February 28, 2025 • 9 mins
Perhaps the biggest need for San Antonio heading into next season.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Big news of the day is the Joel Embiid story,
and I think we kind of figured this out that
he wasn't going to play much more this year, but
the Sixers have decided to shut him down for the season.
The other thoughts that I had was what is going
to happen to the Spurs here going forward with these
last twenty something games to play, and what's the future roster.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Going to look like?
Speaker 1 (00:23):
And obviously we all think that it's going to it'll
be good when Winby comes back next year, and so
much of what the Spurs were planning on doing this
year was predicated by the fact that Wemby was going.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
To be here down the stretch.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
And the losses that they've had to non playoff teams
and the borderline playoff teams are kind of an indication
that this team is probably going to win somewhere between
thirty and thirty eight games and miss the playing game.
So what does what's the next step and what's the
missing piece? And I really believe that when Wimby's not
on the floor as he is, you know, fifteen eighteen
(00:54):
minutes a game, when he's when he's resting during a
said game, and now for the final thirty games of
the season.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
He's not playing.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
It's obvious that the Spurs don't rebound well. They have
no defensive presence to clog the lane, are to block shots,
and they just need some physical presence there. And I
made the comment yesterday that the Spurs may not want
Cooper Flag even if he's available to them, because they
(01:24):
have other needs. But the more I think about it,
I'm thinking, if you get a chance to draft Cooper Flag,
you have to take him. But look at the dilemma
that the Spurs may have here. Let's say this summer
that they signed the Aeron Fox to four years and
two hundred and twenty nine million about the time. Let's
just hypothetically say Chris Paul retires, whether it's next year
(01:45):
or the year after, whenever he decides he's had enough.
I mean, I think the guy can play at least
fifty as good as shape as he's in. But at
some point Chris Paul's not here. So you've got the
Aeron Fox locked up for four years. You've got Vassell
and Keldon Johnson locked up Castle on a rookie contract
that's going to expire in three years. You got Wim
beyond a rookie contract that's going to expire in two uh,
(02:07):
and you're gonna have Cooper Flag, you know, or whoever
you draft in that in that rookie range four years
down the road. You could have to spend a ton
of money to keep that roster intact. I mean, you're
looking at seven guys that are all going to potentially
get close to max deals, not necessarily super max deals.
That's going to be reserved for those who make, you know,
(02:29):
one of the three teams. I don't think all eight
guys on the team, but with the aging process of
Paul and Harrison Barnes in their careers closer to the
end than the beginning, to get a transitional, transcendent talent
like Cooper Flag would be would be huge. And I'm
just kind of wondering what the message would be around
the NBA if those ping pong balls drop for the
(02:52):
fourth time and the Spurs end up with the number
one pick and everybody's like, what's in the water in
San Antonio fixed?
Speaker 2 (02:59):
That's actly what they're going what they're gonna say.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
You want to talk about conspiracy, people jumping out of
the coming out of the woodwork, and saying I've.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Got the script. I got the script. Jared David Stern
did it. He pulled that.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
He pulled the rabbit out of the hat from the grave.
Because Adam Silver hates the Spurs and the NBA hates
the Spurs.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Yeah, that's the same. Again.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
They give him a lot of heues every every every
now and then, we'll throw us a bone every twenty
years or something like that. I mean, let's be honest,
it's the only reason the New Orleans Pelicans got Zion.
I'm gonna go ahead and say that, but absolutely, it's
the only reason.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
And it didn't do either one of any good. A.
He went there and started eating Cajun food like it
was going out of style, and b he went to
an organization that is notoriously cheap and not well run.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
So you know, first off, let's let's pump the brakes
a little bit on Harrison Barnes. Harrison Barnes is not
as old as you think he is. It's only thirty two.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
He stiels like he's been in the lake for like
eighteen years, because I think he came into the league
at nineteen or twenty years old something like that.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
So well, Harrison Barnes looks like he could go to forty.
He probably he could.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
I mean he has I would say he has at
least five good years left in him. But you know,
with with next year, the only the only people that
are not going to be on contract next year would
be Chris Paul Sandro, Jordan McLaughlin and then Bismack Beyond No,
(04:20):
he's it was a straight up one year deal, So
next year he'll you know, if the Spurs want him
to come back, they have the opportunity. Now there's a
couple of other team options or player options, no team
options that the Spurs have to make a decision on.
They have to make a decision on if they want
to pick up the team option on this alien dude
who's from France. That's a no brainer. But what do
(04:42):
they do with Jeremy Sohan. Jeremy so Hen will be
on a team option next year, the same with with Malachi.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
And then with Blake Wesley as well.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
So there's it's not necessarily a lot of money, but
it's still you know, guys on the roster, like you mentioned,
if they want to extend some of these other guys out,
than how does that work for the salary cap. The
good thing is is next year they're only five million
dollars over the salary cap. But in order to sign
your own free agents, you have the luxury of going over.
(05:16):
So they're in a good position. It's all going to
come down to what they can work out with Dearon
Fox and what the ping pong balls say, and then
what does Chris Paul and the organization say. I think
it may be these last twenty four games, twenty five games,
if we see that Chris Paul still has and I
(05:38):
don't doubt that he does, but still has that energy,
that motivation, that mentality of wanting to continue his career,
and especially here, then I think, okay, then you try
to talk to him and say, we would love you
to come back, but we would really like you to
come back and be the backup point guard.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Because as much.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
As Daron Fox and Chris Paul or a good one
to two punch, it is kind of slowing down that that.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Well, you have two short players. You know, de Erans
what six four six, So you've got two small guys
playing the one and two. That that means Vassel has
to play the three. And now you're guarding the two
and the three with smaller players, and that's a tough
defensive matchup.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Yeah, it makes it a little It makes it harder because,
like you mentioned, you have two guys six three and
under and then you have Devin Vessel. So that's a
very small front court as far as guard wise. But
if you're able to have like uh Deeran at the one,
Devon at the two, and then you get somebody at
the three, Harrison at the four, and then and then
(06:42):
Winby at the five, then your second lineup you can
have Castle starting at the two. You can have uh
Keldon starting at the three, and then you have Chris
Paul as your backup point guard, which again it would
be a heck of a heck of a mentor for
Steph Castle to learn from as far as to become
maybe the future point guard down the road.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Yeah, well, I think I think Castle is going to
be a tweener guard for his life because if Dearon
Fox is here for the next four or five years,
Dearon Fox is the point guard. Yeah, and Castle can
play off the ball and play point guard when he's
not when he's not on in the lineup.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Well he could he could be the future backup point guard.
There's nothing wrong. I know you want him as a starter.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Well, I think if the fourth picking the draft needs
to be a starter pretty quick.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
I mean, if you're gonna pay, if you're gonna.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Pick somebody fourth in the draft, that guy got you
should be in the starting lineup.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
I could. You know.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Popp will argue if you know Monogenobli was drafted fifty
seventh and he was an All Star, but he was
off the bench. I just don't see that's I don't
see that role for Steph Castle. But in the future
I can see Castle, Vissel and Fox all playing together.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Again.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
It's a little bit smaller than you'd like, but it's
better than uh all three of those are bigger than
Chris Paul. Yeah, so that gives just some options there.
But I think that there's all. But here's the thing.
There's always going to be somebody that says, you know what,
I'm done. Theres always going to be somebody that wants
to move on, and there's always turnover and a roster.
Even the players who think are going to be here
(08:06):
for a year or two typically are not always there.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Yeah, so they they have they have a lot of
wiggle room, especially with all of the extra draft picks.
The two things that I want the Spurs to target
in the draft and then in free agency this year
is you and I both agree they have to address
three point shooting. We need to have We have decent shooters,
(08:33):
but on a consistent basis, we don't have really really
good shooters. I don't doubt that Steph Castle will become
a good shooter down the road, but we need to
have guys that are more consistent shooters. And you know it,
really I understand why they made the move at on
Draft night to trade their their pick for number eight
(08:54):
to the to the Timberwolves for Rob Dillingham, But man,
looking at it now, it's like, I really wish they
would have used it and taken Dalton Connect.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Absolutely well, I think we think that, but as basketball people,
there was something they probably didn't like about Dalton Connect
that said, no, he's not going to fit into what
our plans are.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Yeah. True. I think a lot of times we as
fans see.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Somebody that has performed like Dalton Connect has for the Lakers,
saw what he did at Tennessee and go, he's a Spur.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
But he may not be and he may not be
in the operator.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
And there's a lot of times we see college players
that we think or can't miss pros and they never
get drafted, and all of a sudden you ask questions
to the scouts, like he's too slow, gets a shot
off to quick, he doesn't defend. There's always some reason
why they didn't pick him. All right, coming up, Matt
Stafford's going to stay with the Rams. We'll talk about
the NFL coaching, the NFL quarterback carousel.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Next it's the Andy Everage Show on the ticket
Big news of the day is the Joel Embiid story,
and I think we kind of figured this out that
he wasn't going to play much more this year, but
the Sixers have decided to shut him down for the season.
The other thoughts that I had was what is going
to happen to the Spurs here going forward with these
last twenty something games to play, and what's the future roster.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Going to look like?
Speaker 1 (00:23):
And obviously we all think that it's going to it'll
be good when Winby comes back next year, and so
much of what the Spurs were planning on doing this
year was predicated by the fact that Wemby was going.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
To be here down the stretch.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
And the losses that they've had to non playoff teams
and the borderline playoff teams are kind of an indication
that this team is probably going to win somewhere between
thirty and thirty eight games and miss the playing game.
So what does what's the next step and what's the
missing piece? And I really believe that when Wimby's not
on the floor as he is, you know, fifteen eighteen
(00:54):
minutes a game, when he's when he's resting during a
said game, and now for the final thirty games of
the season.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
He's not playing.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
It's obvious that the Spurs don't rebound well. They have
no defensive presence to clog the lane, are to block shots,
and they just need some physical presence there. And I
made the comment yesterday that the Spurs may not want
Cooper Flag even if he's available to them, because they
(01:24):
have other needs. But the more I think about it,
I'm thinking, if you get a chance to draft Cooper Flag,
you have to take him. But look at the dilemma
that the Spurs may have here. Let's say this summer
that they signed the Aeron Fox to four years and
two hundred and twenty nine million about the time. Let's
just hypothetically say Chris Paul retires, whether it's next year
(01:45):
or the year after, whenever he decides he's had enough.
I mean, I think the guy can play at least
fifty as good as shape as he's in. But at
some point Chris Paul's not here. So you've got the
Aeron Fox locked up for four years. You've got Vassell
and Keldon Johnson locked up Castle on a rookie contract
that's going to expire in three years. You got Wim
beyond a rookie contract that's going to expire in two uh,
(02:07):
and you're gonna have Cooper Flag, you know, or whoever
you draft in that in that rookie range four years
down the road. You could have to spend a ton
of money to keep that roster intact. I mean, you're
looking at seven guys that are all going to potentially
get close to max deals, not necessarily super max deals.
That's going to be reserved for those who make, you know,
(02:29):
one of the three teams. I don't think all eight
guys on the team, but with the aging process of
Paul and Harrison Barnes in their careers closer to the
end than the beginning, to get a transitional, transcendent talent
like Cooper Flag would be would be huge. And I'm
just kind of wondering what the message would be around
the NBA if those ping pong balls drop for the
(02:52):
fourth time and the Spurs end up with the number
one pick and everybody's like, what's in the water in
San Antonio fixed?
Speaker 2 (02:59):
That's actly what they're going what they're gonna say.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
You want to talk about conspiracy, people jumping out of
the coming out of the woodwork, and saying I've.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Got the script. I got the script. Jared David Stern
did it. He pulled that.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
He pulled the rabbit out of the hat from the grave.
Because Adam Silver hates the Spurs and the NBA hates
the Spurs.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Yeah, that's the same. Again.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
They give him a lot of heues every every every
now and then, we'll throw us a bone every twenty
years or something like that. I mean, let's be honest,
it's the only reason the New Orleans Pelicans got Zion.
I'm gonna go ahead and say that, but absolutely, it's
the only reason.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
And it didn't do either one of any good. A.
He went there and started eating Cajun food like it
was going out of style, and b he went to
an organization that is notoriously cheap and not well run.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
So you know, first off, let's let's pump the brakes
a little bit on Harrison Barnes. Harrison Barnes is not
as old as you think he is. It's only thirty two.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
He stiels like he's been in the lake for like
eighteen years, because I think he came into the league
at nineteen or twenty years old something like that.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
So well, Harrison Barnes looks like he could go to forty.
He probably he could.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
I mean he has I would say he has at
least five good years left in him. But you know,
with with next year, the only the only people that
are not going to be on contract next year would
be Chris Paul Sandro, Jordan McLaughlin and then Bismack Beyond No,
(04:20):
he's it was a straight up one year deal, So
next year he'll you know, if the Spurs want him
to come back, they have the opportunity. Now there's a
couple of other team options or player options, no team
options that the Spurs have to make a decision on.
They have to make a decision on if they want
to pick up the team option on this alien dude
who's from France. That's a no brainer. But what do
(04:42):
they do with Jeremy Sohan. Jeremy so Hen will be
on a team option next year, the same with with Malachi.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
And then with Blake Wesley as well.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
So there's it's not necessarily a lot of money, but
it's still you know, guys on the roster, like you mentioned,
if they want to extend some of these other guys out,
than how does that work for the salary cap. The
good thing is is next year they're only five million
dollars over the salary cap. But in order to sign
your own free agents, you have the luxury of going over.
(05:16):
So they're in a good position. It's all going to
come down to what they can work out with Dearon
Fox and what the ping pong balls say, and then
what does Chris Paul and the organization say. I think
it may be these last twenty four games, twenty five games,
if we see that Chris Paul still has and I
(05:38):
don't doubt that he does, but still has that energy,
that motivation, that mentality of wanting to continue his career,
and especially here, then I think, okay, then you try
to talk to him and say, we would love you
to come back, but we would really like you to
come back and be the backup point guard.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Because as much.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
As Daron Fox and Chris Paul or a good one
to two punch, it is kind of slowing down that that.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Well, you have two short players. You know, de Erans
what six four six, So you've got two small guys
playing the one and two. That that means Vassel has
to play the three. And now you're guarding the two
and the three with smaller players, and that's a tough
defensive matchup.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Yeah, it makes it a little It makes it harder because,
like you mentioned, you have two guys six three and
under and then you have Devin Vessel. So that's a
very small front court as far as guard wise. But
if you're able to have like uh Deeran at the one,
Devon at the two, and then you get somebody at
the three, Harrison at the four, and then and then
(06:42):
Winby at the five, then your second lineup you can
have Castle starting at the two. You can have uh
Keldon starting at the three, and then you have Chris
Paul as your backup point guard, which again it would
be a heck of a heck of a mentor for
Steph Castle to learn from as far as to become
maybe the future point guard down the road.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Yeah, well, I think I think Castle is going to
be a tweener guard for his life because if Dearon
Fox is here for the next four or five years,
Dearon Fox is the point guard. Yeah, and Castle can
play off the ball and play point guard when he's
not when he's not on in the lineup.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Well he could he could be the future backup point guard.
There's nothing wrong. I know you want him as a starter.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Well, I think if the fourth picking the draft needs
to be a starter pretty quick.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
I mean, if you're gonna pay, if you're gonna.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Pick somebody fourth in the draft, that guy got you
should be in the starting lineup.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
I could. You know.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Popp will argue if you know Monogenobli was drafted fifty
seventh and he was an All Star, but he was
off the bench. I just don't see that's I don't
see that role for Steph Castle. But in the future
I can see Castle, Vissel and Fox all playing together.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Again.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
It's a little bit smaller than you'd like, but it's
better than uh all three of those are bigger than
Chris Paul. Yeah, so that gives just some options there.
But I think that there's all. But here's the thing.
There's always going to be somebody that says, you know what,
I'm done. Theres always going to be somebody that wants
to move on, and there's always turnover and a roster.
Even the players who think are going to be here
(08:06):
for a year or two typically are not always there.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Yeah, so they they have they have a lot of
wiggle room, especially with all of the extra draft picks.
The two things that I want the Spurs to target
in the draft and then in free agency this year
is you and I both agree they have to address
three point shooting. We need to have We have decent shooters,
(08:33):
but on a consistent basis, we don't have really really
good shooters. I don't doubt that Steph Castle will become
a good shooter down the road, but we need to
have guys that are more consistent shooters. And you know it,
really I understand why they made the move at on
Draft night to trade their their pick for number eight
(08:54):
to the to the Timberwolves for Rob Dillingham, But man,
looking at it now, it's like, I really wish they
would have used it and taken Dalton Connect.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Absolutely well, I think we think that, but as basketball people,
there was something they probably didn't like about Dalton Connect
that said, no, he's not going to fit into what
our plans are.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Yeah. True. I think a lot of times we as
fans see.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Somebody that has performed like Dalton Connect has for the Lakers,
saw what he did at Tennessee and go, he's a Spur.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
But he may not be and he may not be
in the operator.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
And there's a lot of times we see college players
that we think or can't miss pros and they never
get drafted, and all of a sudden you ask questions
to the scouts, like he's too slow, gets a shot
off to quick, he doesn't defend. There's always some reason
why they didn't pick him. All right, coming up, Matt
Stafford's going to stay with the Rams. We'll talk about
the NFL coaching, the NFL quarterback carousel.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Next it's the Andy Everage Show on the ticket
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