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Official 2020-21 NBA Finals - Milwaukee Bucks win the NBA Championship!

absolutely iconic DAJ

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That was such an epic dunk.
 
Spurs and Aldridge mutually agree to part ways.

 
They must have something in the works, I wouldn't think you'd put it out there unless a deal was close.
 
Deac83 said:
They must have something in the works, I wouldn't think you'd put it out there unless a deal was close.
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Not based on what we've seen with Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin. Seems to be a new way to do business.

I've read that the Spurs will consider buying him out so he can go elsewhere for the vet minimum like Blake did. By trade or buyout, the Celtics seem to be the most likely team.

Looks like Pop is going back to the regular rotation with an almost full squad (Vassell is still out). No Lyles, Luka, or Bates-Diop. Walker seems to be comfortable with his spot off the bench.

I'm eager to see these next 40 games and this offseason has a lot of question marks. DeRozan is probably the best player they can sign with all that cap space. But they have a bunch of good young wings. They can probably keep Gay and Mills for a good price. Still room to add a good player. Will they throw a max deal at Collins? Sign Jarrett Allen to an offer sheet? There aren't many good bigs out there in the FA class.
 
^^^The Spurs only need one good big, either by FA or trade or draft. By working things out with Aldridge, the Spurs are in much better shape to stay in the playoff hunt or mini-tank into the lottery.

From Aldrdge's side, he soon will be able to work a cheap deal with a playoff contender if he wants to chase a ring.
 
The Spurs are in a weird situation this offseason. They have plenty of cap room, but they're not a major player in FA. Aldridge is the only big time FA in the last 20 years.

They have a bunch of young promising players under manageable contracts, but it may be a few seasons before they make the leap if at all. Could Dejounte Murray, Keldon Johnson, and Devin Vassell become a Big 3? Maybe. If so, when? Murray could get there next year. Johnson and Vassell are a few years away. So are the Spurs fine with wings or do they need to keep DeRozan who is a borderline all-star now, but will decline (will be 32 next season). I'd be fine signing DeRozan to a 2 year deal, but I'm sure he wants more. And I'm guessing he wants to find his way to the Clippers or Lakers (from Compton, went to USC) or maybe back to Toronto.

The Spurs definitely need bigs, but there aren't going to be many good options in FA. Jarrett Allen is a TX guy who may want to come home but I think the Cavs are going to be able to offer more. Same deal with Collins. I just don't think there are good odds of the Spurs getting a talented young big in free agency.

It looks like the choice is between spending to keep Mills and Gay and hopefully DeRozan or spending to get guys who are comparable to them and probably not on the level of DeRozan. Either way, the future relies on the last five drafts and the 2021 draft.
 
I like these Spurs and they have a lot of good players and Pop is the greatest better-than-the-sum-of-parts coach in history probably, but I don't see any guy on that roster that can be #1 -- or maybe even #2 -- on a conference finals team in today's superteam NBA

maybe the pendulum swings back toward teams like the Spurs with good players top to bottom and a good bench, but I don't think Murray or DeRozan sniff that top-10 talent needed to lead a team like that

you look at the Kawhi Raptors or last year's Heat and see how a Kawhi or a Jimmy Butler with a group like this could take the Spurs, with some luck, pretty far, but I don't see their path to landing such a guy given their lack of destination status for free agents and their too-good-for-high-draft-picks records
 
The Spurs are definitely elite at middle-later picking in the draft, too, getting a ton of value in those slots, but that only takes you so far. You're rarely if ever gonna get a superstar outside the lottery. That puts a ceiling on even the best run organizations who are perpetual playoff teams outside big markets.
 
Juice and Townie, I agree with you. The Spurs became a very good franchise because of #1 pick David Robinson. The Spurs became a great franchise because of #1 pick Tim Duncan. They made a brilliant draft day trade for Kawhi and he developed into a star. So they've had that guy, that surefire #1 guy. Losing Kawhi derailed the franchise long term.

This roster has three possible options in order of likelihood from most to least likely. None of them are a sure thing at all but they're at least possible.

1. Devin Vassell becomes a #1 option.

Vassell is that lottery pick who could be a superstar. It's early. He looks like he could be an elite 3 and D guy. He shoots 40% from deep. He barely plays and he averages over a steal a game. He looks like he could be the next Kawhi or perhaps a Klay. Murray and Johnson are tall lanky X-factor type guys, but they don't have the profile of being the best player on a contender.

2. Get a star in FA or trade.

Even the "likely" FAs aren't at that level yet, but obviously it would be incredible to get Allen or Collins and have a young big with a high upside. I'm not sure there is big or tall wing FA who could be that Jimmy Butler. I do think the Spurs could have the type of 2 players and a 1st rounder combo that could be a trade package for a veteran leader looking for new scenery. Need to think about who that could possibly be.

3. Draft a star.

The Spurs will be drafting mid-round somewhere between 10-20. They could get a star but it's not likely.

Other than that, the Spurs just have to keep developing young players. Right now, I'm going to enjoy having a bunch of young rangy athletes and a solid C and watching them grow.
 
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Well, Kawhi was not in the same class as Robinson and Duncan when he came in. Moving George Hill for him wasn't immediately seen as brilliant. Kawhi benefited by being sheltered by the Spurs and allowed to develop, not that he would admit that.

The other option they have:

- a Tony Parker - drafted last in the 1st round
- Overseas player like Manu they've stashed to develop in Europe

Short to getting a sure fire top player, they are going to need to pull out some Parker's and/or Manu types.
 
G League Finals today at 4:30 on ESPN2 in Orlando.

Delaware Blue Coats vs Lakeland Magic

It's been a few years since I've closely followed the Blue Coats (used to be the 87ers) because the Sixers have actually been good. But Morey drafted some players in this Blue Coats roster, so I've been interested in keeping track. Tyrese Maxey has been with the Sixers all year, but Isaiah Joe and Paul Reed have bounced back and forth between teh NBA and G League, and have been stars in the G League playoffs. Joe is a rangey SG and Reed a big, old school C. Justin Robinson is also a really interesting player (remember him from VT?); last year signed an UDFA deal with the Wizards, this year with the Sixers. His assist rate is pretty eye-popping, including 14 in the semifinal against the Raptors affiliate (seven turnovers too...).

I'll probably check this game out. I think Isaiah Joe is probably the best NBA prospect on either team, his three point shot is great. He was a four year guy at Arkansas, so he's already 21, will be 22 before next season starts.
 
Parker and Manu without Duncan wouldn't have won a championship. I'm not even sure a rotation full of Parkers and Manus wins a championship in this day and age.
 
TownieDeac said:
G League Finals today at 4:30 on ESPN2 in Orlando.

Delaware Blue Coats vs Lakeland Magic

It's been a few years since I've closely followed the Blue Coats (used to be the 87ers) because the Sixers have actually been good. But Morey drafted some players in this Blue Coats roster, so I've been interested in keeping track. Tyrese Maxey has been with the Sixers all year, but Isaiah Joe and Paul Reed have bounced back and forth between teh NBA and G League, and have been stars in the G League playoffs. Joe is a rangey SG and Reed a big, old school C. Justin Robinson is also a really interesting player (remember him from VT?); last year signed an UDFA deal with the Wizards, this year with the Sixers. His assist rate is pretty eye-popping, including 14 in the semifinal against the Raptors affiliate (seven turnovers too...).

I'll probably check this game out. I think Isaiah Joe is probably the best NBA prospect on either team, his three point shot is great. He was a four year guy at Arkansas, so he's already 21, will be 22 before next season starts.
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I'm not sure if I'm shaking my head laughing or being sad. The concept that players are "too old" to get started at 21-24 is so silly. Players' primes are most often from 25+-32 or so. If a player comes into the league more ready at 23 than at 19, why are people turning off? It's less prep time, closer to reaching prime years and still very young.
 
also feels like the league -- or at least enough teams -- has caught up to the Spurs international scouting department

they really exploited that inefficiency brilliantly in the Duncan era

I hesitate to post this on a thread where rj is active because it will go off the rails, but: the NBA system better rewards players than the NFL and is thus superior, but the NFL system and the hard cap better rewards smart front offices than the NBA (and moreso the MLB) where teams like the Lakers (or Yankees) can be poorly run and give out bad contracts, but recover pretty easily if they're in top tier markets

seems like the best path for the Spurs is something similar to the Kawhi trade where they trade a good known commodity for a mid-lottery pick and the combination of great development and luck results in the next top-10 guy, while also hitting on their mid-round picks and international guys as they've done with as much success as anybody

tough hand to be dealt to have a top front office and a GOAT coach and know that they were a ping pong ball (or frozen envelope or whatever) away from being the Trail Blazers
 
RJKarl said:
I'm not sure if I'm shaking my head laughing or being sad. The concept that players are "too old" to get started at 21-24 is so silly. Players' primes are most often from 25+-32 or so. If a player comes into the league more ready at 23 than at 19, why are people turning off? It's less prep time, closer to reaching prime years and still very young.
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Is anyone saying that?

I think the pendulum has swung back and forth on this in draft theory the last decade or so. ESPN loves to drool over the development curve of young players on broadcasts (especially players like Tatum or Lamelo Ball) but the NBA isn't like MLB where you draft a guy and have a service clock and then six full years of team control. Player movement is such that most players don't stay with one team for the majority of their career.

Regardless of age when drafted if you give up on a guy because he's behind the development curve at his age, you run the risk of missing out on a great role player. Lots of examples ran through the process Sixers (Robert Covington, Jerami Grant, Nerlens Noel, Christian Wood, etc.).

It's a huge deal in roster construction though, to make sure that your roster is maturing at the same rate. If you're competing for a championship you want your stars and their adjacent contributors at or nearing prime around the same time.
 
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