Monroe: Spurs nab post from Brazil in first round

[timvp]

Spurs nab post from Brazil in first round
Mike Monroe
Express-news

Maintaining the successful pattern they have established during their run to four NBA championships since 1999, the Spurs on Thursday selected a talented international player who won’t join the team for at least one more season.

The Spurs made Tiago Splitter, a 6-foot-11, 232-pound post man from Brazil who has played professionally for seven seasons, the 28th selection of the first round of the 2007 NBA draft.

Because Splitter’s contract with Tau Cerámica, of the Spanish professional league, includes a hefty buyout clause for the coming season, he won’t be available for the Spurs this season. His contractual impediment, combined with the Spurs’ established willingness to wait for drafted players with international commitments, helped to make Splitter available when the Spurs made their selection.

"He’s a good, talented kid who is 6-11 and plays hard and is fundamentally sound," said Spurs general manger R.C. Buford. "You don’t often have the opportunity to get size like that that has played at a very, very high level all his life and had success."

Splitter, 22, has played since 2003 for Tau Cerámica, the same team for which Luis Scola plays. Scola is the Argentine forward the Spurs drafted in the second round in 2002, but who has not been able to get out of his contract with the Spanish team.

"Splitter’s contract is more defined," Buford said. "There shouldn’t be a problem a year from now.

"That had a definite impact on him being available for us this year. That, and the fact there were no freshman-eligible draft candidates a year ago, pushed more players into the draft this year and maybe pushed some selections back that wouldn’t have been there before."

The Spurs made Marcus Williams, a 6-foot-7 small forward from the University of Arizona, the first of their two selections in the second round, 33rd overall.

Just as they have done each of the past two drafts, the Spurs selected a player in the second round who was not listed in the NBA’s official draft media guide, a 224-page book that included biographical information on 124 other players.

The mystery pick this time was Giorgos Printezis, a forward from Greece who was traded almost as quickly as he was selected. The Spurs sent his draft rights to Toronto for a 2008 second-round pick.

Because Splitter won’t join the Spurs next season, this marks the seventh time since the Spurs won their first NBA le, in 1999, they did not enter the following season with a first-round pick on their roster. The last first-rounder to make the roster was Beno Udrih, the 28th pick in the 2004 draft. Tony Parker, the 28th pick in the 2001 draft, is the only other first-rounder picked by the Spurs to have played for the Spurs since 1999.

"I don’t know that anybody was going to help us next year," Buford said. "We were hoping to find young talent to be able to help us after this team transitions. Hopefully, it continues winning and transitions to another group that competes, and Splitter gives us that opportunity.

"There were some players we were interested in that might have been on the roster sooner that were also considered. It wasn’t a situation where we were just going to take a player and leave him over there. He was No. 2 on our draft board of the picks that were realistic for us, so we were excited to get him."

Splitter has intrigued NBA scouts since first submitting his name as draft-eligible in 2004, when he first showed up at the NBA’s predraft camp in Chicago. However, he withdrew his name then, and again in 2005 and 2006. Many NBA player personnel decision makers had him projected as a lottery pick in 2005 and 2006 before he withdrew his name.

Splitter averaged 11.2 points per game, on 61.3 percent shooting, in 28 games last season with Tau Cerámica in the Spanish League and 10.7 points per game, on 58 percent shooting, and 6.0 rebounds in 20 games with Tau Cerámica in Euroleague compe ion.

A member of the Brazilian National Team, Splitter was the youngest player in the 2002 FIBA World Championships in Indianapolis, playing at age 17.

The Spurs’ past four first-round selections have been international players: Brazilian Leandro Barbosa (2003, traded to Phoenix), Slovenian Beno Udrih (2004), Frenchman Ian Mahinmi (2005) and Splitter. The Spurs did not have a first-round pick last year, having traded it to the New York Knicks in the deal that brought center Nazr Mohammed to the club.

Williams, the 33rd pick of the draft, averaged 16.6 points and 6.7 rebounds in 30 games for Arizona last season. A first-team All-Pac-10 selection as a sop re, the 20-year-old Williams entered the draft after two seasons at Arizona. He made 49.4 percent of his shots last season despite making only 23 of 80 3-point shots.

