Ludden: Spurs in summer league beginning today

[timvp]

Spurs in summer league beginning today
Johnny Ludden
Express-News

The Spurs begin play in the NBA Summer League today in Las Vegas with a roster that includes James White, Jackie Butler and second-round draft pick Marcus Williams.

The team will play five games in Las Vegas, including today's 3 p.m. meeting with Philadelphia. All games will be webcast live on NBA.com. The July 9 game against Boston also will be shown on NBA TV at 3 p.m.

After finishing their Las Vegas schedule, the Spurs will travel to Salt Lake City to play five games in the Rocky Mountain Revue.

The Spurs' roster also will include guards C.J. Watson and Charles Lee and forward Rich Melzer, all of whom previously played for the Spurs in summer league or training camp. Forward Viktor Sanikidze, a 2004 second-round pick of the team, also is expected to play.

The Spurs had hoped to evaluate French forward Ian Mahinmi, their 2005 first-round pick, during summer league, but he injured his right shoulder at minicamp last month. Mahinmi will accompany the team to Las Vegas and Salt Lake City as he continues his rehabilitation.

The Spurs would like to find a young swingman to develop behind Bruce Bowen, and White and Williams are both candidates to fill that role.

White appeared in six games for the Spurs last season, averaging 8.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 22.8 minutes. His contract guarantees him $300,000 if he is on the opening-night roster, but the Spurs can avoid paying him anything for next season if they waive him before Aug. 1.

Williams, 20, was taken with the 33rd overall pick in the draft by the Spurs. He played two seasons at Arizona and averaged 16.6 points as a sophomore before leaving school early.

Spurs officials are intrigued by the 6-foot-7 Williams' athleticism and skill set, but his immaturity rankled some people during his time at Arizona.

Butler is guaranteed $2.4 million next season from the Spurs, but they could try to trade him depending on how he performs in summer league. He played in only 11 games last season, averaging 3.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 9.4 minutes, though he is in noticeably better condition than a year ago when he joined the team.

Spurs assistant coach Don Newman will coach the team in Las Vegas before fellow assistant Mike Wells takes over in Salt Lake City.

Not including Williams, the Spurs will have 14 players under contract after they re-sign Fabricio Oberto, Jacque Vaughn and Matt Bonner next week. The maximum for opening night is 15.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA070607.01D.BKNspurs.summer.355686f.html

[timvp]

Butler is guaranteed $2.4 million next season from the Spurs, but they could try to trade him depending on how he performs in summer league. He played in only 11 games last season, averaging 3.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 9.4 minutes, though he is in noticeably better condition than a year ago when he joined the team.

What? I thought Butler was a fat ass who the Spurs were desperately trying to trade. That's what ploto told us. :rolleyes

Yeah, if Butler bombs in summer league, you probably gotta trade him. With Oberto, Horry, Bonner, Mahinmi, Splitter and Scola, the Spurs don't have room for a bigman who can't play well against summer league competition.

That said, hopefully Butler can ball over the next couple of weeks. :fro

[Steve-O-Matic]

If Butler bombs in summer league, nobody is going to WANT to trade for him, never mind with a $2.4M pricetag.

[T Park]

Butler put up great numbers vs Pau Gasol and Reggie Evans.

I have nothing but full confidence that Jackie will perform great.

[timvp]

If Butler bombs in summer league, nobody is going to WANT to trade for him, never mind with a $2.4M pricetag.

If the Spurs can find a sucker to salary dump Rasho's $256M contract, they can salary dump the $2M Butler is scheduled to make. Trust me.

[Steve-O-Matic]

Not if he bombs against a collection of summer league zeros they won't.

[Kori Ellis]

Not if he bombs against a collection of summer league zeros they won't.

They could still easily get rid of him, no matter what he does it summer league. His contract is small and he's young. It's an easy contract to deal away. GM's don't put the whole weight of a player's worth on five summer league games - especially for bigs. Sometimes if the PG's suck in summer league, the bigs aren't able to accomplish anything and that's not a reflection of the bigs.

