DeJuan Blair: rest of NBA's loss is Spurs' gain [Archive]

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ttdog

10-22-2009, 12:33 AM

DeJuan Blair: rest of NBA's loss is Spurs' gain (http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/other/2009/10/22/1022bohls.html)

By Kirk Bohls

When DeJuan Blair stole the ball at midcourt, drove to the basket and rose up for a two-handed thunder slam that shook the Erwin Center rafters, the entire San Antonio Spurs bench jumped up and began slapping high fives.

Fortunately, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich restrained himself, and general manager R.C. Buford muzzled any giggles from behind the bench.

Their self-restraint has been remarkable in the preseason, considering they probably engineered the biggest NBA steal since the Lakers ripped off the Grizzlies for Pau Gasol.

No one would blame San Antonio for beating its chest because on the virtual eve of the opening of the NBA regular season, it seems the consummate NBA franchise hoodwinked the rest of the league when it drafted the Pittsburgh power forward with an attitude in the second round.

If the preseason is any indication, the strong 6-foot-5 slab with Dennis Rodman's tenacity on the glass and a wingspan by Boeing will be a rebounding machine and an energetic force off the bench for a Spurs frontline that has been woefully lacking behind Tim Duncan. Rodman, mind you, was once a second-round pick as well.

Blair, of course, came with a buyer-beware label. Best we can tell, he'll become the only player in the league who doesn't have an anterior cruciate ligament to call his own in either knee. Two high school knee surgeries took care of that even if he wasn't aware of the deficiency until a May physical.

The other 29 teams were wary; they all passed until the Spurs dashed to the podium and chose Blair with the 37th pick.

If Blair produces as he has in limited minutes on court, he will make the NBA all-rookie team. In his first time in a Spurs uniform, he went off for 16 points and 19 rebounds against the Rockets and sat most of the fourth quarter.

Against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, he didn't appear on the floor until the third quarter but still filled a box score with 17 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and a block in just 14 minutes.

"Very honestly," Popovich said before his team's exhibition victory over the Thunder, "we felt it was a no-brainer at (pick No.) 37. There are not many 37s in the league."

There aren't all that many second-rounders who stick, for that matter.

It's not as though a selection after the first 30 picks cannot reach stardom. Manu Ginobili has fared OK with the Spurs. Carlos Boozer's done pretty well in Utah. Michael Redd made a few jumpers in Milwaukee. Jeff Hornacek stroked his face as often as he did free throws and perimeter shots in Utah.

And now the Spurs get a motivated, if undersized, power forward with a major chip on his shoulder.

Asked if he plans payback for the 29 teams that bypassed him, Blair said, "I'll let my games speak for itself."

The Spurs aren't letting on that they are worried about his knees. After all, Blair never missed a game or even a practice in his two seasons at Pitt. As for back-to-back games — a regular staple in the NBA— Blair said he did that plenty of times in AAU basketball with no ill effects.

Of course, maybe if he had the stability of twin ACL's, he might have grown up to become a nose tackle for his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers. He grew up in Pittsburgh less than a mile from the university campus where he evolved from a no-show on the All-Big East preseason team to honors as co-Big East player of the year. He shared that stage with UConn's Hasheem Thabeet, the same 7-foot-3 center Blair once dominated in a 22 point, 23 rebound game.

"I don't know what I have (in Blair)," Popovich said. "I don't know what to expect. I do know he's a tremendous rebounder and he has a passion for it. He's got really good hands, but I'm putting no expectations on him."

Of course, it didn't hurt that San Antonio also traded for prolific scorer and shooter Richard Jefferson and signed inside scorer Antonio McDyess for frontcourt depth, too.

But Blair's the real addition that could have the rest of the league shaking its collective heads.

"He's an animal out there," Tony Parker said.

It wouldn't be the first time San Antonio has outsmarted its competitors. It hasn't yet found out if Blair can guard a Gasol or a Boozer. He's also got plenty to learn: Pop chewed on him for slapping the backboard after his sensational play and for showboating. Blair dutifully apologized.

