Ian Mahinmi Gives San Antonio Spurs Big Dilemma

The San Antonio Spurs' brass spent a longer-than-usual summer spending the ownership group's money like an alcoholic with a gambling addiction, thrusting a provident franchise deep into luxury tax territory.

The objective: give Tim Duncan a roster capable of winning a playoff series with the Lakers and a fifth championship.

Popovich and R.C. Buford met most of the objectives.

Athletic wingman to counter Lamar Odom, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, and other scorers at the three spot?

Richard Jefferson. Check.

Hard-working, stingy defenders?

Yep. Jefferson, Keith Bogans, and Malik Hairston.

Rugged rebounding?

That's not a draft. It's the wind being knocked out of someone trying to grab a loose ball from second-rounder Dejuan Blair.

Interior defense and a reliable scorer alongside Duncan?

Enter Antonio Miggedy-Miggedy McDyess.

There is one hole left open, and the French draftee who could fill it remains as much a mystery as the popularity of Jon and Kate.

When Popovich looks at advantages the Lakers might enjoy in a regular season or playoff match, beyond the obvious terror and remonstrance Kobe Bryant promises in a fourth quarter, the words "long and athletic" come to mind.

"Long and athletic" refer to the spectacular inconsistency of the versatile Odom, the disruptive arms and post production of Pau Gasol, and the potential of former Kareem Abdul-Jabbar student Andrew Bynum.

Most favor the Lakers to repeat because they can trot out three seven-footers with NBA-level talent. Gasol is an All-Star and future Hall of Famer, Odom is a championship-level difference maker, and Bynum could someday become both.

Even after an astounding shopping spree, Ian Mahinmi—the Spurs' first round selection in 2005—is the only player who can match the size and athleticism of the aforementioned LA trio.

After one D-League season, a stint with the French national team, two summer leagues and a preseason, Popovich still has no idea what to make of his talent-rich, 22-year-old work in progress.

In Sean Elliott terms, the Spurs coach doesn't know if Mahinmi has junk in his game or if his game is just junk.

The team must decide by Oct. 31 whether to pick up the fourth year on his contract, and his moments of NBA-level production have not made the decision any easier than his frequent stretches of foul trouble, poor decision-making and injury.

A comparison to the heralded Bynum makes sense, even if the latter has already proven he belongs in the NBA and will soon wear a championship ring.

Mahinmi has often taken Bynum's worst qualities to the max. Various lower leg injuries ended Mahinmi's 2008-2009 season before it began.

He struggles to stay out of foul trouble and often exhibits lapses in concentration.

When the Spurs watched brief highlight films of the French forward/center before the 2005 draft, they saw a mobile big man who could dunk with the ferocity of Dwight Howard and Shawn Marion.

They knew he would be a project, but they were hoping for Lowe's "let's build something together," not do-it-yourself Home Depot.

In his breakout season with the Austin Toros, I saw him block a shot with such force that it flew to the other end of the hardwood and grazed the rim. It would have been the first rejection-turned-full court three pointer in basketball history.

As many times as he wows with his athleticism, he commits stupid fouls, takes bad shots or turns it over in ways that would leave even a casual fan perplexed and dumbfounded.

The Spurs' decision is about a lot more than a few million bucks and another year on a contract.

Mahinmi possesses physical gifts that could help the Spurs now. He flashes a package as rare as it is lethal.

Robinson built a Hall of Fame career around his ability to jump higher than many and run faster than most from end to end.

Mahinmi runs the court with determination and enviable agility, but no one would ever confuse him with No. 50 at his worst.

The Spurs' retooled roster boasts quality big-men aplenty. Duncan, Blair, McDyess, Theo Ratliff, Matt Bonner, and situational forward Marcus Haislip could comprise one of the deepest frontcourts in the league.

Still, aside from Duncan, each sports a dangerous flaw.

Bonner has physical limitations that cannot be overcome against elite opponents on either end, but particularly on defense. If only his production could match his effort.

McDyess is undersized at 6'9", and knee setbacks robbed him of his once ferocious athleticism. Not exactly Dikembe Mutombo from the strong or weak side.

Blair has responded to every challenge posed from high school to college to the pros, but there are valid reasons to be skeptical. Can a rookie who looks shorter than his listed 6'7" height defend opponents with two to five inches on him in games that count?

Can he manufacture points against taller defenders the way he did in the summer league and preseason? He may be a draft-night steal, but he's not even Charles Barkley at Auburn when it comes to hops.

Ratliff can still erase shots from the weak side, but how much can Popovich expect a 36-year-old on his last legs to do against high-flyers 10 years younger?

Haislip brings size and a newfound defensive acumen, but his limitations make him attractive only in certain matchups.

That leaves Mahinmi—the big man chased by giant questions.

He can catch alley-oops. He can block attempts from the strong and weak sides. He rarely gives up significant inches to opponents. He's just 22.

Such promise points to the Spurs bringing him back for another year.

However, does it speak well of his prospects in San Antonio that the two most common questions associated with his name are, is he injured yet, and how many fouls has he committed?

If the NBA allowed 15 fouls in a contest, no one would be shocked to see Mahinmi use every one of them before the final buzzer.

Even Bynum could not manage that dubious feat.

As the Spurs ponder his future with the club and Mahinmi wonders what to do next, both sides will point to last year as the culprit in this difficult decision.

Leg ailments caused Mahinmi to miss all of training camp in 2008—when the Spurs knew the first few months without Manu Ginobili would be rougher than sandpaper and more murderous than Michael Meyers with a meat cleaver and an AK47.

Duncan started opening night against the Phoenix Suns with Bonner and rookie Anthony Tolliver as his best available frontcourt sidekicks. Kurt Thomas, nursing a hamstring injury, and Fabricio Oberto, resting after his heart fluttered for the second time that year, watched the loss in street clothes.

The same depleted stable of big men suited up in Portland two evenings later.

Mahinmi could have played then, when the team hungered for healthy bodies, and the coaching staff might have a fair, thorough evaluation now to guide their decision this week.

The front office might know if the 17 points and eight rebound averages in Austin that made him a D-League All-Star two years ago could ever translate to the next level.

Instead, Popovich, his assistants, Buford and his accomplices are left with more questions than a Jeopardy contestant.

Such promise. Such inconsistency.

Mahinmi needs something the Spurs cannot offer. He needs it like a swimming fish needs water.

Time.

Will the Spurs scrounge up a few million more and give Mahinmi another chance or has the clock run out on a defective dream?