Blair seeking more playing time

[dbestpro]

As much as I like Blair, I don't think he is anything other than a good role player at best. He will never be Barkely, Larry Johnson, or Unseld.

Larry Johnson at the same age as Blair just finished community college and began his first year at UNLV. He spent two years there before he entered the NBA. To believe Blair could not develop as well as Johnson is a misconception. Blair is way ahead of Johnson at the same age and time in their basketball play. Don't know if he will improve but there is no reason to believe he won't based off of past performance.

[ShoogarBear]

Larry Johnson at the same age as Blair just finished community college and began his first year at UNLV. He spent two years there before he entered the NBA. To believe Blair could not develop as well as Johnson is a misconception. Blair is way ahead of Johnson at the same age and time in their basketball play. Don't know if he will improve but there is no reason to believe he won't based off of past performance.

I don't know exactly what Blair's ceiling is, but to say that he is "way ahead of Johnson at the same age and time" is wrong.

Johnson was a 20-10-4 machine with reasonable range whose college game translated immediately to the pros. At the age of 23, he was second-team All NBA. While he wasn't a great defender, he wasn't nearly the liability on the perimeter that Blair is.

Blair shows signs of being an elite NBA rebounding, and has enough court smarts and hustle to make up for some of his weaknesses. But I don't see him projected to being an All-NBA player in 3 years.

[TheSpursFNRule]

In my opinion saying what Blair can be and what he cannot be at this point is arbitrary. The guy has shown enough flashes of brilliance as well as struggles in limited minutes to be conceived as either. We will simply have to wait and see if he has a sophmore slump or a breakout season. In my opinion I feel he will be looking at somewhere around 10-10 given his ability to pound his way around the post and hustle down boards.

His pump fakes are exceptional as well as his foot work and soft hands. Where he struggles is getting beat on defense and fouling to much when his man beats him. If DeJuan can get smarter on the defensive end he is a force to be reckoned with, I disagree with what most say about his size effecting his defensive lacking. If that is true explain to me why all the guys he's been compared with that have been listed at 6-7 by previous posters (Barkley, Rose, Johnson etc.) were all above average defenders.

[pawe]

Learn to shoot FTs first.

[widowmaker]

DeJuan...please watch all the tapes you can of the following players:
Wes Unseld
Larry Johnson
Malik Rose
Mix in some Charles Barkley

So...Watch Video of players listed above, Test Moves, Implement in practice and summer league to muscle memory....DOMINATE next year!

Do that, and you won't be home in Pittsburgh in May of next year.

I say the FO needs to hire hakim alajuan to show this guy some foot work and low post moves. Blair isn't a tall guy and a little finesse and good foot work will help him preserve those knees that everybodys watching. Kobe hired that guy last year, why wouldnt the spurs hire him for blair?

[Man In Black]

Hakeem Olajuwon's game is like Tim Duncan's. While the postwork is fine, they also had the length and/or athleticism to get off the jump shots needed. That's why I think, Wes Unseld's game is the one that would suit DeJuan the best.

Read this excerpt:

In his second season, Unseld scored a career-best 16.2 ppg. His rebounding numbers remained impressive, and it became clear that he contributed in ways that didn't show up in the box score. He set solid picks, grabbed rebounds, whipped outlet passes to trigger fast breaks, and consistently prevented opposing centers from establishing position in the lane. His 16.7 rebounds per game earned him second place in the league's rebounding race again, this time to San Diego's Hayes. The Bullets were solid in 1969-70, running up a 50-32 record and claiming third place in the Eastern Division.

The NBA realigned for the 1970-71 season, creating two conferences and four divisions. The Bullets were moved to the Central Division, where they ran off five consecutive division les, although their record fluctuated wildly. (They were as bad as 38-44 in 1971-72 and as good as 60-22 in 1974-75.)

