Latest on Patty. Real bad news for him.

A shoulder injury has forced a devastated Patrick Mills to withdraw from Australia's world cup campaign as the NBA championship-winner faces up to seven months out of action.

Fairfax Media can reveal Mills will have surgery in the coming days to repair the rotator cuff in his right shoulder.

Jeff Goodman @GoodmanESPN
Josh McRoberts drawn interest from Charlotte, Dallas, Clev, Miami, Clippers, Knicks, Portland, Phoenix, Spurs and Lakers, source told ESPN.

Maybe with Patty's injury, other teams will back off and make it easier for us to resign him. Does anyone know if it's his shooting shoulder?

Bazemore isn't a terrible guy to look at. He's obviously going to be an end of the bench guy here, but he really stepped up playing for the lowly Lakers. He's a pretty good defender (though his advanced numbers won't show it), and while he's not a great shooter, he improved to shoot a respectable 37% from 3.

It is his shooting shoulder. My guess is he could probably continue to play on it but it's something that needs to be fixed and the recovery time is pretty bad.

The Spurs will take care of Patty but this could result in him getting a little less on the market. Hope he stays though.



[This message has been edited by Sher Thing (edited 7/1/2014 11:06p).]

According to Marc Stein, the spurs and patty are already working out a deal for him to return. His value definitely took a hit with the injury news but the spurs are going to take care of him and bring him back.

What will be more interesting is to see if the spurs bring in another guard now. Cory will do an admirable job, I'm sure of it but the spurs still might need another G.

You gotta wonder if Cojo isn't possibly looking to be dealt. He played well in his minutes this past season, but with the emergence of Patty, those minutes were few and far between. He's good enough to be a rotational player somewhere, and I'm not sure how long he's willing to hang out on the end of the Spurs bench.

With Patty out until January on, Cojo is essential. It's also a contract year for him and he knows he has the backup pg spot all to himself at the moment,

The Spurs need him more than ever and this is his big opportunity.

Best case scenario is he plays so well that when Patty does come back Pop has trouble finding him minutes. With Patty out half the season at least Cojo is now huge. No way he is dealt.

Poor patty. He really deserved a nice contract. But possibly good for the spurs from a financial standpoint.

Patty will get his. Sign him for one year, keep your flexibility for 2015-16 and everyone wins.

Woj said he'd be out until at least march. Spurs pretty much have to prepare like he's out for the year. They need to sign another guard as well.

quote:

---

Woj said he'd be out until at least march.

---

Damn. So it's pretty much an inactive season for him. Even if he does come back in March, he won't be 100% for playoffs.

Sucks to lose him. I think our chances to finally repeat took a big hit today.

It really does suck. No two ways around it. Going to cost Patty millions as well.

The Kent Bazemore reports intrigue me. We need another energy guy who can shoot, defend and make plays. Cory will most likely get the primary duties as backup PG and while some aren't high on him (prob cuz he's a sip) he has shown development in his game every season. He will do an admirable job but the Spurs still need that change of pace guy. Cory is solid but not a game changer like Patty.

The one requirement for anyone the Spurs sign to help replace Patty is they have to be able to guard opposing PG's as well. Right now, without Patty, we have two guys on the roster that can guard opposing PG's. Tony and Cory.

It is concerning about Mills. Will he be motivated to stay in good shape after he signs a new contract and can't play basketball for 7 months? Losing his 10 pts a game and his spark will be hard to replace. Add in that another primary ball handler in old man Manu is playing this summer and you really need another ballhandler and shooter on the roster as insurance.

Joseph has improved every year, but he isn't a scoring threat and I would say is a 3rd string PG at best for a championship caliber team.

The only good news about this, is it will likely give the Spurs a couple more years of Patty Mills at a decent price. At the end of those couple years, they likely will have a much better idea if Mills could ever be Parker's replacement or if he is just a spark and bench player. I tend to think he wouldn't be nearly as good or valuable as a starter and offensive facilitator but he can still develop so it gives the Spurs a chance to see where his ceiling is.

Green and Leonard really need to show they deserve to get paid. They needs to work on their ball handling and facilitating game as the ballhandler in the pick and roll game. They both have the athleticism to do it and have shown flashes, they just needs to work on their game and keep improving.

quote:

---

Green and Leonard really need to show they deserve to get paid.

---

He just won Finals MVP. I think Leonard has shown what he needs to show.

