Finley released!! Pop and Finley divorcing!!

[Reality]

via twitter

STEIN_LINE_HQ

Just filed to ESPN.com: Spurs agree to release former All-Star and Stein Line fave Michael Finley so Fin can sign elsewhere before playoffs
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Sources: Spurs to release Finley
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

The San Antonio Spurs have agreed to release former All-Star guard Michael Finley later Monday to allow Finley to pursue opportunities with other teams, according to sources close to the situation.

Finley was a key member of San Antonio's 2007 championship team after leaving the Spurs' longtime rivals in Dallas but has struggled to earn playing time this season from coach Gregg Popovich.

As long as the Spurs waive the 36-year-old before midnight Monday, Finley will be eligible to play in the playoffs for another team.

Marc Stein is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4956729

[westkoast]

The Spurs will now win the championship.

[SPURSX3]

I was expecting this team to go under but at this rate it will be sunk by mid summer...  Mason wants to find a team with more playing time, Finley is gone...The Spurs still have not tried to offer Manu - I can only guess he will be elsewhere next year...sigh...Better go see if they sell a Spurs life vest at the fan shop.   ugh.

[Joe Vancil]

I want Finley in Utah!  We could use him!

Sad to say, though, I'm not sure Finley is going to be looking at a spot on a contending team.  Dallas isn't a good fit.  He'd fit fine with LA, but wouldn't see many minutes behind Kobe.  Phoenix could use him behind Richardson, but are probably too cheap to go get him.  Oklahoma City is already loaded with guards.  Portland would get little use from what Finley brings, since they've got Martell Webster who is a younger version of Finley.  Houston doesn't need him now that they've got Martin.  New Orleans could use him, but that's assuming he'd want to take the chance on missing the playoffs.

Boston could use him for depth, but he's not likely to see any serious burn.  Toronto could use him, but again, it's a team that's probably going nowhere.  Cleveland is stacked at the guards, Milwaukee's going nowhere without Redd, Orlando doesn't need him, and Atlanta is stacked at the guards.  Miami makes a lot of sense with Wade out, but it's pretty much a post-season push, rather than Miami going anywhere.  No room in Charlotte.

[Reality]

I want Finley in Utah!  We could use him!

Sad to say, though, I'm not sure Finley is going to be looking at a spot on a contending team.  Dallas isn't a good fit.  He'd fit fine with LA, but wouldn't see many minutes behind Kobe.  Phoenix could use him behind Richardson, but are probably too cheap to go get him.  Oklahoma City is already loaded with guards.  Portland would get little use from what Finley brings, since they've got Martell Webster who is a younger version of Finley.  Houston doesn't need him now that they've got Martin.  New Orleans could use him, but that's assuming he'd want to take the chance on missing the playoffs.

Boston could use him for depth, but he's not likely to see any serious burn.  Toronto could use him, but again, it's a team that's probably going nowhere.  Cleveland is stacked at the guards, Milwaukee's going nowhere without Redd, Orlando doesn't need him, and Atlanta is stacked at the guards.  Miami makes a lot of sense with Wade out, but it's pretty much a post-season push, rather than Miami going anywhere.  No room in Charlotte.

There is a reason Phil Jackson has owned Popavich in 4 of 5 playoff series.   Finley will not be going to L.A. 
Nor any other contender.

[westkoast]

I want Finley in Utah!  We could use him!

Sad to say, though, I'm not sure Finley is going to be looking at a spot on a contending team.  Dallas isn't a good fit.  He'd fit fine with LA, but wouldn't see many minutes behind Kobe.  Phoenix could use him behind Richardson, but are probably too cheap to go get him.  Oklahoma City is already loaded with guards.  Portland would get little use from what Finley brings, since they've got Martell Webster who is a younger version of Finley.  Houston doesn't need him now that they've got Martin.  New Orleans could use him, but that's assuming he'd want to take the chance on missing the playoffs.

Boston could use him for depth, but he's not likely to see any serious burn.  Toronto could use him, but again, it's a team that's probably going nowhere.  Cleveland is stacked at the guards, Milwaukee's going nowhere without Redd, Orlando doesn't need him, and Atlanta is stacked at the guards.  Miami makes a lot of sense with Wade out, but it's pretty much a post-season push, rather than Miami going anywhere.  No room in Charlotte.

There is a reason Phil Jackson has owned Popavich in 4 of 5 playoff series.   Finley will not be going to L.A. 
Nor any other contender.

So the one and only reason Phil Jackson has out coached Popavich in the playoffs is because of Michael Finley?  I don't get your logic here. 

He won't be going to a contender because of reasons Joe Vancil listed.  Not because Finley sucks and always has sucked like you want to make it seem.

[marklapinski]

Finely will soon find that his NBA career is over.  I doubt any team picks him up.  If a good team picks him up, he'll get a lot of DNP-CD's.  If a bad team picks him up he'll get a lot of the same since he won't be "the future" of any franchise, so they will play all their young players they are attempting to develop.

[Reality]

Finely will soon find that his NBA career is over.  I doubt any team picks him up.  If a good team picks him up, he'll get a lot of DNP-CD's.  If a bad team picks him up he'll get a lot of the same since he won't be "the future" of any franchise, so they will play all their young players they are attempting to develop.

very apparant and easy to see isn't it marklapinski.
Talk in Spursville that he was whining about his playingtime for quite some time.
 

[Lurker]

IMO Finley's best fit is Cleveland.  He knows the defensive schemes...Brown is a Pop disciple.  Cleveland needs a consistant outside shooter to space the floor and Finley can fill that role.  As a 12-15 minute a game performer Finley could still add a lot to a team.  He struggles when his minutes are inconsistant and Pop couldn't promise otherwise.  Finley thus asked for his release...and I don't think he would have if his agent hadn't checked out the possibilities first.

[marklapinski]

Finley has been shooting the lights out and I just missed it.  He is shooting 38% and 31% from three.  He has lost the lateral movement he had as a younger player.  He is a liability on defense.  It is really sad, but it is the truth.  Pops is much too smart to let go a player that has value.  By not playing Finley Pops was saving him from embarrassment.

Popovich is probably better than any other coach of getting middle of the road talent and making them important pieces in a winning basketball team.  If Finley had anything left, Pops would have been able to use him.  His game has been in decline and it fell off the cliff this year.

[Lurker]

Finley has been shooting the lights out and I just missed it.  He is shooting 38% and 31% from three.  He has lost the lateral movement he had as a younger player.  He is a liability on defense.  It is really sad, but it is the truth.  Pops is much too smart to let go a player that has value.  By not playing Finley Pops was saving him from embarrassment.

Popovich is probably better than any other coach of getting middle of the road talent and making them important pieces in a winning basketball team.  If Finley had anything left, Pops would have been able to use him.  His game has been in decline and it fell off the cliff this year.

Finley has been injured most of the year.  He just recently came back and was trying to get his game legs back.  Before the injury he was shooting 42% from the floor and 37.5% from the arc.

Last 3 years...FG% and 3pt%

2006/07    41.2   36.4
2007/08   41.4   37.0
2008/09  43.7  41.1

Not as big a cliff as it looks.

[westkoast]

Yeah.....

Michael Finley is a Celtic.

Reality the basketball gods hate you 

[Reality]

I was going to post of all the contending teams who might be retarded enough to give yet more money to Finley.  While true i thought none, if i had to pick one of them as a sucka.....
Boston, P.T. Barnham was right.

westkoast lets revisit this.  After a week or two and especially during the playoffs.

[Joe Vancil]

Actually, I understand this from Boston's point of view, although I don't believe it's a good fit.

With Pierce recovering from injury, and House now departed, an additional late-in-game 3-point shooter isn't a bad idea.

[westkoast]

I was going to post of all the contending teams who might be retarded enough to give yet more money to Finley.  While true i thought none, if i had to pick one of them as a sucka.....
Boston, P.T. Barnham was right.

westkoast lets revisit this.  After a week or two and especially during the playoffs.

He's going to get 10-12 minutes a game, why bother?  I just find it funny that the other team you like because of their ability to beat the Lakers in big games (aside from the Spurs of course) picked up Michael "Title Hopes Killa" Finley.