Sam Cassell might be traded before deadline

[spurscenter]

Sam is a perfect backup for Tony.

He is on a / last year / Expiring contract,

Brent Barry & J. Vaughn for Sam Cassell, works money wise
or Francisco Elson & J. Vaughn & 2nd Round Pick for Sam Cassell

http://www.latimes.com/sports/basket...rts-nba-clippe

or is Sam another nick van exel?

He is so out of L.A. if Elton Brand doesn't come back before season's end and salvage some sort of dignity back to the horrific Clippers season.

thoughts?

[urunobili]

good leadership... championship experience too... dunno about how much he has left on his tank

[spurscenter]

good leadership... championship experience too... dunno about how much he has left on his tank

Yea, he brings it every game
but
he has been fighting injuries but set to come back 100% this week.

he was lighting up lots of teams like Suns and co. when healthy

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/...WzCxQonwekvLYF

[m33p0]

An old Cassell would still be better than Jack Vaughn even if its only for half a season. Nothing against Vaughn. He has been good for the Spurs in terms of what is asked of him and what he can do. Cassell is one of those guys that is confident no matter what.

The only downside into bringing in Cassell is the same for any newcomer: learning the system. This is specially troublesome since he is a point guard.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I was wondering about Sam too... he has the experience, can still shoot (sometimes), but he is a matador on D. I wonder how quickly he'd adjust to the Spurs' system, or whether Pop could stand his D.

Won't happen, because I think Pop will soon give the team the same ultimatum as he did last year - no trades, this is the team we win or lose with, now work out how to do the former.

[ancestron]

I like Sam I Am but I dont see it working out with him in silver and black.

Cassell and Van Exel are best friends btw

[m33p0]

He also doesn't fit Pop's criteria for a Spur of someone who has "gotten over themselves."

But he's old and a journeyman.

2 out of 3 ain't bad.

[2centsworth]

I would love Sam as a Spur. He doesn't have the defensive game, but neither did Van Exel and Pop played him. However, Sam is a consistent scorer.

[nkdlunch]

Horry needs to give him a call

[Rummpd]

do it.

[samikeyp]

Go for it! The Spurs already have two Frenchies, two Argies, a Dutchie and a Crucian Shaman.....why not add an alien?

[Bruno]

Cassell salary is $6.15M. If Spurs want to get him, they will likely had to trade Barry. If having Cassell worth losing Barry ? I'm not sure of that.

[T Park]

I wouldn't trade Brent Barry for Cassell.

You guys are nuts.

[Dex]

I can't imagine actually having to root for that mug.

[tav1]

There are guys out there for which the Spurs might trade Brent Barry, but Sam Cassell is not one of them. I'm not sure the Spurs need a 3rd point; and, given the system, that Barry doesn't out rank any guy they'd be able to pick up. If they're in a pinch, Barry can play point and Udoka assume Barry's swing minutes. They only trade Barry if they get back someone who is proven or a prospect that fits into their long term picture. Otherwise why bother? If they trade with the Clippers, it'll be Maggette long before Cassell, but neither is likely.

[angel_luv]

Smeagol to the Spurs for our " Get a veteran a ring" program.

[thispego]

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/show...=cassell+spurs

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/c...l.3c34abb.html

Mike Monroe: In Clippers' Cassell, a foundation shows cracks

Web Posted: 03/14/2007 12:31 AM CDT


San Antonio Express-News

Aware he would be defending Tony Parker in a few hours, Clippers point guard Jason Hart, a one-time Spurs player, wanted to work on his post defense Tuesday after his team's morning shootaround at the AT&T Center. Parker, the Spurs' All-Star guard, likes to get in the paint and create. Hart wanted to be ready.
Sam Cassell accommodated his young teammate, and when it comes to point guards creating in the paint, Parker could take some lessons from "Sam-I-Am."

Cassell scored on Hart with five different moves. Hart headed for the locker room, but Cassell demanded he return for another play.

"You can't leave until you get a stop," the veteran of 13 NBA seasons said, then gave Hart an easy way out by clanking an off-balance 10-footer.

Cassell laughed, took a seat, then sighed.

