2006 Thread: Spurs Pass on Corey Maggette

[mabber]

I think getting Maggette would be huge for the Spurs. I'm guessing that the Mavs & Suns would rather face a Spur's team with Barry than Maggette. He's usually played really well vs. the Mavs in the past.

[Lebowski Brickowski]

".... Corey Maggette is as wild as can be. He gets to the line more than anyone, but that's because he puts his head down and bulldozes to the basket. He doesn't know a good shot from a bad one and doesn't make anyone better, because he thinks it's all about him."

Quote from a Western Conference Scout in SI 2004.

Since then i haven't really seen a change in his game except for a more inconsistent jump shot. Given all of Maggette's abilities, I don't think the Spurs need this type of player. I don't ever see Maggette playing "Team Basketball." I also don't see him making the extra pass or setting good screens for Manu or Tony. Then you gotta wonder if he could grasp the offense well enough in the next 4 months to fit his game into the Spurs system.

Also, if a 6'6" guard is the answer to the rebounding woes, God Save Us All. Along with defending the Rockets, rebounding was my biggest concern after the Spurs made their moves this off-season. That's why I wanted Javtokas so much. I still think the Spurs wanted to bring him over but shot themselves in the foot somehow or other with the offer. Bonner, Oberto, and Elson provide enough rebounding for one center, not 3. Bringing in Maggette for 14 mil or however much for his 7 rebounds in 32+ minutes?

And if Maggette does come (I doubt he wil imho,) all of a sudden Pop can make him a good, aggresive defender?

This deal just isn't worth it to me. He wont start. He wont even get 20 minutes until April MAYBE. And he wants a big payday when his contract runs out. He probably knows that he can't "showcase my skills" enough here to get paid.

[Lebowski Brickowski]

Basically he is lesser talented, more selfish, less proven winner, lesser defender, and with fewer "intangibles" than Manu. At about the same price. No thanks.

[Mr. Body]

Spot-on Leb/Brick. Maggette is way too expensive for all the risks he brings.

Unfortunately we're up against it in terms of winning this year with the crew we have. Losing again to the Mavs would demand blowing up part of the team, but there's not a lot of assets to maneuver.

Still, Maggette is not the guy the Spurs need. The rebounding and the free throw shooting are highly attractive, but this isn't fantasy basketball - those things come with very real costs, both in real dollars and in several other columns.

[Mr. Body]

Basically he is lesser talented, more selfish, less proven winner, lesser defender, and with fewer "intangibles" than Manu. At about the same price. No thanks.

Exactly. He duplicates a handful of Manu's skills, albeit as a better rebounder, and duplicates practically none of the other ones. He also costs about one million dollars less a year.

Yech.

[LEONARD]

They turned down Maggette for 2 spares??? :o

[Mr. Body]

This thread has gotten stupid. Maggette can play he would have been a solid contributor and helped is some very weak areas. Judging by whats being said the Spurs passed on this guy for two scrubs that won't do for this team for years to come. Acting like Maggette isn't a baller is ing lame, and for two guys that aren't going to make a significant difference......its just a weak arguement.

I'm sorry but there has to be more to it than that. There is something else thats not being said something Maggette's camp told the Spurs or some kind of trump card the Clips are pulling.

If it was as simple as Barry + Beno + rights or a pick gets Maggette and the Spurs passed then they are the ing dumbest group ever. I refuse to accept it for face value, I refuse to accept whats being said, and that we are hearing the whole story. No one is that stupid to pass on this deal.

Like I said, this isn't fantasy basketball. You can't simply add a good free throw shooter and there's no cost to it. Maggette destroys whatever budget the Spurs have to make moves in the future. Simple as that. He's too costly for how risky an investment he is. Erase those risks and you have a situation, but the Spurs have been the same team they've always been: frugal and prudent. As it is, he's vastly overrated by many on this board. His best seasons perfectly coincided with the years the Clippers absolutely sucked. And on the good chance he didn't work out as a Spur (at ude-wise, why would he?), he'd be as good as dead weight. See the crap offers the LAC is getting for him now? How would that change?

