Spurs = Draft = International?

by Manunited on Jun 18, 2008 1:08 PM CDT

R.C: Listen up! Please Please don't go global with that 1st round pick. Not this year. Do you not see that the volts on that lightbulb at the end of the tunnel are blinking. It's not at full voltage. We are nearing the end. Parker is a 25 year-old point guard in a Iverson body with all the playoff games he's been in. Manu and Duncan ain't getting any younger. Please... enough with the projects. No mas! Leave that to Presti.

Our first course of action needs to be to draft a swingman. Greene and Rush have climbed rapidly up the charts so those dreams are over guys. So below are the players I like for our system...Wait what should we do with what we have so far?

Before all else, bring up Miahmini and couple him with Bert, Thomas, and Duncan. Get rid of Horry. Get rid of Demarr. Keep Bonner around. He isn't Scalibrine Pop. Give him some damn time. He was decent in Toronto.

We're re-signing Findog so everyone hoping we wouldn't (moi) get ready to see him again next year rotting away on the bench. Bowen and Udoka are locks of course. Manu and TP. Brent Barry will work the backup PG position. Get rid of Damon. Get rid of Ferra Jacque.

So i've been studying the draft boards, seeing some old college tapes and I came to the conclusion that any of these main picks, coupled with another and 1 project would give us a good draft.

Mario Chalmers and Courtney Lee. If Lee is available, take him. If he's not, take Chalmers and take a chance on some random SG in the 2nd round and draft a project with our last pick. Of course i'd love to see CDR travel the short ride from Memphis to San Antonio, but I doubt he'll drop that far. Even if he's a project, Nicolas Batum from France would be nice.

I know people on the board have called for Azubuike, but I rather just wait till next season when we have a bunch of money coming off the cap to re-tool. Pietrus would be plain foolishness because he doesnt contribute anything on the offensive end. Najera? God no! JR lacks character. Back to AZU... I don't think Azubuike will be the final piece to the puzzle for us to win a title next year. He needs to seriously develop a jumpshot or he'll just be what Tony Parker was when he jsut came into the league just as a SG. I actually like someone like Roger Mason who will be much cheaper than everyone else and is a decent scorer who can score 30 one night and put up bricks for another but he will add a bit of athleticism for a few years.

I see another competitive year from us next year, but maybe a 2nd round exit. Who knows though right? I think we will win another title, but it will be at the beginning of the next decade. If we don't win one by 2012, you can close the dusty front cover on our story.

Re-tool thru the draft this year and be patient.

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Totally agree, If he’s there take Courtney Lee. This guy could end up being a steal. And if someone like Josh Childress is available make a play for him as well. This old man gang shit won’t get it done anymore.

I never met anybody who said when they were a kid, "I wanna grow up and be a critic." - Richard Pryor

by DennardC on Jun 18, 2008 2:46 PM CDT reply actions

He's kinda AJ-lite... but without the hookshot or the Napoleon-Complex

They’re not getting rid of Vaughn. I don’t know why… I just feel deep in my soul, that for some inexplicable reason. the JV will continue to plague our musings. They might not even bring up Mahinmi… probably just to piss us off.

chaos... panic... pandemonium... my work here is done.

by rick2g on Jun 18, 2008 3:13 PM CDT reply actions

Dead on, MU. Jacque isn’t going anywhere though, no matter how many of us click our heals together. And I wouldn’t be so quick to say that Findog will be seen rotting on the bench. If he’s on the roster next season (and he likely will be), plan to see him continue to start unless we pick someone up out of free agency to fill his position. I hope I’m wrong, but I’d put money on Fin being back in his 25+ minutes per game role next year. Bottom line is that we’ve got to go after free agents and not depend solely on the draft if we want to stay relevant next year.

by SgtinManusArmy on Jun 18, 2008 4:16 PM CDT reply actions

With Splitter out of the picture, Mahinmi will definitely get a shot at some minutes this season. Let’s hope he is up to the task.

Bonner is under contract, and not a hot commodity so we should expect him to be on the roster. If Ian does not perform well, then Bonner will likely see more minutes. I hope he can play like he did for Toronto again, but he really stunk up the court in the first half of this season (and thus was relegated to being the human victory cigar).

DerMarr Johnson will likely play for the Spurs in the summer league. He will have to show something to make a roster spot. He definitely has potential, but his ship may have sailed. He is a longshot to make it with the Spurs, but it is good to have him there in case he blows up in the summer. Stephen Jackson was in a similar position when he joined the Spurs.

Have you read news that Finley is being re-signed, or are you just making a prediction? I could see it happening, but I really think his playing days should be over. Finley is fools gold. He will play outstanding about 1 in 5 games. The rest of the time he torpedoes the team with his horrible defense and bricklayers jumpshot.

