Why are we using Tony Parker?

[Blackjack]

Well I think the starting lineup should be TP/Mason/Bowen/Duncan/Body and then have Hill come off the bench with Manu and Finley. (Even though Manu said in the paper that he wants more court time with Tony.) I think those units should be able to adapt and work well together. But Pop has to decide on something. Shuffling the starting lineup every game and having helter skelter subs ution patterns doesn't help any player get in the flow and kills the chemistry before it starts.

That's the line-up I'd go with, but I don't want Bonner starting. His game to me is just so much more conducive to coming off the bench and providing a spark with his energy. It seems to me he finally found a comfort level in a role, so starting him and risking him thinking he needs to play over his head? It just doesn't make too much sense at this point.

Mason and Bowen spread the floor better to me for Tim's post game and Tony's drives, and having Hill and Ginobili coming off the bench is like releasing the dogs on the opposition. It sounded like Pop was pretty set on sticking with Manu as a starter, but after tonight and what could happen at Denver? Pop might be singing a different tune.

[Spur-Addict]

You should start one of these threads for every guy on the team outside Duncan

The Spurs were HORRIBLE tonight. Give some credit to Detroit for outworking them but everything about the Spurs was bad. Manu and Tony were really lazy with their passing/hanging on to the ball, plus they were weak (I won't say soft) with their drives. George Hill was bad enough in his short stint that Pop turned to Vaughn. And don't get me started about Ime Udoka. I know that he has a good game every 1 out of 15 and everybody rallies around him and starts saying he's Bowen Jr. But he's just not that good. Next time he has a good game, trade him the next morning for a big body - young, old - doesn't matter.

The only person who was worth anything to the Spurs tonight was TD. And when Detroit turned up the heat in the 4th, he was pretty useless too.

Oh they were soft, drives and everything else, and I agree with Pop when he said it himself.

Pop: "And the most disturbing is that I think we were very soft. I think Detroit intimidated us, and I think they ran us all over the court, with their aggressiveness and their physicality. It was really sad to watch in that respect, I thought we totally folded to their aggressive play. Thus the loss."

Sounds about right to me. We includes Manu and Tony. Tony agreed with Pop in saying they played soft. Manu agreed with the soft description as well. Both said it in their interviews, I think they have a good idea. Despite all the garbage basketball, we were up mostly all the way until the beginning section of the fourth, although by a few points, then Detroit began to get extremley aggressive, and then things took a turn for the worse.

[amy020]

when TP's back, the spurs never played better than it used to be.as a point guard,he can't involved the whole team together. he only have two kinds of ways:drive to the rim or pass to Tim.I seldom saw TP pass the ball to other guys. as he can draw the foul,he 's not good at free throws. yes it's true that Tim is our first choice ,but why not pass the ball to those who are in a better position for a wide open shot??? Tim has made several shots with great defense while Mason or some one had no one nearby. That's why Mason or Finey played not as good as they had done when TP's out. Hill seems to do a better job that he really inloved the whole team but TP only see Tim and himself.I really hope there can be some difference and adjustment after the game. Please take advantage of the HILL and Mason. They can really contribute much more if you give share the ball with them. not just pass to them with few seconds,then how can they get their rhyme. TP kept the ball so long on his hands and he should learn to share, to share with the whole team. It takes 5 not 2 on the court!!!

[TDMVPDPOY]

when TP's back, the spurs never played better than it used to be.as a point guard,he can't involved the whole team together. he only have two kinds of ways:drive to the rim or pass to Tim.TP kept the ball so long on his hands and he should learn to share, to share with the whole team. It takes 5 not 2 on the court!!!

you forgot the part where he drives and misses the floater and flop to the floor and look up the refs for a call......

[Admidave50]

amazing to call out TP while Manu is in the same situation, maybe even worse with +/- -17 and doing nothing with the 2nd unit while we had 8-10 pts advantage.

