On the Ed Davis Rumor

First let me say, I am all for the Spurs moving up in the draft if it doesn’t take too much to do so, and Ed Davis seems like he could be a good fit.  Draftexpress ranks him between an Al Horford and an Udonis Haslem, both guys that any of us would accept on the Spurs with open arms.

Here’s the thing, this seems an awful lot like a continuation of the Chad Ford trade rumor floated awhile back.  To recap, the Spurs would send Tony Parker to Indiana for Troy Murphy, Brandon Rush and the #10.  The issue of whether the #20 matriculates with Tony has been debated, most Spurs fans I know of say that if we keep the #20 then it’s a trade worth considering.

I’ll catch you on the flip side with my thoughts on the subject

Where’s what I think: YOU DON’T TRADE TONY PARKER FOR TROY MURPHY!

People that say that George Hill can fill Tony’s shoes aren’t what I would call “dead wrong”, but they are making a huge leap of faith based on a small sample size. I will not argue that Hill filled in more than capably when Parker was injured in ’08 & ’10; but what I will point to is the thrashing delivered by the hands of Steve Nash during the Semis as case-in-point that George Hill is not yet a starting point guard in the NBA, at least not on a contending team.

Here’s what makes a hell of a lot more sense to me: The #10 for George Hill and the #49. Yes, we are giving away one of the bright spots of the last season as well as a glimmer of hope for the future, I get that. I also get that George Hill was key to beating the Mavs in the First Round, and it’s those two things that would make him an inticing trade chip for the Pacers. They desperately need an upgrade at the #1, and even if somewhat limited at this point as a point, GH would be that. Also, Hill is from the area so he would be an easy sell for the locals.

The Spurs would then be left with two solid chances to add some new blood to the team that they can hand-pick and cultivate like so much marijuana. On top of that, the team president of Splitter’s team thinks that Tiago is on his way here.

Here’s what next years roster could look like:

Front Court: Parker, Manu, Hairston, Temple, Jerrells, Gee (or someone else they find…maybe even Nando De Colo)Back Court: Jefferson, Duncan, Splitter, Blair, McDyess, Mahinmi (fingers-crossed) plus Ed Davis if the rumor holds, plus someone like Stanley Robinson, Damion James, or Gordon Hayward

That’s a good mix of youth, experience, craftiness, and athletism. Is it good enough to get back to the Finals? Who really knows the answer to that question, but it is an exciting team worth following both next year and down the road. Plus, if it turns out it ain’t working you’ve got some expiring contracts to work with.

So in closing (say it with me now): YOU DON’T TRADE TONY PARKER FOR TROY MURPHY!