James White Sent to Austin

[Kori Ellis]

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they have assigned guard/forward James White to the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League.

White, who has yet to see any time with the Spurs, was signed by San Antonio on November 3 after attending training camp with the Indiana Pacers. In eight preseason games with Indiana he averaged 3.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in 17.5 minutes of action. White also averaged 12.5 points with Indiana’s entry to the Pepsi Pro Summer League in Orlando.

White attended the University of Cincinnati where he led the Bearcats in scoring (16.3) and free throw percentage (.838) during the 2005-06 season. An honorable mention All-Big East selection, he finished second on the Bearcats in steals (1.2), assists (2.0) and blocks (0.9) and third in rebounding (5.1) on the year. White scored a career-high 32 points, including a career-high five three-pointers, in a Big East Tourney loss to Syracuse on 3/8.

White is expected to be in uniform when the Toros take on Sioux Falls on Sunday.

[timvp]

Nice. Should be interesting.

The Toros play five of their next six games at home. They're 0-8 at the moment, so this'll be a good test to see if White is a difference maker on this level.

Hopefully he isn't forced into playing point guard and can play more of a swingman role.

[timvp]

Additionally, the Spurs have until January 10th to guarantee his contract or release him. I'm guessing they'll have him play these six games and then come back to the Spurs on Jan. 1. At which point they'll give him a couple practices and make a decision around that point.

[SAtown]

So will this put to rest the "will he play" threads?

[Cant_Be_Faded]

He's going to blow the sunglasses right off chumpdumper's face with a viscious dunk.

[djohn14]

Can someome keep me updated on his progress please?

[djohn14]

Isn't that where Jay Williams plays?

[wildbill2u]

He's going to blow the sunglasses right off chumpdumper's face with a viscious dunk.
Lets hope he can do something besides make viscious dunks. There's more to playing in the NBA than being a human pogo stick.

[exstatic]

Lets hope he can do something besides make viscious dunks. There's more to playing in the NBA than being a human pogo stick.

"You know, one of my favorite lines on television and he's in that category, is, man, that boy can run and jump. So can a deer. But I'd never put a deer in a game."

[exstatic]

So will this put to rest the "will he play" threads?
You beat me to the punch.

[exstatic]

Can someome keep me updated on his progress please?
Toros web site (http://www.nba.com/dleague/austin/)
Why does everyone here expect people to do their work for them? A complicated, almost impossible Google search of the string "austin toros" yielded the link above.

[ChumpDumper]

[waits for Buddy Holly's comment]

[Chris Childs]

:depressed

[djohn14]

look exstatic, I wasn't thinking.

[ChumpDumper]

From Ludden's blog:

The Spurs have liked what they've seen from White during practice, but with a veteran-heavy roster they would have a hard time getting him minutes. They can recall him at any time.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/specials/weblogs/courtside/

So there.

[picnroll]

Has Jay Williams played yet?

[ChumpDumper]

He played one game and had a ton of assists and a ton of TOs, the next game he was out with some mystery injury. I'll see if he's back Sunday.

[picnroll]

Does Williams look like he has the physical tools to make it back to the NBA?

[exstatic]

He played one game and had a ton of assists and a ton of TOs, the next game he was out with some mystery injury. I'll see if he's back Sunday.
Well, unless their website is 2 games behind, his "ton" was less than 6 assists, that being the Toro high for the year, by someone NOT named Jay Williams.

[ChumpDumper]

It's behind. He had nine. Relatively speaking, for this season nine is a ton.

[exstatic]

Does Williams look like he has the physical tools to make it back to the NBA?
Sadly, probably not. He couldn't make the Nets roster...as their 3rd PG. He's not really a pure PG, more like a TP type of score and dish guard. Now, imagine that Tony was physically compromised, maybe 75-80% of normal quicks and moves...

[Mr. Body]

Fantastic news for James White. It sounds like the Spurs are confident he's absorbed the team philosophy and deserves some time on the court. I really like this, and I'm sure he does, too. Plus he's just up the road an hour away.

[Darkwaters]

"Flight" is a guy that spent four years at college and yet the lightbulb never really came on. Maybe a change of scenery from Cincinatti paired with some considerable playing time will prompt him to keep moving forward. I like this move because it gives him more (up from none) playing time but also keeps him nearby in case of injuries to the Spurs team.

