duncan228
07-14-2009, 07:21 PM
Bid adios to Oberto (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/2009/07/bid-adios-to-ob.html)
By Jeff McDonald
When Fabricio Oberto was included in the deal that brought Richard Jefferson to San Antonio on June 23, there seemed a possibility the affable Argentine might return to the Spurs at a cut rate after being waived by his new team, the Detroit Pistons.
After all, the Jefferson deal had left the Spurs woefully thin in the frontcourt.
Three weeks later, it appears Oberto will be spending next season at the end of some other team's bench. He is not coming back to the Spurs.
The Washington Wizards are one of about half a dozen teams that have reached out to Oberto, who won championship rings with the Spurs in 2005 and 2007. Oberto's agent, Herb Rudoy, told the Washington Post that his client plans to play in the NBA next season and will take time to mull his options.
At first, it seemed logical that Oberto's next NBA team would actually be his old NBA team. After the Jefferson trade, the Spurs were searching for cheap frontcourt options to help round out the roster. Who better than a team-first, no-complaints guy like Oberto, who also happened to be quite familiar with the Spurs' system?
Now, Oberto finds his return path to San Antonio blocked by 6-foot-7, 265 pounds of DeJuan Blair. When Blair, an All-American rebounder from Pittsburgh, fell to the Spurs in the second round of the NBA draft, it drastically reduced their need for a player like Oberto.
In the days since the draft, the Spurs added a sixth big man to their stable, signing overseas sensation Marcus Haislip to a two-year deal. If the Spurs are to add a seventh big, it would probably be James Gist, the 6-foot-8 forward who is playing with the summer league team.
Oberto will almost certainly latch on with some team this summer. The next time he sees the AT&T Center, however, it will be from the visitor's locker room.
By Jeff McDonald
When Fabricio Oberto was included in the deal that brought Richard Jefferson to San Antonio on June 23, there seemed a possibility the affable Argentine might return to the Spurs at a cut rate after being waived by his new team, the Detroit Pistons.
After all, the Jefferson deal had left the Spurs woefully thin in the frontcourt.
Three weeks later, it appears Oberto will be spending next season at the end of some other team's bench. He is not coming back to the Spurs.
The Washington Wizards are one of about half a dozen teams that have reached out to Oberto, who won championship rings with the Spurs in 2005 and 2007. Oberto's agent, Herb Rudoy, told the Washington Post that his client plans to play in the NBA next season and will take time to mull his options.
At first, it seemed logical that Oberto's next NBA team would actually be his old NBA team. After the Jefferson trade, the Spurs were searching for cheap frontcourt options to help round out the roster. Who better than a team-first, no-complaints guy like Oberto, who also happened to be quite familiar with the Spurs' system?
Now, Oberto finds his return path to San Antonio blocked by 6-foot-7, 265 pounds of DeJuan Blair. When Blair, an All-American rebounder from Pittsburgh, fell to the Spurs in the second round of the NBA draft, it drastically reduced their need for a player like Oberto.
In the days since the draft, the Spurs added a sixth big man to their stable, signing overseas sensation Marcus Haislip to a two-year deal. If the Spurs are to add a seventh big, it would probably be James Gist, the 6-foot-8 forward who is playing with the summer league team.
Oberto will almost certainly latch on with some team this summer. The next time he sees the AT&T Center, however, it will be from the visitor's locker room.