Is this year guaranteed to be Elson's last?

[ChumpDumper]

Horry's out, Elson might be out -- Splitter is in and maybe another pick or project. Done and done as far as the big men are concerned.

The swing spots will be the biggest area of need. Hopefully they pick up a young one out of the D-League sometime this season to get a head start on learning the system.

[AFBlue]

well, next year there's gonna be planty of room in the roster.
With Finley,Barry,Horry and probably J.V out,there's gonna be probably 4 spots availables.
I hope they can sign a couple of good F.As to add to the roster.

I wouldn't be suprised to see a FA come to the Spurs next season, but I also wouldn't be suprised to see one or two of the guys you listed to stay on this team as well.

Keep in mind, while the Spurs will most likely not be near the lux tax threshold, I'm pretty sure they'll still be over the salary cap. That would mean that the Spurs could only spend about $6M of salary cap money in Summer '08, which would probably not be enough to replace the 4 slots you list above.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong on the salary cap situation for next year.

Personally, I could see a scenario where Barry comes back to the Spurs on a one or two-year deal for vet min and where Vaughn declines his player option and stays with the team next year.

That would leave the Spurs to fill two slots via FA, draft, or overseas pool of talent (Splitter, Sanikidze, etc.).

[AFBlue]

Horry's out, Elson might be out -- Splitter is in and maybe another pick or project. Done and done as far as the big men are concerned.

The swing spots will be the biggest area of need. Hopefully they pick up a young one out of the D-League sometime this season to get a head start on learning the system.

Most logical candidates because they're already in the system are Marcus Williams, Justin Bowen, and Keith Langford right?

[ChumpDumper]

Personally, I could see a scenario where Barry comes back to the Spurs on a one or two-year deal for vet min and where Vaughn declines his player option and stays with the team next year.

That sounds pretty plausible, so two swing spots to fill.

[AFBlue]

That sounds pretty plausible, so two swing spots to fill.

I wanted to say the Spurs would keep Finley too, but for many reasons I just don't feel like it'll happen.

So yeah, I think two spots.

My guess is that the Spurs would go developmental with one...be it a D-Leaguer (Williams, Bowen, Langford, etc.) or a draft pick.

The other would most likely come from FA. It's probably too early to bust out the FA list for next summer, but there are a couple that intrigue me...

Safe Pick - Ryan Gomes...Capable of playing 3 and 4, smart, and makes plays.

Risky Pick - JR Smith...Great shooter with a ton of potential.

[ArgSpursFan.]

what about RC's adopted Sun?
I never saw him play,but I heard He's a talented young man,and would probably go undrafted next year.
I'd say there will be 5 spots available next year actually,If Elson is out too.
Maybe Barry and Finley sign a one year contract for the vet min,but we still need another wing,another PG and one more Big to add to the roster.

[AFBlue]

what about RC's adopted Sun?
I never saw him play,but I heard He's a talented young man,and would probably go undrafted next year.

RC's adopted son is Alexis Wangmene and he's a 6'8 235lb defensive F/C. There's actually a thread with his name as the le that talks all about him.

He's a college freshman at UT. After this year he would be eligible for the draft and would probably go undrafted (unless he was taken by the Spurs) if he entered.

BUT, he's still a VERY raw prospect by all accounts, and the fact that RC is his adopted father may lead RC to actually counsel him to stay in school, get his degree, and continue to develop as a player.

He'll probably be a Spur one day, but I'm not sure it's starting next year.

I'd say there will be 5 spots available next year actually,If Elson is out too.
Maybe Barry and Finley sign a one year contract for the vet min,but we still need another wing,another PG and one more Big to add to the roster.

As I said, the wing would probably be a developmental player, the PG should be JV because he would serve as the perfect #3 guy behind Parker and Washington (if he pans out), and the Big could be either a developmental guy or veteran insurance.

[Bruno]

espn is listing 2008 free agents. They are maybe wrong but they have some league source.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/s...2008FreeAgents

San Antonio Spurs

Restricted: Darius Washington

Unrestricted: Brent Barry, Francisco Elson, Michael Finley, Robert Horry, Ime Udoka (P), Jacque Vaughn (P)

Limited Salary Protection: None

So they said that :
- Vaughn second year is a player option.
- Washington has only signed a one year contract.
- Udoka second year is a player option despite it was reported that there was no option on his second year.

[wildbill2u]

From what I've seen of Splitter, he is not as athletic as Elson. Not a big shot blocker--but then neither is Elson. Splitter Tends to stay on floor (like Duncan) and use his long arms to defend and rebound.

They have used him out on the 3pt arc in the Euro league because he can catch the ball and drive on the pick and roll. He's sneaky quick rather than fast.

But he is so much more talented than Elson in almost every aspect of the game he will make himself a spot on the team.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Why do people assume that Splitter is going to come in and contribute?
What's so different about him that he won't be forced to sit at the end of the bench or go down to Austin?

[AFBlue]

Why do people assume that Splitter is going to come in and contribute?
What's so different about him that he won't be forced to sit at the end of the bench or go down to Austin?

Opportunity...

Did Tony Parker come in and contribute right away when he came to the Spurs? I think so.

