Reply With Quote
Buck Harvey with the SpursTalk remix.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b....4ba9671b.html
Buck Harvey: Summer of change will test Buford
Buck Harvey
A year ago the national media came to San Antonio for the Finals. At various times, many of them surrounded R.C. Buford with questions.
How did the Spurs do it? While larger markets spent more money and lost more games — while the Celtics and Lakers seemed stuck in mediocrity — how did the Spurs keep such a smart payroll and smarter locker room?
The Spurs’ general manager cracked a few jokes. Some were aimed at the media, some at himself. It was hard to explain, without bragging, that he had beaten his peers and found two sensational, franchise-changing players low in the draft.
But the last of those two draft bonanzas was seven years ago. No one drafted since is on the roster except for Ian Mahinmi, who played a total of 22 minutes this season. Now Buford’s international strategy is showing holes, and the Spurs face a telling time.
Buford faces a telling time.
It’s not all up to him. Gregg Popovich and his assistants influence the roster as much as any coaching staff does.
It’s also not an end-of-the-world scenario. The Spurs will be compe ive next season no matter. Tim Duncan and the two draft miracles, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, will be similar to what they were this past season.
But the league is changing. The return of Yao Ming, Elton Brand, Greg Oden and Andrew Bynum will cement that for their teams. New Orleans will likely take another step. And Dallas and Phoenix, even with issues, aren’t going away.
To counter, the Spurs need help. They need, specifically, a smart, young, athletic swingman who can score, rebound in a small lineup, stretch the defense with 3-point range and play Popovich’s defense.
This is where Buford would crack a few more jokes.
He thought he had found something with last year’s first-round draft pick, Tiago Splitter. But stories suggest he will stay in Spain for another two years.
The Spurs could use Splitter’s 7-foot size and youth, and not having him takes another bite out of the Spurs’ longtime philosophy. Ginobili developed in Europe as a Spurs draftee, and this was seen then as cutting edge. But since then the Spurs have used a half-dozen picks on similar international prospects, and not one has produced anything for them yet.
Some of it is bad luck, as it was with Splitter. With the recent influx of Russian money raising salaries in Europe, and with the rise of the Euro, Splitter has about four million reasons to stay.
But that doesn’t change this: The Spurs traded Luis Scola, in part, because they saw the taller Splitter as a better complement to Duncan.
Still, the frontline was not the Spurs’ weakness this year, and it won’t be without Splitter. They instead need a fourth scorer, someone who makes the regular season easier for everyone.
That’s where Buford comes in. Can he find players, as a Web site said last week, with his old “draft-night magic?”
Buford never said he was smarter than everyone else. He always said the Spurs had been blessed. Parker had to fall to them past franchises that should have known better. As Buford said, if he knew what Ginobili would become, he would have drafted him higher.
Still, Buford knew the world, and he gambled on this knowledge, and this is what launched the Spurs to three more les. One of the slights of this era is that Buford was never the executive of the year for this.
With three stars in place, the Spurs merely had to find bargain veterans who fit in Popovich’s system. And if Ginobili had been healthy, who knows? Maybe the national media would be coming to San Antonio this month to again ask Buford how he did it.
He instead is back at his job with the usual tools. All he’s got to work with is a low first-round pick and enough money for a mid-level player.
Buford also has something new, however, and that’s urgency. After all, can the Spurs win another championship before Duncan retires without finding someone else who is special?
AzbuikeThey need, specifically, a smart, young, athletic swingman who can score, rebound in a small lineup, stretch the defense with 3-point range and play Popovich’s defense.
JR Smith
Carlos Delfino
make it so Buford
Buck doesn't read SpursTalk.
He copies it.
Buford's FA signing recently are pretty bad. Butler, Elson, giving off Scola, Bonner, and picks have been wasted to get rid of these contracts.
Maybe he need a better Assistant GM. Damn
RC has a coach and an owner to please. And both are rather difficult.
Buford's getting exposed as a pretty lousy GM.
Yeah because he didn't bring over Luis Javtokas like you wanted.
We should hire Zeke.
Luis Scola and Robertas Javtokas would be excellent on this team about now, don't you think? I've been completely, utterly, and wholly borne out on those points.
On Javtokas?
No.
But what does this change?
Changes nothing because hes the epitome of the broken record.
Actually, I was pretty right about Javtokas, too. I was saying we should bring him over instead of Elson. Proven right. Regardless, having a guy with length and athleticism, not to mention actual shot-blocking prowess, could have helped.
So, yeah. Right about that, too.
Because he has proven himself in the NBA?
No.
So... uh... no one should draft Gallinari? Ricky Rubio? Never bring over a foreign player?
Please, burnish your takes a little. Take some time off the board. Your signal to noise ratio is dropping precipitously.
Your the one who just said the other day the Spurs have to draft an American.
Make up your mind.
Nope.
You always sucked and you're still here.
They should. There's no dissonance here.Your the one who just said the other day the Spurs have to draft an American.
Make up your mind.
IMHO, Javtokas > Elson.
But that said, Elson had moments of competency. We did win a le with him as a regular in the rotation.
Javtokas is completely unproven at the NBA level. There's no proof that he would have been better - only speculation.
Javtokas didn't want to compete with Elson for a spot.
That should tell you something.
He wouldn't have.
Time for Mr. Body's annual rant about Super Euro Scrub Javtokas.
Buck copies and pastes from Spurstalk more than boutons does from democraticunderground.org over on the political forum.
Is he serious?! That right there is a superstar player who requires a lot of money. The Spurs would not spend that much this year numbnuts!
It's tough to gauge Javtokas' season, but I still don't see blowing the MLE on him.
javtokas is twice the man oberto is
his offensive game is limited, but his better than oberto defensively, rebounds, blocks, and yeh he would jam it instead of putting up pussy shots.
javtokas at the correct price of the minimum, i would do it.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
