Guess who could be re-signing with the Spurs...

[TimDunkem]

The Spurs need DEFENSE. Bonner is a total liability on the court.


"Give the ball to whoever Bonner is guarding!"

[rayray2k8]

The Spurs need DEFENSE. Bonner is a total liability on the court.


"Give the ball to whoever Bonner is guarding!"

I remember this, who said it?

[Mel_13]

I remember this, who said it?

Sheed

[underdawg]

Spurs need shooters.That's what Bonner does. A big that can shoot is a valued commodity around the league. It opens up the lane for Tim and it also opens lanes for TP, Manu, RJ, etc. to get in the paint and get to the rim. Is he an all star? Of course not. His playoff performance the past few years has been no different than most other players on the team. Bonner was not the reason the Spurs have lost in the playoffs the past few seasons. If we can sign him for about the same salary, it would be a good move. GM's and people around the league who know basketball would not be surprised to see Bonner resign with the Spurs. The only people who object are the fans who are ignorant on how to build a basketball team. He's just a role player with one NBA skill that teams covet - he can shoot. The Spurs are not going to be any closer to a championship by resigning Bonner alone. They need pieces to put the team together. He's just one piece.

A role player should never cost you a le because they are just "role" players - it wan't just his poor play that hurt us, it was what he couldn't ever provide in his many minutes of playing time that hurt too - length in the paint for defense and rebounds. A stretch 4 is only valuable to the Spurs if that player can play defense.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

How many years of watching him choke in the playoffs does Pop need to realize the guy sucks?

Can't defend, can't rebound. Can't shoot in the playoffs.

End this madness

[lurker23]

Pretending that the guy is anything more than Timberwolves material, however, is also an affront to the collective intelligence of the people in this board.
He could be better than Jordan during the regular season. If it doesn't translate to the playoffs, then it's worthless.

And he's undeniably a one trick pony. A freaking rookie (3 inches shorter than him too) averaged twice as many rebounds than him in about the same time.
Sure, the 3 point shot is important, but it's imperative we get back to playing good, solid defense, especially in the interior if we want to have a shot at anything. Bonner simply can't help you there.

Comparing basically any player to Blair isn't really fair as far as rebounding rates go. While rebounding isn't Bonner's strength, I've shown stats in the past that he's basically an average rebounder for a role player big man.

I'm not necessarily arguing for Bonner for a spot on this Spurs team, nor do I necessarily feel like debating it. However, just so you know where I'm coming from, I'll quote my more complete thoughts on Bonner from another thread:

The key to appreciating players like Matt Bonner is to understand what they are, and understand what they are not. Either by overestimating what Bonner is, or simply out of necessity, the Spurs have often put Bonner in positions disproportionate to his skill level; this put him in a position to fail in the eyes of the fans.

Matt Bonner is a good shooter, but he should not be the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd offensive option the court. Matt Bonner competes well on defense, but he is not a defensive force, nor should he be put against the opposing team's best big man. Matt Bonner is a hard worker, a hustle player, and an all-around good guy, but he should not be relied upon to be anything more than a role player.

After watching him for several years, I think this sums up my opinion of Matt Bonner as a player:

5. He can be the 5th best big man on a championship team.
4. He can be the 4th best big man on a great team.
3. He can be the 3rd best big man on a decent to good team.
2. He can be the 2nd best big man on a decent to bad team.
1. He can be the best big man on a very bad team.

If the Spurs want to bring him back and expect him to be #5 on that list (perhaps #4 when injuries occur), then I'm all for it. However, there are two potential problems with this: a.) Bonner's familiarity with the system may cause Pop to play him as one of the first two big men off the bench on a regular basis, which could hurt the team, and b.) With Bonner's skill set, it's very possible that he gets more money from another team to be #2, #3, or #4 on the above list. (For what it's worth, I believe #1 on the list would probably only happen in the NBA due to injuries.)

[TimDunkem]

Sure. I agree with the Bonner supporters that he could be valuable to a team....A ty team that is. Any team that gives Bonner playing time might as well throw their championship aspirations out of the window.

Are the Spurs not tired with mediocrity? Let Bonner's choking ass walk.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

I can't see how anyone would want him back. Everyone knows he'd get the Finley treatment and be playing no matter what, even with his anemic contributions to this team.

And he can't hit a shot in the playoffs until we're either up or down 3-0 in a series. F him.

