Thursday, January 21st, 2010...10:16 am
Utah Jazz 105, San Antonio Spurs 98
The Spurs lost to the Jazz last night. The game was San Antonio’s 41st of the season, their halfway mark. And while the edges may not match-up perfectly, the loss was emblematic of the season thus far.
The high point of the game bridged the first and second quarters-San Antonio’s second unit launched into a 25-0 run that threatened to put the game away early. But the Spurs didn’t, and Utah crept back, eventually putting San Antonio in the unhappy position of scrambling to come from behind, which they were never able to do.
And, as I said, the game was a fair representation of the season. The part contained the whole.
The Spurs’ defense failed them too often, breaking down in unexpected ways. It’s the small things, like giving up a layup on an inbounds. A couple crucial missed rotations. The kind of things which downgrade a defense from great to good.
Popovich’s postgame saw it this way, “We had some guys trying to make steals and we had some defensive lapses.” Simple enough. Players shoot knowing glances at passing lanes when they stop loving the strength of system. But she’s the one that cooks the meals, and they should spend more nights at home.
Tony Parker scored 20 points, but his inefficient 7-16 was a step slower than we’re accustomed to watching. And his play was on the wrong end of the plus/minus leaderboard. -26.
And those 16 turnovers? Ugh. Too many.
And so on.
During the telecast, Dick Vitale relayed a conversation he had with Gregg Popovich. Pop, Vitale tells us, sees the Spurs as second-tier. Good, but not yet good enough to compete for a title. He’s convinced his team can get there, but they’re not there yet. Who among us would disagree?
I’m treating the loss to Utah as the team’s midterm exam. And here are some words I’ve scribbled in the margins. Interesting. Inefficient. Sloppy. Underwhelming. Potentially great, but needs revision.
The Spurs have five games left on their pre-Rodeo home stand. The time is ripe.
42 Comments
January 21st, 2010 at 6:07 am
A sweep by a Utah Jazz team that can barely hold the 8th spot on the western halfway through the season conference means we are in deep trouble. Just one week ago we were on the cusp of taking the second seed, but the a couple of losses and a string of 1-point victories by both Dallas and Denver left us relegated to battle fourth place. Very disappointing indeed.
I believe I have watched seven to eight Spurs games at ESPN and TNT this season, and only one of them was a victory (against Sacramento!). We do not need to dwell on complex statistics to reach the veredict that this is not a consistent team, and it will most certainly not go far into the playoffs with the current lineup, sadly wasting a very strong season from Duncan (I believe his best since 2006, exception taken regarding yesterday’s game, which he was cleary nervous about the 20.000 points milestone).
As fans, we can only especulate about changes. In my humble opinion, Bogans is a very mediocre player, both offensively and defensively. It is so obvious that the front office have just to admit: he is mediocre and should be taken off the rotation, period. I would start George Hill at SG if only we had another PG besides him and Tony Parker (Mason?). Without the possibility of trades, a starting lineup of Parker, Hill, Jefferson, Blair and Duncan, subbed by Mason, Ginobili, Finley (when cleared to play), Bonner and Mcdyess might, I mean might, make something more interesting happen than the current two-wins-by-one-loss that has been the season so far.
January 21st, 2010 at 7:21 am
The Spurs as currently constructed aren’t good enough to get past the 1st round of the playoffs. A hard fact to accept.
Time for a trade or accept the truth. Up to the Spurs front office to decide.
January 21st, 2010 at 7:22 am
The Spurs have struggled for the past few years to put games away and have allowed too many 4th quarter comebacks. When playoffs come around and every game matters, this is crucial if the Spurs want to make it through each series.
January 21st, 2010 at 7:28 am
For the life of me, I can’t understand why Mahinmi and/or Ratliff didn’t play last night. They would have really helped, especially defensively around the basket vs. Boozer. They must have incriminating pictures of Pop and RC, or something.
