Malik Hairston heads to Italy
When San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Mike Budenholzer said before the Las Vegas Summer League that Malik Hairston wasn’t playing because Hairston had fans in San Antonio, apparently he meant some Italians who were in town to offer Malik a contract.
In fairly surprising news today, Malik Hairston signed a two year deal with Italian club Montepaschi Siena. From Euroleague.net:
Italian League champion Montepaschi Siena kept completing its roster for the upcoming 2010-11 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Basketball season by inking small forward Malik Hairston to a two-year deal, the club confirmed Thursday. Hairston arrives from NBA powerhouse San Antonio, where he averaged 2.6 points in 38 NBA games last season. Last season, Hairston also played for Austin, averaging 29.1 points on 41.4% three-pointers and 4.7 rebounds in 15 D-League games before returning to the Spurs.
It comes as a bit of surprise to see Hairston head across the pond. He played limited minutes last year in the silver and black before getting injured late in the season and missing the playoffs. This summer, it seemed he was on the verge of breaking into San Antonio’s rotation for next season, and the assumption that he didn’t need to play the Spurs’ summer league team only increased that feeling.
But it looks like there was another reason for Hairston to not be in Vegas.
Looking at San Antonio’s offseason moves, maybe this one isn’t all that surprising. The Spurs front office drafted James Anderson with their first round pick. Then Hairston was not on San Antonio’s summer league team in Las Vegas, where the Spurs executives took a long, hard look at Alonzo Gee. After summer league, the Spurs signed guard Gary Neal to a guaranteed three year deal.
These moves, all in addition to re-signing Richard Jefferson, marginalized Hairston’s spot on the roster just a bit.
Though only 6’6″, Hairston plays more like a small forward than shooting guard. While he could’ve fit in behind Jefferson on the depth chart, it looks like the Spurs want to go into a different direction. Expect San Antonio to sign a small forward with the remaining portion of the midlevel exception, or bring one into training camp at the veteran’s minimum.
Tip of the cap to commenter TDzilla and the folks at Spurstalk for getting out ahead on this news.
Nothing to show for the Goran Dragic trade
Well, at least the news gave you good reason to run that photo. Per.Fect.
@mundanemundin
Disagree. The other second round pick the Spurs got from the Dragic trade was used to draft DeJuan Blair. So there’s that.
@AndrewAMcNeil
Touche’
Thanx.
Malik Hairston saw the writing on the wall. Not even allowed to dress for ANY playoff games!!
Popovich has got to learn to give players an opportunity to play during the season and not be so regimented. Parker got that chance and benched in the playoffs vs. Nets for Speedy Claxton. Why can’t Popovich do the same with the Hairston’s, Mahinmi’s, that wind up on the Spurs roster? These were like, what, 3yr Spurs? And never played? Is there any doubt that they want to bounce?
I have serious questions if Splitter will even get more than 20 minutes of playing time a game. I believe Bonner will play more than Splitter in the regular season. Will Anderson see the floor at all?
I’d still look into signing Bobby Jones.
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Bobby-Jones-351/
He’d be a huge upgrade over re-signing Keith Bogans!
Andrew, beat me to it. And Sarver sent a truck full of cash to the Spurs as part of that deal. Blair > Dragic. Ironically, this opens up a roster spot for the Spurs to dedicate to a Toro. Around we go, again.
Rudy Fernandez is asking for a trade, according to Yahoo! Sports. KD makes a good point in that, at $1.25 mil this season, isn’t he worth it? In my limited knowledge of his game (I use him as my go-to shooter while playing with Portland on NBA 2K10- on the 360, not PS3 of course)I figure that he would be an excellent option to fill the Brent/Roger/Bruce shooter role that we’ve been looking to fill. I realize that pretty much all he’s done in the last two years is jack up 3′s (63% of his shots!), but at the same time that’s pretty much the entire role he’s been given under Nate-dogg.
Is there anyway we make this happen (I thought we still had some MLE/LLE money left over), and more importantly, am I right thinking he would be a good fit?
He’s a defensive liability, but wants more minutes. In other words, he’d be great for the Spurs at 18 minutes a game, but I think he wants to play 30. And what would he cost? The Spurs would have to give up something to get him.
