duncan228
10-21-2009, 10:36 PM
Blair as Tim Duncan (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/2009/10/blair-as-tim-du.html)
By Jeff McDonald
You get a new rookie, the tendency is to want to coach him up right away. You look at all he can't do, and you want to start making corrections and fiddling with his game.
When it comes to first-year forward DeJuan Blair, the Spurs coaching staff is fighting that temptation for now.
They aren't remaking his shooting form. They aren't in his ear constantly about playing defense. They aren't trying to teach him post moves he doesn't have. They aren't trying to make him Mark Price at the foul line, or Dikembe Mutombo at the rim.
For the time being, they are just letting Blair be. In that, the Spurs are just doing what they once did with another prized frontcourt rookie.
"We didn't even try to coach Tim Duncan at the beginning," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "We watched him. Once we figured out what he does, then we tried to do what we could to make it better."
Popovich is taking the same "observe and report" approach with Blair this preseason.
"We're going to watch him play and see what his strengths and weaknesses are," Popovich said, "rather than put him in a box."
Popovich has to like what he's seen from Blair so far. Though a bit undersized, Blair is leading the Spurs in scoring (14.7 ppg) and rebounding (8.2) in just 18 minutes a night. He's also flashed a unique ability to turn a game in a hurry. Blair has 17 points and 10 rebounds against the Thunder, despite not entering the game until midway through the third quarter.
Blair still has a lot to learn and a long way to go. For now, however, the Spurs aren't going to overthink him.
By Jeff McDonald
You get a new rookie, the tendency is to want to coach him up right away. You look at all he can't do, and you want to start making corrections and fiddling with his game.
When it comes to first-year forward DeJuan Blair, the Spurs coaching staff is fighting that temptation for now.
They aren't remaking his shooting form. They aren't in his ear constantly about playing defense. They aren't trying to teach him post moves he doesn't have. They aren't trying to make him Mark Price at the foul line, or Dikembe Mutombo at the rim.
For the time being, they are just letting Blair be. In that, the Spurs are just doing what they once did with another prized frontcourt rookie.
"We didn't even try to coach Tim Duncan at the beginning," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "We watched him. Once we figured out what he does, then we tried to do what we could to make it better."
Popovich is taking the same "observe and report" approach with Blair this preseason.
"We're going to watch him play and see what his strengths and weaknesses are," Popovich said, "rather than put him in a box."
Popovich has to like what he's seen from Blair so far. Though a bit undersized, Blair is leading the Spurs in scoring (14.7 ppg) and rebounding (8.2) in just 18 minutes a night. He's also flashed a unique ability to turn a game in a hurry. Blair has 17 points and 10 rebounds against the Thunder, despite not entering the game until midway through the third quarter.
Blair still has a lot to learn and a long way to go. For now, however, the Spurs aren't going to overthink him.