Spurs' future draft picks

[mountainballer]

order of importance.

Small Forward
Athletic 4
point guard.

I would say the SF as the primary need is out of question, but after this the Spurs could well use an upgrade (better youth injection) at every position, so they should go for best talent, whatever position.
if a center with more potential than Elson, Oberto and Butler is on the board (quite a possibility) pick him. (Visser?).

about the athletic 4:
Sean Williams is the anti Spurs. but thanks to his stupidness and the half season suspension he is expectad to slip far down the board. he was once expected to be even a possible lottery pick, for sure a 1st rounder.
now the boards see him go mid 2nd round.

question to the forum: if the Spurs finally (and unexpected) get the Bulls 2nd rounder and Williams was still there.
would you risk this pick on him? in terms of athleticismn he is one of the best (if not THE best) in this draft class.
his potential on defense is probably the best of all bigs this year.
so would you bite and hope that an environment like the Spurs can change him? if it works, the upside is huge. if not, we have lost a pick we never thought we will ever get anyhow.

[mountainballer]

some might have noticed, that Marc Gasol is climbing up the mocks a bit, (nbadraft.net has him even at no.20), thanks to a decent season in Spain.
I once wrote, that I hope the Spurs don't consider to pick him, because I think he is a talented, but slow,unathletic and lazy player.
however, if he rises, he will push a potential Spurs target a slot lower.
but I have to admit, that Gasol looks better than the last years in fact.
last year with Barcelona he was terrible and I thought the only reason why he is there is, because his name is Gasol and he stands 7-1. (in the WC he looked better though).
changing the team this summer has helped and maybe he has realized, that he has to improve his conditioning, if he want's to get a chance in the NBA.
right now I'm no longer sure that Spurs should preclude to pick Gasol with the 2nd rounder if he is still on the board.
yes, he will never be a good athlete, but same goes for Oberto.
with the difference that Gasol is 7-1 and 285 lbs.

another reason why Gasol might be attracting the Spurs FO. when they have to pick, they don't know what will happen with almost all of their bigs.

Oberto might opt out.
Horry might (better will) retire, despite another year on his contract.
Butler will be on the trading block.
Ely is a FA and likely won't be resigned.
Bonner is a FA.
Mahinmi is years away.
Scola still very questionable.
so only Tim and Elson are a sure thing.

if the Spurs pick Gasol (who is much more NBA ready than Mahinmi) they can wait how the whole big man situation turns out during the summer and then decide if they add him this summer or leave him in Europe (an option the Spurs FO likes, as we know).
the only other compareable scenarios for drafting an international player as injurance for the big men situation this summer are Mirza Begic and Ali Traore, but IMO both are much less intriguing.

so yes, I can see the Spurs pick Gasol.

edit: I just thought that last year the first plan of Spurs FO was to sign Joel Przybilla. in other words, they did think of installing a big space eater in the middle, befor they went athletic with Elson. so they might also see a role for the slow but big Gasol.

[YODA]

Ok, Im no expert on this, but before I could comment, id need to know what players currently have gauranteed contracts for next year. PLEASE correct me on this.
1. Parker Locked up Long term
2. Duncan Locked up long term
3. Manu LOcked up long term
4. Bowen I think he only locked up till next year?
5. Elson no idea
6. Oberto optional contract till next yeaR??
7. Barry locked up one more year?
8. Finley I believe he had a 3 year deal,,,thus one more year left
9. White no idea
10. Vaughn no idea, Id like him as back up one more year
11. Beno didnt they lock his option up for next year? but likely gone or traded
12. Butler no idea, though id expect he is gone next year
13. Ely, no idea
14. Bonner no idea
15. Horry isn this last year of contract?? likely gone

Could anyone give me a place to get detailed info on this?

Thus of the 15 players, how many will be gone next year?? Im thinking
1. Horry probably retire
2. Beno probably traded for future pick
3. Butler if we havent seen him by now, i doubt we will ever see him
4. ely, guess he could make the team next year, but ill say no for now

that leaves 4 spots open for next year
Ill assume Brent, Finley and Bowen are after gone next year too

Yoda .....Totally lost on the contracts....

[Mr. Body]

Hoopshype salary page is a great source: Spurs' salaries

I agree with your assessment. All those players will be gone, with Beno and Butler traded off. Not getting much, but clearing space and contracts. At minimum I see 4 spots freeing up.

