Agree or Disagree: (On 11 Game WS) Popovich benches Tony Parker and Tim Duncan @ POR

[TMT]

The Spurs are sitting atop the Western Conference, going into tonight only 2 games behind the West leading Thunder and 2.5 ahead of the defending champ Mavs. Not only are the Spurs on an 11 game win streak, they are 7-0 on the annual rodeo roadtrip... Until tonight.

Greg Popovich make the bold decision entering tonight's game to sit future Hall of Fame forward Tim Duncan and current All-Star Tony Parker in the midst of the confidence riding run the Spurs have been able to put together mostly without the help of Manu Ginobili.

The Spurs backups and scrubs just took a whooping at the Rose Garden by a Portland team who took the honor of not holding back the entire game.

Popovich's decision tonight angered the Spurs community greatly for "killing the momentum" so to speak. So ISH, was this a smart tactic by the great coach to get in some extra rest or a dumb move for killing this energetic run that could have led to bigger better things?


http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/files/2011/03/Gregg-Popovich-306-306x391.jpg

[DRose1899]

You guys will suck his dick again when another winning streak coming.

[Qwyjibo]

Smart move.

The main goal for the Spurs should be to get a fully healthy team into the playoffs. Having home court would be good too but I honestly think that if that team is healthy, they have a shot to take a series from any other team.

Trust your talent to keep winning when everyone is rested and if you give up a couple gimme games like tonight, so be it. This season is a strange one with the condensed schedule so I would trust in Pop and his staff to know the limits of their players.

[Scholar]

I think it was a smart idea. What's a regular season win compared to a Playoff win? Nothing.
Poppovich wanted to rest his two stars, and so he did. A well-deserved rest at that, by the way.

[imnew09]

dude its Popovich !!!! don't doubt any of his decisions....

[alwaysunny]

I've seen Pop with a similar unorthodox approach last year by benching all starters in the 4th quarter against the Knicks because they were playing so poorly. It was really baffling because the Spurs had plenty of time for the comeback, but in the end they lost as if they've given up the game.

It seems to me he does a lot of questionable things but it's obvious he believes the decision will pay off in the long run. While I can't disagree with a coach of his caliber, if this was done by an average coach it would have taken a lot of heat.

[AMISTILLILL]

Who cares about winning streaks and momentum going into All Star weekend? Worry about momentum going into the post-season. Your starters are old and need rest now.

[cteach111]

last time i checked, the Spurs didnt get out the first round..

[kingBynum]

Stupid move...You can rest them during the ALL STAR BREAK...lol not a smart move. This team was on a roll winning 11 games:oldlol:

[Myth]

Who cares about winning streaks and momentum going into All Star weekend? Worry about momentum going into the post-season. Your starters are old and need rest now.

This is a very good point. The momentum will be gone anyway after all star weekend, so the momentum lost now would just be lost in a few days anyway, so the momentum stuff is a moot point. In the end, this is just sacrificing 1 game in hopes of keeping a team with aging stars healthy.

[linZoMourning]

last time i checked, the Spurs didnt get out the first round..


:facepalm

[RazorBaLade]

if im pop i want to separate this year from last year as best i can.

fall out of the 1st seed. doesnt matter. be SUPER well rested and healthy. nothing else matters.

team is going to get hyped if they continue to go on this winning streak and they might try a little too hard in a game that doesnt mean much .. not worth it. end the streak, start a new one, end it, etc.

[Myth]

last time i checked, the Spurs didnt get out the first round..

They also had a bunch of health issues just before the playoffs, which seemingly killed their momentum.

Last year: Top record but health issues = failed in first round

Last few championship years: Not the top record in West, but no health issues = win


If Pop wants to use past experiences to guide his current choices, then sacrificing 1 game to help his team stay healthy is a wise move.

[alwaysunny]

if im pop i want to separate this year from last year as best i can.

fall out of the 1st seed. doesnt matter. be SUPER well rested and healthy. nothing else matters.

team is going to get hyped if they continue to go on this winning streak and they might try a little too hard in a game that doesnt mean much .. not worth it. end the streak, start a new one, end it, etc.

Yeah, let's lose the game on purpose everytime we develop a winning streak :facepalm

[RazorBaLade]

Yeah, let's lose the game on purpose everytime we develop a winning streak :facepalm

yes. show the team and the fans that the regular season doesnt mean SHIT and they need to be rested for the playoffs

[iamgine]

The Spurs are sitting atop the Western Conference, going into tonight only 2 games behind the West leading Thunder and 2.5 ahead of the defending champ Mavs. Not only are the Spurs on an 11 game win streak, they are 7-0 on the annual rodeo roadtrip... Until tonight.

