Potential Trade Partner

[swaggerjackson]

http://blogs.charlotte.com/inside_the_nba/2012/01/charlotte-bobcats-glut-of-power-forwards.html

I live close to Charlotte and am able to watch a considerable amount of their games. They definitely have a log jam at the power forward. Diaw, Tyrus Thomas, Najera, Derrick Brown, the rookie Biyombo, and DJ White who isn't a household name but a good player and one they like. I know the Spurs had interest in Diaw before and still might. He is absolutely overweight but has great bball IQ and is a better defender than given credit for. He also stretches the floor so we know Pop will love him. Thomas is young, althetic, and can shoot decently from mid range. Not an excellent post defender but fierce coming from the weakside. I think he would look great next to Tim. Biyombo is off limits. Najera is would also be a solid pick up. He does the dirty work but is currently injured.

I think this should definitely be a team we engage in trade talks with. The are rebuilding and quite literally sabotaging their team right now to get higher draft picks to draft a superstar caliber player. Thoughts?

[manufan10]

Who would they want from the Spurs if they want high draft picks?

[WeNeedLength]

Bonner for Diaw. DO IT NOW.

[GSH]

http://blogs.charlotte.com/inside_the_nba/2012/01/charlotte-bobcats-glut-of-power-forwards.html

I live close to Charlotte and am able to watch a considerable amount of their games. They definitely have a log jam at the power forward. Diaw, Tyrus Thomas, Najera, Derrick Brown, the rookie Biyombo, and DJ White who isn't a household name but a good player and one they like. I know the Spurs had interest in Diaw before and still might. He is absolutely overweight but has great bball IQ and is a better defender than given credit for. He also stretches the floor so we know Pop will love him. Thomas is young, althetic, and can shoot decently from mid range. Not an excellent post defender but fierce coming from the weakside. I think he would look great next to Tim. Biyombo is off limits. Najera is would also be a solid pick up. He does the dirty work but is currently injured.

I think this should definitely be a team we engage in trade talks with. The are rebuilding and quite literally sabotaging their team right now to get higher draft picks to draft a superstar caliber player. Thoughts?


We've got a small forward and a... pretty tall red-headed guy we can offer.

[TDMVPDPOY]

spurs still chasing thomas? fail...

[eisfeld]

Bobcats would be interested in Blair/Leonard/Splitter +Green/Neal/Anderson to net any Bobcat and half of the guys are not worth one of those players. I'd take Diaw as an FA and Thomas if the Spurs get rid of Bonner in the trade without touching Splitter/Leonard and Green.

[smrattler]

We have too many wings and one to many redheads on the team.

[mountainballer]

a trade that would work and make some sense for the Spurs is Diaw for RJ straight.
but they would be crazy to do it and add 22 extra million and as well destroy their cap space for 2012.

D.J. White they would trade for Blair, but Blair is a better player. so why do we do it. White for Anderson? maybe worth a thought.

they might listen to TT for RJ, b/c TT is an absolute desaster this season. would Spurs take this risk and add more salary for a player, who might be worse than RJ?

[TDMVPDPOY]

why would jordan add rjs contract, when he can get him cheap on amnesty...

[SenorSpur]

Bonner for Diaw - YES (even though Diaw is a fat-ass)
Bonner for Thomas - even better

[MaNu4Tres]

a trade that would work and make some sense for the Spurs is Diaw for RJ straight.
but they would be crazy to do it and add 22 extra million and as well destroy their cap space for 2012.

To be honest..the free agent crop for the 2012 off-season is dreadful.

As sad as this may sound, R.J would probably be in the top 5 available F.A's (hypothetically) outside of the three elite F.A's the Bobcats realistically have no shot for; D12 (who most likely will be traded before then to a big market LAL,LAC, Dallas), CP3 (Most likely will resign with LAC), and Deron (Dallas/Brooklyn).

[Darkwaters]

a trade that would work and make some sense for the Spurs is Diaw for RJ straight.
but they would be crazy to do it and add 22 extra million and as well destroy their cap space for 2012.

D.J. White they would trade for Blair, but Blair is a better player. so why do we do it. White for Anderson? maybe worth a thought.

they might listen to TT for RJ, b/c TT is an absolute desaster this season. would Spurs take this risk and add more salary for a player, who might be worse than RJ?

I'm not saying that I approve of THAT trade exactly...but a trade LIKE that might make sense. Trading a redundant player in Anderson to pick up a clear need in a post just makes too much sense. Plus, that frees up room to sign Nando de Colo next season.

[Muser]

Why would anyone want Bonner? He's got a few years on his contract and he's playing awful.

[WeNeedLength]

Why would anyone want Bonner? He's got a few years on his contract and he's playing awful.

Why you gotta throw logic into this... :depressed

[Trainwreck2100]

sure is grey up in this bitch

[WeNeedLength]

sure is grey up in this bitch

Quality observation.

[underdawg]

D.J. White they would trade for Blair, but Blair is a better player. so why do we do it. White for Anderson? maybe worth a thought.

Blair might be a better player, but D.J. White is more of a legit big than Blair and that would probably benefit the Spurs more.

[shyne]

I wish we could get Landry from NO

[angelbelow]

Diaw has always been intriguing but is he in shape this season? Is he still motivated to play basketball? Too many questions about his work ethic and dedication IMO.

[anakha]

Diaw has always been intriguing but is he in shape this season? Is he still motivated to play basketball? Too many questions about his work ethic and dedication IMO.

Diaw. Contract year. 'Nuff said.

[Mal]

D.J. White they would trade for Blair, but Blair is a better player. so why do we do it.


I wouldnt trade Blair talent and potential over shitty player with size.

[underdawg]

I wouldnt trade Blair talent and potential over shitty player with size.

white's not a crappy player - in fact most bobcat fans prefer him over tyrus thomas. Spurs would be greatly helped by a player like white or tyrus

how much more potential do you expect out of a 6'5" center?

same crap every year - homers have ruined their vision squinting at the screen to find gems in the frontline that they continue to miss the holes.

[Obstructed_View]

Guys, a team with a glut of power forwards isn't going to trade one of them for Bonner or Blair. Even if they would, I'd rather keep the draft pick the Spurs would have to throw in to sweeten the deal. There are no massive upgrades there. I'm all for surviving with Bonner and then giving Duncan, Blair, Splitter and Leonard 40 minutes apiece when the playoffs roll around.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

40 minutes of Blair sound brutal. :lol

[Mal]

white's not a crappy player - in fact most bobcat fans prefer him over tyrus thomas. Spurs would be greatly helped by a player like white or tyrus

how much more potential do you expect out of a 6'5" center?

same crap every year - homers have ruined their vision squinting at the screen to find gems in the frontline that they continue to miss the holes.

Blair is listed 6,7 and White is 6,9. Not a big diffrence , and White is far worse player

[Darkwaters]

Blair is listed 6,7 and White is 6,9. Not a big diffrence , and White is far worse player

For one, I think Blair is closer to 6'5. I'm not sure about White.

And secondly, I wouldn't trade Blair for him...I would consider James Anderson though. It seems to make a lot of sense as we hae excess amounts of wings and they have plenty of PF's.

But is White good enough? That I'm not sure. But the idea of Anderson for a big is pretty nice. Especially a big thats still pretty young.

[xmas1997]

I'll be shocked if the Spurs make a trade this year.
And knowing the Spurs money pinching ways, I'll be surprised if they pick up the option on JA.

[TJastal]

a trade that would work and make some sense for the Spurs is Diaw for RJ straight.
but they would be crazy to do it and add 22 extra million and as well destroy their cap space for 2012.

D.J. White they would trade for Blair, but Blair is a better player. so why do we do it. White for Anderson? maybe worth a thought.

they might listen to TT for RJ, b/c TT is an absolute desaster this season. would Spurs take this risk and add more salary for a player, who might be worse than RJ?

Hell I wouldn't even have to think about that last one. TT for RJ in a heartbeat. Not only does it boot RJ out of the equation and give better defenders more minutes (KL & DG) but it also brings an an instant injection of defense and shotblocking to the frontline and boots one of the turd towers out of the rotation. Wish this would happen.

