Tim Griffin Is WRONG
by Aaronstampler on Mar 28, 2011 4:41 PM CDT
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. Many in Spurs Nation were wondering where Tiago Splitter was in the fourth quarter of the Memphis loss. With Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol imposing their will inside, some figured it was a good time to get the rookie forward some on-the-job learning in a tough situation. I think that Budenholzer — and by extension, Popovich — did the right thing by keeping Splitter on the bench. Nothing could have been as damaging to Splitter’s fragile confidence than too much Z-Bo and Gasol down the stretch. It was a wise move as they prefer Gasol to learn to crawl rather than running and tumbling against a difficult matchup....
Tim Griffin, in the usual rag blog.
I am so sick and tired of the kowtowing San Antonio media worshiping at the altar of Lord Popovich. You guys want to know why the Spurs never get any respect from ESPN and national media outlets? It's because the local media doesn't even have the backbone to respect themselves. Charles Barkley was right. This is a podunk town.
You guys have the best basketball team in the freaking world, and your city acts so minor league, fawning at them like high school cheerleaders, it makes me lose my mind.
This is sports! SPORTS. It's not life and death. Pop loves to say that guys on the team have to "get over themselves" to fit in on the Spurs, but funnily that never applies to him and how his dealings with the media. He glares at them, intimidates them and dares them to ever utter a question a degree more challenging than, "So, how about that Tony Parker today, huh?"
Somehow, Pop has fostered this environment where both he and his players are beyond reproach by the local media. No one is ever seriously criticized, and his coaching moves are never questioned. It's unheard of for people after the games to ever ask him a strategic question. It's just not done.
They used to have one real writer over there in Johnny Ludden, and now that he's gone, they act like scared little cheerleaders. Harvey fluffs Manu almost as much as I do while the rest of them split their time between fawning Tim, Tony and Pop. And Griffin, the new guy, fits in perfectly, a coward like the rest.
First of all, he's even more hacky and mistake-prone than McDonald. I mean look at this in the last sentence... "It was a wise move as they prefer Gasol to crawl rather than running..."
Obviously he meant Tiago, not Gasol.
But what's with this "crawl before running" mixed metaphor nonsense? IT'S GAME 73. This is the time teams get their most serious. Rookies aren't rookies anymore and Splitter never was one to begin with. He's 25 and has played countless more important games in Europe than here.
How long is the media going to follow the company line that Tiago doesn't know what he's doing? He can execute the pick and roll better than Dice and Bonner already and pretty much could from Day 1. On defense he's significantly quicker laterally than Bonner, and he rotates better than Blair. He's far longer - and sturdier - than any big on our team outside of Tim. He doesn't even need to jump. Just by sticking his arms straight in the air he challenges a lot of shots and changes their trajectories.
Not only is he more confident of his assignments on both ends of the floor, but the real improvement I've noticed is he gets himself in better position for defensive rebounds now and he fights harder for them. He's a much better rebounder than Bonner and pretty much on par with Dice in his own end these days. Mostly what he has - and you can't teach - are size, height and athleticism. Tiago is a great athlete. He's not a 3-point specialist like Bonner or a thin jump shooting power forward like Dice.
It's so aggravating for the local media to pretend to not notice the elephant in the room. The Spurs have a glaring size weakness on defense with Bonner and Blair. The all-offense/no-defense approach is cute and works in the regular season and helps save some wear and tear on Tim, but in the playoffs you need to defend and rebound in the half court and that's not gonna happen with those guys on the court. Tiago has to be a real part of the rotation for us to have any shot and that includes the fourth quarter too.
It'd be one thing if he was just an athletic specimen who was soft and clueless like Ian Mahinmi, but Splitter is an experienced Euro League veteran and he's constantly got Manu chirping in his ear every practice filling him in on all the tricks. The only thing Manu can't do is tell Pop to play him, and that has to be where the media has to come in, to put pressure on Pop and to let the fans know that they're paying attention.
