Tuesday, July 14th, 2009...6:38 am
Ian Mahinmi’s Movement
I just re-watched Sunday’s game, and my thoughts on the game run along the same line as Graydon’s, with one exception. Unlike Graydon, whose assessment found Ian Mahinmi lacking, I thought the Spurs’ big man played well. But of course the difference in our opinion owes everything to context-Graydon was evaluating Ian Mahinmi in the context of the game (his piece was a game recap, after all), but I watched the game in context of the previous two seasons. So don’t see this as a competing opinion so much as an alternate perspective.
Wayne Vore caught up with Ian Mahinmi after the game, and he confirmed what many of us assumed true: Sunday’s game was Mahinmi’s first competitive scrimmage in a year.
I have watched Mahinmi play on at least a dozen occasions. Probably more. With that exposure as a backdrop, I can say that Mahinmi looked rusty on Sunday. He was a shadow of his pre-injury self, but-and this is the important part-didn’t seemed hobbled. He moved well.
In the past, Mahinmi has seemed lackadaisical showing up top or, say, sealing the baseline with a crisp rotation. He did those things fairly well on Sunday. He drew an important charge late in the game, and on another possession he altered a shot that led to a George Hill block. His value to the Spurs’ roster is not as a scorer-Duncan, McDyess, Blair, Bonner and, perhaps, Haislip can bring offense. The best thing Mahinmi could provide for San Antonio is a player who is able to compliment or spell Duncan for short stints. Functioning within the system is 75% of that struggle. I was encouraged by what I saw.
The best way to think of Ian Mahinmi as a Spur is Francisco Elson with more talent and a higher ceiling. But truth be told, he’s not far from Elson-like production right now.
And while it’s undeniable that Mahinmi was a little bit of a ghost on offense in his first game off the shelf, remember he’s shown a reliable offensive repertoire in the past. During his season with the Toros, Mahinmi dominated several games with a variety of post moves and good roll work off screens. As the summer grinds forward, I suspect we’ll see some of that from Mahinmi. On Sunday, the Spurs did not do a good job of getting him involved.
Let me put it this way: we won’t know if Mahinmi will crack the rotation until late in the preseason. It’s going to take all summer for him to kick off the rust. Don’t pass judgement too quickly. These things take time.
I’m already convinced that George Hill and DeJuan Blair will be part of the regular season rotation, and not without significant contribution. Much like Mahinmi, I watched Malik Hairston carefully when he was with the Toros. By the end of this game, it was obvious to me that he’s taken at least one significant step forward this offseason. He logged a lot of minutes at power forward in college and didn’t seem comfortable on the perimeter for the better part of last season. That’s changed. Unless he lays an egg over the balance of the summer, Hairston is a near lock to make the team, and he has an outside shot at the minutes available behind Richard Jefferson. With Hill, Blair and Hairston, the Spurs already have a good idea of what they have to work with. They need to dig a little deeper with Mahinmi.
Going forward, I’d like to see Coach Newman call Ian’s number early and often. This has the duel advantage of working George Hill through multiple ball screen scenarios each game. Both players need to find a steady rhythm of read, recognize, and react. Going through those motions will shake the injury rust loose.
In the meantime, it’s best to evaluate Mahinmi against the continuum that is the offseason. It’s a process. Right now, Mahinmi is merely a figure standing against a distant horizon. He’s out of focus. His task this summer is to gradually emerge in the foreground. Put simply, I’ll place far more stock in his last two summer league games than his initial two, and October is more important than July.
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26 Comments
July 14th, 2009 at 7:52 am
That’s good perspective! Basically, take Ian with a grain of salt and hope he shows improvement with each game and is solid in preseason.
I think he’ll show why the Spurs have hung on to him for the last 4 years very shortly. The talent’s apparent on both ends.
As long as they make an attempt to give him some offensive focus, I think he’ll lose the offensive rust quickly. I think it’s apparent he’s going to give full effort on the defensive end, but let’s hope the foul-issue becomes a non-issue. That’s one of the things I’m really going to look for from Ian in the next few games.
July 14th, 2009 at 8:01 am
That’s a good take on Ian. I’d even go a step further: I think the focus with him should be on where he is at season’s end! We should be fairly comfortable in stating that we will make the playoffs this coming season (barring key injuries). It is as we move through post-season that his contribution will become vital, particularly if we have to face the Lakers at some point. So giving him significant playing time during the season, having him learn the Spurs’ system (I recall him sitting next to Manu most of last season and listening intently as Manu explained what was going on on the court), and most especially honing his defensive skills in practice against Timmy, should, if there is any talent and desire there at all, have him ready next April. It is at that point, when he is really no longer a rookie, that we’ll know if he’s part of the “answer” so many Spurs’ fans have been awaiting.
July 14th, 2009 at 8:41 am
when can we expect the Spurs to officially sign Blair? or did i miss that?
July 14th, 2009 at 8:54 am
They can be slow with their rookie contracts.
July 14th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Thanks Tim, for providing the voice of reason, as usual. Some of us get a little too carried away, putting too much emphasis on a single game, but I think it really just stems from being anxious and wanting the Spurs to have the best possible players.
