Neal signs 3-year deal with Spurs

[coyotes_geek]

True, don't know why I didn't realize that. So, with the exception of # of years, the Spurs LLE is now has more money left than their MLE. However, I don't expect them to use either at this point, and the current roster could be very close to the final roster.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Spurs dig up a vet min guy sometime between now and the start of the season. But that's probably about it. Depending how much Neal is going to get paid there might be enough MLE left to beat a vet min contract and that could come in handy after the trading deadline when guys start getting bought out.

[Obstructed_View]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Spurs dig up a vet min guy sometime between now and the start of the season.

http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.e1d/img/4.0/global/basketball/nba/players/3746.jpg

[coyotes_geek]

http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.e1d/img/4.0/global/basketball/nba/players/3746.jpg

Wouldn't surprise me.

[lurker23]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Spurs dig up a vet min guy sometime between now and the start of the season. But that's probably about it. Depending how much Neal is going to get paid there might be enough MLE left to beat a vet min contract and that could come in handy after the trading deadline when guys start getting bought out.

While I think either a vet big man or vet swing would make a lot of sense for this team, I don't know that they can swing it financially without going over the luxury tax line and/or giving up on 3 of their 4 young (non-guaranteed) prospects.

[Darkwaters]

nando better pay attention and step up his game overseas

I was thinking the same thing. I'm not sure when Nando will make sense now to bring over. With the glut of SG's and shooters that the team has brought in, when will we see a De Colo jersey in San Antonio?

[Obstructed_View]

I was thinking the same thing. I'm not sure when Nando will make sense now to bring over. With the glut of SG's and shooters that the team has brought in, when will we see a De Colo jersey in San Antonio?

At this rate the SPurs will end up cutting most of their young players to make room for Neal and Bogans and Jefferson, so they can start over fresh next year and dump Nando in another year for nothing.

[coyotes_geek]

While I think either a vet big man or vet swing would make a lot of sense for this team, I don't know that they can swing it financially without going over the luxury tax line and/or giving up on 3 of their 4 young (non-guaranteed) prospects.

I think it's pretty much a certainty that the Spurs are going to cut loose at least 3 guys out of the Temple/Hairston/Gee/Jerrells group. Maybe even all 4 if they find a vet min guy to their liking. That should keep them far enough away from the LT line to add someone late in the season. If they don't like any of the buyout victims then they can always bring one or two of those guys back.

[pad300]

any indication as to the salary?

will it be the minimum (for Neal that's 885k I believe)? or have we used the rest of the MLE (the only way we can pay him more I believe)

As Neal has not played in the NBA before, his minimum salary in 10/11 is $473,604.

http://members.cox.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm#Q11

I would be surprised if he got much more than that guaranteed.

[pad300]

http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.e1d/img/4.0/global/basketball/nba/players/3746.jpg


Wouldn't surprise me.

Would surprise me. We have so many small players on contract (or obligation to contract) already

Parker, Hill, Neal, Temple, Manu, Anderson, Hairston, Gee...

[urunobili]

Hairston and Neal have very different skill sets so i don't really see this signing as something that pushes Hairston down/out of the roster. I'll be surprised if the Spurs keep both Gee and Hairston. And considering the time they've put in to developing Malik, i can't imagine the Spurs favoring Gee.

This.

Malik's Block per game average is very good and IMO he'll have the most minutes / better shot at being a 15 minutes contributor than anyone else.

His absence on SL and the Spurs declaring that they know what they have with Malim pretty much tells just that.

[SenorSpur]

Looking at this Neal signing and seeing how the Spurs hoped for, but missed out on Wesley Matthews, I just wonder who is going to defend on the perimeter for this team?

[Obstructed_View]

Would surprise me. We have so many small players on contract (or obligation to contract) already

Parker, Hill, Neal, Temple, Manu, Anderson, Hairston, Gee...

If the Spurs sign Bogans, it's a sure signal that Hairston, Gee and Temple are all on the way out.

If the Spurs are bound and determined to grab a useless vet, they'll sign Morrisson.

[hater]

supersmallball!

[ElNono]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Spurs dig up a vet min guy sometime between now and the start of the season.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pzuufqtyQHM/S703TkbBLNI/AAAAAAAABOY/8E8MB7jjJ7M/s1600/michael-finley-spurs.jpg

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Looking at this Neal signing and seeing how the Spurs hoped for, but missed out on Wesley Matthews, I just wonder who is going to defend on the perimeter for this team?

That ship has sailed. The Spurs for 2-3 years now have been looking to out-score folks. This signing continues the trend. This guy will be a situational player, sort of like Steve Kerr when he was with us years ago.

The fact is Neal is a scorer. We have very few true 'scorers' on this team. It's a welcome signing.

