Draft Prospect: DeJuan Blair [Archive]

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manufor3

04-30-2009, 09:23 PM

H: 6' 7"
W: 265 lbs
Bday: 04/22/1989 (20 Years Old)
Current: PF/C
NBA: PF
Possible: PF
Best Case: Paul Millsap
Worst Case: Reggie Evans

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/

I'd like to trade up and get him

Libri

05-01-2009, 09:17 PM

Highlights

hPPnfXuYgzU&feature=related

RNC-LC-SD6Q&feature=related

TheProfessor

05-01-2009, 10:01 PM

Probably a lottery pick, not likely we'd be able to move up that far IMO.

TheSpursFNRule

05-02-2009, 04:16 AM

This guy rules. Any idea what number he is projected to go at?

Ditty

05-05-2009, 12:05 AM

to undersized sorry to say that he'll end up late

at best a malik rose IMO

manufor3

05-05-2009, 07:29 AM

to undersized sorry to say that he'll end up late

at best a malik rose IMO

if ben wallace can make it at center i believe this guy can make it at PF

TheProfessor

05-05-2009, 10:49 AM

This guy rules. Any idea what number he is projected to go at?
DX has him going 15th and nbadraft has him at 21. I suspect his official measurements will go a long way towards determining where he ends up. Nbadraft has him listed at 6'6", which, if true, will (perhaps foolishly) scare off GM's. But hey, all it takes is one team falling in love with you.

Bruno

05-29-2009, 04:38 AM

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/bucks/46419247.html

Blair said he interviewed with four teams Wednesday at the combine - the Bucks, San Antonio, Indiana and Toronto. The Raptors, who have the No. 9 pick, also are said to be extremely interested in Blair.

Even if it isn't a workout, it's quite puzzling.

Bucks have the 10th pick, Indiana the 13th and Raptors the 9th. It's quite logical that they are interested in Blair who is 11th on DX mock draft.
Have Spurs had some talks about getting a mid first round pick? Do Spurs hope to see Blair falling in the late first round and grab him?

:stirpot:

Libri

05-29-2009, 10:54 AM

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/bucks/46419247.html

Even if it isn't a workout, it's quite puzzling.

Bucks have the 10th pick, Indiana the 13th and Raptors the 9th. It's quite logical that they are interested in Blair who is 11th on DX mock draft.
Have Spurs had some talks about getting a mid first round pick? Do Spurs hope to see Blair falling in the late first round and grab him?

:stirpot:

Why would the Spurs interview somebody they have absolutely no chance to get? Hopefully this is a clue that something is brewing.

lcroock

05-29-2009, 12:47 PM

Guys like this don't do well in the NBA for an extended period of time. He is overweight and he has torn both ACL's in the past. Bad combination.

Ocotillo

05-29-2009, 04:36 PM

48 minutes of hell said he measured under 6'6".

lcroock

05-29-2009, 05:00 PM

If I am not mistaken, the Spurs were one of the best rebounding teams, at least defensively, this year. We need athleticm and block shotting up front, not undersized power forwards. We have Ian and James hopefully both making the team and the rotation this year, so that should take care of our PF/C position (along with the probable signing of Mcdyess or Rasheed). The draft better be used for either a PG or swingman (Hill needs to be an offguard or comboguard, not a PG). I expect Mason to be included in any significant trade that the Spurs make since George is more comfortable at the 2 than the 1.

lurker23

05-29-2009, 05:27 PM

48 minutes of hell said he measured under 6'6".

Without shoes, yes.

Height w/o shoes: 6'5.25"
Height w/ shoes: 6'6.5"
Wingspan: 7'2"
Standing reach: 8'10.5"

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-draft-measurements/

Blackjack

05-29-2009, 06:55 PM

http://www.48minutesofhell.com/2009/05/29/digging-for-answers-with-dejuan-blair/

DPG21920

05-29-2009, 07:19 PM

No thanks. Probably better than what the Spurs have, but not worth giving up anything of significance for.

exstatic

05-29-2009, 10:13 PM

Guys like this don't do well in the NBA for an extended period of time. He is overweight and he has torn both ACL's in the past. Bad combination.

6'5" post player. check.
overweight. check.
two already torn ACLs. check

RUN AWAY. This is a train wreck waiting to happen to some team.

Bruno

06-05-2009, 06:58 PM

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2009/insider/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=DraftWatch-090604

On the downside, Pittsburgh's DeJuan Blair has to be bummed. Blair looked solid in the drills and really impressed teams with his weight loss and tone. He also measured short, but his wingspan, standing reach and his athletic abilities made up for much of it.

However, the news became much grimmer for Blair when the results of the medical testing came back. Multiple NBA teams are saying Blair's knees have been red-flagged.

Blair tore both of his ACLs in high school, and the preliminary word from the physicals is that his knees aren't in great shape.

How bad they are depends on who you talk to, but the range wasn't good. I heard everything from "devastating" to "troubling."

benefactor

06-05-2009, 09:32 PM

Yikes. That really sucks for him. Hopefully he can pull a Grant Hill and overcome the odds.

Marcus Bryant

06-25-2009, 09:56 PM

Undersized big who plays big and produces like a mofo.

stxspurs

06-25-2009, 09:57 PM

7'2 wingspan....he better rebound like a mofo

Spurtacus

06-25-2009, 09:57 PM

Positives:
# Built like a football player
# Incredible strength
# Huge, 7-foot-3 wingspan
# Soft hands
# Tenacious rebounder
# Excellent motor
# Leadership ability, competitive
# Improving offensively

Negatives:

# Not an explosive athlete
# Bulk really hurts him on the quickness end
# Poor shooter
# Pretty raw offensively
# Conditioning could use a lot of work

Summary: June 16 update: We've been trying to get to the bottom of DeJuan Blair's situation for the past few weeks. We've heard from a number of teams that they've had concerns about his knees and it's only come to light in recent days that those concerns have to do with the fact that doctors can't seem to find his ACLs in the MRIs they've taken. See the full Draft Buzz story

June 4 Update: Multiple NBA teams are saying Blair's knees have been red-flagged. Blair tore both of his ACLs in high school, and the preliminary word from the physicals is that his knees aren't in great shape. How bad they are depends on who you talk to, but the range wasn't good. I heard everything from "devastating" to "troubling." See the full Chad Ford story

June 1 Update Blair wowed a lot of people with his improved physique on the first day of camp. But one GM scolded Blair in the interviews for the way he was jogging up and down the floor the first day. "It does you no good to lose all that weight and still play like you're fat," the GM told Blair. Blair took the constructive criticism to heart and raced like a guard through the second day of workouts. See the full Chad Ford story

May 29 Update: Blair also measured out shorter than expected. He was 6-5¼ in socks and 6-6½ in shoes. However, he has a ridiculous 7-2 wingspan and a very respectable standing reach of 8-10½. See the full Chad Ford story

May 18 Update The problem for Blair is in the definition of "big man." Blair is too big in one sense and not big enough in another. He struggled with his weight through his first two seasons and has cracked 300 pounds. On top of that, no one in the league expects Blair to measure much taller than 6-6, maybe 6-7 in shoes. That's undersized for a power forward by almost any standard. Last week, when I listed the prospects I'd see on my pre-draft workout tour, I got a number of calls from NBA executives with the same request: "Let us know how Blair looks." NBA GMs want to love this guy. They need players like him. But they're scared off by the physical limitations he has. I'm happy to report that the news is good. Blair looks closer to 6-6 than 6-8, but he has a huge 7-foot, 2-inch wingspan that makes up for his lack of height. See the full Chad Ford predraft workout tour story

Apr 8 Update: Blair declared for the NBA Draft today. He's expected to hire an agent, ending his college eligibility at Pitt. Blair is a beast in the paint. The top offensive rebounder in college hoops, he has the body of an NFL player and his 7-foot-3 wingspan allows him to play bigger than his actual height (somewhere between 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-7). While NBA teams worry about his weight, lack of explosiveness and lack of a perimeter game, his rebounding and motor should land him somewhere between 13 and 23 if he stays in the draft.

Mar 30 Update: Blair ended his last game at Pittsburgh on a mixed note. He had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and was 9-for-9 from the field. But for the second straight game he got off to a slow start and showed his limitations at creating his own offense. His lack of size and explosiveness hurts. So does his lack of conditioning. While some NBA executives think his raw talent will help him overcome his physical limitations, a few others keep dredging up the name Robert "Tractor" Traylor. Ouch. If Blair decides to declare, he's looking at going somewhere between 10 and 20 on draft night.

Mar 23 Update: Blair dominated East Tennessee State in the opening round, scoring 27 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. He is one of the best offensive rebounders in the country, and his emerging offensive game has NBA teams now looking at him as a potential lottery pick. In the second round, Blair was often triple-teamed on the offensive end but still managed 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Mar 18 Update: Blair has been one of the biggest risers on our draft board this season. More and more NBA teams feel that Blair, despite his weaknesses, will be a great power player in the pros in the mold of Utah's Paul Millsap. If he has a huge tournament, he could even sneak into the top 10.

Feb 27 Update: The other red-hot prospect right now is Blair, who has put up ridiculous numbers in February. He had 32 points and 14 rebounds against DePaul; 22 points and 23 rebounds against then top-ranked UConn and lottery pick Hasheem Thabeet; and 20 points and 18 rebounds against DePaul again.

Although he's undersized for his position, Blair's freakishly long arms (he has a 7-foot-3 wingspan), power in the paint and nonstop motor have NBA GMs gushing about him. We've had Blair projected as a late first-round pick for most of the season primarily because of his lack of size. But with more and more NBA executives endorsing him, he's moved up to No. 15 on our big board. I think his lack of size puts a ceiling on him, but he looks like a lock to go somewhere between Nos. 10 and 20 on draft night.

Feb 6 Update: There are a number of players who could've taken this last spot, but right now, Blair is the hottest name out there. He lacks the ideal height NBA teams look for in a 4, but his toughness, rebounding skills, long arms and soft hands make up for a lot of his shortcomings. His 23-point, 22-rebound game against Notre Dame on Saturday was the type of performance that has catapulted him into a potential first-round pick.

Jan 15 Update: Blair turned a lot of heads this past week when he dominated Georgetown's Greg Monroe. Teams have always loved his toughness, rebounding and intensity, but to see him pull it off against an elite talent has swayed the opinions of a lot of scouts. Before, teams worried about his lack of size and position in the league. Now names like Carl Landry and Jason Maxiell are floating around as comparisons. If Blair can stay consistent and help lead Pittsburgh to a Big East title, he should be a first-round pick.

timvp

06-25-2009, 09:57 PM

Love the pick. That's who I wanted to fall as of about pick 24. :lol

Darkwaters

06-25-2009, 10:01 PM

Hes a bit of a gamble, but we're in win NOW mode and he looks to be a guy that can help us NOW. I like the pick. We needed a post player - period.

ffadicted

06-25-2009, 10:02 PM

Why would the Spurs interview somebody they have absolutely no chance to get?

Thanks NBA GMs :hungry:

coyotes_geek

06-25-2009, 10:03 PM

No such thing as a gamble in the 2nd round. Great value pick here for the Spurs.

celldweller

06-25-2009, 10:04 PM

Meet DuJuan Blair.

http://www.wpxi.com/sports/19861667/detail.html

CharlieMac

06-25-2009, 10:04 PM

Whats up with these bad Malik comparisons?

CharlieMac

06-25-2009, 10:05 PM

No such thing as a gamble in the 2nd round. Great value pick here for the Spurs.

Right on my human brother.

bdictjames

06-25-2009, 10:05 PM

Hope he fits.

z0sa

06-25-2009, 10:08 PM

a big motherfucker who can bring the pain down low on both ends. Lots of fire and heart it seems. Yeah, I like it.

Samr

06-25-2009, 10:13 PM

What do you have to lose in the 2nd round? I would have been content with a decent draft-n-stash, and in some cases I think that was done in the first round. The second round you are supposed to take risks, why not?

But to get first round, even lottery maybe, talent? Why would you NOT do that? What do you have to lose?

exstatic

06-25-2009, 10:13 PM

Wow. There is absolutely NO downside to Blair at #37. I'd have reservations about him as a lottery pick, where he was projected, but damn...

timvp

06-25-2009, 10:17 PM

Wow. There is absolutely NO downside to Blair at #37. I'd have reservations about him as a lottery pick, where he was projected, but damn...

Yeah this is a very good pick. Even if his knees don't hold up and he never plays in the NBA, the potential reward of this picks makes it a good one.

EricB

06-25-2009, 10:18 PM

Ex,

you didnt' like Blair.

you didnt like Richard Jefferson :lol

This is just not your offseason man.

Phenomanul

06-25-2009, 10:28 PM

YODA

06-25-2009, 10:28 PM

we have any other 2nd rounders this year?

timvp

06-25-2009, 10:30 PM

Ex,

you didnt' like Blair.

you didnt like Richard Jefferson :lol

This is just not your offseason man.

Re-read his post again.

Ghost Writer

06-25-2009, 10:31 PM

Ex,

you didnt' like Blair.

you didnt like Richard Jefferson :lol

This is just not your offseason man.

That means we have a chance this year.

Spurtacus

06-25-2009, 10:32 PM

we have any other 2nd rounders this year?

We have three picks in the 2nd. 37, 51, 53.

Chieflion

06-25-2009, 10:32 PM

Lucky for us.

EricB

06-25-2009, 10:34 PM

Re-read his post again.

Well no he pretty much was not a fan of either player, I'm just sayin.

Longley

06-25-2009, 10:34 PM

Looks decent pick.

Cant_Be_Faded

06-25-2009, 10:34 PM

That would really blow if his knees are already fucked up. DeJuan could give it his all in summer leagues and practices and actually end up fucking himself over.

GINNNNNNNNNNNNOBILI

06-25-2009, 10:40 PM

Yeah this is a very good pick. Even if his knees don't hold up and he never plays in the NBA, the potential reward of this picks makes it a good one.

Yeah... exactly, consider it like signing a free agent for 2-3 years.

Beautiful pick, gonna be awesome coming off the bench

spursnatic

06-25-2009, 10:44 PM

I hope he is the next coming of Jason Maxiell?....Atleast I know he can score more than Maxiell!!...

MoSpur

06-25-2009, 10:47 PM

I hope this dude proves all those teams who passed him up wrong. He's gonna play with a chip on his shoulder.

djohn14

06-25-2009, 10:51 PM

I hope this dude proves all those teams who passed him up wrong. He's gonna play with a chip on his shoulder.

Hope its not a big chip, his knees might give out. In all seriousness though, Blair could have went at the end of the lotto and nobody would have bitched about it...great pick.

Strange Botwin

06-25-2009, 10:51 PM

Of course, the dude is like Malik Rose in a muthafuckin' GOOD way! Remember Malik in 1999-2003. It's like people only remember Malik for the fat contract he signed and not hustle player who pushed Shaq in his prime out of the lane during playoff basketball. If Blair equals Malik Rose (which I think he does), then we got a sweet plug-in piece for 2009-10 championship run! Not bad for a 2nd rounder.

024

06-25-2009, 10:52 PM

james gist will not like this competition...

duncan228

06-25-2009, 10:53 PM

McDonald's blurb.

Spurs take Pitt’s Blair (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Spurs_take_Pitts_Blair.html)
Jeff McDonald

With their first pick in tonight’s NBA draft, the 37th overall, the Spurs selected Pittsburgh forward DeJuan Blair.

