Blair is useless. He needs to go. Don't blame him for how he feels but you can go to the FO and tell them. That's not how the Spurs do things through the paper like this. Anyway, it's irrelevant.

If he spent less time feeling sorry for himself and more time playing defense or growing ligaments, playing time wouldn't be a problem.

Danny Green has resigned. 3 years 12 million.

Just about right.

Great deal. I'm happy we are keeping him.

If the guy had been playing for the Knicks they would have given him 8 mil / yr this off-season. Easy to see why players want to play at certain destinations. Spurs won't overpay and will almost always come out with the right deal.

From Si:

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....Spurs, who sources say are confident that they'll be able to come to terms with Tim Duncan, Boris Diaw and Patty Mills in the near future.

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I'm really glad they kept Green. Defense, shooting, hustle, young, and quiet. Great fit for the Spurs.

Diaw re-signs. 2 yrs for $9MM. Kind of a lot. Hopefully we can move some pieces to clear a little space.

2 years 9 mil is perfect for Diaw. The big thing with him was not wanting to commit a lot of years to him. This contract is much better than I thought we were gong to give him. Another great contract for the Spurs.Diaw is a hell of a player and fit perfectly into our system. That beng said the Spurs still need another big man outside of Duncan/Diaw and Splitter.

In comparison:

Diaw: $9.2M/2 years
Novak: $15M/ 4 years

lol

Tim Duncan has just signed for 3 years, expected to be around 36 mil (same contract KG just got).

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--tim-duncan-to-sign-three-year-contract-with-spurs.html

Speculation that Timmy will get 3 years he also speculates it will be similar to the garnett deal for 36 million

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--tim-duncan-to-sign-three-year-contract-with-spurs.html

edit: I was slow (btw it says "Will sign" not has signed)

[This message has been edited by No Handlebars (edited 7/10/2012 10:58a).]

Ludden doesn't miss. It's done.

He also says Mills will re-sign. Looks like we're bringing back the same team plus De Colo which I am okay with. Kawhi and Green will progress even more. Diaw will be even more comfortable in our offense. Hopefully we can improve defensivley.

It's being reported that Blatche will be amnestied. He might be a good fit, though I don't know how we could get him with all of our funds running dry. I think the only way we can acquire that extra big is with a trade.

If the Spurs can turn Splitter/Blair/Neal into a decent, big post I'll be pretty ecstatic about how this offseason has gone.

De Colo says his deal with the Spurs will be for two years.

Why would the Spurs move Blair? He's only got a year left and they are getting him super cheap. He's a great guy to have on your team during the regular season, as he helps keep the other bigs fresh for the playoffs. I don't see why you move him, and what team wants to give up anything of substance for a non-cap clearing, super-cheap, one year rental on an undersized big?

If they can get De Colo, you have to think they give it a go with him being the only addition to last year's roster. They were only 2 wins and a non-psychological breakdown from the finals.

I'm mildly surprised Duncan is going for 3 more years, because I thought it'd only be 2 more like Manu.

Stephen Jackson is their only real trade chip with that one year left on his deal, and they might be able to swing a deal for him and chain Bonner to it. That would be enough salary to get back a pretty decent player in return.

Although, after the way he played in the playoffs, I'm not sure getting rid of Jackson is a great idea. He is older and looked kind of 'meh' in the regular season though.

Neal/Bonner/Blair package for a decent Big and i will be a very happy camper.

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America's destiny is not of our own choosing. We did not seek nor did we provoke an assault on our freedom and our way of life. We did not expect nor did we invite a confrontation with evil. Yet the true measure of a people's strength is how they rise to master that moment when it does arrive.

Neal/Bonner/Blair package for a decent Big and i will be a very happy camper.

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America's destiny is not of our own choosing. We did not seek nor did we provoke an assault on our freedom and our way of life. We did not expect nor did we invite a confrontation with evil. Yet the true measure of a people's strength is how they rise to master that moment when it does arrive.

