Wednesday, July 15th, 2009...7:46 am
Summer League Notes: SA vs. Den
The talk surrounding last night’s game was DeJuan Blair, who registered a DNP. There are rumors of a contract stand off between the Spurs and Happy Walters (Blair’s agent), but I’ve talked with someone close to the negotiations and was told the talks are going well. The Spurs and Blair’s agent decided to sit him for a game to finalize contract details and tie up loose ends on Blair’s insurance.
DeJuan Blair might play on Thursday, it just depends if the Spurs and Happy Walters like the way all their little duckies are lining up. The Spurs, by the way, typically sit players during summer league in order to free up minutes for others. In all likelihood, Blair would have missed a game regardless of contract negotiations. Last night’s absence is a non-story.
The game featured one noteworthy performance by Ian Mahinmi and two perception solidifying efforts from George Hill and Malik Hairston.
Ian Mahinmi played with frantic energy, running the court like a gazelle and making his rotations with an I-want-to-play urgency. He finished the game with a triple double, collecting 12 points, 16 boards, and 10 fouls in 28 minutes. Let’s start by discussing the ugly triplet, the fouls.
This will seem counter-intuitive, but I take those 10 fouls as a good sign. First, it’s summer league for more than the players. I’m confident that at least half of the whistles were blown by officials who are still finding their way. Put differently, Mahinmi played with a physicality that will serve him well against NBA bigs. In fact, he played with a physicality that is necessary against the sort of players he’ll see during the regular season. By November, most of tonight’s whistled bumps and nudges won’t be called fouls, they’ll be called good defense. It’s great to know that Mahinmi is not afraid to mix it up. His excesses will be easy enough to reign in.
Mahinmi’s point total for the game is deceiving. He established terrific low block position on multiple occasions only to be passed over by his teammates. He could have had another 4 or 5 buckets, easy. He worked hard running the court, beating his man to the block and establishing shop. For his size, Mahinmi is both fast and quick. He’s fast running the court end to end and he’s quick on face ups and pivot spins. His first step is a dart. At points, he’ll need to settle and become more methodical executing his post moves. But for now, I think the Spurs should encourage him to play at high speed. Not only will it give their front court a different look, but Mahinmi will collect fouls from slow-footed defenders. On one possession, he faced up from 18 feet and blew past his man with a simple ball swing and explosive first step.
Mahinmi’s board work was Blairesque. He simply owned his space with a combination of desire and technique. A handful of his rebounds were of the impressive variety-Mahinmi forcefully boxed out his man and showed the strength and timing necessary to covert the possession. DeJuan Blair is an all-world rebounder, but Ian Mahinmi showed the goods to hold his own in the pursuit of a loose ball.
Ian Mahinmi’s shot blocking is raw. On the game, he had two commanding highlight reel blocks that will enrage Gregg Popovich. One was a half-courter that sent the center fielder into the wall. Mahinmi will learn that it’s more important to assume possession of the ball than to reset the opposing offense. But the talent and timing of a good shot blocker is there. More encouraging to me was his consistent ability to alter shots. I counted 3 clear shot alterations that forced the Nuggets into a bad possession. He’ll refine this skill in time.
The offseason is young. Mahinmi took a big step forward this game, but he needs to maintain this momentum for the remainder of the summer. Assuming modest progression between now and November, Mahinmi is talented enough to earn occasional minutes as the team’s 5th big. But more substantial rotation minutes are not unthinkable. To my mind, he’s the team most intriguing wild card.
Malik Hairston is a different player than a year ago. Defensively, he held the uber-athletic Sonny Weems to 2 of 16. We’ve known that Hairston is capable of sturdy defense, but it’s still nice to be reminded. Offensively, Hairston is taking shape as a legitimate perimeter player. He shoots with confidence and is able to get to the basket on unspectacular but effective dribble drives. One’s imagination is not strained by the thought of Hairston in the rotation. He’s not there yet, obviously. But if he continues to push himself this summer, especially on his ball handling and outside shooting, Hairston has all the promise of a more offensively talented version of Ime Udoka. Malik Hairston must sense the opportunity that exists for him this season-Ime Udoka remains unsigned and Mike Finley’s game has lost the battle against age. The minutes available behind Richard Jefferson are for the taking.
