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Bruno
05-05-2009, 06:36 PM
http://www.sports.fr/images/200908/905-nichols.jpg

Height: 6-6
Weight: 200 lbs
Bday: 04/08/1982
Team: Hyeres-Toulon (France)
Nationality: American

French League stats (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Austin-Nichols-5454/stats/)
Eurochallenge stats (http://www.fibaeurope.com/cid_KNce8jInH7Qj1EsyH5rjn2.teamID_92465.compID_BYg 5Rb55Jw-G5I3MZ6JB01.season_2009.roundID_6491.playerID_5591 2.html)

Best score of the French League and the Eurochallenge. He should be French League MVP.

As said by T.J Thompson, (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=122003) he will spend the summer with Spurs to practice and play the SL. He could end up as a nice surprise for Spurs and makes next year team (like Tolliver did this year).

ducks
05-05-2009, 06:39 PM
does he have long arms

tp2021
05-05-2009, 07:10 PM
So is he a free agent? He can't be drafted, right?

Bruno
05-05-2009, 07:35 PM
So is he a free agent? He can't be drafted, right?

He is a FA, he is too old to be drafted.

He will basically come to SA, practice with the team and plays in Vegas with Spurs SL team. If he plays well during the SL, he will sign a contract with Spurs.

tav1
05-05-2009, 07:48 PM
Bruno,

Thanks for the reminder on Nichols. It looks like he can catch and shoot. How is his defense?

tav1
05-05-2009, 07:48 PM
Bruno,

Thanks for the reminder on Nichols. It looks like he can catch and shoot. How is his defense?

Bruno
05-05-2009, 08:25 PM
Bruno,

Thanks for the reminder on Nichols. It looks like he can catch and shoot. How is his defense?

He is seen as a good defender in France but facing french league players isn't exactly the same thing than facing a Kobe or Lebron.

Some words from his coach:
" He isn't a killer and I don't know if he will ever become one. However, I think he has the profile to be a NBA starter. He is in the Bruce Bowen mold, a strong defender able to knock corner 3's."
" He will play with Spurs SL team. He has his place there playing with Parker. Even more given than Bruce Bowen is near the end of his career. To me, he is better than Pietrus."

Nichols is a great guy off the court so there is maybe some blind love from his coach. Saying that, his coach (Alain Weisz) has a lot of experience. If he is that impressed by Nichols, there are likely good reasons for that.

DPG21920
05-05-2009, 09:05 PM
Where have I seen this guy before? Did he gain notoriety somewhere?

benefactor
05-05-2009, 09:10 PM
Nice. He could be a good addition if Hairston does not pan out. He seems to have a nice shooting stroke and good athleticism. He and Hill together in the same back court could cause some serious mismatches.

timtonymanu
05-05-2009, 09:26 PM
Let's just hope he doesnt play defense like Mason.

tomtom
05-05-2009, 09:38 PM
Cool, look forward to seeing him in summerleague

yavozerb
05-05-2009, 09:51 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkOwqcM1kEY

found this, kind of reminds me more of another mason jr..

tomtom
05-05-2009, 11:20 PM
looks like hes more atheltic and can finish at the rim better

024
05-06-2009, 05:53 AM
looks more like finley than roger mason. it doesn't look like he will be able to finish around the rim in the nba. looks kind of slow in his drives. he will probably be a spot up shooter at best in the nba, which i won't mind as long as he plays above average defense.

Yuushi12
05-06-2009, 07:56 AM
would be a nice fit for the system

Mal
05-06-2009, 10:20 AM
No to french league "stars"

TheProfessor
05-06-2009, 10:30 AM
No to french league "stars"
Because France has never produced a decent player, right? He might make an adequate role player, and it's only a training camp invite.

kobyz
05-06-2009, 11:30 AM
trade Mason for a second round pick and sign him instead, he is about the same shooter as Mason but much more athletic and a better defender.