Greg Popovich make the bold decision entering tonight's game to sit future Hall of Fame forward Tim Duncan and current All-Star Tony Parker in the midst of the confidence riding run the Spurs have been able to put together mostly without the help of Manu Ginobili.

The Spurs backups and scrubs just took a whooping at the Rose Garden by a Portland team who took the honor of not holding back the entire game.

Popovich's decision tonight angered the Spurs community greatly for "killing the momentum" so to speak. So ISH, was this a smart tactic by the great coach to get in some extra rest or a dumb move for killing this energetic run that could have led to bigger better things?


http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/files/2011/03/Gregg-Popovich-306-306x391.jpg
Well, we can't agree or disagree when we don't really know Tony Parker and Tim Duncan's conditions. Who knows they're really fatigued from the past few games.

Assuming they're perfectly healthy, of course they should be starting. Not only for Spur's win, but for the fans who came to see them as well.

[hawksdogsbraves]

Love the move

[Gear2]

The spurs can't win--it's an even numbered year!

[TMT]

The spurs can't win--it's an even numbered year!

New decade, new set of rules. :lol

[k0kakw0rld]

I have faith in Pop he knows what he is doing. HCA does not mean shit these days. It was a smart to let the kids play and grow confidence. Pop for me is like Jose Mourinho (Real Madrid's coach) he is special and mostly what he does even tho it seems crazy, it always brings success to the team. :applause:

[Wonder Bread Kid]

As a Spurs fan, I hate it and love it at the same time.

I hate it because it ends the streak.

I love it because it rests our best players and it gives our youth the important playing time they need, esp, in a lockout shortened season where practice time is almost none existent. Kawhi killed it out there tonight and it only helps him get better accustomed to the NBA game.

[Myth]

Assuming they're perfectly healthy, of course they should be starting. Not only for Spur's win, but for the fans who came to see them as well.

I'm pretty sure most of the fans at that game were more than happy with the results of Duncan and Co sitting out. Only ones disappointed would be the few Spurs fans in attendance and some fans who had never seen Duncan and Co in person before. 95% of the fans in attendance though were likely just rooting for a Blazers win and a show, which they got.

[bdreason]

I don't like it personally. I say play to win in the first half at least. If it isn't going well, then pull your starters.

[FKAri]

I have faith in Pop he knows what he is doing. HCA does not mean shit these days. It was a smart to let the kids play and grow confidence. Pop for me is like Jose Mourinho (Real Madrid's coach) he is special and mostly what he does even tho it seems crazy, it always brings success to the team. :applause:

http://www.boxofficefootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/jose.gif

And I agree.

[SlayerEnraged]

I can understand Duncan, but isn't Parker still pretty young as in like 30? :confusedshrug:

[tpols]

Seemed like a smart decision at first.. get your guys some rest. But when you end up losing by 40 it just discourages that second unit instead of empowering them.. which is what it was probably meant to do partly. The Spurs will need this rest though. Everything adds up.

[InspiredLebowski]

Pop did it, so I agree. That's honestly all there is to it.

[Wonder Bread Kid]

I can understand Duncan, but isn't Parker still pretty young as in like 30? :confusedshrug:

29.

[Artillery]

Disagree. I don't mind giving the starters rest but throwing the bench out there(along with a few D-Leaguers) against a .500 team is dumb. Even worse that the two bench players that make the most impact are out with injury as well(backup PG TJ Ford, back-up center Splitter). How the hell did Pop expect the team to even compete when he has D-Leaguers receiving heavy minutes at point and center. As positive as this game was for the starters, I can't imagine it being any good for the mentality of the youngsters. Plenty of opportunities to find rest against the lottery teams.

[InspiredLebowski]

29.29 with 779 career regular season games with major minutes every season, plus playoffs, plus international ball. He's young-ish but has a lot of miles.

[iamgine]

I'm pretty sure most of the fans at that game were more than happy with the results of Duncan and Co sitting out. Only ones disappointed would be the few Spurs fans in attendance and some fans who had never seen Duncan and Co in person before. 95% of the fans in attendance though were likely just rooting for a Blazers win and a show, which they got.
I dunno I feel basketball fans would wanna see Tony and Tim in action. I'm a Blazers fan but I'd be disappointed if I purchase a ticket and not see them. Might as well watch on TV.

