Reply With Quote
Thanks for this, timvp. I agree with your take on Green. He's a better defender than JA, better shooter, and has a good basketball IQ. Hope he will be inserted in the 1st unit.
Tim Duncan B-
Finally showing some life offensively, Tim Duncan hit 7-of-12 shots from the field including his first five attempts -- all of which were perimeter jumpers. He also handed out five assists. However, Duncan's scoring declined quickly after the hot start and he continues to show no ability to score in post-up situations. Defensively, he was adequate when defending the block but his help defense left a lot to be desired. Duncan also made no impact the glass.
Manu Ginobili B
Manu Ginobili didn't show much energy during his 13 minutes be he was still producing at a high clip. Unfortunately, the big news of the game is Ginobili's broken a bone in his hand. He'll be out a while -- perhaps 6-8 weeks. Without him, the Spurs will find it tough to even remain in the playoff race. To date, Ginobili has been by far the best player on the team this season.
Tony Parker B-
Scoring, or the lack of it, has become an issue with Tony Parker. He only had 11 versus the Timberwolves and hasn't scored more than 15 points in a game this season. Tonight he was 3-for-11 from the field and appeared to lack his usual burst to the hoop. He made up for his scoring struggles a bit by dishing out nine assists without a turnover. Defensively, Parker's execution wasn't bad but he repeatedly saw opponents scoring over and around him.
Richard Jefferson B-
In the first half, Richard Jefferson was shooting the lights out on his way to 16 points. His stroke looks better than ever and he has become deadly in catch-and-shoot situation. Unfortunately, the T'Wolves paid more attention to him in the second half and he was held without a point in the final two quarters. Defensively, Jefferson spent the night going through the motions -- no passion, little energy.
DeJuan Blair C-
Until this game, DeJuan Blair had been a monster this season scoring in the paint. Against Minnesota, he was missing easy shot after easy shot. He had a couple good passes but overall his offensive impact was negative. On defense, Blair simply doesn't have the ability to defend a player as talented on the perimeter as Kevin Love. He gave effort but it was definitely a struggle. As I wrote after last game, Blair's lack of defensive rebounding is a major concern right now. Tonight, he went without a defensive board in 28 minutes of action.
James Anderson D+
With Ginobili out for an extended period of time, James Anderson will need to step up. If this game (and, honestly, the last couple) was any indication, Anderson isn't ready. His defense is mediocre at best; he just doesn't play with much intensity or concentration on that end. Offensively, he wasn't much better. When he's not shooting (and usually missing) three-pointers, he has a very loose handle that leads to turnovers and broken possessions. The Spurs entered this season with high hopes for Anderson and so far he's been a disappointment.
Tiago Splitter B
On offense, Tiago Splitter is spilling over with confidence. No matter where he catches it, he's looking to either score or make a slick pass. The results aren't always positive but I can't fault the effort. Defensively, Splitter was above average but didn't make much of an impact tonight. The most noticeable aspect of his defense continues to be his newfound ability to protect the rim. He had another block against the T'Wolves and now has seven on the season, which is surprising considering he had 17 blocks all of last season.
Kawhi Leonard C+
In Leonard's 17 minutes, he didn't hurt the Spurs much but he also wasn't helping. He had good activity on defense, although his contribution on that end was minimal. Offensively, he continues to cut well but he looks surprisingly unathletic when finishing at the basket. Leonard just isn't much of a leaper, especially off of two feet. All in all, Leonard's search for his niche is ongoing.
TJ Ford A-
I thought TJ Ford played near his ceiling. Defensively, he was really active in the passing lanes and going after loose balls. He pressured the ball well without giving up too many drives. On offense, he had five assists and a pair of baskets in 17 minutes. Ford is still trying to figure out the offense but he has been playing a really determined brand of basketball.
Danny Green A-
Danny Green once again supplied fantastic energy when called upon. Right now, there's not a better perimeter defender on the team. He has quick enough feet to stay in front of his man and enough athleticism to challenge shots. On offense, he keeps firing away. While Anderson and Leonard have gotten all the attention when discussing young wings on this team, Green at the moment is playing better than both. (I'm not sure that's a good or bad thing.)
Matt Bonner B
Stat of the night: Matt Bonner had more than two times as many defensive rebounds (5) than anyone else on the team. And he played only 13 minutes. For someone who entered the game with four total rebounds all season, that's pretty darn impressive. Too bad the good news ended on the defensive end of the court. Bonner missed all three of his treys and spent most of the night struggling to get open looks.
Pop B
Pop couldn't do anything to stop Ginobili's bone from snapping. In regards to the game, he apparently also couldn't do anything to stop the T'Wolves from shooting the lights out (they spent most of the night around 70% shooting and hit 11 of their first 13 three-pointers). I would like to have seen an old school Pop sideline explosion to try to turn up the volume on defense, but that didn't happen. Pop did break out small ball for long stretches, which didn't seem to help or hurt matters. Going forward, Pop is going to have to think about inserting Green earlier. In the bigger picture, he's going to have his hands full trying to keep this ship from sinking.
Thanks for this, timvp. I agree with your take on Green. He's a better defender than JA, better shooter, and has a good basketball IQ. Hope he will be inserted in the 1st unit.
5 games in, the negatives have far outweighed the positives to me from a long-term perspective. The Ginobili injury just piles it on.
The Bad:
Tim looks pretty done. With the reports of him being in great shape and down in weight, he's already moving extremely slow and his defense (most notably his help defense) has really suffered. It's evidenced by the foul trouble and him not getting the respect anymore.
The team in general looks to have wobbly legs in any game not at home or that is a back-to-back.
TP looks noticeably slower and for a guy the Spurs need to be the number one option on offense, he looks like he's lost a significant step so far. Dating back to the playoff flame out, he's really only outplayed one opposing point guard.
The young guns (JA/Kawhi) have had moments, but aren't really impact players this year so far and have some glaring holes at the moment.
Spurs still seem to struggle defending the 3PT line and they have virtually no one that can get to the rim on a consistent basis.
The Good:
Tiago has exceeded expectations defensively and has shown good strides on offense.
The overall defense seems to be pretty good at times, at least in flashes.
Blair seems to have regained some beast-modeness.
Kawhi has shown some potential, although his impact might not be recognized immediately.
Ginobili was looking great until The Injury.
Bonner was the 4th big.
As things look now with the injury, the Spurs are likely in a lot of trouble. The schedule is brutal with not only the amount of games, but some of the teams we play on the back-to-backs isn't very friendly. Just have to hope Gino gets back soon and can be effective and that Tim and TP aren't done physically as much as they appear to be this first 5 games.
Thanks for the writeup
You're welcome, El Nono.
you both
Agree, and I've been saying for a couple of games now that Danny Green needs to move up in the rotation. I liked the job he did on Rubio.
Tiago continues to impress me. He protects the rim, he fights for position, and he showed some flashes on the offensive end.
JA has been very disappointing for me. He looked ready to go in pre season, but can't buy a bucket now. Open 3's aren't falling, he dribbles himself into traps, and he turns the ball over too much. Just gotta hope he keeps battling and that light turns on for him.
Blair's first bad game of the season. He was missing so many chip shots and wasn't rebounding well against the longer front line of Love/Milicic. Then again, there weren't many rebounds to be had on the defensive end with the Wolves shooting an insanely good %.
Duncan......looks like Donecan. I hope he can get something going as the season wears on, but 2 rebs? Sheesh....
I, too, have been disappointed with Anderson. I'm not expecting all-star numbers, but the kid looks like a total scrub so far.
It will be interesting to see who starts for Manu. Anderson will probably be that guy, but I would rather throw Green out there. This is where having no George Hill hurts. You knew that Hill could easily carry the load. Anderson and Green are both unproven. Hopefully Neal comes back soon and won't be out of rhythm.
This is also why I can't ever be excited about the Spurs making a championship run. Manu is guaranteed to suffer an injury every season and that s up everything that the Spurs do well at.
lol the clowns who are high on JA,
JA still has a shot to be a very good player, he's just not playing well at all right now. Not only does he have to start making shots, but he has to find the balance between aggression and taking bad shots. His focus and energy needs to become more consistent, but he has shown enough to be excited about IMO.
=p
Thanks for the game thoughts guys, didn't catch tonight's game so good reads.
From the boxscore:
-It looks like Pop is resting Manu, good move, (I wish..)
-Blair was terrible, needs to get more consistent, were going to need him on offense now that Manu's out.
-JA still struggling with his shot.. this is a troubling sign for sure.
-Did Tiago's scoring look like something he can sustain? He had another good offensive outing.
We're 30 games into JA's NBA career... I've been disappointed with his shooting too, but it's way too early.
Anybody thinking he could come anywhere close to Manu's offensive production was kidding himself.
I think DB has to come off the bench. If he's not scoring he's not adding much defensively. I think Tiago has to start. Every time he comes into the game the defense picks up. He has to continue to improve offensively and make the shorter defender pay. If he's being aggressive inside he can at least draw fouls unlike Blair.
I like the way Kawhi cuts to the rim. It adds another dynamic to the offense. He's got to show a little more explosion and athleticism to finish inside and draw fouls.
JA has got to regain his confidence. He's a good player when confident.
I liked Danny Green's defense on Rubio. It sort of reminded me of when the Spurs used to put Bowen on Nash. I think it can be effective when used strategically.
I like TP's passing but he's got to be more aggressive as well.
Time to prove himself. He has yet to impress me.
18% 3pt
Start JA
He seems to play much better at home but that happens with alot of role players.
i like danny greens approach to the game then JA
as for everyone on the team besides splitter, is playin like ...
Why is Duncan having such a hard time grabbing boards? I understand he's much older, but 2 rebounds tonight and 1 rebound against Houston is very unusual.
Everybody not named Kevin Love sucked on the boards today
I think starting him is a great idea actually. This is the perfect time to see what hes made of, and not the time to leave him on the bench. The coaching staff gets a great look at JA in a situation like this and JA's probably dreamed of a playing time like this since hes was just a kid.Time to prove himself. He has yet to impress me.
18% 3pt
Start JA
IF James Anderson is ever going to become something in this league, now is a great time to evaluate his potential.
i rather bring back gary neal then send him to the dleague just to save the season...or else anything else atm should just be tanking...
too short or lack of blocking out - just seemed there were 3 t-wolves blocking out one spur all night.
maybe I'm biased, but bonner's rebounds seemed mostly to come uncontested.
This team needs new energy, new center, and freshness. I don't think Pop is getting to anybody, and the aging of Duncan and Parker doesn't help. Pop probably is sick of himself at this point, even. Things just stink all over.
There weren't too many rebounds with the T'Wolves shooting the lights out. Blair forgot Love could hit 3's too many times. For an undersized guy he's got to work harder on defense. Tiago's length at least caused him to hesitate on some 3's.
+1
JA is miles better then Danny Green, and will probably be better then Neal will ever be. JA has just been off, we all have our moments for us who have played basketball throughout our whole lifes, but at least he keeps firing, and attacking the rim. He also has never been known for his defense, but at least he gives an effort. Let me know the 30th game of the season, when Anderson is shooting less then 20%, then maybe I will have my doubts.
Even with Neal back, there are plenty of minutes available for JA. As of now hes hovering around 20 minutes, a 5-10 minute increase would tell us A LOT about Anderson. Neal would still get time at the PG position in additional to the rest of the minutes Manu's injury is freeing up.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
