A Look At the Off-Season: Are We Better or Worse?

It seems the Spurs have a shortage of centers, which they cover over by playing PF’s at center.

Let’s embrace the new positional revolution, and just talk about ‘bigs’ rather than an artificial distinction between the four and five spot. Is Timmy a four, which he wants to be called, or a five? Sometimes he defends the opposing team’s ‘center’ and other times, the opposing ‘power forward.’ Which is he, really? We could spend a lot of time arguing over what are, to me, semantic (but not functional) distinctions.

I’ve not seen enough of Tiago yet, but he seems he might be better as a TD type PF playing next to a David Robinson-type center.

Well, given that TD is Tiago’s idol, and that the latter modeled his game/footwork/moves/etc. from watching a lot of tape of the former, it’s not surprising that they would play similarly. But that doesn’t mean that they can’t play together… remember that #50 adjusted his game in his last few years playing with Timmy and took on a different role, focusing more on defense, for example. Something similar may take place now, as Timmy has mentioned Robinson as being a good template for him.

Any problem with finding minutes for bigs is soon solved with the imminent retirement of Dice (who doesn’t sound anxious to be picking up more playing time) and TD not that far behind.

Imminent? As in today, this week, this month? As far as I know, Dice has two years left on his contract. True, he may decide to retire at the end of the season. So may Timmy, if there’s a lockout. It also probably depends on what happens this year. And this year, we have Duncan, McDyess, Splitter, Blair, and Bonner sharing big man minutes. I rather doubt that a 6th big would get many, or even suit up most games, barring injury. And if the latter should unfortunately happen, I’d rather sign someone like Fab, who knows the system and can be relied upon.

As far as Dice sounding like he’s not ‘anxious to be picking up playing time’ is concerned, remember that was in the context of his excitement over Splitter’s performance in training camp, saying that the kid ‘needs to be on the floor.’ I rather doubt that he’d be thrilled to ‘take a back seat’ for Haddadi.

Since Finley has left, the closest guard to retirement is Manu who still has a few good years left in him.

Here’s hoping, as far as Manu is concerned. But it’s not just retirement that has to be considered… there is TP’s contract situation. Until/Unless Parker re-signs, or one of the other guards proves over an actual NBA season that he can run the team, I don’t see Hill as tradeable for a big man. Maybe a quality PG or combo guard, but not a big. The risk of opening a gaping hole at the 1 (ball-handler, in the terms of the positional revolution) is too huge.

If I’m not mistaken, the couple of times that George had become a regular starter he lost his starting role. I don’t believe that it was similar to the case of Manu where they felt they needed George coming off the bench.

That’s a little ungenerous, imho. If you recall, injuries (to George and to TP) factored into who started when… George sat out four games in April due to injury and we worried if he’d heal in time for the Dallas series. Until then, TP was coming off the bench.

He might be given a starter’s role again, but it seems to me a less sure thing than most people seem to believe.

Count me as one of those who think that he’ll probably be the starting off-guard and/or backup point guard (and of course he’ll have to earn those roles), but whether he’s a starter or not isn’t important. The point is, whether he’s a starter or not isn’t the key point, which is that he will be a contributing member of the rotation again this season. I don’t think the Spurs can afford to trade contributing players like that for a ‘project’ big-man, not in a year they’re in the title hunt. Maybe if there is no hope to compete for a ’chip (i.e. rebuilding time), but not now.

I have not meant this as being that my opinion is that they should actively seek to trade George, but that they would be more willing to entertain offers being made for him…. I still expect it to be rather unlikely, but it all depends on how various players look in camp.

I agree, especially the parts about it being ‘rather unlikely’ and not actively seeking to trade Hill. I’ll go further and suggest that the trade you proposed for Haddadi has virtually no chance right now, because it’s unbalanced and the Spurs have not said that they need another big man, but a trade to fill a need they’ve acknowledged publicly (i.e. backup SF and/or wing defender) is certainly possible, if the right player were to become available. I think the price would be high though, because Pop and RC seem to be very high on George’s upside.

So far in camp, with Tiago being out injured they must still be considering who is playing center to Tim’s PF.

If Tiago’s foot injury turns out to be season-ending, then yes, the Spurs would undoubtedly reconsider their big man roster. But I have read/seen/heard nothing reliable to indicate that that is the case…. just members of the Spurs Nation who go a little crazy when they hear anything with “plantar” in it.

My other reply was too long already, but I can’t resist injecting a little Manu into our discussion. He was asked about who might emerge out of all the talent competing for the guard and wing spots, and his reply was basically that it’s too early to tell after just a few days of practice together, and that they have to see the new guys in pre-season game situations to see what they really can do.

So imho any consideration of Hill being ‘expendable’ because of the guard talent (i.e ‘potential’) in training camp is pure speculation and way, way, waaaay premature, because even the Spurs don’t know yet what they have. And we outsiders, we know even less than they do…