Spurs bow to Lakers at a t & t

[Reality]

Whatever aura the Spurs had at the ole SBC (120-25, something like that) is utterly gonzo this year.  Yeah yeah i know they just changed the sign out front, it's the same physical building.

Pop is being outdueled to everyone except his most ardent apologists.  Certainly he is owned by Phil.
Appears it will take a trade before the deadline or put a fork in the Spurs.  Yes they always rise up after the Rodeo Roadie, but this team is just looking old and if Tim is starting to park it and cannot get back in gear for playoffs, forget it.

Tim Duncan i can only hope is tired or has a nagging injury, because he looks whipped.
Stood there like a passive wuss as Kobme postered him twice.  Duncan saw it coming the whole way on #1, just cow towed.
Bob Horry looked the most energized in eons last night, totally hustling on D with a great blocked shot then nailed a trey, so Pop-A-Moron got him out of there after 11 total game minutes.  Vs his usual overplaying Horry 20+.

Tony Parker played great at times, only to brain fart a fast break after the Spurs had fought back from down 9 with a chance to go ahead by 3.  Turnover and end of what had been all Spurs and momentum.  It doesn't help that Parker gets no rest as Beno Undies is playing very nervously and poorly under the constant criticism of Pop. 

Eric Williams continues to crust on the bench so we can see more of 20 minutes a game Gramps Finley.

Bynum made Fabs look bad, nevermoreso then by sending a weak offering by Fabs to halfcourt with a swat.

It's not over, Frankie Elson will be back and the Spurs are 14-1 when he gets 20+.
However his height and length are a concern for Pops preferred small ball.

[westkoast]

I don't know if it was outdueled (it wasn't like they were making adjustments to each others moves)  as much as a poor showing by the players themselves at home.  From a defensive and turnover standpoint it left a bad taste in Spurs fans mouth I am sure.    I did not see intense defense until there was 3 minutes left in the 4th quarter and they were down.  That is not Spurs basketball at all.   I can't tell you the last time I seen SA get lobbed on multiple times.    Perfect example of poor Spurs defense was the two lobs to Kobe, V-Rad's dunk from the corner,  and the pass from Kobe to Brian Cook for a dunk.  That kind of defense is the kind the Lakers play...where everyone is just standing around except by the open player next to the rim or driving to the rim.  I was VERY suprised at the defense last night.  Again, that was not Spurs basketball. 

Parker went nuts in the first quarter but I wonder if his injury made the gas tank empty out faster then usual. 

And did Finley play 20 minutes last night?  I don't remember seeing him at all in the second half.

[msc]

Good road win for the Lakers, but the Spurs clearly didn't play well.  Actually, the big three had good games offensively, but they didn't get any support from their teammates.  Their D was weak, and too many turnovers.  I thought I was watching the Lakers ... well I was, but you know what I mean. 

Reality, IMO you put WAY to much emphasis on the coaches.  Players win and lose games, coaches don't.  Pop and Phil had nothing to do with the outcome of that game.  The Spurs were stinking it up in the third and most of the 4th, the Lakers weren't even playing that great, but still managed to build a lead.  The Spurs made a strong push to tie it up at the end of the fourth, but Kobe, Luke and Turiaf came up with three big shots in a row.  It ain't rocket science.  The players in Purple just made more plays down the stretch. 

Don't fret though Reality, Dallas and Phoenix are looking good and have plenty of room on their bandwagons 

[Reality]

I don't know if it was outdueled (it wasn't like they were making adjustments to each others moves)  as much as a poor showing by the players themselves at home.  From a defensive and turnover standpoint it left a bad taste in Spurs fans mouth I am sure.    I did not see intense defense until there was 3 minutes left in the 4th quarter and they were down.  That is not Spurs basketball at all.   I can't tell you the last time I seen SA get lobbed on multiple times.    Perfect example of poor Spurs defense was the two lobs to Kobe, V-Rad's dunk from the corner,  and the pass from Kobe to Brian Cook for a dunk.  That kind of defense is the kind the Lakers play...where everyone is just standing around except by the open player next to the rim or driving to the rim.  I was VERY suprised at the defense last night.  Again, that was not Spurs basketball. 

Parker went nuts in the first quarter but I wonder if his injury made the gas tank empty out faster then usual. 

And did Finley play 20 minutes last night?  I don't remember seeing him at all in the second half.

