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Well done Desmond. Good signing he's exactly what we need scoring.
Well done Desmond. Good signing he's exactly what we need scoring.
Hopefully he can become the next Stephen Jackson. Thats all i hope for. Jax wasnt a great athlete and wasnt a great "create your own shot" kinda guy but he was a fantastic role player who took a lot of burden off the superstars with the Spurs.
Although Jax was turnover prone he was still one of the most clutch spurs players we have ever seen....and for those who forgot how he was, check this out.....
Updated.
Farmer makes final Spurs cut, hopes it will be last
By Jeff McDonald
There was no wild celebration when Desmon Farmer got the news. He didn't let out a whoop, didn't flash his soon-to-be-trademarked toothy grin, didn't dare offer his new head coach a commemorative fist bump.
It was late Friday night when Spurs coach Gregg Popovich informed Farmer that he'd survived what is likely to be the final cut of training camp. The best reaction Farmer could muster was stone silence.
I didn't know if I was getting cut or if I was making it, Farmer said Sunday. It shocked me a little bit. It didn't really kick in until the next day.
Farmer's measured response was understandable. When you've opened the door to Ed McMahon on more than one occasion, only to have him pull the Publisher's Clearinghouse check out of your hands at the last moment, you approach even good news with caution.
The Spurs made official Sunday a decision they'd actually rendered two nights earlier, waiving rookie Malik Hairston in favor of Farmer, a 27-year-old journeyman of a swingman who, in the mother of all backhanded compliments, rates as one of the all-time greats in the history of the NBA's Development League.
Barring some unforeseen development before today's 5 p.m. roster deadline, Farmer should start the season on the Spurs' 15-man roster. This marks a signpost in his journey back to the NBA, after an eight-game cup of Starbucks with Seattle in 2006.
I'm just happy to be here, happy to be in the NBA again, said Farmer, who came to camp as a nonroster invitee. I'm just hoping to take advantage of it.
It isn't quite accurate to consider Farmer a basketball version of Crash Davis after all, he only spent part of three seasons in the NBA hinterlands. It only felt like three decades.
Farmer stands as the NBA Development League's career scoring leader with 2,238 points, which is a bit like being called the most musically talented Monkee. It's a designation worth bragging about, but only to a point.
Undrafted out of Southern California in 2004, Farmer played 48 games with the Tulsa 66ers in 2005-06, and returned for 32 the next season after Seattle waived him.
After being pink-slipped from Indiana Pacers camp last year, Farmer wound up with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, a D-League outpost based in Hidalgo, 250 miles due south of San Antonio. He played 33 games there and averaged 24.7 points
All the while, Farmer wondered what he had to do to advance to a league in which the meal money would spring for a steak, instead of a fast-food hamburger.
I didn't really know what (NBA scouts) were looking for out of me, he said.
Heading to camp, Farmer was considered a marginal bet to make the Spurs' roster.
By the end, the rivalry for the 15th spot became a two-man tug-of-war between Farmer and Hairston, a guard the Spurs acquired in a draft-day swap with Phoenix for second-round pick Goran Dragic in June.
Hairston enjoyed a fine defensive camp and generally seemed to adapt well to the Spurs' system. One of the Spurs' fears going forward is that Hairston will land with another NBA team.
Farmer, however, played well enough to make the Spurs feel comfortable giving him another NBA shot. He averaged 8.1 points in seven preseason games, hitting on 13 of 28 3-pointers.
He did exactly what he did when he played in the NBDL, said Spurs forward Bruce Bowen, who earlier in his career spent time in the shoes of both Farmer and Hairston. He scored, he shot the ball well from three. He stuck with what he does, and it paid off for him.
Over the past three weeks, Spurs coaches have come to love Farmer's fearlessness.
Some compare him to Stephen Jackson, another take-no-prisoners gunner who made the Spurs out of camp in 2001 and has since blossomed into a bona fide NBA scorer.
Of course, Farmer didn't return to the NBA's doorstep by being Stephen Jackson.
(The Spurs) basically just told me to be Desmon Farmer.
If they saw the conference finals they wouldn't have voted that way again. He was abused so badly it was sad. His days of even being annoying to Kobe are over.
...or not.
Very interesting. I wonder if this means the Spurs are open to reacquiring Hairston at some point in the future?
I would be surprised if he isn't picked it up..
the Spurs FO has made many questionable decisions the past few years, but there might not be a team that scouts better..somebody will pick him up, not only for his potential, but because he was scouted by a team with great history for picking out talent..
I'm pretty excited about Farmer making the team. (Well, about as excited as you could be for a 15th man who could very likely not play a meaningful minute this year.)
Farmer has been an intriguing player for a long while. While he's a flawed player, the one thing he can do is score the ball. He has a fearlessness about him that you don't find in many players. Like a lot of us have said, he has a Stephen Jackson quality about him in terms of toughness and never being afraid to shoot the rock.
The Spurs don't have a lot of offensive toughness on the perimeter outside of the Big Three. They have a lot of guys who can hit open shots but they don't have a lot of aggressive scorers who can create and aren't afraid to rock the boat. Farmer could potential fill that void.
I'll be interested to see how much of a shot Pop will give to Farmer. Honestly, Farmer could have very well played better than Mason during the preseason. And while Udoka had a strong finish to his preseason, Farmer was more consistent throughout.
I do wonder what the long term plans are for Farmer. As I've said previously, he could just be a stop gap until Manu is healthy and then could be released (likely in a move that would bring back Hairston or a similar young prospect to put on the Toros). As a stop gap, Farmer likely will be used as depth in case of another perimeter injury or he could be called upon if the Spurs find out they can't score without Manu.
