George Hill starting in place of Manu

[ducks]

then pop was stupid

why even bother playing manu if he is that tired on the back to back against the lowly wizzards

[roycrikside]

I think I would prefer right now to have Manu come off the bench. It was fine when he was starting most of the year because he needed to start. Tony wasn't playing really well the first 15-20 games, so the team needed Manu's scoring right away.

Now though, the last 20 games or so, maybe 30, Tony is playing very well, scoring as well and as efficiently as ever, so Ginobili's offense isn't needed as much with the starters. RJ and Tim have to get shots too, and Blair's scoring somewhat consistently these days.

Again, pay attention to what I'm saying. I'm not trying to turn this into a Manu vs. Tony thread at all. It's just been established pretty much for most of their respective careers that when TP has it going, there is an offensive surplus and Manu isn't as needed, especially the first six minutes of the 1st and 3rd quarters when Ginobili will hardly touch the ball anyway.

I think it's best for the Spurs, for Manu, and especially for the bench to have Manu go back there. I'd rather see him play 26-28 minutes where he gets a lot of touches than 31 minutes where he's wasted for 12-14 of them just running up and down with his thumb up his butt, getting one touch every six or seven possessions.

[cutewizard]

im all for resting manu versus the weaker teams of the league....

rest manu, and tim and old man dice to get ready for the playoffs

REST REST them

[ElNono]

then pop was stupid

[Spurs7794]

I think I would prefer right now to have Manu come off the bench. It was fine when he was starting most of the year because he needed to start. Tony wasn't playing really well the first 15-20 games, so the team needed Manu's scoring right away.

Now though, the last 20 games or so, maybe 30, Tony is playing very well, scoring as well and as efficiently as ever, so Ginobili's offense isn't needed as much with the starters. RJ and Tim have to get shots too, and Blair's scoring somewhat consistently these days.

Again, pay attention to what I'm saying. I'm not trying to turn this into a Manu vs. Tony thread at all. It's just been established pretty much for most of their respective careers that when TP has it going, there is an offensive surplus and Manu isn't as needed, especially the first six minutes of the 1st and 3rd quarters when Ginobili will hardly touch the ball anyway.

I think it's best for the Spurs, for Manu, and especially for the bench to have Manu go back there. I'd rather see him play 26-28 minutes where he gets a lot of touches than 31 minutes where he's wasted for 12-14 of them just running up and down with his thumb up his butt, getting one touch every six or seven possessions.

Tony's defense was actually better early on in the season and he was averaging more assists early on. I think he's been pretty consistent all season so I see no reason why Tony should be a reason that Manu should come off the bench.

Thank god Pop decided its a one game thing. I was getting worried there...Manu needs to start, he helps get us off to great starts and the rotation is perfect the way he plays with the bench at the beginning of the 4th quarter. I wouldn't be surprised if Pop did this on purpose just so he didn't have to keep hearing how we've had the same lineup all season.

[ducks]

tp gets the spurs off to the their great start

manu scores more and gets more assist in the 4

[duncan228]

Just quotes, hit the link for the whole piece.

Hill benefits from starting cameo
Jeff McDonald

..."I know Manu’s a little banged up and needed a little rest,” said Hill, who started 43 games between both guard positions last season. “I just wanted to step in, bring a little juice.”


...“You never know with Pop,” Hill said. “You stay ready. It’s something you’ve got to have in the back of your head, that any day now he can call your card.”


...Popovich has assured Ginobili the lineup will return to normal by the time the team tips off in New Jersey on Monday.

At that point, Hill said he won’t mind returning to the bench.

“At the end of the day, it’s basketball,” Hill said. “No matter if you start or come off the bench, you just try to help your team win games.”

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursna...tarting-cameo/

[Cessation]

Hill is starter material and a classy guy, but "if it aint broke don't fix it", is in effect.

[Obstructed_View]

This only makes sense to me if he's going to rest the all game. If he's just coming off the bench is a bad move.

Good call. Manu played about ten minutes, right?

[duncan228]

Hit the link for the rest, including more quotes.

Manu able to rest as Spurs roll
Jeff McDonald

...Ginobili was neither shocked by the move, nor upset by it.

“I agreed,” Ginobili said. “It wasn’t a game for playing 35 (minutes) again. He wanted me fresh for the fourth (quarter), then we ended up not needing it.”


...After the most restful game of his season, Ginobili feigned worry the Spurs had enjoyed too good a night. The Spurs’ leading scorer agreed he needed a shortened workload.

“I’m a little banged up,” said Ginobili, who played with a padded black sleeve on his left bicep to protect a recurring bruise. “Aches and pains. Nothing that threatens the season, but they add up, and I needed a rest.”

Before the game, Popovich assured Ginobili the lineup change was a one-night affair. He plans to return to the same starting five that won 44 games Monday in New Jersey.

“We were up by 40,” Ginobili said chuckling, “so the chances are different now than before the game.”

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursna...as-spurs-roll/

[Silver&Black]

I'm 100% o.k. with pop "tweaking" the starting lineup even though their is no injury. I stopped questioning pop a long time ago......and If you ever do question pop....slap yourself with baby powder.

[Obstructed_View]

There are legitimate times to question Pop, but this isn't one of them. Resting your top scorer on the second night of a B2B isn't the same thing as benching said player in favor of Keith Bogans.

[Brutalis]

I actually liked this move.

I wouldn't mind him coming off the bench the rest of the year either. We might be better with him giving us that scoring punch off the bench like old times.

But then again it could mess our chemistry up a bit.

[ceperez]

Manu should take a 1 month break.

He should only play against strong defensive teams and likely le contenders.

[TheBigFundamental]

Before the game, Popovich assured Ginobili the lineup change was a one-night affair. He plans to return to the same starting five that won 44 games Monday in New Jersey.

SpursNation

[nkdlunch]

lotta fans in dc got riped off. They wanted to see Manu and only saw 4 minutes of him.

[JustinJDW]

So just a small one time move to keep Ginobili fresh. Fine with me. As long as we are still set for the Playoffs.

[Bartleby]

lotta fans in dc got riped off. They wanted to see Manu and only saw 4 minutes of him.

They got ripped off because the Wizards suck.

Thought about driving down for the game, but I'm glad I didn't.

[Obstructed_View]

They got ripped off because the Wizards suck.

Thought about driving down for the game, but I'm glad I didn't.

The game was the fourth sellout of the season for the Wizards. Must have been a lot of teams going to see the Spurs.