Ten Things We Learned from RC Buford

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Originally Posted by 024

spurs have always been patient, just lurking around until a good deal pops up. that's how they picked up jackson and diaw last season. it's a good strategy except the spurs get worse every year due to the declining big 3. even at their absolute best last year and some luck, they couldn't get past the thunder. the spurs can't keep up with the other teams without making a larger splash. but of course that comes with higher stakes, which i think the management is unwilling to gamble.

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The Spurs played far and away the best basketball in the league.
Textbook team basketball. Not even close.
Why should they change?
Winning the title is a totally different thing, and requires assets Spurs will not have for a long time, no matter what they do.

The 1 thing we learned should sum it up:

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Originally Posted by timvp

6. The Matt Bonner Era Continues
Said Buford: "As far as our big rotation, we don't have Dwight Howard but between Tim, Tiago, DeJuan, Matt and hopefully Boris, I'm not sure what our needs are there.

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spurspokesman

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Classic case of doing the same thing and expecting a different result. Most believe a full training camp will make us better. I agree but it will also make the thunder better and every other nba team so in the end you have the same result. Shame that A world class FO couldnt string together a tough big with defensive tools in nearly six years. I get it we have a shoe string budget but man did they drop the ball on a few good bigs.

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Well said. We could hope for Coach Numb Nutts to include more Splitter. Day late and million dollars short but if Duncs can stay healthy at least maybe we'll see some Duncs/Splitter action together.

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Originally Posted by rascal

The Spurs will attempt to make a trade to add another frontline player. Lorbek was not the player that fit their plans. They really never wanted Lorbek this year anyways.

I expect the Spurs to target a defensive big . That doesn't mean the Spurs will pull it off(trade) but there is a high chance that they will get the player they are looking for to round out the roster.

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They did target Lorbek, he was simply too good this year and commanding money they couldn't offer him.
Looking retrospectively, the year to bring in Lorbek was 2011. Time to move on.

I think the management is willing to gamble ...
that the Thunder won't shoot that well.

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Originally Posted by timvp

RC usually isn't CIA. He's more of an avoider than someone who will say erroneous info to throw the press off the scent. It's not CIA Buford for a reason, tbh.

We can all hope that there's more to it but RC is usually WYSIWYG.

If it was Pop saying these things, that'd be totally different . . .

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But it's the same thing either way, really. Until they find a trade they can make, they have to keep the team together and move forward. If there is no trade to make, they have to play out the string with what they have.

I can't imagine that RC was under any illusions last year about RJ, yet they went through the season with RJ because he's who they had. When a deal was a possibility, they traded him. I expect things with Bonner will go the same way until/unless an opportunity presents itself.

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Originally Posted by temujin

They did target Lorbek, he was simply too good this year and commanding money they couldn't offer him.
Looking retrospectively, the year to bring in Lorbek was 2011. Time to move on.

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They didn't want Lorbek. If they wanted him bad enough he would be on the team.

They flat out told him that they were looking in another direction for a different type of frontline player. That holds more credibility than what RC said, that the team is all set with the frontline as it is.

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Originally Posted by Drom John

I think the management is willing to gamble ...
that the Thunder won't shoot that well.

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That gamble worked out quite well in the WCF's.

Great read. Thanks timvp

Great read.

The best part is Tim's.

Legendary.

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Originally Posted by Bruno

I won't read as much into what RC is saying, especially with Spurs being fine with their bigmen. If Spurs want to improve their roster, it will likely be through a trade. They must avoid to appear like a team with needs because it will put them in a situation of weakness to negotiate a trade.

IMO, aside of the good news around Duncan health and motivation and James Anderson likely not coming back, there are very little to take from this interview.

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Agreed. In addition, even if Blair has actually asked for a trade, the Spurs probably wouldn't say that publicly, and would tell Blair to keep it under his hat so that they could have some negotiating leverage. Point out how great Bonner and Blair are, and someone might want to throw money at them.

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Originally Posted by Bruno

I won't read as much into what RC is saying, especially with Spurs being fine with their bigmen. If Spurs want to improve their roster, it will likely be through a trade. They must avoid to appear like a team with needs because it will put them in a situation of weakness to negotiate a trade.

IMO, aside of the good news around Duncan health and motivation and James Anderson likely not coming back, there are very little to take from this interview.