George Hill teased us again with his talent. It’s tough to gauge his ceiling, but there is no question that he will be a vital component to the Spurs’ championship aspirations. What is so striking about Hill is how many things he does poorly. He needlessly dribbles into the baseline, he’s lost when trapped and bothered by full court pressure, and his recognition off screens is still underdeveloped. In other words, he’s nowhere near his ceiling. But he’s covered considerable ground, and his flaws are correctable. His game is evolving at an exciting pace. If they remain healthy, the Spurs will have the best backcourt in the league.
Thinking more collectively, this game suggests a new wrinkle to the Spurs’ program. George Hill is tremendoes at getting to the foul line. So is Richard Jefferson. Ian Mahinmi’s odd combination of size and speed attracts fouls. Traditionally, the Spurs have not been a team that beats their opponents at the foul line. This season will be different. There is every reason to believe the Spurs’ ability to attack the hoop will be a headache for their opponents. The summer of 2009: the gift that keeps giving.
I’ve not written about other players because their performances were either unimportant or disappointing. In a nutshell, James Gist is not making a strong case for himself. He needs more time overseas or in Austin, which, he should take note, did wonders for Malik Hairston. Jack McClinton does not look like an NBA player, although it’s still early. He can turn it around. Right now, Marcus Williams will easily beat him out for the final roster spot. But it’s a Wednesday morning in mid-July. There is plenty of time for things to change.
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27 Comments
July 15th, 2009 at 8:15 am
Great stuff!
I had hoped Ian’s fouls were from aggressive defense and not bad bball IQ. Glad to hear it’s true.
Hairston seems to be coming along very nicely and I know G-Hill will continue to grow and improve. With the coaching staff and their drive to perfection, I’m looking for Hill to make some big steps in his PG skills.
What I’m hearing of Gist is disappointing. From his comments of a couple weeks back, I thought he’d really readied himself to come in and contribute for this team this year.
Also, what’s the story with Haislip hanging out with the S-Leaguers? How’s their chemistry? Does he participate in practices? Does he just sit and observe everything? Please, sir, may I have some more?
Keep it up, y’all! The League will be afraid, very afraid, of facing the Spurs this year.
July 15th, 2009 at 8:19 am
Great post Tim and great thoughts on the Summer League. I can’t think back to a summer where I have been this excited for an upcoming Spurs season (although I’m sure my wife is sick of hearing me talk about it…). It’s great to see Hill progressing as well as he is. I think that will really help the 2nd unit run their offense when we don’t have to rely on Manu or Mason Jr handling the ball. I think the change last year ruined Mason’s rhythm and kind of threw him into a funk that we saw continue most of the season and into the playoffs. And Hill being more efficient will help the 2nd unit score and be more productive - allowing the starters to rest a bit more.
As excited as I am to see Jefferson, McDyess, and Blair, my greatest excitement resides with Mahinmi. I think most Spurs fans share my excitement because his upside that we have heard so much about is something the Spurs have not seen in a long time and is something they have been lacking. His size, athleticsm, and quickness add a new dimension to the lineup. He could guard Dirk, Bynum, Stoudemire, Garnett, or Aldridge. But he could also do damage on the offensive end. As you mentioned, his propensity to get fouled would only help a 2nd unit that has struggled to score at times. And if he plays well enough to play alongside Timmy, that would cause the other teams big to choose between guarding him or Duncan, potentially causing foul problems and allowing us to get deeper into a team’s bench. For so long we’ve been looking at Mahinmi and waiting for his potential to come through, and I, like most Spurs fans, hope this Summer League and upcoming season will be his coming out party.
Again, love the blog and the work you do. Not sure if you’ve touched on this in other posts before I became a reader, but I was curious how you and Graydon decide who is going to post or what you’re going to write about? Or do you just kind of go with whatever is “moving you” that day?
July 15th, 2009 at 8:34 am
Thanks for the info on Blair’s contract. I read that chat at hoopsworld and started to worry we wouldn’t lock up Blair for at least a 3 year deal.
July 15th, 2009 at 8:42 am
One thing to notice. The guys that are doing well, all have had experience in the Spurs system, either with the Spurs or with the D-League, Hill, Hairston, and Mahinmi. Gist and McClinton are struggling, just like Hill and Hairston did last year. Not sure how to evaluate their struggles.
July 15th, 2009 at 9:30 am
Another thing on the fouls. Knowing that you can’t foul out inherently changes how you play and view the game. An NBA player with one foul can undoubtedly play a lot more aggressive than someone with five. Without any fear of fouling out gives a player the leeway to be constistently aggressive, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It would be nice to see how he plays in foul trouble.
In any event, great post. I’m also encouraged by our young group and can admit I haven’t been this engaged in a Spurs’ summer league team ever.
July 15th, 2009 at 9:39 am
I think full court pressure is one of the things the Nuggets did the best last night. I’m not entirely sure Hill’s weakness wasn’t more because of their strength. Hill at least had the length and poise to get the ball out of the trap and up to the offense on most possessions.
I think the full court pressure really hurt McClinton as well. I think McClinton can really stand out if we can play a team that lets Hill and Mahinmi run a setup offense. I don’t see any team wanting to do the Spurs and McClinton any favors though. At this point, I want to see McClinton have a 10 shot or more game. I don’t care if he misses every single one and we lose the game. I just want to see his number called (by the coach or himself) and maybe it will wake him up/let him find a rhythm.
July 15th, 2009 at 9:39 am
I totally agree about the fouls. I was happy with how Ian was playing defensively, not to mention his improved rebounding and offensive performance. I’ve definietly joined the ranks of the excited.
Also, I agree with the above post about how our guys with no experience played last year. I’m not one bit worried about McClinton’s shot, he’s going to get plenty of open looks with the Spurs, something he did not get while putting up eye popping numbers with Miami. I was encouraged by his 3 quick assists and his efforts to stay in front of his man. I doubt he contributes this year, but I’m still glad we drafted him.
July 15th, 2009 at 9:41 am
Ian also openly admits to Wayne on the PTR interview that he was tired in the 4th which resulted in some foul calls. Ian is still trying to “get his wings back” after not playing for a year.
July 15th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Love your summer coverage and I’m happy to hear how well our guys are playing.
The one interesting thing on my mind though is: How much of this [awesome] roster overhaul was because we lost in the first round? If we’d managed to pull through and get to the second round or WCF would we have traded for RJ? Signed Mcdyess?
I think we would have signed Mcdyess, but I’m not sure on the RJ trade. Plus who knows if Mcdyess would have wanted to come here if we hadn’t pulled the trigger on that first trade.
Just some food for thought
July 15th, 2009 at 11:16 am
Greg,
I’m really excited about Ian, too, but I think you’re getting a little overzealous in your predictions. I’d love to be proved wrong, but I don’t see Ian being able to guard Dirk much better than Bonner did. Ian has better foot speed than Matt (for sure) and is more athletic as well, but he has a hard time staying straight up and not fouling (something that Matt actually got pretty good at this year). For that matter, I think he’d also have trouble with quick bigs like Aldridge and Anthony Randolph who face up from the wing and have the ability to knock down outside shots or drive. Dirk is way too crafty for Ian at this point. I agree that the fouls Ian drew in the game aren’t overly cause for concern, but at the same time, a smart player will get him in foul trouble pretty quickly.
July 15th, 2009 at 11:22 am
“On one possession, he faced up from 18 feet and blew past his man with a simple ball swing and explosive first step.”
Interesting comment. In the post game interview after the NO game Ian was asked if his ankles were ok. He said he had no pain, but it would take a while to get his explosiveness back.
July 15th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, Jefferson, McDyess, Mason, Bonner, Finley, Hill, Blair; those ten are all but guaranteed to play rotation minutes (Pop will probably sit Finley at points to try out Hairston/Williams, as well Blair to try out Haislip/Mahinmi).
Haislip, Mahinmi, and Hairston (only Hairston is not fully guaranteed) are all but guaranteed to be on the roster fighting for leftover minutes.
That leaves two open spots, but my sense is the Spurs leave one spot open for financial reasons, injuries, and the fact that if healthy the fifteenth guy would have virtually no shot to get on the court.
Essentially, because the Spurs are well stocked at the four (and he’s struggled in Summer League), with already two project athletic types, Gist has very little chance of making the team, which leaves McClinton and Williams to battle it out. If McClinton could show the proclivity to guard, if not play, opposing point guard’s, he might have the inside track because the Spurs don’t have a third player capable of this. Also, if he shows he can effectively get off and knock down shots at this level, that would help his cause. Williams has been in the program for the better part of two years, is more polished, and though he’d be the sixth wing on the roster, does have some point forward skills. He’s a more known quantity with the Spurs, and if McClinton continues to struggle this badly in Summer League then the final roster spot just may be Williams’ to lose.