[timvp]

Mr. Body, weren't you the one who was arguing against me regarding JR Smith? IIRC, you were saying he was too much of a risk and was a career scrub. How did that one work out?

If you don't think Maggette is worth a buy low, we can discuss that in a year or two when he's a near all-star.

[Spurminator]

Maggette destroys whatever budget the Spurs have to make moves in the future.

How?

[Lebowski Brickowski]

I'm glad the the Spurs FO seems to be more reluctant to trade our best bench player than most people here would be.

Sure he's old and skinny and not above average on D. But I for one would rather have a smart, savvy, pressure experienced, great passer who is
deadly from 3 pt land than Corey Magette.

Yes, I also would not trade Brent Barry for Corey Maggette. Does that sound ridiculous? Maggette would kill Barry one-on one. He'll make more highlight reels. He'll average more points and rebounds. Probably most GM's in the league would make the trade. (Most GM's in the league don't win trophies for anything that they do.) But just like Body says, All that $alary for what???? A selfish malcontent that has a problem not starting, that likely will have trouble finding a role on the team, and that will want to double his pay 2-3 years from now. Is that baggage worth the few extra boards and FT attempts? That's not the Spurs' style. -- At least I hope not.

[Mr. Body]

Mr. Body, weren't you the one who was arguing against me regarding JR Smith? IIRC, you were saying he was too much of a risk and was a career scrub. How did that one work out?

If you don't think Maggette is worth a buy low, we can discuss that in a year or two when he's a near all-star.

Our bench would be a mess. JR Smith is still a problematic player and doesn't solve much and Brent Barry is a far better player for us than he would have been. Smith is effective for Denver because he's allowed to shoot 7.1 threes a game.

Like it or not, he'd not be getting much time as a Spur at all.

I don't know if I ever said Smith was a scrub. He is a headcase with limited basketball skills. Maybe that changes in the future, but Barry has been far better for us this year than Smith would have been.

[Mr. Body]

How?

With $8 million welded in stone and metal to the budget next year and then the year after that (I don't buy the "obviously he'll opt out" rationales), the Spurs are far less likely to use their MLE. Maybe part of it, but not all of it. There may be some SFs on the market this summer who can be had for the MLE or they could make a push to finally bring Scola over.

In any case, given how flinty the Spurs are, Maggette would make going for any more expensive player likely impossible. This team is not Dallas.

[mabber]

I'm glad the the Spurs FO seems to be more reluctant to trade our best bench player than most people here would be.

Sure he's old and skinny and not above average on D. But I for one would rather have a smart, savvy, pressure experienced, great passer who is
deadly from 3 pt land than Corey Magette.

Yes, I also would not trade Brent Barry for Corey Maggette. Does that sound rediculous? Maggette would kill Barry one-on one. He'll make more highlight reels. He'll average more points and rebounds. Probably most GM's in the league would make the trade. (Most GM's in the league don't win trophies for anything that they do.) But just like Body says, All that $alary for what???? A selfish malcontent that has a problem not starting, that likely will have trouble finding a role on the team, and that will want to double his pay 2-3 years from now. Is that baggage worth the few extra boards and FT attempts? That's not the Spurs' style. -- At least I hope not.

I would think he'd be worth the risk in regards to him fitting in with this team if he came at the right price. A lot of players that have been accused of being "bad guys" and "selfish" have fit very (with lesser roles) into good teams. Now paying too much for him is another issue and I would not do that which is why he probably won't be a spur.

[timvp]

I don't know if I ever said Smith was a scrub.

Wallace was never an option.

Przybilla was a holding pattern. The centers of the future are named Javtokas and Mahinmi.

JR Smith is a punk scrub

I'd be stunned if Smith is worth more than useless. That's my point.

Bonner and Smith are career deep bench players. One because of his piss-poor at ude.

17 points per game on great shooting numbers across the board are pretty damn good for a 20-year-old. Imagine his growth curve under the right cir stances. He could possibly one day go down as the best three-point shooter ever ... but naw, Spurs are better off with Brent Barry

And Bonner also didn't turn out half bad.

[Mr. Body]

17 points per game on great shooting numbers across the board are pretty damn good for a 20-year-old. Imagine his growth curve under the right cir stances. He could possibly one day go down as the best three-point shooter ever ... but naw, Spurs are better off with Brent Barry

And Bonner also didn't turn out half bad.

Smith doesn't do anything but jack it. He's also a punk. Notice he's not playing right now.

Since you have a hard-on for strong rebounders, I'm surprised you missed this little fact:

Brent Barry is a far better rebounder than JR Smith. Gets fewer turnovers. Is a better locker room guy.

[timvp]

Smith doesn't do anything but jack it. He's also a punk. Notice he's not playing right now.

Since you have a hard-on for strong rebounders, I'm surprised you missed this little fact:

Brent Barry is a far better rebounder than JR Smith. Gets fewer turnovers. Is a better locker room guy.

I'm surprised anyone can get a rebound playing on the same team as Reggie Evans. Remind me again which of the teams leads the league in rebounds and which is near the bottom.

Thanks.

[Mr. Body]

timvp, you're being erratic in your primping and stroking some players.

How would JR Smith be a great Spur and Josh Childress not be? One is suddenly sure-fire, the other is a long-term project. Mickael Pietrus has an at ude problem but JR Smith doesn't. I don't get it.

We're in big trouble for the future, and I'm not sure the Spurs can shift into a youth movement without sacrificing a year or two of Duncan's prime. Maybe they can work a miracle this summer.

But with Brent Barry, I see the best chance to win it all this year. He's not the optimal guy there, but he's what we have, and he's our best bench player. I'd rather not drop him in the water for the other dog's bone.

[Mr. Body]

The simple fact is that he'll get you 13 to 18 and 5 to 7 even on the low end of 13 and 5 he's still 3 times the player Barry is. Barry, Horry, Bruce, Finley aren't getting any younger and the Spurs aren't going to drop any big bombs in FA this offseason. Its been since Sean Elliott since the Spurs have seen this type of player.

Comparing Maggette to Sean Elliott shows how badly he's misjudged by this forum. Elliott's value was as a great defender and 3-point shooter. Niether of which Corey Maggette does as a mission statement.

[timvp]

timvp, you're being erratic in your primping and stroking some players.

How would JR Smith be a great Spur and Josh Childress not be? One is suddenly sure-fire, the other is a long-term project. Mickael Pietrus has an at ude problem but JR Smith doesn't. I don't get it.

We're in big trouble for the future, and I'm not sure the Spurs can shift into a youth movement without sacrificing a year or two of Duncan's prime. Maybe they can work a miracle this summer.

But with Brent Barry, I see the best chance to win it all this year. He's not the optimal guy there, but he's what we have, and he's our best bench player. I'd rather not drop him in the water for the other dog's bone.

You do understand that Childress and Pietrus aren't available, right?

To get a quality player for Brent Barry, you are going to have to buy low. JR Smith was a great buy low. Corey Maggette might be an even better buy low.

If the Spurs could trade Barry for Childress or Pietrus, they'd do it in a second and I'd be ecstatic. But those trades would never happen, so I don't know why you keep bringing up those name.

Barry has played pretty well this year but he isn't a player I want to be counting on in the playoffs. He sucked last year and sucked the year before, save for a couple of games.

The Spurs have holes to fill and have a player in Barry who at 35 is expendable for a player who can help now and in the future. If you want to keep him in hopes that you can trade him for Childress, LeBron or Pietrus, don't come whining to me if the Spurs get bounced again.

