Sayonara Time for Hairston?

[ceperez]

In as much as I like Hairston for his athleticism, shooting and gutsy moves to the basket. I just absolutely can't see how he can buy minutes with the current lineup.

I mean, the Spurs are already playing without Parker, that's one extra man down. One would think that would open up some spare time, but apparently it isn't. We need every minute of Bogans, Mason and Finley's time.

Unless you dump either one of these 3 and lose someone like Parker, Ginobli, Hill or Jefferson then he isn't going to find time.

The final nail in the coffin is that Bogans is showing that he can real keep up the intensity. Mason and Finley aren't replaceable unless their traded, but that means someone else will come in to take minutes.

[mingus]

i would wave Mason before him. he was very good when he got minutes last year. esp in that game against Denver. showed a lot of heart, toughness and athleticism. he can defend, too. and in preseason he was hitting his threes.

i see a lot more upside with him than i do Mason.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Now that you've procliamed him useless, I fully expect Hairston to start within a week.

[Solid D]

He's injury protection for 2s and 3s. A lane crowded with over-sized feet is a standard risk factor to any NBA game. Take any one of Manu, Jefferson or Bogans out with an ankle sprain and the Spurs would "sorely" need an a aggressive wing player like Malik.

The Spurs may not want to keep spending money for term insurance past December, but Malik seems to have some special qualities about him. He is a cut above your normal Melvin Sanders. If Malik leaves, the Spurs become less athletic, less aggressive at both ends and they lose a guy who can create his own scoring opportunities. I hope the Spurs pay the paltry extra $ to keep Malik since they are making an exception this year any way.

[all_heart]

He hasn't even played much yet, we have to keep him. He's probably hell on wheels in practice which is good for the core guys anyway. Getting rid of him is like swearing off all other chicks because of a couple good dates. But then again are you the knock em up, marry them on your 1 month anniversary type??!:lol

[slick'81]

this thread is right on time

[benefactor]

Now that you've procliamed him useless, I fully expect Hairston to start within a week.
lol...I thought the same thing.

Of course he is not going to get minutes. He is basically a rookie and has several experienced wings ahead of him. He is not only injury protection(as Solid D pointed out), but he is a player the Spurs have taken time to develop and have kept beyond the preseason because they obviously see something they like. If you combine that with the fact that several of our wings will come off the books after this season cutting him because he doesn't play right now makes very little sense.

Ceperez...I think you has some potential as a poster, but you have to start taking a few steps back so you can see the whole painting. If you stand too close, it's easy to nitpick and find things you feel don't fit.

[coyotes_geek]

Hairston is fine. He's a good player, it's just not his time yet. There's no need for the Spurs to make any kind of a roster move right now.

On a related note, I really just find it amazing how the Spurs spend a whole offseason building the deepest roster they've ever had and then once the season starts people want to just start giving players away by saying the Spurs need to get rid of whoever had a bad game last night or whoever is buried at the end of the bench. No one needs to be cut.

[Mel_13]

Now that you've procliamed him useless, I fully expect Hairston to start within a week.

:lol

Hairston's time will be over right after Haislip becomes the backup SF and Bogans is waived. You have to give the OP credit. He doesn't let previous failure deter him from starting new threads.

[SenorSpur]

Personally, I believe that Pop's stubborn decision NOT to find some minutes for Hairston is hurting the team. The energy and effort that Blair has brought to the frontline, I feel would be matched by what Hairston could bring to the backcourt. Because of his unique skills on both ends, the better Hairston gets would only benefit the team on both ends. He would be a perfect backup for Bogans.

As weird as that may sound, having Finley and Mason on the floor is counter productive to the team on the defensive end, and with the way they are both struggling offensively, they are hurting the team on the offensive end too.

Pop needs to "get his head out", dust him off, and find some minutes for this young man. It never hurts putting another energy player on the floor for spot minutes.

[all_heart]

Personally, I believe that Pop's stubborn decision NOT to find some minutes for Hairston is hurting the team. The energy and effort that Blair has brought to the frontline, I feel would be matched by what Hairston could bring to the backcourt. Because of his unique skills on both ends, the better Hairston gets would only benefit the team on both ends. He would be a perfect backup for Bogans.