Another positive sign about Ian:
With (very) limited touches, he continues to show an ability to get to the foul line. He doesn’t shy away from contact when he has the ball down low, and does a good job with fakes to put his defender in a position to draw the foul. I loved those 2 FT’s late in the game.
July 14th, 2009 at 9:45 am
Matt,
Great point about those free throws. Inevitably folks will focus on the great play of Hairston and Hill down the stretch, but Ian came up big over the final 4 minutes or so. Drawn charge, two big free throws, altered shot and, if I remember correctly, a key rebound.
July 14th, 2009 at 11:23 am
noob here, first post…it looks to me like we are preparing to start the nba season with five power forwards and only one true center, a center that has very little nba experience. i sure would like to see a true center signed to the team as a backup. any news on fabricio oberto’s pending release and health condition? is there a better practical option? later, ron
July 14th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
mikrobass,
Apparently the Wizards have offered him a deal, but no word yet on whether or not he’ll sign. I heard earlier that there may be some offers for him to play in Europe. Either way, I think it looks doubtful that he’ll return to the Spurs.
Especially with the signings of Haislip, McDyess, Blair (pending), and possibly Gist, I don’t think there’s room for him. The FO has mentioned several times that they are looking for more athletic, mobile bigs who can get out and put pressure on bigs like Dirk, Odom and maybe even combo forwards like Lebron, Artest and Carmello. I agree though that it’s tough to watch Fabby leave.
July 14th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Oberto update:
According to the Wizards blog http://www.truthaboutit.net/
Oberto plans to play in the NBA next season, not Europe. Interesting to see where he lands…
July 14th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
mikrobass,
I think we do not need any more big man.
Consider that between the 4 and 5 there are 96 minutes available every game.
Duncan and McDyess will likely play a combined 55/60 minutes at night.
Assuming that we do not play any small ball with RJ (or any other) at the 4 (and I do not think that’s a safe assumption) there are some 40 minutes to share among Blair, Bonner, Haislip and Mahimi.
It means that two among them will often get a DNP-Coach decision or those 5 garbage time minutes stints.
I think that, barring lopsided trades, our bigs will actually be those six.
July 14th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Nick,
I agree with you, and I don’t. If the Spurs find that one of their young bigs is lacking, then a low dollar reserve such as Rasho Nesterovic or Ben Wallace might be a good option.
But I think the Spurs would rather keep Gist and send him to Austin than eat a roster spot with a veteran.
July 14th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
I think that most front offices like the Spurs don’t look at players as 1 position players. Most players fit into a 2 position. Take Haislip he is a 3/4 player. Duncan is a 4/5, McDyess is a 4/5, ian is a 4/5, manu is a 2/3, finley is a 2/3, mason is a 1/2, hairston is a 2/3 etc etc. Basically in todays NBA the 4 and 5 positions and to an extent the 2/3 positions are seen as the same positions. Bigs are bigs and wings are wings for the most part. Then of course you have more small ball lineups where maybe you have 2 1’s on the court and a 3 playing as a 4 man.
July 14th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Thanks for the prospective on Ian. What is you take on Beck (17)? He had a very good first game. He looked like a young Manu (dare I say?)
July 14th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Beck is auditioning for European scouts.
July 14th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Johnny,
+1
July 14th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Timothy Varner,
any idea why Blair didn’t play today? i heard a rumor that says he wouldn’t play until he signed his contract…. hope this is not true… by the way spurs won 78-76 against denver… another solid game for hill and hairston… Ian was good also 12pts 16 rebounds but 10 fouls! oh well… good thing theres no “6 foul and out rule” during summerleague…
July 14th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
apparently blair not playing was not because of contract issues… Averting the Blair Freakout… good to know….
July 14th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
I’m of the belief the Spurs need another center. Duncan won’t guard the center until the last 6 minutes of the 4th qtr to avoid foul trouble and conserve energy. So, that leaves 42 minutes in the center position left. McDyess can handle 30 to 36 of those minutes provided he avoids foul trouble.
Leaving Blair, Bonner, Haslip, or Mahinmi to deal with the 6 to 12 minutes left of the 48 minutes of center played by Shaq/Z, Dwight Howard/Marcin Gortat, Yao, Bynum/Gasol, Perkins/Wallace, Oden/Pryzbilla, Nene/Martin. That is a serious mismatch and extreme hindrance for the Spurs to try and overcome those matchups at the center position for a possible championship.
Signing a 7′0″ like Rasho Nesterovic or Melvin Ely, Chris Mihm, or Jarron Collins for those matchups would be the icing on the cake for this offseason.
July 14th, 2009 at 11:55 pm
Q: Do the Spurs need one more 7-foot center?
A: “Yes, but Not Necessarily 7-foot” because I’d rather have an athletic Big than an Oberto retread. Or, Bigs that Pop will actually play, as Italian Nic mentioned.
