**Offical How Much $$$ Should the Spurs Pay Tiago Splitter Thread

I was examining the Spurs cap space and discovered pretty quickly that everything depends on the contracts of Splitter and Ginobili. However, when I tried to assign a value to Splitter, I still can't peg his value.

How much should the Spurs pay Splitter? He averaged a measly 10 pts, 6 rebounds in the regular season and 6 pts, 3 rebounds in the playoffs. But if you adjust his regular season stats to per 40 minutes, he would be projected to average 16.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.3 blocks. A team that might offer Splitter a large contract is a team that hopes Splitter will average close to these numbers when he plays more minutes and takes on a bigger role.

To better understand what Splitter will receive on the open market, I decided to look in the past at other bigs in similar positions for comparison. They are mostly young bigs who played lower minutes but displayed good production during their limited minutes. I then looked at their stats per 40 minutes to standardize the comparison. All stats were taken the year before the contract offer. For example for Gortat, those stats were from the 2008-2009 season. His contract was up to be renewed in 2009. This shows how productive each player was before their contract offer and how each team judged their value.

Marcin Gortat
Stats per 40 minutes: 12.1 points, 14.5 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks
Contract: Signed with the Magic in 2009 for $5.8 million

Omer Asik
Stats per 40 minutes: 8.4 points, 14.4 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks
Contract: Signed with the Rockets in 2012. The Rockets back loaded the contract but Asik is basically earning $8.37 million a year. Put that in a normal contract and Asik probably makes $7.8 million in the first year.

Marc Gasol
Stats per 40 minutes: 16.3 points 10.4 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks
Contract: Signed with the Grizzlies in 2011 for $12.9 million.

Spencer Hawes
Stats per 40 minutes: 15.4 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks
Contract: Signed with the Sixers in 2012 for $6.5 million. However, Hawes was injured in the middle of the 2011-2012 season so that may be a reason why his contract is lower. Regardless, he looked pretty decent in the playoffs that year.


And for comparison,

Tiago Splitter
Stats per 40 minutes: 16.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks
Contract: ???

Thoughts:
- Looking at the stats, it looks like Splitter's pre contract production most mirrors Marc Gasol and Spencer Hawes. However, all 3 are different players. Marc Gasol has an all around game while Hawes is a jump shooter. The production is similar but Marc Gasol can easily start on a bad team and score in a variety of ways. Can Splitter? Marc Gasol also had great defensive potential, resulting in a DPOY, which Splitter will never touch. Splitter doesn't have a jump shot either. Also, isolating Splitter for post ups is a disastrous move even all much smaller players. So to think that Splitter deserves anything close to Gasol's offer would be ridiculous.

- From the list, Splitter's strengths and role most resembles Asik's. They both get the majority of the offense through rolls to the basket and catching the ball in traffic. Their post games both require a lot of work although I doubt Splitter will ever develop an effective NBA post game due to his mechanics. Asik's hook shot looks way better than Splitter's weak flip shots. Asik is also a better rebounder and rim protector but I would give Splitter the edge in pick and roll defense and moving his feet. Asik has a usable short range jumper that Splitter lacks but Splitter's free throw shooting has been more consistent. Asik also seems tougher and his production doesn't decrease in the playoffs.

- I think a fair offer for Splitter would be a contract similar to Asik's, starting at $7.5-$8 million in the first year with a length of 3-4 years. Even though I think Asik is the better player with more potential, Splitter is flashing more production than Asik when he was first offered his contract. That might warrant the same type of contract.

- Lastly, if Splitter receives a $9-10 million offer, should the Spurs even match? For that money, they could get Paul Millsap, which would just as good of a fit for the Spurs, maybe even better.




Sources:
Salaries: spotrac.com
Statistics: draftexpress.com

It was good (contract wise) for the Spurs that Splitter shat the bed so bad and got benched for the stretch of the playoff run. If he performed like regular season Splitter, Spurs would have almost no shot of retaining him. But give what happened, he could be retained for probably Spencer Hawes type money from the choices above. He's tall but doesn't have heart or toughness.

