Did Williams get released?
No, he hasn't been waived.
I don't think that Williams is a serious candidate for that 15th spot. He hasn't been impressive last season and will be quite expensive to keep. For example, Keeping Williams as 15th player for the season will cost Spurs $1.87M more than keeping Fredette for the season.
Cheers Bruno for the clarification. I thought, though I must have been mistaken, that Williams' salary was at least partially guaranteed.
A player who should be viewed as a potential part of the training camp roster is Deshaun Thomas.
Thomas turned down re-signing with Barcelona in early July because he wants to give a try at the NBA. Since that he hasn't been linked with another European team. It's definitively a possibility that he will do like James Gist did few years ago and signs the required tender.
If Thomas is added, Spurs will have 19 players under contract and be only one short of the max roster size for training camp. They might want to keep that 20th spot open for the moment in case a good last minute candidate pops up or they might also go with 19 players which is plenty enough for training camp.
Not sure if he has any chance of making their roster but with Jimmer around I guess it didn't make much sense to stick with the Spurs.
You're right. I remember reading a Spanish article going over that. I don't know if the roster looks good or bad for him. Honestly, he showed some good flashes in Barca. If he's a legit wing (third string), then I think he can stick over Jimmer. Thomas is a pretty good scorer and rebounder, and he seemed like a willing and able passer in his summer-league stints. Would have liked to have seen him this season over Davies.
That he didn't play is interesting. He hasn't been in SA this summer as far as I know. There might be a dispute between him and the team over whether he's ready to come over. Might pull a McClinton, though I think he's more able to help an NBA team than Jack was.
Who is McClinton and what happened to him?
This undersized two-guard the Spurs drafted instead of Mills back in 2009. They wanted him to go overseas, and he rejected their offer and instead signed his one-year min tender (which teams have to offer to their second-rounders). He was cut after camp, and pretty much faded into obscurity.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_McClinton
Wow that is an interesting tidbit. Thanks for sharing. I guess the guy did not want to bet on his possibility of getting better. Thomas situation intrigues me too.
McClinton was cut before training camp. He asked to be waived after having signed the required tender when Spurs signed Keith "The Centerpiece" Bogans just before training camp. He realized he had no shot at making the roster. He later signed with Minny a TC contract and was cut only after 1 week.
I think it's pretty clear Spurs aren't interested in signing Thomas. If it was the case, he would have been signed otherwise in July and Spurs wouldn't have filled their roster with Bonner, Simmons and Fredette. To me, the question is if Thomas wants to come to the NBA with the required tender or if he will finally go back to Europe.
If he forces his way to the TC, he really shouldn't be blamed. He has spend two years in Europe and reached a good level. It's legit for him to want to try the NBA even if Spurs don't think he is good enough.
I think it's clear they'd rather him go back to Europe. But I was saying that I think Thomas has a chance to make the roster even if he has to force his way into a tryout. He seems like a more versatile player than Fredette, and he's cheaper
(thinking long-term here). I would hate to see the team lose his rights, but I also think it makes sense for him to make the leap this season. He'd probably get a call-up even if he's cut from SA, and if not, he has a pretty decent future in Europe.
Yep, I agree that he will have a legit shot at making the roster if he signs with Spurs. Fredette will still be the favorite for the last spot since Spurs decided to offer him that contract but Thomas certainly has a better shot at kicking Fredette of the roster than Williams, NDoye or Sykes.
A team with legit championship aspirations isn't going to go with three virtual rookies on the wings; two of which can't defend and none of which are knockdown shooters.
Thomas can shoot, but he's more scorer than shooter and they're looking for a dead eye type; not someone who's probably average to slightly above.
I can understand him not wanting to wait another year, but his chances could be better then, so long as they don't draft a wing in the 1st round, Ginobili retires and one of Anderson or Simmons has established themselves as a rotation player.
McClinton. I remember that scrub. Dude sucked in the summer league and a lot of posters were intrigued by him. Thankfully, Patty fell into the Spurs laps eventually.
It scares me to see Kyle Anderson as the number 2. Nobody else here seems concerned about this. Kyle " 9 minute mile" Anderson is our number 2 ...... Also, Jimmer is often dismissed, I think he will play a significant role.
No. No one should be concerned that Anderson is the backup three. Not even close.
Did you not see him last year against quality teams? The guy is a weak link.
He looked good to me. And who cares if the 10th man is the weak link in the playoffs? Like seriously. Between Green, Leonard, Manu and Mills, we're talking about a handful of minutes at the most. It's not worth worrying about, even disregarding the fact that Anderson looks like a great fit and that there are two other candidates for that spot.
Did you see him in December when he got minutes when Kawhi was out? He shot 50% from the field.
As I've said repeatedly, I'm skeptical about the fit, because I think a knockdown three-point shooter would be better than another creator.
That being said, the Warriors made it work last season with limited three-point shooting and before Ezeli replaced Speights, limited rim protection. In fact, the two benches remind me of each other. Similarities: Mills and Barbosa, Ginobili and Iguodala, Livingston and Anderson, Diaw and Barnes, West and Speights.
RJ 24 complaining per par
Carlos Delfino had another foot surgery last week and won't play with Argentina NT this summer. The surgery seemed minor (removal of a cyst) but it seems unlikely he will be ready for NBA training camp. Spurs brought him to SA this summer to look at him and with a good NT performance he might have been a surprise TC invite.
BTW, it was Delfino 5th foot surgery and he has been out for more than 2 years. It should be tough for him and it also show how a broken foot can be devastating for a player's career. Spurs being so careful with Marjanovic is partially explained that he could have developed a career threatening injury.
David Pick @IAmDPick
Spurs to workout Brazilian hulk Rafael Hettsheimeir, agent told me. Liked him at PanAm games.
Would have been more okay with that had they signed Withy to the deal the Jazz signed him to instead of Boban. I could see them letting Jeff and Raf battle it out for the sixth big spot. But Boban is guaranteed a seat (unless he's negotiating a buyout to play for the SNT or something). With NDoye on the roster, there's no need for another center, even for camp.
Helped in the Spanish League Championship win in 2013
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