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.