I have some random Spurs thoughts that I thought I'd put down on screen and share them with you all. I'll call them ponderings:
This just in, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan are good, really good. Anybody who says that either of them shouldn't be an All-Star is just a hater. You cannot name 3 point guards playing better than Parker right now (if you can, you shouldn't because it will ruin my point). The man has turned into a passing machine averaging 7.7 dimes per game. A career high. He's still as good as ever at scoring and quite frankly he's just better than most people think. Duncan isn't his old self, I went and looked at his numbers from the past and they are redunkulous. That said, he's still a top 3-5 big man in the entire NBA these days. Who would you rather have? Dwight Howard, Kevin Love, maybe Pau Gasol and then.....Bynum? Chandler? Bogut? Nene? Griffin? Pass. There's not a team in the NBA who wouldn't improve drastically with him on the roster. These two guys have carried the Spurs in the absences of Manu Ginobili and the team has improved thanks to their leadership.
In further news, Tiago Splitter can ball. He's shown that he has ability when given opportunity. Combining his interior presences with that of Duncan and the Spurs are look (at least of late) like a vintage San Antonio defensive team. I am looking forward to Splitter progressing and becoming even better in the future.
via nybankruptcy.net
Speaking of defense, it's baaaaack. Last year was awesome, our Spurs were racking up wins like crazy and it was fun. If you weren't having a good time last regular season it's because you are Negative Nancy or Debbie Downer. This year the W's have been a bit harder to come bye. A lot of it has to do with the lockout and losing Manu, but to me there's something special going on this year that was missing last year and it's defense. Over the last 5-10 games the Spurs have looked like a legit defensive juggernaut. Of course I'm overstating it, but with the play of Duncan, Parker and Splitter anchoring things our young guys, namely Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard are playing the type of defense that will warm a Spurs fans heart. The real question is, can they keep it up?
As the RRT has begun and Manu is getting ready for his return, is anybody else a little nervous that some players will regress with Manu back in the lineup? Don't get me wrong, I want Manu back and he'll help the team. That said, will Danny Green still be agressive as he has been? Will other guys slack off a bit because they know Manu is there to help? I think the answer is yes. I think we'll see some guys, I don't know who, show some signs of easing up with The Sickness back on the floor. Of course the great thing about Manu is that he'll aslo make players better. Splitter will get better looks on the pick and roll, as will DeJuan Blair. Gary Neal should be able to play less PG and get back to hitting open jumpers. And most of all I think he'll help RJ get back on track a bit.
Speaking of Richard Jefferson, have you seen him lately? I may have jinxed him when I asked if he could keep up his stellar play last month. So for that, I apologize. I've got to think that Manu being out hurts him more than I would have thought. Hopefully, and this is admittedly a glass half full sentiment, he's just saving himself for the stretch run and will be able to turn it back on. I will say that I'd be ok with him being a side note if he can just bring some intensity and desire when the playoffs begin.
I don't know about y'all, but I'm excited this season. I don't know if I'm more excited than last year, man that was fun (especially at the beginning), but I can see this team improving and gaining confidence. The role players on this team seem to be really answering the call this year, even more so than last season and that's exciting. It's even more exciting when you still see the fire and passion from the stars. Things are looking good, let's hope they are on they're way to looking great!
via media.tumblr.com
1 recs | 102 comments
I should have noted that all opinions are that of a Spurs homer and to take them as such.
Big50 - February 7, 2012
No problems with your homerism here—it’s the reason I read PtR :D Excited for this season as well, this is a special group of Spurs.
Trey Felder - February 7, 2012
Outstanding in every regard Big.
indiancharlie - February 7, 2012
This is a Spurs blog, homerism away.
Outkastprince - February 7, 2012
Love the homerism, but I’m hoping that when Manu gets back, the bench will hold form instead of regressing.
