Rookies: Spurs are the most desired team to be drafted by

[scottspurs]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/news/story?id=5306147

In a ESPN the Magazine survey, given out to the rookies to be, the players voted the Spurs as the team they would most like to be drafted by.

Who's your dream team to be picked by?
Sure, many rooks (11.7%) want the Lakers to hand them a jersey. But the team most named was the Spurs, with 16.7% of the vote. Respondents point to tradition, Gregg Popovich (one of five coaches in NBA history with four league titles) and playing with 12-time All-Star Tim Duncan. "I want to go somewhere I can learn," says one great college big man. The nightmare team? The Bucks. Explains a projected second-rounder: "They're young, but they always seem young."

Who wouldn't want to play for the spurs? :toast

[DesignatedT]

That's surprising.

[SenorSpur]

Damn shocking.

[Cane]

Especially rookie bigs imo since Tim Duncan has to be a hero for most of the younger talent coming into the league. I know he's been a role model for guys like the Lopez brothers and Brook seems to play like him. The way Duncan and the Spurs have been able to win multiple championships with very different rosters on a small market team with basically no drama just doesn't happen, ever, in the NBA and its great that its respected. :toast

[mudyez]

those kids have brain!

[Sisk]

Yeah, as everyone else said that's pretty surprising. Especially if they pay attention to how the Spurs don't tolerate off the court mishaps very well.

[mudyez]

isn't the consensus: if the spurs draft you, you are the real deal?

probably the kids think: "hey, if they draft me, I might even be better, than I thought myself!"

[Bender]

why play for the spurs? rookies sit on the bench or get tossed to the toros or overseas, and hardly see the court.

[Blackjack]

It must be Pop's pension for siding with youth and providing plenty of opportunities for early development with bountiful court time.

[Cane]

Sports agents probably love dealing with the Spurs organization as well since they seem to be a straight-forward, no bullshit group to deal with.

[mudyez]

rather not playing for the spurs, than playing for anyone else!...thats how I like it!

btw.: my prediction for our draft: Tibor Pleiß a 20 year old german 7' center, that knows how to play teamball...probably stach him for 2 more years in germany, but there wont be buyout problems with them!

you heard it here first!

[Mal]

rather not playing for the spurs, than playing for anyone else!...thats how I like it!

btw.: my prediction for our draft: Tibor Pleiß a 20 year old german 7' center, that knows how to play teamball...probably stach him for 2 more years in germany, but there wont be buyout problems with them!

you heard it here first!

Spurs need players for here and now.

[mingus]

wow. this bodes well for the post-Duncan and Pop era. they've created a winning tradition and franchise that hopefully entices players to want to play here down the road.

[Libri]

Great to read that rookies want to play for SA.

[mudyez]

Spurs need players for here and now.

didnt we think that several times?

there will be some kind of shock for us anyway and thats a good one IMO!

[SpursTillTheEnd]

It must be Pop's pension for siding with youth and providing plenty of opportunities for early development with bountiful court time.
Black jack aka Back Crack aka gay
but yea this aint a surprise everyone wants to play for the spurs

[ThePop]

:tu

[hater]

this makes as much sense as TMac in the allstar. Maybe they included the chinese vote?

[Blackjack]

Black jack aka Back Crack aka gay
but yea this aint a surprise everyone wants to play for the spurs

Crack is wack, tbh.

[Cane]

It must be Pop's pension for siding with youth and providing plenty of opportunities for early development with bountiful court time.

The lowest rated team, the Bucks, are known for playing all sorts of young talent and yet ranked last in the survey.....

[Chomag]

Well of course it is. Rookies know that there is not much pressure to play when on the Spurs at least untill they are 30+ :lol

[TIMMYD!]

The lowest rated team, the Bucks, are known for playing all sorts of young talent and yet ranked last in the survey.....

That is surprising, you'd think a team that plays young players a lot would be more desirable for someone trying to make it.

[Blackjack]

The lowest rated team, the Bucks, are known for playing all sorts of young talent and yet ranked last in the survey.....

Hot damn! Looks like I'm gonna find some use for all that left over Prep H after all. :elephant

[Shastafarian]

No one wants to play for a losing team.

Except the guys in the survey.

[SpursNextRomanEmpire]

Thats awesome to hear.

