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any news about Blair's situation?
In the first game of their 2010 summer league schedule, the San Antonio Spurs easily disposed of the Minnesota Timberwolves by a final score of 85-61. In a sloppy affair that featured 55 turnovers (28 by the Spurs), San Antonio's attention to detail on defense was the difference. They held the T'Wolves to 36.5% shooting and kept a lead throughout virtually the entire contest.
The main story of this game was injuries. DeJuan Blair didn't play due to pain in his leg. Garrett Temple, who started for the Spurs at point guard, twisted his left ankle and may miss the rest of summer league. James Gist also twisted his left ankle, however he was able to stay in the game. The Timberwolves didn't come away unscathed as they lost both of their 2010 first rounders to injury -- Wesley Johnson (hamstring) and Lazar Hayward (elbow).
Garrett Temple
23:43 minutes, 11 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound, 2 steals, 6 turnovers
4-for-6 from the floor, 2-for-2 on three-pointers, 1-for-1 at the line
In college, Garrett Temple couldn't score in an empty gym with a step ladder. Since hooking up with the Spurs, Temple now seems to score with ease. (In fact, Popovich compared Temple to George Gervin in an interview during this game.) Against Minnesota, Temple played with a ton of confidence and hit his first four shots, which included two three-pointers and a traditional three-point play. Defensively, Temple used his 6-foot-6 frame to harass his opponent and did well on that end against both point guards and swingmen. However, everything was not gravy for Temple. All of his point guard skills were severely lacking. His decision-making was poor, he had trouble handling the ball and he was taking forever to get the team into the offense. The ankle injury is bad timing because Temple could really use the work to learn how to run the show. Fortunately for Temple, he showed enough last year to guarantee a training camp invite in the fall.
Alonzo Gee
34:50 minutes, 12 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 5 turnovers
4-for-12 from the field, 0-for-1 on three-pointers, 4-for-6 at the line
Alonzo Gee showed quite a bit of good and quite a bit of bad in his first summer league outing. On one hand, he's an impressive athlete who can run, jump and absorb contact. For his size, Gee is an outstanding rebounder. He seems to see the floor rather well and plays with a healthy amount of energy on the defensive end. On the other hand, Gee is a horrendous ball-handler for a perimeter player. That lack of dribbling ability really hurts his ability to get to the hoop in a halfcourt setting. Even on the fast break, Gee is uncomfortable handling the ball in space. I also thought that he was a bit selfish against the T'Wolves. He went 1-on-5 much too often and looked off open teammates. Going forward, Gee needs to continue proving he can be an elite rebounder, show an ability to knock down open jumpers, continue his energy on the defensive end and mask his ball-handling weakness as much as possible.
James Gist
26:54 minutes, 8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist, 1 steal, 5 turnovers
3-for-7 from the floor, 2-for-4 at the line
It was good to see the lively version of James Gist once again. Last season, the 2008 second round draft pick out of Maryland was tentative and played like he was completely confused about his role. Versus Minnesota, Gist let it all hang out. Even though he wasn't always successful, it was a step in the right direction. On defense, he's extremely mobile for a power forward and has learned to trap pick-and-rolls masterfully. Although he can get pushed around under the basket, he gives quality attempts when protecting the rim. On offense, Gist doesn't quite seem to know what he wants to do. He played out on the perimeter a lot but found his best success when maneuvering in the painted area. The Spurs obviously want to make him a stretch four but it's to be seen whether Gist has the shot or the perimeter skills to handle such a role. At first blush, I'd say it's doubtful that Gist could transition into a stretch four.
Curtis Jerrells
26:58 minutes, 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 turnovers
4-for-6 from the floor, 1-for-1 on three-pointers, 2-for-3 at the line
Though his stats don't look bad, I was very disappointed with what I saw from Curtis Jerrells. He's attempting to make the switch from a small shooting guard to a point guard ... and it just ain't happening. He has poor court vision and he's so unsure of what to do when he brings the ball up the court that he single-handedly bogs down the offense. Jerrells had a few impressive moments when it came to scoring the ball but he's nowhere close to being an NBA-caliber point guard at this juncture of his development. On the defensive end, I thought he applied good pressure and utilized his quick hands and feet to attack dribblers. We'll see if he can improve his point guard play in the coming games but it really looks like he'll need another year in the D-League to iron out the kinks.
Darryl Watkins
22:20 minutes, 6 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
1-for-2 from the field, 4-for-4 at the line
Remember him? Darryl Watkins was a bit of a preseason legend a few years ago with the Spurs. Interestingly, he has already played four games with the Pacers and one with the Mavericks before he joining the Spurs summer league team. The last time he was in a Spurs uniform, Watkins was an athletic and physical 6-foot-11 shotblocker. In this game, he looked like he was somewhat out of shape and wasn't moving as well on the defensive end. Watkins rebounded the ball and played better as the game went along but he needs to regain his footing as a defensive presence if he wishes to make a return trip to training camp in San Antonio.
Michael Cuffee
20:29 minutes, 3 points, 1 rebound
0-for-3 from the field, 3-for-4 at the line
Michael Cuffee started at shooting guard ... and I'm not sure why. He looked overmatched on the offensive end, oftentimes getting swallowed up after a few dribbles. His one-on-one defense was decent but he struggled mightily in transition defense. Honestly, I don't see the appeal in him as a prospect.
Eric Dawson
18:16 minutes, 3 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals
1-for-2 from the field, 1-for-1 at the line
The Spurs started Eric Dawson at center and he did a decent job. He had trouble pulling down rebounds but made up for it was a lot of hustle on the defensive end. On offense, Dawson appeared to be one of the few players who knew where to be, which is likely due to him spending parts of the last three seasons in Austin with the Toros. I doubt he's a NBA caliber player but he could be a helpful piece to this summer league squad, especially if Blair continues to be held out due to injury.
Tyler Wilkerson
21:06 minutes, 6 points, 5 rebounds
3-for-6 from the field, 0-for-1 on three-pointers
Tyler Wilkerson is an odd type of athlete. He's small for a power forward, moves awkwardly, waddles up the court, reacts slowly to action around him ... but when he's around the rim with the ball in his hands, he jumps extremely well and finishes with ferocity. Wilkerson's dunks and all-around inspired play helped the Spurs blow the game open. If he can start hitting shots from the perimeter, Wilkerson's explosiveness around the rim could make him a prospect to keep an eye on.
Gary Neal
15:46 minutes, 11 points, 1 rebound, 2 turnovers
4-for-4 from the field, 2-for-2 on three-pointers, 1-for-1 at the line
Entering the game with a scorer's reputation, Gary Neal didn't disappoint. He has a beautiful jumper that he's not afraid to fire. His confidence shone brightly and I was actually surprised he didn't get more minutes to show what he can do. Hopefully the coaches give him more of a look in forthcoming games. Neal doesn't do much other than look to score but that talent alone appears to be noteworthy.
Dwayne Mitc
12:37 minutes, 12 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 3 steals, 3 turnovers
4-for-4 from the field, 1-for-1 on three-pointers, 3-for-3 at the line
Dwayne Mitc is one of the best athletes in Las Vegas. Despite standing only 6-foot-3, he's strong enough and athletic enough to defend shooting guards when he puts his mind to it. But even though he'll be 28 years old by training camp, Mitc remains a raw prospect. Defensively, he gambles too often and loses track of his man too often. On offense, Mitc can finish in spectacular fashion at the rim ... but that's about it. He doesn't have an outside jumper, can't dribble the ball and isn't much of a team player. To be fair, Mitc played well enough in this game to earn more minutes the rest of the week.
