Introduction to Marcus Haislip

[GSH]

Assuming that the contract gets inked in a few days, here is some information about our newest Spur. You'll see some things that look familiar, and may give you some idea about why the Spurs' management like him.

Personality - Haislip is known for being very unemotional on the court. Not only does he not celebrate or chest-thump, he rarely even smiles. He says the way he focuses is to control his emotions. As a result, some Spanish fans and journalists referred to him as "cold". Off the court, he says, he has a good sense of humor, and his friends know it.

Nickname - "Slip", a play on his last name.

Tattoos - Haislip has eight tatoos. Two are biblical quotes (he describes himself as "very religious"). One is of his family, one his home town, one his University.

Athleticism - The story is that he can take a coin from the top of the backboard. He says that may have been true when he was young, but now he is "too old" to do that.

Money - He says that he tries to save, and spend as little as possible because investments sometimes go bad.

Leadership - When it was suggested that he needed to be more open and outspoken to become a leader (on Unicaja) he said that he preferred to lead by example, and let his game talk rather than his words.

Outside interests - Watching movies, and his computer. And watching movies - he really likes movies.

Physique - He says he has good genetics, but he also works hard because his diet is terrible. Doesn't drink beer. Meat or fish? Definitely meat.

Misc. - He likes to shoot the 3 ball the best, because "3 is better than 2". He thinks the referees in the NBA are much more consistent than in Europe. He thinks Kobe Bryant is the best player in the game. Was quite the homebody, at least while he was in Spain. Laughed most and felt happiest when talking to his parents on the telephone. Says that he feels consistent with his performance and confidence now. When he is through as a player, he would like to continue in basketball by "teaching kids everything I've learned in basketball. Basketball has been my life."

[TheProfessor]

Hard not to like the guy after reading that, seems like he'll fit in nicely.

[Mugen]

hopefully his play can introduce matt bonner to the end of the bench.

[WildcardManu]

Match.com? lol j/k seems like a cool down to earth guy.

[mudyez]

unemotional like timmy and religious like the admiral...can you say dynasty? ;)

[200 miles]

It seems as if Haislip would be the perfect 5th big because looking from Youtube footage and even before playing his first game as a Spur, already it's Haislip > Bonner.

[celldweller]

His only down fall is that he DUNKS with authority!!! :lol

[TheProfessor]

His only down fall is that he DUNKS with authority!!! :lol
As long as he gets back on defense and can guard perimeter bigs, Pop will hopefully make an exception.

[Bukefal]

http://hoopedia.nba.com/images/3/3b/Tblallstar2006haislip.jpg

[timvp]

Personality - Haislip is known for being very unemotional on the court. Except when he's punching people in the face :smokin

-sX2mpOsqeg

[Mr. Body]

He has something to prove. He wants to stay in the United States. These are good things.

[HarlemHeat37]

If Haislip can punch Pau Gasol in the face, he would be worth his contract, even if he averages 1 and 1..

[45 bank shot]

just wondering if this guy has a low post game?

[batman2883]

spurs win the next 3 championships!!!

[rayray2k8]

If Haislip can punch Pau Gasol in the face, he would be worth his contract, even if he averages 1 and 1..

:lol
That is if he doesn't kill him. :o

[DPG21920]

Is he a Virgo that enjoys long walks on the beach?

[EmantheSpursFan]

If Haislip can punch Pau Gasol in the face, he would be worth his contract, even if he averages 1 and 1..

+1
:lol

[GSH]

Except when he's punching people in the face :smokin



Damnation! No messing around with the usual pushing and slapping. And no blind side sucker-punching. The guy asked for it, and Haislip gave it to him face to face. Nobody is going to accuse him of being soft.

But did you notice how he didn't show a lot of emotion while he was punching the guy?:pimpslap

[clubalien]

If Haislip can punch Pau Gasol in the face, he would be worth his contract, even if he averages 1 and 1..

can we spurs fans be a little classy.
When ron artest gets in a fight it is disgracefully. But when it involves our players we are encouraging it?

[HarlemHeat37]

can we spurs fans be a little classy.
When ron artest gets in a fight it is disgracefully. But when it involves our players we are encouraging it?

