Fabricio Oberto

[FlawlessVictory]

What's he worth? Any chance of San Antonio moving him for the "right" pieces? What would they be looking for?

[ss1986v2]

What's he worth? Any chance of San Antonio moving him for the "right" pieces? What would they be looking for?

short answer: no.

long answer: nope.

[FlawlessVictory]

-= original quote snipped =-


short answer: no.

long answer: nope.

Well, that's that then.

[ss1986v2]

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Well, that's that then.

sorry for the brevity, but the spurs probably just arent interested in moving oberto. they just signed him to a new deal this summer (3yrs/10.5 mil) and they like the savvy he brings, especially when paired on the court with manu, which seems to be when he excels.

as far as needs, the spurs are probably looking for a young, tall, athletic wing (the mythical "long three", as spurs fans have come to call it over the past 2-3 offseasons) but particularly some help down low. spurs are in desperate need of both shot blocking and rebounding, both of which they rank poorly in (28th and 19th respectively).

problem is, the spurs dont have the assets that they could/would be willing to part with to address these needs. their best assets (ian and splitter) both could potentially address these concerns, just not now. but i doubt the spurs are going to sell out the future to try and slap a band-aid on the problem for the time being.

[FlawlessVictory]

No, I completely understand why they wouldn't want to move Oberto; probably the same reasons I'm interested in him.

Thanks for the breakdown though. Because there are so few realistic, even fantasy, Spurs trades floating around, I don't have a very good grasp on what kind of options they are persuing.

But, for the sake of conversation, is Ariza that mythical "long three" you are referencing?

[ss1986v2]

But, for the sake of conversation, is Ariza that mythical "long three" you are referencing?

here the fan breakdown of the "long three" the spurs should be going after: tall (6'8"ish), long (6'11"+ wingspan), athletic (quick enough to cover the wing, big enough to be a small-ball 4). should have an affinity for the defensive end, and be able to rebound well. would be nice if he had at least a passable 3pt shot.

the pinnacle of the "long three" (at least, as far as im concerned) is shawn marion. a more obtainable version would potentially be dermarr johnson. but hes never seemed to "get it" thus far. the effort just isnt alway there, which is a pity, because he has always seemed like the perfect fit.

[FlawlessVictory]

Hmm, interesting. Depending on the source, Ariza is 6'7" or 6'8" at 200 pounds with a 7 foot wing span. That three point shot, however, is still a work in progress.

But yeah, Marion is definitely a guy with all of those qualities you listed.

[ss1986v2]

But yeah, Marion is definitely a guy with all of those qualities you listed.

thats the thing: when you actually start to break down the league, how may guys actually meet all of those criteria? it can be a rather short list, and i think it kind of starts and ends with marion. thats why its been dubbed "mythical" by many of the more rational spurs fans.

its just spurs fans looking for bowen ver2.0. bowen brings great/versatile defense (being able to guard from pg up to some small-ball pf) while having a solid 3pt shot. the trade off is that because of his frame (6'6-7", 200 lbs), he is a rather poor rebounder, which at time really hurts the spurs. the "long three" is able to compensate for this thanks to his size/length, with the trade off of being not as versatile on defense and/or not having the same reliability from 3.

in the end, its all just the musing of bored spurs fans...

[youngcrev]

^^Sounds like you guys should have signed Bobby Jones while he was available if it's a poor man's Bowen with better rebounding that you're looking for.

Seems like Nocioni and Najera would also fit that criteria.

[ss1986v2]

^^Sounds like you guys should have signed Bobby Jones while he was available if it's a poor man's Bowen with better rebounding that you're looking for.

we tried. it was reported that we called his agent and inquired, but he chose memphis instead. although not really the mythical "long three", he was on the spurs radar.

Seems like Nocioni and Najera would also fit that criteria.

yes and no. they have the size to cover the 4 well enough, but both lack the footspeed and wingspan to cover the wings well (not just the sf, but the 2 guard as well). and while i like both of these guys (nocioni is the closer of the two), neither fits all the criteria for the more rabid "long three" supporters; more "small four" than "long three".

[gswhoops]

Pietrus is definitely available, he might fit your bill for the "long three"

[hermes]

i don't think the spurs will move him

[moocow007]

How about Wilson Chandler? He's 6'8"-6'9", extremely athletic and strong, can run and jump with the best of them, block shots and also has a solid outside jumper.