[venitian navigator]

Charlotte is not going to be a place where free agents fight to play for...
That said, considering that they are full of players playing the power forward position and that they don't have in their roster a decent small forward, they could be an ideal partner for unloading RJ.
One thing to contender is that RJ is exactly the kind of small forward (experienced veteran that can playn the "rin and gun" and shoot from outside) that could be ideal with a back court formed by a speedy back court (Augustine/ Walker and Anderson).

So, for differentb reasons, Thomas, Diaw, Brown, White, Mullens could all be possible candidates for a trade beneficial for both teams...

My favourite would be Diaw, not because of his skills (Thomas should be the preferred one, in that perspective) but just because of his friendship with Parker, his high basketball I.Q. and the fact that he's in a contract (and final) year.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Charlotte is not going to be a place where free agents fight to play for...


Still, blowing 10+ million of their cap space for RJ would be beyond dumb. No chance they do such a trade.

RJ will be amnestied in the summer.

[venitian navigator]

Still, blowing 10+ million of their cap space for RJ would be beyond dumb. No chance they do such a trade.

RJ will be amnestied in the summer.

An amnesty with no chance to sign something decent with the cap space so obtained is, in any case, a bad move...
And I don't see a lot of free agents better than RJ (apart from the internatial market, but Lorbek and, in case, Sanikidze should be signed, if they want to come here, with the excepions or with minumum contracts) willing to come here.
Just by the numbers, and considering Charlotte has decided not to pick the option on DJ White contract, a trade RJ+Bonner for DJ White and Maggette could make sense.
At least, Maggette still has some skillls we need and thought RJ still had (attacking the rim), and should be paid one less more year than RJ...

[Darkwaters]

Hell I wouldn't even have to think about that last one. TT for RJ in a heartbeat. Not only does it boot RJ out of the equation and give better defenders more minutes (KL & DG) but it also brings an an instant injection of defense and shotblocking to the frontline and boots one of the turd towers out of the rotation. Wish this would happen.

I wouldn't touch that with a 10 foot pole.

A) I've never been a fan of Tyrus Thomas, and his numbers this year aren't very good.

B) If I'm going to spend big money on a bigman I'd rather get someone with a bit more size. We already have plenty of size shortage with Blair.

C) Jefferson can be amnestied. Thomas can't. By dumping RJ this offseason we'll have a ton of cap space...especially with Duncan coming off the books and likely signing for far less.

[TJastal]

I wouldn't touch that with a 10 foot pole.

A) I've never been a fan of Tyrus Thomas, and his numbers this year aren't very good.

B) If I'm going to spend big money on a bigman I'd rather get someone with a bit more size. We already have plenty of size shortage with Blair.

C) Jefferson can be amnestied. Thomas can't. By dumping RJ this offseason we'll have a ton of cap space...especially with Duncan coming off the books and likely signing for far less.

A) Thomas has played only a handful of games so far (missed first 6 games, 7 games total). And in the last 4 games he has started to find his rhythym, with 9 blocked shots. Please tell me with a straight face the spurs couldn't use some help in that area (shot block/rim protect). Did you forget Thomas was a key part of those bulls deep playoff runs a few years back?

B) Thomas is listed at 6'10". That's plenty good enough size for power forward. And I can tell you I've watched him up close guard guys like Dwight Howard who are 6'10-6'11 and I can confirm that listing is accurate. He is at the very least 6'9" in shoes. I would say he might be a fraction of an inch shorter than Howard. I think you've been drinking too much of the anti-TT rhetoric that floasts around the forum and you've gotten yourself a nice buzz there. Time for a cup of coffee and a reality check.

C) When push comes to shove I wouldn't count on Tim Duncan signing for "far less" unless he's flat out retiring. He's already been there, done that for the franchise. The admiral took only a few less mil in his final 2 years in SA. If I had to hazard a guess I think TD will be rewarded with a final salary of somewhere in the 16m-18m a year range minimum.

Here is the free agent class of 2012.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=FreeAgents-11-12

See any good unrestricted FA's there? And please don't tell us you think Dwight Howard is coming to SA. :lol

[sasffl]

Trade Bonner+James Anderson for Jason Thompson

[acoelho1]

I don't get too excited over any of Charlotte's bigs. What about Utah? They also have too many bigs. I would love to steal away Al Jefferson but we may need to include a 3rd team since Utah wouldn't be interested in our assets. Maybe Neal, Blair, RJ and a 1st rounder?

