Marc Stein: Lapdog to Spurs Front Office?

[Slinkyman]

I'm just saying you are looking for the wrong things from him. He's not a good rebounder or shot blocker. He's not someone who likes to bang like Malik. Look at him as a center who can run the floor with the running teams. He's not a plodder like Rasho, so he can stay in the game when teams want to run. He runs really well and knocks down midrange jumpers.

since when was Malik a shot blocker or even a good rebounder?

[Buddy Holly]

Who did Miami have to guard those players?

[Please_dont_ban_me]

I don't think anyone has a problem with the pickup of Butler and his potential.

Where most of the Pop critics are coming from is the same place they were the day after our season ended - we need more youth, athleticism, and length on the perimeter.

Dirk didn't kill us in the Dallas series, it was Howard and Terry alternating. We still have exactly zero players to even think about matching up with Howard. That's where a J.R. Smith, Qyntel Woods, or Trevor Ariza would have come in nice.

Instead, in the prime of Tim Duncan's career, we've put our eggs in the Rich Melzer basket. :/

If it wasn't Dirk, I think the guy that killed us was Terry.

The guy is just a clutch shooter. I think Payton did just enough to bug him into not torching the Heat. We don't have a PG like that we can use to get Terry off his spot just enough to miss.

[T Park]

That's where a J.R. Smith, Qyntel Woods, or Trevor Ariza would have come in nice.

Instead, in the prime of Tim Duncan's career, we've put our eggs in the Rich Melzer basket

yeah

Trevor Ariza is the "answer"

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

yeah

Trevor Ariza is the "answer"

Ariza is actually a pretty good defender and has quick feet. I guess if you watched someone outside the Spurs you'd know it.

Oh wait, you're telling me that the same roster of players on the Spurs who couldn't do it last year magically will this year?



Why have a 6'8" Ariza to matchup with Howard when we can let Bowen, Finley, and Ginobili take turns letting him blow by them because they can't keep up.

Typical TFart take.

[leemajors]

Not to rain on your parade there, leemajors, but I think many who followed the Spurs closely after the 2001 playoff debacle pointed to Bruce Bowen as "the target" of the 2001 offseason because of the possibility that he might be able to offer the Spurs some meaningful ability to defend Kobe Bryant. And that thought had developed over the course of the preceding season, really, when Bowen had shown himself to be an elite defender even if a relatively unknown quan y to the masses.

i didn't have one planned, i was just pointing out i was aware of who he was

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

yeah

Trevor Ariza is the "answer"

And this coming from someone who would have had the guy's jersey the day after he signed

[exstatic]

Who did Miami have to guard those players?

James Posey is a ing good defender. I would not mind AT ALL if the Spurs threw their entire MCE at him next summer.

[FromWayDowntown]

Ariza is actually a pretty good defender and has quick feet. I guess if you watched someone outside the Spurs you'd know it.

Oh wait, you're telling me that the same roster of players on the Spurs who couldn't do it last year magically will this year?



Why have a 6'8" Ariza to matchup with Howard when we can let Bowen, Finley, and Ginobili take turns letting him blow by them because they can't keep up.

Typical TFart take.

I guess I haven't completely given up on the idea that the Spurs will be able to find the athletic wing that they need; I'm more convinced that they: (1) weren't sold on most of what's available on the free agent market to fit that need; and (2) didn't think that the RFAs who were available would go unmatched.

I guess it might be another of the "we don't know because they didn't try it" scenarios, but my hunch is that there is something else coming and that the something else will involve filling that need somehow. I'd certainly agree that Ariza would be an awfully nice fill, but I have to think the Spurs must have feared that Orlando would be willing to match most any offer and leave them holding the bag on that one while depriving them of the opportunity to find quality to fill the need at center -- for instance, I think its reasonable to believe that it would have taken enough of an offer to Ariza that the Spurs' offer for Butler might have been more easily match-able.

[Solid D]

Okay, so I'm trying to picture some different scenarios. Please be quiet for a moment, I'm trying to concentrate.

To the voice of Bill Schoening:

"10 seconds to go in the game. Howard screens for Nowitzki, Ariza switches to Nowitzki who leans in and puts up a prayer...(tweet). Whistled by Salvatore. Foul on Trevor Ariza? You've got to be kidding me!"

"10 seconds to go in the game. Howard screens for Nowitzki, Woods switches to Nowitzki who leans in and puts up a prayer...(tweet). Whistled by Salvatore. Foul on Qyntel Woods? You've got to be kidding me!"

"10 seconds to go in the game. Howard screens for Nowitzki, Melzer switches to Nowitzki who leans in and puts up a prayer...(tweet). Whistled by Salvatore. Foul on Rich Melzer? You've got to be kidding me!"

Hmmm....I just keep coming up with the same results.

[ducks]

"10 seconds to go in the game. Howard screens for Nowitzki, MANU switches to Nowitzki who leans in and puts up a prayer...(tweet). Whistled by Salvatore. Foul on MANU? You've got to be kidding me!"

UNFORTUNALLY THAT DID HAPPEN

[Solid D]

Manu, Bowen, Tim....that's sort of the point.

[bigdog]

I wouldnt mind putting Finley on Dirk in that situation, he did guard Dirk decently when he had that assignment in the Dallas series.

[timvp]

I think as far as centers go, the Spurs did a good job of replacing Rasho and Nazr. Elson is like that pitcher who has a 5+ ERA but can eat up 200+ innings. Butler has more potential than any center the Spurs have had since they drafted David Robinson.

The next area the Spurs have to address is athleticism at the swing positions. They need a player who can guard multiple positions outside of Bruce Bowen. Dallas and Phoenix can both put teams on the floor with 4 or 5 players who can penetrate off the dribble. Even Miami has a lot of those type of players.

Right now the Spurs don't have enough defenders on the perimeter. Bowen can defend. Manu is a good defender against players his size. Parker is a pretty good defender against point guards. But other than those three, the Spurs have nobody to guard the perimeter. If a team goes big at small forward or has multiple players with size, the Spurs can't defend them.

As is, Dallas is still the better team. The Spurs need to make a move to get back to the top. Barry, Oberto and Beno are the players I'd look to trade to address needs. Even if the Spurs can't find a Long Three, a player like in the Antonio Daniels mode who can guard quick guards on the perimeter would be helpful at this point.

[ducks]

barry for hedo?

[timvp]

barry for hedo?

I'd do it.

Or Barry for AD. AD is a playoff player who'd be nice against the Harris and Terry backcourt.

But it'd never happen because AD has a contract longer than two years

[ShoogarBear]

Okay, so I'm trying to picture some different scenarios. Please be quiet for a moment, I'm trying to concentrate.

To the voice of Bill Schoening:

"10 seconds to go in the game. Howard screens for Nowitzki, Ariza switches to Nowitzki who leans in and puts up a prayer...(tweet). Whistled by Salvatore. Foul on Trevor Ariza? You've got to be kidding me!"

"10 seconds to go in the game. Howard screens for Nowitzki, Woods switches to Nowitzki who leans in and puts up a prayer...(tweet). Whistled by Salvatore. Foul on Qyntel Woods? You've got to be kidding me!"

"10 seconds to go in the game. Howard screens for Nowitzki, Melzer switches to Nowitzki who leans in and puts up a prayer...(tweet). Whistled by Salvatore. Foul on Rich Melzer? You've got to be kidding me!"

Hmmm....I just keep coming up with the same results.

Maybe the point is that with Ariza or Woods, the Spurs might not be in that situation to begin with.

[itzsoweezee]

Okay, so I'm trying to picture some different scenarios. Please be quiet for a moment, I'm trying to concentrate.

To the voice of Bill Schoening:

"10 seconds to go in the game. Howard screens for Nowitzki, Ariza switches to Nowitzki who leans in and puts up a prayer...(tweet). Whistled by Salvatore. Foul on Trevor Ariza? You've got to be kidding me!"

"10 seconds to go in the game. Howard screens for Nowitzki, Woods switches to Nowitzki who leans in and puts up a prayer...(tweet). Whistled by Salvatore. Foul on Qyntel Woods? You've got to be kidding me!"

"10 seconds to go in the game. Howard screens for Nowitzki, Melzer switches to Nowitzki who leans in and puts up a prayer...(tweet). Whistled by Salvatore. Foul on Rich Melzer? You've got to be kidding me!"

Hmmm....I just keep coming up with the same results.

the game would not be that close if the other mavs players don't destroy the spurs inside. the spurs basically made josh howard into a superstar. everyone was scoring at will on san antonio in that series.

defending nowitzski is NOT the problem.

[picnroll]

I wonder if Spurs didn't figure Elson might be the guy that can play some D on Dirk.

I still can't figure why the Spurs don't land Woods. He's cheap and fits their two year limit on contracts. They obviously had no confidence in Barry and his lack of D.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Maybe the point is that with Ariza or Woods, the Spurs might not be in that situation to begin with.

Ding ding ding...

If Josh Howard isn't going for 20 points a game, it's not coming down to the end.

[Solid D]

defending nowitzski is NOT the problem.

If only you were right. Miami defended him and defended him well. The Spurs could not.

I agree that with different players, the Spurs MIGHT have had bigger leads on the Mavs. As close as the games were, the Spurs could not avoid the bad breaks they got in the last 10 seconds of some of those games.

[timvp]

If only your were right. Miami defended him and defended him well. The Spurs could not.

I agree.

Not being able to guard Dirk or keep him off the boards was problem number one. With that part of the defense broken, the Spurs' overall scheme just collapsed. Bowen was forced to guard him, which put a small player on Josh Howard. With Dirk able to hide defensively on Bowen, the Spurs were forced to go smaller.

If the Spurs could find a player to put on Dirk and then keep Bowen on Howard, they'd have a damn good chance of beating the Mavs. Bowen could guard Howard so well that AJ would just take Howard out.

Bowen on Dirk has to be avoided this upcoming year. Finley isn't an option either because he can't rebound against him.

Miami showed how to do it. Put strong players on him who can also rebound and you turn Dirk into a jumpshooter. Do what the Spurs did to Dirk and you turn him into a better version of Larry Bird.

Bottomline is Dirk is the problem and the Spurs still have no answer.

[ShoogarBear]

And I say if Howard and Terry could have been stopped from waltzing into the paint, it wouldn't have mattered what Dirk did.

[Solid D]

[JUUOT]

The next area the Spurs have to address is athleticism at the swing positions. They need a player who can guard multiple positions outside of Bruce Bowen. Dallas and Phoenix can both put teams on the floor with 4 or 5 players who can penetrate off the dribble. Even Miami has a lot of those type of players.

Right now the Spurs don't have enough defenders on the perimeter. Bowen can defend. Manu is a good defender against players his size. Parker is a pretty good defender against point guards. But other than those three, the Spurs have nobody to guard the perimeter. If a team goes big at small forward or has multiple players with size, the Spurs can't defend them.

As is, Dallas is still the better team. The Spurs need to make a move to get back to the top. Barry, Oberto and Beno are the players I'd look to trade to address needs. Even if the Spurs can't find a Long Three, a player like in the Antonio Daniels mode who can guard quick guards on the perimeter would be helpful at this point.

This is why i thought getting vaughn as the 3rd PG was filling more than the experienced PG. He could be one part of the solution when dallas play a backcourt of terry and harris or phoenix goes with nash and barbosa. At least he brings versatility to our PG rotation we did not have last year with NVE. For me it is huge improvement.

The market is drying for solutions so it will have to come frome trades. Moreover if we want someone that will get playing time and be ready come play-off time to stood up we need to get rid of one swingmen and we all know too well it is barrry. if we go this route:

Barry could be bundled with one of our BIG since there is no room for all of them, Oberto being a good candidate, draft pics, rights to scola, to get an athletic swingmen being able to defend the 2 and the 3 or the 3 and the 4 or ideally 3 positions. I do not see beno going anywhere now and if we trade barry we can keep E.williams around as a insurance before getting rid of it before the trade deadline.