Now what?

[Marcus Bryant]

Starters
1 Parker
2 Ginobili
3 Jefferson
4 Duncan
5 McDyess

Bench
1 Hill
2 Mason
2/3 Bowen
3/4 Gist
4 Bonner
4/5 Mahinmi
5 Nesterovic

An active roster like that would give you plenty of scoring, improved athleticism, and a very solid rebounding frontcourt. If Gist and Mahinmi are good enough to give you regular season minutes then you should be able to rest some of your playoff rotation during the course of the regular season. You'd have plenty of guys who can stretch the floor from beyond the arc. A question would be if they can get by with only two points on the active roster (I would guess they'd carry a 3rd point on IR - but they might opt to carry two of Hairston, Williams, and Sanikidze for assignment in Austin). Mahinmi as the 4th big would give him some time to develop as well as an opportunity for minutes without being expected to do too much. I think you peg Mason as a 2 and let him focus solely on that position (though the 2 and 3 are quite interchangeable in the Spurs' system). I like Bonner as the 5th big. The question for him will be if he can produce like he did last regular season with less regular minutes.

But the main difference here would be in rebounding and scoring. McDyess would fit very well next to TD. I think Radoslav would be alright in this scenario, as his focus would be defense above all else.

This roster would be a good mix of young and old, scoring, shooting, and rebounding. I think this could also move the Spurs back into the upper echelon of defensive units in the NBA.

The question, of course, is will the Spurs be willing to spend the MLE and LLE now, especially since that will also subject them to the luxury tax (and do away with the lux tax distributions)? I think they will. They don't make a trade like this unless they were willing to spend to address the gaping holes in the bigman rotation (not that they didn't have any there last season - only now they are forced to do so).

Duncan will likely retire after the 2011-12 season (I could be wrong, but it seems that he will). It's now or never. Win now and worry later, someone once said...

[Ditty]

throw hairiston for nestrovic

[jag]

throw hairiston for nestrovic

Are you retarded?

[bigdog]

throw hairiston for nestrovic

That would make no sense.

[Ditty]

lol nesterovic wow

[MaNu4Tres]

There's so many ways the Spurs could go. My guess is they will shop the package of Mason and Bonner for a big man and still use the MLE for a big man and a cheap wing like McCants if a trade with Mason and Bonner does go down and Finley declines his option.

[bigdog]

lol nesterovic wow

You have anyone better in mind that would adapt to the Spurs system faster than Rasho? If you think he was a bad player with the Spurs, something's wrong. He wasn't a completely bad player, he was just overpaid for the production he was giving us.

[Marcus Bryant]

I guess they will try to persuade Finley not to use his option, though I'm not sure he could find a better deal elsewhere. Even if he picks it up, that's one more expiring deal to use in a potential trade.

[Ditty]

You have anyone better in mind that would adapt to the Spurs system faster than Rasho? If you think he was a bad player with the Spurs, something's wrong. He wasn't a completely bad player, he was just overpaid for the production he was giving us.

get rid of bonner first we can't have two soft bigman

i say bring gooden get rid of bonner someway somehow

[Marcus Bryant]

lol nesterovic wow

Nesterovic starting at $8 mil a season, sure. At $2 mil a season coming off the bench, I can live with that and I hate him more than you.

[timvp]

Starters
1 Parker
2 Ginobili
3 Jefferson
4 Duncan
5 McDyess

Bench
1 Hill
2 Mason
2/3 Bowen
3/4 Gist
4 Bonner
4/5 Mahinmi
5 Nesterovic I'd love that roster. Good group of veterans but still enough youth on it to make sure things get stagnant. McDyess had a fantastic season last year and Rasho has actually improved in a lot of ways since leaving the Spurs. As a low-salaried bench player, he'd be a valuable role player.

Keeping Mahinmi and Gist high enough in the pecking order to get a fair opportunity also makes sense. And for as much as Bonner is hated these days, as a deep reserve he's quality.


The question, of course, is will the Spurs be willing to spend the MLE and LLE now, especially since that will also subject them to the luxury tax (and do away with the lux tax distributions)? I think they will. I would have disagreed but RC in that video talks as if he's been given the green light to load this team up as much as possible.


