Spurs Reach Agreement With Free Agent PF Marcus Haislip

by Tim C. on Jul 5, 2009 5:50 PM CDT Comment 47 comments

Another guy that can dunk? Is Pop still coaching the Spurs?
[via cache.daylife.com]

The San Antonio Spurs have reached an agreement in principle to sign Marcus Haislip, who most recently played for Unicaja Malaga of the Spanish League last season. What does this mean for the Spurs? Let's find out.

48MoH got a full article up before we did, so be sure to check out Graydon's take here.

Player History

Haislip is a guy who might be considered a bust. He was a stud when he played college ball at Tennessee, and was drafted #13 by Milwaukee(we're making a habit of taking what they no longer want) in 2002. He then played 2 seasons for the Bucks, and part of a 3rd season with the Pacers in 2004-05. Since then, he's spent 4 seasons in Europe, the last 2 with Unicaja Malaga of the Spanish League. Draft Express has him ranked #3 of all overseas free agents - by the way, look who's the only big man listed higher - anyone think Buford reads DX? I'd keep an eye on #6 and #7 from that list too, especially if we can't land one of the top free agent NBA big men. Speaking of those free agents, what's the impact of this on team salary?

Payroll and Roster Impact

The Spurs are well over the cap, so the only tools at their disposal to woo free agents are the Mid-Level Exception, Bi-Annual Exception, and Veteran's minimum contract offers. The Express-News is reporting that the deal is assumed to be at the veteran's minimum, which is around $1.3M/yr, and does not impact the MLE or BAE. That means the Spurs are still free to pursue marquee free agents like Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess, among others.

So, here's how the roster is shaping up so far:

Players Currently Signed or Pending contract offers

Center: Tim Duncan, Ian Mahinmi
Power Forward: Matt Bonner, Marcus Haislip, DeJuan Blair
Small Forward: Richard Jefferson, Michael Finley, Marcus Williams(non-guaranteed)
Shooting Guard: Manu Ginobili, Roger Mason
Point Guard: Tony Parker, George Hill

If you're counting, that's 12 roster spots that are currently filled, with 4 more available for guys who qualify.

Prospects

James Gist- F
Jack McClinton - G
Malik Hairston - SG/SF

Out of the 3 prospects identified, the one who figures to be impacted most by this move is James Gist. Barring a trade of one of the Spurs' current big men(Bonner could be useful somewhere), Gist's roster spot just got taken. Remember, we still need a starting-quality big man, and Haislip is not a starter. And with the possibility of Splitter coming next year(and the extremely remote possibility that could happen this season), I don't know if we'll ever see Gist donning the silver and black. Haislip seems like a more developed version of Gist, though it would be nice to try and develop Gist more. Gist may be a trade asset at this point as well, but we'll have to see how the Spurs' plan unfolds in the coming days.

What Haislip Brings To The Spurs

Haislip is a guy with a rather familiar skill set. Watching highlights of Haislip is a lot like watching highlights of Gist, except with fighting. Courtesy of DraftExpress, here are some stats for Haislip:

Year	League	Team	GP	Min	Pts	FG	FGA	FG%	2Pt	2PtA	2P%	3Pt	3PtA	3P%	FTM	FTA	FT%	Off	Def	TOT	Asts	Stls	Blks	TOs	PFs
2001/02	NCAA	Tennessee	25	33.5	16.7	6.4	12.4	51.8	5.8	10.6	55.1	0.6	1.8	32.6	3.2	4.4	72.1	2.2	4.4	6.7	1.0	0.4	1.8	2.0	3.4
2002/03	NBA	Bucks	39	11.3	4.1	1.7	3.9	43.1	1.6	3.6	44.7	0.1	0.3	25.0	0.7	1.0	68.4	0.5	0.8	1.4	0.2	0.2	0.5	0.5	1.4
2003/04	NBA	Bucks	31	8.5	3.0	1.2	2.4	48.6	1.1	2.3	48.6	0.0	0.1	50.0	0.6	0.9	71.4	0.7	1.0	1.7	0.1	0.2	0.4	0.3	0.8
2004/05	NBA	Pacers	9	11.8	3.6	1.4	4.2	34.2	1.4	4.1	35.1	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.7	1.2	54.5	0.6	1.1	1.7	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.7	1.7
2005/06	EURO	Fenerbahce Ulker	17	28.2	11.9	4.3	9.4	45.6	3.9	8.4	46.2	0.4	1.0	41.2	2.9	4.9	59.0	2.5	3.8	6.3	0.6	0.9	1.6	1.8	2.9
2006/07	EURO	Efes Pilsen	20	27.8	14.1	5.0	10.1	49.0	3.4	5.9	57.3	1.6	4.3	37.6	2.6	3.5	75.4	1.6	5.1	6.7	0.4	0.7	1.8	1.4	2.3
2007/08	EURO	Unicaja Malaga	15	25.3	13.7	5.2	10.6	49.1	4.3	8.0	53.3	0.9	2.6	35.9	2.3	2.9	79.5	1.1	3.5	4.6	0.6	0.6	0.8	1.6	2.5
2007/08	ACB	Unicaja	30	24.0	12.8	4.6	9.2	50.0	3.1	5.4	57.4	1.5	3.8	39.5	2.2	2.8	78.6	1.5	2.0	3.4	0.9	0.7	1.0	2.0	2.6
2008/09	ACB	Unicaja	31	28.0	16.5	5.5	11.1	49.6	3.5	6.3	55.4	2.0	4.8	41.9	3.6	4.3	83.5	1.3	3.9	5.2	0.5	0.8	1.1	1.8	2.1
2008/09	EURO	Unicaja	14	27.4	11.2	3.6	9.1	39.1	2.6	5.4	49.3	0.9	3.8	24.5	3.1	3.9	81.5	1.4	3.4	4.9	0.5	0.6	0.4	1.4	2.1

One thing that jumps off the page for me is the shooting and 3-point percentages Haislip had in the Spanish League. They weren't as good in Euroleague play, which is pretty disconcerting, but I think Pop and RC know what they're doing here. His rebounding number are underwhelming, particularly for someone with his apparent athletic ability(Thanks to LatinD for finding the video links). His free throw percentage in recent seasons would also seem to disqualify him from being a Spur. I see Haislip as a specialist - one who can probably provide a nice complement to DeJuan Blair in the second or third unit, or when Pop plays smallball.

What Happens Now

I'm more convinced than ever that Buford and Pop have some kind of trade in the works, and this move was made to augment the roster for that purpose. Anyhow, it's an interesting move, and makes our team more athletic again. The "youth" movement contuinues. Yes, I know he's 28, but that's young by the Spurs' recent frontcourt standards. He seems like a solid bench player, but don't expect him to be our free agent saviour. This isn't the end of the offseason activity for the Spurs, but it's one piece of the puzzle.

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Comments

Take That Lakers

Who needs Artest we got our own fighter.

by Este on Jul 5, 2009 6:05 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Great post, rik – that was damn fast. And here I wasted my Sunday grading projects and exams.

I completely levelwhelmed by this pick. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Straight from the No-Stat Zone to your computer!
Dunkin' Cheerleaders

by LatinD on Jul 5, 2009 6:09 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

copied over from the earlier Fanshot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPp0DZj3QJs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF4MHu7Te-c (fight! fight!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STk02KKVksk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H2O9Ea983Q

We specialize in misinformation around here. Facts and stats just get in the way.

by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Jul 5, 2009 6:38 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Great stuff rik! I’m think there is a trade in the works. Like my buddy said “if the spurs grab a euro the rest of the league probably thinkg ‘shit we just missed on a gem’”…..with that logic in mind I think we could be using this guy as trade asset. Or shipping Bonner (oh please trade him). One last thing we have 12 spots filled wouldn’t that leave us only 3 spots left? I thought we could have up to 15, not 16.

Just call me The Profit

by Manuwar on Jul 5, 2009 6:42 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

We can have 15, but Blair isn’t signed yet so we can’t really count him.

We specialize in misinformation around here. Facts and stats just get in the way.

by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Jul 5, 2009 7:00 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think there is a rule that you can’t trade free agents for a while until after you sign them. I don’t think he can be involved in a trade for a few months.

We specialize in misinformation around here. Facts and stats just get in the way.

by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Jul 5, 2009 7:01 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Yea… I think either Gist or Bonner is gone – more likely Gist.

Bring back Bruce, and free James Gist!
Pounding the Rock - where RJ happens.

by Tim C. on Jul 5, 2009 7:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the breaking news, rik. Good stuff. I’ve only seen his name in NBA 2K and he had bad stats there. I’m puzzled about this move.

