Official 2016 Spurs Offseason Thread

[RD2191]

Is it KD or bust? Would it even be worth signing Conley/ Gasol if we miss out on KD? Waste of money imo.

[coachmac87]

Spurs will get KD locked in and sign Pau with the MLE

[HankChinaski]

I like what the spurs have done so far with the draft, summer league invites and potential over seas signing of previous draft picks and nice footing with cap space for a free agent or two. Team will look younger and more athletic yet it won't be a complete over haul

[tonight...you]

Is it KD or bust? Would it even be worth signing Conley/ Gasol if we miss out on KD? Waste of money imo.

To you, what wouldn't be a waste of money?

[TD 21]

O Pau would be a good fit. While he's not as good of a defender as Tim was, he does bring post defense which is what Tim brought. Tim was flat out terrible defensively on the perimeter last year and while Pau has always been bad there, he at least brings a level of post defense. With Tim hobbled in the playoffs, SA still had an elite defense and I think Pau is just as good in the post on defense as a hobbled Tim was. Then on offense, instead of defenses sagging off of Tim and daring him to shoot and he could not, Pau would absolutely punish those things. Plus with his great passing, he would fit in wonderfully here and definitely raise the team's ceiling over a hobbled Tim for sure. Especially the offense.

Sure, SA could use other types of bigs maybe more, but I think Pau would be tremendous in the system and really fit well with LMA.

Duncan is a superior post defender because of his superior base strength and a superior overall rim protector. Not that post defense is really a concern or that the defense would fall off a cliff, but they'd absolutely be worse going from Duncan to Gasol.

That's basically my thoughts on Gasol, too. Ideally, he's not really what they need, but they can't really get what they need and even at 36, he's more talented than any of the other options.

It's similar to West last off season. He wasn't really a fit, but at the minimum and to be the fourth big, they couldn't have possibly gotten a better player.

[SpursforSix]

Is it KD or bust? Would it even be worth signing Conley/ Gasol if we miss out on KD? Waste of money imo.

Let me break it down for you Rob. If Durant stays with OKC, then these signings probably keep the Spurs in contention. If he goes to GSW, these signings (particularly Conley) are going to be albatrosses for the coming years.

[Spur|n|Austin]

Spurs will get KD locked in and sign Pau with the MLE

Man that'd be perfect

[DPG21920]

Is it KD or bust? Would it even be worth signing Conley/ Gasol if we miss out on KD? Waste of money imo.

Not at all IMO. I wouldn't want Conley at max but Gasol would not cost nearly as much and would definitely help (Pau, IMO, would at worst get a 4-40M contract which is the high end IMO).

But there are plenty of players that can help SA this year & not be "max" players and SA should add talent this year as long as the player is not crazy expensive (Pau), younger (many players) and talented (plenty of players). Look at this list:

Batum
Lin
Courtney Lee
Marvin Williams
Gasol
Deron Williams
Festus
Terence Jones
Brandon Bass
Birdman
Matt Barnes
Eric Gordon
Afflalo
Brandon Jennings
Mirza
Allen Crabbe
Bismack
Dudley

Obviously some are older and might want too much money (Deron Williams, etc..) or might not take bench roles or have flaws/concerns (Eric Gordon), but there should be some guys out there outside of KD that can help the team win now (Pau, etc) that might not cause you to break the bank especially as the cap keeps growing next year too.

[RD2191]

Let me break it down for you Rob. If Durant stays with OKC, then these signings probably keep the Spurs in contention. If he goes to GSW, these signings (particularly Conley) are going to be albatrosses for the coming years.

contention. If it doesn't put us over the top then it's a meaningless signing. You wanna be Hawks West now? that.

[RD2191]

To you, what wouldn't be a waste of money?

Chicken strips from whataburger for one.

[SAGirl]

A few notes:

O I cannot believe Manu playing for his national team then wanting to play for SA again at his age. The National Team was a source of some contention during his prime and put a lot of mileage. Good news is he opted out and will likely have to take close to minimum to come back which is fair since he is choosing to put mileage on his body with his NT at this age. He's also great value at the min & maybe he knows he can play with the NT if he's only going to be a 15MPG player now.

O Tim is opting out. Surprised Woj didn't touch on this. He went the opposite (and less likely route) that Tim opts in to get his money then retires. That would not make much sense IMO and is not like Tim. I think the opposite is more true. He opts out to give the Spurs flexibility. That doesn't mean he retires as he could wait to see what happens in FA and then either take less if SA lands Free Agents or take more/the same if SA whiffs and has money to spend on him/West. I can't imagine Tim tying up money (although no one should fault him for that) while he's unsure. I think he may give SA the freedom and then decide on what to do. We will see.

O Pau would be a good fit. While he's not as good of a defender as Tim was, he does bring post defense which is what Tim brought. Tim was flat out terrible defensively on the perimeter last year and while Pau has always been bad there, he at least brings a level of post defense. With Tim hobbled in the playoffs, SA still had an elite defense and I think Pau is just as good in the post on defense as a hobbled Tim was. Then on offense, instead of defenses sagging off of Tim and daring him to shoot and he could not, Pau would absolutely punish those things. Plus with his great passing, he would fit in wonderfully here and definitely raise the team's ceiling over a hobbled Tim for sure. Especially the offense.

Sure, SA could use other types of bigs maybe more, but I think Pau would be tremendous in the system and really fit well with LMA.

O People shouldn't worry about cap space. Especially if Tim opts out (which I find likely), SA without the help of any other team can get to 15M+ in cap space no problem. What I'm interested in besides Tim (because his contract optin in/out + retirement decision which don't necessarily go hand-in-hand) is Boris.

If Tim opts out, does SA waive Boris??? That would give the Spurs solid cap space without doing any trades if they did, but by all accounts SA seems to want to keep Boris.

Very good and interesting points.
I have a theory on Boris. Unless there's a Durant scenario he will be back bc we are retooling with a lot of youngsters. The idea is that he will still have his role, but take steps back at times to defer to others and help other young big men. (LJC admires him). He's there to also help out Anderson, who figures to have a similar (but not exactly the same) playmaking role. Like all youngsters with more in their plate, Anderson might be uneven early and need help as he develops. This is probably the season they start to put more in his plate and see how he handles it but Pop's not going to want to throw him out there with an entire cast of rookies. Boris is that vet that will settle young guys out. That's why they want him still in the team.

[DPG21920]

Duncan is a superior post defender because of his superior base strength and a superior overall rim protector. Not that post defense is really a concern or that the defense would fall off a cliff, but they'd absolutely be worse going from Duncan to Gasol.

That's basically my thoughts on Gasol, too. Ideally, he's not really what they need, but they can't really get what they need and even at 36, he's more talented than any of the other options.

It's similar to West last off season. He wasn't really a fit, but at the minimum and to be the fourth big, they couldn't have possibly gotten a better player.

I think Pau is a great fit on offense: he can play in the post which SA likes to have options there as well as take the same space Tim was on screen & pops and actually hit those shots while making the same passes that Tim was so great at. I agree and said Tim was superior on defense in the post, but hobbled Tim? He was not great as he got injured and SA's defense still remained elite. I think healthy Pau is good enough in the post to offset what hobbled Tim gave in the post is what I was saying. Both sucked on the perimeter so nothing gained/lost there.

[FvckMavs]

Man that'd be perfect

We don't have MLE if we use the space to sign KD. It is unlikely but if Pau can sign for room mid-level(we can promise to give him more money next year when the cap goes up further), maybe KD will find this intriguing:

TD/Gasol
LA/West
Durant/Green
KL/Manu
TP/Murray

[SpursFan86]

Not sure if this was posted already but didn't see it skimming the thread:

Not surprising. I mean, it's not like Conley is some old 35 year old veteran. He's only 28...I'm sure he wants to go somewhere he can start and play 30+ mpg.

I don't think picking up Conley makes sense unless we get rid of Parker, and that's not happening.

[DPG21920]

Very good and interesting points.
I have a theory on Boris. Unless there's a Durant scenario he will be back bc we are retooling with a lot of youngsters. The idea is that he will still have his role, but take steps back at times to defer to others and help other young big men. (LJC admires him). He's there to also help out Anderson, who figures to have a similar (but not exactly the same) playmaking role. Like all youngsters with more in their plate, Anderson might be uneven early and need help as he develops. This is probably the season they start to put more in his plate and see how he handles it but Pop's not going to want to throw him out there with an entire cast of rookies. Boris is that vet that will settle young guys out. That's why they want him still in the team.

Definitely makes sense - however, even outside of KD, with Tim/West/Manu opting out, waiving/stretching Boris is the fastest and easiest way to get cap space which is a tough wrinkle.

[SpursforSix]

contention. If it doesn't put us over the top then it's a meaningless signing. You wanna be Hawks West now? that.

Durant isn't coming to SA. So get that out of your head. And there's no one out there other than Durant that would make the Spurs a favorite over GSW.

If Durant stays in OKC, then the Spurs have a good chance at a ring with Pau and Conley.
If he goes to GSW, then the Spurs might need to not spend any money and wait until next off season.

[DPG21920]

We don't have MLE if we use the space to sign KD. It is unlikely but if Pau can sign for room mid-level(we can promise to give him more money next year when the cap goes up further), maybe KD will find this intriguing:

TD/Gasol
LA/West
Durant/Green
KL/Manu
TP/Murray

I think we've already seen Pau is mostly about the money. He did opt out from LA to take less in CHI, but that is because he thought CHI had a chance to win/go to playoffs. There are plenty of "playoff" teams for Pau to choose from this year it seems and he will likely go to the highest bidder again.

[Killakobe81]

http://sircharlesincharge.com/2016/0...ol-a-priority/

NBA Rumors: San Antonio Spurs Will Make Pau Gasol A ‘Priority’

...

One of the veteran names that the San Antonio Spurs will reportedly make a priority is Pau Gasol, whom the Spurs pursued a couple years ago in free agency before he ultimately signed with the Chicago Bulls.

...

I love Pau but the fellatio he will be served by Spur fan will be annoying ....
good team-mate, better player.
But you better keep Tony away from his woman ... he cannot play well under relationship stress ...

[TD 21]

I think Pau is a great fit on offense: he can play in the post which SA likes to have options there as well as take the same space Tim was on screen & pops and actually hit those shots while making the same passes that Tim was so great at. I agree and said Tim was superior on defense in the post, but hobbled Tim? He was not great as he got injured and SA's defense still remained elite. I think healthy Pau is good enough in the post to offset what hobbled Tim gave in the post is what I was saying. Both sucked on the perimeter so nothing gained/lost there.

In the 9 game stretch Duncan missed mid season, the Spurs' defense showed serious signs of regression.

Gasol has the skill and IQ and is still just able bodied enough (though his ability to finish at the rim has fallen off the past two seasons) to make it work offensively with Aldridge, but he's going to have to accept being a role player.

I would think he'd know that coming in and is at the point where he'd now accept that, but he does have a big ego.

[DPG21920]

contention. If it doesn't put us over the top then it's a meaningless signing. You wanna be Hawks West now? that.

Spurs are already way better than Hawks - not really fair. Nothing guarantees anything; look at GS losing the le despite being solid favorites and breaking every record.

Spurs are right there and as long as it does not hamstring the Spurs for too long, I'm all for adding talent that can give SA a better chance of winning right now with a core of DG/LMA/Kawhi- that is a legit top core.

My personal preferences?