In most cases you're correct that young players usually grow into their minutes over an extended period of time. But if players are given the opportunity and capitalize on that opportunity, they can be a piece of the puzzle sooner rather than later.

That is why I'd prefer to let Elson walk. Between Mahinmi and Splitter there should be enough talent to fulfill a reserve Center role. Honestly, living up to Elson and his average production isn't exactly a daunting task...even for two young guys like Splitter or Mahinmi.

[Holt's Cat]

Hopefully that flexibility gained by giving Scola to the Rockets comes in handy.

[timvp]

So they said that :
- Udoka second year is a player option despite it was reported that there was no option on his second year.

Hopefully that's wrong. Udoka having a player option would suck because there'd be a decent chance of him opting out. If he does good, he'd probably try to get more money. If he doesn't play, he'd probably go somewhere to get playing time.

That said, I thought I remember reports specifically being that the signing was delayed until Udoka agreed to no player option . . .

[ShoogarBear]

what about RC's adopted Sun?

Bite your tongue.

[AFBlue]

I wanted to say the Spurs would keep Finley too, but for many reasons I just don't feel like it'll happen.

So yeah, I think two spots.

My guess is that the Spurs would go developmental with one...be it a D-Leaguer (Williams, Bowen, Langford, etc.) or a draft pick.

The other would most likely come from FA. It's probably too early to bust out the FA list for next summer, but there are a couple that intrigue me...

Safe Pick - Ryan Gomes...Capable of playing 3 and 4, smart, and makes plays.

Risky Pick - JR Smith...Great shooter with a ton of potential.

I know it's early for the discussion, but I can't help myself. Here are a few more names of wing players that may be available next year...

Key:
Restricted (R)
Unrestricted (U)
Team Option (T)
Player Option (P)
My Top 5 (*)

Josh Childress* (R)
Tony Allen (R)
Devin Brown (U)
JR Smith* (R)
Mickael Pietrus* (U)
Stephen Graham (T)
Quinton Ross (U)
Trevor Ariza (P)
Ryan Gomes* (R)
Gerald Green* (U)
Antoine Wright (U)
Carlos Delfino (R)
CJ Miles (R)

There are several good candidates that I wouldn't mind having on the Spurs to fill the void that will most likely be left by Barry, Finley, or both.

[alamo50]

It must be match-up problems that Elson ain´t playing lately.
I realy can´t explain it anyway otherwise.
The guy is/was full of confidence and he was given the green light to shoot from the perimeter. Now he just sits there..........

[loveforthegame]

I know it's early for the discussion, but I can't help myself. Here are a few more names of wing players that may be available next year...

Key:
Restricted (R)
Unrestricted (U)
Team Option (T)
Player Option (P)
My Top 5 (*)

Josh Childress* (R)
Tony Allen (R)
Devin Brown (U)
JR Smith* (R)
Mickael Pietrus* (U)
Stephen Graham (T)
Quinton Ross (U)
Trevor Ariza (P)
Ryan Gomes* (R)
Gerald Green* (U)
Antoine Wright (U)
Carlos Delfino (R)
CJ Miles (R)

There are several good candidates that I wouldn't mind having on the Spurs to fill the void that will most likely be left by Barry, Finley, or both.

I'd love the Spurs to get Pietrus but he might be out of the price range. The next option and should be affordable is Quinton Ross.

[AFBlue]

It must be match-up problems that Elson ain´t playing lately.
I realy can´t explain it anyway otherwise.
The guy is/was full of confidence and he was given the green light to shoot from the perimeter. Now he just sits there..........

I think it's more of the fact that he's been terrible on the court when he's had his opportunities of late.

It could be attributed to the mask he's wearing, as he's stated that he sees double-vision sometimes and can't keep the sweat out of his eyes.

I think his decreased PT is also caused by external issues, such as....

Oberto has been incredibly effective during his court time and it appears that he has earned considerably more PT as long as he stays out of foul trouble.

Bonner had played sub-par in a few games recently, but has started to rebound from his struggles. For all of his defensive shortcomings, he is still a pretty effective offensive weapon....especially when guys like Tim, Tony, and Manu are there to draw the defenses to them.

I don't think he'll take Elson's minutes completely, but Elson definitely has to show improvement.

Bottom Line: He's probably better than he has played recently, but that recent play has definitely been the reason for him seeing less court time.

[pad300]

One thing we shouldn't forget in this discussion is the draft. The Spurs tend to go BPA (best player available) (at least in their minds, Marcus Williams ). This might lead us to another young foreign big. I am currently impressed with Nikola Pekovic...

[AFBlue]

I'd love the Spurs to get Pietrus but he might be out of the price range. The next option and should be affordable is Quinton Ross.

I'm a fan of Quinton Ross for his defense, but he is one of the few on that list that is not a three-point shooter...and that hurts his chances of being a Spur.

Guys like Smith, Green, and Pietrus are bigger risks because of their questionable at udes...but they all have considerable talent and can all shoot the ball well.

[objective]

I have to come back to this thread and answer the le question: YES.

Elson wasn't too good out there tonight. When Oberto is 'into it', he's head and shoulders better than Elson.

No need to bring Elson back.