SI Power Rankins: Spurs 5 (mention Mahinmi LOL)

[nkdlunch]

1
Last Week: 1
Cleveland Cavaliers (29-10)
Shaquille O'Neal is averaging a career low in points (10.6), minutes (22.8) and field-goal percentage (52.2 percent), while connecting on just 50.7 percent of his free throws. According to 82games.com, Cleveland is plus-38 this season with Shaq in the lineup, a number that is dwarfed by Anderson Varejao (plus-301) and Zydrunas Ilgauskas (plus-120).

2
Last Week: 4
Boston Celtics (26-9)
Who needs Kevin Garnett? With the face of the franchise sidelined, Rajon Rondo delivered a 22-point, 13-assist, 10-rebound effort in a win over Toronto (his first triple-double and 17th double-double of the season), while Kendrick Perkins put up 20 points and 10 rebounds in an OT win at Miami.

3
Last Week: 2
Los Angeles Lakers (29-8)
Here are the ramifications of a loss to the Clippers: Your starting center is the subject of trade rumors. An Andrew Bynum-for-Chris Bosh deal was tossed into the rumor mill, but NBA sources say there is no truth to any of it. Why would there be? Would the Lakers really deal a 22-year-old true center for free-agent-to-be Bosh, a talented power forward whose game mirrors that of Pau Gasol?

4
Last Week: 6
Dallas Mavericks (25-12)
A 42-point fourth quarter at San Antonio? The Mavs are doing something right, and coach Rick Carlisle says it's starting with practice, where players know they are auditioning for minutes. "I take note of how guys are playing in practices, and those things are really more in the forefront of your mind," Carlisle said. "If there's a player who's doing some exceptionally good things, you're certainly more apt to look for opportunities to put him out there."


5
Last Week: 5
San Antonio Spurs (22-13)
Three years ago, an NBA scout told me he believed Ian Mahinmi had All-Star talent. In his first NBA game in more than two years, the 6-foot-11 Mahinmi showed glimpses of it, scoring 15 points (on 6-for-6 shooting) and pulling down nine rebounds in a Spurs win over New Jersey.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/chris_mannix/01/11/rankings/index.html

[hater]

Ian is shooting a league leading 100% from the floor this season.

[honestfool84]

:lol

[honestfool84]

Here are the ramifications of a loss to the Clippers: Your starting center is the subject of trade rumors. An Andrew Bynum-for-Chris Bosh deal was tossed into the rumor mill, but NBA sources say there is no truth to any of it. Why would there be? Would the Lakers really deal a 22-year-old true center for free-agent-to-be Bosh, a talented power forward whose game mirrors that of Pau Gasol?

:wow

[Spursmania]

Wow- the Ian love from SI.:lol

[CubanMustGo]

#5 is about 5 spots too high until the Spurs actually start beating some real teams. Ian or no Ian.

[VI_Massive]

#5 is about 5 spots too high until the Spurs actually start beating some real teams. Ian or no Ian.

Agreed. Orlando or even ATL could/should be higher than SA.

[Baseline]

I remember reading that "all-star talent" quote a couple of years ago, and I haven't forgotten it.

Obviously the quote wasn't from Popovich.

Have you ever noticed how Spurs players talk about their coach probably 2500 times more than any other team? The word "Pop" is mentioned in every single interview with Spurs players. The guy is obviously a dictator, and I think Ian has been buried and forgotten about.

Yet he is still a "near 7-footer with freakish athleticism." I wager that 29 other teams could use a guy like that. Why can't Popovich get it through his prideful head that the Spurs could as well?

[buttsR4rebounding]

Spurs are undefeated when Ian plays at least 15 minutes...:king

[cherylsteele]

Let's hope that being mentioned in SI isn't the kiss of death, like it is for being on the cover.

[Spursmania]

I would love for Ian to work out. He is so much taller and athletic looking than our other bigs. The guy can run like a Gazelle too. But he was a disappointment in pre-season. Seemed too soft and just not aggressive enough. However when he has played in an NBA uniform he has exceeded expectations.

I think he deserves another shot for sure. But against the Lakers? He's going to get called for a number of quick fouls if he plays but you never know maybe the real Ian Mahinmi will come to play like a big athletic freak that he is. I am always optimistic and rooting for him.

I will be shocked if he plays tonight though. If he does play tonight and plays well, there are no holds barred for Ian then. And, he would be welcome in the regular rotation somehow because he would deserve it.

[NFGIII]

I remember reading that "all-star talent" quote a couple of years ago, and I haven't forgotten it.

Obviously the quote wasn't from Popovich.

Have you ever noticed how Spurs players talk about their coach probably 2500 times more than any other team? The word "Pop" is mentioned in every single interview with Spurs players. The guy is obviously a dictator, and I think Ian has been buried and forgotten about.

Yet he is still a "near 7-footer with freakish athleticism." I wager that 29 other teams could use a guy like that. Why can't Popovich get it through his prideful head that the Spurs could as well?

Agreed.

Pop is about as stubborn as they come. Just look at what happened last year with HIll. Even though he admitted his mistake with Hill this year he's one that wont change very easily. And that is unfortunate. I've been a Pop supporter all these years but with some reservations. Mainly his stubbornness and unwillingness to use rookies more. As SenorSpur and others have hammered repeatedly over the years about Ian - young 20ish athletic 7 footers (OK 6'11") don't grow on trees and are hard to come by - use it or lose it so to say. If Ian turns in a couple of more of these types of performances maybe he gets more minutes. Or maybe he is the trade bait for another big the FO and Pop have had their eyes on. Either way I feel something is going to give on this. Even if he stays put then other teams will be coming this off season and his price tag will go up, concsidering he is a UFA. I believe other teams will give him a shot - it would be a cheap addition in this econimically depressed time - and if the Spurs want to keep him then hey will fork over more cash then if they had iniatied his option.

