What's the board consensus on James White?

[whottt]

I notice he didn't get any PT tonight...he's looked pretty good to me when he's beein the game.


But I've only seen him play one game...


Anyone have any thoughts on if Pop will give him PT in the playoffs, and if he'll be kept?

How's h is D, o, J, etc?

[Kobulingam]

I notice he didn't get any PT tonight...he's looked pretty good to me when he's beein the game.


But I've only seen him play one game...


Anyone have any thoughts on if Pop will give him PT in the playoffs, and if he'll be kept?

How's h is D, o, J, etc?

Pop will give him garbage time in playoffs. That's about it.

[Next Superstar]

Against the warriors he got decent minutes and didn't do much at all except get tackled by barnes. He doesn't seem to have much of an offensive game, he couldnt hit any of the wide open jumpers the warriors were given him.

[Darkwaters]

Definitely somebody to keep around for the moment. He has what this team desperately needs: youth and athleticism. Plus, he can play either the 2 or 3, two positions of considerable need in the near future (especially considering the geriatric state of most of those players).

Don't kid yourself though. Hes not going to explode in the playoffs and give you 20 mins a night with quality production. Hes a long-term plan. Hes not a solution to any of our problems either, but a definite start. I can see him as a potentially admirable player for this team in the future (a fan favorite perhaps...if not already), but hardly a player to build around.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

he's good but if we keep living by small ball our championship days are over

[Samr]

If you want an honest opinion, you need an unbiased opinion. That, I believe, will be very hard to find, as pretty much every Spurs fan who's seen a youtube clip of his dunking wholeheartedly believes he is the second coming of Dr J.

I think he has potential, but he is still very raw. Linton Johnson III had good games, Derrick Dial had good games, Cory Alexander had enough good games to land with the Harlem Globetrotters ("paging White...."), Gerard King, Andrew Gaze even had a game or two. But so did Stephen Jackson, Jaren Jackson, Derek Anderson, etc.

Truth is (I think), we can't really tell. His skill set is good, but the dude has gotten too few game minutes, and frankly his attitude and work ethic is all optimistic speculation at best.

So, I guess if you want an answer, I think James White is good, and I believe he can be a solid contributor next year. But I wouldn't bank on it. The number of project players who turn into trivia questions far outweighs the Stephen Jacksons of the franchise.

[lefty]

Way too early for a consensus

[Borosai]

James White!

[THE SIXTH MAN]

He's the second coming of Dr.J .... oh wait never mind.

[Solid D]

Here are some other thoughts on James from the other night...

Let Me Say (http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63886)

[Mr. Body]

You can't even get a board consensus on Tim Duncan, much less James White.

[spurs1990]

Him and TP will be the combo in the post-Duncan era - 2011 or so.

[Voice of Truth]

White=Scrub

[THE SIXTH MAN]

Wow, voice of truth is really doing some damage on the forum right now. :lol

[traitoravery]

He needs to practice with Chip a little more on that jump shot. I like his explosiveness. James White!!

[timvp]

I like White's defense more and more. At first, he was overly aware that Pop would eat him for dinner if he allowed an opponent to go middle, so it made him slow to close out on shooters.

The more he played, the more aggressive he got defensively. In his last game, he fought hard around picks and seemed to know what he was doing. Although he's still a step slow on help defense, he might already be the Spurs second best one-on-one perimeter defender as far as swingmen go.

I was also impressed with his rebounding. Inexplicably, White has never been that good of a rebounder in his career even though he can almost literally jump out of the gym. But so far with the Spurs, he looks like a capable rebounder. In fact, for the month of April, White averages more rebounds per minute than Francisco Elson :lol (:shootme)

Offensively, I don't really care that much. He's never going to be that good of a shooter, but if he can develop a corner three-point shot ... that'd be enough for him to play for the Spurs. His best attribute offensively will always be his ability to get out of the break and finish.

Overall, I've liked what I've seen. He plays fearlessly and tries hard defensively. If he can have a good summer league showing and a good training camp next year, I can imagine him being at the outer fringes of the rotation to begin the season next year.

[mikejones99]

Good future, lucky to get 20 minutes of garbage time in the first round.

[Rynospursfan]

His rebounding is nice. He doesn't make bad decisions and his defense is at the worst, acceptable. If he can guard Dirk, give him a long-term contract, but until then be happy that the Spurs got him for nothing. He has only shot 16 times so I have no clue about the shooting but from what I hear he could use some practice, who couldn’t. For now this is a nice pickup, next season will allow further evaluation. He won't see any active roster time in the playoffs unless someone is injured.

[boutons_]

His role wouldn't be ball handler, but the times he's had the ball, he's handled it well, and made the right, crisp pass, esp to the outlet man or, moving it up court.

