Some random... intriguing questions...

[Phenomanul]

*killing some time before Game 1...


1a. Is Duncan ready to make a Robinsonesque type slide to the high post to let Blair dominate inside on the offensive end? We all saw what Blair is capable of doing when playing loose down low... yet he hasn't meshed well with Duncan... maybe because they tend to want to occupy the same space... (???)...

1b. Would doing this extend Duncan's career??? Especially since it seems Tiago Splitter is likely to come over next year to bang in the paint...

2. IF Manu would have played like the SuperManu of the past two months earlier in the season... would the Spurs have traded Theo Ratliff to the Bobcats at the trade deadline?

3. Will Popovich commit the same mistake he commited during last year's playoffs by not playing his rookie... in this case Blair..?

4. IF Dominique had stayed with the Spurs and played alongside Robinson and Duncan (during Tim's rookie year)... could the Spurs have defeated the Jazz that post-season?

[spursfaninla]

1) blair is not ready yet to take that role, but I think next year maybe he is. Duncan would be fine today taking the jumper, but why would you do that? Duncan is a better post defender, post scorer, post passer, fouls less etc etc. Next year blair may actually do this but not yet.

1b) yes, except that his knees will hurt no matter what really. it is a matter of what pain he is willing to put up with and how much worse it gets.

2. manu was exhausted from being supermanu for a month. He would be dead if he needed to play like that for the year. He played like the best player in the league last month. We don't need him to play like that, we have enough scorers usually. Theo was the 5th big and was not needed compared to what he wanted to play, like finley and Mason.

3) I hope to god that he plays blair. I hope blair averages 20 at LEAST.

4) dominique was all offense, was fat, and the biggest black hole you have ever seen. He was NOT a Spur as we know the Spurs. He was filler for a year, period.

[DesignatedT]

1a. Is Duncan ready to make a Robinsonesque type slide to the high post to let Blair dominate inside on the offensive end?

:lol c'mon now..

[BadOne]

1a. Is Duncan ready to make a Robinsonesque type slide to the high post to let Blair dominate inside on the offensive end? We all saw what Blair is capable of doing when playing loose down low... yet he hasn't meshed well with Duncan... maybe because they tend to want to occupy the same space... (???)...


I don't think that DeJuan is THAT GUY. [Or Splitter for that matter] DeJuan, I think, is an excellent role player, who on nights is more than capable of taking over, however his height will likely always hinder him against some of the better bigs in the league. With that said, Tim is still the cornerstone of the team. Be it by the draft, trade or free agency, someone else will need to have the torch passed to them if this team looks to continue being relevant.


1b. Would doing this extend Duncan's career??? Especially since it seems Tiago Splitter is likely to come over next year to bang in the paint...

If we did have someone that good for Timmy to pass the torch to, then I believe that he could return for a few more years, taking less pay, I'm sure. Perhaps go out playing like Kareem. Who knows?


2. IF Manu would have played like the SuperManu of the past two months earlier in the season... would the Spurs have traded Theo Ratliff to the Bobcats at the trade deadline?

I think the trade likely had more to do with RJ than Manu. Aquiring RJ's huge contract is what thrusted them beyond the salary cap to begin with, therefore everyone else they signed afterwards, they new would incur luxury tax as well. If RJ did play well, and the team did not have the chemistry issues that hindered them, then I think the FO wouldn't have looked at the season [at least from a financial standpoint] as a loss and likely wouldn't have minded keeping him.


3. Will Popovich commit the same mistake he commited during last year's playoffs by not playing his rookie... in this case Blair..?

I hope not. I was pleasently surprised when after last season's travesty, he admitted he was wrong about George. I would hope that he's seen enough of DeJuan to see that he is confident and ready to compete.


4. IF Dominique had stayed with the Spurs and played alongside Robinson and Duncan (during Tim's rookie year)... could the Spurs have defeated the Jazz that post-season?

I don't know if I ever thought of that but man, that would've been SWEET! Then we'd be chasing the team's 6th title.
:flag:

Good questions bro.

-BADONE

[The Truth #6]

Blair rebounds well in the post but he will have problems shooting over Haywood and Dampier.

How well Dice plays will dictate how much time Blair gets. We may see some Blair and Bonner with Parker in stretches when Manu and Duncan are resting.

[Phenomanul]

To clarify... the passing of the torch for offensive territory down low was a hypothetical question for next season (something Duncan and Blair would have to work on during training camp)... not something for this post-season.

OBVIOUSLY Duncan is still the better player today... in every possible facet, except of course for youthful exuberance, and maybe the penchant for offensive rebounding...

[superjames1992]

Blair is never going to be a primary scorer. He's too short to score a lot of points in the low post. Sure, he played really well against Dallas and is capable of doing that on some nights, but if he started to consistently put up numbers like that, teams would focus on him more and his scoring average would drop in addition to his shortness being preyed upon.

Is he capable of being a good non-starter role player? Yes. Is he going to take over for Duncan? No.

[Phenomanul]

That said, the question was whether Duncan realizes he might eventually need to do this to extend his career, for the sake of the Spurs (longterm) and for the sake of Blair's development...

People don't realize that the Robinson made a conscious choice to pass the torch to Duncan, a choice to get less touches and to concede being the focal point of the offense, while he still had some game in him (before his back injury)... for the sake of Duncan's development... despite Duncan's greatness... Robinson instead shifted his focus on defense.

If only Dejuan were at least 4 inches taller...

[superjames1992]

That said, the question was whether Duncan realizes he might eventually need to do this to extend his career, for the sake of the Spurs (longterm) and for the sake of Blair's development...

People don't realize that the Robinson made a conscious choice to pass the torch to Duncan, a choice to get less touches and to concede being the focal point of the offense, while he still had some game in him (before his back injury)... for the sake of Duncan's development... despite Duncan's greatness... Robinson instead shifted his focus on defense.

If only Dejuan were at least 4 inches taller...

If we get a great, young big man to allow that to happen, then I could see Duncan doing that. Problem is that unless we tank a season, we're never going to get that big.

[Phenomanul]

On the Ratliff question... I have a feeling the Spurs' FO (at the time) likely believed this season to be a failure and gave up on the season... by trading Ratliff they also gave up on the reason why Ratliff was brought over in the first place... for length against possible matchups with LA, Orlando and the Cavs...

I realize that Manu in Supermanu mode would be exhausted and utterly worn out had he played that way for a whole season... the question was intended to elicit Spurstalkers' takes on whether or not others here also believe that the FO gave up on the season around the trade deadline... based on our dismal record and lack of cohesion at the time...

That move makes little sense as solely a financial decision unless:
1) They felt Ratliff was done. -- which we know is not the case considering his production for the Bobcats...

2) They felt the reason he was brought in for would no longer be attenuable... i.e. reaching the WC Finals and/or the NBA Finals...

[AFBlue]

Honestly, I think Splitter is the one that Duncan should try to accommodate by taking his game to the high-post more often.

Blair is effective around the bucket and should continue to improve his low-post moves, but where I see the most potential is his ability to face up from 15ft and shoot or drive to the bucket. He already has the handles and combination of strength and touch around the basket to be successful. If he develops a reliable 12-15ft jumpshot (seen glimpses of it), then I think it enhances his face-up game and allows him to keep the D off balance.

I can't help but see Barkley when I think about how Blair should mold his game.

[Phenomanul]

If we get a great, young big man to allow that to happen, then I could see Duncan doing that. Problem is that unless we tank a season, we're never going to get that big.

He may not be a traditional big... but Blair plays bigger than his height and is extremely crafty around the basket... I believe he CAN be a primary scorer with additional instruction, and further development... only because his instincts and touch around the basket are superb...

Let's not forget that Blair's passing ability was a pleasant surprise...

When focused, Blair has shown he can take over games... isn't that what is asked of great players?

[AFBlue]

Honestly, I think Splitter is the one that Duncan should try to accommodate by taking his game to the high-post more often.

Blair is effective around the bucket and should continue to improve his low-post moves, but where I see the most potential is his ability to face up from 15ft and shoot or drive to the bucket. He already has the handles and combination of strength and touch around the basket to be successful. If he develops a reliable 12-15ft jumpshot (seen glimpses of it), then I think it enhances his face-up game and allows him to keep the D off balance.

I can't help but see Barkley when I think about how Blair should mold his game.

To add...

Conversely, Splitter is your traditional center with no real outside game or potential to grow in that regard. He does, however, have the potential to be a force on the low block.

[ShoogarBear]

*killing some time before Game 1...


1a. Is Duncan ready to make a Robinsonesque type slide to the high post to let Blair dominate inside on the offensive end? We all saw what Blair is capable of doing when playing loose down low... yet he hasn't meshed well with Duncan... maybe because they tend to want to occupy the same space... (???)...

I don't think Blair will ever be more than a 10-15 PPG scorer, unless he really extends his range. He's effective in the low blocks when he picks his spots, but is not going to be the kind of guy you want to build an offense around.


1b. Would doing this extend Duncan's career??? Especially since it seems Tiago Splitter is likely to come over next year to bang in the paint...


Extending Duncan's career requires help on all three fronts: scoring, defense and rebounding. Splitter is more likely to help with that than Blair, but an effective combination of the two would be huge.


2. IF Manu would have played like the SuperManu of the past two months earlier in the season... would the Spurs have traded Theo Ratliff to the Bobcats at the trade deadline?

Excellent question. Also Manu's coming back and Tony's injury seem to have finally turned Pop around somewhat on Small Ball.


3. Will Popovich commit the same mistake he commited during last year's playoffs by not playing his rookie... in this case Blair..?
He won't go nearly as overboard as he did last year with Hill, but there's always a possibility. It's also possible that Blair will stink up the joint defensively, which will force him to be benched.


4. IF Dominique had stayed with the Spurs and played alongside Robinson and Duncan (during Tim's rookie year)... could the Spurs have defeated the Jazz that post-season?

Eh, don't stay up nights pondering that one.