Message From Above

[Yorae]

But it left me wondering why it would take a very high shooting percentage to beat us. And boston barely beat us on a back to back...

[KenziE]

not worried a bit its only january

[024]

a midseason lull for the spurs. rather see them lackluster now than in march. however, we always knew the spurs aren't as good as the lakers and celtics, no matter what the record says. these two teams are simply too stacked. enjoy the winning ride while it lasted but fatigue will set in and the euphoria of starting the season will wear off. back to the grind. i just hope the spurs can hang on to their 1 seed, which is still attainable.

[quentin_compson]

I agree with those who say that it doesn't look like this team has the personnel to be a top 5 defensive team night in and night out. There are issues on the perimeter as well as inside.
I guess a combination of Hill/RJ/Manu/Anderson on the perimeter and of TD/Dice/Splitter in the post could work well enough to get to the WCF, but in order to win a series against the Lakers/Mavs/Celtics/Heat, these guys would have to be at the top of their defensive game on a consistent basis. Right now, it's a little hard to believe that this actually will happen.

[Muser]

Okay, I just want timvp to reply in timvp speak why he was mentioning the Spurs athleticism is greater with Hill in the lineup.

What difference does athleticism make if Hill sucks more often than not on defense?

I was so happy after the Laker victory that I bought into the hype but, really, overall, Hill is not good at defense. We said this at the conclusion of every one of his seasons thus far. He's like our Roddy Beaubois. He had a handful of great rookie defensive games.....then he shows us flashes. That's it.

What frustrates the out of me (and probably all of you) is that he has shown games where he can make a MAJOR difference with his defense.....and we're sitting here dumbfounded when he plays the way he has the last two days.

I am finished with giving Hill a free pass. I want to see Pop and Coach Bud ripping his ing asshole open every mistake he makes again. Pop giving him Free Reign on a timeout his rookie year obviously has not worked.

George Hill has the talent to be something great. But his inconsistency is a big detriment. And I think over half the ST'ers have honestly forgot how much of an abortion he was in the Phoenix Suns series of last playoffs.

Simply amazing. Go Spurs.

I agree, some games Hill looks like he can be great (Lakers for example), then others he's the worst player on the team.

[pad300]

I disagree about Jefferson's defense getting better, I don't see a difference from last year..offensively, he's obviously much better, but the D is the same IMO..

I agree about Blair..I made a thread when the season began, about Blair in the starting lineup..it's impossible to play good D on a consistent basis when Blair is in the lineup, his defensive IQ is too low..

Blair needs to watch as much tape of Glen Davis as possible..he needs to model his entire game after him..

Not Davis. Chuck Hayes. If you want an undersized center who can DEFEND, he's your man...

[HarlemHeat37]

Not Davis. Chuck Hayes. If you want an undersized center who can DEFEND, he's your man...

Chuck Hayes is a rare type of player, and he's an offensive liability..

Blair has shown enough offensive potential and he seems to value offense a lot more than defense, so I think Big Baby is a guy he should model his game after..Davis wasn't known as a defender coming into the NBA, but he has become a legit team defender, to compliment his offense..

[awktalk]

He needs to incorporate Splitter, but I'm resigned to Splitter sitting on the bench his rookie year a la Oberto. At least he's giving Neal some run. Maybe Anderson will get a chance. This team is not going to win anything if the defense doesn't improve.

Have you watched a single game this year when Splitter didn't play 4th quarter junk minutes? The dude gets owned on defense and doesn't have an offensive move outside of 6 feet, and his move inside 6 feet is a shoulder-hoisted spinner that most 3s can block. Dude is an abomination, which is why he gets no minutes.