Demps a frontrunner for Suns GM job

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, while Dennis Lindsey may have pulled himself out of the Suns GM search, the Spurs are still in danger of losing another highly-touted front office executive.

Demps recently was named Vice President of Basketball Operations, but previously served as Director of Pro Player Personnel and General Manager of the Austin Toros.

Former Blazers assistant GM, Tom Penn, is also a finalist for the job.

Losing Demps would be yet another tough loss of a rising star in the Spurs front office. It would also hurt the Toros quite a bit, especially since they recently lost head coach Quin Snyder to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Spurs could be signing Bell, Jefferson soon

According to the Express News, the Spurs could be bringing back Richard Jefferson very soon and Raja Bell remains a possibility.

Jefferson has been rumored to be returning to the team since opting out a few weeks ago, while it's widely believe that Bell will sign with the Lakers. However, the Spurs have more money than the Lakers and Gregg Popovich has long coveted Bell, which could be enough to bring him to San Antonio.

In Holt We Trust

Kurt Helin of Pro Basketball Talk writes about all of the spin around the firing of former Hornets GM Jeff Bowers. In a time where GMs are seemingly being forced out, I think I can speak for Spurs fans in saying that we're glad our GM, coach and most of the front office are here to stay.

Helin talks about an article from Ken Berger of CBS Sports who quotes an NBA executive giving credit where it's due.

"Peter Holt wins for a reason," a front office executive said of the Spurs' owner, who has kept GM R.C. Buford and coach Gregg Popovich in lock step through San Antonio's run of success. "Jerry Buss wins for a reason. They're letting basketball people make basketball decisions. Oklahoma City is the best team in Western Conference for the next 10 years, in theory, and it's because the owner is allowing Sam Presti to do his job."

Splitter starting over

In an interview with abril.com, newest Spur Tiago Splitter talks about starting over in the NBA.

He said that while he was a star with Caja Laboral, he'll be a team player in San Antonio.

Splitter, who comes to the NBA as a highly decorated player overseas, also said his last season was the best of his career, which helped him make the jump to the NBA.

Gee a "momma's boy"

You may know that Alonzo Gee plays for the Spurs summer league team and that he was signed by the Spurs in March after starring for the Toros. You may even know that he played for Alabama and had a sick 360 dunk that went viral on youtube.

But I bet you didn't know he was a momma's boy, or so he says.

Gee and his mother Darlene are the subject of the latest Ken Rodriguez column on spurs.com.

On the night of the 2009 NBA draft, the Gees settled in, wondering which team would call Alonzo’s name. No one did, and the rejection pierced. “I felt his pain,” Darlene says. “It was devastating But I kept telling him, ‘You are all right. You are going somewhere. You are NBA material. If God be for us, who can be against us.’ I went on and on.”

If you have a few minutes, be sure to give it a read to get a great inside look at a player who may stick around with the Spurs for a while.

The 2009-2010 NBA season was a long one for San Antonio Spurs’ guard, Garrett Temple.

After signing with the Houston Rockets as an undrafted free agent last September, the guard skipped donning a Rockets uniform and headed for the NBA’s D-League to play for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

The 6’6" guard averaged 14.9 ppg with 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists during his time in the Valley, bringing him back to Houston for two ten-day contracts before signing a third ten-day deal with the Sacramento Kings in March.

It wasn’t long before the Louisiana native found himself back in Texas. This time, he was playing for the same team his father had played for nearly 35 years earlier – the San Antonio Spurs.

Drafted by the Phoenix Suns as the 94th pick of the 1974 NBA Draft, Collis Temple Jr. ended up playing his professional career in San Antonio, while the team was still part of the American Basketball Association.

As a rookie forward, Collis averaged 1.8 ppg with 1.3 rebounds and 0.6 assists over his 24-game career. Before he stepped onto the professional court, the elder Temple broke racial barriers as the first African-American to play basketball at LSU, in turn paving the way for his sons Collis III and Garrett.

Collis Jr. proved to be a valuable asset for the Tigers, earning All-Southeastern Conference honors during his senior year, averaging 15.0 ppg and 10.5 rebounds. Not to be outdone by his father, Garrett broke the school’s 27-year-old record for minutes played, finishing his senior year with 4,432 minutes on the collegiate hardtop.

It was late March before Garrett landed his contract with the Spurs, keeping him in San Antonio for the remainder of the season. Shortly before the Spurs’ 2010 playoff run, a right ankle injury sent Spurs’ guard George Hill to the bench, giving Garrett a chance to step up and show the Spurs’ management that he could play more than just a single season.

On April 6, 2010, Garrett started his first game and played a career high of 27 minutes (rather extensive for a rookie in San Antonio) but he gave coach Gregg Popovich every reason to keep him on the court. Playing against his old team, the Kings, Garrett had 15 points, four assists and three rebounds.

Currently, Garrett injured his ankle while playing in the 2010 Las Vegas Summer League but it is clear he may have surpassed his father in his basketball career.

However, he certainly has his father to thank for the career opportunity he has been given. With his potential and the path that was laid before him, Garrett can remain in the NBA for many seasons to come.

On this episode of the Spurscast, Project Spurs welcomes back to the show News 4 WOAI's sports reporter Humberto "Humbie" Cervera to discuss the latest news on the San Antonio Spurs.

On the show, we talk about Tiago Splitter finally signing with the Spurs after being drafted in 2007. We also discuss Matt Bonner being resigned, Ian Mahinmi signing with the Dallas Mavericks, another Tony Parker to the New York Knicks trade rumor and much more!

And by much more I mean I ask Humbie about getting my hands on some Baconaise he recently was touting on the News 4 WOAI Sports Talk Death Match with Project Spurs' very own Mike De Leon.

Thanks to Humbie for taking time out to join us. Make sure to check out Humbie's Blog for more Spurs news.

The Spurscast, the first and original Spurs podcast!

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Music: "All my life" by Foo Fighters

According to the Los Angeles Times, free-agent Adam Morrison has worked out for the San Antonio Spurs:

Over the last couple of days, Morrison has worked out for several NBA teams, doing all he can to secure a job for next season.

He worked out in Las Vegas for the Clippers, Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs.

Morrison was drafted third in the 2006 NBA Draft but never panned out as a solid player in the NBA. Last season he played with the Los Angeles Lakers but never saw any significant playing time.

Matt Bonner

The San Antonio Spurs have officially resigned Matt Bonner. Terms of his deal were not disclosed but there was a report stating Bonner's new contract is to exceed the annual salary of $3.2 million he received last season. (source Spurs.com)

Garrett Temple

Temple is currently playing with the Vegas Summer League squad but recently injured his ankle. It is unsure when he will return. (source Express-News)

James Jones

According to AOL Fanhouse, the Spurs are looking to sign free-agent James Jones:

A source told FanHouse on Tuesday that San Antonio is taking a hard look at signing Jones, a free-agent forward whose contract was bought out by Miami last month in order to help the Heat clear cap room. It worked out well since the Heat got LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join forces with Dwyane Wade.

The source said Jones would sign for more than the minimum if a deal can be finalized with San Antonio.

Jones is a forward who can hit the three-point shot. Another three-point threat would come in handy especially with big men such as Tiago Splitter, DeJuan Blair and Tim Duncan who could use space to operate in the paint.

Tiago Splitter

In case you missed Splitter's press conference, here is the video.

According to Yahoo! Sports, the San Antonio Spurs remain interested in free-agent Raja Bell:

Bell is a tough defender and could address the need for a perimeter defender. He also can hit the three-point shot. He made a league-high 205 3-pointers in the 2006-07 NBA season.

If true, then the question is whether Bell will be satisfied signing with the Spurs at a lower price seeing how the Spurs do not have much spending room.  However, the team does have the bi-annual exception which is around $2 million dollars.

Note: Blockquoted text denotes content from original source.

With San Antonio Spurs' 2007 NBA Draft pick, Tiago Splitter, signed, sealed and delivered, he enters a brand new basketball world unlike in Europe. Luckily for him there is an NBA great big man in Tim Duncan waiting for him in San Antonio to teach him the ropes.

No doubt, Splitter will be the target of many questions, expectations, and criticisms. An experience Duncan is uniquely accustomed to. However, when Duncan was a rookie, he had David Robinson to rely on.  

Now it's time for Duncan to become the "Robinson" to Splitter.

As the elder statesman at the time, Robinson took a young and talented future All-Star under his wing and it is easy to see the fruits of that relationship. Like Robinson before him, Duncan is the kind of player that remains understated on and off the court. Appearing in few endorsements, known for his almost mundane post-game interviews (unlike most other spotlight seeking NBA stars of today) it is as if Duncan and Robinson were cut out of the same mold. 

As Splitter enters the fold as the next potential star big man for the Spurs, Duncan now becomes the teacher.

It will be up to Duncan to take Splitter into a similar relationship both in a basketball sense, teaching him how to handle a different style and pace of play in the NBA, as well as how to handle the publicity and notoriety from the American media that comes with the proverbial territory.

Duncan and Splitter already play in similar styles. As I discussed before, Splitter is a low-box player with a number of post-type moves. He is very fundamentally sound. Unfortunately he even shoots free throws like Duncan. 

Splitter also has a pick-and-roll jump shot that has been effective in European play. It is easy to see how Duncan can be an on-the-court mentor for the young star. Duncan is arguably the best power forward, particularly in post play, we have seen in the last three decades and possibly the best of all time. With Splitter now a Spur, he must have an open mind and ready to learn.

