Mid -Season Player Grades

[Vietbrah]

Now that we're at the mid way point of the season, what grades would you give each player based on their play and give a description.

[DBMethos]

Duncan - B+
His offense is a lot better than I can remember in recent years, and he basically carried us through the early injuries. His defense has been mediocre at best, though. I think he'll be more motivated on that end after the All-Star Break.
Parker - B+
He's basically turned into the primary offensive option, sharing those duties with Tim. I've noticed that his jump shot is not as reliable as it was last year, and he's been missing more layups than I'm accustomed to seeing. But I'm encouraged by his improved free-throw shooting. His defense is pretty comparable to what it's always been, which is average.
Ginobili - C
It's taking him a while to work himself into shape, that's for sure. He has been brilliant in spots, and he has been downright terrible as well. His propensity for turning the ball over, especially in critical situations, is maddening. So is his reliance on his outside shot, which just isn't falling right now. Still, he makes his free throws and is capable of making good decisions with the ball, which makes him invaluable in crunch time.
Mason - A-
Without him, we'd be in serious trouble right now. He's been our most reliable shooter by far, as well as the most clutch. His defense is pretty average, but he's putting in the effort. I'd like to see him get more touches, though.
Finley - C-
He still gets way more shots than he should be getting. It's pretty easy to see early on if Fin is going to have a good or bad night. If he's on, give him the ball. If not, he's a liability. Why Pop continues to play him even when it's evident that he's having one of his bad nights, I'll never know.
Bonner - C
He's given us a lot more than we could have hoped for this year. His three-point shooting has been tremendous, even though it doesn't always show up in the biggest games (e.g. @ Lakers). His problem is defense...he's just not quick or strong enough to hold his own against quality bigs, so he tends to give up as many points as he himself gets. He also needs to hit the boards more consistently.
Bowen - B-
He's out of the starting lineup and only plays sparingly off the bench, depending on the matchup. Still, he plays great defense when he does get playing time, and can hit the occasional big shot. I'm guessing that Pop is trying to keep him fresh for the playoffs, which could pay big dividends.
Hill - C
He did a tremendous job for us when TP was out. Since Tony's return, his minutes have been erratic. He's a much better player when he's aggressive with the ball, which unfortunately is not often enough. Good rebounder for his size, and his defense will continue to improve while he gains the respect of the refs.
Thomas - C-
Kurt started out slow but has gotten better as the season went on. His jumper is falling with consistency, and he always plays tough. However, he's not quick or agile enough anymore to keep up with the Gasols and Wests of the league, which puts us at a major advantage against teams with 2 quality bigs.
Oberto - D
He's been a non-factor in most games that he's gotten into, which isn't many. He occasionally shows flashes of great passing and veteran smarts, but they're few and far between.
Udoka - F
I don't know what happened to this guy. He was a big X-factor in the playoffs last year, and this year he can't hit the broad side of a barn. Not to mention the fact that he's always hesitant about when to shoot and when to pass. His defense is also not as good as it was last year. In short, a bust.
Vaughn - F
A 3rd-string point guard for life. He's not much more than a glorified assistant coach at this point.

[the southern dandy]

I'll grade based on the expectations I had for each player.

Tim Duncan - B+ - He's been excellent offensively, particularly passing the ball. His defensive has been a bit lazier than usual but his rebounding numbers are a bit up if memory serves. His shotblocking needs to round into form.

Tony Parker - A- - He was blazing at the start of the season and I refuse to take him down becaue he suffered an unfortunate injury. The only area where he loses marks is his inconsistent defensive intensity.

Manu Ginobili - C+ - It's really hard not to expect more from Ginobili, if not for his unfortunate circumstance I'd be giving him a D. His shooting has been all over the place and his turnovers have been a bit out of control. The good news is that he should improve as it looks like he's getting much better physically.

Bruce Bowen - B+ - You can't really expect much more from Bruce at this point. I'd like to see him play a few more minutes, and his defense still seems very very good. The only knock against was his really sluggish start.

Michael Finley - A- - He's really proven me wrong this season. He looks a lot more livelier on court and has been hitting his shots. His defense and rebounding efforts have also been a lot higher. I think he's doing about as well as he can as a starter. He is currently in an annoying shooting slump though.

Roger Mason - A - I had unnecessarily high expectations of Roger from the get go and he has exceeded them tremendously. He was huge for us when Parker and Ginobili were out and has proven to be a reliable, and clutch fourth option for the team. His defense has been ok but I expect it to improve.

George Hill - A- - George has surpassed all expectations placed upon him as a Spur. He looks like a completely different player from his summer league debacle. He filled in admirally as a starter for a while. The only knock is rookie consistancy. He's getting better at coming off the bench and remaining aggressive.

Matt Bonner - B+ - He seems to have done the impossible by finding his way out of the dog house. His level was horrific to start the season, but since then he really has played decently. His rebounding and defense have been passable at times but he is still erratic. He also hasn't shown much ability against top tier teams but his shooting overall has been simply outstanding.

Kurt Thomas - C- - I came into the season with really high hopes for Thomas and he has really let me me down. The positive is that he has continued improving and has managed to find his offense. I don't think he'll really live up to the expectations that I had because of his obvious physical deficiencies, but he's still a nice option to have around.

Fabricio Oberto - D+ - Oberto seemed to have dropped off the face of the planet at the beginning of the season. He was horrifically slow and was no factor on the defensive end or rebounding the ball. For a while he had fallen out of the rotation completely. Lately he seems to be playing with more desire and purpose and may yet worm his way back.

Ime Udoka - F - He is by far the biggest disappointment on the team. He's way too slow to be the defensive stopper we invisioned he may become, and his offensive game is really flawed and unstable. It's a real shame because last season he came up big in the playoffs and seemed to really be flourishing. It's very unlikely to see him coming back at this point.

Jacque Vaughn - Incomplete - No real playing time, I assume he's still a solid third option at point.

Ian Mahinmi - Incomplete - Injuries took away any chance he had of playing, we'll have to wait and see what he can do next season.

Malik Hairston - Incomplete - Has not yet played a minute for the Spurs to my knowledge, but I really like what he's been doing in D-league.

[manou]

Tony Parker is an allstar for the third time, great season!