Bruce Bowen on MAHINMI(savior)

[James210]

a couple days ago on the radio bruce bowen was taking calls from random spurs fans and one asked "why doesn't mahinmi get any PT?"

Bowen responed saying that ian has shown that he is a solid nba player and that the only reason that he could think of on why he isn't playing is because he cant learn Pop's rotations in practice.

He isnt saying that is the true reason only that that is a reason.

UNLEASH THE MAHINMI HAHA

The people on this board that thinks that he sucks or isnt worth keeping have an absurd way of reasoning of there just retarted. GIVE THE DUDE A CHANCE POP:bang:bang:bang:bang

[barbacoataco]

The ONLY reason I can think of for the Spurs not playing Mahinmi is they are nervous he will be so good his price will go up.

[DPG21920]

Like anyone else is either? Do you see all the players missing rotations?

[SpurNation]

What's so hard about learning to run out to the perimeter to defend against a three point shot and then asked to get back and defend the post once a player is behind you recieving a pass for an uncontested drive.

All it takes is being so fast and athletic that you would be a top 10 pick and previous credentials to do such a thing.

[Libri]

Bruce probably knows the reason but doesn't want to say it.

[duncan228]

From the recap after the Thunder game.


Spurs C Ian Mahinmi has played in just seven games this season, and coach Gregg Popovich doesn’t see many chances for the 2005 first-round pick and long-term Spurs project to get on the floor. Between Duncan and the rest of the frontcourt, Popovich said Mahinmi simply can’t work his way up from the end of the bench.

[Sean Cagney]

From the recap after the Thunder game.

Can't work his way up the rotation over Bonner? Good lord thats a joke right there isn't it?:lol:lol. Bonner gives nothing out there and still gets PT, it's sad. Ian gets a double double when he gets decent mins and he the next game does not play? Bonner gets 2 points and 1 board in a game and gets more PT.

[silverblk mystix]

...I may be wrong, but I believe the Austin Toros use the same defensive rotations...so if this is true...maybe Ian isn't very bright...

but wouldn't it be nice if Tim or D Rob----or someone in the organization took Ian under their wing --so to speak---and helped him and the Spurs to bring Ian to the next level...

Dave did it for Tim...and unless Tim is fooling himself by thinking it is too early to groom someone...he could be a GREAT mentor to some young talent...Blair, Mahinmi....

[duncan228]

Duncan is mentoring Blair.

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=144530

[TIMMYD!]

Duncan is mentoring Blair.

Blair's basketball IQ will only keep rising if Tim keeps mentoring him.

[Libri]

Bonner is mentoring Ian.

[G-Dawgg]

I heard Julius Nwosu is being brought in to push Mahinmi in practice.

[HarlemHeat37]

...I may be wrong, but I believe the Austin Toros use the same defensive rotations...so if this is true...maybe Ian isn't very bright...

but wouldn't it be nice if Tim or D Rob----or someone in the organization took Ian under their wing --so to speak---and helped him and the Spurs to bring Ian to the next level...

Dave did it for Tim...and unless Tim is fooling himself by thinking it is too early to groom someone...he could be a GREAT mentor to some young talent...Blair, Mahinmi....

Ian was a very effective anchor for the Toros when he was there..

Missing rotations isn't a reason..the majority of the players on our roster miss a ton of rotations every game, especially Blair(which is expected)..

[L.I.T]

Eh...maybe in Pop-logic he doesn't want to compromise an already compromised defense by planning another player who is struggling to master the rotations. He already has RJ/Blair/Dice out there...

Could also be why he's decided to play Finley at PF and was playing Bonner more. Then again...this really doesn't explain Bogans or small ball or...well, I have no idea, I've given up trying to understand this season already. I've decided to just view the season as some sort of modern-day Greek tragedy/satire.

[HarlemHeat37]

There are many theories and I guess we won't know the real reason..I've heard a lot of different scenarios here on ST that make a lot of sense, maybe we will find out the real reason one day..

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Why does anyone complain about this? The Spurs chose not to offer Ian the team extension last summer, which means he's a free agent this summer.

Giving him any run would quite likely significantly increase his price this summer. Hence, he'll be riding the pine the rest of the way.

Bitching about him not getting run, given this, is a nice waste of time.

[Thompson]

Giving him any run would quite likely significantly increase his price this summer. Hence, he'll be riding the pine the rest of the way.


If this is actually the reason, it seems stupid for a few reasons: if I was Ian, I'd be ticked off at the Spurs for jerking me around in this manner, and I wouldn't re-sign with the team that kept me glued to the bench. I'd get the hell out of Dodge. The only way the Spurs could convince Ian they wouldn't glue him to the bench in the future is by disclosing that the reason he wasn't playing was so they could screw him out of a bigger contract (though I'm sure they'd phrase it nicer).