Millsap would be a better fit. He would be like Oberto. Kind of reliable as a 4th banana on offense, a great rebounder and post defender to put next to Tim, and a guy who can do simple post ups if left with a mismatch (which probably happened a lot next to Al Jefferson). Splitter has none of those qualities.

the spurs should do their due diligence by sending out a feeler to dwight and his camp before agreeing to anything with splitter

If we could somehow sign Jack/Mills/Splitter now that's one heck of an offseason!

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Originally Posted by Knoxxx

If we could somehow sign Jack/Mills/Splitter now that's one heck of an offseason!

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Jack wont come here. mills is below average PG. splitteris soft as charmin and cant take advantage of post mismatches. 2 of the three are gpne. and maybe all three.

OP you need to change your last option to "Nothing, go after a better big" and take Millsap out of there because a lot of us like myself don't want that midget. He will be Malik Rose V1, Dejuan Blair V2, and Paul Millsap V3 all over again.

Let him walk tbh

Damn Gortat is cheap. I wish we had him instead.

Splitter is probably going to get offered 6.5-8m from some idiot team. Using those other guy's salaries as a measuring stick I'd say he's worth about 5-5.5m depending on if you think he won't improve or will improve some.

When you look at those stats, you think he look at Splitte'rs points! Then if you realize most of those are on cuts while playing against 2nd string guys and that it doesn't work in the postseason, it stops being very impressive.

Then you're left with rebounds and blocks. . .and whoops, worst of everyone listed.

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Originally Posted by Kidd K

Damn Gortat is cheap. I wish we had him instead.

Splitter is probably going to get offered 6.5-8m from some idiot team. Using those other guy's salaries as a measuring stick I'd say he's worth about 5-5.5m depending on if you think he won't improve or will improve some.

When you look at those stats, you think he look at Splitte'rs points! Then if you realize most of those are on cuts while playing against 2nd string guys and that it doesn't work in the postseason, it stops being very impressive.

Then you're left with rebounds and blocks. . .and whoops, worst of everyone listed.

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OP's salary numbers for Gortat was when he was in Orlando when he was playing behind D12. I think his salary is way up since then.

Tiago is an excellent fit on this team because he can play the 5 on offense and the 4 on defense - the opposite of Tim. If you pick up a guy to replace him, it has to be a guy who is a good finisher around the rim and can defend the pick and roll with quick feet/hands. We had the best defensive lineup in the league this season when Tiago started, and Tiago was a huge reason for that because he fit so well next to Tim.

^That being said, he has to get better. There were times in this Miami series, and you can go back and watch the tape, where they would get Tiago in screen/pick n roll situations and Miami would have a guard as the rotator from the weakside under the basket, and they wouldn't even look Tiago's way. No matter how poor he looked, you have to give him the ball there.

My guess is Splitter will cost somewhere from $7.5 million starting to $10 million starting, and I'd rather have him than Millsap. The Spurs already have an undersized bench PF in Diaw. Not saying Diaw is a better player than Millsap, but you get your role players for where you have holes needed to be filled, and Splitter's possible departure would leave an enormous hole at the 5. Meanwhile, Millsap wouldn't plug a hole.

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Originally Posted by chazley

Tiago is an excellent fit on this team because he can play the 5 on offense and the 4 on defense - the opposite of Tim. If you pick up a guy to replace him, it has to be a guy who is a good finisher around the rim and can defend the pick and roll with quick feet/hands. We had the best defensive lineup in the league this season when Tiago started, and Tiago was a huge reason for that because he fit so well next to Tim.

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Quality post. I don't think the grass is greener at all on the other side of the fence, and hope Tiago is back.

Splitter is useful against 95 percent of the teams in the nba. It's unfortutnate that he sucked on the most important series.

Splitter's numbers should be enough to put him in the 6-9 dollars million range. Maybe 10, but nothing above that.

