Resting players.

[jjktkk]

I don't like Pop sitting players, but the only thing I worry about is a healthy squad heading into the playoffs.

[SenorSpur]

Part of the problem is the small sample, since Pop is the only coach I know of that has utilized the approach to this degree. But the Spurs have been ill-prepared for the postseason the last three years, and this isn't the first season that Pop has been careful about minute distribution.

The Spurs have not been ill-prepared for the postseason the last three years, rather they've been ill-equipped. From the recurring injuries to Manu, to the lack of players with necessary and specific skill sets. However the greatest issue for the Spurs has been the inevitable decline of their once-great superstar player, Tim Duncan.

If this were the Duncan of 5-8 years ago, we wouldn't even be discussing this. You simply cannot win in the playoffs without superstar performances from superstar players. If your superstar is in decline, he cannot conjure up moments of greatness on a consistent basis, you're not going to make a deep run in the playoffs. Forget about championships. That is where the Spurs are at. And that has nothing to do with tanking a game or two in the middle of the season.

[xellos88330]

listen man, you obviously have not played or competed in any sport that requires recovery time; i did both tennis and track, and i can tell you that rest is a huge factor when it comes to performance. fyi, most of the drugs cyclists use do not boost performance, but recovery time.

take a chill pill people and enjoy the 2nd best record in the west - without ginobili.

oh yeah, and the kid kawhi is pretty good.

Are you serious? Isn't that why Pop is limiting minutes? Why not limit Tim's minutes? Chemistry isn't found by playing w/o your rotation players. How many assists did the Spurs have tonight? If Pop was going to pull this bull , why didn't he do the Denver game? Al ude, Denver coming off a back to back, and the Spurs' stars could pretty much rest through the all star break.

Don't make assumptions about people you don't know either dude. OBVIOUSLY you have no idea who I am and what I have done or am doing. Are you stupid or something?

[SA210]

To the OP:

I just came onto ST thinking the same damn thing. Great, get our guys rest. But oh , we just threw KL and crew under the bus.

I don't even agree with Pop tonight... you dress our players, period. Duncan could have went 10-15 mins along with Parker. This is complete bull .

resting players is cheating fans who pay tickets to go watch the game

fkn they should be forced to play their best 10, or released the roster lineups b4 the game....if ppl knew players were playing instead of starters/stars of the game, they wouldnt even bother wasting money on that ....

i think in soccer, they get penalized if they dont select their best 11

I have yet to see any real evidence on either side of the argument. There's no precedent to show that if you coddle your best players in the regular season and limit their minutes, they will perform better in the postseason... But who knows if some teams in the past might have benefitted from more rest?

The wear and tear of the regular season really only affects postseason performance when there is an injury. While it can reasonably be suggested that more rest means injury is less likely, I'd be surprised if anyone can actually show a real-life example of this proving itself out in an actual NBA season.

Part of the problem is the small sample, since Pop is the only coach I know of that has utilized the approach to this degree. But the Spurs have been ill-prepared for the postseason the last three years, and this isn't the first season that Pop has been careful about minute distribution.

So without having any way of knowing if resting players is a good thing or not, I guess I'd prefer for my coach to have the same level of expectations of his star players that every other coach in the league has, and take my chances.

(This reflects my opinion on resting players in general over the course of the season, and not necessarily my thoughts on this particular game. I actually don't have a problem with resting Duncan but I would have liked to see Parker start the game and sit out the second half if it was a blow out.)

[ElNono]

I agree with Senor. Duncan wasn't "tired" or "not rested enough" last playoffs. He just got worked by younger guys simply because Timmy unfortunately isn't the force he used to be and he didn't have enough help around him.

On that vein, I have no problem with Pop sitting him a game here or there. That wear and tear is more pronounced at this stage of his career and if that saves him from some injury due to fatigue, then it's welcome.

What I don't know is why Tony is resting. I know he played a lot of minutes in the last few games, but frankly he's currently #19 in mpg among guards and he's still a young guy.

