Chris Paul / Dejounte M / Tony
Danny Green / Jonathan Simmons / Manu
Kawhi / Kyle Anderson
Bertans/ David Lee
Dedmon

Lose Mills
Trade Gasol and Aldridge
Sign some big stiff who can play pick and roll like Splitter at a discount to backup Dedmon

Start David Lee against bigger 4s, start Bertans against small ball teams.

Bertans, Green, Paul, and Kawhi is a ridiculous three point shooting lineup considering how many open looks Paul and Kawhi will generate.

Pop can manage minutes all year long and that team will still win 60 games in all likelihood.

Enzo The Baker said:

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Does anyone know the opt-in deadline for players with options?

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It's sometime in that June 25th to June 29th range, although individual teams and players can put an earlier date on an individual contract.

Concerning Simmons, I think he is gone which is fine. He is looking for a big payday and while he has extreme athletic ability he isnt polished/refined. I think Spurs will let him walk if some other team offers him a contract north of $5 million/year. He will be replaced by Adam Hanga in my opinion.

flashplayer said:

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Chris Paul / Dejounte M / Tony
Danny Green / Jonathan Simmons / Manu
Kawhi / Kyle Anderson
Bertans/ David Lee
Dedmon

Lose Mills
Trade Gasol and Aldridge
Sign some big stiff who can play pick and roll like Splitter at a discount to backup Dedmon

Start David Lee against bigger 4s, start Bertans against small ball teams.

Bertans, Green, Paul, and Kawhi is a ridiculous three point shooting lineup considering how many open looks Paul and Kawhi will generate.

Pop can manage minutes all year long and that team will still win 60 games in all likelihood.

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Bertans, Lee, Dedmon, and "some big stiff" isn't a championship front line, regardless of who plays PG. What you want is to figure out a way to get Paul without losing Aldridge, but if Gasol opts in, I don't know how you get there.

I want Boban back!

I think a player like Jordan Bell from Oregon could be a very intriguing prospect late in the 1st for an athletic big that can run and play defense. I'm not sure he is going to still be there that late but I think he would be a great pick.

I disagree that this kind of front line puts you out of contention. There's been a very clear shift away from good front lines, especially if you're thinking along the lines of traditional bigs. Not only that, but luring Paul into the same squad as Kawhi will grab the attention of some good vets looking for that twighlight ring.

You don't beat Golden State by trying to do what they do but with inferior talent.

You need a good, solid big player, maybe two to take advantage of their weakness.

I'm just not convinced that's the solution any more. That's where it stinks that we didn't get more of a look against the Warriors to get a bigger sample size. In my opinion LMA and Gasol likely aren't good enough and about the only big men combo better in the entire league is the brow and cousins and they aren't exactly lighting the world on fire in NOLA. For anything you gain going big down low, you seem to give something up on pick and roll defense and defending in space.

In game 1 it wasn't like the bigs were dominating. It was mostly Kawhi with LMA getting some good looks off Kawhi.

I think if LMA will focus on higher percentage shots near the rim and less inefficient mid range shots (even though that's supposed to be his bread and butter) then he could still be a viable option.

I still think a LMA, Kawhi, Simmons, Green, Paul lineup could win and out small ball the warriors.

I definitely like their chances better than a Pau, LMA, Kawhi, Green, Parker lineup personally.

Guitarsoup said:

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You don't beat Golden State by trying to do what they do but with inferior talent.

You need a good, solid big player, maybe two to take advantage of their weakness.

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I completely agree with this. Yes LA had a crappy series against GS. And I was frustrated with him at the time. But he just didn't have the playmakers out there to make him comfortable or the shooters to keep GS honest with the double teams. And his effort was poor but I think a lot of that was frustration from things not being easy (still inexcusable) and I'm not convinced he was 100% healthy by the way he was rebounding. It looked like he could barely get off of he ground. He was asked to be the main option on the team when for the past two years he was the 2nd or 3rd option.

But when the team is healthy we still have an advantage over GS with LA on this team. And if we are able to add Paul to the mix, I really think we are going to see a resurgence of Aldridge.

We really need to find a team to take on Gasol's contract. And maybe we could. There are a lot of teams in the east that need size and veteran leadership. Watching Gasol trying to run around on defense agains the Warriors was painful to watch.

I also think we need to match any offer for Simmons. Pay him the max $8 million or whatever it is for next season and worry about the balloon later when we have more cap space when Manu/TP are off the books. Because I think we will be hard pressed to find someone better for the bench unit.

Now a lot of this will have to assume that Paul will take a lot less and we would have to move Green, unless Parker retires which I don't see happening. I would hate to get rid of Green. His defense is irreplaceable. But to get Paul it's worth the gamble. And I like Simmon's versatility over Green. Unlike Green, he's shown the ability to develop his game. With Chip I think he can improve his 3 point shooting.

I'll also add that if Green leaves it would give more opportunities to Anderson (assuming Kawhi slides to the 2). And that's a tall lineup that would cause teams problems. It's time that Slow Mo starts to prove himself. I know a lot of people here don't like Anderson, but I believe he can play and does some really good things on the court, flashes of it anyways. He just needs the consistent time. And with Paul and Kawhi both on the floor, they can cover up a lot of faults on both sides of the court. It would give more growth opportunities to Bertans off of the bench as well if the Spurs choose to play small.

And if you bring Hanga (who just won the Euroleague Defensive Player of the Year) over, maybe it would soften the blow of Green's departure.

SloMo is never going to be the defensive player we want.

It is great that Simmons can create for himself and slash, but Green is a better defender and better shooter.

I really hope we don't have to lose Green in this. I think he is very needed against the Warriors.

We cannot let Simmons go.

tbirdspur2010 said:

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We cannot let Simmons go.

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Agree. If Manu retires and Mills goes for a payday, the bench would be screwed.

We need Simmons, especially if Manu and Tony are done. He's a ferocious on-ball defender with good size, a nice midrange game, can get himself to the rim, and remains effective as a primary ball handler. That's the 6th man we've been looking for.

I would hate to lose Mills, he's one of my favorite spurs ever, but if I have to choose between a versatile, physical 6'6 wing and a 5'11 shooter....

The argument for Mills is that he is always ready to play any role that is needed, gives maximum effort at both ends all the time, and seems to be an emotional leader in a way that will probably be tough for Leonard to duplicate. Unfortunately for him, Simmons also has the first two characteristics. I'm not sure the third is enough to tip the scales.

Tony says he's coming back. Anyone know french?

https://www.reddit.com/r/NBASpurs/comments/6dxmag/big_news_tp_whatever_happens_i_will_be_back

Nota : This is a personal translation.

Tony Parker chose the French newspaper Equipe to talk about his future with the Spurs.
Regarding his unavailability, it will take 6 to 8 months in principle. As per the doctors he will be free on the 20 th October but will required 1 or 2 months to get back at his level. He is not in a hurry to come back, if he has to wait December he will wait December, the most important things are the play offs.
In his mind whatever happens he will be back and will play his best basket.

Tony said :

I have the impression that I will back even stronger than before ! I know , it feels strange to say that but in my whole career, I never took 6 months to do bodybuilding only. I'm going to work out like a mad man and come back stronger than ever. Some people are saying that I will never come back, I' m not listening to them, I know how I want to end my career.
I have a new status in the team, I'm more in the team management and leadership and I like it. I know that one time I will come back from the bench like Tim or Manu. But I will always have an important role to play.

I don't see how the Spurs can count on him being a playoff-level guard next year no matter what his intentions are. I hope he makes it all the way back, but it took a major resurgence for him to perform as well as he did this year. Another year older and with that injury added to the list?

Nice post on Tony. Interesting that he mentions the bench as I think he even knows he won't be a stating caliber PG for much longer if ever again.

The real question is if Murray will be ready and how soon. I still think he is probably two full seasons away from being an above average PG, so I think you have to upgrade the position this offseason at all costs.

So, Dedmond will opt out of his option. Is he gone?

ToHntortoFsh said:

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So, Dedmond will opt out of his option. Is he gone?

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Depends what else happens.

I like Dedmon but I don't think he is worth overpaying, especially as the roster is currently constructed. I will admit that the lack of an athletic big had been a problem for a while so I have no illusions that he will be simple to replace.

Still, he barely could get on the court in our last two playoff series so you can't overpay for that.

He would be well behind Simmons and Mills on my free agent to pay priority list.

Ironically, if we got CP3 then Dedmon would have much more value to the Spurs.....of course then we couldn't afford him.

What are y'alls thoughts on Davis Bertrans? He is just a rookie but is already 24. Is he a key piece going forward or is he just a rich man's Matt Bonner?

He seems to lack lateral quickness to the point where I wonder if his defense will ever be serviceable but then he does something like throwing down that off rim jam in the WCF and you wonder if he is way more athletic than you realize.

I really don't know what to expect out of him right now and am not sure if he has a much higher ceiling or if he has already pretty much peaked.

Can he be a key starter soon or is he just a matchup guy in spots like Bonner?

I think Bertans defensive issues on the perimeter have more to do with adjusting to the speed and quickness of NBA guards. He's still figuring out the right spacing and positioning. His lateral quickness isn't great for a small forward, but he is pretty fast and agile for a four.

He needs to get a little stronger to box out and he'll be just fine logging 20+ minutes per game. Better help defender and passer than people realize, good length, and incredible footwork and balance as a shooter. No reason the Spurs couldn't get 5-7 really nice seasons out of him. Whether he starts or just gets 6th man minutes off the bench depends on the team philosophy and personnel, but I think he's going to be substantially better than Bonner.

GatorAg03 said:

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What are y'alls thoughts on Davis Bertrans? He is just a rookie but is already 24. Is he a key piece going forward or is he just a rich man's Matt Bonner?

He seems to lack lateral quickness to the point where I wonder if his defense will ever be serviceable but then he does something like throwing down that off rim jam in the WCF and you wonder if he is way more athletic than you realize.

I really don't know what to expect out of him right now and am not sure if he has a much higher ceiling or if he has already pretty much peaked.

Can he be a key starter soon or is he just a matchup guy in spots like Bonner?

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Bertans has way more upside than Bonnet ever had. He is actually pretty athletic and his lateral movement was good for his size. He also showed some very good awareness and basketball IQ over the course of the season. I felt like Davis spent all season trying to fit in. He has the potential to be a very good option.

Bertrans is also super cheap. No reason not to keep him and see if Pop can turn him into Scola with 3-pt range.

Bertans can make plays off the dribble ( not prolifically but much more competently than Bonner)

His defense is average for his size. If he can improve there, I think he could be a 25-30 minute rotation piece, which is way more than Bonner ever was.

They just need to bring him along slow next year so they don't have to keep overpaying to keep these good rotation players.

I remain skeptical of how the Spurs can make this work short of Paul agreeing to a substantially smaller contract than he is eligible to receive from the Clips or on the open market, but Stein keeps pushing it as a possibility.

LawHall88 said:

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I remain skeptical of how the Spurs can make this work short of Paul agreeing to a substantially smaller contract than he is eligible to receive from the Clips or on the open market, but Stein keeps pushing it as a possibility.

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Stein isn't the only one. Zach Lowe and others, too.

I think Paul would have to accept a 25-30 million dollar contract per year for 4 years to come to the Spurs. Yes it is substantially less than he can make in LA but he has basically no shot to win a ring unless he goes to the Spurs. That's got to be a hard reality to face for an all-time great PG with a couple prime years left.

With Paul seeing the GSW dominate and knowing Durant is willing to take less money to re-sign, I don't think it's a stretch for Paul to do the same to give himself a shot at a ring.

I still put it at 50/50, much higher than most believe.

By the way, that's a pretty worthless or poorly worded tweet by Stein. Of course he will look at the Spurs if he leaves the Clips, where else would he even consider?

The real story is if he is seriously considering the Spurs over the Clips.

GatorAg03 said:

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By the way, that's a pretty worthless or poorly worded tweet by Stein. Of course he will look at the Spurs if he leaves the Clips, where else would he even consider?

The real story is if he is seriously considering the Spurs over the Clips.

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Here is Stein's full article on the topic:

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/19521062/chris-paul-give-strong-consideration-san-antonio-spurs-free-agency-sources

Yes, at the end of the day, all it really says is "anything is possible at this point."

Spurs are really his only destination if he wants to leave.

Look at the top teams:

GSW: Curry
Cleveland: Kyrie
San Antonio: Parker - 10/5 this year plus major injury
Boston: Thomas
Houston: Harden
Toronto: Lowry (But is FA)
Washington: Wall
OKC: Westbrook
Utah: Hill (but is FA)
Memphis: Conley
Atlanta: Schroeder (18/6 this year)
Portland: Dame
Milwaukee: Would be pretty great to see CP3/Khris/Giannis/Jabari under Jason Kidd

If he wants to go to a team where he has a shot to win it, maybe roll the dice with Milwaukee, but San Antonio is really the only obvious destination.

Sure, he could upgrade Utah, but is Hayward/Gobert/Paul/Hood any better than Jordan/Griffin/Redick/Paul?
Also, it is in Utah.