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2018 San Antonio Spurs Offseason Thread -- Into the Great Unknown


Patrick Bateman

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20 minutes ago, Horn of Gabriel said:

Seeing now that Kawhi's camp is saying he'll hold out instead of playing in Toronto.  Wonder if the deal is baked or TOR is going to try to find a way to back out.

Fine. Forget that $20M this year, buddy. Can't remember that far back in the thread but doesn't something happen if he willfully sits out as far as reaching FA status?

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3 minutes ago, C-Man said:

Fine. Forget that $20M this year, buddy. Can't remember that far back in the thread but doesn't something happen if he willfully sits out as far as reaching FA status?

He essentially forfeits his FA status for a year. He would still have one year with Toronto in 2019-20. 

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Just now, Radical Larry said:

He essentially forfeits his FA status for a year. He would still have one year with Toronto in 2019-20. 

This is correct...... He has 48 hours to report (or talk to the team) and needs to get his physical.  Toronto has the option of waiving said physical if they want.  He's not going to get what he wants, so he should probably make the best of it.  Toronto's actually a cool town, he may end up liking it, although the winter's can be cold.

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39 minutes ago, aggie08 said:

In perpetuity? Because that would make for an awesome stalemate.

Until he reports and is considered in good standing.... yes.  He’s under contract, so he has to fulfill it before he can engage into another contract.  He owes a year of service, he doesn’t just get to shirk it.

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1 hour ago, Radical Larry said:

I have no idea how long it could go on. Would the league step in at some point? 

I wonder if the players union told him to stfu and play :

However, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski (h/t theScore's Chris Walder) revealed later on Wednesday that the former All-Star is starting to "warm to the idea" of wearing a Raptors uniform.[/QUOTE ]

https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/2786777-kawhi-leonard-reportedly-warming-to-idea-of-playing-for-raptors-after-trade.amp.html

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3 minutes ago, Amos Moses said:

Sounds like the Spurs also sent Toronto $5 million to cover Kawhi’s trade kicker.  Ouch.  

 

https://mobile.twitter.com/ZachLowe_NBA/status/1019762309097549831

 

Just now, Radical Larry said:

Well, he damn sure wasn't going to waive it. We sent him in the opposite direction of where he wanted to go. 

Well this shit just pisses me off.  When kawhi/uncle dennis/slapstick sports agent/whoever first told the spurs he wanted out,  the first thing they should have done was ask to waive thr trade kicker.

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I'm happy with the trade and relieved it's finally over. Yes DeRozan is a subpar defender, he lacks the ability to shoot threes and has a tendency to under perform in the playoffs those facts are well known. His 3 is improving gradually and in a new system maybe he finally kicks it up a notch in the playoffs? LMA had to carry the first team unit offensively last season, now he has a player who can put up over 20 points a night to help shoulder the load.

Poeltl has been likened to a younger version of Splitter minus the bad calf. He's not going to be an offensive juggernaut, but he's going to become a valuable role player who can defend more than the inside in the modern nba which is invaluable for a player his size. He'll eat up minutes that would otherwise go to the shell of Pau Gasol. His contract still infuriates me to this day.

I'm just not buying into the projections that the Spurs only win 37-38 games this season. Last season they bested that total with a soft ass bitch pouting in NY with his asshole uncle coddling him. I hope Kawhi does sit out this season, he'll have ruined his career wasting two years of his prime and nobody will offer him a max deal. Losing Tony wasn't a big deal, he wasn't going to play a big role this season, losing Kyle Anderson did hurt, but it is what it is the Spurs didn't have the cap to match the offer and Danny was still a valuable defender, but his offensive game was dwindling away and it's always possible he could return next season.

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I think the most interesting question is which 1/2 combo in the West would you take over LMA and DeRozan?

Durant/Curry, Harden/CP3, Westbrook/George and that's about it. 

Lebron is unreal but his 2nd best player is who? People are drastically undervaluing DeRozan. Dude is a legit scorer and lead the Raptors to the 1 seed in the East last year. DeRozan obviously has some question marks about his postseason play but he isn't a scrub.

 

Edited by texasstrong12
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1 hour ago, texasstrong12 said:

I think the most interesting question is which 1/2 combo in the West would you take over LMA and DeRozan?

Durant/Curry, Harden/CP3, Westbrook/George and that's about it. 

Lebron is unreal but his 2nd best player is who? People are drastically undervaluing DeRozan. Dude is a legit scorer and lead the Raptors to the 1 seed in the East last year. DeRozan obviously has some question marks about his postseason play but he isn't a scrub.

 

LMAO. Not in the East anymore. You undervalued the Lakers by a large margin. The spurs got worse this off season while nearly every team in the top half of the West got better except for oKC and Portland.

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23 minutes ago, Llogg said:

LMAO. Not in the East anymore. You undervalued the Lakers by a large margin. The spurs got worse this off season while nearly every team in the top half of the West got better except for oKC and Portland.

1-Name the duos in the West that are better than LMA/DeRozan? Certainly the 3 I listed above. Maybe Butler/KAT but I think KAT is overrated. Lillard/McCollum is alright but don't think it's better than LMA/DeRozan. Gobert/Mitchell is an interesting duo but I think Mitchell is a year or 2 away before they are in this discussion. 

2-People are drastically overvaluing the Lakers. Their roster is meh outside of Lebron. 

3-How did the Spurs get worse by adding an All-Star caliber player? The Spurs had nobody outside of LMA last year that even compares to DeRozan. 

4-I don't think the "top half of the West got better". I would say a lot of teams didn't make improvement or regressed. What was the big move made by any Western Conference team that made the playoffs last year outside of Cousins to the Warriors? The Pelicans adding Randle? 

5-Where I think the West improved is the lower half of the conference. The Nuggets, Lakers, Mavs, Grizzlies and even Suns should all be improved. 

Edited by texasstrong12
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3 hours ago, HookEm said:

I don't think everybody is sufficiently accounting for how good the West will be next year. 40 wins is going to be a challenge.

I know the rosters are different but since the tank year in '96-'97 the fewest amount of regular season wins was 47. Never below 50 in the other years. 

This roster is too good for Pop not to win 40 games.  I'll take over 40 wins with Pop every year if you give him at least 1 All Star caliber player like LMA. Now he has 2 with DeRozan. Derozan might not be an "All Star caliber" player in the West but you get the point. 

 

Edited by texasstrong12
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Spurs just doubled their all-star player count from last year, Rudy Gay will be much better, belinelli was a huge get for the bench, we actually have a talented young center for the bench, white is a future star in the making, no giant distraction regarding Kawhi drama for pop and teammates, and Lionel4 is going to be a badass.

spurs got a lot better in he short and long term yesterday bc Kawhi wasn't coming back.

rockets lost ariza.

thunder stay the same or lose melo.

pelicans lost boogie

blazers stay the same.

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5 hours ago, Llogg said:

LMAO. Not in the East anymore. You undervalued the Lakers by a large margin. The spurs got worse this off season while nearly every team in the top half of the West got better except for oKC and Portland.

The last I checked DeRozan was a 2nd team ALL NBA player. Last season the Spurs had one All-Star caliber of a player in LMA shouldering the load, injuries galore and still won 47 games. Yet the Spurs are worse off trading a player who played in all of 9 games last season and a player who's skills were beginning to show signs of decline and adding in an All-Star who can put up 30 points in a night and a younger version of Splitter minus the bad calf?

I don't think anyone is undervaluing the Lakers, but LeBron isn't carrying that team to the Finals or deep into the playoffs. They're a young team, not a veteran team and it's not quite their time. Adding a disgruntled PG and a SG who will log some minutes off of the bench aren't going to put the Lakers over the top. Honestly I'd expect them to finish somewhere as a #5 to a #8 seed. If they finish as a 7 or 8 seed and meet GS or Houston in the 1st round they'll be smoked 4-1 or 4-0.

Edited by Chad
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For 2019, I would take AD and Holiday over Aldridge and DeRozan. I might take Jokic and Gary Harris. Are we sure Aldridge will play at an all-NBA level sharing the rock with DeRozan?

The main problem with the Spurs though is that they are old. LMA (33), Gasol (38), Ginobli (41), Gay (32), Mills (30) all are past their prime. You don't really know what an extra year will do to their performance. It won't get better. They also lost Parker, Anderson, and Green.

On the flip a lot of young players in the West ARE going to get better. Towns, Lonzo, Ingram, Dennis Smith, Mitchel, Wiggins, Kuzma, Harris, Fox, Josh Jackson, Jamal Murray, Julius Randle, Josh Hart and others will improve. The Spurs young players will also get better, but will it be enough to compensate for their older players? I personally doubt it.

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55 minutes ago, HookEm said:

For 2019, I would take AD and Holiday over Aldridge and DeRozan. I might take Jokic and Gary Harris. Are we sure Aldridge will play at an all-NBA level sharing the rock with DeRozan?

The main problem with the Spurs though is that they are old. LMA (33), Gasol (38), Ginobli (41), Gay (32), Mills (30) all are past their prime. You don't really know what an extra year will do to their performance. It won't get better. They also lost Parker, Anderson, and Green.

On the flip a lot of young players in the West ARE going to get better. Towns, Lonzo, Ingram, Dennis Smith, Mitchel, Wiggins, Kuzma, Harris, Fox, Josh Jackson, Jamal Murray, Julius Randle, Josh Hart and others will improve. The Spurs young players will also get better, but will it be enough to compensate for their older players? I personally doubt it.

This guy gets it.

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Across the board, the West could be a little tougher. I certainly expect a few teams, such as Denver, Phoenix, Dallas and the Lakers, to be better. Maybe a couple take a step back, but maybe not. Regardless, there's a good chance we'll lose a few games we aren't really counting on losing to those teams, as well as some upstarts in the East.

However, limiting ourselves purely to this season's Spurs, relative to last season:

If we assume DeRozan is close to his usual self on offense, it's a given he'll have a better plus-minus than Green.

If we assume Aldridge doesn't go into some funk because a heavy-usage SG is hitting town, I think he'll still be a 20-10 performer who plays solid defense. 

If we assume Murray continues to grow into his role and body, I think that at least offsets the loss of Parker...even if Forbes and Mills don't play any better.

If we assume Gay stays healthy and that he continues to grow into his role with the Spurs as much as he did last year, I think he could further offset the loss of Leonard. 

If we assume Walker and Belinelli can score and do a few other positive things, I think that offsets the loss of Anderson.

If we assume Poeltl can even fog a mirror (hint: he can), I think he might equal whatever's left of Gasol and what never was of King Joffrey. 

If we assume Metu can at least get on the court a little this year (I think he can, despite the injury), he's even more help for Poeltl and the other bigs.

If we assume Manu returns, he'll still be something of an asset on the court...and not to be overlooked, a cultural cornerstone in the locker room during this time of transition.

Now let's assume Pop's heart really is still in this thing, and the changes in the coaching staff aren't unexpectedly negative. If all that happens, I think we start out fair and actually are pretty good by season's end. I'm calling it a 45-win regular season. With new players it always takes awhile to coalesce the Spurs' defensive strategy into something that works out on the floor. Plus, the ball distribution this year clearly will be quite a bit different than it was last year. Overall, not such a bad outcome to a disastrous situation I still don't believe was very much of the Spurs' own making. 

 

 

 

Edited by Gut Wagon
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