Can we just send Portland a draft pick? But yeah Tim, I think you’re right about the minutes situation. If he was unhappy with his PT in Potland, I doubt he’d be much happier here.
Oh well, in a perfect world I guess it would work, and he would play lockdown D too.
*Portland, stupid typo.
Although it’s pretty much Potland now anyway.
@mundanemundin: Hell yeah. Same can be told of the Barbosa draft-and-trade-for-future-pick situation.
Hey Spurs, DON’T TRUST THE SUNS ON DRAFT NIGHT!
I wish Hairston can still go back to the team.
@ thecolorofmybloodissilverandblack:
The Spurs only drafted Barbosa and Dragic because they had pre-arranged deals to send them to Phoenix. Nobody knows who the Spurs would have actually picked had they held on to those draft picks.
@ lvmainman
Hairston got hurt in the last home game against Minnesota. In that game, he got 15 minutes and scored 14 points on 5 of 8 shooting. Mason was forced to play injured in the playoffs which might not have been the case had Hairston been healthy. Maybe.
Hairston shows how weak the D league is. The guy cant dribble, yet he averages almost 30ppg? Really? The guy cant dribble. It was like watching some 7′ tall freshman basketball player learning how to chew gum while playing a varsity game. He can jump, and shoot a set shot. But put him in motion and you got sea sick.
Maybe he stars in Europe for a couple years, plays 30 minutes a game for one of the best teams, and then comes back a much more experienced and ready to contribute player…
Thursday, July 29th, 2010…8:21 am
Malik Hairston heads to Italy
“Expect San Antonio to sign a small forward with the remaining portion of the midlevel exception, or bring one into training camp at the veteran’s minimum.”
Or … use the remainder to sign another defensive big in either Amundson or Boone and trade for Kapono.
Sorry Jim if I stole your thunder.
@ rob
Possibly. But right now, Jefferson is the only small forward on the depth chart. Unless they’re confident enough in Gee’s abilities this season to be a rotation player.
Bobby jones does look like he’s got a good bit of potential…
I wonder why nobody has made him a project yet.
As far as Bogans returning for round 2, I think I would pass. I think the Spurs can do better than Keith, even with the limited amount of players to select from. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Losing Hairston doesn’t really help our depth at the defensive end. We need an NBA proven back-up SF that can either shoot the three “real” well, or defends “real” well, or heaven forbid, BOTH! Use the MLE/LLE or make a trade.
We also still need another YOUNG BIG THAT CAN DEFEND & BLOCK SHOTS. Either trade McDyess to do it, or use the MLE/LLE and turn Bonner into just a “situational” role player outside of the main rotation.
Otherwise we have little shot at truly contending for the WC title this year. Don’t forget, most of our competition has gotten better this year as well. We have simply not made enough progress to close the gap.
I am sad to see Malik go. I thought this was his year to break through.
I have always thought part of the problem is that Pop just doesn’t play the young guys enough. I would rather watch Malik or Blair on the court struggling but learning, then watch Mason turn it over, Bogans miss shots and Bonner miss defensive assignments.
For 2+ mill left on the MLE you would think the Spurs could lure a pretty good backup for RJ. But there is slim pickings out there now.
lvmainman
July 29th, 2010 at 8:54 am
“I’d still look into signing Bobby Jones.
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Bobby-Jones-351/
He’d be a huge upgrade over re-signing Keith Bogans!”
Since it now appears that we HAVE to sign a backup SF, then Simmons should be our man. He sports a 40% 3pt shooting average and has been a decent player in the past. Although he is not a great defender, he would only play for 18 min/game tops. However, I would contend that there is little chance we can sign Simmons AND Amundson. Come on FO, do something!!
@Jim Henderson
I think were probably good when it comes to our stable of bigs this season.
Dejaun Blair will continue to play a bigger role as Pop’s confidence in him grows. In addition, adding a proven international star in Tiago Splitter helps to bolster our front line, I feel like this kid could have a pretty immediate impact.
Tim will obviously continue to get his minutes and I wouldn’t count out Mcdyess’s ability to defend and block shots (exhibit A: The job he did on Dirk in the Playoffs).
Taking all this into account even if the spurs did make a move, I feel like it would be difficult to find a guy with the skills to get minutes at the 4 or 5 on this roster.
@Hobson13
With Duncan, Blair, Bonner, Splitter and McDyess I don’t think we have the need/space for another big man like Amundson.
