The last (and 29th) pick in the first round belongs to:

   Lee Rusk 

who is GM'ing for the San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs select:

   Scotty Thurmand, SG, 6-6.  Arkansas.  

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EXPANSION DRAFT:

Unrestricted FA
Terry Cummings
Jack Haley
Doc Rivers

Protected
Avery Johnson
Dennis Rodman
Vinny Del Negro
Chuck Person
Sean Elliot
Willie Anderson
David Robinson
JR Reid

Unprotected
Julius Nwosu
Moses Malone

Not too many choices here.  The only other possibility the Spurs may
consider is leaving Willie Anderson unprotected to gain his salary slot.

TEAM NEEDS: The Spurs are a very deep, veteran team.  Bob Hill generally
plays with a 9-man rotation, so there are no glaring needs.  The one area
of concern for the near-term future is age.  Doc Rivers is 33, Terry          
Cummings and Dennis Rodman are 34.  Both Rivers and Cummings have had
serious knee operations in the past few years, so their production
may start to decline more rapidly.  Certainly, both Doc and Terry
are not the players they once were, but they still do contribute
significant minutes.  Therefore, because of the depth and talent of
the Spurs, I believe they are in the enviable position of drafting the 
best player available.  

CENTER: The MVP of the NBA, regular season anyway :(  .  
The Admiral was once again phenominal this year.  His all-around
numbers are a fantasy owners dream; 27.6ppg, 10.8rpg, 2.9apg, 3.2bpg,
and 1.7spg.  At 29yrs old, David definatley has several MVP caliber
years left in him.  As far as David's backup goes, there really is
none.  Moses Malone has missed most of the second half of the season
and won't be back next year.  Jack Haley is strictly garbage minutes,
although he is a hell of a cheerleader.  JR Reid gets most of the
minutes as backup center, although he is undersized at 6/9".  JR does
a good job when he's in there, but you wouldn't want him to play extended
minutes against some of the more dominant centers in the league.  Terry
Cummings also played some minutes here, usually when David was in foul
trouble.  Spurs could definatley draft a backup C, or possibly sign a
veteran FA. 

POWER FORWARD: The Worm, you either love him or hate him.  If he's on
your team it's the former.  At 34 years of age, Dennis once again led
the league in technicals and rebounds (16.8rpg), and shows no sign of 
slowing down.  Dennis's versatility on defense is also key to the Spurs 
sucess.  He's able to play alot of the leagues big men (i.e. Hakeem)
freeing David to roam the paint and stay out of foul trouble.  The
Spurs were also able to show that they could win without Dennis this
year.  When he went out with a dislocated shoulder (from falling off
his Harley!), JR Reid and Terry Cummings filled in admirably, if not
spectacularly.  JR has developed into a very hard worker, who can
contribute on both ends of the court.  Terry Cummings is no doubt
in the twilight of his career.  He has provided the Spurs with
veteran leadership, and solid play.  He is a UFA, so don't look
for him to be back next year.

SMALL FORWARD: Wonder if Sean Elliot was happy to get out of Detroit?
You better believe it.  He went from 12.1ppg to 18.8ppg.  Sean is a
terrific penetrator and playmaker from the SF position.  He has also
developed a nice three pt shot (136 3PM, 40.8%).  The only thing that
drives you crazy about Sean, is some nights he looks like he could
dominate the league, the next night he is invisible.  Sean's backup
is the Rifleman, Chuck Person.  Chuck has given the Spurs some needed
spark off the bench, averaging 10.8ppg with 172 3PM.  Person and Elliot
can both play some minutes at the 2 position.

SHOOTING GUARD: Vinny Del Negro is the starter, and plays the majority
of the minutes (31mpg) at SG.  Vinny is a solid, dependable player.
He is not going to take over any games, but he's not going to lose any
for you either.  He's a very good passer from the 2 guard, 3.0apg, but
is not a point guard.  The Spurs have learned that lesson over the last
couple of years.  The Spurs back this position up with a multitude of
players; Person, Elliot, Willie Anderson and Doc Rivers.  Doc is the
defensive stopper of this group.  Whether that means playing SG or the
point.  Vinny's minutes have dropped in the playoffs, with Doc getting 
more time at SG.  Doc had a very solid playoffs, and was key in getting
the Spurs back into contention in Game 6 fo the WCF.  Look for this 
position to be upgraded in the off-season. 

POINT GUARD: Avery Johnson IS the major reason for the Spurs improvement
this year.  Spurs management made a mistake letting him go after the
92-93 season, but recitified that by signing the UFA this year.  Avery
has consistently improved every year he's been in the league.  He had
career high's in points (13.4ppg), assists (8.2apg), rebounds (2.5rpg),
steals (1.4spg), and field goal percentage (.519) this year.  The increased
points and fg% is key, as opponents are no longer able to double team
off Avery with as much success as they've had in the past.  Doc Rivers,
another smart acquisition by the Spurs, has proven invaluable with his
veteran leadership and defensive stopper mentality.

MY SELECTION:  Scotty Thurman, SG/SF, Arkansas, 6-6, 210.
I'd been hoping Scotty would be there for about the last 5-6 picks.
He fits in very well to the Spurs game plan.  A tough 2-guard
defender (definate upgrade over Del Negro), who can hit the open
trey.  With opposing teams doubling down on Robinson, this shot
will be open for Scotty.  He has shown that he is a clutch shooter,
something the Spurs could definatley use.  Scotty's defense was
the key to this selection.  With other SG's in the midwest like
Jimmy Jackson, Clyde Drexler, Isaih Rider and Jeff Hornacek having
a defensive stopper at the off-guard is key to success.

OTHERS CONSIDERED: 
Kurt Thomas, TCU: Kurt had an excellent year, but you gotta realize
it was a run and gun offense playing against less than stellar
competition in the SWC.

Rodrick Rhodes, Kentucky: Alot of potential here.  Could be an offensive
powerhouse in the pro's.

Lawrence Moten, Syracuse: I like his Offense more than Thurman's, but
wasn't sold on his defense or attitude.

Tyus Edney, UCLA: Right handed version of Avery Johnson.  Also, has more
range on his J than Avery.  Would have definatley made this pick last
year, but with Avery playing so well I don't see alot of PT for Tyus.
I'd really like to see the Spurs move up in the 2nd round and try and
pick him up if he's still available.

WHO THEY'LL PROBABLY TAKE: 
I really have no idea.  The Spurs have never really been a strong
drafting team.  Only 3 guys in their rotation (Robinson/Elliot/Anderson)
were drafted by the Spurs, and 2 of those were "no-brainers." 
Because they're drafting so late, I don't expect them to pick up
a backup C.  So more than likely, it will be somebody in the backcourt.

OTHER MOVES: The Spurs have never been afraid to pull the trigger on
a trade, so anything is possible.  Terry Cummings and his large salary
slot are likely to be gone.  They will likely resign UFA Doc Rivers, 
if he doesn't retire.  Also, Willie Anderson may be left unprotected
in the expansion draft, just to dump his salary.  Of course Bob Hill would
like to get rid of the Worm, but nobody is going to offer what he is worth.
I'm sure they would also like to get a veteran backup for David, but
there is really nobody out there in the FA market.  One area the Spurs 
may address with a trade, is the need for more offensive firepower 
and defensive stopping ability at the SG position.  Dennis Rodman for
Latrell Sprewell?  ;-)



--
Lee Rusk                      	  email:  lee.rusk@amd.com 

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