Ditty
05-06-2009, 01:03 PM
trade Mason for a second round pick and sign him instead, he is about the same shooter as Mason but much more athletic and a better defender.

could do that

but i think mason would have worked well for the spurs if manu was in the roatation

he has one year give mason another chance he had a great year, but bad playoffs

TimDunkem
05-12-2009, 02:21 PM
looks more like finley than roger mason. it doesn't look like he will be able to finish around the rim in the nba. looks kind of slow in his drives. he will probably be a spot up shooter at best in the nba, which i won't mind as long as he plays above average defense.

He can curl and shoot off screens thus making defenders work much harder on him than Mason. He's worth a look.

Ditty
05-12-2009, 02:24 PM
summer league then DL and bring him up in 2010

timvp
05-12-2009, 11:16 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkOwqcM1kEY

found this, kind of reminds me more of another mason jr..

I'm going to have to call BS on 6-foot-6. Looks closer to 6-foot-4. I could be wrong but it just doesn't look like it on that video.

As for his play, his release point is a little bit low and he doesn't appear to be much of an athlete. His stats look pretty good though so I'd be all for him going to summer league.

Manufan909
05-13-2009, 01:36 AM
He was only 36% from 3(if he stays that way in the POs he'll automatically be a better 3 shooter than Mason and Bonner), but 52% on 2s is nice. Hope he's as good on D as his coach says. anyone 27 or younger and I'm good concerning age, but he better show something in SL.

And him dunking with people within 20 ft of him automatically puts him so far in front of Mason finishing-wise, it's pathetic.

And I know it was confirmed there, but has the Spurs FO graced us with their thoughts on who is for sure going to be on the SL team, or even who they're targeting?

mountainballer
05-13-2009, 06:48 AM
no way he's the "long SF", he does display ok size for a SG. I agree that he looks more like 6-5 or even 6-4. considering that we are always talking about a 6-7 orr 6-8 guy for the position, he isn't even close.

Bruno
05-13-2009, 07:49 AM
And I know it was confirmed there, but has the Spurs FO graced us with their thoughts on who is for sure going to be on the SL team, or even who they're targeting?

Spurs will say who will play with their SL team only few days before the start of the SL.

For the moment, we only know that Gist and Nichols will play.
Some players on Spurs roster (Hill, Williams and Mahinmi) should also play. Depending on what Spurs do during the draft, there should be some 2009 Spurs' draft picks. Players like Sanikdize or Hairston could also be in.

tav1
05-13-2009, 08:06 AM
For the record, Nichols said he had not received a summer league invitation, only an invite to a mini camp. If he performed well there, then he hoped summer league would follow.

I think that invitation is a mere formality, but he feels as if he has to earn it.

tav1
05-13-2009, 08:08 AM
Also, I'm virtually certain Hairston will play for the Spurs summer league team.

Manufan909
05-13-2009, 03:57 PM
Spurs will say who will play with their SL team only few days before the start of the SL.

For the moment, we only know that Gist and Nichols will play.
Some players on Spurs roster (Hill, Williams and Mahinmi) should also play. Depending on what Spurs do during the draft, there should be some 2009 Spurs' draft picks. Players like Sanikdize or Hairston could also be in.

I'm hoping is the unofficial sure starter at SF for SL, and earns that right for the preseason, and season.

tav1
05-15-2009, 12:50 PM
Austin Nichols won French League MVP. Hooray, Austin.

Bruno
05-15-2009, 02:20 PM
Austin Nichols won French League MVP. Hooray, Austin.

Congrats to him.

He ends the season in a shooting slump (4/34 form 3pt range in the last 5 games of the season) but, when you consider the whole season, the MVP title is well deserved.

I guess that the two keys that will decide if he makes in the NBA or not will be:
- Has he enough range to shoot well NBA 3's?
- Can he play good defense on NBA players?

Bruno
06-11-2009, 10:38 AM
Nichols will play at Mavs mini camp to day and tomorrow :
http://mavsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/06/mini-camp-kicking-off-1.html

Maybe he won't end up with Spurs' SL team...

