Message to Tony Parker: Keep the Role Players Involved!

[South Side Spurs Fan]

So some fans say: Tony has the best FG%, why not let him get most of the shots?

The problem with this view:
If it is predetermined that TP will get most of the shot attempts, others will suffer. They won't be contributing as much, they won't be as confident at season's end. That is inevitable.

So you say:
But TP is shooting a great percentage, if he takes all the shots, we win regardless.

I say:
WE WILL WIN MOST GAMES, BUT WE WON'T WIN A LE THAT WAY. WE ARE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE WHEN WE PLAY TEAMS WITH STRONG INTERIOR DEFENSE, AND WE LOSE OPTION 1 AND 2 (Tim and Tony). Tony can't drive, and Tim can't create points on the block or in the lane. This has happened lately (Orlando, Hornets), and it almost got us against NO last year. Then where do we go?

Well, the immediate answer would be Tony's jump shot and Manu. But with Manu's ailing ankle last year, and Tony's jump shot a little less reliable than advertised (lookin'good this year so far, I must say), didn't we see our options dwindle, and didn't we fall short as a result?

And what of all these role players who have stood and watched Tony for 80% of the season (during those games where we played teams without interior D)? At this point they've been under-utilized and have little to contribute (see Udoka last year late). These guys need to be integrated into the attack, so that when option 1 and option 2 fail, we have guys who are confident in executing the offense and stepping up and taking a shot. Not everyone is going to respond like Steve Kerr in the Dallas series after riding pine all season.

What does this mean? It means 80% of the time, we can win with the big three exclusively, or a big two even. But without effective role players, we won't win the le (you already knew that). BUT THOSE ROLE PLAYERS NEED TO BE INTEGRATED OVER THE ENTIRE SEASON, SO THEY ARE IN PLACE BY SEASON'S END, AND THAT MEANS TONY NEEDS TO DEFER JUST ENOUGH TO GET THEM 6-10 SHOTS A GAME.

ITS CALLED MAKING THE PLAYERS AROUND YOU BETTER!!!!! (maybe you've heard the phrase).

Am I being critical of Parker? No. Do I think he can take it upon himself to get these players involved? Yes. Why Parker and not just let them get points in the flow of the offense? Well, I'll argue that Parker drives as much or more than anyone, and always has the opportunity to find the open man on the perimeter, so he is especially well suited for getting guys open shots.

[BlackSwordsMan]

what a ball hog

[adrien]

I just got it. You are George Hill's brother.

[Sigz]

Message to Tony Parker:

Make us an Eva sex tape.

[Kori Ellis]

If you want to send Tony Parker a message, you should probably log onto tp9.net. Here, you are just cluttering up the forum repeating yourself 40+ times in 24 hours.

Merry Christmas.