I disagree on Leonard. He has not shown he is a max player yet. He can be much better and can be a sure fire max player if he keeps developing. Right now I would say the Spurs would have a hard time deciding if he deserves max money even after the finals MVP.

He can defintely work on his pick and roll game and ball handling and the Spurs need him to this offseason.

I think CoJo will make a big step up this year. The problem is that Mills was supposed to help cover for Manu quite a bit especially early in the season, so now there is a two player gap.

If Kyle Anderson can contribute, Green can get his drives going a little bit, and Leonard can be more of a playmaker, the Spurs shouldn't lose much. Wouldn't mind seeing if Bryce Cotton can knock down a couple shots when the Toros aren't playing.

quote:

---

I disagree on Leonard. He has not shown he is a max player yet. He can be much better and can be a sure fire max player if he keeps developing. Right now I would say the Spurs would have a hard time deciding if he deserves max money even after the finals MVP.

---

Lol the Spurs have zero leverage here. They will pay Leonard exactly what the Market decides. There are no other alternatives.


As for Green, he is what he is. If he could dribble and facilitate he would be on the of the best guards in the game and would have left the Spurs a long time ago. The only reason the Spurs can afford him is because he can't dribble.

quote:

---

Wouldn't mind seeing if Bryce Cotton can knock down a couple shots when the Toros aren't playing

---

This is definitely a guy to watch. The Spurs are reportedly high on him and I expect he will get ample opportunity in the Summer League. Wouldn't surprise me to see him on the roster.

quote:

---

He can defintely work on his pick and roll game and ball handling and the Spurs need him to this offseason.

---

The Spurs have put Leonard in 0 pick and roll situations since he's been here. Pop even admitted to calling exactly 0 plays for him during the playoffs. That wasn't a lie. All Leonard's game comes in the flow of the game and what he creates for himself. It's up to Pop and the Spurs to utilize Leonard more in these situations because they haven't yet.

So what kind of max player gets zero plays called for him?

I think we are saying the same thing. His role needs to expand and his game can develop as he becomes a max player.

Leonard will likely need to handle the ball much more as Manu and Parker age and with Mills out. He can improve this part of his game and I think he will.

quote:

---

So what kind of max player gets zero plays called for him?

---

It's not really a fair assessment considering the offense he plays in. Guy would be a cornerstone on any other team. Not needed here. Doesn't mean he isn't a max player. (By the way, I'm not saying he is or isn't, the market will decide that and the Spurs have no option but to pay him)

quote:

---

The Spurs have put Leonard in 0 pick and roll situations since he's been here. Pop even admitted to calling exactly 0 plays for him during the playoffs. That wasn't a lie. All Leonard's game comes in the flow of the game and what he creates for himself. It's up to Pop and the Spurs to utilize Leonard more in these situations because they haven't yet.

---

His ball-handling, while better than it looks, is still a little clumsy to put him in many pick and rolls. It would be nice if he could add that to his game as well as a few more drive and dish plays.

Green doesn't need to be Kyrie Irving with the ball, but if he can start finishing the straight line drives that are often there like he did that one game in the finals.... He's got a decent one dribble pullup jumper, and I've been saying for a while that adding a consistent floater to his arsenal would make him a much more dangerous player. That quick high release forces reckless closeouts. For the most part he doesn't do much with them; he either shoots or kicks it around the perimeter.

quote:

---

Leonard will likely need to handle the ball much more as Manu and Parker age and with Mills out.

---

That's definitely the next step. Not sure if Pop will be the guy who turns the reigns over to him though. Pop might try to run it back like he did this year and go out with Duncan after this season leaving the next coach in charge of figuring that out.

Green shot 42% on drives this season and 43% on dribble pull ups. He's more effective than people give him credit for in these facets. It's not pretty by any means but it's surprisingly effective.

Like I said though, you can't expect a player like him to do too much. Guy would be getting payed 15M a year if he could dribble, run the p&r and create for others.

He needs to be better with the ball? Yeah that's a realistic goal but lets not get carried away here. He's a specialist. He's out there for threes and defense and he does those things great.

quote:

---

Undrafted free agent Bryce Cotton of Providence has agreed with Spurs on a partially guaranteed two-year deal, league sources tell RealGM.

---

Sean Marks "not sure" if he will return to Spurs bench next year. I guess that would open the spot for Etorre Messina.

Not sure if Marks want's to get back into the business part of things or has an opportunity elsewhere.

Green was 47% on drives in the regular season.

1. Given that opponents openly invite him to drive, that's fairly bad.
2. He's one of the lowest percentage drivers on the team. Weird stat: Tiago shot 100% on 9 drives last year.
3. His FG% on drives is below the team's FG% and well below the team's eFG%.

Right now, the correct play is to close hard on Green, let him drive, and not help very much because one of the best defensive plays you can make against the Spurs is to let DG brick a floater.

I'm not saying he needs to get better at dribbling, not learn how to go around people, handle in the pick and roll, bring the ball up, or finish in traffic. Just figure out how to pump fake, take two dribbles, and shoot open floaters from two very specific spots on the floor at about 55%. One move that forces either a more cautious closeout or a better rotation.

Sounds good to me:

Cotton has done something notable at almost every workout he has attended. In Sacramento, he broke a shooting record by hitting 15 consecutive 3 pointers in 53 seconds. He beat the old record by 5 seconds. In Boston, he did the second most full court laps ever recorded (28) in the infamous Boston Marathon drill. At a recent workout for the Washington Wizards, Bryce recorded a 44 inch vertical leap. The Wizards have never had anyone with a 44 inch vertical in the history of their workouts. Just for good measure, Bryce followed that up by recording another 44 inch vertical in Memphis soon after he did it in Washington. Per a team source at one recent workout, "he impressed the entire staff with his point guard skills." Another team source from another recent workout was "impressed that he has several ways to score...and appears to do it effortlessly." That team was also impressed with his maturity and the efficiency with which he ran the offense and distributed the ball. But maybe the most telling thing came after one of Cotton’s first workouts. The GM of the team took Bryce’s agent aside and told him that he needed to get Bryce in front of as many NBA people as possible for an interview because you cannot help but like Bryce Cotton. “You just want to give this kid a hug and he has the perfect balance of humility and confidence,” said the GM.

In addition to all of that, Cotton is a young senior at only 21 years of age. That's something that will work in his favor with NBA teams.

On Patty, reports vary on how long he'll be out. Some places you read 6 months (January), some a little longer.

You never know how injury rehab will work out. They can't plan on him being in top form by the end of the year, but that's not to say Patty being Patty by next April / May isn't attainable, because it is. We're still a full 10 months away from the 2nd round of the playoffs.

[This message has been edited by aggie_2001_2005 (edited 7/2/2014 12:01p).]

quote:

---

Green was 47% on drives in the regular season.

1. Given that opponents openly invite him to drive, that's fairly bad.
2. He's one of the lowest percentage drivers on the team. Weird stat: Tiago shot 100% on 9 drives last year.
3. His FG% on drives is below the team's FG% and well below the team's eFG%.

Right now, the correct play is to close hard on Green, let him drive, and not help very much because one of the best defensive plays you can make against the Spurs is to let DG brick a floater.

I'm not saying he needs to get better at dribbling, not learn how to go around people, handle in the pick and roll, bring the ball up, or finish in traffic. Just figure out how to pump fake, take two dribbles, and shoot open floaters from two very specific spots on the floor at about 55%. One move that forces either a more cautious closeout or a better rotation.

---

Lol I'm not sure what the point of all this is or what you're trying to get at here.

Danny is never going to be great at putting the ball on the floor. He will never be effective or a go to option in the p&r. He's a 3 pt specialist who's primary job is to defend. That's why he gets payed 4M. If he was good at the things you keep talking about he wouldn't be playing here as he would be playing for a lot more money somehwhere else.

You want him to do better around the rim? Ok, yeah I hope he gets better at that as I do everyone else. Don't hold your breath. He is what he is. His potential has been hit.

Did you even read what I wrote?

Green also shot .679% at the rim last season (55/81)

He shot .431% from 3-10 ft out.(22/51)

He shot .293% from 10-16 ft out. (12/41)


He also shot .640% on layups. (48/75) which the "floater" is categorized under.

Yeah you want him to learn how to pump fake and take 2 dribbles and shoot. He doesn't have the quickness, proper release and ball handling to be great at this move. According to his numbers, when he drives he's pretty effective.

The majority of his layups come off of baseline cuts. Are you messing with me right now? Did I write in the wrong language or something? I'm not trying to be mean, just wondering if I communicated correctly.

I didn't realize I was saying something controversial or difficult. The simple, specific move I'm hoping he can add is literally less than what Matt Bonner can do off the dribble. How is it beyond comprehension for a professional athlete to add a single move to his game? You keep arguing against something I have been very careful not to say.

[This message has been edited by Ulrich (edited 7/2/2014 12:47p).]