OT: Mavs will have a nice mini camp with a lot of quality players.

timvp
06-11-2009, 12:46 PM
Nichols will play at Mavs mini camp to day and tomorrow :
http://mavsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/06/mini-camp-kicking-off-1.html

Maybe he won't end up with Spurs' SL team...Good find. It appears as if he's still trying to play his way onto a summer league team. If he doesn't land on the Mavs summer league team, that's probably not a very good sign about his NBA potential. The Mavs have been pretty good at identifying talent for their summer league teams in recent years.


OT: Mavs will have a nice mini camp with a lot of quality players.

That's a pretty impressive list. Taft, Adams and Gelabale are intriguing. Although I'm not sure what the point is of inviting McInnis. :lol

benefactor
06-11-2009, 02:02 PM
Blake Ahearn!

urunobili
06-11-2009, 03:09 PM
Anthony Tolliver!

Do the Mavs hire strongly based on players corporate knowledge of the Spurs system? :lol

benefactor
06-11-2009, 05:24 PM
Anthony Tolliver!

Do the Mavs hire strongly based on players corporate knowledge of the Spurs system? :lol
I didn't scroll down far enough when I first clicked the link. That is kinda funny.

DesignatedT
06-17-2009, 04:37 PM
Nichols good be a great pickup IMO. could be a better player then maybe young and summers in the draft and could use the picks more to concentrate more on getting some bigs to help out timmy down low.

Blackjack
06-18-2009, 01:22 AM
Austin Nichols: Breaking In


As promised, we’re back with another look at the summer of French League MVP Austin Nichols. Nichols, who has been a busy little bee, just completed a Spurs mini camp. His hope is to stick with the team for summer league and training camp, but he’s on more than one radar. Teams are interested in the sharp shooting wing. Last week he participated in a short camp in Dallas and he has a camp in Cleveland on the 27th and 28th of this month.

This is a summer of big opportunities for Austin, and he’s doing his best to make the most of it. Prior to his mini-camp tour, Nichols spent time with trainer Phil Handy. We spoke briefly about what he was working on to improve his game, and he was kind enough to describe his typical day.

“In the morning I’m hitting the weights pretty hard. Really working on trying to improve my upper body strength and my core. The idea is to become more explosive. After the weights, we’re doing pool workouts to improve my endurance,” he began.

“After we’re through with all that, I hit the court with Phil. We work on my footwork (both shooting and ball handling) as well as ball handling itself. I have to tighten up my footwork so I can do everything faster while staying efficient. I know that’s what the NBA demands. I also work on my ball handling because I have to get better at creating space for myself and my shot.”

That’s sounds like a full day, but part of the benefit of working with a trainer is pushing yourself a little harder. So, I wasn’t surprised to learn that Nichols’ days extended into the evening.

“At night, I come back to the gym just to get some shots up. I’m working on getting out of my comfort zone while trying to maintain my speed, form and follow through when I’m tired.”

Austin Nichols is an accomplished professional basketball player, but not all professional leagues are created equal. And the one constant I hear from him is his desire to work as hard as he can to make an NBA roster. But you know what they say about all work and no play. I was happy to learn that Austin took a short vacation between the conclusion of his season and joining Phil Handy in Menlo Park.

Clearly, Nichols is putting in the time to get better on the court. I was curious if he had begun to gear himself up for the mental rigors of the process he is now undertaking.

“The mental process I like to take is being over prepared. I try to push myself beyond my capabilities so that I can be as prepared as possible. And I try to block out any negative thoughts, trying my hardest to keep a positive state of mind and leave it all on the court.”

Discouragements do come. Nichols inbound flight to Dallas was delayed, forcing him to arrive late to the start of their mini-camp. But he’s upbeat. He sent a message from his iPhone at the conclusion of his first day of Spurs camp to check in and say things were going well.

Woody Allen once joked that those who can’t do, teach. And those who can’t teach, teach gym. Did all my questions about metal preparedness and drills and diet come across as analysis paralysis to Nichols?

