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I think it's Farmer's spot to keep unless he regresses. The comment by his agent might be what the Spurs told him, it might not, but if so, it still could just be a statement intended to motivate Farmer to not slack off.
The common assumption is that Farmer's fate will be determined by how well Manu plays when he returns. I would look at it the opposite. I think Farmer's fate will be determined more by how well, or possibly, how poorly the rest of the wings play throughout the season.
If Finley disappoints (granted, a hard task to accomplish in Pop's eyes) or Udoka and Mason don't deliver, then I could see Farmer sticking it out until the playoffs, assuming he doesn't make his own mistakes. Jump shooting seems to be even more coveted in the playoffs when every team packs the paint and dares us to shoot from the outside. If Farmer has even modest success then I think it will be more difficult to bring in another wing player half-way through the season, well knowing they won't be able to contribute much. With our window closing every year, I don't see that being a direction to pursue.
The thing to remember is that last year, even with Manu playing at an extremely high level, there still was a desperate need for outside shooting. My opinion is that situation won't change unless Mason or Tolliver deliver. If those guys play at a high level then maybe Farmer is gone but Mason and Tolliver could easily have the first year adjustment blues. I suppose Farmer would just as easily have issues adapting to the system but he seems like a player that would be less likely to worry about fitting in and realize his longevity with the Spurs will be based almost solely on his shooting. He hasn't been bashful so far. If Pop now sees him as a shooter then he could even give him huge leeway in the same way Pop has allowed Tolliver a permanent green light.
Who knows if he even sniffs the court? There are a myriad of scenarios. We'll see what happens. I suppose it's silly to put much hopes into an unproven young player, but I'd rather follow that development than how our core ages and slowly starts to decline.
