Thoughts on the "Rooks" in Memphis

[AFBlue]

James White - By far, the most impressive on the night. I still think his shot is a bit flat, but I can't argue when it hits. He was aggresive tonight and played solid defense. He didn't look lost once on the floor. A great performance.

Jackie Butler - Also a solid outing. He especially showed good touch offensively from the perimeter. He showed strong hands and good rebounding skills underneath. He showed good anticipation on defense, and though he got lost once or twice, he was solid on that end of the floor. He also continues to shoot 100% from the line...not a small thing with this team. Yes he's still raw, but this effort was a good one....far better than the next guy...

Melvin Ely - Sucked a huge penis...I mean huge. He got his stuff thrown several times, looked lost on the court, and for someone who was supposed to be an offensive threat...his 0-fer night was a letdown.

Beno - Continues to jack up ill-advised shots when the D gives him nothing, but he CAN be a good shooter. He was fairly good tonight...

Bonner - I continue to be impressed with this kid's work ethic and second effort. He continued to hustle and was rewarded with second chance opportunities. I was also impressed with his mid-range game. He's got great heart and a decent game.

Oh yeah, and did I mention White was a badass?!?!

[xfycox]

Bonner..is ehhh-ish

[spurtime]

White needs to spend the whole summer under Chip Engelland's tutelage. If he could develop a relatively consistent perimeter game he would be an ideal Bowen replacement at the SF spot.

[DNS Error]

^^ Where would that leave the Spurs in the draft?

for us its a lotto pick all the way so as long as we get a guaranteed star..

[AFBlue]

^^ Where would that leave the Spurs in the draft?

for us its a lotto pick all the way so as long as we get a guaranteed star..

Spurs have a need at backup PG, a SF capable of playing the PF in small-ball sets, and even a SG to replace Barry/Finley when their contracts expire after next year. There's plenty of options in this deep draft for present role players and possibly future starters...

[timvp]

James White - Defense was really good. The Grizzlies have a lot of guys who can score, but White played great one-on-one defense. Virtually ever time someone tried to take him off the dribble, he'd force them into a pass. His help defense has also greatly improved and he's already shown the ability to draw charges.

Offensively, he looked good. His jumper has no arc and it's ugly, but it went in. If he can continue to make it, that'd be huge for him. He can finish around the basket well and is a pretty good passer. White is a decent ballhandler but needs some improvement on handling it in traffic.

Overall, White looks like a good prospect. If you look at him as the Spurs second round pick this year, you'd have to be excited. Sure he's older than most draft picks, but he's younger than Manu was when he made it to the NBA and four years younger than Bowen was when he finally got a full-time NBA job.

White still has a lot of work to do, but the NBA potential is there. The best news to me is that it looks like he has a defensive stopper's mentality. Add a jumper and Pop will be forced to give him a look down the line.

Jackie Butler - Butler was also pretty damn good. You can already tell he's the most talented of the big men outside of Tim. He has great hands, good low post moves and even showed a nice passing ability.

The knock on him is that it looks like he runs with cement boots on. But as the game wore on, you could see him moving more freely and was reacting much faster. He's a true center, so he's not someone you want out there guarding the smaller power forwards.

He had hard matchup in Pau Gasol, but survived it pretty well. Gasol is one of the longest players in the league, but Butler found ways to get his shot off. His low post defense was pretty poor, but then again he's trying to guard an all-star post scorer with no weakside help.

Overall, Butler still looks like a very good bigman prospect. He's only 22-years-old and has the natural tools to be a good center. The most impressive play of the night from him was when he grabbed a D rebound and turned and unleashed a Wes Unseld like outlet pass to Beno for a layup. That's not something you see out of many 22-year-old centers.

He had a double-double in the third quarter in his first real game. Elson has one double-double in his first 81 games. Post all-star break, Butler has 23 points and 10 rebounds on 9-for-17 shooting in 36 minutes. I guess the demise of Butler as chronicled by Johnny Ludden and some SpursTalk posters was a bit premature.

