San Antonio Spurs 2024 Offseason Thread - Edging and Unleashing Wemby's Jumbo Package

[Fud 9551]

14 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

He's a 7'4-7'5 guy, it not farfetched to think he may not last 8-12 years. I'd say his window is now for about 5-7 years of good health for someone of his length. If he goes longer than that without health issues then that is amazing. Wasting years building slow and through drafts is literally wasting his prominent years. There is NO ONE on this team currently outside of him that is worth a shit or championship caliber. 

 

Also he may not want to be in SA once his rookie deal is over.....that is also party of the Wemby window. This compounded with not getting ready to play talent around him and winning isn't a recipe to get him to stay.

 

As a Rockets fan, I hope this is the way San Antonio is thinking 

[Horn of Gabriel 1614]

2 hours ago, Kermit said:

All of this may be true. Dude takes exceptional care of his body, but injuries happen. There may be a small window of competition because of injury fears and wanderlust. They may trade for a top quality teammate, using draft equity and young players. Yet, there is no fucking way that the answer to all of this is Trae Young. Fuck Trae Young, fuck his stupid game, fuck his stupid attitude, fuck his stupid school he played at, fuck the stupid spelling of his stupid name, eat a bag of dicks Trae.

How do you really feel though?  In the context of draft picks vs. a known quantity, Young could be a deal if we got him for the right stuff.  Draft is lotto ticket and it's kinda like funding a startup company.  Out of 10, 2-3 will bust, 3-4 will be so-so, two will be above average and one will be HOF level. Young is not HOF level but he's between that and "above average."  And he's also still young.  I wouldn't give two first round picks but a first and two seconds I might think about.  I'm guessing that Pop can get some more defensive effort from him, and his ability to beat his man and create chaos in the lane + vision would unlock Wemby more.  Add some shooters (much easier to find) to do 3 and D and all the sudden you have a team.  It's about chemistry and effort from there.

Great Spurs teams of the past 25 years have never been all young guns, it's always been a combo of veteran leadership and young blood.  If we're building mostly via draft we get another year of drafting, another year of "learning what works," followed by a year of "now that we know what works let's learn to play together," followed by a year of "let's fine tune the chemistry and find the missing pieces."  Pretty soon you look up and Wemby is in year 6-7, he could be getting frustrated as would the fans and you know he'll have people in his ear about NY, LA, Miami, etc.  And that's IF there aren't injuries along the way or an uncle that pops up.

Whatever, this isn't in my circle of control, and there's so much luck involved as well as everything else - why worry about it?  Just enjoy watching a generational talent while he's here and hopefully he turns into something amazing.  In the pantheon of basketball fandom I'm playing with house money as a 40 year old Spurs fan at this point.

[Pam Cummings 9639]

I don't hate Trae Young. I just don't know if he's actually a good player that I'd want on the team. Theres definitely a part of me that thinks he could make it rain and play well next to Victor. Spurs should absolutely look into it. And if they don't like what they see, no big deal, do something else.

[Mitch Cumsteen 18547]

Are we really doing the Trae Young discussion again? Really? Really? Why? Just... why? I can't even bring myself to post for the 100th time what an epic disaster it would be. If they were to trade for him, you might as well write off the entire Wemby era, because it would cement this iteration of the Spurs front office as among the most incompetent in the league. 

Now, there's a larger discussion to be had about the best way to build this thing out. You have on one hand, those that want to push their chips into the table to win right fucking now. You have those that want to let the young guys grow into their roles. I think the right move is to shoot for something in the middle: add some vets for leadership, defense and shooting. Move some minimal assets (if you need to) in order to get them. Keep as many picks as possible and keep pushing them down the road. Maintain cap flexibility while this team learns how to win.

Anybody thinking that Wemby is going to ask out if they don't make a splash now is horribly misreading the landscape and doesn't understand how rookie contracts work. And fortunately, he's not an idiot nor is he impatient. I would be stunned if he's not one of the best five players in the league by the end of next season (health permitting). They are going to start winning more regardless, just because he will be that good. Even putting replacement level players around him, they are probably close to a 500 team, even in this ridiculously deep conference. Everybody is overthinking this shit.

The draft is in a week.. They have two picks in the top 8.  Can't we talk about that instead of this Trae Young bullshit? 

[LTtxfan 49141]

No to Trae Young for me.  Such a goober

[Michael Knight 12976]

Just imagine how good that Hawks pick will be next year

[BurntOrange&White 39930]

4 minutes ago, Michael Knight said:

Just imagine how good that Hawks pick will be next year

Cooper Flagg?

[horny_gunman 137]

Fuck Trae Young. That Sooner trash doesn’t deserve to be in a Spurs jersey and thankfully, Pop being in charge probably cements that.  

As for the “Wemby window” the concern I have is that the Spurs dynasty was truly built (drafted and developed) and those scouts and assistants have all moved on.  SA may have a great chance to draft some quality stuff but Pop and RC have never been great in trading or signing for a champ-level star.  Add in Brian Wright, whose actions the Pistons are barely trying to recover from.  So… I’m hopeful, but positing that this FA will literally do a thing they’ve never shown the ability to do (acquire big-time, prime FA/trade targets) is….. 

[Kermit 3156]

46 minutes ago, horny_gunman said:

Add in Brian Wright, whose actions the Pistons are barely trying to recover from.

What? He was in charge of the draft for them. What mistakes did he make that they are just now recovering from? Did he personally injure Cade Cunningham?

[Mitch Cumsteen 18547]

41 minutes ago, Kermit said:

What? He was in charge of the draft for them. What mistakes did he make that they are just now recovering from? Did he personally injure Cade Cunningham?

No. That was an asinine comment. He's got nothing to do with the current state of the Pistons.

He was an assistant GM in Detroit for all of 3 years (2014-2016) before moving to SA as an assistant GM. It was long before they drafted Cade Cunningham or anybody else on that roster. It was a fucking decade ago.  He got promoted from assistant in SA to the big job after being with the Spurs for 3 years. 

[Kermit 3156]

Just now, Mitch Cumsteen said:

No. That was an asinine comment. He's got nothing to do with the current state of the Pistons.

He was an assistant GM in Detroit for all of 3 years (2014-2016) before moving to SA as an assistant GM. It was long before they drafted Cade Cunningham or anybody else on that roster. It was a fucking decade ago.  He got promoted from assistant in SA to the big job after being with the Spurs for 3 years. 

Oh. I thought that maybe he put on a fat suit and paraded around as Stan Van Gundy, making outrageous demands and trading away their future for some cupcakes.

[Michael Knight 12976]

2 hours ago, horny_gunman said:

Fuck Trae Young. That Sooner trash doesn’t deserve to be in a Spurs jersey and thankfully, Pop being in charge probably cements that.  

As for the “Wemby window” the concern I have is that the Spurs dynasty was truly built (drafted and developed) and those scouts and assistants have all moved on.  SA may have a great chance to draft some quality stuff but Pop and RC have never been great in trading or signing for a champ-level star.  Add in Brian Wright, whose actions the Pistons are barely trying to recover from.  So… I’m hopeful, but positing that this FA will literally do a thing they’ve never shown the ability to do (acquire big-time, prime FA/trade targets) is….. 

How quickly people for Lamarcus Aldridge, also you might notice we don't sign champ-level stars because like every other small market team champ level stars won't sign there. We do a pretty good job of identifying and developing talent Luka Šamanić notwithstanding, Derrick White and Dejounte Murray ring a bell? Also outside of Lebron no one wins a championship with their primary star having been acquired via FA

Edited June 18 by Michael Knight

[chainsaw 9850]

19 hours ago, Michael Knight said:

How quickly people for Lamarcus Aldridge, also you might notice we don't sign champ-level stars because like every other small market team champ level stars won't sign there. We do a pretty good job of identifying and developing talent Luka Šamanić notwithstanding, Derrick White and Dejounte Murray ring a bell? Also outside of Lebron no one wins a championship with their primary star having been acquired via FA

2004 Pistons?

[thepop 4409]

If this happens we'd be all but guaranteed to take Risacher at 4

[BurntOrange&White 39930]

Windthorst has Wemby on record of saying he wants to win now. Trying to find the exact clip

[Patrick Bateman 3910]

5 hours ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Windthorst has Wemby on record of saying he wants to win now. Trying to find the exact clip

He said it right after he got drafted but in reality, I think he understands its a process.  Next season, the goal is to get better all around and make the playoffs, even if it's the play-in game.  The year after is when you really want to make a move.  There's a bunch of interesting scenarios for the Spurs to look at to get better but realistically, they're like 4 players away from being a true contender.

[Pam Cummings 9639]

I would like Castle. He's big. Seems like a Spurs guy too.

