Ludden: Mohammed or Nesterovic likely to exit

[DDS4]

I think Nazr leaving is a foregone conclusion.

As far as Rasho, I think his "bloated" contract is a relative bargain at today's prices. Players like Adonyl Foyle, Dalembert, and Dampier make much more for about the same production. So shopping him around won't be as hard as everyone thinks.

[baseline bum]

Javtokas has never shown me anything impressive, and I doubt he'd ever be more than IR material for this team. If I have to choose between Mohammed and Nesteroich, I choose Rasho for two reasons:

1) Mohammed should have some trade value, and could land us a rotation SF or PG without having to go into our exceptions
2) Nesterovich matches up very well with the one center we have to care about in the West.... Yao Ming. Giving him up without getting a defensive big will be suicide for the future when the Rockets finally get their act together.

I kind of doubt the Spurs will use both of their exceptions if they can work a sign & trade for Nazr, but one can hope.

Rasual Butler could be a good option with the lower exception. He'd finally give the Spurs a second SF worthy of floor time, he has 3-point range, and he's 27. I'm pretty convinced it will take the full MLE to bring Scola in, considering his buyout is $3.5 million. I'd like to give him a shot in SA before running to move this guy just because we already have Tim. I'm not sure his trade value is going to be all that high right now anyways, and I doubt the Spurs would get fair value in exchange for him.

[boutons_]

"we have to care about in the West.... Yao Ming"

Rasho isn't gettting any better, but Yao certainly is.
Rasho on Yao will become less effective.

[Kori Ellis]

I think Nazr leaving is a foregone conclusion.

As far as Rasho, I think his "bloated" contract is a relative bargain at today's prices. Players like Adonyl Foyle, Dalembert, and Dampier make much more for about the same production. So shopping him around won't be as hard as everyone thinks.

Well they shopped Rasho for anything and everything this past year. Even for Tariq Abdul-Wahad's contract, who isn't even in the league. No deal.

[Despot]

I think Nazr leaving is a foregone conclusion.

As far as Rasho, I think his "bloated" contract is a relative bargain at today's prices. Players like Adonyl Foyle, Dalembert, and Dampier make much more for about the same production. So shopping him around won't be as hard as everyone thinks.

Right or wrong, there is a stigma attached to Rasho. What sets him apart is that he is seen as soft, and there is a belief that it is very hard to motivate him.

[jn77]

Let Rasho and Naz go. They didn't do much durrinng the regular season and were almost non existant in the playoffs. I agree with getting a good athletic backup PF. I don't agree with trading Brett Barry just yet. Brett may be older, but he is smart. He sees the court as well as anyone in the leauge and the white boy can still dunk! Keep him around and have him back up Finley, who I believe should be a starter next year.

[velik_m]

Let Rasho and Naz go. They didn't do much durrinng the regular season and were almost non existant in the playoffs. I agree with getting a good athletic backup PF. I don't agree with trading Brett Barry just yet. Brett may be older, but he is smart. He sees the court as well as anyone in the leauge and the white boy can still dunk! Keep him around and have him back up Finley, who I believe should be a starter next year.

So a starting lineup: Duncan/Bowen/Finley/Manu/Parker?

[Despot]

If we do happen to keep Nazr, We need to lock him up in the ATT Center basement with the Spurs playbooks until October.

[boutons_]

Nazr is hopeless, no big man fundamentals after a career of playing as big man, no hands, no basketball IQ, no defense, soft.

Rasho is under contract to the Spurs, no way "to let him go". Spurs don't want him, nobody else wants him, either. However, I do think he would put up at least his 02/03 Wolves numbers again if he found the right fit.

[Tom_Foolery]

Nazr is gone because there is no GM stupid enough to trade for Rasho's contract. You'd have to be not only an idiot, but purposely trying to get fired to trade for Rasho.

[baseline bum]

Nazr is gone because there is no GM stupid enough to trade for Rasho's contract. You'd have to be not only an idiot, but purposely trying to get fired to trade for Rasho.

Didn't Isiah want Rasho and we gave him Malik instead?

[Bruno]

Nazr is gone because there is no GM stupid enough to trade for Rasho's contract. You'd have to be not only an idiot, but purposely trying to get fired to trade for Rasho.

I wouldn't say that. Rasho is still a legit center and you have few centers on the market and some teams without a center.

A team like Bulls haven't a center and I'm not sure they will turn down Rasho+Scola for a trade exception (Bulls are under the cap).

Between :
- Rasho for $23.5M/3 year + draft rights to the best PF in Europe.
- Signing an average center like Nazr for $30M/5 year.
I'm not sure that the Rasho choice is the worse.

And then Spurs can use the TE + a first round pick to S&T a player like Al Harrington. (I like this guy)

[angel_luv]

I
P.S.
Can't say I've seen Angel_Luv round here lately.

Here I be!


Keep the Sho!

[abelle23]

spurs are already worried about manu's state of mind. That worries me. Manu it is not your fault. I think posters need to go to his forum and make sure fans do not blame him. If he can not get over it by next season you have to trade him.

yeah ducks ..it all boils down to trading manu...typical...

[Spurs Dynasty 21]

We should trade Rasho for Malik


both their contracts are big and way too much, but at least we get someone who can see playing time in the postseason

[Extra Stout]

Nazr's departure is a foregone conclusion.

Rasho could be useful in certain matchups, but at $7.3 million, if the Spurs can dump him for an expiring contract, they will.

Obviously what the Spurs need up front is somebody who is tall enough to defend the post but athletic enough to keep up with a Dirk. The guys the Spurs have now are the traditional lumbering big men. When teams had to match up with Shaq, bulk mattered up front, not athleticism. Now that teams have to match up with Dirk and Amare, athleticism is key. The Spurs no longer are built correctly.

Javtokas is an experiment at best. Before the motorcycle accident, he was an athletic freak that with development could have fit the bill perfectly. Now... not so much. His upside is more like Oberto.

Mahmini would be ideal, but he's a couple of years from being ready.

Ideally the Spurs could come up with one guy a la Boris Diaw who could play the 3, 4, and 5 and kill multiple birds with one stone. But that's not easy. They would have to find somebody on the fly.

Pop's off base with his dismissive notion that the Spurs need to get "one point" more athletic. They stuck in there with the Mavs on the strength of playoff experience and championship savvy. Now that the Mavs have been through that series and experienced those kinds of situations, the Spurs' advantage in that area is nullified. Replay this series a year from now with the same kind of lineups, and Dallas wins in 5. AJ has molded them to beat the Spurs. The same old same old is obsolete now.

[yavozerb]

If we trade rasho a way out would be for a player like austin croshere who will be getting payed 9 million, but only has 1 year left on the contract...Indiana could use another center also

[boutons_]

"can see playing time in the postseason"

Malik already saw very little PT in his last Spurs post-season.