Category: San Antonio Spurs Blog

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have assigned guard Cory Joseph to the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League.

Joseph, who has appeared in one game for the Spurs this season, had three stints with the Toros in 2011-12. In 14 games in Austin, he averaged 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.29 steals in 32.9 minutes, helping lead the team to the 2012 NBA D-League championship.

The Spurs selected Joseph with the 29th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft out of the University of Texas. For his career he has appeared in 30 games for the Silver and Black, averaging 1.9 points and 1.1 assists in 8.9 minutes.

Manu Ginobili will miss the NBA season opener for the San Antonio Spurs due to a back ailment, the team said on Monday

The Spurs kick off their campaign on Wednesday at the New Orleans Hornets but they will do so without Argentine guard Ginobili.

The 35-year-old Ginobili, a three-times NBA champion and two-times All Star, will be re-evaluated in advance of Thursday’s game against Oklahoma City.

— Reported by Reuters

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have waived forward Josh Powell.

Powell was signed by the Spurs on Sept. 27 and saw action in six preseason games, averaging 5.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 13.7 minutes.

The Spurs roster now stands at 14.

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have exercised the third-year options on guard Cory Joseph and forward Kawhi Leonard.  Both are now signed through the 2013-14 season.

An early entry candidate out of the University of Texas, Joseph was selected by the Spurs in the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft with the 28th overall pick.  Last season he appeared in 29 games, averaging 2.0 points and 1.2 assists in 9.2 minutes.  In his first career start, Joseph tallied a season-high 13 points and 3 assists in 37 minutes at Portland on Feb. 21. The former Longhorn was assigned to the Austin Toros of the NBA D-League on three separate occasions where he saw action in 14 games, averaging 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.29 steals in 32.9 minutes.

Joseph posted a triple-double with the Toros finishing with 15 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists vs. Maine Red Claws on March 23 earning him NBA D-League Performer of the Week honors for games played through March 19-25.  During the summer Joseph played on the Spurs 2012 Las Vegas Summer League team, averaging a team-best 17.0 points, 5.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.80 steals in 33.0 minutes in five games garnering him Summer League All-Star honors.

Leonard joined the Spurs in a 2011 draft night deal that saw the Silver and Black send George Hill to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Leonard’s rights, along with Davis Bertans and Erazem Lorbek.  The Pacers originally selected Leonard with the 15th overall pick.  An All-Rookie First Team selection, Leonard appeared in 64 games, averaging 7.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.33 steals in 24.0 minutes. His 39 starts were the most by a Spurs rookie in the Popovich era since Tony Parker started 72 games during the 2001-02 season.

The former San Diego State Aztec scored in double figures 24 times during the regular season, while shooting .493 (199-404) from the floor and .376 (41-109) from three-point range.  Among NBA rookies, Leonard ranked third in steals, third in field goal percentage, fourth in rebounding, fifth in three-point field goal percentage and 13th in scoring.  He posted four double-doubles on the season and was one of just four rookies to record four-or-more double-doubles. Leonard started in all 14 playoff games for the Silver and Black, averaging 8.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.21 steals in 27.1 minutes.

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have waived forwards JaMychal Green and Wesley Witherspoon.

Green was signed by the Spurs on Oct. 22. He did not appear in any preseason games.

Witherspoon joined the Spurs on Sept. 27 and saw action in three preseason games, averaging 8.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 15.7 minutes.

NBA Commissioner David Stern today announced that Spurs Sports and Entertainment Chairman and CEO Peter Holt has been elected Chairman of the NBA Board of Governors.

Holt replaces Minnesota Timberwolves majority owner Glen Taylor, who has served as Chairman since October 2008. Holt has been a member of the Board of Governors for 16 years and currently serves on five of the Board’s standing committees, including chairing the Audit & Compensation Committee and the Labor Relations Committee.

“Glen Taylor’s wisdom and counsel over the past four years have been invaluable,” Stern said. “Peter Holt’s extensive Board experience and committee leadership make him an ideal choice to succeed Glen. I thank Glen for his dedicated service and commend the Board of Governors on its laudable selection of Peter as chairman.”

Entering his 17th season as Chairman and CEO of the Spurs, Holt has overseen one of the most successful franchises in team sports. During Holt’s tenure, the Spurs have captured four NBA championships and have won 50-plus games in 14 consecutive seasons dating back to 1999-2000.

Holt spearheaded a successful campaign for a new arena, which opened in 2002, and two new San Antonio-based sports franchises. Thanks in part to the AT&T Center, Spurs Sports and Entertainment runs four professional sports franchises: the Spurs, the WNBA’s Silver Stars, the NBA Development League’s Austin Toros and the American Hockey League’s Rampage.

Additionally, Holt serves as the CEO of San Antonio-based HOLT CAT, the largest Caterpillar dealership in the United States. He was named to the Texas Business Hall of Fame in 2004.

Having spent his childhood in both San Antonio and Corpus Christi, Holt served two years in the U.S. Army during which time he earned a Silver Star, three Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart from his one-year tour of duty in Vietnam.

A veteran of 15 NBA preseasons, Duncan remains in the early stages of gearing up for games that count. At 36 years old, he has learned how to pace himself through October and how to conserve energy for the regular season.

That all went out the window early Friday.

Duncan hit his first five shots, including a basket-and-a-foul against Denver’s Kenneth Faried. Six minutes in, Duncan had 11 points, and the Spurs had a 15-2 lead. He would finish 8 of 11 from the field [with 21 points and 8 rebounds] before taking a seat for the fourth quarter.

“That’s what Timmy does,” Spurs guard Danny Green said. “We’re going to need that from him this year.”

At this stage of his career, Duncan isn’t a lock for these kind of games every night. If nothing else, coach Gregg Popovich’s meticulous handling of Duncan’s minutes often serves to depress his nightly box score.

— Reported by Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News Blog

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have waived forward Tyler Wilkerson, who was signed by the team on Sept. 28.

Wilkerson appeared in two preseason games, averaging 2.0 points and 1.5 rebounds in 4.0 minutes of action.

San Antonio’s roster now stands at 18.