The last pick of the 1996 Usenet draft belongs to the
San Antonio Spurs and their GM:

  John Shadle

The Spurs actually had the 18th pick.  This pick was received from
the Pistons in the Rodman/Elliot trade.  The Spurs then sent this
pick to the Knicks in the Charles Smith trade.  The Spurs do not
have a pick at all in this years draft.  Nonetheless, the Usenet
Spurs select:

  Jeff McInnis, PG, 6-4, North Carolina  

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Overview
--------

San Antonio has a few good years left in them before they must start to 
rebuild.  A perennial power, they must keep their team of seasoned 
veterans together and blend in some new blood in order to continue 
contending in the next few years.

The GM's office is very smart in S.A.  They sure know how to bring some 
great players together and put together a decent playoff run, but they 
must give the Spurs fans something to cheer about in the next few years 
before the Admiral gets too along in his years.


Team Depth:
-----------

Here is a breakdown by position:

Center:

David Robinson and backup Will Perdue provide the strength in the middle 
for this contending team.  Their division-winning finish in the Midwest 
was fueled of course by the Admiral's play in the middle.  His skill and 
Perdue's experience fill this position with occasional help from Greg 
Anderson.

Forwards:

A good group of frontcourt players provide the Spurs with versatility and 
size at the forward positions.  Sean Elliot, Carl Herrera, Chuck Person, 
Monty Williams, and Charles Smith give S.A. the inside-outside game that 
makes them so dangerous.  When such a great % of your forwards can stuff 
it inside just as well as they can drain the outside shots, the threat of 
any form of attack makes them very hard to defend against.

Guards:

Again, veterans lead this thin pack of ball handlers.  This is where I 
see the Spurs having the greatest problems in the future.  With newcomer 
Cory Alexander the only "new" blood in the backcourt, the Spurs could 
really look to draft someone here.  Vinny Del Negro, Avery Johnson, and 
Doc Rivers provide excellent teaching tools for whoever they decide to 
help replace this aging group.


Needs:
------

If San Antonio wants to continue to be a contender for the title, then 
they must draft someone to fill up the backcourt.  If they don't look for 
someone to bring up the ball and shoot the outside shot, then they won't 
have a chance in the next few playoffs with their leaders Rivers and Del 
Negro possibly retiring within the next few seasons.


My selection:
-------------

Jeff McInnis, PG, North Carolina

I've seen this guy play for two years and he does have some great moves 
and a sweet shot (although I hate to admit it, being a Duke fan).  He 
still needs a few seasons to get it all together, but time when the 
veterans start to move on to retirement, McInnis will be ready to take 
the reins of this team and lead them on.


Others Considered:
------------------

Although their main need is in the backcourt, a versatile inside-outside 
big man would still be great to have coming off the bench.  Mark Pope, 
from Kentucky, would be great for this fact.  He's one of a few players 
that I feel may get overlooked in this draft.  He's just not that "bad" 
of a player to get moved down past the mid 30's in this draft.