Spurs Sign DerMarr Johnson, Waive Marcus Williams

[DynastyBuilder]

http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/dermarr_johnson_071229.html

http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/marcus_williams_071229.html

[ChumpDumper]

:lol

Musical Toros.

DerMarr has definitely made some strides in the past couple of weeks. He is rebounding better and attacking the basket more while staying money from the arc.

[loveforthegame]

I'm surprised it took this long. He's put up some decent numbers for the Toros.

[LaMarcus Bryant]

ChumpDumper how long can the spurs keep doing this? Isn't there a deadline when they have to finalize the roster?

[ChumpDumper]

ChumpDumper how long can the spurs keep doing this? Isn't there a deadline when they have to finalize the roster?April.

Looks like we now have a long three.

[ShoogarBear]

Well, this should certainly pacify Sequ.

[spurschick]

:dizzy

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

So now the sign/waive rotation of Washington/Williams/Langford has now added Johnson?

Every day keeps getting more interesting for the Spurs.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

And kudos to DynastyBuilder for providing the appropriate sources in the 2nd straight story.

[Southwest Texas Fan]

What did this guy average when he played for the nuggets?

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Dermarr's stats:

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb192/Mr_Bottomtooth/dermarr.jpg

[exstatic]

His rebounding is crap, but his shooting is NBA calibur and he can defend, when motivated. With Pop, I don't see that being an issue. :lol

[lefty]

My feeling is that he won't see any minute during the playoffs.

Knowing Pop, he will go with the 2007 playoffs rotation

[Tek_XX]

His rebounding is crap, but his shooting is NBA calibur and he can defend, when motivated. With Pop, I don't see that being an issue. :lol

We're not exactly a rebounding powerhouse, so he should fit right in.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Any chance he sees a decent amount of minutes next game?

[exstatic]

We're not exactly a rebounding powerhouse, so he should fit right in.
Yeah, I know. I was kind of hoping that the "long three" would bring rebounding with him. That would probably mean spending big bucks, though.

[Bruno]

It's really strange. Why Spurs haven't signed Johnson instead of Williams 3 days ago ? I don't get it.

I really like the Johnson signing. Johnson is very long (6'9.5" with a 6'11.5" wingspan), is a good shooter, is quite athletic and is a good defender. He has a lot of the attributes of the mystical long SF. The knock on him is that he isn't a good rebounder but he mainly played SG with Denver and maybe he will be able to be a decent rebounder playing small ball PF.

[phxspurfan]

Just trade Ginobili for Tayshaun Prince already. He's the long 3 we need...

[bigfundamental21]

You had to think something was up with Williams when he didn't even make it into the game yesterday. He was the only DNP.

It's good to give Johnson a try. He at least has some NBA experience and could help with our defensive miscues. Just hope he can be a quick study as we need his help tomorrow.

[BacktoBasics]

Its as if we have women running the front office. Good luck deciding on office decor.

[THE SIXTH MAN]

Am I the only one who finds this picture strange? :lol


http://www.nba.com/media/spurs/dermarr_johnson_250_071229.jpg

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Its as if we have women running the front office. Good luck deciding on office decor.

:lol

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Am I the only one who finds this picture strange? :lol


http://www.nba.com/media/spurs/dermarr_johnson_250_071229.jpg
:lol

[timvp]

It's really strange. Why Spurs haven't signed Johnson instead of Williams 3 days ago ? I don't get it.Yeah, it's weird. Looking at it from the outside, this situation is pretty funny. It's like the Spurs are panic signing whoever does good on the Toros.

Washington plays well for the Toros so the Spurs call him up. While he's called up, Langford and Williams play well on the Toros so the Spurs waive Washington and call up those two guys. While Langford and Williams are away, Johnson does good so the Spurs sign him.

I'm hoping that there is some method to this madness. The Spurs need to realize that whoever they put at shooting guard on the Toros is going to put up nice stats. If the Spurs aren't careful they are just going to end up signing the whole Toros team by mid-January.

It's like the Spurs have a new toy but got too excited.


I really like the Johnson signing. Johnson is very long (6'9.5" with a 6'11.5" wingspan), is a good shooter, is quite athletic and is a good defender. He has a lot of the attributes of the mystical long SF. The knock on him is that he isn't a good rebounder but he mainly played SG with Denver and maybe he will be able to be a decent rebounder playing small ball PF.Yeah, DerMarr Johnson has long been a SpursTalk favorite. Other than being a poor rebounder, he has most of the other traits you'd want out of a Long Small Forward. Good shooter, athletic, moves well, decent ball handler and has the tools to be a good defender.

If Johnson were on the team when the Spurs played the Raptors, he probably would have ended up playing 30 minutes. The guy can score on the NBA level, that's never been a problem for him.

If Ginobili and Barry miss more time and the Spurs are desperate for offense, Johnson is a good option to have on the bench. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him have some relatively big scoring games in the Spurs' system.

[ChumpDumper]

I think he'll be parked at the arc a lot. He'll definitely be easier to fit into the offense than Williams.

[Spurminator]

The Spurs are starting to remind me of Whottt's Dynasty League 1 team.

[bigfundamental21]

The Spurs are starting to remind me of Whottt's Dynasty League 1 team.
:lol

[biba]

An interesting part of an article - 2005? - about Johnson's journey in B-Ball

Opportunity is once again knocking for DerMarr Johnson
By Dan Tolzman Nuggets.com Correspondent

Johnson, a 6-9, 201 lb. guard, signed a contract with the Nuggets on October 18. Denver will be his fourth stop in five seasons since leaving the University of Cincinnati in 2000. Johnson’s journey to the Mile High City has been an unconventional one to say the least.

After a terrific freshman season at UC, one in which DerMarr was named a Freshman All-American, Johnson made himself eligible for the NBA Draft. He was selected sixth overall by Atlanta, the starting point of his amazing journey.

As a rookie with the Hawks, DerMarr was used sparingly and only managed an average of 5.1 ppg in 16.8 minutes of play.

“My first year was pretty much up and down,” said Johnson. “Although I didn’t play much, I tried to show flashes of what I could do if given the opportunity.”

During his second year in the NBA, Johnson was finally given that opportunity and he took advantage of it. He started 46 games for the Hawks and averaged 8.4 ppg on the season. The full season statistics don’t do him much justice because the majority of his numbers came during the second half of the year. Needless to say, Johnson closed out his second NBA season with a great deal of promise as Atlanta’s starting shooting guard.

That summer Johnson worked harder then ever before in an attempt to tighten his grip on the starting spot. He put on 18 pounds of muscle and, more importantly, strengthened the relationship between he and the Hawks coaching staff.

“I was looking forward to having a great third year. It was going to be my breakout,” claimed Johnson. “But then,” he paused, “I had my accident.”

The car accident that DerMarr Johnson is referring to not only cost him his starting position, it nearly cost him his life. Johnson fractured four vertebrae in his neck, causing him to lose all right to left movement of his head. For the seven weeks that followed, DerMarr was forced to wear a stabilizing halo around his head while his neck healed.

“I never got any surgery, so I had to just wait for the bones to heel themselves,” said Johnson while rubbing the back of his neck. “The rest of my body felt fine, I just couldn’t move my head.”
Johnson’s breakout year in the NBA was put on hold indefinitely. He spent the entire 2002-03 season on the sidelines working to return to NBA form, not to mention the Hawks starting line-up. However, at the conclusion of the season, Atlanta let Johnson go. He was now forced to prove that he could make a full recovery to unfamiliar faces.

The first part of last season, Johnson played semi-professional basketball to prove to scouts that everything was back to normal. Eventually the New York Knicks picked him up for the remainder of the 2003-04 season. Despite averaging 5.4 ppg in only 13.7 minutes a game with the Knicks, Johnson was once again a free agent without a home at the end of the year.

While at Cincinnati, Johnson played alongside a little known player by the name of Kenyon Martin. He and Martin have remained the closest of friends since their days of wearing the black and red together. So, when it turned out that Martin would be heading to the West for a new opportunity, Johnson saw a new beginning on the horizon for himself as well.

“As soon as the [Kenyon Martin] trade went down, he called me up and asked me what my plans were,” said Johnson as Martin, his new teammate, walked by and jokingly poked fun at him. “So, he kind of pushed for me to come out here and join him.”

The way things are beginning to shape up, Johnson is sure glad that he did.

“This is the best training camp I’ve been in and the best team that I’ve ever been on,” Johnson admitted. “I think this team can go far.”