During those years Unseld carved out his reputation in the paint. He ranked second in the league in rebounding in each of his first four seasons, slipped to fifth one year, had a down year due to injury, then claimed the rebounding le in 1974-75. He was an All-Star five times during that stretch, despite doing most of his work against players who were much taller, including 7-footers Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Unseld was listed at 6-7, but after he retired, he admitted that he actually had been just a hair under 6-6 all along. However, what Unseld lacked in height, he made up for with his powerful 245-pound frame and sheer determination.

"I know that night in and night out the guy I play against will have more physical ability," he told the Washington Post. "But I feel like if I go out against a guy and play him 40 or 48 minutes a game or whatever, toe to toe, head to head, he is going to get tired or beat up or bored for two or three minutes. That will be enough to make sure he doesn't win the game for his team."

For all his might, Unseld also had great hands, both for grabbing a rebound and for delivering a pass. And, as former Bullets General Manager Bob Ferry told the Washington Post, "He has great anticipation and imagination. He can see something develop, and he gets the pass there at the right time." In addition, while he was not fast, he was very quick, an attribute that was made even more deceptive because of his massive body.

I know it was way back, but Unseld is one of the few to win ROY and MVP in the same year. It shoud've happened for Tim as a ROY too but Stern's NBA is too political/marketing affected. That's why we've seen ties at ROY and 1st team ALL-NBA and ALL-NBA D for players who don't belong.

[024]

he should study some millsap.

[Manufan909]

Like others have said, it is pointless to guess at what Blair could become, but I would like to reinforce that the games he was let loose in (Dallas and OKC) as well as several games where he wasn't let loose but still went ape (1st game against Boston), were all very promising.

And for those with a sharper eye than mine, did he significantly improve on D as the year went on, or no?

[dbestpro]

I don't know exactly what Blair's ceiling is, but to say that he is "way ahead of Johnson at the same age and time" is wrong. .

The comparison was based on age. Blair played at an age this year the same year Johnson was a junior at UNLV. The point is Blair's game is as good now if not better as Johnson's game was as a junior in college.

[8FOR!3]

Shame though, he's 5 inches and two knees from being an all-star future hall of famer.

[Budkin]

Blair was one of the bright spots of this season... he can only get better.

[slick'81]

he'll definitely have an increased role and hopefully will be far more consistent this coming season

[Fabbs]

Blair will have to prove himself and earn minutes with Pop.
Like Bonner and Finley.

[TIMMYD!]

Blair will have to prove himself and earn minutes with Pop.
Like Bonner and Finley.

He already proved to be better than them.

[Fabbs]

He already proved to be better than them.

Sorry you must not know I am not one of the PollyAnna Poppers.
I was being sarcastic TIMMYD!.

[TIMMYD!]

Sorry you must not know I am not one of the PollyAnna Poppers.
I was being sarcastic TIMMYD!.

I had a hunch you might have but I wasn't too sure so I just played it safe.

[Fabbs]

I had a hunch you might have but I wasn't too sure so I just played it safe.

Great! Can't have enough of you realists on board.

Blair so earned minutes already this his rookie year, altho they weren't granted esp in the playoffs.

[wildbill2u]

People comparing Blair to some of the players he resembles physically (Barkley, Unseld, Johnson and Rose) need to go back to the record and check their facts.

Larry Johnson and Charles Barkley were always power forwards. As far as I know they never played a minute at the 5. Barkley said last night he was never a good defender but did other things like rebounding and shooting to make up for his lack of quicknesss on defense.

Even Wes Unseld was listed as a F/C and often played the 4 when his teams had a legitimate 5.

Malik was also a F/C but all Spur fans can remember is when Pop put him on Shaq at the 5 as a sacrificial animal for a few minutes per game. It's a romanticized view of a bench player who became a fan favorite

You will/should remember that Malik had to develop a midrange jumper in order to increase his minutes. However when he fell in love with his new shot and started to think of himself as a 'scorer' his days were numbered as a Spur.

