Y'know who Grizzly reminds me of..?

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

...a young Elton Brand - before the injuries and the strange decisions. Back when Elton was a bullock inside, before he developed the jumper and decided to overuse it.

My current thinking is that Grizz has Young Brand ceiling at the very least, although I didn't see it in him last season. The way he improved his FTs dramatically in only one off-season suggests he has a great acuity for learning and development. Who knows what he'll add this off-season? I think he's got a lot of room to grow. All, of course, depends on his knees, but talent-wise Grizz could be similar to a young Elton Brand in two or three years.

And beyond all of that he is a true Spur in attitude and behaviour - team-oriented, humble, thoughtful, (usually) focussed. In short, he's a great kid who is developing into a powerful man.

I love watching a talent develop, especially when they exceed your expectations.

:toast

:D

[mystargtr34]

They have similar body shapes in that they are bulky, but thats about it IMO. Brand is 3 inches taller and has a 7'6' wingspan... plus his skill level is in another league.

Blair is more Reggie Evans then Elton Brand.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

They have similar body shapes in that they are bulky, but thats about it IMO. Brand is 3 inches taller and has a 7'6' wingspan... plus his skill level is in another league.

Blair is more Reggie Evans then Elton Brand.

Blair's balance, quickness, and feel around the basket are developing quickly. He also has quick hands on D and is learning to position himself better. I think we'll all be surprised how good he is offensively in two years.

[FromWayDowntown]

They have similar body shapes in that they are bulky, but thats about it IMO. Brand is 3 inches taller and has a 7'6' wingspan... plus his skill level is in another league.

Blair is more Reggie Evans then Elton Brand.

I'm inclined to agree with the Evans comparison more than the Brand comparison.

Brand walked into the league and was a 20/10 guy; Blair is more of a 10/8 kind of guy. They're obviously used differently, but I'd argue that if Blair had the ability to put up those kinds of numbers, the Spurs would use him very differently than they do. Also, as a young player, Brand was a tremendous shot blocker for his size; DeJuan isn't even remotely comparable in that regard.

[dougp]

I'm inclined to agree with the Evans comparison more than the Brand comparison.

Brand walked into the league and was a 20/10 guy; Blair is more of a 10/8 kind of guy. They're obviously used differently, but I'd argue that if Blair had the ability to put up those kinds of numbers, the Spurs would use him very differently than they do. Also, as a young player, Brand was a tremendous shot blocker for his size; DeJuan isn't even remotely comparable in that regard.

Blair could put up those numbers on a team where he's more of the second option, as opposed to the second chance points he gets now. He's still playing the role that any "center" we've had since Robinson has played - 4th or 5th fiddle. His wingspan is 7'3", so he's not giving up much except actual height - but his agility is pretty damn good for someone with his stature.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Note that I'm not talking about now. As I said in the OP I think he has more talent than I originally thought, especially his quickness and finishing around the basket. I'm envisioning 2-3years from now when Tim hangs up his boots - by that point I think DeJuan might be a 16/10 guy like Scola.

Sure, he'll probably never be the shot-blocker Elton was - he doesn't have young Elton's explosiveness - but he does have craftiness and quick feet. He also has very quick hands for stealing the ball like Elton did.

I'm not saying he is a young Elton, just that his ceiling in a few years might be that high if his knees hold up and he continues to develop.

[outmap]

Paul Millsap :)

[xmas1997]

I wish he were quick enough to play the SF position. He would take no prisoners if he could.

[Manufan909]

...a young Elton Brand - before the injuries and the strange decisions. Back when Elton was a bullock inside, before he developed the jumper and decided to overuse it.

My current thinking is that Grizz has Young Brand ceiling at the very least, although I didn't see it in him last season. The way he improved his FTs dramatically in only one off-season suggests he has a great acuity for learning and development. Who knows what he'll add this off-season? I think he's got a lot of room to grow. All, of course, depends on his knees, but talent-wise Grizz could be similar to a young Elton Brand in two or three years.

