Richard Jefferson To Spurs

Pure salary dump by Milwaukee. The main upshot for us is that Ramon Sessions is now much less likely to leave the Bucks... this also strengthens a Western Conference opponent, though I think most of us expected the Spurs to remain playoff-calibre anyway.

over 2 years ago onlxn 9 comments 0 recs |

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I think if we faced them in the playoffs and we ran the ENTIRE time, they’d be way too tired by the 4th quarter and we’d win. =D

WARRIORS BASKETBALL!!! Patiently waiting for a title...I may be waiting for a long time...

by JustSomeName on Jun 23, 2009 10:44 AM PDT reply actions

All a bunch of old geezers with the exception of Parker, Mason, and Hill.

WARRIORS BASKETBALL!!! Patiently waiting for a title...I may be waiting for a long time...

by JustSomeName on Jun 23, 2009 10:45 AM PDT up reply actions

this is a weird deal for the spurs. they got more talented, but their best 5 was already among the best in the league and they were really lacking in depth, so they decide to trade two post players who might be necessary to rest duncan’s legs during the regular season for an upgrade at the small forward spot? i’m not sure i like that deal for them.

heart of a champion, will of the warrior.

by cap'n hack on Jun 23, 2009 10:53 AM PDT reply actions

I think a lot of it depends on how you evaluate those two post players. Thomas is useful, but Oberto is a really limited guy, and Bowen’s pretty much done. In terms of meaningful contributors, it’s basically Thomas for Jefferson, and while Jefferson’s slipping a bit and his contract ain’t great, I think you have to do that if you’re the Spurs. They really do need another scorer for when one of their big three misses time. Jefferson’s no All-Star at this point, but he’s a pretty nice fourth option.

I’m pretty sure that this trade or something similar was floated around the trade deadline. The Spurs passing on it then made some sense, as it’d be hard to get back to decent depth midseason. But I think it’s a smart trade for them now. They have to try to wring one or two more good runs out of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili… Jefferson will help them do that. They have to fill out the team around the margins with cheap FAs and maybe some rookies (they have three second-round picks, no firsts), but few teams are better than doing that than the Spurs.

I think it’s a smart trade for both sides. The kind of trade you’d like to see us involved in at some point.

by onlxn on Jun 23, 2009 11:11 AM PDT up reply actions

i’d say that oberto is useful in that he can give duncan a rest every now and then. they are very, very thin at the 4/5 right now. duncan’s “support” in the post: bonner and mahini. that’s trouble. if they don’t get a guy like gortat with the mle, this deal looks very shaky for them.

heart of a champion, will of the warrior.

by cap'n hack on Jun 23, 2009 11:28 AM PDT up reply actions

Certainly agree that they need a body or two… I just think it’s easy to overstate the value of the bodies they’re shipping out here. Oberto has a rep for being a savvy winning type, but I suspect that has more to do with his teammates than his contributions. A lot of guys who’ll be available for $1-2M should be able to fill his shoes without trouble.

I’m not saying it’s risk-free — they will miss Thomas a bit — I just think it’s a worthwhile gamble. This is a team that finds viable rotation players, from other teams’ scrap heaps, from overseas, from deep in the draft. A team that can do that, especially a veteran team whose window is closing, is well-served to trade depth for improvements in the starting lineup. Dramatically upgrading your starting SF slot is worth some question marks on the bench.

by onlxn on Jun 23, 2009 11:43 AM PDT up reply actions

agreed on all that. if anyone is going to pull guys off the scrap heap, it’s san antonio. wouldn’t it be interesting if they found a way to pull charlie v away from the bucks as a result of this deal? he and gortat should be among their top options and that would be a huge embarassment for the bucks considering resigning charlie and sessions was the main reason to make this deal.

heart of a champion, will of the warrior.

by cap'n hack on Jun 23, 2009 11:55 AM PDT up reply actions

Oberto and Bowen

most likely, they’ll be released and sign back with the Spurs.

by lightz0ut on Jun 23, 2009 11:57 AM PDT reply actions

Yeah, I read that too.

The Bucks expect to save $6.35 million next season after releasing Bowen (only $2 million guaranteed) and Oberto (only $1.9 million guaranteed), a source told ESPN.com.

So the trade could very end up being Thomas for Jefferson.

by homer simpson on Jun 23, 2009 12:51 PM PDT up reply actions