Mahinmi out for the year.

[Bruno]

Per today's french newspaper "L'équipe".


Translation :

End of the season for Mahinmi!

The season of Ian Mahinmi has ended... even before having started. After a right ankle sprain during the summer, San Antonio's French player has tried to come back on the court but always felt the same pain at the ankle with continuous trace of blood. Send to LA to consult the specialist who has done Manu Ginobili's surgery this summer, he went back with the confirmation that the problem was far from being solved. After a six month waiting(!), the decision has been taken to have a surgery in LA and to end his season even if Spurs refuse to officially communicate on the situation of the young and unlucky French player. At 20 years old, the true start of his career is again postponed (only 6 regular season games played in 2007), but he still has until the end of the 2009-2010 season to show Spurs FO that they were right to draft him.

[kace]

:depressed even if it was probably still too late for him to crack the rotation.

[timtonymanu]

unfortunate news. I was hoping to see Mahinmi play this year. As long as he comes back healthy, i wont complain.

time for us to waive Croshere and try to find a better big.

[team-work]

Finally, an end to all the uncertainty.

[venitian navigator]

So the news we hoped for the better are instead for the worst.....
We desperately need interior defense....bonner, udoka and voughn for diop ?

[m33p0]

finally, the uncertainty with ian is over. the FO can now focus on finding that big. time to go shopping. AC ain't the answer.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Damn, that's really bad news. I was hoping he might be the guy we need this season. Oh well, I still think he'll be good when he arrives, it just looks like it'll be next year instead.

Now, sign us a big man! Problem is, there's no-one out there that can help us much... I sense the Pop "this is what we're going with" speech coming on soon... it worked in 2007, but the competition is much stiffer this year and I'm not sure we've go the horses to get there. :depressed

PS What about Javtokas? How are Dynamo Moscow's finances? :lol

[naico]

Damn, the guy can't catch a break

[Bruno]

Waiting 6 months to end up with a surgery is quite puzzling...

I wonder if the doctor in LA would have said that a surgery was needed if he had seen Ian in August.
Have Spurs' medical staff do a wrong diagnostic back in August or is it just some
unexpected complications?
Last year, Ginobili's and Parker's ankle injuries haven't been well managed so questions arise...

[ManuTP9]

that sucks, if he would had had surgery earlier in the season he probably couldve had a chance to play at the end of the season.

[venitian navigator]

Waiting 6 months to end up with a surgery is quite puzzling...

I wonder if the doctor in LA would have said that a surgery was needed if he had seen Ian in August.
Have Spurs' medical staff do a wrong diagnostic back in August or is it just some
unexpected complications?
Last year, Ginobili's and Parker's ankle injuries haven't been well managed so questions arise...

Right. too much time for this absolutely bad end....hope we had a plan b....but I'm starting doubting about it!
Well...at least is clear one thing : with this front line we go nowhere, when we play more athletic teams.-
Our games with Phila is the clear clue about it.
Lakers are quiet like in the some cathegory...with Bryant, Bynum and now Ariza all with athletic advantage over their spur opponents.
Our defense can be good and became better coming play off time, but our back court is not a rebounding one and our bigs, apart Duncan, are all but athletic (and also Tim is the most unathletic of all superstars).
Risk is that, coming play off time, we'll concede too many second, third and fourth chances for every possession...or we'll play with a front line too slow (Thomas and Duncan) for being capable of adjust to the rythm on younger ones.
We can't rely only in outside shot performances.
That's a rule we well know, since the time of the twin towers...











only after the rodeo trip we'll be able to understand

[ShoogarBear]

Exactly what sort of surgery is he going to have, I wonder?

[boutons_]

Merde, alors!

[mrspurs]

Wait he can still play in the D-league right? Well I guess not.

[ElNono]

Hope surgery helps Ian, but really, who didn't see this one coming from a mile away????

[SenorSpur]

Tough news. I feel bad for this kid. He's really had a rocky start to his career.

Now the Spurs most certainly will have to focus exclusively on trading for another big before season's end. They cannot make a deep run into the playoffs with the current state of the frontline.

[galvatron3000]

He's young and has a potentially bright future if he can come back next season. Sad news but realisticly he wasn't going to help this year so I hope he can get healthy for next season, in the meantime the Spurs need to get on the phone and hopefully rape the Griz like the Lakers did last and sign Marc Gasol for Udoka and Bonner. j/k

[Ice009]

What the fuck did I say in pre-season??????

SIGN DARRYL WATKINS. WE NEED INTERIOR DEFENSE. WE NEED A RIM PROTECTOR

FUCKING IDIOT SPURS FO. Everyone in here is like oh no we don't need a rim protector like Watkins we've got Ian Mahinmi. Watkins is too raw. It was obvious we need another big man to battle teams like the Lakers instead of Tolliver. I didn't want Tolliver at all Farmer, Watkins and Hairston were all above him in my list.

The Spurs really dropped the ball on this one as far as the type of player they needed to sign in the off season. You're not going to get another Robert Horry it was a complete waste of time trying to find a player like that. You can't teach anyone what Robert Horry did.

I'm pretty sure SenorSpur was also another poster that said a player like Watkins would be a bigger need for the team. I don't remember the other posters that thought Watkins was a good idea as there wasn't many. Even Timvp wasn't really against Tolliver.

[Ice009]

Tough news. I feel bad for this kid. He's really had a rocky start to his career.

Now the Spurs most certainly will have to focus exclusively on trading for another big before season's end. They cannot make a deep run into the playoffs with the current state of the frontline.

What did we say in the regular season??? Watkins should have been looked at and possibly given the chance over Tolliver.

The Spurs FO has really screwed Tim Duncan over.

[Ice009]

Waiting 6 months to end up with a surgery is quite puzzling...

I wonder if the doctor in LA would have said that a surgery was needed if he had seen Ian in August.
Have Spurs' medical staff do a wrong diagnostic back in August or is it just some
unexpected complications?
Last year, Ginobili's and Parker's ankle injuries haven't been well managed so questions arise...

Good question. Spurs need to be held accountable for this. Didn't they criticize the french medical staff for screwing up with TP?

[ss1986v2]

What the fuck did I say in pre-season??????

SIGN DARRYL WATKINS. WE NEED INTERIOR DEFENSE. WE NEED A RIM PROTECTOR

FUCKING IDIOT SPURS FO. Everyone in here is like oh no we don't need a rim protector like Watkins we've got Ian Mahinmi. Watkins is too raw. It was obvious we need another big man to battle teams like the Lakers instead of Tolliver. I didn't want Tolliver at all Farmer, Watkins and Hairston were all above him in my list.

The Spurs really dropped the ball on this one as far as the type of player they needed to sign in the off season. You're not going to get another Robert Horry it was a complete waste of time trying to find a player like that. You can't teach anyone what Robert Horry did.

I'm pretty sure SenorSpur was also another poster that said a player like Watkins would be a bigger need for the team. I don't remember the other posters that thought Watkins was a good idea as there wasn't many.
watkins sucks so bad, he had to go get a job in china after the spurs cut him. if he was on the roster, he would be seeing the same amount of time ian is seeing right now. no way pop gives him minute one over fab or KT.

[cool hand]

even if Spurs refuse to officially communicate on the situation


fucking spurs

[Ice009]

watkins sucks so bad, he had to go get a job in china after the spurs cut him. if he was on the roster, he would be seeing the same amount of time ian is seeing right now. no way pop gives him minute one over fab or KT.

Hey Watkins had a better showing than Tolliver in the preseason especially on the defensive end.

Tolliver got a fuckload of minutes compared to what he showed in the prseason. Look Watkins isn't the greatest player, but as a bit player on the right team with limited minutes he may have helped more than Tolliver did. He showed a knack for playing some D in the preseason and a knack as a rim protector.

The point is the Spurs identified the wrong type of player to go after in the off season. That's pretty much my whole point. Even if it wasn't Watkins they needed to be looking more at those types of players not shooters like Tolliver.

If they were hinging their hopes on an unproven Ian Mahinmi who seems to always be out injured then I don't know what to say. I'm not blaming Ian for this as it's not his fault. I hope he recovers and eventually plays for us. He did show some good play in the D League last season. Having said that though he kind took a little step back in the Summer League as I wasn't impressed with his play there. I just think the Spurs should have been looking for a little more insurance with a defensive big rather than a shooting big.

This Austin Croshere signing has really got me baffled too. What exactly is Pop looking for here?

[Capt Bringdown]

I'm convinced that players are either ready for the NBA, or they're not.
Stash-'n-picks, development leagues etc, it hasn't been effective, no?

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Sweet, more PT for Bonner [/Pop]

[galvatron3000]

I'm convinced that players are either ready for the NBA, or they're not.
Stash-'n-picks, development leagues etc, it hasn't been effective, no?

Well, Luke Walton is playing on a great team and he IMO should be in the D league

[JPB]

Mahinmi out for the year.

Has he ever been in ?

[ss1986v2]

Hey Watkins had a better showing than Tolliver in the preseason especially on the defensive end.

Tolliver got a fuckload of minutes compared to what he showed in the prseason. Look Watkins isn't the greatest player, but as a bit player on the right team with limited minutes he may have helped more than Tolliver did. He showed a knack for playing some D in the preseason and a knack as a rim protector.

The point is the Spurs identified the wrong type of player to go after in the off season. That's pretty much my whole point. Even if it wasn't Watkins they needed to be looking more at those types of players not shooters like Tolliver.

If they were hinging their hopes on an unproven Ian Mahinmi who seems to always be out injured then I don't know what to say. I'm not blaming Ian for this as it's not his fault. I hope he recovers and eventually players for us. I just think the Spurs should have been looking for a little more insurance with a defensive bid rather than a shooting big.

This Austin Croshere signing has really got me baffled too. What exactly is Pop looking for here?

ok, watkins and tolliver suck. name me an option that wouldnt have coming out of camp? sims was probably the best option after camp, and hes sitting behind amundson's 4 pts and 3 rebs in pheonix right now.

these guys are fodder, and nothing more. they come in during camp, run their asses off for 3 weeks, collect a nice little check, and are out the door to go play in the dleague, china, tajikistan or if they are actually any good, a decent team in europe.

best case scenarios for these guys are the once-a-year showings from guys like amundson or moon from last year. their production is enjoyed by their teams fans because expectations were nil going in, but they are still usually flawed players.

[picnroll]

Guess I can keep my sig.

[mountainballer]

Ian really looks as if he was assembled by Citroën.

[Ice009]

ok, watkins and tolliver suck. name me an option that wouldnt have coming out of camp? sims was probably the best option after camp, and hes sitting behind amundson's 4 pts and 3 rebs in pheonix right now.

these guys are fodder, and nothing more. they come in during camp, run their asses off for 3 weeks, collect a nice little check, and are out the door to go play in the dleague, china, tajikistan or if they are actually any good, a decent team in europe.

best case scenarios for these guys are the once-a-year showings from guys like amundson or moon from last year. their production is enjoyed by their teams fans because expectations were nil going in, but they are still usually flawed players.

I knew you were going to say that. It's not my job to find that player. It's the Spurs FO job to find that player. I'll start looking for that player if they want to hire me ;). IMO Watkins would have been better for the team than Tolliver. I don't care how much you think he sucks I think he would have been a bigger help than Tolliver.

Do you agree with me that I think the Spurs looked at the wrong type of player in Tolliver?

[tp2021]

:pctoss

[Dex]

http://www.chinaandglassrepairs.com/images/Doll_Girl_Broken_edited.jpg

[ss1986v2]

I knew you were going to say that. It's not my job to find that player. It's the Spurs FO job to find that player. IMO Watkins would have been better for the team that Tolliver. I don't care how much you think he sucks I think he would have been a bigger help than Tolliver.

Do you agree with me that I think the Spurs looked at the wrong type of player in Tolliver?

yes and no. in hindsight, of course. at the time, tolliver was to compete with bonner, which was a competition many were willing to concede to tolliver before it even started. but bonner has played his best basketball as a spur, and tolliver forgot how to shoot (or never knew how, which id bet is the case).

as for whether watkins would be a bigger help than tolliver, id probably say yes. but only because tolliver was of no help. but as i said before, if watkins was on the team right now, he would probably be as much help as ian. no way he sees minute one on the court. so whats the point?

[ss1986v2]

*double post*

[Ice009]

yes and no. in hindsight, of course. at the time, tolliver was to compete with bonner, which was a competition many were willing to concede to tolliver before it even started. but bonner has played his best basketball as a spur, and tolliver forgot how to shoot (or never knew how, which id bet is the case).

as for whether watkins would be a bigger help than tolliver, id probably say yes. but only because tolliver was of no help. but as i said before, if watkins was on the team right now, he would probably be as much help as ian. no way he sees minute one on the court. so whats the point?

I really don't think we're that bad, but with someone like Watkins even contributing 5-10 minutes a game to take some of the load off of Tim I think we could be a lot better.

There's still things we can do now to tweak the team. We're not that bad at all. We can still improve a lot.

[WalterBenitez]

Per today's french newspaper "L'équipe".


Translation :

End of the season for Mahinmi!

The season of Ian Mahinmi has ended... even before having started. After a right ankle sprain during the summer, San Antonio's French player has tried to come back on the court but always felt the same pain at the ankle with continuous trace of blood. Send to LA to consult the specialist who has done Manu Ginobili's surgery this summer, he went back with the confirmation that the problem was far from being solved. After a six month waiting(!), the decision has been taken to have a surgery in LA and to end his season even if Spurs refuse to officially communicate on the situation of the young and unlucky French player. At 20 years old, the true start of his career is again postponed (only 6 regular season games played in 2007), but he still has until the end of the 2009-2010 season to show Spurs FO that they were right to draft him.

Holy crap, I hope his get weel for next season!

[SenorSpur]

What did we say in the regular season??? Watkins should have been looked at and possibly given the chance over Tolliver.

The Spurs FO has really screwed Tim Duncan over.

