Quick Poll: 6th Man

And Tony com out off the bench. He`s the real offensive spark, when scoring goes down

While Manu and Hill are the truly leaders of Spurs’ game.

Tim you make a good point about Tony and being surrounded by shooters but of the three, I think he’d be most bothered by coming off the bench. I voted for Manu because he seems to prefer watching the game develop and then coming in and playing based on those developments.

Assuming TP is back in the lineup.

I think the starting back court depends on the starting front court. The two givens are TD and RJ. So we should compensate for the other front court weakness.

If we start Blair we have to start Hill because Hill is the only one that will keep his man in front of him which means Blair doesn’t have to guard the rim as much and focus on rebounding. My reservation with playing Blair and Hill, we are giving up a lot of size but they can make it work with quickness.

If we start Dice we should still start Hill, but I can see Bogans getting the call if we have to match up with bigger guards. Plus, Dice is a better help defender than Blair, and Bogans WILL need the help.

The focus should ALWAYS be putting the best defensive team on the floor. Whoever is the weak link we should pull em unless it’s TD.

The other reason why Manu should be 6th man is because he can play with any line up. He is basically the fix it man. What ever is wrong just throw Manu in there and he will fix it.

I never really considered Tony coming off the bench, but in my opinion, of the 3, he seems like he would be least interested in that situation. I’m not saying that he is driven by his ego, but I believe he takes pride in being the starting PG. He had to put up with so much of Pop yelling at him and the Kidd trade talks to get where he is, and I think he would see it as a downgrade, or step back, to come off the bench.

So I think it has to be Manu. I agree that Hill is going to be a good player for a long time, but I don’t believe he is a game changer. And when you go to the bench, you really need that 6th guy to provide a spark and bring something that no one in the starting lineup has brought. If you bring Hill in the game, it might be a few minutes before he makes a play or you realize he’s out there. That is not the case with Manu. You know where he is as soon as he comes into the game.

Tim, your comment about the emotional reaction Manu draws from the fans is very telling. I think he creates an excitement within the arena when he comes in, and I think he creates that with the guys on the floor too. I think the team is lifted up a bit when he comes in the game and I think that aspect is almost more important than any stats we can use in the discussion. He is one of the rare players who can actually change the mood of the arena or team, just by stepping onto the court.

I never thought of the possibility of Tony coming off the bench simply because he is the aggressor in the offense from the beginning of the game. Tony always seems to come out hot and sets the tone of the offense for the team. When Manu comes in he takes over and becomes the aggressor after Tony cools off. That’s how the game goes; Tony comes out of the gates firing, Manu comes in and continues the onslaught, and Tim is nowhere to be found until the end of the game when you notice he has 25.

As far as Hill goes I think he needs to start, unless Pop decides to go back with Mason. Cubits is easily the third best guard on the team and a better defender than most. The team does well when he and Tony are on the floor together so this should remain the starting back court.

Manu should continue to come off the bench. That is where he is comfortable. Not to mention the fact that everyone will benefit from him coming off the bench. Since everyone in the starting line up, minus the second big, can get their own shot they don’t need someone to set them up. The contrary is true for everyone on the bench. They need someone to get them their shot. This is why Manu, and not Tony, comes off the bench. He is the best play maker on the team and the key reason that our bench is so strong. No one else has the ability to make everyone else around them better like he does.

Manu should definitely be on the bench. I’m not sure how I feel about starting Hill, but I definitely believe that Mason needs to get more minutes, preferably Bogans’ minutes.

The Spurs are historically always about 6 points better than opposition with Tony Parker on the court, which unlike all his other stats hasn’t declined at all this year. The difference between this year and previous years is that there is less dropoff between when Tony is on the court (5.7 over opponents) and when he’s not (4.0). Iin ‘07-’08 we were +7.2 with TP and only +1.4 when he was on the bench, and in ‘08-’09 teams with Tony were +6.2 and those without him were losing by 0.3 points overall.

For a closer look we go to the lineups. This season, any combination of Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Richard Jefferson, Dice OR Bonner and any fifth player OR small-ball lineups with Tony, Tim, RJ, Hill OR Manu and any fifth is a slam dunk for us. Not only do we gain ground on our opponents with this type of lineup, but we consistently maintain an offensive efficiency of around 1.10 and score without much difficulty.

more later

George has been unbelievable and is exactly what we need at the starting 2 spot. Lockdown defense, corner 3, and can even create if we need him to. If Pop trusts him to guard Kobe or even Kevin Durant (has 7 INCHES on Georgie) then I want him playing at least 25 minutes a game and starting.

Manu should come off the bench like he has been for the rest of his career. It’s what he does. He’s a spark.

Tony is better as a starter. Oh and when he doesn’t have plantar fasciitis. Pansy ;)

I would like to see Manu, Hill and RJ starting, with Tony coming from the bench. I also would like to see Tony starting with Mase and Finley, after both Tony and Fin are healthy. I am afraid that Tony would take benching as a demotion, but I would really like Pop to explore different combinations for different match ups. The thing with this team is that there are 10-12 guys who can play on a given night, but it’s not at all evident, who should start with Timmeh.

Manu, Hill and RJ is a good combination.

Tony, Hill and Duncan is a god combination.

The problem I see is that RJ almost always starts, and so is Tony. Either RJ or Tony has to come off the bench. I say RJ. Because I hate him.

Starters: Tony, George, Tim, + 2 shooters. The problem is our shooters are small and/or inept defensively. TGT + Mason and Fin is way too small. TGT + Bonner and Fin/Mason will give up too many mismatches on D. Perhaps I could live with TGT + Dice and Mace. But even that would be small ball.

Still, if we went to that, Manu and RJ could come in when Tony and Mason rests.

Then Tim and Dice is replaced by Blair and another big post presence. Oh, wait, we don’t have another big post presence. Fuck. That’d mean a front court of Bonner and Blair. Shit.

Can Bonner play three?