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Kevin Pittsnogle
Whos the big fat tatted up white guy?
Looks like some dude you'd see down at the Y.
Kevin Pittsnogle
What a waste of talent.
Lay off the burger king dumbass.
Yeah, the Toros waived Pittsnogle when they found out he didn't want to do anything to improve his conditioning. He can really shoot though -- just nothing else.
you like dermarr?
Yes... I made a typo up there... I meant that it gives Ian someone consistent to play off of, and perhaps teach him the guile that only comes with experience.
I thought DeMarr was only a good shooter but a lazy defender? You don't seem confident in their playoff hopes, eh?
That sounds great - it probably means you disagree with TimVp's assertion that Ian == Elson. Can't wait to see him on the Spurs.
Would he be eligible for the playoffs if he is brought back AFTER the NBDL playoffs are over and the NBA playoff is under way?
We're talking about the D-League here. DerMarr is a valuable player at that level -- less so at the NBA level. As for the playoffs, it's going to be a lot tougher than if the Toros still had Langford, Williams and Johnson. Fortunately, pretty much every team has been affected by call-ups and attrition. I think they have a good chance of making the finals, but I don't think they will win.I thought DeMarr was only a good shooter but a lazy defender? You don't seem confident in their playoff hopes, eh?
As far as overall impact goes, LJ might not be far off. Ian's upside is the difference.That sounds great - it probably means you disagree with TimVp's assertion that Ian == Elson. Can't wait to see him on the Spurs.
That's a good question. There was a big mess last season regarding this issue, and most of the assigned players were recalled before the playoffs. I can only hope that it has been resolved and assigned players can play in both playoffs. It's the only thing that makes sense for the NBA and the D-League.Would he be eligible for the playoffs if he is brought back AFTER the NBDL playoffs are over and the NBA playoff is under way?
Nice pics. Thanks.
Pittsnogle is a strange dude. He even shot some 26 footers in this game.
, I didn't even open this thread the first time I saw it, thinking mouse bumped a 3-month old thread or something.
I think he is ok, and could thrive in the right situation......yes.
DD
Hey, I cover the Toros for the Austin Chronicle sports blog and the D-League for Hardwood Paroxysm.
Chump laid out a great analysis of the current roster. After four losses, including two huge ones to Colorado, the Toros finally clinched their division Friday.
They almost blew a huge lead to the T-Birds after scoring 40 points in the first freaking quarter, before Ian took over and put it away late.
Even after losing Langford (who's a moron for going overseas, he would have at least made a 10-day this season), Marcus, and DerMarr, this team has the talent to compete for a championship and the coaching to win one. Especially with Dakota and Sioux Falls in the Toros side of the bracket. Getting Colorado to the tough side of the bracket will help tremendously.
Gross' first game with the Toros I thought he was terrible. Last night he showed more athleticism than about 80% of D-League players. If the Spurs can keep him in their incubator, he could turn into someone that can contribute.
DerMarr is not going to come in and score a ton of points, he'll be lucky to get 5, 10 minutes burn. But he is a tremendous spot up shooter. As was mentioned earlier, he could be terrific if he could commit to attacking the basket, but he pulls to the perimeter too much in transition. He's good at closing out on defense, but he struggles working through screens. Which might be bad against team like, oh, I don't know, the Western Conference.
He's also got a handles issue. Every three games or so, he'll just get a case of the butterfingers. His turnovers come in bunches.
I will say that when he's on, he's terrific. His confidence soars and he'll work to create his shot. His transition defense is also solid, and it's the one area where he really works to use his length and athleticism.
As far other players, if Justin Bowen could add 15 pounds, he could add something. He doesn't have a whole lot of physical advantages, but you don't need them to play small forward in the Spurs system.
Oh, and Ian Mahinmi eats the souls of his opponents, as long as he stays out of foul trouble. That's all.
Should be a great game this weekend at the ACC.
Nice blog, BTW.
Which might be bad against team like, oh, I don't know, the Western Conference.
Yeah the foul thing is a concern, he still doesn't seem to have learned how to play with it.Oh, and Ian Mahinmi eats the souls of his opponents, as long as he stays out of foul trouble. That's all.
