Aron Baynes to sign with the Spurs

[benefactor]

Aron Baynes is close to signing a multi-year deal with the San Antonio Spurs, a source told Sportando confirming the Tweet from Djordje Matic.
Union Olimpija Ljubljana will get $400k as buyout for the Australian big man who averaged 13.8ppg and 9.8rpg in Euroleague this season.

http://www.sportando.net/eng/usa/nba/49074/aron-baynes-close-to-sign-a-multi-year-deal-with-the-spurs.html

[Texas_Ranger]

after Green another Union Olimpiija player.... Oh, he's a great rebounder.

[RodNIc91]

Fuuuuuuuuuuuck yeahhhhh!!!! Finallly

[benefactor]

Props to jyra for breaking the news.

[benefactor]

Aron Baynes Think Tank Thread (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=205300)

Also a nice call by Bruno for suggesting the Spurs would go after him.

[szkorhetz]

Fuck Yeah!

[objective]

Looks like I was dead wrong in the think tank thinking the Spurs wouldn't sign him. Hope I was also wrong in thinking that Pop wouldn't play him after how he's dealt with Splitter.

Mea Culpa.

[benefactor]

Looks like I was dead wrong in the think tank thinking the Spurs wouldn't sign him. Hope I was also wrong in thinking that Pop wouldn't play him after how he's dealt with Splitter.

Mea Culpa.
No apologies needed...it's not like think tank players ever actually happen. :lol

[benefactor]

I think it's also safe to say that Dejuan Blair's career as a Spur is close to ending. The Spurs asking price for Blair was higher than some teams wanted to pay initially but now that price could drop. Wouldn't be surprised to see him get dropped for a second rounder.

[racm]

Isn't he on the Australian national team too? Makes sense to bring in someone with some knowledge of the Spurs system (given how Brett Brown coached the 2012 squad).

[Russo21]

That's interesting. I really hope it's true. I'm an Australian so i'm all in for that move. As long as he gets some Playing time over the turd towers and not wasted on the bench doing nothing. He's about 6'10" 270lbs so he could be a nice interior presence. I read this line about him sometime last year.

Aron Baynes continues dominance in Europe

Aron has been playing incredible in Europe with a huge game yesterday 19 points, 16 rebounds and 3 assists. Its only a matter of time till Aron is in the NBA, His manager Daniel Moldovan has confirmed that there is 2 NBA GM's following Aron very closely and I'm sure there would be a few more!

Wander if RC was one of the two GM's keeping an eye on him back then. I hope this is true and the deal is going to be done soon.

[racm]

I think it's also safe to say that Dejuan Blair's career as a Spur is close to ending. The Spurs asking price for Blair was higher than some teams wanted to pay initially but now that price could drop. Wouldn't be surprised to see him get dropped for a second rounder.

Especially if Baynes' contract gets the salary up to the lux tax.

[szkorhetz]

Isn't he on the Australian national team too? Makes sense to bring in someone with some knowledge of the Spurs system (given how Brett Brown coached the 2012 squad).

From wikipedia:
Baynes played for the Australian National team in the London 2012 Olympic games. Although he only averaged 12 minutes a game, Baynes finished as the Boomers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boomers)' fifth-leading scorer and had averages of 7.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and an impressive 65% field-goal accuracy.

[benefactor]

Especially if Baynes' contract gets the salary up to the lux tax.
He's gone. He and Blair are basically the same from a player mold standpoint and I don't think the Spurs would have dropped 400k on a buyout if they didn't really like him and plan on using him.

[turkish spurs fan]

he is good but not very good. he plays as veteran-calmed, good rebounder but i dont think to save us. of course better than dejuan. if he fits a little, we can use taigo as a part of a trade.

[objective]

My questions are how is his pick-and-roll game with regards to catching and finishing?

If he ever does play it would probably be with Duncan and Splitter resting I would guess in lieu of Diaw at center for those rare minutes in games, and with either Ginobili or De Colo on the court at the same time Baynes will need to be able to catch some difficult passes and finish.

[racm]

he is good but not very good. he plays as veteran-calmed, good rebounder but i dont think to save us. of course better than dejuan. if he fits a little, we can use taigo as a part of a trade.

Tiago's in favor with Pop right now though, a little late but nevertheless.

He's here for depth; you do realize it's gotten to the point where Kawhi plays as the fourth big for stretches.

[racm]

My questions are how is his pick-and-roll game with regards to catching and finishing?

If he ever does play it would probably be with Duncan and Splitter resting I would guess in lieu of Diaw at center for those rare minutes in games, and with either Ginobili or De Colo on the court at the same time Baynes will need to be able to catch some difficult passes and finish.

Or tip in Patty's Kobe assists. :lol

[jyra]

My questions are how is his pick-and-roll game with regards to catching and finishing?

If he ever does play it would probably be with Duncan and Splitter resting I would guess in lieu of Diaw at center for those rare minutes in games, and with either Ginobili or De Colo on the court at the same time Baynes will need to be able to catch some difficult passes and finish.

He has some pretty good hands. His go to play in the Olympics was finishing alleyoop passes out of the pick and roll.

[racm]

He has some pretty good hands. His go to play in the Olympics was finishing alleyoop passes out of the pick and roll.

65% FG? That makes Tiago look like Kwame Brown on the finishing end. :lol

[smaka]

@turkish spurs fan: he is good but not very good. he plays as veteran-calmed, good rebounder but i dont think to save us. of course better than dejuan. if he fits a little, we can use taigo as a part of a trade.

How many of his games exactly have you watched hm?

[smaka]

Great news! Another player from my hometown team to play for Spurs (first Danny, now Aron).

[racm]

Depth chart:

Parker/Neal (move him to SG pls)/Mills/De Colo
Green/Ginobili
Leonard/Jackson
Duncan/Diaw/Bonner
Splitter/(Baynes?)

Blair likely dumped for a top 55 protected pick

[turkish spurs fan]

i live in europe bro and i follow euroleague. you re closer, what do you think? with baynes, will the spurs bigs be enough to be nba champion? i am not sure.

[racm]

i live in europe bro and i follow euroleague. you re closer, what do you think? with baynes, will the spurs bigs be enough to be nba champion? i am not sure.

The Spurs bigs most important in the postseason are Duncan, Splitter, and Diaw.

[smaka]

i live in europe bro and i follow euroleague. you re closer, what do you think? with baynes, will the spurs bigs be enough to be nba champion? i am not sure.

I went to watch every home game because he played in my hometown, and I watched every other game on tv, so yeah, I am kinda closer :)

[szkorhetz]

Actually, in the next couple of months, I hope it will be proven once again, that Our FO is still the best in the topic of Finding a diamond in the dust.

[Jordanobili2320]

I don't know anything about this guy. Will he be a rotation guy right away or is it way to early to even say this?

[turkish spurs fan]

I went to watch every home game because he played in my hometown, and I watched every other game on tv, so yeah, I am kinda closer :)

it is impossible to understand you. like you want to protect your son. i didn't say baynes is bad, good addition but we can not trust aron too much now. he has to prove himself to play well on higher stage. splitter came nba as an "mvp", it took 2 years to get used to here. i advise you to stop nationalism, be happy ok but calm down.

[racm]

I don't know anything about this guy. Will he be a rotation guy right away or is it way to early to even say this?

Doubt Pop throws a prospect into the fire this early. Took him two and a half seasons to start Tiago.

[TE]

Nice pick-up.

I remember him playing decently against team USA. IIRC, didn't he swat one of K-Love's three point attempts?

Anyway, as others have mentioned this move probably means the end for Blair.

[TE]

it is impossible to understand you. like you want to protect your son. i didn't say baynes is bad, good addition but we can not trust aron too much now. he has to prove himself to play well on higher stage. splitter came nba as an "mvp", it took 2 years to get used to here. i advise you to stop nationalism, be happy ok but calm down.
:lol

[racm]

Nice pick-up.

I remember him playing decently against team USA. IIRC, didn't he swat one of K-Love's three point attempts?

Anyway, as others have mentioned this move probably means the end for Blair.

Blair to Sacto for a top 55 protected pick, tbh. Maybe he can learn how to play post D despite being undersized from Chuck Hayes.

Hope this turns into our Malik for Nazr moment this season... :toast

[siraulo23]

who is this scrub? :lol

at least he's actually a big

[racm]

who is this scrub? :lol

at least he's actually a big

One of the better players on the Australian national team, allowed Patty to do his mini-AI thing. :lol

[td4mvp2k]

Good to see the Spurs going after a big and looking at what he did in euro it will be something to see.

[Richie]

Whens the earliest he can play? Will he have to wait for a work permit like Patty did?

[benefactor]

it is impossible to understand you. like you want to protect your son. i didn't say baynes is bad, good addition but we can not trust aron too much now. he has to prove himself to play well on higher stage. splitter came nba as an "mvp", it took 2 years to get used to here. i advise you to stop nationalism, be happy ok but calm down.
Best post of the thread so far tbh.

[Samr.]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK-nP3k_PCM

Big dude.

[Slippy]

Great news, another Aussie on board. Only got to see him from his Boomers play and my memories of him are a blur now but he was an eye-opener.

Remember him defending well in the paint, ran the floor hard, showed nice touch around the basket. Was surprisingly athletic and mobile for his size.. as in wasn't your typical Aussie stiff. lol

[8FOR!3]

GREAT news. I'm telling you guys he is the big we needed. Big and strong, he's got legit NBA center size. This is the guy we've been missing since last year to complete the team. Now you just need everybody to step up, play well, and stay health. But we've got all the pieces as far as I'm concerned.

[Richie]

Glad we supposedly signed him for a 2+2, avoids a possible 'posion pill' contract ala Lin and Asik

[racm]

Glad we supposedly signed him for a 2+2, avoids a possible 'posion pill' contract ala Lin and Asik

The Spurs rarely hand out bad contracts, and when they do, they flip them for better ones. Usually.

[DapDaGenius]

I think it's also safe to say that Dejuan Blair's career as a Spur is close to ending. The Spurs asking price for Blair was higher than some teams wanted to pay initially but now that price could drop. Wouldn't be surprised to see him get dropped for a second rounder.

