DAYYUM IAN!!! (look at his line last night) [Archive]

MrChug

12-22-2007, 03:53 AM

Okay, sure it took 48 minutes to do it but I'm still proud ;). Also Morris Almond had a NBDL record 51 points, but dude took 35 shots to do it...

Recap | Back to Full Box Score

Flash 118, Toros 116
12/21/2007 McKay Events Center, Orem, UT Time of Game: 2:45.46
Officials: #59 Scott Twardoski , #32 Tre Maddox , #53 John Guerrero Attendance: 3021
VISITOR: Austin Toros
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-A 3GM-A FTM-A OFF DEF TOT AST PF ST TO BS PTS
Darius Washington 34:26 5-21 2-4 7-10 2 4 6 3 6 0 6 0 19
Cheyne Gadson 36:55 10-13 1-1 0-0 0 3 3 2 4 2 2 1 21
Kevin Pittsnogle 39:21 5-11 5-8 3-3 0 6 6 0 6 1 3 0 18
Marcus Williams 31:42 5-8 1-1 0-0 1 5 6 2 5 2 5 2 11
Ian Mahinmi 48:28 11-15 0-0 10-16 9 8 17 2 5 5 5 3 32
Justin Bowen 25:48 4-8 0-0 3-3 2 1 3 0 2 1 2 0 11
Kenton Paulino 19:47 1-3 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 1 2
DerMarr Johnson 14:53 1-5 0-2 0-0 0 1 1 0 4 0 2 0 2
Carldell Johnson 11:03 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0
Anthony Fuqua 02:36 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
Eric Dawson 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Keith Langford 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 265 42-84 9-17 23-32 14 31 45 11 34 12 26 7 116
50.0% 52.9% 71.9% Team Rebs: 9 Total TO: 26

HOME: Utah Flash
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-A 3GM-A FTM-A OFF DEF TOT AST PF ST TO BS PTS
Kevin Kruger 43:52 4-12 1-2 1-2 1 1 2 15 2 0 2 0 10
Brian Hamilton 36:53 7-13 0-0 1-1 4 8 12 3 3 3 3 2 15
Brian Jackson 30:12 2-6 0-0 2-2 5 4 9 2 6 1 4 1 6
Morris Almond 46:57 18-35 3-7 12-16 1 2 3 3 2 3 4 1 51
James Lang 13:16 2-3 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 0 6 1 1 1 4
Lamar Rice 23:12 3-6 0-0 2-3 1 2 3 0 3 0 0 1 8
Aristide Sawadogo 18:50 4-4 0-0 1-1 2 3 5 0 4 0 1 1 9
John Millsap 18:06 2-4 0-0 2-2 0 3 3 1 2 1 4 0 6
Michael Cuffee 12:30 0-5 0-2 2-2 2 0 2 0 2 0 1 0 2
Andre Ingram 12:28 2-3 0-0 1-1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 5
Aleksandar Ugrinoski 08:45 1-3 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2
TOTAL 265 45-94 4-12 24-30 17 25 42 25 30 11 21 7 118
47.9% 33.3% 80.0% Team Rebs: 10 Total TO: 21

SCORE BY PERIOD 1 2 3 4 OT FINAL
Toros 12 35 29 30 10 116
Flash 30 16 30 30 12 118

LINK (http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/20071221/AUSUTA/boxscore.html)

Kori Ellis

12-22-2007, 03:54 AM

Morris Almond 46:57 18-35 3-7 12-16 1 2 3 3 2 3 4 1 51
:wow

Kori Ellis

12-22-2007, 03:55 AM

Ian's line is awesome too :lol I was just shocked to see 51.

ShoogarBear

12-22-2007, 03:57 AM

The most shocking line of Mahinmi's is he was able to stay on the court for 48 minutes. :elephant

MrChug

12-22-2007, 04:01 AM

The most shocking line of Mahinmi's is he was able to stay on the court for 48 minutes. :elephant

Just HAD to go there didn't u Shoog... :(

timvp

12-22-2007, 04:01 AM

That's a nice line by Mahinmi. 17 rebounds, five steals, three blocks and didn't foul out. Very nice.

Holy crap Darius Washington had a horrible line. 5-for-21 with three assists and six turnovers. Washington has been sucking badly lately. I wonder what's up. Hopefully his preseason and beginning to the regular season wasn't a fluke.

I can safely assume Marcus Williams was defending Morris Almond by looking at the matchups and minutes played. Getting lit up for a D-League record doesn't look great on a resume.

Good to see Pittsnogle actually show something for once.

Bruno

12-22-2007, 07:08 AM

It's nice to see Mahinmi having these kind of games. I guess that he isn't a crappy prospect like most people have said here only by looking at his euro stats.
If Mahinmi continue to play well (finger crossed), I hope that the lack of athletic players above 6'9" in D-League won't hurt his development.
Against the Utah Flash, Fesenko could have been a nice matchup for Mahinmi but he was called back by Jazz one week ago. :depressed

urunobili

12-22-2007, 08:42 AM

Holy crap Darius Washington had a horrible line. 5-for-21 with three assists and six turnovers. Washington has been sucking badly lately. I wonder what's up. Hopefully his preseason and beginning to the regular season wasn't a fluke.
:depressed

tav1

12-22-2007, 10:00 AM

Pop's fatal flaw, the same as Larry Brown, is that he doesn't understand how to coach young, impressionable players. He's so committed to vets, that he's never got his mind around the temperment of rookies and sophomores. So, Darius Washington is playing well and then, voila, Pop gets all fickle and high with his expectations, suddenly he's in a slump. I'd accept a few losses if it meant the kid was able to play through his mistakes--or, better, just leave him and Mahinmi in D-league for the season and try to work them in next year. Let them build confidence and work out salient short comings. The only exception to this has been Tony Parker, who, for whatever reason, didn't succumb to Darko treatment.

I'm glad he's back with the Toros. Much better for all involved.

Pop is a great coach, don't get me wrong. But he does seem to fall short in this regard.

medstudent

12-22-2007, 10:11 AM

He coached Parker well enough

exstatic

12-22-2007, 10:14 AM

ChumpDumper

12-22-2007, 10:39 AM

That's a nice line by Mahinmi. 17 rebounds, five steals, three blocks and didn't foul out. Very nice.Choked at the free throw line at the end, but otherwise a good game.

Holy crap Darius Washington had a horrible line. 5-for-21 with three assists and six turnovers. Washington has been sucking badly lately. I wonder what's up. Hopefully his preseason and beginning to the regular season wasn't a fluke.He got in foul trouble with early charges. Seemed to screw up his whole night.

I can safely assume Marcus Williams was defending Morris Almond by looking at the matchups and minutes played. Getting lit up for a D-League record doesn't look great on a resume.He was actually matched up with Gadson for much of the game, though everyone got a chance to be destroyed by Almond. He was in the zone. There was a lot of switching assignments to try to cover him, just like the Flash tried throwing a bunch of different looks at Ian.

Good to see Pittsnogle actually show something for once.Utah runs one of the more conventional lineups in the D-League, so he could take advantage of big men who don't like to leave the paint. His rebounding number was encouraging.

The big disappointment was DerMarr, although the one jumper he hit all night was clutch.

The Toros seemed to be dead in the water at the beginning of the game, only scoring 12 points, giving up 30 and getting three players in foul trouble. I wasn't able to listen for the run in the second but it was a really tight game the entire second half and OT.

The Truth #6

12-22-2007, 10:48 AM

I don't think Parker 'got the system' at first either, but Pop did allow him to play through it. He yelled at him throughout but he didn't yank him either.

Pop has some players that he will play even if they aren't playing well. I think Elson rarely gets frozen out completely for a game. Pop will play him in the first half to again prove what is obvious and then bench him in the second half.

Pop likes nice guys to be on the team. But I think he despises players who aren't tough and clutch. This dilemma creates a fickle personality at times.

picnroll

12-22-2007, 10:55 AM

Tigole Bitties

12-22-2007, 10:56 AM

Morris Almond had 51 points? yowza

ChumpDumper

12-22-2007, 11:08 AM

ChumpDumper how was Mahinmi getting his points? His little across the lane hook and putbacks or more varied? How did he turn it around on rebounding? Is he reading the ball and positioning better than the beginnig of the year or just the competition?There wasn't a video of this game unfortunately, so I can't comment on exactly how he got the rebounds. I do know that he is far more athletic than the Flash centers and can guess that there were likely some positioning problems for them caused by Pittsnogle's camping at the arc. Sounds like most of his scoring was just as you described, but that baby hook is an NBA level go-to move. I want to see a few more face-up attempts per game, though they can be painful to watch at this point.

picnroll

12-22-2007, 11:25 AM

The baby hook is nice and plays to his strength of quickness but he reeeealy needs to work on a counter move at a minimum at this stage.

Bruno

12-22-2007, 11:27 AM

Parker and Vaughn are better than Washington. I see no reason to criticize Pop for not giving playtime to Washington. Washington is in his learning year and Spurs have a great tool with Austin to work with him. Just be patient.
And don't forget that Washington is far from being a stud. It's not sure that he will become a good backup NBA PG.

ChumpDumper

12-22-2007, 11:43 AM

Short-term expectations on this board are way too high for Darius. He definitely not garbage, but he has a lot of work to do to be able to run the point consistently in the NBA.

SequSpur

12-22-2007, 12:00 PM

Elson couldn't put up those numers in Little Girls Youth Center League...

Sign this mofo up!

wildbill2u

12-22-2007, 02:34 PM

Fans here pick out favorites among the bench players without any realistic evaluations of their skill sets.

Darius is a considered a feel-good story, a hard worker on the court, will score in the D league and ergo is an NBA grade PG talent.

Pop may bring him up from time to time if we have PG injuries as a backup. The new rules about players make the rosters much more flexible.

wildbill2u

12-22-2007, 02:38 PM

So far I'm a little surprised at what Ian is doing in the D league because he wasn't even getting minutes on his Euro team and I took that as a bad sign.

Either he's improving by leaps and bounds with some court time on the Toros (our fervent wish) or the Euro teams are tougher/better than I thought.

ChumpDumper

12-22-2007, 02:55 PM

Euro teams have different agendas than D-League teams to be sure. Getting PT for the assigned players is THE priority for the Toros, and Darius and Ian are probably overused if one looks at it from pure team performance standpoint.

OTOH, this is pretty much the perfect level of basketball for Ian to be able to get big minutes and try to add to his game. The only negative is the dearth of quality opposing big men throughout the league and the SW division in particular.

lefty

12-22-2007, 03:20 PM

^^^^That is SO not true. Pop is nothing like Larry Brown, who flat WON'T play younger players. DW would have zero minutes played this year under LB. Pop will sit ANYONE who doesn't "get" the system. See: Bonner, Matt; Elson, Francisco.

He said young AND impressionable players; Parker was young, but he wasn't impressed nor intimidated by anyone, and he was a Spurs fan when he was a kid; during his first games a Spur, he didn't hesitate to yell at D-Rob and Duncan when they were out of position.

E20

12-22-2007, 03:33 PM

Ian's line is amazing. :tu

Almond shot over 50% to get 51, which is amazing.

