James White Sent Back to Austin

[Kori Ellis]

SPURS RE-ASSIGN JAMES WHITE TO AUSTIN TOROS


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

White was signed by San Antonio on November 3. In a total of 27 games, White has yet to see any action with the Spurs, appearing on the inactive list 26 times and registering one did not play (coach's decision). This will be White's second stint with Austin. On December 16, White was assigned to the Toros where he appeared in three games, averaging 15.3 points and 2.7 rebounds, before being called up by the Spurs on December 26.

Selected with the 31st overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, White was traded to the Pacers in a draft night deal that sent the draft rights to forward Alexander Johnson and two future second-round picks to Portland. In eight preseason games with Indiana, he averaged 3.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in 17.5 minutes of action. He was waived by the Pacers on October 31.

An honorable mention All-Big East selection, White led the University of Cincinnati Bearcats in scoring (16.3) and free-throw percentage (.838) during the 2005-06 season.

White is expected to be in uniform when the Toros take on Idaho on Saturday.

[sprrs]

I can't figure out why they're doing this. Were the Toros just not using him correctly? Or was Pop just trying to bring him back because of all the injuries/sicknesses within the team?

[Das Texan]

the spurs had this little flu bug going around.

they needed him around in case they needed to use him to actually play in the game, especially tuesday night when barry and ginobili were both out of action.

[Steve-O-Matic]

Yawn

[Bruno]

Logical move.
White is Spurs 6th swingman, he won't get any playtime even if one player is injured.
Spurs should be quite high on him because they will pay him during a whole year while he won't help them at all. Maybe they have find their Bowen's successor.

[Solid D]

When our Austin Advanced Scout ChumpDumper says he's ready for prime time in lieu of E-Will or Fin, then I'll believe that James White might be ready to help the Spurs in some way.

[manufor3]

White will see playing time in his soph. season. Until then leave him with the Toros.

[ChumpDumper]

:lol Thanks for the job title. Even if he was a free agent D-Leaguer, White would not be the first swingman to be called up for immediate help. There is an impressive number of good sized guards with real all-around games like Ime Udoka had last year that would probably be taken first. Some of them are Kelenna Azubuike, Dijon Thompson, Vincent Grier and Devin Green--who apparently got tired of waiting for NBA teams and signed a contract with a German team over Christmas.

White's biggest selling point is his potential; his offense is tentative and his moves are rudimentary considering his athleticism and reputation. His D is really quite good at this level, but overall he is where he belongs right now. He really does look like he is working hard to fit in and does pay attention to Coach Johnson, so I don't see any issues with attitude or anything like that.

If Jay Williams' groin injury is still bothering him, I might see White playing some point guard up here. I'll keep you posted.

[Bruno]

BTW, thanks in advance to ChumpDumper for all his future great scouting reports.

[Darkwaters]

There is an impressive number of good sized guards with real all-around games like Ime Udoka had last year that would probably be taken first. Some of them are Kelenna Azubuike, Dijon Thompson, Vincent Grier and Devin Green--who apparently got tired of waiting for NBA teams and signed a contract with a German team over Christmas.



How is Dijon Thompson doing? I know the Suns drafted him but then he had microfracture surgery. Has he rebounded well then?

As for White, he definately needs some polish. But I don't think anybody saw him as a quick fix and more of a project. He might be a 5 year college player and a 24 year old but he still has considerable growth potential.

[ChumpDumper]

I've only seen Thompson briefly on tv so far this season, but he looks like he's recovering pretty well.

http://www.nba.com/dleague/playerfile/dijon_thompson/index.html

[ShoogarBear]

BTW, thanks in advance to ChumpDumper for all his future great scouting reports.

And also for the future entertaining arguments with whottt.

[timvp]

One thing I want to see is White start getting more rebounds in DLeague. 2.7 is scary bad for that level. He rebounded pretty well in college, so hopefully he can start translating that over to his game.