Melvin Ely - Looked like a poor man's Jackie Butler.

Beno Udrih - Shot the ball well enough. If he can at least knock down shots, he might be a spot player in the playoffs.

[SilverPlayer]

Nice recap btw...I agree pretty much across the board. Although Ely and Butler look mean as hell out there together.

[Clutch20]

As a unit they did the one right thing;they responded to an Pop-style ass-chewing. Then the second thing they did right was hustle their asses off. What more could a coach want out of his reserve unit? Finally there was that run that almost put the game away. Not being able to match Griz's last minute pushback was a learning moment, both off and def. But the go-to pecking order was firmly established that last period. Um-hummmmmm.

[LaMarcus Bryant]

rack the LJ

[dbestpro]

Vaughan sucked tonight. He tried to do too much and missed multiple chances to pass to the open man. His plays caused too many turn overs or left players with little time to react. He played hard, but he did not stay within himself.

[Darkwaters]

What did James White's conditioning level look like? White has been noted for his near perpetual motion on offense. How did he look in 39 minutes of action? Did he tire or was he active all night long?

The same question goes for Jackie? I understand he has those cement boots on, but otherwise was he reasonably fit? I know hes trimmed down a fair amount. But does he look like he can reasonably play 28 mins a night?

[wildbill2u]

Thanks for the analysis for those of us who couldn't see the game and watch their progress. Radio can only do so much.

[lefty]

James White - Defense was really good. The Grizzlies have a lot of guys who can score, but White played great one-on-one defense. Virtually ever time someone tried to take him off the dribble, he'd force them into a pass. His help defense has also greatly improved and he's already shown the ability to draw charges.

Offensively, he looked good. His jumper has no arc and it's ugly, but it went in. If he can continue to make it, that'd be huge for him. He can finish around the basket well and is a pretty good passer. White is a decent ballhandler but needs some improvement on handling it in traffic.

Overall, White looks like a good prospect. If you look at him as the Spurs second round pick this year, you'd have to be excited. Sure he's older than most draft picks, but he's younger than Manu was when he made it to the NBA and four years younger than Bowen was when he finally got a full-time NBA job.

White still has a lot of work to do, but the NBA potential is there. The best news to me is that it looks like he has a defensive stopper's mentality. Add a jumper and Pop will be forced to give him a look down the line.

Jackie Butler - Butler was also pretty damn good. You can already tell he's the most talented of the big men outside of Tim. He has great hands, good low post moves and even showed a nice passing ability.

The knock on him is that it looks like he runs with cement boots on. But as the game wore on, you could see him moving more freely and was reacting much faster. He's a true center, so he's not someone you want out there guarding the smaller power forwards.

He had hard matchup in Pau Gasol, but survived it pretty well. Gasol is one of the longest players in the league, but Butler found ways to get his shot off. His low post defense was pretty poor, but then again he's trying to guard an all-star post scorer with no weakside help.

Overall, Butler still looks like a very good bigman prospect. He's only 22-years-old and has the natural tools to be a good center. The most impressive play of the night from him was when he grabbed a D rebound and turned and unleashed a Wes Unseld like outlet pass to Beno for a layup. That's not something you see out of many 22-year-old centers.

He had a double-double in the third quarter in his first real game. Elson has one double-double in his first 81 games. Post all-star break, Butler has 23 points and 10 rebounds on 9-for-17 shooting in 36 minutes. I guess the demise of Butler as chronicled by Johnny Ludden and some SpursTalk posters was a bit premature.

Melvin Ely - Looked like a poor man's Jackie Butler.

Beno Udrih - Shot the ball well enough. If he can at least knock down shots, he might be a spot player in the playoffs.
:clap :clap :clap

[SPARKY]

Bearing in mind that they have Mahinmi, Scola, Sanikidze, and Karaulov plus four picks in June's draft they will have some prospects to work with going forward. But of course they'll still sport a supporting cast laden with 35-somethings next season.

[Obstructed_View]

Don't they still have the rights to Javtokas as well?

[SPARKY]

Yeah, him too.

[SPARKY]

White
Butler
Ely
Mahinmi
Scola
Javtokas
Karaulov
Sanikidze
07 1st round pick
07 2nd round pick
07 2nd round pick (Bucks)
07 2nd round pick (Bulls)

Surely there's a couple of rotation players out of those twelve.

[Obstructed_View]

Add to that whatever the Spurs get for Beno, because his ass is probably in Cleveland before October.

[Mr. Body]

Forget Karaulov. You guys really need to forget him. He was a mistake. They literally drafted him on a rumor.

Javtokas won't ever be in the NBA. My guess.

Sanikidze is at least two years away from showing NBA promise, but even as a young man, isn't getting younger.

Mahinmi, by many accounts, isn't ready for the NBA yet. There is good debate whether he'll be brought over next year.

Ely probably just walks.

That leaves White, Butler, Scola. And the picks.

[SPARKY]

+ Bonner & Udrih (if you want to count him as a 'prospect').

[Obstructed_View]

Manu, Scola and Oberto would be an interesting second unit.

[SPARKY]

You bring over Mahinmi next season. Get him acclimated to the system. Under that #28 pick contact he'll cost you little for the next 4 to 5 seasons. No sense in deferring his NBA entrance with TD in his 30s.

I think Scola could work out very well for the Spurs. Forum consensus is that he'll never be a Spur. I'm not so sure.

Javtokas seems unlikely after what went down last summer, but they still have his rights and if they have room, he may be given a shot.

Sanikidze has fallen off the map. He might be another candidate for the 1st season on the bench treatment to learn the NBA game.

Karaulov? Sure, a long shot. They have his rights so he's listed.

Butler won't be leaving anytime soon.

White has looked very good in limited action. Quite an accomplishment to play that well in the system as a rookie who joined the team in mid-season.

Ely? If there's room and his price stays low, he'll stay.

It'll be very interesting to see what they do with these 4 picks. One would think that they'd use at least one pick on an American collegian. Hopefully they have their international scouting together and don't F up as they did with Nocioni.

They should have their mid-level exception this summer too.

[ChumpDumper]

White - will be back

Butler - will be back

Ely - is a hedge in case they deal Scola

Mahinmi - should be brought if he's not slated to play more than he did this season. He'll definitely get playing time in an expanded D-League in Austin or McAllen. Invite a guy like Deji Akindele to compete with him in summer league and keep whoever does better. We need that type of player regardless.

Scola - Shit or get off the pot.

Javtokas - Whatever he wants is probably too much.

Karaulov - Who?

Sanikidze - one more year overseas to find out if his body can take it.

[Mr. Body]

Only one of those guys I think will ever be a Spur: Mahinmi. Not sure he'll be a good one. I hope he doesn't come this summer, in a way, because I'm hoping we bring in two rookies from this draft. There's no way they have White, Butler, rookie 1, rookie 2, and Mahinmi on the roster.

The only other guy who will ever play in the NBA, IMO, is Scola. But like others here I don't think he'll ever be a Spur. In fact, I think the Spurs already have a clear idea where they're trading him to (Chicago, NJN).

[mardigan]

Im really glad to hear you guys say Butler was effective. I am really hoping that this guy can turn out to be something for us long term

[Obstructed_View]

They can send both rookies to the D league, right? And given his progress, it looks like Mahinmi probably won't be ready by October. I think the agents for Scola and Javtokas learned their lessons last year, so this will be their shot if they want to play here. I could have sworn Scola had signed an extension last year, though. I couldn't find info on it.

[Obstructed_View]

Im really glad to hear you guys say Butler was effective. I am really hoping that this guy can turn out to be something for us long term
He's really really young, and he came right out of high school. Make sure you remember the "long term" part.

