Blair's future

[Libri]

Blair has two more seasons with the Spurs and those two seasons are unguaranteed. Now, what should we expect from Blair next season?

He worked on his jumper during the summer but without a shooting coach. We saw the results. :(

Do you all think Blair has room for improvement and what facet of his game can be improved?

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

My guess is he's packaged with Jefferson if we can find someone to take RJ.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

My guess is he's packaged with Jefferson if we can find someone to take RJ.

Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Blair is a good energy guy, but this team desperately needs an almost all star caliber player for the front line.

[baseline bum]

My guess is he's packaged with Jefferson if we can find someone to take RJ.

It took Scola to move Jackie Butler's last year at 1/3rd of Jefferson's salary. You think Blair is going to get the team out of Dick's 3 more years? It would cost Ginobili or Parker.

[NewJerSpur]

If he stays with the team:

-Needs a jumper with legit form....the jumper he has has range but looks mechanically faulty/awkward which is probably why he isn't comfortable taking it

-Needs to work on a faceup offensive game (ie Larry Johnson); if his footwork improves and he has moves he can go to (up-n-under, etc.) he won't rush possessions on offense....right now all he has is the spin move and usually when he uses it he's going to throw the shot up regardless to whether or not it's a high percentage one as if he wants to hurry and get the ball out of his hands

-Work on FT shooting

-Hopefully he slims down and turns the remaining weight more into muscle mass

jmo fwiw

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

It took Scola to move Jackie Butler's last year at 1/3rd of Jefferson's salary. You think Blair is going to get the team out of Dick's 3 more years? It would cost Ginobili or Parker.

It'll be more than Blair, but I don't know what. One of our young wings, maybe a draft pick, some cash, maybe all of the above.

But tonight and a DNP in the second half for RJ signaled the end of his run here in SA>

[TDMVPDPOY]

doesnt cost us much to keep him around anyway since his earnin 1m a season only...thats just like drafting some clown and dumping him at the end of the bench....

[pad300]

If he stays with us, he needs to spend the next 6 months studying Chuck Hayes`s game... That and rebuilding his stroke with a shooting coach.

[crc21209]

I think it might be too early to give up on him already. I know he's undersized, but so is Big Baby Davis from the Celtics and he's improved greatly and is basically the 2nd best big on the C's now after KG. The guy came into the league with no jump shot whatsoever and now his J is money. Blair should look to this guy for motivation.....

[peskypesky]

wasn't Blair the starting center for most of the season for the team with the best record? i could have sworn he was. he must have been doing something right.

[Proxy]

He doesn't fit into our system unfortunately.... he doesn't fit into a championship formula because he is a liability on defense due to his lack of size.

When he has a good streak next year, and his value maxes out, trade him in a package to get rid of RJ or Bonner.

[baseline bum]

It'll be more than Blair, but I don't know what. One of our young wings, maybe a draft pick, some cash, maybe all of the above.

But tonight and a DNP in the second half for RJ signaled the end of his run here in SA>

I don't see any realistic way that contract is movable. The Spurs are just going to have eat shit for the colossal mistake they made. If they start dumping draft picks like in the Robinson era, I'll be fucking pissed.

[DMC]

wasn't Blair the starting center for most of the season for the team with the best record? i could have sworn he was. he must have been doing something right.
He was doing something right: He was on the team with the best record. That's about it.

So, wasn't Tiago on the bench during most of the season of the team with the best record? Must be something to that.

[DMC]

I don't see any realistic way that contract is movable. The Spurs are just going to have eat shit for the colossal mistake they made. If they start dumping draft picks like in the Robinson era, I'll be fucking pissed.
I don't care if they dump draft picks. There are rarely any decent picks in the draft anyhow, past the top 10. We've managed a few but no one is going to trade for RJ and the 57th overall in 2012.

[DrSteffo]

It depends. He would be cheap for tanking purposes but worth very little in the playoffs.

[baseline bum]

I don't care if they dump draft picks. There are rarely any decent picks in the draft anyhow, past the top 10. We've managed a few but no one is going to trade for RJ and the 57th overall in 2012.

