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Well said. Thanks for posting.
Analysis: Addition of Jefferson big win for Spurs
By Kori Ellis, SpursTalk.com
The last we saw the San Antonio Spurs on the basketball court, they were headed to the exits after a Game 5 defeat at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. Was it the beginning of the end? Had the annual championship aspirations turned into championship pipe dreams?
Entering an offseason with more questions than answers, the Spurs wasted little time in unleashing a resounding blow to the rest of the NBA world. In a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, Richard Jefferson is headed to San Antonio in exchange for luxury tax relief in the form of Bruce Bowen, Fabricio Oberto and Kurt Thomas.
For the Bucks, this was a simple matter of saving money. Bowen and Oberto will undoubtedly be released to save approximately $3.9 million. It's also quite possible that Milwaukee and Thomas will agree on a contract buyout.
San Antonio, on the other hand, did this trade to better their chances of raising a fifth Larry O'Brien trophy. Jefferson, who averaged 19.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game last year, will step into the starting small forward role for the Spurs.
"It's a player that Pop is familiar with -- a guy he knew well," said RC Buford, President of Sports Franchises for Spurs Sports & Entertainment on Tuesday.
Gregg Popovich coached Jefferson during the 2004 Olympics and by all accounts Popovich was impressed with Jefferson -- on and off the court.
Athleticism is the first thing fans will notice when the newest Spur hits the court next season. Jefferson is a dynamic athlete who isn't afraid to run the break, attack the rim and finish with authority.
Away from the basket, he should also fit what the Spurs expect from their perimeter players. This past season, he shot 43.9% from the field and 39.7% on his three-pointers. The three-point accuracy was a career-best mark and he also connected on a career-high 116 shots from beyond the arc.
Defensively, Jefferson used to be known as a fierce compe or. While that aspect of his game has regressed in recent years, the 29-year-old from the University of Arizona should have no problem refocusing on a winning, defense-first team.
One aspect about Jefferson's adjustment to the Spurs that shouldn't be ignored is the fact that he'll be playing a role much more suited to his skill-set. In Milwaukee, he oftentimes found himself as the top option on the offensive end. While he's a good scorer, his game is better utilized as a complementary offensive option. Next to Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, Jefferson will find himself as a third or fourth option on most nights -- which should relieve pressure and allow him to become a more efficient offensive player.
Last season, Duncan, Ginobili and Parker all battled injuries. With that in mind, Jefferson's durability shouldn't be understated. In the last two years, he has started all 164 contests.
Jefferson on the Spurs should be a very good fit. If you are a Spurs fan, this trade is reason to smile.
WHAT'S THE CATCH? WHY DID THE BUCKS DO IT?
Jefferson is due more than $29 million the next two seasons. By making this trade, the Bucks will save more than $20 million. It will allow Milwaukee to try to re-sign free agents Charlie Villanueva and Ramon Sessions. While Jefferson is a very good player, he's not worth his superstar salary -- especially on a team attempting to rebuild.
Even on the Spurs, Jefferson will be overpaid. That said, the void he's filling is quite large and the short length of his contract makes the monetary risk well worth the gamble.
HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? WHO GETS THE PRAISE?
Buford and the rest of the front office have quietly been working toward putting the Spurs in this sort of situation. The plan has been to make sure not to take on any large contracts outside of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili that extend past the summer of 2010. Additionally, the front office keenly constructed non-guaranteed final years in the contracts for Bowen and Oberto.
In this market, with teams both clearing salary for next year's free agent rush and trimming budget due to the global economic downturn, the expiring contracts (not to mention the even more coveted non-guaranteed contracts) are extremely valuable. This Jefferson trade is evidence of that.
Buford, though, is quick to also give credit to others.
Said Buford: "Peter (Holt) and his group have challenged us to look at every opportunity we can to add talent to our team.
"They've challenged us to continue to make this better and I think there will be some exciting things to happen for us in this draft and moving forward."
The ownership group gets extra kudos for taking the Spurs to the brink of the luxury tax threshold. Buford, though, isn't surprised.
"Assuming luxury tax in the next year -- which is going to be difficult to avoid -- this won't be the first time we are a luxury tax paying team," he said.
WHAT HAPPENS TO BRUCE BOWEN?
After the Bucks presumably cut Bowen, the San Antonio fan favorite will be an unrestricted free agent and will be able to sign with any team in the league. Even though he's 38, he proved last season that he still has some gas left in the tank.
Buford, for one, realizes the void that losing Bowen leaves behind.
"Bruce has been a great defender at the wing, we're not going to be negligent in that pursuit as well," said Buford, when asked about plans in free agency.
A chance remains that the Spurs will attempt to re-sign Bowen once he is released. Would he want to return to San Antonio?
"Absolutely," stated Bowen.
If Bowen isn't re-signed by the Spurs, my personal belief is that he may call it a career and retire.
WHAT ELSE WILL THE SPURS DO THIS SUMMER?
Right now, the team's weakness appears to be in the middle. At the bigman positions, only Duncan, Matt Bonner and Ian Mahinmi remain. But it sounds like the Spurs are just getting started on their offseason plans.
"This is a piece of our plan going forward," said Buford, "but there is excitement and opportunities in the draft and free agency."
The 2009 NBA Draft is on Thursday. Although they don't have a first round pick, the Spurs have three selections in the second round -- 37th, 51st and 53rd overall. Free agency begins on July 1st. Expect the Spurs to be active.
Explained Buford: "I've had a challenge from Pop and Peter of let's go make this draft, let's go make free agency and let's go make trades to make our team as good as we can. And we're going to approach Thursday night and the draft with a lot of excitement. Just as the financial environment has created opportunities through this trade, I think there could be similar opportunities in the draft. I don't know where they are going to be -- maybe they happen, maybe they don't -- but Thursday night has gotten more exciting, as has Friday morning."
Reading between the lines, it sounds as if the Spurs may try to trade into the first round. If a player they are targeting drops far enough, don't be surprised if another trade takes place on draft night.
In free agency, players that may be talked to include bigmen Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess, who both played with the Detroit Pistons last season.
No matter where the upcoming path may lead to this summer, the championship aspirations are alive and kicking in South Texas thanks to the addition of Jefferson, a willing ownership group and shrewd management. Buford believes this was the right time to cash in their assets.
"We had created some advantages through the contracts we had in place and through the free agency of 2010 that we wanted to take advantage of when we could take advantage of it. And this was the appropriate time to do that."
Slideshow: Richard Jefferson is headed to the Spurs
Video: Bruce Bowen talks about getting traded
Well said. Thanks for posting.
Great writeup.
Nice read.
Indeed. Great summary.
That Kori Ellis guy writes good, succinct articles.
Tomorrow cant come fast enough, I'm almost giddy with excitement and anticipation!
Nice summary of the situation, an addition of Bruno crazy numbers of payroll situation would have been nice.
Sweet! An article by Kori!
Very well written, pretty much summarizes everything there is to know about the trade and the Spurs upcoming moves..
maybe a bump troll ?
Good one.
Explained Buford: "I've had a challenge from Pop and Peter of let's go make this draft, let's go make free agency and let's go make trades to make our team as good as we can. And we're going to approach Thursday night and the draft with a lot of excitement. Just as the financial environment has created opportunities through this trade, I think there could be similar opportunities in the draft. I don't know where they are going to be -- maybe they happen, maybe they don't -- but Thursday night has gotten more exciting, as has Friday morning."
RJ could finally be that long three to put up against Nowitzki....
Nice article.
Meh, i could take it or leave it
nothing to write home about
I disagree, I think Malik is at the end of his career, and honestly if the Spurs want to win it all next year, I don't think theres a position for him if they want to do that.
Better to bring Oberto back than Malik.
Great job Kori!
What did he mean "Friday morning has gotten more exciting"? Is he referring to RJ and the draft being over?
Great article Kori
Possible deals made during the draft and the proceeding press conference friday morning I'd assume.
That or thats when they shift into Free Agency mode.
Aren't they gonna turna round and trade Orberto to Detriot?
Last edited by LakerHater; 06-24-2009 at 08:03 PM.
This sums it up awesome!
I hate it when columnists get all of their ideas and talking points from message boards.
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