[ChumpDumper]

They can send both rookies to the D league, right?Any player in his first or second season in the NBA can be sent down.

[Obstructed_View]

Any player in his first or second season in the NBA can be sent down.
Thank you, sir.

[timvp]

You bring over Mahinmi next season. Get him acclimated to the system. Under that #28 pick contact he'll cost you little for the next 4 to 5 seasons. No sense in deferring his NBA entrance with TD in his 30s.

Yeah, Europe isn't doing him any good. It's a finesse league over there and he's just going to keep getting in foul trouble on that level.

Bring him in, play him in D-League and start the process of finding a real player to put next to Tim within the next two seasons.


I think Scola could work out very well for the Spurs. Forum consensus is that he'll never be a Spur. I'm not so sure.

Yeah, I've watched Scola some recently and I want him on the Spurs. My only hesitancy is you don't want to overpay him. If you can get him for decent money, he has the potential to be better than any MLE free agent.

He also has the potential to bust, thus why you don't want to overpay him. Although with the way Herrmann is tearing up the league, that's a good sign for Scola. Scola has been 10 times the player on every level.


Javtokas seems unlikely after what went down last summer, but they still have his rights and if they have room, he may be given a shot.

If he wants to come for the minimum or LLE, the Spurs could still use him. It's up to him, though.


Sanikidze has fallen off the map. He might be another candidate for the 1st season on the bench treatment to learn the NBA game.

I haven't given up on him yet. He dominated on the U22 team. Given that wasn't much competition, but a 6-foot-9 small forward who can shoot isn't something you throw away.


Karaulov? Sure, a long shot. They have his rights so he's listed.

Yeah, definitely a long shot. But who knows. 7-footers sometimes can take a long time to figure it out. In summer league, it looks like he's athletic enough to one day do something.


Butler won't be leaving anytime soon.

White has looked very good in limited action. Quite an accomplishment to play that well in the system as a rookie who joined the team in mid-season.

The Spurs better not let these two guys go. Neither one is the perfect prospect, but the talent is there. Give them both a full summer with the team and they could be something in the coming years.


Ely? If there's room and his price stays low, he'll stay.

He's a good insurance policy. Someone scoops up one of the bigs, Ely is good enough to be a plugin.


It'll be very interesting to see what they do with these 4 picks. One would think that they'd use at least one pick on an American collegian. Hopefully they have their international scouting together and don't F up as they did with Nocioni.

They should have their mid-level exception this summer too.

I'm still not sold that there will be room for more than one rookie this upcoming season. One rookie with three draft 'n stash picks is most likely. Or perhaps packaging the picks for a high pick.

Other than re-signing Bonner and Vaughn, the MLE will be a major part of this summer. They could use it partly on Scola or go after a wing like Pietrus.

It'll be interesting.

[timvp]

If the Spurs have any type of success in the playoffs, I can see the following roster next year:

C Elson
PF Duncan
SF Bowen
SG Ginobili
PG Parker

C Oberto
PF Horry
SF Finley
SG Barry
PG Vaughn

C Butler
PF Bonner
SF White
PG Udrih or Draft Pick
?? Mahinmi/Scola/MLE/Ely/Draft Pick


At the very most, the Spurs could squeeze in two rookies into next year's roster. But that's assuming no Beno, no Mahinmi, no Scola, no Ely, no MLE free agent.

More realistically, the Spurs might have room for one rookie. Might.

[SPARKY]

At least they'll have the flexibility to decide when (if ever) the players they have rights to will join the team. You'd think they'd start to work in some youth into the swing spots. I guess that's where White would fit in.

[whottt]

If we don't get a legit SF up in this bitch, this summer, heads need to roll.




Chicago has too many...we need one of theirs.

[Mr. Body]

If we don't get a legit SF up in this bitch, this summer, heads need to roll.

Yup. Not sure if he's a Bull, though. This draft is probably strongest and deepest at SF.

[timvp]

If we don't get a legit SF up in this bitch, this summer, heads need to roll.




Chicago has too many...we need one of theirs.

Nocioni would solve small ball. He's small but he's a better rebounder than the centers the Spurs have.

Pop would be forced to retire it.

:smokin

[timvp]

If I had to guess, I'd say the Spurs go with a point guard with one of their first two picks and draft 'n stash the rest.

[Mr. Body]

Jeff Green would, too. Minus 3s. I see Green pushed down into the teens by Batum and Julian Wright. Both Nocioni and Green would be small ball specialists. Which would take more to get?

[Mr. Body]

If I had to guess, I'd say the Spurs go with a point guard with one of their first two picks and draft 'n stash the rest.

You've said this before, but I'm puzzled by it. There are only 3-4 first round PGs in the draft so far, depending on whether Collison enters and Pruitt stays, and there is a 10-15 slot drop off from Conley/Law to Collison/Pruitt. Collison would be an exceptional back-up, but I'm not sure why the Spurs prioritize using their first rounder on that position when there are more pressing needs. In the second round there are further prospects like Bobby Brown and Kaponen, who is especially interesting as an international.

[timvp]

I'm telling you, Acie Law is going to fall. Non-athletic seniors with mostly realized upside do not come off the board quickly. For him to remain in the 10-15 range, he'd have to test well or have some amazing individual workouts.

Potential sells.

[SPARKY]

Law would be a nice pickup at #28.

[timvp]

Jameer Nelson had a better college career than Law, had better team success, was more of a prospect earlier on in his college career and still fell to 20 because he was a senior and played below the rim.

[Mr. Body]

I certainly wouldn't mind grabbing Law. We'll see. My three favorites would be Green, Brandon Rush, and Law, and two of those guys had bad last games that 'hurt their stock'.

[SPARKY]

If they wanted to move up for a target they probably could use Beno + #28. Beno has enough scoring ability to sucker someone.

[Mr. Body]

I doubt Beno would be worth anything to move up. Scola would have to be used, or 28 + 33. I still see Law speared well before 28 alone and a move-up would be necessary. Even then I'd rather go for a SF like Thaddeus Young. No complaints about Law, though.

[timvp]

In RC's dream, he drafts the rookie he plans to bring in right away with that Bucks pick in the second round. First rounders are better for the draft 'n stash strategy than second round picks.

If the Spurs do have their eye on a swingman, I can see them going with them with at #33.

[SPARKY]

Point guards are like centers when it comes to potential and trade value. Those two spots are the most difficult to fill in the league. Udrih has a much better rep around the league than in this forum.

[Mr. Body]

Your plan may work. Trade up (Scola) for Law - or miraculously finding him at 28. Then there are some good SFs still there with 33, guaranteed - Alando Tucker, maybe. Dominic McGuire, Jared Dudley, Wilson Chandler.

They do need to move up to get Law. Pistons draft at 27. They have one at 15 and that's where I see him going right now. He'd be a perfect back-up for Billups.

[Mr. Body]

Point guards are like centers when it comes to potential and trade value. Those two spots are the most difficult to fill in the league. Udrih has a much better rep around the league than in this forum.

They can probably trade him, but not to move up in the draft. His value is zero in that regard.

[SPARKY]

No need for Udrih if you are drafting Law. You'll still have Vaughn to step in if Law's not ready.

[SPARKY]

Beno + 28 doesn't get you into the mid teens, but it definitely can get you into the high 20s (say 21 or 22). Assuming Law slides a little that would be a good spot to nab him.

[Mr. Body]

I really don't think so. If anything it could move up from the end of the 2nd, the 50s, to the 40s. That's it. Udrih has a chance to pull something here or there - John Singleton or whatever in a one for one - but absolutely not to move up in the first round.

