Spurs @ Pistons Preseason Game 3 - Player Analysis

[timvp]

You're simply making stuff up. He had zero turnovers in last night's game.

Typically when a pass is thrown to a bigman and it bounces off of him and goes out of bounds, the turnover goes to the player who threw the pass. Him having no turnovers last night means nothing in regards to whether or not two passes bounced off his hands.

Of the two games I watched, he had very good hands.

I've watched all three preseason games and almost every summer league game he's ever played in. His bad hands are blatantly apparent. If you don't want to believe me, feel free to watch him wherever he ends up this year and report back.

Doesn't have the best hands, it's not uncommon for him to fumble passes on post up plays

http://www.nbadraft.net/admincp/prof...ylwatkins.html

I guess they were just making up things as well.

[Obstructed_View]

Typically when a pass is thrown to a bigman and it bounces off of him and goes out of bounds, the turnover goes to the player who threw the pass.

That's not what you said:

In the first two games he had nine turnovers, mostly due to bad hands

Unless you are going to say his bad hands caused him to commit three second violations or offensive fouls, that statement is wrong.

Him having no turnovers last night means nothing in regards to whether or not two passes bounced off his hands.

Fair enough. I've got the game recorded and I'll go back and watch every minute of time he had.

I've watched all three preseason games and almost every summer league game he's ever played in. His bad hands are blatantly apparent.

If it's so blatantly apparent, then you shouldn't have to make up when you're writing something that will influence the way much of the fanbase reacts to him. By the way, how did you see the New Orleans game when it wasn't televised?

If you don't want to believe me, feel free to watch him wherever he ends up this year and report back.

At this point, I seriously hope he doesn't end up here because you're going to ride him for he didn't do just like you've done for other players you decide ahead of time that you don't like.

I guess they were just making up things as well.

Wow, you should be proud that you your writeup has more in common with an 18 month old draft writeup than it does his last three games.

[T Park]

y the way, how did you see the New Orleans game when it wasn't televised?

I'm gonna guess he attended the game.

[T Park]

At this point, I seriously hope he doesn't end up here because you're going to ride him for he didn't do just like you've done for other players you decide ahead of time that you don't like.

Like who, that stiff Udrih?

[timvp]

That's not what you said:


Unless you are going to say his bad hands caused him to commit three second violations or offensive fouls, that statement is wrong.

I'll assume you looked over the play-by-plays to calculate where his turnovers came from. I didn't go through the play-by-plays before I said most. Perhaps the turnovers which I thought were credited to him were actually credited elsewhere. Or perhaps the statistician mislabeled a "bad pass" when he simply just fumbled it away.

If you want me to admit it wasn't mathematically "most" according to turnovers the statisticians credited him with, I'll apologize to both of you and say I might be wrong. Maybe it was 30-40% instead of more than 50%.

But then again, a ball bouncing off his hands doesn't count as his turnover so to get a true percentage, we'd probably have to add that in somehow . . .

Fair enough. I've got the game recorded and I'll go back and watch every minute of time he had.

Sounds like a good idea.

If it's so blatantly apparent, then you shouldn't have to make up when you're writing something that will influence the way much of the fanbase reacts to him. By the way, how did you see the New Orleans game when it wasn't televised?

Saying he has bad hands isn't making anything up. Give yourself more than a handful of minutes watching him and you'll agree.

Oh and I watched the game at this place called the AT&T Center.

At this point, I seriously hope he doesn't end up here because you're going to ride him for he didn't do just like you've done for other players you decide ahead of time that you don't like.

Like who? Sounds like you are making things up now.

I didn't like Elson when the Spurs signed him but I held on to beliefs so strongly that I admitted to being wrong after one game. Too bad I didn't end up being wrong.

Got any other examples?

Wow, you should be proud that you your writeup has more in common with an 18 month old draft writeup than it does his last three games.

Not as proud as you should be for being able to dispute a player's attributes after watching him play trash minutes in two preseason games. Super scout, you are.

[Romo]

Like who, that stiff Udrih?

[Blackjack]

George Hill
I was very impressed with what I saw out of Hill. Defensively is where it all begins for the rookie point guard. He can pressure the ball the length of the court and he uses his combination of quickness and length to disrupt ballhandlers. Perhaps even more impressive is his ability to help defensively -- whether it be play the passing lane or switch off onto a bigman. Hill isn't as advanced offensively but his outside jumper looks much better than it did in summer league. I'd still like to see him finish at the rim with more authority and up his level of aggressiveness but overall Hill has surpassed expectations so far in preseason. However, with news that Hill injured his thumb and even possibly tore ligaments, that could be a major blow to both Hill's progression and the Spurs' backcourt.

That's what's really impressed me so far. His ability to play centerfield, if you will, and recover to his man. I knew he had the physical tools, but the instincts and grit he's shown could lead to an all-league defender down the road. He's got a little Rondo in the way he defends and rebounds, but is a much better shooter. Rondo is a much better playmaker and finisher around the basket, but if Hill can be somewhat like Rondo playing back-up to Tony??? Let's just say, that pick is looking better and better.

Malik Hairston
Hairston had a mixed bag of good moments and not so good moments on Tuesday. Pop ripped into him after a couple of defensive lapses but then Hairston bounced back with some really nice plays on D. He had three blocks in the game to go along with seven rebounds in 29 minutes. Although he shot only 2-for-9 from the floor, Hairston showed good athleticism and one of his makes was from downtown. Like Hill, Hairston has improved vastly from summer league and is starting too look like a decent enough candidate to make the team.

