View Full Version : Spurs notebook: ‘The Beast' is human after all
Blackjack
10-23-2009, 11:50 PM
Spurs notebook: ‘The Beast' is human after all (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Spurs_notebook_The_Beast_is_human_after_all.html)
By Jeff McDonald - Express-News
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — For the first time in his young NBA career, Spurs rookie DeJuan Blair looked human Friday night.
He fell on his backside while jumping for a rebound in the fourth quarter of Indiana's 114-112 victory and actually felt pain.
Blair grimaced as he came off the floor with what coach Gregg Popovich later called a bruised tailbone and didn't finish the fourth quarter for precautionary reasons.
“I'm going to be fine,” Blair said. “I'll live.”
Before his exit, Blair filled up the box score again against the Pacers, logging nine points, six rebounds and three steals in 15 minutes, 47 seconds.
In between, he also showed he can't guard Danny Granger.
Granger, the Pacers small forward, ranked fifth in the league in scoring last season at 25.3 points per game. In truth, Blair should never have been on him, or Dahntay Jones, another wing player Popovich asked Blair to defend. That's what the preseason is for.
“We let him guard perimeter guys, just to give him an education, to let him see some different people,” Popovich said.
On the other side of the spectrum, Blair also saw time against Indiana center Roy Hibbert, who at 7-foot-2 has seven inches on him. Blair didn't exactly dominate Hibbert, but neither did he back down.
Happy Hoosiers: Of the 16 Spurs who made the trip to Indiana, only two had played a game at Assembly Hall, Indiana University's legendary gym.
Michael Finley played there four times while in college at Wisconsin. George Hill, an Indianapolis native, played a handful of AAU games there while in high school.
An Indiana native himself, Popovich had watched games in the hallowed building but had never coached there until Friday.
“I always enjoy playing at the colleges during the preseason,” Popovich said. “We don't need to always go to the same arenas we're going to be in for 100 games or whatever.”
Ian's eye has it: It was a painful night for the Spurs' backup big men. In the locker room afterward, Ian Mahinmi took four stitches to close a gash over his right eye.
The cut opened when one of Indiana's guards — Mahinmi thinks it was either Jones or Earl Watson — delivered an elbow during a rebounding struggle.
narmerguy
10-24-2009, 12:11 AM
DeJuan took the night off tonight and put up some average numbers tonight. He knows he doesn't have to show off anymore.
Are you serious?
LOL@MavsFan
10-24-2009, 12:16 AM
Heh heh whoa
Danny.Zhu
10-24-2009, 12:16 AM
Damn. He didn't even get a double double.
Dejuan Blair doesn't feel pain. Pain feels Dejuan Blair.
I had to say that.
Interrohater
10-24-2009, 12:28 AM
That wasn't a bruise, that's the mutation starting to take effect. He'll be blue and furry soon.
Fpoonsie
10-24-2009, 12:34 AM
Blasphemy.
Spurs Brazil
10-24-2009, 06:56 AM
Blair has bruised backside, but mostly OK
By Jeff McDonald on Oct 23, 09 09:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) Save & Share Yahoo! BuzzYahoo! Newsvine del.icio.us Facebook Google Reddit Fark
Spurs rookie forward DeJuan Blair left tonight's preseason loss to Indiana with a bruised tailbone, but is otherwise fine.
Blair fell hard at some point midway through the fourth quarter. He isn't sure what happened, but he believed Dahntay Jones fell and rolled underneath him during a rebounding scrum.
"I'm going to be fine," Blair said.
Blair finished with nine points and six rebounds in 15:47 minutes.
It was a black-and-blue kind of night for the Spurs' reserve big men. Ian Mahinmi received four stitches over his right eye after the game, after taking an elbow. He, too, expects to be fine.
http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/2009/10/blair-has-bruis.html
ceperez
10-24-2009, 07:24 AM
In between, he also showed he can't guard Danny Granger.
Granger, the Pacers small forward, ranked fifth in the league in scoring last season at 25.3 points per game. In truth, Blair should never have been on him, or Dahntay Jones, another wing player Popovich asked Blair to defend. That's what the preseason is for.
“We let him guard perimeter guys, just to give him an education, to let him see some different people,” Popovich said.
He'll be a real menace if he can stay on the court against SFs. Dahntay Jones who happens to be the same height at Blair had big time trouble guarding him at the post. So if he can keep up with a SF in the defense end, then that'll be a game changer.
Chieflion
10-24-2009, 07:43 AM
He'll be a real menace if he can stay on the court against SFs. Dahntay Jones who happens to be the same height at Blair had big time trouble guarding him at the post. So if he can keep up with a SF in the defense end, then that'll be a game changer.
Dahntay Jones always had trouble guarding players in the post. It is the same reason why Carmelo scored 45 on the Pacers in the preseason.
AussieFanKurt
10-24-2009, 07:49 AM
sometimes irrelevant articles like this one annoy me
like seriously, who writes random shit like this. its hardly important. it can be summed up in an analysis on the game
thispego
10-24-2009, 10:30 AM
the genius that is jeff mcdonald
mookie2001
10-24-2009, 10:32 AM
the genius that is jeff mcdonald
if you have fucking problem why dont you write something instead of sitting on your ass and bitching
mookie2001
10-24-2009, 10:32 AM
bitch
Riverwalkman
10-24-2009, 10:56 AM
He'll be a real menace if he can stay on the court against SFs. Dahntay Jones who happens to be the same height at Blair had big time trouble guarding him at the post. So if he can keep up with a SF in the defense end, then that'll be a game changer.
Blair is not that fast to matchup with SF, however Pop made him in some mismatch situations. Preseason is just like practice, coach may make some irregular situations to test the max ability of a rookie. I think for Blair it's a good sign, because it illustrates Pop was evaluating how quick could he slide defensively, to let him on court at the right time when season begins.
completely deck
10-24-2009, 11:01 AM
DeJuan45 (http://twitter.com/DeJuan45) I feel good this morning just got out of the pool I was on the tredmill n da pool so I feel alot better!!!!!!26 minutes ago (http://twitter.com/DeJuan45/status/5124594399) from Echofon (http://echofon.com/)
thispego
10-24-2009, 11:33 AM
if you have fucking problem why dont you write something instead of sitting on your ass and bitching
everything ive ever written is better than jefe mcdonald. Go to view all posts by thispego... Take your pic
Is Blair physical enough to keep a bigger post man away from the basket -- that may be the only way he can really carry his weight (no pun) on D.
Who would he guard of the Lakers' starting 5? (Personally, I think he might give a guy like Bynum some problems, can't see him doing much against Gasol, Artest anybody?).
Blair's defensive development may be the biggest key to a Spurs' title run.
EricB
10-24-2009, 12:23 PM
Is Blair physical enough to keep a bigger post man away from the basket -- that may be the only way he can really carry his weight (no pun) on D.
Who would he guard of the Lakers' starting 5? (Personally, I think he might give a guy like Bynum some problems, can't see him doing much against Gasol, Artest anybody?).
Blair's defensive development may be the biggest key to a Spurs' title run.
Seriously?
Your questioning his physicality?
Spursfan092120
10-24-2009, 12:30 PM
Our backup big man couldn't guard last year's scoring leader...oh noes...seriously..this is just retarded.
EricB
10-24-2009, 12:39 PM
Our backup big man couldn't guard last year's scoring leader...oh noes...seriously..this is just retarded.
I think he was just giving a bit of insight on the game for the people that don't spend thousands of hours on the internet.
eyeh8u
10-24-2009, 12:45 PM
his twitter account states he is at 36.115414,-115.191849
which is in vegas, maybe he was out all night gambling thats why he faked his injury to get out of the game
Seriously?
Your questioning his physicality?
Nope, I'm saying that's his one asset as a defender -- physicality.
But the question is whether, as physical as he is for a forward, can he keep a Shaq-sized true center away from the rack.
EricB
10-24-2009, 12:50 PM
Nope, I'm saying that's his one asset as a defender -- physicality.
But the question is whether, as physical as he is for a forward, can he keep a Shaq-sized true center man away from the rack.
Theres only one Shaq sized center that I know of.
You only have to play him twice a year as well, so I don't see how that will be a problem.
Theres only one Shaq sized center that I know of.
You only have to play him twice a year as well, so I don't see how that will be a problem.
Check Bynum's size.
EricB
10-24-2009, 12:52 PM
Check Bynum's size.
Good for him.
When he actually backs guys down and plays like a Shaq size center then I will worry about Blair's D on a Bynum like guy.
TIMMYD!
10-24-2009, 01:00 PM
I doubt the Beast will have too much trouble with Bynum.
Good for him.
When he actually backs guys down and plays like a Shaq size center then I will worry about Blair's D on a Bynum like guy.
I would worry less about Blair's D if Bynum backs guys down and plays like a Shaq size center. The problem is if Bynum has a nice little turn around J around the basket or some good post moves. That's what could cause Blair problems.
At any rate, Blair needs to study film of how Wes Unseld played D for the old Washington/Baltimore/Capital Bullets. If he can play D like Wes, he'll hold his own on D and excel in all other areas.
eyeh8u
10-24-2009, 02:44 PM
The only person that can compare with Shaq from a size stand point is Yao. And even then Shaq still looks bigger. I can only think of two players that were that physically big and just made other bigs look small. Wilt and Shaq.
what about big country he dominated, he was the white shaq
http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nba/vancouver/BigCOuntryVan2.jpg
completely deck
10-24-2009, 03:39 PM
Man those were atrocious uniforms.
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