Duncan will likely retire after the 2011-12 season (I could be wrong, but it seems that he will). It's now or never. Win now and worry later, someone once said...:lol I'm surprised he hasn't popped in. This is his kind of deal.

But yeah, the Tim Duncan window is closing. It'd be great if the FO and ownership decided to cash all their checks, let it all hang out and just go basketballs to the wall until now and the end.

[Gino2882]

Sheed has to be a legitimate option as the starting Center, does he not?

[loveforthegame]

The way RC kept talking about opportunities on draft day makes me think they have a potential deal lined up. Whether that's using a package of Mason/Bonner or just buying a pick I don't know but just the way he talked makes me think something is in the works.

If they do have to use Mason/Bonner in a draft deal and Finley hasn't excercised his option yet then I think Finley is here to stay.

[lefty]

Are we getting Splitter or what ? :lol

[Marcus Bryant]

Sheed has to be a legitimate option as the starting Center, does he not?

Well, sure. The list of starting quality free agent bigs in the Spurs' price range (excluding a trade) is kinda short. The thing is, everyone is enamored with Wallace's 3 point range and they ignore the fact that shows up in his overall FG% and in his rebounding. Overall, I think McDyess is a much better fit opposite TD and his jumper is still solid enough to force teams to respect him and give TD the space to operate.

[bigdog]

If something doesn't happen on draft day, I'm going to be hugely disappointed. For once, RC talked like there was going to be some moves, and it seemed like he actually meant it.

RC, please don't get me excited for nothing.

[EricB]

If Finley is your 5th string wing, you'd have worse things.

[EricB]

If something doesn't happen on draft day, I'm going to be hugely disappointed. For once, RC talked like there was going to be some moves, and it seemed like he actually meant it.

RC, please don't get me excited for nothing.


Be ready, they always attempt to trade up and something always fails.

IIRC in 2004 they were close to trading up and were gonna snag a point guard named Jameer Nelson.

[MaNu4Tres]

I wonder if we may buy one of the Twolves 18th or 28th picks of the draft.

[timvp]

Be ready, they always attempt to trade up and something always fails.

:tu

There's still no reason to get your hope too high about draft day. If anything good happens, that's just gravy. The next true turning point will be on July 1 when we see who the Spurs are going to target.

[Spur|n|Austin]

I wonder if we may buy one of the Twolves 18th or 28th picks of the draft.

I think the wolves are pretty excited to be using all of those up..

[jag]

Does Finley still have a no-trade clause?

[bigdog]

:tu

There's still no reason to get your hope too high about draft day. If anything good happens, that's just gravy. The next true turning point will be on July 1 when we see who the Spurs are going to target.

True. I know that it's likely they will have the opportunities, but they just don't happen, but like I've said, for some reason it just seems like they have something planned, like something IS going to happen. Maybe it's just me, but that's the feeling I got from the RC video.

I am excited for July 1st, though. :toast

[mystargtr34]

I think you will find alot of people split on Mcdyess and Sheed. My preference would be the latter, mainly because of his size and length, as well as the added range he has. Dyess is a solid post defender, but his lack of size can be exploited by bigger players.

Still, i would be very happy with either one, and i think thats the best way to go. Rasho with the LLE would be very nice.

Then, if you pull those two off, you take the most talented player left on the board. I wouldnt mind seeing the Spurs grab a wing, like Danny Green. The team doesnt really have that young long SF type stopper to develop. The project big man (Mahinmi) and Guards are there (Hill and Williams/Hairston). Plus Splitter. So, i think they take a wing if they do grab Rasho and one of Sheed/Dyess.

[ss1986v2]

Starters
1 Parker
2 Ginobili
3 Jefferson
4 Duncan
5 McDyess

Bench
1 Hill
2 Mason
2/3 Bowen
3/4 Gist
4 Bonner
4/5 Mahinmi
5 Nesterovic
god damn. thats pretty much the exact roster ive been hoping for all day.

[barbacoataco]

The Spurs need a defensive stopper heavyweight big man to replace Thomas in defending the Shaq's and Yao's of the world. I would rather have Bowen than Finley.

[baseline bum]

Nesterovic would be great to have back for matchups with big centers. I'd love to have him back for a reasonable price.

