Saturday, February 27th, 2010...6:06 am
Houston Rockets 109, San Antonio Spurs 104
Ugh.
Here I was, all ready to post a piece about how Manu Ginobili’s block of Kevin Durant against the Thunder on Wednesday was the turning point in the season. After their latest “best win of the season,” the Spurs were going to sweep the week against their Western Conference foes and solidify their place in the playoffs.
Then the Spurs went out on Friday night in the Toyota Center and laid and egg.
Not a single Spurs starter had a positive +/-, nor did sixth man Manu Ginobili or DeJuan Blair. In fact, Tim Duncan had the worst line with a -25. And the Spurs gave up 59 points to the Rockets in the first half.
The Spurs only lead came after Duncan hit a turnaround jumper to start the game. From there, Houston took over, winning the first quarter 31-14 and ending the half with a 18 point lead.
The San Antonio defense had no answer for the combination of Aaron Brooks, Luis Scola and Kevin Martin. All three ended with at least 30 points and made the Spurs defense look slow and out of sorts.
Offensively, when the Spurs don’t shoot well from the three-point line, they make it hard for themselves to win, and Friday night was no different. San Antonio finished the game 6-21 (29%) from behind the arc.
Late in the third quarter, Duncan went out and DeJuan Blair replaced him. Ginobili also sat down and on for him came Malik Hairston. Neither Duncan or Ginobili reentered the game and the Spurs bench closed the gap from 71-49 when Duncan and Ginobili sat, to only five points at the final whistle.
Some will criticize Gregg Popovich for his decision not to insert the Spurs starters back in the game in the fourth quarter, when San Antonio was within a puncher’s chance of the Rockets. But Popovich stuck with the idea that because their bench got them that close, they earned the chance to try and make a game of it.
“They (Houston) jumped out and got a big lead and I liked the way our bench played. I never thought about taking them (the bench) out,” Popovich said after the game.
The odds of the Spurs actually coming back and winning in the fourth quarter were so low that the smart money was on not putting the starters back in and saving their minutes. If nothing else for Spurs fans, the game allowed Malik Hairston to buy himself a chance at more minutes.
Hairston finished the game with eight points, five rebounds and the team’s best +/- at +18.
73 Comments
February 27th, 2010 at 6:12 am
I hope this game provides Jim Henderson and other die-hard-pop-yes-men a chance to see our bench can produce equal amount of numbers that Finley, Bonner, Bogans, McDyess give us. Why play old when you can develop the young?
February 27th, 2010 at 6:14 am
This Pop guy continues to blow my hair back. He decides to start Finley at Rockets.
Strange choice considering the Rockets speed in the back court. Finley, Mason, and Bogans were flat out torched at Houston last night. Couldn’t guard anybody.
McDyess was not good at all. I am a Mcdyess fan, but must admit that Spurs need more from him at this point. Giving up 30 to Scola was disheartening.
Here is my take. Pop blew this season by being caught up in himself. He actually thinks that the 4 championships that we won were strictly because of his coaching and player choices. He is wrong.
We won 4 championships because nobody could stop Ginnobli, Duncan, and Parker. We had role players like Avery and Ellie. We had Shaun Elliott, and we had big bodies in the middle, not to mention the best defender in the league in Bowen.
This year though, we start out the season with a nice roster. Young talent like Haislip, Mahinmi, and Hairston. Nice pieces like Ratliff. However, Coach Pop decides to shred this roster in favor of playing Bonner and Bogans and Finley, again because he is caught up in himself!
Finally, he decides to play Hairston. In limited action, Hairston took a dump on the play of Bogans and Finley. He showed his defensive capability. He showed his competitiveness. He showed his offense and ability to create his own shot and finish strong around the rim. He showed his hunger, and he showed his desire to win.
Pop knew it all along, but decided to lose with Bogans rather than play this kid.
Then he plays Mahinmi. Immediately Ian gave us a presence in the middle. He was not dominant, but he made a difference. Even though he is young and inexperienced, and even foul prone, he would give this team more quality than Bonner. Bonner is not a 4 or a 5. Seems a HOF coach would see that by now. Bonner would thrive at the 3. He would have a mismatch every night. He shouldn’t be limited to spotting up on the perimeter. He should have his big azz near the basket as well. He could shoot over some people and might even get a rebound or two at 6’10.
Blair should be at the 4. He can score in the paint and should be a fixture in this offense. Again, Pop is blowing that dimension for this team. Blair is not getting enough minutes. He should be at 20 per game, period.
Jefferson is no 4. He is a 2 guard and should only play at that spot. His size and strength would serve him well there. Duncan should be at the 5 every night from now on. He and Mcdyess are catching the ball wayyyyy to far from the cup. Even last night against a small Houston club, they still caught it too far out.
Finally, Hairston and Mahinmi exposed Pop last night. They proved the point that Ive been making all year long. These two players have been sitting in street clothes when they are clearly better players than the crap in our rotations.. If Pop’s ego didn’t cost us Ratliff and Haislip, we could be contenders this season.
I’m not a Pop hater. I just know that it was time for him to have a wake up call. I have been trying to throw water in his face for months now to no avail.
Hope the water finally splashed in his face and WOKE HIM UP! Maybe now he can get back to coaching. Play a little zone when your team is outmanned. Make adjustments when your team struggles to score. Be a coach and not just a self centered Dictator!
February 27th, 2010 at 6:19 am
A good performance from Hairston and another solid game from Ian in the 10 minutes he played. I want to see more of them and I never want to see Michael Finley or Keith Bogans again.
I don’t have much money, but what I have I would bet that on any other team in the league, Finley, Bogans, and Bonner, would be lucky to see even garbage time.
Toss around any statistics you want, I don’t care about box score, I don’t care about PER, I don’t care about anything other than what I see going on on the court. What I see is Finley has been absolutely worthless since winning in 07. Bogans is an absolute bum and Bonner flat out sucks.
We all know Duncan, Manu, and Tony can play. We won championships based around these guys. If they are healthy, we just need the right role players. If Bonner and Finley couldn’t get it done in 08 or 09, why does Pop think they can get it done in 10?
February 27th, 2010 at 6:47 am
@duaneofly…
Ive been saying it for months. You are right. Dont know why Pop still insists on playing these guys. They do suck, horribly!
Makes me wonder what the hell is going on with tis coach.
However, when I post aboput his shortcommings, I get hit with his 4 rings and a load of stats and numbers that dont mean jack.
This is basketball and players play. Far too long has this coach continued to bring in handicapped players. Players that are one dimensional or physically limited. It doesnt work anymore. NBA is too talented for scrubs to prosper.
Time to stop trying to play these guys, time to stop worrying more about character than skill set. Time to stop chasing “YES MEN” and start going after talent.
I still say that we would be absolute beasts had we kept the players that were run out of town. Pop has a love affair with Bonner and it has killed this team. I heard he is even bringing in Bonner’s younger brother…
Somebody stop this guy…He is killing our team.
He said Hairston and Mahinmi were not ready, not experienced enough. BS!
Now, inquiring minds want to know the truth Coach Pop?
Why?
Why did you continue to play these guys? They have sucked consistently. Why Pop?
No Hairston, No Mahinmi, No Haislip, No Mensa Bonsu…No zone defense when your man to man is atrocious…
Why?
Enlighten us all with your brilliance!
February 27th, 2010 at 6:53 am
I like Bonner and can understand why pop is playing him, Finley I can’t understand why pop insists in playing him, can anyone shed any light on this?
February 27th, 2010 at 7:08 am
All I can say is wow. While all of our big names (save horrible Jefferson) had no answer for the houston trio, it was the “scrubs” at the end of our bench that almost won us the damn game. Hairston was everywhere! And not just on a few possessions, just about every single one. If you dont believe me, go back and look at some of the D he played against Martin. He got at least two blocks. He got that amazing save from Mahinmis tap out and then corralled that rebound at the end to almost tie the game.
