Was listening to sports talk this morning and somebody said that Vegas put out the odds for winning the NBA Championship next year... the Spurs are sitting 2nd in the odss... behind Miami. Bwahahahaha!

Would the spurs not go over the luxury tax if it meant building for the future, knowing that the big three only have around a season left?

[This message has been edited by Blackgold (edited 6/16/2014 1:04p).]

Yep Heat are currently favored to win next year. Pretty retarded, but that may have more to do with us having less of a chance to play them again and more to do with the Heat possibly getting a team like OKC that they'll stomp.

It was

Heat 5/2
OKC 7/1
Spurs 7/1

If I recall correctly.

If the Spurs somehow added LeBron they could go 82-0, don't see it though.

Diaw would not be nearly as effective on another team because he isn't much of a scorer and if you focus any effort on him he is easy to stop. He is so deadly with the Spurs because he is a great passer and is a matchup problem with the other 4 the Spurs can put around him. He also plays decent D. Any way you slice it though his greatness comes from being a role player and role players don't make much more than the MLE. Diaw also has made a lot of money and is playing with his best friend for titles. Doubt he is too excited about making a move unless someone is stupid and offers him $10 mill or something like that which shouldn't happen.

Mills is more likely to go as he hasn't gotten the big check yet. The Spurs have nurtured him though and he is clearly happy there, his minutes will also only increase as Tony gets older. He is also another player that wouldn't be as effective elsewhere. He can't drive to the hoop like Tony and gets most of his points with outside shooting which isn't great for most teams when it comes to a PG. He is a decent but not great passer. He is ok at defense but his lack of size would get exposed more often on a lot of teams, the Spurs have a lot of ways to hide his weaknesses. Hope they can keep him.

Gasol would be awesome on this team. He is too old to be the feature guy in LA while Kobe gets paid $30 mill to be injured. He is a great passer, can stretch the floor or finish, and he plays decent defense. He would be an upgrade if they lost Diaw.

I would guess that Gasol would take the MLE with Memphis before he would take it with San Antonio.

I don't think any team is ready to give Mills the keys to the starting role and I don't think he gets offered the full MLE by anyone. I think Mills would be smart to do a 2y deal that he can opt out of after 1 so that he can test it again with another year to prove this wasn't a fluke and/or just because he is a system player (*gary neal*) Even Neal played a bigger role last year than Mills did this year and he only got a 2y/6mm deal from a team that makes bad decisions. I think Patty gets a 2y/9mm deal at most.

I've always thought that Shane Battier, like Grant Hill, would fit well in the Spurs locker room. A good choice as a backup to Leonard.

Battier's done. He's taking his shar pei talents to Bristol.

Love's skills would fit fairly well (great on offense, not so great on defense), but we wouldn't pay him like he's expected to get paid and his numbers would drop here. I'm going to run some numbers late this evening or maybe tomorrow to look for good fits.

Yeah, I won't blame Mills if he gets a good deal and takes it. He's learned from the best and has his ring... no reason not to take care of himself now. But I also agree the best way to take care of himself might be to play here 1 or 2 more years. The dude was flat out filthy at times... he's one of several guys that can feel good that they had a MAJOR contribution to winning a title.



If we really can get this team back together next year, it's gonna be a heck of a show!!! So funny how this year we all said "Just win one more so we can forget about 2013". If all the key players come back for next year, we are all gonna get greedy and start saying "We gotta win it this year, Duncan and crew have never won back-to-back... if they can do that....."

PS: I want to know when the "OFFICIAL SPURS 2014 CHAMPIONSHIP DVD" will be available!!! Hopefully I won't have to order sports illustrated or some crap like that to get it. I'm ready to buy right now!

Mills did outscore everyone on the Heat other than LeBron in games 4 & 5.

I really hope you are right about Mills. In my opinion he is a much better ball handler and defender than Neal. I think he took better shots than Neal and was more consistent, even if he didn't have quite as many high scoring games.