What is the maximum amount of times that a player can be sent back and fourth to the D-League per year? 3?

[ChumpDumper]

Yes.

[leemajors]

chump, how is the attendance at toros games?

[ChumpDumper]

Anywhere between one and two thousand so far. Tomorrow will probably be worse since Sunday afternoons have usually been so.

[picnroll]

Looking forward to some game reports.

[Darkwaters]

Will White be competing in the dunk contest this year then? Do they generally include a player that never plays on his team in the contest? A D-Leaguer? I realize it's hardly important in the grand scheme of things, but it WOULD be nice for the Spurs to have a dunk contest win!

[ChumpDumper]

Eh, if White is worth a shit he can be in the dunk contest nest season.

[bringBAKElie]

anyone know when the next toro's game is, i live in austin and would like to check them and white out

[ChumpDumper]

Sunday at 3.

Take a can of food or an unopened toy and get two tickets for the price of one.

[midgetonadonkey]

So he will be in Spurs uniform soon?

[Darkwaters]

I went through some of the hype about White during the draft again. I remember him having an amazing climb up the charts and flying into the late first round on many mocks. The Lakers seemed interested in taking him at 26, so a slip to 31 wasn't anything drastic. He was drafted by the Trailblazers as per the request of the Pacers who had negotiated a deal to acquire him. They sent their 2nd round pick that year (#41) as well as two future picks to get him. Honestly, I think it is incredible that he slipped into the Spurs pocket.

I think by next season White should be able to play a nice role off the bench to spell Bowen. It would be nice to have an athlete and a defender coming off the bench sometimes instead of old, slow, non-defensive guards who are forced to play out of position (Finley/Barry). Don't get me wrong, I love Barry and Finley definately has his moments, but diversity is always a good thing. White would offer this team another look off the bench that they don't really have at the moment.

All this is to say, I think that the development of White could be a missing piece to their pending bench reconstruction. With all of their contracts expiring in the next two seasons (with the exception of the big 3 and Butler) the Spurs are looking at some considerable renovations on the pine. Personally, I think White is that first piece. I hope this expedites his development and comfort.

[dg7md]

Parker/White/Butler/Mahimini are the future of this team.

[TDMVPDPOY]

Parker/White/Butler/Mahimini are the future of this team.

seems lottery bound man

[polandprzem]

That's good we've got an insider in ChumpDumper :tu

Good to hear james will have some PT

[Mr. Body]

Parker/White/Butler/Mahimini are the future of this team.

That team is pretty awful.

[LEONARD]

What a shame...clearly a bust... :(

[SenorSpur]

I went through some of the hype about White during the draft again. I remember him having an amazing climb up the charts and flying into the late first round on many mocks. The Lakers seemed interested in taking him at 26, so a slip to 31 wasn't anything drastic. He was drafted by the Trailblazers as per the request of the Pacers who had negotiated a deal to acquire him. They sent their 2nd round pick that year (#41) as well as two future picks to get him. Honestly, I think it is incredible that he slipped into the Spurs pocket.

I think by next season White should be able to play a nice role off the bench to spell Bowen. It would be nice to have an athlete and a defender coming off the bench sometimes instead of old, slow, non-defensive guards who are forced to play out of position (Finley/Barry). Don't get me wrong, I love Barry and Finley definately has his moments, but diversity is always a good thing. White would offer this team another look off the bench that they don't really have at the moment.

All this is to say, I think that the development of White could be a missing piece to their pending bench reconstruction. With all of their contracts expiring in the next two seasons (with the exception of the big 3 and Butler) the Spurs are looking at some considerable renovations on the pine. Personally, I think White is that first piece. I hope this expedites his development and comfort.

Well said. :clap

Let's hope so.

[mountainballer]

considering the fact, 2008 the Spurs will have to repleace 4 of 5 players of the current wing rotation (only Manu will still be here), there should be a slot for White, no matter how well he will develope.
if he developes great (which might be surprising, but not impossible considering his athletic tools), he might end up as a starter taking the place of Bruce.
if he developes well, but not outstanding (IMO the most likely scenario) he will end up as the first back up for SG (Manu) and/or SF (another player we don't know yet).
if he does worse than all hope, he still would have a place on the roster as a third stringer (like E. Williams right now), if he plays for min. contracts.
I don't know if this move also indicates, that the Spurs just try to open a roster spot for a FA signing, or for a 2 for 1 (or 3 for 2) trade, which is in the work right now.

