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Hopefully he understands why we didn't pick up his option earlier in the season, and if he continues to get better and shows his improvement on the court, we may resign him in the offseason.
After two years, Spurs' Mahinmi finally emerges
Jeff McDonald
Each night for most of his two-plus NBA seasons, Spurs center Ian Mahinmi donned the same basic game-night uniform. Nice pants, nice shoes and dress coat the standard attire for players on the inactive list.
So Mahinmi's teammates knew something was different when he arrived at the AT&T Center for Sunday's 97-85 victory over New Jersey sporting a brand new fashion accessory.
An ear-to-ear smile.
He was smiling from the moment he walked in the locker room and saw a jersey hanging in his locker, guard George Hill said. He's been wanting to play for the longest.
Knowing a game against the league's lowliest team might not bring out the best in every player, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich chose this moment to give playing time to the one member of his roster guaranteed to approach it like Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
After not logging a single NBA minute since November 2007, Mahinmi was enthused just to be on the floor with anybody, even the Nets (3-34). He responded by providing a career-best 15 points and nine rebounds and as advertised stuffed three seasons of stored-up energy into his nearly 21 minutes of floor time.
As he knelt by the scorer's table in the first quarter of the Spurs' 35th game, awaiting a season debut that had seemed an eternity in coming, Mahinmi's mind raced. When Manu Ginobili drew a foul that stopped the clock at 3:02, his time had arrived.
I thought, There you go, this is your chance,' said Mahinmi, whose last NBA appearance was a four-minute stint against the Lakers on Nov. 13, 2007. I was trying to calm myself down, too, because I was (emotionally) high. Then Manu got fouled and boom, that's it. I was in.
Mahinmi, 23, spent most of his rookie season in the Development League and all of last season on the injured list. He was more than just a bit player Sunday, in a game the Spurs had to have.
In his seventh career NBA game, the 6-foot-11 Mahinmi even outscored Tim Duncan who had 14 points and a season-high 17 rebounds in less than 28 minutes.
He's worked hard for two years and had some bad breaks with injuries, Popovich said. You don't want to look past anybody, and I knew Ian wouldn't do that.
A head-turning sequence in the second quarter Mahinmi blocking Courtney Lee at one end, then filling the lane for a fast-break dunk on the other finally helped the Spurs break the early-game doldrums that can accompany a game against the league's laughingstock.
I really felt good after that, said Mahinmi, who made all six of his shots. I really was like, OK, you're off to a good start, so keep going.'
Mahinmi's SportsCenter-worthy swing tied the score at 22. The Spurs began to pull away with a sturdy third quarter in which they surrendered just 18 points.
The victory allowed the Spurs (22-13) to accomplish their most important immediate goal. They were able to get to Tuesday's game against the Lakers without inflicting further damage to their record.
We couldn't allow ourselves to lose, said Ginobili, who, with 21 points, was the only Spur to outscore Mahinmi.
Sunday was the first bright spot in an otherwise cloudy season for Mahinmi, the Spurs' first-round pick in 2005. In October, the team declined to pick up his fourth-year option, essentially making him a lame duck for the rest of the season.
Against the Nets, Mahinmi was the Spurs' highest-scoring Frenchman, outpacing All-Star Tony Parker by seven.
I was very happy for him, Parker said. It's very hard to be in the NBA and never play, to always be in a suit.
That was Mahinmi's dress code for the better part of three seasons. Except on Sunday, when there was no jacket required.
Hopefully he understands why we didn't pick up his option earlier in the season, and if he continues to get better and shows his improvement on the court, we may resign him in the offseason.
For whatever reason, I don't believe Pop's being disingenuous here; not completely anyway. It stands to reason, given what we've seen thus far, he'd use Ian in a way that was beneficial to the team short-term and would mean absolutely nothing long-term.Knowing a game against the league's lowliest team might not bring out the best in every player, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich chose this moment to give playing time to the one member of his roster guaranteed to approach it like Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
He's worked hard for two years and had some bad breaks with injuries, Popovich said. You don't want to look past anybody, and I knew Ian wouldn't do that.
But, having said that, I think Ian's enthusiasm and eagerness was only a part of the equation. I believe the opponent had a lot to do with it and Bruno summed it up quite nicely in another thread:
That's pretty much in line with my thinking..
Does anyone know who that guy was that Ian was seemingly congratulated by from the Nets end? It looked like a Nets staff member..
Thanks duncan228, I've been trying to get some post game reactions. Good for Ian, I'm sure it's been a long, long wait.
The first game I attend this season...and Ian makes his season debut. When I saw him kneeling at the scorers table...I thought....Pop is actually going to play him! In my mind I thought "C'mon Ian...play well so Pop has no choice but to give you a chance this season and play you some more," and what do you know...the kid did it...
. Big props to Ian tonight..
i like how the put 'emotionally' in "I was (emotionally) high"
I know Blackjack already saw this in another thread, but here's the info for anyone else who's curious; props to objective:
this means haislip must really suck. ):
Despite all the trade bait talk, I really hope Pop gives Ian a few minutes against the Fakers to see how he does. It was the Nyets, but I thought he looked really good out there today, and a lot bigger in the torso than he was 2 years ago - he's grown into his body.
wonder if he could take McDyess's place in the rotation some nights. If he plays like that, he should.
I dont expect Ian to play against LA unless one of teams is being blown out, but it'd be nice to see Ian play if Dice is a no show again and Blair fouls too much. I wonder if Ian will even be active next game.
For the reasons you just mentioned, I believe he'll be active against the Lakers, though whether he'll get any minutes is anyone's guess. However, with the Lakers size in their frontcourt, having Ian available makes sense. Inactives should be Bonner, Finley, and Hairston/Haislip.
I don't see any reason why he wouldn't be able to get some spot minutes against the taller frontline of the Fakers. In fact, this is one of the reasons I felt it was important for him to get some early season burn and confidence. If the Spurs truly had designs on competing with the Fakers, they need this additional athleticism and length in the frontcourt.
Lets say we do trade Ian for a trade exception..... exactly how does that help the Spurs?
Not much other then maybe watering down Richard Jefferson's contract a tad?
Get rid of some money without taking any back. Could be prep for a second trade.
I don't know why anyone would think he would not be active against the Lakers or Thunder. The worst that could happen is he would get in foul trouble and wind up buried back on the bench. The best case scenario is that he keeps the Spurs from going small while providing valuable rest for the other front line players.
Anyone know when that TE expires?
Yeah, let's deal Mahinmi for a TE so that perhaps we can find a young athletic big like him to use it on.
Ugh.
Sad but true.
Honestly, how many 6'11" 23 year olds are out there that are capable of going 15-9 in an NBA game...even against the Nets? 3? 5? 10?
I get it if Ian hasn't shown anything in practice, but he was one of the better D-League players, and has all the physical tools to play in this league.
Him not being given more of an opportunity is almost as head scratching as trading a guy capable of an almost nightly double-double to your in-state rival for nothing.
It helps to pay for the fourth string small foward and at the same time gets rid of your only young athletic center so Pop can say he has no choice but to play small ball.
Preach on, my brother.
Reposting my comment from another thread:
I'm watching reruns of this game and I'm falling in love with this kid more and more. That sequence of the block on one end and the dunk on the other is scintillating. I haven't seen a block like that since, well Ratliff. It harked back to the D-Rob era.
As others have stated, I'm wondering why they didn't pick up Ian's option? Frankly, I'm also wondering why there is even a debate about whether this guy should be on the roster? The answer is clear.
Obtaining Ratliff was good insurance, but if this kid and gets some seasoning, they wouldn't need to rely on Ratliff. This guy was the best big man in the D-League last year. It's clear he's hungry and, from all accounts, he works hard. There is no reason he can't be a rotation player. The only thing holding him back is Pop. Pop needs to take his own advice and "get over himself."
I'm sick of the Spurs punishing young talent in favor of old-age veterans, who've exceeded their NBA shelf life. I'd rather have a raw, inexpensive, young player, than an older, experienced player, who is injury-prone and less likely to have it on back-to-back nights. It's better to be young and mediocre than old, expensive and mediocre.
McDonald's article le. "After two years, Spurs' Mahinmi finally emerges After two years".
What would you have led it?
This is mine. "Mahinmi proves French Players for the Spurs can play Defense".
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