So. What's next for Blair?

[SpurNation]

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/dejuan_blair/season_splits.html

His playing time has been less in the past 2 losses than it was in games the Spurs have won.

Does this mean that he would have been instrumental in helping the team win if he played more minutes? Or that the team actually kept the game close enough to almost win by not letting him play more minutes?

It's going to be interesting to see what Blair will do in the next several games. Intensity doesn't seem to be a problem more so than being over aggresive in his decisions on the court. And a lack of experience might tend to have a player of his youth and inexperience lean more to the decisions he's been making that have been getting him less minutes as the games add up.

But I can't help but wonder at this early stage that he just might not be able to handle many of the taller bigs in this league no matter how well he might be positioned. Will experience build that confidence and ability to defend such advesaries in this league?

His offensive game so far has been a pleasant suprise at this early stage. He has scored more than I thought he would be at this time. But by the same token, his defense has been suprisingly softer than I would imagine.

There's no doubt about his rebounding ability. And in many occasions if he hasn't been able to garnish the rebound...he's effectively deflected the ball away from an opposing player helping to stagnate a fast break opportunity and allowing his teammates to respond and set up on D.

I've always thought he would be a great compliment to Duncan on the floor at the same time. After the first 10 games (and a couple of starts)...it appears he has a way to go to getting to that level of starting with Duncan. And with Bonner proving to be much more effective off the bench, perhaps Blair just might have sunk to the ranks of 4th option big man.

Amazing how fast things happen to players in this league.

What's next for Blair?

[xtremesteven33]

Im a big fan of Blairs game. I think he is going to be a good player in the NBA, but im starting to think it doesnt have to be with the Spurs. Spurs need a bigger more experienced player Today. Not next year or 2 years from now.

[elec99]

I don't understand his lack of minutes, 6 - 9 minutes in the last two games. What are we saving him for? We could use his offensive rebounding, or just rebounding in general. The last two games were close, more rebounds could be the difference.

[objective]

Maybe I'm just a big buffoon, but I've been disappointed by his rebounding the last few games, at least compared to the expectations from pre-season, SL and college.

He isn't really getting his hands on balls from my perspective, and seems to have trouble blocking out and jumping for the ball. Long arms are great, but they don't outreach guys who are 2-4 inches taller who are also jumping. Most of this is on the defensive boards. I'm believe his defensive rebounds per 40 is probably about 20-25% less than Bonner's the past 5 games, and while Bonner has had some good rebounding games that shouldn't happen. Maybe I'm crazy on this and I've already deleted the losses from my dvr so I can't rewatch, but those are my impressions.

Defensively he hasn't been very good but I would expect that from a rookie.

[rayray2k8]

He's got the Wizards next... ass

[xtremesteven33]

Spurs have the players/contracts to make a pretty damn good deal.

Adding Blair makes the deal even sweeter. Especially if its for a quality big.

[clambake]

you guys are already talking about shipping him out?

[xtremesteven33]

you guys are already talking about shipping him out?


I wouldnt do it because hes not going to be a good player. I would do it because he doesnt fit the teams need right now. Hes good for his size but right now the road to the championship is SIZE.

Lakers,Celtics,Blazers,Mavericks all have size. I dont see Blair being able to compete with 7 footers on a regular basis and have much success. Thats just my opinion right now but hopefully im wrong and he does find a way to compete on the same level as 7 footers...

[DesignatedT]

The only time hes effective is when duncan is on the bench. he clogs the middle to much for TD. + he cant shoot a jumper.

I also feel like every time he touches the ball he feels inclined to shoot it. I would like to see him get some more time tho.

[SenorSpur]

I don't understand this. The Spurs get lucky by having young, talented, frontcourt player, with first-round talent, literally fall into their laps, and some of the folks here want to ship the guy out 10 games into the season. Amazing!

[slick'81]

whats next probably more tongue lashing form pop on his great 1on1 defense

[xtremesteven33]

I don't understand this. The Spurs get lucky by having young, talented, frontcourt player, with first-round talent, literally fall into their laps, and some of the folks here want to ship the guy out 10 games into the season. Amazing!


Do you think Blair will be able to compete with other 7 footers based upon what you have seen so far?

Dont get me wrong I like his game. I know hes going to develop into a good player for his size but I dont see him having the impact I thought he was. He doesnt have much elevation for his size and hes just a banger right now. If we want to play a banger next to Tim than I think it needs to be somebody who is a legit 7 footer to stay competitive with the other bigs in the NBA.

[SouthTexasRancher]

I don't understand this. The Spurs get lucky by having young, talented, frontcourt player, with first-round talent, literally fall into their laps, and some of the folks here want to ship the guy out 10 games into the season. Amazing!


:tu Well said. I don't understand either, how after 7 or 8 games so many are already wanting to break this team up, fire the coach, get rid of great draft choices and move the team to Timbuktu. San Antonio and South Texas are noted for their laid back love of life, yet so many are ready to commit Hari Kari over a few loses and lesser minutes than expected.

[Chomag]

I don't understand this. The Spurs get lucky by having young, talented, frontcourt player, with first-round talent, literally fall into their laps, and some of the folks here want to ship the guy out 10 games into the season. Amazing!

Trade him for a 30+yr vet so we have a player that Pop will play at least? J/K at this point I would hate to see him go and it would be pretty stupid to give him up.

Besides in about 9 years Pop will give him plenty of PT. We just got to be patient. lol

[SouthTexasRancher]

Do you think Blair will be able to compete with other 7 footers based upon what you have seen so far?

Dont get me wrong I like his game. I know hes going to develop into a good player for his size but I dont see him having the impact I thought he was. He doesnt have much elevation for his size and hes just a banger right now. If we want to play a banger next to Tim than I think it needs to be somebody who is a legit 7 footer to stay competitive with the other bigs in the NBA.

Sir Charles made a career of it including guarding DRob and at times frustrating the hell out of David. Granted, Blair has a long way to go to be compared to Barkley but, who knows...I say give him a chance. If nothing else he brings desire and effort you don't always see from other players. If he can become a Malik Rose type player and bring that style to the game then we won't get hurt by keeping him.

Personally I think his lack of minutes the past couple of games has more to do with the game situation than it did with Blair. I seriously doubt Blair is in Pop's dog house. Pop likes Blair's energy and passion for rebounds. Most likely they are working with him towards learning the system more quickly without making a lot of mistakes and hurting his confidence. JMHO

[xtremesteven33]

Im pulling for Blair dont get me wrong....

[SouthTexasRancher]

Im pulling for Blair dont get me wrong....


No problem...I understand where you are coming from. I too wish he was about 4" - 6" taller. He is definitely the kind of guy you want covering your back though. He is a warrior!

[MaNu4Tres]

He's making too many mistakes right now on the defensive end and has gotten sloppy on offense. He needs to get smarter if he's going to have a significant impact on this team.

[lennyalderette]

dont compare blair to veterans! hes been in the nba less than 2 months. and people are judging what an overall player he is in the nba! insane, yes hes not producing like jennings and hes not as tall as we would like, but this is unbelievable. and if we ship him out with all our bench who will we get ? one good tall player? give the kid a chance to get conditioned.

[dbestpro]

What is wrong with the Spurs goes beyond the new guys like Blair and RJ. The team overall has a lack of effort and mostly from the guys who Pop says already knows the system. Pop created this beast whereas in the past the Spurs would take the night off for the long season. Now the skill level is at a point where they can't take a play off let alone the night off. I see this "lack of effort" infecting the new guys. The recipe for the Spurs to win with Blair playing more minutes or less is the same. The need to play harder. The ship will not right until they do.

[HarlemHeat37]

He's making too many mistakes right now on the defensive end and has gotten sloppy on offense. He needs to get smarter if he's going to have a significant impact on this team.

Pretty much..

He's in a mini-slump right now..the fact that he's an undersized big man means he's gonna have to take some time to get a feel for the competition in the league..he's going to have stretches like this..

He's gonna have to improve his defense though..he's one of the worst defenders on this team, which is saying a lot, because we have a lot of poor defenders right now..

[pjjrfan]

I'd say more bench time. Which is sad, cause I believe Blair can adapt if given minutes and trusted. But at 4-6 and Parker and Manu out,I don't think Pop is any mood to give anyone a learning curve. Blair is not the only one weak on the defensive end, IMO only HIll and Bogans are bringing any kind of consistent defensive effort, everyone else is struggling.

[portnoy1]

Im a big fan of Blairs game. I think he is going to be a good player in the NBA, but im starting to think it doesnt have to be with the Spurs. Spurs need a bigger more experienced player Today. Not next year or 2 years from now.
Well then they should've addressed that in the offseason. Instead of a trade for a $14million Wing, maybe they should've traded for a $9million C along with a $5million SF. That way the paint problem is taken care of along with the offensive versatility.

[weebo]

sonavubitch...the guy is a 20 yr. old rookie and 10 games into his first season and people are already bashing on him??

[Höfner]

Oh how the mighty have fallen.

[jack0fspeed]

Not impressed with what I've seen from Blair so far.

Then again I wasn't impressed with Hill last year.

Give him time.

[SpurNation]

Clarification to those that think this is a Blair bashing segment.

On the contrary. It's targeted as to ask what is next for him in the Spur's system.

If allowed to play significant minutes...he will learn the system faster. Correct his mistakes sooner. Develop his game farther.

