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Robertas Javtokas will probably be here next year, not Mahimni, and Ian will most likely come after next year. Scola might come this year as well.
I agree on Speedy though. He said he'd love to come back here.
It looks like the Spurs need to pick up speed and athleticism at the center and backup point guard spots. The Mavs (and even Kings) exposed those weaknesses.
This reminds me of 2001 when the media opined that the Spurs were too old, too slow and finished — their one le would be their last.
Last time the Spurs proved the critics wrong by going contrarian — they picked up foreign players Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
Tony Parker, at 19, was considered too young and too French to start at point guard in the NBA.
Now, the Spurs have another player who may be considered too young and too French to man the tough post in the NBA -- Ian Mahinmi. And they also have another Argentine — Luis Scola. But while some writers may compare Scola to Ginobili in talent, he seems more like a younger, more souped-up version of Fabricio Oberto to me. If Scola and Oberto were playing a zone D to lead Argentina to a world le, that would be fine. But today's NBA requires much more defensive speed and hops to win its own version of the world le.
So that leaves Mahinmi — this guy may be really good. From the few clips I've seen, he looks like a budding Bill Russell. If Mahinmi looks promising during the summer, why not keep him on the roster and even consider starting him at the 5? Although he's young, he's big and quick — a great shot blocker and he runs the floor well. What more do the Spurs need from that position? If he's the Spurs' future at defensive center why not let Pop start indoctrinating him with the Spurs' system earlier rather than later. It worked with Parker at an even tougher position.
Mahinmi would not have big offensive shoes to fill — the Spurs' offense hardly went through Nazr or Rasho. If he can be half of what Anderson Varejao was last year, he could allow the Spurs to play a 5 against Dallas and could also play against teams like Detroit and Miami. Rasho/Nazr can do the latter but not the former.
The Spurs got lucky last year. Their weakness at center and backup point were masked by a couple of gritty veteran performances by Brett Barry and Robert Horry. This year, their luck ran out, the matchups weren't as good and Barry and Horry were a year older.
Anyway, the problems still need to be addressed. And there's no championship this year to gloss over the problem and forestall the day of reckoning.
And while we're at it, why not try to get Speedy Claxton to return to the backup point? He left last time because (1) he wanted to start and (b) he wanted to play in a bigger place than SA. Now he realizes (1) he'll never be a long-term starter and (b) all the big city teams on the east coast stink and will for a long time. Maybe he's ready to come back.
Why not?
P.S. -- Javtokas looks like he warrants a good hard look, too. He looks like Rasho's evil twin on steroids.
Robertas Javtokas will probably be here next year, not Mahimni, and Ian will most likely come after next year. Scola might come this year as well.
I agree on Speedy though. He said he'd love to come back here.
It has been expressed that Speedy will likely cost too much. I wish it weren't so but most likely the Spurs will not compete with his salary needs.
Well friend, I too think that Ian Mahinmi is the answer to the Spurs C spot needs. I think that his play during summer league will warrant the Spurs inviting him to traininng camp. Delaying his NBA career under the current cir stances do not make any sense.
Besides Yao, there are no traditional dominant or semi dominant Centers in the West. And in the East, only Shaq warrents such concerns. The kid will be as ready as anyone at the end of summer league. But, stay tuned, . . .
Brent Barry 4.6M
Beno Udrih 0.9M
JR Smith 1.3M
Arvydas Macijauskas 2.5M
Speedy Claxton 1.7M(?)
Speedy does not have to be signed as a FA if we can work a trade with NO. In essence, he would have no effect on our cap number. I think they could pad that offer a bit more, too, to make it enticing to Claxton. That's only a sample, too. Different players would make the numbers different.
I'm pretty sure Speedy makes more than that. When he left in 03 he got a 3 year $10 million dollar deal with Golden State
I don't think Speedy will take a drastic pay cut to come to San Antonio but anything can happen I guess.
And from everything I hear, Mahinmi isn't ready for the NBA yet.