Ice has hit the nail on the head. Many of us were calling for the Spurs to keep Watkins around at the end of the preseason. However at the time, the argument was "he's not ready to contribute on the NBA level". With the shaky state of the frontline, Wakins was the logical keep. He most certainly could've provided an additional shotblocking and rebounding presence the Spurs are sorely lacking - even in a support role. He could've even spent some time in D-league, honing his game in preparation for a midseason callup. Just so long as he had a roster spot. After all, that's the same strategy they took with Tolliver. Now the Spurs will be forced to scramble to come up with some trade scenario to sign a big, who likely cost more than they have assets for.

It was unthinkable for Pop and R.C. to have come into this season with this frontline deficiency. Especially with the full knowledge that Splitter wasn't coming and Ian being injured. It boggles my mind why the FO didn't hedge themselves against this possibility with some big-man insurance. Even if Ian would've successfully returned from injury, Watkins would've been a good stop-gap solution in the interim.

Duncan isn't superman anymore. He's a 12-year veteran susperstar forward, who shouldn't be in a position where he is expected to carry the entire frontcourt responsibility, at both ends of the court, in order for his team to win. Sadly, that is exactly where he is in his career. It's a shame that as he gets older, he doesn't have the frontline support needed to decrease his workload. I totally agree with you Ice, the Spurs FO really screwed Duncan over this year.

[ss1986v2]

I really don't think we're that bad, but with someone like Watkins even contributing 5-10 minutes a game to take some of the load off of Tim I think we could be a lot better.

There's still things we can do no to tweak the team. We're not that bad at all.

thing is, i dont think watkins can give you 5-10 minutes at an nba level. and even if you just run him out there for the sake of being out there, his production isnt going to be any better than having fab or KT out there instead. im all for adding that type of player, but watkins isnt it. sims might have been it, and ian probably has/had about as much chance as sims. but i can almost guarantee the spurs wont find it sifting through camp fodder.

how many playoff teams right now are giving any run to undrafted camp fodder? off the top of my head i can think of the aforementioned amundson, chris anderson (who went undrafted and played in china before finally sticking), and james singleton (has been to europe twice now).

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Ice has hit the nail on the head. Many of us were calling for the Spurs to keep Watkins around at the end of the preseason. However at the time, the argument was "he's not ready to contribute on the NBA level". With the shaky state of the frontline, Wakins was the logical keep. He most certainly could've provided an additional shotblocking and rebounding presence the Spurs are sorely lacking - even in a support role. He could've even spent some time in D-league, honing his game in preparation for a midseason callup. Just so long as he had a roster spot. After all, that's the same strategy they took with Tolliver. Now the Spurs will be forced to scramble to come up with some trade scenario to sign a big, who likely cost more than they have assets for.

It was unthinkable for Pop and R.C. to have come into this season with this frontline deficiency. Especially with the full knowledge that Splitter wasn't coming and Ian being injured. It boggles my mind why the FO didn't hedge themselves against this possibility with some big-man insurance. Even if Ian would've successfully returned from injury, Watkins would've been a good stop-gap solution in the interim.

Duncan isn't superman anymore. He's a 12-year veteran susperstar forward, who shouldn't be in a position where he is expected to carry the entire frontcourt responsibility, at both ends of the court, in order for his team to win. Sadly, that is exactly where he is in his career. It's a shame that as he gets older, he doesn't have the frontline support needed to decrease his workload. I totally agree with you Ice, the Spurs FO really screwed Duncan over this year.

I don't think they ever relied on Mahinmi to provide anything this season.

This Watkins debate is a no-goer as well, as we've seen where he's ended. Even the best big men from the D-League are far from contributing and I don't think Watkins is on nearly the same level as Sims for example.

What's interesting though, is Pop's approach for the type of big man we need. Surprisingly ( or not ) he doesn't appear to be looking for the rebounding/shot blocking type, he's clearly looking for a shooter. It has been mentioned a few times that this season he's stressed much more on the offense compared to previous seasons, so a player like Watkins/Diop, or even Oberto, who'd stagnate the offense, aren't going to get minutes. I'm inclined to think this could be part of the reason while we're seeing less and less of Bowen this season even though he's not lost a step IMO compared to last season.

[SenorSpur]

What's interesting though, is Pop's approach for the type of big man we need. Surprisingly ( or not ) he doesn't appear to be looking for the rebounding/shot blocking type, he's clearly looking for a shooter. It has been mentioned a few times that this season he's stressed much more on the offense compared to previous seasons, so a player like Watkins/Diop, or even Oberto, who'd stagnate the offense, aren't going to get minutes. I'm inclined to think this could be part of the reason while we're seeing less and less of Bowen this season even though he's not lost a step IMO compared to last season.

I certainly can't argue that point. It looks like he's sold on the Robert Horry model for a big. Which, if true, it's a flawed strategy because it places a much bigger burden on Duncan. Horry was a rare bird and his type is harder to find than a shotblocking, rebounding big.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

I certainly can't argue that point. It looks like he's sold on the Robert Horry model for a big. Which, if true, it's a flawed strategy because it places a much bigger burden on Duncan. Horry was a rare bird and his type is harder to find than a shotblocking, rebounding big.

True, but Horry played good defense as well as being a good shooter. I don't think the Spurs are able to find a big whose defense/shot blocking/rebounding is good enough to outweight the offensive stagnation they'd bring on the other end of the floor. Thus Pop is sacrificing some defense for better offense.

[JPB]

Translation :

End of the season for Mahinmi!

At 20 years old, the true start of his career is again postponed (only 6 regular season games played in 2007)

Ian will be 22 by next november.

[SenorSpur]

True, but Horry played good defense as well as being a good shooter. I don't think the Spurs are able to find a big whose defense/shot blocking/rebounding is good enough to outweight the offensive stagnation they'd bring on the other end of the floor. Thus Pop is sacrificing some defense for better offense.

Then he shouldn't expect or complain that his team has dropped to middle-of-the pack in the one important defensive statistic that he tracks - FG% defense.

[galvatron3000]

I'd be very surprised if the Spurs haven't been on the phone talking to teams about Bigs they feel can help, trying to come up with some kind of trade but realistically the Spurs have little to no trade assets that intrigue teams with bigs we NEED and CAN use.

We know the kind of market the Spurs are in, the economy and all that so the Spurs are probably just looking for bargain bigs to do patch work for a run and keeping cost down for the future. Look we have Hill, Mason and Hairston as a nice young nucleus to build upon with vets that are class guys to bring them along niccely, plus we have one of the best coaches in the game teaching. We hopefully will have IAn next season who can grow in knowledge by listening to the coaching staff and Timmy and we will be in a position this off season and the following to make a run at some solid free agents, plus we'll know where these young guys are by then and have some experience under their belts. We can make a run a Sheed this summer and perhap in 2010 we can make a big splash depending on who is on the team. We are not spending tons of money this year nor on any of the young guys coming off the bench so financially we should be in a good position for the future, just grabbing someone and getting them to come is the problem but remember Jermaine O'Neal almost came and so did Kidd, thank GOD they didn't.

We just have to be patient, see how this Feb trade deadline pans out and just be grateful we have a strong nucleus to build around and add too. Look for the Clipper or the Knicks to deal with the Spurs by the deadline but don't hold your breathe for anything worth acquiring, specifically the Knicks.

[objective]

What does it matter if Mahinmi is still only 22?

He sure fits the profile of a player who's about finished.

He had a freak pec injury where he missed an entire summer from tearing it on a dunk. He routinely was banged up with the Toros when ordinary fouls would drop him on his ass and mess up his back. Now he's had an ankle sprain that was only supposed to cost him most of training camp turn into a season ending debacle involving surgery and bizarre communication problems with the front office.

If this was any other player on any other team people would be talking about how he was just one of those guys that will never be heatlhy and will always have some freak Sam-Bowie-ish injury that will keep him off the court. People would be laughing at the other team's fans for believing he'd ever contribute anything, ever, except maybe more freakshow injuries the next time around, like Guitar Hero wrist ailments or tearing his achilles while struggling to put on a brand new pair of shoes.

[mountainballer]

Ian will be 22 by next november.

he will be 23 next November!

the irony is, the more time he doesn't play for the Spurs, the more the fans think he is kind of another Oden story.
hey, it's Ian. he never ever proved something special on any level. he isn't the secrete super weapon that is developed in the Spurs laboratories and will shift the balance of power once he's ready for operation.
Ian had some D-league games, what he delivered wasn't different to what other players did, who were not good enough for Spurs or NBA at all.
now he's out for the season. that sucks for him, for the Spurs it doesn't make any difference. the best impact this story will make is, that some will add his absence to the 0.4 seconds, the Mavs series calls and Manu's ankle when explaining why the Spurs didn't win 7 in a row.

[bigdog]

what pisses me off is that we hear this news from a french newspaper, and not the Spurs. If there were really serious problems with his ankle the Spurs should have been the ones to let us know, but off course the Spurs don't do that.

It's quite obvious that they want a shooting big, which seems completely stupid to me, when you already have 2 of them in Thomas and Bonner. The signing of Croshere has been a waste of time and some say they are expected to resign him to another 10-day contract. There must be someone out there that can come in and help down low at least a little bit, but our FO seems to be fixed on the opposite. this is stupid.

[ClingingMars]

quick, sign Horry!

-Mars

[galvatron3000]

Spurs don't answer to us or the media. they do what is best for the franchise in theory and even then sometimes they make a mistake or 3 but when did we become the one they answer to. lol

[SenorSpur]

I'd be very surprised if the Spurs haven't been on the phone talking to teams about Bigs they feel can help, trying to come up with some kind of trade but realistically the Spurs have little to no trade assets that intrigue teams with bigs we NEED and CAN use.

We know the kind of market the Spurs are in, the economy and all that so the Spurs are probably just looking for bargain bigs to do patch work for a run and keeping cost down for the future. Look we have Hill, Mason and Hairston as a nice young nucleus to build upon with vets that are class guys to bring them along niccely, plus we have one of the best coaches in the game teaching. We hopefully will have IAn next season who can grow in knowledge by listening to the coaching staff and Timmy and we will be in a position this off season and the following to make a run at some solid free agents, plus we'll know where these young guys are by then and have some experience under their belts. We can make a run a Sheed this summer and perhap in 2010 we can make a big splash depending on who is on the team. We are not spending tons of money this year nor on any of the young guys coming off the bench so financially we should be in a good position for the future, just grabbing someone and getting them to come is the problem but remember Jermaine O'Neal almost came and so did Kidd, thank GOD they didn't.

We just have to be patient, see how this Feb trade deadline pans out and just be grateful we have a strong nucleus to build around and add too. Look for the Clipper or the Knicks to deal with the Spurs by the deadline but don't hold your breathe for anything worth acquiring, specifically the Knicks.

This is all well and good and I do like the pieces planned for the future. In fact, I'm one of the biggest proponents of having talent in the pipeline to infuse over time. However, that does no good for the short term. They're playing for THIS season. Assuming they can shore up some deficiencies, they have an opportunity to win the West and the title this year. Duncan is in his 12th season. He's not going to play forever and there will not be another coming any time soon. Every year he's healthy means the Spurs have a legitimate chance. However, every year they enter the season with obvious roster holes is a wasted year. The FO needs to optimize these opportunities by ensuring the team is well-equipped to take on all comers during the Duncan era.

[galvatron3000]

This is all well and good and I do like the pieces planned for the future. In fact, I'm one of the biggest proponents of having talent in the pipeline to infuse over time. However, that does no good for the short term. They're playing for THIS season. Assuming they can shore up some deficiencies, they have an opportunity to win the West and the title this year. Duncan is in his 12th season. He's not going to play forever and there will not be another coming any time soon. Every year he's healthy means the Spurs have a legitimate chance. However, every year they enter the season with obvious roster holes is a wasted year. The FO needs to optimize these opportunities by ensuring the team is well-equipped to take on all comers during the Duncan era.

I agree but due to the nature of the Spurs market they can only do so much, having 3 all star caliber players on the team is great at the price they do, but getting a fourth is hard and that's why they do so much bargain hunting, especially overseas. Splitter hurt them big time. Splitter and Ian were the future, Ian goes down and Splitter is there and Vice Versa, then no one would be complaining. Circumstances dealt them a bad blow, no one can say the Spurs didn't try to fill their needs but after things went sour(splitter not coming, Ian injured, Manu surgery, injury here and there) they had to bargain shop again, thus Tolliver and Croshere and roster spots for pre season guys, Hairston, Farmer etc. Give them credit for what they tried to do, i COULdn't sk for more especially with no assets to trade

This could have been the team

Oberto/Thomas
Duncan
Finley
Mason
Parker

Ginobili
Hill
Splitter
Ian
Bowen
Thomas/Oberto
Udoka
Vaughn
Bonner
Hairston

[tp2021]

quick, sign Horry!

-Mars

Lord knows Pop has him on speed dial.

[Bruno]

All this situation should be a huge nightmare for Ian. He is a super nice guy and worked like a madman for more than one year to get a chance to play with Spurs. Pop wanted to give him his chance this year and I truly think that he had enough talent to break the rotation. I fell sorry for him and wishes him all the best. Let's hope this surgery will definitively fix the problem and that he will be back next year.

Ian being out for the season also hurts Spurs chances to win it all. Even if he wasn't very good, his athleticism, size and quickness would have really help Spurs in certain matchups.

That's all I have to say. Now, you can continue to trash and makes unfunny joke on a Spurs player who is living a hard time in his professional career. You really show that you are posters with a lot of class and heart...

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Let's trade him to Houston!

[kace]

All this situation should be a huge nightmare for Ian. He is a super nice guy and worked like a madman for more than one year to get a chance to play with Spurs. Pop wanted to give him his chance this year and I truly think that he had enough talent to break the rotation. I fell sorry for him and wishes him all the best. Let's hope this surgery will definitively fix the problem and that he will be back next year.

Ian being out for the season also hurts Spurs chances to win it all. Even if he wasn't very good, his athleticism, size and quickness would have really help Spurs in certain matchups.

That's all I have to say. Now, you can continue to trash and makes unfunny joke on a Spurs player who is living a hard time in his professional career. You really show that you are posters with a lot of class and heart...


keep this thread in mind. it will be funny when Ian make some contribution for the spurs in the future.

