How much longer do they give Blair?..

[Malik Hairston]

He lost weight during the off-season and looked decent to start the year, but he has continued to struggle after being re-inserted into the starting lineup..he continues to be a complete liability, and his defensive improvement was short-lived..

Should the Spurs keep him until the contract is over, or just move his ass as soon as possible, tbh?..

[playblair]

keep.... blair at one point was an all nba rebounder.... spurs tried too turn blair into a diaw type of player ....

[Brunodf]

Blair didn't look decent in the last 2 seasons

[TDMVPDPOY]

dude is not worth spurs roster spot let alone nba minimum from the spurs...

dude is basically a scrub

[playblair]

Blair didn't look decent in the last 2 seasons

spurs had the best record in the league with blair starting the last 2 seasons .... blair benched in the playoffs = spurs eliminated

[Duncan2177]

Blair sucks the guy cant even finish a layup and plays out of control.

[timvp]

Something is wrong with him. He's either hurt (ankle? knees?) or he consumed 500 Whataburgers in the last week. Right now he can't jump over a phone book. Short + Can't Jump = No Chance

[TE]

He shouldn't even be in the NBA, tbh.

Short, fat, no athleticism, EXTREMELY low bball IQ, emo on twitter, etc.

[Libri]

And this is his contract year. :/

[superjames1992]

I really lost all respect for Blair and became a certifiable hater after his Twitter tirade. That was childish.

[TD 21]

Drop him from the rotation and continue to bide their time until they're able to include him in a package for an upgrade. If they can't get exactly what they want or don't like the asking price, then just trade him for whatever he can fetch at the deadline (if nobody wants him, just waive him) and sign McDyess.

Either way, enough is enough. It was worth a shot to give him another chance and eliminate Bonner from the rotation, but it's clearly run it's course.

[DPG21920]

Something is wrong with him. He's either hurt (ankle? knees?) or he consumed 500 Whataburgers in the last week. Right now he can't jump over a phone book. Short + Can't Jump = No Chance

He's been pretty good IMO.

[Brunodf]

spurs had the best record in the league with blair starting the last 2 seasons .... blair benched in the playoffs = spurs eliminated

Trolling hard there

[Boomersgold]

spurs had the best record in the league with blair starting the last 2 seasons .... blair benched in the playoffs = spurs eliminated

Some elite trolling by playblair.

[DPG21920]

Drop him from the rotation and continue to bide their time until they're able to include him in a trade for an upgrade. If they can't get exactly what they want or don't like the asking price, then just trade him for whatever he can fetch at the deadline (if nobody wants him, just waive him) and sign McDyess.

Either way, enough is enough. It was worth a shot to give him another chance and eliminate Bonner from the rotation, but it's clearly run it's course.

It was obvious to me about 5 games ago that Bonner should be ahead of Blair in the rotation. Never thought I would say that, but he's earned and Blair is a liability right now. Whether it's due to injury (likely) or just that he's not very good, he's hurting the team (even if the numbers are positive with him, they have to be less positive than other combos). Bonner is the lesser of two evils right now and as long as Tiago is the 3rd big or greater I have no issues.

[Reck]

He's probably going to spend the rest of his career here. :lol

[superjames1992]

In my opinion, our big rotation should be:

1. Duncan
2. Stiffler
3. Diaw
4. Bonner
5. Blair

Stiffler/Diaw are kind of interchangeable, but I really feel that we have more upside with Stiffler in the long run.

[TE]

Drop him from the rotation and continue to bide their time until they're able to include him in a package for an upgrade.

:lol imagine how Blair would respond on Twitter if this were to happen

[playblair]

blair is needed

[Paranoid Pop]

He's probably going to spend the rest of his career here. :lol

:lol

Not only funny but true as well.

[DPG21920]

:lol imagine how Blair would respond on Twitter if this were to happen

I think overall Blair is a good guy/teammate and he's handled things (being a starter, then yanked for playoffs for example) about as good as one could hope. But even he has to understand (whether it's injury or something else) that he's been given plenty of opportunity and he's absolutely squandered it.

[timvp]

No matter what, I don't want Bonner in the rotation. If rolling out Blair's corpse for 15 minutes a game keeps the human fool's gold on the bench, I'll live with that.

