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I think one thing also is that while we just look at the money and the dollar signs, to a player it is a measure of how much that team values you- what they think you are worth. When the Spurs will give Oberto 3/$7M and Elson 2/$6M- what message does it send to a guy like Javtokas if they lowball him with a cheap offer. Of course, it is because the team with the draft rights holds all the power and can hold it over the guy that they control the only was into the NBA. But what I think the Spurs are newly experiencing is that more European players are saying- OK- then I'll just stay in Europe.
The Spurs don't really care about anything but the Spurs. That is their job and why they have the positions within the organization that they do. They are used to being hardasses about things and it is starting to backfire. No longer are players begging to come to the Spurs. When people ask why the Spurs signed Elson to the offer sheet- I tell them it is simple- he is who they could get. For a big guy and only wanting to give a two-year deal, Elson was the option who would agree.
