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good read
hey about blairs offensive rebounds, how many of them came from his missed shots or from other spurs players missed shots?
In their first baby step to the ultimate goal, the San Antonio Spurs began the 2009-10 preseason schedule with a contest against the Houston Rockets. With Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Michael Finley, Antonio McDyess and Theo Ratliff watching the action from the sideline, the Spurs were able to get an extended look at some of the younger prospects.
-Manu Ginobili played 14 mostly uneventful minutes in the first half. He hit a three-pointer and had a couple of vintage moves but was mostly taking it easy. Ginobili appears to be healthy and it'd be wise if he slowly worked his way back into game shape. This outing was a solid start.
-Richard Jefferson's debut wasn't very noteworthy. In 15 minutes, he didn't really stand out in any area. He applied good pressure on defense but was caught a few times overplaying his opponent. On offense, he didn't force much. He's going to be a major help but there will be a learning curve to figure out exactly how he fits.
-Leading the way in minutes (30), assists (4) and second in points (15), George Hill made a dent on the stat sheet. However, I wasn't too impressed with his play. He wasn't getting the team into its offensive sets fast enough and relied too much on the pick-and-roll. Hill needs to do a better job of breaking down the opposing defense to create scoring chances for himself and others. He had a golden opportunity to show that he's much improved from last year but this contest was nothing to write home about. He'll need to play better to keep the Spurs coaching staff from worrying about the team's point guard depth.
-Offensively, Matt Bonner helped the Spurs keep the score respectable in the first half. He shot the ball well and was particularly effective in the pick-and-pop play. Bonner appears to be confident and in good shape, which will likely be enough for him to stay in the rotation -- at least early on in the season. His post defense and rebounding were lacking but that wasn't much of a surprise.
-Ian Mahinmi started at center and fouled out in 17 minutes of play. He stats don't look very impressive (1-for-6 with three turnovers) but there were some positives to take away from his performance. Defensively, he showed promise as a help defender and was cognizant of his role on that end of the court. Offensively, Mahinmi was relatively aggressive. He still has a long ways to go before being considered for a spot in the regular season rotation but he didn't hurt his standing on the team with his play against the Rockets. Hopefully this is a foundation he can build off of for the rest of the preseason.
-Wow. DeJuan Blair had a rookie preseason premiere to remember. In only 22 minutes of action, the beastly power forward had 16 points and 19 rebounds. While it's true that a handful of his rebounds were off of his own misses (he shot 6-for-15 from the field), those numbers are difficult to ignore. It's dangerous to take too much away from this outing since he was going against the shortest team in the NBA and the Spurs were giving him the ball a lot more than they will with a healthy roster, but it's definitely safe to be excited. He already looks like an elite rebounder with huge hands and a bruising frame that can score around the bucket. He has to do a much better job defending the rim and sprinting back on defense -- but 19 and 16 in 22 minutes speaks for itself.
-The Spurs imported Marcus Haislip from Europe this summer and his first preseason game was forgettable. Defensively, he got abused by the Rockets post players. He didn't do a good job on the boards and his athleticism was nullified by the strength of Houston's bigmen. On the other end, Haislip showed some promise in terms of being a willing shooting and having the ability to put the ball on the floor. That said, he was loose with his dribble, had trouble finishing even if he got a step on the defender and his jumper looks flat and a bit awkward. He needs a lot of work if he's going to help.
-In his first few stints on the court, Malik Hairston played well. His defense was on point and he used his body well on the offensive end. Unfortunately, he played much worse as the game wore on. He started trying to do too much on both ends and it was a train wreck. All in all, Hairston still needs to prove that he can shoot against NBA defenders and show enough ballhandling skills to play out on the perimeter. He has good tools but he still has a ways to go to put it all together.
-Curtis Jerrells played a lot of shooting guard in college. Against the Rockets, that fact was obvious. Playing as the backup point guard behind Hill, he didn't seem to have much playmaking ability and the offense grinded to a halt when he was in the game. He seems comfortable shooting off of pick-and-rolls but he'll need to show more than that to have a legit shot of sticking on the roster. Jerrells gave good effort on defense but wasn't too effective.
-Marcus Williams didn't play too well (1-for-6 with two turnovers) but he illustrated some of the skills that impressed scouts last year when he was with the Austin Toros. His ballhandling in the open court is good, he's a deceptively crafty passer on the move and his body control in the air is at an NBA level. That said, Williams isn't very athletic and everything about him is slow -- from his shooting mechanics to his lateral movement. At the moment, he's an interesting prospect but he faces an uphill climb to make the team.
-Dwayne Jones grabbed a couple of contested boards but rebounding is about the limit of his value. He's not an offensive threat -- and that's putting it nicely. Honestly, if he catches the ball, that's a plus. To make the NBA, he'll need to become a better defender and learn to finish in traffic.