The Roleplayer's Realm

by silverandblack_davis on Jul 5, 2009 7:04 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

So ATS just posted another link about Rasheed signing with Celts. So the Spurs prob new that a bit earlier I suppose. So this is plan B already in motion I would think.

by LionZion on Jul 5, 2009 7:45 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

The ‘Sheed news only makes me further believe that there’s a trade coming.

Bring back Bruce!
Pounding the Rock - where young and ath-uh-letic happens.

by Tim C. on Jul 5, 2009 7:48 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

From speculation, could they be shipping Gist + Bonner out then for somebody? Hope we land ourselves a coup.

by LionZion on Jul 5, 2009 7:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I see you got a Manu interview fanshot up. Is there a link for an english translation somewhere rikk?

by LionZion on Jul 5, 2009 7:54 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nope. Carina posted it on ST, and somebody google-translated it, but that’s it. Maybe some of our bilingual people here will be kind enough to translate it.

Bring back Bruce!
Pounding the Rock - where young and ath-uh-letic happens.

by Tim C. on Jul 5, 2009 8:57 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kendrick Perkins

Assuming ‘Sheed does indeed end up signing with Boston, the Celtics might then turn around and decide to deal Perkins; he’s under contract through ’11 for a reasonable $4.4 million, but there were rumblings that he clashed with Doc Rivers on a couple of occasions, so Boston might see Wallace as his short term replacement.

Trading Perkins would leave the Celtics kinda thin in the frontcourt, but they could always bring back Big Baby Davis to shore that up.

So going with LionZion’s thinking, would a Bonner+Gist package bring the Spurs Kendrick Perkins? Probably not, just wishful thinking; he would fill the hole at center next to Timmeh, be a presence in the middle grabbing boards and blocking shots. He would be a helluva lot better than most of the remaining free agents options, sans McDyess and maybe Varejao.

Boston would have to be pretty desperate to take that offer though, especially since they have a “Bonner version -0.3” in Scalabrine!

~The Duncan ulTIMatum~

by ATLBraves4Life on Jul 5, 2009 8:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

How about Mason for Perkins straight up? They get a shooter and a backup point guard which they don’t have, we get a center.

We specialize in misinformation around here. Facts and stats just get in the way.

by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Jul 5, 2009 9:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

define backup point guard again, i might missed something

"Rock and Roll angels bring that HardRock Hallelujah"

by Chilai on Jul 5, 2009 11:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Como se dice Melvin Ely?

Waste of roster space if you ask me

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.

by bren on Jul 5, 2009 8:38 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Are you guys serious about the Cs trading Perk?

Especially for a back up like Roger Mason. You might not see a lot of the Celtics, but Perk is the backbone of their defense. He’s on a very affordable contract, as noted on here, and isn’t going anywhere.

Nice try. He would have given TD a defensive presence next to him that hasn’t been there since the Admiral sailed off into retirement.

Now if the Spurs want to work an S and T for BBD using Mason, I’m interested.

by TripleOT on Jul 5, 2009 9:22 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Im with you on this one. Kendrick for Mason would be A STEAL for us. There’s n oreasong you get rid of him. A rotation of Perk, KG and Sheed is just perfect.

"Rock and Roll angels bring that HardRock Hallelujah"

by Chilai on Jul 5, 2009 11:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think so too. Perkins, KG, Sheed, / Oden, Prizbilla, Aldridge / Bynum, Gasol, Odom / Shaq & Ilgauskis.

Tim’s gonna need some frickin help. (I know the season doesn’t start for a few months.)

by lazNirv on Jul 6, 2009 12:11 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agree

No way the Celtics give up Perkins. The Finals matchup showed the value of having two good bigs to throw at Howard. Mason is a nice player, but not worth an up-and-coming, modestly paid, young center who has already proved he can go toe-to-toe Dwight. I think Perkins will prove to be better than an aging Sheed over the course of the season.

Milsap is the best target for the Spurs. Seems to be a Pop’ guy. Would take rebounding pressure off of Duncan, and would thrive on the offensive boards.

by joseflores on Jul 6, 2009 4:16 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pick up Shawn Marion

Lets hope there’s a trade in the works, but if not lets pick up Marion. He’s priced at the MLE and would be a big help off the bench. We could pick up Oberto or use Bonner as center. Our problem last year was our inability to score. With Jefferson, a healthy Manu, and Marion, the offensive woes of last year would be gone. Our defense will be fine.

By the way, there’s no way the Celtics give up Perkins, and for Mason, are you kidding me?

by JakeD on Jul 5, 2009 9:55 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

No, I wasn’t kidding. But I was accounting for the above comment that Perkins and Rivers had issues. I agree, Perkins is a very good defensive player for them, but he is now in a croweded front court if Wallace is signing. But, if Perkins isn’t in their long term plans and they think Davis is they might be willing to move him for somebody they can use.

It’s not a disrespect to Perkins or an over-valuing of Mason or stupidity on my part. The plain fact is we don’t REALLY know how any front office values a player or position. The Mason for Perkins works salary-wise. However, if the Celtics aren’t interested in moving Perkins then it doesn’t matter. For that matter, if the Spurs aren’t interested in moving Mason it doesn’t matter (I’d be shocked). They aren’t getting Manu for him or anything like that. If they ARE interested in moving him, it’s hard to say what they could get.

The one consistent thing you find is that fans over value the players on their own team. WE aren’t any different. YOU aren’t any different. That’s why very few trade possibilities sound good to the fans of both teams. They still get done sometimes though. As a fan, beforehand, you have to explore why they might make such a deal. IF it does happen then there are reasons. It’s easy to justify it afterward once the front office gives you their sales pitch. But to anticipate, you have to envision the things that could be.

We specialize in misinformation around here. Facts and stats just get in the way.

by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Jul 5, 2009 10:10 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pick up Shawn Marion?

I wish we could get him but i highley doubt he will be in a spurs uniform starting next season.

GO SPURS GO
SPURS 2010 NBA Champions (if team is healty LoL)

by Manu-20 on Jul 6, 2009 8:41 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

no no no no no no god no

"We suck on 'D. Both individually and team-wise, we suck. We're pretty consistent that way. I don't know if I have an answer to that. If I did, we wouldn't suck quite so bad." - Popovich

by Hirschof on Jul 7, 2009 1:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree, say no to Marion. It is looking like he is going to be a Mav anyway. If they sign him for their MLE, then maybe we use our MLE on Bass?

"The evolution has been good, and I am much more tranquil now in the face of what comes next,"--Manu Ginobili

by VWolf on Jul 7, 2009 3:37 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

dang, i was so high on sheed. i wanna see the lineup already.

by theonlyromeo on Jul 6, 2009 12:20 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm thinking this trade that's in the works will look like this

I think it’ll be a trade involving Gist, Bonner, and possibly Finley. Personally I don’t like the idea of trading good versatile depth like Finley, but for a team looking for a good veteran backup to both SF and SG, he could be rather enticing.

Plus we have two young SF we’ve been developing in Hairston and Williams. And I believe Hairston had himself a good game against the nuggets that one week where we sat the big 3.

I’m not exactly knowledgeable about what teams would be interested in such a trade, but I’d like to hear some possibilities.

Randy Blythe, Singer of Lamb of God- "Words can be broken, so can bones....." Omerta by Lamb of God

by KA1Z3R on Jul 6, 2009 9:02 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Rumor is OKC would be a willing trade partner, but I think those rumors are only around because RC and Presti are buddies.

Bring back Bruce!
Pounding the Rock - where young and ath-uh-letic happens.

by Tim C. on Jul 6, 2009 10:17 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

OKC also is in serious cap clearing trouble

Did we really just add a player good enough to be guarded by Bruce Bowen?

by BlaseE on Jul 6, 2009 10:27 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

On a personal level, I think the Spurs are going to surprise us, like they did with Haislip.

Bring back Bruce!
Pounding the Rock - where young and ath-uh-letic happens.

by Tim C. on Jul 6, 2009 10:38 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Do you expect to be pleasantly surprised, or somewhat less than?

My name is DeJuan Blair. You blocked my shot. Prepare to die. - CH&LD
I want my Manu o;—-)

by jollyrogerwilco on Jul 6, 2009 11:02 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

What about...

…Tyson Chandler? I keep hearing NOOCH is in deep doo-doo financially and is looking to move him. Since we’ve agreed to go into luxury tax-land anyway, why not take a flyer on him? I messed around with the NBA Trade Machine to see if it would work, but the rosters have not been updated. Best I can tell, Chandler has 2 years left on his deal at $11 million, so it would take Bonner, Finley, and Mason to get a deal done, unless NOOCH wanted S-and-T’s with Gooden, Udoka, or the JV to be thrown in.