As it stands right now, this roster will have 8 international players.

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Why would the Spurs move Blair? He's only got a year left and they are getting him super cheap. He's a great guy to have on your team during the regular season, as he helps keep the other bigs fresh for the playoffs. I don't see why you move him, and what team wants to give up anything of substance for a non-cap clearing, super-cheap, one year rental on an undersized big?

If they can get De Colo, you have to think they give it a go with him being the only addition to last year's roster. They were only 2 wins and a non-psychological breakdown from the finals.

I'm mildly surprised Duncan is going for 3 more years, because I thought it'd only be 2 more like Manu.

Stephen Jackson is their only real trade chip with that one year left on his deal, and they might be able to swing a deal for him and chain Bonner to it. That would be enough salary to get back a pretty decent player in return.

Although, after the way he played in the playoffs, I'm not sure getting rid of Jackson is a great idea. He is older and looked kind of 'meh' in the regular season though.

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You get rid of Blair because he is useless in the playoffs, unlikely to get better, knows he is not getting a contract after this year, and takes up a roster spot. It's not that he's a bad guy to have, but there is no particular reason to have him other than soaking up minutes in the regular season. They can probably find someone taller than 6'7 to do that.

Jackson is a good trade chip, but he is also really valuable for his defense and physical and mental toughness (raining threes was a bonus; any offense from him is pure gravy). He's a little expensive, but I'd like to see the Spurs hang on to him now and maybe get him to re-sign a little cheaper down the road. Plus, I hope Leonard is learning defense from Jackson.

It's obvious and clear that Blair is unhappy. This doesn't bode well for how he will play since he is very young and seems to be really emotional. With Blair this season, it's going to be in the back of his mind all year that whatever he does in the regular season isn't good enough for the playoffs. He has already had weight issues in the past that has put him in Pops doghouse and you definitely have to worry if he's going to be totally motivated this season.

Now why do we move Blair? Becuase the Spurs desperately need another big man outside of Duncan/Diaw and Splitter. If Blair has any kind of value (which won't be much tbh) the Spurs need to look into trying whatever it takes to package any combination of Neal, Blair and Bonner for another capable big man. Preferably someone who's above 6'9'.

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no particular reason to have him other than soaking up minutes in the regular season

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Soaking up minutes in the regular season is a good thing, especially for the Spurs. Tell me who they can sign for $1M or less per year who is taller than 6'7", who could do a comparable job to Blair, especially on the offensive end. There is no one who matches that description.

I also don't understand shipping away Tiago and Neal. Both have some improving to do over the offseason, but neither are on a bad contract and neither need to improve by leaps and bounds to significantly help the team.

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It's obvious and clear that Blair is unhappy. This doesn't bode well for how he will play since he is very young and seems to be really emotional. With Blair this season, it's going to be in the back of his mind all year that whatever he does in the regular season isn't good enough for the playoffs. He has already had weight issues in the past that has put him in Pops doghouse and you definitely have to worry if he's going to be totally motivated this season.

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This is not well thought out. Money talks. Blair is in a contract year. He will play his ass off for his own financial livelihood.

He will get over the hurt feelings, if anything, to show teams he's a tough player and he belongs in a regular NBA rotation...which he does.

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This is not well thought out. Money talks. Blair is in a contract year. He will play his ass off for his own financial livelihood.

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Blair eating up too many minutes all season would be a terrible thing again. Spurs already had trouble adjusting to new rotations and doing it again is setting yourself up for failure.

If his value is really low right now then letting him play the first half of the season (if he's playing motivated) might be a good thing to get his value up for a mid-season trade but by no means should the Spurs keep Blair through the playoffs again.

Keeping players on the roster when you know they can't contribute when it matters doesn't make one bit of sense.

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I'm mildly surprised Duncan is going for 3 more years, because I thought it'd only be 2 more like Manu.

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Manu has 1 year left not 2. He will be an UFA this summer and I wouldn't be surprised to see him get 2 more years after this season to match him up with Duncan.

