I never understood the Blair thing.......what happened?

[lebomb]

The guy always puts up good numbers when he is playing. Why has pop black balled him? His rookie year, he was the damn man....now all the sudden he sucks?

Splain this to me :(

[SanAntonioSpurs23]

:lol

[capek]

For every 1 good thing Blair did on the court, he did ~1.1-1.4 bad things. Because the Spurs are so good, against bad team, and especially in the regular season, that didn't really matter, Spurs could make up for it in other ways. But in the playoffs, when it mattered, it hurt us.

Basically, Blair never learned how to play defense, never learned how to cut down on him bone head mistakes, and is too short to rebound effectively against really good and tall teams. His negatives outweighed his positives, in the end.

[2pac > Kobe]

ship his ass out then

[Chris]

Basically, Blair never learned how to play defense

[silverblk mystix]

He is still 100 times better than Bonner - but somehow Bonner keeps his job.

Bonner will probably get an extension again - and for more money too.

[silverblk mystix]

Beat you to it :lol

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

When he's good he's good, when he's bad he's abyssmal. Pop's never had a lot of tolerance for inconsistency.

[stretch]

lol blair

lol spurfans overrating him as dennis rodman with offense

lol sucks

lol told you so

[NRHector]

When he's good he's good, when he's bad he's abyssmal. Pop's never had a lot of tolerance for inconsistency.

and Bonner still here

[jeebus]

He peaked in the rookie/sophomore games.

[Juggity]

Blair was never "the damn man." He overperformed the offensive expectations for a 2nd round 6'7 center with no ACLs. That's a pretty low bar to jump over. Turns out he didn't outperform those expectations significantly enough to become a regular rotation player for the spurs — especially when better big man options became available (Diaw, Splitter, possibly Baynes).

[Capt Bringdown]

Blair fed into the FO's and fanbase's image of the Spurs as the team that finds diamonds in the dustbin. Blair did have a handful of monster regular-season performances, from which both the coaching staff and some fans drew some wildly optimistic conclusions.
That Blair couldn't stay on the floor during the playoffs should have been the tell, but I get the feeling that Pop, like most great coaches, thinks that his shit doesn't stink.
Even great coaches and great teams make awful mistakes. Blair is one of those mistakes.

[Sigz]

he bad

[spurraider21]

Blair was certainly worth the 2nd round pick we used on him. Was a good minutes eater for a few years

[Fabbs]

When he's good he's good, when he's bad he's abyssmal. Pop's never had a lot of tolerance for inconsistency.
Playoffs
Bonner
Soft Dick
Michael Finley-Pop

Blair has averaged 9 minutes per game in the playoffs.
How about the other Pop bois?

[Brunodf]

He sucks

[Latarian Milton]

i was also on the blair bandwagon back then and i still have faith in him even though he's been marginalized by pop. dude has both speed and muscle, and will probably develop into a paul milsap thing under the right guidance. nigga still needs some work on his defensive awareness but it's not like you can always get a better defender out of guys like diaw, splitter or b:lolnner. would at least give you a brandon bass in the rotation imho

[jjktkk]

i was also on the blair bandwagon back then and i still have faith in him even though he's been marginalized by pop. dude has both speed and muscle, and will probably develop into a paul milsap thing under the right guidance. nigga still needs some work on his defensive awareness but it's not like you can always get a better defender out of guys like diaw, splitter or b:lolnner. would at least give you a brandon bass in the rotation imho

Difference is Millsap and Bass both have reliable jumpers. I had high hopes for Blair too, but its probably better if he gets traded to another team.

[mercos]

Blair looks really good when he is being hand fed layups thanks to a Manu Ginobili pick and roll. Other than that, he is not really an NBA quality player. Defensively, he turned whatever opponent he was facing into an MVP caliber player. He is too small to guard the paint, and is often outrebounded by taller players. Offensively, he has no jumper, limited post moves, and struggles to finish in a crowd for fear of being blocked. There is no place for a player like Blair on a championship contending roster, especially one that uses its bench a fair amount.

[bluebellmaniac]

What happened was what always happens on ST. Doesn't matter if it is Blair or Neal or Anderson or Bertrans or Splitter... etc etc. If we draft them, they are expected to become the mvp of the league in short order. They are hailed as the steal of the decade and the appropriate Chuck Norris metaphores are applied. Once it becomes apparent that they will not be getting the rookie of the year award (despite being drafted late in the 2nd round), then the knives come out and it's time to run them out of town. Blair didn't shrink after we drafted him, he's the same height as far as I know. Did people realistically expect the next Charles Barkley out of Blair? He was a good pick for that draft slot and he produced well in the time here. He's had a better career with us than he would with any other team. He had his shortfalls but we knew that. Don't act so surprised. Trading him now would only help him as we pursue an upgrade at his position. Being on another team would most likely give an opportunity for another contract and more time in the NBA.

Rather than spit on him on the way out, I'd rather just thank him for his help and giving what he gave. He's still young and hopefully can produce for another team for another couple years. If at the same time we can get a draft pick out of it, all the better.

[DMC]

Did you know he doesn't have any ACLs?

[bluebellmaniac]

Did you know he doesn't have any ACLs?

Exactly!!! And though that was no secret, the hype went ever higher and higher. His unforgivable sin was that he exceeded what should have been expected from him early on. On this team he was a short C with no ACLs. Yet despite knowing all that, what we hear is "Why the F*** did he not at least earn an honorable mention on the all star vote? Loser!!!! "

He plateaued and gave what he gave. Now we're about to move on, no need to pee on the guy.

[Mao Zedong]

No Ginobili, no playing time for Blair.

[Latarian Milton]

Did you know he doesn't have any ACLs?
which means he'll never suffer a torn ACL, and that's why he's tough as fuck imho

[Capt Bringdown]

Blair looks really good when he is being hand fed layups thanks to a Manu Ginobili pick and roll. Other than that, he is not really an NBA quality player. Defensively, he turned whatever opponent he was facing into an MVP caliber player. He is too small to guard the paint, and is often outrebounded by taller players. Offensively, he has no jumper, limited post moves, and struggles to finish in a crowd for fear of being blocked. There is no place for a player like Blair on a championship contending roster, especially one that uses its bench a fair amount.

Good take -that's pretty much the book on Blair. Case closed.

[DMC]

which means he'll never suffer a torn ACL, and that's why he's tough as fuck imho

It means he won't last long in the league. It's a big reason why his performance has declined over the three years he's been in the league. He doesn't have the ability to move like he once did. He misses defensive rotations, doesn't box out like he used to and goddamn he'd be great in Miami.

[Kidd K]

For every 1 good thing Blair did on the court, he did ~1.1-1.4 bad things. Because the Spurs are so good, against bad team, and especially in the regular season, that didn't really matter, Spurs could make up for it in other ways. But in the playoffs, when it mattered, it hurt us.

Basically, Blair never learned how to play defense, never learned how to cut down on him bone head mistakes, and is too short to rebound effectively against really good and tall teams. His negatives outweighed his positives, in the end.

While I don't disagree with that in any way, I do want to ask: How does that differ from Gary Neal, Matt Bonner, etc? Most of our role players only do one or two things well (usually just one), and suck badly in 1, 2, or 3 other areas. Bonner can't do much besides shoot threes. Neal can't do anything at all besides score (worst perimeter defender on the team by a very wide margin imo), Green is a terrible ball handler and mediocre passer, Diaw is gunshy and slow, Splitter has random bouts of inconsistency and softness, De Colo is a shaky ball handler and inconsistent shooter, etc etc.

Most of our roleplayers are 1:1 or worse in terms of good and bad ability. Green and maybe Diaw and Splitter are the only roleplayers we have that are consistently positive, or at least enough to be considered mostly positive. The rest are pretty much out there to stall and try to keep the margin from changing too much until the real players get back in.

Not trying to bitch about your assessment; it's correct, but just saying the same does apply to most of our bench too. It's not unique to just Blair.

[capek]

While I don't disagree with that in any way, I do want to ask: How does that differ from Gary Neal, Matt Bonner, etc? Most of our role players only do one or two things well (usually just one), and suck badly in 1, 2, or 3 other areas. Bonner can't do much besides shoot threes. Neal can't do anything at all besides score (worst perimeter defender on the team by a very wide margin imo), Green is a terrible ball handler and mediocre passer, Diaw is gunshy and slow, Splitter has random bouts of inconsistency and softness, De Colo is a shaky ball handler and inconsistent shooter, etc etc.

