White Released, Roster Stands at 12

Not long ago I wrote of James White's miserable showing in summer league play. Sure enough, the Spurs saw fit to release the athletic White, bringing to an end the immediate hope of a young, dynamic small forward with length.

Unfortunately, he's also selfish, and doesn't know basketball very well. It's amazing they stuck with him this long, really.

By cutting White Monday, the Spurs saved a $100,000 roster bonus they would have owed him, bringing the Spurs ever closer to sub-luxury tax level (and more importantly giving them a few extra dollars in the free agent market). This essentially reduces the team roster to 12 when taking into account the inevitable release of Vassilis Spanoulis, the guard acquired in the Luis Scola/Jackie Butler trade with the Rockets.

The Spurs have yet to sign Marcus Williams, their second round pick from Arizona. Other than free agent Ime Udoka, a likely candidate for taking a spot on the Spurs' bench is Frenchman Ian Mahinmi, the 2005 first round pick of the Spurs.

Spurs Targeting Ime Udoka?

In the aftermath of the Luis Scola/Jackie Butler trade to Houston, the Spurs have a few extra bucks to spend. According to the ever-reliable Marc Stein, the Spurs saved an estimated $7 million in the trade.

Upon hearing about the trade, Vassilis Spanoulis still insists he won't be coming to the NBA. Luis Scola, on the other hand, has reached a 3 years, $10 million dollar deal with the Rockets. Based on how quickly the deal was reached with Houston, it was safe to assume he would never have signed with the Spurs had they held his rights (justifying the trade).

So where do the Spurs turn their attention with their extra money? A Blazers insider firmly believes the Spurs have made Udoka an offer. At 29, he's a tough, mature defensive-minded player capable of hitting the three (he hit at a 40.6% clip last year). Udoka was a journeyman until last year, when he finally became a regular starter in his first full season in the NBA.

There are still a few other attractive wing players left on the market ( Golden State's Mickael Pietrus and Matt Barnes, amongst others), but few within the Spurs price range. A journeyman defender who can hit a few threes? Should sound pretty familiar already in San Antonio.

Butler and Scola Traded (Finally)

From Johnny Ludden at MYSA.com:

The Spurs have agreed to trade center Jackie Butler and Argentine forward Luis Scola to the Houston Rockets for guard Vassilis Spanoulis, a future second-round pick and cash considerations, an NBA source said Thursday evening.

Spanoulis, who played sparingly for the Rockets last season, is expected to remain in Europe.

So after all the hype about trading the rights to Luis Scola, this is what it comes down to? Saving a few bucks with the hope that it can be spent elsewhere?

I suppose it's smart from an economic standpoint, but not sexy at all. At the very least, the Spurs pried away a draft pick from someone. My guess is Houston wanted either Butler or Scola, and the Spurs would only agree to a deal if the other was included, thereby getting rid of Butler's $2.4 million dollar contract. (If I had to guess, I would imagine Houston would be coveting Scola, a guy that can help at Yao). Rest assured the Spurs have little interest in Spanoulis. He may never play in the NBA again after a sour experience with the Rockets (he was guaranteed playing time by the management, but Van Gundy had other plans...this after Spanoulis took less money to come to Houston).

However, the Spurs usually save cash with the intention of spending it on other players (Holt isn't afraid to go a little into the luxury tax), so here's to hoping they have their sights set on a free agent. This could very well mean that Ian Mahinmi, the young French center, finds his way onto the Spurs' roster this upcoming year. He wouldn't play at all, but I doubt it would do him any harm to start getting acclomated to the NBA and San Antonio, so it's probably a good decision.

Still, it's bittersweet. Bringing Scola over held so much promise, and yet Spurs fans will get so little in his place. The Spurs front office must have known he would never be a contributor in San Antonio (I'm sure the drafting of Tiago Splitter made him expendable as well). On the surface, a pretty lousy trade, but I would be amiss to neglect the fact that R.C. Buford and company know what they're doing 99% of the time and probably have plans for spending that moolah.

James "Flight" White's Summer Struggles

For a team commonly labeled "boring" James White is a departure from the norm. His youth, athleticism, and freakish dunks (take a look at this one for starters) show glimmers of his potential, and the Spurs took a flyer on the guy last season, burying him deep on the bench.

Over the season, it was expected that White would learn the system and perhaps even be able to contribute in the 2007-2008 season.

Now, he's fighting for a roster spot.

Henry Abbott over at True Hoop writes: "I have a feeling that James White won't make it big as a Spur. He has been marinating in their culture for several months now, and he's still calling for the ball all the time. playing only OK defense, and shaking his head every time a teammate fails to send him an alley-oop lob. I'm no expert on Spurs culture, but from what I have seen in the regular season, that is not it."

ESPN's Marc Stein echoes similar sentiments:"The champs still hope to inject their rotation with athleticism and White is getting a prime shot to impress them after basically spending a year as an apprentice, learning the team's culture. There is a great deal of curiosity in San Antonio, given White's dunking reputation, about what he can do in game situations and what he has learned.

The answer, sadly, appears to be not much."

Jonny Ludden of the Express-News has seen the same: "White, meanwhile, hasn't looked as if he learned much during his rookie season with the Spurs. While the 6-foot-7 guard is amazingly athletic, he's struggled to finish at the rim after absorbing contact. His defense has been lacking, at best.

If White doesn't improve in Utah, where coach Gregg Popovich is expected to attend games, the Spurs could decide to waive him before Aug. 1 when his contract will guarantee him $100,000."

A "me first" guy that doesn't like contact or defense? Good luck finding your way onto the Spurs. With rumors swirling about trading Butler and Barry, the organization won't be handing out roster spots to promising young guys if those players don't respond with noticeable improvement. White still has a chance to be a rotation player in this league, but unless he starts playing the game the right way, the only flight he'll be taking is out of San Antonio.

Spurs Offseason Comes Into Focus

The free agency period started on July 1st, and while the league is wheeling and dealing ($40 million for Anderson Varejao???), the Spurs seem to be content standing pat. Finley opted to exercise his player option early on, and over the last week the Spurs have resigned Jacque Vaugh and Fabricio Oberto, while agreeing to terms with free agent Matt Bonner today.

Contracts:
Fabricio Oberto – 3 years/$10.5 million. (Unofficial, verbal agreement). Oberto Reaches Agreement

Matt Bonner – 3 years/$9 million.
Bonner Resigns With Spurs

Jacque Vaughn – 2 years/$2.5 million
Vaughn Resigns

What do the signings tell us?

That the Spurs are playing it safe (and why the hell not?). Other than the departure of Melvin Ely, the 2008 Spurs will look very similar to the 2007 Spurs. But another indication of their plans may be that they got these deals done extremely quickly, signaling that they were committed to these 3 guys, or that they didn’t land one of the guys they were looking at (Matt Carroll was supposedly on their radar, but has reached a verbal agreement to remain in Charlotte).

Vaughn comes in at the veteran’s minimum, so it’s a no-brainer. He has the selflessness, hustle, and defensive prowess that symbolizes the Spurs. Plus, he found his jumper in the playoffs.

Bonner is probably the most surprising resigning, but he’s not overly expensive and should be coming into his prime. Plus, with Horry possibly in his last season, he’s the only other big that can spread the floor. Not a bank-breaker, and the organization loves him.

Possible Trades:

The Spurs don’t have many moveable assets at this point. They have been looking to deal Udrih for some time, but they may be content to let him play out the last year of his contract. Brent Barry is in the last year of his 4 year, $21 million dollar deal, and his expiring contract may be appealing to some teams. Jackie Butler has 2 years left on his deal, but the last is a team option (meaning he is, essentially, in the last year of his deal). He hasn’t fit in well with the Spurs, so he could get dealt if the right deal comes.

Current Spurs Contracts total to roughly $70 million, meaning the team is right on the cusp of the luxury tax. I’ll spare you the number crunching, but the result is simple: the Spurs probably won’t be spending any money unless they move someone. They have their full MLE (it’ll be around $5 million), but few players in the market warrant them at that price (have a look for yourself).

Marcus Williams probably will not be on the roster this year, and Tiago Splitter will spend the season in Spain (meaning neither player counts against the cap). Ian Mahinmi may join James White and Jackie Butler in summer league play, but won’t come to the NBA for a few more years.

As it stands, the Spurs have only one open roster spot. The constant variable is Luis Scola, who looks less and less likely to ever be a Spur. If the Spurs do choose to trade his rights (Chicago has recently expressed interest), they could fill that extra roster spot. Otherwise, they may sign a veteran for a one year deal (Grant Hill or a cheap big man) or use the extra spot for versatility in the trade market.

Final Verdict:

Don’t expect much to change in Spurs land (and that’s a good thing), but you’ll continue to hear Butler/Beno/Barry trade rumors until a deal is done.