With the regular season getting closer, the San Antonio Spurs will have the unenviable task of cutting down their roster to 13 players as Spurs’ coach Gregg Popovich stated yesterday.
Curtis Jerrells was traded to the New Orleans Hornets (a nod in Garrett Temple’s favor) and James Gist was waived by the Spurs.
Now the Spurs’ roster stands at 15 which means the remaining camp hopefuls (Marcus Cousin, Alonzo Gee and Bobby Simmons) are playing for the final roster spot.
Among the camp hopefuls, Cousin appears to be a long shot. He has played decent basketball in the preseason (averaging 5.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in five preseason games) but with the injury to Tiago Splitter, the Spurs might keep him around for insurance but it is doubtful he will last long with the team.
However, should he be waived, he could be headed to the Austin Toros.
With Gist gone, the final roster spot is now between Simmons and Gee for the backup small forward position.
Between the two, Gee may have the bigger upside and is probably the better offensive player. However, he only played sparingly (three games with limited playing time) in the preseason which is telling.
The Spurs could be leaning towards veteran Simmons who has played in all six preseason games.
During the preseason, Simmons has shown balanced scoring, defense and hustle for the Spurs. His NBA experience might also come into play especially seeing how coach Popovich tends to favor more seasoned players over younger players which is not a good sign for Gee.
If my assessment is accurate and coach Popovich goes with a 13 man roster, then we will see Cousin and Gee waived and Simmons in silver and black.
This makes the final preseason game against the Houston Rockets much more interesting for all three players.
Do you agree? Give us your take on who do you think should make the final roster. I’m pretty sure you all have interesting opinions and ideas on this matter.
(NBA Photo)
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