When you see him rebound or go for a block, he reminds you of Tim. He doesn't often leave the ground, just reaches up with those long arms. Not a big leaper, but on the plus side, he doesn't get faked out into the air either.
14 points on 5 shots, hes such a big wide body now, ats hard not to foul him when hre attacks, lets hope he hasnt lost too much of his athleticism from the added muscle.
Great game.
In addition on the pre season MVP, SPlitters averges through 3 games.
17.3 PPG
60% FG
8 RPG
2 APG
2 BPG ???
Not sure about the last stat
17 and 8..
Wow, hes averaging more than the vaunted god like Scola...
footage from that last game is up now at ACBTV
Game 4 last night....Tau lost 83-82
31 min
17 pts
7/8 FG
3/10 FT :S
3 rbs :S:S
1 ast
He has too choked in this game.
He has missed 2 FTs with 3 seconds left while his team was down by 1.
Yeah...he is a center. Work on rebound positioning or something...
In the game footage I saw last year they were using him on the high (very high) post, frequently putting him out past the 3 pt arc. I wonder if they are still using him in this way? Hard to get a lot of rebounds from way out there.
When a bigman misses game winning free throws it usually isn't a choke...
Bigmen can't shoot FT's worth a flip.
It's only a choke when guys that usually shoot them well miss them....
I think Splitter usually shoots around 50% or so from FT line...so him missing two of them isn't a choke...he just sucks at FT shooting.
However...if he had made them...he would have been clutch.
He doesn't shoot them well even where there is no pressure..so it's not a choke when he fails to shoot them well underpressure.
It's the guys who are good FT shooters that miss them under pressure that choke.
Example, Sean Elliott is a career 80% FT shooter...in the 1994 WCF, he missed 2 FT's that would have won the game...
That was a choke.
Most bigmen don't shoot them at 80%...so when they miss them it isn't a choke.
Duncan misses game winning FT's pretty often actually...including a couple of times in the playoffs...so does Shaq....that's just bigmen being bigmen.
9 points and 1 rebound on Sunday
Splitter is looking great. I almost wish we were about to start the 08-09 season so we'd have Tiago on the team already!
Still, I can't believe that I was so upset at first when we drafted him. Actually, most of us were. But after considering it for about 30 minutes I realized it was a pretty solid pick. In fact, most people did fairly quickly. And he looks to be proving those sentiments resoundingly.
9 points and 1 rebound in 23 minutes lol.....damn....talk a bout stinkin it up.
Foul trouble
For those of us who were a bit upset or confused with the pick, it's probably because we didn't know much about him. I know I didn't. He wasn't exactly a household name. Yet his game and his skills look like to be an ideal future fit for this team - especially his shotblocking ability and potential offensive prowess. Like yourself, I had my initial reservations, yet I've since come around on this pick too. I'm far more excited about him than I was Scola.
Last edited by SenorSpur; 10-29-2007 at 09:21 AM.
Although this kid's attributes seem to fit the Spurs better than Scola, we won't know what he can bring to the NBA game until he comes over. Just like Scola may very well be completely average or sub-average as an NBA player, this kid may end up the same. The good news is that the Spurs probably aren't relying on him to be anything more than a solid role player, and he may just be great for that role.
Tiago was actually a pretty well known NAME amongst draft guru's (i like to think of myself as one), but even they still never really knew what he was capable of. He was actually a top 3 prospect during Rudy Gay's high schooling coming out bu we all know how much weight those hold. Anyway, Splitter would have been a top 20 pick IMO if he were to come over right away. He is a legit 7 foot in shoes with long arms and actually pretty athletic - three key ingredients and three things Scola lacks.
I was stoked with the pick ....i never though he would go down so far.
During much of the post-draft analysis, I heard that Splitter applied for entry into the NBA draft the previous 2 years only to withdraw. He was also projected to go higher than where the Spurs selected him.Tiago was actually a pretty well known NAME amongst draft guru's (i like to think of myself as one
I was stoked with the pick ....i never though he would go down so far.
Like mystargtr34 pointed out, Splitter was projected to go much higher and had the talent, but he didn't have the apparent "star" potential and he wouldn't be able to contribute to a team right away.... so he slipped to this team, which incidentally didn't need a player with "star" potential or need a player to step in and contribute right away.
It was a perfect fit when it happened and it seems destined to be a perfect match in the long run.
Lets just hope it comes to fruition and soon. This kid could be the legit, long-term answer to the Center position that the Spurs have been seeking since the departure of David Robinson.
Assume that Splitter comes over next year and works into the rotation. Do we get rid of Oberto or Elson--or do we finally end our association with Horry--ithout making any other changes in the current roster of big men.
I say we let Horry go, even if he'd like another year and play with these three guys.
I'm NOT in favor of getting rid of either Elson or Oberto. Both these guys bring different skill sets to the court and should be even better this year and next. I say they both are keepers for now.
According to the number (#25) this is Horry's last season.
And according to the contract situation, this is Elson's last season.
Unless Horry changes his mind and/or Elson makes a big leap forward in his second year, both will likely be gone....paving the way for Splitter to contribute and possibly right away.
Horry's minutes will likely get absorbed by Bonner, who offers a similar skill set.
But the decision on Elson will likely dictate what Splitter's first year with the club looks like. Again, if Elson concentrates on his defense and occasionally finishes off a fastbreak he might be coming back. If he fails to do those things regularly, as he did last season, then he won't.
On Oberto, I believe he has two more years with the ballclub and possibly a team option for a third year. He is in the strongest position to stick around for a while.
Agreed on the defensive side, particularly his rotations. But Elson's best attribute on offense is his mid-range jumper, and ability to further spread the floor while playing with Duncan. He needs to take that shot when he's open and knock down a healthy percentage. I think the Spurs might consider extending him if he's able to do that in addition to improving his rotations.
If given the option, I'd say get rid of Elson. He may run quickly up the floor and possess a halfway decent mid-range shot, but his defensive lapses are killer and he can't finish around the basket to save his life.
That's what I saw last year and it's what I expect to see this year.
It is true that most players improve in their second year with the Spurs, but those players were all intelligent and hard-working. I'm not questioning Elson's work ethic, but I'm just not sure he can pick up the defensive fundamentals to be a significant piece of this team beyond this year. I'm also not sure he can hit that 15-18ft jumpshot enough to cover up his defensive liability.
Not to mention the Spurs will bring on a kid with equal athleticism, better defensive fundamentals, higher potential, and most likely higher intelligence.
Bottom Line: If Elson doesn't improve significantly, I'd show him the door....
I just posted.
Read below....
I've seen Elson hit the shot in warmups, but I really haven't seen him take and make it often enough in game situations to say it's a reliable weapon. I hope I'm wrong because without that shot he's a one trick pony (fastbreak dunker).
Granted, I'm expecting Elson's defensive understanding and effectiveness on that end of the court to be significantly improved. If not, I agree he should be shown the door.
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