Why not play Mahinmi and Hairston?

[tlongII]

I really don't get the Spurs. It's painfully obvious that what they need is more size and athleticism. Is Hairston even on their team anymore? It seems to me that these 2 guys are as athletic as anyone on their roster?

[timtonymanu]

Hairston's in the D-League and Pop loves 40 year old men.

(not meant to sound gay)

[HarlemHeat37]

It's sad because they're the 2 most athletic players on our roster, they've both showed SOME game, they both play with a lot of ENERGY, they can both play defense..it's just fucking annoying to know that you have some young guys that can play, but they can't even get on the floor..

Shit, they don't even have to get rotation minutes right away, why not give them a CHANCE?..just a chance..at least to light a fire under a bunch of guys on this team that can barely move and play with no energy at all..

[SenorSpur]

It's a very valid question.

The painful part about this is that Chicago is yet, another team with tons and tons of athleticism and shotblocking of their own. Skills that gave the Spurs all sorts of problems, in which they could not match or respond to.

This team is lifeless and has NO energy. Playing Hairston and Mahinmi would certainly light a spark, that could fire up the team.

[HarlemHeat37]

The best way to motivate somebody is to threaten their job..it's simple IMO..people that want to win and want to play will generally play harder when they're threatened to be replaced..

[SenorSpur]

The best way to motivate somebody is to threaten their job..it's simple IMO..people that want to win and want to play will generally play harder when they're threatened to be replaced..

Amen. :tu

[sananspursfan21]

i don't know why mahinmi isn't played specially after his 15 point performance. it's kind of obvious why hairston wasn't played.

[Obstructed_View]

it's kind of obvious why hairston wasn't played.

Ummm....

Errr.....

Ah, because the Toros are...

in...

town until Thursday...

Nope, no idea. Sorry.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Ummm....

Errr.....

Ah, because the Toros are...

in...

town until Thursday...

Nope, no idea. Sorry.


Come on man... Hairston's younger than 25, and has three players over 30 at the wing ahead of him... it's a no brainer, at least when the head coach is named Popobitch.

[sananspursfan21]

Ummm....

Errr.....

Ah, because the Toros are...

in...

town until Thursday...

Nope, no idea. Sorry.


you're so funny...

i'm talkin about his skill level. it was worded wrong. it's obvious why he never playED

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

you're so funny...

i'm talkin about his skill level. it was worded wrong. it's obvious why he never playED

Yep, it takes a lot of skill to go 1-9 while you get paid $14 mil for it.

[Obstructed_View]

you're so funny...

i'm talkin about his skill level. it was worded wrong. it's obvious why he never playED

Yeah, he dunked on Yao and stuffed Tayshaun in the post. He's obviously got no skill, since he did that before last season.

Name a guard in the game at the end when Noah got the putback that you would rather have had on the floor than Hairston. He's longer, more atheltic, and a better individual defender and rebounder than all of them.

[LongtimeSpursFan]

Hairston hasnt played because he looks lost most of the time. Yeah he's an energy guy but he still has no idea on what to do on the defensive side of the court. There is a reason why Blair is getting much more minutes than Mahinmi even though Blair is younger.

[Obstructed_View]

Hairston hasnt played because he looks lost most of the time. Yeah he's an energy guy but he still has no idea on what to do on the defensive side of the court. There is a reason why Blair is getting much more minutes than Mahinmi even though Blair is younger.

You mean for more than 30 seconds of the minute that he plays in garbage time at the end of a game?

[z0sa]

Both of these guys deserved burn, and a decent amount it, early in the season. Those days are gone, and it's been clear all along what Pop's intentions were anyway.

[Obstructed_View]

Both of these guys deserved burn, and a decent amount it, early in the season. Those days are gone, and it's been clear all along what Pop's intentions were anyway.

What are the SPurs' prospects going forward? Figure 6-4 in the next ten games is gonig to be pretty good, so why not get Mahinmi and Hairston in for 20-25 minutes of each game? Honestly, how much worse could they make the Spurs in the second and third quarters?

[objective]

Don't worry guys, when Mahinmi is playing well next year for another team and is a legit NBA rotation big man, the Spurs will take credit for him finally blossoming.

They will spew quotes like "Ian needed to learn how to be a professional, and experience what it's like to win from the sidelines." and imply through their backchannels with the media that there was no way Ian could have played decently for the Spurs, it was only the years of being benched for 2-meter tall guards turned PFs did he learn how to play.

[angelbelow]

I think its because Pop is afraid they will make mistakes are ruin the game for us. He doesn't want all the work hard done by our regular rotational players to goto waste because Ian or Malik squander a lead and we ultimately lose the game. Oh wait...

[SenorSpur]

Don't worry guys, when Mahinmi is playing well next year for another team and is a legit NBA rotation big man, the Spurs will take credit for him finally blossoming.

They will spew quotes like "Ian needed to learn how to be a professional, and experience what it's like to win from the sidelines." and imply through their backchannels with the media that there was no way Ian could have played decently for the Spurs, it was only the years of being benched for 2-meter tall guards turned PFs did he learn how to play.

Which are all just BS public excuses meaning, "we screwed up". All Ian needs is some rotation minutes, which shouldn't be hard to come by for a team that is hemorhaging loses like a broken-down, old car leaks oil.

[objective]

Who cares about Ian?

The Spurs have Splitter coming!

Because we all know that Tiago Splitter would love to play for a team that could be a lottery squad, all while sacrificing money during the impending NBA work stoppage that all the insiders think will happen.

:lol

[HarlemHeat37]

I wouldn't be surprised if they're both in the doghouse as punishment for blocking Mike Finley's shot in practice:(..

[callo1]

Ian is a foul waiting to happen, but I would have liked to see if his athletic ability would have helped tonight.

Hairston should be playing imho, he brings good D, and toughness and can space the floor with the 3-ball.

[Bruno]

The question people should ask is why am I so upset about Pop not giving playing time to Mahinmi and Hairston?
Is it because they are truly great prospect?
Is it because Spurs are in nearly desperate situation?

[HarlemHeat37]

The question people should ask is why am I so upset about Pop not giving playing time to Mahinmi and Hairston?
Is it because they are truly great prospect?
Is it because Spurs are in nearly desperate situation?

-They've both shown potential, so it would be intriguing to see what they could bring with consistent minutes..
-They both bring athleticism, a desperate need for this Spurs team..
-The team is struggling anyways, so it wouldn't affect our record in a signicant way..
-The players ahead of them in the rotation have dissappointed and some of them probably aren't even better..
-A lot of the rotation players need to feel threatened to step up..

Those are my reasons, I believe they're legit reasons..

I don't expect these guys to be all-stars or anything..I don't think they can solve all of the Spurs problems..they can't make Jefferson into a good player, they can't get Manu his shot back, they can't heal Tony's injuries..but they could at least potentially help and fill needs..the question is, why haven't they even gotten A CHANCE?

[jjktkk]

-They've both shown potential, so it would be intriguing to see what they could bring with consistent minutes..
-They both bring athleticism, a desperate need for this Spurs team..
-The team is struggling anyways, so it wouldn't affect our record in a signicant way..
-The players ahead of them in the rotation have dissappointed and some of them probably aren't even better..
-A lot of the rotation players need to feel threatened to step up..

Those are my reasons, I believe they're legit reasons..

I don't expect these guys to be all-stars or anything..I don't think they can solve all of the Spurs problems..they can't make Jefferson into a good player, they can't get Manu his shot back, they can't heal Tony's injuries..but they could at least potentially help and fill needs..the question is, why haven't they even gotten A CHANCE?

