McDonald: The Upside Of Injury

[duncan228]

Jeff McDonald: The upside of injury (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/archives/2008/10/jeff_mcdonald_t_20.html)

Nobody in Spurs camp is celebrating the nagging injuries to big men Ian Mahinmi and Kurt Thomas. Darryl Watkins and Charles Gaines, however, are fattening their wallets because of them.

For as long as Mahinmi and/or Thomas remain shelved, Watkins and Gaines are all but guaranteed to keep drawing a paycheck from the Spurs.

Gaines is a rookie forward out of Southern Mississippi. Watkins is a second-year center from Syracuse who played in nine games with Sacramento last season.

Neither stands a donut's chance in Shaq's kitchen of actually making the roster. On Sunday, Gregg Popovich kept forgetting Watkins' name, continually calling him "Dawkins." Not a good sign, if you're Dawkins/Watkins.

But the Spurs, with only three healthy bona fide big men in uniform, will need the warm bodies of Watkins and Gaines to get through exhibition season. So they stand little chance of being waived just yet.

Popovich certainly isn't going to wear out Tim Duncan during exhibition season, and he'd like to keep Fabricio Oberto's minutes down as well. Matt Bonner has a nice motor, but he can't play 48 minutes a game.

That is good news for Watkins and Gaines.

It means the Spurs will either go small for large stretches of the remaining preseason games. Or they'll give Gaines and Watkins plenty of minutes.

Either way, that twosome is likely to stick around awhile. Watkins and Gaines might not be celebrating the Spurs' frontcourt injuries, but their accountants probably are.

[xtremesteven33]

wow.....if what he says is true about them not having no chance at being signed, then i would think Pop has a plan to sign or trade up for another proven big man......

Zo or Deke is what im guessing.....

[ElNono]

wow.....if what he says is true about them not having no chance at being signed, then i would think Pop has a plan to sign or trade up for another proven big man......

Zo or Deke is what im guessing.....

Why do you think that at all?

I'm fairly sure we're going to war with TD, Thomas, Oberto, Bonner and Mahinmi...

[T Park]

Whats Watkins have to do to show hes good enough for the team?

Good god.

Catch RC screwing a tranny Watkins and get you some damn leverage.

[Buddy Holly]

Jeff McDonald

The end.

[SenorSpur]

I don't understand it either. I thought Watkins stood a reasonable chance of making the roster because of the very facts that McDonald pointed out. Even when Thomas and Ian return, Watkins can do things those two cannot. To me, he deserves a fair shot at making the team. Unless he does, the Spurs will again be short-handed in the frontcourt this year.

[Doug Collins]

McDonald is worthless. Watkins and Gaines should give him a massive wedgy the next time they see him for writing that.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Jeff McDonald is a pathetic excuse for a sports writer.


Watkins has been one of the few bright spots going into preseason.

[Manufan909]

Idk about Gaines, but I seriously want Watkins given a chance.

[mystargtr34]

Mcdonald probly hasnt had any time log on to spurstalk to see whats really going on with the team.

[tp2021]

^ +1

[Ice009]

LOL if this is true that is unbelievable. Watkins is showing some stuff out there. What the heck is wrong with these guys. Do people have to be slow, old and nonathletic to make the Spurs team or what?

[tp2021]

Don't forget past their prime.

[ElNono]

I understand what most of you say, but if you look back to the last couple of years, what rookies have the Spurs kept on the roster after training camp? I remember Mahinmi and Darius Washington, who were both promptly shipped to the Toros.
There might be room for Hill, maybe even Tolliver and I'm sure Pop will give Mahinmi a shot after developing him, but in general Pop goes to war with veterans. I don't see that changing this year, personally.

[xellos88330]

I thinik the Spurs need a big man who can consistently play above the rim.

[benefactor]

Whats Watkins have to do to show hes good enough for the team?

Good god.

Catch RC screwing a tranny Watkins and get you some damn leverage.
Indeed. As I said in the other thread I am not sure if Pop was paying him a compliment or he actually forgot his name. He is already twice as tough down low as Ian, so I don't understand why we wouldn't at least bring him in on an unguaranteed contract so we could get a couple of weeks of season action out of him to see if he really pans out.

[Ice009]

Indeed. As I said in the other thread I am not sure if Pop was paying him a compliment or he actually forgot his name. He is already twice as tough down low as Ian, so I don't understand why we wouldn't at least bring him in on an unguaranteed contract so we could get a couple of weeks of season action out of him to see if he really pans out.

Exactly. You guys know what you're talking about here. Unless Pop was joking or something? How could you not want a player like Watkins? You can't tell me he wouldn't be useful against Bynum, Ming, Amare, Oden those type of bigs in the West.

