Put On Your Mad Scientist Hat and Lets Find The Spurs a Trade for That Elusive Rebounding Big...
by DanF20 on Jan 21, 2009 11:42 PM CST
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PrintHalf way through the season our beloved Spurs have stumbled-skipped-and-hopped their way to a 28-13 record. We seem to have really found a knack for squeazing by the really lousy teams by 2 or 3 pts and playing mediocre against the good teams.
A common complaint is that we are just one decent rebounding big away from being capable of taking the likes of the Lakers, Celtics, Cavs or Magic in a 7-game series - Mr. Hollinger referenced this today in his Per Diem. Spurs detractors cite the usual reasons for the end of the Spurs run: we are old, unathletic and small. New claims of this have also materialized: such as our decline in defensive team stats or Pop flat out saying we SUCK defensively. I am not here to judge which position is right but I thought it would be interesting to view what big men might be available and what are the Spurs chances of snagging them IF we were interested in them.
The Spurs have precious few trading assets to get a quality big - and preferably an athletic rebounding one - but lets put our bat-shit crazy scientist hat on and examine (or imagine) the possibilities...
Gentlemen, behold!!
...A Giant Rabbot Designed specifically to outmuscle the likes of Shaq, Amare, Bynum, Lebron, Pau would certainly be ideal, unfortunately he might confuse Bonner for a giant carrot so that trade wouldn't really work out. So lets move on to pseudo-reality and evaluate what quality big men are out there and some unlikely ways the Spurs could trade for them (with assistance from the not so reliable ESPN trade machine, percentages I completely make up or guesstimate, and other surprises I cannot anticipate). Lets keep in mind that there are five guys we would not like to part with, the Big 3, Mason and Hill so these trade scenarios would become more likely if we included Mason or Hill in them, in no particular order I present you:
Emeka Okafor, Bobcats: The guy is 6-10, and it feels like we already have a couple of 6-10 centers on our team, but this one is young at 26 and athletic; puts up decent numbers but doesn't blow you away with them, shoots a high percentage from the field although I surmise most of these are dunks (it would not hurt to have some more dunks). This season so far EO is: 13ppg, 10.8rbg, 1.8 bpg. The guy scores, rebounds and blocks shots, he ALSO has 6-years left on his contract at 9.5 million.
My crazy trade scenario: A three way trade between the Spurs, Bobcats and OKC. 1) Okafor to the Spurs; 2) Bowen and Bonner to OKC 3) Joe Smith, Kyle Weaver and Ian Mahinmi to the Bobcats. Okafor is not so overpriced at $10mm but 6-years give the Spurs a long time to regret giving up all that cap-space. Bowen is a Spur and it would feel like a betrayal to trade him. Ian is a long-worked on prospect but could be sacrificed for a quality player (not sure how appealing he is to other teams); Bonner is having the season of his life but all the more reason to sell high. OKC gets an experienced defender to teach the young kids to play D and a bonus victory cigar. The Bobcats get long term cap space to try to make a splash in 2010 and a prospect in Yawn but they probably could get a better deal somewhere else (but lets face it, their front office is not exactly reknown for their deal making prowess, so it could happen but it would probably take someone like Hill to woo them). Likelihood of trade: 10%. Unfortunately, I fear that Coach Larry has grown attached to Emeka as witnessed in recent practices.
Not sure what's wrong with Larry's pants but my guess is that he runs this drill with Emeka at least 12 times a day...Larry, you spry old man!
The Booze, Utah: Utah seems poised to keep Millsap and give Booze the boot but would like to get something back for him. Booze was rumored to be going to Miami but money, recent injury and him being a barrier in the development of Beasley have made the Heat drop some acid and think about taking Jermaine O'Neal. Utah will probably look East in this trade as they will not want to make a Western competitor a force.
The Booze is an offensive juggernaut but a bit laissez-faire on D. He is too similar to Duncan at least offensively and he can hit his midrange jump shot. A front court of Duncan and Boozer would dominate the Lakers or any other front court offensively.
I have no love for the Booze, he is injured and who knows what shape he will be in a month or two. His contract is up next year and he is not the kind of guy that team loyalty means a lot to, so even if we got him he would not be sticking around if there is a higher bidder (it is a horrible year next year to become a free agent with this econ and everyone standing pat hoping to snag the big fish in 2010: Lebron, Wade, Bosh). We would probably have to give up at least either Hill or Mason in this trade and still I think there are teams willing to give more.