CapHill - February 7, 2012
I can’t see how it would regress now. If anything, it helps Parker get some more rest, but he’s been great with the youngins.
grego21 - February 7, 2012
I agree about Parker, but Duncan is nowhere near Top 3 bigs in the NBA. I’d take Bynum, Aldridge, Griffin and even Millsap over Duncan. Duncan has had a few great games lately but to say that he’s Top 3 is really one of the most ridiculous things—no, THE most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen written on this website.
wildcat110 - February 7, 2012
The first three you mention, sure. Millsap, I can’t agree on. I’d say Marc Gasol, Hibbert and even Pau are better choices than Millsap.
grego21 - February 7, 2012
You’ve got to be kidding me.
SpursfanSteve - February 7, 2012
But Luke Zeller is #1 in all our hearts.
grego21 - February 7, 2012
I respectfully disagree.
Trey Felder - February 7, 2012
Aldridge…I forgot about him. I wouldn’t take any of those other 3 guys though. Maybe for the future, but if you’re talking right now, there’s no way.
Big50 - February 7, 2012
Really? Because flaming chickens, zombies and Manu’s Mystery Tour immediately come to mind. Not to mention Hipuks’ numerous wallpapers (which I can’t find at the moment). We are nothing if not ridiculous. :)
And I would take Timmeh over Griffin and Millsap for this year.
CapHill - February 7, 2012
LD’s, funny to only him, comics also come to mind.
indiancharlie - February 7, 2012
I love those korean comics
Jordan Leithart - February 7, 2012
Comments like this one warm my heart.
LatinD - February 7, 2012
I just say no to Korean comics.
eastbaysd - February 8, 2012
I even gave myself wiggle room of 3-5. Granted, it’s homerific, but I don’t think it’s even close to the top 3 most ridiculous statements on the site. Hell, it’s probably not even in the top 3 most ridiculous statements I’VE said.
Big50 - February 7, 2012
It’s up there…
grego21 - February 7, 2012
Ha! Maybe so.
Big50 - February 7, 2012
Yeah I was gonna say, I worked really hard to be in the discussion of The Most Ridiculous Things Seen on PtR.
Hipuks - February 7, 2012
I’m pretty sure that I can out do that in terms of ridiculousness…
Jordan Leithart - February 7, 2012
If you’re talking about two-way bigs who can both score AND (I emphasize) defend, Duncan’s up there. I like how Aldridge is dominant offensively but he can never touch Timmy’s defense, let alone his rebounding (LA is a subpar rebounder for his height and skill, which is disappointing).
silverandblack_davis - February 7, 2012
Howard is the best big man in the game, but I would rather have Duncan because of his character, leadership and example, which is hard to overestimate for a young team like the Spurs (just think about it, as a teammate, who would you rather play with, I-want-out-of-town-now Howard or Duncan Legend?). Kevin Love is a good player, but he stepped on Scola’s face, and Duncan wouldn’t, so Love is disqualified. Bynum is a thug, and Gasol is not a leader. Aldridge is the first candidate I would seriously consider over Duncan, and Mark Gasol would be #2, but not really contending. Clearly Duncan would be very high on my list.
Now if you are talking about ASG, and I am Stern, I would rather have a dunk machine Griffin in that game than Duncan or Aldridge. I would take Love too for his ridiculous stats. Then I would still take Duncan at #3 as a relict.
Kondor - February 7, 2012
Banned.
alamobro - February 7, 2012
(Not really, but the thought crossed my mind) ;)
alamobro - February 7, 2012
Millsap? Bynum? (Will he even make it to the postseason without getting injured?)
alamobro - February 7, 2012
The downfall of Blair’s minutes.
He’s been iffy since the end of January, but I don’t think he’s disappeared like in the past. That said, the team needs to keep running plays for him. His usage% is less than it was last year.
grego21 - February 7, 2012
About Richard. I don’t know if you noticed, but last year, as soon as he didn’t get touches on offense he just ‘forgot’ playing defense.
So far this year[knocks on wood], he has been a very pleasant surprise on defense! He keeps up with his man, fighting through screens, using his big body.
