"Go Spurs Go time?"
That's what I heard about once a week during the lockout. timvp jr would hand me the remote and ask his question with hopes of me changing the channel so he could watch a Spurs game. "Bonner time, pleeeease," he'd beg.
I've already forgiven him for his unfortunate choice of favorite player. Really, I was just impressed that a three-year-old still remembered the Spurs even existed after such a long stretch with no basketball.
After answering about 1,000 Matt Bonner related questions as we watched the first preseason game ("Bonner jump? Bonner fall down? Bonner win? Bonner high five?"), I took timvp jr to the Spurs scrimmage tonight so he could see the AT&T Center for the first time.
For the entire first quarter, he was silent. He just looked around trying to absorb it all -- there weren't even any Bonner question. By the second quarter, his attention turned to the Coyote. timvp jr kept one eye on the Coyote at all times. Whenever there was a pause in action, he'd stand up in his chair to find him.
"Daddy, I scared," he told me in the fourth quarter.
"Why you scared?"
"Monster robot dog," he said, pointing to the Coyote.
I laughed … but to me that was brilliant. Monster robot dog. I couldn't come up with a better description if I tried.
Anyways, here's my attempt to describe what I saw during the scrimmage:
-Tim Duncan looked damn good early on. It's obvious he spent the extended offseason playing a lot of basketball. Physically, he looks fit and relatively quick; Duncan even threw down a vicious dunk over Tiago Splitter. His outside jumper was money and his ballhandling was in midseason form. Duncan badly outplayed Splitter to begin the game on both ends. However, as the game wore on, Duncan was gassed. By the fourth, he spent most of his time on the court tugging on his shorts. Considering that each side only had a few subs and there were hardly any timeouts, it's not too surprising that he'd get winded. After seeing Duncan in this scrimmage, I'm confident he'll come out of the gates playing really good basketball this season.
-Manu Ginobili, like Duncan, was a terror early but fizzled as the game progressed. In fact, he was even more obviously gassed than Duncan down the stretch. But early on, Ginobili looked good. He hit a few catch-and-shoot jumpers and created well off the dribble. Physically, it was a good sign that he elevated for a pair of dunks during the scrimmage. He's not putting too much effort into defense yet but overall Ginobili should be good to go come Dec. 26.
-To begin the game, Tony Parker was playing the role of facilitator. He wasn't even looking at the basket -- and actually played the role quite well. He broke down the defense repeatedly and found open players time and time again. Throughout the game, his quickness to the rim was impressive. He even seemed to get more lift than usual on his jumpers. But like the other two members of the Big Three, Parker was running on empty heading into the final stanza. (I also noticed that he seemed to be favoring his right elbow a bit ... hopefully that was my imagination.)
-If Richard Jefferson played with any less enthusiasm he would have been pronounced dead. He spent his time jogging up and down the court, rarely doing anything in the paint. The fans gave RJ a nice ovation and he responded by sleepwalking. The bright spot was that his jumper was pure, especially when he was left open and had time to set his feet. Let's hope that Jefferson is just bored with preseason. The alternatives would lower his value to the team even more.
-I'm not even sure what to say about DeJuan Blair's defense or, more specifically, lack thereof. Matt Bonner drained three-pointer after three-pointer (Bonner Time!) as Blair repeatedly closed out late. Getting eaten alive by Luis Scola is one thing, but to turn Bonner into the second coming of Larry Bird is another. On offense, Blair didn't do anything out of the ordinary. I liked his passing -- but honestly, his defense was so bad that he doesn't deserve any type of praise until he starts showing some effort on that end of the court.
-I can't really blame Tiago Splitter for getting dominated by Duncan early. Duncan was on his game and Splitter didn't have much of a chance. But to the Brazilian's credit, he got much better -- especially in the second half. On offense, he showed a good amount of patience in the post and his plus passing skills were on display. Defensively, after halftime he did a much better job of protecting the rim. Even during his struggles, Splitter's high basketball IQ was impressive throughout.
-For most of the game, Matt Bonner was pretty darn good. He nailed a couple fistfuls of threes and was even creating for his team off the dribble. On defense, he battled on the boards and pretty much neutralized Blair throughout. For the reserves, who actually ended up winning this scrimmage in overtime, Bonner was the best player on the team. Late in the game, Bonner lost a few balls on the dribble … but overall Bonner was really good. (*cue the groans*)
-Unfortunately, we didn't really get a good look at Kawhi Leonard. On defense, he spent most of his time defending the statue formerly known as Richard Jeferson -- so there wasn't much to critique. Offensively, Leonard spent most of his time watching TJ Ford attempt to dribble the air out of the basketball. But during the glimpses of action when he was involved, Leonard showed some positives. He missed all his shots in the first half but came out firing in the third quarter and drained a threesome of three-pointers. They were of the catch-and-shoot variety, with one being off of a down-screen. For a guy who's not known as a shooter, it was really good to see. On defense, Leonard's quick feet, length and awareness of his responsibilities had me dreaming of the possibilities. The tools are definitely there for him to become a really good defender. On the other hand, I'm a bit worried about his offensive repertoire. He appears to be limited in just about every aspect on that end. He's not very good at getting to the basket, he doesn't finish well and his jumper off the dribble is ugly. I'd also like to see him run the court a lot harder. All in all, despite a few warts, Leonard looks like a good prospect.