Still, the Spurs thought enough of him to sign him to a four-year deal worth $3.8 million with the fourth season partially guaranteed.

No one knows for sure if Blair will pan out, but even if his contributions are short-term, with his knees and all, he still might be worth the risk of bringing the franchise a fifth NBA championship.

bbarry

10-22-2009, 12:39 AM

anyone have a video of that dunk. the stupid highlights didn't show it on nba.com

MaNu4Tres

10-22-2009, 01:25 AM

Can the season start already....One long week...bleh

peskypesky

10-22-2009, 01:26 AM

anyone have a video of that dunk. the stupid highlights didn't show it on nba.com

you sure? i'm pretty sure i saw it.

and btw, how can Blair do that when he doesn't have any knees?

will_spurs

10-22-2009, 03:03 AM

and btw, how can Blair do that when he doesn't have any knees?

Would it change your opinion of the man if you learned that Superman doesn't have any ACL?

ElNono

10-22-2009, 08:11 AM

anyone have a video of that dunk. the stupid highlights didn't show it on nba.com

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4582033

Phenomanul

10-22-2009, 08:28 AM

Agloco

10-22-2009, 08:42 AM

DeJuan Blair: rest of NBA's loss is Spurs' gain (http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/other/2009/10/22/1022bohls.html)

By Kirk Bohls

Their self-restraint has been remarkable in the preseason, considering they probably engineered the biggest NBA steal since the Lakers ripped off the Grizzlies for Pau Gasol.

:rolleyes:rolleyes:rolleyes
:wtf:wtf:wtf

What the Lakers did = Engineering
What the Spurs did = Opportunistic

Big difference.

Agloco

10-22-2009, 08:46 AM

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4582033

Yeah I love the quote: "Some people feel that the Spurs got him on the cheap....."

You don't say.....

hater

10-22-2009, 09:27 AM

where's the video of that play?

Russ

10-22-2009, 10:01 AM

I'm still taken aback at the suggestion that the Spurs somehow 'engineered' Blair falling on their lap...

If anyone saw the draft just a couple of seconds went off the clock shortly after the 36th pick was announced and right before the Spurs giddly picked Blair...

I'm sure they were surprised to even see him slip that far, and utterly shocked that no one in the second round took the risk that they saw as a no-brainer. As someone stated earlier; to think that the Spurs were going to draft McClinton with the 37th pick... :wow

Equating the Pau Gasol deal to the Spurs' acquisition of Blair is disingenuous at best... it's not like the Spurs issued out doctored MRI's of Blair's knees to the rest of the league's teams... that's the third time this week (with Brent Barry notoriously starting the trend in jest) that I see those two acquisitions compared. :bang

Completely agree. The Gasol anaolgy would apply only if 30 other teams passed when offered Pao for nothing.

Collusion, rightly or wrongly, came to mind in the Gasol situation. Nothing about drafting Blair in the 2d round even hints at that.

Similarly, the Spurs may get too much credit for simply doing what Pop called a "no-brainer" -- drafting Blair at that spot. I always believed that the Spurs got too much credit for drafting Parker "out of the blue" at the end of the first round -- he wasn't a surprise pick at that point; rather he had fallen below where he was taken in most mock drafts.

The one time that I can recall the Spurs getting "clever" about trying to sneak through a draft pick was with Mahinmi -- they downplayed their interest and hid him out in France for a while. Based on that, I would say that "clever" is sometimes overrated when compared to comon sense and a little good fortune.

SenorSpur

10-22-2009, 10:16 AM

Yeah I love the quote: "Some people feel that the Spurs got him on the cheap....."

You don't say.....

Yeah. One of the dumbest statements I've heard recently.

How the hell could the Spurs, or any other team for that matter, get a player on the cheap, via the NBA draft? This isn't free agency.

