Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010...9:52 am
Matt Bonner’s big night
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15 points, seven rebounds, two assists, 5-8 from the floor, 4-4 from the 3-point line. +10.
Thanks to Doc Funk for the inspiration to be a bit of a smart ass.
37 Comments
November 23rd, 2010 at 10:06 am
Mad Dog Matt Bonner finally showing some of that University of Florida swagger that players from that school show off in the pros! He is coming around and the good thing is, we have other guys ready to bring it!
November 23rd, 2010 at 10:08 am
Problem?
Matt Bonner: Trolling the NBA and Spurs fans at the same time.
It’s early but, I think his contract is perfect for what he’s been brining since being back from injury. Maybe even some what of a steal.
November 23rd, 2010 at 10:52 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by San Antonio Spurs, Andrew A. McNeill. Andrew A. McNeill said: 48MoH / Matt Bonner’s big night http://dlvr.it/93170 [...]
November 23rd, 2010 at 11:02 am
THE RED ROCKET!!!!!!!!!
November 23rd, 2010 at 11:18 am
I’m feelin’ a sandwich today! (w/ pickles)
November 23rd, 2010 at 11:43 am
Something most Bonner haters don’t know.
The 50 Greatest New Hampshire Sports Figures
@ number 12:
Matt Bonner, Concord
Leading Class L basketball scorer in state history, with 2,459 points; three-time state player of the year; now at Florida.
here is the link:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/magazine/features/si50/states/new_hampshire/greatest/
Go Spurs Go!!
November 23rd, 2010 at 12:54 pm
Shrewd move by the FO to lock up Bonner for $4 million a season. He’s proving his worth big time right now. Not only is he raining 3′s, but he held Rashard Lewis and Brandon Bass to a combined 18 points. If Blair can’t figure out a way to guard stretch 4′s like Lewis or other undersized PF’s like Bass, Bonner is going to steal minutes, especially if he keeps knocking down 3′s.
I know it’s a long season, but Bonner is looking very very good on both ends of the court this year and that makes me happy.
November 23rd, 2010 at 2:22 pm
I’m a Red Rocket supporter. I knew this dude had cojones from his days in Toronto when he stepped to KG without a fear in the world. This was at a time when KG was on Minnesota and intimidating most of his opposition.
November 23rd, 2010 at 3:14 pm
am i mad? hell yeas im mad because while bonner can “defend” if you want to call it that he can defend the likes of rashard lewis but what about kevin garnett when we play boston or even shaq? how about pau gasol or lamar odom? in a 7game series during the times where matty checks out (not last but every other year)THE PLAYOFFS!!!!! (you guys forget to mention how horrible he is on switching and help D)
its fools gold folks hes making right about the same number of points everyone is scoring on him!!!! i will say he has picked up his awkward defense intensity. its more like a panic attack but hey its working a lil better. lol now why am im mad? because while we could have the best of both worlds in splitter and matt bonner out there.
it seems pop has chosen to make this a black and white case either matt or tiago … its madness, but after the pop mailbag on Spurs.com i feel better i just hope he really starts playing tiago and not just saying that
November 23rd, 2010 at 3:48 pm
Matt Bonner is a joke. sure, i like the idea of stetching the floor, but at some times during last nights game, it was duncan trying to rebound over three Orlando players. Pop needs to go through the growing pains with Blair and Splitter so they can learn to defend in the NBA, not an over priced soft 7-foot center
November 23rd, 2010 at 3:58 pm
i was impressed with the late game2 rwbound he tore out of d12′s hands. he may not be athletic, but bonner tough, no doubt
November 23rd, 2010 at 4:28 pm
do the bonner haters just not believe in plus/minus? put another way, by definition, he’s not giving back all the points he’s scoring if he’s leading in plus/minus for so many games.
November 23rd, 2010 at 5:49 pm
Haters will hate, but i believe Matty Bones did improve this year - haven’t seen his D though (never get to catch his fiery games). But I think he can do a decent job this year. Happy to see him do well!
November 23rd, 2010 at 7:47 pm
oh matty, always the polarizing figure.
i like bonner, not necessarily just on a basketball level, but as a guy with limitations. i can’t jump worth crap, of average height, and shoot with the wrong hand (i’m a lefty but because i broke three fingers and dislocated my left shoulder playing football, i started shooting with my right), but i think i’ve become a decent pickup basketball player myself (i’m sure many would argue otherwise).
i see bonner as an extension of that, and thus i’ve become a fan of his. all the more because i think he’s actually better than most people give him credit for. he plays hard, he doesn’t take himself too seriously, and he fills his role admirably. we don’t ask the moon of him, and he couldn’t provide it anyway.
