Report: Butler to ink deal with Clippers
Well so much for free agent small forward Caron Butler taking his talents to the Alamo City.
According to report from David Aldridge, Butler has agreed to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers to the tune of $24 million for three years.
This whittles down the San Antonio Spurs' list of possible replacement for soon-to-be-gone Richard Jefferson after reports surfaced yesterday that San Antonio will use their amnesty clause on Jefferson.
Now the field is likely down to either Josh Howard or Grant Hill. The Spurs are reportedly still interested in Hill and Howard did state the Spurs expressed their desire to have him on the team.
Also, the Spurs reportedly showed interest in Tayshaun Prince and Shane Battier but Prince will re-sign with the Pistons and Battier is off to join the Heat.
What do you have to say Spurs fans? It seems it might come down to Howard or Hill. Which of these two players would you want the Spurs to sign or is there another player you feel the Spurs should target?
Neither one of them! What has happened 2 us? Im a 36 year old guy who's been a DIE HARD Spurs fan since The Admiral's rookie year. All while growing up in S. Carolina, where i had 2 defend them thru the Bad Boys back 2 back, The Jordan error, The Dream making a fool out of us. Ect, ect. & over these past couple of years it seems that our organization has just quit! We are Never in the running for landing a TOP free agent. Now, 2nd tier free agents don't even consider us. My opinion is that it has 2 be our " The Spurs ", cockiness & arrogance. We feel that as long as our " overrated " H.O.F. Coach, 09, 20, 21
suit up, then we'll have a legitimate chance. All while totally ignoring that those guys are ALL @ least 2 years out of their prime, & that H.O.F. coach I speak of is the primary reason free agents are reluctant to sign w/ us anyway. He's instinctively a Commander & Strong hand, when we're in an age where athletes, ( the good athletic ones ) just ain't having that. Today's Superstar is just different. 50 & 21 were truly the last of a DEAD breed. I love 21, 20, 09 & Gen. Pop 2, but I LUV The Spurs. It is time 2 destroy & rebuild. Or else we will become what the Celtics became after Bird, Mchale & Parrish got old.
First of all, it's Ryan RICHARDS, not Reynolds.
Second, too bad we couldn't get Butler, but we still have other options. Wouldn't mind seeing Grant Hill here. I know he's old, but that's where Leonard can come in and get his minutes.
Third, any news about the Spurs going after a big?
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@Emicris LOL - that's it Emicris; I couldn't quite remember Reynolds/Richards. I guess I have been watching Green Lantern too much. =) I take the blame for starting the mis-surname usage in this post!
I don't mind seeing Grant Hill - he fits the Spurs roster quite well in terms of leadership, hard work and a quality human being. He also showed he still has some game left. However, I still think a big 4-5 is of much more importance than a SF.
The only "rumor" I heard of to address said issue was Kaman, but it appears Clips won't make a move until they make a decision on Jordan. As I stated below, would LOVE to have Kaman.
lol. It's all good. I thought that might have been the case.
Well, with Grant Hill resigning with the Suns, who do we go for now? Or do we just roll with Leonard/Anderson/Green/DeSean Butler?
I agree, I hope we can get Kaman.
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@Emicris Watching nearly every game last year (thank you, NBA League pass), I just have not been as concerned about the SF spot, especially with the young guns already on our roster. Possible we might get Howard, but I hope we stay as far away from VC as possible.
This season will be marked by what additions we can get to the frontline, either from FA, trade or development from within (looking at YOU Tiago!). I also think James Anderson will be a keeper. And no way Pop trades the pride of IUPUI for Leonard unless they see something special.
Let mcdysse retire, waive Bonner, amensty RJ, Quinn's gonna be playing over seas, Cut either Green or Butler.
Then You Prioritize signing Reynolds, sign TJ Ford(Awesome move), I like hill over howard so that leonard can get more minuets, Last but not least, we make a huge play for DeAndre Jordan, reasons being 1. we need extra size 2. shouldn't be too expencive and MOST IMPORTANTLY 3. He's ol blake griffins best friend and if we have Jordan in 2-3 years when griffins on the market and Timmys off the books then we can make a run at blake.
My Bad I ment Richards(J8keD threw me off as well), I should refrain from posting after 14 + hour days at work. Heres my big Questions.
1. Mcdyess??? Retired or not???
2. Richards??? Contract status in Europe? the spurs talked with him before the lockout whats going on now???
3.Any word on Grant Hill? I heard he was planning to decide between the spurs and suns by yesterday afternoon. Does signing of Hill mean waiving of either butler or green?
4.Any other PF or C free agents that might come in for workouts???(oh ya besides that guy that averaged almost 4 points a game for the bighorns in the Dleague) Our 4 and 5 spots are scary thin if Mcdyess retires and he probably should. How about Gray, Foster, Kaman, or heck I would be talking on the phone right now with utah and minnisota about all the extra bigs they have(Jefferson, Milsap, Beasly, Miller,Tolliver), I would even go as far to see what they want for beasly right now. We need PF and C Help right now!!!!
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5.Is the Signing of Ford an indication that De Colo won't be coming over untill ford contract is up?
6.I can't think of a good question that could bring up Hanga and Bertans but know that we are behind ya and you guys need to work your buts off developing. Hanga, You need to be taking at least 500 3 point shots a day. Bertans for the love of god eat a sandwich and lift some weights.
So Right now our roster should look like this right?
PG. Parker, Ford, Joseph
SG Ginobilli, Neal, Anderson
SF Leonard, Butler, Green
PF Duncan, Bonner
C Splitter, Blair
Looks like the only way spurs can get some new players on their team is through the draft. Time to stock up on picks.
@washburngmj See comment below about Ryan Reynolds in regards to new players. Also, I think James Anderson is going to be a hell of a baller. Showed some nice potential early on before getting hurt. Cat is 6'6, 220, can run, shoot from all over the floor and plays some nice D. I just think Pop needs to let these young guys play - going to need those fresh legs with the condensed season, and there is no substitute for experience.
I live in Boise, so the only Spurs games I get to see live are when I go down to Utah (yes, I bring my own beer so I don't have to drink their 3.5% nonsense ; ) ) - when I've been down there, I've seen some flashes from Kyrylo Fesenko; Is quite raw still, but he is athletic, blocks shots and isn't afraid to get dirty. Big framed kid - reminds me of a more athletic Rasho Nesterovic.
Hamed Haddadi is another unknown, and is a RFA, but Memphis is gonna be hard pressed to match any significant offers with that roster already. He is 7'2, pretty athletic, young and can really block shots. I'd like to think that any tutelage from Duncan could help expedite the learning curve of either of these young kids. Ryan Hollins is another guy who can block shots, but I think he's a bit soft and the bigger front court players would push him around. Which reminds me - any word on Ryan Reynolds, our 2nd rounder from last year? From the few videos and writeups I've been able to get a hold of, he also shows a lot of potential.
Shopping for a sf? Whar about Green, Butler and Leonard? Bite the bullet and let them play otherwise, waive them. The spurs went to the extend of trading G. Hill only to bench Leonard. Address the pressing issue - at least 2 pf/c to man the interior and relieve TD. Stick to Kaman, Mcroberts, landy, fesenko to e. clark. Why G. Hill? At 39, he is too old. J. Howard is a loser. When he was with dallas they didn't become champions.
@rtesoro440 Word up money - see my earlier post! I think we have enough folks already to man the 3. The only logic behind getting a vet SF this year is the 'win now' mentality, but at some point you gotta let the young dogs run. As I mentioned before, Leonard is a beast - long, athletic, can board and plays really tough D. And I also agree that jettisoning Indiana George doesn't make sense unless you love what Kwahi can do. I also liked what Green did in limited minutes. Really, I think I could be as productive as RJ was just sitting at home drinking a Coors Light, ESPECIALLY during the MEM series.
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I would LOVE to somehow pry Kaman away from Clippers - he shouldn't even think about shooting from outside 10 feet, but he is tough, hustles like a pimp and plays hard nosed defense. I think we have enough horses to put the ball in the hoop.
@ZILLA He reminds me too much of Bonner - a 6'10/6'11 guy who shoots the 3 well, but doesn't give you much on D. I don't think our problems the last few years have had to do with scoring as much as getting those critical 4th quarter stops. I think we need an athletic shot blocker.
@shawnthefreak@ZILLA I would to, but unfortunately, the Spurs are not in the position of choosing between Bonner or Murphy, since Bonner is already on the roster and Murphy is a FA. Bonner is also much cheaper (prospectively). Just read that Andre Biedrens(sp) might get cut by Warriors to make sufficient cap room for Nene. Another guy I would love to have in Silver and Black!
@J8keD I see your point but in Indiana Murphy averaged double figure rebounds (If I'm not mistaken)
Based on RJ's production (or lack thereof), I think there are a lot of options for the Spurs at the 3 spot, perhaps even on the roster already. I was OK with him not scoring as much, but he laid an egg defensively, which is unacceptable. He was also softer than Charmin, and we need some 'nasty' on this team. I'd like to see Green, Butler or Leonard get these minutes instead of some also rans. From the games I saw last year, Leonard especially, really gets after it on D. I really don't see much of a drop off from RJ to any of these guys, given the opportunity.
Quite frankly, I have been much more concerned about our lack of interior defense for the past 3 years. I think adding a big 4-5 who can bang and block shots will help the team out much more than any of the SF's we have been chasing. Duncan needs help guarding the rim, which was painfully evident when playing Memphis. Defensively, that has been the recipe for success in each of our championship years - choke the perimeter, and funnel inside to 2 bigs who control the paint. Blair and Bonner are not those guys. I like Splitter and think he will be a keeper, but depth is a killer.
Hopefully, the Spurs sign Hill and keep Jefferson (amnesty him next year if necessary). I was hoping the Spurs would sign Hill 2 years ago when we lost Bruce Bowen. We need a defensive stopper.
Hill would be a great addition. More photos of his wife, Tamia, for fans.
damn! oh well. like i said before, i wouldn't mind Howard, or even Hill (despite his age), or maybe R.C. has something else up his sleeve. we'll see what happens.
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The SAS wouldn't let go of RJ (the true SF on the squad as of now) without a backup plan. Knowing the SAS, Hill is the typical, savvy vet player Pop and RC love. I would not be surprised if Hill comes to SA. Though reports have Hill leaning to the NYKs.
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@JeffProjectSpurs I have to agree - the Spurs front office is very savvy. I am inclined to think that they have multiple plans in place for their desired roster changes. For all the rumors being bandied about, I am starting to get the feeling there might be a surprise move coming soon. Outside of RJ (everyone makes a mistake at some point), the track record of drafting and FA signings is remarkable. I do love the TJ Ford acquisition - a true, solid backup PG was a definite need. Kid can still ball.
I hope they sign a good small forward they shouldn't make a move on RJ until they know a guy is going to sign.Honestly most of these guys their looking at want more money some of these player in the NBA just want to get paid and with San Antonio not being a major market it's kinda hard to sign those players.
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if that buyout of china players for 500K is true, we should do that and go for Wilson Chandler. Hoops world reported that china would take the buyou. Has anyone else heard of that? Wilson can steal, block, shoot 3s, is athletic and he is young. If we are not looking at him, then we either don't have enough $ or the buyout news is false.
@growndhawgg@Coxcr20 Yeah, I thought about him as well. Super athletic and plays tough. Not sure how much help he'd be if we had to wait until March to pick him up (in regards to his existing Chinese contract - they won't let him leave the country!)
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looks like howard could likely be off our list as well.
"
UPDATE: According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports via a source, Howard "is attracted" to signing with the team Nene signs with.
Out of the four teams listed below, the Nets -- who have the most cap space -- would seem to stand the best chance of landing both if they were to team up.
But so far, there's been no strong indication Nene will head to New Jersey. If Nene heads back to Denver, Howard may end up there.
-- Ryan Corazza"
@JohnAbney All this talk and we end up with TJ Ford!? Man.. I feel kinda bad for saying this but I hope some of that old Bad Clipplers luck rubs off on Butler.
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it all depends on the $$$$ to me. hill for the vet minimum or howard for part to most of the MLE? tough call but hill does have a lot to teach a guy like leonard and is a great locker room guy i just dont know if he would sign for a vet minimum here when he could sign with the knicks for the same money. howard is looking more and more likely our next SF.
