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These are time I really wish Ludden were still here.
Duncan intrigued by talk of Big Four
Mike Monroe
PHOENIX — Just as he usually does after games at US Airways Center, Spurs forward Tim Duncan walked toward the winning locker room Sunday afternoon, ice bags on knees that he admits ache after every game.
Another All-Star Game behind him, Duncan headed for the final 31 games of the regular season wondering how the Spurs’ roster will be shaped for the stretch run.
The trade deadline will come and go Thursday. Some of Duncan’s teammates might go with it if another star comes to join him in his quest for a fifth championship ring.
All weekend, Duncan had heard the talk about a four-for-one Spurs swap with New Jersey that would land Vince Carter. The Nets forward is still enough of a star that his presence on the Eastern Conference All-Star roster Sunday would have been no miscarriage of basketball justice, and Duncan knows it.
What Duncan had not heard, as of Sunday night, was Gregg Popovich’s voice.
Duncan has earned consultation rights when the Spurs consider major moves. Popovich jokes that his star pivot man is the de facto boss of all things Spurs. But he is serious about sharing important decisions with the team’s most important player.
“Pop comes to me with some stuff, but not everything,” Duncan said. “I don’t even know if that (proposed deal) is something of truth. I don’t know anything about it, honestly, so I don’t know what it means.”
Duncan says he would love to have Carter as a teammate, and why not? At age 32, Carter remains one of the NBA’s most productive small forwards, averaging 20.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists.
Duncan hedges when the price for Carter reportedly includes Roger Mason Jr., Bruce Bowen, George Hill and Fabricio Oberto.
“I’d hate to see that many guys go,” Duncan said after an All-Star appearance he enjoyed, largely because of its brevity.
If general manager R.C. Buford can find a way to get Carter from the Nets without including so many rotation players — a Robert Horry sign-and-trade could be part of such a solution — it is easy to imagine Duncan giving such a deal the blessing Popovich likely would seek.
Know this: Duncan may hate the thought of four Spurs going to New Jersey to get Carter, but legitimate Western Conference le contenders are panicked at the thought of Carter teaming up with Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
Duncan structured the contract extension he signed before the 2007-08 season to give the Spurs some salary cap flexibility in the talent-rich summer of 2010. He gave up about $3.3 million that season.
Carter will make $17.5 million in 2010-11, and that means the Spurs would have roughly $50 million tied up in three players: Duncan, Parker and Carter.
Manu Ginobili, an unrestricted free agent, would still have to be re-signed after making $10.7 million next season, meaning the Spurs would have limited resources to fill out their roster without becoming luxury tax payers.
In effect, Carter would be the free agent Duncan’s magnanimity enabled.
“The point of my deal was to try and get a high-caliber free agent in that year,” Duncan said. “I tried to clear some cap space so we could use it.”
Carter, even at age 32, still qualifies as a high-caliber use of such flexibility. Knowing teams that seek to leapfrog the Spurs on their way to the top of the West are losing sleep counting the ways Carter, Duncan, Parker and Ginobili could cause them nightmares is reason enough for Duncan to rest easy.
These are time I really wish Ludden were still here.
The Carter discussions continue...I just have a feeling this deadline won't be quite like years past...
i'm absolutely certain carter does not qualify as "a high-caliber use of such flexibility". the guy is way overpaid.
No WAY we get carter, its a ing smoke screen for Sheed!
Forget that , there is just no way we can afford carter. It just doesnt make sence at all. Sheed is more achievable than Carter and makes more sense contract and "need" wise.
we don't need a shooter, we have manu
we need a big man who can provide an interior presence. kurt's weird ass eyes aren't enough.
giving up roger mason jr and hill, no
Spurs are up to something and are using Vince Carter as a smokescreen! I would love Rasheed Wallace but I don't know if that will happen! I don't mind giving up Bonner, Udoka, Fab, Vaughn and Finley for Rasheed!
[QUOTE=Chief;3116295]we don't need a shooter, we have manu
kurt's weird ass eyes aren't enough.
LMAO!
Last edited by sammy; 02-17-2009 at 03:13 AM. Reason: correction
i'm more concerned about this part.
Smokescreen for Chandler!!! Make it happen, RC.
If we're not also including Splitter and maybe Golden State's 2nd rounder for Brook Lopez (and most here seem to think that's impossible) I'd rather not give up all that for Carter alone.
I have a good feeling about this.
yes, spurs need to get brook lopez. he would thrive under duncan and the spurs. i watched him play during the rookie-soph game and he was probably the best performing rookie next to beasley. if nurtured correctly, he can become like duncan. i would definitely give up bonner + second rounder/splitter for him.
It's been going on a while, it came up again in a Buck Harvey article recently. It concerns me too, but it's not new, and from everything I've heard it's not any worse than it's been.
I'll laugh if we get him and we win with him as a key factor and everybody kisses his ass and praise him
all those regular season and playoff games have finally caught up to duncan. this actually makes acquiring a scoring big much more urgent so popovich can limit duncan's minutes. too bad the entire spurs offense dies when duncan isn't on the floor. they need someone else to pick up the slack. duncan has carried the spurs during parker and ginobili's injuries, he deserves some extra rest before the playoffs.
And he would have a great teacher in Duncan.
Sheed please. Thank you.
my star readings tell me a big trade is going down anytime soon, involve the spurs.....
within 72hrs stay tuned
Hopefully, they are not the stars of self-destruction.
I have this feeling like something is going to happen also....I hope its Sheed, I can only hope and dream as of right now....But man..a 4th qtr line-up of TD, Sheed, TP, Manu, and Mason? Wow!
+1, I think we need a big boy to help TD in the paint, for the record Manu is a scorer rather than a shooter like Pop said.
Why the does Monroe keep talking about Timmy's knees?
damn...I just hope we will make something happen these days...I feel, we have a chance with the roster as it stands, but it will be way better with sheed or carter
wallace is the better suit to our team, but dont underestimitade carters impact...with more minutes for bowen and maybe kurt, I think we will solve our defense problems, but our firepower would be lacking...and if carter can something, than have a nice impact on that end of the floor....love the manu, bowen, carter (+finley) rotation on the wings...we just would need to sign one or two biggs (I know, there isnt much substance out there, but with carters athletism, I could see us running some more small lineups.
I love the spurs for having so well grown base politics of making the team better from within and via draft, but thats just the right time to take a different approach and do it like detroit with wallace or the lakers with gasol...the pieces are out there!
(don't see lopez or chandler really beeing traded for nothing)
I demand they get tim what he wants.
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