But obviously Blair is dealing with something more than his typical sloppy play. I can't tell if he's injured or fat but he's definitely worse than normal.

[Brunodf]

Blair wouldn't be a starter in Europe or D league but he is for the Spurs :bang

[TD 21]

It was obvious to me about 5 games ago that Bonner should be ahead of Blair in the rotation. Never thought I would say that, but he's earned and Blair is a liability right now. Whether it's due to injury (likely) or just that he's not very good, he's hurting the team (even if the numbers are positive with him, they have to be less positive than other combos). Bonner is the lesser of two evils right now and as long as Tiago is the 3rd big or greater I have no issues.

I don't think Bonner's earned it, he's just, as you said, the lesser of two evils. He improves the spacing on offense and is a more sound defender. And with the way he's rebounding right now (though I fully expect him to come crashing back down to earth any game now), they wouldn't even lose much there. But the fact that we're still talking about either of these two having to consume a spot in this team's rotation is laughable.

[Texas_Ranger]

should have been gone already...

[Boomersgold]

No matter what, I don't want Bonner in the rotation. If rolling out Blair's corpse for 15 minutes a game keeps the human fool's gold on the bench, I'll live with that.

But obviously Blair is dealing with something more than his typical sloppy play. I can't tell if he's injured or fat but he's definitely worse than normal.

Bonner 0 points and 3 rebounds in 7 minutes

Blair 0 points and 3 rebounds in 12 minutes

As long as Bonner is paired with another big man, like Splitter, he's probably more useful than Blair.

[ElNono]

Spurs have until sometime in January to decide what to do. The remainder of his contract becomes fully guaranteed then.

[DPG21920]

No matter what, I don't want Bonner in the rotation. If rolling out Blair's corpse for 15 minutes a game keeps the human fool's gold on the bench, I'll live with that.

But obviously Blair is dealing with something more than his typical sloppy play. I can't tell if he's injured or fat but he's definitely worse than normal.

Bonner as a fourth big (have we really seen him in that role before?) can't do that much damage, especially in the playoffs when the 3 other bigs + small ball should eat up most the minutes. For the regular season, for right now, Bonner has to play Blair's minutes (and that is pretty limited) or at least be an even split.

Either way, Blair has not been pretty good, or ~neutral or anything but poor. The reality is, Spurs need Jax & Kawhi healthy so they can go more small ball and leave Blair/Bonner out for the most part.

[playblair]

splitter cant post guards in the playoffs & diaw wont shoot .... blair is needed ....

blair fat .... blair should put the weight back on & dominate on the inside again ... no need to be a diaw type player anymore ....

[ElNono]

No matter what, I don't want Bonner in the rotation. If rolling out Blair's corpse for 15 minutes a game keeps the human fool's gold on the bench, I'll live with that.

But obviously Blair is dealing with something more than his typical sloppy play. I can't tell if he's injured or fat but he's definitely worse than normal.

The reality is that, in the long term, it doesn't matter. If Pop already has the quick hook with Blair, it's safe to say he won't trust him to play any minutes in the playoffs regardless. That means Bonner will get minutes unless we run a lot of semi-small with Kawhi/Jack.

[Brunodf]

Bonner is shit too, but less shit than Blair. Rotation should be TD 32 min, Splitter 32, Diaw 32(Sjax should take some minutes from Splitter/Diaw when he comes back).

[timvp]

Bonner as a fourth big (have we really seen him in that role before?) can't do that much damage, especially in the playoffs

:lol You must have missed the playoffs the last half dozen years. Bonner is the king of starting a run by the opposition even if he's on the court just for a few minutes.

Bonner will make the Spurs a better regular season team; I've always said that. But if the Spurs learn to rely on Bonner for ANYTHING, that will hurt them come playoff time.

Blair being injured/fat won't have a bearing on the playoffs because he'll be out of the rotation by then anyways.

[Mugen]

i'd flip him for a high 2nd rounder to a shitty team.

once they get Jack/Kawhi get back, Pop can run small ball more and lessen the need for that 4th big. Still be able to keep Bonner's mins. to a minimum and you really don't lose any defense/rebounding with Kawhi or Jack there instead of DeJuan tbh.

I'd find it hard to believe that some D-Leaguer can look worse than DeJuan has the last month.

[timvp]

The reality is that, in the long term, it doesn't matter. If Pop already has the quick hook with Blair, it's safe to say he won't trust him to play any minutes in the playoffs regardless. That means Bonner will get minutes unless we run a lot of semi-small with Kawhi/Jack.

Everything Pop has done this year has been aimed at getting Bonner out of the rotation. You're just being paranoid, tbh.

[timtonymanu]

If the fallback option wasn't Matt Bonner, I would be all for dumping Blair.

I don't buy that Bonner has improved. He looks this good, IMO, cause he's a comfortable role. No pressure for him to play in crunch time.

Right now, we just have to hope Blair isn't hurting the team on certain nights. Tonight was an example of how much he can hurt the team.

[DPG21920]

Well, I also said that small ball + the 3 main bigs will eat up the majority of the minutes anyways, especially in the playoffs, so I don't see how giving Bonner Blair's minutes right now could hurt. Not what I meant entirely when I said "especially in the playoffs"...I meant that the 3 best bigs will play more minutes and small ball will be used which is the correct move. For now, can't see an argument that keeps Blair in over Bonner because when the playoffs role around, Bonner in a 4th big role will be extremely minimized and even if the Spurs do trot him out there, Blair has been so bad that Bonner is the lesser of two evils.


Plus, Bonner over the past couple years was not the fourth big and the Spurs did not have the small ball options they have now (Green, Jax, Kawhi...).

[TD 21]

timvp, in an indirect way, you're guaranteeing a trade. That or you're suggesting they'll play a three big rotation/small ball in the playoffs. Think about it: You're saying Pop has aimed to get Bonner out of the rotation and that Blair will be out of the rotation by the playoffs.

It's not about "relying on Bonner", it's about him being able to help the team more now. We've got 59 more games before the playoffs and if neither is going to be in the rotation by then, as you suggest, then shouldn't they rely on the one who gives them the best chance to win right now? This can (and should, if they're serious about winning a championship) be rectified by the deadline though.

[DPG21920]

TBH if Blair in his current role will be out of the playoff rotation, then putting Bonner in that role should have the same effect. Bonner will be out and so will Blair regardless - difference is in the regular season Bonner is better than Blair right now.

[ElNono]

Considering his play in the last couple of weeks and the looming contract deadline, I suspect the Spurs are working the phones as we speak. The problem is that he's on a cheap contract, so it will be hard to fetch anything of much value for him.

KMart would cost $1.2m at the veteran's minimum if he wants to sign for that... but the Spurs would probably need to cut Blair and JA to make numbers work...(is JA fully guaranteed?)

[Sean Cagney]

The fact we keep talking about Bonner or Blair year after year makes me want to go drink myself stupid half the time. WOW we have two bums we can't get rid of.

[ElNono]

Everything Pop has done this year has been aimed at getting Bonner out of the rotation. You're just being paranoid, tbh.

tbh, so far so good, but the closer we get to the playoffs, the closer I think he's going to go back to him. I'll feel better if this situation stays like this after the trade deadline is done.

[TheSkeptic]

They've given Blair more than enough time. Pop should drop him from the starting line-up at the very least. I refuse to believe that it's impossible for Pop to put together a big rotation that starts one of Diaw or Splitter and then gives Bonner around 10 minutes during certain stretches. Blair's lack of defense and his current lack of offense are handicapping the team. He's making it easier for other teams to beat us inside and on the boards. And don't even get me started on his professionalism (or lack thereof). After that Twitter fiasco I won't be upset if the Spurs don't keep him after this year.

[TDMVPDPOY]

fkn get rid of the 2 turd tower and just sign kmart or birdman, fck classy organization...when stern is out to get us

[timvp]

timvp, in an indirect way, you're guaranteeing a trade. That or you're suggesting they'll play a three big rotation/small ball in the playoffs.

In the playoffs, I want Diaw starting next to Duncan with Splitter getting most of the other minutes. Any leftover minutes should be taken by small ball.


TBH if Blair in his current role will be out of the playoff rotation, then putting Bonner in that role should have the same effect. Bonner will be out and so will Blair regardless - difference is in the regular season Bonner is better than Blair right now.

Strongly disagree. When Blair plays, the Spurs never learn to rely on him. He's just down there getting some trash points or rebounds. Pop can yank him at any time and nobody misses him.

But Bonner is a totally different animal. Regular Season Bonner provides fool's gold spacing that doesn't exist in the playoffs. Recent history goes like this: The bench comes to rely on that fool's gold spacing. They're able to run one play (Ginobili-Splitter pick-and-roll) because teams can't defend it in the regular season due to the spacing. Come the playoffs, the bench suddenly doesn't know what to do because that Bonner fool's gold spacing is gone. They can no longer rely on that one play and everything crumbles unless Manu pulls out heroics.

It's not worth potential regular season wins to go back to relying on fool's gold. It just isn't.

[objective]

I think Blair is still hurting from that ankle, he only sat for what, one game?

To be honest, even as a longtime Bonner hater, I can't help but feel like I'd rather see Bonner over Blair until Jackson is back to play smallball 4.

[TD 21]

You're missing the point. This is about what's best between now and the deadline, not now and the playoffs.

[TampaDude]

Bonner can at least hit the 3.

[SpursRock20]

I know that he is kind of an enemy to us Spurs fans, but is there any way we can get Garnett in a trade? His defense is still rock solid and if the Celtics feel that they are slipping as the trade deadline approaches could they think about moving him for some younger pieces?

[Brunodf]

I know that he is kind of an enemy to us Spurs fans, but is there any way we can get Garnett in a trade? His defense is still rock solid and if the Celtics feel that they are slipping as the trade deadline approaches could they think about moving him for some younger pieces?

:lolGarnett, overpayed old tosb can't even rebound or play any defense at this point, was abused by Splitter

[timvp]

I'd rather see Bonner

:smchode:

I can't believe you guys are willing to be burned by the Bonner stove once again. We haven't seen the "Bonner wins minutes in the regular season, Bonner starts putting up unbelievable plus/minus numbers, Bonner becomes a key cog on the bench, Bonner gets murdered in the playoffs" movie play enough times? Really?

We can pretend that a miracle trade will come along and rescue the Spurs from relying on Bonner or some other fortuitous turn of event will take place but that likely wouldn't happen. What is likely to happen if the Spurs rely on Bonner is that he'll legitimately earn his regular season minutes before falling on his face come April. By then, it'll be difficult to become unaccustomed to that spacing he provides in the regular season.

[SpursRock20]

:lolGarnett, overpayed old tosb can't even rebound or play any defense at this point, was abused by Splitter

Are you serious or just trolling? His team is first in defensive rating when he is on the court and is last when he is off of the court.

[Brunodf]

Are you serious or just trolling? His team is first in defensive rating when he is on the court and is last when he is off of the court.

Serious. Spurs is also first in defense when Duncan is on the court, Wolves are 1st in defense when K.Love is on the court, the list goes on.

[SpursRock20]

:smchode:

I can't believe you guys are willing to be burned by the Bonner stove once again. We haven't seen the "Bonner wins minutes in the regular season, Bonner starts putting up unbelievable plus/minus numbers, Bonner becomes a key cog on the bench, Bonner gets murdered in the playoffs" movie play enough times? Really?

We can pretend that a miracle trade will come along and rescue the Spurs from relying on Bonner or some other fortuitous turn of event will take place but that's likely wouldn't happen. What is likely to happen if the Spurs rely on Bonner is that he'll legitimately earn his regular season minutes before falling on his face come April. By then, it'll be difficult to become unaccustomed to that spacing he provides in the regular season.


I'm with you on this. But maybe Pop is just using his philosophy, the one about pounding the rock. Play Bonner enough times in the playoffs and he will finally come through for you :lol

[spurraider21]

For the past 2 reg seasons Blair had actually been pretty darn effective, but got yanked from the starting lineup the last month leading up into the playoffs. McDyess took his starting gig in 2010 and Diaw took it in 2011. Its not like Blair was being benched for performance reasons then, it was pretty out of nowhere. Now it just seems Blair has lost his confidence and is trying to do too much in order to earn playing time, instead of just playing his game

[SpursRock20]

Serious. Spurs is also first in defense when Duncan is on the court, Wolves are 1st in defense when K.Love is on the court, the list goes on.

