Tag: New Orleans

Report: Raptors to target Lindsey for GM opening

For the third time in as many summers, Dennis Lindsey’s name has come up in connection with another team’s general manager search.

, the Toronto Raptors are preparing to target Lindsey, who just finished his fourth season as the Spurs’ assistant GM, as a candidats in their front-office hunt.

Bryan Colangelo currently holds dual titles of president and GM in Toronto but, according to the report, is willing to surrender GM duties to the right candidate.

Lindsey is believed to be on that list, along with former New Orleans general manager Jeff Bower and Philadelphia GM Ed Stefanski.

According to the Yahoo! report, Toronto has not scheduled interviews with any candidates, and might not commence with a formal search until next month.

Lindsey has been a hot commodity almost since joining the Spurs prior to the 2007-08 season. In the past two summers, he turned down GM positions in Minnesota and Phoenix.

Spurs well positioned to endure the lockout

San Antonio’s unique position as the strongest NBA market in terms of fan interest should make the Spurs less susceptible to fallout from the lockout than other league franchises.

Bill Nielsen, vice president of sales for the Scarborough Sports Marketing Group, said the Spurs have traditionally dominated his company’s measurements of fan awareness and support in the NBA.

And because of that support, Nielsen doesn’t believe that a lengthy lockout will erode local support and interest for the team.

Scarborough’s most recent list indicates that 61 percent of thousands of fans interviewed in the San Antonio area have either watched a Spurs game at the ATT Center, listened to a Spurs game on radio or watched a Spurs game on television in the last year.

That figure is the best of the 29 NBA American markets the company surveys. Toronto isn’t included in the Scarborough list.

“That’s a very healthy number when three out of five persons in San Antonio have that kind of contact with the team,” Nielsen said. “In layman’s terms, it indicates that if you live in San Antonio, you are going to be a Spurs fan.”

Because of that broad-based community awareness and support, Nielsen said the Spurs shouldn’t feel a lockout-related pinch that might be inflicted on other NBA teams once the league’s labor differences are settled.

“It bodes well for them,” Nielsen said. “I wouldn’t expect there to be a hangover (after the lockout) because of that traditional support they have.”

The Spurs ranked at the top of Scarborough’s most recent list of NBA franchises, which was generated for the first half of 2011.

Cleveland is second at 58 percent, followed by Boston (50 percent), Utah (47 percent) and Phoenix (45 percent) among the top five franchises. New Jersey (11 percent) is the lowest.

Scarborough has analyzed sports teams, leagues and markets among other consumer research for more than a decade. The Spurs have traditionally ranked at the top of the NBA’s “watched on television/attended/listened on radio” rankings during that time.

The NBA’s top numbers in that category don’t match those of other teams in other major sports in Scarborough’s “WAL” rankings. The NFL’s New Orleans Saints lead all professional sports franchises at 87 percent. The St. Louis Cardinals in Major League Baseball have a “WAL” ranking of 73 percent to lead franchises in that sport.

But the Spurs’ traditional number at 60 percent is a solid one for any sports franchise, Nielsen said.

“I’m impressed with that number considering they haven’t won a title in several years,” Nielsen said. “When you win a title, it traditionally pushes your numbers to the top. Look at New Orleans. But the Spurs have held solid.”

Which free agents would Spurs Nation covet?

The NBA playoffs will continue over the next five weeks or so.

Most of Spurs Nation wishes the league’s champion was determined yesterday.

Even with the impending player lockout hanging over the off season like an ominous black cloud,  there remains much excitement among the Spurs’ fans as they speculate about ways to retool after the 61-win regular season that ended so abruptly in the playoffs.

The way that Memphis took the Spurs apart shows the team’s biggest needs will be a likely replacement for Antonio McDyess to add depth inside and help outside on the wing after Richard Jefferson’s playoff struggles.

The team’s biggest free-agent task will be resigning Tim Duncan, who is ranked as the No. 1 potential free agent in the class. Even though he could opt out for another deal, it’s almost inconceivable that Duncan will finish his career for any team but the Spurs.

Some of the need at small forward might be lessened if rookie James Anderson develops if he can remain injury-free. His career at Oklahoma State and his early playing in San Antonio showed he could make steps in that direction.

Even if Duncan returns, the Spurs needed to add somebody else inside. The possibility that players like Denver forward/center Nene, Memphis center Marc Gasol, New Orleans power forward David West, New Jersey power forward Kris Humphries  and Dallas center Tyson Chandler could move from their current teams could shake up the balance of power in the Southwest Division and the NBA.

It might be hard for the Spurs to be able to afford any of the top available players if they keep Duncan. If he remains on the roster, it might be impossible. But their championship hopes will depend on upgrading their current roster for a league that appears to be wide open after the lockout ends.

And the 2012 free agent class might be one of the strongest in history with Dwight Howard and Deron Williams hitting the open market along with 2008 draftees like Derrick Rose, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook and Brook Lopez becoming restricted free agents.

Of course, we don’t know how free agency will be restructured if and when the lockout is settled. But the Spurs need to be active players because there likely will be little immediate talent available in the college draft.

So let’s put Spurs Nation in charge. Which players among this list of 2011 free agents would look the best in Silver and Black?

Playing fantasy general manager, how would you restructure the Spurs roster to be able to contend with teams like Dallas, Oklahoma City, Chicago the Lakers and Miami?

Here’s a list of top potential free agents heading into the summer, as ranked by the Bleacher Report.com.

1. , San Antonio (early termination option)

2. , Denver (early termination option)

3. , Boston (player option)

4. , Memphis (unrestricted)

5. , New Orleans (early termination option)

6. , Denver (restricted)

7., Dallas (unrestricted)

8. , Boston (restricted)

9., Detroit (restricted)

10. , Detroit (unrestricted)

11. , New Jersey (unrestricted)

12. , Washington (restricted)

13. , Phoenix (restricted)

14. , Denver (team option)

15. , Orlando (unrestricted)

16., Atlanta (unrestricted)

17. , Denver (restricted)

18. , Memphis (unrestricted)

19. , Sacramento (unrestricted)

20. ,  New Orleans (unrestricted)

21. , Dallas (unrestricted)

22. , Houston (unrestricted)

23. , Utah (unrestricted)

24., Boston (unrestricted)

25. , Denver (unrestricted)