**Michael Finley Chooses Spurs?**

[Bang]

Walker and J-Will aren't as old as Gary Payton and Karl Malone.
Also, they don't have to adjust to the triangle or anything.
I mean, what other choices do the Heat have anyhow? We can't get younger players or improve through drafting as much.

[Andrew]

I really think the Heat will win the race to Finley.Because they have enough room in cap salary.

Actually, the Heat will be over the cap this year.

[Amphatoast]

true JWill and Walker could be like Kobe, but I'd doubt it since they will be entering an environment that Shaq owns pretty much. Kobe believed he was the man, they know they here to support shaq and wade. Any bullshit and they will be traded I think.

[Matt]

there shouldnt be a problem as long as Wade & Shaq get theirs.

[galvatron3000]

so should we know something by Monday?

[kinokong]

nope, but Walker & J Will could be the equivalent.

add those two players up and you have ball hogging skills that blow kobe out of the court but can't match the skill level of kobe... id rather have kobe than those two on my team anyday

[boconcio]

Miami still has its full 5 million MLE to offer Finley, that's the best offer (in money means) he could get right now, Detroit just spent their money on Dale Davis, and the Spurs have not much money to offer, and so does the Suns.
Steve Nash wasn't present in the Finley meeting in Phoenix, i dont know why... lol.

The best contender right now for Finley is Miami, he would play #2 or #3, as i see two possible lineups.

Shaq
Haslem
Walker
Finley
Wade

OR

Shaq
Walker
Finley
Wade
J-Will

[cyanide]

Or

Shaq
Haslem
Posey
Finley
Wade

No J-Will or Walker causing any trouble. Problem solved. And that's a deadly lineup

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

I'd like for the Spurs to land him and use him at the 3, with Bowen coming off teh bench when necessary to shut down his man... But he'll probably be a better fit in Miami's system and starting five.

[Andrew]

Finley going to the Heat does make a dangerous team even more dangerous, but I'm still very wary of the stacked team blueprint. It hasn't worked for Dallas, it didn't work for Portland a few years back...while Miami's made great deals on paper, I'm still skeptical as to whether their new blueprint it will work in practice.

[cyanide]

Ego and chemistry is going to be an issue with the team, no doubt about it. But if they can put the ego aside and mesh as a team, they will succeed. Really, I see most of the pressure on Van Gundy more than anybody else, and if they go off to a bad start, I wouldn't be surprised to see Pat Riley stepping in.

[Riot]

Kevin Garnett, Glen Taylor and Kevin McHale flew into Chicago to talk to Finley personally to see if he wants to come play for Minnesota. He would be a starter and play a bigger role than he would in Miami or Phoenix or any other championship caliber team. I doubt he really even considers the Wolves offer but it's great to know Garnett, Taylor and McHale are flying down to try and convince a player like Finley to join the team.

[boconcio]

well, Riley is sure a better coach than Van Gundy, but Pat just can't work well with young players, and that's all we've been having for some years, now that the team is getting stacked maybe Riley could take over again.

[Doobie]

I hope finley goes to Minny . wow , that would be one hell of a team !

[Wade=Jordan]

nope

[Its_asdf]

nope

Next time try putting a little more input into your post next time. At least give a reason for why you would say "nope".

And I'm hoping the Wade=Jordan name thing is a joke.

[Riot]

The Timberwolves have taken comfort in knowing that with Kevin Garnett on their side there is always hope, a sentiment that held true off the court Friday.

Garnett was part of the Wolves contingent that made a sales pitch to free agent Michael Finley in Chicago, a meeting that went well, said Wolves General Manager Jim Stack.

"We feel good that he included us in the teams that are still under consideration," Stack said. "It's our impression it is down to Miami, Phoenix, San Antonio and us."

Stack said Garnett's presence meant a lot to the Wolves; their hope is that it resonated the same way with the 32-year-old Finley.

"Kevin made the effort to come to the meeting, to help show Michael how important this is to us," Stack said. "Hopefully we were able to make it clear to Michael how much he is wanted here."

Owner Glen Taylor and Vice President of Basketball Operations Kevin McHale joined Garnett in the meeting with Finley and his agent, Henry Thomas.

Stack said Finley and Thomas told the Wolves they will "mull things over" in the next few days, with a decision coming early next week.

Miami has its entire midlevel salary exemption of $5 million to offer Finley. The Wolves and San Antonio each can offer $2.5 million and Phoenix $1.1 million. Money isn't expected to be the deciding factor: The Mavericks still owe Finley nearly $52 million.

[galvatron3000]

7 or 8 man playoff rotation looks like:

Mohammed
Duncan
Bowen
Ginobili
Parker
Finley
Van Exel
Horry
Orberto

Barry(maybe gone )
Udrih
Nesterovic(gone soon)
Massenburg

This squad is officially complete in my book. Hope this works all season long. Could possibly make some serious regular season and playoff noise.


This is the thing that sets the Spurs apart from previous teams with like players. First they are a team oriented group of guys with mostly guys who play a team style and have throughout their career, i.e. Finley, Ginobili, Barry, Horry, Duncan etc. Second they added bench help not players who need to start or be in the starting lineup so no chemistry issues as far as the team goes because they are there to provide shooting and defense off the bench not hard to do when you have been doing that your entire career. Finley is better suited for such a role and should thrive playing with Tim Duncan more so than Barry was expected and he plays good D. ( The Lakers added players to their starting lineup which in fact made them an entirely new team plus thoseplayers were never role players, i.e. Malone & Payton they were team go to guys who carried their teams, Finley perhaps has been that but as of late he has played secone and third fiddle to Nash and Dirk so he is on familiar waters) Third, Tim sets the tone for the entire franchise and on court team, if Pop gets on him then everyone has to fall in line, he's the franchise player. There is no media frenzy in S.A. so no freak show or off the court distractions to worry about no matter what happens this season. Adding Finley & Van Exel was crucial and apllauded, the Heat added new players to the starting lineup which messes with chemistry to and extent and two of which are 3 point jakers. We still don't know their lineup so it's not easy to say or know what to expect from them and to a certain extent you don't know how Nick & Finley will do but they are not going to play loads of minutes to mess with chemistry though they may play lots of Fourth quarter minutes. Anyway, that's my input on this thing.

[Bang]

NVE IS A THREE POINT SHOOTER!
NVE IS A THREE POINT SHOOTER!
NVE IS A THREE POINT SHOOTER!
NVE IS A THREE POINT SHOOTER!
NVE IS A THREE POINT SHOOTER!

He only shoots 35% from 3 and he takes more than 200 shots COMING OFF THE FRIGGIN BENCH. My, people are ignorant!

Did people forget this?

[Kobe101]

I think Barrys gonna stay.

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

NVE IS A THREE POINT SHOOTER!
NVE IS A THREE POINT SHOOTER!
NVE IS A THREE POINT SHOOTER!
NVE IS A THREE POINT SHOOTER!
NVE IS A THREE POINT SHOOTER!

He only shoots 35% from 3 and he takes more than 200 shots COMING OFF THE FRIGGIN BENCH. My, people are ignorant!

Did people forget this?

What people seem to forget is that having a player on the court that is CONSIDERED a three point shooter will open up defenses and make room for your go-to guys. It doesn't matter if Nick averages 35% or 40% beyond the arc. The point is, defenses will stay honest and keep him covered, thus making room for TD's inside game and Manu's drives... So Nick does not have to actually hit so many threes, just make room for the others and hit his open ones... Don't be surprised if he shoots more than 40% this year.

[Mulawin]

Hope to see Finley in Houston...

[Fenix]

Who will they keep? I presume Finley, Barry, NVE, Horry and Oberto will be their bench. That leaves out Udrih&Nesterovic. That sucks, 'cause they're both Slovenians, but if they mean to trade Rasho's huge contract, they'll probably have to throw Udrih into the mix. Too bad, because without them, the Spurs don't have any pass first options to replace Parker. I don't believe that Beno has a lot of potential left in his tank, but it is very possible for him to become a bigger Dan Dickau (->they're both white ). And that's always a good thing to have coming off your bench. The only thing they'll lack is a big SF. I bet they can somehow get that from Atlanta. I mean, Bowen is aging and if they could somehow pull a trade for Harrington then all involved could die happy. At least guys not traded to Atlanta .

[Bang]

NVE IS A THREE POINT SHOOTER!
NVE IS A THREE POINT SHOOTER!
NVE IS A THREE POINT SHOOTER!
NVE IS A THREE POINT SHOOTER!
NVE IS A THREE POINT SHOOTER!

He only shoots 35% from 3 and he takes more than 200 shots COMING OFF THE FRIGGIN BENCH. My, people are ignorant!

Did people forget this?

What people seem to forget is that having a player on the court that is CONSIDERED a three point shooter will open up defenses and make room for your go-to guys. It doesn't matter if Nick averages 35% or 40% beyond the arc. The point is, defenses will stay honest and keep him covered, thus making room for TD's inside game and Manu's drives... So Nick does not have to actually hit so many threes, just make room for the others and hit his open ones... Don't be surprised if he shoots more than 40% this year.

So, doesn't this apply to Walker? Walker has around the same % as well as around the same shot attempts (considering the minutes, that is.).

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

So, doesn't this apply to Walker? Walker has around the same % as well as around the same shot attempts (considering the minutes, that is.).

No it does not. because Toine is not a guard , and his designated job is not to roam the perimeter and wait for the open shot. Doing that, he leaves the team's Center all alone... Van Exel is a guard, and a small one at that... It's his job to be on the perimeter and wait for the open bomb...