My point is this: Hairston is better than Bogans, Finley, Bonner, and Jefferson (most nights this season anyway). His sheer hustle should get him playing time. He goes after the ball at every possible moment. He drives in the lane and finishes over everyone. Hairston was the best part of last night.
We should all lobby for his increased playing time and replacement of Finley and Bonner.
PS: it should be noted that I HATE both Bonner and Parker. I dont see the sense in promoting defense and then having offensive minded players on the floor. Everyone needs to play D first just like the old spurs did. GO SPURS GO!
February 27th, 2010 at 7:10 am
Tough win last night. As soon as they said this was the 26th or 29th starting line up of the season tonight, I was like “the spurs are going to lose” I didnt think they were going to get blown out the water. Houston’s speed killed the Spurs. That was until POP finally decided to bring in the “youngins”…I’m with everyone who thinks that these guys should be playing. This season is almost over and the line ups that Pop has been using this year have not worked so far, but when these young guys get a shot this team is faster and more athletic.
Ian needs more time on the court. You can tell he is nervous when he is out there, but as time when on he began to get more comfortable. He provided the size and speed against a small Houston team. He and RJ play well together.
Hairston, I really like that guy. He is not afraid to score and knows how to. His defense looked solid. I dont have much to say, but this guy deserves more minutes. I dont want to hear that he is not ready. He is to good to be in the D-League. You have several teams going to the playoffs with young guys, why not SA.
All in All, it was a tough loss, but I think that these guys have earned themselves some more playing time.
February 27th, 2010 at 7:11 am
Funny how you mention Hairston but not Mahinmi, who had the same line with half the minutes… those two players they can play, which everybody suspected but never got a chance to see so far.
February 27th, 2010 at 7:14 am
I dont get it either, Pop has had me pulling my hair since last season! Pop should be developing the young talent so they can be ready come playoff time. Malik, Ian, Hill and Blair have the energy, speed that the Spurs have been lacking for the past 2 seasons. POP get it straight, stop playing the old, past their prime players!!!!!!! Inserting Malik and Ian last night showed the potential they have!
February 27th, 2010 at 7:14 am
Ive been petitioning for Hairston all year. He is better than those guys by far.
Just shows that Pop is caught up in self. No wonder Haislip wanted out. He knew that his coach would not give him a chance.
Pop should be careful and realize that his window for saving his name is now. If he continues to be stubborn, nobody will want to come here and play for him.
Im still a Pop fan, but its time for him to wake up. If he doesnt, the fan base will begin to call for his head!
February 27th, 2010 at 7:15 am
I like the way RJ played last night. When he was with the “scrubs” he seemed to be more comfortable in his role. RJ never played with true big man in his career, so thats what seems to be the adjustment for him.
February 27th, 2010 at 7:31 am
People keep referring to our young players as scrubs. Goes to show our lack of vision.
We have scrubs, that is 4 sure. They are Bogans, Bonner, Finley….
But, nobody wanted to admit that they were the reason that we are losing. They were!
They are just not good players, period.
Hairston should be starting at the 2. Why, because he is our 2nd best 2 guard, behind Ginnobli.
This isnt rocket science. Again, players play and fakers fake.
Starting line up should be:
1-Parker
2-Hairston
3-Jefferson
4-Mcdyess
5-Duncan
2nd team
1-Hill
2-Ginnobli
3-Bonner-This would be Haislip if he wasnt released.
4-Blair
5-Mahinmi
Rotation players
Mason
Also had we kept Ratliff, he would be here as well.
Bogans and Finley should be in street clothes.
February 27th, 2010 at 8:06 am
@Ballhog. I like your thinking except I’d make a few changes.
*Parker needs to sit for a month…bring him back with about 5-7 games left in the season. We need him healthy.
Starters
Hill-Playing the best ball right now
Mason-a shooter to work with Duncan
Harrison-Tough defense and aggressive offense
Mahinmi-athletic big to help Duncan, plus playing with Tim means no pressure
Duncan-The best PF of all time
2nd team
Ginobili-2005 Finals MVP
Jefferson-Thinking too much
McDyess-Better as a bench player
Blair-Baby Moses
Useful in specific situations:
Bonner-Great shooter as a 4
Finley-too old to be effective but great career
Bogans-??
A very good 9 man rotation. Pop should give Ian and Malik consistent minutes…..see what they got….if nothing else it will help Ian get over the foul thing and Malik over the turnover thing.
February 27th, 2010 at 8:14 am
Yeah…I agree with Anthony. I dont want to see Parker and Jefferson on the floor together. I would start Hairston or better yet Ginobili. Its looked like Malik and Richard played well together.
February 27th, 2010 at 8:28 am
@ Mcdonald
You said it all. I needed somebody to see it, Anybody. Finally….THX!
If Pop makes those changes, Spurs could get out of first round. Young hungry players with strong legs and lungs would be an injection of adrenaline for this club.
Mahinmi and Hairston can give Spurs double the production of Bogans, Bonner, and Finley. Some of us knew that all along.
Lot of support out there for Bonner, but I just cant see it. Ive never been fond of bigs that play small and avoid the paint. He is a terrible defender of opposing 4’s and 5’s. He should be playing at the 3, if at all.
He is a decent shooter, but far too limited. He would be able to shoot over other 3’s and could take advantage of the match ups.
The truth is though, he cannot play with any 4 in the west, none of them. He allows the opposing team’s 4 to look like an allstar, on a consistent basis.
Now, is he worthless? NO, just not well coached. Bonner could be better if he were simply more agressive. He should use his size, bang in the paint, and take people to the hole. On defense, he needs to bang more. Plays too soft and doesnt use his size and weight. All coachable…
Makes me wonder if PJ Carlesimo had a more detailed job description than Pop while he was here. Something has definately changed her in San antonio.
But,
Thanks to two D League ballers, this team can still salvage what has been a horrible season (by Spurs standards).
If Pop can get out of his own way!
February 27th, 2010 at 8:39 am
Has anyone gotten the name of the mule that kicked Pop in the head?
February 27th, 2010 at 8:46 am
I think all other NBA teams have instituted a secret “Bonner Rule.” To wit: the moment Matt Bonner is inserted into the line-up, all game planning and strategy are inoperative. Attack Bonner, period.
February 27th, 2010 at 8:46 am
Ian did look really raw on offense. But what impressed me was his defense. The lay up line closed when he was inserted. Would love to see him get some time next to Duncan so he could just focus on blocking weak side shots and rebounding.
February 27th, 2010 at 8:57 am
Never underestimate the Spurs’ ability to lose a game they should win, they have a special knack for it. Sheep in wolves clothing….
I’m so sick of seeing players like Kyle Lowry and Adres Kirilenko have career nights against a roster like ours. I’m ready to pull the plug and play the young guys too. Speed kills our team every time, its time we get on board.
February 27th, 2010 at 9:12 am
@Jacob…I wouldnt consider playing the young guys as “pulling the plug”…I think Pop can start to get these guys some PT and hopefully get some Playoff experience.
February 27th, 2010 at 9:25 am
Wow all it took was for the young ones to get some quality minutes for more fans to see the light.
My four cents……
Mahinimi needs to play minutes with Duncan. The easy layups against the Spurs would come to an end.
Hairston is a baller. He needs to play in crunch time.
Blair is a beast but the spurs need to bring in the Shaq of the MAC Malik Rose to show him how to defend bigger players.
Seems to me POP was more interested in proving a point than winning the game. If this were a playoff game TD and ginobli would be on the floor as soon as the score was manageable.
Huston was about to choke in the last few minutes and Mason let them off the hook with bricks and bad turn-overs. Fans everywhere were collectively thinking “why won’t Pop take this guy out of the game.
BTW: Ratliff is averaging almost 4 blocks a game since he started getting minutes with Charlotte.
February 27th, 2010 at 9:38 am
@Ballhog,
Regarding your post about POP @ 6:14, couldn’t have said it better even if I had tried to. Agree with you 100%, I wish POP woud have read it, not that it would do any good - being so stubborn. Maybe an open letter sent to SA Express News would get his attention.
February 27th, 2010 at 9:40 am
@ Anthony,
I agree with your rotation and the fact that Parker should miss the whole month of March. Bonner, Bogans, Finley should be getting a slew of DNP’s.
It’s official Pop has lost his mind. Starting Bogans and Finley?
Malik Hairston proved last night that he is a far better player than both of them. The ease with which he shot layups and the fact that Martin never scored when he guarded him was eye-opening.
February 27th, 2010 at 9:46 am
By the way, Stephen Jackson went off for 32 pts, 11 reb, 4 asst, 2 steals while guarded by O. J. Mayo
February 27th, 2010 at 10:11 am
Yeah, i think we would be in top 4 in west if we had sjax… dammit
February 27th, 2010 at 10:20 am
Bonner at the 3? Are you kidding me? He is far too slow to guard any small forward in the league. You had some credibility until you threw that out there.
I do agree, though- i think Finley is done. Bonner is useful only in the right situations. I’ve been anti-bogans since he took Williams roster spot in training camp. From what i saw last night, Hairston and Ian should get more playing time. Those two already know the Spurs system and both of them play well.
I do understand though why Pop hasnt played Hairston- his game is predicated on driving and slashing. He is not a good shooter from anywhere except right next to the basket. The Spurs offense is built around spacing the floor, so having him and RJ out there at the same time is difficult because neither are excellent shooters. If we want Hairston to play, he’s going to have to be out there with Mason and Hill, with either RJ at the 4 (which means small ball which everyone here hates) or Bonner at the 4 or 5 with one of our more traditional bigs (Duncan, Blair, Mcdyess, Ian) also in the game. Personally, though, i do think it would be worth it.
Also, i hate Luis Scola. Two absolute flops in a row to foul out Blair. What a bastard.
February 27th, 2010 at 10:22 am
And stop wishing for Jackson- HE WAS NOT AVALIABLE WHEN WE WERE MAKING DEALS!
February 27th, 2010 at 10:37 am
I will buy tickets and go see the Spurs if Pop will finally play Ian, Hairston and the other young guys. I enjoy seeing the heat and hustle. I would not go to see another game with Finley and Bonner starting. I like both of them but it is time for them to stay on the bench until there is a match-up need.
February 27th, 2010 at 10:55 am
@ Spursfansteve…Apparently you are not familiar with Hairston at all. He very well can shoot the ball from anywhere on the floor. This guy averaged over 30 a game in the D League.
As for Bonner at the 3, Bonner isnt exactly slow. He has decent feet, he’s just not a low post guy and cant defend guys with size.
At the 3, we would be the ones creating the mismatch. Who cares who he guards on defense, we cant guard anybody anyway.
If you have played the game of basketball and can tell the difference between a player and a faker, its actually quite simple.
Bonner is a faker…A handicapped player, a Pop special. Pop likes players who are limited like Bonner. Athletic guys are usually run out of town.
Hairston is a ball player and will get better. He has good speed and quickness, he is a solid defender, has mad hopps, and is pretty smart. He should log 20 minutes a game, now!
Dont let Pop blind you too…Step outside the box and admit to yourself that the line ups were inferior and would never be successful this season…None of them.
I have a friend in Dallas. He says that the Dallas media is already throwing dirt on the Spurs…they say were finished. If Pop continues with these trash line ups and continues to keep Hairston and Mahinmi on the bench, we are done.
So, no more stats, digits, or scenario’s. No more wishful thinking. Time to get real in San Antonio…
Bench the scrubs that are killing our chances and play the youngsters that want to compete and contribute.
Our defensive specialist (Bognas) got his ankles and knwees broke in half las night by houstons guards. He was pathetic.
Yet, Our HOF coach deemed Bogans as our Bowen type defender…Im Sure Bruce is laughing his tail off at that garbage…
Cats out of the bag now though. Pop can no longer hide behind excuses. We have seen these kids play and we know they are better than the role players that Pop has trotted out on the floor each night.
This kind of thing is why so many young players never get a chance in this league. Coaches like this one…Shame!
February 27th, 2010 at 10:59 am
I think we are all in agreement that Pop is messing us up. First off the starting line up should be Hill,Jefferson(or Manu) at the 2, Blair at the 3, Duncan at the 4, and Ian at the 5. I know it sound crazy but that is the only starting line up that might win a championship(with the Lakers and the Mavs looking strong). I know Blair and Ian might foul out but they should be allowed to develop without worrying about that, until they are both comfortable. And Blair might need time to develop at the 3 defensively but no 3 in the leage could guard him near the basket and
he would have almost 20+ rebounds a game. With the classic Sprs defensive principals they would be a wall. Believe me it might work and with the right substitutions with the rest of the roster the might develop in time for the playoffs. Only problem is Pop is 2 stubborn to alter his plan, he should have created some offensive plays to get RJ started a long time ago and put him at the 2 where he would have a physical advantage. I am tired of them losing to bad teams. Make Finley and Assistant coach, sit Bogans down-he is thru. Mcdyess is strictly a back up and Bonner off the bench only at certain times to spark the offense. Mason? I dont know, poor guy Pop has messed with is shooting touch and comfort, we dont know what to expect from this guy. 1 more thing, Please stop talking about trading Tony Parker , no disrespect but it kind of an ignorant concept. What they should do is force him to rest until the playoffs(which they should make if they make the right adjustments). Hill is growing, they arent losing because of his play(although it may seem like it sometimes with him having to guard people 4-5 inches taller that him at times). More Hairston, peace.
February 27th, 2010 at 11:31 am
Was this our 20th or 21st different starting lineup? Way to go coach Pop. Does anyone know what the all time record for the most starting lineups in a season is? It’s sad that Pop’s dogmatic sensibilities are sacrificing Tim Duncan’s diminishing productive years. How are the Spurs players expected to develop chemistry and master their roles if we don’t play the best talent on the roaster consistently? Poor McDyess, he honestly thought coming to the Spurs would offer him an opportunity to win a championship. He should have signed with Denver.
February 27th, 2010 at 11:32 am
Spursfanbayarea. To your point about Ian: in our later championship years, guys like Nazr, Rasho and Oberto were not offensive weapons. They were there to play defense, block shots, force teams to beat us from the outside, get us a few extra shots per game and make a few clean-up baskets. So even if Ian’s offensive game is raw, it still fits a formula that has served us well. I also thought that he looked unsettled at first, but then began holding his own quite well. Also, as someone noted, Malik simply shut down Kevin Martin once he came in. The point is that you can’t fully know how someone will perform in a game and against certain opponents until you try them. I assume these guys haven’t shown much in practice. But Pop should at least try them (as he should have Haislip) in games. After all, it’s not like the guys he had in there have been tearing things up. But as many have said … stubborn.
February 27th, 2010 at 11:35 am
Bonner has problems keeping up with mobile 4’s like Odom! What do you think a true athletic 3 like Josh Howard or Lebron or Carmelo would do to him? There is a difference between a faker and a system player. Bonner has always fit our system before because it maximized his strengths and hid his weaknesses. The problem this year, like towards the end of last year, is that the system isnt doing that for him anymore. Before, teams would always have to double Duncan, or hedge towards Tony Parker and Manu to stop their drives. Now teams arent doing that as much and so the openings for Bonner to do what he does best arent there. In addition, having Bonner out at the 3 point line brought one of their bigs away from the basket, which helped keep things open for Tony and Manu. This year they are just taking too many jump shots. Used to be Parker exploded around screens, now he usually just shoots a jumper. Bonner really isnt a bad defender when he is guarding one dimensional players. He only really gets exposed when he has to guard those who can do multiple things well, players like Rashard Lewis that can shoot, drive, or post up.
