Noooo, Spurs re-sign Bonner

[J_Paco]

Yes, but Bonner's value is being useful in areas that most 4/5 players usually aren't. i.e. 3pt shooting.

See, that's the biggest issue. Bonner's only value is outside of the skills needed to be successful NBA big man. The guy does absolutely nothing else well enough that warrants a long-term contract or a pay raise.

He is at best a fringe NBA player like his red-headed brethren Brian Scalabrine. Yet, Boston was smart enough to end their relationship with 'Brine as a legitimate NBA player. The Spurs have yet to demonstrate that they're past "The Bonner Experiment" and continue acquiring his services. Much like Michael Finley before him; to the detriment to young players and the team as a whole.

[underdawg]

Yes, but Bonner's value is being useful in areas that most 4/5 players usually aren't. i.e. 3pt shooting.

boner was 28th in the league last year for 3pt% (George Hill was 18th - that's surprising)

[Birn]

it's actually 37%, but that's not nearly the point - if he didn't play as many minutes as he usually does, he'd be less of a liability and worth more to the team as a 3 point shooter. Horry was able to play more without causing harm because he brought defense and rebounding with his 3 point shooting.

Bonner's defense, rebounding and offense (outside his 3's) are a major hit to the balance needed for the Spurs to succeed. Again, if he didn't log so many minutes, it would not hurt the Spurs as much.

we need defenders more than we need shooters right now.

He only averaged 17 minutes a game this postseason. Not major minutes at all. In fact, his playoff % this year from 3 was very solid. Again, he's not on the team to be a rebounder or shotblocker. His game is very similar to Channing Frye. Frye does nothing on defense but is an outstanding shooter. In fact, Frye and Bonner have very similar contracts. That's the market value for a big man that can stretch the floor. Anytime you can get one of those, it opens up the floor for everyone else because the opposing team's big is pulled away from the paint. Without Bonner, TD and Manu have less opportunities to penetrate. He's a valuable member of the team.

Great move by the Spurs. Very economical piece of the team that brings a skill that we desperately need - shooting. Because he's our own free agent, we don't have to use the MLE or LLE. Bringing someone else in would eat up part of the MLE or LLE.

If you hate Bonner so much, then name one player we can bring in that can shoot as well as Bonner.

[The Truth #6]

He is a minimum salary player. What bargaining power could he have? He doesn't want to leave San Antonio. Conversely, what team is beating down the door to sign Matt Bonner? I know there are a lot of dumb FO's out there...but for us to do this...wow. It's like it negates all the other great moves we've made before.

Pop must have no self-confidence anymore. Or he's become completely lazy. It's like he wants to play it safe and surround himself with lapdogs. No way Presti makes these bonehead mistakes.

Ugh. I can't believe we open up the wallet for THIS chump. He has no more room to improve. We couldn't try to get someone with some amount of promise.

The last time we signed Bonner was stupid. This only compounds it.

This must drive the ad department nuts. How do they promote this garbage?

[underdawg]

He only averaged 17 minutes a game this postseason. Not major minutes at all. In fact, his playoff % this year from 3 was very solid. Again, he's not on the team to be a rebounder or shotblocker. His game is very similar to Channing Frye. Frye does nothing on defense but is an outstanding shooter. In fact, Frye and Bonner have very similar contracts. That's the market value for a big man that can stretch the floor. Anytime you can get one of those, it opens up the floor for everyone else because the opposing team's big is pulled away from the paint. Without Bonner, TD and Manu have less opportunities to penetrate. He's a valuable member of the team.

Great move by the Spurs. Very economical piece of the team that brings a skill that we desperately need - shooting. Because he's our own free agent, we don't have to use the MLE or LLE. Bringing someone else in would eat up part of the MLE or LLE.

If you hate Bonner so much, then name one player we can bring in that can shoot as well as Bonner.

it's a great theory that Bonner provides the necessary spacing for Tim to be successful, but in reality it still doesn't make up for what we lose on defense. Our 3pt percentage has been higher the past 2 years versus '05 and '07, but our opponents points per game has gone up dramatically as well (almost 8 points per game.) We don't need a stretch 4 - we need a 4 that can help Tim defend the paint. To answer your question - we don't need a better shooter than Bonner. We need a better defender to give Tim and Dice rest and help out Blair when we're matched up against taller and longer players.

