Insult & Injury
by Rand on Feb 6, 2011 4:46 PM CST
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PrintI’ve been waiting for a while now to post this. I waited, because I’m okay with forfeiting the mantle of prophet if it helps get the point across. The point is this:
The 2010-2011 Spurs have gotten off to a franchise-record, league-leading start … DESPITE being ravaged by injuries.
Yeah, that’s right. This year’s apparent meme-of-choice to explain away San Antonio’s success – “oh, the Spurs are doing well … but they’re healthy, while the other (better) teams have all had injuries” – is both insulting and stupid. Woulda-coulda-shoulda is a game for fans to play when their team gets bounced from the playoffs. It’s not a crutch for pundits who, for the tenth straight year, have been surprised to find that excellence wears silver and black. What’s worst about it, however, isn’t that it’s a pointless counterfactual … but that it’s a pointless counterfactual based on a lie. If we, as Spurs fans, allow the lie to stand unchallenged then we are all complicit. The Spurs have not been healthy this year. In fact, the Spurs have suffered more from injuries than virtually any other team. How many other teams had to wait until February before they got a full game from their starting center?
Let me introduce you to a guy named Splitter. Sure he’s never played in the NBA before, sure he’s technically a “rookie,” but he’s not some lottery pick college freshman with a sweet stroke and ridiculous upside – he’s a four-time MVP with four gold medals in international competition. He’s a superstar in the best league outside the US, a thoroughly proven veteran professional who has consistently performed at an elite level against undeniably formidable competition.
Copypasta from Wikipedia:
2× Spanish Supercup MVP (2006, 2007)
All-Euroleague First Team 2008
2× All-Euroleague Second Team 2009, 2010
Spanish League MVP 2010
Spanish League Finals MVP 2010
Are the Euroleague and the ACB the NBA? No, they aren’t. But it’s worth noting that people who win Spanish League MVP and Finals MVP tend to have names like Pau Gasol, Andres Nocioni, and Luis Scola. And don’t forget – when you say “Tiago Splitter won the ’06 and ’07 Spanish Supercup MVPs,” you’re also saying that Anderson Varejao, Marc Gasol, Juan Carlos Navarro, Rudy Fernandez and a Mr. Luis Scola didn’t.
What we saw against Sacramento was not some scrub having a career night against a weak opponent. Splitter’s first game in which he played the kind of minutes he’s been accustomed to throughout his career was no more and no less than what he’s led the world to expect in over a decade of professional basketball. It would be optimistic to expect him to be an All Star in the next few years – though not in any way out of the question – but there is no legitimate argument that Splitter shouldn’t be starting in the NBA.
So, why isn’t he?
One downside to success (as Spurs and their fans know all too well) is that if you keep winning, you have to keep playing. Last year, Splitter’s golden season kept him in action all through the NBA offseason. As a result, injury kept him out of the Spurs’ training camp, which meant that he simply wasn’t a piece that Pop could use going into the season. That injury is, beyond any doubt, the reason that we had to wait until February to see Splitter play meaningful minutes in a game. Injury cost us a man who leads teams to championships … and who knows what else it cost us into the bargain?
Are you telling me that there hasn’t been a game so far this year in which the Spurs could have benefited from having a healthy Tiago on the floor? Add a seven-foot defensive specialist to the Spurs’ lineup, I’m not sure Dirk goes 12-14 against us on 11/26. Add a savvy lane-clogger who draws charges the way MC Escher drew staircases, I don’t think Griffin drops 31 points on us on 12/1. And isn’t anybody a tad curious to see whether we’ll still have such a problem with long midrange shooters (West and Aldridge, I’m looking at you) when we add Splitter’s 7’2” wingspan and celebrated quick feet? On top of everything else, Splitter is another unique gadget in Pop’s utility belt, another way to break opponents’ game-plans, spirits, and hearts. Thanks to a horribly-timed injury, we haven’t had him all year and may not be able to fully use him all season. That’s why my response to anybody who attributes the Spurs’ record to our alleged good health is as follows:
If it weren’t for injuries, the Spurs would be 49-1.
Yeah. I don’t think even Tiago would have made the difference in that awful game against Orlando. But I could be wrong about that.
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I don’t know about 49-1, if only for the reason that if we assume we win a couple of those “games that got away,” you gotta assume we lose a couple we eventually won (Manu’s game winning layup/drawn charge in Denver, maybe we don’t complete a 20+ point comeback against Minny, SAM doesn’t get that tip-in against l.a., etc.). Still, I hear what you’re saying—San Antonio isn’t at or near it’s ceiling in terms of health, and their efforts thus far are wonderful given the FACT that this team isn’t as “healthy” as the media makes them out to be. (I agree that statements like those are scapegoats). The only pass I’ll give the media in this respect is that at least we’re the only team to have started the same 5 players every game this season. That’s a combination of health/not tinkering around with starting lineups like Pop usually does early in the year, but either way, there it is. Of course, statements like those don’t acknowledge the fact that SA leans on it’s bench pretty heavily throughout the year (especially with starters like Duncan logging fewer mins), but hey, it’s the media, they can’t be expected to dig into anything worth a damn.
"You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas." -Davy Crockett
"Give me an army of West Point graduates, and I'll win a battle. Give me a handful of Texas Aggies, and I'll win a war." -Gen. George S. Patton
While I may not completely agree with your conclusion, Rand, I love your take on the topic. And this:
a savvy lane-clogger who draws charges the way MC Escher drew staircases
is a terrific description of Tiago, and about as sig-worthy as anything I’ve seen on the site this year.
Good stuff, and rec’d.
Pop does NOT have special bonding exercises for the team on the Rodeo Road Trip.
I’m sure we’ll see more of Tiago as the Spurs make their eastward trip of the RRT
by i luv this site on Feb 7, 2011 12:32 AM CST reply actions
I’m not sure what the problem is. We are having a great seasonal and its awesome but someone saying our health is a big part isn’t wrong. if you just look at the div leaders bos/mai/chi have all have big longer and more major injuries they have had to over come. okc and lakers have had a few less starts from their starters but have been more or less similar to out injury problems (im not sure if bynum = the collective time missed by boner/hill/Anderson, I don’t think la fans would think so…its up for debate). Even with the missed time from our players I don’t think it’s a stretch to say we are the healthiest contender out there.
As for Splitters time im sure his slow start has something to do with playing over the summer and minor injuries…I also think it has a lot to do with the level of trust and faith pop has in him. Playing rookies at all is a new development in SA (hill and Blair and Neal are the best examples but we had a far greater need with these players) and without a compelling need since we are playing so well Splitter hasn’t played much.
I’ve been a big advocate for Spiltter getting more time in the reg season to get in some reps but pop disagrees :P. after the first few weeks of the season I dont think it really has anything to do with injury
after the first few weeks of the season I dont think it really has anything to do with injury
In highsight, I think we fans expected too much from Splitter. Even if he had been healthy, I don’t think he would have started this year. However, maybe this is the start of him seeing the floor every game.
IMO, Bonner’s injury has been more detrimental, causing Dice to play more minutes. Also, the injury to &erson has indirectly resulted in more minutes for Manu, whose minutes desperately need to go down.
I do not want people to be agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them. - Jane Austen
. And isn’t anybody a tad curious to see whether we’ll still have such a problem with long midrange shooters (West and Aldridge, I’m looking at you) when we add Splitter’s 7’2" wingspan and celebrated quick feet?
Blair’s wingspan is 7’3 and he’s just as quick. He’s not as experienced, but Splitter isn’t going to make a difference on the Dirks/Aldridges/etc. Our entire defense is schemed to give up the shots they are excellent at making- long range contested 2’s. Until Pop changes the scheme, those players are going to go off. Period.
It's in the dictionary under D-E-F-E-N-S-E...I may be wrong, I may be wrong, I may be wrong, I may be may be may be wrong, but I doubt it.
I completely agree. The pick and pop has always been a weakness of our defense so guys like Frye, Aldridge, Dirk and West always have big games against us. As much as I like to rave about Tiago’s defense, I don’t think that he can do much to stop those plays if the team scheme is to do something else.
"I've got Tim (Duncan) and you don't. That's the difference." -Gregg Popovich
Blair does not have Splitter’s lateral quickness or defensive anticipation. Blair has better hands and jumps higher. He’s also harder to move around.
by doggydogworld on Feb 7, 2011 3:14 PM CST up reply actions
I think Blair has the quickness but lacks the anticipation at this point. IMO, Blair can get to a spot on the floor quicker than most of the other bigs in the league. Unfortunately, at this point, he’s just not exactly sure where that point on the floor needs to be :/ I think this is shown by how quick he looks on offense, and how lazy he can be with the reach-ins on defense. On offense, he knows how to make the smart play. On defense, he’s trying to compensate for not knowing exactly what to do.
