2013 General Free Agent Signings/News and Trades

[elemento]

Pure exaggeration

Sanders gets paid because of potential (he is still 24) and because of the market that he plays. If SA had a young player like Sanders (raw, shot-blocking machine with good defensive numbers), nobody in ST would have a problem with him getting a 4y/40m contract.

NOBODY

Splitter is indeed a good defender, but he is a system player and he is 4 years older. I don't think either player sets the bar for the other. Completely different situation and different type of Centers.

[Baam]

I'm completely saying that Sanders is a better player as well as much more valuable defensively.

Splitter is the third player on his team in term of defensive rating, there's no comparison, he's a good fit but that's about it. We're talking about a 20min player who plays between two guy that are better defender and have much superiors defensive ratings (at least Duncan)...

Sanders does it on his own and his defensive rating on Splitters... I don't see how this is close.

And if Splitter is a bit better offensively, Sanders is a much better rebounder...

[elemento]

The day he left I said he would struggle to find a team even for the min. SA gave him his last fat paycheck.

Teams do not want a washed up knucklehead.

[Chinook]

I'm completely saying that Sanders is a better player as well as much more valuable defensively.

Splitter is the third player on his team in term of defensive rating, there's no comparison, he's a good fit but that's about it. We're talking about a 20min player who plays between two guy that are better defender and have much superiors defensive ratings (at least Duncan)...

Sanders does it on his own and his defensive rating on Splitters... I don't see how this is close.

And if Splitter is a bit better offensively, Sanders is a much better rebounder...

Defensive rating is an individual stat. While having good players on the floor with an individual can help the rating, it doesn't define it. It's like people who downplay Green's three-point percentage because he's on a team with Parker. Defensive win-shares is also an individual stat, although that is somewhat more affected by team success, as the more wins a team has, the more win-shares the team can theoretically pass around.

And it's sort of hypocritical of you to say that a 1.5-point difference in DRtg is some tremendous difference but that a nine-point difference in ORtg is just being "a bit better." That's also a bigger difference than the gap between their rebounding rates (18.6 to Sanders to 14.9 for Splitter). And unlike Sanders, Splitter often shared the court with a dominant defensive rebounder, and he was in a system that downplayed that did not make offensive rebounds a priority.

The stats say Splitter is a MUCH better player. It's cool to believe that Sanders will eventually be as good as Splitter is. But it's not even a contest yet.

And elemento, it's not an exaggeration. Splitter was top-15 in both offensive and defensive rating last season. No other player did that. (Durant was top-20 in both, but that's it.) That's insane. Sanders has a ways to go before he's in Splitter's league, and it may not even happen in this contract. The fact that Splitter is four years older than Sanders is an explanation for the gulf between them, not an excuse to ignore it.

[Baam]

Stats say that they have equal PERs and that Sanders is much more valuable defensively actually...

[Baam]

And lol at having the audacity to say that Duncan basically prevents Splitter from having better stats when he's the whole reason for Splitter's success...

[Chinook]

Stats say that they have equal PERs and that Sanders is much more valuable defensively actually...

Once again, a 1.5 difference in defensive rating is not being "much more valuable." Splitter's WS/48 blew Sanders' out of the water, in addition to Splitter being FAR superior offensively.

Also, PER is a pretty empty stat that doesn't really correlate to how much a player helps his team win games. I'm not saying Sanders wasn't a productive player, or even a major plus (as I've said before, I actually do really like him), but it's a pretty easy stat to inflate on a bad team.

[Chinook]

And lol at having the audacity to say that Duncan basically prevents Splitter from having better stats when he's the whole reason for Splitter's success...

The more rebounds Duncan (and Leonard) get, the fewer Splitter gets. This doesn't mean that he's not a poor rebounder, but it definitely does explain some of the numbers.

Duncan and Splitter compliment each other. Because Splitter was on the floor next to Duncan, he was able to do what he does best, and vice-versa. Tim is an elite, post defender, rim-protector and rebounder. Tiago is an elite PnR defender and mobile-big defender. To pretend like Duncan is just propping Splitter up is absurd. Tim's long passed the days of being able to carry the team the way some fans are assuming he does.

As much as people don't want to admit it, the Medium Three help the Big Three almost as much as the Big Three help them. Both groups boost the stats and lessen the burden for the other.

[ace3g]

Emiliano Carchia @SportandoBasket
Mens Sana Siena agreed to terms with Kim English sportando.net/eng/italy/seri…

[ace3g]

Eric Pincus @EricPincus
It appears Justin Holiday was about to have some guaranteed $ kicked in on his contract, so Philadelphia 76ers cut him loose before it did

[palangi]

Lol T-Vag lovers .

