James Gist signs in Italy

[zepn]

Unfortunately a gold star for me... Some others were saying the Spurs should wait to sign Gist because they own his rights, I said he would play for a Euro if they did.

[wildbill2u]

only ones who ever get to here i told ya so are my kids. i never saw what everyone else who fell(in love) with gist saw. can he play basketball? yes, but so can the rest of the guys he was playing with, (at about the same level ,non nba level) but i will stick to what i said about gist, it wont take him as long as it has ian to become nba ready.(and im one who doesnt think ian is nba ready still) so if its true and gist isnt in uniform this coming season, it wont bother me, i never saw him playing much anyhows(which in turns means at least he wont be shining the pine for 82 games) i know alot of people in here thought gist was our saviour, just like they did ian,(some still think it) and of course hill, but call it what you want i watched the SL games not just once, but at least twice each, not even caring about the score(just watching our players and (coach reactions while i could) and the spurs did what i thought they would do, sign the only guy who didnt looked lost, and was given the chance to stay, and play within his game(tolliver). the rest of the SL guys for the spurs looked basically like a watered down version of what alot of people call team usa(thou i would add our SL roster had no choice but to play spurs style bball) so some of the players imo couldnt get their game on.(show boat). somewhat like bonner, why on earth sign a guy who isnt gonna contribute just yet? or at all for that matter. personally by not signing gist it tells me the spurs have better moves ahead. thank god.......ian has been playing for the spurs it seems like forever, and he has still to this day not made an impression on me,(not like the way some ppl. in here talk about him) he looked like he could move his feet just a little better this past SL and thats all the improvement i seen in him (not sure who is in charge of scouting big men for the spurs, but other then getting david, then dropping a season and getting lucky with timmy, they waste alot of names and alot of picks) look at championship roster bigs, for the most part every yr. we have a 7fter. next to tim, and then someone in the FO says (nah rasho,nazr,elson, etc aint good enough anymore), lets find someone better, and every yr. it seems here we go again.(only this yr we go with the guy pop has been either torching or trying to get for the last 3 yrs it seems, the giant 6'9 almost 40 kurt thomas)......imo theses are all good signs the spurs FO have something good waiting for us, and god willing its coming soon

The paragraph is your friend. People don't read big chunks of writing like the above. So if you want your opinion heard...

[VaSpursFan]

I'm questioning the idea that letting Gist go to Europe was part of the Spurs plan. Wasn't it obvious that he could come in and help on some level with shotblocking and rebounding, in other words, the things we sorely lack?

Either the Spurs were asleep at the wheel, or they low-balled him with a contract offer which then set him off to look for more money in Europe. Are they suck single taskers that they can't deal with Pargo and Gist at the same time?

think about it, the spurs still own Gist's rights so it's not like the Spurs gave up on him. it's a draft and stash with an American player versus a European player. this likely indicates that the Spurs are interested in someone who is more NBA ready and will add them via trade or free agency. it's not all doom and gloom but indicates to me that the Spurs are about to do some wheeling and dealing.

[Bruno]

The article linked in the first post has been updated.
They now said that Spurs will send members of theirs staff to follow Gist at various moments of the season.
Gist has signed with this team with Spurs' agreement. Spurs likely didn't want to spend time, money and a roster spot on Gist this year.

[lefty]

[Indazone]

BONZI WELLS AND EDDY CURRY!!! HERE COME THE SPURS lol

[TheProfessor]

Wow. The 57th drafted player and people are jumping off bridges.

[timvp]

When the Spurs drafted Gist, I'm sure the plan was to send him to Europe. Reports came out early in summer league that Gist had agreed to go to Europe even before the draft, which has to be part of the reason the Spurs drafted him.

But I'm just perplexed on why the Spurs followed through and told him to go to Europe. In summer league, honestly he was better than Mahinmi. He was also better than Tolliver. Heck, he was the best player on the team. Not only that, his attributes are almost exactly what the Spurs need -- athletic 3/4, who can rebound, block shots, hustle and be productive without the ball.

I never thought Gist was going to be a huge producer this season for the Spurs but developing in Austin while being given a few token minutes here and there in San Antonio sounded like a perfect plan. Hustle players who rely on athleticism usually don't need much seasoning time. It's not like Gist is going to go to Europe and come back as a skill player. He's going to remain a hustling, athletic player who could help a team with energy off the bench.

I guess the Spurs just want to get as small and as unathletic as possible. Gist didn't allow that to continue so he had to go.