As weird as that may sound, having Finley and Mason on the floor is counter productive to the team on the defensive end, and with the way they are both struggling offensively, they are hurting the team on the offensive end too.

Pop needs to "get his head out", dust him off, and find some minutes for this young man. It never hurts putting another energy player on the floor for spot minutes.

I generally agree, but when TD and Parker come back who do you put on IR? IMO the Spurs can't afford to put Ratliff on IR, so who will it be?

[coyotes_geek]

Injuries or Pop choosing to give someone a night off are the only ways Hairston makes it off the IR. Sucks for Hairston, but that's what happens when you're on a team that has great depth. Someone gets squeezed out.

[tp2021]

He can also still be assigned to the Toros.

I'm pretty sure the Spurs recognize that he's a keeper. They've already cut and re-signed him twice.

[SpurNation]

Injuries or Pop choosing to give someone a night off are the only ways Hairston makes it off the IR. Sucks for Hairston, but that's what happens when you're on a team that has great depth. Someone gets squeezed out.

This.

And it's a great problem to have. Also, with expiring contracts and which direction the Spurs are going to go with Ginobili after this season...I don't think the Spurs hastily get rid of a player like Hairston.

[I. Hustle]

http://sainoba.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Sayonara_Zetsubou_Sensei_gif6.gif

[peskypesky]

He can also still be assigned to the Toros.

I'm pretty sure the Spurs recognize that he's a keeper. They've already cut and re-signed him twice.

i agree. the Spurs clearly think he has potential, but right now the team is so deep he has to bide his time and wait for his turn. who knows how things will play out as the season progresses. maybe Finley's time will continue to be cut. maybe Ratliff will be put on IR to save him for the playoffs.

[SpurCharger]

Hairston will Get His Minutes Next Year... Only way He gets Minutes this Year is If 2 Perimeter players go down.

[OrEmuN]

I dunno if its time for him but I certainly like him to stay and be given a chance. I like how he persevere with Toros and fought off for the final slot in the roster this year. No matter what, I just hope Pop will give him a chance to stake his place in the rotation.

[nkdlunch]

huh, he's a 12th man. that's what 12th men do. they sit on the bench.

[ulosturedge]

Just because Bogans had a good game does not make Malik obsolete.. My opinion on Malik hasn't changed one bit. He is just as good as Bogans if not better. He rebounds better then Bogans, he is more athletic then Bogans, and he can get to the rim. Bogans has answered the one question we had about him coming into this season though. He can be out on the court without being an offensive liability.

Truth be told what I want to happen is Pop lets Malik take Finleys minutes. Atleast as an experimentation. Finley is stopping no one out there on the floor. I could guarantee you that even though Malik is undersized he is still fully capable of staying in front of his man as well as contest the shot as it goes up. Finley plays hard and plays disciplined, but doesn't have the gear to put pressure on opposing players on the defensive end.

[Darkwaters]

The Spurs are clearly high on Hairston and think hes developing well. The guy has shown incredible growth in a relatively short time. While I'd love to see him get some significant time with the big club, I also don't think that spending another year in Austin will be a bad thing. Throw in a few select call-ups for him where he gets a decent run in the bigs and then let him dominate the lesser competition again and work out the wrinkles in his game that they indentify.

Fact is that the Spurs will probably be needing another wing next year no matter how you slice it. Finley, Mason, Ginobili and Bogans are all in contract years and I really doubt that we resign ALL of them. Ginobili is a given and, at this rate, Bogans might be also, but Finley and Mason are reasonable walks at this point. That means that Malik stands to step into a favorable situation with two years of experience in the system and potentially fill the role of a primary back-up and an integral part of one of the best benches in the league.

I think Hairston's got a lot to look forward to and a lot of reason to hang around.

[DPG21920]

He's injury protection for 2s and 3s. A lane crowded with over-sized feet is a standard risk factor to any NBA game. Take any one of Manu, Jefferson or Bogans out with an ankle sprain and the Spurs would "sorely" need an a aggressive wing player like Malik.

