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“We're excited Tiago is going to have an opportunity to continue to grow in a very good program,” Buford said Saturday.ROFL
That is the lamest spin job I've ever seen out of the Spurs FO.
Monroe: Splitter won't be in mix yet
By Mike Monroe
When the Spurs drafted Tiago Splitter last year, team officials believed the fact he was under contract through 2007-08 to a Spanish league team had allowed the 6-foot-11, 22-year-old with draft-lottery talent to slide to them at the end of the first round.
They were willing to wait one more year to get a player of his ability and size.
Now the Spurs' plans to sign Splitter this summer have been put on hold again, a victim of his outstanding play in Europe last season and the continuing decline of the U.S. dollar against the Euro.
Splitter on Friday signed a new contract with Tau Ceramica through the 2011-12 season. Reports last week out of Brazil, Splitter's home country, placed the value of the contract at several times the maximum deal the Spurs could offer him, just below $1 million for the 2008-09 season.
While Splitter had maintained for months that his goal was to join the Spurs this summer, and team officials had expressed confidence in recent weeks that he would do just that, his decision to stay in Spain was driven by economics. Not only was Tau Ceramica's offer for much more than the Spurs could pay, the difference was exaggerated by the dollar's continuing slide against the Euro.
Acknowledging that Splitter's decision to remain in Spain was a setback, Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said the team would address needs on its front line through other resources.
“We're excited Tiago is going to have an opportunity to continue to grow in a very good program,” Buford said Saturday. “We'll approach the position through the resources we have, and look forward to the opportunity to add him to our team at the earliest opportunity.”
Splitter's deal gives him the option to sign with an NBA team after the 2009-10 season, but includes a provision requiring the team to pay an unspecified amount to Tau Ceramica to buy out the remainder of the deal if he exercises the option.
The NBA's collective bargaining agreement with its players' union includes a rookie salary scale that limits the amount first-round picks can be paid. The Spurs can't offer Splitter more than $970,000. Further, they are limited to paying only $500,000 to buy out a contract of someone playing overseas.
Two of the Spurs' big men, Robert Horry, 37, and Kurt Thomas, 35, are unrestricted free agents, but Splitter's decision figures to effect their situations. The Spurs should be expected to make a concerted effort to bring back Thomas, acquired from Seattle in a February trade.
After a season in which he played only 45 games for a variety of reasons, Horry has contemplated retirement. Two days after the Spurs were eliminated from the playoffs by the Lakers, he said he was still “up in the air” about playing again. He said he prefers to remain with the Spurs if he opts to return.
Ian Mahinmi, a 21-year-old power forward-center who spent most of the season with the Austin Toros of the NBA's Development League, will play for the Spurs' summer league team in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City in July. Splitter's decision makes his development even more vital.
“This doesn't change how we approach putting together the best team we can,” Buford said. “We will continue to explore all avenues to improve.”
The Spurs can retain Splitter's NBA rights as long as they wish. Last summer, they traded their rights to Argentine forward Luis Scola, their second-round pick in 2004, to the Houston Rockets.
Scola also had been under contract to Tau Ceramica. He averaged 10.3 points and 6.4 rebounds in his rookie season with the Rockets.
Budenholzer to stay: Saturday's news that the Phoenix Suns had made Terry Porter their new coach had reverberating effects in San Antonio. It means that Mike Budenholzer will remain a Spurs assistant coach.
Budenholzer was one of 10 applicants who interviewed for the Phoenix job. He didn't seem particularly saddened by the news that Porter had gotten it.
“I'm very happy to stay here,” Budenholzer said. “I couldn't lose. I was in a win-win situation.”
Budenholzer has been with the Spurs for 14 seasons, 12 as an assistant coach. This season was his first as Gregg Popovich's lead assistant.
Budenholzer had been around so long, in fact, that he was on the staff when the newest Suns coach played for the Spurs. Porter spent three seasons in San Antonio from 1999-2002.
“I think Terry was a great hire,” Budenholzer said. “Hopefully, he'll do a good job — just not too good a job.”
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...n.36e17e2.html
“We're excited Tiago is going to have an opportunity to continue to grow in a very good program,” Buford said Saturday.ROFL
That is the lamest spin job I've ever seen out of the Spurs FO.
Ya think, excited oh yeah i bet Pop did ing handstands in his office when this went down. RC your an idiot.
Not much else he can say.
I wonder if Buford realizes what a bad job they've done lately.
What else should he say?
The collective barganing agreement with the rookie scale sucks?
Tiago is a bogarting prick?
Should have said nothing, that came off pathetic
Ian Mahinmi, a 21-year-old power forward-center who spent most of the season with the Austin Toros of the NBA's Development League, will play for the Spurs' summer league team in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City in July. Splitter's decision makes his development even more vital.
All hail Ian
RC has a better chance to win the lottery than to ever get Splitter.Splitter's deal gives him the option to sign with an NBA team after the 2009-10 season, but includes a provision requiring the team to pay an unspecified amount to Tau Ceramica to buy out the remainder of the deal if he exercises the option.
Jesus: Ian is my homeboy.
So the media says "comment on the Splitter contract"
he should say, "No comment"??
I'm not defending anything, just curious what you think the guy should say.
Well, what do you expect him to say?
"That Splitter makes me look like an idiot by wasting yet another first round pick. I'm gonna put forth my resignation letter tomorrow."
Sam Presti, we miss you. Come back!!!!
I think he should have called him out
said he promised to come over to the spurs this year and did not
spurs have to put these punks in their place
No need to lie and claim to be "excited". That comes across as a pathetically blatant lie.
I think he could have skipped the 'thrilled' word. You're desperate for a big, Splitter could be that big, but now you're thrilled he's not coming? That sounds pretty dumb right there...
Ok.
Guess I don't see it as that big of a deal.
Apologies.
Scariest part of the whole article...
I've been saying that it might actually be a positive for Splitter to have signed a longer term deal with potential opt-out after two years under the premise that it would be easy to bring him over and that Tau couldn't just offer boatloads more money.
After seeing that ambiguous statement, I'm worried. If it's anywhere over the $500K authorized, it will effectively come out of Tiago's already minescule rookie scale contract right?
Splitter has to pay whatever part of the buyout that goes above the NBA limit, so that negotiation point is all on his people. They actually had the upper hand in this negotiation, so if Splitter ever actually wants to go to the NBA, his people will have made sure that buyout is affordable to him.
Say no comment or tell the truth, Duncan will be 33 next year and by the time Splitters deal is done the window to win another le will be gone. This was a mess for the Spurs, RC ed up, cop to it or say no comment.
I just think this closed the door for him. Think about it: in 2010 we're supposed to have enough cap space to go after some star talent. We're going to need as much cap space as possible, especially since Holt rarely wants to venture over the cap, so basically, we're going to put our money somewhere else and we're going to have to let go of his rights to open more cap space.
I think the best scenario is trading his rights in 2010, for some kind of pick, to at least get something from this guy.
Spurs couldn't spare $1M for a likely starting Center? Doubt it...
If Splitter wants to come over in 2010, Spurs will welcome him with open arms.
I really can't blame Splitter for taking the money.. just maybe once he's built up his bank account enough he'll feel secure enough to try his luck in the NBA in a couple of years.. too bad though because the Spurs need him now.
I tought the same thing about Scola. You know how that worked out..
for some reason RC referring to Tau, the multi-million euro empire of euroleague, as a 'program' like it was some college is very amusing to me.
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