[venitian navigator]

At this point, looks like a "change of plans..." about the young way!
I don't think we'll be able to sign Pargo (N.O. can offer just a little bit more than us), but however it's possible...and, in case, he should be an big improvement considering the guy he's gonna replace (Stoudemire)
I wouldn't be surprised if, at the end, we have the some guys of last year with only Hill (in place of D.M. Jhonson) and Mason (in place of Barry) like the new faces...and a last minute choice beetween Tolliver and Horry for the last spot available (with Gist and Hairston playing in Europe for developing their skills and make experience).
So, if we sign Pargo, Finley (and Hill), the 15 ones are :


P.M. : Parker -(Pargo) - Voughn
G. : Mason - Manu - (Hill)
F. : Bowen - Udoka - (Finley)
P.F. : Duncan - Bonner - Tolliver (Horry)
C. : Oberto - Mahinmi - Thomas

The good thing about that is we have six guys in the back court than can carry the ball, defend in a more than decent way and shoot (Hill was known as a shooter before summer league)...and all the six "bigs" look like "intercheangeble" at the P.F./C position.

So, I suspect that the idea is to play a lot of small ball with manu more and more like a small forward...and Udoka and Finley playing the four.

Problems ? definitely rebounding ... and points in the paint.
That's 'cause we don't have a very strong small forward, and I can't see Duncan and Thomas and Bonner and Oberto playing too much in the same line up (it would be too slow).

Only Solution available I see for that team ? a very good season by Mahinmi

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Which league is at a higher level: the D-League or the league Gist is in now?

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

think about it, the spurs still own Gist's rights so it's not like the Spurs gave up on him. it's a draft and stash with an American player versus a European player. this likely indicates that the Spurs are interested in someone who is more NBA ready and will add them via trade or free agency. it's not all doom and gloom but indicates to me that the Spurs are about to do some wheeling and dealing.

The problem is you don't draft and stash when you need help now.

PF depth chart:

Duncan
Mahinmi
Bonner
Tolliver

C depth chart:

Thomas
Duncan
Oberto

SF depth chart:

Bowen
Udoka

(Bowen getting old, Udoka not exactly fleet of foot).

We're still at the same place we have been - scarce depth at the 3 and 4 after Tim and Bowen (and both are starting to show signs of aging).

The Spurs need some youth and athleticism at both positions. Pop needs to get out of his stubborn rut of only thinking players with 25 years experience should be in his rotation, or we're going to be treated to watching the Big 3 + Bowen break down near the end of the season/post-season for the remainder of the TD era with nothing to show for it.

It's also maddening to see such a gaping hole at the 3, and then the one kid who shows a pulse at the position (Gist) gets shipped off to Europe.

The Spurs better have a significant trade to address the 3/4 positions in the works, or this off-season will go down as one of the worst of the Tim Duncan era.

[TheProfessor]

Which league is at a higher level: the D-League or the league Gist is in now?

Have to be the Italian league.

[TheProfessor]

The problem is you don't draft and stash when you need help now.

Gist wasn't going to help now. He can't compete at the 4 on any regular basis, and his skill level is relatively undeveloped to play on the wing.

[timvp]

The stupidest thing about this is that let's say Gist plays extremely well in Europe next season. He then will have European teams offering him a couple million dollars per season to stay. And since he's already done a season in Europe, he'd be much more likely to stay. The Spurs could then end up having to waste MLE money on him down the line. Or perhaps they won't want to give MLE money to a second round pick and will let him stay over there until they trade his rights.

Great thinking, Spurs. Play with fire once again. How could that ever go wrong?

[zepn]

Wow.

Hill was so bad the Spurs are picking at the rotten remains of free agency for a decent backup point guard.

Gist went from being good enough to contribute to a perrenial championship contender to... signing with something called "Pallacanestro", which must be Italian for "don't call us..."

[tp2021]

I hope this is a sign of a move being made soon since they really wanted that roster spot for someone else.

Hmm....trading hill for someone to take gist's spot, and signing pargo to take hill's spot....

[Borosai]

***** ****!

(to be continued...)

[lurker23]

I think this move makes it clear that the Spurs saw something in Gist's game that wasn't ready yet, something that needed at least a year of development. Based on what I saw from him in Salt Lake, my best guess would be that he needs to develop the skills to play the 3. At this point if they put him in the 3 slot, he's basically a 4 playing out of position. Yes, he's definitely an energy and hustle guy who can grab some boards, but is it worth it to put him on the floor if he either has to be an undersized 4, which could make him a liability on the defensive end, or an inexperienced 3, which could often make him out of position on the offensive end? I think he would have done fine as a small ball 4, but no doubt the Spurs want to give Udoka and Bonner/Tolliver a chance to fill that role. (Even if Bonner is tall, whenever you put a big man out there who plays a lot beyond the 3 point line, it has a lot of similarities to a small ball lineup.)

As for sending him to Europe instead of Austin, I assume it comes down to the roster spot. The roster flexibility of only carrying 14 guys is underrated at times, as it makes it easy to sign 10-day contracts to fill holes due to injuries, and it gives you more flexibility to make trades that bring in more guys than you send out. (Yes, you can always waive guys to make roster room for trades, but then maybe you end up waiving someone you really wanted to keep...say, James Gist.)

[urunobili]

I think this move makes it clear that the Spurs saw something in Gist's game that wasn't ready yet, something that needed at least a year of development. Based on what I saw from him in Salt Lake, my best guess would be that he needs to develop the skills to play the 3. At this point if they put him in the 3 slot, he's basically a 4 playing out of position. Yes, he's definitely an energy and hustle guy who can grab some boards, but is it worth it to put him on the floor if he either has to be an undersized 4, which could make him a liability on the defensive end, or an inexperienced 3, which could often make him out of position on the offensive end? I think he would have done fine as a small ball 4, but no doubt the Spurs want to give Udoka and Bonner/Tolliver a chance to fill that role. (Even if Bonner is tall, whenever you put a big man out there who plays a lot beyond the 3 point line, it has a lot of similarities to a small ball lineup.)

What guarantee do we have that he'll play the 3 in europe?

[Solid D]

What guarantee do we have that he'll play the 3 in europe?

He played the 4 primarily in Summer League.

[SPURSGOAT]

This is the worst news next to Maggette going with the Warriors... We need Gist NOW!

DAMN IT!!!! I will be even more upset if he never joins the Spurs in a year or two...

I don't understand this why not just send him to the Toros so he can at least learn the Spurs system...

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Gist wasn't going to help now. He can't compete at the 4 on any regular basis, and his skill level is relatively undeveloped to play on the wing.

Ya, energy players never help a team.

Signed,

Malik Rose
Anderson Varejao
Julian Wright
Jason Maxiell
Sasha Vujacic

You don't think Gist could have played spot minutes at the fourth, but think Ian, Tolliver, and Bonner can? LMAO! Gist was better than Ian in every aspect this summer, yet one got outsourced to Europe, the other will be on our roster this year. Stupid.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

I think this move makes it clear that the Spurs saw something in Gist's game that wasn't ready yet, something that needed at least a year of development. Based on what I saw from him in Salt Lake, my best guess would be that he needs to develop the skills to play the 3. At this point if they put him in the 3 slot, he's basically a 4 playing out of position. Yes, he's definitely an energy and hustle guy who can grab some boards, but is it worth it to put him on the floor if he either has to be an undersized 4, which could make him a liability on the defensive end, or an inexperienced 3, which could often make him out of position on the offensive end? I think he would have done fine as a small ball 4, but no doubt the Spurs want to give Udoka and Bonner/Tolliver a chance to fill that role. (Even if Bonner is tall, whenever you put a big man out there who plays a lot beyond the 3 point line, it has a lot of similarities to a small ball lineup.)

As for sending him to Europe instead of Austin, I assume it comes down to the roster spot. The roster flexibility of only carrying 14 guys is underrated at times, as it makes it easy to sign 10-day contracts to fill holes due to injuries, and it gives you more flexibility to make trades that bring in more guys than you send out. (Yes, you can always waive guys to make roster room for trades, but then maybe you end up waiving someone you really wanted to keep...say, James Gist.)

The only thing that was bad about Gist is that he's under the age of 30, which is a problem with Pop unless you're an unabashed All-Star in the making at a position of need (like Parker).

Pop is getting as bad as Larry Brown, can't have anyone in our rotation that hasn't been in the league for a good 5-6 years already...

[remingtonbo2001]

[SPURSGOAT]

I went from "excited" to seeing Hill and Gist play next season to "pissed off" in the past couple of days...especially now reading this thread.

Hill will probably end up with the Toros or get traded if we get Pargo. Hill and Gist were the only things exciting about the whole off-season for the Spurs... besides all the speculation that we might land Maggette...

Guess I should change my sig and avatar.. god damn this ing sux! no Gist...