Horry will retire and Sprus will need a backup PF.
The two more realistic options for the backup PF are Matt Bonner (he will be a restricted FA) and Luis Scola.
Both aren't known to be great defenders and reboundesr, they have the same age and money won't be a big factor (around $3M per year for both). Bonner has for him to be a great shooter, to be nba proven and to know Spurs system. Scola has for him his inside scoring, his BBIQ and his upside (he can be ten times better than Bonner because he has way more BB skills).
Given that Spurs will need a shooter (other Spurs bigs aren't good shooter) and that Scola's trade value is higher than Bonner's one. I think that Spurs will/should re-sign Bonner and try to get something good for the rights to Scola.
But,with bonner only, you still need and inside player out there,when timmy is on the bench,I think this way is gonna be the same+ Dirk will still be playing out of his mind against the spurs.Scola+Bonner could be a better option,them Horry will retire and Finley is gonna have to go to.
Duncan plays 38-40mpg in playoffs, there are only 8-10 mpg without Duncan. Don't forget too Jackie Butler whose main quality is low post scoring. If The Stephen Jackson program works well with him, he can be this inside player usefull when Duncan is on the bench.
I think it's a mistake to expect White to be anything more than a role player. That's the impression I get from his college history and it fits with what he's doing in the D-League.
He's got athleticism and work ethic but lacks the mindset and consistency to be a dominant player.
Best just to let a player like this be himself and not try to force him to be something he's not...no matter how spectacularly he can dunk.
I just donīt see Timmy playing 40 to 42 mins next year anymore in the playoffs,the guy is human Bruno,And he is not a kid anymore.
And donīt get me wrong I love timmy and I hope he can play till he is 50 ys old.
I pray that it won't be a decision between Scola and Bonner.
I agree that it will take the same type of money, probably Bonner will be a bit cheaper, but as you mentioned, Scola has much more upside.
Scola could be a decent starter at PF one day, something I can't see with Bonner.
if Spurs could sign Scola (for the mentioned 3 million/per year), they should not hesitate to do it.
then the money Bonner would cost, will be better invested in a SF. (if they had not already aquired a SF via trade during this season, what most of us hope).
jury is out on Bonner anyhow, till POs are played. if he doesn't make an impact in the PO, the Spurs won't try to resign him, even if he plays nice this season.
back to Scola: I didn't ever get the argument, that he can't play alongside Tim (because they are both inside/low block players) and so he isn't a good fit. Scola is a very smart player with some range who can very well adjust his game to the other big on the team. right now Splitter is sticking more to the low post in Tau's game and Scola doesn't have any problem with it. in fact he is shooting a higher percentage than in the last two seasons (60% FG).
so I can see him back-up Tim (which would get him let's guess 15 minutes) and play alongside Tim, when Tim moves at C. (likely another 10 MPG)
Scola(PF)+TD(CENTER)=INTERESTING COMBO
not like the twin towers but still interesting.....
I've never said that. I've said before on this board the same thing that you (Scola is smart and isn't only a low post scorer).
The edge of Bonner over Scola is that he is a shooter and that Spurs won't have a big who can shoot after Horry's retirement. Not having at all a big able to hit 3's in a team isn't a good thing in the modern nba.
yeah,but you can sign a decent 3 pts shooter SF to take care of that,anybody can do better than Finley anyways.
I think with a decent SF a decent buckup guard an Scola playing along with TD, the team can improve ,in order to be at the same level tham on the 2004-2005 season.
A backup SF (unless it's a shooting tweener SF/PF) or a backup PG has nothing to do with that. It's about being able to have a big who can shoot to space the floor when you need it.
Let's say that Spurs can trade Scola for the 35th pick of the 07 draft, I take Bonner + the pick over Scola.
And them you left behind a guy whoīs got an Olympic gold medal,a 2nd and 4 rd. place in the last 2 world championships turnaments+ knows how to guard Dirk cause he played against him already.
Oh without mentioning he is the best available player in europe right now.
i donīt think so.
Iīd keep Bonner,but For no reazon would trade Scolaīs rights.
sorry, I didn't mean you.
it was an often used argument and if I remember right, even RC or Pop mentioned something like this, when they argued why they signed two centers this summer instead of signing Scola.
Dude, I know Scola and what he has done. Having success in europe or in WC doesn't translate for sure in nba. Scola doesn't know more Dirk than nba players and he hasn't played against him lately.
I can be wrong but I don't see Spurs keeping Bonner and Scola. It's a lot of money ($3M for Scola and likely $2M-$3M for Bonner) and there won't be enough playtime for both.
