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I can't wait to see how this team plays with Linton.
Discuss amongst yourselves. I'd say no.
I can't wait to see how this team plays with Linton.
The only position where that would be an issue is the three, and Bowen seems adequate to the job most nights.
It's hurt the Spurs at times, but not really enough to effect the outcome of a game. Perhaps against Seattle when they didn't have anyone to guard Rashard Lewis ... but other than that, they've survived.
If Beno can stay healthy, they'd then be able to put Wilks on IR and activate The Third to solve that problem.
I haven't noticed the Spurs having any problems this season that weren't self inflicted at the mental level.
But if we lost to Seattle out of some reason other than our own error...if we lost because of match up problems with Rashard Lewis...we better solve that problem post haste because Rashard is a walk in the park skillwise with his height compared to Tmac...
How many teams in the NBA have two 7'ers starting?
SA
Minn (Garnett, Kandi/Johnson)
Close:
Dallas (Dirk/Dampier)
Boston (Raef/Blount)
Orlando (Cato/Howard)
The only true 7'er on Detroit's roster is Darko
What teams are we giving up tons of length to? Bowen isn't super tall at the 3, but he still defends better than any 3 in the league.
We dont have someone that is 6'10 at 3 like scrOdom or Lewis, but how many people do? Are we really worried about Seattle or the Fakers in the playoffs? How could either of those teams handle anything inside? Mihm or Vlade? Jerome James? Seattle's starting center is getting 3 and 2.
And don't forget that in a pinch we can still use Horry against the really long SF's...Dirk's game is a SF game and we used Horry on him tonight. I don't see the length as being a problem...and Devin seems to be able to guard taller players ala Malik as well.
It's a problem when the opposing team has two scoring threats -- one "regular" sized and one 6'10" -- at the swing spots. Bowen can only guard one. If it happens to be the shorter one, the taller one can have a field day shooting over Manu, Barry or Devin like Shard and Odom. Bruce usually does a pretty decent job on TMac and their other swingmen aren't so huge as to take advantage of the others.
It will be nice having Lint around. Bruce can't stop everybody.
Don't get me started on Dirk. Parker with his arms up can shut him down.
Well how many other long SF types do we have to deal with then?
Most of the guys that were long SF's 2 or 3 years ago are now PF's and Duncan draws them...
Garnett I believe is back at PF, Odom, Dirk...all former SF's of a few years ago that are now locked in at the PF spots and Duncan is probably going to have to guard them...I guess there's TMac and Rashard left and they both kind of play the 2 guard...
TMac, over-rated though he is, isn't going to be stopped by anyone we put on IMO...but luckily Yao and Van Gundy seem to be doing a better job of stopping him than anyone else...I don't see the problem here but if it's that big of a problem I don't see Linton Johnson being the solution so we better win the other matchups...shouldn't be too hard to do with Seattle or Houston.
Oh, there's Hedo too...shouldn't be too hard to stop a guy that doesn't like open shots and gets ed up by passes two inches to his right.
Ditto. Hope he can quickly adjust when he comes back from injury.
I don't see how Linton can possibly get minutes. I think the Spurs were planning on Beno not adjusting to the NBA so quickly, then Barry would have got some of his minutes at the point, and thus there would be more minutes would be available at the swingspots.
But right now, it's hard for Devin to even get minutes, I can't imagine one more swingman in the rotation.
I'd see Litton as a specialty player coming in if guys like Lewis or Odom or LeBron or Artest (oops) were hurting the Spurs or the Spurs were getting hurt on the boards.
Depends. They can play him anywhere.Garnett I believe is back at PF
If Cassell and Spree are hot, and they bring a sane Griff off the bench to play alongside KG, then what? It's not cut and dry.