It's in the dictionary under D-E-F-E-N-S-E...I may be wrong, I may be wrong, I may be wrong, I may be may be may be wrong, but I doubt it.
by SpursfanSteve on Feb 7, 2011 5:53 PM CST up reply actions
Blair doesn’t use his feet enough. He has some of that quickness and agile though.
He’s prone to reaching which gets him in foul trouble or causes a breakdown in defense (which happens when you try to go for steals and miss badly).
Experience is the only thing that can help the anticipation though. Having said that, if he limits the reaching, he can better set himself up for success.
The other area Blair should work on is boxing out. He has the perfect body for being a good boxing out player. this is useful when he is completely undersized. If he moves that big guy out and allows a wing or even guard like parker to get the ball, then success is made. to me, this is his only rebounding weakness (aside from sometimes not giving up on a play when it is dead – which picks up a foul, but he has improved here).
They say every time Pop smiles, an angel is told to stop being so fu--ing lazy and play some defense. -Hipuks 2/3/11
Yup.
It's in the dictionary under D-E-F-E-N-S-E...I may be wrong, I may be wrong, I may be wrong, I may be may be may be wrong, but I doubt it.
by SpursfanSteve on Feb 17, 2011 8:54 PM CST up reply actions
I’m not how valuable wingspan measurements are. Blair’s trunk could be two feet wider than Tiago’s, but that’s part of his wingspan. 7’3" means 87", and let’s say his trunk is 27" leaving 60" for his arms, or 30" for each arm (guesses that might be way off). He’s raising one arm from his shoulders which are about 6" shorter than Tiago’s. Regardless of how much Blair can stretch from finger tip to finger tip or what his vertical leap might be, when he is standing to defend someone and raising an arm it still seems like it is about 6" shorter than what Tiago could do. If he has to do his maximum leap to equal the reach, he’s going to be going for a lot of fakes.
All I know is that when someone throws Blair a pass and it’s not exactly on target, he’s got the length, quickness, and agility to reach from one baseline to the other, catch it with one hand, and then do a reverse triple axle 360 layup.
That might be a slight exaggeration, but his arms seem to stretch forever, and he never seems to be off balance, even when stretching like that to bring home a wayward pass.
It's in the dictionary under D-E-F-E-N-S-E...I may be wrong, I may be wrong, I may be wrong, I may be may be may be wrong, but I doubt it.
by SpursfanSteve on Feb 8, 2011 8:10 AM CST up reply actions
That presents a situation where reaching might come into effect. I’m suggesting it doesn’t help when he is defending a taller player shooting over him. It might help him reaching when the player puts the ball on the floor, though it seems like against Aldridge he would reach away from the basket and Aldridge would do a quick spin towards the basket.
There is no question that the injuries the Spurs have suffered have had an impact. I just think that the timing of those injuries worked in our favor. Anderson went down just as Neal was making his case to be a key part of the rotation and the extra pt allowed him to do that. George went down when Quinn was ready to prove himself to the coaches. And Bonner happened to go down right as Tiago began to get adjusted to the nuances of the NBA. Although I agree that injuries have hurt the team, I don’t think it had as much of a factor as you stated.
"I've got Tim (Duncan) and you don't. That's the difference." -Gregg Popovich
My point is that, in talking about how healthy the Spurs are, nobody factors in the injury that kept Splitter out of training camp. It’s the reason he’s been sitting on the sidelines – it doesn’t really matter whether he’s actually still hurting (except to him, obviously), the point is that the injury has kept him out of action.
As for how big a factor losing Splitter has been to the Spurs’ season, that’s impossible to judge – just as it’s impossible to assess the exact significance of all the other injuries to other teams that are cited as the reason for the Spurs’ relative excellence. Really, it comes down to two questions:
1) Is Tiago Splitter a starter-caliber player who could be making a big impact on games? The answer is yes.
2) Have the Spurs been without his services because of injury? The answer is yes.
Where exactly does that leave the “lucky, healthy Spurs” claim? Sure, we’ve done a great job of dealing with our setbacks – but that should be counted as a point in our favor, not an excuse to dismiss our record.
An untested rookie center missing time (and he ahs been helthly for atleast a month) is not the same as bosotn/la/chi missing a starting center for most of the season alteast so far. we are the only team to start the same 5 every game…im not saying we dont have our problems but we are more healthy then others and although i love splitter even with a full training camp we dont know how much pop was gonig to play him
!@$#&*
He’s not an “untested rookie center!” He’s been playing professional ball for a decade! And he’s been universally recognized as an elite player for years – you’ll recall that the only reason he wasn’t in the NBA years ago was that he was making too much money in Europe!