Likelihood of trade: 2%
[Booze's other notable skills include this great T-Rex impersonation, can win any Hot-Dog eating competition and a super secret unofficial handshake that you can rely on 100%]
via www.itusozluk.com
Jermaine O'Neal, Toronto: Likehood of trade: 0%. No way in hell this could ever happen. We don't have enough guys on our team outside of our Big Three to make the salaries match. And there is no reason to go after this guy, he is in the death-throes of his career, injured and not worth the money or risk unless you are looking to unload 20 million in contract next year, which we are not.
[If it weren't for that Starbury (..and other Knicks) I would have the most ridiculous salary in the league... and he'll have the most retarded salary in Greece next year; but at least in that case, my little cousin can finally safely get that internship she always wanted with the Knicks]
via www.hoopsvibe.com
Brad Miller, Sactown:
[If you like big, slow, sensitive white guys who can shoot the 3 as your center then Brad is your guy.]
Really, don't we have Matt Bonner Already? Isn't this guy just a taller version of Bonner? I say why bother, even though I'm sure the Kings would love to stick it to the Lakers by giving him away to the Spurs for chump change.
Likelihood of trade: 75% (If we even wanted to bother with this)
'Sheed, Detroit: Detroit is gearing up for 2010 and has no chance in hell of beating the Magic, Celtics or Cavs in a 7 game series. There could be a firesale at that franchise and 'Sheed could be had for the right price. Personally, I frown upon cocky, loud, intolerably foul-mouthed players like 'Sheed IF they are called Garnett. 'Sheed is crazy and can't help it. I reserve a small place in my heart for those Pistons for beating the Lakers in 04 and for 'Sheed leaving Bowen open in game 5 of the 05 Finals. He is a competitor and he has some gas left in his tank, although he does not enhance us athletically. Duncan, Sheed, Manu, Parker, Mason - I could live with that line-up. Likelihood of trade: 20%
[Sheed's days of slippy sliding in Motown may be numbered...and it burns ]
via www.reclinergm.com
Camby, Clips: If the Clips trade him the entire 50-person Clip fanbase might riot. Until he got injured he was pretty much the only guy competing on a team ravaged by injuries and horrible personnel combos. OKC will probably end up with 5 more wins that the Clips at the end of season...things are that bad.
So if I'm the Clips why not unload some high priced players? Camby has two years left at $10mm. He scores about 10 a game and picks up about 12 rbs plus nearly 3 bpg. He definitely goes for the block too often at the expense of sound defense but besides a history of injury he is athletic and a good rebounder and would not interfere in the offensive chemistry the Spurs have (he is not a big that needs 15 shorts a game). Do we have the Chips to get him? What if he gets injured - again? Likelihood of trade: 20%
[Sarah McLochlan wants you to know that Marcus is feeling abandoned - won't you please save a gangly rebounding big from the Clips? Donate 10mm in obsolete players to 888-BUY-CMBY]
via sportsillustrated.cnn.com
Chris Kaman, Clips: This guy has been injured since the end of November and would be a risky move for a fairly meat and potatoes guy who when healthy can get you 15pts and 10 rbs which is not bad for a caveman. Not terribly athletic and not a huge improvement over Kurt - albeit an improvement. Vast improvement over Fab, except there can only be one long-blond-haired heart-breaker per team. Lets just not do this trade.
[The days when Chris' hair made him about 7'5", now long gone - a brother in arms to Manu's old days of hair glory]
via johnstodderinexile.files.wordpress.com
via www.manuginobilisworld.com
There certainly are other bigs out there: from the lumbering Pryzibilla's (who could be useful) to the dusty Nazr Mohammed's (this doesn't count as a quality reinforcement). I don't think we are in bad shape even if we don't pick up another quality big as long as our Big Three are firing on all cilinders.
Good Luck and Good Night.
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i like Camby. he fit well to Spurs, and a very gud garbage man.
he is monster on the board, reaching 27 rebounds per game
and unselfish on the ball.
wait…do you mean because we only trade for retirement home players, and according to his birth certificate oden is only 20?
or that oden is secretly 45 years old, and we should be trying to get younger?
by sleep research facility on Jan 22, 2009 6:05 AM CST up reply actions
or how about this?
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=1015991&teams=2024&te=&cash=
that will please alot of people here….
by sleep research facility on Jan 22, 2009 6:07 AM CST reply actions
It is hard to fathom a world where Samuel Dalembert makes as much as Tony Parker. What the hell has Dalembert ever done? I wish I was 6’10" and could do a minimum of decent NBA-level things on a basketball court, because without fail some idiot GM would throw 5 years/$60 million at me. Billy King was an idiot.
"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." – Aldous Huxley
Would this work?
Maybe Houston will agree to give us Luis Scola for nothing (the JV?). Or maybe we should have drafted someone like Tiago Splitter.
Now I’m depressed.
i know
it saddens me alot too. fucking tiago and scola, we’d have another championship i bet if we had one of them, or both would be pretty cool too
What the Bowen giveth Horry taketh away. --LatinD (2008 Playoffs Round 2, Game 1)
the Spurs do not defeat you so much as they grind you into tiny shards of psychological wreckage.
-the Denver Post
by Hamer_SpursFan on Jan 22, 2009 12:47 PM CST up reply actions
Excellent, this is what fanposts should be.
Now that I think about it, the FO always thought about Splitter as a lock to came about this year. Think of it, we would be the main contender for the title this year. I think that shows up how superior is our FO.
Now on the suggested players:
-Okafor: Ideal, BUT NOT going to happen. Forget it. Unless we gave up one of th Big 3 just forget it.
-Boozer: possible (after all the Jazz are better with MIllsap and he will be gone by the end of the season) but I think he doesnt make us a better team. We already have our dominant offensive big. He cant defend. No and No.
-Brad Miller: he could fit with TD, definetely can rebound and at least he is big. Why not.
-Sheed: make it happen. We need Sheed. Perfect fit for TD. Incredible defender and shot blocker (when his mind is in the game). The thing is, I think a coach like Pop and a star like Duncan can bring the best from Sheed. MAKE IT HAPPEN, you hear me? I would offer Udoka, the JV, Oberto (all expiring contracts or at least they will be next year, right?) Mahinmi, the draft rights of Tiago, javtokas, one of Pop’s wines and a document saying we will let them win if we meet them in the finals (haha good luck with that one).
-Camby: When Zach was healthy the two played toghether very well, even if it was for 3 or 4 games. Besides he is the only guy who gives a crap in clipperland. Wont happen.
-Kaman: NO. Good player, not a great fit. We still have trouble defending face up 4’s, and he cant do nothing to solve that trouble.
So, me likes Sheed. He can defend bigger players and he is perfect to defend guys like Dirk, West or Pau. Im mailing Pop right now.
I have some other ideas, like one of OKC bigs (collison, Wilcox and Joe Smith). To me it makes perfect sense. They only care about the future. None of those guys fit with their plans. They already have like 25 big projects. They just signed Nenad Krstic (good one btw). We can give them some lesser contracts and a couple of picks. Aside from that, the rest of the options are not productive. All remainig bigs (like Nazr) are worse players than Kurt, Bonner and Fabricio.
"It's a basic truth of the human condition that everybody lies. The only variable is about what."
Ever since the ’04 finals when the Pistons beat the Lakers, I have had beautiful unicorn and rainbow filled daydreams about Tim Duncan and Rasheed Wallace playing next to each other. Offensively and defensively they complement one another almost perfectly.
Duncan could post up with Wallace at the three point line; they could play high-low all day long, setting backscreens and getting wide open lay-ups and dunks until the cows come home. On defense, Rasheed is an excellent man-to-man defender and Duncan is one of the tope 2 or 3 help defenders in the league. If the Piston’s gifted us Wallace (ala Gasol to the Lakers last year) I don’t see us falling short of the ’ship.
On the other hand, their is the mojo to consider, we saw what that unmerited favor did for the Lakers in last year’s finals.
I'm comfortable winning -- Emmanuel Ginobili
Didn’t realize ‘Sheed is earning near $14 million. Can’t imagine the Pistons going for it but here is a trade scenario:
Valuable 2010 expiring contracts: Thomas, Fab, Bruce – teams are going to need that extra 3-4 million in cap space for the 2010 summer and here the Pistons get a variety of these contracts and a few prospects.
Prospects: Yawn and Rights to Splitter or even Hill should it be required.
I like Sheed. He’s crazy, but he’s our kind of crazy. This scenario works for me… where do we sign the petition?
I am happy. I am proud. - Manu Ginobili
And the Pistons really do want to clear out that space so they can make a run @ Lebron on 2010. Lebron has more time left then Rasheed. Let’s do it.