I think Darius got in early foul trouble is because he may have got used to the more physical play of the NBA and that altered it enough to be a problem in the D-League and from what I've heard the refs are horrible in the NBDL, that maybe be a possiblity of his 6 fouls.

timvp

12-22-2007, 03:44 PM

I guess that he isn't a crappy prospect like most people have said here only by looking at his euro stats. :dramaquee

Almost everyone was excited when the Spurs brought Mahinmi in. There might have been a couple people who had given up on him but no more than a handful.

He was actually matched up with Gadson for much of the game, though everyone got a chance to be destroyed by Almond. Really? Why the heck wouldn't Washington and Gadson be matched up with Kruger and Hamilton? With Williams, Bowen and even Johnson at his disposal, Snyder put a skinny point guard on Almond? If he wanted to put a point guard on Almond, at least put Washington on him. Then again Snyder isn't exactly known for being a defensive mastermind.

Pop's fatal flaw, the same as Larry Brown, is that he doesn't understand how to coach young, impressionable players. I never heard that criticism of Pop before. He's actually one of the best at sticking with young players through thick and thin.

If a young player was worthy of playing time, Pop has given that young player minutes. If you show talent and that you care, Pop isn't going to let you rot.

Pop went with Malik Rose early in Rose's career even though Pop had a number of older players to fall back on if he wanted. He went with Stephen Jackson even though early in the 2003 season Jackson was horrible. Speedy came in and was given the reins from the get go. Pop went with AD as a young player even though he had a player like Kerr to fall back on. He gave Devin Brown every shot to win the backup job over Brent Barry until Devin hurt his back.

The only young players Pop hasn't had success with over the years have turned out to be either not good enough to make it anywhere else or didn't have the makeup to play for a championship contender. I don't see any blatant failures in Pop's resume. And Darius Washington is an undrafted rookie in the beginning of his first year with the team. Waaaaay too early to be making any judgment calls regarding him.

ChumpDumper

12-22-2007, 06:03 PM

Really? Why the heck wouldn't Washington and Gadson be matched up with Kruger and Hamilton? With Williams, Bowen and even Johnson at his disposal, Snyder put a skinny point guard on Almond? If he wanted to put a point guard on Almond, at least put Washington on him. Then again Snyder isn't exactly known for being a defensive mastermind.While Langford is out, Cheyne usually starts at shooting guard. The Toros' MO is to not switch defensive assignments until they feel they have to. After the disastrous first quarter, they had to. Mo got several Toros into foul trouble, so I'm not sure how much difference it would have made unless they designated Bowen to cover him all the time like DJ used to. Of course, under him the Toros got smoked by Clay Tucker for the exact same amount of points. These things happen.

Bruno

12-22-2007, 07:23 PM

:dramaquee

Almost everyone was excited when the Spurs brought Mahinmi in. There might have been a couple people who had given up on him but no more than a handful.

:rolleyes
You should have missed Mahinmi's bashing during the whole last year when he was sucking in Europe.
And the Mahinmi signing has generate almost no reaction here.

thekingrobert

12-23-2007, 03:19 AM

darius rice's 52 is the record

ChumpDumper

12-23-2007, 04:59 AM

I'm pretty sure they're talking about the regular season.

JPB

12-23-2007, 09:26 AM

:rolleyes
You should have missed Mahinmi's bashing during the whole last year when he was sucking in Europe.
And the Mahinmi signing has generate almost no reaction here.

I agree.
He was categorized as just a foul prone big guy with no offense.
And few people ever saw him play.

That's why his signing didn't generate many reactions.
The general opinion was that he was meant to be sent in D-league where hopefully he could learn 2 or 3 things.

The excitement appeared only during the pre-season when he showed promising things.

ChumpDumper

12-23-2007, 01:16 PM

Please don't get all Slogentinian on us.

picnroll

12-23-2007, 01:48 PM

whottt

12-23-2007, 01:58 PM

whottt

12-23-2007, 02:01 PM

I missed all these slew of bad mouthing of Mahinmi posts. Since he wasn't getting any playing time he was pretty much ignored although it's hard to get excited about or overly enthused about a player who can't get on the floor for a struggling Euroleague team.

They do it differently in Europe....

They tend to give veterans more respect, there's more emphaisis on fundamental play than there is on athleticism...

Plus, they don't particularly like their role as a development league for the NBA, they aren't going to invest a lot in guys that aren't going to be around for a while IMO. Unless they guy is really good and can immediately contribute to winning.

I have no proof of this...but that just seems to be the way they do it....in particular with draft picks of NBA teams.

ChumpDumper

12-23-2007, 02:19 PM

I agree with the sentiment that WAshington just isn't good enough to warrant heavy minute from Pop right now...he's not as good as Parker and Vaughn yet...and he likely won't anytime soon unless gets PT.

I don't think Pop dislikes him...he just doesn't have to play him yet, so he won't.I think Pop really likes the guy. He really looked like he was working closely with him in the brief training camp film I saw. If the way he's been using Vaughn lately is any indication, Pop wants to be able to have a point guard attacking the basket at all times. Darius needs to work on his decision-making off his drives, and finishing at the NBA level will be more challenging than it is in Austin -- but Darius has the right mentality and basic tools. He's worth keeping around the rest of the season, but mainly on the Toros squad.

ShoogarBear

12-23-2007, 02:21 PM

Plus, they don't particularly like their role as a development league for the NBA, they aren't going to invest a lot in guys that aren't going to be around for a while IMO. Unless they guy is really good and can immediately contribute to winning.

I have no proof of this...but that just seems to be the way they do it....in particular with draft picks of NBA teams.That's an interesting thought. In the European league, if you're not an established player could being an NBA draft pick work against you in terms of getting playing time?

whottt

12-23-2007, 02:31 PM

That's an interesting thought. In the European league, if you're not an established player could being an NBA draft pick work against you in terms of getting playing time?

I think so...unless the guy is already an integral part of the team.

I think that's clearly what happened with Ian...he's much better than he appeared to be last season.

I think it might also be the case with Javtokas...Javtokas is clearly one of the most athletic bigmen in Europe and played well when matched up with guys like Oberto and Scola...the fact that he jumps to a team and all of a sudden can't play...I think it's a got a lot to do with a lack of minutes.

IF you think about it...what really is the incentive for the Euroleague teams to put a whole lot of effort into developing a young player already drafted by an NBA team...they get nothing out of doing it really. So why would they do it?

Scola was already installed with Tau and he was on a multi year deal...Splitter they are playing because he's good enough to contribute something this year.

I just think that's the way they do it...it makes sense they'd do it that way....for their own benefit, and also so they don't alienate veterans who are going to be career Euroleague players. You have a guy that's going to be part of your team for a long time because he's not viewed as an NBA level talent...behind him is a young guy who will eventually be a better player, but who is also likely headed to the NBA as soon as he shows anything...

Why disrepesct the old vet guy, who can help you win more now, to serve as a developmental team for an NBA player that won't be there beyond this season?

Plus...if the guys minutes are limited he perhaps maybe loses confidence...maybe doesn't want to wait to get paid, so he signs a longterm deal with the Euroleague team instead.

Makes sense to me...

There's just not much incentive for European teams to do that for guys on one year contracts...the NBA teams aren't paying them for doing it...the veteran guys can do more to help win right now...and since these teams do have to stay in business....

I can't say I'd blame them for doing it that way either.

Bruno

12-23-2007, 02:40 PM

Slogentinian

:lol

picnroll

12-23-2007, 02:48 PM

They do it differently in Europe....

They tend to give veterans more respect, there's more emphaisis on fundamental play than there is on athleticism...

Plus, they don't particularly like their role as a development league for the NBA, they aren't going to invest a lot in guys that aren't going to be around for a while IMO. Unless they guy is really good and can immediately contribute to winning.

I have no proof of this...but that just seems to be the way they do it....in particular with draft picks of NBA teams.
Early in the season for Pau they were giving Ian minutes, believe he was even starting but he work himself entirely out of the rotation. If the player has game he seems to get PT, look at the 16 year old Rubio, Barnangni, Fernandez.

Bruno

12-23-2007, 03:08 PM

The whole story about Mahinmi last year is :

- Pau-Orthez didn't sign Mahinmi as a project but as a player who will help them one year before going in nba. Mahinmi in 05-06 was a productive player in French League with Le Havre. Mahinmi signed as Pau's backup center behind an American player called Hiram Fuller.

- At the last second Pau didn't sign Hiram Fuller.

- Instead of signing another center, Pau's staff decided to give the starting spot to Mahinmi. They trusted him enough to do that after his good summer league with Spurs and his good games with French second NT.

- Mahinmi sucked badly as starting center while he should have been decent after his good 05-06 year and his good summer. We will never know why he was that bad but it should be a combination of being in a new team with a new coach, having too much pressure on him, not being mentally ready to be the starting center for an Euroleague team and the fact that eh missed the start of the training camp because of an injury.

- After one month, Pau had bad results and they decided to sign a new starting center (Michael Wright). It's quite logical given that their first goal is to win games. Losing game to develop a young player who will leave the team in one year makes no sense to them.

- Mahinmi was now Pau's backup center and didn't play a lot because Pau had a crowded roster. He was then in a mental slump after the first failure in his basketball career and his relationship with his coach wasn't very good. Mahinmi was clearly lost on the court.

- At the end of the season, Pau has had some injuries, Mahinmi get more playing time and played better but it was nothing fancy.

What whottt say is half true. Mahinmi get a great chance as they gave him a starting spot. However, they pretty much gave up on him when he failed.

timvp

12-23-2007, 03:12 PM

Bruno, will you please stop bashing Mahinmi from last year -- you are going to upset Bruno.

:hat

Bruno

12-23-2007, 03:19 PM

Javtokas is clearly one of the most athletic bigmen in Europe and played well when matched up with guys like Oberto and Scola...the fact that he jumps to a team and all of a sudden can't play...I think it's a got a lot to do with a lack of minutes.

Javtokas not playing last year with Panathinaikos has a lot to do with the coach and the way to play of the team. It's like Kurt Thomas not playing with Suns.
Another reason why he didn't play a lot was because he isn't that good and Panathinaikos was the best team in Europe ( ask KBP :lol ).
This year, Javtokas is with another team (Dynamo Moscow) and get consistent playing time.

Bruno

12-23-2007, 03:28 PM

Bruno, will you please stop bashing Mahinmi from last year -- you are going to upset Bruno.

:hat

:lol

I was just surprised to see people calling him a crappy prospect because he had a bad season and without trying to know why he was bad and without watching him play.

And I didn't say that Mahinmi will become a good nba player, he could end up as a nba bust. I just say that these good games in D-League obviously show that he isn't the player with no chance to contribute one day to a nba team as some people have said last year.

whottt

12-23-2007, 03:43 PM

Javtokas not playing last year with Panathinaikos has a lot to do with the coach and the way to play of the team. It's like Kurt Thomas not playing with Suns.
Another reason why he didn't play a lot was because he isn't that good and Panathinaikos was the best team in Europe ( ask KBP :lol ).
This year, Javtokas is with another team (Dynamo Moscow) and get consistent playing time.

I'm going to disagree with the sentiment that Javtokas isn't that good...he may not be the NBA talent that I and others thought him to be...but he did just fine matched up against the best C's in Europe the last time he played for Lithuania. By Euruleague standards he's a good C...better than than the PT he got last season.

ChumpDumper

12-23-2007, 03:46 PM

BTW - this Toros/Flash game will be shown on NBAtv Saturday the 29th, so we can all see Ian's performance and see how they tried to cover Almond. I'm keen to see for myself since I missed much of radio call and web scoring.

whottt

12-23-2007, 03:49 PM

Early in the season for Pau they were giving Ian minutes, believe he was even starting but he work himself entirely out of the rotation.