[EricB]

Nesterovic would be great to have back for matchups with big centers. I'd love to have him back for a reasonable price.

Rasho for the Yao Ming, Shaq, and Bogut and others games would be great.

Get a guy like McDeyss for Gasol and others, and then matchup on the way out.

If Rasho was willing to go with the LLE, then he would be a good bench guy to have.

[rayray2k8]

:tu

There's still no reason to get your hope too high about draft day. If anything good happens, that's just gravy. The next true turning point will be on July 1 when we see who the Spurs are going to target.

I'm not expecting anything from the spurs. I'm more interested in what the other teams will do because of what the spurs did..
I get the feeling that there's gonna be a lot of shuffling going on that night.
Whether the spurs are involved really doesn't matter, but what would my draft night is Bonner being in a trade.. Thats it. :lol
Someone must want this 6'10 piece of shit. :lmao

[EricB]

Someone must want this 6'10 piece of shit


Good god people chill out.

The guy had a bad playoffs and isn't a starting center.

Doesn't make him a piece of shit.

Christ get a hold of yourselves.

[Mark in Austin]

:tu

There's still no reason to get your hope too high about draft day. If anything good happens, that's just gravy. The next true turning point will be on July 1 when we see who the Spurs are going to target.


I have to wonder if part of this is the old CIA smokescreen - I'd love it if they were just messing with Kevin Pritchard's head a little. If word gets out that SA is looking to move into the 1st round you know that little prick will move heaven and earth to try and move up ahead of the Spurs...

[barbacoataco]

I think having someone to backup Duncan and give him rest should be a top priority. The Spurs need Duncan healthy to have any chance in the playoffs. The best way to find rest for him is having someone with a similar skill set to come off the bench, a "Duncan lite." That player could be Gooden. He can find his shot and provide some scoring with the 2nd unit. The other piece would be the C, who needs to be more of a defensive specialist who can guard the true C's like Yao. That player could be Rasho. Then your final 2:00 lineup is Duncan, Gooden, Jefferson, Ginobili and Parker. If Mahinmi develops that is gravy, and maybe Splitter comes over which would be even better.

I am not in favor of going after Sheed. He is washed up and not the same player he was. I think Gooden is the best available option and he has a little experience with the Spurs system. Gooden and Rasho. Hope Mahinmi and/or Gist can contribute.

[SenorSpur]

Now what? Anticipate opening up these Xmas day gifts the FO is going to bestow upon us.

[nz_spur]

Nesterovic for cheap is an awesome idea and I'd like to see Bonner on for spot minutes!

[rascal]

Rasho is soft. Don't revisit past failures. He was not even playing much in his last year with the spurs in the playoffs.

[afireinside20]

I think the Spurs should get Pachulia, he seems pretty good. Not very skilled offensively, but I'm sure he'll get some points down in the paint playing alongside T-Dunc. The Spurs will benefit most from his hustle,defense and rebounding. Plus he pretty much made me a believer in him that series he had with the Celtics a few years prior.

[spurspokesman]

Rasho is soft. Don't revisit past failures. He was not even playing much in his last year with the spurs in the playoffs.

Go after gortat.

[Spurs Brazil]

Starters
1 Parker
2 Ginobili
3 Jefferson
4 Duncan
5 McDyess

Bench
1 Hill
2 Mason
2/3 Bowen
3/4 Gist
4 Bonner
4/5 Mahinmi
5 Nesterovic

This lineup would be perfect. I hope the Spurs can put this team together

[Das Texan]

Pop needs to call up Finley and tell him that if he exercises his option, he is going to send him to some shithole he would never imagine going to or want to goto for that matter.

[Chieflion]

Pop needs to call up Finley and tell him that if he exercises his option, he is going to send him to some shithole he would never imagine going to or want to goto for that matter.
Pop wouldn't. He has a man crush for Finley, although Richard Jefferson is now on the scene. Now with RJ around, starting your best players may not be a good thing, not many shots to go around.

