The contracts they handed out aren't too bad in themselves; Malik Rose is all hustle, hustle, hustle, and I wish he were a Rocket. But how much cap space does this leave the Spurs? Not enough to sign Jason Kidd? (I hope.) Did they leave enough room to sign the Kandi-man? Kandi isn't gonna get paid in LA and if the Spurs get him when he's unrestricted...God help us, the Spurs stay title contenders.
Good post Cat, I agree, Malik's a good player. I thougt another reason was that he is good friends with Duncan. Seems like that's the main thing around there to get a long term deal.
My fault, I forgot he had moved on to the Clippers, so replace "hell that is CLeveland" with "hell that is the Clippers." I would say he was a 5-6 milllion dollar a year player at the time. So he added on a premium to stay in small market san antonio by demanding 8.5. Anyway, my point is that San Antonio has to pay more money to get people to play there, which they didn't in Anderson's case and they did in Rose's case.
It's doubtful now that they have room for a second max contract. For that to happen, the cap would have to be at about 47 million. While it's still hypothetically possible, with the cap going down to 41 million this year, it's very doubtful for it to increase six in one year. It's going to increase though; I'd say 44 million is a fair estimate. This is a Spurs salary chart from their BBS... note that Duncan's salary may actually be a bit higher, if he opts out and signs a new long-term contract. mav: It wasn't a premium for "small market" San Antonio, though. It was DA's own inflated opinion of his value. That's the real reason he went to Portland... no one else was willing to overpay for him. He wanted that same money from every team in the league.
I don't know, I think he probably would have taken less to play for the crosstown Lakers or Whorlando. Not 2.25m less but maybe a more reasonable figure (this is assuming he cares about winning more than playing in the Lakers case, which may be a big assumption). Anyway, Portland is able to pay the premium for playing in a small, homogenous city because they have Paul Allens money. Granted, all they players they attract/retain are criminally insane, but they do it. San Antonio meanwhile gets its stars through the draft. If Jason Kidd signs there next year I will change my mind.
The Spurs suck. They'd give 7/42 mil to Bill Wennington if they could. Those moronic overpaying losers.
The Spurs might be good next year, though. They have this Ginobli dude, traded for Claxton... My only question is, will they manage to find a center next year so that Tim D. can continue to sandbag it at power forward? (Countdown to angry responses: 5, 4, 3...)
Then why didn't he? He wouldn'tve come to Orlando in any case because of Hill, Miller, and McGrady. If he wanted a title, it was LA. He could've gotten the $4.5m exception out of them. But alas, it's his inflated value of his play and Portland's willingness to overpay to get him that allowed him to go there in return for Steve Smith. At least the Spurs, even if they overpaid for Bowen and Rose, were fiscally sound in locking up Ginobili for 2 years at only $3 million total. If he's the player that he's supposed to be, then he will be a bargain. I just wonder why they didn't lock him up for three years to get full bird rights on him. They have some players...Claxton, Bowen, Ginobili, Parker, Rose...but no one to play center. Amal McCaskill and Cherokee Parks aren't centers and shouldn't even be in the NBA. Unless they can find someone there, Duncan will have to play center if he stays.
Do any of you realize that Duncan is playing center half the time anyway? Rose plays a good amount of minutes, and those come at the expense of David Robinson, who is playing less because of injuries and age. Rose isn't the center for the 20-25 minutes per game that he's on the floor. It's Duncan. Duncan couldn't sign with the Lakers or Rockets, the only two teams with true centers as offensive and defensive threats. Virtually every other team has a power forward playing center. In fact, if you take Shaq and Yao out of the equation, it's hard to draw the line between a modern day center and power forward. I'm sure it won't be hard to sign a power forward (Jermaine O'Neal?) who will agree to split time with Duncan guarding the centers. I doubt the constant threat of Dale Davis, Raef Lafrentz, and Vlade Divac will scare anyone away. It's rumored that Keon Clark will sign a one year deal to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. He wants to start, and wants a warm weather city. He would fit as that 6-7 million dollar free agent that the Spurs could bring in addition to the max FA. (Kidd, Marion etc.)
Cat - Do you really think they'll get the entire team to bring in even that one max free agent? They already have $26 million in committed salaries for next year, and unless they trade away their pick next year, it'll be $27 million. Assuming the salary cap goes up to $44 million, the Spurs could have up to $17 million in cap room - if and only if they renounce all free agents. Robinson will certainly be renounced, since he's retiring. McCaskill, Smith, and Jackson will all certainly be renounced. But what about Steve Smith and Antonio Daniels? Would the Spurs renounce the rights to those two integral players, one of whome is good friends with the team's star - to clear out the necessary cap room for one max free agent? Under the CBA, Smith is going to count for over $10,000,000 against the cap as an unrenounced free agent and Daniels about $6,000,000 against the cap. Renouncing them gets them to that $17,000,000 cap level - but if they aren't renounced, then the Spurs have no cap room. I realize the chance at a player like Kidd, Marion, etc could be well worth it - but would they ditch Smith and Daniels to do it? I'm not so sure that they would. If they simply re-sign those players to decent contracts totalling $7 million, then they just might have enough cap room for 1 max player - a young one only, though, since the max for a free agent like Kidd will be around $13 million in year one. Some tough choices coming up for the Spurs.
mfclark: I'll guess you didn't watch much of the Spurs last season. Steve Smith and integral go together... about five seasons ago. The Spurs will renounce Steve Smith in a heartbeat. Every time he stepped on the floor in the playoffs last year, it was like a collective groan across the Alamodome. He had a good start to the season, I admit, shooting it well. But, there are other players who can shoot that well given those open looks. And, he had virtually no lateral movement, defense, and was subpar at moving without the ball. Antonio Daniels is a slightly different case, but I think he'll either be renounced or resigned to a cheap deal. He's already been rumored in trade discussions this summer. Duncan's not going to leave if AD goes. The AD at point guard experiment has failed multiple times. He just can't run an offense. He's nice as a spark at the two guard, but he is undersized, and is a bit redundant with Ginobili. There's no doubt whatsoever that Smith is gone. Daniels would be nice to keep, but not essential. If the Spurs signed Kidd, they would have three guards (Kidd, Parker, Ginobili) and the need for Daniels isn't really there. If he'll sign a cap friendly deal that won't significantly limit their ability to bring in outside free agents, he'll be back. If not, he'll have to go somewhere else, though I don't think his league value is very high. It's not a hard decision for the Spurs.
I didn't mean really, bc that was the Hill Mcgrady year. I was just using it as an a example as a place that is able to attract and retain free agents. (though I wouldn't want to live there, hell I would probably llive in San Antonio first). I just don't think that NBA free agents put San Antonio on the top of their checklist, and I don't think they will in the future, either.
A one two punch like Duncan and Kidd is probably good enough for the Lakers formula of putting filler players after the starting 5.
I have been critical of the Spurs couting on Bowen to start because his offense is so bad. I have been saying this since last summer in fact. But try counting the number of starters or even decent veteran 6th-7th men at $3mil a year and there are not many. That is a good contract for the Spurs--even if they get someone to push him to a 6th or 7th man role as no-O defensive specialists should have (which is what they should try to do). Rose's contract does look a little bloated for what he can do, but they could not risk losing him. I'd say if you combine the Rose/Bowen contracts the Spurs did fine. Their future will all come down to what TD decides however (plus maybe another star)--these moves may modestly help their case but I think we will just have to see when the reasl stars and superstars make decisions. As of now the Spurs don't have near enough around TD to be better than the Lakers or Kings, and anyone who still hold the notion the Spurs are better than, or more of a threat to beat the Lakers, than the Kings need to have their head examined. Since the Bibby trade there are two team a class above the rest and neither is the Spurs.
Right now, the Kings and Lakers are better. But, by the end of next season, it may not be the case. While the result may have been a 4-1 win for the Lakers, the gap between the teams was hardly that wide. There's several myths floating around about that series. It wasn't that the Lakers only needed or wanted to play the fourth quarters. It's not that Tim Duncan is afraid of Shaq. It's that the Spurs have no reliable perimeter creators. If the Lakers could just hang close, they knew they could play 6-8 minutes of tight defense and that was enough to beat the Spurs. The Lakers offensive game wasn't different. The Lakers defense was better, but NOT the type that they could play the entire game "if they had to". Every time Duncan took the ball on the left block against Shaq, there was nowhere he could go. Could he take Shaq off the dribble? Sure, if it's one on one. But it's not. The entire Laker defense sags down, and there is always someone there to step in the lane when Duncan gets to his spot. TD knows that, and that's why he's so hesitant. The only way to beat this is with perimeter creators. When Tim passes out to the three point line, all the Laker defenders rush out to their men. This takes a lot of energy, and they can't do it the entire game. They have to save it for that six minute spurt. The way to beat that is to have athletic players that can fake the shot, drive inside, draw more defenders, and then pass out. That's the difference between the Spurs now and the Rockets of the mid-90s. It's not that Duncan isn't as good of a player as people say he is... it's that most of the Spurs fourth quarter players are spot up shooters like Terry Porter, Steve Smith, and Danny Ferry. The Rockets shooters at least had some athleticism and the ability to slash to the basket (Maxwell, Horry, Drexler) Have you ever seen Ferry try to fake a three and take a couple of steps in? It's ugly. The best option they have, in this regard, is Antonio Daniels, but he is too inconsistent. In the game that Daniels came to play (Game 5), Daniels did a LOT of step in jumpers and driving to the basket during the fourth quarter. That was their highest scoring fourth quarter in the series-- they scored 26 points. However, they were down one going into the quarter, and lost by about 5. Had they scored 26 points in the 4th quarter of any other game, they likely would've won. IF (and it is a big if) Manu Ginobili is ready to play and Tony Parker makes strides in his game, the Spurs can compete with the Kings and Lakers in the postseason. These two guys can significantly help the Spurs problems in fourth quarter execution. If you haven't seen the video posted of Ginobili about a week ago, you really need to check it out. This guy is legit, and like Parker last year, is ready to play major minutes. He is another good perimeter shooter, but he has excellent athleticism and ballhandling for the two guard spot, along with good size. Remember the damage Hedo Turkoglu did to the Lakers? Ginobili is a player very similar to Turkoglu, but with better ballhandling and a better shot. Parker should also improve... at 19 years old, he was a good NBA point guard and an excellent creator. However, because of his lack of experience, Popovich benched him during a lot of fourth quarters for the experienced Terry Porter. With a season under his belt and added maturity, Parker should become a much better player for next season. Furthermore, these two guys didn't go through the embarrassment of the sweep in 2000. They are fresh faces that importantly should not feel intimidated by the presence of the Lakers. The Spurs were better than the Lakers for about 80% of those games last season. They have the MVP of the league inside, good interior and perimeter defense, and good shooting from the outside. The gap isn't as wide as it was during the sweep. The Spurs problem is overcoming that intense fourth quarter stretch of swarming Laker defense. IMO, it's comparable to how the Sonics used to frustrate Hakeem back in the day. If Ginobili can contribute, and Parker improves, their ability to create may give Duncan the spacing he needs to operate. If that happens, the Spurs can definitely win.
I don't know how you can say Bruce Bowen is overpaid. 11 million dollars for three years is a complete bargain. He has made the Second All-Defensive Team twice, and can hit the occasional three pointer. Considering the money Bruce Bowen took last year, he deserves this contract. Now Malik Rose's contract is a little too long. Malik Rose will be essential to the Spurs next season, but his usefulness in the future will be uncertain. The money issue of the contract is fair, he deserves it. But the contract streches too long.
The Cat, You are the biggest Spur homer in the entire world. It's hilarious how someone can be a "Rockets and Spurs" fan. That's kind of like saying "Oh yeah, I'm a diehard Longhorn, but I love the Aggies too." I remember a couple of months ago on here you were saying how Steve Smith was comparable to Sean Elliott in 99 and how his defense was underrated, etc. I guess the truth came out in the playoff series. Like I told you, Smith is done. He's garbage. Bowen is not young and is not a Kobe stopper. Kobe destroyed him in the series and the Spurs have no one to guard Kobe (though I'm sure in your world Emmanuel JORDAN, I mean Ginobilli will light Kobe up at both ends of the court). Rose was a good signing for the Spurs, he's not overpaid in that deal. A solid player and very good 6th man. However, Duncan IS afraid of Shaq. In the 4th Q's of every game, he was TIMID Duncan when faced one on one with O'Neal. I see in your post you compare the Spurs to the old Rockets teams. Difference being that Hakeem didn't choke when the game was on the line. He took it right at Shaq, DRob, whoever. If you don't think Shaq shut down Duncan in the 4th Q of everygame DESPITE his injuries, you simply are in denial or didn't watch the games. And your credibility on the Spurs was officially written down to zero when you compared Steve Smith of 02 to Sean Elliott in 99. One of the funniest things I ever read!
The Malik Rose contract is terrible. Rose is a surprisingly good C/PF for his height. But playing with Duncan helps him tremendously. When he's on the court at the same time, Duncan is always attracting the attention. When Duncan's not on the court, he often gets to play against winded or sub opposition. This makes him look better than he is. He's worth the lower exception. I don't think he's even worth the mid-level exception, much less the ridiculous contract he got. Bowen's contract isn't bad. I actually really dislike Bowen... since I'm of the opinion that even if he does shave off a few points from another player's total... his own lack of offense more than compensates for it, making him detrimental as a whole. Bowen would actually go very well on a team like Dallas, that needed a defensive player, and wouldn't miss the offense. The Spurs need shooters to compliment Duncan's interior game. He's a real liability for them, except in spot situations.
