R.C. Buford's Post-Draft Interview

[Uriel]

http://www.nba.com/spurs/video/110623_buford

[ElNono]

Cliff notes? I have no audio here.

[Buddy Holly]

Cliff notes? I have no audio here.

He said he just got done boinking Joshdaboss' mom. :wow

[joshdaboss]

I at least like that it looks like he's been crying. Fucking dumbass for trading George.

[ElNono]

He said he just got done boinking Joshisgod's mom. :wow


I at least like that it looks like he's been crying. Fucking dumbass for trading George.

These two posts are in reverse order...

[manufan10]

He said he just got done boinking Joshisgod's mom. :wow

:lol

Was she any good?

[Fermixalot]

He does seem to really have a strong affinity for Hill and seems to genuinely be sad that they traded him.

[ALVAREZ6]

RC revealed one thing we've been speculating...that this move was just the beginning, they plan on being pretty active this summer. That's good news, because other than the untouchable big 3, there's a lot of players that are not helping this team and need to go.

[crc21209]

He does seem to really have a strong affinity for Hill and seems to genuinely be sad that they traded him.

Which means they must REALLY love Leonard....

[HankChinaski]

Solid answers i thought from RC in consideration to the question mark in regards to the off season.

As a fan you can't be jumping out of your seat with the moves, but you can at least appreciate the ability to tweak the roster with an appropriate sized wing that is one of 2 glaring holes we have.

Now if we can just get a serviceable big alongside duncan this off season I'll consider an overall improvement in regards to years of little moves and change.

Happy overall as a spurs fan.

[Buddy Holly]

RC revealed one thing we've been speculating...that this move was just the beginning, they plan on being pretty active this summer. That's good news, because other than the untouchable big 3, there's a lot of players that are not helping this team and need to go.

Their names are Bonner and Jefferson.

[ALVAREZ6]

Their names are Bonner and Jefferson.

and Blair.

[crc21209]

Interesting that R.C also says that going into the draft knowing they had the 29th pick they were aiming for Corey Joseph the entire time....

[angelbelow]

Cliff notes? I have no audio here.

Typical RC stuff

Reporter: "Do you expect this?"
RC: "Yes no maybe we'll see."

[ALVAREZ6]

Solid answers i thought from RC in consideration to the question mark in regards to the off season.

As a fan you can't be jumping out of your seat with the moves, but you can at least appreciate the ability to tweak the roster with an appropriate sized wing that is one of 2 glaring holes we have.

Now if we can just get a serviceable big alongside duncan this off season I'll consider an overall improvement in regards to years of little moves and change.

Happy overall as a spurs fan.
I will definitely consider it one of the best offseason in a while. Hill was a solid role player, but with TP and Manu starting and Neal + Anderson off the bench (note: both of these players should be even better than last season, obviously applies to JA), it was a justifiable move. Definitely balances the roster more, and if we end up getting a solid big, it will be a great offseason.

[DesignatedT]

Definitely sounds like there are more moves to be made from how he answered that last question.

Must be really high on Kawhi to get rid of George and the fact that he talked about being undersized by position last year definitely makes it seem like they want to get bigger across the board and trading George was a step in that direction. I wish I knew if Kawhi was the one the Spurs were targeting all along.

[ducks]

reading between the lines
sounds like spurs would listen to offers for any of their players
they would look at postions that in the past they would not have...

[GSH]

He says that it was hard letting go of George Hill, and he talks about how much he as meant to the team for the last 3 years. Then he says, "But, having said that, the opportunity to get Kawhi Leonard and other, we think, pretty impactful opportunities for the organization, led us in that direction."

I don't know what those other "impactful opportunities" were, since he says that was part of the decision to trade Hill. The only other things that went with the trade were the 42 pick, and rights to Lorbek. They couldn't have known who would be available at 42, before they traded Hill. I really, really hope that means that they believe Lorbek might come over this season or next. That would make the trade a huge positive.

He also said, “But we think the talent level Kawhi has, the winning habits he brings to our group, gives us an opportunity to add some talents to our team in a different location.” He mentioned that size at different positions was a problem, as they look at their competition. I guess a reference to Hill being undersized at the 2.

[Mugen]

Good interview by RC. Pretty sure he only has one shirt in the closet, tbh.

Priority has to be trading RJ for a scoring big next to Timmy (gonna be difficult but not impossible):

-i still think you look at Kaman with the clippers where SF is a need position.
-Maybe Milsap in Utah where they're heavy upfront (tho not sure if they want to cut Hayward's mins at the expense of RJ)
-Tyrus Thomas/Diaw from Charlotte
-Ed Davis/Amir Johnson in Toronto

that's best case scenario right now for Spurs fans...tonight was a good start....

