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Hairston makes the most sense. Pop will either use Mason or Manu to take up the backup PG minutes, so there will need to be someone to make up the minutes at the wing.
With TP not dressing out for next week (probably more like 2) who will replace his roster spot? Will it be the fan favorite Malik Hairston, or will it be the you tube sensation Marcus Haislip, or maybe even the "saviour" himself Ian Mahinmi? What do you guys think?
Hairston makes the most sense. Pop will either use Mason or Manu to take up the backup PG minutes, so there will need to be someone to make up the minutes at the wing.
Hairston. Spurs need another G/F.
I'd love to see Hairston come up, but do more than guard the Gatorade.
Considering Hairston was arguably our most consistent player in camp and pre-season, I would expect it to be him..
if Ratliff can't even see the floor, I doubt Ian and Haislip will get consideration at this point..
The tendency is to see a guard go down and replace him with another guard, but that's not necessary in this case. Hill can start at the point and Mason/Ginobili will likely play together in the back court a lot, both handling the point at times. Hairston offers no depth at point and the lack of length and athleticism in the front court is alarming, so it should be Haislip or Mahinmi. The Spurs need to find out what they have with both, since either could theoretically fill a glaring hole in the front court.
Haislip should see time against the Raptors guarding Bosh. In fact, I wouldn't even mind starting him, letting him play the first 6 minutes of each half and seeing how he does. This is precisely the type of player who will destroy Bonner and who Haislip theoretically matches up well with. Bosh, as per usual at the start of the season, is playing out of his mind right now. Both he and Bargnani are tough match-ups for the Spurs front court.
Hairston should be on that lineup even with TP there.
We have a starting athletic 3 in Jefferson but we don't have an athletic 3 coming off the bench. Malik's that man.
Haislip was torched by Rob Kurz..I don't want to imagine what Bosh would do to him..
Bosh is going to destroy whoever the Spurs put on him, but at least in Haislip's case he theoretically matches up with him well. I have no illusions about Haislip being a star or a stopper or the 2nd coming of Horry, but he is reasonably long, very athletic and has good quickness. They signed him to a guaranteed contract for a reason, so why not give him a look? I'd rather find out early if he can/can't help the team now than still not know later in the season when the lineup experimenting (hopefully) will be done and the rotation close to being set for the playoffs.
I agree with your point. Since Pop has been using small ball, I think that Hairston will be on the roster.
It seems that the consensus is Hairston. I'd like to see him get some minutes and evaluate his progress.
While we are still experimenting, I would rather all three (Hairston, Haislip, Mahinmi) to play rather than experimenting with a small lineup that has Finley as the PF.
I mean Einstein said it best "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
I'm just not seeing it. Besides the lack of depth that would occur at the wing with Mason/Manu picking up minutes at the point, Hairston is currently on a non-guaranteed deal. The Spurs at some point will have to decide whether or not he is worth keeping or cutting. It's hard for them to decide that when they have opportunities to look at him but they keep him behind the bench in a suit instead.
Having another wing makes no sense, because he has no chance to play. Right now there's a clear cut 5 wings ahead of him, even if you want to count Mason/Ginobili as one PG right now (that doesn't preclude them from also playing wing), there's still plenty of depth there. Also keep in mind that the Raptors don't have a ton of firepower on the wing, so it's not like the Spurs could possibly use more wing defense. What they could definitely use is length and athleticism on the front line. Ratliff has no logical match-up against the Raptors, nor does Blair. So rather than watch Bonner and Finley/Jefferson (they likely won't match-up specifically with Bosh, but will likely see time at the four when Johnson is in for the Raptors) get destroyed both defensively and on the boards against Bosh, why not allow Haislip to be active and play in this game? Haiston is more than likely a part of the future, guaranteed deal or not. Haislip and Mahinmi, who knows? Now is the time to find out and do so without de-activating Ratliff for no reason.
I have a feeling Hairston will get an opportunity against the Raptors. I hope he shine and puts a spark in our defense. I have been rooting for him since day one.
Length and athleticism mean nothing when you are talking about a player that is terrible defensively and cannot shoot...and Blair is actually a better matchup than you think. With Toronto's lack of interior strength and them not being a very good rebounding team his work on the boards could be very important. The thing you are also forgetting is that when you subtract wing minutes from Manu/Mason they go to Finley. This is a much bigger problem than any matchup issues we will deal with regarding Bosh...because who checks Turkoglu if RJ winds up in foul trouble? Hairston has the strength to deal with Hedo and he can provide an offensive lift at the other end.
