IMO

[SequSpur]

If the spurs don't waive or trade matt bonner and move the fuck on, then basically they are just stupid. Which is probably the case. No need to explain further.

[SpursNextRomanEmpire]

You should change your user title tbh imo

[racm]

Bonner's salary is still fully guaranteed this year so waiving him won't allow financial flexibility. Better a trade tbh

[TrainOfThought5]

For my first non-introductory post I will attempt to turn this into a legitimate thread.

Topic of discussion: the difference between Bonner's pro/con impact this year versus the past, and its correlation with Curry/Powell.

Bonner's late season & postseason struggles have been well documented, and hindsight has deemed his extension questionable. But up until this point Bonner's negatives have only hurt us on the court, his "playoff pipsqueakiness" has been a contained bomb of sabotaging suckitude. But in 2012-2013, his mere PRESENCE on the roster may do FUTURE harm to the team in terms of *LOSING OUT ON SUPERIOR TALENT* in Powell/Curry. please let me explain further.

On the Hardwood, Bonner of course provides spacing (sometimes), corporate knowledge (with limited impact due to subpar physical ability). and an all around good guy in the locker room. Which in theory has been fine because Spurs have been unable to find anyone better willing to play for the Spurs due to whatever reason (contract/chemistry/character/lack of talent/IQ). However, for the first time in ages we have someone on the roster who is legitimately better now in the post (Curry), AND someone who is better on the perimeter (Powell). With Curry's superior offensive post skills, and defensive size, he is the best "post option" we've had in ages. With Powell's athleticism and defensive ability to guard athletic 4's, he's undoubtedly a better option to turn to from the bench than Bonner.

Superiority established? Great. Now we get to the crux.

We owe Bonner this year. 3 million guaranteed I believe. which means unless our owner feels like giving money away, Bonner will be here NOT for basketball reasons, but financial reasons. A tragic, unintended consequence. Yes this will hurt the team now as it has in the past. But more importantly it now DENIES us the ROSTER SPOT to give to someone more deserving, someone who could be a great rotation player and transition piece into the Kawhi Leonard era. Something that Bonner couldnt DREAM of being. Something that Curry and Powell COULD be. Gentleman, it is my opinion that PATFO not trading or at the worst releasing Bonner will be their LAST misstep of the Duncan Era, and the FIRST misstep leading into the Kawhi Leonard Era. What is your opinion?

[TDMVPDPOY]

should try and package him with the other turd + CJ to toronto....

[ElNono]

I'd love to be Jeff McDonald in my last day of work, head up to Pop, and ask him if he apologized to Tim for wasting 4-5 years of his career with that playoff pussy.

IMO, the reality is that both Pop and the FO have an irrational love with ginger, and having DRz wearing his number 15 jersey with his red head on the sidelines probably makes them feel validated. Unfortunately, unless ginger pulls a Finley and requests to be traded/released (unlikely as hell), I don't see anything changing. He'll probably be a good 3 point shooter during the RS then proceed to grow a gigantic vagina as April looms.

[racm]

should try and package him with the other turd + CJ to toronto....

For whom? Raps already have a soft big man who likes to shoot 3s.

[racm]

I'd love to be Jeff McDonald in my last day of work, head up to Pop, and ask him if he apologized to Tim for wasting 4-5 years of his career with that playoff pussy.

IMO, the reality is that both Pop and the FO have an irrational love with ginger, and having DRz wearing his number 15 jersey with his red head on the sidelines probably makes them feel validated. Unfortunately, unless ginger pulls a Finley and requests to be traded/released (unlikely as hell), I don't see anything changing. He'll probably be a good 3 point shooter during the RS then proceed to grow a gigantic vagina as April looms.

As much I hate Bonner's disappearing act during the PS, don't you think it's a bit more worrying that the Spurs have to hope their 8th/9th best player steps up to win playoff series because the Big 3 simply can't cut it anymore?

[ElNono]

As much I hate Bonner's disappearing act during the PS, don't you think it's a bit more worrying that the Spurs have to hope their 8th/9th best player steps up to win playoff series because the Big 3 simply can't cut it anymore?

I could only wish they thought Matt was their 8th/9th best player... he's officially the 1st big off the bench (at best, 2nd), and an integral part of the rotation. It's also a double-whammy because if you pair him with TD, then TD has to work like crazy on defense and you wear him out, but if you play him while TD is sitting, you basically have a turnstile under the basket.

