The ESPN rumor mill

[spurschick]

Gasol Asks For Trade
Jan 21 - Sources throughout the NBA disclose Pau Gasol suddenly is eminently obtainable. Distressed at management's rebuilding-with-adolescence mood, the 271/2-year-old has asked to be traded to a playoff-positioned ensemble that, of course, would be instantly transformed into a legit title contender.

Infallible informers report Grizzlies president Jerry West has explored prospective trade arrangements with at least three teams regarding Gasol. In order to protect my sources, the only one I'm willing to identify for the time being is the Bulls.

"Giving up Ben Gordon and Luol Deng would be very difficult," a Bulls insider insisted. "John (Paxson) will never go there. Not even if Scott Skiles and the rest of the coaching staff is beating on him to make that swap, which isn't the case." -- New York Post

Call For Defense
Jan 21 - Kevin O'Connor (Utah Jazz) isn't promising a deal, just that he will be making a lot of telephone calls.

"We will be active," he said. "Whether that turns into something, I don't know."

The Los Angeles Clippers' Corey Maggette and Toronto's Mo Peterson are available, according to numerous league sources. But both players are known more for their offense than their defense.

If O'Connor trades for a perimeter defender, the primary bait would likely be veterans Gordan Giricek, Jarron Collins or Rafael Araujo and his expiring $2.4 million contract. -- Salt Lake Tribune

Looking For A Point
Jan 21 - Unhappy with Beno Udrih, the Spurs are on the prowl for a more dependable two-way, pass-and-shoot point guard.

Meanwhile, when approached by the Clips a couple weeks ago concerning a possible swap of Udrih and Brent Barry for Corey Maggette, the Spurs astonishingly rejected the notion. You figure it out! "They're only interested in players with expiring contracts," offers a rival executive. -- New York Post

Team officials continue to look at trade opportunities but admit the roster they have now could well be the same one they have in a month.
While the Spurs remain interested in Los Angeles Clippers forward Corey Maggette, so do about a half-dozen other teams. And the Clippers don't seem interested in anything the Spurs have to offer, and that includes a package of Brent Barry and Udrih. -- San Antonio Express-News

[ploto]

Looking For A Point[/B]
Jan 21 - Unhappy with Beno Udrih, the Spurs are on the prowl for a more dependable two-way, pass-and-shoot point guard.

Meanwhile, when approached by the Clips a couple weeks ago concerning a possible swap of Udrih and Brent Barry for Corey Maggette, the Spurs astonishingly rejected the notion. You figure it out! "They're only interested in players with expiring contracts," offers a rival executive. -- New York Post

What I have said-- the Spurs are not interested in trades for basketball reasons- but to cut payroll- plain and simple And don't assume it is so they will have that money to spend on someone else. Why do think they wanted MoPete?

[Bruno]

Looking For A Point
Jan 21 - Unhappy with Beno Udrih, the Spurs are on the prowl for a more dependable two-way, pass-and-shoot point guard.

Meanwhile, when approached by the Clips a couple weeks ago concerning a possible swap of Udrih and Brent Barry for Corey Maggette, the Spurs astonishingly rejected the notion. You figure it out! "They're only interested in players with expiring contracts," offers a rival executive. -- New York Post

It's from an article written by Peter Vescey. Take it with a gigantic grain of salt.

[exstatic]

It's from an article written by Peter Vescey. Take it with a gigantic grain of salt.
EXACTLY. The tagline of NY Post gave it away. ESPN Insider is written by a couple of chimps that just troll for garbage on the net. They have no actual sources.

ploto, do you ever actually have a take, or are you just spurschick's panty sniffer?

[wildbill2u]

Look at the contradiction in the two paragraphs.

In one, the Clippers wanted to trade Maggette for Brent and Beno.

In the second, "the clippers don't seem interested in anything the Spurs have to offer, and that includes a package of Brent Barry and Udrih."

Anyone who'd write this post up in a paper is just regurgitating other people's guesses.

[Spurminator]

The Grizzlies could use a young point guard and a shooter.............

[/pipe dream]

[spurschick]

Hence the term "rumor". I think the Spurs are content with the expiring contract trade that was made over the summer, so I doubt they're looking for more of the same.

[SenorSpur]

What I have said-- the Spurs are not interested in trades for basketball reasons- but to cut payroll- plain and simple And don't assume it is so they will have that money to spend on someone else. Why do think they wanted MoPete?

Note to the Front Office:

Unless you somehow have plans to extend your lottery luck and land Greg Oden as the next franchise player, FUCK EXPIRING CONTRACTS!

