I'm pretty sure Duncan took less than the max a few years back to help the Spurs' salary situation...
Do you have a link for that? I remember talk about that, that he'd take less to help San Antonio land a major free agent, but it was all speculation, the Spurs didn't land any star free agent and Duncan signed the standard max contract.
Fair enough. I didn't realize $20 million per season was actually less than the max contract for him. That said, my point still stands. This extension is for 2010-2011 and 2011-2012. My point was that the Spurs have had all their title success without their players "sacrificing" their individual benefit (like salary) for the team.
You could argue that it didn't hurt them short term, but where are they now? They were ousted in the first round, they have no bench, and they will be in the lurch when TD retires and the team is handed over to Parker. With Parker, Duncan, and Ginobili on the books for the next couple seasons, I don't see them crawling out of this hole until Duncan retires and they get some cap space.
I agree we are trying to move up. Why else would we be asking guys at the top of the draft to work out? Aso, hoopsworld had a quote from an unnamed NBA executive that Portland was trying to trade up. It seems that our biggest need is PG, and also seems the most difficult position to fill by trade or free agency (maybe KP doesn't really like Sessions that much). Since we already have PG prospects like Bayless and Koponnen, I think that KP would be trying to move way up, maybe Rubio. Another possibility that Fez recently brought up is Brandon Jennings. I have been reading up on him and he actually seems to have a great attitude since he went to Europe (has become much more team oriented and is apparently hardworking and very coachable. Combined with his youth, tremendous speed and reputed very good court vision; could he be the guy we are targeting? His draft stock has fallen, I guess because of his poor shooting in the Euroleague; possibly I also read he decided not to participate in a Reebok Eurocamp, Draftexpress has him at #13 or #14 now. Obviously neither of those guys would be ready to run a team so either we would have to go with Blake while they were developing or try to get Sessions or Miller. But if KP thinks either is gonna be a star in a couple years, maybe that is the plan.
why wouldn't they? If the general concensus of scouts and management is that they want to trade out of this draft because the talent sucks, why would they want to advertise this opinion to the basketball world? The smart move is to not tip your cards while exploring every opportunity/angle and then act when the option you want is available. STOMP
If our plan is to trade out of the draft, I don't think that announcing that we want to work out top guys is going to influence the opinion around the league that the talent level is low this year. I do agree with you that it is always a good idea to obfuscate what we are actually trying to do. I tend to think Kp is telling the truth when he says we may trade up, may trade down, or may trade out; I think he is exploring all options. It is entirely speculation on my part that we might be trying to trade up, however this is a draft heavy in point guards and if we are going to get another young one to develop, it seems now would be the time to do it.
It may not change the league's opinion on the talent pool, but if you want to trade an asset, you'd prefer people to think you place a high value on it, not a low one, otherwise you'll get lowball offers.
I still don't see how indicating we want to trade up would lead people to think we value our present draft pick at # 24. Irregardless of that (or is it "regardless"?) does anyone have an opinion on Brandon Jennings? Maybe I should have started a new thread...
You're right that showing interest in trading up wouldn't necessarily devalue our pick, but if you were actively shopping the pick for cash or a future first or failing to bring anybody in to work out you'd be showing without words that the pick doesn't mean much to you.
I'd really like to get Jennings...or Rubio or Curry (all very different but all have COURT VISION, which certain players (cough) Blake (cough) Bayless do NOT) But I'd fully endorse Outlaw/Sergio for NJN #11 (Jennings) if he falls that far. I'd really love to grab Beaubois & Casspi or Claver with late 1sts/2nds too.
Min and Nik covered my thoughts on your first question, but I'll chime in on the 2nd. Though the only time I saw him was in the McD's game, Jennings intrigues me. His physical talents are obvious (he's lightning fast) and he's a pass first PG who knows how to set guys up in a variety of ways. I don't know about his jumper or personality/work ethic, but dude definitely has some eye popping talent. STOMP
He's working on his jumper: "After every practice, Jennings works with Trajkovic on his shooting, getting up as many as 500 jumpers. He credits Trajkovic with helping him improve his mechanics significantly (“going straight up and straight down, extending my arm, not fading away too much anymore, keeping on balance, not turning my hips a lot” Jennings explains), and indeed his shot looked much better than advertised in the three practices we observed, although he still has plenty of room to continue to improve, particularly with his pull-up jumper. " There doesn't seem to be a problem with his personality: "Gone is the brash, arrogant teenager with the Kid ’N Play style flat-top who dominated the ball in absolute fashion and looked first and foremost for his own shot, his stats and the ultimate high-light play. In his place is a much more mature, respectful young man, always cheering on his teammates, showing great body language and painstakingly trying to do what his coaches ask of him, almost to a fault at times." There are also a couple video interviews with him at this site, http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Brandon-Jennings-1114/, and he seems to be fairly down to earth guy, living with his mother and brother over there in Italy. You're definitely right about his speed: "The best things that Jennings brings to the table, though, definitely can’t be taught. He’s incredibly fast in the open floor, highly fluid getting up and down the floor, and extremely natural changing directions sharply and attacking the rim. In today’s NBA, where speed is absolutely at a premium like at no other point in time, Jennings has game changing potential as a shot-creator." And they think he might be able to show a lot more in a league like the NBA where all the handchecking is not allowed.