[ceperez]

So, I'm a little late to the party, but here are a few thoughts from my end:

-This is a good signing for the Spurs, both basketball-wise and financially. Neal was a very good player in Europe, so he has a nice track record, but is still young enough (26 this fall) to have a little upside.

Financially, I felt the Spurs had a much better chance of staying under the luxury tax back when everyone thought they were going to sign Richards (rookie minimum, very cheap contract). Contract-wise, they got Neal to replace him. Time will tell if the Spurs intend on staying under the luxury tax, primarily indicated by whether they use their LLE or remaining MLE. While I think this means that only 2 of Temple/Hairston/Gee/Jerrels will make the team now, whereas before 3 looked like a decent chance, don't rule out this possibility: Spurs keep a 14 or 15 man roster most of the year, then salary dump the least promising player at the trade deadline like they did Ratliff last year, thus getting a fuller evaluation while not paying luxury tax.


-The one thing that most people are missing on Neal is that he's not just a spot-up shooter. I know that's primarily what he did in summer league, but the dude is a flat-out scorer. He can drive, finish at the rim, penetrate-and-dish, has a nice mid-range jumper off the dribble, and will work well in pick-and-roll sets. He's a very efficient scorer inside the arc (often shooting near-or-above 50% on FGs in Europe), and honestly his biggest question mark shooting-wise was whether he was a good enough 3-point shooter for the NBA. In that way, I think the Spurs and Spurs fans will be somewhat disappointed; unless he's improved tremendously in the offseason, expect his 3PT% to be near 35%, not the 50% he shot in summer league.

-The big question mark for Neal on this Spurs team is defense. At previous levels, he hasn't shown much interest and/or skill at defending. However, in summer league he appeared to me to have put on some muscle, and could turn out to be a hard-nosed defender if he so chooses. While turning him into a defender won't happen overnight, he may gain some serious motivation when Pop gives him the "play defense or don't play at all" speech. If Neal ends up getting sent down to Austin, defense is the #1 thing they'll want him to work on, with perhaps passing being a distant 2nd.


-The bottom line for the Spurs in this signing is that they felt they had found some true talent through the summer league, and didn't want to let him go. While they aren't the same player, I think a good comparison is Anthony Morrow. The Warriors found Morrow on their summer league roster and didn't let go, even though he was probably getting offers left and right from several NBA teams after tearing up Vegas and Salt Lake City. Similarly, the Spurs did the prudent thing and locked up Neal despite competing offers from Europe and perhaps other NBA teams. Morrow played two very good seasons with Golden State, but when he signed a 3 year, $12 million offer sheet this summer, the Warriors had to let him walk away due to financial reasons. While I don't expect Neal to come close to replicating Morrow's numbers, if he does break-out in the NBA, the Spurs have him locked up for 3 seasons in contrast to Morrow's 2.

Excellent write up!!!

[SenorSpur]

That ship has sailed. The Spurs for 2-3 years now have been looking to out-score folks. This signing continues the trend. This guy will be a situational player, sort of like Steve Kerr when he was with us years ago.

The fact is Neal is a scorer. We have very few true 'scorers' on this team. It's a welcome signing.

Knowing what you've stated is true, it's really funny for me to continue hearing the NBA analysts (studio and game), on the various networks laud the Spurs and Pop, for their supposed "defense first" mantra. A recent example occurred during summer league action. When referencing the Spurs summer league squad, many of the analysts proclaimed "if you're going to make this Spurs team, you'd better be concerned with playing defense first because that was Pop demands and that's what they've built their foundation on".

Really?

Spurs still have the masses fooled.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Knowing what you've stated is true, it's really funny for me to continue hearing the NBA analysts (studio and game), on the various networks laud the Spurs and Pop, for their supposed "defense first" mantra. A recent example occurred during summer league action. When referencing the Spurs summer league squad, many of the analysts proclaimed "if you're going to make this Spurs team, you'd better be concerned with playing defense first because that was Pop demands and that's what they've built their foundation on".

Really?

Spurs still have the masses fooled.

In fairness the coaches, including Pop, and the players have stated before each season that they are going to try and get back to that. The just have not had the second big and perimeter defender to really pull that off.

Its really a question of what they want to do versus what they actually can do.

[Canibspur]

Wow. I'm guessing only the first season is guaranteed.

Pretty damn shocking since the Spurs have a lot of depth at shooting guard. Where does Neal fit with Ginobili, Hill and Anderson getting time at shooting guard? Plus, Temple, Gee and Hairston could potentially also play the two.

I liked Neal in summer league but an unathletic 6-foot-4 shooting guard has an uphill climb to make the NBA.

Congrats, Choo Choo.


think theyre trying to work some behind the scenes magic and trade a couple of our 2s to upgrade our 3??