All year long we've seen guys demand the ball and go iso on Bonner and Blair. Not just stars either, but regular whodat scrubs. That Arthur guy did it today for Memphis. Everyone licks their lips at the thought of having those guys guard them. People don't demand it as much against Tiago. Did you all see Aldridge on Friday? He tried it a couple times against Tiago and then wanted no part of him. We completely took him out of the game with that matchup. Somehow, Splitter didn't play the final six minutes in the fourth, when we should've been trying to protect a lead.
All this about how Budenholzer was wise not to destroy Tiago's fragile confidence by putting him against Z-Bo. Give me a break. That's akin to saying Pop should've played Steve Smith over Manu in the playoffs in 2003.
You know what's destroying Tiago's confidence? SITTING ON THE BENCH WHILE GUYS HE'S CLEARLY BETTER THAN DEFENSIVELY KEEP PLAYING IN THE 4TH QUARTER.
The media is convinced you Spurs fans are so stupid -- and who knows, maybe they're right -- that you actively believe that Budenholzer was exercising independent thought when he didn't play Splitter in the 4th. As if it ever matters when Pop is ejected from games.
I love how people buy into this fantasy that Pop welcomes input from his coaching staff and it's all one big cuddly democracy. Yeah, so is North Korea. He surrounds himself with yes-men and has for years. He had Mike Brown on his staff for crying out loud and Brown couldn't figure out how to design one offensive play in five years at Cleveland. Pop hires puppets. Always has, always will. The only assistant worth a damn on that staff is the shooting coach, because his department doesn't involve strategy.
I say it every year. The biggest obstacles for the Spurs aren't the Lakers or Celtics. They're injuries and Pop. We've been lucky with both most of the year, but now, at the worst time, they're both conspiring to doom us once more. Pop is gonna doom us in May, either with Bonner/Blair or some other Tinyball bastardization. Tiago will rot on the bench as he openly whines about our poor defense and softness while congratulating the other team on their physicality and toughness. It will always be the players' fault, never HIS fault. Nothing is ever his fault.
And these guys at the SAEN won't ever utter a peep because they're too meek.
To think, Griffin proudly calls you people his "blog brothers."
Thankfully I'm not associated with that tripe. I wouldn't want him as a distant cousin twice removed let alone a brother.
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i’ve never bothered to read the local media when it comes to the spurs. i think it becomes way too easy for the guys who have to deal with pop day to day in a reporting medium to become too sycophantic and fawning in their coverage. though thats true for anyone who deals with someone every single day in a work capacity (though reporters should try to be above that).
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matt bonner 4 MVP!
by sleep research facility on Mar 28, 2011 8:59 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Similar to how home grown announcers are supposed to be homers, that’s what it’s like for local media.
"If the NBA season is a marathon, Gregg Popovich is a full-blooded Kenyan."
-Timothy Varner 48MoH
by Jordan Leithart on Mar 28, 2011 4:52 PM CDT reply actions
Finally you’re back!!! Awesome post, rec’d!
This is the same situation G.Hill was 2 years ago when Pop did not play him until game 5 of the mavs series but it was too late. Tiago should be ahead of Bonner and Blair in the rotation for the Spurs to have a chance in the playoffs.
"He was just a young skinny guy who looked like a winner. We didn’t know he was going to be as good as he is."
—Popovich on Manu Ginobili
Join the club. Here’s what I said on the matter back in November:
I was particularly fearful of Tiago disappearing after Bonner’s good game, because, in spite of his great track record, Pop just can’t help himself in cases like this.
Pop kept Bonner out there to "space the floor" in a game where spacing the floor was peripheral to physical post play and defense. The Jazz stuck to Bonner like glue at the 3 point line, eliminating his one asset, while completely abusing him on the other end (which was fairly easy to overlook given that the rest of our bigs dominated). In other words, he was basically useless out there tonight beyond "knowing the system."
This was the type of game (a physical opponent who plays lots of P&R; likes to single cover on D) well suited for Splitter’s skill set. I’m always inclined with give Pop the benefit of the doubt, but I think he made a mistake here—for the sake of Splitter’s development, anyhow.
Shouldn’t be the other way around, given that Splitter is new and needs to get acclimated? We know what Matt Bonner brings, and can turn to him if the team needs floor spacing and someone to hit some 3s. Same could be said for McDyess.
