I'm still so mad we couldn't get Nicolas Batum in 2008 draft

[Bruno]

Gist is playing and Russia and averages 8.4 ppg and 4.4rpg. Nothing noteworthy.

[SenorSpur]

If we draft Batum, Jacques Vaughn is playing heavy minutes every time Tony goes down, and is the primary backup. No ing thank you. Our backup PG play has been WAY worse than our wing play over the last 3-4 years.

Couldn't disagree more. In actuality, Vaughn WAS the primary backup most of last year. Hill was obviously the better player. We all saw that when he filled in for an injured Parker at the outset of last season. Still he got the "rookie" treatment and was inexplicably benched in favor of Pop's beloved vet. Before Vaughn, Pop ed around with NVE over Beno in 2006. Since then, the Spurs managed between a collection of Manu, Barry, Vaughn & Mason, all taking turns. That said, I just don't think the backup PG duties were that bad off the past 4 years, not in comparison to the SF slot.

That SF position, on the other hand, has been a virtual black hole, in terms of length, athleticism and scoring. Dating back to 2003 when SJax left the team, the Spurs have needed help there for quite some time. Pop's idea of filling the void left by SJax was to usher in the Finley era.

Despite Bowen's brilliance and defensive tenacity, he had very little help. Now that he's gone, we see the negative effects of having lost a premier defender. In my mind, Batum would've been the perfect fit in this post-Bowen era. Obviously the Spurs FO felt that way too. The other bonus would've been eliminating the need to go out and trade for RJ.

This is not a Hill versus Batum thing for me. The Spurs having a chance to draft Batum was potentially exciting because it would have finally filled a hole on the roster that has been a glaring deficiency for about 5 years, IMHO.

[Josepatches_]

We picked a very good player in 2008 NBA draft.We couldn't get more.

I could be wrong but I think at the end George Hill will have a better NBA career than Batum.

[TPnumber1]

We picked a very good player in 2008 NBA draft.We couldn't get more.

I could be wrong but I think at the end George Hill will have a better NBA career than Batum.

i dont think batum was unlucky with his injury but wait and see

[pookenstein]

Batum would have been playing for the Toros right about now, because he would be behind an injured Finley in the rotation...

Sad but probably true. But I love having GH3 as a Spur. Kid is my favourite player behind Tim and Manul.

[in2deep]

Parker for Batum.

[ginobili fan]

We picked a very good player in 2008 NBA draft.We couldn't get more.

I could be wrong but I think at the end George Hill will have a better NBA career than Batum.

Then you're wrong.
I love George Hill too but he isn't a real PG. I don't think he can handle a team as a star PG even though he's an excellent defender.
In the other hand Batum is not Durant or Rudy Gay but he can be counted in the same type of player we are looking for in today's basketball: a very long guard who can play 2 or 3, got athletism, defense and talent.
I may repeat but the guy is a diamond in the rough, i even prefer Batum over Gay if we could have one of those players: Batum has high bb IQ, better defense and is improving his shooting basically the perfect Spur-fit guy.

[ginobili fan]

I love TP but do you think this could make the spurs a better team ?http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMa...radeId=yfvonjx

[blkroadrunners]

Because the fact is Houston and Portland screwed us.
Like seniorspur said it isn't illegal but they really ed us.
The Rockets drafted Batum just because they didn't want the Spurs get stronger. Just stupid... and now they made Portland even more stronger with all their young talents.
They lost one more spot to reach the playoffs simply...They thought they could rivalize the spurs as contenders look at them now with Yao Ming finished and battling for the 8th seed...
This pushed the spurs to get the pussy Jefferson for 14 millions oh and we gave them Scola too just pathetic...

The NBA is still a business - stuff like this happens, and you just have to move on. In 2004, the Spurs and Jazz were already in negotiations of a trade if Utah drafted Jameer Nelson at #21, but instead Denver spoiled both teams plans and drafted Nelson (later traded to the Magic). Also, the Lakers were very high on George Hill, and I assume they were already in negotiations w/ another team.

[SenorSpur]

The NBA is still a business - stuff like this happens, and you just have to move on. In 2004, the Spurs and Jazz were already in negotiations of a trade if Utah drafted Jameer Nelson at #21, but instead Denver spoiled both teams plans and drafted Nelson (later traded to the Magic). Also, the Lakers were very high on George Hill, and I assume they were already in negotiations w/ another team.

Still, it doesn't mean we can't bemoan the fact or be pissed at both the Rockets and Blazers.

[ForeignFan]

15 pts/ 9 rbds in 25 ' yesterday, he looks good since he returned.

[raspsa]

Batum was key in helping Portland defeat the Mavs in OT. He pressured Dirk into missing his last 4 mid-range jumpshots, the kind he usually makes with his eyes closed.. can't complain with Hill though one can only wonder.. is it easier to find a Batum replacement or a Hill replacement?

[ForeignFan]

Batum was key in helping Portland defeat the Mavs in OT. He pressured Dirk into missing his last 4 mid-range jumpshots, the kind he usually makes with his eyes closed.. can't complain with Hill though one can only wonder.. is it easier to find a Batum replacement or a Hill replacement?

Batum would be great, but he's no PG, so we should not trade Hill for him (I am not sure Hill is a real PG, but he is definitely more than Batum....)

[exstatic]

Batum was key in helping Portland defeat the Mavs in OT. He pressured Dirk into missing his last 4 mid-range jumpshots, the kind he usually makes with his eyes closed.. can't complain with Hill though one can only wonder.. is it easier to find a Batum replacement or a Hill replacement?

The two hardest positions to develop and fill are the 1 and the 5. Does that answer your question?

[ElNono]

15 pts/ 9 rbds in 25 ' yesterday, he looks good since he returned.