Bad move by the Spurs - don't give a raise to a player that's called a "limo player"

[Budkin]

I don't get it... why? He must have something on Pop and RC.

[ElNono]

Frye averaged almost twice the amount of rebounds than Bonner this postseason (5.6 vs 3.2). And ultimately Frye ended up choking against the Lakers, which should really tell you that the whole stretch 4 theory doesn't work at all against those taller, more athletic teams. Furthermore, Bonner is not pulling anybody out of the paint. Sit down and watch a Lakers game against the Spurs, and you'll see it clear as a day.

And Hill shot aswell as Bonner during the playoffs. And ultimately, it's not Bonner we're hating. It's not his fault he got offered to re-sign. It's the FO being stuck on stupid looking for Horry in a guy that's not Horry.

[slick'81]

It's a total abortion. I exceeded my phone data coverage for the billing period on my phone so I could not post and rant from work. I've been waiting all ing day to rant about what an amazingly horrible move this is.

It makes no sense from any angle. We are witnessing this team shift its goals from championship to just making the playoffs. I know we're on decline hardcore but cementing that fact by committing four ing years to Bonner makes me sick.


imo this is right up there with scola for a 2nd rounder and jackie butler

Nothing personal against him he just does not belong on this team.

i wish i could wake up but alas this is reality matt bonner is back

[Birn]

it's a great theory that Bonner provides the necessary spacing for Tim to be successful, but in reality it still doesn't make up for what we lose on defense. Our 3pt percentage has been higher the past 2 years versus '05 and '07, but our opponents points per game has gone up dramatically as well (almost 8 points per game.) We don't need a stretch 4 - we need a 4 that can help Tim defend the paint. To answer your question - we don't need a better shooter than Bonner. We need a better defender to give Tim and Dice rest and help out Blair when we're matched up against taller and longer players.

Bad move by the Spurs - don't give a raise to a player that's called a "limo player"

No NBA team has a roster filled with lock down defenders. Yes, I agree we need a shotblocking/rebounding presence in the paint. However, every NBA GM always looks for shooters on their roster. Most dead eye shooters are gunners who are limited defensively. By the way, the reason the Spurs defense has struggled the past two seasons is not solely Bonner's fault. When you only play 17 minutes a game, you can't lay it on him. Tim is getting slower and so is Dice. Same with Manu gambling a little more.

It gets really old to see so many people use Bonner as a straw man to blame our defensive troubles. The facts just don't bear that out.

[rmt]

The last time we signed Bonner, we could have had Scola for the same money. Imagine - some one with heart, big game experience, who has an array of post moves and who guards Odom very well. To compound it by signing Bonner for another 4 years with a raise is incomprehensible.

Don't know why they traded away Ratliff last season. I'd rather have his length and defense against the Lakers than Bonner. Duncan will wear down even more trying to cover for Bonner.

[objective]

When you only play 17 minutes a game, you can't lay it on him. Tim is getting slower and so is Dice. Same with Manu gambling a little more.

So the team's good defenders get worse, and that excuses Bonner?

Shouldn't the logical response to the good defenders declining be to acquire better defense from the role players around them?

[Birn]

Frye averaged almost twice the amount of rebounds than Bonner this postseason (5.6 vs 3.2). And ultimately Frye ended up choking against the Lakers, which should really tell you that the whole stretch 4 theory doesn't work at all against those taller, more athletic teams. Furthermore, Bonner is not pulling anybody out of the paint. Sit down and watch a Lakers game against the Spurs, and you'll see it clear as a day.

And Hill shot aswell as Bonner during the playoffs. And ultimately, it's not Bonner we're hating. It's not his fault he got offered to re-sign. It's the FO being stuck on stupid looking for Horry in a guy that's not Horry.

Frye averaged almost twice the minutes that Bonner averaged. On a per minute basis, they are very comparable. You have to live and die with shooters. You ride them when they're on and you live with them when they're off. It happens. Same thing happened to Ray Allen in the finals. It has nothing to do with being a stretch 4. By the way, the Spurs did beat the Lakers 2 out of 3 times this season. We do match up pretty well with them because we have quicker guards and a big that can shoot from 3 which pulls out Gasol or Bynum. Now that we have Splitter, it gives us a lot more flexibility. We can match up with just about any team in the league.

[ElNono]

So the team's good defenders get worse, and that excuses Bonner?

Shouldn't the logical response to the good defenders declining be to acquire better defense from the role players around them?

Exactly. Tim has been screaming for help for two seasons now.
You either build towards improving your defense, or you live with the status quo. Bonner is not the sole reason our defense declined. But he's part of the problem, not the solution.

[TJastal]

it's a great theory that Bonner provides the necessary spacing for Tim to be successful, but in reality it still doesn't make up for what we lose on defense. Our 3pt percentage has been higher the past 2 years versus '05 and '07, but our opponents points per game has gone up dramatically as well (almost 8 points per game.) We don't need a stretch 4 - we need a 4 that can help Tim defend the paint. To answer your question - we don't need a better shooter than Bonner. We need a better defender to give Tim and Dice rest and help out Blair when we're matched up against taller and longer players.

Bad move by the Spurs - don't give a raise to a player that's called a "limo player"

+1

The irony of all this is Boner will end up taking a chunk of Splitter's minutes and probably salary too (if I was Splitter I would have ceased negotiations the minute the spurs' F.O. announced this signing). Fortunately for the spurs, Splitter might not realize that the Boner signing will significantly impact HIS minutes and be fooled into signing a contract with the thinking he is going to get significant minutes.

If Bonner had been signed at a reasonable price as a 5th or 6th big that would be one thing. But to sign him at an exorbitant rate will gaurantee he is going to play close to 20 minutes a game and take minutes from what will probably end up being mostly Splitter's.

Poor Tiago will probably be fooled into signing a contract (reduced, thanks to Boner) with the spurs and be be totally blindsided when Bonner's minutes > his.

[The Truth #6]

Birn, are you an unpaid intern trying to get a job with the Spurs? I'm trying to understand what compels you to come up with these opinions.

[Johnny RIngo]

Ugh, I just heard about this. ing depressing as .

R.I.P. to the Tim Duncan era. Overpaying Bonner for four more years proves the FO doesn't care about winning another le.

[TJastal]

Poor Tim Duncan... he's going to have to carry Bonner's weight around again this year.

[Chucho]

If anyone ever wants to know what R.C and Pop's cheese smells like, just go talk to this worthless piece of trash. That's ain't no gorgonzola from some in' hoagie. 4 years?!?! Out inraegous. I hope he's driving through a West Texas dessert and his sorry ass Pontiac breaks down and he becomes a hitch hiking casualty. I just wish the Spurs would try something logical to keep compe ive with the rest of the league and unless Bonner and Parker get packaged to Denver for Melo, I don't see that happening, Splitter or no Splitter, who should have been the first priority over this ing Nancy.

[Birn]

So the team's good defenders get worse, and that excuses Bonner?

Shouldn't the logical response to the good defenders declining be to acquire better defense from the role players around them?

That's not how you look at it. It's called "TEAM" defense. The idea is to funnel the wing players toward the baseline so TD can block the shot. sometimes, Timmy was too slow to rotate over and other times Manu or Tony allowed their man to get inside the paint. Everybody on the team struggled on defense last year. We didn't have very many "good defenders" last year because they didn't play as well as a team defensively. it takes an incredible amount of trust and timing to play good team defense.

I'd like to ask all the Bonner haters a serious question. Is there anything he does that you think is helpful to the team? If you respond with smartass comments and nothing else then it proves my point that you know nothing about NBA basketball. If all you're doing is just hating on someone then you shouldn't be offering any meaningful opinions on the team's acquisitions.

[ElNono]

Frye averaged almost twice the minutes that Bonner averaged. On a per minute basis, they are very comparable. You have to live and die with shooters.

We can live and die with shooters. That doesn't mean that the shooters have to double as your PF. Especially when your Center is aging quick and needs real help out there.

You ride them when they're on and you live with them when they're off. It happens.

Sure, I can understand that. The problem is where do you draw the line? We rode Bonner 3 point shot into 1st and 2nd round exits. His shooting becomes very average in the playoffs. Like I said, I can live with Hill taking the same shots, and having an actual good big grabbing boards and helping Tim defend the interior.