Because Tim and Manu are old, the Spurs *will* need more contributions from their role players. The margin for winning a series against good teams when one of those role players is an absolute turd is very slim. Getting Jack for RJ and Kawhi helped on that department when it comes to perimeter defense. But inside, and especially defensively, we've been hurting for years now. To top it off, as if he wasn't already unathletic and an atrocious rebounder, he's also getting old.

There are other areas where he's problematic as well, for example, the team gets used to the "easy 3s" coming from him on offense, but then the playoffs come around and the guy starts passing up shots or not hitting the side of a barn, and that fucks up your entire season. You've been playing 82 games getting the team as a well oiled machine as possible, and now this guy just quits and throws a wrench right there. That's why I don't subscribe to the "well, let's use him just for the RS". If you're going to do that, bring in a new guy so he goes through the entire process, and when the playoffs roll around, he's ready to contribute.

[AussieFanKurt]

What I don't understand is how mediocre players survive in professional sport. My aussie team has a complete dud who somehow has been on the roster for 8 years while doing nothing. I don't understand how shit players keep from getting cut year to year. What do the coaches see that we don't?

[DapDaGenius]

What I don't understand is how mediocre players survive in professional sport. My aussie team has a complete dud who somehow has been on the roster for 8 years while doing nothing. I don't understand how shit players keep from getting cut year to year. What do the coaches see that we don't?

They are probably really good friends with the "guys upstairs".

[racm]

I could only wish they thought Matt was their 8th/9th best player... he's officially the 1st big off the bench (at best, 2nd), and an integral part of the rotation. It's also a double-whammy because if you pair him with TD, then TD has to work like crazy on defense and you wear him out, but if you play him while TD is sitting, you basically have a turnstile under the basket.

Because Tim and Manu are old, the Spurs *will* need more contributions from their role players. The margin for winning a series against good teams when one of those role players is an absolute turd is very slim. Getting Jack for RJ and Kawhi helped on that department when it comes to perimeter defense. But inside, and especially defensively, we've been hurting for years now. To top it off, as if he wasn't already unathletic and an atrocious rebounder, he's also getting old.

There are other areas where he's problematic as well, for example, the team gets used to the "easy 3s" coming from him on offense, but then the playoffs come around and the guy starts passing up shots or not hitting the side of a barn, and that fucks up your entire season. You've been playing 82 games getting the team as a well oiled machine as possible, and now this guy just quits and throws a wrench right there. That's why I don't subscribe to the "well, let's use him just for the RS". If you're going to do that, bring in a new guy so he goes through the entire process, and when the playoffs roll around, he's ready to contribute.

Which is why I'm waiting until the trade deadline to see if there's any effort to improve the team by taking Bonbon off the roster. He's already in Pop's doghouse for being invisible even in the preseason - let's hope it means more. :toast

[swaggerjackson]

As much as I don't like Bonner, I don't think trading or releasing him is great idea. He knows the system and even if he disappears in the playoffs he plays decent for the regular season. He is a guy that can handle minutes during the regular season and rest other bigs. On the topic of Curry and Powell I am a little peeved that we can't keep both. But you also have to remember that these are end of the bench training camp players. As good as they have looked they are playing against preseason teams. There is a solid chance their production would take a big hit when the regular season starts. And I am not super excited about getting rid of a big in general, especially one who already know the team and other players are comfortable with. In my opinion the problem is the guard rotation. I actually like all of these players but it is clear that will not need all of them (Neal, De Colo, Joseph, Mills). One of them will earn the backup pg role and maybe one other will squeeze in minutes as a third pg or third sg, but that still means two talented guards will ride the bench. This was poor planning on the FO's part and this is what is preventing us from bring on both Curry and Powell (if in fact that is what the spurs want to do). I don't know what our options are for sending players to the D-league without risk of other teams signing them but it is clear that atleast two of our guards will most likely not help us unless there are major injuries. We are supposed to be in win now mode but I wonder why De Colo and Cojo are on our roster. And even if they do crack the rotation then you have to wonder why Neal and Mills are on the roster. This is the true problem IMO

[therealtruth]

As much I hate Bonner's disappearing act during the PS, don't you think it's a bit more worrying that the Spurs have to hope their 8th/9th best player steps up to win playoff series because the Big 3 simply can't cut it anymore?

Bonner is near the top of the team in plus minus. The gameplan relies on a big that can draw the opposing bigs out of the paint.

[Supreme_Being]

Bonner + 1rd pick for Asik...... do it rc...

[Dex]

Bonner + 1rd pick for Asik...... do it rc...

Houston seems as high on Asik as just about any other player on their roster, and that is mostly due to his defensive ceiling. No way would they trade him for a defensively-challenged big man, even with the 1st round pick (which doesn't have much value, as it will likely be anywhere between 25-30) as a kicker.

[FromWayDowntown]

What I don't understand is how mediocre players survive in professional sport. My aussie team has a complete dud who somehow has been on the roster for 8 years while doing nothing. I don't understand how shit players keep from getting cut year to year. What do the coaches see that we don't?

For one thing, with Bonner at least, the Spurs see a guy who can help get them through the regular season by eating up a significant number of minutes while doing things that aid in compiling a good record. So, it's not that Bonner is doing nothing -- it's that he's doing nothing in the playoffs. I'd agree with the proposition that the latter justifies trying to find a way to get him out of San Antonio, but I think the regular season success that he has enjoyed keeps him out of the "doing nothing" category.

[racm]

For one thing, with Bonner at least, the Spurs see a guy who can help get them through the regular season by eating up a significant number of minutes while doing things that aid in compiling a good record. So, it's not that Bonner is doing nothing -- it's that he's doing nothing in the playoffs. I'd agree with the proposition that the latter justifies trying to find a way to get him out of San Antonio, but I think the regular season success that he has enjoyed keeps him out of the "doing nothing" category.

Which is why the trade deadline is the best time to move him, tbh. His value is at a high.

[FromWayDowntown]

Which is why the trade deadline is the best time to move him, tbh. His value is at a high.

There's a much better chance that he'll be seen that way after a few months of making threes at a high rate.

I think teams are more aware now of his playoff shortcomings than they might have been a couple of years ago -- there's a longer record and it's driven Pop to very publicly go away from Bonner on a very big stage last spring.

With that said, the best the Spurs can hope for in dealing Bonner, I suspect, is an addition by subtraction sort of move. I remain hopeful that someone would be willing to give them the sort of deal that GST made in March for RJ, but that seems unlikely.

[ElNono]

For one thing, with Bonner at least, the Spurs see a guy who can help get them through the regular season by eating up a significant number of minutes while doing things that aid in compiling a good record. So, it's not that Bonner is doing nothing -- it's that he's doing nothing in the playoffs. I'd agree with the proposition that the latter justifies trying to find a way to get him out of San Antonio, but I think the regular season success that he has enjoyed keeps him out of the "doing nothing" category.

I agree with this. Matty is a hard worker and a professional, and I wouldn't tag him with "do nothing". But at the same time, this team is stacked enough to make the playoffs without him at this point (don't forget that during the 20 game win streak he was already playing like crap), and so his regular season prowess shouldn't guarantee him a salient role in the team. Plus up to a few seasons ago, you could give him the benefit of the doubt when it came to the playoffs, but at this stage there's little doubt he chokes. Coupled with him being on the wrong side of 30 and an expiring contract, you would think this is the time to trade him.

On the other hand, if I had to put $100 on what the FO will do with him, I would certainly bet it on them offering him an extension before the season is over...

[silverblk mystix]

Pop is really learning and improving all the time.

A few years back he rested the big "four" in a game at Denver. TD, Tony, Manu & Finley. (Bowen played with the scrubs)

This season pop recently rested the big "four" again. TD, Tony, Manu & Bonner.

Fast forward to this years playoff elimination and this will be almost all you really needed to know about this team.

[phxspurfan]

if I had to put $100 on what the FO will do with him, I would certainly bet it on them offering him an extension before the season is over...

If I was a betting man, I'd say the FO is smarter than one that would offer an extension to Bonner. I think they will let him walk and start looking at draft/undrafted big men and start stockpiling talent in hopes of rebuilding.

[DeadlyDynasty]

Sequ is the most honest poster on this site.

[manustarting2gd]

Honest= drunk. Yes sir he is. Who hasn't bitched about Bonner though?