And beyond all of that he is a true Spur in attitude and behaviour - team-oriented, humble, thoughtful, (usually) focussed. In short, he's a great kid who is developing into a powerful man.

I love watching a talent develop, especially when they exceed your expectations.

:toast

:D

1) What weird decisions?

2) Concerning FTs, Blair did significantly drop in % from college, but I do agree his boost in accuracy this year is encouraging. After reading the recently posted draft express article, I'm no longer encouraged by his jumper. Idk if the article only used this season for stats (which is logical), but 4 of 17 is just plain horrible. I wonder what his % for the jumper was in the preseason? Heck, he was hitting everything back then, and then crashed back to Earth for the first 20 games or so of the reg season.

3) Two, do you agree that Reggie Evans is a more appropriate comparison or are you sticking with your guns?

4) Did you read my post a month ago that argued your use of the nickname-that-shall-not-be-posted-by-moi? As generic as Beast is for a nickname, I still feel it admirably conveys Blair's game. Plus, I like seeing people post stuff along the lines of "Dejuan has enabled Beast Mode".:hat Like I said before, the best animal to relate Blair to would be the Wolverine. They might be on the smaller side of the animal kingdom, but what they lack in pounds they more than make up with in ferocity.

5) I'd like to argue with who brought up stats for Brand to show flaws in Ruff's logic; Blair in no way was able to put up those numbers his freshman year on a team that had Dice/Tim/Bonner taking up 70 mins off the bat. That point is semi-moot, because I know Blair would only put up 15 10 on the bottom 5 teams front court depth-wise. In the long run his averages will be helped more by playing alongside Dice and Tim his first 2 years. Hopefully the players and owners turn back into adults before it's too late and make up a new CBA sans lockout so Blair gets 3 years to soak up the knowledge (I know Dice might be gone, but Timmy won't be).

6) I hope Blair's knees allow him to have at least a 9-year career. It'd be cool if I could watch games with my kids one day and he's the starting PF, with a bulkier Tiago starting alongside at center.

:flag:

[Rummpd]

I would like to see more consistency from Blair on at least the rebounding area - that is his forte and some nights he is very good others he seems to be concentrating too much on other areas or not giving a damm. Big upside but he needs to be more consistent and it is time for him to do this.

[ohmwrecker]

Paul Millsap :)

That's the comparison I made last year. I'll stick with that.

[FromWayDowntown]

Blair could put up those numbers on a team where he's more of the second option, as opposed to the second chance points he gets now. He's still playing the role that any "center" we've had since Robinson has played - 4th or 5th fiddle. His wingspan is 7'3", so he's not giving up much except actual height - but his agility is pretty damn good for someone with his stature.

As you might anticipate, I think that's a stretch. It's not as if big guys who can average 20 and 10 grow on trees -- for that matter, it's not like guys who average 20 points or average 10 rebounds are just a dime a dozen. At the moment, there are only 20 guys in the NBA who average 20 ppg or more and only 9 guys who average 10 rpg (and 4 of the rebounders are among the scorers).

If Pop had a big guy (not named Tim Duncan) who was capable of averaging 20/10, he'd be using that guy more in the offense by running sets throughout the game intended to get him the ball with opportunities to score. For crissakes, that's EXACTLY what he did when he got Tim Duncan who was capable of doing those things.

I'd agree that DeJuan's ceiling as a rebounder might see him end up somewhere around 10 per game (though, at the moment, there are only 9 guys who do that). But I don't think there's a snowball's chance in hell that he could ever be the sort of elite scorer who can get 20 night-in-and-night-out, year-in-and-year-out.

For the first 8 years of his career, that's exactly what Brand was: a 20 ppg scorer who could get you 10 rebounds a night, too. Like I say, I don't think Blair will ever be that.

[Manufan909]

I bet in 2 or 3 years he'll be a 15 and 10 guy. If he averages 30 mpg, I don't see why not.