Granted, I agree that it’s still early in the season, and hopefully Pop will phase Splitter in as the season progresses. I just hope we don’t see Splitter end up getting the George Hill treatment simply because Pop is enamored with the Red Rocket. Given the precedent, I think it’s ok to have a little bit of "appropriate fear", as Pop likes to say.
Unfortunately, haven’t we gone through this before? Bonner tears it up in Fall then falls apart in April…
I hate to criticize him, because he hit those clutch 3s late, but he was also just getting abused out there by Kevin Love before Love cramped up.
Why is it that if any of our role players blows a defensive assignment Pop pulls them immediately, yet Bonner blows them repeatedly and stays out there for long stretches? Even if McDyess is playing shitty, Pop will just give him the night off (it’s looking that way for Timmy so far this year also). If Bonner’s playing just as badly, why not give Blair a chance to redeem himself?
Given how we went through this with Finley’s corpse, however, I probably shouldn’t be surprised.
I don’t mind seeing Bonner out there in a fair distribution of minutes, or when he’s feeling it, but I’d hate to see another Bonner choke job come playoff time at the expensive of the team’s players with much higher upsides.
I took quite a bit of heat from the Bonner apologists back when I originally made these, which is why I’m dredging them up ;). I’d be more than happy, however, to have Pop and/or Bonner prove me wrong come playoff time.
I don’t have a problem with Bonner or Blair, individually. I have a problem when they’re together, which happens all too often for my tastes, or when either is involved as the only “big” in a tinyball lineup.
If we’re playing 4 bigs in a playoff rotation, my preference would be for Blair to be the odd man out because his asset – offensive rebounding – is less valuable than Bonner’s assets, – three point shooting and spacing the floor. Offensive rebounding isn’t a big priority for the Spurs because during the playoffs Pop wants everyone to haul ass back down the floor to get back on D. Blair should be used strictly as a spot player and an energy guy if the team is flat, not as a rotation member.
You can cover for one big who’s a poor defender, you can’t cover for two simultaneously.
Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
by Aaronstampler on Mar 28, 2011 5:46 PM CDT up reply actions
I’m basically of the mind that Pop should be playing whoever is playing most effectively at any given time. If Bonner’s missing 3s, or Blair isn’t hustling, or Tiago gets lost on offense, give one of the others a chance. If any one of them are playing well, keep them in the rotation. However, I definitely agree that he should keep at least one defensive big on the floor at all times.
Pop mixes and matches the guards and wings with regularity, based on match ups and who is playing well, yet has been showing the need (for some reason) to stick to a fairly fixed rotation with the bigs, regardless of who’s out there for the other team or how well any individual player is performing. IMO there are only 3 players who should have guaranteed minutes, everyone else should get PT based on performance and match ups.
Allocating minutes remains a slippery slope. While I would agree that the one who’s playing well should be getting the most minutes, it’s still important for players to get consistency about their playing time — most likely due to confidence-building.
What happened to D’Antoni’s Suns back then was that Mike D relied on a fixed 6-7 man rotation, and then had a short leash on the other bench guys. You make one mistake, you’re pulled out. Call it a lack of trust or whatever you want, but this practice didn’t help establish a rhythm or build confidence in the role players. They were always looking over their shoulder and playing tentatively. Meanwhile, the Suns’ stars were absolutely gassed come the postseason.
For a guy like Bonner, it seems that it’s key to give him a lot of leeway to make mistakes so as to be rewarded with hot shooting nights. In this case, you either play him and live with the consequences but also get great returns, or completely minimize your risk and not play him at all. Because if you’re giving him unpredictable amounts of playing time, it’s highly likely that he’ll never establish a rhythm rendering him practically useless. So I guess then you’re better off just giving the minutes to someone else.
I do appreciate Ginger’s unique skill set but I’m on the “free Tiago Splitter” side. Even if he gets lost at times, he’s way more talented than Matt and usually that talent should be enough to carry him through. Splitter also has a high basketball IQ — he’s a willing passer out of the post, knows how to hit the open man, and the type who can figure things out by himself just as long as he plays.
Heck, I don’t think it’s possible that Nazr Mohammed is a better player than Tiago, and I really don’t like this “George Hill rookie year treatment” that Pop is giving him. For chrissake, coach, learn from that mistake. We went through all this trouble and waiting period for Splitter because we all know that he’s good, and now he’s just like this human victory cigar that’s nice to have.