[Uriel]

R.C. looked like he hadn't slept in days, and he sounded broken emotionally, especially when talking about George Hill. Here are a few noteworthy tidbits:

- He referred to trading Hill as "one of the most difficult decisions" he's ever made and that Pop and others had a difficult and emotional conversation with him, and plan to meet with him again tomorrow
- He tried to temper expectations about Kawhai Leonard making an immediate impact, saying that would ultimately be left to the coaching staff, but that they did have high expectations of him, given his ability to turn around a San Diego State team that was terrible hitherto and through him became one of the top ranked teams in the country
- At 29, he made it sound like Cory Joseph was their target all along, given how much they had watched him play, and that he was really thrilled that things played out the way they did
- RC dubbed Davis Bertans "the best shooter in the draft", and implied he would be expected to come over possibly in a year or two
- He didn't sound too optimistic about when Erazem Lorbek could join the team, saying only he hoped the Spurs could convince him to come over "in the future", but he did praise his accomplishments in the Euroleague highly
- Adam Hanga caught their eye with his offensive talents and likeable personality, but they hoped they could teach him to learn how to play defense

[Uriel]

The E-N article on the draft is up, and it pretty much sums up the R.C. interview as well:
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/06/23/spurs-say-%E2%80%98hi%E2%80%99-to-kawhi-%E2%80%98bye%E2%80%99-to-hill/

[Cessation]

RC deserves a nomination, at the very least.

[DesignatedT]

Quick Q&A with Kawhi immediately after the draft:


The following are quotes from Kawhi Leonard following his selection in the NBA Draft.

Q. Kawhi, what does it feel like?
Kawhi Leonard: I feel great right now. I got picked to be on an NBA team. I worked hard. I finally accomplished my dream now, but it's not over yet. I've got a lot of work to do to make an impact in the league, and I'm ready to do any type of work I've got to do.

Q. There were reports that the Pacers and the Spurs have made a deal sending you to San Antonio; if true, how would you feel playing in San Antonio?
Kawhi Leonard: I feel good. I had a meeting with them, and I got a great vibe from them. Just any team I'm on, I'm happy with right now. I'm just going in, trying to do whatever the coach wants me to do to make the team successful.

Q. If that report isn't correct, you're going to a Pacer team that has a lot of players of your position, small forwards. What can you do to separate yourself and get yourself on the floor?
Kawhi Leonard: I can do a lot on the court. I'm very versatile. The coach drafted me, and he must have a plan in his head, and whatever his plan is, I'm ready for it.

Q. Your emphasis on rebounding in defense, talk about with the Pacers that, can get you immediate playing time, because they struggled on the defensive end, in the post, especially. Talk about how you're looking forward to that opportunity?
Kawhi Leonard: Yes, I take pride in defense. I'm just going to go in, do the same thing I did in college, get some rebounds and help my teammates find ways to win games.

[jesterbobman]

I think the other interesting thing is that RC mentioned that they know they'll have to have positional size, and Kawhi helps with that. To me, that's an admission that they had size issues throughout the roster and then they have started addressing them.

[objective]

according to the indycornrows blog plus the news accounts of the IndyStar, Bird had been trying to Hill from the Spurs for awhile but always was declined. It wasn't until the Spurs saw the draft unfolding the way it did that the Spurs became open to dealing Hill.

[DesignatedT]

Indiana trying to get Hill isn't a surprise since he's from there. They don't have to worry about him leaving once his rookie contract is up and all that like other prospects who might not want to play in Indiana. We have a similar problem here in SA.

[ElNono]

Typical RC stuff

Reporter: "Do you expect this?"
RC: "Yes no maybe we'll see."

Thanks :lol

I actually borrowed some headphones and got to listen to it now.

[sehui]

RC Buford is such a quiet guy. I wouldn't be too surprised if he ended up being like a serial killer or something :P :P

Anyways, great interview, it looks like RC and company have a lot more plans ahead..hopefully to get rid of RJ and get some size downlow.

[IknowU]

RC looked like he cried for a hour in the toilet before coming to talk to the media :(

[temujin]

He says that it was hard letting go of George Hill, and he talks about how much he as meant to the team for the last 3 years. Then he says, "But, having said that, the opportunity to get Kawhi Leonard and other, we think, pretty impactful opportunities for the organization, led us in that direction."

I don't know what those other "impactful opportunities" were, since he says that was part of the decision to trade Hill. The only other things that went with the trade were the 42 pick, and rights to Lorbek. They couldn't have known who would be available at 42, before they traded Hill. I really, really hope that means that they believe Lorbek might come over this season or next. That would make the trade a huge positive.

He also said, “But we think the talent level Kawhi has, the winning habits he brings to our group, gives us an opportunity to add some talents to our team in a different location.” He mentioned that size at different positions was a problem, as they look at their competition. I guess a reference to Hill being undersized at the 2.

Agree that if they can sign Lorbek, this is a good trade.
If not, it's a big gamble.

[jimo2305]

i wonder if we'd ever draft rc's on..

[hater]

tank!