One of the coaches stood in the locker room late Tuesday night, marveling about DeJuan Blair. Then he paused and changed direction.
“I love Ian Mahinmi,” he said, “but ...”
The coach roots for Mahinmi, as does everyone in the Spurs organization. Mahinmi has done everything the Spurs have asked.
Still, on this night, the coach couldn't help but see the contrast. Blair turned 20 in April, and this is the first time he's ever lived more than a block from home.
And yet: He showed more basketball instincts in his first NBA game than Mahinmi had in four years.
It's October, and there are no guarantees Blair will be getting minutes in November. Still, his undeniable skill was on display. Blair had 19 rebounds in the first 22 minutes of his pro life, and this is something that works in any arena in any city.
Asked about his rebounding philosophy, Blair smiled. “I just go get it,” he said. “And if I don't get it, I'll get it the next time.”
He was the same his two years at Pitt before falling to the Spurs in the draft. But it wasn't just his knees that worried scouts. He's no taller than Manu Ginobili, and, further adding to the confusing package, he can't jump as Charles Barkley once did as a small-sized rebounder.
So Blair is a round mound stuck on the ground, and Mahinmi is the opposite. He has the classic NBA frame. The Spurs drafted him because of this, and because a slice of video once teased what was possible. Then, in France, he slammed with the force of Amare Stoudemire.
Given that, the Spurs tutored him overseas, and they drilled him in Austin. They waited for the bad-luck injuries to heal, hoping the game had sunk in. But they knew he was always going to be, at best, a manufactured player built in a lab. He would never be a natural, as Blair is.
Tuesday showed all of that. Then, Mahinmi wasn't sure where to take his next step. Blair subbed in the first quarter for, coincidentally, Mahinmi, and immediately looked like he belonged. Nearly as stunning as his 19 rebounds was his one foul while banging into various Rockets.
Mahinmi, meanwhile, fouled out in 17 minutes.
Blair showed a Dennis Rodman sense of backboard geometry. Asked if he ever observed Rodman to see how he did it, Blair shook his head.
“Nah,” Blair joked. “I was watching Michael Jordan.”
He comes across as a nice kid. He admits he's still growing up and that moving away from Pittsburgh is part of that. He wants to stay humble, and Gregg Popovich has seen that.
“He takes no quarter from anybody, as far as playing with his teammates, but still is respectful, at the same time,” Popovich said. “He doesn't grandstand or beat his chest. He just plays and goes back down to the other end.”
There was one subtle moment Tuesday, though. Luis Scola had been punishing the Spurs, reminding them again about the value of another of their second-round picks. Then Blair boxed out Scola, grabbing yet another rebound with his long arms and soft hands, and Scola took a hard swipe.
Blair cradled the basketball with body language that rookies rarely have. It said: Scola was nothing more than an irritant.
The Spurs would like to see Blair play a second game before they marvel any further. They would like to see him against Pau Gasol, and with Tim Duncan, and under pressure.
But what they saw the first time he wore a Spurs uniform confirmed everything. He understands angles as the naturals do, and when he rebounded, he had anticipation and ferocity and balance.
Mahinmi, again, had potential.
bharvey@express-news.net
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Spurs_see_what_a_lab_can_never_replicate.html