[024]

it's a shame mahinmi was injured all of last year. with the dearth of bigs last season, mahinmi would have gotten all the minutes he could handle. then, he would definitely have been prepared this year to get some serious time in the rotation.

[Spursmania]

it's a shame mahinmi was injured all of last year. with the dearth of bigs last season, mahinmi would have gotten all the minutes he could handle. then, he would definitely have been prepared this year to get some serious time in the rotation.

So true. He would have played a hell of a lot more and been more prepared to handle his role this year.

[ffadicted]

Ian is shooting a league leading 100% from the floor this season.

Doesn't he also lead the league in PER or something like that? :lol

[timaios]

Doesn't he also lead the league in PER or something like that? :lol

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/329/ianmahinmiper.jpg

[Bruno]

May 2008:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/chris_mannix/05/30/spurs.future/index.html


And make no mistake, San Antonio will continue to do well, with help waiting in the wings. Power forward Ian Mahinmi, San Antonio's top pick in the 2005 draft, came over from France before the season and averaged 16.8 points and 8.0 rebounds with the Austin Toros, San Antonio's D-League affiliate. Still overseas is Tiago Splitter, a lottery talent who slid to the bottom of the first round in the '07 draft due to a hefty buyout in his Spanish League contract. The 6-foot-11, 232-pound Brazilian averaged 14 points and five rebounds this season with Spanish power Tau Ceramica.

"Mahinmi has the potential to be an All-Star," an Eastern Conference executive said. "He needs to get a little stronger, but he has the skill set to play inside and outside. I can see him being a very good player on a contending team."

[Marcus Bryant]

If the rationale was financial, at least that would make this understandable (though curious given the offseason spending spree). If the rationale is basketball related, well....keeping in mind the public reasons for the Spurs being willing to dump Scola were that he and Duncan couldn't co-exist and his rebounding with Tau was underwhelming...maybe we shouldn't be that confident with the front office and Pop.

[Marcus Bryant]

The Spurs end up with an athletic shotblocking bigman who can run the court, a prototypical NBA big of today, and they put him in cold storage. WTF?

[024]

it's funny how one "eastern conference executive" said mahinmi had all star talent a few years back and now it's basically widespread fact that mahinmi has all star talent.

[HarlemHeat37]

His opinion doesn't necessarily have to translate to that though..

You would think if ANY scout thought somebody had all-star talent, then the player in question would at leave have gotten A CHANCE to show it in NBA action..

[SenorSpur]

If the rationale was financial, at least that would make this understandable (though curious given the offseason spending spree). If the rationale is basketball related, well....keeping in mind the public reasons for the Spurs being willing to dump Scola were that he and Duncan couldn't co-exist and his rebounding with Tau was underwhelming...maybe we shouldn't be that confident with the front office and Pop.

I'm way past that point. I've been suspicious of their assessment of this kid from jump street. Don't tell me the kid can't play and has no future here, when he hasn't been given the chance. Drop the double talk. If you say practice performances ARE overrated and it's important to see what the kid does in live action - then put his ass into some live action.

He's being a stubborn prick about this kid and he's only going to hurt his team in both the short and long term. There must be some sort of ulterior motive at work here, behind the scenes.

While it's true this FO has more hits than misses, but they are missing BADLY on this one.

[senorglory]

The Spurs end up with an athletic shotblocking bigman who can run the court, a prototypical NBA big of today, and they put him in cold storage. WTF?

It does seem mysterious, especially since Pop appears to frequently use the regular season to run line-up experiments, and also because Pop's commitment to playoff readiness over regular season wins would appear to make playing someone like Mahinmi, Blair, Haislip, a low-stakes gamble.

[DPG21920]

I remember drooling on the thought of Ian/Tiago coming to help the Spurs about 2 years ago :cry

[Dro210]

Spurs are undefeated when Ian plays at least 15 minutes...:king

:lmao :lmao :lmao

[CubanSucks]

against New Jersey

[CubanSucks]

Pop & Spurs FO >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> SpursTalk posters

[BanditHiro]

wtf it doesn't even feel like we are a top 5 team...has every other team been sucking?

[EricB]

If he was this fantastic undiscovered talent, wheres the other teams beating down the door to get to him?


QUESTION

[TampaDude]

#5 is about 5 spots too high until the Spurs actually start beating some real teams. Ian or no Ian.

You were saying??? :lol

[CubanMustGo]

You were saying??? :lol

Short memory?

Fantastic 4th: 42-point quarter rallies Mavericks past Spurs (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/010910dnspomavslede.5c8db828.html)

Happy with the win, but it was at home against a banged up Lakers team. If they can show a consistent ability to beat better teams (including road games), I'll hop on the bandwagon.

[objective]

If he was this fantastic undiscovered talent, wheres the other teams beating down the door to get to him?


QUESTION

lol

I remember the same arguments being made as proof that Luis Scola sucked and couldn't play in the NBA.


"Oh, if Luis Scola was any good somebody would trade for him! The Spurs can't even get a first round pick for him! 29 other teams have had years to trade for him and nobody wants him!"