Not if he really wants to stay with the Spurs. And that's what the "sources" suggest. They have an amazing institutional environment so that players take less to stay. Boban's got to know that his role will expand next year and there's a lot to be said for being comfortable, especially when you're not native to the US.
If the guy already had money, then yes I could see where taking less to stay in a solid / familiar environment like SA would be a no brainier. But the guy has been married for 4 years. Portland is a good environment for married players. I am sure there is a number, where (2-3 million per more ?) would give him pause to rethink his situation. He could get hurt and this could be his last contract. If I were him I would make the most of this next contract. I have no idea if he is worth it.....I am just saying "money talks".
"Market for Spurs' Boban Difficult to Judge" If the Spurs get Gasol PLEASE can we make Boban an offer? $10/yr should be good...
Boban is lots of fun to watch at times, but I think he will be pretty useless in the playoffs in today's NBA - he is the kind of guy you sign with the goal of getting tops 10 good minutes a game from during the regular season. He is not the #1 Center that Portland wants. He is maybe the backup to the backup center.
I think it all depends on the matchup. If you're playing the Clippers, they really depend on Jordan to defend everybody BUT the C. So if you can bring in a moving iceberg who can take up Jordan's attention, maybe score on him a little, maybe get a couple of fouls on him, then he's valuable. OKC also is coming to depend more on Adams, and Boban could do the same there.
Boban did very little against the thunder on the recent playoff. There are matchups he is useful in, but they are not that common. Again, would not mind him as additional center depth, but he is far from my second choice and certainly not the first
He did very little because he wasn't in the game. That doesn't mean he COULDN'T, it just means Popovich didn't want to put a rookie in. He did average 15 rebounds/48 for the time he WAS in... I will certainly concede he is a fairly unique player, and not really suited to be a starter. But the way the NBA is going, starting centers are all going to be like Tristan Thompson/Draymond Green/Chris Bosh - i.e., not really centers. You need a trad center just for the times you match up with teams who actually have a real one (like the Clippers, Kings and to some extent, the Thunder). If Olshey is prepared to throw max money at Kanter, why not throw substantially less at a player who can put up comparable numbers in comparable minutes and who may be equally slow-footed on defense but is automatically better just by raising his hands?
My impression from watching both of these guys is that Kanter is a lot more mobile than Boban - sure he is not a great defender - but a lot of his offense comes from his mobility and how well he moves into the seams for a guy his size - which means that if he works at it, Kanter can become a better defender. Boban's advantage is his size - he feels a lot like a broken down Sabonis - a giant with really good hands. He consumes space and scores really well near the basket since he is so big and his hands are fantastic. Unfortunately, it also means that he is not likely to ever become a more capable defender in today's NBA. I would take Kanter over Boban given the chance, but that's just me. I believe we agree that Boban is fun to watch and unique, but not a great first option for today's NBA. The only question is - how much you would give him. Personally, at up to 7-8mil a year, sure. Over that imho is not reasonable for a team that does not have a great starting Center but is blessed with 2 capable modern centers in Plum and Davis.
Is 51 the number of minutes he'll play in three years or games total? Nice picture though, should be one of those velvet paint by numbers things. Officially licensed of course.
The greatest thing about Boban is his hands. The dude has fantastic basketball hands. He reminds me a bit of Sabas when you look how well he catches and uses his hands, especially near the basket. It will be very interesting to see if he gets more time in Detroit. SVG is someone that loves him big centers and there are less people ahead of him than what he had in SAS. While I thought he was a low priority for the Blazers - I am still a fan and like watching him.
