According to 3News in New Zealand, the San Antonio Spurs are bringing in Kirk Penney to fight for a roster spot in training camp.

If that name doesn't ring a bell, it's because you didn't watch the FIBA World Championship.

Simply put, Penney was New Zealand.

The 6-5 Breakers guard averaged 24.7 points in six games and scored 37 points against Lithuania.

Penney's invitation to training camp isn't much of a surprise. The Spurs have been working out shooting specialists all summer, and while I may have a beef with the front office's decision to bring in so many guards, instead of addressing the void at backup small forward, I'll make an exception for Penney.

Penney can flat out shoot the ball. He may not kill you with athleticism or speed, but if he's spotted up on the outside or open from mid-range, you're in trouble.

He made 45.8 percent of his shots from the field during the World Championship and 55 percent of his two-point baskets.

Penney played at the University of Wisconsin, where he formed a dangerous backcourt duo with the New Jersey Nets' Devin Harris.

His only NBA experience came with the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers in two 10-day contracts, but played with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the D-League in March to prepare himself for the World Championship in Turkey.

I can see Penney playing a role similar to Steve Kerr's, but he'll likely be competing with Gary Neal, Curtis Jerrells, Alonzo Gee among others to compete for a roster spot.

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According to ESPN Dallas, the San Antonio Spurs have expressed interested in free agent forward Ike Diogu:

Diogu's agent, Thad Foucher, wasn't available Monday night, but Diogu said that Denver, Utah and San Antonio are the last three teams that have expressed interest. New Orleans, Diogu said, is out of the picture.

Diogu has dealt with a knee injury but said he is fully recovered and ready to produce for an NBA team:

He said if teams are concerned about his knee, recent MRI exams show no structural damage.

"The knee is fine, no problems at all with it. Basically it's a non-issue," Diago said. "I'm good to go."

At 6'9" 250 lbs., Diogu is a big guy and could help the Spurs in the paint. He can grab some rebounds and play some defense but DeJuan Blair plays a similar role for the team.

Though Diogu would help, right now the Spurs' priority should be looking to add a backup small forward.

Throughout the San Antonio Spurs' 2009-2010 season we here at Project Spurs left a poll question for most of the season asking who was the season MVP -- Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobili?

The debate ran the spectrum of arguments with Spurs fans settling on Duncan being the seasons' first-half MVP and Ginobili being the seasons' second-half MVP.

Duncan started off strong when the team came out of the gates slow. Putting up solid numbers despite being considered "over the hill" for NBA standards. However, in the second half of the season, he slowed down.

Ginobili's season was the opposite. After starting off the season slow, battling injuries and recovering from ankle surgery, he fought back after the All-Star break and went on a tear.

Hard to argue for just one of them because without both the Spurs probably would not have won 50 games and make it past the first round of the playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks.

But in the end, the poll question asked for fans to pick one.

Well the fans spoke out and voted on who was the MVP for the Spurs for the 2009-2010 season.

After 399 votes, the fans voted for . . .

Agree with the Spurs fans who voted? Does Ginobili deserve to be voted as the MVP?

In an interview with eurosport.fr, San Antonio Spurs' guard Tony Parker spoke about playing for the French national team, the New York Knicks trade rumors, his struggles last season, the Spurs' last shot at a title and more:

Before that, he will bounce back after a difficult season in San Antonio ...

TP: It's true that I had a lot of small injuries (foot, hand and ankle, ed.). I think it was a sign. My body told me stop because I followed up during all these years with the NBA and the team of France. Since my 14 years I played 11 out of 13 summers.That's why I decided to rest this time to rebound in the coming years.

For you, this season will be crucial ...

TP: This is my last contract year so he'll have to make a big season. But I do not want to waste my time thinking about these things. When you think about it too much, you're not performing. I'm going to focus more on the fact that we need to play well with the Spurs. We must again become a headliner, because last year we did not really made a big season (San Antonio was eliminated in the semifinals of the Western Conference, ed.). With new players arrived and the fact that I, Manu (Ginobili) and Tim (Duncan) did not play with our national teams, I hope we will be there right away and we will succeed big season.

You had announced emphatically in New York ...

TP: These are rumors. I can not control them. When you have one year contract, everyone will speak. Tony will go here, Tony will go there ... I can not do anything against that.

Tiago Splitter can bring to Spurs?

TP: I think it will bring us a lot. It is a very intelligent player. He won titles in Europe, so he knows what it takes to win. Thanks to playing with Tim Duncan, I think it will be less pressure. The pressure will be on Duncan, Ginobili or me. Will be freer to do what he wants and it will be time to learn.

Is this the last adventure for the trio Parker-Ginobili, Duncan?

TP: Yes. Personally, I think this will be our last real chance to win a title. Duncan aging. This is our last chance.

