Turiaf Considered Signing With Spurs
For a big chunk of the San Antonio Spurs fan population, the team can't have too many bigs.
Tim Duncan is still the anchor on defense and can still post up every now and then with Boris Diaw and Tiago Splitter backing him up or playing next to him. Other than that, the Spurs aren't considered to have much depth.
The remaining players (DeJuan Blair, Matt Bonner) are one dimensional players and their negatives are seen to outweigh their positives. Bonner is seen as strictly a three point specialist while Blair is an undersized power forward who just looks to cut to the basket (doesn't even set a pick in a pick and roll either).
In some fans' minds, any big who can play defense and rebound is always a plus for this team so there might be some fans who will be disappointed to hear that Ronny Turiaf was considering putting on a silver and black uniform along with his French teammates Tony Parker, Boris Diaw, and Nando De Colo.
Turiaf was interested, but he saw a different version of the Spurs than what most fans do as he stated on BasketSession.com that in his situation, he wanted to go to a team like the Miami Heat or Los Angeles Clippers because they needed a player like him.
He also added that the Spurs had enough depth with the bigs they already have.
Turiaf isn't exactly the greatest man defender nor is he seen as an offensive option, but he's known as a shot blocker and rebounder with energy every night. Although he may or may not have been a big upgrade over the two bigs at the end of the bench for San Antonio, he would've had that comfort of playing along his fellow Frenchman.
As we've seen this year with De Colo, he's been very comfortable alongside his French national team players. With Manu Ginobili playing the same way also, there's no doubt he would've been a fit here and the team would've found some way to incorporate him on offense.
All we have for Turiaf are "what ifs" if he was on this roster that keeps finding ways to play great team basketball.
Who cares at this point? I'm tired of the stories from players claiming that they ALMOST went to the Spurs. The Heat needed him? The Clippers? Whatever. Didn't Josh Howard, Caron Butler, Karl Malone and whole host of other FAs over the years say the same thing?
It's water under the bridge. It's hard to speculate whether or not Turiaf could have helped the cause of the Spurs. Anyway, he is doing well with Clippers. But speaking of choices, the Clippers have more young, tall players than the Spurs. So Turiaf must have other reasons in signing with them like, money perhaps. He knows the Spurs can't give him what he wanted cosidering the manner they send their dimes.
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@rtesoro440 oh really , and where do they send those dimes. weird to see you write its water under the bridge, when every time you comment you complaining and whining about not having ant big men on the Spurs.
How many analysts have talked about the needs of the Spurs? Countless and one common observation is the need for another big guy to protect the rim and to sub for TD. How many "bigs" in free agency have they let go? Countless because they were not willing to spend.. See how Blatche is now playing with the Nets, Kaman with Mavericks, etc.