[Seventyniner]

This just shows how much the coaching staff emphasizes teaching along with everything else. Also, rookies probably tend not to care about market size, because their salary is determined by draft place anyway.

Too bad free agents don't think the same way...

[Vic Petro]

"I want to go where I can learn" says one great college bigman.

Since there are only two great bigs in this draft (Cousins & Favors) is there any doubt Favors said this? I get the feeling that kid would really like to play for the Spurs.

[Blackjack]

One great college bigman could be Monroe, Aldrich and a few others as well.

[wildbill2u]

Maybe they think we're a team with a great tradition, great coaching, nice town--and we're about to hit the wall with the Big 3 and will need some new blood.

Now that's smart, but scary.

[TheSpurglar]

Works for me. :tu

[Vic Petro]

One great college bigman could be Monroe, Aldrich and a few others as well.

Jeez if Monroe or Aldrich qualify as great, the standard for great has fallen dramatically.

[Blackjack]

The Spurs are the model franchise and the name's synonymous with winning. Pop's become one of the most popular and respected coaches by players throughout the league and Duncan is the equivalent of a musician's musician, only the basketball player's basketball player -- underappreciated by the mainstream and those who don't truly understand the craft or game, but respected and looked up to by his peers and colleagues.

The league's taken a turn for the better, in terms of the views and outlooks of it's members, as the backlash from individualism and the failings overseas brought back the popularity of "team" and the worthiness of "sacrifice". The perception of the league and its players essentially was able to hit rock bottom as a bunch of selfish primadonnas, and allowed for an about-face from the league's marketing (to a degree -- more in the commentary) and a wake-up call to its up-and-comers.

How a league, player or individual arrives at a certain place, doesn't matter all that much so long as they get there in a case like this.

Judging by the results of the poll and the quotes being cited, it looks like this generation of player is on its way to getting there.

[Blackjack]

Jeez if Monroe or Aldrich qualify as great, the standard for great has fallen dramatically.

Great college bigman and great bigman have just become two things that aren't necessarily synonymous these days.

[nkdlunch]

But the team most named was the Spurs, with 16.7% of the vote.

that's because most rookies know they could contend for minutes with Bonner :lol

[5in10]

Because they have a chance to contend while Timmy is still playing, and have a chance to be part of the future core of this team that will hopefully contend.

[LoneStarState'sPride]

Wow, out of the mouths of babes, I guess.

Hope for us youngsters yet!

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

Not too shocking. Despite Pop's propensity for not playing rookies much the rest of the environment looks good. They're a playoff team, they've got a great veteran core to learn from, and they are in a transitional period. Bonner and Mason are likely out of here, anyone else they are able to sign for as a FA (if Splitter is eating up the MLE) is probably going to be someone that a worthwhile rookie could compete against for minutes, and you know that Pop's gonna monitor minutes. On top of that there's a good coaching staff and a mature core of championship vets to learn from who are likely going to be there for a few years to come.

If nothing else they could look at the leap that George Hill made in his second year and the fact that Blair, despite Pop's notorious rep with rookies, got PT in 82 games.

[Blackjack]

I'm dense, sfie, so please understand, but where's the punchline? :downspin:

[Spurologist]

Is that the whole article. Can someone with Insider access post the whole thing?

[spursfan1000]

Damn. Thats crazy.

[scottspurs]

Is that the whole article. Can someone with Insider access post the whole thing?

Here is the entire article.....

Updated: June 21, 2010, 11:58 AM ET
NBA draft confidential
The poll that hits the lottery


By Elena Bergeron and Anna Katherine Clemmons
ESPN The Magazine


The NBA draft's best player? Most players think it's this guy.
This article appears in the June 28 issue of ESPN The Magazine.

In April, the NCAA named John Wall a consensus All-America. In May, NBA GMs praised his all-league talent. Now, it's June and in our confidential survey of 30 likely draftees, Wall is the clear No. 1. But after we asked the obvious, our 10-question survey turned to tougher topics -- agents, scouts and workouts. That's when the players had a question: "This is anonymous, right?" Yep. After that, they dished like, well, Wall with a ball.

Who is the draft's best player?
The vast majority -- 60% -- picked Wall. Three players (10%) couldn't believe we had the audacity to inquire: "Well, of course it's John Wall." Duh. Others talked about his game: "Real good point guard who can run and lead a team." Still others seemed to just plain like him: "He's a good guy. John's not someone who is just potential." Projected top-fiver Evan Turner was the only other player named more than once, getting eight votes (26.7%).

