[TheBigEasyParticipant]

What do you think about the Spurs draft? I have the idea that it´s a bit overhyped on some sites.

I am not that big a fan of Kawhi, since he´s so raw offensively. I think he could turn out a role player for the Spurs, but not much more than that. I am also not so sold on the acquisition of Cory Joseph as a first round pick. As a second round pick I wouldn´t have a lot of problems with it, but their first round pick could´ve been easily dealt for a second round one and perhaps some sum of money or another conditional secound round draft pick. I am reading people complementing the Spurs on this pick and basically saying that they don´t want to bet against the Spurs since their draft record, while projecting Cory Joseph as a late second round pick in their own mock drafts. A bit strange that they second guessing their own projections, especially if said journalists consider themselves experts….

Bertrans is a very nice pick-up though and I even have some hopes for our Hungarian pick up.

[rileymcshea3Participant]

 I think that was a great draft for the Spurs they needed a backup for Richard Jefferson and a future Sf and with Kawhi the got that. And Cory Joseph wasnt a first round pick i dont know why you would think he was but he wasnt . But they also got a good replacement for George Hill in Cory because the kinda play the same .Cory will fit right in on the Spurs.

[rileymcshea3Participant]

 I think that was a great draft for the Spurs they needed a backup for Richard Jefferson and a future Sf and with Kawhi the got that. And Cory Joseph wasnt a first round pick i dont know why you would think he was but he wasnt . But they also got a good replacement for George Hill in Cory because the kinda play the same .Cory will fit right in on the Spurs.

[thparadoxParticipant]

 

The Spurs draft was great

1) Kawhi won’t be expected to contribute much on the offensive end right away. He was drafted because the Spurs need athleticism. In particular, RJ wasn’t playing well, and Kawhi gives them excellent rebounding from the SF spot. Rebounding was a weakness for the spurs last year.

2) Cory Joseph was projected to be picked in the 2nd round. That doesn’t mean he isn’t a 1st round talent. Before the college season, Cory was rated as good or better than Tristan Thompson. Cory’s stock dropped because he didn’t play that well in college, and left too early. He is talented, but also fits in perfectly on the spurs due to his defensive effort and shooting range.

I agree, however, that a lot of people are simply assuming that the pick is good because it’s the spurs.

3) I think it’s likely that the spurs were targeting Cory with the acquired 2nd round pick, but It makes more financial sense to stash the euro with the 2nd round pick.

 

[thparadoxParticipant]

 

The Spurs draft was great

1) Kawhi won’t be expected to contribute much on the offensive end right away. He was drafted because the Spurs need athleticism. In particular, RJ wasn’t playing well, and Kawhi gives them excellent rebounding from the SF spot. Rebounding was a weakness for the spurs last year.

2) Cory Joseph was projected to be picked in the 2nd round. That doesn’t mean he isn’t a 1st round talent. Before the college season, Cory was rated as good or better than Tristan Thompson. Cory’s stock dropped because he didn’t play that well in college, and left too early. He is talented, but also fits in perfectly on the spurs due to his defensive effort and shooting range.

I agree, however, that a lot of people are simply assuming that the pick is good because it’s the spurs.

3) I think it’s likely that the spurs were targeting Cory with the acquired 2nd round pick, but It makes more financial sense to stash the euro with the 2nd round pick.

 

[Fuzzy DunlopParticipant]

Cory Joseph was the 29th pick of the first round.

[Fuzzy DunlopParticipant]

Cory Joseph was the 29th pick of the first round.

[Bmore_DCParticipant]

 i loved this draft by the spurs…

Leonard was projected as high as #5! and they get him for a SG/PG they drafted with one of the last picks in the first round a couple years ago, not to mention Hill wasnt on ANYONES 1st round board in that draft. He goes and has a DECENT couple of years and now the Spurs make him look like a starting PG (which hes not). Yes i know Pop loved the guy but im sure Pop loves Tony Parker a little more considering he has won rings with him.

Cory Joseph was a TOP recruit coming out of HS (Kris Joseph’s brother)…Texas has a way of getting a bunch of top recruits, losing in the first couple rounds, and making all these top recruits looking mediocre. This kid can ball, he just didnt really get the chance with Balbay and J’covan Brown all in the rotation. To me he is more of a pure point guard than hill and about the same size. And im hoping the same defensive skills. It just may take this pick a year or 2 to really pan out.

 

[Bmore_DCParticipant]

 i loved this draft by the spurs…

Leonard was projected as high as #5! and they get him for a SG/PG they drafted with one of the last picks in the first round a couple years ago, not to mention Hill wasnt on ANYONES 1st round board in that draft. He goes and has a DECENT couple of years and now the Spurs make him look like a starting PG (which hes not). Yes i know Pop loved the guy but im sure Pop loves Tony Parker a little more considering he has won rings with him.

Cory Joseph was a TOP recruit coming out of HS (Kris Joseph’s brother)…Texas has a way of getting a bunch of top recruits, losing in the first couple rounds, and making all these top recruits looking mediocre. This kid can ball, he just didnt really get the chance with Balbay and J’covan Brown all in the rotation. To me he is more of a pure point guard than hill and about the same size. And im hoping the same defensive skills. It just may take this pick a year or 2 to really pan out.

 

[PulseGlazerParticipant]

The Spurs had a top 5 offense in the NBA last year getting what essentially was a negative contribution from Jefferson from half the year.  Kawhi can mimmick that production, add speed, athleticism, rebounding and defense.  That’s a big step up.

Joseph might be a reach, sure, but… so?  The Spurs can find a cheap backup 1 if Joseph doesn’t look like he can make it.  Also, note that Neal wasn’t traded and is fully capable of playing backup 1.

[PulseGlazerParticipant]

The Spurs had a top 5 offense in the NBA last year getting what essentially was a negative contribution from Jefferson from half the year.  Kawhi can mimmick that production, add speed, athleticism, rebounding and defense.  That’s a big step up.

Joseph might be a reach, sure, but… so?  The Spurs can find a cheap backup 1 if Joseph doesn’t look like he can make it.  Also, note that Neal wasn’t traded and is fully capable of playing backup 1.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

I went to games 3 and 4 of the Grizzlies-Spurs series.  The Spurs looked slow, which compared to our slow front line is terrible.  Richard Jefferson gave them nothing and is probably a 15 minute guy off the bench now, NOT a starter.  Antonio McDyess banged some but he is looking really old and slow too.  I have no idea why Blair didn’t play.  He might have been injured.  Supposedly Blair’s defense sucks but the dude can rebound and score inside plus he is really strong and stout.  The Spurs had two really old guys at the forward spots and I think Kawhi Leonard will help with their speed and energy.  He is also a good rebounder so that will help from the 3 spot and I even think they should use him at the 4 some when they go small.  They need to use Tim Duncan like a 40 year old Kareem.  About 30 minutes a night, tell him to lose some weight, and make him shoot bank shots, short jumpers, turnarounds, and hook shots with a new team offensive philosophy of attacking from the perimeter and wings with Manu, Parker, Kawhi Leonard, and Gary Neal.  I wouldn’t play inside out, rather I would look to attack early, then if that fails go into TD as a last resort.  Their defense slipped and I think Kawhi Leonard has the skills and size to help out on defense at the wing spot (kind of like a new Bruce Bowen).  Not a big fan of the Corey Joseph pick.  If he pans out he is still probably a year or two away, but he might not be a bad 2nd or 3rd point guard.  Backup point guards are a dime a dozen so the Spurs might sign one.  The Spurs start some good outside shooters and still have Matt Bonner and Gary Neal to bring off the bench.

If Duncan plays 25-30 minutes then I would rotate Blair, Splitter, and Bonner for the rest of the minutes at the 4 and 5 spots (also use Leonard some).  I do think they need another center but they primarily need a shot blocker. 

I like the Kawhi Leonard move.  I think he helps.  He will give them a young player on the wings and a tough, active player who fits the Spurs’ style.  In the playoffs the Spurs played an injured Manu, were coming off a lackluster 2nd half of the year after a great start, and they played the worst possible matchup in the first round. 