I really do not want Chalmers signed onto a first round contract. I just don’t see him contributing right away. He could easily be another JV. I wouldn’t mind Courtney Lee, but I am hoping some SF steal will fall to us in the first round (or we trade up). If so, we might be able to get J.R. Giddens in the 2nd round. Giddens is probably better than Lee, but has lower stock because his team did not make the dance, and because he has some outdated character concerns (is a model citizen now).

Pietrus would be a nice addition provided they don’t pay too much. It’s not like he is helpless on offense. He shoots 44% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc for his career. Playing besideTim Duncan, Manu, and Tony Parker I could see those numbers improving. His defense is outstanding. His only problem is with his assist to turnover ratio. He needs to work on his passing, but that is something that could definitely be taught.

I also wouldn’t mind Kelenna. You might not think of him as the missing piece, but really the only thing missing this season was a healthy Manu. Azubuike or Pietrus would add some much needed athleticism to the bench.

That being said, I am really hoping the Spurs can get Josh Childress. I would consider Pietrus and Azubuike backup plans at this point.

I don’t know why you predict a second round exit. It could happen, but if the Spurs are all healthy they can beat any team in the league in a 7 game series. This years Lakers team was more lucky than good, and I don’t believe the hype on Bynum.

by VWolf on Jun 19, 2008 12:05 PM CDT reply actions

Demarr Johnson may have lost his shot with this last DWI he had. Childress I like…I for some reason though feel if we sign him he can turn into another Jared Jeffries and just rob our money. Plus, how productive can he really be in a Spurs system? I think he fits better in fast paced offenses.

Azubuike i like because of his springs, energy, and 3 pt shot. Pietrus im just not big on.

JR Giddens can be a major steal. I like him alot. I backtrack and agree Findog may get minutes. They not gonna bury him on the bench.

As for Chalmers, hes not enough of an offensive weapon to warrant a 1st round pick. Going back and watching some of his games I just noticed. We need to go after a slasher 1st round and draft a PG 2nd round.

Bynum is suspect. He did good the 1st half but something just makes me feel uneasy about the kid. Every columnist feels like he legitimizes and makes the Lakers a lock for a WC title, but i wouldn’t be so sure.

As for the 2nd round exit, we almost got bumped this year. and if we stay the course and dont really add any youth this summer we can be gone quick next year. I just feel like 2010-2012 or 2013 is when the Spurs will be back to their championship ways. Maybe 1 or 2 more titles.

El Ranchero

by Manunited on Jun 19, 2008 5:23 PM CDT up reply actions

I’m not sure the Lakers will even be as good next year. It seems evident from the players body language that they don’t like each other, or at least don’t like Kobe, and it seems to rub off on everyone else. Their main guys, Gasol and Bryant, don’t seem to pick each other up. Bynum’s just a kid, not really a high energy guy, and he’s kind of a sourpuss, so I don’t see him improving the chemistry at all.

Plus, it has yet to be seen that Gasol, Bynum, and Odom can coexist. Each of those guys is dramatically more effective down low, but they can’t play all three of them at once. If Odom isn’t down low, or doesn’t have space to go to the basket, he might mentally check out and float around, or he might start chucking up threes, either of which would hurt the team.

The Spurs made it work with Big Dave and Timmy, but those are two of the highest-character guys in league history. It’s hard to imagine, say, Bynum taking a backseat offensively to Gasol in the post and being content to work on defense and rebounding.

Catch the Spurs Spirit! It's a Fast-breakin' Fiesta!

by tomasito on Jun 20, 2008 11:45 AM CDT up reply actions

Yeah, I hear you on DerMarr. Like I said he is a long shot to make the team. Just remember that Stephen Jackson was also about at the end of his rope when he landed with the Spurs. He didn’t have a DUI but there were plenty of questions about his attitude and if he’d ever make it in the NBA as a regular rotation player.

As for Childress becoming a Jared Jeffries, I just don’t see that happening. The most points Jeffries has ever averaged per game in a season is 6.8. He is a good defender, but Childress is much more polished on the offensive end. Also, Childress finished his junior year at Stanford, and played for Mike Montgomery (not really a run and gun coach). He has a reputation for being extremely coachable and versatile. Finally, the Spurs do like to run, but only at the right time.

by VWolf on Jun 20, 2008 12:11 PM CDT up reply actions

As a current citizen of Colorado, Dermarr’s story boils down to this for me: He didn’t cut it with the nuggets. The nuggets. The freakin’ gang-banging gutter Thuggets!!! That says it all. If you don’t produce and can’t cut it for Coach Hairlip, the odds of you making it under Pop fall somewhere around the odds of the sun suddenly turning into a giant ball of cream cheese.

by SgtinManusArmy on Jun 20, 2008 1:36 PM CDT up reply actions

Well surely Pop knows all of that, yet he signed him anyway. He will just make sure that Budenholzer (or whomever coaches the Spurs summer league) has a taser handy.

by VWolf on Jun 20, 2008 4:22 PM CDT up reply actions