Man, I wish we could have seen TJ Ford play with the Spurs a little longer.
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Man, I wish we could have seen TJ Ford play with the Spurs a little longer.
Cojo is a playmaker? I've heard it all now.:lol
I'll leave Bonner alone. I hate him. He's an old scrub, who could be replaced by draft and stash. But I can't say he didn't have nearly the same impact as Cojo in that series.
Cojo deserves $$$ and minutes. He probably gets both from the spurs. It'd work. But mills and parker will lose. I'd work a deal to minny that's based on cojo for lavine. That deal is absolutely plausible except that minny has the history or ak47'ing the spurs. And to that I say T-dot.
We can't afford to let Patty go bc of what he brings off the bench. CoJo's really started to grow on me the past couple of years (especially this year.) But I think he's more apt for the Tony Parker role, he's just not ready for it yet. And it's not like Parker's ready to call it quits either. I think our best bet would be to try to convince CoJo to stay with us and play spot minutes/be there if someone's hurt for the next few years and then if he continues to show improvement maybe he could be our starting point guard. He's not there yet but I think as much as he's improved the past couple of years he's shown that he still has high upside. The kid's gone from a fringe NBA player to a solid backup in just a few years and he's only 23 years old.
I would say that his starts are pretty damn good for a 23 year old PG. I wonder how much this guy improves the next 4-5 years when he starts to hit his prime.
I'd say keep both and head into next year with three good PGs, and the flexibility to use one as a trade chip if necessary. Against certain line ups, Cojo could take more of Manu's and Beli's minutes (I don't know if either of them will be around next year) as bench combo guard. Remember-- after developing George Hill, the Spurs converted him into Kawhi Leonard... There's a mystique the Spurs have with the rest of the league, a sense that they develop players better than other teams, but also that those players might not be as effective outside of the Spurs... I think that's one of the reasons why a guy like Mills didn't get any monster/unmatchable offers last year and why Cojo probably won't get any this summer.
Joseph + Belinelli for Wilson Chandler? Gives Denver a secure backup, though they may ask for a draft pick also.
Cory's been playing much better and has shown improvement in an increased role, but I'm still not completely sold on him. Don't get me wrong, if I can keep them both I would, but if I had to choose between the two right now, I'd take Patty in a heartbeat. In today's game, there's a premium on shooting and spacing the floor. Cory just doesn't do that now. Although he's still young, I'm not sure if he can add that to his game.
I think Pop is going to give Tony the old mantreatment from here on out. He needs to be fresh for the playoffs. That means keeping him well under 30 minutes a game which will open up plenty of PT for the 3 of them. Especially considering how many sets have 2 of the 3 out on the floor at the same time.
Unless someone vastly overpays for Joseph, they're not letting him go. Not after they spent 3 plus years developing him into a rotation player. Not when Ginobili is either retiring after this season or one more, not when Belinelli is a free agent who's future is up in the air and not when Parker, in decline and increasingly fragile, will be playing for France again this summer. Given all that, it makes no sense to let young, reasonably priced (more than likely) depth/insurance walk.
If Ellis, who's the exact same size as Joseph and a notoriously terrible defender, can get away with defending starting SG's for years, then it's not even a question that Joseph can get away with defending most backup ones. Of course, certain match-ups will be difficult, but as long as Pop mixes and matches as necessary with the starting wings, they should be fine.
I suggested this in the think tank. Chandler hasn't been as good this year, but he's only 27 change of scenery might be just what he needs. Reports came out recently that they Nuggets are shopping him.
It's minimal risk financially as well. He's being paid a manageable 6.7 million this season and his final year has only 2 million guaranteed.