Spurs Sign Bogans, Jerrells and Dwayne Jones, Waive McClinton

[Steve-O-Matic]

I think McClinton's position is valid. I see no reason to stick around if you aren't going to make the team. It's a business.

Totally disagree. He wouldn't have been just competing to make the Spurs roster, he would have been competing to make any NBA team's roster. For guys like McClinton, training camp and the pre-season is an audition for a roster spot with the entire league, not just the team you're with. McClinton had a chance to prove that he belonged in this league by showing some resolve, tenacity and compe iveness (not to mention professionalism) and fighting for a spot...while getting some pretty damn good coaching and mentoring with an elite franchise along the way. Instead he showed that he's a quitter who lacks the heart, mental makeup and intestinal for ude needed to survive (at least at this point). Now he's stuck without a team and in an even worse spot than before. Major mistake by McClinton who obviously got some bad advice from his old man.

[SPURSGOAT]

http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports...situation.html

Jack McClinton in a familar situation

Posted by Shandel Richardson on September 24, 2009 10:51 AM

When former UM guard Jack McClinton was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs, he called it a "great fit."

That once comforting feeling turned into a pair of jeans three sizes too small. With the Spurs recently signing veteran guard Keith Bogans, rookie Curtis Jerrells and center Dwayne Jones, the 6-foot-1 McClinton saw his chances of making the team go from slim to none. The Spurs have 18 players on the rosters, but will have to cut three before the season begins.

McClinton likely would have been among the departures. His father said the Spurs had interest in sending McClinton to Europe for a season.He instead requested the Spurs release him and will pursue free agency.

"They (the Spurs) kept making it more and more obvious," Jack McClinton Sr. said. "Signing Keith Bogans was basically the last straw. He thought he could go in and unseat those guys, but they continued to sign other guys."

McClinton expects to know something in a couple weeks, but finding a team won't be easy because it's so late in the process. Most teams have their rosters set for the veterans camp, which begin Monday.

McClinton Sr., said he wishes the move would have been made sooner, but knows his son will battle back. He's been in these situations throughout his career. He was lightly recruited out of high school and landed at Siena before transferring to UM, where he became a two-time All-ACC player.

The knock on McClinton now is he has no true position in the NBA.

"He's been down about it and discouraged, but it's the story of Jack's life," McClinton Sr. said. "One day he's going to write a book about it."

McClinton should have just went overseas to play for a year or two to get some good experience. Then he could come back to the NBA if he did well...would at least be earning a paycheck...

[lurker23]

Your contradicting yourself. In your first post you said the Spurs wasted a draft pick on McClinton. Then in this post, you said 2nd rounds picks rarely turn into players. WTF. McClinton was a long shot to begin with. Not too many 6'0" shooting guards make in the NBA. Alot of people compared McClinton to Eddie House, but House has bounced around this league for several years before finding a home with Boston. Maybe McClinton makes it some day, but it will take a few years IMO.

A few people have seemingly called me out on this, so let me clarify. When I said, "what a waste of a draft pick," I wasn't blaming the Spurs at all. The Spurs found a player they liked who can shoot lights out and they used a very low draft pick on him. When that player requested to be released, they did the classy thing and did as he asked. The Spurs started by making a savvy basketball move and ended by making a classy move that recognized that players are people. My hats off to them.

However, when I said "what a waste of a draft pick," I meant that the process after the pick of said player couldn't have gone any worse. Usually there's the following options with a second round draft pick:

1) Draft and stash overseas, with a slim chance of future success
2) Sign the player for camp, see what he can do on the court, and if he doesn't beat out the other guys on the roster, let him go
3) The player makes the team and plays for your franchise for 0.1 to 25 years

What happened with Jack McClinton was arguably worse than any of the 3 typical options. Not only did they lose his rights, they never got a chance to see his potential in camp. By the definition of the word, the pick was wasted. Draft picks, even 2nd round picks, are assets, and in this case that asset was lost with absolutely zero return. I wasn't using 20/20 hindsight to blame this lost asset on the Spurs, McClinton, or anyone else; I was simply expressing my frustration at the worst case scenario.

[coyotes_geek]

Totally disagree. He wouldn't have been just competing to make the Spurs roster, he would have been competing to make any NBA team's roster. For guys like McClinton, training camp and the pre-season is an audition for a roster spot with the entire league, not just the team you're with. McClinton had a chance to prove that he belonged in this league by showing some resolve, tenacity and compe iveness (not to mention professionalism) and fighting for a spot...while getting some pretty damn good coaching and mentoring with an elite franchise along the way. Instead he showed that he's a quitter who lacks the heart, mental makeup and intestinal for ude needed to survive (at least at this point). Now he's stuck without a team and in an even worse spot than before. Major mistake by McClinton who obviously got some bad advice from his old man.

Come on. He's not a quitter. He wants to be in the NBA this year and there was a 0% chance of that happening in San Antonio. Yeah, training camp is an audition for the entire league, but if you're trying to get into the league you're still much better off having that audition with a team who has roster spots available. If you only had one interview would you rather it be with the guy who has a job to offer, or someone who doesn't have a job to offer whom you have to hope is willing to pick up the phone to tell someone else that you interviewed well?

I get why as a Spurs fan you're bitter because the Spurs no longer hold any rights to the guy, but if you're McClinton you haven't done anything to hurt your NBA chances. Honestly, what's the worst case scenario for him here? He finds out that no NBA team is willing to give him a roster spot and he ends up in the NBDL with the Austin Toros because they get first dibs on him. In other words, exactly where most Spurs fans wanted him to be in the first place. He's back in the Spurs system, only as a free agent who's able to negotiate with 30 teams instead of 1. Not all that bad a spot to be in if you're him.

McClinton should have just went overseas to play for a year or two to get some good experience. Then he could come back to the NBA if he did well...would at least be earning a paycheck...

Europe isn't going anywhere. If he doesn't find a spot on an NBA team within the next month he can still go overseas and get that experience.

[Steve-O-Matic]

Come on. He's not a quitter. He wants to be in the NBA this year and there was a 0% chance of that happening in San Antonio. Yeah, training camp is an audition for the entire league, but if you're trying to get into the league you're still much better off having that audition with a team who has roster spots available. If you only had one interview would you rather it be with the guy who has a job to offer, or someone who doesn't have a job to offer whom you have to hope is willing to pick up the phone to tell someone else that you interviewed well?

I get why as a Spurs fan you're bitter because the Spurs no longer hold any rights to the guy, but if you're McClinton you haven't done anything to hurt your NBA chances. Honestly, what's the worst case scenario for him here? He finds out that no NBA team is willing to give him a roster spot and he ends up in the NBDL with the Austin Toros because they get first dibs on him. In other words, exactly where most Spurs fans wanted him to be in the first place. He's back in the Spurs system, only as a free agent who's able to negotiate with 30 teams instead of 1. Not all that bad a spot to be in if you're him.

First of all, I'm not bitter because the Spurs no longer hold any rights to McClinton, nor am I bitter for any reason. I didn't think much of the pick on draft night and I certainly don't think much of it now, so I'm not the least bit upset that McClinton is no longer Spurs property. Secondly, he is indeed a quitter. He didn't even make an attempt to compete for a spot or show his wares by asking to be released before camp even began. Anything could have happened - Ginobili could have gotten injured again, Hairston could have stunk up the joint, etc., etc. Instead, McClinton pissed away a training camp spot (with no guarantee that he'll get another one with another team) with a franchise that the rest of the NBA is always monitoring while simultaneously branding himself a heartless quitter with an exteremely questionable compe ive streak. NBA GM's aren't going to be burning up the phone lines to get their hands on a character like that, let alone one who already had enough to prove on the court due to his physical and basketball limitations. This was his one sure chance and he didn't even make an attempt. To say that he "(hasn't) done anything to hurt (his) NBA chances" is patently absurd.

[coyotes_geek]

First of all, I'm not bitter because the Spurs no longer hold any rights to McClinton, nor am I bitter for any reason. I didn't think much of the pick on draft night and I certainly don't think much of it now, so I'm not the least bit upset that McClinton is no longer Spurs property. Secondly, he is indeed a quitter. He didn't even make an attempt to compete for a spot or show his wares by asking to be released before camp even began. Anything could have happened - Ginobili could have gotten injured again, Hairston could have stunk up the joint, etc., etc. Instead, McClinton pissed away a training camp spot (with no guarantee that he'll get another one with another team) with a franchise that the rest of the NBA is always monitoring while simultaneously branding himself a heartless quitter with an exteremely questionable compe ive streak. NBA GM's aren't going to be burning up the phone lines to get their hands on a character like that, let alone one who already had enough to prove on the court due to his physical and basketball limitations. This was his one sure chance and he didn't even make an attempt. To say that he "(hasn't) done anything to hurt (his) NBA chances" is patently absurd.

What's absurd is you thinking that NBA GM's are going to hold it against a player for doing what he thought was best for his career. If a GM out there thinks McClinton can play he'll pick him up and won't think twice about what happened between McClinton and the Spurs.

Sure, there's no guarantee that McClinton will get a training camp invite. So what does McClinton do if that happens? He goes to europe or the nbdl. Same two options he had when the Spurs held his rights. He wasn't going to be a Spur this year no matter what. McClinton would have gone to training camp as eighth best shooting guard on the roster after Manu, Mason, Hill, Finley, Bogans, Hairston and Williams. When you're #8 on the depth chart and you can't play any other position, you're not making the squad no matter who gets hurt ahead of you.

[Steve-O-Matic]

It's not about making the squad you're with, because when you're a player like McClinton the team you go to camp with is more or less irrelevant - you're playing for a spot in the league itself as much as you are for a spot on that particular team. It's about seizing the opportunity no matter the odds, competing, demonstrating your skills and proving that you belong in the league so that - in the event you do get cut - another team will have seen enough of what you've done to want to add you to their squad. But apparently even that was too much to ask of McClinton and there are plenty of GM's who will most definitely hold that against him. They want compe ors, not quitters. Any GM who WOULD want McClinton now is asking for a loser. If McClinton thinks quitting on the team that just drafted him before the first practice is going to help his chances of making it in the NBA he's in for a rude awakening....which is already underway as he waits for the phone to ring.

[Blackjack]

First of all, I'm not bitter because the Spurs no longer hold any rights to McClinton, nor am I bitter for any reason. I didn't think much of the pick on draft night and I certainly don't think much of it now, so I'm not the least bit upset that McClinton is no longer Spurs property. Secondly, he is indeed a quitter. He didn't even make an attempt to compete for a spot or show his wares by asking to be released before camp even began. Anything could have happened - Ginobili could have gotten injured again, Hairston could have stunk up the joint, etc., etc. Instead, McClinton pissed away a training camp spot with a team that the rest of the NBA is always monitoring while simultaneously branding himself a heartless quitter with an exteremely questionable compe ive streak. To say that he "(hasn't) done anything to hurt (his) NBA chances" is patently absurd.

Except you're dismissing the very likely scenario that the Spurs laid out a very blunt and honest assessment of Jack's ability to make the team.

If you've followed the Spurs closely over the years and how they deal with players, especially those trying to break into the league, they do what's right by the player and give them all the help and info needed to make the most out of their opportunity.

All indications were that Jack was ecstatic to be a Spur and was eager to prove he belonged, so what was more likely given past history: a.) The Spurs, knowing they hadn't the room for Jack on the roster, informed him that if he wanted to play in the NBA this year he was going to have to do it elsewhere, and they'd grant him his release if that's really what he wished; or b.) Jack, a guy who's never had anything given to him when it comes to basketball, decided he'd much rather quit on the Spurs and go elsewhere than compete for a job.

The Spurs drafted Jack because they were high on him; he wasn't just some throw-away pick. But because they had a roster in flux and one with significant change, Jack's status with the Spurs took a hit.

My guess is that they drafted him with hopes of him making the roster, but more realistically just wanted him to be a part of the program. Their ideal scenario was to have him go overseas for a year, have him work on his game and then reassess his place on the team the following year when they would still hold his rights.

When Jack made his intentions clear that he wanted to be tendered the offer and play in the NBA instead of go overseas, he was in fact stating that he would stay and compete for the job, even against some stacked odds; odds that only became worse later on with the addition of Bogans.

Not an extremely smart move in hindsight, but definitely not one of a quitter.

When the writing was on the wall and Jack's fate with the Spurs was sealed, at least as it pertains to the Spurs holding his rights, I'm sure they sat down with Jack and again made him aware of the situation.

He was going to have to be cut, there wasn't a great opportunity for him to showcase his self during their TC for another team, and he was going to have to go elsewhere if he wanted to play this upcoming year in the NBA.

Of course, the Spurs being the Spurs, they sat him down and told him this prior to TC. They knew for him to have even the slightest shot of latching on with another team, a release prior to camp was the best thing they could do for Jack.

So, yeah, Jack asked for his release. But I don't think it's much of a stretch to assume the scenario I suggest and that his decision was made in conjunction with the Spurs, and not in spite of.

Jack believes in himself and his ability to play in the NBA, so he's doing everything possible to secure his spot.

He's not quitting on the Spurs, he's pursuing a dream that can't be realized on the Spurs; at least not this year.

And if he strikes out with all the other teams, he'll have a spot waiting for him with the Toros; something I selfishly hope to see.

[Steve-O-Matic]

Oh spare me the "pursuing his dream" bull . If he was truly pursuing his dream he would have relished the opportunity to compete and prove himself to the league. Instead he threw in the towel and now he's at home, without a team or a stage, Tweeting about how nothing is gonna stop him (except for himself, I suppose). He's a quitter in my book.

[ss1986v2]

Oh spare me the "pursuing his dream" bull . If he was truly pursuing his dream he would have relished the opportunity to compete and prove himself to the league. Instead he threw in the towel and now he's at home, without a team or a stage, Tweeting about how nothing is gonna stop him (except for himself, I suppose). He's a quitter in my book.

so if he gets a camp invite tomorrow from someone, that would invalidate everything you have said, no?