Scola(startin PF)+TD(Starting Center)+Bonner(Buckup PF)
it makes sence to me.+horry and a couple more will be gone,itīll be room for some money to be spent.
agree.
and both will ask for 3 years contracts or longer.
considering that Spurs will likely have a time shedule for bringing in Mahinmi 2008, they won't want to sign 2 PFs for 10 million contracts each.
as often, they will go for a veteran, who signs a 1 year minimum contract, to play the 3rd string PF. (PJ Brown?)
but,guys this way we come back to this seasonīs history one more time,The spurs is the oldest team in the league,letīs stop bringing old people in,to me a 30 ys old is not an old player yet,but a 35, 36 ys old is an old player who wont be able to keep up with youngers players speed for example.Michael Finley and Robert Horry are the best examples.Why donīt the spurs just move the team to south florida and maybe sign a retired old man from down there???????
I was talking about the 3rd stringer. if we have Tim still starting at PF and Scola, then 27, backing him up, I would not mind to have a 35+ years old player on a one year minimum contract as the third option, especially when assuming that the Spurs bring in the then 22 years old Mahinmi.
of course we need younger players as starters, or in the regular rotation, but some veterans on cheap contracts don't hurt. the current problem is, that our old players are strters (Bowen) or the 2nd option as a back-up and that they are not on cheap contracts. if we had Horry or Barry playing for 1 million, I would keep them of course. (remember Kerr, Ferry, Mass, Willis, etc.)
I remember Kerr ,Ferry and willis.Its just that Im so in fristrated with the old guys this year.everytime I see finley or horry getting ready to play, just feel like turnin off the tv.
another Euroleague night with three Spurs players and no big news.
Tau had already secured the top spot in their group, so they coasted in the game against Prokom and still easyly won.
Scola had an average night (for his standards) 12 points (5-11) / 9 rebounds
Mahinmi was simply horrifying in Tau's loss against Treviso.
2 points / 1 rebound in 14 minutes, then he fouled out (as usual).
two posts back I mentioned that the Spurs likely will bring him over in the summer 2008. I have to correct myself. it will be 2018.
people often argue that he started late to play basketball.
well, last night he looked as if he played the first game in his whole life.
Javtokas was surprisingly starting for Panathinaikos, but like Tau they already had secured the top spot in their group, so Javtokas got a chance to start.
he played 19 unflashy minutes, 5 points (2-3) 6 rebounds in the loss against Partizan.
Nine rebounds is actually good for Scola, right? Do you know how many rebounds he's averaging in Euroleague games this year? (If not, I can go look it up).
How bad does Mahinmi look? Does he just look like he's not talented enough or can you still see he has a lot of potential?
Good for Javtokas, I know he wasn't playing that much for a while - good to see he got some playing time.
yes, 9 rebounds are above average for Scola (he averages a subpar 5.6 this season, but he is rebounding much better in the ACB), but it is a bit less impressive considering that Prokom is a very bad rebounding team and the two PFs of them, who were around most of the time, are especially bad in this area.
Mahinmi looks like a great track and field athlete out there.
(who has played a few basketball games in highschool for fun)
I can't see where his talent could he hidden. (talking NBA level talent)
players with his size and athleticismn come as dimes a dozen in the states.
Ian is sometimes so erratic on defense, that you think he wonders by himself when and why a foul is called or not.
considering the Spurs prefer smart players, I don't see how Ian fits this demand.
So essentially the prospect list looks horrible. Maybe Anthony Peeler is available in FA.
Mahinmi struggling in euroleague isn't a big surprise or a big deal. This is a very difficult league for young players (more than the nba) especially when they are raw paint players like Mahinmi.
Ouch. Ouch, Ouch, Ouch, Ouch, Ouch, Ouch.
Nah, it's not that bad.
Scola has been an international superstar , and though he'll be taken down a peg or two, he still has the game to be a solid starter in this league IMO.
Butler showed in New York that he can be a dominant inside presence, but two things have happened since then:
1) He's lost a lot of the weight he used to establish position in the low post for scoring and rebounding.
2) He hasn't played significant minutes even in garbage time (1-2 min).
He is still adapting to his changed body, but the fact remains he's got a nose for the ball and knows how to put the ball in the hoop when he's underneath.
White looks like he could be a relevant bench player if he keeps progressing, though I think he's only signed with the Spurs for the rest of this year.
Fran Vazquez....oh wait, he's not a Spur...DAMN!
Bottom Line: The Spurs have a pool of talented players, especially overseas, that is really unrivaled among NBA franchises.
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