January 21st, 2010 at 7:35 am
I got the distinct impression that Tony was intimidated by D. Williams. That’s been the case for every game I can ever remember between the two teams. Contrast that with his matchup with CP3, which seemed to motivate Tony even more. Also: Pop should never, ever have Dyce in with Manu. It’s turnover city because Dyce can never anticipate a pass from him (unlike Blair, who always expects the unexpected pass from Manu). For some reason, we just do not match-up well against the Jazz. We have no answer for AK47. When he’s mediocre (which is usually the case), we’re okay. But when he’s on, it’s tough for us to win.
January 21st, 2010 at 7:35 am
Certain teams are so familiar, that one develops a unique understanding of their system and weaknesses. A sharp Spurs team, at the top of their game, is usually too much for the Jazz system. However, Sloan, who has been around forever and seen every permutation of ours - knows the Spurs system better than some of our current players. When you have some great Spurs system players mixing with some novice Spurs system players, you get inefficiency. This is where Sloan’s well-coached Jazz become supremely disruptive and effective against us. They anticipate our passes before we even begin to make them, they know what direction the players will go and who their outlets are, they know which hand players will use and where they cradle the ball going up to the hoop, etc, etc. A sharp team will usually still beat a good Jazz team, but not one that is still mastering the basics… because Sloan already knows our basics. Hence, the sweep.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed the Spurs reach a much higher level of system mastery before the playoffs, or it will be another early offseason.
January 21st, 2010 at 7:45 am
This game made it apparent that a trade needs to be made. No blockbuster trade is needed because the core is there, but something that will unload an expiring contract and some players that are underperforming. The biggest change that needs to happen is the Spurs need another F, Marcus Haislip has not been able to be that athletic energetic forward that we need, and Finley has been injured for a good portion of the season. Richard Jefferson for almost all of the season has taken on a majority of the minutes at the SF position, and subbing Hill in at the position is not going to work throughout the rest of the season. While when Matt Bonner is healthy has the ability to spread the court, he has been a loose cannon. I’m not exactly sure what trade needs to be made, but either a change in players or player performance needs to happen.
January 21st, 2010 at 7:50 am
its time to face the facts that this is not an elite team we now HAVE!!!! to make a trade either for some more front court help (sorry dejaun blair) is not the answer he gets eaten up bye the bigs because he is too small or trade tony parker for cp3 either way we need to do something before its to late and we dont even make the playoffs
January 21st, 2010 at 7:51 am
Just think the Spurs could’ve had Stephen Jackson for Bonner, Finley, and Bogans.
The Spurs will rue the day they didn’t pursue Stephen Jackson.
January 21st, 2010 at 8:46 am
I love the Spurs, but the championship caliber teams win close games, fight through adversary, get a few lucky breaks and ultimately make victories happen. How many last second wins have the lakers, mavs, nuggets, etc. had this year? The Spurs, up to now, have shown little ability to be a championship caliber team. While a trade might change things, I don’t think there is a feasible trade out there right now that can turn it around for the season. I will continue to stand by the Spurs for many seasons to come, but this year might just be a sinking ship.
January 21st, 2010 at 8:53 am
Disappointing loss. if we play like this even we couldn’t be in playoffs. its fact its hard to swallow as a big spurs fan. its simple we need some shooters that can hit a 15 ft jumpers. I’m tired of the Spurs losing just because they can’t hit shots(1-14 3’s and 4-24 jump shots in 2nd Half). I’m tired of them blowing big leads because they can’t make shots. hey pop please remove bogans from starting line up and teach him how to attack the basket . he is a good defender no doubt but offensively he is always trying to hit 3’s and also tony he has to improve his assists(its a team game). there are so many issues…like D sloppy, competing, energy ,rotation ….hope we can improve GO Spurs!!
January 21st, 2010 at 8:59 am
I’m really glad that after the refs steal Blair’s 30-20 night, Duncan gets 6 fouls in one half for the first time in his career on a national and international coverage night 1 point short of 20,000 career points. Those types of moments are really bad for the NBA.