[vander]

I can see that. In a Finley-in-Boston kinda role.

or the playing for a coach that inspires confidence role
or the playing for a team that runs an actual offense role
or the fact that almost half of the teams in the league will be better than the Spurs over the next few years...

[Dex]

I can't see how anyone would want him back. Everyone knows he'd get the Finley treatment and be playing no matter what, even with his anemic contributions to this team.

And he can't hit a shot in the playoffs until we're either up or down 3-0 in a series. F him.

[Manufan909]

Tim's going to play 30min/per.

Tiago would play around 30min/per.

Blair and 'Dyess will combined for around 30min/per.

90 minutes might be about right, but there's no way Splitter plays half an hour unless he meets Spurstalks insane expectations. And I hope there's no way that Timmy plays half an hour either. Blair and Dyess will need to average 45-50 minutes, with Blair hopefully getting 25+ due to his improved jay/defense.

none of you guys better about him getting burned up by Dirk next season. Bonner does not belong here. that is a failed experiment.

Why would he defend Dirk in games that count anymore, when we have this guy?

[Birn]

A role player should never cost you a le because they are just "role" players - it wan't just his poor play that hurt us, it was what he couldn't ever provide in his many minutes of playing time that hurt too - length in the paint for defense and rebounds. A stretch 4 is only valuable to the Spurs if that player can play defense.

He didn't get that many minutes in the playoffs. He's just one piece. He's not being resigned to be the next David Robinson. Outside of Manu, everybody sucked in the playoffs. Remember Channing Frye hitting all those threes? He was supposed to be guarded by Tim and/or Mcdyess. Should we get rid of them, too? The bottomline is that nobody on the Spurs played any defense in the Suns series. The Suns were just a better team period. Frye is not a great defender.Why didn't Tim take advantage of that matchup? I'm just saying there's plenty of blame to go around. Not all of it is laid on one player. Bonner was terrible defensively as was everyone else against Phoenix. If you'll also recall, the Spurs beat the Lakers 2 out of 3 times during the season. They're not that far off from le contention. If we can bring in Splitter and add another wing that can defend and shoot (Matt Barnes), we're in good shape.

[Pauleta14]

at best, all his offensive production does is "compensating" his defensive mistakes...

All in all, he is useless

The only argument in his favor is his +/- record that stays a mystery to me...

+ I understand Pop loves having a big that can shoot the 3, but the pb is that Timmy is left alone under the basket and is not as efficient as if he is playing along a "real" big...

[ElNono]

or the playing for a coach that inspires confidence role
or the playing for a team that runs an actual offense role
or the fact that almost half of the teams in the league will be better than the Spurs over the next few years...

Hey, he got the minutes, and the wide open shots, that he proceeded to pass on... we all saw it. it happened. Don't blame Pop for Matt's lack of mental for ude.

[ElNono]

Comparing basically any player to Blair isn't really fair as far as rebounding rates go. While rebounding isn't Bonner's strength, I've shown stats in the past that he's basically an average rebounder for a role player big man.

I'm not necessarily arguing for Bonner for a spot on this Spurs team, nor do I necessarily feel like debating it. However, just so you know where I'm coming from, I'll quote my more complete thoughts on Bonner from another thread:

He's incredibly average when he shots 40% from downtown. When he dips into the low 30's, he becomes below average. Furthermore, he obviously has a mental block when it comes to pressure situations, considering he was even passing shots last playoffs.

I appreciate your take, and even agree up to an extent if we were to consider his shooting at a static 40%. That said, Bonner would be big #3 in this team, and I rather have an athletic big in that spot that actually plays in the interior and could help Tim/Dice do the grunt work. To shoot 30% or so from downtown, Manu or even Hill in the corner can take those shots.

[lurker23]

He's incredibly average when he shots 40% from downtown. When he dips into the low 30's, he becomes below average. Furthermore, he obviously has a mental block when it comes to pressure situations, considering he was even passing shots last playoffs.

I appreciate your take, and even agree up to an extent if we were to consider his shooting at a static 40%. That said, Bonner would be big #3 in this team, and I rather have an athletic big in that spot that actually plays in the interior and could help Tim/Dice do the grunt work. To shoot 30% or so from downtown, Manu or even Hill in the corner can take those shots.

Well, one thing we can certainly agree on: As I implied before, if Bonner is going to be big #3 on this team, whether by skill level or by Pop's choosing, then please let him take more money elsewhere.

