Yahoo: Spurs to use amnesty on RJ!

[DesignatedT]

Holt has done a lot of things recently that I had a hard time visioning him doing. I think what he's willing to do is pretty much up in the air.

[elbamba]

The biggest issue I have with RJ is that his resigning made no sense at the time. No one was going to pay RJ even close to what he received. RJ would have been worth the investment had we resigned him for 4 years at 22-24 million. He probably would have taken that too.

I never want to accuse the Spurs of dirty deals but this just goes to strengthen the cir stantial evidence that there were a deal under the table for the Spurs to get RJ to opt out after his first year. It is the only explanation for it. I am sure that in corners of the NBA, where people speak honestly and openly without fear of repercussion, this is a commonly known fact.

[Brazil]

I don't like it either... I don't think we should be looking for a SF... we need size/defense inside above all. I think between Dany Green/Leonard, and even shifting Bonner there (he plays on the perimeter anyways) can man the position when we're not just playing small with Neal/Tony/Manu...

lol @ bonner playing SF, he would be torched on every possession by 95% of the starting SF of the league.... Even RJ would torch him... Bonner is incapable to defend athletic SF

[ElNono]

Yeah, now that they're under the line, I can't see them going over it. Then again, I thought the RJ trade would never happen and that they wouldn't use the amnesty this year. The Spurs were more predictable before acquiring RJ.

Well, I just think that the closer they get to the lux line, the more percentage you have to remove from that possible 150%, which in turn reduces your flexibility to pull a trade.

Not saying Holt is unwilling to go over the lux tax (especially these first 2 seasons when it's 1:1), but I think he's obviously going to try to be under and if he has to pay tax, the least possible.

[Buddy Holly]

If Spurs fail to get Kaman, Oak, Thompson, or Ty Thomas, they sould look to deal players for picks and start the rebiuld. Next years draft is very strong and will have lots of bigs who can be stars.

Im sure Tim, Manu and TP can all bring in a high first rounder....I would rather trade them get value and send them out in style than watch them flounder and we end up getting the 22 pick a likely role player at best.

, see if Okl would take Tim give us a first rounder and Serge and or Harding/ Maynor. Okl be fav in the West, Tim may get another ring and we get good young talent to start rebiuld.

Manu to Houst, for Patterson, future picks.....they get a leader who can do it all we get a young PF with upsided and picks.

TP to Tor for Davis, Calderon and a first rounder.....We get a young defensive big, a solid pg and future picks

Just stop posting for a while.

[elbamba]

Teams under the cap that will be able to bid for Jefferson's services:

1. Washington: $34.4 million
2. Denver: $33 million
3. Indiana: $28.5 million
4. Sacramento: $26.2 million
5. New Jersey: $23.1 million
6. Toronto: $17.7 million
7. Golden State: $16 million
8. Detroit: $14-$19 million
9. L.A. Clippers: $13.1 million
10. Charlotte: $13 million
11. New Orleans: $12.6 million
12. Milwaukee: $12.2 million
13. Minnesota: $11.4 million
14. Houston: $6.8 million
15. Memphis: $5.1 million
16. Phoenix: $3.25 million
17. Oklahoma City: $3.1 million
18. Philly: 2.65 million

As you can see many teams are very well under the cap, which was probably the reason for the Spurs' decision-- Jefferson should and will be bidded on.

Pistons, nuggets, Minnesota might be potential destinations. I know the Bucks are out of the equation.

[ElNono]

lol @ bonner playing SF, he would be torched on every possession by 95% of the starting SF of the league.... Even RJ would torch him... Bonner is incapable to defend athletic SF

Unless he's moved, he's going to play, and frankly, I much rather he be a human traffic cone on the perimeter while having an extra rim protector next to Tim, than getting torched inside the paint.

[Seventyniner]

Well, I just think that the closer they get to the lux line, the more percentage you have to remove from that possible 150%, which in turn reduces your flexibility to pull a trade.

Not saying Holt is unwilling to go over the lux tax (especially these first 2 seasons when it's 1:1), but I think he's obviously going to try to be under and if he has to pay tax, the least possible.

Using the 150% rule can't put you more than $4M over the tax line, right? Otherwise you still have to do 125%?

It's somewhat irrelevant anyway: with the amnesty of RJ, the Spurs are around $3M under the tax line once Leonard signs. The only real trade chips the Spurs have are Dice and Blair, and getting back 150% of that salary barely bumps against the $4M-over-the-tax threshold.

[SenorSpur]

lol @ bonner playing SF, he would be torched on every possession by 95% of the starting SF of the league.... Even RJ would torch him... Bonner is incapable to defend athletic SF

He's already getting torched by 100% by every opposing player, on every possession as it is. Did anyone not see the Memphis series? Bonner is incapable of defending anyone - other than the Brian Scalabrine's of the world.

[ElNono]

Using the 150% rule can't put you more than $4M over the tax line, right? Otherwise you still have to do 125%?

