The first round of the 2014 NBA Draft opened with a shout-out for the San Antonio Spurs from Adam Silver. It ended with the commissioner announcing Kyle Anderson going to the defending champions.
The 30th selection from UCLA joins a veteran, deep and talented group, along with the league's model franchise. Unlike many of the other prospects taken Thursday night, Anderson won't be asked to step in and reverse a team's fortunes.
Being taken by San Antonio means time to develop, time to learn the Spurs' way and an opportunity to be around living legends Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. If that's not enough, Anderson gets to apprentice behind Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.
"My first reaction is wow, just going to a great organization in general," Anderson told reporters on a conference call. "Guys really care about developing their players, and that's something you can see from the outside. Watching the Spurs play, I can tell how well they share the ball. I think that's one of my best attributes. I think I can fit into the offense really well once I learn the system."
The small forward averaged 14.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.8 steals as a sophomore. Anderson, 20, ranked among the Pac-12's top five in each of those four categories. He made 48 percent of his 3-point tries.
Anderson (6-9, 230) is heady and one of the top passers in the draft, though not a great athlete by his own admission. Nicknamed "Slo-Mo" because he never seems to be in a hurry, the third UCLA pick of the first round has drawn favorable comparisons to another Finals' standout in Boris Diaw.
"He's a winner and the best passer in the draft," general manager R.C. Buford told reporters. "Hard to believe we got him with a 30th pick."
Buford expected Anderson to go much earlier, so the Spurs didn't bring him in for a pre-draft workout. (Leonard didn't come in either in 2011.) But the Spurs' brass did its homework and was impressed with Anderson's versatility.
"Just his whole skill level," said Buford, who didn't want to pigeonhole Anderson into any one position. "It's a really interesting game."
Anderson is not only a potential steal, he seems to fit the Spurs' humble identity. He doesn't have a Twitter account and described his play as: "Unselfish, likes to get his teammates involved. I think I can make shots and rebound. I'm a great teammate, and that's what you can see with the Spurs."
The Spurs own five NBA championships since 1999, 15 straight 50-win seasons, and the league's Coach of the Year (Gregg Popovich) and Executive of the Year (Buford). Duncan's recent decision to opt-in for next season leaves the Spurs as the early favorite to repeat next season.
The drama at the top of the draft unfolded with Andrew Wiggins going to Cleveland, followed by Jabari Parker to Milwaukee and Philadelphia taking Joel Embiid. Aaron Gordon (Orlando), Dante Exum (Utah), Marcus Smart (Boston), Julius Randle (LA Lakers), Nik Stauskas (Sacramento), Noah Vonleh (Charlotte) and Elfrid Payton (Philadelphia) rounding out the top 10.
The Spurs closed the night by drafting Tennessee guard Jordan McRae (58th) and Baylor forward Cory Jefferson (60th). San Antonio traded those two to Philadelphia for Serbian swingman Nemanja Dangubic, the 54th pick. Dangubic (6-8, 195) has spent the past three seasons playing professionally in Serbia with Mega Vizura (2012-14) and Hemofarm (2011-12).
Dangubic, 21, appeared in 25 games this past season in the Adriatic League, averaging 9.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He also played in 15 games in the Serbian League, averaging 11.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists.
The Spurs two picks in 2013 -- Livio Jean-Charles and Deshaun Thomas -- stayed overseas last season. (Jean-Charles, 20, did miss the season recovering from a knee injury.) The strategy of drafting and stashing players in international pro leagues has worked quite well for San Antonio in the past.
So has drafting players late in the first round.
Follow Art Garcia on Twitter @ArtGarcia92