That "list" is terrible. First, making an example out of Duncan is stupid. We all know he is an elite defender so you are proving my point even further. Second, K.Love's sample size is way too small.

[TDMVPDPOY]

For the past 2 reg seasons Blair had actually been pretty darn effective, but got yanked from the starting lineup the last month leading up into the playoffs. McDyess took his starting gig in 2010 and Diaw took it in 2011. Its not like Blair was being benched for performance reasons then, it was pretty out of nowhere. Now it just seems Blair has lost his confidence and is trying to do too much in order to earn playing time, instead of just playing his game

nah his been expose man when the league has found out his only schtick is circus shots and no jumpshot to speak of...fkn midget big....

[ElNono]

We can pretend that a miracle trade will come along and rescue the Spurs from relying on Bonner or some other fortuitous turn of event will take place but that likely wouldn't happen. What is likely to happen if the Spurs rely on Bonner is that he'll legitimately earn his regular season minutes before falling on his face come April. By then, it'll be difficult to become unaccustomed to that spacing he provides in the regular season.

March, IMO

[TD 21]

A "miracle trade" isn't required, just one that brings in a decent enough fourth big. If worse comes to worst, they can just sign McDyess.

The fact that they haven't yet is somewhat surprising and I haven't heard a word about his situation since it was reported he was coming out of retirement. Could it be that they've told him to wait until they can make a trade that clears out a spot? And if they have, are they really just holding off to see if they can do better first?

[Brunodf]

That "list" is terrible. First, making an example out of Duncan is stupid. We all know he is an elite defender so you are proving my point even further. Second, K.Love's sample size is way too small.

I didn't make the list, just said that there is a list of players that their teams lead the NBA when they are on the court. Garnett is an overpayed tosb, i would rather have D.West.

[timvp]

A "miracle trade" isn't required, just one that brings in a decent enough fourth big.The Spurs have always been in the market for a decent big. Getting one is really damn hard without mortgaging your future, which the Spurs don't like to do. It may happen but it's far from easy or likely.


If worse comes to worst, they can just sign McDyess.

The fact that they haven't yet is somewhat surprising and I haven't heard a word about his situation since it was reported he was coming out of retirement. Could it be that they've told him to wait until they can make a trade that clears out a spot? And if they have, are they really just holding off to see if they can do better first?McDyess was close to done when he retired. After a season and a half off, chances are he's totally done. It'd take a miracle for him to be an NBA caliber player at this point, IMO.

[ElNono]

Dice and KMart are kind of overpriced because the vet minimum for them is like $1.3m... the Spurs would be tiptoeing with the luxury tax line... provided everyone stays healthy, it's kinda expensive for 5-10 mins of play during the playoffs...

[Bruno]

Meanwhile, the 7th best player in the PER ranking this year is Andray Blatche, a player a lot of posters wanted Spurs to take a gamble on...

[ElNono]

The huge issue for the Spurs going into the playoffs with the turd towers in the roster is what happens with foul trouble... Spurs would be forced to go small whether they like it or not (or completely suck)...

[Truckules]

A "miracle trade" isn't required, just one that brings in a decent enough fourth big.

Exactly. Their trade deadline moves last year proved that seemingly minor roster moves can net big gains.

[SpursRock20]

I didn't make the list, just said that there is a list of players that their teams lead the NBA when they are on the court. Garnett is an overpayed tosb, i would rather have D.West.

By "terrible", I meant that your two examples sucked. Garnett gets payed just 1.5 million more than West, and would be much more valuable to the Spurs. I have always liked West, but something about Garnett and Duncan sharing the floor gets my blood flowing.

[SpursRock20]

Meanwhile, the 7th best player in the PER ranking this year is Andray Blatche, a player a lot of posters wanted Spurs to take a gamble on...

I'm one of them.

[Truckules]

Meanwhile, the 7th best player in the PER ranking this year is Andray Blatche, a player a lot of posters wanted Spurs to take a gamble on...

He looks like a completely different player. I guess the Spurs felt he had too many questions chemistry wise, but AJ has gotten him to play a lot smarter.

[TD 21]

The Spurs have always been in the market for a decent big. Getting one is really damn hard without mortgaging your future, which the Spurs don't like to do. It may happen but it's far from easy or likely.

