A few weeks ago we let a very winnable game in Cleveland slip away in the last few minutes. It was a stinging loss. Heading into the 4th quarter last night, we were in a very similar situation: the game was virtually even, and the team that wanted it more and executed better was going to get the win.
Last night that team was the Spurs.
The 4th quarter was Ginobili time. He scored half of his 30 points in the final stanza, but also contributed assists, steals, and pesky defense. In the game against the Lakers, Pop tried to give Ginobili some rest late in the game. When Ginobili went to the bench in that game, the Lakers made their final push and sealed the game. Last night, Pop didn’t make the same mistake; Ginobili never went to the bench, and we never lost control of the game.
I’m really liking where our rotation is at right now. I like the starting unit; I like what Bonner and Blair bring off the bench as the back-up bigs; I’m even happy with what Bogans is giving us. Last night, he was a bear on D, giving everything he could to James and Jamison. With Hairston and Mason, Jr. getting spot minutes, it seems like we’re all but settled.
But then Parker comes back. What happens then? Will Ginobili go back to the bench? Will Hill go to the bench? Will Parker go to the bench? Despite Parker’s brilliance, I’m a bit worried about what his reintroduction to the team will do, especially this late in the season. I’m really happy with our current starting unit. Will Parker mess up that chemistry? We know that Jefferson needs to spend as much time with Ginobili as possible. So would Jefferson move back to the bench if Ginobili does? Then who starts? Bogans? I like him much better off the bench. Do we move Hill to the bench, since he’s proven that he can score 20 points a game and be a good creator, thus filling Ginobili’s previous role as X-factor off the bench?
It’s a lot to think about, and a decision that could ultimately decide just how far we go in the playoffs.
On a side note, looking forward, here’s an idea I’ve been kicking around for a bit: what if we traded Parker this offseason to try and re-fortify the team for another 2-3 years behind Ginobili and Duncan? I know the popular idea is that Parker is the building block of the future once Duncan retires. But when Duncan’s gone, Parker will be in his early 30s, an age when most PGs start to lose a step or two. With Parker’s game being so heavily predicated on his speed and quickness, I don’t think we’d want to make him the foundation of the team in his early 30s. With Ginobili proving he still has a few quality years left at his Ginobili best, and Hill proving a valuable piece (though different than Parker), think about what we could get on the trade market for a player of Parker’s caliber?
I’m not sayin’, I’m just sayin’.
Looking Forward:
Hell week draws to a close with a game against Boston (in Boston) on Sunday night. So far we’re 2-2 in this stretch, with only one of those losses being a bad loss. If we can go into Boston and win, that could change a lot of people’s thoughts on this team.
We also need to keep winning to keep our position in the standings. We’re only a half game up on Portland for the 8th seed (which we desperately need to avoid). We’re also only 1 game behind OKC for the 6th seed. And being that this is the Western Conference, we could very easily move up into the top 3 with a prolonged winning streak and some losses by other teams.
Basically, we need to keep winning. That’s the kind of top-notch analysis you get here.
Top-notch analysis, as always. No kidding.
I hope the Spurs should consider trading Parker. I half-jokingly suggested it to someone before the trade deadline, and realized afterwards that it made some sense. I think you make a decent case for keeping Duncan, Ginobili, Jefferson and Hill together. I would never have said that back in November.
I hope to flesh the idea out more fully at a later point, but I think you just need to look at what line-up gives us the best chance of winning in the next 2-3 years. With the way Ginobili makes everyone around him better AND scores, we get more team value with him than we do with Parker, even if Parker gives us a tad more scoring and a skill that isn't entirely replicable.