Same thing happened to Ray Allen in the finals.

Ray Allen is not the last line of defense. Ray also did a great job defending, even if he was not scoring.

It has nothing to do with being a stretch 4. By the way, the Spurs did beat the Lakers 2 out of 3 times this season. We do match up pretty well with them because we have quicker guards and a big that can shoot from 3 which pulls out Gasol or Bynum. Now that we have Splitter, it gives us a lot more flexibility. We can match up with just about any team in the league.

We played the Lakers 4 times this season. We went 2 and 2. The two games we won, the first one Gasol didn't play. The second one Bynum didn't play.
We don't match up with them well at all. We obviously didn't match up well with the Suns either last season, seeing the 4 game ass whooping we got.

[Birn]

If anyone ever wants to know what R.C and Pop's cheese smells like, just go talk to this worthless piece of trash. That's ain't no gorgonzola from some in' hoagie. 4 years?!?! Out inraegous. I hope he's driving through a West Texas dessert and his sorry ass Pontiac breaks down and he becomes a hitch hiking casualty. I just wish the Spurs would try something logical to keep compe ive with the rest of the league and unless Bonner and Parker get packaged to Denver for Melo, I don't see that happening, Splitter or no Splitter, who should have been the first priority over this ing Nancy.

Real intelligent analysis...

[ElNono]

+1

The irony of all this is Boner will end up taking a chunk of Splitter's minutes and probably salary too (if I was Splitter I would have ceased negotiations the minute the spurs' F.O. announced this signing). Fortunately for the spurs, Splitter might not realize that the Boner signing will significantly impact HIS minutes and be fooled into signing a contract with the thinking he is going to get significant minutes.

If Bonner had been signed at a reasonable price as a 5th or 6th big that would be one thing. But to sign him at an exorbitant rate will gaurantee he is going to play close to 20 minutes a game and take minutes from what will probably end up being mostly Splitter's.

Poor Tiago will probably be fooled into signing a contract (reduced, thanks to Boner) with the spurs and be be totally blindsided when Bonner's minutes > his.

Not just Splitter. I honestly believe Blair is now officially the 5th big.

[rmt]

No NBA team has a roster filled with lock down defenders. Yes, I agree we need a shotblocking/rebounding presence in the paint. However, every NBA GM always looks for shooters on their roster. Most dead eye shooters are gunners who are limited defensively. By the way, the reason the Spurs defense has struggled the past two seasons is not solely Bonner's fault. When you only play 17 minutes a game, you can't lay it on him. Tim is getting slower and so is Dice. Same with Manu gambling a little more.

It gets really old to see so many people use Bonner as a straw man to blame our defensive troubles. The facts just don't bear that out.

Then if Tim, Dice and Manu are getting older and slower, why would the Spurs not get some one to help in that department (defense)? Why re-sign Bonner who compounds the problem? Why not have your shooting from a position on the perimeter and if some one gets by said shooter, have some one like Ratliff who can shot-block in addition to play some post defense and who has length? This is not even factoring in the cost and commitment of a Bonner vs Ratliff.

[ElNono]

Is there anything he does that you think is helpful to the team? If you respond with smartass comments and nothing else then it proves my point that you know nothing about NBA basketball. If all you're doing is just hating on someone then you shouldn't be offering any meaningful opinions on the team's acquisitions.

He writes a damn fine sandwich blog. He also gives Dice the opportunity to rest during the regular season. That's probably worth $1.5m/season max.

[TJastal]

That's not how you look at it. It's called "TEAM" defense. The idea is to funnel the wing players toward the baseline so TD can block the shot. sometimes, Timmy was too slow to rotate over and other times Manu or Tony allowed their man to get inside the paint. Everybody on the team struggled on defense last year. We didn't have very many "good defenders" last year because they didn't play as well as a team defensively. it takes an incredible amount of trust and timing to play good team defense.

I'd like to ask all the Bonner haters a serious question. Is there anything he does that you think is helpful to the team? If you respond with smartass comments and nothing else then it proves my point that you know nothing about NBA basketball. If all you're doing is just hating on someone then you shouldn't be offering any meaningful opinions on the team's acquisitions.

At least have the balls to post under your real user name, Thispego