By Tom Orsborn, Staff writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2024-06-29 14:59:23
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
周六，马刺队的选秀球员哈里森·英格拉姆（左）和斯蒂芬·卡斯尔（Stephon Castle）在胜利资本训练中心（Victory Capital Performance Center）参加媒体和受邀嘉宾见面会，两人在现场相视而笑。
对于斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)来说，这个夏天不会有慵懒、闲散、疯狂的日子。
尽管纳·京·科尔(Nat King Cole)在 1963 年录制的那首轻松的热门歌曲广为传唱，但这名选秀大会的四号秀希望在接下来的几个月里撸起袖子加油苦干。
与维克多·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)去年不同的是，这位来自康涅狄格大学的全能型防守后卫应该会在夏季联赛中获得大量的出场时间。
“我想是的，”当周六被问及是否期待下个月在加利福尼亚州萨克拉门托和拉斯维加斯打很多比赛时，卡斯尔如是说。“能够上场竞技，展现我的天赋，并与我以前（大学）的一些队友同场竞技，是我非常期待的事情。”
在随大都会92队征战法国联赛总决赛后，状元秀文班亚马在萨克拉门托作壁上观，仅在拉斯维加斯的两场比赛中出场亮相。
卡斯尔的情况可能会有所不同，他在介绍他和二轮秀哈里森·英格拉姆(Harrison Ingram)的新闻发布会上表示，他期待着有机会“与我的新队友们一起比赛，与他们一起成长，向他们学习”。
“这将会是一件非常有趣的事情，也是我一直以来所期待的，”卡斯尔说道。
马刺队的夏季联赛阵容将于周一开启为期三天的训练营。由于去年执教该球队的助理教练马特·尼尔森(Matt Nielsen)今年夏天正在带领澳大利亚国家队备战巴黎奥运会，预计马刺队将把这份工作交给首席录像协调员肯尼·特雷维诺(Kenny Trevino)。
特雷维诺是拉雷多本地人，2016 年毕业于德克萨斯大学圣安东尼奥分校，曾在 2019-20 赛季担任奥斯汀马刺队的助理教练。
马刺队将于周四在萨克拉门托举行的加州精英赛上开始比赛，然后转战拉斯维加斯，参加 7 月 13 日在那里举行的首场比赛。
卡斯尔渴望向另一位伟大教练学习
卡斯尔表示，他仍然在慢慢消化自己加入了一支由 NBA 历史胜场数最多的教练执教的球队这一事实。
“想到要为波波维奇教练效力，感觉很不真实，”这位 19 岁的佐治亚州人说道，他指的是格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)。
“从可能最好的大学篮球教练（康涅狄格大学的丹·赫利(Dan Hurley)）到现在的波波维奇教练，我觉得这是一个完美的情况，我觉得这是任何篮球运动员都想要的处境，能够为两位如此高水平的教练效力。”
赫利带领哈士奇队获得了最近两届 NCAA 冠军。波波维奇带领马刺队获得了五个 NBA 总冠军。
“我很高兴能够为他效力，（也想到了）我会取得多大的进步，”卡斯尔谈到波波维奇时说道。
格雷厄姆的合同截止日期被推迟
随着自由球员市场将于周日开启，马刺队和后卫德文特·格雷厄姆(Devonte’ Graham)已经同意将其合同的保障日期从周一推迟到 7 月 8 日。
在格雷厄姆 2024-25 赛季 1265 万美元的薪水中，只有 285 万美元是受保障的。其余部分原定于周一得到保障。
如果马刺队放弃所有非保障合同球员（格雷厄姆、朱利安·尚帕尼(Julian Champagnie)和查尔斯·贝西(Charles Bassey)），并与他们的自由球员告别，他们可以腾出超过 2000 万美元的薪资空间。如果格雷厄姆、尚帕尼和贝西留在球队名单上，马刺队的薪资将超过上限。
周六是马刺队向前锋桑德罗·马穆克拉什维利(Sandro Mamukelashvili)和多米尼克·巴洛(Dominick Barlow)以及双向合同后卫大卫·杜克(David Duke Jr.)提供资质报价的最后期限。如果他们收到资质报价，他们每个人都将成为受限制自由球员。
点击查看原文：Castle eager for summer league action
Castle eager for summer league action
Spurs draft picks Harrison Ingram, left, and Stephon Castle laugh Saturday morning at the Victory Capital Performance Center Saturday as the Spurs draft picks were introduced to the media and invited guests.
There will be no lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer for Stephon Castle.
With all due respect to the easy-listening hit Nat King Cole recorded in 1963, the fourth overall pick of the draft wants the next couple of months to be all about rolling up his sleeves and getting to work.
And unlike Victor Wembanyama last year, the versatile, defensive-minded guard from Connecticut should get plenty of summer league playing time.
“I would say so,” Castle said when asked Saturday if he’s looking forward to playing a lot of games next month in Sacramento, Calif., and Las Vegas. “Just being able to go out there and compete and show my talent and be able to play against some of my former (college) teammates is something I’m really looking forward to.”
Coming off a run to the French League Finals with the Metropolitans 92, No. 1 overall pick Wembanyama saw action in only two games in Vegas after staying on the sidelines in Sacramento.
That likely won’t be the case for Castle, who said at a press conference to introduce him and second-round pick Harrison Ingram to the media that he’s looking forward to getting a chance to “play with my new teammates and to be able to grow with them and learn with them.”
“That’s something that’s going to be really fun and something I’ve been looking forward to for a while now,” Castle said.
The Spurs’ summer league squad will begin a three-day training camp Monday. With assistant coach Matt Nielsen, who coached last year’s team, working this summer with the Australian National Team in preparation for the Paris Olympics, the Spurs are expected to hand the job to head video coordinator Kenny Trevino.
A Laredo native who graduated from UTSA in 2016, Trevino served as a coaching assistant with the Austin Spurs in 2019-20.
The Spurs are set to begin play Thursday at the California Classic in Sacramento before moving to Vegas for their first game there on July 13.
Castle eager to learn from another great coach
Castle said it’s still sinking in that he has landed with a team headed by the NBA’s all-time winningest coach.
“Just the thought of playing for Coach Pop, it really doesn’t feel real,” the 19-year-old Georgia native said, referring to Gregg Popovich.
“Just coming from probably the best college basketball coach (Connecticut’s Dan Hurley) to now going to coach Pop, I feel like it’s the perfect situation and I feel like this is the position that any basketball player would want to be in, to play for two high-level coaches like that.”
Hurley guided the Huskies to the last two NCAA titles. Popovich has led the Spurs to five NBA crowns.
“I’m excited to be able to play for him and (the thought of) how much I’ll grow,” Castle said of Popovich.
Graham’s contract deadline pushed back
With the start of free agency set for Sunday, the Spurs and guard Devonte’ Graham have agreed to move the guarantee date on his contract from Monday to July 8.
Only $2.85 million of Graham’s $12.65 million salary for the 2024-25 season is guaranteed. The remainder was set to guarantee Monday.
If the Spurs waive all of their players with non-guaranteed contracts (Graham, Julian Champagnie and Charles Bassey) and say goodbye to their free agents, they could open up more than $20 million in cap space. If Graham, Champagnie and Bassey stay on the roster, the Spurs will be over the cap.
Saturday marked the final day for the Spurs to tender qualifying offers to forwards Sandro Mamukelashvili and Dominick Barlow and two-way contract guard David Duke Jr. By being tendered qualifying offers, each would become a restricted free agent.
By Tom Orsborn, Staff writer, via San Antonio Express-News