Time to back off the wine, Tomy.;

A lot of discussion regarding the success of the Toros system has occurred on this board. I’ve been occasionally critical of it and while I think the Toros are doing a great job of developing talent, it’s unclear if Pop can be convinced to ever give real youth a real shot. One could say Bogans is a clear upgrade over Hairston or Williams but that probably remains to be seen. It’s hard to say if Bogan is another “under the radar” signing or if instead he’s just a player that didn’t get signed by anyone else because he’s not very good and wasn’t on anyone’s radar.

Finley has never been able to play well off the bench for the Spurs. He’s a volume player. He needs minutes and shots, which is unfortunate, because he’s become very inefficient over the last few years. I agree that he could be useful for a last play as an option and other specific moments, but I can’t see him adjusting to the dynamics of the team now that they have Jefferson, who should be playing big minutes. Finley is fine in small moments but to twist everything around so that he still starts because that’s the only way he’ll be effective is “high risk/low rewards” to me. Is this what Pop will do? I can’t imagine it but is approach to Finley has never made sense.

Put another way: I don’t see a Finley trade in the works at all.

Time to back off the wine, Tony.

As far as Finley’s role goes now, I’m not sure. I was sure that he would be able to come off the bench and knock down some shots and provide veteran leadership, so I’m not sure if he will get traded or maybe the Spurs FO has some kind of backup plan regarding his situation. I would be sad to see him go though.

Haislip looks to me like a more mobile, athletic version of Bonner. But we’ll see if that translates in training camp

What has he proven?

I’m not exactly impressed with the career stats of players/journeymen like Bogans. I’ve seen more of Hairston in the D-league and summer league to convince me he is a better choice for the Spurs.

Plus, Hairston’s familiarity with the team’s game plan/tempo/style/etc. is much more comforting.

I doubt we’ll see Bogans on the roster come late October.

It may not be difficult to cut Bogans, because of the limited financial obligation, but I can’t see it happening. He’s a more proven version of Hairston, and according to Jeff McDonald the Spurs have been pursuing him throughout the summer to fill the Udoka role (I won’t say Bowen, as Bogans’ game/body more resemble Udoka, and besides, no one can really replace Bowen defensively). Presumably, Bogans took his time to see if he could get a salary above the minimum, found out in the end he couldn’t, and in the end the Spurs got their man.

It’s surprising this close to camp, but really it shouldn’t be. Buford said after dealing Bowen that they wouldn’t be negligent in looking for a wing defender. Since Hairston was already in the fold, that was a clear sign that it wouldn’t be him fulfilling that role.

Hopefully, Hairston, Gist, and McClinton, are all signed by the Toros this season. Next season, they figure to have a better chance to make the roster. Finley and Raliff will probably retire, and Bogans may or may not be brought back.

Too bad the NBA wasn’t like the MLB or the NHL in this regard, where you could retain players rights by sending them to the minors. As it is, the Spurs will have to hope another team doesn’t sign Hairston.

This year is going to be exciting. I can’t even make predictions about playing time because there are so many variables coming into play. Great post, Go Spurs.

With so many new faces, there needs to be some player continuity to ensure a smooth transition. Finley and Bonner can teach all the new guys how to be Spurs role players, how to fit in with the Big 3, how to act on and off the court, all the little things. Tim, Tony, Manu and the coaching staff can’t do all of that stuff.

Keeping Finley and Bonner strengthens the cohesiveness of the team as a whole and of the bench as a unit. I would rather have a more cohesive and disciplined bench than a marginally more talented, less disciplined, less team-oriented one.

Though that may be a false dichotomy, it’s still something to think about. Perhaps others disagree?

I think we have enough talent as it is to win it all, Pop just has to work all this talent into a real TEAM. Then we can worry about momentum, match-ups, and health in May and June (with health being most important).