[Bruno]

It's crazy how Philly has nobody to play PG/SG/SF in their roster. They have 2 solid vets with Evan Turner and Jason Richardson, a rookie with Michael Carter-Williams and that's pretty much it. Right now their bench at PG/SG/SF would be James Anderson and Royce White.

If Spurs are still interested in Bobby Brown, they had to hurry up because he must be signed before August 15th before his Chinese contract kick in. A logical move would be Spurs signing him and trading Patrick Mills to Philly. That's assuming Spurs rate Bobby Brown over Mills.

[Hoops Czar]

If the Spurs had a choice between signing Bobby Brown or doing nothing, they should do nothing. He makes De Colo look like a decent player and that's really hard to do.

[Ocotillo]

It's crazy how Philly has nobody to play PG/SG/SF in their roster. They have 2 solid vets with Evan Turner and Jason Richardson, a rookie with Michael Carter-Williams and that's pretty much it. Right now their bench at PG/SG/SF would be James Anderson and Royce White.

If Spurs are still interested in Bobby Brown, they had to hurry up because he must be signed before August 15th before his Chinese contract kick in. A logical move would be Spurs signing him and trading Patrick Mills to Philly. That's assuming Spurs rate Bobby Brown over Mills.

You're on to something there. Brown was Patty's biggest fan and maybe we could get an asset of some sort by shipping him to Philly. I could care less about Bobby Brown but shipping Patty to Philly could open up a roster spot for that elusive SF backup.

[TD 21]

The Spurs already have an open roster spot for that "elusive SF backup" and Mills is younger and better than Brown ever was in the NBA. Mills to the 76ers makes only makes sense as a favor to him and (Brett) Brown . . . unfortunately, the Spurs are ignorant enough that this shouldn't be entirely ruled out.

As far as the 76ers lack of wing depth, given their roster, Young and Turner probably slide down to their natural SF and SG, respectively, which would make Richardson the sixth man and round out a three wing rotation. Add some random scrub to provide depth alongside Anderson and they're fine. At PG, Duhon probably lands with them to backup/mentor Carter-Williams. Again, add some random scrub to provide depth and they're fine.

[Chinook]

I actually think that Thad and Evan are where they're supposed to be. Young can't really play the three, and Evans' skills are best served as a two, which is supposedly part of the reason the Sixers moved Iggy. They need another guard who can shoot, since right now, their lineup really lacks that. Mills would fit in well there, and the Spurs could probably get an asset back, which is a good idea at this point.

[Bruno]

It's crazy how Philly has nobody to play PG/SG/SF in their roster. They have 2 solid vets with Evan Turner and Jason Richardson, a rookie with Michael Carter-Williams and that's pretty much it. Right now their bench at PG/SG/SF would be James Anderson and Royce White.

In fact, it's only one solid vet with Evan Turner since Richardson will be out for most of next season after a knee surgery.

[TD 21]

Whichever you think they're better at, the fact remains their natural positions are SF (blame Collins, who suggested Young do away with shooting threes, as opposed to continuing developing it, despite a reasonable amount of promise early in his career) and SG, respectively and the way they're currently constructed, there's no reason to think they won't go with that. Sure, spacing would be a serious issue amongst their starters, but remember, this is a team trying to be the worst in the league anyway.

No question Mills would be a nice fit, but they're trying to collect as many assets as they can, so I can't imagine they'd give up a real 2nd (meaning, not some top 55 protected pick 3-5 years down the line) for him. That being the case, the Spurs shouldn't do them any favors.

[Chinook]

How are their natural positions the positions they're worse at? Turner is 6-7, which is slightly above average for a small-forward. The Sixers tried to make him a two-guard, but he didn't cut it there. It's like trying to assert that Iguodala is a natural shooting-guard.

Young is a little undersized for a four, but his game is that of a big. According to the shooting splits, Young is damned-near incompetent outside of nine feet. He'd be one of the best rebounding threes in the game, but he doesn't really have much he can do besides that if he's left out on the perimeter. His rebounding is more than adequate for a power-forward, though. With the new trend to small-ball and the lack of tall fours outside of Splitter and Ibaka, Young is definitely more of a four than three in today's game.

[cd021]

Stats say that they have equal PERs and that Sanders is much more valuable defensively actually...