Squeaky Johnson
9:37 minutes, 4 assists, 4 steals
0-for-2 from the field, 0-for-2 on three-pointers
Considering that Squeaky Johnson doesn't have much natural ability, I thought he played really well against the T'Wolves. After Temple got hurt and Jerrells was grinding the offense to a halt, Johnson came in and breathed life into the team on both ends of the court. He made all the right passes offensively and really helped to increase San Antonio's defensive intensity. Johnson is probably too small and too untalented to ever make it in the NBA but he showed why he's a favorite in the Spurs organization.
Sean Denison
5:49 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds
1-for-3 from the field, 0-for-1 on three-pointers
Sean Denison played some minutes early on and appears to be another stretch four candidate. He's 6-foot-11 but plays out on the perimeter. Last year with Tofas Bursa in Turkey, he averaged 12.2 points and 4.9 rebounds in 26.2 minutes per game. It'll be difficult for him to get minutes on this summer league team due to the bigman depth -- especially if Blair makes his return.
any news about Blair's situation?
The spurs did this last year, they rotated the players for each game...Ian and Blair didn't play every game together last year. They like to evaluate the players as part of a seven man rotation it looks like. The announcers said don't worry he's not hurt, just getting an early day off.
We need to see a lot more out of the Spurs prospects going forward.
I don't see much beyond Garett Temple and Gary Neal that really impresses me going forward.
Temple produced and lead the charge, I didn't see as much hesitation/ stalling as Timvp did, PGs are impossible to judge based on summer league. I said that last about George Hill two years ago.
Gary Neal shot unconsciously- and that immediately catches my attention when it comes to a shooter. The Spurs need that. The Spurs have needed that since we lost Bowen, Kerr, Horry, and Jax. I hope Neal can be that for the Spurs.
I like Gist and I want to like Gee but they both were selfish and not necessarily that great at being anything other than really fun to watch...They are very good ball players, just not enough to warrant much more long term investment. They aren't great players just waiting to reveal something, they are talented role players, not diamonds in the rough so far. And I hate saying that about Gist.
Last edited by DespЏrado; 07-13-2010 at 04:19 AM.
Trill Clinton said Blair got hurt in practice ... and that appears to be the case. After the game, Bud said that Blair had pain in his leg. However, Bud indicated that Blair probably will be able to play at some point in summer league.
As I said in the game thread, Squeaky comes in and saves game when the offense gets stagnant under Jerrells, even when Jerrells plays alongside him. Johnson simply doesn't make many mistakes and occasionally he can score in bunches from outside to boot.
As far as Dawson goes, he's in the same boat as Blair in that he needs to prove he can play the PF position to advance his basketball career. He's interesting to follow because he looked like he was really on the right track for three quarters of basketball late in the Toros' season after spending most of the year in Japan. He got injured after that great play (it's becoming part of his rep, unfortunately), so we;ll see if he can pick up where he left off.
Oh, and Cuffee is just a solid D-League player. I think he just took Hairston's starting spot because it was late and they wanted other players coming off the bench.
Honestly this is probably the most useless summer league we've had from the Spurs in a few years. None of these guys feel like they will ever sniff the team, beyond Blair obviously and Temple I think will be an excellent third stringer. Gist, Neal, and Gee all have shots and will probably continue to draw interest from the spurs.
The team is now more notable for it's absences, with Temple now short term sidelined. No Hairston, Tiago, Richards and Anderson mean this team has none of the guys who actually might make headway for the Spurs next year.
Oh well just get to put more pews in the church of Blair for a while.
I stand corrected.
Temple is said to only be out a few days. I think Gee will make the team if he shows any perimeter skills. Neal and Gist will have shots as you said.
Tiago was nevah, evah going to play summer league.
I heard from the recap of the game that Blair just has tightness in his calf. Not sure how reliable that information is, but it at least prevents me from going into cardiac arrest already.
Chump just admit it you care more about bringing the 2011 D-League championship to Austin than anything.This team is more built for tryouts for them than the Spurs.
