FanHouse RCBuford

From the "I don't fricking believe how much of an expletive R.C. Buford and/or Gregg Popovich is" files, via ESPN.com's Chad Ford:

The Spurs sent an e-mail to every team in the league at 3:30 p.m. saying that they were willing to move the 26th pick. The e-mail asked league executives to "E-mail us your interest and your offers to 26."

This nugget could not exemplify both the incredible confidence and the irrefutable cockiness possessed by the Spurs front office. Knowing you run laps around most of the league, how large must your testicles be to slap a "YOUNG WING OR BEST OFFER" tag on your damn draft pick?

This is already one of the most magnificently explosive draft days in history. Good to know the Spurs could contribute something.

(Meanwhile, what happened to all those rumors the Spurs and Cavaliers had conspired to refuse to allow any other team to see Nicolas Batum's medical reports, in the hopes San Antonio could snatch him away with #26? Is Cleveland going to take him at #19 now? What kind of odds can I get on Sam Presti getting a sweetheart retribution deal for #26? I HAVE DRAFT FEVER, AND THE ONLY CURE IS MORE ADAM SILVER!

This isn't dissension remotely resembling anything you'd see on the average NBA team, but it looks like the Luis Scola trade has gotten Gregg Popovich's goat. San Antonio Express-News columnist Buck Harvey peers into Pops' apparent frustration with the summer move which sent Scola to intrastate rival Houston for only cash savings.

Scola put up 20 points against the Spurs last week. It's early, and the Spurs won the game. But Scola had been everything Popovich loves. He'd been active and tough, and making 10 of 11 shots didn't hurt, either.

Afterward, Popovich praised Scola, which is typical. But then Popovich said something else. "It kills me to have him on that team," Popovich said. "Enough to make you spit." It was if Popovich was talking to Buford through the media.

I said in July this was a dangerous move, and I assumed then Popovich was fully on board! Few have praised R.C. Buford more than I; he's nearly beyond reproach at this point. But... those tight pockets in San Antonio may have done some major damage here. Luis followed that 20-point outburst against the Spurs by dropping 20/11/4 against the Suns. He almost looks like Shareef Abdur-Rahim, which would also make sense considering Houston lost both of Scola's 20-point games.

In most cases, I'd say San Antonio's forced thrift is a feature, not a bug. They must keep sane in the market; there's no other choice, there's literally no money to hand out. But the pitfalls of counting dimes and nickels may have caught up to the Spurs.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is an affable fellow; always joshing with the media and putting whoopee cushions on Robert Horry's airline seat. But when someone gets his goat -- a referee, James White, Team USA boss Jerry Colangelo -- Pop goes straight Captain Insano. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! resets the Colangelo beef, which has been mostly relayed in shadows to this point.

In explaining his choice of [Mike] Krzyzewski over Popovich, sources say, Colangelo infuriated the Spurs coach with the public suggestions that he wasn't as enthusiastic about the job as Duke's coach, that he didn't seem to want it as badly. ... Then, this summer, Colangelo started telling those tales again, and Popovich was irate, sources said. ...

Finally last month, Popovich ripped off a stern letter to Colangelo, copying it to the highest levels of the NBA hierarchy. Those who have seen the letter say that Popovich's message to Colangelo was clear: Stop talking about USA Basketball and me. Popovich told him his side of the story, and told him that he didn't need to respond. Just knock it off.

Let me tell you: You do not want to be on the wrong side of a stern letter from Popovich! You think Darko was vile? Pop spent his military career as a spy in the Eastern bloc. Do not %&@$ with Gregg Popovich, people. In all seriousness, though: Why would you burn San Antonio's bridge with regards to Team USA basketball? Popovich is the best coach in the NBA and has some great assistants; the Spurs franchise is one the national program should be closely aligned with. It may not get you Tim Duncan and it certainly won't get you Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili, but Pop and R.C. Buford are every bit stars as the players.

Lots of teams transformed this summer. Boston gave up on its green thumb and imported fully grown trees. Minnesota gave up on its own oak, opting for seedlings. Houston rewrote its rotation and its philosophy before the playoffs were over. New York added an All-Star, Memphis went global, Seattle and Portland got lucky. Orlando and Charlotte made big interchangeable decisions. Others -- Cleveland, Miami, Chicago, Washington, Sacramento, Utah, Dallas -- did a whole lot of nothing. Joe Smith will help the Bulls, sure, and Smush Parker is something. But these things aren't part of any grand scheme; they're fill-in-the-blank movements.

San Antonio and Detroit, though -- both teams have seriously retooled on the down low. Both can claim to be among the older teams in the league. Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace are no spring ducks; Tim Duncan is likewise aging. In today's NBA, it's a challenge to live forever. (Just ask Geoff Petrie, Pat Riley and Mitch Kupchak.) Towns die from too much living; you almost have to hit the bottom to spring back up. 'Rebuilding on the fly' is denial.

The Spurs, those shrewd manufacturers of cheap talent, just signed Frenchman Ian Mahinmi to a multi-year deal. Mahinmi was virtually unknown when San Antonio drafted him in 2005, an 18-year-old kid who wasn't even listed in the 128-player draft guide.

The Spurs' R.C. Buford says the plan will put Ian on the Austin Toros of the Development League this season. In essence, Mahinmi replaces Jackie Butler. Butler, a PF/C project, was traded to Houston in the Luis Scola deal. Getting Ian over here in the States provides an insurance policy should Tim Duncan and a buddy go down for a spell -- the rest of SA's bigs rotation includes Francisco Elson, Fabricio Oberto, ancient Robert Horry, and Matt Bonner.

More likely, Mahinmi will step in alongside fellow foreign acquisition Tiago Splitter next fall. Horry should retire then, and Elson's deal expires next summer. Not a bad pair to plug in. Where will we see Mahinmi first, though? EuroBasket 2007, where he'll join new teammate Tony Parker a bit early in trying to qualify for the Olympics.

When talking about the future, it's silly to ignore the current. I looked at the future stars of the NBA GMing scene earlier, and I should probably address today's gold standard in the field. We really shouldn't have to talk about R.C. Buford -- his name should be known well and his list of feats studied. But due dually to his timidity with the media and the world's general disinterest in the San Antonio Spurs, Buford lives on in relative obscurity to many.

Credit Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich all you want, you're right. All honest chatter about dynasty ends with them, with the things those two have been able to accomplish in an NBA polar to their values. But the dynasty talk begins with Buford, who has been able to keep Duncan and Pop's canteen full over the past half-decade with prescient draft picks, shrewd trades and veritably brilliant signings.