Last year, I could just smash my screen against the wall just by seeing RJ’s apathy on the defensive end.
ironm8 - February 7, 2012
by the way, did you know that Bonner is leading our team’s +/- this season? that’s kind of funny since everyone here seems to enjoy riding him.
ironm8 - February 7, 2012
Yep. And Green is up there and so is Tiago, so the +/- so far seems to been doing good.
grego21 - February 7, 2012
So all this says 2nd unit is playing well. How about to the bench goes RJ and slide KY over to his spot and start Manu where KY was in the 2 guard. Now thats a small but powerful 1st unit.
indiancharlie - February 7, 2012
Manu needs to come off the bench to replace Tony. At least until Ford is back.
ironm8 - February 7, 2012
Why mess with 2nd unit when 1st unit is where we need help.
indiancharlie - February 7, 2012
Actually, as bad as it is, Tony needs the rest. The second unit has issues at times, without Parker. a lot of times he’s with that stellar second unit. So looks are deceiving.
grego21 - February 7, 2012
Good points.
indiancharlie - February 7, 2012
A few days ago, before the past game or so, both Kawhi and Blair were -56 and -58 respectively. Duncan and RJ were in the high negative teens to negative twenties.
grego21 - February 7, 2012
Kawhi needs to spend some time with Coach sure shot. The other night he took a jumper that was so straight it looked like he was trying to parallel park it in the basket.
indiancharlie - February 7, 2012
Just a note: these are last 10 games (although that is most of the season), so the +/- was fairly similar for the full season too.
grego21 - February 7, 2012
Bonner has generally led the Spurs in +/- over the last several seasons. It’s why Fred had to come up with FARS.
CapHill - February 7, 2012
That said, it’s been pretty indicative of the quality of play. Green/Tiago are also up there. So is James Anderson. Although his shot has been inconsistent, to be honest, he’s usually brought positives, albeit in small amounts. Obviously, some of it was pushed up by the Dallas game in which he played a lot, but it shows some of that.
Bonner’s D has also been pretty good this year. He only plays with Duncan and Tiago for the most part. He compliments them both well. And now with a Leonard, Pop can have another guy who can board up.
grego21 - February 7, 2012
I don’t have a problem with Bonner’s +/- this season, as he is doing more of the little things. But last year, Matty had some ridiculous + numbers that weren’t indicative of his play. As with all stats, it can be a little misleading.
CapHill - February 7, 2012
Yep. Over a lot of minutes, it starts to weed out who contributes though. It doesn’t catch everything, but usually, guys like Manu, Green show up, since they have a lot of the hustle stats. It really only hurts guys like Bowen, where it’s all defensive, but without the stats.
grego21 - February 7, 2012
that’s what being a VP of the NBAPA does…
cryoscourge - February 7, 2012
I agree 100% about R.J. he is playing way better over all than he did last year. I like his energy and his lack of hesitation this year. I mean he shot great most of last year but he still didn’t seem 100% comfortable. This year he seems to know, understand and embrace his role
gunnin' gervin - February 7, 2012
He seems to be more of a mentor, which I think helps him stay more involved. He worked out with Leonard all summer from what I heard from Bill Land/Sean.
grego21 - February 7, 2012
I actually like this years team better than last year because we seem to be getting better on defense and Tiago is as good as advertised. Pop is actually giving the man minutes and he has shown to be everything www.draftexpress.com said he was from the jump.
I also love the fact that we have two young wing players who are getting minutes and excelling. It makes me feel like the front office is doing a solid job in preparing for the future. I just hope we can some how we can find a young big guy to keep the youth movement coming while our vets are still here to help them learn and maybe get one last championship for Timmy.
gunnin' gervin - February 7, 2012
That’s because Spurs have depth at the wings and more versatility. That and Tiago is healthy. A Healthy Tiago/Dice/Duncan/Bonner front line would be nice. Yes, Blair is there, but I think he’s still lose time. Although Pop would drag Duncan off the floor more often and Dice would likely have more DNPs.
grego21 - February 7, 2012
Regarding Duncan, I really don’t know how he ranks among today’s big men, and I frankly hope he does not play in the All Star Game. But here is what I do think: reports of his demise are greatly exaggerated. The man can still get it done, and not only as a solid defender who only takes jumpers on offense. Parker and Duncan have both made a concerted effort over the past couple of weeks to take it to the hole more often, and Duncan looks great. I kept reading and hearing comments early in the season that went something like, Geez, such a shame what a shell of a player Tim Duncan has become. Folks, I don’t see that at all. I think Tim took a while to get warmed up, but the man can still ball.
quincyscott - February 7, 2012
I think it depends on the day and how much rest he’s had. The big test will be the playoffs when there’s one day of rest in between and minutes get greater.
grego21 - February 7, 2012
I still think Duncan’s further declined this season. The recent spate of good games is still not enough to get me off this perch.
silverandblack_davis - February 7, 2012
Look I love Tim DUncan as much as anyone can love a basketball player he hasnt met in his life. But there are several guys who are playing better than him. Kevin Love, Bynum, Howard and Aldrige are the obvious choices. Griffin is horrible on D, but the dude is a scoring and rebounding machine that plays 40 minutes a night. Tim plays less than 30 minutes a game. ANd come playoff time, he wont play more than 35 minutes. And the names I mentioned are the ones I can think of the top of my head. Still, for an aging big…Duncan is so fucking awesome.
About Jefferson, I dont know why the hell all people were talking about him “turning a corner”, being “RJ 3.0”, figuring things out, etc…….He is Michael Finley all over again, maybe just a bit better defensively. He doesnt get to the line, doesnt run on the fastbreak, doesnt dunk and cant do something off the dribble. Or maybe he can, I dont know….the only thing he does is to stand in the corner and shoot 3’s. He is great at that…but for 10mill a season I expected a lot more. There are like 300 players out there that can hit open 3 point shots in the corner and play average defense like RJ. And I forgot, he cant rebound. I have 0 expectations from him, and in the playoffs teams will stick to him in the perimeter to deny the 3 ball, making him almost useless /end of rant/
Chilai - February 7, 2012
Give me 5 clearly superior big men playing right now. I tend to agree with you about RJ, it’s not looking to good.
Big50 - February 7, 2012
The Finley comparison is too harsh. Did you see how often Mike got torched on D?
We can’t do anything about RJ being paid $10 million a year so you have to let that go already, and just consider how he’s still being trusted by Pop to start and play big minutes despite sucking offensively. His defense is better, and being one of the best three-point threats on the team at all times is his primary role. He should get more touches in his preferred spots once Manu and TJ come back.
(and yes, that $10 mil a year hurts for a decent role player, which RJ has been. But again, he’s playing within what the coaching staff expects of him)
silverandblack_davis - February 7, 2012
If the Spurs amnesty him, then they’ve saved lots of money by re-structuring his deal so to speak.
That and, RJ means Leonard is drafted/traded for. If Spurs had Dorrel Wright in the offseason, Leonard likely isn’t a Spur.
grego21 - February 7, 2012
amnesty him this offseason.
grego21 - February 7, 2012
I think I shall write about this! aha! perhaps..
grego21 - February 7, 2012
Yeah, about that post you were talking about…
silverandblack_davis - February 7, 2012
I’ve been really bad about writing things. I have a lot of half written ideas.
grego21 - February 7, 2012
Is it just me….or is no one talking about HOW BAD BLAIR IS PLAYING!!!!! He is probably praying for Manu’s return. I’ve just had a hard time stomaching watching him play lately. He has been SO BAD on both sides of the ball.
Spurs Yoda - February 7, 2012
Manu can’t help his defense though.
grego21 - February 7, 2012
Exactly, I’ve been saying that too. Also Finley was a much better shooter.
spursfan87 - February 7, 2012
This is why RJ needs to bring slashing to the basket back into his game. It’s like there is an invisible wall at the three point line when RJ has the ball now.
