I know it might be a knee-jerk reaction, but does he really??
I mean he's a liability on defense and his offense isn't far off. I don't know why Bruce or even Ime aren't getting more minutes? Bruce lives for games against Detriot and he still only played 15 odd minutes.
I don't think anyone can question Pop's moves, but it's getting to a point where he's starting to hurt the new guys. I'm still pissed at him playing Vaughn over Hill. That's just inexcusable.
Sometimes i get the feeling that Pop's trying not to hurt Finley's or Vaughn's ego's but why do it when a game is on the line?
Anyhow i still have faith in the Spurs and Pop.
Bruce deserves to be in the starting 5 just as much as Parker does. Without him we probably wouldnt have won so many playoff series or even a championship.
no offense to finley or udoka but if any of those guys start in place of finley, it all goes on pop.
For some odd reason Pop seems to love finley like a son. so much that he couldnt bear the thought of him not playing more than 20 minutes a game. IDK.....go figure
Finley is playing much betther than Ime this season
Everybody talk about Oberto, Bruce and Thomas but Ime is the player who's playing worst compared to last season.
this is a question that should be answered by the spurs coaching staff, not spurstalk posters.
good luck waiting for that answer.
Finley most definitely does not deserve 30 minutes especially if he is 1-6, which is most nights.
on Udoka, he is nothing special but he is an active body and if you give him an open jumper, he will hit it most of times. but don't expect anything special defensively or offensively from him.
I agree about starting Bowen. He deserves to start. but most of the G minutes still need to go to Tony, Manu, Mason and even Hill. but that's it
When the boat was starting to sink in the 4th I watched Ime bust some more holes in the hull.
He got scored on twice consecutively, dogged it, then got scored on the play after that.
But he wasn't the only one. When the Pistons turned it up the Spurs as a whole played on their heels and just waited for the game to end. That pissed me off the most, the lack of intensity and will to fight. I mean Detroit is a strong team but the Spurs can't back down, go out swinging at least.
Too many times they threw the ball to Timmy down low.. TD would dance around with Wallace from about 18 out, then do some weak drive to the basket and either get it stripped or throw up a prayer that bricked then automatically turn to the refs begging for a foul.
. When Timmy starts pulling that its done deal unless Manu catches fire, which he didn't.. sad to say.
As much as I love Timmy, as the seasons pass, this is becoming more and more problematic. He must understand that the refs are not going to give him calls - period. He can't continue hoping for phantom fouls like the DWades of this L, especially with all the recent rule changes designed for a perimeter game.
I would say 30 minutes on the bench is about right!
Most of the WCF teams don't have a starting SG or SF who is a true stud.
Among the 8 teams Spurs could face in the playoffs, only 2 (Lakers with Bryant and Portland with Roy) have a SG/SF that Finley can't defend for sure. A third team (Mavs with Howard) could give Finley a hard time but the other 5 team are a fine matchup for Finley.
It could be the reasoning behind Finley in the starting lineup over Bowen. That or Pop has turned into D'Antoni.
Yes I think Finley should play over 40 minutes.
to me it seems like bruce cannot play at the level he wants to be extended periods of time. i think coming off the bench is good for him and he can be effective in spurts.
and i dont believe bruce should start just because his name is bruce bowen, he may have been crucial for us before but that doesnt mean hes as effective now. dont get me wrong, same goes for finley, obie, and the other vets. if they cant play at a high level for extended periods of time then they should be benched.
Do Pop and Finley use protection?
popovich loves finley and vaughn so even if we here in ST hates it we can't do anything about it.
No.
i thought that Mason was supposed to take most of Finley's minutes, and that Finley was more of an insurance player for when Manu and Tony got hurt, but now he's taking minutes from Bowen and obviously Hill did something to make Pop go back to Vaughn but I just can't see it. I thought Hill didn't play that well, but not as bad as to see him benched in the 2nd half, and how is he to become a player in this league if his minutes are going to jerked around like that.
I can't see this team going anywhere with Finley getting 30+ minutes that can be used to help Hill and Mason get some experience with the the team.
No. i'd much rather see bowen in the game than finley.
, I'll question him (Pop). That was one of THE WORST coached games I have ever seen.
I know it might be a knee-jerk reaction, but does he really??
I mean he's a liability on defense and his offense isn't far off. I don't know why Bruce or even Ime aren't getting more minutes? Bruce lives for games against Detriot and he still only played 15 odd minutes.
I don't think anyone can question Pop's moves, but it's getting to a point where he's starting to hurt the new guys. I'm still pissed at him playing Vaughn over Hill. That's just inexcusable.
Sometimes i get the feeling that Pop's trying not to hurt Finley's or Vaughn's ego's but why do it when a game is on the line?
Anyhow i still have faith in the Spurs and Pop.