Blair has played the 5 for his entire basketball life. I still think a 6'6" guy will have to learn/prove he can play PF and not plant himself under the basket to succeed over time. After all, how many players other than those named above were that short and had long and successful NBA careers? The reason they come to mind so easily is that they were the exceptions that proved the rule: Height matters.

The players named above all made that transition, some with more success than others. I think Blair will have to do the same.

[SenorSpur]

People comparing Blair to some of the players he resembles physically (Barkley, Unseld, Johnson and Rose) need to go back to the record and check their facts.

Larry Johnson and Charles Barkley were always power forwards. As far as I know they never played a minute at the 5. Barkley said last night he was never a good defender but did other things like rebounding and shooting to make up for his lack of quicknesss on defense.

Even Wes Unseld was listed as a F/C and often played the 4 when his teams had a legitimate 5.

Malik was also a F/C but all Spur fans can remember is when Pop put him on Shaq at the 5 as a sacrificial animal for a few minutes per game. It's a romanticized view of a bench player who became a fan favorite

You will/should remember that Malik had to develop a midrange jumper in order to increase his minutes. However when he fell in love with his new shot and started to think of himself as a 'scorer' his days were numbered as a Spur.

Blair has played the 5 for his entire basketball life. I still think a 6'6" guy will have to learn/prove he can play PF and not plant himself under the basket to succeed over time. After all, how many players other than those named above were that short and had long and successful NBA careers? The reason they come to mind so easily is that they were the exceptions that proved the rule: Height matters.

The players named above all made that transition, some with more success than others. I think Blair will have to do the same.

Excellent points.

[cantthinkofanything]

I will say that he may never be a Barkley, Johnson, or Unseld. But if he's Malik Rose 2002-2003 every day for 10-11, he's bad ass. And he can learn tons from watching Unseld. I don't think he needs to really perfect a 15 foot jump shot. He needs to be able to optimize the space he can gather with his body position. Unseld's ability to outwork people to get better position and to clear space and go with either hand around the boards, helped negate the size differential of length. Let's say DeJuan only takes 10-12 shots per game but makes over 50% of them...then, it's all good. He already rebounds well.

Yeah, I would take Malik Rose all day. But I think alot of Blair's success comes from him being an unknown quan y for the most part. At some point, taller defenders will know that he's going to double clutch under the goal and I think even more of his shots will be blocked. If he developed a 15 footer, combined with his quickness, he would be a tough cover for most big men.

[Man In Black]

People comparing Blair to some of the players he resembles physically (Barkley, Unseld, Johnson and Rose) need to go back to the record and check their facts.

Larry Johnson and Charles Barkley were always power forwards. As far as I know they never played a minute at the 5. Barkley said last night he was never a good defender but did other things like rebounding and shooting to make up for his lack of quicknesss on defense.

Even Wes Unseld was listed as a F/C and often played the 4 when his teams had a legitimate 5.

Malik was also a F/C but all Spur fans can remember is when Pop put him on Shaq at the 5 as a sacrificial animal for a few minutes per game. It's a romanticized view of a bench player who became a fan favorite

You will/should remember that Malik had to develop a midrange jumper in order to increase his minutes. However when he fell in love with his new shot and started to think of himself as a 'scorer' his days were numbered as a Spur.

Blair has played the 5 for his entire basketball life. I still think a 6'6" guy will have to learn/prove he can play PF and not plant himself under the basket to succeed over time. After all, how many players other than those named above were that short and had long and successful NBA careers? The reason they come to mind so easily is that they were the exceptions that proved the rule: Height matters.

The players named above all made that transition, some with more success than others. I think Blair will have to do the same.

