The thing is I would still take Tim Duncan by far over anyone of those bigs unfortunately the Spurs FO surrounds him with some of the worst bigs in the league.
Sure I might jinx them, but right now OKC looks like their front court is coming together and will end up overtaking Memphis. It's absolutely puzzling how having a big front court pays dividends in the playoffs vs. a small front court.
If OKC starts to play more consistently as a team, they'll finish out this series and should take Dallas - OKC has the better front court.
They might not be that spectacular on paper, but Perkins, Ibaka, Nazr and Collison are a pretty formidable front court group and their total salary (my #'s might be wrong) is only $26 mil or $6 mil per player (Collison's is half that total.)
The thing is I would still take Tim Duncan by far over anyone of those bigs unfortunately the Spurs FO surrounds him with some of the worst bigs in the league.
We can do that too, once we burn our team to the ground and draft in the top 5 for like three years. Those three or four ty years are the price of admission to the young, athletic, and talented players club.
How quaint -- interjecting facts into the daily diatribe about the stupidity of the Spurs front office.
By the way, Collison's salary in 2010-11 is huge -- about 13.3 million.
Ibaka was the 24th pick and the rest were through trades. Collison's contract is bad this year, but it's 3.5 mil for the next 3 years - not too bad.
What one good move has the FO done in the past 4 years that makes up for the bad moves they've made?
This in a nuts is what got this team and Chicago, and Memphis this far. You have to give the GM's credit but they got a stockpile of good young talent from having losing records being able to trade young talent for more experienced talent.
We've picked as high as 24th once in the Duncan era, and IIRC that #24 pick was part of the Sonics teardown, as well. Ibaka isn't if you don't have Durant (#2), Westbrook (#4) and Hardin (#3).
Sorry, forgot to answer your question: RC pulled an All Rookie first team guard out of his ass last summer.
there have been times that Ibaka's not even the 2nd best big for OKC in this series and the other bigs make him better too - not just Durant and Westbrook.
OKC has been good because of Durant and Westbrook - I get that and how OKC got those picks, but my point was entirely based on the advantage of having big front court players vs. running out with the Blair/Bonner combo.
Make excuses for the FO if you want, but I'm still waiting on an answer on what they've done in the past 4 years. What moves have been good enough to offset the bad ones they've made?
Nazr performing better than Dice against Memphis.
good move, but it probably shocked RC more than it did Spurs fans.
Still doesn't make up for Bonner, Jefferson, Mason, Udoka, Hairston, Hill (that's marginal,) probably throw in Scola, Butler, holding on to Finley too long, etc.
I don't have to make excuses for our front office. They are considered the gold standard in the league in cap management and late draft picks, and teams eagerly hire from it. See: Thunder, OKC.
maybe the Spurs kept the wrong personnel - especially if their best move relied upon a summer league invite.
'dawg, right now, the only player making any money at all in OKC is Durant. Get back to me in 2-3 years when they start having to pay the other high picks 8 figures, and we'll talk about the kinds of moves they're making then. It's a lot easier to build a really good team than it is to try to maintain one when players are making bank like T,T,&M.
Resigned Ginoboli and Parker. WTF do you exactly want the Spurs FO to do, giving limited finiances, consistantly picking in the lower rounds for years, lack of tradable assets, etc...?
actually Collison was their highest salary, but Durant's contract is pretty good for the next few years. Spurs were 12 million higher than OKC this year in payroll - they have some room to move and Westbrook's their only player they have to worry about in a couple of years in terms of a contract.
but you're right - the poor decisions by the FO are totally excusable because it's hard to maintain a team like the Spurs. Keep in mind that T,T & M have taken less money to stay with the team and have been rewarded with the likes of Bonner, Jefferson, Udoka, etc.
how about not stand pat in '07 and '08 - maybe get longer instead of older and less athletic
go ahead and make excuses - doesn't hide the fact that they've made poor decisions for the past 4 years
should have traded Parker - I understand loyalty, but as a business it was a bad move to resign him with the miles on his body and his decision to play international basketball in the future. He will not get better - this year would have been a good time to unload him with the regular season success.
You are giving Nazr and Collison way too much credit. While the Thunders front court has had some success against Memphis it is their backcourt that is giving Memphis difficulties. In the past 3 three years the Spurs have picked up Splitter and Blair. Not bad when you consider that Splitter was taken late in the first round and Blair a late second round pick. Plus both their combined salaries are less than four million dollars.
It may be a little premature to be comparing success of FO in selecting front court players as both Splitter and Blair have only one and two years NBA experience. Had Splitter come to the Spurs right after he was drafted the comparisons would probably favor the Spurs. Blair just turned 22 years old so he still very young with lots of potential. He has vastly improved his game in the short amount of time he has been here.
Underrated post.
Very surprised by Nazr's performance against Memphis the last two games.
I see a couple Popsuckers in this thread. I'm not surprised.
Randolph - 9pts and Gasol - 15 pts; I think they did a pretty good job.
Keep in mind Gasol was picked 20 picks after Tiago (hindsight 20/20)
but he has stone hands...
They're going to have to pay Harden, too, and eventually (2-3 years) make decisions on Ibaka, Maynor, Cook, Sefalosha, and a bevy of other young players.
As for the "mistakes", at least we never made any Eddie Curry, Jarred Jeffries, Danny Fortson New York debacles. Bonner makes half the league average salary. Udoka made nothing. Jefferson is a bad contract, but it was an abomination before the re-negotiation that allowed other moves like Splitter's signing and Neal.
When he was here, he had the second worst hands for a big man I had seen in 20+ years of watching the Spurs, behind only Cadillac Anderson.
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