Most of our roleplayers are 1:1 or worse in terms of good and bad ability. Green and maybe Diaw and Splitter are the only roleplayers we have that are consistently positive, or at least enough to be considered mostly positive. The rest are pretty much out there to stall and try to keep the margin from changing too much until the real players get back in.

Not trying to bitch about your assessment; it's correct, but just saying the same does apply to most of our bench too. It's not unique to just Blair.

I see what you're saying, but Neal and Bonner are really the only two that are comparable. The other guys have flaws, but none are on Blair's level. But take Neal. He might be horrible on defense like Blair, but it's slightly more forgiving to have a bad perimeter defender than front court defender. With a bad back court defender, there's at least more distance to the basket that allows for more time for other players to help off their man, or the front court guys to protect the rim. But when Blair blows his defensive assignment, it's a layup for the other team. Neal's also shown he can hit big shots in the playoffs, which is a very valuable trait to have. With Bonner, the spacing he provides makes him very useful in the Spurs offensive system. We all have our problems with Bonner, but even though he's a pretty limited player, he's a much smarter player than Blair, rarely makes boneheaded mistakes, even if his limit skill level keeps him from being very effective on the court.

So I'd disagree that for any of our other bench guys, "the negatives outweigh the positives." I think the only player you can say that about on this team is Blair.

[Spursfanfromafar]

Bonner is bad in the playoffs, but he is turnover-free, plays team defense more effectively and adds a dimension to the Spurs' versatile offense. Blair's role is to be an offensive rebounder, solid defensive rebounder and a tough presence in the paint - all qualities where he has declined since his rookie year (or has not improved) because of size disadvantages, (possible) knee issues, weight issues and so on. Add to that, what capek mentions, he has not understood team defense well enough, has not increased his defensive effectiveness (or whatever rump of its remains), and ergo, he is a more of a liability than an asset, despite generally being a hard worker.

Having said that, the consensus among Spur fans is that if the Spurs don't get a early second rounder or a first rounder for him, it makes sense to keep him until end of season rather than dump him for (limited) salary cap benefits.

[Kidd K]

I see what you're saying, but Neal and Bonner are really the only two that are comparable. The other guys have flaws, but none are on Blair's level. But take Neal. He might be horrible on defense like Blair, but it's slightly more forgiving to have a bad perimeter defender than front court defender. With a bad back court defender, there's at least more distance to the basket that allows for more time for other players to help off their man, or the front court guys to protect the rim. But when Blair blows his defensive assignment, it's a layup for the other team. Neal's also shown he can hit big shots in the playoffs, which is a very valuable trait to have. With Bonner, the spacing he provides makes him very useful in the Spurs offensive system. We all have our problems with Bonner, but even though he's a pretty limited player, he's a much smarter player than Blair, rarely makes boneheaded mistakes, even if his limit skill level keeps him from being very effective on the court.

So I'd disagree that for any of our other bench guys, "the negatives outweigh the positives." I think the only player you can say that about on this team is Blair.

When I say that, I'm also taking into consideration the fact that a few of them are significantly worse than the average NBA player. Bonner doesn't make a lot of "mistakes", no, but he doesn't exactly impact the game very much either. You can make no mistakes and still be bad (not just referring to Bonner).

Being on the floor and doing nothing positive is a negative. Basically, I expect a minimum level of positive production for any NBA player, then I look at what extra they do and think of that as their positives. I also forgive typical failures, such as having a hand in someone's face but they still hit the shot.

Looking at the game that way, someone like Neal really does nothing except shoot and occaisionally drive and chuck up an inaccurate floater. Yeah it's good to have the scoring, but if you specifically watch Neal (who he's guarding and his rotations), he screws up constantly. It seems like half the time he's giving up an open look or a clear lane.

Blair's been worse this year with the decreased production, yes, but I wouldn't say he has been significantly worse than any other bench guy the last few years with the exception of the big guys: Ginobili, Splitter, Jackson, and Ford. I just don't think he was that bad until he struggled to score most of this season. His defense sucked yeah, but at least his good rebounding makes up for it somewhat.

[ambchang]

The problem is that fans expect him to perform like a lottery pick rather than a 2nd rounder.