I think the Spurs need rebounds, off and def.
Thats the main reason I would get any of the listed here instead of Tiago, he has the fewest rebounds.
Now if the Spurs didnt had TD than thats another story, because he is the big that scores. (In my humble basket knowledge, if you have 2 bigs, 1 of them has to score and the other has to rebound...unless both do both things...doh).
The problem with this contract is that if the Spurs cant get a 27+- years old big, by the time TD retires the Spurs could have problems...
Then again...are we in WIN NOW mode?
Not an easy choice, and I assume the Spurs FO are having problems making a decision also.

But...on topic! I would be comfortable paying him $7, but he might get $9.

I would say, "we'll NEVER win a title with Shitter getting significant minutes." But, if Manu hadn't completely imploded in game 6...... We would have won a title with Shitter getting significant minutes.

what would I offer Shitter? Money for bus fare out of San Antonio.

He folds under pressure. Plain and simple. We don't need anymore bigs that do that. We need someone with balls to compete on the big stage.
Fuck his regular season contribution. We could get 50 wins without him. Playoffs are what counts and he just cant take it up to the next level.
Even if his shot wasn't falling, providing rebounds, defensive pressure, and hustle would be enough, but sadly he doesn't bring anything.

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Originally Posted by chazley

Tiago is an excellent fit on this team because he can play the 5 on offense and the 4 on defense - the opposite of Tim. If you pick up a guy to replace him, it has to be a guy who is a good finisher around the rim and can defend the pick and roll with quick feet/hands. We had the best defensive lineup in the league this season when Tiago started, and Tiago was a huge reason for that because he fit so well next to Tim.

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Originally Posted by chazley

^That being said, he has to get better. There were times in this Miami series, and you can go back and watch the tape, where they would get Tiago in screen/pick n roll situations and Miami would have a guard as the rotator from the weakside under the basket, and they wouldn't even look Tiago's way. No matter how poor he looked, you have to give him the ball there.

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Good posts. The defensive numbers with Splitter and the starting 5 on the floor were the best in the NBA. They've just got to learn to improve the ball movement. The Spurs averaged 13 APG in the last 2 games.

Splitter will be back, unfortunately.

Couple of things that come to mind... how many teams are out there that can realistically start a bid war for him? Mavs, Cavs, who else?

I also think Tiago has room to grow. Sometimes people gets stuck with the last impression, but he did improve considerably from last season to this one. He definitely has more work to do. The question is what do the Spurs think his ceiling is, and what's the limit they're willing to pay for that.

I think if the Spurs can get him back for around 7-8/season, it would be a good deal. I just suspect some teams might think he's worth much more.

I want Tiago back but only at a fair price. if we're expected to pay upwards of 9 million per year, i don't want any part of that. i'm in the camp that wants to wait and check out that 0.1% chance of landing dwight before talking to splitter though

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Originally Posted by ElNono

Couple of things that come to mind... how many teams are out there that can realistically start a bid war for him? Mavs, Cavs, who else?

I also think Tiago has room to grow. Sometimes people gets stuck with the last impression, but he did improve considerably from last season to this one. He definitely has more work to do. The question is what do the Spurs think his ceiling is, and what's the limit they're willing to pay for that.

I think if the Spurs can get him back for around 7-8/season, it would be a good deal. I just suspect some teams might think he's worth much more.

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he is rumored to be atlanta's fall back plan if they fail to land dwight. they would start splitter at center and finally slide Horford to his natural position of power forward

MLE...that's the max we should pay limited role players who can't carry a team on either end of the court. Sign-and-trade that sumbitch for a prospect and use the cap space to acquire a legit talent that deserves the $10M/yr he's gonna get.

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Originally Posted by therealtruth

Good posts. The defensive numbers with Splitter and the starting 5 on the floor were the best in the NBA. They've just got to learn to improve the ball movement. The Spurs averaged 13 APG in the last 2 games.

