Spurs assign Baynes to Toros
The San Antonio Spurs have assigned center Aron Baynes to their D-League affiliate Austin Toros.
This is Baynes’ first assignment to the Toros since being signed by the Spurs on January 23. He has appeared in two games for the Silver and Black, averaging 3.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 9.5 minutes.Baynes will join the Toros in Bakersfield tonight for Austin’s weekend set against the Jam.
You don't bring a guy over mid season to send him to the D league. It's most likely to not only familiar himself with the spurs system, but to help him get back in shape. Pop said after the Charlotte game, Baynes was pretty winded. Winded after playing 17 minutes???? With all the days off the spurs are getting recently, it's logical to keep Baynes playing, and make sure his conditioning improves so he can play longer. But there is no way he'll be stuck in the D league like Cory Joseph. If Nando Is still playing with the spurs (and we are stacked with small guards), Baynes should still be playing for us. Like I said, what team brings a guy over from overseas MID-SEASON to just stash him away?
@ajd21 You do if he comes in and plays like trash. For a guy you are complaining about that shouldn't be in the D-League he sure didn't show he's a "Monster" on the court against Charlotte. He showed some good things, but what really stood out in that game that said he should play more minutes than Blair or Bonner? 9 rebounds, 7 points and 4 fouls in almost 18 minutes. Sad part is he could have played more if not for the fouls. In the D-League whether it be a game or two he can show the Spurs, the fans and himself that he's better than that. He can show he's a "Monster" on the court. It's an opportunity for him and if he's down with the cause he'll show the team he's not tripping about it and wherever they put him he'll contribute greatly. It's called "being willing and ready for whatever". This is a good thing for him and the Spurs because if he does well in the D-League for however long he is there then when he comes back he'll not only be more comfortable, but better.
@DifferentVSTheSame He didn't play like trash. It was his first REAL game with meaningful minutes. He did fairly well for not knowing the system that good. I mean almost double digit rebounds in 17 minutes, that's pretty damn good. You act like his stats aren't good. Did you expect him to score 20 points and grabs 12 rebounds to boot? Of course he's not going to post big numbers right off the bat. I never said him being in the D league was bad, I simply said he won't be stashed there like Joseph. We brought him over not to play huge minutes, but to contribute significantly. Being stashed in the D league would defeat that purpose for this year. Pop knows our front court is still a little weak. Tiago has improved, but isn't a big factor defensively. Neither Blair or bonner are big defensive factors either. Seriously, Baynes has potential to be a better contributor and just a better overall player than bonner. Take away bonner's three pointers, and you have nothing. OKC has a young and athletic front court in Perkins and Ibaka. The clippers have a young, athletic and improved front court in Griffin and Jordan. Memphis still has Gasol and Randolph, and they just brought in Ed Davis from Toronto who is a young up and comer and very athletic. Those front courts still pose a huge threat to Tim and Tiago. Hopefully Baynes can adapt quickly so we can have another legit weapon in our front court.
@UniversalSecret I wasn't saying that Aron Baynes would stay in the D-League. You both seem to have misunderstood what I was saying. I'm talking about a player in general that comes in and doesn't do what they have shown they can do elsewhere. I wasn't meaning Aron Baynes. The one thing you both seem to not to pay attention to is the fact that the Spurs actually use their D-League program to help their players get better. It was a good thing for him to go especially when they had a day off. It's another opportunity for him to learn and get a better feel of the game. You say Pop wants him to contribute now, right? The D-League is simply used for developing purposes. If it helps him develop into a better player then why not use it? They assigned Kawhi Leonard to practice with the D-League to help him during his recovery, and he's a starter. Doesn't mean he will stay there it means it's something there that can be useful. I disagree that Baynes was sent to the D-League mainly just to increase his stamina. He still has some things to learn. Foul troubles and not really knowing the system sure wont help him in the playoffs. It's not that rare for Pop to comment on Aron Baynes or any other player after their first game, he's done it before. Especially when they have the spotlight on them thanks to the media. They asked Pop a question and he gave his answer, nothing new.
@DifferentVSTheSame I think @ajd21 simply meant Baynes won't be KEPT in the D-League for too long. The main reason he's there is because his conditioning and game endurance is not at regular season level. Pop said he was winded during the Charlotte game, so letting him play basketball during these long breaks is helpful, along with getting to know the system better. I mean, Pop commented Baynes' game after ONE GAME, which is surprising if you ask me. Getting praise from Pop after one game, a game against a really shitty team, is quite rare. Aron will most likely travel with the team on the road trip because I'm sure Duncan will sit out one, maybe two games tops during that span, (we have a back to back against the Clippers and Warriors on one occasion and a back to back against Brooklyn and Chicago in another). I look to Baynes being present in situations like that. And you guys are both right, playing meaningful minutes in the D-League will only help him. He just posted 30 points in 30 minutes with 10 rebounds, that is pretty freaking awesome. That just goes to show he can be productive in our system. I think @ajd21 is right though, I doubt baynes will stay in the D-League. Pop would not bring a big man with great potential over here from a foreign land in the middle of the season just to make him play somewhere else, that's not like our organization. It's one thing if you draft a guy in the summer and make him a project by sending down to the Toros, that's different. But midway through the season with the playoffs around the corner? No, Pop wants Aron to contribute NOW. Baynes has a high ceiling and if he plays well again tonight with the Toros, I think Pop will be inserting him JUST A LITTLE BIT more during the road trip.
@ajd21 First off, I chose to not expect anything from Aron Baynes. I wanted to have an open mind when it came to him. I didn't want to base him off of complete hype, I wanted him to surprise me. From what I saw against Charlotte I thought he showed promise, but I have to admit I thought he could have done a little better. 7 points and 9 rebounds was good, but 4 fouls in 18 minutes was not. I never said he played like trash, if you are referring to my "You do if he comes in and plays like trash" comment you misinterpreted what I was saying. I was saying players in general. You were one of few who said he didn't need too much to learn and that Chemistry was his issue. I on the other hand felt different. Against Charlotte it showed that chemistry wasn't his only issue. Hearing that the Spurs assigned him to the D-League for assignment was a great idea in my opinion especially knowing the Spurs had another day off. I'm not saying you said it was or was not, just want to make that clear. I think Baynes has a lot of potential and that's why I felt strong about sending him to the D-League even if for just one game. Allow him to get some playing time, some plays down and get better adjusted to the NBA level. He did far better in his D-League appearance than he did in his first real game against Charlotte. 30 minutes, 30 points, 10 rebounds, 4 fouls. He basically said I'm better than what I showed in Charlotte and that's exactly what I thought, that he was better than that. These recent stats are far better than the other ones and show if he can stay out of foul trouble he can possibly help this team a lot more than we think.
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As expected. I think this is smart by the Spurs, allow Baynes to get some playing time and get more comfortable with the system. Spurs are one of the few teams who actually use their D-league system for their benefit. A lot of fans may want to see Baynes straight from the jump, but let's not forget it takes time to adjust. Blair and Bonner have proven they can still contribute greatly and for Baynes to get more minutes he will have to prove he's worth being on the floor more than them. Injuries is what allowed him to play as long as he did against Charlotte, it'll be interesting to see what his play in the D-League does for him moving forward.
