To make a trade or not?

[jjktkk]

I know theres been constant threads posted on the Spurs needing to make a trade. I personally think the Spurs do need to make a trade to upgrade the defense. A legit 7 footer who can defend the paint IMO, could cure alot of the Spurs defensive deficiencies on defense. Or do I need to be patient and hope that this current group of Spurs can continue to jell and improve. After watching today's game against Denver, I'm extremely disappointed in the loss and the Spurs overall losing record against the above 500 teams in the league.

[Bukefal]

I know theres been constant threads posted on the Spurs needing to make a trade. I personally think the Spurs do need to make a trade to upgrade the defense. A legit 7 footer who can defend the paint IMO, could cure alot of the Spurs defensive deficiencies on defense. Or do I need to be patient and hope that this current group of Spurs can continue to jell and improve. After watching today's game against Denver, I'm extremely disappointed in the loss and the Spurs overall losing record against the above 500 teams in the league.

Then why dont you post this in any of the other 20 trade threads. I dont think anyone will be traded soon though.

[ffadicted]

The main problem with the team is gelling together, being on the same page and remaining consistant, and you want to shake up the team again with a trade past the halfway of the season lol?

[jjktkk]

The main problem with the team is gelling together, being on the same page and remaining consistant, and you want to shake up the team again with a trade past the halfway of the season lol?

Sure, if it improves the defense. By making a trade, I don't mean some major, blockbuster, Mark Cuban trading away half of his team type trade, but a trade to put a legit big man alonside Duncan, and when i say legit, I mean a big man 6'11", or better, who can help Tim defend the paint. LOL ffadicted, you never heard a of a mid-season trade before the trading deadline?

[ffadicted]

Sure, if it improves the defense. By making a trade, I don't mean some major, blockbuster, Mark Cuban trading away half of his team type trade, but a trade to put a legit big man alonside Duncan, and when i say legit, I mean a big man 6'11", or better, who can help Tim defend the paint. LOL ffadicted, you never heard a of a mid-season trade before the trading deadline?

... lol

Who do you think we can get without giving up a major piece? Not to mention that McDyess is starting to play well, and blair has been consistently solid off the bench.

[jjktkk]

... lol

Who do you think we can get without giving up a major piece? Not to mention that McDyess is starting to play well, and blair has been consistently solid off the bench.

Thats a good questtion. IMO the Spurs do not have to give up a major piece. I'm not totally familar with the Spurs contract situations on players, but I believe Bonner and Mason have expiring contracts so, for example, throw in a draft pick, some expiring contracts for say a Brendon Haywood, where I've read that the Wizards are having a fire sale, and presto, you have a trade.

[ffadicted]

Thats a good questtion. IMO the Spurs do not have to give up a major piece. I'm not totally familar with the Spurs contract situations on players, but I believe Bonner and Mason have expiring contracts so, for example, throw in a draft pick, some expiring contracts for say a Brendon Haywood, where I've read that the Wizards are having a fire sale, and presto, you have a trade.

Lot of people have been throwing Haywood's name around, and if we can get him for expirings I'd do it in a heartbeat. But I think Washington can get a much better deal then we can offer, like the TMac for Haywood and Butler deal. Spurs are going to be hardpressed to find a difference maker the pieces we can offer, and not even cuz our offers may be bad, but for the fact that other teams can do better.

[Chomag]

Well if just getting into the first round playoffs is enough for you ffadicted then by all means staying pat will be just fine.

[ffadicted]

Well if just getting into the first round playoffs is enough for you ffadicted then by all means staying pat will be just fine.

Like I said before, it's going to be nearly impossible to find a difference maker that will get us over the hump for the pieces that we can offer. Find a deal that's plausible and would work (like the Haywood deal) and I'll entertain the idea, but I just can't see it. Watch Pop's post game tonight too, he knows our roster is unreal on paper, they just aren't gelling together and performing with full effort 100% of the time. Adding more small role pieces in isn't going to make our stars all of a sudden perform at incredible levels

[dbestpro]

The 76ers are desperate to get rid of Brand and his long term contract. Pop use to be in love with Brand's game. Maybe a trade of RJ (short term contract) plus Bonner or Mason could land Brand and T. Young. The 76ers know they will not get rid of Brand without giving up a little extra.

[HarlemHeat37]

Brand has the worst contract in the NBA..he would cripple the Spurs without adding much talent..

[dbestpro]

Brand has the worst contract in the NBA..he would cripple the Spurs without adding much talent..

Maybe so. Its kind of pick your poison. Support RJ or take a shot on a guy like Brand. Getting Young could really be the difference maker.

[Chomag]

Lot of people have been throwing Haywood's name around, and if we can get him for expirings I'd do it in a heartbeat. But I think Washington can get a much better deal then we can offer, like the TMac for Haywood and Butler deal. Spurs are going to be hardpressed to find a difference maker the pieces we can offer, and not even cuz our offers may be bad, but for the fact that other teams can do better.

This team dosn't need to trade for a super all-star. They are right there at the edge of being there as a contender. However it's no secret of the holes that a good team can exploit and Spurs can't just ignore it hoping the other teams wont..They need to get a solid big that defends. They have the right car to win the race they jusnt need that last right part to tweak it.

[Bukefal]

I dont think anyone on our team will get traded soon, besides it wont help any major thing on the short term. Everyone of our players should just step up their game and start working their freakin asses off, that's the only way to give this season a happy ending after all. I hope jefferson improves and that everything will work out after all also with the rest and hopefully TP will get better soon, we need him.

And then, in the summer, they should look and have the time to make some changes and working out some possible trades.

[Flux451]

We need someone clutch in the 4th.

[Texas_Ranger]

We need a center or a power forward. And yes we need a trade.

[ohmwrecker]

I just don't think there is a trade out there that the Spurs could realistically pull off that would be "the answer".
Sure, a shot blocking big would be nice, but all Pop has to do about that is look down the bench at one of the best shot blockers to play the game, Theo Ratliff. And, it's not like Rasho, Nazr and Francisco were shot blocking dynamos.
What the Spurs are really missing is a lockdown defender on the wing(ie Bruce Bowen). Jefferson is just not the defender he once was, or what the Spurs expect him to be. He is the ONLY legit wingman on the team. There is no way Bruce Bowen in his prime would have let a couple of clowns like Smith and Affalo go off like they did today.
The Spurs rotation has no balance at this point. Manu, Hill, Mason, Bogans, Bonner and Finley are constantly playing out of position and the team suffers defensively for it. Theo, Ian and Haislip never play at all. I mean, as long as we're losing, why not?
I am expecting a "stick with your horses" speech from Pop right around the corner.

[SpurNation]

IMO...a trade at this moment wouldn't help this team this year. Even if it were Bosh I see too many weaknesses (physically, mentallity, and cohesively) to be fixed that any single player could remedy just by their existance on the team.

It's going to have to right itself from the inside out.

[SenorSpur]

This FO has never been in this situation before. A situation where the team isn't faring well and they feel compelled to make a move. Forget about the Fakers, this team, as currently constructed, doesn't appear to be good enough to win its own division.

I hope they don't make a move that has long-term ramifications AND fails to improve them team.

[Agloco]

This FO has never been in this situation before. A situation where the team isn't faring well and they feel compelled to make a move. Forget about the Fakers, this team, as currently constructed, doesn't appear to be good enough to win its own division.

I hope they don't make a move that has long-term ramifications AND fails to improve them team.

This. The FO must really tread carefully here. It's a situation where it's easy to think with your heart instead of your mind. Fact is, RJ and McDyess have been much less than expected. Add in the failings of Manu and Tony, and you have the entire reason the Spurs have 19 losses at this point instead of, say, 12 or 13.

[Juanobili]

Fuck it, get Amare

[wildbill2u]

Any semi-super player or better that you could get in a trade at this point would be either a malcontent (Boozer) a flake (JR Smith) in his last year and looking for bigger pastures (Amare, Bosh) horrible contract (Brand).

There is a reason these guys might be available and none of them solve anything for sure this year.

Let it go and play with what you have. If the team doesn't come around by the playoffs you can have Splitter next year just for some big cash.

[jjktkk]

This FO has never been in this situation before. A situation where the team isn't faring well and they feel compelled to make a move. Forget about the Fakers, this team, as currently constructed, doesn't appear to be good enough to win its own division.

I hope they don't make a move that has long-term ramifications AND fails to improve them team.

I agree that as long as any potential trade doesn't hurt the future of the team, then Pop and RC need to explore any trades that can help this team.

[Gutter92]

Hey ffadicted, any chance you could resize the right gif in your sig? It starts like a mm above the left one, so they aren't exactly aligned. It's bothering me :lol

[Agloco]

I agree that as long as any potential trade doesn't hurt the future of the team, then Pop and RC need to explore any trades that can help this team.

Do you think they aren't?

[Dex]

I know that the general instinct is that when something seems broken, you need to try to fix it. That task is much easier said than done in basketball.

For people demanding a trade, let's take a moment to remember that part of the reason the Spurs are so disjointed is because of the huge personnel change that occurred over the summer. We all wanted new players and fresh blood and youth on the court, and that's exactly what we got. And while everyone wants to act like GMs in hindsight, I'd say 9 out of 10 people were perfectly satisfied with the additions of Jefferson, McDyess, and Blair before the season started.

Unfortunately, now we are seeing that wishful thinking usually doesn't pan out like it should. This is what happens when you take new players and put them in a new system. This is what happens when you take out guys who have playing together for years, and throw in guys that are either new to the team, or new to the game altogether.

Unless the Spurs can manage a trade of epic proportions to bring in a playoff-ready, game-changing player, one more swap isn't going to save the season. Putting in one more player, with half a season to figure things out, is doubtfully going to fix the holes in the Spurs defense or the droughts of the offense, but sure is likely to confuse things further. (Look at the Drew Gooden experiment of last season).

Sure, the Spurs should explore their options. All teams do. But like it or not, our best chance lies in this team getting it together and figuring it out, because I don't see the Spurs having the pieces to bring in a savior, even if they did have the desire.

[Capt Bringdown]

It doesn't have to be a binary, all or nothing decision. One player does not have solve all our needs. Even if we can get incrementally better, I think a trade is worthwhile.

For clearly, the window is firmly shut. It's time we turn the page on the big 3, for the rest of the league surely has - we are no longer a threat to anyone's championship ambitions.

We don't need time to "gel," the core of this team has been playing together for years. Pop's tinkering and micromanaging techniques are exhausted.

We might as well get what we can now, rather than wait until the off season. By then, the value of some of our assets will decreased even more.

[Obstructed_View]

Personnel aren't going to change this team. Not trusting or developing young players while relying on older players while limiting minutes while shuffling lineups while shortening rotations while integrating free agents while running 4 guard rotations on defense is going to have the same results with fifteen new players.

[exstatic]

With the "hard cap" coming, the Spurs will NEVER take on a contract like Brand's, especially since he now has a balky knee. I think Pop may have admired him, but it was pre-injury, and with a different cap situation than our current one.

I'm doubting that the Spurs make a deal.

[jjktkk]

Do you think they aren't?

No.

[jjktkk]

With the "hard cap" coming, the Spurs will NEVER take on a contract like Brand's, especially since he now has a balky knee. I think Pop may have admired him, but it was pre-injury, and with a different cap situation than our current one.

I'm doubting that the Spurs make a deal.

Besides Brand's huge contract, having 2 similar-sized players(Blair) probably isn't the way to go. I'd rather have a 7 footer, like Haywood for example. Of course theres not alot of skilled bigs available, but who knows maybe RC can work some magic.

[timtonymanu]

honestly a trade wont help this team. this team already has enough trouble gelling. imagine adding another player to fit in. the reality is we are stuck with what we got and we just have to deal with it. we have to hope the team is healthy and is gelling by the playoffs. can they still win? unlikely. but we'll see.

[Spursone]

From my perspective and as many have mentioned, it's all about lack of chemistry, guys are not coming together and rotations have been questionable at best. I don't claim to know much about the MONEY situation in trades, but I think if it's not going to be a MAJOR or a LEAGUE SHAKING DEAL than stay with what you got, hope for the best, stay healthy, maybe make it out of the 1st round, and wait for the SUMMER to shake this thing out.

EXPECT THE WORSE, HOPE FOR THE BEST!

GO SPURS GO!

[exstatic]

This FO has never been in this situation before. A situation where the team isn't faring well and they feel compelled to make a move. Forget about the Fakers, this team, as currently constructed, doesn't appear to be good enough to win its own division.

I hope they don't make a move that has long-term ramifications AND fails to improve them team.

Almost any move they make won't improve the team, because what they have to offer is scraps. You're not going to get a rotation player, let alone an impact player for Bonner/Finley.

Every team is now scrambling to prepare for the "hard cap" that the owners will likely force with a lockout in 2011. The Spurs FO is too smart to get suckered by a bad contract that runs 2 or 3 years past that date. Put players like Brand out of your mind right now.

[ElNono]

I have a sinking feeling that we're not going to make any trades...

[Obstructed_View]

I have a sinking feeling that we're not going to make any trades...

What could they possibly trade for that's going to help them? The Spurs have guys that produce and don't get floor time. Can't imagine there's going to be anyone that the Spurs can bring in who's going to flourish in an environment of uncertain minutes and random lineups. And the people being relied upon who aren't delivering have no shot of leaving, so there's no solution in sight.

I have a sinking feeling that by the time the trade deadline comes, it'll be too late for the guys that are still here to realize there's no help coming and buckle the hell down.

[ElNono]

What could they possibly trade for that's going to help them? The Spurs have guys that produce and don't get floor time. Can't imagine there's going to be anyone that the Spurs can bring in who's going to flourish in an environment of uncertain minutes and random lineups. I have a sinking feeling that by the time the trade deadline comes, it'll be too late for the guys that are still here to realize there's no help coming and buckle the hell down.

Smarter and more rugged players. Teams like New Orleans basically are done for the season. Let's see what they have there. Washington is kind of on the same boat. New Jersey also.
Truth be told, I'm afraid Pop is going to extend Finley before they even start talking with Ginobili. I'm tired of the softness of this team.
There's something to be said also about how valuable our expirings truly are if we can't make a move.

[Obstructed_View]

I agree with you that they obviously have no value if you don't move them (particularly the ones that aren't getting PT), and I really think the Mahinmi reaction in a year or two is going to make the Scola reaction look tame. Perhaps all the Spurs can hope for is to catch lightning in a bottle from a team chemistry standpoint and hope that Pop shows some logic and discipline as a result.

[dbestpro]

Lets trade coach (yes man) Bud for a chemistry set.

[portnoy1]

I would try to trade that gets back pieces. We could deal RJ and some expirings (not Manu) and I would try to get back Kaman and Battier in a 3 team trade. Im pretty sure the Rockets would do it (only if the Butler/Haywood deal went through). The Clippers??? thats the question now isnt it. If that trade did work we could have 2 solid big men in the post offensively/defensively and then when it came to the wings you would have Battier/Bogans shooting 3's whenever someone doubled off Parker/Duncan/Kaman. On defense you would always have a shotblocker in the paint, that way the spurs wing-defenders could force their men baseline to the help (not bonner).

[jjktkk]

I would try to trade that gets back pieces. We could deal RJ and some expirings (not Manu) and I would try to get back Kaman and Battier in a 3 team trade. Im pretty sure the Rockets would do it (only if the Butler/Haywood deal went through). The Clippers??? thats the question now isnt it. If that trade did work we could have 2 solid big men in the post offensively/defensively and then when it came to the wings you would have Battier/Bogans shooting 3's whenever someone doubled off Parker/Duncan/Kaman. On defense you would always have a shotblocker in the paint, that way the spurs wing-defenders could force their men baseline to the help (not bonner).

IMO, I seriously doubt the Clippers will move their best big man without getting back equal in value in return like high lottery picks, all-star caliber players, etc. The Spurs, nor the Rockets have that kinda of trade assets.