Using existing players to move up in the draft is difficult, too, I think, because you have to match salaries.

[SPARKY]

I've seen them pull off better deals in their sleep.

Salaries have to match if the other team can't absorb the deal. Beno's deal is still small enough to make the returning salary immaterial.

[BeerIsGood!]

I dont see the Spurs moving up from 28 without packaging Scola. Their best prospect is to draft wisely at 28 and 33 and decide on what to do with Scola and Beno. I surely hope Beno isn't on this team next year as he is just taking up a roster space that could be used on someone who isn't completely dead in the Spurs' water.

[Mr. Body]

I've seen them pull off better deals in their sleep.

Salaries have to match if the other team can't absorb the deal. Beno's deal is still small enough to make the returning salary immaterial.

It's just not going to happen. But I'll leave it there. There's no sense in arguing about it.

[Bruno]

I could have sworn Scola had signed an extension last year, though. I couldn't find info on it.

Tau offered him a 3 years extension (from 2008 to 2011) but he turned it down likely because he really wants to play in nba.

[Bruno]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA041707.01D.BKNspurs.grizzlies.gamer.35bc81c.ht ml


I thought everybody looked pretty good tonight. I thought James got tired. He was playing a lot of defense and running the floor real well.


During the past two months, however, the Spurs have seen an improvement in Butler's work ethic as he's slimmed down and strengthened his body.

[picnroll]

The 28th pick and Beno wil get you the 29th pick.

After seeing Garbajosa and Hermann I defintiely want to see Scola as a Spur next year. Then again, particularly after seeing the aforementioned two and Nocioni, his value in trade could be very high. A skilled vet, intense, leadership qualities, something a talented young team could use and there are a number of them, i.e., Atlanta, Memphis, Portland. Even Scola's rebounding has picked up, I believe he led in rebounding in the quarter finals Eurocup play.

[ChumpDumper]

Mahinmi - should be brought if he's not slated to play more than he did this season. He'll definitely get playing time in an expanded D-League in Austin or McAllen. Invite a guy like Deji Akindele to compete with him in summer league and keep whoever does better. We need that type of player regardless.BTW, Akindele just got 7 boards and at least one block in the 1st quarter of the D-League playoffs.

[SenorSpur]

I dont see the Spurs moving up from 28 without packaging Scola. Their best prospect is to draft wisely at 28 and 33 and decide on what to do with Scola and Beno. I surely hope Beno isn't on this team next year as he is just taking up a roster space that could be used on someone who isn't completely dead in the Spurs' water.

Shit. If that's the case, then package his ass.

[ChumpDumper]

Deji's line

33:03 min

7-12 fg

5-5 ft

7 OR

13 TR

0 AST

6 PF

0 ST

2 TO

2 BLK

19 PTS

His team was like -28 when he was out of the game, as he was the only true big man playing for Fort Worth.

Of course Stephen Graham scored 40, but AFAIK we're not looking for another 6'6" guard who doesn't have a 3. Just remember Deji for summer.

[timvp]

I wonder if NBA teams are quietly told not to raid the rosters of the NBDL teams in the playoffs. Like right now, is a team like the Spurs truly free to waive Ely and sign Deji?

[ChumpDumper]

I don't see why the league would forbid or discourage that. Deji's season is over for one thing. The last pickup was exaclty one week ago and that was the league MVP on the team that shared the best record in the league, and he's just going to play four games for Seattle. I figure the more call-ups they get, the better the D-League looks -- they usually pimp the call-up number for the season in their press releases.

[Dirk Nowitzki]

White - will be back

Butler - will be back

Ely - is a hedge in case they deal Scola

Mahinmi - should be brought if he's not slated to play more than he did this season. He'll definitely get playing time in an expanded D-League in Austin or McAllen. Invite a guy like Deji Akindele to compete with him in summer league and keep whoever does better. We need that type of player regardless.

Scola - Shit or get off the pot.