"Marcus is an athletic wing we think can be a good defender," Buford said. "He came in very highly recruited. He was one of their best players and has a lot of potential. This draft, being deeper, allowed for a person of Marcus’ talent to be available in the second round, and that’s not often the case."

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...t.35f7628.html

[timvp]

"I don’t know that anybody was going to help us next year," Buford said. "We were hoping to find young talent to be able to help us after this team transitions. Hopefully, it continues winning and transitions to another group that competes, and Splitter gives us that opportunity.

"There were some players we were interested in that might have been on the roster sooner that were also considered. It wasn’t a situation where we were just going to take a player and leave him over there. He was No. 2 on our draft board of the picks that were realistic for us, so we were excited to get him."

Damn, who was number one?

[Kori Ellis]

"There were some players we were interested in that might have been on the roster sooner that were also considered. It wasn’t a situation where we were just going to take a player and leave him over there. He was No. 2 on our draft board of the picks that were realistic for us, so we were excited to get him."

I wonder who was number 1.

[Kori Ellis]

.... "Marcus is an athletic wing we think can be a good defender," Buford said. "He came in very highly recruited. He was one of their best players and has a lot of potential. This draft, being deeper, allowed for a person of Marcus’ talent to be available in the second round, and that’s not often the case."

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...t.35f7628.html

If they think he can become a good defender, that's good news because we already know he can score.

[timvp]

"Marcus is an athletic wing we think can be a good defender," Buford said. "He came in very highly recruited. He was one of their best players and has a lot of potential. This draft, being deeper, allowed for a person of Marcus’ talent to be available in the second round, and that’s not often the case."

Pretty nice. I wonder where he ranked on their board

[Kori Ellis]

@ LJ and I quoting the same parts of the article.

[whottt]

If they think he can become a good defender, that's good news because we already know he can score.

They Spurs always think everyone can be a good defender...I haven't seen them turn anyone into better defender than they were before getting here except for Hedo and Rasho.

Usually they continue to suck on D and Pop benches them into oblivion and zero trade value.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

All our picks suck. The Spurs suck ass. ing idiots[/Tpark].

[FirebatMIV]

Damn, who was number one?

Given the player they took with pick 33, I'm going to guess Morris Almond.

[genghisrex]

Rudy Fernandez?

[timvp]

Given the player they took with pick 33, I'm going to guess Morris Almond.

I'd guess either Fernandez or Dudley. But tough to say.

[Tek_XX]

he's only 22, he's going to play here.

[AFBlue]

Pretty nice. I wonder where he ranked on their board

I wonder if Gabe Pruitt, who was picked at #32 just ahead of the Spurs, was ahead of him....

[genghisrex]

I'd guess either Fernandez or Dudley. But tough to say.

Given that RC said they weren't necessarily looking to stash someone overseas, Dudley would make sense.

[jag]

I'd put all my money on Rudy being #1

[AFBlue]

I'll say Fernandez as #1....

In the article Buford says he didn't think that any of the guys would be able to help them out this year....which seems to suggest that he was probably going international with the first pick.

And my guess is that they had Rudy as the top-rated international guy....

[Kori Ellis]

Given that RC said they weren't necessarily looking to stash someone overseas, Dudley would make sense.

I would guess it was Dudley too, if I had to guess.

[Kori Ellis]

In the article Buford says he didn't think that any of the guys would be able to help them out this year....which seems to suggest that he was probably going international with the first pick.

... or it could just mean whoever they were going to pick was raw and not quite NBA ready. Not necessarily foreign.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

@ LJ and I quoting the same parts of the article.

Where are you guys? In different rooms at home, or is one of you out? I've seen this happen more than once!

[Tek_XX]

I wonder who was number 1.

Greg oden, jejeje

[T Park]

Dudley had Spur written all over him.

Wanted to come. Was compared to a Shane battier type player.

SOB....

[Kori Ellis]

Where are you guys? In different rooms at home, or is one of you out? I've seen this happen more than once!

He's right next to me, that's why I laughed.

[TDMVPDPOY]

I cant believe he fell that low in the draft to us.....

[DDS4]

Fernandez's game looks like a right handed Manu to me.

[CosmicCowboy]

I was thinking Fernandez too but he went way quicker than I expected.

Spurs drafting sucks! [TPark/]