D.Blair has become a huge defensive liability

[SinBAD]

Blair is getting destroyed every game on the D end.No help D, not making the right rotations.I have no idea what happened to him but pretty sure he wont be starting for long.

[duhoh]

well as soon as tiago gets in game condition, blair will be benched.

[Nathan89]

well as soon as tiago gets in game condition, blair will be benched.

And as soon as Bonner is healthy Blair will get his minutes consumed.

[stealthjbravo]

One word: scola

[ducks]

scola is great d?

[024]

i thought he did a decent job against the more athletic, taller, bigger, and overall more skilled griffin.

[Cessation]

in begining of 4th we had 14 point lead, splitter goes out, blair in, fucking leyup/dunk parade, ending in duncan having to be brought in at the end, blair by far the worst player with -14, leading everyone, while splitter +10


if there ever was doubt as who should start, there hardly is any now
i dont see blair getting better, hes not skilled enough to overcome his height deficiency, hes been trying last couple of games, but he still sucks

splitter looks better and better with each game, even getting some crunch time minutes there, earning pops trust

splitter should definetly start, so blair gets a more level playing field vs other teams second unit

[gospursgojas]

Its has everything to do with starting.

He's playing against the opposing team's best line-up night in and night out. He's a better option off the bench because of the spark he brings and also the advantages he gains by playing a second string team.

Tiago's looking great, but I think he'll fall into the same problem.

I say start Dice.

[Cessation]

Its has everything to do with starting.

He's playing against the opposing team's best line-up night in and night out. He's a better option off the bench because of the spark he brings and also the advantages he gains by playing a second string team.

Tiago's looking great, but I think he'll fall into the same problem.

I say start Dice.


I dont think you can compare splitter to blair, splitter 6-11 and far more skilled and accomplished with his championships and mvps in europe

hes been playing pro ball for last 10 years, while blair is 6-7 and played 2 years of college and 1 year nba, also mentally tiago is a rocket scientist compared to da beast lol

there is no way splitter will play as bad as blair if hes starting, LOL

dice would do well, but hes too old, need to save him for the playoffs

[gospursgojas]

I dont think you can compare splitter to blair, splitter 6-11 and far more skilled and accomplished with his championships and mvps in europe

hes been playing pro ball for last 10 years, while blair is 6-7 and played 2 years of college and 1 year nba, also mentally tiago is a rocket scientist compared to da beast lol

there is no way splitter will play as bad as blair if hes starting, LOL

dice would do well, but hes too old, need to save him for the playoffs

I can agree with this.

Splitter is tall, and just that in itself will help against the opposing team's starters. I still wonder if he's foul prone though.

Also, Dice is playing 24mpg right now. That is still possible with him starting.

I'd be ok with either I guess. Blair needs to sit fasho though

[dbestpro]

Blair is playing like a second round draft pick.

[gospursgojas]

Blair is playing like a second round draft pick.

I'll save this for when Manu has a bad game.

[coyotes_geek]

i thought he did a decent job against the more athletic, taller, bigger, and overall more skilled griffin.

Agreed. I thought Blair did a good job of holding his ground tonight. TBF, he did get a lot of help off double teams, but still a solid effort IMO.

[dbestpro]

I'll save this for when Manu has a bad game.

How about 7 bad games in a row?

[gospursgojas]

How about 7 bad games in a row?

Never gonna happen with Manu.

Are you using the fact that he's a 2nd round pick as an excuse?

[Cessation]

I can agree with this.

Splitter is tall, and just that in itself will help against the opposing team's starters. I still wonder if he's foul prone though.

Also, Dice is playing 24mpg right now. That is still possible with him starting.

I'd be ok with either I guess. Blair needs to sit fasho though

I've seen every game so far this season, and only noticed the occasional rookie foul from splitter. He plays solid d and usually smartly puts his hands up making opponent penetrators take difficult shots, hes like timmy, rarelly out of position

dice has been the most consistent spur so far, finishing games, and making big plays, definetly looking much better than last year, hed be awsome as a starter, but for the long term pop wont start him, hes got the horry role now, and will be coasting till the playoffs, once bonner is back and blair, well deservedly hits da pine

[itzsoweezee]

I don't know what games you're watching. He plays great one on one defense. His rotations need work, but he's still young, he'll learn.