Hall of Fame Probability
Active 0.000 (124)
Career 0.000 (884)
what’s not to like?
November 23rd, 2010 at 9:02 pm
Haters are going to hate. It doesn’t matter what Bonner does; they’ll always find a reason to brush off the good while harping on the bad. Meanwhile, Blair has made his share of bad plays and mistakes this season, but you don’t see these same Bonner haters dissecting Blair under the same microscope.
In the end, if Bonner helps this team win games, than I’m happy to have him on the team. And any real fan of the team would too.
November 23rd, 2010 at 9:28 pm
Matt Bonner…
I feel that Bonner has been an absolute scrub for the Spurs since he got here. Never improved his game. Came out each year just as sorry as the last. Never been a fan, and still feel that he is making 3mil a year more than he should have made. Good for Matt Bonner. Never against a man getting paid.
Until this season, one line described Bonner’s game:
“He can shoot a set shot!”
However, Bonner has worked on his game and came into this season much improved. He puts the ball on the floor, moves better without the ball, sets better picks, etc…
But here is the kicker…Bonner has FINALLY found his way to the paint. BonBon grabbed a few nasty boards against the Magic. It was never seen footage. I couldnt stop laughing.
In addition to that, he is shooting the ball extremely well from distance. Maybe somebody finally told BON that he is a POWER FORWARD and not a tall 2 guard. Bravo! If the Spurs can gete some solid PF minutes out of this guy, it makes the team better immediately.
I have been even more shocked at the sight of Popovich sittin his ass down, shutting his mouth, and letting the players play. Again, Historical footage!
If the coach can continue to keep his seat, stop the ZEN BS, and stay out of his players heads, we might get something done.
Now, if he and the front office would just cut the BS personnel decisions and bring in a player or two, all would be well in SA.
As for the remarks about Blair….Pop is killing his production. Playing him out of position, and not feeding him the rock in the low post. Damn Shame. Doc Rivers has no problem getting max production out of BIG BABY Davis….very similar to Blair.
Somebody give Pop, Doc’s Phone#….
November 23rd, 2010 at 10:54 pm
@ NYC
“In the end, if Bonner helps this team win games, than I’m happy to have him on the team. And any real fan of the team would too.”
+10
If Bonner wins 5 games for us in the regular season, he’s worth $4 million a year. He’s already directly contributed to 2 wins this year and has 71 more games to go.
Long live the Ginger Rain!
November 24th, 2010 at 4:48 am
BALLHOG
“Doc Rivers has no problem getting max production out of BIG BABY Davis….very similar to Blair.”
I wouldn’t put all the owness on Pop with regards to Blair.
Blair just might be proving that he is a limited player in this league. I’m sure if Blair were to start proving on the court he’s more than just a high energy, rebounding, put back type of player Pop would utelize him more.
But even in the game against the Magic…I saw Blair out of position for rebounds than I had ever seen before. And that’s his strong suit. Take that away like in the Magic game…he’s not very usefull to helping the Spurs win.
November 24th, 2010 at 4:58 am
“he’s not very usefull to helping the Spurs win.”
I should of typed dependable in place of “usefull”.
Because that’s all a coach has to go by when looking down his bench and deciding who should be playing. And if any player is proving to be more dependable while on the court…that’s the player the coach is going to play.
November 24th, 2010 at 6:03 am
Meanwhile, the Spurs are 12-1 and the hottest team in the league.
Welcome back Ime.
Go Spurs Go!!
November 24th, 2010 at 8:01 am
I am a Bonner hater from last season, but I am glad as a Spurs fan that he is playing better than last year. I really hope he keeps this up for the whole season. Im sure he will have his off nights but who doesn’t. Plus the production he is giving for 4 mil. is a steal.
November 24th, 2010 at 8:05 am
@Ballhog
“Now, if he and the front office would just cut the BS personnel decisions and bring in a player or two, all would be well in SA.”
Like Ian Mahinmi or Marcus Haislip?
You’re kidding right? George Hill, Splitter, Anderson, Blair, Neal? Those don’t qualify?
And how are things not “well” in SA? 12-1, best record in the league isn’t good enough?
Of all the ridiculous things I’ve heard…..