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Umm, Splitter was removed from the starting line-up during the last 2 games, actually I believe it was 4 games, when the ball movement was poor. Splitter could garner a $6-9 million a year deal, but he's been exposed in consecutive playoff runs. He really needs to regain his jumpshot (didn't he have one in Europe), get a lot stronger and rebound the ball like a 6'11'' man and not a pansy (3.1 rpg in the playoffs). I'm afraid he's nothing more than a system who looked good being spoon feed by Parker and Ginobili (cough*DeJaun Blair*cough).

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Originally Posted by TheGreatYacht

OP you need to change your last option to "Nothing, go after a better big" and take Millsap out of there because a lot of us like myself don't want that midget. He will be Malik Rose V1, Dejuan Blair V2, and Paul Millsap V3 all over again.

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Eh the choices are fine. That choice doesn't imply you want Millsap specifically, just another big. As for whether Millsap is a good fit for the Spurs, that might be a discussion for another thread. However, I would say I would rather have a small player that plays big rather than a big player that plays small.

Millsap is a better rebounder who can score in more ways that Splitter can ever hope to. He's also capable of guarding both PFs and slower SFs. He's nothing like Diaw or Blair. He plays controlled compared to Blair and is always active compared to Diaw. He goes strong to the rim and doesn't shy away from contact.

4 Mil a year is high..

You shut the P&R down you shut Splitter down, he's a very different player than all those guys, I'd even say Tiago is a product of SA's system. You put him on another team and he's a bench player IMO.


Splitter CANNOT take advantage of mismatches because his post game is piss poor, and his shot release is so low that even a guy like Battier could block his shot. The whole series he was guarded by Battier/Miller and he was able to score on them a handful of times.


If SA had any of those guys you mentioned the Heat series ends in 6, maybe 5. West absolutely abused Battier in the Indiana series posting him up every single time, it got so bad that Spo was forced to bench him.


Teams can go small with Tiago on the floor and not pay for it because he's far too soft, meanwhile the guy he's guarding can burn him because he's too slow.

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Originally Posted by KL2

You shut the P&R down you shut Splitter down, he's a very different player than all those guys, I'd even say Tiago is a product of SA's system. You put him on another team and he's a bench player IMO.


Splitter CANNOT take advantage of mismatches because his post game is piss poor, and his shot release is so low that even a guy like Battier could block his shot. The whole series he was guarded by Battier/Miller and he was able to score on them a handful of times.


If SA had any of those guys you mentioned the Heat series ends in 6, maybe 5. West absolutely abused Battier in the Indiana series posting him up every single time, it got so bad that Spo was forced to bench him.


Teams can go small with Tiago on the floor and not pay for it because he's far too soft, meanwhile the guy he's guarding can burn him because he's too slow.

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It's not even if you stop the pick n roll, it's also if you meet him at the top of the key rather than let him roll closer to the basket he's virtually useless.

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Originally Posted by KL2

You shut the P&R down you shut Splitter down, he's a very different player than all those guys, I'd even say Tiago is a product of SA's system. You put him on another team and he's a bench player IMO.


Splitter CANNOT take advantage of mismatches because his post game is piss poor, and his shot release is so low that even a guy like Battier could block his shot. The whole series he was guarded by Battier/Miller and he was able to score on them a handful of times.


If SA had any of those guys you mentioned the Heat series ends in 6, maybe 5. West absolutely abused Battier in the Indiana series posting him up every single time, it got so bad that Spo was forced to bench him.


Teams can go small with Tiago on the floor and not pay for it because he's far too soft, meanwhile the guy he's guarding can burn him because he's too slow.

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Add that teams can simply sag off him and attack the ball handler, because there's no shot that you need to respect from him...

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Originally Posted by ElNono

Add that teams can simply sag off him and attack the ball handler, because there's no shot that you need to respect from him...

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His go to move is shitty, that hook is so awful. He also holds the ball way too low.

$0

Competing with Heat and Thunder.He''s a waste of space.

