[marcusfizer21Participant]

I know it was just a pre-season game and all that but Dejuan Blair has shown his dedication and passion for the game. The San Antonio fans appreciated his hard work and determination. He gave it his all in the game despite the loss. Man o man… Did you see the way he rebound the ball? He’s anywhere under the basket and to think he got snubbed in the first round of the NBA Draft because of his so-called injury-problem and lack of size… Look at him now… My hats off to DeJuan Blair… He can help the Spurs win in more ways than just scoring… By the way, he posted 16 points and 19 rebounds against the Rockets and I am just surprised that nobody is talking about him… Well, he has always been in my radar as a guy that can make an impact even at his 6’6 frame… Paul Millsap, Jason Maxiell, Carl Landry… Y’all are in that level too…

[Thunder DanParticipant]

Has a second rounder every won ROY?

[tli232]

This guy’s first game proved a lot to me.

1. he can rebound with the best of them in the NBA

2. His defensive intensity is up there

3. Can score a few Garbage points here and there.

4. Can stay out of foul trouble for the most part (Except Thabeet, every other rookie Big man got in foul trouble their first game, I’m pretty sure)

These were all things I doubted he could do on the NBA level entering this season. With 19 Boards (like 9 offensive, I’m pretty sure) in less than 30 minutes shows that he could be a Kevin Love type Rebounder his rookie season.

I like Blair so much that I believe he could be in the running for rookie of the year due to the following reasons

1. Spurs lack Depth in the post: After Duncan, you have…. McDyess, Bonner, Mahinmi, BLAIR, and some no names. Assuming Duncan plays 35 minutes a game (a number he hasn’t reached since 04-05), There’ll be around 60minutes divided between essentially 4 guys. This indicates that Blair will get at least around 15-20 minutes.

2. Top two post players are old: Duncan and McDyess are both like 34-35. While Duncan and McDyess have remained relatively healthy the last few years, you have to wonder just how long each little injury will take to heal; there just aren’t that many 34-35 year olds in the league playing at a high level for a reason.

3. Production: If either of the Spurs’ top 2 big man go down for more than 10 games at a time, Blair will be the guy seeing the biggest increase in minutes because Bonner and Mahinmi are not great rebounders. I see Blair averaging 16-17 rebounds per 48 minutes ( Howard averaged 18), given his resume and the recent success of small Big men in the rebounding category (Millsap, Landry, Dorsey, Maxiell)

4. Spurs are contenders: Everyone knows that the people voting for awards tend to favour players on contending teams. This will work to Blair’s advantage.

SO, under the assumption that Duncan or McDyess or both play less than 60 games, Blair has a legit chance to average 28-30 minutes per game. Given these kinds of minutes, I see him averaging 12, 10, and a block. Will this be enough to top Blake Griffin? Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I see him averaging 15 and 8 in 35 minutes. Blake’s stats will be stronger, no doubt, but Blair’s stats, if given the minutes, will come close. And given the fact that Griffin’s on the Clippers, and Blair’s on the Spurs, I think Blair could potentially get a few votes for ROY

thoughts?

[JNixonParticipant]

I saw where he had 19 boards the other day…that’s impressive I must say.

[the_shamwow_guyParticipant]

No player has ever won Rookie of the year in being drafted in the second but in 1957 Woody Sauldsberry won after being pick number 60. But since then the latest draft pick to get it was Mark Prince who was 18th. Can Dejuain be the first…to early to call but has the potential to do so see what happens

[rtbtParticipant]

This is exactly what I repeatedly talked about shortly after the NBA Draft where NBA GMs once again demonstrated their incredible ignorance. You would think GMs would have the savvy to understand the nuances of team needs but obviously they don’t. They made the same mistake passing on Paul Milsap several years ago and I thought they learned their lesson and wouldn’t do it again, but I was wrong.

Much to my shock and amazement, every NBA GM, except for San Antonio, passed on Blair who was the 37th pick in the draft. Go back and see some of the clunkers that were drafted ahead of Blair and you will be shaking your head.

Keep in mind that I’m a guy who believes Defense and Rebounding are the keys to winning and that’s why I place such a premium on great rebounders.

[D HampParticipant]

Steal of the draft. I called it first last summer. Check this website’s archives.

Dhamp…the greatest basketball mind in the world. Next to Hubie Brown anyway.

[quincey hodges]

in away i can understand why he dropped..teams were looking at long term healthy..hes playing with no acl in either knees. but a player can still play with out them as long as they keep there hamstrings and quads strong to over compensate for having no tendons. personally i still would have picked him because ive always liked his game and he played those years in college without them so i think he can continue to do it..im not sure he will get rookie of the year though..has any rookie who didnt start ever get rookie of the year before?

[McWinningParticipant]

i always knew he would fit in the nba he hustles can rebound he will be a very good backup for the Spurs this year im still mad that the Blazers passed on him 4 times hes a steal.

