Game Thoughts: Spurs vs. Rockets - Preseason Game 2

[urunobili]

Maybe Lawal got a guaranteed offer and the Spurs let him go?

[AFBlue]

Post-game reax originally posted in the game blog...

Went to the game and saw everyone up close. My thoughts...

I have no concerns about the starting unit. Tim, Tony and Manu are all on the same page and are individually executing in regular season form. Even though I can't stand the way Jefferson moves on the court (apathetic w/ no fire), he picked his spots and hit his shots. Blair continues to get torched defensively (except for the steals), but he works well with the starting unit offensively.

Off the bench is where it gets shaky. Anderson probably showed the most of the regular reserves, but he just wasn't consistent on either end. Splitter was awful...I mean awful on offense. He was indecisive, and when he did commit it was weak. I thought this guy would be used to facing double teams and putting the team on his shoulders, but as it looks right now he's a defensive rotation piece and nothing more. Leonard showed next to nothing for 47:55 and then he finally grew a pair. I liked that last shot, but the others were flat and bad. He was far too passive and timid in every aspect of the game. Hopefully its just taking him soe time to find his place, but he doesn't look ready. Speaking of passive...TJ Ford is clearly still trying to figure things out. When he was actually decisive and took a shot, he looked good. It just didnt happen very often. Which is why he was outplayed by the guy who leads the next group...young guns that showed sone heart and game, but who probably won't be seen again barring injury.

Corey Joseph was assertive and decisive offensively, while being aggressive and solid defensively. You can tell he's got the leadership qualities and instincts to be a lead guard, and his defensive intensity was consistent. I'm excited about his potential down the road and hope he has fun picking up the system and growing in Austin. Another guy that I thought brought the intensity was Gani Lawal. I'm not sure what his offensive game consists of, but he battled for boards and seemed aggressive defensively. As far as undersized PFs go, Blair better watch his back.

The others...Green did what he does well (nail open Js) and what he doesn't (create for himself or others), Hassell showed intensity limited minutes and Zeller didn't stand out.

I saw mostly what I expected to see, but there were a few underwhelming players (Splitter, Leonard) and a bright spot or two (Joseph, big 3 ready).

[GSH]

I saw one thing at the game last night that hasn't been mentioned. Right before a break, the refs called a really crappy foul on Duncan. As all the coaches were walking onto the floor, Pop was screaming down the floor at the ref - really giving him . Then he turned and just shoved the out of Mike Budenholzer. Pushed him in the chest and knocked him backwards. I thought, "Oh, man... Pop has gone nuts."

Then he turned and yelled down the court at the zebra a little bit more. I realized that he was just demonstrating to the ref what had been done to Duncan on that play, and that the foul got called the wrong way. From his reaction, I'm not sure if Coach Bud knew what it was about for a second or two. Pretty intense for a pre-season game.

[spurs10]

^ Wow!

[Manufan909]

Did Hassell look better than Lawal at any point? Iirc, the answer would be no.

[AFBlue]

Did Hassell look better than Lawal at any point? Iirc, the answer would be no.

He didn't stand out good or bad, and he took time after a foul to receive instruction from Pop. Lawal had a nice block an good activity, but he did mess up a couple times. Still, I'm surprised Lawal was the one that got the axe.

[GSH]

He didn't stand out good or bad, and he took time after a foul to receive instruction from Pop. Lawal had a nice block an good activity, but he did mess up a couple times. Still, I'm surprised Lawal was the one that got the axe.

He also went to Duncan and asked for some help. But for the most part he was just unnoticeable. During that fourth quarter stretch when the Rockets were closing the score gap, I thought he was pretty much absent in the middle. Maybe that's not fair, because that whole group was pretty raw.

He definitely looks bigger and stronger than Lawal. Maybe they just think they can do more with that, in the role that those guys would play.

[AFBlue]

He definitely looks bigger and stronger than Lawal. Maybe they just think they can do more with that, in the role that those guys would play.

Funny, I thought Lawal looked more physically imposing. But neither were as jacked as Leonard...even though he is an inch or two shorter, I could definitely see him as a small ball PF.

[GSH]

Funny, I thought Lawal looked more physically imposing. But neither were as jacked as Leonard...even though he is an inch or two shorter, I could definitely see him as a small ball PF.

He outweighs Lawal by 20 or 25 lbs., and to me it looked like it's all in his upper body. Lawal looked more athletic. I have no idea which one would stand out in the weight room. It's just perception on my part.

Whatever it is, the coaches obviously saw something different than most of the fans.

[timvp]

I highly doubt that the Spurs are keeping Hassell or Zeller. Neither player is anything close to NBA level right now. As CD has stated, the timing of these waivings probably has to due with money and the Toros. Most likely scenario is the Spurs giving Hassell and Zeller a small bonus before sending them back to Austin.

It's actually smart if you think about it. While the D-League has a rather low max salary, by keeping these players on the roster for a few days, they can get a backdoor bonus that technically comes from the Spurs pockets and not the Toros pockets -- even though it's the same pocket.

[Obstructed_View]

I highly doubt that the Spurs are keeping Hassell or Zeller. Neither player is anything close to NBA level right now. As CD has stated, the timing of these waivings probably has to due with money and the Toros. Most likely scenario is the Spurs giving Hassell and Zeller a small bonus before sending them back to Austin.

It's actually smart if you think about it. While the D-League has a rather low max salary, by keeping these players on the roster for a few days, they can get a backdoor bonus that technically comes from the Spurs pockets and not the Toros pockets -- even though it's the same pocket.

Just playing devil's advocate, I'm thinking about it, and I fail to see how it's smart if the players will never impact the Spurs in any way. Smart would have been to trade RJ's expiring contract before the deadline last year. Being penny wise and pound foolish just makes no sense.

[anonoftheinternets]

Just playing devil's advocate, I'm thinking about it, and I fail to see how it's smart if the players will never impact the Spurs in any way. Smart would have been to trade RJ's expiring contract before the deadline last year. Being penny wise and pound foolish just makes no sense.

Being penny and pound foolish wouldn't help either ..

[Obstructed_View]

Being penny and pound foolish wouldn't help either ..

This argument is so profoundly lame I can't even generate the enthusiasm required to squash it. We'll just give the Spurs a high five for managing to cir vent the D league salary cap. That Pop is a crafty one.