Whether he's in the regular rotation or in a suit on game-night will most likely depend on retention or retirement of other bigs currently on this team. Either way, I agree with you that he won't be sent down to the D-League...at least not for a lengthy period of time.
If Splitter doesn't play, more than likely he'll be in a suit on game night and opposite Duncan during practice....what better way to learn?
To be fair, part of the whole assist process is having teammates hit shots and when your outside shooters have an off game, assist totals won't be high. (Pittsnoogle was 1-10 and Johnson 8-20). I think I'm just glad he shot the ball less this time, only putting up 16 shots. It suggests to me that he's not dominating the ball as much, and at least is looking to create.
Bump.
I watched the replay of this game earlier today. My DVR got all of regulation but didn't get the overtime
Thoughts:
-Ian Mahinmi is pretty impressive. He isn't overly strong but he's an amazingly physical player. He throws his body around and seems to enjoy contact. His athleticism is really nice and he seems to have good timing on both ends of the court. If he can gain a little weight and learn how to get in better position, he should become a good rebounder. If I have to nitpick about his game, I'd say he's robotic offensively and only has one move -- a jump hook. 99% of the time he's looking for his jump hook -- just as he was in preseason. His only other move is to spin baseline. While having only one move is not good, at least his one move is a quality move that should work on the NBA level. He passes pretty well from the low block and his stamina seems to be really high. Overall, I was impressed. The Spurs should keep him in D-League until his game is less robotic and he gets a bit stronger. He had more highlight dunks and blocks in those four quarters than we see out of the current bigmen in a month's time. I'm looking at the 2009-10 season to be Mahinmi's coming out party in the NBA.
-Marcus Williams was matched up with Morris Almond for much of Almond's 51 points in the game. Williams started off on him and guarded him almost the whole time in the first, third and fourth quarters. The only part of Williams' defense I like is his ability to play the passing lane. But for some unknown reason, he was playing the passing lane and leaving Almond wide open for threes. Williams also gets blown by every time some anyone attempts to drive by him. I blame that on his slow feet on the perimeter. The good news is that Williams will sometimes catch up and block the shot at the basket. Offensively, Williams was much calmer than he was in summer league. His jumper wasn't as ugly -- but still needs lots of work. Overall, he's still a hugely flawed player. His slow feet on the perimeter don't allow him to play any type of perimeter defense and he can score a bit offensively but a lot of his moves wouldn't work against NBA players.
-Darius Washington showed no playmaking ability at all. I could see why the Spurs/Toros got frustrated with him. The Toros were often better when he was on the bench. He drives to the basket with his head down and rarely finds the open man. That said, it's still pretty early to have given up on him completely. He can score, defend a bit and is pretty determined player. At 21, I wouldn't be surprised if he one day finds himself playing as a backup point guard in the NBA.
-Justin Bowen looked a lot smaller than I expected. He's listed at 6-7 and 210 pounds but he looked more like 6-5 and 195 pounds. He's really skinny and can be pushed around pretty easily. He does have some skills and I think he could be a very good D-League level player. I didn't see much NBA potential in him ... at least in that game. He does play good perimeter defense but once anyone puts a body on him he can be overpowered.
-Kevin Pittsnogle looked like he ate Mike Gansey. Pittsnogle is big, big guy. He was knocking down threes in this game but defensively he was sloooooooooow. He actually knew where and when to rotate but it took a while getting there.
-Cheyne Gadson and Speaky Johnson looked pretty good. They can both handle the ball and both are better playmakers than Washington. Neither one look like NBA talents but both should shine at the D-League level.
-DerMarr Johnson didn't have a good game. He looked sluggish and out of shape. Hopefully he's in better shape these days because he wasn't moving well at all.
-Kenton Paulino looked a lot heavier than his 185. He didn't look good in this game.
-Anthony Fuqua looked to be in much better shape compared to his UTSA days. He only played a short amount of time but he looked like a capable D-League big.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the level of play. The players were playing hard and the crowd seemed into it. Each team had plays and the execution was actually pretty decent. Quin Snyder has implemented a good amount of Spurs related philosophies and he seems to be in control of the team. He would pull players out after mistakes and he'd also experiment to find combinations that would work. I laughed when the Toros hired Snyder but he looks to be doing a really good job. Much better than the horrid coaching we saw from Don Newman and others in summer league.
I also like it that the team features Mahinmi so much. Offensively and defensively, they treat Mahinmi like he's the Toros' version of Tim Duncan. That should only speed up and help his development. His involved almost every time up and down the court and every time Snyder called a play from the sideline, it involved Mahinmi in some way.
As long as Mahinmi is on the Toros and Snyder has the team playing how he wants, they should be able to win a good amount of games.
