Spurs decline to pick up Anderson's option
A bit of confusing news in the fallout of yesterday's flurry of extensions and non-extensions. According to Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News, the San Antonio Spurs declined to pick up the third year option on James Anderson's contract.
Harvey writes the Spurs decided not to pick up Anderson's contract because of the emergence of Danny Green. He added that the Spurs spent all Wednesday (and many days before that) trying to decide if they should pick up the option. They feared that if they didn't pick up his option, he'd become the next Ian Mahimni, who has turned in to a decent big man for the Mavs. But Green's emergence and Gary Neal coming back from injury has buried Anderson on the bench, which Harvey noted has buried his trade value.
And that's the big problem with this move. You can't trade Anderson for anything more than probably a 2nd round pick because people haven't seen him play. Let's assume Anderson does get off the bench before Manu comes back and plays well. By not picking up his option for next season, the Spurs have hurt his trade value you that way because the most that the team that owns Anderson's rights, be it the Spurs or someone else, is $1.5 million. Any other team can offer him more if they choose, though that seems likely at this point.
Maybe I'm too biased towards Anderson, but I feel like he hasn't gotten a fair shake as a Spur. Not that anything is promised to him, but he got the hook really quickly after a slow first half to his one start this season. You know what happened after that. Danny Green exploded on to the scene. I'm not taking anything away from Green, he's been fantastic. It just feels like in times where the Spurs needed some added perimeter defense they could've taken someone like Gary Neal off the court and put Anderson in.
I guess this is why I'm not a GM. If I were going to trade Anderson, I would've extended him so any team trading for him would have control over him past this season. I'd also be playing him more than garbage time to show teams he can still play. This news is a bit of a bummer, but hopefully Anderson does get some run before Manu gets back which will convince the Spurs to sign him in the summer or some other team to give him an honest shot next season. I'm already looking at the Clippers.
There are a lot of available SG's that will be available including T Williams, who also didn't have his option picked up by Houston. DaSaun Butler seems to be getting his legs in Austin and has more skills than JA. Lets hope he become more of a slasher before he is gone. Onlly Manu, TP and a little bit DG and Neal can get their own shot, or get into the paint. JA's real value could developing an ability to do this.
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@jojo707 twill is TERRIBLE! and a head case to top it off! there is a reason he cant get off the bench on any team he has played on, and a reason avery pretty much banned him from the team.
this is kinda sad for james imo, he has kinda gotten the short end of the stick. last year with injury, and then gary neal blowing up, now green who went from zero to hero in a mater of a nanosecond, anderson just cant get the time on the court. and with practice few and far between, not so good for him. who knows maybe the spurs resign him this summer and it will be cheap.
Biggest disappointment of the season by far. I was looking forward as the guy seemed to make progress over the summer and even in the short training camp. James just can't create his own shot in the league. He didn't transition well to the pro game. Right choice by the Spurs to draft him, but he's done in silver and black with the emergence Danny Green.
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I think anderson has the biggest upside i see him as our future sg he is good just had bad luck i hope we resign him after free agent
So ok Anderson was injured during his rookie year but that has been long ago. He was given all the breaks he needs to break the rotation. He didn't perform. Maybe its time the spurs move him. This will give the spurs a room to move. Maybe next drafting season they could bring in a big man which they sorely need. The spurs has plenty of shooting guards and small forwards but short of big man. The forthcoming draft will bring in many big men. In the near forseeable future TD will retire and its good to take advantage of experience. Splitter will grow but as I said, they short of big men to man the interior. A player-student is in order.
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@rtesoro440 long ago? that was LAST YEAR! he has played a total of 41 games, thats exactly HALF of a normal season!
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I don't like this at all. Maybe they're looking to keep him but for a lot cheaper after the season ends? Idk all I know is I don't like neal getting more time than him. I love neal and he can fill it up, but sticking with neal is a suns/offensive mentallity. We need to go back to old spurs style. Neal played 8 unproductive and probably lacking of defense minutes yesterday and ended up with what anderson had in garbage time. Neal can't play point or defense on bigger shooting guards. Hell green plays like a pg more than neal does and is good at it. My opinion? Play green a little less as a swingman and play him as a combo guard a la george hill. You can get away with similar production that hill used to give and you have a guy that can defend almost any sized sg unlike hill used to, and now you have kawhi playing as your primary back up swingman when manu comes back and anderson can blossom somewhere in between the rest of the minutes. It'll still kind of be garbage time but it'll be more than he's getting and you improve defensively over playing neal
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I knew this would happen. I commented on Facebook yesterday about how Anderson is getting outplayed by other role players. Although he hasnt had a lot of time to showcase his skills, when he gets his opportunities you should atleast see his improvement. I just haven't seen it personally so I understand why the spurs didnt pick up the option. I do believe he WILL progress after he leaves the spurs and turn into a good player somewhere else...
@JoeyTrevino361 I agree. He would be called the surprise of the training camp by, among others, Tony Parker if he does not have more than this to offer. But it's not working out for him. Hope he won't haunt us to much with his next team.
@JoeyTrevino361 hope you are right dude. hate seeing him part of the Spurs "garbage time" crew
@JeffProjectSpurs@JoeyTrevino361 I think he should take minutes from Neal because he plays better D and he can create his own shots. The only problem, in my opinion, is that Neal is knocking down his shots and James isn't. I've watched most of the spurs games and he's missed his open shots.
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@Enzo the Baker@dcreyna99@josespurs@JoeyTrevino361@JohanBeijer What got me was how much he was showing promise over the summer especially at the Vegas Impact League during the offseason. Many guys out there were saying how impressive he was. But if Green (a late draft pick) is out shining him, well, that says a lot.
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@josespurs @JeffProjectSpurs @JoeyTrevino361 Anderson doesn't have the foot speed or creativity to create his own shot. Each time he's tried it has almost always resulted into a turnover.
@josespurs@JeffProjectSpurs@JoeyTrevino361 Neal is a much better shot creator than Anderson. Anderson is a better defender, but he hasn't playing that great of D lately either.
@josespurs @JeffProjectSpurs @JoeyTrevino361. I agree!!! Lol. I said pretty much the same thing above...kinda