Stats also say Sanders is a mediocre offensive player. Splitter's career P.E.R is nearly 3 points higher than Sanders (they've had the same amount of NBA experience and both played primarily off the bench for the 1st two seasons. Before starting.

Splitter is clearly a better team defender. He fouls much less and the Spurs had the 3rd best 5 man rotation in the league and were 3rd in the NBA last season. We were 11th the season before with Splitter playing a more limited role on the bench.

The single stat that you produced (defensive rating) has Sanders at 98, but Splitters is at 101. It doesn't support you theory that he is a drastically better defender.

Also Duncan made $9.6 million last season, not $20 million. I have no idea where you got that from.

My point was, Duncan is an truly elite defender. His blocks to fouls rate was the best in the NBA and has been in the top 3 in defensive rating in each of the last 3 seasons. Calling Sanders elite puts him in the upper echelon of the NBA. He clearly isn't a Hibbert, Duncan, Garnett etc.

If you think he is right up there, with them then you're flat out crazy.

"Chinook" and me have produced half a dozen advanced defensive numbers that you ignore. You said that Splitter looks better because he plays with Duncan and Leonard. I showed you the Spurs second best defensive unit (Parker, Green, Leonard, Duncan and Diaw) and then showed you the teams best unit (Parker, Green, Leonard, Duncan and Splitter) and it was clear Splitter was a major player in that Spurs success It was the Spurs best unit by -6.4 points per 100 possession.

Also The playoff line includes every minute in every series the Parker, Green, Leonard, Duncan and Splitter played together. That includes the Lakers, Warriors, Grizzlies, & Heat. Not just against Memphis. It was by far our best defensive unit by more than 18 points per 100 possessions.

Splitters defensive win share was just .2 less than Sanders. Splitters offensive win share was more than double Sanders. Sanders also had a poor true shooting percentage 52% to Splitters 60%FG. Splitter is a better passer (obviously) as well.

Illaysova and Mbah a Moute aren't bad defenders and Sanders is supposed to erase mistakes (since he's some type of juggernaut in your book).


Instead Milwaukee's best defensive unit with Sanders was 6 points worse per 100 possessions than the Spurs top lineup (including Splitters).

3 seasons ago Dwight Howard anchored a lineup consisting of Nelson,Turkoglu, Anderson, & Bass and they had a defensive rating of just 94.4. Dwight ,himself had a rating of 94 and a defensive win share of 7.7. That is an elite defensive anchor, playing with 4 subpar defenders and still being capable of shutting teams down.

I was clearly right about Splitter being a better team defender. Your response is to call people who disagree with your opinion "T-Vag lovers" it shows you can't support your opinions with actually numbers to back it up.

[Baam]

You sure love your T-Vag, going on and on to defend his honor.

The mighty T-Vag played by far the most playoffs minutes against a scrubby Kobe-less Lakers team and even then he was the worse player of the series and the Memphis Grizzlies so yeah he faced offensive teams deal with it girl.

Sanders is the defensive anchor of his team while Splitter is only the third best defender (and I'm talking best case scenario because I don't really believe that), tells you everything you need to know about how big a part they play on defense and how valuable they are.

Stop being butthurt tbh, why don't you go ask some fans around the league who they'd take.

[UnWantedTheory]

You sure love your T-Vag, going on and on to defend his honor.

The mighty T-Vag played by far the most playoffs minutes against a scrubby Kobe-less Lakers team and even then he was the worse player of the series and the Memphis Grizzlies so yeah he faced offensive teams deal with it girl.

Sanders is the defensive anchor of his team while Splitter is only the third best defender (and I'm talking best case scenario because I don't really believe that), tells you everything you need to know about how big a part they play on defense and how valuable they are.

Stop being butthurt tbh, why don't you go ask some fans around the league who they'd take.

Most of us would prefer to stick with facts if you don't mind.

[ace3g]

Bobby Brown @BBROWNLAU
Taking my talents to Dongguan ���� Lets Goo!!! instagram.com/p/c_5lIoLWOC/

[bklynspursfan]

The NBA on ESPN ‏@ESPNNBA6m
RT @ESPNSteinLine: This just in: I'm told Nikola Pekovic and Wolves have agreed to five-year deal worth $60 million

[Bruno]

Damn, that's a lot of money. I take Splitter at 36/4 over Pekovic at 60/5.

I'm also wondering if all that money spend this summer by Minny won't re-open the door on a Derrick Williams trade. To me, he was out of reach after his good second half of season but it might not be the case, especially if Adelman still likes more Cunningham.