Game Blog: Spurs vs. Mavs - Summer League Game 5

[timvp]

The final summer league game of the year begins at 5 PM CST.

FTM, tbh.

[GB20]

The final summer league game of the year begins at 5 PM CST.

FTM, tbh.


:toast

[ace3g]

Jacque Vaughn back as head coach

[ace3g]

start of Dal vs Spurs on NBATV right now

[ace3g]

anyone know how Bernard James has looked in SL?

[ace3g]

Richards and Ajinca on the court together

[ElNono]

Richards and Ajinca are worthless

[ace3g]

nice pull up by Denmon

[ace3g]

nice dunk by Richards, but he didn't need to take that extra dribble there.

[itzsoweezee]

Richards looks good, and really big

[RodNIc91]

How has bernard james looked so far?

[timvp]

-Joseph's J continues to be money. So much improvement from last year.

-Richards FINALLY used his athleticism in a positive manner. Still obviously really raw but he's shown growth since the beginning of summer league, which is a good sign.

-Anderson is pressing. Probably feels his NBA career slipping away. Can't really blame him.

-Neither Wilkerson nor Dawson has done much.

-Wangmene sucks but he has enough athleticism and size that he'd actually be worthwhile on the Toros. It's very unlikely that he'll ever make it very far in pro ball but at least he has tools.

-I don't like the rotation being used today. I realize they're trying to get everyone a little bit of run but there is so much subbing that nobody can get a rhythm.

[timvp]

How has bernard james looked so far?

Pretty solid. He has run the court extremely well. But he hasn't shown much skill and he's skinny compared to the other bigs on the court. James has a chance to make it as a backup big but it's far from a given.

[ElNono]

Danny already blowing his new fat paycheck in Vegas, tbh

[SanDiegoSpursFan]

CJ has been dribbling into the path of the roll man a bit

[ace3g]

Danny already blowing his new fat paycheck in Vegas, tbh

Danny Green ‏@DGreen_14

RT @NBAcoaching: Headed to UNLV now to work with @DGreen_14 again. 5 workouts in 3 days. #NBAlife

He has been here working out as you can see, hopefully on attacking the basket, etc.

[Obstructed_View]

That dunk and block is the reason people continue to be intrigued by Richards.

[ace3g]

nice 3rd quarter, 23-8

[jyra]

Richards is showing some pretty good quickness guarding perimeter players.

[ace3g]

unable to watch the rest of the game(stream got screwed up), but looks like Wilkerson is having a good 2nd half

[SanDiegoSpursFan]

damn downs lucky shot

[ace3g]

Ot !!!

[timvp]

Pretty entertaining game. Spurs lose but the story of the game, IMO, was the play of Ryan Richards. There was a stretch of the game that he took over the action on both ends. His tools are really good -- he's fast, quick, good ballhandler for his size, had a couple showboat passes, good motor, very good length, solid build, good form on his jumper, not passive, etc. -- and he actually put it together for a few minutes. It was by far his best stretch of summer league and should be enough for the Spurs to remain somewhat intrigued.

I'm still hesitant to use even a 15th roster spot on Richards but at the very least the Spurs should try to pull some strings to get him onto a good team in Europe. If he puts it all together, he's an NBA player. It's unlikely but that's not something you can say about many second round picks.

[RodNIc91]

Hey timvp don't you think D-league is a better place for him to develop. It seems to me(from what I've read so far) that he's still learning the game.

[timvp]

Hey timvp don't you think D-league is a better place for him to develop. It seems to me(from what I've read so far) that he's still learning the game.

Yeah, D-League would be perfect for him. The question is whether he's worth a roster spot so he could then be assigned to the Toros. If not, do the Spurs try to massage the system and have Richards try to join the Toros as a free agent. Considering Richards would make like ten times less money in the latter scenario, that could be a difficult sell for multiple reasons.