It seems as if the reuniting of Martin and Johnson might be the Nuggets good luck charm for this season. DerMarr joked that the only other time the two of them played together their team was ranked number one in the country.

“It looks like five years later and now we could be in the same situation again,” laughed Johnson.

In addition to all his hopes for the team this upcoming season, Johnson still has a much more serious goal burning inside of him.

“I just want to show everybody that I still could be a good player in this league. I was a sixth overall pick, but haven’t done much yet,” stated Johnson. “It’s my goal to turn that around.”

This season with the Nuggets, the opportunity is once again there for DerMarr Johnson. All he has to do now is take advantage of it.

[Mr. Body]

WTF? Reminds of a man thrashing around treading water.

[polandprzem]

:lol

rollercoster in San Antonio

Spurs picking up anybody they can and taking them on a ride

[Dex]

Preseason IS over, right?

Looks like the Spurs missed the memo last night, too.

[Bruno]

Yeah, it's weird. Looking at it from the outside, this situation is pretty funny. It's like the Spurs are panic signing whoever does good on the Toros.


I hope it's not what happens.

To me, the only explanation that makes some sense, aside of some stories with players' agents, is the following :
Spurs were first interested in Johnson but he didn't want to sign with them without some guarantees of making the team for more than a couple of weeks. Spurs couldn't give him this guarantee because of their luxury tax situation.
Spurs second choice was Langford but he was injured so Spurs go after their third choice with Marcus Williams.
Spurs waive Washington before his contract became guaranteed to sign Langford who was their second choice.
Spurs have learned today that a team will take Washington from waivers and because of that, they are now able to give some guarantee to Johnson.

It's just a pure speculation that is likely wrong.

[timvp]

I hope it's not what happens.

To me, the only explanation that makes some sense, aside of some stories with players' agents, is the following :
Spurs were first interested in Johnson but he didn't want to sign with them without some guarantees of making the team for more than a couple of weeks. Spurs couldn't give him this guarantee because of their luxury tax situation.
Spurs second choice was Langford but he was injured so Spurs go after their third choice with Marcus Williams.
Spurs waive Washington before his contract became guaranteed to sign Langford who was their second choice.
Spurs have learned today that a team will take Washington from waivers and because of that, they are now able to give some guarantee to Johnson.

It's just a pure speculation that is likely wrong.

The Warriors are the team I thought might claim Washington off waivers. And now this:


The Warriors signed Troy Hudson on Sept. 24 to a one-year deal worth the league minimum of $1.2 million as a backup to Baron Davis. With 15 players on the roster, the Warriors would have to create room for another point guard. One possibility is to waive center DJ Mbenga, whose contract won't be guaranteed until Jan. 10. Another is to cut loose Hudson.

With Hudson out for the season, Washington would work rather well in Golden State.

[Dex]

My friend's cousin's Mom's neighbor's kid told me that Bobby likes Sandy. :dizzy

[ChumpDumper]

I guess it's silly to speculate about anything else until January 10.

Maybe we should figure the odds of the Spurs waiving these two guys and calling up Justin Bowen and Squeaky Johnson next week.

[polandprzem]

I'm lost in all those cap's salaries and CIA's

All I care is basketball
Good that we have here on the board guys like Bruno Chump or timvp

[SenorSpur]

It's really strange. Why Spurs haven't signed Johnson instead of Williams 3 days ago ? I don't get it.

I really like the Johnson signing. Johnson is very long (6'9.5" with a 6'11.5" wingspan), is a good shooter, is quite athletic and is a good defender. He has a lot of the attributes of the mystical long SF. The knock on him is that he isn't a good rebounder but he mainly played SG with Denver and maybe he will be able to be a decent rebounder playing small ball PF.


...another knock on him during his time in Denver is that he took a lot of ill-advised shots...and made a very low percentage of them.

To the Spurs FO:
Enough with the musical chairs. Make a freakin' decision and stick with it, please!

[ChumpDumper]

...another knock on him during his time in Denver is that he took a lot of ill-advised shots...and made a very low percentage of them.Can't really say that about his stint with the Toros. Might have something to do with all the double teams and collapses Ian causes.

[ChumpDumper]

To the Spurs FO:
Enough with the musical chairs. Make a freakin' decision and stick with it, please!I'm fine with these two if the Spurs are limiting their choices to Toros.