The Spurs may not want to keep spending money for term insurance past December, but Malik seems to have some special qualities about him. He is a cut above your normal Melvin Sanders. If Malik leaves, the Spurs become less athletic, less aggressive at both ends and they lose a guy who can create his own scoring opportunities. I hope the Spurs pay the paltry extra $ to keep Malik since they are making an exception this year any way.


Hairston is fine. He's a good player, it's just not his time yet. There's no need for the Spurs to make any kind of a roster move right now.

On a related note, I really just find it amazing how the Spurs spend a whole offseason building the deepest roster they've ever had and then once the season starts people want to just start giving players away by saying the Spurs need to get rid of whoever had a bad game last night or whoever is buried at the end of the bench. No one needs to be cut.


He can also still be assigned to the Toros.

I'm pretty sure the Spurs recognize that he's a keeper. They've already cut and re-signed him twice.


huh, he's a 12th man. that's what 12th men do. they sit on the bench.

[yavozerb]

The spurs are getting this guy ready for next year...Finley will not be back next year, Mason will probably have to take lower contract from the spurs than other teams to stay so I think he will leave, and expect bogans and manu to be back. With that said, I think he will be in the rotation next year and lets not forget that this guy is only 22 years old with still some work to be done on his ball handling and shooting.

[dbestpro]

He will be the Toro's MVP. I also think Pop should look at giving Haislip and Ian some burn when we play some of the longer teams to see what he's got in actual game time.

[SenorSpur]

While the Spurs have upgraded their talent over the summer, I'm still not convinced that they are as athletic enough at the 2/3 spot. They're better with RJ and Bogans, but Finley and Mason are just shooters. They bring nothing else to the table and seriously bring down the athletic quotient. The Spurs need the athleticism and energy that Hairston brings - especially when going up against teams like Blazers, Jazz, Fakers. Throwing minutes Hairston's way would only benefit this team in the long run and seriously upgrade the talent level. I simply don't understand why Pop is so adverse to this.

[coyotes_geek]

Obviously it's a conspiracy.

Either that or Pop sees Hairston in practice every day and just doesn't think he's ready yet.

One of the two.

[Darkwaters]

While the Spurs have upgraded their talent over the summer, I'm still not convinced that they are as athletic enough at the 2/3 spot. They're better with RJ and Bogans, but Finley and Mason are just shooters. They bring nothing else to the table and seriously bring down the athletic quotient. The Spurs need the athleticism and energy that Hairston brings - especially when going up against teams like Blazers, Jazz, Fakers. Throwing minutes Hairston's way would only benefit this team in the long run and seriously upgrade the talent level. I simply don't understand why Pop is so adverse to this.


Maybe Pop just doesn't want to experiment with two unknowns at the same position at the same time. Currently, Pop is looking at Bogans and trying to figure out just how much he can contribute. Once hes a known quantity, then perhaps we can move on to the experiementation of Malik Hairston. I think thats a reasonable way to go about it. We've got 75 games to go afterall. Theres plenty of time.

[jag]

i would wave Mason before him. he was very good when he got minutes last year. esp in that game against Denver. showed a lot of heart, toughness and athleticism. he can defend, too. and in preseason he was hitting his threes.

i see a lot more upside with him than i do Mason.


Have you lost your mind? There's nothing you can say that would justify this opinion...nothing.


Mason is in a slump. I have a feeling that you don't understand the concept of that.

[coyotes_geek]

Maybe Pop just doesn't want to experiment with two unknowns at the same position at the same time. Currently, Pop is looking at Bogans and trying to figure out just how much he can contribute. Once hes a known quantity, then perhaps we can move on to the experiementation of Malik Hairston. I think thats a reasonable way to go about it. We've got 75 games to go afterall. Theres plenty of time.

You bring up a good point. It goes beyond Bogans too. Between RJ, Dyess, Ratliff, Blair and Bogans the coaching staff has more than enough on their plates in terms of getting new guys integrated into the system.

[Parker2112]

Have you lost your mind? There's nothing you can say that would justify this opinion...nothing.


Mason is in a slump. I have a feeling that you don't understand the concept of that.

Mason's slump isnt the prob...

I was high on Mason for his clutchness last year, and I firmly believe he will start to shoot the lights out soon enough.

