McDyess Won’t Retire After All

[8FOR!3]

McDyess is at the end of his career for sure, but I think he can still contribute at a decent level. I'd like to see us sign another big man free agent yes, but at the very worst Dice would be good to still have around in the locker room. I think his defense and rebounding can be overrated at times around here, but then again Blair's defense was nonexistent some games last year (playoffs?) and his rebounding was nowhere near the level it needed to be. Plus maybe an extended break will give him and Duncan more time to rest. A short season and longer offseason could one: give the younger and newer guys more time to train and prepare and two: give some vets like Timmy, Ginobili, maybe even Dice, and Ginobili time to get their legs back under them. As long as they stay in shape, it might be good for them. You see it all the time where guys retire, then after a year or two they decide they feel good again and they want to come back, only problem is they might feel young again but they aren't in the shape they were before they retired.

[SenorSpur]

Before we all get so psyched about the possibility of Dice returning, remember what we watched in the recent playoff series versus Memphis. Simply bringing back Dice alone does not make this frontline any better than last year.

Like everyone else, I love Dice and appreciate his contributions as both a teammate and a professional. However, you're not going anywhere having Dice and Duncan as the two best post players on this team - especially at their advanced ages. And no, I've not forgotten about Splitter. However even if you factor Splitter in, the frontline is still lacking the same athleticism and skill that it did last year (consistent rebounding, shotblocking, defense).

Unless the team can install an upgrade over Bonner and Blair, it makes no sense to have Dice back. At his age, his presence is simply NOT going to mitigate the size and skill disadvantage that plagues this frontline. Unless Pop and RC are going to rid themselves of either Blair or Bonner (and I doubt that they will), they need to identify another big. Remember the Grizzlies! For the sake of the Spurs, and to eliminate this false dependency, I hope Dice retires.

[TJastal]

Before we all get so psyched about the possibility of Dice returning, remember what we watched in the recent playoff series versus Memphis. Simply bringing back Dice alone does not make this frontline any better than last year.

Like everyone else, I love Dice and appreciate his contributions as both a teammate and a professional. However, you're not going anywhere having Dice and Duncan as the two best post players on this team - especially at their advanced ages. And no, I've not forgotten about Splitter. However even if you factor Splitter in, the frontline is still lacking the same athleticism and skill that it did last year (consistent rebounding, shotblocking, defense).

Unless the team can install an upgrade over Bonner and Blair, it makes no sense to have Dice back. At his age, his presence is simply NOT going to mitigate the size and skill disadvantage that plagues this frontline. Unless Pop and RC are going to rid themselves of either Blair or Bonner (and I doubt that they will), they need to identify another big. Remember the Grizzlies! For the sake of the Spurs, and to eliminate this false dependency, I hope Dice retires.

McDyess would be awesome for 1 final year IMO (if used correctly as 3rd or
4th big off the bench and not as starter) It's either that or watch Bonner get 20+ minutes.

If Pop had any basketball sense he would have used Splitter and Duncan in the starting lineup last year and then paired up Blair with Dice in the 2nd unit and sit Bonner on the bench for true "spot" minutes or injury insurance.

The fact that Bonner is still getting a steady diet of 20+ minutes in the reg seasons & playoffs while guys like Blair & Tiago sit on the bench and watch this choker is truly mind boggling.

[itzsoweezee]

McD has a better J, but who cares?

say blair takes 10 bunnies a game and makes 6
and McD takes 10 Elbow Js and makes 5

And Blair out rebounds, defends, assists, etc better than McD Why the would I want McD on the court? Because hes old, nice, and paid his "dues?"

There are all these people out there who think that McD is FAR AND AWAY our best defender. Well Blair actually had better defensive stats. Strange that people can continue to claim this. But we all know what ever pop does is right

I agree with you. Duncan's the best defensive big man on the team and Blair is number two.

[Leetonidas]

What Spurs games are you watching? Blair is awful on the defensive end.

[BackHome]

I agree with you. Duncan's the best defensive big man on the team and Blair is number two.

And that is why the Grizz bounced us out of the playoffs............

[Bruno]

They won't have much time. He only extended it to the first day of FA after the lockout, which will be the day the lockout ends.

It isn't a lot of time but it's doable especially when you consider that teams can talk about trades during the lockout.

[Bruno]

Spurs' problem in their frontcourt isn't a lack of quan y, it's a lack of quality. Dice coming back will give Spurs an extra body but it isn't their biggest need.

