Why Kawhi Leonard will be the NBA's most intriguing free-agent recruiter this summer

[jesterbobman]

link: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/why-kawhi-leonard-will-be-the-nba-s-most-intriguing-free-agent-recruiter-this-summer-084241791.html

Most important line

For now, there's no scenario where Leonard plans to pursue offer sheets on the market, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.

[Cloud786]

SAN ANTONIO – Amid a gulf of salary-cap space in Los Angeles and New York, the promise of glitzy pitches and powerful personas, the summer's most impactful recruiter promises to come with a muffled grunt, a shrug of his shoulders and hands so massive that they could snare the biggest free-agent star of them all.

San Antonio's Kawhi Leonard can sell Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge on something that Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson and Carmelo Anthony are unable: the chance to play with basketball's best burgeoning two-way player, to secure his standing within a Spurs monolith rumbling beyond the genius of Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili and into the second act of this generation's greatest basketball dynasty.

In a perfect scenario, the Spurs have a full understanding of the futures of Duncan, Ginobili and Danny Green when they walk into a 12:01 a.m. ET meeting on July 1 with Leonard and his agent, Brian Elfus, in Los Angeles. The Spurs will offer Leonard a full maximum contract extension, get a commitment and turn themselves toward prying Aldridge back to his Texas roots.

It is a testament to the regime of Portland general manager Neil Olshey, the commitment of owner Paul Allen, that the most credible threat to lose Aldridge comes out of San Antonio, the best franchise in sports. For everything Aldridge has been doing lately to sell people that he wants out of Portland, make no mistake: His forever changing moods will shift again and again, because that's Aldridge's nature. Portland can still pay Aldridge the most money, pitch him on Olshey's franchise-building acumen and the chance to be rememembered as the greatest Blazer ever.

For all the promises of rebuilds that'll come out of the Lakers and Knicks, the Spurs' recruiting pitch promises to be far more substantive: Leonard pushing into his prime, a torturous 32 points in San Antonio's 100-73 Game 3 victory on Friday night delivering a deeper understanding of the promise of potential partnerships. So few players dominate without dominating the ball. Who wouldn't want to play with Kawhi Leonard?

In every way, Leonard is the perfect Spur, a creation some could swear had been hatched on GM R.C. Buford's basement workbench. He hates talking, shuns the spotlight and plays the game with an uncommon ferocity. Leonard has long arms, massive hands and the greatest defensive instincts in the game. He's worked so hard on his offense, stunning the Spurs with his capacity to expand his talents.

"He's worked on everything since he got here," coach Gregg Popovich said. "He wasn't a 3-point shooter, he was an inside guy."

The Spurs had Tim Duncan present Leonard with his Defensive Player of the Year trophy in a pregame ceremony. Afterward, Duncan was asked his impressions of how deeply the award touched his young teammate.

"Can anybody tell? I don't know."

Duncan handed him the trophy, and the idea would've been for Leonard to stand there, that trophy high in the air and let the love wash over him. Only he bailed. "I gave him the trophy, walked off and he was [following] behind me," Duncan said.

In every way, Leonard has followed Duncan. Most of all, he's made it possible for the dynasty to get its second wind, especially Duncan. He turns 39 on Saturday, and he's still one of the NBA's best power forwards. He made it easy for Duncan and Ginobili to grow older gracefully, made it easy for everyone – including Popovich – to stay the course, stay on the job and push longer together than they ever imagined possible.

"Having somebody who can support them has made us a better team, which then allows Pop to not have to overplay our older guys," Buford told Yahoo Sports on Friday night. "His development has made the rest of the group fit. And he's fit with them."
Leonard is a Southern California kid content with life in South Texas, with no desire to chase fame in a big market. He wants to chase championships, and understands sooner than later he'll need a supporting cast of his own.

For now, there's no scenario where Leonard plans to pursue offer sheets on the market, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.

Leonard wants to be a Spur, and the Spurs are expected to come calling on July 1 with the max offer that they resisted delivering Leonard in the preseason, a move born out of preserving cap space to bring on a star free agent this summer.

The Spurs can't be sure how they'll proceed on July 1 until they know Duncan's and Ginobili's plans. Whatever they decide, the possibility of pursuing Aldridge on the recruiting trail could offer the Spurs the chance to do the only thing that they've never done in the NBA: Lure an All-Star free agent in his prime, beat New York and Los Angeles somewhere besides the basketball court.