Just running through the rolodex, now that Sheed is off the market, I really wanted someone who could play (and maybe more importantly, defend) the center position. I like McDyess a lot, but he really does not fit that bill. Nor do Big Baby or any of the other “top tier” guys out there in discussion. The next tier down is the Rasho / Zaza grouping.

So, is getting a big that can play 5 worth stripping some of our excellent backcourt depth (Parker, Gino, Mason, Findog, Hill)? Seems like it might be tough getting PT for all of those guys anyway.

"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." - Mark Twain

by spurchief on Jul 6, 2009 10:40 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I would stay far away from him unless he’s been proven to be healthy again.

Bring back Bruce!
Pounding the Rock - where young and ath-uh-letic happens.

by Tim C. on Jul 6, 2009 10:45 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I dun wanna lose Finley at this point. He’s an excellent option off the bench for second units imo lengthwise and scoring wise and as for defense, well, its passable for a second unit.

by LionZion on Jul 6, 2009 10:59 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I go and trade finely with one or two others guy at most. If in return we are getting a deffisive big man to help out Tim. I thnk they key to us winning a championship next year is a slighty better bench and a good deffensive big man who can take pressure off Tim.

GO SPURS GO
SPURS 2010 NBA Champions (if team is healty LoL)

by Manu-20 on Jul 6, 2009 8:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Tyson is pricey at 12M. We would have to move a lot of guys to make that work. More than even my crazy trade happy GMself proposed.

We specialize in misinformation around here. Facts and stats just get in the way.

by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Jul 6, 2009 2:20 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

i like marion in the rotation, pretty 3-4 man. And with the minimun lets try to sign elson, an atlethic 5 that can block some shots.

I also like mcdyess but im worryin about his defense (against gasol)

by spursfan87 on Jul 6, 2009 12:19 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Shawn Marion

doesn’t Marion sound like he would be a fantastic pickup? Athletic and he can hit the three! i love watching that guy play!

by Charlton B on Jul 6, 2009 3:03 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

When is the last time you watched him? :P
4 years ago…ah, things change!

by LionZion on Jul 6, 2009 3:42 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Marion only thrives in an uptempo system. He would be awful on the spurs.

"Rock and Roll angels bring that HardRock Hallelujah"

by Chilai on Jul 6, 2009 4:30 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The selfishness and greed also strike me as very un-Spur-like.

Bring back Bruce!
Pounding the Rock - where young and ath-uh-letic happens.

by Tim C. on Jul 6, 2009 4:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

He’s got a nice right cross…that’ll come in handy against LA

by Big50 on Jul 7, 2009 10:50 AM CDT reply actions 2 recs

After reading up a little on this guy and seeing some of his videos, I think he was a very nice pickup for the veteran’s minimum (if we sign him for that).

He has been compared to Gist, but he is quite a bit more developed than Gist at this point in their careers and at the begining he was clearly thought of as the more talented player (he was a lottery pick). Haislip is a couple of inches taller than Gist (6’10" in shoes) and he is even more athletic. After playing in Turkey and Spain he has supposedly developed a nice outside shot and some handles. He can use his superior speed to drive on power forwards and either get to the rim or the line. That is a nice asset to have.

What he really needs to work on as a Spur is his defense. With his height, quickness, and athleticism, he has all the tools to be a very good defensive player, even though (outside of some highlight reel dunks) he has not shown much defensive prowess so far.

"The evolution has been good, and I am much more tranquil now in the face of what comes next,"--Manu Ginobili

by VWolf on Jul 7, 2009 1:09 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Tim Varner over at 48MoH says that Haislip signed for the LLE… If he commits himself to defense, I still think it’s a good sign.

Bring back Bruce!
Pounding the Rock - where young and ath-uh-letic happens.

by Tim C. on Jul 7, 2009 1:29 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Still a good pickup IMO.

"The evolution has been good, and I am much more tranquil now in the face of what comes next,"--Manu Ginobili

by VWolf on Jul 7, 2009 3:35 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh, and one other thing. The decline in his shooting percentage in Euro play was mentioned. Apparently that coincided with a (now healed) groin injury that affected his lift and his shot.

"The evolution has been good, and I am much more tranquil now in the face of what comes next,"--Manu Ginobili

by VWolf on Jul 7, 2009 1:11 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs