Hopefully we can have a serious discussion about the areas in which the Spurs are lacking and in need of some improvement. References to the recently concluded season are preferred.
For example, the Spurs, despite leading the NBA in average points allowed per game and assists allowed per game while also being 3rd in the NBA in field goal % allowed were 25th in the NBA in 3 point % allowed.
So perhaps more work on closing out on shooters?
Veteran Backup PG - I think the Spurs would be better off with a more experienced, battle tested backup. I do like Beno, and he is going to be in the league for a while, but it got to the point where you couldn't put him on the court as the playoffs wore on. Maybe he improves to where he can be as effective in the playoffs as in the regular season, but with the prime years of Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili being now, I'd prefer the Spurs went with the proven rather than the maybe at the all important backup PG position. I'm not sure if Pop wants to put Brent Barry into this role as he did late in the playoffs, but I for one would not mind to see Brent put into this role for good. If not, there are a few backup PG's out there, namely Nick Van Exel, who would perhaps be willing to settle for less in a bid for a championship. Somebody of that ilk as backup PG would make me feel a little bit more comfortable in the big games. Really, this isn't so much of a problem as it is a tough decision; go with the younger player with potential who has shown something, or go with a more proven, experienced player.
Anyone else think this is something that is wrong with the Spurs?
Rebounding. The Spurs were 6th in the NBA in average rebounds allowed per game last season but were 12th in rebounds made.
Attire - Pop should really work on his suit collection. Consult some fashion guru's, because with winning comes more attention, so Pop must look his best
1. Tim Duncan needs to recapture his game.
I love Tim, but he really faltered throughout the finals. He just wasn't himself.
2. We need to develop Beno and Rasho. They have raw talent, but they don't seem motivated...and this is just an impression, I could be way off. Beno just seems like a depressed person who lacks confidence to me.He seems to be intimidated by others. Lack of confidence will kill anyone's game.
3. Keep pushing Manu. He is going to be the biggest superstar in the NBA and will carry us to more les.
4. ALL the guys need to bulk up!!! Tony looks like a freakin' scarecrow. Maybe it's a French thing, but he seriously needs to hit the gym. He's got to make up for his lack of height. I'm glad to hear Manu is going to bulk up.
Duncan should build up his arms...he could be deadly with his size. There's no excuse guys....GET TO THOSE WEIGHTS!!
and that's my amateur opinion.
Midrange shooting. The Spurs have one of the best collections of perimeter shooters in the NBA and a point guard who thrives at attacking the basket along with perhaps the best low post offensive player in the NBA. But that gray area from 15 to 23 feet is rather noticeable.
Last edited by Marcus Bryant; 07-03-2005 at 10:31 AM.
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EnjoyThe 2005 NBA Championship Spurs!!
See everybody October 1.
Screen roll defense. The Spurs' defensive philosophy usually is to go under screens to prevent dribble penetration, yet there are plenty of guys in this league who can nail shots over the top of the screen. Perhaps this is a matter of 'if they hit those shots then there' nothing we can do (see the Spurs' rather abyssmal 3 point % ranking), but is there a better way to defend screen rolls?
Get Ready for This. Released by 2 Unlimited during Tony Massenburg's rookie season.
The finest Italian suit is going to do nothing for that face. For Pop to look his best, he needs to get some microdermabrasion.Attire - Pop should really work on his suit collection. Consult some fashion guru's, because with winning comes more attention, so Pop must look his best
(apologies Marcus, don't mean to detract from this otherwise serious conversation.)
Hmmm...well, they did get rid of THE PINK.
Free throws, free throws, free throws.
I feel that our rebounding really picked up after the acquisition of Nazr, are there facts to support that?
Pick n' roll defense is one you mentioned that should be near the top of the list. Seems like it really got exploited this year in the playoffs. I recall in '99 when we seemed to finally get over the Utah Jazz hump, we really shut down the Stockton to Malone PnR. Maybe it's because they were getting old, or maybe we finally figured it out. I'd like to see us make those kind of adjustments.
The other thing I'd throw out is strange looking rotations. A couple times this year I'd look at the court and see a line up of Beno-Barry-Bowen-Massenburg-Narz or something equally as rediculous. Obviously we never saw that in the playoffs - but those kind of lineups seemed to always result in a negative point margin during that stretch.
In-game adjustments. Sometimes Pop was golden at making the right move at half to address how a team was kicking their asses...while at other times he didn't. I'm still at a loss to understand why Pop didn't switch Bruce onto Billups in Game 6 of the Finals. He did it in Game 5 and went back to it in Game 7, which ended up being the series winning move, in my opinion.
Pivot Problems: Rasho's lack of dunking and Nazr's inability to catch the ball.
Solution: Rasho dunks the ball 500 times/day while Nazr stands under the basket and catches Rasho's dunks before they hit the floor.
A real backup point guard.
Tony Parker needs to shoot 3s when open. Develop a stable release and put some ing arc on the shot.
Other than that nothing. The Spurs just won the championship, no need to rebuild.
With Pop's sense of humour i wouldn't bet against that happening.
I was surprised at that stat also during the regular season. We stepped it up in the playoffs, however. I think during Game 7, it said that throughout the playoffs, our opponents were 0-23 from three pointers in the final two minutes of the game. So, at least we stepped it up. During the next season, we should pay more attention to that.
An athletic backup swingman who can bring energy off the bench. This really hurt us at points in the playoffs. Hopefully Devin Brown can make a full recovery and will be resigned to fill this slot. If not, we need someone.
Free throw shooting.
Pick and roll defense.
In game adjustments.
Better on the ball defensive pressure - Detroit set a record in the Finals for least turnovers in a playoff series, while the Spurs came close to setting a record for the most.
yeah why doesnt our defense force more turnovers, i've always wondered that. Why do we have to be so conservative all the time. its like the ressurected one told pop to run those defensive schemes.
I've always wondered why they don't throw more ally-oops. I know it's not a big deal but I don't remember seeing on throughout the playoffs. Several teams seem to run plays specifically for the ally-oop, this might open the offense up a bit.
we don't have any young athletic legs on the team...i bet mahini could throw down some mad oops
But if it would work, those two would be scary! Let's do it
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