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Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Little chance draft picks will be with team next season
Mike Monroe
Express-News
Judging from what the Spurs have done since sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, the team's basketball operations staff is committed to defending the title with the 2006-07 roster nearly intact.
The Spurs took Tiago Splitter, a 6-foot-11 center-forward from Brazil, with the 28th pick in the first round of Thursday's NBA draft. Five spots later, in the second round, they selected Marcus Williams, a 6-7 forward from Arizona.
Neither figures to be to be on the roster next season.
Splitter is under contract to Tau Cerámica of the Spanish League for the 2007-08 season and has a hefty buyout clause that effectively prevents the Spurs from even considering bringing him to training camp.
Williams may be in Spurs training camp, but likely will spend the regular season with the Austin Toros, the National Basketball Development League team the Spurs are in the process of buying.
Everything that has happened since the Spurs' victory parade points to the club's commitment to the roster that went 16-4 in the postseason:
Starting big guard Michael Finley's decided to exercise the final year of the three-year contract and stay put.
Starting center Fabricio Oberto opted out of the final year of his deal, but has said he intends to re-sign with the Spurs.
The team has said it plans to fully guarantee the final seasons of the contracts for starting small forward Bruce Bowen and super-sub Robert Horry.
And the draft-day selections of players believed useful in the future, rather than next season.
"Unless circumstances change, I would imagine we'll do what we can to keep as much of the team intact as we can," general manager R.C. Buford said in response to a question about the Bowen and Horry contracts.
"Our intention is to give these guys a chance to defend their title."
Unless the Spurs waive Bowen and Horry by 12 a.m. Sunday, their partially guaranteed final seasons automatically convert to fully guaranteed deals.
Forward Matt Bonner and point guard Jacque Vaughn become unrestricted free agents Sunday. The Spurs are expected to make every effort to re-sign both players within the guidelines of their business model.
Drafting Splitter and Williams fits that model. Because Splitter won't sign a rookie contract this summer guaranteeing him at least $782,000 under league guidelines for first-rounders, the Spurs save that amount on next season's salary cap figure.
Splitter, who has played professionally since age 16, likely would have been a lottery choice Thursday had it not been for his current contract with Tau Cerámica.
The Spurs can afford to wait.
They continue to wait on Splitter's Tau Cerámica teammate, Argentine forward Luis Scola, their second-round pick in 2002; and on Ian Mahinmi, the French forward who was their first-round selection in 2005.
"Splitter's contract is more defined (than Scola's)," 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."
Splitter has played in Europe since 2001, for Tau Cerámica since 2003. He has intrigued NBA scouts since submitting his name as draft-eligible in 2004, when he impressed scouts at a pre-draft workout in Chicago. However, he withdrew his name then, and again in 2005 and 2006. Many NBA player personnel officials had him projected as a lottery pick in 2005 and 2006.
Last season, Splitter averaged 11.2 points per game, on 61.3 percent shooting, and 5.2 rebounds in 28 games with Tau Cerámica in Spanish League play; and 10.7 points per game, on 58 percent shooting, and 6.0 rebounds in 20 Euroleague games.
A member of the Brazilian National Team, Splitter was the youngest player in the 2002 FIBA World Championships in Indianapolis, playing at age 17.
Buford said the Spurs had only one player ahead of Splitter on their draft board, but he was gone long before it was the Spurs' turn to select.
"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."
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...t.349698b.html
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
Good read. I expected Williams to be sent to the D-League anyways.
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
It says Williams will spend the season in the D-League but does that mean he will still take up a roster spot?
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
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Williams may be in Spurs training camp, but likely will spend the regular season with the Austin Toros, the National Basketball Development League team the Spurs are in the process of buying.
That doesn't make much sense.
Monroe seems to think that instead of signing with the Spurs, Williams will just sign with the Toros. Unless there is some loophole I'm unaware of, that's not how it works.
The way I see it playing out is Williams will be signed by the Spurs and then after training camp, he'll be sent to the Toros. IIRC, the D-League season doesn't even start until three to four weeks after the NBA season starts.
The main difference is Monroe seems to think that Williams won't need to count as on the roster but I think he has to. Right now, the Spurs biggest problem is it seems like they have very little roster room to adjust at all. If Williams replaces Ely and the other free agents are re-signed, the Spurs' roster is back at 15.
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
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Starting center Fabricio Oberto opted out of the final year of his deal, but has said he intends to re-sign with the Spurs.
"Our intention is to give these guys a chance to defend their title."
plus that explanation about Splitter's contract-what a relief.
I feel sad for Scola.
JV and the Bonner are expected to return?
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
There is a reason they bought the Toros on the same day ;-)
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
Decent article...but I think hes confused with how this whole D-League thing will likely work.
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
We discussed this the other day and I never could find any definitive answer on whether or not players that the Spurs have the rights to can be signed by the Torors, instead of the Spurs, freeing up roster space and being cheaper.
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
Didn't one of the Spurs execs say when they announced the purchase of the Toros that the league needs to look into changing the rules in regards to contracts in the Dleague? Maybe I'm wrong.
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
Just a reminder, the Spurs publicly acted like bringing back Nazr was an option when it never was at all. I have even read on here some people get on Nazr and ask how it turned out for him choosing Detroit over SA when there was never even an offer made by SA.
I think most of the FA's are gone because it is the way to make space on the roster.
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
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"Our intention is to give these guys a chance to defend their title."
Looks like the front office post-championship smugness will strike again.
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Originally Posted by ploto
Just a reminder, the Spurs publicly acted like bringing back Nazr was an option when it never was at all. I have even read on here some people get on Nazr and ask how it turned out for him choosing Detroit over SA when there was never even an offer made by SA.
Just a reminder, Spurs just won a title, while Nazr couldn't get off the pine in Detroit in the playoffs and Rasho was already back in Slovenia fishing.
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
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Originally Posted by ploto
We discussed this the other day and I never could find any definitive answer on whether or not players that the Spurs have the rights to can be signed by the Torors, instead of the Spurs, freeing up roster space and being cheaper.
D-League teams have always been able to sign free agents to fill out their rosters. However NBA teams can only send a certain number down to D-League and it does take up a roster spot.
With the Spurs buying the Toros, they now control who the Toros sign. So if they did not want to take up a roster spot then they could cut Williams with the understanding that the Toros would then sign him and they would resign him during the year if he did well or sign him at the end of the season for the following year.
The Spurs can now also sign players that they like on other team's summer leagues that they think may work out and they want to see how they pick up their system. The Toros will be running the Spurs' system now.
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
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Originally Posted by Sam
The Spurs can now also sign players that they like on other team's summer leagues that they think may work out and they want to see how they pick up their system. The Toros will be running the Spurs' system now.
The Spurs might also have a leg up signing undrafted players to SL since the players know the Spurs have an NBDL team.
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
On principal, with a team this old it's probably a bad idea to try to defend without making any changes whatsoever, but oh, well.
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
Thats what I said draft night....
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
I would think that if the Spurs tried out Williams in the preseason and then dropped him off the roster, then Williams would be free to sign wherever he liked.
Can a player take up an NBA roster spot and play for another team? That sounds fishy to me.
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
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Originally Posted by T Park
Thats what I said draft night....
No, you had a meltdown over the Spurs trading away some Greek unkown SF that you had never seen play.
I hope this is the CIA effect going on, because if not we have some ignorant ass mofos running the Spurs.
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
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Originally Posted by Sam
With the Spurs buying the Toros, they now control who the Toros sign. So if they did not want to take up a roster spot then they could cut Williams with the understanding that the Toros would then sign him and they would resign him during the year if he did well or sign him at the end of the season for the following year.
If the Spurs cut him, they lose all rights to him.
The idea is to not sign him to a Spurs contract, but to a Toros contract, from the get go. You get to develop him, watch him, ... but he does not get paid an NBA salary nor take up a spot on your team. The player agrees to do this simply because he knows that the Spurs control whether or not he EVER gets to the NBA.
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
I don't understand the spurs thinking that they will just sit with the current roster as is and not try to look for ways to get even better. If there is a good trade available they should make it.
They should always look to get better.
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
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Originally Posted by rascal
I don't understand the spurs thinking that they will just sit with the current roster as is and not try to look for ways to get even better. If there is a good trade available they should make it.
They should always look to get better.
The Spurs front office has had the same dumbass plan for every summer after they won a title, and it's contributed greatly to them never repeating.