AAhhhhh....WRONG Tim is 6'11''
I'm more worried about the lack of length affecting our rebounding. Duncan's rebounding averages are slightly higher than last year's over these first 15 games. Since Rasho isn't a stellar rebounder we might have problems with aggressive rebounding teams. Malik is a capable rebounder but he can be outworked by taller forwards that are talented rebounders. Seattle crashed the boards hard against us and we struggled. The stats don't show it convincingly yet but after watching the games, I get the feeling that we've lost some rebounding muscle with Hedo's departure. The guards have been trying to pick up the slack but the jury is still out for me on our rebounding this year.
Other than that, I have to say that this team looks really sharp right now. If they only get stronger from here then the league had better watch out.
Have you looked at Hedo's board totals this year?I get the feeling that we've lost some rebounding muscle with Hedo's departure
I think Parker is outrebounding him...he was.
If you want more boards give Malik more minutes...I don't see Malik getting out worked on the boards very often when he is getting his minutes.
I think Linton will get minutes when he gets healthy. Especially if we play against long SF like Peja and Lewis. And if his defense is as good as they say pop would definently play him.
Now I'm not saying he would get consistent minutes it would depend on the matchups.
Same as most of the other guys I mentioned...but there's really only one body type that can defend them...regardless of where they play.
I know you guys don't like Horry right now but he can defend those types of guys about as well as anyone in the NBA in spot minutes..yeah he will get beat on occasion...but so will anyone else you put on them and Horry will fluster and trick them at some point...
Since when is rebounding superiority about "length" ?? It's more about desire/hustle, getting in position/blocking out, moving to the boards/the ball on EVERY shot, including your own, where you are not the get-back defense.
As Jim pointed out, little Stevie Francis is a superb rebounder, as was JKidd in his prime, and these are short, perimeter players. Boozer is a tweener getting 10+ RPG, and Malik and Manu are also a great rebounders for their size.
What's frustrating about Robert and Rasho is, for their good length, they are mediocre rebounders.
This "we need length at 3 or we're dead" BS reminds me of last summers "we can't shoot, we need shooters" so we got Barry, and Barry's shooting is not anywhere near his key contribution to the team's success. And the Spurs season-long shooting, 2's and 3's, was plenty respectable for the Spurs to win 59 games.
Also, "xxx has to bulk up to be effective". Well, tell that to highly effective but unbulky people like Rip Hamilton, AK, Manu, Tony, Beno, etc.
Some guys just aren't good rebounders...Rasho's is great at blocking out though...
But I swear you guys act like Horry used to be Bill Rusell or something...he's never been that great of a rebounder...and his regular season stats are always underwhelming...it's nothing new. Yeah his boards are down...so are his minutes.
The Spurs have one of the best rebounders in the NBA per 48 minutes, over the last 4 years, on their bench...His name is Malik Rose and if you give him more minutes he will clean glass like a mini Elton Brand.
Bottom line is that the Spurs are @ or near the top 10 in just about every rebounding category in the NBA, as we speak.
No, length doesn't have everything to do with rebounding but it sure helps. You don't always have to be in great position if you're tall so height does erase some lack of talent.
The team averages in rebounding for last year were 45.1 rpg and this year (so far) it's 42.6 rpg. Also, the rebounding differential between opponents was higher last year (4rpg vs 2.3rpg). It's too early to say we're a worse rebounding team but I tend to see rebounding lapses, especially when Tim sits.
Malik is a great rebounder for his size but against good rebounders who are taller, he generally loses the battle. I've seen guys grab and tip boards over his head more than once and you can see that he's fighting hard but is just frustrated. When you're Malik's size, you have to time your jump perfectly whereas a taller forward, even out of position, can tip a ball away from you.
Anyhow, I'm still not sure rebounding will be a problem but some of the games we've lost give me that inkling.
Robert's rebounding may have never been his strongest point (whatever that was), but as his overall game declines with age, rebounding is one "clever hustler" area he could work on (just slide into/fight for position) to earn his minutes and provide possessions, to go along with his pretty good shot blocking.
If a slow, short, heavy-set, non-jumper perimeter player like Kidd can grab RBs by playing smart ...
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