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How The Spurs Were Constructed

June 6th, 2013 at 3:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, we looked at the Eastern Conference's representative in the Finals, noting that the Heat's roster is made up primarily of trade acquisitions and free agent signings. While Norris Cole was obtained in a draft-day trade, Dwyane Wade is essentially the only other player on the roster who has been with the Heat since he was drafted by them.

That's not the case for the Spurs, who drafted seven of the 15 players on their roster, including their three longest-tenured stars, and acquired another important contributor in a draft-day deal. Here's a look at how San Antonio constructed its roster, in chronological order:

Tim Duncan
Drafted with the first overall pick in 1997. Signed multiple contracts since then, most recently inking a three-year deal in July 2012.

Manu Ginobili
Drafted with the 57th overall pick in 1999. Remained overseas until 2002/03. Signed multiple contracts since then, most recently inking a three-year extension in April 2010.

Tony Parker
Drafted with the 28th overall pick in 2001. Signed multiple contracts since then, most recently inking a four-year extension in October 2010.

Matt Bonner
Acquired from the Raptors with Eric Williams and a second-round pick in exchange for Rasho Nesterovic (June 21, 2006). Signed multiple contracts since then, most recently inking a four-year deal in July 2010.

Tiago Splitter
Drafted with the 28th overall pick in 2007. Remained overseas until 2010/11.

DeJuan Blair
Drafted with the 37th overall pick in 2009.

Nando De Colo
Drafted with the 53rd overall pick in 2009. Remained overseas until 2012/13.

Gary Neal
Signed a three-year deal as a free agent (July 22, 2010).

Danny Green
Signed a two-year deal as a free agent (March 15, 2011). Re-signed on a three-year deal in July 2012.

Kawhi Leonard
Acquired from the Pacers with Davis Bertans and Erazem Lorbek in exchange for George Hill (June 23, 2011).

Cory Joseph
Drafted with the 29th overall pick in 2011.

Boris Diaw
Signed a one-year deal as a free agent (March 23, 2012). Re-signed on a two-year deal in July 2012.

Patrick Mills
Signed a two-year deal as a free agent (March 27, 2012). Declined his player option and re-signed on a two-year deal in July 2012.

Aron Baynes
Signed a two-year deal as a free agent (January 23, 2013).

Tracy McGrady
Signed a one-year deal as a free agent (April 16, 2013).

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Odds & Ends: Hollins, Nets, Allen, Raptors, Pacers

June 5th, 2013 at 10:41pm CST by Chuck Myron

Game One of the NBA Finals will be ending about 24 hours from now, and while the Spurs will provide more evidence for the rest-versus-rust debate, many expect them to find their rhythm before long. The majority of Hoops Rumors readers who voted in today's poll say San Antonio will beat the Heat. While we wait to see if they're right, here's more from around the NBA:

  • The Grizzlies rebuffed the Nets when they asked for permission to interview Lionel Hollins the day after the Western Conference Finals ended, but Memphis would likely grant that permission now if Brooklyn inquired again, TNT's David Aldridge hears (Twitter link).
  • Ray Allen feels his return to the Finals with the Heat provides a measure of vindication for his decision to sign with Miami last summer, observes Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
  • Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun looks at what Tim Leiweke and Masai Ujiri have done and said since arriving in town and concludes that the Raptors will soon be rebuilding.
  • Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star, writing for USA Today, details five key questions the Pacers must answer this summer.
  • The shakeup continues for the Kings, as Jerry Reynolds will step down as the team's director of player development, he tells Chris Riva of KCRA-TV.
  • The Knicks worked out Deshaun Thomas today and will get another look at him Friday, reports Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (Twitter link), who also notes that Cody Zeller will work out Thursday for the Suns. Thomas will also work out later this month for the Timberwolves, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, apparently clearing up earlier confusion involving Adonis Thomas.
  • The Sixers auditioned Steven Adams, Colton Iverson, Alex Oriakhi, Mouhammadou Jaiteh and Jamelle Hagins today, tweets Jake L. Fischer of SLAM Online.
  • Ray McCallum, who will work out sometime this month for the Pistons, has also worked out with the Spurs, Rockets and Pacers, notes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
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Poll: Who Will Win The NBA Finals?

