Pacers have traded this pick to the Spurs for George Hill sources say

[Obstructed_View]

Well, I'm not overly sold on the financial pressure to trade Hill. The main reasons seem to be it was decided he is not the point guard of the future for the Spurs; there were several other, ultimately more conventional options available at the two and a team was willing to give multiple picks for him, including one that would net lottery level talent immediately.

There probably wasn't any actual pressure, but he had value due to his talent and his contract, and that value wasn't going to last forever. Any pressure was likely caused by outside factors like potential labor trouble and even RJ's contract more than anything related directly to Hill.

[Obstructed_View]

Blair was actually projected to go in the first round (which I assume is what 'lottery potential' means in that case). The reason he didn't was the risk with his knees. Leonard didn't have such risk attached to him.

The reason doesn't matter. The point is that the Spurs got a guy that they never thought they'd have a shot at because he slipped in the draft.

[coachmac87]

The reason doesn't matter. The point is that the Spurs got a guy that they never thought they'd have a shot at because he slipped in the draft.

Oh it does matter when you try to make a fool of somebody else, yet your the one who is fool. You don't know what your talking bout sir. Period. Nice try

[Cane]

Good value for Hill. The Spurs were probably praying to steal Valanciunas but grabbing a beast like Leonard is a steal as well. He'll be a welcome option when RJ struggles and the less minutes Manu has to play SF the better.

Also great that the Spurs were able to send Hill to Indiana, good stuff for both parties.

Spurs still need some legit size downlow and a vet backup PG; it'll be interesting to see if McDyess can help with that.

[ShoogarBear]

So . . . we're all in agreement then?

[Obstructed_View]

Oh it does matter when you try to make a fool of somebody else, yet your the one who is fool. You don't know what your talking bout sir. Period. Nice try

Okay, dumbass. Whatever you say.

[Man In Black]

Agreed. Neal, Anderson, and Manu is more than enough at the 2. It shouldn't affect the Spurs too much on the offensive end, but now the Spurs don't have that athletic pg/sg tweener to guard the Derrick Roses, JJ Bareas, and John Wall's off the bench. Hopefully Parker makes a better effort on defense this year.

During the 3 les that Bruce Bowen played as a Spur, he, moreso than Parker and especially in crunch time, he covered the opposing positions 1-4. Dallas got Dirk? Bowen had length and smarts to cover him. Phoenix has Nash? Bowen physically overmatched him when stops were absolutely needed. Bean going off for 30? Yeah, a lot of the times, but with Bowen, that also meant that he would need close to 30 shots to get that 30. While GHill had flashes of brilliance defensively, there were times, more often that not, especially in the playoff that he, unlike Bowen, would shrink from the pressure, especially on the road. Also, imho, there was 1 troubling aspect of GHill's game as a PG...he got tunnelvision when he became the primary ball handler for some units Pop threw out there. What I mean was, more often than not, if the Big 3 wasn't out there, He'd call his number 1st, and then his boy DeJuan 2nd. All other players, especially low post players...got barely any love. To make a team like the Spurs more effective, you need to have the ability to spread the wealth and then the recognition to take over if needed. GHill lacked either on a consistent basis. Not hating him, his talents were useful. The issue though, was unless he became Sidney Moncreif, there was no way the Spurs were going to be more than 1st round fodder. Getting a Bowen type player in Kawhi Leonard could change that come playoff time. And for all those peeps who say that because RJ has a huge contract, that he'll dominate the floor time...NOPE. He, moreso than others, has to earn his time on the floor. When Memphis came in, RJ best move was cheerleader when GNeal extended the series, but other than that...benched late with nary an impact.

[FkLA]

So he was never in serious contention for 6th man of the year... The guy received 10 votes, not even a single 1st place vote

I didnt say he was a serious contender for it?I said he was one of the top bench players in the NBA, 8th out of however many bench players there are in the NBA can easily cons ute as that imho.

The difference is that Tony has won series being the focal point for us. At the very best, George was great for a number of games playing as a role player.

Noone is comparing what George did for the Spurs to what Tony has done. Just brought up Tony's bad series to point out how dumb it is to bring up Hill being outplayed by Dragic to downplay his play in the Dallas series. Theres isnt a single key player on the Spurs that hasnt underperformed in the playoffs at one point or another.

You're not going to get me to talk about George. I already stated what's the only beef I could possibly have with him and that's his inconsistency on the road. I appreciate the time he gave us. Unfortunately, at this time the team needs to try to improve in whatever way possible, and due to his salary matching well to make a trade for picks and the logjam we have at SG, he was the guy that could give us the better return to move up in this draft and fetch some talent.

Fetch some talent for what, a last stand? Or to start rebuilding?? Thats my biggest problem with the trade. It shows no clear cut direction by the Spurs...you keep your veteran core whos le chances are currently on life support and probably die next yr, yet trade your 4th best player for young talent that needs time develope?

[FkLA]

This is obviously a great trade. Hill is a decent player, he could even be a starter in the right situation (which he might actually find in Indiana), but he was definitely expendable on the current Spurs roster, and since he couldn't be overpaid due to the next CBA, he was likely to be cut.

It's a win-win for both sides. The Spurs finally do something to draft a defensive minded 3. Granted, he might not pan out to the savior, but no risk, no glory. The Spurs also get the rights to 2 promising players in the deal.

Hill goes home, where he can get a larger fanbase, more endorsements, and a nice fat contract. He gets to play for a team that's going in the right direction.

Bird/Pacers get a player they always wanted to have on their roster, with a good chance of being able to sign him long term if they want to.

Only 2 persons don't like this move: the 2 members of the San Antonio chapter of the Church of George Hill. Surprise surprise.

(by the way, it looks like George Hill will be parting ways with the Spurs... just saying)

What is this obviously a great trade for...a last stand next year? The start of rebuilding??

[TDMVPDPOY]

imo they shouldve tried and dump parker or rjs contract

then try and sign d12 through FA

[Truth4sale$]

How can the spurs be better off next year with the trade of George Hill? If Hill was the best perimeter defender, then the Spurs have NO perimeter defenders next season. Kawhi Leonard will get NO respect from officials and probably won't play much under Popovich. 2012/13 will probably be the year the Spurs feel the positive impact of this trade along with the development of Bertrans.

[ducks]

spurs now play d
now they have someone who if rj is still here should light a fire under his ass if he wants to stay on the court

[TJastal]

spurs now play d
now they have someone who if rj is still here should light a fire under his ass if he wants to stay on the court

I'm sure he'll be happy to take a seat and earn his paycheck as a spectator this season. And the next season. And the season after that. And then the season after that season.

[DPG21920]

If that was a tl;dr, then you have squirty donkey for brains. And plenty of people are sobbing their poor little eyes out about the trade.

DPG, for someone who complains about other people's posts, you sure have diarrhea of the fingers. Goddamn do you post a lot of words that are barely worth reading.

not understanding what I said then using some random Internet throw away line. I said that based on what you replied it was clear that you did not understand what I said, so I thanked you for tl;dr'ing my post.

[ElNono]

Fetch some talent for what, a last stand? Or to start rebuilding?? Thats my biggest problem with the trade. It shows no clear cut direction by the Spurs...

You're not going to make 'a major move' in the draft unless you have a top 3 pick and the draft class is pretty good (which is not the case here). This obviously was a tweak to give the team more balance and depth at the 3. It might pan out to be a good move or not, time will tell. A bigger move (which I think needs to shore the frontline) is going to have to come in the form of an offseason trade using Dice's contract, and some other piece (Blair/Bonner, imo). If some team bites on RJ's contract, there might be another shot there to acquire some other talent too.

This deal doesn't make them any more of a contender, whatever deals they do in the summer (provided there's a new CBA) might. Ultimately, if they decide to blow it up after next season, they now have a good chunk of guys on rookie deals, which is the ideal situation to be in if you're going to tank.

[DPG21920]

Nono, Im not even talking about the trade based on whether Leornard does well or not. My point was never about that. I said it's a risk but a minor one from that perspective bc Hill isn't so great that it's sets any thing back majorly.

It's about the move not really showing a true direction. They could make more moves and it becomes clearer, but at this point they are still stuck in the middle.

[ChumpDumper]

Nono, Im not even talking about the trade based on whether Leornard does well or not. My point was never about that. I said it's a risk but a minor one from that perspective bc Hill isn't so great that it's sets any thing back majorly.

It's about the move not really showing a true direction. They could make more moves and it becomes clearer, but at this point they are still stuck in the middle.

Really DPG, it's difficult to understand your complete lack of understanding what the Spurs did here.

They used the draft to fill an immediate team need and secure a couple of future prospects. There really wasn't much more to do.

You seem to be complaining that the offseason didn't end Thursday night. You're going to be complaining about this direction thing for a long time.

[Mel_13]

It's about the move not really showing a true direction.

I'm late to this, so I'll be brief.

Trading Tim, Tony, or Manu would show some true direction.

I suppose trading Dice's contract to take on additional salary would show some true direction.

Beyond that, any move is an incremental one. In this case, trading a 4th year player at a position of relative strength for a rookie player at a position of relative need.

I don't understand the need to look for messages about the long term direction of the team in this trade.

Proceed.

[jjktkk]

Imo, the Spurs are straddling the fence, which I do not have a problem with. They are still trying to contend, but while trying to make tweaks to the roster, they also are keeping a eye towards the future. It may seem far fetched, but if the Spurs find the starting big they desperately need to pair with Tim, and the Big 3 are healthy in the playoffs next year(I know, big if), I still rather see what happens, rather than Pop and RC deciding to go full tank mode.

[ElNono]

Nono, Im not even talking about the trade based on whether Leornard does well or not. My point was never about that. I said it's a risk but a minor one from that perspective bc Hill isn't so great that it's sets any thing back majorly.

It's about the move not really showing a true direction. They could make more moves and it becomes clearer, but at this point they are still stuck in the middle.

tbh, moving any of the big 3 would be a clear indicator that full-on rebuilding started, IMO (unless they're getting another All-Star kind of player in return). That hasn't happened (yet), so I'll assume that for now they're sticking with a last stand/farewell tour. That can change from now until the next season starts (whenever that is). If anything, this move works whatever route they want to go. Hill wasn't the difference maker to get you over the top, and if they decide to get started rebuilding, you want to pile up rookie deals to fill up the roster.

[MaNu4Tres]

It's about the move not really showing a true direction.

It helps the defense now at the expense of an expendable player. How much will he help? That is up to him, being injury free, Pop and the future or play of RJ (worst case scenario he will see 15-20 minutes of action a night if he stays healthy).

It helps the future in that it gives the Spurs the best small forward prospect in the draft for the next 4-5 years on a very cheap salary. Something Hill wasn't going to be able to provide, not even from the back up sg/pg spot due to his contract being up after next year.

It's a win/win from both perspectives considering perimeter and interior defense was a major weakness (Leonard will help both). And also considering Spurs won't have a hard time finding a replacement for Hill's production having Neal and Anderson in the fold.

[SenorSpur]

Imo, the Spurs are straddling the fence, which I do not have a problem with. They are still trying to contend, but while trying to make tweaks to the roster, they also are keeping a eye towards the future. It may seem far fetched, but if the Spurs find the starting big they desperately need to pair with Tim, and the Big 3 are healthy in the playoffs next year(I know, big if), I still rather see what happens, rather than Pop and RC deciding to go full tank mode.

Yeah, I agree. The organization seems to be squeezing all it can out of what is left, but at the same time bracing itself for the ultimate fall.

Ultimately, the rebuilding stage will no doubt be a prolonged one - unless of course, they can get back into the lottery and have lightening strike for a 3rd time!

Duncan was once the only draw for end-of-career free agents. Those days are gone. Still, the organization knows full well what is ahead. The FO is making the right moves by improving the roster talent via the draft, while bracing for the inevitable.

[FkLA]

You're not going to make 'a major move' in the draft unless you have a top 3 pick and the draft class is pretty good (which is not the case here). This obviously was a tweak to give the team more balance and depth at the 3. It might pan out to be a good move or not, time will tell. A bigger move (which I think needs to shore the frontline) is going to have to come in the form of an offseason trade using Dice's contract, and some other piece (Blair/Bonner, imo). If some team bites on RJ's contract, there might be another shot there to acquire some other talent too.

This deal doesn't make them any more of a contender, whatever deals they do in the summer (provided there's a new CBA) might. Ultimately, if they decide to blow it up after next season, they now have a good chunk of guys on rookie deals, which is the ideal situation to be in if you're going to tank.

If other moves are made things could change but as of today this move shows no direction. If anything the Spurs have become less of a contender this next year, all while keeping their veteran core and trading away their best young asset. That makes absolutely no sense.

George Hill couldve easily been part of the rebuilding btw, hes still young and couldve easily fit in. Theres other guys on the Spurs that will be on the team past the 11-12 season that will have no place on a rebuilding team. Like Parker.

[ChumpDumper]

It's basically a mantra now.

[Big P]

No doubt this trade was about what GH was going to be worth in another year...clearly the fo wanted as much flexibility as they could set themselves up for in the next year or two...George will be looking for his big payday and there was no guarantee that he was going to stay in SA...I'm sure a few teams will offer him a nice contract when his rookie contract expires...this move brings in a defensive 3 on a "cheap" rookie contract for the next 4 years giving us more room to bring in TD an Manus replacements...and don't count out the Bertrans pick...that kid can flat out shoot....he will be in the NBA in a couple of years...overall good trade for both teams.