Ron Artest isn't classless because he gets into fights..he's classless because he beats his wife and abuses animals..

[EmantheSpursFan]

can we spurs fans be a little classy.
When ron artest gets in a fight it is disgracefully. But when it involves our players we are encouraging it?

Ron fights the fans in the stands :wow

[MateoNeygro]

can we spurs fans be a little classy.
When ron artest gets in a fight it is disgracefully. But when it involves our players we are encouraging it?

Yes. Artest is bat shit crazy and a Laker and Haislip is a mother fuckin G! hahha.

[bigdog]

can we spurs fans be a little classy.
When ron artest gets in a fight it is disgracefully. But when it involves our players we are encouraging it?

Ron Artest is a crazy bitch.

and, I've been wanting a Spur to get into a fight for a while. It adds excitement. I remember a while back I wanted Rasho to fight someone, just for laughs.

[Sisk]

Match.com? lol j/k seems like a cool down to earth guy.

I was going to say the same exact thing :lmao

[symple19]

Assuming that the contract gets inked in a few days, here is some information about our newest Spur. You'll see some things that look familiar, and may give you some idea about why the Spurs' management like him.

Personality - Haislip is known for being very unemotional on the court. Not only does he not celebrate or chest-thump, he rarely even smiles. He says the way he focuses is to control his emotions. As a result, some Spanish fans and journalists referred to him as "cold". Off the court, he says, he has a good sense of humor, and his friends know it.

Nickname - "Slip", a play on his last name.

Tattoos - Haislip has eight tatoos. Two are biblical quotes (he describes himself as "very religious"). One is of his family, one his home town, one his University.

Athleticism - The story is that he can take a coin from the top of the backboard. He says that may have been true when he was young, but now he is "too old" to do that.

Money - He says that he tries to save, and spend as little as possible because investments sometimes go bad.

Leadership - When it was suggested that he needed to be more open and outspoken to become a leader (on Unicaja) he said that he preferred to lead by example, and let his game talk rather than his words.

Outside interests - Watching movies, and his computer. And watching movies - he really likes movies.

Physique - He says he has good genetics, but he also works hard because his diet is terrible. Doesn't drink beer. Meat or fish? Definitely meat.

Misc. - He likes to shoot the 3 ball the best, because "3 is better than 2". He thinks the referees in the NBA are much more consistent than in Europe. He thinks Kobe Bryant is the best player in the game. Was quite the homebody, at least while he was in Spain. Laughed most and felt happiest when talking to his parents on the telephone. Says that he feels consistent with his performance and confidence now. When he is through as a player, he would like to continue in basketball by "teaching kids everything I've learned in basketball. Basketball has been my life."
:tu sounds good. Now we need him to produce on-court

[symple19]

Except when he's punching people in the face :smokin

-sX2mpOsqeg
outstanding as always timvp - looks to me like he was defending himself. I have no problem with that.What I hate is when dudes jump into situations they have no business being in, or take cheap shots(a la' Kobe) But if someone slugs you, you've gotta defend yourself.:ihit:ihit:ihit:ihit:ihit

[superbigtime]

I like the hops. What were the terms of the contract? Anyone?

[benefactor]

I love that. That white guy came at him with some 6 year old fighting style and Haislip just threw a mean right hook.
I know right...that guy slapped him like a woman. He better be glad people stepped in because it was about to get ugly for him in a hurry.

I don't fault him at all. I'd have KTFO'ed him too if it was me.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Except when he's punching people in the face :smokin

-sX2mpOsqeg

Badass.

[NewJerSpur]

Well, Ian better sleep in a hyperbaric chamber every night because dude is coming for his spot. Can block shots and even has a bit of Sheed in him for those mourning the loss, lol.

[mogrovejo]

Haislip is a very weird character. The OP doesn't tell everything about his weirdness. He doesn't "like to stay at home": he basically spends his entire life at home, only leaving it to go to practices and games. He didn't make a single friend during his stay in Malaga. He'd only have basketball-related talks with his teammates and never hang out with them. He was never caught dinning out or having a drink or going to a concert or to the beach... nothing, the man just lived like an eremite. He also avoided the press like it was the plague. It's kind of scary.