[dwilks101586Participant]

Blair was the biggest steal in this draft because he’s on a championship team and the only reason he went in the 2nd round is because he has no ACLs and it might give him problems in the long run but he hasn’t missed a game or a practice in college so that should count for something and also he was whippin tambeet’s ass in that pitt vs uconn game but he will have a longer career then tambeet you heard it first.

[lalailaParticipant]

I’m just suprised! I told in the spring that this guy is almost as effective as Blake in college (27min16ppg12rpg) but it was even better than i dream about…hope he will get minutes and i see Kevin Love type numbers(top5 rookies, but absolutely the best in 48minutes)

[TeezyG13Participant]

DeJuain is clearly a beast…but this talk of him being steal of the draft and possible ROY seem real premature for me. Clearly Duncan’s minutes are gonna decline which should open time in the frontcourt. However, there are a couple reasons to think he may not get the tick needed to put up big numbers. First, Pop has stated over and over again he’s gonna play Timmy D primarily at his natural 4 position to lighten his workload and minimize just general banging, wear and tear. A name not mentioned by anyone that will get time in the front court rotation is Theo Ratliff. Clearly not the offensive force Blair is but he’s a much better matchup defensively with his size to ease burden on Duncan. Secondly, when Duncan is at 5 they will have Bonner or McDyess to spread the court and open up the post for him. Bonner is coming off a pretty good year and he spreads the court much better than Blair clearly. I’m a big fan of Blair, just don’t think he’s gonna get the time to put up double doubles

[youngcarterParticipant]

undersized pf who can bang with the best of them. reminds me of charles barkley alot

[JNixonParticipant]

I had my doubts about whether Blair would be successful because he’s so short. I didn’t think he would be effective because of that and his lack of athleticism, he seemed like the college player that would be a garbage pro. Im glad for him though, he’s doing great out there. But no matter what, his height and lack of athleticism will hold him back to being a 2nd unit player.

[rtbtParticipant]

I think virtually everyone made excellent points in this thread. It is one of the best and most intelligent threads I’ve seen in awhile. The majority of the posts on this subject were very knowledgeable.

In my opinion, here are the keys points to take away from this discussion.

1. Rebounding is critical, you can’t win without the ball.
2. NBA GMs are still fascinated with offense. I think that was just as big a big reason they passed on him as his knees. I point to Paul Milsap as the primary example and now they did it again.
3. Reference his lack of ACL’s, even if San Antonio gets 5 to 6 years from him, they’re way ahead of the game.
4. If anyone expects Blair to keep posting double doubles this year, forget it. It’s a veteran team and once the regular season starts, Blair’s main contribution will be rebounding. He will become one of the 5 to 10 most valuable rookies in this class, while at least 1/2 of the rookies drafted ahead of him will go nowhere.

[The8thDeadlySinParticipant]

I am very impressed with Blair, but, IDK if he will ever do that for the rest of the year. It was a great display but come on, its preseason. He is out there busting his tail while the vets are running about 1/2 paced. He didnt have a big, hefty guy on the court at any time. He had Chuck Hayse, who is like 6’6 and smaller than Blair, Scola who is weak, and Landry who doesnt rebound great. What is he going to look like when he plays against Shaq, Al Jefferson, Brook Lopez, Bynum, Howard, Perkins, ect, ect. Guys that, like him, are good rebounders with some body to throw back. He doesnt have much offense to speak of and has limited athletic ability and speed. I just dont see a guy who only rebounds and beats people to death getting the ROY award. What do yall think his numbers are going to look like?? I dont see him getting 10 points per game. I dont see him getting 10 rebounds per game. He isnt a shot blocker or an assist man. His numbers, IMO, will be like 6pts 6rebs in like 12-16 minutes. Good contributer but not ROY. Lets be real. He would be competing against guys that will be scoring, rebounding, and playing defence like Griffin. Guys that are going to score, score and score like Evans. Guys that are being handed over their teams like Jennings and Flynn. Then guys that do a little bit of everything like Harden, Derozen, and Clark. Blair will be a steal, dont get me wrong, but he probably will never be a starter or the ROY.

[The8thDeadlySinParticipant]

BTW, Blair looks like he has really slimmed down. Looks like an NBA player now, not an out of shape college player.

[AirJuggernaut]

300+ lbs in college believe it or not he worked out at IMG
and dropped like 40 lbs with diet and exercise

He said in college that he needed the bulk
and then he showed the work ethic to lose the
weight. I wish him good health and that he keeps up the hard work.

[MagikKnickParticipant]

How long of a career do you think Blair will have? One hard hit to the knees, and his career could be over
remember…dude has no ACLs

Dont get me wrong though, im rooting for him…i think if he can stay healthy throughout his career he will viewed as Charles Barkley 2.0, Both listed as 6’6, both play the power forward position, and both are absolutely dominate on the boards

[Author]

Posts