The way Pop tore into Hairston's ass after not getting over that screen from Sheed is probably good news for Hairston. Hairston has proved to be a much better finisher and defender than I gave him credit for. His post defense at the swing position has been really impressive. He plays much bigger and stronger than he is,(Has a bit of a Bonzi physique) and showed some good timing/instincts in blocking larger players shots while playing on the ball. The challenge for him will be to control his weight (He did a great job of getting his weight down before the draft and coming into camp) and extending his mid-range jumper (where he excells) out to the three.

Darryl Watkins
In his 12 minutes of action, Watkins played decently but not well enough to prove he deserves a roster spot. Watkins is an interest prospect because he has very good NBA size, he's an above average athlete for a bigman and he has good timing. The main problem for him is he's still very much of a project. He doesn't have much basketball talent and is just surviving on his athleticism and timing. To compound those developmental issues, he has horrible hands that might literally be made of stone.

While he does need work, he actually has some pretty decent touch and hands for a big. He's capable of knocking down a shot from 10-15', but he needs to build the confidence to actually make it part of his repertoire. As far as his hands, He'll drop some he shouldn't and catch some most wouldn't. He's dealing with an unfamiliar team and teammates he's barely played with, so to completely judge his hands would be a little unfair. From what I've seen of him at Syracuse and the little time at Sac., I'm pretty sure once things slow down and he's gotten some familiarity with who's dishing him the ball that he'll be alright. Nothing spectacular, but a serviceable big for the Spurs or whoever he might land with.

[tomtom]

So whats the prediction for Mahinmi? Another year in D league? I hope nots

[T Park]

since he won't play 1 preseason game it looks that way.

[polandprzem]

Sounds like you need to email that duo and say that can't happen

They never responding to my e-mails ...







j/k


:



We will see what gonna happen.
What else Pop and Tim had to do? They need to cooperate with Bonner, there is nobody else they can turn to in Spurs. (he is the only big that can hit mid and full range)

[Obstructed_View]

I'll assume you looked over the play-by-plays to calculate where his turnovers came from. I didn't go through the play-by-plays before I said most. Perhaps the turnovers which I thought were credited to him were actually credited elsewhere. Or perhaps the statistician mislabeled a "bad pass" when he simply just fumbled it away.

Or perhaps he didn't make them.

If you want me to admit it wasn't mathematically "most" according to turnovers the statisticians credited him with, I'll apologize to both of you and say I might be wrong. Maybe it was 30-40% instead of more than 50%.

You love massaging those numbers to keep yourself from having to admit you made it up. It wasn't mathematically "most" by any stretch of the imagination. The absolute highest percentage it could have been was 33 percent, and that's only if his other turnovers happened to be exactly what you said. Since you seemed to imagine seeing the same thing in the Detroit game, your credibility is in doubt.

I went back and watched the game. He had two steals in the first three minutes. First he poked the ball away from Maxiell in the post, got control and passed it to Farmer who layed it up off the glass. He also made a nice pass on a give and go to Udoka for one of his layups.

He took a pass from Green with one hand and went up and dunked it and was fouled.

I did see a pass bounce off his hands, but it was a Pistons pass that he reached out and got a piece of. He also missed an offensive rebound that bounced off his hands and went out of bounds, but he'd pushed off to get into position and got whistled for it.

But then again, a ball bouncing off his hands doesn't count as his turnover so to get a true percentage, we'd probably have to add that in somehow . . .

You could blame every bad pass in the box score on him. That would be a good start.

Saying he has bad hands isn't making anything up. Give yourself more than a handful of minutes watching him and you'll agree.

You based your claim that he has "horrible hands" partially on this game where he demonstrated anything but. If that's not the definition of having prejudged the guy, then I don't know what is.

Oh and I watched the game at this place called the AT&T Center.

Ah. The Audio League Pass feed was only the New Orleans broadcast, which is why I thought it was in NO. My bad.

Not as proud as you should be for being able to dispute a player's attributes after watching him play trash minutes in two preseason games. Super scout, you are.

Since you made the le of this thread "Spurs@Pistons Preseason Game 3 - Player Analysis" I just assumed that you'd base your analysis on what actually happened in the game. How silly of me.

[SenorSpur]

So whats the prediction for Mahinmi? Another year in D league? I hope nots

He's missed so much valuable training camp time, I can see him being buried deep on the bench. If he does play, he'll have an awfully short leash. I just hope the kid hasn't regressed. If so, perhaps some time in D-League may be warranted to start the year.

[SenorSpur]

Darryl Watkins
While he does need work, he actually has some pretty decent touch and hands for a big. He's capable of knocking down a shot from 10-15', but he needs to build the confidence to actually make it part of his repertoire. As far as his hands, He'll drop some he shouldn't and catch some most wouldn't. He's dealing with an unfamiliar team and teammates he's barely played with, so to completely judge his hands would be a little unfair. From what I've seen of him at Syracuse and the little time at Sac., I'm pretty sure once things slow down and he's gotten some familiarity with who's dishing him the ball that he'll be alright. Nothing spectacular, but a serviceable big for the Spurs or whoever he might land with.

This kid may be a project, but I agree with you. My hunch is that he can serviceable big for this team too.

[2centsworth]

Essentially the entire preseason wrapped up into one post. I appreciate Timvp. All I really care about is whether Hill can play in the NBA.