The 2008 NBA Draft

[TheProfessor]

Video of some overseas non-bigs the Spurs could be looking at:

Goran Dragic

Omri Casspi

Joe Ingles

[McMofo]

The Spurs are looking for a replacement for Tim and that is not too far off.
They are taking bigs and hoping that one of them pans out and the Ibaka kid is very raw, young and athletic with lots of potential. I think they take this kid if he's available and let him develop in the Euros a few years and then learn from Tim.
This is what I think they are hoping for in Mahimni and Splitter as well. Hopefully Ian and Tiago develop and stick with the team. They kinda remind me of Dave and Tim at a lesser skill level, Ian athletic and quick like Dave and Tiago more of a slower post player like Tim.

[Mr. Body]

I'd be surprised to see them take a big man.

Splitter is pretty fast, anyway.

[ThomasGranger]

Chalmers is the only domestic pick that wouldn't surprise me. Of course, accurately predicting whom the Spurs will actually draft is the ultimate shot in the dark, so who knows

[Bruno]

The early entry list is available :
http://www.nba.com/news/earlyentry_draft_080501.html

To me, the surprise name in this list is Victor Claver. He is a very interesting player and I can see Spurs taking him at 26th if eh stays in the draft.

[K-State Spur]

Somebody refresh my memory:

It's been discussed that the Spurs had their eye on Dequean Cook last year.

Did we try to trade up for him, or were we just hoping that he would fall to us?

If trade, were there any rumors as to what was being offered?

[Mr. Body]

I think they tried to move up, probably using Scola and/or future picks.

[hsxvvd]

Stay away from Joe Ingles.

He plays for my local team here in Australia, and he will NEVER play NBA. He is drastically overrated here. He has little to no defense against drastically inferior opposition, be it slower, shorter and now even less experienced. I would struggle to find an NBA comparison, because no player with his abilities has ever made the NBA, and I don't mean that in a good way.

His shot selection is terrible, he's selfish, he is often tagged with "athletic" but this is against NBL opposition, and would be seen as average at best against NCAA compe ion. Unlike most Euro's he can't shoot. Other than an occasional hot streak that generally occurs in junk time against even lower quality opposition.

Hia development was really damaged by an early coaching change in his career. Mark Price coached him for his first 5 games and would probably have been a great influence on his game, unfortunately Price was sacked and replaced by Shane Heal (A former Spur), but his selfish no defense approach seems to have rubbed off on young Ingles and two seasons of being on a losing team have only made him more appathetic and selfish.

Stay clear. Don't waste the pick.

[TheProfessor]

Stay away from Joe Ingles.

He plays for my local team here in Australia, and he will NEVER play NBA. He is drastically overrated here. He has little to no defense against drastically inferior opposition, be it slower, shorter and now even less experienced. I would struggle to find an NBA comparison, because no player with his abilities has ever made the NBA, and I don't mean that in a good way.

His shot selection is terrible, he's selfish, he is often tagged with "athletic" but this is against NBL opposition, and would be seen as average at best against NCAA compe ion. Unlike most Euro's he can't shoot. Other than an occasional hot streak that generally occurs in junk time against even lower quality opposition.

Hia development was really damaged by an early coaching change in his career. Mark Price coached him for his first 5 games and would probably have been a great influence on his game, unfortunately Price was sacked and replaced by Shane Heal (A former Spur), but his selfish no defense approach seems to have rubbed off on young Ingles and two seasons of being on a losing team have only made him more appathetic and selfish.

Stay clear. Don't waste the pick.

Thanks for the info, greatly appreciated. It's been difficult to find information on him, although I had heard similar things about his athleticism and streaky shooting. Teams will get a good look at him in pre-draft camps, as he's been working out in Chicago recently.

I remember reading that Heal brought him to San Antonio in 2007, so he may have already worked out for the Spurs on the down-low.

[Penya]

Hi.

Victor Claver is in the early entry list. He's a good player now, but I'm sure he will be a GREAT player [second round].
Casspi fantastic too
http://www.draftexpress.com/article/...y-Entry-List-/ [International]

[ThomasGranger]

Claver sounds really promising. Looks like he has the height of a power forward but the skill set of a small forward. Is he fast enough to play SF in the NBA?

[ClingingMars]

Watch out for Sean Singletary. His scoring and passing ability is one of the best in the draft.

- Mars

[Mr. Body]

Claver looks great. DX puts him near the lottery in 2009. I'd expect him to pull out if he looks to be a second rounder, but maybe a certain Texas team will give him a promise...

[Penya]

Claver sounds really promising. Looks like he has the height of a power forward but the skill set of a small forward. Is he fast enough to play SF in the NBA?

He's really fast.
His characteristics are similar to those of Pau Gasol with his age (long arms, very thin). He is a bit smaller and his exterior shot is better. His power of jump is incredible (he won the dunk contest of our league [video below]) and in Valencia they say that he is hard-worker.
It can be a good chance for Spurs if he appears, since if the year comes he can be Top-20 (only if his season at Spain is good).

