spurschick
08-20-2005, 05:54 PM
By Emmett Shaw
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Aug 20, 2005
It’s clear that the Spurs have their remaining summer options prioritized. Coming choices like Michael Finley’s final decision will set other NBA events in motion. So factors beyond San Antonio general manager R.C. Buford’s control are worthy topics this week. Taken together, they affect who all will wear the Silver and Black this year. Hopefully these burning NBA questions will more or less flow one from another. But don’t expect answers from me. As we’ll see, way too many factors are in play.
Question 1: Who will get Michael Finley? Miami and Phoenix are the best possibilities. Denver makes sense too. Multiple news reports held that Finley to Miami was a given, but nothing has happened yet. Maybe Pat Riley isn’t offering all the Heat’s available money or is skimping on years. Maybe Fin wants to pay his respects to Steve Nash first. Maybe Fin wants to stay in the West, since Mark Cuban wants him to go to the East.
Question 2: So why not Denver? Michael knows Kiki Vandeweghe from when they both worked for Mark in Dallas. The Nuggets should have a starting spot just waiting for Michael, but Kiki doesn’t seem that interested. The Nuggets want to run, and Finley has started to age. So why hasn’t Vandeweghe gotten MLE aggressive after major up-and-comer free agents Maurice Evans of the Kings or Travis Hansen, who could come back to the States? In Evan’s case, maybe his game is too much SF and not enough SG for what Kiki wants. Or maybe logic is prevailing – Paul Pierce for Marcus Camby in a mega-swap. (This would involve other players, but none would be near as important as the two stars.) All last season Boston would win big games while Pierce had bad body language. Gerald Green coming to town means that Pierce is gone someday, but when? The Celts already have Ricky Davis longing for an expanded role; if they can land an impact big like Camby, pull the trigger now. Nene and Francisco Elson can play the middle in Denver. This would solve Nene’s minutes issue. This possible deal could explain Vandeweghe staying on the sideline for so long this summer. Kiki is reportedly now interested in 6-10 Darius Songaila when his real need is at the 2-position? Another clue that Pierce to Denver could be The Truth.
Question 3: So who would the Spurs prefer? Finley? Evans? James Jones? Apparently Finley, because the Spurs have made contact and are waiting. But R.C. could also be holding out hope to do a sign and trade for Evans, Jones, or Casey Jacobsen to ease the Spurs’ financial situation. The Spurs are already near $60 million in payroll (the hard cap has been set at $61.7 million). One website even reports that Robert Horry re-signed at $5 million a year. If true, the Spurs may already be over the threshold and might wish to dump some salary. (But are these NBA salary sites perfectly right? For instance, is Romain Sato really still on the books? If that is so, why wasn’t he used for amnesty like Alonzo Mourning was by Toronto?) New Orleans has the capspace to take Rasho Nesterovic in a Jacobsen swap, but surely the Spurs would rather have James Jones. The Pacers’ CFO is hurting with around $75 million already on the payroll, but if you’re going for an NBA Championship and already are hopelessly over the cap, what’s another relatively small contract? The Pacers will probably match on JJ. That leaves Evans. The guy is too good for the Kings to let him go for nothing. Brent Barry is a Northern California native and would be a great fit for the Kings. However Barry’s shooting was integral to the Spurs’ title. Talk about their D all you want; the Spurs shot out the lights-camera-action from 3 to edge Detroit. Barry killed Phoenix in the WCFs. He was a brutally efficient shooter in that series, sinking 55% from the arc. Who would replace Barry’s shooting, versatility, his new sense of ownership as a champion, or the trust he finally built with Gregg Popovich? When the going got tough in the Finals, Barry’s minutes jumped from 17-per in Games 1-4 to 25 in Games 5-7, including 4th quarter minutes, including 29 key minutes in Game 7. When Tony Parker and Beno Udrih were hemorrhaging turnovers, Barry was the guy who Pop turned to for soundness. It would be hard to replace that for San Antonio.
Question 4: Could Barry be Cleveland’s PG answer? Obviously Damon Jones doesn’t want to be a Cavalier. He wants money. Danny Ferry offered money. Jones didn’t take it. He wants to stay in Miami and is probably Riley’s backup plan if Finley doesn’t join the Heat. Perhaps Riley thinks he can get both Finley and Jones if Michael will take less. Conventional wisdom holds that Ferry’s next option is Earl Watson, but Earl can’t really run a team (as if Damon can). An answer could be Barry, and the Cavs still have about $3 million in capspace to make it work. Luke Jackson got mixed reviews for his summer league play. HOOPSWORLD’s guys in Vegas killed him, but just getting out there was a start for him after disc surgery. He could be damaged goods, or he could be Bruce Bowen’s eventual successor at SF. So could the Cavs’ Sasha Pavlovic. But nothing could replace Barry’s savvy unless 23-year-old Beno Udrih grows up faster than my remote surfs right through a poker show.
Question 5: Would Golden State and the Spurs trade? The Warriors have a $5.2 million trade exception and are over $4 million under the tax threshold. Their roster is nearly full and they have no 7-footer. Rasho Nesterovic could fit in Oakland and Brent Barry seriously would. Mickael Pietrus, Calbert Cheaney, or (almost inconceivably) even Mike Dunleavy are possibilities in various scenarios.
Question 6: Are the Los Angeles Lakers still a coveted FA destination? Ahhh...swimming pools, starlets, endorsements, and just getting to be a Laker. Championships? They’re out of the picture for a while. Why are Derek Anderson and Aaron McKie not instantly signing on Jerry Buss’ dotted line? The answer is probably Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson. Their act has grown tired. And who needs the headaches and high-expectations from Laker Nation’s fans and media? When the pressure comes you know it will be Kobe with the ball, you staying the heck out of his way, and Phil bitching when you lose. How can someone who has won so much have the bitterness that comes out via Charley Rosen’s work the last few months. Oh well...it’s a last gasp, but at least it pays eight figures.
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Aug 20, 2005
It’s clear that the Spurs have their remaining summer options prioritized. Coming choices like Michael Finley’s final decision will set other NBA events in motion. So factors beyond San Antonio general manager R.C. Buford’s control are worthy topics this week. Taken together, they affect who all will wear the Silver and Black this year. Hopefully these burning NBA questions will more or less flow one from another. But don’t expect answers from me. As we’ll see, way too many factors are in play.
Question 1: Who will get Michael Finley? Miami and Phoenix are the best possibilities. Denver makes sense too. Multiple news reports held that Finley to Miami was a given, but nothing has happened yet. Maybe Pat Riley isn’t offering all the Heat’s available money or is skimping on years. Maybe Fin wants to pay his respects to Steve Nash first. Maybe Fin wants to stay in the West, since Mark Cuban wants him to go to the East.
Question 2: So why not Denver? Michael knows Kiki Vandeweghe from when they both worked for Mark in Dallas. The Nuggets should have a starting spot just waiting for Michael, but Kiki doesn’t seem that interested. The Nuggets want to run, and Finley has started to age. So why hasn’t Vandeweghe gotten MLE aggressive after major up-and-comer free agents Maurice Evans of the Kings or Travis Hansen, who could come back to the States? In Evan’s case, maybe his game is too much SF and not enough SG for what Kiki wants. Or maybe logic is prevailing – Paul Pierce for Marcus Camby in a mega-swap. (This would involve other players, but none would be near as important as the two stars.) All last season Boston would win big games while Pierce had bad body language. Gerald Green coming to town means that Pierce is gone someday, but when? The Celts already have Ricky Davis longing for an expanded role; if they can land an impact big like Camby, pull the trigger now. Nene and Francisco Elson can play the middle in Denver. This would solve Nene’s minutes issue. This possible deal could explain Vandeweghe staying on the sideline for so long this summer. Kiki is reportedly now interested in 6-10 Darius Songaila when his real need is at the 2-position? Another clue that Pierce to Denver could be The Truth.
