Why this year’s Spurs weren’t sharp enough

What was the death knell for the Spurs? With Timmy sliding over to center position, they have tried to survive this playoffs with Fabricio Oberto, Kurt Thomas and Robert Horry as their primary big men. What do they all have in common? Old and stiff. Horry used to be great. But after 0 fg’s in the series versus the Lakers so far, I think its safe to say he should retire. Oberto is decent, but you’d be ecstatic to get even 10 points out of him. Not what you would want out of a starting big man. Thomas can play decent post defense against slow big guys, but against players like Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom he can’t even get on the court.

So what does Coach Pop do during most fourth quarters? He plays small, with 4 perimeter players around Duncan. Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Bruce Bowen, and one of either Brent Barry, Michael Finley, and Ime Udoka. The problem with this is two-fold. First off, they get killed on the offensive glass. Especially against a long team like the Lakers who have forwards like Odom, Radmanovic, and Luke Walton who are all bigger and just as quick as the San Antonio smalls forced to play the forward spots. The problem is them compounded by the fact that the Spurs small forward Bruce Bowen guards the Lakers’ shooting guard, forcing Ginobili on the small forward. This basically puts them at a size disadvantage and two positions. And what happened, Walton, Odom, and Radmanovic feasted on the offensive glass.

This brings me to my main point. How did the Spurs get so thin up front. First they let Nazi Muhammed and Fransisco Elson go. Neither are world beaters, but at least they could move their feet and block shots. But more importantly why did they trade Luis Scola for a chicken wing and a new 5 dollar bill to the Houston Rockets before the season started. Mistake? I’d say so. Scola averaged 14 points and 8.5 rebounds after the all-star break (when he finally broke into the lineup) and became the primary scorer on the box for a playoff team. Not only that, but Scola is only 26 and has played for years on the Argentinine National Team with fellow Spurs, Ginobili and Oberto. Scola could hit the open jumper at the top of the key with Timmy on the court, and his presence would have allowed Duncan to get a couple minutes rest. With him not there, Duncan never got to take a little break heading into the fourth quarter of game 4 and he gassed down the stretch and missed some chippies. And honestly its hard to blame him for getting tired after basically putting up 20-20 games for 4 straight games. Scola coulda, shoulda, and woulda given the Spurs a great chance to beat LA. Instead, he will help the Houston Rockets be another team the Spurs must contend with for years to come.

The one hope for Spurs fans is Brazilian big man Tiago Splitter who they drafted at the end of the first round last year. He may be just what the doctor ordered.