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right, after season starts Spurs NEVER have practices/scrimmages and NEVER evaluate players anymore
look, I'd love to be wrong and like some of you, beleive that IAN will once be a productive NBA center... but I also like to live in reality
1. How do you know if you don't play him? When you do play him, he plays great defense, runs the floor and hustles.
2. Since the Spurs didn't extend him, he's gone. They're still paying him for this season. Should they sit Manu for the same reason?
3. At this rate, they'll have a lottery pick in the next couple of years. Why waste a year devloping anyone when they'll have a lottery pick to come in and ride the bench behind Keith Bogans?
right, after season starts Spurs NEVER have practices/scrimmages and NEVER evaluate players anymore
look, I'd love to be wrong and like some of you, beleive that IAN will once be a productive NBA center... but I also like to live in reality
In the games where Ian played at least 10 min this year :
Jan 10 vs New Jersey 21 min 1 to
Jan 16 @ Memphis 14 min 0 to
Feb 26 @ Houston 10 min 1 to
And for the fouls, did you see the Blair stats ?
Blair games with at least 4 personnal fouls :
Oct 28 vs. NOH 23 min 4 PF
Oct 29 @ CHI 13 min 4 PF
Oct 31 vs. SAC 26 min 4 PF
Nov 09 vs. TOR 19 min 5 PF
Nov 11 vs. DAL 20 min 4 PF
Nov 23 vs. MIL 16 min 4 PF
Nov 27 @ HOU 10 min 5 PF
Dec 05 vs. DEN 13 min 4 PF
Dec 15 @ PHX 13 min 5 PF
Dec 26 @ MIL 26 min 5 PF
Dec 29 vs. MIN 24 min 4 PF
Jan 03 @ TOR 18 min 4 PF
Jan 13 @ OKC 31 min 6 PF
Jan 16 @ MEM 24 min 5 PF
Feb 04 @ POR 21 min 5 PF
Feb 08 @ LAL 18 min 4 PF
Feb 11 @ DEN 21 min 4 PF
Feb 17 @ IND 10 min 5 PF
Feb 24 vs. OKC 16 min 5 PF
Feb 26 @ HOU 18 min 6 PF
Mar 01 @ NOH 26 min 5 PF
So Blair has the right to make mistakes but not Mahinmi ?
Nice research.
Quit bringing facts into this.
Young bigs don't have to learn how not to foul in the NBA, they're just born knowing how not to foul. Don't dare mention guys like Shaq or Dwight Howard who struggled with fouls early in their careers or you'll be accused of comparing Ian to Shaq and Howard.
What part of Keith Bogans starting the whole year over Malik Hairston leads you to believe that the Spurs evaluate players at all?right, after season starts Spurs NEVER have practices/scrimmages and NEVER evaluate players anymore
The reality is that he looks like he might be able to play, fills the Spurs' biggest need (interior defense) at the position at which they are thinnest, does it well when he's in there, and he's not getting more minutes.
Really, what part of keeping the Cavs from scoring when he was on the floor would you like explained to you?
Dwayne was givien ample time on the court though, he played 398 minutes: http://www.basketball-reference.com/...chindw01.html; in his rookie season, compare that to only 68 for Ian this year, saying he is garbage, bust or whatever with the lack of chances he has been given just doesn't make sense to me. I shall reserve judgement until I see him play consistent minutes.
Ian doesn't have to be a great offensive player, sure it would be nice, many solid center had no lick of an offensive game, Mutumbo, Ben Wallace, etc come to mind, he just need to be near the rim to protect with Timmy or whoever else by altering/blocking shots and show hustle and heart, which I feel he has in his limited minutes.
+1, I'm with you and OV when it comes to Ian. Just let him have some reasonable minutes for a few games. If he makes a few mistakes, don't yank him, counsel him, but let him play through.
Shorten his reponsibilities by not going to him at all on offense. If he gets some garbage offensive rebounds/put backs, then great, but for the short term I just want him to concentrate solely on defense and protecting the rim.
So, Ian's turnovers in few minutes don't count but his defense in the same minutes does? make up your mind
yes Ian is a 7 foot athletic. He also makes the same dumb mistakes he was making 4 years ago.
nkdlunch is the knee jerk reaction specialist of this board.
knee jerk after 4 years? LOL
Really? I'm curious to know who those people are.
He makes too many mistakes and commits too many fouls to get significant playing time. Sure, injuries have re ed his growth and maturation as an NBA player, but that's hardly the Spurs fault.
No player has a "right" to anything; but yea Blair is a better use of minutes and I don't see how Ian deserves it over him. Blair definitely has problems but he also doesn't make as many boneheaded decisions particularly when it comes to turnovers and has shown he can rebound on an incredible level with a knack for scoring to boot despite being short. Ian has shown a low cieling since he's been with the Spurs for years whereas Blair is more of an unknown and has shown more glimpses of greatness. Blair utilized his limited opportunities early in the season much better than his French counterpart and also seems to be much more talented (28 points, 21 rebounds, 31 mins versus OKC, setting a rebound record in the all star rookie game, etc).
By comparison, Ian has shown much less in his multiple years under the Spurs umbrella. Ian plays basically in garbage minutes and even in those opportunities he's shown stark negative qualities. The fact that the Spurs are giving Blair loads of opportunities speaks volumes on the quality of the French project player.
Blair has better hands, IQ, rebounding, finish around the basket, width, strength, hustle, etc. Ian is taller, better at blocking, has more offensive skills, but is prone to fumbling passes, stupid turnovers, fouls, weaker, etc.
Don't get me wrong, Ian has some promise. But its likely not going to be built upon anymore than it already has in his time under the Spurs organization; mainly due to his own fault by picking up stupid turnovers, fouls, etc. He's also in a situation where the Spurs are focusing on making it to the playoffs, that kind of team philosophy won't see too many projects eating up minutes especially since the Spurs already have a loaded frontcourt rotation in Duncan, McDyess, Blair, and Bonner.
Last edited by Cane; 03-10-2010 at 03:46 PM.
I want him in there for defense. I don't want them feeding him the ball ten times in a row in the post or having him try to set picks while Roger Mason is running from defenders. Considering that he also draws fouls and scores points, I'd say you're the one with tunnel vision where it concerns him.So, Ian's turnovers in few minutes don't count but his defense in the same minutes does? make up your mind
yes Ian is a 7 foot athletic. He also makes the same dumb mistakes he was making 4 years ago.
And what exactly was Mahinmi doing four years ago aside from helping his team win the French Cup?
No, knee jerk after 2 minutes of playing time. Need anyone point out to you his production in the one game where he got actual playing time?
wrong again. been following Ian for 4 years.
I never said Mahinmi deserved minutes OVER Blair.
I think Blair is great.
You say that Mahinmi has a lot of turnovers.
Blair was a 3s machine in the start of the season.
Blair was a moving screen machine in the start of the season.
Blair was a loose ball foul machine in the start of the season...
And with the experience, Blair IMPROVES ! Because he's got some playing time.
1st 5 games of Blair this Season :
Oct 28 vs. NOH 23 min (1st game of the season and he played in all games this season !)
Oct 29 @ CHI 13 min
Oct 31 vs. SAC 26 min
Nov 05 @ UTA 21 min
Nov 06 @ POR 10 min
1st 5 games of Mahinmi this Season :
Jan 10 vs. NJN 21 min (35th gameof the season) 15 pts 9 reb 1 ast 3/4 FT As a reward, he didn't have a single minute in a back 2 back against the Lakers and the Thunder.
Jan 15 @ CHA 5 min
Jan 16 @ MEM 14 min
Jan 27 vs. ATL 2 min
Jan 31 vs. DEN 1 min
43 min 1 turnover for Ian Mahinmi in his first 5 games.
Blair is totally deserving his playing time, but Pop gave him a chance.
Pop treats Ian like trash.
Again, Blair and Mahinmi are complementary players.
Mahinmi is taller, he protects the rim and rotates fast. He's a good shotblocker.
Blair is a beast and play physically defense. He's a good "stealer".
Mahinmi has a nice 12-15th shoot and good FT shooting.
Blair has some great moves under the rim.
Blair is a great rebounder, Mahinmi is a good rebounder.
What a waste.
It's not like the Spurs had a great chemistry this year.
Pop could have tried Mahinmi AND Malik Hairston a little earlier.
