Building a serious contender...

[SPARKY]

Emmanuel Ginobili (#57 overall, 1999 NBA Draft)
Tony Parker (#28 overall, 2001 NBA Draft)
Bruce Bowen (vet minimum free agent signing, 2001)

One All-Star, one soon to be All-Star, and one perennial All-Defensive 1st Team member in the starting lineup acquired for about 1/10th the cost of a Keith Van Horn.

:smokin

[Sense]

Isn't that sad for other teams?

Now the spurs are in the finals.

[oiboyz]

I never tire of gloating about it.

[GINNNNNNNNNNNNOBILI]

Emmanuel Ginobili (#57 overall, 1999 NBA Draft)
Tony Parker (#28 overall, 2001 NBA Draft)
Bruce Bowen (vet minimum free agent signing, 2001)

One All-Star, one soon to be All-Star, and one perennial All-Defensive 1st Team member in the starting lineup acquired for about 1/10th the cost of a Keith Van Horn.

:smokin


Then we have teams like the clippers, who get top 5 picks every year, and don't get half the talent the spurs get with our late picks

[Solid D]

Don't forget the Spurs' "hand-me-downs-because-I've-already-got-three":

1999 Spurs trade their 1st round pick (29th) to Dallas - suicide attemptee Leon Smith
Spurs receive 2nd rounder (40th) discard - Gordan Giricek. :smokin

[Solid D]

Then there's the Hightower trade to the Lakers in 2000.
The Spurs traded their late 2nd round pick to the Lakers (the rights to Cory Hightower) for 2 future 2nd rounders.
The Spurs used those picks in 2001 and 2002 for Robertas Javtokas and Luis Scola.

It's still a TBD (To Be Determined) on these two well-know international players but it just goes to show...it's all about doing your homework, 'you dig?"

[GINNNNNNNNNNNNOBILI]

It seems the spurs like 2nd round picks better than low first round picks

[xcoriate]

ooh i dig Solid

[TOP-CHERRY]

I never tire of gloating about it.

:lol

[travis2]

It seems the spurs like 2nd round picks better than low first round picks

There's a simple economic reason for that.

1st round picks are guaranteed a contract. Salary is determined by draft position.

2nd round picks aren't guaranteed a thing. The team holds the rights for 2(?) years. So 2nd-rounders can be "stashed" in Europe or whatever and allowed to season a bit...and it allows the coaching/scouting staff to get a long look at them.

[SPARKY]

Lest we forget picking up Devin Brown for a minimum contract, drafting Beno Udrih (#28 overall, 2004 NBA Draft) and picking up a 32 year old Glenn Robinson for the minimum this year. It'll also be interesting to see how Linton Johnson the 3rd develops.

Other draft related deals of note not covered thusfar would be landing Antonio Daniels for a low 1st rounder and the rotting corpse of Carl Herrera's career; the Elliott for Curley trade; and the original Kerr sign and trade with Chicago.