Free Agent: Malik Hairston

[Bruno]

http://www.nba.com/media/act_malik_hairston.jpg

Malik Hairston | G
Born: Feb 23, 1987
Height: 6-6 / 1,98
Weight: 220 lbs. / 99,8 kg.
College: Oregon
Years Pro: R

info (http://www.nba.com/playerfile/malik_hairston/index.html)

Bring him back!

[benefactor]

Indeed. I'm guessing he will be on our summer league squad...at least I hope so.

[tp2021]

What I like most about him is that he doesn't back down from big-time competition. That's what you need from young guys, especially come playoff time.

[manufan10]

I liked what I saw from him the few times I actually saw him play. He played some good defense on Kobe. I liked how he attacked the rim too. I hope they bring Malik back.

[urunobili]

Malik> Williams

[Libri]

Check out his game log for the Toros. His last five games are impressive even for the D-League. I hope that its a sign that he's improving his jump shot.

http://www.nba.com/dleague/playerfile/gamelogs.jsp?player=malik_hairston

[tomtom]

Hope he'll be back next season the guy shows promise

[manufan10]

Check out his game log for the Toros. His last five games are impressive even for the D-League. I hope that its a sign that he's improving his jump shot.

http://www.nba.com/dleague/playerfile/gamelogs.jsp?player=malik_hairston








Those stats look impressive. Hopefully the stats will transfer over to the NBA and he'll be just as good.

[TimDunkem]

He can score in different ways. He's also proven he can play defense at an NBA level. Summer camp invite for sure.

[024]

if he makes his 3's, he will get a roster spot. he's a little undersized at 6'5 to play at SF but does have a 6'9 wingspan.

[Bruno]

Hairston is a consistent jumpshot away of being a NBA player.

[HarlemHeat37]

He's a consistent jump shot away from being an NBA rotation player IMO..he's already an NBA player on a 12-man rotation IMO..I would be surprised if he isn't on a team to start next year, hopefully it'll be ours..

there's nothing to dislike about Hairston..he was fearless at the rim, he went inside for tough rebounds, he always looked to attack, he played solid 1 on 1 defense..his jumper is really the only thing missing, but it's not like he's the only one..

like timvp pointed out during the regular season, Hairston's body was in much better shape as the year went along..he wasn't the same guy that we saw in summer league, even though a number of us wanted him instead of Tolliver...

he played very solid 1 on 1 defense on Lebron, Kobe, and Brandon Roy this year..his sequence on Lebron was very, very impressive, but obviously Pop subbed him off for some odd reason..

I remember Pop subbed him off after the team was struggling, and Hairston got a put-back dunk on his 1st play in..

I find it very possible that Pop knew he wasn't going to use him this year, and didn't want to show him off to other teams, so the Spurs could keep him for the summer..I truly believe that..there isn't logic otherwise..a jumper is the easiest thing to work on..

[ChumpDumper]

Hairston's improved conditioning was apparent in his final stint with the Toros this season. He played nine games in 20 days, which is getting close to an NBA kind of schedule. He logged fewer than 42 minutes only once. He was able to finish most games in a pretty strong fashion with the notable exception of the semifinal at altitude in Colorado. I blame that primarily on Snyder's short bench.

[Solid D]

The Spurs have been looking for a perimeter player strong enough to take his man down on the low block, post him up and score. When the Spurs drafted Malik, they felt like they might have found that post-up wing.

Malik showed inside abilities but he wasn't really given much time to show what he can do. Defensively, he had a few struggles and he doesn't possess the length needed to defend some of the bigger SFs. A Carmello-stopper he's not. The kid can score though and he's not afraid to go to the hole.

[Blackjack]

The Spurs have been looking for a perimeter player strong enough to take his man down on the low block, post him up and score. When the Spurs drafted Malik, they felt like they might have found that post-up wing.

I've been longing for this team to have more versatility at the wing for a while now, and a wing with a post game would definitely be a move in the right direction.

Another reason I like Malik (even Hill and Mahinmi, for that matter) is their ability get to the free-throw line, rebound, and score in transition or off broken plays.

The Spurs' inability to get to the free-throw or get enough easy buckets, has really been to this teams detriment.

Hopefully, Hairston, Hill, Mahinmi, or whatever pieces they add, will help in that cause.


Malik showed inside abilities but he wasn't really given much time to show what he can do. Defensively, he had a few struggles and he doesn't possess the length needed to defend some of the bigger SFs. A Carmello-stopper he's not. The kid can score though and he's not afraid to go to the hole.

Malik's probably closer to 6'4" than 6'6", which kinda suprised me after seeing him in college, but his length, athleticism and timing make up for a lot of what he lacks in stature.

His defense in one-on-one situations/on-ball was actually pretty damn good, even if there were some mental-lapses, (as far as missed rotations) but your right. He's no Carmelo-stopper. Not that there really is one, if Melo plays the way he's capable.

[Obstructed_View]

Hairston blocked Tayshaun Prince clean while defending him in the post. Tay's about 6'9", right?

BTW, people who say Hairston can't shoot have clearly never watched him play. He's not Ray Allen or Kobe Bryant, but he has three point range, and his percentage goes up instead of down at the end of the shot clock or at the end of quarters. I'd rather have had him play in place of Finley for every minute he played. The increase in defense and inside scoring would more than make up for Finley's jump shooting.

[poop]

we honestly cant afford to pass up on guys like malik right now. he is an upgrade over what we have now and getting an nba player equivalent to him would be far mroe costly for us.

he brings youth, athleticism, DEFENSE, and the ability to get to the rim. ALL THAT is what we need now, not another clown who does nothing but stand around the perimeter and jack up jump shots.
frankly i dont give a SHIT if malik has a killer jumper or not. in fact i dont want him to. he will be out there 1. to defend and 2. to drive to the hoop as much as possible.

[TheProfessor]

we honestly cant afford to pass up on guys like malik right now. he is an upgrade over what we have now and getting an nba player equivalent to him would be far mroe costly for us.

he brings youth, athleticism, DEFENSE, and the ability to get to the rim. ALL THAT is what we need now, not another clown who does nothing but stand around the perimeter and jack up jump shots.
frankly i dont give a SHIT if malik has a killer jumper or not. in fact i dont want him to. he will be out there 1. to defend and 2. to drive to the hoop as much as possible.
100% agreed. Tired as hell of hearing about his jumpshot. I'm still surprised they cut him in favor of Williams, but if we can sign him again on the cheap, it's a no-brainer.

[mountainballer]

Malik's probably closer to 6'4" than 6'6", which kinda suprised me after seeing him in college, but his length, athleticism and timing make up for a lot of what he lacks in stature.


he measured 6'4.25'' without shoes (6'5.25'' in shoes) and has a wingspan of 6'9'' which is nice, but not outstanding. he compensates a lot with his great leaping ability. but as mentioned, for the "long" SF we need, he is at least 2'' short. but we need 2 young wings anyhow and Malik should be one.

[benefactor]

If Udoka is on the roster next season and Hairston is not I will probably club a baby seal.

[exstatic]

100% agreed. Tired as hell of hearing about his jumpshot. I'm still surprised they cut him in favor of Williams, but if we can sign him again on the cheap, it's a no-brainer.

As stated at the time, Williams was probably going to get a call up from another team, and the Spurs needed to take action to keep from losing him.

Malik knows that the Spurs want him. He got paid his NBA salary for the rest of the season because the contract guarantee date had passed by the time they let him go. It was actually an incredibly smart move by the SA front office. They kept Marcus, and anyone who wanted Hairston would have had to pick up his NBA contract. Most teams who want to do a call up tryout want to do it on the cheap, not pick up the remainder of the season's guaranteed salary.

[Bruno]

100% agreed. Tired as hell of hearing about his jumpshot.

Well, Dell Demps said that the biggest priority for Hairston was to improve his jumsphot.
Even if you're tired to hear it, Hairston future with Spurs' will highly depend on his jumpshot.

[Marcus Bryant]

The problem is that when you start looking for players with prototypical bodies for certain positions then you end up giving up on other players who can actually play. Yes, Hairston needs to work on his J but he is definitely a worthwhile prospect.

[poop]

The problem is that when you start looking for players with prototypical bodies for certain positions then you end up giving up on other players who can actually play. Yes, Hairston needs to work on his J but he is definitely a worthwhile prospect.

exactly im tired of hearing this crap, 'oh yeah well malik is young, athletic, can defend well, plays a position we sorely need, can get to the rim, will contest and block shots, has tons of upside for relatively cheap, BUT HE 'NEEDS TO WORK ON HIS JUMPSHOT' so until then no'

hahaha give me a fucking break, i guess they are content with having 5-6 guys on the team who are old, slow, weak, cant defend well, cant get to the rim, cant contest shots, cant rebound, but have decent jumpers.

jesus fucking christ. we have veeeery few options right now, getting this guy on board is a no-brainer

[rayray2k8]

Bring this man back! The guy is raw, but his potential is tremendous.

[ChumpDumper]

There are plenty of options for players at Malik's level. It's good that he's still working at improving his game, but don't pretend he's the only player available.

[yavozerb]

I agree. I am not sure he will ever be a starter in the NBA but he could develop into a good reserve. Lets not pretend he is the spurs saviour!!

[Brazil]

Malik is a so so player :)

[Taking it to the Hole]

The advantage of keeping Malik is pretty obvious compared to bringing in another player at his level and that would be his exposure and familiarity with the Spurs system playing with the Toros and also as a reserve for the Spurs. I think giving him another year in the same system can only benefit him more.

