Emerging Sleeper : Tiago Splitter Joins the Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs did not sign LeBron James. Regardless, they may have done enough to challenge the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA West. After stashing away his rights the last few years, the Spurs have reached a contract agreement with Brazilian center and European Superstar Tiago Splitter.

From Ticket 760

Ticket 760 has learned that the San Antonio Spurs have reached a contract agreement with Tiago Splitter. He is expected to sign the deal on Monday. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Splitter was expected to be in the 2006 NBA Draft but teams were backed off by the cost of buying out his huge contract. Splitter was automatically eligible for the 2007 NBA Draft, as he was at least 22 years of age at the time of the draft. He was the 28th draft pick overall, the first round pick of the San Antonio Spurs.

Splitter is an intense defensive player. He is an agressive shot blocker and among the leaders in steals in both the Euroleague and ACB (Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto or in english: Basketball Clubs' Association). He is not a great rebounder but has an extremely high basketball intelligence. He has been described as an old school type center. He should be an excellent fit with the Spurs.

Offensively, Splitter excels in the low post. Splitter is used to be being the offensive focus of his teams and aggressively fights for his spot in the post. He is not afraid to put the ball on the floor. He has great agility, excellent hands and touch. He has good footwork and an a variety of low post moves, his favorite being a hook shot he can execute with either hand. Although he has shown some improvement, Splitter is a mediocre free-throw shooter, averaging around 70 percent.

Fantasy owners can be excited about the prospect of adding Splitter to their roster but should display the same caution they would with any rookie. He is likely to start at center but should qualify at both center and power forward. Assuming he meets with projections he should be playing full time minutes and emerge as one of the more productive NBA rookies.