[TDMVPDPOY]

but at least his good rebounding makes up for it somewhat.

what rebounding are you talking about? the ones that has no defender near him to contest him? or rebounds with a defender on him?

dude is fkn shit when it comes to contested rebounds, doesnt box out or anything and gets outhustled cause clown cant jump...

then u have the rebounds with no one next to him, he decides to jump and pull it down hard...all show no substance

[Biggems]

I am still surprised that he never did a Whataburger commercial, seeing as he kept the company afloat during his rookie year.

[TDMVPDPOY]

I am still surprised that he never did a Whataburger commercial, seeing as he kept the company afloat during his rookie year.

i wonder if they have horse meat

[Thebesteva]

There are varying explanations to this, none of which are explicitly made clear within the film: Obviously, it is shown that Heather goes down the in basement and then is knocked out and presumably killed by whatever force similarly attacked Mike and Josh. Who or what was the attacker is open to debate, presumably Rustin Parr and even rednecks. One speculation as to the identity of the perpetrator is that it was Rustin Parr, the hermit child murderer who claimed to have been possessed by the Blair Witch mentioned earlier in the film. At the end of the film, Mike is standing in the corner facing the wall, recalling an early piece of expository dialogue that stated Parr used to take two children down into the basement and make one face the corner while he murdered the other child. Another speculation, this one offered by the filmmakers on the DVD commentary, is that Heather, Mike and Josh could all have been killed by rednecks, an explanation vaguely hinted at (or perhaps foreshadowed) throughout the film. Ultimately, it is up to the viewer's own imagination as to what happened to the three students and the occurrences within the Black Woods: whether the viewer believes it was supernatural (i.e. the Witch, the Parr paradox) or a simpler explanation. In some threads onimdb.com and other websites, it is theorized that Josh (and maybe Mike) set it all up and cheated Heather. As mentioned there are several explanation to the end and probably more than explained here.

[Kidd K]

what rebounding are you talking about? the ones that has no defender near him to contest him? or rebounds with a defender on him?

dude is fkn shit when it comes to contested rebounds, doesnt box out or anything and gets outhustled cause clown cant jump...

then u have the rebounds with no one next to him, he decides to jump and pull it down hard...all show no substance

He still averages over 10 rebounds per 36. Career, over 11. He's not a shitty rebounder, and he's good at boxing people out. He isn't Bonner, Splitter, and Diaw, who suck at boxing out. Blair's better than everyone on the team but Duncan at rebounding.

And btw, his rebounding does make up for his poor ability to stop quality guys in the post.

Blair's defensive rating stats for his career:

2010: 101
2011: 100
2012: 102
2013: 99

He's also 6th on the team in win shares per 48. He'd be around #2 or #3 in defensive win shares per 48, if that was a stat. He isn't nearly as bad as you think he is. Sometimes the "eye test" lies to you.

[look_at_g_shred]

Exactly!!! And though that was no secret, the hype went ever higher and higher. His unforgivable sin was that he exceeded what should have been expected from him early on. On this team he was a short C with no ACLs. Yet despite knowing all that, what we hear is "Why the F*** did he not at least earn an honorable mention on the all star vote? Loser!!!! "

He plateaued and gave what he gave. Now we're about to move on, no need to pee on the guy.

Word!

[td4mvp2k]

"Obviously I am disappointed that we were not able to get a trade done but I trust Pop and RC and I know they tried their best and have DeJuan and the Spurs best interests at heart," Blair's agent Happy Walters said. "When Pop needs Dejuan, he'll be ready to contribute as he always has been."

Fox 29 San Antonio

[TDMVPDPOY]

the problem with failing to trade blair, insurance cause of the injury scare a few weeks back when duncan went down, be stupid to bring someone new in to learn the system if it does happen again...since blair will be a rental til end of the season anyway

spurs should start giving his minutes to bayne...who has shown glimpse he can play if his substituted in at the correct time during games and playing more than 59 seconds

[FkLA]

If youd rather have Blair as a 4th bigman instead of Bonner youre an idiot. Bonner is limited physically but he doesnt have a brain the size of a pea tbh. Not only is Blair shorter but hes also lazier and about 100 times dumber than Matty Ice. His terrible defense is well documented but hes also a blackhole on offense, consistently bogs down the ball movement to iso and take dumb contested shots. Hes just terrible tbh.