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B+
B+ at best..
B+
Lets see. Traded Hill for Leonard/Joseph. Drafted a potential Dirk Lite in Bertans. And didn't trade Tony Parker away for . I would have preferred Singleton over Leonard and a big instead of Joseph.
Overall Grade: B
B+
Liked the swap of Hill for Leonard and Bertans...Joseph was a ridiculous reach and will only make the Toros better in the foreseeable future. Should have drafted someone that could contribute sooner at that spot...Don't know anything about the Hungarian...
My biggest complaint? We got rid of one "tweener" and drafted two more. I'm really down on guys who are "undersized for their position", and PG's who are "really more of a combo guard". It's not just the Spurs - those guys rarely work out really well for anybody. I keep hoping ours will, and I'll add these guys to the list. But I'd really love to see us get someone who is the "prototypical" <pick-a-position>.
Just like every year, I think you can safely give the Spurs a "?" for a grade.
solid B+ but call me back in 4 years so I can give us an A+ if we drafted the next Dirk in Bertans and Manu in Manga
Good draft night for the Spurs.
Addressed our lack of athleticism and size at SF. Let's hope Kawhi can start. And if we can't get rid of RJ then let's hope he's decent on the bench. let's hope James Anderson can be great and knock him completely out of the rotation.
Addressed our back up PG. Hopefully it's not Curtis Jerrells part 2 but they see something in Joseph to give him guaranteed money, so let's hope he's the easy answer to that problem.
Addressed our logjam at SG. Too much redundancy. Manu and Neal is all we need. If Green and Butler are good, that's even more SG's. George Hill just got too many minutes for someone who was too small to defend an elite team, terrible at ballhandling but fooled the world into thinking he was a PG, and lacked confidence when we needed him most. Hope he can reach his full potential back home in Indy.
We did not address getting a big, which was arguably the most important goal. So let's hope we can get that. I just don't know who we'll give up for it.
Leonard can and will be a true 3. He's an excellent rebounder for his size but that doesn't mean he will be playing post.
They reached for Joseph because they knew Bertans would fall to them at 42. If the Hill trade didn't go through Bertans would have been taken at 29.
Grade: A
ON HILL TRADE
- After missing on Batum & Casspi in previous drafts we FINALLY draft our long three.
- We address log jam at the 2 resulting from Neal's emergence.
- Confirms the Spurs are truly committed to Anderson.
- Anderson/Leonard will offset losing our best wing defender sooner than most think.
- The real steal may come yet, if we buyout Lorbek (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoWW_E5BRBU)
ON JOSEPH
- Great pick at 29: we HAD to get a (natural) back up PG.
- Not sure any big then available would have helped at 29.
- Having shown some handles, suspect Neal will start season at back-up PG but Joseph will get his shot.
Why reach at all? Could have gotten better backup PG's at 29 than Joseph...I guess they won't have to spend any money on relocation fees, he could drive down the street to play at the Cedar Park Center.
They see something in Joseph they don't see in other PG. I think he may have been the best defensive PG left at that point.
Considering the Spurs' position going into the draft and the weakness of the draft, an inspired performance.
An easy A.
The red flag is NBA scouts and personnel didn't see the same thing...the guy was projected to be drafted well after the 42nd pick...if at all. I guess only time will tell but he just looks like practice fodder to me...
I agree. A few posts above I posted I would have preferred to see a big taken instead of Joseph. We could have found a backup PG in free agency.
I'll give it a B+
I think the trade is a classic win/win. I'm going to miss Hill, he was a big part of the rotation, had come up big against Dallas in 2010, and was a proven NBA player. But he was at his ceiling here, with other scorers on the roster like Neal and Hill's contract was coming due for a paltry qualifying offer that could have meant offers that the Spurs couldn't or wouldn't match. Indiana did very well tonight, but just because they did well doesn't mean the Spurs didn't also.
I'm happy with Leonard. I wanted Singleton and Mack, not Leonard and Joseph. But I didn't do as much research on the two the Spurs picked as I did on the former. I have high hopes for Leonard because anyone who is 6-7 or better and has a chance to play the SF is good news. My worry is that Leonard might be an undersized 4 masquerading as a SF whose combine results were poor (though he had excuses).
A radio host whose opinion I greatly respect really loved Leonard for the Spurs, and that pulls a lot of weight with me.
Leonard could bust, but at least the Spurs recognized their situation with Hill and were able to make a move before contract shortness hamstrung them. The next CBA's rules on sign-&-trades could also have really hurt them if they went that route. They found a player they liked who filled a role on paper as a lengthy three, and they got him. That's good enough.
Bertans and Hanga . . . fine with me, I have no strong opinion either way. I'm just glad they didn't run into a McClintock situation of an American in the 2nd who thought he was too good to go to Europe for a year.
I like the Spurs flipping a young asset like George Hill, into the best young SF in the draft, in Kawahi Leonard. As much as I credit the Spurs for pulling off this unlikely trade, it's really unfortunate for them that they were not able to shore up their most glaring need - a PF. I have to believe that the Spurs were eyeing PF JaJuan Johnson at pick #29. He presented the most value on the board, at that selection, and simply made the most sense - that is until Nets GM Billy King and the Lil General stepped in and ruined the night.
I have to say that nabbing yet another combo guard, Cory Joseph, with their first round pick #29 was a bit of a downer. The summary I read on him was not enticing at all. After shipping out Hill, a luxury player for this team, the last thing they needed was yet another combo guard. However, I have to believe they considered him the best player available at that pick.
Meanwhile, the PF position, the most glaring need heading into the draft, is still showing a gaping hole.
B-
I know he won't be playing post - the "undersized" reference was about Blair. I'm saying that he is known as a "hybrid" kind of player, without any real signature strengths. The NBA is about mis-matches, and having one of those stand-out areas is a big advantage over being pretty good in a lot of areas.
Leonard is a small forward, but without small forward's offensive game. They talk about him being able to defend multiple positions, but if he's defending shooters he won't be getting many of those rebounds. Does he have the size and strength to defend non-scrub 4's? The scouting reports say he doesn't have exceptional lateral movement, which is a nice thing for a 3. And one of his best scoring moves was down low, playing with his back to the basket. That's not happening at the next level.
I'm not putting the guy down. I just meant what I said, that I'm personally down on combo players anywhere in the league. I would rather see players who play one position, and have the size/skill set for that position. (A 6'6" PG sounded like a good idea, but that didn't work out too well, either.) I'm just tired of seeing "combo" and "hybrid" players who don't really excel at anything. This guy will be a 3, but it doesn't look like he will be your typical 3 , by any stretch. But hey, maybe he will be the reincarnation of Bruce Bowen on the defensive end. I feel good that the Spurs liked him enough to trade up that high for him.
C-
What a bunch of dumbasses. F-minus.
+1. I think if somehow the Spurs can land Nene and put him next to TD and Splitter, we will be just fine.
b+
I don't think they want to fill are biggest hole in the front court in the draft with what was available at 29. I believe (hopefully) that this particular hole is something that the rest of the off season is going to be all about.
Also gives an impression of what they may actually evaluate prospects like Richards into consideration for making into the rotation. That's a bit of a stretch though.
With a off season trade or signing for a big to fill out our front court then you can call this off season a A+ for sure in regards in staying in contention talks and rebuilding the roster depth with more potential talent and youth/athleticism.
It's too difficult to rate this draft. These players are all young with Hanga being the oldest. Can anyone rate last year's draft picks of James Anderson or Eliot(purposely misspelled) Williams or Epke Udoh? Stuff happens.
I'm pleased with the draft and the future of these picks. Leonard was a lottery slotted talent projected anywhere from 6-15. He's got greater wingspan (7'3") than say Jordan Hamilton, Chris Singleton, Marcus Morris or even Derrick Williams. Spurs fans have been wanting a long 3 who can defend and although he's a not a 6'10" shooter, he is a good defender, terrific rebounder and an energy player who can contest shots and deflect passes.
The Spurs staff should have had plenty of opportunities to get to know Cory Joseph. He has some special qualities about him and he's a coach's kid. He should have stayed another year at UT to improve his PG skills but he can play.
Bertans and Adam Hanga looked good in the videos I've seen but I have never seen these players play...so I will limit my opinions and take a "wait and see" approach.
man i was hoping we grab one of the pacers bigs, or granger!!!
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