This is a typical case of Spurs fans overrating their players. If we list all the back up bigs he’s probably in the lowest 5 if not the worst 2nd string big in the NBA. This is just like everybody saying Trey Lyles is a good starting 4 but when you list all starting 4s you see that 29 teams have a better player at that position
Hmmm. How? Zollins likely won’t play for a long time, so it will take much longer to assess if he can even contribute at all, right? Drew and Jock will both play next year immediately and so they can at least make a fuller assessment of whether Drew is in the longer term plans, I think.
FiveThirtyEight Defensive Raptor 2020/2021 3 minutes (the lowest possible) minimum.
12) Clint Capela
13) Jakob Poeltl
14) Marquis Chriss, Matisse Thybule
94) Jared Dudley, Drew Eubanks, Daniel Gafford, Paul George, Montrezl Harrell, Mitc Robinson
344) Gorgui Dieng, Goren Dragic, Kyle Lowry, Coby White
2019/2019 1 minute minimum
135) Zach Collins, C.J. Miles, Paul Millsap, Thabo Sefolosha, Tyrone Wallace
As for Timvp’s idea that the new big men could replace Yak, I can see that. I still think they could have just signed Dieng instead of Zollins and still signed Jock. But that’s why, I suppose, Zach’s injury allows some more time to assess Jock and Drew in the process, while also seeing if Yak can improve his confidence or motivation and be an improved player.
I've thought about that...I think it's a closer timeline than that... I think they will move Poeltl within the year and they see Collins and Jock as the initial replacements. I know we probably don't do the Simmons deal but, assuming we did for the sake of projection here, Collins/Jock would be a much better fit. If we moved out DJ (as Chinook suggests) with Poeltl it does make the rest of our moves make more sense. We might still need another PG to add to the roster but Frank Ntilikina would be the guy I'd guess.... the French connection...and kinda like Collins (sans injury) in that he was a lottery pick that didn't get developed in NY....
Good lord. There may be a...plan? I will be impressed if they make major changes to fit what we are guessing is their vision for the team.
Where is this Zollins hype coming from? He's played 10 games in the past two years. Bigs that are injury prone early in their career tend to be injury prone for the rest of their career.
But taking even more of a look at the Zollins timeline, under that contract:
2021-22, medical recovery. Even if the recovery goes as well as everyone hopes, he isn’t going to be significant this season. He’ll still have to get back in shape, knock off the (thick) rust and rehone his skill, learn to fit into how the Spurs play, etc. Maybe he could get a little garbage time late in the season. More than that should not be expected.
‘22-23, see if he can still play. If all the above goes well, and also training camp and preseason, slot him into the rotation for a serious look. At backup center or pf. Even if everything has gone fabulously, the Spurs wouldn’t start him from the beginning of the season. Maybe at some point in the latter half of the season, if he sparkles irresistibly, they’d tentatively start him, while making sure somebody else is on hand to start instead, just in case. [add sound effect of a bone breaking]
‘23-24, he’s good. Alakazam, magic has happened. The Spurs make him a starter for sure, and he plays well. *And everybody in the NBA sees it.*
2024, he’s UFA. The Spurs find themselves bidding against a dozen other teams for him. And he’s gone.
Oh well, one good season from him. Maybe, possibly, could be. In the best case.
Then, the Spurs find themselves shopping for another center who’s any good. Or perhaps, they outbid everyone else, to keep Zollins. So the Spurs are then overpaying him, and it no longer looks like he was ever any bargain at all.
Again, that’s best case, where he has a delightful recovery. Worst case is, total failure, and the Spurs have wasted an opportunity to try somebody else, who could at least run and jump when they signed him.
How is this a good gamble?
Last edited by JeffDuncan; 08-12-2021 at 03:07 PM.
The hype is coming from desperation. Pure, unadulterated desperation. It isn’t rational.
Could be a steal if your training staff can get him healthy tbh
he's had the same surgery three times in the past two years, and he wasn't even an average player before that.
Yes, I think this is absolutely about the tradeability of Yak. They’re kind of in a sell
High kind of situation with him now, unless he magically develops an outside shot this summer. Zollins and Jock pick ups suggests they’re looking for a big that can also space the floor.
Plus for all we know, that’s the piece other teams may prefer over some of the guards out there.
The Fakers are always thinking about stealing.
It's true Collins has not been good so far and that Eubanks has been better (albeit in a more ideal, streamlined role), but if we're going to still give Murray the benefit of the doubt development wise, we damn sure better be doing the same for a guy who's played 2691 minutes over 154 games from ages 20-22.
As I alluded to, due to roster construction he's spent 36% of his minutes being shoehorned into a "stretch four", when he's neither. Injuries have probably derailed it, but the best case scenario was (is?) probably something like a poor man's Turner.
In theory, it makes sense that if the Spurs have strong interest in Simmons, utilize Poeltl as an asset to send to another team in the trade because he'd both be a poor fit with him and could net them another asset.
In reality, Simmons probably gets moved relatively soon and the teams who needed a C didn't prioritize it much financially/asset wise and now have stopgaps (Hornets, Mavericks, Raptors).
People keep mentioning the Warriors, but they're committed to Wiseman (until he can be packaged for a star) and with Green's inability to shoot, they can't afford another non shooting C.
Last edited by TD 21; 08-12-2021 at 04:43 PM.
If you not cheating you not trying
Aight, you got me
If he can do this in 2021 I'll be happy
Why are you even bringing up Lyles? I certainly never overrated Lyles, so how is that even relevant? I really doubt you can name 30 backup bigs who you'd rather have than Eubanks in this league. I know I don't have 30.
Especially bigs from Portland . . .
Bill Walton, Greg Oden, Sam Bowie.
But hope springs eternal (I like the signing).
I am wondering if they see this guy as a potential starter next to Jakob, which drew can’t be for them. I am just trying to make sense of this.
RC was drunk and thought he was John Collins tbh. Wright just nodded along with the signing while exploring ways in which the Spurs could do right by other franchises through trades.
The Spurs scouts surely watched that series and took notes. He has probably been on their radar since then.
Well that explains it!
The scouts that loved Forbes so much to sign him back bc that series against Denver and the one against Miami !!!! Also loved Zollins in that series. Reason enough. I mean they drafted Primo after seeing him at the combine. Its not crazy to think that good showing in that series was enough to ink him.
Even before FA began, Portland had already renounced Zollins. As I understand it, they were near the luxury tax, and hes been injured for 2 years and just reinjured his ankle a third time. The risk that he pans out somewhere else and they “Miss out” doesn’t outweigh the very real pressure situation they have to contend right now. They had to resign Norman Powell, etc. He is basically sunk cost for them at that point. There was no possible trade there.
Is Trey Lyles better than this guy… Lyles was another former lottery pick PF the Spurs tried to salvage. They have a type of project player the are looking for I think.
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