[mountainballer]

Neal was very good last year in Europe, so Spurs very likely had to offer either guaranteed money and a number a bit higher than the minimum of 473K.
even considering Euro teams no longer can pay what they used to pay in the last years, I assume he got some better offers there. (maybe close to 1 million Euro?). so, even if he gives the Spurs a discount because he wants to get into the NBA, I do expect they gave him something close to a million $.

btw. Neal brings pretty much every quality the Spurs could expect from Anderson. (Anderson is a bit taller, but it's not that he brings in above average size for the SG).
Anderson isn't signed yet. any chance Spurs still explore what they could get for his rights?:stirpot:

[HankChinaski]

Guy definitely looks like a pure shooter. Something we had but disappeared when we started last season. Not bad pickup, low risk high reward if he manages to make an impact in the rotation.

[angelbelow]

Neal was very good last year in Europe, so Spurs very likely had to offer either guaranteed money and a number a bit higher than the minimum of 473K.
even considering Euro teams no longer can pay what they used to pay in the last years, I assume he got some better offers there. (maybe close to 1 million Euro?). so, even if he gives the Spurs a discount because he wants to get into the NBA, I do expect they gave him something close to a million $.

btw. Neal brings pretty much every quality the Spurs could expect from Anderson. (Anderson is a bit taller, but it's not that he brings in above average size for the SG).
Anderson isn't signed yet. any chance Spurs still explore what they could get for his rights?:stirpot:

Could a possibility be that Anderson's injury is more serious than actually believed? Perhaps hes going to miss sometime during the regular season.

[Dex]

Maybe we can bring Finley back as a player-coach to mentor Neal on basketball ethics.

[bigbendbruisebrother]

Here's the postgame interview from the Grizz game (with highlights). I couldn't get it to embed for some reason...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hr6VPwFL8-8

[bigbendbruisebrother]

Maybe we can bring Finley back as a player-coach to mentor Neal on basketball ethics.

:lol

Lesson one: When the going gets tough, beg to be released so you can sign with a contender.

[Mel_13]

As Neal has not played in the NBA before, his minimum salary in 10/11 is $473,604.

http://members.cox.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm#Q11

I would be surprised if he got much more than that guaranteed.

Will count as 854K against the luxury tax.

http://members.cox.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm#Q16

[angelbelow]

I think he got minimum guaranteed with his contract going up to 1-1.5million.

[bigbendbruisebrother]

Reminiscent of the Memorial Day Miracle shot....

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BkqTERRq3Pc&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BkqTERRq3Pc&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

[CaptainLate]

who wants to put money down that neal will be better than bonner this season

Different position. But I can see if given PT and he produces, that GN will be playing during clutch time when a 3pt shot is needed.

Duncan
Anderson
Ginobili
Neal
Hill

[CaptainLate]

i have two serious questions? who is going on the inactive list? and who will be on the active list? as the roster is constructed now we only have two active spots but all togather we have five open spots. but gee, hairston and temple are going to be pretty disappointed if there going to be on the inactive list. we know that out five big man will be there. hill, parker, manu, RJ, james anderson. those are the given that will be on there and only twelve players can be active so that leaves gee, hairston, temple, neal, having to fight for two active spots on the roster, but everyone can be on the roster, that not the problem, but pop said that temple is his new favorite player, so he has to play, they gave neal a guaranteed contract so he has to play, what about alonzo gee and malik hairston, this is confusing.

Cm'on guys...let's get organized. :bang
This is the Gary Neal thread. :toast
Start another thread for roster theories. :sleep

[CaptainLate]

I wasn't talking about guys getting cut, I was talking about guys who's roles just became obsolete.

Temple is now officially obsolete. The spurs might still have him sitting behind the bench in a suit as insurance but I don't really see how he fits with the current rotation now unless one of Parker, Hill, or Ginobili misses games.


After his performance in REAL games last year, how he started off before the sprain in SL, versatile 6'6" players like Temple don't become obsolete. If anything, should Hill & Temple progress further, and that is not beyond the realm of possibility, he makes trading TP for a better fitting piece and draft picks even more imaginable come next February. :makemyday

[CaptainLate]

Does this include Kerr? IIRC he got us past Dallas after riding the pine.

If Neal's shooting % turns out to be close to Kerr's, he'll probably get more PT since his (Neal's) D will most likely be more tolerable. :lol

[lefty]

Reminiscent of the Memorial Day Miracle shot....

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BkqTERRq3Pc&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BkqTERRq3Pc&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
good stuff

[Spurs Brazil]

JMcDonald_SAEN
Source outside #spurs org believes Neal deal indeed fully guaranteed. Thinks Neal could take Roger Mason minutes from last season

[CaptainLate]

Pops Wet Dream:

On the floor

PG - Hill
SG - Neal
SF - Anderson
PF - Bonner
C - Duncan

4 Shooters to surround Duncan

Where's Ginobili? You can bet he'd replace Bonner in the playoffs. As for the reg season, if you're needing to get back into a game in the second half and need 3PT, you're going small ball...which leaves out Bonner and his Ole' defence -- thank heavens.