[venitian navigator]

Guys, Tim and Parker played more than 35 minutes just 24 hours ago...more than any other "young" player of the team.
plus, TP is carryng the offensive load in all this RRT and Tim is one of the best over 35 players ever...at his age and with his knees he should play a very limitesd amount of time he we want him to play aagain for some more season.
Both absolutely needed some rest.

And one more thing.
JA behavior needed an answer.
'cause if any player, just after one (or some, for the matter) decent game can think he has the right to ask for being traded (or for asking a "fair" amount of money next season...that's for JA but also for the other free agents or semi free agents next year, see, for example, Green or Neal or Blair) then he must AT LEAST show something important when having the chance to play and shine by his own light.
Sink or swim.
And if you can't swim (and looks like a lot of our bench players still can't) you just have to stay humble with your requests...

[therealtruth]

The Spurs have not been ill-prepared for the postseason the last three years, rather they've been ill-equipped. From the recurring injuries to Manu, to the lack of players with necessary and specific skill sets. However the greatest issue for the Spurs has been the inevitable decline of their once-great superstar player, Tim Duncan.

If this were the Duncan of 5-8 years ago, we wouldn't even be discussing this. You simply cannot win in the playoffs without superstar performances from superstar players. If your superstar is in decline, he cannot conjure up moments of greatness on a consistent basis, you're not going to make a deep run in the playoffs. Forget about championships. That is where the Spurs are at. And that has nothing to do with tanking a game or two in the middle of the season.

That's precisely the problem. I would rather Pop played TD so he could go out at a high level with one more ring rather than baby him with no chance of competing again. I would rather Duncan have won a ring or two more by now and be retiring than not playing at a high level and playing 5 more seasons.

[therealtruth]

Don't just look at Pop's record. When's the last time a coach won a le by resting his players?

[Proxy]

I wonder if Duncan and Parker were as big of es about this as some of you guys are.

[Paranoid Pop]

Don't just look at Pop's record. When's the last time a coach won a le by resting his players?

When is the last time a coach won a le with a glass player as his first option?


Fans' responsability >>>>>>>> Pop's

[Yuixafun]

They got whooped by angry rested starters on their home court.

I don't think this kills any confidence.

More like takes people down a peg who were maybe starting to getting harder to coach due to success?

[Yuixafun]

Guys, Tim and Parker played more than 35 minutes just 24 hours ago...more than any other "young" player of the team.
plus, TP is carryng the offensive load in all this RRT and Tim is one of the best over 35 players ever...at his age and with his knees he should play a very limitesd amount of time he we want him to play aagain for some more season.
Both absolutely needed some rest.

And one more thing.
JA behavior needed an answer.
'cause if any player, just after one (or some, for the matter) decent game can think he has the right to ask for being traded (or for asking a "fair" amount of money next season...that's for JA but also for the other free agents or semi free agents next year, see, for example, Green or Neal or Blair) then he must AT LEAST show something important when having the chance to play and shine by his own light.
Sink or swim.
And if you can't swim (and looks like a lot of our bench players still can't) you just have to stay humble with your requests...

cosign

[shraediggz]

Does anyone here seriously think we could have pulled out a W by letting Parker lead a Duncan-less front line, or worse, Cory Joseph struggling to get the ball to TD while Parker rests.

Likewise. Does anyone believe resting TD and TP for half the game, or limiting their minutes in any way would have resulted in a win? We needed an average of 38+ minutes from the both of them to eek out our last 2 wins.

And lastly, Is it wise for us to assume TD and TP would both be able to sustain high level of play whilst logging heavy minutes? When was the last time a team won a championship with their key players logging that many mpg?

It just doesn't happen very often. Last time it did happen for the Spurs, Duncan was 26yo.

[TJastal]

Does anyone here seriously think we could have pulled out a W by letting Parker lead a Duncan-less front line, or worse, Cory Joseph struggling to get the ball to TD while Parker rests.

Likewise. Does anyone believe resting TD and TP for half the game, or limiting their minutes in any way would have resulted in a win? We needed an average of 38+ minutes from the both of them to eek out our last 2 wins.

And lastly, Is it wise for us to assume TD and TP would both be able to sustain high level of play whilst logging heavy minutes? When was the last time a team won a championship with their key players logging that many mpg?

It just doesn't happen very often. Last time it did happen for the Spurs, Duncan was 26yo.

What's to sustain? They all have a week long ing vacation in 3 more days.

[TJastal]

Well that's not entirely true, TP gets to play some spot duty in the all-star game. I'm sure he'll be on the ground gasping for air after that rigorous affair.

[bklynspursfan]

A couple different takes on it... I have mixed feelings. But good God I can't wait for Ford to come back so Cory Matthews can go back to the Toros. And I really hope there's something in the works to limit Blair's time.

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/pos...or-a-little-rr

http://www.basketballticket.com/spur...all+Tickets%29

[jgome21]

i think in soccer, they get penalized if they dont select their best 11

Lol what kind of soccer you watchin?

[jgome21]

people are making too big a deal of this. the only reason why pop's doin this is because of the compressed schedule. TP and TD have been playing lots of mins and we don't need to run them into the dirt. it's already been done so it's time to move on.

[manufan10]

Some of you are acting like Pop rested Tim and Tony during a playoff series. The rest of you, well, you're going to hate on Pop no matter what he does, so this was to be expected from you.

[ManuTastic]

I have no problem with resting Tim and Tony last night. They've played a ton of minutes, Tim's old, and those old legs need recovery time. Good move for the Spurs. Did anyone think they were going to win every game for the rest of the season?

The only problem I have with it is how it screws the paying fans. NBA tix are expensive, and fans pay to see the stars compete hard.

So how's this: if a team rests its starters, they have to pay a certain amount of money as a refund to the people who bought tickets for that game. Doesn't have to be a total refund, but maybe 50%. Something like that might work; these teams are in show biz after all.

[cheguevara]

Pop is known for his stupid experiments. He is a control freak and maybe a little schizo.

His hack-a-mole is a tired and unsuccessful schtik. His resting players has already backfired last year in the Manu injury. Yet he still goes with this .

But what is really unforgiveable is sending our Spurs in without any bigmen. Did he want to teach them a lesson? They have been playing well, why punish them?

[SenorSpur]

For everyone that either praises Pop or derides him for decisions like this, analysts and fans alike, I would like to remind everyone that Pop coaches and works with a level of autonomy that virtually no other coach has. As President of Basketball Operations, he reports to the owner. He also has 4 rings in his back pocket also affords him another level of autonomy that other coaches simply do not have. Therefore, I don't think it's as gutsy or brilliant as some have indicated. Just something to remember.

[silverblk mystix]

I didn't have a problem with last nights decision by Pop...actually I think they would have lost anyway...they were due for a loss..and Portland always beats the Spurs at home...or so it seems lately.

I actually think Pop should rest TP & TD again in Denver....because they will also lose that game with or without TP & TD...so might as well get them another day of rest...

[LongtimeSpursFan]

listen man, you obviously have not played or competed in any sport that requires recovery time; i did both tennis and track, and i can tell you that rest is a huge factor when it comes to performance. fyi, most of the drugs cyclists use do not boost performance, but recovery time.

take a chill pill people and enjoy the 2nd best record in the west - without ginobili.

oh yeah, and the kid kawhi is pretty good.

I played and coached basketball. From first hand experience games like this do not affect the teams confidence. In most cases, players usually have a good time and laugh about what went on on the court. After the game Timmy and Tony were sarcastically congratulating those that played on how they let the 11 game winning streak end. They were also mocking Dawson for that shot he made where he shot it over his head. As a matter of fact, they may even try to do the same thing during practice to see if they can perform same shot. Those players that did play were probably telling Timmy how great he looks in a sports coat.
Resting players, especially those that have been getting extended minutes is a non-issue to the players themselves.

[Horse]

listen man, you obviously have not played or competed in any sport that requires recovery time; i did both tennis and track, and i can tell you that rest is a huge factor when it comes to performance. fyi, most of the drugs cyclists use do not boost performance, but recovery time.

take a chill pill people and enjoy the 2nd best record in the west - without ginobili.

oh yeah, and the kid kawhi is pretty good.

You make a great point but I don't know if I would admit I'm a man who plays tennis around these parts.