Parker, Ginobili, Scola, Giricek, Hill, Splitter, and Blair were all very solid picks, and every one of them was way past #10. I'd love to see what RC could do with high picks where he'd have a chance at the elite prospects too.

[TJastal]

He doesn't fit into our system unfortunately.... he doesn't fit into a championship formula because he is a liability on defense due to his lack of size.

When he has a good streak next year, and his value maxes out, trade him in a package to get rid of RJ or Bonner.

He's fine if he's paired with a 7 footer who can guard the other teams' 7 footer. Him and McDyess would have been fine and dandy as a bench duo.

[baseline bum]

Mahinmi is maybe the one bad pick the front office has made in the modern era of the team.

[baseline bum]

Hell, Anderson looked like a pretty good pick before he got injured too. I can't wait to see how he develops next season.

[MaNu4Tres]

Mahinmi is maybe the one bad pick the front office has made in the modern era of the team.

Marcus Williams 33rd pick of 2007 draft; Pretty bad IMO-- Could have had that Marc Gasol guy.

Jack McClinton was pretty bad too-- Could have had that Wesley Matthews guy.

[DMC]

Parker, Ginobili, Scola, Giricek, Hill, Splitter, and Blair were all very solid picks, and every one of them was way past #10. I'd love to see what RC could do with high picks where he'd have a chance at the elite prospects too.

I thought Anderson was going to be a force to be reckoned with, but that injury really set him back.

I too would like to see the Spurs get some quality looks.

[Nathan89]

My guess is he's packaged with Jefferson if we can find someone to take RJ.

If we package him with Rj that would be great but if we can't find a taker I still want Blair gone.

Someone mentioned Glen Davis being undersized. Glen Davis is not 6'5.

[DMC]

Blair is fine just not as a center. He needs to get some fundamentals down and work on his game. You can see the transition from a raw talent to a confused slightly trained talent to just being confused. Once he gets that in order, if he ever does, he could be Zebo 2.0

[baseline bum]

Marcus Williams 33rd pick of 2007 draft; Pretty bad IMO-- Could have had that Marc Gasol guy.

Jack McClinton was pretty bad too-- Could have had that Wesley Matthews guy.

It's hard to complain about second round picks, as most of them can't even make a roster for more than a year or two. The quality of players the Spurs have picked up with second rounders and first rounders that are virtually second rounders is unreal to me. It's one of the main reasons I want to rebuild the team starting next season; the front office has proved they can score in some really tough situations with their picks, and I think they can eventually rebuild the Spurs to a 50-plus win team again.

[Proxy]

I wish he could convert to SF... when pigs fly I suppose.

[TJastal]

Mahinmi is maybe the one bad pick the front office has made in the modern era of the team.

It wasn't a bad pick. Draft and stash takes time, and that's even if injuries aren't a factor like they were with Ian.

Tell you what, Mahinmi would have been a welcome site indeed in this series. Especially his paint defense.

[Nathan89]

Blair is fine just not as a center. He needs to get some fundamentals down and work on his game. You can see the transition from a raw talent to a confused slightly trained talent to just being confused. Once he gets that in order, if he ever does, he could be Zebo 2.0

Lets hope other teams see what DMC sees in Blair.

If that's the case NO should sign and trade Landry for Bonner and Blair. They need prepare for the future since Paul is going to leave them.

Reality is D.Blair
is 6'5
can't defend
low BBIQ
will never have a jump-shot

[barbacoataco]

Blair had his moments earlier in the season. The Spurs were asking too much of him to defend much bigger players. He needs to develop a more complete game because as a low post player he will always be limited by his size. His defense this season was pretty bad, about the same as Bonner. I could see the Spurs trading him.

[timtonymanu]

My issue with Blair: quit playing for the highlights. He played much smarter in 09-10. He played too clumsy this season.

I think Blair is worth keeping around for another year. I don't think he'll ever reach Big Baby's ceiling.

[Capt Bringdown]

Sure, in the early season Blair looked OK. Then, as things tightened up, his liabilities became more apparent. And finally in the playoffs he was useless.

