Spurs Sign Five Players For Camp

[Kori Ellis]

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have signed guards Kyle Bailey, Stephen Graham and forwards Sharrod Ford, Melvin Sanders and Jawad Williams. Per club policy terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Bailey, a 6-2 guard, twice earned All-West Coast Conference honors during his four years at Santa Clara. He is tops on the Broncos all-time lists in games (127) and minutes played (3,897).

Ford averaged 4.3 points and 2.3 rebounds for the New Jersey Nets in the 2005 Reebok Vegas Summer League. Ford also earned Third Team All-ACC honors at Clemson after averaging 14.9 points and 8.2 rebounds during his senior season.

The 6-6, 215-pound Graham appeared in six contests with the Phoenix Suns in the 2005 Reebok Summer League where he averaged 10.5 points and 3.8 rebounds. He played for the Oklahoma State Cowboys in 2003-04 and 2004-05 after sitting out the 2002-03 campaign as a transfer from Central Florida.

Sanders suited up for the Silver and Black in the 2005 Rocky Mountain Revue. The 6-5, 210-pounder led the team with 14.5 points, while adding 2.4 rebounds in five games. During the 2004-05 season, Sanders was named Second Team All-CBA and All-Defensive First Team while playing for the Dakota Wizards.

Williams was a member of the North Carolina Tar Heels 2005 National Championship team. He averaged 13.1 points and 4.0 rebounds in 37 games. Over the summer he appeared with Golden State Warriors in the Reebok Vegas Summer League where he averaged 6.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in five games.

[timvp]

Wow. That is some top of the line training camp fodder. I'm impressed.

Jawad Williams had a chance to be drafted. I don't know if he's an NBA player, but his stats at college couldn't have been helped by playing with four first round picks. Stephen Graham is Joey Graham's twin brother and Joey was picked in the first round (number 16) by the Raptors.

The big name though is Melvin Sanders. I think he's going to make the team. His defense is top notch and he's very fast. The only downside is his offense where he isn't the greatest of shooters and doesn't jump especially high to finish around the basket.

[ChumpDumper]

Nice choices. Could very well keep two of these guys. Sanders and Graham are very athletic.

[timvp]

Undrafted Tar Heel feeling very slighted

LAS VEGAS - Jawad Williams doesn't understand.

He did everything North Carolina coach Roy Williams asked. He played defense, worked hard and hustled. He provided leadership and when needed came through in the clutch. He was a starter on the national championship team.

Yet, he wasn't drafted.

"I have no clue what happened," Williams said. "I did what my team needed me to do. I stepped up in big games."

Williams has landed with the Warriors' summer-league team and is determined to prove his name should have been called. He said he could help an NBA team the same way he helped the Tar Heels.

He's 6-foot-9, 220 pounds and has good athleticism. He's versatile, but hasn't shown that he's great at anything in particular. He said he can do more, but he hasn't been in a situation that allowed him the opportunities.

"He's solid," said Warriors assistant coach Mario Elie, head coach of the Warriors' summer-league squad. "He plays defense. He works hard. He has a good feel for the game."

Williams said the only thing good about draft day was watching his friends and Tar Heel teammates -- Marvin Williams, Raymond Felton, Sean May and Rashad McCants -- get drafted. But even his happiness for them couldn't ease his disappointment for being "overlooked."

He said he knows he's better than several of the players that were taken. But the knock on him was that he isn't skilled enough to play small forward and isn't strong enough to play power forward; he doesn't wow you with his potential, doesn't pack much upside.

Baloney, Williams says.

"A lot of those guys can't compete and won't compete at my level," Williams said. "How many players have had upside in the NBA and now they're not even around? Robert Horry doesn't have any upside, but look what he does. ... And the talk was that people wanted winners."

Williams is going to have to really impress the Warriors to earn a spot, considering the wealth of forwards already under contract. But he said any team that wants to win, and soon, would give him serious consideration rather than wait on some project to turn into the next big thing.

"I know I can play at this level," Williams said. "I'll be a Bruce Bowen if I have to."

I remembered that he had that Bruce Bowen quote.

Now he'll have his chance to prove he can be like Bowen.





P.S.

I just saw the Robert Horry mention. Seems like this guy has been a Spurs fan of some sort. That article was from a couple months ago.

He has some good role models.

[Kori Ellis]

I think the Spurs are very high on Sanders, despite the fact he's a little short at SF. Ford wasn't that impressive in the NJ summer league games, but that team was very, very poorly run. So that's not saying anything.

Maybe one of the five will stick.

Good luck to them all.

[Solid D]

Quality 3rd tier players. I can die now.

(just kidding, Lord )

[ChumpDumper]

Williams and Sharrod seem to be the Noel Felix-type tweeners the Spurs have been flirting with awhile. They have nearly identical measurements but Williams seems more versatile and Ford looks to have much more of a traditional PF game -- nice block numbers though. Time will tell if one could be made into the fabled long three.

[spurster]

Is Williams a candidate for the mythical tall SF, or is he PF only?

[ChumpDumper]

Is Williams a candidate for the mythical tall SF?

As much as or more than anyone since Hedo.

[2centsworth]

very impressive

[ChumpDumper]

Here are links for some info on a few of the players:

Jawad Williams

Stephen Graham

Sharrod Ford (no profile but other links)

[boutons]

How can you not love somebody who says he's willing to be a Bruce Bowen to land a job?

yes, yes, yes, GOOD LUCK to all of them.

I hope NBA TV let's let's us see these guys in camp, and more than just highlights.

[Kori Ellis]

Just a note about other teams' pickups in this thread.

Magic signed Matt Freije, Bo Outlaw, Felipe Lopez, Ken Johnson and Terence Morris.

[ChumpDumper]

Morris had a decent year in Greece, but I imagine the Spurs had a good enough look a few years ago.

[ducks]

does not stephen play good d?

[batman2883]

Williams is a solid pickup i hope to god the Spurs actually keep him on the squad all season, way to go front office

[Solid D]

All of these guys come from good coaching pedigrees.
Graham and Sanders from Eddie Sutton
Sharrod Ford from Oliver Purnell (also an asssistant coach with Pop on Team USA 2004)
Jawad Williams with Roy Williams
Bailey from Davey (Steve Nash turned out okay)

[mookie2001]

jawad williams was a basketball god on ncaa 04

[spurschick]

They needed to sign some rookies to buy the Krispy Kremes!

[ducks]

they have already signed a rookie

manu will have fun with him!

[CaptainLate]

I think the Spurs are very high on Sanders, despite the fact he's a little short at SF...Maybe one of the five will stick.

I'd say Sanders or Williams. Someone mend Sanders lack of "O". I recall a summer league article saying he scored like 50 or 60 points one time? Was that at OSU?

[Kori Ellis]

Someone mend Sanders lack of "O". I recall a summer league article saying he scored like 50 or 60 points one time? Was that at OSU?

Not at OSU. It was this past season in the CBA - he scored 54. He's not necessarily a great percentage shooter and doesn't have a well-rounded arsenal of shots. But he can score in bunches when he gets on a roll. He averaged 18 ppg in the CBA this past season.

But why the Spurs are high on him is about his D.

[Horry For 3!]

I was just reading about this on sports.yahoo.com, I know Stephen Graham, Melvin Sanders and Jawad Williams. Never heard of the other 2 players.

[SequSpur]

Wow, no foreigners...

Revolution.

[ducks]

they will not make the team if they are from the usa LOL