Interrohater
10-12-2009, 11:13 PM
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/2009-10-12-spurs-rookie-blair-impresses_N.htm
Spurs rookie Blair learns quickly in preseason
By Gary Graves, USA TODAY
MIAMI — DeJuan Blair's NBA development is just starting, but the San Antonio Spurs rookie forward is showing he can do a lot in a hurry.
He led Sunday's 95-93 victory against the Miami Heat with a game-high 28 points in 26 minutes off the bench, including the winning layup with 1:01 left.
The University of Pittsburgh product scored 13 points on seven of eight possessions during a late four-minute stretch in helping to erase a nine-point deficit.
"He threw some good passes to people out of the post, so it wasn't like he caught it and shot it every time," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
Blair made his debut Oct. 6 against the Houston Rockets with a 16-point, 19-rebound effort, which Popovich said was more indicative of his ability. No wonder Popovich kidded the 20-year-old Sunday after one of his four rebounds against the Heat came on defense.
"He's a mobile, agile player even with the girth he has," Popovich said of the 6-7, 265-pounder. "He has great quickness, along with that rear end he was given. I thought he had a pretty good all-around game — except for that (one) board."
Blair leads the Spurs after three games in scoring (17.7-point average) and rebounding (8.3). But he figures to play the waiting game on a team that traded for Richard Jefferson and signed veterans Antonio McDyess and Theo Ratliff during the summer.
"They gave me the opportunity, and I'm going to take full advantage of it," said Blair, a second-round pick (37th overall) after teams worried about his history of knee trouble in high school. "Me just learning everything is going to be the key part and everything else I do is a bonus.
"That (Heat game) was just me playing off me, just showing them I can score and being the person they picked."
Around the hardwood:
Golden State Warriors brass are expected to meet with Stephen Jackson on Tuesday as the disgruntled guard comes off a two-game suspension for leaving the bench after a heated exchange with coach Don Nelson. … The Chicago Bulls hope to get Derrick Rose, the NBA rookie of the year last season, back on the practice court this week, general manager Gar Forman said. The point guard injured his right ankle Oct. 2 against the Indiana Pacers and hasn't played since. "It's still bothering him, so we're being conservative with it," Forman said. "We don't expect him to be out long." … The Heat signed former NBA guard Carlos Arroyo, 30, who last season played for Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Spurs rookie Blair learns quickly in preseason
By Gary Graves, USA TODAY
MIAMI — DeJuan Blair's NBA development is just starting, but the San Antonio Spurs rookie forward is showing he can do a lot in a hurry.
He led Sunday's 95-93 victory against the Miami Heat with a game-high 28 points in 26 minutes off the bench, including the winning layup with 1:01 left.
The University of Pittsburgh product scored 13 points on seven of eight possessions during a late four-minute stretch in helping to erase a nine-point deficit.
"He threw some good passes to people out of the post, so it wasn't like he caught it and shot it every time," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
Blair made his debut Oct. 6 against the Houston Rockets with a 16-point, 19-rebound effort, which Popovich said was more indicative of his ability. No wonder Popovich kidded the 20-year-old Sunday after one of his four rebounds against the Heat came on defense.
"He's a mobile, agile player even with the girth he has," Popovich said of the 6-7, 265-pounder. "He has great quickness, along with that rear end he was given. I thought he had a pretty good all-around game — except for that (one) board."
Blair leads the Spurs after three games in scoring (17.7-point average) and rebounding (8.3). But he figures to play the waiting game on a team that traded for Richard Jefferson and signed veterans Antonio McDyess and Theo Ratliff during the summer.
"They gave me the opportunity, and I'm going to take full advantage of it," said Blair, a second-round pick (37th overall) after teams worried about his history of knee trouble in high school. "Me just learning everything is going to be the key part and everything else I do is a bonus.
"That (Heat game) was just me playing off me, just showing them I can score and being the person they picked."
Around the hardwood:
Golden State Warriors brass are expected to meet with Stephen Jackson on Tuesday as the disgruntled guard comes off a two-game suspension for leaving the bench after a heated exchange with coach Don Nelson. … The Chicago Bulls hope to get Derrick Rose, the NBA rookie of the year last season, back on the practice court this week, general manager Gar Forman said. The point guard injured his right ankle Oct. 2 against the Indiana Pacers and hasn't played since. "It's still bothering him, so we're being conservative with it," Forman said. "We don't expect him to be out long." … The Heat signed former NBA guard Carlos Arroyo, 30, who last season played for Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv.