timvp
06-29-2007, 12:59 AM
Spurs nab post from Brazil in first round
Mike Monroe
Express-news
Maintaining the successful pattern they have established during their run to four NBA championships since 1999, the Spurs on Thursday selected a talented international player who won’t join the team for at least one more season.
The Spurs made Tiago Splitter, a 6-foot-11, 232-pound post man from Brazil who has played professionally for seven seasons, the 28th selection of the first round of the 2007 NBA draft.
Because Splitter’s contract with Tau Cerámica, of the Spanish professional league, includes a hefty buyout clause for the coming season, he won’t be available for the Spurs this season. His contractual impediment, combined with the Spurs’ established willingness to wait for drafted players with international commitments, helped to make Splitter available when the Spurs made their selection.
"He’s a good, talented kid who is 6-11 and plays hard and is fundamentally sound," said Spurs general manger R.C. Buford. "You don’t often have the opportunity to get size like that that has played at a very, very high level all his life and had success."
Splitter, 22, has played since 2003 for Tau Cerámica, the same team for which Luis Scola plays. Scola is the Argentine forward the Spurs drafted in the second round in 2002, but who has not been able to get out of his contract with the Spanish team.
"Splitter’s contract is more defined," Buford said. "There shouldn’t be a problem a year from now.
"That had a definite impact on him being available for us this year. That, and the fact there were no freshman-eligible draft candidates a year ago, pushed more players into the draft this year and maybe pushed some selections back that wouldn’t have been there before."
The Spurs made Marcus Williams, a 6-foot-7 small forward from the University of Arizona, the first of their two selections in the second round, 33rd overall.
Just as they have done each of the past two drafts, the Spurs selected a player in the second round who was not listed in the NBA’s official draft media guide, a 224-page book that included biographical information on 124 other players.
The mystery pick this time was Giorgos Printezis, a forward from Greece who was traded almost as quickly as he was selected. The Spurs sent his draft rights to Toronto for a 2008 second-round pick.
Because Splitter won’t join the Spurs next season, this marks the seventh time since the Spurs won their first NBA title, in 1999, they did not enter the following season with a first-round pick on their roster. The last first-rounder to make the roster was Beno Udrih, the 28th pick in the 2004 draft. Tony Parker, the 28th pick in the 2001 draft, is the only other first-rounder picked by the Spurs to have played for the Spurs since 1999.
"I don’t know that anybody was going to help us next year," Buford said. "We were hoping to find young talent to be able to help us after this team transitions. Hopefully, it continues winning and transitions to another group that competes, and Splitter gives us that opportunity.
"There were some players we were interested in that might have been on the roster sooner that were also considered. It wasn’t a situation where we were just going to take a player and leave him over there. He was No. 2 on our draft board of the picks that were realistic for us, so we were excited to get him."
Splitter has intrigued NBA scouts since first submitting his name as draft-eligible in 2004, when he first showed up at the NBA’s predraft camp in Chicago. However, he withdrew his name then, and again in 2005 and 2006. Many NBA player personnel decision makers had him projected as a lottery pick in 2005 and 2006 before he withdrew his name.
Splitter averaged 11.2 points per game, on 61.3 percent shooting, in 28 games last season with Tau Cerámica in the Spanish League and 10.7 points per game, on 58 percent shooting, and 6.0 rebounds in 20 games with Tau Cerámica in Euroleague competition.
A member of the Brazilian National Team, Splitter was the youngest player in the 2002 FIBA World Championships in Indianapolis, playing at age 17.
The Spurs’ past four first-round selections have been international players: Brazilian Leandro Barbosa (2003, traded to Phoenix), Slovenian Beno Udrih (2004), Frenchman Ian Mahinmi (2005) and Splitter. The Spurs did not have a first-round pick last year, having traded it to the New York Knicks in the deal that brought center Nazr Mohammed to the club.
Williams, the 33rd pick of the draft, averaged 16.6 points and 6.7 rebounds in 30 games for Arizona last season. A first-team All-Pac-10 selection as a sophomore, the 20-year-old Williams entered the draft after two seasons at Arizona. He made 49.4 percent of his shots last season despite making only 23 of 80 3-point shots.
"Marcus is an athletic wing we think can be a good defender," Buford said. "He came in very highly recruited. He was one of their best players and has a lot of potential. This draft, being deeper, allowed for a person of Marcus’ talent to be available in the second round, and that’s not often the case."
