Updates: Viktor Sanikidze

[whottt]

This upcoming summer league will be a huge one for Sanikidze. Last year he played well but he inexplicably didn't play that much. This year he has to earn minutes. If he can show anything during the summer league, it'd be nice to put him on the Toros plan starting next season.

This kid has some nice skills...I honestly think they were hiding him so no would ask for him in a trade or anything like that.


That's the only thing that makes sense about him not getting minutes. He played well, he was the best looking player on the summer league team.

[Holt's Cat]

Well, it's good to have an international prospect at a position other than the 4 or 5.

Hopefully they find some quality draft and stash prospects with their second rounders this year. Maybe this time they can get it right and find that domestic sleeper with their 1st rounder.

[whottt]

I used the Spurs website contact point some time ago to ask about Sanikidze and where he was playing and if not, why not.

I got no response. i wonder if this is simply bad public relations from the Spurs office or if they had no ideas as to his status. The latter would be disappointing because it would mean they aren't keeping up with this player.

This is just the way the Spurs do it...you couldn't find much of anything about their plans for Manu prior to their decision to bring him over...

They didn't talk about Javtokas. They brought him over and operated on him after his injury and still didn't talk about him. You'd think they'd have wanted the PR, as what they did for him was pretty nice.


The Spurs just don't talk much about their overseas prospects that much unless people press them for that info...Scola is the one exception to that rule.

[Holt's Cat]

Javtokas would play for $0.20 next year.

[Mr. Body]

He's a walking disaster zone. I expect renal failure next year.

There's also a suggestion of the Udrih in him, hopping from team to team. Hopefully that's all injuries and not at ude. His 'I like this coach, didn't like that coach' bits aren't appealing.

That said, he's not a bust and could never be. 2nd rounders don't bust. We'll see him this summer.

[Bruno]

I used the Spurs website contact point some time ago to ask about Sanikidze and where he was playing and if not, why not.

I got no response. i wonder if this is simply bad public relations from the Spurs office or if they had no ideas as to his status. The latter would be disappointing because it would mean they aren't keeping up with this player.

I don't see how Sanikidze could say "I am very focused on NBA Summer League for San Antonio Spurs" if he or his agent wasn't in contact with Spurs.

RC Buford called Mahinmi each week when he was in Europe. I can see Spurs doing the same thing with Sanikidze. It doesn't mean that they see him as a good prospect but it costs nothing to stay in touch with Sanikidze.

[Holt's Cat]

Maybe the internets have reached Georgia.

[ChumpDumper]

This kid has some nice skills...I honestly think they were hiding him so no would ask for him in a trade or anything like that.


That's the only thing that makes sense about him not getting minutes. He played well, he was the best looking player on the summer league team.

Maybe he got injured there too.

[objective]

glad to hear that it does seem to be all injuries that are his problem.

Hopefully he's healthy enough for summer league.

[ChumpDumper]

There isn't much keeping the Spurs from taking him on next season as far as the roster and payroll are concerned.

[whottt]

Maybe he got injured there too.

Maybe...didn't look injured to me...looked like the best guy on the squad and then they wouldn't play him much more than spot minutes. Plus I am pretty sure he went to the Georgian Nat'l team after summer league...


I think the Spurs were trying to swing a deal with Scola at that point(or to move Butler) and didn't want teams asking for this kid as part of the deal.

I just get the feeling the Spurs were trying to hide him...for whatever reason.


There were clearly guys he should have been getting minutes over on that Summer League team...

[ChumpDumper]

The Spurs traded Butler during the Vegas SL. He played the last two games for Houston. There was a whole other summer league for the Spurs the following week.

[whottt]

The Spurs traded Butler during the Vegas SL. He played the last two games for Houston. There was a whole other summer league for the Spurs the following week.

Yeah but by that time he wasn't playing at all...in fact I think he wasn't even there for most of that second league. By that time he might actually have been hurt...although I do think he still went back and scrimmaged with the Georgian Nat'l team.


I am talking about when he was here, before we'd done that trade. Even then he wasn't getting many minutes when he clearly deserved them over some of the guys that were...and he couldn't have been too hurt because he was getting a little bit of PT in games still.

But it was like he had that one good game where he looked really good...I think it was his first or second game, and after that he didn't get more than a minute or two of PT at a time.

It was like they saw what he potentially could be and didn't want anyone else to see it....because if they do any trades he might be asked to be thrown in on the deal...

It's just one less thing for them to worry about.


I'm not saying that is what happened...but it's what makes sense to me about the way they handled him.....I know for certain his minutes were being limited when he was still capable of playing, and not because he wasn't showing anything in the court either.

