Frontcourt Dilemma

[Blackjack]

Dilemma, what dilemma?

By the time the playoffs come around, you only really need 4 bigs. And since you play your best guys more minutes in the playoffs, closer to 40 minutes than 30, the Spurs will only need 8-10 minutes from Blair or Splitter.

Bonner's got this.

[Leonard Curse]

yup again splitter not playing today and will probably be getting pretty pissed about it soon, i mean wouldnt you? bonners playing while hes having back spasms so the whole health thing seems to only work in pops favor. maybe you guys are right bonner should start but in my mind if you dont learn the first time then you deserve what you get and believe me we wont win a ring with bonner getting heavy minutes

[duncan228]

Posted this is the game blog for the recap, but thought it belonged here too.

San Antonio Spurs 116, Cleveland Cavaliers 92: Where the Spurs frontline is deeper than yours
by Jesse Blanchard
48 Minutes of

AT&T CENTER–A year ago, the fourth quarter of a blowout win presented ample opportunity for a post on the long term potential of Ian Mahinmi or DeJuan Blair. Tonight, as the San Antonio Spurs inched ever closer to garbage time, a sudden realization hit: Matt Bonner and Tiago Splitter are currently the fourth and fifth bigs in the Spurs’ frontline rotation.

Granted, the Cleveland Cavaliers are a recently fallen team, but their end-of-the-bench counterparts in Ryan Hollins, Jawad Williams, and Leon Powe are pretty standard fare for most NBA teams. And while there is something to be said about quality and quan y–the Los Angeles Lakers offering a better but top heavy frontline–how many teams can claim their last two options on the frontline are both NBA quality rotation players?

Earlier in the week we established the possibility that the San Antonio Spurs might have the top backcourt in the league with a three-guard rotation of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and George Hill, with Parker again doing much of the heavy lifting tonight (19 points, 9 assist on 7 -11 shooting). On the receiving end of many of Parker’s passes, rookie center Tiago Splitter may have made a case for the Spurs also employing the NBA’s deepest frontline.

Keep reading →

[gospursgojas]

De-activate Tim till playoffs

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Posted this is the game blog for the recap, but thought it belonged here too.

San Antonio Spurs 116, Cleveland Cavaliers 92: Where the Spurs frontline is deeper than yours
by Jesse Blanchard
48 Minutes of

AT&T CENTER–A year ago, the fourth quarter of a blowout win presented ample opportunity for a post on the long term potential of Ian Mahinmi or DeJuan Blair. Tonight, as the San Antonio Spurs inched ever closer to garbage time, a sudden realization hit: Matt Bonner and Tiago Splitter are currently the fourth and fifth bigs in the Spurs’ frontline rotation.

Granted, the Cleveland Cavaliers are a recently fallen team, but their end-of-the-bench counterparts in Ryan Hollins, Jawad Williams, and Leon Powe are pretty standard fare for most NBA teams. And while there is something to be said about quality and quan y–the Los Angeles Lakers offering a better but top heavy frontline–how many teams can claim their last two options on the frontline are both NBA quality rotation players?

Earlier in the week we established the possibility that the San Antonio Spurs might have the top backcourt in the league with a three-guard rotation of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and George Hill, with Parker again doing much of the heavy lifting tonight (19 points, 9 assist on 7 -11 shooting). On the receiving end of many of Parker’s passes, rookie center Tiago Splitter may have made a case for the Spurs also employing the NBA’s deepest frontline.

Keep reading →

Bonner is not an NBA quality rotation player.

[ceperez]

De-activate Tim till playoffs

I tend to agree... he should go on ice sometime mid-season and get back into shape towards the end of the regular season.

[Rummpd]

Nice problem to have I loved the way Splitter and Bonner played together and that may be a good combo going forward as it rests Duncan and provides both inside and outside combos.