Also, if they see that he's good enough to garner more money, it means they blew all that money on Jefferson to go all-out for another title -only to hamstring themselves and not go all-out for a title, and waste another of Duncan's productive years.

I'm really curious to see what they do with him this summer. As far as conjecture about Ian being a waste of time, pretty much any time spent on a message board is a waste... but it is interesting.

[Phenomanul]

He'll end up being a "JJ Hickson-type" for some other team... and the Spurs will look like fools...

[taps]

There are many theories and I guess we won't know the real reason..I've heard a lot of different scenarios here on ST

edit: and here's another one! :downspin:


The ONLY reason I can think of for the Spurs not playing Mahinmi is they are nervous he will be so good his price will go up.


Didn't use to think so but my gut instinct tells me this is a factor. Couple that with pop's typical rookie leeriness and we have a recipe for success. we all know the george hill playoffs 09 story; we're talkin pop made some serious strides with the therapist if dejuan is given significant minutes (or minutes at all) in game 1 round 1 and maybe allowed to play through a mistake or two.

Having two rookies in the big man rotation is just too much for pop to bear. he'll probably give bonner one last chance that'll last the balance of the season.

Pop clearly doesn't want to take the risk of having a complete rookie meltdown in the playoffs and only being left with tim and dice. At the same time he is eschewing that dare to be great situation where beast and big two-niney do something special and make some noise in the playoffs. I'll admit that possibility is a rare one, but do we need another stretch run, playoff series to see if bonner's gonna finally turn into robert horry? /frustration

I'm being an optimist but my hope is the plan next year will be to sign/start The Mirage at C, then lock ian for a couple of years on a lowball offer for the 4th big (hopefully) dirk/LO pest role. My fear is if The Mirage indeed leaves spain to come to SA that pop will use the excuse of having another rookie bigman for not playing ian, like he ostensibly has this year between blair/mahinmi.

ps: pop and bruce obviously haven't exactly seen eye to eye on everything the past couple of years

[Cane]

Considering that turnovers and defense have been consistent problems for the Spurs this season it makes sense that Ian doesn't see minutes. In the few minutes he has been given he seems to add to these problems in addition to picking up fouls; on his September Draftexpress.com report it also mentions such qualities and here are some excerpts that might highlight why he's not seeing any minutes:



Still could develop into a nice roleplayer, but needs to stay healthy. Missed almost all of the 2008-2009 season with a bad ankle. Needs to get the development of his offensive game back on track and play minutes wherever he can in San Antonio’s organization.
---
Used to show extremely good lateral quickness that allowed him to create easy opportunities for himself on the inside and out. Time on the sidelines has hurt his explosiveness to a small degree and has generally slowed his development
---
Can put the ball on the floor with his back to the basket to get in better position to score, but is still a bit turnover prone. Will have to continue polishing his game from the midrange in to cut down on mistakes. Not much of a passer, but displays better vision than he did in his younger days. Has some obvious tools and potential, but definitely a work in progress on the offensive end.
---
Defense: Has very nice defensive tools, but still lacks the fundamentals to stay on the floor for extended minutes in an NBA setting. Length and athleticism allow him to effectively defend the midrange and contest shots, though his lack of physical strength hurts his ability to defend the paint against more experienced back to the basket scorers. Gets quite a few of his blocks defending the ball one-on-one. Needs to do a better job going straight up when he’s rotating over from the weak-side. Still prone to hacking shooters, leading to foul trouble. Got a free pass during his time in the NBADL, but will need to continue improving his discipline to help himself translate to the NBA level. Quick hands and feet for a big man, could stand to add weight to become a more complete package defensively and improve his ability to box out and battle for position on the block.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Ian-Mahinmi-207/

So that injury, turnover/foul proneness, not extending his contract, and Bowen's quote about defensive rotations seem like big reasons why he hasn't gotten regular minutes. During the rodeo trip he didn't really make a strong case for it either, in the past five minutes he's played he picked up four turnovers and in his best game (which was against one of the worst teams in NBA history) he had five fouls in 20 minutes. Says a lot that the wildcard known as Blair has gotten into the regular rotation and this project player has been sitting on the sidelines.

If someone important in the Spurs organization (Duncan's got a lot of say, he's basically a coach and took a paycut so the FO could make trades like McDyess/Jefferson) felt Ian deserved minutes he'd probably be getting them.

Then again maybe he could also be held on as injury insurance or in the event that Tiago and no other suitable bigs are available. However I'm leaning towards he just isn't ready for the NBA yet and hasn't earned a spot over the current lineup.

The Spurs want to assemble a great team as evident in the offseason trades and are willing to develop young talent as seen in Blair and Hill; AND they want to rest Duncan as much as they can....it must suck ass to have a PF like Ian sit on the bench as being the better option than actually playing minutes. Then again with all the changes made this season - who knows, maybe Ian will see some regular minutes? ;)

[angelbelow]

hmmm interesting thing for bowen to say.. I hope he plays at some point..

[#2!]

I don't buy him not knowing the rotations at all. In fact, since the playbook was "dumbed down" before the season (which was probably a mistake, as was Pop not calling plays, etc..), Ian probably knows a few plays, or alternate versions of plays, that are not even in use right now.


He's been in "the best run D-leage teams" as far as preparing players to play in their parent organization's system for 2-3 seasons, as well as spending time with the team during home and road games over that time span. Either Ian really sucks, and anything positive we've seen out of him is a fluke, or there is something strange with his relationship with Pop.

[Brazil]

The ONLY reason I can think of for the Spurs not playing Mahinmi is they are nervous he will be so good his price will go up.

this

[nkdlunch]

maybe Ian does not wanna learn those stupid rotations.

[PDXSpursFan]

mahinmi sucks - that's why he doesn't get PT
</thread>

[spursbird]

He'll end up being a "JJ Hickson-type" for some other team... and the Spurs will look like fools...
Completely agree.

[nkdlunch]

mahinmi sucks - that's why he doesn't get PT
</thread>

except Ian doesn't suck. Dude shows skill everytime he is on the floor.

I guess he sucks at practices.

[TimDunkem]

I guess he sucks at practices.
I wonder how? It's not like they scrimmage. Even Finley has said that.

[Fetissov]

In the French newspaper L'Equipe, (link :http://www.lequipe.fr/Basket/breves2010/20100226_182257_mahinmi-bordure-a-san-antonio.html) Pop talks about Ian's situation and basically explains that it is too late to experiment with him.

"A ce point de la saison, on a besoin de gagner des matches, pas de développer des joueurs, explique-t-il. Ca se passe généralement durant l'été, quand l'équipe prend tournure. Il est dans une position difficile car il a été blessé pendant deux ans. Ian n'a pas vraiment eu la chance de montrer ce qu'il peut faire.»

"We need to win games now, we don't have time to develop players. It usually happens during the summer. Ian is in a tough spot, because he has been hurt for the last two years. He didn't have a chance to show what he could do."

Pop also explains that Mahinmi is only the fifth option inside, behind Duncan, McDyess, Bonner ("because he has been here for many years") and Blair. "So there isn't a lot of minutes left... but I think Ian is a good player. He works all the time, and he is a great teammate. He just didn't show that he could beat the other guys in front of him"...

[Libri]

In the French newspaper L'Equipe, (link :http://www.lequipe.fr/Basket/breves2010/20100226_182257_mahinmi-bordure-a-san-antonio.html) Pop talks about Ian's situation and basically explains that it is too late to experiment with him.

"A ce point de la saison, on a besoin de gagner des matches, pas de développer des joueurs, explique-t-il. Ca se passe généralement durant l'été, quand l'équipe prend tournure. Il est dans une position difficile car il a été blessé pendant deux ans. Ian n'a pas vraiment eu la chance de montrer ce qu'il peut faire.»

"We need to win games now, we don't have time to develop players. It usually happens during the summer. Ian is in a tough spot, because he has been hurt for the last two years. He didn't have a chance to show what he could do."

Pop also explains that Mahinmi is only the fifth option inside, behind Duncan, McDyess, Bonner ("because he has been here for many years") and Blair. "So there isn't a lot of minutes left... but I think Ian is a good player. He works all the time, and he is a great teammate. He just didn't show that he could beat the other guys in front of him"...


Well, this seals it. On the Spurs, Ian has become nothing more than a practice player.

[purist]

Ian is just he latest in longshots that web bloggers and posters to forums have become enamored with. He was drafted as a project and he remains just that... a project. to proclaim anything more than that is just, well, ridiculous.

It happens every year... the 11th, 12th or even 13th or 14th guy on the roster gets hyped on message boards based simply on fans' insatiable taste for change. And when change does happen and things don't work out exactly as hoped for, same fans clamor for yet more change. It's a vicious cycle of incessant whining and second-guessing from fans who could not coach themselves out of a wet paper bag, much less coach a team to the 7th seed in the western conference.

[SenorSpur]

Pop is full of shit. Had he given the guy minutes earlier in the season, he'd be further along by now. Pop had the perfect opportunity to develop him on the fly, when Bonner was out. He just didn't do it. Who knows? Perhaps he'd even be a rotation player.