[Big#50]

Seemed like a smart decision at first.. get your guys some rest. But when you end up losing by 40 it just discourages that second unit instead of empowering them.. which is what it was probably meant to do partly. The Spurs will need this rest though. Everything adds up.
Nope. the bench played only because have to. They can't forfeit a game. Everyone in that team had this game off. There was no effort from them.

[All Net]

Typical Pop...he does this every year. He's a smart man so i'm sure he knows it will be best in the long run.

He's being realistic he knows nobody in the west is catching the Thunder.

[Poodle]

didn't-see-this-thread-but-Popovich-is-as-much-of-a-overcoacher-as-there-is-in-the-league.

i'd-maybe-understand-it-if-Splitter-weren't-out,but-he-basically-overcoached-this-situation-when-he-could-have-played-them-and-let-them-rest-now-that-they-have-time-off.

he-has-also-sat-them-alot-in-some-games-where-the-2nd-unit-was-doing-well-so-its-not-like-they've-been-worked-to-death....bet-if-you-ask-Parker/Duncan-they'd-have-wanted-to-play.

other-thing-is-no-other-teams/coaches-have-pulled-this-shit-and-have-had-similar-schedules...typical-Popovich:facepalm

i-mean-we're-talking-on-the-eve-of-the-allstar-break:facepalm:

[Poodle]

I've seen Pop with a similar unorthodox approach last year by benching all starters in the 4th quarter against the Knicks because they were playing so poorly. It was really baffling because the Spurs had plenty of time for the comeback, but in the end they lost as if they've given up the game.

It seems to me he does a lot of questionable things but it's obvious he believes the decision will pay off in the long run. While I can't disagree with a coach of his caliber, if this was done by an average coach it would have taken a lot of heat.


thats-the-problem-with-fans...they-act-like-coaches-are-infallible-due-to-their-reps....PhilJacksons-made-quite-a-few-bonehead-decisions-at-times...JerrySloan-has-as-well....but-way-too-many-just-assume-they're-infallible-and-must-make-the-right-decisions-because-they-are-who-they-are....anyways-they-can/should-all-be-criticized-outside-of-their-reps-if-their-coaching-decisions-backfire.

[Poodle]

They also had a bunch of health issues just before the playoffs, which seemingly killed their momentum.

Last year: Top record but health issues = failed in first round

Last few championship years: Not the top record in West, but no health issues = win


If Pop wants to use past experiences to guide his current choices, then sacrificing 1 game to help his team stay healthy is a wise move.

how-does-resting-them-one-game-before-the-allstar-break-help-their-postseason-health?

[Droid101]

Terrible idea. Fans pay to see stars play. This kind of shit pisses me off.

[ralph_i_el]

I think Duncan and Parker deserved the rest. I think they can pick right back up where they left off.

[RaininTwos]

It was stupid, they have a break where they can rest coming this weekend.

[Burgz]

i honestly dont know if i agree or not but i know why he did it

if they're gonna be serious about winning it all this year then it's gotta be about the big picture.

They have the rodeo road trip now and there's gonna be less time to rest, practice etc.

Also, Portland is a very physical team im sure he also took that into consideration, or maybe he doesn't want them to be able to gameplan against them in the future :confusedshrug:

[SCdac]

doesn't bother me in the slightest. even after seeing the results, really doesn't bother me. people (players, fans, etc) will forget about this in a matter of days, weeks. it's all about the big picture, not about win streaks.

[BankShot]

The Spurs were playing the back end of a back-to-back, the third game in four nights, and were playing away against a good Blazers team.

Odds are they would have lost the game anyways.

[Haymaker]

Smart move. They need all the rest they can get for the vets, and their young guys need to build up confidence and experience so they can perform well in the post-season.

[Droid101]

The Spurs were playing the back end of a back-to-back, the third game in four nights, and were playing away against a good Blazers team.

Odds are they would have lost the game anyways.
Yeah. You're right.

Everyone on the third game of a back-to-back-to-back should probably just sit their starters too. You're right.


:facepalm :rolleyes:

[GOBB]

1 game, not sure what this affects in the grand scheme of things. Last I check his resume reads successful. Fans angry can shut up. A month from now no one will care about this move. :confusedshrug:

[MavsPoke]

Talk about biting the hand the feeds you. Spurs fans second guessing Popovich :facepalm

[Droid101]

Talk about biting the hand the feeds you. Spurs fans second guessing Popovich :facepalm
This team is worse than last year. First round exit guaranteed if they keep playing 10 players 24 minutes each. That doesn't win in the NBA Playoffs. Only regular season.

[BankShot]

Yeah. You're right.

Everyone on the third game of a back-to-back-to-back should probably just sit their starters too. You're right.


:facepalm :rolleyes:

Did I say that? :rolleyes:

All I'm saying is that trends in the past 20 years of professional basketball would suggest that a team playing away, on the end of a back-to-back, against a team of similar strength, would lose.

But then again, some half-wit fan knows more than a 4-time NBA champion :facepalm

[Droid101]

Did I say that? :rolleyes:

All I'm saying is that trends in the past 20 years of professional basketball would suggest that a team playing away, on the end of a back-to-back, against a team of similar strength, would lose.

But then again, some half-wit fan knows more than a 4-time NBA champion :facepalm
And when was their last championship?

Na

[toxicxr6]

Yeah. You're right.

Everyone on the third game of a back-to-back-to-back should probably just sit their starters too. You're right.


:facepalm :rolleyes:



So if pop played Duncan and Parker and one twisted their knee... Would this thread be about should he have rested them...

1. Priority is to have all your players healthy and peaking at the start of the playoffs.. If a game here and there requires players to be rested so be it....

Droid your just a spurs hater.. Your posts are always directed negatively towards the spurs... If u weren't so bias people here might take u seriously.

[toxicxr6]

[QUOTE=Droid101]And when was their last championship?

Na

[Droid101]

Yeah good point droid :facepalm use the only example in reference to your prove your point... Nobody knows what will happen come playoffs... Don't be th idiot that acts like you do.. Spurs are well known for proving people wrong.
Except last year, when their defensive rating plummeted (like this year) and relied on playing 10 players every game.

The run is over boys.

[toxicxr6]

Except last year, when their defensive rating plummeted (like this year) and relied on playing 10 players every game.

The run is over boys.


There defense before that game was rated 16th... If u have a closer look 5 weeks ago their defense was rated 23rd.. So what does that tell u about their defense? That it's vastly improving.. With a new rotation.. And yes pop limits his stars minutes in the regular season. Come playoffs u can bet Duncan, Parker and manu all play 30+ minutes in close games... If u even watched that Memphis series lat year u would have seen his rotation was cut back to 8 players... It's obvious that your basketball knowledge is limited.. Just another troll

[Droid101]

There defense before that game was rated 16th... If u have a closer look 5 weeks ago their defense was rated 23rd.. So what does that tell u about their defense? That it's vastly improving.. With a new rotation.. And yes pop limits his stars minutes in the regular season. Come playoffs u can bet Duncan, Parker and manu all play 30+ minutes in close games... If u even watched that Memphis series lat year u would have seen his rotation was cut back to 8 players... It's obvious that your basketball knowledge is limited.. Just another troll
Why would you want Duncan to play 30+ minutes? He's shooting something in the 40's and is Jamaal Magloire-like on defense.

From 2003-2010, the Spurs were top five defense every year.

Last year and this year they are garbage. They completely changed their style of play. Good for regular season wins. Bad for playoffs.

Keep reaching for that rainbow Spurs fans.

[Bajanmale]

last time i checked, the Spurs didnt get out the first round..

Dumb move that no young coach would have gotten away with but it's the Pop. Last year he did the same thing right before the playoff against the Lakers, guess what? next game guys got injured:lol

[Kingwillball]

Spurs are that great of a team, Dont see them doing much in Playoffs.. OKC, Clips, Healthy Grizz team I would pick over them and the Lakers, Mavswould be a tossup.. I would pick the Spurs against the Blazers.

[Alamo]

I'll take healthy players over extending a winning streak and risking injury and fatigue any day.

[Droid101]

I'll take healthy players over extending a winning streak and risking injury and fatigue any day.
Might as well just sit everyone for the rest of the season then, right?

[toxicxr6]

Why would you want Duncan to play 30+ minutes? He's shooting something in the 40's and is Jamaal Magloire-like on defense.

From 2003-2010, the Spurs were top five defense every year.

Last year and this year they are garbage. They completely changed their style of play. Good for regular season wins. Bad for playoffs.

Keep reaching for that rainbow Spurs fans.

I'm wondering if u actually watch any games or just look at box scores?