[galvatron3000]

All this situation should be a huge nightmare for Ian. He is a super nice guy and worked like a madman for more than one year to get a chance to play with Spurs. Pop wanted to give him his chance this year and I truly think that he had enough talent to break the rotation. I fell sorry for him and wishes him all the best. Let's hope this surgery will definitively fix the problem and that he will be back next year.

Ian being out for the season also hurts Spurs chances to win it all. Even if he wasn't very good, his athleticism, size and quickness would have really help Spurs in certain matchups.
That's all I have to say. Now, you can continue to trash and makes unfunny joke on a Spurs player who is living a hard time in his professional career. You really show that you are posters with a lot of class and heart...



I agree, just boarding at a nice clip and being in the right place defensively would have helped with his size, 10-15 minutes a game for the seson with an opportunity to add to those minutes in the PO's would have been nice.

[temujin]

7 games.

I wonder when this saga about a player that hasn't proven anything at any level will ever end.

[z0sa]

Ian Mahinmi will be raring to go come next August/September, and to me, that is fine. It sucks he couldn't have helped this year, but its not like he just epicly failed expectations and just couldn't crack the rotation. I feel this could be a very great test for him, something that will make him that much stronger and harder working come next season.

[temujin]

All this situation should be a huge nightmare for Ian. He is a super nice guy and worked like a madman for more than one year to get a chance to play with Spurs. Pop wanted to give him his chance this year and I truly think that he had enough talent to break the rotation. I fell sorry for him and wishes him all the best. Let's hope this surgery will definitively fix the problem and that he will be back next year.

Ian being out for the season also hurts Spurs chances to win it all. Even if he wasn't very good, his athleticism, size and quickness would have really help Spurs in certain matchups.

That's all I have to say. Now, you can continue to trash and makes unfunny joke on a Spurs player who is living a hard time in his professional career. You really show that you are posters with a lot of class and heart...

We wish all professional athletes well.
Independently from where they play.
And non professional athletes too.

This has nothing to do with the issue here.
I think it is really time to move on with Mahinmi.

[DPG21920]

Far too often fans are willing to sacrafice the future for "winning now". IMO, in order to be a truly great franchise, you have to walk a fine line between the two. The Spurs have done so nicely, and you just have to live with the fact you cannot win it every year.

All you can hope for is a shot and a future, the Spurs have both.

[tp2021]

We wish all professional athletes well.
Independently from where they play.
And non professional athletes too.

This has nothing to do with the issue here.
I think it is really time to move on with Mahinmi.Time to move on?
He might be out as an option for this season, but thats it.
"Moving on" would be retarded.

[SenorSpur]

I agree but due to the nature of the Spurs market they can only do so much, having 3 all star caliber players on the team is great at the price they do, but getting a fourth is hard and that's why they do so much bargain hunting, especially overseas. Splitter hurt them big time. Splitter and Ian were the future, Ian goes down and Splitter is there and Vice Versa, then no one would be complaining. Circumstances dealt them a bad blow, no one can say the Spurs didn't try to fill their needs but after things went sour(splitter not coming, Ian injured, Manu surgery, injury here and there) they had to bargain shop again, thus Tolliver and Croshere and roster spots for pre season guys, Hairston, Farmer etc. Give them credit for what they tried to do, i COULdn't sk for more especially with no assets to trade

This could have been the team

Oberto/Thomas
Duncan
Finley
Mason
Parker

Ginobili
Hill
Splitter
Ian
Bowen
Thomas/Oberto
Udoka
Vaughn
Bonner
Hairston

I understand. My point is the Spurs should've hedged themselves with another big man, as insurance. The Splitter announcement came before the draft. Ian's injury occurred prior to training camp. There was plenty of tmie to address this. They should have never gotten this far into the season with this glaring weakness.

Obviously, the Spurs are limited in what they can do and they don't need a pricey big. They just need a serviceable big who can rebound, defend, block a few shots and score the basketball, when necessary. A tall order because all teams need such a player.

[mrspurs]

I'm convinced that players are either ready for the NBA, or they're not.
Stash-'n-picks, development leagues etc, it hasn't been effective, no?

Agreed. Except for those Fans who dont have a NBA team.

[galvatron3000]

I understand. My point is the Spurs should've hedged themselves with another big man, as insurance. The Splitter announcement came before the draft. Ian's injury occurred prior to training camp. There was plenty of tmie to address this. They should have never gotten this far into the season with this glaring weakness.

Obviously, the Spurs are limited in what they can do and they don't need a pricey big. They just need a serviceable big who can rebound, defend, block a few shots and score the basketball, when necessary. A tall order because all teams need such a player.



Right and not willing to part for just anything. This is the reason they chose the long distance shoting big route because even a serviceable big is not coming from anyone unless they get something of interest in return,i.e. contract relief or position need.

[benefactor]

No need for trashing Ian. He can't control the injuries he has had and I am sure this is difficult for him.

The focus should be on what SenorSpur said...we had plenty of time to address the situation. We knew Splitter was not coming and Ian as been hurt since preseason. Perhaps they have been trying to work out some deals and nothing has materialized....I don't know. It sure feels like not much has been going on.

[Spurs Brazil]

:depressed

Sad news. I hope thing go well and he can get back next season

[robot89]

noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[Agloco]

finally, the uncertainty with ian is over. the FO can now focus on finding that big. time to go shopping. AC ain't the answer.

I'm thinking this needed to be a priority even if Ian was healthy. He's not ready to play alongside Duncan for the course of a season yet.

[Ocotillo]

I am with Bruno on this one, hopefully the surgery is successful and the kid comes in next year and makes a contribution.

Opening another can of worms, we are pretty ancient at the small forward spot as well. Watching yesterdays beat down, Udoka looked bad, we all already have our opinions of Finley and Bruce Bowen at 37 looks like our best small forward.

Maybe the Spurs ought go ahead and throw Hairston to the wolves for the rest of the season so that we have at least one set of young legs playing the three.

Keep in mind, the Spurs are still very competitive even with our weaknesses so we are kind of in that limbo area, not crappy enough to make the lottery (although that is moot due to OKC pick) and not good enough to win it all.

It is rare for me to put up the white flag but our age at the three and the lack of better big man option than the three headed monster of Bonner/Thomas/Oberto has us coming up short.

I still believe but I am a realist too.

[SenorSpur]

I am with Bruno on this one, hopefully the surgery is successful and the kid comes in next year and makes a contribution.

Opening another can of worms, we are pretty ancient at the small forward spot as well. Watching yesterdays beat down, Udoka looked bad, we all already have our opinions of Finley and Bruce Bowen at 37 looks like our best small forward.

Maybe the Spurs ought go ahead and throw Hairston to the wolves for the rest of the season so that we have at least one set of young legs playing the three.

Keep in mind, the Spurs are still very competitive even with our weaknesses so we are kind of in that limbo area, not crappy enough to make the lottery (although that is moot due to OKC pick) and not good enough to win it all.

It is rare for me to put up the white flag but our age at the three and the lack of better big man option than the three headed monster of Bonner/Thomas/Oberto has us coming up short.

I still believe but I am a realist too.

True. I still don't quite understand why Pop continues to gamble with such advanced age at a position (2-3) where you find the league's greatest athletes.

[tomtom]

Man that sucks but realistically I think we all knew this was gonna happen. Oh well high hopes for next season with hopefully Ian, Gist, and Hairston joining the team

[angelbelow]

damn it...

[024]

since mahinmi already missed so much time already, i doubt he was ever going to get minutes in the playoffs. the bad thing is that mahinmi won't even get to play some regular season games this year, which would have prepared him for next year. next season, mahinmi will have to take time to develop and get going which might leave him out of the playoff rotation again. hopefully he comes back from the surgery 100% and more wiser about his physical limitations.

[SenorSpur]

No need for trashing Ian. He can't control the injuries he has had and I am sure this is difficult for him.

The focus should be on what SenorSpur said...we had plenty of time to address the situation. We knew Splitter was not coming and Ian as been hurt since preseason. Perhaps they have been trying to work out some deals and nothing has materialized....I don't know. It sure feels like not much has been going on.


Exactly. If the kid would've been healthy enough to play he would have. This news confirms just how injured he really was. Everyone needs to back off the harsh criticism of this kid. The severity of said injury is not his fault.

[Austin_Toros]

If we drafted DeAndre Jordan.......

and isn't Mahinmi 22 years old?

[Southwest Texas Fan]

Per today's french newspaper "L'équipe".


Translation :

End of the season for Mahinmi!

The season of Ian Mahinmi has ended... even before having started. After a right ankle sprain during the summer, San Antonio's French player has tried to come back on the court but always felt the same pain at the ankle with continuous trace of blood. Send to LA to consult the specialist who has done Manu Ginobili's surgery this summer, he went back with the confirmation that the problem was far from being solved. After a six month waiting(!), the decision has been taken to have a surgery in LA and to end his season even if Spurs refuse to officially communicate on the situation of the young and unlucky French player. At 20 years old, the true start of his career is again postponed (only 6 regular season games played in 2007), but he still has until the end of the 2009-2010 season to show Spurs FO that they were right to draft him.


Bruno do you when Ian will have the surgery?

[manu_maniac]

First of all, hello guys, this is my first day/post here, and I'm about to try to make my "big statement."

Anyway, I think we should look at where we can be next season, because I don't find it very likely that we will be able to surpass this Lakers team. If Farmar was healthy when they played us at home, I think we would have lost that game as well =(. That's not to say we had anywhere near a great performance yesterday.

Even if we do beat the Lakers (most likely in a 7 game series), it would be the most difficult finals series we have ever played, and I think it would be our first loss in the finals. Yes, we haven't played the Cavs yet, but I think they will be nearly impossible to beat. They're so much better than '07. The Celts would be our best chance IMO, but I don't see them getting that far. As for the Magic, we have already seen 2 outings, and that would be my favorite finals match-up to see this season, but I still think they have an edge over us.

All in all, I think while we're waiting for Mahinmi to heal (not saying he's the penultimate center), we should have Bonner get into better shape. He could stand to become a sleeker rocket, which should improve his defensive prowess. While that's happening, we should definitely shop around, but it's already been said that athletic bigs that are rebound hounds and can provide great inside defense/solid point output are hard to come by. I don't really know of anyone that'll be out there this summer.

GO SPURS GO!

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

All this situation should be a huge nightmare for Ian. He is a super nice guy and worked like a madman for more than one year to get a chance to play with Spurs. Pop wanted to give him his chance this year and I truly think that he had enough talent to break the rotation. I fell sorry for him and wishes him all the best. Let's hope this surgery will definitively fix the problem and that he will be back next year.

Ian being out for the season also hurts Spurs chances to win it all. Even if he wasn't very good, his athleticism, size and quickness would have really help Spurs in certain matchups.

That's all I have to say. Now, you can continue to trash and makes unfunny joke on a Spurs player who is living a hard time in his professional career. You really show that you are posters with a lot of class and heart...

Exactly, well said Bruno.

The kid is 22 and has a heap of potential. This is his nightmare. People should be supportive instead of thinking only of themselves and being jackarses.

Get better Ian, see you next season.

[Ice009]

All this situation should be a huge nightmare for Ian. He is a super nice guy and worked like a madman for more than one year to get a chance to play with Spurs. Pop wanted to give him his chance this year and I truly think that he had enough talent to break the rotation. I fell sorry for him and wishes him all the best. Let's hope this surgery will definitively fix the problem and that he will be back next year.

Ian being out for the season also hurts Spurs chances to win it all. Even if he wasn't very good, his athleticism, size and quickness would have really help Spurs in certain matchups.

That's all I have to say. Now, you can continue to trash and makes unfunny joke on a Spurs player who is living a hard time in his professional career. You really show that you are posters with a lot of class and heart...

I'm not mad a Ian. I really hope Ian can make it and be a contributor for us. Stay strong Ian and keep working to get back to the court.

The Spurs FO are the ones that fucked up looking for Horry clones. Shit if I want clones I'd be looking for Mahinmi clones or any big that can play defense and rebound. Spurs FO have fucked up royally here. Even Melvin Ely would have been good, but NOOOOOOOOO we have to look for Horry clones that can shoot only.

[Ice009]

I'm thinking this needed to be a priority even if Ian was healthy. He's not ready to play alongside Duncan for the course of a season yet.

Exactly!

That's why I said a Watkins type player would be better than a Tolliver in the preseason.

What the fuck were the Spurs FO thinking?

[xellos88330]

Are we sure that the LA doctor wasn't a Laker fan??? Hehehe!

[ChumpDumper]

I heard a lot about what the Spurs should have done in training camp and earlier.

What do you think they should do now?

[Spur-Addict]

:pctoss

[Ice009]

I heard a lot about what the Spurs should have done in training camp and earlier.

What do you think they should do now?

It's a lot harder now than it was then. There were a lot more players available back then if the Spurs chose to look at rebounding defensive big men.

[Yorae]

:depressed

[ChumpDumper]

It's a lot harder now than it was then. There were a lot more players available back then if the Spurs chose to look at rebounding defensive big men.So, "nobody" is your answer.

[Spur-Addict]

I'm willing to move Mason if it comes to it.

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=125~3018~167~1721~2805~874&teams=24~24~12~12~12~12&te=&cash=

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=1721~2805~874~1982~3018&teams=12~12~12~24~24&te=&cash=

Don't get me wrong I love how he has been playing all year long. But, if we can't get anything done, all realistic options must be evaluated. Certainly this may by force become one. Especially if we want to get a player of this calibur in return. Go ahead, make some lame attempt at a condescending remark. I really don't care. But he has shown to be the most appealing piece outside of our core. Teams will sniff at a clutch dead on shooter who can do a bit of everything.

We can't move Fin, and we need Kurt for guys like Shaq. We need Bruce for certain players I need not mention.

But this is as real as it'll get if we really desire what we need. We still have to maintain certain players for specific needs, so all in all we are getting in return what we need and not losing so much in the process. Just think about it.

[Ice009]

So, "nobody" is your answer.

I already said Watkins. I was interested in Sims too.

I don't remember seeing you name anyone now, preseason or at any other time this season. At least I named someone.