He took the same approach with George Hill last year. Sat him down, when it was clear he was the better option. Then decided to dust him off in the playoffs, when it was obvious by then that JV was done.

[Old School 44]

I think there's a personal conflict between Mahinmi and Pop, but they both realize it's in their best interest to keep it quiet. Ian's just biding his time until he can get out of here.

[gospursgojas]

Ian doesn't play bc he sucks.

Simple as that, he beat up brook lopez and the rest of the worst team in the league (maybe history), nothing else.

If you can't beat out bonner or even finley at the 4/5 you are not that good.

If he can't learn pop's d, he'd play and then everyone would hate him for missing defensive assignments.

[taps]

"Ian is in a tough spot, because he has been hurt for the last two years."



convenient. hope this revisionist history isn't used to justify not re-signing.


btw love the L'Equipe articles keep 'em coming :tu

[JR3]

I wish I knew if ian sucked or not....then i could make a judgement.. but he doesnt play! We KNOW jefferson sucks...why because we have seen it with our very own eyes! But arguing over whether ian sucks or not? waste of time.

[jjktkk]

Pop is full of shit. Had he given the guy minutes earlier in the season, he'd be further along by now. Pop had the perfect opportunity to develop him on the fly, when Bonner was out. He just didn't do it. Who knows? Perhaps he'd even be a rotation player.

He took the same approach with George Hill last year. Sat him down, when it was clear he was the better option. Then decided to dust him off in the playoffs, when it was obvious by then that JV was done.

Disagree. For all of Mahimni's physical talent, he still turns the ball over too much, and still commits too many dumb fouls. If Mahimni could show improvement in the mental aspects of the game, he, at the very least would be a solid role player. As far as Hill is concerned, Pop did screw up in playing Vaughn over Hill, but Pop, as most of us knows, prefers Veterans over rookies.

[Ocotillo]

Since Ian's option was not picked up, there is no point in giving him playing time in the event that he plays well because another team will swoop in and grab him in the summer.

On the other hand, he is likely frustrated and will either return to Europe or another NBA team (New Jersey?) will take a flyer on him.

I had really high hopes for the guy because he is such a good athlete.

It would be nice if he were in the future plans to have Dave Cowens work with him as he is a great big man coach.

[Cane]

Ian is just he latest in longshots that web bloggers and posters to forums have become enamored with. He was drafted as a project and he remains just that... a project. to proclaim anything more than that is just, well, ridiculous.

It happens every year... the 11th, 12th or even 13th or 14th guy on the roster gets hyped on message boards based simply on fans' insatiable taste for change. And when change does happen and things don't work out exactly as hoped for, same fans clamor for yet more change. It's a vicious cycle of incessant whining and second-guessing from fans who could not coach themselves out of a wet paper bag, much less coach a team to the 7th seed in the western conference.

Agreed, its an opportunity for Pop-haters to go batshit crazy on. :bang

[Obstructed_View]

I'd be interested in the quote from Bowen. It would make sense if he actually used the term "in practice", since Mahinmi's in-game defensive rotations are better than all but about three people on the roster.

[admiralsnackbar]

Ian is just he latest in longshots that web bloggers and posters to forums have become enamored with. He was drafted as a project and he remains just that... a project. to proclaim anything more than that is just, well, ridiculous.

It happens every year... the 11th, 12th or even 13th or 14th guy on the roster gets hyped on message boards based simply on fans' insatiable taste for change. And when change does happen and things don't work out exactly as hoped for, same fans clamor for yet more change. It's a vicious cycle of incessant whining and second-guessing from fans who could not coach themselves out of a wet paper bag, much less coach a team to the 7th seed in the western conference.

Bravo.

[silverblackfan]

Its a good thing we have Hill and Blair. Their obvious talent has forced Pop to recognize young talent can be worth the gamble.

[Sigz]

Ian sucks.


Next.

[Sigz]

Ian sucks.


Next.

[Obstructed_View]

Ian outscored three Spurs starters in the first half


Next.

/thread

[ShoogarBear]

mahinmi sucks - that's why he doesn't get PT
</thread>

Oops.

[Obstructed_View]

Disagree. For all of Mahimni's physical talent, he still turns the ball over too much, and still commits too many dumb fouls. If Mahimni could show improvement in the mental aspects of the game, he, at the very least would be a solid role player. As far as Hill is concerned, Pop did screw up in playing Vaughn over Hill, but Pop, as most of us knows, prefers Veterans over rookies.

Okay, so how about now?

[dbestpro]

Bowen would make a hell of a coach.