PG: Parker
SG: Mason
SF: Bowen (if he returns)
PF: Duncan
C: Mahinmi (see who we get in the draft or FA, should be a decent suprise)

6th and 7th man: Manu Ginobili (SG) and Richard Jefferson (SF)? (Off the bench comes a poor man's version of Jordan and Pippen, be very afraid)

PG: George Hill
PF/C : Matt Bonner
SG/SF: Michael Finley (sit on the bench and ride the coatails, and chat with Pop to ease his boredom)

[nkdlunch]

I like it. I think it's a must to keep Hill + Mason. We would be loaded on backcourt, probably best and deepest backcourt int he NBA.

We still need a couple of big pieces in the front.

[whottt]

I don't like that big rotation, it's too old.

[MaNu4Tres]

What makes you think McDyess would leave Detroit? He is not moving his family, he said that when he was traded to Denver. Spurs even called him and offered him a deal and McDyess said no.

[RobinsontoDuncan]

Is there a scenario where the Heat would accept finley and bonner and maybe draft picks or something to that effect for Haslam?

[Amuseddaysleeper]

What makes you think McDyess would leave Detroit? He is not moving his family, he said that when he was traded to Denver. Spurs even called him and offered him a deal and McDyess said no.

The fact that Detroit has really fallen by the wayside. Maybe McDyess will consider one final season outside of Detroit to get a championship. Who knows.


I would love for the Spurs to land Gortat, but that's going to be difficult.

[nkdlunch]

What makes you think McDyess would leave Detroit? He is not moving his family, he said that when he was traded to Denver. Spurs even called him and offered him a deal and McDyess said no.

if he really wants a ring, which he already proved, he could.

[Spursmania]

The RJ trade just proved the Spurs know there window for vying as legitimate contenders is closing, and they are ready to deal. I can't wait until the draft and July 1st. I'm also really surprised that Holt made this trade for RJ. This is going to be a much more exciting summer than I thought.

I would love to get McDyess and/or Sheed. But I think McDyess would be a better and younger fit than Sheed.

[rascal]

I wonder if we may buy one of the Twolves 18th or 28th picks of the draft.

The T Pups are more likely to trade one of these late first round picks after acquiring the 5'th pick today. The spurs should be on the phone right now tring to get one of these picks.

[PDXSpursFan]

We just need to sign Rasho for the right price and call the summer done

[rascal]

The spurs need an enforcer on the frontline, a banger, mix it up, do the dirty work, active body, in your face type of tough guy and thats not Rasho. Also an athletic shot blocker. Guys who play with passion and intensity, thats not Rasho.

Its not going to be easy getting them but these are the type of players the spurs need on the frontline not soft players like Rasho.

[Yuixafun]

I'm not expecting anything from the spurs. I'm more interested in what the other teams will do because of what the spurs did..
I get the feeling that there's gonna be a lot of shuffling going on that night.
Whether the spurs are involved really doesn't matter, but what would my draft night is Bonner being in a trade.. Thats it. :lol
Someone must want this 6'10 piece of shit. :lmao

-nodding my head-

Even, that little tidbit, of Oberto getting traded to Detriot, giving them a little more money to work with might have an affect.

Don't remember a summer where the Spurs were the ones coming out swinging.

[Obstructed_View]

Rasho is soft. Don't revisit past failures. He was not even playing much in his last year with the spurs in the playoffs.

If that's the case, then the Spurs shouldn't sign a center at all. Pop decided to go small 100 percent of the time, which is why the center rotation for a 63 win team sat on the bench while the Spurs were eliminated.

[EricB]

The spurs need an enforcer on the frontline, a banger, mix it up, do the dirty work, active body, in your face type of tough guy and thats not Rasho. Also an athletic shot blocker. Guys who play with passion and intensity, thats not Rasho.

Its not going to be easy getting them but these are the type of players the spurs need on the frontline not soft players like Rasho.


In other words I have zero fucking clue about who's available and would have no idea who would fit, BUT not rasho :lol

[Mugen]

my dream scenario for the remaining offseason would be for the clipps to trade camby for bonner, fin, and our 37 pick (Patrick mills?), then either splitter or gist comes over (pref. splitter), resign oberto, resign bowen, and have malik or williams fill in the last spot

Parker/Hill
Mason/Manu
Jefferson/Bowen/Malik or Marcus
TD/Ian/
Camby/Splitter or Gist/Oberto

[GSH]

The biggest issue with both Rasheed and McD is that they have both become primarily jump shooters. Neither one are much of a threat around the basket. Rasheed has always been in love with the 3-pointer, but McDyess used to be a decent scoring threat in the paint. Last season McDyess shot 75% jump shots, and Rasheed shot 89% jump shots. I think it's a sign that they both are slowing down, and don't have the athleticism they once had. If the Spurs are looking for more of a paint presence, neither one of those guys are dream pickups.