Players like Malik don't get better by just sitting on the bench, they need playing time. If we are going to plan on just sitting him at the end of the bench and not give him any significant minutes, then he is better off somewhere else. I think it is time to give the "young guns" there shot. Hairston isn't our savior , but he isn't chopped liver either.

[Manufan909]

exactly im tired of hearing this crap, 'oh yeah well malik is young, athletic, can defend well, plays a position we sorely need, can get to the rim, will contest and block shots, has tons of upside for relatively cheap, BUT HE 'NEEDS TO WORK ON HIS JUMPSHOT' so until then no'

hahaha give me a fucking break, i guess they are content with having 5-6 guys on the team who are old, slow, weak, cant defend well, cant get to the rim, cant contest shots, cant rebound, but have decent jumpers.

jesus fucking christ. we have veeeery few options right now, getting this guy on board is a no-brainer

Fin has as many negatives as Hairston has positives, but he can get the senior slam at Denny's and he has a sweet jump shot, so that's what you need to succeed on the Spurs.:lol

[HarlemHeat37]

Why do people on this board always clown us for liking a certain player? This "savior" talk is just stupidity, nobody has ever said that..we keep hearing people make fun of us here for wanting Splitter, Mahinmi, Hairston, and whoever else, because we think they are our "saviors"..no, nobody has ever said that..

we're hyping them up, because we feel like they could be solid contributors on the team as ROLE PLAYERS..we already have our 3 stars, so our "savior" is in reality, a group of role players..so it's not outrageous for us to want these young guys that have shown potential as role players..

[poop]

Why do people on this board always clown us for liking a certain player? This "savior" talk is just stupidity, nobody has ever said that..we keep hearing people make fun of us here for wanting Splitter, Mahinmi, Hairston, and whoever else, because we think they are our "saviors"..no, nobody has ever said that..

we're hyping them up, because we feel like they could be solid contributors on the team as ROLE PLAYERS..we already have our 3 stars, so our "savior" is in reality, a group of role players..so it's not outrageous for us to want these young guys that have shown potential as role players..

yes very good post. its only the haters and the condescending, arrogant assholes who imply all this 'savior' and '____ Russel/chamberlain' talk.

no ones suggesting hes going to be lebron james, but he can certainly be a great role player upgrade

[spursbird]

Why do people on this board always clown us for liking a certain player? This "savior" talk is just stupidity, nobody has ever said that..
You're right. People want a savior to help the Spurs, so they give hope to those young players. But they forgot that these players were drafted from late 1st round and 2nd round.

[mountainballer]

Why do people on this board always clown us for liking a certain player? This "savior" talk is just stupidity, nobody has ever said that..we keep hearing people make fun of us here for wanting Splitter, Mahinmi, Hairston, and whoever else, because we think they are our "saviors"..no, nobody has ever said that..

we're hyping them up, because we feel like they could be solid contributors on the team as ROLE PLAYERS..we already have our 3 stars, so our "savior" is in reality, a group of role players..so it's not outrageous for us to want these young guys that have shown potential as role players..

sorry, but what is your problem. none, absolutely none in this thread has written a word that overrates Malik, none has claimed some unrealistic expectations and absolutely all agreed about Malik's potential AND flaws. most here see and describe him exactly as the kind of role player you call for. and none has called him savior, star, future starter or whatever. this thread is as realistic and well founded as it can get, which doesn't happen often on ST.

[SenorSpur]

Why do people on this board always clown us for liking a certain player? This "savior" talk is just stupidity, nobody has ever said that..we keep hearing people make fun of us here for wanting Splitter, Mahinmi, Hairston, and whoever else, because we think they are our "saviors"..no, nobody has ever said that..

we're hyping them up, because we feel like they could be solid contributors on the team as ROLE PLAYERS..we already have our 3 stars, so our "savior" is in reality, a group of role players..so it's not outrageous for us to want these young guys that have shown potential as role players..

:tu. Well said.

I trust Pop is watching the NBA playoffs. It's not the old head teams that remain in the playoffs. Teams that have been knocking of the door that have rosters full of emerging talent are breaking through.

It's time for Pop and RC to rethink the "senior citizen FA acquisition" strategy. It's no longer plausible. The Spurs don't need a mass overhaul, but they'd better upgrade the talent, and infuse some fresh legs, around the Big Three or else they'll find themselves again on the outside looking in next season, too.

[SenorSpur]

:tu Well said.

I trust Pop is watching the NBA playoffs. It's not the old head teams that remain in the playoffs. Teams that have been knocking of the door that have rosters full of emerging talent are breaking through.

It's time for Pop and RC to rethink the "senior citizen FA acquisition" strategy. It's no longer plausible. The Spurs don't need a mass overhaul, but they'd better upgrade the talent, and infuse some fresh legs, around the Big Three or else they'll find themselves again on the outside looking in next season, too.

It's clear Hairston has some game. He demonstrated enough skill to warrant another look at being a possible rotation player.

[exstatic]

You quoted yourself two minutes later in the very next post? Ego much? :lol

Test to see if this generates a new post

[yavozerb]

Let me apologize for being the guy to throw out the word "savior", I didn't realize it would put bowen type clamps on this thread and head it in the wrong direction. I would love to see Hairston make the team, but, I am not sold on his ability to make an impact on this team yet. If the spurs can keep finding a way to keep this guy under the radar and give him minimum $ in progressing into an NBA player (either in austin or overseas) then I'll for him.

[urunobili]

You quoted yourself two minutes later in the very next post? Ego much? :lol

:lmao

[yavozerb]

Let me apologize for being the guy to throw out the word "savior", I didn't realize it would put bowen type clamps on this thread and head it in the wrong direction. I would love to see Hairston make the team, but, I am not sold on his ability to make an impact on this team yet. If the spurs can keep finding a way to keep this guy under the radar and give him minimum $ in progressing into an NBA player (either in austin or overseas) then i'm all for him.

[yavozerb]

I think I did the same thing as senor spur,lol...If you edit then it makes another post..

[Obstructed_View]

The fact is, if you have five guys on the bench that can actually contribute, you don't need any of them to be a 'savior'. To put it in financial terms, the Spurs don't need to buy lottery tickets, they just need to invest wisely. To put it in basketball terms, if you take smart shots and play defense you don't have to jack up desperation threes. What the Spurs have on their roster is hardly worse than most of the people we're discussing.

And as I've mentioned too many times, I don't think anyone's saying that Hairston shouldn't be working on his jumper, but the assertion that he "can't shoot" is thrown around WAY too much.

[exstatic]

I think I did the same thing as senor spur,lol...If you edit then it makes another post..

Mine didn't, if you look above. Make sure you hit edit and not quote. :lol

[Obstructed_View]

If the Spurs believed in saviors, there'd be a quote in the locker room about how the stone cutter can break the marble by smashing it really hard one time with a giant hammer.

[024]

people say hairston needs a 3 pt shot because he hasn't been taking them in the NBA. just because a player can shoot in the d league doesn't mean it translates to NBA ball. the sample size is pretty small but his free throw shooting was pretty bad too. obviously he needs to work on these things. there are prolific scorers in the d league and college level that can never transition to the NBA.

[Obstructed_View]

people say hairston needs a 3 pt shot because he hasn't been taking them in the NBA. just because a player can shoot in the d league doesn't mean it translates to NBA ball. the sample size is pretty small but his free throw shooting was pretty bad too. obviously he needs to work on these things. there are prolific scorers in the d league and college level that can never transition to the NBA.

So the fact that he shoots a good percentage from the exact same distance in a basket that's the exact same size means that he's incapable of doing it 50 miles to the south of where he does it? Again, I have no problem with having him work to improve his shooting, but most people saying he "needs a three point shot" are just repeating something they heard from someone else. Besides, if you're worried about shooting ability, then you should really be questioning having Marcus Williams on the roster instead of Hairston.

Most of us that are calling for him aren't expecting him to be a "prolific scorer", at least from 25 feet away. The Spurs have plenty of guys who can chuck it up from long distance. I'd like someone that can, I don't know, get a stop, or even, say, attack the rim on occasion. It's funny how many fewer three pointers you need to take when you're playing defense. When Finley can score 16 points in a game and still have a -15 in a game because his guy lit him up on the other end it should tell you that shooting is hugely overrated anyway.

[024]

So the fact that he shoots a good percentage from the exact same distance in a basket that's the exact same size means that he's incapable of doing it 50 miles to the south of where he does it? Again, I have no problem with having him work to improve his shooting, but most people saying he "needs a three point shot" are just repeating something they heard from someone else. Besides, if you're worried about shooting ability, then you should really be questioning having Marcus Williams on the roster instead of Hairston.

Most of us that are calling for him aren't expecting him to be a "prolific scorer", at least from 25 feet away. The Spurs have plenty of guys who can chuck it up from long distance. I'd like someone that can, I don't know, get a stop, or even, say, attack the rim on occasion. It's funny how many fewer three pointers you need to take when you're playing defense. When Finley can score 16 points in a game and still have a -15 in a game because his guy lit him up on the other end it should tell you that shooting is hugely overrated anyway.
a good example is anthony tolliver. good in the summer league, poor shooting in the NBA. same line, same distance. tolliver needed an NBA 3 pt shot to stay in the league and he more or less failed. no one is saying that hairston shouldn't get a roster spot on the spurs. i don't know where you got that idea.

having a 3pt shot is usually a prerequisite to becoming a spurs wing. popovich loves his 3 pt shooters.

