48MoH: DeJuan Blair as the San Antonio Spurs

[Shifty]

Different from pretty much every other Spurs fan, 48 Minutes of 's Tim Varner gives a calm and more realistic recap of what happened last night. As great as it seem we have to look at the whole picture.

October 7th, 2009

DeJuan Blair as the San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs are a glorious mess, but a mess nevertheless.
Their first preseason game hinted at the team’s potential greatness, but also showcased all the work that lies ahead before they can achieve that greatness. DeJuan Blair is the obvious story from last night, and he’s a good representative of all the good and bad which Gregg Popovich must mold into a contender.
DeJuan Blair put up 16 points and 19 rebounds in 22 minutes in the loss to Houston. The San Antonio Spurs may have lost by 14, but the only numbers that anyone will remember are Blair’s. Statistically speaking, Blair put up numbers that pace themselves alongside Andris Biedrins, David Lee and Emeka Okafor. Those three players are slated to earn 9, 8, and 10.6 million this season. Blair will earn $850,000. And sure, I grant that Blair’s field goal percentage and shot blocking will fall short of that group. He’s not as good as those three. But his per minute scoring and rebounding rates will at least meet the production of aforementioned threesome. So if you’re trying to quantify what the Spurs stole in the second round, there are three measures to get you started.
But DeJuan Blair is firmly settled into San Antonio’s bench, and he’s their third or forth option off the pine. It’s not so bad to have a double-double at the end of your rotation. But there are reasons he sits down the line.
Here’s what I know: DeJuan Blair lost nothing in translation. His NCAA game is his NBA game. DeJuan Blair is Carl Landry is Paul Millsap. Rebound rates transfer. It’s a crudely simple equation that, thankfully for the Spurs, adds up.
What Blair does well is an immediate help for San Antonio. It’s what he doesn’t do so well that leaves me thinking. DeJuan Blair has a long way to go as a defender. Smart coaches will game plan for him, and expose his flaws to San Antonio’s disadvantage. And he looks, as everyone would expect, a little lost on offense.
So basically what you have in DeJuan Blair you have in the rest of the team, including Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess: unquestioned talent, but very little cohesion. This Spurs team is going to take time. Settle in, Spurs fans. Choppy waters ahead. The need for all the new players to learn the system and develop chemistry with one another is a need that is supplied over long months, not the short weeks which lead to opening night.
Complicating matters further is Gregg Popovich’s understandable reluctance to push his aging core too hard too early. Tony Parker, Antonio McDyess, Tim Duncan, Michael Finley and Theo Ratliff did not play last night. With the exception of Parker, all of those players are out of shape and in need of reps. Earlier this summer Gregg Popovich said he wanted Tim Duncan to start the season out of shape. He wasn’t lying. It’s clear Pop plans to use November and December to work his core into game shape. It will take months for this team to find a rhythm. There is a sense in which this is true every season, but it’s especially true this season.We won’t know what they’re actually capable of until late in the season, and that’s health providing.
So be excited about 16 points and 19 rebounds in 22 minutes. And then remember missed rotations, an offense without an iden y, a smattering of ill-advised shots, and a long list of personnel questions without immediate answers. These are your San Antonio Spurs. They’re a work in progress.

http://www.48minutesof .com/2009/...antonio-spurs/

[Muser]

Blair being on the court will be no worse than having Bonner on the court, both aren't great defenders and both excel at what they can do. The difference is Blair helps out with what the Spurs really need, Rebounding on both ends of the court and getting to the line (Quite a few times on and 1's)

[xtremesteven33]

Starting to look a lot like 2003.....

[anakha]

Somebody needs to sticky this for the inevitable November-January SpursTalk meltdowns.

[Allanon]

19 rebounds is freakin' amazing. The author is a bit pessimistic but I do agree that coaches will eventually game plan for Blair to exploit his size deficiency.

[xtremesteven33]

I think what seperates him from the Milsap/Landry mold is his high basketball IQ. He has fantastic timing and great hands as well. Two combinations that can open up your game on so many levels. Hopefully his high BBIQ will elevate his game more and more each week.

[Bukefal]

It will all work out fine well, I have full confidence in this team having a shot at the le. They just need to get used to eachother, of course to make it an oiled machine. And I hope Blair get's alot of minutes this season.

[s0ldEONs0ul]

19 rebounds is freakin' amazing. The author is a bit pessimistic but I do agree that coaches will eventually game plan for Blair to exploit his size deficiency.

stating the obvious 101. Do you always bring such a lack of substance?

just like they gameplan for other short PF types like elton brand, right? Or perhaps he'll be another in the vein of rodman? That type of gameplanning? Let me ask you this: how do you gameplan against the natural talent of 'nose for the ball?'