McDyess, at least, is a good rebounder. In fact, he's one of the best offensive rebounders in the league - even this late in his career. He didn't convert many of those offensive boards into put-back baskets, but at least they are extra possessions. Rasheed doesn't pick up a lot of boards (for his size) on either end, but he barely picks up any off the offensive glass.

McDyess used to get to the line a lot more often than Rasheed, but that really slowed down the last couple of years. That's obviously related to his shot selection, but is still another indicator that he has slowed down substantially.

Neither are a lock to stay healthy for 82 games. I'm thinking that Dyess would be almost a clone of Kurt Thomas' last season with the Spurs. Who the hell knows what you get with Rasheed? The Spurs have veteran leadership coming out their ears, so that's not a big selling point either. Bottom line, McDyess will be cheaper - and Rasheed will probably cost more than the Spurs can/will spend.

Note: Drew Gooden gets closer to 50% of his baskets from up close. He gets to the line FAR more than either McD or Rasheed, and he shoots a much higher FT% than either of them. Only 55% of his shots are assisted vs. 75% for Rasheed, and 87% for McDyess. He's not as good of a rebounder as Dyess, but he's better than Wallace. And even though he's been called a "black hole", he makes assists and turnovers at about the same rate as the other two. But he's one hell of a lot more of a scoring threat than either of them, especially at this point in their careers. Pay the man some money, and teach him to play defense.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

The biggest issue with both Rasheed and McD is that they have both become primarily jump shooters. Neither one are much of a threat around the basket. Rasheed has always been in love with the 3-pointer, but McDyess used to be a decent scoring threat in the paint.

If only we had someone, like a power forward maybe, that was worth a damn, to play in the post...

[anjlbitz]

There's only one ball.

We don't need the "new" big to be an offensive juggernaut. What he needs to be is a defense-first big who isn't a complete spaz on offense (can hit a jumper occasionally just to keep the defense honest), can rebound, set good screens.

Basically Antonio McDyess.

[toki9]

Starters:
1 Parker
2 Mason
3 Jefferson
4 Duncan
5 Mahinmi

Bench
1 Hill/?
2 Ginobili
3 Finley/Bowen/Hairston
4 Thomas/Gist
5 Oberto/Bonner

I just think it'd be funny if all 3 traded guys were to come back...

[benefactor]

Put Gortat in place of McDyess and that roster in the OP is perfect.

[GSH]

There's only one ball.

We don't need the "new" big to be an offensive juggernaut. What he needs to be is a defense-first big who isn't a complete spaz on offense (can hit a jumper occasionally just to keep the defense honest), can rebound, set good screens.

Basically Antonio McDyess.


Just my opinion - but that is also a description of Fab and KT. We can't have someone who is such a non-entity that it allows the other teams to completely collapse on Duncan. There needs to be some respect for the other big on the floor - enough so that he draws some fouls. Last season, Duncan totally got the crap beat out of him, and it was never more obvious than in the playoffs. If the Spurs want to get the most out of Duncan's remaining seasons, they need someone to take at least a little heat off him.

[Nathan Explosion]

What if, by some crazy, crazy deal, the target was Amare? How shocking would that be given how unlikely (understatement) it is?

Edit: Even if they didn't get the deal done, just hearing that statement would be shocking to me.

[Brazil]

For me the spurs priority now should be signing Gooden, the best available option IMO.

[Nathan Explosion]

Everyone keeps talking about needing a defensive minded big man to alter shots and rebound. What about getting a big man that can score from mid-range or back to the basket and having Tim slide over into a DRob role circa 1999?

We have a defensive minded big man already. Wouldn't getting a scorer who's a good, not great, defender also serve the needs of the Spurs?