He looks very confident, got a reasonable feel for the game, unlike Elson who is totally flummoxed.

He's 25, I'm not sure he has much potential to play with. At 25, if he had potential and work ethic, he'd be more accomplished than he is now.

[mountainballer]

He's 25, I'm not sure he has much potential to play with. At 25, if he had potential and work ethic, he'd be more accomplished than he is now.

there is still hope he might have a Bowen like late bloomer career in a special role, but I agree in general.

the point is, that he might be the odd man out in the long term plans at the swing position.

Spurs need a SF, who can contribute right away, they will try to find him in free agency or via trade and they likely will add a young swingman via the draft to develope with the team, because this year there will be a big number of such players on the board when Spurs pick, players with likely much higher potential than White.
would the Spurs use two spots on rookie swingmen, (I count White as a rookie, since he almost didn't play this season) considering that there are some other needs on other positions?
I think they would rather add a young PG instead of White.
IMO the future of White will be decided on draft night. if the Spurs find a promising SF (I don't doubt they will), White will be gone.
maybe they try to use him in a package to trade up, or for a trade during summer.
if this fails, they can just waive him in oktober, since his 2nd year isn't guarranteed. (not 100% sure about this, guess it would work this way)

[AFBlue]

I'll echo many of the comments made so far about White's defense and agressiveness, which impress. I'll also echo the comments about his inconsistent jumpshot, but he should be able to at least get comfortable with it and it's good to see him working with Chip to improve.

On PT, I don't think he'll see the active roster again for the rest of the season unless another nagging injury occurs....the Spurs' roster is set at the swing positions and White is the odd man out, for now.

It'll also be tough to see him getting much more PT next year as all of the swing players will be under contract. But, I could conceivably see him getting more time in place of the aging Bowen if Pop is comfortable with his defense, and maybe even more time if Barry is traded or Finley opts out (depending on who the Spurs bring in to replace them).

Bottom Line: This kid hustles, is aggressive, has great defensive potential, and will get paid less than $1M next year....it's tough to see him being let go, but how much PT he gets will depend on a alot more than just his performance...


BTW...working with Chip has really helped Tony, but does anyone know if Jacque Vaughn has been working with Chip? For a guy who was supposed to be a horrible shooter, he seems to be knocking down the open shots he's given more often than I expected....

[Mr. Body]

He's 25, I'm not sure he has much potential to play with. At 25, if he had potential and work ethic, he'd be more accomplished than he is now.

In his favor, he hasn't had much coaching. He did have Huggins in college for a while, before he got the axe, but otherwise not much. And I wouldn't say Huggins is necessarily a good player coach compared to others. With a better coach for four years, he'd be much further along at this point.

[ShoogarBear]

Rebounding has less to do with leaping ability and more to do with position, tenaciousness, timing, and, if you have it, width. It's pretty easy to come up with a list of premier rebounders who could hardly jump for squat, starting with Tim Duncan and going back to guys like Bill Laimbeer, Wes Unseld, and Paul Silas.

[dg7md]

Little need to say, no longer am I worried if he comes in into a game. He won't totally screw us up, but I believe that his worth is severely overrated.

[lebomb]

He has alot of upside to me.......his athleticism cant be overlooked. There will be a time when the Spurs will need a player like him. Especially against teams such as Dallas and Phoenix who have alot of athletic players.

[Russ]

He has alot of upside to me.......his athleticism cant be overlooked. There will be a time when the Spurs will need a player like him. Especially against teams such as Dallas and Phoenix who have alot of athletic players.
Amen brother!

[jn77]

I like White for alot of the same reasons mentioned in this thread already. Athleticisim, rebounding, confidence and his defense has improved everytime he is on the court. That said, however i think he needs some more work before he starts seeing meaningful minutes. Don't look for him too much in the playoffs, garbage time maybe, but I think you will see him in the rotation next year.

[Hoy]

You know good players can impose their will on the opposition. Even a raw rookie will show you something of that. I don't see that on white.
I know he only played about 40 minutes but from what I see, he is a Brent Berry with lesser jumper but better defense.
His aptitude is more post play with dunks and putbacks but his slight frame precludes production from post. A dilemma he must solve before he can contribute.

[wildbill2u]

Saying White is like a Brent Barry with lesser jumper is like saying an iguana is like a dinosaur only smaller.

Somebody else said he could play the 2 (shooting guard) as well as the three. In his dreams. If he's 25, I doubt he'll have a reliable shot for a shooting guard before he's eligible for retirment from the league.

He can jump and has showed SOME promise so he MAY get a roster spot for the Spurs

[AFBlue]

Saying White is like a Brent Barry with lesser jumper is like saying an iguana is like a dinosaur only smaller.

