Spurs' big question: What about Mahinmi?
Jeff McDonald
LAS VEGAS — Spurs center Ian Mahinmi walked onto the floor at Cox Pavilion on Sunday afternoon and took in the scene.
A couple hundred people had half-filled the auxiliary gym on the UNLV campus for a matinee NBA summer league game, most of them there only in search of a cheap way to escape the sweltering desert sun.
There were no cheerleaders or replay screens. The door to the makeshift “locker room” was just a hospital curtain strung up in the corner of the gym. The event was so low-key, even the coaches were wearing shorts.
To the uninitiated, the Spurs' summer league opener against New Orleans was little more than an organized pickup game. To Mahinmi, it was the most beautiful sight on Earth.
“I've been waiting for this for a long time,” Mahinmi said. “With all the trouble I had this year, it was a moment I've really been thinking about. I finally get to play.”
After what he'd been through over the past 11 months, Mahinmi would have been jazzed to participate in a pickup game in Timbuktu.
Last season was supposed to be an important one for Mahinmi, the Spurs' first-round draft choice in 2005. The Spurs planned to give him ample opportunity to prove, at last, that he could be a viable NBA big man.
Instead, Mahinmi spent almost the entire season — all but 21 minutes of one Development League game with the Austin Toros — sidelined with a nagging ankle injury that eventually required surgery.
It was a lost year, both for Mahinmi and for the Spurs, who still don't know what they have in the 6-foot-11 Frenchman.
“We wanted to see how he'd respond and what we had,” coach Gregg Popovich lamented. “And we still don't know.”
As such, perhaps no player at this year's Las Vegas summer league has as much to gain — or lose — as Mahinmi. At 22 years old, his career has hit a crossroads.
A former Development League All-Star, Mahinmi is under contract with the Spurs for the upcoming season. His future beyond that is very much in doubt.
The Spurs have until Oct. 31 to decide whether to pick up Mahinmi's fourth-year option or let him become a free agent next summer. His performance in Vegas will weigh heavily on the direction the team decides to take.
Out of D-League eligibility, Mahinmi will have to spend the season in the NBA. It isn't yet clear that he belongs there.
“We want him to show us he can be one of the bigs in this organization,” said Spurs assistant Don Newman, who helms the summer league squad. “The only way he's going to do that is to get out on the floor and prove himself.”
That was the plan for Mahinmi last season. His body just wouldn't allow it.
Mahinmi's injury nightmare began in August, when he stepped on another player's foot during a pickup game.
Initially diagnosed as a high right ankle sprain, the injury didn't improve with rest and treatment. In November, Mahinmi tested the ankle in a Development League game with the Austin Toros and re-aggravated the injury.
Mahinmi didn't know it yet, but his season was finished. He had wasted a year of his life. He had let the organization down.
“I knew they wanted me to play, to show what I can do,” Mahinmi said. “I wanted that so bad, too.”
In January, doctors finally pinpointed the cause of Mahinmi's recurring pain. A small piece of bone had broken off and was floating around inside his ankle. It hadn't appeared on any of his previous MRIs.
Mahinmi would need season-ending surgery to correct the problem. By that point, he was the cheeriest surgery patient imaginable.
“I wish I had surgery from the beginning,” Mahinmi said. “It's usually the last resort, but it made me feel better.”
Now that Mahinmi is healthy again, the real work begins. He hopes to soon reward the Spurs' faith and patience in him.
Mahinmi's first summer league outing didn't go so well. He scored eight points on 1-of-3 shooting, committed seven fouls (there are no disqualifications in summer league) and was generally outplayed by New Orleans' Earl Barron.
Yet Mahinmi couldn't have been happier. For now, just being on the floor was enough.
He has the rest of the summer to worry about the rest of his career.
“I'm still young, still just 22 years old,” Mahinmi said. “There's a long career in front of me, hopefully with the Spurs. All I can do is go out there and work hard, and showcase what I can do.”
Yes. He was going to have a spot in the rotation at the start of the season to show what he could do. Instead, his ankle did not comply and Matt Bonner started 67 games.Last season was supposed to be an important one for Mahinmi, the Spurs' first-round draft choice in 2005. The Spurs planned to give him ample opportunity to prove, at last, that he could be a viable NBA big man.
