Draftexpress: Spurs to call up Larry Owens from Tulsa 66ers

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According to DraftExpress, the San Antonio Spurs are calling-up Larry Owens from the Tulsa 66ers.

Owens is a 6’7″ player who can play both forward positions. At 28 years old, Owens has yet to appear in a regular season NBA game. No details are available yet, as this is still just a rumor. But it’s most likely that this is a 10-day contract.

Much like last season, the Spurs aren’t afraid to reach outside of their own D-League affiliate to find players who they think might help the team. It’s funny, some teams don’t use the D-League at all. But their loss is San Antonio’s gain, where other teams neglect it, the Spurs simply extend their reach.

  • TD = Best EVER

    Front court help is always shown love……. Lets get him in a jersey and see what he has got. That Raptors game should give us a chance to get him 10-15 min of burn……

  • LPspursFan

    It won’t surprise me to see and endless string of 10-day contracts to fill the 13th spot on the roster as a less expensive financial move for the Spurs although I don’t know what exactly the NBA rules are concerning that strategy.
    Regardless, how much PT is actually available for the 11th, 12th and 13th spots on an NBA roster anyway?

  • DorieStreet

    Looking to the future; I am glad FO/coaching staff utilizing D-league & 10-day contract as alternate source for and method to evaluate players, respectively.

  • J2

    Ime Idoku was earning $1M/season and that amount pro-rated for the rest of the season is what the Spurs would have had to guarantee if they didn’t cut Idoku. Cutting Idoku when Anderson is close to return and bringing in D-leaguers for a 10-day look is a cost cutting move that has the potential of finding a player who is better than Idoku. If not, it’s just the 13th slot (once Anderson is playing again), and they still may have the option to sign Idoku again if he doesn’t sign with another team.

  • http://espn.com texasj

    just looked him up. averages 13p 5r 3a. not great numbers, but for dleague isnt horrible. 6’7 and looks “long”. size and stats show he is worth the look.

  • Hunter

    I aprove of this aquisistion. 28 years old small foreward 6-7 i agree with TD=best ever on not only tim being the best ever but also next game let us see what hes got see if he can get a good 5-6 points if so im all for it

  • Hobson13

    I sure wish the Spurs would pony up a 1st and maybe even a second round pick for a talent like Anthony Randolph. If this kid could get some playing time and discipline, he could be a formidable weapon.

  • TD = Best EVER

    @ Hobson13

    “I sure wish the Spurs would pony up a 1st and maybe even a second round pick for a talent like Anthony Randolph. If this kid could get some playing time and discipline, he could be a formidable weapon.”

    +10
    Just read an ESPN article saying that NY is back in the hunt for Melo, but needs another 1st round pick to make it happen. So somebody is gonna get a top 25 talented NBA player, who is 21 years old for dirt cheap. I know the FO doesn’t like taking big risk, being in a small market in all, but it’s hard to get with in sniffing distance of a player like this drafting where we draft normally……..

  • Tom S.

    Did anybody hear the rumor on the radio yesterday (1250 AM) that the Spurs are working on a trade with the Wolves that would send them Dejuan Blair, Tiago Splitter, and George Hill and they give us back Kevin Love? I personally don’t think there is any truth to that one.

  • DBAGuy

    @Andrew

    Hi, I just had a quick question regarding the game vs the Bucks. Didn’t McDyess travel on that last Dunk from Tony Parker. Looked like he took about 5 steps?

  • LPspursFan

    TD = Best EVER…If we could get Randolph for only a 1st round pick, I’d take him.

    Tom S…Even if that rumor is true, I would not do that trade. Tiago, despite how little playing time he is getting this season, along with Blair and Hill, are building blocks for our own future after Timmy retires. To me, trading three, solid, rotation players for years to come for one above-average player doesn’t make sense.

    DBAguy…yeah, he did, but I don’t think it would have affected the outcome of the game so…no whistle.

  • Hobson13

    Tom S.
    January 13th, 2011 at 8:56 pm

    That would actually be a very interesting trade for both sides. Giving up Blair, Splitter, and Hill would actually compromise our depth quite a bit. While, at this point, Splitter does not play and Blair is only a token starter, Hill is our best perimeter defender and is a Spurs veteran. We would be giving up two guys who could easily average 10ppg and 6rebs each (Blair and Splitter) and a great defender who averages 11ppg. We would be giving up a total of 31ppg and 12 rebs for a player who averages 21 and 16. This might be one reason Minny would look at such a hypothetical deal.

    On the other hand, if you can give up 3 role players for a superstar, you have to look at that trade. Also keep in mind that our back court may be a bit crowded with the return of Anderson. Sure, many would say that Anderson is the backup 3, but his natural position (and how he’s listed on the roster) is a 2. And if you consider that the 2 and 3 positions have been VERY interchangeable in Pop’s lineups, this makes the backcourt even more crowded with TP, Manu, Hill, Neal, and Anderson.

    Bottom line: I would make this trade if I felt that Anderson could at least partially fill Hill’s role of excellent defense and good shooting.

    P.S. I’m not arguing that this trade will or won’t happen since this is likely a million to one shot of becoming a reality. I’m simply weighing it’s merits.

  • Hobson13

    TD = Best EVER
    January 13th, 2011 at 8:47 pm

    TD, you read my mind and the same article I came across. It would be a low risk/high reward trade to get Randolph for a pick or two. There’s no way we could draft a player of his potential in next years draft, especially with our current record.

  • Nyspursfan

    I personally think that the spurs should look to sign jawad Williams who was released by the cavs. If I’m not mistaken we looked at him as an option last offseason.

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  • Mr. Robinson

    The trade would work financially and Duncan’s big contract expires the same time as Love’s so it makes sense financially and Love would be a perfect fit in the Spurs system. A 4 that can rebound and stretch the floor there probably has been none better in recent history so I wouldn’t call him an above average player he is much better than that. Defensively in the post is my only concern of Love and time to learn the Spurs system.
    I don’t ever see Blair being more than a role player because of lack of height and Splitter at this moment hasn’t shown much because of lack of playing time so to me I would have no problem trading either one of these guys but hill is a different story. He is the probably the Spurs best 1 on 1 defender and he is also insurance on Parker and Ginobili. The team has been blessed with good health so far but as we know in the past things happen. Who would replace Hill? He can play the 1 and 2 and the only other player that can do that is Bat Manu and we would still need another big. I also think Indy George still has yet to reach his full potential. So instead of making a trade to solidify the roster it actually leaves us more questions about the roster than before I just don’t think it would be a good idea to make a trade at this time. The team is 33-6 why upset the chemistry.

  • rob

    Hill is proving (has always shown) to not be a good PG, but a better than expected 2G. Regarding the Minnesota rumor…the trade also works if the Wolves give the Spurs Telfair.

    I would do the trade if Telfair (a more natural PG) were to be included in the deal. Telfair is not happy with his situatioin in Minnesota, and with Pop and the Spurs, could prove to be a nice compliment to Parker coming off the bench.

    Parker, Telfair
    Ginobili, Neal
    Jefferson, Anderson
    Love, Bonner
    Duncan, McDyess

    Second half of the season to get fully acclimated by playoffs…Spurs might have something to go all the way.

  • rob

    Just a note about Telfair. Granted he’s been a bust since coming into the league. However, this coaching staff is probably one of the best at getting the best out of players. The kid (and he’s still only a kid) has probably never been properly developed to the potential that was once labeled him as the next phenom.

    Now he’ll probably never be a top ten pg in the league but, helping him mature and develop, there isn’t a better staff in the league that could do that better than the Spurs.

    It’s why I think it would be worth the risk just to see if the staff could get Telfair to become better than what he’s proven to do up to this point. And if it doesn’t pan out or look as though he can be taught…. 2.7 mil off the books next year.

  • Mike

    Trading away 3 solid players (2 that now the system well) for 2 newbies at the half way point of a 33-6 team that’s playing some of the best basketball I’ve seen in a while is probably not the smartest route to take. Remember when Jefferson was supposed to be the saving grace and he didn’t get the system at all last year? Now you are getting 2 players that are supposed to play major roles while giving them half the time to learn.

  • Flud

    No thanks to the Love trade. he’s got a skinny neck, freaks me out. Terrible defender. And he’s NOT a superstar. Way too much of a gamble mid-season with Bassy. Trade rumours and ‘sources say…’ are a pain in the face.

    spursrule

  • http://48minutesofhell.com Jesse Blanchard

    Guys….there is no Kevin Love rumor. Someone on some bleacher report site wrote a “top 10 places I wish Kevin Love could be traded to so he’s not wasted in Minnesota” and the Spurs were on his list. Some random radio caller called in and presented it as a rumor he read somewhere. I didn’t hear it, but I assume the radio guys just ran with it because that’s what radio guys tend to do.

    And regarding Anthony Randolph, the word is that first round pick for NY would come from Minnesota. I don’t know what extra picks they have at the moment, or what lottery protections said pick would have (never can tell with Minnesota), but I’m sure their first round pick would trump ours (even if we would use ours better).

  • TD = Best EVER

    @ Tom
    The Love rumor is tempting but I would have to also decline at the moment - Love will be a top 20 player but we would need to give up a little less. Lets say a 1st rounder in stead of Hill and then make the trade.

    @ rob
    “Hill is proving (has always shown) to not be a good PG, but a better than expected 2G.”

    He kinda reminds me of Antonio Daniels - except we got him in the late 1st round. So he will be a good player in our system for a long time and will eventually become a good PG with good range.

    @ the people who say we shouldn’t make any moves, and not upset the chemistry.

    We are not trying to upset anything - we are trying to win NOW and REBUILD at the same time. We have to have an heir apparent to TD. Love or Randolph are both talented enough to be that NOW. Other wise we are gonna be the Houston Rockets in few years. Just good enough to not get a top 10 lottery pick, but not good enough to make the playoffs or even stay above .500

  • Dr. Leonard McCoy

    Damnit Jim! I’m a realist, not a mad scientist! Trade rumors are JUST what they are… RUMORS!!! We all know how the FO is, so for them to do a trade like this when: 1. We got the best record in the league. 2. Chemistry is building on this team on the plus end, meaning that one would practically have to build from scratch, from a “Spurs standpoint,” knowing the complexity of their system, if a trade like this were to happen. Pop & company would have to be MAD to do something risky in messing up the CHEMISTRY of this team! Now, my question would be: “Why would the “Wolves” want to give up Love like that, when he’s a solid player who gives you double-doubles just about every night? Remember, big men like that DON’T grow on trees! Granted, aquiring his talent would be a TREMENDOUS asset, bar-none! But Hill, along with Splitter & even Blair… right now… with this FO… read my lips… WON’T HAPPEN! What we see is what we will get this season as far as the team roster goes. Anderson, once he comes off his injury, will need to be acclimated & develop his rhythm, besides, HE’S A ROOKIE! George Hill is finally a veteran who has earned his stripes. Besides, I can’t see Pop taking a gamble like that with giving an important piece such as Hill, away, & then try to rely on an unproven, NBA inexprienced Anderson. OK, granted that they may play around with that 13th spot on the roster, but I’m looking for the FO to keep it CHEAP, SMART, & CONSERVATIVE as possible, with over all aquisitions, so that we can GIT ONE 4 THA THUMB!

  • Mike

    @TD=

    Those two quantifiers become counter productive at this time of the season. Either you are rebuilding for the future or you want to win now when it comes to trading away key pieces that currently know the Spurs system. Splitter would be the only one that would make sense to trade, however, that comes to the point that you are trading away the future to prepare for the future; again, counter productive.

    Yes, there eventually needs to be a moderate replacement to TD, however, that time to search should be in the off season, not at the half way point on a team that has the best record in the league.

  • jwalt

    No one likes Kevin Love more than I. I saw about every UCLA game when he played the one season there and thought he would be special in the pros, as he has turned out to be.

    But an emphatic no to that trade. Hill is a hell of a lot more than a role player, I think he’s the third most important player on the team behind Manu and Tim. And Splitter is still an unknown but has shown glimpses of being a solid player for years.

    I threw out Parker for Love last season, thought Minny might go for it. But for 3 good players, Love is good but not that good.

  • doggydogworld

    @DBAGuy - you exaggerate. I watched in slo-mo and McDyess clearly took only 4 steps. The NBA officially allows 3 (though supposedly only for jump-stop dunks, not running ones) and I’m pretty sure Antonio qualifies for an extra step under the collective bargaining agreement’s senior citizen clause.

  • doggydogworld

    Talk of the Spurs getting value for their “first round pick” is silly. When teams say they want a first round pick they’re thinking lottery, not #30. They consider a #30 pick to be guaranteed money for second round talent. Heck, they value #31-33 higher than #30. Same goes for #29.

    The only way the we get good talent for our first round pick is by actually using it in the draft and finding another Tony or George or (maybe) Tiago. Not by trading it.

  • Rondo’s Cousin, Melvin

    The Spurs are more than $22 million over the cap. In order to trade for A. Randolph, they would have to match (within the 25% rule) his nearly $2 million salary. They can’t use Quinn until next month, and they can’t combine their trade exceptions. I can’t see any players they would be willing to give up to land Randolph. (This is true, even if the Knicks would take our pick, and they wouldn’t. They want a high pick to lure Melo.)

    @Mr. Robinson:

    You are crazy if you think Kevin Love is adequately described as “above average.”

  • TD = BEST EVER

    @ Mike

    “Those two quantifiers become counter productive at this time of the season. Either you are rebuilding for the future or you want to win now when it comes to trading away key pieces that currently know the Spurs system.”

    Not really - you can do both - just depends on who you get and who you give up. Blair and a 1st rounder for Randolph will be an excellent deal. The biggest reason you trade for a player now is that mid-season are when teams are most Desperate. So this is when you can take advantage of them the most. Also if we can land another Manu(top 20-30 talented player) you have to at least explore the idea.

  • Sarge

    DeJuan Blair + Matt Bonner = Kevin Love?

    Anyway, I’d love to get Love, but that’s way too much to give up for him. Taking away our best perimeter defender, what may develop to be our defensive stalwart in Splitter, and the potential that is DeJuan Blair is just too much.

  • Rondo’s Cousin, Melvin

    Some of you guys should at least run your trade ideas through ESPN’s trade machine before proposing ones that are utterly impossible under the CBA.

    (Sarge) “Blair and a 1st rounder for Randolph will be an excellent deal.”

    Maybe, but it is also not legal, so who cares? San Antonio is above the cap, and Randolph’s salary is more than 125% of Blair’s. The Spurs may not combine their either of their trade exceptions with Blair’s salary to make the trade work.

    Any other excellent deals?

  • Sarge

    That wasn’t me in the quote about Blair and a 1st rounder for Randolph. That was TD = BEST EVER.

  • TD = BEST EVER

    My latest trade proposal from a previous post

    SA – gets younger, deeper and longer and an expiring contract

    D.Wright – 25, 6-9, Most 3-balls made this year
    Radmanovic – 30, 6-10, Combo, stretch, forward.
    B Wright – 23, 6-10, Very similar to Anthony Randolph – not as good of a jumper, but not nearly the headache, could use a change of scenery

    Denver – Extremely Deep team – 4 young quality players to rebuild around( of which 2 go directly into the starting line up) and 11 million dollars off the books.

    NY – gets their coveted superstar and a damn good 6th man in RJ(RJ gets to run and gun like crazy again in the D’Antoni System)

    GS – gets younger, deeper, and another expiring contract

    Chandler – a younger version of D.Wright – plays better D
    Douglas – Combo guard, 6th man that they desperately need
    JR Smith – Offensive Specialist for rent – if it doesn’t work – just let him g

    Everyone should be a winner here

  • TD = BEST EVER
  • Sarge

    The way this team is playing, though, I don’t know that I would want to do any kind of trade. I know we could probably use a weak-side shot-blocker, but at what cost? Almost everyone we have is contributing.

    If the team starts losing big-time, maybe we start talking trades, but I would think we wouldn’t want to screw this up. It’s been said before, but this team is playing like they were expected to last year.

  • betsyduncan

    Yessir, Sarge!

  • Tydus

    I agree with Sarge on this one. The team is off to a fantastic start. I see no reason to rock the boat.

    But for the pure sake of curiosity here’s an option.
    http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine

    And of course draft picks will be swapped as well.

  • Tydus

    well that didn’t post right, old fashioned way then.

    NY gets: C. Anthony

    DEN gets: E. Curry, D. Gallinari, M.Bonner and draft picks galore from everyone else

    SAS gets A. Randolph

  • Jack

    Why lavish praise on RJ? There is no doubt that Richard Jefferson is an athletic individual. However, I seriously question his basketball IQ, especially when passing and/or working around the offensive basket. His ability to finish is atrocious. It’s almost like, he’s confused, afraid, or can’t take the slightest bump/push without missing the layup.

    He definitely is capable of finishing when no one is in his way. He is also a proficient jump shooter off a good pass from a teammate. If he has the ball himself and is being guarded his shot is less than reliable, and/or he makes terrible passes to his teammates. Everyone makes turnovers, however, most of his are not forced. Now I know why the Nets and Milwaukee were willing to trade him. He can’t work with the ball, he needs to feed off of others like Ginobilli, or Parker. If he don’t have someone to feed off of then his value diminshes considerably. This comment is not based on the two dunks he missed against Milwaukee and the terrible play aginst the Dallas Mavericks last night. He has been in the league 10 years (?) and his play in a crowd underneath the basket is shameful. If we are going to depend on him for better offensive play we are in deep trouble. He has got to do more than stand in the corner and wait to be fed for a three. He seems to be content in this role. If this continues I can’t see us going far in the playoffs. Am I the only one who sees this?

    Please someone, tell me I’m all wet and provide me some playoff hope!

  • soulidefy15

    dont you guys think it would be very smart for the spurs to trade their first round pick this year for someone like anthony randolph? the main factors i see are the 1st round pick potentially being the last pick in the first round with our great record, the idea that the draft may be very slim because of the impending lockout, and every team seems to be obsessed with the idea of aquiring melo, and they need the picks. even if we just traded it for a 1st next year…..next years draft has great potential with 2 years worth of underclassmen potentially declaring. our roster also is pretty set right now, we just need the players we have to continue to adapt to the system….year 2 for tiago! it seems like a good time to take a shot at someone like terrance williams, anthony randolph, etc.

  • TD = Best EVER

    @ Jack

    Remember last season in the playoff lost to the SUNS - if this RJ was playing then we might have won the title - LA would have been a tough out, but we absolutely would have taken out Phoenix. So he will be fine as long as he keeps making his 3’s at a good clip. That will keep his confidence up enough to really try on D and give us a shot at LA this year……

  • Bankshot21

    I doubt anyone is even still contributing to this thread but I was reading as Owens saw his 1st action and I see someone said Randolph is a top 25 talent. I can’t believe the nonsense I read on here sometimes. Smh. So basically your saying you take both All-Star squads (two 12 man rosters) and Randolph and those are the top 25 talented players in the league?…idk if such nonsense was address because I jumped to reply as soon as I saw the comment. My apologies if I’m repeating the sentiments of others. And let’s not forget the Spurs are on pace to finish as the best team record wise in the league. A 1st round pick from us is pretty much equivalent to a 2nd round pick.

  • rob

    Back to the story at hand…this kid Owens looked impressive in his short stint debut.

  • Jack

    The following is an article from Sports Illustrated. I finaly got someone to agree with me on my assessment of Richard Jefferson (see my previous comments - 5th above).

    A+ San Antonio Spurs. They are on a 70-win pace without a viable MVP candidate — now that’s a team. Everyone has a specific role but is expected to be proficient in other areas. Manu Ginobili is a premier closer, and Tim Duncan and Tony Parker have postseason game-winners on their résumé, but no one is surprised if the likes of Gary Neal and Matt Bonner are called on to take the big shot. Much has been made, with good reason, of the Spurs’ up-tempo reforms on offense, but two other things to keep in mind: In the Gregg Popovich/Duncan era, the Spurs have almost always improved in the second half by tightening their defense; and they’re running away with the NBA’s best record despite little production from rookies James Anderson (who played six games before breaking his foot) and Tiago Splitter, and the fact that Richard Jefferson’s much-ballyhooed renaissance has been mostly hype.

  • Jack

    The Spurs are alright as they are. All they have to do is develop Tiago and Anderson and get rid of Jefferson, although that may be an impossibility. All the other teams know his weaknesses.

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