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The problem with Pietrus is that he reportedly has a bad basketball iq. Given the Spurs system, that's not good.
My #1 question: does Smith even have any interest in playing in S.A.? I guess we'll find out in the next couple of weeks. Remember, the last time he was reputed to be close to joining the Spurs was because of a trade in which he had no say. There will probably be lots of teams interested in him and offering him similar money.
One worry is that after a few weeks of looking at the different possibilities, he signs an offer sheet with the Spurs and the Nuggets let the max amount of time pass before matching, during which time Pietrus, Azuibuke, Gomes, Arroyo, James Jones and Delfino might all be gone. And then the Spurs sign Devin Brown & Nachbar....
If Pietrus is interested right away, and the FO has any indication that Denver would match a Smith offer, I'd prefer Pietrus. He's not a franchise-saver and not a future all- star, but he likes playing defense and despite any shortcomings is what Spur fans have been asking for: youth & athleticism. And if he didn't fit, he'd still be the best trade asset, far ahead of Udoka and Oberto.
my personal favorite is Ryan Gomes, who's also restricted but more available since Minnesota got K Love.
The problem with Pietrus is that he reportedly has a bad basketball iq. Given the Spurs system, that's not good.
I think the Nuggets would match. I do not know if Weems is a replacement just a filler with potential.
I was thinking the Nuggets would match too, but looking at their cap, I'm not sure they can. They'd definately pay substantial tax. Maybe this is why they're trying to get AI to opt out and extend, but for less per year.
I do not think paying an extra 4 million next year would keep them from matching. That would be extremely short-sighted. They already pay luxury tax and relief is right around the corner with AI's contract coming off the books. JR is not the problem, so pay a little more and keep him. I bet that is how they are thinking. I hope not.
They're going to let AI go after this season?
That's possibly true, but Smith's reluctance to play D, his run-ins with 2 coaches, his off court issues, and his inability to do anything well other than score sort of puts him in the low BB IQ category too, don't you think?
I'm not sure if you're responding to me, but there was talk of AI opting out this summer to extend, but taking less per year in order to alleviate the Nuggets cap problems. Not sure where that stands.
I'm not a huge Smith fan, but he is much better than Pietrus. And his defense is not nearly as bad as advertised.
Moreover, he is exactly the sort of scorer the Spurs need. Good range, athletic, finishes at the hoop. He would be a good fit. I agree about the other stuff, but the Smith vs. Pietrus debate is not much of a debate. Smith, always and all the time.
AI is not opting out, but his contract expires next year and he becomes a free agent so that is 20 million of the books. They might re-sign him but not for nearly that much.
It's not an extra $4M. Their payroll currently stands at $78M for 8 players. With the tax, that's about $91M. If they match an MLE offer of ~$5.5M, it adds about $11M to that payroll. The Nuggets would be at $102M, with tax, for 9 players, and still need to add 4 more to their roster.
You think he's going to take vet min? I'm thinking if they want him back, it's going to be at least $10M per year.
Didn't happen. He picked up his full $20M option for next year. Guess he didn't get a good vibe on the early negotiations with Denver.
No way, MLE to sign Iverson next year or they let him walk. I just read on Spursrep. that J.R. is a second tier f.o. f.a. anyways, so this is all for not probably.
What is a second tier fofa?
second tier front-office free agent
ya, so not 4 million, but 5.5. It adds 11 million to the payroll, but half of that is salary and the other half is tax for only one year. they have already publicly stated they will match any offer (within reason i assume, which the mle is)
If I hadn't left NY to come back home on Thursday, I would have gone to watch Artest and JR Smith's team play summer leagues, where the fiance of my wife's sister is a coach - he claims being tight with Artest. We couldn't stay longer in the U.S. for tax reasons, since we're living abroad, but that would have been cool. I could have felt out Smith's interest in the Spurs (which I doubt is high), as well as Artest's. Tell them SpursTalk members have hard-ons to get Smith playing for them.
Can you explain the math again? If Smith's current salary (2.3 mil) is included in that 78m, and Nuggets were to match 5.5, they would increase their salary only 3.2mil.
I do not think that JR's salary is on the books. He is a RFA, so if they do not match, he is off the books in tune with last years salary. If we offer the full MLE (~5.5) that gets doubled and added to the total of ~91 million.
Let's throw MLE to JR Smith and see whether Nuggets will match. It's only a week waiting and most negotiation is done between 7/1 to 7/15. SPURS can still sign players like Dorrell Wright + Ronny Turiaf or any other combination like CJ miles of 3rd tier young players. They will buy since they know they will have starter min. M Pietrus, Kelena, Delfino bring additional improvement but it's not enough to beat the Lakers / Celtics.
SPURS need Artest or JR Smith to get 15-20 ppg and play good defense to overcome declined production from Bowen/Manu/Barry.
I agree, and don't think Pietrus would beat Smith 1-on-1. But the risk of losing out on getting anyone while waiting for an answer from Smith's camp and/or the Nuggets is real..... I might like that kind of risk to land a Kirilenko or a Danny Granger....but I'm not too sure about J.R.
arrg the 60-90day rule for overseas tax payers or else you have to disclose overseas income...If I hadn't left NY to come back home on Thursday, I would have gone to watch Artest and JR Smith's team play summer leagues, where the fiance of my wife's sister is a coach - he claims being tight with Artest. We couldn't stay longer in the U.S. for tax reasons, since we're living abroad, but that would have been cool. I could have felt out Smith's interest in the Spurs (which I doubt is high), as well as Artest's. Tell them SpursTalk members have hard-ons to get Smith playing for them.
hey childress should be at the top of our list right?
The waiting threat is real, which is why J.R. is a secondary target this free agency period.
Childress has long been topping my list. But if the Spurs' interest was rebuffed in trade, it's a sign Atlanta intends to resign him.
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