-For a guy who is shooting about 20% in his first two outings this season, I've been impressed. James Anderson moves with conviction on the offensive end. He has no hesitation when shooting open jumpers and has a few really good moves to get off quality shots on the move. However, what I like the most about his offensive game is his ability to run the pick-and-roll. He uses the screen well and makes good decisions. I'm already hoping that Pop gives him plenty of chances to make plays this coming season. Athletically, Anderson also looked really good. He has shed most of the baby fat he had in college and during his rookie season. Known as a B athlete, Anderson had a flying dunk in transition that surprised me. He definitely has things to work on (ball control in a crowd, finishing at the basket and consistent focus on defense being his main three weaknesses) but Anderson is quickly making me a believer.
-Dribble. Dribble. Dribble. Dribble. Dribble. Dribble. Dribble. Dribble. Dribble. Dribble. Dribble. Dribble. Dribble. Dribble. Dribble. Dribble. Dribble. TJ Ford really needs to start figuring out that he's not helping the team by needlessly dribbling so much. Since he's not much of a scoring threat anymore, the defense just sits back and watches him dribble. It does nothing other than waste time. When Ford actually pushes the pace and makes a quick decision, he's still good. His court vision is above average, as is his speed. If he can get over the habit of over-dribbling, he could become a quality backup point guard. If not, he'll probably end up losing his job before Valentine's Day.
-Cory Joseph and Danny Green didn't do much to distinguish themselves. Joseph had a few good passes, Green knocked down a few jumpers … and that was about it. Green translates into a low-mistake offensive sniper and a high-energy defender, however the problem is that he has a pedestrian ceiling -- especially compared to Leonard and Anderson. Joseph passes the eyeball test as being a potential NBA prospect, which is definitely good news, but it's apparent he has no idea what he's supposed to do at either end. If he can learn fast with the Toros and Ford doesn't learn to stop dribbling, I could see a scenario in which Joseph could be thrown into the fire this season -- although it's unlikely.
-Gani Lawal and Frank Hassell are similar. Both are 6-foot-9 power forwards with broad shoulders and muscular builds. Neither can do much more than try to ram home finishes around the basket. Lawal is a bit more talented so if it comes down to these two for a roster spot, expect Lawal to get the nod. Even though he suffered a major knee injury last season, he looked healthy to me. Splitter would also agree, as Lawal hammered a powerful dunk over him. (Bonner introduced Lawal by saying he's a guy who has been dunking on him a lot during training camp. Seeing how hard he attacks the rim, I believe it. He goes up to dunk like he's wanting to hurt you.)
-Somebody told Luke Zeller that he's a three-point shooter. That person is a liar. Zeller was about 0-for-5 from deep and none of the shots were close. It's safe to say he's the next player to get waived. Then again, he's a 6-foot-11 forward who likes to bomb three-pointers and not play defense, so he may have very well helped his cause during the scrimmage. I've given up trying to figure out what this front office wants.
If you sign a player, a veteran player who has been in the league doing the same thing everywhere he's gone -- let's say, dominate the ball and dribble all over the ing place and stalling an offense -- he has to expect any team signing him will want him to do the same thing. Or else why sign him?
Ergo, TJ Ford.
So basically the two deadweights, RJ and Blair, played like again. The only reason why I prefer Blair over Bonner is because he's cheap. Otherwise, Blair is a worse player than Bonner.
an underperforming experienced vet losing his job under Pop?
That wouldn't be fair to the team.
Not happening.
back to the game
Leonard and Anderson showed again why they should play as much as possible.
Jefferson showed why he should never play, ever.
Bonner, knowing it was the opposite of the playoffs, couldn't miss. Good for him. Bad for us.
Thanks for the write up.
Anderson is going to be a big key for us if we want to be successful this season.
Bonner is Bonner and Blair is even worse than Matt just without the hate. Really need another big man.
Thanks for the write-up. Always enjoyable.
Thanks for the scoop. I only managed to watch the last 10 mins or so
I think Bonner realizes that he's going to have to lead this team to its fifth championship. He knows what's up.
