Kori Ellis
10-04-2006, 12:02 AM
Elson gives Spurs speed: Nuggets castoff eager to run with Parker, Ginobili
Web Posted: 10/03/2006 11:29 PM CDT
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA100406.01C.BKNspurs.elson.3362d86.html
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
LYON, France Francisco Elson didn't need to look far down the Denver Nuggets' roster this past summer to know his chances of re-signing with the team were slim.
The Nuggets had $114 million invested in starting center Marcus Camby and power forward Kenyon Martin, another $60 million earmarked for center Nenκ's new contract and they were talking about bringing back free-agent big man Reggie Evans.
Denver officials liked what Elson provided in relief of Camby and Martin, but considered him an insurance policy. Coach George Karl even stuck him with the nickname "GEICO."
"They wanted smaller guys," Elson said, "or guys not like me."
The Nuggets' Odd Man Out could become the Spurs' Man in the Middle this season. After Rasho Nesterovic was traded to Toronto and Nazr Mohammed signed with Detroit, the Spurs signed the 7-foot Elson to help fill the hole in the center of their lineup.
"We love his versatility," coach Gregg Popovich said.
Elson's most valuable skill also is the simplest: He can run the floor. Elson is one of the league's fastest centers, something the Spurs saw firsthand when he swept past Tim Duncan, grabbed a pass in stride, dunked and screamed at the team's bench in Denver's Jan. 22 victory at the AT&T Center. Elson finished with 13 points and six rebounds while often beating the Spurs' big men down the floor.
"The Spurs have a lot guys who can run the floor, too: Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Michael Finley," Elson said. "Now they have another big who can run with them and get easy buckets.
"If you look at the whole league, a lot of teams are trying to get more athletic and a lot quicker."
Phoenix, which also expressed interest in Elson, and Dallas the Spurs' two biggest rivals in the Western Conference both like to play small and fast. Nesterovic and Mohammed combined to total only 27 minutes in last season's conference semifinals series against Dallas.
Elson's speed, however, isn't the only reason why the Spurs gave him a two-year, $6 million contract. He averaged just .63 blocks in 21.9 minutes last season, but his length should help Duncan protect the rim. Nesterovic and Mohammed both saw their per-minute block averages spike after joining the Spurs.
Elson also has a decent mid-range jump shot, which should help space the floor for Duncan.
"And he likes shooting it," Popovich said. "I don't have to talk to him about it. He'll let it go."
Elson averaged 4.9 points (on 53.2 percent shooting) and 4.7 rebounds in 72 games last season. The Nuggets went 32-22 in the 54 games he started.
Elson's role with the Spurs has yet to be defined. The team also signed former New York center Jackie Butler, who could be more of a project than an everyday contributor.
If the season began today, Fabricio Oberto likely would start next to Duncan, who also will play some center. Oberto knows the system better than Elson and has played well in training camp and informal workouts.
The message to Elson is clear: If he wants the starting job, he's going to have to earn it.
The opportunity to play more is one reason why Elson signed with the Spurs. The contract, which Denver declined to match, also represented a nice bump in salary from the $719,373 he earned last season.
Elson didn't know any of the Spurs' players well, but he liked what he had seen of them.
"Their camaraderie and the way they played together," he said. "It was a chance to go further in the playoffs much further than I'd been going with the Denver Nuggets. That was a plus for me."
Though the 30-year-old Elson is another addition to the Spurs' international contingent, he isn't foreign to Texas. Raised in the Netherlands, he attended Kilgore Junior College for two seasons before transferring to California. The Nuggets took him in the second round of the 1999 draft, but he played four seasons in Spain before joining the team.
Denver's coaches thought Elson, at times, put too much pressure on himself. To succeed in the Spurs' defensive system, which is predicated on funneling the ball-handler into the team's shot-blockers, he's going to need to react quickly. Scouts have criticized him in the past for sometimes being a step slow to the ball.
"This is a championship-caliber type team and they have a lot of stuff (to learn)," Elson said. "You've got to pick it up quick like a sponge ... or you're going to be left behind."
Notebook: Popovich said Beno Udrih (strained right hamstring) won't play Thursday in the team's first exhibition game. Robert Horry (sore left Achilles' tendon, sore right shoulder) is questionable.
