Food for Thought: Another sneaky signing by Spurs?
Mike Finger - Express-News
Even in an offseason bereft of anything close to a roster-changing splash, this week's news out of Spurs headquarters hardly made a ripple.
This time of year, people want big transactions, the kind they can get excited about. You know, something like:
A.) Signing free agent Jannero Pargo, who nearly provided enough of a lift for the Hornets to slip past the Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals last spring;
Or B.) Reacquiring Beno Udrih, who was dumped by the Spurs last year and caught on in Sacramento, where he blossomed in his fourth pro season;
Or C.) Making a move to emulate the Boston Celtics, who worked their own version of the three-star-plus-a-handful-of-role-players system to the NBA championship.
Instead, the Spurs did all three.
Sort of.
No one is saying that Salim Stoudamire — who the Spurs acquired this week in the kind of under-the-radar, headline-defying move that has become their specialty — will be the key to the Spurs' next le, or that he'll even crack Gregg Popovich's active roster. Normally, signings like this turn out to be as forgettable as they appear when they're made.
But every now and then, they pay off, even if only in just a game or two. And as tight as the top of the Western Conference is these days, a game or two can mean the difference between home-court advantage throughout the playoffs and a first-round exit.
So it's at least a bit interesting to note the similarities between Stoudamire and the players who would've turned more heads and sold a few more tickets had the Spurs been able to land them.
You wish the Spurs would have been able to sign Pargo, who they reportedly offered a $2 million-per-year contract before he signed for $4 million in Russia? Stoudamire, with a similar body and skill set, has been a better shooter and better scorer in his first three NBA seasons than Pargo was in his (see chart).
You still rue the day the Spurs let go of Udrih, who finally showed glimpses of his explosiveness when he escaped Popovich's doghouse? Stoudamire, while being stuck in his own war of wills with Atlanta coach Mike Woodson, put up better numbers and was more consistent with the Hawks than Udrih was in San Antonio.
You think the Spurs could use someone like Eddie House, who provided the Celtics with instant offense off the bench when their stars needed a rest? Stoudamire already has shown more ability to do that in his first three seasons than House did by the same point in his career.
Will it work out that way? Maybe not. And besides, the Spurs' chances of winning another championship will boil down to what it always does — whether Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are healthy and peaking in May and June.
But if, during that time, there's a key moment in which the Big Three are covered and an afterthought of an acquisition is left open on the perimeter?
It might only be one play. But on teams like the Spurs, in a league with such a thin line between celebration and despair, that's what moves like this are all about.
Birds of a feather?
Salim Stoudamire might not be as well-known to Spurs fans as Jannero Pargo, Beno Udrih or even Eddie House, but his numbers compare favorably to those of each of those players through the first three years of their careers. A rundown:
Player — Height — MPG — FG pct. — 3-pt FG pct. — APG — PPG
Stoudamire — 6-1 — 17.0 — .407 — .366 — 1.0 — 8.0
Pargo — 6-1 — 16.2 — .395 — .365 — 2.1 — 6.9
Udrih — 6-3 — 17.5 — .438 — .362 — 2.4 — 7.1
House — 6-1 — 17.1 — .408 — .383 — 1.7 — 7.5
finger food for thought...
ha.
hmmmm
Good summation of the signing.
Almost makes me forget about the plague of ankle injuries the N'Awlins voodoo doctors cursed the Spurs with.
Best article I've read since Ludden left.
cool
for what its worth i always though salim to be a ben gordon type player. offensively explosive but trapped in a pg body. thats what i expected when i watched him in college. hopefully he really explodes this year.
I had my concerns, but I am starting to like the way this offseason is shaping out, Gist not being at training camp being my only exception.
finger him NAO
Beno has "blossomed" in Sacaramento?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qinFX...eature=related
I was in the house for this....he's capable of the big shot.
Good article. I'm happy with the Stoudamire signing and although I don't think he's an impact player, I hope that if nothing else he can hit his open jumpers, knock down the 3 in transition (although that's not our game but it IS his), and maybe even catch fire once in a while and go on a mini-scoring tear.
I'm not expecting anything big from Stoudamire..like I said in the other thread, he's comparable to Eddie House, who was big for Boston in the finals..Stoudamire's status will be completely dependent on the situation..
i dont expect anything too good from him.
but i do expect big things from Hill and Mason
How did we emulate the Boston Celtics? They ing emulated us.
Yeah the Stoudamire signing could be good. Who knows, hopefully he brings the right at ude and CAN make an impact.
Yep, was there to witness that also--awesome! He hit a ton of big shots over the years-some of the biggest in the tourney. I think theres a few main reason he will succeed in SA 1) his at ude has really changed since being in the NBA-he used to get down when his shots wouldnt fall and felt like he should play all the time and he would often get in little fights with lute. Now, he realizes this is a great opportunity and that he's not going to play huge minutes and just wants to be a contributor. 2) the spurs are a perfect team for him-he is an undersized SG and in ATL he would often have to create his own shot against much taller players (which he can do, but it is a lot of work)-in SA he will benefit from a lot of open shots from teh doubles on duncan, penetrations by parker, and just great passing. Im confident he will knock down those open shots that so many other spurs players have failed to do in past spurs playoffs. 3) he is small, but a common misconception is he cant play D-he can when he wants to and pop will be sure to make him-given he needs to probably be guarding someone
not much over 6-3, but he is crafty and ive seen him play very tough D at uofA
As many scoring droughts as this team had last season, I'll welcome the guy if he can knock down open shots, on a consistent basis and in most any situation.
So Salim Stoudamire isn't a that bad fantasy player...
Two quick thoughts:
1) Early off season David Thorpe said, in a chat I think, that with a healthy Manu the Spurs could have won the le. His prescription for success: health, one decent FA signing, and unexpected player to step up and give them a little offense. 3 months later, it looks like Pop is banking that way.
2) Popovich was pleased with the Spurs D, especially against Kobe, during the WCF. Offense cost them that series, and a bum ankle. Stoudamire is a shot at offense.
I'm dubious that the Spurs don't need more...
I watched Salim Stoudamire play a lot in college, and some with the Hawks and I think he might surprise some people. Atlanta may have not been the right situation for him. SA fans probably don't get to see him too much.
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