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FREE IAN MAHINMI.
There are some interesting comments about the Spurs and Mahinmi in SI. For link look at insidehoops.com
And make no mistake, San Antonio will continue to do well, with help waiting in the wings. Power forward Ian Mahinmi, San Antonio's top pick in the 2005 draft, came over from France before the season and averaged 16.8 points and 8.0 rebounds with the Austin Toros, San Antonio's D-League affiliate. Still overseas is Tiago Splitter, a lottery talent who slid to the bottom of the first round in the '07 draft due to a hefty buyout in his Spanish League contract. The 6-foot-11, 232-pound Brazilian averaged 14 points and five rebounds this season with Spanish power Tau Ceramica. SI.com
"Mahinmi has the potential to be an All-Star," an Eastern Conference executive said. "He needs to get a little stronger, but he has the skill set to play inside and outside. I can see him being a very good player on a contending team." SI.com
With the season now over, the Spurs will look to address that need in the draft, where they will have a first- and two second-round picks. Expect at least one of those selections to be spent on an unheralded international player. And expect, at some point, for that player to be a contributor. SI.com
FREE IAN MAHINMI.
How good can you be, Ian Mahinmi?
Spurs Nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
Ooo-ooo-ooo.
WEll I sure hope so!!!!!
How good do I think he is?
Looks like horry is about to lose his number
"How good are you..." fits the song better. /nitpickHow good can you be, Ian Mahinmi?
Spurs Nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
Ooo-ooo-ooo.
If Mahinmi could contribute a consistent 15 to 20 minutes a night next season, Splitter won't be missed. This is a tall order, no doubt. But the Spurs have to give him that shot. Ian is not going to polish his skills that much more in Austin. He needs time on a NBA court. Rebound, defend, block shots, run the floor, and put back the ball. That's what they need out of him. Splitter reneging on his promise or whatever may very well be a significant blessing in disguise.
Splitter might be more valuable to the Spurs as a trade chip. If we squeeze that lemon, we'll get some juice.
I have a hard time believing Pop would have given significant minutes to two rookie big men. Splitter sitting out another two years maybe a blessing in disguise for both players.
Yeah, if history holds they'll do doubt squeeze a second-round pick out of the TWolves in exchange for the rights to Splitter and taking Bonner off the books.
This isn't to say Pop wouldn't be amenable to such a move. After all, he started Tony when he was a 19 year old in his 2nd NBA game. From France. Point guard. He started Jack when it was clear his unpolished self was much better than the polished Steve Smith.
If Splitter re-signs with Tau, I don't see him having any trade value.
If he doesn't come over now, it's reasonable to expect that he never will.
Nah, they actually want Splitter here. If he does indeed have a $500K buyout next summer then he'll come over next summer. They didn't want Beno or Scola. And it showed.
No way. Splitter's still a part of the plan.
Yeah, Mahinmi definitely has a higher ceiling than Splitter. The nice thing about Splitter is he was a plug-n-play option. In fact, Splitter is probably more ready for the NBA than Oberto was when Oberto first came over. However, like Oberto, Splitter doesn't have huge potential. Splitter basically could top out as an average to a slightly above average center.
Mahinmi, on the other hand, is much more of a wild card. He's not ready right now but I think the Spurs have to force him to be ready. As Duncan ages, there will come a time where he can't be counted on to clean up every mistake as the other bigman on the court for the Spurs watches. That's where Mahinmi's athleticism could really come into play.
Mahinmi could either bust out of the league and be back in Europe in two years or he could be the missing piece in the middle that has been empty since Robinson retired. I think it's 50/50 either way right now.
Summer league will be an important time. Pop believing in him early on and giving him playing time will also be vital. I don't care if he sucks for the first three months next year, he has to get his 15-20 minutes per game. At worst, the Spurs need to figure out ASAP what they have. Burying him at the end of the bench for another year would be a mistake, IMO. Splitter would have been nice because he would have been able to come in and start and give Mahinmi time to grow. It looks like the Spurs don't have that luxury so it'll be time to let Mahnimi sink or swim to begin next season.
I dont think he can possibly be better than what most people on here think. I mean right now he is somewhere between "All Star & Duncan Replacement." Dont get me wrong I hope he is all that, but expectations are pretty high for him. Im just saying...
I know a lot of people are banking on Mahinmi and Splitter to be the young saviors the Spurs have been searching for, but I wouldn't count on it. Hope for the best but expect the worst.
What works in Mahinmi's favor is that, if anything, the Spurs want to get out and run more. This is the natural evolution of the team from one dominated by Duncan in the post to one led by Tony in the open court. Mahinmi is a natural fit for that kind of offense. What will make or break him will be on the defensive end. He has the raw talent and athleticism to be a very good defensive player. But he'll have to learn that all on the fly next season.
I think he can contribute 8, 5, and 1 a night next season.
At least he will not have to learn how to shoot free throws.
timvp and I are figuring out now if we are going to be able to go to both summer leagues (Las Vegas/Salt Lake). If so, it's going to be interesting to see how Mahinmi has developed. Many teams are sending their good young players to Vegas. So it will be (hopefully) fun to see him in person against some kind of compe ion.
I hope Pop doesn't pull a Beno on Ian.
But then again, I highly doubt Ian is as big of a pansy as Beno.
Hey...if things work out, Ian could be a poor-man's Amare Stoudemire, right? (With a better IQ, of course.)
Tiago Splitter would be awesome though...just for the name. Can you imagine how many headlines could come out of that name?
Mahinmi? Not so much.
Screw it - resign Horry for one year for the minimum to be Ian's Caldwell Jones. Horry wants to be a coach so this could be practice.
From the little I saw of Ian on the Spurs last year I thought he showed some promising signs. He ran the court well. He actively looked to block shots, and stuffed a few in one game. He has a decent jump hook shot. All of that already seemed better than what Horry had to offer.
I think Ian should come in to focus on his defense first and then slowly work on other aspects as he gets used to playing in the NBA.
(As for the other bigs - there's no reason not to put Bonner on the block. If he didn't get action this playoffs with a zombie Horry out there, I don't see how Pop will ever trust him enough to use him.)
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