The Blair Project....

[ChumpDumper]

If Blair had a jumper.

[Nathan89]

All that said... I'm not willing to give up on him yet.

Blair would benefit greatly by studying Zach Randolph's game... his positioning, his series of post moves, his patience on the block, etc... and obviously He needs to double (even triple) his effort to develop a more consistent jumper during the course of the off-season (Tiago too, for that matter)...

If Blair had a jumper that was half-way as decent as Z-Bo's he would be equally dangerous down low... perhaps moreso, given his advantage athletically...

I agree if Blair had the skills of Z-Bo he would be pretty good. Problem is he has no touch so he is never going to have an outside shot. Never. Never Ever.

Even though Z-bo is undersized I think he is still a couple inches taller than Blair(6'5).

15.6 per 48 good for 7th overall this season.
5 rebounds in 13 minutes, the one and only playoff game Lord Poppy gave him any amount of burn. Jefferson 4 rebounds in 34 minutes. Bonbon did manage a career high 4 rebounds in 20 minutes this game....

16.4 per 48 good for 5th overall his rookie season.

Actually in game 1 of the playoffs he played 21:55 minutes in that time he:

Fg- 3-9 for 9points
Reb-6 (5 of which were offensive which basically means he rebounded his missed shots a lot)

but...but... he got 5 rebounds in 13min so that means he would get 10 in 26min and 15 rebounds in 39min. This guy must be a beast on the boards. No it doesn't work like that. He pads his stats by missing a ton of easy shots. He is not that good of a rebounder.

Blair can't become a good NBA defender, his height makes it impossible to guard decent bigs. I wouldn't be sad if he was used as a sweetner in some kind of trade.

This.

Trade him.

A lot of effort wasted on a player who doesn't belong in the league. It's cute that for his size he rebounds well on occasion, but this rather minor attribute is the sole extent of his value. He can't defend, shoot or do anything else.

Pop's investment in Blair is emblematic of a big Spurs problem: hubris. The Spurs have fallen in love with their own press clippings about finding diamonds in the garbage dump, and with a basketball philosophy that ignores common sense fundamentals.

This.

[Fabbs]

Actually in game 1 of the playoffs he played 21:55 minutes in that time he:

Fg- 3-9 for 9points
Reb-6 (5 of which were offensive which basically means he rebounded his missed shots a lot)

but...but... he got 5 rebounds in 13min so that means he would get 10 in 26min and 15 rebounds in 39min. This guy must be a beast on the boards. No it doesn't work like that. He pads his stats by missing a ton of easy shots. He is not that good of a rebounder.

I recorded it, I'll look when i have time. True a fair amount of his rebs are missed shots. Which is a bad thing?? Getting your own missed shot oftentimes for Blair means he makes the putback. Or gets the ball to another Spur for a continued possession. My recollection of Game 1, what pissed me off where his missed jam attempts off rebounds. Did that twice i think.
Anyway, so two years worth of being in the top 10 rebs per 48 means they are mostly off his missed shots? Cmon.

Everytime Blair has played 30+ minutes in a game he is an auto double double, several times being a 20/20.

Screwup move by Popped to go virtually the whole damn regualar season (51-11) with Blair as a starter then do his Pop as soon as the playoffs start.

[elemento]

Give Blair time

He is still young. I dont see 1 single reason to give up on him. He could easily become our Millsap if he develops a jump-shot. Millsap did not have a jump-shot when he entered the league in 2006. Now he is just fine as a player. And his measurements are almost identical. Millsap is 1 inch taller, but Blair has a longer wingspam and standing reach.

We just have to use him properly

[Phenomanul]

"if Blair had a jumper"

That's what I'm saying he needs to focus on this off-season... Kind of the whole point of questioning why people would want to give up on him so soon, or want him shipped out given he still has alot of unused potential... (and a cheap contract)...

[cantthinkofanything]

That's what I'm saying he needs to focus on this off-season... Kind of the whole point of questioning why people would want to give up on him so soon, or want him shipped out given he still has alot of unused potential... (and a cheap contract)...

I'm not saying to totally give up on him but we don't know if he does have unused potential. We may have seen all we see out of him. Maybe over time, he gets smarter but this might be offset by deterioration in his physical ability. We just don't know.

As to developing a jump shot, his loner wingspan and standing reach are probably detriments to him being able to shoot consistently.

I like Blair as a player but I don't have much expectation for him doing significanlty more than he is now.

At this point, the Milsap comparisons are pipe dreams.

[Phenomanul]

I'm not saying to totally give up on him but we don't know if he does have unused potential. We may have seen all we see out of him. Maybe over time, he gets smarter but this might be offset by deterioration in his physical ability. We just don't know.

As to developing a jump shot, his loner wingspan and standing reach are probably detriments to him being able to shoot consistently.

I like Blair as a player but I don't have much expectation for him doing significanlty more than he is now.

At this point, the Milsap comparisons are pipe dreams.

IMO Blair can be a better player than Millsap as he has better touch around the basket, and better passing skills...

Aside from a consistent jumper Blair needs to learn patience... he needs to let the play develop, analyze the defense, and then make his move... right now it seems there are times when he gets the ball and arbitrarily decides (like ElNono mentioned) to go 1-on-1 without regard for the set... sometimes it works, but many times it leads to a fast break for the other team. And like I mentioned in the OP, he needs to 'drop' the teardrop floater from his arsenal... it tends to exacerbate the problem above.. (patience on the offensive execution)...

[Dex]

IMO Blair can be a better player than Millsap as he has better touch around the basket, and better passing skills...

Aside from a consistent jumper Blair needs to learn patience... he needs to let the play develop, analyze the defense, and then make his move... right now it seems there are times when he gets the ball and arbitrarily decides (like ElNono mentioned) to go 1-on-1 without regard for the set... sometimes it works, but many times it leads to a fast break for the other team. And like I mentioned in the OP, he needs to 'drop' the teardrop floater from his arsenal... it tends to exacerbate the problem above.. (patience on the offensive execution)...

Yeah, the point of the teardrop is to bait your defender into dropping back, then get it off before he can react.

Blair usually fails at the first part of this, which leads to him rushing the second. Plus he's so busy trying to get the shot off quick, he doesn't have the time to evaluate if it's really a good shot or not. The result is a bad fling at the basket.

[Spurtacus]

Maybe if Pop would stop playing Blair & Bonner together he wouldn't have struggled as much. Playing him at center is a joke. We've seen Blair is capable of putting up 20 and 10 games. He needs to shed some weight during the summer and be paired up with a 7 footer next season.

[BackHome]

Blairs game kinda reminds me of Tractor Traylor

[Em-City]

bah... waste of time trying to develop him. there's so much talent out there, no need to have a sentemental attachment to players just because we drafted them and they're a nice person.

[lmbebo]

the dearly departed traylor?

[DMC]

bah... waste of time trying to develop him. there's so much talent out there, no need to have a sentemental attachment to players just because we drafted them and they're a nice person.

Someone said that about Randolph as well as plenty of others. Blair is none of those, but a low paid player with his hands knack for being in the right spot is not a waste of time. RJ is a waste of time and money, Bonner is a waste of time for the minutes he gets and tbh, it's a waste of time pretending Duncan just needs rest.

It's a bad time to put Blair on the trading block. They need to get him exposure that will shadow his removal from the rotation in the playoffs. His stock dropped considerably and there's no reason to move him now. Get him out there in the regular season and by the deadline, his stock might have climbed.

[dbestpro]

Trading Blair will only happen to get rid of salary like RJs.

[Em-City]

Someone said that about Randolph ....

i've always been a fan of zbo.

i also think the few inches of height make a huge difference between the two players. They're not comparable.

[Nathan89]

i've always been a fan of zbo.

i also think the few inches of height make a huge difference between the two players. They're not comparable.

