Pretty sure the Bird Rights thing happened in the middle of an existing CBA. Can't research it now. Leagues identify problems they have created and adjust with votes of the players and owners.
They say they want a center to be next to Wemby. If that's the case, Sochan would be coming from the bench. Do you trade a bench player for a guy at 24 who can gave you 24 a game in his first opportunity starting?
Until the Dame situation gets some semi-permanent resolution, I think EVERY trade we even try to discuss will incur a premium leverage upcharge because every move will be seen through the lens of "trying to help Dame"... Ironic for a franchise that has never found success in FA... that's probably our most viable route out of this situation.
Don't get me wrong, I love it. But mobile scrappy big guys who do dirty work are more in Pop's wheelhouse than one-dimensional SGs in a PGs body. But if Pop somehow thinks Ant could be his Tony Parker redux, I'd love it.
Yeah, I feel like the next time we hear from Joe he'll be introducing the young players and guys on expiring contracts we got for Dame and he'll be saying that he did everything he could to try and push all of our chips in but there wasn't the right deal. Then go on to rightfully talk about how excited he is about all of the potential of the roster and future draft assets. Joe has punted every chance he's had and played it safe. He keeps saying he wants to push all of his chips in and then just antes and folds every time he's dealt a hand. It keeps him in the game. I hope he proves me wrong and when he does I hope the move(s) is/are spectacular.
they weren't going to walk. Nowhere to walk to unless the Blazers low-balled them into rage. Ant at 18M; Nurkic at 13M would have kept them Blazers and made them easier to trade
They've already said they want to get a bruising center next to Wemby to take the physicality off him.
Remember Pop cried when he traded who he did for K. Leonard. He doesn't shy away from making tough choices.
oh yeah sure...think about the PF's Wemby would be guarding: Giannis, Lebron, Tatum, Kawhi, Durant, Zion, Butler, Siakam, Wagner....Spurs won't have to worry about Wemby getting worn down because he'll spend the season on the bench in foul trouble
Those matchups at forward and on the perimeter will be much easier for Wemby than banging against centers in the middle. Dude is rail thin, even mediocre centers like Nurk could push him all over the floor or send him crashing to the ground. The Spurs care about injury risk 10x more than effectiveness. He's pretty quick so the perimeter isn't an issue for him as normally it is for 7 footers. Young players often play down to smaller positions their first years while they get strength. Durant played SG as a rookie. Its actually the one hesitation I have with the Blazers quad guards - I'm not sure sure SF is best for Sharpe in his sophomore year.
As I said before, he has the personality of an unbuttered dinner roll. Typically good negotiators aren't people who are more happy when they're working on a spreadsheet.