Spurs Yoda - February 7, 2012
I really believe the team has taken that option away for the most part. He used to do it more often. That’s why there are less drives, turnovers, offensive fouls.
grego21 - February 7, 2012
But he could at least try to cut to the rim more often…..this FInley act is madenning
Chilai - February 7, 2012
Perhaps. I’m not sure. Spurs probably are trying to re-think things to keep him involved. I’m not saying he’s faultless. But I am saying the coaching staff has got to be involved in some of the play.
grego21 - February 7, 2012
People really need to get over RJ’s disproportionate salary over his minimal contributions. His reputation precedes him because Jason Kidd made him look like a star in New Jersey.
Right now, he is what he is — he won’t post up often, which is most likely the coaches’ decision. He won’t drive often due to his below average handle, but if you get him the ball while on the move, why not? Too bad the Spurs don’t run plays for him. He’s not going to hit an absurd rate of his three-point shots, but who in the NBA does, anyway? He’s a better defender than Neal, and can guard big small forwards.
If you want him to be a 15-20 ppg guy then you run plays for him. Unfortunately the Spurs don’t do that so you just gotta take RJ for the role assigned to him on the team.
silverandblack_davis - February 7, 2012
He was still a big scorer in Millwaukee He averaged 20 PPG in that season.
alamobro - February 7, 2012
There were a lot of ISOs with RJ in Milwaukee. Also, Bucks were very injured when he was with them. His usage% was 26.4 in Milwaukee.
It was 15.4 last season and 15.5 this season. It was 18.4 in his first season as a Spur.
grego21 - February 7, 2012
Some additional tidbits. His True Shooting percentage was a career high last season. His effective fg% was at an all time high last year. This year is still very high.
So based off this, he’s efficient with his scoring, but his usage (from the other post – way below high career usage%) is really low.
grego21 - February 7, 2012
My point is, if he cant get open or is missing the 3 point shots, he is almost useless. He should try harder to defend and rebound, its a matter of attitude. He doesnt spend much energy offensively, why not spend it elsewhere?
ALso, the coaching staff could use Jefferson in other ways. The dude can still cut to the rim and finish, so why not use more plays like the sweet alley oop with him and parker that we have seen here and there? It can be a play were he doesnt necesarly dunks the ball, but getting on the move towards the rim could get RJ some free throws. He is big and strong, he lived at the line in his previous years.
Chilai - February 8, 2012
The thing is the guy has been playing harder and better on defense this year.
Like you pointed out he doesn’t really have plays set up for him on offense. I remember watching one of the first Spur games of the year this year ,Bill Land and Sean were talking about how R.J. was telling Leonard that he shouldn’t even work on anything but hitting the corner 3 because that is all he will be doing with the Spurs. LOL. Now i know R.J. was most likely joking some but you know what they say? There is a lot of truth in jest.
gunnin' gervin - February 8, 2012
Good post! I’m also excited about this season. Game by game by game, Splitter is making me look smart for predicting him as the Most Improved Player (I know there are better options). I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of the season plays out!
By the way, today is my birthday! Woohoo!
Marky G - February 7, 2012
Merry Birthday Marky!
Big50 - February 7, 2012
Haha. Thanks Big50!
Marky G - February 7, 2012
Happy birthday, namesake :)
silverandblack_davis - February 7, 2012
Haha. Thanks!
Marky G - February 8, 2012
I had a random Spurs observation today: has anyone else noticed that we’ve played more divisional games than any other team in the league? We’ve played 11, the next most teams have played 8, most teams have played about 5. Just an observation.
RamblingSpur - February 7, 2012
Yeah, our schedule has been brutal early on. So much so that this road trip seems to be light schedule wise.
Big50 - February 7, 2012
I noticed that…also 22 conference games, vs 19 for the next closest.
I guess that goes along with 4 Houston & 3 Memphis games already. Weird schedule.
