I am excited about Tiago, but it is not enough.
Splitter never made a decision to be in the NBA. I think his name was automatically entered in the draft. The Spurs probably wasted the pick on him. Considering fans are completely happy with wasting Mahinmi after five years of investment, it's not really a big loss.
Would you have Mahinmi play instead of Blair? I would not.
dice? Maybe. Evidently pop disagrees. Mahinmi must not have impressed much in practice.
bonner? Apples and oranges. Mahinmi just can't do what he does.
Mahinmi might turn out to be a good backup, but it will take a few years to find out. We don't have that time.
The Euros and Argentinians have proved they can play with the Americans (NBA) in the Olympics. I don't think there is quite as much luster to playing here--especially if it is for less money.
And if you are a top-ranked player in Europe, you might have an ego to check if you come to the States to play and be placed in the second tier.
And finally there is always the pull of playing before your home folks and in a culture that is quite different and, for some, superior.
Monoculturalism can never be superior to multiculturalism.
I'd have Mahinmi play in addition to Blair. Since they don't play the same position, they will not be getting each other's minutes.
When Dice is injured and getting zero minutes, that's exactly where Mahinmi should be getting minutes. But then again it must be all those mystical in-season practices fans seem to think the Spurs have.
Again, Bonner's not a five by any stretch of the imagination. Mahinmi can't do what a three point shooting role player does. Fine. Mahinmi shouldn't be coming in when you need a big three point shooter. He should only be on the floor when you need a seven foot guy who can play defense and rebound, things Bonner just can't do.
Mahinmi could be anything, including as good as he's looked during the small number of minutes he's gotten, or he could be really bad, which would still make him a better center in defensive situations than Richard Jefferson. It likely doesn't matter as the Spurs are going to be matched up with a much taller team in the playoffs and clearly show a commitment to countering size with lack of size.
Pop playing small ball should tell you all you need to know about the coaching staff's confidence in Mahimni. But OV I'm sure you could coach Mahimni and turn em into an all-star.
When has he proven he can play defense?
If you're only interested in a certain mono, sure it can.
i see him going to a big club in europe since most of these clubs share the same operations with their football t eams balance sheet
Again, you guys keep needing to misinterpret my position in order to have something to debate.
Pop's quote about Bogans should tell you all you need to know about the coaching staff's ability to evaluate talent. Mahinmi doesn't need to be an all-star, he just needs to be better than the alternatives that are being trotted out, which he is.
Okay, we'll just ignore the fact that he makes the proper rotations when he's on the floor in garbage time and the one game he was allowed to play, and I'll concede the point that he hasn't proven it.
However, that also means that he's yet to prove that he CANNOT defend the center position, which immediately gives him an advantage over Jefferson and Bonner, whose attempts at guarding centers have largely met with disaster this season.
Thats because bonner is not a 5..TD usually plays D on the 5 anyway while Bonner is an average defender at the 4 position (nothing special I agree), but bonner is out there to to spread the offense with his 3 pt shooting which he usually does very well. I agree that mahinmi should have gotten a closer look to this pt but it just has not happened. Lets be real, TD is the 5 when bonner is out there not bonner.
European clubs can't compete with NBA salaries, especially when you factor potential future earnings, which players obviously do. Plus, Splitter's contract buyout clauses work in favour of the Spurs. Unless the Spurs lowball Splitter and offer him the LLE or something, he'll sign with them this Summer.
Your argument is nothing more than semantics. Bonner's not a starting-caliber big and he can't even match up with smaller power forwards like David West, let alone taller guys like Lamarcus Aldridge or Pau Gasol. Bonner should not be out there to spread the floor for more than a few minutes a game where the matchup problems can't be exploited by the other team. Nobody is a bigger fan of what Bonner can bring to the Spurs than I am, but he has to be utilized properly.
Again, there's plenty of evidence that Bonner can't perform that defensive role with heavy minutes, and there's a small amount of evidence that Mahinmi can. The only prayer the Spurs have of being able to turn the season around is to find out now. An upgrade of interior defense and possibly replacing the dead weight at the starting three position could contribute greatly to that.
Wow, sorry if you think Ian is the answer to your prayers..
Agreed. Whether Splitter comes is still uncertain but he would have an impact on this team. As stated many times by many posters the Spurs game plan is the twin towers plus a perimeter stopper defensive scheme first and foremost. As for now the Spurs lack both of those ingredients neccessary to be successful like they once were. At least with Splitter possibly coming over this would be a step in the right direction.
Tough call since we really don't know what's on his mind. We found out that it was not only the money but his sister's health that played a role in his decision to resign with Tau. Admittedly at that time the dollar wasn't very strong against the Euro and the tax issue made Tau's offer so much more attractive.
Based on his statement about playing in the NBA when he was drafted by the Spurs it seems that the possibility that he comes over is much better than last time. Let's hope him does.
+100
I wholeheartedly agree with that. IIRC NBA teams can only put up $.500M towards the buyout. If they could just outright pay the buyout fee then maybe these players would come over sooner. Think - Scola the year prior to him being traded to the Rockets.
Good point. I believe that the NBA is where the greatest concentration of talent exists but that doesn't mean that every player wants to be here. Heck, LA is a huge city with money and women where you could make a fortune but if asked to move there by my company I would decline. Unless they offered oodles ofthen I would take the money and go there untill I made enough to quit and come back here. I like the laid back aspect of South Texas. And yes, just like everyone else, I have my price.
Unlike Shaq, I have little interest in that sort of enviroment and as you stated neither does many a Euro player. A person's perception of the quality of life is an important aspect when making these types of decisions.
To each his own so to say.
I hope you're right about this but there is an old saying "a bird in hand is worth two in the bush". If the salaries aren't compe ive, as they were when Splitter resigned with Tau, then the player stays in Europe. Considering the lifespan of a professional BB player this would be a telling point when it comes to signing. Getting his now might be more important than waiting for the big payday down the road, even if the salaries are similar. And the tax issue also will be factored in.
I think you're wrong about the Euros not being able to pay on a par with the NBA. You are living in the past. In some cases, the Euro owners are extremely wealthy and can pay virtually anything they want with no league restrinctions to a great player.
Secondly, the teams can pay the taxes on the salaries and often provide perks like autos, homes/apts, etc.on top of the salaries for their stars.
What may distinguish a Michael Jordan is the huge amount of money available via advertising/endoresement hook-ups--but how many NBA star get the Jordan treatment. Our Big 3--all All-stars and one Top 50--work for peanuts for H.E.B so that shows you the endorsement/advertising money is limited.
It's not my fault Ian's all the Spurs have left at that position. I'd have been perfectly happy with Theo Ratilff providing some interior defense. I'm sorry you think Richard Jefferson is an adequate center to put in against Amare Stoudemire.
Do the Spurs have a prayer of competing this season? Not without interior defense, and you need size for that.
Nonsense.
You're living in the past, more precisely in the "Delfino and Childress signed in Europe and LeBron will follow suit" 08 Summer.
And teams can't pay the taxes on salaries. That's a persistent myth created by the gross incompetence of American journalists and the clueless ways of their readers. Teams merely withhold the tax from the players pay. Read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAYE
Btw, cars and other perks are part of the salary and taxed as such in most countries.
In any case, with the economic crisis and the implosion of Russian clubs and the Greek economy, there are now at most 3 clubs in Europe that can pay salaries comparable to a NBA MLE contract (above €2 millions net per year) and even for those clubs that's basically their absolute ceiling.
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