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Also, what did the Suns agree to sign Bell for? I don't believe that they will have their full MLE.
We're getting pretty damn greedy here...
Spurs: Manu, TD, TP, Barry, Bowen, Horry, Devin, Scola (most likely) ...and yet we beg for more...
Also, what did the Suns agree to sign Bell for? I don't believe that they will have their full MLE.
We're getting pretty damn greedy here...
Spurs: Manu, TD, TP, Barry, Bowen, Horry, Devin, Scola (most likely) ...and yet we beg for more...
If he's available, why not?
This is America, after all.
I don't think Finly is the type of guy that wants to come to a team and play off the bench for like 10 mins a game.
See, I don't think the Spurs are looking to do much in the free agent market in the first place, so I don't see it as relevant how Finley compares to others "available." I compare him to the existing guys with whom the staff is relatively pleased. Their top offseason priority appears to be Luis Scola, and free agency is just a hedge in case that falls through. They may add somebody who can bring the ball upcourt against a halfcourt trap without turning it over, since Beno apparently can't do that.
Other than that, this promises to be a pretty boring summer.
If he's in SA he gets 20 and Barry gets 10.
It's not gonna happen.
I'll bet all my vbookie that Finley will not be a Spur next year.
If he's in SA he gets 20 and Barry gets traded.
But it's all academic. Won't happen.
We're getting pretty damn greedy here...
Spurs: Manu, TD, TP, Barry, Bowen, Horry, Devin, Scola (most likely) ...and yet we beg for more...
You can never have too much
The Spurs are in the market for a backup 3. They know they need a little more size out on the perimeter. Beyond that, the Spurs are somewhat opportunistic when it comes to adding vet role players. They signed Glenn Robinson when nobody was expecting it. Perhaps coming into this offseason they weren't expecting to do much (and I'll grant you that with Horry & Brown re-signed along with Scola coming in that there isn't a lot of room) but if a Finley becomes available in your price range, do you turn that down? I don't see it. The Spurs are too opportunistic to turn an opportunity like that down.
Then Barry gets 15. Signing Glenn Robinson was academic too...
They signed Glenn Robinson because Devin Brown was hurt and they weren't sure what they might get from him in the postseason. It was a low-risk transaction, completely unlike signing a player to a multi-year MLE deal.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not going to complain if the Spurs pick up Michael Finley. I don't think he's a huge priority for them, but it wouldn't exactly suck to have that firepower off the bench. But I don't think he's going to fall into their laps.
Finley's best bet would be to take the starting job in Denver. He could also take Jim Jackson's spot in Phoenix, or join the Miami Heat or Indiana Pacers. He's a better fit on any of those teams than he is in San Antonio.
P.S. The Mavericks are trying hard to trade Finley to the Eastern Conference so he doesn't pull a Steve Nash on them in the 2006 playoffs.
No doubt that a sticking point with them trading Finley is the salary they have to take back and the possibility that Finley could be had without giving up anything in a couple of weeks. Sure, that means more potential compe ion in free agency for the Spurs. Still, I think the Spurs can make an attractive offer to him.
As for Barry, I don't see the Spurs trading him should he lose his spot in the rotation. Sure, if a good deal comes along he'd be moved. But Pop does like having vet depth.
As for Glenn Robinson, that was totally unexpected even considering Devin's back injury.
Apparently he is gonna go to the Suns. I hope he doesnt because that makes the Suns really good.
Any source for that speculation?
No one's going to trade for Finley's massive contract.
They're going to wait for him to become a FA and then try and compete with everyone else using MLE money.
In addition, the Mavs would have to find someone who can send them back expiring contracts or contracts with fewer years left on them so that it's worth it to them to forgo the benefit of waiving him under the 'one time' rule...
According to this the Suns will be using their MLE to sign Bell.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns...sbell0702.html
Suns lure Bell to help improve 'D' on perimeter
Free-agent deal is likely 5 years
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 2, 2005 12:00 AM
The Suns were as smooth as a jazz quintet last season but couldn't sustain their 62-win riff through the playoffs.
The team agreed to terms with free-agent shooting guard Raja Bell on Friday, after trading for Kurt Thomas on Tuesday.
Bell, 28, is expected to sign a five-year contract averaging $4 million to $6 million per season. The deal can't be signed until July 22.
Bell is likely to come off the bench, but he is a faster wing player than former starter Quentin Richardson, who was traded to acquire Thomas. He also shoots well and gives the Suns a better defensive presence against players such as San Antonio's Manu Ginobili.
"I'm elated to have an opportunity to come there and play with that cast," Bell said. "I think I can add to an already great team. I just want to come in and help, whatever it takes."
Bell is known for tenacious defense but has improved his shooting in recent years. He hit 40.3 percent of his three-point tries in Utah last season as a part-time starter and co-captain, averaging a career-high 12.2 points.
Utah wanted to re-sign him, but he reacted quickly when Phoenix offered most or all of its $5.1 million midlevel salary-cap exception. Bell was seeking long-term security, coming off a two-year deal that paid him $1,320,000 last season.
"It was refreshing for me, as a fan of the game, to see (the Suns' style)," he said. "I hated to play against it, because you have to run all night."
Bell, a Virgin Islands native who moved to Miami in eighth grade, went undrafted in 1999 out of Florida International, where he transferred after two years at Boston University.
He played in the International Basketball League and the Continental Basketball Association before the Philadelphia 76ers signed him to a 10-day contract in April 2001.
Like his defense, Bell stuck. The grit with which he guarded Ray Allen and Kobe Bryant in the 2001 playoffs, when the 76ers reached the Finals, earned him a reputation.
"I'm defensive-minded," Bell said. "Things will fall in place for me offensively on a team like (Phoenix), because there's too many opportunities on the court. I'm going to focus on bringing the defense."
Bell's offense began to develop in 2002-03, when he was a teammate of Steve Nash's in Dallas.
Nash's presence struck a chord for Bell when Phoenix came calling.
"He's been one of the best teammates I've had, staying in touch and rooting for me from afar," Bell said. "That meant a lot to me."
Bell started 32 of 63 games he played last season, his second as a Jerry Sloan favorite in Utah, and he said he won't mind being a reserve for the Suns.
"With the way they play, I'm not really concerned with it," Bell said. "If they deem me a guy off the bench, I'm gung-ho. Let's go get a ring."
Bell's signing makes it less likely that the Suns will keep center Steven Hunter, who has said he wants more than the exception that would pay $1.6 million to $1.7 million. That probably is the most Phoenix has left to offer after Bell's deal.
The Suns speculation is there because Finley used to play in Phoenix, and of course he's had years of experience playing with Nash.
Frankly I think Denver is the best fit. He could make a real difference for them since they got zero production from the 2-guard spot and won 49 games anyway.
What about Steven Hunter? He would allow Rasho to be moved and provide a center for the future.
Denver is a definite possibility. They do play a style that Finley is used to, yet the Spurs can potentially offer the same money with fewer minutes required and a better shot at winning les, closer to his home in Dallas and no state income tax...
What about Gerald Wallace? As a backup SF and possible Bowen replacement?
In SA he's gravy-training. In Denver, he's starting, and if they break out, he's the guy that put them over the top...
Dallas to Denver is barely an hour's flight.
Southwest has 12 flights a day or whatever to Big D and he'd spend more time taxiing to and fro the terminal than in the air. I know, I know, private jet...
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