I don't see Ian accepting to play one more year in D-league, specially if he continues to do well.
And I think he would be right.
what do you think Ian's high end potential is LJ?
I know when he was initially drafted we were all saying his absolute top end potential is something akin to an Amare Stoudamire type player, is that still the case or are we hoping more for a stromile swift?
NO ONE should be hoping for a Stromile.
He's making progress, but right now he is utterly predictable on offense. He needs more post moves and some kind of shot outside of ten feet before I would declare him to be NBA ready.
He actually has a lot to work on and polish. But he still has half a year and the next pre-season to do it.
I don't expect him to provide big numbers in his first spurs years but rather physical presence and defense. He seems to be a natural shot blocker, from your Toros reports.
My concern with him staying too long in austin is that he wouldn't have strong enough opposition to challenge him. As you said, he's using almost one single move and that's partly because it continues working and opponents doesn't force him to use something else.
You don't really progress with weakest opposition. I'd like him to learn from TD and Fabio.
One year is good to let him adjust to US basketball and give him PT but another one wouldn't serve him IMO. I know there are ralso oster issues and Splitter coming in but in terms of motivation and good willing, a second season with the Toros would be hard to stand for Ian.
Mahinmi playing or not a second season with Toros is mainly up to him.
I'm quite sure Pop will give him a fair shot to be in the rotation during next preseason if Mahinmi continues to do well this year.
If Mahinmi plays well during next preseason, he will be in the rotation and if didn't play well enough, he will go to Austin. IMO, it's as simple as that.
I think he could go back and forth next season. It's easy to see the staff is slowly trying to expand Ian's game, and the longer intervals between games provides a greater opportunity for practice than the NBA. The signing of Kris Lang actually gives Ian a pretty skilled training partner.
As long as he keeps up the good work he's shown so far, I'm convinced he'll be in the rotation next year.
It's a definite possibility. Hopefully his game keeps growing at its current pace.
Mahinmi needs to develop more than just post up on the low block, left side, two dribbles across the lane and throw up a half hook every time down the court before he thinks about going up to the play on the varsity. That isn't going to cut it with the big boys.
It's about as sophisticated as Oberto's post game is. The difference is Oberto knows how to shoot the gaps; but we don't expect a huge amount of offense from our centers.
Toros will play twice against Vipers on Friday 4th and Saturday 5th.
It will be a interesting test for Mahinmi because Cedric Simmons has been send down to Vipers by Cavs.
While certainhly no offensive juggernaut Oberto has far more verstility around the basket than Mahinimi, the ability to post up in a place other than Duncan's favorite spot and a reasonably reliable 10-15' foot shot, things Mahinmi has yet to demonstrate.
Assigned Player To Watch
Ian Mahinmi, Austin Toros (Spurs)
Mahinmi has been a force in the frontcourt for the Toros since he was assigned by San Antonio on November 21. The 6-11 forward, who hails from France, is averaging 18.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in 12 games for Austin. The Spurs made Mahinmi the 28th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, but Mahinmi played in France last season for Pau-Orthez before electing to head to the NBA for the 2007-08 campaign. He averaged 3.5 points in six games for the Spurs before his assignment to the D-League. The Toros, who face Rio Grande Valley this weekend, are 9-3 with Mahinmi in the lineup.
This Week's Key D-League Games
Here is a rundown of some key D-League matchups to watch this week. You can follow any D-League game via the courtside box or the listen live link on the home page of D-League.com.
Friday: Rio Grande Valley Vipers at Austin Toros
The Vipers and the Toros are already establishing a great rivalry, as both teams have been two of the D-League's best early in the 2007-08 season. Austin, 10-4, currently leads Rio Grande Valley, 9-5, by a half game in the Southwest Division. The Vipers, who play in Austin on both Friday and Saturday, will be hoping to hand Austin their first home loss of the season. The Toros are 8-0 at home this season, and will meet Rio Grande Valley in Austin for the first time after splitting the first two meetings of the season, both played in Hidalgo, Texas....
http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/week_ahead_080101.html
How much for tickets for Toros home games?
$10-26
Kevin Pittsnogle....is this the guy that played at WV?
I just noticed the name on the stat sheet.
Yes it is.
I thought he got drafted by Boston. He was way over rated in college. I Guess he still sucks.
He was undrafted and got waived in the summer league by, I believe, Miami or Boston.
23/02 game against the Dakota Wizards (best rebounding team in NBDL) :
30 pts / 15 rbs / 3 ast / 4 steals / 7 blocks* (and god knows how many altered shots) / 3 PF (only)
Isn't that a DRob looking line!
*season best
Great game
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