SB Nation User Blog: ATLBraves4Life

Group Rosterbation

ATLBraves4Life — Fri, 01 May 2009 06:45:47 -0000

It's not easy getting over the end to the Spurs season, especially after an injury plagued, first round playoff exit to our rival Dallas Mavericks. But, ever the optimist and "glass half full" guy, I'm going to look forward to our off-season and next year's championship run. Let's begin with this summer's draft.

JUNE'S NBA DRAFT

Despite what the experts say about the quality of this year's draft class, I'm sure everyone would agree that the Spurs could be extremely productive with a 1st round pick, whether by including it in a trade to upgrade the current roster, or by finding another late round gem, a la George Hill. Unfortunately, we don't have our 1st round pick. At the time, just after last season's trading deadline, I was skeptical of the Spurs willingness to include this year's #1 pick in the deal for Kurt Thomas. Obviously, Seattle/OKC wouldn't have done the deal without it, but I imagined a situation just like this where it would come back to bite us in the ass.

But, that's ancient history. So, due to some previous trades, we do have three 2nd round picks in this June's NBA Draft. Last year's Hairston swap with Phoenix also netted us Golden State's 2nd rounder, #37 overall. Along with Bonner and Eric Williams, we got New Orleans' 2nd rounder, #51 overall, from Toronto for Rasho Nesterovic in 2006. And because of that despicable Scola deal with Houston, we received this year's Rockets 2nd rounder, #53 overall. We would've had a fourth 2nd round pick, #54 overall, but we gave that away to Charlotte for Melvin Ely, another wasted transaction, in my opinion.

What are we going to do with those three 2nd rounders? At #37, we should be able to add a quality player who possibly slips down some teams' draft boards. I've heard rumblings that San Antonio has once again targeted another foreign player, and based on their success in the past, I trust their judgment completely. From what I've read, Israel's Omri Casspi is not even 21 yet, almost 6'9", about 225 lbs., and has played in the Euroleague for several years. He's probably not ready to contribute in the NBA just yet, but we could keep him stashed in Europe for another season or two until we're ready to bring him over. He profiles as a small forward, with potential to be a great defender; he declared for the '08 Draft, but withdrew after not getting a first round guarantee from any NBA teams. I doubt he'll get that guarantee this summer, but with another season under his belt, he might decide to remain eligible for this year's draft and hope for the best.

CURRENT ROSTER

This is what our roster situation looks like as of today. Out of the 15 guys we had in '08-‘09, Timmy, Tony, George, and Ian are signed "long term", four are unrestricted free agents, and seven have only one year left on their current contracts, meaning we could have as much as $32 million coming off the books in 2010.

Tim Duncan, PF  Age: 33 Contract status: Three years, $62.1 million

Tony Parker, PG  Age: 26   Contract status: Two years, $26.1 million

Manu Ginobili, SG  Age: 31 Contract status: One year, $10.7 million

Bruce Bowen, SF  Age: 37 Contract status: One year, $4 million

Fabricio Oberto, C  Age: 34 Contract status: One year, $3.9 million

Kurt Thomas, F/C  Age: 36   Contract status: One year, $3.8 million

Roger Mason Jr., SG  Age: 28   Contract status: One year, $3.8 million

Matt Bonner, F/C  Age: 29 Contract status: One year, $3.2 million

Michael Finley, G/F  Age: 36 Contract status: One year, $2.5 million

George Hill, G  Age: 22   Contract status: Three years, $3.2 million

Ian Mahinmi, C  Age: 22 Contract status: Two years, $2.6 million

Drew Gooden, F/C  Age: 27 Contract status: Free agent

Ime Udoka, G/F  Age: 31 Contract status: Free agent

Jacque Vaughn, PG  Age: 34 Contract status: Free agent

Marcus Williams, SF  Age: 23 Contract status: Free agent

As Mike Taylor has repeatedly said on Ticket760's STSA radio show, Manu owes San Antonio an entire season of healthy, All-Star level basketball; that means all 82 games and the playoffs. Ginobili is also in his contract year, and with impending free agency as a motivator, I think he'll be out to prove he's still an elite player. Plus, he doesn't have any Argentinean international competitions to participate in, so he better fucking take the summer off, lock himself in a cryostasis tank, and not release himself into the wild until training camp starts.

