Matt Moore: "Spurs Find Loopholes to Keep Talent System in Place"

[biba]

Spurs Find Loopholes to Keep Talent System in Place

3/25/2010 12:45 PM ET By Matt Moore

Matt Moore is an NBA Blogger for FanHouse
http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/03/25/spurs-find-loopholes-to-keep-talent-system-in-place/

I could have headlined this sucker the way most posts about the Spurs' latest move have been: "Spurs Sign Curtis Jerrells, Assigned to Toros." But that belies the bigger piece of this puzzle.

One of the primary issues with the NBA D-League is that if you invest in a D-League team, as the Spurs (who own and operate the Toros) do, you risk investing in a player's development that may end up benefiting a rival. Unless a player is on assignment with a D-League team, he can be signed by any team in the NBA. So, you spend all this time working with a guy to develop a post game, he starts to put it together, starts rocking people, you're ready to call him up, and ... the Clippers swoop in and sign him. Even if they only pick him up for a 10-day contract, it messes with his mindset in terms of the long-run and disrupts a team's plans.

This is one of the central reasons teams often don't invest in the D-League. Why put resources into something which you can't control, and which may end up helping out your competition? It's a major quandary and one I'd bet will get considerable attention during the brief D-League talks as a part of the CBA negotiations next year.

In the meantime, the Spurs are working around the problem.

Sports contracts and minor league site Sham Sports reports that the Spurs gave Jerrells a $75,000 contract for training camp, which is kind of a lot. Jerrells didn't make the team but signed with the D-League and was placed on the Toros, where he's averaged 20.5 points and 5.7 assists per game.

On Wednesday, the Spurs officially signed Jerrells for the rest of the season, but instead of bringing him to San Antonio to sit on the bench, they immediately assigned him back to Austin to continue playing. So what's the story? The Spurs are investing long-term in Jerrells, using the means they have to monitor his development without signing him to a full contract. This is as close as it gets to a team rewarding a player for playing for their D-League team.

D-League contracts are managed through the league office, so money can't be filtered down through affiliates. The Spurs have essentially paid Jerrells not to go elsewhere, but to stay and learn in their system. That's how you build a strong, long-term, minor league development system, and why the Toros are undoubtedly the D-League Team of the Decade.

More on that next week.

[SenorSpur]

A bit more on the profile of Curtis Jerrells, courtesy of DraftExpress (Keep in mind that this profile assessment is from Sep '08):

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Curtis-Jerrells-1085/

One of many intriguing storylines we can anticipate developing in the wide-open Big 12 conference is the emergence of Baylor point guard Curtis Jerrells into the national spotlight. Jerrells is the second leading returning scorer in the conference and tops in assists, and is clearly the engine that makes Baylor’s fast-paced offense go. This is a team that likes to run, and Jerrells doesn’t need to be told twice to push the ball up the floor quickly.

Looking at the last time we broke down Jerrells’ game, we see that his numbers remained largely the same between his sophomore and junior seasons. His scoring was up slightly, his field goal percentage down a notch, his assists remained the same, but he managed to cut down significantly on his turnovers, which is an important development. Jerrells is a feast or famine type ‘lead guard’, he’s very ball-dominant, and clearly looks first and foremost to create for himself, before looking to create for others. Part of that is a product of the helter skelter nature in which Baylor plays, and part of that is his own mentality.

Jerrells is a bit undersized for an NBA point guard, but he makes up for that with his excellent quickness, which includes a very nice first step and solid ball-handling skills with either hand. He looks very comfortable running the pick and roll, which is a big staple of Baylor’s half-court offense. He’s a tough player who likes to take the ball strong to the rim and will finish through contact and draw a good amount of fouls. At times he looks spectacular with the moves he makes, like lightning in a bottle, and at times he looks completely out of control, over-penetrating and taking ill-advised shots early in the shot-clock.

Jerrells relies heavily on his 3-point shot as a source of offensive production—43% of his field goal attempts came from beyond the arc, even though he shot just 33% from that range. More than any other player we can recall possibly in recent memory, nearly every shot he takes comes off the dribble—125/145 attempts according to Synergy Sports Technology’s quantified report. He gets great elevation on this shot, but is very streaky due to the degree of difficulty involved in shooting in this manner, as well as due to the fact that his release point is inconsistent—often shooting the ball on the way down. When attempting to shoot a stand-still jumper (on a kickout for example), Jerrells’ poor mechanics get truly exposed, as he brings the ball around the world from right to left with an awkward hitch, and thus takes a long time to get his shot off. Shooting off the dribble he is able to make this hitch much less pronounced, which is probably why he is so much more comfortable getting shots off in that fashion. There are serious question marks about how his shot will extend to NBA range, and whether he’ll be able to get it off at his size.

Defensively, he is not only undersized, but he’s also not all that intense on this side of the floor either, which puts him at a significant disadvantage when being viewed as a potential backup NBA point guard considering his shortcomings in other areas. He gambles a lot and seems to give up on plays too easily, and like a lot of offensive minded young players, it really doesn’t seem like playing defense has ever been a huge priority for him.

Regardless of his very obvious deficiencies, players like Jerrells are definitely capable of making the NBA, as he is very good at creating his own shot, and is a very instinctive scorer in general. He can also make some plays for others, especially on the drive and dish, and there is still room for him to improve on his defense, playmaking and shooting mechanics, which he’ll surely need to. He’s likely going to have to prove himself in settings like the NBA pre-draft camp first, though, unless Baylor has a really spectacular season, which is not out of the question considering their talent level.

[Blackjack]

Unfortunately, loopholes can't guard out on the perimeter or lessen the interior duties for Timmy . . .

[Chomag]

Our Future Center?

[in2deep]

and they still suck

[Dr. Gonzo]

and they still suck

That's an exaggeration. They are mediocre. They don't suck. The Nets suck. The Spurs are just about average.

[TD 21]

That's nice, they've done such a wonderful job that in the entire existence of the Toros they've produced exactly 0 players that either have in the past or are currently in the rotation and contributing to the team. Although it's easy to argue that either Hairston or Mahinmi could be doing so if given the opportunity, but nonetheless the point remains. All this praise and talk about the job the Spurs have done with the Toros and how it'll start paying dividends, when? Where is the great Marcus Williams? Oh that's right, back to toiling in the D-League.

[Russ]

The Spurs' association with the D League (Austin) has been much ado about very little.

[HarlemHeat37]

It's funny because Hairston and Mahinmi had pretty much as much success as they were going to have in the D League..

Ian made the All-NBDL 1st team, what else is he supposed to do?..

Hairston led the D-League in scoring while he was there this season..what else can he really do?..

I love that the Spurs organization appears to put emphasis on the D-League, I think it's a great tool to have..a lot of current players in the league were D-League players, the league produces good players(a guy like Matt Barnes is starting for an elite team..at this moment, guys like Tolliver and Reggie Williams are producing..many, many other examples)..I just don't understand how the guys that the Spurs assign did what they had to do there, but can't get a chance to do it in the NBA..isn't that the point of having it?..

[The Truth #6]

Maybe they found a way to make money selling concessions in Austin.

Kidding.

[SenorSpur]

It's funny because Hairston and Mahinmi had pretty much as much success as they were going to have in the D League..

Ian made the All-NBDL 1st team, what else is he supposed to do?..

Hairston led the D-League in scoring while he was there this season..what else can he really do?..

I love that the Spurs organization appears to put emphasis on the D-League, I think it's a great tool to have..a lot of current players in the league were D-League players, the league produces good players(a guy like Matt Barnes is starting for an elite team..at this moment, guys like Tolliver and Reggie Williams are producing..many, many other examples)..I just don't understand how the guys that the Spurs assign did what they had to do there, but can't get a chance to do it in the NBA..isn't that the point of having it?..

You bet it is. These players have proven themselves and apparently done what's been asked of them. They're don't appear to be malcontents, and as far as we know, have avoided any trouble that befalls young players.

It's up to the coach and GM to carve out a niche and develop them on the fly. I guess Malik and Ian simply haven't earned Pop's trust - and to be honest I really don't know what it takes to do so.

[Chomag]

You bet it is. These players have proven themselves and apparently done what's been asked of them. They're don't appear to be malcontents, and as far as we know, have avoided any trouble that befalls young players.

It's up to the coach and GM to carve out a niche and develop them on the fly. I guess Malik and Ian simply haven't earned Pop's trust - and to be honest I really don't know what it takes to do so.

Hmmm, to get Pops trust.
They could come back in about 9-10 years maybe?

[TD 21]

You bet it is. These players have proven themselves and apparently done what's been asked of them. They're don't appear to be malcontents, and as far as we know, have avoided any trouble that befalls young players.

It's up to the coach and GM to carve out a niche and develop them on the fly. I guess Malik and Ian simply haven't earned Pop's trust - and to be honest I really don't know what it takes to do so.

I do. It takes being undersized, unathletic, unskilled, one dimensional, a journeyman and if you're not yet on the downside of your career, you at least have to have no upside.

Young, athletically gifted players like Mahinmi and Hairston, it's almost like Pop has this preconceived notion that he has to bring them down a notch, particularly the ones that went to college in the U.S. Only these two guys are (from all accounts) humble, hard working guys who didn't need that in the first place.

The other thing is he flat out prefers veterans. Unless your ability is undeniable, like Blair, or positionally you're needed, like Hill, if it's even close, like between Bogans, Mason and Hairston, Pop will almost always go with the veteran(s) more times than not in that scenario.

[jjktkk]

I do. It takes being undersized, unathletic, unskilled, one dimensional, a journeyman and if you're not yet on the downside of your career, you at least have to have no upside.

Young, athletically gifted players like Mahinmi and Hairston, it's almost like Pop has this preconceived notion that he has to bring them down a notch, particularly the ones that went to college in the U.S. Only these two guys are (from all accounts) humble, hard working guys who didn't need that in the first place.

The other thing is he flat out prefers veterans. Unless your ability is undeniable, like Blair, or positionally you're needed, like Hill, if it's even close, like between Bogans, Mason and Hairston, Pop will almost always go with the veteran(s) more times than not in that scenario.

Pop will never completely change his preference for vets. over young players. But the past couple of seasons have shown that this Spurs team does need a injection of youth. Hill, Blair, and I'm pretty sure Hairston is a nice start. Mahimni is probably outta here. For whatever reason, Pop and the coaching do not trust Mahimni. It will be interesting to see what the Spurs will do this Summer to improve the roster. More veterans? Youth?

[will_spurs]

That's nice, they've done such a wonderful job that in the entire existence of the Toros they've produced exactly 0 players that either have in the past or are currently in the rotation and contributing to the team. Although it's easy to argue that either Hairston or Mahinmi could be doing so if given the opportunity, but nonetheless the point remains. All this praise and talk about the job the Spurs have done with the Toros and how it'll start paying dividends, when? Where is the great Marcus Williams? Oh that's right, back to toiling in the D-League.

It's more Pop's problem than anything else. Mahinmi and Hairston should be playing in the NBA, unfortunately they are just rotting away on the Spurs bench.

Another guy you might remember? Tolliver, currently averaging 11.2 points. 6.5 rebounds and 2 assists in 30 mins for the Warriors. But he wasn't good enough for us, we'd rather have Bogans averaging 0, 0 and 0 - but he's a vet with intangibles, you know...

[boutons_deux]

Yep, Ian and Malik are "talents" being "kept in place" (where they don't play basketball).

[SpurmzKilla]

Team of the Decade.

[E-RockWill]

Yet we sign Garrett Temple (which I'm not against, but think he's another Hairston. We already have one that is underutilized). I did hear we were going after Alonzo Gee, but he got scooped up too.
Interesting to note the FO signs Jerrells for the remainder of the season. I believe that brings us to 14 on the roster.
Playoff insurance......