"Go young, young, young like the Grizzlies, Blazers, Thunder, etc...."
Where are those teams now?
Truth be told we need to go young, but not that young, we just can't have a rookie, or second year player like Hairston for example our backup SG/SF.
Look at the remaining teams,
Lakers, obviously older team with vets
Boston, obviously older team with vets
Orlando, not as young as everyone thinks they are, VC is like 32, Lewis is like 29, etc.
Suns, Nash is old, Hill is old, and the young players they play, IE: Dragic and Lopez, just aren't preforming because of all the spot light
I know we need to make some changes, but we need to get some "younger vets" that want to win IE: Raja Bell
everybody's gonna hate this, but i wanna see if bogans gets any better next season. i hope they don't throw this guy out just yet. sure enough he goes to the blazers or suns next year and puts them over the top.
tv commentator:"bogans with another stop on kobe! i can't believe the spurs let this guy go! they should've given him one more year!"
Two seasons from now, going into 2012-2013, Duncan will be 35, Ginobili will be 34, and Parker assuming he's still with us will be 29... We have to start looking at youth to compensate for their slipping / aging.
Lakers have only 2 players over the age of 30, Bynum is like a rich man's Ian Mahinmi (to put in Spurs terms), Shannon Brown is like a Mason Jr. that actually has balls, Pau Gasol is probably in his prime right now at 29 years old, and they have other young role players to keep their bench running.
Celtics are older too, but look who's running the show for them, 23 year old Rajon Rondo. Yes, he's not their "best" player, but he's a triple double and passing threat. Their starting center is 25 years old and able to put the clamps down on the "best C in the NBA" (Howard). Then they have guys like Glen Davis and Tony Allen coming off the bench to fill in the cracks.
It doesn't have to be just veterans that our team looks for IMO... At this point in time, if we have a chance at, say, a Omri Casspi or Ryan Gomes versus a Raja Bell or Tayshaun Prince, I say go with the guys who are young an still have much to prove in Gomes and Casspi. We need to start re-establishing our defense and culture, not putting patches on it hoping they'll hold (Udoka, Bogans, K. Thomas, etc). The formula we've used for success has been mostly based around a "young and primed" Big 3, we don't quite have that anymore.
hey it could happen lol
Bogans is the best option (better than Manu, Hill) when Kobe decides to post up (as he's been wont to do this past year). He's much worse if Kobe's on the perimeter but that's a lower percentage shot than a post-up on Hill or Manu. I guess he's not that bad for veteran's minimum to round out the bench and buy some time for the starters during the regular season. LOL, Bogans can't put any team over the top.
I wish they could trade Jefferson for some one like Ariza (a long 3 who plays defense and can hit the 3 pter). If they get Splitter and add another 3 pt shooter, that's not a bad team.
Some fans never get it...
I am afraid that Bogans and "over the top" only belong in the same sentence if there is a negative involved.
Bogans the savior!
Grizzleys. Traded, make that colluded an already "young" Pao Gasol for Kwame Brown. Who is to say what great young player(s) they could have gotten had they not sold out.
Lakers. I'll tell you what, give us Pao Gasol in 2008 midseason for Michael Finley and Oberto and tell me how our "old team" is doing. Not even Popovich could screw up this rosters championship chances. Well, probably not.
Blazers. Injuries. Healthy players and they probably are competing for the championship. Even with all the injuries they went basically just as far as the Spurs went in 2010.
Phx had lots of good options after Joe Johnson left, they made stupid moves since then.
You are delusional. Ian Mahinmi is a poor man's DeSagana Diop
I can't wait for the summer and next year to unfold.
I'm not saying Mahinmi is a starter in the league, but he is better than Diop.
Let time handle your delusions.
Don't worry, it's only May.
Good observation.
From your mouth to God's ears. I agree the he should turn out to be better than Diop. But so far, I don't think you can say he has been more effective.
I can't wait for the summer and next year to unfold.
I'm not saying Mahinmi is a starter in the league, but he is better than Diop.
Let time handle your delusions.
When "we" say " Go young go young like the Blazers, Thunder ect"....
We don't mean trade away Manu, Parker, Tim, McDyess, Jefferson and gut our whole veteran core.
We still want to keep our veteran core ....
Like Boston ( KG, Pierce, Allen)
Like L.A (Kobe, Gasol, Artest, Odom, Fisher)
What we mean is we want to round out the roster with young players who have room to grow and potentially improve into rotational players as soon as next year.(or maybe even improve into starters). You never know how far their ceiling can be, unless you retain those young players who have yet to sprout to their fullest capacity. Once you notice the potential in how much they can possibly sprout, (as they have with Hairston, Temple and Gee (THG)) you give those seeds the right fertilizer and see how they shape up in time.
For example, the Spurs two draft picks in 2008 George Hill and Malik Hairston, aren't the same players from when they were drafted. Both of those players sprouted immensely from their first year to their second year. Hill was a back-up point guard who competed with Jacque Vaughn for minutes throughout his first year. The next year he became an important player who earned starter minutes (30 minutes a game) and was 2nd in NBA Most Improved Player voting. He also was a key factor in beating the Mavericks by hitting big shot after big shot.
Having the time to see those seeds develop and nurture is important for any franchise for now and for the future.
On the other hand, Malik Hairston was a full-time D-League player his rookie year. The next year he came in and even stole some minutes from proven veterans Bogans, Mason and Finley. Some highly respected posters on this forum even believe he should have been in uniform against the Suns, instead of Bogans and Mason. That tells you how much the kid has grown in his second year.
As a matter of fact here's Popovich checking out Jerrels right now...
Anyway, we by no means are saying go young like Blazers and the Thunder. Those teams' core was gutted and was replaced with young rookies at the time ( now 2-4 year players). The Spurs still have the Big 3 intact along with veterans McDyess and Jefferson. The day Duncan and Manu retire, is the day we say go young like the Blazers, and the Thunder.
Right now you are just misunderstanding us.
The Spurs' main core is becoming less efficient and effective with the more responsibility they have to load, due to the tread on their tires. Since this is the case, the Spurs can't get away with putting old veterans, who can only do one thing above average, around Duncan and Ginobili.
This isn't 2007, 2005, 2003 or 1999 anymore, where Duncan and Ginobili can be the horses pulling the loaded wagon to the ultimate destination. They need youth, versatility and athleticism to surround the core now. Versatility is the key (on both ends).
And as you know, players who's best days are behind them (role playing veterans), don't necessarily have any of those attributes. They are typically one trick pony's with notable liabilities that the main core simply can't make up the deeper they get in the playoffs.
Obviously Pop and R.C have thought about this issue, by giving 4 players non-guaranteed contracts for 2 years. Which is the smart thing to do, not only for the cap and rounding out the roster with cheaper pieces, but rounding out the roster with pieces they think have the potential to grow into better players than any Bogans or Masons' out there. How soon will they grow? By Malik Hairston and George Hill's time chart, they should be better than Mason or Bogans or Bell at age 34 by the start of next season. At least Hairston and Temple for sure.
Only time will tell, but R.C and Pop are going the right direction with this...Trust them on this one
Last edited by MaNu4Tres; 05-20-2010 at 06:11 PM.
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