And now, we are supposed to watch that team fight for the 7-8th spot, just to see them be swept by the Lakers or the Mavs.
Welcome to the Spurs fans worst nightmare !
That team has nothing to lose now. So let's give a chance to Ian & Malik !
Last edited by timaios; 03-10-2010 at 06:51 PM.
Having an opinion, doesn't make you right. It also doesn't make others, who don't share your opinion, wrong either. It only means you have an opinion.right, after season starts Spurs NEVER have practices/scrimmages and NEVER evaluate players anymore
look, I'd love to be wrong and like some of you, beleive that IAN will once be a productive NBA center... but I also like to live in reality
I'm not quite sure what you're looking at. None of us know anything definitive about the kid because he hasn't played enough. If you do live in reality, as you say, you'll admit how good he looked good in his extended stint versus the Nets. You can blow it off as being one game, and you're right. One game doesn't make a player any more than 2 turnovers in 5 minutes make him a bust. The one thing that's clear is he's got some unique, athletic skills and some upside. For a franchise that has very little of both, they're in no position to jettison this kind of raw talent.
It's puzzling to believe that so many here want to cut bait on the guy, when he's still largely unproven and not playing. Enough already! I don't give a damn how long it's been since he's been drafted, the guy hasn't been afforded a chance for regular rotation minutes. Besides, it's not as if the Spurs are just bustling with young, athletic, frontline players on the bench and in their pipeline.
Furthermore, let's not sit here and pretend the Spurs have been perfect in their evaluation, integration, and utlization of players. Obviously, Pop and RC have had their successes, but they've had their share of misses and failures too. They've been wrong before and they were certainly wrong with their decisions this past summer.
If the Spurs were still playing for championships, I could understand the impatience. However, this franchise is now going the other direction. They need younger players to rebuild on. If the Spurs have, in fact, given up on Ian, I can't wait to see how fast he he becomes a rotation player for OKC, or some other team willing to give him some playing time.
Double standard.; As if the Spurs don't already have veteran players making dumb mistakes.So, Ian's turnovers in few minutes don't count but his defense in the same minutes does? make up your mind
yes Ian is a 7 foot athletic. He also makes the same dumb mistakes he was making 4 years ago.
Passing judgment on Mahinmi without seeing him play consistently against the big boys is a travesty of the highest order; WTF did we groom this guy in Austin (where he was an all-star) for? Why waste a skillset we need desperately? It's beyond idiocy.
Unless the detractors have hard practice stats they're relying off, you can't speak for Pop and Co. and say "He's sucking in practice, that must be why!". That's speculation at best, and does not cons ute any type of argument.
Give the boy 15 minutes every night before we lose out on a possible gem - we overpaid for Dyess and RJ and yet we'd rather play those losers on their way out than bring in a hungry rookie who could contribute on the cheap for years.
Last edited by z0sa; 03-10-2010 at 07:06 PM.
+ 1 Trillion
Amen.
This is a critical offseason, and next couple of years, for the Spurs. I don't want to see this guy walk and then he end up as a productive rotation player somewhere else. Giving up on this kid before he's proven would be a terrible, and stupid, blow.
Face it. Dice is probably gone next year or certainly the year after. Ratliff is already gone. Blair is emerging, yet undersized. Splitter's arrival is unknown and unjustified. Duncan needs help badly. The Spurs desparately need to milk this kid's talent for all its worth.
I have a really strange feeling that Ian will be resigned in the offseason. But it's just me.
what are the scenarios if he gets time to finish the year:
A: He underperforms and doesn't give a good reason to be re-signed: i.e. he plays as badly as a typical McDyess game except with the contract albatross
B: He performs well and commands a contract MLE or below and leaves, but that doesn't matter because if Splitter is signed there's no room in the rotation for Mahinmi anyway.
C: He performs well, commands a contract that is the MLE or below, and Splitter doesn't come to the NBA for Splitterish reasons. Then you still have Ian you can use the MLE on because you're not getting David Lee or Carlos Boozer for the MLE and they'll need a big.
It's pretty much a no-lose situation. So just use him. Use him like a cheap french ***** and throw him away afterwards for an upscale diva like Splitter. You've already paid for the room and the services, pop some pills and get it on.
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