Duncan is still a very good defensive player.. He is still averaging 1.4bl a game in what 28 minutes.. With 8.6r.. That is still very efficient.

And somewhere in the 40s u say? Look it up he is shooting 47% so far which is still very good... Your friend Kobrick is shooting 44%....

Your just hating because 2012
Spurs>>>>>>>>lakers

[Alamo]

Might as well just sit everyone for the rest of the season then, right?

How is that the same? He rested them for one game.

[Shingaling]

Might as well just sit everyone for the rest of the season then, right?
You might wanna educate yourself on False Dilemmas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_dilemma).

[toxicxr6]

Droid is easily one of the worst posters on this forum..

[Poodle]

So if pop played Duncan and Parker and one twisted their knee... Would this thread be about should he have rested them...

1. Priority is to have all your players healthy and peaking at the start of the playoffs.. If a game here and there requires players to be rested so be it....

Droid your just a spurs hater.. Your posts are always directed negatively towards the spurs... If u weren't so bias people here might take u seriously.


ughh-that-could-happen-any-game...

why-would-they-twist-their-knee-because-they-played-back-to-backs?

so-is-every-other-coach-just-being-a-bad-coach-because-they're-not-doing-what-Pop-is?

and-how-the-hell-does-a-game-before-the-allstar-break-affect-the-post-season-other-than-a-completely-random-freak-injury?:wtf:


if-you're-a-Spurs-fan-you-SHOULD-be-pissed...considering-the-Spurs-were-rollin-with-Duncan/Parker-hot-and-fans-takiing-pride-in-the-streak-your-on-and-you-all-basically-fold-it....on-the-eve-of-the-all-star-break:facepalm:...some-of-these-justifications-are-so-laughable-to-me...they-don't-even-make-sense-other-than-to-excuse-Pop.

[toxicxr6]

ughh.that.could.happen.any.game...

why.would.they.twist.their.knee.because.they.playe d.back.to.backs?

so.is.every.other.coach.just.being.a.bad.coach.bec ause.they're.not.doing.what.Pop.is?

and.how.the.hell.does.a.game.before.the.allstar.br eak.affect.the.post-season.other.than.a.completely.random.freak.injury ?:wtf:

lol-i-guess-using-dots-is-worse-than-dashes...worth-a-try-at-least.


The risk of injury is alot higher in a b2b game than other games... Maybe u should look up some sport science and see how muscles react after after excessive use... Muscles are tighter and less flexible the day after.. Much easiet to strain. Have u ever played high level sport before?

[Droid101]

Droid is easily one of the worst posters on this forum..

You might wanna educate yourself on False Dilemmas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_dilemma).

Nice first post. Might want to educate yourself on: Trolling. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet))

http://cezl.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/troll.gif

[Poodle]

The risk of injury is alot higher in a b2b game than other games... Maybe u should look up some sport science and see how muscles react after after excessive use... Muscles are tighter and less flexible the day after.. Much easiet to strain. Have u ever played high level sport before?


yeah-i-played-college-soccer-and-in-club-we'd-play-tournaments-with-multiples-of-games-a-day-in-the-hot-sun-and-injuries-were-more-based-on-freak-occurrences-or-not-stretching....not-from-fatigue-tho....worst-that-occurred-from-fatigue-was-being-lethargic.

even-then-are-you-really-going-to-use-that-excuse-when-every-NBA-team-has-been-playing-dozens-of-back-to-backs-since-forever,including-this-hectic-season-without-resting-their-starters?...injuries-are-way-more-freak-than-predictable...people-give-Pop-and-some-of-these-other-coaches-way-too-much-respect.

and-the-most-laughable-thing-to-me-is-Popovich-acts-like-this-one-game-off-will-do-wonders-for-them-this-season-and-how-every-team-will-have-to-do-it-when-his-players-will-have-a-week-off-after-their-next-game....it-ONLY-affects-their-next-game-period....makes-absolutely-no-sense.

[toxicxr6]

yeah-i-played-college-soccer-and-in-club-we'd-play-tournaments-with-multiples-of-games-a-day-in-the-hot-sun-and-injuries-were-more-based-on-freak-occurrences-or-not-stretching....not-from-fatigue-tho....worst-that-occurred-from-fatigue-was-being-lethargic.

even-then-are-you-really-going-to-use-that-excuse-when-every-NBA-team-has-been-playing-dozens-of-back-to-backs-since-forever,including-this-hectic-season-without-resting-their-starters?...injuries-are-way-more-freak-than-predictable...people-give-Pop-and-some-of-these-other-coaches-way-too-much-respect.


