Monroe: Spurs notebook: Mahinmi gives Spurs something to ponder

[duncan228]

Spurs notebook: Mahinmi gives Spurs something to ponder (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Spurs_notebook_Mahinmi_gives_Spurs_something_to_po nder.html)
Mike Monroe

Ian Mahinmi is well aware his career with the Spurs is on the clock. It is the fourth quarter, time is running out. Time to make a play.

The Spurs have until Halloween to decide whether to extend Mahinmi's contract another year or to allow him to become an unrestricted free agent at season's end.

As such, every move he makes this preseason — both the good and the bad — has been magnified. If nothing else, Mahinmi has grown accustomed to playing under pressure.

“There's always a little bit of pressure,” Mahinmi, a 6-foot-11, 22-year-old center, said after Monday's practice. “What I do is just come every day and try to do my best. One step at a time.”

After a forgettable opening to the most important preseason of his career a week ago against Houston, Mahinmi has posted back-to-back solid games, at least giving the Spurs' front office something to think about as decision day nears.

He earned a start in Sunday's 95-93 victory at Miami and totaled nine points, four rebounds and three blocks in 25 minutes, 46 seconds of floor time.

More importantly for a player who has been foul-plagued throughout his career, Mahinmi was whistled for only three legitimate fouls against Miami (a fourth mistakenly awarded to him should have gone to Roger Mason Jr.).

Afterward, coach Gregg Popovich praised it as Mahinmi's best performance of the preseason.

“It was definitely a good thing for me,” said Mahinmi, who spent the bulk of his first two seasons with the Spurs either injured or in the Development League or both. “I'm starting to feel like my rhythm is coming back. I feel like every game, I'm improving little by little.”

So far, so good: A little more than two weeks into his first NBA training camp, rookie forward DeJuan Blair says his knees are feeling just fine, thank you.

Blair arrived from the University of Pittsburgh devoid of an anterior cruciate ligament in either knee. Though the condition was never an issue for Blair in college, the Spurs' medical staff has been compulsive about monitoring him after practices and games.

“The training staff is doing an excellent job of keeping my knees in shape and strengthened,” Blair said. “I just need to keep (being) me, and not worry about my knees. They're going to be as healthy as possible.”

Say hey, Blake: When Blair takes the floor for his fourth preseason game Wednesday against the Clippers, he is likely to see time against the most ballyhooed rookie in the NBA.

Blair says he is looking forward to the potential matchup with Blake Griffin, the former Oklahoma All-American. Not because Griffin was the top pick in the June draft in which Blair fell to 37th, but because it gives the two a chance to rekindle a friendship spawned during the draft process.

“I can't wait to see him,” Blair said. “I haven't seen him since the draft. I talked to him in the summer and told him congratulations. He's a good person, and I hope everything works out for him.”

[NRHector]

No Blair, Griffin is not a good person he is the enemy kick his ass or break his arm :flag:

[Danny.Zhu]

No Blair, Griffin is not a good person he is the enemy kick his ass or break his arm :flag:

No no, we need this Griffin guy to kick Bynum's ass. So just leave him alone...

[LaMarcus Bryant]

Blair is going to own the everliving shit out of powder.

[urunobili]

No no, we need this Griffin guy to kick Bynum's ass. So just leave him alone...

Yeah Griffin should start beasting the bigs on his division and shake things up... maybe a Gasol throwdown helps even more...

[NRHector]

No no, we need this Griffin guy to kick Bynum's ass. So just leave him alone... well hopefully Kobe can take care of Bynum again like last season

[honestfool84]

i can't wait to (read) about the griffin/blair matchup after the game.

[Ditty]

maybe he can convince griffin to come to the spurs in a couple of years

[HarlemHeat37]

in before the Griffin for Bonner and Finley trade suggestions..

[Chieflion]

in before the Griffin for Bonner and Finley trade suggestions..
What the hell has Griffin been doing? He has not gotten any coverage. The entire 2009 draft flat out sucked and did not do anything to impress yet with the exception of Blair and Young (Pittsburgh products).

