The Fox and the Rebound: Official San Antonio Spurs Thread

BigSoxFan

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May 31, 2007
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With the addition of Fox to a core of Wemby, Castle, Vassell, Sochan, Johnson, Barnes, etc., this is officially a team to pay attention to, as early as this year. Probably one more move away from being a true contender so who should their next target be?

Tons of assets and picks to deal, including the Hawks’ next 3 drafts along with their own this year and that ever valuable 2028 Celtics pick swap!

Do they dare make a run at Zion? Ingram as a lesser option?
 

lovegtm

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Apr 30, 2013
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With the addition of Fox to a core of Wemby, Castle, Vassell, Sochan, Johnson, Barnes, etc., this is officially a team to pay attention to, as early as this year. Probably one more move away from being a true contender so who should their next target be?

Tons of assets and picks to deal, including the Hawks’ next 3 drafts along with their own this year and that ever valuable 2028 Celtics pick swap!

Do they dare make a run at Zion? Ingram as a lesser option?
No way they do Zion. You can't take that kind of injury risk when you have the certainty of Wemby and Fox.

Ingram makes a ton of sense to me, but I always feel like I like him more than others do. Also, injuries.
 

Justthetippett

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Aug 9, 2015
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No way they do Zion. You can't take that kind of injury risk when you have the certainty of Wemby and Fox.

Ingram makes a ton of sense to me, but I always feel like I like him more than others do. Also, injuries.
What about Butler? Will cost a lot less and give them a little window these first few years with Wemby.
 

Everetts Dinosaurs

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Jan 22, 2006
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I think Jb would be a good fit. Obviously not realistic right now, but if/when the financials of this team reach unsustainability, I'd be surprised if Brown wasn't on their radar.

I'm looking at the Ringer's top 100 rankings and got all the way to Markkanan before I found someone who was (1) Potentially available and (2) A good fit between Wemby and Fox. And its possible Markkanen and Wemby is a very awkward fit.

Trey Murphy would be an amazing fit, but as much as I like him he's not a 3rd star.
 

lovegtm

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I think Jb would be a good fit. Obviously not realistic right now, but if/when the financials of this team reach unsustainability, I'd be surprised if Brown wasn't on their radar.

I'm looking at the Ringer's top 100 rankings and got all the way to Markkanan before I found someone who was (1) Potentially available and (2) A good fit between Wemby and Fox. And its possible Markkanen and Wemby is a very awkward fit.

Trey Murphy would be an amazing fit, but as much as I like him he's not a 3rd star.
I've always thought Brad was planning to deal JB in a trade like this when the extension was signed, and that's why the 5th year and trade kicker were such prominent parts of those negotiations.

JB, despite his shooting inefficiency at times, basically played himself out of those plans last year and this. He's just too good and too young. Most of his issues relate to regular season effort/focus, and he now has a very strong record of flipping the switch in the postseason.

He's pretty untouchable at this point.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Jan 15, 2004
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What about Butler? Will cost a lot less and give them a little window these first few years with Wemby.
I don't think it would be wise to bring in an older vet still at or close to his prime with this young group. Chris Paul is unique in the sense as he is wired to play the father figure role both on an off the court.....that simply isn't Jimmy. It isn't only about on-court but cultural fit as these players all basically live together for 8 months of the year so when you have young cores like the Thunder and now the Spurs there is a very delicate balance as to the type of veterans you can bring into the group. Looking back at the 2008 Celtics from what we saw and heard it is even more impressive that Doc was able to keep that group together on the same page for so long on the court despite their distances off the court.
 

Pablo's TB Lover

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Sep 10, 2017
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While Butler has a rep for blowing things up, I'm actually not seeing where he's incredibly wrong or narcissistic IN THIS INSTANCE to where he wouldn't gel with a new team. Butler has been continuously asking for help from the Heat front office since his arrival, but since he arrived Riley has not been able to pull the trigger on anything substantial. The latest was whiffing on Lillard. You could argue besides player-led transactions/team-ups, Riley has done very little besides working on the margins for well over a decade. Their homegrown talent in Adebayo and Herro among others has developed into good supporting pieces, but I think this is where Jimmy actually realizes he's not a #1A superstar who can carry a team himself.

All this to say, I think he would be quite amenable to a #2/3 (depending on Fox's level of play) role with the Spurs. And after seeing the tepid response of Wemby's teammates when he took the shove in the back last week, someone like Butler who would not be afraid to jump in the fray may be a useful piece.

Edit: Buuut based on the failure of making the big trade for the past X years, my sense is Riley is going to ask for way too much per usual and either nothing gets done or Butler gets shipped to a random team as a combination of spite and this non-preferred franchise [not Lakers, Suns or Spurs] making the best offer.
 

Everetts Dinosaurs

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Jan 22, 2006
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He's pretty untouchable at this point.
the last part of your post being, I think, the most important. I agree that this year and next he’s untouchable, but I’m not sure that’s true after the 2026 season. JB will be 30, and I think Brad is the type to sell a guy early instead of too late (e.g., Smart).

I also find myself wondering how the Celtics imagine JB will age. My read is that he’s more effective because of his insane combination of athletic traits, not because of his BBIQ. If so, that supports moving on early, ideally better signs of decline.

by contrast, I’d project Tatum to age much better.
 

Royal Reader

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Sep 21, 2005
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All this to say, I think he would be quite amenable to a #2/3 (depending on Fox's level of play) role with the Spurs. And after seeing the tepid response of Wemby's teammates when he took the shove in the back last week, someone like Butler who would not be afraid to jump in the fray may be a useful piece.
The player I wonder about, if they're thinking older name guy, is KD. Wemby and Fox are more all around guys than out and out scorers. He'd obviously be able to take more plays off on D with Wemby behind him. Phoenix is a playin team with no way out.