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA062907.01D.BKNspurs.draft.35f7628.html
Mike Monroe
Express-news
Maintaining the successful pattern they have established during their run to four NBA championships since 1999, the Spurs on Thursday selected a talented international player who won’t join the team for at least one more season.
The Spurs made Tiago Splitter, a 6-foot-11, 232-pound post man from Brazil who has played professionally for seven seasons, the 28th selection of the first round of the 2007 NBA draft.
Because Splitter’s contract with Tau Cerámica, of the Spanish professional league, includes a hefty buyout clause for the coming season, he won’t be available for the Spurs this season. His contractual impediment, combined with the Spurs’ established willingness to wait for drafted players with international commitments, helped to make Splitter available when the Spurs made their selection.
"He’s a good, talented kid who is 6-11 and plays hard and is fundamentally sound," said Spurs general manger R.C. Buford. "You don’t often have the opportunity to get size like that that has played at a very, very high level all his life and had success."
Splitter, 22, has played since 2003 for Tau Cerámica, the same team for which Luis Scola plays. Scola is the Argentine forward the Spurs drafted in the second round in 2002, but who has not been able to get out of his contract with the Spanish team.
"Splitter’s contract is more defined," Buford said. "There shouldn’t be a problem a year from now.
"That had a definite impact on him being available for us this year. That, and the fact there were no freshman-eligible draft candidates a year ago, pushed more players into the draft this year and maybe pushed some selections back that wouldn’t have been there before."
The Spurs made Marcus Williams, a 6-foot-7 small forward from the University of Arizona, the first of their two selections in the second round, 33rd overall.
Just as they have done each of the past two drafts, the Spurs selected a player in the second round who was not listed in the NBA’s official draft media guide, a 224-page book that included biographical information on 124 other players.
The mystery pick this time was Giorgos Printezis, a forward from Greece who was traded almost as quickly as he was selected. The Spurs sent his draft rights to Toronto for a 2008 second-round pick.
Because Splitter won’t join the Spurs next season, this marks the seventh time since the Spurs won their first NBA title, in 1999, they did not enter the following season with a first-round pick on their roster. The last first-rounder to make the roster was Beno Udrih, the 28th pick in the 2004 draft. Tony Parker, the 28th pick in the 2001 draft, is the only other first-rounder picked by the Spurs to have played for the Spurs since 1999.
"I don’t know that anybody was going to help us next year," Buford said. "We were hoping to find young talent to be able to help us after this team transitions. Hopefully, it continues winning and transitions to another group that competes, and Splitter gives us that opportunity.
"There were some players we were interested in that might have been on the roster sooner that were also considered. It wasn’t a situation where we were just going to take a player and leave him over there. He was No. 2 on our draft board of the picks that were realistic for us, so we were excited to get him."
Splitter has intrigued NBA scouts since first submitting his name as draft-eligible in 2004, when he first showed up at the NBA’s predraft camp in Chicago. However, he withdrew his name then, and again in 2005 and 2006. Many NBA player personnel decision makers had him projected as a lottery pick in 2005 and 2006 before he withdrew his name.
Splitter averaged 11.2 points per game, on 61.3 percent shooting, in 28 games last season with Tau Cerámica in the Spanish League and 10.7 points per game, on 58 percent shooting, and 6.0 rebounds in 20 games with Tau Cerámica in Euroleague competition.
A member of the Brazilian National Team, Splitter was the youngest player in the 2002 FIBA World Championships in Indianapolis, playing at age 17.
The Spurs’ past four first-round selections have been international players: Brazilian Leandro Barbosa (2003, traded to Phoenix), Slovenian Beno Udrih (2004), Frenchman Ian Mahinmi (2005) and Splitter. The Spurs did not have a first-round pick last year, having traded it to the New York Knicks in the deal that brought center Nazr Mohammed to the club.
Williams, the 33rd pick of the draft, averaged 16.6 points and 6.7 rebounds in 30 games for Arizona last season. A first-team All-Pac-10 selection as a sophomore, the 20-year-old Williams entered the draft after two seasons at Arizona. He made 49.4 percent of his shots last season despite making only 23 of 80 3-point shots.
"Marcus is an athletic wing we think can be a good defender," Buford said. "He came in very highly recruited. He was one of their best players and has a lot of potential. This draft, being deeper, allowed for a person of Marcus’ talent to be available in the second round, and that’s not often the case."
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA062907.01D.BKNspurs.draft.35f7628.html