If They Leave: Spurs 2014 Free Agency

[raybies]

Here's something to read heading into free agency. Took me awhile to finish but hope y'all enjoy.

http://spurshomer.blogspot.com/2014/06/if-they-leave-spurs-2014-free-agency.html

[Emperor]

Pretty good article. I'm definitely liking McRoberts if Diaw signs elsewhere and Gasol at the 5. Best damn frontcourt in the NBA by far if that happens.

[tholdren]

interesting. McRoberts drafted ?after? Splitter as well.

[BackHome]

Nicely done..:)

[Russo21]

PG If Patty doesn't sign. Prefer Patty over these 2 clowns
Mo Williams: 10ppg 4apg 37%FG Don't like him much
Aron Brooks: 10ppg 3apg 40%FG 38% 3PTFG

SG Vince: 12ppg 3reb 3ast. Had a 28 point 7-9 3PTFG against us in the first round. Still effective at 37 or 38 years old

SF Pierce: 13ppg 5 reb 2.5apg 37%3PTFG Maybe Unrealistic. Might want to many minutes.
Marion: 10ppg 7reb 1.2spg 48%FG 36%3PTFG. Good overall game. Sucked against us. Great backup for Kawhi or small ball PF
Aminu: 7ppg 6rpg needs work on his shooting, ok defence
Starvin Marvin Williams:9ppg 5rpg 36% 3PTFG. OK length to back up Kawhi

PF Big Baby Davis: 6'9" 480lbs 12ppg 6rpg last year. Sometimes gives a team great energy and passion.
Jordan Hill: 6'10" 235lbs 10ppg 7rpg 1bpg, great energy 55% FG
Channing Frye: 6'11" 235lbs 11ppg 5rpg 37% 3PTFG Great floor spacing big who never thought to much about defence and rebounding yet in is career

C Spencer Hawes: 7'1" 13ppg, 8rpg, 1block, 45%FG 41%3PTFG To expensive? Young and hopefully getting stronger finally.
Jason Smith: 7'0" 10ppg, 6rpg, 1block 46% in 27 minutes. Don't know too much about his defence.
Emeka Ofafor: 6'10" Career 12ppg 10rpg 2blocks. Smart, great defender. Great rebounder. Injured neck. Will he return the same player he once was or easily re-injure or never play again?

Seems to be one or two backup PG and SG And a decent list of SF to give Kawhi a break. And a plethora of interesting bigs to play alongside Tim, Tiago and Diaw (if re-signed). Hopefully Bonner and Errors are gone and replace them with some new blood to go with Bayes who i hope stays. See what happens. That's my wishlist position by position. Sure I might have missed some names but oh well.

[BackHome]

Well I hope to God we sign Diaw and Mill which I am sure we will do if they don't ask for crazy amounts. If Duncan came back you know he told RC hey I will come back to the same team no major changes.

The biggest questions is who will be Kawhi backup? Looking at Summer League we have several SF so guess will find out after this summer.

The other question is who will backup Diaw since Bonner probably will be gone? I don't know if possible but I do like McRobets from watching some vids he seems like you could just plug and play him. (let go Austin and Errors)

[Rescueone]

I just hope the Spurs have Chandler Parsons come in for a visit and never leave. He would be a nice fit on the Spurs!!

[BackHome]

That would be nice but head Houston has let it be known they will match any offer he gets.

[raybies]

Well I hope to God we sign Diaw and Mill which I am sure we will do if they don't ask for crazy amounts. If Duncan came back you know he told RC hey I will come back to the same team no major changes.

The biggest questions is who will be Kawhi backup? With Manu playing this summer I also think we need another ball handler SG who can guard and create his own shot.

I completely agree with you. After researching and doing the comparisons, it would be in the best interest of the Spurs to re-sign them. Although we can move forward without them, it's not a path I want the Spurs to go down.

As for Kawhi's back-up, I had some notes that I can post later, but I think they might be content with Anderson and Daye. If Daye is cut they still have 3 shooting guards that can fill-in in a pinch like last year. Danny also has done a wonderful job on the small forwards that don't post up, while Boris plays well against the forwards that can post. So I wouldn't be surprised if we go into next year without signing one.