[CaptainLate]

Far too many doomsayers getting around here. Relax people....I'm fairly confident that that Spurs know what they are doing. It's not like they've plucked him out of nowhere. He's been with the team for a few weeks now and the Spurs will know him fairly well.

"Fairly" confident? :lmao

As for Neal, it isnt' like he appeared out of nowhere. Spurs invited him to the SL roster so he's obviously been on the FO radar longer than a few weeks, which is what it took for GN to take advantage of his opp.

I see a "rags to riches" story somewhere down the road. :toast

[tuncaboylu]

What's the contract details?

[CaptainLate]

Two words: Steve Kerr.

They hope


...but with better potential to play Spurs D.

[CaptainLate]

...btw. Neal brings pretty much every quality the Spurs could expect from Anderson. (Anderson is a bit taller, but it's not that he brings in above average size for the SG).
Anderson isn't signed yet. any chance Spurs still explore what they could get for his rights?:stirpot:

Someone had compared Anderson to a young Michael Finley. And since he dropped down to the Spurs (thanks for/to the hamstring injury), he's going to be around awhile. But thanks for :stirpot: anyway.

[coachmac87]

Pg-Parker,Temple
Sg-Manu,Hill,Neal
Sf-Jefferson,,Anderson
Pf-Blair,Dice,Bonner
C-Duncan,Splitter


Active Roster....whats the big deal??

[gospursgojas]

Calm down. This is just like Marcus Haislip of last season. Neal wont play either

[Brazil]

Neal at a glance: undersized guard, rapist, no defense... humm nice

[Obstructed_View]

And Kerr was the backup at point for most of that season. Speedy got hurt.

[Solid D]

Calm down. This is just like Marcus Haislip of last season. Neal wont play either

Haislip wouldn't have done as well in Summer League as Tyler Wilkerson did. I'm just sayin...

[TD 21]

I do, but he's still a true rookie with no experience beyond college. Neal has several years of overseas experience playing lots of minutes in a big role...which makes him more NBA ready at this point. He's decent, cheap insurance.

Oh, you meant experience wise.


Cool!!! Glad the Spurs snagged Neal!

As was stated in the Memphis Summer League game blog and elsewhere, Neal is more than just your average D-Leaguer. He was the Italian League scoring leader. He showed that he was strong, savvy and could really score with no fear of putting the ball up.

It was going to take a decent commitment to bring him in. I'm much happier about this signing than I was with the Marcus Haislip signing last year.

Anderson replaces Mason
Neal probably replaces Bogans

It was. Even though he's eligible, I can't see him leaving Europe, where he's a got-go guy, to go to the D-League. I expect he'll be a regular member of the active roster and competing with Anderson for rotation minutes as the designated wing shooter off the bench.

I think Neal replaces Mason and Anderson replaces Finley.

I could be wrong, but I presume Anderson and Neal are competing for one spot in the rotation and Hairston and Gee are competing for another spot.

The Spurs need someone off the bench to guard top opposition wings and Anderson and Neal aren't cut out for it. That's why I suspect Hairston has a good chance to not only make the team, but be, if not entirely in the rotation, at least on the fringe of it.

Here's the other thing that this signing signals (even though it was fairly clear already given that they were focused on adding shooting and made no mention of looking for another defender): There's a good chance Jefferson will often draw the assignment of guarding top opposition wings.

The Spurs are going to have to fill that role by committee out of necessity. Jefferson, Hill, Ginobili and Hairston (I'd add Gee, but I suspect he'll spend the vast majority of the season with the Toros) will all likely have to play a part.

[ace3g]

Jeff McDonald JMcDonald_SAEN

Spurs announce signing of Gary Neal. See? Summer League does pay. #spurs

----

I guess we will see something official on spurs.com soon

[ace3g]

spurs

Spurs Sign Gary Neal http://bit.ly/arK3NY

[ace3g]

JMcDonald_SAEN

Spurs' attraction to Gary Neal began at June mini-camp. Buford: "He came into our gym and was one of the best shooters there."

[Obstructed_View]

Popovich: "He looked like a tiny Anthony Tolliver. I almost cried."

[Big P]

Popovich: "He looked like a tiny Anthony Tolliver. I almost cried."

:lmao

[Spurs Brazil]

Spurs Sign Gary Neal
Courtesy: Athletic Media Relations
Release: 07/22/2010
TOWSON, Md. - Gary Neal, who broke 14 Towson records during his two-year career with the Tigers, has signed a three-year contract with San Antonio following an eye-opening NBA Summer League performance last week when he led the Spurs to a 5-0 record in the Las Vegas session.

Neal becomes the second Tiger to play in the NBA. Kurk Lee, who led the Tigers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance 20 years ago, played one season with the New Jersey Nets before enjoying a successful career overseas.

"I can't express how happy I am and how proud all of us are here at Towson for Gary," said Tigers head coach Pat Kennedy. "I have had several players play in the NBA and I can say undoubtedly that Gary is one of the hardest workers and most determined young men I have ever worked with. I believe he will have a long career in the league."

"In one of the most brilliant Las Vegas shooting displays this side of the famed Gun Store," wrote Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News, "Neal made six 3-pointers and scored 25 points - including 13 in the game's first 2:45 - to pace the Spurs to a 78-64 victory in their league finale."

Neal finished the championship game with 25 points. He led the Spurs in scoring for the five games with a 16.0 average. He made 17 of 30 from beyond the NBA arc.

Four days later the former Tiger penned the contract.

Unlike Lee, Neal played overseas before joining the NBA ranks. He made the most of his overseas experience. In three seasons he led two leagues in scoring.

Neal went undrafted after his collegiate career ended in 2006-07. He played 2007-08 with Pinar Karsiyaka, leading the Turkish Basketball League with a 26.5 average before his contract was bought by FC Barcelona in the Spanish League.

For the past two years he has played for Benetton Treviso of the Italian League, earning All-Italy and All-Euroleague honors. He averaged 19.4 in 2009-10 to lead the Italian League in scoring. He finished out the season playing in 10 games for Spain's Unicaja Malaga in the ACB League where he averaged 12.6 points

Neal scored 1,254 points in less than two full seasons at Towson. He was among the top five scorers in the nation each year. He transferred to Towson from La Salle where he scored 1,041 points. He was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year in 2003.

In his senior year he led the Colonial Athletic Association in scoring with a 25.6 average and was a first team All-CAA selection. He holds the league record for career scoring average.

Neal scored 810 points in 2006-07 to break Kurk Lee's single season scoring record of 805 points. He became one of only three players in college basketball history to score 1,000 points at two different Division I schools. He was the 427th player in NCAA history to score over 2,000 total career points, ending his collegiate career with 2,295 points.


http://www.towsontigers.com//ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=21300&ATCLID=204970368

[Spurs Brazil]

JMcDonald_SAEN
Staffer most enamored by Gary Neal's SA workouts: Shooting coach Chip Engellend. "Chip was really impressed," RC Buford said. #spurs

[rmt]

In fairness the coaches, including Pop, and the players have stated before each season that they are going to try and get back to that. The just have not had the second big and perimeter defender to really pull that off.

Its really a question of what they want to do versus what they actually can do.

If they want to get back to defense, why sign RJ and Bonner to 4 year contracts? Does one expect to get different results if one keeps doing the same thing over and over again?

[FuzzyLumpkins]

You forget TD does not dominate the paint anymore, 4 shooters does little against good teams, you need at least one slasher and another big that can move with 2 shooters then you have something.

He still forces double teams.

[ceperez]

well there's no better expert at shooting than chio engeland. now if he indeed is imoressed, then this definitely was a good signup.

neal has a very quick release and has a style that appears difficult to block.

let hope he doesn't choke come playoffs like rmj.

[Obstructed_View]

He still forces double teams.

Actually he doesn't.

[ElNono]

Actually he doesn't.

Unless you're the Timberwolves. This is akin to the myth that Bonner is respected by good teams and they all run to him in the corner, thus spacing the floor.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Actually he doesn't.

He did until we ran him ragged by midseason then he started resorting to that floating jumper across the lane bullshit. Certain teams have always been able to single cover him. Horry and Wallace used to do it all the time. He still drew plenty of double teams last year.

[FlAVaK]

well there's np better exoert at shppting than chio engeland. now if he indeed is imoressed, then this definitely was a gppd signuo.

neal has a very quick release and has a style that aooears difficult to blpck.

let hpoe he dpesn't chpke cpme olaypffs like rmj.

FIFY. "But change must always be balanced with some degree of consistency."

[FuzzyLumpkins]

And furthermore, Duncan was the reason that Dampier did not play at all in the Dallas series after the first couple of games. Duncan was owning his face and they had to bring the double team as soon as Duncan got the ball.

[ElNono]

And furthermore, Duncan was the reason that Dampier did not play at all in the Dallas series after the first couple of games. Duncan was owning his face and they had to bring the double team as soon as Duncan got the ball.

I'm pretty sure the fact Damp scored 5 points the entire series, those coming in the first game has a lot more to do with Haywood getting the bulk of the minutes more than anything. Damp actually did a better job on TD than Haywood defensively, but he was completely useless on offense.
And if you actually go take a look at the games, the Mavs actually tried for the most part to use single coverage with both Dampier and Haywood. They only mostly crowded when Tim put the ball on the floor.
TD started on a rampage that series, but he faded after the first 3 games.

