Spurs Sign G Jonathan Simmons to 2-Year, Vet-Min Deal

[BatManu20]

6'6 SG. Played in Austin last year.

619610692040151040



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8aOMEqFOek



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EevuhDQK2Ck



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xC6hC8OdBs

[benefactor]

Who?

[T Park]

Played forAustin last season

[r0drig0lac]

who?

[BillMc]

Is a 1 or 2?

[spursistan]

who?

[BatManu20]

6'6 SG. Played in Austin last year.

[RD2191]

In before next "star pg/hidden gem".

[spursistan]

can shoot the 3?

[Mikeanaro]

Never heard of him.

[cd98]

So we can still cut him when something better comes along. Whew.

[DesignatedT]

6'6 SG - 40% from 3 last year. Anyone watch him play?

Learning curve won't be extreme which I'm sure played a factor.

[Vic Petro]

He shot 40% from distance and had almost a 1:1 asst to turnover ratio

[Anonymous Cowherd]

weird signing tbh.

[BatManu20]

3-point specialist (by D-League standards). Shot 40% from 3.

[ceperez]

Like who?

I wonder why Jarrel Eddie was not considered.

[Darius Bieber]

Inb4 the next Danny Green

[BatManu20]

Personal Theory: I think he's just a roster filler until Ray Allen joins un before the playoffs, tbh.

[cd98]

He shot 40% from distance and had almost a 1:1 asst to turnover ratio

Yea, but lots of guys can shoot in D-League, but can't once they get to the NBA.

[scottspurs]

Here is an old article about him:

http://airalamo.com/2014/02/23/austin-toros-jonathan-simmons-personal-physical-growth/

[timvp]

Hmmm ... not bad. I'm guessing only part of that contract is guaranteed. He hasn't been that impressive in Austin or Summer League to warrant fully guaranteed.

But a young wing who can knockdown the three? Sounds like what the Spurs need.

[SpursFan86]

From a video scout from DX: 619612010418974721

[benefactor]

Come on ChumpDumper...get in here an give us the skinny.

[Splits]

Wonder if that's guaranteed money?

[spurs1990]

After seeing what the Gary Neal signing did for us in 2010 I'm optimistic about Simmons.

Never underestimate the comfort factor in bringing in these end of the bench guys that the coaches can groom into a bigger role.

And suffice it to say if Anderson pans out in year two then our 10 man core is set in stone anyway.

Oh and one last thing as a UofH supporter.... whose house!

[Spurtacular]

I watched the first video and liked what I saw. That he's 6'6" means he can probably play the 2 or the 3, which is what we desperately need imo.

[BatManu20]

He's a helluva athlete.


https://www.youtube.com watchhttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/#49471336)?v=ZNLsdIs0NTE

[Spursmania]

Come on ChumpDumper. (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=15777)..get in here an give us the skinny.

[timvp]

Come on ChumpDumper...get in here an give us the skinny.

:hungry:

Watching some highlights now, he's pretty damn athletic. Makes me wonder why the Spurs didn't sign him last year instead of Reggie Williams if they were high on him. Then again, he probably would have signed now for something like $25k to $30k guaranteed.

[SpursFan86]

Totally expected it even before this, but I imagine this guarantees Reggie Williams won't be returning.

[hsxvvd]

Come on ChumpDumper...get in here an give us the skinny.

+1 waiting.

[r0drig0lac]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNLsdIs0NTE

sick

[timvp]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8aOMEqFOek

Good enough for me. Sign him up.

[spursince#99]

Uh oh Danny Green may be in trouble.

[DesignatedT]

More like a glorified try out then anything. Intriguing though and knows the basics of the system.

[ginobilized]

Sounds promising......and very Spursian


From a video scout from DX: 619612010418974721

[RayTdropout]

Johnny??? Ok i guess

[LaMarcus Bryant]

:hungry:

Watching some highlights now, he's pretty damn athletic. Makes me wonder why the Spurs didn't sign him last year instead of Reggie Williams if they were high on him. Then again, he probably would have signed now for something like $25k to $30k guaranteed.

CIA POP 2016 MASTER PLAN
:worthy: :worthy: :worthy:

[LaMarcus Bryant]

Slow release but he can knock it down.
He's young, athletic.
I'm happy with it.

[tmtcsc]

sick

Did not give up. D'you hear that Kyle Anderson? EFFORT. Play like you want to be in the NBA.

[timvp]

Hopefully the Spurs will have him play in Vegas.

[peacemaker885]

This is a good signing. Spurs program bearing fruit. Hope its sweet.

[Timothy21]

He played only in D-League?

[KDKSpurs24]

I watched some vids on him a few days ago when someone mentioned his name. I immediately wanted this guy on the team. I think this is a great pick up.

[SpursFan86]

More from that DX scout: 619612417257947136

[SAGirl]

Like who?

I wonder why Jarrel Eddie was not considered. Jarell is only a shooter and not much of a defender. Simmons can shoot the 3 (not like Eddie who has an ultra quick release and shoots a lot of them per game w guys in his jersey pretty much, but still a good enough shooter that he can hit the 3 if he's open). Simmons is more athletic, stronger and a better defender. Hee can also get his own shot (Eddie really can't). He had a 6th man role in Austin. The knock on him is his ballhandling. More TO prone than KA a lot of guys who criticize Anderson though might like him bc he is more athletic.

[monkeypunk]

Did not give up. D'you hear that Kyle Anderson? EFFORT. Play like you want to be in the NBA.

^^^

[timvp]

He played only in D-League?

He played in the Orlando Summer League. Averaged 12 points and 4.7 rebounds in 26.3 minutes on 41.7% shooting from the field and 28.6% shooting on threes. (source) (http://www.nba.com/summerleague/2015/players/sl_jonathon_simmons/)

[jon123spurs]

Probably getting the same treatment as Bryce Cotton last year.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

Better than Kyle Anderson

[HarlemHeat37]

Nice, seems like they're doing what many of us wanted, which is sign random, younger players to fill out the roster, rather than signing washed-up scrubs like Tayshaun Prince or Caron Butler that will want guaranteed minutes..

Give some of these dudes a tryout and see what's available on the buyout market at mid-season..

[Spurs9]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8aOMEqFOek

Good enough for me. Sign him up.
Looks very good in that tbh

[timvp]

Hopefully the Spurs will have him play in Vegas.

He was scheduled to play for the Nets in Vegas so it shouldn't be difficult to have him change jerseys.

[Hoops Czar]

Funny thing about you tube is you can find highlights but, not lowlights. I guess Jonathan Simmons 2-year D-league career can be summed up in 2 minutes and 12 seconds..

[baseline bum]

So he is this year's Bryce Cotton who gets cut in a month?

[Texas_Ranger]

So he is this year's Bryce Cotton who gets cut in a month?

thats what I thought.

[ceperez]

Jarell is only a shooter and not much of a defender. Simmons can shoot the 3 (not like Eddie who has an ultra quick release and shoots a lot of them per game w guys in his jersey pretty much, but still a good enough shooter that he can hit the 3 if he's open). Simmons is more athletic, stronger and a better defender. Hee can also get his own shot (Eddie really can't). He had a 6th man role in Austin. The knock on him is his ballhandling. More TO prone than KA a lot of guys who criticize Anderson though might like him bc he is more athletic.

Thanks

[RD2191]

So SAGirl is chump?:lmao

[ElNono]

He could start for the Lakers, tbh...

[Aztecfan03]

Danny Green 2.0!!! (we can only dream)

[ceperez]

Nice, seems like they're doing what many of us wanted, which is sign random, younger players to fill out the roster, rather than signing washed-up scrubs like Tayshaun Prince or Caron Butler that will want guaranteed minutes..

Give some of these dudes a tryout and see what's available on the buyout market at mid-season..

I agree. I think a younger guy (he's 25 however) is a good plan.

[BatManu20]

Yea, he's an athlete.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRlaAl12Yfc

[r0drig0lac]

Did not give up. D'you hear that Kyle Anderson? EFFORT. Play like you want to be in the NBA.

agree

[TheGoldStandard]

Still potential for Eddie to come on board as well. We shall see, his release is slow

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

RealGM reporting the first year is fully guaranteed.

[BatManu20]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q71urNnuxec

[SpursFan86]

619615861662466049

They must be pretty confident in him sticking if they're fully guaranteeing the first year, no?

[Beaverfuzz]

RealGM reporting the first year is fully guaranteed.

$500k is peanuts.

[HarlemHeat37]

I agree. I think a younger guy (he's 25 however) is a good plan.