[Obstructed_View]

a good example is anthony tolliver. good in the summer league, poor shooting in the NBA. same line, same distance. tolliver needed an NBA 3 pt shot to stay in the league and he more or less failed. no one is saying that hairston shouldn't get a roster spot on the spurs. i don't know where you got that idea.

having a 3pt shot is usually a prerequisite to becoming a spurs wing. popovich loves his 3 pt shooters.

Popovich fell in love with three point shooting at the exclusion of virtually everything else, and Tolliver is the poster child for the blind spot that came from that love and the damage it caused the Spurs. Tolliver should never have made the team, nor should Desmond Farmer for that matter. Hairston could have contributed to the Spurs all season long if he'd never been any better than George Hill from long distance.

And what I'm taking issue with is people who are saying that he can't shoot, or that his inability to shoot is somehow justification for his either not having made the team or his not having been used or kept on the roster.

[SenorSpur]

Popovich fell in love with three point shooting at the exclusion of virtually everything else, and Tolliver is the poster child for the blind spot that came from that love and the damage it caused the Spurs. Tolliver should never have made the team, nor should Desmond Farmer for that matter. Hairston could have contributed to the Spurs all season long if he'd never been any better than George Hill from long distance.
And what I'm taking issue with is people who are saying that he can't shoot, or that his inability to shoot is somehow justification for his either not having made the team or his not having been used or kept on the roster.

With Manu out for as long as he was, a perfect opportunity was presented for Hairston to have gotten some real burn. Spurs could've used his energy, rebounding, scoring ability and defensive tenacity. Pop definitely made an error in judgement in housing too many players, on the roster, that had redundant skills.

Explosive opinion OV - and I agree with every word. :tu.

[Bruno]

Hairston hasn't a "scoring ability".

Hairston is a quite interesting prospect and I hope he is still on Spurs radar.
Saying that, he has some flaws (lack of size, offensive game) and Spurs could very well find more interesting prospect(s) via draft/FA.

[Obstructed_View]

Hairston hasn't a "scoring ability".

He does around the rim, and anybody that's seen him play for the Spurs knows that.

[Bruno]

He does around the rim, and anybody that's seen him play for the Spurs knows that.

I guess Hairston is the new player to enter in the category "has done well in some garbage time, so he is a great player".

[HarlemHeat37]

Hairston played a great game(for a D-league role player) against Denver's rotation players, and Cleveland's rotation players..those are 2 of the final 4 teams remaining in the playoffs right now..

[benefactor]

He has some flaws but I don't think that we could draft a better prospect in this draft unless we get Casspi. He knows the system, which immediately gives him a leg up on any other player we draft. TBQH, there are not really a lot of players in free agency that we can afford that are much better than him either.

But this is all speculation. We will see how far he has come as we move through the summer league and into training camp/preseason...assuming he comes back.

[Obstructed_View]

I guess Hairston is the new player to enter in the category "has done well in some garbage time, so he is a great player".

I guess your hyperbole pendulum just swings from one extreme to the other. Either he has no ability whatsoever, or he's an all-star. Simply suggesting that he's got some ability to score around the rim in the NBA doesn't mean he's a great player.

BTW, Roger Mason averaged 6.6 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 38 percent in the playoffs. How fucking good does Hairston's offense need to be in order to be an improvement?

[ivanfromwestwood]

best thing about hariston is HE'S 22yrs old!!!!!!!!!!! dude's still a kid.

[Ditty]

love this kid hope he comes back as the 12th ma next year and possibly move up to back up sg in 2010

[Bruno]

I guess your hyperbole pendulum just swings from one extreme to the other. Either he has no ability whatsoever, or he's an all-star. Simply suggesting that he's got some ability to score around the rim in the NBA doesn't mean he's a great player.

BTW, Roger Mason averaged 6.6 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 38 percent in the playoffs. How fucking good does Hairston's offense need to be in order to be an improvement?

Aside of garbage time and garbage games, Hairston has scored something like 10 points in NBA. He has for sure a "scoring ability"that Spurs could have used...
At this stage of his career, Hairston is a below average offensive NBA player.

We both know the true reason why you are pimping Hairston: you want to trash Pop and RC. After the pathetic showing by almost all Spurs' supporting cast against Mavs, they surely deserves to be blamed for some mistakes. However, trying to turn Spurs waiving Hairston in last April as a big deal is simply too much.

[trajik dark]

Aside of garbage time and garbage games, Hairston has scored something like 10 points in NBA. He has for sure a "scoring ability"that Spurs could have used...
At this stage of his career, Hairston is a below average offensive NBA player.

We both know the true reason why you are pimping Hairston: you want to trash Pop and RC. After the pathetic showing by almost all Spurs' supporting cast against Mavs, they surely deserves to be blamed for some mistakes. However, trying to turn Spurs waiving Hairston in last April as a big deal is simply too much.it was a big deal waiving him for williams who had no action all year, why not give hairston a shot when in sum games this year he was the first options over udoka

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

it was a big deal waiving him for williams who had no action all year, why not give hairston a shot when in sum games this year he was the first options over udoka

Because Williams was on his way to Minnesota ( most likely ), so they had to protect his rights. Neither of them would have played in the playoffs anyway. This way we can have them both for the camp. If we hadn't let Hairston go, we would have lost Williams.

[Obstructed_View]

Aside of garbage time and garbage games, Hairston has scored something like 10 points in NBA. He has for sure a "scoring ability"that Spurs could have used...
At this stage of his career, Hairston is a below average offensive NBA player.

At this stage of his career, Hairston is a below average everything NBA player. Nobody's arguing that. That said, one of the reasons he has so little NBA experience is because he got cut. Another is due to his only getting "garbage time and garbage minutes" once he was called up. I guess that's not anybody's fault though, because we'd just be "trashing" people by pointing it out.

All Hairston's numbers in D league suggest that he's got some "scoring ability". The only thing that's "for sure" is that you definitively stated he doesn't have any scoring ability, which is completely ludicrous no matter how you look at it, particularly since you yourself pointed out how little experience he has.

To spell it out for you: If Hairston had gotten some burn during the regular season, could he have possibly played better than Finley or Mason during the playoffs? Even if he's not scoring tons of points he's playing defense on the other end and grabbing rebounds, maybe even getting to the line on occasion. Combined with Hill having been entrusted the same way, could that energy have helped the Spurs beat the Mavericks?


We both know the true reason why you are pimping Hairston: you want to trash Pop and RC. After the pathetic showing by almost all Spurs' supporting cast against Mavs, they surely deserves to be blamed for some mistakes. However, trying to turn Spurs waiving Hairston in last April as a big deal is simply too much.

I won't guess about your ulterior motives, but if I wanted to "trash" Pop and RC, I wouldn't have to "pimp" a player I didn't actually think had a chance to play. Someone pointed out that he could bring energy, rebounding, scoring ability and defensive tenacity, and you lamely locked on to one of those and incorrectly said he didn't have any.

The Spurs made 20 mistakes that all contributed to being completely overmatched by the Mavericks. Cutting Hairston and keeping Tolliver and Farmer is undeniably one of those mistakes. Since I was exactly right about who should have been kept, I'm not sure how your bringing it up does anything but strengthen my argument.

[ChumpDumper]

To spell it out for you: If Hairston had gotten some burn during the regular season, could he have possibly played better than Finley or Mason during the playoffs?Probably not.
Since I was exactly right :lol

Good one.

[Obstructed_View]

Probably not.

But not definitely. Thanks for the confirmation. He managed to do something Farmer and Tolliver couldn't do.

[ChumpDumper]

Eh, they all had their moments.

The Spurs' chances were gone when Manu went down. Pretending something could have been done about it is fun, I guess.

[Bruno]

At this stage of his career, Hairston is a below average everything NBA player. Nobody's arguing that. That said, one of the reasons he has so little NBA experience is because he got cut. Another is due to his only getting "garbage time and garbage minutes" once he was called up. I guess that's not anybody's fault though, because we'd just be "trashing" people by pointing it out.

Hairston played some true NBA minutes and he didn't score well in these minutes.



All Hairston's numbers in D league suggest that he's got some "scoring ability". The only thing that's "for sure" is that you definitively stated he doesn't have any scoring ability, which is completely ludicrous no matter how you look at it, particularly since you yourself pointed out how little experience he has.

:rolleyes
You said that Hairston could have helped Spurs this year with his "scoring ability". I disagreed with that.
Hairston will maybe be a decent NBA offensive player down the road. If you had watched D-League games instead of sticking to boxscore, you would have noticed how his offensive game needed work.



To spell it out for you: If Hairston had gotten some burn during the regular season, could he have possibly played better than Finley or Mason during the playoffs? Even if he's not scoring tons of points he's playing defense on the other end and grabbing rebounds, maybe even getting to the line on occasion. Combined with Hill having been entrusted the same way, could that energy have helped the Spurs beat the Mavericks?

Hairston would have been bad against Mavs. He wouldn't have helped Spurs.




I won't guess about your ulterior motives, but if I wanted to "trash" Pop and RC, I wouldn't have to "pimp" a player I didn't actually think had a chance to play. Someone pointed out that he could bring energy, rebounding, scoring ability and defensive tenacity, and you lamely locked on to one of those and incorrectly said he didn't have any.

Well, offense is quite a big part of the game....
And Hairston isn't really a good rebounder.



The Spurs made 20 mistakes that all contributed to being completely overmatched by the Mavericks. Cutting Hairston and keeping Tolliver and Farmer is undeniably one of those mistakes. Since I was exactly right about who should have been kept, I'm not sure how your bringing it up does anything but strengthen my argument.

