ESPN's Offseason Grade for the Spurs

[mystargtr34]

Ah .. the offseason that turned it all around.

Kawhi and Boris to replace RJ and McDyss

Tiago and Danny becoming full time rotation players.

Just goes to show the importance of role players.

Harden
Rockets

[Blake]

SI s draft grades
B San Antonio Spurs
The grade would be even higher if not for the price they paid for No. 15 Leonard, as George Hill was still respected enough by the Spurs that they felt comfortable discussing trades for Tony Parker that would have led to Hill's taking over the team. But Leonard is a great fit here, with his defense-first mentality and a decent offensive game that has plenty of room for growth. Taking Cory Joseph at No. 29 is just another reflection of how point guard-heavy this draft was on the back end, and the Spurs grabbed their cup of tea there. Davis Bertans (No. 42 via Indiana) is yet another long-term investment that could make them look like geniuses down the road. He won't play in the league for a few years but is heralded overseas.

A+ Indiana Pacers
As was the case with the Mavericks, the Pacers somehow leveraged a pick in a weak draft into a legitimate player. The trade for George Hill is a perfect fit, not only because of his Indiana roots but also because he is a tough, talented, two-way player on a team that is building such an iden y. The Spurs clearly realized that unloading Richard Jefferson's contract was nearly impossible, meaning Leonard will have time to grow into the small forward position there. But the Pacers were looking for serious upgrades now and found it in Hill.

Lol B

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I give the offseason an A-: did well to retain Diaw and Mills (and Bonner) at very fair prices, drafting Anderson was a coup given that he really shouldn't have dropped past the early 20s. If Baynes decides to move on that leaves quite a hole so the grade would drop to a B.

And I think the team made a mistake keeping Ayers and Daye. The NBA is becoming more and more and athletes' league, and although our system does not necessarily rely on athleticism, I think it's time we started to develop some athletes to improve roster flexibility and keep up with super-athletic teams like OKC. If the team had moved on from Ayers and Daye they could have signed a cheap athlete for development (like Aminu) and had more flexibility to sign cover for Mills.

Still, I'm nitpicking really, and more than happy to run back at the league with this team.

[Spurs 4 The Win]

I give the offseason an A-: did well to retain Diaw and Mills (and Bonner) at very fair prices, drafting Anderson was a coup given that he really shouldn't have dropped past the early 20s. If Baynes decides to move on that leaves quite a hole so the grade would drop to a B.

And I think the team made a mistake keeping Ayers and Daye. The NBA is becoming more and more and athletes' league, and although our system does not necessarily rely on athleticism, I think it's time we started to develop some athletes to improve roster flexibility and keep up with super-athletic teams like OKC. If the team had moved on from Ayers and Daye they could have signed a cheap athlete for development (like Aminu) and had more flexibility to sign cover for Mills.

Still, I'm nitpicking really, and more than happy to run back at the league with this team.

Bro, this thread is about the 2011 offseason grade, not this year

[024]

To be fair, it was hard to see light during the he-who-must-not-be-named era.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Bro, this thread is about the 2011 offseason grade, not this year

What the , it was just a cut and paste.

[Old School 44]

Yep...those first reactions on the first page of this thread are classic. I also was a big George Hill fan, but once I saw Leonard play a few games I knew it was the right decision. The Spurs use the draft and the rookie pay scale perfectly. I think they realized Hill was at or near his ceiling as a player, and didn't want to pay him the money he would command, so they did the best thing and traded him for a promising young player and reset their rookie pay scale.

Knowing they'd possibly have to go through James and/or Durant/Westbrook to win a le, they needed an athlete who could compete with them defensively. Kawhi's development offensively has just been gravy. I still think he's growing. And for the life of me, I don't understand, even after winning Finals MVP, that some folks on here don't think he's worth max money and would actually let him walk.

[Dex]

F-!

Is it possible to get a G?

I'm sorry, Kawhi

[will_spurs]

Definitely still overrating these moves with a C-.

Nice bump.

It should have read: the Spurs traded their best young player for an even better young player.

Kawhi only needed a few months to make me change my mind...

[Mr. Body]

That really was a dismal offseason. The Spurs needed so much more. Kawhi was finally the SF they needed for ages, but they needed a ton ass more, as evidenced by other moves over the years since. It's stupid to look back and say that offseason did it.

[timtonymanu]

Yeah Jefferson was still on the roster even though Kawhi was a great pickup.

The RJ trade for Jack and signing Diaw and Mills was what sealed it for the Spurs to be contenders again.

[Spurs 4 The Win]

That really was a dismal offseason. The Spurs needed so much more. Kawhi was finally the SF they needed for ages, but they needed a ton ass more, as evidenced by other moves over the years since. It's stupid to look back and say that offseason did it.

Never go full re

[Knoxxx]

LOL folks so scared of starting a duplicate thread they dredge up a two year old one!

[Mr. Body]

Never go full re

Don't really know what that means in this context, but look at the pounding the rock quote for your answer. All we got out of that offseason was a swing at an SF who obviously turned out very good. If you think even the FO expected that you're a moron.

[baseline bum]

Another Thread Bump to celebrate Championship No. 5.



Mind you at the time of this thread, right before the '11-'12 season, the Spurs had just come off a 61-21 season (best record in the West) and had just added Kawhi Leonard to the roster.

Good call, Russ. It was hard to be positive after the sweep and 8 in back to back years, but you were right there while the rest of us were ready to blow the team up and tank.

[Russ]

Good call, Russ. It was hard to be positive after the sweep and 8 in back to back years, but you were right there while the rest of us were ready to blow the team up and tank.

Don't worry, I've been to the edge a few times myself over the years.

In fact, I was about ready to pack it in against OKC this year.

(Are you back in SA now?)

[exstatic]

LOL folks so scared of starting a duplicate thread they dredge up a two year old one!

RIF

[chazley]

Hilarious how some of you would rather have a panic signing/trade instead of standing pat. Since we needed another big, maybe we should've just ponied up and given Kwame a $7,000,000 contract. Amnestied RJ and sign an aging Caron Butler coming off major knee surgery for 3 years/24 million. Amnesty RJ and sign Josh Howard, who has been trash past couple seasons and who also is coming off major knee surgery. Kaman would've been an OK trade.. except we didn't have the salaries to make the deal work. They were never taking RJ for Kaman unless we gave up alot more.

Get your head out of the sand and realize the Spurs actually had a decent offseason. Sometimes subtraction by addition is not the best way to go. Instead, our young guys get to prove themselves, and actually improve our trade position if a big name becomes available.

Right once again.

[TampaDude]

Nice one! The comments in here. Wow... Talk about overreaction.

Hey, you know we's some cliffjumping mofos up in this .

[bklynspursfan]

Hey, you know we's some cliffjumping mofos up in this .

That we are. But sheesh. Some of it seemed a little much even for here!

In the end, it's nice to go back and reflect though

Especially after winning another ship. Being proven wrong when you think your team is done is always sweet