If you did and I missed it who was your pick?

[Austin_Toros]

Just trade Mahinmi and Splitter for Alexis Ajinca. At least that way we get a French big man that is actually healthy.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I'm willing to move Mason if it comes to it.

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=125~3018~167~1721~2805~874&teams=24~24~12~12~12~12&te=&cash=

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=1721~2805~874~1982~3018&teams=12~12~12~24~24&te=&cash=

Don't get me wrong I love how he has been playing all year long. But, if we can't get anything done, all realistic options must be evaluated. Certainly this may by force become one. Especially if we want to get a player of this calibur in return. Go ahead, make some lame attempt at a condescending remark. I really don't care. But he has shown to be the most appealing piece outside of our core. Teams will sniff at a clutch dead on shooter who can do a bit of everything.

We can't move Fin, and we need Kurt for guys like Shaq. We need Bruce for certain players I need not mention.

But this is as real as it'll get if we really desire what we need. We still have to maintain certain players for specific needs, so all in all we are getting in return what we need and not losing so much in the process. Just think about it.

Clippers have found their SG in Eric Gordon. I don't think we have anything they want.

[Mr. Body]

So in 2009... guess what? We are without Scola, Splitter AND Mahinmi. Classic.

[Spur-Addict]

Clippers have found their SG in Eric Gordon. I don't think we have anything they want.

What's that word i'm looking for? Oh yeah here it is. Depth. Ricky Davis is garbage, and Baron is a point guard. Outside of Gordon and Davis there is nobody else at the two who is decent. Did I mention Ricky Davis is garbage? They have three good centers, all of them can't play substantial minutes. So there you have it kind sir.

[objective]

I hope nobody has misinterpreted my post as Mahinmi bashing.

There's a difference in remarking upon an athlete's health and reliability and in questioning his character.

I hope the best for Mahinmi, both with the Spurs and otherwise. Every report on Mahinmi ever has been on what a hard worker he is. And he seems a great fellow. And I've been on this board publicly wishing Pop would give him opportunities for a long time now, going back to last season.

But that has nothing to do with whether it's likely or realistic that he'll still play a role in the future of the Spurs. Grant Hill is one of the nicest guys of all time, but that doesn't mean he isn't prone to injury and breakdown and basically being fragile. Great guy, fragile player. Great character, could have bagged the money and called it a career, but worked his ass off to come back and play again despite the hardships. Awesome work ethic. Still fragile and unreliable. None of that is Hill's fault. But it can't be ignored when discussing Hill as a player.

Discussions on Mahinmi's future based on his career and health up to now is no indictment of Mahinmi the person.

[HarlemHeat37]

ya, but the Clippers acquiring Mason does nothing for them..they aren't trying to win now..Mason isn't old, but he's not a young piece or anything..Roger is more suited on a veteran team that he can help now..

[Spur-Addict]

ya, but the Clippers acquiring Mason does nothing for them..they aren't trying to win now..Mason isn't old, but he's not a young piece or anything..Roger is more suited on a veteran team that he can help now..

I'm not sure how familiar you are with the state of the Clipper roster right now. They need depth at guard. Randolph, Kaman and Davis are out. Yeah they aren't competing/winning, but that's a big reason why.

Plus, they are still learning each other. They have five new players, and four of those five play big minutes. You can't expect that to just click out of the gate.

When everyone is healthy and they really want to make some sort of push whether it's this year or next, who will spell minutes for Gordon/Davis?

Novak is A SF. Did I mention that Ricky Davis is garbage?

Collins is ok but he isn't exactly a two guard. So they still are missing some reserve guards. I guarantee Diddy just needs some spell in there, and if E. Gordon gets rest, he can get Diddy rest. So they need good guards.

[Spur-Addict]

If true, we need to turn our attention to getting Mikki Moore, Villenuava, Wilcox or Turiaff......cant spell the names but you guys know who Im talking about. I dont think Horry helps us much, not big enough but is a better defender and rebounder than bonner.

My other Idea is going after a bigger 3, like Tim Thomas, D Wright from Miami to increase the size overall of the front line and improve our D that way. Im hoping this is CIA Pop at work and that Ian will play after the trade deadline.

Wilcox is the only strong player out of the bunch. Charlie V if you want that scoring punch that is versatile for his size. If we didn't need a true Big, that is something to consider. But out of the suggested players, Chris is the best. But he has a questionable mindset. I'd take the risk though.

[NewJerSpur]

Tim Thomas believes himself to be a SF, but Moore is a very interesting player. Has a decent stroke on offense, moves pretty well without the ball and can finish at the rim. Would give us a long deterant at the rim on defense and a lively rebounder.

[itzsoweezee]

spurs medical staff is looking really incompetent right now

[Cant_Be_Faded]

damn
poor duncan. Sad way to go out.

[Spur-Addict]

Tim Thomas believes himself to be a SF, but Moore is a very interesting player. Has a decent stroke on offense, moves pretty well without the ball and can finish at the rim. Would give us a long deterant at the rim on defense and a lively rebounder.

It really would, but i'm not sure how able he'd be to defend the primary post players on our primary obstacle. Can he muscle up with Pau or Bynum? Yes he can finish and yes he has a decent shot. He is mobile as well.

[SenorSpur]

Tim Thomas believes himself to be a SF, but Moore is a very interesting player. Has a decent stroke on offense, moves pretty well without the ball and can finish at the rim. Would give us a long deterant at the rim on defense and a lively rebounder.

Tim Thomas is a dog with fleas. Do not consider him as a potential target - under any circumstances.

[Spur-Addict]

I say Charlie V only because he is 6-11 and can shoot, play the 3 or 4 and he would give us good size. The only team that can beat us in a 7 game is La and I think he would be a perfect matchup with Gasol.

He can also shoot the 3 so we could run our normal sets with him in. Wilcox isnt a shooter, but I think Pops could light a fire under his ass and get some good run out of him. He has never been with a winning team and if Im not mistaken this is a contract year for him so he may wanna give it all to get another payday.

Moore is thin, but tuff as nails, and he has a big heart! He can see he wants to win, and I think that fire would be great for our team, plus he has been with the team before.

Ronnie T, I love his energy and shot blocking, and he has a nice 12ft jumper, hes a tuff guy and the fact the Lakers didnt match may give him that added chip on the shoulder when we face them.

Other guys the Spur could consider would be Sheldon Williams....he has no future in Sac

Ronnie is too small.

We would need Charlie to defend as well. As versatile as he is on O, can he get a few stops for us? I don't know. But he definetly would cause havoc on the other end. He could get their bigs in foul trouble as long as he doesn't hang around the arc twenty four seven. That would be a hard trade to pull off though.

Wilcox is looking for the money, but if he leaves next year so what. Buy then maybe Ian will be ready.

[NewJerSpur]

It really would, but i'm not sure how able he'd be to defend the primary post players on our primary obstacle. Can he muscle up with Pau or Bynum? Yes he can finish and yes he has a decent shot. He is mobile as well.

He may give up some ground but his length can at least bother the shots of either of those two. KT, (who is the only big that gives Duncan any help on defense) gives the effort but is just too slow and winds up fouling guys like Gasol when he can't stay in front of them. Moore my get backed down a bit but he stays in plays because of wingspan and mobility.

[NewJerSpur]

Tim Thomas is a dog with fleas. Do not consider him as a potential target - under any circumstances.

He LIVES behind the arc and has no semblance of a game in the post. Terrible for a guy his size.

EDIT: But that's just how D'Antoni likes 'em. :lol

[Spur-Addict]

He may give up some ground but his length can at least bother the shots of either of those two. KT, (who is the only big that gives Duncan any help on defense) gives the effort but is just too slow and winds up fouling guys like Gasol when he can't stay in front of them. Moore my get backed down a bit but he stays in plays because of wingspan and mobility.

All of this is true. I of course would prefer the ideal front court player but if it comes to it, settling is what we may have to do. As a result of settling you get an imperfect fit to your needs. But, an upgrade is preferred if nothing else.

[NewJerSpur]

All of this is true. I of course would prefer the ideal front court player but if it comes to it, settling is what we may have to do. As a result of settling you get an imperfect fit to your needs. But, an upgrade is preferred if nothing else.

Yeah. I'm not saying Moore would necessarily be a gem of a move if this were the offseason, but given our needs and the limited options out there I think this would be one of the better, more REALISTIC moves that Texas 2 Step mentioned could be made.

[Spur-Addict]

Yeah. I'm not saying Moore would necessarily be a gem of a move if this were the offseason, but given our needs and the limited options out there I think this would be one of the better, more REALISTIC moves that Texas 2 Step mentioned could be made.

"Shoot for the moon and land in the stars"

:lol

[NewJerSpur]

:tu

[Manufan909]

since mahinmi already missed so much time already, i doubt he was ever going to get minutes in the playoffs. the bad thing is that mahinmi won't even get to play some regular season games this year, which would have prepared him for next year. next season, mahinmi will have to take time to develop and get going which might leave him out of the playoff rotation again. hopefully he comes back from the surgery 100% and more wiser about his physical limitations.

He should be ahead of the curve, since he's trained so much with the Spurs, and the Toros run alot of Spurs play, IIRC Cump said that a couple times.

Am I the only one who finds it curious that someone who's season is over was running 2-2 drills? I'll be sure to quote myself if Pop plays him 5 or less games after the trade deadline.:downspin:

EDIT: And Wilcox would be my pick for the FO to target. Who's team is he on, at what's his contract?

[HarlemHeat37]

Wilcox helps offensively, since he runs the floor very well, and finishes very well at the rim..but defensively and on the boards? not so much..

he's an expiring contract getting paid 6.75 mil this season from OKC..it's possible since we have a relationship with Presti, but it's a nice asset for them..

[Manufan909]

Wilcox helps offensively, since he runs the floor very well, and finishes very well at the rim..but defensively and on the boards? not so much..

he's an expiring contract getting paid 6.75 mil this season from OKC..it's possible since we have a relationship with Presti, but it's a nice asset for them..

Thanks holmes!!!:toast

I think he could instantly get decent minutes, and that Pop could improve his D mindset if the Spurs somehow traded for him, but I can't think of a trade they'd like... are they weak at any position, or are they just young at all of them(thus they might want to just keep all the players so they could all mature together)?

[pad300]

I heard a lot about what the Spurs should have done in training camp and earlier.

What do you think they should do now?

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3025892&postcount=34

That was my suggestion...

It's starting to look more and more practical from my POV. The Spurs could offer Dynamo Moscow up to 500K US$ as a buyout, to get Javtokas released before the end of their season, without it counting towards the salary cap. Dynamo apparently need the money.

http://majorleaguejerk.com/2008/12/18/the-inevitable-return-of-jannero-pargo/


Jannero Pargo (?) - Pargo’s Russian team is reportedly having a very difficult time making payroll right now;

and

http://dimemag.com/2009/01/jannero-pargo-to-olympiakos/


apparently the government has decided to withdraw funding that was assigned to the clubs. Dynamo Moscow, one of the most affected teams, has seen Arriel McDonald, Darjus Lavrinovic, Hollis Price and now Pargo leave.

Jannero Pargo was playing for Dynamo Moscow...He left because they couldn't pay him...I wonder if Javtokas is getting paid these days? I don't know how much money Javtokas would want at this point, but the LLE would have to look pretty good (4.2 Million for the remainder of this season and the next, if we set up the contract right); hell, even the vet min might be enough.

He's big (a real 7 footer), he's strong, and he'd be the most athletic big on the roster; possibly even more of an athlete than a healthy Mahinmi. Remember, he used to be able to dunk on a 12ft rim...

[venitian navigator]

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3025892&postcount=34

That was my suggestion...

It's starting to look more and more practical from my POV. The Spurs could offer Dynamo Moscow up to 500K US$ as a buyout, to get Javtokas released before the end of their season, without it counting towards the salary cap. Dynamo apparently need the money.

http://majorleaguejerk.com/2008/12/18/the-inevitable-return-of-jannero-pargo/



and

http://dimemag.com/2009/01/jannero-pargo-to-olympiakos/



Jannero Pargo was playing for Dynamo Moscow...He left because they couldn't pay him...I wonder if Javtokas is getting paid these days? I don't know how much money Javtokas would want at this point, but the LLE would have to look pretty good (4.2 Million for the remainder of this season and the next, if we set up the contract right); hell, even the vet min might be enough.

He's big (a real 7 footer), he's strong, and he'd be the most athletic big on the roster; possibly even more of an athlete than a healthy Mahinmi. Remember, he used to be able to dunk on a 12ft rim...

I agree...
as for now, he's the best available option and gives just what we need on the front line.
A big body, capable of rebounding, block shots and run the floor...like an EWlson type.
You just have to hope that, in case, he misses less rotations than Elson did...
IOne thing for sure is that his body is stronger!
In the Dinamo Moskow situation is that bad, that would be an ideal situation for them too...they don't have to pay their player and they receive also 500,00 cash...
By the way : this is one of the limited (and weird) situations where a buy-out of 500,00 could effectively work...

[TDMVPDPOY]

i doubt holt will be spending anything atm

doesnt he own caterpillar heavy machinery vehicles?

i was watching the news they are laying off 20000 staff worldwide...

[mountainballer]

i doubt holt will be spending anything atm

doesnt he own caterpillar heavy machinery vehicles?

i was watching the news they are laying off 20000 staff worldwide...

he's something like the grandson of the Caterpillar founder, but he doesn't own caterpillar inc.
he is the CEO of HOLT CAT, the largest Caterpillar dealership in the states.
(but of course he also will be affected by the worldwide crisis)

[mattyc]

Terrible news for the guy. I really want things to work out for him.

I don't think the sky is falling in terms of signing a big man though.

[Kill_Bill_Pana]

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3025892&postcount=34

That was my suggestion...