Every NBA team, who had a pick ahead of the Spurs @ #37, had the same opportunity to select Blair, as the Spurs did. They just got scared off by medical reports.

Too bad, so sad.

in2deep

10-22-2009, 10:17 AM

x2TByKTOB6M

all_heart

10-22-2009, 10:17 AM

Blair should change his number to 37, you think Pop would allow that?:lol

SenorSpur

10-22-2009, 10:38 AM

The one time that I can recall the Spurs getting "clever" about trying to sneak through a draft pick was with Mahinmi -- they downplayed their interest and hid him out in France for a while. Based on that, I would say that "clever" is sometimes overrated when compared to comon sense and a little good fortune.

The other time I can recall the Spurs getting clever, in such a similar fashion, was in the 2008 NBA draft. The Spurs were highly interested in Nicolas Batum. Of course, they downplayed their interest. Recall there were rumors of some sort of hereditary heart issue with Batum. Rumor had it that the team also did not divulge the results of the last physical, leading up to the draft, in order further downplay interest. Supposedly, assurances were made by the Spurs to both the agent and player that HE would be their choice.

Of course, we all know how Portland snuffed out their plans and literally stole Batum by way of a trade with Houston. The Rockets drafted Batum one pick ahead of the Spurs and immediately traded him to Portland. Damn bastards.

Samr

10-22-2009, 12:12 PM

Still, the Spurs thought enough of him to sign him to a four-year deal worth $3.8 million with the fourth season partially guaranteed.

Call me stupid, blind, forgetful or ignorant but I didn't know the Spurs signed him to that long of a deal. I thought it was a 2 year for whatever reason. Obviously, that's fantastic they got him wrapped up for a while, while at the same time giving him enough money he shouldn't feel slighted.

Does anyone know where that contract falls on the first-round pay scale? Also, anyone know if the fourth year is at the Spurs' option or Blair's? (A google search didn't turn up anything for me; see the self-description adjectives above)

If teams don't already hate the Spurs (and their -- previously employeed? -- team doctors) now, they will in a few years.

Mr. Body

10-22-2009, 12:15 PM

The other time I can recall the Spurs getting clever, in such a similar fashion, was in the 2008 NBA draft. The Spurs were highly interested in Nicolas Batum. Of course, they downplayed their interest. Recall there were rumors of some sort of hereditary heart issue with Batum. Rumor had it that the team also did not divulge the results of the last physical, leading up to the draft, in order further downplay interest. Supposedly, assurances were made by the Spurs to both the agent and player that HE would be their choice.

Of course, we all know how Portland snuffed out their plans and literally stole Batum by way of a trade with Houston. The Rockets drafted Batum one pick ahead of the Spurs and immediately traded him to Portland. Damn bastards.

That episode still sucks. We got George Hill and he's looking like a great pick, but so does Batum. Getting RJ ameliorates everything; it's all good in the end.

ShoogarBear

10-22-2009, 12:23 PM

I'm still taken aback at the suggestion that the Spurs somehow 'engineered' Blair falling on their lap...

The Spurs tanked. Manu faked his injury so they would end up with the 37th pick.

hater

10-22-2009, 12:33 PM

The Spurs tanked. Manu faked his injury so they would end up with the 37th pick.

nah, this offseason DRob called up on his best friend, JC

CGD

10-22-2009, 12:48 PM

DeJuan Blair: rest of NBA's loss is Spurs' gain (http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/other/2009/10/22/1022bohls.html) It hasn't yet found out if Blair can guard a Gasol or a Boozer.

At least this year, I'm not sure that Blair will match up much with players of this caliber.

It's probably more likely he'll be up against the likes of the Didier Ilunga-Mbenga or Josh Powell of the league who are further along on the depth chart.

That being the case, Blair should have more than a few good games.