For those who want to win, for those unimpressed with the empty promises of sideways big-market franchises, Kawhi Leonard ought to be July's most persuasive recruiter: all action, all the time.


Full article: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/why-kawhi-leonard-will-be-the-nba-s-most-intriguing-free-agent-recruiter-this-summer-084241791.html

[BatManu20]

Good read.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/why-kawhi-leonard-will-be-the-nba-s-most-intriguing-free-agent-recruiter-this-summer-084241791.htmlKawhi

[Malik Hairston]

:lol Damn, posted 3 times in 2 minutes..

[BatManu20]

:lol Damn, posted 3 times in 2 minutes..

:lol

[Old School 44]

Everybody's excited about Kawhi. This article was post three times in the last few minutes! :lol

[letmk]

Sign Aldridge for all the available cap space. Sign Kawhi with the maximum and DG with a non-egregious price. Sign TD and Manu to minimum. Keep CoJo and Beli for reasonable price. Let Error go. Shift Bonner to management. WIN.

[apalisoc_9]

no aldridge please.

[Outlier]

No chance to get another player of Aldridge 's caliber any other time during Kawhi' s career. This is our only time. Get him.

[Horry Hipcheck]

I'm really curious how well LMA would fit, hypothetically, into the Spurs system.

[Outlier]

I'm really curious how well LMA would fit, hypothetically, into the Spurs system.

Exactly like Timmy on offense. Just drop it in the post to Aldridge and he'll provide offense inside or pass it outside. Makes us continue to be a threat inside and out.

[BatManu20]

no aldridge please.

He's the only realistic "big name " free agent the Spurs have a shot at, tbh.. He's in his prime (turns 30 in July), fills a position of need, and is coming off a season where he averaged 23 & 10 with a 22.85 PER.

Now I agree he's not my first choice, but all things considered, if you have the chance to get a player like that, by all means you try imo. The only logical reason I would think you shouldn't try and sign Aldridge is if you think you have a realistic shot at Anthony Davis in 2017, which I don't think the Spurs do, tbh. So there just aren't any realistic options for the Spurs, and Timmy and Manu's (and looking more and more like Tony's) time cards are almost ready to be punched out. Gasol isn't coming here, Durant isn't coming here. They have to try for LA. And there's still a good chance he stays in Portland or goes elsewhere anyways.

[Horry Hipcheck]

Exactly like Timmy on offense. Just drop it in the post to Aldridge and he'll provide offense inside or pass it outside. Makes us continue to be a threat inside and out.

I mean, I understand how his talents would be used - I was speaking more to his dynamic as a person.

[apalisoc_9]

agh the big name argument.

A guard the can breakdown the defenses should be number 1 priority..

[Uriel]

In a perfect scenario, the Spurs have a full understanding of the futures of Duncan, Ginobili and Danny Green when they walk into a 12:01 a.m. ET meeting on July 1 with Leonard and his agent, Brian Elfus, in Los Angeles. The Spurs will offer Leonard a full maximum contract extension, get a commitment and turn themselves toward prying Aldridge back to his Texas roots.

It is a testament to the regime of Portland general manager Neil Olshey, the commitment of owner Paul Allen, that the most credible threat to lose Aldridge comes out of San Antonio, the best franchise in sports.

For now, there's no scenario where Leonard plans to pursue offer sheets on the market, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
:stirpot:

[BatManu20]

I mean, I understand how his talents would be used - I was speaking more to his dynamic as a person.

:lol Aldridge, by most accounts, seems like a good dude who would fit well in the locker room. He got Rick Barnes' seal of approval and Barnes and Pop know each other well and (at least used to before his firing) communicate often. I don't see how any issues would arise, tbh.

[BatManu20]

agh the big name argument.

A guard the can breakdown the defenses should be number 1 priority..

:lol your avi

[apalisoc_9]

Diaw is the teams best big creator now..He's reliable.

Imo, in order of importanxe.

1. Guard that can break down the Defense
2. A very good C that is mobile enough to chase perimeter player...This only because splitter is almost always injured.
3. A PF.

Getting Aldridge will force the spurs to change some of their offensive philosophies..That's stupid.

[BatManu20]

Diaw is the teams best big creator now..He's reliable.

Imo, in order of importanxe.

1. Guard that can break down the Defense
2. A very good C that is mobile enough to chase perimeter player...This only because splitter is almost always injured.
3. A PF.

