Reply With Quote
Elson can really help Spurs against teams like Dallas, Phoenix or Lakers. If he plays well this year, it will be great and it could be what will allow Spurs to repeat.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...n.3765601.html
Web Posted: 10/21/2007 11:55 PM CDT
Mike Monroe
Express-News staff writer
It was just one missed rebound in the middle of the third quarter of a meaningless preseason game.
But as he buttoned the cuffs on a neatly pressed dress shirt after the Spurs defeated the Detroit Pistons at AT&T Center on Saturday night, Francisco Elson explained how a Pistons rookie named Cheikh Samb had managed to snare a missed shot he felt he had positioned himself to grab.
"When I look up," Elson said, "sometimes I see double. That's why I keep missing some rebounds."
Occasionally wondering which of two basketballs to rebound has been the worst of the adjustments Elson has had to make while getting accustomed to a protective mask he must wear for the remainder of his basketball career. The mask protects the orbital bone around his left eye, fractured this summer while Elson competed for his native Holland in a tournament in Europe. Removing it for the sake of an additional rebound or two is not an option.
"I broke my eye socket, and if I get hit one more time, that's my vision you're talking about," Elson said.
The mask also makes it hard for Elson to clear sweat from his eyes now and then, but it does not seem to have affected his shooting even slightly, and the Spurs are happy about that. The 7-foot center has one of the softest jumpers of any of the league's big men. He made six of eight shots in the first half of the Spurs' 104-80 exhibition victory on Saturday, three from mid-range.
If Elson, now in his fifth season, shoots more from the perimeter than at any time in his career, it will be with the blessing of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
"Last game I told him, 'If you don't get up 10 jumpers I'm going to waive you,'" Popovich said after Saturday's game.
"I told him, 'You've got to shoot it. You're a of a shooter.'"
When the Spurs re-thought their center situation after the 2005-06 season, Elson was the player they most coveted. They loved his speed and his shooting stroke, though he rarely was allowed to demonstrate his perimeter accuracy for the Nuggets.
"If you think back, he was our first guy," Popovich said. "We went after him right off the bat in free agency and made the offer and then waited to see if Denver was going to match it. We loved his speed and his length and felt he was a good shooter. We loved all those things, and because of that we went to work with him."
The Spurs believed Elson had been under-utilized in Denver. There were su ions he had been disrespected by some of his teammates to the point his confidence was nearly non-existent. The Spurs' staff went to work rebuilding his basketball ego.
"We thought one of the things we wanted to do was show confidence in him and show him the respect we thought would help him be a better player, if he felt better about himself," Popovich said.
"When he first got here we didn't think he felt real good about himself as a player. We made sure we were hard on him — we wanted to make sure he learned the system and all that. But at the same time, we talked with him a lot so he would know exactly where we were coming from so he'd know we cared about him whenever we were saying something of a critical or of a positive nature."
When Elson arrived in San Antonio he renewed a working relationship with shooting coach Chip Engelland, with whom he had worked in Denver. Elson believes his shot is more reliable. More importantly, he understands the importance of shooting whenever he is open.
"Coach says if you don't shoot when you're open it's a wasted possession, so you have to shoot it," Elson said. "So that's what I'm doing."
Elson also feels more comfortable in the Spurs' system.
"Last year, just like most people, it took him a year to figure out the system," Popovich said. "This year he's not thinking about the system. He's playing basketball within the system, which he understands."
"You know exactly where and when your shots can come from," Elson said, "and where not. I tend to pick out my spots and feel more comfortable most of the time.
"I'm excited about everything right now, so I can't wait for the regular season to start."
Elson can really help Spurs against teams like Dallas, Phoenix or Lakers. If he plays well this year, it will be great and it could be what will allow Spurs to repeat.
Look for an Oberto-like leap in effectiveness from Elson this season.
The guy has always had skill, now he's comfortable, and next comes contribution.
It's the Way of the Stonecutter.
Make him look like a black George Mikan...give him some glasses. If that helps.
@ Pop's quote about building his confidence, Elson gets blasted more than any other player on the team by coaching staff and players alike.
I don't know against Suns. Pop went back to starting Oberto in the series against Phoenix. Elson got lost his job because he played crap defensive on Amare.
Well, I think his contribution this year'll be important in other match-ups.
Effectiveness? vs Detroit (without Wallace, Weber, Mohammed) Cisco 6/13FGM 46%, good but not amazing.
He showed his outside shooting touch on several occasions last season - particularly during an impressive road victory versus Detroit. He's got good range and form on his shot, he just needs to shoot with confidence. Looks like his continued work with Englend is paying dividends. Also glad to hear Pop and the coaching brass are encouraging him to shoot. A similar tactic they used with Rasho.
His speed on the break will be a key weapon in transition again this year. Tony seems to look for him frequently. It's on the defensive side where he needs to make his biggest improvement. He's got to make his rotations consistently and not get caught out of position. Personally, I still believe he can be a suitable matchup against a guy like Dirk.
I expect big contributions from Elson this year.
Last edited by SenorSpur; 10-22-2007 at 09:46 AM.
I hope this past season was just a learning season for him and hope he improves his defense this season.
I'll say this for Elson...
He tends to get some of the most brutally painful injuries and bounce back from them relatively quickly.
The mask might actually help his willingness to get in there and bang more often...
No doubt Elson has talent, he's really coordinated and fast for a bigman....
And there are really no holes in his game talent wise....his issues are with consistency, especially consistent effort.