I think a shooter/perimeter defender would be the primary target.
Best of luck to him. Now I can expect comments like ‘Pop should be fired, because he just let our best defender walk away’ etc. etc..
The impression I got from Gee was that he was almost exactly like Hairston, meaning that retaining both seemed quite pointless (and it’s unlikely that Hairston developed a reliable jump shot before Summer League). I guess Gee’s one more year of D-League eligibility gave him an advantage over Hairston too. Moreover, Spurs are dangerously close to the luxury tax line (as far as I know anyway) and I doubt they’ll fill that 15-man roster if it means going over the tax line.
Why is there so much love for Kapono and Amundson? I mean, I have read EVERY post about both players and I fill that they would fit in good. But, let’s be honest. Does anyone actually think San Antonio is going to trade for Kapono let alone sign another big? we are set with our bigs and hopefully Pop only lets Bonner play in the situational role for about 15 minutes a game. We are set and I don’t see us getting either guy.
I’m interested to see what Tim or Andrew think about either.
@ Jim Henderson – I’m not sure that our WC competition has gotten better. It seems to me that everyone has taken a small hit, at least in terms of continuity, or is hoping that better health (Portland, Houston) or maturity (OKC) guarantees improvement. I think the Spurs are a clear number 2 right now behind LA, especialy after the biggest West signing of the off-season.
ZP13
July 29th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
“I think were probably good when it comes to our stable of bigs this season.”
Not if we want to actually compete with the Lakers. I guess we’re content with just HOPING that we can compete. Good luck with that!
SA_Ray
July 29th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
“With Duncan, Blair, Bonner, Splitter and McDyess I don’t think we have the need/space for another big man like Amundson.”
I guess you don’t believe it’s important to have YOUNG DEFENDERS on our front line. Wake up!
Ian
July 29th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
“The impression I got from Gee was that he was almost exactly like Hairston, meaning that retaining both seemed quite pointless..”
Gee is nowhere near the defender that Hairston is. Offensively they are similar, with Gee being a bit more aggressive.
TIAAAAGOOO!!!
July 29th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
“Does anyone actually think San Antonio is going to trade for Kapono let alone sign another big?”
First, I’m not “in love” with a Kapono/Amundson acquisition, but I don’t see a better option available for a couple of pick-ups that could help this team. And whether the Spurs “will” do such a deal is not the question. Whether they “should” DO SOMETHING similar Kapono/Amundson to upgrade this team is the point. Because otherwise, we’re pretty much destined to a 1st or 2nd round exit in the West. Many of you might be fine with that. I’m not. I’m not here to be a cheerleader, but to offer a perspective, and some analysis.
“….we are set with our bigs and hopefully Pop only lets Bonner play in the situational role for about 15 minutes a game. We are set and I don’t see us getting either guy…”
Yeah, set to lose, which you’re apparently content with. I’m not, and neither should the FO.
“I’m interested to see what Tim or Andrew think about either.”
Looking for reassurance from the experts?
SpurredOn
July 29th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
“…..or is hoping that better health (Portland, Houston) or maturity (OKC) guarantees improvement…..”
Aren’t the Spurs hoping for the same thing?!
“I think the Spurs are a clear number 2 right now behind LA, especialy after the biggest West signing of the off-season.”
I think you’re clearly mistaken. I would put Houston, Portland, & Dallas ahead of us. Plus, the goal isn’t to be number 2, the goal is to sufficiently gain ground on the Lakers, which we have thus far failed to do. Signing Splitter cannot be viewed as our savior. Neither can hoping for great strides of improvement from several of our young players & prospects. Lets take the rose-colored Spurs glasses off for a minute and look at the situation as objectively as possible. We’re no clear 2nd in the West, and a clear SECOND is not good enough anyway.
i think malik deserved more of an opportunity to play, especially with losers like mason and bogans getting big minutes at different points throughout the year. he’s going to tear it up over there in italy. also, malik used to hit up my restaurant all the time, he was a nice guy. i spotted him at kfc one time getting down on a double down…man has good taste
@Jim Henderson
“Whether they “should†DO SOMETHING similar Kapono/Amundson to upgrade this team is the point.”
I agree.
