Patty Mills draws a lot of comparisons to Gary Neal among Spurs fans. Popular, undersized "point" guard who shot a high percentage from three and couldn't defend. The Bucks signed Neal away. He promptly disappeared forever while the spurs replaced him with the star of the Xinjiang Tigers, Patty Mills.

He can shoot, no doubt about it, but there's more to the game than that and there are tons of 5'11 spark plugs who can knock down 40% from three on mostly assisted shots. There just aren't many in the NBA because very few teams can get away with having players who only do one thing well.

GatorAg03 said:

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So fans are dumb because we don't think re-signing Patty Mills coming off a 28% no defense WCF is closing the gap with GSW? Absolutely everyone sees the Spurs as a solid 2-4 seed with a WCF ceiling as long as we have Pop and Kawhi. Nobody is saying we will suck. We will still be very good. What we are hoping for, however, is some kind of move to realistically challenge or close the gap with GS. The PG position being upgraded was the most realistic place to do that. Instead it looks like the Spurs decided to pay extra for a player that just performed extremely poorly and was borderline unplayable against the returning GSW combo of Curry and Livingston (who signed for 50% less).

If Parker or Murray emerge as top tier PGs it was a good signing. If we expect Patty to be a starting PG, which the money suggests, then I'm skeptical.

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Thanks for illustrating my point. You are saying we should judge this contract entirely on these ussumptions:

1. Mills didn't play well in this year's WCF so that means he can't help beat the Warriors.
2. We paid too much because it eats too much cap. Despite the fact that reports are Mills actually tooK less to stay. That means other teams think he's worth it. Patty has been a very reliable pro and is absolutely worth it.
3. We are screwed with no possibility of getting better. Despite the fact we have some very young talent and the Spurs have made a living off player development. Oh, and the reality is there is still some room to make a move. We just probably aren't getting a veteran all star PG.

Ulrich said:

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Patty Mills draws a lot of comparisons to Gary Neal among Spurs fans. Popular, undersized "point" guard who shot a high percentage from three and couldn't defend. The Bucks signed Neal away. He promptly disappeared forever while the spurs replaced him with the star of the Xinjiang Tigers, Patty Mills.

He can shoot, no doubt about it, but there's more to the game than that and there are tons of 5'11 spark plugs who can knock down 40% from three on mostly assisted shots. There just aren't many in the NBA because very few teams can get away with having players who only do one thing well.

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Again not a Spurs fan... Watch them a lot though. Mills is smarter offensively, better defensively, and way faster than Gary Neal ever was. He plays harder too.

Not calling Mills a superstar and yeah he's small, but he has more dimensions than just his shooting.

Yeah fans can get finicky quick. Patty brings a lot to table. If he was so horrible defensively he wouldn't see the floor for Pop.

Yup... I do agree that he's not a traditional defender, but he doesn't suck. Never underestimate the importance of a defender's ability to cover a lot of ground and what that does for the rest of your team. Patty Mills covers a ton of ground.

Neal is a horrible comparison for Patty.

Patty is first and foremost an important chemistry and cultural fit with the Spurs.
Patty does a solid job running the offense in short bursts at a blistering pace.
His on court +/- per 100 possessions has been 11.2 over the past four years.
He is not turnover prone and does a good job at limiting mistakes.
Career 40% three point shooter, 44% corner three shooter.
While he is undersized, he is a feisty defender and he does a good job of not making stupid fouls.

Guitarsoup said:

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Neal is a horrible comparison for Patty.

Patty is first and foremost an important chemistry and cultural fit with the Spurs.
Patty does a solid job running the offense in short bursts at a blistering pace.
His on court +/- per 100 possessions has been 11.2 over the past four years.
He is not turnover prone and does a good job at limiting mistakes.
Career 40% three point shooter, 44% corner three shooter.
While he is undersized, he is a feisty defender and he does a good job of not making stupid fouls.

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All points I've made in the past, but again I'll point you to the thesis that the spurs are far better equipped to use his skill set than any other team. On most teams he becomes a spot shooter and gets bullied in iso because they don't pass or help like SA. I have a hard time believing that the market was really saying 12.5mm.

Like I said earlier: if they think Murray is a 32 mpg playoff starter and they can bring back Simmons, OR they still think they can move Aldridge for a point guard and a decent big, this makes sense. If not, they just blew most of their cap space on a 7th man when there are still glaring needs at point guard and bench wing.

As I said, if $12.5 is the going rate for a bench spark and backup PG and we find some great PG play elsewhere, then it's a solid signing. However if we are planning on him being our best PG and starting/playing most the game and more importantly finishing games against the likes of CP3, Harden, Westbrook, Curry, Irving.....all of which are realistic matchups in the playoffs then I think we are being big time homers. He is a great guy and a blast to watch. He is actually one for my favorite Spurs, but his defense and inability to create makes him tough play against elite PGs in the west (which basically every good team has).

Get Gay and call it a day. We need his scoring.

DSAg44 said:

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Get Gay and call it a day. We need his scoring.

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No and no we don't.

A few thoughts:
1. I'm warming to the Mills deal, especially considering the value of continuity after the last two years and the fact that in spite of all the noise... getting the band back together isn't such a bad thing. 61 wins and proved on several occasions to be capable of giving the Warriors quite a fight. We have more players who should improve than should decline.

1b. I actually really like Mills, he's one of my favorite players, so in spite of thinking he may be getting overpaid... super happy that I get to watch him for a few more years!

2. Assuming at this point that we're keeping Aldridge. Can he return to the form he displayed mid season, before the heart issue raised its head again? We may all be underestimating the impact that had not just on physical ability to maintain intensity, but mental ability. It's got to be tough to set aside the fact that you are pushing 260 pounds up and down the court with a bad heart. Even if that's not it, we're just an Aldridge return to form from being the clear second best team in the league.

3. I know we all keep mentioning it, but if Murray can live up to PATFO's expectations by season-end, we're in business. And if Simmons keeps playing like he did against the Warriors, double the "in business-ness".

4. One thing people aren't talking about much is that Manu was balling last playoffs (after the first round) and could easily be back.

5. When are teams going to decide that Spurs players are actually WORSE than they look instead of better? How many guys have gotten overpaid (mostly by the Pistons) only to be what they were before going to San Antonio? Right now I feel like teams are paying a premium for Spurs when maybe it should be a discount.

Iggy was offered contract by Rockets.

Iggy has cancelled all remaining free agent meetings.

It's good for the NBA if he goes elsewhere. The warriors would still be a super team, but would take a slight depth hit.

grapespda2525 said:

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Iggy has cancelled all remaining free agent meetings.

It's good for the NBA if he goes elsewhere. The warriors would still be a super team, but would take a slight depth hit.

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Who all has he met with?

Spurs and rockets I believe

the rest of the West (besides GSW) now looks like will be harder to get through than last season.

Is OKC with Westbrook and George going to be significantly worse than the Westbrook + Durant pairing that eliminated the Spurs back in second round in 2016?

Spurs need to be concerned not only about Golden State but teams like OKC and Rockets who are aggressively making moves. Not sure what I think about the 'we won 61 games last season so if we mostly just bring everybody back then that is good path for 60+ wins and WCF next season too' expectation.

Worst case scenario: bring the band back together and pray we don't get snakebit by injuries this upcoming postseason.

For a 61 win team, that's not shabby at all.

I think either somehow either Ibaka and Lowry end up in San Antonio and Aldridge and Parker end up in Toronto or something similar occurs in Utah with Favors and Hill.

Words come out that Paul choosing Houston had a lot to do with Aldridge future in flux. He's gone.

Don't really want Ibaka, but I'd take Ibaka+Lowry for LMA in a heartbeat. I think ibaka is overrated and will be overpaid. Plus he's probably like 40yo

At least Ibaka isn't lacking in the heart department, unlike our sip.

Okc will be significantly worse than the team that beat the Spurs.

No Ibaka, no waiters, kanter has regressed and was unplayablecurrently the playoffs, currently no Roberson and Adams played at a level in that series that he has not matched since (11&12 on 70%shooting). Paul George is a downgrade from Durant.

OKC doesn't scare me as constructed

Concur.

Also: KLaw>>>pg13

ATM9000 said:

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I think either somehow either Ibaka and Lowry end up in San Antonio and Aldridge and Parker end up in Toronto or something similar occurs in Utah with Favors and Hill.

Words come out that Paul choosing Houston had a lot to do with Aldridge future in flux. He's gone.

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I'd be really surprised if we got rid of Parker.

David West re-signs with GS for vet minimum... 'Cause he was such an important cog of the team. F that guy.

Exactly, hence the angry face and F that guy comment.

Parker isn't going anywhere.

Guitarsoup said:

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I don't think the Spurs trade Parker, either.

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this

West Texan said:

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AustinAg2012 said:

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David West re-signs with GS for vet minimum... 'Cause he was such an important cog of the team. F that guy.

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He signed with us for the vet min a couple years ago. He's ring chasing and not ashamed of it.

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He opted out of a 12mm contact to take vet min contacts to ring Chase.

You're not. The over reactionary fans on here aren't just being louder than us.

Quote:

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the rest of the West (besides GSW) now looks like will be harder to get through than last season.

Is OKC with Westbrook and George going to be significantly worse than the Westbrook + Durant pairing that eliminated the Spurs back in second round in 2016?

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I don't think this is necessarily true. Last year, Warriors aside, the worst match up for the Spurs was LAC (when healthy). And now they have broken up.


If OKC re-signs Roberson (who guards Kawhi really well), then I'd be a concerned to play them in a second round series due to their length and athleticism, but like it was mentioned, the aren't the 2016 Thunder.

The Rockets to me, even with Paul, are in the exact same tier that they were last season. D'Antoni is still their coach. And they still have weak-minded James Harden.

The Jazz likely aren't going to be as strong. They will probably lose a combo of Ingles/Hill/Hayward.

The Wolves should make the playoffs, but they aren't contenders.

Memphis is Memphis.

There has been a lot of player movement to the west, but it really doesn't change things, as far as being a top heavy 4 team conference with three of those teams being clearly behind GS.

I want Parker here to finish out without a doubt. Timmy, Manu, and Tony have earned that respect. I'm just curious what the contract will be. Does Tony recognize the uncertainty he's asking the Spurs to commit to? I believe his experience is invaluable, especially if Manu is done. I truly hope come January he's back to the same form just prior to the injury. Here's hoping!