That being said, hopefully he does well.

[Russ]

Anyone can be traded, depending on what problems (cap filler) you're willing to take in return.

[Kori Ellis]

Anyone can be traded, depending on what problems (cap filler) you're willing to take in return.

The point is that a $2M/year contract is easy to trade without taking any problems back. It's an extremely movable contract.

[picnroll]

Is it know for a fact that Butler showed so little this year the Spurs see nothing in him?

[Russ]

The point is that a $2M/year contract is easy to trade without taking any problems back. It's an extremely movable contract.
But doesn't Butler have a clause that he can only be traded to a major media market? :clap

[timvp]

Is it know for a fact that Butler showed so little this year the Spurs see nothing in him?

They haven't acted like it. They gave him the garbage time at the end of the season when they could have given it to Ely. They've basically built this summer league team around him.

If they saw nothing in him, they could have told him to stay home as they finalize his trade out of town. You don't risk him getting injured in summer league if you've given up on him.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Butler>Elson
He will take his spot in the rotation. :smokin

[Darkwaters]

Is it know for a fact that Butler showed so little this year the Spurs see nothing in him?

Ludden has been saying that the Spurs have looked to move him...but there is no indication from the Spurs FO that such is the case. Although, regardless of whatever they feel, if Butler is the final player to make a significant deal (a la, Nocioni) go through then he likely gets dealt.

[Russ]

You don't risk him getting injured in summer league if you've given up on him.

Maybe they're hoping for an injury exemption from the league. :yield

[Bruno]

Another not very interesting article from Ludden.
SA express-news coverage of the offseason is really weak. :td

[SequSpur]

Let me go on record:

Jackie Butler sucks, was a waste of time, money and space. There were other centers available, but Pop wasted ownership jack on this stoolsitter.

I don't need to see some summer league to decide on him.

[AFBlue]

Butler>Elson
He will take his spot in the rotation. :smokin

God, let's hope so....

[AFBlue]

Let me go on record:

Jackie Butler sucks, was a waste of time, money and space. There were other centers available, but Pop wasted ownership jack on this stoolsitter.

I don't need to see some summer league to decide on him.

Butler is a 22yr old F/C with good size and a great touch around the basket. He cost LESS than any of the other bigs currently on the roster, and the Spurs can keep him on the cheap for another two seasons if they want.

He showed raw promise in NY and has had a year to be re-shaped/refined....now he's poised for a breakout.

IMO, the Spurs did the right thing last year by getting a possible short-term solution (Elson) and a potential long-term one (Butler)....rather than overspending for a guy like Nazr or Joel Pryzbilla.

BTW, who was that better C option, and at what price?

[Darkwaters]

I would have loved to get Alonzo Mourning, but he would have obviously been a short-term solution.

[AFBlue]

I would have loved to get Alonzo Mourning, but he would have obviously been a short-term solution.

It's not like the Spurs didn't make a run at him. He made a conscious decision to return to Miami....and who could blame him? They had just won the title and he has been a Miami guy for the majority of his career.

But Sequ said "available" Centers...and that guy just wasn't available.

Yeah...he would've been nice though.

[Darkwaters]

It's not like the Spurs didn't make a run at him. He made a conscious decision to return to Miami....and who could blame him? They had just won the title and he has been a Miami guy for the majority of his career.

But Sequ said "available" Centers...and that guy just wasn't available.

Yeah...he would've been nice though.

Yea, I was trying to list centers that had been available last season. Alonzo was available...but he couldn't be swayed to leave Miami.

Probably the best player would have been Tyson Chandler though. He was obviously being shopped by the Bulls and was traded for pennies on the dollar. Defense, athleticism and youth all in one. Plus, his contract wasn't great...but hardly horrid. Not to mention he had a breakout season with the Hornets.