[SenorSpur]

Can't really say that about his stint with the Toros. Might have something to do with all the double teams and collapses Ian causes.

With sufficient playing time playing with Duncan, he WILL get all the open 3's he could ever want.

[Mr. Body]

Here's the grub: Ian has asked the Spurs to sign his new buddy, DerMarr Johnson. Ian Mahinmi is calling the shots now.

[Bruno]

Maybe we should figure the odds of the Spurs waiving these two guys and calling up Justin Bowen and Squeaky Johnson next week.

With all these players called up from Austin, won't Toros have again the priority to get a player from the pool of available D-League player ?
Maybe they will be able to get a quality guard because their backcourt is now quite weak.

[ChumpDumper]

With all these players called up from Austin, won't Toros have again the priority to get a player from the pool of available D-League player ?
Maybe they will be able to get a quality guard because their backcourt is now quite weak.Yes, they are up at the top again. Marcus will probably be back, so I don't think they are too desperate at this time. They could waive Dawson and still be able to get him back when he's healthy in a month or so - it's strange that they didn't do that a long time ago.

Guillermo Diaz is out there, but I don't think they want another ballhog. Maybe they'll bring Patrick Fields or Majic Dorsey back. I haven't really heard of anyone else coming back to the states at this time.

[ChumpDumper]

Proexposure says the Toros picked up Justin Reed. Maybe he just didn't make it to Austin last night.

We must be waiving one or two big men soon.

[SenorSpur]

If convention holds form here, I expect the Spurs to waive Langford and bring back Williams within the next 5 days.

[E20]

Is Keith Langford on the Spurs? Haven't been keeping up to date with the flurry of Spurs FO moves, but Yahoo.com has him listed as signed with the Spurs in recent transactions.

[DynastyBuilder]

Is Keith Langford on the Spurs? Haven't been keeping up to date with the flurry of Spurs FO moves, but Yahoo.com has him listed as signed with the Spurs in recent transactions.

Yes he is signed... http:www.nba.com/spurs/news/langford_071228.html

http://www.nba.com/spurs/roster/keith_langford.html

[E20]

NVM He is, I just saw the posting on the forum.

[timvp]

Proexposure says the Toros picked up Justin Reed.Sweet. Another Long Small Forward :elephant

I like Reed. He's a super high energy, good defensive small forward who can also rebound pretty well. His weakness is his offense -- specifically his outside shooting, but this guy is a relatively good prospect. He's very similar to Ronald Dupree and Theron Smith.

Using the Toros as a factory to find a Jamario Moon type small forward and an under the radar Darrell-Armstrong-circa-2001 backup point guard is the way to go.

:tu

[ChumpDumper]

You know, some of these roster convulsions could have been done in part to put and keep the Toros at the top of the acquisition list at this time. I read several reports about Lang's waiting for the right opportunity in the D-League. Maybe Reed was doing the same. Austin has always been an attractive destination for minor league players, the Spurs' heavy involvement and support since the sale has probably made it even moreso.

[SenorSpur]

Sweet. Another Long Small Forward :elephant

I like Reed. He's a super high energy, good defensive small forward who can also rebound pretty well. His weakness is his offense -- specifically his outside shooting, but this guy is a relatively good prospect. He's very similar to Ronald Dupree and Theron Smith.

Using the Toros as a factory to find a Jamario Moon type small forward and an under the radar Darrell-Armstrong-circa-2001 backup point guard is the way to go.

:tu

Based upon the early season highlights I've seen on Jamario Moon, I wished the Spurs would've been a year early with this concept. This kid looks like a more polished James White, but with better defensive skills. Check him out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdv3mDuv6F8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uP6DkJS7GWw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe8PzfOdUPw


Props to the Raps for finding him.

[Bruno]

Sweet. Another Long Small Forward :elephant

I like Reed. He's a super high energy, good defensive small forward who can also rebound pretty well.

NBA career stats :
DerMarr Johnson : 5.2 rebounds per 40 min
Justin Reed : 5.2 rebounds per 40 min

[ChumpDumper]

I like Reed. He's a super high energy, good defensive small forward who can also rebound pretty well. His weakness is his offense -- specifically his outside shooting.You make him sound like Justin Bowen :downspin:

[Spurs Brazil]

Jeff McDonald: Another day, another new Spur
The Spurs went swingman shopping in Austin again on Saturday, signing former NBA journeyman DerMarr Johnson off the Toros roster.