[MaNu4Tres]

McClinton quit on the Spurs. McClinton's father might have persuaded him into asking to get released because they both might have thought he wouldn't have had the opportunity to showcase his skills in pre-season games due to our over hauled talented roster. Problem with that is, it's going to be like that for him anywhere. He didn't do himself any better from quitting. And yes he did quit. He had an invite and obviously felt threatened by the Spurs' compe ion come training camp. He will be in Europe or the D-League.

[Blackjack]

Oh spare me the "pursuing his dream" bull . If he was truly pursuing his dream he would have relished the opportunity to compete and prove himself to the league. Instead he threw in the towel and now he's at home, without a team or a stage, Tweeting about how nothing is gonna stop him (except for himself, I suppose). He's a quitter in my book.

And these rants of yours have provided a whole bunch of fail, in my book.

When it comes to this topic, I'd suggest you do what what you'd like to assume Jack did..

Quit.

[coyotes_geek]

It's not about making the squad you're with, because when you're a player like McClinton the team you go to camp with is more or less irrelevant - you're playing for a spot in the league itself as much as you are for a spot on that particular team. It's about seizing the opportunity no matter the odds, competing, demonstrating your skills and proving that you belong in the league so that - in the event you do get cut - another team will have seen enough of what you've done to want to add you to their squad. But apparently even that was too much to ask of McClinton and there are plenty of GM's who will most definitely hold that against him. They want compe ors, not quitters. Any GM who WOULD want McClinton now is asking for a loser. If McClinton thinks quitting on the team that just drafted him before the first practice is going to help his chances of making it in the NBA he's in for a rude awakening....which is already underway as he waits for the phone to ring.

Come on dude, this isn't that difficult. McClinton can go to another team's camp and compete just as hard as he could have in San Antonio. In San Antonio, he'd be competing for a team that is guaranteed to cut him no matter how well he played. At some other team's camp, that might not be the case. Even if that phone never rings, he still ends up in the NBDL as a Toro in the exact same spot he'd have ended up had he stayed with San Antonio. He's got no downside here.

[coyotes_geek]

McClinton quit on the Spurs. McClinton's father might have persuaded him into asking to get released because they both might have thought he wouldn't have had the opportunity to showcase his skills in pre-season games due to our over hauled talented roster. Problem with that is, it's going to be like that for him anywhere. He didn't do himself any better from quitting. And yes he did quit. He had an invite and obviously felt threatened by the Spurs' compe ion come training camp. He will be in Europe or the D-League.

So if he ends up in europe or the d-league what did he lose by doing this? Nothing. If anything, he came out slightly ahead because now there's 30 teams who can make him an NBA player instead of just one.

Ultimately, two months from now McClinton is probably a Toro.

[Blackjack]

Except you're dismissing the very likely scenario that the Spurs laid out a very blunt and honest assessment of Jack's ability to make the team.

If you've followed the Spurs closely over the years and how they deal with players, especially those trying to break into the league, they do what's right by the player and give them all the help and info needed to make the most out of their opportunity.

So, yeah, Jack asked for his release. But I don't think it's much of a stretch to assume the scenario I suggest and that his decision was made in conjunction with the Spurs, and not in spite of.

48MoH - A source close to the Spurs confirmed McClinton’s account of the release, telling me that management...



Go figure..

[DPG21920]

Some interesting comments made by management about "roster locks".

[TIMMYD!]

Trade!Trade!Trade!

[EricB]

Looks like McClinton is in Minnesota.

Gonna give it a shot in Minny.

He most likely will stick there.

[coyotes_geek]

Sure didn't take McClinton long to find a landing spot. A pretty good one for a guy in his situation too. Minny definitely has some roster spots available and plenty of PT to devote to young guys.

[mountainballer]

reportedly the Wolves are negotiating a buy out with Daniels and also try to move/buy out Wilkins. if this happens, McClinton should have a good chance to make the roster. Sessions, Flynn, Brewer are pretty average to bad shooters, so a shooting specialist does have a niche there. (if McClinton finds his stroke in the camp)

[coyotes_geek]

reportedly the Wolves are negotiating a buy out with Daniels and also try to move/buy out Wilkins. if this happens, McClinton should have a good chance to make the roster. Sessions, Flynn, Brewer are pretty average to bad shooters, so a shooting specialist does have a niche there. (if McClinton finds his stroke in the camp)

You're describing the role Fred Hoiberg used to fill for the twolves. Now Hoiberg is Minny's VP of basketball operations. I wouldn't be surprised if Hoiberg is looking at McClinton and seeing a little bit of himself.

[mountainballer]

You're describing the role Fred Hoiberg used to fill for the twolves. Now Hoiberg is Minny's VP of basketball operations. I wouldn't be surprised if Hoiberg is looking at McClinton and seeing a little bit of himself.

good point.