Some of Manu's groupies need to chill out

[Kori Ellis]

when TP's back, the spurs never played better than it used to be.as a point guard,he can't involved the whole team together. he only have two kinds of ways:drive to the rim or pass to Tim.I seldom saw TP pass the ball to other guys. as he can draw the foul,he 's not good at free throws. yes it's true that Tim is our first choice ,but why not pass the ball to those who are in a better position for a wide open shot??? Tim has made several shots with great defense while Mason or some one had no one nearby. That's why Mason or Finey played not as good as they had done when TP's out. Hill seems to do a better job that he really inloved the whole team but TP only see Tim and himself.I really hope there can be some difference and adjustment after the game. Please take advantage of the HILL and Mason. They can really contribute much more if you give share the ball with them. not just pass to them with few seconds,then how can they get their rhyme. TP kept the ball so long on his hands and he should learn to share, to share with the whole team. It takes 5 not 2 on the court!!!

I guess you missed a lot of the game tonight. Tony passed to a lot of open shooters tonight with plenty of time on the clock. But they knocked down only 6 of 24 three pointers.

The "Tony doesn't pass" mantra is really old and lame at this point.

But harping on Tony over anyone else tonight is silly. The whole entire team sucked, including him.

[sonic21]

Tony could have had more than 10 assists today, but nobody were making their shoots, he didn' have a good game but it's not because of him the spurs lost.

[Brazil]

In more than 30 min TP has shot "only" 14 balls, he has tried to get his team mates involved.

I'm with kori on this one : all the team was awful except Tim and Bowen. The Pop coaching was quite strange, I don't understand what he tried to do yesterday may be CIA Pop

[spursfan09]

@ trying to blame Parker.

the whole freaken team sucked. the spurs lost against the pistons who just played better and harder. It was not just tony who lost to them.

Oh and you must not really be a Spur fan if you think TP is not needed nor wanted on the Spurs

[timaios]

Hill seems to do a better job that he really inloved the whole team but TP only see Tim and himself.

I like George Hill a lot, but he is a rookie. He was lost against Houston, he was lost againt Detroit.
Tell me how many assists per game has George Hill.
Yesterday 0. Since the start of the season 3.1 apg.
I don't blame him, because he's gonna be a terrific player. But right now, he's playing like a rookie... a good rookie though.

Last 3 games of TP : 7ast (in 16min) 7ast (in 26min) and 5ast today.
TP right now is not very good but he was out for 3 weeks. Come on.

[JPB]

A weird impression of déjà vu all over again.

-Speedy Claxton has 2 two good games: trade Parker, he's hurting the team.
-Beno udrih has two good games (yes he had some at his beginning) : trade Parker, the team's better whitout him.

So, the same answers all over again :

- Do you think Pop would tony let play like he does if he wasn't ok with that ? And more, if he wasn't asking him to play like he does ?

- do you think, coming PO time, Hill will take care of business when defenses are stronger and you need difference makers ? Do you think Hill scoring 2 or 3 against the suns, Lakers, or Celts would be ok to beat those teams ?
I didn't hear anybody blaiming TP when he torched Phoenix in game 3, last season scoring 40 something. DO you think Hill could do that ? How did Hill do against Baron and Billups ?

Spurs hardly beat (by 2 or 3) Memphis, Chicago and the clippers without Tony and lose against Houston and Detroit, with him and everybody sucking, then some people claims the team's better without him.

Can't you people think more than 2 games beyond ? Please.

[Spurs da champs]

IF you watched the spurs game tonight, its obvious the problem wasnt parker.

it was everyones lack of intensity and passion. They played it like a preseason game. Ill honestly say this is probably the most pathetic spurs performance i have ever seen in terms of cohesivness and lack of effort.

parker was creating and slashing. If you blame this on parker.....youre a moron.

That's strange they decided too loose there passion when tony returned. It's obvious he tries too take everything into his own hands a little too much..

[The Truth #6]

Pop loves to experiment with lineups over and over again. I guess the season gets boring for him. Hopefully, he settles on Mason, Bowen, and Oberto in the starting 5 with Manu, Hill and Bonner in the second unit.

Tony and Manu's potential injuries are a wild card that could delay a sense of normalcy.

[JPB]

That's strange they decided too loose there passion when tony returned. It's obvious he tries too take everything into his own hands a little too much..

[DPG21920]

It is painfully obvious that most people here are myopic. Learn to evaluate in chunks of games instead of individual moments.