"A life, Jimmy, you know what that is? It’s what happens while you wait for moments that will never come." - Lester Freamon, The Wire
by silverandblack_davis on Mar 30, 2011 5:54 AM CDT up reply actions
I can’t find much to disagree with here. Ideally, Pop would use the 2nd quarter in any given game to try 2 of the 3 bench bigs and if either one doesn’t perform up to par during that time, give the odd man out a shot in the 3rd. I’m also really hoping to see Splitter as our first big off the bench, however, based on the rotations while Timmy’s been out, I suspect he’ll be the odd man out.
Bonner and Blair only played a couple minutes together last night.
Blair seems to be sulking since being moved out of the starting lineup. He plays with only a fraction of his former energy.
by doggydogworld on Mar 29, 2011 8:52 AM CDT up reply actions
I don’t think you can call it sulking. Moving from the starting lineup to the bench requires different focus and energy. Manu is just amazing cause he can do it flawlessly. I think Blair will be ready come playoff time.
"If the NBA season is a marathon, Gregg Popovich is a full-blooded Kenyan."
-Timothy Varner 48MoH
by Jordan Leithart on Mar 29, 2011 11:26 AM CDT up reply actions
Well, I hope so. In the starting lineup Blair was his most effective when the Spurs were pushing the pace on offense and gambling for steals on defense. His playing style in this role was really quite different from his high energy, have no plays called for him, ‘clean up’, role that he excelled at last year. Since moving back to the bench, it seems like he’s trying to play the Tim Duncan role in the half-court, which he does not yet have the skill set to do. I think for Blair to get back to functioning on offense he either needs to revert back to the ‘beast mode’ style of last year, or the Spurs bench needs to start playing more gambling, up-tempo basketball.
While I’m not questioning the man that won four championships, I’m still curious to know why doesn’t Tiago even get a chance to see what he can do in close games. This is regular season and not playoffs yet. If he gets tried and he sucks, then it makes sense to not go with him in future. But if you don’t even try, how would you know that he is not going to work.
But in Pop’s defense, in close games, Tiago’s foul shooting percentage comes to the forefront and is easy for the opponent to target him and deploy hack-a-tiago.
Keep the faith!!
Good stuff, especialy the part about Pop being beyond reproach during interviews.
Its tough trying to rationalize how Pop could skip using Splitter in crunchtime these past few games. I fear this isnt going to change, Duncan will be back soon, and he will be the one in the game in the 4th quarter.
I dont agree about Splitters ability to alter shots just by sticking his hands up. I see alot of people score on him when he does this (albeit I have noticed he has been playing pretty soft in these situations, and its obviously because he gets no respect from the refs)To me, his best defensive work is done by staying with his man and also playing help defense.
A man gets the eye of a Tiger, but a Tiger gets the eye of a Manu.
Eh. As usual, you mix good points (plenty) with exaggerations. Half or those exaggerations are for effect, and half are part of the general venting – righteous anger that radiates from the post.
Yes, the SA media could be better. No, I don’t think it’s because of Pop’s iron fist. Yes, Tiago deserves more playing time at this point, especially considering Bonner’s not making his shots. No, I don’t think Pop surrounds himself with useless yes-men (could he have a good relationship with RC, otherwise? Have you talked to Bud?). And the list goes on.
Regardless, Stampler, great writing as always, and it’s always fun to read your stuff. Lots of fun. Why did you stop with the recaps?
by LatinD on Mar 28, 2011 10:20 PM CDT reply actions 2 recs
It’s good to read some Stampizzle. I actually have a few posts I’ve been planning on writing and haven’t gotten around to yet. One was “An open letter to aaronstampler.” Basically I wanted to see why we hadn’t heard from you for a while and say that your recaps were great because they go beyond recapping a game and speak to the big picture of the team. An excellent example was mentioning that the Spurs generally have cruised to victories vs. mediocre teams and turned up the energy with a good quarter here or there, and that was often enough to win a game by 7-12 points. This insight seemed to calm some worries people had around here.
Also I was curious as to why you haven’t posted here for a while. If I or others here have offended you, I’m sorry. If it’s a matter of being busy with work or other things, that’s definitely understandable.
Anyway, some good points are made here. I agree with you that the idea of saying Tiago’s confidence and game would be better off by not playing is silly. If anything, the trial by fire would be beneficial for a guy who has often only played in garbage time this year. I also agree that injuries are one of our biggest obstacles most years, but I won’t put Coach Pop in that same “obstacle” category along with the injuries.
If I or others here have offended you, I’m sorry.
What the hell, G20. Someone that has made an art out of being edgy and revels in his in-your-face style can’t be thin-skinned. It’s as if we had Hipuks being offended because someone said something pornographic.
by LatinD on Mar 29, 2011 8:21 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
There’s nothing like a good rant to help release the negative energies out.
Although Pop has been a good coach this year, I think he mishandled the Tiago situation. It’s the same excuse that he had for Hill during the playoffs in his rookie season. “He’s not ready.” It’s pretty understandable why Pop didn’t play Tiago early on, because this year, their goal for the HCA was very clear. He seemed less willing to tinker with the lineups. But I don’t believe that he never had the opportunity to throw Tiago a bone or two during the regular season. He had opportunities, but chose to go with Bonner.
For a guy who supposedly puts a premium on defense, Pop can be such a baffling person sometimes.
He's Manu Ginobili
Oh Aaron, I worship the ground over which you effortlessly float. Your keen insights are surpassed only by your snappy turn of phrase. Why have you denied us your brilliance for so long? Was it something I said, or did? I’ve written several open letters imploring you to return but have been too shy to post them. No matter, you’re back now and that’s all I ever wanted. Please, please, please don’t ever leave again. I simply cannot live without your words.
[/gag]
I leave now to ponder the irony of all this sucking up to the great Stampler in the comment section of a fanpost about how despicable the podunk San Antonio media is for sucking up to Pop.
OK, that’s a lie. I’m not going to ponder anything of the sort. I’ve got work to do.
by doggydogworld on Mar 29, 2011 10:12 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Deal with it
Pop has carte blanche on this team. He’s the chief of police, judge, jury, executioner and grave digger.
Other NBA coaches have a relationship with the media because the media determines where they can get a job and how long they can keep it. Pop doesn’t answer to the fans or media and ignores them whenever possible.
Appearances don’t matter. Our anxieties and opinions don’t matter. Results matter. You want to end up like those BlazerEdge mooks, taking turns writing twenty-paragraph posts about what we would do if we coached the team? Well, you can, but you’ll only get more and more frustrated when CIA Pop does the inexplicable.
When Pop is gone we can have a day-care manager coach like all the other teams, who always goes for the obvious choices and does everything necessary to look good in public. Me, I’m going to enjoy the coach who doesn’t care while he’s still exploding heads.
"SMH!!! ITS THAT BAD IMMA A BEAST LOL!!!!" - DeJuan45
by greyberger on Mar 29, 2011 11:40 AM CDT reply actions 6 recs
I worry when Pop is gone. Bud just doesn’t have his sarcastic charm.
"If the NBA season is a marathon, Gregg Popovich is a full-blooded Kenyan."
-Timothy Varner 48MoH
by Jordan Leithart on Mar 29, 2011 11:56 AM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, I don’t really know what to say. I enjoy your writing and believe you have talent, but tirelessly mocking another blogger doesn’t seem to be content worthy of your skill. Not to mention being a member of the media and bemoaning Pop for not being nicer to the media; it reeks more of ‘low hanging fruit’ than actual insight. I long for the days in which Stampler actually analyzed the team or plays or a specific game, with break-downs and explanations of specific things rather than multi-directional lash-outs about secondary things.
I do feel bad for a guy like Tim though, like him or not, because he really doesn’t deserve some anonymous guy hiding behind a computer in the distance critiquing his job or the manner he does it. Tim’s opinions on a blog are no less valuable or insightful than any of ours are on this blog.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Mar 29, 2011 12:13 PM CDT reply actions 10 recs
meh, if i was being paid for my opines i wouldnt mind.
by i luv this site on Mar 29, 2011 1:16 PM CDT up reply actions
I don’t necessarily agree with your viewpoint, but anytime you post, I read.
Superman wears Manu Ginobili pajamas to bed. ~ CMoney
I am happy. I am proud. ~ Manu Ginobili
This:)
Honestly. You kids today, with your hippity-hop music and your Twiddle. - Lauri
by p2cat on Mar 29, 2011 5:56 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
the original title wasn’t “tim griffin is wrong”…
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matt bonner 4 MVP!
by sleep research facility on Mar 30, 2011 4:50 AM CDT up reply actions
Good to have you back Stampler. Don’t be a stranger. For me it’s simple: Pop is no doubt a great coach, but he’s not infallible. And, yes, it’s even possible that a fan or two may occasionally get something right that he got wrong. Tiago completely flummoxed Aldridge on both ends of the floor. LA should have been an all star and has torched some damn good players, including our very own Timmy, Dyce, Blair and Bonner. So there’s something there. Bonner is reverting to previous year form. Don’t know if it’s fatigue or just that other teams adjust and he’s so slow to get his shot off that he becomes useless. Blair shows no progress to me. He plays out of control, often iso. Sure, he has great energy but motion doesn’t necessarily mean progress. RJ just frustrates the shit out of me. He is so slow and lumbering it’s horrendous to watch. It’s hard for me to believe that his contributions outweigh his screw ups. I hope the FO keeps Novak over the summer and tries to get him to bulk up a bit and learn to play D. That would be a nice project.
RJ just frustrates the shit out of me. He is so slow and lumbering it’s horrendous to watch. It’s hard for me to believe that his contributions outweigh his screw ups.
This made me laugh. Because it’s so true.
I shift on and off the RJ wagon so frequently that I get dizzy, but you definitely nailed my overall sentiment. We need more reliability and consistency. We need a guy with a hunger, one that wills himself to step up when needed. The Portland game missing the Big 3 pretty much capped it for me- I expected RJ to ball that game, and it again just didn’t happen. We’ll need more in the POs from RJ; we don’t need him to turn it on simply when others are also on. I still see him as integral to our success, and my hope is waning.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
Veteran reply FAIL.
Yeah, I put it in the subject line. Because when you commit such a transgression, you go all out.
"If I was the kind of guy who posted a signature line, this would be it from now on." -SiMA
by SgtinManusArmy on Mar 30, 2011 4:58 PM CDT up reply actions
Exactly if you read my post I don’t blame the players for the three game slide. I blame Pop and this tiny ball he loves to play. I also have to ad that Blair should not see the floor in the fourth because of his defense. Also I have to ad that I too have taken some flak for saying that we should never play Neal, Manu, or Hill at SF. Manu is getting worn out by the bigger stronger SF’s and the other teams just drool when they see Neal or Hill at SF. Splitter starting over Bonner and Blair EXACTLY he should, he is better, he helps us more, he deserves it, and his length just like Timmy is what we need. Splitters length, defense, and low post scoring is more important than Bonners threes or Blair’s offensive rebounds.
Interesting read and contrast to the usual fandom here. While the Spurs are good, there’s no reason we can’t be Great.
I’ll restrict my comments to Tiago….
Remember last year when everyone was drooling over the prospect of him coming over and being part of ‘Twin Towers II – the Return’ with Timmeh? What’s happened to that?
OK, early season injury setback, not having time to learn the system, getting cheap fouls called against him because he’s new to the League… but he needs more time on court to get up to speed. Decent chunks of time, too, not 10 minutes here and there.
I’d love to see him getting 25+ minutes every game from here on in. If we need three point shooting, Neal or Manu + Splitter rather than Bonner + Manu or Neal.
"That kid's a stud.... ...GINO-BLLIII !!!" - Sir Charles
He’s actually had two injuries that slowed him down. He missed some key games before and during the Rodeo trip where he’d likely have received a good chunk of time. He was getting time leading up to that second injury, unfortunately.
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
Amen
A lot of people on this site feel the same way about Tiago getting more minutes, I am Definitely one of them. I don’t read any of the local media so I can not comment on that at all and I do believe coach Pop is a little Stubborn when it comes to letting new dudes play. But the guy is the coach and he has won doing things his way. I think eventually he will come around and start playing Tiago more. Even if it is next season and not this year or in the playoffs. He has no choice but to realize that we are too damn short and need another guy who can ADEQUATELY watch Timmy’s back
One thing i can do...................is FINGER ROLL.
I think Tiago has taken Blair’s spot now. Whether Pop was forced into it or not, it seems like this will probably be the setup.
I think this is how it’ll sub going forward for all games that are not a blow out.
Duncan <→ Tiago
McDyess <→ Bonner
Manu <→ Hill
RJ <→ Neal
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
I was hoping for that, but Splitter racked up another DNPCD last night.
I hate the Bonner and Blair front court as much as anyone, but I really think a lot of fans are overstating Splitter’s abilities. He has shown flashes of brilliance (most notably the last loss in PDX), but he’s not some sort of panacea.
Somehow I think that if Splitter had a Slavic last name, Pop would be giving him major minutes.
"The evolution has been good, and I am much more tranquil now in the face of what comes next,"--Manu Ginobili
Blair played well so it’s hard to pull him out considering that Blair has struggled recently. Honestly, Splitter got screwed from his injuries. We’ll see how the next two games go with all the rest Pop will try to get his big guys.
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
Blair is ok but he ain’t better than Tiago. In the losing streak and these final games if you watch Blair on defense he is no good. I see players go around him and by him like he is stuck to the floor. When Blair is caught defending at the rim he stands there with his hands up like he’s a seven footer and is going to alter the shot. Bonner might not be a good defender but I’d rather have him on the floor for defense than Blair. The more I watch Blair the more I realize how horrible a defender he is. Blair should not be starting over Tiago or Bonner IMO.
I didn’t say Blair is better. I said Blair played very well in the last game. He has been struggling until that game, so it’s tough for Pop to pull a guy who’s having his first good game in a while.
I prefer a Tiago/Bonner 2nd unit over Blair/Bonner or Blair Dyess. I’ve said that many times in a lot of my recent posts.
I understand where Pop may be coming from though. He got Hill back on track and Neal seems to be coming around. Blair may or may not turn it around. We’ve seen where Tiago is at this point. He’s not going to get much better than what he has this year. It’s still pretty good and he’ll probably see minutes now that Pop is going to sit Duncan and Dyess.
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
Tiago is a good big man, no he’s not Timmy but when Pop isn’t being an idiot and plays Tiago he plays very good defense. Tiago makes us better on offense he is constantly moving setting screens and he’s not a bad low post scorer. Tiago makes us better on both side of the ball. I can’t say the same for Blair or Bonner.
When Tim got hurt we started losing games. I think no one realized how bad the lineups were till Tim got hurt. Tim makes up for alot of the defense a small lineup gives up (yea he is that good that’s why there is four championship banners hanging in the AT&T center). It was no surprise when Tim went down we didn’t win but not cause the team was playing badly. It’s the bad lineups Pop puts on the floor. When Tim went down Pop should have stepped up and put a good lineup on the floor. Instead he reluctantly started Tiago over Blair still not giving him any min. in the second half and surprise we lose. Finally when Pop is desperate for a win he plays Taigo in the fourth and almost wins, if not for Neal going cold and taking and missing all the last shots of the game. So if we lose in the playoffs and Tiago is on the bench not playing, I’m not going to put a lot of blame on the players.
I love this blog! Shit I was wasting my time at SAEN. Your right Aaron these guys are a bunch of wusses. They don’t ask Pop the real questions and always wondered why? The post game interviews are weak! No intelligent questions or even to challenge Pop for that matter. All we get is a “so the bat was back huh”, or “Timmy’s back he played right?” or “We didn’t score enough points we lost right?” C’mon man are these guys to scared to utter something we all fans want to know like: “Why is the Bonner/Blair combo rotation game after game occurring when really seems to be a defensive and offensive liability?” Hell no they can’t even ask that. What’s funny if you notice when the person is asking the question his hand is shaking. We need someone to represent the fans with enough balls to ask that mean old man the important questions.
by Titletown99030507 on Apr 8, 2011 1:14 PM CDT reply actions
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