Blair, 6-foot-7, was the Big East Co-Player of the Year as a sophomore last season, in which he averaged 15.3 points and 12.3 rebounds.

He is undersized for an NBA power forward, but boasts keen instincts for rebounding – aided, of course, by a freakish 7-foot-2 wingspan.

The Spurs were lucky Blair fell to them.

Originally projected as a first-round pick, and once considered a potential lottery pick, Blair’s stock slid a bit due to injury concerns. He has had a pair of ACL surgeries.

picnroll

06-25-2009, 11:02 PM

He had ACL surgery and they can't find his ACLs. Did Pop hide them?

50 cent

06-25-2009, 11:08 PM

He had ACL surgery and they can't find his ACLs. Did Pop hide them?
CIA POP.

I just wanted to say CIA POP.

GSH

06-25-2009, 11:08 PM

The most important thing about Blair isn't his wingspan. It's his standing reach of 8'10.5". Some of these guys have short necks - no kidding. I saw a really good article about it, that some guys are essentially 3"-4" shorter because of it. And that's why they play so much taller, because they are taller where it matters - from the shoulders down.

To give you some idea, Griffin and Jordan Hill are both listed at 6'10", but Griffin has a standing reach of 8'9", and Hill has a standing reach of 9'0". That puts Blair exactly in the middle of those two, and it means that should be able to play as big as they do. It doesn't matter where the top of your head is, just where the tip of your fingers are.

As for his weight/agility concerns: His lane agility is in between Griffin and Jordan Hill. But his 3/4 court sprint is slow, and his no-step vertical is way short. He would benefit from losing a few pounds.

Spurtacus

06-25-2009, 11:09 PM

Chad Ford analysis

Are you kidding me? How do these guys fall into San Antonio's lap? Tony Parker at 29? Ginobili late in the second? Now Blair here? This is a great pick for the Spurs. He might be able to start in San Antonio if Duncan plays the 5. This late in the draft, his knee issues aren't much of a risk; he's just a really cheap rebounder. The Spurs are getting an A+ tonight.

mudyez

06-25-2009, 11:12 PM

thats not only a great pick for the spurs, but also a fantastic thing to happen for blair: playing for a contender, while having a chance to play big minutes (depending on our MLE-signing, maybe even start)

the guy will go gilbert arenas on the league, proving what he is worth!!!

Chieflion

06-25-2009, 11:15 PM

jman3000

06-25-2009, 11:25 PM

I think I like the fact that he has such a gift for offensive rebounds above any other positives he may have. Especially if he can finish quickly after boarding. I can't count the amount of times I've seen a Spurs player jump to get an offensive rebound, land, pump fake, then either get blocked / have it slapped away / get fouled.

The potential for this to be able to alleviate one of those famous 6 minute scoring droughts has me optimistic. Having a decently reliable way to get easy points is paramount in those situations. We haven't had a decent player who can get an offensive rebound and dunk in traffic in one motion in a while. Duncan can do it if he's alone on the court, and probably Elson could do it if his head wasn't up his ass... I'm definitely looking forward to next season.

tomtom

06-25-2009, 11:31 PM

great pick, super excited for the youth infusion

timvp

06-25-2009, 11:34 PM

PER
http://content.draftexpress.com/gallery/General/1245468351.jpg

Even if you've never seen him play, the above stats should make you excited. The best PER in the entire draft -- better the Griffin -- and you get him at 37.

I'll take that.

timvp

06-25-2009, 11:35 PM

http://content.draftexpress.com/gallery/General/1245468413.jpg

http://content.draftexpress.com/gallery/General/1245468338.jpg

That offensive rebounding is especially sick :wow

GSH

06-25-2009, 11:37 PM

If he could be a Leon Powe for the Spurs, it will be a draft day steal. Anything else is gravy. I've been in favor of the Spurs taking a chance on Powe, even with the ACL injury. We may have just drafted our own.

I have to admit - I didn't expect to be going to bed tonight this excited about the Spurs' draft.

That offensive rebounding is especially sick :wow

Just a couple of extra possessions per game would make him worth a lot to this team. And if he's in against the other teams' backups, he might be able to pull down offensive boards at a similar pace. That alone could make a few games difference through the season.

DPG21920

06-25-2009, 11:39 PM

Yowsa.

Cant_Be_Faded

06-25-2009, 11:39 PM

http://content.draftexpress.com/gallery/General/1245468413.jpg

http://content.draftexpress.com/gallery/General/1245468338.jpg

That offensive rebounding is especially sick :wow

Draft express website said he had the best offensive rebound numbers by far of any player this year and any player since they started their database for 8 straight years.

Spurtacus

06-25-2009, 11:40 PM

timvp

06-25-2009, 11:41 PM

Draft express website said he had the best offensive rebound numbers by far of any player this year and any player since they started their database for 8 straight years.Yeah and rebounding is one of the few things that typically translates well. Spurs fans shouldn't put him into the Hall of Fame just yet but Blair looks like a really solid pick.

I doubt a guy who no ACLs can last in the league for more than six or seven seasons but that's plenty in the Spurs POV.

EricB

06-25-2009, 11:42 PM

Just be another Big Baby. Thats all...

jman3000

06-25-2009, 11:43 PM

That offensive rebounding is especially sick :wow

That might be why his PER is so high. Put backs are pretty much (pun warning) a slam dunk.

kbrury

06-25-2009, 11:43 PM

Chomag

06-25-2009, 11:44 PM

Whats excites me alot is this kid's heart. And he will be playing all out with a chip on his shoulder to prove to the league that they should not have passed him off as used up junk. Oh well, Their loss our gain.:toast

Kathyladora

06-25-2009, 11:46 PM

Spurs on Twitter quotes Blair as saying: "I think its the perfect situation for me. All the teams that didnt pick me I'm gonna make you regret it. I'm with the Spurs. I can't wait to get down there to San Antonio."

I'm really excited about him!

raspsa

06-25-2009, 11:48 PM

Well, if he doesn't have any ACLs, that's one less thing to worry about getting injured, right?

timvp

06-25-2009, 11:48 PM

holcs50

06-25-2009, 11:50 PM

Man im not going to get over excited but blair who isn't really a "project" could come in right away. I'm hoping he translates well but his height is a little small-tho his huge wingspan makes up for a lot. Best case scenario is he really could become a started-so a lineup like this could be awesome

parker
ginobili
jefferson
blair
TD

Pick up another big if they will use the MLE, or trade Bonner away w/ maybe mason for a big. If we can do that, i have a lot of confidence in next years team

EricB

06-25-2009, 11:50 PM

Damn Blair has some 'tude...

SonOfAGun

06-25-2009, 11:50 PM

awww skeet skeet son

Chomag

06-25-2009, 11:58 PM

Well, I'm not sure how good a player he might be able to be, but it's looking that he has great potential at becoming a new fan favorite (ala Rose)

From what I have seen and head the last few days I'm realy liking this kid.

GSH

06-26-2009, 12:06 AM

Just be another Big Baby. Thats all...

Hardly. Blair could probably benefit from losing a few pounds, but he's nowhere nearly as chunky as Davis. Blair was a first team All American. This is what they said about Davis before the draft:

Whether it was getting beat down the floor time after time by UCLA’s big men, settling for fadeaway jump-shots or showing terrible touch around the rim with his non-existent back to the basket game, Davis was completely outplayed on both ends of the floor.

The most concerning part of this game was probably the complete lack of conditioning that the hefty Davis showed almost immediately after the opening whistle. Davis was clearly laboring as he lumbered up and down the floor already after the first 7 or 8 minutes, sucking wind uncontrollably...

My biggest concern is his lateral quickness on the defensive end. But at least he's young - he has to be a step quicker than Fab and KT, doesn't he?

tomtom

06-26-2009, 12:09 AM

Hey timvp can you give me the link to those stats you found? thanks

Cant_Be_Faded

06-26-2009, 12:09 AM

I don't get it. So they removed his ACLs? He has no ACLs literally?

wtf

Hemotivo

06-26-2009, 12:14 AM

Jerome Kersey

Borosai

06-26-2009, 12:18 AM

Championship!

Danny.Zhu

06-26-2009, 12:24 AM

Great thread.

GSH

06-26-2009, 12:42 AM

I really don't see him as leon powe blair is a lot different.

Really? I'm not saying that they are clones of each other. I'm just thinking about the role he might be able to play on the Spurs in his first couple of years, and the skills/characteristics he has shown in college. Read the descriptions of Powe and Blair, and see if you think there are more differences or similarities.

Powe:
Undersized power forward who is able to compensate for his severe lack of size with an incredible wingspan and a pair of huge, soft hands. Average athlete who lacks some explosiveness around the basket and tends to lumber a bit getting up and down the floor. Incredibly tough, strong player who comes off the bench looking to make his presence felt. Goes inside and pushes bigger players around, not backing down from anyone. Has most of his scoring opportunities created by others, but does a great job of making the most of his opportunities. Spent three injury plagued seasons at Cal, being forced to sit out for a year due to a torn ACL, which eventually dropped his draft stock dramatically. Has developed into a real asset for Boston, despite being an after-thought in the second round on draft day.

Offense: Gets most of his offense cutting to the basket, grabbing offensive rebounds and rolling off screens. Decent back to the basket threat, but relies too heavily on lowering his shoulder and bullying his way into the post, rather than utilizing finesse moves, which makes him a bit turnover prone. Terrific offensive rebounder who will not hesitate for a second to put his nose into a scrum and help his team come up with a big possession. Needs to become a bit more versatile and develop his perimeter skills.

Defense: Intense, versatile defender who brings a great deal of energy off the bench. Possesses great length and does an excellent job contesting shots. Does a terrific job hedging screens and quickly recovering back onto his matchup. Strength, toughness and wingspan help compensate for his lack of size inside the post.

Blair:
A tremendous number of Blair’s points still come as a result of his tireless work on the offensive glass. The Pittsburgh native continues to show an amazing nose for the basketball, relying on his great positioning, freakish 7’3” wingspan and outstanding hustle to haul in six offensive rebounds per game. As was the case last season though, Blair is still hurt by his lack of explosiveness around the rim. Blair’s post game last season showed promise, but clearly needed time to develop; that is still the case, even if we’ve seen noticeable improvement. His touch has gotten softer, as he still goes to the middle a lot with a nice looking baby hook, but the rest of his game is still built around his physical ability.

Furthermore, his freakishly long wingspan makes up for his lack of height and his incredibly soft hands enable him to wrestle boards away from the opposition. He uses his body to his advantage inside and in the post, as he finds different ways to get his defender on his back – making it easier for him to finish. Considering what his role will be at the next level, in spite of the nitpicking, Blair has likely become an adequate enough scorer to justify the minutes he earns through his tenacious hustle.

Defensively...Scouts will love the hustle that he brings to this end of the floor, if nothing else. And you can’t ignore the results he gets at the collegiate level, being the anchor of arguably the best defensive team in the NCAA. Blair’s intensity level and toughness are a great foundation to build off of—now it’s time to improve his technique and fundamentals. He is a high character guy who plays with a lot of emotion and energy on the court. He also has a likeable personality and will be someone that others want to be around. He has the potential to be an outstanding role player and ferocious rebounder...

kbrury

06-26-2009, 12:46 AM

Now that I read there bios in comparison they seem really similar, more similarities then i thought, the only major difference is the quickness that Powe has it would seem.

kbrury

06-26-2009, 12:52 AM

The bio of Powe though seems a lot different then the player Ive seen a couple times in the playoffs and when the spurs play boston. I always thought he was pretty athletic.

Man In Black

06-26-2009, 03:20 AM

I don't get it. So they removed his ACLs? He has no ACLs literally?

wtf
:wow

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-41-151/The-Upside-of-Falling-Down.html

What caused Blair to slip to the seventh pick of the second round? Concerns about his knees. In high school, Blair tore both of his ACLs and had them surgically repaired. Blair's scar tissue essentially got re-absorbed by his body and the result left Blair with essentially no ACLs.

Although he's suffered no adverse effects ever since, Blair's is an unprecedented injury and one that scared off a slew of NBA executives. Though Blair literally has no ACL to tear, some team physicians feel that Blair could eventually develop a nagging issue that could wear him down a few years down the road. As a result, Blair ended up at the #37 pick of the draft, landing with San Antonio.

timvp

06-26-2009, 03:21 AM

:wow

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-41-151/The-Upside-of-Falling-Down.html

What caused Blair to slip to the seventh pick of the second round? Concerns about his knees. In high school, Blair tore both of his ACLs and had them surgically repaired. Blair's scar tissue essentially got re-absorbed by his body and the result left Blair with essentially no ACLs.

Although he's suffered no adverse effects ever since, Blair's is an unprecedented injury and one that scared off a slew of NBA executives. Though Blair literally has no ACL to tear, some team physicians feel that Blair could eventually develop a nagging issue that could wear him down a few years down the road. As a result, Blair ended up at the #37 pick of the draft, landing with San Antonio.
As long as his knees hold up for the rest of the Spurs window, I'd be happy. For him, obviously, let's hope he has a long career.

Bukefal

06-26-2009, 03:24 AM

:wow

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-41-151/The-Upside-of-Falling-Down.html

What caused Blair to slip to the seventh pick of the second round? Concerns about his knees. In high school, Blair tore both of his ACLs and had them surgically repaired. Blair's scar tissue essentially got re-absorbed by his body and the result left Blair with essentially no ACLs.

Although he's suffered no adverse effects ever since, Blair's is an unprecedented injury and one that scared off a slew of NBA executives. Though Blair literally has no ACL to tear, some team physicians feel that Blair could eventually develop a nagging issue that could wear him down a few years down the road. As a result, Blair ended up at the #37 pick of the draft, landing with San Antonio.

:wow I did not know this. Hopefully, he wont be injured, cause he is a good player. But it says, he suffered no effects, so It will be alright with that.

timvp

06-26-2009, 05:21 AM

-BVmy1SYgEc

toki9

06-26-2009, 05:45 AM

:wow

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-41-151/The-Upside-of-Falling-Down.html

What caused Blair to slip to the seventh pick of the second round? Concerns about his knees. In high school, Blair tore both of his ACLs and had them surgically repaired. Blair's scar tissue essentially got re-absorbed by his body and the result left Blair with essentially no ACLs.

Although he's suffered no adverse effects ever since, Blair's is an unprecedented injury and one that scared off a slew of NBA executives. Though Blair literally has no ACL to tear, some team physicians feel that Blair could eventually develop a nagging issue that could wear him down a few years down the road. As a result, Blair ended up at the #37 pick of the draft, landing with San Antonio.

Doesn't this sound really strange? I'd assume that the torn ACLs were reconstructed. But this makes it sound like the reconstructed ACLs were somehow absorbed by the body?

timvp

06-26-2009, 05:47 AM

DeJuan Blair: "Nobody is gonna stop me from getting the ball"
April 23, 2009
Jonathan Givony: Hello DeJuan. Thanks for your time. So can you just fill us in, what’s going on with you, where you are at? Are you finishing up the year at Pitt?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): I’m just finishing up the semester, getting stuff done with school, then you know, getting ready for the journey, as I like to call it.

http://content.draftexpress.com/gallery/DeJuanBlair/1238093209.jpgReuters

Jonathan Givony: So, it seems like your coaching staff made a pretty big push to keep you at Pitt, and I guess they may have come away a little disappointed. Has there been any lingering effects of that?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): Yeah but, I would have done the same thing. Not to be big-headed, but who I am, and what I am to the team, but you know I had to make a decision and I think I made the right one. So, you know, its good for me and my family and everything, and it made them (Pitt) look good also, getting an NBA prospect out there, so, it’s going to be fun.

Jonathan Givony: Now that you’re 100 percent in the draft, what are you focusing on most in terms of preparing yourself for the private workouts?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): I’m focusing on my quickness and my agility and my jump shot. That’s about it, these things, all my weaknesses, try to power my power, my finesse skills also. So I’m working on a lot of stuff, its going to be a good May for me.

Jonathan Givony: So you’re going to be doing some private workouts here after the early entry deadline comes out, is there any particular player you’re looking forward to competing against? Someone you saw on TV? Someone from the Big East? Something like that?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): Nah, I’ll take whoever’s in my way and show what I can do against them. It’s going to be like a game, I’m going to be out for everyone, just like everyone is going to be out for me. So I’m going to have fun at the same time, as me doing business, so I’m getting to meet a lot of people, you know, just having a nice little bang with everybody that I’ve been seeing. It’s going to be fun, I can’t wait for it to happen.

Jonathan Givony: What have people told you about the draft process? Any players you’ve talked to or any guys that have been through it already that are helping you prepare for it?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): I actually talked to Amare Stoudemire (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Amare-Stoudemire-4498/) a little bit, but I haven’t talked to him a lot about the draft process. I’m just going to take it one step at a time hopefully it’ll come out to my advantage, to the best of my ability. Just like I said, I just want to have fun on the journey, its going to be fun, you know. It’s going to be a long one, a tough one, but at the same time you still gotta have fun and enjoy the program. A lot of people from my city haven’t been exposed to what’s about to go down for me, and that’s a blessing off top, but with me working out, and me losing weight and things like that, it’s going to be all right man. I just wanna have fun.

Jonathan Givony: Not only were you the best offensive rebounder in college basketball this year, but according to an article I saw by Luke Winn, you were the best offensive rebounder in the last eight or nine years of college basketball. Can you take us through the nuances of what makes a great offensive rebounder from a technical standpoint?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): Like I tell everyone who asks me that, you’ve just got to go get the ball. You can’t just let the ball come to you, cause if you let the ball come to you, then it’s a chance that both of y’all can get it. If you outwork the next guy, and jump, and reach for the ball, it’s going to be an 80% chance that you can get the ball. If you go get the ball, I don’t know if you watched any of the games (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/#), I like to tap the ball to myself, or tap em off the glass, and get a lot of them. The big key of it is to go get it, don’t let it come to you. That’s what I do. I try to move everybody out of the way and go get it.

Jonathan Givony: As the shot is going up in the air, let’s say Levance Fields is shooting a three, are you looking at the trajectory of the ball, or trying to, kind of predict the angle it’s going to come off?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): Yeah yeah yeah. You gotta go take the angle. First of all your rebounding IQ has got to be pretty good just to go get the ball, you gotta go get it, and you gotta know where its going to come off at, and just go get it and chase it down. It takes a lot of hustle, its going to take a lot out of you, but at the end of the day that’s going to be big. That’s what I try to do, I try to have fun, try to go down there and just get it. Sometimes it bounces to me, sometimes it bounces away from me. Its fun, its fun rebounding.

Jonathan Givony: How do you feel about how your rebounding can translate to the NBA level, where everybody is bigger, they’re stronger, they’re longer, they’re quicker, they can jump higher, what are your thoughts on that?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): That’s just a bigger challenge you’ve got to step up to. There’s gonna be a lot of big people, a lot of big guys, so I’m just gonna try to keep doing what I was doing. Nobody is gonna stop me from getting the ball, and if they do. I’m going to try harder to go get it. So hopefully I can keep it up in the NBA.

Jonathan Givony: Something that’s unique about you is that not only do you get a lot of rebounds, but you also get a ridiculous amount of steals, for a big guy. We know that guards are able to pick people’s pocket and stuff like that, but how does a big guy actually go about getting so many steals?

http://content.draftexpress.com/gallery/DeJuanBlair/1230502795.jpgAP

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): First of all, you’ve got to have the long arms I have. Then you’ve got to try to be quicker than the next person. If you’ve got a big slow guy on you, you know I’m kind of quick for my weight, for my body, and I know that fools a lot of people, but I like to kind of go around people and just go get it. I know I keep saying go get it, but that’s the objective of all of basketball (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/#) – if you shoot the ball, go get it. That’s my mindset- go get it. That’s how I do it.

Jonathan Givony: It sounds to me like ‘go get it’ is something like an instinct, it’s a knack, its something that you’re born with, right?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): Yeah yeah, it’s something that you’re born with. If you ain’t got that go get it mindset, then you aren’t going to be a leader, for the past two years in offensive rebounding.

Jonathan Givony: Where do you think that your “go get it” came from?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): You could say where I’m from, I guess. Where I’m from kind of has that mindset. That’s just sort of how I got it, playing against bigger guys when I was younger, it makes me who I am today. I appreciate where I came from because it kind of gave me that animal mindset, not backing down from anybody, go at everybody, step up to the challenge mindset, so where I came from is pretty big for me.

Jonathan Givony: One thing that we like to do when we’re evaluating NBA prospects is to look at where they were ranked in high school—see what the expectations were from them going in to college. That sometimes tells you a little bit about a guy. I was surprised to see that you weren’t the most highly ranked guy in college- you weren’t an under the radar guy, but you weren’t the most highly touted either. I saw guys like Jai Lucas (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Jai-Lucas-1314/), Taylor King (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Taylor-King-1243/), Jamelle Horne (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Jamelle-Horne-1240/), that were ranked ahead of you by some services. What can you tell us about the type of player you were in high school, compared to what you are now?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): In high school I tore both my ACL’s, which was a pretty major setback, but as far as all that went, first of all I didn’t have the city on my back in high school. When I went to Pitt I had the city on my back, I’m from Pitt, so that was kind of big. Generally, I was a little chubby, I was a little fat, I had two knee surgeries, and everything just kind of came together for me when I got to Pitt, which was cool.

Jonathan Givony: One of the comparisons that people make a lot about you is Paul Millsap (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Paul-Millsap-299/). For you is that flattering? Or is it far fetched? What do you think when people to compare you to other players?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): Everybody has their opinion on players I play like, but I’m just playing like me, I’m just being me. At the end of the day, I’m going to play like DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/), I’m not gonna play like nobody else. These are some excellent things to hear, coming from Millsap, and Elton Brand (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Elton-Brand-1779/), and all that. I want people to say ten years from now, that a guy reminds them of DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/), and that’s a pretty good accolade I want to have.

Jonathan Givony: I think the importance of that is, when we first started doing this in 2003, there was kind of a sense that if you’re a 6’7, 6’8 power forward, you’ve got no chance, forget about it. That was the consensus, and we fell into that too. But in the past few years there have been some players who showed us that you can’t rule out the 6’7, the 6’8 guys. Paul Millsap (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Paul-Millsap-299/) is one of those, Carl Landry (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Carl-Landry-461/), Brandon Bass (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Brandon-Bass-53/), Chuck Hayes (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Chuck-Hayes-110/), Udonis Haslem (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Udonis-Haslem-2754/), I mean the list goes on and on. Do you look at those guys as inspiration, do you feel like their success is helping you right now?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): Yeah, that’s inspiration for me to be compared to them, because they obviously weren’t picked #1, or #5. They’re great players, and they worked to get where they want to be. That’s what I plan on doing, I’m gonna work on, not just getting picked off what I can do. The rebounding and everything, that’s nothing right now, if I can’t do that in the NBA then, I mean it’s going to be fun to get there, and show everyone what I can do instead of people saying what I can do.

Jonathan Givony: Talking to some scouts about your game, a lot of people say that you play below the rim. That was in college, but at the same time, you did score over a point every two minutes you played, on 60% shooting. Do you feel like you’re going to be able to score in the NBA at a pretty good rate?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): Yeah, that’s what I’m working on. I’m working on my finishing above the rim, and it’ll be cool, I’ve just got to lose a little bit of weight and get some muscles in my legs, and it’ll be all right. I’ve just got to work, I won’t let a day go past where I don’t work on my weaknesses. I’m gonna try to get them to where I want them to be, and to where everybody else wants them to be, and hopefully that’ll turn some heads.

Jonathan Givony: What about your jumpshot? That’s something we didn’t really get to see a lot of in the past two years, do you think that’s going to be something that’ll become a part of your game in the future?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): Yeah that’s another thing. Dribbling and my jumpshot, I’m trying to polish all of that. I’m actually working on it right now, and I’m going to be all right around the draft and around the workouts. I just have to keep working at it, and it’ll be where I want it to be.

http://content.draftexpress.com/gallery/DeJuanBlair/1238707888.jpgReuters

Jonathan Givony: A big part of these workouts is drills where you have to shoot 50 jumpers, 100 jumpers, 150 jumpers. How do you think you’re going to look in these drills?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): Like I said, I’m working on that right now. I’m shooting 300, 400, 500 jumpers a night, that’s just my night. Fatigue isn’t an option in my category, I’m going to lose the weight, get in shape, get into the best shape I can, and the sky is the limit for me if I get to where I say I’m going to get around draft time.

Jonathan Givony: I saw an article the other day where they quoted Rod Thorn (http://www.nypost.com/seven/04112009/sports/nets/nets_prepared_to_go_on_moose_hunt_in_dra_163964.ht m), who is the president of the New Jersey Nets. He was saying, in his words, “Get me a moose. Get me someone who can defend, who can rebound, who can set screens, who can do all the dirty work.” To me that sounds like a description of you, would you describe yourself as a moose?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): That’s a pretty funny combination, I’ve been compared to Millsap, but I’ve never been compared to a moose. I’ll take it.

Jonathan Givony: If it’ll get you drafted 11th you’ll take it right?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): Oh heck yeah, a moose. That’s some funny stuff.

Jonathan Givony: Let’s talk about off the court. On the court we can see that you’re a pretty physical, nasty dude, but off the court it seems like you’re always smiling, and we only hear good things about your attitude. What do you think you bring to the table in terms of off the court personality in terms of teams looking at you?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): That’s just how I am, I like to meet new people, I like to have fun around people. I’m a really respectful guy, my mom and my dad taught me manners, and I’m really respectful and really fun to be around. I’m a giving person, and hopefully a lot of people see that in me, but I’m just having fun. All that stuff about me, I just like to have fun, and you know, stay to myself. I’m a quiet type of guy, but if I get to know you, we could be the best of friends. I’m a polite gentle giant, a lot of people call me a gentle giant, I’ve got a lot of people calling me that, and that’s a nice name for me also.

Jonathan Givony: Do you think your weight is going to be an issue in the NBA over the next few years?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): No it’s not. I’m losing all that, I mean that’s what I’m working on now. I’m going to Tampa in the next couple weeks to start on that, and I’m going to be real good by May in Chicago. I’m going to be good.

Jonathan Givony: Where are you at right now, if you don’t mind me asking?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): I’m like at 273 or something like that, I wanna get down to about 260, 265. That ain’t nothing. I just have to keep it up.

Jonathan Givony: The reason I ask is, when I talk to teams, that’s often the first thing that comes.

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): Weight?

Jonathan Givony Absolutely. Because a lot of guys in their 19s or 20s, their body is a lot different than when they are 25 or 26. So what would you tell them to ease their mind when that comes up in the conversations you’re going to have in private workouts? I’m sure they’re going to ask you about that.

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): I would tell them, don’t worry about it, I’m going to lose it, I’m working hard, but I don’t wanna lose too much weight, or I won’t be the person that I am. I’m just going to try to tone it up, I’m going to tone it up. It’s really not a concern for me because I know I’m going to lose the weight, I’m gonna work, I’ve got a personal trainer that’s going to help me get the way I want to go.

Jonathan Givony: A couple weeks ago, when you declared for the draft and were asked to explain why you’re not just testing the waters, you said something along the lines of, “I’m an internet freak, I go on all the draft boards, nobody’s got me going in the second round, that’s almost a guarantee for me. Were you being serious with that comment?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): No, that was just, there was a little hostility coming from the crowd, there was a lot of tears watering up. If you were there, everybody laughed, so it was kind of a little joke. I actually don’t go on the internet. I was told that question was going to come up, I shouldn’t have said it, but I was just trying to liven up the room a little bit.

Jonathan Givony: What’s the best thing that you learned in your two years playing for Jamie Dixon?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): To be coachable. To be coachable and listen. If you call him and ask him, you know, and to be respectful also. He taught me a lot of stuff on the court about adapting to college, being respectful and coachable, because NBA coaches will be on you, just like he do, you just gotta learn to deal with it like you deal with everybody. He taught me a lot.

Jonathan Givony: What kind of NBA player is Sam Young (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Sam-Young-1012/) is going to be?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): I don’t know, he’s going to be a tricky NBA player. You don’t know until Sam starts playing, you never know. He’s a workaholic, but you never know what type of a player he’s going to be, probably an excellent player, but you don’t know.

Jonathan Givony: On one hand the NBA is a much more physical game, they let a lot more stuff go, but on the other hand, you seem to have some problems sometimes hedging screens on the pick and roll and stuff like that. What kind of defensive player do you think you’re going to be in the NBA?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): I really don’t know. It depends on what team I go to, what type of defense they want me to play. I’m going to be a good defender. I just want to be able to switch those screens instead of hedging them. That’s why I’m trying to get my quickness up, working on defensive drills also, so, it’s going to be interesting.

Jonathan Givony: Where do you plan on preparing for the draft?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): I plan on preparing for the draft in Tampa, Florida, at IMG.

Jonathan Givony: How would other students on Pitt’s campus describe you?

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): They would describe me as a fun guy. Like I said, I’m a lovable guy. I like to have fun, I talk to everybody, even if you’re sitting over there, acting like you don’t want to talk, I’ll ask you what’s wrong. I’m a good dude. You hear that a lot from a lot of players, but you know me, I can back it up. I’m a really cool dude, I’m a really cool person if you get to know me.

Jonathan Givony: Good stuff. That’s pretty much it from our end. Thank you so much for your time.

DeJuan Blair (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/): Thank you, man.

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/DeJuan-Blair-Nobody-is-gonna-stop-me-from-getting-the-ball-3191/

Chieflion

06-26-2009, 07:34 AM

Just be another Big Baby. Thats all...
You mean the one that cried when Garnett yelled at him or the one that averaged about 17/8 this playoffs?