Nice to hear you had a nice time with your son timvp! Thanx for the writeup
Kawhi Leonard - Open Scrimmage Interview
http://www.nba.com/spurs/video/111219_leonard
Pop - Open Scrimmage Interview
http://www.nba.com/spurs/video/111219_pop
Manu Ginobili - Open Scrimmage Interview
http://www.nba.com/spurs/video/111219_ginobili
With our current line-up , Leonard seems to be the only player who has the length and quikness to defend Dirk or Durant, two of our biggest conference rivals. That's how critical Kawhi is to our playoff chances
Thanks for posting
Love the relationship that former players continue to have with the organization. "Five-OOOOoo"
Hey timvp do you think Leonard's shot spotting up looks better (more arc) than off the dribble when he rushes it more?
Thats putting an awful lot of pressure on a rook, but I think that was one of the reasons they traded up to get Leanard.
I conclude that there is something disturbingly attractive in Bonner and sons.
Mine definitely shows up, come clutch game time, yet he likes Bonner.
I was at the scrimmage tonight and here is my take:
As mentioned, Duncan started out very nice, he looked quick, in shape and ready to have a quick start to the season provided that his minutes are limited. Timmy's endurance isn't there yet, and his legs got heavy quickly as a result.
Manu started off good, but like TD, he isn't in game shape yet, and his shot was hampered by tired legs.
Kawhi...hmm...really hard to make an overall judgement of his game now. Kawhi's shot is flat, not like the sports science espn clip on youtube. Defensively Kawhi looked good, but he also semed lost at times, no doubt that he will improve once he has the system down, as he has all of the physical tools to excel on defense.
I was impressed with Anderson, he has good explosion and a quick second jump. I expect good things from JA this year.
After Anderson, I would have to say that I was most impressed with Danny Green. Green looks far better than average defensively, and he seems to fit in, not allowing the situation to be too big for him...confident. I would really like to see him stick, and continue to improve. I really believe he can become a solid defender for the Spurs, while not being a liability on offense.
Parker looked good, he had a hesitation dribble with his typical burst of speed which propelled him by his defender and to the rack with ease.
Bonner is Bonner, he made all of the shots that he typically makes when there is no pressure, shots that will vanish as soon as the playoffs start.
Jefferson...wow, I mean, I don't know what to say. After getting a warm welcome from the crowd he went out there and pretty much gave no effort. His 3pt shot looked good, but he showed no explosion or desire to even be out there. Honestly, I really expected (It was a foolish notion) he would have a sense of pride and want to show the crowd he has something to offer.
Blair looked over matched, slow, and uncoordinated. Had TD not spoon fed him with a few nice passes, it would have been even worse.
Tiago started off awkward, and didn't really look like he was ready to be a starter. When Timmy wasn't on him, he seemed to have more confidence and do bertter, but he remains somewhat of an enigma. I want to believe that he can and will step up given minutes, but I don't see any agression in his game.
TJ did dribble alot, but he also showed some decent quickness. I think he will come along and contribute, but he isn't there yet.
IF the starting five are TD, Manu, TP, Tiago and Anderson, I think they can match up decent with most of the west, but I don't know how the bench will even begin to hold up without a decent big on the floor. I can see Kawhi, Neal and Joseph (or maybe even Ford) come in and contribute, but after that it is a mess.
Last edited by callo1; 12-20-2011 at 04:32 AM.
I hope Jefferson turns into 2003 Smith and JA or Leonard turn into 2003 Jax
Jefferson looked dead there. He didn't even try. I'd love to see one of the kids starting in 8-10 games.
And Blair worry me big time. Every season seems he lost energy and become a worst defender. And with his low iQ things get even worst
I guess Blair's desire to prove everyone wrong for passing on him disappeared after the Rookie Challenge.
Open Scrimmage Highlights
http://www.nba.com/spurs/video/2011/...nba/index.html
That spin-dunk was vicious.
Is no one else a little disappointed that the Spurs traded Hill to move up for their highest draft pick since Duncan and that Kawhi doesn't look more impressive? Maybe it's because I desperately wanted him to be great so the Spurs had a shot at regaining their defensive prowess, but for such a big move from the Spurs, I was expecting more of an impact guy immediately. As of now, Leonard has more downside than I initially gave credence. Not that he'll be a bust, but that there is more potential for that than I imagined.
I think it's a little early to judge Leonard. Hill missed like 20 out of 21 shots during his rookie preseason and he was just fine.
Who was that? I'm watching it at work and I have no sound so I couldn't hear if anybody said anything. Was that Lawal?
Thanks for the write-up.
Between RJ, Bonner and Blair, the amount of dead weight on this roster, that will be consuming major minutes is alarming.
It sure looked like Lawal to me. I love power players and the Spurs roster is devoid of such players. I hope this kid sticks.
lol the kid who got rjs autograph...seriously why???
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