"How do you feel?" a visitor asked.

"Awful," said Cassell. "Getting old's a trip."

Cassell is 38, ancient for an NBA point guard. He's battled plantar fasciitis, a pulled abdominal muscle, a strained groin, and his back hurts. He never knows, day to day, if his body will allow him to play in the next Clippers game.


"He's always day to day," said a reporter who covers the team.

On Tuesday, it was more like hour to hour. After promising after the morning shoot that he would be in uniform that night, Cassell had to scratch himself before tipoff.

"My abdominal may pull at any time with the slightest little movement now," Cassell said Tuesday morning. "Just trying to post up Jason, I'm trying to monitor every little movement to see how I do. But at game speed, you can't monitor stuff like that."

Were Cassell like Robert Horry, his friend and former teammate on the Rockets, he probably would've had plenty of time to let his aches and pains and pulls heal this season. The Spurs have enough depth up front to allow Horry to play an average of only 17.3 minutes and still have the third-best record in the NBA.

Horry's legs are being saved for big playoff minutes, when his big shots will be more meaningful.

The Clippers have been beset by injuries all season, especially at the point. Shaun Livingston suffered what some sports doctors described as the worst knee injury they ever had seen. He's not just out for the rest of this season. He likely will also miss next season.

Even when he's been hurting, Cassell has had to play. He's old enough to know better, too much of a compe or to say no. He's missed 15 games after sitting out Tuesday but probably should have sat out a few more.

Save himself for the playoffs, like his buddy Horry? Take himself out of the lineup too often, and the Clippers aren't going to make the playoffs.

"Yeah," Cassell said, "it's a Catch-22."

Horry and Cassell won two championships in Houston. They became best friends by default.

"He's so compe ive," Horry said, "and when he first got there, he looked around and said, 'I can't argue with Dream (Hakeem Olajuwon). I can't argue with Otis (Thorpe). I can't argue with Clyde (Drexler).' So we used to argue with each other. Sometimes you want to let your frustrations out. When something went wrong, you want to vent your frustrations on somebody who can let it slide."

Like Horry, Cassell remains one of the league's most feared, and fearless, clutch shooters.

Horry would like to see his friend in a situation to go out with another le.

"I think he's got about two, three years left in him," Horry said. "Maybe someday he can be Tony's backup, give him some solid minutes. Then he could play the kind of minutes I do."

The notion brought a wide smile to Cassell's face.

"Tell that to Pop," Cassell said.

[SenorSpur]

I'm not saying Cassell wouldn't be a slight improvement from Vaughn, but you've got to pick your poison. Cassell's occassional, hot-shooting to Vaughn's offensive inconsistency. Cassell's matador defense to Vaughn's on-the-ball pressure.

Please! Have we not learned anything from the failed NVE experiment? Let's move beyond the old, "washed-up", over-the-hill, PGs.

[Bruno]

The only scenario, I can see Cassell to Spurs is Clippers not finding a trade at the deadline, being lottery bounded and waiving him to give Cassell a chance to get a ring.
In that case he would be available for a min salary but you can wonder 2 things :
First, are Spurs ready to have a new backup PG less than 2 months before the playoffs while Pop seems to like Vaughn ?
Second, why would Cassel choose Spurs aver Celtics where he could play with KG and Allen ?

[spurscenter]

thispego, great find

[WalterBenitez]

He could bring us good experience, talent ... but another young boy in our roster?

[BeerIsGood!]

Not via trade. No way giving up Barry for Cassell.

[wildbill2u]

Cassell would be the Return of the NVE Cadaver.

His occasional hot shooting hand would be outweighed by his general lack of D effort and lack of experience in the Spurs defensive system.

We need to dance with the girl we brought to the dance.

[MoSpur]

I had never read that article about Horry and Cassell. Good find. I would like the Spurs to find a better backup PG, but I don't know if Cassell is that guy.

[lefty]

I wouldn't trade Brent Barry for Cassell.

You guys are nuts.

+1.

Don't get me wrong; I love Sam Cassel, he's one of my favorite non-Spurs, but somehow, I prefer to have Barry in our system.

A good package would be Vaughn + Johnson