[SenorSpur]

Exactly. You guys know what you're talking about here. Unless Pop was joking or something? How could you not want a player like Watkins? You can't tell me he wouldn't be useful against Bynum, Ming, Amare, Oden those type of bigs in the West.

A point I referenced earlier in the thread. Which is precisely why they need him on the roster. Without the presence of another big, who possesses the type of skill Watkins has, the Spurs will again be undermanned at the 5 spot.

The way I see it, the Spurs were planning on having 5 bigs (TD, Fab, KT, Ian and Splitter) on the roster this season anyways. Now that Splitter is not here, they needed to add another big. Therefore, Watkins looks like a pretty decent fallback option.

[xtremesteven33]

A point I referenced earlier in the thread. Which is precisely why they need him on the roster. Without the presence of another big, who possesses the type of skill Watkins has, the Spurs will again be undermanned at the 5 spot.

The way I see it, the Spurs were planning on having 5 bigs (TD, Fab, KT, Ian and Splitter) on the roster this season anyways. Now that Splitter is not here, they needed to add another big. Therefore, Watkins looks like a pretty decent fallback option.


Exactly.

i can almost guarantee that Ian will not make the spurs rotation this year. I honestly expect one of two things will happen. We either sign Mutombo or Mourning (who are both unsigned at this moment)

or

we give a call back to Robert Horry. (which is not the best 2nd option)

[ElNono]

A point I referenced earlier in the thread. Which is precisely why they need him on the roster. Without the presence of another big, who possesses the type of skill Watkins has, the Spurs will again be undermanned at the 5 spot.

The way I see it, the Spurs were planning on having 5 bigs (TD, Fab, KT, Ian and Splitter) on the roster this season anyways. Now that Splitter is not here, they needed to add another big. Therefore, Watkins looks like a pretty decent fallback option.

You keep forgetting Bonner. He has a contract, and we can't send him to the Toros.

[Ice009]

You keep forgetting Bonner. He has a contract, and we can't send him to the Toros.

Please don't take this the wrong way but FUCK BONNER. ;)

[ElNono]

Please don't take this the wrong way but FUCK BONNER. ;)

Thats great and all, but he takes a roster spot, and the Spurs are not about to waive him and still pay him millions. They might want to deal him eventually, but he'll still take a spot until it happens.

[Manufan909]

Hopefully Ian and Watkins get to play together in at least two preseason games, see what they have head-to-head.

[Ice009]

Thats great and all, but he takes a roster spot, and the Spurs are not about to waive him and still pay him millions. They might want to deal him eventually, but he'll still take a spot until it happens.

The Spurs cut Ron Mercer in 2004. If I'm not mistaken he was making 5 Million that season? If they cut him just over halfway through then he would have already been paid at least half his salary so that would mean they ate the 2 + million left.

[ElNono]

The Spurs cut Ron Mercer in 2004. If I'm not mistaken he was making 5 Million that season? If they cut him just over halfway through then he would have already been paid at least half his salary so that would mean they ate the 2 + million left.

I don't expect the Spurs to cut a possible trade bargaining chip for an unproven rookie. Sorry, I don't like Bonner any more than you do, but I think were stuck with him until we deal him.

[Ice009]

yeah I know you're right. I just dislike Bonner that much that I want him off the team.

[Bruno]

The overrating of training camp invite is insane.

Back to the reality :
- Watkins average 3.5 points, 4 rebounds, 4.5 turnovers and 2 blocks per game in 19 minutes.
- Watkins has done nothing significant at a professional level.

Even if he has shown some good things in the first preseason game, I think it's far from being enough to get him a roster spot.

[mountainballer]

Thats great and all, but he takes a roster spot, and the Spurs are not about to waive him and still pay him millions. They might want to deal him eventually, but he'll still take a spot until it happens.

I see it the same way. to cut Bonner to just get an open roster spot for the 5th or 6th man in the big rotation would be nonsense.
the Spurs will work hard for a deadline trade this season and then Bonner's contract will be very important as a filler. they could also include some cash in the package, this would be much more effective than paying even more cash to the waived Bonner.
the fact that Bonner's contract expires 2010 makes it somehow attractive. (if Spurs go for a player like Nocioni).
so, from a business point to cut Bonner for someone who wouldn't help much is just crazy, even if Bonner wouldn't play a single minutes till deadline.
Spurs do have a chance that the next season brings some surprising developments, that make some of the possible trade packages suddenly more attractive for other teams.
like: Mason plays good and shoots well, but Salim surprises all and Finley is better than last year and Ime does as well. with Manu back Mason could suddenly be expendable, a package of him and Bonner could deliver a player we right now don't think is possible. (maybe the mentioned Nocioni)