a 2007 second-round draft pick?!
I guess R.C. Buford and Coach Pop didn’t see any compelling players in this year’s NBA draft class. At least not any they could get.
R.C. Buford, general manager of the Spurs, said the team attempted to move up in the draft to get any of three or four “target” players.
“We had calls going all night long,” Buford said. “We were diligent in trying to move up into the middle to late first round. Once our guys were gone, we figured let’s keep some flexibility. Next year’s draft will be one of the better ones in a long, long time.”
The Spurs did not have a first-round selection this year. The team traded the pick, along with reserve forward Malik Rose, in a deal with the New York Knicks for center Nazr Mohammed and Jamison Brewer during the 2004-2005 season.
Pop & Co. traded their first-round pick (#29) to the New York Knicks, who chose Mardy Collins, a guard out of Temple. Then they used their second-round pick (#59) to choose Damir Markota, a forward from Croatia, who was then traded to Milwaukee for a second-round pick in 2007.
Hopefully the 2007 NBA Draft will be a little more interesting for Spurs fan than this year’s was.