HarlemHeat37

10-22-2009, 12:59 PM

I wouldn't say Mbenga and Powell at all..he's gonna go up against the Milsapps and Odoms of the West..

lurker23

10-22-2009, 01:09 PM

Call me stupid, blind, forgetful or ignorant but I didn't know the Spurs signed him to that long of a deal. I thought it was a 2 year for whatever reason. Obviously, that's fantastic they got him wrapped up for a while, while at the same time giving him enough money he shouldn't feel slighted.

Does anyone know where that contract falls on the first-round pay scale? Also, anyone know if the fourth year is at the Spurs' option or Blair's? (A google search didn't turn up anything for me; see the self-description adjectives above)

If teams don't already hate the Spurs (and their -- previously employeed? -- team doctors) now, they will in a few years.

Two years fully guaranteed, third year only $500,000 guaranteed, fourth year fully unguaranteed.

http://www.shamsports.com/content/pages/data/salaries/spurs.jsp

(click on "Additional contract notes and details" for full details)

The first two years of his contract is pretty similar to if he had been picked at #27.

All options are the Spurs decision.

Samr

10-22-2009, 01:27 PM

^^ Yeah, other teams are gonna hate the Spurs.

Phenomanul

10-22-2009, 01:52 PM

How long before the national media considers the Spurs boring again, despite Blair's addition?

TimDunkem

10-22-2009, 02:24 PM

I see you lurking word7j. Where's that thread you promised discussing the importance of Roger Mason Jr?

Manufan909

10-22-2009, 02:38 PM

Blair should change his number to 37, you think Pop would allow that?:lol

I know I'm showing my n00bness, but who was 37? And I actually like 45, even though I'm more of an even numbers, or clone numbers (11, 22, 33) kind of guy. 45 works for Blair cuz those numbers are so damn wide... like him.

And if timvp reads this, he should merge this and all of the boday parts threads to the Blair thread, so it doesn't become BlairTalk.:downspin:

Manufan909

10-22-2009, 02:39 PM

I know I'm showing my n00bness, but who was 37? And I actually like 45, even though I'm more of an even numbers, or clone numbers (11, 22, 33) kind of guy. 45 works for Blair cuz those numbers are so damn wide... like him.

And if timvp reads this, he should merge this and all of the body parts threads to the Blair thread, so it doesn't become BlairTalk.:downspin:

HarlemHeat37

10-22-2009, 02:44 PM

Blair was picked 37th..but I'm pretty sure the people that want him to change his number want him to do it as a dedication to my own greatness..

ElNono

10-22-2009, 02:54 PM

Blair was picked 37th..but I'm pretty sure the people that want him to change his number want him to do it as a dedication to my own greatness..

LOL, good one...

CGD

10-22-2009, 02:55 PM

I wouldn't say Mbenga and Powell at all..he's gonna go up against the Milsapps and Odoms of the West..

Maybe eventually. To start the season Pop is going to focus on a Big man rotation that has Tim and Bonner starting, with Dice being the first big off the bench for Bonner, and Theo being the second coming in for Tim.

As the match up may dictate, Pop might toss Haislip against certain player like Odom (which is the whole reason we signed Hailslip). As the season wears on, Theo's minutes may be up for grabs (at least until the playoffs).

sa_kid20

10-22-2009, 02:59 PM

x2TByKTOB6M

Was that Stan Kelly on the PA??

Manufan909

10-22-2009, 03:07 PM

Ok, I get 37 now. And I think Blair will be Tim's replacement (not technically, since he'll be a C). The first 10 games, Tim and Bonner should start, with Dice coming in for Bonner 5-7 minutes into the game, unless Bonner is doing what he does best, raining 3s, and/or the opposing C is ot lighting him up. Then after Dice comes in, and one or both of the opposing bigs is subbed out, then Blair can come in for Timmy and just be a Meast.
:hat

Spurs Brazil

10-24-2009, 09:10 PM

Blair Thought Pacers Would Draft Him

Oct 24, 2009 6:55 PM EST
Spurs forward DeJuan Blair expected the Pacers to draft him with the 13th overall pick in June's NBA Draft.