I bet you a hamburger that we find out tomorrow
Why not give Malik the nod and add to our defensive progress? You know you want to see him in the lineup, pop...
You know for a fact that Haislip is a terrible defender in the NBA? He certainly doesn't have the reputation for being a good defender, but he should do a better job on guys like Bosh than Bonner ever could just based on his physical tools. Cannot shoot? He's supposed to be able to hit, if not the NBA three, then the mid-range jumper comfortably. But that's just it, we don't really know what he's capable of in the NBA at this stage in his career because we haven't seen him in a game that counts.
Blair will play just because the Spurs need his interior scoring, rebounding, toughness and energy. There's won't be many nights he doesn't play, even if there is no logical match-up for him on the opposition. He's a top 8 player on the team and as such will play.
Not too many wing minutes will be subtracted from Ginobili and Mason and the ones that are can and will go to Bogans mostly and Finley somewhat, not Hairston. The Raptors don't have some established scorer with athleticism on the wing, so why would Hairston need to be dressed? Apparently it's fun to have as small a lineup dressed as possible.
As someone who's watch the majority of the Raptors games so far, I can tell you that Turkoglu rarely plays with the ball in his hands and isn't aggressive at all. He's mostly just another player out there (in the sense that he averages low teens in shot attempts) and not a threat to go off for 30. If he hits 20 it'll be because of his superior length over the Spurs undersized wings. Even if he got it going, Bogans would be ahead of Hairston in the rotation. There is no conceivable role for Hairston, other than Pop randomly playing him just to find out what's there. With Haislip, there is a clear role for this game and potentially he could fill that role going forward.
I hope Hairston.
Haislip or Ian would be coo wit me I just wanna see those guys play
I'm rooting for Hairston. I think he can still show some surprises.
I don't think you understand how bad Haislip was in preseason..he was getting torched by everybody he was guarding, and he made Bonner look like Hakeem..only a little hyperbole there..
If one of our bigs is activated for some reason, it should be Ian, since he was actually decent in preseason..
foreal? dang I hoped he showed some kind of flash of being decent in the preseason
He was abused in the preseason repeatedly by players that are barely bench players. What leads you to believe he will be of any use against Bosh? Bonner is a far better NBA level defender at this point. Actually, Bonner has been serviceable this year on defense so far. The biggest problem with Bonner has been rebounding...which Haislip can't help with either seeings how he only pulled down 13 rebounds in 81 minutes played. Bonner is also a better ball handler and shooter. BTW, Haislip only made 8 of his 21 shots during those same 81 minutes, including 1-6 from distance.
So now you are backpedaling? Earlier you said he wasn't a good matchup for the Raptors.Blair will play just because the Spurs need his interior scoring, rebounding, toughness and energy. There's won't be many nights he doesn't play, even if there is no logical match-up for him on the opposition. He's a top 8 player on the team and as such will play.
So you would rather have those minutes go to Finley. You are quickly losing credibility in this discussion.Not too many wing minutes will be subtracted from Ginobili and Mason and the ones that are can and will go to Bogans mostly and Finley somewhat, not Hairston. The Raptors don't have some established scorer with athleticism on the wing, so why would Hairston need to be dressed? Apparently it's fun to have as small a lineup dressed as possible.
I haven't seen much of the Raptors this year, but you are wrong if you think Turkoglu is not a game changing player because he was one in Orlando last year. He will be one of the main offensive options and can shoot or take his man off the dribble. He could torch us just as easily as Bosh would. But hey...let's put Finley on him.As someone who's watch the majority of the Raptors games so far, I can tell you that Turkoglu rarely plays with the ball in his hands and isn't aggressive at all. He's mostly just another player out there (in the sense that he averages low teens in shot attempts) and not a threat to go off for 30. If he hits 20 it'll be because of his superior length over the Spurs undersized wings. Even if he got it going, Bogans would be ahead of Hairston in the rotation. There is no conceivable role for Hairston, other than Pop randomly playing him just to find out what's there. With Haislip, there is a clear role for this game and potentially he could fill that role going forward.
All in all its more about who could help on both ends...not just "length and athleticism". Haislip is 29 years old so I seriously doubt his game is going to improve much...a game that in the preseason against other teams scrubs looked like Pops Mensa-Bonsu, James White or any other limited athletic player that the Spurs have brought in over the years. Honestly, I'd activate Mahimni over Haislip, simply because he knows the system better.
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