June 5th, 2013 at 4:52pm CST by Luke Adams

We're a little over 24 hours away from Game One of this year's NBA Finals, which means there's only one appropriate question to ask in today's poll: Who will 2013's champion be? The Heat or the Spurs?

The Heat finished the regular season on a 37-2 run for a 66-16 overall record, giving them home-court advantage in the Finals. They're the defending champs and they have the world's best player in LeBron James, but they're coming off a couple grueling series against the Bulls and Pacers, inculding a seven-game Eastern Finals.

The Spurs, meanwhile, only had the second-best record in the West, but blew through the postseason, going 12-2 against the Lakers, Warriors, and Grizzlies, with a pair of sweeps. They've had plenty of time to get ready for the Finals, but there's always a concern that the extra rest will turn into rust by the time the next series begins.

Who do you like? Weigh in with your selection in the poll and feel free to specify a number of games and/or explain your reasoning in the comments section. Having picked the Heat over the Spurs before the season got underway, I'll stick with my pick, and take Miami in seven games.

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Tracy McGrady To Consider Retirement

June 5th, 2013 at 12:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Tracy McGrady didn't play a significant role for an NBA team in 2012/13, landing a deal with the Spurs just in time for the playoffs. But that doesn't mean he didn't remain active, spending most of the season playing overseas in the Chinese Basketball Association. However, that may not be the case next season. According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), McGrady will consider retiring after the NBA Finals.

McGrady turned just 34 years old last month, so he probably still has something left in the tank if he wants to continue his career. In 29 CBA games, the former ninth overall pick averaged 25.0 PPG and 7.2 RPG for the Qingdao Double Star Eagles. While he certainly wouldn't post those numbers in the NBA, he was reasonably effective off the bench for the Hawks in 2011/12, averaging 5.3 PPG and 3.0 RPG in limited minutes.

If this is the last we see of McGrady in the NBA, he would end his career with an overall scoring average of 19.6 PPG and a list of achievements that includes seven All-Star appearances, two scoring titles, and two All-NBA First Team berths. Perhaps, within the next couple weeks, he'll be able to add an NBA championship to his resume as well.

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Draft Updates: Tuesday

June 4th, 2013 at 12:32pm CST by Luke Adams

ESPN.com's Chad Ford has released version 4.0 of his 2013 mock draft (Insider-only link), and as usual, the piece is chock-full of rumors and rumblings he's heard from GMs, scouts, and other league sources. Let's dive in and round up some of the highlights from Ford's latest….

  • Nerlens Noel remains the default pick at No. 1, but the Cavaliers still haven't made a decision. Otto Porter and Alex Len would be the best bets to supplant Noel.
  • The Magic's decision at No. 2 is still extremely wide open, with nine players still under consideration, according to Ford.
  • If Porter and Anthony Bennett are still on the board at No. 3 for Washington, it will be a tough decision, since the Wizards' front office is split over which player it likes better.
  • The Pelicans will consider point guards with the sixth overall pick, but the team hasn't given up on Austin Rivers as its point guard of the future, so it may go in a different direction.
  • Ford is "hearing with increasing frequency" that the Pistons could target a point guard with the No. 8 pick.
  • Dario Saric appears to be a lottery pick, with Ford identifying the Blazers at 10 and the Sixers at 11 as real possibilities for the Croatian prospect, who is a "hot name" right now.
  • Shane Larkin's workout in Milwaukee was a "wow" for the Bucks, according to Ford, who has the point guard going at No. 15 to Milwaukee.