[djohn14]

White had 9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 fouls, and 2 assists. He was 4-5 from the line.

[picnroll]

So game 1 White was 2 of 7, 1 of 2 from outside the 3, 4-5 on FTs for 9 points. 3 RBs, 2 AS, 1 ST, 1 BS, 2 TO in 24:45. Line is so so. Did he show anything?

[ChumpDumper]

http://spurstalk.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1335894&postcount=7

[Darkwaters]

I don't know if this move also indicates, that the Spurs just try to open a roster spot for a FA signing, or for a 2 for 1 (or 3 for 2) trade, which is in the work right now.

When you send a player to the D-League they still count against your total roster count of 15. To alleviate that spot he would have to either be waived or have his contract expire. They are still maxed on their roster.

[ducks]

any updates?

[koopa]

they haven't played since sunday so probably not.......their website says they have a game friday at 7.....hopefully he does good

[ChumpDumper]

I'll see him Saturday when they are back at home. We won courtside seats in the karaoke "contest" so we'll get a close look.

[yavozerb]

Was bored and found the toros website: 16 pts for white with 6 minutes left in game..Not much else in the box score though (1 rb, 2 ast, 2 3-pts)

[yavozerb]

Player Statistics
PLAYER MIN FG 3PT FT RB AS PF PT
BJ Elder 27:32 7 1 3 1 6 4 18
Kris Clack 17:20 5 3 2 4 3 5 15
Anthony Fuqua 20:12 1 0 3 0 0 4 5
Scott Merritt 16:39 0 0 3 7 1 1 3
Brock Gillespie 24:18 4 2 0 1 8 1 10
James White 23:02 7 2 4 2 2 3 20
Jamar Smith 22:32 6 0 2 11 0 5 14
Brad Buckman 12:37 2 0 3 5 0 1 7
Justin Bowen 10:39 2 0 0 2 0 2 4
Rod Benson 05:09 1 0 0 1 0 1 2
Jay Williams 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 240 35-74 8-15 20-25 34 20 27 98
Skyforce
Timeouts Taken: 4 of 6 full, 0 of 2 20-second
Player Statistics
PLAYER MIN FG 3PT FT RB AS PF PT
Vincent Grier 29:29 6 0 6 6 2 2 18
Frank Williams 25:54 4 2 2 4 6 1 12
Andre Brown 32:22 12 0 4 14 2 3 28
Jeff Varem 25:20 4 0 1 5 1 2 9
Jared Reiner 19:00 2 0 0 4 1 3 4
Antywane Robinson 21:24 3 0 0 1 0 2 6
Elton Nesbitt 15:06 7 2 2 4 7 1 18
Joe Dabbert 11:25 3 0 4 5 0 5 10
DeSean Hadley 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 240 41-76 4-11 19-32 43 19 19 105

Austin played better than the spurs did at least!!

[Bruno]

White's second game :

Skyforce 106, Toros 100
http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/20061222/AUSSFL/boxscore.html

James White :
20 points (7-17 FG, 2-4 3G, 4-4 FT)
2 rebounds (2 def)
3 PF
2 Steals
5 turnovers
in 35:02 min.

[Sam]

5 Turnovers???

[Bruno]

5 Turnovers???

I haven't watched the game but I guess it's quite logical that he does some mistakes because it's only his second game in DLeague : he needs to adjust his game to refs, to the coach and to his teammates and he needs to find his rythm.

[RobinsontoDuncan]

what's his defense looked like?

[Darkwaters]

Was he handling the ball much and bringing it up the court? Coaches have had a history of having him do that and treating him like a point forward (he did that in the summer league with Indiana). BUt the fact is, while he can usually handle the ball well enough, he is no point guard and needs to play on the wing. If they are making him set up the offense and operate it that could account for his turnovers.

[wildbill2u]

Perhaps, after all the hype, he's not the basketball Messiah?

[ChumpDumper]

Do you guys think Bruno lives in South Dakota?

Jay Williams is still out with a groin injury, so BJ Elder and White probably had to do more ball handling. Williams is supposed to be back tonight.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Looks like he can actually be a decent player in the NBA.

[koopa]

smh @ the fools focusing only on the 5 turnovers.....his stats seem pretty good especially since it's only his second game there

[Mr. Body]

Perhaps, after all the hype, he's not the basketball Messiah?

Geez, give him some time.

[ChumpDumper]

He's a skinny rookie who was not as good as Rawle Marshall when the season began. What exactly are folks expecting here?

[ducks]

thanks for the updates

[koopa]

i just looked at todays boxscores and he had 17 points on 6-12 shooting, no 3 point attempts, 5-5 from the free throw line, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 0 ast, 0 turnovers, 0 steals 3 fouls in 28 mins

[ChumpDumper]

He had a good night tonight. I'll tell you now the thing that is going to keep him on the Spurs team is his defense and team play, not his one-on-one offense--so get that out of your minds. White is close to unstoppable in transition, but a guy like Andre Emmett was even moreso last season and he's coming off the bench in Lithuania this year.

White never stops running and he got his chance for a nice transition dunk last night, so that's also good to see--just don't expect it every time he touches the ball. I will say I haven't seen any reason for the the Spurs to waive him at this point. He needs to work on his halfcourt decision making because he isn't fully aware of his offensive potential, but he has nice upside and could start showing that for the Spurs.

Next year.

He should stay in Ausitn the rest of the season; maybe recall him in late February/early March to remind him he's still a Spur. Playing and conditioning is going to help James more than anything right now.

[polandprzem]

Good to hear :tu

[timvp]

He had a good night tonight. I'll tell you now the thing that is going to keep him on the Spurs team is his defense and team play, not his one-on-one offense--so get that out of your minds. White is close to unstoppable in transition, but a guy like Andre Emmett was even moreso last season and he's coming off the bench in Lithuania this year.

White never stops running and he got his chance for a nice transition dunk last night, so that's also good to see--just don't expect it every time he touches the ball. I will say I haven't seen any reason for the the Spurs to waive him at this point. He needs to work on his halfcourt decision making because he isn't fully aware of his offensive potential, but he has nice upside and could start showing that for the Spurs.

Next year.

He should stay in Ausitn the rest of the season; maybe recall him in late February/early March to remind him he's still a Spur. Playing and conditioning is going to help James more than anything right now.

Yeah, if White works out, he's going to be a defender who gets his points running the break with Tony and Manu. Add in a corner three-point shot and I'm happy.

What type of defender is he on that level? Is he a Bruce Bowen move-your-feet-well type of a defender or a Ron Artest up-in-your-junk type defender? In college, he got away with being physical but I'm guessing that most of the players (even in the NBDL) are stronger so he's going to have to defend like Bowen.

[timvp]

Good to see he's already rebounding like Bowen :shootme

[GrandeDavid]

My only gripe about James White is that he apparently skipped class last year right before the Conference Finals and, therefore, got suspended for the game. He had had a stellar record up to that time. We ended up losing that game.

So my Cincinnati buddies have told me its nice that the Spurs have signed JW and all, but hopefully he won't skip practice right before a critical playoff series starts. My retort, of course, is that if he's gonna play in the NBA and make it with all that God-given talent, then the ultra professional Spurs organization is where he needs to be. :lol

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

How long will it be until he gets a decent amount of minutes in a game? Because we already have Bruce and I want the Spurs to draft the long 3 Warren Carter out of Illinois.

[ChumpDumper]

What type of defender is he on that level? Is he a Bruce Bowen move-your-feet-well type of a defender or a Ron Artest up-in-your-junk type defender?Bruce-like.
How long will it be until he gets a decent amount of minutes in a game?Define decent. He probably won't play at all for the Spurs until next season.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

At least 8 minutes a game.

[ChumpDumper]

Next season.

[koopa]

Good to see he's already rebounding like Bowen :shootme

*sighs, smh*, why are ppl always looking for stupid shit to complain about??? he's a small foward/shooting guard....he isn't a power foward or center, his job isn't to rack up rebounds......which is why bowen doesn't get a lot of rebounds it isn't his job, it's tim's and whoever the hell is playing center to get them

[ShoogarBear]

Anybody stepped on his foot yet?