[TJastal]

Spurs' problem in their frontcourt isn't a lack of quan y, it's a lack of quality. Dice coming back will give Spurs an extra body but it isn't their biggest need.

I think the spurs' problem is actually quite simple, Tim Duncan doesn't need an all-star caliber player starting next to him (although it would be nice) he just needs someone size and athleticism that can help him defend the paint. It's really not that hard to find a player like that. In fact there's one already on the roster, name is Tiago Splitter.

Knowing Pop, however we'll probably see everybody BUT Tiago in the starting lineup next year. I wouldn't even be surprised to see Matt Bonner make a triumphant return marked with several games of torrid 3pt shooting against sub .500 teams.

[Lukor]

I think the spurs' problem is actually quite simple, Tim Duncan doesn't need an all-star caliber player starting next to him (although it would be nice) he just needs someone size and athleticism that can help him defend the paint. It's really not that hard to find a player like that. In fact there's one already on the roster, name is Tiago Splitter.

Knowing Pop, however we'll probably see everybody BUT Tiago in the starting lineup next year. I wouldn't even be surprised to see Matt Bonner make a triumphant return marked with several games of torrid 3pt shooting against sub .500 teams.

The Spurs problem is that they dont have a franchise player anymore. Great ing analysis dude.

[TJastal]

The Spurs problem is that they dont have a franchise player anymore. Great ing analysis dude.

Did you come up with that all by yourself? Wow, I"m impressed by the thoroughness of your analysis to come up with such a brilliant solution to the spurs' current shortcomings.

[Lukor]

Did you come up with that all by yourself? Wow, I"m impressed by the thoroughness of your analysis to come up with such a brilliant solution to the spurs' current shortcomings.

The obvious solution is to tank so that you can luck out and hopefully draft another Timmy D next year.
I figured you would have realized that by now.

[wildbill2u]

Everybody likes the old man and he was a good guy in the locker room. On the court, he gave effort ans sometimes performed adequately depending on the matchup, but he was literally on his last legs.

What's his future? Well, the Spurs seem to think he could still contribute and if you look back over the years, Pop has always seem to prefer an old veteran big man at the end of the bench--Willis, Ratliff, etc--over a young guy with raw skills and youthful athleticism.

While he MIGHT be induced to come back, Dice came here for a last shot at a championship and he may not see that happening here next year and so, "Vaya con Dios".

[Muser]

Dice is one of my favorite players of all time, but I don't really want him on the Spurs next season.

[spurs50_]

Oh gosh, I guess we know who will be starting.....retire already and convince Rj to do the same..

[rmt]

For you poster complaining about Dice, remember it was just last playoffs that he did a masterful job on none other than the Finals MVP Dirk. IMO, it was because of his defense on Dirk that Spurs won that series. Besides, other than TD, Spurs have no big man with any significant playoff experience (and that includes the choker Bonner).

It's great that there's a possibility of Dice continuing as a Spur or to be able to use him to trade for a big man because the Spurs are hurting in the front court even with him in the lineup.

[rascal]

This is not good news. The Spurs are bringing back the same frontline. Dyess is finished as a player getting starters minutes.

[rascal]

I think the spurs' problem is actually quite simple, Tim Duncan doesn't need an all-star caliber player starting next to him (although it would be nice) he just needs someone size and athleticism that can help him defend the paint. It's really not that hard to find a player like that. In fact there's one already on the roster, name is Tiago Splitter.

Knowing Pop, however we'll probably see everybody BUT Tiago in the starting lineup next year. I wouldn't even be surprised to see Matt Bonner make a triumphant return marked with several games of torrid 3pt shooting against sub .500 teams.

Let go of the Splitter hype. He is not athletic and is an overall poor post defender.

[rascal]

McDyess is at the end of his career for sure, but I think he can still contribute at a decent level. I'd like to see us sign another big man free agent yes, but at the very worst Dice would be good to still have around in the locker room. I think his defense and rebounding can be overrated at times around here, but then again Blair's defense was nonexistent some games last year (playoffs?) and his rebounding was nowhere near the level it needed to be. Plus maybe an extended break will give him and Duncan more time to rest. A short season and longer offseason could one: give the younger and newer guys more time to train and prepare and two: give some vets like Timmy, Ginobili, maybe even Dice, and Ginobili time to get their legs back under them. As long as they stay in shape, it might be good for them. You see it all the time where guys retire, then after a year or two they decide they feel good again and they want to come back, only problem is they might feel young again but they aren't in the shape they were before they retired.