January 21st, 2010 at 9:03 am
The game was not as bad as we thought. AK-47, Boozer, and Deron had good games, and Tim had an awful game and we still lost a close game. But my problem is with G. Hill. if I remember correctly he missed 3 open 3s from the corner. One of them was huge 5 point game about 48 seconds left. Roger would had probably knocked those down. So you say he gave us quality D at the other end. But he didnt/ The only time, i remember, us stopping Deron and Carlos in the last 2 minutes was the only play that roger was in. Apparently Roger was a bigger problem for them than Hill, but still POP choose Hill’s D over Roger’s 3. but on the defense of Hill he could have just been gassed out he played all 4th qt I believe. I just think we could have won if we played Roger more down the stretch than Hill. And guys relax its just midseason, we have 37 more games to get it together and lets be honest we are much better team now than we were at the quarter point of the season. be patient is a working progress.
January 21st, 2010 at 9:13 am
Reading all these rants is high comedy! You would think we just got swept in the 1st round!
Spurs fans - breathe, sit down, relax - it’s only 1 game of 82.
We’re only 1/2 way thru the season, 2-1/2 out of the division lead and have just digested the hardest part of the offseason makeover. Despite what some might think, we’ve made pronounced progress over the last 20 games. Trading for new blood, no matter how much you think it might help, only puts another obstacle in our path. We have championship talent, just let Pop and co. work their magic (I think their track record warrants that chance at least).
To Walk the Line - you’re absolutely, 100% wrong. Good teams don’t win close games - good teams blow their opponent out and aren’t involved in close games. That’s why margin of victory at the end of the season is always a great indicator of playoff success.
January 21st, 2010 at 9:58 am
@lvmainman :
I totally agree on what you say about Stephen Jackson!!
I can’t understand why the Spurs didn’t try to get him. That guy is everything we need and he has already won a ring with us. I don’t care about his off-court behaviour, he’s a winner and competitor on-court!! Very frustrating to see him in Charlotte and playing so well, lifting the team to another level.
January 21st, 2010 at 10:14 am
Got home and saw the 0-10 score, heard Vitale’s voice, saw Blair blow a dunk and knew it wouldn’t be our night. Then the 25-0 run made me think, “ahh. That was just the slow start that teams often have in their first home game after a road trip. Now all is normal.” Not even close.
The defensive lapses are frustrating and no doubt the priority for Pop. Normally I would agree but I can’t get past the poor play on offense. Unforced turnovers, possessions of TP going one-on-one followed by possessions of everyone over-sharing into a turnover and extended periods of being in a hurry to go nowhere. One reason Duncan has been the most stable force on this team all season is that he is patient and actually gives the team a solid possession. Everything else ranges from crapshoot to highlight reel, all in the same game with the same players.
Last night reminded me of the home loss to Dallas. There’s this great run of shot-making and defense, energy throughout the bench and arena and the Spurs doing what they do to rivals. Then it evaporates, the other team starts to make a run and only TD or Manu seem capable of halting it. If they don’t, we lose.
It comes down to one ugly quarter every game. Most have said it’s the third (as it was last night and the last meeting in Utah) but it has also been the first (@Phoenix), second (@Memphis) and fourth (Dallas). This often happens even in wins (OKC, Indiana). The quick, wasted possessions on offense feed the opponent’s confidence and create mismatches on defense. This type of effort and execution is well below this team’s ability. When will it finally click with this group?
January 21st, 2010 at 11:04 am
We didn’t trade for Stephen Jackson b/c he has a terrible contract. He’s guaranteed almost $36 M (including this year) thru 2012/13. His contract would have put a huge logjam in our cap and hindered our flexability to go out and make improvements.
