Official 2016 Spurs Offseason Thread

[Chinook]

I couldn't disagree more about a few things here.

Of course.


Miles, in the right motion offense like Hornaceks 2 years ago, was very productive on BOTH ends and was a big reason for their success that season (13-14). Jason Kidd's offense is heavy ISO and Kidd didn't give him a lot of playing time because of Monroe's signing and Jabari Parker.

That literally has nothing to do with what I said except that you might think Plumlee is a starter. But he played 24 mpg that one good year, and in the same offense, he went right back to obscurity the next year. He hasn't proven to be a legit starter anywhere. Even if you think he can be great in an ideal situation, that is not and will not be the SL with Kawhi and LMA slowing the pace down. Second unit? Good chance.


Right now, his value is as low as it can get and Bucks will more than likely not match. It's not far-fetched to assume that by the way Kidd utilized him on the bench last year.

That's possible, but it's not obvious, given that he still put up decent stats. If the Bucks tender him, they'll match any contract the Spurs should give Miles.


Sullinger on the other hand checks no boxes for me, plus Celtics will likely match anything reasonable.

Sullinger and Plumlee have two different definitions of what "reasonable" is. Any contract Miles could get would be matched by Boston, I agree. But if Amir is kept (and we should know this before the end of the moratorium), they won't be in position to match offers. And if they cut Amir, then he becomes a primary target himself. The rest is probably best left unremarked on. Sully runs the rim all the time. He wouldn't be a great offensive rebounder if he didn't get to the rim during most plays. Besides his height, there's no reason to act like he isn't an inside presence.


Spurs have a better chance to pry away Miles Plumlee than Sullinger -- any objective mind would agree with that.

No one has disagreed. Boban is much easier to pry away Sullinger too. It's really easy to overpay Plumlee. Anything over like $3 or $4 Million would do it. Much harder to overpay Sullinger, because he's worth like $12 Million a year. That means nothing. I'd rather have someone like Thompson than Baynes for what they're being paid.

[Chinook]

I haven't read every post, but have read threads about whether Diaw should stay. I read some interesting theories by Chinook of how they could 'stretch' his contract so it wouldn't be so much money against the cap. That being said Diaw
has been formidable on our team. The inclusion of West has given us an abundance of4's. Our problems were with playing them together. It seems like both are too good to be the third string PF. So maybe that will come into play this summer.

My other question is whether Pop is going to play Boban in the first or second unit? If Tim returns he can either start or come off the bench, but we need another big to match up with OKC. Will Pop develop Boban into a viable playoff piece?

There's a very legit chance Boban isn't part of the team next year. His contract is extremely awkward, and unless he just straight-up signs his QO, the Spurs are going to have a lot of thinking to do to see how much they're willing to pay him and how that number fits into their scenarios.

[palangi]

Of course.



That literally has nothing to do with what I said except that you might think Plumlee is a starter. But he played 24 mpg that one good year, and in the same offense, he went right back to obscurity the next year. He hasn't proven to be a legit starter anywhere. Even if you think he can be great in an ideal situation, that is not and will not be the SL with Kawhi and LMA slowing the pace down. Second unit? Good chance.



That's possible, but it's not obvious, given that he still put up decent stats. If the Bucks tender him, they'll match any contract the Spurs should give Miles.



Sullinger and Plumlee have two different definitions of what "reasonable" is. Any contract Miles could get would be matched by Boston, I agree. But if Amir is kept (and we should know this before the end of the moratorium), they won't be in position to match offers. And if they cut Amir, then he becomes a primary target himself. The rest is probably best left unremarked on. Sully runs the rim all the time. He wouldn't be a great offensive rebounder if he didn't get to the rim during most plays. Besides his height, there's no reason to act like he isn't an inside presence.



No one has disagreed. Boban is much easier to pry away Sullinger too. It's really easy to overpay Plumlee. Anything over like $3 or $4 Million would do it. Much harder to overpay Sullinger, because he's worth like $12 Million a year. That means nothing. I'd rather have someone like Thompson than Baynes for what they're being paid.
I've never seen a more egotistical blowhard on the internet than this guy. A whole lot of nothing here in your write up. You keep arguing for another undersized below the rim PF. Yes let's pair him with west and Diaw. Great choice. Should really help our defense? And while you're at it why don't you fight for your boy LJC to come over? Apparently you think he is ready, although he really struggled in the summer league last year. But Plumlee is no good? BLOWHARD!

[TD 21]

First, because I'd be willing to give the Lakers something in order to secure a S&T. Second, because the Lakers would be inking a 6/6/22/24 deal rather than a 14x4 deal. It's not a given at all that they'll want to pay Clarkson that kind of money when they AREN'T flush with the space. Third, because the team can't go into this off-season playing it safe. They can certainly move on to plans B, C, etc. when they strike out. But they should be thinking of locking in a permanent piece or two under this lower cap as a main priority.



Eh, it wouldn't take a huge offer. They have guys like Amir and Jerebko on whom they'll have to make a decision before the moratorium and young guys like Zeller. Plus, they're in position to draft Bender. And of course, they could be a destination for Howard, Horford or Gasol. If they make the personnel sacrifices to keep him on board, that's fine. I'll take either of Johnson or Johannes any day. Again, though, you go in there swinging for the fences.

So why do I think he'd count as a home run? Because he pretty much checks ALL of the boxes. He's a great screener who can either pop or roll well enough to put pressure on the defense. He can defend the PnR, which is a much bigger need in the SL than blocking shots. He can defend in the post (as well as score there), which is needed given the remaining guys on roster. He'd benefit tremendously from having a more-defined role with the Spurs with better shots.

He seems somewhere between Tristan Thompson and Aldridge in what he tries to do on the court. Dude's just 24. He has a great chance to get significantly better. And as far as culture goes, if he can hang with Stevens' team, he should be good enough for Pop's. For the money he'll command, he should be a great value to the team. Getting any combination of Johnson/Sullinger/Gasol and Clarkson/Gordon/some other scoring guard would be go a long way to fixing this team.

In terms of what could be realistically offered, the Spurs don't have the asset(s) for Clarkson. It may not be a given, but team's almost always bite the bullet, if for no other reason than asset retention (Harris and Kanter, were last year's examples of this). I agree that the Spurs can't play it safe, but they've also got to be realistic and that means not wasting time on lost causes.

I said Sullinger is potentially attainable, but I wouldn't want to pay what it'll cost, as he's not a good fit. They need a rolling, rim protecting, rebounding center and a stretch power forward and one of the two has to be a mobile defender; he's neither. He doesn't constitute swinging for the fences. The only boxes he checks are plus rebounding and decent passing.

I've always liked Johnson, a jack of all trades, master of none type, but he's permanently gimpy and his rebounding and rim protection have declined in recent seasons.

If they're looking for Duncan and Ginobili archetypes, I suspect they'll pursue Gasol and Vasquez. Never been a fan of the latter though.

[palangi]

In terms of what could be realistically offered, the Spurs don't have the asset(s) for Clarkson. It may not be a given, but team's almost always bite the bullet, if for no other reason than asset retention (Harris and Kanter, were last year's examples of this). I agree that the Spurs can't play it safe, but they've also got to be realistic and that means not wasting time on lost causes.

I said Sullinger is potentially attainable, but I wouldn't want to pay what it'll cost, as he's not a good fit. They need a rolling, rim protecting, rebounding center and a stretch power forward and one of the two has to be a mobile defender; he's neither. He doesn't constitute swinging for the fences. The only boxes he checks are plus rebounding and decent passing.

I've always liked Johnson, a jack of all trades, master of none type, but he's permanently gimpy and his rebounding and rim protection have declined in recent seasons.

If they're looking for Duncan and Ginobili archetypes, I suspect they'll pursue Gasol and Vasquez. Never been a fan of the latter though.
Personally I'd like to see Joakim Noah and Miles Plumlee both brought in. I know Noah is old and had some injuries but he would be great next to LMA. Exactly what we need. And Pop could manage his minutes.

[ace3g]

(https://twitter.com/TheVertical)

Summer Agenda: The San Antonio Spurs. Front-Office Insider @BobbyMarks42 (https://twitter.com/BobbyMarks42/) on @TheVertical (https://twitter.com/TheVertical/). yhoo.it/1TsQS2m (https://t.co/hsXBrJQ5Cx)

[apalisoc_9]

I've never been a Carter-Williams fan, but unfortunately, he's along the lines of what I could see them pursuing. To be fair, he does check some boxes, strikes me as a Spur and his stock is low enough that something like Mills, 29 and maybe Simmons, if necessary, might get it done.

Aquiring Carter Williams checks two important boxes against a potential OKC and Warriors matchup. Attacking the weak PG penetrations defense and kills The westbrook and Livingston post ups.

It does however limit our best offensive player spacing not to mention it could get tricky finding MCW williams playing time when Kawhi starts handling the ball more. We saw in the playoffs that Pop is willing to give Kawhi the handling responsibility in crunch time.

It will also ruin Aldridge Pick and Pop game. If the spurs are looming to get williams, they need to aquire a legit Center that can roll as thats the only way he opens up the shooters.

[apalisoc_9]

Sullinger is also a terrible fit. Just silly and ridiculous.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Aquiring Carter Williams checks two important boxes against a potential OKC and Warriors matchup. Attacking the weak PG penetrations defense and kills The westbrook and Livingston post ups.

It does however limit our best offensive player spacing not to mention it could get tricky finding MCW williams playing time when Kawhi starts handling the ball more. We saw in the playoffs that Pop is willing to give Kawhi the handling responsibility in crunch time.

It will also ruin Aldridge Pick and Pop game. If the spurs are looming to get williams, they need to aquire a legit Center that can roll as thats the only way he opens up the shooters.

Pity he went away from this when it mattered in the last few minutes of game 5. :(

[ace3g]

Marc Stein @ESPNSteinLine
(https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine) NBA coaching sources say James Borrego, finalist for Memphis' job, is likely to be summoned by the Rockets for an interview early next week.

[apalisoc_9]

Pity he went away from this when it mattered in the last few minutes of game 5. :(

Pops call.

No one in the team calls a specific way of playing except for Pop. Other stars have the luxury to do what they want because there is no pop.

[TD 21]

Personally I'd like to see Joakim Noah and Miles Plumlee both brought in. I know Noah is old and had some injuries but he would be great next to LMA. Exactly what we need. And Pop could manage his minutes.

Though they have some mending of fences to do, Noah is probably going to re-sign. Even if he doesn't, he's still probably going to be out of the Spurs' price range.

Plumlee might not even receive his qualifying offer. Even though they project to have a lot of cap space and it's a relatively modest $3.1M, presuming they're both retained, they'll be paying over $29M to Monroe and Henson combined next season and they supposedly tried to trade Plumlee last season anyway.


Aquiring Carter Williams checks two important boxes against a potential OKC and Warriors matchup. Attacking the weak PG penetrations defense and kills The westbrook and Livingston post ups.

It does however limit our best offensive player spacing not to mention it could get tricky finding MCW williams playing time when Kawhi starts handling the ball more. We saw in the playoffs that Pop is willing to give Kawhi the handling responsibility in crunch time.

It will also ruin Aldridge Pick and Pop game. If the spurs are looming to get williams, they need to aquire a legit Center that can roll as thats the only way he opens up the shooters.

I know, but the reality is, they're not going to find someone that checks all the boxes, which is the exact reason I wouldn't off hand dismiss Carter-Williams.

Considering their limited assets and financial constraints, the best possible Ginobili archetypes are probably the likes of Vasquez and De Colo (whose rights they'd have to acquire first). But there's no more upside to them and they can't guard dynamic/physically imposing point guards.

Obviously, they should and more than likely will attempt to do better than all of them, but they also have to be realistic.

[ace3g]

Mark Berman ‏@MarkBermanFox26 (https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26) 4h4 hours ago (https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/status/734825692764852224) #Spurs (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Spurs?src=hash) ass't James Borrego arrives for his interview with #Rockets (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rockets?src=hash): "We look forward to commenting at a future date"

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CjKgD5RUgAEzUZm.jpg




ark Berman ‏@MarkBermanFox26 (https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26) 4h4 hours ago (https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/status/734826456077860864) #Spurs (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Spurs?src=hash) ass't James Borrego arrives at Bush IAH for his interview with the #Rockets (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rockets?src=hash). He's also a finalist in Memphis

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CjKgwh6VAAAeJGv.jpg

[ace3g]

Sportando Verified account ‏@Sportando (https://twitter.com/Sportando) May 19 (https://twitter.com/Sportando/status/733284667126865920) Tyrus McGee will attend the San Antonio Spurs mini-camp. McGee spent the season in Italy with Cremona

[tholdren]

Get rid of either RC or Pop

[td4mvp2k]

Get rid of either RC or Pop

:wakeup

[TheGreatYacht]

My dream offseason:

• Trade Kyle Anderson for a 2nd rnd pick
• Sign P. Gasol, T. Mozgov, M. Barnes, and T. Robinson
• Trade Green, Diaw, and Mills for Jeff Teague
• Ginobili uses his player option
• Fill roster with 16' and past draft picks
• Bring in DJ Stephens from the D-League. 46" vertical, good defender
730952279369486336

C: Gasol/Mozgov/Lallane
PF: Aldridge/Robinson/Bertans
SF: Leonard/Barnes/DJ Stephens
SG: 1st rnd pick/Ginobili/Simmons
PG: Teague/Parker/2nd rnd pick

[Chinook]

In terms of what could be realistically offered, the Spurs don't have the asset(s) for Clarkson. It may not be a given, but team's almost always bite the bullet, if for no other reason than asset retention (Harris and Kanter, were last year's examples of this). I agree that the Spurs can't play it safe, but they've also got to be realistic and that means not wasting time on lost causes.

They can totally afford to waste time. They have essentially two slots they can use to improve, and they have five days before anyone can ink deals. That's plenty of time to get a feel for who will match what and what contingencies remain. We'll know by the second or third of July whether Boston is going to keep Amir and Jerebko, whether they draft Bender and whether they land a big-fish front-court guy. We'll know if LA lands DeRozan and trades for another perimeter player using their pick. By the time guys like Clarkson are really getting wooed, there shouldn't be a ton of doubt whether teams will match. This isn't like OKC and Kanter, where OKC had no reason besides the tax line to worry.


