Tell that to Rasheed and Dirk.
I was really surprised with how much they got away with. At one point in the second quarter his defender just blatantly had both hands on him. Kid's definitely got the temperament that I like, and he stepped it up in the fourth to chew away at their lead.
Yeah, definitely not Parker. I think he needs to vastly improve his dribbling skills to be in league with Parker. Also, I didn't see him make any jump shots with a man on him like Mayo. Though, he does have range and seems a better shooter than Parker.Green and Cuffee took over in crunch time. The only problem with Green is he can't handle the rock..
But dude is nails!
There is something about Hill that was missing... He definitely can handle the ball, but dude is not flashy and he is terrible at the rim... I guess watching Parker destroy people in the paint has made us all spoiled, hill has a long way to go... a llllllllllllllong way....
I thought Green handled the ball much better than Hill.
Ian certainly has a lot of moves to the basket and has decent range. He probably could have scored more if they gave him the ball more. He however looked huge compared to the other players on the court. My only worry is that he seemed to be a bit earth bound like Duncan. Not a very springy player.
James Gist did alright, however some terrible shot selection.
I doubt Hairston gets waived before training camp. They'll probably at least let him have camp unless he gets a Euro offer and asks to be waived. They can have as many guys as they want in training camp... he doesn't need to be waived to give someone else a spot.
didn't get to watch the first half but from what i saw hill was decent, go to the free throw line a lot, and defended alright, sure he got tired towards the end but it's his first game in probably awhile so i can't be to mad he got tired
gist i didn't get to see much, and when he made the long range shot the video feed for me was ing up, but 3 blocks is nice
hairston, i don't expect much from him even though pop seemed high on him, he got us a second round pick and cash so if he doesn't make it so what, not like it cost us, we actually get in return regardless
Hill had 17 points, but don't forget the 2-9 shooting. I still think he had a solid game.
For a guy who is supposed to be a SG learning to be a PG Hill did one uva job moving the ball in the half court, finding the open man, even when double and at least once triple teamed. He definitely gets a passing grade for first time out.
With Mahinmi's quicknes I don't understand why the Spurs aren't working him more in a face up game. He's awfully like to be a back to the basket post up player.
Ask Beno what it's like to bring the ball up the court in an NBA game...
Hill hasn't seen anything yet... There were many times to tonight that he had the ball in the right place only to take it further into no man's land. Can he shoot? Also, lose the ball spin at the free throw line... I don't think he has a quick release either, that's why he was getting ate up in the paint...
Seems like a solid ball handler but not much creativity which is a necessity amongst the trees in the NBA.
how did tolliver look? i tried to get the feed on NBA.com, but it wouldnt work for me. i know his stats are nice, but stats can be misleading. i want to know how he looked on the court, especially defensively.
Yeah you're probably right. I jumped the gun a little on that one, but I do think he's at the bottom of the leader board now as far as our perimeter prospects go.
I didn't see Gist get caught in the air tonight. He's good from the weak side as well, and he crashes the boards. If that jumper's consistent he might get a starting job before Ian does.
Hairston looks to small to for the NBA. He's probably going D-league, but I don't think he'll make the cut. Too bad, wasted draft pick!
He didn't stand out either way defensively, but that's probably a good thing (no missed rotations or getting jocked).
Dude was nails from three at a time when the Spurs sorely needed some offense. They even ran a set play for him out of a timeout and he drilled the three, nothing but net.
Good late push by the Spurs to turn around their sloppy and passive play to pull out the win.
-Hill was decent. He didn't set the world on fire but he also didn't force much. 17 points, 8 rebounds and an assist isn't bad for the first time out. His jumpers looked good when he was set but he didn't look too good on the move or finishing around the rim. That should improve as he calms down and makes the adjustment to this level of play. Defensively he had some very good moments. He stayed with OJ Mayo well and was aggressive. I'm interested to see how he evolves going forward in summer league. The Spurs need more playmaking from him so we'll see if he can provide that.