[smeagol]

Let me go on record:

Jackie Butler sucks, was a waste of time, money and space. There were other centers available, but Pop wasted ownership jack on this stoolsitter.

I don't need to see some summer league to decide on him.
You should be a GM

[AFBlue]

Yea, I was trying to list centers that had been available last season. Alonzo was available...but he couldn't be swayed to leave Miami.

Probably the best player would have been Tyson Chandler though. He was obviously being shopped by the Bulls and was traded for pennies on the dollar. Defense, athleticism and youth all in one. Plus, his contract wasn't great...but hardly horrid. Not to mention he had a breakout season with the Hornets.

Chandler's $10M contract was prohibitive, mostly because the Spurs didn't have the types of contracts to procure him.

If you look at what the Bulls received in return it was:

PJ Brown's expiring $8M contract and young gun JR Smith.

IIRC, Spurs still had Nesterovic on the books but I don't know how attractive his large, long-term contract would've been, and Barry's contract, which would've needed to be paired with another contract in order to make the deal work, also had more than a year on it.

Basically, I don't think the Spurs had the right package of players to get the deal done.

On his contract....it looks much better now than it did when he signed it two years ago and even up to last summer when he was traded. Seems he, Curry, and Nene are actually starting to live up to the expectations that came with their respective teams giving them large deals....but those deals weren't exactly earned at the time they were given.

[lebomb]

Let me go on record:

Jackie Butler sucks, was a waste of time, money and space. There were other centers available, but Pop wasted ownership jack on this stoolsitter.

I don't need to see some summer league to decide on him.


........and how do you know this??? :(

[Darkwaters]

Chandler's $10M contract was prohibitive, mostly because the Spurs didn't have the types of contracts to procure him.

If you look at what the Bulls received in return it was:

PJ Brown's expiring $8M contract and young gun JR Smith.

IIRC, Spurs still had Nesterovic on the books but I don't know how attractive his large, long-term contract would've been, and Barry's contract, which would've needed to be paired with another contract in order to make the deal work, also had more than a year on it.

Basically, I don't think the Spurs had the right package of players to get the deal done.

On his contract....it looks much better now than it did when he signed it two years ago and even up to last summer when he was traded. Seems he, Curry, and Nene are actually starting to live up to the expectations that came with their respective teams giving them large deals....but those deals weren't exactly earned at the time they were given.

For arguments sake, the Bulls had absolutely no interest in JR Smith and he was only really included for salary issues. He was traded a few weeks later for 2 second round picks to the Nuggets. So essentially, PJ Brown + filler was traded straight up for Chandler. That proved to be a very savvy trade for the Hornets.

I realize that the Spurs didn't exactly have the appropriate pieces to receive Chandler's contract, but he was the ideal player that was "available" last summer. But a trade wasn't reasonable last season from the Spurs' end and I know that.

You had simply asked "Who would have been better than Butler that was available last summer" and I replied. There were centers on the market last year that would have been good...but they were either unreasonably priced, too difficult to acquire, or too attached to their current home.

[AFBlue]

For arguments sake, the Bulls had absolutely no interest in JR Smith and he was only really included for salary issues. He was traded a few weeks later for 2 second round picks to the Nuggets. So essentially, PJ Brown + filler was traded straight up for Chandler. That proved to be a very savvy trade for the Hornets.

I realize that the Spurs didn't exactly have the appropriate pieces to receive Chandler's contract, but he was the ideal player that was "available" last summer. But a trade wasn't reasonable last season from the Spurs' end and I know that.

You had simply asked "Who would have been better than Butler that was available last summer" and I replied. There were centers on the market last year that would have been good...but they were either unreasonably priced, too difficult to acquire, or too attached to their current home.

Just playing devil's advocate aye? :cooldevil

It's cool.

I was just trying to dispel Sequ's notion that there were much better options out there with the $5.5M the Spurs had at their disposal....and I'm right.

On Butler, the book is far from written. I think this kid could be a legitimate piece to the Spurs' future, and I hope he begins to prove me right starting today at 3.

[samikeyp]

So with Sanikidze coming over for the summer league, does that mean he has a shot at the roster?

[AFBlue]

So with Sanikidze coming over for the summer league, does that mean he has a shot at the roster?

No one on the roster outside of Butler has a guaranteed contract with the club and there's potentially two open spots (if White is cut before 1 Aug), so I suppose any one of those players have a shot.

I would still consider it a longshot, but it's certainly possible.

[samikeyp]

Cool. Thanks.

I guess if one of those guys does well he could also be used in trades too.

[Darkwaters]

So with Sanikidze coming over for the summer league, does that mean he has a shot at the roster?

I don't know that Sanikidze has shown enough consistently to really be considered this year. And with the roster crunch going on, I think it's even less likely. Suffice it to say that unless the kid absolutely blows up, destroys everything in his path, shuts down players like Kevin Durant (despite the fact that we don't play the Seattle Prestis) and scores all over every and anything then he won't make the roster. But if he does have a super solid showing in summer league then the Spurs could possibly pencil him into the plans for the next season (since we do own his rights anyways) and watch him more closely next season hoping he gains consistency.

[whottt]

Butler will tear up the Summer League...there is absolutely no doubt on my part he will dominate it offensively.


Scoring is not Butler's problem, that's what he is good at doing. I think what kept him on the bench last season was his conditioning, the fact that he doesn't move much on D, and adjusting to the team. He probably wasn't practicing hard either...but the kid can score around the basket, with above average offensive talent for a bigman.

[Darkwaters]

Butler will tear up the Summer League...there is absolutely no doubt on my part he will dominate it offensively.


Scoring is not Butler's problem and I think what kept him on the bench last season was his conditioning, the fact that he doesn't move much on D, and adjusting to the team. He probably wasn't practicing hard either...but the kid can score around the basket, with above average offensive talent for a bigman.

I know from my time playing sports that I always preferred playing games or scrimmages to running drills and practices. Practice is boring, repetitive and really not fun. Games, on the other hand, are very fun. I really think that Butler just didn't have the motivation to practice hard and lost favor with the team. But I'm sure that when presented with ample playing time on a Summer League team we'll see a lot of life out of him and he will knock some heads off. I just think he needs to mature and realize that practice is, regardless of what AI says, very important. But his on the court game is there and should only get better.

[Darkwaters]

I realize that the games are webcast...but does that mean that I have to watch them live? Or can I watch them after the fact later tonight?

[whottt]

I know from my time playing sports that I always preferred playing games or scrimmages to running drills and practices. Practice is boring, repetitive and really not fun. Games, on the other hand, are very fun. I really think that Butler just didn't have the motivation to practice hard and lost favor with the team. But I'm sure that when presented with ample playing time on a Summer League team we'll see a lot of life out of him and he will knock some heads off. I just think he needs to mature and realize that practice is, regardless of what AI says, very important. But his on the court game is there and should only get better.


The impression I get is that the Spurs told him not to expect to play much last season, and he said ok, I won't. And that set the tone for his season. He just accepted it...


Butler has offenive talent, he's got some skill....but IMO, regardless of what the Spurs told him...they would have loved for him to crack the rotation, and if he was practicing bettert han Elson or Butler...he would have done so. So obviously, he hasn't exactly morphed into Moses Malone like they were hoping(or maybe he's turned into Moses defensively :D ), but if he gets minutes and the ball, he'll put some points on the board at a nice PCT. He's never had a problem scoring when given minutes.

[Switchman]

I realize that the games are webcast...but does that mean that I have to watch them live? Or can I watch them after the fact later tonight?

Yeah I am wondering this too. I'll be at work without internet at 3 :(