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First of all, they're not a team with needs, at least not positionally. Second of all, no offense, but this is cliche nonsense. The reality is, every team around the league is acutely aware of all of the other teams situations. You don't think the other 29 teams don't know that the Spurs would like to move Blair and that Blair wouldn't mind being moved, but that they're not exactly desperate to move him? I realize they would never admit to this, but even if they did, it wouldn't change a thing.

timvp, I disagree about room for internal improvement. Not that there's none, but in short order, this team has quickly shifted more towards older and athletically deficient again. They're not back to '08 levels in those respects, but the rotation does consist of six players on the wrong side of 30 and of the four under 30, only Leonard would seem to have the potential for significant improvement. Splitter, Green and Mills, could improve, but probably no more than incrementally. Joseph and Denmon are irrelevant, as neither has a shot at being in the rotation (barring injuries, of course). Blair is 50/50 to return, but again, barring injury, won't be in the rotation either way and Neal is a virtual lock to be traded.

This is not like the past few summers, when significant internal improvement was a strong possibility. Hoping for/expecting that is akin to thinking the defense will significantly improve with more practice time. As we saw in the playoffs and have seen time and time again in recent seasons, that's fools gold. Teams that defend well are teams that either have an elite defensive anchor who can log major minutes, a lot of plus defenders or both. This team has neither. The same logic applies here. Teams with room for significant internal improvement either underachieved for whatever reason(s) the previous season, have a lot of young players with a lot of room for growth or both. Again, this team has neither.

Speaking of Bonner and amnesty, today would be the day to do it if the Spurs were going to pull the trigger. If they waited any longer, the teams looking to claim a cheap bigman will have already used their money on Brand, Scola, Darko or Haywood.

Too bad it's a pipe dream, though.

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Originally Posted by timvp

Speaking of Bonner and amnesty, today would be the day to do it if the Spurs were going to pull the trigger. If they waited any longer, the teams looking to claim a cheap bigman will have already used their money on Brand, Scola, Darko or Haywood.

Too bad it's a pipe dream, though.

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If I've well understood the amnesty process ( http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap.htm#Q67 ) saying money through a Bonner amnesty will be hard to do for Spurs.

The last year of Bonner's contract is only $1M guaranteed with a $4M salary. If a team claim Bonner for $4M ($2M per year), then amnestying Bonner will only save $1M to Spurs.

Unless Spurs do a trade that push them above the tax, there are very little financial incentives of amnestying Bonner now. Even if Pop hated him, keeping him would be the right move to do because his contract could eb a nice trade asset next June.

again bonner doesnt make enough to be worth cutting not gonna happen

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Originally Posted by weebo

The team as is will not contend for a championship. A lot of guys last year played out of their mind and we still didn't ring.

The Spurs still need that one big guy that can help patrol the paint alongside Timmy.

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We have a good team but to win the ring we need a tough center and someone who can score by either taking the ball to the rim or making a three pointer....The opposite of Boner....

Look for Bonner to be used in a midseason trade some time in January.

tbh, if they were really looking at Lorbek and shopping Blair, I can't think they're necessarily happy with the frontcourt... I don't expect RC to go out there and say it either...

It's not like the Spurs have no time to make trades.

Bonner is good in the regular season but shrinks in the playoffs, as we all know. That means Pop has time to make him produce threes to win season games while at the same time tracking prospect bigs to replace him.

I also think that the Spurs might see Ajinca as that surprise player that can get signed for the minimum.

I learned he is still on the juice just from that.

Great read, thanks. I'm somewhat thinking he's speaking in GM talk and has different motives in a CIA sense.. We will see, but shopping the bargain bin seems to be the ultimate plan in terms of adding any more depth to this team. We think KL played a big role as a rookie this season, just wait.. This team should be hungry and ready to go back to war.

Sounds like the fat cat is full.

God Damn, that was enjoyable to read Timvp!!!

My opinion is, if the Spurs are to have any shot whatsoever at a title, they have to give Splitter about 30 minutes a game. Like him, hate him, whatever. We are only going as far as our big men can take us. We know what Tim, Diaw, and Blair can offer. We don't really know all Splitter can bring. He has room to grow and if Pop is wise he will explore his abilities more and pair him with Duncan.

#6 ..in other words, we can't afford another good player at PF or Center so were stuck with the average bench players we have now so let's have fun making the 2nd round of the playoffs this year, maybe even the WCF, before we are sent home again. Oh well.