Tim Duncan
With Pau Gasol sitting out for the Memphis Grizzlies, Duncan produced nice offensive numbers. He hit 11-19 from the field and typically had his way with Memphis. He did run into some trouble when he was double-teamed aggressively because he was hesitating and not making his decision fast enough. Though he played well overall, he could have rebounded better (nine boards) and shot better from the line (4-8).
GRADE: 86
SEASON: 85.8
Bruce Bowen
Bowen struggled for most of the night in the loss. He was 0-6 from the floor, missing all five of his three-point attempts. His defense in the first half wasn’t much better. Bonzi Wells was physical with him and got a lot of easy buckets. In the second half, Bowen turned it around defensively and gave Wells a hard time. In the end, his offense was too anemic to keep him on the floor in the fourth quarter.
GRADE: 75
SEASON: 83
Rasho Nesterovic
In his 26 minutes of action, Nesterovic played well. He scored eight points, grabbed five rebounds and blocked three shots, while shooting 4-9 from the field. As evident by his three blocks, Nesterovic was active defensively – especially around the rim. He hustled back on defense and rotated well throughout most of the contest. Despite his play, the coaching staff decided to go with a different matchup in the fourth quarter.
GRADE: 87
SEASON: 85.7
Manu Ginobili
Playing four games in five nights really got to Ginobili. He was obviously tired and worn out. A day after playing a season-high in minutes, Ginobili gave it all he got for 28 minutes on Monday. He finished 1-8 from the field, while totaling six points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals. The Spurs need to limit his minutes to around 30 per contest to get the most out of Ginobili. If they exceed that mark, he’ll be prone to fatigue due to his all-out style.
GRADE: 75
SEASON: 89.5
Tony Parker
In the first quarter, Parker was scoring at will. He poured in 14 points in the first stanza as he shredded Jason Williams’ defense. But then reality struck and Parker returned to his early season slump. He went on to score only four more points for the game, and did a poor job running the team. He was forcing the issue and turning the ball over. Parker needs to settle down into his role and not try to do too much, although they need him to stay aggressive. It’s a fine line that Parker must walk.
GRADE: 76
SEASON: 78.8
Brent Barry
After struggling for much of the road trip, Barry had his shot going against the Grizzlies. In 28 minutes, he recorded 12 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals. More importantly he connected on 4-7 shots, including 3-5 from downtown. While his defense was still not the greatest, he was active and causing good things to happen on both ends of the court. For the Spurs to advance deep into the playoffs, this is how Barry will have to play.
GRADE: 90
SEASON: 85.7
Malik Rose
Rose played his finest game of the season. He scored seven points and pulled down eight rebounds in only 17 minutes of playing time. He was ferocious around the basket, giving the Spurs the physicality they desperately need. For unknown reasons, Rose got limited minutes in the fourth quarter. His brutish play was urgently needed as the more athletic Grizzlies seem to just want the win more.
GRADE: 91
SEASON: 85.4
Robert Horry
The Yankees have Mariano Rivera. The Dodgers have Eric Gagne. The Braves have John Smoltz. The Spurs? They have Robert Horry. Popovich has apparently decided to use Horry during fourth quarters in close games. Although Nesterovic and Rose were playing well, Horry again got most of the fourth quarter playing time next to Duncan. The problem is Horry isn’t performing. In 15 minutes, Horry had two points and three rebounds to go along with two turnovers and a foul. The Spurs either need Horry to start performing in his closing role, or find another player to go to in the clutch.
GRADE: 75
SEASON: 82.3
Beno Udrih
Again, Udrih shot the ball well. He hit half of his six shots, going 1-2 on three-point attempts. His shooting and offensive awareness seem fine. The problem is he isn’t doing a good job running the offense, as evident by his lack of assists. He has only two assists in his last nine games, a horrific number for a point guard.
GRADE: 79
SEASON: 78
Devin Brown
Although he only played six minutes, Brown was effective while in the game. He had four points and a rebound and continues to play hard despite limited opportunities on the court.
GRADE: 87
SEASON: 83.4
Last edited by timvp; 11-23-2004 at 05:36 AM.
As usual Tim great analysis. I especially agree withyou on the Robert Horry situation. Why are we seeing him in there instead of Rose or Nesterovic??? I have been impressed with Rashos play so far this year his defensive skills and court knowledge have improved tremendously (compared to last year) and Rose just adds the hustle and determination that can spark a team off. Pop has got to stop this love affair he has with Horry! This is not the same player from 4 or even 3 years ago!
Totally agree, and believe you should start rating the coaching staff. Horry fumbled away two offensive rebounds for baskets, was slow to the ball after Manu's jump ball situation, is rotating slowly on defense....plus Rose is hustling, playing well and is rebounding very well. We needed him down the stretch. Pop can scream and yell all he wants....this loss is on HIM.
Is 75 the worst grade you can get? Bowen SUCKED last night. 0 for 6 from the floor and his man went for a season high.
We re-watched the game last night and timvp was going crazy about Horry. I didn't realize how much he f'd up on defense over and over until I saw it again.Horry fumbled away two offensive rebounds for baskets, was slow to the ball after Manu's jump ball situation, is rotating slowly on defense....plus Rose is hustling, playing well and is rebounding very well. We needed him down the stretch. Pop can scream and yell all he wants....this loss is on HIM.
Bowen was worse than Horry. Much worse.
Yeah, we heard you the first 10 times you post that, Tlong. Bonzi destroyed everyone who guarded him -- especially in the first half. The reason Horry is worse is because the Spurs other bigs were having good nights -- he didn't need to be out there.
Bowen actually played awesome defense in the fourth quarter. He drew two offensive fouls, had a couple deflections and a block.
Man, Horry was HORRIBLE in the fourth quarter. He missed three defensive rebounds, didn't grab the ball on that Manu jump ball, rotated slow and played pathetic pick-and-roll defense. Pop has lost the last two games by going to him in the fourth quarter.
Period.
Agreed. Interesting how there is a dearth of "Horry Sucks" threads from the authors of the prior "Malik Sucks" threads. Not surprising.
If Pop refuses to play Rose for political reasons, at least put Rasho out there. He plays good defense and will pull down a rebound. His offense isn't too great but he's actually shown that he can pass pretty well.
I think that week was unfair to the Spurs because they played 4 games in 5 nights....if it was more spaced out, they would have beaten the Raptors and the Grizzlies without a doubt.
I actually think Rasho is coming along. His defense is much improved. If he would just go to the hoop when he is two feet away. He had one swatted by Swift last night because he put it up soft instead of jamming it home. But, he has thrown in some big jumpers and looks very relaxed when playing with Beno. I agree, at this point I would much rather have Rasho out there than Big Shot Butter Fingers.
I think individual grades are meaningless in a team game.
We need to worry about team grades instead of each player's achievements. If TD and TP get A's, and the rest of the team get C's and we lose, what does that mean to TP and TD? Nothing, nada, zip.
I would rather have every player get a B and win.
?
I don't think we need to "worry" about either... since neither has an affect on the game. Individual grades are, however, a good summary of how each player performed. Particularly for those of us without League Pass.I think individual grades are meaningless in a team game.
We need to worry about team grades instead of each player's achievements.
Keep 'em coming.
I like the evaluation timvp does. If I don't happen to catch all the game it gives me some insight...he's been fair. Plus it helps validate some of the things I am thinking as I watch.
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