July 15th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Great read. Thank you for the insight.
I had two comments earlier today which have since been simmered. The first was a brief curiosity I had regarding Blair not playing last night. I wondered if the Spurs were installing a schedule to limit his game time as related to his knees? Seemed absurd to me, but had a minute chance of plausibility. Secondly, I read about RJ calling off his wedding and was appalled. Obviously I don’t know the details nor really care that much, but given the context of my being a father with several daughters, I couldn’t help put myself in the situation and wondered how I would react? Then I read the following http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Richard-Jefferson-gets-cold-feet-leaves-bride-a;_ylt=ApRgmwQKq7wNABHbP.4RVE28vLYF?urn=nba,176702
and was quite relieved. At least he passed along that ‘Black Amex” to those who showed up.
Allright, the crap aside, was great to see the junior bunch pull one out last night.
Regards to all.
July 15th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Hi guys,
I know this is off topic but I noticed a short but interesting article in the NY times regarding the nba’s new collective bargaining agreement (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/15/sports/basketball/15stern.html?_r=2)
Specifically, I wanted to draw peoples attention to the paragraph about Peter Holt heading up the labor relations committee. Do you have any specific insights on this appointment? Do you think this - and the future collective bargaining agreement will have a large affect on the spurs organization and the 2011 free agency market?
July 15th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
If we’re going off topic, Odom leaving LA is looking likelier and, I think, a huge boon to the Spurs’ chances of beating LA. That he’s (IMO) one of the few Lakers who really benefits from the Triangle, and that Artest won’t (ball hog), AND that Odom is probably the hardest matchup for the Spurs to answer (I guess it doesn’t really need saying that Duncan can smother Gasol).
Uh oh. maybe Mark Cuban can help us a LOT.
July 15th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Even though the kid is quite and soft spoken, he plays tough. Ian did not back down last night when facing the bigs of Denver. Also, I don’t understand why Kobe Carl is not on someone’s roster. The kid has game. If we needed back court help I would’nt mind seeing him in a Spurs uni.
Keep up the good work.
July 15th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
ESPN is reporting that Blair signed his contract.
July 16th, 2009 at 1:37 am
Not that I know what the brass is thinking - but it seems a not-so-silly leap in logic to assume the Spurs thought DeJuan showed everything they wanted to see and there’s no reason to play him before he’s locked up and ready to give 100% to the team for multiple years.
July 16th, 2009 at 1:42 am
@Rye
Very nice breakdown!
July 16th, 2009 at 4:31 am
I don’t think the Spurs will lock down all 15 rosters spots to full contracts. I think there is one spot left for Gist, McClinton, Williams or BAE and one spot for the Toros. I expect McClinton and Williams to be on the Toros and to rotate having our 15th roster spot on 10-day contracts. Gist should be back in Europe unless the Spurs want a more hands on approach with him and put him on the Toros.
July 16th, 2009 at 5:46 am
Blair signed for 3 yrs 2.7mil……
July 16th, 2009 at 7:12 am
Just to stir things up a bit…
There was another player at last year’s summer league that also got called for 10 fouls on occasion. He was active on defense and at the time fans of his shrugged it off by saying that it wouldn’t translate to the regular season.
Greg Oden ring a bell? I don’t think you can write off 10 fouls as a non-issue when there are plenty of players that play active, stout defense and aren’t whistled for as many fouls.
The Oden experience suggests that being called for that many fouls in summer league can translate to the regular season.
July 16th, 2009 at 8:14 am
Well thats good to hear that Mahinmi is moving better, hopefully McClinton can get his game going and I really love what Malik Hairston can bring to the team, The Spurs have the right amount of youth and experience, to make some serious noise this year
And if your right Navin, then the day just keeps getting better
July 16th, 2009 at 9:34 am
NOW they just need Manu to sign extension and I am buying season ticket tomorow. And I can’t go to all games , only monday, tuesday, wednesday. But I will buy it just to see Manu playing for years to come.
July 16th, 2009 at 11:35 am
DeJuan Blair just signed with the Spurs…
http://www.twitter.com/DeJuan45
July 16th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Can’t wait for the season to start…If the Lakers lose Odom, then I like our chances!!
July 16th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Yep, signed.
http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/090716_blair.html
Hopefully he’ll play tonight
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