Get to Know Your New San Antonio Spurs #4: Theo Ratliff

by Tim C. on Aug 1, 2009 12:00 PM CDT

The Spurs went out last week and signed Theo Ratliff. Everyone probably knew that already, but it's time we all get to know a little more about Theo himself.

Get that weaksauce outta here, Benjamin.

Theodophilus(not made up) Ratliff was born in 1973, so this doesn't exactly continue the Spurs' "youth movement", which was a made up idea, outside of the draft and getting Richard Jefferson for 3 older guys. But if there's any position where we can afford a one-year rental of a player at the end of his career, it's at center. Besides, Theo has his ways of staying ahead of father time.

There's not much information on the internets about Theo during his college years. And zero info about his life prior to that. Anyone want to guess what powerhouse basketball school Theo played at? I'll give you a hint: their team name is the Cowboys. If you guessed Oklahoma State, you win... nothing. because you're wrong. Theo couldn't be bothered with those supposed elite conferences - no, our new shameless supplement promoter played at...

The University of Wyoming. Not kidding.

They had cameras in Wyoming in 1994?

So, Theo obviously performed like crazy since he chose such a small school, right? Right? Well, I suppose you could say it was mixed results.

From his nba.com bio:

Ratliff finished 10th in rebounding and 15th in scoring on Wyoming's all-time list and was a member of the 1993 USA Basketball under-22 world championship team.

Are you not impressed? Oh, but there's also this litte nugget:

Was named to the Western Athletic Conference First Team in his final season at Wyoming and was a two-time All-WAC Defensive Team selection ... Ended his career with 425 blocked shots, the second-best total in NCAA history behind Alonzo Mourning's 453 ... Only the fifth player in NCAA history to block 400 or more shots during his career, he holds the third-best blocked shots average per game (3.83) in NCAA history behind David Robinson (5.24) and Shaquille O'Neal (4.58)

Here's the college stats for Theo, courtesy of Basketball-reference.com

Now we're talking. I was whining and crying a a few months back about the Spurs losing their defensive edge. I have to say that the Jefferson move, while a good sign, didn't put me at ease. DeJuan Blair made me feel all fuzzy inside when it came to ending our horrible rebounding deficiency from last season, but he's not exactly an all-world defender. McDyess was definitely a step in the right direction on the defensive end, but I still wasn't convinced the the front office was still comitted to the old defense-first philosophy.

And then there's Ratliff. No, it's not the most attention grabbing signing of the summer - in fact, it's probably the least talked about move the Spurs made this year. Despite that, I believe this signing is going to have the greatest impact on the Spurs getting back that defensive edge, and the "boring" moniker that all the opponents' fans liked to throw at the Spurs. Getting Bowen back would seal the deal for me, but it doesn't look like that's very likely, since other teams are showing interest in him.

Let's look at the stats, in non-PtR fashion. He's had quite a long career, so there's a lot here.

Career				FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
Year	Team	G	Min	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
1995-96	DET	75	17:23	1.7	3.1	55.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.1	1.6	70.8	1.5	2.5	4.0	0.2	0.8	0.2	1.6	1.9	4.6
1996-97	DET	76	17:00	2.4	4.4	53.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.1	1.5	69.8	1.4	1.9	3.4	0.2	0.7	0.4	1.5	2.4	5.8
1997-98	DET	24	24:23	2.4	4.6	51.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.8	2.6	68.3	1.9	3.1	5.0	0.6	1.4	0.5	2.3	3.5	6.5
1997-98	PHI	58	32:06	4.3	8.4	51.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.7	3.8	70.6	3.0	4.3	7.3	0.7	1.4	0.7	3.5	3.6	11.2
1998-99	PHI	50	32:30	3.9	8.4	47.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.3	4.6	72.5	2.8	5.4	8.1	0.6	1.8	0.9	3.0	3.6	11.2
1999-00	PHI	57	31:30	4.3	8.6	50.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.2	4.1	77.1	2.5	5.2	7.6	0.6	1.9	0.6	3.0	3.3	11.9
2000-01	PHI	50	36:00	4.6	9.1	49.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.3	4.3	76.0	2.5	5.8	8.3	1.2	2.5	0.6	3.7	3.3	12.4
2001-02	ATL	3	27:18	3.3	6.7	50.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.0	3.7	54.6	1.7	3.7	5.3	0.3	2.3	0.3	2.7	2.7	8.7
2002-03	ATL	81	31:06	3.4	7.4	46.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.9	2.6	72.0	1.9	5.6	7.5	0.9	1.7	0.7	3.2	3.4	8.7
2003-04	ATL	53	31:06	3.2	7.0	45.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.8	2.8	65.3	2.0	5.2	7.2	1.0	1.6	0.6	3.1	3.6	8.3
2003-04	POR	32	31:48	3.0	5.5	54.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.4	2.2	62.9	2.8	4.5	7.3	0.6	1.1	0.8	4.4	3.5	7.3
2004-05	POR	63	27:30	1.8	4.1	44.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.2	1.7	69.2	1.8	3.5	5.3	0.5	0.9	0.4	2.5	2.9	4.8
2005-06	POR	55	23:41	2.0	3.4	57.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.5	65.1	1.6	3.5	5.1	0.5	0.9	0.3	1.6	2.6	4.9
2006-07	BOS	2	21:48	0.5	1.5	33.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.5	2.0	75.0	1.0	2.5	3.5	0.0	0.5	0.5	1.5	3.0	2.5
2007-08	MIN	10	21:23	2.3	4.5	51.1	0.0	0.1	0.0	1.7	2.5	68.0	1.3	2.6	3.9	0.7	1.2	0.3	1.9	3.0	6.3
2007-08	DET	16	13:54	1.1	2.5	45.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.8	1.1	66.7	1.2	1.9	3.1	0.4	0.6	0.3	1.2	1.8	3.0
2008-09	PHI	46	12:35	0.7	1.4	53.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.8	60.0	1.0	1.8	2.8	0.2	0.3	0.4	1.0	1.7	1.9
Career		751	26:06	2.8	5.7	49.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.8	2.6	70.9	2.0	3.9	5.9	0.6	1.3	0.5	2.5	2.9	7.5

So what does Theo bring to the table for the Spurs?

Scoring? Not so much.
Rebounding? Not really, but we have Blair and Dice for that anyway.
Shot Blocking? Yes, but in limited minutes.
A tough presence on the defensive end? You're getting warmer.
A veteran to teach our young bigs some things about the art of defense? Bingo.

Yes, I realize that he was still one of the premier shot blockers(per 48 minutes) in the league last year, but he only played 12 minutes per game... for Philadelphia, whose star big man(Brand) was hurt most of the year. The Spurs don't exactly have a shortage of frontcourt personnel right now. What they do have is 3 younger bigs with little or no NBA experience(Blair, Haislip, Mahinmi). Shot-blocking and team defense have always been Ratliff's strengths, and he plays like a true center, something the Spurs were short on prior to his arrival. Obviously, there are concerns about how well Theo and some of the other new additions to the team will assimilate, as Tim Varner notes over on 48MoH, but I can't help seeing the Ratliff signing as anything but smart.

Ian Mahinmi has been accused of being soft from time to time, and there are legitimate doubts about Marcus Haislip's toughness as well. OK, So I'll be the first to admit, I was probably wrong about Ian being shipped out of town. In fact, after further thought on the matter, I don't think there will be any more trades anytime soon, but the Spurs may or may not try to make room for Bowen to come back. Anyway, back to the point about some of the younger guys. Want to know who's never been accused of being soft? Theo Ratliff. Maybe he can teach them a little toughness. Not that he would have any problem with playing, but a player like this can be an excellent motivator, in addition to setting the tone on the defensive end in spot duty.

Also, if you have any questions about his team/help defense, check out exhibits A and B below.

Anyway, these videos all showed off what is considered Theo's primary skill: shot blocking. However, he's not exactly limited to that. He's also a very tough man-to-man defender, even when you aren't considering the blocks. He may have lost a step, but he will still hold his own in short minutes as needed. Still, his greatest contribution to the Spurs may be during summer camp and practice, as a mentor to Ian and Blair. His timing is incredible, and he knows how to be aggressive without fouling(a skill Ian could definitely stand to learn more about) and stay in front of his man(Blair could learn more about that). Simply put, he's a smart player on the defensive end. And that's why I see him as sort of a player-coach for the Spurs frontcourt this year. The Spurs now have 3 longtime vets in the frontcourt, with a diverse skill set. This hopefully will accelerate the learning curve for the younger guys, and help them to "get it". If that is in fact how it goes down, Ratliff will prove to have been a steal.