Rummpd

06-26-2009, 07:41 AM

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/DeJuan-Blair-5049/
Physicals Positions Rankings Salary Misc
H: 6' 7"
W: 265 lbs
Bday: 04/22/1989
(20 Years Old)
Current: PF/C
NBA: PF
Possible: PF
Round: 1 Pick: 20 in 2009 Mock Draft
Rank 4 in NCAA Sophomores
Rank 11 in Top 100 Prospects
Rank 3 in Draft Eligible PFs
RSCI: 37
Agent: Happy Walters
DRAFT ELIGIBLE
High School: Schenley H.S.
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Best Case: Paul Millsap
Worst Case: Reggie Evans

Predraft MeasurementsHeight w/o Shoes Height w/shoes Weight Wingspan Standing Reach Body Fat No Step Vert Max Vert Bench Press Lane Agility 3/4 Court Sprint Class Rank
6' 5.25" 6' 6.5" 277 7' 2" 8' 10.5" 12.0 26.0 33.0 18 11.50 3.45 NA

Basic Per Game Statistics - Comprehensive Stats - Statistical Top 25sYear League Name GP Min Pts FG FGA FG% 2Pt 2PtA 2P% 3Pt 3PtA 3P% FTM FTA FT% Off Def TOT Asts Stls Blks TOs PFs
2008/09 NCAA DeJuan Blair 35 27.3 15.7 6.5 10.9 59.3 6.5 10.9 59.3 0.0 0.0 2.8 4.6 60.5 5.6 6.8 12.3 1.2 1.5 1.0 1.3 2.7

Player Blog | Player Stats | Player Videos | Mock Draft History | Related Articles | Add to My Draft Express

NBA Combine Media Availability Interviews
May 29, 2009

Rummpd

06-26-2009, 07:41 AM

If this guy last 3 seasons and is there as insurance while Ian and others develop he is a friggin steal.

GSH

06-26-2009, 08:35 AM

Doesn't this sound really strange? I'd assume that the torn ACLs were reconstructed. But this makes it sound like the reconstructed ACLs were somehow absorbed by the body?

I keep hoping people are kidding about this.

Sometimes the ACL actually tears in half, sometimes it pulls away from the bone along with a fragment of the bone itself. Without getting it surgically repaired, the knee is very unstable. Adequate for day-to-day activity, with physical therapy to strengthen the surrounding muscles, but definitely not suitable for sports. If somehow, a patient had no ACL, he wouldn't be playing basketball at any level. What got re-absorbed was the scar tissue from the reconstruction surgery.

Sometimes when an athlete has a hamstring injury, an announcer will say he "has a hamstring". When it gets better, it doesn't mean that he has no hamstring. Having "no ACL" means that he has no detectable ACL damage. Nothing more, nothing less. The person who wrote that one article seems to not understand that.

TheProfessor

06-26-2009, 08:46 AM

I know people might hate this, but I like the idea of Blair off the bench with Bonner. Blair can dominate inside against second units with Bonner stretching the floor. Throw in McClinton, Hill, and Manu, and you've got a crazy energy/hustle second unit. While pretty undersized, it would pick up the tempo and be a nice change-up.

hater

06-26-2009, 08:52 AM

dude is a warrior. will fit in well next to Ginobili

Bender

06-26-2009, 08:54 AM

coyotes_geek

06-26-2009, 08:54 AM

Fingaroll44

06-26-2009, 09:11 AM

Doesn't this sound really strange? I'd assume that the torn ACLs were reconstructed. But this makes it sound like the reconstructed ACLs were somehow absorbed by the body?

sounds like some dr hoopenstein experiment gone awry :wow

Fingaroll44

06-26-2009, 09:35 AM

great interview. An agressive player who is always going after the ball, always working on his limitations.... Good attitude too.

He was 273 during the interview, now he is 265? should he lose a little more?

We dont want him to lose too much weight, he wont be able to push bodies out of the paint as easy.

papashango

06-26-2009, 10:38 AM

great interview. An agressive player who is always going after the ball, always working on his limitations.... Good attitude too.

He was 273 during the interview, now he is 265? should he lose a little more?

Yea his weight is his asset. He's played with it his whole basketball career. With his 7'3 inch wingspan and size that can make up for his lake of height. He's 265 but looks like a solid 265.

GSH

06-26-2009, 11:13 AM

This from an SI article about Blair's knees, and why he fell so far. An Eastern Conference exec says that most doctors red-flagged him, which prevented teams from taking him in the first round. Still surprising that he didn't go earlier in the second round.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/ian_thomsen/06/26/weekly.countdown/index.html

1. DeJuan Blair goes to San Antonio in the second round. The burly Pitt star was viewed as a lottery pick until teams got wind of his medical exam. Blair underwent ACL surgery on both knees in high school, and many teams said his long-term prognosis was not good.

Though he went undrafted in the first round, his landing site could not have worked out better for Blair. He'll join the Spurs and help them as a rookie while playing limited minutes, which should set him up for a contract in three years.

Many executives in the league didn't like seeing Blair fall this far, but there was little they could do to stop it. Most team doctors red-flagged him, which prevented the GMs from taking Blair in the first round.

"This is the worst I've ever seen as far as doctors unwilling to put their butts on the line," said a senior executive of an Eastern conference team. "If there's any kind of gray area, they're going to flunk the player."

Because of the sophisticated testing of MRIs and other high-tech devices, team doctors "know things they never used to know," the executive went on. "They never used to flunk players, and now they flunk them all the time. And a lot of the time it's to cover their [butts]."

manufor3

06-26-2009, 11:51 AM

With the 36th pick in the 2009 NBA draft, the Memphis Grizzlies select Sam Young from the University of Pittsburgh

(12 seconds later...)

With the 37th pick in the 2009 NBA draft, the San Antonio Spurs select DeJuan Blair from the University of Pittsburgh.

Bruno

06-26-2009, 12:41 PM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09177/980097-100.stm

Blair: No regrets despite falling to 2nd round pick

Friday, June 26, 2009
By Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Despite being taken in the second round of the NBA Draft last night, Pitt All-American DeJuan Blair has no regrets about turning professional after his sophomore season.

"No, this is what I wanted," Blair said this morning on a conference call the day after the San Antonio Spurs drafted him with the No. 37 overall selection. "I think it was a good decision. I couldn't have landed in a better situation than I am in now. [San Antonio] just traded Kurt Thomas, their starting forward. It's a dream come true. I should have been a first-round pick, but God wanted me to drop to the second round."

Blair's agent Happy Walters said it was in Blair's best interest to turn professional because Blair has a limited number of years to earn money because of his two surgically repaired knees.

"He doesn't have any [ligaments]," Walters said. "No one has ever been drafted without [ligaments]. Teams didn't know how long he would hold up in the NBA grind. Going back to college would have made the situation worse. This was a decision to take care of his family."

Despite the concerns about Blair's long-term durability, Walters said this morning that he "guarantees" that Blair will sign a guaranteed contract with the Spurs and is confident that he will sign for more than the league minimum of $457,588.

"No doubts at all," Walters said. "He'll sign a guaranteed contract."

Walters said he will likely seek a two-year contract because he is confident that Blair will outperform the value of his first contract.

Blackjack

06-26-2009, 12:49 PM

"He doesn't have any [ligaments]," Walters said. "No one has ever been drafted without [ligaments]. Teams didn't know how long he would hold up in the NBA grind. Going back to college would have made the situation worse. This was a decision to take care of his family."

Damn, that sounds kinda' grim.

Hopefully he's able to give the Spurs some quality years while their window is open and the guy is able to better himself and his family in the long-term.

He's a good kid and deserves it.

TimDunkem

06-26-2009, 12:54 PM

You can't really be disappointed since he's a first round talent. I'll just be happy (for him too) if he can have a fulfilling NBA career.

picnroll

06-26-2009, 01:08 PM

http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=580

Cry Havoc

06-26-2009, 01:09 PM

What kind of contract can the Spurs offer Blair? How does this affect the cap? Is it straight up against the salary cap? I'm still a little unclear on how the new cap works.

Agloco

06-26-2009, 01:11 PM

6'5" post player. check.
overweight. check.
two already torn ACLs. check

RUN AWAY. This is a train wreck waiting to happen to some team.

Heh

TDMVPDPOY

06-26-2009, 01:17 PM

so his from pitt...shortfor pittbull...BLAIR should turn all that fat into pure muscle,

we need a wild animal down low crashing the boards and stuff

kbrury

06-26-2009, 01:20 PM

actually i read he only has 12% body fat which is the same as Wake's James Johnson.

TDMVPDPOY

06-26-2009, 01:31 PM

What kind of contract can the Spurs offer Blair? How does this affect the cap? Is it straight up against the salary cap? I'm still a little unclear on how the new cap works.

i dunno, but we better buy insurance just in case his knees give way into the season, thats if his sign

EricB

06-26-2009, 01:35 PM

The agent needs to chill with the over the minimum crap, lets just see how the kid performs at summer league first....

phyzik

06-26-2009, 01:39 PM

The guy reminds me of a Pitt Bull in every way. The way he looks and his attitude of "go get it, go get it, go get it". I hope when Pop says "Go get it" this dude responds like he did in College.

picnroll

06-26-2009, 01:42 PM

I'm all for the Spurs giving Blair a little sweetner, particularly if it's tied to getting/staying in shape. A little extra might pay off in a couple of years from now in a little loyalty when a two year contract is up.

GSH

06-26-2009, 01:50 PM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09177/980097-100.stm

Blair: No regrets despite falling to 2nd round pick

"He doesn't have any [ligaments]," Walters said. "No one has ever been drafted without [ligaments]. Teams didn't know how long he would hold up in the NBA grind. Going back to college would have made the situation worse. This was a decision to take care of his family."

Damn. That's his agent saying that he literally doesn't have the ligaments. I've been certain that was just a misunderstanding, and that he didn't have any visible ACL problems, after the surgery. ("No ACL" meaning "No ACL injury".) I didn't think it was possible to keep playing competitively without either ACL, much less without both. His quads must be like iron, and even then I don't see how the knees can be stable enough to survive 82 games of NBA pounding. But then again, I don't see how he competed in college, either. It's supposed to be impossible on an ACL that has completely torn and not been surgically repaired. But to just not have any ACL's left? Damn.

I assume the agent knows what he's saying. And if he does, it's not hard to understand why he fell so low in the draft. That's a lot more risk than I thought.

kbrury

06-26-2009, 01:55 PM

Theres no way to really explain it I guess, hes just a freak of nature.

Spursmania

06-26-2009, 02:03 PM

I don't think Sean Elliott had his acl in one knee. That's what RC Buford said in the post draft video last night.

timvp

06-26-2009, 02:55 PM

http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=580

Nice find :tu

symple19

06-26-2009, 03:11 PM

here's an interview with blair from a gay suns radio station - good stuff (from blair, not the tools who did the interview) http://tinyurl.com/om84wu if someone else already posted this sorry --- I'm still dancing, wish the season started next month

symple19

06-26-2009, 03:14 PM

these suns guys really had a hard-on for him...And now he's ours!!!! woooo-hooooo

symple19

06-26-2009, 03:19 PM

and if you wanna follow him on twitter...
http://twitter.com/DeJuan45

symple19

06-26-2009, 03:24 PM

and an excellent NYTimes article on blair http://tinyurl.com/mh8crw

Spurs Brazil

06-26-2009, 03:53 PM

Winners and losers: Cavs cash in
By Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports
Jun 26, 12:34 am EDT

LOSER: DeJuan Blair’s knees

He’s had surgery on both of them. Although he never missed a game or practice while starring at Pitt, and his physical power overwhelmed UConn’s Hasheem Thabeet (the second pick overall), Blair fell all the way to the Spurs in the second round.

That’s a long wait for one of the college game’s best players.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AqmmIwX6eIFhR2V8VQZpWSC8vLYF?slug=dw-draftwinnerslosers062509&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

ulosturedge

06-26-2009, 03:53 PM

Damn. That's his agent saying that he literally doesn't have the ligaments. I've been certain that was just a misunderstanding, and that he didn't have any visible ACL problems, after the surgery. ("No ACL" meaning "No ACL injury".) I didn't think it was possible to keep playing competitively without either ACL, much less without both. His quads must be like iron, and even then I don't see how the knees can be stable enough to survive 82 games of NBA pounding. But then again, I don't see how he competed in college, either. It's supposed to be impossible on an ACL that has completely torn and not been surgically repaired. But to just not have any ACL's left? Damn.

I assume the agent knows what he's saying. And if he does, it's not hard to understand why he fell so low in the draft. That's a lot more risk than I thought.

I would have to assume that they tried to repair partially torn ACLs. As in try to stitch back the ligament. That doesn't work. Once you tear your ACLs it looks like crab meat in your knees lol. What they usually do is completely clean out the debris of the old ACL and make a replacement ligament out of a piece of your hamstring or another muscle in your leg. Essentially creating a whole new ACL. I had my ACLs repaired by Dr. Smitt also who is one of the Spurs Doctors. He did Sean Elliotts knees back in the day aswell.

It really does boggle my mind that he has been playing without ACLs. I tried to play basketball and football after hurting my knees and it just took one hard cut or one quick juke and my knee would give out (very painful btw when the knee pops out of place). Like someone else was saying he must have some amazing support muscles or cartlidge around his knees.

Worse comes to worst at some point in his basketball career he will lose part of a season or a summer and gets new ACLs. The dude is playing without ACLs lol wouldn't you think he would just play better with ACLs lol. My knees are much better then they originally were. Atleast strength wise they are much more tight and sturdy then they originally were.

ace3g

06-26-2009, 03:55 PM

Jim Rome is talking about the Spurs with his guests, and saying they are the true winners of the draft. Comparing them to the Patriots and how they can steal talent in the draft.

angelbelow

06-26-2009, 04:12 PM

cool

ace3g

06-26-2009, 04:12 PM

watching around the horn on ESPN , they are talking about the big winners,

Mariotti - says the Clippers were the winners

Adande - Spurs, trade for jefferson and trade for Blair, he said "if you don't have ACLs, you can't tear ACL's" lol awesome, says he will he help the Spurs with rebounding a lot along with scoring from Jefferson

Cowlishaw - mentioned Spurs for a second but mentioned Warriors, Clippers

Blackistone - said the draft was overshadowed by all the trades that occurred prior to the draft.

Adande and Mariotti got into an argument at the end over Adande's ACL comment, Adande countered with Hines Ward and his Superbowl MVP performance with the same condition.

EricB

06-26-2009, 04:14 PM

If Hines Ward can do it, why the hell not?

Libri

06-26-2009, 04:21 PM

Theres no way to really explain it I guess, hes just a freak of nature.

Freak indeed.

ace3g

06-26-2009, 04:36 PM

now they are discussing Blair and the Spurs on PTI:

saying they are surprised he fell to the 2nd round but says he is landing in a great spot with SA.

saying how playing in the most physical conference in the nation and destroying Thabeet plus avg 15 boards a game

they are discussing how he might not be able to get shots off at 6'6 6'7. Luckily for the spurs we don't need him to get off shots, we just need him to rebound with his long arms, play defense, and get his points through put backs off offensive rebounds

TimDunkem

06-26-2009, 04:40 PM

they are discussing how he might not be able to get shots off at 6'6 6'7. Luckily for the spurs we don't need him to get off shots, we just need him to rebound with his long arms, play defense, and get his points through put backs off offensive rebounds
If he can develop a jumper, he can very well get his shots off in this system. I don't doubt him getting off shots in the post against other teams role playing bigs either. Maybe even against some starters.

Libri

06-26-2009, 04:43 PM

If he can develop a jumper, he can very well get his shots off in this system. I don't doubt him getting off shots in the post against other teams role playing bigs either. Maybe even against some starters.

Its about creating space and arching the shoot. It takes smarts to do it. Blair has lived in the paint, so I think he has been able to make the adjustment.

