Spurs Sign Langford

[DynastyBuilder]

Spurs Sign Keith Langford - http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/langford_071228.html (http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/langford_071228.html)

[duncan228]

http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/archives/2007/12/jeff_mcdonald_i.html

Jeff McDonald: It's official -- Langford a Spur

Hours after waiving point guard Darius Washington, the Spurs have signed one of his former Austin Toros teammates.

Keith Langford, the former University of Kansas standout who was a training-camp cut of the Spurs in October, will join the team for tonight's game against the Raptors. Langford averaged 23.2 points and 6.2 rebounds in nine games with the Toros, the Spurs' NBA Developmental League affiliate.

If nothing else, the Spurs are putting their farm system to good use. Langford becomes the third Toro to make the jump to the big club this season. He will join Marcus Williams -- another recently signed former Toro -- on the Spurs' bench tonight.

Langford, the sixth-leading scorer in KU history, went undrafted out of college in 2005. He spent the two seasons since bouncing between Europe and the American minor leagues. Langford has never played in a regular-season NBA game.

[timvp]

http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84065

^^Covered in the Washington thread.

[SequSpur]

yawn..............

[ChumpDumper]

Some interesting quotes from Langford's agent:

Spurs ink former Jayhawk Langford

After successful D-League stint, guard rejoins team that cut him in preseason

By Gary Bedore

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Keith Langford, who was not selected in the 2005 NBA Draft despite being the sixth-leading scorer in Kansas University history, signed a contract Friday with the San Antonio Spurs.

Langford, 24, was plucked from the roster of the Austin (Texas) Toros, where he averaged 23.2 points and 6.2 rebounds in nine games for the NBA Developmental League team affiliated with the Spurs.

Langford made his NBA debut Friday night. He missed his only shot attempt and failed to score while playing four minutes, four seconds in the Spurs’ 83-73 home loss to the Toronto Raptors.

“After he was cut in the preseason, coach Popovich (Gregg, Spurs) told him to go down to the D-League and be more aggressive, to have more of a killer instinct,” said Langford’s agent, Michael Whitaker of Reid Entertainment in Maryland.

“He said, ‘This league is all about kill or be killed. With the game you have, the explosiveness you have, use it.’ Look at the numbers he put up. The motivation was from coach Popovich doing the talking.”

Langford declined six-figure offers from teams in Germany, Greece and Slovenia to attend Spurs’ preseason camp, where he was a late cut. Instead of heading overseas, he elected to try to turn some heads in the D-League.

“It was a big financial risk. It paid off for him. He just needs to maximize the opportunity with the Spurs,” Whitaker said. “With (Brent) Barry out two weeks (torn left calf muscle) and (Manu) Ginobili out (sprained index finger), there’s a chance he’ll get an opportunity. He has to make the most of it.”

Whitaker said Langford stands to make about $6,000 per game until Jan. 10, when the Spurs must decide if they want to guarantee his contract.

If Langford is kept on the roster past Jan. 10, he would make $278,000 the rest of the season, the agent said.

“He understands the contract is not guaranteed until Jan. 10,” Whitaker said. “As a player, you look for a shot. He’s getting a shot.

“They like him. They told me he came close to making the team in camp. He had a real good camp. He knew he played well enough in camp to make it. He figured, ‘I’m really close,’ so he went to the D-League, where he was tearing it up. Now he has to play like he belongs.”

Langford had a recent workout with the Denver Nuggets, who decided not to sign him. If he’s cut by the Spurs, any other NBA team has the right to tender him an offer.

The Spurs cut point guard Darius Washington to make room for Langford, who spent last season with Vanoli Soresina in Italy and averaged 19.7 points and 4.8 rebounds in 34 games. During the 2005-06 season, he spent time with the Fort Worth Flyers of the D-League and the Kansas Cagerz of the USBL.

He becomes the 10th Jayhawk to be on an NBA roster during the ’07-08 season. He joins Billy Thomas (New Jersey), Nick Collison (Seattle), Drew Gooden (Cleveland), Kirk Hinrich (Chicago), Raef LaFrentz (Portland), Paul Pierce (Boston), Scot Pollard (Boston), Jacque Vaughn (San Antonio) and Julian Wright (New Orleans).

http://www2.kusports.com/news/2007/dec/29/spurs_ink_former_jayhawk_langford/

[timvp]

Nice find. Langford was giving a shot in tonight's game against the Raptors. He responded by taking a shot he hesitated on and then being late on a defensive rotation. We'll see if he can play better when/if given his next shot.

[Rummpd]

At least he appears to have the build to match up for a few minutes with the the big PGs that give Parker some trouble like D. Williams and B. Davis. But can he do it? Sad to see the other guy go though.