Highlights: http://youtube.com/watch?v=_qjTsiIqAE0 Over Hervelle, in PO
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Olyw_-8Pbdc Dunk contest.

[Excuse me if there are mistakes, my English is not perfect)

[AFBlue]

Hi.

Victor Claver is in the early entry list. He's a good player now, but I'm sure he will be a GREAT player [second round].
Casspi fantastic too
http://www.draftexpress.com/article/...y-Entry-List-/ [International]

I would love it if the Spurs drafted Claver as a "down the road" pick. He's got the size and skill to be a good combo forward.

Having said that, I'm not sure that he keeps his name in the draft if he's not getting a sniff in the first round. Next year's draft looks pretty weak and with a solid year he could cement himself as a first-rounder.

Still, it's a good thought.

[K-State Spur]

Watch out for Sean Singletary. His scoring and passing ability is one of the best in the draft.

- Mars

there's a UVA fan.

he's also undersized, not a great defender, and shoots a terrible percentage from the floor to get his points.

he's got grit though.

[objective]

Maybe I've not seen enough of him to say this with full confidence, but drafting Claver in the first and leaving him in the first would be outstanding.

[Mr. Body]

Maybe I've not seen enough of him to say this with full confidence, but drafting Claver in the first and leaving him in the first would be outstanding.

He looks like a good Sanikidze.

[yavozerb]

Found this on spurstalk:

Buzz

Theodoros Papaloukas has apparently not yet given up on the possibility of playing in the NBA this summer, and has even hired a new American agent to help him with that cause. He was reportedly extremely close to signing with the Milwaukee Bucks last year, but Mo Williams’ large contract didn’t leave enough money on the table for him to justify the decision. Papaloukas will be looking for a deal in the 3-year, 20 million dollar range this summer. Considering his age, the way he played this weekend and in the season as a whole, that looks like an extremely long shot. A number of teams are hot on the trail of Ramunas Siskauskas reportedly, including the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets. That’s what the word here amongst European basketball insiders is at least.

On the coaching front, we’re about to see a great deal of musical chairs go on amongst Euroleague coaches. Ettore Messina has signed a two year contract to stay in CSKA Moscow reportedly, preferring the stability of the #1 organization in European basketball than the mess that Barcelona is apparently becoming. Sergio Scariolo is apparently the frontrunner for Barcelona now, but Pini Gershon and Simone Pianigiani are also being mentioned. After blowing a very winnable game in the Euroleague semifinals against CSKA, finishing in fourth place eventually, and also losing the Copa del Rey to Joventut, Neven Spahija will surely be on the outs from Tau Vitoria if he doesn’t win the ACB championship. Rumors all season had Dusko Ivanovic returning to take the job there, but recently it appears that Svetislav Pesic might be the frontrunner. In Maccabi Tel Aviv, Zvika Sherf will be staying another season for sure unless something incredible happens in the Israeli League playoffs. Don’t be surprised to see David Blatt’s name come up in the next few weeks for some of the open NBA head coaching jobs. We heard some rumblings about that here in Madrid, and none of the NBA executives we spoke with sounded shocked to hear that he’s quietly being mentioned as a candidate. It seems like Avery Johnson will be taking his sweet time to decide on his next destination. Don’t expect him to sign on to coach anywhere all that soon. If Omri Casspi decides to stay in the draft, that likely means two things. One, he has found a promise in the first round, and two, that is likely coming from the San Antonio Spurs. They’ve been out to see him in Tel Aviv far more than any other NBA team, and reportedly really like the way he plays. He would stay in Europe for at least a season or two, though.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

The Spurs stuff...

A number of teams are hot on the trail of Ramunas Siskauskas reportedly, including the San Antonio Spurs...

If Omri Casspi decides to stay in the draft, that likely means two things. One, he has found a promise in the first round, and two, that is likely coming from the San Antonio Spurs. They’ve been out to see him in Tel Aviv far more than any other NBA team, and reportedly really like the way he plays. He would stay in Europe for at least a season or two, though.

I'd approve of both moves.

[tp2021]

bump

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

I really like the attempts they are making at Casspi and Siskauskas.
With the current SF rotation being Bowen and Udoka, Siskauskas can play combo guard in case the likely event of Finley and/or Barry retires, and then later on when Bowen is near retirement, we call up Casspi. I'm liking this plan.

[TDMVPDPOY]

The Spurs stuff...

I'd approve of both moves.

just great, what we dont need next is other scouts looking at what we are looking.

[tp2021]

I just like bumping this thread.
I don't want an important thread such as this to get lost under playoff doomsday, smack talk, and celebration threads.

[wildbill2u]

Claver looks great. DX puts him near the lottery in 2009. I'd expect him to pull out if he looks to be a second rounder, but maybe a certain Texas team will give him a promise...

How would you rate Casspi, Claver, and Siskaus...Sikaucus...oh it, that guy.