Spurs One Player Short?

[HarlemHeat37]

Mbah a Moute would definitely help the D..the Spurs have enough offense, so the fact that he's an absolutely horrible offensive player wouldn't be a big deal..he would be a solid player for situational purposes off the bench..

However, I haven't heard anything about the Bucks shopping him(it might be true, I just haven't seen it anywhere) and why would they do it for Blair?..

[TD 21]

We don't know what the Lakers (or Spurs) will look like health-wise at playoff time...but if the Lakers add Bynum to the top-10 rebounders they have with Gasol and Odom, the Spurs are probably a player short in the middle.

I believe the Celtics had the Lakers on the ropes when Kendrick Perkins went down. That changed the dynamic of Game 7.

The Spurs can still attack the Lakers with small ball, especially if they can get the Lakers in foul trouble. For times when small ball isn't working and the jump shots aren't falling...to beat LA, the Spurs would need a much more confident and aggressive Tiago Splitter than what they have now.

The Lakers don't have a top ten rebounder. In fact, the Spurs have the two best rebounders between the three teams, if you go by rebound rate (Blair is T-7th, Duncan is 13th, McDyess is 20th; Gasol is T-37th, Odom is 42nd...Spurs as a team are T-5th; Lakers are 8th), which is more telling than average because average is predicated on minutes.

Now, barring injury or Pop losing his mind between now and then, if/when the two teams meet in the playoffs, Blair will not be in the playoff rotation. And unless he re-injures himself between now and then (always a strong possibility with him), Bynum will be playing. Because of that and the likelihood of Gasol playing about 42 mpg, I'd give the Lakers a slight edge in terms of rebounding. But the difference isn't nearly as dramatic as it's made out to be. Duncan and McDyess will also be playing more minutes and (excluding Blair), they are the two best rebounders between the two teams.

The chances of the Spurs winning a le are still relatively slim IMO, but it doesn't have anything to do with acquiring another player..there's no possible player that the Spurs could realistically acquire that would put them over the top..let's say a guy like Tayshaun Prince gets bought out for some reason, obviously the Spurs should pursue, but he wouldn't put them over the top..nobody will..

The Spurs have 2 players that can complete the roster, Splitter and Anderson..from the few weeks we saw Anderson, he showed me a lot of good..it's an underrated blow to the Spurs that hasn't gone noticed due to the winning, but he has to play a role for the Spurs in the playoffs IMO..Neal is too inconsistent and shouldn't be used for more than 5-10 MPG, Anderson is an ideal wing to bring some athleticism and youth, mixed with some shooting..

Splitter has already shown flashes, but it's going to be tough without the minutes..while I criticize Pop as much as the next guy, he did say Splitter would see more PT as the season goes along, and I'll believe him..Splitter over Bonner and Blair is obviously vital for the Spurs..

I'd say they're better than relatively slim, only because I can only picture the Lakers, Spurs or Celtics winning the championship this season. Because the Heat have arguably the two best players in the game (even though they're not playing like it right now), I can't completely rule them out, either.

No question, Splitter and Anderson are vital. With Neal, it's not the lack of consistency that concerns me (that's a common trait for shooters), it's the lack of size. People always focus on the size of the Lakers bigs, but they're big on the wings, too. The Spurs need Anderson's size on the wing, just like they need Splitter's size inside.

Unfortunately, even against the Lakers, I don't get the sense that we're going to see much Duncan-Splitter. I think McDyess and Bonner will mostly split the PF minutes (with McDyess playing more) and I even think we'll see times when Jefferson plays some PF against Odom.

[Vito Corleone]

The real issue between the Lakers and the Spurs is that Gasol, Odom, and Bynum are going to get fouls against Splitter, I'd be surprised if Splitter is able to play more than 20 minutes per night with the fouls they are going to draw on him.

We are so very undersized against the Lakers it's crazy. Toss in the fact that they can put both Artest and Kobe on Manu and we really only have Parker as a advantage.

Now if Bynum does not play due to injury then we have a much better shot at taking them. If we had signed Scola we would be able to match up so much better.

Our only real shot would be if Detroit buys out Prince and he chooses to sign with San Antonio. That would be a of a pickup and it would allow us to have a real perimeter defender next to Manu.

[LakaFan]

Spurs don't stand a chance against the Lakershow

[Man In Black]

You guys keep thinking too traditional. The definition of insanity is to keep doing everything the same way and hoping for a better result. What RC & Pop has built has the potential to withstand all the negatives. It's the negatives you're focusing on, while the positives keep showing up in the results. Open your eyes.

[L.I.T]

You guys keep thinking too traditional. The definition of insanity is to keep doing everything the same way and hoping for a better result. What RC & Pop has built has the potential to withstand all the negatives. It's the negatives you're focusing on, while the positives keep showing up in the results. Open your eyes.

It's also the definition of practice.

I don't think you can easily dismiss the overall defensive problems the Spurs have demonstrated (with a few exceptions) by waving a wand and saying "Poof! The Spurs are a different team so adjust your expectations accordingly, but still expect the same end result as their best teams."

[21_Blessings]

The Spurs are a PF/C away from being a legit contender.

scola

[LakaFan]

No player will help the Spurs they need a fountain of youth.