Thanks a lot for posting this here man. I'm excited about seeing where this all goes. About Blair's career here coming to an end...I have to agree. It doesn't seem like they'd keep him(seeing as he is the weakest link in this situation). What do you think they would do with Blair, though?

[callo1]

Hmm...me thinks this is a prelude to a Spurs trade soon to come.

[exstatic]

Hmm...me thinks this is a prelude to a Spurs trade soon to come.

Yeah, but probably NOT the one people are thinking.

Am I REALLY the only one that sees this as Tiago backstop insurance, instead of a Blair replacement? If you look at what Asik got last year, you'll realize that if T hits the open market, he's gone. Methinks that if they can't extend him by the deadline, he'll be flipped to avoid losing him for nothing.

[td4mvp2k]

Hmm...me thinks this is a prelude to a Spurs trade soon to come.a trade with neal and blair will be good.

[elemento]

Hmm...me thinks this is a prelude to a Spurs trade soon to come.

Hopefully involving Blair and Bonner tbh

[DapDaGenius]

Hopefully involving Blair and Bonner tbh

The first 2 people who need to be moved off of the team.

[Paranoid Pop]

They don't really need a trade now even tho one could be nice.

As a back up center he was the best choice as he provides some much needed rebounding, will be a great fit next to Boris, Boris + Tiago is a bad combination, too soft, doesn't rebound well enough.

The only thing left is to figure out the backup point guard situation.

I'd start Manu and give the second unit playmaking duties to De Colo / Boris but as long as they come up with something that works...

[NickiRasgo]

Wow nice! Hopefully they're not done yet doing move.

[Russ]

Just another Euro for Pop to abuse?

Or, how could this affect the rotation from 5 on down? More or less of anyone? Bonner? Green?

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Can't imagine the Spurs having a full 15 man roster post the trade deadline and miss out on potential bought out targets. Neither do I expect them to go over the lux tax threshold. There must be another move coming up.

[Bruno]

Who the hell is this guy? Never heard of him...

[timtonymanu]

The Aussie population is about to increase on this site. :lol

Good pickup. We at least have a 4th big that isn't named Bonner or Blair.

And yes, this is it for Blair.

[Fabbs]

Isn't the important thing that he be a good citizen off the court and run the correct plays in the *system*?

[spurspokesman]

This should be interesting and make for good drama here on spurstalk lmao.

[Mel_13]

Yeah, but probably NOT the one people are thinking.

Am I REALLY the only one that sees this as Tiago backstop insurance, instead of a Blair replacement? If you look at what Asik got last year, you'll realize that if T hits the open market, he's gone. Methinks that if they can't extend him by the deadline, he'll be flipped to avoid losing him for nothing.

Splitter can't be extended. He will be a free agent on July 1st. The Spurs will almost certainly extend the necessary qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent and will have the option to match any offer he receives. They'll certainly match Asik money (3yrs/25M). Personally, I believe they'll reach an agreement before he ever talks to another team.

Baynes takes Blair's spot on the payroll as the minimum salary reserve big.

[szkorhetz]

Splitter can't be extended. He will be a free agent on July 1st. The Spurs will almost certainly extend the necessary qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent and will have the option to match any offer he receives. They'll certainly match Asik money (3yrs/25M). Personally, I believe they'll reach an agreement before he ever talks to another team.

Baynes takes Blair's spot on the payroll as the minimum salary reserve big.
Aren't minimum contracts restricted to one year?

[Strategic]

Hope this turns into our Malik for Nazr moment this season... :toast

That's a big hope, and I hope you are right. Maybe he's someone that can guard the Bosh, Gasol and Ibaka types in the 15 feet mid range zone with out being on his heels, with Ibaka being the main one. If he can cut Ibaka's wide open jump shots in half that would be something special.

[Paranoid Pop]

Who the hell is this guy? Never heard of him...


:lol Well done! There's zero doubt the FO is reading the spurstalk tbh.

[Bruno]

First, before celebrating, I will wait for a serious source to report it.

If it's true, it's a damn good signing. Byanes isn't very talented but he is big, strong, quite mobile and plays hard. A true blue collar (not like Tiago is). A great fit for that 15th spot, Spurs needed a center and Baynes was likely the best option available.

[Mel_13]

They don't really need a trade now even tho one could be nice.

As a back up center he was the best choice as he provides some much needed rebounding, will be a great fit next to Boris, Boris + Tiago is a bad combination, too soft, doesn't rebound well enough.

The only thing left is to figure out the backup point guard situation.

I'd start Manu and give the second unit playmaking duties to De Colo / Boris but as long as they come up with something that works...

Barring injury, I see him as the 3rd string center who only plays in garbage time, in case of foul trouble, or in tank games. Blair's current role.

Good to add him to the roster now and get that part of his development out of the way this season. Should be ready to contribute to the limits of his abilities right out of camp next season.

[Mel_13]

Aren't minimum contracts restricted to one year?

3 years. Gary Neal is on the 3rd year of a 3yr minimum deal.

[Paranoid Pop]

Barring injury, I see him as the 3rd string center who only plays in garbage time, in case of foul trouble, or in tank games. Blair's current role.

Good to add him to the roster now and get that part of his development out of the way this season. Should be ready to contribute to the limits of his abilities right out of camp next season.

Yeah I completely disagree, Tiago 3 rebounds games makes it impossible to play him 30+ minutes for the sake of it, he's just not good enough.

[Mel_13]

Yeah I completely disagree, Tiago 3 rebounds games makes it impossible to play him 30+ minutes for the sake of it, he's just not good enough.

Noted.

[Bruno]

3 years. Gary Neal is on the 3rd year of a 3yr minimum deal.

Neal was signed with a part of the MLE.

Spurs can sign Baynes with a min contract exception or the rest of the LLE for up to 1 and a half years.
Spurs can sign Baynes with the rest of their MLE for up to 3 and a half years.

[DapDaGenius]

Can someone tell me how tall this guy is? I've seen him listed at 6'9, 6'10 and 7'0...

[td4mvp2k]

Bonner and Baynes 2 for1.

[Mel_13]

Neal was signed with a part of the MLE.

Spurs can sign Baynes with a min contract exception or the rest of the LLE for up to 1 and a half years.
Spurs can sign Baynes with the rest of their MLE for up to 3 and a half years.

Thanks. I was just about to ask about the possibility of using the remainder of the MLE.

Under that scenario, he would get a pro-rated portion of the 500K remaining on the MLE for this season and then the vet minimum salary for the remainder of the deal? Is that how it would work?

[Raven]

Awesome!!!
Seen him plenty of times, and while I understand the hype and excitement (especially since he comes in for Blair), i'm thinking people may be putting the bar a little too high, he showed a lot of flawes in his game at the rim and I had the feeling the euroleague games were a bit fluky. Still, when one experiment fails it is time to move on and start another one, so I'm happy. Also, he should be very very cheap, he earned 70k a year at Olimpija. the 2+2 contract seems just perfect.

[Raven]

Can someone tell me how tall this guy is? I've seen him listed at 6'9, 6'10 and 7'0...

he's 6-8 tbh, 208cm to be more precise.. And here starts the suicidal part of the thread :lmao

[Bruno]

Under that scenario, he would get a pro-rated portion of the 500K remaining on the MLE for this season and then the vet minimum salary for the remainder of the deal? Is that how it would work?

Yep, that's how it would work but the MLE pro-ration isn't like the minimum salary pro-ration. The rest of the available MLE will decrease by 1/170th each day starting January 10th. If he can sign today he will get the full $500K and his salary will decrease by $3K with each day.

[jiggy_55]

Is it for sure he's joining this season? I read it's possible he will join next year. Any videos?

[benefactor]

Yeah, but probably NOT the one people are thinking.

Am I REALLY the only one that sees this as Tiago backstop insurance, instead of a Blair replacement? If you look at what Asik got last year, you'll realize that if T hits the open market, he's gone. Methinks that if they can't extend him by the deadline, he'll be flipped to avoid losing him for nothing.
Blair has already shown his ability to go emo when he doesn't get playing time. Bringing in yet another big that is similar to him and will play in front of him will likely cause more of the same...which is why I see the Spurs moving Blair sooner than later.

[Raven]

Is it for sure he's joining this season? I read it's possible he will join next year. Any videos?

I think he comes right away since he had a one year deal with Olimpija and it is reported that a buyout will be paid. No need to pay a buyout for a free agent ...

[Bruno]

Can someone tell me how tall this guy is? I've seen him listed at 6'9, 6'10 and 7'0...

He has been measured at the 2009 Portsmouth invitational tournament for college seniors:
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Aron-Baynes-5086/

Height w/o Shoes: 6' 10.5"
Height w/shoes: 7' 0"
Weight: 259 lbs
Wingspan: 7' 2.5"

[Blackjack]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByG4q37G8CU

Apparently there isn't an NBA player or fringe player without a fan. There's always somethin on YouTube. lol

[benefactor]

he's 6-8 tbh, 208cm to be more precise.. And here starts the suicidal part of the thread :lmao
Not sure where youi got that number. Per Draftexpress he is 6'10.5 without shoes.

[Rito3d30]

he's 6-8 tbh, 208cm to be more precise.. And here starts the suicidal part of the thread :lmao

I thought he's a 7 footer:wow

[Mel_13]

Yep, that's how it would work but the MLE pro-ration isn't like the minimum salary pro-ration. The rest of the available MLE will decrease by 1/170th each day starting January 10th. If he can sign today he will get the full $500K and his salary will decrease by $3K with each day.

Thanks.

Didn't think they would be able to use the 500K left over from Boris, but getting a player like this on essentially a 4 year minimum deal would be great.

[biskvito]

he's 6-8 tbh, 208cm to be more precise.. And here starts the suicidal part of the thread :lmao
Blair replacement ?


Tiago 3 rebounds games.
5reb on 21min this season, to be exact

[Raven]

Not sure where youi got that number. Per Draftexpress he is 6'10.5 without shoes.

208 centimetrov visoki avstralski reprezentant je v letošnji sezoni Evrolige v povprečju dosegal 13,8 točke in 9,8 skoka na tekmo, s čimer je bil prvi skakalec prvega dela najelitnejšega košarkarskega klubskega tekmovanja v Evropi. Nekaj nižje povprečje - 12,4 točke in 6,8 skoka - ima v Jadranski ligi.

translated:
the 208cm tall Australian blabla..

from rtvslo.si you can't get more official than that, also I'm slovenian and have seen him around Alen Omič who's a true 7footer+ and he looks A LOT shorter..