In his first whole game in about 12 months, Mahinmi played 25 minutes, probably due partly to his rust and because the Spurs have 2 other legit prospects they're giving time to (Blair and Gist). Hopefully by the last 2 games Ian will be getting a solid 30 minutes per.
Jason Thompson for the Kings in a different situation as far as other bigs (no Hawes) is being given about 32 minutes a game (out of 40) after a good rookie season. So for coming off a season-losing injury and competing for minutes with other bigs, Mahinmi isn't doing too badly.
And strange but true, Mahinmi is younger than Thompson.
this is sad. spurs have had him since 2005 and this is still the mindset. i hope pop gives ian big mins. hope he is a hustler.coach Gregg Popovich lamented. “And we still don't know.”
If anything, the Spurs are going to use the option to motivate Mahinmi between now and the end of the preseason. It'd be hard to not see them exercise it for the 2010-11 season. If he doesn't work out, he'd be a nice piece of trade fodder as a young athletic bigman prospect on a short term, small money deal. But I think that he'll pan out.
Well, they've had him since 2007 if you count when they actually signed him. He had one great season in the D league and then his injury sidelined his shot at the rotation last season. That's not exactly a long time, especially considering that they drafted him at age 18.
From what David Thorpe, who I think is a great scout of individual players, said, Mahinmi need to put on more leg/lower trunk strength for defense in the post. I thought they would've addressed that already in the gym given how slight he looked a couple of years ago. Apparently not.
Maybe that's partly what the "lost year" is. With a hurt ankle it would be very hard to work out the lower body. So Ian missed out on basketball for a year, and he wasn't able to do the strength training he needed due to the same injury.
Mahinmi is built like David Robinson in that he's never going to be able to add a lot of bulk to the lower half of his body. I don't think it's his fault ... it's just how he's built.
I want to see him do well. I would love to see him apart of the rotation, but we'll have to see how he responds to the pressure.
Unfortunately that seems to be the only thing he has in common with the Admiral right now...I'm hopeful that will change.
Mahinmi the SAVIOR!
If Ian turns out to be a great aggressive young big... we have great chances of having the roster set...
He needs to keep working on his screen-setting and getting his outside hand up and ready to receive the ball when he rolls to the basket off those screens. I am impressed with how well he shows defensively on screen/rolls. He moves his feet well and forces the ball-handler wide. If he can stay engaged in the play after hedges and traps so that he can get in position for rebounds without fouling, it will make him a much better player. Blair already does this very well.
Just imagine Ian turning out to be a very good player, then add Blair. Wow, we would have a head start on life after Timmy D!!
Great points. I think that being around such an amazing rebounder like Blair will help Ian immensely.
Ian looks bad out there. I am not sure he could be an improvement over Bonner.
what were the "all-star" numbers. the stats that got him into the d-league all star game.
It was the first game he'd played in for over a year...give him some time.
What about him, Jeff?
Yeah, I'm rusty as (and really sore the next day) when I don't work out in a week or two. So I'm pleased with what I saw, although that little hook shot looked ugly, but hey it went in!
Totally different roles for Ian and Bonner. Ian is an inside player. In times past, Ian looked like a newborn giraffe but he's improved his footwork and feel for the game. He just needs to advance quickly in gaining experience and technique now that he's healthy, before a decision must be made on his contract.
Bonner's role is different. It's to space the floor, shoot from the perimeter, bring additional rebounding and energy.
he will get some big preseason minutes and then we will see what his near future is based on those early returns.
Mahinmi seems like a guy who needs expectations placed upon him. Like a supervisor who tells a traffic cop, "You need to write ten tickets a day."
Mahinmi could be told you need to get 10 rebounds and 15 points. We don't care how you do it, just do it. It's now or never.
A sense of urgency might reveal a new player (or demonstrate that Ian may not have it). My guess is that Mahinmi (as opposed to many more self-driven players) might react well to that. He might end up saying, Gee, why didn't you ever tell me that before?
Well if I was Mahinmi I would be playing with an urgency. If you look at it there are only 2 more spots left on the active roster. Manu, Timmy, TP, Mason Jr, Jefferson, Hill, Bonner, Finley, McDyess, Blair(He's gonna make the team). That's ten. He needs to show up and stay healthy!
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