Finley averages 20 min for the year and it's the biggest joke amoung Real Spurs watchers.  Often Pop has him playing at the 4.  Yes the 4 in some small ball arrangement.
Duncan sorely needs another big and while Frankie Elson is injured, Jackie Butler was acquired in plenty of time to get in shape for the season.  He still is basically on the DNP list, no explaination being given.  Fabs is obviously undersized for C and against many PFs yet continues to get trotted out against those C and PFs.  The whole plan to have Fabs be a 10-15 minute role relief player has turning into Poppycock trying to make him a starting NBA Center.
Meanwhile the cheapskate Spurs will not sign Luis Scola as an athletic offensive 3 (d sucks), but instead this 2002 draft pic continues to go to waste.  Zip, nada nothing, he sits in Euroball as they cannot work out a deal on his buyout.  Not that Scola is the answer, but stop trotting Findawg out at the 3 and 4 for half a game.

[Reality]

Good road win for the Lakers, but the Spurs clearly didn't play well.  Actually, the big three had good games offensively, but they didn't get any support from their teammates.  Their D was weak, and too many turnovers.  I thought I was watching the Lakers ... well I was, but you know what I mean. 

Reality, IMO you put WAY to much emphasis on the coaches.  Players win and lose games, coaches don't.  Pop and Phil had nothing to do with the outcome of that game.  The Spurs were stinking it up in the third and most of the 4th, the Lakers weren't even playing that great, but still managed to build a lead.  The Spurs made a strong push to tie it up at the end of the fourth, but Kobe, Luke and Turiaf came up with three big shots in a row.  It ain't rocket science.  The players in Purple just made more plays down the stretch. 

Don't fret though Reality, Dallas and Phoenix are looking good and have plenty of room on their bandwagons 

  Yeah you think the Lakers would be the same with Del Harris for the two titles and bench coach who was temp head coach Frank Hamblin?, just continue him as head coach instead of bringing Phil and Kobme back together for last year and this.  Get a clue!

As to your switching to Dallas or Phx, you should stick with Phil Lakers.  Kream and Tex Winters are going to continue to work with Bynum and Kwame is looking tons better.
Myself, since my beliefs allow me to not be bound by a "one team for life" adherence, I just don't like Novitski or Jett.  AJ is coaching circles around Pop and the front office has owned SA wth the last two years moves but i still would not want to back Dallas.  Phx is too swishy for me but it is good to see AStoudamire back.

I would have considered Houston after acquiring Yao but i knew Van Gundy would ruin that.  In spite or your thinking that coaches do not matter.

[westkoast]

I don't want to throw fire on this debate but you do know AJ is 50% Don Nelson and 50% Greg Popavich?  The reason Dallas has improved since he took over is he wanted them to do a better job on defense.  His defensive mind came from Pop.

MSC is not saying coaches do not matter.  They certainly do.  Just not in every single instance.  Not when a player can't jump on a punt but instead decides to runinstead  and not when you keep telling your team to play defense yet they give Brian Cook an open dunk.

Last night there was no adjustments being made to counter the other, this was not a playoff series.  They stuck to their game plans and one team executed while the other did not.  You can scream, yell, and kick your players but in game decisions still fall on their shoulders.

[Lurker]

To all Laker fans....good win.  And maybe now you see what has me concerned.  The Spurs seem to have emulated the 2001/02 Lakers...flipping a switch on & off as it suits them.  And often within the same game if not half.  This team for all of its talent seems disinterested in the regular season.  IMO this will haunt them in the playoffs.  A tied game with 2-3 minutes left has been almost an automatic win for the Spurs the past few seasons...especially on their home court.  This year just feels different.

Reality...
1) Scola wanted a multi-year deal that took the entire midlevel exemption amount.  NBA teams are limited to something like $300,000 towards buyouts.  Euro team wanted almost $5 mil.  BTW Scola could NOT play small forward...he is a PF.

2) Finley is STILL a better defender (both man-to-man and team) than any other bench player on the Spurs including your beloved Barry.  As far as minutes go...Barry & Finley EACH average 20 minutes (actually 20.9) per game.  Hard to see the favoritism that you see.

3) Pop is considered one of the top 3-5 coaches in the NBA by GMs, other coaches, players, NBA commentators and the like.  Even the talking heads last night commented on how Pop was one of the best at drawing up plays after timeouts...and how the players were missing wide open shots.  Tough to blame 10-12 foot bricks on the coach.

