Agree or Disagree: (On 11 Game WS) Popovich benches Tony Parker and Tim Duncan @ POR

[iamgine]

I'm pretty sure most of the fans at that game were more than happy with the results of Duncan and Co sitting out. Only ones disappointed would be the few Spurs fans in attendance and some fans who had never seen Duncan and Co in person before. 95% of the fans in attendance though were likely just rooting for a Blazers win and a show, which they got.

I dunno I feel basketball fans would wanna see Tony and Tim in action. I'm a Blazers fan but I'd be disappointed if I purchase a ticket and not see them. Might as well watch on TV.

[Big#50]

Seemed like a smart decision at first.. get your guys some rest. But when you end up losing by 40 it just discourages that second unit instead of empowering them.. which is what it was probably meant to do partly. The Spurs will need this rest though. Everything adds up.

Nope. the bench played only because have to. They can't forfeit a game. Everyone in that team had this game off. There was no effort from them.

[All Net]

Typical Pop...he does this every year. He's a smart man so i'm sure he knows it will be best in the long run.

He's being realistic he knows nobody in the west is catching the Thunder.

[Poodle]

didn't-see-this-thread-but-Popovich-is-as-much-of-a-overcoacher-as-there-is-in-the-league.

i'd-maybe-understand-it-if-Splitter-weren't-out,but-he-basically-overcoached-this-situation-when-he-could-have-played-them-and-let-them-rest-now-that-they-have-time-off.

he-has-also-sat-them-alot-in-some-games-where-the-2nd-unit-was-doing-well-so-its-not-like-they've-been-worked-to-death....bet-if-you-ask-Parker/Duncan-they'd-have-wanted-to-play.

other-thing-is-no-other-teams/coaches-have-pulled-this-shit-and-have-had-similar-schedules...typical-Popovich

i-mean-we're-talking-on-the-eve-of-the-allstar-break:

[Poodle]

I've seen Pop with a similar unorthodox approach last year by benching all starters in the 4th quarter against the Knicks because they were playing so poorly. It was really baffling because the Spurs had plenty of time for the comeback, but in the end they lost as if they've given up the game.

It seems to me he does a lot of questionable things but it's obvious he believes the decision will pay off in the long run. While I can't disagree with a coach of his caliber, if this was done by an average coach it would have taken a lot of heat.

thats-the-problem-with-fans...they-act-like-coaches-are-infallible-due-to-their-reps....PhilJacksons-made-quite-a-few-bonehead-decisions-at-times...JerrySloan-has-as-well....but-way-too-many-just-assume-they're-infallible-and-must-make-the-right-decisions-because-they-are-who-they-are....anyways-they-can/should-all-be-criticized-outside-of-their-reps-if-their-coaching-decisions-backfire.

[Poodle]

They also had a bunch of health issues just before the playoffs, which seemingly killed their momentum.

Last year: Top record but health issues = failed in first round

Last few championship years: Not the top record in West, but no health issues = win


If Pop wants to use past experiences to guide his current choices, then sacrificing 1 game to help his team stay healthy is a wise move.

how-does-resting-them-one-game-before-the-allstar-break-help-their-postseason-health?

[Droid101]

Terrible idea. Fans pay to see stars play. This kind of shit pisses me off.

[ralph_i_el]

I think Duncan and Parker deserved the rest. I think they can pick right back up where they left off.

[RaininTwos]

It was stupid, they have a break where they can rest coming this weekend.

[Burgz]

i honestly dont know if i agree or not but i know why he did it

if they're gonna be serious about winning it all this year then it's gotta be about the big picture.

They have the rodeo road trip now and there's gonna be less time to rest, practice etc.

Also, Portland is a very physical team im sure he also took that into consideration, or maybe he doesn't want them to be able to gameplan against them in the future

[SCdac]

doesn't bother me in the slightest. even after seeing the results, really doesn't bother me. people (players, fans, etc) will forget about this in a matter of days, weeks. it's all about the big picture, not about win streaks.

[BankShot]

The Spurs were playing the back end of a back-to-back, the third game in four nights, and were playing away against a good Blazers team.

Odds are they would have lost the game anyways.

[Haymaker]

Smart move. They need all the rest they can get for the vets, and their young guys need to build up confidence and experience so they can perform well in the post-season.

[Droid101]

The Spurs were playing the back end of a back-to-back, the third game in four nights, and were playing away against a good Blazers team.

Odds are they would have lost the game anyways.

Yeah. You're right.

Everyone on the third game of a back-to-back-to-back should probably just sit their starters too. You're right.

[GOBB]

1 game, not sure what this affects in the grand scheme of things. Last I check his resume reads successful. Fans angry can shut up. A month from now no one will care about this move.