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Hairston actually EARNED the starting job at the beginning of the season....he had a tremendous summer...
The ONLY person that didn't agree was Pop....
oh well...I will FORCE myself to look at the bright side; at least Finley is gone....
! no way is poop going to play hairston. poop just said that bogans is the centerpiece of this team.
if thats the case. we're done. just enjoy the rest of the season, and to lose in the 1st round of the PO against maybe(lakers, denver or dallas)
Hairston actually EARNED the starting job at the beginning of the season....he had a tremendous summer...
The ONLY person that didn't agree was Pop....
oh well...I will FORCE myself to look at the bright side; at least Finley is gone....
A good summer session doesn't always translate into good NBA play. Giving someone a starting spot based off that would be ridiculous, especially given the Spurs' roster at the beginning of the year.
Every time he steps on the court, he has at least one blown assignment. The best example is the Suns game when he went under a screen on Steve Nash. I mean, Nash for Christ's sakes.
Again, I wasn't trashing the guy, just saying that that's what happens. Having said that, I would like to see more of him.
George Hill had a terrible summer his rookie year and played fairly well to start.
LOL Hairston sat on the bench the entire game and then Pop put him on Nash at the end of a tight game and Duncan didn't even step up on the pick and roll. I'm personally mad at a coach that would set up a player to fail like that. I swear Mahinmi and Hairston's floor time looks more like Pop's trying to make a case not to play them.
If he's going to do that with consistent minutes then I'm all for not letting him play. Like you said, I'd like to see more of him so we can find out for sure.
Last edited by Obstructed_View; 03-10-2010 at 03:45 PM.
That's called being a pro. A professional is always ready when called, is asked to know his assignments when he's on the floor. These guys get paid at least 6 figures to play a game, so I'm sure Pop would like them to know the basics when called upon.
Just saying.
Really...it does not sound so ridiculous to me...
giving someone a starting job because of what they DID in training camp seems to make a lot of sense...it lets the team know that you EARN things...
as opposed to handing it to FINLEY who hasn't EARNED anything in a few years..
but...i can agree that maybe someone else could have started...based on many factors...(Manu, Tim,etc...)
BUT---isn't it REASONABLE to think that Hairston's training camp/summer performance at least EARNED him a chance to start the season with significant minutes to see if his summer was a fluke---or if he was possibly a good NBA player...?
Then by that rationale, Duncan's not a pro because he ed that play up as well. And Bogans s up despite being on the floor for most of the games.
Just saying.
Don't really get the complaints about blown assignments. Isn't it more court time that helps a player learn the rotations?
slowly gaining movement status.
The movement's been there for a couple of years, but the numbers are mounting.
If I recall correctly, R.C Buford stated in the beginning of the season that he had never seen a player improve as much in one year as Hairston did from last year to this year.
Anyone have that quote?
Sure that wasn't in regards to Hill?
It was from an interview that 48minof did during training camp..
“RC [Buford] pointed out Marcus Williams and Malik Hairston as players they were excited about coming over from the Toros. He specifically mentioned Hairston as being the most improved player they’d ever seen coming from the D-League.”
That was Popovich.
I think I found what I was looking for.
The story of today’s scrimmage was Parker, Ginobili, Blair, and in that order. After those three, I’d argue that Malik Hairston was the most impressive Spur. Quoting Rick Ashford, yet again: “RC [Buford] pointed out Marcus Williams and Malik Hairston as players they were excited about coming over from the Toros. He specifically mentioned Hairston as being the most improved player they’d ever seen coming from the D-League.” Hairston is a cagey defender with a deceptively effective ability to score. It’s not unthinkable that Hairston and Marcus Haislip earn the lionshare of minutes behind Richard Jefferson. And yes, I realize I’m excluding Mike Finley and Keith Bogans. Go Toros!
http://www.48minutesof .com/2009/...amp-scrimmage/
Yeah, I remembered him praising him but I didn't think it was the most improvement ever in one year; coming out of the D-League rings a bell.
Nice to see that counts for something with Pop.
Yet Pop continues to start the least improved starter in the entire NBA.
That has got to be the stupidest thing I've heard on this board. You're trying to compare someone who hasn't proven anything in the NBA to one of the 10 greatest players in the history of the league.
Duncan may have messed up, but the 4 banners, 3 Finals MVP and 2 MVPs on his mantle more than make up for his mistakes. The thing is, when you're trying to earn playing time and the trust of a coach, the last thing you can afford is mistakes. Especially considering that while you may not like Finley, his career has more highlights than lowlights in comparison with Hairston.
As for Bogans, I don't like him in there either, but at least he understands what it is to be a pro in the league.
What you all don't think about is that Pop is with Hairston every day, in the locker room, during film sessions, during shootarounds, and when there's time, practice.
We haven't a clue what Hairston's work ethic and preparation is like on a day to day basis. Pop does. Coaches like to go with what is proven over what is unproven, no matter how much us fans cry for change, myself included.
Take a look at Blair. Blair had one proven skill that we know translates from college to the NBA, rebounding. Blair can grab rebounds because he understands spacing and how to throw his body around.
Hairston has attributes, but no one proven skill. He can get to the rim but hasn't shown he can hit an outside shot consistently. If he fails to show that, teams will learn very quickly (like they did last year) and force Hairston to hit outside jumpers. His ability to get to the rim will be negated by his bad jumpshot if he can't hit it.
So what's his proven skill that merits playing time in your opinion? Can he be a lockdown defender? Can he be a deadly shooter? Can he run the point and create for everyone else in a Jason Kidd sort of way?
Again, I like what I saw from Hairston, and I'd love to see more of him because I think he's an upgrade over Mason and Bogans at the moment. But Mason and Bogans have shown an ability in the past to spread the floor and create room for Hill and Gino (and Parker when healthy) to get to the rim or Duncan to post up.
IMO opinion, Pop wants to see Hairston play good defense (stay in position to make a play) and hit jumpers. If he can do that successfully, I think Pop will reward him with increased playing time.
Unfortunately, if he can't do that, we're stuck with more Bogans off nights (aka a normal game for Bogans) and Mason bricking 3s and over dribbling the ball.
The whole 'work ethic' thing is a bunch of baloney... did his work ethic suddenly went off the charts that he now deserved to play the entire 4th quarter?
Mason and Finley might be super-pros and have outstanding work ethic, but when the game comes, they lay a turd, then they're offended because they get no minutes...
Hairston didn't when he was repeatedly sent to the Toros, or when he was the last guy on the bench. And when the minutes came his way, he went out there and played with the hunger of somebody that has something to prove.
We need more guys like him, instead of pansies that go through the motions and supposedly have great 'work ethic'.
Hustle, energy, effort, transition D, making the right rotations and decisions. I saw all of that out of Hairston - and then some. Those commodities should buy him more time on the floor.
And then god said, "Let there be Hairston!" and there was Hairston.
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