He played some badass defense against SJax last night...

[SenorSpur]

For the Spurs, the hardest position to fill has been the 3. That is where you find the NBA's greatest athletes. For years, the Spurs were afforded the luxury of having a defensive demon like Bowen, who literally negated that advantage.

Despite years of having Bowen there, the Spurs still failed to matchup athletically on the offensive end. In the meantime, the FO did a really piss-poor job of planning and identifying Bowen's eventual replacement. That's where this Batum kid would've been ideal.

[tmtcsc]

George Hill has been the better player.

[tmtcsc]

For the Spurs, the hardest position to fill has been the 3. That is where you find the NBA's greatest athletes. For years, the Spurs were afforded the luxury of having a defensive demon like Bowen, who literally negated that advantage.

Despite years of having Bowen there, the Spurs still failed to matchup athletically on the offensive end. In the meantime, the FO did a really piss-poor job of planning and identifying Bowen's eventual replacement. That's where this Batum kid would've been ideal.

?? They had him pegged for the draft but he went to Portland because of a draft day trade. We never had a chance to get him. How is that the Spurs' fault ? From what I remember, they made an effort to evaluate him and they liked him a lot. If he had been available, they probably would have picked him.

[SenorSpur]

?? They had him pegged for the draft but he went to Portland because of a draft day trade. We never had a chance to get him. How is that the Spurs' fault ? From what I remember, they made an effort to evaluate him and they liked him a lot. If he had been available, they probably would have picked him.

You're exactly right and I get all that. Let me clarify my point.

We're into year one of the post-Bowen era and the perimeter defense is atrocious. Bogans looked to be a good stop-gap, at the time, but so far, it's not working out. RJ was a nice get, but his integration has been slow. Furthermore, let's be honest. No one is going to mistake RJ's defense for Michael Cooper. All that said, the SF position is still deficient.

It's not the Spurs fault they missed out on Batum. It's their fault that they backed themselves into a corner by not adequately planning for Bowen's eventual departure. We're now seeing the results.

[tmtcsc]

You're exactly right and I get all that. Let me clarify my point.

We're into year one of the post-Bowen era and the perimeter defense is atrocious. Bogans looked to be a good stop-gap, at the time, but so far, it's not working out. RJ was a nice get, but his integration has been slow. Furthermore, let's be honest. No one is going to mistake RJ's defense for Michael Cooper. All that said, the SF position is still deficient.

It's not the Spurs fault they missed out on Batum. It's their fault that they backed themselves into a corner by not adequately planning for Bowen's eventual departure. We're now seeing the results.

Yeah, RJ was brought in to replace Bowen / Finley and he's been terrible. He seemed like a fantastic option at the time and I think the Spurs FO is still in shock and having buyer's remorse from what they are getting from RJ. Just a huge BUST figuring the financial investment.

THANK GOD we didn't lose much to get him. We just need to move him along if we can find a buyer. We don't have time to let these guys find their way. Its too late for that BS.

[superbigtime]

Spurs surely are stuck with RJ until next year.

[Obstructed_View]

It's not the Spurs fault they missed out on Batum. It's their fault that they backed themselves into a corner by not adequately planning for Bowen's eventual departure. We're now seeing the results.

Before I buy in to your position, could you name all the guys currently in the NBA that would have been adequate Bruce Bowen replacements? In fact, I'd settle for just the ones that have been available to the Spurs. I'm still sort of leaning toward the belief that they've tried damn hard to find a replacement for him, and that one simply doesn't exist that they've been able to get. It's one reason I've been lobbying for Hairston to come to San Antonio, because I think between him, Hill and Blair that the Spurs can sort of replace Bowen by committee.

[Brazil]

He played some badass defense against SJax last night...

yeah and shooting 7 out of 10 against Charlotte is also a good performance

[ElNono]

Before I buy in to your position, could you name all the guys currently in the NBA that would have been adequate Bruce Bowen replacements? In fact, I'd settle for just the ones that have been available to the Spurs. I'm still sort of leaning toward the belief that they've tried damn hard to find a replacement for him, and that one simply doesn't exist that they've been able to get. It's one reason I've been lobbying for Hairston to come to San Antonio, because I think between him, Hill and Blair that the Spurs can sort of replace Bowen by committee.

Well, this offseason alone both Artest and Ariza were available to some degree...

[SenorSpur]

Before I buy in to your position, could you name all the guys currently in the NBA that would have been adequate Bruce Bowen replacements? In fact, I'd settle for just the ones that have been available to the Spurs. I'm still sort of leaning toward the belief that they've tried damn hard to find a replacement for him, and that one simply doesn't exist that they've been able to get. It's one reason I've been lobbying for Hairston to come to San Antonio, because I think between him, Hill and Blair that the Spurs can sort of replace Bowen by committee.

Off the top of my head, here's a few:

Mikael Pietrus
Thabo Sefalosha
Trever Ariza
Matt Barnes
Arron Affalo
Dahntay Jones
Luc Richard Mbah A Moute
Serge Ibaka

In the cases of Pietrus, Barnes and Ariza, these guys were available via free agency at one time or another - particularly Pietrus. I know people have spoken ill of him for several years now. All I know, is that I saw him making plays on both ends of the floor for an Orlando team, that prematurely found themselves in the NBA Finals. Ariza played the same role for the Fakers, but now has way too much responsibility for the Rockets. Barnes has drifted from team-to-team for about 3 years now.

Mbah A Moute and Ibaka were both drafted by their respective teams, in the past 2 years, and were not readily available to the Spurs. However, both are superb defenders. While I doubt their current teams would be stupid enough to let them get away, they both certainly bear watching.

Of course, all of these guys have some flaws. However, as complimentary players, that are good role players and can most certainly defend. Either would've been serviceable options.