Changing of the forward?

[Brodels]

Brown guarded Kobe better than Bowen did. What more evidence do you need? Of course he's not on Bowen's level, but he's still classified as a "good" defender.

Bowen was screened off all game. It's not really fair to criticize him for that. The Lakers did what they needed to do to get Kobe involved. I think he's a good defender, but he need to be a better defender.

And starting Brown wouldn't change anything Manu does. Brown would take the more difficult defensive assignment just like Bowen would. In fact, starting Brown would only help Manu. The offense would be much smoother and much faster, which makes Manu even more effective.

I disagree. If Brown starts, I can see Manu getting the tougher assignments. He's more proven as a defender. I just can't imagine Devin being thrown in there are being asked to shut down Vince Carter (O.K., maybe that's a bad example), Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, etc.

I agree that the offense as a whole would work better with Brown in there, and Manu would benefit the most. Brown could very well be the starting small forward of the future for the Spurs, but I just don't think it is his time yet.

[timvp]

To get Brown minutes, you might have to go with:

Manu: 30 minutes
Bowen: 25 minutes
Barry: 22 minutes
Brown: 19 minutes

I think that is unreasonable since it's going to be hard to limit Manu's minutes, especially if he's playing well. Barry will also probably start deserving more minutes. And still, 19 minutes really isn't enough to get the most out of Brown.

It's a good problem to have, but it could be a problem. It could come down to either Bowen, Barry or Brown getting limited minutes. I'm not sure any of the three could handle getting 5-10 minutes per game.

[Brodels]

You should probably wait to watch him this season before concluding anything then. He worked hard this summer on defense and perimeter shooting. I'm not in favor of replacing Bowen with him in the starting lineup. I just was checking to see if you were assuming things just because of last season.

I am basing my opinions on what he did last season because that's all I have to go by. If you can tell me that he made significant progress over the summer on his defense, I'll reconsider. Nobody seems to be making that claim though.

I might change my mind during the season. But unless he's made significant strides, it just isn't time yet. He needs to play more minutes before he gets a starting position. If he can play well for the first half of the season off the bench and show that he can defend at a high level, I would certainly be in favor of him moving into the starting five. The offense would be much better.

[Brodels]

To get Brown minutes, you might have to go with:

Manu: 30 minutes
Bowen: 25 minutes
Barry: 22 minutes
Brown: 19 minutes

I think that is unreasonable since it's going to be hard to limit Manu's minutes, especially if he's playing well. Barry will also probably start deserving more minutes. And still, 19 minutes really isn't enough to get the most out of Brown.

It's a good problem to have, but it could be a problem. It could come down to either Bowen, Barry or Brown getting limited minutes. I'm not sure any of the three could handle getting 5-10 minutes per game.

It might not happen, but I certainly think that your minute breakdown is reasonable. Many have argued that Manu is more effective when he gets less minutes, and although I don't know if I really believe that, it's worth considering. And I still believe that Barry is going to average 20-24 minutes per game this season.

And while 19 minutes isn't enough to get the most out of Devin, it is enough for him to keep improving and show what he can do. 19 minutes will get him some shots.

[FromWayDowntown]

Even if Brown outplays Bowen during this season, I expect that Devin will be in that second unit for reasons similar to those that sent Manu to the bench last year. As it stands, the Spurs have very little to offer, offensively, in the second unit. It's pretty much Barry and a bunch of guys who need others to create for them. If you put Bowen in that group, the second unit will be offensively abysmal. Meanwhile, with Brown in the first unit, you might be wasting his relative offensive skill by limiting his opportunities, since he'll have to find shots from what's left over after Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker get done (not to mention the shots that are allocated to Rasho to "get him involved" or "keep him involved"). Bowen can be effective with 4-6 shots per night and his corner 3's are an effective compliment to teams that double Tim, crash on Parker and Ginobili when they penetrate, or heavily zone the strong side of the floor.

Coming off the bench, Devin can probably get a couple more shots than that, and probably deserves a few more looks. I'm coming around on Devin, but I'd think on this team, his skills are best utilized in the second unit.

[Marcus Bryant]

With Barry, Brown, Rose, and Udrih coming off the bench you should have a good dose of energy and aggressiveness. If Udrih pans out, Brown continues to improve, and the other two bring what they have in the past then the Spurs should have a pretty solid bench. Horry and Mass are savvy enough to fit in as needed. Johnson (well, along with Udrih) is the wild card. If he pans out then the Spurs should be set.

I'm feeling a little better about the bench than a couple of months ago.

[BigVee]

I for one wouldn't mind sacrificing a little defense to get more offense. I am sick and tired of sweating out leads in the second half when the offense goes in the tank. It puts way too much stress on the defensive end to continually need one stop after another. Plus, who cares about Vince Carter?...you see him twice a year and never in the playoffs, Ray Allen? Seattle stinks. Kobe and McGrady will take a team scheme anyhow. But, with Pop's defensive mentality, you can bet Bowen will be in the starting line-up for a long time, this year for sure.

[FromWayDowntown]

With Barry, Brown, Rose, and Udrih coming off the bench you should have a good dose of energy and aggressiveness.

See, I agree with that. But for those who want to make the move, do you like your second quarter offense if the group coming in is Barry, Bowen, Rose, and Udrih?

[BigVee]

I don't care who comes from where, I just would like to see a greater emphasis on the offensive end this year, and I don't think we should expect Barry to shoulder that load by himself.

[timvp]

See, I agree with that. But for those who want to make the move, do you like your second quarter offense if the group coming in is Barry, Bowen, Rose, and Udrih?

What you do is you sub Barry early for Ginobili. Then you put Ginobili back in with the second unit to give you the go-to option.

That way Manu gets to start, you get to limit his minutes, you get Barry in the flow and you get a second team threat.

Best of all worlds.