Reply With Quote
Again...humor me.
Again...humor me.
Yep. This team didn't have enough NBA talent on it to begin with. Losing RJ and replacing him with d-leaguers is nothing other than a step in the wrong direction.
Spurs will have plenty of trade partners if they want to. Spurs have tradeable assets for bigger and smaller moves.
How do you know that RJ wouldn't have integrated himself better this season? It's more likely than a new player learning the system from scratch.
Another thing that I see everyone assuming in this thread is that Splitter will use up all of the MLE that the Spurs have to offer. I remember reading a few weeks ago a solid argument from Bruno (who appears to really know his stuff) stating that this is not the case. I realize that you cannot combine the exceptions, but this would open up a bit more space for the Spurs to offer FAs.
Anyways, is it really a given that it will take the full MLE to sign Splitter?
How many minutes do you foresee James Anderson getting next season?
Who? Hairston and Gee? Temple? This theory of yours has a pretty weak foundation.
Surely the Spurs FO had a plan in case this happened. I don't see why people are freaking out one way or the other. If he doesn't want to be here let him go. Better that than a guy on the roster just collecting a pay check not giving a damn about winning a ring. Yeah it sucks that you lose $15 mil of trade asset, but I trust the FO. They will have plan.
12 ppg last season. We can get that out of one of our many scrubs. Adios RJ and dont let the door hit your ass on the way out.
Lets stay away from the doomsday scenarios for now
Because the system and RJ are not changing. Someone who is a better fit (better 3 PT shooter and/or defender) can come in right away and do better (see RMJ in his first year).
I don't see RJ integrating himself any better because he was such a bad fit.
Seems to be the conventional wisdom.
This is where the spurs stand. I'm more worried about getting Splitter than whatever RJ decides to do and how it affects the spurs.@ the panic princesses
RJ didn't add points (9 points per game at 33 per in the playoffs), didn't add defense, didn't add hustle, didn't do much of anything. He wasn't who the Spurs turned to for points when the big 3 weren't clicking, it was Hill.
Who cares so much about 9 ppg in the playoffs with mediocre defense and zero floor spacing? Laugh at guys like Hairston and Anderson all you want, but I'm confident they could do similar but with more hunger and hustle.
Besides . . .
For all we know, this could be the move that helps the Spurs sign Splitter.
With RJ on the books, that makes every dollar they offered Splitter x2 due to the tax, and for all we know was the biggest hurdle in the negotiations, cheaping out on Splitter due to not wanting to effectively pay about 11.5 million a year for him. That's a lot of money in this economy for the league's poorest owner whose fortunes are tied to a struggling construction industry. This is the same team after all that cheaped out on Scola and didn't even want to give him Bonner money. Only after getting humiliated in the first round did the Spurs and Holt come to their senses.
Now that the tax is no longer an obstacle, they can offer Splitter the full MLE for effectively half the cost of what it would have been with RJ.
Spurs with Splitter and no RJ >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Spurs with just 30 year-old RJ's 9 points, uninspired play, and lazy defense and no Splitter.
The only downside is that it gives Pop an excuse to bring back THE CENTERPIECE.
And i think you're referring to Eric B btw.
Some of the spurs posters are starting to on him.
Jefferson was worthless in the Suns series, but with him opting out, that does leave the spurs having to fill in another hole in the summer.
But for now, spurs MUST sign Splitter.
Parker, Hill, Blair. Whatever direction they want to take the team (Rebuild, tweak...) they have options. And yes, the guys you mentioned with partially/unguaranteed contracts are assets.
With RJ, or a legitimate NBA starting SF replacement acquired in an S&T for RJ, probably 10-15. Without, 20-25.
James gists looms
Roger Mason Jr?! That's your example? The dude had half a decent year for the Spurs at best. I saw flashes of RJ integrating into the system last season.
To be fair, wouldn't you say that it was "conventional wisdom" that there was less than a 1% chance of RJ opting out of $15M this upcoming year before the news broke?
It's a given that whatever would be left over from the MLE isn't going to be enough to acquire a legitimate starter to replace RJ.
The Spurs need not to find another former All-Star SF. They just need someone who can mesh with the team. If Parker stays, it seems logical to go back to the formula of surrounding TP & TD (and Splitter if he comes) with spot-up shooters who can defend, rather than asking Parker to adjust and become a pass-first PG.
RMJ had a wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy better first year than RJ did. Way better. Not surprising because he could shoot.
A half decent year is better than the sparse "flashes" you saw. Spurs won about the same amount of games the year before RJ.
The only difference in the playoffs was a healthy Manu and Hill getting more time.
Congrats Spurs...
Got damn the stupid is just oozing out of the cracks tonight. Really? Any random scrub can average 12 ppg?
This is where the spurs stand. I'm more worried about getting Splitter than whatever RJ decides to do and how it affects the spurs.
And i think you're referring to Eric B btw.
Some of the spurs posters are starting to on him.
Jefferson was worthless in the Suns series, but with him opting out, that does leave the spurs having to fill in another hole in the summer.
But for now, spurs MUST sign Splitter.
Splitter was a must sign when word leaked he wanted to really come over this year. Signing Splitter solves a major hole for this team and may allow for the Spurs to get back to playing Spurs basketball at least in a roundabout way.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions