#37th - 37! - pick in the 2009 NBA Draft debuts in 22 minutes with 16pts, 19rebs

I'm not even supposed to be here today.

about 1 month ago NBA Observer 37 comments 1 recs |

Comments

We will not be sorry with Taj

Steve Smith told me so.

USE THE SOFTWARE. Actions-> Rec/Flag. Reply to comments with the reply button. Rec good fanposts/fanshots so the crud gets pushed down.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Oct 7, 2009 11:55 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs

Spartans lie until the next loss after defeating the Wolverines

12/31: Fire Vinny Del Negro.

by NBA Observer on Oct 7, 2009 11:58 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

As long as he stays healthy

Blair will probaby prove to be the biggest draft steal since Arenas.

"This is not Vietnam, Smokey, there are rules here." - Walter Sobchak

by Rose Colored Goggles on Oct 7, 2009 12:42 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

3 things . . .

1) Thorpe mentions this earlier in a previous chat but most teams passed on him cause they were frightened he wouldn’t last long in the league so it’s not fair to judge just yet.

2) Which brings me to this question. Why is it when Blair goes off for 16 & 19, the world goes nuts and doesn’t mention the “It’s only preseason” thing? But when Taj looks great in his opener, it’s all you hear.

3) Lastly, did anyone actually see this game? I’m wondering if maybe a lot of those boards were on one of those freak possessions where the dude misses all of his shots and gains like 4 boards in a span of 15 seconds.

by Option27 on Oct 7, 2009 12:56 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

As for #2

Taj looking great has involved 12 rebounds in almost 70 minutes. Not 19 in 22.

And for as much talk as we’ve heard about defensive rebounding in camp, why didn’t we take the guy who rebounds like a machine?

by CrashDavis on Oct 7, 2009 1:28 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

because they want to run, run, run is the answer they've given

by smash! on Oct 7, 2009 2:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I mean in his opener, not his 2 games combined

by Option27 on Oct 7, 2009 2:51 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Taj had 19 points 9 rebounds and 5 fouls in 30 minutes of play

while Blair had 16&19 in 23 minutes while only manages 1 foul.

Are we there yet?

by Teri on Oct 7, 2009 3:42 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I kept trying to catch that game just to see how he'd do

He gave them 8 extra possessions and all of those combined he almost had half the rebounds of the entire Rockets team.

by Camry on Oct 7, 2009 7:15 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Right there's doing well in pre-season and there's kicking ass in pre-season.

Sure, neither one really matters, but that’s at least the difference.

People should remember that while they have the right to their opinion, they are not entitled to be taken seriously. --Bruce Bartlett

by tyger1147 on Oct 7, 2009 10:04 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think his height kinda scared some people.

I watched his highlights and he is pretty short.

I've got this thing and it's fucking golden!

by SoulEater7 on Oct 7, 2009 1:17 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Is he much shorter than David Lee or Carl Landry?

I always watch Euroball where the height just gets tossed around by players with power.

12/31: Fire Vinny Del Negro.

by NBA Observer on Oct 7, 2009 1:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think he's like 6'5 or 6'6

of course his wing span is 7’3 ish? Which is nice. I think though there was concern about how he’d handle an 82 game season but man he just produces when it comes down to it.

I wanted the Bulls to take Blair and I was shocked he was still there at 26 but I think they liked the fact that Gibson could shoot 15 footers and fit better with Rose.

I've got this thing and it's fucking golden!

by SoulEater7 on Oct 7, 2009 2:06 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Shoot the J

shoot it!

"This is not Vietnam, Smokey, there are rules here." - Walter Sobchak

by Rose Colored Goggles on Oct 7, 2009 3:00 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

There's concern that his knees are going to go in a couple years

is what I heard.

I support the Tornado Release [See: Joakim Noah]

by Prevenge on Oct 8, 2009 2:21 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

This is what the Titans said about Roberto Garza

He doesn’t have any ACLs either. He’s a ticking time bomb by all measures, yet he’s now in what his 4th season starting at guard for the Bears.

I think the guy has to show that his knees are in bad shape if there’s concern his knees are going to go out. Blair has shown for two seasons and nearly 80 games at Pitt and they were not an issue.

12/31: Fire Vinny Del Negro.

by NBA Observer on Oct 8, 2009 8:26 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

the Bulls should have picked him

as was argued on this blog at the time. I think most people here, myself included, were big Blair fans. Worrying about his effectiveness 3 or 4 years down the line was and is missing the point. The success rate of guys picked outside of the lottery is pretty bad, and it gets worse the higher the pick goes. If you have picks 20-30, how can you pass on a guy with lottery talent? By any metric, Blair was a stud in college and the only thing that caused him to fall was his knees.

As a team with a late first round pick, given the success rate of late first round picks, you have to take a chance on a guy with lottery talent with bad knees. The chance that the late round pick sucks is probably the same chance as Blair knees giving out.

And like I said, worrying about 3-4 years down the line is silly. Its only a 2 year guaranteed contract. If you can get 2 years of lottery type production out of Blair he will be well worth the cost. The real decision for the Spurs will be whether to resign him and for how much if he makes it through to his next contract healthy. But that is a decision 4 years down the line.

Luckily for the Bulls, they seemed to get a player at #26. A number of other teams like the Knicks, Cleveland, Minnesota, Washington, Portland, Denver and Detroit will be in even more pain because their late picks won’t perform nearly as well.

by Basketball Smurf on Oct 7, 2009 3:49 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I liked the idea last year

Buy a 2nd round pick,
Grab Blair, &
who cares if his knee imploded in 2 years.

by Jesse07 on Oct 7, 2009 4:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Word.