I agree with this. I am tired of seeing Zbo in a conversation about Blair. Blair has zero chance of ever being anything close to Zbo. Stop it now. I beg...I beg...

[big daddy russ]

I usually just read, but let's stop some of this craziness right now.

1.) Blair wasn't a "diamond in the rough." He was a prospect that NBA officials and scouts expected to be taken in the lottery, but fell because of injury concerns. We have a double/double talent with a banger's body and mentality.

2.) Blair's short (came in at 6' 6.5" measured height {i.e. w/shoes--measurements NBA rosters use} at the combine), but has freakishly long arms. Has a 7'2" wingspan and his standing reach came in just shy of 8'11." On top of that, his vert is 33." Who cares about his height?

3.) Offensive game--he's taken steps backwards, no doubt. He was always great at tracking rebounds and "finding" space against bigger players, but he's regressed as a finisher. He once thrived off contact and had a soft touch in traffic. The past couple months, he's been pushing his shots. He'll find his touch again.

4.) It took Tony Parker four years to understand the Spurs' defense, and he's just a point. That's not counting the fact that he's still not a great defensive player, but he's been great for us. Manu's always been a defensive liability. We always had Bowen to defend the perimeter, but now that we don't have a stopper (I've had wet dreams about replacing RJ with Corey Brewer) to help contain the other team's best guards, our lack of length and agility in the post is being exposed. That's not a role Blair can fill, but it's one we're expecting him to.

5.) DeJuan's a junkyard dog. The motor is there on D, he just needs to see the floor better. That will happen with time and experience.


In conclusion, he just finished his second year in the league. Let's not burn down the bakery because of a moldy loaf of bread. If we'd reacted the same way to Parker's early struggles, we'd be in rebuilding mode right now.

Seemed like Blair got a little overwhelmed and started overthinking the game towards the end of the season, a sign that the game is coming to him. He'll get there with time, he'll just go through the typical growing pains before the game slows down. Also, we're going to have to address our lack of length sooner or later. Without the proper complement on defense, Blair will always be overmatched. And Timmy's no longer that player, though he's as close as we have.

[K-State Spur]

Blair can't become a good NBA defender, his height makes it impossible to guard decent bigs. I wouldn't be sad if he was used as a sweetner in some kind of trade.

probably not good - but it's at least possible that he could become competent. he would have to get a lot better at using his body without fouling, using his girth to keep the longer opponents from getting close to the rim.

blair actually has a higher standing reach than blake griffin, which is a more important number than height since you don't use the top of your forehead to play defense.

his biggest issue right now is that he gambles so much. it creates some steals, but also makes it almost impossible for him to maintain good defensive position. now, he does that because when he is forced to defend the post, he gets pushed around like a rag doll anyways, so might as well go for the steal with his above average hands.

his current defensive issues are based more on poor decision making and poor footwork than they are due to his height. the size is an easy scapegoat, but his defensive struggles go well beyond that (not that they can't improve).

i'm not saying he's ever going to be able to effectively guard dwight howard or andrew bynum. he'll never be david robinson defensively - but if he works his tail off, there's no reason he can't be malik rose (who could guard just about anybody in the post and not get embarrassed).

[wildbill2u]

Trading Blair will only happen to get rid of salary like RJs.

Yeah, like that's gonna happen.

"Please Mr. GM we'd like you to take this non-performing SF with a contract for four years at too much money, and we'll sweeten the deal with a 6'5" center that we sat on the bench in the playoffs because we just figured out he can't jump and defend bigger players and has no outside shot."

Unfortunately, Isaiah Thomas is no longer a GM.

[portnoy1]

Malik Rose - Solid post defender, solid jump shot, decent low post game and solid rebounder.

Dejuan Blair - Terrible post defender, no jump shot, no low post game and solid rebounding.

Love his heart, but the guy has to be traded with RJ or Bonner somewhere.

[cantthinkofanything]

2.) Blair's short (came in at 6' 6.5" measured height {i.e. w/shoes--measurements NBA rosters use} at the combine), but has freakishly long arms. Has a 7'2" wingspan and his standing reach came in just shy of 8'11." On top of that, his vert is 33." Who cares about his height?