[Braff Zacklin 13551]

I do not want to see the Spurs trade away any picks in this less-than-impressive draft. However, I wouldn't mind seeing them sign a "washed" veteran like Klay Thompson for a budget-friendly deal (if he's amenable to that) cuz we definitely need some outside shooters. I think he's got enough left in the tank to do that for SA ... while also teaching the young turks something about work ethic.

[chainsaw 9850]

4 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:

I do not want to see the Spurs trade away any picks in this less-than-impressive draft. However, I wouldn't mind seeing them sign a "washed" veteran like Klay Thompson for a budget-friendly deal (if he's amenable to that) cuz we definitely need some outside shooters. I think he's got enough left in the tank to do that for SA ... while also teaching the young turks something about work ethic.

Klay Thompson could be a 2007 Michael Finley-type presence on a championship team.

[Mitch Cumsteen 18547]

Draft day. I’m hoping for Castle at 4 and either Carter, Knecht or Williams at 8. Preparing myself to be pissed if they end up with Salaun. 

I think we’re going to see some wacky shit tonight regardless. Not necessary with the Spurs but this draft board is so loose that there should be a ton of movement. Should be fun.

GSG

[Fud 9551]

40 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

Draft day. I’m hoping for Castle at 4 and either Carter, Knecht or Williams at 8. Preparing myself to be pissed if they end up with Salaun. 

I think we’re going to see some wacky shit tonight regardless. Not necessary with the Spurs but this draft board is so loose that there should be a ton of movement. Should be fun.

GSG

What about Carter at 4 and Knecht at 8? I'd be concerned about Castle's shooting 

[Mitch Cumsteen 18547]

7 minutes ago, Fud said:

What about Carter at 4 and Knecht at 8? I'd be concerned about Castle's shooting 

Yeah, his shooting is terrifying especially with how horrible the rest of the team shoots. But his stroke doesn’t look fundamentally broken to me and he does everything else at an elite level. He’s got a lot more in his bag offensively than he showed at UConn. I watched his high school tape and I think he’s going to be really good in the midrange, creating his own shot. I do believe the three point shot will come for him. His shooting got better as the season went on.

Carter at 4 seems like a reach but who isn’t a reach in this draft? Odds are he’s still there at 8 but who knows how this thing shuffles out. He’s also got some questions about his shooting but I love the tenacity that he plays with. I do like Knecht too but drafting two of the oldest dudes in this draft doesn’t seem like the spurs mo. They have to take at least one upside swing with those two picks.

 

[Pam Cummings 9639]

I watch Castle shoot the ball and his form is not great. But we've seen guys make huge improvements to their shot before. Kawhi was like that. And it's especially more common with guys who basically live in the gym, which Castle seems like one of those. I want him at 4.

[Fud 9551]

9 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

Yeah, his shooting is terrifying especially with how horrible the rest of the team shoots. But his stroke doesn’t look fundamentally broken to me and he does everything else at an elite level. He’s got a lot more in his bag offensively than he showed at UConn. I watched his high school tape and I think he’s going to be really good in the midrange, creating his own shot. I do believe the three point shot will come for him. His shooting got better as the season went on.

Carter at 4 seems like a reach but who isn’t a reach in this draft? Odds are he’s still there at 8 but who knows how this thing shuffles out. He’s also got some questions about his shooting but I love the tenacity that he plays with. I do like Knecht too but drafting two of the oldest dudes in this draft doesn’t seem like the spurs mo. They have to take at least one upside swing with those two picks.

 

Fwiw, Vecenie said on his pod that Carter is "his guy" in this class who he'd pound the table for, followed by Bub Carrington. Not sure where he ended up with him ranked, but he's probably not too far from #4. He doesn't take anything off the table in terms of defense and offensive spacing. That's fair on pairing Knecht and Carter together. Maybe Williams with #8 if he's there

Givony talked about going to watch Castle before games to shoot video for his espn blurbs, and he struggled to find videos of Castle making three shots in a row 

[Pam Cummings 9639]

That Givony piece is laughable. There's not a chance that a D1 player who starts on the best team in the nation can't make 3 shots in a row for a half hour. If that was actually true theres no fucking way Hurley ever lets him pull from 3. It's almost like something someone would put out there hoping to make him fall.

Edited June 26 by Pam Cummings

[Fud 9551]

2 minutes ago, Pam Cummings said:

That Givony piece is laughable. There's not a chance that a D1 player who starts on the best team in the nation can't make 3 shots in a row for a half hour. If that was actually true theres no fucking way Hurley ever lets him pull from 3. It's almost like something someone would put out there hoping to make him fall.