After sport everyone has micro-tears in the fibers of their muscles.. Some people react different to others.. I'm just saying these the players he rested are the older ones where muscle rehabilitation takes longer... The risk of injury in a b2b game is higher especially with older players. Pop isn't taking the risk.. I'm comfortable with that. Because its not worth the risk at this stage of the season..

[Poodle]

After sport everyone has micro-tears in the fibers of their muscles.. Some people react different to others.. I'm just saying these the players he rested are the older ones where muscle rehabilitation takes longer... The risk of injury in a b2b game is higher especially with older players. Pop isn't taking the risk.. I'm comfortable with that. Because its not worth the risk at this stage of the season..


i-just-can't-fathom-being-that-paranoid-of-such-a-freak-occurrence-to-throw-a-game-for...especially-the-timing-of-it(see-my-edit)

[JustinJDW]

Yep, as a Spurs fan I was perfectly fine with this move. Its stupid how much attention this is actually getting. This was actually on PTI today and Kornheiser said the league office should fine Pop? Are you serious?

Yeah, the Spurs are not in the business of winning regular season championships. This was not a surprise at all. I knew Pop was going to sit everyone when he played Timmy and Tony 40+ minutes and went balls to the wall in Utah, and it payed off with a close down to the wire win. This was the second game in a back-to-back, and the third game in four nights. They are on thier Rodeo Road Trip, where they have won seven straight road games and freaking eleven all together!

I think we can afford to drop one meaningless game for the health of our key players.

Like Timmy was supposed to play 40+ minutes against Portland, because beating them is a statement right? Psh, give me a break.

Quite honestly, I would have been pissed if Timmy and Tony played. I support it 100%. Continuing winning streaks and having momentum going into the All-Star break really don't mean shit if you're dead tired come the Playoffs. Like seriously people, this is pure logic.

But this will all be forgotten in a couple days. After the All-Star break when Manu, Tiago, Timmy, T.J. Ford and everyone is fresh and healthy and we really start hitting our stride, Pop will look like a genius again. The guy has four Championships, let the man work.

[blablabla]

i'm ok with anything pop does

[boxclever]

Pop is a Top 5 all time coach who is genuinely good at what he does. Whatever decision he made with regards to resting his star players would solely be or the benefit of the team. So as far as I am concerned, he made the right decision. These guys are playing 4/5 games a week, that's tough to sustain

[toxicxr6]

Let's ask a question.. If pop became available to coach another team at the end of the season.. How many teams do u think would be intereste in acquiring him? How many people in this forum would want their team to approach him?

[HurricaneKid]

You know whats really bad for your playoff chances? Having your best player with a broken arm.

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2011/4/13/2110145/spurs-manu-ginobili-elbow-injury-suns-san-antonio

Lets not pretend that SA is the same without Manu at full strength ok?

[Droid101]

You know whats really bad for your playoff chances? Having your best player with a broken arm.

You know what's bad for your playoff chances? Constantly relying on heavy production from injury prone players.

[toxicxr6]

You know what's bad for your playoff chances? Constantly relying on heavy production from injury prone players.


U must be talking about Bynum here... He is the best glaring example to your comment..

[Droid101]

U must be talking about Bynum here... He is the best glaring example to your comment..
And yet Kobe was STILL able to carry those teams to three straight finals.

Yikes!

[toxicxr6]

And yet Kobe was STILL able to carry those teams to three straight finals.

Yikes!


And like u said about the spurs... Lakers run is dead and buried.. U want to talk about a team looking like garbage write a topic about the lakers..

[Droid101]

And like u said about the spurs... Lakers run is dead and buried.. U want to talk about a team looking like garbage write a topic about the lakers..
Lakers have the worst 4-12 roster in the league. If they make a single trade to fill ANY of those gaps, you'll be eating your words.

But right now, yes. I never said the Lakers were good at the moment.

[toxicxr6]

And yet Kobe was STILL able to carry those teams to three straight finals.

Yikes!


With the spurs u disregard their successful past.. When the lakers come up u go back to their successful past.. There is no consistancy to your logic except your bias

[Droid101]

With the spurs u disregard their successful past.. When the lakers come up u go back to their successful past.. There is no consistancy to your logic except your bias
Spurs past is over. They used to be an elite defensive team.

