The San Antonio Spurs announced they have picked up the fourth-year option on George Hill's contract. He is now signed through the 2011-2012 season.

The decision to exercise the option does not come as a surprise. Hill turned heads his rookie season when he was thrown into the starting lineup when Tony Parker suffered injuries. Last season, he made vast improvements to his game, became an important part of the rotation and finished second in Most Improved Player voting.

According to HoopsHype, Hill will make just over $2 million next year with the option being picked up, which should save the team some money if they decide to extend Parker's contract or re-sign him next summer.

With the regular season getting closer, the San Antonio Spurs will have the unenviable task of cutting down their roster to 13 players as Spurs' coach Gregg Popovich stated yesterday.

Curtis Jerrells was traded to the New Orleans Hornets (a nod in Garrett Temple's favor) and James Gist was waived by the Spurs.

Now the Spurs' roster stands at 15 which means the remaining camp hopefuls (Marcus Cousin, Alonzo Gee and Bobby Simmons) are playing for the final roster spot.

Among the camp hopefuls, Cousin appears to be a long shot. He has played decent basketball in the preseason (averaging 5.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in five preseason games) but with the injury to Tiago Splitter, the Spurs might keep him around for insurance but it is doubtful he will last long with the team.

However, should he be waived, he could be headed to the Austin Toros.

With Gist gone, the final roster spot is now between Simmons and Gee for the backup small forward position.

Between the two, Gee may have the bigger upside and is probably the better offensive player. However, he only played sparingly (three games with limited playing time) in the preseason which is telling.

The Spurs could be leaning towards veteran Simmons who has played in all six preseason games.

During the preseason, Simmons has shown balanced scoring, defense and hustle for the Spurs. His NBA experience might also come into play especially seeing how coach Popovich tends to favor more seasoned players over younger players which is not a good sign for Gee.

If my assessment is accurate and coach Popovich goes with a 13 man roster, then we will see Cousin and Gee waived and Simmons in silver and black.

This makes the final preseason game against the Houston Rockets much more interesting for all three players.

Do you agree? Give us your take on who do you think should make the final roster. I'm pretty sure you all have interesting opinions and ideas on this matter.

(NBA Photo)

The San Antonio Spurs announced today they have waived forward James Gist.

Gist was one of the players I expected would get one of the last roster spots due to his work ethic and hustle play this preseason.

Gist was originally selected by the Spurs in 2008 NBA Draft with the 57th overall pick.  He spent the past two seasons playing overseas before being signed by San Antonio on September 27.  Gist appeared in four preseason games, averaging 3.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in 10.8 minutes.

As Jeff Garcia reported yesterday, there is a rumor that Partizan Belgrade is interested in him, and perhaps the Spurs waived him since he might have been buried on the bench this season anyway.

The Spurs roster now stands at 15 and one or two more cuts are expected before Monday. With the Curtis Jerrells trade, Garrett Temple is pretty much a lock. Marcus Cousin, Alonzo Gee or Bobby Simmons are likely candidates for the next cut. While many expected Cousin would be gone by now, with Tiago Splitter's injury, the Spurs front office may want to keep him around a little longer.

Be sure to read Jeff Garcia's interview with Gist, which he conducted in Pittsburgh last week.

From playing college basketball at Maryland, being selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2008 NBA draft, playing overseas, playing for the Spurs at NBA Summer Leagues and currently on the Spurs' training camp roster, James Gist has definitely been paying his dues.

This past summer at the 2010 NBA Summer League, things were looking great for Gist. He was putting up solid numbers with 9.0 points and 5.0 rebounds but unfortunately he injured his wrist causing him to miss the rest of the Summer League.

Now with the Spurs looking for another forward to backup Richard Jefferson, it seems Gist has a golden opportunity to make an impression and show why the Spurs selected him back in 2008. Though there is a report Partizan Belgrade is interested in signing him should he be released by the Spurs.