[VaSpursFan]

Barry has never performed well in the playoffs and he's really done near nothing for this team since he's been here. He hasn't even remotely panned out like they hoped.

I don't think Maggette is going to be an MVP but there is no reason he couldn't play alongside Bruce or Manu. I see Maggette as more of a "in timing" type player and with him I'd have no problem bringing Manu off the pine.

i'm glad i'm not the only one who sees this. barry, while good is 35 freaking years old and maggette is what 27/28??? if you can, you always trade old for young.

barry has pretty much maxed out in terms of talent. great 3 point shooting is a wonderful thing to have but it's fool's gold. i'd much rather have a strong aggressive player like maggette punishing defenses and getting folks into foul trouble than have someone chucking 3's. secondly with maggette's size and offensive game, he'll give us a lil d (nowhere near bruce)...but he'll be able to do what bruce can't do, which is attack on the offensive end. i see nothing but a silver lining to this. he may be a malcontent but so was NVE, Big Dog and S. Jack. it's amazing how being a part of a winning program can change your at ude.

the sky isn't falling but this is an opportunity for the spurs to get younger and more athletic. i'm not a fan saving all this cap space for the future since the spurs track record with cap money is horrible. we are not a preferred destination for most free agents. i'd be happy if the spurs proved me wrong

[Mr. Body]

You do understand that Childress and Pietrus aren't available, right?

Obviously he's not. We're talking hypotheticals. JR Smith ain't available now, is he? But within your hierarchy, he'd be better Spurs material than these other two guys. But who cares - it's Maggette who's available.

To get a quality player for Brent Barry, you are going to have to buy low. JR Smith was a great buy low. Corey Maggette might be an even better buy low.

That's the problem. Maggette comes with too many secondary costs. That's why the Spurs passed.

I'd be happy if the Spurs pull the trigger for Maggette. I can get behind it, if they chose to do it. But I understand the rationale to go with Barry instead. True, the wait-and-see approach hasn't worked wonders in the past, but keeping our powder dry for the summer might be the best idea.

However, I think the Dallas game this week is of vital importance.

If we lose to Dallas again in the playoffs - the only team that can beat us, IMO - we need to blow the team up in some drastic ways (minus the big three), because that team isn't suddenly going to get worse than us. We just got through pasting Utah, one of the best teams in the NBA right now, and this Dallas game is a huge litmus test. Can we slide by without addressing the rebounding and athleticism concerns? Can we beat this team with what we have?

I think the FO might be looking at it the same way. This is the game that shows whether we absolutely need to make a move. To tell the truth, I've been waffling about Maggette (as if I get a vote - obviously) and see the choice as a very hard one to make. I don't think the Spurs are done with the question yet.

[Bruno]

It's not sure that Maggette will opt out in 08 because he had to play really well to get more than his 08-09 salary.

But just look at players that will be unrestricted free agent in 08 and that will maybe deserve more than the MLE :
Vince Carter
Jeff Foster
Trevor Ariza
Antawn Jamison
Gilberto Arenas
Ricky Davis
Elton Brand
Kwame Brown
Ron Artest

Only Elton Brand is really interesting but Spurs won't be far enough under the cap to offer him the max contract he will be looking for.
Ariza is interesting too but he will likely cost less than the MLE.

[timvp]

I still can't believe the Spurs didn't go after Ariza harder. He ended up getting only three-years and $8M from the Magic.

[Mr. Body]

I still can't believe the Spurs didn't go after Ariza harder. He ended up getting only three-years and $8M from the Magic.

The Spurs just need to steal Isiah's draft notes this year.

A...

Trevor Ariza
David Lee
or
Renaldo Balkman

... would be awesome.

[Bruno]

I still can't believe the Spurs didn't go after Ariza harder. He ended up getting only three-years and $8M from the Magic.

He was restricted, it wasn't that easy.

for drafting Sanikidze over Ariza.