Something tells me your buddy is your pee pee.
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The number of worthy SF candidates is down to it's last couple of guys. It would be nice if the Spurs could somehow snag Rasual Butler, but after that the Spurs might as well just hope that Hairston or Gee, or some other yet to be identified d-leaguer, can provide some minutes at SF. Or, just play 3 guards when RJ's not on the court.
Hairston right now will be the back up sf..
Richard Jefferson to re-sign with Spurs
By John Krolik
One of the most bizarre free agent stories of the summer has come to an end. According to Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News, free agent forward Richard Jefferson will sign a long-term deal with the Spurs on Wednesday.
The 30-year old Jefferson was one of the most disappointing new arrivals of last season. The Spurs had high hopes after they acquired the former Net for Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas, and Fabricio Oberto. Jefferson failed to live up to those expectations, averaging only 12.3 points and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 31.6% from beyond the arc.
Given Jefferson's relatively poor play in the 09-10 season, few expected him to opt out of the final year of his contract and leave a guaranteed $15.2 million on the table, but that's exactly what he did. Jefferson and his agent explained that they do not want to test the free-agency waters in the summer of 2011, when a lockout may very well occur and a less player-friendly CBA will be passed.
Jefferson's long-term deal is good news for the Spurs, who will get to pay Jefferson significantly less next season that they would have originally and stay under the luxury tax threshold. Meanwhile, Jefferson gets to stay with San Antonio while gaining some long-term financial security. The bad news here is that with more and more players and their agents seeking to avoid 2011 free agency at all costs, it seems increasingly likely that next year's CBA negotiations will be extremely ugly.
Disagree. There's unfinished business between Hairston and Gee that won't get resolved until training camp. Given the money that Gee is guaranteed, and the fact that Hairston isn't guaranteed any, it's just as likely that Hairston gets cut in training camp as it is that he's the backup SF on opening night.
Hairston, Gee and maybe even Temple are probably going to be playing the revolving door game between San Antonio and Austin throughout the course of the season.
Totally agree, Darko 16MM gauranteed over 4 yrs... So yeah Bonner isn't overpaid given the current market.
Just stating the obvious here... I did't want Bonner resigned either but he is still vital in the whole stretch floor concept even though his game resembles very little of Robert Horry's. We need 3 pt shooting/spacing, we've seen just how tough it is to find 3 pt shooters via free agency (losing out on Bell and Jones). He's a 40% shooter that we have Bird Rights to. Sucked but we're kinda stuck with him. He's the only 3 pt shooter we could have offered that kind of money to and still be able to pay Tiago (yes stating the obvious).
Same thing with Jefferson, I kinda threw up a little hearing he resigning, but what other SF can we get out there with what's left of the MLE and LLE? He was the best we could get. At least it helps the Spurs books out (or should I say I hope it helps the books out) and that can't be a bad thing for the future. Hopefully some of the young talent blossoms and RJ has a better season. Could he have a worse one??? Very curious about RJ's new contract details.
I once thought only 1 of the 2 would make the roster. But with Gee still having 1 more season to play with the toros I believe you will see both players get some PT at sf in the NBA this season. Hairston has more experience in the system and I believe he will get 1st dibs at the sf back up role. They both would only make around 750K for the coming season so there really should not be any financial reason to choose between the 2.
Jefferson will re-sign Wednesday with Spurs
Mike Monroe - Express-News
Web Posted: 07/20/2010 3:23 CDT
Free agent forward Richard Jefferson is en route to San Antonio this afternoon, where he is set to sign a long-term contract with the Spurs on Wednesday. Details of the new deal are not yet available, but his salary next season will be well below the $15.2 million he would have been guaranteed had he not opted out of the final season of his contract with the Spurs on June 30.
The 6-foot-7 small forward, who turned 30 on June 21, surprised many when he chose to opt out. His agent, Todd Eley, explained at the time that Jefferson preferred long-term security over the uncertainty of becoming a free agent next summer, when the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement is slated to expire.
Projecting losses for the league in the hundreds of millions of dollars, the NBA made it clear it will seek significant concessions from the players’ union in the next agreement.
Eley has stressed that Jefferson’s decision did not mean he wanted to change teams, saying Jefferson preferred to remain in San Antonio if the club would give him a deal that provided the long-term security he sought.
Acquired last summer from the Milwaukee Bucks, in a trade that send veterans Bruce Bowen, Fabricio Oberto and Kurt Thomas to other teams, Jefferson struggled to gain traction in his first season with the Spurs. Still, his average of 12.3 points per game represented the best offensive season for a Spurs small forward since Sean Elliott retired.
Depending on the terms of Jefferson’s new deal with the Spurs, his decision to walk away from the $15.2 million he had been guaranteed for next season is likely to drop the Spurs under the projected luxury tax threshold, saving Peter Holt and his ownership group several million dollars.
At least we have a SF
Let me give it a go:
This is rather unfortunate. I couldn't even bring myself to read the rest of the piece. I'm just going to try and forget this most unfortunate event by indulging myself with some marijuana smoking.
It's a rough translation, but I'm getting there; might be bilingual quicker than the 2-month time period I suggested earlier.
crack not marijuana.. you're getting there, though
I think he's smoking crack Blackjack
It's a tricky language with a lot of multiple meanings . . .
Hairston can still play for the Toros, he just can't be on an NBA contract at the time.
We'll need to see the numbers on RJ & Bonner's deals, plus any other signings, before knowing whether or not there's a strong financial motiviation. Even then, I think Hairston has to noticeably distinguish himself from Gee in order to stick. And he very well could. But if he doesn't, I think it's probable that the Spurs will cut him and hang on to Gee just long enough to work off his guarantees. Then they'll probably cut him too and just carry a 13 man roster until playoff time gets close. Then they can pick their favorite and go from there.
Maybe the Spurs really do see something more in Gee, or Hairston, or both. But for the most part 6-5 to 6-7 d-league swingmen are a dime a dozen. If that's how they see it, there's really no point to carrying them for the entire season.
If Hairston was better than RJ, then he would have gotten some playing time over RJ by midseason or sometime shortly thereafter.
Hairston has some limited skills that justify playing him maybe 10 minutes a game every 8 to 10 games. Otherwise, he is best suited for cheering for those in the regular rotation.
However, I would not object to seeing him play in the 4th quarter if we are either ahead or behind by 20+ points.
After watching his career, I'm surprised the Spurs were fooled into thinking that RJ could've possibly thrived in a half-court, pick-n-roll-type offense. Especially since he's been primarily an open-court player, whose offense was predicated from being on the receiving end of passes from a setup PG, which the Spurs obviously do not have.
On the other end, the Spurs really had no business, at all, thinking RJ could be even a remotely average defender. Again, there was just no history to suggest he had those instincts or ability.
Admittedly I was as excited as anyone when the Spurs signed him. He's not a bad player, he's just a bad fit for this team. I'm really surprised the Spurs didn't or couldn't forsee this.
All that said, and considering the fact that RJ was really the only available option left for them, they had no other choice but to resign him. I hope he'll surprise us all, but I really don't see how he'll be a better fit this year than last. Hopefully, he'll at least play with more confidence and aggressiveness on a consistent basis next season. And hit that corner 3 with some proficency.
Now with this done, perhaps the Spurs can continue searching the free-agent bin for whatever SF scraps may be left over - which aint much.