But he has never grasped the defensive end of things. NEVER. And who needs another three point shooter when we can get Malik in the game?

Malik has HUGE defensive upside, and I believe he is better defensively than mason as we speak. Not only that but he will bring a second player who can drive to the whole (aside from RJ), which we need. Bogans defense is better than RMJ by a mile. And I do believe Bogans will cool off (though I hope not). But his defense allows us to win games against quality teams, like he did last night. RMJ allows us to struggle to the end, so he can hit a game winner. Malik and Bogans will keep a team out of it all game long.

Bottom line...if you want to see this team blossom on D, Mason and Finley need to find the bench, Bonner's minutes need to get capped at around 15, and Malik needs to be given some serious burn.

[Parker2112]

that said, you don't waive RMJ. that is moronic.

[Blackjack]

“He really competed at the defensive end of the floor, and made us believe down the road we have a pretty good player on our hands,” Popovich said. “We weren't going to carry 15, but he made us do it.”

I realize I had to go in the way-back machine all the way to Nov. 6 to find this quote, but that doesn't sound too ominous for Hairston's future.


The fact of the matter is, Pop has to find a way to build continuity and cohesion with a roster that's had significant turnover and, thus, many moving parts. He's got to get players comfortable individually and collectively; throwing another variable into the equation doesn't aid in that effort.

The argument I and others of the HoH or HC have had, in regards to Hairston v Bogans, wasn't about Keith's inadequacies defensively. I and plenty of others knew he was a solid defender and that his game offensively fit the Spurs' system very well. We looked at him as basically the Udoka replacement, only a slight upgrade on the perimeter defensively. The argument for Hairston was that he was a better overall player. His defense was comparable but he brought more upside on both ends. That was the argument.

Personally, I'd rather have two defenders the caliber of Bogans and Hairston on the perimeter and not the one-trick ponies of Mason and Finley, but that's me; with all the added offensive talent, I'd prefer the role players to be a more dirty work, energy, defensive-group. Plus, given Bogans' size and need to play physically with his lack of length and athleticism, foul-trouble could, at times, be a problem. I'm not saying it's any kind of major concern but it's something to consider.

But it's not up to me or anyone on this board and it's completely feasible to think that Pop's vision for Hairston is that of insurance this year and a more prominent role next year when contracts expire or someone, possibly, retires.

Most likely Malik's best, and maybe only, shot is to seize an opportunity when Pop is forced to put in his insurance claim. He's going to have to take the reins and, like he did with making them feel they had to keep 15 on the roster, force them to keep him on the court with his play.

[ChumpDumper]

How is he going to force his way on the court when he is going to be on the IR when everyone is healthy?

[Darkwaters]

How is he going to force his way on the court when he is going to be on the IR when everyone is healthy?


The greatest show ever seen in 52 seconds of garbage time during our next game?

[PDXSpursFan]

huh, he's a 12th man. That's what 12th men do. They sit on the bench.

+1.

</thread>

[bigdog]

I'd like to see Hairston get some of Mason's minutes..... A LOT of Mason's minutes.

[ChumpDumper]

I like that people are now declaring Hairston to be a better NBA player than Finley and Mason. It's cute, but I'm not sure it's true.

[bigdog]

I like that people are now declaring Hairston to be a better NBA player than Finley and Mason. It's cute, but I'm not sure it's true.

I don't think he's a better player than Finley OR Mason....Finley is actually one of the better shooters on the team. Mason is just useless when he's not hitting shots, which is right now, so I'd like to see Hairston get at least a few minutes there.

[Obstructed_View]

If everyone else is hitting threes, Finley becomes rather redundant on this team quickly. There might be a chance or two coming up for Hairston to log some minutes. He'd better make the most of them if he wants any chance of cracking the rotation. Whether Mason's jumper comes back sooner or later makes little difference in that scenario.

[coyotes_geek]

If everyone else is hitting threes, Finley becomes rather redundant on this team quickly. There might be a chance or two coming up for Hairston to log some minutes. He'd better make the most of them if he wants any chance of cracking the rotation. Whether Mason's jumper comes back sooner or later makes little difference in that scenario.

The problem though is that Pop doesn't have the luxury of knowing ahead of time whether or not everyone else will be hitting their 3's that night, thus allowing him to put Finley on the IR and dressing Hairston.

[angelbelow]

lol...I thought the same thing.

Of course he is not going to get minutes. He is basically a rookie and has several experienced wings ahead of him. He is not only injury protection(as Solid D pointed out), but he is a player the Spurs have taken time to develop and have kept beyond the preseason because they obviously see something they like. If you combine that with the fact that several of our wings will come off the books after this season cutting him because he doesn't play right now makes very little sense.

Ceperez...I think you has some potential as a poster, but you have to start taking a few steps back so you can see the whole painting. If you stand too close, it's easy to nitpick and find things you feel don't fit.

agreed, at the end of the day hes trying to help out the team. but this thread is definitely premature in development. many others have already brought up great points.

[Obstructed_View]

The problem though is that Pop doesn't have the luxury of knowing ahead of time whether or not everyone else will be hitting their 3's that night, thus allowing him to put Finley on the IR and dressing Hairston.

Oh I completely agree with you. If the Spurs hit threes sporadically as a team Fin's not going anywhere. If the team begins hitting them with regularity, Pop can be weaned off the Finley Bombing Binges.

[rayray2k8]

Why would you waive Hairston? To what, bring back Williams after you said Bogans should have been waived first?
Just keep quiet and just watch.
:rolleyes

[ulosturedge]

I like that people are now declaring Hairston to be a better NBA player than Finley and Mason. It's cute, but I'm not sure it's true.


Well obviously Finley and Mason already established themselves as NBA players. That's not the point. What is the most critical issue with the Spurs right now? Their defense. Who is more likely the better defensive player out of Hairston, Finley and Mason. Umm how about Hairston. We have goo-gobs of depth on the offensive end. Why do we direly need two more 3 point chunkers on the court? We don't. And what is this 12th man bullshit? Apparently our current 12th man(Bogans) is making more of an impact then a whole lot of other people on our bench. So much for your 12th man doesn't mean shit theory.

[ChumpDumper]

Well obviously Finley and Mason already established themselves as NBA players. That's not the point. What is the most critical issue with the Spurs right now? Their defense. Who is more likely the better defensive player out of Hairston, Finley and Mason. Umm how about Hairston. We have goo-gobs of depth on the offensive end. Why do we direly need two more 3 point chunkers on the court? We don't. And what is this 12th man bullshit? Apparently our current 12th man(Bogans) is making more of an impact then a whole lot of other people on our bench.Bogans is a starter. Haislip is currently the 12th man.

[ulosturedge]

Bogans is a starter. Haislip is currently the 12th man.

Haslip wasn't even activated when the season started. Bogans was at the end of the bench.

[ChumpDumper]

Haslip wasn't even activated when the season started. Bogans was at the end of the bench.That doesn't change the fact that Bogans is currently a starter in a full contingent of swingmen and not the 12th man.

[ulosturedge]

That doesn't change the fact that Bogans is currently a starter in a full contingent of swingmen and not the 12th man.

It proves my point is what it does. Someone who was considered the last option and an end of the bench player is now starting. That is exactly what I was getting at. The same could hold true with Malik. So I say again this whole 12th man theory is bullshit. There is no one that I would consider the 12th man on our bench this year. Maybe other years you could have made such a debate with old Spurs players such as Dwayne Shintzius, Jack Haley, and whatever other super scrub you can conjure up, but that ain't the case this year.

[ChumpDumper]

It proves my point is what it does. Someone who was considered the last option and an end of the bench player is now starting. That is exactly what I was getting at. The same could hold true with Malik. So I say again this whole 12th man theory is bullshit. There is no one that I would consider the 12th man on our bench this year. Maybe other years you could have made such a debate with old Spurs players such as Dwayne Shintzius, Jack Haley, and whatever other super scrub you can conjure up, but that ain't the case this year.In normal circumstances I consider Malik a 13th man. I believe that will be the case this year unless he makes some kind of serious breakthrough with whatever minutes he does get.

[EricB]

Theres no minutes available.

If Ginobili can't go saturday I'd say he will get some burn.

IMO Finley is slowly being fazed out.