TimDunkem

06-26-2009, 04:46 PM

Its about creating space and arching the shoot. It takes smarts to do it. Blair has lived in the paint, so I think he has been able to make the adjustment.
He got his shots easily over Thabeet. :ihit

timvp

06-27-2009, 10:53 AM

Here's another very interesting take on Blair from HoopAnalyst (http://www.hoopsanalyst.com/0809ew12.htm).

2. Dejuan Blair, Pittsburgh: If you look at the list of great sophomore rebounders in the intro, you’ll notice that Blair is the only player other than Barkley to also top the important PF benchmarks of .570 FG pct, 20.0 P40 and 3.5 SB40. I like a player who does all the important things well. That’s pretty much what I base these projections on. It seems that it’s more important to do all the necessary things well enough than it is to be off the charts in one or two statistical categories while coming up weak in the others. For a PF prospect the important categories are 2 pt. FG pct, P40, R40 and SB40. Here are past NCAA PFs who, like Blair, topped .580 2 pt. pct, 20.0 P40, 12.0 R40 and 3.5 SB40:

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/9782/hoopanalyst.jpg

The group has everything. There’s a HOFer, all-stars, rotation regulars, journeymen and Cliff Rozier. Shelden Williams is still a career waiting to happen, but I suspect he’s on his way to at least journeyman status. Rozier is the only other player here who didn’t have a long NBA career, but this article suggests he probably wasn’t equipped for NBA success, despite having great talent. In general this is a pretty good group to be in with. There are a couple of things to point out here though. The first is the most successful players in this group all posted a FG pct. over .600. Blair is more comparable to the rotation regulars with his .593. The next is I could up the SB40 standard on this test to 4.0 and get rid of both Rozier, the only bust of the bunch, and Blair. So while it’s impressive that Blair is a part of this exclusive stat club, he definitely compares more closely with players at the lower end.

Blair’s height has become an issue, but it doesn’t bother me much. He’s 6’7” in shoes with a wingspan of 7’2”. With his girth, that would seem to make him formidable enough. I’m a little more concerned about his weight. He seemed to be carrying a little too much of it during the season and this is something he’ll have to fix. Since he’s only 20, I don’t see this as a problem just yet. It could be a case of a young guy who let himself get a little heavy, because it didn’t affect his ability to dominate a game at the college level. I’ve read reports that he’s dropped as much as 15 lbs for the workouts and has become much quicker because of it. If this is true, it’s a very good sign.

My feeling is that Blair will become a pretty solid NBA player. At the low end he’ll be a valuable reserve who has one of the best rebounding rates in the league. At the high end he’s a starter who’s always one of the league leaders in rebounding. I doubt he’ll ever be enough of a scorer to be an all-star, but he’s going to be an effective player.

(I'm putting this here for ease of reference in the future :hat)

timvp

06-27-2009, 11:15 AM

Blair Falling to 37

One of the more unfortunate parts of draft night was watching the free-fall of rebounding machine DeJuan Blair all the way to the #37 pick, much lower than anyone could have anticipated. The upside here is that Blair landed in a tremendous situation. The Spurs have a depleted frontcourt in terms of depth after the 3 for 1 trade for Richard Jefferson, and have an organization and team culture that will absolutely bring out the best in him. Blair is, at worst, the next Leon Powe, and at best could be a real (and extremely cheap) asset for the next few years.

It was really surprising to see team after team picking in the late first round pass on Blair, and considering the risk/reward factor involved with a two-year guarantee contract, it’s tough not to think that a lot of them made a mistake.

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Surprises-of-Draft-Night-3289/

picnroll

06-27-2009, 11:18 AM

If Scola can get his shot off around the basket Blair can. Both do it with guile and muscle and Blair has more muscle.

timvp

06-27-2009, 11:21 AM

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/9633/blairhollinger.jpg

Via Hollinger: http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2009/insider/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=DraftRater-090618

ShoogarBear

06-27-2009, 11:42 AM

timvp

06-27-2009, 11:46 AM

timvp

06-27-2009, 11:51 AM

Prospect rankings
by Bradford Doolittle
http://www.basketballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=272

I have a piece going up later that will explain more of what you see here, but I wanted to post the results of my prospect rating system.

As for what these categories mean: ATH–a projection of a player’s applied athletic ability. The average score is about 15.0 for this group. oRTG–is offensive rating projected for the NBA level, which can also be defined as points created per 100 possessions. USG–is the players projected NBA usage rate. DEF–is the player’s defensive factor rating, with 1.00 being average and the bigger the number, the better. RTG–is the end rating generated by of all this. I wish it stood for something real, like wins or points, but right now, it’s just a rating. Average is 83.2 for these guys.

As a side note, don’t get too worked up about Ricky Rubio’s ratings here. They are based on a very small sample of data.

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/3634/blairprospectus.jpg

----------------------------
Got damn, Blair is way out in front on this made up stat. :lol

ShoogarBear

06-27-2009, 11:54 AM

The good news is that Pop has let some players in the past crash the offensive glass (namely Nazr)

Malik, too.

I think he also gave Finley the green light, we just couldn't tell.

exstatic

06-27-2009, 11:56 AM

Spurs just haven't had that many good offensive rebounders over the years. DRob, Nazr, and maybe Gooden and his figurative cup of coffee here?

Release the hounds!!!

picnroll

06-27-2009, 11:57 AM

exstatic

06-27-2009, 11:58 AM

Malik, too.

I think he also gave Finley the green light, we just couldn't tell.
:lmao

timvp

06-27-2009, 12:01 PM

SKINNYPIMP210

06-27-2009, 12:13 PM

TDMVPDPOY

06-27-2009, 12:35 PM

If the Spurs really do plan to play Blair 20 minutes per game like Buford said, it'd be great if Blair can average something like six points and six rebounds.

That's especially true if the Spurs can land a starting bigman with the MLE.

dude thats fkn shit stats like rasho, malik, nazr were avg while they were here....still better then nothing...

Slomo

06-27-2009, 04:52 PM

http://www.cikava.com/gallery/albums/Photoshop_madness/Blair_witch.jpg

HarlemHeat37

06-27-2009, 04:53 PM

http://www.cikava.com/gallery/albums/Photoshop_madness/Blair_witch.jpg

Work of art..

rayray2k8

06-27-2009, 04:56 PM

http://www.cikava.com/gallery/albums/Photoshop_madness/Blair_witch.jpg

:wow :lmao

coyotes_geek

06-27-2009, 04:57 PM

:rollin

Nicely done!

4RINGS

06-27-2009, 04:57 PM

Work of art..

The best pic on the net. :flag:

Tully365

06-27-2009, 05:05 PM

The fact that Blair compares favorably to Larry Johnson and Barkley is a good sign, given that he has the same body type. Johnson was the first guy I thought when watching Blair play, especially against bigger players like Thabeet. In the pre-draft analysis of power forwards on draftexpress, they say that Blair's offensive rebounding numbers per minute are not only the best of this class, but the single highest figure that they've ever had!

Gino20

06-27-2009, 10:38 PM

Hi everyone! I rarely post on Spurstalk, but I constantly check the site daily. By far the best site on the web!!!

Anyway, I have some thoughts in regards to the Blair pick. I must admit that I don't follow college basketball very closely. However, I have heard of this kid. I must say that he should have been a lottery talent pick. I realize there are some concerns about his knees, but I still think he should have been at very least an early-mid twenty pick. I could realize why some lottery teams passed him, but not others (especially in this draft). It appeared that tons of teams were drafting based simply on potential. I suppose that is fine, but to pass on a guy that is NBA ready (and only a few are) baffles me! Sometimes, you have to take risks! There is no gurantee that any of the players will be great or stay in the NBA for long. Some players will probably be busts and others might have a career ending injury (hope not).

By no means am I a doctor, but I think under the right conditions he can have a fairly long career. From what others say, players have had success playing without ACLs (if that is true). I dont know if it will shorten his career if he dont have any, but I guess no one really does. I believe he is in the perfect situation. Pop will limit his minutes if necessary and I am sure the medical staff is great. The fact that he has not missed a game or a practice for the last two years states alot. In addition, if Pop are RC state that he can already play 20 minutes a game, that also signals to me that his knees can hold up. I am sure he is ready to prove what he can do and stay in the NBA as long as possible.

If he can hold up only a few years (I hope he has a long career), then that might due. Once TD leaves, the Spurs will be in re-build mode (unless they get lucky again). That will be in a few years and that fits perfect with the Bliar situtation if so.

In the end, this was a no brainer move. I would have submitted this pick 100% of the time. It is ultimately the low risk/high reward scenario. I hope Bliar can have a long NBA career. I believe he can with the right work ethic and team (like now)! Congrats to the Spurs for this pick!

Go Spurs Go!!! :flag: :lobt2:

EmantheSpursFan

06-27-2009, 10:44 PM

http://www.cikava.com/gallery/albums/Photoshop_madness/Blair_witch.jpg

the blair witch project... :lmao:p:

raspsa

06-27-2009, 10:58 PM

:wow :lmao

Funny, his wingspan doesn't look like 7'2".. guess it must be all that bulk. I hope he can get down to maybe 250lbs. of mean musscle.:ihit

ace3g

06-27-2009, 11:51 PM

DeJuan DeMan: Beyond his talent

Buck Harvey - Buck Harvey

Hasheem Thabeet stretched and blocked the shot. He does that. He's 7-foot-3.

But then DeJuan Blair retrieved the basketball. This was in February, when Pitt met UConn in a Big East showdown, and Blair quickly powered back to wow America.

“I felt like an animal at that point,” Blair said then. “I felt like I wanted to kill.”

Blair paused and shrugged. “So I killed.”

Blair ended with 22 points and 23 rebounds, and the UConn coach, Jim Calhoun, called Blair “a man.” Weeks later, when penciling Pittsburgh into a tournament bracket in front of a TV camera, President Obama used the same, exact phrase.

This is why the Spurs suddenly feel blessed again, and this is why the Spurs are as optimistic as they've been about a rookie since Manu Ginobili showed a few things during the 2002 World Championships.

Blair will not be as ready as Ginobili was, and his knees will always be an issue. The Spurs have looked at the X-rays and, yes, he's ACL-less.

He also played only two years at Pitt, and rookies need some time. No one is certain his skill set and height will transition to the NBA, another reason he fell in the draft.

Then there are Gregg Popovich's demands: Blair will have to show a few things no one has seen, because Spurs scouts say Blair was not a good college defender.

Still, one staffer in the draft room Thursday said there were “cartwheels and high-fives,” and R.C. Buford later gushed as he rarely does about any draft pick.

An especially daring prediction: Blair will play 20 minutes a night.

The Spurs had tried to trade up into the middle of the first round, but Blair wasn't the target. Like everyone else, they worry about his health.

From what the Spurs know thus far, his knees are not demonstrating instability. His function is not affected as long as this is the case, though the length of his career is in doubt. That's why Blair left Pitt early, and it's why the Spurs, like other teams, didn't want to commit to a first-round contract.

So they mostly watched Thursday night as general manager after general manager talked himself out of Blair. When he dropped to the second round, the Spurs started making calls, looking to deal, but the Rockets escalated the bidding by buying picks.

Then Blair fell to No. 37. Not only did the Spurs change, so did the perception of them.

Analysts linked this to the Parker/Ginobili drafts, as if this franchise is magic. The media in Dallas and Houston asked why their teams couldn't do these things.

In truth, as it was with Tony Parker, all the Spurs did was wait.

Now they can't wait to see Blair on the court. One on the staff thinks Blair is clearly better than, say, Tyler Hansbrough, who went at No. 13. Others wonder, after what Blair did to Thabeet, if only Blake Griffin is better.

In some areas, Blair is actually better. Numbers suggest Blair wasn't the best offensive rebounder in the draft — he might be the best in college basketball in the decade.

“Great passer and wingspan,” said one Spurs scout, “and he has hands like (Tim) Duncan's. He has unbelievable feel and timing.”

Just as 6-foot-5 Chuck Hayes proved to be effective rooting Pau Gasol, the Spurs think Blair could, too. But he's not Charles Barkley, as some have compared him to. Blair doesn't have the same explosion.

Still, what sets Blair apart is something else entirely. It's “the man” factor, and the Spurs saw that when they talked to him. They say it was one of the most impressive interviews they've had.

It's a personality that wins. It's a personality that doesn't care how much work is required, or about the size of the stage, or if the opponent is 8 inches taller and has just blocked his shot.

As it was in February.

[email protected]
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/DeJuan_DeMan_Beyond_his_talent.html

GSH

06-27-2009, 11:53 PM

The only issue with him being a great offensive rebounder is that Pop will have to allow him to be one.

Traditionally, the Spurs have eschewed crashing the offensive boards in favor of getting back on D at all costs. It's probable that Blair will have a hard time getting his own shots off, at least initially, so his productivity will in large part depend on Pop's willingness to give him the green light.

I read a transcript of an interview with Blair, where he talked about his rebounding technique(s). He talked about watching the angles and getting out in front of the ball. It may be more of an art than a science, but he clearly has a knack for it.

I'm sure he gets some of his offensive boards by out-wrestling the other guys. But at his height, his anticipation has to be a big factor too. Even if he isn't allowed to crash the offensive boards a lot, I have a feeling that some of the available offensive rebounds will appear to just "fall into his lap", before there is time to start getting back on defense.

We'll see when he gets here. But I'm looking forward to hearing Jeff VanGundy talk about how "lucky" Blair is to always be in the right place at the right time.

Manufan909

06-28-2009, 12:23 AM

Hardly. Blair could probably benefit from losing a few pounds, but he's nowhere nearly as chunky as Davis. Blair was a first team All American. This is what they said about Davis before the draft:

Whether it was getting beat down the floor time after time by UCLA’s big men, settling for fadeaway jump-shots or showing terrible touch around the rim with his non-existent back to the basket game, Davis was completely outplayed on both ends of the floor.

The most concerning part of this game was probably the complete lack of conditioning that the hefty Davis showed almost immediately after the opening whistle. Davis was clearly laboring as he lumbered up and down the floor already after the first 7 or 8 minutes, sucking wind uncontrollably...

My biggest concern is his lateral quickness on the defensive end. But at least he's young - he has to be a step quicker than Fab and KT, doesn't he?

I think it is virtually impossible to not be faster than those dinosaurs.:rollin

GSH

06-28-2009, 04:24 AM

A couple of Blair interviews I haven't seen elsewhere (sorry if I just missed them):
http://blog.imgacademies.com/2009/05/05/getting-to-know-dejuan-blair/
http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/The_Baseline/entry/view/25322/dejuan_blair_if_your_dream_is_in_front_of_you,_why _not_go_for_it

And the New York Times really did a story on his ass:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/sports/ncaabasketball/26pitt.html?_r=2

The maestro of properly using one’s backside is Barkley, who earned the nickname the Round Mound of Rebound and angled his way into a Hall of Fame career. In a 1984 Sports Illustrated article, the 6-4 Barkley articulated why he had success against taller centers like 6-11 Melvin Turpin.

“It’s easier for me to get low,” he said. “I can put my butt on Melvin’s legs, but Melvin can only put his legs on my butt.”

Blair puts it this way: “It’s hard to get around my wide body. Why not push people out of the way with it?”

holcs50

06-28-2009, 04:38 AM

http://www.cikava.com/gallery/albums/Photoshop_madness/Blair_witch.jpg

BADASS! and :lmao

ivanfromwestwood

06-28-2009, 04:50 AM

president obama said......."I think [DeJuan] Blair is a man." thats some high praise from the very top of our food chain.

