineup? It's ludicrous. The man is starting two players not in the top eight on the team in terms of talent.
Does he have have any recollection of what used to work? I get that he's trying to make Bogans this teams Bowen (even though it's never going to happen, they're both technically known as defenders, despite the fact that Bogans is nowhere near even close to being in Bowen's class).
But Bonner? What is the obsession with the "stretch four"? Yeah, the Spurs have always had one or two, but off the bench. Never before have they had one starting next to Duncan consistently (save for Bonner last season), yet here he is, pretending as if Duncan has to have a shooter next to him. As if that's more important than having a solid defender and a presence on the boards next to him. It's baffling. This is what passes for getting Duncan more help in the paint? Even though they're undersized and aren't rim protectors, McDyess and Blair are by far the second and third best bigs on the team and one rarely plays with Duncan, the other no longer does at all.
Link to where the Spurs DIDN'T?
Go look for it your damn self.
Go look for it your damn self.
Front office apologist.
McDonald on the Bogner lineup : This is the fivesome he plans to use going forward.Tim Duncan : “(Popovich) is going to make some changes internally, lineup-wise, play-calling-wise and everything else to get us to turn that corner,”wait . . . whaaa . . . ?Pop : “There's no more time for re-evaluation,” Popovich said. “We've got to get solid with who we have and how we're using them.”
McDonald : This is the fivesome ... going forward.Duncan : “(Popovich) is going to make some changes internally, lineup-wise . . . ”huh . . . ?Pop : “There's no more time for re-evaluation . . . We've got to get solid with who we have and how we're using them.”
fivesome ... going forward.“changes internally, lineup-wise”uhhh . . . so . . . we're going forward with the lineup we have, we're getting solid with the backups because there's no more time for re-evaluation . . . but we're also making changes internally, line-up wise?“no more time for re-evaluation . . . solid with who we have and how we're using them.”
*cue homer simpson's brain saying "That's it, I'm outta here." followed by footsteps and the sound of a slamming door
Maybe Pop throws Mahinmi out there thinking he has no other option.
i don't like the idea of Jefferson srarting off on the bench. the same problem is going to happen where he just stands around and isn't involved when Manu isos.
this should be our starting lineup:
TP
RMJ
RJ
Bonner/McDyess
TD
having Bonner and RMJ in there would make it easier to run an iso play for RJ and get him involved early on. there's plenty of penetrate and kick out for 3 potential with that lineup. i think RMJ should start. last year the guy was lights out when he was playing sg before pop messed him up. he's streaky, no question, but when he's on he can change the tide of a game in a hurry. we've seen it before, i'd like to see him get as much of a chance to do it this year as Bogans has at being complete .
another reason i think it would work is because RMJ is a mentally tough and vocal player and i think that fits with RJ's more subdued personality. George Hill has proved to be a good player but he doesn't have the fire that RMJ has, and Bogans is that plus he sucks ass.
i guess what i'm trying to get at is that the Spurs need someone to step up and be the guy Bruce was. not in the sense of his skillet or abilities, but his demeanor and leadership. no one on that team is doing that right now. that's why the team is so damn inconsistent. there's no floor general. as good as Duncan is, he never was one. Parker isn't, and Ginobili isn't. all those guys lead by example, but that isn't reliable because the game changes; teams go through cold spells. it's when that happens that this team starts to suck, and it's usually in 4th quarter. remember, it was Bowen who huddled everyone together and yelled at everyone to keep there heads in the game and keep playing together. he was the floor leader. no one is doing that right now. i'm not sure anyone can. the only guy that can be that guy, and i think the only guy that has the personality to do that is RMJ; but Pop has him on the bench. i thought Mcdyess could be that guy, but maybe not. i think it being his first year, or maybe i just thought wrong and he's really subdued, he's not stepping up.
anyway, this team needs a floor leader. that's the only thing keeping them from winning a championship right now imo, as crazy as it sounds. Bruce was the ultimate glue guy, and right now this team is falling apart, esp late in games, and they let it get away from them.
someone needs to step the up and be the floor leader.
Good point about the team needing a vocal player to do a little coaching out on the floor (Pop needs all the help he can get), but I don't think RMJ is that type of player, I've always seen him as a soft spoken carry a big stick type.
you might be right, but i think he's the only guy i can imagine be that type of guy. it might be a stretch, but you can't even "stretch" for anyone else. Blair, Bonner, Hill, Bogans, RJ aren't going to do it.
this team is just so mentally weak right now. they fall when things start to get slippery. Bowen kept the guys in check.
Mingus, I agree for the most part about Jefferson.
I think it's a bit late in the year to change RJ's role (the guy is having a hard enough time as is) and having the 3 pt shooters would help that aspect (penetrate and kick). Especially since TP isn't 100%, we need RJ in the starting lineup to give the team an additional penetrator.
We can only hope the current lineup fails so badly Pop is forced to change it back.
But we are going to do it with hustle and integrity.
hate to bring it up, but this is where S-Jax would have been a perfect fit for this team instead of RJ, despite the fact that he is already better in terms of skillset. you need guys like Bowen and S-Jax to win championships.
it's funny how Pop said in an interview earlier in the season that RJ was basically S-Jax without the drama, or something to that effect. it's just an asinine statement.
Is it too crazy to go all out on these 30 games left and just put the best players out there from the start in order to get some chemistry going?
I would go with:
TP
Manu
RJ
TD
Dyce or Blair
Also, I would have them play 30+ minutes, I understand the risk (especially with Manu) but if they don't get it together now, there is no point in having everyone rested come playoff time and loose in the first round.
The ledge is on standby as we speak....We just became the Dallas Cowboys of the NBA. Seems that we will be happy to get past the first round this season.
it really does not matter who starts to a certain extent
booner started but played 12 minutes
it really is the matter of how many minutes people get
the first quarter has not been the problem 3 and 4 have
It's the Cold Envelope/Heavy Ball strategy.![]()
I'm pretty sure TD's quote used in this article was from before the All-Star break![]()
Nope. Post-game interview in Indiana.
Agreed completely.
Then why start them? I can't figure out why Pop starts Bogans, Bonner, Dice, etc and only plays them 10-15 minutes. How many teams do that?
I've always been fine with Manu coming in off the bench, but I'm starting to think they just need to start the lineup that will also be closing out games - which should be Tony, Manu, RJ, Tim, Dice/Blair. Hill can play the sixth man role and close out certain games based on matchups, performances, etc (but keep two bigs on the floor dammit!). The starters need to play 30+ minutes each and get some chemistry out there. Come playoff time the rotation will be trimmed to about 8 people anyway. We need those players on the court together as much as possible.
Well I guess los Spurs are who we thought they were.
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