A reason why Spurs lost against Mavs is because Spurs keep Farmer over Hairston? :lol

[mountainballer]

what you need to keep in mind:
Hairston is no longer a Spurs player. Spurs don't have any rights. he is a unrestricted FA this summer. THAT's what annoys me most. most people act as if he was just send back to the Toros and could be called whenever Spurs want. if a somehow smart team signs him this summer for some guaranteed bucks he will be gone for good. why should Malik want to stay with the Spurs, who showed so little commitment?
I would call this bad asset management by the Spurs FO. yes, there isn't a guarantee that Malik will ever be a legit NBA player. (I'm sure he will, but that's just my opinion). but any team needs to carry at least some prospects of that kind to keep the chance that one day one of them pans out. the scary thing about the Spurs is, that there isn't a single wing prospect on the roster, neither do the Spurs own rights for such a player and all tries in this department in the last years were totally lukewarm. M.Williams, Farmer, Richardson, Johnson, White, Sanders. all this hire and fire doesn't help much.
Malik wouldn't have been an expensive solution. he was their pick. why not just give such a player a 2 years contract at the min. and give him the chance to develop. roster spot management can also be done differently. stockpiling veterans doesn't help at some point and for sure doesn't help to build for the future. the consequence was the inferior showing of the Spurs supporting cast. I absolutel wouldn't claim that Malik would have changed that. this would be nonsense. but if the Spurs had been more foresightful 2 or 3 years ago, there might have been a young player on the roster, who could have helped. and in 2 years this player might have been Malik.

[ChumpDumper]

why should Malik want to stay with the Spurs, who showed so little commitment?He got pretty much a full season's salary for playing 15 games.

Ultimately I think Williams got the nod over Hairston once it was decided Hill wasn't ready to play the point. You can disagree with the Spurs' judgment of Hill, but so what? I don't think it's a super huge deal either way -- if either player walks, there are others close enough to their respective play levels to replace them.

[Bruno]

It isn't easy for teams to decide if/when they should give up on these marginal prospects. Teams are limited by the number of roster spots. The more you stick with a player, the better chances he has to become NBA material. The quicker you waive players, the more players you can try with the hope to find the diamond in the rough.

Spurs have been quite quick to waive these marginal prospects. I don't know if they could have turned one of these players into something good but none of these players has contributed at a NBA level so far.

Even if Hairston has been waived two times by Spurs this year, his year hasn't been affected at all by that. He played summer league, training camp with Spurs, D-League with Toros and a stint with Spurs. If he had stayed the whole year under contract with Spurs, his schedule would have been quite the same.

[mountainballer]

If he had stayed the whole year under contract with Spurs, his schedule would have been quite the same.

sure, but then he would be a RFA, wouldn't he? if yes, they more or less dumped the rights for him without any need.
I wasn't high on most of those wing prospects of the last years. but I really think Malik has more potential than any of them. there are quite a few guys you could see as role models for his potential NBA career. for example Mo Evans, DeShawn Stevenson, (who btw. both learned to shoot over the years). recently Dahntay Jones. I would even claim that Malik has more overall talent than this three. I would hate to see Malik leave this summer and then become a player like this three, if not even better.

[urunobili]

sure, but then he would be a RFA, wouldn't he? if yes, they more or less dumped the rights for him without any need.
I wasn't high on most of those wing prospects of the last years. but I really think Malik has more potential than any of them. there are quite a few guys you could see as role models for his potential NBA career. for example Mo Evans, DeShawn Stevenson, (who btw. both learned to shoot over the years). recently Dahntay Jones. I would even claim that Malik has more overall talent than this three. I would hate to see Malik leave this summer and then become a player like this three, if not even better.

great post couldn't agree more: tu

[Chomag]

I agree that the criticizing of Hairston not having an outside shot is getting old. For Christ sakes, the best NBA player of all time *cough* Michael Jordan*cough* was a terrible outside shooter early in his career. How about a player closer to home named Tony Parker? He has only now just become a consistent outside shooter, and he doesn't even have a 3pt shot yet. Even Manu has just now become a very consistent 3pt shooter. There are many other players past and present that I could use as an example.

Some players are just not born shooters, but with hard work it can become better. However do we really need another 3pt chucker, don't we have enough players doing that now? The Spurs need more verity in their offense. Pop's have 4 guys hang out at the 3pt line with TD down low all by himself has just become way to easy for teams to defend.

Yes, of course if Pop made Malic live behind the 3pt line he would be a liability out there, but how about if the flashed him through the lane a few times. Malic has shown that he is a great finisher, and thats one of the strongest part of his game. I grantee he would draw attention from the defense and draw some defenders away from the basket for Timmy or whoever else. Not everyone has to be a 3pt specialist.

Also those that are questioning his defense. His current individual defense is very above average. He gave, Tay, and even LEbron a bit of trouble if I remember correctly. He does need to work on his team defense and rotations.(Although I still think he got the short end of the stick when he had to rotate over to kid because some other Spur left his man open.)

Have we spurs fans really become that spoiled from all the vets where we expect rookies to be fully developed on day 1? Why does it seem like some feel

Have we spurs fans really become that spoiled from always having vets where we expect our rookies to be fully developed from day 1? Why does it seem like some feel that in order for a player to be a contributing rotation player on our squad they have to play and be like an all-star caliber player? IS it really that bad to have players with different skills on our team instead of the redundancy we currently have? It's pretty much just a head scratcher for me.

Malic is still pretty raw and has alot to improve on, but cut the kid a little break. He has alot of upside and what he can currently do well now can help many of our teams needs.

[Bruno]

sure, but then he would be a RFA, wouldn't he?

Some sources said that he had signed a 2 years contract with Spurs. In all the case, Spurs take the risk to lose him when they waived him.

The waiving of Malik Hairston to sign Marcus Williams was a quite puzzling move. Either Spurs didn't really care about losing Hairston this summer or they were almost sure to keep Hairston for 09-10 even if he was a UFA.

[Ditty]

Some sources said that he had signed a 2 years contract with Spurs. In all the case, Spurs take the risk to lose him when they waived him.

The waiving of Malik Hairston to sign Marcus Williams was a quite puzzling move. Either Spurs didn't really care about losing Hairston this summer or they were almost sure to keep Hairston for 09-10 even if he was a UFA.

yah i think hairston might have done a good job on terry

and give him some big game minutes

while hill was on barrea and bruce was giving howard hell on game long and just let dirk get his points

hairston will get better you can teach shooting they have one of the best shooting coaches in the league

would be a no brainer no bring him back but i hope he does come back for a guarnteed 2 or 3 year contract becuase i beleive he can be one of those 2nd round steals

[ChumpDumper]

If he was worth a three year guaranteed contract he would already be under contract with another team.

[yavozerb]

Why sign someone who is not ready for the NBA to a 3 year contract? No reason to commit $ and resources to a guy who needs work in becoming a role player. When Hairston is ready (hopefully in time for 2009-2010 season) he will get the guranteed contract and a chance to make the rotation.

[Obstructed_View]

Hairston played some true NBA minutes and he didn't score well in these minutes.
No, as you said, he played garbage minutes. But he did play good defense, got rebounds and was aggressive around the rim. I never said the Spurs needed him to score, I simply pointed out that your assertion that he absolutely without a doubt had no offensive game was stupid.


:rolleyes
You said that Hairston could have helped Spurs this year with his "scoring ability". I disagreed with that.
Since I never said anything of the sort, I don't know how you could have disagreed with it. I think a season of playing time and some chances to develop with the Spurs could have resulted in his being able to contribute in the playoffs, especially when Manu was down. As poorly as the guards played defense, and as much as Hill was able to contribute, I'm not sure how that's such an impossible thought.


Hairston will maybe be a decent NBA offensive player down the road.
Nice to see that you've changed your tune. I agree that he has a chance to perhaps be something. Maybe not, but it might have been nice to know more about him by this point.


If you had watched D-League games instead of sticking to boxscore, you would have noticed how his offensive game needed work.
In fact, I did watch D-League games, and I didn't say his offensive game didn't need work. I simply said that the numbers he put up suggest that he isn't completely and totally, now and forever, bereft of any scoring ability. That you assumed that I didn't watch him put up many of those numbers is irrelevant.


Hairston would have been bad against Mavs. He wouldn't have helped Spurs.
Another absolute statement that's impossible to prove. Does it make you feel better to say shit like that? Pop thought Hill wasn't going to be able to help against the Mavs either.


Well, offense is quite a big part of the game....
And Hairston isn't really a good rebounder.
Defense is a big part of the game as well, and he's already a better defender than Mason or Finley or Udoka. As for rebounding, he seemed like a pretty good rebounder for his position in the games I witnessed him playing in. Better than Bowen, but not as good as Udoka.


A reason why Spurs lost against Mavs is because Spurs keep Farmer over Hairston? :lol
Of course it's A reason, as opposed to THE reason. If you disagree, how exactly did Farmer work out for the team? Who did the Spurs have to turn to with Manu out, Hill and Bowen at the end of the bench and Mason running backup point? What's funny is you seem to think the Spurs had so much depth they couldn't have used an athletic young guy who can play defense and give energy. If they had no chance to win without Manu, then wouldn't it have been nice to have been able to throw him in there to get some experience?

[Obstructed_View]

If he was worth a three year guaranteed contract he would already be under contract with another team.

Yeah, WAY too early to commit that much on a "belief". I've been worried about his work-ethic since he was drafted, and I'd have liked to see how he handled NOT playing every game, if that makes sense.

[Blackjack]

I'm with O_V.

Most of us C.O.H. members aren't suggesting that Hairston is an All-Star in waiting or the difference-maker, just that he might of made a difference in a game, had he been given the opportunity to develop over the season.