For some reason it seems like winning a le has brought about a change in his at ude....like he's commited himself to being worthy of playing on this team, and possibly taking the starting job.
Whereas last season he didn't seem to have much expectation of himself, and seemed just happy to be here...seemed almost like if he'd been IR'ed he would have just smiled and said ok cool. This year it seems like he wants to spend more time on the court.
I'm not sure how many minutes Elson can handle, because he's so thin....but he can have a huge impact on this team if he learns how to bring his best game consistently...
Good thing is he has an entire season to hone his understanding of the Spurs system. Rmemeber it wasn't until the later part of last season that Oberto started coming on.
I think Oberto could have helped us his first year here....Pop just didn't have much faith in him.
I remember one of the playoff games against Dallas Oberto got some decent minutes and made an impact, actually did a fairly decent job of defending Dirk....Pop said he probably earned more court time....and it never happened.
Pop even said he didn't realize how good a player Oberto really was his first year here.
"His coach got smarter", I think that was how Pop put it.
There were still times, particularly throught about February where a majority were saying Oberto was no answer to the Spurs' big man needs. I suspect people will still be sying Elson sucks from time to time throughout the season but hopefully by playoff time he's in synch. With his agility and a steady outside shot if he can play the Spurs' rotating D it's a whole different ball game
Elson needs to improve his rebounding. He is almost always in good position for the board, but often misjudges the carom and looks foolish. Perhaps he can enroll in a physics course.
When he is doubleteamed, Timmy needs for the center to be able to take a shot or drive to the basket when he gives up the ball. Oberto got a lot of easy baskets on that because he was smart enough to take the pass and shoot.
It sounds like he is learning and the coaches are encouraging him to take those opportunities. When Elson becomes comfortable with that, he will be more valuable.
If Elson's play is the difference between championship and no championship, this could be a pretty scary season.
Seriously though, there is no reason to not think that Elson will be better this season. He has a year under his belt, a championship ring on his finger and a coaching staff that likes when he shoots. Last season, he averaged 5.0 points and 4.8 rebounds. If this season he can average seven point and six rebounds, that'd be quite nice.
That said, what I really care about is his defense. Last year he was basically clueless on the defensive end and that's what led to his benching in the playoffs. In the preseason, his offense still seems to be ahead of his defense.
Come next year's playoffs, I want Oberto on the floor as much as possible. Elson doesn't strike me as a clutch player at all, at either end of the court. He'll be good for some production during the regular season ... then again, pretty much any NBA quality center with a year under his belt in the Spurs system should be halfway decent.
I think Oberto's problem during the regular season was his energy level. Like I said a lot last year about Oberto, he played like a zombie for long stretches.
In the playoffs, he brought consistent energy and concentration. Perhaps his problem in the regular season was adjusting to playing an 82 game schedule. Perhaps he's lazy during the regular season like Horry. I guess we'll find out this season.
Cue Rasho Nesterovich and Nazr Mohamed.
We discussed in a previous thread whether we thought Elson would be brought back next season. The more I think about it I would probably be ok with that. But Elson would probably see his PT slide a bit as Splitter gets integrated. But while I have been harsh on Elson as a starting or backup center, as a 4th or 5th bigman in the rotation (with 2 years Spurs experience) he would be awesome. I just hope this season bears some fruit for him.
Again, I think Elson's overall rebounding rate was fine for the number of minutes he played. This preseason he's rebounding at a Tim Duncan rate, but I expect it to be about the same as last year. I just want better defensive rotations and maybe some more jumpers from him this season.
Like yourself, I want to see Elson continue to thrive - even beyond this season. He's quite possibly the 2nd best shooting big on the team from 15ft and in, behind Duncan of course.
Also, do not forget the standard 1-yr acclimation that it takes for most players to learn the Spurs system and the growing pains that come with it. Therefore, don't expect immediate fruit from Splitter when he arrives next season.
For that reason, it's quite possible that the Elson/Oberto center combination will be the most effective one at the 5 spot even after Splitter's arrival.
With a year in the SYSTEM he should be able to cintribute more. How much is the question. Offensively I see him making more shots ( if the current trend continues) thereby spreading the floor more. This will make life easier for TD and others. But as TIMVP stated it his defense which remains my biggest concern. How he contributes on this end is where he can make the biggest impact. He was pretty lost at times last year and erbounding needs to improve.
With Splitter coming next year he had better improve significantly or he's gone. If Ian improves significantly with the Toros this season he might just be gone period.
Even with Ian's expected improvement and Splitter's arrival, there's still room on this team for Elson. Provided his contributions are consistent and his defense is ever-improving.
On that I agree. I remember a game of regular season in 2005/2006. Robert injured and Fabs was played very well.
I don't know why Pop wasn't using Fabs hustle (2005/2006).
He steps it up in big games.
What if the following situation plays out:
1) Elson plays as well as expected and can be had for a reasonable contract next summer.
2) Horry again plays well in the playoffs and doesn't want to retire.
3) Mahinmi plays well in Austin and shows good potential.
4) Splitter either has to be brought over or else his contract is automatically extend with Tau (which is actually the case).
5) Oberto and Bonner prove that they are worthy of their contract.
6) Duncan remains Duncan.
What should the Spurs do if all six above points are true next summer? You simply can't have an NBA roster with seven bigmen. Even six is stretching it.
How would you solve that riddle?
Thanks.
I doubt Horry has another season in him, but in that case, you trade one of the bigs for something else you need. Not that difficult.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