When I say younger guys, I mean players in their mid-to-late 20s..those are the players that generally win in the NBA, not too young, not too old..

Generally, names in the NBA hold more weight than actual ability, which is why washed-up scrub are still desired for their "experience"..

[DPG21920]

Wow - first year fully guaranteed. Congrats to him. Doesn't guarantee he makes the squad, but makes it more likely. And if not, heck of a pay day for a little work.

[nickdaquick]

Like who?

I wonder why Jarrel Eddie was not considered.

How do you know he wasn't considered?

[TheGoldStandard]

I think his shot can be improved but he has the tools to be a good role player

[ceperez]

$500k is peanuts.

Excellent! Spurs true to their nature... cheapskates!

[BatManu20]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJpLVG6NDmI

[ceperez]

How do you know he wasn't considered?

There's still a lot of SL action left... so you just never know if the Spurs need a 14th or a 15th man.

[baseline bum]

Wasn't Cotton initially reported as having a fully guaranteed deal too?

[Brazil]

Hmmm ... not bad. I'm guessing only part of that contract is guaranteed. He hasn't been that impressive in Austin or Summer League to warrant fully guaranteed.

But a young wing who can knockdown the three? Sounds like what the Spurs need.

a young wing signed for the vet minimum :lol

made me laugh....

[Obstructed_View]

Wonder if he's going to keep Mario Elie's number.

[Texas_Ranger]

Wasn't Cotton initially reported as having a fully guaranteed deal too?

it was a two-year partially guaranteed deal. Only $50,000 guaranteed.

[aal04]

Would rather have his brother Ben.

[spurtech09]

Dude can shoot.....nice moves.....pretty good signing

[DesignatedT]

We could always bring back Bobby Simmons......

[Bruno]

Sounds a lot like at least another team was interested in him after his SL games. Spurs had to guarantee his first year to get him. The Toros/Spurs connection could also has been a deciding factor if the guaranteed money was equal.

I have no idea if he will be a good player but you had to admire his path from D-League tryouts to a guaranteed NBA contract.

[DPG21920]

Looks better than Afflalo tbh..

[TheGoldStandard]

Summer League Vegas

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

$500k is peanuts.

Be that as it may, it would be odd to guarantee that money just for a training camp invite. I'm sure Simmons would've been fine with a partial guarantee as well.

[MaNu4Tres]

Much rather prefer Simmons than a vet past his time who feels entitled to minutes/shots.

From the videos, I really like what I see. See some Wes Matthews in him.

:tu

[Chinook]

:hungry:

Watching some highlights now, he's pretty damn athletic. Makes me wonder why the Spurs didn't sign him last year instead of Reggie Williams if they were high on him. Then again, he probably would have signed now for something like $25k to $30k guaranteed.

William's contract was a decent trade chip.

[Chinook]

$500k is peanuts.

That, and he may well be claimed like Malcolm Thomas was.

[timvp]

619615861662466049

They must be pretty confident in him sticking if they're fully guaranteeing the first year, no?

Damn, if the first year is guaranteed, then we can go ahead and pencil pen him onto the roster.

[Beaverfuzz]

Damn, if the first year is guaranteed, then we can go ahead and pencil pen him onto the roster.

Pen him in like Kyle Anderson last year. Could be bouncing back and forth between the big leagues and the d-league.

[Obstructed_View]

Much rather prefer Simmons than a vet past his time who feels entitled to minutes/shots.

From the videos, I really like what I see. See some Wes Matthews in him.

:tu
I like having a vet on the team who really wants a ring to keep everyone motivated, but that's West this year. The Spurs don't need to go dig up someone else. Maybe if they find themselves defending a title next year they pick someone up to fill that spot, but I'm okay giving Simmons a shot now. He's a tradeable asset down the line anyway.

[Beaverfuzz]

Excellent! Spurs true to their nature... cheapskates!

For a 15th man or so on the roster...yes. Have to be cheapskate.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

FmopEELDl9o

[BillMc]

So, if Kawhi has to sit out sometime this year, who starts in his place? Simmons? Anderson? Diaw?

[Darkwaters]

So we can still cut him when something better comes along. Whew.

One of the first of several training camp invites I'd imagine. He'll be given a chance to duke it out for a spot with the team after camp ends.

[Chinook]

Parker, Mills, McCallum
Green, Ginobili, Simmons
Leonard, Anderson
Aldridge, Diaw, Bonner
Duncan, West, Marjanovic

That's a tax team with one open spot for an experienced wing.

[monkeypunk]

So, if Kawhi has to sit out sometime this year, who starts in his place? Simmons? Anderson? Diaw?

Gonna be whoever is playing better at that point of the season but I doubt Diaw can man the 3 effectively at this point in his career.

[Obstructed_View]

One of the first of several training camp invites I'd imagine. He'll be given a chance to duke it out for a spot with the team after camp ends.

The full first year guarantee seems like he's more likely to be on the roster than not. Someone's gong to have to severely outplay him for the Spurs to eat that salary, IMO. I'm sure it's been mentioned in the thread, but who's the last guy to get the year paid for, Gary Neal?

[SpursFan86]

So, if Kawhi has to sit out sometime this year, who starts in his place? Simmons? Anderson? Diaw?

Well Diaw is clearly the best player of those 3, but he can't really play SF at this point in his career and Pop usually likes bringing him off the bench to keep the rotation intact anyways.

If I had to guess, I'd say KA would start in those situations, but it depends on how things go in training camp + preseason. If Simmons proves his worth and outplays Anderson, I'd imagine he'll be the backup SF.

[HarlemHeat37]

I would be fine with a washed-up veteran that is content with a role at the end of the bench..Rasual Butler comes to mind..

[SpursFan86]

Parker, Mills, McCallum
Green, Ginobili, Simmons
Leonard, Anderson
Aldridge, Diaw, Bonner
Duncan, West, Marjanovic

That's a tax team with one open spot for an experienced wing.

You think it's more likely that they get that experienced wing in FA, or wait to see what the buyout market looks like?

[timvp]

The full first year guarantee seems like he's more likely to be on the roster than not. Someone's gong to have to severely outplay him for the Spurs to eat that salary, IMO. I'm sure it's been mentioned in the thread, but who's the last guy to get the year paid for, Gary Neal?

Yeah, IIRC, last would be Neal.

So Simmons is more than just a training camp invite. Invites at best get about $50,000 guaranteed.

[Mnky]

FmopEELDl9o

An athletic slasher, who can hit the open trey, plus hussles back on transition defense With great timing for the min?

Yea I'll take that for the 3rd sg.

[Nathan89]

He'll have a better year than KA.

[monkeypunk]

He'll have a better year than KA.

In Austin, tbh

[BillMc]

Parker, Mills, McCallum
Green, Ginobili, Simmons
Leonard, Anderson
Aldridge, Diaw, Bonner
Duncan, West, Marjanovic

That's a tax team with one open spot for an experienced wing.

So, doesn't look like anyone on our SL team is likely to make the leap.

[SpursFan86]

I wonder how legitimate his 3-point shooting is. In the 2013-2014 season, he only shot 28% from deep. He improved to 40% last year on 2.6 attempts per game. I'd imagine he's not a legitimate 40% 3-point shooter, but as long as he can hit 35+% he'll be fine.

[Anonymous Cowherd]

Bonner's gone I think, so I reckon Lalanne could be kept around as a rotating D-League/team player along with Simmons and Anderson.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

So, doesn't look like anyone on our SL team is likely to make the leap.

In RC's latest interview with the E-N, it sounds like the team may be moving on from Bonner. That would leave two spots.

[Ellsworth]

Was wondering why he wasn't on the SL Team... glad they signed him up finally... homeboy will be even better than Devin BROWN, I hope :downspin:

This off-season is making me want to move to SA just to watch TD's last season or 2.... hmmm :wow :lol:king :p: :toast:rollin

[GSH]

I think that also tells us that there probably isn't going to be any more pleasant surprises from the FA pool. Certainly not two, like all the speculation that has been done.

40% from the 3P is a good reason to sign him. But the question with most of the D-League guys isn't "can they do it?", it's "can they do it consistently?" "Can they do it under pressure?" Fortunately, the core of the team is strong enough that he will only have to play short minutes in the regular season. Anything more than that would be a surprise and a bonus.

[bluebellmaniac]

Bonner's gone I think, so I reckon Lalanne could be kept around as a rotating D-League/team player along with Simmons and Anderson.

Sounds about right, with a spot left over for the buyout market later in the year.