After Manu went down, the writing was on the wall. Pop said as much before Manu went down for good. As banged up as Tim was and the type of load Tony was going to be forced to carry for as long as their playoff continued, it was probably better they didn't beat the Mavs.

Having said that, who killed the Spurs in that series?

You think the Spurs could have used another option to throw at Howard?

Again, not saying Hairston would've been the difference between winning and losing against the Mavs, but if you're a team admittedly not capable of winning a title, why wouldn't you try to develop players that have displayed enough potential to maybe supplant some of the vets that are no longer capable of getting it done?

I have no problem with them securing the rights of Williams if they think he's a potential point-forward prospect (in fact, I'm all for it) but why would you then cut Hairston when you've got a vet like Vaughn at the end of the bench.

I've got nothing against Vaughn but him being on the team doesn't even provide insurance once Manu's out of the picture. Hell, let him sit on the bench as a coach, ala Avery's last season in Dallas, but don't let him take the spot of a prospect who might actually help you at some point.

I understand Pop and the staff not wanting to completely tank it with Tim and Tony playing there asses off, and I even somewhat admire it, but if it's at the expense of next season it really makes no sense.

Hill being relegated to the bench and Malik not ever being given the chance to succeed was just flat-out maddening.

[Obstructed_View]

Without looking backward, cutting Hairston to keep Williams made sense. The Spurs have a chance to have both of them at camp. They'd have lost Marcus for sure if they hadn't done that. It's probably a smart gamble at this point. If someone else grabs up Hairston then there will be plenty of people to second guess the decision.

[Blackjack]

Without looking backward, cutting Hairston to keep Williams made sense. The Spurs have a chance to have both of them at camp. They'd have lost Marcus for sure if they hadn't done that. It's probably a smart gamble at this point. If someone else grabs up Hairston then there will be plenty of people to second guess the decision.

No doubt, but waiving Vaughn would've guaranteed the opportunity to bring them both to camp. It's not like they would have been locked into some long-term investment; if they find something better than Hairston or Williams it's not like they couldn't have gone in another direction.

[Obstructed_View]

I don't know the business end well enough to know if they could have done that. With Pop's complete lack of confidence in Hill going into the postseason, we all know there's no fucking way JV was going to get cut.

[Blackjack]

I'm assuming they could just as easily cut the 14th or 15th man whenever they felt the need to. Like you, I don't pretend to know the business-end as well as the actual basketball, but from what I understand, both Hairston and Williams' contracts both became guaranteed by the end of the season. Which, hopefully in Hairston's case, earns the good faith to land him back with the Spurs during the summer and at camp.

As for Vaughn, yeah. I never thought for one second he's be the odd man out. Not with the way Pop does things.

Doesn't make any more sense to me, though.

[Obstructed_View]

If Hill, Hairston and Gist stick, even if none of them ever progresses past being decent role players, this will be by far the most successful Spurs draft in a long time.

[Bruno]

No, as you said, he played garbage minutes. But he did play good defense, got rebounds and was aggressive around the rim. I never said the Spurs needed him to score, I simply pointed out that your assertion that he absolutely without a doubt had no offensive game was stupid.

I never said that he "had no offensive game" and I never said "he played garbage minutes".
A third of the minutes played by Hairston weren't garbage time and he didn't scored well in these games.



Since I never said anything of the sort, I don't know how you could have disagreed with it. I think a season of playing time and some chances to develop with the Spurs could have resulted in his being able to contribute in the playoffs, especially when Manu was down. As poorly as the guards played defense, and as much as Hill was able to contribute, I'm not sure how that's such an impossible thought.

As you said, "At this stage of his career, Hairston is a below average everything NBA player".
Now, it's always possible that more playing time with Spurs would have made him better to the point he would have been average but it's highly unlikely.



Nice to see that you've changed your tune. I agree that he has a chance to perhaps be something. Maybe not, but it might have been nice to know more about him by this point.

I never said that Hairston would never be a decent to good offensive player. I simply said he isn't for the moment.



Of course it's A reason, as opposed to THE reason. If you disagree, how exactly did Farmer work out for the team? Who did the Spurs have to turn to with Manu out, Hill and Bowen at the end of the bench and Mason running backup point? What's funny is you seem to think the Spurs had so much depth they couldn't have used an athletic young guy who can play defense and give energy. If they had no chance to win without Manu, then wouldn't it have been nice to have been able to throw him in there to get some experience?

Pop didn't give playing time to Marcus Williams. He surely wasn't in "we had no chance" mode. He tried to win the series against Mavs.

And the "Hairston could have maybe slightly less suck against Mavs than Finley or Udoka, so the Hairston waiving is a reason why Spurs lost against Mavs" logic is flawed. A lot of D-League players would have been able to help Spurs as much or more than Hairston.
Some players were awful in the Mavs series. A true reason why Spurs lost is that they didn't played at the level they had during the regular season.

[SenorSpur]

Defense is a big part of the game as well, and he's already a better defender than Mason or Finley or Udoka. As for rebounding, he seemed like a pretty good rebounder for his position in the games I witnessed him playing in. Better than Bowen, but not as good as Udoka.

Couldn't agree more. The Spurs roster was so devoid of solid, individual defenders that Hairston's defensive effort really stood out. Especially when he was pitted up against some of the NBA's marquee names LeBron, Carmelo and Kobe. Hairston more than held his own in these short stints. While he's got a lot to learn about the team defensive rotations, it's clear that he has the skills, effort and mindset to be a solid defensive player in this league. As for his rebounding, how many times did we see this kid got to the glass for an offensive rebound and putback? Even when he was unable to get the ball, his desire and effort had hiim in and around the ball. The Spurs have few players that have that skill.


Who did the Spurs have to turn to with Manu out, Hill and Bowen at the end of the bench and Mason running backup point? What's funny is you seem to think the Spurs had so much depth they couldn't have used an athletic young guy who can play defense and give energy. If they had no chance to win without Manu, then wouldn't it have been nice to have been able to throw him in there to get some experience?
I've got to side with OV on this one too. With Manu lost for the season, the Spurs title hopes were sidelilned with him. This event presented the perfect opportunity for Pop to have given some regular rotation time to a couple of young developing players like Hairston, like Williams. In doing so, it would have only accelerated their development and the Spurs could've reaped the benefits next season.

[SenorSpur]

And the "Hairston could have maybe slightly less suck against Mavs than Finley or Udoka, so the Hairston waiving is a reason why Spurs lost against Mavs" logic is flawed. A lot of D-League players would have been able to help Spurs as much or more than Hairston.
Really the Spurs are so poor at the wing position, I don't see how Hairston could've done any worse than the Finley/Udoka duo. Josh Howard proved to be the "X-factor" against them in the playoffs, as he literally ran circles around them. Howard is a good player, but it's not like he's Melo, Wade or Lebron. The fact that a team like Denver renedered Howard to look merely mortal, whereas he looked like an all-star versus the Spurs, should be clear evidence as to how poor the Spurs are at that position. For the Spurs to improve defensively as a team, they must bring in better individual defenders with skills that can translate into the area. Hairston looks has good potential in that specific area.

Some players were awful in the Mavs series. A true reason why Spurs lost is that they didn't played at the level they had during the regular season.
The reason the Spurs lost to the Mavs is the Mavs were a better team. They were simply better, quicker, faster and were obviously more talented. Otherwise, they don't win the series in five games. Factor in Manu, and that's not the case. As our "X-factor", it's frightening how Manu's mere presence helps compensate for so many of the team's weaknesses.

I think folks forget that the SG/SF position is where you will find many of the NBA's best and most skilled athletes. With Bowen's gradual decline and limited minutes, the Spurs are, and have been, ill-equipped to match up against these types of players - on both ends of the court - night in and night out. This deficiency is only magnified in a playoff series. It's really frightening that some 6 years later (after the departure of SJax), this position is comprised of older, slower, jump-shooters, who cannot defend, create their own shot, or drive the basketball. After 6 seasons, this position remains an achilles heel for this team.

[Bruno]

For the Spurs to improve defensively as a team, they must bring in better individual defenders with skills that can translate into the area. Hairston looks has good potential in that specific area.

I don't think there is someone who disagree with that. Spurs need to have a good defensive SG/SF. Maybe Hairston will be this guy, maybe someone else will.



I think folks forget that the SG/SF position is where you will find many of the NBA's best and most skilled athletes. With Bowen's gradual decline and limited minutes, the Spurs are, and have been, ill-equipped to match up against these types of players - on both ends of the court - night in and night out. This deficiency is only magnified in a playoff series. It's really frightening that some 6 years later (after the departure of SJax), this position is comprised of older, slower, jump-shooters, who cannot defend, create their own shot, or drive the basketball. After 6 seasons, this position remains an achilles heel for this team.

Spurs were damn good at the SG/SF position in the 05-07 area. They had an all star, the best perimeter defender in the NBA and some solid shooters with Finley/Barry. They also won 2 titles...

Spurs have started to have trouble at SG/SF in 08. Manu has been injured and the other SG/SF (Finley, Barry and Bruce) have aged. Players who should have taken their spots have quite failed: Udoka isn't really NBA material and Mason quite sucked after a great start of the season.
The new role players are far form being as good as the ones that were here in 05-07.

[SenorSpur]

I don't think there is someone who disagree with that. Spurs need to have a good defensive SG/SF. Maybe Hairston will be this guy, maybe someone else will.

Spurs were damn good at the SG/SF position in the 05-07 area. They had an all star, the best perimeter defender in the NBA and some solid shooters with Finley/Barry. They also won 2 titles...