I said Sullinger is potentially attainable, but I wouldn't want to pay what it'll cost, as he's not a good fit. They need a rolling, rim protecting, rebounding center and a stretch power forward and one of the two has to be a mobile defender; he's neither. He doesn't constitute swinging for the fences. The only boxes he checks are plus rebounding and decent passing.

He can roll, defend the PnR and stretch the floor. He can play in the post on both ends. He's got a lot of what made Splitter such a useful Spur with some added skills. The only issue he really has is that he's short. The rest can be cleaned up as he matures.

People acts as if only guys like Jordan and Chandler are threats in the PnR. Blair might have been the best roll-man the team has had in years. Sullinger has that ability plus Beli-like intuition on how to find the open spots on cuts. They can sign Ndoye and Lalanne to be their roller/defender/rebounder and shooter. Right now, the Spurs just need to improve the talent on their roster. Fit is an afterthought until they have their new core established.


I've always liked Johnson, a jack of all trades, master of none type, but he's permanently gimpy and his rebounding and rim protection have declined in recent seasons.

There's little evidence that Johnson has declined. He just turned 29 this month. His rebounding, blocks and field-goal percentage have all increased. He just needed to be put in situations to succeed, and I think the Spurs could give it to him. It's a damned shame they didn't trade for him back in 2009 when the price was just Oberto's deal. It's crazy to think what would have happened had they just gone for that and picked up Allen the next summer.


If they're looking for Duncan and Ginobili archetypes, I suspect they'll pursue Gasol and Vasquez. Never been a fan of the latter though.

I think the last thing they want is to set up that situation again. They clearly need to do something different given the pieces they have currently.

[TD 21]

They can totally afford to waste time. They have essentially two slots they can use to improve, and they have five days before anyone can ink deals. That's plenty of time to get a feel for who will match what and what contingencies remain. We'll know by the second or third of July whether Boston is going to keep Amir and Jerebko, whether they draft Bender and whether they land a big-fish front-court guy. We'll know if LA lands DeRozan and trades for another perimeter player using their pick. By the time guys like Clarkson are really getting wooed, there shouldn't be a ton of doubt whether teams will match. This isn't like OKC and Kanter, where OKC had no reason besides the tax line to worry.



He can roll, defend the PnR and stretch the floor. He can play in the post on both ends. He's got a lot of what made Splitter such a useful Spur with some added skills. The only issue he really has is that he's short. The rest can be cleaned up as he matures.

People acts as if only guys like Jordan and Chandler are threats in the PnR. Blair might have been the best roll-man the team has had in years. Sullinger has that ability plus Beli-like intuition on how to find the open spots on cuts. They can sign Ndoye and Lalanne to be their roller/defender/rebounder and shooter. Right now, the Spurs just need to improve the talent on their roster. Fit is an afterthought until they have their new core established.



There's little evidence that Johnson has declined. He just turned 29 this month. His rebounding, blocks and field-goal percentage have all increased. He just needed to be put in situations to succeed, and I think the Spurs could give it to him. It's a damned shame they didn't trade for him back in 2009 when the price was just Oberto's deal. It's crazy to think what would have happened had they just gone for that and picked up Allen the next summer.



I think the last thing they want is to set up that situation again. They clearly need to do something different given the pieces they have currently.

Yeah, I forgot the league changed the moratorium period. Still, unless the Lakers draft Ingram and sign DeRozan, I think it's a waste of time because I see no other scenario where they wouldn't match. Of course, the Spurs should still do their due diligence on this though.

Didn't you admit that you haven't really seen Sullinger play outside of YouTube clips? I've seen enough of him to know he wouldn't solve the Spurs' issues.

Blair was more athletic than Sullinger when he first entered the league. He was also playing with a player, in Ginobili, who's the best I've ever seen at hitting the roll man.

Johnson actually had something of a bounce back, but he's been gimpy for years. I'm not opposed to him, but him and Aldridge together, is not enough defensive rebounding/rim protection, especially against the big, bruising front lines.

Ndoye and Lalanne don't qualify as upgrading their talent level. There's no evidence to suggest they're ready or capable at all of playing in the NBA.

Fit is never an afterthought; it always has to be part of the equation. I disagree, I think they have a certain belief of how a roster should be built and want to remake it as close to what it's been for much of the Duncan era.

[DPG21920]

I think with Pau's passing and shooting he would be a tremendous short-term fit. Imagine this same team on offense but Pau instead of Tim with Pau's ability to actually be an offensive threat. Spurs were just a handful of buckets from beating OKC in 5 and if you give Pau the chances that Tim had? No doubt he finishes enough to put OKC away.

The team needs talent and flexibility within it's roster to match up/change up.

[Kawhitstorm]

I think with Pau's passing and shooting he would be a tremendous short-term fit. Imagine this same team on offense but Pau instead of Tim with Pau's ability to actually be an offensive threat. Spurs were just a handful of buckets from beating OKC in 5 and if you give Pau the chances that Tim had? No doubt he finishes enough to put OKC away.

The team needs talent and flexibility within it's roster to match up/change up.

They would be fine on offense but Pau/LMA would get PnR'ed to death & they are also not the two most physical bigs. OKC can't even play Kanter/Adams against teams w/ a competent PG despite Adams being a very good defender & them mauling teams on the board.

To make it work, Pau would have to come off the bench ala Kanter & play the Diaw role or start then get benched in the 4th quarter like Love. PATFO can sign Marvin Williams to close out games & guard stretch 4s.

[DPG21920]

They would be fine on offense but Pau/LMA would get PnR'ed to death & they are also not the two most physical bigs. OKC can't even play Kanter/Adams against teams w/ a competent PG despite Adams being a very good defender & them mauling teams on the board.

To make it work, Pau would have to come off the bench ala Kanter & play the Diaw role or start then get benched in the 4th quarter like Love. PATFO can sign Marvin Williams to close out games & guard stretch 4s.

Well, IMO, with Tim's lateral movement gone SA didn't get killed. No doubt Tim is so much better than Pau defensively just by being smart but the defense survived OKC's top offense even with a diminished Tim. Would it get worse? Sure, but I think that could be offset by getting more wing depth and better PG defense. The gains on offense would be worth it.

That is more of a quick-fix though and there are many ways to improve the Spurs.

[BatManu20]

735203867508527106

[Kawhitstorm]

Well, IMO, with Tim's lateral movement gone SA didn't get killed. No doubt Tim is so much better than Pau defensively just by being smart but the defense survived OKC's top offense even with a diminished Tim. Would it get worse? Sure, but I think that could be offset by getting more wing depth and better PG defense. The gains on offense would be worth it.

That is more of a quick-fix though and there are many ways to improve the Spurs.

OKC doesn't even run much PnRs & the Spurs eliminated the Adams/WB PnR in Gm 5 by sagging into the paint b/c WB isn't a knockdown shooter, it's the Duds/Clips/Cavs that would PnR that frontline to death b/c their PGs are knockdown shooters.

[Strategic]

Maybe if Tim is staying he would have said. Manu follows him. Sitting thru another year of Mills before his contract year would be murder. Like to see patfo focus on personnel to beat OKC and GS. As far as the draft and stash cache the team has overseas, it's time to sh...t or get off the pot.

[Chinook]

Yeah, I forgot the league changed the moratorium period. Still, unless the Lakers draft Ingram and sign DeRozan, I think it's a waste of time because I see no other scenario where they wouldn't match. Of course, the Spurs should still do their due diligence on this though.

I mean, they are apparently trying to trade the pick for a perimeter player. It doesn't have to be Ingram. And remember that they have Russell too. They may not want to end up being so guard heavy.


Didn't you admit that you haven't really seen Sullinger play outside of YouTube clips? I've seen enough of him to know he wouldn't solve the Spurs' issues.

Blair was more athletic than Sullinger when he first entered the league. He was also playing with a player, in Ginobili, who's the best I've ever seen at hitting the roll man.

I'm definitely not a Sullinger expert. But I think we disagree on what the Spurs' issues are. With that in mind, it's not clear I have a misguided opinion on Sullinger's skill-set. From what Boston fans told me, he seems to check the boxes, and his stats back that up.


Johnson actually had something of a bounce back, but he's been gimpy for years. I'm not opposed to him, but him and Aldridge together, is not enough defensive rebounding/rim protection, especially against the big, bruising front lines.

The only big lineup is OKC's bench, and people are really overreacting to that. The Spurs need to do what's best for them first before trying to match up against another team. Look what that got them this year.


Ndoye and Lalanne don't qualify as upgrading their talent level. There's no evidence to suggest they're ready or capable at all of playing in the NBA.

Most teams don't sign prospects because they're proven. The Spurs need to sign guys and MAKE them proven. The Spurs have to develop guys for a change, instead of stashing them and hoping those players become ready by osmosis.


Fit is never an afterthought; it always has to be part of the equation. I disagree, I think they have a certain belief of how a roster should be built and want to remake it as close to what it's been for much of the Duncan era.

They've changed that roster so much during the Duncan Era that I disagree with you. I think they try to figure out how to best use the talent they have. Fit isn't about players, not completely. It's also very much about the system the team runs. Post-playing LMA and Kawhiso just won't do well without guys to space the floor, whereas PnP Aldridge and Spot-up Kawhi would totally fit with a teammate who rolls and dunks without much of an outside shot. There's no point in getting poorer talent just to keep guys in inefficient roles.

Instead, get the best guys you can and figure out how to get them touches. If that guy is Whiteside, Aldridge needs to shoot. If that guy is Ryan Anderson, then LMA needs to be on the block. If that guy is Sullinger, Aldridge can do whatever the hell he wants. The Spurs' talent is going to be more different now than it has been in two decades. They're going to have to do whatever it takes to make the best guy they get work with the others.

[TD 21]

I mean, they are apparently trying to trade the pick for a perimeter player. It doesn't have to be Ingram. And remember that they have Russell too. They may not want to end up being so guard heavy.



I'm definitely not a Sullinger expert. But I think we disagree on what the Spurs' issues are. With that in mind, it's not clear I have a misguided opinion on Sullinger's skill-set. From what Boston fans told me, he seems to check the boxes, and his stats back that up.



The only big lineup is OKC's bench, and people are really overreacting to that. The Spurs need to do what's best for them first before trying to match up against another team. Look what that got them this year.



Most teams don't sign prospects because they're proven. The Spurs need to sign guys and MAKE them proven. The Spurs have to develop guys for a change, instead of stashing them and hoping those players become ready by osmosis.



They've changed that roster so much during the Duncan Era that I disagree with you. I think they try to figure out how to best use the talent they have. Fit isn't about players, not completely. It's also very much about the system the team runs. Post-playing LMA and Kawhiso just won't do well without guys to space the floor, whereas PnP Aldridge and Spot-up Kawhi would totally fit with a teammate who rolls and dunks without much of an outside shot. There's no point in getting poorer talent just to keep guys in inefficient roles.

Instead, get the best guys you can and figure out how to get them touches. If that guy is Whiteside, Aldridge needs to shoot. If that guy is Ryan Anderson, then LMA needs to be on the block. If that guy is Sullinger, Aldridge can do whatever the hell he wants. The Spurs' talent is going to be more different now than it has been in two decades. They're going to have to do whatever it takes to make the best guy they get work with the others.

It's called due diligence. If someone wants to blow them away with an in their prime star, then and only then, is it available.

I don't know that we disagree on their issues, so much as we disagree on Sullinger's ability to solve them.

Defensive rebounding and rim protection are still and will always be essential ingredients of the game. A Aldridge-Johnson combination can't do that job well enough to win a championship and since it's going to be extremely difficult to build an offensive juggernaut again anytime soon, that's still going to have to remain their staple.

LaLanne and Ndoye are just random players though. You're probably only familiar with them because of their affiliation to the Spurs. They definitely need youth on the back end of the roster and they will, in all likelihood, add Bertans and the 29th pick.

The roster has changed, but the ideals have remained the same, which is why, after a 3 year interlude from '09-'11, they rebuilt the roster in the same mold as what it was before that. Even with Duncan and Ginobili likely retiring, I suspect they'll look to do the same.

I don't disagree with some of what you said, I just think you have a misguided idea about what they're looking to and are capable of doing in the short term. You're setting yourself up for disappointment.

[Chinook]

It's called due diligence. If someone wants to blow them away with an in their prime star, then and only then, is it available.

It's called the Lakers being tired to being a bad team and getting impatient. I think they should and ultimately will end up just drafting the player and keeping them. But they have a huge need to add stars, especially now that they've relieved the Tank Commander of his duties. I think they should come to an agreement with Clarkson one a regular $56M/4 deal before waiting for someone to give him that offer sheet. The probably won't want to have to match a deal with the Arenas structure. If they do agree to such a deal, they obviously the Spurs will know and have plenty of time to move on to other guys (no one's going to be calling Eric Gordon at midnight on June 30). If they don't, then they are leaving open the idea of him not being part of their core. That means a means a max offer might give them pause, or they might be willing to take some compensation for letting him go.


I don't know that we disagree on their issues, so much as we disagree on Sullinger's ability to solve them.

I think we disagree on the issues. It's clear that you want a younger Tyson Chandler--like player to play next to LMA (btb, Chandler would probably be available for free if you want to go that route), as you think the Spurs need size and shot-blocking. I think the Spurs need mobility, flexibility and spacing in their front court, so in addition to Sullinger, guys like Amir and even Terrance Jones are on my radar.


Defensive rebounding and rim protection are still and will always be essential ingredients of the game. A Aldridge-Johnson combination can't do that job well enough to win a championship and since it's going to be extremely difficult to build an offensive juggernaut again anytime soon, that's still going to have to remain their staple.