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Originally Posted by KL2

You shut the P&R down you shut Splitter down, he's a very different player than all those guys, I'd even say Tiago is a product of SA's system. You put him on another team and he's a bench player IMO.


Splitter CANNOT take advantage of mismatches because his post game is piss poor, and his shot release is so low that even a guy like Battier could block his shot. The whole series he was guarded by Battier/Miller and he was able to score on them a handful of times.


If SA had any of those guys you mentioned the Heat series ends in 6, maybe 5. West absolutely abused Battier in the Indiana series posting him up every single time, it got so bad that Spo was forced to bench him.


Teams can go small with Tiago on the floor and not pay for it because he's far too soft, meanwhile the guy he's guarding can burn him because he's too slow.

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:lmao LMAO at Tiago Splitter getting blocked by Mike Miller.

Splitter is trash. I would rather have Blair at this point.

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Originally Posted by TheGreatYacht

:lmao LMAO at Tiago Splitter getting blocked by Mike Miller.

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Didn't chalmers or cole block him too or strip him? the guy has the ball way too low and has nothing if he gets closed out on within 10 feet of the basket.

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Originally Posted by KL2

You shut the P&R down you shut Splitter down, he's a very different player than all those guys, I'd even say Tiago is a product of SA's system. You put him on another team and he's a bench player IMO.


Splitter CANNOT take advantage of mismatches because his post game is piss poor, and his shot release is so low that even a guy like Battier could block his shot. The whole series he was guarded by Battier/Miller and he was able to score on them a handful of times. This


If SA had any of those guys you mentioned the Heat series ends in 6, maybe 5. West absolutely abused Battier in the Indiana series posting him up every single time, it got so bad that Spo was forced to bench him.


Teams can go small with Tiago on the floor and not pay for it because he's far too soft, meanwhile the guy he's guarding can burn him because he's too slow.

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No more than $5 million per. And since someone will definitely offer him more than that, I say let him walk.

First thing the team has to figure out is if they plan to stay over the cap or go under it.

If they stay over the cap, then it doesn't really matter how much they re-sign Splitter for. It also allows them to gauge the market before giving him a deal. That would let them work out a sign-and-trade even if they don't want to keep him. That could well be the way to go if they don't have a big free-agent target in mind.

If they go under the cap, then they have to gauge his value quickly before deciding when to sign him. If he's going to make more than $7.5 Million next season, the team would be wise to try to get him to hold off on officially signing a deal until after they use their cap space. If he's going to make less than than next season, then the team should want to get him signed quickly to free up more cap space for this off-season.

3 years 21 million.. something in the range of 7 million per year.

Splitter was exsposed somewhat in the playoffs .I wouldnt give him more than mle but hell get like others have said in the 7-9.5 range .I think if he gets anywhere near 10 let him walk.

Spurs first priority improve pf/c

Retain Tiago. Hopefully at less then 7m. He brought positive results in the starting line up with Tim. I think he can still develop his game.

A Diaw-like deal.

For anything more, let him walk.

And good luck scoring points without Parker AND Ginobili feeding him.

$30,000 a season non guaranteed.

In the first yr as per the question, give him 9-10. Don't be clouded by the last couple of playoff games. Think what's he worth to a side over a full season. He going to get that money, it's a no brainer, it's what the league is paying.

Naturally if he wants to stay a Spur (and he might) that when the company has a chance to tie him down to 7-8. But remember at his vintage this might be his big chance to cash out.

He will get what pekovic gets minus 1mio/year!

Not sure if Spurs pay that.

Asik money traditionally distributed.

Let Splitter go and acquire another big man.

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Originally Posted by KL2

You shut the P&R down you shut Splitter down, he's a very different player than all those guys, I'd even say Tiago is a product of SA's system. You put him on another team and he's a bench player IMO.


Splitter CANNOT take advantage of mismatches because his post game is piss poor, and his shot release is so low that even a guy like Battier could block his shot. The whole series he was guarded by Battier/Miller and he was able to score on them a handful of times.


If SA had any of those guys you mentioned the Heat series ends in 6, maybe 5. West absolutely abused Battier in the Indiana series posting him up every single time, it got so bad that Spo was forced to bench him.


Teams can go small with Tiago on the floor and not pay for it because he's far too soft, meanwhile the guy he's guarding can burn him because he's too slow.

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Good post. The spurs need to go in another direction and let Splitter go. Duncan is going to need more help and Splitter in not the answer.

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Originally Posted by Drom John

Asik money traditionally distributed.

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If he could single-handedly affect the game on one end of the floor the way Asik does, I would agree with you.

For people who don't want Splitter back or just want to dramatically low ball his contract are going to be sorely disappointed. In Pop's exit interview, you get the tone that he wants to bring most of the team back. And judging for the Spurs' love of the status quo, Tiago will be returning.

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Originally Posted by chazley

Tiago is an excellent fit on this team because he can play the 5 on offense and the 4 on defense - the opposite of Tim. If you pick up a guy to replace him, it has to be a guy who is a good finisher around the rim and can defend the pick and roll with quick feet/hands. We had the best defensive lineup in the league this season when Tiago started, and Tiago was a huge reason for that because he fit so well next to Tim.

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That's a good point, when Duncan and Splitter play together, the Spurs are at their best defensively. But how useful is that if Splitter can't even stay on the floor against teams that go small like the Heat and the Thunder? Splitter couldn't even take advantage against Mike Miller or Shane Battier. Does Splitter's good defense even matter if he can't play against the top elite teams like the Heat and Thunder? Both are teams that love to go small and are also the biggest challenges to a championship. If the Rockets get Howard, the Warriors get Lee back 100%, and the Grizzlies somehow get better, Splitter does have a role to play. But to commit too large of a salary for someone who will only receive limited minutes against elite teams isn't too wise. At least with a big like Millsap, he can play small ball PF and score against smaller forwards.

3 years 15 million.

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Originally Posted by 024

For people who don't want Splitter back or just want to dramatically low ball his contract are going to be sorely disappointed. In Pop's exit interview, you get the tone that he wants to bring most of the team back. And judging for the Spurs' love of the status quo, Tiago will be returning.

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At 14 M for 3 years, he will.

If they want to spend 7/8 M per year, they should go for Nikola Pekovic.

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John Canzano: Source: Trail Blazers have interest in restricted FAs Tiago Splitter & Nikola Peković as potential free-agent signing. More on @750TheGame Twitter @JohnCanzanoBFT

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Sign and Trade?Possible?

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Originally Posted by temujin

At 14 M for 3 years, he will.

If they want to spend 7/8 M per year, they should go for Nikola Pekovic.

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Pekovic is worth way more than $7-8 million and he's also a restricted free agent, meaning the wolves will most likely match whatever contract to retain him.

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Originally Posted by SpursSerb

Sign and Trade?Possible?

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I don't think there's anyone available on the Blazers to sign and trade for.

Blazers having interest in Splitter is probably not good. They are desperate for a big to pair next to Aldridge. The Wolves will most likely match whatever the Blazers throw at Pekovic, leaving Splitter as the other option. The media has also linked Gortat with the Blazers, hopefully a deal materializes. Otherwise, Splitter will be glad to sign a 3 year/$30 million contract, putting the Spurs in a bad position on whether to match or not.

Bruno pointed out that the Spurs could keep Splitter and acquire Millsap, which would be the perfect scenario for this team, tbh..

It would solve the offense issues in the frontcourt along with spacing the floor, while still having Splitter on the team for defensive purposes..

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Originally Posted by ElNono

Couple of things that come to mind... how many teams are out there that can realistically start a bid war for him? Mavs, Cavs, who else?

I also think Tiago has room to grow. Sometimes people gets stuck with the last impression, but he did improve considerably from last season to this one. He definitely has more work to do. The question is what do the Spurs think his ceiling is, and what's the limit they're willing to pay for that.

I think if the Spurs can get him back for around 7-8/season, it would be a good deal. I just suspect some teams might think he's worth much more.

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The Trail Blazers, Mavs and maybe Hawks, are probably going to be the most serious suitors.

He didn't improve a lick (other than his free throw shooting, but '12 was more an off season than anything; historically, he was never that poor a free throw shooter), he just got more minutes. He is what he is: An outstanding roll man and finisher, decent passer and solid all around defender, that can't shoot a lick, has a middling post game, is a mediocre and erratic rebounder and a sub par shot blocker. He's also incredibly soft and can't be relied on when the going get's tough.

I've said all along and will continue to, that I believe being a Spur will mean more to him than getting every last cent (in which case, he'll accept something like 4/$32M). If it's the opposite, then he's more than likely gone.

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Originally Posted by HarlemHeat37

Bruno pointed out that the Spurs could keep Splitter and acquire Millsap, which would be the perfect scenario for this team, tbh..

It would solve the offense issues in the frontcourt along with spacing the floor, while still having Splitter on the team for defensive purposes..

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If the Spurs re-sign Splitter, I rather the rest of the money go towards a Ginobili replacement. Ginobili can stay for much less money but there's no way the Spurs should hand over the reigns of the offense to him for long stretches of time. Also, Neal's status is questionable. That pretty much leaves Joseph to run the offense when the bench enters. I can see the Spurs offering a sizable contract to someone like OJ Mayo if they sign Ginobili cheap (or let him walk). Mayo has been inconsistent and is sometimes as turnover prone as Ginobili but he's only 25. He can act as the combo guard Ginobili was supposed to be.

I'm not a fan of Mayo, but I wouldn't mind that move either, tbh..

A lot of people here seem to believe defense was a problem this year, which is completely false, tbh..the Spurs defense was elite all year, their problem was poor offensive contributions and erratic bench play, tbh..

Whether it's a big or a wing guy, Spurs need a player that can generate offense..having Leonard assume a larger role on offense should help, too, as he should be able to play 35+ minutes a night, including spending time with the bench unit when Parker and Duncan sit..

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Originally Posted by HarlemHeat37

Bruno pointed out that the Spurs could keep Splitter and acquire Millsap, which would be the perfect scenario for this team, tbh..

It would solve the offense issues in the frontcourt along with spacing the floor, while still having Splitter on the team for defensive purposes..

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This is actually not a bad idea (coming from a Paul Millsap hater in myself). The big question is would Paul Millsap be willing to come off the bench without over paying him? Will retaining Tiago Splitter and signing Paul Millsap still allow the Spurs to address their biggest hole which is to get that desperately needed backup PG to Tony Parker or that ball handler that will relieve Manu off his ball handling duties assuming that the Spurs resign him (hopefully at the veteran's minimum)? I'm not fond of "lets develop CoJo and give him the greenlight" idea because the clock is ticking for Tim Duncan and the FO owes him that 5th ring big time.

It would suck to lose Tiago after all this time. He just needs to be more aggressive. He made a step in the right direction this year, he will continue to improve. Keep him, let blair and bonner go. Tiago is the one of those three to keep.

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Originally Posted by 024

That's a good point, when Duncan and Splitter play together, the Spurs are at their best defensively. But how useful is that if Splitter can't even stay on the floor against teams that go small like the Heat and the Thunder? Splitter couldn't even take advantage against Mike Miller or Shane Battier. Does Splitter's good defense even matter if he can't play against the top elite teams like the Heat and Thunder? Both are teams that love to go small and are also the biggest challenges to a championship. If the Rockets get Howard, the Warriors get Lee back 100%, and the Grizzlies somehow get better, Splitter does have a role to play. But to commit too large of a salary for someone who will only receive limited minutes against elite teams isn't too wise. At least with a big like Millsap, he can play small ball PF and score against smaller forwards.

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Splitter is a recipient of good ball movement. If the Spurs are moving the ball he will find a way to score.