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I’m thinking pop is playing derozan big minutes so that he can pad his stats and regain his confidence.. also to become a superstar..
DeMar (#1) and LMA (#2) are leading the league in Minutes Per Game so far. I was shocked when I saw that.
I’m thinking pop is playing derozan big minutes so that he can pad his stats and regain his confidence.. also to become a superstar..
I think Pop will retire after this season ... thus he does not give a shot about longevity anymore ... he wants wins and climb up the All Time Winning list
maybe..but why he didn’t let kawhi play 38 mins last 2 seasons ago so that kawhi can par his stats too to win the mvp? Lol
Their MPG are inflated because we played 2 OVERTIME games in 6 games already. Another reason is, if they played less minutes, we most likely lose 2 games at least. The spurs are seriously lacking depth. DD played 38MPG before so this is nothing new to him.
We've also had overtime in 2 out of 5 games.
...years of the plain ham and cheese Spurs for years and suddenly it's steak dinners every night
yup 2 overtime..but it still surprised me though..
is playing 38 MPG weird in the modern era? Go back to 10-20 years ago, the entire all star team players played 38-41 MPG. I guess the league has gotten softer and more analytics based.
Tim Duncan had 6 seasons of 38-40 MPG. Don't see why DeRozan can't do the same.
its weird for pop to do that these days..even if there are injured players he still manage to limit the minutes of Duncan..like I said the last time pop did that was to a young Duncan..
DD/LMA are playing lot's of minutes is not by design but most likely due to necessity. Imagine if they were both resting more, the Spurs would be in big trouble. I always said, they should have one of DD/LMA at all times and have them rest by taking turns. Play them both in the 4th quarter obviously. I see DD and LMA play 35-37 MPG this year because of the serious lack of depth on the roster + injuries.
Yeah we going to be in serious trouble when one of them can’t play.
Forbes is graded way too high. I think his play has been way over-hyped here based on what was expected of him, which wasn't anything positive really. So, that he's actually contributing gives the illusion that he's starting-caliber but he really shouldn't be for a team that wants to make the playoffs. I hope Pop realizes that and starts White once he's ready.
i worry that forbes showing off to start the season ends up being the worst outcome bc it gives pop an excuse to keep the young dudes benched
I definitely think Forbes has played his way into staying in the rotation and I never expected him to average over 14 PPG at any point in the NBA but he's not long term starting material for any self-respecting, playoff-caliber team. His defense is just not good no matter how hard he tries.
Forbes showing off is good for now. Makes him a positive trade asset after the season so we can move him + both picks to get as high up in the draft as possible.
A great work of analysis.
We are grateful.
A great work of analysis.
We are grateful.
Not fall apart in those last 30 seconds of regulation but he did redeem himself in OT
Just watched the game on DVR. Quality win. Any win against a Carlisle-coached team seems to be quality lately. That dude knows how to push the Spurs buttons, that's for sure. My thoughts:
- Belinelli is a great addition to this team. If only we had him last year too. He brings much needed shooting and offensive firepower. Not sure if it's a pattern yet, but we seem to not be great at holding leads, especially in the 3rd quarter. Beli bailed us out there.
- Mills was pretty lively on defense. Not great but lively. This type of game (especially at the end) was about the best we can expect defensively out of him. Now if only he can start shooting it like he has in the past and with the Australian NT, he will be a net positive player.
- Forbes looking strong out there. Much more confidence. Maybe Murray going down (as bad as that was) was a great thing for Forbes. With a major role like this, he has taken a huge step forward in solidying himself as an NBA player now. He just needs to learn how to run more offense. We know he can shoot. If he can develop into a Billups type PG (run offense, shoot 3s, leadership) that is his peak, IMO
- Gay was pretty decent. I like how this team has Gay and DeRozan, both SF type guys who can be relied upon to take the final shot. It's great that he's healthy enough to be that guy so teams can't just double up on DeMar all the time. Again, even though Kawhi is a better player than DeMar, DeMar + gay is a better tandem than Kawhi + whatever garbage we had paired with him before (Anderson?). This team has a higher ceiling offensively with DeMar and Gay than with Kawhi and whatever.
- LMA definitely looks lost a little out there. He needs to keep adjusting to the new pace of the NBA. I think he maybe is getting a little bit winded out there running back and forth, and maybe that's messing with his easy shots that he usually makes. He's definitely not in mid season form yet. But there's plenty of time and fortunately, we have plenty of scoring right now where we don't need him to pour in buckets like we needed last year.
- Pau is pretty good from the bench, as mentioned in previous threads. He provides great rim protection and was solid in his short time out there.
- Cunningham is getting better. I like how the Spurs can take players like him and Danny Green, Stephen Jackson, etc, guys with size who are very raw, and turn them into good role players. With his effort level, and if they can develop a shot into his repertoire, he can be a solid 3 and D guy for the Spurs. Dare I say, a Centerpiece (which is something we desperately need now that we traded away the guy we used to guard the opposing team's best player -- Green).
- Pondexter seemed to fit better out there. He made some heady plays and is a good fit for the end of the bench. I'm for keeping him around (if we're not in a tanking situation by mid season). He's steady.
- DeRozan. What else can we say. Dude is a beast. He's like that New York City style all heart balla. What heart down the stretch. Made huge, huge buckets. The ATM of the Spurs, always delivers the cash money. Man he makes the team fun to watch. Glad we have a superstar who wants to play and clearly gets joy out of being on the court.
Speaking of joy being on the court. This team really looks like they're gelling out there. It's not a one-person team anymore, like it has felt like for the past 2 years. What a refreshing thing. A HUGE HUGE HUGE difference from last year, where it was like there was this dark ass cloud hovering over the team all year. This year looks bright as far as fun basketball goes. Good to see that in Pop's twilight years coaching. He certainly deserves better than last year. Go Spurs Go.
I have no clue tbh ... just messing around
Thanks Phxspurfan. I just don’t understand the Forbes/Mills/Belli/Bertans/Pau lineup. Isn’t there really no other way around it? It seems that’s when Spurs squander the lead. Also why not play Metu. I think he could’ done a better job on Kuzma than Bertans. Agreed on LMA getting winded playing 2 OT’s, high minutes and lots of running. I think if Bertans/Mills are in, it has to be with LMA not Pau. Just can’t swallow that lineup. Great observations.
It has to do with close games and two OTs in the early season. The Big 3 got to limit their minutes many times because we were already up 15-20 points going into the 4th Q.
It was out of necessity, but I still find it interesting they are leading the league in MPG. We are missing what, three young guards? It's gonna be tough for a while.
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