He's a last-off-the-bench guy, maybe at best an energy guy - he's not even as good as Malik Rose, and our supposedly hall of fame coach thought he was a starter?

Look, the story the Spurs love to tell about themselves, the one in which they find diamonds in the rubbish pile - it's just a story in Blair's case. I see Europe in the future for Blair, he'd be a superstar over there. But he's not an NBA player. I predict he won't even be in the league in a couple of years, perhaps sooner if the Spurs dump him.

He certainly will never sniff the starting lineup of any NBA team ever again.

[024]

ship his ass out for 1st round or as a sweetener to unload a bad contract (bonner or jefferson). blair has too many flaws to keep around. he'll be much more valuable to another team with a legitimate big rotation.

[024]

ship his ass out for 1st round or as a sweetener to unload a bad contract (bonner or jefferson). blair has too many flaws to keep around. he'll be much more valuable to another team with a legitimate big rotation.

[20beastie45]

I love Blair, but there is no place for a 6'5' center on the Spurs team.

[TJastal]

I love Blair, but there is no place for a 6'5' center on the Spurs team.

Who says he has to play center? He's perfect as a backup PF.

[SenorSpur]

It wasn't a bad pick. Draft and stash takes time, and that's even if injuries aren't a factor like they were with Ian.

Tell you what, Mahinmi would have been a welcome site indeed in this series. Especially his paint defense.

Indeed. However, Pop opted to retain his precious, red-headed "stretch-4' instead. Look where that got them. Everybody rags on Ian for his time with the Spurs, but I guess they'd rather see Bonner out there getting abuse in the post on one end, and clanging 3-pt shots on the other.

Back to Blair, he embodies all that is wrong with this team - he lacks size. The Spurs are no longer a championship-level team anymore. They can no longer afford the luxury of haiving a rotation big, who is 6'4" and also is a terrible defender. Having both Blair and Bonner was a disaster from the start. It seems that the only one who didn't realize it was Pop - even though opposing coaches exploited them, at will.

[ElNono]

Having both Blair and Bonner was a disaster from the start. It seems that the only one who didn't realize it was Pop - even though opposing coaches exploited them, at will.

Actually, it was compounded when Pop decided they should share the court together for somewhat long stretches...

[20beastie45]

Who says he has to play center? He's perfect as a backup PF.
Any player that is 6'5 in the modern day NBA should not play any other position than SG/PG to be a championship contender.

but yea guy your right perfect back up PF:lmao

[ElNono]

tbh, Malik Rose was serviceable for us back in the day, but the difference was that he had a prime Duncan next to him... Spurs need to ask themselves if they're really going to invest long term in Blair... if the answer is no, then he can be the sweetener on a deal to move RJ or Redhead...

[objective]

It took Scola to move Jackie Butler's last year at 1/3rd of Jefferson's salary. You think Blair is going to get the team out of Dick's 3 more years? It would cost Ginobili or Parker.

Actually, Butler's last year is more like 1/4th of Jefferson's remaining yearly salary, averaged out.

Total salary . . .

Well . . . 1/12th . . .

Doesn't look like Blair's going to cut it.

[TJastal]

Any player that is 6'5 in the modern day NBA should not play any other position than SG/PG to be a championship contender.

but yea guy your right perfect back up PF:lmao

Ever heard of Charles Barkley?

[20beastie45]

Ever heard of Charles Barkley?

I forgot he has rings!

keep it up:lmao

[TJastal]

I forgot he has rings!

keep it up:lmao

How does an argument about a backup evolve into needing rings to be legit? You're a douche.

[20beastie45]

sometimes I am a "douche" I don't see any use for an undersized C/PF in NBA basketball

Backup, starter or bench warmer!

[wildbill2u]

Could Blair--with his big body and low center of gravity-- have been used against Randolph? Randolph muscled everyone else who was used against him.

Apparently Pop didn't think so, probably because Randolph would simply have taken him out on the perimeter and then driven past the slow footed Blair.

The fact that Pop benched him for this series proves one thing. It wasn't very smart to favor Blair over Tiago during the regular season. Tiago needed some minutes and the Blair experiment wasn't successful because you can't teach height.

What team is going to want him in a trade AT THIS POINT WHEN HIS LIABILITIES HAVE BEEN EXPOSED?

[bigfan]

This off season Blair needs to go to the gym and lose that Whataburger fat and Splitter needs to bulk up a bit.

[Bruno]

With Dice retiring, Spurs should keep Blair.

[MaNu4Tres]

It took Scola to move Jackie Butler's last year at 1/3rd of Jefferson's salary. You think Blair is going to get the team out of Dick's 3 more years? It would cost Ginobili or Parker.

To be fair, Scola's value was a low as it ever was when the trade went down. Opposing teams used the mystery "don't know what I'm getting" card to decrease the asking price for Scola and they were right to. Of course it looks like Spurs gave up a lot now, but some of y'all can't ever see it from the realistic prospective.

What about the Malik trade for Nazr? Spurs gave up two late first round picks to get rid of that contract.

At the same time, Spurs were able to get rid of Rasho's contract for the expiring deals of end of the bench type players (Bonner and Williams).

[CGD]

I love Blair, but I agree that he's a candidate to be moved. Plus I think the Spurs believe that they have enough in Tiago -- who by the way was a bright spot in this series -- that they don't feel they'd lose too much. They are a similar type of player in many respects, with the main difference being that one is on the wrong side of 6' 8".

The reality is that we need to start rebuilding. Ironically, it's going to cost us some of our young pieces to make that happen in a meaningful way. I wouldn't be surprised in the bit to see either Blair, Hill, Neal, or Splitter moved if it also means moving RJ.

[MaNu4Tres]

With Dice retiring, Spurs should keep Blair.

I'd rather package him for a big. His salary is due to increase 500-600% in 2 years anyway. I don't see the Spurs investing in an undersized big for the long-haul. Get rid of him now, while his 2 years left on the cheap keeps his value pretty high. Next off-season, his value will decrease as he will be in his contract year (Teams will use the "if we trade for him we have to invest significant money into him" card; which then drives the asking price down).

Spurs should package him for a big this off-season. IMO

[pjjrfan]

keep him and let him work on his jump shot and use his butt to clear space down low and get his shot off ,his biggest assets is his butt and hia width and girth, none of which he uses to get his shot off

[Spurtacus]

Trade him if we can package him with Jefferson. Easier said then done though. I doubt any team would have interest in Jefferson.

[elemento]

trade him is a package to get rid of Jefferson

I'm sure the Clips would bite Jefferson + Blair + Dice for Kaman's expiring and Gomes

[Spurs da champs]

Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Blair is a good energy guy, but this team desperately needs an almost all star caliber player for the front line.

Not only that but you cant teach height! We need a lamar odom type.

[Man In Black]

He should just go to the Zach Randolph school of post positioning. Sad, the Spurs have the best PF with the best fundamentals, and all of that but due to DeJuan's height, those fundamentals don't completely apply. He needs to find himself the best groundbound guru out there. He needs to talk to Wes Unseld.

[MannyIsGod]

I'd rather package him for a big. His salary is due to increase 500-600% in 2 years anyway. I don't see the Spurs investing in an undersized big for the long-haul. Get rid of him now, while his 2 years left on the cheap keeps his value pretty high. Next off-season, his value will decrease as he will be in his contract year (Teams will use the "if we trade for him we have to invest significant money into him" card; which then drives the asking price down).

Spurs should package him for a big this off-season. IMO

Completely agree

[ginobili fan]

Hpefully he grows a inch or 2

[Obstructed_View]

Find a team with a lot of centers. Ian Mahinmi might be available.

[Roger Freemason Jr.]

Lets hope other teams see what DMC sees in Blair.

If that's the case NO should sign and trade Landry for Bonner and Blair. They need prepare for the future since Paul is going to leave them.

Reality is D.Blair
is 6'5
can't defend
low BBIQ
will never have a jump-shot

Nah, Blair is actually pretty smart out on the court. Blair is a player who needs consistent minutes, which was proved in the first half of the season, where at one point, he was getting double double streaks. He needs to learn how to use the size disadvantage, to his advantage.

[BackHome]

Do what ever it takes to move RJ....if it means loosing Hill, Bonner, Blair do it!

[baseline bum]

Do what ever it takes to move RJ....if it means loosing Hill, Bonner, Blair do it!

How can anyone seriously advocate dumping prospects for capspace after how worthless capspace has been to the team when they had it?

[Obstructed_View]

How can anyone seriously advocate dumping prospects for capspace after how worthless capspace has been to the team when they had it?

Agreed. RJ's contract was a luxury tax move. The Spurs should just suck on his contract and use all that money they saved to find his replacement. If those guys have value, use it to get something of value in return.

I may have said exactly the opposite of this yesterday. I was mad. :)

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Too lazy to look it up... what was SA's record when Pop sent Blair to the bench in favor of corporate knowledge?

[Mal]

I have a thought that playing Dice was a mistake. Blair was great starter during this increadible run in regular season. But that`s just my loose thoughts

[ChuckD]

How can anyone seriously advocate dumping prospects for capspace after how worthless capspace has been to the team when they had it?

I don't think anyone sees moving RJ as acquiring cap space as much as removing a useless expensive piece from our roster. That move actually doesn't net cap space, anyway. We're so close to the tax that it only removes tax danger and maybe allows us to use the MLE.

While I agree that the Spurs haven't hit a home run with large amounts of cap space, a small amount saved allowed us to sign Neal, and floating that 13th spot vacant most of last year allowed us to snag Butler, who may become something.

[DieHardSpursFan1537]

My guess is he's packaged with Jefferson if we can find someone to take RJ.
Pretty much what I was going to say as well. Bonner could also be included in the package.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

How can anyone seriously advocate dumping prospects for capspace after how worthless capspace has been to the team when they had it?

I don't want us to create cap space for that reason, I want us to get someone back who is a better fit for the team.

[BackHome]

Nah, Blair is actually pretty smart out on the court. Blair is a player who needs consistent minutes, which was proved in the first half of the season, where at one point, he was getting double double streaks. He needs to learn how to use the size disadvantage, to his advantage.

The problem is that he is the same as Bonner great in the pre season but gets abused and and abused in the playoffs. So you can keep him cause he is cheap but he won't even get Bonners oportunity to suck in the playoffs because he won't get any playing time against teams like Memphis, Lakers.etc......We need to get taller and more athletic and have players who's size matches with their position....NO MORE TWEENERS>>>>

[Fabbs]

Too lazy to look it up... what was SA's record when Pop sent Blair to the bench in favor of corporate knowledge?
51-11

At the time Blair was around 16.0 rebounds per 48, good for about 5th overall in the entire league.

[Dex]

It wasn't a bad pick. Draft and stash takes time, and that's even if injuries aren't a factor like they were with Ian.

Tell you what, Mahinmi would have been a welcome site indeed in this series. Especially his paint defense.

You mean 6 fouls?

[TJastal]

I have a thought that playing Dice was a mistake. Blair was great starter during this increadible run in regular season. But that`s just my loose thoughts

Splitter would have been better. Spurs could have run their entire offense through Manu/Tiago P&R game on the strong side, if teams overplay swing the ball and run it with TP/Duncan on the weak side. Jefferson for spot up
3's and if the P&R doesn't net a good look (which would be rare as good as the spurs run the P&R) then you always got Parker & Ginobili 1 vs 1 game or Duncan in the post. It would have been a thing of beauty if Pop would only have had the balls to implement it. But of course, he HAD to have his favorite Ginger in the rotation.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

51-11

At the time Blair was around 16.0 rebounds per 48, good for about 5th overall in the entire league.

Thanks.

So we went from winning 82% of our games with Blair in the starting lineup to finishing the season and post-season out below .500 in the games played after the switch.

Yeah, that worked out well for Pop. Hooray for "corporate knowledge".

[yavozerb]

51-11

At the time Blair was around 16.0 rebounds per 48, good for about 5th overall in the entire league.

Per 48 :lol....Blair was eating everything in site and you bring up 48 minutes stats for him :lmao