4) Jackie Butler is still raw and is finding it difficult to find floor time even with Elson & Bonner hurt.  The scoop I have heard is that he is having problems with defensive rotations.  Bonner was the real surprise this season slowly taking Horry's minutes until he was injured. 

[westkoast]

To all Laker fans....good win.  And maybe now you see what has me concerned.  The Spurs seem to have emulated the 2001/02 Lakers...flipping a switch on & off as it suits them.  And often within the same game if not half.  This team for all of its talent seems disinterested in the regular season.  IMO this will haunt them in the playoffs.  A tied game with 2-3 minutes left has been almost an automatic win for the Spurs the past few seasons...especially on their home court.  This year just feels different.

Reality...
1) Scola wanted a multi-year deal that took the entire midlevel exemption amount.  NBA teams are limited to something like $300,000 towards buyouts.  Euro team wanted almost $5 mil.  BTW Scola could NOT play small forward...he is a PF.

2) Finley is STILL a better defender (both man-to-man and team) than any other bench player on the Spurs including your beloved Barry.  As far as minutes go...Barry & Finley EACH average 20 minutes (actually 20.9) per game.  Hard to see the favoritism that you see.

3) Pop is considered one of the top 3-5 coaches in the NBA by GMs, other coaches, players, NBA commentators and the like.  Even the talking heads last night commented on how Pop was one of the best at drawing up plays after timeouts...and how the players were missing wide open shots.  Tough to blame 10-12 foot bricks on the coach.

4) Jackie Butler is still raw and is finding it difficult to find floor time even with Elson & Bonner hurt.  The scoop I have heard is that he is having problems with defensive rotations.  Bonner was the real surprise this season slowly taking Horry's minutes until he was injured. 

Thanks for the props.  Of course we are very happy we were able to beat one of the best teams in the league on their floor.  Now if only we could beat teams that are not even half as good as the Spurs on their own courts!

The turning on/off of the switch is exactly what happend last night.  They decided to flip the switch with 3 minutes left and heck, it almost worked but almost doesn't count in the w/l column.  They really did seem uninterested last night.  This is the problem I have with the Lakers, is at times, when they are playing a team they know they are better then they think that alone gets them a win.  SA is a better team then the Lakers and I think they thought they should just get a W based on that.  Personally I was very suprised at the lack of intensity and the lack of defense.  I can't remember seeing SA play like that in years.  At least not when they play the Lakers or the Clippers.  You are allowed to have off nights but it seemed like they called in sick.

I don't know about on your local station but on KCAL9 I could hear Pop yelling at his team.  How are SILLY turnovers by both PGs directly Pop's fault?  It was actually the points off turn overs that kept the Lakers in the game.  They were able to get easier buckets off turnovers before the SA defense could get set.

You can tell a grown man how to do something but it is job, as a grown man, to make the decision.  I doubt Pop told them not to play defense like they normally do and to make ill advised passes.

[Reality]

lurker 1) Scola wanted a multi-year deal that took the entire midlevel exemption amount.  NBA teams are limited to something like $300,000 towards buyouts.  Euro team wanted almost $5 mil.  BTW Scola could NOT play small forward...he is a PF.

Yes i know those are the schematics.  Its actually 500k towards buyout now.  He would have to pay the rest out of his own salary.  The buyout is currently at 3.5 million.
Easily done by todays inflated NBA salarys.  Banks are for loans.

2) Finley is STILL a better defender (both man-to-man and team) than any other bench player on the Spurs including your beloved Barry.  As far as minutes go...Barry & Finley EACH average 20 minutes (actually 20.9) per game.  Hard to see the favoritism that you see 

  Yes you've made it clear if Barry shot 100% and Finley continuted at 35% it would be so much better to play finley because his stellar imaginary defense.  Whatever.  Horry is defending much much better.  O'd rather see Scola be given a shot.

  3) Pop is considered one of the top 3-5 coaches in the NBA by GMs, other coaches, players, NBA commentators and the like.  Even the talking heads last night commented on how Pop was one of the best at drawing up plays after timeouts...and how the players were missing wide open shots.  Tough to blame 10-12 foot bricks on the coach.

Yes I heard Hubie.  That was after another Fin brick.   Naw that is old Pop.  The accolades are fading after last year and this.  It seems he is babying Duncan while riding other arse (Beno) and its starting to show.  I'm still hopeful for the combo of Frankie Elson return and trade deadline deal. 

4) Jackie Butler is still raw and is finding it difficult to find floor time even with Elson & Bonner hurt.  The scoop I have heard is that he is having problems with defensive rotations.  Bonner was the real surprise this season slowly taking Horry's minutes until he was injured.   

  Failure to rotate.  Same complaints made about Nazr in the 2005 Champ run and Elson as they went 14-1 this year when he gets 20+ minutes.  Who gives a rats in the big picture.  Better to have cutesy wooters Proper Queens English Lord Popavitch Rotations and get your arse run in a loss or have a few missed rotas in some winning TallBall?

[Lurker]

lurker 1) Scola wanted a multi-year deal that took the entire midlevel exemption amount.  NBA teams are limited to something like $300,000 towards buyouts.  Euro team wanted almost $5 mil.  BTW Scola could NOT play small forward...he is a PF.

Yes i know those are the schematics.  Its actually 500k towards buyout now.  He would have to pay the rest out of his own salary.  The buyout is currently at 3.5 million.
Easily done by todays inflated NBA salarys.  Banks are for loans.

And would you be willing to pay over half of your salary for a buyout?  THE TEAM CANNOT PAY FOR THE BUYOUT.  THE PLAYER MUST PAY IT!  THE SPURS DID NOT WANT TO PAY SCOLA $4+ MIL (so he would have enough to pay for the buyout).  I fail to see how even you cannot understand this.

2) Finley is STILL a better defender (both man-to-man and team) than any other bench player on the Spurs including your beloved Barry.  As far as minutes go...Barry & Finley EACH average 20 minutes (actually 20.9) per game.  Hard to see the favoritism that you see 

  Yes you've made it clear if Barry shot 100% and Finley continuted at 35% it would be so much better to play finley because his stellar imaginary defense.  Whatever.  Horry is defending much much better.  O'd rather see Scola be given a shot. 

Scola is in Europe...therefore impossible to "give him a shot".  As for your what-if:  Anyone except a bandwagon jumper would know that you don't win titles by outscoring the opponent.  DEFENSE WINS TITLES.  DEFENSE EARNS FLOOR TIME UNDER THE CURRENT SPURS SYSTEM.  Again go back and look at stats...since mid-December Finley has been shooting better than Barry. 

  3) Pop is considered one of the top 3-5 coaches in the NBA by GMs, other coaches, players, NBA commentators and the like.  Even the talking heads last night commented on how Pop was one of the best at drawing up plays after timeouts...and how the players were missing wide open shots.  Tough to blame 10-12 foot bricks on the coach.

Yes I heard Hubie.  That was after another Fin brick.   Naw that is old Pop.  The accolades are fading after last year and this.  It seems he is babying Duncan while riding other arse (Beno) and its starting to show.  I'm still hopeful for the combo of Frankie Elson return and trade deadline deal. 

Accolades are only fading from bandwagon jumping fans and/or those not knowledgable about NBA coaching.  He is "riding" Beno because there is not another  PG on the team that can run it.  Pop has tried Vaughn and keeps going back to Beno.  Maybe Duncan should run the point.  As far as "babying" Duncan...Pop has done that for years.  It makes more sense to have Duncan available at full strength in April-June than worry about a victory or two in Dec-Jan.

4) Jackie Butler is still raw and is finding it difficult to find floor time even with Elson & Bonner hurt.  The scoop I have heard is that he is having problems with defensive rotations.  Bonner was the real surprise this season slowly taking Horry's minutes until he was injured.   

  Failure to rotate.  Same complaints made about Nazr in the 2005 Champ run and Elson as they went 14-1 this year when he gets 20+ minutes.  Who gives a rats in the big picture.  Better to have cutesy wooters Proper Queens English Lord Popavitch Rotations and get your arse run in a loss or have a few missed rotas in some winning TallBall?

Sooo much nonsense that I couldn't even decipher what you meant.  Same complaints about Nazr...AND IF YOU NOTICE HE IS GONE!  And has had a hard time winning a starting role on a team with NO OTHER CENTER!  And not sure what Elson has to do with Nazr...only link is that Elson was acquired to replace Nazr.

And if you have a few missed rotations then you end up with Cook dunking.  Or V-Rad driving baseline.  Or Farmar being left open for an uncontested 3.  Not stopping the other team very seldom results in wins whether playing smallball or not.

[JoMal]

I saw the end of this game. What most impressed was the overall clutch shooting exhibited by the Lakers to take and keep the lead. Nothing like making shots. The Lakers show how to do that and look confident in the process.

[westkoast]

I still don't get why certain people, not even just Reality but other people I speak bball with, don't get that defense is the key to winning championships.  Honestly Dallas and PHX have really fooled people over the last few years.  Not sure how when they have both yet to win a title.

In fact of all the championship teams over the last 7-8 years have all been some of the better or thee best defensive squads in the league.   Spurs?  All their championships came from defense.

I wish there were stats to track this but I would like to know how many games are decided by big defensive plays versus a person hitting a game winning shot.  The last 3 Laker victorys, over pretty good teams, have all came because of defensive stops.  I think we've had maybe 4-5 buzzer beater victories this season.  How many stops resulted in a team winning this year? I guarentee it is more then 4 or 5.

[msc]

Good road win for the Lakers, but the Spurs clearly didn't play well.  Actually, the big three had good games offensively, but they didn't get any support from their teammates.  Their D was weak, and too many turnovers.  I thought I was watching the Lakers ... well I was, but you know what I mean. 

Reality, IMO you put WAY to much emphasis on the coaches.  Players win and lose games, coaches don't.  Pop and Phil had nothing to do with the outcome of that game.  The Spurs were stinking it up in the third and most of the 4th, the Lakers weren't even playing that great, but still managed to build a lead.  The Spurs made a strong push to tie it up at the end of the fourth, but Kobe, Luke and Turiaf came up with three big shots in a row.  It ain't rocket science.  The players in Purple just made more plays down the stretch. 

Don't fret though Reality, Dallas and Phoenix are looking good and have plenty of room on their bandwagons 

  Yeah you think the Lakers would be the same with Del Harris for the two titles and bench coach who was temp head coach Frank Hamblin?, just continue him as head coach instead of bringing Phil and Kobme back together for last year and this.  Get a clue!

As to your switching to Dallas or Phx, you should stick with Phil Lakers.  Kream and Tex Winters are going to continue to work with Bynum and Kwame is looking tons better.
Myself, since my beliefs allow me to not be bound by a "one team for life" adherence, I just don't like Novitski or Jett.  AJ is coaching circles around Pop and the front office has owned SA wth the last two years moves but i still would not want to back Dallas.  Phx is too swishy for me but it is good to see AStoudamire back.

I would have considered Houston after acquiring Yao but i knew Van Gundy would ruin that.  In spite or your thinking that coaches do not matter.

Reality, I knew you'd conclude that I'm saying coaches don't matter.  Obviously they do and I assumed it was a given that pretty much everyone understood that.  However, IMO, a coach builds a foundation and a system over time.  Phil and Pop are two current examples of excellent coaches with good systems that the players buy in to.  Coaching is not just calling plays and substitution pattens, it's a vast, comprehensive process that includes teaching, and developing players in practice and outside of game time 90% of the time. 

Coaches are important, but come game time players have to execute or no one will have success.  Last night wasn't about Phil or Pop.  Pop has taught these guys how to play D, they just didn't execute last night for whatever reason.  The NBA season is 82 games long, there are going to be plenty of nights where the shots don't fall, or the team just doesn't click ... that has little or nothing to do with Pop. 

Pop's system has proven effective time and time again.  The team wins a heck of a lot more than they lose and they've won 3 championships.  If you are able to win three championships at this level you are nothing short of a great coach. 

[Lurker]

Taken from this site: http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA011907.01D.BKNspurs.hornets.19020a4.html

Excerpts (my highlighting)....

"We're not playing very well right now," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, stating the obvious. "We're playing in spurts. You guys can say, 'Why is that?' Well, I don't know. If I knew, we'd be winning every game.

The Spurs' defense looked formidable in the final six minutes of Wednesday's 100-96 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, forcing eight turnovers to erase a 10-point deficit, but was equally spotty for the rest of the evening.

"We didn't play with that ferocity the first three quarters," Popovich said. "We have to figure out how to do that."

As they have for much of the past six weeks, the Spurs lacked an edge to their game Wednesday. They continue to drift for stretches while trying to force the action during others.

To improve, Ginobili said, the Spurs must regain their focus and play with a greater sense of urgency.