NOW with the departure of Hairston….it’s probably more relevant than ever. Hairston was the b/u SF with the current roster IMO.
That unless the Spurs think …
(as was pointed out by Andrew A. McNeill
July 29th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
“Unless they’re confident enough in Gee’s abilities this season to be a rotation player.”)
Gee did show a lot of promise in summer league AND even made a positive mark when playing for the Wizards at the nba level. His defense though is left to be desired and in the summer league, he was easily beaten by lesser talent when it came to defensive ability. Something Hairston was fairly good at.
But it would still be beneficial to have a KNOWN nba quality in a player such as Kapono to come in and spread the floor with consistant 3-point shooting.
Something the Spurs rely heavily upon in their offense yet haven’t had in their arsenal on a consistant basis.
Of course Gee showed to be a “get to the rim” type of player the Spurs were lacking in as well. Something Manu USED to be able to do on a regular basis but in recent years has been less effective in doing.
All in all, I think the Spurs weren’t too upset at the departure of Hairston for they probably feel they have at least the talent to replace a player like Hairston.
But replacing what you already had compared to upgrading to what you need are two different things.
Players like Amundson and Kapono wouldn’t be players that would make me think the Spurs are hands down favorites to win the title. But they would be an upgrade in areas they lacked just a year ago.
rob
July 29th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
“Players like Amundson and Kapono wouldn’t be players that would make me think the Spurs are hands down favorites to win the title. But they would be an upgrade in areas they lacked just a year ago.”
Yeah, that’s the main point. It gives us more of a shot. That’s all you can ask for.
what are the chances that the bonner (??!!) would see any playing time at the 3?
@microbass
Extremely unlikely.
His lateral defensive maneuvering would be pitiful and he doesn’t have the speed in any direction to stay in front of his man. Also, he’s not a very strong passer and he’d be a clog in the pipe when trying to feed the ball down low. I think the only thing he has going for him is the spot up three.
Jarvis Hayes anyone?
If he is good enough to be on Boston’s and Laker’s radar, he is good enough to be on our radar. I mean the guy is only known for his tough defense and corner 3s. he is experienced, and can even guard PF. a cheap signing, for a veteran who is below 30.
Also, why am I the only one who considers Anderson as a SF. after he is 6’6, so he has the height of a SF.
This is our current roster:
PG:Parker, Temple
SG:Hill, Manu, Neal
SF: Anderson, RJ
PF: TD, Blair
C: Dyss, Splitter, Bonner
thats 12, I think we need 13 for the playoff I think hayes would be prefect, could play either forwad, spread the floor and defense.
Also, for insurance I wont mind bringing back Bogans. he knows the system and he plays solid D, look at the last time we played kobe and lebron. moreover, he was the only guy 2 make a 3 in game one against PHX, despite limited minutes.
but I think our FO needs 2 bring Bowen back. thats the solution.
http://s192.photobucket.com/albums/z247/Vampyre2050/?action=view¤t=BRUCEBOWENDEFENSE.jpg
Kappono’s game is so similar to what we expect from Bonner that I just don’t see the point to having both and its already clear which one the FO has chosen. The hope is that Bonner guards the other team’s power forward for stretches. Remember when Bonner tried to guard Dirk? Hilarious.
Admounson would help a lot during the regular season–Tim, McDyess, Blair, Tiago could use one more person–BOnner aint gonna cut it.
If the Spurs bring Bowen back as anything but a coach, they might as well just move to the Alamodome and resign Robert Horry while they are at it. It aint 2003 anymore.
Amundson is not good. Do you really want Splitter and Blair losing minutes so we can put an undersized one-dimensional big on the court? One who doesn’t rebound, pass, or score as well as Blair, and plays only marginally better defense? Adding a block per game on average over the course of a season is not an upgrade by itself.
Based on what we’ve seen this summer from the FO it seems if they are fairly confident in the likes of Anderson/Temple and even Ginobili playing minutes at the 3 behind Jefferson. I’m actually pretty confident those combination of players are more than capable of playing that role. However given the spurs recent injury woes I think it would be wise to bring in another (big) sf as insurance. I think there are a number of options the FO could consider, including:
1) Trade for Donte Greene – he has good size for the 3 spot is a decent defender and can guard 3/4s and is a reasonable outside shooter. He has shown a lot of promise so the spurs may have to also send a couple of future 2nd round picks to secure his services.