[mountainballer]

DX has an article about the latest rumors, who will likely enter the early entry list and who will go back to school. some are quite interesting for the Spurs.

http://www.draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=1956

Hansbrough and Thabeet will likely go back to school, but Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, Thaddeus Young and maybe also Javaris Crittenton are expected to enter the draft.

Collison would be a bit surprising, on the other hand there are some good reasons for PGs to enter this years draft and not 2008, which is expected to be very deep at PG with 2 outstanding PG prospects in Mayo and Rose, who might take all the attention away from the not so great prospects (like Collison and Crittenton).

all the 4 mentioned players might slip to the Spurs pick area, none did impress in the tournament.
Young would be what the Spurs need, but he's very raw, would take likely two seasons, till he makes the impact at SF we would rather need immediatly.
Collison is a very interesting prospect. (if he declares he should be picked somewhere around 20).
I know that Spurs need a SF, but if Collison was there, it would be a tough call to pass on him. (assuming the more interesting SFs are gone)
he is exactly the kind of back-up PG, the Spurs would love to have.
(superb defender with Tony's speed and good at ude and work ethik)

[Bruno]

A little update about Spurs' picks situation :

- Spurs own picks should be 28th and 58th at the end of the season : Spurs are far from Suns now and Jazz have 4 more losses.

- Bucks pick should be 32nd-34th (currently 33rd) : Bucks have 2 more wins than Boston and 2 less than Atlanta and they will play 2 times against Boston and one time against Atlanta. They are obviously tanking (Redd hasn't played the last game) but they have too some players who plays for a contract (Paterson, Williams...).

- Spurs can still get Bulls second round pick. To get that pick they need to catch Cleveland (Bulls are 44-31 and Cavs are 44-30). If Bulls catch Cavs, Spurs will get the 54th pick.

Another thing to notice is that tie breakers for the draft aren't the same than Playoffs tie breakers. Draft tie breakers are coin flips and the draw take place few days after the end of the regular season (April 21st last year).

[yavozerb]

The spurs are going to re-sign bonner and vaughn this summer. The option for bowen will also be picked up ,Oberto would be stupid not to pick up his option (no one else probably wants him), and finley well def. be back next year, Horry will hopefully retire. If the spurs can move beno and butler this would leave 2 spots open for the active roster. The Spurs will draft athletic 4 and PG which both will make the team. Other picks will be young players overseas or traded in order to move up in 1st round.

[Mr. Body]

Hansbrough and Thabeet will likely go back to school, but Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, Thaddeus Young and maybe also Javaris Crittenton are expected to enter the draft.

Thaddeus Young surprises me, but that's good for the Spurs. Another top SF prospect increases their chances of seeing someone within their grasp. I would put him behind Green and Brewer by about 10 spots and behind Thornton by about 5 or so, depending on how he works out. He's a project, but his at ude (AFAIK) and skill set are both very good.

I still think in order to get a very good SF the Spurs have to trade up.

Crittenton coming out helps the Spurs slightly in the chance a good PG falls to the Milwaukee pick. Darren Collison would make an exceptional back-up, with his defensive intensity, but he pulls out if it looks like he's not a first rounder, right?

[mountainballer]

Crittenton coming out helps the Spurs slightly in the chance a good PG falls to the Milwaukee pick. Darren Collison would make an exceptional back-up, with his defensive intensity, but he pulls out if it looks like he's not a first rounder, right?

yes, as I see it Collison will for sure withdraw, if he isn't sure to be picked 1st round. he should go somewhere between 18 and 25. there are enough teams in need of a PG, so he won't slip to 2nd round. (in other words: to our 2nd round pick). maybe his best case scenario are the Pistons at no. 16.
Pistons need a backup PG desperatly, but might even see Billups walk away. even if most expect the Pistons to pick a big, drafting Collison would make much sense for them.
(and gives them another great small ball option, if they play Billups at SG, Collison PG, Hamilton SF, Prince PF and Sheed at C)
Sixers at 18, Heat at 19 are other candidates and Lakers at 20 should for sure take him (considering also the hometown factor, Collison is from the LA area and a UCLA boy). Collison + Kobe could provide the best back-court defense in the whole league.

[mountainballer]

The spurs are going to re-sign bonner and vaughn this summer. The option for bowen will also be picked up ,Oberto would be stupid not to pick up his option (no one else probably wants him), and finley well def. be back next year, Horry will hopefully retire. If the spurs can move beno and butler this would leave 2 spots open for the active roster. The Spurs will draft athletic 4 and PG which both will make the team. Other picks will be young players overseas or traded in order to move up in 1st round.

