Ever ask someone for a number and get turned down? (Looks around, looks around) Yeah me either, but it happens all the time. Turns out it can also happen to basketball teams who want to talk to draft prospects. According to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, the San Antonio Spurs interviewed Ohio State swingman Deshaun Thomas at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago and were shot down when they asked him for his phone number.
“I can’t go around giving it out to everyone,” Thomas said Thursday with a laugh. “Now if they want to draft me, I’d be happy to give it to them.”
Hilarious. I understand needing to be cautious with who you give your number to, but I'm pretty sure R.C. Buford and whoever else is in the room isn't going to tweet it out or go in to a bathroom stall and write "For a good time call" and then put Thomas' number. Thomas did give them his email address, so maybe he's more of a GChat guy. Either way, Deshaun, when a team asks you for your number, you should probably give it to them.
Rice, Jr. interviews with Spurs, Bullock scheduled for a workout
In addition to that Thomas silliness, news also came out about other prospects the Spurs are interested in. C.F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports the Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers all have interviews set up with Glen Rice, Jr. Rice, a small forward, played last season in the D-League for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers after being kicked off the Georgia Tech basketball team last year. He was also the MVP of the D-League Finals and right now is all over the first round on various mock drafts.
Additionally, ProBasketballDraft.com reports the Spurs will work out North Carolina swingman Reggie Bullock. Bullock is a classic 3-and-D guy and would fill in as a back up to either Danny Green or Kawhi Leonard nicely. He's a projected late first round pick.
To sum up, what we're seeing so far is the Spurs are targeting back up shooting guards and small forwards right now, especially ones that can shoot. A lot of fans are probably wondering why they aren't looking at any bigs. They probably are, these are just the names we've heard so far. Teams get 18 interviews during the combine, so there's a pretty good chance your favorite big guy is getting a pretty good look.
Photo: SB Nation