Play Ian please

[Biggems]

he has size and athleticism...if anything he will get us rebounds and blocked shots.

[exstatic]

Uh, they'd have been calling fouls on Ian against Dirk across the court. He would last 6 minutes, tops, 1 minute per foul.

[mingus]

this is where you ask yourself why in the world Mahinmi wasn't given playing time in this season. it should've been anticipated that Bonner would be useless in the playoffs. a refined Mahinmi, in tune with what he can and can't get away with defensively, could have helped this Spurs in this series. his athleticism and length are things that in tandem with a feel for the game - that could have come with more pt ala Blair - could have been valuable.

Pop threw his eggs in one basket, the Bonner basket; and never bothered to give Mahinmi a chance. so now that he finds out Bonner can't guard him, plus the fact that he can't hit a three - i could have told you that he'd choke - and what does he do? he throws Bogans on him. Bogans! that's right, motherfuckin' Bogans!:lmao

pop a defensive genius? yeah, lmao. that word gets thrown around way to casually. Pop is an average coach that has been blessed with great players that made him look like a genius.

[LakerHater]

I'd rather see Blair get more than 8 minutes!!!!

[Biggems]

Give me Ian and Blair at the same time.......with Temple, Manu, and Hill

[ffadicted]

lol yes, fix the foul problems by pulling on Ian "Foul Machine" Mahinmi on Dirk "I get fouled a lot" Nowitski

[itzsoweezee]

He'd be a better option than Matt "0 IQ" Bonner

[vander]

re-signing Ian >>>>>>> playing Ian

[superjames1992]

He'd be a better option than Matt "0 IQ" Bonner

No, he wouldn't.

Matt played high-IQ defense. Dirk just shot over him.

[vander]

No, he wouldn't.

Matt played high-IQ defense. Dirk just shot over him.

some people see what they want to see, they aren't worth your time...

[ffadicted]

He'd be a better option than Matt "0 IQ" Bonner

Maybe, but the playoffs aren't a time to experiment. Sure you adjust, but maybe if he had played more in the regular season

[Biggems]

Maybe, but the playoffs aren't a time to experiment. Sure you adjust, but maybe if he had played more in the regular season

im not experimenting and im not putting Ian on Dirk. I am putting Ian on Dampier and Haywood.

[mingus]

i don't know why people are hating on Matt Bonner. yes, he sucks. but it's not his fault he's out there.

[Whisky Dog]

Too late now. When I was bitching at Pop to play that kid 4 months ago? That was the time. Now it's just sink with the ship you chose to ride on time.

[EmptyMan]

Ian is SOFT. Just like every Spurs big.

Spurs fans needs to forget about soft Ian. Seriously. Year after year and the fixation remains.

[objective]

Please.

If Ian got in the game Dirk would go off, and shoot like 86% and go to the line a dozen times.

[coyotes_geek]

I'm the first to admit that the Spurs need rebounds in this series, but Ian isn't the answer. The Spurs are going to have a hard enough time keeping the mavs off the free throw line as it is.

[easy7]

Ian can't play, all those bs calls given to other people last night were for Ian fouling from the bench.

[admiralsnackbar]

I'm the first to admit that the Spurs need rebounds in this series, but Ian isn't the answer. The Spurs are going to have a hard enough time keeping the mavs off the free throw line as it is.

Exactly. Do folks really think Ian is going to contribute enough with in the short window he will have before fouling-out to displace the 12 points he will almost certainly gift the Mavs?

[in2deep]

Ian would have fouled out in the first 3 minutes.

That being said, I still would not mind seeing a little of Ian. Size and quickness, hell, let him guard Dirk for a few possessions.

[Fpoonsie]

im not experimenting and im not putting Ian on Dirk. I am putting Ian on Dampier and Haywood.

Becaaaaaaause, THEY'VE been our matchup problem?

[coyotes_geek]

Ian would have fouled out in the first 3 minutes.

That being said, I still would not mind seeing a little of Ian. Size and quickness, hell, let him guard Dirk for a few possessions.

Ian on Dirk is the last thing I want to see. If Ian somehow does find his way on to the court during meaningful minutes he damn sure better be guarding Dampier or Haywood.

[Stringer_Bell]

I don't care who they put on Dirk, he will make a lot of shots. What I want is rebounds, and I like what I've seen from Ian/Blair in terms of not giving a shit who is near the basket when they got to get the ball.

I don't know anything, but is it really too much to ask that Timmy take Dirk and Ian/Blair hide under the basket to grab his missed shots as Manu/TP/Hill/Hairston/Temple scramble down the floor to punch a couple points in? Am I being delusional? :(

[in2deep]

Ian on Dirk is the last thing I want to see. If Ian somehow does find his way on to the court during meaningful minutes he damn sure better be guarding Dampier or Haywood.

Bonner on Dirk is even worse.

[coyotes_geek]

Bonner on Dirk is even worse.

Disagree. And that doesn't mean I like the idea of Bonner on Dirk. Ian on Dirk is pretty much a guaranteed trip to the free throw line.

