Christmas Wish: Play Ian Mahinmi

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Okay. This one has taken me by surprise.

When the Spurs declined Ian Mahinmi’s contract option, I didn’t expect it to mean he wouldn’t play. You know, as in not at all. Zero minutes through 25 games.

This is not because Ian Mahinmi might have a future in San Antonio-he doesn’t. That ship has sailed. Tiago Splitter is waiting in the wings, and the team is plenty deep up front. But the Spurs are best served to keep Tim Duncan’s minutes down, and to rest him on occasional back-to-backs. Surely, Ian Mahinmi is due some playing time. The team has invested too much in him to simply pull the plug, right?

So I thought.

Instead, Mahinmi has not been on the court. Mahinmi’s inactive list compatriot Marcus Haislip has played, but is completely invisible in his brief opportunities. He’s not helping the Spurs either.

Marcus Haislip and Ian Mahinmi have talent, but Haislip ought to play for a high pace team like the Warriors and Mahinmi should look for any situation that would provide him with minutes. San Antonio is not a good fit for either player.

But there is at least one compelling reason San Antonio should occasionally activate Mahinmi. The Spurs have the contracts to manufacture a trade, should they need to, between now and the deadline. Ian Mahinmi currently has zero trade value. Nada. Zip. But he’s 23, big, and has some skill. He can’t hurt his stock, so the Spurs are best served to cross their fingers and hope he can show something in brief stints of court time. Something that would at least make him a curiosity to other teams.

Tonight’s game against Portland is an ideal opportunity to dust off Ian Mahinmi. The Trailblazers are without Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla. They’re difficult-to-guard small ball forwards are injured too. The Spurs ought to dictate the match ups. It’s a showcase opportunity for San Antonio, and a confidence-building opportunity for their oft-injured project center. Why not? It’s Christmas. Give a little.

  • Jonathan

    Man I hope so, I feel like we are wasting time not at least trying him out. He’s young, long and it seems like he could be a good fit for our seccond unit. He must be just terrible on D in practice or maybe Pop is just not wanting to risk taking time away from the progress of Blair, Theo and Antonio. I personally don’t get it but I’m sure this decision is rooted in some kind of well calculated logic, I hope it’s some sort of a strategy to not allow teams to compile a scouting report until the playoffs or late in the season. Has any team ever done this before?

  • Dr. Theopolus

    Besides our on court inconsistencies, the complete abandonment of Ian has been a huge disappointment and just flat out seems wrong.

    The FO seem to be acting from a place of pride instead of practicality. I agree he should get some PT, if nothing else then to see if trade value can go up a little. It seems as if the Spurs have given up on him because he never became the superstar they were grooming him to be, however, as an All Star on the D League he at least showed a little bit of promise. They labelled him soft but last season’s medical problem was more to blame on the medical staff for misdiagnosing his injury.

    Anyway, he knows the system and could possibly help. Maybe not, but it should be given a chance. He’s been dying to get into NBA games for 3 years. When he first got a few minutes on the Spurs a few years ago I thought he showed great promise then with a few blocked shots and a jump hook in his arsenal.

    Ahh, the dog house….

  • Texxus_Boi

    I believed he had as good a chance as Andrew Bynum they were drafted the same year and If more given more of an opportunity such as Bynum to learn from someone like I don’t know David Robinson like the Lakers did for Andrew I believe he’d be just as polished and ready to play as Bynum. But if you’re never given a fair shake from square one then you’ll never get a chance to show what you can do, I’ll give you a great example Malik Hairston has been through the D-League as well yet he’s still playing second fiddle to the broken down Finley’s of the world in reality Pop just doesn’t really trust younger player’s. Yeah, him and the organization tried to get me and many other Spurs fans hyped about adding some younger pieces but we should’ve known they would not play much, I mean everybody either makes additions or rebuilds but you have to incorporate those new pieces to actually achieve something.

  • Rye

    No chance the Spurs activate Mahinmi tonight. In fact, with Pryzbilla’s injury last night and the Blazers being down to Aldridge, Howard and Tolliver as a makeshift big man rotation, I would expect that Ratliff won’t play either. Ditto for Haislip.