Johnson, the No. 6 pick in the 2000 NBA draft, averaged 15.8 points and six rebounds in 10 games with the Toros, the Spurs' affiliate in the NBA's Developmental League.

He has played for three teams in his seven-year NBA career, most recently spending three seasons with Denver from 2004 to 2007. His best season came in 2001-02 when he averaged 8.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 72 games with Atlanta.

Johnson should give the Spurs some immediate help on the perimeter, with both Manu Ginobili and Brent Barry battling injuries.

To make room for him, the Spurs waived Marcus Williams, whom they'd signed from the D-League only four days earlier.

The Spurs have now called up for players from the Toros this season -- Williams, Darius Washington, Keith Langford and Johnson.

http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/archives/2007/12/jeff_mcdonald_a_4.html

[SenorSpur]

It will be interesting to see how or if Johnson pans out. Could he be the long-awaited answer to question of "who will be the "long-three" in the future?

[Bruno]

I haven't really heard of anyone else coming back to the states at this time.

Derrick Byars has been waived one week ago form a German team. He could be a nice addition to Toros if he decides to play in D-League.

[Budkin]

Like timvp said, the whole Toros farm system thing is like a new toy that the Spurs FO is having fun playing with. Two years ago a lot of us were talking about signing DerMarr and now he's on the team. I can't wait to see what he brings and hope there is some way he can improve his rebounding. GO SPURS GO!

[BeerIsGood!]

I don't get some people's reaction of being pissed or upset with this. The Spurs FO realizes the need to constantly be evaluating talent and looking to improve so they're using the Toros + 2 open roster spots to audition possible talent. This is quite proactive in my opinion and I hope they find something useful.

[AFBlue]

So will the Spurs keep both Langford and Johnson for the rest of this season, or will they put both in game situations and make a determination between the two once Ginobili and/or Barry get back?

How does this affect the Salary Cap situation?

[sribb43]

So if Demarr gets waived, will he still get a ring if the Spurs win the championship...does the same go for Wash and Williams?

[debo]

why would we keep rotating these players in if they don't even get playing time?
wouldnt it make more sense to keep them in the Dleague where they can actually play?

[ChumpDumper]

why would we keep rotating these players in if they don't even get playing time?
wouldnt it make more sense to keep them in the Dleague where they can actually play?Bringing up Williams before Johnson is the only real headscratcher here. The Spurs need bodies now.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Just trade Ginobili for Tayshaun Prince already. He's the long 3 we need...

Yeah, let's give away our best clutch player for the long 3 we've won four rings without... :rolleyes

I think the value of rotating players in and out like this is shaky at best. You are never going to know whether a guy is going to fit the Spurs' needs unless he stays there for an extended period.

[Slinkyman]

I like this, with Manu and Barry down these guys get a shot. If they impress they stay, if not back to austin. Let's see who if anyone has what it takes to make this team.

[T Park]

I've been a Demarr Johnson homer for years now.

FINALLY!!!!! :elephant :elephant :elephant

[timmy21_4rings]

Looks like Toros is becoming a horrible place to work at...Spurs FO can do a better job than this in this regard...

William's resume will now tell he was cut by Spurs two times....Better than cut by most other teams..Still it is horrible.

[ChumpDumper]

:wtf How is this horrible? Williams is playing on one of the top teams in the D-League and gets a $6000 payday for driving an hour, practicing and getting a block in a game.

He now has "player for reigning NBA champion" on his resume.

[timmy21_4rings]

don't you think hiring to be fired is horrible? You can do it occasionally. Not on everyday basis.

Do not bring money into equation on self-respect.


:wtf How is this horrible? Williams is playing on one of the top teams in the D-League and gets a $6000 payday for driving an hour, practicing and getting a block in a game.

He now has "player for reigning NBA champion" on his resume.

[ChumpDumper]

don't you think hiring to be fired is horrible? You can do it occasionally. Not on everyday basis.Who is getting hired to be fired "every day"? It's not like Williams doesn't still have a job waiting for him in Austin. These players know the business side of the NBA and the nature of D-League call ups. It is very likely these players are told exactly what to expect when they are called up.


Do not bring money into equation on self-respect.Williams is supposed to respect himself less now that he has been called up to the NBA when by most accounts he should still be in school? Tell me exactly how self respect works in this case.