Spurs likely will have more open spots than the mentioned 2.
(Horry ret., Ely not resigned, Butler and Beno moved, White probably also, if a similar player is drafted).
I could see a buyout of Oberto's option.
why?
if Spurs buy-out his last season for half of the number, it would help them to stay out of lux tax. Oberto would make about 1 million in Europe, so he wouldn't lose money, but get more opportunities to play. he still has a very good name in Europe and some teams might offer him a nice 2-3 years contract. (probably his former team Tau, considering they will likely lose Scola and Splitter)

[AFBlue]

The spurs are going to re-sign bonner and vaughn this summer. The option for bowen will also be picked up ,Oberto would be stupid not to pick up his option (no one else probably wants him), and finley well def. be back next year, Horry will hopefully retire. If the spurs can move beno and butler this would leave 2 spots open for the active roster. The Spurs will draft athletic 4 and PG which both will make the team. Other picks will be young players overseas or traded in order to move up in 1st round.

Wow, so difinitive....

I, for one, don't think it's a given that Bonner is back next year. He's still just a role-player and the Spurs won't overspend for those types (learned from Malik Rose situation). If he accepts $2M or so, then it's likely, but if he's looking for a payday I think there will be plenty of teams searching for a big that can shoot and hustle.

I also only think that Beno gets moved if you're right about the backup PG position being addressed in the off-season...as seen with the past deadline, they won't get rid of him (or Butler for that matter) for nothing.

Nice conviction, but I doubt things are as certain as you make them seem...

[AFBlue]

Crittenton will surely get snagged in the first if he comes out. A big PG that thinks pass-first is a GMs dream. Agree with comments about Collison that he's likely to return if he doesn't get good feeling about going in the first, and it might be to his benefit....Kevin Love looks like the real deal.

[AFBlue]

Spurs likely will have more open spots than the mentioned 2.
(Horry ret., Ely not resigned, Butler and Beno moved, White probably also, if a similar player is drafted).
I could see a buyout of Oberto's option.
why?
if Spurs buy-out his last season for half of the number, it would help them to stay out of lux tax. Oberto would make about 1 million in Europe, so he wouldn't lose money, but get more opportunities to play. he still has a very good name in Europe and some teams might offer him a nice 2-3 years contract. (probably his former team Tau, considering they will likely lose Scola and Splitter)

See the possible Oberto buyout scenario, see Horry retiring or Spurs moving forward without him, see Ely not being re-signed, but I don't see how it's a foregone conclusion that Beno and Butler are goners....especially since they would have to be moved for next-to-nothing in order to trim the roster down to 15.

[mountainballer]

I, for one, don't think it's a given that Bonner is back next year. He's still just a role-player and the Spurs won't overspend for those types (learned from Malik Rose situation). If he accepts $2M or so, then it's likely, but if he's looking for a payday I think there will be plenty of teams searching for a big that can shoot and hustle.

agree on this.
most assume that Bonner will be resigned, but forget that Spurs for sure won't want to pay much more than they already do. if another team offers him 3.5-4 million, I can't see the Spurs match.
Bonner is a great guy, but his role will never be bigger than 15-20 minutes IMO.
Bonner is already 27, so this will be his chance to get a longer term contract. if another team offers him like 3years/10+million, he will likely bite.(and Spurs likely not match)
he never made the big bucks and even if he is a very low key guy, he won't leave 5 or more millions on the table, just to be a no.8 or no.9 player with the Spurs.

[Mr. Body]

I wouldn't say foregone conclusion to Udrih and Butler being gone. But now is the time they have some last minor value. The Spurs are done with Udrih and he's cheap and has some upside. I don't think they intend to completely wear out his value. Butler is still a big guy with unknown upside that might appeal to someone who needs a body. Getting rid of him depends on how they do getting another big man in this year.

I'd say it's 95% likely Udrih is traded, 50% or so Butler is traded.

[Mavschick]

What about this guy?

http://nbadraft.net/admincp/profiles/gabepruitt.html

NBADraft.net has him going to the Spurs and compares him to Devin Harris. Besides having good size for a PG, he has blazing speed and is a solid defender, and unlike Harris he has some shooting range. He sounds like a young Chauncey Billups.

