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no
to buy a European team?
The economy is down right now and the Spurs as an organization are as deep as they are ever to likely to be in the luxury tax. Often times, the best time to start a new business is in a down economy.
My logic behind this is the Spurs have drafted international players in the past that are not quite ready for the NBA but show potential and allow them to mature over in Europe. Last year they asked an American kid (Gist) to take a Euro contract to buy time and give him a chance to work on his game.
The Toros can be used only to a limited extent to hang onto players as a 15th
or 14th player bounces between Austin and San Antonio. Players that the Spurs don't have the rights to don't make much money in NBDL and can be snagged by other teams.
Take Gist for example. If he was signed to the Toro's we could easily lose him if he plays well. By going to Europe, he can make a bit more money and the Spurs retain his rights. Problem is, any European team that signs him likely will play him however is most likely to allow the team to win.
If the Spurs owned a team, they could staff the coaches and develop players as they wanted. Is this even a viable option?
no
Never thought about it. Sounds good in theory, but I'm no expert.
The most attractive thing about the Euro leagues and the "draft and stash" program is that it allows these raw athletes to develop fundamentals on someone else's dime. While it's true that it would give the Spurs greater control over some aspects of getting certain guys minutes, I think they send them over there with the at ude that if these guys can't crack a Euro rotation then they probably aren't going to be NBA ready either. At worst in that scenario you've extended the window of being able to examine a long shot second rounder without incurring any cost. Actually owning the team would negate that last benefit.
It's a quality idea that Spurs fans have talked about for a number of years but I don't think the NBA would allow it. Even if the CBA doesn't specifically outlaw the idea, the NBA can claim that it cir vents the CBA and nix the move.
And really, if you think about the danger of it in the NBA's eyes, it would make sense to not allow it. For example, a rich owner with a maxed out roster could overpay free agents from a rival team to go to Europe. Basically, it could easily turn into a huge mess.
I know the Spurs tried to quietly form a "partnership" with a Euro team but after the relationship hit the media, the Spurs backed off.
Why would the Spurs need to buy a Euro team when they can have Parker do it for them?
Spurs have relationships with some NBA teams and have used it to stash some of their players.
In 07-08, Mahinmi was send by Spurs to a French team (Pau-Orthez) that was close to Spurs. I also don't think it's a coincidence that De Colo is In Valence, a team coached by one of Pop's friend.
There is also L'ASVEL that is partially owned by TP. They are investing a lot of money on the development of young players. Some of their young players will surely be drafted. It would be quite strange to see TP negotiating a buyout with RC Buford or with Cuban.
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