[purist]

when did Ian become a serious option? seriously, when?

[in2deep]

Disagree. And that doesn't mean I like the idea of Bonner on Dirk. Ian on Dirk is pretty much a guaranteed trip to the free throw line.

Bonner on Dirk is guaranteed 2 pts even without FTs.

Ian has length and actually jumps. Dirk would not shoot over him so easily. Bonner is slow, short and doesn't even get his feet off the ground.

[coyotes_geek]

Bonner on Dirk is guaranteed 2 pts even without FTs

That's still the preferable option compared to racking up fouls. It's not just the free throws Dirk would be getting by being able to draw fouls on Ian. It's the free throws the rest of the mavs would be getting by virtue of getting into the bonus.


Ian has length and actually jumps. Dirk would not shoot over him so easily. Bonner is slow, short and doesn't even get his feet off the ground.

I'm not worried about Dirk shooting over him. I'm worried about a simple up fake resulting in Ian leaping 3 feet into the air leaving Dirk free to decide whether he wants to waltz to the rim or get to the free throw line by jumping into him.

[Bruno]

It's way too late to give Ian meaningful playing time.

Saying that, Spurs have been eaten alive in the paint this year. Spurs' big men have been horrible in man to man defense and at protecting the rim. Spurs should have work at fixing that. Since they decided that Ian wasn't an option, they should have done some trades.

[in2deep]

That's still the preferable option compared to racking up fouls. It's not just the free throws Dirk would be getting by being able to draw fouls on Ian. It's the free throws the rest of the mavs would be getting by virtue of getting into the bonus.

this is already happening, with Ian or w/out.




I'm not worried about Dirk shooting over him. I'm worried about a simple up fake resulting in Ian leaping 3 feet into the air leaving Dirk free to decide whether he wants to waltz to the rim or get to the free throw line by jumping into him.

nice imagination. We have not seen this happen, so we don't really know for sure if that's what will happen. My point is, let's see what happens.

[yavozerb]

To all of a sudden play Ian is madness for Pop..Why would he play a player who has not been in the regular season rotation and all of a sudden place him in a 8-9 player rotation for the playoffs. We will be left wondering what could have been with this kid and if he does well with someone else next season, it could get ugly in here..

[in2deep]

To all of a sudden play Ian is madness for Pop..Why would he play a player who has not been in the regular season rotation and all of a sudden place him in a 8-9 player rotation for the playoffs. We will be left wondering what could have been with this kid and if he does well with someone else next season, it could get ugly in here..

Bonner on Dirk is madness. Hack-a-damp is madness. Playing Mason extended minutes is madness.

[TJastal]

It's way too late to give Ian meaningful playing time.

Saying that, Spurs have been eaten alive in the paint this year. Spurs' big men have been horrible in man to man defense and at protecting the rim. Spurs should have work at fixing that. Since they decided that Ian wasn't an option, they should have done some trades.

Good call, Bruno. Your man, Camby is looking pretty spry since recovering from that ankle sprain. Much better than I would have ever imagined for a 37 year old.

Everyone should have listened to you on Camby, he'd be helping alot right now if the spurs had acquired him..... good damn call there

[coyotes_geek]

this is already happening, with Ian or w/out.

All the more reason not to compound the problem by foolishly letting Ian try to guard Dirk.


nice imagination. We have not seen this happen, so we don't really know for sure if that's what will happen. My point is, let's see what happens.

It's not imagination. It's the logical conclusion. The guy averaged 1.2 fouls in 6:47 minutes, most of those coming in garbage time against players nowhere close to being as good as Dirk Nowitzki is. The guy is a foul magnet against scrubs, why should anyone believe that he'd be anything different if asked to guard Dirk? Besides, if all it took to guard Dirk was being tall and athletic then Francisco Elson would still be on this team.

[SenorSpur]

Dirk has made fools out of practically anyone Pop has thrown at him.

Anyone have SJax's phone number?

[admiralsnackbar]

nice imagination. We have not seen this happen, so we don't really know for sure if that's what will happen. My point is, let's see what happens.

We don't need to see Ian against Dirk to know how Dirk acts when he gets a defender in the air. The same could be said about anybody who knows how to play basketball, who understands that you create an and-1 opportunity if you create contact mid-shot.

[pookenstein]

So what if you play Ian and put Tim on Dork? Sure, that means a lot more work for Tim, but also a lot mor work for Dork. With Bonner in Tim already has to do most of the defensive work, but if Ian plays against Haywood/Dampier he can take away their offensive rebounds/extra possesions.
Also Tim won't get called for that many fouls on Dork.

What you guys think?

[admiralsnackbar]

So what if you play Ian and put Tim on Dork? Sure, that means a lot more work for Tim, but also a lot mor work for Dork. With Bonner in Tim already has to do most of the defensive work, but if Ian plays against Haywood/Dampier he can take away their offensive rebounds/extra possesions.
Also Tim won't get called for that many fouls on Dork.

What you guys think?

I think it's risky to put the cornerstone of the team's offense and defense on a guy who (through skill or otherwise) is able to draw fouls seemingly at will. Beyond that, if Duncan is on Dirk, Dirk will draw him out of the paint, thus exposing the rim to slashers and bigs for easy, high-percentage shots.

[Shank]

Dirk has made fools out of practically anyone Pop has thrown at him.

Anyone have SJax's phone number?

Isn't he hurt, too?

[PDXSpursFan]

Ian is an athlete, not a basketball player.

[pookenstein]

I think it's risky to put the cornerstone of the team's offense and defense on a guy who (through skill or otherwise) is able to draw fouls seemingly at will. Beyond that, if Duncan is on Dirk, Dirk will draw him out of the paint, thus exposing the rim to slashers and bigs for easy, high-percentage shots.

You're right, it is risky. But letting Bonner defend him means 1.2million points per game for Nowitzki.
Just give Ian a try to protect the rim. If it doesn't work well (either Tim getting called for too many fouls or Ian being unable to get the job done) switch back to status quo.
I don't believe that Tim gets fouls for things Matt does get fouls for.

[Obstructed_View]

I'm not sure how it could be much worse. Everyone whines about how much Ian fouls, but the Spurs can't stop Dirk and can't keep from fouling him, and oh by the way, they can't get rebounds because they've got Keith Bogans playing power forward in stretches.

[admiralsnackbar]

I'm not sure how it could be much worse. Everyone whines about how much Ian fouls, but the Spurs can't stop Dirk and can't keep from fouling him, and oh by the way, they can't get rebounds because they've got Keith Bogans playing power forward in stretches.

But again: how much damage is Ian going to do to Dallas before he fouls out? Dice and Bonner rarely get in foul trouble, yet both got 4 last night while playing pretty staid defense.

Ian, on the other hand, fouls very frequently (and on lesser players). So what's the benefit of giving the Mavs 12 points when we will very likely only get 2-6 back, along with a few rebounds before it's pine time for bonzo.

[Obstructed_View]

But again: how much damage is Ian going to do to Dallas before he fouls out? Dice and Bonner rarely get in foul trouble, yet both got 4 last night while playing pretty staid defense.

Ian, on the other hand, fouls very frequently (and on lesser players). So what's the benefit of giving the Mavs 12 points when we will very likely only get 2-6 back, along with a few rebounds before it's pine time for bonzo.

Bonner got called for standing near Dirk, and one of his fouls seemed to be because he dared to put his hand in Dirk's face while he was shooting. You can't do anything about that, but you can do something about everyone else. I'd have been perfectly happy with Ian playing in place of Mason or Bogans during the Spurs' smallball experiment in the second half that blew the game open. Ian's not going to do more damage than smallball does.

[J Mack]

just funny how many people can see the future of games and what a player will and will not do. hell what can it hurt to play the guy for a few just to shake things up and see if he "can" be affective. I've been for playing Ian this season. too bad he really didnt get the chance to show if he could play consistant or not. :wakeup

[admiralsnackbar]

Ian's not going to do more damage than smallball does.

Yeah, but it's not one or the other. Small ball has got to get the kibosh, but that doesn't mean Ian should, therefore, play.

[Obstructed_View]

just funny how many people can see the future of games and what a player will and will not do. hell what can it hurt to play the guy for a few just to shake things up and see if he "can" be affective. I've been for playing Ian this season. too bad he really didnt get the chance to show if he could play consistant or not. :wakeup

Yeah, it's really too late to play him, but the Spurs haven't come close to shoring up any problems that everyone knew they had last season when Dallas kicked the shit out of them.

[scottspurs]

Ian is not the answer and would be an act of desperation. He would only be useful if we were playing a team with a big who had a post game and he could help keep others from foul trouble.

[objective]

I'm as big a Ian fan as there is on this board.

But Ian isn't near the top of my wishlist for adjustments.

Blair getting more time would be 1.

Mason getting zero minutes no matter the circumstances would be 1a.

I'd rather see both of those before looking to Ian.

[SenorSpur]

Ian is not the answer and would be an act of desperation. He would only be useful if we were playing a team with a big who had a post game and he could help keep others from foul trouble.

Desparation? Since Pop has already resorted to "hack-a-damp", that's a clear indication that he's already desparate. With the limitations and matchup issues they already have with the Mavs, shaking up the lineup and inserting some new players (Temple, Blair, Mahinmi) couldn't be any worse than what we're seeing out of the current role players.

[BackHome]

Ian sucks he his going to be joing the other "Great" spurs player Pops who I think is playing in Cuba.

[admiralsnackbar]

With the limitations and matchup issues they already have with the Mavs, shaking up the lineup and inserting some new players (Temple, Blair, Mahinmi) couldn't be any worse than what we're seeing out of the current role players.

Of course it could.

[sribb43]

Please play Ian... I'm sure he is the key to victory :lol

That like a mavs fan saying play Nick Fazekas a few years back

[underdawg]

Of course it could.

it could, but probably wouldn't given the level the bar has been set at