Uneventful draft ends with the addition of Marcus Denmon

Feb 18 2012; College Station, TX, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Marcus Denmon (12) against the Texas A

Thursday was uneventful to say the least. Rumors floated around that Tony Parker or possibly DeJuan Blair could be dealt draft night, but four long hours passed, and the Big Three was still intact.

RC Buford opted to stay quiet for the night, and not make any game-changing moves like he did in 2011’s draft. Instead of shipping off any key guys, the Spurs patiently awaited 58 picks to be made before Adam Silver could take the stage to announce the newest addition to the Spurs family.

With the 59th pick, San Antonio selected Missouri shooting guard Marcus Denmon. Not exactly Bradley Beal, but the Spurs have no problem taking a chance on anyone. Hell, if Popovich can get Stephen Jackson to perform this late in his career, I can buy that any guy can be great with Popovich’s coaching.

Anyway, Denmon was described by Buford as a guy who can flat out shoot the ball. Something the Spurs needed in the Western Conference Finals from their role guys. Though, Denmon and the Spurs have a long ways to go before they can even think about the 2013 postseason.

Now San Antonio did flirt with the idea of making a trade for a top five pick, but for probably good reason, the Spurs decided to not break up the band. They still have the free agency period to possibly strike gold, but based off San Antonio’s draft history, they may have struck gold with this Mizzou product.

He shot the three bell well in college, but until we see him in a real game situation, I’m not going to say Denmon is the next Ginobili. Then again, Denmon attacks the basket well, and with his size could learn to run the point.

Though to all the doubters, did you think Danny Green would become a starter for the Spurs in 2012? Did anyone predict Gary Neal would deliver as a reserve after an impressive 2010 Summer League performance? And who didn’t hate the Spurs front office after casting off George Hill for unknown small forward Kawhi Leonard?

Denmon more than likely will be an Austin Toro for most of the 2012-13 season. If the Spurs don’t choose to keep him, then I’d expect a similar lineup for next season. Hopefully this isn’t the case, though. I’d love to see Denmon to evolve in to a contributor, mainly for financial reasons.

Though I would prefer the Spurs to make a push for a big guy to fill the lane, and trading up the board seemed smart if they could grab a guy that they felt comfortable with going forward. But with a few guys stashed overseas, San Antonio could already have some super human stashed over seas waiting to make his impact.

Don’t expect Denmon to be the next Neal or Green, because the Spurs front office isn’t perfect. Take a look at James Anderson. However, the pick will only make sense in hindsight, but for the time being, Denmon has to prove a lot of people wrong in San Antonio.