Getting Aldridge will force the spurs to change some of their offensive philosophies..That's stupid.

Okay so just curious, what guard{s} do you have in mind? Cause looking at the FA list the next two years, there's really not much to choose from tbh... And unfortunately, we're stuck with the atrocity that is Tony Parker's contract for the next 3 years, so I think PATFO are content with our back-court so long as we re-sign Danny and Kawhi.

[apalisoc_9]

Okay so just curious, what guard{s} do you have in mind? Cause looking at the FA list the next two years, there's really not much to choose from tbh... And unfortunately, we're stuck with the atrocity that is Tony Parker's contract for the next 3 years, so I think PATFO are content with our back-court so long as we re-sign Danny and Kawhi.

dont need to do anything big if td and manu returns..get a 5-10 minute guard that can break down defenses..Barea is a UFA..Get him for cheap. In that way, if Manu and TD retires the year after, there's more flexibility. Draft two Centers that can move in the perimeter..hope one of them turns into at least a serviceable defensive big..an insurance if tiago gets injured.

That's your off season. nothing big.

[BillMc]

SAN ANTONIO – Amid a gulf of salary-cap space in Los Angeles and New York, the promise of glitzy pitches and powerful personas, the summer's most impactful recruiter promises to come with a muffled grunt, a shrug of his shoulders and hands so massive that they could snare the biggest free-agent star of them all.

San Antonio's Kawhi Leonard can sell Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge on something that Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson and Carmelo Anthony are unable: the chance to play with basketball's best burgeoning two-way player, to secure his standing within a Spurs monolith rumbling beyond the genius of Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili and into the second act of this generation's greatest basketball dynasty.

In a perfect scenario, the Spurs have a full understanding of the futures of Duncan, Ginobili and Danny Green when they walk into a 12:01 a.m. ET meeting on July 1 with Leonard and his agent, Brian Elfus, in Los Angeles. The Spurs will offer Leonard a full maximum contract extension, get a commitment and turn themselves toward prying Aldridge back to his Texas roots.

It is a testament to the regime of Portland general manager Neil Olshey, the commitment of owner Paul Allen, that the most credible threat to lose Aldridge comes out of San Antonio, the best franchise in sports. For everything Aldridge has been doing lately to sell people that he wants out of Portland, make no mistake: His forever changing moods will shift again and again, because that's Aldridge's nature. Portland can still pay Aldridge the most money, pitch him on Olshey's franchise-building acumen and the chance to be rememembered as the greatest Blazer ever.

For all the promises of rebuilds that'll come out of the Lakers and Knicks, the Spurs' recruiting pitch promises to be far more substantive: Leonard pushing into his prime, a torturous 32 points in San Antonio's 100-73 Game 3 victory on Friday night delivering a deeper understanding of the promise of potential partnerships. So few players dominate without dominating the ball. Who wouldn't want to play with Kawhi Leonard?

In every way, Leonard is the perfect Spur, a creation some could swear had been hatched on GM R.C. Buford's basement workbench. He hates talking, shuns the spotlight and plays the game with an uncommon ferocity. Leonard has long arms, massive hands and the greatest defensive instincts in the game. He's worked so hard on his offense, stunning the Spurs with his capacity to expand his talents.

"He's worked on everything since he got here," coach Gregg Popovich said. "He wasn't a 3-point shooter, he was an inside guy."

The Spurs had Tim Duncan present Leonard with his Defensive Player of the Year trophy in a pregame ceremony. Afterward, Duncan was asked his impressions of how deeply the award touched his young teammate.

"Can anybody tell? I don't know."

Duncan handed him the trophy, and the idea would've been for Leonard to stand there, that trophy high in the air and let the love wash over him. Only he bailed. "I gave him the trophy, walked off and he was [following] behind me," Duncan said.

In every way, Leonard has followed Duncan. Most of all, he's made it possible for the dynasty to get its second wind, especially Duncan. He turns 39 on Saturday, and he's still one of the NBA's best power forwards. He made it easy for Duncan and Ginobili to grow older gracefully, made it easy for everyone – including Popovich – to stay the course, stay on the job and push longer together than they ever imagined possible.

"Having somebody who can support them has made us a better team, which then allows Pop to not have to overplay our older guys," Buford told Yahoo Sports on Friday night. "His development has made the rest of the group fit. And he's fit with them."
Leonard is a Southern California kid content with life in South Texas, with no desire to chase fame in a big market. He wants to chase championships, and understands sooner than later he'll need a supporting cast of his own.

For now, there's no scenario where Leonard plans to pursue offer sheets on the market, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.

Leonard wants to be a Spur, and the Spurs are expected to come calling on July 1 with the max offer that they resisted delivering Leonard in the preseason, a move born out of preserving cap space to bring on a star free agent this summer.

The Spurs can't be sure how they'll proceed on July 1 until they know Duncan's and Ginobili's plans. Whatever they decide, the possibility of pursuing Aldridge on the recruiting trail could offer the Spurs the chance to do the only thing that they've never done in the NBA: Lure an All-Star free agent in his prime, beat New York and Los Angeles somewhere besides the basketball court.

For those who want to win, for those unimpressed with the empty promises of sideways big-market franchises, Kawhi Leonard ought to be July's most persuasive recruiter: all action, all the time.


Full article: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/why-kawhi-leonard-will-be-the-nba-s-most-intriguing-free-agent-recruiter-this-summer-084241791.html

Great read!:toast

[100%duncan]

As long as we keep kawhi and green post TD and Manu, I'll be happy with that start

[jiggy_55]

Great read!

Not to be a pessimist here, but by the looks of it, Duncan and Manu will be back next season. Green will command big money, and Kawhi is getting the max. How are the Spurs supposed to push through with another max-contract FA in this scenario? I don't see anyway this is happening without Tim and/or Manu retiring

[will_spurs]

And is LMA really our main target?

[will_spurs]

Does anybody have a list of the top free agents (restricted or not) this off-season and next?

I hear the names of LMA and AD mentioned a lot, but there must be other guys as well we might manage to lure in.

[jiggy_55]

Great read!

Not to be a pessimist here, but by the looks of it, Duncan and Manu will be back next season. Green will command big money, and Kawhi is getting the max. How are the Spurs supposed to push through with another max-contract FA in this scenario? I don't see anyway this is happening without Tim and/or Manu retiring

[Das Texan]

Spurs might just have to say fuck it and pay the luxury tax for a year in 2015-16 if Timmy and Manu return.

[Mr Bones]

Does anybody have a list of the top free agents (restricted or not) this off-season and next?

I hear the names of LMA and AD mentioned a lot, but there must be other guys as well we might manage to lure in.

http://hoopshype.com/free_agency_2015.htm
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12307054/nba-free-agents-2015-2016

[will_spurs]

http://hoopshype.com/free_agency_2015.htm
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12307054/nba-free-agents-2015-2016

Thanks. I day we go hard after Lebron after beating him again in the Finals :lol

LMA is an interesting prospect. I wonder if it wouldn't be better to go after e.g. Dragic + Millsap (I have no idea how much each of them is worth in the current FA market, though).

AD is a RFA in 2016... I can't see the Pelicans not matching an offer.

[99 Problems]

If we miss we go all in on AD. If AD lands in some monster trade others like the guards mentioned above will fall out of trees to play with Kiwi & AD.

[will_spurs]

If we miss we go all in on AD. If AD lands in some monster trade others like the guards mentioned above will fall out of trees to play with Kiwi & AD.

Again, AD is a restricted free agent, exactly like Kawhi now. His fate is not in his hands. If the Pelicans want to keep him they will match any offer (and they know it's going to be a max offer anyway so they can plan around it already). Then AD has no choice but to keep playing for the Pelicans for at least one more year. So we're "realistically" looking at AD in 2017 at the earliest. That's the 2 seasons away...

BTW Lin is a UFA, I wonder how much he's going to get.

[ducks]

Diaw is the teams best big creator now..He's reliable.

Imo, in order of importanxe.

1. Guard that can break down the Defense
2. A very good C that is mobile enough to chase perimeter player...This only because splitter is almost always injured.
3. A PF.

Getting Aldridge will force the spurs to change some of their offensive philosophies..That's stupid.

Pop can change before Manu and to prime run 4 down
Then faster face motion

[SpursFan86]

We're not getting Anthony fucking Davis :lmao :lmao :lmao

Most likely won't land Aldridge, either, but I'd love to have him. He'd be a great fit on both sides of the ball. He's one of the best mid-range shooting bigs in the league, and this year even showed signs of a developing 3-point shot. His overall efficiency isn't great, but ideally he'd be taking fewer shots if he came here. He's always been really underrated defensively IMO. He's a great PnR defender and can also defend guys in the post well. Kawhi/LMA/Splitter would be a terrifying front court.

[Old School 44]

Pop can change before Manu and to prime run 4 down
Then faster face motion
huh?

[ducks]

huh?

Pop can change with what he has to work with

[ace3g]

Does anybody have a list of the top free agents (restricted or not) this off-season and next?

I hear the names of LMA and AD mentioned a lot, but there must be other guys as well we might manage to lure in.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12307054/nba-free-agents-2015-2016

[The Reckoning]

Every year this gets brought up, and every year the spurs don't land a big named free agent.

[Agloco]

Sign TD and Manu to minimum.

Smh

[Old School 44]

Pop can change before Manu and to prime run 4 down
Then faster face motion


huh?


Pop can change with what he has to work with

Thanks for the translation. :toast

[james evans]

if the spurs get alridge, they had better think about getting a new point guard. This is piss parker off even more and he'd for sure not pass either one of those guys the ball during the season.

[Richie]

Great read!

Not to be a pessimist here, but by the looks of it, Duncan and Manu will be back next season. Green will command big money, and Kawhi is getting the max. How are the Spurs supposed to push through with another max-contract FA in this scenario? I don't see anyway this is happening without Tim and/or Manu retiring

Green and Kawhi have small cap holds so we can go over the cap to sign them after bringing in a free agent. You're right about Timmy and Manu though, the only way we'd be able to bring in a max guy is if they either retire or take the Room Exception ($2.5m) and Minimum respectively.

[Richie]

Every year this gets brought up, and every year the spurs don't land a big named free agent.

We haven't had cap space for a long time.

[kaji157]

I'm really curious how well LMA would fit, hypothetically, into the Spurs system.

Same here, not the typical post up big we all know would fit. Not a great passer either, and not an elite defender for sure.
Great scorer from midrange.

[BatManu20]

Green and Kawhi have small cap holds so we can go over the cap to sign them after bringing in a free agent. You're right about Timmy and Manu though, the only way we'd be able to bring in a max guy is if they either retire or take the Room Exception ($2.5m) and Minimum respectively.

I'm assuming that IF the Spurs were to lure Aldridge away from Portland (highly unlikely), then it would most likely come in the form of a Sign & Trade with Tiago.

[kaji157]

Green and Kawhi have small cap holds so we can go over the cap to sign them after bringing in a free agent. You're right about Timmy and Manu though, the only way we'd be able to bring in a max guy is if they either retire or take the Room Exception ($2.5m) and Minimum respectively.

I think this is not entirely true, as they could renounce both, sign a max FA, resign Leonard and Green, go over the cap, and use the MLE in both Ginobili and Duncan.
Some of the cap gurus should confirm but i think this is legal.

[kaji157]

I think this is not entirely true, as they could renounce both, sign a max FA, resign Leonard and Green, go over the cap, and use the MLE in both Ginobili and Duncan.
Some of the cap gurus should confirm but i think this is legal.

On a side note, if Duncan and Ginobili do stay, i prefer to go after Roy Hibbert and let him learn from Duncan.
The offense will still be here with Tim, and Hibbert would be a improvement on defense.

Hibbert has a player option and if he chooses out he is unrestricted. I think he has a great relation with Tim ( http://espn.go.com/nba/preview2013/story/_/id/9799467/roy-hibbert-tim-duncan-workout-partners ).

He also seems to be a fan of howwe play ( http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/10/01/roy-hibbert-texted-tim-duncan-to-learn-how-spurs-do-what-they-do/ ).

[Seventyniner]

I think this is not entirely true, as they could renounce both, sign a max FA, resign Leonard and Green, go over the cap, and use the MLE in both Ginobili and Duncan.
Some of the cap gurus should confirm but i think this is legal.

Incorrect. If you go under the cap by more than the MLE, which the Spurs would do in your scenario, you lose the MLE completely. Duncan and Ginobili would have to take the minimum each or split the $2.7M room exception, each of which is highly unlikely.

[Richie]

I think this is not entirely true, as they could renounce both, sign a max FA, resign Leonard and Green, go over the cap, and use the MLE in both Ginobili and Duncan.
Some of the cap gurus should confirm but i think this is legal.

Your exceptions have cap holds too so you'd need to renounce all exceptions in order to open up the cap space. Once you do that and use cap space, you get back the Room Mid-Level Exception (which people just call the Room Exception) which is $2.5m per year for a maximum of 2 years.

[cjw]

Sign Aldridge for all the available cap space. Sign Kawhi with the maximum and DG with a non-egregious price. Sign TD and Manu to minimum. Keep CoJo and Beli for reasonable price. Let Error go. Shift Bonner to management. WIN.

Tough to do without CoJo and Marco, but to get max money for Aldridge they would have to renounce rights to both. Perhaps even trade Diaw.

[look_at_g_shred]

You know with all this hype, I'm beginning to believe the LMA to Spurs thing..

[jag]

Do not want

[Richie]

Incorrect. If you go under the cap by more than the MLE, which the Spurs would do in your scenario, you lose the MLE completely. Duncan and Ginobili would have to take the minimum each or split the $2.7M room exception, each of which is highly unlikely.

I agree it's unlikely, but how much do these guys really care about money at this point? Duncan has made $230m in his career, does an extra $5m really matter, especially if it means bringing in an All-NBA big man who can take a lot of Timmys load in the regular season and possibly extend his career?

Manu is a more interesting case, but how much is he really worth? If he comes back he will probably only be able to play 20 minutes per game or less, and his shooting numbers have been on the decline for years. He's worth more than the minimum IMO but in reality I don't think he'd be giving up that much. Obviously he won't leave and even if he did, what would he be worth on the free agent market? Would anyone give him the MLE?

I don't have any problem with these guys wanting to keep getting paid the big bucks, Timmy is probably going to get All-NBA and possibly All-Defence honours this season so if he wants $10m for another season I'd give it to him in a heartbeat, but it's not out of the realms of possibility that he wants to put less mileage on his knees and would take less to bring in a superstar big to help him out.

[buttsR4rebounding]

There are a boatload of Unrestricted Free Agents this summer. A partial list includes Millsap, Brook Lopez, T Young, Dragic, G Monroe, Roy Hibbert, David West, DeAndre Jordan, Tyson Chandler, Al Jefferson, Casspri, Jameer Nelson, Dragic, Bass.

I personally think Hibbert is the best possibility of an potential impact player. I can't believe there isn't some real sour taste in his mouth over his and the team's meltdown last year. He has a great relationship with Tim. The SA environment has got to look good compared to the Indy one. But a lot those names could be excellent additions to the Spurs.

[Malik Hairston]

Roy Hibbert is fucking terrible, why do so many of you want him?:lol..

[SpursFan86]

Roy Hibbert is fucking terrible, why do so many of you want him?:lol..

He's still a great defender. He'd be good in a backup role for the right money, but that won't happen so it's a moot point. Definitely not worth the $14-15 million he'll be making next year.

[Big P]

Hibbert isn't a UFA, hehas a player option for over $16 mil, he isn't going to leave that on the table.

[dabom]

Roy Hibbert is fucking terrible, why do so many of you want him?:lol..

I'd take him over splitter tbh.

[dabom]

He is more reliable than splitters soft self.

[DAF86]

I'm all in for Marc Gasol but Aldridge? meeeeh...

[ducks]

I'd take him over splitter tbh.

Splitter is 19 better then Roy
Splitter sets great screens

[dabom]

Splitter is 19 better then Roy
Splitter sets great screens

Tiago isn't made for an NBA season let alone a playoff run. He plays great under limited minutes and even then he still injures himself. A post duncan and manu scenario doesn't involve tiago. Trust me on that. They are dumping him for picks or something.

[Cry Havoc]

Tiago isn't made for an NBA season let alone a playoff run. He plays great under limited minutes and even then he still injures himself. A post duncan and manu scenario doesn't involve tiago. Trust me on that. They are dumping him for picks or something.

Yeah, cause Hibbert has shown himself to be such a stalwart of the post-season. :lol

[dabom]

Yeah, cause Hibbert has shown himself to be such a stalwart of the post-season. :lol

Tiago would be gone years ago if he wasn't in the spurs and diaw looked like shit at the end of his career pre spurs. Hibbert I'd take in a heart beat over tiago.

[Mel_13]

All things being equal, I'd choose Tiago over Hibbert for the Spurs in the next few years. Things, however, aren't equal. That descending contract that Tiago signed will cost the Spurs 16.75M over the next two seasons and no commitment beyond that. Hibbert could cost nearly twice as much in terms of annual salary and contract length.

I'll take Tiago plus that 6-8M dollar player that you can buy with the salary difference over Hibbert 100 times out of 100.