And I will bring money into the equation every time. Players don't dream of respecting themselves.

[Dex]

Sweet. Another Long Small Forward :elephant

I like Reed. He's a super high energy, good defensive small forward who can also rebound pretty well. His weakness is his offense -- specifically his outside shooting, but this guy is a relatively good prospect. He's very similar to Ronald Dupree and Theron Smith.

Using the Toros as a factory to find a Jamario Moon type small forward and an under the radar Darrell-Armstrong-circa-2001 backup point guard is the way to go.

:tu

Should we go ahead and start the "Spurs sign Justin Reed, waive Keith Langford" thread?

[DynastyBuilder]

Who is getting hired to be fired "every day"? It's not like Williams doesn't still have a job waiting for him in Austin. These players know the business side of the NBA and the nature of D-League call ups. It is very likely these players are told exactly what to expect when they are called up.

Williams is supposed to respect himself less now that he has been called up to the NBA when by most accounts he should still be in school? Tell me exactly how self respect works in this case.

And I will bring money into the equation every time. Players don't dream of respecting themselves.
Exactly.

[SequSpur]

I've been a Demarr Johnson homer for years now.

FINALLY!!!!! :elephant :elephant :elephant


there is no hope for you....

[remingtonbo2001]

there is no hope for you....

Are these words of wisdom from personal experience?

[T Park]

there is no hope for you....

Nah, god is my buddy, so theres always hope.

Demarr Johnson with the right coaching has the potential to be a very good player.

Were talking about a lottery pick 7 years ago derailed for a couple years due to a horrible car accident.

Bring on Demarr Johnson. He honestly could help out quite a bit.


if he can play the good defense that we've seen, he is the Dirk stopper.

[TDMVPDPOY]

with the signin of DJ, the spurs won 6 games in a roll...



on nbalive.hahahhaa

[T Park]

If given a chance Demarr will produce.

Many a Denver fan said Karl was holdinghim back and I agree.

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

about time they signed him. I've been saying it for a couple of years. DJ would be a great Spur. He is the AI stopper. He was very effective against AI when he got some decent minutes the season b4 last and apparently he always had the AI assignment during practice and made AI work very hard.

[biba]

from MySA.com. What does it mean for the luxury tax point of view?

Jeff McDonald
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA20071230.16C.NZ.State.NBA_spurs_lede_1230.2960 f56.html


Johnson, who was playing for the Spurs' affiliate in Austin, signed a non-guaranteed deal for what is believed to be the veteran minimum.

He should supply immediate depth on the perimeter, something Marcus Williams — the rookie swingman waived to make room for Johnson — could not.

Johnson has NBA experience, most recently spending the past three seasons in Denver, to go with NBA shooting range.

"He's been in the league, and we know he's a good shooter," Popovich said.

The Spurs hope Johnson, a 6-foot-9 former first-round draft choice of Atlanta, can serve as another piece to the patchwork puzzle while their two best bench players are sidelined.

And if not?

"Hopefully," Popovich said, "somebody will rise to the occasion."

[biba]

and:

"Johnson’s deal, believed to be worth the veteran league minimum, is not guaranteed. Per NBA rules, his contract becomes guaranteed if he is still on the roster Jan. 10.

With Langford in the same boat, and with the Spurs already pushing the luxury tax threshold, it appears unlikely they would choose to keep both players. "

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA123008.spurs-nb.en.65930f41.html

[Spurs Brazil]

I think the big problem to DJ stays is the fact the Spurs can't send him to Austin

When everybody is healthy he'll end up in the inactive list.

[TDMVPDPOY]

i dont get it

DJ on the spurs pushes them over the lux tax, thats not much at all if the spurs go deep in the playoffs which can offset that tax....

cheap ass

[Holt's Cat]

Johnson's been available a few offseasons and didn't end up on the Spurs. Not sure if that was due to a lack of interest on his part or the Spurs'. In any event, it will be very interesting to see what he can do in SA.

[smrattler]

I shared the elevator alone with Peter Holt from the Terrace level (got a suite ticket) right before the Raptors game. I should have asked him to please, pretty please, just pay a little lux tax this year, we've won 4 titles, we've earned it. I was afraid he'd call security though. :)

[T Park]

I should have asked him to please, pretty please, just pay a little lux tax this year, we've won 4 titles, we've earned it

yeah, sure, what the hell, its only a few million.