Previous articles in this series:

Richard Jefferson
Marcus Williams
Antonio McDyess

Next up: Whoever we feel like profiling.

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Comments

Yes! I’m excited about the Oldgevity era beginning in San Antonio. I love the tenacity that he plays with and the fact that he, McDyess and Timmeh can be a trio of mentors to our young big men.

I'm comfortable winning -- Emmanuel Ginobili

by pollackj on Aug 1, 2009 1:11 PM CDT reply actions

Haha

Well I feel old, thanks a lot! I remember him from his days at Wyoming, I followed the WAC because UTEP (the school I went to years later) was in the WAC in those days. As a matter of fact, that picture shows Theo against the Miners. Weeiiirrrdd!

Miners 94/95 Schedule

I for one am very happy with this signing, it’s the one shot blocker we haven’t had that can help erase some of those mistakes and help Timmy defensively, as I said in my 5 in ’10 thread. =p

by xman130 on Aug 1, 2009 1:18 PM CDT reply actions

…and he is hungry for a chip before he retires which is always nice in veteran pick-ups.

by BlaseE on Aug 1, 2009 2:26 PM CDT reply actions

I think we should trade for a young Big man with a fundamentally sound offensive game, who can also block shots, rebound and play tough man to man defense…

I think we have all of these things , but they are all spread out amongst different players. ( Blair/rebounding) (Theo/shotblocking) ( Mcdyess/offensively sound) ( Mahinmi/youth)

I think we should use our chips to trade for that one big man that wont bring any doubts about his experience, health, ability etc….And perhaps trade the rights to Tiaggo Splitter.

Lets face it, Duncans health isnt guaranteed in 2011( or this year) Neither is Manu ginobilis return guaranteed after this season.

We needed Tiaggo THIS year, not next, so why not use the chips AND the rights to Tiaggo to bring in a big man approximating Splitters skillset.

While we are damn competitive as it is, this is just a thought….

by alamobro on Aug 1, 2009 2:50 PM CDT reply actions

who do you have in mind? because there’s not many fundamentally sound young big men in this league. The only ones I can think of is Aldridge and Jefferson and dont think their teams are going to give them up. Also K.Perkins, he has a very underrated offensive game and is a great defensive center.

by spursfan87 on Aug 1, 2009 3:40 PM CDT up reply actions

Yep, except Aldridge and Jefferson don’t play tough defense.

Hmmm, now I can’t think of anybody.

We specialize in misinformation around here. Facts and stats just get in the way.

by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Aug 1, 2009 5:50 PM CDT up reply actions

Marc Gasol.

"He's Manu Ginobili"

by the little o on Aug 1, 2009 5:58 PM CDT up reply actions

spursfan.

Great question. Admittedly, i cannot immediatley think of a feasible trade to land such a guy However , id have a hard time believing we could not get a center whos at least considerably better than Ian or Theo…

Just last year we came this close to getting Marcus Camby ( granted hes not young) But the clippers wanted too much from us….

by alamobro on Aug 1, 2009 9:13 PM CDT up reply actions

While we’re at it, why don’t we trade for one of those at every position. That makes the most sense to me. In fact, let’s just get young, fundamentally sound players who are good at offense and defense to back up each position as well. That way, if there is an injury, we’ll be ok.

I'm comfortable winning -- Emmanuel Ginobili

by pollackj on Aug 1, 2009 5:20 PM CDT up reply actions

(The sarcasm is noted but regardless…) I like your idea,however its not economically feasible.

While i think its very feasible to use the expiring contracts and perhaps the rights to Tiaggo to land a center or Big forward whos at the very least a bit better than Ian or Theo.

I didnt have in mind getting a a young , fundamentally sound player who is good at offense and defense to come off the bench. I had one in mind to start.

by alamobro on Aug 1, 2009 9:09 PM CDT up reply actions

This was kind of implied in the artice, but… Ian has the potential to be that guy. I’m not saying he’ll be there by the end of this season, but the potential is there, and he’s already serviceable at doing all of those things from his time in France and Austin. And Tiago already does all of that for Caja, so in 2010/11, we potentially have two of those. Honestly, if learning from Duncan/Dyess/Ratliff in practice pays off enough, Ian is going to be a terror pretty soon.

Re-sign Bruce Bowen!

by Tim C. on Aug 1, 2009 5:26 PM CDT up reply actions

I hear you Rik. I guess ive longed for the Days of the twin towers since the day David Robinson retired….

I know weve won titles with the likes of Fabricio Oberto and Nazr Mohammed manning the Center position….but the league has gotten more competitive than those days.

Id wet myself if ian could herald the second coming of the twin towers, even if its just till Tiaggo arrives…

by alamobro on Aug 1, 2009 8:57 PM CDT up reply actions

Great post rikiddo. Every article in this series has always gotten me more pumped about having the new player than I expected. Certainly this is a result of your great writing skills.

"He's Manu Ginobili"

by the little o on Aug 1, 2009 5:16 PM CDT reply actions

I just noticed two cool stats for Theo over on 82games.com in their clutch stats section for last season.

Ratliff may have played way less minutes total than a lot of other bigs but he still finished with 52 clutch minutes. That is a fair amount of time. In those 52 minutes, he didn’t do anything offensively, but we don’t need him to do anything offensively. Defensively, he got 5.5 blocks and 3.7 steals per 48 minutes. That gets him 3rd ranking in blocks and the 6th ranking in steals. Just more evidence of his good defense. He also ties 10 other players (including Bowen and Kurt Thomas) to never have a single turnover in clutch minutes.

by BlaseE on Aug 1, 2009 9:40 PM CDT reply actions

Ok. NOW I’m stoked to have him. Well, your stats as well as the clip with his 2 blocks on Yao, while playing him 1-on-1.

5 in 10
I want my Manu o;—-)

by J.R. Wilco on Aug 2, 2009 12:38 AM CDT up reply actions

I always trust our FO to be getting useful pieces. It’s up to us to decipher what they see in them and what role they plan on using them for. I guess that is the fun part about these posts.

by BlaseE on Aug 2, 2009 12:57 AM CDT up reply actions

Yup. The FO isn’t 100% (see Gooden, Drew and Van Excel, Nick) but on average, they’re as successful, if not more so, than any other FO in the league.

5 in 10
I want my Manu o;—-)

by J.R. Wilco on Aug 2, 2009 2:12 PM CDT up reply actions

IMHO, bowen and theo dont exactly figure to be main parts of offensive sets. they just dont get the ball too much to turn it over in clutch situations.

by theonlyromeo on Aug 2, 2009 8:44 PM CDT up reply actions

Ended his career with 425 blocked shots, the second-best total in NCAA history behind Alonzo Mourning’s 453

So basically we got… Alonzo Mourning’s sloppy seconds?

Straight from the No-Stat Zone to your computer!
Dunkin' Cheerleaders

by LatinD on Aug 1, 2009 11:42 PM CDT reply actions

Great post, rik, by the way. I now feel completely underwhelmed by Theo’s signing.

Straight from the No-Stat Zone to your computer!
Dunkin' Cheerleaders

by LatinD on Aug 1, 2009 11:47 PM CDT up reply actions

But who else was out there? People have mentioned trading for Camby, but he’s expensive and not a great one-on-one defender. Rat is a cheap option that fits our need for a good defender in the post. And he could be a good influence on/teacher of the young’uns. And unlike alambro, I’m not ready to deal Tiago’s rights yet. Not like I have any say in the matter.

My people call it "sarcasm." - Lauri

by CapHill on Aug 2, 2009 11:06 AM CDT up reply actions

I’d much rather have a decent/good 1-on-1 defender avail for spot duty (Ratliff) than an overpriced weak-side block freelancer (Camby) no matter what the reputation.

The Rat gets the JTU in that matchup.

5 in 10
I want my Manu o;—-)

by J.R. Wilco on Aug 2, 2009 2:16 PM CDT up reply actions

I better defend myself before my choice of words comes into question here….