It's starting to look more and more practical from my POV. The Spurs could offer Dynamo Moscow up to 500K US$ as a buyout, to get Javtokas released before the end of their season, without it counting towards the salary cap. Dynamo apparently need the money.

http://majorleaguejerk.com/2008/12/18/the-inevitable-return-of-jannero-pargo/



and

http://dimemag.com/2009/01/jannero-pargo-to-olympiakos/



Jannero Pargo was playing for Dynamo Moscow...He left because they couldn't pay him...I wonder if Javtokas is getting paid these days? I don't know how much money Javtokas would want at this point, but the LLE would have to look pretty good (4.2 Million for the remainder of this season and the next, if we set up the contract right); hell, even the vet min might be enough.

He's big (a real 7 footer), he's strong, and he'd be the most athletic big on the roster; possibly even more of an athlete than a healthy Mahinmi. Remember, he used to be able to dunk on a 12ft rim...

This is not true at all. How many times this have to be explained? They were offered big buyout of cash by Olympiacos and Pargo wanted in a Euroleague club. It was nothing to do with not being able to pay him. NOTHING they were even AHEAD of schedule in making his payments as reported by Stein of ESPN.

Their is no way Spurs can get Javtokas for a small 500,000 us dollars. Olympiacos was paying like 3 million euros to get Pargo from them.

But yes Spurs should get Javtokas this summer. i do not understand why they have no interest in him. he is big and very strong. He is excellent finisher, good defense, good at protect paint and rim, good shot blocker, solid in rebounding. He is athletic freak of nature even by NBA level.

His offense is even OK. Efficient player and he is not so bad in offense and shooting. He is let us say certainly better offensive player than Oberto I think. He is having excellent season this year. This guy is not going to be anything special or great in NBA but he is for sure better than Spurs crap centers of Bonner, Thomas, Oberto.

[Kill_Bill_Pana]

I agree...
as for now, he's the best available option and gives just what we need on the front line.
A big body, capable of rebounding, block shots and run the floor...like an EWlson type.
You just have to hope that, in case, he misses less rotations than Elson did...
IOne thing for sure is that his body is stronger!
In the Dinamo Moskow situation is that bad, that would be an ideal situation for them too...they don't have to pay their player and they receive also 500,00 cash...
By the way : this is one of the limited (and weird) situations where a buy-out of 500,00 could effectively work...

Spurs should get javtokas but do not believe all this crap about Dynamo financial issues. GM of team even showed where every player gets all his money on time and will for whole year and all the players said this was true. Pargo has said it was just made up by US press.

But yes Javtokas could help Spurs.

[tav1]

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3025892&postcount=34

That was my suggestion...

It's starting to look more and more practical from my POV. The Spurs could offer Dynamo Moscow up to 500K US$ as a buyout, to get Javtokas released before the end of their season, without it counting towards the salary cap. Dynamo apparently need the money.

http://majorleaguejerk.com/2008/12/18/the-inevitable-return-of-jannero-pargo/



and

http://dimemag.com/2009/01/jannero-pargo-to-olympiakos/



Jannero Pargo was playing for Dynamo Moscow...He left because they couldn't pay him...I wonder if Javtokas is getting paid these days? I don't know how much money Javtokas would want at this point, but the LLE would have to look pretty good (4.2 Million for the remainder of this season and the next, if we set up the contract right); hell, even the vet min might be enough.

He's big (a real 7 footer), he's strong, and he'd be the most athletic big on the roster; possibly even more of an athlete than a healthy Mahinmi. Remember, he used to be able to dunk on a 12ft rim...

I've checked into this, and just to be clear, Pargo has received payments, they were just routinely late--months late at some points. I'm not sure if that's the case with Javtokas. I imagine that it is. I'm not sure how the Russian league is set up--there is not a handy English language Russian League CBA FAQ on the net. But one would imagine that any Dynamo player could legally seek to have their contract voided after so many missed payments. The problem with Javtokas--the reason I'd be surprised to see the Spurs go that direction--is that he doesn't know the Spurs system and he's never played in the NBA. To bring someone like that in midseason...

[timvp]

Too bad that Mahinmi is out for the season. Although hope was waning, it would have been nice to see what he could do at some point this season. It was a long shot that he'd be able to help much but it would have been great if he could step in and provide the shotblocking and athleticism the Spurs are lacking.

Now Mahinmi just needs to keep working on his body and concentrate on adding weight. He's still skinny, especially in his legs. Hit the weights until summer league and then hopefully have a better summer league showing this year than last year.

[timvp]

What the fuck did I say in pre-season??????

SIGN DARRYL WATKINS. WE NEED INTERIOR DEFENSE. WE NEED A RIM PROTECTOR

FUCKING IDIOT SPURS FO. Everyone in here is like oh no we don't need a rim protector like Watkins we've got Ian Mahinmi. Watkins is too raw. It was obvious we need another big man to battle teams like the Lakers instead of Tolliver. I didn't want Tolliver at all Farmer, Watkins and Hairston were all above him in my list.

The Spurs really dropped the ball on this one as far as the type of player they needed to sign in the off season. You're not going to get another Robert Horry it was a complete waste of time trying to find a player like that. You can't teach anyone what Robert Horry did.

I'm pretty sure SenorSpur was also another poster that said a player like Watkins would be a bigger need for the team. I don't remember the other posters that thought Watkins was a good idea as there wasn't many. Even Timvp wasn't really against Tolliver.This is one of the weirder rants I have seen. I don't think many people were against the idea of adding interior defense. Most Spurs fans have been pining for athleticism and interior defense from a center since David Robinson retired.

That said, Darryl Watkins was not the answer. As far as I know, he's not doing much in China. And other NBA teams aren't exactly beating down his door. Watkins at this point isn't an NBA player.

Tolliver is much closer to being an NBA player and that fact alone makes him a better signing than Watkins. You don't sign a player based on need if that player can't play on this level. That makes no sense.

If Tolliver could hit shots, he'd probably still be with the team. His skillset wasn't what got him cut ... it was the fact that he shot about 12% from the field.

And yeah, if there is an athletic shotblocker out there that we are overlooking, hopefully Ice009 points him out. It's easy to want a certain skillset but actually finding an available NBA level player with that skillset is the challenge.

[timvp]

I wonder if the doctor in LA would have said that a surgery was needed if he had seen Ian in August.
Have Spurs' medical staff do a wrong diagnostic back in August or is it just some
unexpected complications?Considering that Mahinmi was practicing with the team even after he consulted with the doctor in LA, I doubt that surgery was obvious to anyone. If the LA doctor saw it and found something serious the Spurs missed, Mahinmi would have been shut down right away. Apparently, he tried to play through it but kept experiencing pain so they opted for surgery.

I don't know of many ankle injuries that didn't include a serious rupture that requires the player to miss six months. If there was no major structural damage, the usual protocol is rest and rehabilitation. Surgery on a sprained ankle is rare.



Last year, Ginobili's and Parker's ankle injuries haven't been well managed so questions arise...What could the Spurs have done with Ginobili? They wanted him to have offseason surgery but he instead played for Argentina first and then had the surgery. Parker's is a bit more questionable but it appeared as if he returned the the floor too quickly the first time and the ankle didn't respond. This year he returned quickly and the ankle responded. It's tough to say how an ankle will react until the player plays.

It's not like the Spurs had doctors trying to force Parker to play through a broken finger . . .

[Illusionarist]

Is Manhinmi so talented and such a good player? I mean there is so much noise about him. Is he a nice big? I haven't seen him play. Know when he was drafted?

[urunobili]

That said, Darryl Watkins was not the answer. As far as I know, he's not doing much in China. And other NBA teams aren't exactly beating down his door. Watkins at this point isn't an NBA player.

Tolliver is much closer to being an NBA player and that fact alone makes him a better signing than Watkins. You don't sign a player based on need if that player can't play on this level. That makes no sense.

Are you kidding on this one? :wow

Watkins was playing VERY solid ball every time he got some minutes with us in the pre season... IMO Tolliver over him was a mistake we had already a shooting big on the roster...

What is making you think (and you sound VERY sure) that Watkins is not ready to play in the NBA today? From what i was able to see during preseason... he should have made it and he actually was VERY close to getting the chance....

Watkins>>>>>>Oberto

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

What the fuck did I say in pre-season??????

SIGN DARRYL WATKINS. WE NEED INTERIOR DEFENSE. WE NEED A RIM PROTECTOR

FUCKING IDIOT SPURS FO. Everyone in here is like oh no we don't need a rim protector like Watkins we've got Ian Mahinmi. Watkins is too raw. It was obvious we need another big man to battle teams like the Lakers instead of Tolliver. I didn't want Tolliver at all Farmer, Watkins and Hairston were all above him in my list.

The Spurs really dropped the ball on this one as far as the type of player they needed to sign in the off season. You're not going to get another Robert Horry it was a complete waste of time trying to find a player like that. You can't teach anyone what Robert Horry did.

I'm pretty sure SenorSpur was also another poster that said a player like Watkins would be a bigger need for the team. I don't remember the other posters that thought Watkins was a good idea as there wasn't many. Even Timvp wasn't really against Tolliver.

So, we're looking for a 7 footer who :
1. Is a good defender
2. Is a good shot blocker
3. Is good at rebounding
4. Is good on offense
5. Is cheap
6. Is available for a trade for our scrubs

I don't think this guy exists. We'll have to live with what we've got.

[timvp]

Are you kidding on this one? :wow

Watkins was playing VERY solid ball every time he got some minutes with us in the pre season... IMO Tolliver over him was a mistake we had already a shooting big on the roster...

What is making you think (and you sound VERY sure) that Watkins is not ready to play in the NBA today? From what i was able to see during preseason... he should have made it and he actually was VERY close to getting the chance....

Watkins>>>>>>ObertoWhat makes me sure Watkins isn't ready for the NBA? Well, a good sign is that Watkins currently in the NBA. Even 17% Tolliver got picked up after the Spurs waived him. When Watkins was waived, he was relegated to the Chinese league -- possibly the worst professional basketball league in existence.

Watkins has good physical ability but his basketball skills appeared to be lacking. Having a shotblocker on defense would be nice but that player has to be able to survive on the court on the other end.

And I disagree that he was "VERY" close to making it. He wasn't much closer than any of the other training camp invitees.

I don't know what Watkins has been up to in China but if he has shown any signs of improvement, I wouldn't be against giving him a ten-day look. But to say that waiving him was some sort of travesty and unforgivable error by the front office is taking it a few steps too far.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Is it worth seeing if Portland will gift us Ike Diogu for whatever dross we have? They are going to have a player squeeze and surely he's one of the odd men out.

I bring him up because I remember seeing him play a year or two ago when he got some minutes and thought he had athleticism and promise. What's the good word about him today?

[HarlemHeat37]

Is it worth seeing if Portland will gift us Ike Diogu for whatever dross we have? They are going to have a player squeeze and surely he's one of the odd men out.

I bring him up because I remember seeing him play a year or two ago when he got some minutes and thought he had athleticism and promise. What's the good word about him today?

I would be interested in him simply based on potential..he hasn't shown much in Portland, but that's partly due to playing behind better players..if it was between him or Frye, I would take Diogu 10 times out of 10 though..

he's one of those dissapointing guys that was expected to do too much in Indiana, and never really got a chance to find his role in the NBA..he could thrive under Pop though, so I wouldn't mind giving him a chance..

[urunobili]

I would be interested in him simply based on potential..he hasn't shown much in Portland, but that's partly due to playing behind better players..if it was between him or Frye, I would take Diogu 10 times out of 10 though..

he's one of those dissapointing guys that was expected to do too much in Indiana, and never really got a chance to find his role in the NBA..he could thrive under Pop though, so I wouldn't mind giving him a chance..

we need to stop dreaming Pricktchard will never do business with us... :depressed

[HarlemHeat37]

we need to stop dreaming Pricktchard will never do business with us... :depressed

well Diogu isn't exactly a big name..he doesn't even see any time on the floor on a stacked Blazers team, there isn't really a reason to keep him on the team..

[mountainballer]

Is it worth seeing if Portland will gift us Ike Diogu for whatever dross we have? They are going to have a player squeeze and surely he's one of the odd men out.

I bring him up because I remember seeing him play a year or two ago when he got some minutes and thought he had athleticism and promise. What's the good word about him today?

Diogu is in fact a very good idea. he is not very tall at 6-8, but has a crazy wingspan and standing reach. (7'3'' and 9'1'', this makes him equal to many players who are 6'10'' and more)
I also don't understand why he doesn't get a chance in Portland. he is really talented.

[HarlemHeat37]

Diogu is in fact a very good idea. he is not very tall at 6-8, but has a crazy wingspan and standing reach. (7'3'' and 9'1'', this makes him equal to many players who are 6'10'' and more)
I also don't understand why he doesn't get a chance in Portland. he is really talented.

he hasn't shown much in Portland, and they choose to play Outlaw at the PF position when Aldridge sits..they don't really need to play Diogu, he doesn't fit what they're doing..they already have bangers in Oden and Pryzbilla, and they're both much better options than Diogu..

[loveforthegame]

As a Warriors fan I was disappointed they let Diogu go. He's gotten lost in the shuffle but if the Spurs could get him cheaply I'd love it.

[Bruno]

Considering that Mahinmi was practicing with the team even after he consulted with the doctor in LA, I doubt that surgery was obvious to anyone. If the LA doctor saw it and found something serious the Spurs missed, Mahinmi would have been shut down right away. Apparently, he tried to play through it but kept experiencing pain so they opted for surgery.

In the article I've translated, it was said that the doctor in LA said that Mahinmi's ankle was far form being healthy.

It's true that it's quite surprising to see Ian still practicing. Now, I'm not sure that he was suiting up to test his ankle. In the video where we can see him, he wasn't even running or jumping. Another theory could be that he is just waiting for his surgery and there are no risks for him to "practice" without pushing on his ankle.



I don't know of many ankle injuries that didn't include a serious rupture that requires the player to miss six months. If there was no major structural damage, the usual protocol is rest and rehabilitation. Surgery on a sprained ankle is rare.

Mahinmi spend more than one month with a hard cast. His ankle sprain wasn't the typical one. When the ankle sprain is that bad, I'm sure that surgery is an option considered. Spurs' medical staff decided that rest was enough, it obviously wasn't the case.

I'm not the only one to be surprised of a surgery 6 months after the injury. The writer of this article, who I guess should be Olivier Pheulpin, is also very surprised of that wait. The "(!)" of "After a six month waiting(!)" hasn't been added by me but was in the original article.



What could the Spurs have done with Ginobili? They wanted him to have offseason surgery but he instead played for Argentina first and then had the surgery.

IIRC, if Manu hasn't re-injured his ankle in the Olympics, Spurs wouldn't have made a surgery.
Manu re-injured his ankle at the end of the Olympics so he could have very well enter in the season with a "bad" ankle if Argentina had lost earlier in the Olympics.
Letting a player enter in a NBA season with a "bad" ankle is quite bad.



Parker's is a bit more questionable but it appeared as if he returned the the floor too quickly the first time and the ankle didn't respond. This year he returned quickly and the ankle responded. It's tough to say how an ankle will react until the player plays.

When Parker returned from an ankle sprain he had in December 2007, Parker had some pain and Spurs medical staff told him to continue playing and that the ankle will be better with time. The ankle went worse. They also talk about bone spurs while it wasn't the case.



It's not like the Spurs had doctors trying to force Parker to play through a broken finger . . .

:stirpot:

[Tully365]

It seems that every other d-leaguer is dismissed by Spurstalk as a scrub in a crappy league, but for some reason Mahinmi is seen at having a legit shot at being an effective big man who'll make a big difference. Interesting...

[HarlemHeat37]

I don't really buy the "D-league player is automatically a scrub" neither..a lot of guys in this league just need a shot..more importantly, a lot of these guys just need to find a niche in the NBA, and it would most likely be as a specialist on a team..a lot of these guys could benefit from being around great coaches and great players..

[Tully365]

I don't really buy the "D-league player is automatically a scrub" neither..a lot of guys in this league just need a shot..more importantly, a lot of these guys just need to find a niche in the NBA, and it would most likely be as a specialist on a team..a lot of these guys could benefit from being around great coaches and great players..

Yeah, I agree. It just seems like a lot of people are quick to dismiss young projects like Fesenko, Sims, or other such players while having extremely high hopes for Mahinmi. Watching Mahinmi this summer, he struck me as having the same shortcomings as most young big prospects, and didn't exactly seem to warrant any sort of separation from the pack by his actions... I guess what I'm advocating for is just a little more objectivity, which of course is rare in a sports forum.

[benefactor]

I don't really buy the "D-league player is automatically a scrub" neither..a lot of guys in this league just need a shot..more importantly, a lot of these guys just need to find a niche in the NBA, and it would most likely be as a specialist on a team..a lot of these guys could benefit from being around great coaches and great players..
Richard Hendrix anyone?

http://www.nba.com/dleague/playerfile/index.jsp?player=richard_hendrix

[Manufan909]

Ge's a big boy for 6-9, how much does Tim weigh?

[Manufan909]

And I hope getting Jav this summer at the latest is a priority for Pop. Do you think that is so, timvp?

[Bruno]

When I've watched Hendrix during the D-League showcase, he was quite bad. His lack of lateral mobility is flagrant.

[duncan228]

...how much does Tim weigh?

Been listed as 260 for years, this season I've seen 255.

[benefactor]

When I've watched Hendrix during the D-League showcase, he was quite bad. His lack of lateral mobility is flagrant.
I know man...but we are limited on options at this point. He has looked better in his last few games and Chump seems to think that he is probably the best prospect the D-League has to offer right now. Trade options are looking sketchy so I see no harm in bringing him in for 10 days to see what's there.

[SpursFanFirst]

:rollin I'm sorry, but this guy is turning out to be the biggest joke.
Will yall still think he's worth it next year?

[timvp]

In the article I've translated, it was said that the doctor in LA said that Mahinmi's ankle was far form being healthy.Yeah if he is having surgery that will require him to miss the rest of the season, I would be pretty confident that he isn't close to coming back on his own.


It's true that it's quite surprising to see Ian still practicing. Now, I'm not sure that he was suiting up to test his ankle. In the video where we can see him, he wasn't even running or jumping. Another theory could be that he is just waiting for his surgery and there are no risks for him to "practice" without pushing on his ankle.I saw him doing a little bit of jumping, which tells me that his ankle isn't a debilitating injury. If he were in massive amounts of pain, the last place the doctors are Spurs would allow him to be is on the basketball court.


Mahinmi spend more than one month with a hard cast. His ankle sprain wasn't the typical one. When the ankle sprain is that bad, I'm sure that surgery is an option considered. Spurs' medical staff decided that rest was enough, it obviously wasn't the case.I still wonder what his initial injury was. First we heard bad ankle sprain. Then there was talk it was a high ankle sprain. But either way, surgery is rare. In the NBA, I'd say less than 1% of ankle sprains require surgery. And even those that due are usually because of a history of ankle sprains.

AFAIK, this was Mahinmi's first serious ankle sprain. If he would have done major damage, I doubt it'd be called an ankle sprain. For example, Monta Ellis required surgery but his injury wasn't classified as a regular ankle sprain.

If I didn't see Mahinmi out on the practice court before and after he got second opinions, I could say that the Spurs' doctors F'ed up but his presence on the practice court tells me that nobody found anything seriously wrong.



I'm not the only one to be surprised of a surgery 6 months after the injury. The writer of this article, who I guess should be Olivier Pheulpin, is also very surprised of that wait. The "(!)" of "After a six month waiting(!)" hasn't been added by me but was in the original article.Yeah, I'm sure the whole Spurs world is surprised. First Mahinmi was supposed to just miss training camp. Then he was supposed to just miss the first couple preseason games. Then he was supposed to be able to return for the last couple preseason games. Then he was supposed to be back in late November. That turned into middle December. And then eventually they just gave up on pushing back his date.

Even a serious high ankle sprain doesn't usually require this long ... much less the whole season. Hopefully at some point we are told what the final diagnosis. My guess is he got some loose debris in his ankle that flairs up when he starts doing basketball activities.


IIRC, if Manu hasn't re-injured his ankle in the Olympics, Spurs wouldn't have made a surgery.
Manu re-injured his ankle at the end of the Olympics so he could have very well enter in the season with a "bad" ankle if Argentina had lost earlier in the Olympics.
Letting a player enter in a NBA season with a "bad" ankle is quite bad.You must have missed the Buck Harvey article that debunked that myth. Surgery was decided a couple weeks after the end of the playoffs when the doctors examined the injury and it wasn't getting better. The Spurs wanted Ginobili to get the surgery early in the summer but he wanted to delay the surgery until after the Olympics. The doctors said he couldn't damage it any further so the Spurs eventually let him. But there was no scenario in which the Spurs were going to let Ginobili go into the season with his ankle as is.

The "it's a good thing Manu played in the Olympics because he got hurt and it's better to be hurt in the summer than in the middle of the regular season" line of reasoning turned out to be BS.


When Parker returned from an ankle sprain he had in December 2007, Parker had some pain and Spurs medical staff told him to continue playing and that the ankle will be better with time. The ankle went worse. They also talk about bone spurs while it wasn't the case.
Parker had pain when he returned this year too. He himself said he wasn't 100%. But rare is it that a player waits until being 100% before returning from an ankle injury.


:stirpot::smokin

[Bruno]

If I didn't see Mahinmi out on the practice court before and after he got second opinions, I could say that the Spurs' doctors F'ed up but his presence on the practice court tells me that nobody found anything seriously wrong.


I'm sure Spurs' doctor are competent enough not to do major mistakes. If something was really wrong with Mahinmi ankle, they would have find it and a surgery would have been made months ago.
However, there is a little thing that avoid Mahinmi's ankle to fully heal.

Spurs send Manu in LA to have his surgery. Spurs' medical staff doesn't know what exactly was wrong with Mahinmi ankle and it looks like the doctor in LA knows what is wrong since he is suggesting a surgery. While Spurs' medical staff is surely really competent, the specialist in LA seems to be one level ahead.

At the end, it's fully logical to wonder if the doctor in LA would have come to the conclusion that rest wasn't enough to heal Mahinmi's ankle if he had seen Ian in August. I don't have the answer to that question, I'm just wondering if Spurs and Ian could have avoided to lose 6 months like that.



You must have missed the Buck Harvey article that debunked that myth. Surgery was decided a couple weeks after the end of the playoffs when the doctors examined the injury and it wasn't getting better. The Spurs wanted Ginobili to get the surgery early in the summer but he wanted to delay the surgery until after the Olympics.

I don't remember of that article, do you have a link?



Parker had pain when he returned this year too. He himself said he wasn't 100%. But rare is it that a player waits until being 100% before returning from an ankle injury.


No, it wasn't just the usual pain you had when you came back early.
Spurs' medical staff let him play more than one month with a painful ankle and told him that time will help. They also have a bone spurs diagnostic.
It's hard to argue that Spurs' medical staff hasn't made a mistake on that one.

[Bruno]

Some additional news :
http://www.lnb.fr/index.php?pid=50&id_article=15645&cursor_start=0


Translation of the interesting part :

The French player of San Antonio Spurs Ian Mahinmi will have a right ankle surgery in LA on Friday. It will mean the end of the season for him, said his agent on Tuesday to the AFP (Agence France Presse).

A ligament, that created a pain in his ankle, must be cleaned by arthroscopy. He will then have to follow a two months long rehab.

[tav1]

A close friend of mine is an orthopedic surgeon and I followed up with him regarding Mahinmi. What he said should be taken with a grain of salt because he was merely responding to the information I fed him. But here is gist of what he said:

1) high ankle sprains really have everything to do with stretching the ligaments around the *outside* of the ankle

2) it would be highly unusual for any such sprain to cause blood to pool up inside the joint, let alone 6 months later. basically, that's not a sprain.

3) if there is blood inside the ankle, especially so many months later, then Mahinmi is probably dealing with cartilage damage, which can range from not a big deal to very serious

4) it's possible that Mahinmi actually did have a high ankle sprain in conjunction with an undiagnosed, or misdiagnosed, cartilage issue---in other words, a serious high ankle sprain may have masked the underlying issue

5) because of his young age, surgery to repair cartilage might involve moving cartilage from one part of the body to another, or it might simply be a matter of going in a "shaving" out the damage

Like I said, that's an opinion rendered from an arm chair. But I thought it was helpful. If I ever get specific information on Mahinmi's injury, I'll follow up.

Edit: Somehow I missed the post from Bruno directly above this one. If it's a ligament, then it's a sprain. You can pretty much disregard what I've written above.

[Spurs Brazil]

Some additional news :
http://www.lnb.fr/index.php?pid=50&id_article=15645&cursor_start=0


Translation of the interesting part :

The French player of San Antonio Spurs Ian Mahinmi will have a right ankle surgery in LA on Friday. It will mean the end of the season for him, said his agent on Tuesday to the AFP (Agence France Presse).

A ligament, that created a pain in his ankle, must be cleaned by arthroscopy. He will then have to follow a two months long rehab.

2 months?

So he'll be ready for the playoffs

:stirpot:

[Shastafarian]

2 months?

So he'll be ready for the playoffs

:stirpot:

Yeah that's strange. That must be a very conservative estimate. Or their definition of rehab simply means until he can walk without a cast/boot. Then yeah, he wouldn't be close to game ready.

[Obstructed_View]

With Bowen out of the starting lineup, the only thing the Spurs need from a starting center is shot blocking and defense, basically enough of each to take some pressure off Timmy on that end of the floor.

[Spurs Brazil]

And the EN have nothing about it so far

Pathetic coverage by Monroe and McDonald

[duncan228]

And the EN have nothing about it so far

Pathetic coverage by Monroe and McDonald

Haven't seen anything from McDonald since the 24th. I'm wondering where he is.

[The Truth #6]

Maybe Ludden will give us some insights. And hopefully, as odd as it sounds, the issue is poor diagnosis by the Spurs doctors and not the fact that Ian is frail and injury plagued.

[Bruno]

http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/ian_mahinmi_surgery_090131.html

January 31, 2009
Ian Mahinmi Undergoes Successful Surgery

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Spurs center Ian Mahinmi yesterday underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle. The surgery was performed in Los Angeles by Dr. Richard Ferkel.

During the surgery a small piece of avulsed bone was removed from Mahimni’s ankle. During activity, the bone was becoming entrapped in the medial aspect of the ankle, leading to persistent pain. The surgery revealed no other cartilage defects throughout the ankle or distal tibia.

Mahinmi originally injured the ankle while working out on 8/4. He had yet to appear for the Spurs this season due to the injury.

Mahinmi is expected to miss 6-10 weeks

[timvp]

http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/ian_mahinmi_surgery_090131.html

January 31, 2009
Ian Mahinmi Undergoes Successful Surgery

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Spurs center Ian Mahinmi yesterday underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle. The surgery was performed in Los Angeles by Dr. Richard Ferkel.

During the surgery a small piece of avulsed bone was removed from Mahimni’s ankle. During activity, the bone was becoming entrapped in the medial aspect of the ankle, leading to persistent pain. The surgery revealed no other cartilage defects throughout the ankle or distal tibia.

Mahinmi originally injured the ankle while working out on 8/4. He had yet to appear for the Spurs this season due to the injury.

Mahinmi is expected to miss 6-10 weeks

Not out for the season????

:elephant:elephant:elephant

[loveforthegame]

It doesn't sound so bad. I doubt he's a go for this season but nothing as dire as I was expecting.

[timvp]

During the surgery a small piece of avulsed bone was removed from Mahimni’s ankle. During activity, the bone was becoming entrapped in the medial aspect of the ankle, leading to persistent pain. The surgery revealed no other cartilage defects throughout the ankle or distal tibia.Oh and this is pretty much what I hypothesized was wrong with his ankle. Nothing hugely major but something annoying that wasn't allowing him to recover properly. Considering this was probably exploratory in nature, this is about the best news the Spurs and Mahinmi could hope for.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

So he still he has a chance to make the rotation. Not a big one, but still. :stirpot:

[Bruno]

It would be nice if it's closer to 6 weeks than 10 weeks. It will allow him to end the season with Toros.

[DPG21920]

I am glad to hear it went well. Mini Superman, get well and be ready for next year!

