Blair definitely played well last night, a 20 and 10 effort is always nice production. He made a few bad fouls and some lazy defensive possessions but overall another positive game.
Dalembert really looked like he was having his way with Blair for awhile, altering/blocking most of his attempts. But as the game went on, Blair got better and better at playing against him. Good sign.
His -28 is pretty eye popping, but then again, no one outside of him and Splitter really looked good in quarters 1-3. And Houston just happened to be on absolute fire. KL did okay given it was his first time playing a volume scorer like Kevin Martin that wasn't coming off major surgery (Like Rudy Gay.) Danny Green's effort was fun to watch, he was playing hard defense, crashing the boards, and making shots.
I'm sure Blair wouldn't mind putting up 20 and 10 again, but I really hope the other guys, especially Timmay (and Bonner lol) are rested for the next game.
I think Blair is showing exactly why he should be coming of the bench. He should be able to pretty much dominate the opposing bench's frontline. Yet for the starting lineup the Spurs need more defense and the guy who has the best post defense is Splitter. It will also allow more shots for TP/Manu/RJ to get going. TD and Splitter can score of opportunities created of those 3 and mismatches with shorter players.
Thats a really good observation. Starting Blair and bringing Splitter of the bench is almost 'wasting' their strengths. DB's strength is offense.. when he's starting its hard for him to take full advantage of that because hes facing the bigger and better defensive bigmen which is why you see him taking and missing alot of flip shots.. he can really only score consistently against the starting lineup off of open layups off feeds from team mates. On the other hand..his weakness is defense and thats being exposed even more by him starting because hes forced to guard the best opposition bigman.
Splitter on the other hand.. cant take advantage offensively against bench players because hes forced to post up instead of finish pick and rolls since their isnt that level of playmaking off the bench. And defensively his talents are minimised by guarding less offensively talented bench players instead of limiting the oppositions best bigman, or at least not allow them to get going the way they do against Blair. Even Tim's individual one-on-one defense has dropped to 'average'.. he can no longer stop guys from scoring consistently. Hes still a great team defender though.
Its probably another reason to on Matt Bonner tbh.. since he's the reason Tiago isnt starting.. Pop is afraid of the turd towers of Blair and Bonner.. because theyre so defensively.
If/once another bigman is signed.. it would be a tragedy if Splitter is still on the bench while opposition big men are having field days to start the game. Even now.. i would start him and bring Bonner and Blair against the bench scrubs who wont punish you anywhere near as much. It would make life a of alot easier for the Spurs.. and especially Timmy.
/end butthurt rant.
I think if Kawhi can play a small ball 4 like Marion used to in Phoenix it will allow Tiago to start and limit Bonner/Blair combinations. Marion was an allstar as a small ball power forward. Kawhi has the length to be able to do it.
They both just have something that's hard to put a finger on.
Marion was also taller, a stronger, & a a more athletic. KL would be overpowered in the post and paint by most backup power forwards.
Blair would be perfect coming from the bench, but not in the actual situation...simply 'cause he can't be paired with Bonner.
That's why we need another big as a fourth option.
I'm scared that, considering the skills of Mahinmi (high and quick, and good defensive player also if he was foul prone) he could have been the guy...(and now looks like he's plaiying decently for Dallas).
However, that kind of skills is what we need for pairing him with Blair...that's why, some times ago, I liked the idea of trading Dice contract for Thabeet.
You just hope if Pop is going to make the move he makes it as soon as possible. The team still needs another big regardless. Another advantage of starting Tiago and Tim is the defenders can play more aggressive on the perimeter since they know they're backed by two shotblockers.
As a starter when he gets 30 minutes or more, Blair averages 15 points and 14 rebounds per game on 53 percent shooting. The only game he fouled out of was the one where he had 28 points and 21 rebounds.
Kawhi is 6'7" 225, Shawn Marion is 6'7" 228, and not even a smidgen stronger or more athletic than KL.
Kawhi was drafted to play the 3 and 4. That was why they went w/ him over someone like Chris Singleton (who is 1 inch taller and just as defensive minded but w/ limited PF skills).