Last night in the 4th quarter was a typical Pop time to play him (offense sputtering needing spacing) and he didn't see the court hardly at all.

Hairston is one year away still but he will get his chances and hopefully he takes advantage.

[weebo]

Just because Bogans had a good game does not make Malik obsolete.. My opinion on Malik hasn't changed one bit. He is just as good as Bogans if not better. He rebounds better then Bogans, he is more athletic then Bogans, and he can get to the rim. Bogans has answered the one question we had about him coming into this season though. He can be out on the court without being an offensive liability.

Truth be told what I want to happen is Pop lets Malik take Finleys minutes. Atleast as an experimentation. Finley is stopping no one out there on the floor. I could guarantee you that even though Malik is undersized he is still fully capable of staying in front of his man as well as contest the shot as it goes up. Finley plays hard and plays disciplined, but doesn't have the gear to put pressure on opposing players on the defensive end.


The best defense Finely and Mason play are on themselves. These two scrubs have done nothing this year and yet they continue to get minutes. Malik should have a shot to at the very least earn some minutes. If he fails, then send him back to the bench. If he contributes, then that bodes well for the rest of the team and the rest of the season.

[SouthTexasRancher]

i would wave Mason before him. he was very good when he got minutes last year. esp in that game against Denver. showed a lot of heart, toughness and athleticism. he can defend, too. and in preseason he was hitting his threes.

i see a lot more upside with him than i do Mason.


:tu I hope Mason isn't pulling an Udoka on us but, he looks like he realizes his time here is short. Mason needs to do more than just shoot the spot-up 3. Even Bonner did a 2 handed dunk the other night.

It would be nice if Pop could find some floor time for Hairston against OKC.

[objective]

I'd rather see Hairston get minutes now than Mason or Finley. Now is the time early in the year to break him in and see what he can do, what with all the days off and extra practice time that won't be available after the all-star break.

It would be nice if he could help Bogans bring hell and really harass people on the perimter, something Finley and Mason can be counted on to never do.

PHX is doing a lot better now because of Dudley, and when Earl Clark comes around it will be worse. If the Spurs had the perimeter guys bringing it like that it would make life easier on the bigs not having to cover up for the usual Finley/Mason blow-bys.

[HarlemHeat37]

It's a combination of things..

I think loyalty is also a big part in this..

Hairston is 22 years old..he just made his first NBA cut, he's significantly improved already, and will continue to get better..he's gonna have a lot of time in the NBA..

We talk a lot about Duncan's last run, but this is likely Finley's last year in the NBA..if we're going to make a run, I highly doubt Pop puts him on the IL for the duration of it..he's too respected on this team..it looks like we're starting to see his decline in minutes though, so at least that's a positive..

Mason signed last year with aspirations of competing at a high level with this team..I highly doubt Pop would put him on the IL just a season after Mase had a surprising regular season and helped us win some games..

Hairston is a better player than Finley IMO, I don't see how he couldn't be..I don't really believe Finley is still an NBA-level player, just an NBA-level shooter at this point..Mason is a 1-D player that is currently in a slump, only preferred over Finley due to his age..

I hope he plays, he's a better fit for this team and can fill a need better than either Finley or Mason..loyalty will be key here, so I doubt Hairston gets his shot..I believe the FO believes he can already play though, which is why they kept him when they didn't have to..he's already an NBA-level player with a lot of upside, and already has good chemistry with our other young players..

[SenorSpur]

It's a combination of things..

I think loyalty is also a big part in this..

Hairston is 22 years old..he just made his first NBA cut, he's significantly improved already, and will continue to get better..he's gonna have a lot of time in the NBA..

We talk a lot about Duncan's last run, but this is likely Finley's last year in the NBA..if we're going to make a run, I highly doubt Pop puts him on the IL for the duration of it..he's too respected on this team..it looks like we're starting to see his decline in minutes though, so at least that's a positive..

Mason signed last year with aspirations of competing at a high level with this team..I highly doubt Pop would put him on the IL just a season after Mase had a surprising regular season and helped us win some games..

Hairston is a better player than Finley IMO, I don't see how he couldn't be..I don't really believe Finley is still an NBA-level player, just an NBA-level shooter at this point..Mason is a 1-D player that is currently in a slump, only preferred over Finley due to his age..

