ESPN Stein: Spurs have AK47 in their sights

[spurraider21]

the spurs don't have the room to make that move... lame

[rayray2k8]

maybe if we keep talking about it, it will happen

AK47 to sign with the spurs with a 2 years/19 millions contract!!!!

related souces will be released after 10 july!!!

I"m very very excited now !!!!!

I think that was his intention... Stupid if you ask me.

[Man In Black]

Rapper is from China...so English isn't his 1st language, but seriously...if you got Info Rapper...You must source it.
Sorry for my poor Chinese Skills!
So, let's Google Translate this into simplified Chinese.
说唱者是来自中国......所以英语是他的第一语言，但严重......如果你有信息说唱......你 必须。
对不起，我的可怜的中国技能！
所以，让我们的谷歌翻译成简体中文。

[spurraider21]

no. think he's just stupid

[Man In Black]

I can see 1 possible angle that Rapper has is shoes. The bulk of basketball shoes are made in China. To make sure that the the proper athlete has the right shoes to sell the public, I could see that Adidas, who AK47 has that shoe contract with, could be telling the workers to make AK's next shoes in Silver and Black?

This season this is what Andrei rocked:
Andrei Kirilenko - adidas adizero Crazy Light 2

Read more: http://solecollector.com/news/sneake...#ixzz2Y3sWFpUF

But thats just off the top of my head. I'm curious what the Chinese Spurs Talk Member is going to use for proof of his post. It could be all BS but what if he's right about the signing but wrong about the contract amount...we'd all be pretty ecstatic.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...s-rule-the-nba

[Baseline]

Without trying too hard, Spurs could be able to sign Kirilenko to $25.6M/ 4 years contract. Now, they can try to do some tricks like a sign and trade with Minny or salary dumping players like Mills or De Colo. They could also get lucky with a cap being a little higher than projected.

I'm not saying that getting Kirilenko is impossible for Spurs but just that it won't be easy. If Manu had signed for $5M per year, Spurs would have been in a way more comfortable situation to get Kirilenko.

Exactly. Honestly, I was thinking that 2/8M would do it, considering the Game 6 debacle. I can't comprehend paying him 2/14M at this stage. I'm livid.

[Bruno]

I still haven't fully lost hope Spurs will be able to get Kirilenko. The key would be that no team with cap space offer him a big multiyear contract. What could allow that is that teams in rebuilding/tanking mode won't be that interested in a 32 years old player and that teams might be wary to give long term contracts because they would want to try again to go after free agents in 2014 or 2015.

Full MLE is $22M/ 4 years. If Spurs do some moves (amnestying Bonner, renouncing Neal and an empty S&T), they would be able to offer Kirilenko up to $28M/4 years. I'm sure these aren't the numbers Kirilenko was dreaming for but these aren't ridiculous offers so ti's worth the try.

And if Spurs can't get Kirilenko, which is now likely, they should really go after another quality forward.
Right now they have 6 guards (Parker, Ginobili, Green, Joseph, De Colo and Mills), 3 forwards (Leonard, Diaw and Bonner) and 3 centers (Duncan, Splitter and Baynes). Even if they often play with 3 guards lineup or 2 center lineup, Spurs are very thin at SF/PF.

[spurraider21]

what are kirilenko's other potential suitors?

[Raven]

the spurs don't have the room to make that move... lame

agree, didn't bite even for a sec

[Bruno]

AFAIK, only Spurs have been rumored interested in him.

A list of the teams with cap space able to offer Kirilenko more than a MLE deal:
Atlanta, Charlotte, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Milwaukee, Orlando, Philadelphia, Portland, Sacramento and Utah.

I'm not sure exactly with what teams Kirilenko will fit. Houston will go with Howard or Josh Smith, I doubt Dallas will hurt their 2014 cap space for an aging Kirilenko, Portland will likely go with a center and a lot of the other teams are rebuilding and are looking at young players.

Atlanta, Sacramento and Detroit seems to be the way less worst fits but I'm' not sold their best interest is to go after Kirilenko.

[jyra]

I thnk the Clippers could also be a possibility. They just have the MLE at their disposal but they could offer him a bigger role than the Spurs, he would start at SF and could also give them minutes at the 4. But there rumored to be going after Carl Landry and Matt Barnes, so I hope they get those two guys instead.

[spurspokesman]

Spurs played against one of most impressive teams of the decade (probably) and took it to the 7th game with three eldery players, two or three médium players and a bunch of scrubs. And people keep complaining about it. Wich team would do the same thing with players like Neal, Green, Bonner, Blair, Mills, De Colo, Baynes, Joseph in thir roster?

Point well taken and we are clearly overachievers but the masses want a 5th championship for tim and as constructed most dont see them getting it done. The old almost never counts rule.

[Marcus Bryant]

4 yr/$25MM is fair and probably the most you'd want tied up in a 32 year player reliant on his athleticism.

[ducks]

ak47 you could go 4 years with his option to opt out when the big three are out of their contracts

[xmas1997]

So are they still going after AK47?
I've nothing lately.

[slick'81]

AK47 could salvage this offseason

[coachmac87]

Once Dwight signs the cookie will crumble. Other teams will scramble and some players will get over paid...AK may be one of them..

Tyreke Evans is the biggest name switching teams so far...

[coyotes_geek]

I think he's a bit too expensive for the Heat. Who knows, though.

Fair point. The Heat do have some pretty serious luxury tax ramifications to consider.

[Leetonidas]

The fact that you haven't heard much is probably a good thing tbh

[dbestpro]

I get the feeling AK47 will not get the contract he wants and finds himself back playing ball back in another continent.

[coyotes_geek]

Unless the cap figure comes in well below what the alleged experts are predicting, the Spurs should still be able to clear enough capspace to beat an MLE contract. It wouldn't be by much, and by how much is basically going to depend on how Manu's deal is structured. Assuming a Bonner amnesty, a $58.5 cap and a $6.75 salary for Manu next year, Spurs can probably offer up a 4yr deal starting at $6 mil. Over the 4 years that beats 4 year MLE by $3 million dollars (assuming no S&T). Don't know if that would be enough to land AK or not.

Damn I wish the Spurs would add another year to Manu's deal and transfer some of his cap liability from '13-'14 to '15-'16. Every dollar the Spurs can lower Manu's '13-'14 cap figure by is four extra dollars the Spurs can offer someone like AK.

Would also be nice to be able to trade Decolo, Joseph or Mills to someone for a future 2nd round draft pick.......

[Chinook]

I get the feeling AK47 will not get the contract he wants and finds himself back playing ball back in another continent.

For some reason I imagined him playing with a bunch of penguins in Antarctica when I read this.

[Biggems]

now that we just signed bellinelli, do we have any chance at all to make a run at AK47?

[coyotes_geek]

now that we just signed bellinelli, do we have any chance at all to make a run at AK47?

Depends how the Spurs intend to sign him. Part of the MLE or the Room Exception. Using part of the MLE takes the Spurs out of the running for AK.

[PingPong]

If the Spurs get rid of Green and Bonner?