    Pop looks for any excuse to go small and seeing a lineup as undersized as the Trail Blazers (Roy, who’s banged up, Blake, Webster, Miller and Bayless are the only other healthy Trail Blazers, meaning they’ll probably play Aldridge with four smalls for long stretches) means that Duncan will probably play with four smalls for long stretches and that Blair and McDyess will be the only other bigs to see court time.

    As for Mahinmi, I disagree, he does have some value. Not individually, but in a package deal, he’s another expiring (and easy to waive contract) for teams, or they could just keep him through the remainder of this season and see if he’s someone they could bring back next season, work with and develop into a useful player.

    If a guy like Petro can still have a job as a fifth big every year or a guy like Elson could carve out a relatively long career, then why couldn’t Mahinmi, who has a higher upside than both, be hoarded on someone’s inactive list as a 5th or 6th big?

  • lvmainman

    To me having seen Mahinmi in summer league play, he is not that instinctive a b-ball player. I, personally, don’t think that can be taught or learned or over time, like improving one’s shot or FT’s can or learning one’s teammates tendencies in a pick and roll can for example.

    Some players are physically gifted but lack certain feel or b-ball IQ. Kwame Brown comes formost to mind, #1 overall pick, but lacking.

    I measure Mahinmi against drafted peers(2 spots ahead or later in the same draft)like David Lee, Ronny Turiaf, Jason Maxiell, Marcin Gortat and Brandon Bass and he seems a lesser player. Even Andre Blatche, Ryan Gomes, and Amir Johnson seem to have more upside.

    Spurs are smart to let those who’ll have an impact and NEVER played with Duncan or the Spurs system (Ratliff, Blair, McDyess) get those minutes. If the Spurs experience a Trailblazer like slew of injuries, then Mahinmi will get his shot (like Anthony Tolliver, remember him?, will tonight).

  • lvmainman

    Christmas wish - This Nba trade machine on ESPN is so intriguing.

    I’d trade Tony Parker and Matt Bonner for Chris Bosh. Then look for a penetrating guard on the cheap like Thunder did with Eric Maynor.

    Maybe a Rafer Alston, Shaun Livingston or Randy Foye. Ramon Sessions would be my #1 choice as a replacement for Parker.

  • rj

    i was ian mahinmi’s biggest fan there for awhile. i was just hopeful that he could give timmy some help, but ultimately, he proved nothing.

    who knows, he may prove something if given the chance. he is young and hungry and would be auditioning for a job else where. but i agree with an earlier post that he just doesn’t have the b-ball iq. his size was enough to give him an edge in france, but you need more than just size in the nba.

    like they say at “poundingtherock”
    o ian, we hardly knew ye

  • duaneofly

    I’d rather keep Tony :)

  • Hicksy

    I just really wanted to see him against NBA quality talent. I know we have had some luck drafting O/S, but the list lvmainman just gave us of players drafted around him makes it soo much more frustrating. SPURS start shopping Mahinmi/Finley/Bonner/Haslip I believe we could get that quality long quick(young)big we seem to need to stop the Dirk/Lamar’s of the world.

  • Chris K.

    This Spurs team is just bad right now. They should be better than they are and I’m tired of the excuses. Pop has got to take some blame for the lack of execution and for his game plan tonight.

    We had more turnovers than them and they were playing guys (Howard, Pendergraph, Cunningham) they haven’t played with all year.

    Why did Pop choose to go small ball? We got beat on the boards while they had no true centers.

    Ginobili and George Hill were a combined 4-17 and 10 points. That’s just not good enough.

    Tim Duncan played great, as usual, and Roger Mason played well too, but everyone else (including the coaches) did not perform well enough to win. Awful loss all around. Why can’t we beat ANY decent teams?

  • lvmainman

    Spurs aren’t that good, as 2-10 vs. teams with winning records attests.

    Who could stop Bayless? No one - not Bogans, not Parker, and not Hill. Hill got benched for… doing the ole’ defense, standing to the side anticipating a screen and allow his man to dribble directly to the basket!! Then got chewed out by Popovich.

    Blair played like a rookie, unable to guard Aldridge or Howard cause he’s so short or prevent them from getting offensive rebounds because he refuses to box out.

    Perfect game for Haislip to have seen some playing time based on the matchups.

