Expectations and Hope
August 17, 2013Ohio State ranked No. 2 in 2013 Preseason AP Poll
August 17, 2013Former Ohio State star DeShaun Thomas will spend his rookie season in France, according to Bob Baptist of the Columbus Dispatch. Thomas, drafted with the 58th pick in June’s draft by the San Antonio Spurs, had the option to go to camp and try to make their roster, but his spot (and his salary) wasn’t guaranteed. A father with a 17-month old child, Thomas opted for the guaranteed salary in France over potentially spending the year in the D-League. The Spurs, a perennial contender who were five seconds away from winning the NBA title last season, don’t have roster spots that they can set aside for rookies who may not be able to contribute right away.
The Spurs have done this with previous draft picks, not just second rounders like Thomas, age 21. Both Manu Ginobili and Tiago Splitter both spent time overseas before coming to the NBA. The Spurs will retain Thomas’ negotiating rights while he plays in Europe next season.
Thomas, the Big Ten’s leading scorer last season, led San Antonio’s Summer League team with 12.4 points and 5 boards per contest.
[Related: Behold Tristan Thompson 2.0]
4 Comments
way to leave early bud….
Meh, he did it for his kid. Yeah he won’t be playing in the NBA next year but he’ll be getting more money in France than he would in the D-League and he can provide for his kid instead of risking coming back to school and getting hurt. Yeah it sucks for OSU to lose him but he did what he had to for his family, can’t be mad about that.
Yea, I understand I like the guy. When the Spurs drafted I was excited for him since their second round picks have tended to pan out over the last decade
Yeah absolutely, I feel like that’s a really good situation for him. Hopefully he’ll be back over here soon!