Manufan909

06-28-2009, 07:00 PM

I did not know Blair was the guy who flipped Hasheem over his shoulder!!!! From the POY video there was a link for it, and after watching it I realized I actually watched some of that game, and saw Blair's "judo throw", lol. He was like "THIS IS MY BALLL BITCH, FUCK OFF!!!"

EDIT: Oh, and here is a vid that ESPN put up for the game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WASWhKKQfY&feature=related. Blair is most definitely a man.

And this is Blake Griffin, who is in no way related to the Spurs, but it was a linked video, and the facial at the end is INSANE. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMHuyx3Xwfk&NR=1

SenorSpur

06-28-2009, 10:53 PM

I've heard many predictions that Blair may have a relatively short career. No one really knows. I just hope his knees hold up so that he'll have a productive career - hopefully with the Spurs.

GSH

06-28-2009, 11:09 PM

I've heard many predictions that Blair may have a relatively short career. No one really knows. I just hope his knees hold up so that he'll have a productive career - hopefully with the Spurs.

As long as his knees hold up, I think he's going to produce for the Spurs. I know he has to play summer league to start learning the system, but I wish he didn't. I worry about it as much for his sake as for the team's. He's worked hard for a long time, and he took a real beating on draft day. And he won't get a real payday unless he can make it through the first two years intact. It's kind of sick to see Brian Cardinal make $20M+, and think that this kid could walk away with $900K or less, if he happens to come down wrong one time.

I'm feeling really confident that he will contribute to the Spurs this season, and I have no doubt that he will give them all the effort they could ask for. I hope that they will convince him that he doesn't have to dominate the summer league.

bigdog

06-28-2009, 11:15 PM

Man In Black

06-28-2009, 11:29 PM

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/steelers/2006-02-08-ward-legacy_x.htm
Ward was never supposed to get this far; a childhood bicycle accident left him without an ACL in his left knee. He was raised by a single mother in Forest Park, Ga. Yet it was the 1998 third-round draft question mark who showed the most stage presence in Super Bowl XL.

"Hines makes all the overachievers in the world proud," offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt says. "I'm just so proud of him because of what a team guy he is. Whatever obstacles have been put in his way, he's surpassed that because he burns with a competitive spirit unlike anyone I've ever seen."

Ward certainly proved his worth after settling a training-camp contract impasse with a heart-to-heart, father-to-son talk with coach Bill Cowher that resulted in a five-year, $27.5 million extension.

"I wanted to finish my career as a Steeler," Ward says. "I felt I just fit the mold as far as a blue-collar guy. I may not be the flashiest, most flamboyant wide receiver out there. But I get the job done for my team.

"I told coach Cowher, 'I'm coming to camp. Let's go out and win a Super Bowl.' I remember those words vividly. And here we are."

So that's Hines Ward's story. Lost his left knee ACL as a kid. Learned how to play football, got really good at it in High School, became a Heisman candidate at University Of Georgia, dropped in the draft because of concerns about his missing ACL, hasn't missed a game because of said missing ACL, has a Super Bowl MVP trophy.

Both physical sports and both play through it.

Pucho!!!

06-28-2009, 11:39 PM

Dude has been playin on them knees the past 2 yrs without any problems. I think its blown out of proportion.

mountainballer

06-29-2009, 06:21 AM

some funny stuff about draft night from sham, when the Bulls (his team) didn't pick Blair at #26:

http://www.shamsports.com/content/pages/2009/06/shams-unnecessarily-long-2009-draft_28.jsp

Just one to more to go now.

02.57: Good news! Oklahoma City picks someone called Rodrigue Beaubois with the 25th pick, and Blair is now free to be a Bull. Stern stumbles over Beaubois' surname, and eventually manages a half hearted attempt that sounds a little bit like "boob war". This is what I'm calling Rod from now on. Ric Bucher quickly informs us that Boob War and B.J. are being swapped for one another (and, hopefully, jointly lending their names to one of the finest pornographic movie titles in the Western world), which undermines by Nowitzki joke of earlier a bit.

But, to the real issue here. The Thunder passed up on Dejuan Blair. And that means only one thing. We got Blair we got Blair we got Blair we got Blair we got Blair we got Blair we got Blair we got Blair we got Blair we got Blair we got Blair we got Blair we got Blair we got Blair we got Blair we got Blair. Yeahhhhhhhhhh boy. This is a good thing. The Bulls seriously need some interior muscle and rebounding, and the best player for that outside of the number 1 overall pick just fell into our laps. Inside, I'm dancing. Outside, I'm yodelling. Good times.

02.58: Can I just point out at this stage how much better it's going to be to have Dejuan Blair than it is Thabo Sefolosha. Thabo would have been earning $2.8 million next season just to be the 10th man, money which the Bulls can ill afford to spend on a surplus player if they are going to be able to re-sign Ben Gordon. Yet instead of Thabo, we're going to be paying a third of that price to a superior player, who plays a position of greater need and whose skillset fills this team's weaknesses almost perfectly. It's going to be bloody fantastic. What could possibly g.......

02.59: ........oh, clunge.

03.00 - 03.04: (Sulking.)

03.04: Taj Gibson??? Taj Gibson??? Why the hell would you pick Taj Gibson there? What does Taj Gibson do, exactly? He blocks shots. That's pretty much it. He's not a rebounder, he's not a scorer, he's too thin for his position and he doesn't have first round talent. He also somewhat duplicates the skillset of incumbent starting power forward Tyrus Thomas, and we're supposed to be UPGRADING Tyrus, NOT DUPLICATING HIM. Oh, and better still, Taj Gibson is already 24, severly limiting any upside his athleticism may otherwise have given him. To put that into some context, Taj Gibson is all of four days younger than Darko Milicic. And everyone knows that Darko Milicic ran out of potential three years ago.

Spiffing. Absolutely spiffing.

03.51: Dejuan Blair is finally put out of his misery. San Antonio pick him at #37, finding themselves a Kurt Thomas replacement within about 48 hours of even needing one. That's efficient stuff. If they can get Robertas Javtokas to turn up next year, they'll have largely rebuild their frontcourt with only minimal effort. The cheeky bastards.

Slomo

06-29-2009, 09:20 AM

"03.00 - 03.04: (Sulking.)"

:lol

SpuronyourFace

06-29-2009, 10:12 AM

Wow, I can't believe we got this guy!

Spursmania

06-29-2009, 08:49 PM

Blackjack

06-29-2009, 11:21 PM

migs21

06-30-2009, 05:17 AM

http://www.wpxi.com/sports/19864639/detail.html

lurker23

06-30-2009, 05:46 AM

If Blair did this in an NBA game, do you think people would start calling the Spurs dirty again?

f5R_k0Sw8nc

I think it'd be worth it... :hungry:

Mr.Bottomtooth

06-30-2009, 08:54 AM

Damn, that's brutal.

timvp

07-01-2009, 01:24 AM

Shortly after acquiring Jefferson, the Spurs saw 6-7, 275-pound bull DeJuan Blair fall to them in the second round of last week's draft. Blair, who fell because of concerns about the lack of anterior cruciate ligaments in his knees, will immediately give the Spurs a rebounding force and a personal body guard for Duncan.

http://www.news-journal.com/sports/content/sports/stories/2009/07/01/07012009_brookscolumn.html

:lol Interesting way to put it.

HarlemHeat37

07-01-2009, 01:27 AM

I would love to go back to the "dirty and flopping" Spurs..

kobyz

07-01-2009, 01:51 AM

Blair story remind the Leon Powe Story.

duncan228

07-01-2009, 04:16 PM

Blair will have last laugh (http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/s_631737.html)
By Joe Starkey

The more you learn about DeJuan Blair's drop in the NBA Draft five nights ago, the more it makes sense.

But like NBA assistant director of scouting Ryan Blake, I am convinced the San Antonio Spurs scored a major coup by taking Blair as the 37th pick.

Blake's office provides teams with detailed reports on draft prospects. The report on Blair, Pitt's All-America center, included the fact that he'd blown out both anterior cruciate ligaments in high school.

Teams already knew as much but might have been scared off by additional information that surfaced in May. We'll get to that in a minute.

Blake's report also contained the opinion that Blair has a good chance to be an "impact player."

"The guy's the best offensive rebounder we've had (come into the NBA) in 10 years," Blake said Monday. "He eats glass."

Nearly every NBA team spoke with Tony Salesi, Pitt's long-time athletic trainer for men's basketball, about Blair's knees. Salesi told them Blair had experienced almost no difficulties. Blair sat out the Belmont game in November because of swelling, but returned for the next practice and had no additional problems.

Salesi told teams that in addition to the nearly 40 games Blair played each of his two seasons, he participated in about 100 practices, lasting an average of at least 1 1/2 hours.

"That's 140 events per year where he could have had an issue," Salesi said. "He tolerated all that very well. From our perspective, his knees were a concern but never a functional problem."

Once he declared for the draft, Blair aced his initial auditions. The buzz had him going as a lottery pick. But that was before the NBA's pre-draft camp in Chicago in late May, an event similar to the NFL Scouting Combine, where teams scrutinize draft candidates.

This is apparently where Blair's stock took a serious hit.

Blair on Tuesday confirmed that an MRI taken at the pre-draft camp showed the graft — the replacement ACL — in his right knee had "failed," meaning it was either torn or not functioning.

"I wasn't really surprised," Blair said by phone, declining to pinpoint the precise finding on the MRI. "But I'm fine."

So, no additional surgery is planned or required on the knee?

"I'm not touching it," Blair said. "My knee is good."

Salesi said he doesn't think the graft was compromised in the past three months, which means it's likely Blair, 20, played part or most of his Pitt career with a failed graft in his right knee. Pitt didn't do an MRI after its pre-freshman-year tests on Blair, because it had no reason to believe one was necessary.

Without having seen the MRI from Chicago, Salesi believes Blair "may be among the small percentage of people who can function at a high level without a working ACL."

Steelers receiver Hines Ward is one of those people. He doesn't have an ACL or a graft in his left knee.

Blair's agent, Happy Walters, said teams were even more concerned about the possibility of arthritis someday attacking Blair's knees. That is a legitimate concern, but who can predict the onset time? Salesi said Blair's mid-30's is as good a guess as any.

The Spurs are built to win a championship next season. They needed a rebounder and an injection of youth up front. They got both in Blair, who is scheduled to be introduced in San Antonio today and is expected to play for the Spurs' summer-league team in Las Vegas from July 11-19.

"I'm really, really excited," Blair said. "The teams that passed me up, I'm going to have some fun against them."

What I see here is an athletic freak — a 6-foot-7, 275-pound power forward with an impeccable resume (ask Hasheem Thabeet) and a 7-foot-2 wingspan, plus the ability to deliver a crisp outlet pass (hello, Tony Parker), run the floor and rebound like few others.

More than his knees, I believe Blair's NBA future rests on his ability to play passable defense.

Motivation won't be a problem. Blair said he considered changing his number from 45 to 37 as a reminder of where he was drafted, but decided to stick with 45 and focus on the task at hand.

Which is, in a phrase, eating glass and taking names.

Ace9

07-01-2009, 04:42 PM

Thanks for the read, duncan. I never knew Hines Ward had the same problem that Blair does. That's comforting to know. Its also encouraging to know that he is the best offensive rebounder to come out of college b-ball in the last decade. That single fact alone makes him a steal at 37.

Good Character - Check
Good Rebounder - Check and then some
Young - Check, only a sophomore
Potential - Check
Work Ethic - Check
Team Player - Check
Hasheem Thabeet Owner - Check, haha had to put that one in

We got almost everything we need in a Duncan successor. Woo!

Extra Stout

07-01-2009, 04:44 PM

We got almost everything we need in a Duncan successor. Woo!
Slow down there.

Ace9

07-01-2009, 04:47 PM

Slow down there.

Let me clear it up. Blair has the potential to be almost everything we need in a Duncan successor.

rayray2k8

07-01-2009, 04:56 PM

Let me clear it up. Blair has the potential to be almost everything we need in a Duncan successor.

Know this.. Blair might not have a long and successful career that Duncan had.
We're expecting him to be at worst a Reggie Evans.

Comparison to Duncan? Please.

Ace9

07-01-2009, 05:08 PM

Know this.. Blair might not have a long and successful career that Duncan had.
We're expecting him to be at worst a Reggie Evans.

Comparison to Duncan? Please.

I understand that. What I want from him to be IMO a succesful Duncan successor is to be elite in his prime. Not have such a long and successful career as Duncan. No one I know can do that. Duncan is the best PF of all time, for crying out loud.

Leftyventricle

07-01-2009, 05:40 PM

Via Spurs twitter:

Getting ready to have presser for @dejaun45 at the prac fac. http://twitpic.com/8zgef

timvp

07-01-2009, 06:36 PM

Yeah, RC introduced Blair today a couple hours ago. I'm guessing Spurs.com will have the video shortly.

Blair, Gist and Mahinmi all on the practice court for the first time today :hungry:

FkLA

07-01-2009, 06:41 PM

Some of you guys need to slow down...yes Blair was a steal and according to the experts a Top 20 or Top 15 talent but they have been wrong before. Yes, he was a great college player but look at Adam Morrison, Sean May, JJ Redick, etc.

I think we need to wait and see how he does in a faster, bigger, and more athletic NBA game before we pencil him in as a starter or as a solid contributor to next season's team. Not to mention before we start believing that he can be a great all-star player in years to come like some of u guys are already doing.

TimDunkem

07-01-2009, 06:42 PM

Rebounding translates better than shooting.

kbrury

07-01-2009, 06:47 PM

I think Blair being an all star in his career will be near impossible because he won't score on a regular basis, but I believe in his prime he could be a solid starter that can be brought into any team and contribute right away. His rebounding is way off the charts not to have at least some success in the league.

FkLA

07-01-2009, 06:49 PM

timvp

07-01-2009, 06:51 PM

I'd be ecstatic if Blair gives the Spurs 5 and 5 next season. I'd be even more ecstatic if Blair could ever become as good as Malik Rose was in his prime.

TimDunkem

07-01-2009, 06:55 PM

I mean to have people label him as a TD succesor or even close to one before he plays a single game is completely ridiculous. Let's give him time before we get our hopes up so high.
No no no. Who said this? Someone made a comment on draft night that "people" were saying Blair was the next D-Rob. Who are these people?

benefactor

07-01-2009, 06:57 PM

FkLA

07-01-2009, 07:04 PM

No no no. Who said this? Someone made a comment on draft night that "people" were saying Blair was the next D-Rob. Who are these people?

First post of this page.

So there is something wrong with being exciting about getting lottery level talent at #37 and being hopeful of what he might bring?

http://www.notnever.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/gtfo.jpg

There's nothing wrong with that, Im simply saying we need to be realistic. He's a steal and was a great college player but lets not label him as a future all-star or even as a shoe-in big contributor for next season just yet.

Blackjack

07-01-2009, 07:07 PM

Yeah, RC introduced Blair today a couple hours ago. I'm guessing Spurs.com will have the video shortly.

Blair, Gist and Mahinmi all on the practice court for the first time today :hungry:

They aired the press-conference live on 760.

A couple of things that stould out to me:

R.C. and Pop want the questions about his knees to cease. R.C. went out of his way to make that known, even cutting DeJuan off a little bit after he answered the first knee question. Good move, imo.:tu

Secondly, They believe they're going to get the 4 they need in free-agency. R.C. was quick to say he wouldn't get into specifics, but you could kind of read between the lines...