For as much as Duncan will be there for Splitter during games, helping him with the big guys of the NBA, more importantly, he will be there for him off the court.

Off the court, I see similarities as well in the way the two players conduct themselves in the public eye. Here is a quote from Splitter on playing in the NBA. I swear you can see the words coming out of Duncan's mouth:

I am thankful, but my intention is to play in the NBA. For the time being, I want to wait and see what happens, but I'm thinking about playing in the NBA. I've made it clear that it wasn't a financial issue, but one of career goals. I think it's a good time for me to make the jump. It's something I always wanted to do. I'm not the first and I won't be the last.

Gracious and deferential. Not an ounce of ego. Sounds familiar to me.

Anyone who recalls Robinson's persona with the media and the fans knows this attitude originated with him. Duncan possessed the tools, but Robinson developed them. He taught Duncan what to expect and how to react. 

Remember the class with which Duncan handled his free agent process?  Recall Robinson taking a pay cut to keep the team together? These are the actions that give Spurs fans a sense of pride for their team. 

Splitter enters the same set of circumstances. A competitive team which lacks only a part here and a piece there to win a championship. He will require the same type of mentoring from Duncan as Duncan received from Robinson. 

I have no doubt that we've got the right man for the job and that Splitter is ready. Even in the press conference introducing Splitter, he did say wore number 21 in honor of Duncan.

• The San Antonio Spurs were led by five players in double-digit scoring. Garrett Temple scored 11 points, Alonzo Gee with 12 points, Curtis Jerrells with 11 points, Dwayne Mitchell with 12 points, and Gary Neal with 11 points.
• The Spurs shot 54.5% from the three-point line, 50.9% from the field, and 77.8% from the free-throw.
• The Spurs grabbed 38 rebounds led by Gee with eight.
  
• The Spurs committed 30 turnovers.
• DeJuan Blair did not play. Coaches decision.
• Spurs win 85-61. Spurs are 1-0 in the Summer League. They will next play the Atlanta Hawks this Tuesday at 6:30 PM EST.
  

It's official Spurs fans. Tiago Splitter is a San Antonio Spur.

(photo Spurs.com)

Now that Lebron-apalooza has finally come to an end, and most of the big name free agents have been signed, the NBA season is now officially over.

Now is the time of year when most sports fans sit around reading fantasy football magazines (guilty as charged) while ESPN plays a seemingly endless amount of College Football Live shows. How long can you really talk about Boise State? Really? But to those true die-hard hoop heads, the ones that wear basketball jerseys to their cousins baptism (my aunt is still mad at me), there is something for us to be grateful for.

The summer marks the return of the NBA Las Vegas Summer League which gives young players the opportunity to showcase their skills and maybe, just maybe, find a spot on an NBA roster.

With the San Antonio Spurs first summer league game today versus the Minnesota Timberwolves, two players hoping to make a lasting impression on the Spurs this summer in Las Vegas are Josh Lomers and Gary Neal.

Standing at seven feet tall and weighing 280 pounds, Josh Lomers is the biggest player on the Spurs' summer roster. Lomers, who went to high school north of San Antonio in the town of Boerne, is hoping to use his big body to fight for his spot on a team that is looking for a big presence down low.

Lomers kept his basketball skill set in Texas when he decided to play basketball at Baylor University. In his senior year with the Bears, Lomers averaged 6.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1 block in 17 minutes per contest."

"I was always a Spurs fan," Lomers told to members of the San Antonio media before flying out to Las Vegas. "They always seem to have a lot more character guys then other teams do and that's always really appealed to me."

While Lomers was balling close to home, Gary Neal took his highly explosive offensive game across the pond, and averaged over 20 points a game during the 2009-2010 season for Benetton Treviso of the Italian League.

During the 2006-2007 season, his senior season with the Towson Tigers, Neal averaged a team high 23.5 points per game. But it was in Italy where Neal flourished. Being the "go to guy" for a rebuilding franchise allowed Neal the freedom to become the better all around offensive player that he is now.

However, there may seem to be some character issues with Neal. He played his freshman and sophomore year at La Salle where he won Atlantic Ten Rookie of the year his freshman season averaging 18.6 points per game. But Neal was let go from the team before his Junior season due to rape allegations by a female basketball player from the University of New Haven. Neal was later acquitted.

So don't be upset my fellow basketball junkies. There is plenty of basketball to be watched. Plenty of young players willing to give it their all just for the chance to grab a spot on any roster. And while it might be a long shot for Lomers and Neal to grab a spot on the San Antonio bench, it'll still be fun to watch, because these summer league players are the bright young future of the league.

Who Knows, maybe one day we'll be watching an hour long special on ESPN entitled the "Lomers Decision."