Bonner Making His Case

By Bill Ingram
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Nov 18, 2006, 17:55


It raised a few eyebrows when the San Antonio Spurs sent Rasho Nesterovic to Toronto. The surprise was not so much the exit of Rasho, which had been coming for quite some time, but rather the nature of the trade. The Spurs did not get a center back, and the one big man they did get back was far from being a middle-of-the-paint kind of player.

The official deal was Rasho to the Raptors for Eric Williams, a second round draft pick, and Matt Bonner, the subject of our current discussion. You may recall at the time of the trade we said Williams would not be a factor for the Spurs - and to date he has not played. Bonner, on the other hand, could be a difference-maker for this team before the season is over. We got our first taste of that on Friday night, when he helped ice a blow-out of the Chicago Bulls.

Prior to their game in Dallas, Bulls head coach Scott Skiles spoke about how tough the Texas trip has become. Three losses later his words seem prophetic. The Mavericks made quick work of Skiles' group in their first stop, then Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady carved them up with relative ease, and on Friday night the sweep was completed in a 100-83 whipping at the hands of the Spurs - a game that finally allowed Matt Bonner to show what he can do.

At 6'10" 240 Bonner looks like a guy who could make some hay in the paint, but truth be told he much prefers to step out on the court and drop jumpers. Spurs got a good taste of that on Friday night, when he scored 10 points in 13 minutes, hitting three of his four attempts from beyond the arch, while also grabbing three rebounds. The best part? His threes didn't come in meaningless garbage time, but were instead of big part of a pre-half-time push that helped make this an easy win for the home team.

After allowing the Bulls to score 27 first-quarter points, the Spurs cranked up their defense and held them to just 15 in the second quarter. Unfortunately, the Spurs had their own offensive power outage at about the same time. Bonner's offensive outpouring was a welcome sight. He scored seven of his ten points during that key second period, the last point of the game during which the Bulls were reasonably close.

This is what Bonner brings to the table. He's much more of the Robert Horry type of forward than the Tim Duncan type, and given Horry's fall-off, he's exactly what the Spurs need.

Ultimately the Spurs gave up a player they weren't using to get someone who could potentially become an important part of their second unit. For all of his potential, Rasho Nesterovic just doesn't seem to have the motivation needed to be a serious factor in the NBA. He was handed a starting job and guaranteed minutes in Toronto and has already fallen out of that starting spot. In that same space of time Bonner has been given two shots at making a spot for himself in the Spurs' rotation and both times he has looked pretty good.

Clearly there are good things ahead for Bonner - and by extension the San Antonio Spurs.

That was exciting when he was hitting those 3 balls. I was jumping up and down in my living room, it sounded like the crowd in the AT&T center were going nuts as well.

The "White Grand Prix" is going to be a fan favorite I can see it now..........