Will Blair play with Timmy Duncs?

[Fabbs]

As the season progressed, Lord Poppy began playing Blair and Duncan pretty much completely separately. Blair at 6'7" was instructed to play Center and the sentence included as his frontline help Matt Bonner at Power Forward. CIA Pop, he's won 4 les you know.

Will we get to see Blair play alongside Duncan much if at all this 2010-2011 season?

1a Will we get to see Blair play alongside Duncan and another big at the same time? You know, TallBalls that won us les. (I don't buy the b.s. that this combo would never work as Blair could not hang with any SFs.) Some opponents yes Blair could not hang with the SF ie MarshMellow Anthony. Many teams the strength of Duncan- Splitter/Dyce - Blair would be a huge advantage to the Spurs.
Anyway main question is 1.

[ChuckD]

1. If he develops a jumper, yes. Otherwise, no. Every other big that has played alongside Tim through his whole career has had at least a serviceable jumper. Oberto didn't have one, which is why he barely played his first year. He developed one that was good out to about 14-15 feet.

1a. no. If you want his career to be shorter than it would otherwise, just waste minutes having him overstress those knees chasing perimeter players on defense. He's probably not going to play more than 5-6 years and not more than 25-28 minutes. Why waste it on he's not qualified to do? Develop his BIG MAN skills and turn him loose playing the 4 or the 5.

[Fabbs]

1. If he develops a jumper, yes. Otherwise, no. Every other big that has played alongside Tim through his whole career has had at least a serviceable jumper. Oberto didn't have one, which is why he barely played his first year. He developed one that was good out to about 14-15 feet.

If Grizzy Blair does develop a jumper, he is All Star material. However....

Man From Nazr in 2005s ass kicking team (and 2006s best record reg season record #1 West seed and 1st round takedown of the Kings before Poppy benched him) with a 14-15 foot jumper? 10 foot jumper for that matter? No way.

And i don't remember Fabs hitting much beyond 2 feet.

Denied!

[My Fault]

Maybe your man crush for pop is blinding you so much that you fail to see the obvious. Blair and Duncan's are to similar to have both on the floor at the same time.

[Fabbs]

Maybe your man crush for pop is blinding you so much that you fail to see the obvious. Blair and Duncan's are to similar to have both on the floor at the same time.

Either that or i watched them on the floor at the same time last year when numerous realists took note that not only did he and Dunc usually win the board battle but Duncans demeanor looked refreshed, energized, ready to play again.

Rather then tired, old, draining, run down like you PopApologists and your takes are.

[ChumpDumper]

Keep practicing that jumper.

[tp2021]

And i don't remember

Which must mean it didn't happen.

[tp2021]

And i don't remember Fabbs hitting much

Denied!

Is that why you are always trolling here? LOL couldn't help myself.

[DPG21920]

When I was watching Blair at the SL, his jumper looked pretty bad. Very flat and he does not get a lot of lift.

Although, he was just doing a very limited workout and it was all from about 10-14 feet.

[Fabbs]

When I was watching Blair at the SL, his jumper looked pretty bad. Very flat and he does not get a lot of lift.

Although, he was just doing a very limited workout and it was all from about 10-14 feet.

eesh!
Hopefully this was after he tweaked his leg?
Or as you said a very limited workout. Shooting without anyone guarding him?

[Dex]

1a Will we get to see Blair play alongside Duncan and another big at the same time? You know, TallBalls that won us les. (I don't buy the b.s. that this combo would never work as Blair could not hang with any SFs.)

First, none of the Spurs le teams ever utilized a three-big lineup. It was either Sean Elliott or Bruce Bowen at SF...i.e. players who are actually Small Forwards. Even the two-big Twin Towers have never been properly rebuilt ever since Robinson hung them up (although some like Rasho and Nazr put up formidable efforts).

Secondly, Blair is not equipped to hang with 90% of the SFs in the league. He doesn't have the length, speed, or athleticism. His game is completely tailored around the post, both offensively and defensively. Putting him on the perimeter chasing a wing would just make it harder for him to do what he is there to do: rebound.

Finally, you still need to come up with a nickname for Pop that doesn't completely suck.

[Fabbs]

First, none of the Spurs le teams ever utilized a three-big lineup. It was either Sean Elliott or Bruce Bowen at SF...i.e. players who are actually Small Forwards. Even the two-big Twin Towers have never been properly rebuilt ever since Robinson hung them up (although some like Rasho and Nazr put up formidable efforts).

Like i said, it's 1 and 1a.
More interested in 1.

At to Nazr-Rash putting up a "formidable effort", yeah, you could call a Championship and then a 63-19 reg season and 1st round solid win with Nazr followed by a repeat bid derailed only by DexInmyAssovich "formidable".

Blair cannot hang with 60% of the SFs, but that does not mean he should be benched nor occasionally have a Duncan-Splitter-Grillly frontline.

[DPG21920]

eesh!
Hopefully this was after he tweaked his leg?
Or as you said a very limited workout. Shooting without anyone guarding him?

He was working with one person and no one else on the court. He did shooting drills as I described. Very limited movement. Very limited range. Very limited effort.