Anderson and GHill are better than Gee, Neal and Temple edging them out of any rotation chance, meaning this has no practical implications for any le chances except for third string. Blair and Temple are the only people who are even likely to see anything but street clothes all year.
In years past there was a lot more riding on the the Summer league team, this is just like watching Jason Hart compete against Corey Alexander, James White, and Darius Washington.
Gee already showed his scoring potential last season. If Neal continues his shooting streak, who knows?--the Spurs always value that.Chump just admit it you care more about bringing the 2011 D-League championship to Austin than anything.
Anderson and GHill are better than Gee, Neal and Temple edging them out of any rotation chance, meaning this has no practical implications for any le chances except for third string. Blair and Temple are the only people who are even likely to see anything but street clothes all year.
In years past there was a lot more riding on the the Summer league team, this is just like watching Jason Hart compete against Corey Alexander.
You are free to disagree and not watch, but summer league never really was about guaranteed rotation players to me.
Just saying it's more interesting when the selection process takes place in summer league, when Blair and Ian were competing last year was more interesting than not seeing Anderson compete with Gee and Gist for a spot. Anderson could turn out to be McClinton and yet we are gonna miss out on the organic process of watching them play for it.
You thought Ian was competing with Blair?
I actually think Temple. Gee, Neal and Mitc could be competing for a couple of spots when it really comes down to it.
Temple is without a doubt going to make the team. The plus is that he hit 2 3 pointers in a row showing he worked on that aspect during the summer. Unfortunately, he still needs more strength and better ball handling skills. Can't fault him for having difficulty orchestrating the offense of a SL team.
Gee is borderline. Just poor shot selection, forced too many shots and really showed how bad his ball handling skills are. However, he could develop as a defensive stopper, if he does, then he makes the team.
Neal is a really good shooter that can shoot even when contested. He's not going to take a contract unless its guaranteed. If he continues to show that he can go 100% from the fields and 3 point line, then that's definitely going to get him an invite.
For everyone else (Gist and Jerrels included), I seriously doubt they make the team.
None of the players showed a flawlesss game. I suppose that's why they are in SL and D league.
Mitc for example played a part in five straight possession. Two errant backcourt passes for turnovers, a layup, a great alley-oop dunk on a long downcourt pass from Squeaky and a 3 from the corner. And that kind of erratic play, my friends, is what separates NBA players from the minor leaguers.
Neal will be interesting to watch. 6'4" combo whose forte is shooting. Played well in Europe for a couple of years, but that may be his peak.
Thanks for the recap timvp
I'm excited about the fresh blood's performance. Any updates on how serious Gist's ankle tweak was?
"the fresh blood"?Thanks for the recap timvp
I'm excited about the fresh blood's performance. Any updates on how serious Gist's ankle tweak was?
WTF dude as if your avatar wasn't creepy enough...
lol My avatar is a mixture of my old Gremlin though after Manu's Bat swipe last year i opted for the bat Gremlin... do you truly think it's creepy?
great read, thanks
thank you very very much TIMVP,
where did you watch the game at? and will you report in all games from now on???
I enjoy reading this at work
i think what will come out of the league is the fact that we will still desparately need a 3 to add to the lineup because we will not be getting one out of this group
Your cool, dude. Just stop referring to human beings as "fresh blood" and I won't be creeped out.lol My avatar is a mixture of my old Gremlin though after Manu's Bat swipe last year i opted for the bat Gremlin... do you truly think it's creepy?
You said it. A bunch of never-weres without a prayer of making the Spurs roster.
ESPN'S True Hoop on Alonzo Gee:
Alonzo Gee: "looked amazing in full-court situations. He's a great rebounder for a guard, can start the break after grabbing a rebound, is a wonderful passer on the break, and is more than capable of finishing the break with a resounding slam. In the half-court, Gee was completely shut down by Wes Johnson, who might be the best perimeter defender I've seen at Summer League thus far."
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