Last season, they saw the writing on the wall and changed their whole philosophy. They went from an elite defensive grind-it-out team to a run-and-gun, outscore you, Phoenix Suns-lite team.

The Lakers main three players remain the same, it's their bench that was decimated. If they can rebuild that, they're back in the running. If they can't, yeah, they're not going anywhere in the playoffs.

[toxicxr6]

Lakers have the worst 4-12 roster in the league. If they make a single trade to fill ANY of those gaps, you'll be eating your words.

But right now, yes. I never said the Lakers were good at the moment.


Your right 4 onwards are rubbish.. So why would any team trade decent pieces for them? Only way lakers change their roster is by trading 1,2 or 3.... And then they still might not improve..

Spurs still have a huge advantage to contend this year when comparing them to the lakers

[toxicxr6]

Spurs past is over. They used to be an elite defensive team.

Last season, they saw the writing on the wall and changed their whole philosophy. They went from an elite defensive grind-it-out team to a run-and-gun, outscore you, Phoenix Suns-lite team.

The Lakers main three players remain the same, it's their bench that was decimated. If they can rebuild that, they're back in the running. If they can't, yeah, they're not going anywhere in the playoffs.



Again no sense.. Lakers D is not much better than the spurs.. And when I looked the spurs still had the same three players as their core just like lakers. Your post is rubbish! And if one of the lakers top 3 gets injured.. They sink like a stone.. Spurs still win...

[Droid101]

Again no sense.. Lakers D is not much better than the spurs.. And when I looked the spurs still had the same three players as their core just like lakers. Your post is rubbish! And if one of the lakers top 3 gets injured.. They sink like a stone.. Spurs still win...
Check Manu's and Timmy's minutes per game. That's not "the same three players" when two of them are playing around 20 minutes a game.

[toxicxr6]

Check Manu's and Timmy's minutes per game. That's not "the same three players" when two of them are playing around 20 minutes a game.


Yes it is! So pop builds a good roster.. Allowing his players to rest and still win... If lakers had a production bench like the spurs u would see their minutes reduced drastically too.. Plus come playoffs Duncan, manu and Parker play 30+ mins a game.. U will see

[Artillery]

And yet Kobe was STILL able to carry those teams to three straight finals.

Yikes!

Yeah, the same Kobe that couldn't make it out of the first round against the D'Antoni Suns before Gasol came along to carry him to two titles.

[ak47buffalo]

As a Spurs fan I'm not happy with the decision and I disagree with it. For the past few years now, Pop has tried to limit playing time to prevent injuries to his star players, and yet, Manu and Parker have been consistently injured. I feel like resting players on back to backs does little in the grand scheme of things. On the contrary, I feel like consistency in playing time will help some players build a more comfortable rhythm and allow them to play better and possibly at less risk of injury with the more consistent schedule. These are all professional athletes that are used to the punishment they take playing a physical sport, keep them that way.

By resting the starters we ruined a great chemistry and attitude in the team by losing by 40 points to an average Blazers team and the backups were humiliated. We could have rested nicely in the all star break with a great atmosphere after a 9-0 RRT.

Although I think Pop is a fantastic coach I don't agree with his tendency to rest key players in this fashion and feel he has made a mistake here.

[Yung D-Will]

:pimp:
As a Spurs fan I'm not happy with the decision and I disagree with it. For the past few years now, Pop has tried to limit playing time to prevent injuries to his star players, and yet, Manu and Parker have been consistently injured. I feel like resting players on back to backs does little in the grand scheme of things. On the contrary, I feel like consistency in playing time will help some players build a more comfortable rhythm and allow them to play better and possibly at less risk of injury with the more consistent schedule. These are all professional athletes that are used to the punishment they take playing a physical sport, keep them that way.

By resting the starters we ruined a great chemistry and attitude in the team by losing by 40 points to an average Blazers team and the backups were humiliated. We could have rested nicely in the all star break with a great atmosphere after a 9-0 RRT.

Although I think Pop is a fantastic coach I don't agree with his tendency to rest key players in this fashion and feel he has made a mistake here.

[Poodle]

As a Spurs fan I'm not happy with the decision and I disagree with it. For the past few years now, Pop has tried to limit playing time to prevent injuries to his star players, and yet, Manu and Parker have been consistently injured. I feel like resting players on back to backs does little in the grand scheme of things. On the contrary, I feel like consistency in playing time will help some players build a more comfortable rhythm and allow them to play better and possibly at less risk of injury with the more consistent schedule. These are all professional athletes that are used to the punishment they take playing a physical sport, keep them that way.