If he isn't a stop gap, will the Spurs send him to Austin? Farmer doesn't have much left to prove on the D-League level so I'm not sure what good that will do. However, Farmer is an age where he could be kept around and then he could work himself into the Spurs rotation as an eventual replacement for Finley.
The thing I like best about Farmer is he is a player I can imagine who could thrive under the pressure of the playoffs. As a designated bench scorer, I think he could come in and light it up and help the team with his aggressiveness. He's never going to be a lockdown defender or a guard who can run the team but as we saw last season, there is something to be said about having a player who can end a team-wide offensive slump.
So(timvp), who do you think will join Ian and Manu in a suit come Wednesday?
Probably Tolliver. Not sure if Tolliver will even be with the team.
However, if Tolliver is with the team, he might be active considering the foul trouble Shaq can get the bigs in. If Tolliver isn't inactive, it'll be Farmer. Longshot would be Hill if he's still sick or the Spurs want to take their time with his thumb injury.
first off, I wasn't happy that the Spurs have chosen Farmer over Hairston, but since it's become a fact, I try to see the positive. what you said I was also thinking, Farmer looked a bit like the player Mason was supposed to be.
if we consider, that one year ago the then 27 years old Mason didn't have a that much better looking NBA history than Farmer (just one season with not impressive numbers), we are talking about somehow similar players. so, what if Farmer turns out to be the better player for the Spurs? will we have another 3 million making bench warmer in Mason?
(on a positive note: assuming that the Spurs are working on a deadline trade for a big, a contract like Mason's might be a nice filler piece. if another team wants it all all.)
If defense is not his staple then some of that pressure will come from not being part of the regular rotation. He gonna have to score with limited opportunities, mins and touches. I've yet to see the guy play so can't comment.. just hope for the best going into the season especially on those scoring droughts. If he can score on an instant with out much fuss and not go shy on the team like many other players do. Then he should help the Spurs long after Manu returns.
I wonder if they'll ever put JV on the IR. If Hill is healthy, and we signed Farmer for scoring, JV doesn't seem as needed. I understand the desire to have him on the team but I'd prefer to keep him on the IR and let him mentor in practice.
In the McDonald post above, he references the fact that Farmer has played parts of two seasons in the D-League
Undrafted out of Southern California in 2004, Farmer played 48 games with the Tulsa 66ers in 2005-06, and returned for 32 the next season after Seattle waived him.
If that is true, wouldn't he no longer be eligible for D-League assignment?
Last edited by SenorSpur; 10-27-2008 at 11:56 AM.
the only problem i see with farmer is his height. S-Jax was a good 6'8'' so he could get his shot over most SG's or SF's.
Farmer is 6'5'' and seems to be a little short for most SG's.
Not really. Manu and Kobe are both 6'6 and DWade is 6'4. Capt. Jack was actually closer to the size of a SF/PF tweener who played like a SG. Farmer's game is pure SG, so he will probably be guarded by players that are close to his size. If I remember correctly he had a nice high release, so he should not have and problems shooting over defenders.
Since I didn't get the chance to see him during preseason, I'm looking forward to seeing this kid play. Hope he's not buried deep on the bench during Manu's absence.
Lets Hope Spurs Blow Out Suns And Portland And We Can See Him!
Well, I hope Farmer can bring in the offensive punch consistently. If he does, then I don't mind it one bit.
http://www.themonitor.com/sports/alu...call_gets.html
Another Vipers alum gets call to NBA
Farmer makes Spurs' opening-day roster
October 27, 2008 - 7:49PM
Todd Mavreles
The Monitor
McALLEN - During the 2007-08 NBA Development League season, Desmon Farmer proved he had an NBA-ready game by averaging 24.7 points per game and throwing in shots from 25 feet and beyond. Like any D-League player, all he needed was the opportunity to prove he belonged. The San Antonio Spurs gave Farmer that chance by inviting him to training camp, and now he's in the NBA.
Farmer, 27, is the latest D-League alum to make it to the NBA as the former Rio Grande Valley Vipers shooting guard is on the Spurs' opening-day roster as the season tips off tonight.
Farmer was the Spurs' fourth-leading scorer during the preseason with 8.1 points per game and shot 46.4 percent on 3-point attempts.
Farmer's status could change once Manu Ginobili (ankle) returns from the injured list, but for the time being the Vipers will make plans to not have Farmer, despite holding out hope of keeping a spot for the 6-foot-5 Southern Cal product.
"(For the Spurs) it came down to (Farmer) and Malik Harrison. I talked to his agent (Monday), and at least for the short term until Ginobili comes back (he'll be there)," Vipers coach Clay Moser said. "It really goes back to the conversation we had when I had to send in my protected list, when I had to pick him or Jesse Smith to protect. I thought Desmon was worth the gamble. It didn't pay off but it'll help us attract guys in the future."
Farmer is the second Vipers player to be signed by the NBA. Guard C.J. Watson was claimed by the Golden State Warriors last year and was slated to be their starting point guard before suffering an elbow injury during the preseason. He is on Golden State's injured list. Smith, meanwhile, was chosen by Reno in the D-League expansion draft.
Looks like you are right on this one. I wonder if he can get enough PT to showcase what he is capable of? If not then the options you suggested would be fine with me.
Well that is what most people have said on here. Looks like the Spurs are willing to gamble. Take the scorer until Gino comes back, then hopefully Hairston is still available and you then cut Farmer.
hmm interesting. If the Spurs aren't planning on keeping Farmer after Manu comes back then they probably should have just signed Hairston.
Unless the Spurs are going to give him a real chance until Manu comes back to see what he does with it. What do the Spurs do if he gets court time and plays really well? Do the Spurs till cut him for Hairston?
It's possible. If this information is coming from the mouth of his agent then Farmer knows he is going to have to play balls out in every minute he gets. We'll see how it plays out.
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