Spurs have started to have trouble at SG/SF in 08. Manu has been injured and the other SG/SF (Finley, Barry and Bruce) have aged. Players who should have taken their spots have quite failed: Udoka isn't really NBA material and Mason quite sucked after a great start of the season.
The new role players are far form being as good as the ones that were here in 05-07.

I guess that's the part that is the most frustrating - that the FO actually hedged their bets that this team could have success with a group of perimeter players, who had both redundant skills and redundant flaws. Manu's unfortunate injury exposed something many of us already knew - that there was no one player, or combination of players on this roster, who couldn't even come close to replicating the contributions Manu brought to this team. His scoring, his hustle, his defense, his rebounding, his playmaking or his creativity.

Obviously, getting that type of contribution from a single player is too much to expect. However, it was obvious, even at the beginning of the season, that the Spurs were again destined to be as shorthanded, at that position, as they were last spring versus the Fakers. To me, this is nothing less than a case of poor, delusional personnel decision-making by the FO.

As the season wore on, and since those returning veterans weren't cutting it, it only made sense for Pop to have invested playing time, both in-season and in-playoffs, to a guy like Hairston, or Williams, who both had short stints on the roster.

Pop has publically admitted he didn't give Hill enough burn. Wonder if his regrets just end there? We all know the Spurs need a talent infusion. For such an initiative to work, Pop the coach, must be willing to commit minutes to young players, accept their early-season mistakes, and reap the season-long benefits, going forward. Because of cap constraints and an eye toward the 2010 summer, he has little choice.

Watching a team like Orlando, expand their talent-pool and experience playoff success with a squad that features a rookie (Courtney Lee), as a starter at SG, and a versatile, athletic swingman (Mickael Pietrus), as a key 6th man contributor, who the Spurs shunned the past 2 summers, makes me all the more envious.

[mountainballer]

Spurs were damn good at the SG/SF position in the 05-07 area. They had an all star, the best perimeter defender in the NBA and some solid shooters with Finley/Barry. They also won 2 titles...

Spurs have started to have trouble at SG/SF in 08. Manu has been injured and the other SG/SF (Finley, Barry and Bruce) have aged. Players who should have taken their spots have quite failed: Udoka isn't really NBA material and Mason quite sucked after a great start of the season.
The new role players are far form being as good as the ones that were here in 05-07.

right. and we can't blame the FO for signing either Udoka or Mason. 1 million for Udoka is 3rd stringer money and he is a 3rd stringer, so that's ok. and Mason is a nice player to have on the roster, even for that money, if he wasn't the starting SG, who also has to defend Kobe or Roy.
I often thought what might have happened if Finley didn't sign with the Spurs in 2005. not that it was a mistake to sign him, hell no, you must sign a player like he was back then when you get him for about 2.5 million. but before he opted for the Spurs, they were looking for a younger wing and back then for example James Jones was one of their prime targets. I wondered, what if Finley goes to the Suns or Heat and Spurs sign James Jones? (or a comparable young role player wing)
sometimes I think, in the long run a no from Fin would have been better than his yes. (and we would have won this 2007 title without Fin either)

[Obstructed_View]

I never said that he "had no offensive game"
Actually, ya did:
"Hairston hasn't a 'scoring ability'."


and I never said "he played garbage minutes".
Actually, ya did.
I guess Hairston is the new player to enter in the category 'has done well in some garbage time, so he is a great player'."


A third of the minutes played by Hairston weren't garbage time and he didn't scored well in these games.
Great. Thanks for coming around. How many minutes is that? Enough for you to decide that he has no scoring ability, perhaps, but many of us would like to have seen more opportunities for him. Frankly, I'm not sure how you could fail to agree with that. The personnel decisions during camp were head-scratchers.


As you said, "At this stage of his career, Hairston is a below average everything NBA player".
Precisely. I did NOT say that he could have helped the Spurs with his scoring ability. I said that he could have helped the Spurs with his defense, his hustle and his ability to rebound. If he's able to put up minutes during the season, and play defense well enough to keep his plus minus numbers about even, the team is less tired when the playoffs roll around.


Now, it's always possible that more playing time with Spurs would have made him better to the point he would have been average but it's highly unlikely.
I agree. It would have been nice to find out, and I hope the Spurs get an opportunity to do exactly that this season. The "veterans first, veterans second" mindset of the people making decisions has to change in order for that to happen, though.


I never said that Hairston would never be a decent to good offensive player. I simply said he isn't for the moment.
Then I read too much into your comment that he has no ability. I apologize. No ability typically means that a guy shows nothing. That doesn't really apply to a guy who finished 8th in the NBDL in scoring in the regular season, and then scored 36 points per game in the playoffs. I don't think anyone's expecting him to score 15 points a game in the NBA, but he at least knows where the basket is, and that's a good sign.


Pop didn't give playing time to Marcus Williams. He surely wasn't in "we had no chance" mode. He tried to win the series against Mavs.
Marcus Williams and Hairston are not the same situation, and I don't think anyone in their right mind would have expected Williams to get any time against Dallas when he'd had no time during the regular season. We understand the rationale for picking Williams up. I'm simply suggesting that if decisions had been made differently, Hairston could actually have been in a position to contribute. No more, no less.


And the "Hairston could have maybe slightly less suck against Mavs than Finley or Udoka, so the Hairston waiving is a reason why Spurs lost against Mavs" logic is flawed.
That's a little oversimplified, but you're correct that the logic is flawed when stated that way.

The evidence list of this team's fear of placing any trust in young players and failure to develop talent acquired through the draft is long and established. Suggesting that Hairston is just one of that long line of bad decisions is not flawed logic. Suggesting that the team's success in the playoffs could have been different if the Spurs had been making decisions that weren't based on that fear and failure is not flawed logic either.

Hairston could have stepped in with the limited minutes he'd gotten during the regular season and probably sucked less than Mason or Finley or Udoka. If he had been with the team the entire year, he could actually have had a chance at cracking the extended rotation or earning some of Pop's confidence. All three of this year's draft picks look like they could be decent players. Imagine having all of them on the roster the entire season.


A lot of D-League players would have been able to help Spurs as much or more than Hairston.
Some players were awful in the Mavs series. A true reason why Spurs lost is that they didn't played at the level they had during the regular season.
I agree on all points, except that I don't think the Spurs dropped in level, I think their competition went up a level. The Spurs never peaked this season, they never went on a winning streak, they never established their defense, and they only played one game at what looked like playoff intensity. By the time the playoffs came around they just looked old, slow and uninterested. Don't try to convince me that two or three young athletic guys on this team getting real minutes all season long couldn't have had an effect on, at very least, the outcome of a first round playoff series. If the season was going to end with a first or second round playoff exit anyway, it'd have been nice to develop some of the young players so they can help next year. I hate seeing years of Timmy's career wasted, and I'm sure you do too.

[Obstructed_View]

Manu's unfortunate injury exposed something many of us already knew - that there was no one player, or combination of players on this roster, who couldn't even come close to replicating the contributions Manu brought to this team. His scoring, his hustle, his defense, his rebounding, his playmaking or his creativity.

In addition, Bowen's aging exposed that there's no one player or combination of players who can replicate his defensive contributions. In fact, the best the Spurs could come up with as the playoffs progressed was an aging Bowen.

That's why I like Hairston and Hill, and would like to have seen Gist. I don't give a crap if none of them scores more than three or four points per game. If they're playing real defense, wearing down the other team, getting stops that turn into easy shot opportunities at the other end, and generally keeping everyone else's legs fresh, there's no downside to that.

[SenorSpur]

In addition, Bowen's aging exposed that there's no one player or combination of players who can replicate his defensive contributions. In fact, the best the Spurs could come up with as the playoffs progressed was an aging Bowen.

That's the unforgivable part. The Spurs knew this day was coming. They absolutely should've made the task of finding a replacment for Bowen, more of a priority. By now, some young player could've been groomed and prepped to step in and play. Even a stop-gap player of that sort would've been sufficient. Instead, Pop grew impatient and fell in love with aging jumpshooters. Living off a steady diet of Barry, Finley and Udoka was a short-sighted approach.


That's why I like Hairston and Hill, and would like to have seen Gist. I don't give a crap if none of them scores more than three or four points per game. If they're playing real defense, wearing down the other team, getting stops that turn into easy shot opportunities at the other end, and generally keeping everyone else's legs fresh, there's no downside to that.

Amen. For whatever reason, Pop "sold his defensive soul" for more offense and more age and experience. Spurs paid the price last season and this season. Can't wait to see what happens now.

[Yogurt210]

sign this guy, reminds me of a small young malik rose

[Bruno]

Actually, ya did:
"Hairston hasn't a 'scoring ability'."

I guess there is some kind of misunderstood between us.
To me, "hasn't a scoring ability" doesn't mean the same thing than "has no offensive game".
A player like Udoka hasn't a scoring ability while he has an offensive game.



Actually, ya did.
I guess Hairston is the new player to enter in the category 'has done well in some garbage time, so he is a great player'."

On the offensive end, Hairston has done well during garbage time and not so well during true playing time.
You can check it by looking at his pair stats :
http://www.82games.com/0809/0809SASP.HTM



The personnel decisions during camp were head-scratchers.

Tolliver was a logical move. With Mahinmi's injury, Spurs needed a big. None of the bigs were great and Tolliver was the cheaper to keep because a big part of his contract was guaranteed.
Farmer over Hairston was quite surprising. It was also surprising that Hairston signed his rookie contract after all the other training camp invite and that this contract was a 1 year fully non-guaranteed one.