January 21st, 2010 at 11:15 am
The sad fact are the fans who believe after every loss to a playoff team things are going to get better. The facts are this: The Spurs are 3-11 against current Western Conference playoff teams. You could even say that number would be 2-12 if Kobe would have been 100% and Gasol would have played.
I think the ultimate decision will be up to Peter Holt. I sense a salary dump coming — and soon.
January 21st, 2010 at 11:56 am
That Utah game was tough to watch. I think this upcoming stretch of home games is going to tell is who this team really is.
Houston, Bulls, Atlanta, Memphis, Denver. Outside of the Bulls, those are all solid teams and even the Bulls beat the Spurs earlier this season.
I think if the Spurs come out 2-3 or worse you can expect some overhaul of the team that includes Manu, Tony or RJ going elsewhere for another big name player. I can’t see Holt doing a salary dump but if this play continues I think everyone not named Duncan should keep a bag packed.
Parker especially has looked down this year. He is not the top 5 PG he finished the season as last year.
January 21st, 2010 at 11:56 am
The SPURS just need to hit some shots.
Ive never seen a team miss so many wide open shots. Its no wonder they can’t beat the good teams. The good teams aren’t going to help you out by turning the ball over and taking bad shots.
As much as I hate the Lakers, the reason they are so good is because they hit practically every wide open shot.
I think if Bonner didn’t get hurt, then they would be alright. He was coming into his own when he started coming off the bench.
Last night, Manu did enough for the team to win, but nobody else stepped up. RMJ can go off, but for whatever reason POP didn’t put him in until late in the game, when The SPurs were down by 12.
If they do make a trade and Ive been saying this forever, they should get a shooter.
Plus Finely has been out. I bet with a healthy Finely and Bonner the Spurs would have had a better record against the good teams.
January 21st, 2010 at 12:04 pm
Sorry junierizzle but Finley is done. Has been since last year.
January 21st, 2010 at 12:09 pm
I agree with you Mike, I can’t understand why so many spurs fans think that they will all of a sudden start to beat playoff teams. You don’t lose 4 games to the Jazz, and if your matched up against them in the playoffs, “Oh the Spurs will get em” Come on pls wake up! It is one thing to be a fan of a team, but don’t lie to yourself. The reality is the off season moves were a risk, so far they are not good enough to contend with the top teir teams in the nba. I think everyone on this blog can agree to that if they will be honest with themselves.
As far as the person, who wrote this paticular blog, why not be honest with the people reading your post. The Spurs aren’t a top level team, with the improvements of teams like Oklahoma, Memphis etc. The Spurs may barely make the playoffs. If they do , first round exit sure sounds about right.
In 40 games, you know what kind of team you have, the Spurs are not going to all of a sudden become a great team(Please!) The Laker win, happen because of no Kobe & Gasol (Another Reality)
January 21st, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Here’s a simple trade that should happen.
Portland has plenty of spare parts and needs anothe big along with a more veteran presence.
Ship Bonner and Finley for Outlaw and Blake. Outlaw is a long SF that should help defensively and Blake and assume backup duties so that Pop can rest Parker as he recovers from plantar fasciitas.
I know that pain, as I played through a winter and summer mens rec league with it last year and are just starting to get to the point where it’s not bothering me anymore.
January 21st, 2010 at 1:24 pm
Yes we have better record if we have finley and boner. right now spurs need of shooters.
January 21st, 2010 at 1:55 pm
The good news - Spurs get back Finley soon and Bonner is working himself back currently. It can’t hurt to have more players possibly hungry to get into the game forcing others to bring their A game more often.
+Blair is starting to get it.
+Hill seems to be hitting his defensive stride more often than not.
+Parker/Ginobili seem to be turning it around slowly but surely. Hopefully Manu can get more of his scoring touch back as time goes by.
+Duncan - well hes playing great and with less minutes.
+RJ although not as great on offense (consistently) has shown improvement on the defensive end and has shown more comfort within the offense.
+The other good news - other teams are going through their struggles too.
