Clearly, George Hill was afraid for his job as #3, so they had to get rid of one of McGrady's two numbers to take away some of his fear.
Wow - Good luck to Malik. If he pans out I hope he gives the Spurs first dibs if they decides to the return to the NBA.
Not such a surprising move though.. not sure how much playing time Malik would have gotten next year anyways.. even with him being slotted behind RJ as our next SF.
Well thankfully the Spurs FO tried so much harder to keep Bonner...
Damn...well best of luck to Malik.. I thought the dude couldve been pretty good here....
Ha ha ha ha ha lol
Thank God you put that in blue or i would have been so lost.
So very often.
Spurs are not making very good basketball moves this off season imo. They are making business moves it seems right now. Can't really fault them with how they flamed out last season. I just hope the team has enough juice to really compete.
We will see if it works out and there is still a lot of time for change.
Yes. They wanted to give him the opportunity to beat out Gee or prove that they needed to keep him on the roster.
But I don't believe they envision him playing much, or Gee for that matter, and told him so. So it was basically, prove once again that you're the best player for the position and expect to play about as much as you did this year; except you'll have to ride the pine because we can't send you down to the D-League.
Spurs obviously don't believe they need help on the wing defensively or that either Hairston or Gee are going to be of huge help to them -- they need to score more and shoot 3-pointers.
Thus, they'd at least like the prospect of sending Gee down to the D-League. But they did favor Hairston over him, IMO.
Malik just made the best decision for himself that he could after being given the facts by the Spurs. Good for him, not so good for the Spurs -- another couple years of "corporate knowledge" down the drain -- for a team that values defense and corporate knowledge so much, they sure haven't really been showing it with their decisions over the last few years.
Hairston was one of the leading scorers in the D League, so he's pretty likely to do that a few times. Unless he's quite a bit better than Neal was then there's probably nothing to talk about.
Been waiting a long time for this
nah this im out
McGrady wore number three last season per his request.
Just as I had predicted earlier in the day when many were acting as if the Spurs had cut him or didn't want him, I knew this was per his request. I've got to believe this caught them off guard, but with such unappealing options available, what do they do?
They can't honestly stand pat, but at the same time, it's obvious they don't want Bogans back and I presume they don't want to have to resort to a guy like Hayes, either. But something's got to be done. They talked about getting younger and more athletic, but I don't see a realistic option available to fill this role who fits that mold.
This is an organization that has always prioritized having a defensive specialist on the wing. Just a season ago, they talked quite a bit about that. They haven't once this off season, which leads me to believe they had Hairston pegged to fill this role (he also fit with getting younger and more athletic).
Yeah, I realize that. But I figured he'd probably go back to 1 seeing as 3 ain't really up for grabs.
I'd like to think that it caught them off guard, as it would mean they're thinking the way I'd like them to (defensively), but I have my doubts.Just as I had predicted earlier in the day when many were acting as if the Spurs had cut him or didn't want him, I knew this was per his request. I've got to believe this caught them off guard, but with such unappealing options available, what do they do?
I get the feeling with them being -bent on finding the 3-point shooting and the glut of talent at the 2 (which will force them to play minutes at the 3), the Spurs just didn't see much of a role for Malik. And given the fact he has no D-League eligibility, they probably made him aware of that and allowed him to make the best decision possible for his development and financially -- and if that's the case, Malik really helped them out because I believe they would have been compelled to keep him even knowing they wouldn't use him enough and ended up wasting his and their time next year. Gee at least can go to Austin.
I believe this team's going to inevitably need a trade for a wing. The problem is, I want no part of shipping Hill out and the Spurs don't have the time or a realistic opportunity to trade Parker for someone who gives them a better shot at winning a le. So I just don't see how it is they bring back any value without giving up Hill or Blair -- two players I want no part of moving but could theoretically be moved to make your team better by addressing the balance of talent on the roster. You could have your best personnel on the floor at all times, IOW.They can't honestly stand pat, but at the same time, it's obvious they don't want Bogans back and I presume they don't want to have to resort to a guy like Hayes, either. But something's got to be done. They talked about getting younger and more athletic, but I don't see a realistic option available to fill this role who fits that mold.
That's what I believed as well. I hope you're right, I just have my doubts -- but if Anderson and Temple can come through for them and that's why they believe Malik wouldn't see minutes, and the Spurs wind up right in believing so, that's fine by me. I just have my doubts.This is an organization that has always prioritized having a defensive specialist on the wing. Just a season ago, they talked quite a bit about that. They haven't once this off season, which leads me to believe they had Hairston pegged to fill this role (he also fit with getting younger and more athletic).
Temple and Gee are more interesting prospects than Hairston, that's just my opinion. Spurs can't indefinitely stockpile young perimeter players with defensive skills and letting go the weakest of the bunch makes sense.
I find it hard to believe they went from prioritizing this role as recently as a year ago to completely disregarding it this season. It makes no sense.
Maybe we've got this all wrong, though. Maybe it's not that they're no longer prioritizing it or that they had Hairston necessarily pegged to fill this role, maybe they think (or at least, want to believe/hope) they've got that role filled in house? You know what I'm getting at...Jefferson. This was their intention a year ago and at this point (given what's available), it wouldn't surprise me if it is now.
Even if they do it by committee, ultimately, one guy has to be the primary guy. Hill is a small guard; he can't realistically be counted on to consistently guard wings who are significantly bigger and stronger. We all know Jefferson can't fill this role even adequately, but with the way this team is constructed, if they play the nine man rotation many expect they will, by default almost he has to fill this role.
