Finally, I get to see Ian play this season

[Cane]

your hate for pop shows, to say he hasnt had any kind of impact on any of these players careers from a coaching standpoint is ridiculous. he helped manu tony hill all of them become better players.

Agreed. Pop is an excellent coach for improving promising talent. This is one of the areas where he stands out compared to guys like Phil Jackson.

[objective]

Parker came into the league as a wild, 3-point shooting PG with terrible court vision. Pop is one of many reasons that Tony has developed so well, both physically and psychologically. Pop had enough faith to throw him in a starting lineup with a perennial championship contender. Pop also had enough faith to give rookie Beno Udrih quality minutes during the NBA finals.

Ready-made is not an objective term.

and yet no one said that Parker wasn't ready when he was playing. He was ready for the gig. He got incredibly better, but he was already at a base level to play.

And Beno was an experienced international when he came to the Spurs and was ready to play as the season started. Surprisingly in fact, he looked better the first half of his rookie season than he did the rest of his Spurs career.

[Obstructed_View]

Parker had been a pro basketball player for a number of years before the Spurs drafted him, as had Manu, as had Oberto, as had Scola, as had Splitter.

[Jace]

I'm fairly confident that after the Spurs let him go he will sign with another team and blossom into a good big man

Going to look like a huge mistake 3 years from now

[DesignatedT]

and yet no one said that Parker wasn't ready when he was playing. He was ready for the gig. He got incredibly better, but he was already at a base level to play.

And Beno was an experienced international when he came to the Spurs and was ready to play as the season started. Surprisingly in fact, he looked better the first half of his rookie season than he did the rest of his Spurs career.

lol this argument is terrible. everyone in the NBA is at a "base level to play".. thats how there in the NBA

sounds like nothing more than pop bashing anyway you can do it.

[exstatic]

I'm fairly confident that after the Spurs let him go he will sign with another team and blossom into a good big man

Going to look like a huge mistake 3 years from now

I think there's about a 5% chance of that happening. There's about a 65% chance that he signs somewhere else and has absolutely NO impact, like some of his long athletic countrymen named Petro, or Ajinca. The other 30% is him going back to thr French league and kicking ass.

[pad300]

I think there's about a 5% chance of that happening. There's about a 65% chance that he signs somewhere else and has absolutely NO impact, like some of his long athletic countrymen named Petro, or Ajinca. The other 30% is him going back to thr French league and kicking ass.

This I think you are wrong on. We could debate 5% vs 65% (particularly as there is a lot of space between "good big man" and no impact; ie where the Elson's of the world reside), but the 30% is way off. He won't make the NBA vet min in the French league. Resigning with the Spurs for the vet min would become MUCH more likely at that point. That would give the Spurs a 5ht/6th big with potential at the appropriate price point, with experience in the system - which seems to be a huge plus...

[Obstructed_View]

Resigning with the Spurs for the vet min would become MUCH more likely at that point. That would give the Spurs a 5ht/6th big with potential at the appropriate price point, with experience in the system - which seems to be a huge plus...

The only chance the Spurs have of keeping him is to let him play this year and hope that his sense of loyalty makes him turn down the offers he'll get from other teams.

As for his experience, if he's not able to contribute this season after five years in the Spurs system there's no reason to believe another year's going to help him. I've seen zero indication that he's lost or struggling to know where to be; he's been with the Spurs long enough that he can probably coach Dice and Ratliff on the position. If that's not an asset this year it never will be, and those who say "there must be something Pop knows that the rest of us don't" are probably right.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Since McDyess was still on vacation the first half of the season, the start-Mahinmi-ten-games plan should have occurred. Shameful it didn't. It's too late to do anything now. The only chance the Spurs have at keeping him in the offseason is to not play him, hide his potential and keep his value low.

Wait, did I just stumble into Pop's way of thinking?

but its insanely ass backwards to put off his potential by another year

if the casual nba fan can see mcdyess could have played less and ian more, why not Pop?

we had all this talk preseason about how the window is closing, how we are gonna try to win now....well wtf

[jjktkk]

The only chance the Spurs have of keeping him is to let him play this year and hope that his sense of loyalty makes him turn down the offers he'll get from other teams.

As for his experience, if he's not able to contribute this season after five years in the Spurs system there's no reason to believe another year's going to help him. I've seen zero indication that he's lost or struggling to know where to be; he's been with the Spurs long enough that he can probably coach Dice and Ratliff on the position. If that's not an asset this year it never will be, and those who say "there must be something Pop knows that the rest of us don't" are probably right.

Thats why I disagreed with you earlier. Mahimni has prgressed from his rookie years, especially phisically. But after 5 yerars, not enough progression, where Mahimni would at the very least be a solid role player. I do think Pop knows more than us. IMO I think Mahimni struggles with the mental part of the game. Just from watching him play in the Summer League, he seems to hesitate in certain game situations, rather than just react naturally. I would love to be proved wrong about Mahimni, so maybe someday soon the light will come on for him.

[elgato21]

I thing Ian head is too confused right now...
too much presure ... he knows that he can do it better...
but Pop cant wait too much, spurs need to win, and right now
Blair is our bet!!!! more than a bet, he is real!!

[Obstructed_View]

Thats why I disagreed with you earlier. Mahimni has prgressed from his rookie years, especially phisically. But after 5 yerars, not enough progression, where Mahimni would at the very least be a solid role player. I do think Pop knows more than us. IMO I think Mahimni struggles with the mental part of the game. Just from watching him play in the Summer League, he seems to hesitate in certain game situations, rather than just react naturally. I would love to be proved wrong about Mahimni, so maybe someday soon the light will come on for him.

He's stepped up huge in the only minutes he's been given this year, the first time he's been healthy during the regular season in a long long time. Why that hasn't been reason enough to continue to give him a little rope at a time is completely beyond me. Again, I've seen little evidence from his actual game time that he struggles with much of anything beyond the refs being unfamiliar with his game. Wouldn't take the zebras many post game evaluations to realize that Ian's pretty good.

[pad300]

The only chance the Spurs have of keeping him is to let him play this year and hope that his sense of loyalty makes him turn down the offers he'll get from other teams.

As for his experience, if he's not able to contribute this season after five years in the Spurs system there's no reason to believe another year's going to help him. I've seen zero indication that he's lost or struggling to know where to be; he's been with the Spurs long enough that he can probably coach Dice and Ratliff on the position. If that's not an asset this year it never will be, and those who say "there must be something Pop knows that the rest of us don't" are probably right.

I can't see loyalty keeping him here if he gets an offer from any other NBA team, playing time from here forwards or no. Only compared to what he'd get from a Euro team, I think he might stay.

Further regarding players Pop would have on his team vs playing time, consider Sean Marks. Pop was willing to have him around at a minimum salary as a guy who knew the system and didn't publically about playing time. Ian hasn't ed about playing time so far...and apparently knows the system...