[HarlemHeat37]

Blair's post-up D has been outstanding so far, just like it was last season(in the 2nd half)..opponents were shooting 3-12 against him in the post coming into this game..

However, just like last year, his team D is atrocious..he's arguably the worst team defender in the NBA..

[Obstructed_View]

The fact that the Spurs had so many fucked up double teams, nearly every single one of which resulted in a three pointer, to cover for Blair makes it pretty obvious to me that the team doesn't feel confident in his abilities as a defender. For that reason I fully expect to see Splitter starting as soon as he's got his wind. He'll be far better as an energy guy as the first or second big off the bench. I'm still hoping the Spurs actually put him in a three big lineup as the small forward from time to time.

[gospursgojas]

The fact that the Spurs had so many fucked up double teams, nearly every single one of which resulted in a three pointer, to cover for Blair makes it pretty obvious to me that the team doesn't feel confident in his abilities as a defender. For that reason I fully expect to see Splitter starting as soon as he's got his wind. He'll be far better as an energy guy as the first or second big off the bench. I'm still hoping the Spurs actually put him in a three big lineup as the small forward from time to time.

I'd like that offensively, but who guards the 3 on d?

[HarlemHeat37]

Yup..

Having Blair come off the bench means he can focus on his offense more, which seems to be important for him, and it plays to his strengths..playing defense against 2nd units is important, but not crucial..

[crc21209]

Yup..

Having Blair come off the bench means he can focus on his offense more, which seems to be important for him, and it plays to his strengths..playing defense against 2nd units is important, but not crucial..

+1. Not only will having Splitter start and Blair coming off the bench benefit both on D, but on offense as well I think. I think a Manu/Splitter pick-n-roll combo will be DEADLY once they become a little more familiar with each other. And I think a Hill-Neal-Anderson-Blair-Dice bench will provide some good spark...:tu

[IknowU]

err.........Blair is continuously mismatched every game and people still whinge and whine.

Pop is giving him the experience to cope with much taller and skilled players without effecting the team too much early in the season. Is it that hard to tell or do you guys think Pop is dumbass doesnt know what to do with blair?

[gospursgojas]

err.........Blair is continuously mismatched every game and people still whinge and whine.

Pop is giving him the experience to cope with much taller and skilled players without effecting the team too much early in the season. Is it that hard to tell or do you guys think Pop is dumbass doesnt know what to do with blair?

See: RMJ at pg, Jeff at the 4 and Bonner as a starting center.

[angelbelow]

His team D is definitely, a liability but his post defense is pretty solid.

His 1v1 post defense was on full display in the first half. He defended Blake well when he had the ball and did a good job denying Blake the ball otherwise.

[Obstructed_View]

I'd like that offensively, but who guards the 3 on d?

How exactly does an opponent exploit a front line of Blair, Duncan and Splitter? Blair isn't slow, and with those guys in you're pretty much guaranteed not to get any second chance points. Defensively, I vastly prefer that lineup to having three guards and RJ with Blair as the center.

[Obstructed_View]

err.........Blair is continuously mismatched every game and people still whinge and whine.

Pop is giving him the experience to cope with much taller and skilled players without effecting the team too much early in the season. Is it that hard to tell or do you guys think Pop is dumbass doesnt know what to do with blair?

How long ago was Matt Bonner the starting center for nearly the entire season?

[angelbelow]

How long ago was Matt Bonner the starting center for nearly the entire season?

Serious question, who were our other bigs?

[Obstructed_View]

Serious question, who were our other bigs?

Kurt Thomas was on the team. Fabricio Oberto was on the team. We aren't going to blame the front office for not getting Pop a starting caliber center, are we?

[angelbelow]

Kurt Thomas was on the team. Fabricio Oberto was on the team. We aren't going to blame the front office for not getting Pop a starting caliber center, are we?

Oh thats right, I actually felt like Kurt should have started but watching him play.. he just seemed hurt or out of shape the entire season.

[Obstructed_View]

Oh thats right, I actually felt like Kurt should have started but watching him play.. he just seemed hurt or out of shape the entire season.

The starting of Bonner is the same logic that had two healthy centers on the bench in the '06 playoffs combined with his stubborn belief that Bonner could be Robert Horry. Pop's doing a good job with the roster and playing time this year but insanity is never really that far away.

[timtonymanu]

Oh thats right, I actually felt like Kurt should have started but watching him play.. he just seemed hurt or out of shape the entire season.

I honestly though Thomas was underappreciated during his time here. Sure, looking back our bigs are better now but at the time, Thomas was decent for this team. He may have been old and slow but he was a great defender and had alot of heart. Kinda like a less better version of the current McDyess.

[angelbelow]

The starting of Bonner is the same logic that had two healthy centers on the bench in the '06 playoffs combined with his stubborn belief that Bonner could be Robert Horry. Pop's doing a good job with the roster and playing time this year but insanity is never really that far away.

Agreed. Much love to Horry but all the bricks he threw up during the 2006 playoffs still hurt today.

Lets hope Bonner is coming back to assume the "5th big off the bench role." Because I dont see how starting Bonner or playing him 20+ minutes would have our team. I'd rather let Splitter play into shape and Blair play into form than have Bonner play the majority of their minutes.

[Obstructed_View]

Agreed. Much love to Horry but all the bricks he threw up during the 2006 playoffs still hurt today.

Lets hope Bonner is coming back to assume the "5th big off the bench role." Because I dont see how starting Bonner or playing him 20+ minutes would have our team. I'd rather let Splitter play into shape and Blair play into form than have Bonner play the majority of their minutes.

Completely agree. I want Bonner to be the "taller version of Gary Neal" off the bench. In fact, I'd prefer he be referred to as a role player and not as a 'big'. I don't think there's a chance in hell that he starts, but Pop has shocked the living shit out of me before, so I'm always a little wary.

[jjktkk]

Its has everything to do with starting.

He's playing against the opposing team's best line-up night in and night out. He's a better option off the bench because of the spark he brings and also the advantages he gains by playing a second string team.

Tiago's looking great, but I think he'll fall into the same problem.

I say start Dice.

I have to disagree with you. Splitter has better footwork in the post. All things being equal, Splitter is a 7 footer and will not have the same problems Blair has.

[jjktkk]

I honestly though Thomas was underappreciated during his time here. Sure, looking back our bigs are better now but at the time, Thomas was decent for this team. He may have been old and slow but he was a great defender and had alot of heart. Kinda like a less better version of the current McDyess.


Whoa!!!! I agree with Thomas being under appreciated here, but you have it backwards. McDyess is a better version of the old Thomas. Much more athletic, just as good a defender, better shot blocker, and better shooter. Love the old warhorse Thomas and the toughnwess he brings, but give me McDyess over Thomas any day.

[#2!]

Whoa!!!! I agree with Thomas being under appreciated here, but you have it backwards. McDyess is a better version of the old Thomas. Much more athletic, just as good a defender, better shot blocker, and better shooter. Love the old warhorse Thomas and the toughnwess he brings, but give me McDyess over Thomas any day.

Timtonymanu said "less better," which is actually just the word "worse." You were confused; you actually agree.

[GhosTown]

As soon as Bonner heals we will start losing. Pop will play him no matter what. Even if he is missing 3pts and getting killed on the defensive end. It won't matter to Pop he going to play him. Just like tonite, when Blair was being abused in the paint where was the adjustment. Where?

[jjktkk]

Timtonymanu said "less better," which is actually just the word "worse." You were confused; you actually agree.

Oops. Your right. My old english teacher is turning over in her grave. My bad Timtonymanu.

[Russo21]

Just checked the +/- for the Clippers game. Every player was in the positive apart from 2.

James Anderson -1
DeJuan Blair -14

That's horribly bad Mr. Blair!:nope

[Russo21]

I don't know a thing about trades with all the complications and everything else. But the $$$'s work trading Blair and Bonner for these bigs. I don't wanna give up Blair but that's all i could do with the numbers. If anyone knows more about trades feel free to change it up for me.

Zaza Pachulia 6'11" 275lbs

Yi Jianlian 7'0" 250 lbs averaged 12, 7 and 1 last season 36% from 3

Chris Anderson crazy energtic defensive guy

I'm so sick of seeing Matt Bonner in Silver and Black. Especially come playoff time! He only played 2.8 minutes a game in our 07 Championship so that doesn't really count. And it doesn't surprise me in the least that our championship dry spell of 08 09 10 has coincided at the same time Bonner has been playing 20mpg for us in the playoffs. Damn i would love to get rid of Bonner!

