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Pops is vastly most likely.
Mikki Moore
Pops Mensah-Bonsu
Someone else (please list)
Who do you think they should try and pick up? Mikki Moore has been waived, and has shown spurts of decent play. Might not be a bad third C to have. Pops Mensah-Bonsu has been tearing it up in the D league. Someone else? Should they focus on picking up a back up C or another shooter? Realistic options only, in this thread.
Pops is vastly most likely.
Pops will probably have a 10 day pretty quick here. After that it will depend on who gets bought out.
Either Moore or Pops would probably be signed for a 10 day contract, but my thought is that Pops is likely to be more of a long term project whereas Moore is good for 10-15 minutes in games that require a lot of C time (rebounding, blocking out, picking up fouls) come playoff time.
Pop likes Moore alot. They are always very cordial with one another when we played against Moore's team. I think Moore is much moore likely to sign with SA than Boston where he won't see nearly as much PT.
My best guess....Robert Horry. Pop's not gonna bring in a D-league guy for the post season. We need someone with post season experience.
Pops FTW!
Kinda hard to answer since we don't know who all the buyout guys are going to be yet. Generally speaking though, guys like Pops need to be near the bottom of the list and guys like Mikki Moore need to be near the top. Nothing against Pops, but if we're looking for somebody who has a chance to help against the lakers 3 months from today undersized power forwards with no NBA experience need to take a back seat to adequately sized power forwards or centers with NBA experience.
Rasho......
Moore because I don't see Pops being the type of player needed come playoff time. Not that he isn't good and has been putting up great numbers in Austin but he is coming from the D league, very inexprerienced with our system and the NBA in general. Yes, I know he played in the NBA and was in Dallas so why is he in the D league then? At the time he wasn't able to adapt to the league and was eventually cut loose. He seems to have matured more but is he going to be a contirbuting player remains to be seen. Tough call - go with Moore who has played awhile in the league or give someone with little experince a shot at it? Pop will most likely go with the vet over the rook.
I look at Pops as a long term project similar to Ian and Gist (and to a cerain extent Hairston even though he is on the roster now) where they will be in training camp next year but not really going to contribute now.
Sigh........ Rasho ing Nesterovic
Gotta go with him because we need experience which he has over Pops and IQ which he has over Mikki. Plus Rasho has played in the system before making it easier for him to be prepared before playoff time.
I like Mikki for his hustle and mobility but he tends to make a lot of mental mistakes at crucial times.
Bottom line is that the Spurs need a "plug and play" big more than simply an athletic big who might be prone to lapses come playoff time.
Spurs still have 4 bigs (Duncan, Bonner, Thomas and Oberto). If Spurs sign a new big, only 3 profiles makes sense :
- A player good enough to be above Oberto in the rotation.
- A player bad enough to not be upset to be the 5th big.
- A player with a specific skillset that can be useful against some teams.
IMO, Moore doesn't fit one of these 3 profiles.
Spurs have won 2 Championships without a "great" bigman next to Duncan.
IF and thats a BIG IF Bynum does not come back this year, The Spurs dont exactly NEED that extra 7 foot Big man. I would like to see Pops though for his youth added to the team. Maybe to guard Lamar Odom if needed.
I think it's pretty simple. We have bigs who are slow, can't block a shot and are poor team defenders.
Either we try one of those options:
- Mikki might be a lil faster and might block a shot or 2
- Rasho is a good team defender and might block a shot or 2
- Pops is athletic and might block
Rasho has championship experience so he'd be my #1. Point is, any of these 3 guys might be worth a try because again, we have slow, non athletic bigs. Duncan needs help
True, but the guy they had at center on those other 2 championship teams was still way better than anything on the current Spurs roster that they're trying to pass off as a center.
You left out the fact that the Spurs didn't face a team with a good inside game during those runs. LA, Boston and Orlando now have that.
Also, the bigs that we had during those runs were more capable of playing decent D and at least bothering shots than what we have now.
Hoping that Bynum doesn't come back isn't a winning formula. Preparing for his eventual return is.
Bingo. And even if Bynum isn't there that doesn't mean that there's nothing to be gained by having another big on the roster capable of filling in for a few minutes. Even if it's just providing Tim Duncan with a couple more minutes of rest.
Damn. Hard to argue with that.
I'd change this slightly, although it doesn't really impact your conclusions.
The spurs have 3 active bigs beside Duncan (Bonner, Thomas and Oberto). To The Spurs have one open roster spot, which could either be used on a wing or a big. To sign a new big, he would have to have the potential to displace a big in the playoff rotation.
This means that the player signed would have to be better at the role of the player displaced, or bring a different skill set.
Nesterovic (if bought out), could probably displace both Oberto and Thomas in the good defener, relatively low offensive impact role.
Pops Mensa Bonsuh brings a different skill set - high energy rebounder, shot blocker, defender of perimeter PF's (he might even be athletic enough to defend large 3's, eg. Odom, Turkoglu ...)
Mikki Moore isn't better than Bonner. Really, he's not much more athletic, can be just as bad defensively, and doesn't shoot nearly as well... I don't see us picking up Moore.
The other interesting question is a two parter, are we going with a big or wing, or will we make space to do both. Given the minutes Udoka has played, and his expiring contract, might we just cut him to have another roster spot to play with? Either picking up 2 bigs (Pops and Nesterovic, maybe?), or a big and a wing (Nesterovic and White perhaps?)...
In the short term, I expect us to pick up PMB on a 10 day or two, while we wait to see who (other than Moore) is bought out...
Joe Smith or bust. Besides likely being the best bigman available, I think he would fit this current version of the Spurs best. Pops Kunta-Kinte may eventually turn into something, but as anything other than the 5th big then the Spurs are going to have a short postseason. Mikki Moore would be nothing more than a 5th big.
If the Spurs are going to win a championship this year, it's going to be due to offensive execution and savvy more than anything else. If you are going to add to the frontcourt rotation at this point, you add experience.
Rasho >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Joe smith
Radoslav? Meh. Beggars can't be choosers, I suppose. I think Smith would be a better fit for this version of the Spurs.
I think if your worried about interior defense and having a shotblocker to back up Bowen and what not, the best option if hes bought out is Rasho. Joe Smith is not a shotblocker nor a big man that can bang with Bynum downlow.
Joe Smith is nothing really. Pretty worthless. Plus Rasho has corporate knowledge and would plug and play quickly and without much disruption.
Radoslav is no longer a shotblocking threat. You need a more agile and shrewd bigman playing next to Duncan.
Rasho is averaging three and a half boards in 20 minutes a night. That's pathetic. Smith is averaging something like 40% more in the same time and is blocking as many shots as Radoslav.
Mikki Moore is horrible. He is physically incapable of rebounding the ball. Blocks? forget it!
Rasho may get bought out by the Pacers so they can develop Hibbert. Dude is definitely a better option than Moore and better for us than Smith. Can block, defend, rotate, and rebound. Knows the system and the personnel. Get Rasho.
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