I agree. It would have been nice to find out, and I hope the Spurs get an opportunity to do exactly that this season. The "veterans first, veterans second" mindset of the people making decisions has to change in order for that to happen, though.

It isn't easy to play young players when you are a contender but I agree with you and Spurs could have tried to play more young players.



Don't try to convince me that two or three young athletic guys on this team getting real minutes all season long couldn't have had an effect on, at very least, the outcome of a first round playoff series.

If these "young athletic guys" were good, it would have had an effect. I'm not sure at all that Hairston fit that mold



If the season was going to end with a first or second round playoff exit anyway, it'd have been nice to develop some of the young players so they can help next year. I hate seeing years of Timmy's career wasted, and I'm sure you do too.

The season was a first and second round exit the day Manu had a stress fracture in April. It was a little late to develop players.
And with his tendinosis, Tim wasn't great after the ASB. It's not like Spurs have wasted a great year of Tim.

[yavozerb]

I just wanna thank both OV and Bruno for bringing us some very good insight into spurs basketball. Both of you guys have very good opinions and I respect the way you guys debate without getting all crazy. Keep the good thoughts coming, thanks.

[Obstructed_View]

I guess there is some kind of misunderstood between us.
To me, "hasn't a scoring ability" doesn't mean the same thing than "has no offensive game".
A player like Udoka hasn't a scoring ability while he has an offensive game.

Agreed. I think we're probably on the same page when it comes to that. He's clearly got the talent to score on non-NBA players, but how that translates with better competition is anyone's guess. I still contend that Hairston could contribute (or could have already contributed) without scoring points, and certainly without having to hit three pointers.


On the offensive end, Hairston has done well during garbage time and not so well during true playing time.
You can check it by looking at his pair stats :
http://www.82games.com/0809/0809SASP.HTM

Ah, I see what you were saying now. I'd still have loved to see him get more time so we could make better deteriminations.


Tolliver was a logical move. With Mahinmi's injury, Spurs needed a big. None of the bigs were great and Tolliver was the cheaper to keep because a big part of his contract was guaranteed.
Farmer over Hairston was quite surprising. It was also surprising that Hairston signed his rookie contract after all the other training camp invite and that this contract was a 1 year fully non-guaranteed one.

I won't claim to know the business reasons, but Tolliver still doesn't make sense to me. He wasn't really a traditional "big", he was just taller than the other guys. If he hadn't gone on that little tear shooting three pointers in summer league, I don't think he'd have made the team. He couldn't defend, couldn't rebound or block shots, and as it turns out, couldn't shoot from the outside. I think Farmer was kept because Hill was cold during SL and camp and Pop was worried, which was dumb IMO. Everybody knew damn good and well, or should have known, that Hill had "scoring ability", whether or not he was hitting shots in SL.


It isn't easy to play young players when you are a contender but I agree with you and Spurs could have tried to play more young players.
And if the vets had played well and everyone had given effort they might still be alive and we wouldn't be second guessing. I'm only stating the things I am because they were my positions all season. The Mavs, Lakers and Magic have managed to play young players, and they all did better than San Antonio did.


If these "young athletic guys" were good, it would have had an effect. I'm not sure at all that Hairston fit that mold
I'm not sure that he does either. The Spurs put themselves at a disadvantage by, in my opinion, wasting time with guys like Tolliver, Farmer and Ahearn. Hairston can, if nothing else, play NBA level defense. That's a pretty good start. In hindsight, he couldn't have been worse than the vets we were all relying on were in the postseason.


The season was a first and second round exit the day Manu had a stress fracture in April. It was a little late to develop players.
And with his tendinosis, Tim wasn't great after the ASB. It's not like Spurs have wasted a great year of Tim.
Yeah, and that's exactly what I meant: The Spurs were probably dead anyway once Manu was out. I agree that it was too late by that time to develop players. My contention is simply that they should have been developing some of these guys all along.

Tim wasn't great, but he also didn't have anybody else aside from Parker even showing up. Another wasted year with him vertical, even if he's hurting, is still another wasted opportunity.

Hairston has kind of been the poster child for my frustration at the resistance to any kind of youth movement by the Spurs.

[Obstructed_View]

I just wanna thank both OV and Bruno for bringing us some very good insight into spurs basketball. Both of you guys have very good opinions and I respect the way you guys debate without getting all crazy. Keep the good thoughts coming, thanks.

It helps that we're probably not really as far apart in our opinions as we think we are.

[Bruno]

I won't claim to know the business reasons, but Tolliver still doesn't make sense to me. He wasn't really a traditional "big", he was just taller than the other guys. If he hadn't gone on that little tear shooting three pointers in summer league, I don't think he'd have made the team. He couldn't defend, couldn't rebound or block shots, and as it turns out, couldn't shoot from the outside.

Tolliver could have find his niche as a Spurs against the mobile PFs who have hurt Spurs a lot. He was quite mobile and even played some SF with the Toros. Mahinmi was also planed to be back in late November which made the need for a young true big less important.
If Spurs knew last summer that Mahinmi was out for the year, it could have changed things. Maybe Gist wouldn't have been send in Italy.



I'm not sure that he does either. The Spurs put themselves at a disadvantage by, in my opinion, wasting time with guys like Tolliver, Farmer and Ahearn. Hairston can, if nothing else, play NBA level defense. That's a pretty good start. In hindsight, he couldn't have been worse than the vets we were all relying on were in the postseason.

It's quite unreal when you look at all the players spurs tried as 14th or 15th player in the past 2 years.

In 07-08: DerMarr Johnson, Bobby Jones, Keith Langford, Jeremy Richardson, Darius Washington and Marcus Williams.
In 08-09: Blake Ahearn, Austin Croshere, Desmon Farmer, Malik Hairston, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Anthony Tolliver and Marcus Williams.

It draws some questions why Spurs haven't been able to find a player worth sticking with him at the end of their roster. Are their expectations too high? Have they done a poor scouting job? ...

[SenorSpur]

It's quite unreal when you look at all the players spurs tried as 14th or 15th player in the past 2 years.

In 07-08: DerMarr Johnson, Bobby Jones, Keith Langford, Jeremy Richardson, Darius Washington and Marcus Williams.
In 08-09: Blake Ahearn, Austin Croshere, Desmon Farmer, Malik Hairston, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Anthony Tolliver and Marcus Williams.

It draws some questions why Spurs haven't been able to find a player worth sticking with him at the end of their roster. Are their expectations too high? Have they done a poor scouting job? ...

Personally, I believe it's a little bit of both. It's hard to believe tha every one of those players is trash. Surely one of them will eventually turn into an NBA player. Then, we'll find out if the Spurs simply gave up on them too soon.

The process of developing players is risky and it takes time, dollars and commitment. Like someone mentioned earlier in this thread, no young player comes into the NBA without some warts. It seems the Spurs FO, and even some fans here, have developed very high, and even unrealistic expectations regarding potential young players, and how they could fit onto the Spurs roster.

I guess perennial championship contention can make one a bit aristocratic.

[monosylab1k]

he sucks

[Blackjack]

D-League Profiles: Malik Hairston

by Jon L on May 7, 2009

Sorry for disappearing yesterday. Job stuff. You don't want to know. But I'm back today, and ready to talk about Malik Hairston. Hairston is listed at 6'6", 220 pounds, and while he's listed in various places as a guard-forward, he's really more of a stocky shooting guard. He's a very good rebounder for his position, and while he doesn't shoot a ton of threes, he does that well, too. Hairston is younger than the other guys we've profiled so far (he's 22), so there's less to cover and this won't be as unbearably long as everything else I write (I'm just kidding. It's going to be long anyway).

How he got here

Malik Hairston was a high school all-American in Detroit, where he played alongside fellow D-Leaguer Joe Crawford. Hairston then went to the University of Oregon, where he started all 27 games and showed his combination of skills, leading the Ducks in scoring in seven games and rebounding in seven games. He became the team's leading scorer his sophomore year at 15 points a game and their second-leading rebounder.

In his junior year Hairston suffered a series of injuries, though he was still able to appear in 27 games. His scoring dipped that year to just over 11 points a game, though his rebounding improved to six a game and his three-point and field goal percentages rose as well. He scored 1,000 points as a junior, becoming the 10th Oregon player to do so. Move over, Blair Rasmussen! Oregon went to the NCAA tournament that year, making it to the Elite Eight. Hairston set an Oregon tournament record with 11 rebounds in the Sweet Sixteen. That last game, though, impressed some folks, as he scored 18 points despite being guarded by Florida's Joakim Noah and Al Horford. Draft Express had this to say:

"Hairston is a superb slasher, capable of breaking down a defense in a variety of ways. He utilizes a fantastic midrange jumper, which will keep defenders just honest enough for him to get a step to the basket on a slashing move. Hairston does a great job of recognizing what the defense is giving him, and taking advantage of it. He is far from explosive, but makes up for it with a patient style of play that makes him a great teammate."

During his senior year, Hairston was able to maintain his improved shooting and brought his scoring back up to 16 points a game, though his rebounding went back down slightly. His free throw shooting jumped way up as well, though it still wasn't great for a guard/forward at 73.2 percent. And here's a fun fact: Hairston graduated with a degree in political science, just like me!

Hairston had a solid pre-draft camp, showing good shooting mechanics, though the description about his game that came up the most was "good, not great." The positive in that is that there are a lot of things he's good at - shooting, rebounding, passing. A lot of observers game him some benefit of the doubt, though, as he's a smart player and he was still just 21 after graduating.

