Amen brother!
I like White for alot of the same reasons mentioned in this thread already. Athleticisim, rebounding, confidence and his defense has improved everytime he is on the court. That said, however i think he needs some more work before he starts seeing meaningful minutes. Don't look for him too much in the playoffs, garbage time maybe, but I think you will see him in the rotation next year.
You know good players can impose their will on the opposition. Even a raw rookie will show you something of that. I don't see that on white.
I know he only played about 40 minutes but from what I see, he is a Brent Berry with lesser jumper but better defense.
His ap ude is more post play with dunks and putbacks but his slight frame precludes production from post. A dilemma he must solve before he can contribute.
Saying White is like a Brent Barry with lesser jumper is like saying an iguana is like a dinosaur only smaller.
Somebody else said he could play the 2 (shooting guard) as well as the three. In his dreams. If he's 25, I doubt he'll have a reliable shot for a shooting guard before he's eligible for retirment from the league.
He can jump and has showed SOME promise so he MAY get a roster spot for the Spurs
It's called a "shooting guard", but you could also call it a 2 or a "swingman", or an "off guard". To say that the purpose of every 2 is to shoot is wrong. If the Spurs had a long 3 worthy of starting (like Nocioni), they'd slot him at the 3, move Bruce to the 2, and bring Gino off the bench. Is Bruce known as a shooter from anywhere else than a corner 3? How hard is it to learn one shot? Don't you think White could learn one shot?
My point is that guys like White have the athletic ability to play/guard both the 2 and 3 positions....and they don't have to be good shooters.
True, but can you name a guy who can dunk from the free throw line with two hands who averaged less rebounds per minute than Bruce Bowen ... in the NBDL?
LOL.......this is EXACTLY what we are missing on the Spurs. Dude just needs to eat a few Rudys BBQ sammiches to put on some weight.
He's always willing to take one for the team...
White the team canary: The Spurs arrived at the Target Center for their morning shootaround only to discover the arena had been evacuated because of a bomb threat.
Popovich gave the players two options:
"We can go back to the hotel," he said. "Or we can send James White in and if the place doesn't blow up, we can all go in."
The Spurs took pity on their rookie guard and went back to the hotel. They held their shootaround in the hotel's fitness club, which has a basketball court.
Although you didn't say it, the implication of your post is that we could have Bowen and White in the game at the same time. That would be an ugly offensive team.
Or to be fair to you, we could have two imaginary players with their offensive capability in the game at the same time. Pair them up with ElBerto and you have a starting five who's potential firepower is truly shocking--way below average. I don't think that team would be very successful.
Although you made a false inference, nothing of the sort was implied.
My statement was to the nature of defining positions in today's game. Those positions (Point Guard, Shooting Guard, Small Forward, Power Forward, Center), have had their definitions drastically changed/blurred in recent years.
There are Point Guards that prefer to shoot, Shooting Guards that can't, Small Forwards that aren't that small, and both Power Forwards and Centers that aren't powerful and prefer the perimeter. It's all about finding the right compliment of players to fit your system. So....
No I don't think Bowen and White could play on the court together for long stretches. But, I think White could play the "2" in a lineup that surrounded him with more firepower....say Finley at the 3.
Oh, and to say that it would take a decade for White to learn how to shoot is pretty rediculous...Tony learned in about a year with Chip Engelland.
I didn't mean he'd last a decade in the league when I said 'retirement'. If he's playing in the NBA at 35 I'll be surprised.
And if the lines have blurred, why not move him to PF, PG and C as well?
No sense in leaving all those hops on the bench.
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