SpursColoredGlasses - February 7, 2012
NO MORE Spurs vs Rockets Please
cuentaluis1 - February 7, 2012
Seen enough of the Rockets, thank you very much :P
Trey Felder - February 8, 2012
That’s terrific news. And it just so happens the Spurs are smoking everyone else in the division in terms of win pct. The next closest competitor (the 3-3 rockets) would have to win 5 straight division games in order to equal the spurs 8-3 mark. If the Spurs keep this up, a top seed is assured.
alamobro - February 7, 2012
This is the way we want it...
No respect for Duncan and Parker. This is a good thing. With the All Star snub and back page coverage of recent victories, the Spurs will be under the radar. So go ahead and forget about the titles. Forget about the dominance of years past. Keep telling yourself that “they’re too old.” When this is all over they will be like, “how did that happen.”
Capitalist - February 7, 2012
THIS!
Trey Felder - February 7, 2012
Here’s a random pondering… With Minnesota threatening to crash the postseason party, the Spurs need to avoid a matchup with them like the plague. That team is more of a nightmare for us than Mempis last year.
Tim C. - February 7, 2012
Yup, this year’s Memphis for us.
spursfan87 - February 7, 2012
They are going to have some troubles. Actually, OKC winning at a high pace is a really good thing.
grego21 - February 7, 2012
You ain’t never lied.
Pekovic is actually making a lot of other teams look really bad also. I remember when he played great against us a lot of folks were saying damn we have really sunk to a new low because of that. Maybe the guy is better than a lot of folks thought
gunnin' gervin - February 8, 2012
Love might step on Duncan’s face! NOOO!
Ayatollah - February 8, 2012
It’s about time someone highlighted how good things have gone so far in the season. Take it all in, guys. No one in here, including me, dreamed we would be sitting at third place in the Western Conference, just 3 games within striking distance of the
overratedOklahoma Thunder…..all without our best player.Cheers.
alamobro - February 7, 2012
Actually, I did predict we would get the 2nd seed before the season started.
Marky G - February 8, 2012
Or anywhere between the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th seeds.
Marky G - February 8, 2012
Yea, but you didnt predict we would be sitting at 3rd place with Manu in street clothes. ;)
alamobro - February 8, 2012
More (trivial) randominity: apparently that tall sparkly guy is actually Cory Joseph. DeJuan’s changed a bit, too.
SpursColoredGlasses - February 7, 2012
DeJuan has ACLs in that picture. Yes, I can see past through the skin.
TDzilla! - February 8, 2012
objectively speaking – howard, bynum, hibbert, (a healthy) bogut, aldridge, both gasols…throw in love and griffin as possibles (only reason they’re not above timmeh is their defence sucks), and there are a lot of guys who would be there instead of duncan.
on a good night, he can still be a top 3 big man in this league, no doubt. but those nights aren’t coming with the regularity they once did. taking off my spurs hat for a second, there’s no way i could see him being classed in the top 5.
sleep research facility - February 8, 2012
+1
Chilai - February 8, 2012
my thoughts on Ginobili and Ford Returning. I would guess that if anyone would regress it would be parker. He definitely wouldn’t have to bear the load as much so I would expect is numbers to take a dip. Hopefully he can turn back on the all-star juice when needed
seanthemonster - February 8, 2012
Yes, but numbers dipping doesn’t necessarily mean regression. I guess just on a pure stat sense, those numbers would regress, but what he brings to the team, could still be just as important, if not more efficient.
grego21 - February 8, 2012
It’s interesting (to me at least) that for all the lists of 4s & 5s who should be the coaches’ picks for the all-star team in this post, not once is Dirk mentioned. I know he’s been hurt and when he’s played this year he’s been awful (for him) but the guy is the best player on last year’s Champs and was The Finals MVP.
Plus I can see Duncan being added to the team as a sentimental choice kinda like when Shaq made his last all-star squad when he was in Phx and could barely move.
lazNirv - February 8, 2012
I doubt it.
Dirk has been just pure bad though. It’s hard to put him on when a guy like Lamarcus Aldridge has not been on the team ever.
grego21 - February 8, 2012
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