This preseason the 6'9", forward has been averaging 3.3 points and 3.0 rebounds but it's what he does on the court that doesn't show up in the box score what makes him an intriguing player. While I was in Pittsburgh to cover the Spurs' preseason game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, I saw first-hand the hustle, the defensive disruption he brings, the athleticism and more from Gist.

I caught up with Gist after last week's preseason game against the Cavaliers for this Q&A. We talked about what he brings to the Spurs, what he is focusing on in the offseason and much more.

Jeff: What an exciting game in Mexico City. "Coach" Manu Ginobili drew up the final play which led to the dramatic ending by Gary Neal.

James: Yeah it was pretty exciting. We played tough the whole game. We fought back from a big deficit. Some guys made some key shots especially Gary Neal who knocked down the three and Manu drew up a great play. What that tells you about the Spurs is the confidence that coach Pop has in his players. I never been on a team like that.

What can you bring to this team?

I bring a lot of energy, a lot of defense and everything else falls in place as far as the offense goes but overall I just bring that energy. A spark. Something to get the team going if the team is not going well. If things aren't going so good on the court I'll get in there, I'll get a couple of rebounds, couple of steals whatever I can do to get the game changed.

Playing overseas might be of an advantage for you to adapt quickly to the NBA game.

Definitely. I played at a professional level overseas and I got to see a lot of different types of basketball, a lot of different types of defenses, learned how to space the floor since spacing is real critical overseas. Especially coming into the NBA. You got to learn how to space the floor especially with the Spurs. So the transition been going well, learning the plays, keeping up with the plays, it's been OK.

As far as your game, what are you focusing on in the preseason?

To stay focused, pay attention to what Pop has to say in the huddles, knowing the defenses and just being able to make key plays at critical times because that's what the NBA is all about.

(I noticed he has a photo of his daughter on his cell phone) That's a nice picture of your daughter. I'm sure she adds to the motivation to make the squad.

Oh yeah! That's first and foremost. Everything I do is to take care of her.

You must be pretty much tired of the traveling in the preseason, such as going to Mexico City to Pittsburgh.

Traveling is just another part of the NBA. That can't be a reason you are not ready to play.

You are an athletic forward and fit what the Spurs need at that position.

Definitely. Just because it says that on paper doesn't mean that it is. I got to be able to produce on the court, got to keep at it and every chance I get on the court I got to show that.

Spurs guard James Anderson recently spoke to the Oklahoman about starting his career with the Spurs.

Unlike some rookies who come into their rookie seasons with many expectations and pressures on their shoulders, Anderson, formerly the Big 12 player of the year, was drafted and comes to a team with several all-stars.

For Anderson, the former star at Oklahoma State, there is not a better place to begin his professional journey.

"It's a big relief," Anderson said before Monday's exhibition against the Thunder. "It's such a great organization. You really don't have any pressure on your back. You can just play and learn the game."

Box Score | Highlights

The Oklahoma City Thunder were in regular season mode on Monday night as all five of their starters played over 25 minutes in the Spurs 102-111 loss, which brings the Spurs to 3-3 in preseason play.

While the Spurs led through most of the first half, the Thunder went on a 13-2 run in the last four minutes of the fourth quarter to close out the game.

Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook all played over 35 minutes while Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker were limited under 27 minutes and Tim Duncan only played 12 minutes.

Thunder coach Scott Brooks said playing time was the biggest difference in the game.

“Pop didn’t play their guys. We knew going into the game we were going to play our guys extended minutes," Brooks said. "They didn’t have their guys in the fourth quarter and that made the difference.”

"I knew there was a chance that we would see the Spurs normal rotation guys extended minutes, but in preseason that’s just part of the game. We weren’t trying to out-do them," Brooks said, "We were just trying to get some work in."

Kevin Durant led all scorers with 29 points to go along with nine rebounds and three assists in 40 minutes.