[ChumpDumper]

The Toros run around helter skelter because they have no point guard most of the time. Their offense was pretty tight when they had Derek Zimmerman and Julius Hodge and even Quannas White at the point. They had drafted Darius Washington to run the team this season but he signed a deal with an Italian team right before training camp. Since then they've relied heavily on shooting guards that are trying to convert to point guard, and the results were largely a fiasco, though Brock Gillespe is showing signs of improvement. Jay Williams is currently injured and he looks rusty anyway, so any change is going to take time. The last win was probably their best effort in terms of following Johnson's game plan. He hasn't been a perfect coach this season, but he has had alot to deal with in terms of roster issues.

[ChumpDumper]

One thing I want to see is White start getting more rebounds in DLeague. 2.7 is scary bad for that level. He rebounded pretty well in college, so hopefully he can start translating that over to his game.Agreed. Hopefully the low numbers are an anomaly after not playing awhile.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

If Jay Williams' groin injury is still bothering him, I might see White playing some point guard up here. I'll keep you posted.

Jay Williams Waived, Needs More Rehab
30th December, 2006 - 6:36 pm
Press Release -
The Austin Toros of the NBA Development League have acquired guard Troy Bell, the 16th overall selection in the 2003 NBA Draft. He fills the roster spot vacated by the second pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, guard Jay Williams, who was waived to rehabilitate a nagging injury.

Bell, 6-1, 180, out of Boston College, was the Thunderbird’s first selection in the 2006 D-League Draft (12th overall). In 11 games (one start) he averaged 10.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists before being waived by the Thunderbirds on Dec. 27. He was the 16th overall selection in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics , who traded his rights to the Memphis Grizzlies . Bell played six games during the 2003-04 season with Memphis, averaging 5.7 minutes and 1.8 points. He had brief stints the next two seasons in both Spain (Real Madrid) and Germany (Frankfurt Skyliners).

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/43978/20061230/jay_williams_waived_needs_more_rehab/

[timvp]

Man, Troy Bell sucks. A 6-foot-1 shooting guard who can't really shoot and isn't athletic. If I'm the Toros, I just wait for Jay Williams to get healthy or sign a true point guard off the street.

[timvp]

Tonight for the Flight:

23 Points
8-for-14 from the floor
1-for-4 from beyond the arc
6-for-9 from the line
6 Rebounds
6 Steals
3 Assists
3 Turnovers
31 Minutes

Toros lose 101-84.

Good to see that he rebounded better and the steals could be a sign of good defense. We'll have to wait for ChumpDumper to get the actual report.

[Leetonidas]

:tu

[T Park]

Wow, nice numbers.

[Kori Ellis]

I like the six rebounds and six steals. Hopefully Chump will fill us in on some details.

[Texas_Ranger]

He is a good player. I really don't know why is he not playin on our team, at least some garbage time.

[gospursgojas]

What is the closest current NBA player comparison to James White now?

[ChumpDumper]

James had a really solid game tonight--much less tentative on offense and just more active overall. He's more comfortable now and some of his teammates look like they went out of their way to accomodate him--they were looking for him a whole lot as the game wore on. White and Jamar Smith really kept the Toros in the game as they got as close as nine points from 20+ down before the Stampede pulled away for good. It turned into a bit of a free-for-all near the end, and White seemed to benefit from not having to think too much about the plays. His first step was more effective this game; that got him to the basket a little more than his moves, and his non-dunk finishes could probably use more polish before he gets to a true NBA level. His shots were a little flat tonight, from outside and at he line, but nothing terrible.

With Jay Williams out he took a short turn at the point which wasn't terribly impressive; Justin Bowen did the best job bringing the ball up IMO, but White did lead the team with three assists if that means anything. The Stampede got too many easy buckets pressuring the ballhandlers and playing the passing lanes.

White did turn the tables with six steals of his own; I remember most of them coming in the second half. He showed good anticipation and nice quickness playing the lanes. The whole team need to work on their decision making in transistion, White included. Ricky Sanchez stopped a four-on-one break because the Toros weren't aware of where everyone was.

