A fan in another forum said that he didn't hustle much last night. I would agree that his defense wasn't that good an he needs a lot of work there, but how could anyone said he didn't hustle while he was out there?
On the play where he blocked the Cavs' guard from behind, he did a good job moving his feet and staying with him around the three-point line. Although he wasn't able to stay in front, he was still quick enough to make that block anyway -- all without fouling. If he can do that, I'm confident he can defend bigs out on the perimeter (Diggler, AsslessChaps, Odumb, etc.).
DIRK STOPPER!
I remember seeing Pops play for GW in the NCAA tourney before he came to the NBA. He played every game with an intense amount of energy and was the heart of his team. I saw some potential in him then and when he didn't get drafted, I was surprised. Then he ended up on the Mavericks, but never got any real PT. I am glad to see him on our team and I hope he sticks around.
I don't agree that he didn't hustle or that his defense wasn't good. He gave up a layup on a break because he was watching the ball and someone ran around behind him. That wasn't a lack of hustle, it was just a mental lapse. I think he was ball-hawking and thinking about making a highlight block instead of spacing the floor. Finley and Mason make similar mistakes once or twice a game.
By the way, I just picked up Pops in my fantasy league so he's likely to be severely injured or forget how to dribble a basketball any day now.
One thing I did notice was that he "lost" the ball a lot when he grabbed the rebound. He did not complete the board. I do not know if it is a hands thing or a lack of focus thing. Other than that, he did well with his minutes.
Dude had 11 points and 6 rebounds, 4 of them offensive, and a couple of tap outs in about 12 minutes. Tough crowd.
I knew you of all people would overreact to the statement. Especially with your logic that you apply to everything, if a guy could of easily had 10 rebounds but grabbed 6, you have to look at the misses.
He skied and got his hands on it, but did not really coral them. Kind of looked like he was not expecting people to poke it away after he touched it. Like I said, he did well with his minutes, but I wonder if it was just a lack of focus.
I bet when watching film a coach would say, pull that in and protect it.
I was lucky enough to see the whole 4th quarter today and he indeed will get ripped by Pop on two or three plays that could have been way more advantageous for the team... It raised some doubts inside of me... BUT still... the poz sides of yesterday's game outshine the ones that can be corrected with coaching and playing time
nice highlights
I haven't been this excited for a game in a while. I hope Pop gives Pops some serious minutes tomorrow night.
oh, come on! ESPN dropped the ball on that one. it would have been a highlight with Pop chewing the reporter to bits!Smart move: With about two minutes left in the third period, an ESPN producer informed Spurs media services coordinator Kris Davis that the network would skip the between-periods interview with Popovich if the Spurs trailed by 20 or more.
I'll go back and watch it again in a few minutes, but I'm pretty sure he was in there battling Jackson and Hickson, two guys that are taller than he is, and basically whipped their asses. Sorry to keep applying logic to things, but to have drawn fouls and pulled down boards at that rate seems like anything but a lack of focus. I'm not sure how it's overreacting to suggest that you're being hyper-critical of a guy who put in a performance in 12 minutes we'd often feel fortunate to see from one of the other Spurs bigs in an entire game. If you're going to do anything, you might tell people to temper their enthusiasm because he did it against bench players.
I noticed the same thing.
I haven't seen enough to come to a conclusion, or be alarmed, as to the quality of his hands, but it's something to keep an eye on.
It could very well just be, that his lack of familiarity with the players and system, combined with the urgency of the situation to perform well, had him overthinking and playing a little too hyped, though.
The hands just might settle down, if Pops is given the chance to settle down himself.
He didnt have an issue with his hands when he was dunking on Ilgauskas. The two plays he couldnt control the board was when Hickson And/Or Jackson got hands to the ball aswell - poking it away.
Again, I haven't seen enough to come to any conclusions, but it was the tipping and not being able to stick a fork in it, so to speak, on some of his attempts to secure the rebound, that DPG and myself noticed. It's one thing if your Rodman playing volleyball to secure a rebound, and quite another if your just stabbing at the ball.
Hopefully, it's nothing to worry about, because after seeing some of the success Powe had against the Lakers last year... I'm thinking Pops has a shot to do the same for the Spurs, at some point.
After seeing the game last night Pops has the most potential of any big man since Malik Rose. The guy is a stud, especially if he can keep up that intensity and hustle I wouldn't hesitate to start moving him right up the PT ladder. I would throw him out there right now to see if he can keep it up. This is the time to experiment. Put him in the game and pretend the guy has a 21 on his uniform, at least until the real one gets back.
11 and 6 are Duncan like numbers in about the same minutes...The defense is the only reason to think he might not work out, but garbage minutes are so much more frenetic than the pacing of a real game that it doesn't seem fair to compare.
Same here. I watched him and his team in the tourney that year too. The only reason I did is because ESPN, particularly Scott Van Pelt, had initiated a hype campaign surrounding him. The network ran a special piece on him in the weeks leading up to the tourney.
It turns out he became somewhat of an urban campus cult celebrity while at GW. I'm not just talking with the students either, but also with many of the professors. He was considered an excellent student, very studious, courteous and was definitely the BMOC. Getting through all the hype, the fact is he was, and still is, a very raw and unpolished basketball player. He was strictly a dunker and a terrible FT shooter, who got into a lot of foul trouble. In fact, he fouled out of his last tournament game.
On the flip side, he's developed a bit since then, though he still has a long ways to go. Obviously, he has wonderful athleticism, phenomenal ability and potential. He does work hard and has great desire to succeed. I'm anxious to see if he's developed any type of a face-up shot from 5-10 feet away or if he has any post-up moves. Still, I really like what he brings to the table and hope that the Spurs can reap the benefits of his development. If he does develop into a bonafide player, I'd rather it be here.
Mensah Bonsu doing power dunk and energy plays....Popovich should put him in regular rotation to kick some energy off the bench...and better put Hairston over Udoka. Anyone agree with me raise your hand in the air...
Mensah-Bonsu looks pretty athletic and exciting from the highlights. Would be interested to see how he goes with some more game time. Shows a fair bit of hustle which we have lacked somewhat over recent times.
Could be a find.
where can i see highlights of his and hairston's contributions against the cavs?
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
