Spurs still being undersized. That's a point that has been understated. Even with the addition of Splitter the Spurs STILL do not have enough size (and frontline skill) to combat the Fakers.
Mahinmi would have defenitely helped in that regard, don't you think Senorspur?
And lets be real here, Splitter is a finess big.. he's just not going to be an intimidating factor against the giants, they are going to outmuscle him.
Then factor in Blair & McDyess both being undersized bigs and it all really makes the Bonner signing (yet another undersized big) look even dumber IMO.
Mahinmi would have been the meat in a Gasol/Bynum sandwich.
I can't believe we got the best big from Europe, and you're still crying about this buster. Oh, wait, yes I can. You're TJastal.
Yes I do. Splitter is a fine player, who will be a welcomed addition to the Spurs frontline. However, he will likely will take some time to adjust to the NBA and the Spurs. Even with his superb skills, and unless I missed something about him, I don't see him as a consistent shotblocking presence or even a dominant rebounding phenom.
As for Mahinmi, even at a minimum of say, 10 mins per game. I still believe his length, athleticism and shotblocking ability (and 6 fouls) could've been an asset when matching up against the NBA's bigger frontlines. Points that have been discussed ad nauseum. Of course, I'm in the minority on this. Unfortunately, we'll never know.
Even if you exclude Mahinmi from the equation, it doesn't excuse the fact that the Spurs still needed a solid, quality backup big of similar size and skills. In seeking ways to better matchup with the Fakers, those are the type of tangible assets that are required. Resigning Bonner simply WAS NOT the answer.
We'll see how this "best big in Europe" translates to the nba. Likely with his build and frame, he'll be susceptible to being knocked around by the big boys unless he adds some weight & muscle.
I can't believe we got the best big from Europe, and you're still crying about this buster. Oh, wait, yes I can. You're TJastal.
Mahinmi IMO would have been a decent option to have around for times when the spurs need 7 foot size & strength above all else. Plus he's still learning and filling out his 7 foot frame.
Yeah, Splitter is WAY more built for the NBA than French Jesus is.
It sounds like you want Splitter to fail so that you can make some point about the front office. Nice fan, you are.
I bet he's as big a wimp as Gasol.
You can't teach size and Mahinmi has it. You can't teach BB IQ either and, well, you can't teach size . . .
Bonners is 4 Yrs 16 mill
The last year is partially guaranteed, well covered and explained. Making it 3 years and 10.9 million.
Is that why the Spanish press hardly ever talks about him without mentioning his giant (figurative) cojones? Spain and Brazil are different countries, and Gasol and Splitter are totally different players.
The point isn't that mahinmi is a saviour now lost, it's that spurs are outsized by the better teams of the league and that we lack inside size, muscle and athleticism and hops to deal with lakers, rockets, mavs, heat, even Sacramento and okc are bigger. Have a look at their rosters and you begin to realize how small of a team spurs are after Tim and Splitter. Blair and dice are undersized and after that it's Bonner. Yikes! Why let mahinmi who knows the system at least SOME after 3 yrs and was a 1st first rd pick go for a 6 digit paycheck from the mavs, basically for nothing. He's more than just 6 fouls. Similarly they let ratliff leave for nothing.
So we remain an undersized team relying more on shooters, not speed or size, not post game or breaks, but outside shooting which is more of a gamble than maintaining an inside physical defensive presence. and that's a ty bball product when the outside game does not succeed well enough to counteract lack of rebounding, blocking, etc. Last years team was small and we did not get bigger like we should have.
The point isn't that mahinmi is a saviour now lost, it's that spurs are outsized by the better teams of the league and that we lack inside size, muscle and athleticism and hops to deal with lakers, rockets, mavs, heat, even Sacramento and okc are bigger. Have a look at their rosters and you begin to realize how small of a team spurs are after Tim and Splitter. Blair and dice are undersized and after that it's Bonner. Yikes! Why let mahinmi who knows the system at least SOME after 3 yrs and was a 1st first rd pick go for a 6 digit paycheck from the mavs, basically for nothing. He's more than just 6 fouls. Similarly they let ratliff leave for nothing.
So we remain an undersized team relying more on shooters, not speed or size, not post game or breaks, but outside shooting which is more of a gamble than maintaining an inside physical defensive presence. and that's a ty bball product when the outside game does not succeed well enough to counteract lack of rebounding, blocking, etc. Last years team was small and we did not get bigger like we should have.
Ok. Term still lengthy though. Can't imagine his effectiveness for three years, let alone 4.
Knowing Pop's hard-on for Bonner, the spurs will probably pay the full 4th year for Bonner's ability to "extend the floor" during the regular season then do a dissappearing act come playoff time.
very ing well said.. bravo mate
Compared to RJ, we got Bonner for a song. I think people might change their tune about him next season when he's not asked to do as much as he was last year. He's a pretty serviceable role-player, just not a heavy-minutes center.
Actually, the Spanish press dogged him unmercifully after the Lakers lost to Boston in the '08 Finals. Essentially called him soft and a choker.
Gasol is a better offensive player, but as far as post presence and general effectiveness, Splitter will be fine. It is amazing how so many NBA fans still don't get the fact that European players can be effective right away. (Some of these are the same peple who, somehow, argue that the D League is a great NBA proving ground.)
