Report: Spurs seeking first-round pick for Blair
According to Golden State Warriors beat writer Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group (H/T 
Tim of PTR), he has a source that is saying the San Antonio Spurs are seeking a first-round pick in exchange for disgruntled power forward DeJuan Blair.
The Warriors would have an interest in San Antonio big man DeJuan Blair, according to a source. But the Spurs want a first-round pick in exchange. Not only do the Warriors not have one they can give, they wouldn't give it anyway. If the price comes down, GSW would check him out. He's not the athlete they want, but he'd bring the toughness and physicality they need
On Thursday, a report came out yesterday from Blair's agent that the power forward was most likely preparing to play his last season with the silver and black, if they even kept him around that long. Blair's final year of his contract with the Spurs is non-guaranteed, meaning the team has the choice to keep him, release him, or trade him before early January.
When Blair was training with the U.S. Select team, he also released statements saying he didn't believe he and the Spurs had a long future together. Ever since Boris Diaw was brought in late March last season, Blair saw himself fall to the last rotation spot on the Spurs' bench in the frontcourt. With Diaw signing a new two-year deal, its a sign the franchise has decided to go with the versatile 6'8 center Diaw, rather than the 6'7" center Blair.
Scola to Suns, Kidd to slammer ;) Keep in mind that Spurs game will NOT be televised until Mon 11 am on nbatv
As much as I hate to admit it and even though for the past 4,5 seasons I have believed we have a realistic shot at winning a champion, now I really don't think we can win a championship anymore. I mean all the stars aligned last season and we really played as well as we could but OKC seems to be in another level. Even if we got David Robinson to "block shots" I really doubt we can beat them. I mean you gotta realize at some point we are not talented enough to compete with some of these teams anymore. Role players are called role players for a reason they cannot carry you against Super Stars who can score in so many different ways that planning against them is practically impossible.
All that being said, I'll still root for my Spurs but I really don't think getting a shot blocker is going to be the solution, we need Super Stars at their Prime and we just don't have it, plain and simple.
@Spursforever69 Clearly we wont be faves to win at all again next couple years, but remember, A few OKC guys just happened to get VERY hot at just the right time, and a few Spurs went opposite direction (not to mention some VERY iffy reffing) and STILL we were 2 wins from finals. Also remember that 3 of our guys JUST joined the team before the POs and it would be common sense to expect all 3 to be much more integrated this year after a full training camp + preaseason. Not to mention we now have a few younguns that we can expect to improve. FA isnt over yet either, so we may still see yet MORE improvement there. As for Thunder, ya they will likely not get worse next year..but year AFTER I dont think theres any WAY they can sign Harden AND Iblocka BOTH.. I see Harden gone. Keep hope alive man, it aint over till its over
WOW..Darko made it out of waivers..kinda surprised since his min offer was REALLY low..but as expected Bobcats won bid for B Haywood (good for spurs imo) (although I HIGHLY doubt he was ever even considered) Now 24 hrs left until we find out who wins Scola. lol (SALLAD, Cavs, Hornets imo) Whoever wins I'll just be glad to see an end to the NEW Scola debate.lol LOOK AT DARKO SPURS (wow, never thought I'd say that) lol
@rtesoro440 lol Darko isnt a star, but he could absolutely solve some issues we have..and btw if Darkos a lemon, what is your boy Tyrus Thomas? Hint: they have near the EXACT same #s last year EXCEPT that Darko may be had at around the minimum whil Tyrus has one of the most overpaid contracts in the league!
first i a spur fan but wat i see is a spurs collage team running and gunning we a need a true shot blocker with size and will free duncan more and get scolla then watch out nba here come the spurs
Also Blair comes supeerrrrr cheap. There is no other big that I know of that comes that cheap and does what he does. Spurs always find players that they know will be good players and they come cheap. Just imagine the cap space we'll have once our stars leave or sign for less money.
But going for Scola now would be too risky cause their are other teams that are playoff teams that has the money to get him. Unless he doesnt care about the money and we get him, perfect. Send bonner to the D-League for all I care lol. I just don't see no one in the free agent roster hat knows the Spurs players tendencies, where they like their shots and has chemistry of the team that Blair already has.
Then what happens IF we amnesty Bonner & waived Blair and Neal. And we STILL don't get Scola. Neal and Blair isn't going to want to sign with us anymore. And we lost key rotational players.
Yes, we can sign demon which I like and A big from our stash of gems, but how many years to you take for them to get comfortable, know the tendencies and already have the chemistry.
It's better safe than sorry/.
@minusIf the Spurs amnesty Bonner and waive blair and neal, and lose the bid for Scola, that's the risk they have to take. If they lose the trio, are they irreplaceable? I don't think so. Besides, Bonner and Neal faded when they were needed. As for Blair, no sane GM will stick to a 6'7" center. The nba is after all a gamble. The Spurs are looking for a guy who can protect the rim, the answer presents itself. The Spurs may or may not take it. Anyway, I supposed the bidders may have an understanding of sorts how much to bid. So far, the cavs appears to be the only interested party. As in the case of the Mavs, they were the only bidders for the services of Elton Brand, I think. If the wires would be believed, the Spurs may inquire on a possible trade for Varejao or Zeller, Is that so complicated? The entry of Scola into cavs lineup makes an over-abundance of frontline players. I think the faint hearted will not survive in the nba.
@rtesoro440 @minus It certainly isnt complicated..but it is IMPOSSIBLE to make a bon/neal/blair trade for Andy..And frankly from one post to the next you manage to contradict yourself..here you say we need a rim protector, one post above you completely dismiss a SOLID rim protector in Darko that might be available for peanuts ( I can only assume that you posted the Darko dis above just in a misguided attempt to TRY to make it SEEM like it was a "bad" suggestion by me) If so, its cool because ANYONE on this site can see who IS and ISN'T educated about this game quite easily.
Honestly though, we didn't lose against OKC because we didn't have a big man to protect the rim, and we all know it. Blair didn't even play then so we can blame him. Blame Pop and Stern cause Pop overacted and didn't trust his players.
But Blair isn't bad as people make him. I see Blair turning into a Milsap type of players in a few years, don't forget it takes big men time to find their game, their not like guards.
Chuck Hayes is a 6'6 center and he was a starter LOL. Blair is wayyyyy better than Chuck Hayes. But the point is, I like Blair cause he brings that toughness we need and attitude. Jax, brings toughness, Blair brings it and Manu. Whose else brings that? Bonner is a good season person but I think bonner mins should be limited in the playoffs and play Blair more. Blair does practice if you ever follow him on Twitter, he's in the gym and on the court ever day, working on his jumper and defense. So he's not the same WhatABurger Blair.
Height is overly overrated. I mean it plays it parts but give Blair one more chance. I would HATE for Blair to go to another team what ends up in the WCF or Finals and hand it to our ass with double doubles and beat us. That would be embarrassing. Cause what player has the size to stop Blair that's on our team. No one.
If anything, just take Bonner away not Blair. While Bonner gone, we can get a legit big man hopefully Ryan Richards but keeping blair is insurance and also a liability. It's a long season and our stars will be one year older. Blair will eat those mins up and also wants those mins.
@minus Although I do agree at this point we are very unlikely to get equal value for Blair because of his small contract, I absolutely disagree on a few other things..For one, if he supposedly works out so much, why has never NOT been fat? Ya he lost some lbs last summer, but 2 months later he was right back to the fatness..Also why if he works so hard did he regress in rebounding #s last year? Why does he still suck at shooting the ball? MAYBE he makes it to Milsap level, but I can tell you he hasnt improved his shooting at the rate that Milsap did in the same time. So that remains to be seen. Also, Im quite sure that the Spurs would never trade him to a contender.lol As for no Spurs players being able to guard him, I'm betting TD, Splits AND Diaw could more than hold their own against someone with no jumper or shot outside of 5 feet from rim.lol Lastly, what possible evidence do you have that R Richards is a LEGIT big man? And what LEGIT big man out there could be had at Bon's salary of 3.6 mil? Legit big men are getting at least TWICE that #
@Joey Lol not crazy, just smart. Blair has time to work on a post game and jumper. bonner is just a 3 point man.
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@minus All he's worked on is floaters. I don't want my center shooting floaters. He isn't even 6'7" hes BARELY 6'5", and will have a very shortened career by not having any ligaments. If we can get a 1st rounder we have to move him for that, there is no ifs ands or buts. Saying height is overrated in bball is also a ludicrous notion to me. It forces teams into many more bad shots, and makes easy shots way more difficult, at the same time making people more cautious in driving, it completely changes the way someone can attack your team if you have a lot of size.
@minus @Joey Hes had 3 years already and I see virtually NO better shooting or post game..and we need to remember that since he has no acls AND is constantly overweight, common sense dictates that he will likely not have many years left to do all this supposed improving. That said Im on board with riding him at least to towards the end of this year and see how he does..UNLESS we can at least get a #1 pick for him before then.
Asking for the moon is too much. Trading for the # 1 draft of the Warriors is incomprehensible. Why not Jeremy Tyler or one of the big guys?
@rtesoro440 lol Are you really saying Spurs are the ones asking for the moon by wanting a #1 pick (for a projected #1 pick that dropped to a #2 THEN proved to be a steal of that draft according to most media) while YOU suggest a Blair for Andy V trade with Cavs that is IMPOSSIBLY because Blair makes 1 mil yr while Andy makes avg of 9.5 mil over next 2 years?? REALLY? lol Well if Spurs are asking for the moon then you are asking for the UNIVERSE (and the impossible)
I really don't get what you want. Unless my memory serves me wrong, Blair was taken in the 2nd round. The Warriors, according to the wires would look at Blair if the trade will be other than their 1st round draft. Clear? So i suggest Jeremy Tyler. Now, in so far as Verejao, why insist on equal salaries? In the event that the cavs bid for Scola and win, they have an over-abundance of frontline men. As the writer said, they may trade Varejao and even Zeller. It has merits. So I said, instead of bidding for Scola maybe the Spurs trade Blair, Bonner and Neal for Varejao or Zeller. It's 3 warm bodies, 2 of which have expiring contracts against just 1. Is that bad for the Cavs? They are in effect unloading a portion of their salary obligation.They are clearing the salary load. And, with 2 expiring contracts, they can sign players of their choice, if Blair and Neal are found wanting. Is that bad for the Cavs? Is this wishful thinking?
In so far as a possible trade with Warriors, and I use the same reasoning the gave, will they trade a player whom they have not tried? So maybe, i said, Jeremy Tyler is just right. Both were taken in the 2nd round. I hope this clarifies matters.
@rtesoro440 As for what i want? My simple wish is to see just ONE TRULY plausible suggestion from you before MY HEAD EXPLODES..lol
@rtesoro440 OMG..lol why insist on equal salaries?? So YOU think that its ME insisting on equal trade value and NOT NBA RULES? LMAO..One last time..NBA RULES REQUIRE SALARIES TO BE SIMILAR FOR A TRADE TO BE ACCEPTABLE. Where have you seen that Cavs are open to trading their ONLY center? WHY would they trade Zeller if hes the ONLY C they have? Incredibly, though you ACTUALLY hit on ONE trade that would work under the rules in Tyler for Blair..Although I doubt GSW would trade a young kid with upside for a guy that gets about the same stats (if you adjust Tylers mins up to DJBs) and DJB has had 2 more yrs in the league to equal what JT did in his 1st year..BEYOND that DJB is VERY likely to only having a few years left on knees totally VOID of ACLS, AND DJB ALREADY has a rep for not having even the discipline to do the simplest thing as KEEPING IN SHAPE. So tell me WHY GSW would possibly do this trade, and keep in mind JT is an ACTUAL C thats like 5 inches taller!! Hell ya, I'd bet our FO would do that in a second! lol GSW would NOT. You are also not realizing that expiring deals ARE great to have IF THEY ARE SIZEABLE $ DEALS! Blair and Neal TOGETHER dont even make 2 million a year! lol So if they both leave that saves GSW about a vet min size amount..And to re-sign them, you can BET they would be looking at having to pay both guys WAY more than current deals to keep them. To answer your query "Is this wishful thinking?" Answer: "YEEESSSS" Just like virtually EVERY one of your fairy-tale wish posts ARE.
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Disgruntled?? Blair isn't going to come into practice and start shooting people is he???
I like blair, his only problem is he is too undersized. He will never be successful as a center because he's too short. He MIGHT be successful at the power forward position but I doubt it. If he was at least 2 inches taller, he'd be much more useful.
@ajd21 He MIGHT come in and throw whataburgers at people..no wait, theres no way he even makes it out of his car without gobbling up all said burgers. Much more likely he tries to tweet Spurs FO to death
@ajd21 he's actually a pretty good defender because of his big body. he does struggle against the really tall ones with long arms like bynum, but not every team has a bynum type player on their roster. blair has a good feel for the game that you can't teach. he was a draft steal no doubt about it. i still think he's a great addition to any team.
Whether or not the Spurs "stole" Blair, the fact remains that his size is a liability. No sane GM would have a center at 6'7'. That height is good for a sg or sf!
Since apparently there are no takers, may I again propose that they waive him with Neal and amnesty Bonner. Will this put them below the salary cap? If it does, then bid for Scola. Scola has the savvy to play the interior. he rebounds and can shoot the ball, he can guard and most of all, because of his imposing size, protect the rim. Said differently, he is superior to Blair. Many Spurs fans are apprehensive of amnestying Bonner because he is an important component of the team's rotation. He sometimes play the middle and shoots 3 points. As far as playing the middle, Scola can do that. Shooting the 3s can be taken cared by Manu, Leonard, Jackson and even Danny Green. Besides, he faded when it counted most. Denmon can take the place of Neal. MIssing them is not a problem. Should this happen, and added bonus, it opens at least 3 slots in the lineup enough to absorb Denmon, Byars and either Jamychal Green or Ryan Richards. There are issues like Scola was once dumped by the Spurs. I don't see any problem with that. These players are professionals. They play for money. Anyway, I would like to think that Scola would enjoy playing with Manu, his countryman and playing with Splitter, whose son he is the godfather. Bonner's issue can be addressed but, we can't close our eyes to his and Blair's limitations. I hope coach Pop, GM Buford and Mr. Holt see the light of this proposal. It is at there hands now. Will they pull the trigger? They MUST!
@Joey @rtesoro440 @ajd21 If we did get Scola at the min. though there would be no reason to amnesty anyone still..we could just cut Byars (or trade neal or blair if we needed to make an open spot)
@rtesoro440 @Joey @ajd21 lol for real? I am NOT the one posting that we should do the IMPOSSIBLE over and over somehow thinking that maybe if I keep posting it, it may become magically possible to get under the cap by subtracting bon/blair/ neal..That is YOU..Same with the IMPOSSIBLE trade of those three for Andy V. Rules apply to trades no matter HOW much you want them! lol
If it does not put the Spurs UNDER the salary cap, we have nothing to talk about. Agreed?
@rtesoro440 @Joey @ajd21 Also its now being reported that up to FIVE teams may be able to bid on him...We could lose those 3 players (if it would get us under the cap, which it WONT anyway) and STILL not be likely we would win blind bidding with so many other teams likely to bid..Just let it go man we cant get under cap unless we amnesty a big 3.lol
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@rtesoro440 @ajd21 i'd love to see Scola in a Spurs uniform, but that wish seems bleak--let it go. there is no way in hell our Spurs will waste their one time chance at amnestying a player all willy nilly like that; however, i truly believe our front office is playing the waiting game. IF Scola becomes a free agent, that's when we'll zoom in for the deal to acquire him at veteran's minimum--maybe more if he co-operates and will make us comfortable at amnestying someone.
i don't blame blair. i wanted to see him play against okc, but that didn't happen. he's a good player, but everyone knows the spurs are trying to get rid of him, so we don't have the leverage in negotiating to get something decent.
Also, although I really dislike $tern, I'm starting to understand his dislike for these agents that have diarrhea of the mouth.
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If they dont have a #1 pick, nor would they give it then why are they reporting about it? Spurs aren't giving you any more FAVORS Warriors, we ALREADY gave you our stud RJ for your scrub jax!! hehe As for all these moron agents putting out all this drivel (see Blairs agent, JAs agent, Batums agent) I would hope that eventually y'all would realize that many times you are doing your clients a disservice by running your mouths FAR too much!
