Spurs needs a backup C without a doubt ... I wouldn't be surprised if Pop gets his Steve Kerr on and play Diaw at center , Kawhi at the 4 , Green at the 3 and Manu at the 2 ...
and Baynes and Joseph which was their only defensive PG ... They need depth for the regular season to rest their old players
They'll get depth at other spots, but the Center rotation is the supposedly important one for Aldridge. Rumor has it Mo Williams is on their radar as is David West. But neither of them can hang with NBA Centers so... Going to be an interesting off-season for them now moving forward.
The easiest thing to do for SAS is to change the " lose weight" clause in Diaw contract to a " gain weight" one .. Here's your backup center !
Yeah they are losing a lot of their depth that allows Pop to rests his old trio. Maybe he just wants to sneak in at 8 and go balls out then.
Not sold on this squad. Parker looked as bad as I've seen him last year, Manu looked awful, and they lost some pieces; Baynes, Belinelli, Joseph. Sure, it may not look like much but for an older team that relies on 'resting' their player having a team that's 10-12 deep is definitely an important factor that cannot be overlooked. I'm just not sold at all. I still think GS is better and deeper. We'll see, though...
they'll test the theories on "rim protection" for certain. still curious as to how they work the starting c spot; either Duncan or Aldridge will have to take a pounding some nights.
Given LA's precarious health and Duncan's age... throw in the precarious health of Ginobili and Parker...things could unravel quickly over there.
All this talk of LMA wanting a CENTER, and the Spurs literally do not have one right now....and Duncan at 40 years old cannot handle a full season at center. They got David West...and Diaw...both are PF's. They basically will have 4 PF's and no centers...let's not underestimate Splitter/Baynes at the 5... Spurs lost Joseph, Baynes, Splitter, Belinelli...they gained LMA & West. Duncan/? LMA/West/Diaw Kawhi/K Anderson Green/Ginobili Parker/Mills they're not as deep...they're still the Spurs but man they are one injury away from having a disastrous season....
Well Marc Gasol was Spurs plan A ... and would have been a better fit ... still Aldridge in place of Splitter will bring them to a new level on O ... Defense will be another story. I think the Spurs will go as far as Parker bring them ... if he can't bounce back from last season , they won't win it all
Agreed. Little Frenchie though has had nagging leg injuries the last two to three seasons. It's been cropping up every now and then. Even if Parker misses games, it throws off their team's rhythm and momentum is never established. Crucial for seeding during the stretch run and in the postseason.
Well then maybe don't have your guys leak s*** into the media and run our name through the mud you a**hat. Just more sugar coating to make sure he and his agent are saving the bridges they almost burnt.
At this point I'd like to ask guys who where bashing Mitch and Co. for botching LMA meeting to step forth and apologize.
Yeah, we botched the first presentation; no getting around that. The second meeting was for 'damage control.' No big deal. I'm still not convinced the Spurs are a lock for anything other than making the PO's, though. The west is just brutal.
No. You want me to apologize because Aldridge is trying to repair the bridges he and his agent tried to burn down? Hell no. What else is he supposed to say? This is in fact the PC way of saying EXACTLY what he and his agent said after the meeting. "It didn't go the way I wanted it to" = "there wasn't enough basketball talk in the meeting" = "it was too focused on off the court issues". Apologize for what?
Yes. To me - all this process by the "prized" FAs in DJ, LMA and whoever... was due diligence and these latest quotes provide, to me, additional indication that there was never any chance. Also, if they are the ones who burned the bridges - how come you believe their side. Ah, forget it. Agree to disagree.
It's an 82 game grind... Popovich will monitor the minutes, concede a higher seed if fatigue and injuries crop up. Then he'll lean on everyone's experience in the postseason. He's always been confident that his core will show up and can win on the road.
Even if it was blown out of proportion, it doesn't matter. It's about perception and we are now perceived as a pre historic franchise who can't close a big time FA and can't properly sell the basketball aspect of things to a FA. that's going to stick with us like a foul odor until the story changes and we net one of the big fish. Unfortunately I think that's going to take longer than most expect and longer than any of us want, because Kevin Durant isn't walking through that door.
I think the FO f***ed up in that meeting and made fools of themselves. It's clear that's what happened. Did we have a legitimate chance? Maybe not, but that doesn't mean we DIDN'T embarrass ourselves as well in the process. I believe them because why lie? Why fabricate some story of incompetence about us? What did they have to gain from lying about how badly our meeting went? I think they hated the meeting, they thought our pitch was terrible, and they leaked that to media outlets before realizing that they'd embarrass us by doing so. Then they went back and had a second meeting to try to pretend like everything was honkydory in order to maintain professional appearances. What else is Aldridge supposed to say when they bring us up in his press conference? "Oh yeah that was a terrible presentation and they just came off as complete fools". He wouldn't say that. There might be ties down the road that lead him to LA after all, who needs that kind of press?
