http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/...i.215cfdf2.html The reported offer for Manu is 52m/6 years. So it may well be one starting at only 6.2m which is just a little more than the MLE. Even some average bench players are getting the MLE so... Manu is certainly a lot better than those. If the raises are 12.5% per year, then the total contract works out like this... 2005 6,327,348.62 2006 7,118,267.19 2007 8,008,050.59 2008 9,009,056.91 2009 10,135,189.03 2010 11,402,087.66 Sum: 52,000,000.00 With Hedo gone, Manu most likely become a starter next season and could justify this type of contract easily. He's already the 3rd best player for the team. A valuable impace player making this money is not overpaying one bit IMO. And the Spurs also add Barry for a fair-looking 22m/4 years. They could well be one of biggest winners in the offseason.
Try Bruce Bowen. How this guy fell through EVERYONE's radars amazes me. I think his deal was 9 million for 3 years -- for a premier defensive stopper. Incredible steal for the Spurs
Manu's deal doesnt look to bad when you break it down. And the fact they resigned Bown AND got Brent Barry? I would say San Antonio fans should be estatic! I mean they bring back the same team but lop off Turkgolu, someone that was anything but clutch, and then add in Barry a player that can play both guard positions off of the bench. If you are Spurs fan, you have to like what they are doing. And they are being relatively fiscally responsible doing it! Now I wonder if they will look for another big man to replace Horry's minutes.
I don't know, if were the Spurs I would have looked for another defensive presence big over signing Bowen and Barry (signed Manu and the best big I could, then fill bench swingmen roles). To me Rasha and Rose provide very little help defensively and behind them they are even worse, leaving only Duncan to hold the fort on the interior. I am sure glad they didn't get a guy like Etan, Swift, Kmart or Camby--those guys would have made them tougher to beat in the playoffs IMO. The Spurs have blown all their cap space until like 09 on Rasha and swing men. Further, they had cap space for 2 years where they could have added a superstar like Kobe, Kidd, J Oneal--and the best they could do was keep Manu. All in all, I am glad the Spurs never did add the bonified proven stud to pair with Duncan with all that cap space and I don't think they will be the favorites next year.
Desert, I think the thinking in SA is that what held them BACK in the playoffs was outside shooting, something they DID have when Stephen Jackson was there. That's why they were talking with Jackson and Barry. Jackson looks to want more money so they went with Barry. I think their thinking is that in their system Dunca, Rasho, Rose etc can hold down the fort inside as long as they have outside bombers to keep people honest. I agree with you though that I am glad they never got that STUD sidekick to go with Duncan. Parker and Ginobili could make up for that as their games improve, we will have to wait and see. I think the Spurs will be able to find some solid backup bigs that will work well under their system. Heck they might even resign Horry who played ok for them last year. They needed outside shooting more than anything and they added Barry. That's huge for them.
Deuce, I agree you pegged what they were thinking, I just think they are wrong. It wasn't just outside shooting that doomed them, it was interior defense versus the Lakers more than anything. They did not fix that. If they just wanted a shooter, and they plan to reduce Barry to this role, they could have paid 2 million for a guy like Peeler or Hoiberg to perform most of that role for a lot cheaper. If I were them I'd secured Manu plus gone for a Swift or Thomas or Camby or Kmart, than looked at other needs (extra shooter). Again I think they may be a contender, but I don't see them as being more formidable than Minnesotta for instance. They had a chance for a dynasty by adding one of the best players in the league to pair with Duncan in their prime--they never did, and won't (at least not through FA), achieve that with the cap space they had this year and last now gone.
Manu is way overpaid. He will still be coming off the bench and no bench player deserves around 10 million a year.
Brent Barry? If Hedo kept Manu on the bench . . . . i think Barry is a bit better than Hedo Rocket River
At the end of this season before all this craziness started in the FA market, Spurs fans seemed to think they should be able to secure Manu at 5-6 million/year max. Manu is overpaid, good player but overpaid.
Hedo didn't keep Manu on the bench because Hedo is better than Manu, rather it's because Hedo plays better as a starter than coming off the bench while Manu is versatile enough to do both, so Pop moved Manu to the bench to accomodate Hedo. Spurs interior defense wasn't what killed them in the playoffs, it was outside shooting. Actually, Rasho is one of the better defenders at the center position in the league. Along with Duncan, I think the Spurs are fine in the C/PF position, although they do need to add one more quality backup. If Parker develops a consistent outside shot, he'll be that second star that the Spurs are currently missing.
I'm not so sure if Manu is overpaid. Manu plays a huge part in a team that has been and will be (for the next few yrs) one of the favorites to win it all. Yeah, it'd be nice for them to get Kobe, but what is the chance of that happening? If they had lost out on Manu and end up not getting Kobe either, their chance of winning the finals would've taken a huge hit. I think for a lottery team, it would not be wise to pay Manu that much money because he isn't someone you can build around, but for a team that wants to at least maintain it's chance of winning it all, then I think Manu's deal is justified.
Beg to differ. In the playoffs the Spurs were 3rd in own FG, 2nd in 3s (37%), but 11th in opponents FG. Here are some more numbers: 33, 45, 43, 43, 50, 38, 51, 57, 50, 43, 45 , 47, 37, 52, 42, 50, 43, 40, 48, 37, 42, 41. Those were the Laker's shooting percentage in consecutive playoff games with the Spurs games bolded. The Spurs had the worst average against them of their 4 opponents, and allowed 50% or greater in 3 of the 6 playoff games the Lakers were able to achieve this. The Spurs defense was vastly overrated last year and it was a major problem in them being exited. Yes they also shot poorly versus the Lakers, but that was mainly because the Lakers didn't double TD much and took away a lot of wide open shots, not an inability for the Spurs to nail them. To me in was obvious Rasha (He is OK offensively, but I don't think anyone consideres him one of the best defenders in the league. I don't think he has secured even 1 vote for an all-defensive team, certainly not last year), Rose, Horry and Willis were too unathletic to provide a lot of interior support to TD. The scariest thing they could have done to me this offseason was add a Kmart or Camby or Swift or Etan Thomas and a possible return to where they had two elite big defenders allow the rest of their undersized wing players to overplay. Like I said, I would have secured Manu (who should start this year and for all practical purposes should be considered a starter) and focused on one of these athletic bigs, than looked to plug holes in the bench (Peeler, matching Hedo after other moves, resigning Bowen). Further, if Barry and Parker are indeed the starting back-court, that could be the worst defensive back-court seen in quite some time. All things considered, with the Spurs coming off a ring last year and two summers with cap room for max salaries, I am relieved they have not added additional stars and in particularly another big, Brand or J Oneal last year would have been wicked scary.