[Darkwaters]

Spurs Sign Gary Neal
Courtesy: Athletic Media Relations
Release: 07/22/2010
TOWSON, Md. - Gary Neal, who broke 14 Towson records during his two-year career with the Tigers, has signed a three-year contract with San Antonio following an eye-opening NBA Summer League performance last week when he led the Spurs to a 5-0 record in the Las Vegas session.

Neal becomes the second Tiger to play in the NBA. Kurk Lee, who led the Tigers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance 20 years ago, played one season with the New Jersey Nets before enjoying a successful career overseas.

"I can't express how happy I am and how proud all of us are here at Towson for Gary," said Tigers head coach Pat Kennedy. "I have had several players play in the NBA and I can say undoubtedly that Gary is one of the hardest workers and most determined young men I have ever worked with. I believe he will have a long career in the league."

"In one of the most brilliant Las Vegas shooting displays this side of the famed Gun Store," wrote Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News, "Neal made six 3-pointers and scored 25 points - including 13 in the game's first 2:45 - to pace the Spurs to a 78-64 victory in their league finale."

Neal finished the championship game with 25 points. He led the Spurs in scoring for the five games with a 16.0 average. He made 17 of 30 from beyond the NBA arc.

Four days later the former Tiger penned the contract.

Unlike Lee, Neal played overseas before joining the NBA ranks. He made the most of his overseas experience. In three seasons he led two leagues in scoring.

Neal went undrafted after his collegiate career ended in 2006-07. He played 2007-08 with Pinar Karsiyaka, leading the Turkish Basketball League with a 26.5 average before his contract was bought by FC Barcelona in the Spanish League.

For the past two years he has played for Benetton Treviso of the Italian League, earning All-Italy and All-Euroleague honors. He averaged 19.4 in 2009-10 to lead the Italian League in scoring. He finished out the season playing in 10 games for Spain's Unicaja Malaga in the ACB League where he averaged 12.6 points

Neal scored 1,254 points in less than two full seasons at Towson. He was among the top five scorers in the nation each year. He transferred to Towson from La Salle where he scored 1,041 points. He was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year in 2003.

In his senior year he led the Colonial Athletic Association in scoring with a 25.6 average and was a first team All-CAA selection. He holds the league record for career scoring average.

Neal scored 810 points in 2006-07 to break Kurk Lee's single season scoring record of 805 points. He became one of only three players in college basketball history to score 1,000 points at two different Division I schools. He was the 427th player in NCAA history to score over 2,000 total career points, ending his collegiate career with 2,295 points.


http://www.towsontigers.com//ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=21300&ATCLID=204970368

See! There is a Summer League Championship....and WE won it!

Hang that shit in the rafters!

:lobt::lobt::lobt::lobt::lobt2:

[wildbill2u]

Book of wisdom? What is wrong with you, fruitcake?

Temple and Hill aren't indentical and I think you would have a hard time getting any reasonable individual to agree with you on that one. Temple obviously is more experienced running the point than Hill. I'm not saying he is more talented or that he is a better player, just more experienced at the position. What makes you think that Neal is going to get PT over either one of those guys?

Temple has played one season and appeared in 27 games for a total of 334 minutes. Hill has played two seasons and appeared in 155 games for 3546 minutes. He has played several positions but primarily has worked at PG.

I don't think your statement that Temple is more experienced holds water.

[AFBlue]

See! There is a Summer League Championship....and WE won it!

Hang that shit in the rafters!

:lobt::lobt::lobt::lobt::lobt2:

:lol

[superbigtime]

He was the 427th player in NCAA history to score over 2,000 total career points, ending his collegiate career with 2,295 points.


http://www.towsontigers.com//ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=21300&ATCLID=204970368


That might NOT be a milestone.

[TJastal]

Temple has played one season and appeared in 27 games for a total of 334 minutes. Hill has played two seasons and appeared in 155 games for 3546 minutes. He has played several positions but primarily has worked at PG.

I don't think your statement that Temple is more experienced holds water.

According to Ohmy Hill's defenitely not a point guard. Never mind he did all the things point guards normally do, but he is NOT a point guard. Garret Temple IS a point guard, however. He was clear on that.

[JustinJDW]

To me, it looks like the Spurs are going to have to choose to move on with either Hairston or Gee. Anderson isn't going anywhere, Neal ain't going anywhere with that contract, and Temple is way too good at defense and playing different positions to be released. No way we let him go.

The way I see it, either Hairston or Gee is at the end of the road. I would say its Hairston, and not only because his contract is up, but because out of all the players I just mentioned in this post, he is the only one that really can't shoot for shit.

[Obstructed_View]

To me, it looks like the Spurs are going to have to choose to move on with either Hairston or Gee. Anderson isn't going anywhere, and Neal ain't going anywhere with that contract. Temple is way too good at defense and playing different positions to be dropped.

The way I see it, either Hairston or Gee is at the end of the road. I would say its Hairston, and not only because his contract is up, but because out of all the players I just mentioned in this post, he is the only one that really can't shoot for shit.

Neal can go to Austin. BTW, Hairston's a better shooter than Gee and Neal unless you refuse to look at stats. You obviously do, since Gee shot 31 percent from three point range last season.

[TJastal]

Neal can go to Austin. BTW, Hairston's a better shooter than Gee and Neal unless you refuse to look at stats. You obviously do, since Gee shot 31 percent from three point range last season.

C'mon OV you know Malik was only 2-11 from long range last year in sporadic garbage time.., sorry but that's defenitive proof Hairston can't shoot.

Also didn't exude any willingness to lazily chuck 3's at 1st opportunity, instead actually had the nerve to dribble the ball toward the hoop (some call this "driving the ball"). Putz was actually trying to get higher % shots. Can you imagine?

[ohmwrecker]

Temple has played one season and appeared in 27 games for a total of 334 minutes. Hill has played two seasons and appeared in 155 games for 3546 minutes. He has played several positions but primarily has worked at PG.

I don't think your statement that Temple is more experienced holds water.

Are you taking pre NBA experience into consideration?

"Passing is an area that he certainly excels in, producing a nice assist to turnover ratio and assist numbers fairly uncommon for someone standing 6'6."


From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Garrett-Temple-1388/#ixzz0uXVMsiLV
http://www.draftexpress.com

[Obstructed_View]

Are you taking pre NBA experience into consideration?

"Passing is an area that he certainly excels in, producing a nice assist to turnover ratio and assist numbers fairly uncommon for someone standing 6'6."


From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Garrett-Temple-1388/#ixzz0uXVMsiLV
http://www.draftexpress.com


Agreed. Hill was not a point guard, and for the most part, still isn't a point guard. Pop loves him so much that they're in the process of making him a point guard, but Temple will get some extra looks due to his actually having experience as a point guard prior to coming to the Spurs.

[ohmwrecker]

Agreed. Hill was not a point guard, and for the most part, still isn't a point guard. Pop loves him so much that they're in the process of making him a point guard, but Temple will get some extra looks due to his actually having experience as a point guard prior to coming to the Spurs.

Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle.

[DPG21920]

Good thread...I was at Summer League and got to watch Neal up close. It was obvious to everyone he could shoot. It was also obvious that he would have an uphill battle on the defensive end.

As a few have mentioned, he isn't terribly athletic, but when I was watching him it never effected his ability to get his own shot off. That was also with him being the creator as well.

He is playing lights out and as long as the shots keep falling he will have minutes.

[ChumpDumper]

Neal can go to Austin.I suppose that's still technically possible.

[Obstructed_View]

I suppose that's still technically possible.

Chump: Context. Context: Chump. I don't think the two of you have met.

[jjktkk]

Chump: Context. Context: Chump. I don't think the two of you have met.

Predictions, predictions. We all have them.

[ChumpDumper]

Predictions, predictions. We all have them.No shit.

No need to redass over a this one. No one thought Neal would be this good.

[jjktkk]

No shit.

No need to redass over a this one. No one thought Neal would be this good.

+1. Neal is a great find. LOL, heres a "prediction". I do not forsee Neal being a one year wonder like RMJ, like a few on here worry about Neal becoming.

[DMC]

I never got why people say Pop has the best eye for talent, then second guess every move he makes.

[jjktkk]

I never got why people say Pop has the best eye for talent, then second guess every move he makes.

Some folks on here just like playing the armchair NBA GM/Coach. It also depends on the Spurs won/loss record whether the war on here betweeen the "Pop apologists vs. Pop haters" starts heating up. The Pop haters are kinda hiding in the shadows, so to speak, because of the great start so far by the Spurs. They will start popping up if the Spurs get on a losing streak. Its fun and makes for good debating back and forth.

[ChumpDumper]

Chump: Context. Context: Chump. I don't think the two of you have met.I'm using this as context:
It's pretty doubtful that all three years are guaranteed, and Neal has two years of D League eligibility. The odds that he ends up on the main roster this season are very slim.
Let me be clear: Neal is not on the team, he got signed to a contract to keep him from going back to Europe. I've been on the record for a long time that the Spurs are idiots for falling in love with three pointers, because it's taken them out of what put those banners in the rafters. I'm well aware that the Spurs fall in love with three point shooters to the detriment of everything else. I just don't think it's a good idea. I never said they wouldn't sign Neal, I'm simply of the opinion that they shouldn't.Seems like you indeed made yourself clear.

Let me know if you meant something other than what you actually posted.