And as I just pointed out, it doesn’t matter that he hasn’t been injured for the past month or two – injury kept him out of training camp, making it much harder for him to learn the system in a way that would allow Pop to use him in games. If I miss the train because I can’t find my wallet, it doesn’t matter if I eventually find it – I still missed the train.
He is definitely untested by nba standards. And he is all potential just cause he was good in Europe doesn’t mean he will be here or he will be right away. My main point is you cant compare splitter missing time cause he didn’t have a training camp to the injuries to qualified starters on the other teams
Look im a huge fan here but centers don’t usually just come over and start dominating…he should be good and i am a fan but there was a possibility he was going to be sitting alot with pop going with a trusted lineup of dice/bonner/blair/timmy. I’m not completely in favor of it but there are lots of people who agree with this even if splitter didn’t miss training camp…i’m on your side trust me…i think you are over stating this though. We still are one of the healthiest teams in the league (especially veteran teams with a core that is reasonable old) and that has more then likely helped us.
And if its so hard in the spurs rotation and system that’s still a function of pop and the system…people miss training camp all the time and still get to play on other teams…i want them to throw splitter in there every night and see what we got and get him some time out there to develop
At the beginning of the season I predicted splitter would get 20min a night and be starting by the end of the season…I was way off
1) Is Tiago Splitter a starter-caliber player who could be making a big impact on games? The answer is yes.
2) Have the Spurs been without his services because of injury? The answer is yes.
Yes and yes. Both points are true. However, I think you might be underestimating the adjustment he has had to make to the NBA. As CapHill stated above, we (myself included) might have expected way to much from Splitter this year. So far, he has not lived up to our expectations. Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing whether it was the adjustment to the NBA or the injury that caused prevented him from reaching the level we thought he would be. All we can do now is hope that he keeps improving moving forward.
"I've got Tim (Duncan) and you don't. That's the difference." -Gregg Popovich
I might be. Or I might not. We might have overestimated him before; we might be underestimating him now. Or vice versa. It’s all speculation, but why should the people who speculate that other teams would outperform the Spurs if they were healthy get more benefit of the doubt than we do?
It’s all just speculation. No one really knows how anything would/could have turned out. Maybe we would have been 49-1 or maybe we would have been 36-14. No one really knows. Most of those people giving other teams the benefit of the doubt are talking out their asses since no one knows anything for certain.
"I've got Tim (Duncan) and you don't. That's the difference." -Gregg Popovich
this post is epic, and very well thought out. if people are going to play the ridiculous “Spurs wouldn’t have this record if they had the injuries that everyone else had” than why can’t we play the card as well? well done, Rand.
Also, if your name is in reference to Ayn Rand or my state’s newly minted U.S. Senator (who is in turn named after Ayn Rand) than I salute you even more.
I love this! Full of :stuff: and vinegar! Splitter should be playing more, he’s clearly got the talent and you should be posting more! Great stuff Rand. Rec’d hard.
All I can say is:
David Robinson – drafted in 1987
Tim Duncan – drafted in 1997
Tiago Splitter – drafted in 2007
And people are still asking when the lucky ping-pong ball will bounce our way again…
He's Manu Ginobili
by carina_gino20 on Feb 8, 2011 8:58 AM CST reply actions 1 recs
You make some great points…and it’s not just about The Sparkly One, who would’ve benefitted greatly from training camp methinks. The problem is, everyone else thinks the team is doing well because the Big 3 are healthy, and those are the only Spurs most people know (plus, it hasn’t been the case for several seasons.)
Someone should send this article to Tiago…not sure he’d “get” many of the excellent turns of phrase, but it’s so well-written I had to rec it! Moar please, Rand!
Honestly. You kids today, with your hippity-hop music and your Twiddle. - Lauri
Splitt only managed to get on the floor for 27 seconds tonight, youch. And this despite his previous best game in Sacramento. Its GOTTA be tough for a player that used to be an MVP in the euro league.
[ "Duncan, the Spurs' 34-year-old captain, was aghast when Splitter told him he used to watch him as a kid."]
"I didn't enjoy that at all," Duncan said
Spurs’ starting center would never do The Dunk. ’Nuf said.
"If you can't tie your shoes, you can't play," Popovich said
But he’s Tiago Splitter.
Pop does NOT have special bonding exercises for the team on the Rodeo Road Trip.
I must’ve missed this interview… :P
"If the NBA season is a marathon, Gregg Popovich is a full-blooded Kenyan."
-Timothy Varner 48MoH
by Jordan Leithart on Feb 17, 2011 3:29 PM CST up reply actions
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