November 24th, 2010 at 8:34 am
@Tyler
I was told to ignore Ballhog a while back and it has worked for me.
Go Spurs Go!!
November 24th, 2010 at 11:23 am
rob
November 24th, 2010 at 4:48 am
“BALLHOG
“Doc Rivers has no problem getting max production out of BIG BABY Davis….very similar to Blair.”
I wouldn’t put all the owness on Pop with regards to Blair.
Blair just might be proving that he is a limited player in this league. I’m sure if Blair were to start proving on the court he’s more than just a high energy, rebounding, put back type of player Pop would utelize him more.
Rob, you and BALLHOG are wrong to compare Blair to Davis. Blair’s in his 2nd season at age 21; Davis is in his 4th year at age 24. That’s a BIG difference. Pop is “developing” Blair now. Blair is not going to play 25+ minutes every single night on a title contender (he might get 10 minutes one night, and 30 another). He was not a lottery pick coming out college, and he wasn’t developed in college with the NBA in mind. Thus, he has a more significant transition in front of him than many talented players coming out of college. You guys need to understand player development, especially the time and work it often takes for players to make big jumps in their game. In a case like Blair’s, it RARELY happens in just one year.
November 24th, 2010 at 11:23 am
BALLHOG
November 23rd, 2010 at 9:28 pm
“Bonner has worked on his game and came into this season much improved. He puts the ball on the floor, moves better without the ball, sets better picks, etc…
But here is the kicker…Bonner has FINALLY found his way to the paint. BonBon grabbed a few nasty boards against the Magic. It was never seen footage.”
Bonner does appears to have taken to heart the homework he was given along with his money this last summer, while continuing to perfect the long ball. Obviously, Pop knew he was a hardworker, and always did as he was asked, and didn’t see anything in Matt that another summer and season of pounding the rock wouldn’t go along way to fixing… just as Dice, RJ, and Tony are looking better than ever right now, maybe Bonner will have actually have turned a corner and not only be able to hit contested 3′s in the playoffs, but deep-down be chomping at the bit to do so, full of competitive fire?
My problem with his contract this summer was more about what he costs the Spurs, as others here have also pointed out, in terms of building a roster suited to better defensive play… a roster that could not only net us a few more regular season wins, but be able to take away many a key game against the bigger, stronger contenders in the league and provide winning playoff basketball. I guess the FO is thinking that a healthy Dice and Duncan is all that is required in that regard this year, and that Tiago will provide a lot come next year at the latest.
November 24th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
Jim Henderson
And Blair is utelized how often in games thus far?
He’s managed to get himself out of major rotation minutes because he simply can’t perform dependabally enough to warrant more minutes.
That’s not this so called next coming of a 20 and 10 player like you have suggested.
And all the talk about “matchups”. That’s BS. If Blair were proving he could hang on a consistent basis…he would not be getting limited minutes during games.
Parker, Ginobili, Duncan, Jefferson, those are starting players. They perform more dependably.
It’s why we’re seeing Bonner play more than Blair. Bonner has an asset in 3 point shooting and Blair has an asset in rebounding and strength at rim. But Bonner is proving to be MORE dependable at other aspects weaker than his strengths than Blair is proving to provide.
What “intelligent” coach in this league is going to play one player over the next just because they think that “some day” that player will become better than the other?
I’m calling as it stands Right Now. Not based on what Could Be. And what could be some day is all going to depend on Blair…Not his coach. Which is what I was originally addressing when commenting on BALLHOG’s post.
November 24th, 2010 at 3:47 pm
rob
November 24th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
I never said Blair was ever going to be a 20/10 guy, let alone tomorrow. If you want another 20/10 guy at 21 years old, good luck, that’s about one player in the whole league about every 5 years. I have NO problem with Blair not getting super-steady minutes if Pop feels his play is not up to snuff, or if he find’s that Blair is not versatile enough in his game at this point to effectively handle certain match-ups.
“But Bonner is proving to be MORE dependable at other aspects weaker than his strengths than Blair is proving to provide.”
I have no idea what that means.
You have a big hang-up about consistency & dependability. Number one, these qualities are relative, and they are not the only very important qualities one needs to be very effective in this game during substantial stretches of a contest. Number two, all players get better at those qualities as they age, and gain more experience.