For the complete interview click here.

• Buford on new additions, offseason goals

Spurs.com recently interviewed Spurs' General Manager R.C. Buford to discuss the outlook for the 2010-11 season.

Spurs.com – What were the goals and needs of the team leading into this past summer? 
RC – We wanted to do what we could to keep together a group that had a lot of transition last year and to have a great deal of internal improvement. We wanted to add a big next to Tim Duncan, a wing defender and improve our shooting.

Spurs.com – Did all of that really start with extending Manu’s contract last season?
RC – Yes. That jump started the process.

Spurs.com – You added a big in Tiago Splitter during the offseason. What are the expectations?
RC – It’s exciting to bring Tiago into our program. I think we have to be fair to him though and allow him the time to transition into a pretty sophisticated environment. He’s played a lot of places, but this will be new to him from both the standpoints of our system and the NBA as a whole. 

Spurs.com – What does 2010 first round draft pick James Anderson bring to the table and how is his health?
RC – From a wing perspective, he has good size for his position. He had a prolific college career and as a scorer he meets one of our needs. He’s been rehabilitating his hamstring almost the entire summer with the intention of being ready for training camp, so we really haven’t seen a lot of him in our summer development program.

For more, including Buford's thoughts on Gary Neal, Alonzo Gee, Curtis Jerrells, Garrett Temple and Danny Ferry's role with the team, go to Spurs.com for the full interview.

• Duncan among most likable sports personalities

In an article in the Charlotte Observer, some of the most likable and unlikable athletes were listed, according to their
"Q" Score.

Q scores essentially measure "likeability" according to the American public through extensive data surveys and research. There were 1,800 men and women of various racial backgrounds, broken down into percentages consistent with the latest census, who ranked 198 sports personalities from most liked to least liked earlier this year.

The list of likeables had just two African Americans, Michael Jordan and Tim Duncan.

Not surprisingly, Lebron James and Ben Roethlisberger were among the least likable.

• Spurs work out Gilder

Today, the Spurs worked out 6-9 forward Trey Gilder.

Gilder split time between the Albuquerque Thunderbirds and the Maine Red Claws in the D-League last season and also spent some time with the Memphis Grizzlies.

He averaged one point per game with the Grizzlies and 14.6 points and 5.6 rebounds for the Thunderbirds and Red Claws.

Gilder appears to be a player in the mold of Hakim Warrick, a big that needs to add some bulk, weighing in at 205 lbs.

The Spurs likely brought Gilder in to see if he was worthy of an invite to training camp, which starts next week.

For more on Gilder, check out a profile Jon of Ridiculous Upside wrote on him while he was still a rookie with the 14ers.

• Tissot signs Tony Parker to ambassador team

Swiss watchmaker Tissot signed Spurs guard Tony Parker as a Global Ambassador today.

Tissot is the official timekeeper for FIBA and gave the FIBA World Championship MVPs watch awards.

French professional basketball player Tony Parker is joining the high profile Tissot ambassador team. This appointment adds a further highlight to the brand's passion for the fast-paced, precision-dependent sport.

Parker joins Danica Patrick and several other professional athletes on the ambassador team.

With the season fast approaching and NBA fantasy drafts coming even sooner, I talked to fantasy analyst Erik Ong of Give Me The Rock about where fantasy owners, and specifically Spurs fans, should look at drafting Spurs players.

While it is easy as a Spurs fan to make impulse decisions, like drafting Tim Duncan with the first overall pick or Tiago Splitter midway through the draft, Ong says it's best to be patient. picking up key pieces early on before you draft your fan favorite.

While Duncan may have gone in the first round years ago and even a lottery pick before then, you should be able to draft him in the third round after you've gone after some multi-category all-stars.

"Tim Duncan is in decline but it is shorter or smaller in increments in comparison to the other big men. Tim Duncan is quite good in the first half of the season, but his numbers go down in the second half of the season because Pop rests him more," Ong said. "He actually played two less minutes per game in 2009-2010. That being said, we've only downgraded him slightly, we have slotted him in temporarily at 30th overall, which is still pretty decent with all these young guns popping up."

"As far as the four spot, it's quite tight in the second round, so he's going to slide down a bit.  As far as consistency and reliability, I'd still say Tim Duncan is still your money bet, followed by Manu. "

Some Spurs fans may be surprised not to see Tony Parker over Tim Duncan and Manu in fantasy drafts since he did have a full offseason of rest after a season where he struggled with injuries and saw his numbers come down drastically. But while many will say Parker is on the decline, Ong isn't one of them.

"We've got Tony Parker listed as our bounce back candidates. We fully expect Tony to give us those 20 points and 50 percent field goal shooting this year," Ong said.

That's good news for Spurs fans who saw him average 16 points in only 56 games last season. But what about George Hill and his emergence. Ong advises not to sleep on Hill as he may provide some solid fantasy points as a late draft sleeper.

"I like George Hill, I see him as a potential late round flyer," Ong said. "George will be a key factor in providing a solid rotation for your guards."

Speaking of guards, James Anderson is expected to make an impact in his rookie season, but will that translate to fantasy and should over-eager fans look at drafting him late?

"Not in a 12 man league, but maybe in a league with more depth," Ong says. "I expect Manu to take a lot of the minutes at the two, and from the depth charts I've been studying, Manu is slated as the started shooting guard. I think (small forward) is a better position for him."

Another player we are all ready to see in the silver and black is Tiago Splitter, but with Pop's rookie treatment, will Splitter get enough playing time to shine for your team.

"Up top, I'm very happy for your team now that you got some young blood to transition from your solid, ever dependable Tim Duncan." Ong said. "I'm very excited for Tiago Splitter and of course DeJuan Blair is awesome, he showed some flashes of brilliance."

"From what I've seen so far, Blair looks pretty good and he's insanely athletic so he's got some promise over there. Fantasy wise, he's going to get challenged by the NBA-readiness of Tiago Splitter," Ong said. His fantasy and real progress is going to be hampered by Tiago's instant impact."

For more Spurs fantasy analysis, make sure to listen to the audio interview as it has even more fantasy information, including draft advice on Richard Jefferson.

And if this doesn't make you ready for your draft, go check out the 2010 Draft Guide and the player rankings at Give Me The Rock.

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According to basketusa.com, San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker said he will join the French national team for Euro 2011:

"If I'm not hurt, I'll be there (at Euro 2011). I have already warned the Spurs. We spoke with Ronny (Turiaf) and Joakim (Noah). We'll all be there to try to go to the London Olympics."

Interesting to note Parker warned the Spurs about his intent to play for France. With this being his last contract season with the Spurs, does this mean he has intentions of remaining with the team?

The San Antonio Spurs have been relatively quiet on the player movement front after the signing of Gary Neal. Should the team decide to bring their current roster to camp, they will have 14 players under contract, three of them (Curtis Jerrells, Alonzo Gee and Garrett Temple) not fully guaranteed.

As I have mentioned in the past the Spurs still need to add another player to provide more depth at the small forward position and maybe another big man to round out their front line rotation.

Enter free agent Erick Dampier.

Dampier recently became a free agent when the Charlotte Bobcats decided to waive the final year of his contract to get under the luxury tax. However, according to a report by Adrian Wojnarowski he is already finalizing a lists of teams he'll meet in the future. On top of the lists are the Miami Heat, Houston Rockets and the Atlanta Hawks.

Should the Spurs join the bidding war to get Dampier's services?

There are reasons why many teams have expressed their interest in him. Even at age 35, he is an imposing presence inside the paint, could help on the defensive end of the floor, and be an enforcer type of player for any NBA team.

Last year, Dampier averaged 6 points and 7.3 rebounds in 55 games for the Dallas Mavericks. Getting him will bolster the Spurs' lineup as he will add more size, length, toughness and experience on the teams' front court.

But the real question is, will there be any mutual interest between him and the Spurs and is the 1.7-1.8 million leftover from the MLE or the two million bi-annual exception enough to entice him to sign with San Antonio. Also the Spurs have Antonio McDyess, Tiago Splitter and Tim Duncan to man the middle and the question then becomes will there be any minutes to spread around? 

What do you think? Should the Spurs target Dampier or are there any other available free agents the Spurs should consider?

New Orleans Hornets head coach Monty Williams had some great things to say about San Antonio Spurs' head coach Gregg Popovich:

"Pop taught me how to look at the game," Williams said. "He taught me to always keep learning, to look at other coaches, talk to guys overseas, to always be open to ideas. But more than anything, he's about defense.

"Nate (McMillan) and Pop are a lot alike in that they don't mess with the game. They both have great respect for how the game should be played and they don't go for fluff. They both like to keep things simple." (source nba.com)

Williams isn't the only person in the NBA to give thanks to Popovich. From Sam Presti with the Oklahoma City Thunder, to new Hornets' GM Dell Demps, many got their start with the Spurs. 

According to examiner.com, the San Antonio Spurs worked out former Atlanta Hawk Mario West:

Most recently, he was released from the Hawks and has worked out for the San Antonio Spurs already.

West is a 6'5", 210 lbs. guard from Georgia Tech.

The former 2007 college slam dunk champion played in 39 games for the Hawks last season and shot 57% from the field, 60% from the free-throw line and averaged 0.8 points.

He had a season and career high in points with 10 against the Cleveland Cavaliers last season. He also spent time in the NBDL with the Maine Red Claws.

He is now to workout for the Boston Celtics.