TrueHoop comment on James White

[GhostofAlfrederickHughes]

"I have a feeling that James White won't make it big as a Spur. He has been marinating in their culture for several months now, and he's still calling for the ball all the time. playing only OK defense, and shaking his head every time a teammate fails to send him an alley-oop lob. I'm no expert on Spurs culture, but from what I have seen in the regular season, that is not it."


http://myespn.go.com/nba/truehoop

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

And then there's what Mark Stein said:

" My not-so-favorite development: James White's struggles

It's too early for full-fledged disappointments. The only true disappointment I've seen in Vegas so far was the unspeakable sight of a young man bringing a bag from McDonald's into an In-N-Out on Tuesday afternoon, something I've never witnessed in 25 years as an In-N-Out zealot. He ate his McDonalds while his dining companion enjoyed the most sumptuous burger in the history of fast food. It was the epitome of sacrilege.

Anyway . . .

If anything else has troubled me -- apart from the fast-approaching reality that we won't be getting Oden vs. Durant on Sunday night -- it's Flight White's poor showing with San Antonio.

The champs still hope to inject their rotation with athleticism and White is getting a prime shot to impress them after basically spending a year as an apprentice, learning the team's culture. There is a great deal of curiosity in San Antonio, given White's dunking reputation, about what he can do in game situations and what he has learned.

The answer, sadly, appears to be not much."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/column...arc&id=2932441

[Capt Bringdown]

Another long-shot doesn't pan out.

[RobinsontoDuncan]

im sorry, what hasnt he done exactly?

[El_Mago]

These Goofs just don't get what the Spurs are doing....

I suppose because White is not putting up 20 & 5 in the Summer League he is not going to work out....

Actually, all Popovich wanted to do was to play defense....know the concepts.....and play a role similar to Bruce Bowen......

Oh well....I'll be waiting around Feburary when Stein and the boys are praising the Spurs for sticking with White and developing him.....

[Supergirl]

Yeah, but pouting about not getting the ball more is very anti-Bowen and not at all what the Spurs need out of him. So if that's true, then the writer is right.

[FromWayDowntown]

These Goofs just don't get what the Spurs are doing....

I suppose because White is not putting up 20 & 5 in the Summer League he is not going to work out....

With Abbott, I don't think the concerns are with production; they're much more about mentality and a belief that White is straying from the team-first mentality that Pop demands.

[ShoogarBear]

James White!

[AFBlue]

I think the fact that White is calling for the ball is a testament to his willingness to step up and be aggressive.

These guys need to understand that in a Summer League setting where he's supposed to be one of the best guys on the floor, he feels like he has to step it up and be "THE" guy.

Conversely, when White plays with the big boys he'll be relegated to a support role and have virtually nothing run through him on offense. IMO, he showed the ability to do exactly that (fit in), during his time with the club, while still maintaining that aggressive edge.

While I don't like the head-hanging he seems to do alot, I can understand the frustration from not having a capable person to get him the ball in transition...where he thrives.

Finally, to his defense. This is where I feel Abbott may have a valid point. While White hasn't been horrible defensively, he certainly has a ways to go if he's going to settle into that "Bowen-replacement" niche.

[Darkwaters]

While I don't like the head-hanging he seems to do alot, I can understand the frustration from not having a capable person to get him the ball in transition...where he thrives.

White is playing with some totally incapable point guards. The fact that he has been wide open for highlight reel alley oop passes repeatedly and and has yet to even have one thrown his way (let alone actually connected on a pass) would frustrate anybody. I see this more as a testiment to the absolute crap that is CJ Watson as opposed to the bad at ude of James White.

That being said...I'm all for a James White + Scola's rights for Rudy Fernandez trade.

[O-Factor]

I've been reading Henry Abbotts True Hoop for a while now, and one thing he is NOT, is a Spurs fan. I get the feeling he dislikes the Spurs. He's been pretty obvious about that. To bad for him!

[SenorSpur]

Sure he should be one of the Spurs better players during summer league. However if he's truly not concentrating on the core skills of defense and rebounding, he'll never make the squad.

[urunobili]

Trade Him with Scola's rights for a decent PG

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

James White!

HOF!

[Borosai]

HOF!

Now we're talking!

[Bruno]

When Spurs have drafted Marcus Williams, the first thing RC Buford has said was 'we think he can become a good defender".
So Spurs have drafted a 6'7" 200lbs athletic player who can become a good defender while they have under contract a 6'7" 200lbs athletic player (James White) whose defense is the main quality.
You can wonder if Spurs weren't sold on White and have drafted Williams because they think he is a way better project than White.

I wouldn't be surprised to see White cut before the end of the month.

[timvp]

White does have a Stephen Jackson-esque at ude. That was apparent last year. In summer league, it's more of the same.

He pouts, he hangs his head, he stares at people after he dunks and all that stuff. However, I don't think it's a huge turn off to the Spurs because White has been this way since high school. If they wanted a robot, they wouldn't have gone after White.

That said, his offense has been pretty poor so far in summer league. His defense has been good but he's not putting Bowen like effort into it. Those two things concern me more than his at ude -- which was expected.

[wildbill2u]

If a players best offense is an alley oop dunk, he ain't gonna make it. How many times in a game do even superstars get those opportunities? Great when they show highlight reels, but you can't count on them every time down court.

White needs to get a game.

[Mr. Body]

White shows a good at ude in interviews. Maybe he just gets a bit fiery in games - in the wrong way.

Put one way, James White wasn't a Spurs pick - he was a scrap they found due to Indiana's mismanagement - although I think they had interest in him in the draft (where they had no pick). Marcus Williams WAS a Spurs pick - and so if it came down to a choice, Williams will probably win. White has shown that WYSIWYG thing and is already 24 or something, while Williams is much younger and has skills the Spurs seem to want.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Can we sign both and stick the one we don't want on the active roster with the Toros? I have no idea how these things work.

White is 6'7"? Wow, he looked about 6'4" when I saw him.

[Mr. Body]

Can we sign both and stick the one we don't want on the active roster with the Toros? I have no idea how these things work.

A player playing for the NBDL team still counts as a roster spot on the main team.

[SenorSpur]

Question is will either Williams or White show enough during summer league to warrant further evaluation and a roster spot?

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

A player playing for the NBDL team still counts as a roster spot on the main team.

Hmmmm. That's no good. These rules make it difficult to hoard talent to see who pans out, dammit!

Didn't White show enough in the REAL NBA late last season to warrant more of a look?

[easjer]

Hmmmm. That's no good. These rules make it difficult to hoard talent to see who pans out, dammit!

It's something I actually really, strongly dislike. I think if they ever hope to make a decent Developmental League, then they need to allow teams a spot or two for the sole purpose of playing on the D-League teams. It would certainly help with someone like Mahinmi, who doesn't have a prayer's chance in of playing on the team next year, but who needs regualr playing time to develop.

[aaronstampler]

White does have a Stephen Jackson-esque at ude. That was apparent last year. In summer league, it's more of the same.

He pouts, he hangs his head, he stares at people after he dunks and all that stuff. However, I don't think it's a huge turn off to the Spurs because White has been this way since high school. If they wanted a robot, they wouldn't have gone after White.

That said, his offense has been pretty poor so far in summer league. His defense has been good but he's not putting Bowen like effort into it. Those two things concern me more than his at ude -- which was expected.

University of Cincinnati. What else do you need to know?