[manufan10]

Match.com? lol j/k seems like a cool down to earth guy.

It says he's religious, so obviously this was taken from eharmony.com. :lol

[ChumpDumper]

Haislip is a very weird character. The OP doesn't tell everything about his weirdness. He doesn't "like to stay at home": he basically spends his entire life at home, only leaving it to go to practices and games. He didn't make a single friend during his stay in Malaga. He'd only have basketball-related talks with his teammates and never hang out with them. He was never caught dinning out or having a drink or going to a concert or to the beach... nothing, the man just lived like an eremite. He also avoided the press like it was the plague. It's kind of scary.That may explain his return to the states for a discount.

[DPG21920]

It is not a discount for the Spurs if the numbers are true :lol

[ChumpDumper]

Hadn't seen the numbers, but if he's not getting a house and car and Asian massage with release, it's a discount.

[HarlemHeat37]

is Finley really like that?..he strikes me as a guy that goes out and likes to have fun..I guess I was wrong LOL..

[picnroll]

Haislip is a very weird character. The OP doesn't tell everything about his weirdness. He doesn't "like to stay at home": he basically spends his entire life at home, only leaving it to go to practices and games. He didn't make a single friend during his stay in Malaga. He'd only have basketball-related talks with his teammates and never hang out with them. He was never caught dinning out or having a drink or going to a concert or to the beach... nothing, the man just lived like an eremite. He also avoided the press like it was the plague. It's kind of scary.

Funny that a guy like that loses focus. Sounds like he has no other focus.

[DPG21920]

Reports are that it was the full LLE for him, but we will not know for sure until he signs.

[ChumpDumper]

Oh, if it was just the LLE, that's most likely a discount.

[DPG21920]

Ya, just the luxury tax costing the Spurs double, so almost 4M per year for him (from the Spurs perspective).

[ChumpDumper]

That only matters if it keeps the Spurs from spending the full MLE.

We'll see if it does.

[Bukefal]

Except when he's punching people in the face :smokin

-sX2mpOsqeg

That was a nice one :lol

[mogrovejo]

Funny that a guy like that loses focus. Sounds like he has no other focus.

He loses focus on court, especially when playing defence. He has poor me-opponent-ball triangle vision, for example, he stares at the ball too much. And he looks uninterested/emotionless and he doesn't talk a lot (something Pop is going to hate and try to correct, I guess).

[DPG21920]

That only matters if it keeps the Spurs from spending the full MLE.

We'll see if it does.

I agree. I do not care, it is not my money. I would be shocked if it kept them from spending the full MLE.

They might not have to in order to get who they want, but I would doubt it took them out of the race if they had to spend it in order to get who they want.

[DPG21920]

I have no idea about his potential. This came out of left field.

[Hooks]

Here is a video of him owning the Spurs' Savior Bourousis...However the hell you spell his name lol


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNlwBN8hsCU

[Tully365]

Haislip is a very weird character. The OP doesn't tell everything about his weirdness. He doesn't "like to stay at home": he basically spends his entire life at home, only leaving it to go to practices and games. He didn't make a single friend during his stay in Malaga. He'd only have basketball-related talks with his teammates and never hang out with them. He was never caught dinning out or having a drink or going to a concert or to the beach... nothing, the man just lived like an eremite. He also avoided the press like it was the plague. It's kind of scary.

:lol Not necessarily a bad sign. He is maniacally dedicated, that's all. Think of him as the Emily Dickinson of the NBA.

[wisnub]

Assuming that the contract gets inked in a few days, here is some information about our newest Spur. You'll see some things that look familiar, and may give you some idea about why the Spurs' management like him.

Personality - Haislip is known for being very unemotional on the court. Not only does he not celebrate or chest-thump, he rarely even smiles. He says the way he focuses is to control his emotions. As a result, some Spanish fans and journalists referred to him as "cold". Off the court, he says, he has a good sense of humor, and his friends know it.

Nickname - "Slip", a play on his last name.

Tattoos - Haislip has eight tatoos. Two are biblical quotes (he describes himself as "very religious"). One is of his family, one his home town, one his University.

Athleticism - The story is that he can take a coin from the top of the backboard. He says that may have been true when he was young, but now he is "too old" to do that.

