Training Camp/ Pre season thread

[the southern dandy]

It's going to be a really interesting pre season with all the new faces around.

*George Hill has really been impressing in practises, which is encouraging.
*Theo Ratliff appears poised to steal some major frontcourt minutes with his defense.
*Mason has dropped about 15 pounds, so it will be interesting to see how this affects his game.
*No news regarding Mahinmi, which can't be a good sign for his chances of being picked up for an additional season.

The positional battles should be really interesting. I'll put my perspective foward a bit later.

[Turnover King]

Hill: I am mildly concerned about his future on this team. Obviously TP is playing starter's minutes, so what does this do to Hill's development? I think it won't be a problem for a couple of seasons anyway, as he is in the ideal situation to hone his skills without the pressure of being the starting PG. I wonder if Hill is destined to be a backup for life, or if he's ultimately looking for a starting gig somewhere else.

Ratliff: I figured he'd play spot minutes in blowouts only, I never thought he'd get significant burn. I understand his value defensively, but I'd sooner spread those minutes over Dice and Blair instead. But I think it would be wise to play him relatively heavy early on to salvage the wear and tear on TD and McDyess.

Mason: I've said it before, I'll say it again - I don't particularly care what he does during the regular season, he has to show up in the playoffs. I know we only lasted five games in the playoffs just gone, but Mase was a major letdown. His true value in '10 will be based on his playoff production IMO - which holds true for all our players, the difference being that the rest are proven commodities.

Mahinmi: as for him and Javtokas, Scola etc etc etc I put these guys out of my mind until they're in a the black and silver and contributing.

Overall, I agree that the positional battles will be interesting. For the first time in who knows how long, we're deep at multiple spots.

[co_laper]

Personally, I hope Blair and Ratliff is for real. Dice, Duncan, Blair, and Ratliff each brings something different to the game. I'd be very disappointed if we end the season giving Bonner major minutes.

Roger Mason, I don't really care. Even if he sucked really bad, Bogans should take his place. Manu and Jefferson is going to get 30-32 minutes. Mason is only going to get about 15 minutes a game IMO with Finley taking in the rest. He's not versatile enough to do any damage other than hot shooting. He's basically our Steve Kerr. A 3 point specialist that we hope can save us sometimes when we struggle shooting the ball. He's not gonna suddenly turn into a bench sparkplug scorer like Barbosa/Terry/Gordon and he's not versatile enough to affect the game defensively or with his rebounding/passing.

Mahinmi.. I'm losing hope.. I personally don't expect him to turn into anything much at this point. Splitter is who I'm watching closely.

[Nolan]

I really hope Blair dominates and lights it up, I really hope this guy does well.

[TDot_nomad]

Im almost done watching the Spurs training camp scrimmage http://www.nba.com/spurs/multimedia/091 ... ctice.html

George Hill looks good. Improved outside shot, solid D as always.

I though Blair looked pretty good and will fit in well.

Ratliff was pretty good on D, but can't hit a shot to save his life. Hopefully that won't matter. But all other spurs big men can hit a shot (duncan, mcdyess, bonner, haslip, and blair to an extent).

RJ's mid range game was silk, and demonstrated his well known ability to draw fouls.

Mason does look slimmer.

Spurs are deep - so are the Mavs. These two teams should battle fiercely, but I see the Spurs having the advantage in the playoffs

[TDot_nomad]

I also wanted to add that Tim Duncan looked rusty. But I assume that's not a big deal.

One instance that was humorous: Duncan had the ball in the paint and was looking to kick it out - he through a sharp pass out to the wing directly past a referee and out of bounds. I have to admit that the refs had the same colors as the spurs gray team, which Duncan was on. Bogans was standing in the corner and looked confused, he and duncan chatted while jogging down the court.

[Turnover King]

Spurs are deep - so are the Mavs. These two teams should battle fiercely, but I see the Spurs having the advantage in the playoffs

I don't see the Mavs as a genuine threat, but who knows - it could work.

On paper at least, adding Marion, Gooden and Tim Thomas hardly inspires fear.

[Guy986]

Dujuan Blair is a ****ing beast. Wow im impressed.

[Blame Rasho]

Good lord... he sucks down rebounds as if were candy.

[Turnover King]

I'll reserve judgment till the real season, but early signs are very positive for him.

[Nolan]

Blair is a beast, 19 rebounds...

[DBMethos]

In just over 20 minutes, as well.

[emunney]

It still pisses me off that my team didn't make a move to pick up Blair. Glad he went to such a quality franchise, though.

[Nolan]

We play Olympiacos on friday, can't wait for this game. Lets hope Blair has another huge game.

[SApuro_]

I agree with TK let's wait until the regular season before we make final judgement but the kid looks strong. I love his wide body and aggressive manner. Exactly the toughness we need.