Spurs Locked and Loaded!

In an effort to flank the San Antonio Spurs big three with some much needed help, the ownership spared no expense going well pass the luxury tax threshold. Will this investment pay the kind of dividends that warrant such a gamble, namely a fifth championship? Only time will tell. One thing is for certain, Tim Duncan may have the most potent combination of teammates he has ever seen. Check out these numbers.

We know what Duncan, Ginobli and Parker can do on any given night. Last year Kurt Thomas averaged 17minutes, 5rebounds and 4points per game. He is replaced in the starting line-up by Antonio McDyess who averaged 30minutes, 9.8rebounds and 9.6points per game. Basically Duncan now has a front court partner who should double the output of his predecessor. Additionally, the more time McDyess play, the less time Duncan will have to log during the regular season. This is huge on some many levels.

The biggest improvement however comes at the wing position. Last year Michael Finley averaged 25minutes, 9.7pts, 3.3rbs and 1.4ast. His replacement Richard Jefferson averaged 35minutes, 19.6, 4.6rbs and 2.4. Even more telling is the fact that Jefferson averaged 6.3 FTA compared to Finley’s 0.8. Put simply, RJ should drastically increase open looks for the dead-eyes in the corners when he attacks the basket. By replacing Kurt Thomas and Michael Finley with Antonio McDyess and Richard Jefferson in the starting line-up the Spurs should increase their rebounding by 6 boards per game and their point production by and whopping 15 points per game.

The Contender Cost, Now and in the Future

Now that the 2009-10 salary cap has been established we have a more definitive picture as to the financial footing of each team. The consensus view establishes 5 teams as contenders, Lakers, Spurs, Celtics, Caverliers and Magic. Let's look at each conference contender's financials as this could have a barring own future moves prior to the start of the season.

WESTERN CONFERENCE CONTENDERS

SPURS - 9 players - 71million (Includes their core and Richard Jefferson)
Expected to spend MLE on front court help - 6million
Draft pick and roster filler salaries - 3million
2009-10 Projected Team Salary - 80million
2010-11 Team Salary - 47million (not including Manu Ginobli)
Forecast - Good

LAKERS - 13 players - 84million (Includes Gasol, Bynum, Kobe)
Spent MLE on Artest
Odom's asking price 10mil/several years
No Draft picks
2009-10 Projected Team Salary - 94million
2010- 11 Team Salary - 75million (not including Odom or Fisher)
Forest - Costly long term

Am I asking too much?

Now that Rasheed Wallace has verbally agreed to sign with the Celtics, true Spurs fans can breath a sigh of relief. The Spurs still have their MLE and Bi-Annual to throw at a couple of free-agents. If Xmas could come early, I wish that the Spurs could convince Both Antonio McDyess and Channing Frye to join the Silver and Black express in their quest for championship number 5. The Spurs MLE is almost twice the amount of money that Detroit can offer McDyess so if all reports are true that he is deliberating between the Pistons and Spurs then delibrate no more.......Spurs = more money and better chance a winning a title. With regards to Mr. Frye, it is hard to imagine him not garnering an offer worth more than the Spurs 1.9million bi-annual so realistically seeing him next to Duncan is a stretch to say the least. Nevertheless, if Channing Frye is thinking long term, then signing with the Spurs for the bi-annual makes plenty of sense. Here's a look at the Spurs roster should Xmas come early.

Starter:
Duncan - C
McDyess - PF
Jefferson - SF
Ginobili - SG
Parker - PG

Reserves
C - Frye, Mihinmi
PF - Blair, Haislip (Bonner)
SF - Finley, Hairston
SG - Mason, Williams
PG - Hill, McClinton

Of course to accommadate this much young talent either Bonner or Finley would require a buyout. I say thank for your service but here's the door red rocket. This would be the deepest team in the league and would have to be considered the biggest threat to the Lakers, more so than Boston, Cleveland and Orlando.

Who Wants the Job?

The NBA free agency opens it's doors tonight at 12:00am. Several teams will be active in their efforts to rebuild or find that one missing link. In the case of the four time champion San Antonio Spurs, they've already made the biggest acquisition to date by acquiring Richard Jefferson for 3 expiring contracts. Now the starting line-up is one position short of complete and the bench is as potent as ever. The question is......who wants to be the lucky big who lines up next to the future HOFer Tim Duncan for the 09-10 season? There are several possibilities (of which I will address one by one) but my first choice is Channing Frye. The standout from the university of Arizona is entering his 4th season in the league. Drafted by Knicks his talent was rarely showcased given the chaotic situation within the NY brass at the time. Frye was subsequently traded to the Trailblazers in 2007 but had a hard time finding minutes behind Aldridge. I believe put in the right situation and given an opportunity, Channing Frye will be a solid starting power forward in the NBA. He fits perfectly into the the Spurs present and future plans. Frye stands 6.11 is only 26 years of age. If the Spurs offer him a 4 year deal at 3.5 million (comparable to what they are paying Matt Bonner) Channing Frye will be wearing silver and black this season.

2009 NBA Draft - Final picks!

Updated Jun-23 (updated weekly)
It's the night before the big dance at the 2009 draft. Several teams have made various trades that will have an obvious effect on their draft selection. Several teams have also made a move to climb draft positions as they are obviously targeting a particular player. No one knows for sure how the draft will play out but I will boldly put forth my FINAL FIRST ROUND PROJECTIONS.

1. Clippers - Blake Griffin
2. Grizzles - Haseem Thabeet
3. Thunder - Ricky Rubio
4. Kings - Jrue Holiday
5. Twolves - James Harden
6. Twolves - Johnny Flynn
7. Warriors - Jordan Hill
8. Knicks - Stephen Curry
9. Raptors - Tyreke Evans
10. Bucks - Demar DeRozan
11. Nets - Earl Clark
12. Bobcats - Terrence Williams
13. Pacers - James Johnson
14. Suns - Brandon Jennings
15. Pistons - BJ Mullens
16. Bulls - Dajuan Blair
17. 76ers - Gerald Henderson
18. Twolves - Austin Daye
19. Hawks - Jeff Teague
20. Jazz - Tyler Hansbrough
21. Hornets - Omri Casppi
22. Mavericks - Eric Maynor
23. Kings - Sam Young
24. TBlazers - Ty Lawson
25. Thunder - Chase Budinger
26. Bulls - Marcus Thornton
27. Grizzlies - Toney Douglas
28. Twolves - Jonas Jerebko
29. Lakers - Nick Calathes
30. Caveliers - Darren Collison

Honorable mentions who could crack the first round: Taj Gibson (USC), Wayne Ellington (UNC) and Rodrigue Beaubois (France:).

Watch for the Magical Ending

Kobe is pumped and ready to taste victory for the 4^th time. There is no dream match up featuring the two biggest names in the game; nevertheless we should expect a magical ending. If the biggest force in the game can stay on the floor and out of foul trouble then the Orlando Magic not the Los Angeles Lakers will be the 2009 NBA champions. Remember this simple fact…. Big men win championships. Russell owns 9, Shaq and Duncan have 8 collectively and now it is time for Dwight Howard to take the throne as this generation’s most dominate post player by leading his team to victory. The Orlando Magic averaged over 100 points against the Lakers during the regular season and that will not change in the finals. What will change is the Lakers ability to keep pace. The Lakers porous defense against Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic will be the repetitive theme throughout this series resulting in their defeat. With their first title under their belt and Dwight Howard only 23 years of age, we should all prepare for the rise of the Magic Kingdom.

Spurs potential fix for Small Foward

The mix of potential replacements at the SF position for the San Antonio Spurs range from 1^st team defender to journeymen. In this article I will only name names and reserve the pros and cons for another day. Let’s divide 10 free agents into two groups, ‘high-end’ and ‘standard’. I spent this pass weekend car shopping. Hopefully that explains my terminology.

High End PlayersWho can play the 3

Ron Artest – 6.7

David Lee – 6.9

Shawn Marion – 6.7

Lamar Odom – 6.10

Hedo Turkoglu – 6.10 (ETO)

Standard or players who should not exceed the mid-level exception who can play the 3

Trevor Ariza – 6.8

Josh Childress – 6.8

Al Harrington – 6.9 (P)

Jarvis Hayes – 6.8 (T)

Marvin Williams – 6.9

(ETO = early termination option, P = Player option, T = Team option)