Who might target our FA's

[pad300]

Alright, the Spurs have the following Free Agents this year

Fabricio Oberto
Melvin Ely
Matt Bonner
Jaques Vaughn

I believe there intention is to bring back all of them except Melvin Ely. However, this process may be interfered with by other teams...

Which teams do you think will target our FA's and Why?

Matt Bonner - Houston. Because they need a PF beside Yao who doesn't completely suck. Bonner would complement Yao and McGrady offensively, with his shooting, and his willingness to put in effort would work well in the left-over van Gundy defense. Also potentially putting a spike in a division rivals wheels

Matt Bonner - Dallas? Replacement and upgrade for Croshere/Devean George as backup PF and making trouble for the Spurs?

[Darkwaters]

Jacque Vaughn - The Heat have expressed interest in signing him as a back-up PG.

Melvin Ely - Ely has been linked to potential offers from the Bulls as a post threat. I doubt hes high on their list though.

[Supergirl]

Oberto, Bonner, and Vaughn have said their intention is to sign with the Spurs.

Ely is reportedly gone - but I am confused about this. If we signed him to keep the Suns from getting him, why would we not sign him for longer? and why aren't we playing him? I know he was out of shape from not playing, but surely with an offseason of conditioning, he could be back in shape. I thought he had a lot of potential.

[AFBlue]

It seems like Oberto is going to be locked up by the Spurs before anyone else can try to pry him away. Good thing, because of those individuals listed, he's probably the most crucial to the Spurs' repeat chances.

Vaughn will get a sniff from some other clubs, but no one will likely to give him a significant raise. I see him back with this club.

Bon-Bon might get some love from a few other teams. He's a hustle guy that can step out and hit the three. The fact that he was hidden on the bench for much of the year won't help his cause to get signed elsewhere...but IMO, he's gone.

Ely will get love from a team like the Bulls or Nets, looking for low-post players and it doesn't seem like the Spurs got a good enough look at him to want to pay to bring him back...

[timvp]

Alright, the Spurs have the following Free Agents this year

Fabricio Oberto He'll re-sign with the Spurs.

Melvin Ely Don't care.

Matt Bonner Probably the Spurs unless someone wants to overpay.

Jaques VaughnDitto. Perhaps a team like the Heat will overpay but probably not.

Matt Bonner - Dallas? Replacement and upgrade for Croshere/Devean George as backup PF and making trouble for the Spurs?Check to see who the Mavs drafted in the second round.

[Gtown]

Sign Oberto and let the other 3 walk

[Spurs Dynasty 21]

As long as we are getting Oberto, which we are



I hope they all leave

[Soul_Patch]

yea i dont understand the ely thing at all.


I also dont see what the spurs are in love with in bonner. i say let him slide. He has heart and hustle, but there are a lot of better options out there this summer.

[Darkwaters]

yea i dont understand the ely thing at all.


I also dont see what the spurs are in love with in bonner. i say let him slide. He has heart and hustle, but there are a lot of better options out there this summer.

Bonner has the ability to spread the floor. That makes him a great player to put next to Duncan when we go into 4-down. A team has to commit to either going one on one with Duncan in the post or doubling and allowing an open 3 by Bowen/Barry/Finley/Ginobili/Horry/Bonner or (more recently) even Parker. Obviously, if the other big on the floor is a guy like Elson or Oberto then this plan doesn't work nearly as well. Teams will gladly give Oberto wide open jumpers all day long. Horry is the only other big besides Bonner that can be relied upon to hit outside shots. Hence, when neither Bonner nor Horry is on the floor 4-down is largely ineffective because they can cheat on the non-shooters and funnel the shot to them. The solution is to have shooters at every position so that there is no non-shooter to cheat off of. If Bonner is not brought back then I expect the Spurs to go search for somebody that has that skill set. But why overpay for somebody thats overrated when you already have a relatively cheap commodity in Bonner? The energy and hustle are simply a bonus and are not the reason for his being on the team.

[BigBeezie]

Re-sign Oberto and Vaughn. Let anyone else walk if they want.

[Soul_Patch]

Bonner has the ability to spread the floor. That makes him a great player to put next to Duncan when we go into 4-down. A team has to commit to either going one on one with Duncan in the post or doubling and allowing an open 3 by Bowen/Barry/Finley/Ginobili/Horry/Bonner or (more recently) even Parker. Obviously, if the other big on the floor is a guy like Elson or Oberto then this plan doesn't work nearly as well. Teams will gladly give Oberto wide open jumpers all day long. Horry is the only other big besides Bonner that can be relied upon to hit outside shots. Hence, when neither Bonner nor Horry is on the floor 4-down is largely ineffective because they can cheat on the non-shooters and funnel the shot to them. The solution is to have shooters at every position so that there is no non-shooter to cheat off of. If Bonner is not brought back then I expect the Spurs to go search for somebody that has that skill set. But why overpay for somebody thats overrated when you already have a relatively cheap commodity in Bonner? The energy and hustle are simply a bonus and are not the reason for his being on the team.



nice explanation. I like bonner, but dont find him that good, maybe he'd shake the buggs out with a bit more playing time.

[Darkwaters]

nice explanation. I like bonner, but dont find him that good, maybe he'd shake the buggs out with a bit more playing time.

You also have to consider that Horry is on his last legs and really isn't playing that many minutes right now anyways. If he only puts in about 15MPG next season then without Bonner (or a shooting PF) we don't really have a guy that can stretch the floor in the same manner. Picking up a guy like Nocioni reduces that need because he can play the 4 in the small ball lineup and continue to stretch the defense. Without a guy like Bonner next season then our only option in our big lineup will be Horry. And considering that Horry is hopefully on his absolute last season then we really need to either bring in a guy with that skill-set to learn the system or simply re-sign Bonner.

I'm actually hopeful that Tiago Splitter can develop into a decent 3 point shooter for us. He really had that skill before joining Tau but it has become stunted because of lack of use and emphasis on rebounding, defending and low post scoring in lieu of the outside shot. But that idea is several years away if ever at all.

[intlspurshk]

Bonner's 3 pts seem not quite reliable/consistent. Stats may show otherwise but he also played in garbage time.

[Bruno]

BTW, the deadline for making qualifying offers to Bonner and Oberto to make them restricted FA is tonight.

[Soul_Patch]

although i love horry to death, i kinda wish he would have retired this year, and opened that spot up.

i think he has lost a lot of his confidence in his shot.


hopefully im wrong there.

[AFBlue]

BTW, the deadline for making qualifying offers to Bonner and Oberto to make them restricted FA is tonight.

How much is the qualifying offer for Bonner?

[Bruno]

How much is the qualifying offer for Bonner?

$2.5M.

[Darkwaters]

$2.5M.

I kinda hope we just offer him that and then worry about whether or not to bring him back again next season.

If we were to sign Bonner to a longer contract how much do you think he'd warrant?

Could we get 3yrs for 7M?

[Bruno]

Making QO for Bonner and Oberto are no brainer.
The only case I can maybe see Spurs not making a QO to Bonner is if they do a deal for Nocioni today.
I think Bonner will get between $2M and $3M per year.

[Darkwaters]

Making QO for Bonner and Oberto are no brainer.
The only case I can maybe see Spurs not making a QO to Bonner is if they do a deal for Nocioni today.
I think Bonner will get between $2M and $3M per year.

Bonner is a very reasonable player at about 2M per year. He hustles, can shoot the 3, and brings a lot of energy. Hes never going to be a starter but should be a solid rotation guy for a while. When teams are paying scrubs like Adonal Foyle and Brian Cardinal big money for their marginal skills I tend to be more keen on guys like Matt that can contribute but also keep your pocket book open for the guys you really need.

[yavozerb]

Making QO for Bonner and Oberto are no brainer.
The only case I can maybe see Spurs not making a QO to Bonner is if they do a deal for Nocioni today.
I think Bonner will get between $2M and $3M per year.

No way bonner signs for less than $3m..

[Darkwaters]

No way bonner signs for less than $3m..

Hes got paid 2M last season and didn't exactly blow people away with a breakout season or anything. I don't know why he won't accept less than 3M. I imagine if he can make decent money he'd rather be on a team that can give him a role and appreciate his mad skillz.

Besides, at 28 I don't think he has a lot of upside left.

[Bruno]

No way bonner signs for less than $3m..

His best year was his rookie year and he signed a $4M/2years contract after it.

Maybe some teams will offer him more than $3M/year but it's overpaying to me. After all, Brian Cook get $10.5M/3years and Brian Scalabrine get $15M/5years.

[yavozerb]

The guy is 27 y/o, has a ring, and can contribute when on the court. No, he is not a starter but he is energetic big man who comes down with offensive rebounds, hit an occasional three, play solid D, and spot your starting PF 12-15 minutes a night. So if the spurs can get him for 2.5 million I would consider it a bargain, But if I am Bonner or his agent I know I could easily get 3+ million elsewhere!!

[yavozerb]

His best year was his rookie year and he signed a $4M/2years contract after it.

Maybe some teams will offer him more than $3M/year but it's overpaying to me. After all, Brian Cook get $10.5M/3years and Brian Scalabrine get $15M/5years.

Ya, but players like madsen has about $7.8 mill left over 3 yrs and Najera has almost 5M left for next year. I think Bonner is much better than madsen and camparible to a player such Najera or Cook..

[Darkwaters]

The guy is 27 y/o, has a ring, and can contribute when on the court. No, he is not a starter but he is energetic big man who comes down with offensive rebounds, hit an occasional three, play solid D, and spot your starting PF 12-15 minutes a night. So if the spurs can get him for 2.5 million I would consider it a bargain, But if I am Bonner or his agent I know I could easily get 3+ million elsewhere!!

Not really. He does ok since he buys into the team concept. But I wouldn't exactly call him a good defensive player. Probably just adequate.

Bonner is a fairly one-dimensional player. He shoots spot up jump shots. Hes a hustle guy though, and that increases his value. But lets not kid ourselves here, this is still Matt Bonner. We're not talking big money no matter how you look at it.

[Supergirl]

although i love horry to death, i kinda wish he would have retired this year, and opened that spot up.

i think he has lost a lot of his confidence in his shot.


hopefully im wrong there.

Did you REALLY think that this year in the playoffs? Because he was as big a part of our 4th championship as anyone. He blocked shots, rebounded, and generally hustled like he was 25 years old.

[AFBlue]

Did you REALLY think that this year in the playoffs? Because he was as big a part of our 4th championship as anyone. He blocked shots, rebounded, and generally hustled like he was 25 years old.

I really liked Horry's play in the post-season, but I have to echo the original poster's same sentiment along these lines....

Horry will likely play 10-15 more minutes than he should in the regular season, and my worry is that someone like Jackie Butler will lose out on the opportunity to play if Horry does get the kind of minutes he got last year.

If Butler overtakes Elson on the depth chart, then this is a moot point, but I'm not sure Horry deserves time in the regular rotation (especially in the regular season) over some of the other players on the Spurs bench from this point.

[Dirk41MVP]

Nobody wants your scrubs. They're guaranteed to be back here, don't worry.