Yes Mahimni and Hairston have shown potential, but Pop doesn't play em, so the only logical guess to me is they haven't shown enought consistancy to get minutes from Pop. I seriously doubt Pop is ignorant enough to keep these 2 on the pine without a valid reason.

[Old School 44]

Yep...don't understand it, particularly with Ian. I can't believe he's not getting a decent chance after his play in the NJ game.

Hypothetically speaking, consider this scenario, say the Spurs get a brand new player, Pop plays him in the next game (it could be NJ or anybody) the guy scores 15 points and has 9 rebounds in the guts of the game and looks decent doing it. He even chips in a nice block that excites the home crowd! The Spurs a win!

I don't care who it is...wouldn't you expect this player to get some meaningful time in the next game or at least some of the upcoming games to see if he could possibly duplicate the effort? Would you be disappointed if he didn't get the chance?

8 games later with no meaningful minutes, you ask yourself, what did he do wrong between games? Did he injure himself? Did he skip practice? Did he curse Pop on the team flight? Does Tim not like him and told Pop it's either me or him.

I just don't get it!!!

[Obstructed_View]

Yes Mahimni and Hairston have shown potential, but Pop doesn't play em, so the only logical guess to me is they haven't shown enought consistancy to get minutes from Pop. I seriously doubt Pop is ignorant enough to keep these 2 on the pine without a valid reason.

What was the valid reason for putting Duncan, Hill, Parker, Manu and Mason on the floor to try to get a stop on defense with 30 seconds to go in a tie game?

What was the valid reason for not playing Bowen and Hill last year until the Spurs were getting their asses kicked in the playoffs?

What was the valid reason for sitting a healthy Rasho and Nazr in 2006 after the Spurs won 63 regular season games with them?

[Old School 44]

What was the valid reason for putting Duncan, Hill, Parker, Manu and Mason on the floor to try to get a stop on defense with 30 seconds to go in a tie game?

What was the valid reason for not playing Bowen and Hill last year until the Spurs were getting their asses kicked in the playoffs?

What was the valid reason for sitting a healthy Rasho and Nazr in 2006 after the Spurs won 63 regular season games with them?

Agreed. He's "out geniusing" himself.
Pop's lost it. Next thing you know he's going to tackle an opposing player on a break away dunk ala Woody Hayes.

[jjktkk]

Pop seems to be ignorant enough to keep playing small ball:toast

What other option does Pop have? IMO Pop figures he has out score most teams. He knows he can't rely on the defense no more. Besides Duncan and Hill, what current Spur on the roster could make a key defensive play, lock down a player, etc. If you were an opposing player, who on this team scares you definesively? Duncan, Hill, Maybe Ratliff. No more perimeter defender like Bowen, who can lock down the Kobes, Melo's, and Lebron's of the world, or at the very least make ife miserable for em. Hill can play lockdown defense on the perimeter, but at 6'2", asking him to defend the above mentioned players is really unfair. No viable big to put along side Duncan, to defend the paint, board, or block shots. Until Pop trades for some upgrades on defense, the Spurs will continue to struggle.

[Obstructed_View]

What other option does Pop have?
Uh, play a forward and/or a center with Timmy when you need a stop at the end of a game?

Four guards.

On the floor.

To play defense.

Two of whom are terrible defenders.

There was no Kobe, no Carmelo, no LeBron. Joakim Noah beat them. Not because he's great, but because he's tall.

If Antonio McDyess, Theo Ratliff, Matt Bonner and Ian Mahinmi = not viable bigs, then exactly how are you asking the same coach who brought those guys in to trade for replacements?

[Xevious]

Sombody needs to light a fire under Pop's ass as much as the players. I can't handle another "it was a tough loss, but I'm really proud of the way our guys kept fighting" post-game interview with Pop. He's lost it. He needs to get after these guys and hold them accountable. He needs to bench players (RJ) if they aren't producing on either end of the court and try a different lineup. He needs to play two bigs at a time.

