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Unfortunately we didn't really do anything to upgrade the SF position this offseason. Barnes is best suited as a backup PF, he's not really starting SF caliber but tbh, no one on our roster is if we don't want Castle to play there.
We move on from Tre is what happens. Castle ideally is good enough to start. You get a cheaper vet backup. Paying Tre 2/20 made sense given that we needed him. The cap space it would take to retain Tre is better used elsewhere. Can always draft a backup pg prospect while you have some placeholder vet as the primary backup.
Unfortunately we didn't really do anything to upgrade the SF position this offseason. Barnes is best suited as a backup PF, he's not really starting SF caliber but tbh, no one on our roster is if we don't want Castle to play there.
I don't see an issue, tbh. On defense, Sochan is mobile enough to cover wings. On offense, Wembanyama likes to use wing areas as much as anything. What's important is Barnes can stretch the floor.
I don't know how you have Tre and Castle playing together and Castle being the point guard. Then what is Tre supposed to be doing? He's to small and unathletic to do anything else.
Chinook previously posted some great examples of rotations where this can work. Players enter the game at different times, it's not wholesale unit changes.
Yeah, Barnes would have to have a big career resurgence (or become an absolute sharpshooter not of nowhere) for it not to be a huge disappointment for him to be starting in 25’-26’.
& make/break yr for Sochan to prove he’s a starter. Needs a big step up in shooting & defensive consistency, otherwise he’s a clear bench guy (barring something like Steph becoming Jrue nearly immediately + getting a Lauri type where he could b a good glue guy)
Tre seems like a great trade candidate, at least if Steph shows any PG potential. Paul was promised minutes, Vassel needs to get 33+, Steph has to get min to develop, I think it’s clear the Spurs still see something in Bran (& maybe Wesley somehow), & Pop called Sidy his dream. Plus Champ won’t fall out of the lineup & Sochan will gets lots of min at 3 with a very durable Barnes at the 4.
Tre has real value as a top-end backup PG, injuries will happen on some contender/pretender & he’s an expiring I doubt they wanna pay. I think it’s very likely he gets moved unless Steph proves not to be a PG pretty early & Bran/Wesley continue to the bed.
Sochan is the SF tbh. He will essentially guard all the opposing SF while Barnes takes the PF.
i think you can comfortably start Barnes and Sochan together, and just have Sochan defend the tougher matchup. Sochan does fine against smaller/quicker players since he moves his feet well and has long arms. He could easily defend 3's if that allows Barnes to have an easier assignment.
At that point, I wouldn't make that kind of assumptions or goals. Sure they have cap and picks but you don't put cap and picks in the floor, it has to materialize into quality players.
And the roster as of today, is still bottom of the NBA. We tanking next year again, spurs didn't really do aynthing to improve the quality of the team, whatever the "mentoring" they added wiil bring long term. And whatever Castle ceiling is, he won't be an established star year 2. It's gonna be a process.
then if you add one or two rookies next year, I guess it depends who it will be, but it's gonna be a learning curve too for them too, specially if it's not top ones. So it could basically depend on if spurs trade for a star... But what star will be available next year?
so yeah, not saying ti's impossible, but when you see the state of the spurs now, targetting a "deep" playoff run" in 2025-2026 will require a combination of luck, opportunities and aggressivity. specially if the pass on guys like Lauri. Not to mention the pressure is gonna get bigger and bigger to build a compe ive team around Victor, which would remove some leverage in trade negociations for the spurs.
Then I'm not even sure what PATFOs plan is but we said spurs could make the play in last year, they won 22... then expected they would/should this year, but they probably won't, so Im' just gonna wait and see how it goes before projecting a deep PO run after this season.
Last edited by JPB; 07-17-2024 at 03:24 AM.
Yeah, if you’re five years old, and have no sense of the future it’s nothing.
Yeah I don't see us doing the hockey subs utions but if Tre and Castle play 49 seconds together in a game it's going to be the worst spaced 49 seconds of the game for the Spurs.
From a logistical standpoint yes... but the bigger problem is that these guys aren't really that good. Even without looking at all the starting wing pairings in the league, this would be near the bottom. Sochan is a young, developing player who still has a chance... but Barnes is just a 32-year old role player. We'll see some improvement over last year, but wing talent remains a major weakness on this roster.
Luckily, we're (apparently) not trying to be too compe ive this year.
You are right and I agree with you. A solid playoff run in Wemby Year 3 is what I think *should* be our goal, but you are spot on that it doesn't appear we are really building towards that, which is a shame because it will have meant we've not taken advantage of 75% of the years when we'll have an NBA Superstar on the equivalent of an MLE deal.
We had 145 minutes of Jones-Sochan-Branham lineups last year... poorly spaced lineups are just kind of Pop's jam
No matter how many people want it we are not the Lakers we just can’t attract and buy free agents like the big market teams can. So if you want to have any chance of winning a Championship sooner rather then latter you better pray that we get two good picks in 2025.
I honestly think we are good with Castle at PG, Vassell at SG, and Wemby at Center - I think this season these players will start to grow with each other and will find out if Sochan can be penciled in as a starter on a Playoff team. I am really high on the next draft because I honestly think we can find two legit starters if we stay in the top 10 of draft.
I read some posts talking about how good Houston is doing but people fail to mention they had a top 4 pick for 4 years straight. So going into 2025 hopefully we can also get a top 4 pick and then after that I am all in for gunning for a Championship
the lakers cant attract free agents either tbh
That is because you got 2 players taking up 100 million per season for the next 2 years. Lol
This. Klay Thompson didn't sign with them, for example.the lakers cant attract free agents either tbh
On the other hand, you have people like Windhorst on record saying that players have told him they would be interested in playing with Wembanyama. That will be the real driver for the Spurs going forward. Once the Spurs finally build a true contender they will get all the ring-chasing vets they can handle.
I'll believe Wemby is a FA draw when we actually sign some FAs. We've heard for a long time that players would love to play for Pop, for example, but what they really mean is "I'd love to play for Pop... LMK when he starts coaching a team in another city"
People said the same for David and then the same for Timmy
We already got Chris Paul on a bargain contract. The only real big fish FA out there this summer was Paul George and he's at a point in his career where it made a lot more sense to take the Sixers' money.
I took Windhorst's words at face value, and his reputation as being connected with the players is pretty solid from what I have been able to tell.
I don't think the full Wemby Effect will be felt until he's a true MVP favorite, which is probably 2026-2027 or so.
I'm not doubting that players said they'd love to team up with Wemby. I'm just doubting they actually will, until they actually do.
And did we get Chris Paul for a bargain contract, or for a market contract? I'm pleased with that signing, but I don't think we should pretend like getting 39-year old Chris Paul on a one year deal is the same as a big name free agent being drawn by the attraction of Wemby.
Barnes waived his trade kicker to come here as well….so off to a good start overall on that narrative I would say. Also, I think that if for example SA FO wanted to make a bigger splash you’d see most everyone (guys like Trae etc..) be all for that. It’s more of Spurs seemingly not wanting some of these guys than the opposite.
If Tre qualifies as being a very good backup PG on a playoff team I’d like to keep him, personally. If we threw him in a trade we’d just have to go out and replace our 2007 Jacques Vaughan (if that’s his ceiling.) I would do that for a position of greater need. But CP won’t be around forever and if Tre is still standing as a quality Jacques Vaughan with a nice starter in front of him in a couple of years, why move him? I don’t feel like we’re going to do better than 2007 Jacques Vaughan for the 8th-10th rotation spot on a contending team.
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