And Finally...

DeJuan Blair is an "ass-kicking-4."(R.C.'s words. :lol)

R.C. never thought that the "ass-kicking-4" hole could have ever been filled in the draft at 37, so he did admit Blair's addition changed the urgency of finding another big lessen; at least to some extent.

DeJuan "A.K.-4(5)" Blair?

barbacoataco

07-01-2009, 07:18 PM

Blackjack

07-01-2009, 07:26 PM

Does Blair's joining the team make Hairston a better fit for the roster than Gist? Gist is also an undersized 4 with a similar skill set to Blair's. Am I wrong to think that Hairston has a better chance to make it as a SF than Gist?

Blair should have no impact whatsoever on Gist and Haiston.

Hairston's a 2/3 at this level and Gist is a 4/3.

My bad, I read that wrong.

TimDunkem

07-01-2009, 07:27 PM

Does Blair's joining the team make Hairston a better fit for the roster than Gist? Gist is also an undersized 4 with a similar skill set to Blair's. Am I wrong to think that Hairston has a better chance to make it as a SF than Gist?

Yes because there is room for both on the team. Each have different skillsets. Gist is a combo forward similar to Hakim Warrick, but Gist has shown the ability to hit threes. I'm not sure if he could play the SF position, but that's the best case scenario.

mosdef17

07-01-2009, 07:36 PM

That is true, Millsap led the NCAA in rebounding and turned out well for Utah...dont get me wrong I hope Blair can do what Millsap did Im just saying some of u guys are being way too optimistic. We honestly have no idea how his transition from college ball to the NBA will go. I mean to have people label him as a TD succesor or even close to one before he plays a single game is completely ridiculous. Let's give him time before we get our hopes up so high.

In my opinion, in the best case scenario Blair can be what Millsap is for Utah or what Jason Maxiell is for Detroit. I dont see him as an all-star.

While I do agree with most of that, the reason why I am a little optimistic that he can really contribute (not be an all-star, but be of value) is because of his work rate and effort. Guys like Maxiell and Millsap that you mentioned get limited minutes and come out giving 100% and I think thats what makes them valuable to their respective teams. I know I will get 100% all the time from DeJuan Blair. We know his game won't completely adapt to the NBA, he will never lead the league in rebounding, but because of the effort he gives, he does have a chance to be a good player. He will be good, but how his skill set can adapt to the bigger, strong and quicker game of the NBA will determine how high he can rise or how low he can fall. Successor to Tim Duncan? That's a joke. There aren't many people in history that could fill Tim's hole when he calls it quits.

picnroll

07-01-2009, 07:47 PM

barbacoataco

07-01-2009, 07:57 PM

I don't see how you can say Blair, Hairston and Gist aren't competing for some of the same minutes.

timvp

07-01-2009, 08:07 PM

I'd be surprised and disappointed if Blair isn't better than Malik. He's already got a reputation of better hands, a better passer and less likely to be a black hole. Based on college results against major competiton he'd have to crash and burn not to be a dominant rebounder and he's got the tools to be a defender capable of routing the big boys out of the paint and their comfort zone a la Malik, maybe more so. This should be the Spurs Milsap-type steal. He didn't even play in great shape in college and still dominated. What's he like when he's toned?

Being disappointed if Blair isn't better than Malik in his prime? That's some pretty huge expectations for a second rounder.

Malik was pretty damn good in his prime. Very good defender who could guard everyone from Shaq to Dirk, great energy, relentless effort, didn't back down from big situations, playoff proven and capable offensively. Blair could be good but he'll never be as athletic as Malik was or as versatile defensively. I'm not saying he can't be better than Malik but that is a tall task.

I'm not sure how Spurs Nation on a whole has forgotten how good Malik was back from 2001 to 2003. Nowadays Spurs fans act like Malik was a scrub run of the mill backup big. His days with the Spurs didn't end pretty but that shouldn't overshadow his best days when he was one of the best backup bigs in the game.

objective

07-01-2009, 08:13 PM

you could also switch on pick and rolls and Malik could handle the guards. Used to do it to Nash and Nowitzki and never suffered for it.

FkLA

07-01-2009, 08:25 PM

Being disappointed if Blair isn't better than Malik in his prime? That's some pretty huge expectations for a second rounder.

Malik was pretty damn good in his prime. Very good defender who could guard everyone from Shaq to Dirk, great energy, relentless effort, didn't back down from big situations, playoff proven and capable offensively. Blair could be good but he'll never be as athletic as Malik was or as versatile defensively. I'm not saying he can't be better than Malik but that is a tall task.

I'm not sure how Spurs Nation on a whole has forgotten how good Malik was back from 2001 to 2003. Nowadays Spurs fans act like Malik was a scrub run of the mill backup big. His days with the Spurs didn't end pretty but that shouldn't overshadow his best days when he was one of the best backup bigs in the game.

Exactly once Malik improved his offensive game, and added that to his hustle and all-out play in every other aspect as well as his versatility as a defender he became a great player for us...he was like a 12 and 8 guy during his prime and was consistantly a strong 6th man of the year candidate.

I'd be extremely happy if thats what Blair ends up becoming.

Da Spurs

07-01-2009, 08:29 PM

People forget that during the season, Blair was talked about as a lottery pick. They weren't even sure the season before if Gist would even be drafted. Blair will come in and play big minutes behind Timmy. I think Timmy will be limited to 25-30 minutes or less this year. He was overused last year and broke down towards the end. We can't make that same mistake again.

Blair has the potential to be a 10-10 guy over his career or better if he stays healthy. The absolute steal of the draft. Incredible!

picnroll

07-01-2009, 08:50 PM

Being disappointed if Blair isn't better than Malik in his prime? That's some pretty huge expectations for a second rounder.

Will begin to see soon. Hopefully Blair's knees will let him reach a prime. It's safe to say though that if a 20 year Blair isn't better than a 20 year old Rose the Spurs better find a couple of damn good big men.

Marcus Bryant

07-01-2009, 09:03 PM

Being disappointed if Blair isn't better than Malik in his prime? That's some pretty huge expectations for a second rounder.

Malik was pretty damn good in his prime. Very good defender who could guard everyone from Shaq to Dirk, great energy, relentless effort, didn't back down from big situations, playoff proven and capable offensively. Blair could be good but he'll never be as athletic as Malik was or as versatile defensively. I'm not saying he can't be better than Malik but that is a tall task.

I'm not sure how Spurs Nation on a whole has forgotten how good Malik was back from 2001 to 2003. Nowadays Spurs fans act like Malik was a scrub run of the mill backup big. His days with the Spurs didn't end pretty but that shouldn't overshadow his best days when he was one of the best backup bigs in the game.

This foreshadows how Spurs Nation will turn their back quickly on Blair. He's 6'7" tall (nevermind the wingspan, standing reach, or actual performance). He's "undersized" and therefore every virtual GM will conclude that he is inadequate. AHF comes to mind, for example.

picnroll

07-01-2009, 09:07 PM

This foreshadows how Spurs Nation will turn their back quickly on Blair. He's 6'7" tall (nevermind the wingspan, standing reach, or actual performance). He's "undersized" and therefore every virtual GM will conclude that he is inadequate. AHF comes to mind, for example.

Malik had two very good years. People forget that. Then Malik began to become a detriment, thinking he was the go to guy and making bonehead play after bonehead play. Some people forgot/overlooked/made excuses for/forget that too.

Marcus Bryant

07-01-2009, 09:13 PM

The Mavs were never a problem until the Spurs dealt Malik. Some have forgot/overlooked/made excuses for/forget that too.

kbrury

07-01-2009, 09:16 PM

I still remember that one playoff game in 2003 after Dallas upset us in game 1, game 2 Malik scored like 25 points and we won three straight in a hard fought series.

Spurs Brazil

07-01-2009, 10:31 PM

I hope Blair turn to be a great player but Malik was fantastic.

In 2003 he was key, the best season of his carrer, guarding Shaq, Dirk, blocking Bradley and dunking on Mutombo

Blackjack

07-01-2009, 10:43 PM

Not coincidentally, Malik also camp to camp in '03 in the best shape of his life.

I think he had a couple of 20-20 games (IIRC against Milwaukee and Dallas) and with his improved free-throw shooting and mid-range jumper, Malik was definitely at his best.

D_Blair45_fan

07-03-2009, 03:00 PM

VivaPopovich

07-03-2009, 03:40 PM

I have not seen it discussed so I just wanted to let you guys know that on top of being a beast on the boards he is a great outlet passer. He has pin point accuracy throwing the ball down court. Almost Kevin Love good.

i hope the kevin love reference was regarding his passing ability because kevin love would have been the biggest dissappointment of last year's draft but he closed out the year fairly well

D_Blair45_fan

07-03-2009, 09:19 PM

i hope the kevin love reference was regarding his passing ability because kevin love would have been the biggest dissappointment of last year's draft but he closed out the year fairly well

It was in regards to how good Love is as an outlet passer. Blair really worked on that and was a great outlet passer at Pitt in his second season.

DPG21920

07-03-2009, 09:27 PM

Using the "what do you expect from a 2nd rounder" line is intellectually dishonest. He is not your typical 2nd rounder.

No one had him slipping that far and many had him as a lottery pick. He fell because of health, not skill. He has higher expectations because he can play. If he is healthy and does not produce well, it will be disappointing.

raspsa

07-04-2009, 06:30 AM

I love the idea of Blair, Gist, Mahinmi trying to outdo each other and earn their spot on the rotation. Blair with the chip on his shoulder, Gist with a year's Italian experience and Ian w/o a chip in his ankle (LOL) .. wish the Spurs had a webcam in their practice facility.. sigh..

dbestpro

07-04-2009, 10:50 AM

I know Blair is a good inside player. He will be good inside in the NBA. What could take him to the upper level of the NBA is the development of an outside shot. Anybody got an idea if this guy has any type of outside shot?

DBMethos

07-04-2009, 11:05 AM

As far as I know, he doesn't have any offensive game outside of 10 feet. He said that his jumper is what he's trying to improve on the most.

exstatic

07-04-2009, 11:18 AM

As far as I know, he doesn't have any offensive game outside of 10 feet. He said that his jumper is what he's trying to improve on the most.

Malik didn't have a game outside of 5 feet when he got here, so there's hope. If you've got a guy who needs to extend his jumper, Chip is the man you want behind your bench.

Obstructed_View

07-04-2009, 11:28 AM

As far as I know, he doesn't have any offensive game outside of 10 feet. He said that his jumper is what he's trying to improve on the most.

This is sort of in line with people worried that Gortat wasn't a good shooter. Dejuan is in the game to clean the glass. As far as I'm concerned, the only time he should be more than ten feet from the basket is when he's shooting free throws.

LaMarcus Bryant

07-04-2009, 11:42 AM

The Mavs were never a problem until the Spurs dealt Malik. Some have forgot/overlooked/made excuses for/forget that too.
Very true MB, but that also coincided with the rise of Josh Howardm and Devin Harris, and the departure of Steve Nash.

picnroll

07-04-2009, 11:56 AM

Malik was a good player when he was a hustle player. Then he got his big contract, worked on his game over the summer and decided he was a finesse, go to player player. Then he was so good Spurs couldn't move his contract to anyone without giving up two number one picks. Hopefully if Blair eventually decides he's a go to player it's because he has the skills to be one.

duncan228

07-04-2009, 07:54 PM

From January. Hit the link for some pics.

Just a short walk from home, local boy Blair makes good with Panthers (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=oneil_dana&id=3865922)
By Dana O'Neil
ESPN.com
Originally Published: January 28, 2009

PITTSBURGH -- It is 10 minutes to history, and DeJuan Blair isn't about to miss it. The tour of his Hill District neighborhood is put on hold as Blair bangs a quick U-turn in front of the Ammons Recreation Center and follows a handful of twisted, hilly streets before pulling up to the curb in front of his uncle's house.

He hugs his uncle, Michael Smith (everyone just calls him "Unc"), offers a quick introduction to the people following him into the house and grabs a seat on the sofa directly in front of the television.

For the next 30 minutes, Blair is riveted as Barack Obama becomes the 44th president of the United States. Sitting in a house in what is the roughest and hardest section of blue-collar Pittsburgh, Blair has a hard time explaining what it means to see a black man become the most powerful man in the world.

It is exactly as his family told him when he decided to stay home, to travel merely 600 yards to the Pitt campus instead of across the country to forge his college basketball path: One man can make a difference.

"Someone once said to me that I'm doing for the city of Pittsburgh what Barack is doing for the United States," Blair says. "I didn't even know what to say. That's just crazy."

What may seem like hyperbole is proven to be anything but when you travel around the neighborhood with Blair. He is the Pied Piper-grown gargantuan, a hometown hero who can't go unrecognized even hidden in a nondescript rental car. Grown men stop working to take a picture alongside him, and other adults insist he can't leave without putting his name on a basketball. And kids? Kids who don't know a thing about the University of Pittsburgh know who No. 45 is.

Not a lot of hope comes out of Blair's neighborhood, and if it does, it usually takes wing for greener pastures. Once a cultural mecca and home to the Crawford Grill jazz spot, the Hill began to fall on hard times when the bulldozers made way for the Civic (now Mellon) Arena. Its population more than halved, the city's attempts at urban revival via new, well-appointed homes sit next to boarded-up shells.

Blair is civic pride and a community's dreams bundled into a 6-foot-7, 265-pound ball of infectious energy -- a well-mannered, intelligent kid who chose to embrace his hometown rather than escape it. When he signed with Pitt, he became the first City League player to play for the Panthers in 16 years, and only the third since Sam Clancy left campus in 1981.

Can one man make a difference?

In the spring, Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon and his team will launch a mentoring program for kids in the Hill District. "We've been talking about doing it for a long time," Dixon says. "But now is the perfect time. If we can't get it going with this guy, when can we?"

*********************

The house sits on the downslope of Avalon Street, across from what Blair admits was a killer sledding hill.

"Except you had to go at night because of the street at the bottom," he says. "You couldn't see, but there weren't any cars coming, so it was safer."

Blair grew up here, the oldest of Shari and Greg Blair's four children. (One brother, DeMond, died as an infant when Blair was 4 and is the reason he points to the sky after big plays.) He was the smallest of the kids, only 6 pounds, 11 ounces at birth; still in his high chair, unwilling or unable to walk at his first birthday.

By grade school, Blair was the biggest kid in his class, a big boy with a soft heart who, his grandmother says, "didn't want to hurt the other kids" when he first started playing basketball. He jokes that because he was too big to play peewee football, the weight requirement crushed his dream. Truth is, basketball was in his blood. Both Shari and Greg played at Schenley High School. Blair used to bang with his father on the neighborhood courts, and finally won when he was 12.

"I spotted him a few points, but by the time I started to play, it was too late," Greg Blair remembers.

As a kid, Blair spent his afternoons and evenings at Ammons. His uncle ran the place and taught him to play there. Ammons is where Blair announced his commitment to Pitt in a news conference, becoming the first Schenley player in more than 30 years to sign with the nearby university.

The building is closed for renovations when Blair stops by on a January afternoon. Naturally, he's let right in.

