Chicago Bulls 98, San Antonio Spurs 93

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The scouting report on the Lakers says they have a difficult time containing quick guards. Count the Spurs into that camp as well.

The Chicago Bulls didn’t do quite as much damage as Houston’s backcourt-Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry combined for 46 against the Spurs on Friday-but last night’s box score records that the tandem of Rose-Hinrich recorded 45 points on 55% shooting. San Antonio’s much-celebrated defense is merely mediocre through the first half of this season. Visiting teams smell blood.

Tony Parker continues to play as well as possible, even though he’s numbered with the walking wounded. His numbers are down across the board, and everyone knows he’s not himself. Parker registered 20 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds in 37 minutes in one of his best games of the season. But this didn’t stop Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro from testing Parker, and his Plantar Fasciitis, by running him through a violent maze of screens all night. Parker represented himself well, but he’s clearly a marked man.

Parker, never an All-League defender, is, nevertheless a capable defender who gives good effort. On offense, his devastating change of speed is missing zip. On defense, one got the impression from this game that Chicago wanted to exploit Parker for a perceived lack of of defensive quickness. You look at his line and think, “Oh, he’s playing well.” But relative to last season, his production is down a third.

Having said all this, it was actually defensive tough guy George Hill who lost the battle against Derrick Rose on the game’s final few possessions. Which takes us back to the start. The Spurs are not bothering the opposition enough to take them out of their game. It’s on everyone. We can dress it all up in a lot of analysis, but the bottom line says that San Antonio’s defense is soft.

The Rodeo Road Trip is just around the corner, and this season one gets the feeling that San Antonio is several steps removed from where they need to be. It’s not just a matter of intensifying their play. The Spurs have dropped 3 straight. And 5 of their last 6. They’re not playing terribly, but there is no aspect of their game in which they’re playing great basketball.

I finally know what it’s like to cheer for an average team.

Despite all the doom and gloom, the Spurs are playing just enough good basketball to offer hope, which is the most frustrating part of their current losing streak. For about a quarter per game we’re teased by the impression of championship-caliber basketball. And the other 36 minutes is a series of foibles, fumbles, and just-misses.

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  • bigtee34

    I think it all boils down to something McDyess said earlier in the season, which was that the spurs system is the hardest he has ever tried to learn, and pop has cut the playbook in half this year. We have no clue how difficult the game is yet we scorn failure, we question their effort and bad mouth their coaching. I stand behind my team thru the good and bad. Always have always will.

  • Kaveh

    It looks like everyone is finally starting to come around regarding RJ. Now, please go back to the offseason posts, when i was telling you guys how bad he really was only to be flamed over and over. Sorry, but what good is a blog message board if you can’t say “i told you so?”

    What to do now? You can’t really move RJ, unless you want to take a worse contract for a longer period. Because moving RJ you would need to package something of value with him, since he is not worth ANYWHERE in the range of his contract. If you want to move RJ, you would probably have to move a quality player with him just to get another team to take the bite.

    The Spurs are already over the luxury tax cap, and so there is not much the FO will be willing to do. Other than to call it a season and attempt to cut salary.

    What the Spurs need for the future is an athletic big man. Anthony Wrandolph comes to mind. If the Spurs could find a way to score him, you guys would be in much better shape. The Warriors were looking to get rid of him a while ago, and now that he has a severe ankle sprain, you may be able to package some things together for him.

    If the Spurs were able to get Wrandolph and keep the pieces they have, then there is a chance. But with the current team, there is absolutely NO CHANCE that they could take on the Lakers or the Nuggets in a 7 game series. Absolutely ZERO chance.

    What i find so ridiculously puzzling is the Spurs front office. It was so obvious that RJ was a huge mistake. Why did they trade for him? What were they thinking? A usually GREAT front office makes a horrible mistake. I guess no one is perfect.

  • andy

    ok check it out:

    http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yfv39mg
    tony and dice to toronto, finley and bonner to new orleans, rj to cleveland = WE GET BOSH, PAUL, AND LEBRON!!!

    …

    gtfo people. we’re not going to be on the gift end of a major trade. hell, we probably won’t make a move at all, unless it’s for a big man (which no one would give up at this point). quit making stupid trade scenarios and live with the fact that we’re a mediocre team with the potential to be great. if you can believe in our management and players to get the job done, then you’ll sleep easier. if not, then feel free to pull your hair out.

    i’m a bit tired of defending the approach the spurs have taken, but i agree that it definitely hasn’t borne fruit yet. i still think it’s not as bad as everyone (save tyler) makes it out to be, but we need to see these players hitting their shots and getting up into their man. we need to accept that our preseason expectations were a little overzealous, and that though at worst we’ll be a 1st round exit, we still have the personnel to contend for a ring (given health and cohesion, two big ifs).