[ElNono]

Well, one thing we can certainly agree on: As I implied before, if Bonner is going to be big #3 on this team, whether by skill level or by Pop's choosing, then please let him take more money elsewhere.

Agree.

[vander]

Hey, he got the minutes, and the wide open shots, that he proceeded to pass on... we all saw it. it happened. Don't blame Pop for Matt's lack of mental for ude.

well first of all, he played pretty damn good most of the time, the on/off-court stat confirms that quite clearly; and second of all, when he plays better elsewhere, how will you explain that?

Pop is not a good coach for most players, he doesn't get the most out of players, he just lucked out that he was a perfect fit with TD.

[Mel_13]

well first of all, he played pretty damn good most of the time, the on/off-court stat confirms that quite clearly; and second of all, when he plays better elsewhere, how will you explain that?

I'll say, nice going Matty. I don't care what he does for another team.

[J_Paco]

Outside of Manu, everybody sucked in the playoffs. If we can bring in Splitter and add another wing that can defend and shoot (Matt Barnes), we're in good shape.

Please, everyone played poorly during the playoffs for stretches including Manu. But, Bonner was especially poor because he got minutes ahead of Blair and even played more than McDyess at times. The guy played like until the Spurs season was virtually over down 0-3 and there was no longer any pressure to perform. I'll be highly upset if Bonner returns for another wasted stint in San Antonio.

His level of production can be easily replaced with a player that brings more skills to the table, IMO.

Oh, and Matt Barnes is bad three-point shooter. He'd help defensively but in limited minutes like his past role in Orlando and Golden State.

well first of all, he played pretty damn good most of the time, the on/off-court stat confirms that quite clearly; and second of all, when he plays better elsewhere, how will you explain that?

Of course he had a good +/- since he usually played in a line-up involving Parker-Ginobili-Jefferson-himself-Duncan or Hill-Ginobili-Jefferson-himself-Blair. Those two line-ups incorporate at least 3 of our top 5 players at all times.

[ElNono]

well first of all, he played pretty damn good most of the time, the on/off-court stat confirms that quite clearly; and second of all, when he plays better elsewhere, how will you explain that?

I disagree. He sucked when it mattered the most. Good luck to him wherever he goes...

Pop is not a good coach for most players, he doesn't get the most out of players, he just lucked out that he was a perfect fit with TD.

Yet he's widely recognized as one of the top coaches in the league. But I should take your word for it since all you amounted to is to post in a message forum...

Gotcha.

[howbouthemspurs]

i hope bonner comes back.. he was always funny to watch

[J_Paco]

i hope bonner comes back.. he was always funny to watch

Why would you watch basketball looking for humor? I'd prefer a reliable player over Matt Bonner.

[vander]

I disagree. He sucked when it mattered the most. Good luck to him wherever he goes...

so who didn't suck against the Suns? time to cut the Big 3

Yet he's widely recognized as one of the top coaches in the league. But I should take your word for it since all you amounted to is to post in a message forum...

Gotcha.

is that supposed to mean something? what are people supposed to say when a guy has rings? they aren't going to stir the pot, it's just like people saying that TD is still one of the best players in the league, open your eyes, don't be a drone, a parrot

[Chomag]

He didn't get that many minutes in the playoffs. He's just one piece. He's not being resigned to be the next David Robinson. Outside of Manu, everybody sucked in the playoffs. Remember Channing Frye hitting all those threes? He was supposed to be guarded by Tim and/or Mcdyess. Should we get rid of them, too? The bottomline is that nobody on the Spurs played any defense in the Suns series. The Suns were just a better team period. Frye is not a great defender.Why didn't Tim take advantage of that matchup? I'm just saying there's plenty of blame to go around. Not all of it is laid on one player. Bonner was terrible defensively as was everyone else against Phoenix. If you'll also recall, the Spurs beat the Lakers 2 out of 3 times during the season. They're not that far off from le contention. If we can bring in Splitter and add another wing that can defend and shoot (Matt Barnes), we're in good shape.

IF spurs were a regular lottery team Bonner might be fine. However Spurs are a team that is always playing for a championship and they need roll players that can step it up in the playoffs. Bonner has been given his chances but all he has proven is he is not this kind of player that fits that roll. So calling Bonner a role player is kind of a moot point when come time when it matters he can't contribute to his roll.