Javtokas - Whatever he wants is probably too much.

Karaulov - Who?

Sanikidze - one more year overseas to find out if his body can take it.


:wtf :wtf The Rio Grande Valley has an NBDL team???

[Bruno]

:wtf :wtf The Rio Grande Valley has an NBDL team???

No but they will have a team next year :


http://www.nba.com/dleague/riograndevalley/

[AFBlue]

Looks like we'll get a chance to see the "rooks" in action again tonight. I wonder if their play in these two garbage game will earn them any playoff time...probably not.

[Kevin Blackistone]

Looks like we'll get a chance to see the "rooks" in action again tonight. I wonder if their play in these two garbage game will earn them any playoff time...probably not.

hopefully not, unless it's playoff garbage time and one of them is active for the game. Otherwise, it probably means that someone in the PO rotation is down.

[TDMVPDPOY]

hey does any other team have 2 2nd round picks? maybe we can trade our 28th pick for 2 :D:D:D

portland has 2 2nd round picks
bulls same
mavs have 3 2nd round picks.....

trade down and stack up the picks? draft and stash in europe?

[Mr. Body]

hey does any other team have 2 2nd round picks? maybe we can trade our 28th pick for 2 :D:D:D

oh, puke. I hope not.

[AFBlue]

hey does any other team have 2 2nd round picks? maybe we can trade our 28th pick for 2 :D:D:D

portland has 2 2nd round picks
bulls same
mavs have 3 2nd round picks.....

trade down and stack up the picks? draft and stash in europe?

Even if the Spurs wanted to do what you suggest (trade down, then draft-and-stash), the international "makeup" of this draft isn't structured that way.

Most international prospects are either sure-fire first rounders (Yi Jianlin, Nicolas Batum, Rudy Fernandez, Marco Belinelli, Tiago Splitter, Ante Tomic), or mid-late second round picks like Koponen, Zabelin, Barac, Fesenko.

It would be ill-advised for the Spurs to trade down or out of this draft, as there probably won't be another one this deep for a long time.

[AFBlue]

hey does any other team have 2 2nd round picks? maybe we can trade our 28th pick for 2 :D:D:D

portland has 2 2nd round picks
bulls same
mavs have 3 2nd round picks.....

trade down and stack up the picks? draft and stash in europe?

One caveat: The Spurs could still draft-and-stash an international player if one falls to them at 28. Guys like Rudy Fernandez and Tiago Splitter with buyout concerns have a chance, and if either one of them is there I think the Spurs will have a hard time passing on them.

If an international player doesn't fall to them though, they'd be better off getting the best player available and working out the roster crunch issue later in the off-season.

[AFBlue]

hopefully not, unless it's playoff garbage time and one of them is active for the game. Otherwise, it probably means that someone in the PO rotation is down.

I just wonder if the Spurs would sit Beno in favor of Butler or White depending on the matchups. I know they're not likely to dress out, and even less likely to play...but I was just wondering.

I'm actually kind of glad that the Spurs don't have to rely on "rooks" like these two for key playoff minutes.

Having said that, if Butler plays well in the off-season and still isn't given an opportunity for PT over Oberto and/or Elson...I'll be pissed!

[Mr. Body]

Yeah, what the Spurs need to do is trade up. They may not even know what to do with the Chicago pick, if they have it, unless they have some 'magical, can't miss' player no one knows about yet.

But this draft absolutely, positively has to be about the present, not the extended future.

[Kevin Blackistone]

I just wonder if the Spurs would sit Beno in favor of Butler or White depending on the matchups. I know they're not likely to dress out, and even less likely to play...but I was just wondering.

I'm actually kind of glad that the Spurs don't have to rely on "rooks" like these two for key playoff minutes.

Having said that, if Butler plays well in the off-season and still isn't given an opportunity for PT over Oberto and/or Elson...I'll be pissed!

Although I hate the thought of Beno getting any kind of PO minutes (and I wouldn't mind seeing what White could do in a short stint or two), the Spurs are not likely to deactivate him for a game and dress only 2 PG in favor of dressing another wing.

[timvp]

Thoughts from the last game of the year:

James White - Again, very nice job on the defensive end. He moves his feet well, is willing to take charges and knows where to be in terms of team defense. I've been very impressed with his defense.

Offensively, he had an off night but still showed a couple glimpses. He did a nice job of penetrating and drawing contact. If he could ever use his athleticism to his advantage to help him finish in traffic, he'd be pretty damn good off the dribble. His jumper was off, but that's to be expected for a guy who is reworking his shot.

He was drop dead tired by the end of the game. He started cramping up in the fourth and couldn't finish the game. But overall, you have to be impressed with how he played. He made the most of his minutes and showed that he could have a good future with the Spurs.

Jackie Butler - Butler had another good performance, scoring 10 points and pulling down 9 rebounds in 28 minutes while shooting 4-for-7 from the floor. I was again impressed with his good hands and good touch around the basket. He has that innate ability to score around the basket, a la Al Jefferson and Zach Randolph.

Defensively, he still has a long ways to go. When he's getting posted up on, he doesn't put up a good enough fight. His perimeter defense is also lacking. But he's already further along than someone like Melvin Ely and it's debatable whether he's a better defender than Matt Bonner.

He looks to be a pretty good rebounder. Can't really complain with a double-double and then another near double-double in the two games he got to play. Elson had one double-double all year.

Butler was also extremely tired in the second half. He was barely running up and down the floor. It looks like Pop has run Butler and White hardcore in practices recently. They both could hardly move come the fourth quarter. Going into the fourth, Butler was 4-for-4 form the field but missed all of his tired shots in the final stanza.

Being only 22-years-old, he still has a lot of time to improve. With dropping all the weight he did, he's going to have to really rework how he defends and battles for rebounds. He can no longer rely on being the widest body on the court.

I like his potential and if he continues to work hard over the summer, he might be able to stay on the active roster next season. His time to shine will be 2008-09 when Oberto, Elson and Horry all come off the books.

Melvin Ely - He came off a bad performance with a rather decent performance. He was much better on the block offensively and was a little better defensively.

This main problem is he can't rebound well enough to be an everyday NBA bigman. He tries and seems to be a good guy, but without being able to rebound or defend at a high level, he's never going to be much other than a hired gun who can come in and score down low. Think Antoine Carr without as good of a jumper.

I don't expect the Spurs to re-sign him unless a lot of other things fall thru and he's left as the only viable option. He'd be a decent investment but honestly, Butler brings a lot of the same characteristics and is six years younger.

[timvp]

32 points, 19 rebounds on 54.2% field goal percentage in 64 minutes after the All-Star break for Jackie Butler. Translate that to Francisco Elson minutes and that is still 9.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

Perhaps the Spurs finally have hope for a real center.

:smokin

[Mr. Peabody]

32 points, 19 rebounds on 54.2% field goal percentage in 64 minutes after the All-Star break for Jackie Butler. Translate that to Francisco Elson minutes and that is still 9.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

Perhaps the Spurs finally have hope for a real center.

:smokin

Not bad, although those are the numbers are against other teams' scrubs.

[Spurs Brazil]

I liked what I saw from Butler and White but Beno is the worst player in the NBA

[Darkwaters]

I liked what I saw from Butler and White but Beno is the worst player in the NBA

Hey, give some love to Brandon Bass from the Hornets. He was really hoping on getting that crown. At least Beno gets on the court SOMETIMES.

[timvp]

Not bad, although those are the numbers are against other teams' scrubs.

True, but what the Spurs currently have starting hasn't put up those numbers against scrubs at any point this year. Or in college. Or overseas. Or in summer league . . .

[tlongII]

Melvin Ely - Looked like a poor man's Jackie Butler.

:rofl