[dougp]

As you might anticipate, I think that's a stretch. It's not as if big guys who can average 20 and 10 grow on trees -- for that matter, it's not like guys who average 20 points or average 10 rebounds are just a dime a dozen. At the moment, there are only 20 guys in the NBA who average 20 ppg or more and only 9 guys who average 10 rpg (and 4 of the rebounders are among the scorers).

If Pop had a big guy (not named Tim Duncan) who was capable of averaging 20/10, he'd be using that guy more in the offense by running sets throughout the game intended to get him the ball with opportunities to score. For crissakes, that's EXACTLY what he did when he got Tim Duncan who was capable of doing those things.

I'd agree that DeJuan's ceiling as a rebounder might see him end up somewhere around 10 per game (though, at the moment, there are only 9 guys who do that). But I don't think there's a snowball's chance in hell that he could ever be the sort of elite scorer who can get 20 night-in-and-night-out, year-in-and-year-out.

For the first 8 years of his career, that's exactly what Brand was: a 20 ppg scorer who could get you 10 rebounds a night, too. Like I say, I don't think Blair will ever be that.

I understand your point, but I'm not sure I fully agree. I've always felt that Blair is being played extremely out of position and the players he matches up against when at the 5 frustrate him more than playing off a 4 would. But hey, those are the conditions of playing along TD - I wouldn't go against what Pop has setup.

Hell, this is his first year starting and he's doing a great job. There's games where he seriously stepped up, probably more than any other 5 we've had besides DRob. 8pts / 7 rbs in 22mpg on 50% shooting is great, and he's gotten better as the season has progressed. I'd personally rather have him off the bench, I think him along with Hill would be serious energy with Neal - but that'd mean we'd have to lean on Dyess to start.

[LakerHater]

Wht doesn't he wear the headband, does Coach Pop not allow it?

[tdunk21]

Wht doesn't he wear the headband, does Coach Pop not allow it?

lol....i guess....we dont want our players looking like jason terry......:lol

[FromWayDowntown]

I understand your point, but I'm not sure I fully agree. I've always felt that Blair is being played extremely out of position and the players he matches up against when at the 5 frustrate him more than playing off a 4 would. But hey, those are the conditions of playing along TD - I wouldn't go against what Pop has setup.

So you see him being a perennial all-star once the Tim Duncan positional block is removed?


Hell, this is his first year starting and he's doing a great job. There's games where he seriously stepped up, probably more than any other 5 we've had besides DRob. 8pts / 7 rbs in 22mpg on 50% shooting is great, and he's gotten better as the season has progressed. I'd personally rather have him off the bench, I think him along with Hill would be serious energy with Neal - but that'd mean we'd have to lean on Dyess to start.

I absolutely agree with him being a terrific role player and being a decided upgrade over most of the guys that the Spurs have played alongside Timmy since 2003 (though, I think I'd be inclined to take a 2005 Robert Horry over a 2010 Dejuan Blair, for the most part). But there's a big difference between being that kind of a player and being a guy like Elton Brand once was.

[dougp]

So you see him being a perennial all-star once the Tim Duncan positional block is removed?

No, because the All-Stars are a joke. But do I see his game changing and his averages going up? Yes, but at the same time I do see our record going down. Damn shame he couldn't be formed into a #3 because he could have been like Artest ...

[bigdog]

Wht doesn't he wear the headband, does Coach Pop not allow it?

I don't think that's it. Stephen Jackson, Melvin Ely, DerMarr Johnson, Jeremy Richardson all wore headbands.

[timtonymanu]

I think he and Elton look like the same person some times.

I really hope Blair continues to work on his jump shot especially since he has the tendency to use it in games. It looks really awkward right now but if he can work on his free throws, I think he can improve his jump shot.

[bigdog]

His free throws look either really good or horrible. His form on his jumpshot is weird, though...even though he supposedly worked on it all offseason.