OPTIONS and BUYOUTS

Let's assume that Finley exercises that option of his. Who are we kidding, the economy is in shambles, the salary cap is gonna decrease, and he's 36 years old; I don't think he's gonna pass up that much guaranteed cash. We'll also go on the assumption that R.C. Buford isn't going to "buy out" Bowen or Oberto. Yes, it would free up a roster spot, but that's just throwing money away; I think we can make use of these players and their contracts. I still feel as though Bowen serves a purpose on our roster, despite his AARP membership and ability to withdraw Social Security. I mean, who else is going to play the starring role in all those H-E-B commercials? Seriously though, he still plays superb defense, provides some much needed toughness, and he's earned the right to retire a Spur, in my opinion.

OUR OWN FREE AGENTS

I fell in love with Gooden, oh about his third game on the court in a San Antonio uniform. The guy is only 27; he is the most athletic big man we've had in a while, and at 6'10", he's got the build to bang with the big boys under the basket. I didn't see him miss too many assignments on defense, and the junk he's got in his low-post game far outweighs any shortcomings he has on the other end of the floor. I believe he is a must to re-sign.

I'd love to have Ime back, mostly because he reminds me so much of a younger Bowen. He's no spring chicken himself, I know, but he still has some prime years left. If Udoka would take a similar deal to the one he signed in '07, with a decent raise, I'd do it. In addition, I believe San Antonio shouldn't even hesitate to bring James Gist over. Don't think about it, just do it. Give the Gist a contract, and automatically get younger, more athletic, and more exciting. Do it right fucking now!

As for the JV, you guys have done enough ragging on him already this season, so I won't belabor the point. I hope he's played his last game in a Spurs uni, nuff said.

Williams looks like he has potential, shit, that's why we drafted him in the early 2nd round. But Popovich has an aversion to giving young guys like him a shot, so he might be back with the Toros again. But, I wouldn't be surprised if we have one of the DLeaguers next season, Williams, Malik Hairston, or Desmond Farmer, on a non-guaranteed, minimum salary deal.

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

San Antonio will only have the Mid-Level Exception to work with this off-season, and with 11 players already under contract, I don't expect much to happen in this category. You can forget about guys like Ben Gordon and Trevor Ariza, it ain't gonna happen. Even if we are lucky to re-sign Gooden and/or Udoka, that would take up most of our MLE right there.

The one fascinating name that's been linked to the Spurs is Rasheed Wallace. Intriguing, at least to think about. He's on the downside of his career, has already made his big bucks, and most likely just wants another chance at a championship, so he might take a smaller deal to play for a contender. But in our position, we won't have the luxury of getting both Gooden AND Sheed, it's going to be one or the other. Yes, Wallace is 6'11", an above average defender, still pretty athletic, and for a big man can step back and shoot the 3, but if I had to choose between the two, I'll take Drew in a heartbeat.

Recently, Antonio McDyess' name came up as a possible acquisition. But I'm even less excited about him than Sheed.

TRADE MARKET

During this year's trading deadline, the rumor was the Spurs were ever so close to acquiring the Clippers' Marcus Camby. The price would've been steep: our stud rookie George Hill, Bowen, Oberto, and probably some cash. However, the thought of teaming a legitimate shot blocking, rebounding, big man next to Duncan is too good not to dream about. So, I suggest revisiting this deal with LA. I propose sending Oberto, Thomas, and two of our 2nd rounders (#51 and #53) to the Clippers for Camby. Why would LA do a deal like this, you ask?

The Clippers did a 180 last year after having such high expectations going into last off-season. They got shafted by Elton Brand and got stuck with Baron Davis and his albatross of a contract. They're back in rebuilding mode, and were not so subtle about their desire to dump both Davis and Chris Kaman this past February. And as we all know, the entire league is gearing up for the 2010 free agent bonanza, and expiring contracts are gonna be treated like gold. According to HoopsHype.com, Camby is under contract for TWO more seasons at $8 million next year and $7.65 million in '10. So we could offer them an opportunity to get another $8 million under the cap, and they can bring in some more young talent with the two draft picks. Maybe a little farfetched, but definitely possible.

Tyson Chandler's name has also come up, but despite New Orleans' attempts to trade him at the deadline, I think he's even more of a reach than Camby. Chandler may be younger, but they're both injury prone, and given his contract, Chandler seems less likely to wind up in Silver and Black.

MY DREAM ROSTER FOR '09-'10

STARTERS: BENCH: RESERVES:

PG Tony Parker PG George Hill G/F Ime Udoka
SG Roger Mason Jr. SG Manu Ginobili F/C Ian Mahinmi
SF Michael Finley SF Bruce Bowen F James Gist
PF Tim Duncan PF Matt Bonner
C Marcus Camby C Drew Gooden

So, there it is. Any thoughts? Feel free to question, comment, ridicule, blast, or add to my post. Be honest, I can take it.

Let The Game Begin!

ATLBraves4Life — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:47:45 -0000

Hey Hey Hey PtR fantasy players! Ask and ye shall receive. Since it didn’t seem like anyone was up on starting our league, I went ahead and created our official “PoundingTheRock Fantasy League”!

I used Yahoo! because I am most familiar with their system. By my count, we have nine PtRers interested so far, but I opened it up to have as many as 12 managers. It is a standard nine category Roto league, but I altered the number of roster positions; two PGs, two SGs, one G, two SFs, two PFs, one F, two C, two UTIL, and four bench spots. If we get the full 12 managers to participate, it will be a deep league so the competition will be based on more than a superficial knowledge of the NBA; if we only get like nine or so players, then once again, our teams will be stacked, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing either!

The information to register ya’lls teams is below. I scheduled the LIVE draft for this Sunday, October 26, 2008 at 10:30 AM Central time. Hopefully, everyone will be able to sign up by then and participate. I figured, it’s a weekend, and it allows enough time for people to get back from church/sleep in, and hopefully we can wrap it up before the football games kick off at noon. Hope to see ya’ll there!

League ID#: 114348
League Name: Pounding The Rock
Password: Popovich
League URL: http://basketball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/league/poundingtherock

~SASpur4Life

a.k.a. The Duncan ulTIMatum

Ask And Ye Shall Receive

ATLBraves4Life — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 03:32:54 -0000

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3221348

So, Pop has finally decided he's going to start acting like a "coach" and bench Frenchy, "against his wishes". Supposedly, Parker has been playing through pain for the past six weeks...no kidding. I just thought his numbers plummeted because he was hiding inside the Alamo; I figured he stopped penetrating into the lane and pushing the fast break because he developed a fear of the rim. Hey, ten feet is pretty scary! That, or the colors in the paint made him dizzy.

So this probably means signing Stoudamire becomes a certainty. My impression of the former "Mighty Mouse" is that he is a streaky shooter (it's not like we don't already have, like, 12 players on our roster who fit that bill) and despite the fact that he misfires at like a 72% clip, I don't think he's ever met a shot he didn't like. Maybe I'm being a little harsh; Stoudamire could very well help the Spurs, I just don't see him as a distributing point guard who can create shots for others, which is what I thought we needed most.

Best/Worst of Schuerholz Era

ATLBraves4Life — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 19:12:18 -0000

I'm not sure if many people saw this along with the Dave O'Brien article over at the Atlanta Journal Constitution regarding Schuerholz giving up his general manager duties. They basically came up with the top 5 best trades/signings along with the worst 5 during John's 17 years as the Braves GM. Just interesting in my opinion.

I know we all have our own ideas of what some of the greatest and not-so-great moves that Schuerholz has made over the years. Here's just my own two cents:

Granted, he's only played two months in a Braves uniform, and it will be several years before we can truly gauge the impact of the five prospects we traded to the Rangers, but my initial feelings are that the Mark Teixeira trade will eventually go down as one of Schuerholz's top five acquisitions...IF, and it's a big IF, they somehow manage to sign The Sheriff to a multi-year contract extension! What Teixiera did in the 54 games with Atlanta was downright epic. The fact that we didn't make the playoffs should not be placed on his shoulders, because the man did everything he could to push this team to the postseason, short of a pitching miracle.

I would also consider the Gary Sheffield and Edgar Renteria trades examples of awesome moves where the Braves got the better end of the deal. The Tim Hudson swap looks better and better every year. Even though he was under tight financial restraints, getting Johnny Estrada for Kevin Millwood was a decent attempt to save face in a horrible situation. We got Russ Ortiz for fairly cheap, and he gave us a good year and a half before falling apart.

Obviously, hindsight is 20/20, but sending Jason Schmidt to Pittsburgh for Denny Neagle wasn't the best long term deal. Sure, Neagle had some success in Atlanta, but Schmidt was pretty dominant for a half dozen years bewteen the Pirates and Giants.

In addition, I don't think criticizing the trade for J.D. Drew is fair. He was the perfect one year rental until Frenchy was ready to take over in right field. Drew played in 145 games and hit .305 with 31 HRs, 93 RBIs, and 118 runs scored. All Star stats, if you ask me. Yes, he left for more money, and yes, Wainwright turned into a decent pitcher, but I certainly wouldn't classify that as a bad move by any means.

Introducing....Jordan Schafer?

ATLBraves4Life — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 19:35:53 -0000

So, I have to admit, despite my being an avid Atlanta Braves fan, I've never really been truly knowledgable about their farm system. Sure, I was always aware of the "up and coming prospects", the guys that were destined to be stars, like Chipper, Andruw, Furcal, Frenchy, and more recently Salty. Unfortunately, I've never followed our minor leagues any further than that.

However, since becoming a regular reader here at TalkingChop, I have realized how important the farm system is to this team, and obviously, its fans. There are several people on this site who are extremely informed and educated about the Braves minor league teams and their players.

Recently, there has been a ton of speculation about Atlanta's future centerfielder, especially now since Schuerholz has informed Andruw that he won't be re-signed. Many fans believe we will fill that void not with another free agent, but with one of our prospects, specifically, a guy named Jordan Schafer.

Apparently, I know next to nothing about Schafer. I remember this excerpt from a post gondeee made back in August regarding my mysterious player:

"Another outfielder that is putting the whole package together this year is Jordan Schafer. He was ranked as the 27th-best prospect by Baseball America last year, but was ranked as the best defensive outfielder. Drafted in the third round in 2005 his offensive numbers before this season were not too encouraging, but this year he put up a sizzling .372 average while repeating low-A, and a respectable .285 at hi-A Myrtle Beach (.273/.298 home/road split). With his defensive ability he certainly has half a ticket stamped for the majors, and if he can continue to put up solid offensive numbers on his way up the minor league ladder, then he may be just a year or two away from the show."

So, my question is, "Can I really expect to see this kid roaming centerfield for the Braves next season?" It would be quite a jump from single A ball to the major leagues. Is he projected to play center, or one of the corner outfield spots? Speaking of which, where do our other top outfield prospects rank, such as Brandon Jones, Cody Johnson, and Jason Heyward?

I wasn't impressed with Jones during his call up in September; granted he only played in a few games, but he doesn't strike me as a future stud. And wasn't Johnson a former 1st round pick and has since struggled with plate discipline in the lower levels? I guess I always envisioned Frenchy in right field for the next decade, but apparently Heyward is supposed to be his replacement in a few years. Any insight, information, or intuition from you other "intellectual Braves fans" would be appreciated.

P.S. On another semi-related note: Whatever happened to Andy Marte? With all the talk about the Braves possibly trading Renteria to acquire another starting pitcher, I was wondering whether our former #1 prospect, who we gave up to get Renteria, was having any success. I know that Boston immediately turned around and dealt Marte to Cleveland for Coco Crisp, but I haven't heard anything since then. I believe Casey Blake has been starting at 3rd for the Indians all season; does that mean Atlanta's one time "future replacement for Chipper Jones at the hot corner" isn't living up to his superstar billing?

PtR's New Logo

ATLBraves4Life — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 05:01:38 -0000

As a new reader and first time poster, I just wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself to ya'll. My name is Scott, and my passion and devotion to our San Antonio Spurs is unwavering and unmatched. By no means am I a fairweather johnson; I've been following the team since the early 90's when Holt bought the team and they moved to the Alamodome.

Obviously, I am unbelievably excited for the season to start here in a few weeks. Once again, R.C. Buford and Popovich have assembled a team that is absolutely destined to finally REPEAT as champions!

Regarding the new logo...extremely impressive! It definitely encompasses everything that is great about the Spurs and what the organization represents. A few comments though:

I'd ask Mr. David Witt if he could modify the background outline into the silhouette of the Alamo. I'm not sure if that was his original intention, but if it was, it isn't overly apparent.
In addition, I was wondering if it might be possible to incorporate the Spurs' secondary logo into the negative space/motion emphasis surrounding the hammer.
This may be a little ticky tack, but despite the font being appropriate, the "G" in "Pounding" looks like it was drawn by a kid with down syndrome!

Anyway, despite my suggestions, I would be VERY interested in purchasing a shirt emblazoned with this logo. I hope Mr. Powell is able to follow through and provide it.

So Much For Offense!?

ATLBraves4Life — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 20:54:30 -0000

So I think most TalkingChop members would agree that the consensus "complaint" regarding our beloved Braves over the last several weeks has to do with Atlanta's dreadful pitching. However, as much as I agree that our rotation and bullpen need lots of help, I believe we have larger problems to deal with in order to compete. Like our supposedly "potent" offense being unable to put runs on the board in crucial situations in critical games.

Over the last 25 games, the Braves offense has mustered an average of 3.9 runs per game. Granted, I omitted the two blowouts we had (14-4 W@Cincy and 13-2 W@Florida), but we only needed 5 and 3 runs, respectively, to win those games. That's the frustrating part; winning one game by double digits and then losing three straight two run games, unable to score when we need to. This after Schuerholz was quoted after the trade deadline as saying that this was an offensive club and would have to outscore their opponents to win. So much for our "feared" lineup.

Has anyone else noticed how, except for Frenchy, every single hitter goes up there and doesn't bother getting the bat of their shoulders on the first pitch? EVERY SINGLE TIME! And the opposing pitchers know that, and throw a first pitch strike EVERY TIME!!! So our boys start off every at bat in the hole, behind in the count 0-1. I don't know if this is something they have been instructed to do by the coaching staff, if Bobby's "philosophy" is to take pitches until they throw you a strike, but whatever it is, it is truly ineffective and detrimental to our success.

Even as I type this, the Braves attempted a comeback against the Phillies by scoring four runs in the eigth inning on a series of bloops and errors and broken back singles that even had the announcers scratching their heads. Then after drawing to within two at 8-6, and the bases loaded and only one out, the Braves ONCE AGAIN, fail to get anything done in the clutch; ending with our boy Chipper lazily popping out on a 3-2 count. Impressive!(laced with sarcasm)

Obviously, our pitching staff needs some upgrades if we are to make the playoffs next season, but I am of the firm belief that our offense needs to make some MAJOR adjustments as well. Whether that means overhauling our lineup, or getting rid of our hitting coach Pendelton and bringing in someone with a more aggressive approach, I'm not sure.

Atlanta's Centerfielder Next Year

ATLBraves4Life — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 22:31:17 -0000

I've been keeping up with the majority of the diaries lately, and everyone is obviously concerned with our starting rotation next season, and rightfully so. Our pitching will definitely need some sort of upgrade, but I'm not here to suggest who, or whether we should trade Renteria or Escobar to get it. My post deals with what will become a glaring hole in centerfield once Andruw Jones becomes a free agent.

Andruw, I'm almost embarrassed to admit, has been my favorite player since he exploded onto the scene becoming the youngest player to homer in a World Series game. However, it has been well chronicled how utterly inept Mr. Jones has been this season. Yet, because Scott Boras is his agent and teams are throwing around money like they're betting on dog fights, Andruw is still expected to receive a contract averaging at least $18 million a year. Despite the team's sale to Liberty Media and the encouraging trade for Mark Teixeira, I'm skeptical that Atlanta has that type of cash to spend.

So the question is, who will don a Braves uniform in center next year? Someone will have to replace Andruw's Gold Glove defense at Turner Field, and contribute enough offensively to make us forget about Andruw's horrific 2007 statistics.

I've never followed our minor league system as closely as others on this site have, but I do recognize how much the Teixeira deal depleted our depth, despite Gondeee's attempts to the contrary. Brandon Jones is one of our few top prospects left, and several people claim he will be ready for the big leagues in 2008. Filling Andruw's shoes will be a daunting task for a rookie, and I'm not sure we can afford to have an inexperienced kid holding down such a pivotal position if we are to seriously compete next season.

Much has been made of the possiblity of Mike Cameron coming home to play for Atlanta. Granted, he plays stellar defense and is a hometown guy who might give us a discount, but if you feel Andruw's bat left something to be desired this season, Cameron will provoke sick feelings of deja vu if he signs with the Braves. His career .252 avg and the fact that he averages 155 Ks a season don't give me the warm fuzzies at night. In addition, Cameron will be 35 on Opening Day, and will still demand at least a three year contract.

With Ichiro re-signing with Seattle for a pretty penny, that leaves Minnesota's Torii Hunter as THE premier centerfielder on the open market. Hunter possesses an equally, if not better, glove on defense compared to Andruw and is putting his potent offensive skills on display again this season. Once again however, I doubt Schuerholz will be allowed to pony up the dough necessary to get Torii to come to Atlanta.

This leaves one option that I have become partial to, that I haven't heard mentioned anywhere for some reason. Philadelphia's Aaron Rowand will be a free agent this winter, and I believe he would fit in perfectly with the Braves plans. He's about to turn 30 years old, and even though his offensive surge has come in a contract year, I think he might be within Atlanta's price range. His career line is .285/.343/.459; numbers that don't blow you away, but are serviceable, especially in the #2 hole that might be vacant if Edgar Renteria is indeed traded as most of you suspect will happen. On defense, Rowand doesn't possess the range and skills that Hunter has, but he's no slouch either, as evidenced by his willingness to plow through walls. That display also characterizes Aaron's personality, an ideal fit for Bobby's clubhouse, in my opinion.

These are just the thoughts of a concerned fan, who is also a realist. If the Braves truly "intend to contend" in 2008, they will need a centerfielder with a knack for defense and a lively bat at the plate, who won't "break the bank". I believe Rowand is that guy for Atlanta.

Poll

As of right now, which centerfielder would you PREFER to have in a Braves uniform on Opening Day 2008?

Andruw Jones (Assuming the Braves dish out $18 - $20 million per)

5 votes

Brandon Jones (Dipping into a depleted farm system; Saves salary to be used elsewhere)

8 votes

Aaron Rowand (Having an outstanding season in a contract year!?)

4 votes

Mike Cameron (Not a spring chicken; Offense still leaves something to be desired)

3 votes

Torii Hunter (Won't come cheap; Personally believe he's destined to stay a Twin)

4 votes

Other Free Agent (Milton Bradley, Eric Byrnes, and Corey Patterson are the only ones I could find)

0 votes

24 votes | Poll has closed

Hallelujah!

ATLBraves4Life — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 01:19:03 -0000

The Wall Street Journal reports that Time Warner finally settled on a deal to sell the Atlanta Braves to Liberty Media. Thank God, this has mercifully come to an end. After over a year of anticipation, I can't wait to read the next press release where Liberty gives Schuerholz a little leeway to open up the checkbook and resign Andruw and keep this team at the top. Here's the link to ESPN:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2763502