[dabom]

Yeah but tiago is also injury prone. Pay a guy 9 mil to sit on the bench. We are fortunate Tim Fucking Duncan is made of steel.

[spurraider21]

Yeah, cause Hibbert has shown himself to be such a stalwart of the post-season. :lol
hibbert's postseason play is the only reason people know who he is

[Malik Hairston]

Hibbert is a 1-way player on the decline..he is horrendous on offense, tbh..

I'm not referring to his ability to create for himself, you don't need that from your big man if he can catch and finish effectively, but Hibbert doesn't even do that at a decent level..he's slow, can't play pick&roll offense, and he's a black hole..

[Cry Havoc]

Hibbert is a 1-way player on the decline..he is horrendous on offense, tbh..

I'm not referring to his ability to create for himself, you don't need that from your big man if he can catch and finish effectively, but Hibbert doesn't even do that at a decent level..he's slow, can't play pick&roll offense, and he's a black hole..

He's also one of the clumsiest players I've ever seen. He'd be a poor man's DeJuan Blair where hands and feel around the hoop are concerned.

[mkurts]

Yeah but tiago is also injury prone. Pay a guy 9 mil to sit on the bench. We are fortunate Tim Fucking Duncan is made of steel.

Pretty much this.

Tiago is a problem that needs addressing urgently, injury prone despite playing very limited minutes.

However most posters cannot and will not recognise this due to .........

[DJR210]

agh the big name argument.

A guard the can breakdown the defenses should be number 1 priority..

Agreed. The only way I'd want LA is if Tim was to retire.

[DJR210]

hibbert's postseason play is the only reason people know who he is

His "no homo" press conference is seriously the only thing I can recall him doing in the last few years.

[Sean Cagney]

Diaw is the teams best big creator now..He's reliable.

Imo, in order of importanxe.

1. Guard that can break down the Defense
2. A very good C that is mobile enough to chase perimeter player...This only because splitter is almost always injured.
3. A PF.

Getting Aldridge will force the spurs to change some of their offensive philosophies..That's stupid.
I wouldn't worry to much about Aldridge coming to SA. I could see him end up in Dallas if he leaves and wants to go back to Texas because you know they will throw money at him. Either or I doubt he comes to SA. I agree on the guard and the C thing, that or a backup PF as you mention as well (All needs).
He's also one of the clumsiest players I've ever seen. He'd be a poor man's DeJuan Blair where hands and feel around the hoop are concerned.

I agree, not a fan of Hibberts at all. He is big and slow.

[will_spurs]

As usual useless posters like apo going on with a "we need an imaginary player" shtick. Give names or stfu.

[Maddog]

Hibberts style of play would not fit on the Spurs. Their defensive scheme requires quick decisions. Ability to roate.

[100%duncan]

Hibbert is such a bad player tbh. I don't think that's fixable.

[Chinook]

The only way I'm moving Splitter this off-season is for Gasol, and even then only if the Spurs get a starting-caliber PF from somewhere. Moving Tiago pretty much negates a potential acquisition of Aldridge, and while I think a Tim/LA lineup could work for a year, there'd be no real way for the Spurs to improve the center position after that. The only scenario where I see LA being a possibility is if the Spurs gut their bench outside of Diaw so the team can add Aldridge to the SL-minus-Tim.

The good news is that next season may have A LOT of ring chasers, given that players will be against signing long-term contracts until 2016. So I think the team would be able to cobble together a decent second unit with Diaw, the room exception, Anderson and some min guys. But I wouldn't see that team as being the instant favorites in the West by any means. I think they could still win if everyone gels properly, though.

[z0sa]

I'm assuming that IF the Spurs were to lure Aldridge away from Portland (highly unlikely), then it would most likely come in the form of a Sign & Trade with Tiago.

If that's necessary, there's really no net gain picking up LMA, tbh. At least, if we are talking championship aspirations.

[K...]

Lma is more the Parker replacement than the Duncan replacement. No player replaces Duncan on defense who isn't locked up. Gasol is locked up imo.

Hibbert looks good because eastern conf. Splitter is west tested. Lmao if anyone traded for Hilbert, I'd rather have Baynes at 16m. Hilbert only makes sense as a project big

[Knoxxx]

Imagine if we could just swap out Bonner for Aldridge and keep the same roster with Duncan and Ginobili signing for the minimum. Hehehehehehe (dat's my Dr. Evil laugh)