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Oh, one more thought. Unless Dell Curry can go through a time warp and come to the Spurs at around age 26 or so, I'd rather not have anyone named Curry on the roster.
Well, kiddos, it's been fun lurking for the better part of a year now. But it's time to get back to posting...I'd like to hit 10,000 before my 10th year as a forum member.
A few thoughts on the new season thus far:
The bench play has me worried. Ok, so Manu's out, and we all know that even if you stuck SuperManu on the floor with a group of 4 randomly selected Spurstalkers he'd even make us look good, but the bench play so far has me concerned. Our bench has been outscored in both games so far, is struggling to hit shots (under 40% from the floor) is off from 3 (2 for 13, or 15.4%), not rebounding or playing great D, with the exception of Stephen Jackson. For a team that is supposedly so deep, that's not encouraging. Take SJax out of the equation and the Spurs essentially have no bench play to speak of. Of course, you re-insert Manu, and suddenly we're probably having a different conversation about the bench. Smoke and mirrors? Anyone want to play the backup 4 next to Ginobili and look like a 6th man of the year?
Too many minutes for Tim and Tony. Yes, they looked great in back-to-back appearances, but the Spurs can't expect Duncan and Parker to shoulder the load throughout the season. If either of those two were running on fumes these last two games, we'd be 0-2 right now. I'd expect Pop to back Tim's minutes down once the team has established itself a bit, but right now any reduction in minutes to Duncan or Parker would have equaled a pair of losses to open the year.
We won't win in the playoffs with the big men we currently have. Yes, earth-shatteringly shocking news. The Spurs will have to make a change at some point this season unless they are willing to go into the post season knowing they don't stand a chance of making the finals. Tim Duncan is really it in terms of any sort of big man interior presence. The dropoff is dramatic after TD. Diaw is serviceable and would be a great backup big. Splitter has to step up, big-time, but at this point hasn't shown he's in full-on game mode, and the two-headed montster that is Blonner needs to go. Tim Duncan will get worn out by the playoffs having to shoulder the entire interior duty for the Spurs. It's all on Mr. Duncan, and we know how well that scenario plays out in the post season. Welcome to Mr. Robinson's neighborhood prior to your arrival Tim! The big man core looks the weakest it's been since Robinson's retirement. How much is Bonner slated to make this year?
Nando de Colo. "We need more Nando!" <-- Future Gregg Popovich timeout quote during the 2013 Western Conference Finals. I'd like to see what this kid can do in a regular season game, and hope he plays soon.
Kawhi Leonard. I fully expect him to emerge from his slump soon. The kid works too hard for his game not to turn around, and in a big way. He needs to quit thinking. Thinking is bad. Leave the thinking to the white players who have no game. I was known as a smart player. Look at me now Kawhi...it's just sad. Quit thinking and just play, or you'll end up living in a van down by the river.
The future. Right now the Spurs look a little vulnerable. Thankfully Parker and Duncan are playing at a high level. Either of those guys slump, and without a healthy Manu, the Spurs are in for some rough stretches. I think a trade/addtion/change to the current roster is mandatory at some point in the season and I'd be shocked if we don't make at least a couple of roster changes this year. IMO, we are not a team capable of pushing into the late rounds of the playoffs. Of course, once Manu is back he'll elevate everyone's game...my concern is that he's already had a couple of injuries and the season is just getting started. Without Manu this team is good, but not great. His absence exposes the fact that this team is not as deep as it usually appears.
Last edited by Ed Helicopter Jones; 11-02-2012 at 02:34 PM.
Oh, one more thought. Unless Dell Curry can go through a time warp and come to the Spurs at around age 26 or so, I'd rather not have anyone named Curry on the roster.
yall still say his name?
Some of our players have been injured since 2008
A big reason why the bench struggle is Pop.
Spurs have played 4 halves so far. Only 2 bench players, Jackson and Neal, have played in these 4 halves and Neal has been moved from PG to SG. Pop is playing the mad scientist with the bench. It's hard for these bench players to contribute with lineup constantly changing and no defined role. Once Pop settles his rotation and gives a little more playing to the bench, I expect them to gel and produce more.
Spurs lack another quality big. Diaw has helped in that area but he isn't enough.
Spurs have a true logjam at the guards spots and it will be even worse with Manu coming back for the next game. Spurs just have too many guards under contract to open a little playing time for De Colo.
Watching the first two games, I missed all those quality guard minutes being filled to take opportunities away from De Colo.
Very good post, Ed Helicopter Jones.
You make a great point about the bench defense. While Manu is going to fix the bench's offense, he probably won't help the defense. The reserves were horrible defensively last year in the playoffs. To begin this season, they continue to be pretty darn bad. Specifically, when Splitter is on the court, the opposition basically scores every time up the court. That's quite damn worrisome ... and connects to your assertion that the Spurs probably need a bigman upgrade.
Kenyon Martin would fix that. ^
Question. Can the Spurs offer anything other than the minimum?
Actually, this is the biggest concern I have. It's really mind-boggling how the Spurs, after the past 3 -4 years of playoff failure, could enter into yet another season with the same frontcourt deficiencies. It's even more of a concern because apparently there are no viable frontcourt upgrade options available and I can't see any team willing to take on either of the Turd Towers. If something doesn't change for the better in this area, the Spurs can expect another playoff trip that lands short of the NBA Finals.
bonner still getting 20 mins
vs the deepest frontcourt in the league no less
just playing smallball with leonard at the 4 would make us a few points better defensively
give up so much rebounds and theres no real help when bonner is in
once splitter rotates to stop penetration they just drop it off to splitters guy since bonner cant rotate and score
Bonner had to play. Tim had gone 70 minutes in the first two games. Kawhi was needed on the wing to check
Hayward, who was pretty much torching Green
Granted, this observation is almost negated by the fact its based on a 3+ minute sample size, but I'm curious to see what help , if any, De Colo can provide to our perimeter defense. From the glimpse we got, he seemed to have better defensive instincts than I had maybe expected. If Neal had any kind of defensive instincts, who knows, maybe Harden gets checked a little bit, for christ sakes maybe ing Fisher wouldn't have looked 25 again! Don't discount how much a good perimeter defense have mitigate a defensively challenged (sans Timmy of course!) front court. Anyways, if (and it's a huge 'if' at this point) De Colo can provide some perimeter defense off the bench, it could go a long way into filling in a long standing hole in what has otherwise been a pretty great bench since last year.
I'm wondering why no one has even offered him a contract.
De Colo might not be super fast but he should be able to use his smarts and length to make up for it.
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