  • Texxus_Boi

    All I can say about what we have and tonight’s game is why sign them and waste money if you won’t use them? moves need to be made and I know there’s the logic that if you bring in new faces they’ll have to turn around and learn the system too but that’s the risk you take when you some what walk through free agency blindly and obviously the players brought in aren’t playing and or maximizing their abilities.

  • mori1040

    I still think the Spurs will figure things out and make a run, but I have to admit that it’s not looking good so far. Especially with the way all the players talked this week about looking forward to playing a good team and wanting to “pay Portland back” for their previous loss makes it all the more frustrating.

    Did the Spurs really take a serious look at bring Stephen Jackson back? If not, why? Sure he’s got the horrible contract, but he can still defend at a high level (a more effective and versatile defender than Hill and RJ, for sure), hit clutch shots, handle the ball and get his teammates involved. Considering that the Warriors basically traded him for Radmanovic-Raja Bell was damaged goods and the W’s knew about it, I’m sure the Spurs could have put some package together. The W’s were desperate for big men, too.

    It’s hard to find a substitute for what Pop likes to call “corporate knowledge,” and having played (and won a championship) with Duncan, Parker and Ginobili proves Jackson has that in spades. I suppose that move would have undermined RJ (if they didn’t have to trade him outright), but in all honesty, I think Jack would have given them a better chance to win. I’m curious to hear what some of you guys think…

  • SpursfanSteve

    I havent commented in awhile, because i’ve been frustrated with the Spurs, but also everyone panicking. I still dont think its time to start yet. I still think when it comes down to it, we’ll be playing the lakers, either before or during the western conference finals.

    We should have expected Mcdyess to start slow. He has every year.

    We shouldnt have expected Blair to put up a double double every night (i’m guilty).

    We should have expected RJ to struggle initially (just looking at the stats, he played very well tonight).

    We should have expected Parker to struggle readjusting to NOT having to score everytime.

    We should have expected Pop to tinker enough to drive us crazy.

    That being said, we should not have lost to the Blazers tonight. Anytime a team playing without 3 of its best players beats you, something went wrong. The only guy we were missing is Bonner. since the game wasnt on TV or ESPN 360 out here, i’m not sure if we lacked floor spacing or what.

    Bonner has been playing exceptionally well, well enough that anyone suggesting we trade him should get their heads checked. Him and Timmy have been our only consistent players this year. He lacks the athleticism to be a top defender, but if you watch he is not making stupid mistakes on that end anymore. He’s hustling, playing smart, and contesting every shot. If he could get quick enough to get in position to take charges, he would be everything we need. I think Bonner and Mason are our X factors this year. If they play well all year and into the playoffs, Manu is unnecessary. That is a big IF, although i dont think it is as big as everyone is saying, because last year they struggled when they had to do more than they are capable. Barring serious injury to Duncan or Parker, all they will have to do is what they are doing now. I love Manu, i really do, but i dont see him getting much better than he is now. I’m not saying to trade him, i still think hes a valuable presence off the bench- but he needs to take a SERIOUS pay cut next year. I’m talking he should be making no more than 5 mill a year. Hes not a superstar anymore, and i dont think he’s ever going to be again.

    I think Mcdyess or Ratliff should start and Blair should get about 20 minutes a game off the bench. No more than 20, no less than 15.

    As far as playing Ian or Hairston, i have to ask the question do we REALLY want Pop to have more to tinker with at this point in the year?

    RJ is getting more consistent, Duncan is playing near MVP level, Blair has been a bit inconsistent but shown promise, Bonner before injury was shooting lights out, Mason seems to be getting in a groove, even Finley was being pretty productive before he got hurt. The only downsides i see going forward are Manu not being “because hes Manu Ginobili” anymore, and we HAVE to stop turning the ball over. It kills us. The defense hasnt been bad, we’ve got tons of weapons on offense, we just need to limit our mistakes.

  • SpursfanSteve

    and i am a huge Jackson fan. I would rather have him than RJ. But i’ll be happy with RJ by the end of the year, i’m sure.

  • JT

    stupid, again no Ratliff…. Another loss, Manu is still playing like crap!!!

  • JT

    guess the Blazers rookies learned their system pretty fast, maybe their system isn’t as complex as ours? right…. Oh well it worked for them, we need our veterans to have 25 games and still they lose to a team that is missing almost half the roster. Embarrassing!!

  • wannabe_fan

    Yes, the defense last night was embarrassing!!!

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