Coulda used Darius Bazley, Brandon Clarke, or Matisse Thybulle in this bubble tbh

The ironic thing too is that Clarke and Thybulle-- two guys who "couldn't shoot"-- both had better 3pt%s in the NBA than Samanic-- the big with "shooting touch"-- had in the G-league.

I haven't given up on Samanic yet. Give him another year to acclimate to a new country, a new lifestyle, a new brand of basketball... but the first year numbers are not promising. He had the lowest Win Shares on his G- league team, along with a poor BPM. He's not even an average G league player yet, never mind a decent NBA player.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Russ

So you would have us take Mr. X at #19 rather than Luka (I agree he sucks).

If so, whoever actually took Mr. X (as it turned out in reality) instead takes Keldon Johnson. And the Spurs don't get KJ at #29.

So would you rather have Mr. X or KJ? (Based on the Mr. Xs you all have proposed, I'd rather have KJ.)

Be careful what you wish for and always consider unintended collateral consequences.

---

This.

The biggest problem with retroactive decision-making is that you can't be 100% sure that everything else would have turned out the same. The future is not determinstic, and thus neither is the alternate "past" from the decision point forward.

It's the same as saying that the Spurs would be 6-1 in the bubble and in control of their playoff destiny if they had beaten Philly. That assumes that all the other games after that would have gone the same way, both for the Spurs and all the other teams, and that's just a baseless assumption. Just because something did happen, it doesn't mean it had to happen.

In this particular case, there is certainly a chance that the team who picked Bazley would have taken Keldon if the Spurs had picked Bazley. The same goes for Clarke and Thybulle. Sure there's a chance the Spurs could have come out of last year's draft with Keldon and one of those three. But it's nowhere near guaranteed.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jbspurs

Too quick to judge. He got the footwork and quickness for his size. Once he gets his confidence, he will surprise a lot of fans.

---

Another “please wait for the soft Euro scrub to get better” while normally developed players ball out take

Today's game should show what kind of player Luka could be. He cleans up his handle and that ceiling could be even higher. If only we had a couple more games like this from him then people would stop crying about Clarke...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dejounte

Today's game should show what kind of player Luka could be. He cleans up his handle and that ceiling could be even higher. If only we had a couple more games like this from him then people would stop crying about Clarke...

---

Clarke might have been the difference between making and missing the playoffs. And a first round exit if they make it. But now that it’s over, you now have a much higher upside player (younger) and are picking about 4-5 spots higher in the draft.

Samanic just needs to work on his team defense and overall positioning. If he can defend and knock down open 3s he can contribute. After that he can work on post moves and his handle

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cjw

Clarke might have been the difference between making and missing the playoffs. And a first round exit if they make it. But now that it’s over, you now have a much higher upside player (younger) and are picking about 4-5 spots higher in the draft.

---

Yeah it could have been, but the best we could have gotten with Clarke would have been a 7 th or 8th while will luka, after what he showed this game, easiy could be theat in the best.

with Clarke we're probably a 7-8th seat for the next few years. Unless someone breaks out.
If Luka reaches his ceiling we could be more.

Its a risk that you have to Take and sometime you need to consider the future and the best for the team in the next upcoming year.

I am feeling better about Luka after this game.
He does look like he could play 10-15 minutes as a perimeter forward with ballhandlers that don't ask too much of him with the ball.
I feel less comfortable about him battling other bigs, bc he needs to get stronger and have better awareness.
A good thing he did in that game was that he stayed mostly within himself and didn't try to do too much, just took shots that were open and moved the ball without getting fancy. Overall really encouraged by that showing as starting point to build from.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by phxspurfan

Another “please wait for the soft Euro scrub to get better” while normally developed players ball out take

---

Those Another helped Spurs win titles!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cjw

Clarke might have been the difference between making and missing the playoffs. And a first round exit if they make it. But now that it’s over, you now have a much higher upside player (younger) and are picking about 4-5 spots higher in the draft.

---

I'm not sure Samanic has a "much higher" upside. Seriously, Clarke would've been the second-best big on the Spurs the last few years. It's not that easy to get better players, and he can still improve quite a bit as he adapts mentally to the game and gains more strength. I don't want to really go through the whole debate again, but the idea that Clarke is for now and Sam is for later is not necessarily true at all. That goes double for this assumption that Clarke's advantage is going to be gone in just one season or that the team no longer needs a player in that mold to make them a playoff contender. You have folks trying to trade Murray-plus to give Jerami Grant $16 Million a year, and, do I have to say it? Fine. Clarke outplayed Grant by a huge margin.

Again I'm rooting for Sam, but it has to be a "wait and see" thing with him. He has a long way to go before he's ready to save any team.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jbspurs

Those Another helped Spurs win titles!

---

TP was starting basically from day 1 and had NBA level skills from jump (speed, finishing, scoring). Manu only came here after a year or two or whatever and already had won overseas, and was awesome after initial injury. No comparison with EuroScrubs. We knew both were good from their first days.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by phxspurfan

TP was starting basically from day 1 and had NBA level skills from jump (speed, finishing, scoring). Manu only came here after a year or two or whatever and already had won overseas, and was awesome after initial injury. No comparison with EuroScrubs. We knew both were good from their first days.

---

Wasn't Manu already 25 as a rookie?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RC_Drunkford

Samanic just needs to work on his team defense and overall positioning. If he can defend and knock down open 3s he can contribute. After that he can work on post moves and his handle

---

So, let's see. A pro basketball player drafted in the first round who needs to learn:

- defense
- positioning (IQ)
- shooting
- dribbling

thats basically all of basketball

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by phxspurfan

TP was starting basically from day 1 and had NBA level skills from jump (speed, finishing, scoring). Manu only came here after a year or two or whatever and already had won overseas, and was awesome after initial injury. No comparison with EuroScrubs. We knew both were good from their first days.

---

Knew both were good from first day? Pleeease! 28th overall and 57th overall, And you knew from their first day? I guess you knew also that Kawhi will be the player he is now from the day he was drafted.. You should apply as a Talent scout!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dejounte

Wasn't Manu already 25 as a rookie?

---

Yeah he was already a pro in Italy and Euroleague

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Chinook

I'm not sure Samanic has a "much higher" upside. Seriously, Clarke would've been the second-best big on the Spurs the last few years. It's not that easy to get better players, and he can still improve quite a bit as he adapts mentally to the game and gains more strength. I don't want to really go through the whole debate again, but the idea that Clarke is for now and Sam is for later is not necessarily true at all. That goes double for this assumption that Clarke's advantage is going to be gone in just one season or that the team no longer needs a player in that mold to make them a playoff contender. You have folks trying to trade Murray-plus to give Jerami Grant $16 Million a year, and, do I have to say it? Fine. Clarke outplayed Grant by a huge margin.

Again I'm rooting for Sam, but it has to be a "wait and see" thing with him. He has a long way to go before he's ready to save any team.

---

Who’s trying to Trade Murray to get Jerami Grant? That type of dude is always available in g leagues. He’s basically a younger JaMychal Green who we already had.

You could arguably develop #MeTu into that type of player btw


The knock on Luka isn’t really that he sucks. We all know he sucks rn and the argument for him is this amorphous “upside.” The knock on him is the spot he was drafted at. He’s late second round talent. No one would say shit if Keldon was drafted first and Luka was drafted second. Then he would just be some random Euro flyer. Which is what he is. A euro project who may turn into a serviceable player but also may be out of the league and back to euro ball in 2 years.

Omg shut up about luka he is gonna be a good player

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dhbsr555

Omg shut up about luka he is gonna be a good player

---

Sure, for CSKA Moscow or the Shanghai Sharks

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Chinook

I'm not sure Samanic has a "much higher" upside. Seriously, Clarke would've been the second-best big on the Spurs the last few years. It's not that easy to get better players, and he can still improve quite a bit as he adapts mentally to the game and gains more strength. I don't want to really go through the whole debate again, but the idea that Clarke is for now and Sam is for later is not necessarily true at all. That goes double for this assumption that Clarke's advantage is going to be gone in just one season or that the team no longer needs a player in that mold to make them a playoff contender. You have folks trying to trade Murray-plus to give Jerami Grant $16 Million a year, and, do I have to say it? Fine. Clarke outplayed Grant by a huge margin.

Again I'm rooting for Sam, but it has to be a "wait and see" thing with him. He has a long way to go before he's ready to save any team.

---

Sorry, should have clarified with Clarke. Not sure the Spurs would have even played him like the Grizzlies did. Thus the marginal upgrade this year. He’s the type of guy who probably is what he is. Spurs wanted more of a lottery ticket in Saminic.

What really screwed the Spurs over was Morris reneging and Carroll deciding he didn’t want to play here but still getting a full salary.