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despite it being garbage time, i thought Ian did OK against Gortat, a legitimate NBA role player. Some of his fouling in the past may simply have been from too much adrenalin flowing because of the rush of actually getting into a game.
How can you retain them if you fail to pick up a player's option?
despite it being garbage time, i thought Ian did OK against Gortat, a legitimate NBA role player. Some of his fouling in the past may simply have been from too much adrenalin flowing because of the rush of actually getting into a game.
lol sequ
Blair was wrecking teams early in the season...before teams had tape on him. Same for Ian. Dont get me wrong though, he can definitely help us, if Pop will coach him up and get him on the court.
Pop gave this game away in my opinion.
I'm beginning to think this...it explains why we have been stuck with this ty two man game for so long, whil other players rot on the vine.
exactly...
Harlem, you were celebrating the loss. stfu.
I hope to god they dont let him go. I may boycott any team with Pop at the helm.
Go Ian Go !!!! yea he really looked good out there last night. this is the 1st time i've got to see him actually play in an NBA Game. sucks that he has been burried on the beach this whole season. I'll be the first to say it ... 2 tears in a bucket whenever PoP retires.
I think it has less to do with trust and more to do with the SPurs intending to bring him back next year cheap. I would imagine that they give him some minutes next year, especially if splitter does not come over.
Why not pick his option in the first place then?
I think he was on board for 1.7M next year, do you really think the Spurs can sign him for less this summer?
I agree with your thoughts.I listened to the coach on the postgame last night and it was like he had a hard time giving any props to Ian. I don't think Ian is a solution to all problems, but I do know that you cannot teach athleticism and athleticism can make up for other mistakes.
Give the kid a shot in real game situations for heavens sake.
The silver lining in the blowout last night was the younger guys getting some good burn against a really good team on their own floor. Ian was taking full advantage and I hope that Pop took notice... finally.
Ian made a good case last night for more minutes even if it was in garbage time. Interesting to see him so far deep in the doghouse though since Pop has given minutes to the 10-day players, Malik, and Blair.
start Ian...or start blair.....
I know it was just one game, but Ian looked polished to me, at least on the offensive game, his game flowed quite nice against Gortat, which is a good post defender, and didn't seem as rusty as before.
I would like pop to strat playing him at the bigining of games at least, just in case he can help.
Ian deserves a chance, at least one ing legit chance to prove everyone hes an NBA player or not.
At the beginning of the year, I thought Pop would groom Ian to eventually start along side Duncan. I think he would have taken a lot of defensive pressure off Duncan. It was great to see him get some time, but unfortunately, I doubt if this last game, and the sparse minutes he'll get the rest of the regular season, is going to translate into playoff rotation minutes.
More than anything else, Ian needs some "guts of the game" minutes, not garbage minutes. Garbage minutes don't prove much one way or the other. On the telecast Sean mentioned he would've like to see Ian get some time against Howard. I agree. Some say he's a foul machine and makes too many mistakes, I say so what, let him foul out and let him learn from his mistakes.
Sadly, if I were Ian, no way I resign with the Spurs this off season.
If you take Ian's stats and give the old "if this was translated into 48 minutes" spin, he'd be a 40ppg and 10 rpg guy with no fouls per game.
Take that Pop
When I saw Bonner attempt a drive and just throw the ball at the rim I remembered my old tennis coach who would say:
"This"
*flail*
"Is NOT a shot!"
I've often benn critical of Mahimni, because I watch him in one game, and he looks good out there, and then the next game he seems to regress, or take a step back. I know its hard to evauluate a guy when Pop doesn't play em enough. But after last night, I came away impressed with Mahimni. He looked fluid out there and IMO got the better of Gortat, a legit bigman, in their matchup last night. I always thought Mahimni had all the physical tools, but I always questioned his BBIQ, or the mental part of his game. After last night, I definitely think Mahimni should get more playing time, and hope that he continues to improve. And hope that Mahimni can work his way into the rotation come playoff time.
Even lottery teams have front courts. That's where the Spurs are headed.
Every time I see one of these thread I can't help thinking about "Any Given Sunday"... the stubborn coach and his play-books vs. the talented but raw player buried at the end of the bench.
Except, there is no happy ending for Ian with Pop coaching.
Am I crazy, or does it seem like this thread is full of people who were calling Ian garbage and declaring he'd be out of the league but now want him to get time?
But of course, the logic has been there for him to get a chance since before the season.
Especially last night. A back-to-back where Duncan had played 32 minutes the night before including an entire 3rd quarter? Set aside that Duncan still wasn't taken out at the 2 minute mark when they were up by 25 against the Heat, but he could have sat against the Magic.
And if the pressure was on to play Duncan, then sit Dice. He was dragging his dead leg up and down the court Thriller style again last night, he should've sat if Duncan was going to play.
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One amusing event was when in the postgame with Coach Brown, Schoening brought up Mahinmi getting time as a consolation prize, and Brown almost seemed uncomfortable with answering. He responded that the game was out of hand, so they threw Ian a bone. And that Ian spends his time working with Chad and Chip. So every once in a while they'll throw him a bone.
Not exactly high praise or an indication that anything will be changing. But the other times of postgames when he or Newman praised Ian or Malik and talked about them maybe getting more time, Pop made sure that didn't happen. So maybe they've learned their lesson and will no longer say anything positive with regards to real playing time for these guys.
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Back to the game, I did see things I don't like from Ian and couldn't say it was his best game without question. In particular his layups. Some games he does like he should and slams when he has the chance to finish strong, last night his euro-tendencies took over and he had a couple of layups that should have been dunks. It didn't make a difference because he made the layups, but that just shows how hard some habits are to break. In the non-blowout time of games he needs to finish like he did against the Nets and not Charles-Smith the gimmes, he's not Oberto with zero lift or Blair who's 6'7", he needs to finish strong.
Because that's what living is!
The 6 feet, 11 inches, in front Pop's face!
Now I can't make him do it.
He's got to look at the players next to him! Look into Ian's eyes! I think Pop's gonna see a guy . . . who will go that inch with him.
He's gonna see a guy, who will sacrifice his glass ankles for this team, because he knows, when it comes down to it, smallball is complete garbage!
That's a Spurs team gentlemen.
And, either we heal (Parker's injuries), now, as a team . . . or we will die . . . in the first round getting rolled by the Mavs or Lakers . . .
That's Spursball guys.
That's all it is.
Now . . . What isgonna do?
I remember when Blair was playing well and had gotten some rhythm. Now that's broken too.
Pop would know this all along.
Trouble is... other teams shopping for a big man would've taken noticed too. I won't bet on Ian coming back next year. The issue won't be money but playing time.
Given that we are not a contender, Ian and Malik should be playing 24-30mins a game right now. Let's see what they can really offer.
Sadly, what should be and what is rarely coincide.
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