Web Posted: 10/03/2006 11:29 PM CDT
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA100406.01C.BKNspurs.elson.3362d86.html
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
LYON, France Francisco Elson didn't need to look far down the Denver Nuggets' roster this past summer to know his chances of re-signing with the team were slim.
The Nuggets had $114 million invested in starting center Marcus Camby and power forward Kenyon Martin, another $60 million earmarked for center Nenκ's new contract and they were talking about bringing back free-agent big man Reggie Evans.
Denver officials liked what Elson provided in relief of Camby and Martin, but considered him an insurance policy. Coach George Karl even stuck him with the nickname "GEICO."
"They wanted smaller guys," Elson said, "or guys not like me."
The Nuggets' Odd Man Out could become the Spurs' Man in the Middle this season. After Rasho Nesterovic was traded to Toronto and Nazr Mohammed signed with Detroit, the Spurs signed the 7-foot Elson to help fill the hole in the center of their lineup.
"We love his versatility," coach Gregg Popovich said.
Elson's most valuable skill also is the simplest: He can run the floor. Elson is one of the league's fastest centers, something the Spurs saw firsthand when he swept past Tim Duncan, grabbed a pass in stride, dunked and screamed at the team's bench in Denver's Jan. 22 victory at the AT&T Center. Elson finished with 13 points and six rebounds while often beating the Spurs' big men down the floor.
"The Spurs have a lot guys who can run the floor, too: Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Michael Finley," Elson said. "Now they have another big who can run with them and get easy buckets.
"If you look at the whole league, a lot of teams are trying to get more athletic and a lot quicker."
Phoenix, which also expressed interest in Elson, and Dallas the Spurs' two biggest rivals in the Western Conference both like to play small and fast. Nesterovic and Mohammed combined to total only 27 minutes in last season's conference semifinals series against Dallas.
Elson's speed, however, isn't the only reason why the Spurs gave him a two-year, $6 million contract. He averaged just .63 blocks in 21.9 minutes last season, but his length should help Duncan protect the rim. Nesterovic and Mohammed both saw their per-minute block averages spike after joining the Spurs.
Elson also has a decent mid-range jump shot, which should help space the floor for Duncan.
"And he likes shooting it," Popovich said. "I don't have to talk to him about it. He'll let it go."
Elson averaged 4.9 points (on 53.2 percent shooting) and 4.7 rebounds in 72 games last season. The Nuggets went 32-22 in the 54 games he started.
Elson's role with the Spurs has yet to be defined. The team also signed former New York center Jackie Butler, who could be more of a project than an everyday contributor.
If the season began today, Fabricio Oberto likely would start next to Duncan, who also will play some center. Oberto knows the system better than Elson and has played well in training camp and informal workouts.
The message to Elson is clear: If he wants the starting job, he's going to have to earn it.
The opportunity to play more is one reason why Elson signed with the Spurs. The contract, which Denver declined to match, also represented a nice bump in salary from the $719,373 he earned last season.
Elson didn't know any of the Spurs' players well, but he liked what he had seen of them.
"Their camaraderie and the way they played together," he said. "It was a chance to go further in the playoffs much further than I'd been going with the Denver Nuggets. That was a plus for me."
Though the 30-year-old Elson is another addition to the Spurs' international contingent, he isn't foreign to Texas. Raised in the Netherlands, he attended Kilgore Junior College for two seasons before transferring to California. The Nuggets took him in the second round of the 1999 draft, but he played four seasons in Spain before joining the team.
Denver's coaches thought Elson, at times, put too much pressure on himself. To succeed in the Spurs' defensive system, which is predicated on funneling the ball-handler into the team's shot-blockers, he's going to need to react quickly. Scouts have criticized him in the past for sometimes being a step slow to the ball.
"This is a championship-caliber type team and they have a lot of stuff (to learn)," Elson said. "You've got to pick it up quick like a sponge ... or you're going to be left behind."
Notebook: Popovich said Beno Udrih (strained right hamstring) won't play Thursday in the team's first exhibition game. Robert Horry (sore left Achilles' tendon, sore right shoulder) is questionable.