McDonald: Nuggets From The Jefferson Trade

[duncan228]

Nuggets from the Jefferson trade
By Jeff McDonald

More odds and ends on the Jefferson trade ...

• The move basically takes the Spurs out of the running for the primo free-agent class of 2010. The Spurs front office, of course, knows this. They figure Richard Jefferson is probably better than any player they might have wooed next summer.

"I'm thrilled to get a player the caliber of Richard now," coach Gregg Popovich said. "When you've got an opportunity to win a championship, you've got to go after it. You can't just bank on someone leaving their team and coming to us. I think a lot of that is pie in the sky, if you're going to put all your through into just getting that one max player."

• The move also leaves the Spurs woefully short on big men for the time being. Come July 1, the only bigs under contract will be Tim Duncan, Matt Bonner and Ian Mahinmi. The Spurs are aware of this, too. They figure it will be easier to sign quality big men during the summer than a swingman the caliber of Jefferson.

"There are more names out there at four that we like than there are at the three, as far as free agents go," Popovich said.

• One player who might be tapped to fill the Spurs frontcourt void: Fabricio Oberto. He could be headed back to the Spurs after Detroit waives him.

• One player unlikely to be tapped to fill the frontcourt void this summer: Tiago Splitter. Spurs general manager R.C. Buford says he is approaching the offseason under the assumption Splitter will still be playing in Spain for at least one more season.

• Jefferson is most well-known as a scorer — he averaged 19.6 points as the only healthy scoring option in Milwaukee next season. The Spurs are going to ask him to step up his game defensively. Popovich wants Jefferson to defend the other team's best player on a nightly basis.

Jefferson, who showed flashes of that defensive ability earlier in his career, says he is up for the challenge.

"It takes just as much effort to score as it does to defend," Jefferson said. "Now that I won't be needed to score 25 points for my team to have a chance, I can go out there, put up whatever numbers come my way, and really focus on the defensive end."

• Jefferson got some bad press as a malcontent early in his lone season with Milwaukee last year. He swears that he is not one to rock the boat.

"There was a little stuff made about me being unhappy, but that was more (about) just being traded from New Jersey," Jefferson said. "I really would have loved to end my career there. When I got traded, I was a little upset. It had nothing to do with the city, or the people. After I got over that shock, I started to enjoy myself."

Reportedly, several of his Milwaukee teammates — including Charlie Villanueva and Andrew Bogut — were sad to see Jefferson go.

[Marcus Bryant]

• The move also leaves the Spurs woefully short on big men for the time being. Come July 1, the only bigs under contract will be Tim Duncan, Matt Bonner and Ian Mahinmi. The Spurs are aware of this, too. They figure it will be easier to sign quality big men during the summer than a swingman the caliber of Jefferson.

"There are more names out there at four that we like than there are at the three, as far as free agents go," Popovich said.

Of course. Gut feel is they use the MLE on a starting quality big.

• One player who might be tapped to fill the Spurs frontcourt void: Fabricio Oberto. He could be headed back to the Spurs after Detroit waives him.

Lukewarm on this. Important to keep some continuity as far as the program goes and by all accounts he is a solid teammate. Still, he has a major health problem and shouldn't be anything more than the 12th man at this point. Of course, if he's the 5th big and Mahinmi is the 4th big, then Bonner will be the 3rd (barring a trade). I think he's brought back if due to a trade or free agency not working out as they want they need a big at the end of the rotation.

• One player unlikely to be tapped to fill the frontcourt void this summer: Tiago Splitter. Spurs general manager R.C. Buford says he is approaching the offseason under the assumption Splitter will still be playing in Spain for at least one more season.

Kinda curious response given that it isn't a straight up 'he isn't coming here' statement. Of course, you always keep your options open.

[Lebowski Brickowski]

Popovich wants Jefferson to defend the other team's best player on a nightly basis.

Bruce's replacement finally arrives. -- Will Bruce be back to 'mentor' him?

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

The move basically takes the Spurs out of the running for the primo free-agent class of 2010. The Spurs front office, of course, knows this. They figure Richard Jefferson is probably better than any player they might have wooed next summer.

"I'm thrilled to get a player the caliber of Richard now," coach Gregg Popovich said. "When you've got an opportunity to win a championship, you've got to go after it. You can't just bank on someone leaving their team and coming to us. I think a lot of that is pie in the sky, if you're going to put all your through into just getting that one max player."

Hey, at least they learned from the JKidd/O'Neal FUBAR a couple of years back, nice to see...

[Marcus Bryant]

Bruce's replacement finally arrives. -- Will Bruce be back to 'mentor' him?

That's certainly the public sentiment.

Starters
2 Ginobili
3 Jefferson

Bench
2 Mason
3 Bowen

For the 5th wing perhaps they can add a prospect like Hairston or Williams. They could go with Gist as a 3/4 at the end of the bench. If they re-sign Bowen, then I think the 5th is a prospect. If they don't, then perhaps keeping Finley around makes some sense. It will be interesting to see how the Spurs fill out their 4th and 5th spots in the swingman rotation. Of course, that's assuming they don't move Mason at some point this offseason...

[Russ]

Nuggets from the Jefferson trade
By Jeff McDonald

"There are more names out there at four that we like than there are at the three, as far as free agents go," Popovich said.

Four? Does this mean smallball?

[Marcus Bryant]

Four? Does this mean smallball?

Well, is McDyess known as a 4 or a 5?

[pawe]

Well, is McDyess known as a 4 or a 5?

As a Spur, he'll be known as the man who brought the 5.

[bigdog]

Four? Does this mean smallball?

Kinda sounds like they're considering Tim as a 5.

[Gino2882]

Kinda sounds like they're considering Tim as a 5.

He really always has been. Duncan is listed as a PF but he really plays center. Whoever they sign will be listed as the Center.

[Blackjack]

Of course. Gut feel is they use the MLE on a starting quality big.

I heard the conference-call with Pop, and he actually did say they were
looking at spending their "middle-class-exception" (his words) on a 4-man. (Which I'm pretty sure implies Wallace, McDyess, Pachulia, and Gortat.)

Lukewarm on this. Important to keep some continuity as far as the program goes and by all accounts he is a solid teammate. Still, he has a major health problem and shouldn't be anything more than the 12th man at this point. Of course, if he's the 5th big and Mahinmi is the 4th big, then Bonner will be the 3rd (barring a trade). I think he's brought back if due to a trade or free agency not working out as they want they need a big at the end of the rotation.

I think that's a point that needs to not be lost on all of us.

Losing guys like Horry, Barry, Bowen, and to a much lesser extent Oberto, is something you want to be careful about. You lose almost some of your championship soul, for lack of a better word or phrase, when discarding those type of locker room personalities.

This team's chemistry and business-like dynamic is something that's helped to mold them into the champions that they are, so I don't see the harm in keeping a guy at the end of the bench that's capable of showing someone the ropes and passing on some of that corporate knowledge.

[Spurs Brazil]

Great to know Pop and the Spurs are willing to use the MLE