Spurs *were* the Front-runners for Maggette

[NYKBaller]

parker
ginobilli
maggette
duncan
Whoeva

[Magilla_Gorilla]

That would be an outstanding signing for the Spurs.

[HarlemHeat37]

we're title contenders either way, if we sign role players to fill either the swingman spot or the big man spot, or both..

this just puts us back at the top, on par with the Lakers..

Maggette's defense is NOT a concern..what people fail to realize is that the Spurs D is ALWAYS great..as long as Timmy and Pop are on this team, it's gonna be a respectable defense..Parker, Oberto and Ginobili were average defenders this year, and Finley was TERRIBLE..yet we were still ranked in the top 5..at least Maggette is athletic..

his slashing ability is what we NEED..any good scorer that helps us go away from the 3-point shot is a solid addition..this would be a great fit that would surely kill our scoring droughts..Duncan in the post, feeding a slashing Maggette would be solid..

I'm not gonna get my hopes up though..we'll probably end up getting Juan Dixon or something..

[LyMinh]

Let's sign Maggette

[lukeridenour]

hoopsworld reports that its a near done deal... too bad espn didnt report the same thing..

[HarlemHeat37]

I've trusted Hoopsworld too many times in the past and got disappointed..not gonna believe it until I see a credible source..

[LyMinh]

The first line in the hoopsworld article:

"No player has been more sought after or talked about this summer than Corey Maggette"

What?

[Ballings7]

Maggette needs the right perspective... the overall best situation for him is on this team. You get lots of money, a starting spot, and a terrific team situation to play in.

[Blame Rasho]

hoopsworld reports that its a near done deal... too bad espn didnt report the same thing..

I would rather trust an Iraqi website then them...

[HitMan52]

So who would be coming off the bench if this is true? Maggette or Ginobili?

IMO, since Maggette seems like it bothers him to come off the bench and it appears that it doesnt bother Ginobili then Maggette should start. If Finley could start then Maggette can too.

Parker
Maggette
Bowen
Duncan
Oberto

I stll think if you guys get a better center and not just situational role players like you guys have been using since D-Rob left then you guys would be even better. You guys need to find a Perkins type player.

[Blame Rasho]

I say Manu stays on the bench...

[lukeridenour]

i ouldnt be surprised if manus mins are limited since hes playing over the summer.

[HarlemHeat37]

I don't see any reason to put Manu in the starting lineup..we've had success with him coming off the bench, and now we get a huge upgrade over Finley..

[HitMan52]

It also seems like it is the Spurs luck odd year now.

99', 03', 05', 07'

and it could be 09'?

Man, it must be great being contenders going on 10 years now.

[Ballings7]

Yeah, Maggette would start... taking over Finley's role, and Manu has a role like last year and at other times.

Our helper big men situation should be fine... either getting Thomas back, or somebody else who is a factor defensively and on the boards (Kwame, Skinner, Dwayne Jones). Plus Mahinmi should get time. Other than a possible trade for who knows, free agency and young guys are the only big man options for us.

[tsherkin]

Maggette FTW.

First thing:

Ball-handling.

No, Corey Maggette is not Kobe Bryant or Tracy McGrady or Scottie Pippen or anything; he's not a guy who you can trust as a dominant point-forward or as the lead guard in the triangle offense.

Having said that, he's still a solid passer at the wing who's generally not too bad about turning the ball over (which is extra surprising given how aggressive a slasher he is). You'll note that he threw 3.1 assists per bad pass and only had like 61 passing turnovers all year out of 195; that's generally pretty good. His turnover ratio is a little over 13%, which isn't awful. He ain't Jordan, but then, who is?

The Spurs have Duncan in the post to handle the ball there, they have Parker in the backcourt as their primary ball-handler... Maggette is fine for a blind-pig style entry, to borrow from the triangle lexicon. If Parker gets trapped in the backcourt, he zings it up to Maggette past the timeline and they are fine. Or, you know, run him at the three sometimes and put Manu on the floor and it's no big deal. Or Barry instead of Manu and play Maggette at the 3 all year. Or Finley, if they re-sign him. There are tons of press-breaking options and that's pretty much the only time you don't want to let Maggette handle the ball... and then, more to spare him from the extra effort than anything else.

Furthermore, his primary mode of attack is slashing; yes, you can do a lot of that straight from triple-threat but after a point, certainly after nearly a decade, it becomes difficult to slash ONLY out of triple-threat and still score a lot... and Maggette's a 3-time 20+ ppg scorer.

Second, defense.

The Spurs have great team rotations and they have Tim Duncan inside. How many of your guys are really astonishing individual defenders? Would you call Parker THAT good defensively? I wouldn't. I wouldn't rip him for it but he's no Gary Payton, you know what I mean? Maggette, despite playing on some relatively uninspiring Clippers teams, has logged DRTGs just above league average every year. The Clippers have been 19th, 19th, 25th, 28th, 13th, 8th, 10th and 19th in team DRTG over Maggette's career (which, in Clipperland, is only a year longer than Brand's).

So it's tough to call his defense when he's had some serious roster upheaval and his latest sample doesn't include Brand backing him up and has Kaman injured for part of the season.

Third, shooting.

First thing to note is that Maggette has shot 80% or better from the line the last 7 years and 75%+ in his first two years and has shot 45% FG on his career, which isn't bad for a wing (and with fairly remarkable consistency; his career-low is 43.1% and his best years from his 3rd year on are his last two at 45.4% and 45.8%).

More importantly, this past season, he shot 36.3% from mid-range (15-23 feet) and 38.4% from downtown (career 32.9%, enough to show that you shouldn't leave him open there too often).

He can't shoot? That's tripe, he can shoot. He's no Nash but he has some range on him and while he isn't Glenn Robinson or prime Alien from mid-range, he can put down open shots.

Overall

What do you lose acquiring Maggette (especially if he actually signs for the MLE)?

Nothing.

You get a young, broad, physical player who likes to attack the rim and draw a crapload of fouls (20.6% DrawF last year, in case anyone was wondering). You get a guy who rebounds well and can score 20+ ppg. That takes pressure off of Manu, Parker AND Duncan. The rebounding helps. The athleticism helps, certainly against defenses that are playing you for your shooters and daring you to drive because you're old. It gives you energy over 36-40 mpg that the old guys can't match because they're calcifying as you watch.

If this signing works out, this is as big as Hossa to Detroit in the NHL, it's HUGE! This is a guy who's been top-6 in FTA these last two seasons, a really dangerous scoring tool to throw in there alongside Duncan and the others. He's a borderline All-Star, that's ridiculous to add to a veteran, perennially contending squad like the Spurs.

Maggette FTW, man, and power to you in getting him aboard. Good luck, in a positive way.

[Ballings7]

As usual, another quality post from you, tsherkin - good read!

[SMRattler]

tsherkin's post, very impressive indeed.

[tsherkin]

Thanks guys.

Not that I hold truck with that stuff, but I think Maggette would do a lot to stop people from thinking that the Spurs are a 'boring' team (I love watching them already, of course). That'd probably be a plus for them, just as much as the actual on-court effects. Popularity never hurts.

Honestly, it's a pure win for San Antonio if this happens. If he's willing to take that much of a paycut and come to the Spurs, then he's going to get shots AND success in both the regular season and the playoffs.

[Blame Rasho]

tskerkin thanks as always... we appreciate your insight on this board.