Question 3: So who would the Spurs prefer? Finley? Evans? James Jones? Apparently Finley, because the Spurs have made contact and are waiting. But R.C. could also be holding out hope to do a sign and trade for Evans, Jones, or Casey Jacobsen to ease the Spurs’ financial situation. The Spurs are already near $60 million in payroll (the hard cap has been set at $61.7 million). One website even reports that Robert Horry re-signed at $5 million a year. If true, the Spurs may already be over the threshold and might wish to dump some salary. (But are these NBA salary sites perfectly right? For instance, is Romain Sato really still on the books? If that is so, why wasn’t he used for amnesty like Alonzo Mourning was by Toronto?) New Orleans has the capspace to take Rasho Nesterovic in a Jacobsen swap, but surely the Spurs would rather have James Jones. The Pacers’ CFO is hurting with around $75 million already on the payroll, but if you’re going for an NBA Championship and already are hopelessly over the cap, what’s another relatively small contract? The Pacers will probably match on JJ. That leaves Evans. The guy is too good for the Kings to let him go for nothing. Brent Barry is a Northern California native and would be a great fit for the Kings. However Barry’s shooting was integral to the Spurs’ title. Talk about their D all you want; the Spurs shot out the lights-camera-action from 3 to edge Detroit. Barry killed Phoenix in the WCFs. He was a brutally efficient shooter in that series, sinking 55% from the arc. Who would replace Barry’s shooting, versatility, his new sense of ownership as a champion, or the trust he finally built with Gregg Popovich? When the going got tough in the Finals, Barry’s minutes jumped from 17-per in Games 1-4 to 25 in Games 5-7, including 4th quarter minutes, including 29 key minutes in Game 7. When Tony Parker and Beno Udrih were hemorrhaging turnovers, Barry was the guy who Pop turned to for soundness. It would be hard to replace that for San Antonio.
Question 4: Could Barry be Cleveland’s PG answer? Obviously Damon Jones doesn’t want to be a Cavalier. He wants money. Danny Ferry offered money. Jones didn’t take it. He wants to stay in Miami and is probably Riley’s backup plan if Finley doesn’t join the Heat. Perhaps Riley thinks he can get both Finley and Jones if Michael will take less. Conventional wisdom holds that Ferry’s next option is Earl Watson, but Earl can’t really run a team (as if Damon can). An answer could be Barry, and the Cavs still have about $3 million in capspace to make it work. Luke Jackson got mixed reviews for his summer league play. HOOPSWORLD’s guys in Vegas killed him, but just getting out there was a start for him after disc surgery. He could be damaged goods, or he could be Bruce Bowen’s eventual successor at SF. So could the Cavs’ Sasha Pavlovic. But nothing could replace Barry’s savvy unless 23-year-old Beno Udrih grows up faster than my remote surfs right through a poker show.
Question 5: Would Golden State and the Spurs trade? The Warriors have a $5.2 million trade exception and are over $4 million under the tax threshold. Their roster is nearly full and they have no 7-footer. Rasho Nesterovic could fit in Oakland and Brent Barry seriously would. Mickael Pietrus, Calbert Cheaney, or (almost inconceivably) even Mike Dunleavy are possibilities in various scenarios.
Question 6: Are the Los Angeles Lakers still a coveted FA destination? Ahhh...swimming pools, starlets, endorsements, and just getting to be a Laker. Championships? They’re out of the picture for a while. Why are Derek Anderson and Aaron McKie not instantly signing on Jerry Buss’ dotted line? The answer is probably Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson. Their act has grown tired. And who needs the headaches and high-expectations from Laker Nation’s fans and media? When the pressure comes you know it will be Kobe with the ball, you staying the heck out of his way, and Phil bitching when you lose. How can someone who has won so much have the bitterness that comes out via Charley Rosen’s work the last few months. Oh well...it’s a last gasp, but at least it pays eight figures.