Undersized point guards that can shoot are more valuable than undersized two guards that can shoot. I think the Spurs would match up to $5 million for Mills if it came to that. He is that good in this system and still young enough to get better. If the Spurs can develop his driving and passing skills just a bit he could be a real player. Thank goodness he is only 5'11" or else he would be gone.

The Spurs have shown they will pay a premium for niche players. Splitter and Bonner both got bigger contracts than they likely would have in the open market. I think Mills may get a similar deal. As Manu ages and Parker slows down it sure is nice to have a 3rd legitimate ball handler. I think the Spurs will give a good faith contract to Patty in the $4-5 million range for 2-3 years. Heck just give him Bonner's $4 million salary and be done with it.

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I've always thought that Shane Battier, like Grant Hill, would fit well in the Spurs locker room. A good choice as a backup to Leonard.

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That's a great idea as recently as 2010. Not so much anymore. Now, if he wants a job as an assistant coach, then by all means bring him aboard.

I've said before that I think Gasol would be a great option for about three years for the right price. He's not the future, but he's a PF/C who can stretch the defense, give you more size in the post, and do everything from rebounding to passing to scoring well. 20-11-3.8 and 1.8 blocks per 36 minutes last year. Not bad to shore up the middle while the Spurs rearrange the payroll to make room for Kawhi and the next post player.

[This message has been edited by Ulrich (edited 6/16/2014 1:43p).]

I still see OKC as the biggest threat. If Westbrook ever defers to KD then they will be very tough.

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I still see OKC as the biggest threat. If Westbrook ever defers to KD then they will be very tough.

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I feel the same way! Dallas was our toughest playoff game, but they played out of their mind and they also got some help with a miracle 3 to win a game... my first thought about next season was "well, OKC is the biggest threat once again".

But what has me the most excited about next year (if everybody comes back), is that this team found a way to not only beat, but put up a lot of points against OKC and Miami's defense. Both those groups were very active and physical against SA and were very effective at stopping them the last 2 years. Our current group of guys figured out how to overcome that. Give us another year together, to keep the continuity going and we could be scary good next year.

I mean, just think how good this team was after the all-star break into the playoffs. Like, really friggin good! And I think it has everything to do with guys like Mills, Diaw and Kawhi really coming into their own. Not so much because their skills are vastly improved, but because they simply know their place and when it's their time to throw down, they do it like the big boys do!!!

We don't know what Dallas will be like next year though. Marion/Vince/Dirk are all free agents.

Why wouldn't lebron want to play for pop? He showed him tons of respect after the game and during the post game press confrence. If lebron wants rings, he needs to play with a good coach that can surround him with what he needs.

He can't win anymore rings by himself.

[This message has been edited by Blackgold (edited 6/16/2014 2:20p).]

A. Lebron will never want to play for the Spurs. Ever.

B. The league would veto the move even if he did want to. It just wouldn't be fair (think Paul to the Lakers).

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A. Lebron will never want to play for the Spurs. Ever.

B. The league would veto the move even if he did want to. It just wouldn't be fair (think Paul to the Lakers).

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How would it not be fair? I don't think the nba would veto. I think you point (A) would be the biggest obstacle.

However, I think lebron is finally realizing he can't win anymore rings by himself and needs support. He know he's the best, every knows he's the best, but the best teams win rings these days.

For a player like lebron who is already making $100 MM/yr, I don't see why he needs a huge contract. If I were him, I would want to play for my legacy and no great legacy is complete without a hand full or rings.

THe lower half of my post was sarcasm.

League only vetoed the Paul trade because they controlled the Hornets at the time.

lebron wanted to be the first billionaire nba player. mj just surpassed this so i'm sure his sights are even higher. he's great but it's more of a business to him than guys like duncan. the heat will keep him and try to re-tool around him. i think if they get k-love, they could be great but melo would make that team worse.

I thought Bron wanted a billion+7 rings.

Signing with the Spurs puts you closer to 7 rings. You don't become a billionaire on your NBA salary. He had just $53mm in endorsements last year, so he's a long way off from a billion on that front.

I'm not a LeBron fan, but I acknowledge the dude's skills. You can put him on a lot of teams and they will be championship contenders. I obviously give the Spurs a ton of credit for their beat down of Miami, but let's not kid ourselves, other than LeBron the Heat played TERRIBLE!!!! Chalmers, Wade most of the time, Cole... like pretty much everybody played terrible the entire series.

LeBron doesn't need the Spurs to have a chance at more rings. Just give the guy another All-star caliber player with solid starters and a competent bench and he can elevate that team to compete.

I almost felt bad for the guy at times during this series. He absolutely took over at times... crazy long range 3's, contested 3's,... and yet he'd still pass the ball looking to get his teammates into the game... and those guys wet the bed just about every time. It was pathetic.

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LeBron doesn't need the Spurs to have a chance at more rings. Just give the guy another All-star caliber player with solid starters and a competent bench and he can elevate that team to compete.

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Building that is easier said than done.

Spurs already have it built and he could plug and play. He just wouldn't make much money.

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I almost felt bad for the guy at times during this series. He absolutely took over at times... crazy long range 3's, contested 3's,... and yet he'd still pass the ball looking to get his teammates into the game... and those guys wet the bed just about every time. It was pathetic.

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I actually felt a little bad for him last night. Beginning of the 3rd quarter, he kept passing it around, his teammates kept missing. My sympathy for LeBron was overshadowed by my Spurs just won a championship joy.

Lebron can compete just about anywhere. The difference is that Lebron in San Antonio is as close to a lock for a title as has ever existed. You're talking about adding the best player in the league to a team that is already considered by many to be among the top 5 or 10 teams of all time. A starting lineup of Parker, Lebron, Leonard, Duncan, and Splitter (or maybe Diaw and Duncan). You do cut your rotation by one player, but there is so much versatility 1 through 4 that it probably doesn't matter.

[This message has been edited by Ulrich (edited 6/16/2014 3:35p).]

LeBron may average a triple double on that team.

Big lineup:
Splitter
Duncan
Kawhi
LeBron
Green

Running lineup:
Diaw
LeBron
Kawhi
Manu or Patty
Parker

The DNP-OLD lineup:
Bonner
Bonner
Bonner
Bonner
Bonner

No doubt, it would be sick. Absolutely sick. There would literally be no stopping this team if it happened. They could challenge the Bulls record for most Wins/Losses in as season (which would put them in single digit losses for the year).

It's like everybody has said... the fact that LeBron can play defense, can take over a game at any moment but still play team basketball, is a threat to take it to the rim as well as shoot the 3 ball... you add that to a Pop run San Antonio team with our current set of guys... that's just not fair to everybody else!

There are only a couple teams with defenders that can do a decent job on Lebron. One of those teams is San Antonio. OK, you put your best defender on Lebron and he still scores 25. Who covers Parker and Kawhi?

Haha can't believe bron is actually being discussed. Would be awesome though. Realistically I say we have to re-sign bobo and patty even if that means dipping into the mle. What both of those guys bring is irreplaceable. I would also love to have pau. He would be great duncan insurance for a season.

Rumors already surfacing that the Knicks want Patty Mills as their starting PG. But the article I read says they would likely be offering him only 3-4 million per year. The Spurs could match / beat that easily. But how bad does Patty want to be a starter?

I don't understand why you would want to go from San Antonio to the Knicks unless it's for at least double the money. The best franchise to one of the most dysfunctional; free agent hullabaloo incoming; rookie head coach vs Pop; unknown style vs one that highlights Patty's skills perfectly. Also, I don't know if he's really friends with Baynes, but they've been playing with each other since their mid teens.