Yeap...and once they realized he wasn't going to be able to help them win that season...he was dumped.

And that's why the Spurs brought him over...

In no way contradicts my earlier point.

If the player has game he seems to get PT, look at the 16 year old Rubio, Barnangni, Fernandez.

A player that young is still on average 5 years away from the NBA...that's a lot of use they can get out of him...plus it develops their own homegrown talent...I mean they have to do that, how else are they going to be developed? Plus...there's a chance they can sign them to a longterm deal still...like Luis Scola for instance. Not NBA property yet...not a case of being a year away from the NBA like I mentioned.

To me it's not hard to see the motivations of the Euroleague teams. It's a business for them too...and by and large they want to be competitors to the NBA...not it's developmental league.

Darkwaters

12-23-2007, 10:05 PM

What the Spurs need to do is buy an overseas team. It doesn't even need to be a Euroleague team (although, that is preferred) but can be simply a team in one of the better leagues in France or Spain. Players they intend to develop over a longer period of time can be signed by (or traded to) the foreign subsidiary (I imagine a draftee like Marcus Williams would be more comfortable with going to Europe if it was a Spurs owned and operated team). Americans and foreigners alike could make their way to Europe for development. The Toros could then be used for development of players already on the roster in need of additional time on court. Both teams could monitor and develop talent on their own rosters with the potential to make the jump to San Antonio.

I wonder, how much would a struggling Euroleague team cost? A fair amount I imagine, but still a worthy investment.

Spurs16212

12-23-2007, 11:11 PM

51 points on 35 shots is not too too bad... It could have been worse. He did shoot over 50% from the field. I liked Morris Almond from his college days at Rice and was hoping that he would fall to where maybe the Spurs could draft him. With Brent and Michael Finley leaving in the near future, he could have filled that void.

mathbzh

12-24-2007, 03:53 AM

Ian didn't sruggled that much last year. He had injuries, was not ready to be the starting C in Euroleague team and was foul prone but the main problem is that expectations were way to high for him.
Actually he was productive given his PT 4.3 pt (51%FG 70% FT) 3.2 rbds 0.7 blks in just 12 minutes is not bad for a 19 yo player.

There is a reason why European teams don't like giving PT to young players when they are not ready: They need too win games.
Here, when you lose games you are not rewarded with a high lottery pick, you just go down to a lower league. When you won your national championship, you also won a ticket for the euroleague and the money coming with this ticket.
Actually this is the same reason why rookies can start in Seattle and not in SA.

JPB

12-24-2007, 05:30 AM

That's an interesting thought. In the European league, if you're not an established player could being an NBA draft pick work against you in terms of getting playing time?

Not necessarly.
I'd say it depends on the needs and the caliber of the team he's playing for.
In a small team without a lot of money, if he can contribute, he'll play.

In a top team, chances will be much lower.

Teams are not particulary philantropic and they want to win as much as any other ones.

JPB

12-24-2007, 05:40 AM

Please don't get all Slogentinian on us.

:lol

I'm not particulary high on Ian either. Honestly, I don't know what kind of player he'll become.
I'm just saying he started to create interest in the preaseason.

If I'd want to lobby for a french fellow, I'd say try to get long 3 Nicolas Batum.

mathbzh

12-24-2007, 06:11 AM

:lol

I'm not particulary high on Ian either. Honestly, I don't know what kind of player he'll become.
I'm just saying he started to create interest in the preaseason.

If I'd want to lobby for a french fellow, I'd say try to get long 3 Nicolas Batum.

+1

But Batum is projected as a top 10 pick... I don't know how far he should slip before SA can trade for him at a reasonable cost.

JPB

12-24-2007, 08:28 AM

Top ten if not higher... It will depend on the rest of his season on euroleague and of the quality of the US players depth.

He showed good... and bad things so far. But what's encouraging is that the good was really good and I'd say very NBA material and also that the bad was essentially a lack of consistency, which is quite normal for a 19 years old kid.

But he really has the skills, the athletics and the moves to make a name for himself in the NBA.

Mr. Body

12-24-2007, 10:35 AM

+1

But Batum is projected as a top 10 pick... I don't know how far he should slip before SA can trade for him at a reasonable cost.

Since the Spurs have failed to trade up in any draft ever, even when they seemingly had assets, it's impossible they could get Batum. It's annoying to watch years of top notch SF prospects go to every other team, including teams already with top notch SF prospects.

picnroll

12-24-2007, 11:15 AM

Spurs could possibly have a couple of very attractive young big men to trade one in order to move up in the draft. Would anyone want to go that route? I don't think I would.

Mr. Body

12-24-2007, 12:09 PM

Spurs could possibly have a couple of very attractive young big men to trade one in order to move up in the draft. Would anyone want to go that route? I don't think I would.

I wouldn't. More likely poach one of those former nice young SF prospects a team doesn't want to pay, like a Josh Childress. I wouldn't give up Mahinmi or Splitter at this point. Especially Splitter.

Darkwaters

12-24-2007, 08:32 PM

I wouldn't. More likely poach one of those former nice young SF prospects a team doesn't want to pay, like a Josh Childress. I wouldn't give up Mahinmi or Splitter at this point. Especially Splitter.

Seconded.

picnroll

12-26-2007, 07:20 PM

Some praise for Ian from draftexpress.com

“It is clear at this point that Mahinmi has better upside than any big man in the D league”

link (http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Inside-the-D-League:-Week-Five/)

Mr.Bottomtooth

12-26-2007, 07:26 PM

:) Good to hear.

ChumpDumper

12-26-2007, 08:03 PM

That's nice, but almost damning with faint praise given the dearth of quality big men in the D-League. I'm very happy that Ian has the beginnings of an offensive game at any rate.

JPB

12-27-2007, 07:20 AM

You could see that he had some nice post moves, back in france specially thanks to his good feet speed. He just didn't have the opportunity to really show it, giving the situation.

That's why I'd like to see him play close to vet big men so he could learn from them.

The opposition in the D-league doesn't seem to be strong enough to really challenge him.

MoSpur

12-27-2007, 10:07 AM

The most shocking line of Mahinmi's is he was able to stay on the court for 48 minutes. :elephant

Agreed

picnroll

12-27-2007, 10:15 PM

Another very nice statistical game by Mahinmi. 24 points on 7-11 and 10-13 FTs, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, and only 4 PFs in 38:44 minutes. Awaiting details from ChumpDumper.

timvp

12-27-2007, 10:41 PM

Looks like he played well :tu

It not only looks like he solved his foul problem, he's actually rebounding now. He's had double digit rebounds in three out of the last four games. The last thing he has to start doing is blocking shots but so far it's pretty obvious he's made some strides while with the Toros.

picnroll

12-27-2007, 10:44 PM

He's also drawing a lot of fouls so he's getting a lot of attention and putting teams in bad situations it appears.

timvp

12-27-2007, 10:47 PM

LaMarcus Bryant

12-27-2007, 11:01 PM

timvp is singlehandedly destroying my darius hopes

T Park

12-28-2007, 12:24 AM

Hopefully Ian has turned a corner, and could maybe be thought of for next year.

TIMVP

What would you do next year with a big rotation of Ian, Oberto, Splitter and Duncan.

Would you

trade any one of the above (sans duncan of course) or would you try and rotate them all through?

AFBlue

12-28-2007, 12:30 AM

timvp

12-28-2007, 12:35 AM

AFBlue

12-28-2007, 12:38 AM

The bigman rotation next year seems extremely cluttered. Splitter will be brought over but there's a chance that all the other current bigs stay on board. Even Horry has hinted recently he might not want to retire at season's end. And Elson has time to salvage his season.

That said, I think you keep Mahinmi in D-League for another year. If Elson walks, you fill his role with Splitter. Eventually Splitter takes over for Oberto but that'd probably be a couple years down the line. If Horry leaves, you fill that hole permanently with Bonner ... even though Bonner doesn't give a lot of what Horry can bring to the table.

However, it's really tough to tell. If Horry and Elson play well enough to bring back, Splitter is brought over and Mahinmi shows he's ready for the NBA next season ... that'd be a problem.

But a good problem. :hat

Based on Mahinmi's comments when he got sent down, and his ability to flat-out dominate games (albeit not on a consistent basis) in the D-league this year, I would think he would be EXTREMELY dissatisfied if he's not with the big league ball club next year and contributing in some way.

It's not that I disagree with you, because I actually think more "seasoning" and learning against D-league competition would only help Mahinmi, but I could see that being a source of conflict in the future.

Here's hoping the Spurs let Elson walk and that Horry retires (with 8 rings ;) ) :toast

Mr.Bottomtooth

12-28-2007, 12:40 AM

I would let Elson go and Horry will most likely retire.
I would put Mahinmi in the rotation and send Splitter down to the D-League.
The following year I would divide the minutes up between Duncan/Oberto/Splitter/Mahinmi/Bonner how the minutes are divided among Duncan/Oberto/Horry/Bonner/Elson.

T Park

12-28-2007, 12:51 AM

I would personally sign and trade Elson for whoever wanted him.

Horry can play as long as he wants to. Hes not showing any signs of being worthless and needing to step aside.

Splitter is a given.

Mahinmi, all depends IMO on how his IQ improves. If hes way smarter than elson, than he could be a DAMN good player.

Bonner, depends on how he finishes the season.

T Park

12-28-2007, 12:52 AM

I would put Mahinmi in the rotation and send Splitter down to the D-League.

The guy has been playing in euro pro leagues and WCs since he was 17.

he aint comin over to play in a fifth rate basketball league.

he could stay in europe for another year makin a couple mill and play better comp.

He comes over, hes in the regular rotation. Period.

AFBlue

12-28-2007, 01:05 AM

The guy has been playing in euro pro leagues and WCs since he was 17.

he aint comin over to play in a fifth rate basketball league.

he could stay in europe for another year makin a couple mill and play better comp.

He comes over, hes in the regular rotation. Period.

Whether he's in the regular rotation or in a suit on game-night will most likely depend on retention or retirement of other bigs currently on this team. Either way, I agree with you that he won't be sent down to the D-League...at least not for a lengthy period of time.

If Splitter doesn't play, more than likely he'll be in a suit on game night and opposite Duncan during practice....what better way to learn?

FirebatMIV

12-28-2007, 01:11 AM

Darius Washington looks like he had another bad game. Third straight game in which he's had more turnovers than assists (3 assists vs. 5 turnovers). That's not a good sign for a young point guard prospect ... especially in the D-League where washed up players like Randy Livingston can hand out assists by the dozens.

To be fair, part of the whole assist process is having teammates hit shots and when your outside shooters have an off game, assist totals won't be high. (Pittsnoogle was 1-10 and Johnson 8-20). I think I'm just glad he shot the ball less this time, only putting up 16 shots. It suggests to me that he's not dominating the ball as much, and at least is looking to create.

timvp

12-31-2007, 02:37 AM

Bump.

I watched the replay of this game earlier today. My DVR got all of regulation but didn't get the overtime :madrun

Thoughts:

-Ian Mahinmi is pretty impressive. He isn't overly strong but he's an amazingly physical player. He throws his body around and seems to enjoy contact. His athleticism is really nice and he seems to have good timing on both ends of the court. If he can gain a little weight and learn how to get in better position, he should become a good rebounder. If I have to nitpick about his game, I'd say he's robotic offensively and only has one move -- a jump hook. 99% of the time he's looking for his jump hook -- just as he was in preseason. His only other move is to spin baseline. While having only one move is not good, at least his one move is a quality move that should work on the NBA level. He passes pretty well from the low block and his stamina seems to be really high. Overall, I was impressed. The Spurs should keep him in D-League until his game is less robotic and he gets a bit stronger. He had more highlight dunks and blocks in those four quarters than we see out of the current bigmen in a month's time. I'm looking at the 2009-10 season to be Mahinmi's coming out party in the NBA.

-Marcus Williams was matched up with Morris Almond for much of Almond's 51 points in the game. Williams started off on him and guarded him almost the whole time in the first, third and fourth quarters. The only part of Williams' defense I like is his ability to play the passing lane. But for some unknown reason, he was playing the passing lane and leaving Almond wide open for threes. Williams also gets blown by every time some anyone attempts to drive by him. I blame that on his slow feet on the perimeter. The good news is that Williams will sometimes catch up and block the shot at the basket. Offensively, Williams was much calmer than he was in summer league. His jumper wasn't as ugly -- but still needs lots of work. Overall, he's still a hugely flawed player. His slow feet on the perimeter don't allow him to play any type of perimeter defense and he can score a bit offensively but a lot of his moves wouldn't work against NBA players.

-Darius Washington showed no playmaking ability at all. I could see why the Spurs/Toros got frustrated with him. The Toros were often better when he was on the bench. He drives to the basket with his head down and rarely finds the open man. That said, it's still pretty early to have given up on him completely. He can score, defend a bit and is pretty determined player. At 21, I wouldn't be surprised if he one day finds himself playing as a backup point guard in the NBA.

-Justin Bowen looked a lot smaller than I expected. He's listed at 6-7 and 210 pounds but he looked more like 6-5 and 195 pounds. He's really skinny and can be pushed around pretty easily. He does have some skills and I think he could be a very good D-League level player. I didn't see much NBA potential in him ... at least in that game. He does play good perimeter defense but once anyone puts a body on him he can be overpowered.

-Kevin Pittsnogle looked like he ate Mike Gansey. Pittsnogle is big, big guy. He was knocking down threes in this game but defensively he was sloooooooooow. He actually knew where and when to rotate but it took a while getting there.

-Cheyne Gadson and Speaky Johnson looked pretty good. They can both handle the ball and both are better playmakers than Washington. Neither one look like NBA talents but both should shine at the D-League level.

-DerMarr Johnson didn't have a good game. He looked sluggish and out of shape. Hopefully he's in better shape these days because he wasn't moving well at all.

-Kenton Paulino looked a lot heavier than his 185. He didn't look good in this game.

-Anthony Fuqua looked to be in much better shape compared to his UTSA days. He only played a short amount of time but he looked like a capable D-League big.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the level of play. The players were playing hard and the crowd seemed into it. Each team had plays and the execution was actually pretty decent. Quin Snyder has implemented a good amount of Spurs related philosophies and he seems to be in control of the team. He would pull players out after mistakes and he'd also experiment to find combinations that would work. I laughed when the Toros hired Snyder but he looks to be doing a really good job. Much better than the horrid coaching we saw from Don Newman and others in summer league.

I also like it that the team features Mahinmi so much. Offensively and defensively, they treat Mahinmi like he's the Toros' version of Tim Duncan. That should only speed up and help his development. His involved almost every time up and down the court and every time Snyder called a play from the sideline, it involved Mahinmi in some way.

As long as Mahinmi is on the Toros and Snyder has the team playing how he wants, they should be able to win a good amount of games.

JPB

12-31-2007, 05:57 AM

I don't see Ian accepting to play one more year in D-league, specially if he continues to do well.

And I think he would be right.

RobinsontoDuncan

12-31-2007, 09:05 AM

what do you think Ian's high end potential is LJ?

I know when he was initially drafted we were all saying his absolute top end potential is something akin to an Amare Stoudamire type player, is that still the case or are we hoping more for a stromile swift?

Mr.Bottomtooth

12-31-2007, 09:23 AM

is that still the case or are we hoping more for a stromile swift?
NO ONE should be hoping for a Stromile.

ChumpDumper

12-31-2007, 11:06 AM

I don't see Ian accepting to play one more year in D-league, specially if he continues to do well.

And I think he would be right.He's making progress, but right now he is utterly predictable on offense. He needs more post moves and some kind of shot outside of ten feet before I would declare him to be NBA ready.

JPB

01-01-2008, 09:34 AM

He actually has a lot to work on and polish. But he still has half a year and the next pre-season to do it.
I don't expect him to provide big numbers in his first spurs years but rather physical presence and defense. He seems to be a natural shot blocker, from your Toros reports.

My concern with him staying too long in austin is that he wouldn't have strong enough opposition to challenge him. As you said, he's using almost one single move and that's partly because it continues working and opponents doesn't force him to use something else.
You don't really progress with weakest opposition. I'd like him to learn from TD and Fabio.

One year is good to let him adjust to US basketball and give him PT but another one wouldn't serve him IMO. I know there are ralso oster issues and Splitter coming in but in terms of motivation and good willing, a second season with the Toros would be hard to stand for Ian.

Bruno

01-01-2008, 10:18 AM

Mahinmi playing or not a second season with Toros is mainly up to him.
I'm quite sure Pop will give him a fair shot to be in the rotation during next preseason if Mahinmi continues to do well this year.
If Mahinmi plays well during next preseason, he will be in the rotation and if didn't play well enough, he will go to Austin. IMO, it's as simple as that.

ChumpDumper

01-01-2008, 06:32 PM

I think he could go back and forth next season. It's easy to see the staff is slowly trying to expand Ian's game, and the longer intervals between games provides a greater opportunity for practice than the NBA. The signing of Kris Lang actually gives Ian a pretty skilled training partner.

Mr.Bottomtooth

01-01-2008, 06:43 PM

As long as he keeps up the good work he's shown so far, I'm convinced he'll be in the rotation next year.

ChumpDumper

01-01-2008, 06:50 PM

It's a definite possibility. Hopefully his game keeps growing at its current pace.

picnroll

01-01-2008, 06:58 PM

Mr. Body

01-01-2008, 09:44 PM

Mahinmi needs to develop more than just post up on the low block, left side, two dribbles across the lane and throw up a half hook every time down the court before he thinks about going up to the play on the varsity. That isn't going to cut it with the big boys.

It's about as sophisticated as Oberto's post game is. The difference is Oberto knows how to shoot the gaps; but we don't expect a huge amount of offense from our centers.

Bruno

01-02-2008, 05:21 AM

Toros will play twice against Vipers on Friday 4th and Saturday 5th.
It will be a interesting test for Mahinmi because Cedric Simmons has been send down to Vipers by Cavs.

picnroll

01-02-2008, 09:03 AM

It's about as sophisticated as Oberto's post game is. The difference is Oberto knows how to shoot the gaps; but we don't expect a huge amount of offense from our centers.
While certainhly no offensive juggernaut Oberto has far more verstility around the basket than Mahinimi, the ability to post up in a place other than Duncan's favorite spot and a reasonably reliable 10-15' foot shot, things Mahinmi has yet to demonstrate.

ChumpDumper

01-02-2008, 12:30 PM

Assigned Player To Watch

Ian Mahinmi, Austin Toros (Spurs)

Mahinmi has been a force in the frontcourt for the Toros since he was assigned by San Antonio on November 21. The 6-11 forward, who hails from France, is averaging 18.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in 12 games for Austin. The Spurs made Mahinmi the 28th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, but Mahinmi played in France last season for Pau-Orthez before electing to head to the NBA for the 2007-08 campaign. He averaged 3.5 points in six games for the Spurs before his assignment to the D-League. The Toros, who face Rio Grande Valley this weekend, are 9-3 with Mahinmi in the lineup.

http://www.nba.com/media/dleague/i_mahinmi_300_071231.jpg

This Week's Key D-League Games

Here is a rundown of some key D-League matchups to watch this week. You can follow any D-League game via the courtside box or the listen live link on the home page of D-League.com.

Friday: Rio Grande Valley Vipers at Austin Toros

The Vipers and the Toros are already establishing a great rivalry, as both teams have been two of the D-League's best early in the 2007-08 season. Austin, 10-4, currently leads Rio Grande Valley, 9-5, by a half game in the Southwest Division. The Vipers, who play in Austin on both Friday and Saturday, will be hoping to hand Austin their first home loss of the season. The Toros are 8-0 at home this season, and will meet Rio Grande Valley in Austin for the first time after splitting the first two meetings of the season, both played in Hidalgo, Texas....

http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/week_ahead_080101.html

boutons_

01-02-2008, 12:34 PM

How much for tickets for Toros home games?

ChumpDumper

01-02-2008, 12:37 PM

$10-26

Barbarian

01-02-2008, 01:01 PM

Kevin Pittsnogle....is this the guy that played at WV?
I just noticed the name on the stat sheet.

Mr.Bottomtooth

01-02-2008, 01:11 PM

Yes it is.

Barbarian

01-02-2008, 01:36 PM

I thought he got drafted by Boston. He was way over rated in college. I Guess he still sucks.

Mr.Bottomtooth

01-02-2008, 01:41 PM

He was undrafted and got waived in the summer league by, I believe, Miami or Boston.

thiste

02-23-2008, 10:40 PM

23/02 game against the Dakota Wizards (best rebounding team in NBDL) :

30 pts / 15 rbs / 3 ast / 4 steals / 7 blocks* (and god knows how many altered shots) / 3 PF (only)

Isn't that a DRob looking line!

*season best

Spurs Brazil

02-23-2008, 10:41 PM

Great game

debo

02-23-2008, 11:36 PM

are the chances still the same of him getting some playing time next year with the spurs now that we've got thomas?

polandprzem

02-23-2008, 11:43 PM

are the chances still the same of him getting some playing time next year with the spurs now that we've got thomas?

He probably will be second froncourter of the banch (Thomas), so probably (much more hopefully) he will log about 10-15 minutes with his progres.
Horry won't be here, and Bonner will be Bonner- a role player.

T Park

02-23-2008, 11:46 PM

Splitter will be here, Thomas if he wants to come back will be back, Oberto will be there and Bonner.

So the front court will be stacked, but I'm sure he will have his chances.

picnroll

02-23-2008, 11:47 PM

When did the Spurs announce they signed Thomas for next season? I missed it.

T Park

02-24-2008, 02:05 AM

Wow, just saw the line again.

7 blocks, 30 points, 6 steals?

Good god...

picnroll

02-24-2008, 07:28 AM

Wow, just saw the line again.

7 blocks, 30 points, 6 steals?

Good god...
Still think it would have been a good idea to use Mahinmi in the Thomas trade?

ThomasGranger

02-24-2008, 07:39 AM

Sounds like Ian is finally learning how to take advantage of his athleticism

objective

03-01-2008, 04:37 AM

seems like he fouled out tonight in about 16 minutes of action but still managed to get 15 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks

VaSpursFan

03-01-2008, 04:41 AM

seems like he fouled out tonight in about 16 minutes of action but still managed to get 15 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks

damn...ian is beasting out in the d-league :dizzy

ChumpDumper

03-01-2008, 04:59 AM

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee139/tasteoflog/P1010456.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee139/tasteoflog/P1010476.jpg

He got too many stupid reach-in fouls tonight in loose ball/rebound situations. He was on his way to a pretty epic performance. Mixed up his offensive looks well in the short time he played. I'll try to write more before the next game.

Slinkyman

03-01-2008, 05:07 AM

hey chump are seats normally that empty? i'd like to see a game in austin and i'm wondering how much tix are.

ChumpDumper

03-01-2008, 05:14 AM

Fridays are hit and miss for some reason, and Saturdays have bigger crowds. The place doesn't ever sell out though. Tickets start from $10 and go up to $26 for normal seating. You can buy them at the game or at Waterloo Records or Run-Tex.

The same stands last Saturday:
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee139/tasteoflog/crowd-west.jpg

SpursFan0728

03-01-2008, 05:42 AM

hey Chump how come you don't do any game thoughts for Toros anymore?

ChumpDumper

03-01-2008, 05:46 AM

Got lazy.

I'll try to put some together today.

SpursFan0728

03-01-2008, 05:59 AM

ya man you should it would be appreciated...

Whats your thought on Barrett and Reed trade?
I think is great news of Mahinmi...

ChumpDumper

03-01-2008, 06:03 AM

timvp

03-01-2008, 06:09 AM

I couldn't think of a more perfect trade. Reed was a maddening playbreaker and black hole on offense, and Andre is an excellent passer who can also score, which is going to be needed with Langford's exit to Italy. It's going to take a few games for everyone to get used to the way Andre gets them the ball, but this team still looks very strong going into the stretch run.I've been on the Barrett Bandwagon for a couple years now. I actually wanted him as the Spurs backup point guard at one point. As a starter on the Toros, I seriously couldn't handpick a better marginal NBA player to help Mahinmi and the rest of the Toros grow.

P.S.

I lol'd when I saw Mahinmi's line. He could have had 45 points, 30 rebounds and nine blocks if he didn't get in foul trouble.

:drunk :hat :drunk :hat :drunk

thiste

03-01-2008, 06:54 AM

He started very strong with 5 rebounds in like 2 minutes but he also got 2 fouls really fast which plagued his whole game afterwards. He never could get into a rythm but still put up some nice numbers.
Dunno what he can do to improve there but I have to say a couple of his fouls seemed pretty abusive to me (which was not the case earlier in the season).

Chump, is it possible in any way that you get to talk to the players (even a little) after the games ? if so maybe some of the forumers here could think of a few questions they'd like Mahinmi (or another player) to answer ? would be kinda cool.

still.focused

03-01-2008, 08:29 AM

Id still rather have David Lee

ThomasGranger

03-01-2008, 10:41 AM

Id still rather have David Lee

Tough call. I love David Lee's game and think he could been a good role player for the Spurs, but I think Ian may have a higher ceiling in the long run.

tav1

03-01-2008, 10:45 AM

CD, based on what you've seen in person, do you think Mahinmi can eventually play alongside Duncan and how long before he could crack the Spurs game roster? Based on what I've seen--a few webcasted games--I think he's probably gonna be with the Toros next year, as well. This is especially the case if we resign Kurt Thomas. I'm hoping he can make the rotation in 2009.Lots of promise, though. I'm optimistic that he can be a valuable piece in Duncan's later years.

RobinsontoDuncan

03-01-2008, 11:12 AM

I think you can pretty much throw all of the conventional wisdom about player development out the window with Mahinimi, here's a guy that has tons of raw talent, and a real rapid learning curve, seems born to play baksetball at moments; but he started playing really late (15 years old or something like that right?) and he never saw the floor in Europe.

To me, even though the guy is 21 now (which, admittedly is a year that Star players have already been recognized as known commodities) I feel like in two years Ian Mahinimi could very well be a superstar in the NBA.

Yes TimVP and Chump, and just about everyone else reading this thread, I realize all of you think that's far fetched, but I have a gut feeling about it.

T Park

03-01-2008, 11:35 AM

Ya know the more the guy plays, it would seem like he would've learned on the foul trouble problem.

But as RTD stated above, hes played basketball for pretty much 6 years.Ian and Splitter will be up next year, with Bonner, Thomas, and Oberto. IMO, I wouldn't be suprised to see the Spurs try and move Bonner and Oberto for a good young wing player. Atlanta could use the above two guys, and send out one of their gluttony of wings.

I'm very interested to see how Ian does with the team in april when the D League season is over, and he plays in the last 1 or 2 games of the season when Pop is resting Duncan, Oberto, Thomas and Horry.

T Park

03-01-2008, 11:39 AM

Still think it would have been a good idea to use Mahinmi in the Thomas trade?

Thomas? No, if I said that I apologize. If it came down to trading Ian with a package for a Ron Artest, or someone of that ilk, I would've done it.

picnroll

03-01-2008, 11:45 AM

Thomas? No, if I said that I apologize. If it came down to trading Ian with a package for a Ron Artest, or someone of that ilk, I would've done it.
Don't think so. To great a possibilty you'd be kicking yourself in the head three years from now for having sacrificed a stud for a three month rental of Artest.

picnroll

03-01-2008, 12:42 PM

Question for the Mahinmi observers. Ian seems to have dramatically upped his rebounding of late. Is he improving his postioning, reading the ball,, boxing out, all or none of the above?

Quasar

03-01-2008, 05:47 PM

How's his overall defense too? He was quite inconsistent with blocks before, getting 3 blocks in one game, followed by several 0/1 block games... Has he turned the corner since his 7 block performance?

Mr. Body

03-01-2008, 07:10 PM

6 years is enough to learn basketball. Just sayin'.

ChumpDumper

03-01-2008, 07:19 PM

I'll give him a couple more to learn Spurs Basketball.

timvp

03-01-2008, 07:23 PM

Tough call. I love David Lee's game and think he could been a good role player for the Spurs, but I think Ian may have a higher ceiling in the long run.Nothing against Mahinmi but I'd take David Lee seven days a week.

Alain

03-01-2008, 08:33 PM

Toros are destroying Arsenal so far.
Ian 16pts in 10 minutes !!

picnroll

03-01-2008, 08:38 PM

Williams with quite a line after a quarter.

spursparker9

03-01-2008, 08:46 PM

ian injured....

spursparker9

03-01-2008, 08:49 PM

he hurted his back when he got fouled while going for a layup

Alain

03-01-2008, 08:51 PM

It was more like a nasty flagrant on a dunk attempt...

tav1

03-01-2008, 08:53 PM

I think Ian is ok. Nasty fall on what should have been a flagrant. Mahinmi did not go to the locker room, just came out of the game.

tav1

03-01-2008, 09:28 PM

Ian not playing second half...

picnroll

03-01-2008, 10:13 PM

Any word on Mahinmi during the broadcast?

thiste

03-01-2008, 10:16 PM

The guy's only saying Ian got hurt and doesn't seem like we'll see him again today... so no more info than us I'm afraid.

thiste

03-01-2008, 10:44 PM

Question for the Mahinmi observers. Ian seems to have dramatically upped his rebounding of late. Is he improving his postioning, reading the ball,, boxing out, all or none of the above?

Yeah he did improve his positioning indeed, it seems he's focusing a lot more on defense than before and he's developping a certain feel for it (maybe the coach allowed him to focus more on it, too). He's getting confident on that side of the court that's for sure.

Another thing that might explain it, watching the broadcast recently I have noticed (and been impressed) by his arms, they seem a lot bigger and muscular than at the start of the season.
I'm pretty sure he put on some weight (which is a great thing) it could explain that he's able to compete under the basket a lot more than before.

ChumpDumper

03-02-2008, 04:39 AM

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee139/tasteoflog/Ian%20Mahinmi%20Injury/P1010809.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee139/tasteoflog/Ian%20Mahinmi%20Injury/P1010810.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee139/tasteoflog/Ian%20Mahinmi%20Injury/P1010811.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee139/tasteoflog/Ian%20Mahinmi%20Injury/P1010812.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee139/tasteoflog/Ian%20Mahinmi%20Injury/P1010855.jpg

It was pretty scary. Ian was down for quite a long time. I suppose it could have been called a flagrant but Terrence Crawford isn't a dirty player at all. Just an unfortunate play.

SpursFan0728

03-02-2008, 04:48 AM

nice pics chump...

a 4 day rest sure can help Ian

some_user86

03-02-2008, 04:49 AM

That looks nasty...

Bruno

03-02-2008, 07:02 AM

Great pics. :tu

Mahinmi injury was really impressive. I hope it isn't too serious.
Before his injury, Mahinmi was a monster on the offensive end.
Marcus Williams looked really good. I wouldn't be surprised to see a team calling him up if he continues to play like that.

RobinsontoDuncan

03-02-2008, 09:58 AM

Draft Express (http://www.draftexpress.com/blog/D-League-Blog/)

Ian Mahinmi, San Antonio Spurs/Austin Toros
17.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.5 bpg

Mahinmi struggled with his scoring for about 5 games, but bounced back in his last game against Dakota by scoring 30 points, grabbing 17 rebounds and blocking 7 shots. Foul trouble was a big problem for the rookie entering the season, and it still plagues him at times. When on the court, he shows excellent footwork on the low block, and improving touch with his right handed hook. Mahinmi also looks comfortable stepping out and hitting a jumper at times, though his future in the NBA lies in the paint. Few young big men in the NBA have the tools of Mahinmi, and the playing time in the D-League has helped greatly with his comfort level on the court. He could crack the Spurs rotation as soon as next season, and he will start in the NBA some day if he remains on his current developmental track.

picnroll

03-02-2008, 10:13 AM

Mahinmi's getting a little bigger. Even his legs, which use to be twigs, look a little thicker.

RobinsontoDuncan

03-02-2008, 10:26 AM

It's funny to me the way Ian and Tiago are evaluated here, I feel like Tiago is much more of a sure thing, he's almost guaranteed to be a solid defensive center, good rebounder, with offense that will be in the 10-14 ppg range his entire career. Very solid piece to the puzzle.

Ian, much less of a sure thing, has a much higher ceiling IMO, he could be a very significant impact player in the NBA, with the potential to be an Amare Stoudamire type, with better defensive play

ChuckD

03-02-2008, 10:38 AM

picnroll

03-02-2008, 10:42 AM

Mahinmi's rate of progress appears faster.

RobinsontoDuncan

03-02-2008, 10:53 AM

It's funny that you evaluate it pretty much like everyone else here. Tiago is further ahead, but pretty much as developed as he's going to be. Ian is more raw, but with HUGE potential.

general opinion on the board has been for quite some time (and TimVP seems to go with this camp from time to time) that Ian will never be a good NBA player, probably is at best a scrub. Obviously this thread is not representative of the general opinion here.

Tiago, on the other hand, tends to be a bit overvalued in my opinion.

picnroll

03-05-2008, 09:19 PM

Looks like Mahinmi's not playing tonight against Idaho. Any update on his injury?

FirebatMIV

03-05-2008, 09:53 PM

Looks like Mahinmi's not playing tonight against Idaho. Any update on his injury?

He is sitting on the sideline in warmups, with obvious wrap around his abdomen.

picnroll

03-05-2008, 09:55 PM

So strained back of some kind or other from the fall last game?

FirebatMIV

03-05-2008, 09:58 PM

So strained back of some kind or other from the fall last game?

I'm getting the Idaho radioman, he didn't exactly say.

thiste

03-05-2008, 10:04 PM

It's weird that they didn't communicate on it at all. Still, that should mean it's not really significant, a one or two games deal at most I guess.

picnroll

03-05-2008, 10:13 PM

Marcus Williams 21 at the half on 12 shots. Somebody might be calling him up. Hope the Spurs get another look at him next summer.

FirebatMIV

03-05-2008, 10:16 PM

The Idaho guy just said that Ian was a late scratch, so it's probably not very serious.

ChumpDumper

03-05-2008, 11:32 PM

Ian was suited up but didn't play. He looked like he had a cushion taped to his back.

Eric Dawson was with the team in street clothes. He must be slated to play at some time during this road trip. I didn't see Kenton Paulino at all -- maybe he's part of this alleged Abluquerque trade.

Anyway, that was a great win for the Toros, beating the team with the best record in the league on their home court with only seven players and no Ian or Langford. Now they are fighting for a 1st round bye and maybe even home court advantage throuout the playoffs.

thiste

03-05-2008, 11:43 PM

Yeah, that was a great win indeed.

Too bad Ian could not play, he would have had a -great- matchup with Sene (30pts, 18rbs!).

coopdogg3

03-06-2008, 01:55 AM

Did anybody watch the game? Marcus Williams had a good line, but I was wondering how he did defensively. Also curious how his stamina held up, since he played 44 minutes.

ChumpDumper

03-06-2008, 02:07 AM

Marcus finished pretty strong considering he started out with 21 in the first half and didn't score in the third quarter. He was at his best when the Toros were pushing the tempo. I think they came close to scoring off of every Idaho turnover. His defense consisted mainly of disrupting the Stampede's offensive flow more than shutting down his cover; that was pretty necessary since once the ball got inside to one of their big men it was all over.

JPB

03-06-2008, 06:10 AM

It's hard not to be excited about spurs future young frontcourt aka Ian and Tiago.

Still everything to prove, but really exciting next to duncan for the last part of his career.

colargol

03-14-2008, 06:12 AM

What's up with Ian.......his numbers are falling and he returns to his fouls problem...?

Bruno

03-14-2008, 07:06 AM

Mahinmi has a bruised back.

RobinsontoDuncan

03-14-2008, 08:00 AM

Mahinmi has a bruised back.

what a shitty time for this to happen, he was starting to play so well

colargol

03-14-2008, 11:11 AM

Mahinmi has a bruised back.

6 fouls in 18 mnts i guess he found back his rythme..... :spin

Mr. Body

03-14-2008, 12:14 PM

Ian Mahinmi = injury prone

ChumpDumper

03-14-2008, 01:31 PM

Getting injured this way does not make one injury prone:

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee139/tasteoflog/Ian%20Mahinmi%20Injury/P1010809.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee139/tasteoflog/Ian%20Mahinmi%20Injury/P1010810.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee139/tasteoflog/Ian%20Mahinmi%20Injury/P1010811.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee139/tasteoflog/Ian%20Mahinmi%20Injury/P1010812.jpg

T Park

03-14-2008, 01:40 PM

Mr Body brings another genius take.

ChumpDumper

03-14-2008, 01:47 PM

I'm just venting more than anything. Ian has had some bad luck this year. Fortunately the injuries are play-related and not the result of some structural or congenital defect.

He did tweak his ankle a couple of games ago and they sat him even though it seemed he could have kept playing from what little i could see -- the Toros are currently monitoring his minutes closely. They cut him off at 25 minutes in the overtime loss even though he had fouls left. The T-Birds assistant coach talked at length about taking advantage of Ian's injury last night at halftime, saying he's not playing as aggressively because of it.

Mr. Body

03-14-2008, 02:03 PM

Twice hurt not even a year gone. Didn't he tear a chest muscle just trying to dunk last summer or something? Injury prone. We'll see if he truly is, but this ain't a good sign.

ChumpDumper

03-14-2008, 02:05 PM

Tell me: who wouldn't be injured after a hit like Ian took from Crawford?

He has a really sore ass -- not a broken foot or career-threatening knee injury.

RobinsontoDuncan

03-14-2008, 05:08 PM

Tell me: who wouldn't be injured after a hit like Ian took from Crawford?

He has a really sore ass -- not a broken foot or career-threatening knee injury.

Yeah, if anything the fact that he wasn't more seriously injured is a good sign to me, because the man basically fell from 6 feet in the air to his ass

Bruno

03-14-2008, 10:02 PM

Mahinmi doesn't play today because of his bruised ass.

End of the third quarter :
Toros 85 - Albuquerque 99.

Barrett 24 points, Williams 23 points, Bowen 17 points and 11 rebounds.

And Fuck Albuquerque.
First they stole the Springfield Isotopes and now the web streaming doesn't work.

ChumpDumper

03-17-2008, 01:54 AM

Well. the Toros lost again today. They are in dire need of another big man, as Ian is still limited and as a result there is no interior defense for this team. Neither Kenton Paulino nor Cheyne Gadson played today -- maybe one of them was traded. I noticed the Brave Thunders' season is over -- maybe Jamar Smith could make a late appearance.

Southwest Texas Fan

03-21-2008, 09:42 PM

03/21/2008 Last Update: 22:38:01
Page automatically refreshes every 2 minutes

at
Vipers 1st OT Toros
101 2:40 107
Stats
FULL SCOREBOARD
Listen Live Stats

TEAM PERCENTAGES
FG% 40.8 FG% 43.7
3PT% 35.3 3PT% 18.8
FT% 62.5 FT% 80.0
TEAM STATISTICS
Fast Break Pts 9 Fast Break Pts 13
Turnovers 16 Turnovers 21
Unanswered Pts Unanswered Pts
Play-by-Play

(2:40)[AUS 107-101] Williams Layup Shot: Made (17 PTS)
(2:41)[AUS] Williams Rebound (Off:4 Def:12)
(2:44)[AUS] Barrett Jump Shot: Missed Block: Smith (2 BLK)
(2:59)[AUS] Stinson Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)
(3:02)[AUS] Mahinmi Running Hook Shot: Missed
(3:12)[AUS] Stinson Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)
(3:14)[RGV] Strickland 3pt Shot: Missed
(3:27)[AUS 105-101] Stinson Free Throw 2 of 2 (9 PTS)
(3:27)[AUS 104-101] Stinson Free Throw 1 of 2 (8 PTS)
(3:27)[RGV] Farmer Foul:Shooting (4 PF)
(3:39)[RGV] Farmer Turnover:Foul (7 TO)
(3:39)[RGV] Farmer Foul:Offensive (3 PF)
(3:57)[AUS 103-101] Mahinmi Layup Shot: Made (25 PTS)
(4:13)[RGV 101-101] Collins Free Throw 2 of 2 (5 PTS)
(4:13)[RGV] Johnson Substitution replaced by Smith

Vipers
Timeouts Taken: 5 of 6 full, 1 of 2 20-second
Player Statistics
PLAYER MIN FG-A 3PT-A FT-A RB AS PF PT
Desmon
Farmer 44:51 8-22 2-7 5-7 5 6 4 23
Quannas
White 23:54 3-5 0-0 0-0 4 4 3 6
Trent
Strickland 22:43 6-17 0-2 3-3 7 1 3 15
Quin
Humphrey 25:35 2-5 2-2 0-0 2 3 1 6
Jesse
Smith 26:06 4-10 0-0 0-0 8 0 4 8
Kris
Collins 29:19 1-6 0-1 3-6 2 3 1 5
Ivan
Johnson 27:24 8-20 0-0 1-2 14 2 5 17
Stanley
Asumnu 26:03 5-6 0-0 1-3 3 0 3 11
Sergio
Sanchez 19:05 3-7 2-5 2-3 2 2 4 10
Craig
Winder 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 240 40-98 6-17 15-24 47 21 28 101
Toros
Timeouts Taken: 6 of 6 full, 0 of 2 20-second
Player Statistics
PLAYER MIN FG-A 3PT-A FT-A RB AS PF PT
Marcus
Williams 40:10 6-17 0-2 5-6 16 5 4 17
Andre
Barrett 44:34 7-15 1-2 6-6 2 8 3 21
Serge
Angounou 22:34 2-3 0-0 5-5 6 0 1 9
DerMarr
Johnson 41:22 6-16 1-8 1-1 4 1 4 14
Ian
Mahinmi 40:01 9-15 0-0 7-11 16 1 5 25
Justin
Bowen 20:56 3-8 0-0 2-4 1 0 3 8
Curtis
Stinson 18:34 3-10 1-3 2-2 5 3 0 9
Carldell
Johnson 08:26 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 0
Anthony
Fuqua 07:27 2-2 0-0 0-0 5 0 1 4
Kenton
Paulino 00:56 0-1 0-1 0-0 1 0 0 0
Yemi
Nicholson 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 240 38-87 3-16 28-35 56 20 23 107

Mr.Bottomtooth

03-21-2008, 09:50 PM

25 & 16 :worthy:
17 & 16 for Marcus :worthy: :worthy:

Southwest Texas Fan

03-21-2008, 09:52 PM

Here's the final tally

VISITOR: Rio Grande Valley Vipers
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-A 3GM-A FTM-A OFF DEF TOT AST PF ST TO BS PTS
Desmon Farmer 49:51 9-24 2-8 7-11 2 3 5 6 5 1 7 0 27
Quannas White 23:54 3-5 0-0 0-0 0 4 4 4 3 1 2 0 6
Trent Strickland 26:20 6-17 0-2 3-3 4 3 7 1 3 0 0 1 15
Quin Humphrey 25:35 2-5 2-2 0-0 0 2 2 3 1 2 0 0 6
Jesse Smith 26:06 4-11 0-0 0-0 2 7 9 0 4 0 2 2 8
Kris Collins 34:19 1-6 0-1 3-6 1 2 3 3 2 5 1 0 5
Stanley Asumnu 27:26 5-6 0-0 1-3 1 2 3 0 5 1 1 0 11
Ivan Johnson 27:24 8-20 0-0 1-2 6 8 14 2 5 0 4 1 17
Sergio Sanchez 24:05 3-7 2-5 2-3 1 1 2 2 4 0 0 0 10
Craig Winder 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 265 41-101 6-18 17-28 17 32 49 21 32 10 17 4 105
40.6% 33.3% 60.7% Team Rebs: 12 Total TO: 17

HOME: Austin Toros
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-A 3GM-A FTM-A OFF DEF TOT AST PF ST TO BS PTS
Marcus Williams 45:10 6-18 0-2 7-10 4 13 17 5 4 0 5 2 19
Andre Barrett 44:34 7-15 1-2 6-6 0 2 2 8 3 2 4 0 21
Serge Angounou 24:28 2-3 0-0 5-5 3 4 7 0 2 0 1 0 9
DerMarr Johnson 46:22 6-16 1-8 1-1 0 5 5 1 5 0 4 0 14
Ian Mahinmi 43:07 9-15 0-0 7-11 8 8 16 1 6 2 3 5 25
Curtis Stinson 23:34 3-10 1-3 5-6 1 4 5 3 0 0 1 0 12
Justin Bowen 20:56 3-8 0-0 2-4 0 1 1 0 3 1 1 1 8
Carldell Johnson 08:26 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 2 2 3 2 0 0
Anthony Fuqua 07:27 2-2 0-0 0-0 2 3 5 0 1 0 0 3 4
Kenton Paulino 00:56 0-1 0-1 0-0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0
Yemi Nicholson 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 265 38-88 3-16 33-43 19 40 59 20 26 8 22 11 112
43.2% 18.8% 76.7% Team Rebs: 11 Total TO: 22

Southwest Texas Fan

03-21-2008, 09:53 PM

Five blocked shots. But it looks like he is still having issues with personal fouls.

FuzzyLumpkins

03-21-2008, 10:58 PM

Five blocked shots. But it looks like he is still having issues with personal fouls.

yeah 6 fouls.

T Park

03-21-2008, 11:11 PM

Twice hurt not even a year gone. Didn't he tear a chest muscle just trying to dunk last summer or something? Injury prone. We'll see if he truly is, but this ain't a good sign.

Congrats you win the award for dumbest poster of the year.

Quasar

03-22-2008, 04:25 AM

I know TimVP said Marcus is playing mostly PF and that he doubts his skills would translate to the nba. However, considering the spurs play a lot of small ball, wouldn't marcus be a great smallball PF? I understand he's got outstanding reach for his height.

mystargtr34

03-22-2008, 04:31 AM

Im very surprised at Marcus Williams' production...

I think hes at 19-7-4 on an impressive 54% even with a couple of 6-18 outings recently.

Although, recently i saw Julius Hodge play here in Australia and i came away a little unimpressed given the hype... and i saw a couple of games on TV and thought he wasnt all that good...

Then i looked at the D League and saw Hodge averaged 25-8-6 on 60% shooting :lol so im not sure how competitive the D League is.

Brutalis

03-22-2008, 04:37 AM

Congrats you win the award for dumbest poster of the year.
oh i can name 5 worse right off the top of my head

GrandeDavid

03-22-2008, 05:16 AM

You got Pittsnoggled!

Pittsnoggle is on the team. Hilarious!

Bruno

03-22-2008, 06:41 AM

Toros blew up a 23 point lead in the second half. They were outhustle by Vipers players.
Toros are quite lucky to win this one, Mahinmi tied the game with a dunk with 5s left in regulation and during the last play, referee could have given FTs to Vipers.
Anyway, Tulsa and Colarado have lost. Toros are in a very good position palyoff seed wise

Mahinmi has had a very good game. It's nice to see him back after his injury. He did a good job at rebounding the ball and had some great moves on both end of the court. Everything wasn't perfect and he could have avoid a couple of fouls, especially his 6th that was really stupid.
Barrett was also good. He made some nice assists and was aggressive. With him, Squeaky Johnson and some ball hogs gone, Toros offense is smoother than before.
Marcus Williams did a great job at rebounding the ball but was quite bad. He forced and missed a lot of things on the offensive end.
Other Toros were average to bad. Johnson shoot was off. Fuqua played well but was in the doghouse.

Vipers had a great reaction in the middle of the third quarter when they were down by 23 and while they lost yesterday by 35. Desmon Farmer is by far their most talented player and had a good second half. A special mention to Sergio Sanchez who comes fom nowhere and played great including a 3 pointer in the last minute of regulation that could have given the win to Vipers.

mystargtr34

03-22-2008, 08:44 AM

Bruno

03-22-2008, 08:56 AM

Cool did you watch the game by stream?

Yes.

ChumpDumper

03-22-2008, 02:01 PM

Whenever I have to leave a game early, it goes into overtime :pctpss

Bruno was pretty spot on from what i saw. Ian looks to be fully back -- his movement is no longer hampered and he wasn't tentative as he was in Thursday's fame.

For some reason, Marcus went away from what worked so well on Thursday and was trying to score too much of drives, which is very difficult to to against Hoffman's swarming defensive strategies. Yo really can't say he played PF in these past couple of games because the Vipers only run one big man at any given time. The Toros spend much of there time with the conventional starting lineup of Ian/Serge/DerMarr/Marcus/Andre.

T Park

03-22-2008, 02:31 PM

oh i can name 5 worse right off the top of my head

Saying the guy is injury prone after being knocked out of midair smacks of stupidity pretty good.

mystargtr34

03-28-2008, 11:17 PM

Iani with one of his best lines of the season against the Defenders

27 points
12-17 FG
11 boards
2 assists
3 steals
5 BLOCKS
3 fouls
43 minutes

Toros get the W

mystargtr34

03-28-2008, 11:18 PM

http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/20080328/AUSLAD/boxscore.html

ChumpDumper

03-28-2008, 11:21 PM

He was nice and active tonight. Ian and the rest of the Toros gave up too many offensive boards to the D-Fenders, but were very tough down the stretch.

mystargtr34

03-28-2008, 11:45 PM

How tall do you think he is? In that photo with Bruce on Bruno's dp, he looks about 7'0" .... but i saw they recently changed his listing to 6'9" on nba.com/dleague. :lol

jag

03-29-2008, 12:03 AM

How tall do you think he is? In that photo with Bruce on Bruno's dp, he looks about 7'0" .... but i saw they recently changed his listing to 6'9" on nba.com/dleague. :lol

Well this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Mahinmi) says that he's 6'11"...but then again, I could have just put that in.

mystargtr34

03-29-2008, 12:06 AM

Yea ive seen him listed now from 6'9" 6'10" and 6'11"... my guess is a solid 6'11"

timaios

03-29-2008, 12:30 AM

Mahinmi was 6'10.3" without shoes last year.
Splitter has been measured at 6'10.25" without shoes in 2004 (6'11.75" in shoes). Maybe he has has grown a little since that.

ChumpDumper

03-29-2008, 12:40 AM

Those are metric inches.

boutons_

03-29-2008, 12:42 AM

As Sean Elllliotttt always says, you don't rebound with the top of your head.

What are vertical reaches?

mystargtr34

03-29-2008, 12:55 AM

^ Thats a good point.... i think Tiago's vertical reach was 9'2.5" which is nice considering guys like Dwight Howard and Greg Oden are around 9'4"... i would guess Ian's would be around 9'4" also... the polotically correct side of me wishes not to express why.

wildbill2u

03-29-2008, 09:37 AM

Mr.Bottomtooth

03-29-2008, 09:42 AM

Seeriously, guys, what are the chances of Ian suiting up with the Spurs next year?

Are we going to see him again with the Toros for development purposes or could he contribute something as the young big off the bench with Splitter?

I'd like to see what they could bring in a game together, playing C and PF. The future is next year.
Both the Spurs and Ian have confirmed he will be with the Spurs next season, not the Toros. As a contributor to the team, we don't know about that yet. He will be on the active roster, but right now the question is as an 11th/12th man or as a rotation player.

mystargtr34

03-29-2008, 09:47 AM

Indazone

03-29-2008, 09:56 AM

Ian's PER was higher than Landry's. I was thinking dayum early in the season. That's why I was like, c'mon Pop give the guy some minutes.

Bruno

03-29-2008, 10:03 AM

picnroll

03-29-2008, 10:39 AM

IF Mahinmi can make it into the rotation next year, even 8 -10 minutes statying with the Spurs is good. But if Mahinmi is going to be 11th, 12th man on the Spurs next year it would be better for his development to spend more time with the Toros but he may not be willing. Hopefully he sees the long term.

tav1

03-29-2008, 12:17 PM

Both the Spurs and Ian have confirmed he will be with the Spurs next season, not the Toros. As a contributor to the team, we don't know about that yet. He will be on the active roster, but right now the question is as an 11th/12th man or as a rotation player.

Where did you see this confirmed?

tav1

03-29-2008, 12:20 PM

Think Amir Johnson for the Pistons.

I actually this that Ian has a higher ceiling but Amir Johnson was much more polished--he has played basketball from an early age and didn't struggle with positioning as much while in the D-League. David Thorpe recently said that he sees Johnson as a solid career 7th or 8th man. Mahinmi *could* be more than that.

tav1

03-29-2008, 12:21 PM

Ian's PER was higher than Landry's. I was thinking dayum early in the season. That's why I was like, c'mon Pop give the guy some minutes.

That PER lives in a state of limbo from an early Milwaukee game where he played garbage minutes. It means nothing.

timvp

03-29-2008, 03:14 PM

It will be interesting to see what Spurs will decide to do with Mahinmi this summer : staying in the US to play summer leagues and work on his game or letting him play with French NT and gain more playing experience.I thought the French NT go eliminated from everything for this upcoming summer. What tourney will they play it?

I think summer league would be a good test for Mahinmi. If he dominates that, he'll be well on his way to a spot on the team. If he struggles with his play and/or foul trouble, it could mean that he needs another year in D-League

Bruno

03-29-2008, 04:12 PM

I thought the French NT go eliminated from everything for this upcoming summer. What tourney will they play it?

They will play in September, between the 3rd and the 20th, a qualifying tournament for the 2009 Eurobasket.

Even if nothing is official for the moment, French NT should start to practice on July 15th or 16th. Given that the Vegas summer league start on July 12th this year, Mahinmi won't be able to play for French NT and to play in summer league this year.

ChumpDumper

03-30-2008, 06:36 PM

Ian had an awful start today getting three fouls in a little over six minutes IIRC. He had a much better second half and finished with 12 points on 4-5 shooting (including 10 and 12-foot jumpers) and 8 boards in under 27 minutes.

Justin Bowen was unconscious, getting 32 points 13-18 shooting. He hit from everywhere inside the three point line.

Andre Barrett had 14 points and 10 assists. 5 TOs -- some of them were uncharacteristically sloppy.

Yemi Nicholson had some quality minutes when Ian was out. Not a fatty at all as I originally thought. Took too many shots.

Josh Gross had a ridiculous highlight putback slam in crunch time. 13 points, 9 boards and 2 blocks off the bench.

Justin Reed took 29 shots to get his 24 points. Nice to see that happening on the opposing team.

http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/20080330/AUSBAK/boxscore.html

Bruno

03-30-2008, 06:49 PM

Gross dunk was just great.
Toros are getting closer to have a playoff first round bye with this win.

I've liked Patrick O'Bryant. Spurs likely won't have a roster spot for him next year but he is an interesting young player.

ChumpDumper

03-30-2008, 06:52 PM

O'Bryant is a late bloomer -- he'll have a nice NBA career once he gets it.

Don Nelson is very hit and miss when it comes to the development of big men. POB needs a fresh start elsewhere.

picnroll

03-30-2008, 07:50 PM

What kind of fouls is Mahinmi making? Dumb reaching? Positioning? Or like his first go around in SL, trouble keeping guys from posting him up or getting post position?

K-State Spur

03-30-2008, 09:05 PM

O'Bryant is a late bloomer -- he'll have a nice NBA career once he gets it.

Don Nelson is very hit and miss when it comes to the development of big men. POB needs a fresh start elsewhere.

we'll see. with the exception of the final month of his JR year, he has never really been extremely effective at any level.

boutons_

03-30-2008, 09:30 PM

Ian's horrible fouling is a huge weakness.

It's been a problem too long. He's got the athleticism to control himself better, unlike Fabricio. He must be dumb.

Mr. Body

03-30-2008, 10:13 PM

O'Bryant is a late bloomer -- he'll have a nice NBA career once he gets it.

Doubt it.

ChumpDumper

03-30-2008, 10:20 PM

Doubt it.Great draft year this turned out to be, wasn't it?

ChumpDumper

03-30-2008, 10:22 PM

Ian's horrible fouling is a huge weakness.

