Few smart moves could spare Spurs from complete overhaul
Chris Mannix, SI.COM
SAN ANTONIO -- As he climbed the dais and settled into a metal chair to face reporters after Sunday night's conference semifinals-clinching loss to Phoenix, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich wore the look of a man who's endured a difficult season.
"This season was rough for us," he said.
Indeed, the 2009-10 campaign was the most challenging of Popovich's 14 years on the bench. Expectations were high when a productive -- and expensive -- offseason yielded two new starters in Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess, acquisitions that pushed the team's payroll to nearly $80 million. But despite an 11th straight 50-win season, the Spurs slipped into the playoffs as a No. 7 seed and, last weekend, were swept out of the postseason for the first time since 2001.
"Everybody could tell it wasn't enough," Manu Ginobili said. "That we were not ever, probably, a championship-caliber team. We were close. But we never made it to that level."
The knee-jerk reaction, of course, is an overhaul. Tim Duncan, Ginobili and McDyess are 32 or older and Jefferson will join them in the over-30 club next season. But breaking up the core of a team that has won four championships since 1999 may be premature.
For starters, dismantling this group is no easy task. Duncan is untouchable. Ginobili signed a three-year, $38.9 million contract extension last month. McDyess, 35, has little trade value. Jefferson's contract expires after next season, but many NBA executives believe the looming lockout in 2011 will cool the rush of teams looking to collect expiring contracts. And you can forget about Jefferson's exercising his opt-out this summer, not with $15 million coming to him and no guarantee he will make a cent in 2011-12.
Certainly, Tony Parker has value. The 27-year-old point guard battled injuries this season, but is a consistent 16-point, six-assist, high-40s-percent shooter who is in the prime of his career. And is there a comparably talented power forward/center on the market who could be more valuable to the Spurs than Parker? Carlos Boozer? Josh Smith? David Lee? A sign-and-trade scenario with the Raptors for Chris Bosh is interesting, but San Antonio would have to persuade Bosh to ignore the lure of Miami or New York before it could get him.
Besides, despite an 11-year low of 50 wins this season ... the Spurs still won 50 games. And they did it without Parker for 26 games because of injury. They did it after having to simplify the offense to accommodate Jefferson, who never looked comfortable in their read-and-react system. And they did it after pairing Duncan with a perimeter-oriented frontcourt mate (McDyess) for the first time in his career.
A complete overhaul might be unnecessary; a few minor tweaks could do. Several general managers believe the 2010 draft will be the deepest in years, and with the 20th pick -- the highest San Antonio has selected since it landed Duncan at No. 1 in 1997 -- the Spurs will be in position to get a quality big man. DraftExpress.com projects the Spurs to pick Connecticut forward Stanley Robinson, while NBAdraft.net has them scooping up Kentucky center Daniel Orton. The Spurs also have a pick in the second round (No. 49 overall) where they have been successful in the past, landing Ginobili (1999) and DeJuan Blair (2009).
They also have a former first-round pick marinating overseas. Since the Spurs drafted Tiago Splitter in 2007, the 7-foot, 245-pound Brazilian has developed into the top center in Europe. International scouts praise Splitter's footwork and post moves and project him to be a pure back-to-the-basket center. Team sources say the Spurs will make a hard push to sign Splitter this summer. If they do, they would fill a void with the most skilled Duncan sidekick since David Robinson.
Past success has created a high standard in San Antonio, one that is measured only in championships. A few smart moves and the Spurs could still live up to those expectations.
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...#ixzz0nkhICZXw
Other than signing Splitter, Spurs need to find their own defensive Jared Dudley off the bench and hope one or two of the Hairston, Gee, Temple trio improve over the summer.
Those moves and individual improvements of the young guys could put them back in contention.
I'd say that in addition to that, they need another facilitator for the offense and a reliable three point threat. I'd be talking to Houston and NO quite a bit this offseason.
personally, i would be happy with a healthy parker, a healthy manu, a rested tim, an improved jefferson and then splitter, a draft pick who can contribute and a solid free agent acquisition such as raja bell.
Really?
So in your opinion, Splitter, Bell, rotation draft pick and improved y J =
Don't forget that even though Timmy and Manu are healthy in your scenario, they're a year older too.
Raja Bell wants to play for Pat Riley in Miami
Player News (last updated: May 11, 2010)News: Bell, who is an unrestricted free agent, said Miami is his "first choice," the Miami Herald reports.