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

I went to games 3 and 4 of the Grizzlies-Spurs series.  The Spurs looked slow, which compared to our slow front line is terrible.  Richard Jefferson gave them nothing and is probably a 15 minute guy off the bench now, NOT a starter.  Antonio McDyess banged some but he is looking really old and slow too.  I have no idea why Blair didn’t play.  He might have been injured.  Supposedly Blair’s defense sucks but the dude can rebound and score inside plus he is really strong and stout.  The Spurs had two really old guys at the forward spots and I think Kawhi Leonard will help with their speed and energy.  He is also a good rebounder so that will help from the 3 spot and I even think they should use him at the 4 some when they go small.  They need to use Tim Duncan like a 40 year old Kareem.  About 30 minutes a night, tell him to lose some weight, and make him shoot bank shots, short jumpers, turnarounds, and hook shots with a new team offensive philosophy of attacking from the perimeter and wings with Manu, Parker, Kawhi Leonard, and Gary Neal.  I wouldn’t play inside out, rather I would look to attack early, then if that fails go into TD as a last resort.  Their defense slipped and I think Kawhi Leonard has the skills and size to help out on defense at the wing spot (kind of like a new Bruce Bowen).  Not a big fan of the Corey Joseph pick.  If he pans out he is still probably a year or two away, but he might not be a bad 2nd or 3rd point guard.  Backup point guards are a dime a dozen so the Spurs might sign one.  The Spurs start some good outside shooters and still have Matt Bonner and Gary Neal to bring off the bench.

If Duncan plays 25-30 minutes then I would rotate Blair, Splitter, and Bonner for the rest of the minutes at the 4 and 5 spots (also use Leonard some).  I do think they need another center but they primarily need a shot blocker. 

I like the Kawhi Leonard move.  I think he helps.  He will give them a young player on the wings and a tough, active player who fits the Spurs’ style.  In the playoffs the Spurs played an injured Manu, were coming off a lackluster 2nd half of the year after a great start, and they played the worst possible matchup in the first round. 

[TheBigEasyParticipant]

Nice to see the feedback, don’t agree with everyone. But it gave me some extra insight on Cory Joseph which is nice.

Unfortunately that you automatically get minus points for an opinion, because don’t misunderstand me. I don’t dislike their draft (I am a Spurs fan myself, without being a homer), but I rather had seen a guy like Singleton. I don’t dislike it at all. I just got the feeling that they are getting overhyped a bit, since they’ve done quite some good drafts. It’s almost like that the so called experts don’t want to give them criticism, because it could bite them in the ass. It seems that they don’t want to take a stand, while they don’t have a problem with taking a stand in their opinion of other teams. But hey that’s my take on it. I’m hoping that the lock out won’t be too long, so I can enjoy the development of those young players.

[TheBigEasyParticipant]

Nice to see the feedback, don’t agree with everyone. But it gave me some extra insight on Cory Joseph which is nice.

Unfortunately that you automatically get minus points for an opinion, because don’t misunderstand me. I don’t dislike their draft (I am a Spurs fan myself, without being a homer), but I rather had seen a guy like Singleton. I don’t dislike it at all. I just got the feeling that they are getting overhyped a bit, since they’ve done quite some good drafts. It’s almost like that the so called experts don’t want to give them criticism, because it could bite them in the ass. It seems that they don’t want to take a stand, while they don’t have a problem with taking a stand in their opinion of other teams. But hey that’s my take on it. I’m hoping that the lock out won’t be too long, so I can enjoy the development of those young players.

[thparadoxParticipant]

 @TheBigEasy

I had given you thumbs up to balance it out. But people will give you thumbs down for saying anything that they disagree with. It’s an easy way for people to disagree without actually having a logical argument… people will do anything to avoid doubt in their own minds.

Good evidence for Kawhi as a rebounder:

http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=1779

@Memphismadness. Agree with what you said. Spurs badly needed an inside force. Blair’s minutes dropped because he hasn’t figured out issues with basketball IQ. It’s off the charts in rebounding, but he doesn’t seem to be aware enough on defense, and he seems to be out of place sometimes on offense. If he makes some changes, he’ll get more minutes.

For the memphis series, I think they needed Blair + Splitter to combine into one player. I’m guessing that Splitter will get a lot more minutes this year at center so he’s ready for the playoffs. Blair didn’t have the size necessary to guard Gasol, and he was getting abused by Randolph.

The Spurs played really well in that Grizzlies series. I think a lot of people failed to see that it was the Grizzlies who played championship level ball, rather than the spurs sucking. Hopefully we get to see a rematch next year, with the spurs slightly upgraded inside.

[thparadoxParticipant]

 @TheBigEasy

I had given you thumbs up to balance it out. But people will give you thumbs down for saying anything that they disagree with. It’s an easy way for people to disagree without actually having a logical argument… people will do anything to avoid doubt in their own minds.

