I do not get the hate for the Spurs either. The Rockets are obviously my favorite team, but I liked the Spurs outside Bruce Bowen. I have absolutely zero respect for the way he plays the game. But he is gone now. Other than him, the have been a likable bunch. They are not a bunch of whiny b****es like Dallas.
Spurs' Blair bangs the boards Jeff McDonald LAS VEGAS — A mere 65 seconds after checking into his first NBA summer league game, Spurs rookie DeJuan Blair hip-checked his way through a pair of defenders, snatched an offensive rebound away from two defenders and double-pumped the ball back into the basket. From his courtside seat at UNLV's Cox Pavilion, New Orleans coach Byron Scott shook his head in amazement. “That is a man down there,” Scott said, motioning in the direction of the wide-bodied Blair. On the day that the Spurs made him the 37th overall pick in the NBA draft, Blair swore he would make sure every team that had passed on him regretted it. He wasted little time scratching one team off his hit list Sunday. In his highly anticipated summer league debut, Blair — a 6-foot-7 All-American from Pittsburgh — finished with 13 points to go with 10 rebounds as the Spurs beat New Orleans 92-86. After it, Blair was in too good of a mood to say, “I told you so.” “I was just having fun,” Blair said, flashing a quick smile. “I showed a lot of people what I can do, what they missed out on.” Widely regarded as the best rebounder in college basketball last season, Blair thrived as advertised in his maiden summer league foray. He entered the game with 5:10 left in the first quarter. Thirty-five seconds later, he recorded his first rebound, bird-dogging a defensive rebound into the corner. Six minutes into his stint, Blair already had five rebounds. “If there's a rebound, he's going to go get it,” said Spurs assistant coach Don Newman, who is guiding the summer league squad. “He has such a knack for that. He does it better than anybody did it in the college game.” Blair scored most of his points on putbacks. Three of his four field goals resulted in 3-point plays. In that, he did not show the Spurs anything they did not already know. “That's what I do,” Blair said. “That's what's on the scouting report.” It can be folly to project too much from one summer league game. Often, what happens in Vegas really does stay in Vegas. Just as it was for George Hill, the last top Spurs rookie to come through the Cox Pavilion. A year ago, Hill missed 23 of 25 shots during the Spurs' first three summer league games, leading to knee-jerk doubts about his ability to play in the NBA. He led the Spurs with 25 points Sunday, going 7 for 13 from the field, including a pair of soaring dunks. By the end of the first quarter, Hill had made twice as many field goals (four) as he did all last year in Vegas. Malik Hairston scored all 16 of his points in the second half for the Spurs, including 11 in a three-minute stretch of the third quarter. The 6-foot-6 swingman showed off a shooting range rarely seen in his 15-game stint with the Spurs last season, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers. It was Blair, however, who generated the most silver-and-black buzz. He was the last Spurs player to leave the arena after the game, held up by a media horde clamoring for his attention. Blair seemed unimpressed by the whole affair. “I just did what everybody thought I could do,” Blair said, shrugging. “I rebounded.” Even though it was only a summer league game, the Spurs believe Blair will be producing similar statistical lines in NBA arenas someday soon. If he does, Blair would be as significant an offseason addition as any for a team that ranked 18th in the league in rebounding last season. In the meantime, the Tour de Vengeance goes on, though Blair says he came to terms with his draft-night snub on draft night. “It's in the past,” Blair said. “I'm not really worried about that now. Fans don't know who got drafted where.” Fans don't, but Blair does. He is out to show the rest of the NBA what it missed out on. One team at a time.
Dang it. George Hill and Malik Hairston are both guys I wanted a year ago, not to mention coming up with Blair this year. The Spurs have a knack for finding: 1. Competitors, 2. with developed skill sets, 3. with good basketball intelligence, 4. with a work ethic. Forget who can jump the highest and run the fastest. The way to evaluate players is by skillsets, work ethic, intelligence, and competitive nature on the floor. If you look at the Spurs, this is the type of guys they go after.
Analysis of Spurs vs Hornets Summer League Game Today. Dejuan Blair:This guy is simply a beast on the boards. There's no other way to put it. Last year, he averaged 18.1 rebounds per 40 minutes at Pittsburgh. In his first summer league game, Blair pulled down 18.2 rebounds per 40 minutes. Even more impressive is the fact that he pulled down 10 rebounds in 22 minutes, while the rest of the team pulled down 18 rebounds in 178 minutes. Blair has a wide body, long arms and a pair of giant suction cups for hands. He also has impeccable timing and isn't afraid to throw his weight around. While summer league isn't the NBA, this is undoubtedly a very good sign that his rebound rate in college wasn't a fluke. Offensively, Blair had a few good moves. He can jump quickly and already has a crafty feel around the rim that allows him to get his shot off despite being undersized. Blair also displayed a smooth face-up jumper. He had a few possessions where he tried to do too much and his size became a liability but that is to be expected as he adjusts. On the defensive end, Blair needs a lot of work. His pick-and-roll defense was sub par and he was slow to get back to defend the rim. It will probably take most of his rookie season to get him up to speed defensively. All in all, there's no reason not to be excited about San Antonio's first pick in the 2009 draft. He appears to be at least as good as advertised. Malik Hairston(Spurs 2008 2nd round pick):It was a story of two halves for Malik Hairston. In the first half Hairston played poorly on both ends of the court. He appeared destined to another first game disappointment. Then came the second half. After going 0-for-3 in the first half, Hairston poured in 11 points in the first four minutes of the third stanza on 5-for-5 shooting. He came out with much more tenacity and more confidence in his outside shot. With 18 seconds remaining in the game, Hairston's three-pointer gave the Spurs a four point advantage. Seeing Hairston drain outside jumpers is a very good sign. He struggled shooting in summer league and in the NBA last year. To survive in San Antonio's system, Hairston has to show the type of shooting he provided on Sunday afternoon. Defensively, Hairston had some good moments but he has a lot of room to improve. He was playing too close in man-to-man defense and allowed the opponent to beat him off the dribble. He also didn't crash the defensive glass well enough. On offense, Hairston was best when spotting up or driving the ball directly to the basket. His ballhandling looked extremely shaky when he tried to create off the dribble. He also clogged the lane too much at times when he prematurely tried to hit the offensive boards. Hairston's 16 second half points were a big part of the victory. If he can give a more consistent effort and clean up some of the smaller aspects of his game, he'll give himself a very good chance of making the Spurs regular season lineup. Could be very well the Spurs Trevor Ariza if he works on his range. Ian Mihinmi(Spurs 2005 1st round pick):Ian Mahinmi's stats don't look very good but there were some bright spots. Compared to last year's summer league action, Mahinmi was much more energetic and played with more heart. He also had a very good move late from out on the perimeter to give the Spurs a two-point lead. That said, the Spurs need to see much more production out of Mahinmi if he's to remain in their long-term plans. His upper body looks stronger but his lower body remains extremely skinny. He's not a graceful athlete and he can get pushed around down under the basket. In the forthcoming games, Mahinmi needs to translate some of his energy into positive contributions. He had quality moves and was putting up a fight but he rarely finished off a possession well. Considering that he's been out of action for a year, rust had to be expected. It'd be fair to wait a couple of games before counting him out. James Gist(Spurs 2nd round pick in 2008)Last year in summer league, James Gist looked like a stud in the making. His 2009 summer league campaign didn't start off nearly as hot. He looked worse in this game than he did at any point last year. It appeared as if Gist was trying to make the adjustment to play more out on the perimeter but he ended up looking uncomfortable. He hesitated on a few jumpers and didn't look like he was sure where he was supposed to be on the court. Defensively and on the boards, I thought Gist looked rather weak. He got pushed around and his physicality was missing in action. He wasn't making up for his lack of bulk with his athleticism like he did last year. It's not time to push the panic button but Gist needs to show a lot more if he wants to have a chance at making the team. Right now, a second year in Europe appears like it could do him some good. Jack McClnton: There's no way to sugarcoat it -- Jack McClinton was really bad in his summer league debut in every aspect of the game. He didn't do anything offensively, played poor defense and just didn't look like an NBA player. Offensively, McClinton played like he didn't know when and where to pick his spots. Constant second-guessing caused him to do next to nothing on the offensive end. In his few minutes running the team, he proved that he's not much of a point guard prospect. On defense, McClinton's lack of size was obvious. Fellow second round pick Marcus Thorton ate him alive a number of times. McClinton is too small to be much help on the boards but he needs to do a much better job of boxing out and staying between his man and the basket. The good news is that a lot of McClinton's struggles can be attributed to rookie jitters. If he can settle in, nail a few open shots and realize he can be aggressive when looking for his shot, there's a chance he can bounce back. And as we saw last year with Hairston, a poor summer league opener isn't the end of the world.
George Hillspurs 2008 1st round pick) Entering his second summer league, George Hill looked much improved over last season. The aspect that stood out the most was his increased confidence level. Hill played like he knew he was in charge and paced himself well throughout the contest. In the first three quarters, Hill didn't have many opportunities to run the pick-and-roll but that changed in the fourth quarter. Down the stretch, he took control by attacking New Orleans' defense off the pick-and-roll and either created for himself or a teammate. The biggest shot of the game -- a three-pointer by Malik Hairston -- was created off of a Hill pick-and-roll. When Hill shot from perimeter, everything about his release looked improved. His balance was better, he took his time and he put more arc on the ball. If he can add a jumper from off the dribble, his effectiveness in the halfcourt offense would greatly improve. Defensively, Hill was hit and miss. Sometimes he seemed to be going through the motion, but at other times he illustrated his elite potential at that end of the court -- especially in the last few minutes of the game. Hill still needs to work on beating the halfcourt trap with the dribble, making the smart pass in transition and keeping his foot on the accelerator at all times but overall this was a very positive summer league debut. He looked like he was the best player on the court and did so while playing within his capabilities.
DeJuan Blair seems more like a Larry Johnson... probably because of they way both yell after a dunk. Also the fact they're both good rebounding undersized power forwards... and kinda look the same.