Money - He says that he tries to save, and spend as little as possible because investments sometimes go bad.

Leadership - When it was suggested that he needed to be more open and outspoken to become a leader (on Unicaja) he said that he preferred to lead by example, and let his game talk rather than his words.

Outside interests - Watching movies, and his computer. And watching movies - he really likes movies.

Physique - He says he has good genetics, but he also works hard because his diet is terrible. Doesn't drink beer. Meat or fish? Definitely meat.

Misc. - He likes to shoot the 3 ball the best, because "3 is better than 2". He thinks the referees in the NBA are much more consistent than in Europe. He thinks Kobe Bryant is the best player in the game. Was quite the homebody, at least while he was in Spain. Laughed most and felt happiest when talking to his parents on the telephone. Says that he feels consistent with his performance and confidence now. When he is through as a player, he would like to continue in basketball by "teaching kids everything I've learned in basketball. Basketball has been my life."

He is athletic, able to shoot 3, can block and dunk the ball..He is good. I dont know where you got bullshit about his personality, he definitely show some emotion on court, see this punk (watch the middle and end): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPp0DZj3QJs

[lefty]

Haislip's signing may be a darn good surprise.

Remember Mohamed's impact when we traded for him in 2005?

Maybe Marcus can bring enough to help us

[GSH]

Haislip is a very weird character. The OP doesn't tell everything about his weirdness. He doesn't "like to stay at home": he basically spends his entire life at home, only leaving it to go to practices and games. He didn't make a single friend during his stay in Malaga. He'd only have basketball-related talks with his teammates and never hang out with them. He was never caught dinning out or having a drink or going to a concert or to the beach... nothing, the man just lived like an eremite. He also avoided the press like it was the plague. It's kind of scary.

I don't think that's totally fair. I don't dispute most of what you said, but I don't think that makes him a "weird character". He never wanted to play in Europe, and never felt at home in Turkey or Spain. The comment about being happiest when talking on the telephone to his family was an example of that. I could give you a few examples of foreign players who came to the NBA and behaved very much the same way.

I also mentioned that he is frugal with his money. There is a story that he still has jeans that he wore in high school. Does that make him a "weird character" too? Or just a guy who grew up without a lot of money, and doesn't throw it around? It makes him unusual, for a professional basketball player, I suppose. But I don't know about weird.

I think he'll make more friends here, and I hope the Spurs fans make him feel welcome. The night he got drafted, his comment was this: "I'm not expecting myself to come in and be a scorer ... I just want to do the little things." Instead the team's and the fans' expectations were much higher. It didn't help that he was on a team with Ray Allen, Gary Payton, and Michael Redd, and coached by George Karl. He wasn't ready, and there was no one for him to learn from. They started calling him a "bust" soon after he got there, and things just sort of went to hell for him.

As for whether he would be playing for a discount, if he signs for the LLE (it's not a done deal until the contract is signed) - most definitely. Unicaja just signed Prentizis today, to replace him. They will be paying him 1.1M-1.2M Euros per season, and they had indicated that they would pay Haislip more than that to stay. He made it clear that he wanted nothing but to come back home. His agent didn't seem too happy about it, probably because he gets paid on a percentage basis. Anyway, there were a couple of other Euro teams that were interested enough to pay him at least 1.3M Euros per season, which means he will net at least $1M per season less by playing for the LLE. I think he could have gotten more like $1.5M Euro per season. I honestly don't know how he will work out, but both sides are taking a chance.

[picnroll]

If he just maintians his focus on defense and rebounding, it looks like the rest of his game will be just fine. He certainly doesn't look raw offensively anymore.

[wildbill2u]

Man likes to dunk the ball and can sky, I'll give him that.

[loveforthegame]

It's weird. He's not considered a shot blocker but most of these videos posted show him blocking quite a few shots. I know it's just samples here and there but still.

[SpursNextRomanEmpire]

can we spurs fans be a little classy.
When ron artest gets in a fight it is disgracefully. But when it involves our players we are encouraging it?

Do you know how to take a joke?

