Reply With Quote
Castle has that freedom as well, the last week and a half has shown that.
Mits not an excuse it’s how the cap works
Castle has that freedom as well, the last week and a half has shown that.
We are so lucky to have drafted Castle, it’s probably greedy to even dream of getting one of the other best players from this draft. But then to keep up with the best we almost have to.
Okc nabbed Ajay who looks like an amazing rookie from the 2nd round and Topic who still might end up being the best actual player from this draft.
Memphis also seems to have managed to get multiple great players from this draft in Wells and Edey.
I just don’t understand why spurs org seems to believe they couldn’t possibly handle more than one rookie on a team year to year. I guess they did try it the Sochan/Branham/Wesley year. Actually yeah maybe that scared them away huh and rightly so.
Sarr did not play in Euroleague. Risacher was on Euroleague roster, but once he was ready to play on this level, he was transfered to Bourg,where he played in, let`s call it, Euroleague`s 2nd division. Nowhere to compare with 18 yrs Luka
A rookie doesn't change your cap in any significant way, tbh.
Trading #8 allowed us to get Barnes. The #8 salary isn’t huge, but the cap hold would have blocked that Sacto trade from happening. For Sacto to get DeRozan,they needed to trade Barnes 100% into cap room,no players back.
I’d call Barnes and the swap significant.
As much as I love what Barnes has been doing, I would rather have Knecht, tbh.
In any case, there are lots of other moves the Spurs could have made to get both Knecht and Barnes. It's not like trading away #8 was the only way to make room. That's why I said it's not significant.
I have to argue that statement. As it is, just to get Barnes, they had to cut Bassey’s very cheap and reasonable deal, and get Paul to take $1M less. Opening any more cap room would have required pick assets, which then directly go to the cost of acquiring Knecht.
There are other fish in the sea, a number of shooters coming out in this draft, and some of them may even play defense.
I don't think so.
Ppl will start watching, opponent game planning, teammates come back and the hype will come down for McCain. Take away his ability to draw fouls and it's not that impressive + he sucks on D.
Castle on the other hand, will keep growing bc Spurs don't have anyone else with his skill set, and he's clearly gained the trust of coaches and teammates with his maturity.
I just listened to Sam Vecenie's podcast and they're all starting to be bluffed ... as expected. It'll spread around the league bc Castle is REALLY special in so many aspects.
I do think Castle will end up being the best rookie from this class. He’s just growing by leaps and bounds so fast. But I’m not sure people outside of spurs fans will recognize with the way he has such a balanced game. Sometimes it’s really subtle things like playing inspired defense on an important position or getting a rebound at just the right time. He’s a real momentum swinger.
Because nobody watch the Spurs bro, media included... yet at least
It'll be like Wemby last season and become the overwhelming choice even for the haters.
The West isn't as strong as I expected, between injuries, new players etc Spurs will start making some noise and Castle is an American kid (and hope) and I'm sure it'll play in the attention Spurs get as much as Wemby
It's still very early in the season
i mean, even if he doesnt create off the dribble, its not just that he spaces the floor. he's already an incredible movement shooter, and that alone basically functions as creation, just off-ball creation.
the mcdermott comparison is apt as far as his offensive game right now, but he does seem to be a little better at the non catch and shoot stuff. still, him being at that level as a rookie is pretty promising. an older rookie, yes, but still a rookie. just depends on how competent he can become defensively. i know Korver became at least a reasonable defensive player during his career. and he even made an all star team.
edey seems basically as expected. he's just bigger and stronger than other centers and will be able to get his jump hook off. his length can cause problems defensively but his movement on that end has also been poor. he's averaging 1.8 blocks per 36 which is fine but not great. he's also been somewhat turnover prone for a guy who doesnt really do much handling. i still think clingan is going to be more effective even if edey will be the better 1 on 1 scorer. clingan ended up being one of the guys i liked in the draft to take at #8. put the collins/bassey question to rest by just replacing both with another specimen. and if he and wemby could ever learn to coexist on the floor it would be an absurd twin towers situation. but he got taken at 7
Last edited by spurraider21; 11-25-2024 at 01:38 PM.
I think Knecht will get it. People love scoring and Castle isn't quite there yet but man is he getting better by the day.
The Lakers factor can't be underestimated I agree, but Castle won't be close to where he is today in 3-4 months, again mostly bc Spurs just don't have anyone else who can do what he does.
He's the only one that can penetrate with passing abilities and court awareness, same for his ball handling and abilities to create space on offence.
On defence no one defends like him 1vs1, not even Sochan and as long as this one is out Castle is the only versatile one (aside Wemby obviously)
Baring any injuries, I think he'll (slowly bc he plays for the Spurs) become obvious to most observers.
that seems to be changing. windhorst's podcast crew were gushing over Castle today (and figuring out how to pronounce his first name), and the Athletic crew were mentioning how they look to see if the Spurs are playing on any given night because they consider the Spurs to be a fun watch. )ESPN is a whole different story but that group will always be about the big markets. i hope that the TNT crew can maintain their "i don't have to fall in line and talk about the Lakers all the time" stance.)
Check Vecenie's podcast, I might be in the minority (only 13k subs) but I enjoy his work and analysis, he raved about Castle too. Most real basketball fans/observers will agree fast.
But as much as we hate it ESPN or the big podcasts like Gil Arena's etc who just never watch and spit clichés at best are the ones creating the hype, they need more time to watch the same amount of games than the Lakers or Sixers to finally realise.
Wemby had the same handicap last season when for any true observer the ROY race was over by January when it lasted a cple more month until Vic shut Chet down with THAT block on the mainstream media.
It's going to be the same for Stephon even if I have some hope bc he's American and the US need a new elite generation at PG and I don't see anyone with a higher ceiling than him.
My hope is that a Castle/Sochan perimeter duo can replicate what Rockets fans hope that Amen Thompson/Tari Eason can be currently and moving forward. The Rockets duo is about 2 years older than the Spurs duo, but they are a straight menace defensively and probably the two most valuable players currently on the Rockets. Houston really ed up the Jalen Green pick, as a Mobley/Amen/Eason lineup with shooters would have been legitimately scary in the playoffs and similar to what I hope the spurs can build in the future.
Put Castle/Sochan together with Wemby behind them as opposed to Sengun and you've got the makings of a potentially generational defense. Wemby becoming a high volume 3 point shooter would help a lot of inevitable spacing issues from that group as well.
Castle/Vassell/Champagnie/Sochan/Wemby might be your ideal lineup then, at least considering who is on the roster right now. No minus defenders and three volume three point shooters. This assumes that Castle can be a passable floor spacer, hopefully he can get there.
idk if this has been posted yet:
You are right, this would be my ideal lineup but is really predicated on significant playmaking development from Vassell. I really liked what I saw from him at the end of last season but so far in limited games this season I think he's backslid in that department. If he's going to revert back to old bad habits and his defense continues to go downhill this lineup really isn't going to work.
Definitely think this is the future vision, with use of the draft to:
1) upgrade the Champ position, and
2) draft a potential Vassell replacement for down the road given injuries.
I had completely forgotten about the Bassey cut. How many years of control did the Spurs lose in the process? 1, 2, or 3?
I think it was maybe 2 cheap seasons after this one guaranteed while now he'll be a free agent this summer? Is that correct?
one or two years to eff up our tank mode ? whats the point. Rather have a shot at Flagg Ace Baily Harper or Tre johnson
To create a winning culture. You can't just turn the switch on.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions