All we really need is a center, and I think we can compete

Inconspicuous · Post #1 » by **Inconspicuous** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 10:06 pm

I think we got our Shawn Marion in the draft, Earl Clark will likely fill Marion's role of defending the other team's best perimeter player/letting Nash feed him buckets on offense/rebound. I think our starting lineup is still very potent, and our bench is arguably the best we've had in a long time.

All we really need is a ground and pound center. A guy like Kendrick Perkins (no chance of getting him though), a guy like Tyson Chandler ( :evil:

). Yes, Nash is aging and Dragic isn't proven, but I think with a year under his belt and Gentry's confidence in him, he will become a good backup PG.

Defensively we don't need to be anything special, it just needs to be solid and I think we can become a solid defensive team with a good defensive center in the middle.

Sun Scorched · Post #2 » by **Sun Scorched** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 10:41 pm

Our greatest defense always was simply running the other team into the ground.

Those that weren't coached by Popavich would get flustered, make poor decisions and start chucking up shots in order to get back into the game with us. They would get tired before we would.

It was mental too. Think about those possessions where we made the other team grind it out for the entire shot clock to earn a hard two... just to inbound, pass, and score in less than 7. It's defeating mentally.

If Gentry can get our guys back into that shape conditioning wise... we have a good shot. Hell, I would argue that Gentry might run SSOL better than D'antoni.... he plays his bench.

And Inconspicuous... I have to ask... where did you get that avatar?

Post #3 » by **Qwigglez** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 2:34 am

Sun Scorched wrote:Our greatest defense always was simply running the other team into the ground.

Those that weren't coached by Popavich would get flustered, make poor decisions and start chucking up shots in order to get back into the game with us. They would get tired before we would.

It was mental too. Think about those possessions where we made the other team grind it out for the entire shot clock to earn a hard two... just to inbound, pass, and score in less than 7. It's defeating mentally.

If Gentry can get our guys back into that shape conditioning wise... we have a good shot. Hell, I would argue that Gentry might run SSOL better than D'antoni.... he plays his bench.

And Inconspicuous... I have to ask... where did you get that avatar?

+1
If only the Spurs played in the Eastern Conference we'd probably still have a team that consist of Nash, Joe Johnson, Marion, Amare, Barbosa.

DirtyDez · Post #4 » by **DirtyDez** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 2:40 am

Our 'center' is Channing Frye, i know it hurts to hear but true. We all know regardless of what Amare says he doesn't want to play the 5. Frye is about an inch taller with a longer reach plus he's better than Robin Lopez right now and can shoot and spread the floor for Amare. More importantly Nash likes him

Post #5 » by **lilfishi22** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 3:42 am

Sun Scorched wrote:Our greatest defense always was simply running the other team into the ground.

Those that weren't coached by Popavich would get flustered, make poor decisions and start chucking up shots in order to get back into the game with us. They would get tired before we would.

It was mental too. Think about those possessions where we made the other team grind it out for the entire shot clock to earn a hard two... just to inbound, pass, and score in less than 7. It's defeating mentally.

If Gentry can get our guys back into that shape conditioning wise... we have a good shot. Hell, I would argue that Gentry might run SSOL better than D'antoni.... he plays his bench.

And Inconspicuous... I have to ask... where did you get that avatar?

+1

Offensively I think D'Antoni still runs the better SSOL, but since Gentry plays his bench our vets won't get run into the ground like D'Antoni did with his SSOL squad.

Amare is a passable center when we play SSOL but ideally we should get a proper C so Amare can dominate again at the PF.

Frank Lee · Post #6 » by **Frank Lee** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 4:32 am

We will be playing a 3 forward line up whenever sLopez is on the bench. Frye is comfortable and will be on the perimeter, leaving Stat plentyO room in the paint. I'd look for Stat to guard whichever C or PF that is less of an offensive threat. Keep him out of foul trouble is the name of the game. No reason why SunZoo won't drop 25 a night if he can stay in the game.

and this, ladies and gentlemen, should be the intro for every home game....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lZSbcBdYy4&feature=related

somebody pass it along to our PA boys....

xcascadex · Post #7 » by **xcascadex** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 4:47 am

I'm certain that Kerr will wait to see how the season plays out with Frye/Lopez sharing the center position.. If they're able to do the minimum of rebounding and defending (mostly the PnR defense that Shaq refused to do), that should be enough and we wouldn't need to sign another player as a center.. Dragic is certainly fine as a good Nash backup after the way he played during end of last season and the Summer games..

I think this is basically the Roster we will have when we start the season.. Unless Kerr pulls out a miracle and trades Pav plus maybe Tucker for a decent center (but we'll have to wait one more week to find that out)..

Nevertheless, I'm certain Amar'e will play much better this season because he'll have so much more space to operate and not get doubled as easily when Shaq was clogging the center.. I feel pretty optimistic about this season because we won't have a fat and arrogant prick in the center demanding the ball constantly on offense and refusing to play any kind of help defense.. The fool gets paid like 21 million and doesn't move his feet on defense, what a joke but I"m glad he's gone..

Anyway I'm sure we'll have a much better season this year compared to last year and we'll probably win at least 50+..

Inconspicuous · Post #8 » by **Inconspicuous** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 9:41 am

i dont think frye/lopez can keep the center position on lock. frye simply is NOT a center and lopez doesn't know what he's doing. i'd like to flip j-rich for camby/thornton from the clippers but thats like a 1% chance of that happening. hell even samuel dalembert would be a decent center for us. he's got probably the lowest bball iq in the league but with nash feeding him dunks all day he'd manage to give us a double double on a nightly basis.

i don't see how we can't be a top 5 team in the West if we're healthy, if you look at the Jazz they're likely going to trade Boozer, the Rockets will struggle just making the playoffs, and the Hornets haven't improved at all.

and if you look at what orlando did last year in the East, i think its possible we could get the same luck. that is, the magic got lucky with a garnett injury and then faced a team they were a very good matchup for.

Never Fear 33 Is Here · Post #9 » by **Never Fear 33 Is Here** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 10:02 am

Frank Lee wrote:and this, ladies and gentlemen, should be the intro for every home game....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lZSbcBdYy4&feature=related

somebody pass it along to our PA boys....

Frank, I want to have your babies. :lol:

Austin · Post #10 » by **Austin** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 3:38 pm

I think the team is pretty decent as it sits, but I'd like to see a pavs/tucker for center trade. Whatever happens, I don't just want them to waive Pavs, because that would mean that we got absolutely nothing from the Shaq trade.

TXSun · Post #11 » by **TXSun** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 5:13 pm

Frank Lee wrote:We will be playing a 3 forward line up whenever sLopez is on the bench. Frye is comfortable and will be on the perimeter, leaving Stat plentyO room in the paint. I'd look for Stat to guard whichever C or PF that is less of an offensive threat. Keep him out of foul trouble is the name of the game. No reason why SunZoo won't drop 25 a night if he can stay in the game.

and this, ladies and gentlemen, should be the intro for every home game....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lZSbcBdYy4&feature=related

somebody pass it along to our PA boys....

nothing like a Pink Floyd laser show.

JohnVancouver · Post #12 » by **JohnVancouver** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 6:16 pm

"hell even samuel dalembert would be a decent center for us. he's got probably the lowest bball iq in the league but with nash feeding him dunks all day he'd manage to give us a double double on a nightly basis."

I don;'t think nash would play with the guy. Steve is very tight with Leo Rautins, and Rautins booted Dalembert from the Canadian national team last year.

Inconspicuous · Post #13 » by **Inconspicuous** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 6:34 am

steve nash should have no say in personnel decisions.

Never Fear 33 Is Here · Post #14 » by **Never Fear 33 Is Here** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 11:02 am

TXSun wrote:
Frank Lee wrote:We will be playing a 3 forward line up whenever sLopez is on the bench. Frye is comfortable and will be on the perimeter, leaving Stat plentyO room in the paint. I'd look for Stat to guard whichever C or PF that is less of an offensive threat. Keep him out of foul trouble is the name of the game. No reason why SunZoo won't drop 25 a night if he can stay in the game.

and this, ladies and gentlemen, should be the intro for every home game....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lZSbcBdYy4&feature=related

somebody pass it along to our PA boys....

nothing like a Pink Floyd laser show.

Fo-Real · Post #15 » by **Fo-Real** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 2:28 pm

Austin wrote:I think the team is pretty decent as it sits, but I'd like to see a pavs/tucker for center trade. Whatever happens, I don't just want them to waive Pavs, because that would mean that we got absolutely nothing from the Shaq trade.

if you can flip them for Curt Thomas, or even sign Skinner, id feel a whole lot better.