They should have the assets to get a decent fourth big without mortgaging their future. And if they don't, it's their own fault. As Bruno astutely pointed out, they could have had Blatche for the veteran's minimum. I know you'll say "no guarantee he picks them", but if they'd have guaranteed his contract and gave him a 2nd season, even at a team option, I can't imagine he turns them down. And you can knock him as a fit all you want, but don't pretend you wouldn't take him over Blair/Bonner right now.


McDyess was close to done when he retired. After a season and a half off, chances are he's totally done. It'd take a miracle for him to be an NBA caliber player at this point, IMO.

He was, but are you telling me you wouldn't trust him more than Blair/Bonner in a playoff game? Besides, have you seen O'Neal (18.7 PER) or Wallace (16.8 PER) this season? Keep in mind, O'Neal is even more broken down than McDyess and Wallace is in worse shape.

[objective]

:smchode:

I can't believe you guys are willing to be burned by the Bonner stove once again. We haven't seen the "Bonner wins minutes in the regular season, Bonner starts putting up unbelievable plus/minus numbers, Bonner becomes a key cog on the bench, Bonner gets murdered in the playoffs" movie play enough times? Really?

We can pretend that a miracle trade will come along and rescue the Spurs from relying on Bonner or some other fortuitous turn of event will take place but that likely wouldn't happen. What is likely to happen if the Spurs rely on Bonner is that he'll legitimately earn his regular season minutes before falling on his face come April. By then, it'll be difficult to become unaccustomed to that spacing he provides in the regular season.

Hey, I was hating on Bonner accurately long before anyone else, and well before you if I recall correctly. :toast

I don't want Bonner in there for his threes, but for his hustle compared to Blair. Blair can't defend 1-on-1, can't defend pick-and-rolls, can't help. And he doesn't do much else. But until Jackson comes back, I'm sick of Blair's heavy entitled nonsense crapping up games.

[DapDaGenius]

I hope Blair gets mad with another twitter rage and pretty much gets trade because of it. I don't care to where.

Was Blair a part of that (rumored???)trade to get Patrick Patterson?

[TDMVPDPOY]

i never seen a player in a contract year play like shit, blair must be the exception

[timvp]

They should have the assets to get a decent fourth big without mortgaging their future."Should" is the key word. They could have used a good fourth bigman for a long time now. Maybe they find one but I don't think it's anything close to a slam dunk.


As Bruno astutely pointed out, they could have had Blatche for the veteran's minimum. I know you'll say "no guarantee he picks them", but if they'd have guaranteed his contract and gave him a 2nd season, even at a team option, I can't imagine he turns them down. And you can knock him as a fit all you want, but don't pretend you wouldn't take him over Blair/Bonner right now.Preaching to the choir, tbh. I wanted Blatche. I saw him as a great low-risk, high-reward option. So far, that high-reward is winning out...


He was, but are you telling me you wouldn't trust him more than Blair/Bonner in a playoff game? Besides, have you seen O'Neal (18.7 PER) or Wallace (16.8 PER) this season? Keep in mind, O'Neal is even more broken down than McDyess and Wallace is in worse shape.Jermaine O'Neal is 34 and has the best trainers in the NBA propping him up.

Rasheed has never had a knee injury or any major injury AFIAK and can get away with sitting on the outside and launching threes.

In the playoffs, I'd rather have Leonard or Jackson at PF than McDyess unless by some miracle McDyess has reverted to 2010 form.


Hey, I was hating on Bonner accurately long before anyone else, and well before you if I recall correctly. :toast

By saying you want Bonner to play, you reset that clock. Sorry. :smokin

[ElNono]

By saying you want Bonner to play, you reset that clock. Sorry. :smokin

Objectively speaking, Blair has been that bad...

question for you... at this point, do you see Blair as an NBA player? in other words, do you think somebody is throwing the checkbook at him in the offseason?

[Bruno]

He looks like a completely different player. I guess the Spurs felt he had too many questions chemistry wise, but AJ has gotten him to play a lot smarter.

Yep, I'm not saying signing Blatche was a no-brainer for Spurs. It was a gamble that could have gone either way. However, what is sure is that if you don't bet, you don't win. Spurs made a timid bet with Eddy Curry in the training camp but they have to keep trying. They could bet on a player with questionable attitude like K-Mart, on an old player like Dyess or Ben Wallace, on an Euro like Aron Baynes..

Even if I've like how James Anderson has played this year with Spurs, Spurs better not use their last roster spot on him while they have such a big need inside.

[DapDaGenius]

Meanwhile, the 7th best player in the PER ranking this year is Andray Blatche, a player a lot of posters wanted Spurs to take a gamble on...

Yeah it would've been nice to have Blatche this year, but was it his decision to not be in SA or did they not want Blatche?

[timvp]

Objectively speaking, Blair has been that bad... Nobody who has seen the light on Bonner can ever go back and say "I Want Bonner" :smokin


question for you... at this point, do you see Blair as an NBA player? in other words, do you think somebody is throwing the checkbook at him in the offseason?

He's looked damn bad from his return from that turned ankle. But if you're talking season on a whole, he's still an NBA quality player. Bigs who have a history of putting up 15+ PER never go unsigned. That said, he shouldn't hold his breath for a multiyear deal or more than $3-4M at the very, very most.

[ElNono]

Nobody who has seen the light on Bonner can ever go back and say "I Want Bonner" :smokin

I get your point, and I definitely don't want him in the playoffs, but we're not going to 3peat the regular season championship with Blair playing this bad, tbh... and that has little to do with Matt (except that both of our SF are down and he's the only 'big' left)


He's looked damn bad from his return from that turned ankle. But if you're talking season on a whole, he's still an NBA quality player. Bigs who have a history of putting up 15+ PER never go unsigned. That said, he shouldn't hold his breath for a multiyear deal or more than $3-4M at the very, very most.

I still think some teams are concerned about his knees, and there's nothing you can do about his size, tbh... I can see where he's signed to be a filler, but I think he's done a disservice to himself this season...

[objective]

For December games without Kawhi or Jackson, if it comes down to Bonner or Blair getting 10 minutes, I'd rather it be Bonner, even if he doesn't hit threes. Because Blair is playing like he's bulletproof with a twitter tantrum in his back pocket.

Perhaps no one has been more spot on with regards to Spurs players in the playoffs than me (humbly speaking of course). Bonner is still trash who should be off the team. But Blair is doing what Bonner does in the playoffs right now. And here's a little secret, Danny Green the past few weeks is sure looking like he belongs right with them. I'm tiring of his act too.

[DapDaGenius]

Kevin Love is our only hope.

[Uriel]

I don't think Bonner's earned it, he's just, as you said, the lesser of two evils. He improves the spacing on offense and is a more sound defender. And with the way he's rebounding right now (though I fully expect him to come crashing back down to earth any game now), they wouldn't even lose much there. But the fact that we're still talking about either of these two having to consume a spot in this team's rotation is laughable.
He spreads the floor! :lol

[TrainOfThought5]

I honestly believe that Pop sees SJax as an above average small ball PF.. And if we make it far enough, we'll meed him to guard Small ball PF's Durant and Lebron anyway. Its a gamble. But i can see his train of thought.

[smaka]

I'd say trade him for whatever we can get, before his no-acl-knees implode/explode or whatever that's called.

[Paranoid Pop]

Meanwhile, the 7th best player in the PER ranking this year is Andray Blatche, a player a lot of posters wanted Spurs to take a gamble on...

Spurs are too busy farming back up PGs tbh...

[superbigtime]

The answer is to play Splitter more, like more than 25 mpg. Start Diaw. Play Bonner 10 minutes. Bench Blair. He is atrocious and I hate watching him. He has gone from promising to pathetic.

[Raven]

I'm starting to lose hope about him being useful. Give his minutes to Splitter and Diaw already.

[acoelho1]

No one wants Bonner to play but if its' a choice between Blair or Bonner, I choose Bonner all the way. Sure he chokes in the playoffs in terms of his 3 point shooting but he hussles his ass off and is usually in the right spot defensively even if he gets abused by some of the more physical 4s. Same goes for Blair but he has a lower BB IQ and his effort is suspect at times. I don't expect either of them to play much in the playoffs and Diaw will probably start. However, we still need a veteran 4 to complement Diaw's passive nature. K-Mart seems like a perfect candidate but I think Pop is hesitant to bring in such a big personality. One thing is clear, we need some physicality on the front line.