The bad news - Spurs aren’t taking advantage of this to keep themselves up in the standings to overtake Dallas or Denver.
January 21st, 2010 at 3:13 pm
It is comical to see the blind homers comment on here that “it’s only one game”…
“It’s only one game” seems to be a reocurring theme this season. Right when the boys in black seem to be turning the corner their play regresses.
January 21st, 2010 at 3:16 pm
This Spurs team will lose 1st/2nd round in the playoffs…not championship material.
Better off trading McDyess. Ginobli’s contract for next yr should be mid-level exemption…he does not play like a $10MM player anymore. Unfortunately, we’re stuck with RJ’s $14MM for two more seasons.
Def. need to sign Tiago Splitter. A 7 footer who can rebound, score and defend. I will like our front line of Duncan, Blair, Tiago and Bonner.
Furthermore, they need a trade for a solid SG/SF. Maybe Corey Maggette or Stephen Jackson for next season?
January 21st, 2010 at 3:34 pm
why the hell would we want Maggette? All he does is score, he is horrible at pretty much everything else. I would be suprised for us to do anything trade wise this year. Or even over the summer. I dont see anything happening other than maybe getting rid of Haislip or Ian for a draft pick or two. Other than that, dont get your hopes up. I still think that in a 7 game series we’ve got as good a shot as any team in the league at winning.
And for everyone who is saying Blair is a bad defender, go back and watch the Thunder game. He’s our third best post defender, right behind Ratliff and Duncan. He’s as good as Mcdyess.
Bottom line: we still have two or three weeks before we need to hit the panic button.
January 21st, 2010 at 4:19 pm
@ Tyler,
Stephen Jackson doesn’t have a terrible contract. He makes $7.8 million this year and will make $9.3 the next 3 years. That for a guy who just scored 44 pts in a game and outplayed Dwayne Wade head to head yesterday is NOT a terrible contract.
Richard Jefferson as the #28 highest paid player in the NBA @ $14.2 million or Andrei Kirlenko as the #11 highest paid @ $16.4 million, those are bad contracts!
Stephen Jackson knows the Spurs system, so no learning curve or meshing with team needed. He’s proven to be a clutch player (see 3 4th qtr 3’s vs Nets in game 6 clincher), he makes FT’s, posts up, and is gritty and tough enough to get ejected from a preseason because he wouldn’t back down from cheap shots from Kobe Bryant!
Stephen Jackson would have been a perfect fit, especially for the limited players requested. Radmonvich and Bell(injured and can’t play), Spurs Bonner and Finley and Bogans would have been accepted in a heartbeat.
January 21st, 2010 at 4:21 pm
Tim Duncan an all-star starter. Yeah! Passsed Dirk Nowitski.
January 21st, 2010 at 6:28 pm
Sorry. I still think we need to move Tony. Unfortunately it won’t happen this season. There is no way this spurs team would trade their starting point guard that knows the in and outs of our system in the middle of a season when half the team is still learning - and they sure aren’t going to trade for a new starting point guard that won’t know the system either….what’s that saying? Blind leading the blind? Not going to happen.
We do have some other chips though…
I love the proposed Trailblazers trade: Outlaw and Blake would be major contributors to this system. Bonner and Finley for two young athletic contributors is a no-brainer. Bonner is one dimensional and Finley is at the end. The only problem is I don’t honestly believe the TBlazers would drink the kool-aid…
January 21st, 2010 at 7:17 pm
nice to see tim get the nod.
to those who call us homers:
look, we understand that this is not a championship team at face value. no one is claiming that our play has been of that mettle. however, to dismiss the obvious gifts of our players and coaching staff is silly at best and fairweather at worst.
this sky is falling, chicken running around with its head cut off trade talk, where any and every pile of scraps with a good shot or length should be targeted, is insanity. even someone like battier (who i’d love to see in black and silver, and even with a toe in the market, morey wouldn’t even consider trading to us) would need more than ten games to get truly comfortable. those of us who’ve watched the spurs for more than a decade know that these flashes of “getting it” in the system should pay off in the end. half a season may be enough to judge a normal team, but one as complex and embarrassingly talented as the spurs, as pop certainly must know, needs to breathe just a little more than your average bottle of wine.
this is the gift and curse you get from loving the spurs. at its precise best, it is beautiful, efficient, and crushing. at any other point, it has moments of sloppiness and frustration. as in life, i see myself as a positivist, not a blind homer. keep the faith, ye weak and weary.