[mountainballer]

but I don't see how it's a foregone conclusion that Beno and Butler are goners....especially since they would have to be moved for next-to-nothing in order to trim the roster down to 15.

let's say it different. Spurs will try very hard to move them and not look for huge compensation in return.
Butler might have some value left, something that would change if he spends another year on the inactive list.
Beno might be swaped with another underachiver, when both teams hope that the other player will flourish in their system.
of course it is not sure that they are gone, but I see the chances much higher than that we will see them again next season.

edit: just saw the Body already argued the same way I did. so just a duplication of thoughts.

[Mr. Body]

What about this guy?

http://nbadraft.net/admincp/profiles/gabepruitt.html

NBADraft.net has him going to the Spurs and compares him to Devin Harris. Besides having good size for a PG, he has blazing speed and is a solid defender, and unlike Harris he has some shooting range. He sounds like a young Chauncey Billups.

I like Pruitt and as a back-up PG he'd be a good investment. I think he pulls out if he looks like a 2nd round pick and I don't see the Spurs drafting a back-up PG in the 1st round. If they pull a PG in the 2nd draft it will need to be a senior, I think, like Bobby Brown or Zabian Dowdell.

[AFBlue]

What about this guy?

http://nbadraft.net/admincp/profiles/gabepruitt.html

NBADraft.net has him going to the Spurs and compares him to Devin Harris. Besides having good size for a PG, he has blazing speed and is a solid defender, and unlike Harris he has some shooting range. He sounds like a young Chauncey Billups.

If the Spurs snag a guy like this, then it's a certainty that Beno is gone. Having a guy that can play both guard positions would certainly be an asset. If he falls to the Spurs with their #33 pick, he'd be worth a look....assuming the Spurs already got Dominic McGuire in the first (j/k)

[AFBlue]

I'm personally still holding out hope that one of the two international SGs falls to the Spurs. It would be a luxury to have the option of leaving them overseas for just one season while Barry and Fin play out the last year of their contracts...of course, they could also be with the team in 2007.

[yavozerb]

agree on this.
most assume that Bonner will be resigned, but forget that Spurs for sure won't want to pay much more than they already do. if another team offers him 3.5-4 million, I can't see the Spurs match.
Bonner is a great guy, but his role will never be bigger than 15-20 minutes IMO.
Bonner is already 27, so this will be his chance to get a longer term contract. if another team offers him like 3years/10+million, he will likely bite.(and Spurs likely not match)
he never made the big bucks and even if he is a very low key guy, he won't leave 5 or more millions on the table, just to be a no.8 or no.9 player with the Spurs.

I really do think that the spurs would offer Bonner a 2-3 year contract worth 3 mill. this summer. Remember Horry would be getting 3.6 mill next year if he plays (these 2 players are comparible in minutes and production).

[Big P]

The good thing about Beno & Butler is that those are 2 positions that teams will likely give up something for, young PG's & young centers, especially on cheap contracts. SF's & SG's are a dime a dozen in this league. I would look for the Spurs to use one or both of them to get a pick(s) from a team(s) that is under the cap.

[AFBlue]

I really do think that the spurs would offer Bonner a 2-3 year contract worth 3 mill. this summer. Remember Horry would be getting 3.6 mill next year if he plays (these 2 players are comparible in minutes and production).

Horry is also super-clutch and without him, the Spurs are not 2005 NBA champions. You can make the comparison when Bonner does the same this year....

[yavozerb]

If the spurs do buyout Oberto (which I pray for) then scola is a real option to come over and play the 4 or 5. Lets not forget that Pop is from the school of Larry brown and rookies just do not play very much. Whoever gets drafted will only see limited time on the court.

[yavozerb]

Horry is also super-clutch and without him, the Spurs are not 2005 NBA champions. You can make the comparison when Bonner does the same this year....

Its hard to blame bonner for playing on crappy teams thus not being able to play many playoff games to make any big shots. I do agree that horry is super clutch shooter but I believe his time has passed (hopefully after this post season) and I would never compare the two in pressure moments because few players in the NBA's history has hit as many clutch shots as Horry.

[AFBlue]

Its hard to blame bonner for playing on crappy teams thus not being able to play many playoff games to make any big shots. I do agree that horry is super clutch shooter but I believe his time has passed (hopefully after this post season) and I would never compare the two in pressure moments because few players in the NBA's history has hit as many clutch shots as Horry.

I'm not blaming Bonner for not being clutch or not being given the opportunity. What I'm saying is that the Spurs gave Horry a relatively bloated contract (by Spurs standard) because he was their hero in 2005. IMO, it will take a similarly strong showing in the playoffs by Bonner to secure more than $2-3M per year.