The Spurs went with 4 Bigs for most of last season, so it depends on where you categorize 6-7 Blair in totalling how many you Bigs you can project on the Spurs roster. Finally, my TWO CENTS: we need 4 players bigger than Blair on the day to day roster because of the mileage risks with TD and Dice. In June 2010, their combined age is 69!
TD, Dice, Bonner are “in,” but whether Ian or Gist can shoulder legitimate minutes this season is a huge question mark. If I’m the front office, I showcase people in the Summer League and make a trade that nets me one more veteran front court player and maybe even gets me under the cap. We don’t need to develop a player that Splitter will replace in a year anyway.
lvmainmain, I wouldn’t object to the Rasho Renaissance, but Chris Mihm is not the answer. For a team wanting to win now, wouldn’t Drew Gooden help? Melvin Ely and Jarron Collins are not true 7 footers, but would either be more dependable than Ian? Look, I really want to see Ian Mahinmi/Gist/Blair blossom this season, but is the same head coach who stuck with J.V., suddenly going to depend on two rookies for front court minutes? Doubtful. And as I asserted, Dice and TD can use all the minute reduction we can afford this season.
July 15th, 2009 at 12:34 am
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July 15th, 2009 at 7:08 am
Tim,
I actually agree with you, but I basically assume that such a player (6-10 or more, athletic, only devoted to man to man D and good for 15 minutes, 2 points, 3 rebounds, 6 fouls, who has short stints trying to slow down and wear down an offensive 7 footer) will be basically available until the trade deadline.
I think it is more useful to spend the first months of the season trying to develop Blair, Haislip and Mahimi by making them play and, if by the end of December, there is no sign that they can play, sign a FA or get a vet player in a trade.
Let’s consider that, in the west, the only contender I can see with a truly offensive gifted center is LA (Gasol and Bynum). Yao simply won’t probably be there, Mavs have Dampier, the Nuggets have a good but not excellent 5 in Nene, Portland has Oden who still has to figure how to stay on the floor, NO has Chandler and seems willing to deal him anyway, Utah has a perimeter oriented 5 in Okur…
ChillFAN,
I definitely share your mileage concern and I think the Spurs should prevent Duncan and Ginobili to play in back to back games.
I also think that, since it appears that this year there will be some really weak teams (Milwaukee, New Jersey, Indiana, New York, Memphis, Minnesota, Clippers, Sacramento, Oklahoma City) it is not unthinkable that at least Tim and Manu skip some additional regular season games.
It may be not so respectful for fans, but saving them 10 or 15 regular season games could make a huge difference.
However, such possibility largely depends on how the youngs develop…
July 15th, 2009 at 7:24 am
ChillFAN,
I disagree about Indiana going to be a weak team next year, they are really starting to develop as a team with Hibbert Hansbrough Rush Granger Ford and Jones from the Nuggest. They went 5-0 in summer league and I think will be the surprise team in the East.
As far as finding another center, I dont believe is necessary because now the Spurs have a lot of young athletic talent in Haislip, Blair, Mahinmi. I mean unless the Spurs get Oberto back, I think it would be more productive to develop these players behind Duncan and McDyess, and keep Bonner at the 4.
July 15th, 2009 at 11:40 am
[Sorry everyone for the OT, I will try to be extra brief]
DNITCH,
Indiana is developing a reasonably good and young core, but they simply do not have anyone outside Granger and Dunleavy (I hear he will miss the better part of the season) who can score with any consistency. That’s why they run so much (at least when I watched them).
They have an impressive bunch of decent/good defenders (Jones, Foster, Hibbert, Rush). However, they are all (add Rasho) a little bit weak on transition D, which is what you should be good at when you run so much.
That’s why I think they won’t be good, but I may be wrong, though.
July 15th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
DNITCH, it wasn’t me who commented on Indiana. I think Nick answered your question about Indiana’s strength. I wish the Pacers the best, but, to tell you the truth I have not watched them enough to say they can have a breakout year.
But thanks for your comments about the Bigs situation.
NICK (Italy). Great comments. In retrospect, sitting the four in Denver midseason didn’t really matter much in the playoffs, did it?
July 15th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
ChillFAN, sorry I guess I misread. I’m simply making making my own breakout pick in the east for next year.
As far as the bigs, Mahinmi will continue to improve and played way better against DEN. Alot I believe to it to him feeling more comfortable and it not being his first competitive game in a year. He is a great investment because he will continue to develop and still is only 22.
I think if the Spurs feel that they are in need of another big man, that they will give a good look at Gooden after summer league is over. Regardless of what people say about his IQ, he’s familiar with the system and can provide solid offense, and improve on defense. However I hope that things work out with the current bigs that we’re trying to develop and test now.
July 16th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
it is my opinion that the Spurs need Drew Gooden along side Tim Duncan or on the 2nd unit with Manu Gonobili. I noticed last year in several games before Manu was injured, that the two of them had good chemistry together on the court. Gooden just needed a lil more time in the Spurs system to be more effective, if anyone notice that Gooden had a 20pnt 15rebnd game. Who whould’nt want a player that could put up those type of numbers and he was just getting back from injury. LET’S GIVE GOODEN A TRY!!!
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