Trading Parker is an ignorant concept but playing Blair extended minutes at the 3 isnt? Again- quickness is a problem. Blair is a beast and a great athlete but there are hardly any 3’s in the league he can keep up with. I’m not saying trading Parker is a good idea, but it’s no worse than Blair at the 3.
Like i said- i completely agree with your points about Bogans and Finley. The way everyone else is playing effects Bonner. On a good team, Bonner is a good player. On anything less, he just gets exposed. I would rather see more minutes for Ian and Hairston.
February 27th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
i’ve been saying it all freakin year and looks like the results spoke for themselves
IAN AND MALIK MUST PLAY…………………NOW!
everyone wanted a win last night, but i found last night’s game the most exciting and intruiging of the season. it’s nice to see us beat the kobe-less lakers and a malaised denver squad, but watching the young, talented potential overcome a 20 pt deficit and nearly win a game was thrilling.
malik hairston did an excellent job hustling and was the only player on our roster that could keep up with kevin martin. martin and brooks were charging to the paint and making tim duncan look every bit of the 33 year old work horse that he is. did anyone notice that after ian had a big block in the lane that the 2 young guards stayed out of the paint?!?!? IAN INTIMIDATED THEM!!!! not to mention ianny did an excellent job trapping the gaurds at the top of the key. his low post defense and offensive rotations must improve.
last night was the most encouraging thing i have seen from this team all season. pop should be fired if he continues to play bogans, finley, and bonner big minutes as we miss the playoffs.
sit tony p and let our younguns develop. boston won a championship with a mix of vet and youthful talent. we can at least solidify ourselves in the rankings.
no more excuses. its on you, pop….
February 27th, 2010 at 12:40 pm
Where is the consistency? How many times is Pop going to outthink himself. He should just stick to a starting 5 the rest of the season no matter what the out come will be. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! I think the Spurs team defense will get the next “Three tears” on SportsNation. They deserved it after last nights mess.
February 27th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
I agree with RJ, both Hairston and Mahinmi showed that they can be effective against good teams like the Rockets. Mahinmi was solid with 8 points 5rebs and a block in only 10 min and 8 points 5 rebs and an assist. I think they’ve earned some more playing time. Give Mahinmi Bonner’s minutes or McDyess’s when he isnt playing well.
February 27th, 2010 at 1:49 pm
Why not acknowledge that the officiating on duncan was a major factor and turing point to this game? The rockets dominated getting to the line, while Jefferson and Ginobili were getting get a late whistles on a blatant fouls at best. Its been this way all year, as some the year before. I believe the refs are signaling the end of this decade with the end of our teams dominance, one play at a time.
February 27th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Damn that was tough to watch.
We all new Hairston and IAN can do exactly what they did last night.
I love Finn dog but he just aint got it. Maybe he can get it back later, but right now the SPurs need to win. It’s no surprise the Rockets ran away with it in the 1st quarter.
IAN had a shaky start, but once he knew he was in for the long haul, he settled down and was effective.
Hairston was great. He got to the cup with ease. Do you know how hard it is to get to the cup in the NBA. Dude can ball. He outscored Finely, Bogans, and Mcdeezy combined in 18 minutes. You can add up the last game and he still outscored FInn and Mcdeezy.
Bonner, I still think he can be a good shooter, but POP needs to leave him out there longer. He didn’t even get one shot up.
RJ had a decent game ( I wish he would hit those freethrows and that layup late. It wouldve made it interesting, oh well.) I guess he can only play good if technically he is the “first” option.
I hope POP plays Hairston and IAN more. If they get more minutes and get comfortable then the Spurs would have a punchers chance.
We should start a website, LETHAIRSTONPLAY.COM
February 27th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
@jonathan
Yes, the officiating was terrible. Kmart got half his points from the line.
ANd I’m tired of teams hacking TD and not getting called. Of course the team is going to fast break. Also it give the other team Bogus confidence, they think they’re playin good D.
ANd that ain’t fan talk. Even mild mannered TD lost his cool. How often does that happen?
February 27th, 2010 at 2:26 pm
I love the chatter going on in here. Everyone calling for Malik and Ian to play are all right on. I would also add that one factor that especially made Malik useful last night was that he was a teamate of Aaron Brooks when he led the Ducks to the elite 8 a few years back. He knows how A.B. thinks and could have helped the team defense even more if he was on the court more often.
Another point I am not seeing brought up is the potential bidding war for Splitter next year. Does anyone think Splitter wants to come play for a struggling team that will be disbanded in the next year or two? We have to lure him in by showing that we have young, able talent that can play by his side for the next seven years. Who in here doesn’t like the idea of our starting lineup five years from now being Parker, Hill, Hairston, Mahimni and Splitter with Blair being the sixth man? Let’s forget about Jefferson and McDyess and Bonner and Bogans. Give the playing time to the big three and the young future of this team and Splitter might be more enticed to sign with the Spurs.
February 27th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
This game is about par for the course this season. A team’s record usually tells the tale of how good it is……….and right now we are very average.
To all armchair coaches: Poppovich didn’t lose this game. He is the coach for a reason and we are spectators (vocal spectators) for a reason. Anyone who watched this game should see that there was no fire or enthusiasm for any sustained period by the players. Having the past combos of Robinson/Duncan/Horry for the championship years would negate about 10 points that teams are scoring on us today. Players win the games and defensive execution won the Spurs’ championships. Watching those guys protect the rim during the peak years was really something we all have to appreciate. I appreciate even more now that it is gone.
And the suggestion of these starters in the next few years: “Parker, Hill, Hairston, Mahimni and Splitter with Blair being the sixth man”……..will make the Spurs competitive with every lottery team in the league and no one else. Great guards, but very, very unproven bigs (with the exception of Blair). It will take a lot more talent than that to re-load (we need to hit the free agents and dump RJ, Mcdyess, and Mahinmi). Again, we have all been very spoiled by the Duncan era.
February 27th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
Colin, why do we need to dump Mahinmi? Because he’s only played in two games this year? Who’s fault is that? Not his. I’ll hate it if we lose him this offseason and next year he shows he can be a good defensive presence / role player on another team.
Just because Pop doesn’t play someone, doesn’t mean they suck.
Its not a secret Pop has a love affair with veteran players and doesn’t like to play young guys. Remember last year, he wasn’t even planning on playing Hill in the playoffs.
February 27th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
duaneofly
I shared your sentiments earlier this season. I’ve also debated this with some of the other posters on here and I have come to change my original view. This is Mahinmi’s 4th yr in the Spurs program (Austin Toros included) and has had his chances to crack the system. He obviously hasn’t demonstrated his merit in practices or in the D-league. Putting this on Pop is a natural scapegoat. I’ve heard this so many times with basketball in general: “Oh, he should’ve played but his coach wouldn’t play him.” Well, there is usually a reason why a coach isn’t playing a certain player that isn’t some kind of veteran conspiracy. Why should we keep him based on the two games we saw? We don’t see him practice, summer leagues, watch film, or interact with the other players as the coaching staff and front office do. To answer your question about Pop not playing young players……..compare him to Dejuan Blair, a rookie, who has made an immediate impact by displaying the basketball IQ comparable to that of an MIT student engineer. His impact is immediate and noticeable and his play has earned him minutes based on this. Mahinmi’s b-ball IQ is comparable to Forrest Gump. We don’t see this because we aren’t Greg Poppovich. Pop sees something in Blair. He hasn’t taught Blair anything he didn’t already possess: the natural, American-borne sense of get the ball, rebound and score. Blair is a natural, and he’s only 20 or 21 (or whatever age he is). It is obvious Blair has just played more, he has the “it” factor that has been honed through years of pick-up games as a youth and further polished with his 2 yrs at Pitt. Foreign players usually don’t demonstrate his intangibles (I realize I went off on a tangent there).
I never said Mahinmi sucked, I agree he has the tools to match up with Spurs killers: Boozer, Gasol, Odom, Kirilenko, Camby, Nene, etc.
