I'm definitely not defending Bonner, but let's be real here. He would tear up the summer league.
The thing I like about Dawson is that he has shown some real consistency in his abilities wherever I've seen him play. He looks like a banger with a pretty good short jumper and touch around the basket. I'd like to see him get an invite to training camp.
does Dawson qualify as a poor man's Udonis Haslem?
I would hope so. I'd like to see him get a chance of making the team, he's a nice big to have off the bench.
Awesome info.
Can't wait to see more Richards.
THE NEW SAVIOR
Dawson certainly looked the more polished of the "bigs" that played last night, but the jury is still out if he can actually become anything but a below-average NBA player... he's undersized, already 28, and defensively nothing to write home about. The only reason he might have a shot with the Spurs is that we're already in somewhat the same boat with Blair (who is younger, but has no jumper), IMO. But we're talking scrapping the bottom of the barrel here.
My thoughts exactly. I had high anticipation of seeing what Green and Denmon had. I'm hoping Green can stay out of foul trouble so that he can give himself a chance. If Game 1 is any indication, Denmon looks really lost and overwhelmed. He appears to have a long way to go.
Meanwhile, Leonard looked and dominated exactly one would've expected. Still, it was good to see. As for Joseph, I agree that he really looks to have made great strides since last year. He was a joy to watch.
I'm also looking forward to watching Richards throughout the next several games.
Great writeup summary on Game 1. It's certainly helpful for those that are unable to watch the game and very much appreciated.
Joseph was also robbed of 3-4 assists by his teammates. If you include those assists he had a pretty solid stat line. I would like to see Joseph get to the rim more and I also think a floater would do his game wonders. While he did look good yesterday I'm not sure be ready for the nba next year, because he did seem to be outta control and falling on the floor a lot. One thing that seemed kind of unique about Joseph was that spin move to initiate his dribble, I don't recall seeing a player really use that move, although sometimes it did look a little out of control. All in all I would say Joseph has a long future with the spurs.
I'll reserve judgement on CoJo until I see the tape, but it sounds like he showed the aggressiveness and floor leadership that I saw in a pre-season game last year. I'm glad to hear he's worked on his jumpshot, because that will be key to his effectiveness as a playmaker due to his limited athletic upside.
That is what he reminds me of with obviously a much lower defensive ceiling.
The thing that bothers me with CJ is that it was all jumpshots. When jumpers are falling, everyone looks pretty damn good. He really seems to lack the speed and handling to get all the way to the rim for a layup, at least with any semblance of regularity (not that anyone gets layups all game, but he rarely gets one).
He get's close to the rim occasionally, but always has to fade away or shoot a leaner vs getting to the rim. He played very well this first game, but that stuck out to me.
Funny you said this...I was thinking his game reminded me of someone and you hit it on the head. If they trade Blair they might see him as someone who can eat some minutes at PF and sign him to a minimum contract.
Leonard looked great and Joseph looked much, much better. Outside of those three the only other noticeable player was Richards...mostly because it's rare to see a man of his size getting up and down the court like that. LJ made a good point in that it's obvious he knows how to play but he has to make it all come together from mental perspective. I think he's a perfect candidate to spend a year in Austin...and one of the few players out of this group that could actually use that time to put it all together and become a well rounded big man.
IMO-- Spurs won't use the remaining part of their MLE anytime soon. They will wisely hold on to this money for later on in the year when better players become available via buy out.Thanks for the grades, timvp. You're awesome.
Spurs still have a part of their MLE to sign a rookie to a 3 or 4 years minimum contract with only the first year guaranteed. After 1 SL game, Denmon and JaMychal Green don't seem to deserve it. This kind of contract would be great to work with a long term project like Richards but it's a lot of money to invest. Other possibilities are signing a rookie from another SL team or not using the rest of the MLE.
Something noteworthy is that Byars hasn't played. Maybe he is injured, maybe he sucked in practice but maybe too Spurs have a little trade with him in the works. Byars and his non-guaranteed contract is a nice little trade asset.
The only additions Spurs will make from here on out will be 10-day contracts as the season progresses or the additions will be made from a trade (probably featuring Blair/Neal).
I didn't watch the game but it looks like Anderson hasn't taken any long shots...that was (and shold be still seen as) his main weapon.
If he has totally lost confidence in that, obviously ther's no way we can gain any kind of consideration by an nba team (Spurs included)...
Thanks for the goods timvp.
Spurs have only about $500K left on their MLE. They can only use it on a rookie to sign him to a very low salary contract. The edge of using the rest of the MLE instead than using the min exception to sign this rookie is that they will be able to offer him a 3 or 4 years contract while with the min exception the maximum length is 2 years. It is what they did with Neal a couple of years ago.
Players bought out during the season are most of the time NBA vet. Teams keep their good rookies. Spurs can't sign a NBA vet with the rest of their MLE.
But they can offer an NBA vet the minimum whenever that time comes, correct? Wouldn't it be wise to not use any guaranteed money til then?
I remember at least one drive with a floater in a lot of traffic at the end of the first half.
Ya - like I said - he can sometimes get into the lane, but his handle is so loose and his athleticism seems to keep him from getting all the way to the rim. He either has to pull up, fade away or shoot a little leaning shot.
Yep, they can offer the min to a NBA vet even if they use the rest of the MLE on a rookie without a problem. After that, there are other issues like the 15 players roster limit and the luxury tax threshold that Spurs might not want to go over.
I guess. They can't all be Tony Parker.
I haven't seen the game, so I'll take your word for it. What was your impression of his floor leadership? Was there a good balance of looking for his own shot and creating for others? Was he effective in using one to facilitate the other?
Just curious on additional insights from you or others that saw the game.
Mini O_V Thoughts, aka TL;DR
Despite so many people who have clearly hitched their wagons to the "he can't play" horse, Cory Joseph looks like an NBA player to me. All-star? Uh, no. "Mini Tony Parker" as Rick Mahorn called him? lol. Starter? Probably not. If he works on his game and improves, can he be a poor man's Derek Fisher? Yeah, I think so, and I say that partially because of how impressive his defense was, but he also had a really good head for who was where. I need another few games to know for sure, as it sure felt like he was out of control a few times and always managed to do the right thing, be it a pass or a shot. If it was luck, that will run out before summer league is done.
Now that I've given my impressions of Joseph, here's the downside: I always thought James Anderson looked like an NBA player, even from the start. Unfortunately, we've been waiting for something to click, for him to figure it out. It hasn't happened. He's not an NBA player. He'll be mediocre anywhere he goes until the caliber of the compe ion drops to the point that he can do well with the stuff he's done since he was 16. I know his presence on the team at all was a favor by the front office so he could catch on with someone else, but he isn't even able to take advantage of that urgency to do anything worthwhile.
Dawson did the same things he did as a Spur. All of which I like. If he were three inches taller he'd have an NBA career. If the Spurs ever decide that defense and/or defensive rebounds are important, they might consider this guy as a Bonner/Blair replacement. Doubtful. EDIT: So it's not misunderstood, I don't know that Dawson gives enough of either rebounding or defense to make a difference at his size.
Ryan Richards is so ing athletic for a guy his size. He's going to tantalize people until he disappears into the mist. I'm squashing my hope and stating the fact that he's going to be the seven foot version of James Anderson. Howevuh, I'm going to be just as on-board as anyone else if he is given a chance to disappoint us over the next two years.
Marcus Denmon was overwhelmed on both ends of the ball. I expect him to calm down a bit as we go forward to see what he can actually do. He's one of the worst defenders I've ever seen (and due to a stroke of luck, the second worst defender on his own team), but he had a couple of nice shots. We all know he's better than he showed. As good as Joseph played, the clock is ticking if he wants to make an impression.
Zeller. What. The. . The only thing he provided for the team was a carbon footprint. I have a horrible feeling that Pop's considering the guy just to make Matt Bonner look better by comparison. I seriously hope he got his charity minutes for the tournament and spends the rest of the time watching from a folding chair. That position likely gets him closer to his man than when he's on the court.
Last edited by Obstructed_View; 07-16-2012 at 05:19 PM.
Outside of the first quarter (which was awful for everyone) he seemed to grasp the flow/pace of the game very well compared to his time with the Spurs. He took much more of a leadership role on both ends and wasn't thinking as much. Seemed more natural.
The game got sticky at times with regards to ball movement overall, but for a SL game I thought he did pretty well with his pass/shoot balance. He was not proficient at drive and kicks, which also led to my other observation about his ability to get all the way to the rim. That is not a deal breaker - just an assessment of his game.
He seemed to have a lot better pace and feel for the game and his jump shot was really great too.
He had a great drive and kick to Leonard, who missed the three. Joseph was also talking to teammates telling them where to be, which was nice to see.
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