Not a good sign.
+1. Nice blog hardwoodparoxysm, I laughed at some of your comments, although some things whizzed by my head because I am not a consistent D-league follower!Nice blog, BTW.
Chump thanks for your Toros game thoughts - I'm surprised I'm even interested enough to follow D-league boxscores now! BTW - nice pics! It looks like you were very near to the court. Are the tickets expensive?
Last edited by Quasar; 04-13-2008 at 10:49 AM.
Toros have acquired Jamar Smith.
The NBDL site lists him as a Forward, but doesn't specify whether he's a SF of PF.
Any thoughts on him? From his stats, doesn't look like he'd displace Darvin Ham who seems pretty good.
Qasar asked some more questions about Ian, so I thought I'd answer them over here.
He's still learning how to take over games. Remember he's only 21, and it's a new experience for him to be the core and leader for a club. I've seen him usually be more passive down the stretch but in the last few games, he's really tried to become "the man."
Against the T-Birds, needing a win to lock up a 1st round bye and a 2nd round home playoff game, the T-birds were coming back. Ian had a look on his face like, "Okay, screw this. We are NOT losing this game." SLAM. SLAM. REJECTION. SLAM. BALLGAME. Have a nice trip back to Albuqeurque, and a nice offseason, T-birds! Don't let the TexMex hit you in the back on the way out!
It was a big step for him.
His passing is solid out of the block. He needs some help on the drive and kick. He has good decision making when it comes to figuring whether to pass out of the double or work out of it. That's something they've worked with him on this year. He needs more work on his midrange game and how to pass out of the faceup to the cutter. When he's in the post and Quin has a weak side cutter that can effectively get to the basket? It's pretty much unstoppable.
I miss Marcus on this team so much. I'm glad he got called up, but for a while they were running the high pick and roll with Marcus and Ian, otherwise known as the "Defense is Futile" attack. I can tell you that Darvin will be in the starting lineup and get a ton of minutes. Even at 35, he's got more strength and athleticism than a lot of the guys on the court, and his game is just so refined at a pro level. They need a bench scorer. Quin's in a bind right now, because he needs to start Gross because he need JB off the bench for scoring, but JB hasn't responded well off the bench. When he's started, he's gone for as high as 32, but when he comes off the bench, it's like it kills his confidence. I will tell you Gross has an at ude. He's only been with the team a week and was yelling at his teammates for not helping him out on an inbounds. I saw Darvin Ham come over to him and give him what looked like a "Simmer down, young fella" talk. Darvin's going to be in Mavericks camp next year, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him get a roster spot. Avery likes him a lot.
I didn't get to attend last night's game, but God knows I'm regretting now not asking Quin if he would rest his starters. He rested both Andre and Ian, and they still scored 109. I didn't ask because I didn't figure there was any way he would. Turns out I was wrong.
HUGE break for the Toros with Colorado getting put in the other bracket. Dakota without Ahearn and Sioux Falls without Kasib are totally different teams. With as well as the Toros have played at home, I think there's a good chance they'll make it to the Finals. Which will probably mean two games in either Idaho or LA... ugh. At least Utah's lost Allred. LA has an absurd amount of talent right now.
Very nice! Sounds like Ian could turn out to be a poor man's D-Rob, minus the muscles: late adopter of the game + athletic freak.
One possible issue of integrating Ian with the Spurs would be how he'd play besides Tim. Wonder if he'd have enough space to play... or vice-versa, get in Tim's way every time down low.
You mentionned on your blog that Ian has a finger roll? Rare skill for a big! How's his midrange?
Also, this is the first time I heard Marcus had some special plays off of Ian. Many here said that Marcus just ain't good enough to cut it on the NBA. Since he seems so good on the Toros, I guess there must be a very sharp difference in skills between the D-League and the NBA, which doesn't bode well for Ian being a consistent 15-20mins performer on the Spurs next year. Hope he can at least contribute more than Bonner! Nevertheless, 2009 looks like a very exciting year for the Spurs, with Ian and Splitter coming up!
