Gary Neal has looked fatigued and/or hurt for a while. He was reportedly dealing with an Achilles strain a couple weeks ago. Against the Mavs, he apparently suffered a calf strain. No word yet if it's related but I imagine that it probably is related.
Neal was playing most of his minutes at backup PG now that everyone is back healthy. If he misses time, that probably bumps up Nando De Colo to that spot in the rotation ... with Patrick Mills being the other possibility.
Just when the team had finally reached full strength.
If Neal misses any extended amount of time, this could be NDC / Mills' chance to supplant him in the rotation. If either play well enough, that change could become permanent, which would make Neal expendable and a decent piece to dangle around for a trade.
Let him rest, give his minutes to NDC or Mills
I would be concerned if we were still without Leonard and Jackson.
Let him rest.
We have NDC and Mills to help take up his minutes.
The rest might be good for him.
Rest him against the Raps.
I wonder how serious it is. Those calf strains can take a while to heal.
Didn't leonard have a calf strain last year.
he looked like he didnt have a problem chuckn up shots b4 he got pulled out
I'm happy with either Mills/NDC taking that spot as long as Mills is paired with Manu or NDC is paired with Splitter.
I think it's affected his shot.
I knew he had an Achilles strain, because I remember him noticeably limping when he came out in the 3rd quarter of the Grizzlies game a few weeks back.
Not that I want him or anyone injured, but if this is a day-to-day type thing, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. One, they're at home for two more, with a spaced out schedule. Two, it will give us a glimpse into life without him (and whether the lack of a true fourth option is a glaring weakness), which is not a bad thing considering he's probably the most likely of the top nine to be traded.
Wont be missed, nice chance for NDC to step up. I think it'll be a bonus for his shooting volume to be taken up by Green/Jack/Leonard.
Mills will continue to be used only situationally or in blowouts.
We have 4 games over the next 10 days. If this is a problem for Gary and he has had it for a while, then let him go to the end of the bench and quietly get well. It is not exactly necessary for us to have him on the court. We did quite well without Kawhi and SJax. No need to worry about Neal sitting out a few games. Only problem for Neal would be De Colo gets his minutes and goes crazy.
Let him rest.
I still like him (despite the massive hate in ST) and I still think SA will need his scoring ability now and in the playoffs.
neal does what mills does
neal needs not to play tell jan 10
According to an Express-News article, Neal said he'd play against Toronto.
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursna...arting-lineup/
Once Neal gets healthy (and no need to rush this now, give him a couple games off imo), I think he'll benefit just like Green did tonight from having our SFs back. Smaller role, less responsibility, less pressure. Think of it as the Bonner Quotient. As responsibility/pressure/playing time go up, sphincters tighten, and quality of play goes down. Neal is great for 15-18 minutes of play, >85% of that at SG. He just begins to play at 85-90% of the BQ when he's playing 22-28 mpg, and a lot of pg. Obviously not a good thing.
I hope he stays injured. He shouldn't see time at point guard.
If CIA Pop wants to put him at SG, then fine, but this Hero Ball at PG makes me want to commit suicide.
LOL I agree he is horrible at back up PG! He is horrible there. He is a spot up shooter and that is about it! I like him at times, but his shot selection at times and his PG skills are flat out horrible. I hate to say but I am not a fan of his.
OK, but I can't believe people wouldn't want him to run 4-5 plays from the point a game. When he's limited to a few plays scattered across the course of a game, I think he's proven himself to be pretty effective.
Now that Kawhi ( <3 ) is back, I want to see Gary brought in as instant offense in the 2nd. He subs in along with Nando, who plays the point while Neal plays his more natural SG. Neal plays like 6 minutes in the first half, and then 6-12 minutes in the second half depending on the size of our lead (and match ups etc). When Pop get's bored of playing mad scientist with the Spurs guard line ups, I figure that's what he'll land on.
Even if hes good to go, I say give him the DNP-CD's for a few nights. We're finally at full strength and have the luxury to rest people at our leisure. He can be on the bench, in case of emergency, but should take some time off.
Gary puts the ball on the floor two times and is pretty much useless. He is a spot up or catch shooters, not a PG by any means and won't be. I don't think he is pretty effective there. I agree on your second part though, good take.
Ya, there's definitely a lot of evidence backing up that point of view. lol Gary sure does up a lot.
I'm just looking forward to seeing how everybody's roles fall into place now that Kawhi ( <3 ) is back. Green looked a lot more comfortable last game, and hopefully Neal will too when he comes back from his injury.
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