[Darkwaters]

B) Thomas is listed at 6'10". That's plenty good enough size for power forward. And I can tell you I've watched him up close guard guys like Dwight Howard who are 6'10-6'11 and I can confirm that listing is accurate. He is at the very least 6'9" in shoes. I would say he might be a fraction of an inch shorter than Howard. I think you've been drinking too much of the anti-TT rhetoric that floasts around the forum and you've gotten yourself a nice buzz there. Time for a cup of coffee and a reality check.


Height without shoes is 6'7.25"

You can add an inch with shoes.

[TJastal]

Height without shoes is 6'7.25"

You can add an inch with shoes.

That measurement was taken back in his college senior days. He's currently listed @ 6'10" on both ESPN.com & NBA.com websites which indicates he probably grew some since then.

[Darkwaters]

That measurement was taken back in his college senior days. He's currently listed @ 6'10" on both ESPN.com & NBA.com websites which indicates he probably grew some since then.

Exactly, when he went through the combine thats what he measured. You think hes grown like 3 inches since leaving college? No, hes just listed as taller than he actually is. I mean, Blair is officially listed as 6'7. Do you really believe that?

No, you're just grasping at straws.

He does have a 7'3 wingspan though. Which is nice. But I'd still rather have cap space in the off-season instead of him now.

[TJastal]

Exactly, when he went through the combine thats what he measured. You think hes grown like 3 inches since leaving college? No, hes just listed as taller than he actually is. I mean, Blair is officially listed as 6'7. Do you really believe that?

No, you're just grasping at straws.

He does have a 7'3 wingspan though. Which is nice. But I'd still rather have cap space in the off-season instead of him now.

I'm just telling you that I think he's grown some since that measurement. Maybe an inch or inch 1/2. From 6'8 1/4" in stocking feet to 6'9 1/2". Which translates to the 6'10" he's now listed at.

I trust my own eyes as well. A few years back I stopped my DVR and rewound to analyze his actual height while guarding and standing next to Dwight Howard. There was nary any difference. I'd say he's about as tall as Bonner right now. Minus the t-rex arms and lead boots. He's a tad on the light side though @ 220, that would be the only drawback but that's when Splitter @ 260 comes into play.

Don't get me wrong, the cap space is good, too. I just don't see the spurs attracting any big name FA's in 2012. And every year that passes is one less year the big 3 have left together.

[ace3g]

According to this Diaw is on the trading block: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/rumors-scoop-du-jour/bobcats-put-boris-diaw-trading-block-111118479.html

But I doubt Spurs make any trade including Bonner...

[maverick1948]

Manu Ginobili will be returning after the allstar break. If you think we have glut at wing now wait till he comes back. I have been looking for a way to satisfy the situation without giving away players for little or nothing that will help us in the future as well as now. Everyone wants to trade Bonner or Jefferson. Not gonna happen. Two words: CAP SPACE for 2012 free agents. I know what I am about to say is going to make a few people upset, but here goes. Keep Bonner for the two years on his contract and then release him. Even trading for a big now would not solve the problem if Bonner goes, we would still be thin in the front court. We have 4 in the front now; Duncan, Blair, Splitter and Bonner. Ditching Bonner who knows the system and replacing him with someone who would have to adjust in a huge hurry would not help this season.

To solve part of the problem, we can trade Anderson and our second round to Washington for their second round pick. Trade Danny Green to the Charlotte for D J White. We are not going to be able to keep Green as someone will over pay him to play in their backcourt. Something MJ will do as Green is a North Carolina alum. Both Charlotte and Washington are going to have a ton of money to spend on free agents. Charlotte has 4 bigs under contract for the next couple of years as does Washington. Both will be drafting at the early part of the draft in 2012.

We get a big in White to play along side of Splitter who comes cheap. We would have 3 picks in the 2012 draft and could maybe use our 1st and the Washington 2nd to move up high in the draft as our pick is looking like it will be around 20 again and Washington 2nd is going to be 31 or 32.

[xmas1997]

This is the one year you don't trade your draft pick unless it's to get a higher draft pick, in fact, this is the one year to definitely flirt with the lottery if you can get away with it.