[ElNono]

Does Denmon get a rookie deal? Not sure he's worth it, tbh

[acoelho1]

I think it was pretty stupid for the Spurs not to play Richards big minutes in SL. Most of the guys on the team unlike RR don't have the skill set to play in the NBA. This would have been the perfect time to really see if RR has got what it takes to play at the next level. Wasted opportunity in my opinion.

[DesignatedT]

Richard is still at least a couple years away from sniffing the NBA.

[objective]

I say they should just sign Richards.

The problem with Europe is that if he's not far enough along then teams will just junk him because he's not in their long term interests, only San Antonio's interest. It's great when De Colo is a legit player and gets real time for an ACB team, but just as often there are different scenarios. Mahinmi was supposed to make great progress when he signed with Pau-Orthez and get to play in the Euroleague, but he was just a bench-warmer. Viktor Sanikidze was with an ACB team, but likewise never played. He had to start over at the garbage Georgian League level like Richards, but it still took years for him to remake his career.

On top of that, I don't see why the Spurs have no problem spending real NBA money and roster spots on projects that they have nothing invested in, turning some of them into real NBA players, but might have second thoughts about doing the same for someone like Richards.

They can pay NBA money and put NBA coaching into guys like Gee or Tolliver, but not Richards, who already has had a very bad stretch in Europe? It's just the 15th spot, and there's not luxury tax at play here unless I'm mis-informed about how close they are. There aren't a lot of good candidates for mid-year buyouts who would be able to come in at the all-star break to improve the roster, not the last time I checked anyway.

Just bring him over and let him spend the year in Austin. At the very least you won't have to worry about his nutrition or physical health being what keeps him from developing, as opposed to eating rock soup in Georgia on the Sanikidze diet.

[ChumpDumper]

Richards can force the issue by signing his contract tender if he really wants to. The Spurs would be hard pressed to just waive him if they really think he has potential.

[Truth4sale$]

The Spurs are in a terrible situation with Richards. They might be scratching their heads on what to do with thim. He needs to play consistently against quality competition, and dedicated coaching but He is NOT worth a roster spot now, so Toros and the Spurs are out of the question. He could get frustrated and lose focus again in Europe but they need to constantly monitor him and if he could get on the Spurs for either this year or next, he could learn so much from Duncan and excellerate his growth. Glad I don't make this decision.

[ChumpDumper]

Eh, Joseph sure didn't look like an NBA player out of the gate. Most of a season in Austin did him a lot of good. It really comes down to whether they think they have a shot at signing someone better than Richards at this point.

[Bruno]

There are some scouts from European teams watching summer league. Spurs best interest could have been to hide Richards from them not to create too much interest around him. By doing that, it will be easier for Spurs to convince Richards to either sign a D-League contract or to sign a 3 or 4 years contract with very little money guaranteed.

[#41 Shoot Em Up]

Easy work for my boys.

[widowmaker]

If the problem with him is that he doesnt know the game why not just sign him and teach him? instill a good attitude and good work ethic in the kid.

[widowmaker]

He's got plenty of time to become better than Matt fucking Bonner LOL!

[Dr. John R. Brinkley]

On one hand the Spurs could probably find a much better player off the scrap heap later in the season in the same way they found Diaw. Or they could sign Richards and monitor the Blair situation. If things go downhill with Blair the Spurs could trade him for a second rounder to open up a spot for another veteran in time for the playoffs. But as far as I can tell, signing Richards will have no positive impact on this season for trying to win a championship.

[Darkwaters]

On one hand the Spurs could probably find a much better player off the scrap heap later in the season in the same way they found Diaw. Or they could sign Richards and monitor the Blair situation. If things go downhill with Blair the Spurs could trade him for a second rounder to open up a spot for another veteran in time for the playoffs. But as far as I can tell, signing Richards will have no positive impact on this season for trying to win a championship.

No kidding. The kid is raw. But so is Cory Joseph - and we spent a first rounder and at least one year developing him. I don't see why Richards couldn't fall into the same camp.

[widowmaker]

On one hand the Spurs could probably find a much better player off the scrap heap later in the season in the same way they found Diaw. Or they could sign Richards and monitor the Blair situation. If things go downhill with Blair the Spurs could trade him for a second rounder to open up a spot for another veteran in time for the playoffs. But as far as I can tell, signing Richards will have no positive impact on this season for trying to win a championship.

I know that most people are thinking about now but it's also good to think about what the long term results could be of actually coaching a young kid to hone his skills.

[dbestpro]

Joseph's NBA career is on the ropes. There are just too many good PGs out there that play better. SL ball is the place to showcase your play making skills as a PG, not your ability to score. Would rather see Richards get his long shot chance than watch another guard blow through a roster spot.

[Thomas82]

Joseph's NBA career is on the ropes. There are just too many good PGs out there that play better. SL ball is the place to showcase your play making skills as a PG, not your ability to score. Would rather see Richards get his long shot chance than watch another guard blow through a roster spot.

I'm with you on that one. Working with Tim Duncan would do wonders for his game. He might also be able to learn a few things from fellow left-hander David Robinson.

[slick'81]

malcom thomaS IS BACK?!? nice

[ace3g]

malcom thomaS IS BACK?!? nice

Chicago media is definitely taking notice of his performances.

[venitian navigator]

malcom thomaS IS BACK?!? nice

wasn't he the guy that was a Kawhi teammate? If he's really shining I woulnd't mind to give him a three years contract a la Neal (he's young and plays in our position of need...).

[disciple]

I've been on vacation. Why is Kawhi not playing?

[mountainballer]

played to well. disqualified by the league.

[Thomas82]

wasn't he the guy that was a Kawhi teammate? If he's really shining I woulnd't mind to give him a three years contract a la Neal (he's young and plays in our position of need...).

Yes, he was a teammate of Kawhi at San Diego St.

[ceperez]

The Spurs have Parker, Mills, Green, Neal, Ginobili, de Colo.. 6 back court players! That's not even counting Jackson and Diaw both also play in the back court.

Where does the Joesph project fit in all of this?

Still perplexed.

My take, the Spurs should sign Richards long term on the cheap (i.e. Gary Neal rates). He can put the ball on the floor which you can't say about our other bigs.

[sinok]

The CJ project fits in the project category, so the toros....
We'll see next year, trades will hapen one day or another.

As for bigs who can put the ball on the ground, not sure you've really watched Diaw playing...
The guy was guard at the beginning of his carreer...

[BackHome]

I say they should just sign Richards.

The problem with Europe is that if he's not far enough along then teams will just junk him because he's not in their long term interests, only San Antonio's interest. It's great when De Colo is a legit player and gets real time for an ACB team, but just as often there are different scenarios. Mahinmi was supposed to make great progress when he signed with Pau-Orthez and get to play in the Euroleague, but he was just a bench-warmer. Viktor Sanikidze was with an ACB team, but likewise never played. He had to start over at the garbage Georgian League level like Richards, but it still took years for him to remake his career.

On top of that, I don't see why the Spurs have no problem spending real NBA money and roster spots on projects that they have nothing invested in, turning some of them into real NBA players, but might have second thoughts about doing the same for someone like Richards.

They can pay NBA money and put NBA coaching into guys like Gee or Tolliver, but not Richards, who already has had a very bad stretch in Europe? It's just the 15th spot, and there's not luxury tax at play here unless I'm mis-informed about how close they are. There aren't a lot of good candidates for mid-year buyouts who would be able to come in at the all-star break to improve the roster, not the last time I checked anyway.

Just bring him over and let him spend the year in Austin. At the very least you won't have to worry about his nutrition or physical health being what keeps him from developing, as opposed to eating rock soup in Georgia on the Sanikidze diet.

+1

This is the type of guy you take a risk on as far as someone with potential to be coached up. I don't know why they did this with CJ since you really want your backup PG to have NBA experience not a young rookie.