[Tully365]

After toying with the idea of super high fliers like James White and Pops Mensah-Bonsu, maybe the Spurs have finally found the guy that has those above-the-rim qualities along with maturity and discipline. The possible range of success is very large for bigs next year, but if Blair, Mahinmi, and Haislip play well, it could be a very strong rotation beside Duncan...

[spurspokesman]

hopefully his play can introduce matt bonner to the end of the bench.
+1 mugen

[mogrovejo]

I don't think that's totally fair. I don't dispute most of what you said, but I don't think that makes him a "weird character". He never wanted to play in Europe, and never felt at home in Turkey or Spain. The comment about being happiest when talking on the telephone to his family was an example of that. I could give you a few examples of foreign players who came to the NBA and behaved very much the same way.

I also mentioned that he is frugal with his money. There is a story that he still has jeans that he wore in high school. Does that make him a "weird character" too? Or just a guy who grew up without a lot of money, and doesn't throw it around? It makes him unusual, for a professional basketball player, I suppose. But I don't know about weird.

I think he'll make more friends here, and I hope the Spurs fans make him feel welcome. The night he got drafted, his comment was this: "I'm not expecting myself to come in and be a scorer ... I just want to do the little things." Instead the team's and the fans' expectations were much higher. It didn't help that he was on a team with Ray Allen, Gary Payton, and Michael Redd, and coached by George Karl. He wasn't ready, and there was no one for him to learn from. They started calling him a "bust" soon after he got there, and things just sort of went to hell for him.

As for whether he would be playing for a discount, if he signs for the LLE (it's not a done deal until the contract is signed) - most definitely. Unicaja just signed Prentizis today, to replace him. They will be paying him 1.1M-1.2M Euros per season, and they had indicated that they would pay Haislip more than that to stay. He made it clear that he wanted nothing but to come back home. His agent didn't seem too happy about it, probably because he gets paid on a percentage basis. Anyway, there were a couple of other Euro teams that were interested enough to pay him at least 1.3M Euros per season, which means he will net at least $1M per season less by playing for the LLE. I think he could have gotten more like $1.5M Euro per season. I honestly don't know how he will work out, but both sides are taking a chance.

Oh, I didn't mean that he's "weird" in a pejorative way. I don't have nothing against misanthropic people, I wish I could be one myself. I'm a conservative, religious, rural person and I'd prefer to live in an isolated ranch in the country side reading books and visiting a few friends instead of spending my life in airports and talking to people.

Still, it's highly uncommon for a basketball player - or any person - to behave as Haislip did/does. Even guys who are home sick eventually try to engage in a couple of social activities.

And yes, it's absolutely true Haislip will be playing for a discount; Barcelona would be willing to break the bank to sign him with Ily/Andersen leaving.

[mogrovejo]

Well how do you know he didnt try to engage in any social activities?

Well, because people talk about this kind of issues... eccentric behaviours are commented, be it right or wrong.

[Evil Angel]

I'm looking forward to his arrival. RC and Pop seem to think he's grown as a player. I'll give him a shot.

[GSH]

Still, it's highly uncommon for a basketball player - or any person - to behave as Haislip did/does. Even guys who are home sick eventually try to engage in a couple of social activities.

Well, because people talk about this kind of issues... eccentric behaviours are commented, be it right or wrong.


People say a lot of things, and rumors take on a life of their own. I don't want to make a long post, but I would reserve judgement until he gets here.

I would issue one caution to a lot of Spur fans about expectations. If you're looking for any player to come in an "wow" you, you're going to be disappointed. Pop makes it clear that he has a Big 3, and doesn't need a Big 4. And historically, any player who thinks he is going to carve a bigger niche for himself is likely to get slapped down. If people are expecting to see him be the same player here that he was in Spain, it will only take a few weeks before they start complaining about him. Taking the LLE was a big financial sacrifice for him, but I can hear people groaning about how he's overpaid.

If he does what Pop usually expects, and takes what the system gives, don't start bitching that his numbers are down from Spain. And if he has nights when he gets more shots, and other nights when the offense doesn't go his way, don't start talking about him being inconsistent. It's the nature of this system.



I'm looking forward to his arrival. RC and Pop seem to think he's grown as a player. I'll give him a shot.

Zappa avatar. Very cool.