I personally think our biggest need, after re-signing our players, is a back-up c.

Another thing that hit me, is that the Spurs could go without using one or both of the exceptions and save that money for a waived player next year. I'm sure if the right piece presents itself, they'll jump; but the Spurs don't just spend money cause they have it.

[Rescueone]

Hopefully, Houston offers a high price contract to someone else and they can't afford him. The Spurs steal him. His salary was 850k last year.

[EVAY]

It seems to me that the abundance of guards for the Spurs disguises the fact that so few of them are actually POINT guards.

Imagining that a new point guard (young or veteran) could come into the Spurs system and make an immediate impact in our offensive system is silly, imo.

Mills is not really a point guard, imo. He is a shooting guard that Pop has bring the ball up when Manu is on the floor so that Manu doesn't have to be physically taxed as much. When it comes to running the offense and/or getting us into our offensive sets, it is only TP and Manu who can do it well among our guards.

I hope that we bring Mill back, but I believe that his usefulness is a function of Manu's presence, bball i.q., court vision and passing ability. With anyone else, Mill's abilities would be exposed as less than the value he gives the Spurs, imo.

Cojo is better at running the offense than Mills, but he is slower, does not shoot as well, and is considerably less decisive than Mills, imo.

Look how long it takes ANY player to be a significant contributor in our offense. That includes Tiago, Danny, Marco, Boris, and Patty.

All that says to me is that there has to a really solid backup pg playing behind Tony this year or in the Toros, because this is likely to be Manu's last season, and when he is gone, SOMEONE in that second unit is going to have to run the offense, threaten the three and/or drive, and get other players involved. I want Mills next to Manu this coming season, but he has never shown me that is the person who can be behind Tony if Manu is not on the floor.

Having said all of that, none of the guards in that article fit the bill, imo. Udrih? Nooooo Brooks? Nooooo

I think we are still looking for a back-up pg, with or without Mills this next year. To me, that means either Mills or Cojo goes now, and imo, it would be Cojo.

[raybies]

All that says to me is that there has to a really solid backup pg playing behind Tony this year or in the Toros, because this is likely to be Manu's last season, and when he is gone, SOMEONE in that second unit is going to have to run the offense, threaten the three and/or drive, and get other players involved. I want Mills next to Manu this coming season, but he has never shown me that is the person who can be behind Tony if Manu is not on the floor.

Having said all of that, none of the guards in that article fit the bill, imo. Udrih? Nooooo Brooks? Nooooo

I think we are still looking for a back-up pg, with or without Mills this next year. To me, that means either Mills or Cojo goes now, and imo, it would be Cojo.

I think what your looking for is another facilitator that has the potential to create, once Manu leaves. We may have already found one with Kyle Anderson. It doesn't necessarily have to be a point guard that can knockdown the 3, drive, and get teammates involved. I mean, Kyle did all those things in college. Whether or not he can duplicate that success in the NBA remains to be seen, but if he can, he could be the sixth man when Manu retires. Remember this guy is only 20.

Plus if you have your second facilitator(hypothetically back-up pg) in the same position as your primary(Tony Parker), than you have to go small. Kind of like when we had George Hill. It would be better to find a facilitator in a position that complements the other pieces you have, particularly SG. And this is about if Manu isn't here. I would rather the Spurs go big, which is what they appear to be preparing for (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=236676&p=7468461#post7468461).

So, Patty is perfect for what the Spurs currently have. He plays more like an SG, which who he is, while Manu plays more like a PG, which who he is. This is maximizing their strength. Next year, if Manu retires, they can find a player that is capable of being the secondary facilitator, unless Kyle can do it. This is why I figured the Spurs would draft Bogdan Bogdanovic, because he could come in and play the position like Manu.

All in all, it's a role to be played. What shape or size they come in is not really as important as to if they can fill the role. The roles I listed in the article were followed by players I thought could fill the role and come at a affordable price. The point guards I listed weren't Manu replacements,they were players that fill-in for Patty, in the role he occupied.