[TDMVPDPOY]

hope blair makes griffin his bitch

[DJB]

We should totally offer the Clippers Bonner and Finley for Griffin.

[DBMethos]

We should totally offer the Clippers Bonner and Finley for Griffin.

Completely unfair. The Clippers should have to throw in Camby, too.

[Bruno]

I like the "one step attitude at a time" comment from Ian.
If he can play better and better, he will get more and more playing time which will allow him to get better and better. He needs to enter in this positive spiral.

[bigdog]

I hope to see more improvement from Ian as the preseason goes along. He's gotten better each game, and yes, his foul trouble has been evident, but I think he's getting more comfortable as each game passes. Remember, he did miss an entire year of basketball.

[Old School 44]

In the preseason, I'd like to see Ian, get some more time with the starting unit, particularly Duncan. It would be interesting to see defensively, what this tandem could do.

[ElNono]

I like the "one step attitude at a time" comment from Ian.
If he can play better and better, he will get more and more playing time which will allow him to get better and better. He needs to enter in this positive spiral.

I don't. I expected him to be walking, if not running at this point.
Maybe I'm being unfair, with his injuries and all, but he has played extensively on the D-League and should know the Spurs system pretty well, which should mean he should have an advantage over other Spurs scrubs, game wise.

I would have thought he would have had a breakout game, a la Blair, at this point in the preseason when he's been mostly playing against other NBA scrubs, but he's got trouble even staying on the floor.

Considering his age and maybe showcasing him early in the season, he might be worth the $3 million the team has to spend to keep him. But only to use him as trade bait down the road. I don't think Pop honestly think Ian is NBA ready.

[Bruno]

Maybe I'm being unfair

I think you are.

[hater]

Ian will make the team and hopefully contribute a couple of good minutes a game in regular season. Nothing more. That's the best case scenario this season unfortunately.

[Phenomanul]

I hope to see more improvement from Ian as the preseason goes along. He's gotten better each game, and yes, his foul trouble has been evident, but I think he's getting more comfortable as each game passes. Remember, he did miss an entire year of basketball.


^^This...

[Phenomanul]

Not to mention I believe Ian will be an insurance policy in case Theo should get hurt (i.e. a shotblocking presence to help Duncan out). Then again, both of them have had injury plagued careers... hopefully that changes.

[whottt]

If Ratliff is healthy all season I think it will be the first time in his career. He's always been an above average talent I think...the problem has always been he has legitimate claim to the title of most injury prone player in the league. It's really not even fair to compare Ian to him.


Ian's only been injured two or three times or something like that...it's not so much that he's a had ton of injuries as it is he's had a couple that cost him a lot of PT.

[Phenomanul]

If Ratliff is healthy all season I think it will be the first time in his career. He's always been an above average talent I think...the problem has always been he has legitimate claim to the title of most injury prone player in the league. It's really not even fair to compare Ian to him.


Ian's only been injured two or three times or something like that...it's not so much that he's a had ton of injuries as it is he's had a couple that cost him a lot of PT.

Which is why it makes sense to keep Ian around... other than Duncan and Ratliff, Ian has the tools to defend the paint and alter shots at the rim...

[ElNono]

Which is why it makes sense to keep Ian around... other than Duncan and Ratliff, Ian has the tools to defend the paint and alter shots at the rim...

Does he? When did you see Ian do that?
He might have the potential to be all that and more, but it's far from a sure thing...

[ChumpDumper]

Does he? When did you see Ian do that?A season in Austin. Sure it doesn't guarantee the same thing in the NBA, but the difference between Ian as a defensive anchor and anyone else was night and day.

[SenorSpur]

Which is why it makes sense to keep Ian around... other than Duncan and Ratliff, Ian has the tools to defend the paint and alter shots at the rim...

Exactly. Besides that, and I made this point in another thread, Ian is on a clear and present development track. If the Spurs continue nuturing this project, Ian should able to contribute some, in spots, this season. By next year, he should be ready to assume a larger role as a solid rotation player and defensive presence.