Ginobili had the best game of his preseason with 17 points, four assists and three rebounds. Ginobili scored 15 of his points on three-pointers. Parker also scored 17 points to go along with six assists.

While George Hill's shooting struggles continued, he also had his best game of the preseason. Hill finished the game with 12 points, six assists, two steals and one blocked shot.

The Spurs conclude their preseason at home against Houston on Thursday before they open up the 2010-11 season against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, October 27.

Note: The Spurs will have to set their roster on October 25, which means at least two more cuts are likely to come soon.

According to basketnews.net, Partizan Belgrade is interested in forward James Gist who is currently on the San Antonio Spurs' training camp roster. Here is the cleaned up translation:

Partizan Belgrade is still looking to strengthen its [interior] and is interested in James Gist (2.03 m, 24), which was confirmed by Dragan Todorovic, the athletic director club. 

American power forward [is] currently [in] the NBA preseason with the San Antonio Spurs but should be released later in the week.

Interesting to note is how the report states Gist is to be released this week.

Last season he played with Lokomotiv Rostov in Russia and averaged 11.4 points and 4.2 rebounds.

In the preseason, he has averaged 3.3 points and 3.0 rebounds and has been competing with Alonzo Gee (3.7 points and 1.3 rebounds) and Bobby Simmons (3.2 points, 3.0 rebounds) for the backup small forward position.

San Antonio Spurs' forward Richard Jefferson and the Spurs struck an offseason deal which appeased both sides.

Jefferson opted out of his $15 million pay day which helped the Spurs get under the luxury tax. In doing so, it gave the team more room to maneuver as they were able to add and sign Tiago Splitter, James Anderson and Gary Neal while staying under the salary cap. A deal which helped the Spurs financially in the short-term.

In return, Jefferson got exactly what he needed. He was able to get long-term security by agreeing to a restructured deal with the Spurs which will pay him around $40 million for the next four years.

As the regular season approaches, Jefferson may not have the burden of being an underachieving, overpaid player for the Spurs. His new contract is more reasonable and acceptable.

However, by staying in San Antonio, Jefferson will have a tough task ahead to prove his critics wrong or as he said prove he did not forget how to play basketball.

In the offseason, Spurs' coach Gregg Popovich took the time with him over the summer. Though the work in the offseason this was not forced on him, Popovich basically told him to shape up or ship out and he decided to shape up.

What Jefferson did deserves some credit.

He could have walked away, and maybe get traded to another team for a possible better pay-day but he decided to stay and work on his game over the summer.

But has this summer work paid off?

So far his summer work has yet to translate on the court. Granted it is the preseason and he sat out of the preseason game against the Cleveland Cavaliers but in four preseason games he is averaging 7.5 points and 4 rebounds on 34.6% shooting from the field and 40% from behind the arc.

Jefferson appears to still be a work in progress and the Spurs are betting on a second year rebound from him. Should he be given the benefit of the doubt with the Spurs' system being so complicated that new players do not catch on until their second season? Perhaps.

Make no mistake about it, the road to another NBA title still relies heavily on the shoulders of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. Nonetheless, if the team is to succeed this coming season, it's a sure bet that Jefferson will have to play his part. Like it or not, he's still a vital cog to the Spurs' championship hopes. Especially since he is the Spurs' only true small forward.

According to Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld, the San Antonio Spurs have traded guard Curtis Jerrells to the New Orleans Hornets for a future second round pick.

The point guard will reunite with Dell Demps, who was general manager of the Toros for three seasons including Jerrells' stint with the team, in New Orleans. Jerrells will likely be the second-string point guard behind Chris Paul with Mustafa Shakur moving into a combo guard role.

Jerrells is on a flight to Memphis now and will join the Hornets tomorrow night when they take on the Grizzlies.

Jerrells has been averaging 6.4 points and 2.2 assists for the Spurs in preseason. Any chance the Toros thought they had in retaining him after cuts is now gone.

The trade brings the roster to 16 players.