Suns vs Spurs: No Parker at the end of the 4th. WTF?

[WayOutWest]

Is Tony hurt?  I caught the last 5 minutes of the game and noticed TP on the bench with Hill in at PG.  What gives?

[westkoast]

Is Tony hurt?  I caught the last 5 minutes of the game and noticed TP on the bench with Hill in at PG.  What gives?

Reality was coaching.  Remember that one time Hill had that good game?  Pop needed to play him more and finally Reality had to step in. 

Really though I just assumed his injury flared up and he couldn't be out there.  He was shooting well and getting the ball to the right spot.

[Joe Vancil]

Reality won't be commenting on this.  After all, Jefferson had a good game.

[Reality]

I only comment to those two skirts when I'm in the mood or trying to help them with their Krishna captivity.
Altho it is funny that the Spurs beat Phx in pure Laker fashion, being gifted two plays down the stretch to **gain** the **win**
Jason Richardson misses an uncontested dunk with under a minute to play.  Then with a chance for a game winning shot with one second left, Nash passes the ball and the clock runs out.     Rrrrrraaaaauuugh go Spurs!
Wonder if the game was fixed, Laker style??

As to Dick Jefferson, read on.   Why it would take 4 months to figure this out is pure fertilizer.
Gregg Popovich had a chat with Richard Jefferson before the Spurs played the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night at the AT&T Center.

What Popovich said was music to Jefferson's ears: For the time being, at least, his playing time would come strictly at the small forward position.

Jefferson's response was just what Popovich wanted: More aggression, especially going after missed shots. Jefferson grabbed nine rebounds, two shy of his season high.

?I thought he was very aggressive in just about everything he did,? Popovich said. ?That's what we want him to do all the time, because when you're aggressive like that, and when he goes to the boards, it makes us a better team.?

Aggression on the boards was one reason Jefferson played the entire fourth quarter. He was Popovich's starting power forward in Sunday's loss at Detroit, his only start in the past four games, but admits he feels more comfortable at small forward.

?Pop and I had a quick conversation,? Jefferson said. ?He said he wanted to play me more back at the three. It's a little difficult out there at times learning the three and running the four a lot, which I have done quite a bit.

?I think I'm a little more comfortable at the three spot, and tonight I wanted to be aggressive out there. It's a little bit easier to see the seams and where the drives are going to come from.?

[westkoast]

Ahh RealGenius can learn a whole new basketball system in less than 4 months!  Poor Dick Jefferstoned.  If only he juiced more.  Reality we know that you didn't want to respond but felt forced once JV called you out lol

Curious to watch how Richard Jefferson being apart of that second unit plays out.  With Finley gone I don't know how that will work but that is what they were talking the other night.  Manu/Jefferson/Blair as the second unit.

Random Spurs Stat:  Spurs are 6-0 when Richard Jefferson scores 20 or more points.

[Reality]

Reality we know that you didn't want to respond but felt forced once JV called you out lol

sometimes you make my day!

[westkoast]

Reality we know that you didn't want to respond but felt forced once JV called you out lol

sometimes you make my day!

I am glad I made your day by not making you feel like a homosexual for having saved pictures of Jamie Kennedy, Kobe Bryant, and Pau Gasol on your computer.  Now when you tell your wife 'I only have pictures of men on my PC strictly to post up for a guy I know only through the internet as 'westkoast' it won't be a lie 

[Reality]

Reality won't be commenting on this.  After all, Jefferson had a good game.

A good game in less minutes too.
A good game.  As if that counteracts the previous 45 stinkers. 

Joe hasn't (and won't be?) commenting on these:
Reality: 

Besides seeing him with my own eyes, looking at the stats in the many Spurs games Jefferson has gotten his career ave of 35 mpg + it has not improved his production at all.

Rebounds?  Cheesy
For qualifying forwards (and if anyone can tell us where NBA.com states what is "qualifying" but I'm assuming it's something like 25 min per game)....
Amoung 76 qualifying forwards, Dick Jeffersons 5.6 boards per 48 is
73rd of 76

Amoung all forwards irregardless of minutes played, Dick is
154th of 169

http://www.nba.com/statistics/player...ager.offset=50

  http://forums.phillyarena.com/index.php?topic=5695.45


2.  After you posted: 

Well OBVIOUSLY the fact that they started Finley is the problem.  Couldn't possibly be because 1 of the "big 3" of San An is out, and another one isn't starting.

I replied
Reality

By the way Vancil, look at the injury report for Portland.  Compare what Nate McMillian has done with what Popavich has NOT done.
And New Orleans.
Even the Lakers, altho they were missing their #2 player Kome recently.
Probably other teams too this season, I'm just putting some fellow West Conf teams down.

[Joe Vancil]

Reality won't be commenting on this.  After all, Jefferson had a good game.

A good game in less minutes too.
A good game.  As if that counteracts the previous 45 stinkers. 

Joe hasn't (and won't be?) commenting on these:
Reality: 

Besides seeing him with my own eyes, looking at the stats in the many Spurs games Jefferson has gotten his career ave of 35 mpg + it has not improved his production at all.

Rebounds?  Cheesy
For qualifying forwards (and if anyone can tell us where NBA.com states what is "qualifying" but I'm assuming it's something like 25 min per game)....
Amoung 76 qualifying forwards, Dick Jeffersons 5.6 boards per 48 is
73rd of 76

Amoung all forwards irregardless of minutes played, Dick is
154th of 169

http://www.nba.com/statistics/player...ager.offset=50

  http://forums.phillyarena.com/index.php?topic=5695.45


2.  After you posted: 

Well OBVIOUSLY the fact that they started Finley is the problem.  Couldn't possibly be because 1 of the "big 3" of San An is out, and another one isn't starting.