I said that we should trade our expiring contracts along with the rights to Tiaggo…. for the right big man, (though i did fail to mention a possible player)Im fully aware that such a player may not be able to be aquired by San Antonio…

I didnt say we should trade these pieces for Camby or any other nondescript center…

I just believe that if we are deficient in one are, its the Center position….

Heres to hoping Ian and Ratliff are up to the task

by alamobro on Aug 2, 2009 4:20 PM CDT up reply actions

I know you weren’t suggesting we trade Tiago’s rights for Camby, but you were suggesting that we trade him for a studly young center. I just don’t think that’s possible, as there’s no good young center that his team would be willing to trade. That’s why I would rather have one (cheap) year of an old guy who can still play some defense and bridge the gap. More of a sum of all the parts approach. You think Orlando wants to get rid of Howard? ; )

My people call it "sarcasm." - Lauri

by CapHill on Aug 2, 2009 9:45 PM CDT up reply actions

Or Robinson and Shaq’s sloppy thirds…..

That is freakish if Robinson is the only player to finish his NCAA career with over 5 blocks per game, and only one other player even broke the 4 block per game mark. I didn’t know that about them.

by BlaseE on Aug 2, 2009 12:15 AM CDT up reply actions

Blase …Holy crap. I just looked up DAvids college stats. In the 85/86 season, David averaged…5.9 Blocks PER GAME =00 …..Here are his complete retarded, sickening, psycho, bananas college stats….

MIN FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG TPG BPG SPG PPG
83-84 Navy 13.3 62.3 57.5 4.0 0.2 1.1 1.3 0.2 7.6
84-85 Navy 33.6 64.4 62.6 11.6 0.6 2.3 4.0 0.8 23.6
85-86 Navy 33.9 60.7 62.8 13.0 0.7 2.5 5.9 1.7 22.7
86-87 Navy 34.6 59.1 100.0 63.7 11.8 1.0 2.2 4.5 2.1 28.2

Davids best Shoblocking season in the NBA wasnt too shabby neither…..How about the Admirals third NBA season, where he averaged 4.5 blocks PER GAME against the greatest athletes in the world? WHILE averaging 23 ppg on 55% shooting, 12.2 reb per game,2.7 dimes, and 2.3 thefts per contest?

If it wasnt for that back injury, he may have ended up with the second or third gawdiest stat total in league history.( I guess then we would not have gotten Tim Duncan though)

YEAR TEAM G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
89-90 SAS 82 81 36.6 .531 .000 .732 3.70 8.30 12.00 2.0 1.68 3.89 3.13 3.20 24.3
90-91 SAS 82 81 37.7 .552 .143 .762 4.10 8.90 13.00 2.5 1.55 3.90 3.29 3.20 25.6
91-92 SAS 68 68 37.7 .551 .125 .701 3.80 8.40 12.20 2.7 2.32 4.49 2.68 3.20 23.2

by alamobro on Aug 2, 2009 11:00 AM CDT reply actions

Yeah, David was a monster. I still wonder if the Spurs could have won some championships in his early years if he had better help. He was already on the way down when Duncan arrived, and only a shadow of himself when 2000 came around. Oh well, at least he got to win a couple before he retired… most players can’t say that.

Re-sign Bruce Bowen!

by Tim C. on Aug 2, 2009 12:05 PM CDT up reply actions

I apologize for not being able to properly align Davids College stats….

by alamobro on Aug 2, 2009 11:06 AM CDT reply actions

I’m right there with you. I need to take LatinD’s advanced course in PtR beautification. I forget the course number, but I hear you can audit it if you don’t care about receiving credit.

5 in 10
I want my Manu o;—-)

by J.R. Wilco on Aug 2, 2009 2:18 PM CDT up reply actions

our new shameless supplement promoter

shame on you.

please guys, let’s stop alluding to that. it’s…embarrassing…

i really think we need a cover-up story for that website.
say, he had a bet with mourning that whoever had the less number of blocks that go flying to the fifth row or farther will have to promote and lend his name to the stupidest ad that the other can find.

by theonlyromeo on Aug 2, 2009 8:49 PM CDT reply actions