Free Agents Left

[Supergirl]

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/47864/free-agent-bargain-bin-whats-left

based on this article's summary of who's still left and what they offer, it seems like Courtney Lee fits the Spurs needs best - an athletic wingman who can guard the other teams's bigger players on the perimeter. Thoughts?

[TMT®]

We don't need another wing. Out of all the players on that list, K-Mart and maybe Haddadi make the most sense.

[Mel_13]

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/47864/free-agent-bargain-bin-whats-left

based on this article's summary of who's still left and what they offer, it seems like Courtney Lee fits the Spurs needs best - an athletic wingman who can guard the other teams's bigger players on the perimeter. Thoughts?

The Spurs can only offer minimum contracts and Lee will get much more. Even if the Spurs could afford him, they don't need another wing.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Kenyon Martin. He can be the enforcer for the 2013 championship team in the same vein as Kevin Willis in 2003.

[TimDunkem]

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/47864/free-agent-bargain-bin-whats-left

based on this article's summary of who's still left and what they offer, it seems like Courtney Lee fits the Spurs needs best - an athletic wingman who can guard the other teams's bigger players on the perimeter. Thoughts?

He doesn't fit our needs at all. The Spurs have 6 guards (not counting Joseph and Denmon) guaranteed minutes next year, and you think we need another guard?

[Spurs da champs]

He doesn't fit our needs at all. The Spurs have 6 guards (not counting Joseph and Denmon) guaranteed minutes next year, and you think we need another guard?

That & Lee can't guard any 3's at all tbh, he's not big enough or strong enough.

[LongtimeSpursFan]

Kenyon Martin. He can be the enforcer for the 2013 championship team in the same vein as Kevin Willis in 2003.

Kenyon Martin is a versatile defender than can guard the 4 and the 3 position. He was excellent against Rudy Gay in the Memphis series. He also brings toughness and the ability to hit the outside jumper. If he can sign for the monies we have available then he should be our priority.

[Budkin]

Kenyon or nothing.

[Supergirl]

We have a glut of guards, that's true - but mostly their PGs or undersized SGs. We need an athletic swingman who can shoot well enough and guard well enough against other teams's big men - this was our real struggle against OKC. We have Timmy, Splitter, Bonner, and hopefully Blair in the middle, and against the current centers in this league that's fine - as long as you can push guys out from under the basket and continue to guard them well and shoot the jump shot. Of our big men only Timmy has any kind of jump shot, except Bonner who can shoot the 3. Today's NBA has showed us the need for more players like Kawhi Leonard, who fits the mold of the kind of player the Spurs need one more of, IMO.

Incidentally, I'm not the only one who thinks this:
http://www.poundingtherock.com/2012/7/5/3137719/nba-spurs-defense-upgrade-forward-not-center

[VBM]

Blatche if no one claims him.

[Two10Whitey]

kenyon martin or birdman if nuggets amesty him would be the logical fits, but u know the spurs dont think logically sometimes. courtney lee would be great, but we already have a courtney lee in danny green. and plus our backcourt and wings are the strength of the team, we need to work on our weakness which is our decent, but lacking frontcourt. an atheltic 4 who can play defense is what the spurs really need to win a title.

Is Birdman even clear to play with his situation? I'd rather have K-Mart on the squad.

[TimDunkem]

We have a glut of guards, that's true - but mostly their PGs or undersized SGs. We need an athletic swingman who can shoot well enough and guard well enough against other teams's big men - this was our real struggle against OKC. We have Timmy, Splitter, Bonner, and hopefully Blair in the middle, and against the current centers in this league that's fine - as long as you can push guys out from under the basket and continue to guard them well and shoot the jump shot. Of our big men only Timmy has any kind of jump shot, except Bonner who can shoot the 3. Today's NBA has showed us the need for more players like Kawhi Leonard, who fits the mold of the kind of player the Spurs need one more of, IMO.

Incidentally, I'm not the only one who thinks this:
http://www.poundingtherock.com/2012/7/5/3137719/nba-spurs-defense-upgrade-forward-not-center
What?...You want an athletic guard who can ALSO guard bigs? And 6-5 Courtney Lee is your choice to fill that role?
:lol

[Supergirl]

What?...You want an athletic guard who can ALSO guard bigs? And 6-5 Courtney Lee is your choice to fill that role?
:lol

I don't know much about Lee, I'm just going by how he's described, versus the others currently available: "Courtney Lee isn’t as skilled a player as fellow shooting guard O.J. Mayo, who trails him on this list, but he is easier to imagine on pretty much any team in the league. That’s because Lee has a simply defined game -- plays strong defense and makes open 3-pointers -- that can be of service to just about anyone. Lee can guard quick point guards like Chris Paul around pick-and-rolls and at 6-6 has the size to tangle with small forwards. Lee is, besides Shannon Brown, the best athlete left in the free agent class and a terror in transition or the occasional drive to the rim."

Incidentally, this is how Kenyon "Thug" Martin is described:
"Whatever Kenyon Martin did to his knees worked -- the explosiveness and lateral quickness was back last season. Martin isn’t the athletic whirlwind he was in the mid-2000’s, but he still has what it takes to defend a scorer like Rudy Gay in big moments, as he did in last year’s playoffs. Never much of a creative force on offense, his game on that end still consists of catching and finishing near the rim or shooting that flat-footed, flat-arching shot. So there isn’t a huge upside there. But Martin rebounds well, can finish inside, is a savvy defender and still has something left in the tank. A great pick-up at a cheap price for a team seeking interior defense (his block rate last season was a career best) and competent work from a backup forward/center.

Strengths: Defense at the rim, finishing in paint, rebounding, experienced help defender.
Weaknesses: Can’t shoot or dribble, on the older side so there’s a risk of him breaking down, surly teammate."

[tesseractive]

Blatche if no one claims him.
Isn't he just too dumb to work in our program?

[tesseractive]

Incidentally, this is how Kenyon "Thug" Martin is described:
"Whatever Kenyon Martin did to his knees worked -- the explosiveness and lateral quickness was back last season. Martin isn’t the athletic whirlwind he was in the mid-2000’s, but he still has what it takes to defend a scorer like Rudy Gay in big moments, as he did in last year’s playoffs. Never much of a creative force on offense, his game on that end still consists of catching and finishing near the rim or shooting that flat-footed, flat-arching shot. So there isn’t a huge upside there. But Martin rebounds well, can finish inside, is a savvy defender and still has something left in the tank. A great pick-up at a cheap price for a team seeking interior defense (his block rate last season was a career best) and competent work from a backup forward/center.

Strengths: Defense at the rim, finishing in paint, rebounding, experienced help defender.
Weaknesses: Can’t shoot or dribble, on the older side so there’s a risk of him breaking down, surly teammate."
K-Mart has flaws, for sure. But it would sure be nice to have a guy that brought defense, rebounding, and just plain toughness off the bench. We don't have enough of any of those things in the post with our current roster.

[venitian navigator]

Whattabout Childress ?

[ploto]

K-Mart for the minimum? Doubt it.

[Russo21]

10. Hamed Haddadi
Haddadi is massive, and averaged 4.5 blocks per 36 minutes as a result. He also fouled at an incredible rate, which makes you wonder whether the bruising backup center is physical or just clumsy. It's probably a bit of both. Offensively, Haddadi has nice touch from 15 feet and a soft hand on tip-ins, but he doesn’t get many opportunities to show much else. Despite a lack of quickness or leaping ability, Haddadi isn’t exactly a stiff -- he knows how to establish deep post position and work to good rebounding spots. Still, he doesn’t play with great vigor, perhaps in part because he spent a lot of last season sopping up garbage minutes.

Strengths: Huge, good screener, soft hands around rim, decent touch.
Weaknesses: Lumbering and slow, does not explode to finish, fouls like crazy.

5. Kenyon Martin
Whatever Kenyon Martin did to his knees worked -- the explosiveness and lateral quickness was back last season. Martin isn’t the athletic whirlwind he was in the mid-2000’s, but he still has what it takes to defend a scorer like Rudy Gay in big moments, as he did in last year’s playoffs. Never much of a creative force on offense, his game on that end still consists of catching and finishing near the rim or shooting that flat-footed, flat-arching shot. So there isn’t a huge upside there. But Martin rebounds well, can finish inside, is a savvy defender and still has something left in the tank. A great pick-up at a cheap price for a team seeking interior defense (his block rate last season was a career best) and competent work from a backup forward/center.

Strengths: Defense at the rim, finishing in paint, rebounding, experienced help defender.
Weaknesses: Can’t shoot or dribble, on the older side so there’s a risk of him breaking down, surly teammate.

Either would be good. Especially Haddadi to bulk up our tweener frontcourt. He's one of the biggest dudes in the NBA.

[Russo21]

He averaged 0.7 blocks per game in just 6 minutes a game.

Compared to

Matt Bonner 0.3 blocks in 20 minutes
DeJuan Blair 0.2 blocks in 21 minutes

So he'd be allright for us. He averages more blocks in just 6 minutes then Bonner/Blair average in their combined 41 minutes.

[Drz]

He averaged 0.7 blocks per game in just 6 minutes a game.

Compared to

Matt Bonner 0.3 blocks in 20 minutes
DeJuan Blair 0.2 blocks in 21 minutes

So he'd be allright for us. He averages more blocks in just 6 minutes then Bonner/Blair average in their combined 41 minutes.
You've got to be careful with blocks. Serge Ibaka is a good example -- while his advanced defensive statistics are better than average, even good, they're not all that great.

I'm not saying blocks aren't useful, they obviously are. But by themselves, they don't tell you a whole lot about a player's defensive ability.

[DPG21920]

If the Spurs get Haddadi I will be pissed. I think he is awful, don't care what any stat says.

[tediousj]

Get over it...Buford's just going to sign one of the summer league bums.

[CGD]

Whattabout Childress ?

If he would have been amnestied a year from now, I would have loved him as Jax's replacement. I think we've good at the 3 this year.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Whattabout Childress ?

Why would the Spurs need a 6th swingman? No minutes. Same for Lee.

[Obstructed_View]

He averaged 0.7 blocks per game in just 6 minutes a game.

Compared to

Matt Bonner 0.3 blocks in 20 minutes
DeJuan Blair 0.2 blocks in 21 minutes

So he'd be allright for us. He averages more blocks in just 6 minutes then Bonner/Blair average in their combined 41 minutes.

You also have to factor in six minutes of what is likely garbage time, and figure out how much that's worth.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Kenyon Martin. He can be the enforcer for the 2013 championship team in the same vein as Kevin Willis in 2003.

Beat me to it, Chopper. ;)

K-Mart as the enforcer and we have an almost perfectly balanced squad for the upcoming season. :toast

[-21-]

We don't need anymore guards or swingmen. I think we already got that "athletic guard" you are describing in Kawhi and Green. We're loaded on those positions. If we're gonna go get somebody it should be a big.


Kenyon Martin. He can be the enforcer for the 2013 championship team in the same vein as Kevin Willis in 2003.

^^^This. He's the best option we got in FA tbh. Anyone hear some news about him?

[Dingle Barry]

I really want Martin on this team.

[ChumpDumper]

A minor mention: Julian Wright was scheduled to play on the Nets' SL team in Orlando but had some kind of leg injury. He really tore up the D-League playoffs for the Toros and could possibly show up in training camp if the Spurs completely strike out in free agency.