Hurley let Andre Jackson shoot more threes per game than Castle 

[Fud 9551]

Vecenie says that he's heard just about every name possible connected to SA at pick #8 from teams around the league, so they've done a good job at smoke screening. He does say that Salaun pops up a lot 

[Michael Knight 12976]

oh thank the maker

Quote

An oddsmaker and an Internet media outlet have both predicted the Miami Heat will trade for Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young on draft night.

https://www.si.com/nba/heat/trade-rumor-involving-three-time-all-star-joining-miami-heat-have-surfaced-01j1aep6xw8a

[Michael Knight 12976]

7 hours ago, Fud said:

What about Carter at 4 and Knecht at 8? I'd be concerned about Castle's shooting 

Jimmy Butler and Kawhi couldn't shoot when they came into the league.

[Fud 9551]

1 minute ago, Michael Knight said:

Jimmy Butler and Kawhi couldn't shoot when they came into the league.

So could many more other players who still can't shoot 

Also, Jimmy was actually decent at Marquette from three, albeit at smaller volume; 38%

[Michael Knight 12976]

1 minute ago, Fud said:

So could many more other players who still can't shoot 

Also, Jimmy was actually decent at Marquette from three, albeit at smaller volume; 38%

I mean there are no good ready made players in this draft and everyone is a gamble that will probably come up short. But Castle with his size, versatility and defensive ability hes an interesting prospect who could grow into a good to even great #2 for Wemby. Then we roll the dice again and hope to strike gold at 8 with Salaun. Risacher just isn't worth giving up 2 1st round picks and especially not the 25 pick which could be the #1 overall again.

[Welch 635]

I’d be a lot more comfortable with Castle if we hadn’t stupidly let Engelland go turn the Thunder into one of the best shooting teams in the NBA.

[Fud 9551]

Just now, Michael Knight said:

I mean there are no good ready made players in this draft and everyone is a gamble that will probably come up short. But Castle with his size, versatility and defensive ability hes an interesting prospect who could grow into a good to even great #2 for Wemby. Then we roll the dice again and hope to strike gold at 8 with Salaun. Risacher just isn't worth giving up 2 1st round picks and especially not the 25 pick which could be the #1 overall again.

I wouldn't trade up for Risacher either. If he falls to #4, then fine

Carter or Williams at #4 would be interesting, and then Knecht or Dillingham at #8 (if you don't go with Carter at #4) would be interesting

[Michael Knight 12976]

13 minutes ago, Welch said:

I’d be a lot more comfortable with Castle if we hadn’t stupidly let Engelland go turn the Thunder into one of the best shooting teams in the NBA.

Chip was on the brink of retirement before the Thunder gave him $10 million

[Acropora 856]

Really hoping for castle at 4 and best available at 8.  Honestly the draft is such a crapshoot this year Holland wouldn't be a bad gamble.  I feel like most years there aren't that many sure things and this year is worse than most.  I'd also be happy with Sheppard.  Otherwise it's a bunch of guys who seem to project at best as number 2/3 guys on a playoff team.  

Part of me wonders about trading for a young proven point guard but I doubt you get a guy like Fox with our picks

Edited June 26 by Acropora

[Braff Zacklin 13551]

Wanted to repeat my assertion that Knecht is worth a No.8 if he's still on the board. Gym rat/hard worker with decent size who loves to be coached. Think he'd be a great team player and have a decent career. Not superstar level, mind you, but a solid contributor (No.3 or sixth-man sparkplug) for many seasons.

[Radical Larry 28539]

My guesses are Castle at 4 and Knecht at 8. 

[kingkoopa6 8344]

Point guard and shooters 

[LTtxfan 49141]

Sheppard went #3... Wow

[kingkoopa6 8344]

Lol

[LTtxfan 49141]

Castle!!!

[kingkoopa6 8344]

Ayyyyy

LFG

[Pam Cummings 9639]

I'm all good with this. Kid is a player.

[TommysTinyTowels 785]

Excellent.

[kingkoopa6 8344]

I want his jersey 

[RichUT 1832]

I’m down. I like the commitment to D. That’s the right mindset to play for Pop. 

[Radical Larry 28539]

 

[kingkoopa6 8344]

I love defense 

 

——-
Can we bring Derrick white back. And Murray ? Or is not possible ?

[Kermit 3156]

Fuck yes. Just get in the gym and shoot, my man. Welcome to San Antonio.

[hornfan785 555]

I like it. Welcome to SA, Castle!