Good evidence for Kawhi as a rebounder:

http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=1779

@Memphismadness. Agree with what you said. Spurs badly needed an inside force. Blair’s minutes dropped because he hasn’t figured out issues with basketball IQ. It’s off the charts in rebounding, but he doesn’t seem to be aware enough on defense, and he seems to be out of place sometimes on offense. If he makes some changes, he’ll get more minutes.

For the memphis series, I think they needed Blair + Splitter to combine into one player. I’m guessing that Splitter will get a lot more minutes this year at center so he’s ready for the playoffs. Blair didn’t have the size necessary to guard Gasol, and he was getting abused by Randolph.

The Spurs played really well in that Grizzlies series. I think a lot of people failed to see that it was the Grizzlies who played championship level ball, rather than the spurs sucking. Hopefully we get to see a rematch next year, with the spurs slightly upgraded inside.

[aamir543Participant]

The Spurs draft was great just because they are the Spurs. Think about it, why were they dangling Tony Parker for the 5 or 7? To get some one that was going to go mid lottery. Leanard was supposed to go mid lottery, didn’t, and they were able to get him for George Hill. Dont get me wrong, I believe Hill is a great player, but what is his ceiling? 17 and 4? That is a great value for where they got him, but if they think Kawahi Leanard is that good, hell I would take him.

If David Kahn tells me to take Kyrie, but RC Buford tells me to take Chu Chu Madabum, I take Madabum.

[aamir543Participant]

The Spurs draft was great just because they are the Spurs. Think about it, why were they dangling Tony Parker for the 5 or 7? To get some one that was going to go mid lottery. Leanard was supposed to go mid lottery, didn’t, and they were able to get him for George Hill. Dont get me wrong, I believe Hill is a great player, but what is his ceiling? 17 and 4? That is a great value for where they got him, but if they think Kawahi Leanard is that good, hell I would take him.

If David Kahn tells me to take Kyrie, but RC Buford tells me to take Chu Chu Madabum, I take Madabum.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

People act like the Spurs don’t make mistakes. Just look at Richard Jefferson and that contract they gave him when no other team would’ve came close to it.

I’m not that high on Leonard. Other than rebounding and hustling, what skill does he actually have? I don’t see how he’s a small forward… He’s a 6′ 6" power forward.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

People act like the Spurs don’t make mistakes. Just look at Richard Jefferson and that contract they gave him when no other team would’ve came close to it.

I’m not that high on Leonard. Other than rebounding and hustling, what skill does he actually have? I don’t see how he’s a small forward… He’s a 6′ 6" power forward.

[aamir543Participant]

@IndianaBasketball, One name-Chuck.

[aamir543Participant]

@IndianaBasketball, One name-Chuck.

[thparadoxParticipant]

 

@IndianaBasketball

I agree that RJ has sucked. However, RJ was re-signed for that much money due to specifics of the contract situation with Tiago Splitter. The spurs definitely regret that RJ move, but there were no signs that RJ was going to be this washed up. He scored over 20 ppg with the Bucks that year, including deadly corner 3pt accuracy. It turned out bad, but wasn’t a poor decision at the time.

For Leonard, sometimes rebounding / hustling / athleticism are the most important base skills for a player. Leonard seems capable of improving his shooting, ball handling, etc. He has the athleticism to play the SF position. (I’m including co-ordination as part of athleticism. He’s capable of adding SF skills). 

[thparadoxParticipant]

 

@IndianaBasketball

I agree that RJ has sucked. However, RJ was re-signed for that much money due to specifics of the contract situation with Tiago Splitter. The spurs definitely regret that RJ move, but there were no signs that RJ was going to be this washed up. He scored over 20 ppg with the Bucks that year, including deadly corner 3pt accuracy. It turned out bad, but wasn’t a poor decision at the time.

For Leonard, sometimes rebounding / hustling / athleticism are the most important base skills for a player. Leonard seems capable of improving his shooting, ball handling, etc. He has the athleticism to play the SF position. (I’m including co-ordination as part of athleticism. He’s capable of adding SF skills). 

[TheBigEasyParticipant]

@ thparadox: Thanks for your feedback. I am member of this site for quite sometime now, but since this draft I am more an active poster. So to enlighten me in these forum dynamics is nice 😉

[TheBigEasyParticipant]

@ thparadox: Thanks for your feedback. I am member of this site for quite sometime now, but since this draft I am more an active poster. So to enlighten me in these forum dynamics is nice 😉

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