Damn right. I was pumping my fist in the air when I heard TP utter those comments from Splitter.That's what Tony Parker said Tiago Splitter was telling him during the Rockets game.
Gotta love how his confidence is skyrocketing.
No no. Don't let it go. Keep the updates coming. It's only emphasize what some of us on this board have feared - that Ian would continue developing and become a productive rotation player in this league. Many of us had hoped it would be in S.A..
So, what's the reason the Spurs elected to simply let him walk away again?
They could have told him that they were planning on sitting Duncan and McDyess out of plenty of games and that he'd compete with Blair for backup center minutes.
If it's minutes Mahinmi wanted, then why did he sign on a team that had two starting centers and is notorious for not playing young players? It's not as if he knew Chandler would be gone in a season and he'd be playing about as much as Haywood.
Why is it the Mavs are able to sign players who have no chance of playing? Before you predictably reply "money", look at Wright and Yi. They didn't go their for the money, like Brewer. Wright at least signed before they "acquired" Odom. Yi signed when they already had about 37 bigs ahead of him. Why? Because the Mavs obviously fed them lies about the role they'd play.
So basically you want him to sit on the end of the bench and play Malcolm Thomas minutes, just waiting for someone to get injured? As inconsistent as Blair has been, Mahnimi isn't better than him. And he isn't better than Tiago. He's not better than Tim, and we all know Bonner's minutes hold a special place in Pop's heart.
You want him to sit on the end of the bench just so we can say we have Ian Mahinmi. He wouldn't develop like he is right now; he'd just sit there.
If you want to go into a discussion about how angry it makes you that Bonner is still receiving minutes, then start a Bonner thread. Or better yet just post in one of the hundreds of Bonner threads. Accept the fact that Bonner isn't going anywhere and you'll realize there are no minutes for Mahinmi. There are barely minutes for a player better than Mahinmi, Tiago Splitter.
Ian is better than Blair IMO.
Put Blair on that Mavs team without Dirk, and with Brian Cardinal and Brendan Haywood as compe ion for minutes, and what kind of numbers do you think he'd put up??
Definitely arguable this season.
Last season it was not.
It seems like Spurs shoulda resigned Mahinmi and traded Blair when his value was high after his viscous dunk in the rookie-sophmore game last year
Doesn't matter. Ian is light years better defensively and has a much more varied offensive game including a 15 jump shot.
He's definitely taller.
Perhaps Mahinmi wasn't better than Blair when he was in S.A.. However to make that statement now is an indication that you've not seen him in a Mavs uniform.
He's already a better shooter than Blair. He has better footwork around the rim. He obviously has size, so that automatically makes him a better shotblocker and rim-protector. It also appears that Ian isn't quite as foul-prone as he once was. The kid is figuring it out.
Meanhile Blair, while decent around the rim, but is still atrocious on defense, and his rebounding prowess has seemingly regressed. It certainly appears to me that Mahinmi is now the better player.
Mahinimi is better than Blair. He's bigger, has the jumpshot, and makes the same stupid fouls.
Ian could end up being better, but as of right now I dont see it.
I dont get your logic Jag honestly. It wasn't a good decision by no means for the spurs.
Ian would have opportunities this year and yes right now he is better than Blair, he can score, rebound and blk.
Blair has had all the opportunities in the world and has regressed.
I've seen him with the Mavs. And he's not as polished as people are making him sound right now. He's still extremely inconsistent. Either way, he would have never received the minutes to develop in SA. So it's a moot point.
I see it right now Jag, what Ian needed is a coach who trust him and regular minutes.
I know you do, Brazil. I know you do.
If you really want to get into it, Scola is better than both Ian and Blair.
Don't get me wrong I don't think Ian is going to be a solid starter in an elite team one day but IMO he can be a very solid rotation player in a good team. This is all the bad I wish him.
and probably Tiago
As of right now, yes.
I think hes looked good enough to be a 3rd/4th big here. His contribution could shift Blair and/or Bonner out of the rotation, which can only be a good thing right now with the way they're playing. I know that's not really your argument and that you probably agree if that Ian were here, he would help. But Ian didn't really have the minutes to develop in Dallas either.
He pretty much just watched from the bench the entire 2011 championship season. (56 games 8 mpg.) I think the bulk of his improvement comes from practice and offseason work. He could have done that here.
That 15 footer is the one that stings. When Duncan was still a formidable post presence, we desperately searched for that 2ndary big who could hit from that range. Kurt Thomas and Dice were probably the 2 best that we found; However, Kurt was always injured and out of shape and Dice came when Duncan was no longer an elite post player. Ian adding that 15 footer was probably influenced by the coaching staff here.
Ian has more potential than Blair. So I guess that makes him a better basketball player in the long term.
True. And according to the local Mavs beat writer, he's continuously worked hard to get himself into that position.
And the Spurs are the team that trained and mentored him for 5 years before he went to Dallas for pennies on the dollar.
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