Mahinmi is still pretty damn robotic. His ceiling is probably as a good backup center.
Splitter has issues to iron out but he has a lot more actual skill. If he can play a little bit tougher and learn how to get his shots off on a consistent basis, there's no reason why he can't be a long-term starter in the NBA. It's unlikely he's ever more than an average starting center -- but even average starting centers are valuable and make a ton of money.
No because the Spurs could have used both.
Not this year. He's been a part of the regular rotation.
Very interesting. This points to Anderson being the odd man out of the rotation. Leonard probably remains the backup three, although I guess we'll see.
It's too bad that Anderson has been such a failure this season. The potential is there but he has definitely regressed since the beginning of last year.
I agree with this move by Pop. The Spurs can't survive Ginobili's minutes while giving Anderson charity minutes against good teams.
^ We have to Neal with it ... and that's ok
Too soon to start Gary Neal? I'm not crazy about Anderson's play, but he should be given more of a chance.
Makes sense.
Splitter acts like he thinks he's about 6'6. He will be right at the rim with one smaller defender he could own, but he does all the moves, head fakes and often defers to someone else instead of attacking the rim.
He needs to work with a big other than Tim. Tim's game has always been a bit of finesse, and Tim has that strength and doesn't have to attack (but can), but Tiago needs to work with someone who's had to count on power. Tiago needs to develop some at ude.
Looking at the bright side, it's not like they passed on a bunch of great players when they drafted him at 20 (maybe Landry Fields would have been better).
It was a terrible draft top to bottom.
What channel is the game supposed to be on? I can't find it.
Kens 5
I'm only getting the Mavs' broadcast.
Part of the reason Neal is starting is the Mavs small starting back-up, but you also have to believe Green coming of the bench is partly the reason. Anderson's PT really looks glim
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursna...arting-lineup/
This game is all about Tony Parker for me. He's gotta be able to maximize his match-up advantage versus the Mavs tonight. He doesn't have to score but he's gotta break down their perimeter defense. It'll be Parker versus Dirk's impact imo
It looks like it did. Duncan didn't look great but he looked a lot better than he did against the Rockets.Tim Duncan's mobility
Will the lack of travel help Duncan? Let's hope so.
It was mostly Blair and Splitter. Blair had a strip of Nowitzki and a few other deflections. Splitter moved his feet pretty well to stay with him. However, that was about as bad as Nowitzki will ever play so there wasn't much to take away.Defending Dirk Nowitzki
With McDyess enjoying retirement, who will attempt to guard Nowitzki?
Ford looked pretty good again. He's playing like a totally difference player this year than any point in his career. And really, that's a good thing.TJ Ford's Progress
Last night, Ford had by far his best game of the season. Was it a result of getting comfortable with the system and thus an outcome we can expect more often?
He's shooting about half as much as he used to in his prime. He's even shooting about 1/3rd less than he did last year. Ford also isn't forcing things at the rim anymore, which is evident by the fact that he's barely getting to the line. His rebounding is also down compared to his career rates but I think that has to do with him focusing more on getting back on defense and closing out on his man.
If Ford can turn into a quality distributor who takes only smart shots and hustles on defense, I'll be very satisfied by his play. As it is, it's a great sign that Ford realizes he no longer needs to be a star and can help the team most by playing a role.
He didn't play like a superstar or anything but Green continues to look like he can be a valuable part of the rotation. And while Spurs fans are hyping him up a bit, his stats so far this season show he's been playing at a high level. He has a PER of 20.83, which is eighth best among shooting guards in the league (BTW, Ginobili is first at a ridiculous 35.15).Danny Green's Encore
Pop, of course, does something else. He starts Neal, put Green in the rotation, kept Leonard in the rotation and exiled Anderson. It worked really well last night, so kudos to Pop for that decision.Altered Rotation
Speaking of the rotation, it will be interesting to see how much Pop changes it based off of the Warriors game. You'd think he has to give Green a look early. If he does, will it at be at Leonard's expense? Could Pop actually start Green, allow Leonard to keep his role and make Anderson the odd man out? Will he play small ball and allow them all to play? Stay tuned.
Splitter had 3 points and 3 rebounds in 19 minutes. Mahinmi had seven points, nine rebounds and a block in 20 minutes ... but he also had four turnovers.Ian Mahinmi versus Tiago Splitter
I'd say Mahinmi won this battle pretty handily despite the turnovers. He played physically and was one of the few Mavs who looked engage. When Splitter posted up on Mahinmi, he had no hope of moving Splitter. When Mahinmi posted up on Splitter, he scored pretty easily.
I would still take Splitter longterm but these last couple games have been pretty deflating.
pop continues to all over the haters on here. Bigs can't guard a team that drills threes like the spurs.
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