NO...Wes was a center his entire life. Elvin Hayes was his power forward. And besides, it's a post thing here. They are supposed to be interchangeable but haven't been because the other guy lacks the needed skill set. I agree it's hard to find another David Robinson. But I think, in limited cases, I can easily see Duncan and Blair go the Elvin Hayes/Wes Unseld route.
But screw careers. The NBA history is littered with undersized players who perform well enough to make a huge difference. Besides, it's not really the career of Blair that needs to be talked about. It's Duncan's career that needs to be PRESERVED. In order for Tim to get that potential ONE FOR THE THUMB, then all Blair has to do to help, is to play within the reach of the players I listed. If not them, then this tier: Paul Milsap or Larry Smith.
Same physical stats but all of them...double-digit rebounders with limited offensive game, although...Milsap has gotten more polished under Coach Sloan.
I remember when people were talking about Chuck Hayes of the Rockets. 6'6" 245 lbs. DeJuan is better than Chuck and once he starts shooting 50% regularly...I'm telling you, he'll be a force that can't be left unchecked.

[cantthinkofanything]

The NBA history is littered with undersized players who perform well enough to make a huge difference.

Really? What undersized centers/PF have made huge differences? Nothing against Blair. Glad to have him. But this whole idea of him being something other than a potentially good role player is ridiculous. His knees were not the only factor in him sliding down the draft board.

[Man In Black]

Really? What undersized centers/PF have made huge differences? Nothing against Blair. Glad to have him. But this whole idea of him being something other than a potentially good role player is ridiculous. His knees were not the only factor in him sliding down the draft board.

Speaking of knees, ask Blake Griffin how being #1 for the Clippers was a better experience than Blair slipping because of stupid team docs?

Even better...ask the Grizzlies what they think of Thabeet at #3?

Wes Unseld 6'6 ...Center. Have you not been reading anything?

Larry Smith 6'8 Center
Clifford Ray 6'9 Center
Dan Roundfield 6'8 PF-C
Len Truck Robinson 6'7 PF


See, some of you guys aren't old enough to know. It's not like basketball wasn't played in the early 70's to 80's at a lower level. It was always played at a high level but with less complicated offense and defense. And if you're going to tell me that health and nutrition is the difference maker, then I remind you that the things we see Kobe, LBJ, and DWade do...are the same things I've already seen in Gervin, Magic, & Jordan.


And again, I ain't saying he's an all-star or an all-time great. All he's really done, is made the All-Rookie team...just like Tony did, just like Manu did. It just means he has the potential to be a starter and contribute more, ESPECIALLY if he learns to play the game the way those all time greats mentioned did, maybe not with as much success, but with the same amount of heart and determination. The Spurs need that from everyone, and it will be awesome if he can do it. SO...It's not about Blair going 20-10 every day. It's more about him going 12 points at 50%FG and 8 rebounds in about 20-25 minutes on the court...That's all I think the Spurs would need from him. Just another important cog in the sum is greater than all it's parts mantra the Spurs run.

[The Truth #6]

I think people are getting too caught up with labels. Is Blair a 5? Is Duncan a 4? No matter what we call Blair he's going to need to improve his defensive movement and offensive skills. People bring up Barkley and Johnson but those two were way superior athletes. Barkley was an elite leaper and Johnson (pre-back surgery) had great mobility, leaping, and also had a jumpshot.

I agree that Blair should learn how to back a player down in post, improve his mid-range jumpshot, and how to make quick defensive rotations. Easier said then done but if he improves in just one of those categories he'll be a much improved player. But whether he's a 4 or 5 on Pop's teams is beside the point. Finley played power forward. Jefferson played power forward. Labels are tricky on this team. He just needs to work on his skills and let the rest figure itself out.

[cantthinkofanything]

Speaking of knees, ask Blake Griffin how being #1 for the Clippers was a better experience than Blair slipping because of stupid team docs?

Even better...ask the Grizzlies what they think of Thabeet at #3?

Wes Unseld 6'6 ...Center. Have you not been reading anything?

Larry Smith 6'8 Center
Clifford Ray 6'9 Center
Dan Roundfield 6'8 PF-C
Len Truck Robinson 6'7 PF

This is your list to back up your comment about the NBA being "littered" with undersized players who made huge impacts????