If reeled in on his minutes played. He has no chance to develop and make significant contributions months down the road.

What's next in the next month or two to come could significantly impact the Spurs come playoff time if any of the other bigs gets injured during the latter part of the season and Blair hasn't had enough significant time to learn and effectively work in the system.

Or...has been mentioned...understand that he won't be able to help for the run this year and use him as trade to get a legitmate big from a struggling team to help the Spurs achieve that goal while Tim is still healthy enough to help in that goal.

Tough call. But one that could mean the difference in having the best shot now at winning a championship or settling for rebuilding after this year.

[SenorSpur]

Dude needs more time on the floor.

[Capt Bringdown]

Pretty much par for the course, isn't it? This is what Pop does to develop rookies: mistakes mean bench time. Bench time means lack of confidence and even more mistakes, which result in even less PT.

Because we aren't concerned about working for the best regular-season record, it's about tinkering.
And that means heavy-minutes for our older players, because, you know, they never make mistakes.

Blair should use his bench time to study Finley's mistake-free brand of basketball that has earned him so many minutes over the years.

[Chomag]

Pretty much par for the course, isn't it? This is what Pop does to develop rookies: mistakes mean bench time. Bench time means lack of confidence and even more mistakes, which result in even less PT.

I have noticed this. He looks like he is walking on eggs out there. Just the other day I was talking to a friend about him and he said that he did notice that Blair looks like he is even afraid to show some attitude ,and emotion out there now which was part of his game.

I do slightly remember back in a preseason game where Pop berated him because he thought Blair was showboating. Just my observation though.

[Russ]

Blair looks like he's improving in the presumed problem areas -- on ball defense, defensive rotations and even shot blocking.

He should be getting more time, not less. Whether Blair can develop and Manu can stay healthy seem like two huge keys to the season.

After all of the false steps with young bigs like Jackie Butler, Mahinmi, etc., the Spurs are overdue for a success story and time is becoming short.

[ElNono]

There's bigger fish to fry right now. Like integrating our trusty old and new vets.
In the meantime, he's another body to use when our frontcourt is in foul trouble.

[Danny.Zhu]

10 games is still a small sample.

[spurspokesman]

Im a big fan of Blairs game. I think he is going to be a good player in the NBA, but im starting to think it doesnt have to be with the Spurs. Spurs need a bigger more experienced player Today. Not next year or 2 years from now.
I usually agree with u xt but not here. This kid is showing signs right off the bat. Remember hill wasn't all that hot his rookie season and look at him go. Also look at greg oden. He is not prime time but he plays a huge role. Wed be stupid to let that kid walk. I don't fault blair for nothing. If he had two more years in him bonners soft ass would be eating pine. Give em time.

[Chieflion]

Blair has to learn how to give some effort on the defensive end. No point getting points while giving up just as much on the other end. We also started on the losing end when he was starting as he gave up a lot of points. He was also not getting any boards, which was supposed to be his strength. I say he should be a bench player and learn from our vets. Starting him puts him at a bad spot.

[admiralsnackbar]

Blair has to learn how to give some effort on the defensive end. No point getting points while giving up just as much on the other end. We also started on the losing end when he was starting as he gave up a lot of points. He was also not getting any boards, which was supposed to be his strength. I say he should be a bench player and learn from our vets. Starting him puts him at a bad spot.

Your point remains, but I don't think it's a question of effort as much as he doesn't know what to do. I don't mind him beneath the basket as much as when he rotates to the top of the key, spreads his arms, and expects the other team to pass to the other side of the court out of deference. He makes himself a target.

[Chieflion]

Your point remains, but I don't think it's a question of effort as much as he doesn't know what to do. I don't mind him beneath the basket as much as when he rotates to the top of the key, spreads his arms, and expects the other team to pass to the other side of the court out of deference. He makes himself a target.
He is not even doing all of that. Sometimes, I just want him to be able to guard his own man to some extent. He is easily the worst defensive big in the rotation. I would say he is worse than Bonner. It is either he is not trying, or his fundamentals on defense suck. He shows flashes of brilliance on the defensive end, like the block on Dirk to end the quarter. Otherwise, he can't rotate, especially the one where Aldridge got an easy dunk cutting through the lane cause Blair went on top of the key to trap the point guard.

[SpurNation]

He is not even doing all of that. Sometimes, I just want him to be able to guard his own man to some extent. He is easily the worst defensive big in the rotation. I would say he is worse than Bonner. It is either he is not trying, or his fundamentals on defense suck. He shows flashes of brilliance on the defensive end, like the block on Dirk to end the quarter. Otherwise, he can't rotate, especially the one where Aldridge got an easy dunk cutting through the lane cause Blair went on top of the key to trap the point guard.

It's more of the height disadvantage than speed to get back. And your point only helps the point I've made several times.

The defensive system of pulling our bigs away from the paint or weak side only allows for easier baskets in the post for opposing teams because it draws our bigs too far away to re-establish position. Hence our low rebounding %'s vs. other teams due to the other team's easy access to score or being out of position to garnish a rebound.

[Chieflion]

It's more of the height disadvantage than speed to get back. And your point only helps the point I've made several times.

The defensive system of pulling our bigs away from the paint or weak side only allows for easier baskets in the post for opposing teams because it draws our bigs too far away to re-establish position. Hence our low rebounding %'s vs. other teams due to the other team's easy access to score or being out of position to garnish a rebound.
It is not the defensive system. More PFs now have a decent enough jumper so their defender has to go further out to challenge their shots. Guys like Aldridge, Dirk, Murphy, Jamison, Garnett, West, Bosh and many others make you go outside to defend them while rebounding well themselves. It is a league trend and the Spurs cannot seem to keep up. I am not disagreeing with you here. The league has changed. In the past, PFs like Karl Malone, Kevin McHale looked to post up and use their post moves to score inside.

On Blair's problem, with Blair, we need to look to hustle more. I am sure we can run a little fast break or two if he gets steals. With his long arms, he can get steals and blocks being a good help defender. Jason Maxiell is one guy I would mention. His body is similarly built like Blair, with freak-like long arms who is a solid help defender. The system also needs to change for Blair to use those arms for both sides of the floor for rebounds. If Blair is not being the help defender and rebounder he can be, then he is worthless on the team as he cannot even be trade bait because of his health concerns.

Edit: Another thing to add, guards like Jason Kidd, Rajon Rondo and Brandon Jennings, and some combo guards like Westbrook, Tyreke Evans, not saying Kidd is a combo guard, just lumping them together cause of the situation, they can rebound. Star PGs are now relied for rebounding. Jennings is averaging about 6 rebounds, by the way. With more people shooting 3 pointers, there is a need for athletic backcourts with a nose for the ball to get some long rebounds or run into the lane to steal the rebound away from opposing bigs because some bigs take jumpers. Last game, I saw Ronnie Brewer being a huge factor not because of stats, but because of the energy and his ability to go get some. I am not blaming anything on our backcourts but Parker has never been the excellent rebounder for a PG and he was never a "hustler". I am positive he has it in him, he just needs to let loose.

[Xevious]

Pop hasn't figured out what to do with him yet. Having him play with Tim would seem like a good idea for a strong rebounding front court, but they both hover in the paint and get in each others way so far. So that leaves two big men getting significant minutes he can share court time with - Dice and Bonner. Bonner and Blair together should be a big no no because that's when people will start running layup drills on us. So that leaves Dice.

Bottom line, his game is rough on both ends. Give him time and he'll be fine.

[ShoogarBear]

It looks like some other teams have already developed an early book on Blair.

The last few games, he's gotten his fingers on a few offensive boards, but he's been boxed out enough to prevent him from securing them.

His defensive rebounding has been almost nonexistent.

He still has good instincts around the basket. His hands are excelelnt and he has a godo passing touch, and he seems to understand how to create a passing angle for himself in the half-court. But lack of height seems to be preventing him from finishing as well as he should.

Time for him to make adjustments to the adjustments.

[The Truth #6]

Clearly he's going through a learning curve. But I don't have confidence that Pop will allow him to learn as he goes. Until proven wrong, I expect Blair to get the rookie treatment and eventually get phased out. I don't know, I don't see us being very good this year unless some of the new players, such as Blair, become significant contributors and it's not going to happen unless he gets in the game. I hope that Pop is just experimenting with lineup (which to me was never much of an experiement when you only experiment by shuffling the veterans around) but it's still possible Blair will get a chance to prove himself.

At the moment, I'm growing a bit tired of rewarding players whose main accomplishment is learning the system, as if that by itself somehow equals results.

[Fabbs]

Clearly he's going through a learning curve. But I don't have confidence that Pop will allow him to learn as he goes. Until proven wrong, I expect Blair to get the rookie treatment and eventually get phased out. I don't know, I don't see us being very good this year unless some of the new players, such as Blair, become significant contributors and it's not going to happen unless he gets in the game. I hope that Pop is just experimenting with lineup (which to me was never much of an experiement when you only experiment by shuffling the veterans around) but it's still possible Blair will get a chance to prove himself.

At the moment, I'm growing a bit tired of rewarding players whose main accomplishment is learning the system, as if that by itself somehow equals results.
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p55/RackTheMouse/666-4.jpg

[Bukefal]

No way, Blair is not a player who we should let go. He needs to get in his role, needs to get more minutes, than it will pay off. He is a great player, he needs to develop. We have a big value in this guy.