By resting the starters we ruined a great chemistry and attitude in the team by losing by 40 points to an average Blazers team and the backups were humiliated. We could have rested nicely in the all star break with a great atmosphere after a 9-0 RRT.

Although I think Pop is a fantastic coach I don't agree with his tendency to rest key players in this fashion and feel he has made a mistake here.


good-post

no-matter-how-people-want-to-justify-it..it-doesn't-make-much-practical-sense-other-than-being-paranoid/baby'ing-to-a-fault.

[TMT]

good-post

no-matter-how-people-want-to-justify-it..it-doesn't-make-much-practical-sense-other-than-being-paranoid/baby'ing-to-a-fault.

Let's be real here. The Spurs at this point are the most fragile NBA title contender. Will anyone disagree? We can have our big 3, but no Splitter? We don't win it. We can get wins in the regular season without Manu, but playoffs? No. We need everyone to be healthy, and obviously being at the top of the Western Conference and coming into a 7 game home stand we are in a great position to rest and be 100% healthy when the playoffs start.

Even with no Manu, Splitter out for a bit, and Tony and Tim rested that one game at Portland we still went 8-1 on the road trip. I was never really furious with Pop, I understand Timmy especially needs rest. And what's the point of having Tony out there with no Manu or Splitter either. Might as well give him some rest.

So, the whole ordeal did get out of hand. Obviously because the Spurs came out firing last night against Denver and it wasn't even a game most of the time.

[Droid101]

So, the whole ordeal did get out of hand. Obviously because the Spurs came out firing last night against Denver and it wasn't even a game most of the time.
They should have rested their starters for the Denver game. Denver is missing its best three players. That would have been an easy win for the Spurs scrubs and they could have swept their rodeo trip.

Oh well.

[SayTownRy]

tony and tim both played more than 37 minutes the night before the portland game. that's the whole point.

this is why they rested during the portland game instead of the denver game.

and i'm not sure that joseph, green, dawson, blair... line up gets it done even against that squad denver ran out last night. they looked good last night, but those guys play better when tim and tony are on the floor.

[Poodle]

Let's be real here. The Spurs at this point are the most fragile NBA title contender. Will anyone disagree? We can have our big 3, but no Splitter? We don't win it. We can get wins in the regular season without Manu, but playoffs? No. We need everyone to be healthy, and obviously being at the top of the Western Conference and coming into a 7 game home stand we are in a great position to rest and be 100% healthy when the playoffs start.

Even with no Manu, Splitter out for a bit, and Tony and Tim rested that one game at Portland we still went 8-1 on the road trip. I was never really furious with Pop, I understand Timmy especially needs rest. And what's the point of having Tony out there with no Manu or Splitter either. Might as well give him some rest.

So, the whole ordeal did get out of hand. Obviously because the Spurs came out firing last night against Denver and it wasn't even a game most of the time.

it-has-absolutely-no-relevance-on-being-healthy-for-the-post-season...other-than-a-freak-injury...thats-what-makes-absolutely-no-sense-to-me-more-than-anything-especially-when-Pop-tried-to-cite-that:facepalm ....to-think-games-before-the-allstar-break-and-1-game-off-before-a-5~day-NBA-allstarbreak-is-relevant-to-the-post-season-health-of-players-is-absurd...a-5day-layoff-should-cure-any-tiredness-players-have...if-it-were-post-allstar-break-then-it'd-make-some-sense....something-most-other-coaches-will-probably-do-3/4's-of-the-way-into-this-season...hell-sit-them-out-for-practices-if-you-have-to-but-to-just-throw-away-a-game-when-you're-on-a-winning-streak-with-momentum...just-ughh:facepalm ..he's-such-an-overcoacher...

and-Splitter-being-out-makes-it-worse-since-you'd-at-least-have-a-capable-big-still-in-the-lineup-if-you're-sitting-Duncan-out...Blair-is-undersized...and-Parker-has-been-on-fire-in-the-games-prior-to-it-as-well.

the-other-thing-is-Pop-has-sat-Parker/Duncan-earlier-this-year-due-to-the-2nd-unit-playing-well,even-whole-4th-qtrs-i-believe...i'd-love-to-see-what-Duncan/Parker-had-to-say-about-their-fatigue-prior-to-the-Portland-game-since-this-wouldn't-be-the-first-time-they've-wanted-to-play-but-Pop-keeping-them-out.