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Yes, Rasheed.
Option in Detroit: No need for 'Sheed
Buck Harvey
In November, when the trade came, the Nuggets were excited. So were the Spurs.
Denver had obtained Chauncey Billups, and he would turn George Karl into a smart coach again. But also included in the deal with Detroit was Antonio McDyess; from the start, everyone knew the Nuggets and McDyess would agree to a buyout, and McDyess would be free to sign with any team.
The Spurs searched for his phone number immediately, and they made contact. According to McDyess' agent, so did 16 other franchises. But no team had a chance, with McDyess intending to return to Detroit, until now.
Weighing money and talent and need, the Spurs may not find a better option this summer than McDyess.
McDyess' teammate these last several years, Rasheed Wallace, is also available, and this is what happens when one-time contenders such as the Pistons decide to overhaul. They give up pieces that will help someone else win.
The Spurs aren't there yet. They instead look for these pieces, and some have seen Wallace as the more noteworthy Pistons free agent. He's taller and louder, and he also has 3-point range.
Wallace and Tim Duncan always got along. Wallace also listened to Larry Brown because of their North Carolina connection. Doesn't that mean he would listen to Brown's protégé, Gregg Popovich, too?
Little wonder the New York Times said this week to “expect the Spurs to make a run” at Wallace.
But no one is ever sure about the mind of 'Sheed. He can be a smart, entertaining man, and he's often played the game the right way. Still, if the Spurs went through a slump, would he quit or merely become toxic?
Now his body is as suspect. Wallace looked as old as any Spur last season, and he sagged on defense. He couldn't show on a shooter and then get back to defend the rim; a lot of uncontested dunks followed.
Cleveland or Boston might not care next season. Both might put Wallace in the corner and ask him to shoot in shortened minutes.
But the Spurs need more. They need a well-rounded big man who can score, rebound, defend and help preserve Duncan.
They could also use someone with young legs, and McDyess can't help them there. He's almost two years older than Duncan, and he also went through a disastrous set of injuries in the middle of his career.
Still, McDyess missed only nine games in his first four years in Detroit. This season, he sat out when the Pistons traded him, and he had to wait 30 days until he could re-sign.
When he's played, he's been solid, and the Spurs saw that firsthand in February. With the other Pistons ineffective, McDyess still finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
That fit with his season of a near double-double average. He finished with 9.6 points a game and 9.8 rebounds, and, in the playoff opener against Cleveland, he showed more. Then, he had 26 and 10.
As for his head: Billups won this season's sportsmanship award, and coming in third was McDyess.
“If the Spurs had him,” said a Detroit insider, “they would still be playing.” A Western Conference exec confirmed that opinion Wednesday; his team plans to get in line to talk to McDyess, too.
The dynamic has changed since November. Most thought McDyess returned to Detroit last season with the idea of staying; he felt loyal to Joe Dumars. But after the Pistons came apart, no one expects McDyess to remain there.
So as the Spurs begin to look around, and as they wonder what to do with their money, they should review their instincts of last November.
Is there a better fit out there?
Yes, Rasheed.
McDeyss > Rasheed
Better fit, more gas in the tank.
Sheed and his T ass. McDyess brings the superb D and superb scoring, without the out of shape body, nor the temper, nor the love of 3s. He's a class act that would work great alongside TBF, Crazy Eyes, The Red Sparkler, and The Savior.
Yeah, I'm starting to like the McDyess bandwagon. Rasheed fits good offensively but he rebounds at a Bonner-esque rate. The Spurs need a better rebounder to take pressure off Duncan and McDyess was one of the best rebounders in the league this year.
I've always been a fan of his and he'd fit perfectly in the Spurs' locker room. Put him next to Duncan and he'd fit pretty darn well.
If the Spurs could sign him for a one-year deal with the full MLE, that'd be a steal. Too bad another team will likely be offering more. I don't think it'd be worth to sacrifice 2010 plan to get him.
Let's not forget the shot blocking ability and beign a defensive prescence. Wallace (in a decent form and motivated) is one of a shot blocker and is a much bigger prescence in the paint than McDyess.
McDyess by a country mile.
Sheed's a quitter, and therefore not a Spur.
Sheed? GMAFB A talented, lazy, under-achieving loser AND well down from his peak many years ago.
mcydess is the better "leader" and "character" guy. but i still think wallace brings the intangibles better. all in all i hope we land both
IDK this is tough one...I say you get whichever guy is willing to come at a cheaper price. You guys really think someone is going to give mcdyess the full MLE? damn, i wasn't thinking that much. I'd say go for sheed then, I think we could get him for less at his age.
Wallace is longer and is more talented..but is too emotional, unpredictable and inconsistent. McDyess is a blue collar worker, more a Spurs type personality.. professional, tough and lets his game do his talking. May not have 3-point range but has a very good medium-range jumpshot. Definitely the better rebounder. I'd go with McDyess even if he is older.
wtf. as if either Sheed or McD are the only two options for the Spurs.
both are a bad idea and both likely won't come anyhow.
let me ask some questions: a 35 years old player has one last shot at a multi year contract, right? he won't take less than 2 years, better 3, right? why do so many people think they will sign for one year and that way not hurt the Spurs cap flexibility 2010?
ah, they want a le! sure, but don't forget that currently there are about half a dozen other teams offering a better shot at this le. (and Sheed has his ring anyhow)
do I want a 35 years old Sheed sign for 3 years? no! neither do I want McD, as great a person he may be.
(all this is assuming it takes the full MLE. if they sign for half of it, forget all what I wrote)
if the Spurs see a 35 years old player as a possible short term fix, they need to reanimate the Camby trade scenario. a package of Fab and Bruce before July 1st would save the Clippers about 6 million. add some money or teaser, if needed.
the MLE might be a powerful weapon this summer, considering only a few teams have cap space and most prepare for 2010. (plus the overall economic situation)
there is a good chance to get a nice FA this year via MLE. even a gamble on a RFA will see a better chance for success this summer. why not try to steal a RFA like Charly V., Kleiza, Lee or Gortat from a lux tax team. they will think twice before they match.
burn this chance on a player, we don't even know if he has one more productive season left? bad idea.
Tim's 33-yr age has already deprived him of this dominance in defense, but he is still an aweful weapon on the other end of the floor. A big defender would fit Tim best IMHO, so I would pick Camby over either sheed or Dyess. Our MLE should be reserved for Bass or Warrick, both of whom are young talents with athletism and basic skills that we need.
Camby still can give out some warmth at the defensive end even though he has already burnt more than half of his candle, but he is wasting his warmth on a scrub team and his fingers are still clean from a ring. Surely Camby wants to get traded out of LA, Spurs may not be an ideal destination for him as the spurs are already in depression, but still it's a much better option than remaining on a scrub team which is hopeless to earn him a ring.
I'm not sure what McDyess brings to the table that Thomas doesn't. His scoring should be discounted, because he'd be 4th in line here. Rebounding is probably a wash. They're both probably equal as pick and pop jump shooters. McD blocked 0.8m shots in 34 minutes, Thomas 0.7 in 17.7 minutes, so Thomas probably even has an edge there. Thomas also knows our system inside and out.
No more old guys.
I'm not overly keen on either, but if I had to choose, I'd go with Dice. More quality than Sheed.
Ehh, McDyess is little like Kurt Thomas, except slightly more mobile and with a better offensive game.
Problem with Sheed is, when the team needs help, I'm not sure he's reliable enough to bail them out of a slump.
Dice>Thomas>Oberto
Hmm....no-name undersized wing players, or really old post players. So many decisions to make this offseason!
Knowing our luck we will miss on both Sheed and Dice....
Regardless of which veteran big they sign, the Spurs still need someone else. Remember, Mahinmi is still an unknown. If he doesn't do well or gets injured again, the Spurs will have a very old and shallow frontline.
Is there a possibility that the Spurs could sign both Sheed and Mcdyess? Or would that cost too much money and leave us with nothing to pursue a solid wing player?
Sheed > Mcdyess
Yea maybe Mcdyess had a better rebounding year but Wallace is WAY more versatile as a player. Wallace would be K. Thomas/Bonner/Oberto/Gooden all rolled up into one....
to me its a no-brainer
I can't imagine the Spurs offering no more than a 1 year deal to either player.
I doubt it, but I was referring to another young player who can provide rebounds/defense/shot blocking. That kind of thing.
Denver had obtained Chauncey Billups, and he would turn George Karl into a smart coach again.
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