[wildbill2u]

My take is that Spurs didn't want him to catch the eye of another team in Las Vegas and decided to lock him up. They might play him between Austin and SA some, but he knows the system and that's a big advantage for a newbie on the Spurs.

[elemento]

Bonner is gone

Can't hit a fucking open shot even in regular season games. It's time to move on from him and Ayres.

[bklynspursfan]

So like Danny, but can put the ball on the floor and do something with it... Gotta see how he is on the defensive end

[Ellsworth]

:toast

[random21]

http://youtu.be/0xC6hC8OdBs

A toros guy I know told me he is extremely athletic and a good guy

[MaNu4Tres]

Also, he looks more promising than Kyle Anderson.

Which isn't saying much tbh

[Obstructed_View]

So, doesn't look like anyone on our SL team is likely to make the leap.

If so, that's disappointing. Bertans looks like a good player to me.

[GSH]

So like Danny, but can put the ball on the floor and do something with it... Gotta see how he is on the defensive end


That's a very cool video in your sig. Belli didn't put his heel on the end line, and Danny didn't clank the 3.

[DPG21920]

Hopefully the Spurs get 1 moooooooore SF. Would be perfect. You can see why in the highlights, SA likes Simmons. I only caught one Austin Spurs game this year so I didn't see him play enough to comment (in fact, don't remember seeing him at all).However, in the highlights, definitely looks like a player that would do well with other talent around him.

Exciting for Simmons!

[SpursFan86]

Also, he looks more promising than Kyle Anderson.

Which isn't saying much tbh

Well to be fair, he is 4 years older than KA.

[DPG21920]

Active 12 Man Roster:

Duncan/LMA/Kawhi/Danny/Parker
West/Boris/Manu/Mills/Boban/McCallum

Last spot between: Anderson, Simmons, ?, ? with Anderson likely getting the nod at this point?

[lmbebo]

maybe give KA the athleticism of Simmons, get a damn fine player.

[SpursFan86]

Active 12 Man Roster:

Duncan/LMA/Kawhi/Danny/Parker
West/Boris/Manu/Mills/Boban/McCallum

Last spot between: Anderson, Simmons, ?, ? with Anderson likely getting the nod at this point?

Sounds about right. If they do end up picking up an experienced wing in FA (Dorell Wright, for example), I think they'd jump ahead of Anderson/Simmons though.

[DJR210]

So SAGirl is chump?:lmao

:lol

[baseline bum]

Parker, Mills, McCallum
Green, Ginobili, Simmons
Leonard, Anderson
Aldridge, Diaw, Bonner
Duncan, West, Marjanovic

That's a tax team with one open spot for an experienced wing.

It looks like they're just under the luxury tax line with $84.6M in salary as computed for the tax (so using $0.9M for West's minimum deal instead of $1.4M). Maybe right there factoring in the margin of error by rounding to the nearest $100,000 for each contract.

Aldridge: $19.8M
Leonard: $16.5M
Parker: $13.4M
Green: $11.0M
Diaw: $7.5M
Duncan: $5.0M
Mills: $3.2M
Ginobili: $2.8M
Marjanovic: $2.0M
Anderson: $1.1M
McCallum: $0.9M
West: $0.9M (for tax purposes)
Simmons: $0.5M

Looks like Bonner might be a no-go though since that would put them into luxury tax territory.

[Ron Swanson]

Bonner is gone

Can't hit a fucking open shot even in regular season games. It's time to move on from him and Ayres.

Damn iPhone.

[SAGirl]

If you hype him up too much you will be disappointed. Danny has very nimble/quick feet on D, this guy does not, but he is strong and athletic, certainly more than KA. He is also not the shooter that Danny is, but he can hit the 3 if he is wide open. Its a quality signing of a young guy for the very end of the bench TBH. For those who don't like KA at all, he will have a guy to compete for a spot with. I think only good things can come from that. Patty and CoJo made each other step up their games TBH. I look forward to this little competition :toast

[Chinook]

It looks like they're just under the luxury tax line with $84.6M in salary as computed for the tax (so using $0.9M for West's minimum deal instead of $1.4M). Maybe right there factoring in the margin of error by rounding to the nearest $100,000 for each contract.

Aldridge: $19.8M
Leonard: $16.5M
Parker: $13.4M
Green: $11.0M
Diaw: $7.5M
Duncan: $5.0M
Mills: $3.2M
Ginobili: $2.8M
Marjanovic: $2.0M
Anderson: $1.1M
McCallum: $0.9M
West: $0.9M (for tax purposes)
Simmons: $0.5M

Looks like Bonner might be a no-go though since that would put them into luxury tax territory.

Simmons counts for $947k for tax purposes.

[Ellsworth]

I watched some vids on him a few days ago when someone mentioned his name. I immediately wanted this guy on the team. I think this is a great pick up.
:hat:downspin::toast

[loveforthegame]

He looks promising. About all you can ask for at this stage.

[r0drig0lac]

FmopEELDl9o

149-146? wtf

[baseline bum]

Simmons counts for $947k for tax purposes.

Isn't league minimum $525k for someone with 0 years NBA experience? All minimum salaries are counted as 10-year veteran minimum for tax purposes?

[clubalien]

if Leonard and aldridge are both max contracts why does aldridge make more. thanks for clearing up this for me.

[Splits]

He's not had a very good SL thus far, numbers-wise:

http://i.imgur.com/ZWPugJs.png

[SpurPadre]

Any relation to former NBA player Bobby Simmons?

[monkeypunk]

if Leonard and aldridge are both max contracts why does aldridge make more. thanks for clearing up this for me.

The longer you are in the league , the higher your max is. Same with min contracts.

[Das Texan]

Active 12 Man Roster:

Duncan/LMA/Kawhi/Danny/Parker
West/Boris/Manu/Mills/Boban/McCallum

Last spot between: Anderson, Simmons, ?, ? with Anderson likely getting the nod at this point?

13 players are active nightly.

[ducks]

if Leonard and aldridge are both max contracts why does aldridge make more. thanks for clearing up this for me.

lma been in the nba longer

[DPG21920]

13 players are active nightly.

New rule in the CBA...just changed about 25 minutes ago..

[monkeypunk]

He's not had a very good SL thus far, numbers-wise:

http://i.imgur.com/ZWPugJs.png

Numbers in the last game aren't bad, 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal in 25 minutes. 50% from 2.

[Das Texan]

New rule in the CBA...just changed about 25 minutes ago..

that seems like a retarded change, but whatever i guess.

[Steve-O-Matic]

Simmons was 3rd Team All-Defense in the D-league last season.

[elemento]

Simmons counts for $947k for tax purposes.

Any news on the official numbers off all signings ? I'd like to know if SA is close to the lux tax or not

[DPG21920]

if Leonard and aldridge are both max contracts why does aldridge make more. thanks for clearing up this for me.

No worries - it stems from years in the league and the percentage of their contracts realtive to the salary cap. People are correct in saying it's because LMA has been in the league longer. The math is 25% of the cap for players 0-6 years in the league (Kawhi) & 30% of the cap for players 7-9 years.

[SpurPadre]

Numbers in the last game aren't bad, 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal in 25 minutes. 50% from 2.

True but remember, these are numbers against many guys who will never sniff the NBA. Still, nothing wrong with giving the dude a chance.

[DPG21920]

that seems like a retarded change, but whatever i guess.

:lol I was kidding. Trying to play off my mental lapse with the corresponding time of my post that was wrong.

[Chinook]

Isn't league minimum $525k for someone with 0 years NBA experience? All minimum salaries are counted as 10-year veteran minimum for tax purposes?

All are counted as 2-year (or 3-year, I can't remember) for tax, so that a team can't sign rookies to skirt the tax. So the Spurs are over now.

[Chinook]

Any news on the official numbers off all signings ? I'd like to know if SA is close to the lux tax or not

They're definitely close. In my head, it seems they're less than a million over. They would have been VERY close had they signed a min guy instead of Boban.

[monkeypunk]

All are counted as 2-year (or 3-year, I can't remember) for tax, so that a team can't sign rookies to skirt the tax. So the Spurs are over now.

How far over would we have to be to get the mle?

[Chinook]

How far over would we have to be to get the mle?

About 356 days.

[dbestpro]

Better than Kyle Anderson

Signed strictly to push KA.

[Austin_Toros]

I thought the Spurs would have gone for Jarell Eddie over Simmons, as Eddie is the better 3-point shooter. Damn.

[monkeypunk]

About 356 days.