Spin: Bell openly lobbied Heat president Pat Riley while doing a radio interview in Florida. "Pat (Riley), if you can use my services, give me a call. I'm right around the corner, 36th and Biscayne, give me a call," Bell said.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/player...le?playerId=49
Oh but one can dream right
i don't think the Spurs will contend again unless RJ is traded, or changes his game in order to be useful in this system, which means develop himself into a guy that can shoot close 40% from three. i don't think the latter is possible considering he's been in the league for a long time now and is established as a certain type of player. however, as we've seen with Jason Kidd and a few select others, it can be done. if Pop fully expects RJ back next year, hopefully he told him to work his ass off to become a respectable 3-point shooter. this team goes nowhere without 3point shooting next year.
Great Article!
I made similar points in my thread below
spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=154074
Do not forget that we took whole chapters out of our playbook and hoped that TP and RJ will develop some kind of chemistry, and Pop let our players "do their own thing" on the offensive end.
So YES, some tweaks here and there could give us a championship. To put it in another way, unless injuries happen, I don't see how we can play any worse next year. So yeah, I truly believe we will be a champion caliber team in 2011!!!
Hopefully, Riley will make the same decision on Raja that he made on Bowen in '01 and the Spurs will have another cheap perimeter defender.
No need to draft a center if Splitter is coming over...I would rather look for a scoring SF or SG at #20 if we don't use it as part of a trade package.
+1
Dont forget maturation of DeJuan Blair and G. Hill.
Most importantly I think Splitter is going to make a huge impact on the Spurs offensive game. The Spurs rely mostly on pick n roll offense and Splitter is a great pick n roll big guy. One of my gripes about Tim and Dice (even Bonner) is that they did not have the ability to roll to the basket or slip the screen and create an advantage of offense. Mostly they were pick n pop style players. This causes the defense very little movement and were able to sit on players set outside the 3pt line. Now with Splitter here comes a guy that can set a screen and go to the basket or put the ball on the floor and ability to make a pass. This creates much more movement on defense as they have to help with Splitter (think of Blair receiving a pass from Manu except Splitter is 6 inches taller and can dribble well in the lane). This alone gives us much more easy looks and additional scoring plus frees up shooters for better looks and hopefully, more movement on offense so RJ can run his baseline cut to the basket from the corner.
Thats my hope.
Your sig is too good. Great selection.Really?
So in your opinion, Splitter, Bell, rotation draft pick and improved y J =
Don't forget that even though Timmy and Manu are healthy in your scenario, they're a year older too.
I agree with the article. I'm for signing Splitter, Bell, Cook, drafting George and calling it a day. If something better pops up that doesn't gut the team and makes sense, then of course I'd be for it, but as near as I call tell, short of a Bosh-Parker + spare parts trade (and even that is not a guaranteed upgrade. It would move parts and change the dynamic of the team, but I'm not sure it necessarily makes them better), Splitter, Bell, Cook and George are probably the best realistic options available to fill this teams needs without gutting the team.
What I hope the Spurs don't do is end up re-signing Bonner and trading McDyess. This would save them money and allow them to maintain their obsession with having a stretch four in the rotation, but it would also mean that the improvement in the front court would be more marginal than (potentially) substantial, which this team can't afford if they're to legitimately contend for, much less win, another championship. Bonner needs to go. They can sign Cook to be the fifth big and essentially replace Bonner, only for much cheaper. I'm not a fan of Cook's, but this makes sense.
3 point shooters. We let Finley walk, Bonner was not the same after the injury and Mason was awful at best. Parker, RJ, Hill and Manu were our shooters, defenses were not that worry about what used to be one of our biggest threads and advantages.
Without gutting the team (specifically, the rotation), I don't see how the Spurs can seriously address the three-point shooting, or lack thereof. Signing Bell would help, but if he's signed and Bonner goes, all they'd have done is replace one 40% three-point shooter with another. Hopefully Jefferson spends plenty of time working on and re-establishing his three-point shooting, particularly from the corners. But even if he jumps from 32% to, say, 36%, the teams percentage still isn't going to skyrocket.
They can get marginally better, but overall, with seven (and eight, if Splitter signs) rotation spots spoken for and the fact that collectively amongst those seven-eight there isn't much three-point shooting, the Spurs will either have to accept the fact that they're not going to be a great, or even very good, three-point shooting team, or, they're going to have to make substantial changes if they're that intent on becoming that again.
If we can add Splitter and then get a SF or SG who can score then I like our chances of having a better record.
All I really want from the Spurs is to bring all their picks and young guys for the summer league and sign and PLAY the best players. So we tell the kids you make the team you will get playing time.
1. Nando - Smaller Manu
2. Victor - Would love to see him in summer league
3. Temple - Impressed me with how he handled his playing time ...
4. Hairston - Starting to remind me of Ian...
5. Gee - Very athletic but can he play defense?
6. First round draft pick
7. Second round draft pick
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