[MI21]

If true, nice signing by the Spurs. It's nice as a Spurs fan to know there is a good chance of an Australian being around. (Gaze, Heal, Mills, Brett Brown etc..)

Being Australian, I've watched a bit of Baynes. I liken him to a Tyler Hansbrough type of player. (not saying he is as good as Psycho T, but same mold).

A few of my thoughts on him:

- He is a very burly player and likes to throw his weight around.
- Surprisingly agile and mobile for a guy his weight, particularly on the offensive end. Can jump higher than you expect.
- He is aggressive towards the rim, something the Spurs definitely lack.
- He isn't to great laterally so don't expect to see him offering up much resistance to perimeter orientated big-men.
- He is quite stout defensively in the post but overall I envision him having trouble guarding 4/5's (won't be able to alter/block NBA players shots on the interior).
- Good rebounder, I can see that trait transferring to the NBA.
- Not a great passer or ball-handler
- Has decent hands when taking passes on the interior or up high
- His jumpshot is ok, it doesn't stretch out any further than 15ft. He isn't LaMarcus Aldridge with the J but isn't Reggie Evans either.
- Plays the pick n roll well offensively
- Sets good hard picks (he is wide!)

All in all, he is a good signing. I would prefer to see him on the court over Blair (sad, I was a very big DeJuan fan) or Bonner at the moment. Down the road he could become a very good 4th bigman. Expecting anything more will likely lead to disappointment.

[timaios]

he's 6-8 tbh, 208cm to be more precise.. And here starts the suicidal part of the thread :lmao

208 cm = 6'10 (6' 9.9 to be more precise...)

1 foot = 30.48 centimeters
1 inch = 2.54 centimeters

6*30.48 + 10* 2.54 = 208.28 cm

[jiggy_55]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByG4q37G8CU

Apparently there isn't an NBA player or fringe player without a fan. There's always somethin on YouTube. lol

Seems athletic, big, and quite mobile.

[Raven]

208 cm = 6'10 (6' 9.9 to be more precise...)

google says 6.82415, not sure though..

[DapDaGenius]

He has been measured at the 2009 Portsmouth invitational tournament for college seniors:
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Aron-Baynes-5086/

Height w/o Shoes: 6' 10.5"
Height w/shoes: 7' 0"
Weight: 259 lbs
Wingspan: 7' 2.5"

Thanks.

[Mel_13]

Not sure where youi got that number. Per Draftexpress he is 6'10.5 without shoes.

Euroleague.net has him at 2.08m which converts to 6'10". The guy next to him (Baynes is #12) in this picture is listed at 7':

http://www.euroleague.net/rs/40836/45d06ff8-6247-4820-b4fc-659a7cd7547c/569/filename/45d.jpg

[szkorhetz]

208 cm = 6'10 (6' 9.9 to be more precise...)

Yeah.. 203 cm is 6-8..
just ask the European Spurs fans, they are better in US measurements, than you guys in the metric system.. :D

[benefactor]

208 centimetrov visoki avstralski reprezentant je v letošnji sezoni Evrolige v povprečju dosegal 13,8 točke in 9,8 skoka na tekmo, s čimer je bil prvi skakalec prvega dela najelitnejšega košarkarskega klubskega tekmovanja v Evropi. Nekaj nižje povprečje - 12,4 točke in 6,8 skoka - ima v Jadranski ligi.

translated:
the 208cm tall Australian blabla..

from rtvslo.si you can't get more official than that, also I'm slovenian and have seen him around Alen Omič who's a true 7footer+ and he looks A LOT shorter..
The measurements they put on DX are legit. I've never seen anyone prove otherwise. You don't have to believe it if you don't want to though. You are a pretty shitty poster overall so no one is going to care what you believe.

[timaios]

google says 6.82415, not sure though..

1 foot = 30.48 centimeters
1 inch = 2.54 centimeters

6*30.48 + 10* 2.54 = 208.28 cm

[loveforthegame]

Good stuff. Hope it's true. :tu

Interesting player and certainly provides some stuff we're lacking.

And hopefully this means Blair is out the door.

[loveforthegame]

DP. Sorry.

[Raven]

1 foot = 30.48 centimeters
1 inch = 2.54 centimeters

6*30.48 + 10* 2.54 = 208.28 cm
http://www.manuelsweb.com/ft_in_cm.htm

this gives it as you say, I'm not sure why google does it differently, probably i miss typed something.. well good to know that's solved, sorry for the missunderstanding..

[Bruno]

Heights in Europe are most of the time given without shoes while NBA heights are always with shoes. It explains the little difference here.

[Boomersgold]

Awesome! Aaron and Patty's Aussie connection vs De Colo, Diaw and Parker's french connection!

[Boomersgold]

One of the better players on the Australian national team, allowed Patty to do his mini-AI thing. :lol

Baynes wasn't good enough to make the National team though, which is a bit of a worry, tbh. Gives us some size down low, but he has no legitimate post moves and mostly relies on his mediocre jumpshot to score (a typical european/asian big man)

EDIT: Confused him with the Aussie scrub that is AJ Ogilvy. Baynes is a BEAST! A very physical big man that gives us a dominating presence down low on defense. He'll have to work on his offense though if he is to be effective in the NBA. Hopefully, this'll improve Patty's play due to them already having developed some chemistry playing with the Australian National team.

[tp2021]

Doubt Pop throws a prospect into the fire this early. Took him two and a half seasons to start Tiago.

I doubt they drop those stacks just to seize him in the middle of the season if they don't plan on utilizing him. Unlike Tiago, who had his overseas pedigree as his claim for minutes, Baynes already has familiarity with the Spurs system and staff.

[cd98]

He looks like he could lay a hard foul on someone. Other than that, he also looks like he is fringe NBA material and a longshot to stay in the NBA.

[timaios]

http://www.manuelsweb.com/ft_in_cm.htm

this gives it as you say, I'm not sure why google does it differently, probably i miss typed something.. well good to know that's solved, sorry for the missunderstanding..

Because google says 208 cm = 6.8241 feet... and 0.8241 feet = 9.8892 inches --> 6 feet 9.8892 inches

[jon123spurs]

From what I've seen from YouTube, dude can dunk. He's a big SOB too.

[boutons_deux]

The Aussie population is about to increase on this site. :lol

Good pickup. We at least have a 4th big that isn't named Bonner or Blair.

And yes, this is it for Blair.

he's from Jizz Bourne NZ, not AU

[I. Hustle]

He looks like he could lay a hard foul on someone. Other than that, he also looks like he is fringe NBA material and a longshot to stay in the NBA.

http://hotdogandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/questionablecougars.jpg

[Boomersgold]

http://hotdogandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/questionablecougars.jpg

I'm certain that he's actually wrestling that other guy for the offensive board in the above photo.

[I. Hustle]

Oh, he's getting offensive alright!

[silverblackfan]

Sounds like a solid signing to shore up the Spurs front line. The guys looks big enough to do the job. Hopefully the FO has in the inside scoop on his potential from Patty and Brett Brown. 2+2 seems like a green light for his potential.
Also agree that it seems like DB could be traded.

Oh yeah, to all the incoming Aussie Spurs fans: Welcome! :toast

[Mel_13]

He's jumping to the NBA for the better lodging arrangements.

[Raven]

Because google says 208 cm = 6.8241 feet... and 0.8241 feet = 9.8892 inches --> 6 feet 9.8892 inches

ahhhh i get it.. thanks for the explanation, i thought my world was gonna end thinking google let me down for the first time :lol

[Dex]

Not necessarily the most water-tight source, but:


San Antonio have reportedly signed Australian big man and former Washington State Cougar Aron Baynes to a multi-year deal after buying out his contract with Olimpija Ljublijana for $400,000, according to www.talkbasket.net.

The 26-year-old, 7-foot (6-foot-10 without shoes), 260-pound center averaged 13.8 points per game and 9.8 boards with Olimpija last season. Baynes, a former teammate of Danny Green, is a big, physical center who could provide a nice complement to the Spurs' current bigs.

We haven't received official word from Spurs media relations, and the specifics aren't completely known, but we'll have more information has it comes along.

The signing potentially gives the Spurs more trade pieces as we get closer to the February deadline.

Follow along on Twitter: @mtynan_PtR

http://www.talkbasket.net/7503-san-antonio-spurs-sign-aaron-baynes.html

[Dex]

See also:


Eurohoops.net ‏@Eurohoopsnet

The deal is done! @Aron_Baynes will be a member of the @spurs until 2014 with a guaranteed contract http://www.eurohoops.net/2013/01/dribbling/16727

[mountainballer]

props to Bruno and all the others who saw this coming in the think tank some months ago!

Spurs get a poor man's Pekovic, should be a decent option for the bench and definitely an upgrade over this years DeJuan Blair.

[superbigtime]

Hell to the yeah!

[Fireball]

Wow, surprising news. But it sounds great, I remember seeing this guy in the Olympics. We need rebounding and this guy is able to provide it. But we need this upgrade now and I do not know how fast Pop will integrate him ...

[superbigtime]

208 centimetrov visoki avstralski reprezentant je v letošnji sezoni Evrolige v povprečju dosegal 13,8 točke in 9,8 skoka na tekmo, s čimer je bil prvi skakalec prvega dela najelitnejšega košarkarskega klubskega tekmovanja v Evropi. Nekaj nižje povprečje - 12,4 točke in 6,8 skoka - ima v Jadranski ligi.

translated:
the 208cm tall Australian blabla..

from rtvslo.si you can't get more official than that, also I'm slovenian and have seen him around Alen Omič who's a true 7footer+ and he looks A LOT shorter..


Doing the math, 208 cm = 6 feet 9.90 inches.

[Boomersgold]

Wow, surprising news. But it sounds great, I remember seeing this guy in the Olympics. We need rebounding and this guy is able to provide it. But we need this upgrade now and I do not know how fast Pop will integrate him ...

Brett Brown was the Australian National Coach, and as the coach, he often ran plays that were straight out of the Spurs playbook. That should make it easier for Pop to integrate Baynes into the Spurs system.

[Dex]

Wow, surprising news. But it sounds great, I remember seeing this guy in the Olympics. We need rebounding and this guy is able to provide it. But we need this upgrade now and I do not know how fast Pop will integrate him ...

I think he may have a chance. Pop used to be slow to throw rookies in the fire (with the exceptions of Tim, Tony, and Manu), but that seems to have waned over the past couple seasons.

Splitter's slow development was due to a number of reasons:
1) Kept getting hurt in training camp
2) Also kept getting hurt when starting to get serious minutes
3) Pop preferred to play him with the bench unit
4) Spurs were winning with Blair and/or Bonner starting, and Pop was giving them their chance (rightfully or wrongfully)
5) Pop being stubborn

However, if you look at the recent past....Hill made the rotation in his rookie season, even started some games. Same goes for Blair. Ditto Neal and Leonard.

Midseason may be a different story, but as badly as the Spurs need post presence and rebounds (things that translate over from Europe a little easier), Pop may be willing to give this guy a chance if Blair continues to underperform and Bonner continues to be Matt Bonner.

[xellos88330]

Considering the Spurs have been getting their asses kicked on the boards during the last couple of losses, I am assuming he might get playing time sooner than we all think. The signing can also light a fire under the Spurs regulars to start rebounding because Pop appears to not be bluffing about finding a rebounder.

[xellos88330]

On another note, it is definitely nice to see that the Spurs have a TALL physical presence now. Sorry Blair, and keep working on that J.

[SenorSpur]

Since he obviously plays close to the basket, does anyone know how he is in the areas of shotblocking and defending the pick-n-roll?

[ace3g]

Wow, I wasn't expecting this to be the first thread when I woke up today!!!

Glad they were able to get this done before the trade deadline (although I wish it was sooner) so they can see what they have in Baynes and decide if they still need to make some changes.

[ace3g]

Jonathan Givony ‏@DraftExpress (https://twitter.com/DraftExpress) Slovenian source confirms Aron Baynes signing with San Antonio Spurs. 3 1/2 year deal. Last two years are team options. $400k buyout.

[SanDiegoSpursFan]

Another tall guy on the roster!

[Darkwaters]

Blair is clearly on his way out. I wonder if the Spurs could actually get anything for him? My guess is no. At best we might wrestle a Top 59 protected 2nd rounder - so basically, nothing. But do we just cut him outright if a trade partner can't be found?

[ace3g]

Jonathan Givony ‏@DraftExpress (https://twitter.com/DraftExpress) Aron Baynes contract details (unconfirmed): 750k (prorated?), 750k, 2 million, 2 million. Last two years at Spurs options. Cheap deal for SA

[Chinook]

How can his contract increase that much between years 2 and 3? Is that because of some obscure rule like the Arenas Rule was for Lin and Asik, or it this something that happens normally?

[ace3g]

Two things that he still needs to work on are his foul and TO rate.

[NRHector]

Another tall guy on the roster!

yeah another tall guy who probably will be on the bench the first year becuase lack of corporate knowledge and doesn't spread the floor

[Mel_13]

How can his contract increase that much between years 2 and 3? Is that because of some obscure rule like the Arenas Rule was for Lin and Asik, or it this something that happens normally?

See Bruno's post from earlier in thread. A 4yr contract would have to be for the remainder of the MLE and would be 500K, min, min, min.

If true, especially if the last two years are team options, this is a very low risk/high reward deal for the Spurs.

[Bruno]

From reading reports, Baynes deal should be something like:
2012-2013: $500,000
2013-2014: $788,872
2014-2015: $915,243
2015-2016: $981,348

The first year could be few $K (depending on when he will sign) and the last 2 years should be unguaranteed. In addition to that Spurs have given $400K to Lubjana for the buyout. So, Spurs have invested $1.7M in Baynes.

[DesignatedT]

His twitter if you want to follow

https://twitter.com/aronbaynes

[Seventyniner]

Are foreign free agents more likely to take less money to join the Spurs than another team? If so, is that because of the large international presence already on the team, the FO's good reputation, the fact that the team is good, or something else?

[Chinook]

See Bruno's post from earlier in thread. A 4yr contract would have to be for the remainder of the MLE and would be 500K, min, min, min.

If true, especially if the last two years are team options, this is a very low risk/high reward deal for the Spurs.

Thanks, but I was referring to the post ace3g had saying that years 3 and 4 were for $2 Million each. Maybe the source mistook $2 Million total over those years as annual amounts?

[Bruno]

And now that more known sources are confirming this deal: :elephant

I don't expect Baynes to be great but he will be solid. I hope Pop will be done with playing lineups without a center. Diaw, Bonner or Blair at center sucks.

[ploto]

Great news! Another player from my hometown team to play for Spurs (first Danny, now Aron).

Forgot someone...

[Supreme_Being]

Our mini-blake griffin?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi_M5yr90EA

[DesignatedT]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi_M5yr90EA

[Bruno]

The buyout could also only be $300K. When Maccabi was close to signing him, reports said that the buyout Lubjana wanted for him was $300K. While it's possible that Lubjana has upped his request by $100K, it's also possible that there were a confusion between € and $ since €300K roughly equal to $400K.

[dylankerouac]

Good news. I like his offensive presence in those highlight videos.

[Mel_13]

Thanks, but I was referring to the post ace3g had saying that years 3 and 4 were for $2 Million each. Maybe the source mistook $2 Million total over those years as annual amounts?

I understood your point. Thought I addressed it by pointing to a better source for contract information than the source cited.

[Creation88]

FINALLY! a no name, unproven player Spurs fans can bitch about when Pop doesn't play him!

[ace3g]

Now Pop has to figure out which bigman combos work the best: Timmy, Splitter, Diaw, and Baynes

[Boomersgold]

Now Pop has to figure out which bigman combos work the best: Timmy, Splitter, Diaw, and Baynes

And which point-guard, big man bench combo works the best. Does Pop go with De Colo and Splitter? Patty and Baynes? etc.

[Chinook]

I understood your point. Thought I addressed it by pointing to a better source for contract information than the source cited.

And you did. I was just wondering. We were all assuming that Baynes' deal would just be a four-year, minimum contract, which seems to be the case. I didn't know if there was some obscure rule we had overlooked in our projections that could allow a team to have an increase greater than 4.5 percent. If it were possible, I could understand why it could happen, as I have no idea why Baynes would commit himself to such a long-term deal otherwise.

[Cane]

Hell yes. Sure he's a scrub but I've been wanting the Spurs to sign a big body like the goddamn Aaron Gray and Kyle Fesenko for the past couple of seasons, the Spurs needed another big body on the bench

[Truckules]

Since he obviously plays close to the basket, does anyone know how he is in the areas of shotblocking and defending the pick-n-roll?

He seems to have the physical tools necessary for it. Tall, pretty good wingspan, decent leaper, and he seems to have at least some lateral quickness. Mentally, I'm not sure. I read something that said he didn't get into basketball until he was 16. He was a rugby player before that so he certainly won't lack toughness. Here's the article: http://london2012.olympics.com.au/athlete/aron-baynes/meet

[timtonymanu]

Now Pop has to figure out which bigman combos work the best: Timmy, Splitter, Diaw, and Baynes

It's nice now that there is that option. Diaw has a center next to him instead of relying on Jack/Kawhi at the 4 or overplaying Duncan and Splitter or worse playing Bonner and Blair.

[Bruno]

BTW, little known fact, like Splitter, Baynes is an Euroleague MVP.

[Mel_13]

And you did. I was just wondering. We were all assuming that Baynes' deal would just be a four-year, minimum contract, which seems to be the case. I didn't know if there was some obscure rule we had overlooked in our projections that could allow a team to have an increase greater than 4.5 percent. If it were possible, I could understand why it could happen, as I have no idea why Baynes would commit himself to such a long-term deal otherwise.

Gotcha.

I think he's committing to such a long term deal at the minimum to secure the 1.3M guaranteed in the first two years. That may be more money than he could have expected to make over a much longer period of time overseas. Someone upthread said his salary in Slovenia was 70K. I have no idea if that's true, but I think it's safe to say that a minimum contract in the NBA represents a substantial bump in pay for Baynes.

[Chinook]

Gotcha.

I think he's committing to such a long term deal at the minimum to secure the 1.3M guaranteed in the first two years. That may be more money than he could have expected to make over a much longer period of time overseas. Someone upthread said his salary in Slovenia was 70K. I have no idea if that's true, but I think it's safe to say that a minimum contract in the NBA represents a substantial bump in pay for Baynes.

Oh wow. Then yes, of course it makes sense for him to sign a rookie-level deal. I can't believe he was making so little money (even if it was more than 70k) this year. I hope he's significantly better than that now.

[DPG21920]

Wow, I wasn't expecting this to be the first thread when I woke up today!!!

Glad they were able to get this done before the trade deadline (although I wish it was sooner) so they can see what they have in Baynes and decide if they still need to make some changes.

:lol I was wondering why you had not commented. I was thinking: 1) He's in shock and passed out 2) He sleeps really late

[ace3g]

Hope he doesn't have Visa issues like Patty did.

[Brunodf]

NO MORE BONNER AND BLAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!:eyebrows:elephant:makemyday:clap:D:danceclub: huddle:

[MaNu4Tres]

Love the signing.

Low risk/solid reward with the Baynes addition.

What surprises me is the timing of it (considering he's from Europe). If R.C and Pop are willing to sign him to a 3-4 year deal mid-season, they have to be completely sold on what he can add to this years' squad.

[Jumi]

EXACTLY what we needed!! A tough SOB!

[szkorhetz]

Love the signing.

Low risk/solid reward with the Baynes addition.

What surprises me is the timing of it (considering he's from Europe). If R.C and Pop are willing to sign him to a 3-4 year deal mid-season, they have to be completely sold on what he can add to this years' squad.
I you can get a 6-10 guy, with some athleticism and somewhat able to catch the ball and knows anything about the game, singning him for the minimum is a no-brainer.

[MaNu4Tres]

I you can get a 6-10 guy, with some athleticism and somewhat able to catch the ball and knows anything about the game, singning him for the minimum is a no-brainer.

There's 100's of players without a NBA job that have those credentials. There's a lot more to it.

[Mel_13]

Love the signing.