The Spurs need to add youth and athleticism on the frontline. Having Dyess for locker room morale is a wasted roster spot. The Spurs have enough veterans for locker room morale.

[TJastal]

Let go of the Splitter hype. He is not athletic and is an overall poor post defender.

Scroh, you are like ducks' autistic little brother. And I don't mean in the Dustin Hoffman "Rainman" type way either.

Splitter made a noticeable difference in the playoffs in the few minutes he ac ulated. Had he been given more and from the very start the spurs may not have lost that series against the grizz and from there, who knows.

[pgardn]

Even if Splitter contributes we still need him. Duncan is not exactly a young man. Dice played way too much last season. We just dont have anybody else to man the spot. Quality big men who know what they are doing are scarce, thats just the way it is(look at the number of crappy "bigs" taken in the draft 1st round. This perfectly illustrates how hard it is to get decent bigs). We still need him for about 10 min per game IF Splitter comes around, if he does not, we need Dice for more time.

For those of you waiting on Blair...

Who is going to teach him to stop eating and quit pouting? His best friend Georgie is gone, time to be a pro. Blair was horribly dissappointing last year when he decided to go into fat depression mode after he got benched. The way to respond is too work harder and get better. By the end of the season he was so slow and had lost so much explosion he got packed every other time he went up with the ball.
Get real people, Blair has a whole lot to prove if he wants to actually play in this league. And Bonner does not fit the position, no use putting him in this discussion.

[++SaiNt TiAg0++]

Exactly, dice was best coming of the bench, and fininishing games. Dumbass pop panicked after that laker loss, and started him instead. Which caused blairs fragile ego to suffer, and needlessly exhausted dice in the process.

+1
well said

i think dice helps this team out majorly, and to me is a perfect fit and as consistent as a player can be for his AGE but like the above poster said he needs to come off the bench

[Cane]

Even if Splitter contributes we still need him. Duncan is not exactly a young man. Dice played way too much last season. We just dont have anybody else to man the spot. Quality big men who know what they are doing are scarce, thats just the way it is(look at the number of crappy "bigs" taken in the draft 1st round. This perfectly illustrates how hard it is to get decent bigs). We still need him for about 10 min per game IF Splitter comes around, if he does not, we need Dice for more time.

For those of you waiting on Blair...

Who is going to teach him to stop eating and quit pouting? His best friend Georgie is gone, time to be a pro. Blair was horribly dissappointing last year when he decided to go into fat depression mode after he got benched. The way to respond is too work harder and get better. By the end of the season he was so slow and had lost so much explosion he got packed every other time he went up with the ball.
Get real people, Blair has a whole lot to prove if he wants to actually play in this league. And Bonner does not fit the position, no use putting him in this discussion.

Agreed.

McDyess seems like the best big man other than Duncan that the Spurs can realistically have going into the next season.

Not only does Splitter have to prove he's still worth a damn but he's also got injury concerns. He wasn't an ironman in the Euroleagues and he unfortunately had nagging injuries in his inaugural NBA season.

Spurs still need help in the frontcourt (same old song ever since D-Rob retired) and they're going to need more of it if Dice retires.

[SenorSpur]

If Pop is still in denial and truly believes that the Manu injury is what cost the Spurs that playoff series, then the Spurs are in big trouble. As I said earlier, bringing Dice back does nothing to upgrade this frontline - which badly needs a younger, more talented and athletic player. Pop can "sling his bull hash of excuses" all he wants, but he and RC are already on record as proclaiming how they need to upgrade the PF spot. If they are truly serious about that, then they should move in that direction.

At his age, Dice is only a bonus, not an answer. If Pop is committed to rolling out Bonner and Blair, as the "turd towers", Dice should not be brought back.

[joshdaboss]

Number one, couldn't McDyess just be doing this to get paid? Thinking the Spurs will probably offer to buy him out anyway?

Number two, I'm going to be pissed as if McDyess is more than a 10MPG player next year. Splitter and Blair need to develop. In fact, I wouldn't even start playing McDyess until the last 20 or 30 games of the regular season. His biggest strength is his defense, it isn't like you need to put him out there so he can get in an offensive rhythm going into the playoffs. By then, any major weaknesses in Splitter's game will be exposed and it'll be easier to evaluate if he's a starting NBA center or not. For me, there's no question that he's a rotation player, but I do have questions whether he's a legit NBA starter for the long haul.