They are. The problem is, as I alluded to earlier in this thread, how can they acquire the player they need without giving up a single veteran? They probably can't afford to (if they want to contend) nor do I think they view any of their veteran pieces as expendable for the type of player they'd likely to acquire to fill this role.
As it pertains to this particular team, I'd definitely agree with Temple. Gee, not so much. I just don't see him being the defensive player Hairston is and his offense isn't strong or complete enough for him to be thought of as a better prospect than Hairston. I think Gee's got a chance to be good and I'd agree he's more of a prototypical athlete and specimen for a 2/3 but I wouldn't say he's a better prospect; I do think they and Malik will be better served seeing as I believe neither will play a big enough role to improve with the team and Gee at least has D-League eligibility.
Ever since the Mavs series 06, Popovich has over reacted to the team they've lost to. With the Mavs, he got rid of the 7 footers (Nazr & Rasho) and relied too much on small ball. Now with the sweep by the Suns, he's over reacted again signing Bonner to a ltd and looking for more 3 point shooters.
Why not try to build a versatile, balanced team that can play many styles with the big emphasis on defense? How many SGs can they carry - just because those are the only shooters they can find? Why try to fit a round peg in a square hole? There's a serious glut at SG and nobody after RJ at SF. Better pray hard that RJ doesn't get injured.
Maybe I should give up hoping for defense. Why bother when Popovich had RJ play so much at PF and Hill trying to guard players such as Durant. I feel like the players aren't playing to their strengths but trying to fit into whatever Popovich's latest scheme is.
If you've looked at what they've done in recent years, it's skew offensive and small to adjust to the smaller, quicker and more-beneficial-to-the-offensive-rules game. They've expressed and put importance on all the right things defensively, but their actions haven't exactly fallen in line with that (whether it's personnel decisions or groupings/minute disbursement).
We all know RJ isn't going to be a stopper but I expect him to be lighter coming into camp and on much better footing -- the guy did get traded in the offseason and go through some drama with the whole wedding fiasco, I'm guessing his training and focus didn't put him in a great place to start.Maybe we've got this all wrong, though. Maybe it's not that they're no longer prioritizing it or that they had Hairston necessarily pegged to fill this role, maybe they think (or at least, want to believe/hope) they've got that role filled in house? You know what I'm getting at...Jefferson. This was their intention a year ago and at this point (given what's available), it wouldn't surprise me if it is now.
But I'm hoping for Anderson to be the Spurs' Courtney Lee of '09. We haven't had the chance to see him against NBA-caliber athletes but he may just surprise some people defensively. Too soon to know for sure, but he'll be able to focus on it more know with less responsibility offensively and that would be an absolute godsend if he could come through. It'd be nice to have a complete player on the court as a stopper at times -- could Temple prove to be a 6-5 Doug Christie? (one can hope -- minus the wife and purse).
It's pretty much the same discussion we had last year. They're still just a little ill-fitted and missing a small piece or two, but pieces that are vital and needed to tie everything together.Even if they do it by committee, ultimately, one guy has to be the primary guy. Hill is a small guard; he can't realistically be counted on to consistently guard wings who are significantly bigger and stronger. We all know Jefferson can't fill this role even adequately, but with the way this team is constructed, if they play the nine man rotation many expect they will, by default almost he has to fill this role.
Hill and/or Blair. That's basically what it comes down to. I don't want to move either of them and I don't think they could really find the right piece to leave them better off in the short-term, but it basically comes down to them.They are. The problem is, as I alluded to earlier in this thread, how can they acquire the player they need without giving up a single veteran? They probably can't afford to (if they want to contend) nor do I think they view any of their veteran pieces as expendable for the type of player they'd likely to acquire to fill this role.
If they trade Parker, I can't see them incorporating someone quick enough to get it done (in the unlikely event they actually make a quality trade), and I don't see the Spurs receiving enough value in return for anyone outside of Hill and Blair. I'd love to see Martell Webster in a Spurs jersey ... but I'm not sure the Spurs could get him or if I could actually pull the trigger on a deal that included Hill and/or Blair.
When I compare Gee to Hairston, I always keep in mind that Gee has spend significantly less time with Spurs than Hairston. To me, Gee is the better prospect because he has the most upside. Defensively, he isn't at Hairston's level but he has show some flashes in that area and in has the physical tools to catch him up. The D-League eligibility is, as you said, a huge edge for Gee. Gee is also $192K cheaper to keep than Hairston.
Good for Malik. Montepaschi is proven brand in Europe, great organisation and one of the best coaches in european basket.
The problem is none of you guys want to accept what the Spurs FO has been saying all along , that they expect Anderson to be the primary back-up for both wing positions ( SG and SF) and provide impact immediately. We have a false sense of value of hight over talent , that a 6'8" SF has to play the position even as back-up , over a talented guy 2 inches shorter who has all the tools to be a decent defender ( which his role in college din't allow him to showcase due to his focus on being the main scorer)
Then the Spurs aren't that serious about being a contender.
There is no point in acquiring a defensive SF it he's not part of the top 8 or 9 rotation, the names mentioned : hariston , gee etc are at best 10-12 carbage minutes guys. The availabe cap $ 2M won't get us a top 8 rotation guys as well. So unless were open to trades were not getting anyone significant for the SF defensive role. Think about it, if FO priortiy was to fill the defensive SF role over talent they should have drafted a Damion James over an Anderson. Obviously they see talent in regardless of position being more important than just simply filling a need. I tend to agree with FO position , talent over need anytime. (MJ over Sam Bowie anytime even if you have a drex)
He's still a rookie...and saying that you are depending on a player that has not played a single NBA minute to be the primary backup is not very smart.
I dunno, man... sometimes necessity trumps smart.
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