-Keith Bogans was invisible in his 16 minutes of work. He didn't get to show off his defensive skills and his play on offense consisted of him missing three shots. Hopefully he gets a few long runs during the exhibition season so the Spurs can figure out exactly what they have.
-Roger Mason, Jr. was another returning player who was going through the motions. The good news is that he looks like he's in better shape than last year. Let's hope that translates to better defense and better finishing ability at the hoop.
good read
hey about blairs offensive rebounds, how many of them came from his missed shots or from other spurs players missed shots?
You read that in a minute?
Thanks!
As always, thanks for the Game THoughts. I look forward to continuing to read them through out this season.
Haislip looked like Anthony Tolliver with a better handle and worse defense..he also looks awkward in the post on both ends of the floor IMO..
I don't think it would be a stretch to think that Bogans will have to actually prove himself if he wants a spot on the team..
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What I like most about his articles are some of his tidbits, like how the rockets like are the smallest team. Little things like that this the common person might not know. Really gives you a better feeliing of dejuan blair's play. However, Like he said,,,its still impressive.
Thanks. Always appreciate the time and effort, but even more so when I don't see the game. Thanks for the details.
Thanks timvp-always appreciated...
I would think Pop will be emphasizing transition D in practice tomorrow. Houston scored quickly too many times.
That was a good read, timvp. Next stop, Olympiakos
Way too many times. It was pretty bad. They definitely looked lost on the transition D. They gave up many easy baskets.
thanks timvp
Good writeup...thanks
Quick question only because I'm too lazy to look it up. Was the Rockets team that started and/or played most of the game the same way lineup wise? I would assume so.
Hmmm, I thought George played really good. He is playing with a lot more confidence. Yeah he didn't setup his teammates a lot, but he is in the same mold of Parker. I see Pop putting him next to Manu and actually letting Manu play the point and letting them trade off the PG duties.
I was completely disappointed with Ian. He will be a project all year if he is still on the team. Granted he hasn't played in over a year, but i'm just not seeing a hint of anything that makes me think he is ready for the NBA. Maybe I was looking for him to be more assertive on offense. He looked very awkward on offense.
Haslip looks like he is confident enough in his offensive game which is good to see. He still needs to handle the ball better off the dribble and on the inlet pass. On defense he is lacking for sure. He keeps up with his opponent fairly well, but does nothing once the shot is going up. He reacts a bit slow as the shot goes up and lacks the assertiveness on defense.
Malik looked good pretty much til the end of the game. I don't think his last few blunders with handling the ball down the stretch was a deal breaker by any means though. I like to see him being aggressive out there. He is handling the ball alot better then last year and he will continue to improve.
Marcus Williams looked alot more calm and collected, but his game is too soft in my opinion. His slender physique doesn't seem to serve him well out there. Not really quick enough to keep up with the point guards and not really strong enough to bang around with small forwards. That slow shot release isn't really helping him either.
Dejuan Blair is as advertised. He is a rebounding machine. He shines whenever he is under the rim. His offensive game should come around nicely. He is quite the energy guy. Think Malik Rose 2.0, but as a rookie. His game still has a lot more room to grow. His defense still needs work, but he more then meets expectations as a 1st year player.
Thats my take on the young guns anyways.
The Spurs don't appear to have much quality depth in my opinion.
Weak attempt at a troll. Do not pass go, do not collect $200
I find it odd that you and Pop have starkly contrasting views on Hill's game tonight. Pop said that Hill was his favorite player tonight and you thought his play could warrant serious concern. Why is that?
And let the Timvp slobbering begin!
Good Read!
I'd guess that half of his eight offensive boards were from his own misses.
So far, that's pretty true.
Eh, I think Pop is just trying to make Hill more confident. He used the same tactic with others including Rasho and Elson. Those two were also Pop "favorite player" during preseason.
Hill wasn't horrible but I can't believe that this is the type of play Pop wants from him. If it weren't for a few bailout threes and some trash stats late, his line would have been pretty ugly.
No I didn't. The channel was blacked out here. I'm basing my opinion solely on the box score.
I was able to see most of the 2nd half--unfortunately. The Houston announcers never identify--and I mean never--the names of opposing players, even when they score or foul, so my personal hopes (Haislip) and biases (Mahimi) weren't given any rein.
What I saw was Spurs lineup without any team play or willingness to give up the ball. As a result, the offense stagnated into a "one pass to me and I'll go one on one no matter what" affair.
I realize these young players have to shine while they get the chance, but more often than not their inividual play resulted in a forces error or really bad shot. Hairston took one jumper late in the game that was described by a laughing announcer as a "15 foor shot with a 20 foot arc." It was pathetic.
For some it was their first NBA game and maybe they can be forgiven for some nervousness, but down the stretch I didn't see anyone who can really help us. Let's hope they show better next game.
Thanks timvp.
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