Indiana selected North Carolina forward Tyler Hansbrough with the pick and Blair slipped to San Antonio in the second round.

"DeJuan Blair said he thought the Pacers were going to draft him at No. 13," Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star wrote on his Twitter page.

Via Twitter (Mike Wells)
http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/62330/20091024/blair_thought_pacers_would_draft_him/

TIMMYD!

10-24-2009, 09:40 PM

Did anyone notice him say Carlos Boozer has done pretty well but Manu has only done OK.

TIMMYD!

10-24-2009, 09:51 PM

Oh yeah the Celtics lose to the Knicks and who cares but we lose and we're suddenly old and boring again.

Manufan909

10-24-2009, 11:12 PM

Did anyone notice him say Carlos Boozer has done pretty well but Manu has only done OK.

Who said that?

Baseline

10-24-2009, 11:33 PM

:rolleyes:rolleyes:rolleyes
:wtf:wtf:wtf

What the Lakers did = Engineering
What the Spurs did = Opportunistic

Big difference.

What the Lakers did = David Sterning
What the Spurs did = San Antonio Spurring

duncan228

10-25-2009, 01:27 PM

Video: NBA Impact Rookies (The part about Blair starts at the 3:05 mark)

http://sports.yahoo.com/video/player/nba/Y_Sports_NBA_Coverage/16255575;_ylt=AgY0m4VmQP7SGSWXoz7w7GG8vLYF

ohmwrecker

10-25-2009, 05:54 PM

Blair should change his number to 37, you think Pop would allow that?:lol

37th pick in the draft . . . and also, the number of weeks Michael Jackson's Thriller was #1, according to Ron Artest.

duncan228

10-25-2009, 11:28 PM

Chris Mannix Mailbag
SI.com

What kind of impact do you think DeJuan Blair will have this season?
-- @Stan_TheCaddy

First, great Twitter handle. Second, I can't go to one city without hearing something positive about Blair. The New York Times' superb reporter Howard Beck was at the Spurs-Thunder game this week and tweeted that Blair was "the future of rebounding". A columnist for the Austin-American Statesman, after seeing Blair play, called San Antonio's second-round pick "the biggest NBA steal since the Lakers ripped off the Grizzlies for Pau Gasol."

Scouts love his physical play and think that his offensive game -- while raw now -- will develop quickly, especially with Blair under the tutelage of Tim Duncan. Blair is averaging 14.7 points and 8.2 rebounds in the preseason, making the Spurs look like geniuses (again) for locking him up with a four-year, $3.8 million contract. If Blair can be a more offensive-oriented version of Kurt Thomas this season, San Antonio is going to be a very tough out in the playoffs.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/chris_mannix/10/22/redd.mailbag/

Mr. Body

10-26-2009, 01:01 AM

buttsR4rebounding

10-26-2009, 02:30 AM

Call me stupid, blind, forgetful or ignorant but I didn't know the Spurs signed him to that long of a deal. I thought it was a 2 year for whatever reason. Obviously, that's fantastic they got him wrapped up for a while, while at the same time giving him enough money he shouldn't feel slighted.

Does anyone know where that contract falls on the first-round pay scale? Also, anyone know if the fourth year is at the Spurs' option or Blair's? (A google search didn't turn up anything for me; see the self-description adjectives above)

If teams don't already hate the Spurs (and their -- previously employeed? -- team doctors) now, they will in a few years.

The Spurs were able to use part of their MLE to sign Blair. Contrary to popular belief McDyess' contract was not for the full mid level exeption. The Spurs were able to structure Dice's contract so that there was enough money left to sign Blair to a 4 year deal for more than the rookie minimum.

naico

10-27-2009, 01:09 PM

Who's makes the All rookie 1st team this year?

Chad Ford (1:57 PM)

Blake Griffin, DeJuan Blair, Tyreke Evans, Jonny Flynn and Steph Curry