Kawhi actually fills the role of a PF more than he does a SF for the Spurs. A Spurs SF isn't a SF at all, he's actually a taller, defensive minded SG who can catch and shoot the 3 on offense and shut down/contain the likes of Kobe, Durant, Chandler, etc.
I notice one of the issues a lot of fans (not just Spurs fans but fans in general) have is mistaking size/height w/ position. Jalen Rose and Magic Johnson were both 6'9" but were POINT GUARDS.
The players SKILL SET determines their offensive position.
DeJuan Blair is an undersized PF/C. Matt Bonner is a bigger SG. And Kawhi Leonard, in the Spurs system, is more of a PF on offense and a SF on defense.
If you look on draftexpress Marion is about 6'7 barefoot while Kawhi is 6'7 in shoes.
I don't care what draft measurements say. I've seen Leonard up close and I think he definitely has the size and strength to bang in the post. Dude looked to be at least 235-240 when I saw him.
On Blair coming off the bench, I just dont think he's that good offensively...to be a go-to guy. He also has great chemistry with the starting unit, which I think leads to a lot of his opportunities. I definitely think he's where he belongs given his skill-set and the team's make-up.
His weight in the combine was 225 but he was quoted as saying that he had put on 15lbs of muscle during the off season making him around 240 which is just as big as most PF's in the NBA.
If Popovich replaces Leonard in the rotation for Bonner, then he'd have all kinds of rotation options, including starting Splitter.
His stubborn, and stupid, devotion to Bonner is really hurting this team. Reduce Bonner's minutes to less than 10 a game, reduce Duncan's minutes to about 25 game, and give Splitter, Blair, and Leonard a ton of minutes (30+ a game). That would be a great frontline rotation, with a ton of rebounds and better defense than a Bonner-included rotation.
Really interesting. Other people have the Internets too. Draftexpress shows Leonard a half inch shorter without shoes. This is the second time you've lied in a post. Makes your name super funny.
With shoes the difference is 3/4 of an inch.
I don't doubt that Blair can put up 20/10 consistently this season, given the opportunity.
What i'm concerned about is his defense and whether those 20 pts will be cancelled out by his efforts on the other end - especially against bigger front lines.
having said that, I'm looking forward to see how blair grows during the regular season and whether he shows that he deserves big playoff minutes
Great start from Grizzly. Looks like he's learned the game.
I'm loving the development of our youngsters - Grizz, Splitter, JA, Kawahi all looking strong in early play.
Agreed. The 20/10 would be great just from a pure consistency and production stand point, since all teams could use a 20 and 10 guy. If we can rely on Blair to produce 20 consistently, that takes a ton of pressure off of our big 3.
The real question is whether that will hurt his individual defense and our team defense. Does Blair give up 20 to the opponent while he gets his 20? If so, that wouldn't be a good trade. So would Blair averaging 20/10 actually help the team? Blair's young, so I don't mind him pushing himself.. if he can get the 20/10 while playing focused, and smart defense, then that would be ing fantastic.
OMG this is the craziest thing I've ever read. I cannot believe you people would wonder if Blair putting up 20 and 10 would be good for the team and do it with a straight face. There's a reason DB led the entire nation in PER in college, better than Blake Griffin, better than Stephen Curry.
Blair is in shape, he's interested in playing. The only danger this team has is not keeping him interested by not letting him be himself. There's a ing reason he goes into beast mode in exhibition games. Let the kid loose.
It's been 3 games don't get too happy & houston was basically garbage time.
Blair average 20-10? Come on now.
Blair is a junk man. I could never see running an offense through him. He is best cleaning up messes without having to think.
The only way he gets 10 rebs per game is if he plays 30 min. and over per game. I could never see him averaging 20 pts for an entire season. He just does not have the skill set.
Two things I would like to see. 1.Cut some weight. 2. Better hands (which are tremendously strong) #1 is easy, dont know how to get #2 done.
Actually #1 might be really difficult for him as well. Although I doubt he is going boxer mode, trying to cut weight to make a pay day. Its clear losing weight will not result in him burning muscle. There is a layer there that can go away.
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