Pop like a broken record makes the only adjustment he knows.

[Lady Marmalade]

If it works Pop is a hero if it doesn't he's not....

On any note I do not care who starts, I want the Spurs to play the best BB that they can. If that means Manu comming off the bench then so be it. If Manu can understand why can't you?

[SilverPlayer]

Classic Forum Thread - Finley/Horry bashers and thread creator got OWNED by Pop today.

You think this is a long term solution to our problems? Really? That's very interesting.

My point wasn't that it won't sometimes add a boost for a couple of games. It's that this has been done before with the same results. It works for a while. And then we run up against a real team; they jump down our throats in the first quarter; and we end up going back.

The answer is simple. Barry, Finley, and Horry don't have enough to be the fourth option consistently. No matter where you try to plug them in, they will still have their obvious deficiencies, and old legs getting winded.

Barry, Finley, and Horry would be a great 6-7-8th man punch, but they aren't good enough to be a fourth option. The big three need one other person to be a consistent scoring threat. Plugging Barry into the lineup may help keep 2/3 of the big three on the floor, but it's merely treating a symptom of a much bigger problem.

[Please_dont_ban_me]

I don't think you ever want to have to stick one of your best players on the bench to help improve your team, but hey...if it works, it works. And it has worked in the past and apparently worked today. Stick with what works.


Maybe after a while when the team's doing well again, you stick him back in the starting lineup and the bench continues to play at a high level without him. Let's see. I know Pop did this in the playoffs before, and it worked. He tried it once after that, and it didn't work. Let's see how it works here in the regular season.

[intlspurshk]

The reason is simple. There were only 2 players with fire in the Rocket game, as reported. One is TD and the other is Manu. Either you bench TD or Manu or you have a unit with players are totally disinterested in winning.

[cheguevara]

Simple, Manu takes the bench from being complete to pretty decent.

[101A]

Manu can't really complain about not starting, and is kind of built to be a bench player. After all, he can only bring it 26 - 28 minutes a game! If he could give traditional starters minutes, he would start, but Pop is left with figuring out which 60% of the minutes he gets Manu's services, he should use them. Using some of those minutes while his other two studs are not in the game makes sense, frankly. If it helps get Finley/Barry untracked, so much the better.

[ArgSpursFan]

Manu can't really complain about not starting, and is kind of built to be a bench player. After all, he can only bring it 26 - 28 minutes a game! If he could give traditional starters minutes, he would start, but Pop is left with figuring out which 60% of the minutes he gets Manu's services, he should use them. Using some of those minutes while his other two studs are not in the game makes sense, frankly. If it helps get Finley/Barry untracked, so much the better.

for your info is not that manu can´t play 36 to 39 mins p/game.Pop just wont play him that much.thats all.Actually he avereged more minutes in Italy and When he was playing in Argentina tham with the spurs.
you´ll see manu´s minutes go up on the playoffs,don´t worry.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

I wondered how much it was accomodation to Manu's lack of stamina or just Pop preserving Manu.

I know Manu goes all out during every single minute, doesn't pace himself and stuff, you can just see it in his non-stop hustle when he's on the court. Sometimes it's a good thing, other times it's like "dude, calm down". So Pop is being wise or adjusting to Manu's drive and stuff, but I wondered if the " Manu can't play more than 30 minutes a game!" was completely true to his actual stamina or just Pop being smart during the season.

[cheguevara]

Manu can't really complain about not starting, and is kind of built to be a bench player. After all, he can only bring it 26 - 28 minutes a game! If he could give traditional starters minutes, he would start, but Pop is left with figuring out which 60% of the minutes he gets Manu's services, he should use them. Using some of those minutes while his other two studs are not in the game makes sense, frankly. If it helps get Finley/Barry untracked, so much the better.

this doesn't make much sense, cause can Barry/Finley bring it for more than 26 mins???

nope

[ArgSpursFan]

I wondered how much it was accomodation to Manu's lack of stamina or just Pop preserving Manu.

I know Manu goes all out during every single minute, doesn't pace himself and stuff, you can just see it in his non-stop hustle when he's on the court. Sometimes it's a good thing, other times it's like "dude, calm down". So Pop is being wise or adjusting to Manu's drive and stuff, but I wondered if the " Manu can't play more than 30 minutes a game!" was completely true to his actual stamina or just Pop being smart during the season.

Pop needs manu to be 110% on the playoffs.thats all.

[ploto]

It really depends on match-ups as to whether or not you can survive bringing Manu off the bench. Remember that year in the play-offs- it worked against Denver, but not against Seattle. Sometimes, you just have to have Manu defensively in there against the starters.

[sprrs]

this doesn't make much sense, cause can Barry/Finley bring it for more than 26 mins???

nope

Between the two of them?

[TwoHandJam]

for your info is not that manu can´t play 36 to 39 mins p/game.Pop just wont play him that much.thats all.Actually he avereged more minutes in Italy and When he was playing in Argentina tham with the spurs.
you´ll see manu´s minutes go up on the playoffs,don´t worry.

I don't think they have 82 game seasons in Italy do they? Manu gives 110% when he's on the court and draws a lot of contact. You just can't do that over an 82 game season in the NBA with his body type and survive with much more than 30mpg.

[101A]

this doesn't make much sense, cause can Barry/Finley bring it for more than 26 mins???

nope

It doesn't matter how many minutes they CAN play; it's how many they're going to HAVE to play...and when those occur.