[Samr]

Let me ask you this: how do you gameplan against the natural talent of 'nose for the ball?'

You start throwing some elbows around. That'll break that nose real quick.

[Allanon]

stating the obvious 101. Do you always bring such a lack of substance?

Do you always have to be an asshole?

just like they gameplan for other short PF types like elton brand, right? Or perhaps he'll be another in the vein of rodman? That type of gameplanning? Let me ask you this: how do you gameplan against the natural talent of 'nose for the ball?'

Answering your question, I am not speaking of countering his "nose for the ball". I mean taking advantage of his 6'6 height on defense. That is something you can gameplan and exploit.

[tp2021]

stating the obvious 101. Do you always bring such a lack of substance?

just like they gameplan for other short PF types like elton brand, right? Or perhaps he'll be another in the vein of rodman? That type of gameplanning? Let me ask you this: how do you gameplan against the natural talent of 'nose for the ball?'

Wow. There was substance in Allanon's response. He's one of the good Lakerfans around here.

[PDXSpursFan]

19 rebounds is freakin' amazing. The author is a bit pessimistic but I do agree that coaches will eventually game plan for Blair to exploit his size deficiency.

I'm not sure that teams will game plan much for a 3rd/4th man coming off the bench.

[Allanon]

I'm not sure that teams will game plan much for a 3rd/4th man coming off the bench.

From what I've seen from Blair, he has the tools to be a serious game-changer and somebody you have to plan for.

19 rebounds is an elite rebounder, and it's not something that just happens in exhibition. Some guys get hot shooting on nights but rebounding is just one of those things you either have or don't have. I don't expect him to put up those scoring numbers but those rebounds aren't going anywhere.

[ElNono]

Unfortunately for Blair, Pop is not in the business of developing talent.
He will see little or no playing time this season, and this has very little to do with his perceived deficiencies and everything to do with Pop leaning on experienced players like he always does.
So we're going to see a whole lot of Bonner getting abused on D and averaging about 3 rebounds per game (which doesn't help TD's knees at all) while DeJuan will be watching from the sideline. Very much like we saw Vaughn finishing up the season last year playing backup to TP, while Hill was sitting on the bench.

[raspsa]

Different from pretty much every other Spurs fan, 48 Minutes of 's Tim Varner gives a calm and more realistic recap of what happened last night. As great as it seem we have to look at the whole picture.

Different? I think very many Spurs fans are excited about this team's potential and are very excited about Blair's performance in particular.. what's not to get excited about? But most fans would also appreciate that this is only the 1st game of training camp and that it will take time for the team to gel, especiallly on defense w/c Pop is going to give particular attention to. Its no coincidence that he's shortening the playbook.. he wants to make thing simpler for the players to shorten their learning curve.. No one should underestimate the challenge this team faces but there are many reasons to be optimistic.

[s0ldEONs0ul]

Do you always have to be an asshole?

Without you saying it just here today, opposing coaches would never have gameplanned to exploit his size deficiency! In fact, no one has even thought about it! Excellent post!


Ahem. Either you have no insight, or you are trolling. I don't think the moderators appreciate trolling in the main section of the forum.

Answering your question, I am not speaking of countering his "nose for the ball". I mean taking advantage of his 6'6 height on defense. That is something you can gameplan and exploit.

He doesn't play 6'6. He has extremely long arms and plays as big as a guy like Pau or Tim thanks to those limbs and that solid base of gravity. Stop trolling.

[s0ldEONs0ul]

Wow. There was substance in Allanon's response. He's one of the good Lakerfans around here.

Not in my opinion. I've ghosted on this forum for years and I find him to be quite irrational, especially in evaluating talent. And like already said, and which I found to be plainly obvious: who gameplans for the 4th big?

[Allanon]

Without you saying it just here today, opposing coaches would never have gameplanned to exploit his size deficiency! In fact, no one has even thought about it! Excellent post!


Ahem. Either you have no insight, or you are trolling. I don't think the moderators appreciate trolling in the main section of the forum.

Trolling is allowed and sometimes encouraged here. I usually let things be but if another poster wants to talk to me for no reason, I am more than happy to oblige, .

He doesn't play 6'6. He has extremely long arms and plays as big as a guy like Pau or Tim thanks to those limbs and that solid base of gravity. Stop trolling.