His height is what is going to limit his offensive game so I think it's pretty important. His wingspan and reach are great assets to have when pulling rebounds but they don't fully compensate for his lack of height.

I don't think they come into play as much when he's shooting the ball. No matter what his ultimate release point is, he still has to bring the ball somewhere near his head for proper shooting form. Being shorter means he has to bring the ball down farther. It also means that he is going to be holding the ball longer from his head to the apex of his shot. Unless he changes to some unorthodox shooting form of holding the ball high and having a short shooting motion, he is going to get his shot blocked over and over again. My guess is that's why he double clutches so much. He's had to find a way to compensate for this over time.

Anyway, I like Blair as a player but a lot of people are trying to make him into something he's not.

[Nathan89]

I usually just read, but let's stop some of this craziness right now.

1.) Blair wasn't a "diamond in the rough." He was a prospect that NBA officials and scouts expected to be taken in the lottery, but fell because of injury concerns. We have a double/double talent with a banger's body and mentality.

2.) Blair's short (came in at 6' 6.5" measured height {i.e. w/shoes--measurements NBA rosters use} at the combine), but has freakishly long arms. Has a 7'2" wingspan and his standing reach came in just shy of 8'11." On top of that, his vert is 33." Who cares about his height?

3.) Offensive game--he's taken steps backwards, no doubt. He was always great at tracking rebounds and "finding" space against bigger players, but he's regressed as a finisher. He once thrived off contact and had a soft touch in traffic. The past couple months, he's been pushing his shots. He'll find his touch again.

4.) It took Tony Parker four years to understand the Spurs' defense, and he's just a point. That's not counting the fact that he's still not a great defensive player, but he's been great for us. Manu's always been a defensive liability. We always had Bowen to defend the perimeter, but now that we don't have a stopper (I've had wet dreams about replacing RJ with Corey Brewer) to help contain the other team's best guards, our lack of length and agility in the post is being exposed. That's not a role Blair can fill, but it's one we're expecting him to.

5.) DeJuan's a junkyard dog. The motor is there on D, he just needs to see the floor better. That will happen with time and experience.


In conclusion, he just finished his second year in the league. Let's not burn down the bakery because of a moldy loaf of bread. If we'd reacted the same way to Parker's early struggles, we'd be in rebuilding mode right now.

Seemed like Blair got a little overwhelmed and started overthinking the game towards the end of the season, a sign that the game is coming to him. He'll get there with time, he'll just go through the typical growing pains before the game slows down. Also, we're going to have to address our lack of length sooner or later. Without the proper complement on defense, Blair will always be overmatched. And Timmy's no longer that player, though he's as close as we have.

[DMC]

I agree with this. I am tired of seeing Zbo in a conversation about Blair. Blair has zero chance of ever being anything close to Zbo. Stop it now. I beg...I beg...

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/show...light=Randolph

[wildbill2u]

Wingspan? WINGSPAN! Wingspan is only an important characteristic of an airplane to keep it airborne, not a basketball player.

We've had seveal short players over the years where people pointed out how big their freakish wingspan was. The last one was Romain Sato who didn't last and went to Europe.

I don't care if the guy's knuckles drag on the ground when he walks. His knuckles don't reach higher than a typical 7' foot player when jumping. Wingspan doesn't make up for height and jumping ability on the front line unless you can light up the scoreboard from outside and drive past taller players from outside.

[Cessation]

Blair homers coming out in force. Is there anyone who's is more overrated? Blair's low bbiq limits his potential as much as his height, and lack of acls. This guy is just happy to be in the nba. His numbers are inflated due to him stat padding against weak teams. All the elite teams have size and skill on their front court, though. You saw his pt dwindle as the grizz series progressed. Not to mentioned he actually seems to have regressed from his rookie season. People making to many excuses for this guy, he's as ty on d and as one dimensional, as bonner, tbqh.