After all, Duncan and Ratliff may likely be gone in 2 years and the frontcourt depth will need to be restocked. That said, there is absolutely no reason to cut him loose.

[ElNono]

A season in Austin. Sure it doesn't guarantee the same thing in the NBA, but the difference between Ian as a defensive anchor and anyone else was night and day.

Marcus Williams looked like Tony Parker in the D-League...

[Marcus Bryant]

Remember, he did miss an entire year of basketball.

[Marcus Bryant]

Further, what other 22 year old, athletic, shotblocking big do the Spurs have? Spurs fans never cease to amaze.

[ElNono]

Further, what 22 year old, athletic, shotblocking big do the Spurs have? Spurs fans never cease to amaze.

fify

[ChumpDumper]

Marcus Williams looked like Tony Parker in the D-League...Williams didn't look anything like Tony Parker in the D-League.

[Marcus Bryant]

As I said.

[ElNono]

Williams didn't look anything like Tony Parker in the D-League.


Marcus Williams comes into the season as the forgotten Spur. The Spurs signed him from the Austin Toros on April 8. Marcus Williams was the D-League’s best player at that point. His numbers in March were good, averaging 25 points, 7 boards and 6 assists a game. But April was something else entirely: 27.5, 10.5, 11.5. After spending the better part of two years with the Austin Toros, Marcus Williams was looking like an NBA player. And strangely enough, the former Arizona small forward was doing his best work as the Toros’ point guard.

[DPG21920]

Just because he posted great numbers doesn't mean he looked like TP. Did you ever watch him play?

[barbacoataco]

I think the Spurs should give Mahinmi two more years. Even if he never lives up to potential, a player like him still has value just as a low post defensive presence. As someone else pointed out, he is insurance if ratliff gets injured, which judging by the last few years seems possible.

[ChumpDumper]

Just because he posted great numbers doesn't mean he looked like TP. Did you ever watch him play?This.

I watched him play all season and he never looked like Tony Parker.

[ElNono]

Just because he posted great numbers doesn't mean he looked like TP. Did you ever watch him play?

The point I was trying to make, which I thought was fairly clear, is not that Marcus Williams is a clone of Tony Parker.
The point is that Marcus Williams can put superstar-level numbers playing PG (TP-like numbers) in the D-League, and that doesn't necessarily mean his game translates to the NBA, as we've all seen already.

As far as Ian goes, I simply take with a huge grain of salt the comments from his apologists that he's a "terrific shot blocker" or a "defensive anchor", because he did that on the D-League.
He has potential to be all that, but so far, playing against NBA level scrubs he hasn't done any of that.

[ChumpDumper]

The point I was trying to make, which I thought was fairly clear, is not that Marcus Williams is a clone of Tony Parker.Nah, you failed.

Of course Ian can only be talked about in terms of NBA potential, but so what?

If you had any other big man project in mind, the hate might make sense.

[Agloco]

Ian gets this year and the next to show and prove that he belongs. After that, ship his butt out with a consolation prize.

[portnoy1]

Why not just trade for a shot-blocking bigman. The spurs have showed that they are gonna spend like crazy to win a championship or 2 in Duncan's remaining years. Why would they keep ian around if they can get a quality shotblocker that can stand next to Duncan for 2-3 yrs. When Duncan retires the spurs will worry about rebuilding and major development of players. Scola showed something that Ian has never showed, ( HARD WORK ). Ian as much potential as he may have is a Kwame Brown clone. All those skills and a half-hearted/casual approach to things. Scola/Blair are both rough players but can contribute because they work hard.

[Spurs Brazil]

Jeff McDonald: Pop was very high on Mahinmi today before the game. Says he's been holding his own in practice. Stopped short of saying whether or not they plan to extend him. They've got until Oc.t 31.

http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/2009/10/spurs-vs-pacers-2.html

[PUPPETMASTER]

Mahinm, will become a good player, with the spurs or some other team.