1. Land KD - very little chance, but of course that should be everyone's top priority.

2. Sign or trade for players who still have a solid 4-6 years left at least, even if it's slightly bigger deals: Batum, Bismack, Whiteside, etc..Keep in mind, cap space is not just about FA. You see many times teams trade for player no longer a fit & send little back because of cap space. A guy like Tyreke Evans for example would raise the talent level and have low risk short-term deals. Rubio is more risky but another example. Plus, with cap space (not likely scenario for SA since they don't have a ton of cap space and they want to win) you can take on salary and teams often give you picks to do so which can help moving forward. Lot's of options.

3. (And still a very solid options) - Just add some talent, regardless of age, that can raise the ceiling but hopefully keep them on 2-3 year deals (Pau, Matt Barnes, Deron Williams). Hopefully guys like Pau at least won't cost max, they will be 6-10M a year for 2-3 years vs a guy like Conley that is 20M+ for 4 years.

I would be happy with signing a guy like Pau for 3/24 (8M a year) + adding Bertans, then brining back Tim/Manu for the min and perhaps even signing someone like Matt Barnes/Brandon Jennings as well.

Starters:

Pau
LMA
Kawhi
Danny
TP

Tim
Boban
LJC
Bertans
Mills
Manu
Jennings
Barnes
Kyle
Simmons

Not a lot of upside, but still a damn good team that could still add pieces next season too.

[RD2191]

Spurs are already way better than Hawks - not really fair. Nothing guarantees anything; look at GS losing the le despite being solid favorites and breaking every record.

Spurs are right there and as long as it does not hamstring the Spurs for too long, I'm all for adding talent that can give SA a better chance of winning right now with a core of DG/LMA/Kawhi- that is a legit top core.

My personal preferences?

1. Land KD - very little chance, but of course that should be everyone's top priority.

2. Sign or trade for players who still have a solid 4-6 years left at least, even if it's slightly bigger deals: Batum, Bismack, Whiteside, etc..Keep in mind, cap space is not just about FA. You see many times teams trade for player no longer a fit & send little back because of cap space. A guy like Tyreke Evans for example would raise the talent level and have low risk short-term deals. Rubio is more risky but another example. Plus, with cap space (not likely scenario for SA since they don't have a ton of cap space and they want to win) you can take on salary and teams often give you picks to do so which can help moving forward. Lot's of options.

3. (And still a very solid options) - Just add some talent, regardless of age, that can raise the ceiling but hopefully keep them on 2-3 year deals (Pau, Matt Barnes, Deron Williams). Hopefully guys like Pau at least won't cost max, they will be 6-10M a year for 2-3 years vs a guy like Conley that is 20M+ for 4 years.

I would be happy with signing a guy like Pau for 3/24 (8M a year) + adding Bertans, then brining back Tim/Manu for the min and perhaps even signing someone like Matt Barnes/Brandon Jennings as well.

Starters:

Pau
LMA
Kawhi
Danny
TP

Tim
Boban
LJC
Bertans
Mills
Manu
Jennings
Barnes
Kyle
Simmons

Not a lot of upside, but still a damn good team that could still add pieces next season too.

Good points all around. Bismack sounds nice since he's still young. Batum would want to start wouldn't he?

[DPG21920]

Good points all around. Bismack sounds nice since he's still young. Batum would want to start wouldn't he?

I would imagine so for sure - might move Danny to the bench then. But Batum would be great for the bench IMO & also could play small ball with TP/Danny/Batum/Kawhi/LMA.

[raybies]

Of that list wouldn't mind Pau and Dudley.

[TD 21]

At the notion of Duncan coming off the bench. They'd never ask him to do that in perpetuity, not only for what he means to the franchise, but because players of his magnitude never move into bench roles.

[Kawhitstorm]

I would be happy with signing a guy like Pau for 3/24 (8M a year) + adding Bertans, then brining back Tim/Manu for the min and perhaps even signing someone like Matt Barnes/Brandon Jennings as well.

Barnes/Jennings/Lance & their peers won't be allowed in the Spurs locker.