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Stephen Jackson is their only real trade chip with that one year left on his deal, and they might be able to swing a deal for him and chain Bonner to it. That would be enough salary to get back a pretty decent player in return.

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His expiring can definitely be used as a trade chip although trades that revolve around expiring contracts usually happen mid-season when teams realize they are out of the playoff hunt.

It would be a bad idea to trade Jax. His toughness is invaluable.

Plus, he can still make sweet sensual love to pressure.

Ok. I was going off what Manu said in an interview the other day. He must've misspoke.

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Keeping players on the roster when you know they can't contribute when it matters doesn't make one bit of sense.

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Which is exactly why they should dump Bonner, who is wasting a sizable amount of money, before any other current player on the roster.

He brings nothing to the table after April 1. If they could turn Bonner into a couple end of the bench guys with Danny Green / Gary Neal potential, that would be fine.

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It's being reported that Blatche will be amnestied. He might be a good fit, though I don't know how we could get him with all of our funds running dry. I think the only way we can acquire that extra big is with a trade.

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If Blatche is indeed Amnestied then someone under the cap will likely claim him off waivers. If the Spurs want to offer a package to Washington for Blatche then that is possible. Blatche is set to make just over 7M this season so it would take a package of Bonner+Blair+Neal+Joseph.

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Plus, he can still make sweet sensual love to pressure.

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We know that's true.

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Which is exactly why they should dump Bonner, who is wasting a sizable amount of money, before any other current player on the roster.

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I agree. The Spurs need to do anything possible to get another big on the roster at the expense of Bonner. If it takes Neal and Blair to do so then that's fine.

and fwiw the Spurs have until July 17 to amnesty Bonner if that is an option they are considering (not saying they are).

Oh, I'm fully on board with trading/canning Bonner.

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Soaking up minutes in the regular season is a good thing, especially for the Spurs. Tell me who they can sign for $1M or less per year who is taller than 6'7", who could do a comparable job to Blair, especially on the offensive end. There is no one who matches that description.

I also don't understand shipping away Tiago and Neal. Both have some improving to do over the offseason, but neither are on a bad contract and neither need to improve by leaps and bounds to significantly help the team.

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On the offense end, Blair offensive rebounds, finishes pick and rolls, and takes stupid shots. There are lots of 6'8-6'10 guys who can do that. I liked his energy and he occasionally rebounds well, but he's got no post game, he's undersized, and he turns the ball over too much. He is very replaceable even though the Spurs' offense got him 9.5 ppg.


The problem with Neal is that his contract has ended and he deserves more dollars, minutes, and shots than the Spurs can or will give him. He's also deficient on defense, which doesn't help his case. Splitter... I wouldn't mind keeping him, but unless he takes a huge step forward this offseason he's not going to contribute in the playoffs. He is also a decent trading piece, which is what the Spurs need to secure someone with more upside and defensive presence.

[This message has been edited by Ulrich (edited 7/10/2012 4:42p).]

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The problem with Neal is that his contract has ended and he deserves more dollars, minutes, and shots than the Spurs can or will give him. He's also deficient on defense, which doesn't help his case. Splitter... I wouldn't mind keeping him, but unless he takes a huge step forward this offseason he's not going to contribute in the playoffs. He is also a decent trading piece, which is what the Spurs need to secure someone with more upside and defensive presence.

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Pretty much.

The order of trade assets that the Spurs have and are most likely willing to give up if the right deal is offered would be as follows:

Splitter $3.9M
Neal $845K
Blair $1.05M
Bonner $3.6M

Obviously being able to trade Neal/Blair and Bonner for a capable big man while keeping Splitter would be the preferred route but Splitter being in the equation is not out of the picture for the many reasons stated in this thread already. Also, all of these players are FA's next off-season with the exception of Bonner.


[This message has been edited by Sher Thing (edited 7/10/2012 5:07p).]