January 21st, 2010 at 8:27 pm
After watching the Utah game, its clear to me that this team is getting nowhere fast. The Spurs disappear (as one of the previous posts so eligantly stated) for at least one quarter per game and their offense struggles for at least one quarter per game. After 41 games its the same old story; they are wildly inconsistent and can’t beat decent teams.
Duncan, Blair, and Hill have played great this year. Manu, Tony, and Dyess have disappointed. Jefferson has disappeared. At this point, I really think we should pack it in and look for a trade and the most likely candidates to go are either Manu or Tony. I think the Spurs could use more size and youth so I would go after Al Jefferson, but that’s just my opinion.
P.S. The Spurs have 11 more games till the trade deadline so not much time remains.
January 21st, 2010 at 8:54 pm
The defense lacks toughness and physicality. Mahinmi should be playing more. His youth and athleticism will make up for his deficiencies and definitely improve us defensively. They have tradeable pieces and can get new talent but is there anyone available that will help the Spurs vault the Lakers. I don’t think so but hopefully I’m wrong !
January 21st, 2010 at 9:45 pm
If we make a trade, then we are effectively rebuilding for next year. It’s half way through the season, and the 4 new guys we added to the rotation (Bogans, McD, RJ, Blair) still don’t get it quite yet. Adding 1 or 2 more, or swapping new guys for newer guys, creates more risk than benefit at this point. We can’t just go out and trade for young, athletic players and expect that to put us over the top. It won’t. At least not this year.
So why not just bail on this season? 1) Tim Duncan is getting old, and despite his great play, I don’t expect him to stick around more than 3 yrs. 2) As many people have said on this comment board, we have the potential to contend. We just need polish. As in shoe polish, not nationality.
One major thing that I think a lot of people tend to overlook (although I’m sure it’s frustrating Pop) is detail. Over the course of a game, if you add up all of the small aspects that a team does right or wrong, it can be the difference between a W or L. Examples: not dropping passes that are in the bread basket (RJ) - or making any unforced turnovers for that matter, sliding over a high screen pick-and-roll when guarding a shooter, going under the screen when guarding a penetrator, grabbing rebounds with 2 hands (Blair), getting hands in the passing lanes, and the list goes on. It’s these things that the Spurs are not doing, and in turn they are making HIGH SCHOOL MISTAKES. Having said that, though, these should be easy fixes, and they are fixes that I believe will translate into more wins against top teams.
January 21st, 2010 at 10:42 pm
@rocboy I’m with you. It’s interesting that Theo hasn’t played much. I’m hoping that Pop sees him and trusts him as a known quantity and is just resting him for the latter part of the season and the playoffs. I’d sure like to see what kind of havoc he can cause defensively. I certainly don’t think Boozer would have had that kind of a game trying to shoot over Theo.
January 21st, 2010 at 11:34 pm
I still will wait untill after the rodeo road trip before I decide yes I am a little nervous. I have read more then afew comments about the Spurs closing out games I believe its becuse they do not have that defensive stopper they had when Bowen was on the team. Even that being the case I still say its chemistry and thats why they are spratic. Will they finally put it all together I don’t know I do know its time for some of the players to step up. I still believe they could put it together remember the team thats playing the best at the end is the team thats going to take it all
January 22nd, 2010 at 1:30 am
therealkman,
I find it funny that no matter which team’s blog you go to, you read the same type of ridiculous messages. If you go to an Orlando website, they say: trade Gortat, Bass, Jason Williams for Lebron James. You go to Cleveland’s website, they say HIckson, West for Dwyane Wade. And you come here, and you see: Finley/Bonner for Outlaw/Blake.
