Why did the Spurs give up on Romain Sato?

[whottt]

I am confused as to what happened with this guy...

The Spurs seemed high on him in the early part of the season.
They signed him to a multi year deal.
He was projected on some draft boards to be a 1st round pick.
He is supposed to have the skills to be a Bowen style shut down defender and is said to have a textbook perfect J with NBA range. He is also said to be a big rebounder for his position.
He is also supposed to be a very smart kid(if not a smart player).
And in addition to all of that he is supposed to have a fantastic attitude.


So why are we going after NBA retreads that were a bust with the Hawks and can't hold down a job in the Turkish leagues(and were shooting 234%)? When this guy had been practicing with the team most of the season...

I am confused about this...not just because the Spurs gave up on him..but because no other team wants him either...A guy with a prototypical NBA specialist skill set on both sides of the ball, and ahtleticism, and a freak body is usually coveted by NBA teams just on the basis of potential.

Something must have happened with this guy and whatever it was the word must have gotten around to the other teams...because every draft board I read expected him to get drafted somewhere.

It's really weird...the only thing I have seen negative about this guy is that he really didn't seem to care if he made it in the NBA or not and didn't have a problem saying so...he was quite proud of his degree and it sounded like pursuing a professional career via his degree was as important to him as making it in the NBA.

[timvp]

He was too short and his jumper never improved. He had the game of a small forward and the height of a PG.

It isn't going to work out for him unless he becomes a much better ballhandler and shooter.

[whottt]

He must be a really bad ball handler and shooter if no other team is even calling him...because there really isn't that much of a difference between a lot of SFs and 2 guards in what they are asked to do...the SF is usually the most versatile and athletic guy on the court...and there are still a lot of short 2 guards in the NBA.

[ducks]

I think spurs signed him to a mulityear deal so he would not pull a boozer
if he worked out

[FromWayDowntown]

They might have been high on him in the pre-season and early on, but there also must not have been much in the way of improvement over time. They had several months to give him a look during practices and workouts. I'd think that if they saw any real promise, he'd still be here.

I think timvp is right, though. From what I saw during the pre-season (and I don't regularly make judgments based on pre-season games) it looked to me like Sato's game didn't match his size. He's built like a big PG, but lacks any kind of handle. He's undersized to play the 2 or the 3, and while his athleticism is certainly very nice, his limitations are just too great.

He seems like a nice kid, though. I hope he does well.

[wildbill2u]

One of those tweener guys whose talents and physical features simply don't match up anywhere on an NBA court. Maybe he'll do OK in an international league where the height differential isn't so severe.

Even Pop and RC miss on a draft decision now and then.