Low risk/solid reward with the Baynes addition.

What surprises me is the timing of it (considering he's from Europe). If R.C and Pop are willing to sign him to a 3-4 year deal mid-season, they have to be completely sold on what he can add to this years' squad.

That seems to be the popular opinion, but I don't see it. He can definitely take Blair's role as garbage time/emergency big, but I don't see him in the rotation this season. At best he plays the sort of minutes played by Oberto, Bonner, and Splitter in their first seasons with the team. Bonner has those minutes again this season, but they're sure to disappear in the playoffs. Signing Baynes now accelerates his development with the team so that, if he is a legit NBA player, he'll be ready to join the rotation right out camp next season. Just my 2 cents.

[Chinook]

If R.C and Pop are willing to sign him to a 3-4 year deal mid-season, they have to be completely sold on what he can add to this years' squad.

I would caution against that conclusion. It's actually very common to sign rookies to long-term minimum contracts mid-season. Look at Anderson right now. The Spurs did it first with Green (whom the cut and re-signed to a two-year deal a little later) and DaSean Butler. They did it with Malcolm Thomas last year. There is usually some trade-off of years and guaranteed money. The player is willing to sign a long-term deal that they'd have to honor if they play well in exchange for guaranteed money that the team would have to honor if the player plays poorly. This is what happened here.

That said, the fact that the Spurs paid a buyout for him is a good indicator of Baynes' value in Pop's eyes. They could have tried to wait until the off-season, but they felt they either needed him this year or couldn't risk another team paying the buyout and scooping him up.

Edit: What Mel_13 said, too.

[DPG21920]

Ya, the key is the buyout. That is a decent chunk of change to pay for someone if you aren't decently high on them. You are correct in other people sign mid-season non-guaranteed contracts regularly in his spot, the difference is the team does not have to commit an additional 300-400K to do so.

[Chinook]

A hidden value of Baynes is that he give Mills and De Colo a big man with whom to practice the pick and roll during garbage time. Blair's good at the PnR, but it's better to have a tall player to simulate Spiltter and Duncan. Mills especially would benefit from learning how to make that play consistently, and Baynes being a fellow countryman could accelerate that.

The question I have is whether Baynes will spend time in Austin. I could see it for at least a few weeks.

[Chinook]

Ya, the key is the buyout. That is a decent chunk of change to pay for someone if you aren't decently high on them. You are correct in other people sign mid-season non-guaranteed contracts regularly in his spot, the difference is the team does not have to commit an additional 300-400K to do so.

Yep, plus guaranteeing two years is pretty abnormal. $1.3 Million is too much money to give to a player that you don't expect to play well. Add in the 400k, and that's almost the commitment a late first-rounder gets.

[DapDaGenius]

NO MORE BONNER AND BLAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!:eyebrows:elephant:makemyday:clap:D:danceclub: huddle:

:downspin::spin:jack

[Monkeyboy14]

So when is he suppose to get here? Obviously not tonight against LA but, when should we be expecting him?

[ace3g]

Hopefully it is in the contract that him and Patty have to wear the Aussie Highlighter Green shoes at least 1 game of the season:

http://media.thestate.com/smedia/2012/07/29/19/27/458-1hv6JR.St.91.jpeg

[superbigtime]

Our mini-blake griffin?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi_M5yr90EA

That basket looks low, just sayin.

[ABC]

BTW, little known fact, like Splitter, Baynes is an Euroleague MVP.

:lol

Kill Bill bait.

[look_at_g_shred]

Well I would say this is a step in the right direction! Good job FO. Hopefully we move blair before the deadline.

[Malik Hairston]

In before rascal, tbh..

[Floyd Pacquiao]

A 4th big....Splitter's back up tbh once he get's acclimated in a few months from now he should get some quality playing time imo

[timvp]

Holy crap. Meetings all day this morning. And then I come out to see this :wow

Awesome news. I was high about him during the Olympics. Dude looked like a solid, rugged player with NBA potential.

Big props to the folks in the Think Tank who have been discussing the possibility for months.

:smchode:

[Two10Whitey]

Can he shoot freethrows?

[BanditHiro]

can he like play today or something? the Lakers would have been a nice tune up game for him.

[Mel_13]

can he like play today or something? the Lakers would have been a nice tune up game for him.

Might be a few weeks. Lots of things need to happen. FIBA has to approve the deal. He has to pass a physical and sign a contract. Then he'll need to get a work visa. I wouldn't bet on seeing him at a home game until after the RRT.

[Mel_13]

More useless Baynes info. DX shows that Baynes, Sanikidze, and Bertans all share the same agent.

http://www.draftexpress.com/agents/Marc-Fleisher-78/

[will_spurs]

google says 6.82415, not sure though..

Stupid imperial units... doesn't mix well with the decimal system. There are 12 inches in a foot, this is what threw you off.

Seems like a nice signing. At least he's big, and he can't be much worse than our end of rotation bigs. I do hope he gets tested this year already. And if he was really earning $70k a year in Slovenia then it's the jackpot for him, even though he's cheap by NBA standards.

[smaka]

BTW, little known fact, like Splitter, Baynes is an Euroleague MVP.

He wasn't Euroleague MVP. Was the best rebounder and lead the league in double doubles in the first round of games.




Hopefully it is in the contract that him and Patty have to wear the Aussie Highlighter Green shoes at least 1 game of the season:

http://media.thestate.com/smedia/2012/07/29/19/27/458-1hv6JR.St.91.jpeg

Baynes always wore his Aussie shoes so I'm sure he will bring them to San Antonio :D



Can he shoot freethrows?

Pretty good, yes.


BTW, anyone noticed that his last follow on twitter was spurs? :toast

[crc21209]

Interesting. Anybody see this from McDonald over at the Express News?

JMcDonald_SAEN
Spurs' interest in Boomers' Aron Baynes is real, but he has not signed yet. Due to standard FIBA red tape, could be a while before he does about. 1 hour ago

JMcDonald_SAEN
As baseline, remember how long it was between Patty Mills' "signing" last season and the time he actually took floor for Spurs. about 1 hour ago

[crc21209]

Here's another little tid bit:

Baynes not signed, but could be

"According to multiple international reports, including this one at Talkbasket.net, the Spurs have paid a $400,000 buyout to Baynes’ team in Slovenia with designs on the bringing him over this season. Due to the usual FIBA red tape, however, it could be days, if not weeks, before he’s permitted to sign his reported multi-year deal in the U.S....

To continue reading, click the link: http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2013/01/09/baynes-not-signed-but-could-be/

[gameFACE]

James White!

Seriously, it seems bizarre that the Spurs actually signed a real C. Someone mentioned insurance against Spitter and I tend to think that, too. But I like surprises.

Who's not suiting up right now - Blair? Because with Baynes, that would bring the roster to 14, not counting Cory Joseph up in Austin.

[Bruno]

289090525015969792
289092328671547394

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Wow, this is like when the Pistons traded for Sheed back in '04.


2013 Championship here we come!


But seriously, anyone the Spurs can add to the team who is over 6'9is a plus for me :tu

[rmt]

How old is he? I'm happy - a legit big man - anything that means no more Bonner or Blair.

[chapnis]

He probably won't do anything but a bit more height can't hurt.

[Chinook]

A two-year deal mkes much more sense to me. I wish he would have been locked up for four, though.

[Shifty]

A two-year deal mkes much more sense to me. I wish he would have been locked up for four, though.
It seems to be for 3 or 4 years with team options. Two years being guaranteed. He would be locked for 4 years if the reports are true.

[chapnis]

I have no idea if he is good, but they must see something in him...

[Paranoid Pop]

Wow, this is like when the Pistons traded for Sheed back in '04.


2013 Championship here we come!


But seriously, anyone the Spurs can add to the team who is over 6'9is a plus for me :tu

The Rose for Nazr trade comparison works better tbh.

[Darkwaters]

I would caution against that conclusion. It's actually very common to sign rookies to long-term minimum contracts mid-season. Look at Anderson right now. The Spurs did it first with Green (whom the cut and re-signed to a two-year deal a little later) and DaSean Butler. They did it with Malcolm Thomas last year. There is usually some trade-off of years and guaranteed money. The player is willing to sign a long-term deal that they'd have to honor if they play well in exchange for guaranteed money that the team would have to honor if the player plays poorly. This is what happened here.


Ummm, your information is a bit off. Lets correct it.

1) Anderson is not a rookie. He was in his 3rd year when he signed that contract with Houston. Hence, not an example of a commonplace "rookie signing a long-term minimum contract mid-season"

2) Green was not a rookie when he signed with the Spurs. He was drafted and played a full season with the Cavaliers and was cut (out of training camp) going into his second season. In addition, he didn't sign a long-term contract when he did sign with the Spurs (it was for the remainder of the season with a non-guaranteed second year).

3) It is not uncommon for "scrap heap players" (be them rookies, or discarded players like Anderson or Green) to a two year deal, with the second year being fully non-guaranteed. This was likely the case with Da'Sean Butler and Malcolm Thomas. Of course, the first year is also non-guaranteed, meaning they can be cut early in the season without any serious issue. This was also the case with Derrick Byars, whom the Spurs signed last year, carried into TC, and cut.

4) Better examples of unusual signings are as follows:

DeJuan Blair: Draft pick signing a four year deal with a lot of guaranteed money on the front end, a lot of non-guaranteed on the back end.
Hassan Whiteside: Draft pick signing a four year deal, first two years fully guaranteed, second two years non-guaranteed (he played two years, was cut, and is now in the NBDL)
Gary Neal: Undrafted free agent, rookie, signing a fully guaranteed minimum deal out of Summer League for 3 years

[smaka]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK-nP3k_PCM

Those shoes :toast

[timvp]

Random Aron Baynes thoughts:

1. I'm still ":wow" because while he's pretty obscure, ST was following closely and many posters had labeled him as the No. 1 available option for the Spurs when looking to fill their open roster spot. Great stuff :tu

2. This is pretty damn unexpected. Signing a player doing well in Europe in the middle of a season to a multi-year contract? When's the last time that happened? Ever?

3. Brett Brown obviously knows him really well so this makes the move a lot safer. He knows Baynes on the court and off the court so he would know how well he can fit. That's a huge aspect to this.