ITS NOT MY MONEY!!!
:rolleyes

[Bruno]

People shouldn't forget that Spurs have send $2.25M in cash in the Beno trade. Between this cash send and Spurs having a high payroll, Spurs are spending a lot of money this year.

[timvp]

Out of all the moves, signing Williams when they could have just signed Johnson is the move that didn't make sense. However, maybe it was just a simple case of abusing the D-League rules. When a player is called up from your D-League team, you jump to the front of the list in terms of picking up players who have made themselves eligible to enter the D-League.

Maybe there was a player out there (Kris Lang, Justin Reed?) who the Toros REALLY wanted and they needed to jump to the front of the pecking order to grab him. To get to the front of the line, they had to call up somebody. To make the abuse of the rules less obvious, the Spurs just called up Williams for a couple games and then waived him. The Spurs would have picked Williams in this plan because it was a player who made sense but the Spurs wouldn't care about losing once they waive him.

This scenario is a bit complicated but it would explain the weirdness of the recent transactions.

[Quasar]

The Spurs would have picked Williams in this plan because it was a player who made sense but the Spurs wouldn't care about losing once they waive him.

This scenario is a bit complicated but it would explain the weirdness of the recent transactions.

What about the risk of losing Washington? Even though he wasn't ready to contribute and didn't have pop's trust, he at least showed that he had enough in him to be a potential solid NBA contributer one day... he's gotta be worth more than that?

[tav1]

If Johnson sticks and Langford is cut, where will we get a third point? Barry/Ginobli or do the Spurs have interest elsewhere?

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

If Johnson sticks and Langford is cut, where will we get a third point? Barry/Ginobli or do the Spurs have interest elsewhere?
Either Barry or trade for PG.

[ChumpDumper]

I guess it's silly to speculate about anything else until January 10.

Maybe we should figure the odds of the Spurs waiving these two guys and calling up Justin Bowen and Squeaky Johnson next week.In Sunday's game in Tulsa:

Squeaky:
13 pts
6-11 fg
0-2 3pt
4 reb
8 ast
6 stl
2 to

Justin:
25 pts
10-16 fg
2-3 3pt
5 reb (2 off)
4 ast
1 stl
0 to

Toros won 103-98 without Darius, Keith, DerMarr or Marcus.

No stats on Lang or Reed; happens a lot in the D-League with new players. There's only about ten points unaccounted for.

[SequSpur]

Johnson acted like he knew how to play.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Because he does.

[SenorSpur]

Hell, he's only been playing at this level for 7 years.

[Holt's Cat]

yeah, sure, what the hell, its only a few million.

ITS NOT MY MONEY!!!
:rolleyes


Holt had no problem taking someone else's $ for that arena.

[T Park]

Holt had no problem taking someone else's $ for that arena.

show me another team owner that hasnt. and when you see that hasn't happen.


It was a tax that didnt affect me or you, so who gives a shit.

[Holt's Cat]

Those taxes could have gone to something else. And 'everyone else' does it isn't that much of an excuse.

[ChumpDumper]

Sure looks like they are going to go over the tax threshold again, and paying Beno's deal means they are already spending above it.

[picnroll]

Those taxes could have gone to something else. And 'everyone else' does it isn't that much of an excuse.
Some don't do it. Seattle for instance.

[SenorSpur]

With the confidence Holt has in the FO and the team's championship pedigree, you'd think Holt wouldn't mind spending a few extra $$$ over the cap (if necessary) if the solution justified the means. But hey, it aint MY money.

[ChumpDumper]

With the confidence Holt has in the FO and the team's championship pedigree, you'd think Holt wouldn't mind spending a few extra $$$ over the cap (if necessary) if the solution justified the means. But hey, it aint MY money.He has.

More than once.

[Bruno]

It seems that Washington hasn't been picked from waivers. Not the best news for Johnson and Langford because I don't even think Spurs have enough space below the luxury tax to keep one of them past January 10th.

[The Truth #6]

show me another team owner that hasnt. and when you see that hasn't happen.


It was a tax that didnt affect me or you, so who gives a shit.


Because the tax doesn't affect you, then you don't care.

But Holt spending money doesn't affect you either, but you do care?