I replied
Reality

By the way Vancil, look at the injury report for Portland.  Compare what Nate McMillian has done with what Popavich has NOT done.
And New Orleans.
Even the Lakers, altho they were missing their #2 player Kome recently.
Probably other teams too this season, I'm just putting some fellow West Conf teams down.

If you're saying that I'm not commenting that Popovich isn't as good of a coach as most people seem to think - AGAIN - fine, here it is.

If you're waiting for me to say that I agree with the way, Popovich runs the team, keep waiting.  But just as you didn't mention anything about the fact that San Antonio's FOCAL PLAYER (a strategy which I have vocally disagreee with ad nauseum), I don't feel there's a big comparison in losing Oden/Przybilla vs. losing Parker.  Nor do I feel the need to talk about how well NON-PLAYOFF teams are doing.  And if Kobe is number 2 on the Lakers, as you continue to ridiculously insist, then the Lakers situation wouldn't qualify either.

As for Jefferson not rebounding well, that doesn't surprise me.  You've reduced his role, reduced his touches, reduced his minutes...if this is Popovich's way of motivating a player, then I'm not surprised by the results he's getting.  In fact, I think *YOU* are ridiculous for expecting him to be doing well in such a situation.  It's not just a "he sucks" question.  Then again, a person who doesn't understand Kobe Bryant's mentality isn't going to understand such a thing, anyway, and that kind of drains *ALL* the life out of this discussion, don't you think?

And just in case you're paying the kind of attention you generally pay instead of CLOSE attention, I said doesn't *UNDERSTAND* Bryant's mentality - not doesn't *AGREE* with it.

[Reality]

As for Jefferson not rebounding well, that doesn't surprise me.  You've reduced his role, reduced his touches, reduced his minutes..

You're seriously still trying to sell Dick Jeffersons per minute rebound stats as a result of *only* getting 32 min per game.
 

I don't feel there's a big comparison in losing Oden/Przybilla vs. losing Parker.

zig, could you provide a list of the Blazers that have been out?
Joe, please play close attention and do not try to change the subject with some silly Bryant garble.

Now compare Parker being out for who REALLY has been out for Portland. 

[Joe Vancil]

As for Jefferson not rebounding well, that doesn't surprise me.  You've reduced his role, reduced his touches, reduced his minutes..

You're seriously still trying to sell Dick Jeffersons per minute rebound stats as a result of *only* getting 32 min per game.
 

I don't feel there's a big comparison in losing Oden/Przybilla vs. losing Parker.

zig, could you provide a list of the Blazers that have been out?
Joe, please play close attention and do not try to change the subject with some silly Bryant garble.

Now compare Parker being out for who REALLY has been out for Portland. 

Let's read that quote again...

You've reduced his role, reduced his touches, reduced his minutes....

If you're going to reduce EVERYTHING, he's not going to be as motivated.  It's not *JUST* a minute question, and given that you're using reb/min, it's not at *ALL* a minutes question, except, of course, that it's just one MORE thing that is piled on to the situation.

Apparently, you've never seen the effect of a player having minutes, touches, and role all simultaneously reduced.  It's rarely positive.

(Note to self:  next time you're trying to make a point to Reality, make sure not to use multiple examples, unless you're willing for him to pick only one of them and focus 100% of his energy on that rather than on the underlying point.)

[Reality]

No actually Jeffersons per minute rebounding averages have consistently sucked the last 3 years with 3 different teams.  There has been NO signifigant change before/after the Spurs.

min per game/boards
39 / 4.1 Jersey
36 / 4.6 Milwaukee
31 / 3.9 Spurs

If you back up to Jersey of 2004-5 and 2005-6 his boards were UP, like 75%.  Why the huge difference those two seasons with the Nets i do not know.
41 / 7.3
39 / 6.8

Why an old schooler like you would give him a pass on his boards, even with our agreement that Popavich has misused him, that's still a copout.  Rebounding in large part about position and effort.  Making 14 mil a year and failing to go after boards from the forward spot small or power has no legit excuses.  You can color that "lack of motivation" aka selfish pouting in this case.

[Reality]

(Note to self:  next time you're trying to make a point to Reality, make sure not to use multiple examples, unless you're willing for him to pick only one of them and focus 100% of his energy on that rather than on the underlying point.)

self,
Make sure to (continue to) ignore these facts and focus on just Oden-Pryz being out thus equalling, no you claim advantage Blazers with San Antone having Parker being out:

Blazer players had missed 204 games as of Jan 22nd.  Not sure what the body count has increased to since.
Here are just a few.
15 Brandon Roy .
45 Nicolas Batum

Yet you compare this to Popavich and Jefferson having merely Parker out.
Another factoid:  Portland swept the season series vs the Spurs 3-0. 

[Reality]

Update:
After Sunday's game, the Blazers' players games missed due to injuries stands at 280.

Brian T. Smith
Sports Writer
The Columbian

zig do you ever have lunch with him?

[Joe Vancil]

Brandon Roy out 15 impresses me.  Parker's missed 14.  And San An is just barely ahead in the standings.

Batum being out doesn't mean a thing.  He's pretty much one of those replaceable parts that you so typically over-value.  I'd rather have Webster out there in the first place.  He's the starter, after all.  And after all, Bonner has missed at least 17.

As for the aforementioned pathetic rebounding by Jefferson (averaging a paltry .136 per minute), I'm wondering why you give a pass to other pathetic rebounding small forwards - say, for instance - Bruce Bowen.  After all, Bowen never averaged as much as .136 since he went to the Spurs; his "best" was .116 in 2005-06.  In the Spurs championship years, he was at .093, .108 and .091.  That's *FAR* worse of a job than Jefferson has done this year.  And after all, he's a forward....