Discussing Other Teams' Moves

[fishercob]

Assuming the Spurs get eliminated by the Grizzlies, do they tear it all down to do a rebuild. I think they could get some decent prospects/picks for Ginobili and Parker. I am pretty sure Duncan will retire if next season is wiped out. He might be an interesting trade piece at the deadline if there is a season. He definitely is not the dominant player he once was, however he still is tall and skilled.

Unlike some of the other "old teams", the Spurs have a decent number of building blocks for a rebuild. They don't have the next Tim Duncan on their roster, but Blair, Splitter and George Hill could be decent starters. Gary Neal and James Anderson seem like they could be rotation players. Also they would be in a position they could tank enough to have a shot at drafting a franchise player.

To me, this is all depends on the new CBA. Under the current structure, I'm under the impression that the small markets -- Milwaukee, Sacramento, San Antonio, etc. -- can't compete financially unless they're winning bigtime. I've read a good deal saying that this issue -- and some sort of revenue sharing deal to restore some competitive balance. Some form of advanced revenue sharing will likely go along with a harder cap.

So to trade Parker, Manu, etc for picks, prospects and expirings they've got to be able to afford to do so, IMHO.

[fishercob]

Blair is playing less and less for the Spurs. I wonder why a 22-yr old with his background of success does that on a team that's getting hammered up front in the playoffs. Yes, he's small compared to Gasol and Randolph, but I believe he's a better option than McDyess at this point. (I also think DeJuan's lost too much weight, perhaps). I have been thinking maybe the Spurs would trade Blair.

The utter disappointment for them has to be Splitter. He's not able to help them against Memphis. Why not him or Blair?

Maybe their HOF coach knows something we don't?

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Ya think?

Maybe Blair tested positive for a substance like Twinkies? I dunno.

[Ruzious]

I think the problem with SA is that they're a very slow team and can't make up for it by over-powering Memphis. Even Parker looks like he's lost a step and can't do much against Conley. Memphis isn't even particularly athletic, but they have the advantage there, and they're every bit as physical up front with Gasol and Randolph - so SA is a great matchup for them. When SA plays Bonner or Splitter, there's a favorable matchup for Memphis - and Duncan and McD are no longer agile enough to help out much. I agree, CCJ - I'd give Blair a shot to help - if for no other reason than to energize the team. I'd at least give him Bonner's minutes. I know they like Bonner, because he helps spread the D, but he just can't guard any of the Memphis bigs.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Ruz, yep, I'd sit Bonner and McDyess ... and Jefferson.

I think maybe put Novak at SF to spread the defense and actually hit the shots that Jefferson is mostly missing. Put Blair at PF with only two goals: rebound and avoid fouling until later in the game (when hard fouls at home are needed). Put Timmy on the mid post and tell him to drive on Gasol.

Forget about trying to stop Memphis' big guys inside. It ain't happening. Spread the court, try to get Gasol in foul trouble, and same with Randolph. Box out and drive in SA. With home cooking from the refs that could call some fouls on the Memphis bigs if the Spurs apply pressure, that's what they should do IMO. Sit Bonner, McDyess, and Jefferson for younger, hungrier guys.

If the Spurs can get their crowd going and get momentum, that's when guys like Bonner and Jefferson can hit dagger jumpers later on, but I don't trust them to win their matchups or compete at a high level against Memphis if they start.

[closg00]

Blair is playing less and less for the Spurs. I wonder why a 22-yr old with his background of success does that on a team that's getting hammered up front in the playoffs. Yes, he's small compared to Gasol and Randolph, but I believe he's a better option than McDyess at this point. (I also think DeJuan's lost too much weight, perhaps). I have been thinking maybe the Spurs would trade Blair.

The utter disappointment for them has to be Splitter. He's not able to help them against Memphis. Why not him or Blair?

Noticed this as-well, don't know if it's a match-up decision. You would think that Blair would get the call to battle Radolph in the post, but he isn't as quick as Splitter. Splitter was coming-off a major injury when he joined the Spurs, perhaps he needs a good off-seasons worth of rest and rehab...haven't seen him much truthfully.

[Ruzious]

Ruz, yep, I'd sit Bonner and McDyess ... and Jefferson.

I think maybe put Novak at SF to spread the defense and actually hit the shots that Jefferson is mostly missing. Put Blair at PF with only two goals: rebound and avoid fouling until later in the game (when hard fouls at home are needed). Put Timmy on the mid post and tell him to drive on Gasol.

Forget about trying to stop Memphis' big guys inside. It ain't happening. Spread the court, try to get Gasol in foul trouble, and same with Randolph. Box out and drive in SA. With home cooking from the refs that could call some fouls on the Memphis bigs if the Spurs apply pressure, that's what they should do IMO. Sit Bonner, McDyess, and Jefferson for younger, hungrier guys.

If the Spurs can get their crowd going and get momentum, that's when guys like Bonner and Jefferson can hit dagger jumpers later on, but I don't trust them to win their matchups or compete at a high level against Memphis if they start.