[Darkwaters]

Another interesting thread would be the one that announces the Summer League Roster. There was a lot of discussion about Neal on it as he was the name that caught everyone's eye.

[Capt Bringdown]

I'm still wondering how we fit Anderson back into this rotation? Neal needs to be on the floor.

[ElNono]

Nice read. Good bump. :tu

[DieHardSpursFan1537]

Well so far, that 3-year contract is great for Spurs! Neal has been having great games in scoring recently.

[BanditHiro]

what a perfect replacement for mason... can't really play point, can't really defend and god knows if he can really shoot...

[8FOR!3]

It's not going to be easy to fit him back into the rotation, but I think he'll see minutes on a decent basis. I can see Udoka going to IR or getting cut. Neal's going to still get his minutes because he's earned them, but he'll probably be seeing a few less and Ginobili will probably get less minutes at SF. Anderson will likely once again be the backup SF soon enough.

[cube1980]

I'm still wondering how we fit Anderson back into this rotation? Neal needs to be on the floor.
Simple. JA will be the backup SF. He will take some minutes from Manu and RJ. Hopefully Manu can rest more when JA returns. The Udoka plan isn't working.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Udoka will evaporate (he's been awful), JA takes the SF minutes. Easy! :D

[spurs1990]

Parker 32 min
Hill 30 min

Ginobili 30 min
Neal 20 min

Jefferson 28 min
Anderson 15 min

Duncan 30 min
Bonner 15 min

Blair 20 min
McDyesSplitter 20 min

[Obstructed_View]

I'm using this as context:

Then you probably should have quoted that. What you actually did was quote where I was responding to the statement "Neal's not going anywhere with that contract" as though it meant he was going to be with the Spurs for three years no matter how he played.

His play is the reason he's on the team now, not his contract. If you can figure out what part of that was wrong I'm all ears.

[Obstructed_View]

I'm still wondering how we fit Anderson back into this rotation? Neal needs to be on the floor.

There's plenty of guard minutes. Anderson will be taking forward minutes for the most part. As the playoffs get closer, and the rotation shortens, someone is going to be odd man out with this depth, and Udoka, Anderson and Splitter are at the top of the list.

[yavozerb]

Decided to go over this thread since i'm bored at work...some pretty funny and some dead on..


Neal at a glance: undersized guard, rapist, no defense... humm nice


Neal can go to Austin. BTW, Hairston's a better shooter than Gee and Neal unless you refuse to look at stats. You obviously do, since Gee shot 31 percent from three point range last season.


+1. Neal is a great find. LOL, heres a "prediction". I do not forsee Neal being a one year wonder like RMJ, like a few on here worry about Neal becoming.


what a perfect replacement for mason... can't really play point, can't really defend and god knows if he can really shoot...

[Agloco]

Yikes, Spurs give a guy a guarantied contract after just a couple of summer league games? Either the Fo has completely lost their minds or they are Guinness's.

Guinness's it is. :lol



Simple. JA will be the backup SF. He will take some minutes from Manu and RJ. Hopefully Manu can rest more when JA returns. The Udoka plan isn't working.

I seriously doubt that there was ever a "plan" with Sudoku. He was always just meant to be another warm body until Anderson returned.

[DPG21920]

Gary "All Aboard" Neal? Come on ride the train, and ride it. Come on it's the choo choo, come on it's the choo choo train.

Spurs are doing some odd things.




Neal is not exactly a youngster. Dude is seasoned. I am on the fence w him. He seems to have an NBA shot. He is not very athletic, but he still gets his shot off.



Good thread...I was at Summer League and got to watch Neal up close. It was obvious to everyone he could shoot. It was also obvious that he would have an uphill battle on the defensive end.

As a few have mentioned, he isn't terribly athletic, but when I was watching him it never effected his ability to get his own shot off. That was also with him being the creator as well.

He is playing lights out and as long as the shots keep falling he will have minutes.

It was interesting watching him up close and in person in Summer League. What a journey it's been.

[elemento]

hairston better shooter then Neal ..hahahahahaha

you gotta love those Malik lovers.

[Thompson]

Simple. JA will be the backup SF. He will take some minutes from Manu and RJ. Hopefully Manu can rest more when JA returns. The Udoka plan isn't working.

If Anderson proves to be a good shooter like he was in college, and he plays with the same defensive tenacity we saw from him the first 10 games or so this year, he may be the starting small forward.

[Brazil]

If Anderson proves to be a good shooter like he was in college, and he plays with the same defensive tenacity we saw from him the first 10 games or so this year, he may be the starting small forward.

yes please

[elemento]

you guys really think James Anderson is going to start next year with Dick making 30m in the next 3 years and with Pop as our coach ?

You guys have to be satisfied if he plays 10-15min/game. He won't start next year. Don't be delusional please.

[Nathan89]

James Anderson is not that good. No, not even as good as RJ.