Kori Ellis
06-09-2005, 05:00 AM
June 9, 2005, 1:39AM
Buford goes to the head of GM class
By JOHN P. LOPEZ
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/3217720
Shelby Metcalf, the folksy former Texas A&M basketball coach, used to talk about having the perfect offense for killing the last two minutes of a game. Just let R.C. Buford drive the baseline — that should take at least two minutes.
When Buford told that story years ago, he wanted it known that while he might not have been an integral part of the 1979-1981 era of "The Wall," the best basketball team the Aggies ever produced, he did play a role. His teammates were The Wall. He was the Four-Corner Offense.
That story is more appropriate now than ever. It says much about Buford's self-effacing nature and how he gets satisfaction from just being part of the team.
When talking about the personality of the San Antonio Spurs and the reason the entire organization stays humble, hungry and successful despite its long odds as a small-market team, it is impossible to ignore Buford anymore. The club's general manager is the epitome of what coach Gregg Popovich means when he talks about the Spurs' "demeanor."
Most basketball fans hardly know Buford's name. But another catch phrase the Spurs like to use is "getting over yourself." Buford got over himself years ago.
Ducking the limelight
Not too many people remember Buford's days with the Aggies, in part because they were brief — he wound up transferring to Oklahoma State and then graduated from Friends University in Wichita, Kan. — but mostly because Buford always has been comfortable as a role player. He always has been the basketball junkie in the background, the sidekick to some of the strongest personalities the NBA has known.
First, he punched his coaching card under Larry Brown, starting as a graduate assistant and coaching the Kansas junior varsity, then serving as an assistant when the Jayhawks won the 1988 NCAA championship.
Then, after serving under Brown in San Antonio, Buford slid to the management side of basketball while Popovich stepped front and center in all his quippy, wisecracking splendor.
Parker, Ginobili were plums
It is Popovich who is widely considered the architect of the franchise, particularly when it comes to leading-edge strategies in the draft and player development. But Buford is becoming difficult to ignore.
Name the most successful president or general manager in basketball over the past four years. It wouldn't be Jerry West. It wouldn't be Joe Dumars, Mitch Kupchak, Rod Thorn, Bryan Colangelo or Isiah Thomas, all of whom play much more high-profile roles.
It would be the guy who in his first year on the job, after working side by side with Popovich as assistant general manager, brought Tony Parker to San Antonio. The next year, the Spurs signed Manu Ginobili after drafting him nearly three years earlier.
Today, Parker and Ginobili are key cogs, All-Star talents not yet in their primes. Sure, Buford would be just another GM if not for Tim Duncan's greatness, but there is no question Parker and Ginobili have brought the Spurs into conversations about dynasties.
Buford also drafted rising point guard Beno Udrih and pulled the trigger on a trade of the extremely popular Malik Rose for Nazr Mohammed. It was a tough trade that had players and some in management anguishing and even crying, but it was one that made the Spurs better.
Aiming for title No. 3
Beginning tonight against the Pistons, the Spurs could be on their way toward their third title in seven seasons. As GM, Buford has seen San Antonio average 59 wins and never miss the Western Conference semifinals.
When the subject of the Spurs' success comes up, Buford shrugs and jokes.
"We're not that smart," he says.
But look at their roster, and you would think otherwise. Popovich and Buford won't share details about philosophies when it comes to player acquisitions, but it has become clear that no one works the draft and European leagues better.
Their successful formula revolves more around late picks than early ones. Everybody knows the sure things coming out of college. Everyone knows the can't-miss high school talents.
But what Buford has spearheaded is an effort to scout the foreign players more and scout them better, using Europe as a kind of Class AAA system for evaluation.
A typical second-round pick out of a major Division I college may or may not pan out. In just four months after the June draft, teams must evaluate that player and decide whether there is a place in the team's future for him. The Spurs, however, have mastered the art of using a late pick to draft a well-scouted young talent whom they feel will improve.
The Spurs usually allow the player to remain in a European league for up to three years, evaluating him and following his progress much more thoroughly than they would an American college talent.
Doing it the right way
Neither do the Spurs have to waste a roster spot for a high schooler who is developing into an NBA contributor.
Parker and Ginobili became huge stars, but those were anything but lucky draft picks. Udrih has arrived sooner than the Spurs thought, but his acquisition, too, was the product of Buford and Popovich's doing things right.
Now, all indications are that 2002 second-round pick Luis Scola of Argentina, a 6-9 forward with Ginobili's tenaciousness, will be ready to step in next year. And 2004 second-round pick Sergei Karaulov of Russia, 23, a 7-foot center, is playing in Uzbekistan while the Spurs evaluate him from afar.
The more Popovich and Buford say they're not that smart, the more obvious it becomes they are.
Buford goes to the head of GM class
By JOHN P. LOPEZ
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/3217720
Shelby Metcalf, the folksy former Texas A&M basketball coach, used to talk about having the perfect offense for killing the last two minutes of a game. Just let R.C. Buford drive the baseline — that should take at least two minutes.
When Buford told that story years ago, he wanted it known that while he might not have been an integral part of the 1979-1981 era of "The Wall," the best basketball team the Aggies ever produced, he did play a role. His teammates were The Wall. He was the Four-Corner Offense.
That story is more appropriate now than ever. It says much about Buford's self-effacing nature and how he gets satisfaction from just being part of the team.
When talking about the personality of the San Antonio Spurs and the reason the entire organization stays humble, hungry and successful despite its long odds as a small-market team, it is impossible to ignore Buford anymore. The club's general manager is the epitome of what coach Gregg Popovich means when he talks about the Spurs' "demeanor."
Most basketball fans hardly know Buford's name. But another catch phrase the Spurs like to use is "getting over yourself." Buford got over himself years ago.
Ducking the limelight
Not too many people remember Buford's days with the Aggies, in part because they were brief — he wound up transferring to Oklahoma State and then graduated from Friends University in Wichita, Kan. — but mostly because Buford always has been comfortable as a role player. He always has been the basketball junkie in the background, the sidekick to some of the strongest personalities the NBA has known.
First, he punched his coaching card under Larry Brown, starting as a graduate assistant and coaching the Kansas junior varsity, then serving as an assistant when the Jayhawks won the 1988 NCAA championship.
Then, after serving under Brown in San Antonio, Buford slid to the management side of basketball while Popovich stepped front and center in all his quippy, wisecracking splendor.
Parker, Ginobili were plums
It is Popovich who is widely considered the architect of the franchise, particularly when it comes to leading-edge strategies in the draft and player development. But Buford is becoming difficult to ignore.
Name the most successful president or general manager in basketball over the past four years. It wouldn't be Jerry West. It wouldn't be Joe Dumars, Mitch Kupchak, Rod Thorn, Bryan Colangelo or Isiah Thomas, all of whom play much more high-profile roles.
It would be the guy who in his first year on the job, after working side by side with Popovich as assistant general manager, brought Tony Parker to San Antonio. The next year, the Spurs signed Manu Ginobili after drafting him nearly three years earlier.
Today, Parker and Ginobili are key cogs, All-Star talents not yet in their primes. Sure, Buford would be just another GM if not for Tim Duncan's greatness, but there is no question Parker and Ginobili have brought the Spurs into conversations about dynasties.
Buford also drafted rising point guard Beno Udrih and pulled the trigger on a trade of the extremely popular Malik Rose for Nazr Mohammed. It was a tough trade that had players and some in management anguishing and even crying, but it was one that made the Spurs better.
Aiming for title No. 3
Beginning tonight against the Pistons, the Spurs could be on their way toward their third title in seven seasons. As GM, Buford has seen San Antonio average 59 wins and never miss the Western Conference semifinals.
When the subject of the Spurs' success comes up, Buford shrugs and jokes.
"We're not that smart," he says.
But look at their roster, and you would think otherwise. Popovich and Buford won't share details about philosophies when it comes to player acquisitions, but it has become clear that no one works the draft and European leagues better.
Their successful formula revolves more around late picks than early ones. Everybody knows the sure things coming out of college. Everyone knows the can't-miss high school talents.
But what Buford has spearheaded is an effort to scout the foreign players more and scout them better, using Europe as a kind of Class AAA system for evaluation.
A typical second-round pick out of a major Division I college may or may not pan out. In just four months after the June draft, teams must evaluate that player and decide whether there is a place in the team's future for him. The Spurs, however, have mastered the art of using a late pick to draft a well-scouted young talent whom they feel will improve.
The Spurs usually allow the player to remain in a European league for up to three years, evaluating him and following his progress much more thoroughly than they would an American college talent.
Doing it the right way
Neither do the Spurs have to waste a roster spot for a high schooler who is developing into an NBA contributor.
Parker and Ginobili became huge stars, but those were anything but lucky draft picks. Udrih has arrived sooner than the Spurs thought, but his acquisition, too, was the product of Buford and Popovich's doing things right.
Now, all indications are that 2002 second-round pick Luis Scola of Argentina, a 6-9 forward with Ginobili's tenaciousness, will be ready to step in next year. And 2004 second-round pick Sergei Karaulov of Russia, 23, a 7-foot center, is playing in Uzbekistan while the Spurs evaluate him from afar.
The more Popovich and Buford say they're not that smart, the more obvious it becomes they are.