Tag: San Antonio Spurs

Daily roundup: Williams stays put

Even while the Dwight Howard soap opera drags on…and on, and on, the Brooklyn Nets continued their busy offseason, following up their acquisition of shooting guard Joe Johnson with the . The Nets held off a strong bid from the Mavericks, who were hoping to lure Williams back to his hometown. With those hopes dashed, to former Mavs point guard Steve Nash and New York Knicks wonderboy Jeremy Lin.

Having secured their backcourt, the Nets will now . The All-Star center had seemingly fell out of reach after the Johnson deal, but multiple reports indicate that the Nets are ready to throw a package including three first-round picks in an effort to bring him to the Big Apple. While Howard has reportedly indicated he won’t sign a contract extension with any other team but the Nets, but that hasn’t stopped Orlando from pursuing a deal with the Lakers for center Andrew Bynum.

Elsewhere:

* has signed a four-year, $58-million offer sheet with Phoenix, but will reportedly match.

* are all making strong pushes to sign Nash, while .

* Having been foiled in their attempt to sign Deron Williams, the Mavericks are to pursue Chris Paul and Howard next year.

* Milwaukee power forward Ersan Ilyasova has .

* Lin will reportedly .

* And, finally, no roundup would be complete without news that . Harangody will get $1.1 million after averaging 2.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game last season. Long live the NBA!

Potent picks past No. 50

Owning only the No. 59 pick in Thursday’s NBA draft, the Spurs aren’t expecting to add an immediate impact rookie. In reality, odds are good whoever’s name deputy commissioner Adam Silver calls second-to-last in Newark, N.J., will struggle simply to make the Spurs’ roster.

Yet the late second round is not always fallow ground, and the Spurs need only to look at their own draft history for proof. In 1999, they drafted an unknown Argentine guard named Emanuel Ginobili at No. 57. Express-News staff writer Jeff McDonald combs the archives for other “50-and-over” players who might offer the Spurs a bit of draft-night hope:

Anthony Mason

Selected: 53rd overall (third round) by Portland in 1988

The payoff: Bruising forward eventually developed into a key component of playoff teams in New York, Charlotte and Miami, winning NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 1993-94, making the All-Star team in 2001 and being named third-team All-NBA in 1996-97.

Michael Adams

Selected: 66th overall (third round) by Sacramento in 1985

The payoff: Diminutive guard went on to become one of NBA’s most lethal scorers in Denver, averaging a career high of 26.5 points in 1990-91. Twice led the NBA in 3-pointers and made one All-Star team in 1992.

Mark Eaton

Selected: 72nd overall (fourth round) by Utah in 1982

The payoff: The 7-foot-4 center led the league in blocked shots in four of his 10 seasons, won two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards and made one All-Star appearance.

Drazen Petrovic

Selected: 60th overall (third round) by Portland in 1986

The payoff: In a prelude to the overseas invasion to come, Petrovic enjoyed his best years in New Jersey, where he averaged 20-plus points in back-to-back seasons and earned All-NBA recognition in 1992-93 before his death in a car accident.

Steve Kerr

Selected: 50th overall by Phoenix in 1988

The payoff: The NBA’s most accurate 3-point shooter in history had a hand in five championships, including two with the Spurs.

Mario Elie

Selected: 160th overall (seventh round) by Milwaukee in 1985

The payoff: Pugnacious swingman lasted 11 NBA seasons and won three NBA titles, two with Houston and one with the Spurs.

Luis Scola

Selected: 55th overall by Spurs in 2002

The payoff: Long considered the one who got away for Spurs fans, Ginobili’s teammate on the Argentine national team developed into a steady starter in Houston. In 2010-11, averaged 20.2 points and nine rebounds.

Marcin Gortat

Selected: 57th by Phoenix in 2005

The payoff: Traded on draft day to Orlando, where he spent three seasons backing up Dwight Howard. Broke out after return to Suns in 2010, averaging a double-double (15.4 points, 10 rebounds) this past season.

Isaiah Thomas

Selected: 60th by Sacramento in 2011

The payoff: Last year’s Mr. Irrelevant was anything but, averaging 14.2 points and 5.2 assists for the Kings after the All-Star break to garner a second-team All-Rookie mention.

Sarunas Marciulionis

Selected: 127th overall (sixth round) by Golden State in 1987

The payoff: Became sixth man for high-scoring Warriors teams of the early 1990s, averaging a career high of 18.9 points in 1991-92.

Sam Mitchell

Selected: 54th overall (third round) by Houston in 1985

The payoff: Forward spent 10 of 13 NBA seasons with the Timberwolves, averaging 14.5 points and 6.3 rebounds in 1990-91.

Spud Webb

Selected: 87th overall (fourth round) by Detroit in 1985

The payoff: The 5-6 Lilliputian lasted 13 seasons, averaging a high of 16 points with Sacramento in 1991-92. Memorably won 1986 slam dunk contest while with the Hawks.

Kyle Korver

Selected: 51st overall by New Jersey in 2003

The payoff: Has long been one of league’s deadliest 3-point shooters, leading NBA in long balls made in 2004-05 and percentage in 2009-10.

Patty Mills

Selected: 55th overall by Portland in 2009

The payoff: Still to come, perhaps. Hooked on with Spurs as backup point guard late in 2011-12 and finished with 61 points in final two regular-season games.

Daily roundup: Ferry executes major facelift in Atlanta

Freshly-minted Atlanta GM Danny Ferry hasn’t wasted any time putting his stamp on his new team. The former Spurs administrator pulled off a pair of major moves on Tuesday, for a mass of expiring contracts while .

In addition to freeing the Hawks from the $90 million remaining on Johnson’s deal — one that had been considered virtually untradeable — Ferry also put the Hawks in position of clearing cap space to go after both Chris Paul and Dwight Howard in next year’s free agency sweepstakes. It’s a slim hope at best — Paul has a great situation with Blake Griffin and the Clippers, and Howard would likely have little interest in the Hawks without him — but it’s better than being stuck with the dead weight that is Johnson’s contract.

Brooklyn, meanwhile, has given Deron Williams another reason to consider staying with the Nets, while still retaining some of its assets. Williams is expected to make his decision between Brooklyn and Dallas as early as today. But the Nets would also seem to have , leaving the Orlando center’s future even more murky after reportedly demanding a trade to the Nets, and only the Nets. That could seemingly open the door for another suitor, such as the Lakers, or force Howard to play out a lame-duck season with the Magic before hitting the open market.

If Williams bolts for Big D, the Nets will reportedly .

Elsewhere:

* The Suns are to restricted SG Eric Gordon.

* Former Spur George Hill

* The Kings are taking a

* Small forward Grant Hill’s services are

* Small forward Nicolas Batum has

* The Rockets are ready to 

* The Clippers want to