I agree. I am not sure he will ever be a starter in the NBA but he could develop into a good reserve. Lets not pretend he is the spurs saviour!!
There are plenty of options for players at Malik's level. It's good that he's still working at improving his game, but don't pretend he's the only player available.
I agree. I am not sure he will ever be a starter in the NBA but he could develop into a good reserve. Lets not pretend he is the spurs saviour!!
The advantage of keeping Malik is pretty obvious compared to bringing in another player at his level and that would be his exposure and familiarity with the Spurs system playing with the Toros and also as a reserve for the Spurs. I think giving him another year in the same system can only benefit him more.
Players like Malik don't get better by just sitting on the bench, they need playing time. If we are going to plan on just sitting him at the end of the bench and not give him any significant minutes, then he is better off somewhere else. I think it is time to give the "young guns" there shot. Hairston isn't our savior , but he isn't chopped liver either.
Fin has as many negatives as Hairston has positives, but he can get the senior slam at Denny's and he has a sweet jump shot, so that's what you need to succeed on the Spurs.![]()
Why do people on this board always clown us for liking a certain player? This "savior" talk is just stupidity, nobody has ever said that..we keep hearing people make fun of us here for wanting Splitter, Mahinmi, Hairston, and whoever else, because we think they are our "saviors"..no, nobody has ever said that..
we're hyping them up, because we feel like they could be solid contributors on the team as ROLE PLAYERS..we already have our 3 stars, so our "savior" is in reality, a group of role players..so it's not outrageous for us to want these young guys that have shown potential as role players..
yes very good post. its only the haters and the condescending, arrogant assholes who imply all this 'savior' and '____ Russel/chamberlain' talk.
no ones suggesting hes going to be lebron james, but he can certainly be a great role player upgrade
You're right. People want a savior to help the Spurs, so they give hope to those young players. But they forgot that these players were drafted from late 1st round and 2nd round.
sorry, but what is your problem. none, absolutely none in this thread has written a word that overrates Malik, none has claimed some unrealistic expectations and absolutely all agreed about Malik's potential AND flaws. most here see and describe him exactly as the kind of role player you call for. and none has called him savior, star, future starter or whatever. this thread is as realistic and well founded as it can get, which doesn't happen often on ST.
. Well said.
I trust Pop is watching the NBA playoffs. It's not the old head teams that remain in the playoffs. Teams that have been knocking of the door that have rosters full of emerging talent are breaking through.
It's time for Pop and RC to rethink the "senior citizen FA acquisition" strategy. It's no longer plausible. The Spurs don't need a mass overhaul, but they'd better upgrade the talent, and infuse some fresh legs, around the Big Three or else they'll find themselves again on the outside looking in next season, too.
You quoted yourself two minutes later in the very next post? Ego much?
Test to see if this generates a new post
Last edited by exstatic; 05-24-2009 at 10:56 AM.
Let me apologize for being the guy to throw out the word "savior", I didn't realize it would put bowen type clamps on this thread and head it in the wrong direction. I would love to see Hairston make the team, but, I am not sold on his ability to make an impact on this team yet. If the spurs can keep finding a way to keep this guy under the radar and give him minimum $ in progressing into an NBA player (either in austin or overseas) then I'll for him.
I think I did the same thing as senor spur,lol...If you edit then it makes another post..
The fact is, if you have five guys on the bench that can actually contribute, you don't need any of them to be a 'savior'. To put it in financial terms, the Spurs don't need to buy lottery tickets, they just need to invest wisely. To put it in basketball terms, if you take smart shots and play defense you don't have to jack up desperation threes. What the Spurs have on their roster is hardly worse than most of the people we're discussing.
And as I've mentioned too many times, I don't think anyone's saying that Hairston shouldn't be working on his jumper, but the assertion that he "can't shoot" is thrown around WAY too much.
Mine didn't, if you look above. Make sure you hit edit and not quote.![]()
If the Spurs believed in saviors, there'd be a quote in the locker room about how the stone cutter can break the marble by smashing it really hard one time with a giant hammer.
people say hairston needs a 3 pt shot because he hasn't been taking them in the NBA. just because a player can shoot in the d league doesn't mean it translates to NBA ball. the sample size is pretty small but his free throw shooting was pretty bad too. obviously he needs to work on these things. there are prolific scorers in the d league and college level that can never transition to the NBA.
So the fact that he shoots a good percentage from the exact same distance in a basket that's the exact same size means that he's incapable of doing it 50 miles to the south of where he does it? Again, I have no problem with having him work to improve his shooting, but most people saying he "needs a three point shot" are just repeating something they heard from someone else. Besides, if you're worried about shooting ability, then you should really be questioning having Marcus Williams on the roster instead of Hairston.
Most of us that are calling for him aren't expecting him to be a "prolific scorer", at least from 25 feet away. The Spurs have plenty of guys who can chuck it up from long distance. I'd like someone that can, I don't know, get a stop, or even, say, attack the rim on occasion. It's funny how many fewer three pointers you need to take when you're playing defense. When Finley can score 16 points in a game and still have a -15 in a game because his guy lit him up on the other end it should tell you that shooting is hugely overrated anyway.
a good example is anthony tolliver. good in the summer league, poor shooting in the NBA. same line, same distance. tolliver needed an NBA 3 pt shot to stay in the league and he more or less failed. no one is saying that hairston shouldn't get a roster spot on the spurs. i don't know where you got that idea.
having a 3pt shot is usually a prerequisite to becoming a spurs wing. popovich loves his 3 pt shooters.
Popovich fell in love with three point shooting at the exclusion of virtually everything else, and Tolliver is the poster child for the blind spot that came from that love and the damage it caused the Spurs. Tolliver should never have made the team, nor should Desmond Farmer for that matter. Hairston could have contributed to the Spurs all season long if he'd never been any better than George Hill from long distance.
And what I'm taking issue with is people who are saying that he can't shoot, or that his inability to shoot is somehow justification for his either not having made the team or his not having been used or kept on the roster.
With Manu out for as long as he was, a perfect opportunity was presented for Hairston to have gotten some real burn. Spurs could've used his energy, rebounding, scoring ability and defensive tenacity. Pop definitely made an error in judgement in housing too many players, on the roster, that had redundant skills.
Explosive opinion OV - and I agree with every word..
Hairston hasn't a "scoring ability".
Hairston is a quite interesting prospect and I hope he is still on Spurs radar.
Saying that, he has some flaws (lack of size, offensive game) and Spurs could very well find more interesting prospect(s) via draft/FA.
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