48MoH: DeJuan Blair as the San Antonio Spurs

[Mr. Body]

There's a difference between IQ and having a knack for hitting the glass hard. Nothing about DeJuan Blair says to me "that guy has a high basketball IQ", if anything, it seems to me that he's dumber than a bag of rocks. That said, just let him loose for 10-15 minutes per game like a wild gorilla and let him snag everything in sight.

I have no idea what you're talking about. DeJuan is a quiet guy off the court, but was beloved by his community in Pittsburgh, his teachers and principals. You're falling into dumbass stereotypes and he actually has an underrated basketball IQ as well. EXTREMELY underrated, if most people rank him as a chowderhead, as you do. And they don't.

I think he's going to surprise you. A lot. He'll be physically limited - his speed, his jumping - but this is a smart ball player. His passing alone will show you that.

[xtremesteven33]

Barkley had to go through the same hurdles but still turned out to be a HOF. Im not saying Blair will ever even be an allstar but it is certainly possible to play PF in a 6'6'' body and dominate a game over taller players.....He has all the tools to develop into a Barkley type player.....

[Allanon]

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.

I can do whatever I want, sorry but you ain't my mom.

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.

Please allow me to counter that "ep ude" is not a real word, look it up before you mock other people's grasp of English. " habla usted ingles? "

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.

Whatever, ...I'm not here to make friends with you. There are plenty of other cool ST posters to debate with, you obviously aren't one of them.

You don't like me, that's fine, but don't mistake any forum powers you erroneously think you may have. Don't tell me where I belong because you can't counter intelligently, I choose when and where I post, thanks.

[024]

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.

if other teams need to create a game plan specifically for blair, a bench player then it's already a win for the spurs. blair will go up against bench bigmen who aren't known for their scoring or post game. it's not like the bonner case where he was the starting center, available for everyone to exploit. blair will most likely be playing besides duncan and ratliff most of the time so defense won't be too much of a problem.

[Mr. Body]

if other teams need to create a game plan specifically for blair, a bench player then it's already a win for the spurs. blair will go up against bench bigmen who aren't known for their scoring or post game. it's not like the bonner case where he was the starting center, available for everyone to exploit. blair will most likely be playing besides duncan and ratliff most of the time so defense won't be too much of a problem.

I think this is pretty much spot on. You don't gameplan for role players and bench guys so much. If he gets 15-20 minutes a game he can have some very productive outings, and we'll all be happy.

[Allanon]

if other teams need to create a game plan specifically for blair, a bench player then it's already a win for the spurs. blair will go up against bench bigmen who aren't known for their scoring or post game. it's not like the bonner case where he was the starting center, available for everyone to exploit. blair will most likely be playing besides duncan and ratliff most of the time so defense won't be too much of a problem.

I dunno, there's a ton of very dangerous Bench players in the NBA that I believe coaches have to plan for:

Manu
Odom
Barbosa
JET
Gordon
Ariza earlier last year before he became a starter
Milsap
Rafer Alston (prior to him taking over the starting position due to injury)
Leon Powe
Marc Gasol
Aaron Brooks (prior to Rafer being traded)

Just guys I could think of in a minute, the list goes on and on, there's plenty of bench guys that are really talented and if you fail to plan for them, you're screwed.

[DPG21920]

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

[024]

I dunno, there's a ton of very dangerous Bench players in the NBA that I believe coaches have to plan for:

Manu
Odom
Barbosa
JET
Gordon
Ariza earlier last year before he became a starter
Milsap
Rafer Alston (prior to him taking over the starting position due to injury)
Leon Powe
Marc Gasol
Aaron Brooks (prior to Rafer being traded)

Just guys I could think of in a minute, the list goes on and on, there's plenty of bench guys that are really talented and if you fail to plan for them, you're screwed.

true, but blair and manu are on the same team. it's not like blair is the next spurs' sixth man. in addition to tim duncan and tony parker. blair will not recieve much attention after those 3 plus jefferson. and if you look at that list, there aren't many power forwards on there that blair will need to worry about defensively.

[Allanon]

true, but blair and manu are on the same team. it's not like blair is the next spurs' sixth man. in addition to tim duncan and tony parker. blair will not recieve much attention after those 3 plus jefferson. and if you look at that list, there aren't many power forwards on there that blair will need to worry about defensively.

I suppose you're not one of those drinking the Blair Kool-Aid.

I've taken a hefty drink and from I saw, he's probably going to work into #7 and even #6 in the rotation if injuries occur.

I figure Blair will evolve to be more vital to Spurs success than guys like Mason, Hill, Ratliff.

[ShoogarBear]

There's a difference between IQ and having a knack for hitting the glass hard. Nothing about DeJuan Blair says to me "that guy has a high basketball IQ", if anything, it seems to me that he's dumber than a bag of rocks. That said, just let him loose for 10-15 minutes per game like a wild gorilla and let him snag everything in sight.