Somebody else said he could play the 2 (shooting guard) as well as the three. In his dreams. If he's 25, I doubt he'll have a reliable shot for a shooting guard before he's eligible for retirment from the league.

He can jump and has showed SOME promise so he MAY get a roster spot for the Spurs

It's called a "shooting guard", but you could also call it a 2 or a "swingman", or an "off guard". To say that the purpose of every 2 is to shoot is wrong. If the Spurs had a long 3 worthy of starting (like Nocioni), they'd slot him at the 3, move Bruce to the 2, and bring Gino off the bench. Is Bruce known as a shooter from anywhere else than a corner 3? How hard is it to learn one shot? Don't you think White could learn one shot?

My point is that guys like White have the athletic ability to play/guard both the 2 and 3 positions....and they don't have to be good shooters.

[timvp]

Rebounding has less to do with leaping ability and more to do with position, tenaciousness, timing, and, if you have it, width. It's pretty easy to come up with a list of premier rebounders who could hardly jump for squat, starting with Tim Duncan and going back to guys like Bill Laimbeer, Wes Unseld, and Paul Silas.

True, but can you name a guy who can dunk from the free throw line with two hands who averaged less rebounds per minute than Bruce Bowen ... in the NBDL?

[lebomb]

Y
His aptitude is more post play with dunks and putbacks must



LOL.......this is EXACTLY what we are missing on the Spurs. Dude just needs to eat a few Rudys BBQ sammiches to put on some weight.

[raspsa]

He's always willing to take one for the team...

White the team canary: The Spurs arrived at the Target Center for their morning shootaround only to discover the arena had been evacuated because of a bomb threat.

Popovich gave the players two options:

"We can go back to the hotel," he said. "Or we can send James White in and if the place doesn't blow up, we can all go in."

The Spurs took pity on their rookie guard and went back to the hotel. They held their shootaround in the hotel's fitness club, which has a basketball court.

[THE SIXTH MAN]

Popovich gave the players two options:

"We can go back to the hotel," he said. "Or we can send James White in and if the place doesn't blow up, we can all go in."


:lmao

[wildbill2u]

It's called a "shooting guard", but you could also call it a 2 or a "swingman", or an "off guard". To say that the purpose of every 2 is to shoot is wrong. If the Spurs had a long 3 worthy of starting (like Nocioni), they'd slot him at the 3, move Bruce to the 2, and bring Gino off the bench. Is Bruce known as a shooter from anywhere else than a corner 3? How hard is it to learn one shot? Don't you think White could learn one shot?

My point is that guys like White have the athletic ability to play/guard both the 2 and 3 positions....and they don't have to be good shooters.
Although you didn't say it, the implication of your post is that we could have Bowen and White in the game at the same time. That would be an ugly offensive team.

Or to be fair to you, we could have two imaginary players with their offensive capability in the game at the same time. Pair them up with ElBerto and you have a starting five who's potential firepower is truly shocking--way below average. I don't think that team would be very successful.

[AFBlue]

Although you didn't say it, the implication of your post is that we could have Bowen and White in the game at the same time. That would be an ugly offensive team.

Or to be fair to you, we could have two imaginary players with their offensive capability in the game at the same time. Pair them up with ElBerto and you have a starting five who's potential firepower is truly shocking--way below average. I don't think that team would be very successful.

Although you made a false inference, nothing of the sort was implied.

My statement was to the nature of defining positions in today's game. Those positions (Point Guard, Shooting Guard, Small Forward, Power Forward, Center), have had their definitions drastically changed/blurred in recent years.

There are Point Guards that prefer to shoot, Shooting Guards that can't, Small Forwards that aren't that small, and both Power Forwards and Centers that aren't powerful and prefer the perimeter. It's all about finding the right compliment of players to fit your system. So....

No I don't think Bowen and White could play on the court together for long stretches. But, I think White could play the "2" in a lineup that surrounded him with more firepower....say Finley at the 3.

Oh, and to say that it would take a decade for White to learn how to shoot is pretty rediculous...Tony learned in about a year with Chip Engelland.

[wildbill2u]

Although you made a false inference, nothing of the sort was implied.

My statement was to the nature of defining positions in today's game. Those positions (Point Guard, Shooting Guard, Small Forward, Power Forward, Center), have had their definitions drastically changed/blurred in recent years...


Oh, and to say that it would take a decade for White to learn how to shoot is pretty rediculous...Tony learned in about a year with Chip Engelland.
I didn't mean he'd last a decade in the league when I said 'retirement'. If he's playing in the NBA at 35 I'll be surprised.

And if the lines have blurred, why not move him to PF, PG and C as well?

No sense in leaving all those hops on the bench.