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absolutely, but there's nothing that can be done about that since Kiwi wanted to be gone.
Defending scoring sf will be the issue. Murray can do his best against the best guard. White and Mills are competent enough to handle starting guards. Some of the elite teams that have two scoring guards will be issues. Rockets for example. But we will deal with it.
absolutely, but there's nothing that can be done about that since Kiwi wanted to be gone.
Maybe, maybe not
Demar had a higher scoring average than Kawhi last playoff
Better than Porker ...
We'll see. He's had a whole year off from bball and may have a chronic serious injury. Not to mention the entire basketball world ting on his personality at the moment. We'll see how he deals with everything.
I personally hope he ends up doing well, because he's incredible to watch playing at his highest level and it's good for the league. Still I'm not sure he'll return to that form.
Anyway, incredible post Timvp. Very insightful and encouraging stuff.
Last edited by Beartrucci; 09-27-2018 at 02:14 PM.
I too was surprised to see DeRozan only dunk 28 times but I believe it is inaccurate to say he does not possess elite athleticism. He does appear to have a methodical approach to his offense that will translate to hopefully a long career but some of his dunks in the regular season and the ones in the dunk contest he did cannot be done by the average athlete. Hopefully Pop can coach some hustle and bring out some of that athleticism on defense. Like other superstars, the guy seems to coast sometimes.
Last edited by SpursDynasty85; 09-27-2018 at 06:10 PM.
Picking up DD is fine. What stinks about the trade is his contract and the fact that we had to ship Green and didn't get rid of any bad contracts or pick up more than Poeltl. Kawhi's public demands had the Spurs on the ropes. I like DD's at ude and I think he'll fit well. So few dunks, surprising. Read that before as well.
I just read this same article on ESPN.. jk.. Good read
Excited for this season, in a non-championship type of way
Yeah, he was just hitting nice form 360 dunks in the Drew League like a month ago. He's got the athleticism.
This is one of the biggest misconceptions about athleticism. In pro sports, especially the NBA, it’s not about what guys can do with limited resistance. NBA elite athletes can do things in traffic and have the explosion to do those dunks in traffic. DeMar by normal human standards is obviously a great athlete. But by NBA standards he is not. The good news, like TVP said, is that he can still be an elite offensive player despite that and he doesn’t rely on that.
Last edited by DPG21920; 09-28-2018 at 09:26 AM.
Great piece timvp. Your stock is rising...
I hope Pop makes the most of this guy.
I didn't realize a salary dump was considered buying low. You learn something new everyday. I would have gladly swapped Lowry for Leonard but I'm going to assume he was off the table as soon as the Spurs and Raps entered negotiations.
If the Raptors thought DeRozen was worth a , they wouldn't have given him up for a one year rental + Danny Green and 5M dollars. It actually looks worse written down than it did in my head.
Last edited by Hoops Czar; 09-27-2018 at 06:26 PM.
He's the most flawed star in the league, which is why he's annually exposed in the post season. But in terms of a readymade perimeter offensive hub, despite not being a good fit in many ways alongside Aldridge and Murray (or Gay, though he could be gone in a season), he's as good as they could have done. For an American millennial, he's also as close to a cultural fit as they could have done.
I find it hard to believe they wouldn't have preferred Brown or Ingram, so long as they also came with picks and/or other intriguing young players. The Lakers, in particular, would have needed to pay a tax, for all the obvious reasons.
Agreed. Murray is never going to be a Parker type. The best case is probably a more athletic, maybe slightly more dynamic Hill.
Likely all of the above, plus they couldn't get a foundational young player in return and probably felt and feel they have two young players who could conceivably develop into that.
That's because of his poor length.
Demar was they're most valuable big contract asset. He gave them their best chance at a ring this year (getting back Kawhi). Toronto fans were pissed and most wanted to give up Lowry, Ibaka, and Valaciunas. Toronto also would've given the other guys up if they could've before DD.
Interesting because Lowry's advanced stats suggest him to be a much better player than DeRozen. Maybe age had something to do with it but Lowry would hvce costed the Spurs one less year of absurd money and almost certainly better production.
Last edited by Hoops Czar; 09-27-2018 at 07:19 PM.
Age was definitely a factor. I do think Derozans advanced stats will improve while his raw numbers may decline a bit on a more well oiled machine like the Spurs system. I think Toronto relied too much on DeRozan and relied a lot on his playmaking. Lowry a good spot up shooter benefitted from Derozans playmaking ability. He brings incredible intangibles off the pick and roll, his ability to go to the line, and one of the better mid range games. We Spurs fans have been spoiled with hof'er after hof'er. Im glad that we have 2 legit all stars and a handful of young talent with solid veterans in Belli, Mills, and Gay. Pieces are odd but I'm excited about it. This group all has a chip on their shoulder including coaches and management.
I like Lowry. But his contract wasn't really that great, and the team already had guards. DeRozan, as OP demonstrated, was better than Lowry at being a PG last year. Kyle was the better shooter, but without any play-makers on the roster, that skill wasn't more valuable. I do think Ujuri saw this as a do-or-die trade, where they were just as willing to rebuild as to take the next step toward being a champion. DeRozan's contract and limitations reduced his value and made moving on from him entirely not a bad prospect. That's why I believe DMDR was going to be a Spurs regardless of what happened to Kawhi. This thread just highlights that. PATFO liked DeMar and was willing to gamble. Toronto was willing to move on. By moving Leonard for him, both teams gave themselves more options: Toronto got to see if they could win a le, and PATFO retained most of their trade assets to make a further deal if need be.
Speaking of which, do you have any other ideas in mind? Butler is the best chance at some star power, but the Spurs can potentially take on large short-term salary and not break the bank, right?
I guess it was more than age and money. DeRozan is a cool guy, coachable and easy to read. Lowry is exactly the opposite. Also, he plays at the position of Spurs' biggest projects. Having him on this team would have been an obstacle in Murray/White/Forbes developments.
Great read, OP. Reading your posts has been one of the joys of visiting SpursTalk. You have been missed.
I think Kemba, Middleton and Harris are all available for less than Butler. Then you have a guy like Kent Bazemore, whom the team might be able to get for just Gasol's savings and who was the best defensive player on this list. Along those lines, I'd be keen to see how badly Pat Riley wants cap space for next summer. Maybe the Spurs could entice him into something like Olynyk and Richardson for Gasol, Forbes and a pick.
As to your second question, I do think the Spurs should be willing to take on two- or three-year deals if it means improving the talent or fit on the roster. I'd be happy with them converting Patty's deal into a two-year contract with a higher APY just to clear up the forecast of 2020, but as of now, I see them keeping Aldridge and DeRozan while having no one important to pay besides Murray and maybe Poeltl. They may not have cap space anyway.
Didn't Lowry want to play for the Spurs? Are you saying he's uncoachable? I'm glad DeRozen is a cool guy but he looks like an emotional headcase. I hope he's a bounce back player for when he has a bad game, he doesn't let it affect him like it did in last year's postseason when he was ultimately benched by his head coach. He looked and played like a man defeated vs Cleveland. I'll approach this season with open mind but I'm not expecting anything wondrous or eye-catching unless DM or Walker come out of nowhere to morph into budding stars to the suprise of all.
Also, will you quite this Forbes development schtick? He doesn't need development, he needs to get lost. The guy is a flat out scrub. I've seen traffic cones bolted to concrete play better defense than Bryn. He doesn't even belong on an NBA roster, but I can assure you that because of his existence, he will cut into the playing time of players who actually do need development.
Last edited by Hoops Czar; 09-27-2018 at 10:38 PM.
Excellent read, timvp. Hope this season SpursTalk gets a lot more of your deep and thoughtful analysis.
Appreciate it.
Ive never been one to kiss timvp's ass or anyones for that matter but that was the most informative breakdown i have seen in a while.
It gives me hope as a fan. Thanks for taking the time to do it.
He isnt kawhi. But he does have his work ethic. He has come along way over the years. He was an athlete only for his first few years and he has steadily worked on his game.
His handles were dog early on. Much improved. Mid range game. Much improved. Playmaking ability. Much improved. D and three point shooting. Improvement, if any, is marginal
what is all this? is timvp auditioning for some highly paid sportswriter job?
[Citizen Kane bravo clapping gif]
Great read. I'm hopeful for the upcoming season... particularly in trying to take away the bitter taste from this nightmarish off-season (from the Leonard debacle, Manu's retirement, and Tony's exit...).
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