duncan228
09-24-2008, 10:50 PM
Food for Thought: Another sneaky signing by Spurs? (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/page2/29726164.html)
Mike Finger - Express-News
Even in an offseason bereft of anything close to a roster-changing splash, this week's news out of Spurs headquarters hardly made a ripple.
This time of year, people want big transactions, the kind they can get excited about. You know, something like:
A.) Signing free agent Jannero Pargo, who nearly provided enough of a lift for the Hornets to slip past the Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals last spring;
Or B.) Reacquiring Beno Udrih, who was dumped by the Spurs last year and caught on in Sacramento, where he blossomed in his fourth pro season;
Or C.) Making a move to emulate the Boston Celtics, who worked their own version of the three-star-plus-a-handful-of-role-players system to the NBA championship.
Instead, the Spurs did all three.
Sort of.
No one is saying that Salim Stoudamire — who the Spurs acquired this week in the kind of under-the-radar, headline-defying move that has become their specialty — will be the key to the Spurs' next title, or that he'll even crack Gregg Popovich's active roster. Normally, signings like this turn out to be as forgettable as they appear when they're made.
But every now and then, they pay off, even if only in just a game or two. And as tight as the top of the Western Conference is these days, a game or two can mean the difference between home-court advantage throughout the playoffs and a first-round exit.
So it's at least a bit interesting to note the similarities between Stoudamire and the players who would've turned more heads and sold a few more tickets had the Spurs been able to land them.
You wish the Spurs would have been able to sign Pargo, who they reportedly offered a $2 million-per-year contract before he signed for $4 million in Russia? Stoudamire, with a similar body and skill set, has been a better shooter and better scorer in his first three NBA seasons than Pargo was in his (see chart).
You still rue the day the Spurs let go of Udrih, who finally showed glimpses of his explosiveness when he escaped Popovich's doghouse? Stoudamire, while being stuck in his own war of wills with Atlanta coach Mike Woodson, put up better numbers and was more consistent with the Hawks than Udrih was in San Antonio.
You think the Spurs could use someone like Eddie House, who provided the Celtics with instant offense off the bench when their stars needed a rest? Stoudamire already has shown more ability to do that in his first three seasons than House did by the same point in his career.
Will it work out that way? Maybe not. And besides, the Spurs' chances of winning another championship will boil down to what it always does — whether Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are healthy and peaking in May and June.
But if, during that time, there's a key moment in which the Big Three are covered and an afterthought of an acquisition is left open on the perimeter?
It might only be one play. But on teams like the Spurs, in a league with such a thin line between celebration and despair, that's what moves like this are all about.
Birds of a feather?
Salim Stoudamire might not be as well-known to Spurs fans as Jannero Pargo, Beno Udrih or even Eddie House, but his numbers compare favorably to those of each of those players through the first three years of their careers. A rundown:
Player — Height — MPG — FG pct. — 3-pt FG pct. — APG — PPG
Stoudamire — 6-1 — 17.0 — .407 — .366 — 1.0 — 8.0
Pargo — 6-1 — 16.2 — .395 — .365 — 2.1 — 6.9
Udrih — 6-3 — 17.5 — .438 — .362 — 2.4 — 7.1
House — 6-1 — 17.1 — .408 — .383 — 1.7 — 7.5
Mike Finger - Express-News
Even in an offseason bereft of anything close to a roster-changing splash, this week's news out of Spurs headquarters hardly made a ripple.
This time of year, people want big transactions, the kind they can get excited about. You know, something like:
A.) Signing free agent Jannero Pargo, who nearly provided enough of a lift for the Hornets to slip past the Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals last spring;
Or B.) Reacquiring Beno Udrih, who was dumped by the Spurs last year and caught on in Sacramento, where he blossomed in his fourth pro season;
Or C.) Making a move to emulate the Boston Celtics, who worked their own version of the three-star-plus-a-handful-of-role-players system to the NBA championship.
Instead, the Spurs did all three.
Sort of.
No one is saying that Salim Stoudamire — who the Spurs acquired this week in the kind of under-the-radar, headline-defying move that has become their specialty — will be the key to the Spurs' next title, or that he'll even crack Gregg Popovich's active roster. Normally, signings like this turn out to be as forgettable as they appear when they're made.
But every now and then, they pay off, even if only in just a game or two. And as tight as the top of the Western Conference is these days, a game or two can mean the difference between home-court advantage throughout the playoffs and a first-round exit.
So it's at least a bit interesting to note the similarities between Stoudamire and the players who would've turned more heads and sold a few more tickets had the Spurs been able to land them.
You wish the Spurs would have been able to sign Pargo, who they reportedly offered a $2 million-per-year contract before he signed for $4 million in Russia? Stoudamire, with a similar body and skill set, has been a better shooter and better scorer in his first three NBA seasons than Pargo was in his (see chart).
You still rue the day the Spurs let go of Udrih, who finally showed glimpses of his explosiveness when he escaped Popovich's doghouse? Stoudamire, while being stuck in his own war of wills with Atlanta coach Mike Woodson, put up better numbers and was more consistent with the Hawks than Udrih was in San Antonio.
You think the Spurs could use someone like Eddie House, who provided the Celtics with instant offense off the bench when their stars needed a rest? Stoudamire already has shown more ability to do that in his first three seasons than House did by the same point in his career.
Will it work out that way? Maybe not. And besides, the Spurs' chances of winning another championship will boil down to what it always does — whether Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are healthy and peaking in May and June.
But if, during that time, there's a key moment in which the Big Three are covered and an afterthought of an acquisition is left open on the perimeter?
It might only be one play. But on teams like the Spurs, in a league with such a thin line between celebration and despair, that's what moves like this are all about.
Birds of a feather?
Salim Stoudamire might not be as well-known to Spurs fans as Jannero Pargo, Beno Udrih or even Eddie House, but his numbers compare favorably to those of each of those players through the first three years of their careers. A rundown:
Player — Height — MPG — FG pct. — 3-pt FG pct. — APG — PPG
Stoudamire — 6-1 — 17.0 — .407 — .366 — 1.0 — 8.0
Pargo — 6-1 — 16.2 — .395 — .365 — 2.1 — 6.9
Udrih — 6-3 — 17.5 — .438 — .362 — 2.4 — 7.1
House — 6-1 — 17.1 — .408 — .383 — 1.7 — 7.5