I had this conversation the other day with some of the other ST guys. Blair has a huge wingspan and standing reach for his size.

Unfortunately, his eyes are in his head and not in his arms. He can't see with those long arms of his. His height is 6'6, he sees plays at 6'6 and cannot see over 6'10 Power Forwards (ie. Lamar Odom) posting him up. He'd probably have to front and play ball denial on those guys but fronting is a bad defensive position and easily exploited.

[s0ldEONs0ul]

Trolling is allowed and sometimes encouraged here.

At least you admit you are a troll.

He'd probably have to front and play ball denial on those guys but fronting is a bad defensive position.

ball denial is the staple of a strong defender.

[Allanon]

At least you admit you are a troll.

I have never denied being a troll, all of us non-Spur fans are. Some trolls troll constantly, others troll less frequently. No different than some men being longer than others.

[/quote]
ball denial is the staple of a strong defender.[/QUOTE]

Until the lob comes and said strong defender gets dunked on.

[s0ldEONs0ul]

I have never denied being a troll, all of us non-Spur fans are. Some trolls troll constantly, others troll less frequently. No different than some men being longer than others.

habla usted ingles? And why speak for the non-spurfan? They aren't you, you aren't them, leave them out as I highly doubt every single one is a troll to the extent i've seen you take it.

Until the lob comes and said strong defender gets dunked on.

I can see you have no real answers, only mere observations of known facts we all know (besides lobbing over the top of a strong defender is nearly impossible - guess you didn't know this). Therefore, let me make a counter-observation: Blair is already showing the ep ude to be one of the League's best rebounders, despite his size. He's also showing he has the skills to score in a variety of ways. What he has not shown is whether or not he is a solid enough 1on1 defender to warrant a defensive mismatch.

And about my 'unwarranted' action of being a " ": I don't like you. Your posts are inane, lack cunning, lack critical thinking, and are just about as lame as you can get. You contribute very little other than the mere presence of volume. Stick to the NBA forum where you belong, because your lack of knowledge is dreadfully apparent here. Thanks.

[all_heart]

I agree that you don't game plan for somebody that comes off the bench, other than say keep a body on him and box him out. Him drawing attention will only benefit the other subs like Hill. But really it's only 1 game anyway you look at it. Of course the Spurs got work to do just like so many other teams, difference is that the Spurs and their staff are elite pros and will have this deep and talented team ready to go by April.

[DPG21920]

Don't game plan for someone that comes off the bench? Ginobili does

[all_heart]

Don't game plan for someone that comes off the bench? Ginobili does

That's true Ginobili is a completely different type of player than Blair. Really what can you do about somebody whose primary job is to rebound? Between TD, Dice, and Ratliff, Blair is gonna get some help on defense if needed. His game and the defensive schemes will evolve should this ever be a issue.

[timvp]

Pretty good take. Blair definitely needs work on the defensive end. He showed defensive flaws in summer league and they carried over to the first preseason game. But, so far, I'm not too worried. A 20-year-old PF who is 6-foot-6 isn't going to be even an average defender right out of the box. The good news is he looked like a very willing post defender and he ran the court hard -- which are two characteristics that should lead to him one day becoming an acceptable defender.

Overall, as of now, I see Blair as a player that can play about 15 to 20 minutes a game and be a difference-maker. Sometimes negative and sometimes positive but as long as he concentrates on rebounding and protecting the rim, he'll help this team.

DeJuan Blair put up 16 points and 19 rebounds in 22 minutes in the loss to Houston. The San Antonio Spurs may have lost by 14, but the only numbers that anyone will remember are Blair’s. Statistically speaking, Blair put up numbers that pace themselves alongside Andris Biedrins, David Lee and Emeka Okafor.

Statistically speaking, Blair's stats from last night might be unmatched in basketball history. I researched and I didn't find anyone that put up such stats in as few of minutes. It's preseason so it doesn't count but that bolded part isn't very accurate.

Per 36 Minutes
Biedrins - 14.2 points and 13.4 rebounds
Lee - 16.5 points and 12.1 rebounds
Okafor - 14.5 points and 11.1 rebounds
Blair - 26.2 points and 31.1 rebounds

But his per minute scoring and rebounding rates will at least meet the production of aforementioned threesome. So if you’re trying to quantify what the Spurs stole in the second round, there are three measures to get you started.

Rebounding-wise, I agree Blair should be elite. However, I think it's a bit early to say his scoring will be at least as good as David Lee. That's a high hurdle to set as a given quan y.