2) Sign Jawad Williams using part of the mid-level exception. The cavs may want too match any offer but I think its still a worth while option given its quite late in the free agency period.
3) Sign Bobby Simmons or Sasha Pavlovic using part of the mid-level exception. Both players have similar skill sets and bring some more experience to the bench.
4) Trade for Dajuan Summers using the spurs trade exception (from theo ratlif trade to CHA). I think this is a good low risk high reward trade. He has decent size and nba ready body. He looked reasonably good during the summer league without being the teams focal point and is a decent catch and shoot player. Also he has a another year of d-league elgibility so theoretically he could spend a lot of time at the toros improving his game if he is not needed in the pros.
5) Sign Adam Morrison/Joe Alexander for the minimum. Why not take a flyer on unfullfilled potential?
Jim Henderson
July 29th, 2010 at 2:43 pm
“I guess you don’t believe it’s important to have YOUNG DEFENDERS on our front line. Wake up!”
Last I checked Blair and Splitter were pretty YOUNG DEFENDERS. And I don’t see how adding another undersized center (Amundson) who plays marginal defense makes the Spurs better. At this point I would rather give the minutes to McDyess.
I would love the see the FO make another move to improve the front line but it’s not going to be via FA.
The Spurs real need is another perimeter defender who can shoot the three. Wake Up!
mikrobass3
July 29th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
what are the chances that the bonner (??!!) would see any playing time at the 3?
ZERO!
ali
July 29th, 2010 at 4:55 pm
Jarvis Hayes anyone?
He is a possibility. So is Bobby Simmons or Jawad Williams.
For bigs, the best available is Amundson, followed by Boone. After that, J. Singleton.
“Also, why am I the only one who considers Anderson as a SF. after he is 6’6, so he has the height of a SF.”
It’s just not where his potential is best suited.
ChillFAN
July 29th, 2010 at 4:56 pm
“Admounson would help a lot during the regular season–Tim, McDyess, Blair, Tiago could use one more person–BOnner aint gonna cut it.”
I agree (though Amundson could help in the playoffs as well), but if you’d prefer to severely limit Bonner’s minutes, we’re already hurting in 3-point shooting, so why not trade for Kapono’s shooting, and as a back-up at SF?
B Burke
July 29th, 2010 at 5:11 pm
“Amundson is not good.”
And what are you basing this on, your intuition?
“Do you really want Splitter and Blair losing minutes so we can put an undersized one-dimensional big on the court?”
For one thing, he’s not one-dimensional. He’s an excellent shot-blocker, defender, and rebounder. He provides AMAZING energy & hustle, and does one very important thing that Blair & Splitter don’t do that well: block shots. And secondly, he plays bigger than his 6’9″, 240 lbs. would suggest, because he’s “tough”, and a great leaper.
“Adding a block per game on average over the course of a season is not an upgrade by itself.”
Yes it is (the Spurs are almost two bpg. less than they averaged during their 4 title years), and that’s the only thing that Amundson would provide of value, as I’ve already outlined. And by the way, Amundson would be taking minutes from Bonner & McDyess, not Splitter & Blair.
Futureman
July 29th, 2010 at 6:18 pm
“Based on what we’ve seen this summer from the FO it seems if they are fairly confident in the likes of Anderson/Temple and even Ginobili playing minutes at the 3 behind Jefferson.”
Well, I hope that’s not the case, because none of them are capable of effective defense at the SF spot, particularly not against the better SF’s in the league.
“1) Trade for Donte Greene – he has good size for the 3 spot is a decent defender and can guard 3/4s and is a reasonable outside shooter. He has shown a lot of promise so the spurs may have to also send a couple of future 2nd round picks to secure his services.”
I love that idea, if we could possibly get him. Probably not likely, but worth making an overture. What do the Kings need that we could stand to give up that makes sense for BOTH teams?
“2) Sign Jawad Williams using part of the mid-level exception. The cavs may want too match any offer but I think its still a worth while option given its quite late in the free agency period.
3) Sign Bobby Simmons or Sasha Pavlovic using part of the mid-level exception. Both players have similar skill sets and bring some more experience to the bench.”
I’m open to those sensible suggestions as well.
Not too big on suggestions 4 & 5.
SA_Ray
July 29th, 2010 at 6:45 pm
“Last I checked Blair and Splitter were pretty YOUNG DEFENDERS.”
That’s one unproven NBA defender, and one super-undersized PF where defense is thus far his weakest link by far. That’s not nearly enough to contend.
“And I don’t see how adding another undersized center (Amundson) who plays marginal defense makes the Spurs better.”
Amundson is not a “marginal” defender. He’s a very good defender, and an excellent shot-blocker, something this team sorely lacks.
“At this point I would rather give the minutes to McDyess.”
Okay, you’d rather give more minutes to a declining 36 year old that is no longer an adequate shot-blocker. Sounds like a plan!
“I would love the see the FO make another move to improve the front line but it’s not going to be via FA.”
Okaaaaaay…… care to enlighten, or elaborate?
“The Spurs real need is another perimeter defender who can shoot the three.”
Got anybody in mind? Maybe we could get Shane Battier!
if we get shane, hello ring number 5
@Jim Henderson
How is this Jason Kapono trade possible? The Spurs would have to give up at a minimum Mcdyess and another player (e.g. Gee) to make the salaries match (Kapono is slated to make $6.6mil this season). I’m not sure if its a great idea to trade our 2nd best front court defender (splitter has yet to prove himself at nba level) for a guy whose 3pt shooting % is seemingly on the decline (08-48%, 09-43%, 10-37%) and is a notoriously bad defender. I applaued you for your passion and attempted suggestions in trying to improve this ball club but don’t you think we need to be more realistic about whats available through trade and free agency given the spurs cap situation?
Also I don’t completely agree with the premise that the spurs need to find another playoff tested veteran (don’t we have a few of those already?). I think players like shannon brown, ariza, dudley etc have shown that given the right situation and a desire to succeed youngish exuberant players can be useful to have on a playoff bound team. Stephen Jackson is the perfect example of player who wasn’t playoff tested yet had something to prove and was a major contributor to SAS championship in 2003. Maybe Temple and Neal can be those players in 2010? Who knows but I’m excited to find out.
Sorry Coach, I didn’t realize you’d already worked out the sub chart. Amundson is an energy guy coming off the bench on a team loaded with mediocre rebounders. That does not make him a good rebounder.
When you pick up blocks by putting in someone like Amundson, you are sacrificing production in all those areas where he is an average or below average player. Thus, it does not improve the team across the board. It is extremely difficult to pick up reliable 4s and 5s in free agency, and so it’s even more tempting to believe that you’ve scouted out some impressive center flying under the radar and available for peanuts. But you’ve got to look at the dude’s production – he’s been in the league for four years, and he doesn’t have a lot to show for it.
As for Bonner, at this point it’s pretty clear that the Spurs value what he brings to the team in spite of his defensive shortcomings vis-a-vis a more traditional PF/C. I would take a real, established center over Bonner if the opportunity presented itself, but I wouldn’t take some fool like Amundson. With the addition of Splitter, and assuming Blair’s gotten a little smarter and improve his conditioning, maybe those two can eat up some minutes and let Pop occasionally slot Bonner as a giant 3. Who knows?
But, like most folks are saying, if there’s a position where we’re genuinely thin and uncertain, I’d say the wings look a little shakier than the bigs. Claiming that Amundson will improve the Spurs is a huuuge reach.
Futureman
July 29th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
“How is this Jason Kapono trade possible? The Spurs would have to give up at a minimum Mcdyess and another player (e.g. Gee) to make the salaries match (Kapono is slated to make $6.6mil this season). I’m not sure if its a great idea to trade our 2nd best front court defender (splitter has yet to prove himself at nba level) for a guy whose 3pt shooting % is seemingly on the decline (08-48%, 09-43%, 10-37%) and is a notoriously bad defender.”
You must have missed the “volumes” I’ve written on this issue. And I don’t blame you! The players you mentioned in the proposed trade for Kapono are examples of what I’ve suggested previously. However, I have also made it clear in several posts on the matter, that I would not trade for Kapono without getting someone like Amundson to take McDyess’ place in the rotation. Without adding Amundson’s all-around game to the team, acquiring Kapono would present too much of a defensive liability, even though Kapono’s minutes would be projected to only fill about 6% of the teams total minutes.
“….but don’t you think we need to be more realistic about whats available through trade and free agency given the spurs cap situation?”
I think getting Kapono is realistic, via trade. I’ve given my reasoning in several other posts on the subject in recent days. Amundson is also “realistic”, as an unrestricted FA that remains available. And again, I’ve given my reasons for this assessment in recent posts. Obviously, the chances are that there is a team out there that could pay Amundson perhaps a million per year more than we could (e.g., Charlotte?), but the we simply don’t know that for sure, and the discrepancy is small enough that hope for his acquisition should not be discarded too easily as “unrealistic”. We do have at least 2mil per year available in cap exceptions, and we might have money available with the MLE. I don’t really know because of all the secrecy on the Neal contract details.
B Burke
July 29th, 2010 at 8:09 pm
“Amundson is an energy guy coming off the bench on a team loaded with mediocre rebounders. That does not make him a good rebounder.”
Amundson is ranked 15th in total rebound rate out of ALL the PF’s in entire league that averaged at least 12 mpg. (just ahead of McDyess). That makes him a very good rebounder. As a team, Phoenix was 6th in the league in total rebounds per game; the Spurs were 9th.
“When you pick up blocks by putting in someone like Amundson, you are sacrificing production in all those areas where he is an average or below average player.”
He’s a ROLE PLAYER! Probably 15 mpg. He’s above average in defense, rebounding, blocked shots, steals, and hustle! He’s not a polished offensive player, but he still puts in 11.4 points per 36 minutes. McDyess scored at a rate of 9.9 points per 36 minutes last year. What is it that you want?!
“But you’ve got to look at the dude’s production – he’s been in the league for four years, and he doesn’t have a lot to show for it.”
No, YOU need to look at his production in comparison to other role players that could improve our overall front line production, for a reasonable price (including the all-important interior defense & shot-blocking). He is the absolute best. And NOBODY knows what his actual price will go for, but he’s certainly in the realm of reason.
“I would take a real, established center over Bonner if the opportunity presented itself, but I wouldn’t take some fool like Amundson.”
Then perhaps the “fool” is you.
“…..and let Pop occasionally slot Bonner as a giant 3.”
I can tell you, Bonner will NEVER play one minute at the SF spot.
“Claiming that Amundson will improve the Spurs is a huuuge reach.”
No it isn’t. I’d rather have him than any other wing still available in free agency. On the other hand, it’s obvious that you need to “reach” for some data next time to back up your series of unfounded assertions.
ali
July 29th, 2010 at 7:53 pm
“if we get shane, hello ring number 5″
I had assumed that my mention of acquiring Battier would be received as sarcasm, as it was clearly intended. Perhaps I was wrong. Sorry for the confusion.
I’ll second the Jarvis Hayes idea. Where is he, anyway?
Amundson is exactly what you want in a role player. He hustles, defends and is an excellent offensive rebounder. He is the prototypical “garbage” player (meant as a compliment). I would trade him for Bonner in a new york minute.
Malik did the right thing…More players will begin to follow his lead.
Losing him was huge and Spurs will soon know it.
THinking that Spurs are OK with the front line currently on roster is ridiculous.
Sick of this FO and this coach and this mentality.
As it stands,,,,Mavs, Rockets, Thunder, to name a few…Better.
Sad…Time for fans to wake up and make some noise….
Anyway,
All the luck in the world to Malik…Great move on his part. Three years of BS is more than enough.
mundanemundin
July 29th, 2010 at 8:25 am Nothing to show for the Goran Dragic trade
What do you mean???? We got DeJuan Blair with the 2nd round pick Phoenix gave us! We had a 2 for one deal and while Dragic is better than Hairston, I think most everyone would rather have Blair over Gragic. We have more than enough point guards. OK, so Dragic pulled ONE tremendous game out of his ass but after that, what did he do??? DeJuan had TWO 20/20 games, the last rookie to do that….TIM DUNCAN! Blair had several double games and is looking really poised to make even more noise in 2010-11. Please check your facts before posting something like that. GO SPURS! WIN ONE FOR THE THUMB!
now that the suns have obtained hedo and childress, is there any chance that grant hill might be available? and if there is, couldnt we try to sign and trade roger mason to them for about 3 mil? then they would have richardson, mason, hedo, and childress on the wings… just saying