Get off your asses and improve the team this year. Give yourselves a chance to win a title!

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

ploto, do you ever actually have a take, or are you just spurschick's panty sniffer?


Is that job available?? Holy crap! Time to polish that resume.

[Fillmoe]

the only bad thing for the spurs is that they have no one anybody wants......... spurs arent gonna trade tim/manu/parker...... who else do they have? a bunch of old dudes that no one wants and a bunch of european nobodies.......

[T Park]

Hmmm who do I believe

Vescey or Johnny Ludden

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

What I have said-- the Spurs are not interested in trades for basketball reasons- but to cut payroll- plain and simple And don't assume it is so they will have that money to spend on someone else. Why do think they wanted MoPete?

Wow, thanks for the scoop, it's only been talked about here for weeks.
:wakeup

[ploto]

Wow, thanks for the scoop, it's only been talked about here for weeks.
:wakeup
Read above-- people STILL don't believe it.

The Spurs contacted Toronto about Mo Pete- now do you really think that Mo Pete would do any more than Brent Barry? No - it's because Brent has an additional year over Mo's expiring contract. It really is that plain and simple.

How's that for a take- exstatic? :rolleyes

And as long as Holt is signing the checks, there is no such thing as having already dumped enough salary. Why do you think they never even tried to work out a sign and trade with Nazr- even involving a third team if there was not someone Detroit would give up- because that meant taking back salary.

[phxspurfan]

eh

[BeerIsGood!]

Holt sells the team within 2 yrs. Possible relocation...

[Extra Stout]

None of that was news.

Yes, the Spurs rejected a trade of Maggette for Udrih and Barry. Ostensibly the excuse at the time was that Barry was just playing so doggone well.

Later, the Clippers raised their price, so Barry and Udrih are no longer enough.

The Spurs sat on their hands all offseason, with the only moves being the exchange of expensive mediocre big men for cheap mediocre big men.

Their entire salary structure is built around maximizing cap room in 2008. There is no readily explicable reason to do a mini-rebuilding campaign in the waning years of Tim Duncan's prime.

The franchise is worth as much as it is ever going to be worth right now.

All signs point to a sale. We can sit here and debate trade scenarios all we want, but it's becoming clear team management is content with three championships, and will not be pursuing a fourth, but rather looking to cash in on the appreciation in franchise value.

Relocation is another thing entirely. I'm not sure another market can offer a deal as sweet as what the Spurs have at the at&t. It is all about the facilities.

[smeagol]

MB was right!

Time for Holt to sell.

[dg7md]

If that is true, if they declined the Maggette for Barry concept, I'm sickened.

If Gasol is available, they MUST sign him. Besides, he fits the mold of the international player!

[Mr. Body]

There has been absolutely no evidence that the Clippers would have taken Barry+Udrih straight up for Maggette. None. At the time LAC still thought they could get Artest.

That's part of a timvp fantasy that the Clippers were enamored of them one week in January and then weren't the next, like their front office had just gotten on the planet and weren't able to evaluate talent in the long term.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

The Spurs contacted Toronto about Mo Pete- now do you really think that Mo Pete would do any more than Brent Barry? No - it's because Brent has an additional year over Mo's expiring contract. It really is that plain and simple.

Do I really think MoPete would do anything more than Barry? Hell yes I do, he's actually our missing long SF and would walk in a better matchup vs. Dirk than anyone currently on our roster.

It's really that plain and simple.

[ploto]

Mo did not guard Dirk when Toronto played Dallas. Bosh did. See, he's a PF who's actually willing to take on the job of guarding Dirk. Then it was Bargnani-- who did the best job of just about anyone I have seen this year. It was really nice to see a coach actually guard Dirk with 7-footers for once. Mo really is not playing defense all that well this year.

Watch a game.

[ChumpDumper]

I'm sure if Bosh was available for Barry, we'd consider it.

[ploto]

I'm sure if Bosh was available for Barry, we'd consider it.

No- he doesn't have an expiring contract. :lol

[Condemned 2 HelLA]

I'm sure if Bosh was available for Barry, we'd consider it.

Give them Beno too.
PLEASE!

[MannyIsGod]

:lol @ the bullshit people love to take as fact right away.

[T Park]

While the Spurs remain interested in Los Angeles Clippers forward Corey Maggette, so do about a half-dozen other teams. And the Clippers don't seem interested in anything the Spurs have to offer, and that includes a package of Brent Barry and Udrih


Did the people near the start of this thread just pass over this?