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nice list timvp.
my top 5 would be: sheed, mcdyess, birdman, zaza, gooden
I wouldn't be so sure about the money, I posted an update on the Jav thread in the thinktank about an interview with the Lit press the past couple of days where when talking about wanting to play in the Euroleague again said he would take less money to do it, admitting than when he was younger the money was more important but now with a family with young children he has other quality of life issues that are more important to him.
Sure, he wasn't talking about the NBA and was strictly saying he wanted into Euroleague compe ion, but the gist may hold for the NBA as well. No guarantee, but hey, it's not like he never played in America before.
I view Javtokas different from Mahinmi in what they bring. Mahinmi obviously is more mobile, a much better scorer regardless of what level of basketball it is and is not an enforcer. Javtokas is strictly a specialist at this point in his career if he were to play in the NBA, but for the LLE he would be much preferable to many options. And considering how fragile Mahinmi has been, maybe some Ian-insurance in the form of Javtokas isn't a bad thing.
I agree that it would be unlikely for the Spurs to bring him in for the reason you cite though, experience. I think that can be a flawed approach, as in 06 when the public reasoning for Javtokas being the back-up plan if either Elson or Butler had their deals matched was that the Spurs wanted A: an experienced NBA vet (Elson the 30 y/o 3rd stringer) and B: a young player with potential (Butler, Javtokas was already 26 and with no illusions about his ceiling not being reached).
That plan from the Spurs was a failure. Say this summer the big names turn them down, Wallace, Dice, Gortat, Villanueva, Birdman all off the board . . . If the Spurs were to go with the same kind of reasoning, i.e. not interested in Javtokas due to NBA experience issues and end up signing an NBA scrub with NBA experience (like Mikki Moore), they will be worse off for it.
nice list timvp.
my top 5 would be: sheed, mcdyess, birdman, zaza, gooden
Nice writeup.(Probably could have been a bit more thorough. though.
)
You actually echo a lot of the same sentiment and rationale I've been using when it comes to Rasheed, although, I have to say you took the time to go a lot more in-depth, but I almost 100% agree with your assessment.
In short, Rasheed's presence, at least in basketball-terms, is a proven winner on this team. If Rasheed wants to know if he'd have success on this team, all he has to do is give Horry a call, because that's what he'd be. A bigger, more talented, Robert Horry.
Rasheed should be getting the full-court press from the Spurs as soon as that clock reads 12:01 on July 1st. He's just too good of a fit for what they need at this particular point in time and a 2 yr. MLE deal seems, at least to me, a better option than committing around 20M over 4 yrs. to a Gortat/Pachulia-type player. (Especially considering the likelihood of Splitter next year who should command a contract near the mid-level to bring him over.)
McDyess would be a nice second-option but he'd definitely be my second-option.
He's definitely a knockdown mid-range shooter who'd fit right in in the locker room and give you a more consistent, workman-like, effort night-in and night-out than 'Sheed, (really almost a lighter, more athletic, Kurt Thomas) but he is undersized and still a risk physically.
McDyess, from what I've gathered, is a very supers ious dude. I've got to believe his going back to the Pistons last year, while in part due to loyalty, actually had more to do with him not wanting to screw up a good thing. As in his health.
The guy's finally enjoyed a good stretch of health, and as snake-bit as he's been, you've got to wonder if he really wants to up and leave the one place that's brought him some good fortune. Completely speculative on my part, but it'd definitely be something I'd consider if I had to battle through the amount of surgeries and rehabs he did.
Of the free-agents available, Rasheed and to a lesser extent McDyess, would be the only ones I'd feel comfortable going into a stretch-run with.
Given 'Sheed's combustability on the court and 'Dyess' injury history, they're definitely not without flaws, but that's why they're actually a possibility with the MLE.
I like these guys and think they can help in different ways. They don't have to be stellar but provide the help inside that Duncan needs.
These 3 you'd know what you're getting right away. Not much to worry about.
Wallace
McDyess
Pachulia
These 3 don't jump out at you but I think they'd be passable options.
Diogu
Williams
Hollins
Nice writeup.
You actually echo a lot of the same sentiment and rationale I've been using when it comes to Rasheed, although, I have to say you took the time to go a lot more in-depth, but I almost 100% agree with your assessment.
In short, Rasheed's presence, at least in basketball-terms, is a proven winner on this team. If Rasheed wants to know if he'd have success on this team, all he has to do is give Horry a call, because that's what he'd be. A bigger, more talented, Robert Horry.
Rasheed should be getting the full-court press from the Spurs as soon as that clock reads 12:01 on July 1st. He's just too good of a fit for what they need at this particular point in time and a 2 yr. MLE deal seems, at least to me, a better option than committing around 20M over 4 yrs. to a Gortat/Pachulia-type player. (Especially considering the likelihood of Splitter next year who should command a contract near the mid-level to bring him over.)
McDyess would be a nice second-option but he'd definitely be my second-option.
He's definitely a knockdown mid-range shooter who'd fit right in in the locker room and give you a more consistent, workman-like, effort night-in and night-out than 'Sheed, (really almost a lighter, more athletic, Kurt Thomas) but he is undersized and still a risk physically.
McDyess, from what I've gathered, is a very supers ious dude. I've got to believe his going back to the Pistons last year, while in part due to loyalty, actually had more to do with him not wanting to screw up a good thing. As in his health.
The guy's finally enjoyed a good stretch of health, and as snake-bit as he's been, you've got to wonder if he really wants to up and leave the one place that's brought him some good fortune. Completely speculative on my part, but it'd definitely be something I'd consider if I had to battle through the amount of surgeries and rehabs he did.
Of the free-agents available, Rasheed and to a lesser extent McDyess, would be the only ones I'd feel comfortable going into a stretch-run with.
Given 'Sheed's combustability on the court and 'Dyess' injury history, they're definitely not without flaws, but that's why they're actually a possibility with the MLE.
Sheed is the MAN we will target, without a doubt.
Varejao is our best option in my opinion. I think we need a defensive minded big and I really do like the way Varejao plays. If you look at Birdman yes he is a great shot blocker but he is a lousy low post defender that tends to get eaten up by players with a higher IQ. The dude is all energy but he is not our best option especially if we are going up against teams like LA. I think Varejao would play the best defense or help defense on most bigs in the west, I really do have faith in the guy he plays his heart out.
1. Sheed
2. Varajeo(he will last for the future and most likely continue to improve under a guy like TD).
3. Dice
4. Birdman
5. Gooden
my list!
Near last, dude sucks IMO.Nice list.
To me, there is quite a big drop in quality between Sheed and Dice and the rest of the list.
I'm also not sure that players after Diogu are even worth being signed.
Question: If Bonner was a FA, where would you put him in that list ?
Sheed for MLE and Rasho for the LLE would be ideal. If Mahinmi develops the Spurs will have several options.
The Spurs should probably go after the players in this order:
1. Rasheed
1a. Varajao
3. Dice
4. Gooden
5. Anderson
Looks to me like it'll just be 1, 3 and 4, since Pop mentioned he wanted a 4 and not a 5.
They should only consider going after anyone that's restricted if it looks like they can steal them. That said, the last time I recall the Spurs pulling that off, they ended up with Jackie Butler and Francisco Elson.
. I meant to put McDyess right under Wallace.
okur is opting out of his contract also according to news ticker on realgm
Okur would be in the unattainable category.
My list would be-
1. Sheed
2. Dice
4. Varejo- i like him til the finals when I realized how much of an elite flopper he was. Did he can any heavy fines this past season, conidering how the NBA was "cracking down" on floppers?
5. Gortat
6. Gooden
7. Anderson
8. Javtokas
9. Rasho
My list would be-
1. Sheed
2. Dice
4. Varejo- i like him til the finals when I realized how much of an elite flopper he was. Did he can any heavy fines this past season, conidering how the NBA was "cracking down" on floppers?
5. Gortat
6. Gooden
7. Anderson
8. Javtokas
9. Rasho
My personal top 5 list would be
1. Rasheed Wallace (if he is motivated and stays motivated)
2. Antonio McDyess (if he is willing to leave Detroit)
3. Anderson Varejao (sure he may flop but who cares)
4. Marcin Gortat (the hate by 4rings on Gortat is hilarious and stupid, if only he is not restricted)
5. Zaza Pachulia (not really old, can play a little.)
Huge drop after Sheed and Dice though.
True, Sheed played center last season, but I think it was more out of necessity than any limitations on Sheed. The Pistons really had no one on the roster to fill the starting 5-spot.
Sheed has been slowing down however. His ability to play the 4 next to Duncan is a legitimate question. I think the hope is the motivation to chase one last ring gets him to drop a few pounds and find some extra spring in his legs.
I confess i'm split between Rasheed/McDyess/Gortat
Although Sheed is talented and proven, he's old and set in his ways...
McDyess i dont even know if he wants to leave Detroit first of all and like Rasheed hes no spring chicken himself.
Gortat is a guy that i know a lot of are split on, rightfully so he is young and has only been to the finals once last year and he was only a backup center to boot! But then again he plays great D and is athletic and has good #'s while he's starting. A lot of us are falling on either side of the pendulum, Hes going to be a flat out BEAST or Hes a total waste of money and too young! Personally i think he can be Rasho 2.0 somebody who will not score a lot, grab a decent amount of rebounds and block shots here and there. As where you can make the argument about Sheed and McDyess being proven you gotta also take in to consideration with the facts that i mentioned earlier and that those are still in some case BiG NAMES, gortat is a Blue collar guy who i think will work well with Pops philosophy, he can fill the role that we lost when Kurt and Oberto left. Wallace, i love the guy and i would never compare his career of somebody like Bonner but with Bonner we already have the center that can shoot the 3 and i think we need somebody who can just go in there and focus on D and grab rebounds.
another confession i have is i really didnt watch that much Detroit ball last year so i dont know what kind of shape McDyess is in but if you can prove to me he is as "durable" as a youngin' like Gortat then by all means lets bring him in!
http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/i...d_wallace.html
Rasheed Wallace is not a problem for this team. In fact, Rasheed Wallace is having his best season in three years. Check the basic stats: 13.0 points (highest average since 2005), 7.6 rebounds (highest since 2004 and a full rebound over last year's average), 1.2 blocks (down slightly, but still solid), shooting 43.5 percent (highest since 2004), shooting 37.3 percent on three-pointers (highest since 1999 [!!]). He is also 17th in the league in defensive rating and 10th in the league in defensive rebounding percentage. (Check Basketball Reference)
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/23/sp...oden.html?_r=1
Yet Wallace and Duncan are quite similar. They both played in the Atlantic Coast Conference. They each enjoy bowling. They share an uneasiness with the news media. For Wallace, the issue is less about discomfort than disdain. Mutual disdain I might add - earned and unearned.
Yesterday, for example, Wallace came half an hour late to a scheduled interview feast, where reporters ask the questions we've asked all week and players give the answers they've given all week. Wallace finally arrived, left to change shoes, came back, put his clothes down, then finally came to the podium, where reporters stood with notebooks out, cameras rolling.
He asked what we wanted. Somebody asked what he was listening to.
"Music."
How will San Antonio adjust to Detroit's defense against Duncan? Wallace said that would be the Spurs' problem.
There were a few more questions, but basically the "interview" was over, and there was plenty of grumbling by reporters. Yet, if Detroit wins Game 7, Wallace should be the most valuable player of the finals.
For all of the news media angst over Wallace, practically every former or current teammate raves about him. The only thing Antonio McDyess knew about Wallace is what he heard from the news media. Based on that, he wasn't a big fan. Now he calls Wallace the greatest teammate he's ever had.
"He's all about team togetherness," McDyess said. "He's team-oriented and he's easy to be around."
After Game 4 at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Wallace took the team and their families out to dinner. "He paid for the whole team to eat after the game and their families," McDyess said. "He does things like that. Before I knew him, I would have thought the same thing the media thought."
McDyess and Wallace came into the league in 1995. "I knew he wasn't a bad person, I just didn't know how he was as a teammate," McDyess said.
Robert Horry has never been Wallace's teammate, but his wife is friendly with Wallace's wife and he has gotten to know Wallace. "You really can't judge a person by the way they play this game of basketball, because what a guy does on the court doesn't tell you what kind of man he is," Horry said.
Great OP, LJ.
The more I think about it, the more Sheed sounds like the best option. Before the RJ trade, I was worried that Sheed was a little too old. However, now that Tim is the only big man we have who's older than 30, I agree that we need another veteran presence in that spot.
One benefit to signing someone Sheed's age is that you can get away with only giving him a 2 year contract. The last thing I want the Spurs to do is give 4-5 years, $24-30 million to a guy like Gortat, and then regret it 2-3 years down the line when they're trying to scrape up some money to resign/extend Tony.
Sheed has always been a great fit for the Spurs system. Among other things, his shooting ability from 12-20 feet is a huge asset. His baseline jumper would be money after Tim gets doubled, or after Tony or Manu drive and dish.
In addition, Sheed has always seemed to play well against Duncan, being able to shoot over him and hit those shots at a high clip. It would make the Spurs road a lot tougher if he signed with a Western Conference contender other than San Antonio.
Believe it or not, I also think Sheed's personality is actually a good fit for the Spurs system, and I've always been under the impression that he could control his technical fouls if he really wanted to. The last 5 regular seasons, his technical foul totals have been: 27, 19, 21, 12, 19. Bold prediction: if Sheed signs with the Spurs, he will have 10 or less technical fouls next year.
Nice article, MIB, about Rasheed being a good teammate. Almost all of his teammates say he's a great teammate. And while he's been a headache for coaches, there is a big difference between Pop and a pushover like Flip Saunders or a guy in over his head in Michael Curry. As far as I know, Larry Brown loved Rasheed.
Very good point. Sheed probably has been the best defender against Duncan over the years. I wouldn't want to see him end up with a team like Cleveland or Orlando.
C Howard
PF Wallace
SF Lewis
SG Carter
PG Nelson
Avoiding that lineup alone might be enough to sign Wallace
Any thoughts on which teams we will be competing with for the top bigs and what they have to offer over us?
Well, I thought a lot about what the Spurs might do. I really think they will go for McDyess and Wallace first. The are the best big men available in this price range.
Even if the manage to get one of them, I would still like them to go for a "real" 5. Those three would be my choice:
1.Pachulia
2.Andersen
3.Rasho
4.Gortat
Their role would be to battle the likes of Yao, Shaq, Howard, Bynum,... so my ideal lineup for next year would be:
1.Parker/ Hill/
2.Mason/Manu/McClinton
3.Jefferson/Bowen/Gist (also at the 4)
4.Duncan/Bonner/Blair
5.Wallace/Pachulia/Mahinmi
I would keep Bonner just because I like pairing a shooting big with Duncan. It would help stretching the floor. We all agree Bonner should not start and play a lot of minutes but I think in a limited role he could be very valuable to the team, Especially if the Spurs miss out on Wallace. I would want at least one big who can shoot the 3 ball.
I'm pretty sure also Mavs and Rockets will inquire about Sheed, reportedly also the Celtics. and as every year Rockets will look for another PF/Center to play with Yao and there are also some worryingly reports about Yao's injury that doesn't heal.Nice article, MIB, about Rasheed being a good teammate. Almost all of his teammates say he's a great teammate. And while he's been a headache for coaches, there is a big difference between Pop and a pushover like Flip Saunders or a guy in over his head in Michael Curry. As far as I know, Larry Brown loved Rasheed.
Very good point. Sheed probably has been the best defender against Duncan over the years. I wouldn't want to see him end up with a team like Cleveland or Orlando.
C Howard
PF Wallace
SF Lewis
SG Carter
PG Nelson
Avoiding that lineup alone might be enough to sign Wallace
and the interest from Dallas was reported some weeks ago.
so one thing can be assumed for sure: there will be a lot of compe ion for Sheed and he will get some MLE offers and very likely he will also get offers for 3 seasons. (IMO this 3rd season will be the needed teaser to get Sheed, it's worth about 6.5 million $)
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