We should have picked him, but like you said, we were lucky that Taj seems to be panning out so far.

"This is not Vietnam, Smokey, there are rules here." - Walter Sobchak

by Rose Colored Goggles on Oct 7, 2009 7:35 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Can't he opt out after two years or something?

Isn’t that the difference between 1st and 2nd round picks? Or were the Spurs smart and lock him up for 4 years?

Oh, and I agree with everything else. The likelihood that Taj Gibson (and others) get a second contract is about the same likelihood that Blairs knees don’t last.

People should remember that while they have the right to their opinion, they are not entitled to be taken seriously. --Bruce Bartlett

by tyger1147 on Oct 7, 2009 10:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

i meant 4 years if he was late 1st round pick

the spurs have signed him a 2 year guaranteed contract.

I can’t find a definitive source on his contract because apparently the Spurs don’t release contract info. I’ve seen 3 years for 2.7 million and 4 years for 2.7 million both reported.

by Basketball Smurf on Oct 7, 2009 11:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

i contradicted myself

the second part is what i found – 3 years 2.7 million or 4 years 2.7 million. I also heard someone say 2 years guaranteed, but I don’t know if that is true. There is nothing on hoopshype which where I get most of my contract info.

by Basketball Smurf on Oct 7, 2009 11:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

gotcha. my fault

People should remember that while they have the right to their opinion, they are not entitled to be taken seriously. --Bruce Bartlett

by tyger1147 on Oct 8, 2009 8:51 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

This is just silly

All of these arguments are being had because of one preseason game?!! Can we at least give it until the first week of the regular season before we declare that there was a huge mistake made on draft day? It could very well be the case that Blair was the pick, but it’s way too early to know anything.

"That's a spicy meatball-a!" - Vinny Del Negro

by Juiceboxjerry on Oct 7, 2009 5:45 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Hes been pretty consistent with this I’m not going to make picket signs or anything but this guy is special.

by Camry on Oct 7, 2009 7:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m satisfied with Taj

I wanted the Bulls to pick Blair, but I think we will be fine with Taj. Almost everyone is flattering Blair performance and there is no question that his 19 reb are awesome comparing to Gibson 9 (Indiana) or 5 (Utah). But did anyone notice how Blair got his 16 points in 22 minutes. Blair ended with 6-15 from the field (40%). Meanwhile, Taj ended with 6-12 (50%) against the Pacers and 4-8 (50%) and against the Jazz. And he blocked some nice shots in both games too. So, we may have lost in some aspects of the game, but we may also have won in others. I think Taj could be a really nice pick and maybe a better one than Blair. The time will tell…

by bull83 on Oct 7, 2009 6:10 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Gibson played like 10 minutes more than him. A bad shooting night can be an anomaly hes a low post player hes gonna shoot good percentages to me. But hes been rebounding like this consistently through summer league.

I’m not saying the sky is falling but this guys gonna show a lot of teams now they “made a mistake dude.”

by Camry on Oct 7, 2009 7:22 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

we heard you...

the 1st time

by yetti on Oct 8, 2009 12:32 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I didn't talk about his shooting before this @_@

by Camry on Oct 8, 2009 2:34 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hmm maybe I have been waxing on

But I’m rooting for the guy I thought it was bogus he got passed up by so many teams. Plus I’m hoping the Spurs will be good enough to push the Lakers.

by Camry on Oct 8, 2009 2:44 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Blair should have been our 2nd pick. Everyone was worried he would only have like a 5-6 year career. Retarded. Even if he only plays 5 or 6 years, you have a top notch rebounder. Most late 1st rounders/early 2nd rounders are out of the league within 3-5 years anyway.

Gibson looks better than I thought(he looked like the 2nd coming of Ced Simmons) but we need the toughness and rebounding Blair can bring. As far as his height, undersized PFs can contribute a lot to a team, look at Millsap, Carl Landry, Craig Smith….those guys are 6’7 PFs who can rebound like motherfuckers…The post is more about bulk and desire not sheer height.

by C Smoove on Oct 7, 2009 7:07 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I miss Ced :(

"That pitch wasn’t down and in, that pitch was down and up." Tim McCarver

by wrigleyrocker12 on Oct 7, 2009 10:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I like this.

Here’s what I know: DeJuan Blair lost nothing in translation. His NCAA game is his NBA game. DeJuan Blair is Carl Landry is Paul Millsap. Rebound rates transfer. It’s a crudely simple equation that, thankfully for the Spurs, adds up

People should remember that while they have the right to their opinion, they are not entitled to be taken seriously. --Bruce Bartlett

by tyger1147 on Oct 7, 2009 10:09 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs

he would've fit right in with the Bulls too

blown out knees mean no messy contract negotiations!

USE THE SOFTWARE. Actions-> Rec/Flag. Reply to comments with the reply button. Rec good fanposts/fanshots so the crud gets pushed down.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Oct 7, 2009 10:45 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

HAHA

OH MAN THAT WAS GREAT!!!

On Behalf of Sue, Wjb, majoyenrac, Bullshooter and all the other Hinrich fans...Ill keep the Hinrich Hope coming...There will be light!

by piccolomair on Oct 8, 2009 1:54 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

From twitter...

YahooSportsNBA: More than 1 NBA exec. texted me curse tonight for team doctors refusal to draft DeJuan Blair with bad knees. Spur had 19 boards for Rockets

Are we there yet?

by Teri on Oct 7, 2009 11:57 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs