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It will be a sad day in Spurnation to see the Big Three not together.
I can't really see Manu or Tony playing against us in a game. Let TP retire here.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=15935
With a win this past Monday night the San Antonio Spurs secured their 11th straight season with at least 50 wins. As impressive of a feat as this may be, it's one that the organization could not care less about.
It does say a lot about the franchise and the people in it though. They've established themselves as model of consistency in the league with great patience, scouting, and coaching. They've never looked for the "quick fix" - in fact, this offseason could be considered out of character for them since they pulled off a rare blockbuster deal.
The trade, which brought Richard Jefferson to San Antonio for spare parts and expiring contracts, was a prototypical Spurs trade. They were clearly the winners and it appeared as if Jefferson's arrival would vault them back into contention in the ultra-compe ive Western Conference. At least that's how it was supposed to happen.
There's just one game left in the regular season and the Spurs find themselves in an unfamiliar position. They can finish no higher than sixth in the West, meaning they'll definitely be on the road to start off the postseason. Their opponent is up in the air as well, they could be facing the Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, or Denver Nuggets – four teams all capable of eliminating them in a seven-game-series.
The Spurs were eliminated in the first round last year at the hands of the Mavericks. A second consecutive early exit would be looked at as nothing other than unacceptable. Coach Popovich said prior to the start of the season he should be fired if he can't win a championship with the team he's been given.
That is of course out of the question, even if the Spurs don't make it to the semifinals. Popovich is one of the best coaches in the history of the business and is the main architect behind the Spurs rise to prominence. He knows what it takes to win in this league and if the Spurs let him go they risk making the same mistake the Kings and Bulls did when the let go of the likes of Rick Adelman and Phil Jackson.
There's always been a general consensus Pop could call it a career whenever Tim Duncan retires. Getting his pink slip could be all the added motivation he needs to go help another team achieve similar results and prolong his already Hall of Fame-worthy career.
So with the most common scapegoat out of the way, the Spurs would have no choice other than to make some major roster changes this summer if they want to keep up with the Los Angeles Lakers, Mavericks, and Nuggets because those teams are going nowhere.
Everyone knows how crazy things are going to be this summer, we've been looking forward to it for over two years now. At one point the Spurs had quietly positioned themselves to have only Duncan and Tony Parker under contract in 2010-2011. Now they also have Jefferson and the newly-extended Manu Ginobili on the books, which puts them over the cap just with their four contracts. Jefferson recently mentioned opting out as a possibility. Should he make the foolish decision to walk away from $15 million the Spurs would still have a hard time signing a free agent of significance with the other players they're committed to.
Earlier in the season the Spurs were said to be open to trading Parker for the first time since he's grown into one of the league's premier point guards. They quickly dismissed the notion, but could be much more open to the idea if they don't last past the round one again.
Trading Parker appears to be the most logical idea since Ginobili will be hard to move due to his fat new contract worth $40 million over the next three years. It's also highly unlikely Duncan would ever get shipped off. He's done too much for the organization and it'd be a shame for him to finish his career anywhere other than San Antonio. Jefferson wouldn't garner much in return with his value never being lower, making Parker the most likely to see a change in address.
George Hill's emergence has taken away from Tony's security somewhat. The second-year guard out of IUPUI has proven to be more than capable of steering the ship while Parker is out and can also play off the ball at shooting guard.
Like Duncan, Parker is pretty content in San Antonio himself. It's the only NBA team he's ever played for, he's won three championships there, and it's where he and his wife live. His desire to move is minimal and luckily for him his future is really in his hands.
There's no way to look at this year as anything other than a down season for Parker coming off of a career-best 22 points and seven assists a game in 08-09. He has not taken the next step forward into an MVP-caliber player the team needed and was hoping for him to become.
The main cause for his struggles has undoubtedly been injuries. Against the wishes of the organization Parker played internationally this summer and it's definitely taken a toll on his game and health. Breaking a bone in his hand in early March against the Memphis Grizzlies served as a blessing in disguise as he finally got some much needed rest; otherwise he never would have gotten the down time he needed since the Spurs were in such a close race and his intense compe ive nature.
Now Parker is fresh headed into the playoffs where the Spurs could be an underdog for the first time in over a decade. For them to stay alive he has to take his game to that next level similar to where he was when he earned Finals MVP honors in 2007. If not, we could be seeing the last of the Big Three in San Antonio.
Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?...#ixzz0l1s0b6Vw
It will be a sad day in Spurnation to see the Big Three not together.
I can't really see Manu or Tony playing against us in a game. Let TP retire here.
Facetious.Coach Popovich said prior to the start of the season he should be fired if he can't win a championship with the team he's been given.
The people that keep on writing this might want to look it up.
this team is going no where without tony. Manu even admits hes totally exhausted from having to play without tony for so long.
Pop wants Hill as his SG of the future, actually.
So if they traded Tony, they'd want another PG.
Four, damnit.Like Duncan, Parker is pretty content in San Antonio himself. It's the only NBA team he's ever played for, he's won three championships there, and it's where he and his wife live. His desire to move is minimal and luckily for him his future is really in his hands.
TP has 3
Yeah, if they trade Tony and don't get anything back they're screwed . . .
If this team can't win a championship with the Big 3 and the model they've had so much success with, trading Tony's their only real option to get back to the top. But it's not something you do just to do, you've got to get the right package back.
Of course, that package might not exist. And then the Spurs have to decide to either ride the Big 3 until the wheels fall off (probably looking a lot like the Jazz from the early part of the last decade) or start the rebuilding process.
That is if Tony decides to stick around . . .
trading rj is still an option... not everyone would fit in as bad as he has.
I don't think the Spurs will look to trade much of anyone this offseason (except maybe RJ?)... They are probably banking on Splitter/Blair shoring up the front court, and think that the Manu/TP/Hill combination of guards is good enough to compete over the next few years.
I don't get why people say that Jefferson would be so hard to move. I think the Spurs could even trade me and get some very interesting pieces if I were on a 15 mil expiring contract.
If we do end up not performing in the playoffs then i would much rather trade RJ than trade Tony... Trade him for another player around his caliber who can play.. then rely on our young talent... hill,splitter,blair,hairston to continue to grow.... RJ has really not been a good fit here... although he is playing much better as of late and im glad to see it...
Just think... If RJ played like he has recently for all season and Manu played like he has recently all season and Tony stayed away from injuries our record would be 1-2 in the west IMO.
There probably would be customers for a 15M expiring contract, but those teams will want to move players owed much more than that over a period of several years.
not much more than that... but we will definitely have to take on some years if were trading an expiring.. same goes for tony pretty much.
What's your definition of not much more?
Even if they only take back 3yrs/36M, they have still added 21M in future obligations.
Yeah, I really doubt the Spurs are trading Parker for anyone not named Deron, Paul, or Rondo.
I would love to hear how Hill is being molded into the PG of the future when he's not even the primary ball handler with Parker out.
This should be good.
That's correctly said. As I told Aggie in another thread, Spurs is probably looking at a 2 to 3 years window. Whereby thereafter, Tim and Manu would have retired.
Question is should they trade Parker within this 2 to 3 years for another PG or can they find another PG to play in this 2 to 3-year window? What happen after 3 years is not going to matter any more as the whole Spurs team will be different.
Well i mean if they don't make a trade and they decide to commit to tony they're going to have to give an extension worth that to him anyway... Unless the spurs go into some sort of re-building mode there going to have to keep giving money away.. whether its taking on a bigger contract from another player or giving tony an extension... its inevitable.
The FO shouldn't be too worried about taking on another contract IF the player is young enough because in 2 years you will have duncan coming off the books and 3 years manu will come off the books. which will free up a boatload of cash.
That's definitely the takeaway I got from Lindsey and RC in recent interviews.
If they could move RJ for a better package or player (most likely an Iguodala-type player with a good chunk of salary and years remaining), that could very well get them back where they want be. Whether the right player or package presents itself that allows Holt to commit to that much salary? That's another question.
If the Spurs can add Iguodala to the Big 3 and Splitter comes over, health permitting, the Spurs would be right back atop the league IMO. That health thing is a pretty big 'if', though . . .
Tony and RJ are the best assets the Spurs have and Tony's value will never be higher ... they've got to at least explore their options.
2 or 3 years means Tony would have a new contract... (how long/much?)
I think they have to take a decision about Tony this summer, waiting 1more year would be either too riscky for them or more expensive if they finaly extend him (i.e Manu's "max" deal)
Iggy is the guy I've been thinking about for months, and I think he's the only possible option that makes sense for both parties IMO..the question then becomes whether or not Holt and ownership would be willing to take on the rest of Iguodala's contract..
I don't see anybody else that could be realistic in a deal for Jefferson, unless the Spurs want to take back multiple pieces, which makes things complicated..
As for Parker, I think a lot of people here are overvaluing him..when he's healthy, he's undoubtedly a top 5 player, but he means more to the Spurs than he would for another team..I don't see why a team would give up a good draft pick for him unless they're willing to win now, and teams that are looking to win now don't usually have a good draft pick to part with..
Looking at other teams, I don't see it..I can't really see a deal that could help both teams..
I keep reading that quite often on ST and don't get it...
Tony is soon 28 !!!! ONLY!
Don't be so pescimistic! Even if he loses a bit of speed, his PG skill and overall BB IQ are only going to get better!
Just look at Kidd at 35 or something, running 82 games like he was 20!!!
Yeah I don't get the Tony's value will never be higher belief.
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