I'm not sure SA is quick enough to drive on Memphis and create foul troubles for Memphis' bigs. I think SA is going to count on 3 point shooting to make things happen for them. No doubt - the home crowd should make a difference for them.

[verbal8]

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/21 ... n_Chandler

Might there be tampering allegations if Chandler signs with the Knicks?

[LyricalRico]

Maybe they can say they aren't saying anytihng they didn't already tell him while he was with the team pre-trade.

[verbal8]

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/21 ... _Interview

A lot of smoke in the headline, not much fire in the story however.

[closg00]

Despite the Indiana Pacers having a president and general manager in place, a franchise official called the San Antonio Spurs for permission to speak to assistant general manager Dennis Lindsey about a prominent front-office job, Eastern Conference sources told Yahoo! Sports.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=a ... sey_050111

Building upon their return to the playoffs by going after the Spurs assistant GM, now there's an org that is serious about winning.

[closg00]

Pacers also looking at Pritchard , yep they're on the right-track . I wish we were doing the same. Thank you very much for your years of service with us, now Lindsey or Pritchard will be managing the FO going forward.

[closg00]

Nets insiders say the team is discussing a plan to assume control of the Springfield Armor, their D-League affiliate. It'd be used not only to develop players for the big league team, but to help fill Mikhail Prokhorov's promise to develop Russian basketball talent. Al Iannazzone writes it could be announced next week when Prokhorov assumes control of the Nets.

While details are sketchy, the Nets could take control of the Armor in one of two ways: an outright purchase of the two-year old franchise, or simply taking over basketball operations in a so-called "hybrid affiliation". The first option is the more expensive. The Lakers, Spurs and Thunder own their own D-League team and the Rockets operate Rio Grande Valley under the "hybrid affiliation" model.

http://www.netsdaily.com/2010/5/5/14588 ... ntrol-of-d

[TGW]

Pacers also looking at Pritchard , yep they're on the right-track . I wish we were doing the same. Thank you very much for your years of service with us, now Lindsey or Pritchard will be managing the FO going forward.

Yes because the guy who took Oden over Durant and traded Zach Randolf for table scraps is obviously so much smarter than the rest of the league. How in the heck does that man not have a job?

[Dat2U]

Pacers also looking at Pritchard , yep they're on the right-track . I wish we were doing the same. Thank you very much for your years of service with us, now Lindsey or Pritchard will be managing the FO going forward.

Yes because the guy who took Oden over Durant and traded Zach Randolf for table scraps is obviously so much smarter than the rest of the league. How in the heck does that man not have a job?

You can pick out all 30 GMs and find questionable moves by every single one of them. However the better ones make fewer mistakes and aren't likely to repeat the same mistakes over and over again.

The Zach Randolph move wasn't bad at the time. He was a dog. He was selfish. He was a chemistry killer with a bad contract. Just b/c he's balling now doesn't mean we can play the hindsight game. Zach was poisonous until he got to Memphis.

Pritchard would be a clear upgrade over Grunfeld IMO. He's adept at building through the draft. He's known for taking lesser GMs to the cleaners in trades. He's not perfect but he's fairly young, smart as a whip and he's big on using advanced statistics as a key tool for measuring & quantifying on-court performance. Of the guys with previous GM experience he's clearly the best guy available and his thinking would be more in line with what Leonsis has talked about doing.

[LyricalRico]

Pacers also looking at Pritchard , yep they're on the right-track . I wish we were doing the same. Thank you very much for your years of service with us, now Lindsey or Pritchard will be managing the FO going forward.

Yes because the guy who took Oden over Durant and traded Zach Randolf for table scraps is obviously so much smarter than the rest of the league. How in the heck does that man not have a job?

[Illuminaire]

Pritchard's biggest knock appears to be his willingness to take chances on players with medical red flags. The Portland roster is full of them, and as we've seen, that can bite you.

I still like him, even if he's a tad on the ego-maniacal side.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

For the record, I'd make some really curious moves if I had Ted's billions to invest in the Wizards future.

I edited a long post advocating Danny Ferry as GM after rethinking. I don't care a bunch about the next GM. Pritchard, Kerr, Budenholzer, Ferry? I don't really know. I think the Spurs pipeline should be a good one.

Ultimately, the GM needs great players who are coached/managed well.

I want Dave Joerger to coach this team next. Regardless of personnel I trust he'll do his part exceptionally well and he's young enough to stick around a long time.

[Dat2U]

Leonsis is not a basketball guy. It's fine if the owner has a vision but he needs a basketball guy to help tailor and execute that vision into a winning formula. We need an organizational change from the top down. It's not just about on court results but frankly some off the court changes need to be made as well. I certainly believe getting the right GM is far more important than hiring the next coach. And I definitely don't trust Ernie Grunfeld to make the right type of coaching hire.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

A good coach can do what Silas did after Larry Brown ran out of steam (Brown WAS a great coach back in the day). I think a good coach can take talent one guy would lose games with and win more than he loses. Gentry is better than D'Antoni for that reason. Adelman could coach anybody and be respectable.

Joerger is a Phil Jackson/George Karl type coach. He's going to win regular season games more than the next coach.