[timvp]

Six weeks would be middle of March. That actually wouldn't be horrible timing. That's around the time that Nazr won a spot in the rotation in 2005.

But yeah, Mahinmi isn't exactly known for his recovery skills.

[lurker23]

If he's able to return in mid-March, he actually has an outside shot at getting into the rotation. Trade deadline players (e.g. Kurt Thomas) get to their teams in mid-to-late February, so he'd be lagging behind those kind of players by 3-4 weeks. However, the difference is that Mahinmi SHOULD know the Spurs system by now, at least mentally. Whether that experience edge will allow him to crack the rotation depends on a few things:

1. The extent to which the injury is fully healed.
2. Mahinmi's work ethic.
3a. Pop's willingness to throw him in the fire.
3b. How desperate the Spurs are at that point for another big man.

[Spurs Brazil]

For Mahinmi, surgery means 'wasted year'
By Jeff McDonald on Jan 31, 2009 6:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) Save & Share Yahoo! BuzzYahoo! Newsvine del.icio.us Facebook Google Reddit Fark
Ian Mahinmi, the star-crossed Spurs center who has not played in a game this season due to injuries, underwent successful surgery to remove a small piece of avulsed bone in his right ankle Friday.

The surgery will keep Mahinmi out 6 to 10 weeks, more or less sapping any faint hope of the second-year player contributing to the Spurs this season.


Mahinmi originally injured the ankle in a pre-training camp workout on Aug. 4. When swelling refused to subside in a reasonable amount of time, the team comissioned as many as eight MRI tests on the ankle to determine the problem, coach Gregg Popovich said before Saturday's game against New Orleans.

The bone spur, Popovich said, "showed up on none."

Eventually, Dr. Richard Ferkel, the Los Angeles-based surgeon who worked on Manu Ginobili's famously injured left ankle over the summer, recommended exploratory surgery to determine the cause of the sustained pain and swelling in Mahinmi's ankle. Ferkel found a piece of bone entrapped in the medial aspect of the ankle, and removed it via arthroscopic surgery.

Popovich said he was pleased that the root of Mahinmi's pain had finally been found, but was dismayed at what he called "a wasted year for the kid."

"It's awful for him, awful for us," Popovich said. "We thought we'd get him on the court this year and get him in games and see what we had. It's a tough break for everybody."

http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/2009/01/mahinmi-surgery.html

[z0sa]

For Mahinmi, surgery means 'wasted year'
By Jeff McDonald on Jan 31, 2009 6:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) Save & Share Yahoo! BuzzYahoo! Newsvine del.icio.us Facebook Google Reddit Fark
Ian Mahinmi, the star-crossed Spurs center who has not played in a game this season due to injuries, underwent successful surgery to remove a small piece of avulsed bone in his right ankle Friday.

The surgery will keep Mahinmi out 6 to 10 weeks, more or less sapping any faint hope of the second-year player contributing to the Spurs this season.


Mahinmi originally injured the ankle in a pre-training camp workout on Aug. 4. When swelling refused to subside in a reasonable amount of time, the team comissioned as many as eight MRI tests on the ankle to determine the problem, coach Gregg Popovich said before Saturday's game against New Orleans.

The bone spur, Popovich said, "showed up on none."

Eventually, Dr. Richard Ferkel, the Los Angeles-based surgeon who worked on Manu Ginobili's famously injured left ankle over the summer, recommended exploratory surgery to determine the cause of the sustained pain and swelling in Mahinmi's ankle. Ferkel found a piece of bone entrapped in the medial aspect of the ankle, and removed it via arthroscopic surgery.

Popovich said he was pleased that the root of Mahinmi's pain had finally been found, but was dismayed at what he called "a wasted year for the kid."

"It's awful for him, awful for us," Popovich said. "We thought we'd get him on the court this year and get him in games and see what we had. It's a tough break for everybody."

http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/2009/01/mahinmi-surgery.html

Do you know what this means? If they'd have only done less MRIs and then done exploratory/arthroscopic surgery, he could have been back on the court much sooner.

Is this normal procedure to do 8 MRIs before you do surgery?

[Bruno]

There is a huge difference between Ian and players like Kurt or Nazr : Mahinmi isn't a vet. He has played 23 min in NBA. And even if Mahinmi is healthy in 6 weeks, he will come back of a 7 months injury and will be for sure quite rusty.

It will take a miracle to see Ian able to help Spurs this year.

[ChumpDumper]

Do you know what this means? If they'd have only done less MRIs and then done exploratory/arthroscopic surgery, he could have been back on the court much sooner.Sure, but they didn't want to operate if there was nothing wrong.


Is this normal procedure to do 8 MRIs before you do surgery?Not if something shows up on one.

[Obstructed_View]

There is a huge difference between Ian and players like Kurt or Nazr : Mahinmi isn't a vet. He has played 23 min in NBA. And even if Mahinmi is healthy in 6 weeks, he will come back of a 7 months injury and will be for sure quite rusty.

It will take a miracle to see Ian able to help Spurs this year.

Yeah I agree. As hopeful as I was that he could help this year, there seems zero chance for it at this point.

[Biggems]

I wish they could have done this in November....he could have sat out till the All-Star Break.....and then come back healthy.

[z0sa]

Sure, but they didn't want to operate if there was nothing wrong.

Not if something shows up on one.

I understand, but something clearly was wrong. Makes sense why they opted to wait but this long?

[m33p0]

man, i wish they did that surgery a lot sooner... like 'in early december' sooner. shyet. them LA doctors screwed us. it's a conspiracy i tell yah. it's a conspiracy!

[lurker23]

Oh, and maybe I'm jumping the gun a bit on this one, but I think some people on this board owe Ian an apology. Many acted like he was completely defective for taking so long to recover from "just an ankle sprain."

[ChumpDumper]

that's the Scola Karma catching on us.That makes no sense whatsoever.

[Obstructed_View]

That makes no sense whatsoever.

Neither does someone having a handle implying education that's misspelled.

[timvp]

Considering this was probably exploratory in nature, this is about the best news the Spurs and Mahinmi could hope for.


Eventually, Dr. Richard Ferkel, the Los Angeles-based surgeon who worked on Manu Ginobili's famously injured left ankle over the summer, recommended exploratory surgery to determine the cause of the sustained pain and swelling in Mahinmi's ankle. Ferkel found a piece of bone entrapped in the medial aspect of the ankle, and removed it via arthroscopic surgery.

:smokin

But yeah, good thing they actually found something. I never heard of a bone spur not showing up on an MRI ... much less eight MRIs. Must have been in a weird location.

I agree that it's an extreme longshot that Mahinmi can be ready to contribute at some point this season in San Antonio but perhaps it won't be a totally lost year if the Spurs can get him a few minutes both in SA and Austin. Although at this point, chances are that the Spurs will just shut him down for the season and try again next year.

[ChumpDumper]

Neither does someone having a handle implying education that's misspelled.Yeah, I tried that earlier. I think he's an Arghhhie, so the spelling and scobsessing make sense.

[Tully365]

Wow... you gotta feel for Mahinmi. It must have been incredibly frustrating to undergo 7 MRIs that all showed no problems but still be feeling pain, only to undergo an 8th that finally indicates that surgery is necessary. Tough break for him and the Spurs.

[thOOdee]

Spurs' Mahinmi Likely Done for Year

By: Yannis Koutroupis

No team in the NBA does as thorough of a job scouting internationally as the San Antonio Spurs. Guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, who were drafted late in the 1st and 2nd round, have become cornerstones of their dynasty. Some of the league's other premier international players like Luis Scola and Leandro Barbosa were also once property of the San Antonio Spurs, further proving their incredible eye for foreign talent. Because of their incredible success anytime the Spurs draft someone from overseas there's a collective panic from the rest of the league that they may have found another diamond in the rough. While Ian Mahinmi wasn't projected to be a 1st round pick on any mock drafts, there was still a quiet fear that they may have done it once again.

While at 22 years of age Mahinmi still holds a world of potential, the Spurs learned this week that he won't be tapping into that potential in time to help them this year because of his right ankle. Mahinmi originally injured his ankle in August, and finally after several failed comeback attempts the Spurs decided to change how they were approaching the injury.

"No matter what we did it just wasn't getting better," explained Popovich. "For a while we thought it was getting better so he went down to the D-League, practiced, played a couple of games, and it swelled right back up again. We tried staying off of it, getting another MRI, and still saw nothing. The swelling stayed that last time and it was very painful for him, so we decided we better go get this looked at."

After having a lot of success with Dr. Richard Ferkel, who operated on Manu Ginobili's ankle in the offseason, the Spurs knew exactly who they'd go to in order to find out exactly what was wrong with Ian.

"Since Manu was just with Dr. Ferkel we decided we'll have him take a look at him too," said Popovich. "He didn't see anything (in the MRI), but because of the pain he thought he needed to do some exploratory surgery. He actually found a piece of bone hiding in there. You think that doesn't show up in an MRI, but it didn't. In fact, we sent him all the previous MRI's and he still didn't see it. It's very weird."

While it certainly was weird, it enlightened the Spurs as to what they needed to do in order to finally get Mahinmi healthy. They immediately flew Mahinmi to Los Angeles in order to undergo arthroscopic surgery.

"It was successful," said Popovich with some relief. "It will be 8-10 weeks, but it was successful. Hopefully he's gonna get rid of the pain, swelling, and everything that's been lingering for so long."

The Spurs training staff worked hard to try to get Ian back to where he could play, but because his condition was basically impossible diagnose with an MRI they ended up losing a lot of valuable time. However, all the right precautions were taken, and there was really nothing the Spurs could do.

"What the doctor found in there showed up on none of the six, seven, or eight MRI's we had," said a puzzled Popovich. "We even had some in a couple different places, and it showed up on none."

Because Mahinmi has not played at all for the Spurs this season this is not viewed as something that hurts the Spurs very much this year. Even without Mahinmi the Spurs have once again established themselves as contenders, although there is certainly some disappointment.

"This is like a wasted year for the kid," stated a disappointed Popovich. "It's awful for him and for us. We thought we'd get him on the court and in games to see what he had. It's a tough break for everybody."

Instead the Spurs will have to continue to wait. It's probable that he will be healthy come playoff time, but by then it will be too late for him to get into the rotation. Even with this latest development and the trade deadline approaching it remains highly unlikely that we see any type of movement from the Spurs. What does become interesting is how much longer the Spurs plan to invest in Mahinmi as they have a team option on him this summer. It's hard to envision the Spurs letting him go considering his low salary. However, with the rights to a much more NBA ready Tiaggo Splitter in their back pocket, the clock is ticking for Mahinmi to show the Spurs something if he plans on being a Spur beyond 2010.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=11402
I know mahinmi is not coming back, but here is a little more new. Nothing too significant, but more detailed. DOUBTFUL PLAYOFF TIME, BUT LIKELY TO BE HEALTHY BY THEN.

[Spurs Brazil]

Mahinmi out for 6-10 weeks

By Mike Monroe - Express-News At last, the Spurs know what has been keeping second-year forward Ian Mahinmi on the injured list: A bone fragment that had been eluding detection in his right ankle.

Surgery that started out as an exploratory procedure by Los Angeles surgeon, Dr. Richard Ferkel, revealed the presence of a small piece of bone from the ankle, which Mahinmi injured during a workout in August.

The arthroscopic procedure revealed no other cartilage defects throughout Mahinmi's ankle or distal tibia. The 6-foot-10 forward from France is expected to miss the next six to 10 weeks.

Discovering the cause of Mahinmi's persistent pain was a relief, both for the Spurs and Mahinmi.

“What the doctor found came after we had six, or seven or eight MRIs,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, “and it showed up on none. We had (an MRI done) in a couple of different places, and it showed up on none of them.”

Mahinmi had played well for the Spurs' summer league team in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City, and Popovich had planned to take a long look at him during the preseason. The pre-camp injury scuttled those plans.

“No matter what we did it just wasn't getting better,” Popovich said. “For a while we thought it was getting better. He went down to the D-League and got in a couple of practices and games and it swelled right back up again.

“We decided we'd better get this looked at.”

Dr. Ferkel had performed the surgery that corrected an impingement in Manu Ginobili's left ankle, so the Spurs sent Mahinmi to see him.

“It's been a wasted year for the kid,” Popovich said, “and it's been awful for him and awful for us. We thought we'd get him on the court this year, get him in games and see what we had, so it's a tough break for everybody.”

Hairston back: Spurs swing man Malik Hairston made his NBA debut Saturday, playing the final 1 minute, 9 seconds.

He did not attempt a shot, but was proud that his first statistic with the Spurs was a blocked shot, on New Orleans' Julian Wright.

“It was a good feeling to get my feet wet,” Hairston said, “and I'm happy my first stat is a defensive stat.”

Hairston was acquired on draft night in a swap of second-round picks with the Phoenix Suns. He played 23 games for the Spurs' D-League team, the Austin Toros, averaging 21.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists.

“He did a great job (in Austin),” Popovich said. “He scored and played defense and hit a lot of game-winning shots, or game-tying shots to go to overtime. He showed a willingness to take big shots, which is neat in a young player.”

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Mahinmi_out_for_6-10_weeks.html

[galvatron3000]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/38765562.html

[boutons_]

6 weeks is mid-March

10 weeks is start of playoffs.

No help this year.

[YoMamaIsCallin]

What if one of Thomas/Bonner/Oberto goes down? It'll be important to have another big ready. You can't start two bigs (Timmy/whoever) and only have one more on the bench. What if someone gets in foul trouble?

I hope they are telling Ian to rehab like he's going to play this year, because he might.

Remember they let you carry 15 players on the playoff roster now, and pick your 12 to dress for each game, just like the regular season.

[boutons_]

At least the reason is known.

I doubt he'd help in the playoffs if he were healthy today and able to sneak in some 2nd-half-season garbage PT. Fab got in for the last minute last night.

[bigfan]

I guess with this news, that they actually found the cause of the problem, makes me think they ought to keep their hopes up on him for another year. I sure hope this guy is worth the trouble.

