Grades v. Spurs 10/31/09

[CruzDude]

It's only the 3rd game with 6 new players (3 rookies), a new coach and coaching staff, and a new team and new system. It's gonna take them 10-15 games to at least start (not make but start) to get down to a rotation that works.

As to wanting Hawes and JT to start, when they both get 2 fouls by half way through the first period, you bring in only May, leave one of Hawes/JT on the floor and he gets 3 rd foul before end of first quarter. Then he sits for the half and on most nights you loose one of the two of them for the second quarter. Thats why May starts now and even then he only gets 15-18 min, they bring in the other big, they get fouls anyway, then what do you have? A mess.

Gotta find a way to get performance out of may and have a rotation that can work. Maybe JT in the middle but he seems much more effective much of the time at the 4 spot. Unfortunately, Hawes seems to play his best against the opponents bench. aaarrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhhh, What Would Capn. Jack Do??????????

 

[Kingster]

Three times in the game last night that I can remember Thompson rotated out of the pick and roll defensively and pushed Parker out. And guess what. He was left out there stranded by himself staring at Parker. Any time a big helps defend the pick and roll, the player helped has to rotate back and double to allow the big to get back to his man. The Kings wern't doing it.

Anyone that watched the Spurs defend the pick and roll last night saw a text book version of how its suspossed to work. If Thompson or Hawes is under the basket guarding his man, and Parker or Paul or whomever beats his man and drives into the key, just what is Thompson suspossed to do. He has no choice but to leave his man and front Parker. If he doesn't get any weakside help it ends up being a dunk behind him and he looks like the guy that screwed up.

A lot of the times the rotation problem isn't the big man, its the little man finishing the deal. As I pointed out in the Hornet game. Casspi rotated and picked up Beno's man out of the pick and roll. Beno went somewhere for a drink and left Casspi out there trying to guard both Durant and Hardin. There's plenty of blame to go around, but its not all the fault of the big. And, I will state that Beno is one of the worse defenders of the pick and roll that I have ever seen in my life.

I will say this though. The bigs have to do a better job of talking and letting the point guard know he's about to run into a pick.

And the bigs have got to prevent Parker from getting lay-ups when he curls around the picks. It just looked to me that we just don't have the atheticism in the bigs to make Parker at all concerned when he's in layup territory. I was expecting him to take a cell phone from his shorts and call up his wife to ask what's for dinner he was so nonchalant. So if you don't have the athleticism in your bigs to prevent the mini-mouse from getting a layup, what then is the obvious alternative? How about putting him on the freaking floor!

As for Beno, I'd never in my life have an argument with somebody defending his defense!

 

[grego]

Not much to say! Other than I didn't expect to win this game. It was the Spurs and it was their home opener.

Actually their home opener was against the New Orleans Hornets.

 

[bajaden]

Actually their home opener was against the New Orleans Hornets.

Picky, picky, picky....

 

[bajaden]

And the bigs have got to prevent Parker from getting lay-ups when he curls around the picks. It just looked to me that we just don't have the atheticism in the bigs to make Parker at all concerned when he's in layup territory. I was expecting him to take a cell phone from his shorts and call up his wife to ask what's for dinner he was so nonchalant. So if you don't have the athleticism in your bigs to prevent the mini-mouse from getting a layup, what then is the obvious alternative? How about putting him on the freaking floor!

As for Beno, I'd never in my life have an argument with somebody defending his defense!

Look, I know what your saying. But there aren't many bigs in the league that are going to stop Parker from scoring one on one without fouling him. Lets give Parker his due. He's a quick crafty player with a lot of experience. He may not be quite as quick as Paul, but at this point in his career, he's craftier. Thompson is a good athlete, but he's had one year of experience in the league, and three years ago he was 6'4" tall. the year before that he was 6'2" tall and played point guard. All in all I think he's progressing pretty darn good. But to expect him to go one on one with Tony Parker and win that battle is fools gold. He has to have help.

No one stopped the ball. I couldn't believe how many times Parker took the ball from one end of the court to the other end without anyone getting in his way and stopping the ball. So lets say your Jason Thompson and you already have a rep from last season for getting into foul trouble. Your main goal is to stay on the floor and try and help your team win. Now your under the basket with Tony Parker coming at you with a head of steam and no help. No one is stepping in and even making Parker change direction. Your in a dammed if you do and dammed if you don't situation. Be honest! What do you think your odds are of blocking his shot and not getting a foul called on you? You tell me why Bowen, a very good defender, bites on Martins ball and pumpfake when everyone in the league, including him, knows he's going to do it.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't think its fair to indict our bigs without throwing the responsibility around. Defense is a team effort. And when one part breaks down its starts to open the floodgates. Especially against a very good basketball team. And I will happily point out again that the flood gates opened when Beno was running the point. He had absolutely no clue how to stop Parker. Hey, while I'm in the mood, why don't we just blame the whole thing on Beno. He's not here is he?

 

[Eclipse]

A few thoughts:

Although Tyreke sprained his ankle, I was so relieved that he was holding his ankle and not knee when he went down.

Is it me or does Omri not understand the concept of playing zone defense? Still love his scrappiness though.

Still loving Brockman's game. He can sense when a teammate is about to shoot and actually gets into rebounding position.

Spencer has a unique talent of not fouling an opponent right next to him shooting a layup.

Spurs made the game look so easy, while the Kings made it look like rocket science. There seems to be a lot of mental errors and just not playing smart basketball. I have hope that the coach will lead them down the correct path to impoving in these areas.

 

[hammystyle]

That's a nice statline for Hawes. What jumped out at me immediately was the 7 FT attempts. Believe it or not that was a career high. Was he inside playing more physical or was it just a case of getting a few hacks done by the Spurs backups?

 

[Yoda]

It was about 20 garbage time points for hawes, a very misleading stat line. He was awful.

 

[Bricklayer]

That's a nice statline for Hawes. What jumped out at me immediately was the 7 FT attempts. Believe it or not that was a career high. Was he inside playing more physical or was it just a case of getting a few hacks done by the Spurs backups?

He was more physical than he's been this season...for whatever that is worth.