They can get better on offense by adding shooting and another ball-handler. That's why guys like Gordon are appealing as backups. Amir was part of a really good defense last year, and he and LMA would be a good defensive pairing. The fear is once again, of OKC's bench almost exclusively, and that isn't something you tailor your starters for. If the Spurs want to get size for their third big, they should go for that using their room exception. Even if Plumlee and Aldrich end up making more than that, the team just needs to find the next person in that line. Seven-footers who can screen and dunk aren't as common as they used to be, but they aren't hen's teeth, either.


LaLanne and Ndoye are just random players though. You're probably only familiar with them because of their affiliation to the Spurs. They definitely need youth on the back end of the roster and they will, in all likelihood, add Bertans and the 29th pick.

They'll need more than that. The Spurs probably won't be good enough to carry ring-chasers next season, so there's no reason to not have a bunch of prospects to sort out like they had in 2012 and 2013. Guys whom they have been developing for a year in Austin seem like decent candidates to compliment the picks they sign.


The roster has changed, but the ideals have remained the same, which is why, after a 3 year interlude from '09-'11, they rebuilt the roster in the same mold as what it was before that. Even with Duncan and Ginobili likely retiring, I suspect they'll look to do the same.

I wouldn't even say the ideals have remained the same. Duncan was a constant, but what he did on the court changed quite a bit. The sets changed and the emphases changed. With him gone, things would change a lot. With Manu gone, the Spurs might finally try to get a PG to play in the second unit rather than short guards who could play off the ball. That would be a huge change for the team to handle. I doubt they'd look for another passing two-guard just to avoid that.


I don't disagree with some of what you said, I just think you have a misguided idea about what they're looking to and are capable of doing in the short term. You're setting yourself up for disappointment.

I'm talking about what I think the Spurs should do, not what I think they will do. I have no reason to believe they'll look at Sullinger or Clarkson. Pop is probably desperately hoping for Tim and Manu to return so that he can keep rolling out the same old lineups again.

[td4mvp2k]

Would we be able to get a Conley or Horford if Duncan and Manu came back? The more I think about it the more I like the idea of the big three coming off the bench. It would be fun to watch, a great way for them to contribute before retirement, and I still think the three of them have enough left in the tank to be one of the best benches in the league. I guess it just depends on the cap situation on who we could afford if the big 3 were to return.id like to sign those two and bring back td and manu which could happen if they could trade porker, green or diaw tbh

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Cowboys have a better chance to win a championship in the next 5 years than the Spurs.

[ace3g]

HoopsHype Hoopshype
(https://twitter.com/hoopshype) Former Sixer Adonis Thomas will attend mini-camps with Rockets, Spurs and Jazz, agent Travis King tells HoopsHype.

[K...]

Cowboys have a better chance to win a championship in the next 5 years than the Spurs.

If the spurs played a one game series against okc, with home court, they'd be in the conf finals. Sweet.

[TD 21]

It's called the Lakers being tired to being a bad team and getting impatient. I think they should and ultimately will end up just drafting the player and keeping them. But they have a huge need to add stars, especially now that they've relieved the Tank Commander of his duties. I think they should come to an agreement with Clarkson one a regular $56M/4 deal before waiting for someone to give him that offer sheet. The probably won't want to have to match a deal with the Arenas structure. If they do agree to such a deal, they obviously the Spurs will know and have plenty of time to move on to other guys (no one's going to be calling Eric Gordon at midnight on June 30). If they don't, then they are leaving open the idea of him not being part of their core. That means a means a max offer might give them pause, or they might be willing to take some compensation for letting him go.


No, it's due diligence. Almost everyone who gets a high pick in sports is said to be open to moving the pick, unless there's a guaranteed superstar available. Like I said, of course the Spurs should explore this, I just don't see it coming to fruition.


I think we disagree on the issues. It's clear that you want a younger Tyson Chandler--like player to play next to LMA (btb, Chandler would probably be available for free if you want to go that route), as you think the Spurs need size and shot-blocking. I think the Spurs need mobility, flexibility and spacing in their front court, so in addition to Sullinger, guys like Amir and even Terrance Jones are on my radar.

It's not an either/or; it's both. I want something like a younger Splitter and Diaw. Aldridge is a 4.5 and though he should generally start at power forward, whether he spends more minutes at one or the other should be dependent on match-up. That's why he needs similarly valued second/third bigs, to basically split the job.


They can get better on offense by adding shooting and another ball-handler. That's why guys like Gordon are appealing as backups. Amir was part of a really good defense last year, and he and LMA would be a good defensive pairing. The fear is once again, of OKC's bench almost exclusively, and that isn't something you tailor your starters for. If the Spurs want to get size for their third big, they should go for that using their room exception. Even if Plumlee and Aldrich end up making more than that, the team just needs to find the next person in that line. Seven-footers who can screen and dunk aren't as common as they used to be, but they aren't hen's teeth, either.

Sure, but in all likelihood, they don't have a path to being a more explosive offensive team than any other contender. They do, however, have a chance to remain the best defense among that group, so that needs to remain a focus.

With their limited assets, financial constraints and the amount of cap space most teams have, it's going to be more difficult to fill 3-4 significant holes than you seem to think.


They'll need more than that. The Spurs probably won't be good enough to carry ring-chasers next season, so there's no reason to not have a bunch of prospects to sort out like they had in 2012 and 2013. Guys whom they have been developing for a year in Austin seem like decent candidates to compliment the picks they sign.

Right, but you don't just hand away roster spots to random players just for the sake of being younger. Those spots have to go to actual NBA players/prospects.


I wouldn't even say the ideals have remained the same. Duncan was a constant, but what he did on the court changed quite a bit. The sets changed and the emphases changed. With him gone, things would change a lot. With Manu gone, the Spurs might finally try to get a PG to play in the second unit rather than short guards who could play off the ball. That would be a huge change for the team to handle. I doubt they'd look for another passing two-guard just to avoid that.


The ideals have remained the same. They like to start big and place a premium on defensive rebounding, transition defense, ball movement and keeping the turnovers down.

Even though they're different players and Aldridge is obviously inferior to prime Duncan, in many ways, Aldridge is their Duncan now and as I alluded to, he needs similar bigs to compliment him.

The makeup of the bench could change, for the simple fact that they don't have a shooting guard version of Aldridge who's similar enough to Ginobili to build the same sort of bench around. They could opt for Vasquez to maintain that though.

[cutewizard]

http://www.poundingtherock.com/2016/5/26/11758712/spurs-draft-stash-davis-bertans-adam-hanga-Livio-Jean-Charles

[cutewizard]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L78jCaS-JXQ

[cutewizard]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eseOR027jLY

[cutewizard]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Gx1pD3bHrk

[gambit1990]

wanna see bertans in a spurs uniform next season.

anyone know how plausible that is given whatever his current contract situation overseas is?

[SAGirl]

wanna see bertans in a spurs uniform next season.

anyone know how plausible that is given whatever his current contract situation overseas is?

He is likely coming over, since his agent has been making noise about it since January, before he even returned to play at Laboral.

[tholdren]

http://www.poundingtherock.com/2016/5/26/11758712/spurs-draft-stash-davis-bertans-adam-hanga-Livio-Jean-Charles
these guys are really shitty.

[cjw]

I know some around here don't think stats matter - and yes there are limitations to each one - but there are still interesting things to be drawn from each.

I looked at TS% (takes into account threes and FTs) vs. USG to try to look at impact to scoring vs. how many possessions are used up by that player. This doesn't incorporate helping others score (assists) or turnovers, rebounding, and bench players typically face lesser defenders than starters.

http://i.imgur.com/oUTco1C.png

Y-axis is TS% and X-axis is usage. Some observations:

- Kawhi is uber efficient and top 40 in the league in possessions. Only guys above him in both usage and TS% are Curry and Durant, and only two that come close above him in USG are Harden and Lebron. But I guess he's a one way player according to half this board.

- LMA wasn't as efficient as Kawhi for the entire season, but looking at his splits from December onwards, he shot a lot better as he was integrated into the offense while his usage continued to climb. Good sign going forward assuming he doesn't fall off a cliff age-wise.

- Manu was solid this year and remains a positive offensively. Turnovers, yes, but still facilitating and was the engine that kept the bench afloat this year.

- Parker meandered around his career average TS%, likely on the back of his much improved outside shot. Was surprised to see him up at that level - shooting is fine, but explosiveness being spotty hurt the overall offense. For him to not be a huge hindrance going forward, he'll need to keep that 3pt% above 40% and increase the amount of looks he gets there when playing off the ball.

- Green had an off year, WELL off his career average of 57.1% TS but turned it on in the playoffs. Had good January/February, but otherwise was the definition of icy-hot. Hope for a bounce back year next year but expect the shooting to disappear at times. That's why it's key for the Spurs to find some more outside shooting in case he gets into a funk. His defense is still essential.

- Duncan remained one of the top defenders in the league this year, but really struggled offensively. Could be spacing issues / learning to play with LMA, but mostly drop-off in athleticism. Going forward if he comes back, he's probably best suited going up against bench bigs while anchoring the defense.

- Mills actually shot around his career average, but deficiencies defensively and his disappearing act in the playoffs (not captured above) are disconcerting, especially as he gets older and will become more of a defensive liability.

- Simmons was a very pleasant surprise. He's older, so not sure how much room there is for improvement or if there would be a drop with higher usage, but he's definitely a keeper. He actually has nearly identical TS%/USG to Draymond.

- West and Diaw had very similar offensive output. Both shot well in the regular season. Too bad that part of their game fell off a cliff when it mattered most, and they continued not to be able to defend or rebound.

- Anderson has a long way to go before becoming the next Boris.

- Boban off the charts. If only he could defend the pick and roll...

- Lumping in the others together. Martin's stats include MIN, but he doesn't bring much to the table anymore. Miller played within himself. Bonner shot well in a very small sample size but we know his limitations.

- Spurs are much less lopsided than most other teams. If you ran the same chart for OKC, you'd see Westbrook and Durant both above 30% USG with only Kanter well above 20% and Payne at 20%. Others are in the 17.5% and below range. By comparison, LMA and Kawhi don't cross 26% and there are 10 players above 17.5%.



Side note: that mark on the bottom right? Tony Wroten had higher usage than Curry and Harden (and almost as high as Cousins) yet some terrible shooting efficiency. Right to the northwest of him is ... chucker Kobe.

[YGWHI]

I know some around here don't think stats matter - and yes there are limitations to each one - but there are still interesting things to be drawn from each.

I looked at TS% (takes into account threes and FTs) vs. USG to try to look at impact to scoring vs. how many possessions are used up by that player. This doesn't incorporate helping others score (assists) or turnovers, rebounding, and bench players typically face lesser defenders than starters.

http://i.imgur.com/oUTco1C.png

Y-axis is TS% and X-axis is usage. Some observations:

- Kawhi is uber efficient and top 40 in the league in possessions. Only guys above him in both usage and TS% are Curry and Durant, and only two that come close above him in USG are Harden and Lebron. But I guess he's a one way player according to half this board.

- LMA wasn't as efficient as Kawhi for the entire season, but looking at his splits from December onwards, he shot a lot better as he was integrated into the offense while his usage continued to climb. Good sign going forward assuming he doesn't fall off a cliff age-wise.

- Manu was solid this year and remains a positive offensively. Turnovers, yes, but still facilitating and was the engine that kept the bench afloat this year.

- Parker meandered around his career average TS%, likely on the back of his much improved outside shot. Was surprised to see him up at that level - shooting is fine, but explosiveness being spotty hurt the overall offense. For him to not be a huge hindrance going forward, he'll need to keep that 3pt% above 40% and increase the amount of looks he gets there when playing off the ball.

- Green had an off year, WELL off his career average of 57.1% TS but turned it on in the playoffs. Had good January/February, but otherwise was the definition of icy-hot. Hope for a bounce back year next year but expect the shooting to disappear at times. That's why it's key for the Spurs to find some more outside shooting in case he gets into a funk. His defense is still essential.

- Duncan remained one of the top defenders in the league this year, but really struggled offensively. Could be spacing issues / learning to play with LMA, but mostly drop-off in athleticism. Going forward if he comes back, he's probably best suited going up against bench bigs while anchoring the defense.

- Mills actually shot around his career average, but deficiencies defensively and his disappearing act in the playoffs (not captured above) are disconcerting, especially as he gets older and will become more of a defensive liability.

- Simmons was a very pleasant surprise. He's older, so not sure how much room there is for improvement or if there would be a drop with higher usage, but he's definitely a keeper. He actually has nearly identical TS%/USG to Draymond.

- West and Diaw had very similar offensive output. Both shot well in the regular season. Too bad that part of their game fell off a cliff when it mattered most, and they continued not to be able to defend or rebound.

- Anderson has a long way to go before becoming the next Boris.

- Boban off the charts. If only he could defend the pick and roll...

- Lumping in the others together. Martin's stats include MIN, but he doesn't bring much to the table anymore. Miller played within himself. Bonner shot well in a very small sample size but we know his limitations.

- Spurs are much less lopsided than most other teams. If you ran the same chart for OKC, you'd see Westbrook and Durant both above 30% USG with only Kanter well above 20% and Payne at 20%. Others are in the 17.5% and below range. By comparison, LMA and Kawhi don't cross 26% and there are 10 players above 17.5%.



Side note: that mark on the bottom right? Tony Wroten had higher usage than Curry and Harden (and almost as high as Cousins) yet some terrible shooting efficiency. Right to the northwest of him is ... chucker Kobe.

Thanks! Very interesting.

[Mal]

Bertans should come this year. You can forget Hanga, he`s not NBA caliber player

[SAGirl]

Something that is impossible to reflect on there is that a player's stats are misleading depending on their roles in the team.
Bonner, Simmons and Boban are probably the most affected by role bc they all played a lot of garbage time, as they were not in the regular rotation. In Bonner's case, I think he played strictly garbage time.
Him having the stats he had for the season, does not mean at all that those would be maintained with more minutes, or that he's even a rotation caliber player at this point. Simmons was a garbage time star. He looked his worst for the season when he was played in the regular bench rotation without Manu (a red flag overall, bc it would be Manu's role that he would fill if Manu retires). Boban did play against a lot of weak teams + a lot of garbage time, but he looked increasingly better with more opportunities to play, and he continued to get better through the season. The red flag with him is that PnR defense. Can he be our 3rd or 4th best big? I tend to think yes, but it's by no means yet a clear answer.

Given context as well, though Anderson's stats are not as good as all 3 guys above, he looks the best of the three, bc he's the youngest guy, at 22 still capable of improving his game, and he played the most regular rotation minutes, started every time Kawhi was injured, played 78 games overall, and thus got tested against everybody. He also played three positions through the season. He still has a lot to improve on if Pop wants to play him as a 4, and it looks like Pop intends for him to do that at least situationally, but his stats are fine for his age and role.

The chart is a good snapshot to look at but it doesn't paint the whole picture obviously and it's a given that it doesn't measure any other contributions to the team by said players like assists, defense, steals, deflections, blocks, passes, and overall impact on the team.

[cjw]

Something that is impossible to reflect on there is that a player's stats are misleading depending on their roles in the team.
Bonner, Simmons and Boban are probably the most affected by role bc they all played a lot of garbage time, as they were not in the regular rotation. In Bonner's case, I think he played strictly garbage time.
Him having the stats he had for the season, does not mean at all that those would be maintained with more minutes, or that he's even a rotation caliber player at this point. Simmons was a garbage time star. He looked his worst for the season when he was played in the regular bench rotation without Manu (a red flag overall, bc it would be Manu's role that he would fill if Manu retires). Boban did play against a lot of weak teams + a lot of garbage time, but he looked increasingly better with more opportunities to play, and he continued to get better through the season. The red flag with him is that PnR defense. Can he be our 3rd or 4th best big? I tend to think yes, but it's by no means yet a clear answer.

Given context as well, though Anderson's stats are not as good as all 3 guys above, he looks the best of the three, bc he's the youngest guy, at 22 still capable of improving his game, and he played the most regular rotation minutes, started every time Kawhi was injured, played 78 games overall, and thus got tested against everybody. He also played three positions through the season. He still has a lot to improve on if Pop wants to play him as a 4, and it looks like Pop intends for him to do that at least situationally, but his stats are fine for his age and role.

The chart is a good snapshot to look at but it doesn't paint the whole picture obviously and it's a given that it doesn't measure any other contributions to the team by said players like assists, defense, steals, deflections, blocks, passes, and overall impact on the team.

Agree - as I mentioned, competition matters and it's only a snapshot of shooting vs usage. Anderson is the youngest and is better than Simmons in other areas, but still has a LONG way to go.

[SD126]

If the spurs played a one game series against okc, with home court, they'd be in the conf finals. Sweet.

:rolleyes

[SD126]

I know some around here don't think stats matter - and yes there are limitations to each one - but there are still interesting things to be drawn from each.

I looked at TS% (takes into account threes and FTs) vs. USG to try to look at impact to scoring vs. how many possessions are used up by that player. This doesn't incorporate helping others score (assists) or turnovers, rebounding, and bench players typically face lesser defenders than starters.

http://i.imgur.com/oUTco1C.png

Y-axis is TS% and X-axis is usage. Some observations:

- Kawhi is uber efficient and top 40 in the league in possessions. Only guys above him in both usage and TS% are Curry and Durant, and only two that come close above him in USG are Harden and Lebron. But I guess he's a one way player according to half this board.

- LMA wasn't as efficient as Kawhi for the entire season, but looking at his splits from December onwards, he shot a lot better as he was integrated into the offense while his usage continued to climb. Good sign going forward assuming he doesn't fall off a cliff age-wise.

- Manu was solid this year and remains a positive offensively. Turnovers, yes, but still facilitating and was the engine that kept the bench afloat this year.

- Parker meandered around his career average TS%, likely on the back of his much improved outside shot. Was surprised to see him up at that level - shooting is fine, but explosiveness being spotty hurt the overall offense. For him to not be a huge hindrance going forward, he'll need to keep that 3pt% above 40% and increase the amount of looks he gets there when playing off the ball.

- Green had an off year, WELL off his career average of 57.1% TS but turned it on in the playoffs. Had good January/February, but otherwise was the definition of icy-hot. Hope for a bounce back year next year but expect the shooting to disappear at times. That's why it's key for the Spurs to find some more outside shooting in case he gets into a funk. His defense is still essential.

- Duncan remained one of the top defenders in the league this year, but really struggled offensively. Could be spacing issues / learning to play with LMA, but mostly drop-off in athleticism. Going forward if he comes back, he's probably best suited going up against bench bigs while anchoring the defense.

- Mills actually shot around his career average, but deficiencies defensively and his disappearing act in the playoffs (not captured above) are disconcerting, especially as he gets older and will become more of a defensive liability.

- Simmons was a very pleasant surprise. He's older, so not sure how much room there is for improvement or if there would be a drop with higher usage, but he's definitely a keeper. He actually has nearly identical TS%/USG to Draymond.

- West and Diaw had very similar offensive output. Both shot well in the regular season. Too bad that part of their game fell off a cliff when it mattered most, and they continued not to be able to defend or rebound.

- Anderson has a long way to go before becoming the next Boris.

- Boban off the charts. If only he could defend the pick and roll...

- Lumping in the others together. Martin's stats include MIN, but he doesn't bring much to the table anymore. Miller played within himself. Bonner shot well in a very small sample size but we know his limitations.

- Spurs are much less lopsided than most other teams. If you ran the same chart for OKC, you'd see Westbrook and Durant both above 30% USG with only Kanter well above 20% and Payne at 20%. Others are in the 17.5% and below range. By comparison, LMA and Kawhi don't cross 26% and there are 10 players above 17.5%.



Side note: that mark on the bottom right? Tony Wroten had higher usage than Curry and Harden (and almost as high as Cousins) yet some terrible shooting efficiency. Right to the northwest of him is ... chucker Kobe.

Great stuff!!

[ace3g]

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/458870688653135872/CB0XkDzH_bigger.png Sportando Verified account ‏@Sportando (https://twitter.com/Sportando)

Darren Collison arrested for domestic violence: http://www.sportando.com/en/usa/nba/200882/darren-collison-arrested-for-domestic-violence.html … (https://t.co/4dJDWXOxjK)

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cj0sAy-UkAAfxzX.jpg

[Kawhitstorm]

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/458870688653135872/CB0XkDzH_bigger.png Sportando Verified account ‏@Sportando (https://twitter.com/Sportando)

Darren Collison arrested for domestic violence: http://www.sportando.com/en/usa/nba/200882/darren-collison-arrested-for-domestic-violence.html … (https://t.co/4dJDWXOxjK)

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cj0sAy-UkAAfxzX.jpg

So, they will be looking to move him.:toast

[tholdren]

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/458870688653135872/CB0XkDzH_bigger.png Sportando Verified account ‏@Sportando (https://twitter.com/Sportando)

Darren Collison arrested for domestic violence: http://www.sportando.com/en/usa/nba/200882/darren-collison-arrested-for-domestic-violence.html … (https://t.co/4dJDWXOxjK)

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cj0sAy-UkAAfxzX.jpg
Good. Spurs can use him smack around KL and LMA.

[Trill Clinton]

just got word timmy is coming back next season

[DPG21920]

just got word timmy is coming back next season

Excellent if true & thanks for sharing..

[Hoops Czar]

just got word timmy is coming back next season

R.I.P. offseason.

[Robz4000]

just got word timmy is coming back next season

From where?

[SAGirl]

just got word timmy is coming back next season
:tu
which means we mostly run the same roster right back, yay! :cheer

I think Pop will just tinker around the edges with mostly Diaw, Dwest bc they have to address the bench big situation, which is where we were bad all season + playoffs and Boban needs to get paid, so they have to make a decision with the big rotation. Then instead of K.Martin, they bring Bertans.
ppl will be disappointed here.--If Timmy and Manu are back Spurs are not doing anything drastic.
It could be for the best since we are probably better making a move in 2017 instead.

[ace3g]

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/378800000022305282/d67058cd135b8842273ca3847c18a7f3_bigger.jpeg Rick Bonnell Verified account ‏@rick_bonnell (https://twitter.com/rick_bonnell)

This http://fiba.com (https://t.co/XxVfUG1ABh) article makes it sound like Nic Batum and @hornets (https://twitter.com/hornets) will agree to terms ASAP in July.

http://www.fiba.com/oqt/philippines/2016/news/batum-still-in-with-chance-of-playing-at-oqt-as-france-announce-17-man-preliminary-squad

[Kawhitstorm]

just got word timmy is coming back next season

If it isn't for the minimum: :td

[DPG21920]

Spurs were not that far off even with a hobbled Tim. If they can just add some depth/youth I think they will have a good shot again all the while setting up for a real re-tool next year when there are good FA's.

[noles1983]

dammit, just hang it up tim you're holding the team back at this point. if vet min then disregard

[ace3g]

737735685960957952

[SD126]

just got word timmy is coming back next season

I'll believe it when I see it.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Would be great if Tim can rehab that knee and return, Spurs are very unlikely to get anyone significant this summer anyway. Better watch Tim again en route to a 1st/2nd round exit than a Marvin Williams/Jared Dudley/etc. with the same outcome.

[spurs10]

Is June 22nd probably the first significant date we should be looking at? :toast

[TheGreatYacht]

Don't do it Tim, think about your career PPG

[cutewizard]

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

[cutewizard]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60BdrbtEBPg

[gambit1990]

if livingston had a player option instead it being a team option maybe he'd opt out. he's only gonna be making $6 million next season.

i'd start him over parker for sure.

hopefully bud or brett or sean will help take parker off our hands...

would be happy with teague replacing him.

[TD 21]

You ungrateful swines.

I seriously doubt Duncan comes back, but if he does, he's as prideful an athlete as there is, so he'd only do so if he were confident he could play at the level he did before his injury. He'd also just play out his contract. He's already given back millions upon millions, he's not putting in all the work necessary just to give back $4M more.

[ace3g]

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/433322476320194560/kM8BcHiT_bigger.png theScore Verified account ‏@theScore (https://twitter.com/theScore)

Austin Rivers will reportedly decline his option and become a free agent. http://thesco.re/1ROjC13 (https://t.co/5Scz3uQm7s)

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cj5bDQJUUAArOUK.jpg











https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/513437759105548288/SphC6v0s_bigger.jpeg Brad Turner Verified account ‏@BA_Turner (https://twitter.com/BA_Turner)

Clips Wes Johnson will not pick up his player option for next season at $1.2 million, per agent. But Johnson would like to return to Clips

[ace3g]

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/458870688653135872/CB0XkDzH_bigger.png Sportando Verified account ‏@Sportando (https://twitter.com/Sportando) Clippers Cole Aldrich to opt out of his $1.2 million contract

[gambit1990]

Around the #NBA: #76ers & #Hawks discussing a deal to send Nerlens Noel to ATL for Jeff Teague (via @TheVertical)
https://twitter.com/BullsBulletin/status/738491055738228737

[spursistan]

Major Dates

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cj4QjIFUUAARptr.jpg

[TheGreatYacht]

Major Dates

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cj4QjIFUUAARptr.jpg
Nice find :tu

[ace3g]

Upside & Motor @UpsideMotor
(https://twitter.com/UpsideMotor) Quincy Miller currently slaying the Serbian Finals, take a look at 5 Euroleague stars who should garner NBA interest upsidemotor.com/2016/05/20/eur… (https://t.co/yV0WdqcYbx)

[r0drig0lac]

Upside & Motor @UpsideMotor
(https://twitter.com/UpsideMotor) Quincy Miller currently slaying the Serbian Finals, take a look at 5 Euroleague stars who should garner NBA interest upsidemotor.com/2016/05/20/eur… (https://t.co/yV0WdqcYbx)




an SF 6'9''? good

[Blackjack]

You ungrateful swines.

I seriously doubt Duncan comes back, but if he does, he's as prideful an athlete as there is, so he'd only do so if he were confident he could play at the level he did before his injury. He'd also just play out his contract. He's already given back millions upon millions, he's not putting in all the work necessary just to give back $4M more.

:tu

If Tim says he's got one more in him, you take his word.

His ego and salary won't hinder the Spurs next year. There's no reason to not want him back - I still believe he offers more than most at his position, especially for the money and the team.

[T Park]

Spurs were not that far off even with a hobbled Tim. If they can just add some depth/youth I think they will have a good shot again all the while setting up for a real re-tool next year when there are good FA's.

Bertans, Hanga, maybe a Bazemore, maybe an Aldrich, or a good defensive bigman? havent perused the list yet.

[ace3g]

Alex Kennedy AlexKennedyNBA
(https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA) The San Antonio Spurs are holding a free agent mini-camp from June 14-16. Again, not sure who's attending yet.

[r0drig0lac]

Alex Kennedy AlexKennedyNBA
(https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA) The San Antonio Spurs are holding a free agent mini-camp from June 14-16. Again, not sure who's attending yet.




interesting

[ace3g]

interesting

This is the norm for teams during June. The interesting part will be the names invited.

[Emperor]

Alex Kennedy AlexKennedyNBA
(https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA) The San Antonio Spurs are holding a free agent mini-camp from June 14-16. Again, not sure who's attending yet.




Durant gonna show up?

[Chinook]

This is the norm for teams during June. The interesting part will be the names invited.

Do you know if international prospects usually attend?

[Emperor]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60BdrbtEBPg

He's as raw as Eddie Murphy in the 80's. Wouldn't take him.

[ace3g]

Do you know if international prospects usually attend?

Not sure, here are some players that attended other camps








https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/709103119922302976/RwIC4bn6_bigger.jpg Alex Kennedy Verified account ‏@AlexKennedyNBA (https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA)

The Los Angeles Clippers held a free agent mini-camp today. Attendees included:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CkEuKmzXEAAAQBx.jpg











https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/709103119922302976/RwIC4bn6_bigger.jpg Alex Kennedy Verified account ‏@AlexKennedyNBA (https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA)

This may have already been reported (possibly by my good friend @IAmDPick (https://twitter.com/IAmDPick)), but Nets' free agent mini-camp included:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CkEsHboW0AAT7As.jpg












(https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA)






https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/709103119922302976/RwIC4bn6_bigger.jpg Alex Kennedy Verified account ‏@AlexKennedyNBA (https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA)

According to sources, the Houston Rockets' recent free agent mini-camp included the following:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CkEB-4sWYAA7wUJ.jpg

[Kawhitstorm]

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/458870688653135872/CB0XkDzH_bigger.png Sportando Verified account ‏@Sportando (https://twitter.com/Sportando) Clippers Cole Aldrich to opt out of his $1.2 million contract

#brokennews

[SAGirl]

Last summer Simmons attended one of these minicamps for the Spurs. It would be really interesting to see who they have invited.

[cutewizard]

hope Simmons develops more.................

[cutewizard]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqfMAc2CduU

[TheGoldStandard]

Hopefully it's young athletic people they are inviting to this camp.. Not a bunch of retreads that couldn't cut it on other teams.

[TheGreatYacht]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqfMAc2CduU
Great rebounder, athletic, good roller and finisher.

Sign him up

[ace3g]

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/709103119922302976/RwIC4bn6_bigger.jpg Alex Kennedy Verified account ‏@AlexKennedyNBA (https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA)

Spurs GM R.C. Buford, Pelicans GM Dell Demps, Nuggets GM Tim Connelly and many other execs at Relativity Pro Day.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CkMzyKMW0AALiA-.jpg

[TheGreatYacht]

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/709103119922302976/RwIC4bn6_bigger.jpg Alex Kennedy Verified account ‏@AlexKennedyNBA (https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA)

Spurs GM R.C. Buford, Pelicans GM Dell Demps, Nuggets GM Tim Connelly and many other execs at Relativity Pro Day.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CkMzyKMW0AALiA-.jpg
RC was probably scouting
- Ronald Rudson Rodrigues dos Reis
- Skal Labissiere
- Juan Hernangomez
- Ilja Gromovs
- Ognjen Kuzmic
- Boubacar Moungoro

[loveforthegame]

I know Ace already posted that Adonis Thomas would work out for the Spurs but looks like he'll be part of the mini camp.

739454783388590080

[DesignatedT]

Labissiere is a very good prospect IMO. Hernangomez is interesting as well.

[gambit1990]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqfMAc2CduU
sign him.

[ace3g]

Alex Kennedy @AlexKennedyNBA
(https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA)Spurs free agent camp on 14th will include Chris Copeland, Adonis Thomas, Victor Rudd, Scott Suggs, JJ O’Brien. More players being added.

[tholdren]

looks like a shitty list so far

[TheGoldStandard]

looks like a shitty list so far

Turds the whole lot of them.

[TheGreatYacht]

800th time Spurs are scouting Chris Copeland :lol

Just sign him already. He's probably, scratch that, easily better than Kyle and Bonner.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

He's as raw as Eddie Murphy in the 80's. Wouldn't take him.

You're not thinking long-term, big picture. With 3 years in the Spurs system he might be Porzingas. Spurs need to start developing some youth with high upside.

If we get Maker at #29 I'll be ecstatic!

[Mal]

You're not thinking long-term, big picture. With 3 years in the Spurs system he might be Porzingas. Spurs need to start developing some youth with high upside.

If we get Maker at #29 I'll be ecstatic!

And then when he starts producing, he`s gone, just like CoJo

[cjw]

And then when he starts producing, he`s gone, just like CoJo

CoJo would still be a Spur if not for the Lamarcus chase last summer (in retrospect, maybe team should have picked him over Mills). Simply a casualty of cap space needing to be created. Toronto also paid him handily, so there's a chance the Spurs knew the offer sheet was incoming and decided to cut bait then.

[TheGoldStandard]

You're not thinking long-term, big picture. With 3 years in the Spurs system he might be Porzingas. Spurs need to start developing some youth with high upside.

If we get Maker at #29 I'll be ecstatic!

I would love this move but the Spurs will opt for some obscure undersized guard, a big man who's 4 years away from being 2 years away. Some short guy for his position with long arms who can't dribble a ball.

[tholdren]

You're not thinking long-term, big picture. With 3 years in the Spurs system he might be Porzingas. Spurs need to start developing some youth with high upside.

If we get Maker at #29 I'll be ecstatic!
Iq of 3

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Parker/MCW/Youngblood
Green/Simmons/Manu
Leonard/SloMo/Youngblood
LMA/Diaw/Bertans
Timmy/Boban/Plumlee

Something like this makes a lot of sense to me for 2016. Play the youth big minutes, Manu and Timmy stick around to mentor them and have a farewell tour, we take a step back in 2016...

...then a big step forward in 2017 when MCW, Simmons, SloMo and Bertans blossom. Tim, Manu and Pop then ride off into the sunset together, the FO trades TP's expiring, and we have capspace to make a run at whomever we want.

It's fun to dream. ;)

[TheGreatYacht]

Parker/MCW/Youngblood
Green/Simmons/Manu
Leonard/SloMo/Youngblood
LMA/Diaw/Bertans
Timmy/Boban/Plumlee

Something like this makes a lot of sense to me for 2016. Play the youth big minutes, Manu and Timmy stick around to mentor them and have a farewell tour, we take a step back in 2016...

...then a big step forward in 2017 when MCW, Simmons, SloMo and Bertans blossom. Tim, Manu and Pop then ride off into the sunset together, the FO trades TP's expiring, and we have capspace to make a run at whomever we want.

It's fun to dream. ;)
That second unit might make a three once every 3 games

If MCW would to get his shooting hand ran over, have Dumbbells chained to his feet, have a 6 inch forehead, and his shorts up to his chest.... That would be Kyle Anderson. No point in having both play at the same time

[palangi]

I don't mind this. I bolded a couple changes I would make though. First off send Diaw on his way. Anderson is the same player and takes over for him. I would also have Bertans as a 3 as he is a better athlete than Anderson. then put Lalanne in at the PF spot too. I'd like to see us buy back into the 2nd round and get Caris Lavert from Michigan. A 6'6" PG with good shooting skills and defensive skills.


Parker/MCW/Lavert
Green/Simmons/Manu
Leonard/Bertans/Youngblood
LMA/SloMo/Lalanne
Timmy/Boban/Plumlee

Something like this makes a lot of sense to me for 2016. Play the youth big minutes, Manu and Timmy stick around to mentor them and have a farewell tour, we take a step back in 2016...

...then a big step forward in 2017 when MCW, Simmons, SloMo and Bertans blossom. Tim, Manu and Pop then ride off into the sunset together, the FO trades TP's expiring, and we have capspace to make a run at whomever we want.

It's fun to dream. ;)

[tbdog]

^ that team is worse. The decline of Manu, TD, and Manu are too much for such little and minor changes. And if we didnt have enough shootiing already, removing Mills for MCW and demoting Manu behind Simmons is a disaster.

[Ditty]

My top choices:

1A: Durant
1B: Horford

If you can't get them only go after Conley if you're going to get rid of Parker. He will come here if we offer him a reasonable contract. My ideal candidates after that is to go after Bazemore, Amir Johnson, Courtney Lee, Mahinmi, Crabee(Would be really nice or Fournier), Vasquez, Speights :shootme, Marvin Williams, Barnes :shootme to solidify your bench with some good postseason experience out of all these guys. Could probably get two of them if we get rid of Diaw.

[palangi]

^ that team is worse. The decline of Manu, TD, and Manu are too much for such little and minor changes. And if we didnt have enough shootiing already, removing Mills for MCW and demoting Manu behind Simmons is a disaster.
The decline of Manu, TD, and Manu, huh?

and Simmons had a better percentage than Manu last year.

[tbdog]

Parker*

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

That second unit might make a three once every 3 games

If MCW would to get his shooting hand ran over, have Dumbbells chained to his feet, have a 6 inch forehead, and his shorts up to his chest.... That would be Kyle Anderson. No point in having both play at the same time

Decent point. It was just a rough outline, and assumes improvement. Many players blossom in their 3rd-5th season.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I don't mind this. I bolded a couple changes I would make though. First off send Diaw on his way. Anderson is the same player and takes over for him. I would also have Bertans as a 3 as he is a better athlete than Anderson. then put Lalanne in at the PF spot too. I'd like to see us buy back into the 2nd round and get Caris Lavert from Michigan. A 6'6" PG with good shooting skills and defensive skills.

Full youth movement. Makes sense to me.

Some other replies missed the central point: it's a poor FA class, we don't have much capspace, so it's a great year to develop the youth and look towards a big move in 2017.

We're finally at the stage where we have to rebuild with a big injection of youth. 38yos aren't gonna keep us relevant any more.

[TheGoldStandard]

Full youth movement. Makes sense to me.

Some other replies missed the central point: it's a poor FA class, we don't have much capspace, so it's a great year to develop the youth and look towards a big move in 2017.

We're finally at the stage where we have to rebuild with a big injection of youth. 38yos aren't gonna keep us relevant any more.

:pop: I have no patience for Rookies.. I wonder if Jason Terry wants to win one for Timmy

[TheGreatYacht]

:pop: I have no patience for Rookies.. I wonder if Jason Terry wants to win one for Timmy
These Pop quotes kill me every time :lmao

.... Because he would say shit like this tbh :depressed

[TheGreatYacht]

Decent point. It was just a rough outline, and assumes improvement. Many players blossom in their 3rd-5th season.
Move Kyle for a shooter and that team is ready :tu

[r0drig0lac]

These Pop quotes kill me every time :lmao

.... Because he would say shit like this tbh :depressed

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/images/smilies/smilol.gif sad but true

[SAGirl]

Full youth movement. Makes sense to me.

Some other replies missed the central point: it's a poor FA class, we don't have much capspace, so it's a great year to develop the youth and look towards a big move in 2017.

We're finally at the stage where we have to rebuild with a big injection of youth. 38yos aren't gonna keep us relevant any more.
That's a great point. :tu
Some like GSH (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=1519) have advocated the youth movement with an intention to minitank a season. I just don't believe a youth movement like that will result in a tank that will get us a lottery pick, mainly bc I believe our core is good enough to still win a lot of RS games anyways and our young players are not as bad as some make them out to be.

Let's keep in mind Timmy, Manu and Tony looked washed up towards the end of the season anyways and Kawhi and LMA dragged the team up. It's better for them to drag young role players if they must bc a few of those guys will get significantly better with more opportunities and we will end up with a better team at the end of the season than we started with bc of youthful improvement, as opposed to worse bc old players break down midseason and are overwhelmed in the postseason. (Shout out to GSH! :tu)

It's time to find out who of our recent draft picks, the stashes, the dleague projects are going to make it, develop these guys + add a young role player here or there to find out if they still have upside.

Unlike you I am not high on MCW at all, but if he proves to bust hard he can be let go in the off season. I think there are other young PG projects in the league we could go after like Tyus Jones, but I really don't see Pop moving on from Patty. What I can see happening is Patty playing off the ball more and Anderson used as more of a playmaker.

[loveforthegame]

741004506461278208

[SAGirl]

741004506461278208
Yay!!!! Youthful movement! :cheer
They must have someone in mind bc you don't move up just to move up, they must ha e a target. I wonder who.

[Nathan89]

Don't really see what we would trade to move up in the draft. I want Denzel Valentine.

[Robz4000]

Don't really see what we would trade to move up in the draft. I want Denzel Valentine.

They own all their future picks, and LDN/Fathead might be appealing to some teams.

[spursistan]

741004506461278208

well, well, sounds like they have an eye on somebody..

[TheGoldStandard]

Yay!!!! Youthful movement! :cheer
They must have someone in mind bc you don't move up just to move up, they must ha e a target. I wonder who.

:pop: There are a couple of good prospects in between 10 - 20 we can stash in Europe for a few seasons.

[SAGirl]

:pop: There are a couple of good prospects in between 10 - 20 we can stash in Europe for a few seasons.
:lol right. I wonder too who they are considering trading to move up. Other than Tony or Danny we don't have guys that would move the needle up anyways that we could spare, and we can hardly spare them. It seems a rumor as likely as the Durant, Conley rumors.

[Snaq O'Meal]

Don't really see what we would trade to move up in the draft. I want Denzel Valentine.

I'm also guessing Denzel Valentine. His versatility is a perfect fit for the Spurs.

[dbestpro]

Danny Green is the chip, and a PG is the option.

[TheGreatYacht]

See you later Danny

[TheDoctor]

Alex Kennedy @AlexKennedyNBA
(https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA)Spurs free agent camp on 14th will include Chris Copeland, Adonis Thomas, Victor Rudd, Scott Suggs, JJ O’Brien. More players being added.

I read those as "Kyle Anderson, Kyle Anderson, Kyle Anderson, Kyle Anderson, Kyle Anderson. More..."

[tholdren]

741004506461278208
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[MaNu4Tres]

That's a great point. :tu
Some like GSH (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=1519) have advocated the youth movement with an intention to minitank a season.


It's time to find out who of our recent draft picks, the stashes, the dleague projects are going to make it, develop these guys + add a young role player here or there to find out if they still have upside.
.

This has to be one of the worst takes I've seen in a while.

Yeah lets just tank next year and have a 82 game try-out with all the stashes, draftpicks and d-league prospects in the Spurs pipeline....

I'm sure Kawhi, and LA will appreciate that.

You should go post on Spursreport.

[tholdren]

SATranny is the worst.
well, him and cry havoc, and harlem heat

[SAGirl]

This has to be one of the worst takes I've seen in a while.

Yeah lets just tank next year and have a 82 game try-out with all the stashes, draftpicks and d-league prospects in the Spurs pipeline....

I'm sure Kawhi, and LA will appreciate that.

You should go post on Spursreport.
You apparently can't read, and also misquote.
I was making a reference to GSH who was advocating a tank. I am not and I don't think we will even if we add younger roleplayers bc we need to.

[Hoops Czar]

This has to be one of the worst takes I've seen in a while.

Yeah lets just tank next year and have a 82 game try-out with all the stashes, draftpicks and d-league prospects in the Spurs pipeline....

I'm sure Kawhi, and LA will appreciate that.

You should go post on Spursreport.

Then you weren't here when someone suggested to dump Parker and start Danny Green at pg.

[Nathan89]

They own all their future picks, and LDN/Fathead might be appealing to some teams.

