Yahoo: Spurs' talks for Andrei Kirilenko end without deal

[Keepin' it real]

My guess would be AK off the bench.

So Spurstalk wants to pay AK $7-10M to come off the bench? That's a horrible idea.

And please don't come back with Manu salary comparisons. Manu earned the $14M/per year contract he had, as well as the $7M/per year contract he just agreed to. Three NBA les and a decade of excellence command some financial respect.

[Marcus Bryant]

GET HER DONE

[-21-]

AK47 would be really useful against Durant and LeBron. Hope we get him somehow.

[UZER]

I believe there are 3 levels, Non-Bird (1 yr w/ team), Early Bird (2 yr w/ team) and Full Bird (3 yr w/ team) and each one allows a certain % increase in resigning a team's free agents. If the Spurs complete a S&T, the Spurs will have Kirilenko's early bird rights next year, but it wouldn't matter b/c the Spurs were talking about signing him to a 4 year deal this offseason.

ah...so the 2nd y/team will get the worm. Thanks

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

tbh I agree with you but him taking a smaller contract would've given us more flexibility. We don't know had he taken a little less what the Spurs may have planned to do but that's not the case so it doesn't matter now. But either way, he is overpaid, and the vast majority of people who follow the NBA agree, the only ones who don't are blind Ginobili homers. RealGM had a poll about the worst contract so far and iirc Ginobili was winning in a landslide. So it's not just my opinion, I'm not a "Manu hater," i ing love Gino, but I just don't feel he is worth 7M a season at this point, imo

I totally agree, but I guess Spurs are just awarding him IMO for turning down that 5 yr contract with the Nuggets which would have paid him 25 mil more. If the Spurs can S&T for Kirilenko and possibly Ellis, which both are still viable option, I think Manu's contract this year will be an afterthought. Let's hope the Spurs put something together by today or tomorrow to justify that contract.

[ducks]

So Spurstalk wants to pay AK $7-10M to come off the bench? That's a horrible idea.

And please don't come back with Manu salary comparisons. Manu earned the $14M/per year contract he had, as well as the $7M/per year contract he just agreed to. Three NBA les and a decade of excellence command some financial respect.

your point
it is about minutes and it is who finishes
ak47 could finish

[ducks]

I If the Spurs can S&T for Kirilenko and possibly Ellis, which both are still viable option, I.

really you think they could get both?

[xmas1997]

And please don't come back with Manu salary comparisons. Manu earned the $14M contract he had, as well as the $7M he just agreed to. Three NBA les and a decade of excellence command some financial respect.

One of the more intelligent posts concerning Manu that I've read, and I am not a Manu homer, however I am a Spurs homer, and proud of it!

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

So Spurstalk wants to pay AK $7-10M to come off the bench? That's a horrible idea.

.

Not really. The Spurs don't mind being close to the Tax line. They have been for the past 10 years. If you get a guy that can guard Durant and Lebron on the wing due to his 7'4" span and his 6'9 height, you should get that guy. Kirilenko would have been the perfect guy to counter GS and the Heat's small ball line-up. There would no longer be a mismatches like Green/Neal guarding Harrison Barnes.

[Leetonidas]

I totally agree, but I guess Spurs are just awarding him IMO for turning down that 5 yr contract with the Nuggets which would have paid him 25 mil more. If the Spurs can S&T for Kirilenko and possibly Ellis, which both are still viable option, I think Manu's contract this year will be an afterthought. Let's hope the Spurs put something together by today or tomorrow to justify that contract.

Ellis I don't see happening (makes even less sense with news of Neal maybe re-signing) but AK my fingers are still crossed for. I agree about Manu, I know they are rewarding him now for his loyalty but I always thought Manu would put the team before himself. I'm not blaming him, because it's hard to turn down an extra 2M and it's not my money, but it's not like he was making chump change last season either, and when your other two teammates take contracts paying them well below market value, how can you not do the same to give them the best chance to compete knowing this is it for them?

Like I said, if people actually read what I'm saying, I'm not a Manu hater at all. But to say he is immune from criticism for past deeds and you're just a hater if you call him out at all is ing ludicrous, especially when I've defended and supported him since day 1.

[Leetonidas]

Three NBA les and a decade of excellence command some financial respect.

Using that logic, the Celtics should have given Shaq a lot more cash in his final season due his 4 NBA les and decade-plus of excellence. No, they shouldn't have. Manu was overpaid last season for his production, you don't reward someone's past accomplishments and overpay then when they're 36. Don't act like he was slighted and made 2 million a season for his career. Manu should've shown a little more respect for his aging teammates who took way less than what they could've gotten somewhere else. Duncan could be getting paid 15-17 million a season right now if he waned to. Parker as well. But they understand they had to make sacrifices to keep the wheels intact.

[Marcus Bryant]

He meant what Ginobili did for the Spurs, not what he did elsewhere. /obvious

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

really you think they could get both?

Yes. Trade Bonner/Decolo in the T'wolves trade. That is 6.5mil of salaries gone. Spurs, now they are over the cap can only take back 125% more in salaries I believe. So 8mil a year contract is doable.

Spurs resign Neal to a 3.5mil a year contract and trade him and say Cojo in the Buck/Atl deal. There is 5.5mil which the Spurs can sign and trade Ellis for 7 mil a year.

Spurs have 7 guards plus Neal's rights. Someone has to go at this point. And losing three guards and getting a much better one in return wouldn't hurt the Spurs at all. Plus you would swap Bonner for AK.

It's doable. I wouldn't care if the Spurs gave up their 2 2013 2nd round picks in the T'Wolves trade and their 1st next year in the Bucks/Atl trade to make this happen. Getting these two guys would make the Spurs the clear cut best team in the NBA IMO.

[Leetonidas]

Again, he just came of a 14 million a season contract, he wasn't underpaid. His decision to win les in SA or be irrelevant in Denver 10 years ago shouldn't factor into this.

Either way, his contract is done, so it doesn't matter. Spurs need to focus on what they can still do despite this. As I've said a million times, I'm very happy to have Manu back, just wish he would've taken a little less. And if you disagree idgaf

[ace3g]

By the way, when is the last time the Spurs have been involved in a 4 team trade?

[Spursfanfromafar]

So Spurstalk wants to pay AK $7-10M to come off the bench? That's a horrible idea.

And please don't come back with Manu salary comparisons. Manu earned the $14M/per year contract he had, as well as the $7M/per year contract he just agreed to. Three NBA les and a decade of excellence command some financial respect.

There is no doubt at all that Manu earned his contract. He will retire as a Spurs and will be a Spurs all time legend (and my favourite basketball player).

But it doesn't retract from the fact that had he taken a $2 million cut to around $5M per year contract, the Spurs could have possibly landed Andrei Kirilenko as a free agent itself. Very high possibility actually. It is not Manu's fault. It is just the "game", as they say it.

[Leetonidas]

There is no doubt at all that Manu earned his contract. He will retire as a Spurs and will be a Spurs all time legend (and my favourite basketball player).

But it doesn't retract from the fact that had he taken a $2 million cut to around $5M per year contract, the Spurs could have possibly landed Andrei Kirilenko as a free agent itself. Very high possibility actually. It is not Manu's fault. It is just the "game", as they say it.

thank you

[dallasmaverickslose]

Anybody know who we would've given to Minny if the S&T went through?

[ducks]

spurs should just call manu ask him to take 2 million less to get ak47 and see what he says nothing is signed
if splitter and ak47 took a little less or splitter restructed his deal to be more backloaded.....

[ducks]

Anybody know who we would've given to Minny if the S&T went through?

duncan and tp for him

[dallasmaverickslose]

duncan and tp for him

Pop too. Right?

[TE]

There is no doubt at all that Manu earned his contract. He will retire as a Spurs and will be a Spurs all time legend (and my favourite basketball player).

But it doesn't retract from the fact that had he taken a $2 million cut to around $5M per year contract, the Spurs could have possibly landed Andrei Kirilenko as a free agent itself. Very high possibility actually. It is not Manu's fault. It is just the "game", as they say it.

I agree with this post completely and I can relate as a pseudo-Manu homer. People not wanting to acknowledge that Manu could've taken less salary-wise ala a Tim Duncan of previous offseasons are just as bad as those that came to criticize his play after the finals.

[ducks]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/kings-t...1RvUUANaFNbK5_

kings after ellis

[ducks]

so any spur fan in st paul to go scare flip to death to get deal done?

[ElNono]

People here are assuming that the Spurs want to swallow that $4m contract from Bonner through the amnesty... I don't think that's the case at all.

At some point the Spurs had to decide whether to throw $1m in the trash in order to get capspace or guarantee the $4m deal and turn it into a tradeable contract, and it's obvious they decided the later. From there on out, the rest was fairly predictable: re-sign your own talent, replace Blair and potentially Neal, and see if you can use that $4m chip + some other smaller contracts to flip into some usable talent (ie: AK).

The FO didn't even need to ask Manu for a $2m discount. They could've simply structured his deal as a 3 season deal, with only $3m guaranteed in the 3rd year and a team option. But IMO, it's pretty clear that using capspace wasn't the plan at all.