Initially forsaken by the city, Ammons has since been brought back under its care. The rec department is in the middle of refurbishing the place. There are new baskets on the rim, and the hardwood glistens with a fresh resurfacing. Blair promises to stay off the court, but when a ball materializes, well, he can't help himself. He points to the far basket, the spot where he made his first dunk. He was already 11 or 12 by the time he took his game above the rim, plenty tall enough, "but I lacked the proper technique," Blair says, grinning sheepishly.

By now, he's dribbling on the shiny floor, tossing up a few jumpers. Coerced into a dunk, he misses the first, residual effects from the previous night's body-banging win over Syracuse.

No one complains that Blair has traipsed across the court. Instead, he's asked to sign the ball before he leaves.

Not far from the rec center is Kennard Park. If Ammons is where Blair learned to play the game, Kennard is where he learned to survive it. The summer league there is to Pittsburgh what famed Rucker Park is to New York, with teenagers mixing with grown men in rugged street ball, drawing hundreds of people on a sweltering day to watch a game.

Blair remembers a championship game when he faced Terrelle Pryor. (The Ohio State quarterback from nearby Jeannette was a 2,000-point scorer in high school.) A handful of Steelers players were among the fans lining the court.

"They were taking bets -- I got DeJuan, I got Terrelle," Blair says. "I had 56 that night. We won."

At Schenley, Blair's basketball skills and oversized personality made him a literal and figurative big man on campus, especially after he led the school to the Class 4A state championship in his senior season. Blair had 18 points, 23 rebounds and six blocked shots in the title game against Chester (and Pitt teammate Nasir Robinson), helping Schenley become the first City League team to win the title since 1978.

He and his teammates paraded through the city that day, hanging out car windows and honking horns. But now, there are no kids outside Schenley as Blair drives by. A year after he graduated, the city shut the school's doors, citing an asbestos problem that would be too costly to remove from the 93-year-old building. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Schenley is just another vacant building in the Hill.

*********************

Greg and Shari Blair admit that if they had made the decision, their son would be dressed in orange and white, playing for the University of Tennessee.

They liked Vols head coach Bruce Pearl and thought it might be good for Blair to move out of the city.

Blair couldn't make up his mind. Considering as many as 18 different scholarship offers, he was so conflicted and overwhelmed that one day he hurled his cell phone across the room, staring blankly as it fell to pieces.

Donna Saddler remembers it well. Blair's maternal grandmother still shakes her head and tsk-tsks as she recalls seeing the boy she calls 'B-Daddy' (short for Big Daddy) crying in her bedroom.

"I just told him, 'Don't worry. I'll be at your school at 12:30, and we'll figure this out,'" Saddler says. "We met in the guidance counselor's office. I said, 'Pitt is it. Now stop it, because you're stressing me.'"

And that was it. Blair, who became the first City League player for Pitt since Darelle Porter (who played there from 1987 to '91), might be big enough to knock opposing centers off the blocks with one good bump of his hip, but he is no match for the woman he calls Mamaw.

She helped raise him. When he and his brother, Greg, needed to go somewhere, Saddler would drive them, rather than risk putting the boys on the rough neighborhood streets. When Dixon, the head coach, started recruiting Blair, he wisely courted Saddler as much as Blair and his parents. On the first day of the contact period, he wanted to come to the house. Saddler explained they'd be having a family reunion barbecue that day, and if he wanted to come, he could.

Dixon went.

When Dixon was down to his last scholarship, he called Saddler.

"I said, 'This is it. If he wants to have it, he has to have it now. It may or may not be there in the future," Dixon says. "She said, 'OK, I'll talk with him.' And she did."

Saddler had done her homework. She knew Aaron Gray was graduating, knew her grandson could play immediately if he earned it.

But she also liked the idea of keeping him home. Blair and his teammates are frequent dinner guests at Saddler's home, where she'll cook up spaghetti or chicken. Blair, who rents a house nearby, stops in to see his Mamaw almost every night.

On this bitter-cold afternoon, he meets her outside the Baum Boulevard Dodge dealership. Saddler, sporting a fire-engine red coat and matching hat, is there to have her car repaired, courtesy of a love tap from a city bus a month earlier. Blair greets her with a smile and warm embrace. Saddler is having none of it.

She takes one look at him and says, "DeJuan, where is your coat? It's cold outside. You need a coat."

Dressed in a hoodie over a T-shirt, Blair explains, "I don't have one. I can't find one big enough."

"Well, I'm going to find you a coat. I'm going to get you a coat that fits today," Saddler responds. "Don't you worry. Mamaw will take care of everything."

Blair just shakes his head as if to say, See? See the price of staying home?

Three hours later, Blair has just finished his tour and is heading toward his car when Saddler pulls up in front of the loading dock at Pitt's Petersen Events Center.

She jumps out with a red bag in her hand.

Inside is a new blue coat.

*********************

Unc likes to play a game with Blair. He'll hand Blair an ordinary household product -- a stack of napkins, toilet paper -- and tell him to smile.

"I'm telling you, he could sell anything," Unc says, laughing.

It's true. Proximity makes Blair popular; Blair makes Blair special.

Meet him on the street; Blair smiles. Watch him during pregame warm-ups; Blair smiles. Elbowed in the gut by Syracuse's Rick Jackson during a game; Blair smiles.

And it's not just a polite grin. It's a smile that would make toothpaste makers proud, a full-watt, wide-as-the-face, I-know-something-you-don't-know beam.

Not everyone could enjoy staying so close to home, people pulling at you everywhere you go, turning a routine visit to McDonald's into a circus.

Blair revels in it. He is a people collector, attracting fans and friends as he walks through his neighborhood, across campus and on the court. The same Steelers who watched him play at Kennard watch him play at Pitt. The day after they clinched a Super Bowl berth, Santonio Holmes and Jeff Reed sat courtside watching the Panthers beat Syracuse. When the game ended, Blair went over to give Holmes a hug. They're friends.

When the Panthers earned the program's first No. 1 ranking, Blair walked into a standing ovation at his computer class. All 52 people were on their feet, leaving a seat at the front of the room for the guest of honor.

Inside the car dealership with his grandmother, mechanics stop work and whip out their camera phones to take pictures alongside Blair. They tell him to bring home a national championship and head back to work with P-I-T-T chants ringing through the garage.

Two hours later, Blair waits at a stop sign sitting in someone else's car. Another car crosses the intersection. Even in the anonymous rental, the driver spies Blair and honks the horn.

"You ride through here with him, you get tired of beeping the horn," Unc says. "Everybody likes him. I can't explain how much he means to people around here. I liked the other schools and coaches he was looking at, but what did they have that he couldn't get in his own backyard? I told him he had the chance to change the face of an entire city. I truly believe that he can and he will."

Danny Fortson is the last NBA player to come out of the city, but the 10th pick of the 1997 NBA draft transferred here from nearby Altoona in his junior year of high school.

Blair would be the first with Pittsburgh coursing through his body from birth to city high school to Pitt since Peabody High's Mel Bennett, who played at Pitt in the mid-1970s.

"If he makes the NBA, I told him you'll hear this," Shari Blair says as she knocks on a table. "That's the sound of me fainting."

In news that is sure to delight Pittsburgh fans, Blair says he's in no hurry to make the jump.

"I've been poor my whole life," he says. "I can wait."

Besides, he still has things to accomplish. When Obama finishes his oath, Blair jumps to his feet, arms outstretched, and lets out a "Barack!" scream. He says he wants to win a national championship -- not just for the obvious reasons, but also because he wants to meet the new president. He jokes he'll score 44 in the national championship game to honor the 44th president, then fall down.

But more than meet the president, Blair says he wants to be like the president. His circle of influence, he knows, is considerably smaller. But his impact, he hopes, can be just as great.

"A lot of people can say they played in their home state, but I literally grew up right here," Blair says. "I'm not just in my hometown -- I'm home. I'm doing good things in my home. That means something.

"And there's a lot more to come."

ulosturedge

07-04-2009, 08:12 PM

As long as Blair can translate that heart, drive, and determination into something on the basketball court we should be ok.

For the record Malik was cool as shit. Very approachable nice guy. Off the court he seemed like a really down to earth guy. Antonio Daniels was cool too but he always walked around like his shit don't stink lol. Almost got into it with Jaren Jackson one time but is was probably my fault. I was kind of drunk and they had just lost a playoff game or something and I was telling him how they needed Sean Elliott lol. He was hanging out with Jerome Kersey and trying to hook up with some slut. Most of my past encounters with Spurs players were at Clubs lol.

Kind of derailed there sorry :lol

rascal

07-04-2009, 10:02 PM

raspsa

07-05-2009, 12:55 AM

I read somewhere that he\s shooting up to 500 jumpers a day in practice.. sounds good to me.

Blackjack

07-05-2009, 01:29 AM

Spurs rookie grateful for knee-jerk reaction

By Jeff McDonald - Express-News

It was supposed to be a routine physical, just a normal part of the poking and prodding that all prospects at the NBA's May pre-draft combine had to endure.

For DeJuan Blair, the exam turned out to be anything but routine.

It wasn't what doctors found inside his knees that left them so perplexed. It was what they didn't find.

It turned out that Blair, unbeknownst to anyone, had no anterior cruciate ligament in either knee. He couldn't have been more surprised if tests had also revealed him to be pregnant.

“I had no idea. I was shocked,” said Blair, the 6-foot-7 forward from Pittsburgh selected by the Spurs at No. 37 in the June 25 draft. “It's pretty amazing when you think about it.”

Blair, 20, was widely considered to be the steal of this year's draft, a lottery-caliber rebounding machine the Spurs hope to plug directly into their frontcourt rotation as a rookie.

Had it not been for that astounding medical discovery in May in Chicago, Blair wouldn't be in San Antonio right now.

A consensus All-American at Pitt after leading the nation in offensive rebounding last season, Blair dropped into the Spurs' lap on draft night as team after team deemed his confounding medical report too risky.

Blair underwent a pair of knee surgeries in high school, most recently during his 10th-grade year, after which his ACLs became scar tissue that his body reabsorbed.

He has experienced no problems in the knees since. In his two seasons at Pitt, Blair did not miss a game or practice.

“There was never a red flag,” said Tom Herrion, Pitt's associate head coach under Jamie Dixon. “There was never any indication that we had to be cautious because of his knees. It had zero impact on us.”

Though the Spurs do not anticipate Blair's knees to be an issue in the short-term, nobody can say for sure how they will affect his long-term future as a player. There is little recorded precedent for his condition in the NBA.

It is the job of the ACL to help stabilize the knee during movement. That particular ligament is especially crucial in the constant starting and stopping that happens during the course of a basketball game.

In lieu of the ACL, Blair's quadriceps and hamstring muscles must do the work of stabilizing the knee. Once Blair gets to San Antonio for good, the Spurs' strength and conditioning staff could put him on a regimen meant to bolster those muscles.

“We're going to learn to manage any situation we have to deal with,” Spurs general manger R.C. Buford said. “Whether it's a 19-year-old set of knees or a 39-year-old set of knees.”

As the draft approached, several NBA teams grew worried that Blair's uncommon condition might develop into a nagging ailment later in his career. That made him a gamble in the first round, where the contracts are more expensive and can be guaranteed for up to four seasons.

Once Blair slid to the second round, the potential reward in selecting him began to outweigh the risks.

“It provided us with an opportunity to get a hell of a pick in an area where we might not have been able to otherwise,” Buford said.

This much is for certain — Blair's missing ligaments don't seem to have affected his basketball abilities.

“I've won a lot of games on these knees,” Blair said.

As a star at Pittsburgh's Schenley High School, Blair was the centerpiece of team that once won 57 games in a row. In two seasons at Pitt, where he blossomed into one of the top rebounders in college basketball, Blair was a combined 58-15.

Undersized for an NBA power forward, Blair atones for a lack of height with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, hands like baseball mitts and a natural instinct for “see ball, get ball.” He ranked fourth in the country in rebounding last season (12.3 per game), posting three 20-rebound performances.

At Pitt, Blair's coaches used to compare him to Wes Unseld, the former Washington Bullets star and Hall of Famer.

“He's kind of a throwback a guy,” Herrion said. “He's kind of old school. He's crafty for his age.”

The highlight of Blair's sophomore season was a 22-point, 23-rebound game against Connecticut and its 7-foot-3 center, Hasheem Thabeet, the eventual No. 2 overall pick of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Heading into that Feb. 17 game, most UConn opponents had employed a strategy meant to draw the shot-blocking Thabeet away from the basket. With Blair at their disposal, Pitt coaches went another direction.

“We told him, ‘You go right at him,'” Herrion said. “DeJuan definitely likes contact. Thabeet likes space. DeJuan had the ability to get into his body.”

Now that he's headed to the NBA, Blair will need to polish the offensive parts of his game. He will have to work to learn the subtleties of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich's defense. A 61.4 percent foul shooter in college, Blair will look to improve in that area as well.

In the meantime, Blair figures he can always contribute by doing what he does best.

“I'm not worried about points,” Blair said. “I'm going to rebound. If this team has a rebounder, then there's your championship. Because they have everything else.”

Blair readily recognizes he would not be here had he been blessed with the requisite number of knee ligaments. Perhaps, he says, sliding to the Spurs will wind up being a blessing in disguise.

Already something of a medical marvel, Blair is poised to prove something to the 29 NBA teams that passed on him, as well as the doctors who might have doubted him.

“No ACLs,” he said, “no problem.”

DeJuan Blair
Position: Power forward

Size: 6-foot-7, 265 pounds

College: Pittsburgh

Career highlights:

- 2008-09 All-American, finalist for Wooden and Naismith awards, Big East Co-Player of the Year

- 23 rebounds and 22 points in game against No. 2 overall pick Hasheem Thabeet, the other Big East Co-Player of the Year

- 21 double-doubles in 35 games for Pitt

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Spurs_rookie_grateful_for_knee-jerk_reaction.html

DPG21920

07-05-2009, 07:33 AM

I do not know if Blair has the offensive game to be better than Malik. He would have to work pretty hard on that aspect.

DBMethos

07-05-2009, 08:18 AM

“No ACLs,” he said, “no problem.”

I want that T-shirt!

Taking it to the Hole

07-05-2009, 03:36 PM

I can't wait to see Blair play. I just like the fearlessness he possesses. He isn't afraid to compete and challenge taller players. If anything, we may have someone who can hold Shaq in check when we do play the Cavs. :lol I think him being shorter gives him the lower center of gravity and that is going to allow him to box out a lot more taller players.

bishopospurs

07-05-2009, 05:44 PM

First off I feel bad for Malik having to play his late years with the Knicks, now he is with OKC which has a legit player in Kevin Durant, but yikes he saw some bad times. I also feel bad for both Blair and Rose that they are compared so much. Their game is alot different and I am sure spurs fans will see a big difference when Blair hits the floor. Blairs freak show wingspan alone makes things different in overall approach to the game. I loved Malik and wish he had more than two great years, and that 03 Dallas series is a great memory, but I hope Blair proves to be a better pro with a long reaching prime.

timvp

07-06-2009, 11:15 PM

Today was the 1st workout in San Antonio and it was great... I can't wait for the season to begin!!!

http://twitter.com/DeJuan45/status/2506670660He must have gone home after his press conference. Kinda odd to have less than a week of practice before playing in summer league.

ducks

07-06-2009, 11:16 PM

He must have gone home after his press conference. Kinda odd to have less than a week of practice before playing in summer league.

he had to pack