Manu's minutes are the commodity that have to be rationed and distributed to the best possible effect; for whatever reason.

I understand Manu plays more in the playoffs and that he COULD play more, but the fact is: he doesn't, an apparently isn't going to. I wish it were different. If the Spurs got the minutes out of their starters that Phoenix gets out of its starters; the Spurs would have a similar, if not better, record than Phoenix.

[rr2418]

Didn't you know? Every poster in the forums criticizing Popovich knows more about basketball than Pop does. In fact, Pop knows very little about basketball. He won 3 rings by sheer luck. His CotY award was a total fluke. His players happen to play great defense under his coaching -- but it's just coincidence. None of the successes Pop has had can really be attributed to his abilities as a coach, therefore all criticisms of him are completely valid. It's really all just Duncan. You know, the other guy that Spurs fans are ripping into on these boards for being lazy, unaggressive, and whiny for the past two months.

This board is so full of finger-pointing pansies, it makes me sick. 3 les and the best winning % of any team in ALL OF PROFESSIONAL SPORTS, and these morons still think they know basketball better than Greg. I guess the fact that the internet is relatively faceless gives them an excuse to blather malcontent like a 4 year old, but personally I'm not ready to give up on a team that is on a roll and has the 3rd best record in the league.

Watch the Spurs win the le this year, and then everyone start coming out of the woodwork saying how they had faith in Pop all along and how much trust they had in Duncan and Co. to get the job done.

GREAT POST !!!!!

[MannyIsGod]

If Manu played 35 minutes a night in the NBA he'd miss 30 games a year.

[Kermit]

110%? that's all that jerk-off can bring? come on manu! whatever happened to the 383.46% you used to bring on a regular basis?

[rr2418]

.....Barry, Finley, and Horry would be a great 6-7-8th man punch, but they aren't good enough to be a fourth option. The big three need one other person to be a consistent scoring threat. Plugging Barry into the lineup may help keep 2/3 of the big three on the floor, but it's merely treating a symptom of a much bigger problem.

So where is Pop going to get that "other" scoring threat? Out of a hat?

[my2sons]

No, everyone is sucking lately outside of Parker- Duncan- Manu. Whether Manu starts or comes off the bench won't change where the points are coming from, nor will it make the others better.

No, but it will change the matchups and the rithym of the game. It may last a little longer and I wouldn't be surprised to see finley start a few game to help raise his confidence level and he can start warm instead of coming cold off the bench. I have no problem with the change, since it always seems to work and pop always seems to run it around rodeo season.

[Athenea]

Manu can't really complain about not starting, and is kind of built to be a bench player. After all, he can only bring it 26 - 28 minutes a game! If he could give traditional starters minutes, he would start, but Pop is left with figuring out which 60% of the minutes he gets Manu's services, he should use them. Using some of those minutes while his other two studs are not in the game makes sense, frankly. If it helps get Finley/Barry untracked, so much the better.

Take out Pop's out of your mouth before typing. It's messing w/your mind

[Kori Ellis]

for your info is not that manu can´t play 36 to 39 mins p/game.Pop just wont play him that much.thats all.Actually he avereged more minutes in Italy and When he was playing in Argentina tham with the spurs.
you´ll see manu´s minutes go up on the playoffs,don´t worry.

Manu will admit himself that he can't play big minutes over a whole NBA season because he gets so worn out and so banged around. It's not a knock against him for fans to admit that. He plays so hard that if he played 36-39 minutes a game, he'd be exhausted by the time the playoffs got here. It's a positive thing that Pop and the training staff manage his minutes.

[Kori Ellis]

Manu can't really complain about not starting, and is kind of built to be a bench player. After all, he can only bring it 26 - 28 minutes a game! If he could give traditional starters minutes, he would start, but Pop is left with figuring out which 60% of the minutes he gets Manu's services, he should use them. Using some of those minutes while his other two studs are not in the game makes sense, frankly. If it helps get Finley/Barry untracked, so much the better.

Actually Manu could complain about not starting. He's one of the best players on the team and deserves to start.

But he's a good guy and doesn't complain.

[SilverPlayer]

Don't get me wrong. I'd love for us to have the talent to bring Manu off the bench. He would be an incredible asset to have coming off the bench. My point is Barry/Finley/ and Horry don't have the talent/consistency long term to make it feasible.

It's a short term boost that doesn't fix the problem. Pop has made this adjustment before and it has never proven to be a long term cure with these exact same players. Nothings changed to make it work any better than the last time, except the players are all a little older.

[Marcus Bryant]

A thought is that the Spurs could go after a scoring 2 to start via trade, assuming that Manu will continue to come off the bench. Given all the constraints, plus the fact that you'd have to find someone better than Barry and Finley, that would be a tall order. This is to say that the Spurs don't absolutely have to go after a 3 or 5 to make the team better.

If you landed a combo guard then he could start at the 2 and slide to the 1 when Manu enters the game.

[ArgSpursFan]

Actually Manu could complain about not starting. He's one of the best players on the team and deserves to start.

But he's a good guy and doesn't complain.

I agree,he doesn´t have the all-star selfish ac ude that many players have in this league.he is all about winning,eather starting or coming from the bench+he knows at crunch time he´ll be on the floor trying to get the job done anyways.