Which NBA player do you most want to dunk on?
This one wasn't even close. LeBron and Shaq tied for second at 20%. But the winner for most desired-to-dunk-upon ... Dwight Howard, who earned 35% of the vote. Most players wanted to slam on the NBA's reigning Defensive Player of the Year. Others just wanted to slam Howard. "He bullies people," says one likely second-rounder.

Which team had the toughest workout?
One-third of respondents had Heat fatigue. As in, Pat Riley and the Miami brass hosted the toughest run (and run-again) throughs. "It's like a track workout. Everything's full-court, one-on-ones, two-on-twos, three-on-threes," says one out-of-breath early entrant. At the other end of the spectrum, 21.4% of players thanked Chicago for the league's easiest workout.

When was your first contact with an agent?
"They reach out to you on Facebook, Twitter, games -- random guys literally coming out of corners," said a player who was part of the 90% contacted before their eligibility was complete. "I was walking off my college practice floor one day, and this guy with a black leather jacket handed me his card and said to call him. It was like out of a movie."

[+] Enlarge
Don McPeak/US Presswire
The NBA draft's most overrated player? The guy who averaged only 13.2 minutes a game.
What is more of a grind, recruiting by colleges or evaluations by NBA teams?
More than three-quarters (76.7%) went with the pros. A common sentiment? "Every time you work out for NBA teams, you're trying to show them your best," said one guard on the lottery bubble. "Coming out of high school, colleges were trying to show you their best."

What traits or skills do scouts underrate the most?
Players had 12 different answers, but No. 1 was résumé. "It's easier to get drafted on potential than achievements," said one Tourney veteran. As for most overrated, 23.3% named size/wingspan. "It's just measurements," said a likely lottery pick who happens to have impressive measurements.

Who's the draft's most overrated player?
Scouts see Daniel Orton's springy 6'10", 260-pound frame and envision Kendrick Perkins. But his peers look at the ex-Kentucky player and see a frosh who had zero starts and saw just 13.2 minutes per game. Said one of the 20% who tabbed Orton as most overrated: "Top 20? Come on. He came off the bench for a good college team!"

How many agents did you meet with?
Three players met with only one agent. One prospect met with 10 agents, and three more interviewed eight agents each. The final tally: The average interview process involved 4.2 suits per sweat suit. How did the rooks make their final choices? Nine said they chose an agent they felt comfortable with. Five said they based their decision on who connected best with their families. And four more cited trust as the No. 1 factor.

On a scale of 10 (1 being incredibly fun; 10 being incredibly not fun), how would you rate the draft process?
With an average rating of 4.8, most players said the draft evaluation process is more enjoyable than excruciating. But, those who didn't like it were a lot more vocal. "This is hard as hell," said a center who gave the process an eight. "You don't know where you're going to end up, and you have no control over it."

Who's your dream team to be picked by?
Sure, many rooks (11.7%) want the Lakers to hand them a jersey. But the team most named was the Spurs, with 16.7% of the vote. Respondents point to tradition, Gregg Popovich (one of five coaches in NBA history with four league titles) and playing with 12-time All-Star Tim Duncan. "I want to go somewhere I can learn," says one great college big man. The nightmare team? The Bucks. Explains a projected second-rounder: "They're young, but they always seem young."

[Spursfan092120]

No one wants to play for a losing team.
Let's compare records over the last decade and see who's lost more...

[TDMVPDPOY]

the agent thing

why do you need to hire a agent for? are they really worth the 2-4% commission?

[clubalien]

"I want to go where I can learn" says one great college bigman.

Since there are only two great bigs in this draft (Cousins & Favors) is there any doubt Favors said this? I get the feeling that kid would really like to play for the Spurs.

do you think spurs made a promise to draft him?

[clubalien]

the agent thing

why do you need to hire a agent for? are they really worth the 2-4% commission?

lebron doesn't have an agent well because he is lebron.

but one word
"Rosenhaus "

dude makes his money


if you are a max player why you need an agent.

However, lets say you are a player like bonner, or a player like scola that you need to eek out that extra few million to feed your family.


wouldn't you pay $500 to earn an extra $5000


if a player is over paid did he have a good agent or did he have to take less like manu?

[angelbelow]

fucking awesome.