The Splitter debate reminds me of the videos of Manu flying to the hoop in Italy the summer before his first season and all the doubters saying he could never do that in the NBA.
I hope you're right but I don't think so. No matter how much he plays or is overplayed, Bonners is an average player who can't be relied upon. He will only make you swear. Who was competing w spurs for his services??
He got a generous deal, not Brian cardinal generous, but pretty generous.
If Mahinmi didn't play last season, when the Spurs desperately needed a big with his physical tools, what makes you think he'd have played next season, with Splitter in tow? And especially against the Lakers? You think Pop would bench Blair AND Bonner in favor of Mahinmi?
I'd have liked to have seen him re-signed as well, but he wasn't going to be the answer against the Lakers, for the simple fact that he wasn't going to play against the Lakers.
In terms of the bigs, I think the Spurs are big enough now. They're still a little undersized, but if Splitter performs to the level most reasonable people expect him to, they should be fine more often than not.
I don't want to say shot blocking is overrated, because it's not, but the threat of it is sometimes more important than the actual block itself. Splitter is and will be a threat to block shots and that changes things. No one is going to think twice about driving against a Blair/Bonner duo, or rush their shot around the rim or make a shot around the rim more difficult than is has to be, but they probably will against Splitter.
As for rebounding, the Spurs were one of the best in the league last season. Bonner is still probably going to play more than he should, but say he's the fifth big more often than not, even though Splitter isn't a great rebounder, just having him take Bonner's spot and Blair playing more minutes will make this an even better rebounding team.
Everyone get's so caught up in what the Spurs don't have, but look at what the Spurs do have. And not just amongst the bigs; look at the back court. This should be the best back court in the league.
Don't get me wrong. Looking forward to Blair sop re effort, hills development, and the oklahoma and brazil rookies. Big three should be solid barring injury, going to treasure what will probably be their last season together. But I predict more peculiar from pop.
Resigning the worthless one BONNER! Biggest disappointment and I'm still pissed off about it! It didn't make sense and once his contract was over, I was ready to celebrate and then the Spurs resign this unathletic no defense and can't make a shot worthless piece of crap! He just takes up minutes from Blair and doesn't absolutely nothing for the team! Totally worthless!
I guess I wasn't clear, brother: I was talking about Splitter there, not Gasol. I still think Gasol is a soft choker, honestly, he just has better team mates to carry the load when things don't go his way and he gets all pouty.
lol Ian would be knocked around as much or more than you claim Splitter will be.
nahh
it's 13.9m/4y and the last year is only 1M guaranteed.
1st - 3M
2nd - 3.3M
3rd - 3.6M
4th - 3.9M
You can check it here
http://www.shamsports.com/content/pa...ries/spurs.jsp
Have you stopped and carefully looked at the frontlines of each of the top centenders in the league? All of which feature at least 2, in many cases 3, players of great size and length in their frontcourt rotation. Let's take a look, shall we:
Fakers - (Gasol, Bynum Odom, Mbenga)
Blazers- (Aldridge, Oden, Camby. Pendergraph)
Mavs - (Haywood, Chandler, Ajinca, Mahinmi)
Celtics -(Garnett, S. O'Neal, J O'Neal, Perkins)
Magic - (Howard, Gortat, Orton)
Heat - (Ilgauskas, Magloire, Bosh, Pittman, Howard)
All these guys at least 6'10" or above. Many of which are legit 7-footers. All the top contenders have size and length. And to add further insult to obvious injury, the Fakers added Spurs castoff Theo Ratliff, to help further shore up their frontline - as if they needed any more size?
All these teams have responded to the talent "arms race", by trying to match size with the Fakers. Meanwhile, the Spurs roll out Duncan, Splitter, Dice, Blair and Bonner. Get the picture? The Spurs are STILL undersized. Again, having Splitter is a wonderful addition that will be of great help to Duncan. However, the Spurs shouldn't have stopped there. Duncan and Dice are aged. Blair is woefully undersized.
For the past 3 postseasons, the Spurs FO and many of us fans figured that the Spurs had enough to contend against the top compe ion in the West. And every spring, we've watched Duncan get literally worn down from the burden of having the carry the team's offensive and defensive load, on both ends. Recall how the Suns picked and rolled Duncan to death, while literally running rings around the Spurs defense on the perimeter, during that epic 4-game sweep? Teams that win the rebounding battle and can stop their opponents usually win. The Suns outshot and outrebounded the Spurs in each of those 4 playoff games. They won handily.
The NBA is an ever-evolving league. Of course, there is always a need for shooters. However, at some point, in tough, grind-it-out, playoff games, defense, rebounding and interior scoring usually prevail. Look no further than the NBA finals matchups the past 3 seasons, for further example. If the Spurs had significantly upgraded their perimeter defense, perhaps the size disadvantage wouldn't be as glaring. However, that's not the case. Be it Mahinmi, Ratliff or whoever, this team needed an upgrade for its 5th big.
Nothing can match size and skill, except for size and skill. Anyone who believes otherwise is foolish. Furthermore, it would delusional to believe that the Spurs are adequately prepared to contend or contest against these bigger frontlines, particularly the Fakers. After all, as 2-time NBA champions, they SHOULD be the measuring stick.
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