FanHouse R.C. Buford

Crystal Ballin' takes a team-by-team look at what should, could, and probably will happen in the June 26th NBA Draft.

San Antonio has a solid foundation with Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, but for the most part, the rest of their roster has gotten very old all of a sudden. That's what happens I guess when you've been competing for titles for the last nine years. It would be great for the team to get some young talent who could step in and contribute right away, and for years to come as well.

Picks: #26, #45, #57.

Needs: Interior defense and rebounding, and someone who can spell Parker at the point guard spot.

Best case scenario: Mario Chalmers is still on the board, because he's experienced and could probably get some of those Jacque Vaughn minutes fairly early in the season.

When the Sonics acquired Brent Barry from the Spurs in the Kurt Thomas trade, it was obvious that the only reason they wanted him was because of his expiring contract. Today, that point was hammered home when it was announced that the Sonics waived Barry before he even had a chance to suit up.

There's talk than the Suns and Warriors might be interested in him, but he could always just return to San Antonio -- and in hindsight, it's only natural to wonder if that was the plan all along. From Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News:

[The] Spurs should want him back, and maybe this is a Jerry Stackhouse arrangement. The Seattle general manager who traded for and then waived Barry, Sam Presti, once worked for R.C. Buford.

Why this would be more likely to pass an NBA inspection: Unlike Stackhouse, who blabbed about how he would return to Dallas, thus scuttling his deal, Barry would be too smart for that.

Of course, for Barry to return to the Spurs he'd have to sit out for 30 days, during which time he'll be courted by other contenders hoping to change his mind with bribes of more playing time. Considering the NBA threatened to squash the Stackhouse trade because of a similar arrangement, it'll be interesting to see how the commissioner's office would react to Barry's return. Maybe there's not enough evidence for David Stern to actually levy punishment or block the move, but it might be a loophole he'll want to considering tightening up this summer.

And we have our first blockbuster trade of the offseason: the Houston Chronicle reports the Rockets have acquired Argentine power forward Luis Scola and fellow big dude Jackie Butler from San Antonio in exchange for Vassilis Spanoulis, a future second round pick, and cash.

Scola is the best big outside of the NBA by a fair margin. He was the Euroleague Spanish League MVP this year (and a former Euroleague MVP, thanks etru1927) and he was a huge part of Argentina's 2004 gold in Athens. He's an absolute stud by all accounts, he's 27, and he's going to be cheap for a few seasons.

We should never doubt R.C. Buford and Gregg Popovich... but I'm stunned they made this deal. Scola wasn't in their plans, given the melding of Fabricio Oberto in the rotation and the continued brilliance of Tim Duncan. But you'd think they could pull more in return than a guard who has sworn off the NBA and next year's #50something pick. As I said, Scola is a beast. His rights had to have been valuable.

Even more, dealing with Houston is dangerous. Does Rick Adelman really need one more weapon at his disposal? San Antonio's getting cocky... and it could haunt them in times to come.