Looks like stupidity/arrogance is going to reign supreme again.
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
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Originally Posted by rascal
I don't understand the spurs thinking that they will just sit with the current roster as is and not try to look for ways to get even better. If there is a good trade available they should make it.
They should always look to get better.
The great thing with veterans is that they are ready to contribute NOW. Even the most solid of rookies usually spend a considerable part of the season just adjusting to the NBA. But at 28 and 33 you can't expect to get "the most solid of NBA rookies" but instead what happens to fall to you. Marcus Williams is at least a year away but I could see him chipping in within a year or two. Considering our wing slots are crammed full for the next season its not a bad idea to take a guy that is less NBA ready and has more upside....especially if he can be stashed in Austin on a Toros contract (and off the Spurs' roster). Tiago Splitter is one the most NBA ready players from this year's draft and should contribute immediately...in a year. But with solid vets like Horry, Oberto and Duncan the team doesn't need help in the NOW. Plus, if Butler is ready to chip in next season (and Elson adjusts in his second year in the system) the Spurs could considerably better off in the frontcourt than last season.
All and all, I think the draft went reasonably well.
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
"They should always look to get better."
RC and Pop have repeated over the years that they are ALWAYS looking to improve the roster, talking in the background to everybody all the time.
What the hell else are RC and the scouts supposed to do?
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
If Williams is signed by the Spurs, I believe he is part of the 15 man roster and counts against the salary cap. Currently, the Spurs can only send two players to Austin, the rest are assigned by the league and available to all teams as FA's. The Toros cannot out and out "sign" a player. I'm sure RC wants to change the entire system, as it makes very little sense if the developmental league eventually becomes a real "minors" system.
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
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Originally Posted by kyleo
If Williams is signed by the Spurs, I believe he is part of the 15 man roster and counts against the salary cap. Currently, the Spurs can only send two players to Austin, the rest are assigned by the league and available to all teams as FA's. The Toros cannot out and out "sign" a player. I'm sure RC wants to change the entire system, as it makes very little sense if the developmental league eventually becomes a real "minors" system.
Why can't the Toros just sign Williams? Didn't Ricky Sanchez do just that?
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
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Originally Posted by Darkwaters
Why can't the Toros just sign Williams? Didn't Ricky Sanchez do just that?
Just what I've been told by people who I assume know better. I'll look around and see what I can find.
EDIT - I think when Ricky Sanchez signed with the Idaho Stampede initially they were part of the Continental Basketball Association, although his rights were owned by Nuggets. When he was sent down to them later (post '05-'06), they were then officially a part of the NBDL. That might explain the discrepancy.
LINK
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
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Originally Posted by boutons_
"They should always look to get better."
RC and Pop have repeated over the years that they are ALWAYS looking to improve the roster, talking in the background to everybody all the time.
What the hell else are RC and the scouts supposed to do?
Their actions don't always back up their words.
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
That they haven't made trades the please dickless twerps doesn't mean they aren't always looking to get better.
Your logic is simply fucked, whether it be politics or sports.
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
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Originally Posted by boutons_
That they haven't made trades the please dickless twerps doesn't mean they aren't always looking to get better.
Your logic is simply fucked, whether it be politics or sports.
boutons bot is on short circuit again today :lol
If your reading comprehension sucks this bad, just scroll, bitch.
The Spurs have often fallen into the trap of either doing nothing or gutting the role players and bringing in a bunch of new ones after winning a title.
Looks like we are headed down that path again, and go ahead and refresh my memory - how has that worked out for the Spurs in the past? Yeha, lots of repeats...
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
If Butler and White actually get minutes then we could have youth and stay with the "same" team we already have.
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Re: Spurs unlikely to alter roster - Draft picks won't be with team
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Originally Posted by rascal
I don't understand the spurs thinking that they will just sit with the current roster as is and not try to look for ways to get even better. If there is a good trade available they should make it.
They should always look to get better.
This group has been together for 2, 3 years or longer. They know each other and they know the system.
Who are you going to bring in that can immediately pick up the chemistry and learn the system overnight?
As long as the group of guys we have now continue to stay healthy through the RS, there is no reason in the world they can't repeat the post season the same as this past one.
I have to agree that after next season though, they are going to have to start looking for some new blood. And it looks like they may be using this years draft for those purposes.
