Is our 3rd PG a Point-Forward?
There's been much talk about the weaknesses that Tony Parker's injury may reveal for the Spurs. If Tony goes down, the conventional wisdom holds that George Hill takes the reigns and either Mason or Ginobili will pick up duties as a backup point gaurd. But how important is it for us to follow this traditional formula of having a guard bring the ball up the floor? If we have a forward that can pass the ball with more skill and precision than Mason, why should we try to force something that isn't meant to be?
Imagine this hypothetical (though admittedly horrible): Tony Parker has to miss 20-30 games next year for some reason. George Hill would be the starting backup, but what if RJ brought the ball up the floor? We could play Mason and Manu both as free SG, Tim and The Other Big could play down low. This would be be even more effective if we made the other big the distributor. If any of The Other Bigs (yes, it is its own proper noun) like Ian, McDyess, or Ratliff turns out to be a good passer, or if it's a skill Blair could master with those big hands I've heard so much about, then we could put one of those bigs out at the top of the court, have Mason, Manu, Jefferson each trying to get free for their own shot and that big will have drawn out the other team's center/PF to the top of the floor leaving a vacuum for Tim to be dominant down low or we've created an open shot or a ridiculous mismatch.
Hell, Tony doesn't have to be injured, he could be inserted into this formation and make him a pure scorer for stretches instead of the creator/distributor, this should help out Tony because the other team's PG would be guarding him instead of the 3/4/5 who's playing quarterback and would defiantly [ed: should be 'definitely', but defiantly has some PtR flair to it] be out of their element. I'm not saying this should be our game plan every time up floor, but if we had this formation down to the point where we could execute it well, we could run it for the first half of the 3rd or 4th quarter to confuse the hell out of our opponent and then switch back to our traditional system without warning. This would probably nullify any game plan worked out by our opponents during halftime.
We'd see dividends in playing time for young guys, accentuating different talents than the other side is prepared for, and on pretty much every possession we would be creating easy baskets, mismatches, and a good chance of drawing some fouls in the confusion. Opponents would hate having to prepare for us, most players have never played this way, let alone defended against it. We all know we have the smartest team in basketball, now let's really exploit it.
(PS I've been a long time reader, but this is my first fanpost, so I hope this looks right)
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Welcome to PtR.
Much has been made of Marcus Williams(the one that’s on the Spurs roster) possibly being a point-forward. RC Buford sounded very enthused about that idea during a summer league interview, so I think you’re on the right track here. However, his salary is unguarateed, so he could still be cut – we’ll have to see how it goes.
Re-sign Bruce Bowen!
Welcome to PtR
Great looking post, and free grammar advice worked in, can’t beat it. Isn’t this similar to the Triangle Offense? Have a big high or at the elbow and play off of him. Sounds like it should work, but I’m no expert.
About your title, no. We have two point guards and can play a lot of minutes. We also have a shooting guard who is very adept at bringing the ball up, and a starting SG who is learning and not completely terrible. We also have many offensive schemes that are run directly through Duncan in his off the glass spot. Marcus Williams won’t get more than 5-7 minutes a game as a season average even if Tony gets hurt for 30 games. I don’t think its really an issue. Your other proposed sets are very interesting.
Welcome to PTR.
Ditto what rik said. The post looks great, and the content is top-notch. This is definitely food for thought, and Marcus might very well fulfill your prophecy.
Welcome again, stick around.
Straight from the No-Stat Zone to your computer!
Dunkin' Cheerleaders
Your affection for Marcus Williams transcends blogs. Not one mention of him in the post and three mentions of him in the comments.
Also, you should put your link in your signature.
We specialize in misinformation around here. Facts and stats just get in the way.
by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Aug 6, 2009 10:22 PM CDT up reply actions
Btw, I just saw that you just joined. I never realized you hadn’t posted here before. You should definitely put your url in your signature and fill out the profile stuff.
We specialize in misinformation around here. Facts and stats just get in the way.
by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Aug 6, 2009 10:25 PM CDT up reply actions
How odd. I saw Tim post here once before…
Straight from the No-Stat Zone to your computer!
Dunkin' Cheerleaders
Oh, that was ‘Tim Varner’. Two accounts, Tim, or a namesake?
Straight from the No-Stat Zone to your computer!
Dunkin' Cheerleaders
As someone who started out reading 48MoH before he came here, I’m honored that my first fan post would elicit Tim’s first comment here, I’m just Jason over there though.
by RamblingSpur on Aug 6, 2009 11:15 PM CDT up reply actions
JJOT
Well, Just Jason Over There, I’m glad you’ve taken the plunge into FanPosting. As a wise man once told me when I took the plunge myself:
I did the same thing you did, following for years and never posting, only to officially join this year. Prepare for a terrible addiction.A “terrible addiction” indeed.
Welcome to PtR. There is no support group, there is no recovery – only sweet basketball therapy all year long.
From under the radar to hanging in the rafters - Big50
5 in 10
Interesting post but I don’t really think RJ is the point forward type.
I also think there is a reason that you don’t see a ton of point forwards in the league. The best passers and ball handlers on the team are typically the small guys. There are exceptions, but I don’t think we have an Anthony Mason (Point PF) or Scotty Pippen (point SF) type on the team. It would be really cool if Blair could play like Mason, but I haven’t heard that he has that type of game.
"The evolution has been good, and I am much more tranquil now in the face of what comes next,"--Manu Ginobili

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