The Phoenix Suns selected Hairston midway through the second round of the 2008 draft with a pick they acquired from the Cavaliers (for Milt Palacio...there's a name I hadn't heard in awhile), but Hairston soon was traded to San Antonio for, uh, Goran Dragic. The Spurs stay winning. Hairston was assigned to the Austin Toros at the beginning of the season. A look at how it went after the jump.



D-League play

Hairston had an up-and-down start to the year, scoring 33 points on 12 shots against Tulsa (he shot 19-20 from the free throw line) with seven rebounds and six assists, but followed that up with nine points on 14 shots against Erie. Despite his occasional early stuggles he was still a mostly efficient shooter. In December he scored 25 points on 11 shots against Colorado, 16 points on seven shots against Albuquerque, and 22 points on 11 shots against Rio Grande Valley.

That trend continued in January, when Hairston had one of his best games of the season, scoring 43 points on 23 shots against Colorado, including 2-3 from behind the arc and 11-13 from the free throw line, along with eight rebounds, six assists and three blocks. The one downside was that Hairston showed a propensity to turn the ball over and get into foul trouble. He had seven games with at least five fouls in December and January, and nine games in that same timeframe with at least four turnovers.

The Spurs called Hairston up at the end of January, and he appeared in 15 games for them. His playing time was a bit all over the place, but he played more than ten minutes in seven of those games. Four of those were in the last five, so it appeared as if San Antonio was getting a better look at what they had. But, Hairston went back to Austin, where he tore it up again. The Spurs released him on April 8, though, in order to sign Toros teammate Marcus Williams.

After sitting out a game (because he was no longer a Spurs assignee and hadn't been signed to a Toros contract yet), Hairston took whatever frustration he may have felt and used it on the court, scoring a combined 83 points in back-to-back games against Rio Grande Valley. He also had a great pair of games in the playoffs, including scoring 34 points on 22 shots (and making four of his six threes) with six rebounds and seven assists in the first round.

Overall outlook

Frankly, I'd be surprised if the Spurs don't sign Hairston again next year. They have only 11 players under contract for 2009-10 at the moment, plus Marcus Williams. Whether he plays in the D-League will depend in part on what they do with Williams and Ian Mahinmi, but there's a lot to like about Hairston. He clearly can score, and as mentioned in the beginning (and throughout) he's a good rebounder for his position. He also showed he has some passing ability, and while I haven't mentioned his defense at all, he's a good (not great) defender (of course), good enough to hopefully satisfy Gregg Popovich and the rest of the Spurs coaches. San Antonio will probably need to retool their roster at some point in the future after relying on crusty veterans for so long (neither Bruce Bowen nor Michael Finley has much, if anything, left), and there's a good chance Hairston will be part of the resulting "youth movement."


http://www.ridiculousupside.com/2009/5/7/868041/d-league-profiles-malik-hairston


I just thought Malik "Bubba" (follow the link and tell me he doesn't look like a "Bubba") Hairston deserved a little love, since it's often forgotten what the Spurs do potentially have in their cupboard.

[HarlemHeat37]

and there's a good chance Hairston will be part of the resulting "youth movement."




most of us hope so..

we desperately need youth around our big 3, since that has been the downfall of our team..our best bet with the current state of the team is to look for low-cost/high potential moves, and guys like Hairston/Gist should be the route IMO..

[Blackjack]

most of us hope so..

we desperately need youth around our big 3, since that has been the downfall of our team..our best bet with the current state of the team is to look for low-cost/high potential moves, and guys like Hairston/Gist should be the route IMO..

Agreed.

Hell, every once in awhile you roll the dice on a talented, low-cost, young player and you find youself a real gem.(ala Jack) I think Hairston, Gist, and maybe a Brown, Young, etc.-type player (if they're fortunate enough to land) are the type of players worth rolling the dice on.


"Hairston is a superb slasher, capable of breaking down a defense in a variety of ways. He utilizes a fantastic midrange jumper, which will keep defenders just honest enough for him to get a step to the basket on a slashing move. Hairston does a great job of recognizing what the defense is giving him, and taking advantage of it. He is far from explosive, but makes up for it with a patient style of play that makes him a great teammate."

It's really just speculation on my part, but I've got to wonder how much the transformation of his physique impacted his game or caused him to at least adjust last year.

I've been pretty adamant about his ability to shoot that midrange shot, and have felt a good amount of his lack of success was sporadic and/or limited opportunities, but maybe the weight loss and improved explosiveness played a part as well?

I'm really looking forward to seeing how Hairston's progressed and if he's managed to keep his weight down, or better yet, even improved upon his physique from last year.

[benefactor]

As many others have said...he is probably better than any prospect we will pick up in the draft. There is no good reason why we don't bring him back next season.

[HarlemHeat37]

I agree with that, and the fact that he knows the system already gives him an advantage over a young acquisition that we would make..

this team needs role players badly, and we won't be able to make moves for big names..so the best bet is to use the MLE on a more proven player, and just roll the dice on Hairston/Gist/Ian and hope for the best..

[024]

I think the spurs should draft a few sfs and then have them compete over a roster spot during summer league and training camp along with hairston, williams, and gist. The mle should be going towards a big or another sf but the more competition the better.

[SenorSpur]

I'm with O_V.

Most of us C.O.H. members aren't suggesting that Hairston is an All-Star in waiting or the difference-maker, just that he might of made a difference in a game, had he been given the opportunity to develop over the season.

After Manu went down, the writing was on the wall. Pop said as much before Manu went down for good. As banged up as Tim was and the type of load Tony was going to be forced to carry for as long as their playoff continued, it was probably better they didn't beat the Mavs.

Having said that, who killed the Spurs in that series?

You think the Spurs could have used another option to throw at Howard?

Again, not saying Hairston would've been the difference between winning and losing against the Mavs, but if you're a team admittedly not capable of winning a title, why wouldn't you try to develop players that have displayed enough potential to maybe supplant some of the vets that are no longer capable of getting it done?

I have no problem with them securing the rights of Williams if they think he's a potential point-forward prospect (in fact, I'm all for it) but why would you then cut Hairston when you've got a vet like Vaughn at the end of the bench.

I've got nothing against Vaughn but him being on the team doesn't even provide insurance once Manu's out of the picture. Hell, let him sit on the bench as a coach, ala Avery's last season in Dallas, but don't let him take the spot of a prospect who might actually help you at some point.

I understand Pop and the staff not wanting to completely tank it with Tim and Tony playing there asses off, and I even somewhat admire it, but if it's at the expense of next season it really makes no sense.

Hill being relegated to the bench and Malik not ever being given the chance to succeed was just flat-out maddening.

:tu

+ 1 x 1000

Vaughn was essentially a wasted roster spot

[Ditty]

hairtson could be like a ariza if improves his putside shooting he could guard the oppinsing teams best sg or sf

while we have maybe a sam young or danny green guard the next best offensive maker

[Obstructed_View]

Hairston suddenly becomes that much more valuable to the Spurs now that they can throw RJ at some of the taller scorers that might give him trouble. I'm really hoping to see three picks from a single draft playing from the Spurs. :)

[Blackjack]

Hairston suddenly becomes that much more valuable to the Spurs now that they can throw RJ at some of the taller scorers that might give him trouble. I'm really hoping to see three picks from a single draft playing from the Spurs. :)

:tu

That draft is looking better and better by the day.

Hill- I've got complete faith in and high hopes for.

Hairston- I've been a fan of since Oregon and has done nothing to dissuade me, thus far.

Gist- has great potential to be a versatile, high-energy, rotation player.

I'm not sure how much better the Spurs could have done with a late first and a couple of second-rounders...

[HarlemHeat37]

There's really no chance Hairston isn't going to be a relevant player, we got him from the Suns..whoever they give away ends up being good..you have to remember that Steve Kerr is a mole working for the Spurs..

[Obstructed_View]

I agree that Hairston's going to be relevant, but the Spurs don't have any claim to him right now. The options that are better than he is should sort themselves out in the next few days.

[Blackjack]

There's really no chance Hairston isn't going to be a relevant player, we got him from the Suns..whoever they give away ends up being good..you have to remember that Steve Kerr is a mole working for the Spurs..

:lol

Deng, Rondo, and Fernandez couldn't have possibly been of any use to them, either.

[Blackjack]

I agree that Hairston's going to be relevant, but the Spurs don't have any claim to him right now. The options that are better than he is should sort themselves out in the next few days.

The Spurs did cut him, but hopefully them picking up his contract (thus, guaranteeing his salary) carries a little weight and has him still feeling a part of the plan.

[Ditty]

hairston for the spurs roster

[HarlemHeat37]

I'd honestly be surprised if he isn't on an NBA roster next year..hopefully it's ours..I don't mean "rotation" or anything, but 12-man roster..

[Obstructed_View]

The Spurs had better be on the phone with him right now. Any weaknesses he might have been perceived to have are gone now because there's someone to do those jobs. This is shaping up to be a rather competent team for San Antonio.

[Chomag]

Especially if Finley ops out. But even so I still rather be giving him a chance over Finely using up those developing minutes for other players.

[Ditty]

hairston>finley

[The Truth #6]

If we can get rid of Finley, I don't see why Hairston shouldn't get a chance to be in the rotation. With Manu and RJ we already have veterans. Finley is a class guy but, I think it's better to develop Hairston. Having said that, I still expect Finley to play more minutes than he should next year. If he's on the roster, then he's playing until proven otherwise.

But with Hairston, Hill, possibly McClinton, and even Gist seeing time on the wing, it's going to get crowded.

[HarlemHeat37]

I think we can assume that there is going to be some serious competition in the SL in a few weeks..