[Em-City]

if defense is the problem, Yi Jinlian surely won't help our cause.

[tuncaboylu]

Just checked the +/- for the Clippers game. Every player was in the positive apart from 2.

James Anderson -1
DeJuan Blair -14

That's horribly bad Mr. Blair!:nope

I think people are overrating this stat too much. It doesn't show everything that you look for. Maybe the opponent team can find their shooting rhytym when a front-court player is playing and they drill 5 three points in that period. If your team can score 6 points in that period (which is not bad at all), the front-court player's ratio becomes -9 suddenly, eventhough he scores all 6 points of his team.

That's why, I don't respect the +/- ratio too much in a short period(Like 2 or 3 games). It may show something in long period like 25-30 games, but not for a couple games.

[Russo21]

True Em-City.

I thought maybe Yi has more upside though. We know how high Bonner's Ceiling is and that ceiling can't help us win a title. Why are we keeping a guy around who can't help us get number 5?

Preferrably with all the chaos and turmoil in Denver it would be sweet to try grab Anderson if they are going to blow the team up. He averaged 6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in only 20 minutes a year ago. That dude can play and wreak havoc in the middle, block shots and keep loose balls alive.

I like Blair and i'm sure we will keep him. But if we could pull a trade of Bonner for Anderson i wouldn't complain:-) I'm just sayin :-)

[TJastal]

True Em-City.

I thought maybe Yi has more upside though. We know how high Bonner's Ceiling is and that ceiling can't help us win a title. Why are we keeping a guy around who can't help us get number 5?

Preferrably with all the chaos and turmoil in Denver it would be sweet to try grab Anderson if they are going to blow the team up. He averaged 6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in only 20 minutes a year ago. That dude can play and wreak havoc in the middle, block shots and keep loose balls alive.

I like Blair and i'm sure we will keep him. But if we could pull a trade of Bonner for Anderson i wouldn't complain:-) I'm just sayin :-)

For this year, this team, I'd definitely take Andersen for his defense over Bonner's 3pt shooting. With the way this team is scoring right now Bonner isn't needed at all, IMO.

I think Blair will come around eventually, even if he starts coming off the bench. Duncan, Splitter, Blair and McDyess should be the regular rotation and on those nights when scoring is a problem, Bonner should be providing a 3pt shooting spark.

Now I have no idea what's going to happen once Bonner comes back, I'm just saying he basically shouldn't be in the regular rotation unless the offense is sputtering or other bigs are hurt/need rest.

[coyotes_geek]

Just checked the +/- for the Clippers game. Every player was in the positive apart from 2.

James Anderson -1
DeJuan Blair -14

That's horribly bad Mr. Blair!:nope

+/- can be a misleading stat. I'm sure a large part of the minus on Blair came during that 3rd quarter when the Spurs had their turnover spell and the clippers were getting a bunch of easy transition buckets as a result. It's not really Dejuan's fault that he just happened to be on the floor when Manu and the other Spurs guards got careless with the basketball.

[TDMVPDPOY]

the birdman is the obvious choice, cuckoo cuchoo

[yavozerb]

For this year, this team, I'd definitely take Andersen for his defense over Bonner's 3pt shooting. With the way this team is scoring right now Bonner isn't needed at all, IMO.

I think Blair will come around eventually, even if he starts coming off the bench. Duncan, Splitter, Blair and McDyess should be the regular rotation and on those nights when scoring is a problem, Bonner should be providing a 3pt shooting spark.

Now I have no idea what's going to happen once Bonner comes back, I'm just saying he basically shouldn't be in the regular rotation unless the offense is sputtering or other bigs are hurt/need rest.

Blair is gonna lose some of his minutes to Bonner, I gurantee this..Blair has done nothing to prevent this since his main asset is rebounding and hustle points and both have been sub par along with his defense. Bonner prior to his injury was playing better defense than Blairs current defensive effort, slightly less rebounding than what blair is currently giving, and can also stretch the floor more providing more driving lanes for TP and Manu. Right now Blair only deserves 10-15 minutes a night the way he is playing..

[FuzzyLumpkins]

His team D is definitely, a liability but his post defense is pretty solid.

His 1v1 post defense was on full display in the first half. He defended Blake well when he had the ball and did a good job denying Blake the ball otherwise.

This is what I saw. His post defense is actually quite good.