February 27th, 2010 at 3:50 pm
……but he is lacking the b-ball instincts to bring out his best athletic characteristics (a la Stromile Swift).
February 27th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
Colin,
a) practice? Are we really talking about practice? Some future HoFers don’t even go to practice. If practice is your excuse for Pop’s nonsensical behavior, then what Ian did yesterday >>> practice.
b) Ian’s low BB IQ (according to you) is still miles ahead of the other bigs we have that are getting tons of minutes. Seriously.
What yesterday’s game showed is that with a TRUE veteran first team (big 3) combined with an explosive bench (RJ + the young ones) then the Spurs have a chance. The forecast isn’t quite as good when starting guys like Bogans and Finley who already have one foot in the grave.
February 27th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
stop the fight the solution to spurs winning is just not playing Finley again, and last night was a great confidence builder for our bench. I hope this is the last time i c findawg(as much as I love him) and that should be enough for our team. i think pop should have called more timeouts tho and gave our bench a breather or call some plays. I think Pop just didnt care after he put the bench in.
February 27th, 2010 at 5:56 pm
I say play our younger players more(hairston, ian) whats the worst that can happen we lose! were already doing that without them! and to put my 2cents in we should of traded bonner, finely, and bogans for tyrus thomas! It would of gave us a solid defender! bonner, finely, and bogans aint doing sh*t for us anyways, it couldnt hurt! I guess I cant cry over spilled milk though( just get mad when I think about it)! anybody knows whos out there that might get waived, we can sign!(doubt spurs would sign anybody anyways though, their in saving $$ mode now) just day dreaming!
February 27th, 2010 at 6:15 pm
Will
Don’t attack me dude. You’re definitely not hearing where I’m coming from. I don’t think Mahinmi is garbage and I don’t think he is the answer to this Spurs squad. You think Mahinmi is a future hall of famer? Do you know something most b-ball junkies don’t? The league is full of guys with Mahinmi’s “potential” that never achieve it (Derrick Coleman comes to mind). C’mon man. After 3-4 yrs in the system, you would think he would be doing something to earn some more minutes. That is my main point. As another poster pointed out to me, “Mahinmi can’t even get minutes on the French National Squad.” What does that tell you? Maybe this could be a case a la Jermain O’Neal when he was first in Portland then got shipped to Indy where he blossomed, but even he is no hall of famer, not even a championship contender.
a) practice? Are we really talking about practice? Some future HoFers don’t even go to practice. If practice is your excuse for Pop’s nonsensical behavior, then what Ian did yesterday >>> practice.
Again, you’re not hearing me. If you want to make a snap judgement based on 10 minutes of burn, you need to study the game a bit to understand what being a professional and what practice means to them. Do you want a doctor who got a “C” in his anatomy class? Tim Duncan, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant don’t skip practices and they just win. If you’re referring to AI with your practice blah-blah-blah………he still doesnt have a championship. Detroit and Denver got worse with him, so I don’t see your logic with your reaction to my observation. Be a student a student of the game and come at me with something better.
b) Ian’s low BB IQ (according to you) is still miles ahead of the other bigs we have that are getting tons of minutes. Seriously.
Yeah, seriously. Miles ahead, you get that from the 10 minutes you saw? Which bigs are you referring to?—-McDyess, Duncan (I hope not), Bonner (does’t play big), Blair (you didn’t read my last post)? McDyess is at least a veteran who has played more years in the NBA than Mahinmi probably ever will (could be proven wrong, but I would take that bet). It will have to take more than playing a good 10 minutes to convince me otherwise.
February 27th, 2010 at 6:48 pm
Glad Hairston got some good minutes. Hope he eats into the rotation.
Pop did a great job coaching this game and used his bench weapons extremely well.
February 27th, 2010 at 7:59 pm
Wow, a lot of post, even a Derrick Coleman reference.
I don’t think anyone feels like Mahimni and Hairston are the next coming of Robinson and Elliot. I think we all feel that they are guys that could bring energy and desire to the game. Moreover, they have physical tools that the other Spurs don’t have. We might as well let them go out there and see what we have. Maybe one of them really is a starter…maybe one becomes our “Jaren Jackson”….maybe Ian can give us a presence inside….at this point, it’s worth a shot.
Lastly, what if Ian could give us:
FG% 47.3%
PTs 8.4
Blks 1.2
Reb 4.5
mins 19.4
per game? Wouldn’t that be cool…useful? I mentioned these numbers because they are Stromile Swift’s career numbers. I’d take these from Ian every night.
I won’t mention Coleman since he basically had the best skillset of any PF I ever saw. Unfortunately, he was lazy and unmotivated. If he had one ounce of Timmy’s drive then he’d be regarded as the best PF ever. Unfortunately, you can’t by heart and “want-to”.
February 27th, 2010 at 8:54 pm
Yeah, I know, a lot of post. Jaren Jackson, haven’t heard that name in a while (about 5 career ppg right?). We also had two HOF 7 footers protecting the rim that year too. My whole point about referencing Stromile Swift is that if he plays like Stromile Swift………..well, he would have a hard time finding work. Mahinmi isn’t the “missing piece to the puzzle.” If those Swift #’s you googled were applied to Mahinmi, we would still be the 6-8th seed. Not a difference maker. Poppovich will forget more bball than I will ever know, so I do trust his decisions. I get it, we want to see him play. I don’t think he could guard a Boozer or Nene without getting in fould trouble. It’s funny to hear fans talk like they know more than a 4 time NBA champion coach.
February 27th, 2010 at 8:58 pm
@Spursfansteve,
You’re not listening. When Stephen Jackson asked for a trade, he asked to go to Texas(Mavs, Spurs, Rockets) or Cavs. The Warriors were asking for a shooting 4 and expiring contracts. They received Radmonvich and Bell. The Spurs erroneously thought the current makeup was great. The Spurs could have offered Bonner and one of Finley/Mason. But, the Spurs chose to stand pat. And now Spurs shed salaries of Haislip and Ratliff in a we quit mode.
Malik Hairston should see the floor before Bogans or Finley in every game.
Spurs if they wanted could go after Bobby Jones(U of Washington, 26 yr, 6′7″ 210, played with like 8 teams last year) next year as a defender. See draftexpress.com describe him as a … Bruce Bowen type. Or a Stacey Augmon.
February 27th, 2010 at 9:00 pm
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Bobby-Jones-351/
February 27th, 2010 at 9:00 pm
Sorry, but this will be a pretty long post. For those of you not interested, get your scroller’s in gear.
I have to admit, for me, the Rocket game was a defining moment for this season. I’m hoping it was for Pop and the players as well. As many of you know, I’m a big proponent of coach Gregg Popovich. And I still am. However, there has now accumulated a number of factors that leads me to believe a significant change needs to occur in our line-ups and rotations. I do think that coach is going to follow suit shortly with many of the suggestions that I’m going to outline & briefly explain during the rest of my comments here. I’m going to start off by listing a number of obvious, but pertinent facts.
(1) We now have completed more than two-thirds of our regular season games (just 26 games remain, 15 road, 11 home, 19 of the 26 against +.500 teams).
(2) Our record this year has not even been close to .500 against +.500 teams. Our record on the road this year is also under .500 at 12-14.
(3) We are currently the 7th seed in the West, just a half game up on a game Portland team, two & one half games up on a gritty Hornet team, which has gained a bit of ground on us even though CP3 has been out. Collison has played great, and has been getting better. Plus, their other rookie 2-guard (Thorton) had 37 pts. the other night.
(4) Finally, we are this far into the season and we are still getting the kind of lackluster production (using our last game for example) too often from the following veteran players:
Starters:
Bogans - 14 mins., o-3 fg., 1 assist, 0 rebounds, 3 TO, 4 PF, ZERO points.
McDyess - 15 mins., 0-3 fg., 1 assist, 1 rebound, 1 TO, ZERO points.
Finley - 10 mins., 0-2 fg., ZERO everything else.
The three of them combined for 39 mins., 0-8 fg., 2 assists, 1 rebound, 4 TO, & ZERO points. You’ve got to be joking me, right?!
In addition, none of them played with any reasonable level of defensive intensity or effectiveness.
That is entirely unacceptable performance from 3 veterans on a team in the heat of a playoff race. Three veteran starter/role players should NEVER combine for a game like that considering the predicament the team finds itself in.
Bench:
Mason - 31 mins., 4-13 fg., 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 TO, 3 PF, 12 points.
Bonner - 8 mins., 1 assist, 1 TO, ZERO everything else.
Mason got a lot of minutes to get into the flow and still only shot 4-13 fg. This is not even a “bad” game for him - he’s had many worse ones, but Mason’s a shooter, so 4-13 fg.?! - in a game we really needed to win! This has been indicative of his performance all-year - UNFOCUSED & INEFFICIENT. Enough!
And Bonner? What kind of line is that? Eight minutes of what?????? All he really is is a shooter, and he takes what,… NO shots in close to eight minutes on the floor?! Ridiculous.
Okay, take a moment to reflect back on the opening of the Houston game. Timmy tried to get us off on a good start, scoring the first two points of the game on the opening possession, I think in the first 15-20 seconds of the game. Unfortunately, over the succeeding 4 minutes we proceeded to turn the ball over 5 times (by 4 different starters, with Bogans having two of them). And these five TO’s led to 4 Rocket hoops. Thus, at the 4:30 minute mark our score was already almost doubled, down 11-6. But more important than the score was the tone that it sets. It basically tells the opposing team that we’re not ready to play tonight; we’re sloppy with the ball & aren’t going to provide much resistance in transition “D”. WE SIMPLY CANNOT HAVE THAT, at this time of year, in our situation, on the road against a quality team.
Now, before I get into suggesting some line-up/rotation changes, I want to make a point about fouls committed by our “young” bigs. Let’s look at Blair first. As you know, Blair fouled out of the game with about 7 minutes left. Now, granted he’s only 20 yrs. old, and believe me, I love the guy, but the fact is he hurt his team by being disqualified with that much time left. He committed 5 fouls in a 6:30 minute stretch beginning with about 2 mins. left in the 3rd Q, up until when he had to leave. He committed one foul for every 3 mins. on the court during the game! In addition to not being there to help the team in the last 7 mins., his 6 total fouls led to 9 free points to the Rockets. I’d love to give Blair some more minutes, but he’s really got to focus on his defense, and learn better how not to pick up fouls, yet still be effective on the court. Hell, his teammate, TD, is probably one of the top bigs of all time in doing this. Perhaps they need to work on this together more. I know Blair’s on the short side for his position, but regardless of height, one has to play sound, fundamental “D”, regardless of height, and avoid unnecessary fouls (he’s also getting some offensive fouls by not playing within himself on occasion).
As you know, Mahinmi has had little playing time this year, but many of you do recognize that he probably has even more of a proclivity to foul than Blair. In the Rocket game, for example, he also had about a foul for every 3 mins. on the floor, leading to 4 free throw attempts by Houston during his 10 minutes of game time.
So, just wanted to point out that fouls & turnovers are generally two significant areas where one can run into some risk playing young, inexperienced players. That said, we MUST now take some risks if we’re to survive this season without TOO much embarrassment.
And finally, I do have to say that I was impressed by the performance of Hairston. He stayed within himself (just 1 foul in 18 mins.), and was just plain steady & productive (8 pts., 5 rebounds - which I love, and played solid “D”) throughout his time on the court.
Thus, without further delay, I propose the following line-up/rotation options in light of our current predicament.
Preferred Starting Line-Up:
Parker - PG (if healthy; if not, HILL)
Hill - SG (if Parker healthy; if not HAIRSTON)
Hairston - SF (if Parker healthy; if not JEFFERSON)
Blair - PF (with short leash for foul trouble)
Duncan - C (sorry TD, I know you like PF!)
Preferred Bench Rotation, in order of minutes:
Ginobli
Jefferson (if Parker not starting - injured)
McDyess (less if he continues to tank)
Bonner or Mahinmi (depends on variety of factors, but Mahinmi should continue to get more of a look)
Mason
Bogans
Finley (sorry Mike, thanks for some memories)
I would also try to limit the rotation to eight or nine players max, with the majority of minutes usually going to the top eight. In other words, barring injury, Mason, Bogans, Finley, and Bonner/Mahinmi should get limited minutes on most nights. I think we have to go for broke and take a big step by putting Hairston in that top eight for the remainder of the season, and as of right now, I would start him at the two or three spot to see if he can continue to fairly consistently play as he did against Houston last night. His energy & defensive capabilities are needed, and the others (Mason, Bogans, Finley, in particular) have inexplicably failed to perform & play with a winning ATTITUDE, or with the effort necessary to win in this league. McDyess only gets a partial pass because we need his size - but he better start playing more consistently or he’s done. We’ll have to give Mahinmi even more minutes as long as he’s productive & gives 100% effort.
By the way, Trade TP, BALLHOG; on Bonner
SpursfanSteve is correct:
February 27th, 2010 at 10:20 am
“Bonner at the 3? Are you kidding me? He is far too slow to guard any small forward in the league. You had some credibility until you threw that out there.”
February 27th, 2010 at 11:35 am
“Bonner has problems keeping up with mobile 4’s like Odom! What do you think a true athletic 3 like Josh Howard or Lebron or Carmelo would do to him? There is a difference between a faker and a system player. Bonner has always fit our system before because it maximized his strengths and hid his weaknesses.”
Bonner’s clearly best as a situational perimeter “4″. Bonner has always been a weak to mediocre defender at best, regardless of who he’s guarding, but with most “3’s” he’d constantly be in the rear-view mirror.
I also agree with:
Colin
February 27th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
“To all armchair coaches: Poppovich didn’t lose this game. He is the coach for a reason and we are spectators (vocal spectators) for a reason. Anyone who watched this game should see that there was no fire or enthusiasm for any sustained period by the players.”
It’s a lot easier to sit here on the blog and second-guess the coach, rather than have your posterior literally on the line each night. Pop knows this has been a difficult season for him, personally, and as a coach. He might not blame a good part of it on his players, because that’s who he is, but I would. Veteran guys that have always produced to varying degrees in the past (McDyess, Bonner, Mason, Finley, & even Bogans) have flat-out NOT BRUNG WHAT THEY’VE ALWAYS OFFERED IN THE PAST to the table for each & every game this season. And nobody knows why, other than that they simply flaked on Pop, the team, the fans, and themselves (and please don’t tell me it’s because Pop is too hard on his players, he’s a dictator, etc. - it’s all hog wash - leaders that win are often tough & disciplined, and there’s been very few players of note that don’t respect Pop as a coach). Pop’s main fault in my view was that he stuck with these malingerer’s for too long because he respected their resume as a veteran in this league, and he believes in the advantages of experience, as do I. He’s never had players take advantage of this respect & patience in the past, and so he thought they would eventually come along in the second half of the season, as most of his veterans in the past did. Fact is, the newer veterans screwed him over, and underneath it all I’ll bet you that he’s pissed about that. I could be wrong, but I think he’s about had it with they’re lack of energy, lack of consistency, lack of hunger, lack of pride & self-respect, and, even though it’s a risk playing younger, inexperienced players, ones that he may rightfully still have some questions about, the fact is we have come to the end of the rope: WE’RE NOW MORE THAN TWO THIRDS THROUGH THE SEASON and we’re still seeing performances the likes that McDyess, Bonner, Bogans, Mason, & Finley are turning in. It simply can’t go on any longer. Pop is too good of a coach for this. He’s going to have to make some changes that he still might consider a bit risky. And, I think he will, soon, because I’m convinced he knows that at this point, he SIMPLY HAS NO OTHER CHOICE.
February 27th, 2010 at 9:51 pm
Another thing nobody has pointed out: Manu was i believe 1-8 or so from the field. He did well from the line, but i dont think it matters how well everyone else plays, if we get that from him we are done. At this point, if we get 10/8 from Jefferson we’ll be content. Same with Blair and Mcdyess. We still need our big 3 to be our big 3. Against the Rockets, we had a big 2 (Duncan and Hill) and that was it.
About Blair foul trouble: His last two fouls were bullshit loose ball flops by Scola. I didnt see the whole game, so i dont know what his others were like, but as the season has gone on he has gotten MUCH better at not fouling. I’m not going to blame him for the garbage the refs called as his last two fouls. It is an area he still needs to improve in, though.
February 27th, 2010 at 9:58 pm
Pop just play the damn kids!!!
I’m not smarter than Pop but sometimes even the great ones miss something. It happened to Dean Smith in 1994. Larry Brown insisted on playing Mark Curry when he had Tayshawn Prince on the bench (circa 2003). Auerbach swore Joe Forte was the next big thing. Moral is….sometimes even the best make mistakes.
And really what are we asking? Bogans is a journeyman so was Ratliff. Give these young bucks consistent minutes. No need wasting good minutes on journeymen……
Consistent minutes for Mahimni, Hairston, and Mason.
Funny one would scoff at Jaren Jackson. He started the first championship season as a starter but was later moved to the bench as he became ineffective…this partly motivated him to help crush the Lakers (22 and 20 in the last 2 games at the Forum)
February 27th, 2010 at 10:38 pm
lvmainman-
I doubt very much they would have preferred Bonner over Radmonovich. Without looking at the numbers, I would imagine Bonner’s are better, but Rad is more athletic (although barely.) Plus Jacksons contract is horrible and runs past the end of this CBA.
But i do agree i would rather have him. I just understand why the Spurs went the way they did. This is not the result i was expecting, but i still cant fault the front office for what they did. Most everyone thought the RJ deal was a good one, the logic behind it was sound, it just hasnt worked out. Now, we’ve got this year with him and next year, then he’s gone or back with us for a reasonable price.
Now is when Kaveh (the resident Laker troll) comes in and says “I told you so”
February 27th, 2010 at 11:08 pm
Colin, you have some good points, but you are missing the big picture here. Pop is a great coach because of his great playbook on offense and defense. The guy can work a system. The problem this year is something he has only recently had to face, and he is not showing himself as being adept at dealing with it. Every previous championship, he has had some star players that were getting into or in their prime, but still relatively young. He would surround those players with a few elderly, hard working roleplayers. For this first time in a while, his star players are aging, so the idea of playing that system which worked before is rediculous. What we fans who love the Spurs are doing is asking for a simple swap. Let Duncan, Ginobli, and Parker (after he has some rest) be the stars, but instead of surrounding them with other old roleplayers, give them a supporting cast that is yong. It is a simple switch from young stars with old roleplayers to older stars with young roleplayers.
I would also contend that with time to develop together, Parker, Hill, Hairston, Blair, Mahimni, and Splitter look like a better core seven years from now than anything any other team is developing. Seven years from now, the Lakers won’t have Odom, Bryant, Gasol, or Artest. I think the six guys listed above are a better group than L.A.’s understudies. And the best part is, we still have room for drafts, signings, and trades to go with that group or upgrade it. Right now though, it is a solid future sqaud and it should be fostered and given more playing time than the trainwreck we picked up over the summer.
Lastly, while I get your point about Mahimni not having proven himself only two games in, I do find fault in that reasoning. He has had two games where we was really efficient with the minutes he played. How many games have McDyess or Bonner been as efficient as Mahimni has been in the rare appearance he gets? I could contend that hardly anyone is playing nearly as efficiently as they are getting paid? Let’s give Mahimni more minutes.
February 27th, 2010 at 11:27 pm
I agree with many that pop needs to play the young guys. We dont know what exactlly we will get from them but it can’t be much less than we are getting from mason, finley, bonner, MCD, bogans. Mahinmi will make a lot of mistakes but he will provide a shot blocking presence and be able to just catch the ball and dunk. I very nice ability when you have to guards in Ginoboli and Parker that love to drive it to the hoop. Also I really like Hairston’s game, well rounded and he can dunk and hit a three. These guys need to play a lot more if for nothing else than at this point they don’t have anything else to loose. The upside for playing them is far greater than the downside.
February 28th, 2010 at 4:52 am
I saw the game on the telly and I thought that despite the loss, the bench really looked good. Right now, the Spurs need to give time and exposure to their “lesser” talents, and this was the best opportunity to be so (with the Rockets being in the cellar of their division).
It really was hurtful to watch, especially with RJ missing his unnecessary fancy shots, but I thought that if these are the guys who are gonna support Tim, Manu and Tony in the playoffs (I’m NOT doubting that they would make it), it’s best to have them exposed to lesser teams. Yeah sure - Scola, Martin and Brooks scored 30+ plus points in the game… so what did the rest of the team do? Parker is injured, and Timmy and Manu practically were non-contributory as they sat starting from the third quarter… But the team that consisted of Blair, Hill, Hairston and RJ practically made the Rockets nervous in the late 4th quarter. We can only imagine how it might have been had we had an unpredictable veteran (Manu) or a stable anchor (Timmy) playing along with them.
It’s quite obvious that Pops waived Haislip and traded Ratliff to give more playing time to the younger kids. Sure, Bogans is a journeyman, but so was Bowen before he landed on the Spurs. And he was not really great on his first year. I want to give more time to Bogans as I think he has the potential to be as good as Bowen. For the meantime, he and Hill could help each other with the defense. I don’t think the coaching staff are just standing pat and scratching their you-know-whats and giving up on the players’ defense.
Of course, there’s a lot of improvement for the team, and watching how they got buried in the early half could be really heartbreaking, but I think that this is the time for the bench to grow better and mature in preparation for the playoffs.
C’mon guys, despite the shortcomings, let’s give some love to our San Antonio Spurs. Let’s give Pops our trust that he’s doing things the best way possible.
GO SPURS GO!
February 28th, 2010 at 5:59 am
Bogan is a joke,
RJ is a joke,
Finny is done now,
Bonner… always been a joke… ok one year he shooted the 3 like a god, but so what…
Why not play blair and such ??
February 28th, 2010 at 6:41 am
Not today. No more excuses for coach Pop. I know you guys love Pop and think he can do no wrong. He has, does, and is.
I have stated this before and will again. He is out of touch and full of himself. His ego has costs this team a season and his style is hurting his players.
Also, people keep dogging Mason. Mason is decent. HE can play 15 minutes per night and not kill you in the process. He is not a good defender, nor are the rest of the current Spurs, but he is not worse than Bonner. Sorry guys, but Bonner sucks.
Even though I see no NBA player in Bonner, I see even less in Bogans. Of all of the players that we could have brought in at that price, Bogans was Pop’s worse decision as Spurs coach. He is horrible. He has nothing. No defense, no presence, no shot, no ability to create, no passion to be the best.
But, even though this coach has demonstrated clearly that he has lost it, you guys still carry his purse for him.
Enough. Spurs are almost at .500 because of this man. He has neurtered Jefferson and Mcdyess and tried it on Mason. Mason was smart enough to ask for a trade and the pressure was removed from his gonads.
Our defense has been horrible and yet, HOF Popster wont consider a zone. Our offense sputters and we find ourselves having scoring droughts at critical moments during games…He makes no adjustments.
Our big 3 are players. They are players even though they have gotten older. Cant bring in a bunch of elderly players to play with your aging veterans. Its just dumb.
This coach made the wrong decisions this season. He blew it. Cant blame it on the players, cant step out of resonsibility. The players dont put the team together. He does.
Besides, I see this team suffering if we were to lose Duncan, Ginnobli, or Parker.
I dont see this team losing if we lost Popovich. Any coach can come in a play a bunch of scrubs, run good players out of town, and fail to make adjustments. I say we bring in our fellow blogger Jim Henderson as coach.
Finally,
Hairston will be my example here…He can play. He has earned an opportunity to play. He is clearly our second best 2 guard on this roster. However, he toiled behind our bench in street clothes.
This coach knew Hairston could play. He knew Haislip could play. He let Haislip go because he would have taken Bonner’s minutes. Pop was not going to let that happen. Bonner is his boy!
However, I try not to get excited because our Big “3″ has not gotten excited. They havent said a word about these horrible line ups and rotations. They havent said a word about Bogans or Bonner or Finley getting minutes and playing dead.
Why should they. They are all paid and dont want to rock the boat. Boat rocking takes courage and is motivated by strong desire to remain competitive and to win championships.
Pop has neutered them all and our franchise is now in peril because of it.
Lack of motivation, fire, and passion on the floor? Coaching…
Destroying players confidence-Coaching
Rotations- Coaching
Line Ups- Coaching
Defense-Coaching
Scoring droughts-Coaching
Finally-Player personnel decisions….same guy, different hat. Pop!
I just cant justify holding the players accountable on this one.
Four championships or ten….Right now is what is important and right now Pop is sucking…
Its not personal, just true!
February 28th, 2010 at 6:59 am
Rey
Did you say Bogans was almost as good as Bruce Bowen?!? Are you kin to Keith? Is he your brother or something? I mean, only Keith’s immediate family would believe something like that.
Bruce’s 1st year in Texas he was 2nd team All NBA Defense. Also, he made 44% of his 3-pointers in the playoffs that year. In his 59 starts that year the Spurs were 47 and 12.
Sorry, but Bogans is not Bruce Bowen and will never be.
February 28th, 2010 at 8:23 am
@ colin.
popovich was basically forced to play blair thanks to his coaching staff. blair is obviously a much more savvy player from the get-go, but pop still doesn’t play him the 20 + minutes he desverves out there. pop shows no patience to tutor young players and let them make mistakes.
ian has been in the spurs sytem long enough to know his place on the defensive rotations. he certainly knows the spurs system much better than antonio mcdyess. ian is the only shot blocking, athletic post presence we have and this is something our team is desperate for. we are going to get torched by younger frontcourts the rest of the year.
i agree there are some things ian is sorely lacking, but letting him develop is much more appropriate than allowing dice and bonner to get blow by in a nightly basis
February 28th, 2010 at 8:24 am
Someone mentioned Derek Collison of the Hornets. He’s a good example of a guy who most thought was a marginal talent until injury forced him into big minutes and he’s shown himself to be damn near CP3 talent-wise. So we shouldn’t simply dismiss some of our supposed “marginal” players like Ian, Malik and before them, Haislip, because Pop wasn’t impressed with them in practice.
February 28th, 2010 at 9:40 am
Colin, I’m not attacking you, I’m just fed up with the “if Ian doesn’t play it’s because Pop knows something we don’t” line. Well, maybe he does, but in the 2 games Ian has played this season he showed he deserves to get more playing time (especially when in the same game McDyess, Bogans and Finley combine for ZERO points).
The point is, I don’t care what Ian is doing in practice, because that’s not where games are won and lost, but on the court. And on the court he’s been better than all our bigs not named Duncan-and by “big” I mean whoever Pop feels like playing at the 4 every night, even though the guy might be 5-7 inches too short for the job.
I think the Spurs put themselves in a fix re: Ian by not picking up his option (and I think I stated that right when it happened). It’s a lose-lose situation for the Spurs: if Ian plays badly, then it’s obviously not helping the Spurs; if he plays well, he will go away next summer. I think part of Pop’s reluctance to play him is linked to that.
I also think focusing on “rookie mistakes” is short-sighted. If the Spurs had done that before then a guy like Parker wouldn’t be getting any time. We know what happened with Hill in the doghouse too. It might happened to Blair too. And all that for what? A few fouls (and FT opportunities for the opponent) and a couple of missed rotations? I’d still take that over vets who contribute absolutely NOTHING night in night out. NOTHING.
I’m also baffled by your assessment of Ian’s allegedly low BB IQ. Because he picks up some quick fouls? On the other hand look at his defensive work against Houston _starters_. Good weak side help (blocks, altered shots), stays with his man, doesn’t bite on fakes more than any other guy on the team, moves his feet well (not to mention his intensity). This guy is good enough to play in the NBA, and I’m confident he will be showing it whenever he gets playing time. Do you remember Diaw in Atlanta? He’s not a future HOFer for sure, not even an All-Star… but he’s still much better than some of the Spurs starters.
Again it’s not hard to root for Hairston or Mahinmi, even given the limited time we saw them play, because some of the current players on the Spurs roster are just so USELESS. I’m 5′9″ with no basketball skills, and I’d still be more productive out there than Bogans or Finley-it’s like playing 4v5 at the moment.
February 28th, 2010 at 9:47 am
@ Will…
Best post Ive read in here in months…
February 28th, 2010 at 10:32 am
Fan Steve, Playing Blair at the three is not ignorant and cant be compared to the concept of trading Tony Parker(which is really ignorant). You can play Blair at the three when they play zone. He is not that slow and blocked alot of shots during college. like I said let him play every night until he fouls out. His production would out weight any negative.I dont care how things look on paper, enough talk about Bonner.
February 28th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
@RJ
“ian has been in the spurs sytem long enough to know his place on the defensive rotations”
—Exactly, it’s been 3/4 yrs and he still doesn’t get time. Why? Not just the coach, that’s too easy. He can’t get time with the French National Team either. There has to be other intangibles going on here besides the easy scapegoat of blaming the coach.
-For Mahinmi to deserve time, it would take significant, productive minutes against Boozer, Gasol, Odom, etc or a 20/20 game like Blair has produced. That’s all I’m saying, so I guess we won’t know until he does. Until then, this is all speculation about his “potential.”
@ Will
I agree that we won’t know how good Mahinmi is until he plays and sometimes it seems like we might as well find out, so I see where you’re coming from. And yes, teams do gel in practice and good practices do set the tone for successful game performance. I’ve played enough bball to understand that concept.
-My guess is that if Mahinmi doesn’t produce in the next couple yrs, be it with SA or another team, he will be out of the league.
“I’m 5′9″ with no basketball skills, and I’d still be more productive out there than Bogans or Finley–it’s like playing 4v5 at the moment.”
-I’m 5′9″ former DII guard and I wouldn’t produce a damn thing except turnovers against the likes of NBA talent (maybe an open jumper).
February 28th, 2010 at 1:30 pm
ballhog
“Lack of motivation, fire, and passion on the floor? Coaching…
Destroying players confidence-Coaching
Rotations- Coaching
Line Ups- Coaching
Defense-Coaching
Scoring droughts-Coaching
Finally-Player personnel decisions….same guy, different hat. Pop!”
Wow. Your post shows that you are really out of touch. Playing the game is not as easy as it looks on TV.
February 28th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
@agutierrez
Good point about previous centers. Ians offensive ceiling is much higher than Rasho nazrs. I was not knocking Ian. He just needs more time to develop his offense. Any offense that he would give us now is a bonus. If given some time he could produce offense at an acceptable level. I believe he would be a great asset on the defensive side immediatly. In the future I believe he could be an offensive asset as well.
March 1st, 2010 at 8:10 pm
@ Colin where did you play and when?
you played basketball yet you’re not intelligent enough to understand who needs to be playing and in what situations? Strange…
March 1st, 2010 at 10:08 pm
@Trade Tp
—Dang dude, insulting one’s intelligence on a forum says more about you than me. People will disagree with you, thicken your skin man. My opinion won’t always be the same as yours.
I don’t need to prove to you what I’ve done over a forum. If you want to actually know where I’ve played you can email me at [email protected]. Peace out.
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