“I think that people like you do their job, and it’s your job to analyze. It’s inevitable that some over analyzing occurs, but as a player all you can do is play. That’s what being a professional is to me. Being able to do your job regardless of what is said or what’s going on.”

So, what would surprise me? What is missed in all the gym teacher questions?

“I don’t know if this would qualify as a surprise, but it’s important for a basketball player to refine all the things that don’t show up in the box score. You have to be a perfectionist. Phil constantly tells me how it’s important to be sharp and efficient at the little aspects of the game (footwork, ball handing, etc) because once you’re good at those things you can build and become a better player. So when going through a drill I try to pay attention to every detail of the move that I’m doing to get it as sharp and efficient as I can. So, it’s not just about making shots. It’s about the good foot work that creates the space to make the shot. We work hard at those things.”

Austin and I plan to talk later this week about the specifics of a Spurs mini camp. For now, he’s heading back to the gym prior to Cleveland. Look for another update shortly.



http://www.48minutesofhell.com/2009/06/17/austin-nichols-breaking-in/

benefactor
06-18-2009, 07:55 AM
Nice. I'd really like to see him with our SL team. He seems like a better prospect than any of the players that we could potentially get in the second round.

mountainballer
06-18-2009, 08:14 AM
Nice. I'd really like to see him with our SL team. He seems like a better prospect than any of the players that we could potentially get in the second round.

IMO he would be pretty much in the same mold like Danny Green, but with more experience.

benefactor
06-18-2009, 01:17 PM
IMO he would be pretty much in the same mold like Danny Green, but with more experience.
Agreed...but the experience factor is what I feel gives the edge over most of the swingman prospects we would look at. With 4 seasons overseas, I think he would be more ready to contribute off the bench this season.

tav1
06-18-2009, 08:43 PM
IMO he would be pretty much in the same mold like Danny Green, but with more experience.

Hmmm. This seems fair. If true, I'd rather the Spurs went with a player like Nichols and drafted international in the second: Llull, Claver, De Colo, Gladyr, etc...

In other words, there are players available in the first that could offer immediate help, not so many in the second. But there is talent in the second, and maybe by swinging for the fences on three different guys the Spurs can connect on one. Besides, I rank Hairston and Williams in front of everyone the Spurs can draft in the second. Maybe not in terms of ceiling, but in terms of shoring up the back end of the roster. Sign Gist, let him and Hairston play in Austin. Draft and stash Llull, Claver and Gladyr. Try to move into the first for something closer to an impact player. That would be my strategy.

kbrury
06-18-2009, 09:07 PM
I think picking euro with the last two picks would be fine, but they should try and get someone with their first second if they don't happen to get a first round pick. Like you said there is some talent so take a chance though it is low and they might get a role player instead of a euro prospect you might never see.

thekingrobert
06-28-2009, 12:25 AM
give that guy a # 40 jersey and call him Willie Anderson 2.0

T.J Thompson
07-12-2009, 12:59 PM
hi

how are you ? :king

I hope that Austin will play in NBA because he is a good man

benefactor
07-18-2009, 02:18 PM
Anyone know where he wound up? He is not listed on any SL roster.

Bruno
07-18-2009, 02:23 PM
AFAIK, he hasn't played SL games. He is said to sign with another French team (Orléans). Either he was injured or was very bad during teams mini-camps.

Darkwaters
07-18-2009, 02:52 PM
AFAIK, he hasn't played SL games. He is said to sign with another French team (Orléans). Either he was injured or was very bad during teams mini-camps.

Weren't you high on him a year or two ago? Is he still developing well?

Bruno
07-18-2009, 02:54 PM
Weren't you high on him a year or two ago? Is he still developing well?

I've never talk about him before he was said to play with Spurs SL team few months ago.

Darkwaters
07-18-2009, 03:35 PM
I've never talk about him before he was said to play with Spurs SL team few months ago.

Haha, nevermind. I think I was thinking of Quinton Hosley for some reason...COMPLETELY different guy.