Friday, May 29, 2015

Yes, I have weird emotional connections to Nando, Ayres and ...gulp... Richard Jefferson. But that's

NBA free agency 2015: It's time for the Spurs to move on from Bonner and Ayres - Pounding The Rock
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Michael Erler I don't think I had either position, but it's not like I thought he had much upside. I just figured he was a happy enough 14th man, which he is. I mean, as a trade asset he can't have less NBA value. What do you get for him, a 2nd round pick in 2059?
Jesus Gomez Yeah, it was more about having an open roster spot for the people who wanted him out. The crazy thing is at one point in his first year with the Spurs , he was ahead of Baynes in the rotation. Michael Erler Those people (which include several of my colleagues on the beat who make a lot of money) were correct. The key numbers with Ayres are these: 952 and 383. Guess what those are. Jesus Gomez Who do you take me for, sir? I have his stats on another tab. Minutes played. Michael Erler Exactly. Pop figured out he's not any good and didn't use him at all this season. But he remained because Tim likes him and Ayres is the rare NBA scrub who practices hard and doesn't complain about not playing.
The ironic thing is, in a smaller sample his peripheral stats did improve a bit. Better PER, better WS/48, better rebound percentage, fewer turnovers... but for the life of me I don't understand why they didn't dump him for JaMychal Green after camp. Pop and his "We're bringing the band back together after a championship" fetish. It's like he just wants to take zero chances with new personalities upsetting the stew.
Jesus Gomez I feel so bad about Ayres, man. Because he seems like a genuinely good dude who tried hard. But yeah, it will be hard for him to get another guaranteed NBA contract. Michael Erler He is a good dude. But he should be overseas.
Jesus Gomez To think I was excited about his mid-range jumper when he was signed. We were so young an innocent. Michael Erler I think DeAndre Jordan can make unguarded jumpers in the practice gym. There are stories twin mattress out there of Shaq nailing half of his threes in warmups It's a different deal when the blood is pumping.
Jesus Gomez He used to shoot them in Indiana! I saw him do it! He was used like David West. Then he joined twin mattress the Spurs and Pop ruined his career by not letting him take them anymore. (Just kidding, of course. Or am I...?) Michael Erler Being too coachable is not a great recipe for success twin mattress with the Spurs. It's why  Cory Joseph is too limited. Because he doesn't trust himself enough to break outside of the box. Like  The Big Three talked about on Champions Revealed , Pop forces you to have to break through his perceived limitations. You really have to have that, "Eff you old man, watch this" attitude.
Yes, I have weird emotional connections to Nando, Ayres and ...gulp... Richard Jefferson. But that's a subject for another day. Michael Erler If you like RJ we can't be friends. That's rule number two for PtR.
Jesus Gomez Man, this series is really twin mattress going to test out friendship. How can you want the Spurs to dump Matt Bonner ?! Is it a "Pop will be too tempted to use him" situation? Michael Erler Well for starters, twin mattress when he catches the ball to set up for a shot on a Tuesday in Toronto, by the time he releases it it's a Thursday twin mattress in Milwaukee.
Jesus Gomez Counterpoint: Spuran twin mattress Spuran Michael Erler Bonner is a great dude. He even got Kawhi to put on a Rush shirt. He's awesome in every way off the floor. He doesn't complain about his role. I just don't think he's an asset anymore.
Like, I know you expect me to bring up the rebounding, but I'm gonna surprise you: the Spurs actually had a better eFG and a better Offensive Rating with Bonner on the bench than on the floor. That's literally the whole reason he has a job, and he failed at that last year.
Michael Erler Mainly because I think they need to get younger and more athletic across the board. People can and do get hurt, and if injuries happen I'd like the people who step in for them to be able to grab the occasional rebound.
Michael Erler And your aforementioned crew is: 39-year-old, second-fattest guy in the NBA, Mr. Chronic Calf Problem and the dude who was obliterated by Blake Griffin. It's not like the four guys in front of him are rock solid bets to perform for 82 games plus the playoffs. Boris doesn't even wake up from hibernating until February.
Jesus Gomez I just checked his three-point shooting percentage. Yeesh. I want my designated shooter to sink more than 36 percent of his outside shots. This is not necessarily the point of these posts but it's appropriate here. Who do you think would be an upgrade for the minimum? I'm not sure there are many guys who fit the bill. Michael Erler Oh I have no idea. Haven't thought about it. You're better at knowing the random guys around the league than I am. Could be D-league guys for all I know. But you're not going to find too many pros who are 6-10 who can't grab more than 4.4 rebounds per 3

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