[NFGIII]

Finally! That's a tough one on both as Pop stated. 8 MRIs and nothing showed up? Incredible! What a waste of a season. Hopefully he recovers and NEXT year we fget to see what Ian can do.

Sounds like a broken record. Always next year.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

rofl
no fucking way pop uses an unproven player that has been injured all year, that is basically a rookie, with no real understanding of what hte spurs are trying to do on both sides of the ball.

[Manufan909]

I say Ian still plays this year, he can help even if hes a late addition. Dont tell me the Spurs are Ok with Bonner and Kt as our only options.

You forgot Fab!!! Jk, looks to me as if Pop is hoping for Pops to possibly fill the athletism hole in the frontcourt, but he doesn't look like an NBA defender yet(I'd give him 3 weeks in Austin to warm up, and learn the plays). It'd be pretty awesome if Ian somehow got well in 5-7 weeks and cracked the rotation. No real competition except for 35 of the 96 mins at the 4 and 5, so it is still possible, just not probable.

[xellos88330]

rofl
no fucking way pop uses an unproven player that has been injured all year, that is basically a rookie, with no real understanding of what hte spurs are trying to do on both sides of the ball.

I think Ian knows what to do. The Toros use the same system that the Spurs do. It is a matter of chemistry IMO.

[Manufan909]

The guy has been in the system for 2 years if you dont know what to do you need to be cut! You tell me what is worse, Bonner who knows what to do but cant get it done, or Ian who in his few games hes played has shown he can get it done but he does lack experiance.


Ill role with Ian! Not saying hes gonna start or play big mins, but if we meet up with LA he certainly can help. Or we can just watch Gasol beat TD and KT down the floor for dunks and watch bonner struggle to get 4 rebounds a game.

CBF has a point, even if Ian could theoretically help in the POs, there's only a 3% chance Pop will put him in... UNLESS there are some games where the Spurs get burned and the entire 4th quarter is handled by the bench(a la Game 5 against Phoenix last year), then if he is active, there is a 100% chance. If they lose, I want it to be a blowout, so Pop has no doubts about Ian negatively affecting the game, because at that point it would be pointless.

Here's to JV, Ime, and Fin/Fab/KT as the DNPs this year. And I know there's no way Fin(it'll be Hairston instead) will be inactive in the POs, unless Gino, Parker, Mason, and Hill all become top 10 MVP candidates.

[benefactor]

We would probably bring back Tolliver before we tried to bring back Ian this year.

[exstatic]

Ian's going to have to sink or swim from here on out. He won't likely be back before the end of the Toro's season, and that's not an option next year. Only first and second year players can be sent down and kept on the 15 man roster.

[Obstructed_View]

Don't think he's going to contribute this year, but this news is a nice big "fuck you" to all the knee jerks that were bad mouthing him for being injured.

[timvp]

Let's hope Mahinmi recovers fully from the ankle surgery and the pain disappears. Then let's hope he goes to summer league and plays better. If all goes well to that point, Pop will give Mahinmi big minutes to prove himself during the preseason.

Sucks but maybe Kurt Thomas can tell him stories about having injury plagued early seasons and then finally getting healthy and having a solid career.

[Obstructed_View]

Although it was nearly miraculous how KT's ankle healed up once he left Dallas.

[Ocotillo]

Ferkel rulz

[Ocotillo]

If my chance he gets some playing time this year the refs are going to give him the scrub rookie treatment initially.

[Manufan909]

At best, he'll have 6 weeks to try and crack the rotation, at worst, he'll have 2, in that case I'd assume he would be the 12th man in the playoffs who only got minutes when the game was decided(ex. 30 pt lead going into the 4th). But more likely he wouldn't even be active. Quick question, he has 1 ring, right? If so, he's like the guy in Semi Pro who didn't earn it.

[wisnub]

Per today's french newspaper "L'équipe".


Translation :

End of the season for Mahinmi!

The season of Ian Mahinmi has ended... even before having started. After a right ankle sprain during the summer, San Antonio's French player has tried to come back on the court but always felt the same pain at the ankle with continuous trace of blood. Send to LA to consult the specialist who has done Manu Ginobili's surgery this summer, he went back with the confirmation that the problem was far from being solved. After a six month waiting(!), the decision has been taken to have a surgery in LA and to end his season even if Spurs refuse to officially communicate on the situation of the young and unlucky French player. At 20 years old, the true start of his career is again postponed (only 6 regular season games played in 2007), but he still has until the end of the 2009-2010 season to show Spurs FO that they were right to draft him.


I feel sorry for him and still have hopes that he will eventually be a solid future starter. But he keep getting hurt and creating drama. This fucking loser can suck a dick and jack shit,what a fucking bitch loser. Spurs have invested alot of time,energy not to mention a draft pick,money...He played wonderful in Toros before getting hurt again. He's becoming more and more a failed project. Luckily we got Mason,Hill and Bonner. He should get traded if he's not ready to play after 6 moths. WHat a wasted talent...if Spurs cannot include him in a trade, Spurs should just waive this kid. Maybe his luck is playing in France,he should be MVP there, but whenever he wants to play for Spurs, something bad will happen!!!! wtf

[xellos88330]

If Ian heals fast, I wouldn't mind giving him 5 minutes here and there. But then again, I have no say in the matter. :depressed

[ChumpDumper]

[loser talk]That really sucked.

[angelbelow]

If Ian heals fast, I wouldn't mind giving him 5 minutes here and there. But then again, I have no say in the matter. :depressed

he doesnt heal fast :rolleyes

[Naelven]

6 month to detect the real pb and act...Pathetic...He should have been treated by French doctors.
One of the biggest specialist that operate all soccer stars is french and I bet he would be playing by now if he had seen this specialist in the first place...

It is a waste of talent and time.

This kid deserve at least to play some minutes for the spurs and that the spurs will give him a little chance to proove that he has the NBA level.

Let's all hope that this bad start in his career will be nothing but an old story in a few months.

Get well Ian, and come back healthy to show how great you can be in this fantastic team.

[ChumpDumper]

It never ceases to amaze me how many medical doctors post here.

[JPB]

I also remember Timvp bashing french doctors when TP had a ankle injury when playing with french NT and had to get back to SA...

[romain.star]

I also remember Timvp bashing french doctors when TP had a ankle injury when playing with french NT and had to get back to SA...

you'll find good and bad doctors in both countries (France and USA).
Then again, there're a lot of medical experts in spurstalk...

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I feel sorry for him and still have hopes that he will eventually be a solid future starter. But he keep getting hurt and creating drama. This fucking loser can suck a dick and jack shit,what a fucking bitch loser. Spurs have invested alot of time,energy not to mention a draft pick,money...He played wonderful in Toros before getting hurt again. He's becoming more and more a failed project. Luckily we got Mason,Hill and Bonner. He should get traded if he's not ready to play after 6 moths. WHat a wasted talent...if Spurs cannot include him in a trade, Spurs should just waive this kid. Maybe his luck is playing in France,he should be MVP there, but whenever he wants to play for Spurs, something bad will happen!!!! wtf

You are a bad sports fan. You fail to see anything beyond your own selfish desires. You blame a 22yo for an injury that he had no control over, and which was far more serious than diagnosed. It's not his fucking fault for fucksake! I would've thought that was obvious.

Try learning some patience and realising that sometimes the breaks don't go your way, but it is the way that you react to those bad breaks that helps to define who you are. Ian hasn't given up, and it must be devastating for him to go through setback after setback, but you have thrown in the towel? Loser.


That really sucked.

Totally.

[wildbill2u]

It never ceases to amaze me how many medical doctors post here.

What's more amazing is that they are all doctors whose practice specialty is sports medicine, :rolleyes

[SenorSpur]

Let's hope Mahinmi recovers fully from the ankle surgery and the pain disappears. Then let's hope he goes to summer league and plays better. If all goes well to that point, Pop will give Mahinmi big minutes to prove himself during the preseason.

Sucks but maybe Kurt Thomas can tell him stories about having injury plagued early seasons and then finally getting healthy and having a solid career.

Mahinmi can only benefit from having the presence of a big, knowledgeable veteran like KT on hand to mentor him. Here's hoping he has a full recovery and is ready to go this summer.

[HarlemHeat37]

that's part of the reason I have hope for Ian..he's going to be learning from a top 10 player of all-time, one of the greatest bigs ever..and Kurt Thomas, who is a great veteran that has managed to keep a significant role in the NBA, despite lack of athleticism and quickness at his current age..obviously his smarts on the court play a huge part..

[TDMVPDPOY]

if i was tim duncan and ian was my understudy? fuck that shit dont waste my time.......

trade him now or trade me, i need help damn it....

[Manufan909]

If you were Tim you'd immediately lose 100% of your doucheness.

And if Ian can heal within 6 weeks he'll have 6 weeks to prove himself. If he takes the full 10, he'll only have a month. Whatever happens, I hope Pop has him active when he becomes healthy, so in the case of a blowout by either team, or say the last 1/2/3 game/games don't matter because of the standings, he could get some minutes. If it's a game that doesn't affect the standings, I hope he starts Ian along with Tim, Tony, Bowen, and Manu, so he can get used to the Big 4. And if he has shaken all the rust off, maybe he can play 40+ mins(or until he fouls out).

[Obstructed_View]

It never ceases to amaze me how many medical doctors post here.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people who've never sprained an ankle post here.

wisnub, go root for another fucking team, or at least root for this one somewhere else.

[remingtonbo2001]

:toast Here's to a quick recovery.

[portnoy1]

Damn, that's really bad news. I was hoping he might be the guy we need this season. Oh well, I still think he'll be good when he arrives, it just looks like it'll be next year instead.

Now, sign us a big man! Problem is, there's no-one out there that can help us much... I sense the Pop "this is what we're going with" speech coming on soon... it worked in 2007, but the competition is much stiffer this year and I'm not sure we've go the horses to get there. :depressed

PS What about Javtokas? How are Dynamo Moscow's finances? :lol
I not to sure but the spurs would do well to get rid of the guys they arent using for cash and use the money to get javotkas.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

It never ceases to amaze me how many people who've never sprained an ankle post here.

wisnub, go root for another fucking team, or at least root for this one somewhere else.

Yeah, what a fucking thing to say from that fucking loser... I especially loved the phrase "creating drama" - yeah, that's what he's doing! He's putting himself through agony to create drama! :rolleyes

As for ankles, I had 34 grade 1/2 sprains, and 3 partially torn ligaments in 16 years of playing basketball, so I understand the injury. I agree with you, most of these people don't have a fucking clue.

[timvp]

I feel sorry for him and still have hopes that he will eventually be a solid future starter. But he keep getting hurt and creating drama. This fucking loser can suck a dick and jack shit,what a fucking bitch loser. Spurs have invested alot of time,energy not to mention a draft pick,money...He played wonderful in Toros before getting hurt again. He's becoming more and more a failed project. Luckily we got Mason,Hill and Bonner. He should get traded if he's not ready to play after 6 moths. WHat a wasted talent...if Spurs cannot include him in a trade, Spurs should just waive this kid. Maybe his luck is playing in France,he should be MVP there, but whenever he wants to play for Spurs, something bad will happen!!!! wtf

Not that I believe in banning but this is such a bad post that Kori should consider it . . .

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Not that I believe in banning but this is such a bad post that Kori should consider it . . .

You've REALLY been bad when you piss off one of the bosses around here... :lol

[completely deck]

i really hope that was a fakepost.

[Tbiggums47]

Not that I believe in banning but this is such a bad post that Kori should consider it . . .I'm confused...Did he have the surgery when he went and had the exam in LA. Or did he go and have it a couple of weeks later? Can Someone explain...If he had the surgery 2 weeks ago then he is already two weeks in rehab...Right???:wakeup

[Southwest Texas Fan]

Any news on how he is doing?

[Agloco]

I feel sorry for him and still have hopes that he will eventually be a solid future starter. But he keep getting hurt and creating drama. This fucking loser can suck a dick and jack shit,what a fucking bitch loser. Spurs have invested alot of time,energy not to mention a draft pick,money...He played wonderful in Toros before getting hurt again. He's becoming more and more a failed project. Luckily we got Mason,Hill and Bonner. He should get traded if he's not ready to play after 6 moths. WHat a wasted talent...if Spurs cannot include him in a trade, Spurs should just waive this kid. Maybe his luck is playing in France,he should be MVP there, but whenever he wants to play for Spurs, something bad will happen!!!! wtf

Dumb ass of the year award......

Congrats wisnub.

[rayray2k8]

Any news on how he is doing?

He should be ready for the summer league.
I really do hope this kid does well and has a chance to redeem himself
in training camp.
Be nice to have a solid big on the squad, next to Tim.

[tp2021]

This fucking loser can suck a dick and jack shit,what a fucking bitch loser.

:lmao

¡Si te puedes!

[Southwest Texas Fan]

He should be ready for the summer league.
I really do hope this kid does well and has a chance to redeem himself
in training camp.
Be nice to have a solid big on the squad, next to Tim.

I also hope he get's the opportunity to show his potential. This kid could turn out to be great but I will reserve further opinion until he plays on a constant basis.

[wildbill2u]

Mahimi still just a kid with some raw talent. I don't know why so many people think he's the second coming of DROB or something. Hasn't played himself into the big league yet so while they may bring him onto the squad I don't see him in a big role

[afireinside20]

Mahimi still just a kid with some raw talent. I don't know why so many people think he's the second coming of DROB or something. Hasn't played himself into the big league yet so while they may bring him onto the squad I don't see him in a big role

Agreed! This kid hasn't done shit for us yet, and they're already saying he's this savior.

[Whisky Dog]

I said before the season that Mahinmi getting healthy and contributing this season was the key factor to the season. Looks like his inability to contribute was huge in this failed season.

[spursfan1000]

Hopefully he will be ready for next year.

[Jace]

I hope he stays healthy and gets a shot to show himself to the best of his ability.. I feel bad for players who are constantly injured and then criticized as if they were responsible for their injuries

[rayray2k8]

Did some of you idiots even see the numbers this was putting up??
I can see people like you buying Mahinmi jerseys for next year.. :rolleyes.
His career as a spur lies in the hands of Splitter.
Hope he can develop quickly.