It's somewhat irrelevant anyway: with the amnesty of RJ, the Spurs are around $3M under the tax line once Leonard signs. The only real trade chips the Spurs have are Dice and Blair, and getting back 150% of that salary barely bumps against the $4M-over-the-tax threshold.

Right, but if they do use the full MLE on top of that, then they're going to be close or above the lux line, and less willing to take on more contract (since it will basically cost twice as much).

[superbigtime]

people may forget because he has been such a disappointing player, but RJ is a damn good player. He's gonna make fans remember that he is better than he seemed in the Spurs system. wouldn't want him in dallas for sure. it sucks the wasted $ on this dude not to mention suck ass gator arm bonner's over generous contract.

[Libri]

I'm very surprised Holt was ready to waive RJ while he was owned $29M.

Right now, It's hard to tell is it's or not a good move. 2 questions are up in the air:
1) Will a team below the cap claim a part of RJ's contract?
2) What Spurs will do with this new financial flexibility?

Do you know when Larry Coon's site will be updated?

[gospursgojas]

people may forget because he has been such a disappointing player, but RJ is a damn good player. He's gonna make fans remember that he is better than he seemed in the Spurs system. wouldn't want him in dallas for sure. it sucks the wasted $ on this dude not to mention suck ass gator arm bonner's over generous contract.

I would not fear one bit for the Spurs if he ended up in Dallas. Hes gonna be a great player for a ty team. Like minny probably.

[ElNono]

people may forget because he has been such a disappointing player, but RJ is a damn good player. He's gonna make fans remember that he is better than he seemed in the Spurs system. wouldn't want him in dallas for sure. it sucks the wasted $ on this dude not to mention suck ass gator arm bonner's over generous contract.

He looked good in Milwaukee because he was the #1 option. And the Bucks couldn't get rid of him quickly enough.

I really don't care where he lands. The only thing I hope is that he gets overpaid. That way Spurs save some money on what he's owed.

[bigfan]

RJ seems like a good guy and he played hard but obviously never quite meshed. Good luck to him in the future.

[DesignatedT]

No doubt in my mind that RJ is better and a more rounded player now than he was when he first got here. He can help on another team, no doubt. Preferably one that runs up and down the court a little bit more and has a passing first PG.

[5in10]

Am I the only one who doesn't understand how Caron Butler would fit on this team? He's most effective on isolations -- sets the Spurs don't run and shouldn't run when any of the Big 3 is also on the court.

Amnesty-ing RJ to give Butler a full MLE deal is like hoping maybe your other hand won't get burned by touching the same hot stove.

I would rather have someone that can create their own shot, it takes pressure off the big 3 to score. I say add iso sets for him, especially when the big 3 are off the court, gives them more rest. It's better than having rj who is scared to shoot, and hides under pressure. At least butler is a compe or and wants to win.

[slick'81]

about time that is all fair well rj

[stephen jackson]

rj would be great in a suns uniform, or with the warriors, he needs a fast system... just wasnt a good fit with us, and the spurs should have known that. but what you gonna do not a bad trade but a bad decision to resign him

[alamo50]

He just wasn't smart enough.
Now let's bring in Butler.

[The Truth #6]

Alright RJ, best of luck to you and all that.

I think his value is low, but oddly, he probably would be a bargain on some team for $2million/year or less. He did improve his fundamentals somewhat last year while studying under Pop. And most importantly, he did shoot 44% from 3 last year...some team (granted, an average team with little aspirations for a le) could use him just as a shooter. And if he gets out on the fast break occasionally then all the better. I would love for some Hollinger stat geek to advertise what a bargain he is at $2 million/year. In a perfect world some team will pay him close to the MLE and get Holt off the hook for a little bit. In no way do I expect that, but with this frenzy it's possible.

[The Truth #6]

I don't think Butler is going to be a great answer. I can see how his iso's are exactly what they wanted out of RJ. But, it's hard to ignore that Dallas did just fine without him. In fact, I think they did better when he got injured. If Pop can bamboozle him to be a real team leader, then that's great. But if Pop does inflate his ego with purpose, and then we find out he never fully recovered from his injury and basically is less than hoped for, I'm not sure what happens then.

In other words, I can't see us wooing Butler to come here to play defense and mentor Leonard and occasionally score when Manu and Tony are off the court. Hey, maybe it's possible. Pop is convincing. But I would think Butler has better options.

In addition: how many years are we offering him? Please no more than two, but good luck with that.

[diego]

hurray for getting rid of RJ

but say no to butler, he will be RJ 2.0 if he comes here. i'd much rather battier or hill to mentor leonard/anderson and hope they pan out. Also, butler is a jumpshooter, i'd much rather use what little money is available on someone who will bring rebounds and/or inside scoring.

[elemento]

Where are the morons that defended the Spurs move to resign Jefferson now ?

Since 2008 we've been making a lot of dumb moves. Our FO has been pathetic. It's just sad.

[spurs10]

We need a power forward and I can't help but believe that is the main FO concern right now. I guess the question is, if we use the now full MLE on a SF, who do we trade for a PF? Undoubtably our biggest concern....It could be the other way around though and we end up trading for a RJ replacement and pay a big the MLE.