The advantage of Chalmers is that he would instantly become our best defensive match-up for Paul, Nash, & Williams.
It's tough - at first - to envision too many scenarios where Pop can play him & Parker at the same time. However, if Chalmers matches up better with these guys who are usually guarded by Bowen, he's also a better offensive player - regardless of size - than Bruce.
If the Spurs can sign a solid FA wing, then yes, Chalmers would be a respectable pick at 26. They'll probably do their "due diligence" and try to trade up for Rush offering Bonner as chum but that will probably get immediate laughs and so Chalmers just might be it. The KU favoritism is so obvious, it makes sense we'll try to go after one of those guys.
Chalmers is a very good pick up in my opinion. He is also a great 3-point shooter and strong defender which fits Pop's mold for a backup point guard nicely. He's not going to be a star, he just needs to be a good role player and he is NBA ready in my mind to do that.
I'm beginning to warm up to this kid as a potential selection for the Spurs in the first round.
If Walker ends up pulling out of the draft and the Spurs are unable to get a guy like Rush, Batum, or Budinger....I wouldn't mind the Spurs drafting Chalmers.
I know CDR and Lee are two other wing prospects, but I don't see either as being the kind of player that Chalmers could be. This kid is the total package and just needs a little bit of guidance/coaching to put it all together.
My only hesitation is the amount of minutes he would play for the Spurs...unless Pop feels comfortable playing him small-ball at the 2 in certain spots, he'll only average 12-15mpg.
Looks like Chalmers feels good enough about his chances to get picked up in the first round that he's committing to stay in. Good news possibly for Spurs fans!
http://www.kansascity.com/news/break...ry/665191.htmlChalmers to stay in NBA draft, KU announces
Kansas junior guard Mario Chalmers will stay in this month’s NBA draft, KU coach Bill Self announced in a statement Sunday.
Chalmers will join junior Brandon Rush and sop re Darrell Arthur as KU underclassmen expected to be picked in the first round.
“Mario informed us of his position to stay in the draft today,” Self said. “Even though this was official, we anticipated this back in April when he declared without an agent. We are excited for Mario’s prospects. From what we have gathered, his stock has climbed. We wish Mario the very best, and we will anxiously be waiting to see where all of our guys will be drafted.”
Chalmers, chosen the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four after tying the national championship game at Memphis with a three-pointer at the buzzer, will have his jersey retired at Kansas.
Chalmers just feels like a Spurs' domestic draft pick. They'll use the #45 for some swingman athlete and then perhaps look to free agency to find a replacement for Finley.
Offensively, I think he should project to be a better version of Speedy Claxton.
Defensively, he would enter the league as one of the best perimeter defenders under 6'4. There would obviously be a learning curve and adjustment to the NBA game, but I don't think there is much risk that he won't be a competent defender.
There are still guys that I like better, but Chalmers would not be a wasted pick. I actually like him better than his collegiate teammate who is predicted to go higher in the first round.
I'm all for picking up a PG rather than a swing man since I also don't think any swingman the Spurs can get will have any impact for at least a year and likely two. I'd take Lawson or Chalmers, but higher on Lawson as a more natural PG with more potential to break apart defenses.
The Spurs will look at Chalmers as someone who can defend, knock down perimeter shots, and who's played in a postseason environment. Pure point guard skills aren't necessarily a concern for point guards in the Spurs' offense these days.
Safe. Predictable.
There are a couple of problems with Lawson at that spot in relation to Chalmers. Lawson's more a pure point, which coupled with his size, means that he's almost strictly a back-up. Meanwhile, Chalmers with his length and experience playing off the ball, can be coupled with Parker in the right match-ups.
I would really NOT like Lawson @ 26. On a team looking to make another run for the Championship, with Parker entering his prime and Manu sure to dominate the ball for other stretches, that's essentially using that pick on a guy who will struggle to find minutes come playoff time. Chalmers has a shot to make an impact thanks to his defense and versatility.
I'm not sure Pop would agree with you. He's been trying to get a pure PG forever. He tried with Kidd. He thought he had gotten one in Beno.
I am starting to warm up to the Spurs getting Chalmers at 26... originally was thinking that they should wait til the second round for a backup PG, but Chalmers can be used for more than just that role. Would be good in the small ball that pop likes to run and could be used alongside Parker at times at the SG spot. I dunno how good a swingman we can get at 45 though...
Agreed. I just think Chalmers fits better than Lawson. Lawson is pretty damn short and skinny. He's not much of a defender or a shooter. He has speed and he can create shots but I just don't think he's a very safe pick. Lawson could get bullied a couple times defensively and Pop would bench him for good.
Chalmers always has defense and his shooting to fall back on. The Spurs need a shot creator but it doesn't necessarily need to be the backup point guard. Especially since Pop likes his point guards to either shoot or pass rather than try to make something out of nothing.
Besides, I saw a quote from Lawson somewhere saying specifically that he didn't want to play behind an established point guard such as Tony Parker or Deron Williams. A guy who flat out says he doesn't want to be on the Spurs can go somewhere else.
Chalmers is the safest and most ready pick the Spurs could make at 26.
Pop tried to turn Beno into Eddie House. He did the same thing to Damon Stoudamire this year.
Kidd was more Duncan than anyone.
Batum - Chalmers - CDR is my crrent very short cheat list if I'm drafting for the Spurs. Walker was up there, but not after the injury.
Not much evidence to that.
Pop's been trying to find a back-up PG that doesn't wilt under pressure. Pure or otherwise.
Glad to see you guys jumping aboard the Chalmers bandwagon. There's still plenty of room, but this son is filling up quickly!
Pop's given Jacque Vaughn playoff minutes because of his ability to defend, basically. Beno was much more the pure point than him but because of weakness defensively and mentally he is gone.
Would the Spurs like a backup for Tony who can create off the dribble, in addition to being able to defend? Of course. But we all know what comes first with Pop.
Lawson is 195 and strength is listed as one of his strengths. He benched a very respectable 14 times in the combines. Probably stronger than Parker. He's about the same size as Aaron Brooks and much, much stronger.
When Beno came in Pop was touting him for his pure PG ability. That was what initially attracted the Spurs to him.
Got damn, finally found it. I knew I read it somewhere . . .
Yeah, Lawson's DUI azz can go elsewhere.Ty Lawson, Soph., PG, North Carolina: A hip pointer limited Lawson to just one of the three games. He scored 10 points, dished out four assists, had three steals, three turnovers, made 4 of 10 shots and was 2-of-2 from the line.
Lawson was the only player who was a consensus to be a possible first-round pick among NBA teams. But that doesn't mean he's a lock, either.
"What I've heard is that I'm probably 25 or lower," Lawson said. "If I get to 20 then I'll stay in. Other than that I'll go back to school."
Why the hard cutoff? Lawson said he didn't want to play behind a big-time point guard like San Antonio's Tony Parker or New Orleans' Chris Paul. The Spurs and Hornets pick at 26 and 27, respectively.
Lawson said he has workouts scheduled for the L.A. Clippers (7), Indiana (11), Sacramento (12), Portland (13), Washington (18) and Denver (20). But keep in mind all of these teams have second-round picks, too, and could be looking at Lawson there, as well.
"I'm dead in the middle right now, and I won't have a better idea until after my last workout on the 14th," Lawson said. "After that, I'll know what I'm going to do."
Yeah, that's not a great at ude. I guess he thinks he's going to Denver.
Look at it this way. If the Spurs are trying to find a rotation player at #26, then they'll go with someone like Chalmers. A lot of the guys likely to be available at #26 won't be ready to step in immediately. Chalmers fits the profile of someone who can come in next season and give you 12 to 15 minutes a night. The free agent point guard pool is not that full. Pargo is about it as far as someone you could see the Spurs landing, and it would take a fair amount of $ to lure him away from NO, not to mention that you'd be using your MLE primarily to land a backup point. You will want your full MLE available if you're going after Finley's replacement in free agency.
Lawson is strong in his upper body. But he's also thin-wasted and will get bullied by bigger and thicker guards. It's also easier to bench when he have short arms.
Beno's pure PG ability got ousted by Jacque Vaughn. Vaughn has zero point guard ability.
Pop may talk about wanting a pure point guard but when it comes down to it, defense always wins out with him. Spurs draft Lawson and Vaughn will be the point guard by the All-Star break.
I think I heard Lawson has been getting into some offcourt trouble.
Anyway, I like Chalmers and here's a few reasons why:
1.) 47% 3-point shooter in 2007
2.) Big 12 co-defensive player of the year in 2007
3.) Good hands, 2.3/1 Ast-to-turnover ratio, 2.5 steals per game
4.) He's a junior so he's only missing one year of experience and he's NBA ready.
5.) Athleticism! Athleticism! Athleticism! God, Spurs need it! He's a high flyer athlete.
Yet, Pop has continually added shoot first PGs to the bench, and pushed for Beno & Parker to be more aggressive with their shots as well.
This offense doesn't need a pure point, and Pop's as aware of that as anybody.
As for Lawson, at 5'11, he's just not going to be able to do anything other than back-up the PG position. We know Parker's going to play that for 38-40 mpg. Manu's gonna get spot duty there. The guy is pretty much locked into one spot and there just aren't enough minutes to go to that spot to justify using the 26th pick of the draft on him.
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