Frankly, I don’t really like the tone of your last comment. You don’t seem to have an open mind on the subject. Everything is too black and white for you on this issue. Sometimes you appear to see just what you want to see so that your preconceived notions can be validated. If this is the case, then I’m wasting my time engaging you on this topic. I simply have said that there is/was no reason not to keep Blair as the starter, and that it made sense to keep the starting line-up the same at this point. We’re 12-1 for crying out loud. I never said that there wouldn’t be times when Blair would earn less minutes, for a variety of reasons. But you apparently think that Matt Bonner is a better player than Blair right now, and that one should not even consider a young player’s development if it’s going to interfere with getting the “better” player more minutes. It is apparent however that myself & Pop think you’re wrong about that.
Am I reading you correctly?
P.S. And yes, it’s not appropriate to compare Blair with Davis, for the reasons that I gave.
November 24th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
Jim Henderson
“I never said Blair was ever going to be a 20/10 guy, let alone tomorrow.”
Your quote from http://www.48minutesofhell.com/san-antonio-spurs-116-philadelphia-76ers-93#comments
Jim Henderson typed:
“In his prime years (26-30), Blair has a good shot at “averaging” 18 & 12. Those are “occasional all-star” numbers.”
My quote: “But Bonner is proving to be MORE dependable at other aspects weaker than his strengths than Blair is proving to provide.”
Your quote: “I have no idea what that means.”
Meaning that Bonner has been able to improve upon his weakest attributes more than Blair has improved upon his. Bonner is proving to be more dependable in the lineup than Blair at this time.
“You have a big hang-up about consistency & dependability.”
You bet I do. Wouldn’t most coaches want their most dependable players on the court?
Regarding almost all of your last paragraph what part of what I responded to BALLHOG made you think I was saying that we don’t start Blair.
My response to BALLHOG was only about how he thought that Pop was hurting Blair and that another coach could possibly get better results out of Blair
My response to BALLHOG:
“I wouldn’t put all the owness on Pop with regards to Blair.
Blair just might be proving that he is a limited player in this league. I’m sure if Blair were to start proving on the court he’s more than just a high energy, rebounding, put back type of player Pop would utelize him more.
But even in the game against the Magic…I saw Blair out of position for rebounds than I had ever seen before. And that’s his strong suit. Take that away like in the Magic game…he’s not very usefull to helping the Spurs win.”
Really Jim…you got out of that I said Blair shouldn’t start?
And I’m not sure what you mean by my “tone”.
And regarding:
“It is apparent however that myself & Pop think you’re wrong about that.”
If you have a close and personal relationship with Pop…great. Start Blair. All I’m saying is he’s got a long way to go to being a consistent player in this league. Which by the way IS an important attribute to have and not just a “relative” value.
As far as the team winning. I’m as estatic as you about the record.
Finally… I guess you’re not reading me correctly. But I don’t have a problem if you don’t. I’m just saying what I perceive to be a reason for a current situation. Blair isn’t able to perform at this time better than Bonner thus his lack of time on the court compared to Bonner. Again…not Pop’s fault Blair can’t perform more adequately than Bonner to warrant more time than Bonner. Only Blair can resolve that.
November 24th, 2010 at 6:41 pm
rob
November 24th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
““In his prime years (26-30), Blair has a good shot at “averaging” 18 & 12. Those are “occasional all-star” numbers.”
THAT’S NOT 20/10!!!!!!!
This is what you said:
“That’s not this so called next coming of a 20 and 10 player like you have suggested.”
That suggests a “high likelihood” of becoming a 20/10 guy. I said, “a DECENT SHOT AT 18/12″. That is a meaningful difference. And I’ll stick with what I said, because he has FIVE YEARS TO GET THERE!! So I’ll see you then.
“Meaning that Bonner has been able to improve upon his weakest attributes more than Blair has improved upon his.”
Of course he has. He’s 30 years old, Blair is 21! What’s your point?
“Bonner is proving to be more dependable in the lineup than Blair at this time.”
So what? As long as he plays similar to how he did against Orlando, he could get more minutes than Blair. Who cares? But don’t count on Bonner shooting 70% from three for very long.
“Wouldn’t most coaches want their most dependable players on the court?”
As a matter of fact, no, not always.
“Regarding almost all of your last paragraph what part of what I responded to BALLHOG made you think I was saying that we don’t start Blair.”
You’ve questioned that numerous times in past comments. In fact you’ve claimed on more than one occasion that Blair is not dependable enough to start.
“My response to BALLHOG was only about how he thought that Pop was hurting Blair and that another coach could possibly get better results out of Blair.”
I agree with the “Pop aspect” of that passage. What I didn’t agree with was your very next line, and some of the lines that followed:
“Blair just might be proving that he is a limited player in this league.”
In his second year, at age 21, and at his current developmental stage, there’s absolutely NO evidence that Blair may now be simply “proving” that he’s a “limited player in this league”.
“I’m sure if Blair were to start proving on the court he’s more than just a high energy, rebounding, put back type of player Pop would utelize him more.”
In this statement you are clearly minimizing what Blair does on the floor, and implying that it is not worthy of significant minutes on this team. Instead, you apparently think the one-dimensional Bonner will consistently deserve more minutes than Blair because he can shoot a three-pointer. I don’t agree.
“But even in the game against the Magic…I saw Blair out of position for rebounds than I had ever seen before.”
At 21, he’s going to have some off games, just like Bonner at age 30 will be laying bricks some games.
“Really Jim…you got out of that I said Blair shouldn’t start?”
You’ve hinted & suggested at this many time in previous comments.
“And I’m not sure what you mean by my “tone”.”
For one thing, saying things like this:
“And all the talk about “matchups”. That’s BS. If Blair were proving he could hang on a consistent basis…he would not be getting limited minutes during games.”
A coach considering match-ups in who he plays is not BS. And the reasoning I used pertaining to Blair/Bonner against Orlando was exactly correct. And it won’t be the last time that Pop makes significant minute adjustments with the four 4/5 players (not including TD) at least in part because of match-up issues.
Your assessment of why/when Pop uses Blair or Bonner is not nuanced enough, and is therefore not fully accurate. It’s not nearly as simple as you make it out to be. Bonner is mainly effective when he’s hitting his three ball. When he shoots under 40% he hurts us. And as you know, shooting has MANY ups and downs throughout the year. Pop has to be very nimble on when and when not to use Bonner. In fact Bonner’s 11 minute first half tonight against the T-Wolves is part of the reason we’re down 14 at the half.
November 24th, 2010 at 7:05 pm
OK Jim.
Whatever.
You just proved me correct with almost every one of your rebutals.
Sorry man. I’m not going to turn this into a 1,000 reply debate.
By the way…how’s your boy Blair doing tonight against the Wolves?
November 24th, 2010 at 8:56 pm
Gentlemen, take a deep breath. Sitting in our typing chairs at the end of the day discussing a game and team we feel affection for is supposed to be a fun thing. GREAT comeback game tonight against the Timberwolves to keep our win streak alive. Watched Miami/Orlando tonight and the lack of character and control shown by Williams and Nelson (the same Nelson who stepped over Manu recently) just reminded me why I’m a Spur’s fan.
November 24th, 2010 at 11:04 pm
rob
November 24th, 2010 at 7:05 pm
“You just proved me correct with almost every one of your rebutals.”
You really don’t seem to get the basics sometimes. What can I say.
“Sorry man. I’m not going to turn this into a 1,000 reply debate.”
Thank god, because I wouldn’t be taking part. It’d be a waste of time.
“By the way…how’s your boy Blair doing tonight against the Wolves?”
Actually, I don’t know what Pop was thinking tonight. Blair got himself into early foul trouble (which he does need to get a grip on, particularly of late), but at last count he still had 3 fouls left and never played another minute after playing 2+ minutes in the 2nd qtr. You don’t win games consistently by getting out-rebounded. Blair had as many rebounds and more points in his sub-6 minutes as Bonner had in his 1st 19 minutes. Bonner was also 1-7 and 0-5 from deep until “late” in the game. You live by the three, you die by the three, and we almost died tonight against a crappy team while getting thrashed on the boards by Milicic & Love (30 of their 53 rebounds). This is the second straight game that we almost lost by being down by about 10 boards or more for most of the game. Once our 3-point shooting starts to “regress to the mean”, we’re going to start to lose some games unless we get the boards under control, which is unlikely to happen if DeJuan doesn’t start getting more minutes soon. Even though Blair is not playing as well or consistently as we’d all like, if he doesn’t start to average about 20 mpg. again soon we’re going to start to lose some games. He gives us that important edge on the boards that the team cannot afford to go without if it wants to continue its winning ways. I don’t think Pop was overly concerned about winning that game tonight because Bonner should not have played that much. Without knowing the inside scoop, I’d have to say that Pop is trying to make some important points to Blair. Number one, defend your man and don’t get yourself in early foul trouble. And number two, Blair loses focus at times in games where it appears that he’s going through the motions. He’s got to work a bit harder to clean that up. It’s all part of the maturation process, and Pop’s better than most in getting through to young players about lessons that need to be learned in order to maintain/earn minutes, and to ultimately become a better player.
November 25th, 2010 at 3:18 am
Jim Henderson
I can see your point regarding your last in depth paragraph.
And that’s all I’m saying too.
It’s not like I want Blair to fail and not get minutes. But he is not playing well enough according to Pop. (Pop’s perception might be flawed in that regard?) Who knows.
But a coach. Any coach. Is going to play who they feel gives the team the best chance to not only win the game…but execute according to plan and be dependent upon to not make mistakes.
Perhaps Blair’s +/- warrants more play time but other things he’s doing on the court makes Pop feel he’s a deterant to achieving a goal.
I’m not going to argue or question Pop with a 13-1 start. It appears he’s doing his job the best he can.
Blair? If he is going to be good as some predict…there’s apparently something unbeknowst to our perception/opinion that’s keeping him from time on the court. And in my opinion if he was to be that good a player…he would be getting more time on the court.
November 25th, 2010 at 9:12 pm
rob
November 25th, 2010 at 3:18 am
“But a coach. Any coach. Is going to play who they feel gives the team the best chance to not only win the game…but execute according to plan and be dependent upon to not make mistakes.”
That’s a good part of it, but not ALL of it. Part of coaching is player development with young talent that you believe in; player’s whose future performance may ultimately pay substantial dividends as a result of your commitment to invest significant time and patience in his development. Their are times when the right decision is to run with this “young talent” in some games even if he makes some mistakes that could contribute to a loss. That’s part of effective player development, to in effect embrace some growing pains in a young player that you believe in because you feel that it will ultimately payoff for the player and the franchise. The best coaches & organizations engage in these types of strategic decisions all the time. I believe that they currently view Blair as a good intermediate-to-long-term investment for the franchise, and they’re going to develop him accordingly.
Perhaps Blair’s +/- warrants more play time but other things he’s doing on the court makes Pop feel he’s a deterant to achieving a goal.
In some games yes, in others no. That’s simply reflective of the growing pains of a player like Blair, and the coaching and player development decisions by Pop on an ongoing basis.
“Blair? …….. And in my opinion if he was to be that good a player…he would be getting more time on the court.”
No, it’s impossible to credibly form that conclusion after just 1 year and 14 games, at age 21, for a player like Blair. For example, there are enough similarities in Blair & Millsap’s progression from college through their early NBA years for it to be an instructive example of effective player development, and the patience that is sometimes required for significant, dependable production to fully bloom in that player. When you get a moment, take a look at Millsap’s progression via his production stats starting with his rookie year, and compare it to Blair’s through his first year & 14 games. Look at what Millsap has become in year 5. Blair’s in just the very early stages of year two. I can tell you right now, Utah is ecstatic that they stuck with Millsap’s rather mediocre and less consistent production during his early years with the franchise.
November 26th, 2010 at 6:00 am
Jim Henderson
Best case scenario would be Paul Millsap. And I’m not for trading Blair for peanuts though that’s what he’s getting paid now.
If he should ever develop into a Millsap scenario (and he has the potential to do just that) the Spurs have a very solid PF in the making.
My concern though hasn’t been what he may become. But what would be best for the team at this point.
Starting or not starting Blair isn’t really the issue I have. It’s more in the line of developing cohesion on the court with the players they have now.
Pop is a genius at getting/placing the best opportunities on the court for the team to win. Right now…I pray he becomes more consistent/dependable…Blair is struggling and hence Pop not giving him more minutes.
I don’t know at what juncture Pop decides to overlook Blair to trusting to be consistent/dependable enough to keep placing Blair in the game just for developmental reasons.
But I can see and do agree that Blair has great potential to becoming a stand out player.
November 26th, 2010 at 6:02 am
Perhaps coming off the bench would be a better developmental situation for Blair?
November 26th, 2010 at 11:13 am
rob
November 26th, 2010 at 6:02 am
“Perhaps coming off the bench would be a better developmental situation for Blair?”
It’s possible at some point, but at 13-1 I just don’t see it now. Even through Blair’s early struggles, he’s learning a great deal by playing with great players (our first unit), and against top-notch competition. But in any case, I’m content with ultimately accepting whatever Pop decides on that front.
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