:lol

[Splits]

Numbers in the last game aren't bad, 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal in 25 minutes. 50% from 2.

Yeah but all them damn TOs...

[Das Texan]

:lol I was kidding. Trying to play off my mental lapse with the corresponding time of my post that was wrong.

:lol

[spursince#99]

LaLanne is not making the team.

[elemento]

They're definitely close. In my head, it seems they're less than a million over. They would have been VERY close had they signed a min guy instead of Boban.

:tu Thx man

[clubalien]

How far over would we have to be to get the mle?
we were under the cap so we cannot use the mle.

[spursince#99]

Simmons is also a versatile 2-3 btw, so he'll most likely man the backup 3 spot in limited minutes during the regular season.

[CGD]

Parker, Mills, McCallum
Green, Ginobili, Simmons
Leonard, Anderson
Aldridge, Diaw, Bonner
Duncan, West, Marjanovic

That's a tax team with one open spot for an experienced wing.

So has Reggie Williams been cut officially? Still hoping his contract can be a trade asset to get that backup SF. Perry Jones to help OKC's salary dump would be ideal.

[Darkwaters]

I thought the Spurs would have gone for Jarell Eddie over Simmons, as Eddie is the better 3-point shooter. Damn.


I don't understand all the Eddie love. He's looked pretty average in SL with Indiana. Maybe a decent TC option like Bertans. But hardly a guy to lock up because of his amazing performances this summer.

[DPG21920]

So has Reggie Williams been cut officially? Still hoping his contract can be a trade asset to get that backup SF. Perry Jones to help OKC's salary dump would be ideal.

He had to be cut if the numbers of Bobi getting 2M are true.

[TheCerebral1]

We'll see. Shrug, hopefully a larger Gary Neal. Otherwise, I'm not impressed.

[dbestpro]

Cotton signed in the spring for 2 years and was waived in October. Same will happen to this guy unless he plays insane. He is just a placeholder.

[monkeypunk]

Yeah but all them damn TOs...

I think I was subconsciously blocking that column out but yeah that's pretty bad.

Still worth throwing him out there, see if he can make any thing happen on the defensive end.

With only min contracts available, you'll be lucky to find anyone that can help out of the gate, West notwithstanding.

[Chinook]

Cotton signed in the spring for 2 years and was waived in October. Same will happen to this guy unless he plays insane. He is just a placeholder.

Cotton had $20k guaranteed or something big difference from $525k.

[Leetonidas]

This dude's entire first season is guaranteed. Spurs obviously saw something in him

[dbestpro]

Cotton had $20k guaranteed or something big difference from $525k.

Well then maybe they will bury him in Austin, and use his spot to cut when its time to sign vet buyouts next spring. Fills several needs till then, and who knows maybe he will impress.

[024]

Meh, definitely want the Spurs to sign a pure 3 pt shooting wing. Doesn't matter how terrible he is at other things, as long as he can knock down 3 pointers and play average D. He's not shooting well so far in summer league but shot well in Austin last season. Might be promising if he can keep practicing his 3's.

[bobcatfan4life]

:lol I was kidding. Trying to play off my mental lapse with the corresponding time of my post that was wrong.

Fuck You, I spent like 20 minutes trying to find the rule change.

[DPG21920]

Fuck You, I spent like 20 minutes trying to find the rule change.

Good joke then ������

[Darkwaters]

Bonner's gone I think, so I reckon Lalanne could be kept around as a rotating D-League/team player along with Simmons and Anderson.

I still think they add one more wing and go into the season with just the 5 bigs they now have on the roster (Duncan, Aldridge, West, Diaw, Serbian Monster). The 15th spot will be kept open and another big can be added (looking at you Bonner) off the street if the need arises. Also a good idea to keep a spot for the buyout market after the deadline.

The 14th spot should be used on a wing. Heres why:

If the Spurs don't add a wing I'm very leary about their prospects going forward. Consider who they currently have.

Leonard - Stud. Big minutes. Occasionally gets banged up.
Green - Stud. Big minutes.
Ginobili - Solid. Needs his minutes controlled (20 MPG?). Will be rested a lot throughout the season also
Simmons - Good street prospect. A lot of ??? around him.
Anderson - Austin-bound. Cannot be counted on to play minutes that matter
Mills - Will play some 2. Will always be undersized when not the lead guard.
McCallum - May play some 2. Also will be undersized if not the point

Considering this, a multi-week injury to any of Leonard, Green or Ginobili could be pretty devastating. This is only compounded by the fact that Simmons is basically an unknown and Anderson has very little real-game usefulness right now. Mills and McCallum can be subbed in to play some 2 at times. But going small always requires other factors to make it a successful strategy. And considering that Parker is also likely to miss some time with rest and controlled minutes distribution it might be "robbing Peter to pay Paul" if we lean on the PG's to supply 2-guard minutes regularly.

A good balance of a young, developmental wing (AKA, Simmons) as one of the wing signings and then a veteran (AKA, Rasual Butler) as the other is probably a decent strategy. That being said, if the team really likes Simmons and is committed to him already, then having an open competition in training camp. We've brought in vets like Corey Maggette before. Sign a couple of them up along with a Dairis Bertans and a Jerrell Eddie. Give the winner the roster spot.

Points: Parker, Mills, McCallum

Wings: Leonard, Green, Ginobili, Simmons, FA Training Camp Standout, Anderson

Bigs: Duncan, Aldridge, West, Diaw

VERY Bigs: Marjanovic

[spurraider21]

Parker, Mills, McCallum
Green, Ginobili, Simmons
Leonard, Anderson
Aldridge, Diaw, Bonner
Duncan, West, Marjanovic

That's a tax team with one open spot for an experienced wing.
so if we're in the tax we won't have access to the full MLE next summer, huh

Duncan is so selfish for not taking the minimum

[bluebellmaniac]

so if we're in the tax we won't have access to the full MLE next summer, huh

Duncan is so selfish for not taking the minimum

The tax level will be about $20M higher next year.

[R. Canterbury Buford]

I've scouted this kid a lot he will be the next Wes Matthews but more athletic

[ceperez]

Interesting CIA Pop... they have him in the toros roster but don't sign him to play in a summer league team. Only to pull him out of an hat once the entire roster was signed.

Crazy!

Now some highlights:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmopEELDl9o

[ceperez]

Was wondering why he wasn't on the SL Team... glad they signed him up finally... homeboy will be even better than Devin BROWN, I hope :downspin:

This off-season is making me want to move to SA just to watch TD's last season or 2.... hmmm :wow :lol:king :p: :toast:rollin

CIA Pop at his bests.... probably Toros watcher were wondering the same thing!

[milkyway21]

Don't have a clue about this one..

Well, at least there's a rookie who can distribute the doughnuts around during practice.. :D

[Brian Windhorst]

Here is an old article about him:

http://airalamo.com/2014/02/23/austin-toros-jonathan-simmons-personal-physical-growth/

Damn, this dude went to a Toros open tryout now he's signed to the Spurs.

[RLT]

Personal Theory: I think he's just a roster filler until Ray Allen joins un before the playoffs, tbh.


Definitely a strong possibility.

[ceperez]

Definitely a strong possibility.

One year guarantee contract. He's got a 38" vertical and if watch the video, he's effect on both ends of the floor.

Good backup.

[RLT]

He has a pretty sweet jumper and athleticism could be very useful coming off the bench...especially when we rest players

[palangi]

Active 12 Man Roster:

Duncan/LMA/Kawhi/Danny/Parker
West/Boris/Manu/Mills/Boban/McCallum

Last spot between: Anderson, Simmons, ?, ? with Anderson likely getting the nod at this point?
I thought you could have 13 active?

[exstatic]

Cotton signed in the spring for 2 years and was waived in October. Same will happen to this guy unless he plays insane. He is just a placeholder.

Cotton signed for 50K guaranteed in year one. THat's pretty much a magnesium flare that the player in question WILL be cut so they become Austin property. Simmons entire 1st season is guaranteed.

[palangi]

I still think they add one more wing and go into the season with just the 5 bigs they now have on the roster (Duncan, Aldridge, West, Diaw, Serbian Monster). The 15th spot will be kept open and another big can be added (looking at you Bonner) off the street if the need arises. Also a good idea to keep a spot for the buyout market after the deadline.

The 14th spot should be used on a wing. Heres why:

If the Spurs don't add a wing I'm very leary about their prospects going forward. Consider who they currently have.