[PM5K]

I always liked Rasho, probably the best shot blocker we've had since Robinson (Duncan not included).

[bigdog]

I'm starting to think the Spurs are considering re-signing Gooden. Now that the Spurs have RJ, Gooden might want to come back more than he did.

Remember when Gooden kept talking about finally finding a "home"? This could be his chance to find his home. He just might need to take a little paycut. If Gooden was serious at all about finding a home and winning, he will take the paycut to be Duncan's backup.

Now, if they don't go after Gooden, then I could see them targeting McDyess and Wallace, maybe even a Pachulia or Gortat, and that's for using the MLE.

If they want to use the LLE, I think someone like Rasho would be a top target.

[coyotes_geek]

Duncan's strength defensively has always been his ability to free lance around the basket. The last couple of years the Spurs have had to use Duncan as the primary 1 on 1 defender against the other team's best big and that's really cut down on his overall effectiveness. Yeah he does a good job on his guy, but he doesn't get to guard the rim like he could previously. Getting a defensive minded big man in here makes Tim Duncan better on both sides of the court.

[Nathan Explosion]

The timing seems right for a scenario I posted. It would be about 10 years after Dave did it for Tim. A more defensive minded role allowed DRob to play a few more years imo because he didn't have to be the man on offense.

However, Dave, like Tim now, could still put the ball in the hoop if needed in 99.

I'm not saying it's the absolute because case scenario, but something that could open up more possibilities for the Spurs as far as looking for big men.

[bigdog]

The timing seems right for a scenario I posted. It would be about 10 years after Dave did it for Tim. A more defensive minded role allowed DRob to play a few more years imo because he didn't have to be the man on offense.

However, Dave, like Tim now, could still put the ball in the hoop if needed in 99.

I'm not saying it's the absolute because case scenario, but something that could open up more possibilities for the Spurs as far as looking for big men.

I can see the Spurs putting Duncan in Robinson's role when the Spurs got Duncan.

Duncan can be the high-post guy in offense, but still go down low and kill some teams, but if they had some sort of other offensive-minded big (Gooden,Wallace) that could possibly provide some offense down low, we could create some sort of high-low action, just like we did with Robinson.

this does seem like the right time to do this, if they chose to.

[Knoxxx]

Like I said, we need two more bigs. Can we split the MLE and add those $ to the LLE, so sign two guys for about $4 million each? I am thinking greedy here, I want two guys like McDyess and Gortat more than Rasheed + a scrub or retread (Oberto).

[Yuixafun]

I think having someone to backup Duncan and give him rest should be a top priority. The Spurs need Duncan healthy to have any chance in the playoffs. The best way to find rest for him is having someone with a similar skill set to come off the bench, a "Duncan lite." That player could be Gooden. He can find his shot and provide some scoring with the 2nd unit. The other piece would be the C, who needs to be more of a defensive specialist who can guard the true C's like Yao. That player could be Rasho. Then your final 2:00 lineup is Duncan, Gooden, Jefferson, Ginobili and Parker. If Mahinmi develops that is gravy, and maybe Splitter comes over which would be even better.

I am not in favor of going after Sheed. He is washed up and not the same player he was. I think Gooden is the best available option and he has a little experience with the Spurs system. Gooden and Rasho. Hope Mahinmi and/or Gist can contribute.

Some good points in there. I see Gooden as a watered down dumbed down Duncan too.

I Immediately thought after the RJ trade that it wouldn't be such a bad idea to keep Gooden.

Manu and Gooden had already begun to develop chemistry even in such a limited time together.

And the same way Mason helps spare Manu from some wear, Gooden can provide relief for Duncan, without taking away too much from what Duncan does offensively.

Going with Gooden and Rasho means less of a learning curve (since both have played in the system), younger and spending less cash.

--edit--

Gooden and Rasho just makes sense on so many fronts. We don't have to go overboard on every pick up, just build a team that fits together. Too many big additions might take too long for us to gel.

Gooden has a little nasty in him and plays in the paint, rebounding has been his thing since college. Rasho is your long defender, that can block shots and rebound. Both are mobile.

Those 2 address what we need from the bigs talent wise, offensively, defensively, skill sets, fiscally and also follows the win now mode because the players are already familiar with what the Spurs do.

[FromWayDowntown]

Is it at all conceivable that the Spurs might be looking for a way to get into Round 1 to draft a player like DeJuan Blair? He strikes me as the sort of guy who's either going to be a Tractor Traylor clone or a Malik Rose type. His motor runs high and he rebounded like a madman in the Big East. He's a raw offensive player and needs to work hard to maintain his conditioning at the NBA level, but the Spurs have some history of succeeding with those sorts of projects. If he proves to be the second coming of Malik Rose, he might be ideal; and if trading to acquire the pick to grab him costs the Spurs a Matt Bonner or requires the Spurs to take on an unfavorable contract (Jeff Foster?) for a guy that otherwise fills a need, it might make some sense.

[Knoxxx]

I think speculating on draft day deals hurts my brain too much, we'll see tomorrow. Fact is Duncan can't guard the rim like he used to, and we need someone to do that. Ian may be that guy, but we need insurance in case he is not, and one more big for depth. So at least one athletic big that can get boards and blocks, I don't care if he scores at all or can hit 3s and space the floor. Then I'm OK with another plodder old big such as Oberto or Rasho, but that would be a disappointment and surprise to me.

The lack of a 2nd shot blocker is killing our defensive system!

I saw the point about having a big out there nobody guards is an issue, but I think the defensive upgrade trumps that. We have plenty of offensive firepower now with the fearsome foursome!

[Knoxxx]

Harlem is right on, but let's not rule out Gortat being available to us in this down economy for a decent price. And even if he commands the full MLE and the Spurs pay it, who cares? As long as we field the best squad possible, that is all that matters to me.

[ginobilized]

It's been a long, hot day and I may be hallucinating, but, didn't RC say that they were looking to shore up the 4 position? They have 3 names they are looking at in Free Agency at the 4...I thought this was said which means to me that TD is the 5....He also mentioned replenishing the role of the perimeter stopper.....possibilities abound

[GSH]

Gooden should honestly be the last option here..

Duncan in his prime was one of the best defenders of all-time..he made up for Elson or Rasho or Oberto or small-ball PF by defending the entire paint..while he's still great, he can no longer anchor a defense like he did in his prime..he needs help defensively, and Gooden is just horrible in that regard..

I understand GSH's argument, and it's completely valid, but I'd still take Wallace or McDyess..my #1 pick would be Gortat, but I don't know how realistic that is, considering somebody will probably overpay him..

while 'Dice and 'Sheed are both mostly jump shooters at this point, I wouldn't compare them to Oberto or Thomas..they're obviously much more talented than the 2 of those guys..


I think the difference between McDyess and Thomas, within the Spurs' system, would be negligible. I'm a KT fan, so that's not an insult. It's just that I don't think McDyess advances the Spurs' championship hopes above last years'.

Maybe I'm underestimating McD. But he's only played 1 fewer seasons than Thomas, so it's not exactly a youth movement. And I still think that if you plugged KT into last year's Pistons team, with the same number of minutes, his numbers would look almost identical. That being said, Dyess may still be the best available. I've always been a fan of Rasheed Wallace's game, but I sure as hell wouldn't break the bank for him, and I would always be worried about pressure situations.



Harlem is right on, but let's not rule out Gortat being available to us in this down economy for a decent price. And even if he commands the full MLE and the Spurs pay it, who cares? As long as we field the best squad possible, that is all that matters to me.

I've seen that comment from Gortat's agent a couple of more times recently. I have a feeling that he may be looking to get back to Europe.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Starters
1 Parker
2 Ginobili
3 Jefferson
4 Duncan
5 McDyess

Bench
1 Hill
2 Mason
2/3 Bowen
3/4 Gist
4 Bonner
4/5 Mahinmi
5 Nesterovic

I like the look of that lineup very much, but what are we paying McDyess and Nesterovic?

My other comment is that Manu should not start - he should play 20-24mins a game until March as the bench spark, then re-evaluate in the run up to the playoffs. Manu needs rest to keep him fresh for the playoffs, and starting him makes little sense to me when Jefferson can cover his scoring and Manu can basically become a 2nd/3rd quarter bench spark, and close the game, which is his greatest skill.