[BackHome]

Who ever replaces Manu must be able to get to the rim and must be able to rack up assist and be a threat from the outside. Don't really care if it is a PG or SG but we need somebody who can handle the rock when the game is on the line.

Ps. Mills over CoJo we would not have a trophy without him.

[Taking it to the Hole]

I agree also that in crunch time situations Manu becomes the primary ball handler and he has very good skills but sometimes he gets in trouble. I think the Spurs would like if they had another facilitator on offense that can break down a defense because TP struggled greatly when he had a bigger defender on him like LeBron. TP is able to match up against other PGs and break down the defense but outside of him and Manu, there is not an active initiator on the offense in the backcourt. In the frontcourt, you have Diaw and to a lesser extent Kawhi in iso sets but if the Spurs could find an athletic PG or SG that can break down a defense off the dribble but has more size, they would be in a "golden position".

[EVAY]

I think what your looking for is another facilitator that has the potential to create, once Manu leaves. We may have already found one with Kyle Anderson. It doesn't necessarily have to be a point guard that can knockdown the 3, drive, and get teammates involved. I mean, Kyle did all those things in college. Whether or not he can duplicate that success in the NBA remains to be seen, but if he can, he could be the sixth man when Manu retires. Remember this guy is only 20.

Plus if you have your second facilitator(hypothetically back-up pg) in the same position as your primary(Tony Parker), than you have to go small. Kind of like when we had George Hill. It would be better to find a facilitator in a position that complements the other pieces you have, particularly SG. And this is about if Manu isn't here. I would rather the Spurs go big, which is what they appear to be preparing for (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=236676&p=7468461#post7468461).

So, Patty is perfect for what the Spurs currently have. He plays more like an SG, which who he is, while Manu plays more like a PG, which who he is. This is maximizing their strength. Next year, if Manu retires, they can find a player that is capable of being the secondary facilitator, unless Kyle can do it. This is why I figured the Spurs would draft Bogdan Bogdanovic, because he could come in and play the position like Manu.

All in all, it's a role to be played. What shape or size they come in is not really as important as to if they can fill the role. The roles I listed in the article were followed by players I thought could fill the role and come at a affordable price. The point guards I listed weren't Manu replacements,they were players that fill-in for Patty, in the role he occupied.

I agree, I think (there were quite a few issues in there).

This is what I agree with:

Manu really acts as a pg more than a shooting guard, and Mills acts more like a shooting guard that brings the ball up the court when Parker is on the bench.

Manu is 6'6", i.e., much taller than most point guards, whether back-up or starter.

Mills is perfect in the role he has now for the Spurs, but may not be if he actually has to start playing pg when Manu retires.

If what we are really looking for is a Manu replacement who has all his abilities, plus willingness to play from the bench, plus knows the Spurs' system and is willing to do all of that for what we are paying Manu, I think we are being naive regarding our ability to find that player.

All due respect, (and I mean that seriously), even Kawhi took until his third year to really be able to contribute within this system on a consistent basis. Asking or expecting Kyle Anderson to do that after only one year is a HUGE expectation, and likely a set-up for failure. Even if he could do that, then expecting that he would be satisfied with that role beyond his first contract is another heavy lift, imo.

Actually, the facilitator role is better filled by a Marco or a Boris, imo. You still won't get the defensive abilities that Manu has had, but those have been diminishing for him for several years now.

All in all, I have once again convinced myself that we need a really good pg to be developed post haste. It makes me wonder if, as Manu's abilities and stamina continue to decrease over the next year before he leaves (and I really do believe that this will be his last), then if we keep Cojo AND Mills, we start seeing Cojo in the Manu role (knows the offense and can defend) and Patty continues in the role he has now.

IDK. Mostly it means that for all the grief he gets in this forum, we are never going to be able to replace Manu for the money we are paying him.

[Steve-O-Matic]

Hopefully, Houston offers a high price contract to someone else and they can't afford him. The Spurs steal him. His salary was 850k last year.
Uhh, Chandler Parsons is going to be a very hot commodity in free agency. No one is going to "steal" him, never mind the Spurs. He's going to be starting somewhere next year, and he's going to be making several millions of dollars doing so.