Leonard - Stud. Big minutes. Occasionally gets banged up.
Green - Stud. Big minutes.
Ginobili - Solid. Needs his minutes controlled (20 MPG?). Will be rested a lot throughout the season also
Simmons - Good street prospect. A lot of ??? around him.
Anderson - Austin-bound. Cannot be counted on to play minutes that matter
Mills - Will play some 2. Will always be undersized when not the lead guard.
McCallum - May play some 2. Also will be undersized if not the point

Considering this, a multi-week injury to any of Leonard, Green or Ginobili could be pretty devastating. This is only compounded by the fact that Simmons is basically an unknown and Anderson has very little real-game usefulness right now. Mills and McCallum can be subbed in to play some 2 at times. But going small always requires other factors to make it a successful strategy. And considering that Parker is also likely to miss some time with rest and controlled minutes distribution it might be "robbing Peter to pay Paul" if we lean on the PG's to supply 2-guard minutes regularly.

A good balance of a young, developmental wing (AKA, Simmons) as one of the wing signings and then a veteran (AKA, Rasual Butler) as the other is probably a decent strategy. That being said, if the team really likes Simmons and is committed to him already, then having an open competition in training camp. We've brought in vets like Corey Maggette before. Sign a couple of them up along with a Dairis Bertans and a Jerrell Eddie. Give the winner the roster spot.

Points: Parker, Mills, McCallum

Wings: Leonard, Green, Ginobili, Simmons, FA Training Camp Standout, Anderson

Bigs: Duncan, Aldridge, West, Diaw

VERY Bigs: Marjanovic

I understand Anderson has not looked great in the summer league. But come on man. Don't blow it up to be like he is useless. The guy has had NBA reps and has produced. He is a solid backup for Leonard. But I agree I would like to see another win added as I think Manu will be saved a lot through the season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl0xwsFkDtY

[Dex]

Interesting CIA Pop... they have him in the toros roster but don't sign him to play in a summer league team. Only to pull him out of an hat once the entire roster was signed.

Crazy!

Now some highlights:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmopEELDl9o

Damn. Crazy athletic.

If Chip can give this guy a jump shot...look out. :wow

[Solid D]

Some of his floor skills and athleticism reminds me of Michael Finley when he was a 25-year old.

[ceperez]

Damn. Crazy athletic.

If Chip can give this guy a jump shot...look out. :wow

Sad thing though, I think Jamychal Green was the first choice over Simmons. Just too bad Green wasn't ready to accept a cheap contract with the Spurs.

Simmons has a better handle and more athletic, but Green is definitely much bigger!

[spursparker9]

So that mean no more chance for Cady or Bertans already?

Jonathan Simmons look like he will be the best athletic on the team, even better than Kawhi

[ceperez]

So that mean no more chance for Cady or Bertans already?

Jonathan Simmons look like he will be the best athletic on the team, even better than Kawhi

He's about the same size as Green.

I don't think Kawhi is on the top of the list in athleticism.

[Obstructed_View]

I thought you could have 13 active?
You can have a max of 13 active, a max of 2 inactive, and can change it up to 30 minutes before tipoff of each game. If a team carries only 13 players, then the max is 12 with 1 inactive. Nobody will do that because teams get fined for having less than 14 players.

The Spurs will carry 15

[slick'81]

Very nice ups why not take a flyer

[SAGirl]

He's not had a very good SL thus far, numbers-wise:

http://i.imgur.com/ZWPugJs.png
Summer league is a small sample in a new system playing with guys you don't know, the spurs know him from a couple of d'league seasons. Apparently he's gotten better from one season to the next. Not saying the guy will be a revelation or anything like that, who knows? but certainly summer league by itself can be misleading. Ballhandling was an issue for him in the d'league and I just noticed the same problem in summer league. I think he will be ok for an end of the bench guy.

[Kawhitstorm]

Alonzo Gee 2.0

[littlecoyotecoin]

Cotton signed in the spring for 2 years and was waived in October. Same will happen to this guy unless he plays insane. He is just a placeholder.

Cotton was guaranteed 40-50k dollars, or something like that. Simmons has been guaranteed 500k, I believe. I don't believe they're the same situation. But, maybe you're right.

[Kawhitstorm]

Summer league is a small sample in a new system playing with guys you don't know, the spurs know him from a couple of d'league seasons. Apparently he's gotten better from one season to the next. Not saying the guy will be a revelation or anything like that, who knows? but certainly summer league by itself can be misleading. Ballhandling was an issue for him in the d'league and I just noticed the same problem in summer league. I think he will be ok for an end of the bench guy.

Pop is only interested in his defensive skillsets: He was All-Defensive 3rd team in the D-League (2014-15)

[littlecoyotecoin]

I still think they add one more wing and go into the season with just the 5 bigs they now have on the roster (Duncan, Aldridge, West, Diaw, Serbian Monster). The 15th spot will be kept open and another big can be added (looking at you Bonner) off the street if the need arises. Also a good idea to keep a spot for the buyout market after the deadline.

The 14th spot should be used on a wing. Heres why:

If the Spurs don't add a wing I'm very leary about their prospects going forward. Consider who they currently have.

Leonard - Stud. Big minutes. Occasionally gets banged up.
Green - Stud. Big minutes.
Ginobili - Solid. Needs his minutes controlled (20 MPG?). Will be rested a lot throughout the season also
Simmons - Good street prospect. A lot of ??? around him.
Anderson - Austin-bound. Cannot be counted on to play minutes that matter
Mills - Will play some 2. Will always be undersized when not the lead guard.
McCallum - May play some 2. Also will be undersized if not the point

Considering this, a multi-week injury to any of Leonard, Green or Ginobili could be pretty devastating. This is only compounded by the fact that Simmons is basically an unknown and Anderson has very little real-game usefulness right now. Mills and McCallum can be subbed in to play some 2 at times. But going small always requires other factors to make it a successful strategy. And considering that Parker is also likely to miss some time with rest and controlled minutes distribution it might be "robbing Peter to pay Paul" if we lean on the PG's to supply 2-guard minutes regularly.

A good balance of a young, developmental wing (AKA, Simmons) as one of the wing signings and then a veteran (AKA, Rasual Butler) as the other is probably a decent strategy. That being said, if the team really likes Simmons and is committed to him already, then having an open competition in training camp. We've brought in vets like Corey Maggette before. Sign a couple of them up along with a Dairis Bertans and a Jerrell Eddie. Give the winner the roster spot.

Points: Parker, Mills, McCallum

Wings: Leonard, Green, Ginobili, Simmons, FA Training Camp Standout, Anderson

Bigs: Duncan, Aldridge, West, Diaw

VERY Bigs: Marjanovic

KA played in 31 games last year as a rookie. He may spend time in Austin, but I wouldn't be surprised to see his minutes increase this year. He was good enough to eat some minutes last year.

[Splits]

Summer league is a small sample in a new system playing with guys you don't know, the spurs know him from a couple of d'league seasons. Apparently he's gotten better from one season to the next. Not saying the guy will be a revelation or anything like that, who knows? but certainly summer league by itself can be misleading. Ballhandling was an issue for him in the d'league and I just noticed the same problem in summer league. I think he will be ok for an end of the bench guy.

Did you see him play in Austin?

[Raven]

i don't expect anything from him, but i think it's positive that the spurs keep showing that their dleague team matters.

[Darkwaters]

KA played in 31 games last year as a rookie. He may spend time in Austin, but I wouldn't be surprised to see his minutes increase this year. He was good enough to eat some minutes last year.

He averaged 10.8 minutes per game. A lot of those were either blowouts or tinkering to see if he had anything to offer. He played a total of 357 minutes last season. About 7 1/2 complete games. I'm sure he'll get some burn this year too for the same reasons, but thats not eating up any significant or substantial time on the floor. Spread across an entire 82 game season thats a little more than 4 minutes a night.

So I understand what you're saying and all, but that doesn't scream dependable, reliable or consequential to me.

[SAGirl]

Did you see him play in Austin?
Yup. I watched all the February games when the Spurs went on their losing rodeos trip and were in a slump. Too depressing. I wanted to check how Anderson was doing since he was player of the month. I saw a lot of Simmons. He Had. Kind of MAnu role since he was 6th man coming from the bench. He could get his own shot and was athletic. Ballhandling was a big problem. Austin last year had serious TO issues around 18-20 a game was common. It got worse when they lost Cotton and quite frankly went on a losing streak. Despite being tiny Cotton was special in the d'league.

[Seventyniner]

I'm wondering how big a role his transition D played in his signing. The highlight video (admittedly, all I've ever seen of him) is basically all dunks and chase-down blocks.

