McDonald: The Pops Question

[duncan228]

The Pops question
By Jeff McDonald

The cavalry arrived in San Antonio this week in the form of a 6-foot-10 (OK, 6-8) Londoner named Pops. The skies parted. A rainbow stretched across the sky above the AT&T Center. The blogosphere rejoiced.

Then, Pops Mensah-Bonsu logged all of 34 seconds of garbage time in his Spurs debut against Portland.

Those who expected Mensah-Bonsu to immediately swoop in a save the cheerleader, save the world were surely disappointed. Maybe next week.

Here's the deal: Mensah-Bonsu might very well end up being a nice complementary piece for the Spurs. One blog compared Pops to Francisco Elson, and that's not bad upside for a guy from the D-League. For all his faults, the Spurs did win an NBA le with Elson in the rotation.

Mensah-Bonsu's numbers in eight games at Austin were nice -- 26 points, and 13 rebounds in eight games, including a monster 39-18 night against Colorado. He's got intriguing athleticism, affording the Spurs some defensive flexibility at the four-spot they haven't had in the past.

But let's not get carried away. All we really know about Pops yet is that he was really, really good for eight games in the D-League.

It's going to be tough to find him minutes in San Antonio, especially if and when Tim Duncan returns from his knee injury. Remember, Fabricio Oberto was barely playing before Duncan went down.

Mensah-Bonsu will almost certainly get a good run at some point. The Spurs will want to see what he can do at the NBA level, and if he warrants anything more than his first 10-day contract. Right now, we just don't know.

[ChumpDumper]

One blog compared Pops to Francisco Elson

Stupid blogs....

[FromWayDowntown]

Pop, who some occasionally call Pops, will use Pops at some point.

And in discussing it, we'll all be confused as .

[lurker23]

Jeff, why say "blogosphere" when we all know you mean "SpursTalk"?

Love the "Heroes" reference though.

[EricB]

I don't think it would hurt against the Clippers to give him some serious burn.

[xtremesteven33]

What is this Blog he speaks of????

[duncan228]

What is this Blog he speaks of????

Sorry, I forgot to link it. It's fixed in the article.

http://www.48minutesof .com/2009/...ustin-lottery/

[FromWayDowntown]

Jeff, why say "blogosphere" when we all know you mean "SpursTalk"?

Love the "Heroes" reference though.

Because he's talking about a blog and not SpursTalk:

http://www.48minutesof .com/2009/...ustin-lottery/

[duncan228]

Good to see 48 Minutes Of getting some more recognition too. It's the only Spurs blog I hit daily.

[Austin_Toros]

I don't think it would hurt against the Clippers to give him some serious burn.

Well, they beat Boston. Let's just wait and see.
Although I really want to see Pops get some decent time so I can see what he can offer.

[lurker23]

Because he's talking about a blog and not SpursTalk:

http://www.48minutesof .com/2009/...ustin-lottery/

I was mostly kidding, but thanks for the link.

However, one blog does not a "blogosphere" make.

[buttsR4rebounding]

Elson would have been a great fit with the Spurs had his IQ had been more than height. He was dumb as...well, Jackie Butler. He couldn't find the right rotation with a road map and a compass. So, if Pops can be Elson with a higher BB IQ then he will be a good find.(in honor of good rotations)

[jag]

Pop, who some occasionally call Pops, will use Pops at some point.

And in discussing it, we'll all be confused as .

Pops got on to his guys earlier in the year about their poor defense...they've picked it up as of late, but it will still be nice to see what Pops can do on the defensive end.

[The Truth #6]

KT and Oberto have been playing out of their minds the last few games so it's unclear when Pops will get time, especially if Tim comes back.

But if Pops' presence has had some effect on pushing Oberto and KT to keep their minutes, then that isn't bad either.

[urunobili]

Jeff saw that 48MOH gave props to Spurstalk and he felt he had to do something and linked his article with 48MOH

[benefactor]

I wonder if McDonald comes on here and reads about how bad he sucks. Probably not, because he still fails to proofread his articles for errors

[Agloco]

The Pops question
By Jeff McDonald

The cavalry arrived in San Antonio this week in the form of a 6-foot-10 (OK, 6-8) Londoner named Pops. The skies parted. A rainbow stretched across the sky above the AT&T Center. The blogosphere rejoiced.

Then, Pops Mensah-Bonsu logged all of 34 seconds of garbage time in his Spurs debut against Portland.

Those who expected Mensah-Bonsu to immediately swoop in a save the cheerleader, save the world were surely disappointed. Maybe next week.

Here's the deal: Mensah-Bonsu might very well end up being a nice complementary piece for the Spurs. One blog compared Pops to Francisco Elson, and that's not bad upside for a guy from the D-League. For all his faults, the Spurs did win an NBA le with Elson in the rotation.

Mensah-Bonsu's numbers in eight games at Austin were nice -- 26 points, and 13 rebounds in eight games, including a monster 39-18 night against Colorado. He's got intriguing athleticism, affording the Spurs some defensive flexibility at the four-spot they haven't had in the past.

But let's not get carried away. All we really know about Pops yet is that he was really, really good for eight games in the D-League.

It's going to be tough to find him minutes in San Antonio, especially if and when Tim Duncan returns from his knee injury. Remember, Fabricio Oberto was barely playing before Duncan went down.

Mensah-Bonsu will almost certainly get a good run at some point. The Spurs will want to see what he can do at the NBA level, and if he warrants anything more than his first 10-day contract. Right now, we just don't know.

He is Superman......

He's got about a 90 reb per 48 min right now

[Taking it to the Hole]

I really hope Pops does anything significant tonight. A block, a key rebound or hustle play, or even a momentum changing dunk. Anything just to shut Ronald McDonald up!

[EJK5032]

yes, Pops put up great numbers in the D-League.........but it's the D-League........the compe ion level is so far below that of the NBA it is hard to quantify.

Pops will provide adequate insurance in case KT and Fab get into foul trouble.