Welcome, by the way
Well here's the best way he works with Tim. He's got good knowledge of spacing. He won't get in the way. He and Ham or the other PF/C on the floor almost always seem to have solid spacing. With him in the backside role similar to what Oberto does now, he could be deadly when he adds some more weight. Also bear in mind that Quin has said that the Toros have incorporated about 35% of the Spurs playbook directly into their offensive and defensive sets. Ian's biggest advantage in the post is his footwork. It's a thing of beauty. He's got the European approach where's he's exceptionally light on his feet but now he's adding the American aggressiveness. His right side post to the floater mid-lane is gorgeous. It's only when he's up against a big body that forces him to his fadeaway that he struggles, and that will come as he gets bigger.
Midrange needs work. He's got good form, it's just not his comfort zone and you can see he's not sure whether he should shoot from there or not. He's more comfortable in the post or driving to the basket and destroying anything in his way. Let me put it this way. He doesn't have Oberto's body yet, but he has about a bazillion more offensive moves. He's got great versatility for a big man.
Anyone that says that Marcus isn't good enough to play in the NBA saw him at the beginning of this year and not the end. He's 21 as well. You have to give these guys some development time. Not everybody reaches their full potential at 18 or 20. Look at most of the Spurs. It's when they've had a chance to refine their game that they've become consistent contributors. Marcus has all the tools, he just needs the time and confidence.
I will say that the experience Ian is getting in the D-League is invaluable. He's playing against NBA level talent (his game against Cheik Samb was a huge learning experience for him.), and learning a ton about what to improve on. One of the biggest things he can provide the Spurs is a defensive playmaker. He can swat, make no mistake. Seven blocks in a game two weeks ago. He needs work on staying with his man and of course, staying out of foul trouble, but those are young guy things that are coachable. I talked to assistant coach Roy Rogers and he said that was the biggest asset Ian has right now, more than his size and touch, it's that he's extremely coachable. He's a good, soft spoken kid that WANTS to get better. He's still growing, still maturing.
Thanks hardwood.
Now the Clippers have rights to him.Anyone that says that Marcus isn't good enough to play in the NBA saw him at the beginning of this year and not the end. He's 21 as well. You have to give these guys some development time. Not everybody reaches their full potential at 18 or 20. Look at most of the Spurs. It's when they've had a chance to refine their game that they've become consistent contributors. Marcus has all the tools, he just needs the time and confidence.
Nice job
Hardwood,
would you say he could play a Malik Rose type role next year in that, come in, get some plays run through the post for him, play good interior D, and just give a really good overall energy off the bench?
You can run a half-court set through Mahinmi. He's going to be able to score against some big men in the league, because there's a shortage of elite ones. If you put him on the floor with Splitter, you're going to have Jefferson-Gomes lite with more offensive versatility in a set they're familiar with.
I HIGHLY recommend sending Splitter to the Toros next year and having those two annihilate everything in their path till March, then calling one or both up.
I don't think Splitter, nor Mahinmi, will be with the Toros next year.
Splitter DEFINATELY won't be, hes too good for the NBDL.
You've got to stop thinking of the D-League as a pure minor league and think of it as a development league. The league has hired a big man coach, and all he does is visit the big man prospects and improve their games. In 2011, the next CBA will probably dictate that teams can send guys down for rehab work. I've talked to a lot of guys, including some NBA rookies on assignment, and in the beginning they're frustrated with the D-League. By the end of the year, they're glad they spent their time there. Do you know that D-League teams practice about 50% more than NBA teams? If you're a role, bench player, and you're not getting playing time, and you're not getting practice time, isn't that going to damage your game?
Mahinmi is a definite maybe for being in Austin next year. They like his progress and they don't want to rush him. Splitter's the same way. Why would you want to throw him to the lions with no integration?
I really like what the Suns did with Alando Tucker. They put him on a regular schedule with the T-birds and the Suns. He'd spend two weeks with the Suns, then four weeks in Albuqerque. Then two weeks with the Suns. It kept him involved with the team, and let him get the time necessary to work on his game.
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