[Darkwaters]

I understand Anderson has not looked great in the summer league. But come on man. Don't blow it up to be like he is useless. The guy has had NBA reps and has produced. He is a solid backup for Leonard. But I agree I would like to see another win added as I think Manu will be saved a lot through the season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl0xwsFkDtY

He played 33 games last year with an average of 10.8 minutes. His totals in points (2.2), rebounds (2.2), and assists (0.8) don't really bother me that much. It's a small sample size and you have to expect small numbers. But the shooting percentages are pretty hard to look at. He shot 34.8% from the field, 27.3% from 3 and 64.3% from the line. I understand thats also on a small sample size, but as a bit player his sample size is never going to be a large one in any given game. Thats just how it is. The totals might be small, but the shooting percentages have to be at least respectable. And his 2-12 shooting night yesterday shows that those woes are still persistent.

So, yes, he does have NBA reps. But he hasn't produced on any level that a player should exactly be proud of.

And no, he isn't a solid backup for anyone. Hes a major project that needs to be stashed in Austin for another season with the hope that he might be good enough to get on the court later in the year or next season.

That being said, the fact that hes a project isn't exactly a surprise. Everybody knew that when he was drafted. It was commonly touted that he was probably a couple of years away because his game would need a pretty substantial overhaul to make him viable in the NBA. So why are we trying to rush him into a backup role? Hes not ready. As an NBA player hes actual pretty terrible right now. He might have promise...he might have tools...but they're still very rough.

[littlecoyotecoin]

He averaged 10.8 minutes per game. A lot of those were either blowouts or tinkering to see if he had anything to offer. He played a total of 357 minutes last season. About 7 1/2 complete games. I'm sure he'll get some burn this year too for the same reasons, but thats not eating up any significant or substantial time on the floor. Spread across an entire 82 game season thats a little more than 4 minutes a night.

So I understand what you're saying and all, but that doesn't scream dependable, reliable or consequential to me.

Whether he played in blowouts or not doesn't seem all that relevant. Actually, that's pretty much the definition of a minute eater, right? You don't throw a rookie into the fire of big games. You let him eat the minutes in games Kawhi isn't as needed. Kawhi is young and relatively healthy. Hopefully, this year more so. He can probably play more than 30 minutes a game, but let's just say 30. That leaves 1476 to be backed up. That 357 that you dismiss so readily is just over 24% of the available minutes at backup even at 30 minutes a game for Kawhi. As a rookie, I repeat. That is not such an insignificant amount, and should KA's number of games played increase, as one might image they could, and Kawhi actually plays more than 30 minutes a game, as he might, it is really easy to see that KA could actually be eating up 50% of those available minutes all by himself in his second year without actually making his footprint on the game all that more noticeable.

Danny, Manu, Boris, and Simmons should be able to handle the rest.

I hope they can get another 2/3, also, and I am sure they're aware. I am not too worried about it.

KA's bad summer league games 1 and 3 have people overly on edge, I think.

[pgardn]

This was/is a good thread.

Kinda what I was expecting from this site... in my dreams.
Thanks for the contributions.

[SpursDynasty21]

Is Simmons going to be the replacement for Belinelli?

[Darkwaters]

Whether he played in blowouts or not doesn't seem all that relevant. Actually, that's pretty much the definition of a minute eater, right? You don't throw a rookie into the fire of big games. You let him eat the minutes in games Kawhi isn't as needed. Kawhi is young and relatively healthy. Hopefully, this year more so. He can probably play more than 30 minutes a game, but let's just say 30. That leaves 1476 to be backed up. That 357 that you dismiss so readily is just over 24% of the available minutes at backup even at 30 minutes a game for Kawhi. As a rookie, I repeat. That is not such an insignificant amount, and should KA's number of games played increase, as one might image they could, and Kawhi actually plays more than 30 minutes a game, as he might, it is really easy to see that KA could actually be eating up 50% of those available minutes all by himself in his second year without actually making his footprint on the game all that more noticeable.

Danny, Manu, Boris, and Simmons should be able to handle the rest.

I hope they can get another 2/3, also, and I am sure they're aware. I am not too worried about it.

KA's bad summer league games 1 and 3 have people overly on edge, I think.

Yes, he was in those games. But he wasn't exactly successful while he was there. Not by any measure. Just because you show up doesn't mean you're useful. If we just want somebody that can stand on the court for 10 minutes a game then we could literally sign anybody. But the team wants somebody that can come on the floor and produce something of consequence. Thats what you want in a minutes eater. Anybody can be present on the floor. Thats not an accomplishment. So pointing to the fact that he was on the floor for 357 minutes last year is all good and well - but what did he do in that time? How did he help? His shooting numbers are pretty putrid, and his defense is well below the league average at his position. The answer is "not much."


KA's bad summer league games 1 and 3 have people overly on edge, I think.

It's not just his bad summer league. His whole season last year was pretty much terrible. I understand his rookie season was totally forgettable - but try to remember just how bad he was.


Danny, Manu, Boris, and Simmons should be able to handle the rest.

Boris is not going to play any 3. Those days are long past.

[Darius McCrary]

Where's ChumpPumper?

[Holden_Caulfield]

can dribble and drive better than danny. has a nice eurostep. hopefully he develops into a good role player

[hyhy]

Looks amazing in the highlights. But its the highlights tho..

[HI-FI]

Where's ChumpPumper?
Chump just updated his FB (you can find it through Kori's page)
http://img1.10bestmedia.com/Images/Photos/30057/oilcan-harrys-austin-tx-usa-nightlife-dance-clubs-bar-dance-club-gay-and-lesbian-1526055_28_550x370_20111025223252.jpg

[tatteredprince]

Parker, Mills, McCallum
Green, Ginobili, Simmons
Leonard, Anderson
Aldridge, Diaw, Bonner
Duncan, West, Marjanovic


----------------------------------------------
most satisfying roster in years

we're stacked......
That's a tax team with one open spot for an experienced wing.

[Big Dog]

Chump just updated his FB (you can find it through Kori's page)
http://img1.10bestmedia.com/Images/Photos/30057/oilcan-harrys-austin-tx-usa-nightlife-dance-clubs-bar-dance-club-gay-and-lesbian-1526055_28_550x370_20111025223252.jpg
inb4 ban

[RayTdropout]

Looks good. But its the D-LEAGUE

[Darkwaters]

Bonner isn't signed. Hes a Free agent.

[tatteredprince]

i hope Matt Bonner returns, i kinda like him, good attitude and excellent trifecta guy

[tatteredprince]

we're ready to go.....

im excited mostly about LaMarcus, West and Marjanovic.....

[Darkwaters]

Matt Bonner is probably not coming. At least not immediately.

The Spurs really need another swingman to boost up their roster. After that they'll be at 14 players and they probably will keep that last spot open for a bought out player or a d-league callup.

But I doubt Bonner plays anywhere else. He probably sits on the sidelines, ready to sign up if the Spurs need another big mid season.

[tatteredprince]

Matt Bonner is probably not coming. At least not immediately.

The Spurs really need another swingman to boost up their roster. After that they'll be at 14 players and they probably will keep that last spot open for a bought out player or a d-league callup.

But I doubt Bonner plays anywhere else. He probably sits on the sidelines, ready to sign up if the Spurs need another big mid season.


---------------------------

im cool with that, he could even be part of management, or a scout

[tholdren]

Funny thing about you tube is you can find highlights but, not lowlights. I guess Jonathan Simmons 2-year D-league career can be summed up in 2 minutes and 12 seconds..
yep. calm down. he was a meh college player and stuck in the d-league for 2 years. Looks like he has work ethic - juco to college then d league to spurs, but I don't see him coming in and playing. Using him as a hustle practice player and maybe some garbage minutes? KA scare tactic? or reward for good character and hard work? i say all of the above.

[tatteredprince]

so, gentlemen, we are set for one of the most unique rosters in Spurs history

whatya all think about our chances, neh?

[tatteredprince]

Simmons:

well need someone to play in the fourth quarter for those blown out games, games where we destroy the opposition

lets like this signing guys, already the best offseason ever

[tatteredprince]

Marjanoviccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc cccc

[TheGoldStandard]

yep. calm down. he was a meh college player and stuck in the d-league for 2 years. Looks like he has work ethic - juco to college then d league to spurs, but I don't see him coming in and playing. Using him as a hustle practice player and maybe some garbage minutes? KA scare tactic? or reward for good character and hard work? i say all of the above.

Spurs wouldn't guarantee a full year for some guy they want in for a victory cigar. They see something in him

[littlecoyotecoin]

Yes, he was in those games. But he wasn't exactly successful while he was there. Not by any measure. Just because you show up doesn't mean you're useful. If we just want somebody that can stand on the court for 10 minutes a game then we could literally sign anybody. But the team wants somebody that can come on the floor and produce something of consequence. Thats what you want in a minutes eater. Anybody can be present on the floor. Thats not an accomplishment. So pointing to the fact that he was on the floor for 357 minutes last year is all good and well - but what did he do in that time? How did he help? His shooting numbers are pretty putrid, and his defense is well below the league average at his position. The answer is "not much."



It's not just his bad summer league. His whole season last year was pretty much terrible. I understand his rookie season was totally forgettable - but try to remember just how bad he was.



Boris is not going to play any 3. Those days are long past.

When you're cap restricted, you make it work. This was not a discussion about "Is KA a good player?" It was worry about the backup 3 position. Using a rookie as backup 3 almost got us second seed in the West. Parker's injuries (exacerbated by Mill's injury) and Tiago's injuries were at least as important in our downfall as Kawhi not having a better backup. On a much better team this year, it should be something we can overcome if we have to. But, moot point because there are spots on the roster and the season hasn't started. Hell, even if the season has started there are still some options.

[tholdren]

Spurs wouldn't guarantee a full year for some guy they want in for a victory cigar. They see something in him
who gets more minutes simmons or anderson?

[Ditty]

Much rather prefer Simmons than a vet past his time who feels entitled to minutes/shots.

From the videos, I really like what I see. See some Wes Matthews in him.

:tu

Exactly what I was seeing myself. Hopefully he turns out to be a steal.

[BatManu20]

Reminds me of Michael Jordan. Hopefully he has a similar career.

[Darius McCrary]

Matt Bonner is going to be on a sandwich binge until he gets picked up to this stacked squad.

[Darkwaters]

When you're cap restricted, you make it work. This was not a discussion about "Is KA a good player?" It was worry about the backup 3 position. Using a rookie as backup 3 almost got us second seed in the West. Parker's injuries (exacerbated by Mill's injury) and Tiago's injuries were at least as important in our downfall as Kawhi not having a better backup. On a much better team this year, it should be something we can overcome if we have to. But, moot point because there are spots on the roster and the season hasn't started. Hell, even if the season has started there are still some options.

So you're implying that Kyle was the backup 3 last year? He basically never played except in garbage time. Kawhi was backed up by Belinelli and Ginobili. Even when he was hurt and missed whole games. Kyle might have been the "backup" in name only. But in the practical sense - not even close.

Look, I'm fine with Kyle being on the team, but he needs a full season in Austin again. He basically didn't play at all last season except in blowouts and in a few specifically targeted games where major players rested. He got a few "rotation" minutes at times and failed far more often than he succeeded. Depending on him for anything concrete next year would be foolish. Especially when the team has roster spots open. The Spurs should go into the season with the anticipation that anything they get from him is simply gravy. If he exceeds expectations then awesome. But at this point a minimum wage, over the hill veteran is substantially bigger help to this team than Anderson. So I recommend they find one because Anderson hasn't shown any signs in Summer League of significant development.

[tatteredprince]

its like we hit the lottery this year:

two talented power forwards who were the leaders of their respective teams: LaMarcus and DWest

a giant who can dominate inside offensively

two young guards with potential: Mccallum and Simmons

--------------------------------------------------

LaMarcus, West and Marjanovic plus all the great passers of the Spurs: Manu, Boris

we are going to rape a lot of teams this year!

expect multiple blow outs

[palangi]

So you're implying that Kyle was the backup 3 last year? He basically never played except in garbage time. Kawhi was backed up by Belinelli and Ginobili. Even when he was hurt and missed whole games. Kyle might have been the "backup" in name only. But in the practical sense - not even close.

Look, I'm fine with Kyle being on the team, but he needs a full season in Austin again. He basically didn't play at all last season except in blowouts and in a few specifically targeted games where major players rested. He got a few "rotation" minutes at times and failed far more often than he succeeded. Depending on him for anything concrete next year would be foolish. Especially when the team has roster spots open. The Spurs should go into the season with the anticipation that anything they get from him is simply gravy. If he exceeds expectations then awesome. But at this point a minimum wage, over the hill veteran is substantially bigger help to this team than Anderson. So I recommend they find one because Anderson hasn't shown any signs in Summer League of significant development.

As it stands now barring injury from leopard, KA is only going to be a 10-12 minute a night guy as is. That's sugary he was last year according to your numbers. You got top think green and Manu eat some of those minutes lefty by Leonard as well.
But I don't think playing in Austin helps him anymore. He dominated that league last year. And his role there is so different from what he needs to do at the big level. In SA he is apart of the cog, in Austin he is the cog. The 10 minutes a night and practice times with the big boys does a lot more for him. And depending on his play and profession he could be useful as a small ball 4. With his ability to rebound it makes it plausible, as long as the rest of the game develops.

[monkeypunk]

As it stands now barring injury from leopard, KA is only going to be a 10-12 minute a night guy as is. That's sugary he was last year according to your numbers. You got top think green and Manu eat some of those minutes lefty by Leonard as well.
But I don't think playing in Austin helps him anymore. He dominated that league last year. And his role there is so different from what he needs to do at the big level. In SA he is apart of the cog, in Austin he is the cog. The 10 minutes a night and practice times with the big boys does a lot more for him. And depending on his play and profession he could be useful as a small ball 4. With his ability to rebound it makes it plausible, as long as the rest of the game develops.

I agree. He's bored with the competition in the summer and d league and isn't playing up to his full potential. Most of that is on him but if we want to salvage him, we need to throw him out there with the big boys to sink or swim.

Perhaps the light comes on and he figures out his role and maybe he sucks. If he sucks, trade him or cut him before the buyout period or at least early enough to bring someone else in and be able to get them halfway up to speed before the playoffs.

We don't need another wasted roster spot when we have clear needs.

[SAGirl]

KA needed a lot of work on his jump shot and that is difficult to gauge in summer league because he is tasked with creating for himself and others. A lot of his shots are off the dribble. He is getting his own looks out there, it's not like he is spotting up and clanking open shots with his feet set like LJC. Maybe he is actually forcing some stuff because of the lack of talent or development from other guys playing with him. I thought he actually got guys good shots that they just missed. From better teammates those are credited as assists for Kyle. He made some daring passes to guys who have trouble catching the ball. It's possible even a Manu in this kind of environment will look like a Manu against Alba Berlin last year. People are overreacting. You do need to play with guys to get in a rhythm particularly with KA's game which is more of a team oriented game based on passing, like Bobo and this late era Manu. Bobo with bad teammates looked godawful.

I think Pop will have his regular mad scientist nights and we will see KA play. I think he will get more of a chance to play this season, but then if he shows nothing, off to Austin again. He will get a chance to compete for minutes with Simmons. Simmons is more athletic and capable of making defensive plays but we have only seen him against dleague talent. He is older and has already played a full 2 years in the d'league. You could say he won't benefit from further d'league play. It will be interesting to see how these 2 come along this year because they will get time particularly with how dominant th team May be.

[littlecoyotecoin]

So you're implying that Kyle was the backup 3 last year? He basically never played except in garbage time. Kawhi was backed up by Belinelli and Ginobili. Even when he was hurt and missed whole games. Kyle might have been the "backup" in name only. But in the practical sense - not even close.

Look, I'm fine with Kyle being on the team, but he needs a full season in Austin again. He basically didn't play at all last season except in blowouts and in a few specifically targeted games where major players rested. He got a few "rotation" minutes at times and failed far more often than he succeeded. Depending on him for anything concrete next year would be foolish. Especially when the team has roster spots open. The Spurs should go into the season with the anticipation that anything they get from him is simply gravy. If he exceeds expectations then awesome. But at this point a minimum wage, over the hill veteran is substantially bigger help to this team than Anderson. So I recommend they find one because Anderson hasn't shown any signs in Summer League of significant development.

You seem really hung up about the minutes he played being garbage time. I think that's the best use for a rookie. Kawhi should play the most important, veterans fill in a few, and a few trickle down to the rookie. Not strange. We're at an obvious impasse.

I would expect the same thing this year, except his role to gradually increase. He's a young second year player. He has already exceeded CoJo's development pace according to another poster, he's gotten over the "Pop doesn't play rookies." hurdle. They seem to like him, and are filling that backup 3 "need" last for some reason. Part of it being that maybe they were worried about other things more because they have a little confidence in KA giving them 10 minutes against other teams' benches.

