48MoH: The Spurs/Toros Conundrum

[Blackjack]

The Spurs/Toros Conundrum
by Timothy Varner


When the Spurs signed Keith Bogans (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/2009/09/21/report-spurs-to-sign-keith-bogans/#comments), my mind immediately turned to a recent Spurs.com video. In that video George Hill, DeJuan Blair, Malik Hairston, Marcus Williams, Jack McClinton and James Gist visit a San Antonio-area food bank (http://www.nba.com/spurs/features/090916_foodbank.html). As our readers know, Hill, Blair, Hairston and Williams are under contract with the Spurs. It’s presumed that Jack McClinton and James Gist will attend Spurs training camp, and, along with Curtis Jerrells (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/2009/09/16/spurs-sign-curtis-jerrells/), they could be afforded an opportunity to play for the Austin Toros this season.

The signing of Keith Bogans, while a neat, tight fit in some ways, would seem to push either Malik Hairston or Marcus Williams off the team. The current depth chart, including training camp invitations, looks like this:

Keep reading → (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/2009/09/22/the-spurstoros-conundrum/#more-4623)

[Bender]

Bob

Hopefully SA will get rid of Finley and someone else in a 2-for-1 trade. Unfortunately Pop seems to be too much in love with the old man to even consider it.



I think Bob is a member of spurstalk :lol

[superbigtime]

Your depth chart left off some guy named Bonner. Which isn't a bad thing, but just saying.

[EricB]

adios Marcus Williams.

[Manufan909]

Your depth chart left off some guy named Bonner. Which isn't a bad thing, but just saying.

No one remembers Bonner, except in trade scenarios.:downspin:

[Lebowski Brickowski]

RC seems really high on Marcus Williams. And the interview Williams gave (i think i read it in 48moh) was VERY mature. He definitely had the "gotten over himself" quality that the Spurs require. I'd bet (hope?) that both Hairston AND Finley are gone before Marcus Williams is.

[SenorSpur]

Hairston has at least 1 more year of D-League eligibility left, so he may be the targeted candidate. If Buford remains high on Williams, and assuming he doesn't mess over himself in camp, he could be the one who sticks.

[picnroll]

adios Marcus Williams.

Hairston is more at risk than Williams. Bogans skill set overlaps more with Malik than Marcus.

[lotr1trekkie]

I expect the Spurs camp to be very competiitive especially at backup center, backup PF, backup small forward and third point guard. It seems to me that we have 4 starters and Manu and then everything is a jump ball.

[coyotes_geek]

Hairston is more at risk than Williams. Bogans skill set overlaps more with Malik than Marcus.

Kind of what I'm thinking. Especially true if the Spurs really do think Marcus Williams has the ability to fill in at PG.

[TIMMYD!]

I smell a trade...

[Blackjack]

Taking my personal feelings about Hairston, and my belief in his ability to play in this league out of the equation, I just don't see how the Bogans acquisition leaves him with a roster spot.

The Spurs obviously needed another experienced wing-defender on the roster to back up and help out RJ in the event of foul-trouble, injury, or just a breather.. and Bogans looks to be their answer.

When you think about it, the Spurs have replaced their defensive-wing tandem of Bowen and Udoka with Jefferson and Bogans; ironically they've got a little more Ime in their 6-7'' guy and a little more Bowen in their 6-5'' guy. -- Don't go crazy, folks. I'm not saying RJ's just a physical defender lacking adequate foot-speed or that Bogans and Bowen mirror each other in their quickness and the way they go about defending. They've just got a little more physicality in their primary defender now, and a little more quickness in their secondary defender; Bogans does bring more physicality to the table than RJ brings lateral quickness, though. --

[phxspurfan]

I smell a trade...




!!






http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8UFJKqNl5JI/Srm9BprFBHI/AAAAAAAACnI/b0V5LLeEI38/s720/trade.JPG


Damnit...

[mountainballer]

Update: So much for conjecture. Jeff McDonald spoke with Bogans’ agent and is reporting that his contract is fully guaranteed. Although Joel, a 48MoH reader, left a worthwhile reminder in the comments beneath this post: “It sounds like Bogans signed for the veteran minimum, which means the Spurs only have to pick up…$825k even if the whole year is guaranteed, the rest is paid by the league…If somebody else outplays him at training camp it’s not a big deal to cut him.”

well, even if the Spurs are in spending mode, they for sure are not in money burning mode. to cut Bogans after camp, because he is outplayed by another player (Malik?) would cost the Spurs 1,65 million $. in my book that's a big deal, just for a camp invitee. the scenario that Bogans might get cut after camp is total nonsense.

back to the roster questions. I agree that without another roster move like a trade the most likely to be cut is Malik. any other scenario is much less likely. it might hit MW, if on the one hand Malik is very good and on the other hand MW is very bad during camp. if they are close, it will hit Malik, even if he was the slightly better.

AND camp might also cause another Bogans type signing, if Pop feels that none of the back up PG solutions work. in that case I wouldn't be surprised, if the Spurs cut both un guaranteed contracts (Malik and MW) and sign a veteran PG. it just doesn't make much sense to go into the season with 7 wings and 7 bigs, if there is still a big hole in the playmaking department. it's not that there are no options out there. Hart, Atkins, Lue, Knight, Wilks, Arroyo and some more.
(didn't check if some of the mentioned signed somewhere in the last week)