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Who gives a , what's with all the damn crying? Waaahhhhhhhh
there we go everyone is out to block the spurs
Who gives a , what's with all the damn crying? Waaahhhhhhhh
Portland set up with Houston to get the Batum. Houston drafted Batum intending to send him to the Blazers. I don't know if Memphis was in from the start (because Arthur was swapped for Greene). Greene was who Houston wanted from the start; they got something extra for helping Portland (Joey Dorsey).
Hey, I'm not saying I'm not a cheetoh-eater myself. What I'm saying is there are people far more expert on this who are writing what by far more likely was the story.
Holy you're dense.
What proof does DX have here besides their own speculative journalism?
What cookie jar was there hand in? Also, HOW THE was SA hiding Batum who many saw going in the teens?
lol
I have a feelig that Portland would have made that deal with any other team who was slotted in the 25th spot.
If the Spurs were really intent on taking Batum, they did a piss-poor job of hiding it. The move was completely telegraphed - Givony himself says several teams telephoned to ask for Batum's records, and we worked him out right before. Seems like a smokescreen. You think they would have adopted a Mahinmi-type approach to the situation - and if you look at George Hill as the targeted pick, they did. It makes the most sense.
I'm thinking you just got here, yet you didn't. Dude, it's all right there. They've explained it.
And... again, this is not speculative journalism. These are not bloggers. This is a professional site that is not only getting slots on NBAtv now, but OTHER NBA TEAMS were contacting DX to see if they had the Batum physical results when they were hidden.
I sure as know they weren't calling you.
As opposed to hearing it from the people who actually make the picks?
Huh?
Pop couldn't say Hill was their second pick after Batum was taken. Instead he was still hiding the burn by Houston in saying Hill is who they wanted.
lol
Holy , spots on NBATV? Are those as lucrative as TMZ spots on Entertainment Tonight or something?
Draft Express is a site, with no real credible journalists. Not a single one. The sad part is teams contacting them for information. If that's true.
You truly are ing re ed.
If the Spurs flat out said that Splitter was their 2nd choice last year, why would they feel any different about saying it this time around?
Because Hill was their 1st choice. Not Batum.
The plan was sniffed out by teams not detered by the questionable heart results - they still wanted to see the physical. See, the Spurs aren't freaking geniuses. Not everything they do is wonderful cherub-butt goodness. It's astonishing how they can make mistakes here and there, like with Scola, with Butler, with Splitter, and people still think the sun shines out of their behinds.
The Spurs thought they could ploy to get Batum, got ratted out. They sent the silly email out to trick a sense they didn't want the pick (i.e. the Batum physical was bad), it still didn't work. By the time they got to their pick they probably knew - at some point in the day - they'd have to go for George Hill. The last part I don't know, but THE STORY IS Portland and Houston blew up their nifty plans. Batum was clearly their #1 target. They either blundered or - IMO, more likely - the task simply was too hard to pull off.
As I said, Buddy, because I have to leave:
Other teams were contacting DraftExpress to see if they had Batum's physical. Why would DX have their physical? Because DX has become an integral part of the draft process for many teams, if not all. They are invited to workouts, they discuss things with scouts. They certainly aren't intimately involved in decisions but they have become respected attendants to the process. OTHER TEAMS EXPECTED DX MIGHT HAVE THE BATUM PHYSICAL RESULTS. If you cannot see the significance of this, you are a re .
THE SPURS WEREN'T KEEPING THE ING PHYSICAL FROM BEING SEEN YOU INCREPATE ING SPAZ.
What does that ing matter? Other than teams are dumb enough to contact Draft Express for information. DX had no concrete proof that SA was targeting Batum outside of their own speculation. YOU ARE TOO DENSE TO COMPREHEND THAT.
LMFAO at all you conspiracy-theorist Spurs fans!
Reading these posts, it seems that there's consensus that every other team in the league has only one goal in mind: -blocking the Spurs' pick.
Gimmie a ing break. You people are amazingly stupid.
I'm not buying it. How did people "sniff out their plans" if they worked the guy out days before? Doesn't take a detective to see inferred interest. Everything else is supposition.
