Tommy Duncan
08-30-2004, 05:32 PM
The Spurs seem to be in pretty good shape with regards to the international talent they have drafted and let play in other leagues. They have four guys who (as of now) will be staying overseas for at least one more season:
Robertas Javtokas
Luis Scola
Viktor Sanikidze
Sergei Karaulov
Two youngsters will be joining the team this season.
Beno Udrih
Romain Sato
Then there are the young role players who have some NBA experience under their belt:
Devin Brown
Linton Johnson III
The Spurs have proven to be rather adept at using the draft and the emerging depth of international talent to their advantage. Their second and third best players are Spurs due to the investment the team has made in international scouting over the last 5+ years. In addition they have also done well at picking up young free agents such as Stephen Jackson, Charles Smith, and Devin Brown.
I don't expect all of the prospects the Spurs have signed or drafted to turn out to be NBA players. But they are in much better shape than the teams who use the draft to take an immediate shot on players and dispose of them if they don't immediately pan out.
This, along with the fact that the ages of the top three Spurs are 28, 22, and 27 should be enough to make even a Spurs fan smile.
Robertas Javtokas
Luis Scola
Viktor Sanikidze
Sergei Karaulov
Two youngsters will be joining the team this season.
Beno Udrih
Romain Sato
Then there are the young role players who have some NBA experience under their belt:
Devin Brown
Linton Johnson III
The Spurs have proven to be rather adept at using the draft and the emerging depth of international talent to their advantage. Their second and third best players are Spurs due to the investment the team has made in international scouting over the last 5+ years. In addition they have also done well at picking up young free agents such as Stephen Jackson, Charles Smith, and Devin Brown.
I don't expect all of the prospects the Spurs have signed or drafted to turn out to be NBA players. But they are in much better shape than the teams who use the draft to take an immediate shot on players and dispose of them if they don't immediately pan out.
This, along with the fact that the ages of the top three Spurs are 28, 22, and 27 should be enough to make even a Spurs fan smile.