If that guy thinks he would be Okafor in 04 and he supposely is getting better and better.......damn.Ian Mahinmi
Birthdate: 11/5/86
NBA Position: Power Forward
Ht: 6-10
Wt: 230
Int Team: STB Le Havre
Hometown: Rouen, France
Stats
NBA Comparison: Emeka Okafor
Strengths: Ian is a real monster in the paint, using his good athleticism and long arms to grab tons of boards ... Reads the ball well off the rim, and even when he doesn't read it, his pure athleticism usually leads to the rebound ... Great length, wingspan and reflexes allow him to grab lots of long rebounds that would bounce right over most other player's heads... Defensively he is a beast ... Incredible reach allows him to alter and/or block shots other players wouldn't even think of contesting ... Has very quick hands, leading to lots of steals and tipped balls ... When Ian does score, many of his baskets come off tip ins and offensive rebounds ... This could account for his high shooting percentage (18-30 at 60% in Zaragoza) ... Very good at establishing position in the paint, reads the play very well when making cuts and calling for the ball ... Gets the ball in good position under the basket drawing lots of fouls ... A solid free throw shooter for a post player (70%) ... In fact, many of the points he scores come from free throws ... Runs the floor very well, and is one of those hustle players coaches always want on their team ... Always goes for the loose ball, blocked shot, or hustle rebound ... Has decent court vision when around the basket ... Foot work is good around the basket, but needs to add some moves to his arsenal ... His potential is considerable.
Weaknesses: At this point in his basketball career, he is still very raw and what many would call a "project" ... Still very raw offensively .... Has no shot outside of 8-10 feet ... Limited offensive skills, besides rebounding and dunking ... Strength is his biggest question mark right now. He is very good at establishing position down low, but is rarely strong enough to keep it ... Must pout on weight without losing much agility, but he's such a strong athlete, that shouldn't be a problem ... The same goes for rebounding... Must get better at anticipating shots and not try to block everything ...
-Rob Salvador 10/4/04
Speedy is a pipe dream. He'll get starting offers and more money elsewhere.
Ian? , bring him over now. If he's as good as everyone thinks he is, he could come off the end of the bench now. If not, park him in Austin and get those rookie scale years out of the way before he becomes the "next David Robinson."
nbadraft.net comparaison are sometimes a little optimistic :
http://www.nbadraft.net/profiles/deshawnstevenson.htm
Yep, i figure it would take between $3-$3.5 of the MLE to attract Speedy. That may be too much for POP's taste.
Yeah, they have Adam Morrison as Larry Bird
If Mahinmi is even close to as good as advertised.
Duncan and Robinsonesque Twin Towers could be revisted.
All they're doing is suggesting the type of star a prospect would be if he became great. It's his upside potential, that's all -- it doesn't mean that Morrison will be Bird. More like if Morrison becomes the best player anyone could imagine him being, who would he remind you of. . .
NY will chase for Speedy if LB is still the coach.
That's a big "if".
Why do people think/act like that Speedy can ONLY be signed outright as a FA? If we're going to revisit the JR Smith trade, his salary could be more than offset by Barry's vs. Smith's in a S&T.
I don't get why they want to leave Ian in Europe. Bring him over, put him on the 'inactive list', and let him learn from Duncan every day in practice.
Kids get better by playing. My understanding is that most NBA teams do relatively little actual 5-on-5 scrimmaging in practice, and you can do drills anywhere.
If we want to sign him and send him to Austin, that's great. But as raw as he is, he should be getting consistent minutes in real games to develop properly.
Fine, send him to Austin to play every night and let him practice with the Spurs every day and learn from the best.
I think that would be fantastic.
the problem with keeping him in Austin is that the clock would start ticking on his rookie contract. If he's not going to be in the NBA for a year as it is, then you might as well get as much from him timewise in the NBA before you have to re-sign him or competing with other teams when he's a RFA or FA.
Or you might be able to re-sign him before he completely blows up and becomes an $10 million/year man.
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