Pop's making the same mistakes over and over expecting different results. This team is so frustrating. They show signs a brilliance just to tease the fans, then go right back to sucking.

[kace]

that brings a question IMO.

Is Pop able to coach under those circumstances, i mean in EMERGENCY.

He's great at maintaining a quiet and efficient team, without overreaction, with a solid and consistent gameplan.

but when it really doesn't work, which could be the first time in years, is he able to find new things, new rotations or will he let this team die doing the same thing ?

i don't see Pop trying new player or new gameplan so late in the season, even if we were sure to lose with what we have now.

[sabar]

The question people should ask is why am I so upset about Pop not giving playing time to Mahinmi and Hairston?
Is it because they are truly great prospect?
Is it because Spurs are in nearly desperate situation?

Desperation. 95% of Spurs fans didn't really care about Ian or Hairston going into the season after one of the best off-seasons (not 20/20 hindsight). The players in front of them were supposed to just be plain better.

Now? After a hobbling Manu / Tony, an inept Jefferson / Dice, and an injured Fin / Bonner? After dropping a ton of games? After having a chance to miss the playoffs?

Of course they look great. In hindsight giving them early burn would of been the bestest thing ever.

Hindsight is useless. Hindsight doesn't win games, it doesn't stop wars, it doesn't cure disease, it does nothing. You gotta pick up on these things early and the fact is that only a tiny minority did. Even with that, there is still no guarantee that either are rotational NBA players (and we won't know until they get real play time). Its too late for Ian now (thanks to contract situation earlier). Hairston still has a shot.

The other part of it is this: what do we got to lose? If we are already squandering games mid-season, might as well get an idea for your talent (a few lost games from this could cost the Spurs the 8th seed, although I think they make the playoffs above that anyways)

This has been a wild season. Spoiled fans are getting a serving of humble pie. Lay down and take it or fight to the end? As long as we have Timmy D, the choice is obvious.

[Obstructed_View]

Its too late for Ian now (thanks to contract situation earlier). Hairston still has a shot.

I disagree completely about Ian. He's on the team now. That's like saying "Manu's going to leave after this season, let's just keep him on the bench." Give the fucking kid a shot at playing now that he's healthy and see if he can contribute.

And just for some perspective, Ian's played three games this season, two of which were garbage minutes, and he's still got better numbers than Antonio McDyess and Matt Bonner.

[jjktkk]

If Antonio McDyess, Theo Ratliff, Matt Bonner and Ian Mahinmi = not viable bigs, then exactly how are you asking the same coach who brought those guys in to trade for replacements?

Uh, because this group of big men are not getting the job done.

[objective]

Desperation. 95% of Spurs fans didn't really care about Ian or Hairston going into the season after one of the best off-seasons (not 20/20 hindsight). The players in front of them were supposed to just be plain better.

No hindsight with me, I've been calling for this before this season, hell before free agency.

And it wasn't desperation, there were many objective and factual reasons to call for it.

[Brazil]

The question people should ask is why am I so upset about Pop not giving playing time to Mahinmi and Hairston?
Is it because they are truly great prospect?
Is it because Spurs are in nearly desperate situation?

bingo

[TJastal]

I wouldn't waste my time arguing with this waste of space, OV. If he had his way we'd be playing 4 guards + TD.

[in2deep]

play Ian goddam it!!! do we have to be 5+ games out of the playoffs for Pop to start playing him????

[poop]

It's sad because they're the 2 most athletic players on our roster, they've both showed SOME game, they both play with a lot of ENERGY, they can both play defense..it's just fucking annoying to know that you have some young guys that can play, but they can't even get on the floor..

Shit, they don't even have to get rotation minutes right away, why not give them a CHANCE?..just a chance..at least to light a fire under a bunch of guys on this team that can barely move and play with no energy at all..

this is the very thing that has driven me to the brink of insanity last couple seasons, tim's last years being SQUANDERED because of pops stubborn ass rotations and senseless benching of quality players that can help.