[Chinook]

Leonard should get like 38 minutes a night. Green should get 34 minutes. Manu should get 20. That's 92 of 96 wing minutes. Just give the rest to small-ball and don't worry about having a consistent fourth wing. Just need someone to step up in case of injury, and the Spurs use "unproved" players in those roles all the time. Anderson and Simmons will do a fine job filling in the cracks (or Simmons will be cut and another d-leaguer will take the spot). I fully expect the Spurs to add another wing over the course of the season. It'll probably be a vet that folks here can "trust in the playoffs".

[bdictjames]

I don't think Pop will give Leonard a consistent 38 minutes a night. Its probably going to be in the 30-32 minute range, knowing how he likes to distribute minutes. Same with Green. The deeper our bench, the better, that's always how Spurs ball has been played out the past few years.

[Marcus Bryant]

Leonard should get like 38 minutes a night. Green should get 34 minutes. Manu should get 20. That's 92 of 96 wing minutes. Just give the rest to small-ball and don't worry about having a consistent fourth wing. Just need someone to step up in case of injury, and the Spurs use "unproved" players in those roles all the time. Anderson and Simmons will do a fine job filling in the cracks (or Simmons will be cut and another d-leaguer will take the spot). I fully expect the Spurs to add another wing over the course of the season. It'll probably be a vet that folks here can "trust in the playoffs".

I think Leonard and Green were both told something along the lines of 'expect more minutes with your new contracts.' Maybe not 38, but probably in the 33 to 34 range. Ginobili at 20 makes sense. So we're probably looking at between 4 to 10 minutes open outside of those three players. Maybe for now the Spurs go with Kyle Anderson plus some younger free agent training camp type and between those two and Mills to handle the remaining minutes.

Of course we also have to consider that during the course of the reg season Pop will probably give players the night off from time to time.

Based on the rumors we've seen so far about Spurs' interest in vet small forwards, my guess is they ink a Prince or Rasual Butler to a minimum deal. They could always go with a young-ish swingman type with less than 2 or 3 yrs experience and then wait for mid-season waives, in addition to seeing if Anderson progresses any. Still, for those 4 to 10 minutes, if not covered by small ball or Anderson, you really need someone who will defend, rebound, run the court, and take a couple shots a night. I think here the Spurs just go with the experienced vet and leave it to Anderson to unseat them.

[Darkwaters]

He has already exceeded CoJo's development pace according to another poster

CoJo's development track isn't something you really want to follow if you can help it. While he was quite good last year he was also every Spurs Fan Boy's whipping boy for his first 2-3 seasons. CoJo's defense has always been NBA-worthy, but the rest of his game was terrible. I remember him looking like he was throwing a beach ball at the rim. The fact that he really turned a corner last year was awesome to see and he was a big loss when he left. But by year 2, CoJo was still basically terrible. Even as a second year player he only played 28 games (13.9 MPG) and was still nowhere near being the backup PG.

Hence, using CoJo's early Spurs experience as a measuring stick and a badge of honor isn't anything to be especially proud of. He essentially took his whole rookie deal to put it together. And thats fine. Everyone knew he was a long term project. But thats why he was never asked to be a true backup or play consistent minutes in those early years. He couldn't be trusted that early.



he's gotten over the "Pop doesn't play rookies." hurdle. They seem to like him

How do you figure that hes gotten over that hurdle? He spent the whole season in Austin basically. When the Spurs had injuries to several wings (including Kawhi Leonard) he got brought back prematurely and filled in some garbage time with incredibly mixed and inconsistent results. Even considering all of the opportunity that injury created for him to play last year he still only logged minutes in well under half of the team's games (and then only 10.8 PG). The fact that he didn't play more, even in light of all those injuries, seems to indicate that they didn't like what he was bringing (or at least they didn't trust him).

He didn't vault any hurdles with his play. Injury forced him into some limited action and he responded with incredibly suspect performances.

Besides, even Cory Joseph, in his ever-so-woeful 1st year, was able to log into 29 games and play 9.2 minutes per (pretty similar numbers to Anderson). Nobody that actually remembers that season would argue that CoJo's time on the floor was a success (except maybe his defense, which really was always pretty solid). But the team wanted to see what they had and see if he would step up. He never did that first year, and continued to be a staple at the end of the bench and Austin into his second season.

CoJo's development is therefore probably a good model for what to expect with Anderson. More time in Austin with a few limited opportunities in San Antonio. Hopefully by year 3 or 4 he starts to put it together and become a capable NBA player just like CoJo did.

[Darkwaters]

I think Leonard and Green were both told something along the lines of 'expect more minutes with your new contracts.' Maybe not 38, but probably in the 33 to 34 range. Ginobili at 20 makes sense. So we're probably looking at between 4 to 10 minutes open outside of those three players. Maybe for now the Spurs go with Kyle Anderson plus some younger free agent training camp type and between those two and Mills to handle the remaining minutes.

Of course we also have to consider that during the course of the reg season Pop will probably give players the night off from time to time.

With an NBA season lasting 82 games you have to be ready for unfortunate injuries. Obviously if one of the Spurs key rotation guys goes out for the season with a major injury then the season might be over. But that threat exists every season for most teams. What I'm more concerned about is a minor ankle tweak that takes Kawhi out for 2-3 weeks. If that happens is the plan to bring Kyle Anderson in to play 30 MPG and replace Kawhi in the short term? I sure hope not. The better strategy would be to have a seasoned vet that can take 15-20 minutes and then ask Kyle to cover the other 10-15 per night. I think most people agree that Kyle probably won't break the team logging a handful of minutes each game. My biggest concern is that he is in no way ready for big minutes during that injury period. And the Spurs proved last year that they didn't trust him even with players out at different times.

Simmons is a nice addition because he adds another option. But he comes with his own list of concerns right now (mostly around his total lack of NBA experience).



Based on the rumors we've seen so far about Spurs' interest in vet small forwards, my guess is they ink a Prince or Rasual Butler to a minimum deal. They could always go with a young-ish swingman type with less than 2 or 3 yrs experience and then wait for mid-season waives, in addition to seeing if Anderson progresses any. Still, for those 4 to 10 minutes, if not covered by small ball or Anderson, you really need someone who will defend, rebound, run the court, and take a couple shots a night. I think here the Spurs just go with the experienced vet and leave it to Anderson to unseat them.

Bingo. You're thinking exactly the same as me on this one.

I think Anderson will be given every chance to win minutes. But he hasn't shown nearly enough to just be given those minutes based on his merits alone. Hes a huge question mark and could represent a gaping hole in their rotation. So they sign an accomplished veteran and tell Anderson to beat him out. Winner gets the small pile or available rotation minutes.

[callo1]

Love this signing. The kid can play defense, he can put the ball on the floor if the defense closes out on him, and he was a decent mid range and floater.

[tatteredprince]

this boy is very athletic!

i wonder how he develops in the Spurs system...

[Biggems]

He has the athleticism. He has time in our system. Now, he just needs to get up to the main club with the real team and learn. He needs to be Chip's shadow for the first year. If he can become a +40% 3pt shooter, he will definitely have a role with us.

[AFBlue]

:lol 9 pages
:lol 14th man
:lol minutes debate

It's not that I'm down on the kid, but I've literally never heard of him before today. And his ears just aren't big enough for me to overlook that fact. Hope he's a good spot contributor on the big squad.

[tatteredprince]

http://airalamo.com/2014/02/23/austin-toros-jonathan-simmons-personal-physical-growth/

[tatteredprince]

:lol 9 pages
:lol 14th man
:lol minutes debate

It's not that I'm down on the kid, but I've literally never heard of him before today. And his ears just aren't big enough for me to overlook that fact. Hope he's a good spot contributor on the big squad.



--------------------

it means we are so excited about the upcoming season

[Darkwaters]

:lol 9 pages
:lol 14th man
:lol minutes debate

It's not that I'm down on the kid, but I've literally never heard of him before today. And his ears just aren't big enough for me to overlook that fact. Hope he's a good spot contributor on the big squad.

This is Spurstalk. You've nearly 10,000 posts on this site and joined only about 3 months after I did.

So let me ask, when have we NOT obsessed over an end-of-the-bench signing? I've been posting on this site nearly 10 years. I cannot seem to recall ever not doing so! Thats pretty much the whole joke behind the "Church of ______" post that we get everytime any new player is signed!

Rabid homerism and GOAT projections are essentially mandatory after donning the silver and black for the first time.