It's been a problem too long. He's got the athleticism to control himself better, unlike Fabricio. He must be dumb.Eh, I'm not ready to write him off after 40 games. I like the fact that he made the necessary adjustments and finished strong this game as he has before when he got into quick foul trouble in the first half.

boutons_

03-30-2008, 11:13 PM

I'm not writing him off, but he's nearly useless fouling at that rate. I'd say it's his biggest problem.

ChumpDumper

03-30-2008, 11:18 PM

His in-game adjustments signal an improvement over the early season to me. I think he still might do some stints in Austin next season, but I'm pretty pleased with his progress. He does need to work on avoiding the early fouls, still has work to do on his rebound positioning and should take a few more jumpers per game.

velik_m

03-30-2008, 11:37 PM

I have to agree with boutons_. He's been foul prone all his career.

ChumpDumper

03-30-2008, 11:38 PM

No shit.

timvp

03-31-2008, 12:00 AM

If Mahinmi sticks with the Spurs next year, he'll probably play like 8-10 minutes per game. In that amount of playing time, fouling doesn't matter too much.

Besides, the NBA is the most physical league in existence. A lot of players who have struggled with fouls all over the world come to the NBA and that problem disappears. A lot of bigman fouls in D-League are just part of the every play contact in the NBA.

ducks

03-31-2008, 12:01 AM

T Park

03-31-2008, 12:03 AM

If Kurt Thomas is resigned, and Splitter comes over, I see Mahinmi as the "sparkplug" bonner type guy.

Wouldn't be shocked if Bonner was shopped this summer.

Bruno

03-31-2008, 05:45 AM

Mahinmi foul trouble isn't a that big deal.
He is just an aggressive young big man. Most of these players commits a lot of fouls and I rather see that that a big who is soft and plays no defense.
Mahinmi isn't more foul prone than other D-League centers.

Yesterday, he picked 3 fouls in 6 minutes during the first half but it wasn't as abs as it sounds.
He made his first foul to avoid an easy fast break basket, his second was an offensive one on a drive and the third was made while he was fighting for a rebound. Only his third foul was a stupid one and should have been avoided.

wildbill2u

03-31-2008, 02:08 PM

There are times when you want a guy to use up fouls as long as he's trying hard to disrupt the other team's offense.

ChumpDumper

04-01-2008, 02:24 AM

The 3/30 game at Bakersfield has been archived in case anyone else wants to watch it.

http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/webcast_archive_0708.html

tav1

04-01-2008, 05:28 PM

The 3/30 game at Bakersfield has been archived in case anyone else wants to watch it.

http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/webcast_archive_0708.html

Thanks for the link.

Watching the game, Andre Barrett looks like a decent point. I can see him earning a contract in the NBA.

I'm still not sold on Mahinmi as an NBA player by next season. He doesn't assert himself. His board work is underwhelming and his team defense well below NBA level.

Or, to put this a little differently, Mahinmi could be a good player if he's allowed to develop. I'm not sure how sitting on the bench of the Spurs will help him or them long term.

RobinsontoDuncan

04-01-2008, 06:56 PM

Thanks for the link.

Watching the game, Andre Barrett looks like a decent point. I can see him earning a contract in the NBA.

I'm still not sold on Mahinmi as an NBA player by next season. He doesn't assert himself. His board work is underwhelming and his team defense well below NBA level.

Or, to put this a little differently, Mahinmi could be a good player if he's allowed to develop. I'm not sure how sitting on the bench of the Spurs will help him or them long term.

you also caught him on an off night

tav1

04-01-2008, 09:22 PM

you also caught him on an off night

Not the first time I've watched him play. This was, I think, the 4th Toros game I've watched this year. I know it's a small sample, but I've not seen anything that would make me think that Ian isn't, at this early stage of his career, more or less Cisco Elson with more potential. He has a way to go. I'm If he played 10 minutes a game, I bet he'd average three fouls.

ChumpDumper

04-01-2008, 09:58 PM

Not the first time I've watched him play. This was, I think, the 4th Toros game I've watched this year. I know it's a small sample, but I've not seen anything that would make me think that Ian isn't, at this early stage of his career, more or less Cisco Elson with more potential. He has a way to go. I'm If he played 10 minutes a game, I bet he'd average three fouls.A 21 year old that already plays as well as Francisco Elson with the potential to do much more?

:tu

tav1

04-01-2008, 10:24 PM

A 21 year old that already plays as well as Francisco Elson with the potential to do much more?

:tu

Yes, well, I'm high on Mahinmi too. But I think talk of his making the rotation by the start of next season is a little too optimistic. And, perhaps, counter-productive. But I take your point.

boutons_

04-02-2008, 12:55 AM

Is there a roster spot for him in these playoffs?

mathbzh

04-02-2008, 05:04 AM

Thanks for the link.
Even in an off night I liked what I saw from Ian.
I like his activity on the court, how he works on setting screens, his shooting touch, how he managed his foul problem in the second half.
Of course, he still has a lot of things to learn.

I hope he will spent the next season between the Toros and the Spurs.

FirebatMIV

04-02-2008, 08:44 PM

So, anyone else just see Ian's rejection of Will Conroy?

Mr.Bottomtooth

04-02-2008, 08:49 PM

I remember last year everybody wanted Will Conroy. Whatever happened to him?

ChumpDumper

04-02-2008, 08:57 PM

He's got five blocks, but the Toros are pissing the game away.

ChuckD

04-02-2008, 09:02 PM

Is there a roster spot for him in these playoffs?
Since Ian is Spurs property, he's always on the 15 man roster, even when with the Toros.

picnroll

04-02-2008, 09:23 PM

Finally got to see half a game. Do the Toros always play so stupidly?

ChumpDumper

04-02-2008, 09:32 PM

Nope. Tonight was special.

mystargtr34

04-02-2008, 09:36 PM

Monster game.... by stats anyway

27 points
12 boards
3 assists
6 blocks

How did he look

T Park

04-02-2008, 09:41 PM

Ian has earned the label of "energy big man" next year no question.

Would be awesome if he could bring a Malik Rose like level of play off the bench next year.

ChumpDumper

04-02-2008, 09:54 PM

From what I saw Ian looked good before the whole team choked the game away. A lot of his points were off dunks; he was just running circles around Pittsnogle's single coverage.

picnroll

04-02-2008, 09:57 PM

He makes some great plays but he's nowhere near consistenet in his level of play. It almost seems he mentally drifts in and out of the game. Doesn't seem the Toros do a very good job of getting him the ball in the low post when he's best established position. He doesn't seem to read the ball well getting rebounds. If he can get more consistent playing at the best levels he shows I'll be really happy. That jump hook has gotten even better from earlier this year. Some spectacular blocks and at times some very nice post defense.

Bruno

04-04-2008, 12:44 AM

Serge Angounou has started a blog. His first entry :

http://www.basketsession.com/blog_post_show/?id_post=440

Hello everyone. My name is serge angounou but my friends and family in cameroon call me SAS. Anyway, I was born on september 7, 1983 in yaounde , cameroon. I started to play basketball at the age of 12 or 13 because my mom louise use to buy me some basketball ball everytime she went across the ocean. But the funny thing is that, I always use those balls to play soccer with my friends until one day, my best friend ibrahim got mad at me me and told me that I was wasting my height. So we found a basketball court and played one on one all night. It was a funny game since we didn't have any experience at all hahahaha. Since that day, I fell in love with the game. I started to watch dvds on hakeem oladjuwon and m.jordan . It didn't take me to long to understand the game. So! Just like a joke, I started to play for my high school( college voght) and then one year after that, some very good friends of mine( cerval, vladimir and stephane djomdji) invited me to go try out for a professional team in cameroon(beac).

Everything went well since I made the team. My dream after that was to get in the nba, one way or another. By the grace of God, my mom and my very good friend olivier noah knew this amazing family from back in the day in Albuquerque (new mexico). So! The 13th of november 2000, I was in the USA living with the cox family who treated my cousin Giovani olomo and i like their own kids. It was hard for me because I couldn't speak english at the time, so it was hard to comunicated with the coach, my family and my new friends. Lucky for me that I was able to speak spanish to take some classes while I was learning. I thank God everyday for having my cousin Giovani over there with me at that time because he really helped me with the language. My juniors year in high school wasn't bad at all since I had 16ppg and 8rb. Giovani did a good job too. But we weren't satisfy with what we have accomplished .. So, we worked very hard with coach Garcia and herrera and travelled all over the us playing aau basketball and playing soccer with the school team to have us in better shape for the basketall season.Our senior season was amazing, our amarican family came to all the game to suport us. I wasn't feeling lonely anymore, I actually felt like I was at home with all the love I receive not only from my family in the us but also from the school and the entire state of new mexico. I end up the season with 26ppg and 14rbs and giovanie with 18ppg and 13rbs. We each had scholardships offers from several D1 school in the ncaa. So, giovanie decided to sign with a school in new york and I sign with the #1 party school in the country( arizona state) because I trusted the coaching staff. Everything was going good until I had a knee injurie on the 1st exibition game. It really slow me down. That was the first time I actually got mad at God. I didn't understand why he brought me from africa to the us the have me hurt my knee and miss the whole season. The funny thing is that, I didn't understand that he was doing that for a reason. I felt like he did that just to help understand this crazy world of women and parties. I am saying that because if I would have went to the nba after my freshmen, I probably would have end up in jail hahahahaha.

Anyway, I appreciate life and basketball a lot more now.I spent 5 years in college and got got a degree in business and spanish. Too bad that my last season in 2006 -2007 when I felt like I was super ready after spending the summer working on my inside and outside game, the coach that recruited me got fired. So! Now I had to deal with the new coach or transfer to a new school. I decided to stay because I felt like in life, it's better get the job done where ever you started. The season didn't go that well. I don't only blame the coach but I also blame myself for letting that happen. The good thing is that I didn't let slow me down. So! After the season, I went right back to the gym and started to get my self ready for my professional basketball carrer. College was a great experience, because I learned a lot and met some very good friend for life. Like ike diogu, robert alridge, allen morril, donald gray,florent bodin, nina from germany, isabel flores, anna madrid and my futur wife christelle abaa.

During the summer of 2007, I got myself an agent to get a job in france or anywhere else in europe playing basketball. He wasn't abble to get the job done so I had to go with plan B. I tried out for a couples of NBADleague team and got invite to training camp with all of them. I decided to go to albuquerque, new mexico since I went to high school over there. I made the final cut, but for what ever reason it wasn't the right fit for me since it wasn't God choice for me. I got release, from the organization. I didn't panic at all, instead, I was very happy about that because I was just too unhappy not because I wasn't playing enough, but because the coach didn't have any respect for me. Anyway, two days later, I got a call from the austin toros, wich is the team under the san antonio spurs where tonny parker and my very good friend ian mahinmi plays. I just felt so good about going to that team because I knew from the bottom of my heart that it was God choice for me. Everything was so organized and the coach treated all the players with a lot of respect. That's the reason the organization is number one in the league. Anyway, I am playing a lot more that and I am even starting for my new team. The teammates are amazing. But the coolest out of all of the is I think ian mahinmi because he is just very humble, he is defintly a hard worker, he respect everyone. Ian and I always give a hard time to the traineur everytime we do our individual workout and start to talk about the traineur in french hahahahah. One thing for sure is that I am never gone stop dreaming and I will never give up in life like my father told me.