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That's insane. Guy is a potential 20/10 guy. He might not develop into it, but he's got intangibles you don't often see.
Obviously he's a legit NBA player but I'd hate to have used a lottery pick on him. I doubt that any GM would have made that gamble...regardless of his knees.
That's insane. Guy is a potential 20/10 guy. He might not develop into it, but he's got intangibles you don't often see.
you don't get to 20/10 on intangibles. I like him as a player but he's not Barkley. I'd be happy if he's Maxiell or Millsap. Which I think he can be close to.
Really? So what makes Zbo and Kevin Love effective? Is it awareness and the other "intangibles"? They aren't physically imposing.
I think his peak as an nba player is around 16ppg and 10 RPGs, and that's if he develops a jump shot. Who knows how long he's going to last with in the nba with the way his knees are.
He seems to have made the adjustment to taller defenders by using his wide body and adding some quick-release shots, so there's definitely improvement. Having said that, he still hasn't developed a reliable jumpshot out to 15 feet or go-to moves in the post (back to the basket).
I think he's still capable of more growth skill-wise, but he's proven he can be a contributor right now, as long as he stays in shape and continues to bring max effort.
Really? For young, immature, players, this is pretty common. They growup, mature, the light comes on, etc... Still way too early to say Blair has turned the corner, but I'm liking what I've seen so far.
Blair could be a 20/10 guy in 2-3 years. Post Timmy D, I could see it happening. He just won't get the touches or responsibility til then.
He looks the same as last season to me
Blair could be a 20/10 guy right now. He's starting, and he's playing well. Give him 30 minutes a night.
Actually, now that I think about it, if you give him ten of Bonner's minutes, you solve two problems. The new problem that pops up is if he can stay out of foul trouble in 30 minutes a night. This team's been far too scared of foul trouble the last few years.
For the record OV, I have no issues with Blair starting right now, I just don't know if come playoff time I'd be comfortable with a 6'7 starting center/PF. But then again, if he's producing his current numbers it may not be so terrible.
I'd love to see Splitter/Duncan start for the playoffs, but I understand that can't happen without a decent 5th big.
I agree. But that depends on Pop. I don't see him "allowing" Blair to get the shots for 20 a night.
Blair has always been able to play this way. As a rook, he was in the top 10 in rebs/36. His isssue has ALWAYS been about the ability to stay on the floor, whether about fouls or defensive lapses.
As a rook, I was surprised at his nose for the ball, and the ability to be in the right place at the right time. He is not seven foot tall, but he is a ing basketball player, unlike Ajinca, Mahinmi, etc. Give me that any day. You can take someone tall, and teach them the rules, but that's like learning chess at 30 instead of 8. You can learn the moves, but you'll never be great.
With all due respect, you guys really need to take a step back and look at what Blair is instead of fixating on what he isn't. Get the over his height, because it has zero to do with his standing reach or his vert or his ability to defend or his production on the floor. Having a guy who's five inches taller with the exact same standing reach who can't play basketball isn't that useful in his place. Charles Barkley played power forward for years at a high level and he's a lot shorter than Blair is.
In case you're snickering under your breath at the mention of Barkley, not only are Blair's current numbers "not so terrible", but his per 36 minutes are insane, so there's really no reason not to give him a few more minutes and see how he can do. He's going to have Duncan or Splitter next to him most of the time. I'm all for a guy to take minutes from Bonner, but I'm also all for just letting Bonner soak up whatever minutes he can and then shortening him out of the rotation for the playoffs. I'm also in favor of someone to serve as injury insurance, but you aren't going to get one of those guys without a trade. In the meantime, recognize that Blair is in shape, playing hard and producing on both ends of the floor.
The Spurs killed the two big teams they faced and got blown out by the one with no size on their front line.
There's no invisible line they cross in the off season. The maturity can happen during the season as well.
If Blair could be a poor man's Barkley, I'd be happy, and once again I have no problem with him starting right now. I just think we have too small of a sample size to really see if Blair has turned the corner. I love that he's starting to back down his defender and use his size to get to certain spots near the basket, but I'll be very curious to see if he continues this production into March/April.
His defense is also suspect, and yes, he is playing hard and producing on both ends of the floor for now, but even the two big teams they've faced are very rusty and may not round into form until February.
You've made several great points, and I'm ecstatic with how Blair has been playing. I just don't know if he is going to be the answer for the starting spot near playoff time. Still very early, and I'd love to be proven wrong.
Yeah Blair showed flashes the past two years of being a really good player, I think them trading hill changed him mentally and made him grow up. He looks a lot stronger, he's running the floor much better and is using his body very well to score, and he's knocking down his shots. Dude played good when he was starting last year until he was benched in the LA game everything went down from there.
That's a good point I hadn't considered.
His offense will develop but the defense is what he really needs to bite down and work on. If he could replicate the defense that Chuck Hayes plays, (who's even 1 inch shorter than Blair and ~15lb less) he would be a very solid player with a much higher offensive potential than Hayes. Although it is such a short sample of games, I see this season being a good one for Blair. Unless of course Bonner starts making some 3s and then Pop starts giving him some of Blair's minutes. If that happens I will have to shoot myself in the face with a crossbow...
Blair really wants to start so I see him putting in wk.
He has learned to use his body.
But he is still too fat. He is very strong, just a little bit better foot movement when he starts tiring would help with the stupid fouls that get him set down.
And it all comes down to weight.
Imo we will not see what he can really do until he loses weight. How about avg. a little over 30 min per game with the ability to go further? Maybe Georgie leaving means Blair will stop raping the Philly cheese steak. 15- 25 lbs would most likely do wonders for his game.
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