Kori Ellis
06-29-2007, 12:20 AM
http://www.woai.com/content/sports/spurs/story.aspx?content_id=ca4a3075-d2cf-4aea-8d5e-3a8f0e3b01f8
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- The San Antonio Spurs added to their international influence Thursday by selecting Tiago Splitter, a 7-foot forward from Brazil, in the first round of the NBA Draft.
The Spurs won their fourth NBA title in nine years with five foreign-born players on their roster, including finals MVP Tony Parker, who was born in Belgium.
Splitter, 22, currently is playing with Tau Ceramica in Spain. He was taken with the 28th overall selection -- three picks before the end of the first round. Splitter is expected to stay in Spain at least another year before a possible roster spot in San Antonio.
Just five picks later, with the 33rd overall selection and the third in the second round, the Spurs took Marcus Williams, a 6-7 small forward from Arizona. The Spurs received the pick in a trade last year with Milwaukee.
Williams, 20, left Arizona after his sophomore season, when he ranked fourth in the Pac-10 in scoring with a 16.6 points-per-game average.
Splitter played 20 games in the 2006-07 Euroleague and averaged 10.7 points per game and six rebounds per game.
But it may be a while before he plays in this country. If the Spurs wanted him to play in the upcoming NBA season, they would have to buy out his contract with the Tau Ceramica club.
"It's a difficult issue," San Antonio general manager R.C. Buford said. "I don't know that anyone is going to help us right away. Our roster, I hope, is going to remain relatively intact.
"I'm not sure how (Splitter) fits in this year, but in the future he could. He was on the national team in Brazil since he was 16 years old. You don't have an opportunity to get size like that who played at that level all his life."
The Spurs currently have five players drafted in previous years that continue to play in Europe. They have rights to those players if they want to play in the NBA.
When they drafted Manu Ginobili in the second round of the 1999 draft, he remained in the Italian League for three more seasons before joining the Spurs.
The Spurs finished the night by trading Giorgos Printezis, a 6-8 forward from Greece. The Spurs drafted him with the 58th pick but announced they will trade him to Toronto for a second-round choice next year.
Earlier this month the Spurs won their fourth NBA title in the past nine years. They defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in a four-game sweep in the finals.
The Spurs have looked sporadically to the draft to build their team in recent years. Since selecting Tim Duncan with the top overall selection in 1997, the team has selected nine players and traded away 11 others.
Two of the nine players were Parker and Manu Ginobili.
The last two times the Spurs had a pick in the first round it also came with foreign-born players at the 28th selection. Two years ago, San Antonio used the 28th selection on Ian Mahinmi, then an 18-year-old from France.
A year earlier the Spurs picked Beno Udrih out of Slovenia. Udrih immediately made the roster and played in 80 of the 82 games during the 2004-05 season.
Mahinmi, now 20, has been kept by the Spurs in France, where he played in the French League All-Star game. He saw action for the Spurs rookie league team in this summer last year but won't play this year because he recently tore his right pectoralis minor and strained the latissimus dorsi muscle.
The three selections the Spurs had this year is the most since 2004 when they picked four players. The only one to see playing time is Udrih, a backup point guard.
Both picks were traded last year.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- The San Antonio Spurs added to their international influence Thursday by selecting Tiago Splitter, a 7-foot forward from Brazil, in the first round of the NBA Draft.
The Spurs won their fourth NBA title in nine years with five foreign-born players on their roster, including finals MVP Tony Parker, who was born in Belgium.
Splitter, 22, currently is playing with Tau Ceramica in Spain. He was taken with the 28th overall selection -- three picks before the end of the first round. Splitter is expected to stay in Spain at least another year before a possible roster spot in San Antonio.
Just five picks later, with the 33rd overall selection and the third in the second round, the Spurs took Marcus Williams, a 6-7 small forward from Arizona. The Spurs received the pick in a trade last year with Milwaukee.
Williams, 20, left Arizona after his sophomore season, when he ranked fourth in the Pac-10 in scoring with a 16.6 points-per-game average.
Splitter played 20 games in the 2006-07 Euroleague and averaged 10.7 points per game and six rebounds per game.
But it may be a while before he plays in this country. If the Spurs wanted him to play in the upcoming NBA season, they would have to buy out his contract with the Tau Ceramica club.
"It's a difficult issue," San Antonio general manager R.C. Buford said. "I don't know that anyone is going to help us right away. Our roster, I hope, is going to remain relatively intact.
"I'm not sure how (Splitter) fits in this year, but in the future he could. He was on the national team in Brazil since he was 16 years old. You don't have an opportunity to get size like that who played at that level all his life."
The Spurs currently have five players drafted in previous years that continue to play in Europe. They have rights to those players if they want to play in the NBA.
When they drafted Manu Ginobili in the second round of the 1999 draft, he remained in the Italian League for three more seasons before joining the Spurs.
The Spurs finished the night by trading Giorgos Printezis, a 6-8 forward from Greece. The Spurs drafted him with the 58th pick but announced they will trade him to Toronto for a second-round choice next year.
Earlier this month the Spurs won their fourth NBA title in the past nine years. They defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in a four-game sweep in the finals.
The Spurs have looked sporadically to the draft to build their team in recent years. Since selecting Tim Duncan with the top overall selection in 1997, the team has selected nine players and traded away 11 others.
Two of the nine players were Parker and Manu Ginobili.
The last two times the Spurs had a pick in the first round it also came with foreign-born players at the 28th selection. Two years ago, San Antonio used the 28th selection on Ian Mahinmi, then an 18-year-old from France.
A year earlier the Spurs picked Beno Udrih out of Slovenia. Udrih immediately made the roster and played in 80 of the 82 games during the 2004-05 season.
Mahinmi, now 20, has been kept by the Spurs in France, where he played in the French League All-Star game. He saw action for the Spurs rookie league team in this summer last year but won't play this year because he recently tore his right pectoralis minor and strained the latissimus dorsi muscle.
The three selections the Spurs had this year is the most since 2004 when they picked four players. The only one to see playing time is Udrih, a backup point guard.
Both picks were traded last year.