So the thing that I still wonder is why the didn't they sign him?
P.S: Sorry for bringing this up again. I promise this is the last time I mention it.
That summer his buyout was still ridiculous, and the following summer the Spurs drafted Splitter and were over the tax threshold, so they figured they could let his rights go.
Money decisions are never much fun or sensible from a basketball standpoint.
james gist was actually sent to europe to kidnap splitter and brainwash the owners of tau into letting him go.
Didn't know that, thanks. It's good to know there was a somewhat reasonable reason not to sign him.
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I would generally agree with your assessment-- but those rare situations do occur where someone is a late bloomer or a hidden gem. I read dozens & dozens of pre-draft reports this year and not a single one thought George Hill was a first round draft pick... they were all wrong. For me, Sims came on strong late last year in the D league, and now has played extremely well this season... again, I don't view him as a "savior" or as a replacement for David Robinson, but I think he could contribute 10+ mpg as a center, basically replacing what the Spurs had hoped Mahinmi might be able to produce. If Mahinmi comes back this season, it sets up a battle between two young centers to see which one gets 12 mpg and which one gets, say, 3-5 mpg. I just don't see how guys like Tolliver or Vaughn are going to address this team's current weaknesses, whereas to a small degree Sims-- even in very limited minutes-- possibly could.
You make a valid point, but I think it differs from mine in 2 basic ways. First, while some were skeptical that Hill would be a first round pick, it seems that few in the know (other than the league itself, perhaps) doubted that Hill would be drafted.
But even if that were somehow questionable, the fact of the matter -- in my mind at least -- is that big men are evaluated in a qualitatively different way than guards and wings. That is, I think more marginal big men are drafted than are marginal guards and wings; left to choose between a fringe prospect with size and a fringe prospect who plays outside, teams will almost always lean towards size. Because of that, when everyone passes on a big guy, I tend to think that there are pretty legitimate doubts about whether that guy can play.
Those doubts are more pronounced when the same guy gets 2 opportunities in the league but never shows enough -- even to teams that could use help at the 4 or the 5 -- to stick. I might be alone in my assessment, but I certainly think that a team like the Hornets could benefit from having another big man around who can play and eat up minutes. The fact that they had Sims in their camp this fall and chose against keeping him around is a red flag about just how well his game can translate to the NBA.
Certainly, as I've said, there are exceptions to every rule. Udonis Haslem wasn't drafted and has turned out to be a quality player in the league (though I think Haslem is a different case because he fundamentally changed his body between his draft eligibility and his arrival in the NBA). But with big guys in this situation -- legitimately-sized, undrafted, and excelling in the D-League -- I'm generally inclined to believe that the maximum upside is something like Mikki Moore. Frankly, I'm not sure that adding Mikki Moore to the Spurs roster would change much.
In Sims' case, I'm not impressed with the D-League numbers, particularly given the passes that other teams have taken on him recently. Maybe I'm wrong about it. For his sake I hope I am. Obviously, I don't get paid to evaluate basketball players; but it says a lot to me that the guys who do get paid to make those decisions have generally decided against investing much in this guy.
I understand that you're offering fairly low expectations but hope that he might pan out. I would suggest again that the pass that the Hornets took on him is instructive. The Hornets had a roster spot available (by my count, they only have 14 guys on their roster) and still chose to jettison Sims. They've found playing time in their big spots for Sean Marks, so to me, that says something.
I also would dispute Vaughn's worth at this point, if only insofar as he keeps the Spurs at least serviceable at the point if Hill is injured or otherwise falls on his face. I'm growing more skeptical of Tolliver's value, though I can see that he at least plays hard and has some of the earmarks of a poor man's Malik Rose, circa 1998 or so.
You make good points, FWDT, and I don't fundamentally disagree with any of them. Generally speaking, the #11, 12, and 13 guys on the roster are rarely going to represent the difference between winning and losing anyway, and as much as I like Tolliver's energy, I just think that gambling on a rebounder/shot-blocker at this point makes more sense than gambling on an undersized PF who likes to shoot the three. If Sims can grow as much in the next half year as he seems to have in the past half year, the Spurs have a reliable 3rd string center.
And I can still remember a time just a few years ago when Tyson Chandler was being called a bust... though I know the Spurs took a shot at him when he was available.
Do you think that the Spurs are in need of another big body defensively?
it should be blamed to Jakie Piggy Butler. Spurs wanted the rockets to swallow Butler's garbage contract, the expense was just the rights to scola. that's was a gamble and our bid was the possibility that Scola is as bad as or even worse than Jakie, but we lost the gamble. Scola deserves the rockets to eat butler's gargabe fetide contract.
again..
you guys have to realize that we might look to the D-League for a breakout player, but NOT for a star..we're going to be looking for a ROLE PLAYER that can give us a dimension that Bonner and Thomas can't for certain situations..
we aren't looking for the next Duncan or KG, we're looking for a Kendrick Perkins type of player, because that's all we need..
those aren't unrealistic expectations..it'll be difficult, but it's not unrealistic..
That's all we need is a backup big that can defend, rebound, maybe block a few shots and play good positional defense for about 8 - 12 mins
I wish Kerr knew this before selecting Robin Lopez.
We need the Gist and Camby or Kaman.
I got an idea, we could surgically transfer tolliver's ankle in place of ian's.....
we couldve had kwame brown for the MLE....
In case anyone cares, TD is averaging somewhere around 36 mins per game. Yet another clear sign that another reserve big is needed to offload Duncan.
35:23
-- a whole 1:23 more per game than last season.
The horror.
I care. Both Pop and Duncan skated around it in this morning's practice interview, but I think it must be the first consideration on everyone's mind. This team runs through Duncan, they both said that today too. If he's worn down we go nowhere in the Playoffs.
I do think Duncan came into this season in great shape, and so far he's handling the minutes okay. It's been wonderful watching him strong out of the gate. But there's got to be some back up, the sooner the better.
It's not much but I think it can go either way. He, and therefore the team, either benefits from it and stays fresh all the way, or it begins to wear on him. I'd rather see a back up plan than take the chance.
I'm all for getting another big man, but I'm just not terribly afraid for Duncan's durability.
For everyone who watched Duncan singlehandedly going toe-to-toe with the frontlines of the Fakers, Hornets and Suns last year (with virtually little help), then that should worry you more.
What can I say? I don't worry about basketball much.
yeah it's just a game after all.
Kendrick Perkins is a first round talent who's had a learning curve while growing from a high school player into a professional. Guys with that kind of ability don't tend to toil in the D-League -- at least not without having been sent there by a team to develop.
If you're looking for Kendrick Perkins, I suspect you'll be disappointed when you actually get a poor man's Mikki Moore.
Like Perkins, I think the issue with Chandler was never a question of talent. He's an even more talented player than a guy like Perkins and it took him a while to physically develop. Chandler's ability to play on the defensive end has been pretty much evident since he came into the league and he's been a credible rebounder since he turned 20. I think Chandler became expendable to the Bulls mostly because they believed themselves to be contenders to win the East and sought veterans with experience to bolster a young roster for that run. They needed to move Chandler to gain flexibility to obtain Ben Wallace, but they also targeted P.J. Brown in the deal to gain experience and a better offensive bigman in their effort. I don't think it was just a matter of believing that Chandler couldn't play. And, clearly, the Hornets believed that Chandler could play.
Do I think the Spurs would benefit from having another big body to play defense and rebound? Absolutely. But I don't think grabbing undrafted castoffs from the D-League is a very likely resource for finding such players. I understand that it's not about seeking a star -- my point all along has been that I tend to be skeptical that guys like Sims (for all of the reasons I've listed before) are even capable of being useful 13th, 14th, or 15th guys on the roster of teams that have le aspirations. The fact that some are contemplating a belief that Sims (or a similar player) could come in and play consistent minutes -- something that 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th men don't get -- strikes me as silly.
Frankly, if the Spurs are seeking a big man who can provide credible and reliable help on the defensive end, they'd be better served talking to Indiana about Rasho's expiring deal or to the Bucks about the corpse of Francisco Elson than combing through undrafted prospects in the D-League.
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