You can see why they made the trade now

[Sean Cagney]

The trade can't be judged on what Hill does or doesn't do on the Pacers. We already knew what he could do on the Spurs. That's what you have to compare Leonard to.

In the short-term, I'm doubtful that Leonard will end up being an upgrade over Hill. Asking any 20-year-old to do more than what Hill would have brought would be asking a whole lot.

That said, in the long run, I'm have trust in Leonard. He seems like a good kid who really puts in the effort to perfect his craft. Plus, if the FO saw enough in him to move up in the first round in the Popovich era, that's a really good sign Leonard will end up being good. (Although, tbh, I can't really figure out how he's going to ever become an above average offensive player.)

Hill was topped out here potential wise IMO, we knew what he was and he was not going to get better IMO! He faded out last year late too if I am correct. Hill is a good bench player while Leonard IMO can eventually be a starter in this league or so I hope! I know you said the now and you are right, but I bet they were thinking future on this one.

You never know though Parker at 19 did some things here, raw as he was he came in and started later that year.

[Nathan89]

The trade can't be judged on what Hill does or doesn't do on the Pacers. We already knew what he could do on the Spurs. That's what you have to compare Leonard to.

In the short-term, I'm doubtful that Leonard will end up being an upgrade over Hill. Asking any 20-year-old to do more than what Hill would have brought would be asking a whole lot.

That said, in the long run, I'm have trust in Leonard. He seems like a good kid who really puts in the effort to perfect his craft. Plus, if the FO saw enough in him to move up in the first round in the Popovich era, that's a really good sign Leonard will end up being good. (Although, tbh, I can't really figure out how he's going to ever become an above average offensive player.)

The team can be better even if Kawhi isn't as "good" as Hill. Kawhi fills a different hole and Hill is being replaced by a combination on Neal,Anderson,and Ford.

[SenorSpur]

Even though he missed his share of wide open looks, Leonard had a good first showing tonight. He was just about as good as advertised. He's really got a nose for the ball and his rebounding and defense are already superb.

I liked Hill and how he developed as much as anyone, but I always considered him more of a luxury and NOT a need. A player of Leonard's length, size and activity is PRECISELY what the Spurs were missing.

This Hill-for-Leonard swap was certainly a trade that HAD to happen.

[rascal]

Hill was topped out here potential wise IMO, we knew what he was and he was not going to get better IMO! He faded out last year late too if I am correct. Hill is a good bench player while Leonard IMO can eventually be a starter in this league or so I hope! I know you said the now and you are right, but I bet they were thinking future on this one.

You never know though Parker at 19 did some things here, raw as he was he came in and started later that year.

Hill will have a great season in Indiana.

[ace3g]

[Sean Cagney]

Hill will have a great season in Indiana.

With all the options out there I don't know how good! They have Granger, Hibbert and Hansborough etc.! He has a ton of talent around him, but he could have a good year in the end? Great though? Time will tell. I still don't fault the Spurs for going after Leonard since he has more upside in the future IMO. Hill we knew what he had here, he was a backup to Tony and would put up 11 a game and shoot around 39% on threes, thats good but at what cost? He would have left eventually IMO anyways.

[cantthinkofanything]

In the short-term, I'm doubtful that Leonard will end up being an upgrade over Hill. Asking any 20-year-old to do more than what Hill would have brought would be asking a whole lot.

His rebounding and size make him an immediate upgrade. We've got enough personel to replace Hill's inconsistent scoring.

[DMC]

It's about acquiring on the cheap and trading up when they are "developed", or if they become what Pop calls "special", they stick around a few years and make some waves.

[therealtruth]

His rebounding and size make him an immediate upgrade. We've got enough personel to replace Hill's inconsistent scoring.

Exactly. I have no problem if Kawhi is taking good shots and competes on the defensive end.

[Bruno]

With 2 bad preseason games and a bad season opener, George Hill is having a rough start of the season but it's still very early and it can easily change.

Unlike timvp, I think that,t if you want to judge the trade with hindsight, it's relevant to look at what hill does with Pacers. It won't gives you hints of what Hill could have done this year with Spurs but it will give you hints of what he could have done in 3 years when Spurs will be a whole different team than this year version.

The trade wasn't also only Hill for Leonard. Bertans and Lorbek were part of it too. Bertans has been bad since he was drafted but he is only 19 years old. Lorbek is a great player who is having an heck of a season. He has a contract extension offer on the table for more than 6 months but he still hasn't signed it. Maybe he is trying to milk more money from Barcelona, maybe he is genuinely interested by joining Spurs next summer...

[jjktkk]

With 2 bad preseason games and a bad season opener, George Hill is having a rough start of the season but it's still very early and it can easily change.

Unlike timvp, I think that,t if you want to judge the trade with hindsight, it's relevant to look at what hill does with Pacers. It won't gives you hints of what Hill could have done this year with Spurs but it will give you hints of what he could have done in 3 years when Spurs will be a whole different team than this year version.

The trade wasn't also only Hill for Leonard. Bertans and Lorbek were part of it too. Bertans has been bad since he was drafted but he is only 19 years old. Lorbek is a great player who is having an heck of a season. He has a contract extension offer on the table for more than 6 months but he still hasn't signed it. Maybe he is trying to milk more money from Barcelona, maybe he is genuinely interested by joining Spurs next summer...

Good point in bring up the other players involved in the Hill trade Bruno. I had forgotten about them.

[Fireball]

The dude's 20. He seems so under control and even tempered. Nice to see nowadays. The yelling and whooping it up and pounding one's chest or showing your jersey off is lame and old. Acting like you belong and like you're a professional - is the new showboating.

But he showed 3 fingers after making the three

The last Spur who did that must be Stephen Jackson ...

[Dex]

With 2 bad preseason games and a bad season opener, George Hill is having a rough start of the season but it's still very early and it can easily change.

Unlike timvp, I think that,t if you want to judge the trade with hindsight, it's relevant to look at what hill does with Pacers. It won't gives you hints of what Hill could have done this year with Spurs but it will give you hints of what he could have done in 3 years when Spurs will be a whole different team than this year version.

The trade wasn't also only Hill for Leonard. Bertans and Lorbek were part of it too. Bertans has been bad since he was drafted but he is only 19 years old. Lorbek is a great player who is having an heck of a season. He has a contract extension offer on the table for more than 6 months but he still hasn't signed it. Maybe he is trying to milk more money from Barcelona, maybe he is genuinely interested by joining Spurs next summer...

It was also the right fiscal decision, too. With Hill's rookie contract coming up, he was going to want more money than the Spurs could afford to give their fourth best player. Better to move him while his value was somewhat high and get a couple nice pieces going forward, than to let him walk for a payday later.

[temujin]

The best player acquired through the Hill trade is Lorbek.
No question about it, expecially for a team playing Bonner 28'.

[analyzed]

You're forgetting another factor that makes this trade so much sense. And that is the play of Anderson (a shooting guard who fill Hills role) plus we have Neal (another SG) . But you might say Hill is a PG., well because of Manu's quarterbacking skills , plus our abundance of capable shooting guards it really makes Hill much more dispensible.
While Leonard is a big defensive and rebounding SF, just what the doctor ordered when you consider our other forwards are RJ, Bonner and Blair, guys who really can't take the place of Leonard and what he brings.

This is a no brainer of a trade on the basis of the Spurs need and what they already have

[mystargtr34]

IMO trading George Hill was almost a move that had to be made.. and most of the reasons why have already been explained in this thread.

- George was the only real trading asset that was going to net the Spurs a good return on the dollar.

- The one position the Spurs could afford to sacrifice to improve more pressing needs was at the 1/2. The emergence of Neal ment George was expendable.. but a bigger reason the trade was made was to accommodate James Anderson.. i think his ceiling is higher than George's and it was time to open up minutes for him.

- Hill is due for an extension its not unlikely he will command in the region of $5-7 Million per year depending on the season he has with Indiana.

You can argue what the Spurs got for Hill.. but i dont think you can make a strong case against the decision to trade Hill to improve other positions.

[Obstructed_View]

Unless Hill grows four or five inches while he's in Indiana, there's nothing to compare. Hill had the skillset the Spurs needed in a body of a 2 guard.

[therealtruth]

Anderson has a higher ceiling than George. He's got size to play 2/3 and he doesn't struggle with his confidence.

[ChuckD]

Unless Hill grows four or five inches while he's in Indiana, there's nothing to compare. Hill had the skillset the Spurs needed in a body of a 2 guard.

Disagree. He has the body of a PG, which was the main problem. He couldn't guard many twos or almost any threes, which they asked him to do from time to time.

[Obstructed_View]

Disagree. He has the body of a PG, which was the main problem. He couldn't guard many twos or almost any threes, which they asked him to do from time to time.

That doesn't disprove my point. He's not a small forward, nor will he ever be. Why you bother posting to split hairs is beyond me.

[TDMVPDPOY]

if leonard can still grow...he be a beasts if he puts it all together...

[SenorSpur]

The trade wasn't also only Hill for Leonard. Bertans and Lorbek were part of it too.

Thanks for bringing that perspective into the discussion. On the surface, this move has the potential for being a haul for the Spurs. If all the players involved pan out the way the FO hopes, I truly believe that the NBA community, experts and Spurs fans will eventually look back on this trade and proclaim "the Spurs have done it again."

[TimmehC]

Love this lineup. Hopefully we see it any time the Spurs need a stop.

[wildbill2u]

That's quite a decent stat line for a player in his first NBA game. And we all know that lots of a defensive player's value doesn't even show up in the stats.

Good job, Kwahi. Keep it up and you'll be getting a lot of fan mail this year.

[ginobilized]

I can't believe that I'm the first to say it, but, Leonard looks like the next Bruce Bowen. Dirty work, corner 3's, might be a better rebounder. Defensively, we'll have to wait and see how many positions he can guard. Bruce was so versatile and had a LOT of tricks. Give Kawhi some experience and he is going to be a solid stopper. I could see him fit that mold more than anyone imaginable right now. His at ude seems right for that role, too.

Let's hope he doesn't discover the bowtie, though.