NBA Offseason Roundtable: Spurs, Free Agency Power Moves And Trades

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Mar 31, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Chicago Bulls center Pau Gasol (16) reacts after a play during the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

By essentially trading Tim Duncan for Pau Gasol, did the Spurs get better or worse?

Mason McFee: Worse, and IMHO, there really isn’t an argument you can make for the move making them better. Don’t get me wrong, Gasol is a fine player, but the Spurs have been a dynasty for a long time. A big part of that success was Timmy D; on and off the court. I don’t think it was coincidence they played worse when he missed time last season. For a team looking to get younger and athletic, signing Gasol is a head-scratcher.

Jake Fielder: In actuality, I feel like it’s mostly a wash. Both Duncan and Gasol have that “deceptively-hard-to-defend-old-man-game” and just enough height to be usable as rim protectors on defense. I guess if pressed on it, I would probably lean Duncan purely because of his familiarity with the Spurs system but ultimately it probably won’t matter. Spurs will still win 60.

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Clevis Murray: Spurs get worse on the defensive end with Gasol, and that’s about it. Like Duncan, Gasol is a willing passer, great rebounder, post player, and basically everything Duncan was in the later stages of his career. What makes the two different is that Gasol will take the three-pointer on occasion. There’s no true replacement for Duncan, but if anyone could then Gasol is that guy.

Daniel Stone: Worse. Although Duncan’s play was finally showing signs of diminishment, he was the soul of San Antonio, not just the team but the city. Replacing him with an aging, injury prone center in Gasol may not affect the stats at the end of the night, but the chemistry & cohesion did not improve.

Nicholas Gonzalez: On the surface, it definitely looks like they stagnated or got better, but I think they got worse. Regardless of his age, Duncan was a still a great rim protector and solid rebounder in the minutes he played; Pau is no longer either.

Gasol’s rebounds last season were a little inflated by the way the Bulls played and lack of big men. His rim protection also is not on par with Duncan. Both of these things will attribute to a harder time for Kawhi on both ends with no backbone behind him.

Zach Blochlinger: The Spurs definitely downgraded with the swap of Pau Gasol for Tim Duncan in their starting lineup. Duncan was old, but he was still a solid presence defensively in the post. The last five or so years, Duncan has primarily helped San Antonio on the defensive end.

With Kawahi Leonard blossoming into one of the NBA’s best two-way players, Duncan has been able to take a back seat and let Leonard and Tony Parker run the show for the most part. Gasol is better on offense, but is very weak defensively for a 7-footer. The Spurs will contend with either player in the starting lineup.

Michael Saenz: I think the right answer is worse. But I do think that Pau Gasol will provide a really important role for the Spurs this season, especially after losing the versatile Boris Diaw. The big question is how much they lose in the locker room, where Duncan’s presence was likely felt the most.

Next: Which Power Move Is More Surreal?

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