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Good article.
I still can't believe the Spurs are ~$10 million over the luxury tax threshold.
Maybe I died and went to Spurs fan heaven
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/s..._makeover.html
By Jeff McDonald - Express-News
For the record, R.C. Buford did not arrive at Spurs headquarters Thursday morning in rags. He did not show up with the pockets turned out of his jeans, bearing a sign that read, “Will general manage for food.”
He did, however, arrive with a message for Spurs fans amid what has already become the team's most expensive and thorough makeover in years.
“Tell them to go buy some tickets,” Buford said with a chuckle.
Consider it a voluntary bond initiative, meant to fund the renovation of San Antonio's landmark professional sports franchise.
The past two weeks have been a dizzying one for the Spurs' front office, which has spared no expense in seeking to rebuild the team after April's first-round playoff flameout against Dallas.
On June 23, the Spurs pulled the trigger on a trade with Milwaukee, swapping aging veterans Bruce Bowen, Fabricio Oberto and Kurt Thomas for 29-year-old scoring swingman Richard Jefferson — and footing the $29.2 million remaining on his contract.
Two days later, DeJuan Blair, a consensus All-American forward from Pittsburgh, fell to them in the second round of the draft.
Then on Wednesday, the Spurs landed free-agent big man Antonio McDyess, the former All-Star from Detroit. The team expects to officially sign him to a three-year deal worth a guaranteed $15 million before week's end.
In a flash of a fortnight, the Spurs have gone from an aging team on the verge of inconsequence to a reinvigorated team again in the thick of the NBA le conversation.
“They really re-did their team,” Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said. “Now they're right back where they were a couple years ago, if not better.”
Like most extreme makeovers, the Spurs' summertime transformation has not come cheap. It has pushed the Spurs well past the NBA's luxury tax line, sticking majority owner Peter Holt with a tariff bill that might reach $15 million next season, on top of a payroll that could exceed $80 million.
It is a bold financial gamble by a team in one of the smallest NBA markets, especially in the face of a flagging economy uncertain to rebound anytime soon.
It is an overhaul deemed necessary if the Spurs were to keep pace in an escalating offseason arms race involving Boston, Cleveland, Orlando, Dallas and the NBA champion L.A. Lakers.
“The ownership group really allowed us to add some exciting pieces, and to be aggressive in putting together a team we hope will be in position to play late in the season,” Buford said. “It's really a credit to the ownership, the commitment they made not only to our team, but to San Antonio.”
Heading into the summer, the Spurs found themselves at a future-defining crossroads. They could have tried to reload on the cheap, crossing their fingers for one last run around the All-Star core of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
Instead, Holt opened his pocketbook, and the Spurs went all in. After the two-week spending spree, only five players remain from the Spurs' last championship team, in 2007: Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, Michael Finley and Matt Bonner.
With the addition of Jefferson, a career 17.7 points-per-game scorer, and a potential double-double man in the 34-year-old McDyess, the Spurs' lineup should be ready to compete with any in the NBA.
The Spurs' offseason makeover has brought in so many new faces, at least one player jokingly wonders if he has been traded to another team.
“Anything can happen in this business,” second-year guard George Hill said. “It's just amazing how you can have one team, then you look around and you have a whole different team.”
The Spurs' offseason work isn't quite finished.
Buford says he arrived at work Thursday, just hours after sewing up the McDyess deal, to find that coach Gregg Popovich had left him with a new laundry list of offseason issues still to address.
No more major moves are expected, because the Spurs already have committed almost all the money allotted them in free agency. Instead, they will likely look to their summer league and training camp rosters to fill out the end of the bench.
The summer has been busy enough — and expensive enough — already.
“We'll continue to look at ways we can make our team better,” Buford said. “Who knows when that will happen, or where those things will come from? It's been a summer that has seen a lot of change, and I don't know when we'll know it's over.”
Last edited by loveforthegame; 07-09-2009 at 11:38 PM.
Good article.
I still can't believe the Spurs are ~$10 million over the luxury tax threshold.
Maybe I died and went to Spurs fan heaven
You have to wonder what this team would look like had they opened the purse strings seasons ago.
I think what several of us would like to know is how to contribute (and maybe get a little something in return, e.g. merchandise) the most effectively possible - w/o buying tickets (not all of us live in SA). I don't want to buy stuff that will end up 50% for the NBA and 50% to save teams that have bad management.
it's been a fun and exciting summer for a change, unlike most summers for Spurs fans.
what an idiot!Good article.
I still can't believe the Spurs are ~$10 million over the luxury tax threshold.
Maybe I died and went to Spurs fan heaven
we're not starting the mission for #5 till bowen comes back home :P
Agreed. The Spurs FO has been very good, but not great.
If the Spurs had gone in the luxury tax years ago, for Stephen Jackson, and after the 2007 season or 2008 at the latest, the Spurs could SERIOUSLY have 6-7 les.
Duncan and co. have given this much to the Spurs, so it certainly isn't unreasonable to assume the FO could not and should not have done so before this year.
At any rate, great job FO for the job this summer.
always liked us beeing so successful without spending as much money as other teams(its fun to see us in the middle of the salary list, while teams like NY are spending about twice as much money while not even reaching the playoffs)....but I guess, now we wouldnt stand a chance without doing so
Gee, I see your taking a break from your spurm chugging, how have you been ?
a true sign of that is if the spurs FO somehow discovers time travel and they pick up a young robinson and gervinGood article.
I still can't believe the Spurs are ~$10 million over the luxury tax threshold.
Maybe I died and went to Spurs fan heaven
or if they go all balls out, make their whole team consist big three clones.
i'm sure no one would notice
The interesting thing is they will also recieve about 10mil from the NBA this year for being under the lux tax threshold last year, and because the players recieved too much "basketball-related income" last year, so in a way, the league will pay the lux tax bill for us this year. The team will be paying it next year though.
Oh, and I'm not trying to devalue the organisation's sacrifice in any way (they are still goning to pay 30mil+ over the next two years that they otherwise wouldn't have, including extra salary and lux tax), just pointing out that it will not be quite as painful for them as it otherwise would be.
Nice article by Micky D.
Two thoughts...
First, it's a great time to be a Spurs fan...seeing aggressive management and financially dedicated ownership.
And second, at LEAST one more trade with an eye on cost-cutting will take place before the lux tax bill comes due.
An actual good article from McDonald.
Or the Spurs deft cap management and relative fiscal responsibility made sure they weren't saddled with contracts that they would be desperately trying to dump; as opposed to being in a financial position that allows them to benefit from other teams poor management?
I know it's not even remotely possible but I'd love to see that list Pop left RC about what else needs to be done.
2009
Parker/Hill/Vaughn
Mason/Manu
Finley/Bowen/Ime
Duncan/Gooden
Bonner/Thomas/Oberto
2010
Parker/Hill
Manu/Mason/Hairston
RJ/Finley
Duncan/Blair/Haislip
McDyess/Ian/Bonner
damn what an upgrade.
It's amazing how different the frontcourt is gonna look this upcoming season.
Last year it was, "Come together."Instead, Holt opened his pocketbook, and the Spurs went all in.
This year it's, "All in."
(Oh, and your welcome marketing department.
Speaking of luxury tax, is there any statistics that can show how much subsidies Spurs/or any other team have got from the luxury tax paid by other teams in the past few years?
Last year it was, "Come together."
This year it's, "All in."
(Oh, and your welcome marketing department.
Peter Holt needs to consider adding about 3,000 more seats to the arena. If it isn't a sellout EVERY night then there are some fans who ain't fans. Be there...be loud and proud. Going to be a great season!
Not to put too much thought into it, but I suspect the ownership group's sudden spending spree really gives us all a little more insight into the financial impact of a post-season run into June vs. one that say ends in the first round.
Given the past two seasons, I suspect there was a decent financial hit for our lack of post-season advancement and given that, the ownership group saw the numbers and felt the desire to spend.
I am sure some of it has to do with the fact they've made a good 15-20 million over the past several years just on luxury tax revenues from teams paying the tax, but I think it's more of the two factors in combination with one another and their impact on SSE's bottom line that got this ownership group to open their wallets.
At any rate, and for whatever the reason, I'm glad they did it.
Agreed. I've been saying for many years now the Spurs FO should have dipped into the luxury tax long before now, the Spurs would have 6-7 les, and all that winning and extra games would have been EVEN MORE REVENUE for the Spurs.
Spurs FO dropped the ball in not going into the tax for Jackson, after 2007, and in 2008 at the LATEST, and it cost them.
They've done so now, and all Spurs fans should be grateful, but it would have been best if they'd done it sooner.
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