Spurs: Team will buy NBDL's Austin Toros

[ChumpDumper]

Can other teams pay to place their players on the team or something?

If the D-Fenders model is followed, no.

[Vito Corleone]

This is better news than anything that can come out of the draft. Before baseball had a farm system, the Cinci Reds built a baseball dynasty in the 60's and 70's with their farm system and I'm really hoping that is what happens here. Not only that but we can begin to grow some management personnel as well, especially since most of the other teams seem to like our guys.

[spursincharge]

Toros Roster


2006-07 Roster
NUM PLAYER POS HT WT FROM
25 Justin Bowen F 6-7 210 Illinois-Chicago
22 Brad Buckman F 6-9 245 Texas
55 Marcus Campbell C 7-0 280 Mississippi State
15 Kris Clack F 6-5 225 Texas
20 BJ Elder G 6-4 205 Georgia Tech
44 Anthony Fuqua F 6-11 225 University of Texas-San Antonio
30 Cheyne Gadson G 6-2 205 Oklahoma State
7 Brock Gillespie G 6-2 190 Rice
6 Jamar Smith F 6-9 235 Maryland
Trent Strickland F 6-5 200 Wake Forest

Yeah Fuqua isn't good at all. He'll never make the NBA. I watched him play at UTSA for 2 years...lol....No need to bold his name

[Kori Ellis]

first order of business.

Hire a former head coach thats now a low assistant, and knows the system to a point to coach the team.

Mario Elie?

Someone along those lines. Maybe a Paul Pressey.

Elie was in the final two for the head coaching job there recently and he wasn't selected. So I don't know if they'd go back to him.

Just send Brett Brown down.

[T Park]

No kidding. Didn't know that. Well now that the Spurs own the team, it makes you wonder if theyd change their mind.

Brett Brown makes sense too, but, I don't know, Elie just seems like a perfect fit.

[naico]

The way the rules work, four of those players can be retained.

Bowen and Gadson would be definite keepers IMO. Smith and Elder could come back too if they don't go to Europe.

Gadson is for sure the guy to keep

[ChumpDumper]

My first thought- the Spurs basically through the Toros sign Ian- instead of his multi-year guaranteed first round contract from the Spurs, they get him to sign with the Toros and play there cheap. Then they don't have to waste a year of his rookie contract in the NBDL. Can they do that? Seems like they should not be able to...

Again, with the fairly similar example of Ricky Sanchez, it seems like it could be conceiveble. It actually makes a certain amount of sense for the NBA to support this kind of arrangement.

[yavozerb]

I'm suprised that only 2 teams have purchased their own teams thus far!!

[ChumpDumper]

I'm suprised that only 2 teams have purchased their own teams thus far!!

I was shocked the second one to buy wasn't Cuban -- but he could be next. The Fort Worth team (owned by the same company) is about to leave town due to poor attendance and they also have some outstanding debts.

[leemajors]

Hmmm, a purchase such as this on draft day. Expect not to see any of our draft picks from this year on the roster for 2007-2008.

instead they can play every game down in austin and learn the system, which could be a great thing.

[CubanMustGo]

Damn that cheap Holt! Now he won't spend any money on player contracts for the upcoming season.

/sarcasm

[Kori Ellis]

The way the rules work, four of those players can be retained.

Bowen and Gadson would be definite keepers IMO. Smith and Elder could come back too if they don't go to Europe.

Why is that the rule (that only four can be kept)?

[timvp]

Any idea how much Holt had to pay to buy this thing? I remember seeing a number somewhere about a D-League owner talking about the value of a franchise. IIRC, it was somewhere between $5-10M.

[yavozerb]

I was shocked the second one to buy wasn't Cuban -- but he could be next. The Fort Worth team (owned by the same company) is about to leave town due to poor attendance and they also have some outstanding debts.

The spurs will let the mavs send the players to the toros for development of practice team for spurs future players..

[T Park]

Once again.

Props to Holt

[ChumpDumper]

Why is that the rule (that only four can be kept)?

Dunno, that's just how it works. The rest of the players can be signed by any other team.

[Marcus Bryant]

Again, with the fairly similar example of Ricky Sanchez, it seems like it could be conceiveble. It actually makes a certain amount of sense for the NBA to support this kind of arrangement.

Would the NBPA be down with that?

[L.I.T]

Any idea how much Holt had to pay to buy this thing? I remember seeing a number somewhere about a D-League owner talking about the value of a franchise. IIRC, it was somewhere between $5-10M.

Luxury tax savings over the last five years. Frugality at it's best.

[Kori Ellis]

Dunno, that's just how it works. The rest of the players can be signed by any other team.

So, the DLeague won't assign players to the Toros like they do all the other teams? Or...

Sorry, I don't have a clue how it works.

[ChumpDumper]

The spurs will let the mavs send the players to the toros for development of practice team for spurs future players..

They can't. The Mavs affilate will probably be the Rio Grande Valley team unless the Flyers find a new home soon.

[ChumpDumper]

Would the NBPA be down with that?

Good question. They might push for mandatory 14-man NBA roster minimums or something like that.

[ChumpDumper]

So, the DLeague won't assign players to the Toros like they do all the other teams? Or...

Sorry, I don't have a clue how it works.

Do you mean allocation like the cases of Brad Buckman and Kris Clack? They should continue to do that, but in think that's just a first year thing for each player.

[ChumpDumper]

Any idea how much Holt had to pay to buy this thing? I remember seeing a number somewhere about a D-League owner talking about the value of a franchise. IIRC, it was somewhere between $5-10M.

That seems high. I'll have to check.

[timvp]

One reason for this I assume is that the Spurs farm team in Europe (Pau Orthez) got broken up. The head coach got fired and the team is moving in a new direction.

That was the team with Mahinmi, Melvin Sanders, Britton Johnsen, Aaron Miles and virtually everyone else the Spurs ever liked in the last couple years

[yavozerb]

So its possible that the spurs could have a total of 6 players(White, mahinmi,sanikize,3 draft picks from today) play in austin sometime next season, right?