* Mason has been playing so well as a starter so...he gets benched. Out of rhythm the whole game.
* Manu coming back from injury with no pressure or real reason for him to start. What does Pop do? Starts the guy. Out of rhythm. Then of course Pop sticks him with the scrub crew of JV, Bruce, Oberto, and Bonner. Manu is the only offense out there and either has to take bad threes because JV can't get the ball to him, and has to rush bad shots with defense swarming all over him...OR Manu has to get a beating to get to the foul line. Looked like last year's playoffs! Isn't this what we got Mason for, Pop???
* At least by starting Manu you'd expect Fab to stay in the starting lineup so that the chemistry between Manu and Fab gets utilized right? Nope! Bench Fab. Great move Pop.
* Bonner has been playing his most consistent basketball as a Spur from the bench. So Pop starts him to "reward" him. Takes him out of his comfort zone and put a little more pressure on him. Bonner has NO ROLE with TP, Tim and Manu. Stupid move. Struggled the whole game.
* Hill averages over 20 ppg over 4 game stretch before Spurs lost to the Rockets. Playing pretty good, right? , even ESPN noticed. Well, let's trash this rookie's confidence and take him out of his offensive rhythm by barely playing him DESPITE playing great defense on Iverson 1st half. Iverson even was noticeably bothered by the kid. So, Put in JV instead. Hopefully TP can boost this kid's shaken confidence now. What a stupid move.
* He plays JV when Spurs have 60-50 lead and STICKS WITH IT like the stubborn idiot he is 2 and a half minutes into the 4th QUARTER!!! JV does not belong in this league. Did you notice how Iverson didn't even bother to guard him and began stealing the ball at will in the 3rd quarter. This idiotic move is basically what lost the game. Spurs never recovered after losing the lead they had earned DESPITE Pop's moronic starting lineup and helter skelter subs utions.
* So then he finally gets Tony in the game and puts Tim in even later after that! How bout that random Ime subs ution with the team completely unravelled at that point in the 4th. And then griping to the media about your team playing soft and SAD???????? Are you kidding me??? Out-freaking-rageous!!!!!! They may be seasoned veterans for the most part, but this is the year Pop loses this team. He has lost his one main talent of being a great motivator. Think twice if you're hoping Tony doesn't leave when he becomes a free agent. He will be so out of here and I won't blame him!
I AM SO SICK OF THIS TOWN AND THE MEEK SA PRESS AND BLIND, IGNORANT SPURS FANS GIVING POP WAAAAY TOO MUCH CREDIT! ARE YOU WATCHING THESE GAMES??? FAITH IN POP??? YOU CAN FOLLOW HIM RIGHT OFF THE CLIFF DUDE. SPURS WON FOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS DESPITE THE COACH NOT BECAUSE OF HIM. THE MORON COST US IN 2006 WITH HIS STUPID LINEUPS IN THE WCFs. MIAMI EXPOSED DALLAS FOR THE LOSERS THEY ARE.
Last edited by superbigtime; 12-04-2008 at 01:20 AM.
I actually believe than when finley plays over 30 mins the spurs will most likely loose, no matter what.
Same goes for bonner over 25 mins or vaughn over 20.
I understand your frustration, but we have to be patient. I think Popovich sometimes tries to outdo himself. But, hey no one's perfect.
I also didn't like his coaching in the 1st WCF game against lakers last year. He should have left Duncan in there at the beginning of the 4th quarter. That game basically lost us the series.
I agree popovich might drive both Tony & Manu off San Antonio when their contracts expire. It'll be real sad for Tim though because he's signed till 2012 and Tony's contract expires in 2011. To think of it, Pop has always destroyed many players confidence. I really hate that Pop's Doghouse term and i'm sure it's real because how else can you explain Vaughn playing one ing minute of NBA basketball over Hill, and Finley getting to play 32 minutes. 32 freaking minutes, that's what really pisses me off about Pop. How can he be in love with Finley for so long considering Finley's production on offense and his sad little defense over the past 2 years.
Then again, i'm not the Hall of fame coach, he is and i'm pretty sure he wouldn't be one if Tim wasn't here.
If his play is earning the minutes sure.
Otherwise, no.
Because we need points. Thats all. And bruce and ime dont give us many points. Theres a fine line between defense and offense. And we havnt found that line for quite sometime. Hey its this simple. Had Manu not played hurt in the Olympics, we wouldnt be in this particular position right now. Its that simple. Why people refuse to look the other way while we are losing games is beyond me. I know its still early, but by himself and his selfish ways, it has made this team look quite horrible. And we dont have horrible players. But it seems we have selfish players now. Noone knows when they should or shouldnt pass the ball or shoot the ball. And for sure we only have 2 guys who can drive and make layups.
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