He actually reminds of Jefferson last year in that he seems to be rushing and/or overthinking everything.

[Indazone]

Blair is hitting that wall. He's been figured out with advanced scouting reports by other teams.

[clambake]

well trade ya barea and carlisle for blair.

[Bruno]

Blair is great as an energy player coming from the bench. He isn't starting material for the moment. It's understandable for a player that is so young and who has some limitations due to his lack of size.

When Tiago will be back in good shape, Spurs frontcourt should be Duncan and Tiago starting with Dice and Blair as backups.

[coyotes_geek]

Blair is hitting that wall. He's been figured out with advanced scouting reports by other teams.

Not really sure how sophisticated an advance scouting effort is required to figure out a guy whose entire game is based on strength and hustle. Any scout worth a damn had Blair figured out half way through last season. The gameplan for Blair is simple. You either have a guy with enough length and strength to keep him off the boards or you don't.

[ElNono]

His defense was always subpar, so it's difficult to say he now 'has become' a liability.
I'm mostly bothered by his slow start when it comes to rebounding.
That was his bread and butter last season, and maybe he does need to go back playing against 2nd units to be as effective as he was on that last season.

[Mitch Cumsteen]

That's why, I don't respect the +/- ratio too much in a short period(Like 2 or 3 games). It may show something in long period like 25-30 games, but not for a couple games.

I agree with this, but the +/- gameflow for Blair last night is hilarious. You almost have to try to be -14 in a game that you win by 12.

http://popcornmachine.net/cgi-bin/gameflow.cgi?date=20101110&game=LACSAS

After the first quarter, in which he played okay, look at his stints. The Spurs are on a 11-2 run in the second quarter when he checks back into the game. The next five minutes he's in, -5. Blair's in the first five minutes of the third quarter, the team is -5. He checks out for McDyess and the team immediately goes on a 21-6 run. Blair checks back in a minute into the fourth quarter, the Spurs get outscored by 6 over the next 7:25. He checks out, and the team goes on a 7-0 run. Game over.

I'm not trying to advocate the +/- stat too much -- there are a lot of things that go into the +/- such as who you are playing against and who you are playing with.... but it is a fairly easy correlation to make last night: Blair in = bad. Blair out = good.

That said, I agree with whomever said he should come off the bench and be an energy guy. He should be great in that role. It's way too early to give up on the guy.

[Spurs Brazil]

Blair team defense must be better. He's in the 2nd season so he should know where to rotate and what Pop want.

I agree that Blair off the bench is a better option.

[Agloco]

Blair is playing like a second round draft pick.

This. So why all of the whining?

[SpurCharger]

Splitter Should Start..... And Dice Is Better Off the Bench.... Dice always came off the bench for The pistons, when they made there Runs...

[Obstructed_View]

Just checked the +/- for the Clippers game. Every player was in the positive apart from 2.

James Anderson -1
DeJuan Blair -14

That's horribly bad Mr. Blair!:nope

This is why checking plus minus on a box score doesn't teach you anything. The Spurs double-teamed Griffin when Blair was in the game, and they were really terribly executed double-teams, they were weak and obvious. Almost all of them resulted in three pointers. I don't blame Blair for that. In addition, Blair was kept in the game when Parker was pulled, which resulted in terrible offense as Hill and Manu attempted to run the point.

[angelbelow]

This is why checking plus minus on a box score doesn't teach you anything. The Spurs double-teamed Griffin when Blair was in the game, and they were really terribly executed double-teams, they were weak and obvious. Almost all of them resulted in three pointers. I don't blame Blair for that. In addition, Blair was kept in the game when Parker was pulled, which resulted in terrible offense as Hill and Manu attempted to run the point.

Solid points. Even when we had a hand in their face they nailed quite a few jumpers on possessions that I thought we were solid defensively. TBH they had quite a shooting display early on.

[Obstructed_View]

Solid points. Even when we had a hand in their face they nailed quite a few jumpers on possessions that I thought we were solid defensively. TBH they had quite a shooting display early on.

I'll have to go back and watch to make sure, but I know there were five or six three pointers that came directly from doubling Blair's man. Whether Blair is truly undersized or not, it's pretty obvious from the defensive game plan that Pop thinks he's undersized, and it's hurting the Spurs. Remember how good they used to be when they limited the opponent's three point attempts?