  • 09.20.21.50

    Anyone have more info on this Stoudemire rumor?

  • Nick (Italy)

    Yes, I have.

    Seems like he’s an head case egomaniac with surgically repaired knees and one hit away from becoming partially blind who couldn’t guard a pick and roll executed by Shaq as the ball handler and Big Z as the screener.

    Oh, btw, he’s up for a new contract this next summer and he wants to be paid north of 18,000,000 USD for 5 years.

    Only rumors anyway. :-)))

  • Cory Clay

    http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine

    Spurs get Amare

    Suns get Richard Jefferson, Dejuan Blair, and Ian Manihimi

    This deal works in my opinion on all levels! We would be selling high on Blair, bailed out of the RJ trade and get to try out Amare for the rest of the season. In the offseason we could either look to resign him or salary dump Mcdyess and then option #1 Chris Bosh, #2 Joe Johnson, roll the dice in the draft and then bring Splitter over.

  • VP of Common Sense

    Amare Stoudemire would make Matt Bonner look like Gary Payton…

  • Hobson13

    Try this trade: http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine

    The Spurs give up Tony and RMJ (who Pop doesn’t play anyhow) for Al Jefferson and Ramon Sessions. The Spurs get Duncan some help in the form of a 20/10 guy plus another young PG who may be more of a distributor than Tony. Spurs also get younger which makes this trade more of a long term deal instead of a win-it-all-now approach. The T-Wolves get an allstar pg (when he’s healthy) and some cap relief next year.

    @Cory, that’s not too bad of a trade, but I wouldn’t want Amare long term. He has way too many health issues plus he doesn’t play any defense. Amare is only concerned about Amare. The best thing would be for him to walk and let us TRY to get a big name this summer. I don’t think Phoenix would go for this because RJ and Jason Richardson are virtually the same player. Even have the same damn initials except reversed!

  • Hurm66

    Mahinmi and Blair would thrive in the Suns system with all the easy set-ups by Nash. The bigger issue with Amare is that he has a player option, and although he’s saying one thing, there is no certainty that he would leave - so we’d be stuck with him for another season (unless they can trade him, he would be a valuable chip.)

    He would only provide a big body and instant offense - he can be well hid with a sound team defense, but we don’t even have that going this year. I’ve rooted against so much over the years, I don’t know how I would deal with him being a Spur. It depends on who we would have to give up I suppose.

    What if Troy Murphy is available? I’ve heard he is. T.J. Ford needs a change of scenery and is an expiring contract.

    I believe the Spurs have to target those kind of teams as trade partners - the ones that want to shed salaries and have some interesting (and realistically available) pieces: Washington, New Jersey, Toronto, Philly, Golden State, the Knicks and Indiana.

    Here’s one last idea: how about leasing out Manu for half a season with the classic wink-wink deal that would bring him back in the off-season. If the Spurs feel they are not going to go far it would make sense to ship him out and really try to persuade him to return.

    It’s happened before so don’t scoff at the idea. It would be risky sure, but it might help bring in some fresh faces. I think Orlando, Boston or Miami (for salary purposes) could be targets and give up some young players in return. Just a thought.

  • Chris K.
  • Chris K.

    Trade Jefferson and Mahinmi for Amare. I think that is a good trade for both teams, so long as Amare signs an extension. (The Suns probably would want Mahinmi to do the same…)
    It’s actually a little scary to picture Jefferson and Mahinmi running with Nash, they are perfect for that kind of system…

  • Chris K.

    http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yjoaxjo

    Trade Jefferson and Mahinmi for Amare. I think that is a good trade for both teams, so long as Amare signs an extension. (The Suns probably would want Mahinmi to do the same…)
    It’s actually a little scary to picture Jefferson and Mahinmi running with Nash, they are perfect for that kind of system…

  • junierizzle

    All the Spurs need is a bid dude in the middle. THey don’t even have to be great. They just need to take up space.

    They should trade for …wait a minute…THEY”VE GOT TWO BIGS! Ratliff and IAN.

    GIVE EM SOME PLAYING TIME POP.

    Imagine if they were a part of the rotation. WHO knows how they SPURS would look right now???

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