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Agreed, but I have faith in Splitter.
I didn't like the idea when it was first reported, now I like it even less..I don't want to overreact after 1 game, but he's going to have to change his game up a little..
He looks for his shot too much..that won't work with Duncan, Parker, Ginobili and even Jefferson on the floor with him..he often forces up bad shots too..he's better suited on the bench in that regard..
His defense still looks horrible..with the Spurs horrible perimeter defense, they're going to need all the interior D/mobility from bigs that they can get..
Splitter is the only answer, his game better translate..
Agreed, but I have faith in Splitter.
Yep, horrible game from Blair, too bad he couldn't keep the roll going from preseason. Hopefully tonight was an aberration, if his rookie year taught us anything it definitely was. But he still doesn't give his all on D, he needs to work on that.
It's not really about just having a bad game, I don't think he fits with the starting unit..
Blair is good enough to dominate other team's benches, he should be allowed to play his own game with Hill off the bench IMO..obviously he should still play with the 1st unit sometimes, particularly Manu, but he's better off coming off the bench IMO..
He definitely needs to stop looking to shoot every time they pass him the ball. When the big 3 is on the floor he needs to focus on rebounding and defense and let the offense just come to him.
That being said, that is a correctable mistake and I much rather have someone with that problem than someone who is scared to shoot. He'll be fine.
!!!!
He's gonna have games like this, especially against shot blockers and rebounders like Hibbert. I wanna see how he does the next couple of games.
I also think coaching asked him to play that way. It didn't work. Oh well.
meh. first game of the season. give him a few more before you pull the plug. ing Bonner got to start for how long?
I'd like to see them continue to allow him to do this for a while to see if he can settle in. He's a smart player, and may have just been too amped up. He played himself into bad positions tonight and challenged guys that he normally wouldn't. I've long said he's not undersized for his position, but if he's going to be challenging the trees like that, then he is.
he's undersized, sure, but sometimes undersized players make up for it with other qualities. not that he's in their category, but 3 guys that come immediately to mind are Dave Cowens, Sir Charles and Wes Unseld.
Blair has an odd looking quick release for his mid range jump shot. His core always looks crooked and it doesn't give me much confidence that his shot is going to go in.
I don't know what the actual stats are for his mid range jump shot, though. I doubt it's anything spectacular.
heat looked worse in game one then spurs
Blair usually plays to his strengths which allows him to compete with bigger players. He didn't do that tonight and looked like a 6'6" guy trying to play center.
I don't expect him to continue playing that way.
Yeah, even that little one hander that he was getting good at looked bad tonight. I really think they should give him a dozen games or so to see how he settles in, unless Splitter comes in and just blows everyone away.
I've said this from the first day Blair stepped foot on a Spurs court. Blair's playing style is perfectly suited for a Bench. Its not that he can't start, because he can at times and he can do it well, its just that his energy, hustle for the boards and aggressive moves to the basket is perfect for a NBA Bench. Especially the Spurs Bench where we often need energy off it.
Tiago should start, and Blair should come off the Bench and provide energy. He's still gonna play a solid 20 or so minutes, but having a 6-7 guy start and go up against the other starting 7-foot big men of the NBA just isn't a good idea. Especially defense. His somewhat poor shot selection also shouldn't be on the floor along with Timmy, Manu and Tony. That's just the truth.
Start Splitter, and have Blair and Dice own the Bench along with Hill and Anderson. Along with the Manu or Tony that is usually playing with them. Its perfect.
This x1000.
As mentioned, I hope Splitter steps in and makes that a no-brainer decision.
Blair has earned his keep as a starter for now, especially in the face of "new blood" in the likes of Splitter. I know Pop raves about George Hill a lot, but I get the feeling he has a soft spot for Blair as well.
Then again, Splitter's european run has been pretty impressive and I'd think he'd show more "veteran savvy" around the rim. It's really a tough call.
One thing I didn't like is the fact that Blair did not appear to have the same "hunger" for rebounds as he did when he was trying to prove himself. It almost seems as though now he feels like he's proven himself enough to Pop to justify not giving 110% when it comes to getting rebounds.
I agree with the OP when he says that Blair appears to be looking for his shot too much. Blair's first priority should be rebounding. Any points he gets should always be a bonus - and should hopefully come with exceptional efficiency (FG% > 50)
Agree with this. He's not going to be pulled from the starting lineup anytime soon unless he royally s up. Splitter will have to prove himself first before being crowned the starting center job.
this sounds great in theory, but i can't see Splitter being able to start for quite a while. the Spurs' system is not an easy one to learn, especially the defense, so it will take him a while. Pop is not very forgiving of mistakes.
i sure hope i'm wrong though and Splitter is starting in a few months.
i think its possible the coaching staff wanted him to look for his shot more than usual, this being the Pacers, and the coaches wanting to see how Blair's offensive game might have improved after a summer of working on it.
i would bet they give him a long leash for a while, but if he continues to underwhelm, the leash will be tightened.
Normally I'd agree with you, but Pop doesn't have many options, currently.
There were a few things i liked from him tonight, his ability to draw fouls is a plus and his seemingly new found confidence at the free throw line compounds that ability.
But I thought he looked gased after a few minutes in the 1st quarter. His energy level wasnt very high and perhaps that was a problem. Regardless i think its too early to tell whats going to happen but im looking forward to the next few games.
I did like the idea, at least to start the season, while Splitter get's acclimated. I saw it as a means to limit McDyess' minutes, even give him the odd game off and obviously Bonner shouldn't be under consideration to start, so that left Blair.
But ultimately, like you said, Splitter has to become the starter. McDyess could, but then there's the issue of having a Splitter-Blair pairing off the bench, which would hurt the Spurs spacing. Pop could go with that and play mad scientist with the rotation, so as to avoid having the two of them playing together, but it'll take a lot of subbing and then there's the issue of guys not getting into a rhythm. Too much of a headache.
The spacing was poor with the Duncan-Blair lineup IMO..both Parker and Ginobili had multiple drives to the basket that were heavily contested due to both Duncan and Blair being under the basket, giving them no option to pass, and a much tougher shot than usual..
The defensive issues are still there..Duncan is no longer good enough to make up for his frontcourt mate's weaknesses on D..Blair played decent 1 on 1 D against West at times, but his team D is still too poor to justify being in the starting lineup..
McDyess is a much better fit, but like TD said, his minutes need to be limited..with Bonner being out again, Splitter has a realistic shot at taking the starting spot early in the season, which wasn't expected..the spacing might still be an issue with Splitter, but the defense should be much better, even though he might struggle with fouls early on in the season..
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