Reply With QuoteI also heard on local SA radio (not MT) about Blair being benched cause of his conditioning problems..If true, this could be a red flag on Blair and his work ethic.
Does anyone know if this is true and/or did anyone hear this;
On my way to work after the Spurs loss last night I heard that bag Mike Taylor say that after the lakers had annihilated the spurs in s.a. ...
that Pop approached Blair and told him he needed to lose weight and also that this was the primary reason for Pop benching Blair and changing the lineup that had won all those games together....
Is this true?
The second thing I was wondering and would like to hear what you guys/gals think is;
Do you think Pop inserted Splitter to start the 2nd half last night because of Dice's conduct in receiving that T and losing his composure?
(I personally would have liked to see more of the veterans care this much too.)
I guess it doesn't matter too much now but I was wondering if this is what caused Pop to make these decisions on these two situations....
I also heard on local SA radio (not MT) about Blair being benched cause of his conditioning problems..If true, this could be a red flag on Blair and his work ethic.
yeah,
and also gives Blair some of the blame for ruining a pretty dominating starting five for almost the whole season...and as much as I have been hard on Pop...it seems he might of had reasons for changing the lineup...
Still can't forgive Pop for the mis-handling of Splitter and re-signing Bonner...but that is another topic...
If Popovich waited until late April to put Blair on the bench because of his weight, then he's more of an idiot than I though 12 hours ago. You dont bench a part of the regular rotation because of conditioning in the playoffs. You do that during the regular ing season!!!
The only blame Blair deserves for 'ruining' the starting lineup is that he wasn't born ten years earlier.
And nothing changed about Blair's 'conditioning' or weight all season. If Pop really waited until the end of the season to deal with that, he's dumber than I thought.
You guys are putting WAY too much stock in Blair's impact.
About the Blair thing, it's been reported that he was trying to loose some weight (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursna...-playing-time/), but I doubt Pop aproach Blair on terms of loose weight or stop playing, or that it was the reason why he left the starting line up.
Your second question is more interesting. It was really surprising to see Dice reacting the way he did, but I don't think that was the reason to start Splitter in the second half. I believe Pop honostely was surprised at how good he played in the first that he tried to give it a go in the second. It was a desperation moove that didn't pay out. I wonder how Pop will play him on games 5 and hopefully 6.
It's true...I heard that on the radio that Pop got mad at him because he wanted Whataburger. Blair looks a bit fatter than he did at the begining of of the season.
I have heard of stories like that about Zarko Pajsapi, and Dwane Shinchutz, always eating Pizza hut all the time, and not staying in shape...it happens, you get a Rookie contract and you let yourself go.
Blair better lose his fat soon and get his fat ass into shape for next year!
Dice was the only one being emo....everyone else played like pussies!
exactly, Blair got rebounds and that's it. His offense is atrocious and his defense is below average.
It was a shame what happened to Dice last night - he couldn't even come close to their bigs without getting called for a foul. He really couldn't play last night, hence his frustration. I thought if anything that was the bad side of the calls last night.
that my friend was the best part of the game. wish the others had reacted that way but oh well ....
why would starting Tiago be a desperation move if we were leading the game??
I think starting Splitter in the second half was a combination of Dice already sitting on three fouls (in a game that was still as close as it gets at that time) and Tiago playing pretty decent before.
that could put some new light why Blair was pissed about this bench
Also he lost some weight but did not get used to it - it also affects players game
I wasn't trying to say Blair was the greatest....but the chemistry must have been pretty good with all the wins that they had piled up-up to that point...
The only blame Blair deserves for 'ruining' the starting lineup is that he wasn't born ten years earlier.
And nothing changed about Blair's 'conditioning' or weight all season. If Pop really waited until the end of the season to deal with that, he's dumber than I thought.
and chemistry sometimes is a big deal in the game of basketball.
The only blame Blair deserves for 'ruining' the starting lineup is that he wasn't born ten years earlier.
And nothing changed about Blair's 'conditioning' or weight all season. If Pop really waited until the end of the season to deal with that, he's dumber than I thought.
I agree with you 1 million % silver.
But what Strike and Aggie are saying is why would you let Blair successfully start for 50 games, rack up the best record in the NBA, arguably bringing much energy to the starting lineup, Timmy Duncan looking refreshed and reborn knowing its not him vs Opponents Entire Front Line and then........
Just before the playoffs can it all for the playoffs?
Moronic loser Popped.
My observation as the season was in progress was that Blair seemed to enjoy the bright lights at the All Star game a little too much. I thought he came back from the AS game with an at ude, and wasn't as good on the floor. More to the point, he looked like he was making progress before the break, but looked like he was losing ground after it. I don't know about his conditioning, but it would fit with everything else.
The biggest problem for the team, I think, isn't just that Blair's effectiveness has suffered. Do you remember what McDyess looked like when he first got put into the starting lineup? He was a damn beast. He was ripping down boards, hitting the floor for loose balls, and hitting his shots. People talked about him finding the fountain of youth. Is that the same player you see now? I think he (had to) play too many minutes, and he's just worn out. If we had a fresh Antonio McDyess, like the one that first took over Blair's spot, we would be in a lot better shape in this series. IMO, that's what Blair really cost us.
Edit: Before anyone screams - I love McDyess. He's a warrior. But he's also old. When he can play at his peak, he is still an absolute beast. I don't think it's an insult to him to suggest that at this point in his career, he's only at his best for limited minutes. And I think all the minutes he played as a starter added up. I just think we would have been a lot better off to have him still fresh in the postseason.
Im pretty sure Pop had inserting Dice into the starting line-up planned all along, whether Blair was in good shape or not. I think he was handling Dice's minutes very similar to how he did with Horry...sparingly used in the regular season but a big part of the rotation in the playoffs. Cant say I blame Pop for this either, Id much rather have Dice out there instead of Blair.
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