The Stampede ran some huge lineups that gave the Toros problems on both ends of the court. Usually reliable scorers Scott Merritt and BJ Elder were pretty much shut down. Luke Jackson didn't miss, but for some reason White was never assigned to defend him. Jeff Graves is one of those huge but athletic big men that the Toros simply have no answer for. And I'll whine about this ever game, but their point guards made a world of difference. Randy Livingston looks like he's just trying to stay in shape until the next inevitable NBA call up, and Tim Barnes tied Luke Jackson to lead with seven assists. The Toros lack a point guard or anyone that can moonlight as one like Jackson, and it shows. I have no faith in Troy Bell but I wish him the best. I'll probably ask at some point if they tried at all to bring back Quannas White, who has lead his ABA team to a league-best 15-2 record, but tonight I was too busy having them confirm that Francisco Elson was in the building. We went over and briefly met him and Dell Demps during a time out. They were nice enough.

Overall I'm pleased with White so far. I'd like to see him put on all the big scoring threats in the course of a game a la Bruce. It can't be that difficult a proposition given the odd lineups we're running anyway. The Toros won't be back in town until the 19th of January, so unless I go to the MLK showcase I won't see him until then.

[T Park]

wtf was Elson doing there....

[timvp]

wtf was Elson doing there....

I'm guessing he's friends with James White. Either that or he's warming up for New Year's Eve Austin style.

[timvp]

Thanks for the update, ChumpDumper. Were White's steals a result of good man-to-man defense or was he just roaming? I ask because Pop looks down upon steals for the most part, especially if they are gambling type steals.

Also, any improvement as far as his rebounding? Numbers looked better.

[T Park]

Either that or he's warming up for New Year's Eve Austin style.

I'll vote that.

He lived in Rotterdam, an hour or so away from Amsterdam ya know.

[ChumpDumper]

Steals: He was actually staying pretty close to his man, but he was able to get his hands on alot of passes. He didn't make those huge kind of gambles that would end up taking him out of the play. He also helped out on the (really) big men when the defense collapsed and got a couple of steals off of them. I thought they should have done alot more of that than they did.

Rebounds: Like I said, he was looking more comfortable out there, and being a little less concerned about contact was part of it. Also, Idaho was running really big lineups, but White and Smith could often outrun and outjump them, so several of their boards were of the second-effort, tip-it-to-yourself variety.

[ChumpDumper]

I'll vote that.

He lived in Rotterdam, an hour or so away from Amsterdam ya know.There's a Planet K a couple of blocks away from the Convention Center.

[bringBAKElie]

There's a Planet K a couple of blocks away from the Convention Center.
dont forget about pipes plus :smokin

[regio]

wtf was Elson doing there....
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA010107.08D.BKNspurs.notebook.2e6855d.html

White shines: Spurs rookie guard James White scored 23 points Saturday for the Developmental League Austin Toros.

The Spurs sent a large contingent — Elson, assistant general manager Sam Presti, director of pro player personnel Dell Demps and assistant strength coach Chris White — to watch James White, who also had six rebounds and six steals. In four games for the Toros, White is averaging 17.3 points while shooting 47.9 percent.
The Spurs recalled White last week when Manu Ginobili, Matt Bonner and Brent Barry were sick, but reassigned him to Austin on Friday.

Popovich believes White is benefiting more from playing for the Toros than merely watching during Spurs' games.

"I'd love to get him on the court and see how he plays," Popovich said, "but we've got so many guys ahead of him right now. That's why we sent him down to Austin, so he could get some playing time.

"We just want him to get as much experience there as we can and get him to understand what we'd like him to improve on. We'll just see what transpires as the year progresses."

The Spurs want to see how White develops as a defender.

"What a guy does defensively is of much greater concern to me than what he does in any offensive system," Popovich said. "We want him to learn how to play individual and team defense, and no matter what system anybody is using, those situations exist and you evaluate."

[ducks]

white is going to be bruces replacement

[ducks]

need to change chumps title to white update guy!

[SequSpur]

Pop is stupid.

[timvp]

need to change chumps title to white update guy!

:rollin

Classic.

[bigdog]

I can't figure out why they're doing this. Were the Toros just not using him correctly? Or was Pop just trying to bring him back because of all the injuries/sicknesses within the team?

of course he was called up from Austin because of the team-wide flu. it wasnt just a coincidence that he happened to be on the active list when 3 players were out