[ChumpDumper]

Like i said, it's 1 and 1a.
More interested in 1.

At to Nazr-Rash putting up a "formidable effort", yeah, you could call a Championship and then a 63-19 reg season and 1st round solid win with Nazr followed by a repeat bid derailed only by DexInmyAssovich "formidable".

Blair cannot hang with 60% of the SFs, but that does not mean he should be benched nor occasionally have a Duncan-Splitter-Grillly frontline.

There is no way such a lineup would work. the spacing would be a dream come true for the opposing team's defense.

[ElNono]

Timmy Duncs needs a floor spreader... or so it's the contemporary thought on the matter.
Gingerbread man will probably delight us with all the floor spreading Timmy Duncs need.

[Fabbs]

Timmy Duncs needs a floor spreader... or so it's the contemporary thought on the matter.
Gingerbread man will probably delight us with all the floor spreading Timmy Duncs need.

Could you and Hump bake a cake together about now?

[Dex]

Like i said, it's 1 and 1a.
More interested in 1.

At to Nazr-Rash putting up a "formidable effort", yeah, you could call a Championship and then a 63-19 reg season and 1st round solid win with Nazr followed by a repeat bid derailed only by DexInmyAssovich "formidable".

Blair cannot hang with 60% of the SFs, but that does not mean he should be benched nor occasionally have a Duncan-Splitter-Grillly frontline.

See, now you're getting somewhere.

I'm not taking away from anything that Nazr accomplished with the team, but he still was no damn 5-0, and the Spurs haven't had a center near that caliber since David left. Granted, that's setting the bar awful high, but the Spurs have been fortunate to find one big man to stick next to Duncan, let alone two.

[ElNono]

Could you and Hump bake a cake together about now?

Sure. It's getting awfully close to tea time.

[Fabbs]

See, now you're getting somewhere.

I'm not taking away from anything that Nazr accomplished with the team, but he still was no damn 5-0, and the Spurs haven't had a center near that caliber since David left. Granted, that's setting the bar awful high, but the Spurs have been fortunate to find one big man to stick next to Duncan, let alone two.

I don't think Narz was 5-0 either, but i don't think the gap between aged 5-0 and Nazr was that great, given the context of Nazrs role.
No doubt in my mind the Spurs repeat if TallBalls with Nazr was continued into Round 2 and also Parker was pulled in round 1 with the 14 point lead late 3rd qtr lead and an obviously unmedicated Ron Artest looking to hurt someone at the end of the Kings series. King Re puts Parker back in, bam he gets slammed by Artest and is rendered 60% or less for the Mavs series. Kori the Princess said Parker could barely walk between games. CIA Pop!

[JustinJDW]

Don't mean to be a downer, but don't expect Blair to get a bunch of minutes next Season. With Tiago here now and Bonner with that multi-year contract, (which means he will play), Blair will just be the 5th Big and Rebounding Specialist.

Expect Timmy and Dice to start and Tiago and Bonner to be the backups in the beginning of the Season. Bonner gives Tiago a bunch of room to go to work in the post and also run pick-n-rolls with Ginobili.

That's just my assumption. I'd rather see Timmy and Tiago start and Dice and Bonner be the Bench Bigs because they both work very well together and both work well coming off the Bench.

Bonner should be the 5th Big and Shooting Specialist, but sadly, that probably won't happen.

[DPG21920]

The offensive spacing does not worry me one bit. It is not ideal, but Tim can shoot and Blair can get inside. Plus, there are other things on offense that work together besides "spacing".

The defensive side of the ball is what worries me with this pairing.

[lotr1trekkie]

OMG, Blair is a Rodman clone without the defense. He can be a rebounding 'black hole' with Tiago on the second unit. Dice's skills complement Tim as a center. Blair complements Tiago and Manu. We don't need 4 scorers starting. WE need 3 plus a defensive roleplayer at the #2. Don't know who ,since most of today's players are simply offensive minded. NBA teams reward this behavior. When did they ever reward the defensive player of the year megabucks unless he was a scorer also. The NBA is what it is. O sells and D doesn't. Done deal!

[ChumpDumper]

The offensive spacing does not worry me one bit. It is not ideal, but Tim can shoot and Blair can get inside.

You want to move Tim Duncan out on the perimeter so Blair can post up?

I can see doing that with Duncan and Splitter, but come on.

[EricB]

You want to move Tim Duncan out on the perimeter so Blair can post up?

I can see doing that with Duncan and Splitter, but come on.

Don't you realize that DeJuan Blair is a budding superstar held back by Popovich??


COME ON.

[DPG21920]

You want to move Tim Duncan out on the perimeter so Blair can post up?

I can see doing that with Duncan and Splitter, but come on.

Where did I say that? That would be like me taking your "keep working on the jump shot" comment and saying: You want Blair hoisting up jump shot after jump shot right now?

I said the spacing does not worry me and Tim has the ability to shoot. I did not say this is an ideal pairing or that they should move Tim out and Blair in just to play them together.

I said the spacing on offense with this hypothetical pairing does not really bother me. It is the defensive side of this pairing that does.