Has anyone noticed that Darius Washington has the same physical body shape, quickness, power & perhaps even the style of play as Baron Davis? Washington likes to take it to the rack and unlike Parker who uses quickness and pure speed/ herky-jerky change of direction to drive to the rack, Darius uses more power to get to the rim like Baron does. Also Darius is a better pure shooter and natural jump shooter than Tony Parker in my opinion. I think there is a distinct chance that Darius will be the main backup for TP by the end of the season and that Vaughn will be the insurance man as he was originally signed up for (when Spurs still had hope that Beno will wake up). Also Vaughn may see floor time when they need to defend certain matchups or late in close games or when Spurs have to protec leads and do not need more scoring from TP or Darius.
I am really impressed with Udoka the more I see him play. He is extremely strong, has a good nose for the ball, rebounds really well (he should have been assigned to Bonzi the entire game!), and can also contribute on the offensive side (yes I know he didn't hit the 3's yesterday but his form still looked pretty smooth -- they just didn't fall in which will happen sometimes). More importantly, he is a typical Spurs type of player because he defends really well, good lateral movement, doesn't get beat one-on-one very oftea and has the strength to hang in there with strong tough wing players as well as scoring guards. He also has a good basketball IQ and doesn't try to do too much. Lastly, because he has good instinct for the ball and physicality/desire to go after the rebound in the paint, he will bring different skill sets and advantages that Bowen is not capable of.
Lastly Mahinmi is probably the real jewel out of all the rookies considering how hard it is to find a really good Big Man these days. He has ALL the potential raw talent but more importantly, he also seems to have good instincts on defence as well as quickness/size/wingspan to play a similar style of game as Amare Stoudemire (not quite as strong as Amare yet). And he is also lot more aggressive than I had been led to believe as I saw him repeatedly fight for lowe-block position & ask for the ball. You can tell he is very active on both ends of the floor and I think he can be a potent force with TD (TD really needed an ATHLETIC big like Mahinmi who can snatch rebounds from out of position and prevent TD from getting double-teamed or blocked off. If Splitter is another player who is atheletic enough to take attention away from TD, we will see large improvement in TD's game as the opposition won't be able to ignore players like Nestrovic, Mohammad and even Oberto and concentrate on Tim.
I think if we can find one or two more athletic or tough wing players with some offensive abilities to shoot the 3 to replace Finley and Barry, we are basically read to seriously compete for the le for another 7 to 8 years with TD, TP, and Gino being the engine. And if that turns out to be the case, Spurs will definitely win few more rings and cement the Spurs as a real dynasty and cement TD's reputation as the clear cut best PF of all time and maybe even top 5 GOAT.
Future appears to be bright for the Spurs!!!
I haven't been impressed much at all with Udoka yet. He's plays hard but he is still pretty lost on D. He's late on almost all his rotations. I am sure he'll catch up but right now, he's not very good in the Spurs system yet.
I think Mahinmi is going to be very good. It will be quite a while because he's still so raw but he's got all the tools to become very, very good.
I don't think Tim or Manu will be playing in 8 years. But we'll see.we are basically read to seriously compete for the le for another 7 to 8 years with TD, TP, and Gino being the engine.
That was my thought exactly. I think we're looking at 4-5 more years max.
I like Udoka's rebounding. Pretty good shot, haven't seen anything special on defense but he needs to be tested on opponents starters imo.
Udoka knows he was brought in because of his defensive abilities. And when he's on defense with the looks on his face and late rotations he's thinking to much. It reminds me a little when Barry was on his first year. It was a mix of trying to fit in to soon and thinking to much. Instead of letting the game come to him.
D-Wash is a damn pit bull. I like seeing that from a rook.
Udoka will be just fine
good take... although i am not impressed with Udoka yet... i am sure we haven;t seen the best of him either... typical spurs player... saves the best for last...
Udoka is a smart player. I've no doubts about his ability to grasp the Spurs system. He'll make gradual improvements from month-to-month. He'll be fine.
As for the comparison of Darius to Baron, that's a bit gratuitous. However I think I know where you're going. They're both very physical players, who don't mind, and even at times, initiate contact.
Darius does have a penchant for bulling his way to the rack like Baron. However, Baron is far more explosive at this point in his career. He also is a better finisher at the rim.
I've not seen much of Washington's jumper, so I can't make a fair comparison. However, I would hedge the Baron is a much more consistent shooter than Washington. Baron is also a perennial all-star and the MVP of the Warriors.
Last edited by SenorSpur; 11-12-2007 at 04:00 PM.
I think that the comparison to Baron is only because of the wide shoulders and the beard
I've been impressed with D Wash rebounding. he sure doesn't mind mixing it up and tyring to out jump the taller guys. seems like he is always down low trying to rebound much more that most point guards.
He reminds me of Chris Paul in that regard. Paul is an exceptional rebounder and doesn't mind mixing it up.
I kind of like the way udoka mans up .. he looks comfortable playing defense. now his challenge will be to play spurs defense..
DW- I LOVE the guy's energy. He also seems to have a really good court savvy..
1. I like Washington a lot, but he's not anywhere near as explosive or powerful as Baron Davis.
2. I've been pleasantly surprised by Mahinmi, but I don't think his ceiling is as high as others around here. I understand that he's barely 20 and raw, but he's been playing full-time professional basketball since 2003. Whatever training he's had is surely better than someone playing high school ball in the US. When I see him I don't think future all-star. I'm thinking solid rotation guy at best. Maybe a taller Malik Rose-type who can block shots.
3. I like Udoka. I've been slightly underwhelmed with his defense so far, but his offense is better than I thought it would be. He can handle the ball a little and is actually a bit of a threat to come off screens and create some things off the dribble. I was expecting the second coming of Bruce Bowen, but he's got a more sophisticated offensive repertoire. If he can pick up the defense, then he's a huge steal for the money.
Yeah, I don't think Darius will be dunking on Kirilenko anytime soon.I think that the comparison to Baron is only because of the wide shoulders and the beard
One thin I have noticed about Udoka: he's a much better ball handler than Bruce. Not that that's especally difficult. But I don't cringe when I see him dribble. He had one nice little cross-over then pass to a cutting Bonner(? can't remember) during garbage time.
Although it's hard to watch the Spurs in Europe, I managed to see the last few games. And Washington was impressive. The way he tries to defend (although not always successful) impressed me the most. The will is there, although I think his offensive Game lacks a bit of discipline. Once he improves his shot selection he should be an obvious pick over Vaughn. I just hope he stays with the Spurs rather than being sent down to the Toros.
I liked someone's comparing Washington to Malik Rose better. I think that description works because Malik was an over-achieving role player who would have never sniffed the NBA if not for his heart for the game.
Baron Davis could have been one of the premier players in this league if his knees hadn't abandoned him.
I think some of you are taking this post a little outta context.
Of course D-W is no Barron, but there games do have similar traits.
One could assume this is because they have similar body styles, which suites their style of play.
Yes, It's very possible for Tim to lace up another 7 years. If he is able to maintain his health (ankles), then I see this as likely. Granted, the progress and transition of Tony becoming a consistant star will also have a signficant influence. I don't see Manu playing more than maybe 5 more seasons. Then again, Manu has a crazy passion for the game. I don't know. Here's what I do know. If you spend too much time worrying about the future, it's real hard to enjoy the present. So, let's enjoy what we got right now, and leave the worries to Pop and R.C.
Darius actually reminds me of Speedy a lot. He doesn't have the hops, but has a NICE outside jumper out to, and beyond the 3 point line, which Speedy lacked.
Washington was compared to Telfair some years ago. I'd say he's much more talented basketball-wise than Malik Rose ever was
Telfair is a finesse guy.
If I had to pick one guy, I'd say that his drives to the hoop are a little in the Stephon Marbury style. But he's nowhere near as strong or as talented as Starbury.
We have to look at Stephon or Davis at the age of 21. There isn't anyway to compare D-W on any level before considering age and expierence. I doubt Stephon was as filled out as he is now at 21. I'm not sure about Barron, he's always been bigger than most guards.
I'd say....Raymond Felton.
And that ain't bad....
I know its a huge comparison and I am not suggesting that DW is Baron but i am telling you that this kid has lot of the same physical attributes, style and perhaps even confidence/mojo. Whether he will be able to develop like Baron with Spurs is another question because Spurs don't tolerate Baron type of freewheeling, damn the torpedo approach to the game. Not that we want to see DW become like Baron as Spurs do not need DW to do that but I think he is a different type of PG than Parker and it doesn't hurt for us to have him on our roster!I think that the comparison to Baron is only because of the wide shoulders and the beard
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