In addition to Ford's latest mock, there are plenty of other draft updates to pass along this afternoon. Here are a few of them:

  • Speaking to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times, Dennis Schroeder and his agent downplayed reports that he has received a first-round guarantee from an unknown team, perhaps the Celtics. "I don’t know where that came from," agent Alex Saratsis said. "I don’t know anything about that."
  • The Knicks' workout on Wednesday will feature the following prospects, according to Al Iannazzone of Newsday (via Twitter): Isaiah Canaan, Brandon Triche, Deshaun Thomas, Murphy Holloway, A.J. Matthews, and Norvel Pelle.
  • The Pistons will bring in Ray McCallum for a workout, tweets Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
  • After recently working out for the Jazz, Cody Zeller will work out for the Suns next, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. Amico adds in another tweet that Mark Lyons, who averaged 24.3 PPG in three NCAA tournament contests in March, is working out for the Nuggets.
  • Ricky Ledo has already worked out for six teams, including the Nuggets, Bulls, Rockets, and Spurs (link via NBA.com).
  • Ledo will work out for his seventh team on Wednesday, when the Grizzlies hold a session that will also include Jud Dillard, Carrick Felix, Solomon Hill, Angelo Sharpless, and Tony Snell, according to a team release.
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Draft Notes: Knicks, Larkin, Hardaway Jr., Bucks

June 1st, 2013 at 10:12am CST by Zachary Links

Otto Porter, Victor Oladipo, Ben McLemore, and Anthony Bennett will likely be among the candidates visiting with the Wizards in the second or third week of June, when the team will look at candidates for the No. 3 overall pick, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. For now, the team is concentrating on targets for its pair of second-round pick, and Lee lists more than a dozen such players scheduled for workouts with the team next week.  The Wizards' pick may very well come down to a decision between who is left over between Porter and Nerlens Noel, but they'll leave no stone unturned when it comes to their top pick.  Here's more draft news..

  • Former Miami point guard Shane Larkin won’t work out for the Knicks, his agent told Adam Zagoria of SNY.   “Currently, Shane’s not scheduled to work out for the Knicks,” agent Steve McCaskill said. “And we don’t have any intentions of scheduling one. We don’t feel like he’s going to be on the board when they select.”  The Knicks have the No. 24 pick in the draft and while some view Larkin as a mid-round talent, it's worth noting that DraftExpress currently has him going at No. 23 to the Pacers.
  • Tim Hardaway Jr. auditioned for the Bucks and told reporters, including Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, that he has already worked out for the Bulls and T'Wolves.  The Michigan product is widely viewed as a fringe first-round talent.
  • Murray State's Isaiah Canaan says he has already worked out for the Spurs and he has more workouts scheduled with the Pacers, Knicks, Cavs, Suns, Mavs, and Jazz, Gardner writes.  Canaan, who auditioned for the Bucks, could be a candidate for the club's No. 43 selection.
  • Former Creighton and Rutgers big man Gregory Echenique will work out for the Wizards, Suns, and Nets in the coming weeks, Zagoria writes. The 6-foot-9, 260-pound center has already worked out for the Celtics, Timberwolves, and Trail Blazers.  At this time, Echenique figures to be a second round pick at best.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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Odds & Ends: West, Cousins, Ginobili, Celtics

May 31st, 2013 at 11:21pm CST by Chuck Myron
David West seems content with the Pacers, as he tells Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida, but the Hawks, armed with plenty of cap space, might be planning to make a run at him in free agency this summer, a source tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. That's not entirely surprising, since Atlanta is on track to have enough cap room for a pair of max free agents. The Hawks probably wouldn't make West their top priority, since they seem ready to go after Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, but if they strike out on them, West might not be too far down the list. Here's more as we enter the final month before free agency starts:
  • Rival teams may have been behind a report that the Kings are ready to trade DeMarcus Cousins, Deveney hears, adding that the team's new owners have yet to decide what they want to do with the turbulent big man. Deveney wonders if the Kings might do some message-management of their own and have incoming coach Michael Malone talk up Cousins to increase his value.
  • As for Cousins, sources tell Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee that he isn't looking for a trade (Twitter link).
  • Manu Ginobili's contract is up June 30th, but he told Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News that he has no plans to retire. The 35-year-old seems likely to return to the Spurs and expects to take a paycut to do so, though he and agent Herb Rudoy aren't starting negotiations with the team until July 1st.
  • The Celtics attempted to acquire either Paul Millsap or Al Jefferson at the trade deadline, but couldn't work out a deal with the Jazz for one of their big men, tweets Greg Dickerson of CSNNE.com. Boston is reportedly interested in Millsap as a free agent.
  • The Rockets plan to pursue Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, but with the league telling teams to expect a $58.5 million salary cap and $71.5MM tax line next season, squeezing both onto the team will be nearly impossible, as HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram examines.
  • Kelvin Sampson would have been Brandon Jennings' choice to coach the Bucks, reports Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. The team hired Larry Drew instead, a choice that was definitely GM John Hammond's call, unlike the team's hiring of former coach Scott Skiles (Twitter links).
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Pacific Rumors: Clippers, Scott, Kings, Buford

May 30th, 2013 at 4:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are a few items of note from out of the Pacific Division on a Thursday afternoon:

  • The Clippers have gotten in touch with at least one of the coaching candidates presumed to be on their list of targets. ESPN.com's Chris Broussard reports that the team has contacted Byron Scott, and while no formal interview has been scheduled yet, Scott is interested in the job.
  • Scott is currently the leading vote-getter in our poll from earlier this afternoon asking who will be the Clippers' next head coach. The former Cavs coach is barely edging out Pacers assistant Brian Shaw for now.
  • With Vivek Ranadive assuming control of the Kings, he'll need to divest himself of his stake in the Warriors, as Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News notes. Kawakami has heard estimates that Ranadive's share of the Warriors was about 10% (Twitter links).
  • Speaking of Ranadive's Kings, a report earlier this week had suggested the new ownership group in Sacramento would be targeting R.C. Buford as the Kings' head of basketball operations. However, the Spurs GM said today that he's exactly where he wants to be in San Antonio, and that he's not going anywhere, as Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News writes.
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Coaching Rumors: Pistons, Hollins, Kings, 76ers

May 29th, 2013 at 9:54am CST by Luke Adams

A handful of the NBA's head coaching vacancies have been filled this week, with the Suns, Bobcats, and Hawks all deciding on new head coaches. Still, plenty of jobs remain open, including higher-profile positions in Los Angeles and Brooklyn. Let's round up the latest rumblings on the Association's coaching carousel….

  • Sam Amick of USA Today follows up on his earlier report (linked below), tweeting that the reason the Kings may move quickly to hire Malone is a fear he'll be gone if they wait. Malone is expected to interview with the Clippers soon, according to Amick (via Twitter). Amick adds that the Kings have yet to contact Chris Mullin about the team's GM position.

Earlier updates:

  • The Pistons have interviewed Bulls assistant Adrian Griffin for their head coaching opening, reports CSNNW.com's Chris Haynes. While Nate McMillan and Maurice Cheeks are viewed as the favorites in Detroit, Griffin's extensive phone interview with GM Joe Dumars was "impressive," a source tells Haynes. The Bulls assistant also interviewed for the Suns job before Phoenix hired Jeff Hornacek.
  • Although the Nets are among the teams hoping to speak to Lionel Hollins, the Grizzlies coach told reporters, including Tim Bontemps of the New York Post, that he's not sure Memphis will grant rival suitors permission to talk to him before his contract expires on June 30th.
  • Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group backs up Peter Vecsey's report that Michael Malone appears likely to be hired as the Kings' next head coach. Sam Amick of USA Today is hearing the same thing, noting that the team could bring Malone aboard before hiring a general manager, which would be an unorthodox approach.
  • Amick also passes along an update on the Kings' search for a new head of basketball operations, reporting that the team has interviewed Warriors assistant GM Travis Schlenk and will likely interview Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace later this week. The Thunder denied Sacramento permission to speak to OKC's assistant GM Troy Weaver, while Spurs GM R.C. Buford isn't expected to have interest in the Kings job, according to Amick.
  • The 76ers continue to move slowly in their coaching search, and have yet to formally interview a candidate for the job, says John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
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Odds & Ends: Ujiri, Oladipo, Dooling, Grizzlies

May 28th, 2013 at 4:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier in the day, we heard that a decision from Masai Ujiri on whether he'll be running the Raptors or Nuggets could come as early as today. But according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter links), Ujiri won't decide whether or not to accept the Raptors' offer until he meets with Denver ownership. That meeting could happen today or tomorrow, says Berger, so we may be waiting one more day to get closure on the Ujiri saga. In the meantime, let's round up a few odds and ends from across the NBA:

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