[ss1986v2]

How about Wilson Chandler? He's 6'8"-6'9", extremely athletic and strong, can run and jump with the best of them, block shots and also has a solid outside jumper.

his name has come in trade talks amongst spurs fans. dont know what we have to give to get it done (or even if we could really use him), but some fans do have him on their short list.

as for pietrus, hes elson in a wings body. great measurable and decent skill set, and the BBIQ of a rather dimwitted shoe. besides, his measurables put him more into the same category as bobby jones (potentially bowen-lite rather than the "long three").

[FlawlessVictory]

I really think Ariza might be type of the guy you are looking for. He's shown a propensity to knock down the corner three this year, but his shot is still far from reliable on the outside. However, he's one of the better offensive rebounders in the league at his position, has the foot speed to guard players 1-3, and the frame to guard the Dirks and Marions of the world. We've even used him on Iverson this year.

He has all the physical qualities, and the rebounding, but he needs the outside shot. However, out of all the criteria listed, that is the one thing you don't need to be born with; it can be developed.

[ss1986v2]

ariza does always come up whenever the "long three" thread pops up. and the support is generally pretty positive, except for some of the more rigid minds that would prefer a player that has at least shown the ability to hit the 3 at any clip. ariza only has 43 career 3pt attempt on his career (to go along with his 9 career makes). those numbers would lend themselves to him just not having that kind of range on his jumper. but that wouldnt remove him from the debate. he has the core criteria met (tall/long, athletic, good rebounder, decent defender). a 3pt shot would just make the "long three" idea even more appealing.

but for the record, im not a believer in the "church of the long three". not that i dont understand the idea and believ it makes fine sense. i just dont think its as make-or-break as some other spurs fans. they have been clamoring for it since '03 iirc, and it usually revolves around the claim, "if the spurs dont find a "long three" to replace bowen soon, this team isnt going to make it come next year!". two championships later, and they still make the same claims...

i think its actually more vital to find a solid cog to put next to duncan down low than it is to get that lost rebounding from the sf spot. spurs are 19th in the league in rebounding and 28th in the league in blocked shots. my dream post mate for duncan has always been rasheed wallace. one of (if not) the best post defenders (which goes perfect with duncan, who usually guard off the ball until crunch time to stay away from fouls), much better shot blocker than current spurs options (career 1.35 bpg for rasheed vs 0.31 bpg career for oberto), not a great rebounder, but at least on par with current spurs options (and with a good bit more intensity), and has the added ability of 3pt range (which the spurs love to have so they can have a pf on the court to stretch the court without having to go to a full small-ball line-up, ie horry and bonner). but thats all a pipe dream.

spurs have splitter coming over next year, and hopefully within a year or two, he can provide a bit of rebounding and shot blocking help next to duncan. the same goes for ian too. *fingers crossed*

[Schad]

Sounds like a Jamario Moon-type would fit the criteria perfectly: 6'8", 6.5 rebs, 1.6 blocks and 1 steal a game in under 30 minutes.

Unfortunately, Toronto has no real desire to trade a guy with that production that also makes under $500k.

[ecuhus1981]

Mickael Gelabale is your guy, but the Sonics wouldn't just give him away.

They'd probably try to stick the Spurs with Watson or at least Wilkins for expirings and/or Splitter. Is it worth THAT much?

[ss1986v2]

They'd probably try to stick the Spurs with Watson or at least Wilkins for expirings and/or Splitter. Is it worth THAT much?

gelabale has been on the spurs radar before (there was supposed interest in him on draft night), but he hasnt shown nearly enough since being in the league to warrant the spurs moving any of their limited assets for him. all the spurs conceivably have of value is ian and splitter, and gelabale isnt worth a late 1st (what each of them was), and not two that have the upside that splitter and ian do.

and yes, moon does fit the mold, and there was even a bit of belligerent ranting about how the spurs FO could miss a gem like moon by a fan or two on one of the other spurs boards. i mean, everyone just knew that moon was going to explode, right? but yeah, toronto would have to be daft to think of moving him right now.

again, im content with the spurs just standing pat, letting splitter come over next year, and possibly throwing a full MLE type deal at a wing next offseason (james jones, carlos delfino, and azubuike all being on my short list, along with several other dleague level prospects). unfortunately, jones looks more and more likely to get a decent deal in portland (at least MLE), toronto fans seem content enough with delfino, and i have run hot and cold on buike all year.

i need to stop looking to the offseason; it always seems puts a damper on enjoying that actual basketball.

[Blame Rasho]

He is the type of player who is worth significant more to his current team than to any other team. Every teams has a player like that... he has a small contract and I believe it is BYC which is a nightmare to trade. He isn't really worth alot by himself but with a collection of good player he does his job and doesn't hurt the team.

There is truth to the mystical long three that can rebound but there just isn't anyone that fits that description that will ever be available except thru a high draft pick