Checking in on Spurs Coulda-Beens and Never-weres Overseas

[Chinook]

The Micic conversation has me looking at international ball. His team has a number of former NBA guys like Larkin, Bobois and Zizic (who is one of many players who have held the title of "The next Tim Duncan"). They also have Chris Singleton, whom many might remember as being the Patrick McCaw to Kawhi's DJM. Singleton's actually carved out a nice career in Europe as a defensive PF. I banged on the table for the Spurs to look at bringing him over a couple of times. That ship has fully sailed now.

That made me think of the many players connected to the Spurs who play overseas. I was pleased to see Livio Jean-Charles is having a nice career backup in *busted capillary* Nikola Miluntinov in Russia.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnESCJf3XIA&ab_channel=SportsMediaStock


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhpP91tv2OE&ab_channel=SPGHighlights

Adam Hanga is a gritty role-player at this point in his career. I couldn't easily find highlights of him last season. DeShaun Thomas is still around as well. He's still doing his poor-man's Keldon impression.

And then of course, there's this:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bJ1HIqdP0U&ab_channel=Ryan7ftRichards

In terms of prospects, we've had some lean times as fans. It makes sense after we had so many years hoping for someone like Marcus Denmon or Cady Lalanne to grow into something that there are folks who keep trying to find a place for guys like Langford. But let it go. This is a different era. Real prospects are here now.

[Chinook]

For convenience, Denmon:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yspFJ8Hts2Q&ab_channel=PavementsChase

Thomas (yes, you do hear another former Spur's name if you watch the vid):


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h42KI7gP9t0&ab_channel=EUROLEAGUEBASKETBAL L

Hanga (whom I think would've been an okay NBA player had he and the Spurs worked something out):


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RgXvwX6_R8&ab_channel=EUROLEAGUEBASKETBAL L

I'm sure there are others out there. I had Cady in here until realizing that is an old video reposted for some reason.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yspFJ8Hts2Q&ab_channel=PavementsChase
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yspFJ8Hts2Q&ab_channel=PavementsChasehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yspFJ8Hts2Q&ab_channel=PavementsChase

[mookie2001]

Linton still hanging around?

[BatManu20]

I remember when ST thought Ryan Richards was gonna be a special player :lol

[Obstructed_View]

I remember when ST thought Ryan Richards was gonna be a special player :lol
I remember having hopes for nearly every player mentioned. I also remember feeling foolish for predicting Kawhi might become an elite player due to his rebounding on this forum.

[ismael-robert]

Time to put Luka next to wemby

[Spursfanfromafar]

It wasn't ST. It was one verbose poster who made him the second coming of Dirk Nowitzki.

[Tyronn Lue]

It wasn't ST. It was one verbose poster who made him the second coming of Dirk Nowitzki.
Another Jimmer :lol

[Obstructed_View]

It wasn't ST. It was one verbose poster who made him the second coming of Dirk Nowitzki.

It was so long ago, I hope it wasn't me.

[playblair]

http://youtu.be/721IMSHFWC4

[Robz4000]

How's my homie Blossomgame doing tbh?

[playblair]

It wasn't ST. It was one verbose poster who made him the second coming of Dirk Nowitzki.
it was spurraider21 he kept posting that hanga/richards/cojo were the spurs future........

[CGD]

Good thread idea. Few years back my wife and I were visiting Italy and I casually came across a local pro game with NBA Champion Austin Daye crushing it in the Italian league.

[CGD]

CKSA also had one Nando de Colo no? Lots of Spurs connection there

[Chinook]

It wasn't ST. It was one verbose poster who made him the second coming of Dirk Nowitzki.

I know I had huge hopes for Richards and have been known to say in a paragraph what others will in a sentence. I don't know that I compared him to Dirk though. Dirk was a great shooter and very good scorer, but he didn't have much of a floor game like Richards showed (against people half his size, but still). Even today a Richards that translated would be pretty rare, but 13 years ago, it would've been unreal. There were legit reasons for hype. None of us had any idea dude was going to have zero worth ethic and would rather be the big fish in increasingly shrinking ponds than fight to make it in the NBA. I was one of the people who for a few years REALLY wanted Richards to sign with the big club in hopes that that would get him the development he needed. But then he signed and was cut within the same pre-season, and he didn't want to play in Austin. Ugh.

With guys like him and Thomas, I do think the modern conception of the d-league and two-way deals may have kept them in the league for a bit rather than instantly sending them to Europe. Adding those was a really good way to keep those cusp guys in the States while not putting the onus on them to give up money. I don't know ultimately how much it would've affected the team's performance, but if the two-way system had been around back in the day, we'd likely have a lot more data on the players in this thread, and maybe guys like Danny Green and Jeremy Lin would have never had a chance to break out on new teams since they'd've been stuck on two-way deals.

[Dex]

I remember when ST thought Ryan Richards was gonna be a special player :lol

After Tony and Manu blew up (not to mention the foiled Scola pick), everyone was convinced that anything the Spurs touched was gold.

Spurs are still one of the top drafting and developing NBA teams, but obviously there have been some whiffs in there :lol

Still, since 2004 and with an average first round position of like #25, the Spurs brought in Udrih, Mahinmi, Splitter, Hill, De Colo, Blair, Joseph, Anderson, Murray, White, Walker, Johnson, Vassell, etc. Not all those guys were Spurs for life, but still found a way make an impact on the league. We'll see how things go with Sochan, Branham, and Wesley.

[objective]

Still think Milutinov can have an NBA career, though Brooklyn might not be interested in bringing him to the NBA. According to Wikipedia his contract was over at the end of May and he has left CSKA, apparently a free agent.

[Ef-man]

Another Jimmer :lol

:lmao

[timtonymanu]

I remember liking Malik Hairston. :lol

Then the Spurs just let him go and then he went overseas. He probably wouldn't have been anything special but it was better than watching 40 year old Finley, Bogans, and Mason play.

[Obstructed_View]

I remember liking Malik Hairston. :lol

Then the Spurs just let him go and then he went overseas. He probably wouldn't have been anything special but it was better than watching 40 year old Finley, Bogans, and Mason play.

I was excited about Malik Hairston because the Spurs swingmen were so useless.

I thought Walt Williams was gonna be the next Magic Johnson. You can never tell who is going to live up to their potential and who is just going to be happy with the money.

[ace3g]

Linton Johnson III
Adam Hanga
Robertas Javtokas
Victor Sanikidze
Romain Sato
James Gist

[spurraider21]

:lmao milutinov

its like, what if nikola pekovic was much worse

[exstatic]

Georges Printezas

[adonis827]

Were the Spurs able to get Deshaun Thomas' phone number?

[adonis827]

Richards looks slow and heavy

[CGD]

Whatever happened to James Gist. People here were busting nuts about him

[Obstructed_View]

Did we do the exclamation point thing with James Gist or was it just with James white(!)?

[heyheymymy]

def remember the hype on Ryan Richards

[slick'81]

Robertas javtokas

[Big Empty]

Linton Johnson III
Adam Hanga
Robertas Javtokas
Victor Sanikidze
Romain Sato
James Gist
Robertas! I remember he was suppose to be a savior lol

[stnick2261]

The Lithuanian Land Shark! I remember when we were going to bring him over for the LLE and Scola for the MLE one summer before it fell apart and we ended up signing Butler based on a recommendation... and then had to trade Scola's right away to get rid of Butler's contract =(

[T Park]

Robertas javtokas

If not for his motorcycle accident, he wouldve came over and been good.

He was legit.

[benefactor]

If not for his motorcycle accident, he wouldve came over and been good.

He was legit.
Yeah that ruined him. I don't know that he would have been a star but he would have been nice piece to have.

Romain Sato...man that's a name I haven't thought of in a while. I remember liking him a lot as a long 3 and D guy.

[Kurik]

Shoutout to Kill Bill Pana and Vassilis Spanoulis, both Spurstalk legends.

[D-Robinson 50 fan]

I was one of those Ryan Richards people. Lmao.

dude had some talent, but definitely liked being a big fish in the small pond like stated earlier. I thought Hanga and Mulitinov would’ve been decent role players also. I was off big time on Richards, but the other two guys I still think could’ve been serviceable NBA bench players.

[exstatic]

I was one of those Ryan Richards people. Lmao.

dude had some talent, but definitely liked being a big fish in the small pond like stated earlier. I thought Hanga and Mulitinov would’ve been decent role players also. I was off big time on Richards, but the other two guys I still think could’ve been serviceable NBA bench players.

Mulitinov was just a victim of bad timing. He was drafted the summer where they put in the new rules outlawing fighting thru screens on defense, rendering big men a curiosity in the league now, because everything gets switched on defense.

[barakz21]

Malik Hairston!!! Wasn’t he one of those prospects everyone really hopes would play with the big club and actually work out? I made it a point to make sure he was in my rotation in 2k10 (or was it 11?) but then he never panned out lol.

Another dude who I remember is DaSean Butler (with WVU iirc). He supposedly was a really good player but then blew out his knee. Can’t remember if they ever signed him to the Toros though.

[Philthemage]

Were the Spurs able to get Deshaun Thomas' phone number?

When he made that comment u wonder if ever thought it'd be an overseas number he'd be getting.

[stephen jackson]

James white was my fav

[Chinook]

Now this is someone that a number of us used to care about:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOTSBHKRYf0&ab_channel=AGHighlights

I'm pretty convinced the Spurs were interested in Micic and had a deal to trade up for him. But when he was taken two picks earlier they just settled on his countryman instead. 2014 ended up being a pretty meh draft after Jokic. There's no one taken after Dangubic that's still notable today except Galloway and Kleibar. I don't feel like the Spurs really missed out on anything, though if they could back in time, maybe they could've tossed in a third second to secure Micic. Seeing as their natural second the follow year was Cady and the one the following year got wasted trading for Ray McCallum, it would've been no big loss.

Speaking of whom:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SX-P4966GY&ab_channel=AyakCizgide

[Obstructed_View]

James white was my fav

I was super excited to have him on the big team.

Remember his dunk? :pctoss

[spurraider21]

hanga was definitely my favorite of these guys

and i was part of the ryan richards pipe dream hype machine

[sinok]

Whatever happened to James Gist. People here were busting nuts about him He's having quite a successful carreer over here in europe, played a long while for one of the top euroleague team (Panathinaikos), experienced probably the best a US player can live in Europe while playing basketball professionally.

[CGD]

^ that awesome. What I wouldn’t do to be in my 20s and be paid to live/travel all over Europe. Good on him.

[libertarian4321]

Richards looks slow and heavy

Slow and heavy enough to DOMINATE in the 3rd Division of Japanese Basketball!

[MI21]

Loved this trip down memory lane.

I'll always remember Darius Washington averaging 30ppg and dropping triple doubles with Austin - thought he might have become something... I was wrong.

[Obstructed_View]

Slow and heavy enough to DOMINATE in the 3rd Division of Japanese Basketball!
...and doesn't have to break a sweat. Which fortunately is his playing style.