[DieHardSpursFan1537]

Blair looked terrible last night. He was sluggish and couldn't even drive up to the hoop. His attempts to score last night went miss, failure to even drive in the paint, and it concluded with a huge block which resulted in a Jazz fast break basket.

[pad300]

Regarding all the Blatche comments, IMO it is clear he has blossomed getting out from what appears to be one of the worst run/coached franchises in the league, the Bullets. Would anyone else here take a gamble on another young big who hasn't worked out for them and now sitting? What would you say to a trade based around Blair for Vesely?

[Truckules]

Regarding all the Blatche comments, IMO it is clear he has blossomed getting out from what appears to be one of the worst run/coached franchises in the league, the Bullets. Would anyone else here take a gamble on another young big who hasn't worked out for them and now sitting? What would you say to a trade based around Blair for Vesely?

Unlike Blatche, Vesely hasn't really shown many flashes of talent.

[hater]

LOL Blatche. He is a shitty human being and lazy on the floor. Plays no D and is a chucker. LOL blaming the Wizards for that.

that being said Blatche >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>. Blair

they need to ship Blair out of here

[DAF86]

Get a fucking big, any fucking big that isn't 6'6'' or a giant red haired pussy, thanks a lot. Bye.

[Spurs Brazil]

In the playoffs Pop will start Boris and Timmy and Tiago and Jax will be the bigs off the bench

[TheChillFactor]

Don't forget about the buyout market. Last year Diaw fell in our laps out of the sky.

[Paranoid Pop]

Unlike Blatche, Vesely hasn't really shown many flashes of talent.

We wouldn't have a shot at getting him if that was the case tbh.

[exstatic]

Yep, I'm not saying signing Blatche was a no-brainer for Spurs. It was a gamble that could have gone either way. However, what is sure is that if you don't bet, you don't win. Spurs made a timid bet with Eddy Curry in the training camp but they have to keep trying. They could bet on a player with questionable attitude like K-Mart, on an old player like Dyess or Ben Wallace, on an Euro like Aron Baynes..

Even if I've like how James Anderson has played this year with Spurs, Spurs better not use their last roster spot on him while they have such a big need inside.
Anderson costs about half of what KMart would and even that bumps them right up against the tax to the point where they may not keep him. It was pretty much just bad timing, KMart realized WAY too late that he was now a minimum guy. If he had come around a couple of weeks earlier, SA could have cut Blair in training camp at no cost, and signed KMart, staying a couple hundred grand under the tax.

[Bruno]

Anderson costs about half of what KMart would and even that bumps them right up against the tax to the point where they may not keep him. It was pretty much just bad timing, KMart realized WAY too late that he was now a minimum guy. If he had come around a couple of weeks earlier, SA could have cut Blair in training camp at no cost, and signed KMart, staying a couple hundred grand under the tax.

Nope. Signing KMart to the min for the rest of the season will cost exactly the same than Anderson and will keep below the tax with a comfortably margin.

When a experienced vet is signed to a 1 year or less min contract, teams only pay a part of his salary and only the part paid by the team count against the tax. This rule is made to ensure it's not harder for an experienced player to get a min contract.

[Mark in Austin]

But Bonner is a totally different animal. Regular Season Bonner provides fool's gold spacing that doesn't exist in the playoffs. Recent history goes like this: The bench comes to rely on that fool's gold spacing. They're able to run one play (Ginobili-Splitter pick-and-roll) because teams can't defend it in the regular season due to the spacing. Come the playoffs, the bench suddenly doesn't know what to do because that Bonner fool's gold spacing is gone. They can no longer rely on that one play and everything crumbles unless Manu pulls out heroics.

It's not worth potential regular season wins to go back to relying on fool's gold. It just isn't.

Exactly.

[therealtruth]

Starting Blair is like spotting the other team a couple of points. Sure the Spurs will still win most games but it doesn't give them the best chance to win or set a defensive tone.

[TDMVPDPOY]

curry>blair, even with the defensive negatives of curry, his still a fkn 7ft u need to shoot over, unlike blair where players dont need to do anything and can still shoot over his midget ass