"It's not how you enter your sport, it's how you exit." - Dr. J
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I always agree with Chilai lately. I don’t know what to think about this.
First of all, this is a great fanpost. I had a lot of fun reading it. Please make more. Recced to da beaches.
Second and last, YES TO SHEED. It can work. It will work. If there ever was a team for Sheed, it’s the Spurs. If we ever get him while he’s still productive, we’ll get that fifth ring.
Chilai, LatinD, thanks for the good words about the post. I had a lot of fun with it. Do you guys know how to edit it once it’s been posted? I noticed that the video link I used somehow died out. Also, how do you embed an actual video window into the post?
By the way, Hollinger’s PER DIEM today 1/23 says that ’Sheed’s stats are down across the board and he attributes it to ’Sheed aging. Offensively, I think the big difference is that he had Billups before as PG and now he has Iverson. Defensively, I think you can say a similar thing as Iverson is more of a steal stat guy than a solid defender; Billups plays sounder defense, which also affects the positioning of the rest of the guys on his team (if an opposing PG penetrates at will it pulls everyone out of position).
Hmm. Well, to edit it you just have to click on “edit”, make the changes and then click on “publish” again. I don’t have the YouTube embedding code in this computer, but I’ll send it to you when I get back home if no one’s helped you by then.
Sorry, I always copy-paste. Try asking Matthew, he’s the one that taught me.
To be honest, I always thought that Sheed spends too much time shooting jumpers and 3 pointers. While he is good at it, that takes away his inside game which is impressive. I dont know why but he shies away from the paint. And he doesnt have an interior offensive force to draw away attention from his jumpers. But with the Spurs he could fit perfectly because Timmy demands so much attention and double coverage. Add Sheed’s remarkable passing and you have a fifth ship’.
"It's a basic truth of the human condition that everybody lies. The only variable is about what."
Diop or Dalembert are the most realistic and best fits. Diop is cheaper. I say we go get him. He’s a very good defender and rebounder. Offensively he’s crap.
Diop may be cheaper...
but he still has an awful contract for someone who is so bad offensively.
He is also SLOW. He is good at defending in the same way’s that Duncan is good. He keeps his position well and is a good help defender. He won’t help at all against athletic 4s.
I'm comfortable winning -- Emmanuel Ginobili
We have to consider who we’re worried about. The only 2 western conference threats are LA and NO. He would match up beautifully against Bynum and his length would bother West a great deal. Amare is quick and Portland has a handful of long athletic guys but neither of those teams worry me in the playoffs.
by speedostuffer on Jan 23, 2009 1:41 AM CST up reply actions
This just makes my Mahinmi longing even worse
for the love of God, what the hell is wrong with him? How has his ankle not healed yet?
His injury and Splitters remaining overseas were setbacks no doubt, but they can be fixed; get Mahinmi out on the court and hope for the best with Splitter, no sense in trading away valuable pieces when our problems are short term.
If all we need is rebounding, then we just need a big aggressive body; not a double double guy like listed above
Okay, just so I understand it... in your wildest fantasy, you are in hell. And you are co-running a bed and breakfast with the devil.
I was going to get to the cheaper “big body” players in my fanpost but ran out of steam late at night… Yes, getting a player like ’Sheed is a bit of a pipe dream.
For what it is worth I think we need a guy with a reputation. Not just any old body that will get a dozen fouls called on them whenever they go against an elite offensive big. Look at Thomas, he has been in the league forever, has a decent reputation as a defensive player, but when he checks in he gets called s dozen fouls in 10 minutes. If you bring in another star with a nba-star reputation calls are going to begin going your way against teams like the Fakers and Celtics.
The time for the Spurs to win is in the next 3 years while Timmy is around and we should give this team the highest percentage chance of pulling this off NOW, even if it means sacrificing that 5 years down the road the team is going to be way below mediocre and is going to be in ultra-rebuilding mode. Barring major injuries it’s going to be all Lebron time from 2011 on.
Not happening this year, but.....
The perfect Spur would be David Lee. I believe he’s a RFA after this season, but I may be wrong. I think he would be a perfect fit.
"....It is more about them than it is about the team. Cannot play with them. Cannot win with them. Cannot coach with them. Can’t do it. I want winners!" - Mike Singletary
I thought that too
Hopefully Splitter/Mahinmi will come through so they can focus on other areas
Okay, just so I understand it... in your wildest fantasy, you are in hell. And you are co-running a bed and breakfast with the devil.
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