4. Baynes played four years at Washington State, so there shouldn't be any culture shock or anything. He's already Americanized.

5. I liked him in the Olympics because he has a really big body who can move. And he plays with some country-strong grit. He actually reminds me a bit of Robertas Javtokas in that he's obviously big and strong but what makes him a prospect is that he's surprisingly agile. From I've seen, he's well above average in terms of running and jumping for a bigman his size in the NBA.

6. He's 26 years old so it's not like he's a young prospect. But, then again, as a late blooming bigman, this is about the age you start to see a noticeable jump in production. It can take a while for bigs to put it together ... which I think has happened to Baynes over the last year or so. Coming out of college, he wasn't much of a prospect. But the fluidity in his game has increased and now he legitimately looks like an NBA caliber player. In the Olympics, he definitely passed the eye-test.

7. Baynes was TEARING IT UP in Europe. There's no other way to put it. He had a 24.7 PER in Euroleague in his ten games. In the Adriatic League, he had a 24.3 PER in 16 games. I'll take a closer look at his stats after the Lakers game tonight but, damn, his numbers look good at first glance.

8. Rebounding has been an issue on and off this season. Baynes has been a monster rebounder this season. It's safe to say he's been the best rebounder outside of the NBA. He averaged 9.8 boards in 26.2 minutes in Euroleague ... those type of numbers just don't happen in that league. For example, the best Splitter ever averaged in Euroleague was 6.0 rebounds.

9. Speaking of Splitter, I do think this move is at least partially done as a sort of Splitter insurance. A team could throw a HUGE deal at Splitter. With Baynes in the fold, if he does well the rest of this season (in practices, at least), the Spurs will actually have some internal leverage to make the prudent decision.

10. Do I think he's going to crack the rotation this season? Actually, no. Barring injury, I think Duncan/Splitter/Diaw with Jackson sprinkled in will be the bigman rotation. The Spurs always basically used a three-man bigman rotation during the championship season. The Duncan/Splitter/Diaw trio with Jackson/Leonard soaking up extra minutes will probably be what we see for the duration of the season and the playoffs.

11. I see Baynes coming in and hopefully climbing his way to the fourth bigman spot behind Diaw. Beating out Blair shouldn't be an issue since Blair's knees have gone out on him. Bonner won't be as easy to pass on the depth charts but it could happen if Baynes transitions well.

12. Is there time for Baynes to make an impression and earn a spot in the rotation? Certainly. Hell, Nazr Mohammed didn't even really start playing until April of 2005 and suddenly he was the starter on the championship team. Being that it's January, Baynes has plenty of time to win over the coaching staff.

13. Long-term, I see Baynes as a possible really good backup center. Maybe in the Will-Perdue-circa-1998 mold of an extremely solid backup center who can provide quality minutes. Off the top of my head, I'm thinking something like 13 points and 11 rebounds per 40 minutes of play. I don't think he'll be a starter ... but as I mentioned previously, his ceiling is difficult to figure out right now since his improvement has been so sudden.

14. The more I think about this signing the more I like it. With Splitter moved into the starting lineup, the Spurs really needed a backup center. Since Diaw can't rebound, a rebounder at backup center would be preferred. And since the bench sometimes lacks athleticism, an athlete at backup center would be preferred. The Spurs were able to get all of that with this signing. Plus, they locked him in for 3.5 seasons.

15. Sure, Baynes could be a bust -- maybe the speed of the game will just be too much for him ... or whatever; the NBA has many pitfalls -- but this is a great roll of the dice that fills a need. I applaud this move no matter the outcome.

Thanks to RC and the rest of the scouting department for doing their due diligence on this kid. Thanks for taking the gamble. Thanks to Holt and co. for shelling out the $$$ -- that's quite a bit of money to spend on a relatively unproven player in the middle of the season.

I apologize for this rambling. Oh, and thanks to SpursTalk for the foresight on this move. Time to get excited about a 15th man as only we can :elephant

[Chinook]

Ummm, your information is a bit off. Lets correct it.

1) Anderson is not a rookie. He was in his 3rd year when he signed that contract with Houston. Hence, not an example of a commonplace "rookie signing a long-term minimum contract mid-season"

2) Green was not a rookie when he signed with the Spurs. He was drafted and played a full season with the Cavaliers and was cut (out of training camp) going into his second season. In addition, he didn't sign a long-term contract when he did sign with the Spurs (it was for the remainder of the season with a non-guaranteed second year).

3) It is not uncommon for "scrap heap players" (be them rookies, or discarded players like Anderson or Green) to a two year deal, with the second year being fully non-guaranteed. This was likely the case with Da'Sean Butler and Malcolm Thomas. Of course, the first year is also non-guaranteed, meaning they can be cut early in the season without any serious issue. This was also the case with Derrick Byars, whom the Spurs signed last year, carried into TC, and cut.

4) Better examples of unusual signings are as follows:

DeJuan Blair: Draft pick signing a four year deal with a lot of guaranteed money on the front end, a lot of non-guaranteed on the back end.
Hassan Whiteside: Draft pick signing a four year deal, first two years fully guaranteed, second two years non-guaranteed (he played two years, was cut, and is now in the NBDL)
Gary Neal: Undrafted free agent, rookie, signing a fully guaranteed minimum deal out of Summer League for 3 years

No, my information is correct. The fact that those players were not rookies means nothing, as it happens to rookies, too if their teams have the cap room to sign them to a deal longer than two years. In any event, Baynes' situation not very different from the guys I mentioned. He is a veteran, just not in the NBA, and he's not horribly established, either. Players like him rarely get true rookie deals, anyway.

It almost always follows that players only sign a long-term deal if there is some guaranteed money in it. Thomas got about two months worth, and Green had the rest of the season covered in his second deal. Neal had only the first year covered (and Blair the first two). It is not common at all to give out a three-year, fully guaranteed minimum deal. If the player is good enough to command three years of guaranteed money, he's good enough to get more than that.

Sorry, but Baynes' deal is a pretty typical one, or at least it was when it was reported to be a four-year one. The fact that it's a two-year deal is interesting, because it's closer to the one Mills got last year. It probably doesn't have a player option, but it definitely shows that he had some leverage.

[024]

nice... the spurs frontline rotation had been razor thin. an injury to duncan or splitter and we would be forced to watch dejuan blair get some major minutes. he at least replaces blair at the end of the bench so i doubt blair ever sees the floor again.

like many others, i doubt we see baynes get any decent playing time. but in an emergency, he is a tough rebounder, and a big mobile body (probably 7 feet tall with shoes) to clog up the paint.

[smaka]

Some stats from Euroleague:

EUROLEAGUE 2012-13 REGULAR SEASON RANKS

Ranks #1 in 2-pointers attempted (92)
Ranks #1 in 2-pointers made (54)
Ranks #1 in Offensive Rebounds (39)
Ranks #1 in Total Rebounds (98)
Ranks #1 in Index Rating (182)


- Averaged almost 1/3 of team's total rebounds per game.
- Best rebounder of the regular season with 9,8 rebounds per game; Second player in this category averaged almost 1,5 rebound per game less.
- Best offensive rebounder of the regular season (3,9 per game)
- Ranked 2nd in average performance index in regular season of Euroleague (10 games; Keep in mind Olimpija played in what many agreed was the hardest group of all this year!)

[timvp]

The contract particulars will be interesting. There's already a lot out there. For San Antonio's sake, I'm obviously hoping for the four-year deal with the last two years unguaranteed. At the very least, I'm hoping for this season and next season so that the Gilbert Arenas Rule will kick in if he unexpectedly blows up.

[Bruno]

1. I'm still ":wow" because while he's pretty obscure, ST was following closely and many posters had labeled him as the No. 1 available option for the Spurs when looking to fill their open roster spot. Great stuff :tu

Yep, that's crazy.



2. This is pretty damn unexpected. Signing a player doing well in Europe in the middle of a season to a multi-year contract? When's the last time that happened? Ever?

Well, the last time it happened was two days ago when Rockets signed Patrick Beverley who was playing in Russia.

But yeah, that's not a common move.

[elemento]

Very excited about this signing. I think he will end up as a pleasant surprise and will help the team this season already.

[Cry Havoc]

Random Aron Baynes thoughts:

1. I'm still ":wow" because while he's pretty obscure, ST was following closely and many posters had labeled him as the No. 1 available option for the Spurs when looking to fill their open roster spot. Great stuff :tu

Stuff like this is why Spurstalk is the best sports forum on the internet. No joke.

[chapnis]

Now we just need to nab Andrew Bogut and we can have a trio of Aussies.

[Libri]

I'm glad Spurs didn't go with a perimeter shooting bigman. Remember Haislip?

[timvp]

Yep, that's crazy.I'd been watching videos of him periodically just to keep an eye on his development but I never thought the Spurs would actually sign him. I regarded it as more of a pipe dream than anything. Great job by you even starting that thread in the Think Tank. That alone is praiseworthy ... not to mention everyone else who closely tracked his progress. :tu

My post about him during the Olympics:


Aron Baynes is a big ol' dude. He's been pretty impressive against the talented bigmen of Brazil so far.

:lol He is a big ol' dude, tbh.


Well, the last time it happened was two days ago when Rockets signed Patrick Beverley who was playing in Russia.

But yeah, that's not a common move.

Well, Beverley has played in the NBA before and has long been regarded as someone who is right on the doorstep of the NBA.

Baynes, on the other hand, was a relative unknown as recently as a year or two ago. I'm trying to think of a time when an international player was bought out of a contract and signed to a multi-year contract in the NBA during the middle of the NBA season. I'm drawing a blank so far.


Stuff like this is why Spurstalk is the best sports forum on the internet. No joke.

That Think Tank thread is really one of the most ":wow" threads ever in hindsight.

[SenorSpur]

He seems to have the physical tools necessary for it. Tall, pretty good wingspan, decent leaper, and he seems to have at least some lateral quickness. Mentally, I'm not sure. I read something that said he didn't get into basketball until he was 16. He was a rugby player before that so he certainly won't lack toughness. Here's the article: http://london2012.olympics.com.au/athlete/aron-baynes/meet


Thanks for the info and the link. :tu

[look_at_g_shred]

I think if we could get one more big man, we should be set for the year.

[polandprzem]

If he's not gonna play there was no point bring him him to the spurs

If the rotation is Duncan Splitt and Diaw where is a place for the new guy? If he can help in rebounding department then good but if he is not gonna play he ain't gonna help shnit

[Darkwaters]

I think if we could get one more big man, we should be set for the year.

Going to have to cut someone in order to do that - Blair is the obvious candidate. And if we cut him and tried to sign someone else, we'd have very limited money.

The most we could probably manage is the D-Leaguer signed for the rest of the year (ie, Danny Green or Derrick Byars). And if you want a project bigman I still think Hassan Whiteside would be worth a look. He has some serious warts, but hes a 7 footer with the physical attributes you want. Those just don't grow on trees on teams in places like Sioux Falls, Tulsa and Austin.

[Obstructed_View]

12. Is there time for Baynes to make an impression and earn a spot in the rotation? Certainly. Hell, Nazr Mohammed didn't even really start playing until April of 2005 and suddenly he was the starter on the championship team. Being that it's January, Baynes has plenty of time to win over the coaching staff.

Didn't Rasho sprain his ankle, allowing Nazr to take over the spot? I hope that's not the reason Baynes cracks the rotation.

[PingPong]

I think you are putting too high expectations in this guy. He looks good, but don't forget he's playing in a bad, bad team, 3-7 in the euroleague, so his numbers can be a bit misleading.
thttp://www.euroleague.net/competition/teams/showteam?clubcode=lju


http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xvwn07_highlights-real-madrid-union-olimpija-ljubljana_sport


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKDTors8rK0


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WmPGXqWkTM

[DBMethos]

:downspin:

[DapDaGenius]

How old is he? I'm happy - a legit big man - anything that means no more Bonner or Blair.

He is 26. Also, me too. I really really hope he performs well and takes Blair or Bonner's spot.

[maverick1948]

Baynes reminds me of Donk in the Croc Dundee movies. LOL Big dude for sure.

Timvp have you looked at the money aspect of this signing? If we move or waive Blair, we save about .5 mil for second half of season on Blair. If my math is still good, we sign Baynes for minimum rookie scale (474,000) pro rated by half, we will save about 265000. That would place us about 1.25 M under the luxury tax and give breathing room for another trade.

Shouldn't take as long to get him here as Patty, we already know the problems and how to expedite them.

:toast

[rascal]

If true, nice signing by the Spurs. It's nice as a Spurs fan to know there is a good chance of an Australian being around. (Gaze, Heal, Mills, Brett Brown etc..)

Being Australian, I've watched a bit of Baynes. I liken him to a Tyler Hansbrough type of player. (not saying he is as good as Psycho T, but same mold).

A few of my thoughts on him:

- He is a very burly player and likes to throw his weight around.
- Surprisingly agile and mobile for a guy his weight, particularly on the offensive end. Can jump higher than you expect.
- He is aggressive towards the rim, something the Spurs definitely lack.
- He isn't to great laterally so don't expect to see him offering up much resistance to perimeter orientated big-men.
- He is quite stout defensively in the post but overall I envision him having trouble guarding 4/5's (won't be able to alter/block NBA players shots on the interior).
- Good rebounder, I can see that trait transferring to the NBA.
- Not a great passer or ball-handler
- Has decent hands when taking passes on the interior or up high
- His jumpshot is ok, it doesn't stretch out any further than 15ft. He isn't LaMarcus Aldridge with the J but isn't Reggie Evans either.
- Plays the pick n roll well offensively
- Sets good hard picks (he is wide!)

All in all, he is a good signing. I would prefer to see him on the court over Blair (sad, I was a very big DeJuan fan) or Bonner at the moment. Down the road he could become a very good 4th bigman. Expecting anything more will likely lead to disappointment.

Sounds like a good overall analysis.

[Brazil]

:tu nice signing !

and congrats to Bruno and the think tank contributors crew for nailing it

[Chinook]

Baynes reminds me of Donk in the Croc Dundee movies. LOL Big dude for sure.

Timvp have you looked at the money aspect of this signing? If we move or waive Blair, we save about .5 mil for second half of season on Blair. If my math is still good, we sign Baynes for minimum rookie scale (474,000) pro rated by half, we will save about 265000. That would place us about 1.25 M under the luxury tax and give breathing room for another trade.

Shouldn't take as long to get him here as Patty, we already know the problems and how to expedite them.

:toast

That math's a little off:

We don't know how much Baynes will get this year, but it will probably be the remainder of the MLE, as the deal was initially reported to be for more than two years. That doesn't get prorated yet until tomorrow, so he will probably get more than half of that (my guess is around 400k) by the time he signs.

Waiving Blair doesn't help the Spurs do anything, as his contract is guaranteed. Unless Blair wants a buyout that amounts to only giving him a little more money this year and releasing him, he'll cost $1.1 Million regardless. Trading him actually opens up his full salary for cap and tax purposes, provided the Spurs don't have to take salary back in the deal.

All in all, the Spurs have very little financial breathing room unless they find a taker for Blair.

[Mel_13]

Baynes reminds me of Donk in the Croc Dundee movies. LOL Big dude for sure.

Timvp have you looked at the money aspect of this signing? If we move or waive Blair, we save about .5 mil for second half of season on Blair. If my math is still good, we sign Baynes for minimum rookie scale (474,000) pro rated by half, we will save about 265000. That would place us about 1.25 M under the luxury tax and give breathing room for another trade.

Shouldn't take as long to get him here as Patty, we already know the problems and how to expedite them.

:toast

Waiving Blair saves nothing, his contract is guaranteed. While we don't know the details of Baynes' contract, it's likely that he will be signed with the remainder of the MLE or BAE and his salary for this season will be around 500K.

Edit: Chinook beat me. :lol

[Chinook]

Edit: Chinook beat me. :lol

:toast

[Mel_13]

:toast

It's been happening all day. Just happened again downstairs in the Kings thread. Must be a little off my game.

[TD 21]

9. Speaking of Splitter, I do think this move is at least partially done as a sort of Splitter insurance. A team could throw a HUGE deal at Splitter. With Baynes in the fold, if he does well the rest of this season (in practices, at least), the Spurs will actually have some internal leverage to make the prudent decision.

I don't. I'm with Mel, in that they'll get Splitter re-signed. He's already shown once that he wasn't about getting every last penny and nothing in his time with the Spurs has suggested he's anything but Spurs material. Meaning, he'll more than likely understand and accept the internal cap that's at work here and that is that he, like the big three (and others), will have to take less. Although they actually have the flexibility to pay him something like $10M a season, but he can't make equal to Duncan and more than Ginobili.


10. Do I think he's going to crack the rotation this season? Actually, no. Barring injury, I think Duncan/Splitter/Diaw with Jackson sprinkled in will be the bigman rotation. The Spurs always basically used a three-man bigman rotation during the championship season. The Duncan/Splitter/Diaw trio with Jackson/Leonard soaking up extra minutes will probably be what we see for the duration of the season and the playoffs.

I agree. But at the very least, they have a legit third center that they can go to in certain match-ups. I still think they need to explore upgrading the fourth big spot, but I will concede that I don't think they will at this point.

The difference with the championship seasons was that Duncan could basically play unlimited minutes back then. Playing three when none play major minutes is a challenge and in certain match-ups in the playoffs, they'll be hard pressed to get away with Jackson/Leonard playing some PF.


12. Is there time for Baynes to make an impression and earn a spot in the rotation? Certainly. Hell, Nazr Mohammed didn't even really start playing until April of 2005 and suddenly he was the starter on the championship team. Being that it's January, Baynes has plenty of time to win over the coaching staff.

Yeah, but Mohammed was a proven, experienced NBA player and it was clear as day the moment he was acquired that he should have been their starting center.

[will_spurs]

I think the fact that he's really bulky is going to help, especially with the PnR as MI21 (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6286865#post6286865) mentioned. That's an important asset for a Spurs big.


He wasn't Euroleague MVP. Was the best rebounder and lead the league in double doubles in the first round of games.

You had no way to know that Bruno was joking, but it shows you haven't been around here for long :)

[capek]

Gotta echo the WOW sentiment. Was not expecting anything like this to come out of the blue for the usually conservative (with signings and moves) Spurs.

Like people have said, with Splitter moved into the starting lineup, we have no back up center. With Baynes having the Spurs connection via Brett Brown and the Oz national team, that could help accelerate his adaption to the team. Judging by the numbers he's put up this year in Euroleague play, he should have no problem getting garbage minutes at most a few games into his tenure here. And if he's able to more or less seamlessly translate his rebounding ability in those garbage minutes, without gifting points to the opposing team via poor defensive play or bad fouls, I could see him steadily working his way into the rotation by the season's end. His competition is Bonner and Blair after all. So possibly by the end of the season we could see Diaw and Baynes being the being the 4 and 5, respectively, that comes off the bench at the end of the first to spell Duncan and Splitter. Which would mean none of these funky small line ups that Pop has to use during the first part of 2nd quarters due to the lack of a back up C on the bench.

Also, I'm surprised (and somewhat disappointed :P ) that I'm the first to make this reference about his last name. Gotta say I love it for the potential for some fun meme posts in the future. Like for instance Baynes seems to really like to dunk over people when he gets the chance. The first time he does it in the NBA, I'm calling dibs on something like, "Dwight Howard, you have posed for my poster, now you can die!" lol :downspin:

http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120511112337/batman/images/f/f0/Bane_TDKR3.jpg

[Chinook]

It's been happening all day. Just happened again downstairs in the Kings thread. Must be a little off my game.

:lol I was away from my computer for a couple of hours right up until I saw that post. The opportunity was ripe for the pickin'.

[ace3g]

Gotta echo the WOW sentiment. Was not expecting anything like this to come out of the blue for the usually conservative (with signings and moves) Spurs.

Like people have said, with Splitter moved into the starting lineup, we have no back up center. With Baynes having the Spurs connection via Brett Brown and the Oz national team, that could help accelerate his adaption to the team. Judging by the numbers he's put up this year in Euroleague play, he should have no problem getting garbage minutes at most a few games into his tenure here. And if he's able to more or less seamlessly translate his rebounding ability in those garbage minutes, without gifting points to the opposing team via poor defensive play or bad fouls, I could see him steadily working his way into the rotation by the season's end. His competition is Bonner and Blair after all. So possibly by the end of the season we could see Diaw and Baynes being the being the 4 and 5, respectively, that comes off the bench at the end of the first to spell Duncan and Splitter. Which would mean none of these funky small line ups that Pop has to use during the first part of 2nd quarters due to the lack of a back up C on the bench.

Also, I'm surprised (and somewhat disappointed :P ) that I'm the first to make this reference about his last name. Gotta say I love it for the potential for some fun meme posts in the future. Like for instance Baynes seems to really like to dunk over people when he gets the chance. The first time he does it in the NBA, I'm calling dibs on something like, "Dwight Howard, you have posed for my poster, now you can die!" lol :downspin:

http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120511112337/batman/images/f/f0/Bane_TDKR3.jpg

good idea with the Bane photo, I'll try to edit my avatar and add in the Bane mask to Baynes, lol

[Cry Havoc]

I could also see Baynes getting some burn on b2b or 4 games in 5 nights when Duncan or Tiago looks bushed. Would be nice to have a guy to come in and actually play the 5, instead of just whoever's playing better between Bonner and Diaw.

[Slippy]

What stood out for me watching the boomers was the masssive improvment in game from Baynes of 2010 WC's to 2012 olympics. Reading his euro stint points to Baynes being a quick learner and still growing as a player.

[DapDaGenius]

good idea with the Bane photo, I'll try to edit my avatar and add in the Bane mask to Baynes, lol

I was wondering who was going to be the first to have a Baynes avatar. lol(or did someone else beat you to it?).

[capek]

good idea with the Bane photo, I'll try to edit my avatar and add in the Bane mask to Baynes, lol

cool man, I don't have time to mess with photoshop, but there's definitely some potential there. "Blair, your marginalization is complete. Now you can die!" lol

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Stuff like this is why Spurstalk is the best sports forum on the internet. No joke.

Agreed sonsofsamhorn has not been what it was and this place for top acumen is where its at.

[chapnis]

Aaaaand, he hasn't signed yet and it will probably take a while... :/

[SpursRock20]

Per Dejuan Blair's twitter: I hear a lot, see a lot. I just don't say anything.

:lol

[chapnis]

Lol DeJuan - "A big change is coming in my life I can feel it!"

[TD 21]

As far as Pop "not trusting Splitter in his first year, so he'll never trust Baynes", two things on that . . .

1) Splitter missed training camp (a big deal to Pop, especially considering it was his first one), the team was playing out of their minds for the vast majority of the regular season and the guy who he was going to compete for a rotation spot with (Blair), was a part of that.

2) Unlike then, Pop has clearly lost faith in Bonner, while Blair is a virtual lock to be moved in short order, meaning there's clearly a potential rotation spot up for grabs. It's probably unlikely he claims it outright, but it shouldn't be completely ruled out, either.

[PhingerRoll]

The new Vanilla Gorilla! That's a big, athletic young man... Excited about the potential for sure.

[RodNIc91]

I don't. I'm with Mel, in that they'll get Splitter re-signed. He's already shown once that he wasn't about getting every last penny and nothing in his time with the Spurs has suggested he's anything but Spurs material. Meaning, he'll more than likely understand and accept the internal cap that's at work here and that is that he, like the big three (and others), will have to take less. Although they actually have the flexibility to pay him something like $10M a season, but he can't make equal to Duncan and more than Ginobili.

Correct me if I'm mistaken but isn't Splitter a free agent this upcoming offseason? I mean, I don't quite understand how it works but isn't the qualifying offer just to make him a RFA? After that then he can sign for whichever money he prefers right?

[Mel_13]

Correct me if I'm mistaken but isn't Splitter a free agent this upcoming offseason? I mean, I don't quite understand how it works but isn't the qualifying offer just to make him a RFA? After that then he can sign for whichever money he prefers right?

Yes, and the Spurs will have the right to match in that case.

[timvp]

I don't. I'm with Mel, in that they'll get Splitter re-signed. He's already shown once that he wasn't about getting every last penny and nothing in his time with the Spurs has suggested he's anything but Spurs material.

When was that? When the Spurs signed him, they were offering him more money than any other team in the world. Sure, he didn't get every last drop of what the Spurs could offer but he was still being offered the most from the Spurs, so his leverage to get it all was extremely limited.

The case is stronger that Splitter will go to the highest bidder. First of all, just about every player in history goes to the highest bidder. Secondly, remember back to when Splitter was drafted. He said he was going to come over the next summer. However, when the time came, he decided to spurn San Antonio in order to take a contract in Europe that was more money than what the Spurs could offer. That is a clear example of Splitter picking money over the Spurs so I'm not sure why anyone would expect anything differently. In fact, Splitter has always gone with the team offering the most money.

If a team throws huge money at Splitter, he's going to take it.

[gambit1990]

http://image.bayimg.com/0e22fcd1be83606dab1a89d38386f3c77941f966.jpg

didn't make it, saw it on twitter.

[chapnis]

The Spurs can match any offer for Splitter.

[Spur|n|Austin]

Good move by the FO!

[ace3g]

good idea with the Bane photo, I'll try to edit my avatar and add in the Bane mask to Baynes, lol

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/4883/baynesbanecopy.jpg

[RodNIc91]

Yes, and the Spurs will have the right to match in that case.

Thanks Mel! Yes just like I thought. Splitter will then have all the leverage to sign whichever QO he wants, which means he can make Big3 money if he wants to. If, for example, no one comes calling or he doesn't like any of the QO handed to him, how much money will he make that year? Will the Spurs then be able to negotiate an extension?

[Man In Black]

Where's the LIKE Button on this site?

[DPG21920]

When was that? When the Spurs signed him, they were offering him more money than any other team in the world. Sure, he didn't get every last drop of what the Spurs could offer but he was still being offered the most from the Spurs, so his leverage to get it all was extremely limited.

The case is stronger that Splitter will go to the highest bidder. First of all, just about every player in history goes to the highest bidder. Secondly, remember back to when Splitter was drafted. He said he was going to come over the next summer. However, when the time came, he decided to spurn San Antonio in order to take a contract in Europe that was more money than what the Spurs could offer. That is a clear example of Splitter picking money over the Spurs so I'm not sure why anyone would expect anything differently. In fact, Splitter has always gone with the team offering the most money.

If a team throws huge money at Splitter, he's going to take it.

To be fair though, to me there is a difference with guys making the money Tiago was making choosing more money vs a guy that's been in the NBA for a while making massive money. Compared to most NBA players even studs overseas don't make all that much. He's still building his wealth.

I don't disagree he goes to the highest bidder, however I don't think it's fair to infer he's like every greedy NBA player due to his situation. The highest bidder could very well be the Spurs too. But if it comes to a large contract like he's never had before (meaning not larger that what a rookie contract could pay, but serious money) I wouldn't be shocked if he left a little on the table to stay with the Spurs.

[timvp]

The Spurs can match any offer for Splitter.

True, which is probably another reason why he'll go for the most cash. Even if he really likes the Spurs -- and I have not reason to think he doesn't -- he knows that even going for the most money will still give the Spurs an opportunity to match.

TD, TP and Ginobili all took every last cent when they were signing their first big-money deal. Splitter will be no different.

[Strategic]

In fact, Splitter has always gone with the team offering the most money.

If a team throws huge money at Splitter, he's going to take it.


I thought Tiago gave up some money to come over from Europe but my memory is slipping. I agree that he could be lured away with money but with the new salary issues in the league I'm not on board with the many whom believe that he will demand an eight digit salary, at least for the next couple of years. I have to hand it to the FO for having Splitter's contract due at the right time to allow them some leverage.

[KL2]

I think a lot of people are getting way too excited, I could easily see him being sent to the d league. However with Blair playing so bad it leaves room for a 5th big, same with Pop giving up on Bonner. Even if he does play well I don't expect him to get any mins just like Splitter.

[Hoops Czar]

surely if they kind find time to play De Colo, they can spare minutes for Baynes. I also don't think the market for Splitter is as big as one might suggest... unathletic, not a great rebounder, can't shoot and doesn't block shots. For a big man, that doesn't bode well. I'm sure teams will take a flyer, but won't break the bank to sign him. If the Spurs want him back, I'm pretty sure he'll be back.

[Rito3d30]

So has he signed the contract or this is just a rumor:wakeup

[PingPong]

I thought Tiago gave up some money to come over from Europe but my memory is slipping. I agree that he could be lured away with money but with the new salary issues in the league I'm not on board with the many whom believe that he will demand an eight digit salary, at least for the next couple of years. I have to hand it to the FO for having Splitter's contract due at the right time to allow them some leverage.

I think it's easier leaving the Spurs to a team where he get a more relevant role than going after money. Just see the effort he did after moved to the starting spot.

[BackHome]

I think he may have a chance. Pop used to be slow to throw rookies in the fire (with the exceptions of Tim, Tony, and Manu), but that seems to have waned over the past couple seasons.

Splitter's slow development was due to a number of reasons:
1) Kept getting hurt in training camp
2) Also kept getting hurt when starting to get serious minutes
3) Pop preferred to play him with the bench unit
4) Spurs were winning with Blair and/or Bonner starting, and Pop was giving them their chance (rightfully or wrongfully)
5) Pop being stubborn

However, if you look at the recent past....Hill made the rotation in his rookie season, even started some games. Same goes for Blair. Ditto Neal and Leonard.

Midseason may be a different story, but as badly as the Spurs need post presence and rebounds (things that translate over from Europe a little easier), Pop may be willing to give this guy a chance if Blair continues to underperform and Bonner continues to be Matt Bonner.

Also a big part was the language barrier...not a problem with our Ausie friend.

[Richie]

True, which is probably another reason why he'll go for the most cash. Even if he really likes the Spurs -- and I have not reason to think he doesn't -- he knows that even going for the most money will still give the Spurs an opportunity to match.

TD, TP and Ginobili all took every last cent when they were signing their first big-money deal. Splitter will be no different.

If he wants to stay he should test the market and if he gets offered a number above his cap hold ($7.5m) he should have a handshake agreement that he will get that contract from the Spurs after free agency to give us the most cap flexibility

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Surely this is a move for the future. He'll take Grizzly's place as 4-5th big. Not a game-changing move for this season unless he comes on very quickly.