Reply With Quote
I didn't ask if there was doubt...just responding to your not being sure. No worries. I'm glad he's back and not with any other team.
I didn't ask if there was doubt...just responding to your not being sure. No worries. I'm glad he's back and not with any other team.
With some players, it isn't always about fame and fortune, the big money and the big cities.
The Spurs have had lots of wonderful players with this character trait in them over the past: DROP, Duncan; Gervin among others.
It's not that I'm bagging the multi-year deal because it doesn't necessarily guarantee him playing time....
BUT, we've been talking for years about the Spurs retooling their lineup and injecting youth. Yet, if they continue to extend contracts and take up roster spots with guys in their mid-late 30s, aren't the Spurs moving further from that target?
I guess the questions that now crosses my mind is, what do they do with Finley at the end of this season? He has been a solid professional and good (though streaky at times) addition to this team. Do the Spurs say "we like you Fin, but we've reached our 'old wing player' quota" or do they say "we welcome you back" and put off their infusion of youth yet another year?
Interested to hear where you think the Spurs go from here....
Honestly I was glad to see him get traded. If he wants to come back, fine. But at least make good use of that roster spot.
So Brent will have only 3 weeks at the end of the season to get in game shape for his few MPG and be ready for the POs.
Damn, I hope is calf holds up this time.
Same question for Finley applies to Damon Stoudamire and Kurt Thomas as well. , maybe even Robert Horry decides not to call it quits...
What do the Spurs do?
Spurs need to be younger but they must stay compe ive.
They can't let a player like Finley go if they haven't someone able to play at his level.
Could Spurs be able to find someone as good as Finley via FA this summer ?
Not sure and you had to keep in mind the 2010 plan. Maybe Spurs aren't ready to give a contract longer than 2 years this summer.
Spurs could also decide to keep Finley and add some prospect to fill the roster and hope that they could soon take Finley's place. It's risky because prospects often doesn't pan out.
IMO, Spurs will re-sign Finley this summer if he doesn't retire. They will try to add one or two SG/SF prospect via draft or FA.
Good question and one that dominates my thoughts. The most significant portion of this Barry announcement is the committment to him beyond this season. So much for him retiring at the end of the year.
Despite the jubilance over Barry coming back, I'm looking at the big picture. If the Spurs are commiting multiple years to Barry (and good for him), they CANNOT bring back Finley under any cir stances - unless something goofy happens like maybe Bruce suddenly retires. Sorry Fin. Good professional and a valuable contributer over the last 3 seasons, but he's been a streaky shooter. All that said, he cannot come back next year. We have reached the maximum limit on age at the swing position.
The league's best athletes are found at a position where the Spurs are the oldest. This must end. They CANNOT continue to trot out swingmen that are 35 years of age and older. A younger replacement needs to be identified as soon as this season is over. That has to be priority number 1 in the offseason.
Personally, I was hoping for at least 2 new swingmen, but at this point, I'll settle for one.
There's no way they can keep both Finley and Barry, yet add someone else. They already have five swingmen (Gino, Barry, Udoka, Bowen & Finley). If they add another one via the draft or FA, they will have six. There will be a huge logjam that will not work.
Finley's closer to being physically done than Barry in terms of game...although Barry may now be the more injury prone of the two.
Barry plays pretty much the way he always has whereas Finley's not half the player he once was.
One thing is for certain though...Barry's dunking days are over with these calf injuries...
Hmmm...this actually gives me a great idea for a thread.
Stephen Jackson plan. The prospect could spend his first year learning the system in Austin and at practice.
Who do you want to sign this summer to replace Finley ?
Good news is that he'll be back next year but it doesn't look good for Finley when you figure Udoka will get more minutes and have a bigger role. I can see Finley playing a couple more years.
It has to be obvious. Because they need to get younger at the position! By the start of next season, the Spurs wil have 3 swingmen that will be at least 36 years old! The league's best athletes and toughest defensive matchups are found at the swing position - a position where the Spurs are the oldest.
Last edited by SenorSpur; 02-29-2008 at 06:48 PM.
You didn't get what I've said.
We both agree that Spurs should go younger. The real question is how to do that ?
I didn't say that your idea of not re-signing Finley is good or bad. I just ask you who do you want to sign to takes Finley spot.
A 2008 free agent list :
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/s...2008freeagents
Just tell me who do you realistically want to sign and for what contract.
I take an old Bruce over any young player to defend league's best athletes.
My personal, primary favorties are all within medium-age range:
Corey Maggette - may be 2 expensive for the Spurs budget. (3yr, $22.5m)
James Jones - could be in the Spurs price range (3yrs, $13m)
Mikael Pietrus - not accomplished enough to garner more than his current low-ball contract (3yrs $11m)
Secondary options: These guys do not have much on their resumes, which means they could likely come cheap:
Trevor Ariza - Pluck him away from the Fakers (3yrs, $11m)
Jarvis Hayes - (3yrs, $5.25m)
Gerald Green - (2yrs, $3.2m)
Even with these additions, the Spurs should still add another SF via draft.
So would I. Bruce can play until he can no longer run. He's truly ageless.
Good move. Brent is a great glue guy, he energises the team when he's on the court, can play PG in a pinch, and still has some game left. It's also good for the team from a continuity point of view, and it means that if I come to live in SA next season I'll get to see him play live again!
That means we really only have to sign a young swingman, and will have the MLE to do it.
Big rotation - Duncan/Oberto/Splitter/Mahinmi/Thomas(?)
Swing - Ginobili/Bowen/Udoka/Barry/???(James Jones, Carlos Delfino, etc.)
PG - Parker/whoever we choose to keep
Horry's gone after this season, and I assume that Finley will be too.
We're getting Brent back? Yea!
I was expecting something good to happen today.
It actually happened yesterday.
VSpan.
I think Pop and RC have already laid the groundwork for him joining the team next year.
I don't get WHY barry would want to LOCK in the vet min when he could get more or at any time get vet min from any NBA club, UNLESS HE is worried he will never recover from his injury ( which i doubt the spurs would resign him then)
Is that what your horoscope said...We're getting Brent back? Yea!
I was expecting something good to happen today.
someone get ian married to a local SA girl i don't wnt to lose this superstar in free agency when he blows up
Does that include Rasho too---oh, wait, you said shooters.
In terms of free agents, suggested contracts, and the need to get younger I'm on board with the consensus--and I think either James Jones, Ariza, Delfino and Juan Carlos Navarro make sense. Navarro might be available for cheap, and that appeals to me. We need to make a $ for every 10 c's we have to spend. Navarro can also play some point. Chris Duhon is also available and if we can't land a suitable swing, then he is not a bad option to provide some stability and a spark off the bench. But this is all retread.
I'd like to suggest a few other options than I think the Spurs should consider.
The first possibility is offering the full MLE to Ron Artest. He can replace Finley and Bowen, Barry and Udoka can hold fort at the 3 for another season until we've groomed someone to replace them. Artest can finish games with Ginobli, relagating Bowen to the bench.
The second possibility is using our Beno trade exception for a player like Renaldo Balkman or Wilson Chandler. Someone young to groom behind Bowen.
The third is the need to trade Bonner. Udoka is a better small ball option at the 4. I'm not sure what Bonner could fetch on the trade market, but a another swing or point should be sought. Maybe we could offer Delfino a long contract--longer than Toronto would want to committ to--and work a sign and trade. I don't know, but Bonner must be traded for another guy to shore up the bench.
And, for as much as he's meant to the franchise, a surprise Bowen retirement would get us below cap and put the Spurs in a position to maintain until 2010. I'm just sayin'.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