I hope he plays, he's a better fit for this team and can fill a need better than either Finley or Mason..loyalty will be key here, so I doubt Hairston gets his shot..I believe the FO believes he can already play though, which is why they kept him when they didn't have to..he's already an NBA-level player with a lot of upside, and already has good chemistry with our other young players..

I totally agree and I wouldn't doubt that loyalty has a lot to do with it. But screw loyalty. Loyalty doesn't win games, talent does. I know I'm preaching to the choir, but I had to get that out.:lol

[Johnny RIngo]

It's a combination of things..

I think loyalty is also a big part in this..

Hairston is 22 years old..he just made his first NBA cut, he's significantly improved already, and will continue to get better..he's gonna have a lot of time in the NBA..

We talk a lot about Duncan's last run, but this is likely Finley's last year in the NBA..if we're going to make a run, I highly doubt Pop puts him on the IL for the duration of it..he's too respected on this team..it looks like we're starting to see his decline in minutes though, so at least that's a positive..

Mason signed last year with aspirations of competing at a high level with this team..I highly doubt Pop would put him on the IL just a season after Mase had a surprising regular season and helped us win some games..

Hairston is a better player than Finley IMO, I don't see how he couldn't be..I don't really believe Finley is still an NBA-level player, just an NBA-level shooter at this point..Mason is a 1-D player that is currently in a slump, only preferred over Finley due to his age..

I hope he plays, he's a better fit for this team and can fill a need better than either Finley or Mason..loyalty will be key here, so I doubt Hairston gets his shot..I believe the FO believes he can already play though, which is why they kept him when they didn't have to..he's already an NBA-level player with a lot of upside, and already has good chemistry with our other young players..

I really can't see Mason and Finley lasting the whole season. One or the other has to go. It's redundant to keep both on the roster.

[rvman21]

i would wave Mason before him. he was very good when he got minutes last year. esp in that game against Denver. showed a lot of heart, toughness and athleticism. he can defend, too. and in preseason he was hitting his threes.

i see a lot more upside with him than i do Mason.


i agree

[SenorSpur]

I really can't see Mason and Finley lasting the whole season. One or the other has to go. It's redundant to keep both on the roster.

Could it be that Pop is coming to the same realization? Again, I don't believe that either Finley or Mason will be waived. Perhaps one or the other gets traded? Still, the Spurs don't need 3 one-trick ponies on the roster (Bonner being the other - and he isn't going anywhere).

If Pop wants to improve the team defense, he will continue to have to limit the minutes of these guys. In Finley's case, let's hope he's being phased out alltogether.

[KenziE]

Theres no minutes available.

If Ginobili can't go saturday I'd say he will get some burn.

IMO Finley is slowly being fazed out.

Last night in the 4th quarter was a typical Pop time to play him (offense sputtering needing spacing) and he didn't see the court hardly at all.

Hairston is one year away still but he will get his chances and hopefully he takes advantage.

looks to me its happening already ... the more the new guys produce within their capabilities the less time fin will see the court ... its about time... i wonder if he doesnt look at the mirror and tell himself that he cant do it no more? cmon hes gotta feel like hes letting the team down with his play atleast .....

[antimvp]

just being on the spurs roster to this point guarantees him a long career in the NBA.

[NZ Spurs]

The BBIQ level on this board has taken a massive downturn. Sad really.

[sabar]

Wait until the current group is acclimated to the situation before putting another unknown in there. A team an easily get a .500 record by infusing a ton of new players at once. We will know a lot more around January.

[anakha]

The final nail in the coffin is that Bogans is showing that he can real keep up the intensity. Mason and Finley aren't replaceable unless their traded, but that means someone else will come in to take minutes.

Weren't you advocating Bogans be waived before?

[kenson-q]

I hope this guy can play 15-20 minutes per game.

[Chieflion]

I would be happy to see Hairston in garbage time. If he can produce in garbage time, at least there is hope for him gain extra minutes. Suddenly throwing him into the fire against legit NBA players might make him look quite bad and we might get "Waive Malik Hairston" or "Malik Hairston sucks" threads.

[Malik Hairston]

do I dunk too much?