I hope it's not LDN. I still see his defense as an important part of any possible competitive team next year.

[Robz4000]

I hope it's not LDN. I still see his defense as an important part of any possible competitive team next year.

Same, but I honestly think the Spurs see his value as being far less than we do.

[Spurs9]

Thon Maker plz

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

They say this before each draft. Happened just once.

I'm sure they're doing their due diligence. Far more likely to trade out of the 1st round. I wouldn't mind a trade of 29 and 59 for Bucks's 36 and 38, though I can't see them carrying too many rookies on the roster, especially if they're bringing Bertans and possibly LJC over.

[SAGirl]

They say this before each draft. Happened just once.

I'm sure they're doing their due diligence. Far more likely to trade out of the 1st round. I wouldn't mind a trade of 29 and 59 for Bucks's 36 and 38, though I can't see them carrying too many rookies on the roster, especially if they're bringing Bertans and possibly LJC over.
Just a reminder we traded 59 for Ray Mac.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Just a reminder we traded 59 for Ray Mac.

Thanks, realized it as soon as I posted :) 59 doesn't have much value anyway.

[BatManu20]

Thon Maker plz


Might not have to trade up for him considering he's projected as a late 1st/Early 2nd-Rounder at this point.

[cutewizard]

Here is the poor man's Russell Westbrook:


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

[cutewizard]

http://www.poundingtherock.com/2016/6/9/11894700/the-spurs-3-biggest-offseason-needs

[cutewizard]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdwP_ifQo0I

[Ditty]

741148491389538306


Former teammates Kevin Durant and James Harden are "hanging out" together this week, ‎but the close friends' ‎brief reunion isn't expected to have a real impact on Durant's forthcoming free agency, according to league sources.


Sources told ESPN.com (http://espn.com/) that Harden's Houston Rockets are not a team Durant plans to consider when he becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1, despite Harden's presence there and the Rockets' long-known intent to try to chase him.

At least one picture of Durant and Harden at a restaurant has circulated this week via Instagram, leading to inevitable speculation about Harden trying to recruit his former Thunder colleague to Houston. But sources insist ‎the visit is nothing out of the ordinary ‎for them, given the players' long-standing friendship and particularly because Houston, sources say, is not a destination Durant intends to consider.

The league office, furthermore, has historically chosen not to apply NBA tampering rules to players from rival teams who have contact with free agents before July 1, which is the first day teams can legally engage with free agents.

ESPN.com (http://espn.com/) reported after Oklahoma City's recent elimination in the Western Conference finals that a return for Durant to the Thunder on a two-year max contract, with a player option to return to free agency in the summer of 2017, is widely regarded as the most likely scenario for him in his first foray into free agency.

But Durant is also widely expected to take a handful of face-to-face recruiting meetings with a select group of interested teams, with the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs regarded by many rival executives as the two biggest threats to lure Durant away from the Thunder.

Yet numerous teams, such as the Rockets, are likely to try their luck, regardless of their slim chances. Boston Celtics All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas, for example, revealed to the Boston Globe his fairly determined plans to try to recruit Durant to the Celtics earlier this week.

[Ditty]

Not much we already don't know. Houston is a very close to hitting rock bottom, but it sounds like something is intriguing him about the Spurs even if he beat us. He knows coming to S.A. he is guaranteed to get back to the conference finals to get his hands on a possibly weaker Warriors team next season.

[Snaq O'Meal]

Not much we already don't know. Houston is a very close to hitting rock bottom, but it sounds like something is intriguing him about the Spurs even if he beat us. He knows coming to S.A. he is guaranteed to get back to the conference finals to get his hands on a possibly weaker Warriors team next season.

If KD stays put in OKC, it's still a 3-way dogfight in the West with the pecking order being GSW, OKC and SA.

If KD joins SA, it's suddenly a 2-way battle between GSW and SA. SA has the defenders to deal with the Splash Brothers, while KD may provide sufficient offensive firepower to enable SA to edge GSW.

But if KD joins GSW, SA may as well start rebuilding.

[szkorhetz]

http://www.poundingtherock.com/2016/6/9/11899774/spurs-reportedly-looking-to-move-up-in-the-2016-nba-draft

[tholdren]

http://www.poundingtherock.com/2016/6/9/11899774/spurs-reportedly-looking-to-move-up-in-the-2016-nba-draft
worst article. worst site.

[SpursforSix]

Why is Golden State not a likely place for Durant? Cap space?

[Hoops Czar]

Why is Golden State not a likely place for Durant? Cap space?

Because Durant choked against them, duh! #Spurstalklogic

[palangi]

Could be Durrant can't stand the mouth breather on the Warriors. Green rubs people the wrong way when you play against him. And Durrant never looked very amused by greens antics.

[cjw]

Why is Golden State not a likely place for Durant? Cap space?

If Warriors all players under contract and with roster charges (assume 1st rounder goes overseas otherwise it'll cost another $400k), and they will be at $77.9 million without Durant. If the cap is $92 million, that leaves them with only $14.1 million vs. a $26.0 million year 1 max deal ($11.9 million short). That means Barnes, Ezeli, Speights and Barbosa would all have to be renounced.

Very unlikely, but if Livingston were cut before 6/30, they could save a little under half his salary, or a net $2.2 million when replacing him with a minimum roster charge. Still $9.7 million short.

If they in fact were creating room for Durant, the most likely outcome is either Iguodala or Bogut get jettisoned, who make $11.1 million and $12.7 million, respectively. Iguodala would put them under a full max deal, but could get closer by finding a taker for Kevon Looney. Bogut would give them the ability to offer a full max deal.

They could also keep Barnes and Ezeli's cap holds and move out Bogut and Iggy and be about $2 million shy, but that would assume no salary coming back.

While there would almost certainly be takers for Iggy, and Bogut has value in situations but is an injury concern, moving either of those guys without taking salary back will be a hard deal to pull off if teams know they are gunning for Durant. They'll try to extract a king's ransom. That's what makes moving Splitter last offseason so remarkable.

[FvckMavs]

I am also wondering how upset Nike will be if Durant becomes a second banana to UA's Curry after they spent 300m on him.

If Warriors all players under contract and with roster charges (assume 1st rounder goes overseas otherwise it'll cost another $400k), and they will be at $77.9 million without Durant. If the cap is $92 million, that leaves them with only $14.1 million vs. a $26.0 million year 1 max deal ($11.9 million short). That means Barnes, Ezeli, Speights and Barbosa would all have to be renounced.

Very unlikely, but if Livingston were cut before 6/30, they could save a little under half his salary, or a net $2.2 million when replacing him with a minimum roster charge. Still $9.7 million short.

If they in fact were creating room for Durant, the most likely outcome is either Iguodala or Bogut get jettisoned, who make $11.1 million and $12.7 million, respectively. Iguodala would put them under a full max deal, but could get closer by finding a taker for Kevon Looney. Bogut would give them the ability to offer a full max deal.

They could also keep Barnes and Ezeli's cap holds and move out Bogut and Iggy and be about $2 million shy, but that would assume no salary coming back.

While there would almost certainly be takers for Iggy, and Bogut has value in situations but is an injury concern, moving either of those guys without taking salary back will be a hard deal to pull off if teams know they are gunning for Durant. They'll try to extract a king's ransom. That's what makes moving Splitter last offseason so remarkable.

[SpursforSix]

If Warriors all players under contract and with roster charges (assume 1st rounder goes overseas otherwise it'll cost another $400k), and they will be at $77.9 million without Durant. If the cap is $92 million, that leaves them with only $14.1 million vs. a $26.0 million year 1 max deal ($11.9 million short). That means Barnes, Ezeli, Speights and Barbosa would all have to be renounced.

Very unlikely, but if Livingston were cut before 6/30, they could save a little under half his salary, or a net $2.2 million when replacing him with a minimum roster charge. Still $9.7 million short.

If they in fact were creating room for Durant, the most likely outcome is either Iguodala or Bogut get jettisoned, who make $11.1 million and $12.7 million, respectively. Iguodala would put them under a full max deal, but could get closer by finding a taker for Kevon Looney. Bogut would give them the ability to offer a full max deal.

They could also keep Barnes and Ezeli's cap holds and move out Bogut and Iggy and be about $2 million shy, but that would assume no salary coming back.

While there would almost certainly be takers for Iggy, and Bogut has value in situations but is an injury concern, moving either of those guys without taking salary back will be a hard deal to pull off if teams know they are gunning for Durant. They'll try to extract a king's ransom. That's what makes moving Splitter last offseason so remarkable.

Thanks for a solid explanation.

[Chinook]

I hope Durant is serious about being willing to take less. If he is, the Spurs can get somewhat close by moving Mills and stretching Diaw ($22 Million). Moving Anderson and Simmons would add like another million to that amount. Anything more would require substantial changes that would really impact the team's ability to field the best roster they can next season.

[Hoops Czar]

I hope Durant is serious about being willing to take less. If he is, the Spurs can get somewhat close by moving Mills and stretching Diaw ($22 Million). Moving Anderson and Simmons would add like another million to that amount. Anything more would require substantial changes that would really impact the team's ability to field the best roster they can next season.

You left out trading Green because I'm not sure he'd accept a role of 10 minutes off the bench.

[Chinook]

You left out trading Green because I'm not sure he'd accept a role of 10 minutes off the bench.

I don't think he'd care. However, at $10 Million, that role wouldn't be worth it. He'd play more, though. The Spurs would go small and run without a PG quite a bit, especially if they are going to keep being post-heavy.

[SpursforSix]

The Spurs would go small and run without a PG quite a bit, especially if they are going to keep being post-heavy.

They've been running without a point guard for a couple of years.

[cjw]

I don't think he'd care. However, at $10 Million, that role wouldn't be worth it. He'd play more, though. The Spurs would go small and run without a PG quite a bit, especially if they are going to keep being post-heavy.

Exactly. You'd see minutes with Durant at the 4, as well as no PG and Green as the guy guarding the PG (Durant bringing ball up floor).

Plenty of time for Green to play, as this scenario assumes Manu retires and Mills is moved (potentially Simmons/Anderson too).

[Chinook]

Exactly. You'd see minutes with Durant at the 4, as well as no PG and Green as the guy guarding the PG (Durant bringing ball up floor).

Plenty of time for Green to play, as this scenario assumes Manu retires and Mills is moved (potentially Simmons/Anderson too).

Yeah:

Parker 28 mpg, Miller 14 mpg, Green 8 mpg
Kawhi 26 mpg, Green, 22 mpg
Durant 26 mpg, Leonard 10 mpg, Bertans 12mpg
Aldridge 24 mpg, Durant 10 mpg, min guy or prospect 14 mmpg
room-exception guy 20 mpg, LMA 12 mpg, min guy 16 mpg

Something like that. Getting centers like Plumlee would make total sense then, if they will go for the room exception. And bringing West back would also help quite a bit. Plenty of minutes left in any event.

[palangi]

Yeah:

Parker 28 mpg, Miller 14 mpg, Green 8 mpg
Kawhi 26 mpg, Green, 22 mpg
Durant 26 mpg, Leonard 10 mpg, Bertans 12mpg
Aldridge 24 mpg, Durant 10 mpg, min guy or prospect 14 mmpg
room-exception guy 20 mpg, LMA 12 mpg, min guy 16 mpg

Something like that. Getting centers like Plumlee would make total sense then, if they will go for the room exception. And bringing West back would also help quite a bit. Plenty of minutes left in any event.
I'd like to see Kyle Anderson get those 14 minutes. Be the Diaw replacement. Can be a distributor from the 4 spot. Hopefully he continues to work on his shot this offseason to make people pay for playing off him.

[Chinook]

Btb, come back to the posting world, BillMc. I know you want to honor your commitment, but it's not worth it. Maybe the mods can ban a worse poster instead.

[SAGirl]

^ Yup, if Durant were a serious consideration, the guy to move is Green.
1. He will be easy to move. We could get a 1st round pick even.
2. He won't be starting once Durant is here and his defensive talents are wasted in the bench. Playing behind both Kawhi and Durant he won't even get enough minutes. At times all 3 can play together but you can get that kind of production from younger and cheaper players and Danny's no 6th man. He has a niche, to be worth what he's paid he has to be starting and defending the difficult perimeter players nightly.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I hope Durant is serious about being willing to take less. If he is, the Spurs can get somewhat close by moving Mills and stretching Diaw ($22 Million). Moving Anderson and Simmons would add like another million to that amount. Anything more would require substantial changes that would really impact the team's ability to field the best roster they can next season.

If you have Durant then you can move Green. Given he would already be losing his starting job, it seems a given. This is not difficult.

[Hoops Czar]

I don't think he'd care. However, at $10 Million, that role wouldn't be worth it. He'd play more, though. The Spurs would go small and run without a PG quite a bit, especially if they are going to keep being post-heavy.

That's all well and good but, Kyle Anderson isn't going anywhere and he will eat up all the minutes at back up SF (much to my chagrin). If the Spurs are running small without a pg, it would make more sense to throw KA at the point, Kiwi at the 2 and Durant at the 3. It's highly doubtful the Spurs will go long stretches without a true pg on the floor though. The few instances where they threw Paddy out there without Ginobili, the offense was a total fail. KA isn't an ideal pg by any stretch but it's better than trying to fit square pegs into round holes and asking your forwards to run the offense. I mean, talk about an ISOcentric offense.

Danny Green is a rhythm player that needs minutes and touches to gain his form and timing. He won't be doing that for 10 minutes a game off the bench. I also don't necessarily agree that stretching Diaw over 2 years is a good thing. That would mean he's no longer in a contract year, which mean you're staring at another year of slow, fat and disinterested basketball.

[T Park]

You left out trading Green because I'm not sure he'd accept a role of 10 minutes off the bench.

the guy took significantly less money to stay in SA. Guaranteed he'd have zero problem coming off the bench if they acquired Kevin Durant

[T Park]

I don't think he'd care. However, at $10 Million, that role wouldn't be worth it. He'd play more, though. The Spurs would go small and run without a PG quite a bit, especially if they are going to keep being post-heavy.

Yeah Kawhi would be the "PG" and initiate or Ginobili would.

Wouldnt matter over all because youd have three freaking all NBA players in the starting five

[tbdog]

If Durant comes, you want to push the pace. Having Durant play PG for stretches or whatever people were thinking, you are not playing to your strengths. A wing combination of Leonard and Durant is far to long, fast, and have to much firerpower on the break to not play fast. Add in Green(if you is still here), Simmons, that is one fast wing combination. So having Parker and another fast pg that can put the ball down and push the ball would do wonders. Heck even LMA can outrun most centers out there.

[Robz4000]

If Durant comes, you want to push the pace. Having Durant play PG for stretches or whatever people were thinking, you are not playing to your strengths. A wing combination of Leonard and Durant is far to long, fast, and have to much firerpower on the break to not play fast. Add in Green(if you is still here), Simmons, that is one fast wing combination. So having Parker and another fast pg that can put the ball down and push the ball would do wonders. Heck even LMA can outrun most centers out there.

You wanna play fast but have Porker as your PG? Ok.

[spursistan]

Btb, come back to the posting world, BillMc (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=16431). I know you want to honor your commitment, but it's not worth it. Maybe the mods can ban a worse poster instead.
What bet he lost ?

[skulls138]

That's all well and good but, Kyle Anderson isn't going anywhere and he will eat up all the minutes at back up SF (much to my chagrin). If the Spurs are running small without a pg, it would make more sense to throw KA at the point, Kiwi at the 2 and Durant at the 3. It's highly doubtful the Spurs will go long stretches without a true pg on the floor though. The few instances where they threw Paddy out there without Ginobili, the offense was a total fail. KA isn't an ideal pg by any stretch but it's better than trying to fit square pegs into round holes and asking your forwards to run the offense. I mean, talk about an ISOcentric offense.Id love to see KA run the point to see if he could do it. Sure KA looked badly overmatched against OKC but hes also shown streaks of brilliance. Hes had a year full of mistakes to learn from, not taking the open frickin shot being problem number one, and so now we will see if he can correct them. But he needs to be a point...something...to be effective I feel. He needs the ball in his hands because he needs to be creative to be effective. He'll know when and where to give the ball to both KL and LMA and he'll make the offense gel. Of course this is an optimistic view thatll only work if he gets an outside shot and isnt a liability on D being taller and slower than the opposing teams PG.

[Kikoluna]

Lol, somebody said Durant would play 2nd fiddle to curry if he joi warriors. Common now, leonard, lebron, durant and Westbrook are all better than curry. That's why Westbrook laughed. Curry is being worshiped by National media like never before seen.

[tbdog]

You wanna play fast but have Porker as your PG? Ok.

Parker still pushes the ball better than a tone of other pg's. Just looking at the teams, he pushes the ball better than half of the team's starting pg. The Parker hate is ridiculous. He is overpaid, yes. He has is strengths though.

[ace3g]

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/714838227170029568/IQ2vyKNT_bigger.jpg Wayne Selden Jr. ‏@WayneSeldenJr (https://twitter.com/WayneSeldenJr) Jun 6 (https://twitter.com/WayneSeldenJr/status/739892862825816064)
Thank you to the @spurs (https://twitter.com/spurs) for having me.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CkSgoL-UgAAIZqt.jpg




https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/709103119922302976/RwIC4bn6_bigger.jpg Alex Kennedy ‏@AlexKennedyNBA (https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA) 3h3 hours ago (https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/741369219888078848)
Louisville's @Dami0nLee (https://twitter.com/Dami0nLee) has worked out for the Clippers, Celtics, Suns, Spurs, Wizards, Jazz, Raptors. Next up is the Mavericks and Thunder.

[Seventyniner]

Exactly. You'd see minutes with Durant at the 4, as well as no PG and Green as the guy guarding the PG (Durant bringing ball up floor).

Plenty of time for Green to play, as this scenario assumes Manu retires and Mills is moved (potentially Simmons/Anderson too).

Someone told me to lay off the crack pipe for making the same suggestion. Though I had said this could potentially happen in the starting lineup, while you didn't go that far.

[ace3g]

Alex Kennedy ‏@AlexKennedyNBA (https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA) 3h3 hours ago (https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/742053203378855936) Former Warriors big man Ognjen Kuzmić will attend free agent mini-camps with Spurs and Blazers. He participated in Knicks' camp this week.

[MaNu4Tres]

Just a heads up:

Spurs will likely workout all draft-eligible draft prospects outside of top 3-4 and all UFA that were fringe roster players on previous teams.

It's like reporting that the sky is blue and grass is green.

[spurs10]

Btb, come back to the posting world, BillMc (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=16431). I know you want to honor your commitment, but it's not worth it. Maybe the mods can ban a worse poster instead. As far as this goes, I'm guessing BillMc said something along the lines of if we don't go the Finals 'I'm out.' I get it, but feel as Chinook does- his contribution here is missed. It also could be he is getting overwhelmed by hot Latvian women and just doesn't have the energy for us. Anyhow Bill you are missed and I hope we hear from you soon. I'm not sure if I've said it before, but Bill if you make it to Texas I've got a floor ticket to a game with your name on it. :flag:

[gambit1990]

joakim noah has that fire.

i want thomas robinson though.

[DPG21920]

Let me preface this by saying I don't really like the player all that much, but SA needs talent in general. Could anyone see SA trading for Greg Monroe (something like Boris + Mills for Monroe + MIL 1st RD Pick) if it meant getting MIL first round pick?

It would equate to using about 7M in cap space to acquire him, would give someone younger/big to have in the fold if Tim retires (this year or next) for a few years and give the Spurs access to another first rounder.

I don't love the fit, but do people think that would be a wise move to gamble on? Especially if Tim/Manu come back, SA won't have max level cap space anyways, this might be a way to gamble on some younger talent and get an extra pick.

[TheGreatYacht]

Let me preface this by saying I don't really like the player all that much, but SA needs talent in general. Could anyone see SA trading for Greg Monroe (something like Boris + Mills for Monroe + MIL 1st RD Pick) if it meant getting MIL first round pick?

It would equate to using about 7M in cap space to acquire him, would give someone younger/big to have in the fold if Tim retires (this year or next) for a few years and give the Spurs access to another first rounder.

I don't love the fit, but do people think that would be a wise move to gamble on? Especially if Tim/Manu come back, SA won't have max level cap space anyways, this might be a way to gamble on some younger talent and get an extra pick.
Monroe ruined what Milwaukee was building tbh, not surprised that his old team got better and his new one got worse.

[TD 21]

Let me preface this by saying I don't really like the player all that much, but SA needs talent in general. Could anyone see SA trading for Greg Monroe (something like Boris + Mills for Monroe + MIL 1st RD Pick) if it meant getting MIL first round pick?

It would equate to using about 7M in cap space to acquire him, would give someone younger/big to have in the fold if Tim retires (this year or next) for a few years and give the Spurs access to another first rounder.

I don't love the fit, but do people think that would be a wise move to gamble on? Especially if Tim/Manu come back, SA won't have max level cap space anyways, this might be a way to gamble on some younger talent and get an extra pick.

As flawed as Monroe is, if they want to trade him, they can easily do better than Diaw and Mills, never mind attaching the 10th pick.

[DPG21920]

As flawed as Monroe is, if they want to trade him, they can easily do better than Diaw and Mills, never mind attaching the 10th pick.

Maybe. If they are looking to hit a reset on a big contract to free up between 7-10M in cap space, attaching a high pick might be the price.

That's just for this year too. Monroe still has 2 more years at 18+M as well. I don't think his value is high. But maybe a team is willing to just absorb him if they have a max type cap space and whiff?

[TD 21]

Maybe. If they are looking to hit a reset on a big contract to free up between 7-10M in cap space, attaching a high pick might be the price.

That's just for this year too. Monroe still has 2 more years at 18+M as well. I don't think his value is high. But maybe a team is willing to just absorb him if they have a max type cap space and whiff?

Nah. With all the cap space teams have and the fact that they have to spend a minimum of roughly 90% of the cap, someone will not only absorb his contract (like the vast majority signed last summer, it's going to look a lot better this summer, plus a year has ticked off) into their cap space, but give the Bucks something worthwhile besides that.

[gambit1990]

would take thomas robinson over monroe. would cost less.

steven adams is a free agent next summer. would much rather bump up his paycheck him than pay monroe the max.

[r0drig0lac]

no chance of Bucks accept this deal proposed, perhaps Mills + Diaw + 29th by Monroe, and probably the Bucks still refuse to trade

[ace3g]

Next Tweet (https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/742496348885245954)














https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/704288361737908226/dNnfOTNW_bigger.jpg Marc Stein Verified account ‏@ESPNSteinLine (https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine)

Story going online now with @chadfordinsider (https://twitter.com/chadfordinsider): Wolves making No. 5 overall pick available in hopes of tempting Bulls into Jimmy Butler trade







https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/2249953102/wolfson1_bigger.jpg Darren Wolfson Verified account ‏@DWolfsonKSTP (https://twitter.com/DWolfsonKSTP)

Darren Wolfson Retweeted Marc Stein
Good work from Marc. Word is Bulls won't do if AW not involved. If wanted to move JB, bet Bos. would give up No. 3.






https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/2249953102/wolfson1_bigger.jpg Darren Wolfson Verified account ‏@DWolfsonKSTP (https://twitter.com/DWolfsonKSTP)

Former #Twolves (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Twolves?src=hash) center Greg Stiemsma is off to San Antonio tomorrow for the Spurs veteran FA camp. Was at Utah's last week.

[gambit1990]

i forgot about stiemsma.

[MaNu4Tres]

If Bulls trade Butler for the 5th pick, Wiggins or Levine/Deing better be attached.

[r0drig0lac]

If Bulls trade Butler for the 5th pick, Wiggins or Levine/Deing better be attached.
I would not trade Wiggins for Butler, if Bulls have Wiggins + 5th, would be a steal

[ace3g]

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/518081443390435328/5sxQFIyj_bigger.jpeg Chad Ford Verified account ‏@chadfordinsider (https://twitter.com/chadfordinsider)

Sources: Wolves interested in trading for Jimmy Butler w/ @ESPNSteinLine (https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine)


https://t.co/G56vE237HV

[gambit1990]

woulda preferred thibs to stay in the east.

hopefully durant goes east.

[MaNu4Tres]

I would not trade Wiggins for Butler, if Bulls have Wiggins + 5th, would be a steal

That's the goal. To get a great deal. Trading Butler for the 5th straight is a horrific deal for the Bulls. The deal needs more significant pieces attached for Bulls to consider-- like I mentioned

[Spurs9]

Excited to see how the wolves shape up.

[r0drig0lac]

That's the goal. To get a great deal. Trading Butler for the 5th straight is a horrific deal for the Bulls. The deal needs more significant pieces attached for Bulls to consider-- like I mentioned

I agree ... to the wolves, a line with Butler / Wiggins / KAT could be amazing

[Ocotillo]

Figure out the extra pieces to make salaries match but Derrick Rose for Tony Parker? Two point guards who have wore out their welcome getting a change of scenery?

[HarlemHeat37]

Figure out the extra pieces to make salaries match but Derrick Rose for Tony Parker? Two point guards who have wore out their welcome getting a change of scenery?

Rose is one of the few remaining inferior starting PGs to Tony, tbh:lol

[objective]

Rose is one of the few remaining inferior starting PGs to Tony, tbh:lol

maybe, but his contract ends one year sooner.

Give me Rose.

[DPG21920]

You sort of get the vibe that teams don't love this draft - maybe this is a year to just flat out buy a first rounder? Also, maybe role players like Mills are now worth a pick 20+? Teams want to improve and not having to outbid teams in FA for a nice role player may very well be worth a higher than usual pick.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Let me preface this by saying I don't really like the player all that much, but SA needs talent in general. Could anyone see SA trading for Greg Monroe (something like Boris + Mills for Monroe + MIL 1st RD Pick) if it meant getting MIL first round pick?

It would equate to using about 7M in cap space to acquire him, would give someone younger/big to have in the fold if Tim retires (this year or next) for a few years and give the Spurs access to another first rounder.

I don't love the fit, but do people think that would be a wise move to gamble on? Especially if Tim/Manu come back, SA won't have max level cap space anyways, this might be a way to gamble on some younger talent and get an extra pick.

I think we should trade with the Bucks, but not for Monroe. I really think the Spurs could turn MCW into something, and it's such a low risk potentially high reward move that it makes sense.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

As for the Butler talk, why would the Bulls trade a proven 2-way star just entering his prime for any pick? Wiggins and pick maybe, but only if you're going full-on youth rebuild... and Wiggins is more a second option, which means he may not suit a rebuilding team at this point in his career anyway.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Let me preface this by saying I don't really like the player all that much, but SA needs talent in general. Could anyone see SA trading for Greg Monroe (something like Boris + Mills for Monroe + MIL 1st RD Pick) if it meant getting MIL first round pick?

It would equate to using about 7M in cap space to acquire him, would give someone younger/big to have in the fold if Tim retires (this year or next) for a few years and give the Spurs access to another first rounder.

I don't love the fit, but do people think that would be a wise move to gamble on? Especially if Tim/Manu come back, SA won't have max level cap space anyways, this might be a way to gamble on some younger talent and get an extra pick.

Spurs can't do this trade due to being over the cap.

[Spurs Brazil]

Alex Kennedy ‏@AlexKennedyNBA
Keep an eye on Darius Adams, who's attending the Spurs' free agent mini-camp today. He played very well overseas and may be in the NBA soon.

[jyra]

Alex Kennedy ‏@AlexKennedyNBA
Keep an eye on Darius Adams, who's attending the Spurs' free agent mini-camp today. He played very well overseas and may be in the NBA soon.

Ugh, please not. I'm really surprised that the Spurs invited him. They should know him quite well as he played on the same team as Bertans and Hanga for the last couple of seasons. He plays PG but in reality he is just a chucker who lives on making tough, contested shots while not being that great a shooter. He gets hot in some games but overall his percentages are pretty bad and at 27 he isn't exactly a young prospect.

[TheGoldStandard]

Ugh, please not. I'm really surprised that the Spurs invited him. They should know him quite well as he played on the same team as Bertans and Hanga for the last couple of seasons. He plays PG but in reality he is just a chucker who lives on making tough, contested shots while not being that great a shooter. He gets hot in some games but overall his percentages are pretty bad and at 27 he isn't exactly a young prospect.

:pop: I like a PG who plays with confidence.. PG's have to shoot I mean Points is in the name of the title.

[TD 21]

Word is Splitter is supposedly ahead of schedule and on track to be ready for the start of the season.

The Hawks don't have cap issues, yet I wonder if they'd trade him back to the Spurs for essentially nothing, just to free up even more cap space.

Sure, he's brittle, but he's got 1 year left and if they think he can hold up and regain much of his previous form, I'd still rather him than many of the other center options that have been bandied about.

[TheGoldStandard]

Word is Splitter is supposedly ahead of schedule and on track to be ready for the start of the season.

The Hawks don't have cap issues, yet I wonder if they'd trade him back to the Spurs for essentially nothing, just to free up even more cap space.

Sure, he's brittle, but he's got 1 year left and if they think he can hold up and regain much of his previous form, I'd still rather him than many of the other center options that have been bandied about.

He's been hurt too consistently over the last few seasons, these are not the droids we are looking for

[Chinook]

I'd easily take Splitter back

[Chinook]

Ugh, please not. I'm really surprised that the Spurs invited him. They should know him quite well as he played on the same team as Bertans and Hanga for the last couple of seasons. He plays PG but in reality he is just a chucker who lives on making tough, contested shots while not being that great a shooter. He gets hot in some games but overall his percentages are pretty bad and at 27 he isn't exactly a young prospect.

Seems like a decent enough Mills replacement if he gets dealt. The Spurs should draft a PG regardless, but having a vet hold down the second unit for a year or two while the rook gets up to speed is good. And if Adams is a score-first guard, that's even better. Right now, Kyle Anderson is likely to be the main scorer off the bench next season. The team should have more options just so they don't have to rely on Kyle from day one.

[spurtech09]

Do you think Spurs will sign a hmm a good player this off season?

[DPG21920]

Seems like a decent enough Mills replacement if he gets dealt. The Spurs should draft a PG regardless, but having a vet hold down the second unit for a year or two while the rook gets up to speed is good. And if Adams is a score-first guard, that's even better. Right now, Kyle Anderson is likely to be the main scorer off the bench next season. The team should have more options just so they don't have to rely on Kyle from day one.

I know it's early, but what do you think the off season plan is? Well, let's frame it two ways: Plan if Tim retires or if Tim returns.

[Chinook]

I know it's early, but what do you think the off season plan is? Well, let's frame it two ways: Plan if Tim retires or if Tim returns.

I think if Tim comes back (and assuming Manu does too), then the plan would be to do little besides bring over young guys. Maybe there'd be a trade involving Mills and/or Diaw's contract, but I expect nothing major to change in the rotation except maybe Boban stepping in for West as the bench center.

If Tim leaves, I think we may see the team shake things up a lot more. People can keep acting like the Spurs are going into next season close to their 67-win form, but they aren't. They need big changes so that their roster can fit the new system. I can't see Diaw coming back on his deal. Mills might come back, but with no Manu, Patty's viability falls quite a bit. I could see him being dealt. I think the plan will be to find a new bench, since Anderson may be the only returning member from the second unit. They'll probably look for offense, like Adams, though hopefully with more production. They might bring in a vet shooter to compete with Bertans. I don't think Durant is the plan unless he told them he was leaning toward picking them. There's just no coming back from moving Green or even Parker if they are left with no Durant and the other free agents potentially already locked up.

[DPG21920]

I think if Tim comes back (and assuming Manu does too), then the plan would be to do little besides bring over young guys. Maybe there'd be a trade involving Mills and/or Diaw's contract, but I expect nothing major to change in the rotation except maybe Boban stepping in for West as the bench center.

If Tim leaves, I think we may see the team shake things up a lot more. People can keep acting like the Spurs are going into next season close to their 67-win form, but they aren't. They need big changes so that their roster can fit the new system. I can't see Diaw coming back on his deal. Mills might come back, but with no Manu, Patty's viability falls quite a bit. I could see him being dealt. I think the plan will be to find a new bench, since Anderson may be the only returning member from the second unit. They'll probably look for offense, like Adams, though hopefully with more production. They might bring in a vet shooter to compete with Bertans. I don't think Durant is the plan unless he told them he was leaning toward picking them. There's just no coming back from moving Green or even Parker if they are left with no Durant and the other free agents potentially already locked up.

Do you see it as likely (even if difficult) that SA tries to trade Boris for an actual player? Or do you think SA would be willing to give up a pick to move Boris and clear the full 7M of his salary?

[DPG21920]

Anybody have Insider by Chance: http://espn.go.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/16181555/big-nba-draft-trades-see-featuring-los-angeles-lakers-boston-celtics-more-nba?

[SAGirl]

Do you see it as likely (even if difficult) that SA tries to trade Boris for an actual player? Or do you think SA would be willing to give up a pick to move Boris and clear the full 7M of his salary?
Good questions. I thought they would look to move Boris, initially. He was the first guy I thought of, even though clearly the entire bench underperformed, it wasn't just him, but I thought of Boris bc he has recently fallen off, and depending on matchups at times Pop went with DWest, and others KA over him. It seems like between these two players Boris was at times expendable and had we not had him all season, we probably end up about the same, maybe sans a couple of wins, but not that many that our seeding would change, and he wasn't a difference maker of any kind in the playoffs. That is generally not a good place to be if you are Boris.

However, I have since reconsidered my stance on Boris, both bc he stated Pop wished to keep him and DWest IMO will likely walk.

My theory, if Manu and Tim walk into the sunset, Pop will find it too unsettling to hand over the bench to just young players like Anderson and Boban (with maybe Simmons, Mills, and a combination of other young guys like Bertans, Cady, maybe a draftee for depth). Too many youngsters at the same time, too many unproven players, too many second year players and rookies. Even in a roster makeover, I think Pop's head will go: :devil :cuss :soapbox:

He could do one of two things, flip Mills and Diaw for a true proven veteran to lead the bench, surrounding said guy with all the young talent the club has accumulated, or go with Mills and Diaw and then all the young talent. The problem with flipping Mills and Diaw is the NBA 2k16 syndrome: He may wish for several guys he likes out there, but Mills and Diaw won't turn into that guy bc of their trade stock is not that high. So if he can't flip them for a better player, its better to go with them for continuity and vet support for whoever younger guys he has out there.

[DPG21920]

For sure - I don't think you go into it with an all or nothing attitude. There has to be a player(s) you like and if they are willing to trade move forward. I don't think Pop is at the point he wants Boris gone no matter what, so you may be right that it's more about opportunity than anything else (Tim's decision, West's, etc...)

But despite Boris' recent comments, Pops actions and Boris being completely buried despite "needing" him, was telling. That and his contract point to him being the most likely to be traded in my mind.

[tbdog]

Spurs won't move Green unless Durant or Horford says yes.

[Hoops Czar]

Spurs won't move Green unless Durant or Horford says yes.

Horford was an option before LMA, now, he makes no sense. I swear some people are just captivated by the name on the back of the jersey and don't really care if the player fits or not.

[tbdog]

There was rumors around the trade deadline that we wanted Horford. I doubt we were really that interested. But it is interesting that we were linked. I think it only becomes our consideration if Duncan goes. It would give the Spurs the best front line in the league.

[eDizzle20]

I think Conley is the only realistic big name the Spurs could bring in. He'll likely get max where ever he decides to go. Although Conley only makes sense for the Spurs if Parker is traded, which is very unlikely. If the Spurs move Green it should only be for a 2 or 3. Green can be a streaky shooter, but he still plays solid d.

[ace3g]

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[tholdren]

Seems like a decent enough Mills replacement if he gets dealt. The Spurs should draft a PG regardless, but having a vet hold down the second unit for a year or two while the rook gets up to speed is good. And if Adams is a score-first guard, that's even better. Right now, Kyle Anderson is likely to be the main scorer off the bench next season. The team should have more options just so they don't have to rely on Kyle from day one.

Get ready for 2ppg from the bench then

[TheGreatYacht]

Get ready for 2ppg from the bench then
:lmao

[objective]

Ugh, Anderson is such a trash player

[TimDunkem]

Lmao If Anderson is our biggest threat off the bench, get ready for a first round exit.

[Mnky]

Conley and Gasol or noah would be nice.

[TheGreatYacht]

You guyz are obvious trolls. As president of the Kyle Anderson fan club, I can assure you that he is ready. Remember he will only be 23 next season! He can play every position, is athletic, is an incredible playmaker (3ast, 2TO Per36) and has high bball IQ

Check this clip out, I can't wait to watch him take over the league

709868574211354625

[TheGoldStandard]

You guyz are obvious trolls. As president of the Kyle Anderson fan club, I can assure you that he is ready. Remember he will only be 23 next season! He can play every position, is athletic, is an incredible playmaker (3ast, 2TO Per36) and has high bball IQ

Check this clip out, I can't wait to watch him take over the league

709868574211354625

:pop: Kobe spending time with Kawhi was a ploy, the real meeting is between him and Kyle.. Get ready for Weapon X

[TheGreatYacht]

:pop: Kobe spending time with Kawhi was a ploy, the real meeting is between him and Kyle.. Get ready for Weapon X
738413600876986368

[Chinook]

Do you see it as likely (even if difficult) that SA tries to trade Boris for an actual player? Or do you think SA would be willing to give up a pick to move Boris and clear the full 7M of his salary?

The latter thing is definitely not likely. The Spurs could stretch Diaw's contract to just a hit of $600k. That savings isn't worth a pick. Now, could it be worth getting back a slightly worse return from a Mills/Green/Parker trade? Maybe. I think we'll know by next Thursday if they plan on moving Boris for someone. I personally don't believe they will do that simply because there's too much uncertainty to take back that money now. But if they try to use the deal to move up in the draft, maybe.

[cutewizard]

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

[cutewizard]

Kevin Durant is a Libra, the qualities and personalities of his teammates are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to him......

[cutewizard]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blLA81tE0jE

[cjw]

The latter thing is definitely not likely. The Spurs could stretch Diaw's contract to just a hit of $600k. That savings isn't worth a pick. Now, could it be worth getting back a slightly worse return from a Mills/Green/Parker trade? Maybe. I think we'll know by next Thursday if they plan on moving Boris for someone. I personally don't believe they will do that simply because there's too much uncertainty to take back that money now. But if they try to use the deal to move up in the draft, maybe.

Right, thanks for putting that out there - $3 million gets stretched over 5 years (double the remaining two years, plus one). Footnote 3 is important there in Diaw's case:
http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap.htm#Q65

While they could take back salary equal to Diaw's full deal, I doubt they would unless getting something in return - whether a player they are coveting or part of a deal to move up in the draft.

[ace3g]

Depending on what route they go this offseason, JC is someone I've always wanted on the Spurs:






https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/709103119922302976/RwIC4bn6_bigger.jpg Alex Kennedy Verified account ‏@AlexKennedyNBA (https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA)

Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover (https://twitter.com/JCrossover)) on his free agency, ability to recruit players, retirement, Clippers' future and more:


https://t.co/tjFIoatgIK

[DPG21920]

I know he won 6MOY this year but he was bad.

[coachmac87]

I know he won 6MOY this year but he was bad.

I wonder what he'd command on the market. He's also 35-36yrs old..

[DPG21920]

Not Spurs related, but early trade!!

743833575263342592

[SpursFan86]

Not Spurs related, but early trade!!

743833575263342592

Blockbuster!!! :wow

[DPG21920]

Sign of a flurry of activity to come perhaps???? This definitely feels like a year where you can see a ton of moves on draft day with so many unknowns. What are teams going to value with this huge cap jump? Are players already locked into deals more valuable? What about draft picks? Plus, you have a lot of teams that have been awful for a while and some that have never made the jump. Do teams blow it up?

So many variables and no one knows what these changes will trigger.

[SAGirl]

I used to like Dinwiddie a lot. Has the size of a wing but it's a true guard. However he didn't crack the rotation for the Pistons ever, even when they had Jennings injured. Instead they played the ghost of Blake in the bench. He spent most of his 2 seasons in the dleague putting up very pedestrian numbers. I guess he didn't recover as the same player he was b4 a significant knee injury in the NCAA. Shame.

[Keepin' it real]

I'm depressed a bit. I was looking forward to Cady Lalanne stepping up this offseason and becoming a young big on the Spurs roster. Just saw that he's only 6 feet 9. Don't know why i thought he was a 7 footer.

[SAGirl]

I'm depressed a bit. I was looking forward to Cady Lalanne stepping up this offseason and becoming a young big on the Spurs roster. Just saw that he's only 6 feet 9. Don't know why i thought he was a 7 footer.
He's about D west size IMO. He's a PF, but they are trying to add 3 pt shooting to his game and he can be streaky from 3. I look forward to seeing him anyways. The legit 7 footers are Ndoye and Milutinov--who is playing in the summer league. We still have some young prospects.

[spursistan]

743890040040865792

there could be takers for Parker if PATFO try to move him...If TD/Manu retire, i don't see why shouldn't we turn the page on Big 3 era for once and and for all..

[JuneJive]

743907388172832768


Implications?

[K...]

Woj says the cap should be $96 million. That's just an estimate by them but the spurs could certainly use the extra room for that max contract option

[K...]

743907388172832768


Implications?

Yes, that's an extra 2 million to spend on Bonner

[SAGirl]

743890040040865792

there could be takers for Parker if PATFO try to move him...If TD/Manu retire, i don't see why shouldn't we turn the page on Big 3 era for once and and for all..
I agree. For sure, if there is a market for Rose, there has to be one for Tony. It's on Pop right now and Tim and Manu telling Pop what they will do in time to swing draft day trades if need be.

[TheGoldStandard]

Yes, that's an extra 2 million to spend on Bonner

:pop: Don't forget David.. and more minutes