And I don't appreciate being made to seem like a homer. Even if our front office makes and will make mistakes, RC Buford is not the idiot that relentless cynics make him out to be. The Spurs would simply not telegraph Batum like they did after informing Hill that they would take him if he was on the board. This pick is actually quite similar to Mahinmi's when you think about it.
If DX is part of the media...
Why would the Spurs telegraph their moves to them?
Don't want to get in your face, Mr. Body. Just trying to make sense of your rationale.
Second--media works in a certain way--they report on what people tell them. Ben Bradles, former Managing Editor of the Washington Post once said they should tell their readers they print lies because they print what people tell them--which often is a damn lie anyway.
Third--there is layer upon layer of hearsay involved here in these reports. One person quotes another person who quoted another person--this gets passed to a media member,who decides that it is valid because after all, he spoke with person number 2, ignoring the fact that person number 2 is beholden to person number one as his "source."
Again--there could be a perfectly legitimate answer to this--
They worked out Batum--liked what they saw--spoke about how he could fit in the rotation.
Then--later, they work out Hill.
They liked what they saw even better--tell Hill he is their man and that if he is available at number 26, they will pick him.
They phone Hill and tell him on draft day as well.
Hill was available at number 26.
Spurs FO reacts with glee.
This is as possible as any "conspiracy theory" advanced by Rockets and Portland fans, who have nothing better to do except to forget that when the Spurs drafted Parker and Ginobili, they probably never heard of them either and smirked because they got their selection and the Spurs had to settle for a Frenchman and a guy from Argentina...
Spurs didn't mean to telegraph their moves. Their moves were figured out.
Is it possible they allowed their moves toward Batum to be figured out because they wanted to make sure they were getting Hill?
I agree with lots of what you say otherwise. This FO has screwed up alot especially with the Scola deal imho. Just my opinion--no need for this thread to get hi-jacked by Scola arguments.
I just have a problem believing that Pop would tell Hill that day that if he was available at 26, the Spurs were going to draft him without any intention whatsover of doing so. I just don't think Pop would intentionally lie to a young player, especially one with the character like George Hill.
I can envision him inadvertently leaving an impression with Batum, however, especially if he stated how well Batum would work in their rotation, etc.
The first is a clear message--we're going to draft you if you are still available.
The second is ambigious--we like what we're seeing; you could work out fine for us, etc.
Then again, maybe Hill was their objective and Batum was the plan B.
In which case--the arguments advanced by Houston and Portland fans may be ironic.
The arguments back and forth, though, are fascinating--have enjoyed reading this thread a lot.
The reason I don't buy into that is that no one in that area of the draft was looking at George Hill, as far as anyone knows. Consensus was forming that he was a 2nd round player, maybe early in the round. Like Houston grabbing Aaron Brooks out of the 2nd round last year with a 1st round pick, San Antonio grabbed George Hill earlier than anyone expected. You don't need to use smokescreen using Batum to draft a player no one in front of you is going to select.
Given that, wouldn't the concern that Hill could be gone between picks 26-45 be valid enough to warrant going after him at 26?
That's a separate question than whether a smokescreen was necessary, though, which is what I was talking about. People have been saying the Batum stuff was a smokescreen to hide interest in George Hill. That doesn't make sense.
which is the bigger conspiracy? Rockets and portland blocking the Spurs <-- simple as that, or the spurs conspiracy, where they go through the painful process of dangling batum with reverse psychology, so other teams will bite the bait in the 20-26 picks giving them a slightly better chance of taking a second rounder prospect in hill, against a projected late first rounder in Batum? All hail Pop and RC Bufford if that's the case, they got the backup of choice they always wanted for Tony Parker, Bruce Bowen is still old though, let's see what these tactical geniuses at the spurs FO have left up their sleeves. spurs conspiracy is way bigger, spurs win.
Last edited by Kobe24Forever; 06-29-2008 at 02:48 AM.
If Batum's camp was so intent on having the Spurs pick him why did it become public knowledge that the Spurs had been given his physical report? Why not keep it secret so the teams all thought that no one had gotten the report and there was something to hide with Batum's physical condition? If they wanted the Spurs to pick Batum why did they supposedly also provide the report to Cleveland? Maybe it was all a ruse on Batum's camp's part to make teams think the Spurs were interested in him so someone would pick him higher and Pritchard was duped. Lots of theories. Lots of possibilities.
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