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Josh Powell is sort of big. And cheap. And supposedly available, now that he's back from China. It feels sort of silly even mentioning it. But nearly everyone else already has a prom date.
Another irrelevant potential signing..
...tbh..
The only relevant potential signing will happen post trade- deadline, when a few NBA caliber rotation players get bought out.
Til then, chill out bro!
Josh Powell is sort of big. And cheap. And supposedly available, now that he's back from China. It feels sort of silly even mentioning it. But nearly everyone else already has a prom date.
A poor man's McDyess. The fact that he has a jumper makes him a decent fit. Too bad he's pretty damn bad at everything else.
But as a fifth big who wouldn't kill the team, the Spurs could do worse. He'd be a safe yet underwhelming selection.
not a bad idea. for sure better than all the d-league options. in case of more injuries I'd rather play him than one of those guys with less than 3 half NBA games under their belt. he is an end of the bench optiopn, but for whatever it is worth, he was on some good teams. hey, the guy has 2 rings. could be 3 if Dirk didn't choke.
btw. isn't Powell married to the daughter of a Spurs coach or staff member?
I'd rather have Blair than Powell. Let's hope someone better than Blair shakes loose; like Turiaf.
Turiaf is better than Blair at blocking shots and that's about it. Turiaf on the Spurs would play the Kevin Willis role unless Blair doubled his Whataburger per day consumption.
Wrong. Turiaf can actually shoot from mid range and he's better defensively. But he is a terrible rebounder and he can't finish inside or pass like Blair. Blair is more talented, but this isn't about talent; it's about fit.
That said, I agree that Blair would most likely retain his spot even if they signed Turiaf. The difference is, with him, they'd have an option if they want to start Splitter (unlikely, I know), drop Blair from the rotation or in case of injury to one of the four bigs.
I know a lot of people hate Blair in ST, but Blair is much better than Powell. It's not even close.
As a 5th big, fine. Replacing Blair in the starting lineup. no
I hope the Bobcats just buys out Diaw. I am pretty sure Parker can change his lazy mind.
Turiaf is not a good mid range shooter at all.
If you are going to pull the "Wrong" card, at least know what you're talking about. In the last three seasons, Turiaf is 13-for-60 on shots from outside of ten feet.
Turiaf would begin as the fifth big. He could enter the mix if Blair continued to regress or Pop shuffled the starting lineup ... but it wouldn't be overly likely. Turiaf blocks shots and that makes him a better defender but Blair can pretty much match him in anything else.
There's one important thing that Blair does not match Turiaf in...
Turiaf would begin as the fifth big. He could enter the mix if Blair continued to regress or Pop shuffled the starting lineup ... but it wouldn't be overly likely. Turiaf blocks shots and that makes him a better defender but Blair can pretty much match him in anything else.
The mental aspect of the game; which is very crucial in the playoffs (more so than regular season)-- due to each possession in the post-season being significant and magnified. It seems to me Blair has his "big games" or "shining moments" whenever the game is out of hand or if the compe ion is anything but compe ive.
It seems to me Blair is aggressive in the wrong aspects for this team(hurried shots off O boards, going for steals on post entry passes, dribbling too much and being a ball-stopper, wasting possessions by throwing up bad shots against much taller defenders) and passive in the important aspects (although he's been doing a great job in his def. rotations as of late by drawing frequent charges).
In the post-season, where possessions aren't wasted, Spurs need Blair to be aggressive in the small, yet important aspects/intangibles (screens, boxing out, not being a ball stopper on offense, defensive boards and offensive rebounds followed by resetting the offense by throwing the ball back out to Tony/Manu instead of trying to throw up a fade-away teardrop over 7 footers--which he does way too often). Yes Blair can put up great stats, but when it comes down to it, he's too dumb to be given a significant role in the post-season (if Spurs plan to compete for a le). Give me 07' Oberto any day of the week over Blair in the playoffs. I hate to hate on Blair, he's young and still learning and I hope he can prove me wrong--but he can drive me nuts sometimes with his decisions on both ends (although in recent weeks he's made some strides). But yeah his stats can be great.
Getting a center (Turiaf or someone else) would only make sense if Pop was decided to start Splitter alongside Duncan. When you see how little they have been paired, it certainly sounds like Pop won't take that road.
Well, if Blair still doesn't play well, he could simply be replaced in the lineup.
Mostly agree with you but Turiaf isn't exactly Robert Horry either. He's an energy big who blocks shots -- but that's about the extent of his game these days. He doesn't play fundamental defense either, he's more about causing chaos.
I'd say Turiaf has the higher basketball IQ but it's basically a wash. Blair being the better scorer and rebounder while also having the higher potential in other areas outside of blocked shots gives him the edge over Turiaf overall.
I'd be all for replacing Blair with a better player or a player with a substantially higher basketball IQ but Turiaf doesn't quite qualify. But yeah, part of the reason I've wanted Blair used as a bench player is so that his shortcomings in the mental part of the game aren't so damaging.
I don't get what you want to say.
I never said he was a knockdown mid range shooter, genius. The difference is, Blair's literally a non threat to even shoot from their. Obviously, it doesn't make sense to bomb away if he's not confident enough in it, but still. Turiaf is more of threat from their than Blair. Just admit you were wrong and move on.
Turiaf would begin as the fifth big. He could enter the mix if Blair continued to regress or Pop shuffled the starting lineup ... but it wouldn't be overly likely. Turiaf blocks shots and that makes him a better defender but Blair can pretty much match him in anything else.
That's basically exactly what I said.
I'm not suggesting Turiaf is some star or is better than Blair, he's just different and probably more of what this team needs. I'd start Splitter and play Blair or Turiaf as the fourth big depending on the match-up/how they are playing, but we all know that's not going to happen. So even though it's not ideal, I wouldn't be opposed to trying Turiaf as a starter and having him play the Anthony role. Haslem is really the Heat's second big, but for fit/balance purposes, he comes off the bench. If he's terrible, then they can always go back to Blair.
'Tres get's it. Blair can be more spectacular, no question, but that's not what this team needs out of that role. They need solid play and he's more sloppy than solid.
Bruno, Turiaf is really a power forward. I know almost every guy who's 6-9 and can protect the rim now plays at least some center, but it's not as if he can't defend power forwards.
Lineup? So they can just pinch hit for him when he comes up in the batting order?
Blair is so marginal a player right now that he could conceivably be replaced by a slightly better marginal player.
You don't believe there are lineups in basketball?Lineup? So they can just pinch hit for him when he comes up in the batting order?
You're pretty stupid.
You don't know the difference between lineup and rotation? And i'm pretty stupid.... pot meet kettle.You don't believe there are lineups in basketball?
You're pretty stupid.
Either one fits here.
You're pretty stupid.
Sticks and stones Chumpy. And no it doesn't.
It's not that crystal clear between Blair and Turiaf overall, it's all about personal preference and what you think this team needs. I personally think this team doesn't need Blair's empty stats and needs someone who can be aggressive in the small intangibles that don't show up on the stat sheet.
If healthy, give me Turiaf over Blair.IMO
And no, I wasn't implying that Turiaf had a great IQ, but his IQ is better than Blair's. And he's solid in other areas as well as Hollinger points out here:
Per Hollinger FWIW: Positives bold; negatives red.
The last part I bolded is huge. As Bruno alluded to in another thread, the Spurs are currently 27th in the league in PPP in pick and roll defense. And they've been pretty atrocious for a while now. Turiaf's presence could help in this aspect, especially if he gets 100% healthy and if the confidence is there.+ High-energy, injury-prone big man who blocks shots and hustles.
+ Decent midrange shooter and passer, but only shoots if left wide open.
+ Very poor rebounder. Undersized for a 5 and compensates with high foul rate.
Turiaf, despite his reputation as an energetic wildman, ranked 63rd out of 67 centers in rebound rate. While that was a new career low, it wasn't a fluke either, as his rate has languished in the 11s and 12s for four straight seasons. Moreover, Turiaf's lack of offensive aggression resulted in a second straight season averaging single-digit points per 40 minutes.
He compensates by converting a high percentage of his chances and distributing the ball well. Turiaf is comfortable in the high post area finding other players, ranking fourth among centers in pure point rating. That skill gives him an offensive role even if he isn't scoring. And while he rarely shoots, he made 40 percent of his shots beyond 10 feet last season, so defenses have to respect his jumper. Turiaf is unlikely to match last season's gaudy 63.2 percent shooting mark, but he'll shoot in the high 50s and get himself to the line.
Defensively, Turiaf was 10th among centers in blocks per minute and 15th in steals, but at a cost of a high foul rate (one every 7.13 minutes). The Knicks gave up 6.05 points per 100 minutes less with him on the floor last season; while that's a bit of an outlier, he's a strong plus-minus guy at the defensive end because he'll guard pick-and-rolls and run around like a crazy person trying to block everything. He just can't do this for extended minutes given the foul trouble and the manic pace he maintains.
Last edited by MaNu4Tres; 02-25-2012 at 07:58 PM.
I know you are trying to get your whole "anti-establishment showing up the establishment" thing going again, but I'd say less than 25% isn't a threat from there either. You said "Turiaf can actually shoot from mid-range." You were wrong...and trying to change the semantics of the argument after you were proven wrong just make it looks worse. Just admit you talked out of your ass and move on.
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