Sports Radio Interviews

RC Buford On Blair, McClinton, Splitter And Jefferson

The Spurs just keep doing it.  When it comes to the draft, they always seem to fill the cupboard with smart selections no matter where they’re slotted – they’re at the back of the line, but they always find a little (or sometimes huge) prize.  From Tony Parker, to George Hill, to Luis Scola, to Manu Ginobili, the list is pretty remarkable.  They didn’t have a pick in this year’s first round, but when it comes to this team, there’s no need to worry about the logistics.  They had three second round choices starting with big DeJuan Blair who fell to in to their laps at 36, PG Jack McClinton at 51, and France’s Nando De Colo at 53.  Spurs’ general manager, RC Buford, joined KTKR in San Antonio to discuss each pick in this year’s draft, the acquisition of Richard Jefferson, and whether Tiago Splitter will be joining the club soon.

On DeJuan Blair falling to the 2ndround:

“I think you’re looking at unchartered water there with a player with ACL tears in both knees.  I think there’s just a lot of concern medically in areas that allowed us to take advantage of an opportunity.  I think we’ll still need to learn a lot more about him personally and how to manage his circumstances, but it created a great opportunity.”

The appeal of Jack McClinton:

“He’s got a transferable skill and that’s shooting.  More often than not, the least predictable of all the skill levels from college to pros is shooting but with this kid, he’s done it at a high level and he’s also proven in his college career that he’s got range way past the NBA 3-point line.  So, it’s much easier to predict him than other shooters that maybe haven’t been extended past the college line.”

On Tiago Splitter:

“He’s under contract for another year in Spain.  We’re not anticipating that he can get out of that so we’re making all of our plans that don’t include Tiago.”

On Richard Jefferson:

“I think he meets a lot of needs for us, from both an offensive and a defensive perspective. He’s one the two people in the last two years that have played 82 games both years and averaged over 20 points a game.  I don’t know if he’ll have those kinds of opportunities here, but adding that kind of talent, it’s exciting.”

Listen to RC Buford on KTKR in San Antonio

Tags: Basketball, DeJuan Blair, NBA, RC Buford, Richard Jefferson, San Antonio Spurs, Tiago Splitter