-The funny thing about Mahinmi is I thought he had an off game ... and he still had 18 and 8. Once he gets rolling, he should be able to post really nice stats. He's still really, really raw on both ends but he has potential. I'm not convinced he's ready for the NBA quite yet but perhaps he'll show that kind of potential in the remaining summer league games. If he can make quicker decisions and play smarter, he could make the rotation this year. His natural abilities and instincts are pretty good for a player who hasn't played much organized ball.
-When Gist is involved in plays, he shows a lot of energy. He just needs to expand his production zone. Gravitating toward the ball and becoming more of a factor off the ball is the next step he has to take. He looks like a hustle power forward on the NBA level who could supply excitement when a team starts to get bogged down. Good first game but let's see if he build upon it and become more involved on every possession.
-Hairston really looked poor in his first summer league game. We'll see if he can bounce back but he looked shorter, thicker and less athletic than I expected when going up against this level of player. His jumper was off and he let it affect his defense and intensity. Hopefully he can knock down a few jumpers and then perhaps the rest of his game will pick up.
-Green and Tolliver played pretty well. I don't think either has very good NBA potential, though. Green needs to add strength and assertiveness to his game. He's way to finesse right now to make it on the NBA level. But for this summer league team, the Spurs may need to lean on him for offensive production because he can score the ball. Tolliver is a hustle big with a developing outside shot. I've seen him play a lot and I think today his shot was going in more than usual. He's basically Bonner with a tan and not nearly as good of a shooter. Perhaps he's improved over the summer but I think this was the peak of Tolliver's game.
-Cuffee hustles and he actually plays really good defense. Looks too small to make it in the NBA, though. Powell didn't show much but I think he'll be one of the more productive players on this summer league team before it's all said and done.
Overall it was a decent way to start off summer league. No player really stood out as great but Hill, Mahinmi and Gist showed promise. I think we'll see better play from Mahinmi and hopefully Hill will have better nights shooting the ball. On to game two . . .
If you turn it over three times the people that hate you will focus in on it and act like it means something?
could that be because he was fouled while shooting?
initial thoughts, one game in:
hill is good and will develop into a servicable back up, although he might benefit from half a season in Austin
Gist is a keeper and will definately be on the Toros roster next season, but I'm not sure if he can convert to a 3
Mahinmi is still not quite a rotation guy, but there is much to be hopeful about in his game
Hairston is a bust and the Spurs should've drafted Hendrix or Walker instead, Buford and Pop misfired there, but the Gist pick makes up for it
Ideally, the Spurs would play Hill, Gist and Mahinmi in the D-League until, say, the Rodeo Road Trip. They could all use the minutes. By 2009, the Spurs should have a great young core, all three of whom will play important minutes in the rotation. And, who knows, that could happen yet this season.
While this is good long term, it does leave us thin right now in terms of an NBA ready rotation. Thomas, Bonner, Oberto, and Duncan is not a enough up front; Parker, Vaughn, Mason, Ginobli, Bowen, Udoka is thin too.
Based on this game, I think the Spurs need to sign a servicable vet wing and big, and we could still make use of the TE. If they could land something like Delfino/Foyle, I'd be much more comfortable going into the season.
Parker/Vaughn/Hill
Mason/Ginobli/Delfino
Bowen/Udoka/
Duncan/Bonner/Mahinmi/Gist
Thomas/Oberto/Foyle
I'd love to see Chandler or Balkman's name on that list with Foyle (or whatever insurance big you plug in) removed, but you can't have everything.
It's not a wasted pick, they got a 2009 second rounder and cash along with him. If he pans out it's just a bonus.
What would you say his ceiling is? Balkman? Najera? Ariza?
Why do you think he's too small? He's a 6'5/220 SG. I'm not saying he's good ... I just don't think he's that small.
dude just got a year deal starting at almost 6 million a year
He won't be on the Toros roster next season. He'll be on the bench in San Antonio.
Maybe, maybe not. Unless you were somehow watching in HD, you can't say he was fouled on every missed shot.
He looked small in the court.
I think the Spurs are loaded in the SG position with the recent signing of Mason. Unless he can play the SF, then looks like the guy is history... sorry!
Like I said earlier in the thread. I think Gist will end up being a Jason Maxiell/Brandon Bass type of guy. Leon Powe's probably a fair comparison as well.
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