Kori Ellis
06-28-2005, 12:09 AM
Spurs set to dip into draft's buffet
Web Posted: 06/28/2005 12:00 AM CDT
Johnny Ludden
San Antonio Express-News
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA062805.1D.spurs.draft.14d93828.html
Still aglow from winning their third championship, but not too heady to forget how they won it, the Spurs will pause from celebrating tonight and join their peers at the NBA's annual crapshoot, previously known as the draft.
More smorgasbord than potluck for the Spurs in recent years, the draft produced the foundation for the franchise's most recent title. In 1997, the Spurs took Tim Duncan of the U.S. Virgin Islands with the first overall pick. Two years later, they found Argentina's Manu Ginobili at No. 57. Two years after that, they used the 28th selection on France's Tony Parker.
Once again armed with the 28th pick, the Spurs hope tonight to find another piece of their future, even if the search leads them to Estonia. Or France. Or Turkey. Or Syracuse, N.Y.
Spurs director of player personnel Sam Presti said tonight's draft is the most fluid of any in his five years with the team. Trying to predict who is going to be available at the bottom of the first round has been a tortuous, if not impossible, exercise.
"You're really going to have to adjust on the fly this year because there will be a lot of surprises," Presti said. "You have to prepare for anybody falling into your lap."
Having surrendered the first-round pick Phoenix owed them this season, as well as their own 2006 first-round selection, to New York as part of the trade for Nazr Mohammed, the Spurs are glad they retained the 28th pick in tonight's draft. The NBA's decision to raise the age for draft-eligible players to 19 figures to dilute next year's talent pool.
The Spurs don't own a second-round pick — they traded it to Atlanta last season in a pre-arranged deal for Georgian forward Viktor Sanikidze — but should still find more than a few undrafted players worthy of pursuing.
"There's going to be teams that feel very comfortable with who they take at the bottom of the first round," Presti said, "and even into the second round."
The Spurs have often been one of those teams in recent years. In addition to drafting Ginobili and Parker, they chose Argentine forward Luis Scola with the 56th pick in 2002. They hope to sign Scola, now one of the top players in Europe, this summer.
Last year, the Spurs used the 28th pick on Beno Udrih. While Udrih struggled in the NBA Finals, he performed well enough during the regular season to back up Parker.
More often than not, the Spurs have looked for help beyond U.S. borders. Of the 11 players they have selected for themselves in the previous six years, only two were born in the United States: Bryan Bracey (2001) and Chris Carrawell (2000), both second rounders. The scout who recommended Bracey no longer works for the Spurs. As for Carrawell, his agent, Lon Babby, also represents Duncan, who, coincidentally, debated that same summer whether to re-sign with the Spurs or leave for Orlando.
Presti and the rest of the Spurs' scouting staff — general manager R.C. Buford, director of scouting Lance Blanks and Danny Ferry, who resigned his director of basketball operations position Sunday to become Cleveland's general manager — visited eight countries this season. Contrary to popular belief, they also scouted their own.
The Spurs are deep enough, with the possible exception of point guard, to take their time developing a player. Whether through the draft or free agency, team officials would like to find an athletic forward Bruce Bowen can mentor. The Spurs have until Thursday to pick up the $700,000 option on Linton Johnson III's contract.
With Udrih still needing to earn the trust of the coaching staff, the Spurs could decide to draft another point guard. Trading Udrih or center Rasho Nesterovic also is an option.
Mickael Gelabale, a 6-foot-7 French forward who plays for Real Madrid in Spain, is among the international players the Spurs scouted this year. He is still raw but has shown promise of becoming a good defender.Turkey's Ersan Ilyasova, Providence's Ryan Gomes and North Carolina State's Julius Hodge, who is more of a point-forward, are among the other forwards who could be available at No. 28.
Louisville's Francisco Garcia and Arizona's Salim Stoudamire, whose lack of size could drop him into the second round, are among the better shooters in the draft.
Web Posted: 06/28/2005 12:00 AM CDT
Johnny Ludden
San Antonio Express-News
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA062805.1D.spurs.draft.14d93828.html
Still aglow from winning their third championship, but not too heady to forget how they won it, the Spurs will pause from celebrating tonight and join their peers at the NBA's annual crapshoot, previously known as the draft.
More smorgasbord than potluck for the Spurs in recent years, the draft produced the foundation for the franchise's most recent title. In 1997, the Spurs took Tim Duncan of the U.S. Virgin Islands with the first overall pick. Two years later, they found Argentina's Manu Ginobili at No. 57. Two years after that, they used the 28th selection on France's Tony Parker.
Once again armed with the 28th pick, the Spurs hope tonight to find another piece of their future, even if the search leads them to Estonia. Or France. Or Turkey. Or Syracuse, N.Y.
Spurs director of player personnel Sam Presti said tonight's draft is the most fluid of any in his five years with the team. Trying to predict who is going to be available at the bottom of the first round has been a tortuous, if not impossible, exercise.
"You're really going to have to adjust on the fly this year because there will be a lot of surprises," Presti said. "You have to prepare for anybody falling into your lap."
Having surrendered the first-round pick Phoenix owed them this season, as well as their own 2006 first-round selection, to New York as part of the trade for Nazr Mohammed, the Spurs are glad they retained the 28th pick in tonight's draft. The NBA's decision to raise the age for draft-eligible players to 19 figures to dilute next year's talent pool.
The Spurs don't own a second-round pick — they traded it to Atlanta last season in a pre-arranged deal for Georgian forward Viktor Sanikidze — but should still find more than a few undrafted players worthy of pursuing.
"There's going to be teams that feel very comfortable with who they take at the bottom of the first round," Presti said, "and even into the second round."
The Spurs have often been one of those teams in recent years. In addition to drafting Ginobili and Parker, they chose Argentine forward Luis Scola with the 56th pick in 2002. They hope to sign Scola, now one of the top players in Europe, this summer.
Last year, the Spurs used the 28th pick on Beno Udrih. While Udrih struggled in the NBA Finals, he performed well enough during the regular season to back up Parker.
More often than not, the Spurs have looked for help beyond U.S. borders. Of the 11 players they have selected for themselves in the previous six years, only two were born in the United States: Bryan Bracey (2001) and Chris Carrawell (2000), both second rounders. The scout who recommended Bracey no longer works for the Spurs. As for Carrawell, his agent, Lon Babby, also represents Duncan, who, coincidentally, debated that same summer whether to re-sign with the Spurs or leave for Orlando.
Presti and the rest of the Spurs' scouting staff — general manager R.C. Buford, director of scouting Lance Blanks and Danny Ferry, who resigned his director of basketball operations position Sunday to become Cleveland's general manager — visited eight countries this season. Contrary to popular belief, they also scouted their own.
The Spurs are deep enough, with the possible exception of point guard, to take their time developing a player. Whether through the draft or free agency, team officials would like to find an athletic forward Bruce Bowen can mentor. The Spurs have until Thursday to pick up the $700,000 option on Linton Johnson III's contract.
With Udrih still needing to earn the trust of the coaching staff, the Spurs could decide to draft another point guard. Trading Udrih or center Rasho Nesterovic also is an option.
Mickael Gelabale, a 6-foot-7 French forward who plays for Real Madrid in Spain, is among the international players the Spurs scouted this year. He is still raw but has shown promise of becoming a good defender.Turkey's Ersan Ilyasova, Providence's Ryan Gomes and North Carolina State's Julius Hodge, who is more of a point-forward, are among the other forwards who could be available at No. 28.
Louisville's Francisco Garcia and Arizona's Salim Stoudamire, whose lack of size could drop him into the second round, are among the better shooters in the draft.