[Reality]

And would you be willing to pay over half of your salary for a buyout?  THE TEAM CANNOT PAY FOR THE BUYOUT.  THE PLAYER MUST PAY IT!  THE SPURS DID NOT WANT TO PAY SCOLA $4+ MIL (so he would have enough to pay for the buyout).  I fail to see how even you cannot understand this.

The buyout is only 3.5, not 4 million.  Plus since the Spurs can pay 500k of that, it's down to 3 mill that Scola has to raise.
Scola does not have to earn the entire 3 million in one day.  If he signed a two or three year contract at only 2 million per he could get a loan for the buyout, pay it back to Bank of San Antonio or Banco Agentino with interest as he goes.  Do you get it?
Gee now where would the Spurs get that money?  Take your pick from all the bench salary now, including your most beloved.

Scola is in Europe...therefore impossible to "give him a shot".  As for your what-if:  Anyone except a bandwagon jumper would know that you don't win titles by outscoring the opponent.  DEFENSE WINS TITLES.  DEFENSE EARNS FLOOR TIME UNDER THE CURRENT SPURS SYSTEM.  Again go back and look at stats...since mid-December Finley has been shooting better than Barry. 

Defense and offense combined wins championships.  Who besides you sees Finley as a stellar defender?  You asked me to provide one person who said he is sucking.  I gave you several.  Touche.

Finley had a few very good games in mid Dec that he counteracted with clunkers the rest of Dec.  Start of Jan Fins was much better with the leather ball. 

Update:
Last 5 games that is all gonzo as El Bricko is 10-30 on 3-14 treys. 
Last 5 for Barry:  14-29 but 9 of those are treys. 

Barry 29 shots = 37 points.
Findo 30 shots = 23 points.   
 

Accolades are only fading from bandwagon jumping fans and/or those not knowledgable about NBA coaching.  He is "riding" Beno because there is not another  PG on the team that can run it.  Pop has tried Vaughn and keeps going back to Beno.  Maybe Duncan should run the point.  As far as "babying" Duncan...Pop has done that for years.  It makes more sense to have Duncan available at full strength in April-June than worry about a victory or two in Dec-Jan. 

Not another point who can run the team?  Sorry, Barry has done it fatastically when filled in, including starting.  Why acquire Vaughn if he sucks so much?
Why bring in Nick Van Excell and keep Beno (stopping Benos progress) at the same time?  Its a screw up plain and simple and your El Poppy is calling the shots.
What does Babying Duncan have to do with having him at full strength in playoffs?  Playing less minutes is not what i am talking about babying.
Kobe came in for the slam and Duncan saw him coming a mile away.  He asked Kobe to please not get too much sweat on his blouse as he slammed on his face as he wanted it fresh smelling for his outing with Finley after the game.  Play hard or get off the court.  Duncan playing soft and whining to the refs very often this season.  Something numerous Real fans are noticing, not you and your crowd.  Which by the way, since you spout about "knowledgeable NBA fans" who do you watch/rap games with in San Antone?

4) Jackie Butler is still raw and is finding it difficult to find floor time even with Elson & Bonner hurt.  The scoop I have heard is that he is having problems with defensive rotations.  Bonner was the real surprise this season slowly taking Horry's minutes until he was injured.   

  Failure to rotate.  Same complaints made about Nazr in the 2005 Champ run and Elson as they went 14-1 this year when he gets 20+ minutes.  Who gives a rats in the big picture.  Better to have cutesy wooters Proper Queens English Lord Popavitch Rotations and get your arse run in a loss or have a few missed rotas in some winning TallBall?

Sooo much nonsense that I couldn't even decipher what you meant.  Same complaints about Nazr...AND IF YOU NOTICE HE IS GONE!  And has had a hard time winning a starting role on a team with NO OTHER CENTER!  And not sure what Elson has to do with Nazr...only link is that Elson was acquired to replace Nazr.

Did you notice the Spurs won the title with an out of position Nazr?  Did you notice the Pistons were 18-8 with a 25 minute Nazr?  Did you notice the Pistons have dropped 4 of 5 since they demoted him to less then 10 minutes per game Nazr?  Did you noticie in your rant about DEFENSE DEFENSE that the Spurs were/are much better on DEFENSE with another Tall back on D combined with Duncan, as in Nazr/Rash and now Elson?