[objective]

he didn't even get any minutes in the first Vegas game, don't know why. Maybe he was late in joining the squad?

[ChumpDumper]

I think its more a case of his being low on the priority list for the Spurs that summer. His rights were wrapped up and the Spurs could count on his playing in Europe this season. Marcus Williams' situation was completely the opposite - he wasn't going to Europe under any cir stances, so the Spurs had to use SL to make a decision about him as well as James White.

We'll see what happens this summer. Hopefully they go back to Vegas so I'll have an excuse to go there.

[whottt]

he didn't even get any minutes in the first Vegas game, don't know why. Maybe he was late in joining the squad?

Yeah but he got some in the second game I think...that was the nice game he had IIRC...which quickly identified him as one of the non-stiffs on the team....I mean he was fast, he was jumping around.


Maybe they just didn't like the way he was practicing...


But you know...this guy was over here for the better of a season a couple of years ago, I know he was injured, but he was here long past the injury date, and I think he did workout with the team some...from what I have seen this guy clearly has NBA athleticism...so it makes you wonder why they aren't doing more with him...

[whottt]

I think its more a case of his being low on the priority list for the Spurs that summer. His rights were wrapped up and the Spurs could count on his playing in Europe this season. Marcus Williams' situation was completely the opposite - he wasn't going to Europe under any cir stances, so the Spurs had to use SL to make a decision about him as well as James White.

We'll see what happens this summer. Hopefully they go back to Vegas so I'll have an excuse to go there.

So then why did they bring him over?

Progress check? If so then what I am saying still makes sense.


I think the Spurs have a clear track record of not wanting anyone else to know what they have before they do...

[ChumpDumper]

So then why did they bring him over?

Progress check?

Sure.

I think the Spurs have a clear track record of not wanting anyone else to know what they have before they do...

Then they blew it because message board posters can tell he is good by watching him play 14 minutes on the internets.

[whottt]

Sure.Then they blew it because message board posters can tell he is good by watching him play 14 minutes on the internets.

I can, most can't...and if he'd gotten more than 14 minutes maybe the lesser intellects and talent evaluators would have been able to see it as well...but since he didn't they don't and I have to say the Spurs made the right call.



I can easily tell he was better 99% of the other guys...that got more PT and didn't make the team. S'not hard to do.


Then again...I was one of the guys that concluded it was time to cut ties with Jackie Butler after watching him alternately pushed to the verge of a heart attack after 2 mins of PT or playing like it was a YMCA game...and not many saw that...other than the Spurs that is.

[SpursFan0728]

... he wasn't going to Europe under any cir stances, so the Spurs had to use SL to make a decision about him as well as James White.

allow me to ask an off topic question...where is James White now?
What is the update on him

[ChumpDumper]

I can, most can't...and if he'd gotten more than 14 minutes maybe the lesser intellects and talent evaluators would have been able to see it as well...but since he didn't they don't and I have to say the Spurs made the right call.

You weren't the only one who commented on his play -- and there were a couple of people in the Cox Pavilion who are paid to do that kind of thing.

I can easily tell he was better 99% of the other guys...that got more PT and didn't make the team. S'not hard to do.

Not hard at all. Nice contradiction.

Then again...I was one of the guys that concluded it was time to cut ties with Jackie Butler after watching him alternately pushed to the verge of a heart attack after 2 mins of PT or playing like it was a YMCA game...and not many saw that...other than the Spurs that is.

It was easy to tell he didn't give a crap about defense. The only question was why the Spurs were playing him so much. We got our answer.

[ChumpDumper]

allow me to ask an off topic question...where is James White now?
What is the update on him

He's doing ok on a Turkish team. Unless he makes some kind of breakthrough, this is probably the right level of play for him.

http://www.euroleague.net/compe io...ayer?pcode=THC

[picnroll]

I wonder if Butler hadn't sucked in SL and shown more, and if the Spurs could have unloaded him outright, would they have retained Scola? Was Scola the price to dump Butler or would they have moved Scola anyway, maybe for a pick?

[ChumpDumper]

I think Scola was gone the minute the Spurs drafted Splitter. They just couldn't get anything more than a second rounder for him. Fortunately, the Rockets offered just a little more.

[timvp]

I still can't believe the Spurs used Scola to salary dump an expiring contract that was worth less than half the MLE. To this day I still can't justify it.

Regarding Butler, I still think it was a pretty good risk by the Spurs. Sure he ended up sucking ... well actually, he didn't end up sucking he just ended up quiting basketball after he signed that contract. Getting a young talented big for less than Francisco Elson got was a good gamble.

The gamble just didn't pay off.