Really? Hmm, now I wonder what exactly is it about him that could give you such insight into his intelligence?

[024]

I suppose you're not one of those drinking the Blair Kool-Aid.

I've taken a hefty drink and from I saw, he's probably going to work into #7 and even #6 in the rotation if injuries occur.

I figure Blair will be evolve to be more vital to Spurs success than guys like Mason, Hill, Ratliff.

i see blair playing a role similar to powe for the 2008 celtics. i'm just saying blair's weaknesses in defense are small compared to the benefits he will bring to the spurs. someone patrolling the basket waiting for a rebound or putback is going to be another thing teams have to worry about when playing the spurs.

[all_heart]

I suppose you're not one of those drinking the Blair Kool-Aid.

I've taken a hefty drink and from I saw, he's probably going to work into #7 and even #6 in the rotation if injuries occur.

I figure Blair will be evolve to be more vital to Spurs success than guys like Mason, Hill, Ratliff.

Appreciate all the bro-mance coming from a Lakers fan, but remember it's ONLY 1 GAME!! If he does it again later this week, I'll start chugging that Kool-Aid myself.

[elbamba]

Hmmmm. New players need time to adjust to a new system...well thanks for that evaluation. I don't think any of us could come to that conclusion.

[DBMethos]

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

That's just gaudy.

[all_heart]

i see blair playing a role similar to powe for the 2008 celtics. i'm just saying blair's weaknesses in defense are small compared to the benefits he will bring to the spurs. someone patrolling the basket waiting for a rebound or putback is going to be another thing teams have to worry about when playing the spurs.

+1
What if he just doesn't guard the other team's best post up player and develop a 10ft jump shot. Would that alone allow him more minutes?

[buttsR4rebounding]

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.

This has to be one of the dumbest things ever posted on this board. Blair is going to get minutes. You can count on 15 to 20 minutes a night for Blair. Pop has said it. RC has said it. Do you think they were just trying to fool everyone into preparing for something they are not going to do? And Pop does develop talent when warranted a la Tony Parker. Come back again when you've managed to extricate your cranium from your rectum...

[Chomag]

IMO We now have 5 (4 proven-1 Potential All-Star) Spurs have had such great success,and a bit of luck with drafts. Man, I'm so excited to see the new fire in our players this year and I'm loving what I'm seeing as our futer even after the TD era.

I know Blair has still a long way to go but no one can deny the potential there. He is showing to me to be a more talented with much less of a head case Dennis Rodman. At least as far as the knack of knowing where the ball will rebound to goes.

[anakha]

Really? Hmm, now I wonder what exactly is it about him that could give you such insight into his intelligence?

Guy's used that same insight to argue that Rasheed > McDyess because he spreads the floor, and Blair > McDyess because he doesn't spread the floor. I rest my case.

[ehz33satx]

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.

Plus he has loads of passion and fire and heart. His play makes my blood boil!

[all_heart]

Guy's used that same insight to argue that Rasheed > McDyess because he spreads the floor, and Blair > McDyess because he doesn't spread the floor. I rest my case.

Sometimes I think spreading the floor is over rated. It didn't do for us last year. Isn't it wiser to give up a low % shot than a layup and be in position to rebound than to defend the 3 where you can get blown by and/or leave the paint empty?

[ehz33satx]

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.

Yes, Blair will get little to now playing time this season. Yeah right! What a crock! Have you seen any of his play in h.s. and college on youtube? He is a man amongst boys. Blair will be the Spurs mantlepiece when Timmy retires. I think Pop may even stick around a few more years to see where he can take Parker and Blair and whomever is still around.

[tp2021]

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.

The way Pop coached the team the last couple of seasons will have no bearing on this season. Then, he wanted to use the same formula to try for the championship that won in 07. Theres no way he will do that now, with all the new young talented faces. Getting these players was the whole point of the offseason.

[RodNIc91]

I can do whatever I want, sorry but you ain't my mom.



Please allow me to counter that "ep ude" is not a real word, look it up before you mock other people's grasp of English. " habla usted ingles? "



Whatever, ...I'm not here to make friends with you. There are plenty of other cool ST posters to debate with, you obviously aren't one of them.

You don't like me, that's fine, but don't mistake any forum powers you erroneously think you may have. Don't tell me where I belong because you can't counter intelligently, I choose when and where I post, thanks.

Classy laker fan

Last night I couldn't believe blair's rebounding numbers. I couldn't watch the game last night but from what I've read I hope he becomes a more complete player. I know he can become a big contributor.

[TIMMYD!]

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

Holy , are those wilt chamberlain's stats?

[Agloco]

......... if anything, it seems to me that he's dumber than a bag of rocks. That said, just let him loose for 10-15 minutes per game like a wild gorilla and let him snag everything in sight.

Because snagging everything in sight requires no skill or intelligence right?