No team will take garbage for good players unless it is a salary dump situation. Why would Portland make the trade? The players you offer suck to high heaven, and the players you are getting back are quality.
January 22nd, 2010 at 2:32 am
@David - I don’t share your pessimism. I understand it but also realize that first, we’re halfway through the season. Too early to make declarations such as “not a top level team.” Are they consistently playing like one? No. Will they? Possibly. Second, this team under the current leadership has always been about patience, thus the blog name PtR. If any team will let things play out over the full 82 this is the group.
The ‘07 club was 34-18 and sitting on the bottom half of the playoff seeding. That worked out okay. That team was also swept by Cleveland in the regular season. Never would’ve known watching the Finals.
If you want to make excuses for why SA beat the Lakers (Kobe did play) you should also offer the Spurs those same excuses. Parker is playing hurt. He, TD, Manu, RJ and Bonner have all missed games. Health was always going to be the biggest factor in whether or not this team won a title. Fortunately they’ve survived those injuries in a way that I don’t think last year’s squad would have, especially in the current West. And fortunately it’s January not April. Still plenty of time for this group to find a groove.
January 22nd, 2010 at 7:23 am
@Kaveh: even though you’re a laker homer, you speak the truth here…sometimes I think the ESPN trade machine is the worst invention ever. While it could have its uses in “roto-world”, it’s amazing to see guys (not just here, as Kaveh points out) propose these fantastic, unrealistic “trades” just because the salaries match. Then, before you know it, due to posts on umpteeen blogs and boards, they will be tomorrow’s top headline on ESPN’s “Insider Rumors” page…
Back to the issue at hand…boy what a disappointment to lose at home to the Jazz. After they got out to that early lead, I thought it was over. Then we had that 25-0 run, again, thought it was over. Wrong, twice. When we had the scoring drought in the 3rd, I thought it was over again…but unfortunately this time I was right.
What ever happens, I STILL think we can go deep in the playoffs. Make it to the finals…a chance, but very slim…will need a lot of luck.
One thing I am certain of: don’t expect the FO to blow up the team before the trading deadline. We do have a few tradeable pieces (expirings, etc.) that have been discussed here, but I have a hard time believing the other teams will pull the trigger and send us a 2nd or 3rd tier player for what we have to offer. I have a harder time believing the FO will take back $40M + salary for a marginal player.
January 22nd, 2010 at 8:38 am
we flat out don’t match up well with utah. they are a more athletic, long team that excells in execution and are overall solid defensively. corey brewer and cj miles are too atheltic for us to cover and no one on our team can defend boozer. sorry timmy d.
i think that a trade is in order. we have plenty of expiring contracts that can earn us a solid, young, or at least spry contributors on the defensive end. i’m kind of giving up on mahinmi as a contributor. i like his athleticism and i thought he played hard against memphis (5 boards, took a charge in 13 min), but his foul trouble is a huge liability. pop won’t risk playing him. i don’t see us as a championship team, but hopefully finding some talent in the trade market can change that.
January 22nd, 2010 at 12:28 pm
Stephen Jackson’s contract runs 3 more years after this year, bringing the total for those 3 years to over $27M - that’s a lot to pay for a 3/4th wheel.
In contrast, Jefferson’s contract is up after next year, making him a $15M EXPIRING CONTRACT - a huge trade chip in a time when nearly every team is scrambling to slash payroll.
This is half the reason we went ahead with the Jefferson trade (the other half being Jefferson’s on-court talents - which he has obviously underachieved). He’s a huge trade chip next season - that cannot be overlooked. By comparison, the Spurs would be locked into Stephen Jackson for 3 more years after this year, and no owner/GM wants that at his price.
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