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Thanks for another great writeup, LJ.
Let's see if our good fellow spursdotcom starts faxing these regularly to the FO.
With Manu Ginobili's hand still mending and Pop deciding to give Tim Duncan the night off, the Spurs traveled to Houston to take on a Rockets team that had won five consecutive games. Despite a good effort from San Antonio, the Rockets made it six straight with a 105-102 victory.
The Spurs had another poor outing on the defensive end of the court, allowing the Rockets to shoot 55.7% from the floor. The Spurs were able to stay in the game thanks to a pair of great performances and by dominating the boards. I thought they showed a lot of mental toughness at the offensive end at times, however the Spurs must improve a defense that is one of the worst in the league.
Now at 10-7, the need to take care of business on Monday against the Hornets to avoid an early season free fall.
Tony Parker A
Tony Parker was giving the Rockets fits. Even when all five of their players were keying on Parker, he'd find a way into the late to create offense for himself or a teammate. He made a number of really good passes and his overall relentlessness kept the Spurs in the ballgame. Defensively, I thought he was really solid for most of the night. Without the other two members of the Big Three, Parker put up a valiant fight.
Richard Jefferson D
In his first two years in San Antonio, Richard Jefferson often pointed out the fact that his inconsistent play was due to being the fourth or fifth option on offense. Yet tonight, in a game where Jefferson was usually the second option on the court, he was useless once again. On offense, he's now a jump shooter that doesn't contribute anything if his shots are off. That was no different tonight. Defensively, I saw a little bit more intensity out of him than usual but he was still average at best.
Kawhi Leonard C+
Effort-wise, I thought Kawhi Leonard was great. Early on, he looked a little tired but he got a second wind and really put up a good fight in his 39 minutes of play. His rebounding, particular on the offensive glass, was exquisite. That said, even though the effort was there, the overall execution was lacking. On offense, he passed up looks, missed a few easy attempts and struggled to get other shots off against Houston's athletes. On defense, he usually did a good job of staying connected and getting a hand up, but his man, usually Kevin Martin or Kyle Lowry, still scored quite a bit.
Matt Bonner B
I wouldn't call Matt Bonner a bright spot but he wasn't a reason for the loss. He came out firing; his aggression was a plus on offense, especially considering how timid most of the role players were being. Defensively, he mostly did good work; he was physical and moved his feet well. On the defensive glass, he surprisingly bullied Luis Scola for some rebounds.
DeJuan Blair F
Frustrating. DeJuan Blair's horrid shot selection and decision making overshadowed any positives he brought to the game. It was if Blair thought it was his job to turn into Duncan. Well, except that he wasn't doing anything on the defensive end of the court. Pop couldn't pull Blair fast enough tonight.
Tiago Splitter A+
Tiago Splitter was a straight up beast. The Rockets couldn't stop him on the low block. When paired with Parker, Splitter was fantastic in the pick-and-roll sets. His hands were great and he made very good passes. On defense, he was really good both in the paint and when forced to defend out on the perimeter. If I were to nitpick, I'd say the only possible negative was his lack of stamina, however that is due to him not playing this many minutes often enough. Let us hope with all of our collective might that Pop will begin to play him more from now.
Gary Neal B
Considering that Gary Neal has shot so poorly recently, hitting 5-of-7 attempts is definitely a good sign. (Although it should be noted that one of his two misses was a long three-pointer at the buzzer that could have tied the game.) Despite the hot shooting, Neal's decision making wasn't very good. His defense continues to inch forward but he has a long ways to go to become halfway decent defender.
Danny Green C-
For the first time this year, Danny Green just didn't seem to have any energy. He's usually all over the place but tonight he was relatively subdued. It also doesn't help matters that he's 0-for-10 on threes in the last three games; it looks like he's starting to hesitate a bit from deep. With Green experiencing his first struggles of the season, let's watch to see how he bounces back. Quality NBA players rebound quickly, while fringe players typically experience prolonged slumps.
Cory Joseph D
The problem with Cory Joseph these last two games isn't necessarily what he's doing wrong, it's more what he's not doing. Offensively, he's simply not getting the team into their sets. The offense is a disaster when he's on the court. To make matters worse, he's not penetrating and kicking or doing much of anything to force the defense to rotate even once. On defense, he's no longer applying the pressure he did in his first few games as the backup point guard. Honestly, Joseph appears to be in over his head. The Spurs only need him to be a placeholder but these last two games he hasn't even been that.
Pop D
Pop's evening starting off strange when he decided to rest Duncan. Resting Duncan in itself wasn't strange because he will need rest during this compressed schedule, but the timing didn't make much sense. If Pop was planning to rest Duncan, he should have played him more last night against the Kings. And when Pop rests Duncan, he has to start Splitter. The Spurs fell into an early 9-0 hole thanks largely to the frontline of Blair and Bonner that began the game. From then on, Pop didn't make any blatant errors … but the damage had already been done.
Last edited by timvp; 01-22-2012 at 12:55 AM.
Thanks for another great writeup, LJ.
Let's see if our good fellow spursdotcom starts faxing these regularly to the FO.
While Parker had 24 points, it took 23 shots to get there, which isn't that great but his assists and overall effort was all star worthy. There were a few opportunities where he was slow to pass or completely shut out a teammate to take his own shot, but other than that it was a good game for Parker.
