How do you get him on the court when he comes back?

I was wondering the same thing a few days ago. Does Neal get less time? I'm not sure I want that!

You wait for Gary Neal to cool off.

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You wait for Gary Neal to cool off.

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NO!!!

You bench RJ.

In the regular season you give him some of Neal's and some of Manu's minutes. Neal and Anderson were splitting time before he went down, but it obvious that Neal has earned his time now. He'll lose a little depending on how James plays. Then I'd love for Manu to rest a little more, I think he's leading the team in minutes right now.

Give him some minutes during the regular season so that he gets used to the speed & defense of the NBA (not to mention some familiarity of the Spurs system). That way when the playoffs come around, he's yet another scorer pop can stick in when somebody else is cold.

The nice thing is that if the Spurs keep up this run they will have some padding in their lead to rest everyone and play around with different lineups. My guess is that Anderson won't get significant minutes this season as Pop rarely plays rookies much as it is and Anderson has already missed so much time. I think he will get a shot but unless he comes out of the gate shooting lights out and playing tough D he will be lucky to make the playoff roster. That's ok though, he's a future piece.

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My guess is that Anderson won't get significant minutes this season as Pop rarely plays rookies much as it is and Anderson has already missed so much time.

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Exactly. This is Anderson's probationary season. Even if he sees the court in the regular season, he'll be on the shelf during the playoffs. Happened to Hill, happened to Blair, it'll happen to Anderson.

I guess you could argue the same about Neal but he's one of those "seasoned" rookies (like Manu was) that Pop likes.

Spurs have so many games this season when they are up by 20 or 30 points. Anderson will get minutes, but not many good minutes in crucial games.

I guess the Spurs didn't know what to do with him either.

*Anderson to the D-League to get back in shape, for anyone wondering what Tennerman's vague comment meant.

After being back for mostly garbage minutes the last 3 games, the Spurs sent Anderson back to D league today.

I don't really understand the move, because you'd think it would be nice to get him some time in against lesser Eastern Conference opponents where the Spurs have big leads.

I really hope they don't try to push through the end of the season and playoffs without him seeing significant action. He is a great shooter and they will probably need the depth he brings at some point down the line.

Hopefully they are just trying to get his legs back a little better.

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I really hope they don't try to push through the end of the season and playoffs without him seeing significant action. He is a great shooter and they will probably need the depth he brings at some point down the line.

Hopefully they are just trying to get his legs back a little better.

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I agree. I know Pop doesn't like Rookies, but they make significant contributions to NBA teams every year. Just give him some minutes and see what happens.

I think Anderson was pretty winded against the Kings (from what I heard from other fans). He's probably been sent down to get some consistent minutes to get him back in shape.

I would be (pleasantly) surprised if Pop tried to really integrate him (or Splitter) into the rotation in time for the playoffs. If he did, we'd have a rotation of

McDyess Blair Splitter
Duncan Bonner
Jefferson Anderson
Ginobili Neal
Parker Hill

I know Blair is starting now, but I don't know if that will continue throughout the playoffs against the bigger teams (maybe, it ain't really broke right now).

I would be shocked at this point if Anderson plays more than token minutes in the playoffs at this point. He will get a shot but his leash will be insanely short with any defensive lapses, cold shooting streaks or signs of frustration putting him on the bench. Pop hates playing rookies in the playoffs. The biggest issue he has though is with Hill, Manu, Neal, and RJ all playing very well right now there just aren't minutes to go around. It doesn't make sense to have him sit on the bench and play 4 minutes every other game and that's about all that is available right now.

I think more rookies who aren't playing minutes should be sent down to the D-League, more often.

He will get better, back in shape, and hopefully come back working even harder to stay up. When the D-League season is over, or if there is an injury, let him come back. He's better off playing competitive minutes, then no minutes or scrub minutes.

And although not a fan of the Spurs, I highly, highly respect what Pop and Co will do with him in the off-season, as well.

He should get some meaningful minutes tonight, as Neal will be out of the lineup.