Splitter can definitely play, especially against undersized players like most of the Rockets bigs seem to be. I think he should average 25-33 minutes, which puts him in the same ballpark as Brazilians Nene and Varejao. Since the Spurs are undersized and lack shot alterers in the paint, Splitter has to work like Varejao and also set great screens, and has to shoulder the offense like Nene does too. And definitely should play more mins than Bonner, but then again Splitter probably does more work than any other Spur right now not named Tony Parker
Spurs are a very mediocre team when they don't have ball handlers/playmakers and basically rely on just TP for all the perimeter play, and even moreso with Duncan out and Bonner and Blair on the court together which will happen without trading or signing for another shot alterer in the paint
Last edited by Cane; 01-22-2012 at 01:08 AM.
Another home-run writeup.
Some additional thoughts on Pop's coaching:
I didn't find it strange that he elected to rest Duncan on this night. In that case, I, too, thought Pop would've sold Duncan out during the Kings game, in an effort to try and win it. Then, imagine the surprise of seeing the first on-court debut of the "Turd Towers". It's been said before, but Blair and Bonner, on the court together, are an out-n-out disaster. You are correct - in a situation like this, Splitter must start. It's a no-brainer.
Even with Splitter's extended minutes and stellar production, it would not surprise me if Pop went back to playing him around 20 mins per game. I just have the feeling that coach will use the "fatigue" card, as an excuse against the Brazilian center.
Also, I really expected Pop to rest both Parker and Splitter at the end of quarters. Because those two players were really carrying the offense, I totally understand why he had to ride them both. It just seemed that he gave them both odd breaks at inopportune times.
I also wondered why Pop didn't dust off Malcolm Thomas, for a few minutes at the end of quarters, just to give Splitter a rest?
lol there is an article at the EN with a headline "Why duplicating the “Twin Towers” will be tough"
Try it out, if it fails because Tim and Tiago both like to play in the paint then go back to the gay way of playing, which is getting reamed on the defensive end by almost every NBA team.
Quote from Pop : “It’s hard to get him on the court any more than he is because he is playing a lot. There are only two bigs at a time, and sometimes only one because teams play small. He’s getting as much time as I can play him.”
lol back to 20 mpg
lol Tim Griffin already on the case spinning that ish
It’s tough for Duncan and Splitter to play at the same time because both favor playing in the paint. And it was clear that Duncan’s absence opened things up for Splitter.
You seldom see Splitter becoming the focal point of the Spurs’ offense when he plays with Duncan. They both are similar players who like the ball in the same place.
Besides the fact that he chose to start Bonner and Blair in the 2nd half. Setting up the Tiago rest time to fall at a poor time in the game.
Dammit, he was one of my favorite players in his rookie season. Blair the beast is no more.
What a bunch of bull . Tim is now a jump shooting big man playing the high pick and pops with Tony. Maybe what they're saying is true back in 2003 or however long ago it was when Tim was effective in the low post but even that Duncan won a championship with Nazr freaking Mohammed. Robert Horry ed us over in the long run as this magical long 4 that spreads the floor and plays defense in which Pop thinks Matt Bonner is Robert Horry apparently.
*edit* In reply to what ElNono posted.
Buck with a good writeup, might cost him his job:
Buck Harvey: Splitter earns time next to Duncan
That's all a load of bull . The majority of Tim's shots are jumpers. A good paint player would be quite welcomed next to Tim. Also Tiago could do a lot of the screens while playing with Tim. Taking some of the burden of him.
Pop gets an F, IMO. His decision not to foul with 30+ seconds on the clock and down 2 possessions was really bad. He's smart enough to recognize how getting an extra possession at the end of quarters with fouls but he completely ignores the same concept at the end of the game? You should be trying to extend the game as long as possible when you are behind and you definitely should not be letting Houston run off 3/4ths of the clock. Those seconds are FAR more valuable than the stop.
I think Tim hurt his knee against the Kings. Surprised we've not hurt anything about it.
If Pop won't play Splitter and Duncan together then we have no hope. If this version of Pop had coached the Spurs in 99, Drob would have come off the ing bench.
I think he hurt his knee against the Magic as well, looked like he hobbled for a bit and pointed to the brace. But like what Antonio McDyess did last season, Duncan just soldiered on
“It’s hard to get him on the court any more than he is because he is playing a lot. There are only two bigs at a time, and sometimes only one because teams play small. He’s getting as much time as I can play him.”
I'm starting to get really nervous about this season.
We could be on the brink of having a very very bad record if overall play does not improve.
Perry Jones, es!
Didn't see the game but 25pts for Splitter. He must have been a beast tonight.
He happened to play more minutes tonight as well.
Great writeup, thanks timvp.
Not starting Splitter was inexplicable.
That would be until some time in 2009... but the emboldened bit is spot on.
And that's true too.
I don't think we have much hope either way, but playing Splitter would seem to give us more hope than not playing him, despite what the stats say (re. timvp's article).
With the team knowing Duncan would not be playing during this game seeing no playing time for Malcolm Thomas was disappointing. We were behind or it was a close throughout the game but if Pop was already taking a gamble by not playing Duncan then why not let Thomas benefit from the decision? It's not like it's any easier when Duncan gets his minutes.
I think the defensive ceiling for this current roster has showed what it is capable of. Pop needs to get over himself and reevaluate his options for lineups.
Agreed. At some point you need to integrate your players and trust that they're going to meld into a unit and go on a run to get you into the playoff race, even if it costs you a bit in the standings to start out. If we're all harping on the depth issue, it's because it's biggest need with all these games crammed together and no training camp.
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